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A Frugal & Healthy Alternative to Non-Stick Spray
Have you ever checked the ingredients in commercial non-stick cooking spray? In addition to the propellants and additives found commercial sprays, most contain soy oil which our family cannot tolerate.
For a cheaper and healthier alternative we use olive oil in mister
.
That way we know exactly what is going on our pan. I use it every
morning when I make pancakes and scrambled eggs. I use it to coat baking pans as well as to control the amount of oil used when I am roasting vegetables or making fries.Using a mister is good for the environment, too. No disposable container to refill. I have had my mister for almost four years and it's still going strong.
The Best Way to Store Fresh Herbs
When you purchase a bouquet of fresh herbs, you can store them much like a bouquet of flowers. Trim the ends of the stems and place the herbs in a glass with about 2 inches of water.
Cover the herbs with a plastic bag to prevent evaporation and place in the refrigerator. Don't place the herbs toward the back of the fridge since this is usually the coldest part.
This method is also useful in keeping asparagus fresh longer.
Do not use this method with basil. Basil should not be refrigerated since it extremely sensitive to cold and will turn black. Just set fresh basil in a vase or glass with some water and leave it out on the counter.
For more tips on keeping produce fresh, check out these posts:
Keep Strawberries Fresh Longer
Keep Asparagus Fresh Longer
How to Store Mushrooms
How to Keep Tomatoes Fresh
Keeping Sweet Corn Sweet
How to Store Avocados
Refrigerate It Right: No More Frozen Produce in the Fridge
Refrigerate It Right: No More Frozen Produce in the Fridge
Finding a head of frozen lettuce or a pint of half frozen berries in the refrigerator is an unwelcome surprise. A frozen head of lettuce is not going to work in a salad. While frozen fruit may be used in smoothies or other concoctions, if you were counting of fresh fruit, you're out of luck.
Understanding how your refrigerator works and the micro-climates within the unit will help you properly place your produce for maximum shelf life.
Check to be sure that the temperature of the refrigerator is set properly. Check your manufacturer's recommendation, but most refrigerators should be set between 36 and 38 degrees. If your refrigerator cannot be set to a specific temperature, you may want to invest in a refrigerator thermometer
since it's hard to say what a setting of "2" or "C" means temperature-wise. Leave the thermometer in the refrigerator overnight and check it first thing in the morning since the temperature will fluctuate during the day as the unit is opened and closed.Proper Placement
The frozen produce problem may be a result of where the produce was placed within the refrigerator. Fruits and vegetables are sensitive to cold air and are prone to freezing because of their high water content. Leafy vegetables are especially sensitive.
While some newer refrigerators have separate cooling mechanisms for the refrigerator and the freezer, most cool by funneling air from the freezer into an opening near the top rear of the refrigerator area. If you place fruits and vegetables near this outlet, you are blowing that cold air on your produce. Because cold air sinks, the area at the back of the fridge, and especially the back of the bottom shelf, can become very cold.
By placing produce in a crisper drawer, you will avoid the very cold air. Another option, if the crisper drawer is full, is to place your produce on a shelf but near the front of the fridge.
Free Ebooks at Amazon
The following ebooks are free right now at Amazon.
Click on the image to read more about the book:
Amazon prices change frequently. Please check the price before you hit "Buy".
If the "Kindle Price" is $0.00, the ebook is free. If it states "Prime Members $0.00 Read it for free", the price has gone up and the ebook is no longer free.
Time Saving Tip: Three Ways to Keep Your Socks Together
Eliminate the hassle of sorting socks by keeping pairs together through the washer and dryer. You will never have to search for a missing sock again.
Here are three handy ways to keep your socks together.
Safety Pins
For socks that won't snag easily, this is a simple and frugal solution. Keep socks together by securing them with a safety pin. Keep a small bowl or container your sock drawer. When you select a pair of socks from the drawer, remove the safety pin and place it the bowl.
Keep another container of pins near your laundry hamper or wherever you take off dirty socks. When you remove dirty socks, pin them together and throw them in the hamper. Let them go through the washer and dryer that way. When you remove the socks from the dryer, fold them with the pin in place. You will need to periodically transfer safety pins from the drawer to the hamper area.
Rubber Bands
Using the same method as you would with safety pins, you can secure socks together using rubber bands. This may be preferable in a home with small children, or with socks that may snag with a safety pin.
