Herbed Ice Cubes

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These ice cubes are easy to make. Be sure you always have plenty on hand for those hot, summer days by freezing them and then storing in freezer containers. Separate according to what herb is used.

Ingredients

fresh herbs such as mint or chamomile

water

ice cube trays

1. Rinse the herbs and cut them to fit easily into compartments of an ice cube tray. Try to keep them uniform if possible so it is easy to see what herb was used in each.

2. Place an herb section into each ice cube tray compartment.

3. Fill the tray with water and freeze.

Tips

• Use the freshest herbs possible.

• Save money by growing your own herbs.

Serving Suggestions

• Fill a tall glass with ice cubes and poor tea over them.

• Place a few cubes in a tall glass of water.

Related articles

• Fruity Ice Cubes (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)

Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Mozzarella Cheese

Image by Lars Plougmann via Flickr

Summer salads are the best. Fresh produce picked in your own garden adds scrumptious taste to any salad, including this one which uses tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs that you can grow yourself.

Ingredients

10 cherry tomatoes

small cucumber

½ to ¾ cup chunks of mozzarella cheese

extra virgin olive oil

mint

basil

1. Rinse the produce and they fresh herbs. Pat dry with a dish towel.

2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place in a bowl.

3. Chop the cucumber into bite size pieces, disposing of the ends.

4. Add cheese chunks and mix with the produce.

5. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the salad, and sprinkle with diced mint and basil to taste. Mix and serve.

 Tips

• Mozzarella is not exactly a hard cheese, but can still be found in block form. Simply cut into bite size pieces.

• If block cheese is not available, it is okay to use shredded.

 Serving Suggestions

• Serve with sandwiches.

• This dish goes well with a meal of meat and potatoes.

Related articles

• Tomato Slices with Mozzarella Cheese (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)

Start a Food Business

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Good day! As something a little different, I thought it would be interesting to see what types of food businesses people would enjoy creating. You can comment below, or email me at shannonlbuck@gmail.com with your ideas.

Many food, or even garden, businesses can be started for little start up costs above the licensing and insurance fees. There may be an inspection process as well, depending on the type of business.

Here are a couple of ideas to start your creative juices flowing:

• Starting and Herb Business
• How to Start a Dry Mixes & Seasonings Business

Shannon

Frugal Recipes Happenings for 8/24/2011

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The latest issue of the Frugal Recipes Happenings newsletter has been published.

http://shannonbuck.livejournal.com/1123.html

Enjoy!

Shannon

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• Frugal Recipes Happenings for 6/30/2011 (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)
• Sharing Sites With You Today (livingthelowincomelife.wordpress.com)

Tomato Slices with Mozzarella Cheese

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I love trying new things, and this is one of the recipes that my nephews and I enjoyed for the first time last week. It is simple to prepare. I purchased a block of Mozzarella which was used in more than one recipe.

Ingredients

1 large tomato

mozzarella

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

pepper

basil, crushed

mint, crushed

1. Rinse the tomato and cut into ¼ inch slices. Place on a plate.

2. Cut the mozzarella into ¼ inch slices as well and place one on each tomato slice.

3. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the tomatoes with cheese.

4. Top each with a sprinkling each of sea salt, pepper, basil and mint.

Tips

• Use fresh herbs and tomatoes from your garden to save money. The cheese does not come cheap.

• I use sea salt and pepper grinders because I can easily control the amount that I use, and because they seem to have better flavor.

• I am slowly building up my organic herb and spice collection. At this point I purchase them. When I move, I plan to grow them. I am only buying what I will use. These are so much more flavorable than the traditional herbs and spices I have purchased over the years, and they are healthier.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve with soup or stew.

• Bread sticks with cheese will go well with these.

Quick Tip: Getting Your Family Used to Skim Milk

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Milk prices are outrageous, but skim milk can usually be found at a cheaper price than other milks.

Be sneaky if you must.

After 2 servings have been used from a gallon of whole, 2% or 1% milk, add skim milk to the jug. Do this a few times, then mix after 3 servings have been used. Do this for a few times, then mix after 4 servings have been used. Keep going like this.

If you get to a point where you drink the milk for a couple of weeks straight and just can’t seem to get used to it then move back to the previous ratio. You are still saving money.

When Baking

Do not worry about mixing powdered and liquid milks at first. There is no real difference in taste in the finished product.

Quick Tip: Getting Your Family Used to Drinking Powdered Milk

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With powdered milk, 1 quart mix packets are the most expensive. Purchasing boxes of powdered milk is less expensive than purchasing liquid milk. I am not saying this is healthier than regular milk. Obviously there are issues when turning foods into non perishables. I am simply saying that sometimes you have to skimp to make ends meet. I don’t think there are any more issues with powdered milk than with regular, unless you are going to spend the money for truly organic varieties.

