November: The Month of Loaves and Fishes

Well, I am not sure how this has worked, but we have only spent $319.61 on food this month.  And that includes all Thanksgiving necessities (even the turkey and the wine), and all the Tree Day fun foods:  fritters and eggnog and white mocha makings.  After two-and-a-half days of turkey feast, we still have a good meal or two of leftovers waiting to be devoured. We have eight loaves of bread in our freezer, made this week.  We have two gallons of milk in the frig.  There are also two big bags of turkey/lemon/ginger broth in the freezer, a butternut squash cooking that will be made into soup, two acorn squash being made into appetizers (recipes for soup and app to follow), and a big pot of applesauce cooking on the stove.  I can't help thinking of the story of Jesus feeding the multitudes with some fish and a few loaves of bread.  There is heavenly magic being performed in the dark recesses of our cold storage and our pantry.  I am grateful.



Chile-roasted acorn squash 
(from Sunset Magazine's Best Recipes 2010...the cookbook I use more than any other.)

2 large acorn squash
3 1/2 T minced canned chipotle chiles
About 2 t kosher salt
7 T canola oil (I used olive oil))
6 T packed brown sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds.  Cut each half into wedges (whatever size you want...I cut them into 1" pieces.)  In a small bowl, stir remaining ingredients together with 1 T water.

2.  Slather wedges with chile mixture, holding them over the bowl to catch the drips (use about half the mixture.)  Set in an oiled rimmed baking pan; cover loosely with foil.

3.  Bake squash 15 minutes.  Uncover and drizzle with remaining chile mixture.  Bake until very tender, about 25 minutes more.  Sprinkle with salt, if desired (I did not.)

To make ahead:  Chill, covered, up to one day.  Reheat 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger
from epicurious.com

• 2 butternut squash (about 4 3/4 pounds total), halved lengthwise, seeded
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups thinly sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 5 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
• Chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375°F. Oil baking sheet. Place squash, cut side down, on baking sheet. Bake until squash is very soft, about 50 minutes. Using paring knife, remove peel from squash; discard peel. Cut squash into 2-inch pieces.

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Mix in onion, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and cinnamon. Cover pot and cook until onion is tender, about 15 minutes. Add squash and 5 cups chicken broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Discard cinnamon.

Working in batches, purée soup in blender. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate.) Return soup to pot. Season soup with salt and pepper. Bring to simmer, thinning soup with more broth if necessary. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

November update: sick but still sailing

Well, illness has both thwarted and supported our efforts to save money on food in November. While adding to our OTC medicine budget (which is non-existent), this $%#@ flu has resulted in sipped tea in lieu of meals and eventually a meal provided for us (thank you, dear Lori). Chicken and potatoes and salad became one as-is dinner, two breakfast plates of potatoes, the greens for a tostada lunch and one pot of chicken soup that lasted for two dinners and two lunches. It was almost worth the horrific body aches and fatigue. Almost.

So far this month I have spent $123.09 on groceries. My husband picked up milk and bread when I was knocked out, so our totals probably come to $150.00. And we are almost half way through the month!

Since a large part of my goal this month is to use up what we have, I took a few hours on Friday and wrote detailed lists of everything we have in our frig, our freezers, and in our pantry. With careful planning, we are well stocked for several weeks, needing only to add dairy and produce. One of the most welcome discoveries was that I have everything I need for Thanksgiving except some produce and a turkey. I even have a great wine stored away for the occasion.

It is a great relief to finally feel better and to see that we are in great shape for our budget goals instead of being firmly entrenched in a big ol' fail. Tonight's menu: homemade pizza. Yumola.

For the month of November

Inspired by Beauty that Moves via Tonia, I will be posting my own grocery challenge here for the month of November.  I will post weekly updates, ideas and inspiration that I trust will come.  My goals are different:

1)  To use up our pantry and freezer excess in a creative way.

2)  To be disciplined about documenting food expenditures (I can't even put a number to spending half of what we usually spend, as I can only guess how much that is.  I want to know what we are spending.)

3)  To learn how to live on less for the long haul.  This month we will be able to save a large amount with the things we have on our shelves, but I want to significantly decrease our monthly budget for as long as it takes to lessen some of our financial stress.  I will put the money I save on groceries directly into debt reduction for our family.

4)  To eat healthfully, including plenty of produce.

What this means for us:

1)  I usually include everything I buy at the grocery store in our grocery budget.  This month I will not include alcohol, laundry/cleaning supplies, or our Thanksgiving meal.  I will keep track of every penny spent.

2)  I will be cooking.  A lot.  Our oven has been broken for a while; I am excited that it should be fixed this week and we can bake again.  I am ready for homemade bread.  Our budget is ready for homemade bread, bagels, and more.  I will include any recipes that seem worthy of note.

3)  I will be praying.  Tightening our budget is important for us, and I need God's grace.  I do love to cook, but penny pinching in the kitchen gets a little soul wearying for me.  I am hoping that adding the word "challenge" to the equation will release all those competitive impulses our family is known for.  

Welcome, November.  This is going to be a good month.