Comments On Article: Finding Balance

If you would like to share your comments for article Finding Balance , this is where to do it! 

Click the Reply To This Topic button below to post yours.

I'm trying to keep my meals simple.  I got a bag of vegetables (a potato,  carrots, celery, onion) from the bargain shelf for 99 cents. I cooked those vegetables and that's what I ate for lunch and the leftovers for dinner. I  was full! So for 99 cents I had 2 meals. (I actually still have some carrots, onion, celery left for other dishes.)

But I've also found that I can create really satisfying meals that use simple ingredients but don't feel simple.  I made a tray of enchiladas using things I had on hand and making a homemade enchilada sauce. It was a hit! Not expensive at all! So satisfying that my daughter made it for her family the next week. 

I think portion size is an important aspect of saving money and using resources wisely. I'm not advocating going hungry but my daughter and I have learned we need less amounts of food to still be satisfied.  One piece of chicken but maybe seconds on the cooked carrots (which are cheaper).Having one cookie instead of 2 or 3! 

A fruit salad seems more satisfying than one piece of fruit. 5 people at the table means 5 fruits cut up in the bowl. Everyone feels more satisfied. I'll put out a salad with homemade dressing to eat 1st while the rest of the meal finishes cooking (only when I get bargain lettuce or greens).  This starts to fill them up. Or a loaf of homemade bread & butter  or jam. I can make breads cheaply. They're more likely to be satisfied with smaller portions at dinner if I do that. 

I cut desserts in smaller pieces. I experiment with using less of an ingredient in recipes. Sometimes it doesn't work but often it does (less cheese  or less sugar or less nuts, fruit, milk, eggs,  etc).

May I have your tortilla recipe? Mine always turn out tough, even when resting the dough. 
Thank you! 

Yesterday I canned tomato soup. There was leftover soup in the saucepan so I ate it for breakfast....hahaha ...and lunch.

I've noticed with canning stews that the meat you use goes so much further and you put less in each jar with the vegetables than if you cook a stew on the stovetop for fresh eating. I try and do I jar per meal as my husband needs lots of calories due to his health condition.

The tortillas are a great idea Donna and the information about children having syrup,butter and biscuits ( scones here) resonated. I've often told folks you use less flour to make biscuits than a loaf of bread.  Same with pikelets.

We are opposite seasons so are in Autumn here. Today will be seed sowing day of Winter veg. I also went through my fridge and freezer and took out little open packets of this and that...coconut, choc chips, dates etc and plan to make up 1/2 baking  recipes to use them up.   Sticking with normal life is healthy for our brain.   Bless you Donna and everyone on the Forum.

Re-organizing the pantry is on my list of things to do. I’m trying a new household schedule since I have retired, which includes allotting time for deep cleaning a room weekly and for projects such as the pantry, closets, repairs, garden, painting and more. I did this to a degree while still working but it’s more organized and not as rushed now. I don’t officially spring clean since I do a weekly deep cleaning of a room or two, including windows, but there are things I do just in the spring like check a/c filters, make repairs to screens if needed, rinse the siding, that sort of thing. 

I am working to avoid food waste and cut down on portions, without losing nutrients and protein.

My mother-in-law thought no meal could be served without bread.  My mother didn’t serve bread at most meals because she lived through the depression eating a lot of fry bread ( her mother was half Native American) and she got really tired of bread as a meal and even having it with a meal as a tummy filler.  For the same reason my father refused to eat crowder peas. He ate way too many meals of just peas growing up in the depression. 

I’ll accept  my self- challenge to re-do my pantry by next post. Here goes!

Tara L, the tortilla recipe is 1 & 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup softened butter. 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup warm water.   I am using an Italian flour right now because I have gluten sensitivities.    The equivalent would be a mix of King Arthur bread flour and all purpose flour.  Or bobs red mill bread and all purpose. 

This recipe makes four tortillas the size of a flat cast iron skillet.  I knead it by hand until soft, if it is too sticky I add about 5 grams of flour.  I have started weighing my flour by grams and I am still experimenting with this.  This has made a nice soft tortilla.  You can go on Caputoflour.com and get their recipe.  It is difficult for me to give a recipe right now because I am trying to find flour that my body can digest without issues.  

Vegetables are incredibly versatile. Three days ago, I got two leeks for one euro. That's very cheap. One leek is enough to prepare dinner for three people.
I'm also in the process of restocking my supplies. Prices are going to rise sharply in the coming weeks, and we don't know how the world will develop. These are uncertain times—even in Europe.
Since I'm gluten intolerant, I need different foods. For me, legumes are a real treasure. I have a mill that I can use to grind lentils, peas, beans, and chickpeas. These flours are very versatile and make excellent substitutes for wheat flour. Even I can make pasta from them now.
So, my preparation also involves creatively developing alternative recipes.

I have been back filling my pantry a bit, especially when things are on sale.  I also am getting another sourdough starter going as when I went to use mine I saw a chip out of the rim . Since I could not be sure where that chip ended up, I sadly tossed it but have another one going now.  Have some seedlings started  - the tomatoes are under a grow light and look good.  I recently gave away some spider plant babies and used some leftover small plastic cups to keep them in some soil.  I realized that they were a great size to start seeds in so I that is what I will be going with - much cheaper than those things intended for gardening and they are only for a short time before the seedlings can be planted out.  

I was going to try my hand at tortillas so I would also appreciate your recipe...

Sara M, scroll back up and you will find the recipe up above.  Some of us were typing comments at the same time so the recipe is up above. 

I'm so thankful I found your blog...it's amazingly useful and peaceful to read at this time.  I feel myself calming and feeling more balanced just reading your words.  

My husband introduced me to biscuits and syrup.  His grandparents fed him this for dinner often when the pantry was bare.  Margaret,  I like your idea for fruit salad....what a simple but economical dessert.   

I'm in SE Missouri and looking very much forward to getting back outside in the sunshine.   Thank you for this wonderful blog!  it really helps the spirits. 

Tracy M, we are happy that you found us here. Welcome to the forum and I am happy that you have found a place to find calm. :)

When we had five children at home many meals were filled out with biscuits to fill up those bellies.  I made them so often that I think I could have made them in my sleep back then. 

We are no longer able to grow food because of health concerns so we gifted raised beds and pots to dear friends.  They always share produce with us in the summer.

We are working to get our pantry in better shape.  We did a big shop at Aldi this week and so far prices have not gone up.  I was surprised but I doubt this will last.