27 and Frugal

I knew that groceries would be expensive in Manhattan. They were expensive in NJ so thought the difference would be negligible. It was not.

Here’s my first shopping trip on the upper west side:

Grated parm: $3.91
Grapes @ $2.69/lb: $5.33
100% whole grain bread: $3.99
Jarred Pesto: $3.59
Unsalted butter: $4.39
Cottage Cheese: $3.79
Strawberries: $3.99
Nellie’s Natural Eggs: $2.69
Chicken breasts: $6.01

Now, let’s compare this to the prices of some of these at a central New Jersey Wegman’s super market:

Cottage Cheese: $2.99
Unsalted Butter: $2.79
Strawberries: $2.49
Eggs: $3.69
Grapes @ $2.49/lb
Pesto: $2.49
Bread: $2.69

Shopping Around

Now, I am sure that the prices are cheaper in the outer boroughs and plan … Continue reading »

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I was looking through a friend’s pasta cookbook when I saw a recipe that used strawberries, balsamic vinegar & canned tomatoes to make a pasta sauce. I had never thought of strawberries being used in that way and was immediately intrigued.

Fast forward to several months later, I stumbled upon this article about the strawberry pasta sauce. After just buying some strawberries recently, I decided to have a kitchen experiment of my own and give it a shot.

Honestly, I had my doubts, but the result turned out much better than I expected!

Note: I didn’t measure … Continue reading »

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With busy schedules, finding time to cook, especially if you do not enjoy it, can be difficult. Many “quick and easy” recipes are subjectively so. Numerous steps and ingredients can be overwhelming to someone who is used to take-out. When cooking solely for yourself, things like plating and appearance can take a back seat to quickness.

For those of you who don’t know, I spend a minimum of 13 hours a day doing work activities (including commuting) and am never home before 7p. Although I do enjoy cooking, I do not want it to occupy my entire evening. Since I am only cooking for myself, the quicker the meal is to make, the better.

Some might scoff that this isn’t a recipe at all, but we all have to start somewhere. Putting together this easypeasy pesto pasta (say that three times fast!) is still better than take-out.

Yes, I know fresh-made pesto will taste better, but it’s winter. And sometimes, there just is not time for that.

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As part of my 2011 goals, I said that I would try one new recipe a week. Here’s this weeks adapted from AllRecipes.

I didn’t actually measure much of the ingredients. Instead I mixed everything together to taste, then added the chicken and made sure it was covered. The chicken does come out tasting pretty balsamic-y but I loved the taste even without searing it beforehand. It came out great on the foreman, though I am sure you could also sear full breasts on the stove then bake with potatoes/vegetables to add even more flavor to your meal. Even better, plan ahead and marinate the chicken overnight. As usual, he longer you marinate the better the flavor but mine were in for 20 minutes and tasted great!

What You Need
1/2C Balsamic Vinegar
1T Soy Sauce
1t Brown Sugar
1t Garlic Powder
Salt/Pepper to taste

What You Do

1. Mix all ingredients together and marinate 3 thin sliced chicken breasts.
2. Remove chicken from marinade and put onto a pre-heated Foreman grill for several minutes.
3. Eat!

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This is my go-to recipe for get-togethers. It is fast, easy, fairly affordable and all homemade. This combination is a huge crowd pleaser.

Let’s start with the pita chips. You can flavor them however you like and I encourage you to experiment with different seasonings and flavors that you like. Usually, I just stick with salt and some garlic powder then offer several dips to kick up the flavor. I have spread pesto on them as well. This is totally up to you.

Pita Chips

2 Packages of Pita Bread (white or whole wheat)
Olive … Continue reading »

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Pumpkin is underrated.

It is an easy to work with ingredient that provides a subtle flavor that goes easily with everything; namely chocolate.

There simply are not enough pumpkin/chocolate combos in food. So here is my contribution to the pumpkin world.

These pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are very quick to make and will be gone as soon as you set them on the table, so be sure to make a double batch.

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This was my first attempt at red velvet cake and it came out extremely delicious! This recipe is easy to follow and pretty foolproof. Just be sure to mix the cocoa and food coloring thoroughly so the color is solid and not streaky.

The frosting is absolutely wonderful! I had never made frosting in this way but I plan to use it for most of my future cakes. I liked using white sugar instead of powdered as it did not come off as thick or sweet but still tasted and looked great. This is the traditional frosting for red velvet cake and it seems to fit better than cream cheese frosting.

I started with this recipe from AllRecipes and made my own changes so please follow below.

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Quesadillas are not only quick and easy, but also flexible!

What You Need (Core)
2 Tortillas
Shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, your preference)
Mexican seasoning (you better use mine!)

What You Do (3 Options)
1. Toaster Oven: Put quesadilla in toaster oven and toast until cheese melts
2. Oven: Put quesadilla on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10 mins or until cheese melts
3. Stove Top: With olive oil on a pan, place your quesadilla and cook for ~10 minutes then flip Continue reading »

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These pancakes have the perfect amount of flavor and density. It is more common for me to have beer than milk on hand, so I directly substitute the two. I actually prefer the flavor as it creates a perfect counter to the sweetness. You barely need any toppings on these lil’ pancakes. They melt in your mouth, are a perfect texture and a perfect sweetness.

