Bring Your Own Plastic Container

Bring Your Own Plastic Container
The greenest takeout packaging

"I usually bring my lunch to work in recycled yogurt containers. It bothers me to see my co-workers, who eat out, discarding so much trash: plastic clamshells from Caesar salads, Styrofoam pho containers, and cardboard sandwich boxes. Many are conscientious about recycling, but not all containers can be recycled. In any case, as we all know by now, reuse is always better.

Ecoconscious Chowhounds are bringing their own containers to restaurants to hold their takeout food or leftovers. So recently I found myself wondering: Do health and safety codes allow this? And is there a specific type of container restaurants prefer that you bring? I decided to investigate."

Read the rest here.

Also, remember to bring along a reusable bag too, to put it all in.

Frugal Chili

I made this Chili tonight for dinner, the recipe is mostly made up but it turned out wonderfully. A great meal for a cold winter's night, the flour will thicken the chili as it cooks.


Chili

olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp oregano
2-3 tbsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 can black beans
1 can romano beans
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup granulated TVP & 1 cup water
1 veg. beef boullion cube
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup water mixed with 1 cup flour
Add extra water as needed

Saute onions, green pepper and garlic in oil until tender.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook 1/2 an hour or longer. Stir often and keep on a low simmer.

Add extra spices to taste.

Serve with sour cream and chopped green onions over each serving.

Quick and Easy Pizza Dough

This pizza dough is great if you're in a rush and forgot (as I always do) to make some dough ahead of time. The mix of yeast and baking powder makes it possible to have a yeasty pizza dough in an amazingly short time.

Quick and Easy Pizza

2 1/2 cups flour (1/2 whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry active yeast
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil

First prepare the crust. In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and yeast. Stir it up to distribute the salt and yeast evenly. Add the water and oil. Mix the dough until it forms a big ball in the middle of the bowl. It will be a little stiffer than biscuit dough.

Knead the dough about 10 or 12 times and then form it into a ball. Let sit 10-15 minutes; covered with a clean kitchen towel.

Place the ball in the center of 16-inch pizza pan, or a 9 by 13-inch rectangular pan. Use your hands and a rolling pin, to press the dough into the pan.

After spreading the sauce onto the pizza dough, top it with about 2 cups of shredded mozzarella and a good sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese. If desired, add other toppings of your choice.

Bake the prepared pizza at 400° for about 15 to 20 minutes. Eat and enjoy.

This would be a great pizza dough to use for Calzones or Chili Bombs.

Make your own coffee drinks!

How to make your own coffee drinks. Check out this post for some tips.

Save a zillion dollars on coffee drinks!

Basically, you get a few bottles together, pour in some coffee to about half the bottle, add a bit of flavoured creamer (in this case Coffee-Mate), then top with milk.

Pop them in the fridge, and you just saved several dollars.

Experiment with different creamer flavours or try adding your own. Substitue vegan creamer and soymilk for a vegan/lactose-free version.

Chocolate-Mint would make a great Christmas-y drink for the holidays and nice addition to Santa's cookie tray.

These Hot Cocoa recipes from whattodrink.com
also look great for the holiday season.

Caribbean Hot Chocolate
Serves: 1

1 1/2 ounces dark rum

1/2 ounce Crème de Cacao

4 ounces hot cocoa

1 ounce whipped cream

Pour all ingredients into an Irish coffee glass. Stir well. Float the whipped cream on top of the drink. Dust with cocoa powder.

HOT BUTTERSCOTCH COCOA

Serves: 1

¾ ounce butterscotch schnapps

¾ ounce coffee liqueur

5 ounces hot cocoa

Mix ingredients in coffee mug, top with whipped cream.

A Frugal fruitcake recipe.

I'm not a fan of regular fruitcake so this looked a little better to me, plus this looks so easy to make. You could add some maraschino cherries if you like for more of a 'normal' Christmas fruitcake but still keeping on a budget.



Poor Man’s Fruitcake

This was popular during World War II. Butter was rationed, and we could get lard with fewer ration coupons. Notice the absence of eggs.

1 1/2 cups raisins and/or currants*
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup lard (shortening, butter or margarine)
1 cup water (or leftover coffee)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 F

Grease and flour one loaf pan.

Heat raisins, currants, sugar, shortening, and water till sugar dissolves, and shortening melts. Cool

Whisk together, or sift the dry ingredients. Add dry to wet, stir well.

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Wrap and store in a cool place for several days before cutting.

*Soak the dried fruit in brandy or rum ahead if you like.

Notes: I poured a bit of Goslings dark rum on the wax paper that I wrapped the fruitcake in to more evenly distribute the rum. Leave in the fridge for a few days to allow the rum to soak in. Repeat, if you like. This makes a huge difference in the flavour of this cake.

Have a Thrifty Holiday

How to Have the Thriftiest Holiday Ever!
The Oprah Show

It's Oprah's favorite things…but there's a twist! They cost next to nothing. Then, Cristina Ferrare with step-by-step recipes. Plus, our free holiday gift to you!

