One more step to building a better brown-bag lunch.

The Kitchn has put together a great collection of packed lunch recipes, ideas and inspirations. Buying lunch out everyday is expensive, but bringing a sack lunch is such a drag if you aren't sure what to pack. While there's nothing wrong with occasionally treating yourself to your favorite sandwich from that cute little cafe around the corner, bringing your lunch to work or university for the week can be better for your health as well as your wallet.

The main collection of (Our) Best Tips and Ideas to Help You Eat a Fabulous Lunch at Work is a great place for both beginners to start their build-your-own-brown-bag-adventure and for packed-lunch veterans to get some innovative ideas. Our personal highlights include: Office Lunch Survival Kit: 6 Essentials to keep at the Office, 5 Quick and Delicious Lunches Under 400 calories and Lunch-Packing Inspiration

Shopping Your Pantry: Tex-Mex Potato Fry

Budget life-style articles always like to suggest that you "shop your pantry" to save money and waste less food. This is not neccessarily as difficult or as easy as it sounds, it largely depends on what you have in your pantry in the first place. The advice of "shopping your pantry" is pretty useless if you haven't got certain staples on hand. While this may seem obvious to anyone who's tried out this particular kernel of wisdom, what may be less obvious is what is helpful to keep in the larder. Personal tastes vary of course, so therefore should personal food stocks but this video from Working Class Foodies is a great place to start.



I would really recommend the entire series, especially for those just learning to cook. In addition to demonstrating many dishes and recipes, the series also teaches many techniques, which really helps to improve and develop one’s culinary skills more quickly. All of the material is so approachable, and in addition to showcasing items like Vegan Snacks for the Super Bowl, Working Class Foodies also offers simple, straightforward tutorials for old favourites like Roast Chicken, Irish Soda Bread, and Latkes.

Cooking with what’s already in your cupboard is easier when you also have some versatile herbs and spices at home as well. Though many spices may seem expensive at first, it’s important to remember that they often go a long way. Some basic herbs and spices that compliment many dishes can be found inexpensively; some downright cheaply if you know where to look. To start, try looking in Dollar (or Pound) stores, the international food aisles at your supermarket and grocers that specialize in a particular kind of international or ethnic food. It’s not necessary to try to fill up your spice rack immediately; start with some essentials and then build off your stores to suit your tastes.
Ten useful basics are: salt, pepper, basil*, rosemary*, thyme*, oregano*, chili powder, ground ginger, cinnamon (whole or ground), and bay leaf.

Local stocks may vary, but it appears as though the American national chain Dollar Tree offers many of these basics for USD $1 or less per item. Discount outlets like Marshalls, TJ Maxx, TK Maxx, and Winners sometimes have more expensive, specialty seasonings for sale in their homewares sections.

(*Though fresh herbs are often more aromatic, it isn’t always practical to keep them in your pantry at all times depending on the season, your geographic location, etc. Some argue that fresh herbs are always superior to dried, but it’s often just a matter of convenience)

This week, since I started the week with some actual food in both the fridge and the larder, shopping my pantry was easy and resulted in something pretty tasty. From some potatoes, red onion, garlic, cumin, ancho powder, dried chives and lime juice, came a Tex-Mex potato-fry.




Served up with some fresh cream and chopped cilantro:



Everything that went into it, was already in my kitchen. In addition to avoiding another trip to the grocer's, I also managed to use up some ingredients likely to spoil in the next few days. This may be the first time I have ever successfully "shopped my pantry".

Setting goals for your grocery list

Going to the grocery store is often a hassle: the crowds, the carts, the lines at the cashier... a trip to the market is often unpleasant enough without even mentioning the increasing costs of food which can lead to increasingly higher grocery bills. The crowds and the carts will often be part and parcel of the weekly shopping but with a little care and management, you can keep the total at the bottom of your receipt from fluctuating too wildly from week to week. One way of checking spending at the supermarket is to set a goal for the average amount spent per item when dividing the total bill by the number of items in the order. For example, if the goal for the average amount spent is set at $2.00 per item, and the total bill comes to $50.00, then there should be about 25 items in the order.

