Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

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alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Munching my way through the food gift box. Not being as carb minded as I should be but I want to start my keto diet soon. So phasing out carbs as much as I can. For months I have been collecting the things I need to start a" leaky gut" diet for healing as well as a keto diet for eating low carb. I have limited funds but took advantage of a lot of black Friday and Cyber Monday sales to accumulate the special things I will need like collagen powder. Very pricey but my brother swears by healing his leaky gut he has stopped the progress of his short nerve degeneration disease. Traditional medicine Drs (5) told him there was no treatment and that it was progressive. Anyway he has been doing holistic treatment basically a keto diet gluten and dairy free and he says he no longer has pain from the disease. I wanted to start fresh in Feb. but knew the Omaha steak box would have the stuffed potatoes and apple tarts so no sense in going on and off my plans and wasting things. I have enough products to get me through the next 4 months and I will be able to set aside some money each month to try to keep the flow going.

I had a packet of dal yesterday for lunch and it was very similar to chili but no meat. It had the texture of ground beef and yet it was all beans and vegan things.Amazing! Since a packet makes two servings I had one serving for lunch and then dinner was one of the stuffed potatoes with the other half of the packet. Very similar to a baked potato stuffed with chili. Had the last apple tart for dessert. Tonight will be 3 oz of chicken from one of the chicken breast from the box and some red potatoes and onion. I buy the most delicious Thai yellow curry paste from Amazon. I bought two small jars and if I am careful they will last me maybe a year.. I put some of the unused portion in the freezer once I open the jar. I will be subbing cauliflower for the potatoes once I go on the keto plan.

Will not bore you with all of the menu things I have been doing but trying to keep on track with no spending on food until March 1st. Of course that is subject to change without notice.. Depends on my mood and if I am tired of cooking.. Will be having a meal out on the 13th it is my aide's birthday and she loves Wendy's hamburgers. I have a coupon to buy one and get one free. Will also make her some kind of a dessert cookie or cup cake something simple. Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
floridacatlover
Posts: 8056
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:21 am

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by floridacatlover »

Janet, what is the name of the Thai yellow Curry paste from Amazon? I LOVE Thai food but have never made it at home. Do you use the paste in a stir fry or something else?

I’m glad that your brother sent you such a nice box from Omaha Steaks. I’ve never had their products but have always heard they are very high quality.

Enjoy the nice weather and thank goodness the brutal cold is over.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

floridacatlover wrote: Sat Feb 02, 2019 9:03 pm Janet, what is the name of the Thai yellow Curry paste from Amazon? I LOVE Thai food but have never made it at home. Do you use the paste in a stir fry or something else?

I’m glad that your brother sent you such a nice box from Omaha Steaks. I’ve never had their products but have always heard they are very high quality.

Enjoy the nice weather and thank goodness the brutal cold is over.
Florida cat sorry to take so long in responding I have been busy off and on working in my craft room. The product is from Mekhaha. The label on the jar states organic yellow curry paste but on Amazon the label states Yellow Thai curry paste with turmeric. It cost $8.49 per jar and each jar states to use half of the paste for each dish you make. I personally like to just use a little bit to taste.. ie maybe a teaspoon you might like more. There is a recipe on the jar that states to add tofu and mushrooms and 400 ml of coconut milk. The can of coconut milk I have states 13.5 oz is equal to 400 ml. There is also a place online where they offer recipe ideas. I just prefer to add diced chicken breast and small diced potatoes since that is usually what I order at a Thai restaurant. A friend of mine from India has a sister living in the USA and she is an amazing cook. She said when she first came here she had a hard time finding the correct potato to use in her Indian cooking. She recommended red potatoes for Indian cooking so I use it for Thai. I do cook the chicken and potatoes beforehand because the sauce only simmers for 10 min..

When I was checking Amazon to see what their current price was they had a notification that they were currently out of stock. So if you are interested you might let them know to notify you when it comes in. That seems to be a problem with them. They are a small company and frequently run out. The first order I received it took a couple of weeks and it had to come through customs the price was the same and the shipping was free from Amazon but it did come through with a notation about it coming through customs. The second time I ordered two jars just to be safe. That was Dec 30th so glad I did since they are out already. It was mailed from Amazon in the US. I (do not ) recommend the Mae Ploy Thai yellow curry on Amazon. I tried it since the Mekhala was not available and I wanted to make Thai yellow curry when my niece was here.. It was given good rating by people but I did not care for it at all. Then again you may like it. We all have different taste buds.. Hope you can get some when it is available. The company did send me a code for a coupon after I ordered to be applied to my next order. It was for .50 cent but a nice gestures and not too long ago they sent me another code since I gave them such a good review on Amazon. Bon Appetite Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
Momof2Still
Posts: 173
Joined: Mon May 14, 2018 10:05 pm

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by Momof2Still »

alliesmama4 wrote: Sat Feb 02, 2019 6:22 pm Will not bore you with all of the menu things I have been doing but trying to keep on track with no spending on food until March 1st.
Janet- I enjoy hearing about your food plans, it gives me ideas.

I am doing okay with the challenge. I am using up food that has been in house (pantry and freezer) for a while and that I just do not really need- higher carb food. I am spending a little more than I planned to spend for the first few months of the year, but still under my “normal” grocery budget. I have bought some different meats that have been on a great sale to vary my choices. Also things that complement the items I am wanting to use up.

