Cheddar Please!

Exceptions to the Rule - Eating local produce for the Summer

2009-05-13T21:58:00.000-07:00

I've been watching the 100 Mile Diet people's show on the Food Network. The premise is that they head to Nelson, BC and ask families to sign up to eat only local food for 100 days. It's more than a minor inconvenience and the families needed to completely overhaul how and what they ate.

On Sunday they had the finale show and every got back to normal. Many of the families headed straight for some coffee, sugar and beer.

I was impressed that many of the families suggest that they will keep the majority of their new practices, like sourcing local products, making their own bread, and cooking from scratch more often. They also lost a significant amount of weight and many reported feeling more alert and ready for the day when they wake up. Clearly a change for the good!
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I recently read a book by Barbara Kingsolver (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle) who did the 100 mile thing around the same time the BC couple were at it and recorded her families quest to produce and source food from their community eating only food they produced themselves or from local friends and farmers.

In their quest for one whole year of local eating they each had one thing they could keep using. Barbara chose her herbs and spices, her husband selected coffee, and I'm afraid I can't remember what her daughters chose. They were very successful in their plan (and had a leg up having many acres in the southern US and the know-how from years of farming and backyard gardening) and pledged to maintain a similar lifestyle for the foreseeable future.
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This got me wondering if I could do it - eat local for 100 or 365 days. I think not, but I am one person cooking for myself with limited skills and resources. This doesn't mean I can't do my part! With the Farmers Market season here ready to open, I perched on my chair waiting to try local produce only for the summer. I have no idea how this will fair, and I may be subsisting on mushrooms and strawberries only, but there are worse ways to live. So I encourage you, check out your local farmers markets and see if you can make a similar attempt. It's a great Saturday morning activity and you'll never know who or what you'll encounter and it's definitely an eye opening experience - you'll never believe what you can grow locally in your region.

As for what I'd pick as my exception to the rule should I want to go whole hog into the local food movement at some time in the future, I think it should be sugar or rice - something practical - but for my purposes I really think I'll miss bananas. So I choo-choo-choose you, you sweet yellow devils.

Surprise, Surprise

2009-05-11T21:32:00.000-07:00

Surprises can be great - surprise birthday parties, free puppies, lotto wins etc. but they can also trip you up. In budgeting I have it literally down to the dollar what I can spend each month and the rest goes to debt repayment. A slip-up in planning or a surprise (large or small) throws the plan off quite significantly.

I know that I will be getting a healthcare bill in the next couple weeks for my monthly contribution to the provincial medical plan. I've never had to pay it before because I was in school and didn't make enough money to HAVE to pay for it (I was exempt when I was po') but a downside of sending in my tax return was that now the tax man and the medical people know how much I made last year and now it's a little too much so I have to pay up for the medical services I don't really use. (knock wood)

It's retroactive to the beginning of the year so it'll be about $250. That's a big chuck of my monthly taking and pretty much what I spend on groceries, so if I had to come up with it out of the blue it would be quite a hardship, and this isn't even that much money! If that's not a reason to have savings I don't know what is! There's a distinction to me made here.

I have two savings accounts. One is for "fun" like flights and trips and one is for emergencies. A medical bill, which if I was paying attention at all when I signed up with the plan I should KNOW the bill is coming, is not an emergency. I can easily pay the medical bill with my money in savings, but it's coming out of the fun pile. Emergencies are just that, unpredicable expenses which come out the blue.

See you later $250, I'll just stay closer to home this summer :( whamp wammm - At least I get to eat next month!!
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Did anyone sign up for some WeSeed.com stocks? Mine tanked today!

I'm out of money and I'm going on vacation!

2009-05-10T20:23:00.001-07:00

The two are not mutually exclusive, but both are happening this week!

Because of some overzealous spending earlier this month I've spent only $45 on groceries these past three weeks including the amazing 10 whole dollars I had left this week. After pouting internally for a little while, I settled on a few things to get me to Thursday night.

4 bananas
4 apples
2 carrots
1 small plain yogurt
1 bunch of celery
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$9.53!

There's nothing humbling like telling the cashier you may have to pass on the celery if it takes you over $10. Lucky for me, I'm chocked full of celery now with two whole quarters rubbing together in my wallet. Good thing! Just in case I go through a worm-hole back 15 years and I need to make a call.

I have a stash of leftover food in the freezer, a fairly stocked pantry, a head of cabbage and a baking potato in the fridge, so I know I can make it until Thursday when I'm heading to Edmonton for some Mother/Daughter bonding time.

My Plan for the week:

Sunday night & Monday lunch - coleslaw + 1/2 of a baked potato
Monday night & Tuesday lunch - lentil soup w/ carrots, frozen peas and celery
Tuesday night & Wednesday lunch - Freezer chili/soup/curry
Wednesday night & Thursday lunch - anything that's left over.. from the leftovers..
Thursday night - a delicious airport meal!?

I always bring a yogurt, apple, banana and my snack pack (almonds, raisins, rice crackers) for lunch with whatever salad or leftovers I have. This makes making packing lunch super easy since it's the same everyday, but I don't get sick of it because the main event changes. It's nice to have small components so I can snack through the day if needed. An awesome additive to my snack stash this week (and the cheapest bang for my buck I could think of) was the celery I can team with peanut butter and raisins to make some killer ants on a log to enjoy.

This coleslaw pretty much ended up just like the Waldorf salad without the apple, but I did it from memory, so maybe I invented it all over again! It's pretty much a kitchen sink salad using up the leftover cabbage from the minestrone from last week.

In my effort to be pretty much awesome in everything, especially money and food, I'm trying to eat really balanced diets, so clearly tonight's meal is a testament to that. I have all three food groups: dairy, vegetables, potatoes... riiight, a little short of protein am I? I have some eggs kicking around in the fridge, but I know I'm not in the mood for scrambled eggs this evening and it's too hot in here to cook anything else. Let's say the yogurt and walnuts are protein enough and call it a day.
Kitchen Sink Coleslaw

1/2 small head of green cabbage, chopped coleslaw style (about 2 cups)
1 carrot, grated
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1T fresh coriander
1t fresh parsley (or whatever herbs you have)

Dressing
1 small cup of plain yogurt
1 tbsp honey or maple or agave syrup
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
Salt + Pepper

Mix salad ingredients together until well combined

Stir up dressing ingredients together and tweak as needed.

----- This tastes fine, fine. You could use some onions, and lemon or lime juice and I might suggest leaving out the cinnamon, it's a bit grainy in the dressing.

I just baked a potato in the oven for about an hour at 400 degrees and doused it with some of the Naam's miso gravy. Eating baked potatoes is the only time I wish I had some Cheez Whiz and I like to avoid that craving ( I mean, what's in that anyway?) so the miso gravy is a delicious alternative.

Final Thought - Am I the only one with a lunch routine? Eat at the same spot each Friday, bring the same PB&J your mom made you all though middle school?

I get by with a little help from my friends...

2009-05-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to reiterate that sharing your experiences or situations with friends and family can go a long way to relieving any tension you may feel from keeping a big bad debt secret. Sure I'm paying back "good debt" but it's still a hardship and a lot of my friends are in a better place financially than I am.

Not only can they be a support system, they might surprise you with extra help (financially or otherwise) or be able to give you some advice. Since my siblings and I are all university grads with mega debt, we've forgone our birthday presents for the past 3 years. It's great.

This week, my friend V who's currently out of town left me this message:
"Hey, can you budget me in for dinner sometime round about the first week of June? Thought I'd get in there in advance to give you some planning time ;)"

How awesome is that!? It may seem a little excessive in the planning department, but it's great to have a heads up rather than a last minute $30 beer/nachos/hockey night. You should not sacrifice friendships so you can save a buck, be proactive in seeking out some ways to keep costs down.

If you're not in debt, maybe ask your struggling buddy to go for a walk, have a potluck, or check out a free museum tour.