So...
Goal average amount per item =$2.00

$2.00(number of items)= Total bill amount

If I'm remembering correctly, algebra doesn't get more simple than that.


This is just an example of course. This system of setting an average amount per item spent is merely guideline. However, by being more conscious of how the cost of each item is going to affect the total bill, it may be easier to make thriftier shopping choices. More often than not, there are enough sales and coupons in any given week that customers needn't alter their basic grocery lists too much. By simply buying the store-brand or the brand of a product that's on sale, and using coupons or the supermarket's discount-club card (all the ones I'm familiar with can be obtained at no cost) consumers can fairly easily stay on target for their goal. Other ideas to help achieve your average cost per item amount include:

-Buying produce in season. Produce tends to taste better and cost less when bought during the seasons it would "naturally" be harvested.

-Stocking up on a favorite item or pricier basic (such as butter) when it goes on sale.

-Instead of buying already prepared or heavily processed snack-food and frozen dishes, consider buying the whole ingredients and cooking or preparing the item at home. Be careful however, as making something from scratch is not always cost effective, depending on the ingredients and length of time needed for preparation.

OATMEAL: natural exfoliant, or sticky, pastey mess?

The skincare aisle, beauty rags and every "natural-cosmetics-you-probably-already-have-in-your-home" list have long sung the praises of oatmeal or products made with oatmeal. When used in cosmetics oatmeal is called "avena sativa kernel meal" and when used in products for treating skin irritation it's called "colloidal oatmeal". There are literally hundreds, perhaps thousands of recipes available online for formulating and using your own oatmeal-based cosmetic and personal-care products at home, but one tip I saw over and over again was the use of oatmeal and water as an exfoliant. The idea is because oatmeal is coarsely ground (but not so hard or coarse that it will be abrasive) it is similar to scrubbing the skin with almond shells or apricot kernels. Supposedly, oatmeal also contains some natural compounds that "draw out impurities in the skin". Having run out of the scrub product I typically use, I decided to give it a try. Here's what happened:

1) I took a small handful of dry oatmeal, and ground it with a mortar and pestle

In hindsight, I don't know that this was necessary however, a lot of what I had read recommended the oatmeal more finely if you planned to use it as a facial scrub.

2) I poured the oatmeal into a rocks glass, and mixed in a small amount of water

It was really small, like less than 1/4 teaspoon. The first time I did this I actually used no more than that it was still too much water.

3) Next, after taking the oatmeal paste onto my fingers, I scrubbed my face with it




This is when I discovered I hate the smell of wet, raw, America's Choice traditional oatmeal.

4) RINSE!

The verdict: While, as I mentioned, it turns out I hate the smell of wet, raw America's Choice traditional oatmeal on my face, I still got that nice clean feeling I get whenever I use a scrub. However, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that I would get this feeling from the simple act of washing my face, regardless of what I used to wash it. I've been using the oatmeal scrub every other day for about a week now, and it certainly hasn't made my skin any worse.


So...

PROS
-"All natural"
-Inexpensive
-Easy to make
-Is readily available
-Is biodegradable
-Non-toxic*

CONS
-Smells
-Can be difficult to get the correct ratio of oatmeal to water
-People being weirded out over you washing your face with oatmeal
-Could potentially clog your sink if you were to wash it down the drain. It's recommended you scoop out the oatmeal and discard it in a trash-can or rubbish-bin.

POTENTIAL HAZARDS

-Unless you know how your oatmeal is grown, harvested and processed, like with all other foods, you never know what pesticides or chemical residuals could be sitting on your cheap-and-cheerful kitchen cosmetic. I don't know the exact level this presents in foods used as external cosmetics but like with anything else in life, I imagine there's some risk, but I also imagine that it's quite small.
-Everyone's skin is different and it is possible a person could suffer an adverse reaction while using oatmeal as a natural scrub, especially if they have allergies or a pre-existing skin condition. When in doubt, it's best to consult a dermatologist.



*Please see the potential hazards section.
Cheap and Cheerful is not written by dermatologists and accepts no responsibility for injuries, chemical burns or allergic reactions sustained while attempting to use oatmeal as a natural skincare product.

