My Famous Freezer

My good friend Audra, over at Penny Pinching Penguin asked for some pictures of stockpiles. Well, I've only been doing this crazy couponing thing for a few months, and don't have much of a stockpile. But I grabbed my camera anyways and snapped a few pictures. I hadn't been out to my deep freeze in weeks and was appalled at how "messy" it was. (When my husband butchered a deer in early Jan, my six year old was in charge of putting it in the freezer!) I grimaced, but took the photos and even sent them to her. Since then, I've bought some more meat that was on sale, and got that freezer organized!



When we first got our freezer, I wondered how we would ever fill it up. And it's not even all that large. I had just been so used to only have the small one attached to my fridge and making things fit in there... It was months before we finally plugged it in and started filling it. Now, I don't know what we'd do without it! There have even been a few times that it was too full, but because of this cold winter I was able to stack things on top of it :)

Once it got so full, it was really hard to find things. If you're planning on filling your deep freeze, you really need to make a plan for being able to get things out, and not forgetting about what's on the bottom. Last fall, I found five packages of venison sausage that I thought I ran out of in July! My freezer came with a little basket, and that is useful for smaller bags of veggies, or your husband's fishing bait. There's also a "shelf" where the compressor is, and it makes a great spot to store frozen pizza or baked goods. The rest of my freezer is devoted to meat. Mostly we have venison, so that's just thrown into the bottom. In a dairy crate, I have stored all other meats. I can easily lift the crate out and access my venison. There is some wasted space because it's not a perfect fit, but the grocery sacks I was using previously kept getting brittle and breaking. At least this way I can still find my meat!

If you have any other tips or tricks for organizing a deep freeze, let me know. I'm always open to revamping the system! Also, check out Penny Pinching Penguin- she's got loads of great advice for saving money- and you can see my cupboards, too. :)

Healthy Eating on a Budget pt 1

It's fall again. That time of year when cider and hot chocolate make my day just that much better. I don't like being cold, and it sure is windy in Nebraska, so it's not typically my favorite season. Add to that the rising prices of produce, and I'll take summer back, thank you!

We all know that if we want to eat healthy and we have a limited budget to stay away from processed foods. The Hamburger Helper, the chips, the cookies, etc. The problem is that if you're into couponing, these are the items that you can pick up for pennies if you know how to work the system. And what about special diets? Sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free? All of these items are still more costly than their counterparts.

It's fine to pick prepared boxed items up when they're good deals. There's always a time when you just don't want to or don't have the time to cook. Grabbing a boxed mix that you paid little to nothing for cannot be much worse than pulling through your favorite fast food restaurant, and much cheaper, too! These are also great to have on hand for those times when you would like to donate an item to a food pantry or canned food drive.

What's a mom on a budget to do when produce is so expensive? I know that I should feed my kids a variety of fruits and vegetables. I know that eating fresh is better for them. But when I walk into the produce aisle, I cringe at the prices. I often end up with the frozen variety, which is almost as good. I just have a hard time thinking of ways to use frozen fruit in a way that's not a smoothie or a dessert cobbler!

Stocking up in the summer and freezing things myself is another option for having produce all year long. Sometimes a store will have a coupon for something like bananas or raspberries at a great deal. It's tough finding a sale or coupon on produce, but they can be found. Mostly, I'm thinking that it's a matter of good food storage practices. Take a look at my previous post on storing summer produce. The same methods apply whether you've grown the produce yourself, or purchased them cheaply at the grocery store.

Check back tomorrow for more deal-finding tips on healthy food items. We'll talk about whole-grains, going organic, and more!

God Owns Everything

"For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills." ~Psalm 50:10

There are Powerball billboards all over Lincoln. Whenever I see one I think, "Man, what I could do with $50 million. Surely God would bless the lottery ticket if I purchase one." Then one day it hit me- God owns all the cattle on a thousand hills. I tried to picture the immensity of that amount of land and investment. If God owns all of that, and I have a need, I think that He has the resources to provide for me!

