It’s Friday which means I should be talking about Frugality.
Well, I found some ways to be frugal.
Let’s see…lots happening in the kitchen- which means we have a few healthy home made options to dig in to at a moment’s notice and not go for not so optimal or packaged snacks…
I made Starbucks Style Egg Bites
Just eggs, cottage cheese and grated cheese- blended, seasoned and some red bell peppers for making it interesting.
But I made a tray size of it.
Which means heating a piece up for breakfast on a busy morning is a breeze. And it’s yummy and healthy! And quick to make.
I love when I can just heat things up in the morning for all of us to eat, and not work too hard or long. That definitely calls for an easier and smoother morning.
I think I can use that on a weekday for sure!
My CSA share
A whole load of fresh vegetables and fruits, straight from the farm! And because they come straight from the farmers, they are as fresh as can be, for the lowest prices they can be.
I have been getting my share from the Plan B Organic Farms for over a decade now. I like to call it “my farm” because they have fed up so well over all these years.
Opening my box and seeing the bounty of beautiful fresh produce makes me very happy…
Making my own fermented goods
This includes, most prominently, yogurt.
But I’ve also done some vegetables (like the beets in the photo), which are easy.
Then, for some extra health kick, I made some natto– fermented soy beans. Not the easiest to swallow (they are slimy and bitter tasting), but great for the body.
And my latest experiment, which takes about a month, is fermenting tofu. So I did this in the beginning of September. I will give a review of how they turned out in October 🙂
Baking some (ok, a LOT of!) Granola
Again, looking for those healthy quick breakfast options…
And in this case, also SUPER YUMMY!
I don’t think I like any store bought granola as much as I like my own…and I know it only has the best ingredients.
Not laden with sugar, or seed oils or any crap.
The artisanal granola either in the grocery store or the farmers’ market is great too, but oh so expensive!
For the granola I made, I already had most of the ingredients (I did need to buy more rolled oats and a bag of coconut slices) at home from making other things.
I also made a huge batch that should last us months.
And I get to share some with friends…Making granola at home makes complete sense!
Making my own Yogurt
I mentioned this earlier, but I make so much of it week after week that it needs its own bullet point! And the empty jar in the photo means I need to make some today!
Again, something that is easily made, yummy and so much cheaper than store bought!
As an Indian family, we eat plain yogurt with dinner every night. So we go though a lot of this stuff! Rather than buying a couple of tubs every week for $$$, it is easy and much cheaper to make it at home.
Having grown up with watching everyone in India make fresh yogurt every single day, it comes easy to me.
I don’t fuss with thermometers or thickness or quantity, or special starter etc. I just know when the milk is warm enough and ready, and how much of the starter yogurt is needed, and 8 hours later…voila!
So, yeah my kitchen is busy making everyday staples, and that saves us all the money for forking out for the good quality stuff. And, most importantly, saves our health in the long run.