Are your favorite brands cutting you a break?

Or are they just trying to (sometimes-not-so) subtly suggest that you remain loyal or try their "new and improved" products? Either way, popular brands of cosmetics, skin-care, snack foods, cleaning products and other household items, often offer free printable coupons on their website! So, if you're partial to a particular moisturizer, candied nut, or paper towel, and you can get it together to remember to visit their website, you may be rewarded for your loyalty with some small savings.

One of the best ways to start finding and using these click and print coupons is the most obvious: think about the types of products you use frequently, then think of and search for the brands of those products you prefer to buy. Companies that offer special promotions and coupons do so on the "special offers" or "promotions" sections of their websites. Sometimes you may have to click the "sitemap" in order to find this section, other times you may have to make a profile in order to view the offers. Unfortunately, due to the increased occurrences of coupon fraud, many websites will ask you to fill out a web-form or make a profile or install a special coupon-printing program before they'll allow you to print their vouchers. While these profiles and programs are always free, they can be inconvenient. Still, as inconvenient as it can be to make YET ANOTHER online profile or fill out YET ANOTHER form, being able to search for and directly print coupons from your home computer remains rather convenient over-all.

Always bear in mind that companies often offer discounts and coupons as a way to advertise their brands or to promote new products. The trick to something like this, is to remember that these printable coupons are only really going to save you some money if you had planned on buying that product in the first place. If you've never used that product before, or had no interest in trying it before you found that coupon, then it's just yet another trick employed by those artful ad-people. Before you print, ask yourself: "do I use this product? Would I be interested in trying this brand if the company wasn't offering a coupon? Am I feeling compelled to buy this item merely because I want the thrill of using this coupon I found?"


*Here are three offers I found on products that my household uses regularly:

$3 off the new President Brie
$1 off any one (1) Seventh Generation laundry product
Save $2 on any new Neutrogena suncare product

Good luck and chipper clipping!

*Unfortunately, some of these offers require that you fill out one of the aforementioned forms and install one of the aforementioned coupon printing program, before allowing you to collect the discount vouchers.

Eating Lite: lighter on your wallet?

ECONOMIC VEGETARIANISM: (n) (the practice of) only eating vegatables because you can't afford to buy meat. From urbandictionary.com

Ah, economic vegetarianism, --also known to many as the collegiate or immediately post-collegiate diet. Truthfully, strict economic vegetarianism may not be the best nutrition regimien. Ensuring that one recieves a balance of the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals and nutrients while undertaking a strictly vegetarian diet can be complicated and difficult (but still far from impossible!). Additionally, though I can tell you with certainty that carrots are still cheaper than steak (they also tend to be crunchier. If you like your steak to crunch, you and I should probably never barbecue together), I've never actually done the numbers to prove that a healthy, varied, vegetarian diet is cheaper than a non-vegetarian diet. Food, the costs of production, industrial farming, and the role and effects of social class in our culture are all complicated issues in and of themselves; the point where these concerns converge raises an entire series of complex questions that are far beyond the scope of this blog.

Don't misunderstand though, this is by no means an indictment of vegetarianism! While I would consult a proper nutritionist (or at least get some free advice from the guy who works at the healthfood store) before permanently switching to a strictly vegetarian diet, economic vegetarianism can be a useful general guideline when you're looking to scale back your bills at the grocer's.

Despite a surge in popularity over the past couple of decades, vegetarian food (especially budget-conscious vegetarian food) still gets a bad rap at times. Though the idea that vegetarian fare primarily consists of bland, boiled vegetables persists, it really doesn't have to be like that! My favourite vegetarian dish to make and serve is a black bean chili dish that was inspired by a recipie I once saw in Nutrition Action. (I say inspired because even the first time I made this dish I was unable to follow their recipe due to a combination of my unwillingness to buy what I thought were unnecessary ingridients for something I was sure I was only gonna make once, and my habit of reading the ingridients lists for recipies, but never the directions.) This black bean chili is easy, it's usually cheap to make, and reheats well in the microwave. Though I usually make this chili for myself to take in my lunch during the working-week, I've served it to many of my dinner guests, and always to compliments.