I have several stories that illustrate God's provision in my own life. People showing up with hand me down clothes for my children, or extra produce from their garden. There was one time when I had a desire to go to a conference. My husband had been laid off for over a year, was working a temp job, and had no paid vacation time. There was no way we could afford to go to the conference, especially given that he wouldn't be paid for the time. I said, "If God gives us the money for the conference can we go?" And my husband agreed that he wouldn't argue with God!

Just a few days later he came home from helping a friend work on his car. This family had offered to pay for our registration costs so we could go to the conference! I could hardly believe it! Now, we just had to work things out so we wouldn't be hit so hard with a week of no pay. But who was I kidding- God is in control and He owns everything. Also during that week, two other friends approached my husband with odd jobs that they needed someone to take care of. The combined about for their jobs covered the week's worth of pay he would miss by going to the conference! God is incredible and truly has the resources to provide for everything we need, and even some things that are just nice to have.

But what about the boxes of kids' clothes in the closet? And the piles of unused craft supplies in boxes? And the closet full of stuff we can't even remember what we put in there? Getting rid of things that you're holding on to for "someday" is another way of showing trust in the Lord for His provision. By getting rid of the things that you're not using, you're telling God that you trust Him to provide for your needs when they occur. There's no need to horde things you may never use "just in case."

Don't get me wrong- my boys are eighteen months apart and my girls are 24 months apart. I hold on to clothes for future use. My rule is if I know I'll use it in the next year, or even two, to go ahead and keep it, otherwise we pass it on to someone who can actually use it. We'll trust that the Lord will provide for our needs as they come along. And we'll give Him the opportunity to show His power and might by putting ourselves in a position to need Him.

Becoming a Squirrel

This year we planted a few sunflowers in my garden. It was so cool when they were growing- inches taller every day! Some of them had edible seeds, and my kids were so excited to pick their own seeds. But the squirrels got to them first.

It's that time of year. When squirrels, birds, and other animals are stocking up their storehouse for the winter. I re-read the Little House books as an adult, and was amazed at how much of their time and effort went into storing food for the winter. They also put squash and apples up in the loft and ate them fresh all year round! If you have a garden, or a friend who has a garden with abundance, learning the basics of food storage is just a good idea.

Freezing produce is a great plan if you have a deep freeze. Freezer storage bags have come a long way, and there are many sizes to choose from to fit the need of your produce. I love the quart size baggies for cut up tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Just pour a bag into a jar of tomato sauce and you have a yummy garden "fresh" sauce for your pasta. Slice peppers and onions for use in stir fry or fajitas. You can even freeze peppers whole and use for stuffed peppers later- just defrost under running water! Don't forget to blanch them first to get rid of any bacteria- stick in boiling water for 10 sec then immediately into an ice bath. Dry off and freeze. Peeling the skin off the tomatoes makes the finished product much tastier, as well!

I also spend some time at the food processor making baby food, if I know that's going to be a need in the next year. Cook up the food (squash, carrots, peas, etc) and throw it in there. I love the small 1/2 cup size plastic containers for this. Some folks freeze in ice cube trays then pop them into a gallon size baggie.

Canning is another great way to preserve your produce. You can literally can anything, if you have the proper instructions. Last summer I took some jars to a friends' house and she showed me how to use a pressure canner. It's so much faster than the water bath method! I have canned fruit syrups, pickels, salsa, and marinara sauce. I'm waiting find a good deal on a used pressure canner. At that point, I will also be able to can fruit, beans, and anything else I can think of!

There are so many ways of preparing and preserving our garden produce for use throughout the year. And I haven't even mentioned my food dehydrator! There's no reason to let the bugs or the composte pile have the food that could be feeding your family in January.

Preserving websites to get you started:

The Basics

Fresh Preserving

Canning Recipes

General Info (and pick-your-own directory)

Pickling

Now, the next time your neighbor brings you a sack full of tomatoes, you'll know what to do with them!