Best Soup Ever - Main Dish Minestrone

2009-05-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes there's nothing like Mom's home cooking especially on the eve of Mother's Day. In an effort to save some money (surprise!) I've been cleaning out my pantry and freezer to use up older things I've bought. I did a major trip to a big grocery store in January 2008 and I KNOW that a good amount of the back of my pantry is from that trip. Spring cleaning is past due.

I reached into the depths of the deep freeze to grab some Italian sausage and plan to make my all-time favourite dinner. I've made this meal more times than anything else ever. Except perhaps scrambled eggs and PB&Bs.

My Mom's been making this main dish minestrone "Emily's Soup" and a delicious Pasta e Fagoli "Jen's soup" for as long as I can remember. They were so good, my sister and I had to claim them.

What I like about this is that it's hearty, hot, easily freezable, can be coated in Parmesan cheese and eaten with bread. Anytime I've made this for friends they've had seconds or more. It's just a crowd pleasing soup/stew.

I should warn you this is deceptively lengthy because you need to brown the sausage and bring the soup to boil twice before simmering for 10 and 30 minutes consecutively. I would estimate cooking time to be about an hour, not including prep. I also would like to suggest that you get everything in order before you start making it. I'm always a fan of mis en place but with this recipe I find myself in (more of) a frantic mess because you need to add so many things at once.

Here you go! Awesome soup for you!

Makes about 10-12 cups of soup. However big your serving is is up to you. This freezes super well, but make sure to leave room in the container to add some water before you freeze it. The only downside is that the pasta gets a little mushy, but it's a small price to pay for the best soup ever on demand.

Main Dish Minestrone

Ingredients
2T Olive Oil
2T butter
1/2lb or 225g Italian sausage (I use 4 links which is ~ 1lb)

1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 celery ribs, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 green pepper (small), chopped

2T parsley (fresh), chopped
1/2t basil (dried)
1/2t thyme (dried)
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper

1 large can of chopped tomatoes
4c chicken or vegetable stock

1 can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2c green cabbage, shredded coleslaw style
1/2c any small pasta (macaroni is best)

Parmesan cheese
Italian bread

Steps
1. Remove sausage from casings so it's like ground meat.
2. In large heave saucepan heat oil and butter. Add sausage to pan and cook until brown.
3. Add onion, garlic celery, carrot, and green pepper. Cook until softened but not browned.
4. Stir in parsley, basil, thyme, bay leaf and s&p and incorporate well.
5. Stir in tomatoes and stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes
6. Add cabbage, beans and pasta, mix well. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes
7. If soup is too thick add water to achieve desired consistency.
8. Serve with Parmesan and bread as desired.

YUM YUM!!!

This is still cooking as I write this and I'm so eager to eat it!!! I can't tell you how good it is, you MUST try it for yourself.

Do you have a favourite dish your mom made that you like to make too?

WeSeed - The Pretend Stock Market

2009-05-05T05:57:00.000-07:00

I consider myself a pretty financially aware person compared to most people my age (a necessity of a large loan payback and a limited source of funds) but when it comes to stocks and bonds and securities... I'm essentially clueless. On Friday Kim over at Little Miss Fortune introduced WeSeed.

For where I am right now (net worth ~ -$34,500) I'm not in a place to be "playing" the stock market. No matter how clever you think you are there is no way to guarantee results in the market, especially in this economic climate. In my opinion I see most market investments akin to a really intense poker game - even in you have all the skillz, you may still not get the right hand - oh, and there's no bluffing on the exchange floor.

Since realistically it's too soon for discussions about money managers or whether you should go with an independent broker, choose an off shoot of your banking institution, or elect to fly solo, this is a great chance to take a shot on my own on WeSeed.

Signing up is easy and you can choose a pot size to begin with, I went with $10,000 which seemed more realistic and manageable than the $1,000,000 option.

Beginning on Friday, I ended up with 4 pots of $10,000 because you can make and manage several portfolios. As far as I can see this works in real time with the real stock market, so you're testing your own stock smarts with every "buy" or "sell." I don't believe it has every single public company available for your stock purchase, but it's a good start.

WeSeed is great because it's not some theoretical algorithm about your potential chances when investing, it give you immediate satisfaction or disappointment as you see your stock prices rise and fall. You can take your time to do research or just jump in and buy buy buy! (guess what I did..) If you're a little gun shy there are tons of resources on the site to introduce you to the market.

I had a few basic guidelines I went along before making my choices. Each company either:
1) is a company I know and love and/or I know it had a profitable report and is likely to continue doing well this year
2) is a company in a failing industry affected by the current global situation (Chrysler pork chop anyone?) which will almost definitely rebound in the future,
OR
3) is a company that makes crappy cheap food or goods which always becoming high demand in a recession (check out Crunch Bars circa 1930).

Below are my portfolios, you'll see I've been doing amazing, but I can't take all the credit, the market had a really good day Monday (Look Mom! I learned! I wouldn't have know that before!). Beside the name is the profit I've made so far - keep in mind I have different numbers of shares for each company. General Mills I have 9, Sara Lee I have 900 between the two portfolios.

Portfolio 1 - general
GAP Inc (GPS) $141.00
Kraft Foods Inc (KFT) $19.80
Sara Lee Corp (SLE) $215.00
Tyson Foods Inc (TSN) $62.70

Totals $438.50

Portfolio 2 - Junk
General Mills (GIS) $1.94
Kraft Foods Inc (KFT) $98.00
Mcdonalds Corp (MCD) $13.50
Sara Lee Corp (SLE) $230.00

Totals $343.44

Portfolio 3 - Electronics
Apple Inc (AAPL) $271.80
Research In Motion Ltd $37.80

Totals $309.60

Portfolio 4 - Green Things
Whole Foods Mkt Inc $720.00

Totals $720.00

Total Totals ===== 1811.54! In one day!*

That's 4.5% of my $40,000 investment!

I'll keep you updated in the future, I'm sure they'll move up an down over time, but it's good to know I made some super choices on my first go around.

Would you try this out?

*Results not typical.

Chili. Yeah.

2009-04-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

Chili is one of those things you should be able to do without a recipe, just dumping beany things in a pot. Chilis vary widely - I grew up with a really tomato based chili with macaroni noodles, Dave's mom makes some great chili with canned corn and no tomatoes.

Last week I was running low on monies and had a whack of beans in the pantry it was time for chili.

Inspired by Smitten Kitchen's recipe I made some delicious beanerific chili which Dave and I both enjoyed quite a bit. Our digestive systems had very strong feelings about it later, but that's the chance you take with Mexican cuisine.

This recipe can be adapted to whatever you want. Add corn, add more veggies, leave out some beans, add new ones, add meat, add tofu, cilantro + sour cream for the end, etc. This is very very open to interpretation, so go for it.

Jen’s Three-Bean Chili

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 humongous onion, diced

2 carrots, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

4 white mushrooms, sliced
1 15-ounce can of white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 28-ounce plus one 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup water or stock
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper, to taste
Sliced green onions, for garnish

Heat vegetable oil in a large pot, adding diced onion, and sautéing until browned. Add carrots, celery and mushrooms and heat through. Add beans, tomatoes, water or stock and spices, including cocoa, all at once, letting mixture simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Top with lovely cheese (like pepper cheddar from Mount Pleasant Cheese) and serve. Obviously this is great for lunches and freezing.

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While I'm plugging Cambie Village small businesses, I have to mention Kreation bakery in between 17th and 18th on Cambie. Check out these cupcakes! Moist chocolate cake and the icing is raspberry with REAL raspberries in it!! SO delicious. If you're ever in the neighbourhood make sure you check this place out - They have way more than just cupcakes too, check their site out.

Grow Spring Grow!

2009-04-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

When I headed out to my mini deck garden today to get some parsley for my lovely rice soup I realize this could be a good thing to share with you.

Not only does having plants improve your life it's also a great way to save a buck or two if you focus on cultivating a vegetable garden (for those with time, patience, and a green thumb) or some potted herbs and a lovely rosebush for people like me!

