Frugal Tip Friday: Bake in batches

In the picture: gronola bars, fresh bread, and 10 half-baked personal sized pizza crusts.
Not in the picture: loose gronola

My frugal tip for today is to bake in batches. As you can see from above, this day I baked a number of things. The loose gronola was first as it takes a low tempature. Then I had to plan out when the bread and pizza dough would get done rising and baked them one after the other. Next was the gronola bars, which I was mixing up as the pizzas were baking. Then I turned around and made a couple of those pizzas for dinner that night. All in all, my oven was probably on for 3 hours. But, there was no preheating for each item. I'd get one done and in would go the next one.

Also remember, during the winter, do your baking in the morning. That way it heats your house. In the summer, do your baking in the evening so you aren't running the A/C to cool off the house again. And when you are done baking in the winter, leave the oven door cracked and you'll have a toasty kitchen to do your clean up in!

Thankful Thursday: Week #9

~ Random parks found on long car rides to somewhere else

~ Family joining together for holidays

~ My parents

~ The prayer before a BIG holiday meal

~ Old dresses on new babies

~A church full of little ones dressed to the "nines"

~hiding Easter eggs (I think this is more fun than hunting them as a kid!)

Quick Tip Tuesday: Kerchief Tie

Mother/daughter hankerchiefs. Ok, so her's is actually a cloth napkin. :o)

I wear hankerchiefs a lot! At least a few days a week. They keep my hair out of my face and keep certian little hands from pulling the little hairs at the back of my neck quite so bad. :o)

So my tip for today is on tying the kerchief. Whenever I knot one on, the knot at the back of my neck often gives me a head ache. (I get frequent tension headaches.) And if at any point in the day I need to tighten the knot, it is a real pain.

So my solution is to instead tie it with a rubber hair tie or small rubber band. Pull the kerchief tight on your head and then twist it around the two tails till tight. Slip on your head and then if at any point during the day it needs tightened, simply pull gently on the two tails (much like you would to tighten a pony tail.)

This keeps it tight without having the big bump/knot at the base of the neck.

Happy Easter!

Have a wonderfully blessed Easter!

May we all remember it is not about the eggs, the bunny, the basket, the frilly dresses, the candy or the large amounts of tasty food (although all these things are nice.) It is about our Lord, Jesus Christ, dying for our sins on the cross and being risen again. Spend some time with your family and celebrate the renewal of life again this spring!

We will be going home for the weekend so there will be no post on Monday.

I will be back first thing Tuesday morning!

Morning Glory Muffins

These turned out so good, I just had to share! They are packed with fruits, nuts, spices, and even a veggie. It's like an entire meal in a muffin. :o) Ok, so maybe you will have to eat something else with it but they are really good!

Ingredients:

6 eggs

2 1/2 c. sugar

2 c. oil

4 c. grated carrots

1 c. coconut

1 c. raisins

1 c. chopped nuts

2 c. grated apples

4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

4 tsp. cinnamon

4 c. flour

Directions:

Stir all ingredients together. Make as many muffins as desired, baking at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Note: This recipe makes quite a lot of batter. Extra batter will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks!

Yields: 4 dozen muffins.

I made a half a batch and baked them all in two mornings. The first day will take a while in prep to get all the ingredients shredded, chopped, together, and mixed, so allow yourself a good hour or so from start to finish. But then the next day(s) are super easy! Just pour however many muffins you want and bake! Or do like I did and bake them all in just a couple/few days.

These also freeze well! Bake them up, allow them to cool and then store in a freezer bag in the freezer. When ever you want them for breakfast or a snack, pull out the number you need and pop in the microwave for about a minute or in the toaster oven for a couple minutes.

Serve with butter or just dry and enjoy!

Frugal Tip Friday: Freeze Some Grapes!

My husband is a big fan of grapes. And although I like them, we just don't make it though a whole container before they go bad. My husband also loves frozen grapes. So when I find fresh grapes on sale, I buy them up! I will leave some out for him to eat fresh, the rest I freeze.

Pull all the grapes off the vines and place in a colander. Rinse well with cold water and then allow to dry, either in the colander or pour them out (carefully) onto a clean towel. Once dry, spread them out on a cookie sheet, they can me in more than one layer. Place on a level surface in your freezer for 12-24 hours. Try not to accidental dump them in the freezer. There are still a handful of grapes laying in the bottom of my deep freezer right now. :o) Once frozen, store them in a zip top bag.

My husband will get these out when he gets a sweet tooth instead of hitting the cookies or ice cream. They also work great in smoothies as a substitution for the ice.

This saves you money in two ways. You can actually buy frozen grapes, but they are usually more expensive than fresh. And it saves you from throwing away good grapes because you didn't get them all eaten before going bad.

Thankful Thursday: Week#8

~Rubber duckies

~Non-stick pans

~Rice socks

~String and all it's many uses

~Knowing that we aren't "stuck" on this earth forever.

~Tears of joy

~The ability to learn something new each and every day.