I have been wanting Mexican food, so made a batch of Chili to have for lunches this week. I had some left-over Buffalo “Chicken” Sandwich filling (made from chicken flavored TVP pieces) to use, so I added about ½ lb. ground beef to a few ingredients (about $4.50 worth) and now have 4 servings of chili plus enough to use for chili dogs. I also made loaded nachos for dinner tonight and have enough cheese sauce for two more meals at least, and enough topping mixture (browned ground beef, can of kernel corn, and a can of black beans) for 4 more meals. I will probably freeze half of the mixture for later in the month.

I pre-cooked a pkg. of brats ($1.49 for a 5 ct. pkg.); a pkg. of Italian Sausage ($1.49 for 5 ct. pkg.) a pork roast for shredded pork sandwiches (enough for at least 10 sandwiches); some meatballs (9), stuffed a green pepper; and pre-mixed a meatloaf. All of those I put into the freezer for quick meals later. I also made a batch of white gravy with some pork breakfast sausage ($1.49 for a pkg. of 14 links)- I used 6 links for the gravy, and scrambled some eggs to have for breakfasts this week with the gravy.

No food waste last week, and I am hoping to continue that trend. Well off to get ready for bed.
floridacatlover
Posts: 8056
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:21 am

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by floridacatlover »

alliesmama4 wrote: Sun Feb 03, 2019 9:37 pm Florida cat sorry to take so long in responding I have been busy off and on working in my craft room. The product is from Mekhaha. The label on the jar states organic yellow curry paste but on Amazon the label states Yellow Thai curry paste with turmeric. It cost $8.49 per jar and each jar states to use half of the paste for each dish you make. I personally like to just use a little bit to taste.. ie maybe a teaspoon you might like more. There is a recipe on the jar that states to add tofu and mushrooms and 400 ml of coconut milk. The can of coconut milk I have states 13.5 oz is equal to 400 ml. There is also a place online where they offer recipe ideas. I just prefer to add diced chicken breast and small diced potatoes since that is usually what I order at a Thai restaurant. A friend of mine from India has a sister living in the USA and she is an amazing cook. She said when she first came here she had a hard time finding the correct potato to use in her Indian cooking. She recommended red potatoes for Indian cooking so I use it for Thai. I do cook the chicken and potatoes beforehand because the sauce only simmers for 10 min..

When I was checking Amazon to see what their current price was they had a notification that they were currently out of stock. So if you are interested you might let them know to notify you when it comes in. That seems to be a problem with them. They are a small company and frequently run out. The first order I received it took a couple of weeks and it had to come through customs the price was the same and the shipping was free from Amazon but it did come through with a notation about it coming through customs. The second time I ordered two jars just to be safe. That was Dec 30th so glad I did since they are out already. It was mailed from Amazon in the US. I (do not ) recommend the Mae Ploy Thai yellow curry on Amazon. I tried it since the Mekhala was not available and I wanted to make Thai yellow curry when my niece was here.. It was given good rating by people but I did not care for it at all. Then again you may like it. We all have different taste buds.. Hope you can get some when it is available. The company did send me a code for a coupon after I ordered to be applied to my next order. It was for .50 cent but a nice gestures and not too long ago they sent me another code since I gave them such a good review on Amazon. Bon Appetite Janet Alliesmama
Janet, thanks for the info. I put my email address on the Amazon page. It sounds, however, that they are unsure if they’ll get the product again. I looked them up online and see that they are a small Singapore company so perhaps they can only handle a limited number of orders. I’m going to start exploring Asian recipes online. Asian food is my favorite.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

floridacatlover wrote: Tue Feb 05, 2019 8:47 am Janet, thanks for the info. I put my email address on the Amazon page. It sounds, however, that they are unsure if they’ll get the product again. I looked them up online and see that they are a small Singapore company so perhaps they can only handle a limited number of orders. I’m going to start exploring Asian recipes online. Asian food is my favorite.
I have posted before my food favorites are Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Indian. It is a toss up between them. I do have a lot of cook books to make the various foods from each country. I have access to several international markets in the St. Louis, Mo area.. I cannot remember what I was getting out of a freezer at one of them but a lady who was Asian looked at me and said.. "you cook with that?" She was surprised to see an American purchasing something that unusual. The only thing that has restricted me for so long has been due to them tearing up the highways for repair and it is a nightmare to get there during the week. I am hoping when we start to have good weather in the Spring that I will be able to make a run to stock up. They have amazing fresh produce that is cheaper than grocery stores and fresh things that you cannot find in your local grocery stores ie fresh water chestnuts and fresh bamboo. The problem is the cost of gas exceeds the saving on produce. The best time for me to go is a Sunday morning. When I was a traveling therapist I worked with a lot of Filipino therapist and one day we were talking about recipes. One of the male therapist mentioned that he had a secret ingredient that he used. I said, " I bet it is "fish sauce." He was surprised I knew about fish sauce. Not sure if you have cooked Asian foods before but fish sauce has a really nasty smell but it does not taste like that when it is cooked. Enjoy your recipe hunt. Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
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