Holiday Hits 2008
This year, we've teamed up with some of the biggest names in the music business to create a one-of-a-kind holiday mix. It's our gift to you!

These eight songs can be downloaded free for the next 48 hours. (Starts today!)

Treasure Boxes
"With three of her four kids in college, Connie has had to tighten her belt last holiday season. Instead of purchasing new gifts for her children, she found what money can't buy—years and years of childhood keepsakes. Connie saved everything from a scrap of carpet from her daughter's first bedroom to the letters she wrote home from summer camp. "I just kept throwing it in boxes and filing cabinets," she says. "It was all over the house."

To turn her scattered collection into beautiful mementos for her children, Connie purchased treasure boxes to hold each child's memories. "I wanted it to be a piece of furniture that they'll put on a shelf and keep forever," she says. It took months to put together, but Connie's children were touched when they received their mother's gift. "I'll always remember where I came from and what I am and who I am because of you," her son Jay says."

Hot Chocolate Cones

Garden Gift Baskets
"Tamara plucks her homemade holiday gifts right from her own backyard! "I make salsa, applesauce, spaghetti sauce, spicy green beans and crunchy dill pickles," she says. "So at Christmastime, I make gift baskets for all my family and loved ones.""

12 Dates of Christmas

Make Your Own Cloth Rags

Cloth Rags can be made out of many old worn out clothing items such as old flannel sheets, t-shirts, and cloth diapers. Finish the edges on your sewing machine if you like but it often isn't necessary. Pick up some cheap wash cloths or find some at thrift stores.

Just cut them up and use them for many clean-up jobs. Never use paper towels again.

(My mom was still using some of the old cloth diapers as cleaning rags for many years after we were out of diapers.)

Cloth Rag Uses:

-Dusting and cleaning jobs
-Cleaning up spills
-Cloth napkins
-Puppy accidents
-Kid's pee (great when potty training)
-Use them as toilet paper or kleenex tissues
-Keep some around for a quick baby wipe during a diaper changing.
-Camping
-Washing dishes
-Paint cloths
-Lint-free ones are great for glass or mirrors.
-Make a rag quilt
-Washing the car
-Come up with your own.

Another idea is to Turn your Rags into Bags.

Another frugal tip:
Save your old toothbrushes for scrubbing hard to reach places!

Crockpot Tasty Lentil Tacos

With the cold winter weather moving in again I'm starting to use my crockpot more often.

Crockpot Tasty Lentil Tacos
So easy to make in the crockpot and lower in fat too.

1 onion, finely chopped
1 vegetarian chicken boullion cube
1 cup dried green lentils, rinsed and sorted
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano

Garnishes
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato
shredded Cheddar cheese
sour cream
salsa

Crockpot High 3.5 hours or Low 6-8 hours.

(I used a 2.5 quart crockpot.)

Spoon lentil mixture into each taco shell or tortilla. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa and sour cream.

This is a nice change from the ground beef alternates I usually use in tacos.

Crockpot Red Lentil Dahl

Crockpot Red Lentil Pottage

Vegetarian dishes

Homemade Vegetable Broth

How to make use of all those leftover vegetable peelings from your holiday meal preparations.


Make your own vegetable broth.

Keep carrot, onion, potato, and sweet potato peelings, squash and celery tips, tomato tops, to this add some garlic cloves, oregano or bay leaves, fresh or dried parsley, salt, pepper and (remember to save) the water from your potatoes. These can all be saved in the freezer until you are ready.

1. Add the vegetable scraps to your crockpot and fill with water, cook on HIGH 8-10 hours or overnight.

2. Let cool, Then strain it.

Vegetable Broth Uses:

This is great as a broth for many types of recipes, including Matzo Ball Soup, Vegetarian French Onion Soup, Cassoulet, or Risotto.

Cook rice with broth instead of water for added flavour.

Freeze broth in an ice cube tray and grab a cube or two for thinning sauces.

Plus, it's all compostable (no soup bones to dispose of).

How to make your own stuffing mix

Can you really save money by making your own stuffing mix?

Homemade Stuffing Seasoning Mix

1/2 tsp each ground sage, dried savory and poultry seasoning
1 tsp instant vegetarian chicken bouillon granules
1 Tbsp dried chopped celery
2 tsp dried minced onion
2 tsp dried parsley leaves, crushed
1/8 tsp ground pepper

Cut a 6″ square of heavy duty foil. Place all the ingredients in center of foil. Fold the foil to make an airtight package.
Label with date and contents. Store in a cool, dry place.

Makes: 1 package seasoning mix

Use within 6 months

To Prepare:

1 1/4 cups water
3 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 package Stuffing Seasoning Mix (recipe above)
4 cups partially dried 1/2″ bread cubes

In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter or margarine and Stuffing Seasoning Mix. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium, simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the bread cubes. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly.
Cover; remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Serves: 4 to 6

Variations:

Whole Wheat Stuffing: Substitute 2 cups partially dried whole wheat bread pieces for half of the bread cubes.

Cornbread Stuffing: Use 3 cups crumbled cornbread for bread cubes.

Nut Stuffing: Add 1/4 cup walnuts or diced water chestnuts.