Hard Times Befall Many. Ideas, Hints, Tips, Tricks!
"More, please! I mean, any, please." It may not be quite like the days of Old England, with little orphan Olivers being fed a bit of gruel constantly hungering for more. But today, many must find ways of frugality and budgeting carefully for maximum value.
Hard times are a fact of life for many. But, we all must keep going helping each other keep spirits up and good thoughts and actions flowing.
This page was created because we all need to save money and find ways to be successful while helping each other, while sharing ideas on how to save money, pinch pennies while still enjoying tasty and delicious meals.
We do all need to contribute in order for the world go ’round comfortably and successfully, the way it should be, always with the help of inertia, of course! : )
Update: 2:45 PM 12/9/2008 PST
Classic HoeCakes
Delicious, Economical, Nourishing on Our Recipes Page!
To start, here are some pointers to begin with regarding
Yummy Delicious Food and Saving Money – 10 Little Hints and Tips
1. Big Hint! If you can sprout your beans before you cook them, you will add so much incredibly good nutrients to your diet, for free! That goes for seeds, as well! Do you need instructions? (Bottom of this page) Also, it will SAVE COOKING TIME, thus, energy!
2. If you eat meat, save your bones! You can make a very nice soup. When you simmer poultry bones until they are very soft, you can actually eat them or feed them to your pet. All the marrow and bone is very, very nutritious. The broth will be yummy delicious for your soup, as well.
3. Less is best. Did you know that most people eat more than they really need? Believe it or not, a light diet is much healthier than a hearty diet.
Now, if you are a teenager or child, one musn’t inhibit your diet! Parents and Caretakers: Always consult with your physician for the proper amounts of food for kids, and you!
Nevertheless, a high quality natural diet of doctor recommended proportion is good for kids and teens, of less amount is the best for your adult body.
4. In the winter, a pot of soup on the stove is a wonderful and inexpensive thing. Try to keep the salt down – it’s tempting to have a lovely salty soup. You can put almost any vegetable in your soup. Add sweet potatoes, potatoes, greens, soaked beans, soaked grains, or soaked seeds (see below for sprouting instructions) and you have a full, hearty and complete meal with all the nutrients you could ask for, for dinner or lunch!
NOTE: Don’t have a refrigerator? If you boil your soup often for at least 5 minutes and only use sterile utensils, it can stay on the stove. Pioneers kept a hot soup pot throughout the day above the embers. However, you must consider whether you are willing to use this method – you don’t want to get food poisoning, and it can be hard to tell if your utensils are sterile. Also, there can be floating bacteria, yeasts and spores in the air that enter your pot when it it opened. Again, consult with your physician on this. (Who can afford a doctor? I don’t know – but we just have to recommend this for your safety and good health.)
5. Keep your brain exercised. Study, learn, research, read. Go to the Library, or go to your bookstore and EXERCISE THAT BRAIN OF YOURS. You will help the prospect of your brain staying younger longer, and it will need the exercise to stave off things like Alzheimer’s.
USE IT OR LOSE IT.
6. Take the time to have a fruit and vegetable platter in your fridge. But the fresh vegetables that you can afford, carefully wash and cut them up into bite sized pieces. You and your family will grab these healthy little bite sized goodies rather than turn to a candy bar or soda.
7. Make a little dip dish in the fridge. Remind your family to only dip once! No germs allowed! There are awesome dip recipes – we will have some good and cheap ones, soon. Remind us!
8. Make your own breakfast cereal! If you must have boxed cereal, throw it on top of your homemade cereal as a topping! Save your money!
Great cereal: tender rolled oats, a bit of crushed nuts, dried berries, sunflower seeds, chopped dates. Bag and refrigerate. No need for too many add-ins to your oats or grains! Just a small serving with a topping of boxed cereals will help kids love it!