I grew 5 different kinds of herbs last year, but I never used them enough to keep them from overgrowing, so I decided on two this year - Parsley and Cilantro(Coriander.) It's been working out great and it's so nice to just grab a tablespoon or two and not waste half of a huge bunch.

I bought the plants for 3 or 4 bucks each and used 39 cent planters to give them bigger pots. I'll have nice fresh herbs all summer long and hopefully into the winter! What a savings!

With Vancouver's community gardens program, potential green thumbs would get a kick out of a great space work work on your craft, even if you live in an apartment.

Love/Hate - Cumin & Rice soup, Spinach with Pine Nuts and Raisins.

2009-04-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

Man do I love cumin.

Lately I can try it out it on anything (see here) and it's amazing.

Should I ever find myself going to a place where my life would be guaranteed, but the food would be questionable cumin would definitely be on my top 5 list.

I love Lists

TOP 5 THINGS I'D BRING TO EAT IF I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE I WAS GOING.

1. Cumin - sure I love a dried herb like the rest of 'em, but this warm spice can change any bland dish to pure magic. It's good in soups, stews, on fish and veggies.

2. Tubers - I have a love affair with potatoes. There's no denying it. If I had my choice I'd bring some waxy yellow wonders, divine fingerlings, orangey garnet yams, and some good old russets. They're also easy to grow!

3. Dark Chocolate - Mmm Mmm how could I live without some nice 67% cocoa chocolate.

4. Canned Tomatoes - Add cumin and tomatoes to any piece of pigeon meat or giant spider and it would make it taste great! Pour it over some potatoes... yum!

5. Salt - Necessary. Basic. awesome. Nothing can alter the flavour of a dish quite like this. An absolute essential.

And now, what you've all been waiting for:

WHAT I DID WITH 2 CUPS OF OLD RICE.
Gotta love Kickpleat over at ELS I can search anything in her recipes and she'll provide the guidelines for a simple delish dinner.

I had $20 and a fairly filled pantry (including 2 cups of old cooked rice) to get me though this week, so I dropped 12 dollars at Choices and made these two dishes.

chickpea, rice & pasta soup (adapted slightly from ELS)
1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
4c vegetable stock
1 T cumin
1 t red chili pepper flakes
1-2 c cooked leftover brown rice
1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
salt & pepper
fresh parsley sprigs, chopped

In a large pot, heat up olive oil over med-high heat and add in onion, garlic, and celery. Let them get soft and translucent and then add in the salsa and the spices. Add in rice, chickpeas and pasta and cover with vegetable stock, adding more stock if needed. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer. Taste and add in salt and pepper if needed. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parsley.

---- You could add anything you have in your fridge or pantry to this soup. Kickpleat enjoyed it with alphabet pasta, I would've added carrots if I had them.

This took about 10 minutes to put together. Easy Peasy. Definitely lunch and freezer material.

On to the hate.

I hate spinach. I think I ate it while super sandy once, and it's ruined it forever. When I eat salad I cram the bottom of the bowl with spinach (because I will admit it's probably pretty good for you) and then layer it with mescalin lettuce (not to be confused with mescaline), carrots, raisins, cranberries, beets, mango, kiwi, anything to cover the horrible blandness of spinach.

This being said, I was seduce to this recipe on Noshtopia by pine nuts. Sweet, sweet pine nuts. Creamy and flavourful they teamed up with my lifelong love raisins.
Ingredients

1 bunch of fresh spinach (or a .5lb container of baby spinach)
2 tbsp raisins. (Golden would be best, but I used normal)
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted (dry heat on stove)
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
2 small garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
salt

Go For it:

Soak the raisins in some hot water for about 10 minutes to plump up the raisins. Drain and set to the side. Prepare spinach by trimming the stems, picking over the bunch and rinsing the spinach well. Don't worry about getting the spinach too much, you'll need the water left on it once it's rinsed in a colander to help it cook later.

In a large skillet, saute the garlic and onion in a medium heat until everything gets slightly golden about 2-3 minutes. Throw in the raisins and toasted pine nuts with the garlic and onion, and mix around for about a minute. After mixture is heated through add spinach to pan. Stir occasionally while spinach wilts over about 5 minutes. If the spinach is not wilting well, or you're using pre-washed spinach, add a tiny amount of water (1-2 tbsp) to help it steam. As a gome ae loving girl, I like my spinach super wilted, but please, adjust to your tastes.

After you've reached your optimum spinach consistency, remove from heat immediately and move to a serving dish. discard any leftover water. Taste and salt as needed (In my case A LOT!)

Serve right away.

Enjoy. I did!
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If you're an amazing cook like me, your kitchen will end up looking like this! Aspire folks, aspire.

Capers/Whole Foods on Cambie is 25% off today and tomorrow

2009-04-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

I bought all these things for 25% off! I saved about $10.

I tried to get only things I use on a regular basis i.e. nut thins, mayonnaise... But some juices and gluten-free mac & cheese snuck in there too!

Please note - there are no potatoes or candies! I showed much restraint. Potato Chips wouldn't be worth it, for one.. because 25% off for chips isn't really a deal. Wait for the 2 for 1 deals!

Living on cash really restrained me. Sure I wanted 2 bottles of the Naam's Miso Gravy, but I know I would regret buying them when I'm eating brown rice and frozen peas for lunch all week.

Yay money!

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Oh yea! They're having this mega sale (25% on ALL Products!!) because they're moving to Cambie and 8th into the new Crossroads building.

Back in Black OR Using Cash to Stay Above Water

2009-04-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

I already said I tried the jars and started to faulted when I couldn't be bothered to keep track of each cent. I think I teeter quite obsessively about this money thing (I write a blog about it.. for starters) and when I think it's getting to take too much time up, I halt it in its tracks.

Well, as I repeatedly run out of money before the month is up and I'm apparently having a hell of a time spending less than $100 a month on entertainment (I love Sushi!) I figured it was time to put a definite end to my new fun habit of "borrowing" money from the future months SO here I go!

I'm taking the money out on the 15th of each month, but this month's is prorated because of money I already blew. Principle's pretty easy.

- take out money
- put it in envelope with totals written on it (try to be a smidge neater then me)
- track purchases, change totals to reflect that. Keep receipts in envelope.
- DON'T SPEND MORE THAN $100 ON ENTERTAINMENT!

This seems good, as I can be a rule breaker (ex. Taking my April/May money out on the 12th, not 15th.) when I just want a cupcake or something but those little overages each month that I brush under the rug will really trip me up over the months. I have each dollar accounted for, and I can't make regular, mega payments on my loans if I falter for another video rental or gin and tonic. It's just not worth it.

While I'm at it, any ideas about cheap dates or food would be greatly appreciated!

Honey Dijon Salmon with Peas and Perogies

2009-04-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

So a certain level of laziness and grocery depletion led me to this meal. I had bought the salmon to be healthy and stuff and I was going to make a soy sauce and citrus glaze.. but I surprisingly have no soy sauce (not really surprising since I hate it in general.. but who doesn't have some on hand rotting in the back of the fridge??)I've made honey mustard salmon before, but seeing I was out of that too, I mixed honey and Dijon mustard to make this glaze/sauce. (I really had myself going , thinking I was a genius of flavour when I recalled that there are Honey Dijon chips, sauces, and McNugget dips... foiled again by McDonald's. Yarg!)

A little salmon here, some frozen peas and perogies there, throw in a (slightly old) carrot and you've got a meal.
Honey Dijon Salmon

1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper
2 salmon fillets, washed, patted dry and checked for bones

Cooked veggies
Cooked Rice/Noodles/Perogies

1. Set oven to 350c.

2. Line oven ready pan with tin foil or parchment paper. Salt and pepper the fish and place fillets on tin foil, skin down. Mix honey and Dijon mustard. Coat Salmon.

3. Cook fish in oven for 10-15 minutes until fish is almost done. It should be light pink on the outside, and leaking white ooze stuff (that's protein!) The interior should still be the original darker flesh colour. You don't want to overcook salmon!

