This is a post that I wrote for my
farm blog. I am posting it here as it falls under my category of Using Your Food Storage: Challenge. Using canned veggies and fruits are not ideal for the best nutritional and taste value, but they have a good shelf life. Now I live on a tight budget so I shop for sales and end up with the store brand foods, which need a little zip to enhance the flavor. Trust me it is easy to make foods from your storage tasty. Below is a meal I made last week and I tried to detail every expense and I tried to use many items from storage.
Brampton Burger Dinner
List #1 carrots $. 07 ---1/4 lb frozen(I used 1/4 can)
green beans $. 07--- 1/4 lb(I used 1/4 can)
olive oil under $.10---2 tbsp
vinegar $.05 --- 1 tsp
chicken bouillon $.05---2 cubes( I used bulk 2 tsp)
tomato paste $. 10---2 tbsp
pineapple tidbits $ .50---1/2 can(I only used the juice and reserved the tidbits for the dessert)
onion $. 15---1/2 cup(I used 1 cup)
hamburger patties $2.66--- 4(I do not eat hamburgers so we only needed four)
Total= $3.70
Recipe: Brampton BurgersBroil or fry the hamburgers the way you regularly do, and keep them hot...Heat the oil in a small saucepan and fry the onion without browning for two minutes. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the vinegar, bring to a boil, and cook over low to moderate heat for several minutes until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the vinegar and adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve the burgers topped with the vegetable sauce.
List #2sea salt--- $.02 season to taste as mixing together
pepper--- $.02
paprika--- $.02
2 potatoes(I realized that 2 were enough)--- $.24 slice in thin slices
onion--- $.15
olive oil(not pictured) 2 tbsp--- $.10
2 cloves garlic mince---$.02
total= $.57
Recipe:Fried Onions and PotatoesMix all ingredients together and cook on a medium to low heat until potatoes are done.
List #3ham slices(with coupon pack was $1.00 and I used 6 slices( 1/3)--- $.33
asparagus 15 oz can---$1.00
cornstarch 1/4 cup---$.12
instant milk 1 cup---$.14
cream of chicken soup---$.33
butter $.10---2 tbsp
homemade breadcrumbs $.02--- 1 cup
total= $2.04
Recipe: Ham and Asparagus RollsRoll 4 or 5 pieces of asparagus in each slice of ham and place in ovenproof dish. Heat the soup in a saucepan: blend the cornstarch with the milk and stir in the soup. Stir until boiling, simmer for one minute, and pour over the ham rolls. Melt the butter, mix with the bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top of the soup sauce. Bake in 350 F oven for 25 minutes.
List #4 No picture until final photo1 pint of canned applesauce(I canned in early spring)
apples free
sugar---$.15
plum---free
total=$.15
put applesauce in dish and place sliced plum wedges around the edge(great way to use up ripening fruit to garnish another dish)
List #5condensed milk(bought at Thanksgiving--- $.50)
sugar 1/4 cup---$.10
egg---farm fresh
lemon jello---$.33
pineapple tidbits---factored price in above(juice for List #1)
water 1 cup
total =$.93
Recipe: Pineapple DelightBeat the egg and sugar together in a mixing bowl and add the evaporated milk and crushed pineapple. Dissolve the jello in the water over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and immediately add the beaten egg ad milk in the hot jello. Stir until combined and pour into a serving dish or individual serving dishes. Place in refrigerator to chill.
Grand total= $ 7.39
This is all from food storage minus the ham, which I had a coupon for(coupons.com), and the potatoes, onions, garlic, plum, and egg which are in what I refer to immediate food usage(foods that are perishable)
Why am I sharing this post? Well many people stockpile foods and have no idea how to create something in a pinch that is lovely and tastes amazing. This meal took less than an hour to prepare...cleanup has taken a bit longer as I am typing this post!
Here is the how the meal looks all put together on our well used pine table. I painted each state that a member of our family was born in(or country as the case is for some) and bordered the table with all the places we have lived(we were a military family for several years. I have two scriptures running down the center of the table to remind us of where we should really place our focus-- and the scriptures deal with food...can you guess what they are?
Pictured left to right: Fried Onions and Potatoes, Applesauce and plum, Brampton Burger sauce(one son did not want it on his burger), Ham and Asparagus Rolls, Hamburgers garnished with fresh tomatoes and spinach. I noticed that I do not have the glasses on the table( we had tea as our beverage).
In this challenge I should note that I have not purchased paper products for over two years. The cloth napkins and placemats were the first thing I made even before we moved to the farm. I am in NO WAY supporting the green movement. I made these products to reduce costs in my home. I have around 48 cloth napkins for regular use, and holiday napkins too.
Here is the finished dessert
The totals for this meal were a bit higher than we spend on an average meal. Our monthly grocery budget is usually around $250.00. Some months we spend nothing if we are saving for a need etc. Food storage is a way we can do this, along with our garden and animals. I buy everything I can in bulk and make many things from scratch. Our meat expenses will be reduced dramatically in a week or so when we butcher the cow.
I challenge my readers to put some foods up in storage and to be creative to preparing meals. As you can see I am no Martha Stewart...but I am a wife and mother who desires to create tasty meals for my family regardless of budget.
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My challenge of stockpiling foods was for readers of my farm blog, I know readers of the prepper circuit have food storage!
(c) Double Nickel Farm
Jennifer
Book 1- Fighting Radiation & Chemical Pollutants with Foods, Herbs, & Vitamins- Steven R. Schnechter(this is a bit worn, but a good book to have on hand)
Book 2- Ball Blue Book The Guide to Home Canning and Freezing. This book is a neat surprise because it is both metric and not(US)...so our prep friends around the world can benefit from this book without the hassle of converting.
Book 3- The Country Doctor Handbook- Old Fashioned Cures That Prevent and Reverse Pain, Obesity, Heart Disease, Cancer, Diabetes, and More...(too much great stuff in here to mention!!)
