Homemade Goodness!

Yes I know a loaf of white bread is only a dollar at the day old bread store, but for me and my house we will not eat that poison. When it comes to bread, nurtririon is much more important than a few dollars saved at the grocery store. In the long run we would be spending more at the docotor in the future if I saved on the bread bill.

Nutrition is just packed in these alfalfa and clover sprouts! They are easy to grow. Just soak the seed in a canning jar of warm water for a few hours then place in a shallow sprout grower. ( I suppose you can use a net with small holes like in a screen placed in a shallow pan of water) Change the water daily and keep the sprouts covered until they begin to grow. Then rinse them daily and keep uncovered until they are a few inches tall. Rinse well and store uncovered in the fridge. I love the tase of them on a sandwhich, with cream cheese, they are also good tasting in freshly juiced juices.

We had this with a cup of soup the other day. It was homemade vegetable soup. I figured the meal costs about .53 cents per serving!

Here is a link to a handy cost calculator. Book mark the link and figure out the price of your meals the next time you grocery shopping. And thanks to Donna for the link!

Frugal Friday Soup

Frugal is as frugal does...sorry it was a Forest Gump moment.
It's cold enough for some homemade chicken noodle soup!
I've learned to stay away from canned soups for many reasons
1. MSG
2. Way too much sodium
3. Preservatives
4. and in my case Gluten

We grew up making our own soups at home when I was young, so I don't think twice about de-boning a chicken for the meat or the chicken broth. For some out there who have asked for details let me say let's make it easy, however just so you know up front, you will have to touch a chicken. Not to worry though, God did give us meat on this earth to eat, and it's ok to remind others of that.

Crock Pot Chicken
1. Buy one large fresh (organic) chicken. (Perhaps someone can go hunting for a fresh one :)
2. Unwrap the chicken and take out the innerds and rinse the chicken well under cold running water and place in a crock pot.
3. Rub the chicken with a small amount of oil
4. Wash your hands...no samonella here!
5. Season the chicken...I sprinkle it with dry ranch dressing mix, real salt and pepper.
6. Add one cup water to the crock pot
7. Set crock pot to low overnight (I then turn off the crok pot in the morning and by the time beakfast is done it is cool enough to handle)
8. Wash your hands, and reach right in there for the meat, it should just fall right off the bone.
9. Seperate the meat from the bones and pour off the broth.
10. Refridgerating the broth before using solidfies the fat that floats to the top and it can be scraped off before using in soups or recipes. (if you want to use the broth right away, carefully float a paper towel on top of the broth to soak up much of the fat.
11. Refridgerate the meat for use in recipes.

Why go through all this work?
a. the meat is preservative free
b. no msg
c. much more frugal and economical than luncheon meats or canned soups
d. tastes better
e. meat cooked on the bone is much more nutrient rich than most processed foods in our markets.

Chicken Noodle Soup

One cup freshly cooked chicken
Two cups broth
One cup water
2 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 cups fresh pealed chopped carrots
1 tablespoon dried Rosemary

2 cloves freshly chooped garlic
handful of chopped celery leaves
1 cup homestyle pasta noodles
or gluten free homemade noodles
Salt and pepper to taste
Cover and simmer until veggies are tender, about 20 minutes and serve warm with homemade bread or crackers.Enjoy knowing that your family is being served a nutrient rich meal free of all sorts of preservatives and other harmful additives.