4.Turn oven to broil and cook for 5 minutes. Be sure it doesn't burn... cause it can.. don't ask me how I know...

5. Serve with veggies and starchies (or perogies!).

6. Eat a blood orange!

Yum!

Grocery Tips #1 - Get it together!

2009-04-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

Ideally every one of us would get our schedules for the week together, make a healthy and balanced meal plan and cook at home each night. If you can't sense the sarcasm, I'll lay out that this is impossible. Heck, I live alone (w/ roommate) and I frequently buy things I end up throwing out (hello beets! hang on for one more week!) because I'm unexpectedly not home for dinner a few nights, or sometimes I run out of food on Tuesday aka TOO SOON! I can get home from work ready to tango with some tagliatelle or only eek out the energy to make a PB&B. I am one person, organized to a fault, and I can't even get 1 week together.

I am going to make an effort now to plan ahead a little, but to encourage my budding culinary interest i was enjoying being free from all rules and open to any dinner possibilities was also liberating (and expensive.) Nothing says "I"m Free" like potato chips on Monday and stuffed olives on Wednesday. However freeing it is.... the weak, savings ignorant, and hungry Jen at 5:15pm each day wants cookies and she wants them NOW! I can't contend with that. Maybe planning is the way to go?

In the midst of this internal struggle (to be free or not to be) I made the list above in my day planner. Should I be planning my meals on lunch at work, I have a list of all my spices and dried herbs so I don't overbuy. I can't tell you how (pleasantly) surprised I have been to find that I have coriander (ground AND whole) or cream of tartar and not wasted 3-7 dollars. I also have a firm understanding of my vinegar collection, the status of my flour and sugar supplies, not to mention beans, lentils, rices, and chocolate chips. It helps that I have everything in clear mason jars so I can see at a glance where I'm at.

So, planning well in advance or just hours before I take on the market, I can scan recipes with ease and know what I have at home. It will save you overbuying AND if you know what you have you can go the extra step and choose recipes that use up what you have at home, in other words, it also saves you money! On Monday I bought everything for the Waldorf Salad from last week and the chili that has yet to be made (how's that for failed planning) for $15 - the rest I had at home already!

Pat on the back.

Re-post - Lime feat: Cod, Cumin, and Veggie Spaghetti

2009-04-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

Found my camera! here's one pic of the dish while cooking.
____________
So, not only did my camera lose batteries, I've lost my cord to connect the pictures I did get to the computer, so sit tight.

I just had to share with you my delicious lunch. Simple and delicious.

I came home after a morning of shopping(eek!) and errands and I was STARVING! I bypassed the mall food court knowing I had spent too much (post following) and I had this fish in the fridge from Friday.

I've been wanting to try using a peeler to peel a whole zucchini and some carrots making long strands and then frying them in some olive oil and eating them like spaghetti. Now that I'm apparently gluten intolerant.. and any "gluten free" pastas make me sick I've pretty much avoided pasta for a long time.

I didn't add any tomato spaghetti sauce, but this simple dish came together great. I used a leftover lime from this week's tacos.

Lime: feat. Cod, Cumin, and Veggie Spaghetti

2 fillets of white fish (I used cod)
3-4 fat, long carrots, trimmed and peeled
1 big or two medium zucchini, trimmed and halved lengthwise if needed
olive oil
1 tsp cumin, divided
1 lime
s&p

Rice cooked (if desired)

1. Rinse fish and pat dry. Mix a little oil oil, 1/2 tsp cumin, s&p and coat fish on both sides. Set aside.

2. Use a veggie peeler (or a mandolin if you're incredible and have one) hold zucchini at fattest end and peel into long strips. Repeat with carrots.

3. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium high heat. add carrots and zucchini. Add s&p and remaining cumin (add more if you need/want it) and mix well. Let cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are cooked and water starts coming out of the zucchini.

4. Make room for fish in pan, add and cook until done. About 2-3 minutes per side.

5. Before you take it off the heat, add lime juice to pan and stir veggies to coat.

6. Enjoy!

Serves two or one really hungry person.

-------Simple, delicious, and pretty healthy. The lime cuts through the oil amazingly. I was pretty impressed with myself.

The peeling didn't go that easily for me, but I have stupid fingers. Any bits that didn't get peeled I chopped up and put in before I added the veggie spaghetti. I suppose also this could be considered more of a fettucini unless you slice the peeled veggies into matchstick width pieces, but who has time for that. They fry nicely as it is.

Good work.

Spring! Waldorf Salad and Banana Nut Muffins

2009-04-14T19:52:00.001-07:00

FINALLY finding my camera cord, I have some photos and recipes for you!

I'm really watching my money right now and so with $30 in my pocket for groceries this week I settles on chili and salad for my dinners this week. It's a short week because of the holiday and I have some curry left over from the weekend which is still plentiful.

I wasn't too hungry tonight so I just made the salad to start. The curry is great and it has some veggies included... but sometimes you just need some salad.

Inspired by searching "cabbage" I borrowed from ELS' Waldorf Salad and made my own.

Waldorf Salad
1 granny smith apple, chopped
1 small head of green cabbage, chopped coleslaw style
1 small onion, diced fine (I left this out, most would include it)
2 carrots, grated
1 small green pepper, diced
1/2 c golden raisins
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Dressing
1/4 cup of mayonnaise ( I ran out and had to use 1/8 cup of sour cream)
1/2 cup of plain yogurt
heaping tablespoon of sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

Mix salad ingredients together until well combined

Stir up dressing ingredients together and tweak as needed.

Done!

--- If you ever wanted a make ahead salad which will get way better with time this is the one for you! This baby is picnic ready, so enjoy.

------------------------

This weekend I had some time on my hands so I decided to save the rotting bananas I had and make them into delicious banana bread. Since gluten and I aren't buddies I know I can't munch on too many at a time, so for freezability, I make any loaves I make (zucchini, banana, etc) as muffins.

Here's a great basic recipe (based on ELS' take on Smitten Kitchen's). I left out the rum since I don't have any liquor in the house (because I'm poor, not because I'm a puritan) and you can tell there's something missing. I would have added chocolate chips had a had more than a half cup on hand.

"Jacked-Up" Banana nut Muffins
Makes one dozen

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 c melted margarine or oil
3/4 c lightly packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 t vanilla
1 T rum or Wild Turkey
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1 t baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 c of flour
1/2 c chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Mash up your bananas and then add in the melted margarine and brown sugar.
Mix about with a wooden spoon until well combined and then toss in the egg, rum and the rest of the spices.
Add the baking powder and a pinch of salt and combine.
Add the nuts and incorporate before adding the flour and mixing well
Pour batter into muffin cup and bake for 20-30 minutes depending on your oven or until cake tester comes out clean.
Remove from oven. When cooled slightly, remove from muffin tin and put on rack to cool completely. Or you know... eat.

If you want to make a loaf, just pour it into a loaf pan and cook for 1 hour.
-----

Would you believe my mother and a coworker also made banana muffins this weekend? Maybe something is in the air, but maybe a banana nut muffin is the bridge to spring. It is neither a heavy pumpkin muffin nor a light summery fruit filled delight.

I Hate Tax!

2009-04-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

So I signed up for 2 Tax-Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs)!

They're a great option when you need some accessible income (but not that accessible.) Interest rates are taking a dive so it's a sad 1.75%, but never fear, I have faith that it will rebound in the future.

There's a $5000/year max on deposits, but as I mentioned to the Vancity Clerk, I don't make enough for that to be an issue.

As usual, I've been agonizing over my budget and an Easter weekend-long 'Til Debt Do Us Part Marathon I've been eeking out tips to help me out. It's difficult to do this because anyone with as much debt and as little income as I have would be told to declare bankruptcy, but because my debt is Student debt (and Good Debt to boot!) I have no choice but paying it off. I'm trying to do that ASAP, but I need to eat, sleep, and play sometimes too, so working out a budget is challenging. I continually feel strained to live within my budget, but I wanted to get out of debt in 5 years MAX. So, short of moving back to my Mom's basement in Ontario (and share with my college-grad brother?) I've got to spend less or make more money.