Plastic Sock Rings
are more expensive than safety pins or rubber bands but just as effective. These can be purchased in a variety of colors which comes in handy if you want give each member of the family a different color.Use one of these methods and you will never have to spend time matching socks. How do you save time in the laundry room?
How to Select and Store Avocados
You have likely read about the amazing health benefits of the avocado. But it's important that you know how to properly select and store this unique fruit.
Selecting Avocados
Most avocados come to market quite hard, so that they are less likely to bruise. As long as you don't plan to use it immediately, a firm, but not rock-hard avocado is a good choice.
Check the avocado for soft dark spots that are signs of bruising. Tan patches that are sometimes found on the skin, however, have no effect on the fruit inside.
If you do plan to use the avocado immediately, you will need to be more selective. A ripe avocado will yield to gentle pressure. If your finger leaves a dent in the fruit, or if the skin seems too large for the flesh, the avocado is overripe.
Storing Avocados
An unripe avocado will ripen on the counter in a few days. To speed the process, put the avocado in a paper bag along with either an apple or a banana. The ethylene gas released from the apple or banana will hasten the ripening of the avocado.
Cut avocado will begin to turn brown as the flesh is exposed to air. When you are using only a portion of the fruit, you can store the remainder for several days. Leave the skin on and the pit in place. To diminish discoloration, brush the exposed area with either lemon or lime juice and wrap in plastic wrap.
Freezing Avocados
Freezing whole or sliced avocados is not recommended since freezing will alter the texture. However, pureed avocado mixed with a small amount of lemon or lime juice (1 tablespoon per avocado) will freeze for up to 5 months. Store the puree in an air-tight container.
Pureed avocado is preferable to mashed since the lemon or lime juice is more evenly distributed in the puree. Pureed avocado may be used in guacamole, dressings, or sandwich spread.
Puree may be frozen using ice cube trays. Once frozen, remove from the trays and store in labeled freezer bags for up to 5 months.
And here is my favorite tool
for cutting, pitting, and slicing an avocado. This slick gadget makes preparing an avocado a breeze. It's a little tool that makes a big difference.
for cutting, pitting, and slicing an avocado. This slick gadget makes preparing an avocado a breeze. It's a little tool that makes a big difference.(I love the convenience of shopping online and I think you will too. The links in this post are my referral links. Read my disclosure policy here.)
Waste Not
Americans waste a lot of food. Estimates quoted around the internet
claim that we throw away between 27 and 40 percent of the food we
purchase.
Take a minute and calculate 30 percent of your grocery budget. If you are an average family of four, you spend $500 per month on food. If 30 percent of that is wasted, that's $150 in the trash. That's a lot of money down the drain, not to mention the ethical issues involved with wasting food.
Over the next couple of weeks, I would like to explore some steps we can take to reduce the amount of food (and money) we waste. We will continue to look at steps we can take to keep produce fresh longer. If you missed any of those posts, you can read them here.
By being more intentional about the food we buy, the way we use it, and the way we store it, I hope that we will all be able to help our food budget by reducing food waste.
What methods do you use to reduce food waste?
Take a minute and calculate 30 percent of your grocery budget. If you are an average family of four, you spend $500 per month on food. If 30 percent of that is wasted, that's $150 in the trash. That's a lot of money down the drain, not to mention the ethical issues involved with wasting food.
Over the next couple of weeks, I would like to explore some steps we can take to reduce the amount of food (and money) we waste. We will continue to look at steps we can take to keep produce fresh longer. If you missed any of those posts, you can read them here.
By being more intentional about the food we buy, the way we use it, and the way we store it, I hope that we will all be able to help our food budget by reducing food waste.
What methods do you use to reduce food waste?
Keeping Sweet Corn Sweet
It's best to eat sweet corn the same day it is purchased because sugars in the corn begin converting to starches as soon as it is harvested.But since that is not always possible, use these tips to keep your corn its sweetest until you are ready to eat.
Wrap the unshucked corn in a wet paper bag. Then, place the wet paper bag in a plastic shopping bag. Wrapping the corn like this will slow the conversion of sugars to starch.
Eat as soon as possible!
Taking Steps to Keep Produce Fresh
Stop throwing food away!