Boxed cereals should be labeled, “Use as garnish or topping only.” Or, “12 piece limit per day.” Uh oh – don’t want to get in trouble with the cereal companies! We hereby recommend boxed cereals all day long! : )
9. Make your own soda! Save on medical bills! Great for your kids…
Just take fizzy mineral water, add sweet natural fruit juice, and it takes like fruit soda! No chemicals, additives, fake sugars, or genetically modified sweeteners.
Your juice may be less sweet, but you will find that it really refreshes and that kids will get used to it!
10. Use ketchup and mustard? Add water and shake – you’ll use less, will still be tasty.
More coming soon! Do you have a wonderful idea to share? Please please let us know! Help the world, help yourself!
Easiest, Simplest, Least Expensive Way to
Sprout Successfully – How to Sprout (with Low Water usage, too!) )God Willing, we will have pictures soon!! : )
Needed:
1. Slim containers (not bigger than a quart) with non-leaking, wide mouth screw tops, small or large will be fine. Expensive sprout jars not necessary. (After all, this is about hard times!)
Any container that’s fairly slim with a wide mouth with screw top will do. Drink bottles made of safe, good quality plastic are fine, with wide mouths and a spout or snap top to let in air.
2. 1 little strainer that fits of the wide mouth jar – any type will do as long as you can place it over the mouth when you pour out sprout water.
3. 1 beautiful little naturally grown container herb garden to pour your sprout water into. Your sprout water is valuable! : )
4. Sproutable beans, seeds, grains – ask your friendly health food store, or any local grocery store for organic (no GMO or hybrids please) untreated items.
5. A dark, cool little cupboard or place.
6. Clean water.
7. A big happy heart. (Optional, but very very helpful : )
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Rinse, and then soak your beans, seeds or grains in your container overnight for at least 12-24 hours in a dark, cool, place. Make sure that they are fully covered with water when soaking. You can use 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the container for your beans. Less if you want bigger sprouts for salads or chapotlies (A chapotlie is a sprouted, hand formed flat pancake lightly heated on a griddle).
3. In the morning, pour the soaking water into your garden, inside or out, and smell to make sure it has a fresh, light, tangy smell. If it does, not need to rinse! Just strain out sprout water into your plants! If it’s a bit sour, no problem! Just rinse gently until sweet. Then strain out the water. Then, with your snap top or straw open for air, place your container on its side in a dark warm or room temperature place.
Important: Don’t forget about your sprouts! Put them where you will see them in your cupboard on your counter behind your cookie jar. : )
4. You can turn your sprout jar over if you like during the day if you can. Otherwise…
5. In the evening, (yes, you can leave your sprouts be until evening!) sniff your sprouts and rinse gently if they have a vinegary smell, until fresh. Otherwise, one little rinse will do, turning your sprout jar over to redisperse the little fellows.
6. You can actually cook up your beans, seeds and grains at this point if you like. Otherwise, you can continue and make more “sprouty sprouts.”
NOTE: The day or two of soaking brought a wonderful reaction to your dormant little beans, seeds or grains – the spark of life. They have come alive! Their little germs may have begun to poke their little heads out, and their enzymes may have begun to percolate to life and create nutrients and more enzymes. So beneficial!
7. Continue the process if you want more sprouty sprouts. After the 3rd day, you can put your sprouts in the fridge. Believe it or not, they will continue to grow in the coolness. Cool! : )
8. Whenever you sniff your sprouts and they seem a bit sour, that’s the time to rinse. Otherwise, once a day can be more than enough. Amazing, but true.
NOTE: Always use a spotless clean container and clean beans, nuts and seeds. That will help insure sweet production, rather than sour. Even then, sour is not a problem. Just rinse, and you should be fine.
If your sprouts smell bad, you must throw away for compost. Did you know about a lovely compost bucket (coming soon!)? A wonderful thing!
FINAL NOTE:
Whatever you do, soaking your beans, seeds and grains for 24 hours is always a wonderful thing to do even if you don’t want sprouty sprouts.
The spark of life with soaking a day or two is a wonderful way to add nutrition and lower cooking time which SAVES ENERGY! Yay!
Questions? Contact Us and we will try to help!