Spend Less:

I'm already pretty frugal as it is, but I feel that sharing with more than one person or living in the suburbs wouldn't be worth the sacrafice while I'm sacraficing everything else. My monthly budget is $630 including food, entertainment, clothing, gifts, sports, bank fees, cell phone, medical, personal care. Anything that's not rent, savings, or debt really. To ensure I'm on target I am going back to living on cash - attempting to track spending a bit better this time. I feel like I could cut back even further and cut out sports and never eat out, but since I'm already spending 31% of my income on debt repayment, bending over backwards to pay off Good Debt seems harsh.

Make More Money:

I'm looking for a part-time job!

- I got a job working the Provincial Election in May ($260 one time)
- I have an interview to be a ESL tour guide this Tuesday (not super psyched..)
- Applying for a job taking minutes at Board Meetings (~$240/m)
- Pimped myslef on online job search sites!

I figure I have many skills to offer (since I am pretty great) so hopefully something pays off. Even an extra $150 a month will help me pay off my debts a year earlier!

Do you have any ideas I can do for more money?

Ten Thousand Pennies

2009-04-07T18:27:00.000-07:00

I won $100 today.

I've been filling out surveys for Translink Online Advisory Panel for about a year now and every time you do they enter you into this draw for a 3-zone bus pass (worth $136) or $100. Since I spend about $38 each month on transit, clearly the money is the better choice.

Like most of you, I previously thought these things were never won by anyone, but fictitious people were quoted in the follow up e-mail (Jim S. from Surrey plans to use his winnings to "play poker recklessly.") Not anymore! Well, I will say that when I have the cold hard paper cheque in my hands (in 4 to 6 weeks.)

My initial thought was: Oh good! More money for savings!

You see what I've become?!

My coworkers talked me off the (very dorky) ledge and gave their own suggestions for the money:

Shoes
Clothes
Fancy Dinner for 2
Shoes...

My choice would be to save it to use it for something crazy later (150 helium balloons!) so I don't end up deciding to get purple highlights and a one way ticket to Seattle before the money runs out.

My current thinking is one of the following (or two if possible):
- Luxury (and needed) bike tune-up
- Fancy Dinner
- Presents for Dave (Dave's suggestion)
- $100 gift card to Festival Cinemas (convenient because the Park is right near my house)
- save for summer clothes shopping
- use as spending money while in Edmonton/Banff next month

I know it's free money, but I still cringe on wasting it on something ridiculous. I can get some pleasurable mileage out of it without spending it on 10 000 penny candies... there's a thought...

I'm curious to know what you might spend it on? What do you think I should do?

Peanut Butter, Banana = Heaven aka PB&B

2009-04-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

While I actually ate some delicious fish and zucchini leftovers, I took these pics a couple weeks ago to show you my #1 fast meal.

With 3 ingredients it's a delightful treat, consistently ready to go. I would prefer, in spirit, to use natural PB but on this night, I was too tired to even wrestle with the cold clumps of my fridge-living Organic Natural PB.

I give you: THE PB&B

Cents Sense #1 - Don't tempt yourself

2009-04-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

DON'T GO SHOPPING IF YOU DON'T HAVE MONEY.

Seems simple. Some people are habitual shoppers and they will buy without thinking about it. I like to consider myself pretty awesome in the shopping department, I don't frequent the mall as a leisurely Saturday activity each week.

I've been writing this post in my head for a few days and I wanted to suggest something for those who love to browse. Find a safe store. You get the glossy ambiance, but you won't likely spend anything. (A real safe store is one you go into without your wallet!)

For me it's Chapters. I like books, I like the newness of everything, the little cutesy/practical/useless things on the first floor and the ability to read magazines sitting on the floor for an hour. Why I really love Chapters is that I am so enamoured with Vancouver's public library system, I won't ever feel the need to buy anything at Chapters. I borrow from the library semi-weekly. My new fav is the dvd section, you can go online and request movies and once they're available they'll send them to the branch near you, and you can pick them up. (I haven't forgotten you Charlie Wilson's War, I'll get you tomorrow..). So you can see, I can browse my butt off in Chapters consequence free - I've gone in there 100 times and not bought a thing. Safe store.

Maybe you go into a store where you can't afford anything, and just get a thrill of trying things on. Maybe that's too tempting and/or painful, so think of other options. If you're after clothes, check out a friends closet, you can borrow at no cost (hopefully, or get a new friend) or maybe you can swap clothes for something new (to you). Financial websites (geared to women) consistently bring up the "pot-luck/clothing-swap" as a great way to spend an evening. It's not my thing, but it may work for you and few like-sized friends.

Ok, so here's the reality check. I went to the mall today. I went to buy almonds in bulk. Of course that was the only thing Superstore was out off, so I quickly put back all impulse related purchases (I'm talking about you Easter candy) and only bought useful un-fun things (hello garbage bags and toilet cleaner!) that I know I'm out of. Knowing I'll have to go back to the mega grocery store soon to seek out the almonds and may be tempted again.

While I was at the mall I was also looking for some work shoes. I had mentioned that I needed new ones, but you may not know that I've been sporting some major holes in my current pair for quite some time. I have set aside $100 for this expenditure, thinking grown-up, non-Payless shoes would cost more than $20.

Long story short - all the old lady, good for your feet stores had ugly pairs and I found some for $35 at the Gap. I also found a beautiful black skirt which is super light for spring, summer, and even beyond, and some grey Bermuda shorts which are completely work appropriate. I bought all three, going $40 over my shoes budget. I stand by my justifications that both things allow me to wear black shoes all summer (I'm in a constant battle with sandal season) and I won't have to buy any new tops to be comfortable in hotter heat. I am hooked up shirt wise. I can get a lot of use out of both items. Oh well, splurge splurge. To my credit I left the mall as soon as possible to avoid any really stupid spending. I just add this debit onto the April money pile and work it so that I don't go over for the whole month. I think I'm doing great so far - lots of money left!

What's that.... It's only April 4th?... oh.. well good start anyway. Maybe I should take my own advice next time, huh?

Happy half birthday to me!

Saved!

2009-04-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

Since I'm not contributing to a retirement or pension plan through work, nor do I have any RRSPs yet, I save $300 a month for savings: $200 for emergencies and $100 for other. Emergencies are just that, hopefully I'll never have to use it, but things come up, in a big way, and if you're prepared somewhat financially, it won't rock your budget boat. Other includes everything else, usually fun voluntary things. I don't have any room in my budget for airfare, vacations, Christmas presents etc. so I need to have this extra cash in hand and that's what the other savings account is for.

Right now (after the tax refund comes in) my savings look like this:
Semi-serious: $565.47
Serious: $1630.98

Come October, I'll be making a fair amount less because I'll FINALLY have benefits (get ready teeth!) and so I'll lose my pay in lieu of benefits AND begin contributing 7% of my pay to a pension plan and 1.5 % to a mandatory savings plan my workplace matches. It's a good deal but will be an adjustment to lose the extra money so in the mean time I'm keeping the same monthly budget I will need then as far as discretionary expenses (so it's not a shock when I have $300 less a paycheque) and I'm making my own savings plan. By October I'll have $2700 in serious savings and around $1300 in semi-serious. Pretty darn good if you ask me.

If this hasn't been clear, I think having savings and some money on hand in case of emergencies is extremely important.

If you're in debt, do what you can. I've decided on paying a slightly lower amount each month on my line of credit in order to have more money to put into savings. Otherwise I would be savings free and giving away all my money and in case of emergency I would be stuck and emergencies happen! I did the calculations and by paying off my line of credit in 5 years ($650/m) instead of 4 ($800/m) I will be paying about $800 more in interest but would have also saved $9000 over that period. If you aren't sure how to proceed at least save some money for emergencies, $100-200 per month. You will appreciate it when your car breaks down, your kid needs braces, or you have to fly home for some emergency.

