THE BEST KEPT SECRET #2

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Note: Please excuse the font issues

I like the advice my Mom gave me. She.said, "Eat what you want, but do it in moderation." Now that I am a senior citizen, I have made some changes. I try to eat homemade low cal muffins and  breads during the week. I keep bananas, carrots, and zucchini on hand to make muffins or breads with. I make a dessert on the weekends. I have learned to use cake mix as a base and turn into flavorful cookes, muffins, breads, and cakes.  I had to use this method because I have weak grip in my hands. I love baking pound cakes but only do it on special look occasions.

I reserve bacon, sausage, and eggs for Sunday breakfast. I  do like cooking  meat for dinner, especially poultry. Casseroles and one pot wonders with meat are my "Go To" meals during the week. I let beef, chicken, turkey, or pork be a part of my meals on Sunday.

I avoid deep fried meats, so 

I purchased an air fryer. This was a very good investment.

I have cooked  several recipes given in my air fryer recipes book that came with my fryer. I discovered that dollar tree has mini

five inch pans that fit my air fryer perfectly.

I am a bargain hunter but I am not an

extreme coupon clipper. I get weekly emails

from my local grocery stores informing

me about seeking sales on meat and 

other groceries. I have learned what meats

to buy when the sales aren't that great. 

I'm going to share the meat bargains that have helped me out since I'm on a fixed income:

I like grocery stores that have meat sales from Wednesday to Wednesday. I visit them

on Tuesday morning because I  usually find several kinds of meat marked down,

called Manager's Special.

I buy chuck eye steaks instead of rib eyes.

They are cheaper & very tender. Ask the butcher to help you find them.  There is never a lot of them in the meat counter.

I buy beef stew meat because I can use

it for stews, soups, & chili & other Mexican dishes. 

I buy 4 pounds of ground beef chuck when it's on sale.  80/20 ground beef is cheaper but has more fat. 

Store brand ground turkey is cheaper than brand names Butterball & Jennie-O. I buy

these brand names ground turkey when t hey're on sale.

Canned chicken and turkey by Swanson, Crider, & Bumble Bee are great for Chicken Salad if your budget is tight sometimes. The premium white chicken breast chunks are a good choice.There are probably other brands available but these are the brands at my local stores.

I buy turkey parts like wings and legs.

They can be baked or grilled & great

for meals for one or two people.

I buy boneless pork & beef ribs since

usually cheaper than bone in beef ribs 

& pork  baby back ribs.

I check gourmet meat section too. This meat is seasoned or marinated & packaged in

black containers with colorful wrappers.

This meat very perishable & I can find

it marked down often. Especially

the ranch flavored chicken legs & Mighty Spark brand turkey & chicken  burgers.

I hope these tips I have shared will be helpful to my online friends. Meat prices

have been higher these last few weeks,

so knowing how to bargain shop is smart.

THE BEST KEPT SECRET!

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I have been a bargain hunter for many years. I honed my skills after I became a mother with two boysWe

and also had a  disabled  spouse. Now I am a widow who is retired and live on a fixed income. My budget

is further strained by the increase in Medicare premiums, gas and groceries. I'm not going to whine 

and complain. The Lord is my ultimate  source and He helps me figure out ways stretch my dollars.

I love to make jewelry and have a storage box full of jewelry findings.This term is reserved for earring

accessories and necklace and bracelet parts. I feel like I have discovered Grocery Secrets & Findings 

 at my local grocery stores. I am going to  share some store brand named items that are just as tasty 

to me as the national brands. There are cuts of meats that can save you  money. I just checked online 

for the best way to cook these cheaper cuts of meats. I'll  start off  sharing Grocery Store Secrets &

Findings I have  discovered with fresh produce.

 Fresh Produce

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I have grocery  shopped enough to know that no grocery store has perfect produce 365 days a year.

Even organic produce can look bad some days. I have gotten so many bags of green potatoes.

They look pretty under the store lights but have a green hue when I get them home. Therefore;

I just buy red potatoes since they are usually good quality. I buy the bag of baby red potatoes

when the regular size are not on sale.  I like cooking with the rainbow colored bell peppers but

they are expensive. I have discovered that the baby sized rainbow peppers are cheaper. 

I prefer healthy romaine and leaf  lettuce but the numerous recalls on unwrapped lettuce has 

been a  problem. A few grocery  stores offer bagged romaine lettuce but you have to buy

a package of three. I  buy green onions with the roots attached.. I keep half of them in

the storage bin in my fridge. The other  half goes in a jar of water which I keep in my kitchen

window. I always have a supply of green onions and rarely have to buy more. I just cut the

 tops off for cooking and they grow back quality again!!  I also have endless supply of

celery. I buy stalks of celery and cut the bottom half off. The celery bottoms are placed in

shallow dishes with water. I keep them at a sunny location on my counter and a few weeks 

later roots and celery leaves appear. I plant the new celery plants in a pot outside when they

get 5-7 inches tall. Celery is a cold weather plant but I cover it when hard frost is forecast.

I move the celery to a shaded area in the summer. My celery grows very well if soil kept moist.

I only purchase Roma tomatoes but they are good quality and taste great. I have an allergic 

reaction sometime to the other tomatoes. 

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I like  root pineapple tops in the winter. I buy one or two whole pineapples and twists the tops off. 

I discard some of the  outer leavesnso they can fit into a jar of water. I keep them in a window 

that gets full sun. The pineapple tops usually  have numerous roots by the time spring arrives. 

I put the rooted top(s) in a large planter since it grows fast in the spring and summer. 

I keep the pineapple plants covered up on my deck during the winter since they are

Tropical plants. 

I hope I have helped the shoppers who were not aware of these Grocery Store Findings.

I forced myself to learn container gardening because  I was concerned about all of the 

fresh produce recalls.  I have been gardening for 5 years now and have some

type of produce growing outside all year long. 

 

NEW YEAR'S HAM FIXINGS!

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I was concerned about this new COVID variant called Omicron. I already had a disturbing phone call last week. 

One of my friend's relatives and their family were in quarantine due to Omicron.   My sons and I rung in the 

together since we've been vaccinated. We didn't want to plan a gathering and expose ourselves to

the risk of expose to COVID viruses.  I prepared Teriyaki chicken drumsticks and mini pizzas

for our appetizers.  We knew it was time to do our traditional toasts! Fireworks from downtown were blasting.

nearby.  I did my social media "Happy New Year's" greetings too!

I got up New Years morning and prepared baked ham, collards, black eye-peas, and corn muffins.

The dessert was chocolate swirl cheesecake. Whew! I had to go sit down after all that cooking!

I saw left over ham in the fridge this morning. I couldn't eat another slice unless I did

a make-over on  this ham.  I had not eaten ham salad in years. This suggestion of make some

ham salad  was pleasing to my family. I served my ham salad on buttery crossiants.  The sandwich was 

was very good on the crossiant but very rich! I will eat my ham salad with  saltine crackers next time.

This is how I made the ham salad:

Directions:

Chop 3 large slices of  ham in food processor. I also chopped quarter half of medium onion and one celery stalk

in  processor. In large bowl, add ham and veggies. Stir in 1\4 cup mayo,  2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard,

5 strips chopped sweet red peppers, 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, salt and pepper to taste

 ( option: for zing,  1 tablespoon white sugar, and 1 tablespoon vinegar).

Note: Make it your own! Adjust the listed ingredients to your taste! Dill pickle relish,

Celery seed, and cooked diced eggs are options.