What You Need

1 egg
1C white or wheat flour
3/4C Yeungling (or any light-medium flavored beer)
1T white sugar
2T vegetable oil
3t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 capful of vanilla Continue reading »

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These oatmeal cookies are simply amazing! They do not have raisins (yay!) and do not have chocolate (sadness) but are still tasty and sweet.

The key ingredient here are Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips. They may be hard to find. The only grocery store in my central New Jersey area that carries them is Wegman’s. I usually stock up on them when I go.

Here’s the recipe!

What You Need

2 sticks of butter, softened
1C brown sugar
1/3C white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2t vanilla

1 1/2C flour
1t baking soda
2 1/2C quick oats
1pkg Hershey’s Cinnamon Chips Continue reading »

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Free samples are a great example of how frugality is more about being resourceful than it is about being cheap.

Cheap people will use free samples solely because they are free. They have no intention of ever buying the product and simply think of the item as a free meal, free lipstick, free soap, etc.

Frugal consumers, on the other hand, will focus more on the fact that it is a sample. Samples allow you to try a product with no investment. If you like the sample, then spending money on it will be a smart purchase. If you do not, then no harm done. You did not waste your money. Continue reading »

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These home-made wheat crackers are not only absolutely amazingly delicious but they are also easypeasy! I promise!

Lots of thanks to Cooking For Seven for the awesome recipe!

What You Need

1C Whole Wheat Flour
1C White Flour
1/4C White Sugar
1/2t Salt
4T butter, cut
1/2C Milk
Salt/Seasonings

What You Do

1. Mix together the flours, sugar & salt. Add the butter. Gradually add milk until dough comes together. (Just a few minutes in a stand mixer)
2. On a floured surface, roll out 1/3 of the dough as thin as you can get it. Sprinkle with salt, seasonings, etc. Cut into shapes. Transfer to a stone or any baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes

Original recipe Continue reading »

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One of the simplest ways to save money is to bring your own lunch to work everyday. It is easy to make excuses, “I don’t have time to pack a lunch,” “I get sick of sandwiches,” “I hate leftovers.” Enough already! There are a ton of lunch foods outside of sandwiches that are just as easy to bring to work. There are also many ways to kick your standard sandwich up a notch. Many foods even taste better the next day and are especially easy for cooking newbs!

Chili, Soups & Stews

These meals do not take long to put together. The most time consuming aspect is letting them simmer for 30-60 minutes but you can just watch TV or do pilates while you are waiting.

Chili is nothing other than tomatoes, meat, beans and spices! Put it all in a pot and walk away. Leave it in the fridge and bring it to work the next day. It’ll smell great and taste even better!

Chicken noodle soup is just as easy! I’ve already posted my favorite super-easy chicken noodle soup recipe. It’s simply chicken broth, chicken and veggies. Again, just boil, simmer then eat. Soup reheats perfectly and the flavors usually blend together to taste even better when reheated.

Similarly, beef stew is just beef bouillon, beef, water and veggies. You can season it to your preference. This will be a super easy dinner and an even yummier lunch.

Chili, soups and stews work so well when reheated because it completely eliminates the “soggy food” complaint. It is also very filling and not too messy to eat for lunch. In fact, you probably already purchase soup or chili for lunch at that overpriced cafe down the street!
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Between The Simple Dollar’s home-made bread post and my new KitchenAid mixer, I had plenty of inspiration to try baking my own bread.

Failbread

My first attempt was a recipe for “Rapid Mix Cool Rise White Bread” that is in the recipe book that came with my mixer. I used it so I could get used to mixing times and speeds. My first loaf came out perfect! I was very very excited at the premise of making my own bread whenever I wanted!

My second loaf, did not rise. I killed the yeast with water that was too hot. So I immediately went out and bought a $5 digital thermometer at target. With that help, my third loaf came out perfect just like the first one.

After two good loaves of bread, I thought I had this baking bread thing down pact. So, I tried to make wheat bread. Boy was I in for a treat. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and my first loaf did not rise.

So I tried again. Second loaf did not rise.

Two failures started to get me down so I switched gears to a white cinnamon swirl bread. Fail. I do not even know what went wrong with this one!

Even though I was definitely starting to get discouraged by this point (and annoyed at seeing all my hard work end up in the garbage) I did not give up. Continue reading »

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Coupons are one of the most ingenious marketing techniques ever created. They use the same principle new businesses will use to attract customers; Give customers a deal so they are willing to take a risk.

Marketing companies know how loyal we are to our favorite foods, brands and toilet cleaning products. They know that we will not switch just for anyone. However, with the lure of savings, we will try anything!

Coupons Do Not Endorse a Healthy Lifestyle

When I used to clip out coupons, I tried all kinds of new processed foods and cleaning products. Unfortunately for the marketing companies, I no longer purchase processed foods and commercial cleaning products. Most of the items I buy at the grocery store are rarely featured in coupons. When was the last time you saw a coupon for celery? Companies do not care about your health or savings. They know that your $0.50 savings is nothing compared to the mark-up they just profited on your purchase. Continue reading »

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