If you're debt free I would aim to be saving up to 30% of your income to savings:

10% to a retirement plan that you never ever touch (except if you're using it for a down payment on a mortgage, where the government give you a break on the withdrawal)
10% to a easily accessible high-interest savings account for emergencies (home repair, job loss)
10% for semi-serious savings in a high-interest savings account (vacation, new computer)

Once you have 3-6 months of your regular income saved for emergencies, you can keep on saving or invest that 10% for retirement or other long-term savings goals. You should keep in mind that your emergency money for 3-6 months will need to be added to as your wages and responsibilities increase, so it would need to be evaluated over time to ensure you have enough piled away.

Like your chequing accounts, all savings accounts are not created equal, so shop around! I started a few Jumpstart High Interest Savings accounts at Vancity (a credit union) a few years ago and they've been great to keeping my money close, but far away enough from my regular account that I didn't dip in without forethought. At 3% at the time, their interest rate was the best deal around, but now they've moved down to 1.75% in light of the economy. Find a deal that suits you. You should be able to save with little or no fees (especially if you do the bulk of your work on the internet), since they make money of your savings, so read the fine print.

Get saving! Not in the mattress or the piggy bank but that's not a bad start.

Do you have any tips for saving money?

Ole! Mexican Fish Tacos and Lime Peanut Coleslaw

2009-04-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

I Love Leftovers.

I am a devout lunch bringer and lover of a hot lunch. Leftovers fit the bill. Granted I can only eat the same thing 3-4 times before I want to throw it out the window, but it's a great way to maximize your time and minimize your expenditure. I only cook 2-3 days a week and I eat every day, every meal - I promise.

Last night Dave came over for his weekly meal at my house so I put him to work (not that he doesn't do all the cooking the rest of the time). Dave mastered the salad (check out the knife skills on the cabbage!) and fixings and I was focused on my one task - breading.

I never experienced a fish taco until a few weeks ago at a infrequent visit to Cactus Club and that fish taco there was fantastic. I wanted to try making it for myself. I know there are many variations of this delicious meal feature unbreaded fish, but I wanted to take inspiration from kickpleat over at Everybody Likes Sandwiches (surprise, surprise) and whip up a batch with a nice spicy panko/cornmeal crust. If nothing else, this Mexican delight and a nice Mexican beer could potentially entice spring to show it's face on a more permanent basis sometime soon.

fish tacos with garlic-cumin yogurt sauce (adapted from ELS)

4 white fish filets (I used cod)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 c panko breadcrumbs
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t chili powder
1/2 t salt
1 T oil

1 small container of fat free plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T cumin

flour or corn tortillas ( I tried corn to avoid the hated gluten, but it was not a good result)

A selection of fixings - cabbage or lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, jalapenos are a good start.

1. Cut the fish into manageable strips. Mix the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, cayenne pepper, chili powder and salt together. Set up a breading station as pictured above. Dip fish into flour, then egg and then dredge in the cornmeal mixture.

2. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large pan and when hot, add the breaded fish. Turn fish over when golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from pan.

3. Prepare sauce by mixing the crushed garlic, yogurt and cumin together.

4. Heat tortillas (in microwave, over a gas flame, or in a pan) until softened and slightly charred. Assemble tacos with the fish and fixings of your choice and drizzle with the garlic sauce & squeeze lime juice over top.

Makes 8 tacos, 2 per person
-----
This was great! The spices worked out really well for the fish and although Dave and I agreed that the corn tortillas killed it, it was overall a success. Worked out well for lunch today too, if not a little messy.

For a delicious side salad I pulled out this great recipe from 101Cookbooks. I made some changes so this is the altered recipe below. I did goof when doing this from memory and made the dressing 1/2 cup oil and 1/4 cup lime juice, not as written below - it turned out fine, but was definitely not the intent of the original author. I can only imagine that her version would have that kick we were looking for in the salad. That being said, the peanuts and lime were a dream combo.

Lime & Peanut Coleslaw Recipe

1 1/2 cups unsalted raw peanuts
1 of a small green cabbage, cored and sliced thin and short (3-4 inches long max)
3 plum tomatoes diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon + fine-grain sea salt

In a skillet or oven (350F) roast the peanuts for 5 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice along the way, until golden and toasted.

Combine the cabbage, tomatoes, jalapeno (opt), and cilantro in a bowl.

In a separate bowl combine the lime juice, olive oil, salt. Add to the cabbage mixture and gently stir to combine. Just before serving fold in the peanuts (add them too earl and they lose some of their crunch). Taste and adjust the flavor with more salt if needed.

Serves 6 as a side.----- Even though I goofed on the dressing this turned out great, and it was awesome in lunch today. The great thing about cabbage and oil and acid dressings like this is that they can keep extraordinary well compared to a dressed romaine or red leaf lettuce salad which would wilt horribly over the same time period. I wanted to mention also that Dave had suggested that we could have just put the salad on the tacos as fixings rather than bothering with anything else. What a delicious suggestion.

Great dinner altogether, corn tortillas notwithstanding.

The Taxman Cometh

2009-03-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well I made it to the end of March relatively well with limited overages. One thing I have to say is that when last Saturday rolled around I official began April budget-wise, and now, one weekend and 2 surprise house guests later I'm already down about $100 in borrowing from April's money. Bad Jen! Bad.

I will never, ever stay within budget if I begin the month in a handicap, so I'm using the lovely tax refund I will receive to beef up my emergency savings and a small amount of it will go to even out April's budget and perhaps buy me some badly needed work shoes, my $20 Payless flats have been rocking some massive holes for a few months now. I think it's time.

I sent my taxes in via Netfile last Friday so I should be getting my return soon. I'm getting about $2400 back this year which is awesome. I had planned to pay off most of my outstanding OSAP loan from University, but since my job future is questionable (whose isn't?), I thought that making some savings should be a priority. So I'm sending $1000 to my super serious savings account and $500 to my semi-serious account since it was recently depleted when I jumped on airfare for two upcoming trips (May and October, what can I say, I'm a planner).

The other $900 will go towards doing something I've meant to do for months. My bank account is a no fee account if I have a balance of over $1000 in my account. Because this has never been consistently the case, I also have overdraft protection. The regular account fee is about $4 and overdraft is $3. If I just keep $1000 in my account and get rid of my overdraft (having created my own cushion) I will save $7 a month or $84 a year, or $840 in 10 years. Small peanuts? I think not.

I would encourage people to see how much you can save with reading the fine print on your bank statements or your banking website. I've given up using my debit card for everyday purchases so I have the lowest cost account possible (which gives me 10 free transactions) and now it will be free. Some companies like PC Financial and different credit unions offer free accounts with no minimum. I'm in the interest of keeping a great relationship with TD Canada Trust for now since I've been there for 14 years, but look at your options.

As far as your tax return, don't delay! You pay something like a 5% penalty if you submit it after April 30st, so get on it.

I make doing my taxes a delight every year by taking extra money off each of my paycheques ($40/pp) so I don't have to pay anything at the end of the year, even if I do a bit of freelance work on the side. It guarantees that for now, while I'm mortgage and investment free, I'll get back at least $1000 a year. It's only so much higher this year because didn't work full time the whole year and I still have some school and tuition credits from last year since I was finishing up my degree. Yay money back! I'm pleased I'm spending it wisely too, it's not getting my OSAP paid off, but I sure have some good piece of mind.

Curried Shrimp and Roasted Green Beans

2009-03-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

In a merciful show of the gods' power, dragon boat was cancelled tonight. It's been a hectic week and although I was looking forward to it, I love having the night off. Rather than catching some of the Junos' hullabaloo downtown with some coworkers I headed home to cook, clean, file my taxes, and relax for the evening.

Tonight, in a landmark move, I created my own recipe. I had some green beans looking for a tasty end to their lives and I was looking to pay homage to my beloved spicy green bean dishes in Thai and other Asian cuisines. I know I'm not a spicy-foods girl per se, but I like the flavours and love green beans. Sure, I took inspiration from my favourite lover of sandwiches but once I realized that I wanted use what I have on hand at home and substitute the tofu for shrimp, ginger for more garlic, Thai curry for Indian, and add more veggies, I realized I had to go it alone. My training wheels are off, and here I go!