Be sneaky if you must.

Make a quart of powdered milk up in a gallon jug. Add three quarts of the milk you usually drink. Drink it like this for a week, then start with 1.5 to 2 quarts of powdered milk and the rest regular milk. Keep going like this until regular milk is no longer needed.

If you get to a point where you drink the milk for a couple of weeks straight and just can’t seem to get used to it then move back to the previous ratio. You are still saving money.

When Baking

Do not worry about mixing powdered and liquid milks at first. There is no real difference in taste in the finished product.

Quick Tip: Water Bottle Tea

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When running late, this is a quick way to get a cold beverage into you if you find there is no tea made up and placed in the refrigerator. Run water from the faucet until it is cold. Place a tea bag into a water bottle and fill with cold water. Add a packet of sugar if desired, cover and shake. In no time, you will have cold tea to go with a granola bar or a string cheese, and an apple or some baby carrots.

Related articles

• Chamomile Green Sun Tea (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)
• Peppermint Sun Tea (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)
• Lemon Sun Tea (frugalrecipes.wordpress.com)

Tips for Packing Affordable School Lunches

Cover of The Healthy Lunchbox

School will be starting up again in just a few weeks, and parents are wondering how to affordably pack a nutritious lunch to send along with their children. These tips will help you to spend as little money as possible on foods for your children, important with the economy as bad off as it is and even in a good economy if funds are low for some reason.

• Make homemade muffins with your children a couple of times a week. Use whole wheat flour rather than white, and add fresh fruit. Bake 2 to 4 batches at a time, depending on how many children you will be feeding until the next time you will be able to bake. This is a good way to spend time as a family, and is educational for children.

• Cut enough vegetables up to package into serving sizes to last a few days, and place them in small containers in the refrigerator. These will be easy to grab when filling lunch boxes.

• Keep whatever fresh fruits were on sale this week in a convenient place. Send at least one piece of fruit to school with your child a day.

• Send children to school with water. They will easily get there required servings of milk at home. Take advantage of the free milk program at school, only if you can guarantee your child will not choose chocolate or strawberry milk which are full of sugar and therefore not healthy. These should not even be served at school.

• Buy snack type items such as crackers in boxes, rather than individual packages. Package up enough to last the week so they are easy to grab and add to the lunch box.

• While baking the muffins, make a loaf of bread as well. One dough of the right recipe will make a couple of loaves. Use this for making sandwiches throughout the week. Natural peanut butter is preferable to regular, but organic is better. Nature’s Place brand is a good, affordable option. Many parents put more than the needed tablespoon of peanut butter on a sandwich. Refrain from doing this and the peanut butter will last longer for the price. Jellies and other sweet items such as preserves should be avoided. Replace them with apple or pear slices, homemade apple butter or banana rounds.

• Purchase cheese by the block and slice or cube it yourself.

• Sandwich meat roll-ups are easy to make. Roll a slice of cheese, a lettuce or spinach leaf and diced tomato or cucumber up in turkey slices for an alternative to a sandwich.

• Raisins can be bought in canisters rather than small boxes.

• When purchasing breads, think outside the box and purchase whatever is most affordable: English muffins, bagels and flour tortillas are but a few options.

• After making a roast of any kind, cut some into bite size squares and store in the refrigerator. These are good served with squares of cheese and chunks of cucumber.

Share your ways for saving money on school lunches, as well as your tips for packing everything in an affordable, eco-friendly way.

More School Lunch Articles:

Tips for saving money on back to school lunch needs

Easy back to school lunch box ideas

Fixing School Lunch Programs

National School Lunch Week

Back-to-School: Healthy lunchbox ideas

Back-to-School: Breakfast menus to send to school or serve at home

Back-to-School: Great after school snacks

Back-to-School: Great before school breakfast menus

Fresh Garden Salad

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My mom is picking vegetables left and right from her garden. Two weeks she told me they were filling their cupboards and freezer with all they will need for the winter before giving any to me, my sister and brother. Last week, she sent up a huge head of cabbage, a bag of small cucumbers and a bag of green beans. All very yummy. Soon we will have zucchini as well.

Fresh Garden Salad

section of cabbage

small cucumber

handful of green beans

1 to 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Rinse the vegetables well.
2. Shred the cabbage and place in a bowl.
3. Chop the cucumber and add it to the bowl.
4. Snap the end off each bean, break into pieces and add to the bowl. Mix everything well and dish up.
5. Add oil to the top of each salad and mix to coat.

Tips

• Use whatever vegetables are abundant from the garden.
• Use an herb flavored oil.

Serving Suggestion

• Serve with a peanut butter sandwich.
• This salad would go well with a potato based one pan meal.