That's one of my new money-saving strategies. It ties in with meal planning, and making a shopping list, but it goes further than that. I have noticed, particularly with produce, that too many times the food goes bad before I have a chance to use it.
Too many times I have thrown away strawberries that became moldy, or mushrooms that became slimey. No more! Part of the problem, of course, is not sticking with my meal plan. But sometimes plans change and produce needs to remain unused for a few day. I am determined to learn the proper way to store food so that it lasts as long as possible.
With a new focus on meal planning and some tips and tricks for keeping produce fresh, I can reduce the amount of food that is wasted.
Check out these posts for some tips I have recently implemented:
Goals for the Week
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- Save money on food by wasting less. Read some tips for keeping produce fresh longer.
- Finish reading How to Ruin Your Life By 30
. This was a free Kindle download on Amazon that I am really enjoying. If you know anyone in their late teens or twenties, you will want them to have this book. It's common sense advice from a Christian perspective.
- Write a menu plan and stick to it (why is this always to hard?).
- Listen to the audio book Getting Things Done
by David Allen. I am really enjoying listening to books both in the car and on the treadmill.
- Declutter and organize kitchen cabinets.
How to Keep Tomatoes Fresh
Fresh tomatoes should be stored at room temperature. Refrigeration will change the tomato's texture and taste. But tomatoes left on the kitchen counter can spoil rapidly, so here's a tip to extend the life of your fresh tomatoes.
Purchase tomatoes on the vine if possible. Tomatoes lose moisture through the stem area (that indented circular area where the tomato attaches to the vine). Keeping that area covered is important in maximizing the shelf life of the tomato.
If your tomatoes are no longer attached to the vine, store them with the stem area down, facing a flat surface. Alternatively, you may cover the area with a small piece of tape. The idea is to reduce moisture loss from the stem area.
It is always best to eat tomatoes shortly after harvesting, but this little trick will gain you a few more days of fresh tomatoes.
For more tips and tricks to keep produce fresh longer, check out these posts:
Keep Strawberries Fresh Longer
Keep Asparagus Fresh Longer
How to Store Mushrooms
Keeping Sweet Corn Sweet
What tips and tricks do you use to reduce food spoilage?
How to Store Mushrooms
When you purchase mushrooms at the supermarket, they are often packaged in a Styrofoam container with plastic wrap. If you look closely at the plastic wrap, you will notice small air holes. Mushrooms usually keep well in this type of packaging for a couple of days in the refrigerator.
If you need to store the mushrooms for more than a couple of days, further steps must be taken to keep them fresh. Too much moisture will result in slimy mushrooms, too much evaporation of moisture will result in shriveled mushrooms.
Here's what works for me:
Wrap unwashed mushrooms in paper towels and place them in a perforated plastic bags
. If you don't have a perforated plastic bag, you could place the wrapped mushrooms in a bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Punch a few holes in the plastic wrap to mimic the perforated bag.Or, depending on the original packaging, you may even be able to place the paper towel-wrapped mushrooms back in the original container and cover with the original plastic wrap.
Use this method to keep your mushrooms fresh. Because tossing spoiled food is like throwing money away!
For more tips and tricks to keep produce fresh longer, check out these posts:
Keep Strawberries Fresh Longer
Keep Asparagus Fresh Longer
What tips and tricks do you use to reduce food spoilage?
Keep Asparagus Fresh Longer
Asparagus can be one of the more expensive produce items so it would be a shame to let it start wilting before you have a chance to use it.
While fresher is always better, if you can't use your asparagus right away, you can extend its useful life with proper storage.
When storing in the refrigerator, place the asparagus in a glass or wide-mouth jar with approximately two inches of water. This will keep the spears from wilting. A plastic bag (such as those found in the produce section) covering the spears and the jar opening will keep the moisture from evaporating.
Bug Bite Itch Relief with Apple Cider Vinegar
Bugs love me, so I get lots of bites.
In despiration last night, after trying over-the-counter remedies, I googled for advice. To my surprise, many sites recommended using apple cider vinegar to relieve the itch from bug bites.
Since I had some on hand, I gave it a try. It works!
I simply soaked a cotton pad with apple cider vinegar, applied it to the bites, and presto, the itch was gone! So much less expensive than other itch remedies and it worked much better too.
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