Curried Shrimp and Green Beans

1/2 lb shrimp ( I used frozen easy peel shrimp, use anything, just be sure it's thawed and uncooked before you add it in)
1lb green beans, ends trimmed (if you like it like that, I do)
1 small red pepper, diced
1 plum tomato, diced - seeds removed
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 heaping Tbsp curry paste (I use Patak's mild)
red pepper/chili flakes to taste (I used about 2 tsp, but I'm a heat-wimp)
1/2 can coconut milk
1 c uncooked brown rice (then cooked to instructions on box/bag/memory)
----
Put rice on, cook to specifications.

Coat beans in 1-2 tablespoons oil, add 2 cloves of garlic minced, put in 375 oven for 10-20 minutes until wrinkly. (Watch that the garlic on the beans doesn't burn. Anything on the pan did, but the bean garlic was safe. You could also leave the cloves peeled and whole for roasted garlic deliciousness.)
As the beans are finishing up their heat bath, Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add onions, the rest of the garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add curry paste, red chili flakes, and coconut milk, stir until paste is well distributed. Add tomatoes and red pepper, let simmer until veggies get softer. Add green beans and mix well. Let it simmer so the coconut milk can reduce further - about 10 minutes, add shrimp, mix well, and cook until shrimp is pink and heated through. Remove from heat and serve over rice.
Made 3-4 servings, it's a little rice heavy, so keep the rice separate to use any extra for future dinners. This will make a lovely lunch tomorrow, but wouldn't freeze well.

I love Curry Paste. Enjoy!

Cabbage and potatoes

2009-03-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been eating only potatoes and cabbage for the past few weeks. Money's low, winter is upon us and my attempt to focus on locally grown ingredients/in season produce has come up with two regulars: potatoes and cabbage. The former I can enjoy in hundreds of forms, this can be attested to by anyone who's spent two minutes with me around a potato of some form - in short, I have a deep and loving connection with potatoes. Cabbage is harder to stomach (get it?!). In the past 3 months I've has coleslaw, spicy cabbage salad, braised cabbage, cabbage rolls, tacos, and the list goes on, but I'm always looking for something new - enter okonomiyaki.

I saw this recipe on 101 cookbooks and I knew going it it would be a blandish okonomiyaki compared to the dishes I know and love from my fav Japanese restaurants. Without Japanese mayo, okonomi sauce or other accouterments, I knew it couldn't be everything I would want, but sometimes you want to master a simple recipe that you can add to. In restaurants I like it with some udon noodles, gyoza or meat mixed in, but I tried this simple version to take a shot at something new.

Japanese Pizza - Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pizza) Recipe

2 cups cabbage, finely shredded (2-3mm wide)
1 cup leeks, well washed and chopped
2/3 cup flour
a couple pinches of fine grain sea salt
2 eggs, beaten
1+ tablespoon olive oil

Garnish: toasted slivered almonds, chives/ herbs

Combine the cabbage, leeks, flour, and salt in a bowl. Toss until everything is coated with a dusting of flour. Stir in the eggs and mix until everything is evenly coated.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a generous splash of olive oil. Scoop the cabbage mixture into the pan, and using a metal spatula press it into a round pancake shape, flat as you can get it. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the bottom is golden. To flip the okonomiyaki, slide it out of the skillet onto a plate. Place another plate on top and flip both (together) over. If you need a bit more oil in your skillet, add it now, before sliding the okonomiyaki back into the skillet. Again press down a bit with a spatula and cook until golden on this side - another 3 -5 minutes.

When you are finished cooking, sprinkle with toasted almonds and chives, and slide it onto a cutting board to cut into wedges. Enjoy immediately.

Serves 1 - 2.

------- I'm going to admit that while this tasted good, I piled it a little too high and I think some of the egg went uncooked. I didn't add chives or almonds, since I was just testing the cabbage pancake part - it is way more like a potato pancake (made with cabbage) than any type of pizza. I didn't finish eating it, but that shouldn't stop you from trying it, just make sure it's mixes very well, you have it stacked thinly enough. Making it again I would cook it on medium for longer and let it cook through more. You could also make smaller individual "pizzas" which would be easier to handle.
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Potatoes were simple and delicious:

1 lb new baby potatoes, halved if needed
3 T olive oil
1 handful of fresh herbs (had had thyme on hand, it was great. Rosemary is ideal.)

Set oven to 400 to 450 degrees. Coat potatoes in oil in a big bowl, add herb. Spill onto baking pan with foil or silpat on it. Roast for 45-60 minutes shaking the pan every 15 minutes to avoid sticky messes. Potatoes are done when they've not only browned, but the skins have wrinkled like your fingers after an hour in the tub.
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Everybody loves sandwiches serves up another gem.
Made this last week, was delish. Froze it and re-heated it on the stove.

Curried red lentil stew with chickpeas and rainbow chard
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 heaping T of a medium-spiced curry paste (I used mild because I'm a baby)
1/2 t dried red chili flakes (You can use red pepper flakes instead)
5 1/2 c vegetable broth
2 c red lentils
1 large bunch of rainbow chard, tough stalks removed, coarsely chopped
1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained

In a large pot, heat oil and saute onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in curry paste and dried chilies and stir until well blended. Add broth and chard and bring to a boil. Add lentils and turn down heat to a simmer, adding the chickpeas to the mix. Cover and stir occasionally until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. Serve over brown rice and top with yogurt, if desired.

-------------This was so easy to make, I can't emphasize that enough. It also introduced me to using curry paste. I love Indian food the most out of all ethnic foods, but I've never really cooked it myself. I'm aware that some would say only I, an unskilled cook, raised on bland English food, would use this curry paste instead of knowing the inner workings of a full-fledged spice cabinet by heart, but boy did it punch of the flavour of this dish - no regrets here! I am eager to follow up this success with more recipes featuring curry paste.

The potatoes were a good rice stand in (since I forgot to make it amidst all my cabbage drama.) and it was great for lunch too! I love lunch leftovers.

Make it work!

2009-03-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

It's nearing the end of the month, and you need to make things work even in the depths of moneylessness. I keep these handy jars on my windowsill as a sort of personal bailout, should I need a few bucks for laundry, or, as is the recent case, a $4 movie this weekend.

I've got 5 more days and I will make it!

I am a cookie monster....

2009-03-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

Here you go! What you've been waiting for:

BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES EVER!!

Servings: About 50 cookies (I'd say 30 of the size I made)

1. In bowl, beat butter and shortening; gradually beat in granulated and brown sugars until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt, and stir into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls (15 mL), about 2 inches (5 cm) apart, onto parchment paper–lined or greased rimless baking sheets. With fork, flatten to 1/2 inch (1 cm) thickness. Bake in 375F (190°C) oven for 15 minutes or until edges are golden and centres are still slightly underbaked. Let cool on pans on racks for 5 minutes. Transfer to racks; let cool completely. (Make-ahead: Layer between waxed paper in airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 weeks.)

--------- Pecans are WAY better in pretty much anything, but all I had were walnuts at the time, so that's what went in.

I made a huge batch of large cookies, so I took them into work. As you can see, the results were appreciated!

Bursting at the $eams

2009-03-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous weekend!
Dave and I enjoyed the best fish and chips I've ever had (in Vancouver) today. After reading the Georgia Straight's Golden Plates I had to seek out and destroy (with my mouth) the #1 vendor of my #1 favourite greasy food. As soon as we left Dave's apartment the cool air and sunny skies made me think of this greasy indulgence and since we were headed to Granville Island anyway, stopping by Go Fish! was the natural choice. I never knew what was hidden in this little blue shack, but it's a delicious chance to fully appreciate the joy of potato and malt vinager - two loves of my life.The batter was crispy and flavourful, the fish was hot and flakey (we had cod, but salmon and halibut are also options) and it was about $15 for two huge pieces, a pound of fries and two drinks. Pretty reasonable especially for Granville Island.