The great thing about this recipie is that once you have it down, you can mix it up a little bit. The tomatoes and red peppers give this dish a natural sweetness that's pleasant underneath the hotter spices, but also does well on it's own as the main flavour of a milder version. It's easy to make, and most of the ingriedents average out to less than 1$ a piece (the unforunate exception to this, is the key ingridient that gives this dish it's subtle sweetness, the red peppers).

BASIC BLACK BEAN CHILI RECIPIE:

-2 tbsp olive oil (or just enough to coat the bottom of whatever pot or pan you use)
-1-2 red bell peppers*
-1-3 cloves of garlic
-1 onion, red or white
-1 lg can of black beans
-1 can of diced tomatoes
-chili powder
-hot sauce (optional)
-salt and pepper

Optional topping:

- sour cream
-fresh cilantro and/or chives

*An alternative to using so many peppers is to use 1/2 to 1 pepper, and then finely chop or grate up a couple of carrots as well. Carrots are usually much cheaper in the produce section and also have a natural sweetness, that enhances wonderfully when the vegetable is cooked.

1) Dice up your bell peppers! If you like chunkier chili, don't worry about dicing them up too finely. I like mine in bits that resemeble 1"-1 1/2" cubes. Set aside

2) Use your olive oil to coat the bottom of your pot or pan (I think the recipie I adapted this 8stove. Turn your stove burner on to medium-low.

3) After your oil starts to warm (I never wait til it's "screaming hot"), dump in the peppers and let them cook in the oil until they become fragrant and a bit shiney (for me, with my stove, this usually ends up being around 5 miuntes).



4) As the peppers are cooking, dice up your garlic and onions. Once they're cut up, dump them into the pot with the peppers.

5) Continue cooking the pepper,garlic, and onions on medium-low until onions start to become translucent (again, this is usually just takes a few minutes, usually around five of them).

6) Drain and lightly rinse the canned beans. Dump beans into the pot with the vegetables.

7) Next, dump canned, diced tomatoes into the chili pot. Your dish should look a bit watery. That's good. You'll know the chili is down when the liquid from the diced tomatoes cooks down.

8) Take your chili powder, and give a few of good shakes into the pot. I use quite a few good shakes and my chili is usually still pretty mild. If you want a spicer dish consider using a full-table spoon, or adding other, hotter spices of your choice.

9) Add any additional seasonings and herbs you'd ike to use to flavor your chili (such as hot sauce). A few of the things I like to add when I have them on hand are: Adobo peppers, Valentina hot sauce, cumin, red pepper flakes and tabasco sauce

10) Stir your chili.

11) Now walk away from it for a while, and let it cook slowly, on medium-low to low until the liquid from the canned tomatoes cooks down (this usually means your chili cooks for an hour or two. Yes, that is a long time; it's worth it).

12) Make sure you check on your chili and stir it up now and then to make sure none of it burns and sticks to the bottom of the pan.

13) After your water has cooked down, turn your burner off, and spoon the chili into a bowl.

14) Top with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cut cilantro and/or chives



15) Eat some chili!

Reusing your T-shirts as reusable shopping bags

As this blog is called Cheap and Cheerful, I'm not sure if any of you readers out there in internet-land shop at markets like Whole Foods and Kroger, but for those who do, these and some other grocery stores offer a discount when you remember to bring your reusable shopping bags. Since the discount offered at most stores is only for a few cents off per-bag-filled-per-order, this practice will probably not save you any big bucks. Still, remembering to bring your own bags will help cut down on the rustling plastic-bag tumble weeds that crowd your cabinets and block your way to the Windex.

Here is a tutorial care of lifehacker.com, courtesy of vividmichelle on YouTube, that demonstrates how to quickly and easily recycle an old T-shirt into a reusable shopping bag.

It's free, it's recycling, you don't need a sewing machine, and even a bag made from your ugly "team building exercise '94" T-shirt looks better than a plastic one. AMIRITE?

Here's mine:




Behold! An old, outrageously over-sized wildlife T-shirt from middle school is now a slightly more attractive alternative for toting groceries, library books, and the many Tupperware containers that make up bag lunch during the working week.