Spinach Bargains
I have always loved a bargain. Even if I suddenly inherited a million dollars, my bargain hunter instincts won't go away. This love of a good bargain will make surviving this crazy economic time seem like a game.
Food prices have totally skyrocketed. I have watched the prices of a cartoon of jumbo eggs go from a dollar to the current $2.59 within a ten month span. While the egg prices skyrocketed, milk prices went down slightly to the current $4.29 a gallon. I don't understand it. Twelve eggs cost a little more than half a gallon of milk.
Meat prices have definitely gone up. 80% lean ground beef, at the local supermarket, is now selling for $2.39 a pound courtesy of the manager's special - meaning, they are trying to get rid of the meat before the expiration date. Normally, the same grade meat would sell for $3.99. I remember not too long ago when ground beef was as low as a dollar a pound. That's a 400% increase!
If my grocery budget for the month can only increase 400%, then I wouldn't be so concerned. But I am concerned because I feel like I am not being wise in stretching my grocery dollars.
I know of women, mothers, grandmother, who are experts are stretching their dollars and having extra to save, even when they don't have much money to start with. They are resourceful and cheap. They have the discipline and steadfastness in watching every dime. I admire them, and want to be like them - up to a certain point, though.
I want to be thrifty and pinch pennies, but I don't want be afraid to splurge and have fun once in a while. I like to splurge and have fun, it's a part of my impulsive and fun nature. I want to cut back and be wise, but I don't want to be so hard and rigid that I put money before people. Thus, I am searching and seeking ways that will work for me and my family to stretch our dollar so we can eat and still have room for some fun.
The first challenge is: how do I take advantage of a great sale on spinach at the grocery store? I love, love, love spinach. Spinach, along with other veggies, are the food items that are served because it is so good. Thankfully, the majority of us enjoy it, so spinach wins. There is nothing wrong, and everything right about spinach.
The spinach was 3 bags for a dollar. The sign said, "Buy before it goes out of code!" What a deal! The spinach was perfect, nothing wrong. I could buy 3 bags for a third of what is costs at the regular price.
I bought lots and lots. I knew that the Greek women at my church freeze their garden spinach for year round use for their oh-so-good meals. One of my favorite is a rice and spinach dish that was totally satisfying, especially during the Lenten fast.
I came home with 12 bags, used 2 bags to make a spinach and garlic sautee'd for that night's dinner, and stuffed the remaining 10 bags in the fridge.
I looked on the internet for the best ways to freeze spinach. I read of some odd and ignorant suggests. One suggestion said to just put the raw spinach in the freezer until needed. I know this is the wrong method, just from listening to others, and through my own I-won't-believe-it-until-I-see-it habit of testing things. I am a true skeptic. For some reason, I like to challenge all advice. I have tried to freeze some veggies in their raw state and discovered that they become soggy, mushy, and gross. In fact, it isn't the freezing that ruins raw veggies, it's the thawing process where the cellular walls burst that creates the soggy, mushy result.
I have heard of blanching vegetables to preserve the color and texture. My intent was to get specific directions, and I found them all over the internet. There are the bad suggestions, good suggestions but with unclear directions, and there are good suggestions with wonderful directions that any reasonable person can follow.
One site, ehow.com, was helpful. From that site, I discovered that spinach could be steamed. Hmmm... that got me thinking about which method is better: blanching or steaming. Blanching requires dipping veggies in boiling water for a couple minutes and then quick cooling in an ice bath, and steaming is placing the food above boiling water using steam energy to quick cook. Steaming seems quicker, less messier, and the better choice for someone like me - an overworked person, afraid of adding on more endless work.
I steamed 5 bags to freeze for future uses my Greek dishes, and I sautee'd the remaining five bags with garlic to freeze for future meals. And to ensure that all this work doesn't get forgotten, I marked on the calender the days spinach is to be used for meals.
Food prices have totally skyrocketed. I have watched the prices of a cartoon of jumbo eggs go from a dollar to the current $2.59 within a ten month span. While the egg prices skyrocketed, milk prices went down slightly to the current $4.29 a gallon. I don't understand it. Twelve eggs cost a little more than half a gallon of milk.
Meat prices have definitely gone up. 80% lean ground beef, at the local supermarket, is now selling for $2.39 a pound courtesy of the manager's special - meaning, they are trying to get rid of the meat before the expiration date. Normally, the same grade meat would sell for $3.99. I remember not too long ago when ground beef was as low as a dollar a pound. That's a 400% increase!
If my grocery budget for the month can only increase 400%, then I wouldn't be so concerned. But I am concerned because I feel like I am not being wise in stretching my grocery dollars.
I know of women, mothers, grandmother, who are experts are stretching their dollars and having extra to save, even when they don't have much money to start with. They are resourceful and cheap. They have the discipline and steadfastness in watching every dime. I admire them, and want to be like them - up to a certain point, though.
I want to be thrifty and pinch pennies, but I don't want be afraid to splurge and have fun once in a while. I like to splurge and have fun, it's a part of my impulsive and fun nature. I want to cut back and be wise, but I don't want to be so hard and rigid that I put money before people. Thus, I am searching and seeking ways that will work for me and my family to stretch our dollar so we can eat and still have room for some fun.
The first challenge is: how do I take advantage of a great sale on spinach at the grocery store? I love, love, love spinach. Spinach, along with other veggies, are the food items that are served because it is so good. Thankfully, the majority of us enjoy it, so spinach wins. There is nothing wrong, and everything right about spinach.
The spinach was 3 bags for a dollar. The sign said, "Buy before it goes out of code!" What a deal! The spinach was perfect, nothing wrong. I could buy 3 bags for a third of what is costs at the regular price.
I bought lots and lots. I knew that the Greek women at my church freeze their garden spinach for year round use for their oh-so-good meals. One of my favorite is a rice and spinach dish that was totally satisfying, especially during the Lenten fast.
I came home with 12 bags, used 2 bags to make a spinach and garlic sautee'd for that night's dinner, and stuffed the remaining 10 bags in the fridge.
I looked on the internet for the best ways to freeze spinach. I read of some odd and ignorant suggests. One suggestion said to just put the raw spinach in the freezer until needed. I know this is the wrong method, just from listening to others, and through my own I-won't-believe-it-until-I-see-it habit of testing things. I am a true skeptic. For some reason, I like to challenge all advice. I have tried to freeze some veggies in their raw state and discovered that they become soggy, mushy, and gross. In fact, it isn't the freezing that ruins raw veggies, it's the thawing process where the cellular walls burst that creates the soggy, mushy result.
I have heard of blanching vegetables to preserve the color and texture. My intent was to get specific directions, and I found them all over the internet. There are the bad suggestions, good suggestions but with unclear directions, and there are good suggestions with wonderful directions that any reasonable person can follow.
One site, ehow.com, was helpful. From that site, I discovered that spinach could be steamed. Hmmm... that got me thinking about which method is better: blanching or steaming. Blanching requires dipping veggies in boiling water for a couple minutes and then quick cooling in an ice bath, and steaming is placing the food above boiling water using steam energy to quick cook. Steaming seems quicker, less messier, and the better choice for someone like me - an overworked person, afraid of adding on more endless work.
I steamed 5 bags to freeze for future uses my Greek dishes, and I sautee'd the remaining five bags with garlic to freeze for future meals. And to ensure that all this work doesn't get forgotten, I marked on the calender the days spinach is to be used for meals.