This lovely lunch was the final splurge before the reality of the month set in: the budget is blown for March. I think I purposefully make it quite low because I know it will be hard to manage at any level, in other words, I will always spend more than I should, so if I make the budget low and I go over, it's better than if I'm more generous to myself and go over that.

The budget went downhill Friday night when afterwork drinks (water for me!) turned into afterwork dinner and then a birthday party for a good friend of mine. I dropped 15 on dinner and 30 on wine for myself and the birthday girl. These I consider a part of life. I've previously written about making the right choices to put things off when you have the chance, but this can't always happen. Sometimes you need to get drinking on a Friday night and gift your friend to celebrate their life. If I am good for the rest of the month I would be a modest 55 over budget for the month, which I know from experience is a minor infraction. I will be good. I know it. At least until next weekend.

Live your life! Eat your Chips!

I'm Domestic!

2009-03-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

My big Saturday plans involved cooking and baking up a storm. Unfortunately I had no camera power while cooking so I've got some shots of the food in it's flashy Tupperware containers a day later. Dave's basically a one-man science machine this week so I know he'll be wanting for food and saving time and money, so I offered to bake him some cookies, muffins and some easy lunch and dinner options to keep him fed and out of the cafeteria at UBC.

Along with the food I made myself, I cut up a head of cauliflower, broccoli and 5 carrots for raw or easily steamable veggies and Dave bought some yogurt, fruit, rice and pasta, and the mixed nuts featuring smarties he loves so dearly(featured above in the individual sized snack packs I made). It's a relatively balanced meal plan for the week - and will save a buck or two as well!

First Up - Smitten Kitchen's Mushroom Bourguignon:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 pounds (~900g) crimini mushrooms chopped ( I did 800g creminis and 2 huge whites)
1 carrot, finely diced
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef broth (I don't eat beef generally, but i had some beef bouillon kicking around..)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley, for garnish (optional)

Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid — about three or four minutes. Remove them from pan.

Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme, a few good pinches of salt and a several grinds of black pepper into the pan and cook for 10, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute.

Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature so it simmers for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender.

Combine remaining butter and the flour with a fork until combined; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste.

To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream (optional) and sprinkle with chives or parsley.

---------------This turned out pretty well, it's much more delicious than the photo would have you believe (please check out the photo in the recipe linked above, it does it much more justice) and it has that meaty robust flavour you need to combat the deep red wine sauce. The original recipe calls for the traditional pearl onions, but I couldn't find them so I omitted them.

I chopped the some mushrooms in slices some in quarters or left them whole. I know it's generally great to have consistent sizes of pieces but i like the different textures it gave this meal. It's almost like a stew, but you definitely need to serve it over noodles as a base.

I should note this is definitely not a weeknight dinner. The mushroom cleaning and chopping alone took quite a while and overall it cooks for about an hour. I would reserve this for a Sunday night dinner.

--------------------------------------------------

The next was homemade tomato sauce.

I used to be able to do this with no recipe, but since I figured out I can't eat pasta, I've been laying off the Italian foods. I also don't have an ounce of cooking intuition in my body so I checked in with Canadian Living for a simple base. I added many veggies as described below to make it a bit more hearty.

Jen's Tomato Sauce

2 tbsp (25 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 HUGE white mushrooms, sliced

1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 tsp (10 mL) italian herb seasoning (more like 1tbsp)
1/4 tsp (1 mL) hot pepper flakes
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes
1 can (5-1/2 oz/156 mL) tomato paste
1 bay leaf

In heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion, garlic, Italian herb seasoning and hot pepper flakes, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add in carrots to zucchini and cook until carrots soften. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaf; bring to boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until no longer watery around edge of spoon drawn through sauce, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaf.(Oops forgot that part - watch out Dave!)

---------------This sauce would be best served over hot pasta with a nice amount of Parmesan cheese. It freezes great and makes 5-6 cups of sauce. I gave Dave two containers like the one pictured, one went right into the freezer for later in the week, and this one is ready to eat right now. This was able to simmer for about 3 hours while I finished up my other kitchen projects. if you have the time, let it simmer. The veggies become enveloped by the flavour.

I had some of Everybody Likes Sandwiches' red lentil curry left over from last week in the freezer so I donated that to the cause. I also made cookies and muffins (Pumpkin!) but I don't have pictures yet, so I'll fill you in later.

During my cookfest I also managed to get three loads of laundry done whilst cooking, watching season 2 of Mad Men and my weekly phone call with my mother!

I'm domestic!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2009-03-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

I love going out, seeing friends, eating in restaurants, and catching a movie at the theatre, but the budget forces me to make decisions I'd rather not make. A good friend just moved here from Ontario and we've been trying to get together for weeks, but one thing or another got in the way.

I have now, after weeks of trying postponed it for at least 13 days.
-------------------
I knew when I graduated that I would have a major debt load to contend with. I was never a crazy spender, but I did travel the east coast for 4 months on a student line of credit, so clearly I don't always make the wisest choices - that being said, I don't regret what I've done. My debt was incurred moving across the country, and developing into the person I am today and I couldn't be happier with how things worked out.

The choices I made and the strong urge to cut the 12 year repayment my bank is requesting in a third demands a semi-strict approach to my spending habits. You see, I have a set amount I can spend on different things each month.

The rough break down right now is:
Groceries: $300
Eating out/Entertainment: $100
Clothing/Gifts: $40
Sports/Hobbies: $60 (completely spoken for until May as a result of Dragon Boat)
Other (personal care, medical, household items): $50

Total: $550

This doesn't include my minor bank fees, cheap cell phone or bus tickets not to mention, rent, savings and debt repayment. I worked out these numbers working from Gail Vaz-Oxlade's super awesome budget spreadsheet used to make the money jars made famous on her tv show "'Til Debt Do Us Part" which is on Slice here in Canada. These are variable expenses which change each month and it is at my discretion how I spend the money.

It's March 18th and I'm plum out of money save $22 for groceries next week. I don't use the jars Gail suggests because I tried it and I know I'm not that great at writing things down, but I use two credit cards (one for groceries and one for the rest) which are paid in full each month to pay for things and I have Microsoft Money on my computer which helps me keep track of what I've spent each month and what I have left to spend.
--------------
My friend has asked if we can catch the movie we've been yearning for this weekend and I just said, "Not this week, how's April for you?" It's little decisions like that which allow you to stay on track. Some things can't wait and you borrow a little from next month, but when it's avoidable, avoid it! You can't make your budget like a diet, it will strangle you, you will cheat and you will get fat/in debt again. It is a living thing, bound to change, but you must commit to doing your best and taking into account the big picture. The movie will be there in two weeks, as will the eager friend. I consider this a small victory for my monthly budget.

Hurrah!

To Begin...

2009-03-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

After the 100th time I was told "you know, I took what you said and I tried it," with great results I decided it would be great to get some of these ideas out on 21st century paper.

I'm not a money genius, but I have two accountant parents, so the genes are good. I get a lot of my money knowledge from reading helpful (and decidedly unhelpful) material online, in finance books and big books of knowledge. Basically I'm trying to pay off a school loan (which is currently $5, 000 more than I make a year) in about 4 years to free myself from the shackles of debt... you know... before getting a mortgage and paying that off for the rest of my life. I've found little tips and tricks to stick to a TINY budget while still feeling like I'm living the life I want.

As far as food, cooking as always been my nemesis. I Can cook, don't get me wrong, but in the subsistence, not-dying way; not in any sort of independently creative or tasty way. Having lived on my own now for about 6 years, I can confidently survive. I now quest for better food, a fully stocked pantry and a genuine effort to minimize my impact on the environment and maximise the money I'm putting into my local economy and farming community.

Come follow me as I work though my food trials and money tribulations and I will share what I can with you!

Thanks for reading!

JC