Ha! This is hilarious, but could be fun! I never thought to make a single serving “cake” in the microwave, but it’s a good idea! We’re not big cake people here, and I seldom bake one, but occasionally I’d like something sweet at the end of a meal. I’m going to give this a try and see how it turns out. I’ll let you know too, but in the mean time CLICK HERE for the recipe and pics.
Happy microwaving!
Yesterday was my first attempt at real homemade flavored coffee creamer… well, sorta homemade. I didn’t make the half and half or anything else that I put in it, BUT I did put it all together and I did make it at home and it IS way more economical than buying the flavored stuff in the store. I’m not sure what’s in the flavored creamers in the store… I do know there’s no dairy, so what is it? Hang on, I’ll check.
It is:
Water
Sugar Partially Hydrogenated Soybean oil and/or
Cottonseed Oil
Less than 2% of Sodium Caseinate (a milk derivative(
Natural and artificial flavors (whatever that means)
Dipotassium phosphate
Polysorbate 80
Datem
Color added
Carrageenan
Oh my!! That’s the first time I ever looked at the ingredients list on those creamers, and now I’m so disgusted that I’ve been drinking that stuff!!! Ugh! Blah!! It’s no wonder we’re all dying of cancer. *sigh* Okay, so that’s what is in the store bought flavored non-dairy creamers and uh… they charge you nearly $4 a quart for all that …. stuff.
Well, I knew there could be a cheaper way to be getting my flavor fix with my coffee. A bonus I’m now realizing is that it’s much healthier as well!!!! My creamer is not “non-dairy” though so if you’re lactose intolerant then I guess you’re out of luck with this one. Sorry. 
I used a quart of half and half (It was a buck and some change), 8 tablespoons of REAL Maple Syrup, about a tablespoon Vanilla Extract and about a teaspoon Almond extract. I didn’t actually measure the extracts so that’s just a guesstimate! Mix all together in a pot and warm, don’t bring to a boil though. Once it’s all combined and warmed through, poor into container (I used the empty creamer container) and refrigerate. There will be slightly more than a quart, obviously, so I had some for my coffee right then, and a FULL quart container for the fridge! I like my creamer SWEET, so I found that the 8 T syrup wasn’t quite enough and I added some agave nectar after the fact. If you don’t mind sugar then you could certainly use that as well. I think I’ll try honey next time and see how that goes.
This made what turned out to taste like an Amaretto flavored creamer. The almond can be really strong so I’d do no more than a teaspoon and then test it to see if you want more.
I’m so excited about doing this! It makes me so happy to be SAVING money and actually drinking something REAL instead of a bunch of chemicals. Woo-Hoo!! Give it a try. I’m going to do some cinnamon flavored stuff and some caramel/vanilla sometime soon. You’re only limited by your imagination. It would be totally easy to add some coca and make a mocha flavored one as well!! Yay!!
Let me know if you try this and what flavors you came up with!
Toodles!
I am not a frugalista by any stretch of the imagination. I can’t spend hours clipping coupons, comparing store fliers, and printing online discounts. It’s not in my makeup, though I tip my hats to those people who can do it. I know they get a rush from saving so much, and while I like to save, for me personally it’s so not worth the time investment. However I do have a few tips of my own on how to save a bit when it comes to the food my family eats.
I thought I’d do a couple of blog post about how I do our meal planning and shopping. One thing that I really want to do this year is to cut down on our grocery costs. I bought THIS BOOK awhile back and while it has some great ideas on cutting grocery costs, some I simply can’t do because of our remote location and most of the rest I was already doing. 
So don’t buy it… if you seriously think you need it, look on paperbackswap.com because chances are I’ll be listing it there very soon. One way that is the simplest for me to save mulah is shop for meat on sale and then freeze it.
This week I spent $28.97 on some chicken and pork that was marked down to $1.9something a lb. That’s pretty good. So while it added quite a bit to our bill this time, just wait! Once I got it home my job was to divide it up into “meal sized” portions. With meat, I try to make sure that it’s a “main” ingredient because I have some carnivores who live in my house. But I still want to “stretch” it with the sides and veggies as much as possible. Today I mixed up some different marinades and started sorting. I ended up with 11 freezer packages of meat. That will end up being MORE than 11 meals because some will double with the leftovers being used for stir fry or fried rice or tacos.
So even just counting the 11 meals that would break down to $2.63 a meal, or $.65 a person. Now that’s just the meat, so to add in the veggies or rice or noodles whatever will obviously add cost to the meal, but seriously, you can’t get anything at McDonalds for $.65! So this is turning out to be a pretty cheap meal especially since the sides like rice and noodles are usually very cheap as well.
The great part is, this helps eliminate that on-no-it’s-4:00-what-do-I-fix-for-dinner-? feeling. The next few weeks I’ll be shopping in my fridge for dinner! I’m interested to see how much this actually does cut down on the grocery costs since I will have all of the “main” dishes on hand. I’m also going to be doing more “shopping” in the pantry because there is stuff in there that just NEEDS to be used.
Next time I’ll tell you about my menu planning and how it helps save LOADS of stress, cuts down on trips to the store, AND saves you money!
I know, second post for today wow! Actually I’m procrastinating on wrestling with car seats, ugh! I wanted to give you a couple of links you can visit for a little more info on some of the stuff I mentioned in my ‘experiments’ blog post. So here goes.
HERE is a link to a site that will give you more info than you will EVER use on uses for vinegar. It’s white vinegar, but there are also things you can use Cider Vinegar for with better results…. I don’t know why, but the hair rinse is one of them.
THIS is a post written by my friend on the Oil Cleansing Method. I’m loving it!! Even though a lot of things I read on it suggest using a blend of castor and EVOO, I’m really liking the Coconut oil because the smell and feel is so pleasant! Wow, you’ve got to try this. Oh, and I’m sure you can find coconut oil in stores like Trader Joes and others, but I found it on Amazon for $13 for 2 15oz containers. They will last a LONG time as this is all I’m using it for.
HERE is another blogger raving about the amazing effects of going “no-poo” and using Baking Soda washes and cider vinegar rinses for your hair. You’ll notice her hair is pretty short. I honestly think that is the key. My long hair just wasn’t getting enough moisture with this method though I really enjoyed getting it clean w/o the effects of shampoo. Now I’m totally loving using the baking soda in the conditioner and my hair is very pretty and soft and touchable as well! Last night Stuart was rubbing my head and he said, “Wow your hair does feel good!” So that works for me!! I know that conditioners still have small amounts of those chemicals in them, but for now it’s working. I’ll keep looking for a natural method, but as the co-wash suggests using some of the cheapest conditioners anyway, I think it’s still frugal. Just my own take. 
Okay, well I’m off. I have 4 children in this house who in the next half hour need to be gotten up from naps, changed if applicable, and packed into the car. I’m dropping off 2 with their dad and then hauling the lads with me to my first midwife appt. *sigh* It’s going to be an adventuresome afternoon!
Hi friends, I just thought I’d share this recipe with you all because it’s very hearty, delicious and FAST! I made some yesterday, and Stu loves it! He’s not a big soup fan, but this one is an exception! Plus you can make this in like 10 minutes, it’s great!
1 can condensed chicken w/rice soup, undiluted
1 1/3 cup water
1 cup salsa
1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned or frozen corn
1 cup diced cooked chicken (I use the canned chicken breast if I’m really in a hurry)
1 tsp ground cumin
Crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream (optional)
In a large saucepan, combine the first 8 ingredients. Cook over medium-high heat for 5-7 min or until heated through. Serve w/ tortila chips, cheese and sour cream. (5 servings)
This is a GREAT cold weather meal! I always save the left over canned beans and corn together in the freezer for the next time I want to make it. We get 2 meals worth out of this recipe, and it’s so easy and very very yummy!!! I haven’t tried it with sour cream, but the chips and cheese on it are great! So if you like Mexican-y food and enjoy soups too, this is a must try especially since it’s so stinkin’ easy!
Hey I ran across this great blog called the $5 Dinner. This mom apparently loves to cook, but likes to keep things economical too. Think about it. If you had dinner for $5 a day (and some of her recipies double for a second meal like pork and potatoes, with the left over pork being bbq pulled pork for another meal) then you’d be spending $35 on dinners a week! Add to that oatmeal for breakfasts, and some simple soups and sandwiches for lunch and you have a weeks worth of food for less than $50!!! Wowsers! I’ve been doing a LOT of reading on this stuff lately, because I want to be as frugal as possible (without sacrificing my sanity) when it comes to our eating. We eat out very seldom which helps a ton if you really keep track and break down where your food money is going. But anyway, I’m always on the lookout for more ways to save. This week my goal is to make out a month’s menue so that when I go shopping on Monday I’ll have an ingredients list of exactly what I need minus what I have at home on hand already. I think it will save us oodles of cash in the long run. I’ll let you know how it goes! Ta ta