"Wonder"ful Poppy Seed Muffin Mix

I have been busy getting gifts ready for Christmas! Here's one gift idea that would work for a neighbor, friend, co-worker or even family member. It works really good for someone who is single (or a couple) that wants to eat healthy food, but doesn't have much time or money - like a college student.

"Wonder"ful Poppy Seed Muffins {Refrigerator Mix}
Printable Recipe

*Makes 6 single batch recipes or 36 muffins total

*Note: This mix is best if kept in the refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS:
6 Cups whole grain wonder flour (or you can try flour ground from other grains)
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
2 Cups Sugar
1 Tbsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Poppy Seeds
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Powder **see note
1 Cup Powdered Milk  

DIRECTIONS:
Combine ingredients into a storage container for them and attach a label with the instructions for a "Wonder"ful Poppy Seed Muffins {Single Batch from Refrigerator Mix}.

*Note: If you've never heard vanilla powder, do a search. If you can't find it, just omit it and add 1/2 tsp. vanilla it to the ingredients for them to combine later.

"Wonder"ful Poppy Seed Muffins {Single Batch from Refrigerator Mix}

Printable Recipe

*Makes 6 muffins

INGREDIENTS:
1 egg 

½ Cup Water

¼ Cup oil

½ tsp. almond extract

1-1/2 Cup Muffin Mix

DIRECTIONS:
Mix egg, water, oil and almond extract. Add Muffin Mix and stir just until combined. Spray 6 muffin tins with oil and bake muffins at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.

Or if you don't want to use these as gifts, here's the full recipe:

Wonder Flour Poppy Seed Muffins {Single Batch}
Printable Recipe

*Makes 18 Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

3 Cups Wonder Flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup oil
1-1/2 tsp. almond extract
1-1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1-1/2 Cups milk
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl. Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix until just barely combined. Pour into muffin tins. Bake 350 F for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool and enjoy! 

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Frugal Friday: Is Making Homemade Bread Saving Me Money?

For those of you who have always wondered (like I have) whether it really is cost effective to make your own bread, I’ve done an analysis on it. To start with, let’s look at raw ingredients… In the recipe below, I’ve included the cost of each ingredient. The low estimate (in blue) is based on what I usually pay (when ingredients to go on sale and buying in bulk). The high estimate (in red)is based on actually prices taken from WinCo foods today (on December 13, 2011).

Whole Wheat Bread (Makes three 1.5-lb loaves)
3 C. hot water, microwave on high 2-3 min or until quite warm – FREE!!
1/3 C. oil – {Ranges from $0.10 to $0.14}
1/3 C. sugar – {Ranges from $0.07 to $0.09}
1 Tbsp. salt (put in first before adding yeast) - {$0.01}
3 C.+ freshly ground whole wheat flour (hard white wheat) – I measured last time and I use about 5 Cups of Hard White Wheat in this recipe…{Ranges from $0.70 to $1.12}
2 Tbsp yeast on top of flour {Ranges from $0.04 to $0.05}
½ C. gluten flour {Ranges from $0.28 to $0.32}

½ C. ground flax seed (optional) {$0.13}

Combine above ingredients in Bosch mixer with dough hook and mix. Add more whole wheat flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then mix for an additional six minutes. Divide dough into 3 loaves (the dough will still be VERY sticky - so sticky that you won't be able to form your loaves without putting oil on your hands). Let rise until double or fills the bread pans. Bake 400 deg. for 5 min., 350 deg. for 25 min or until done.

Total cost of three 1.5-lb loaves of bread ranges from $1.33 to $1.86

Total cost of one 1.5-lb loaf of bread ranges from $0.44 to $0.62

(Electricity has not been included yet…if you want to see the total cost, see below…)

For those of you who are wondering where I got these numbers and want to see the full analysis, read on! But I’m warning you, there’s math involved and conversions! Which I love, but you may not…so…I apologize in advance.

Cost of Home-made Bread Full Analysis

For three 1.5 lb loaves of Bread

High Price taken from WinCo on December 13, 2011

Oil

A {1 Qt +1 pt} container of Store Brand Canola Oil = $2.50

{1 Qt + 1 pt} = 6 Cups

6 Cups = 18/3 Cups (We use 1/3 Cup in this recipe)

$2.50/18 = $0.14

I’ve seen Gallon containers of Canola oil go on sale for as low as $5.

1 Gal. = 16 Cups

16 Cups = 48/3 Cups

$5/48 = $0.10

Sugar

A 2 lb. bag of Store Brand brown sugar = $1.24 (I like to use brown sugar because it gives the bread a little more flavor)

There are about 227 tsp. servings in 2 lbs. of brown sugar

3 tsp. = 1 Tbsp.

227 tsp. = 75.67 Tbsp.

16 Tbsp. = 1 Cup

75.67 Tbsp. = 4.73 Cups in 2 lbs. of brown sugar

4.73 = 14.19/3 Cups (We use 1/3 Cup in this recipe)

$1.24/14.19 = $0.09

I’ve seen 2 lb. packages of brown sugar go on sale for as low as $0.99.

$0.99/14.19 = $0.07

Salt

Hopefully you already expect this to be really cheap…But in case you don’t…

A {1 lb. +10 oz.} container of store brand salt costs $0.44.

There are about 491 servings of salt in each package at ¼ tsp. each.

491/4 tsp. = 122.75 tsp.

3 tsp. = 1 Tbsp.

122.75 tsp = 40.92 Tbsp. (We use 1 Tbsp. in this recipe)

$0.44/40.92 =$0.01

I won’t analyze cheaper although I have seen salt go a lot cheaper than $0.44, but most of us don’t count our pennies that particularly...

Wheat

WinCo has bulk food bins and their wheat costs $0.51/lb. for hard red. I didn’t see hard white, but it’s usually comparable priced…

1 Cup = about .44 lbs. of wheat (I measured this the other night)

5 Cups = about 2.19 lbs. of wheat

2.19 lbs x $0.51/lb = $1.12

It’s a lot cheaper to buy wheat in bulk. I can usually get a 50 lb. bag of wheat for about $16 or less when it goes on sale.

50 lbs = 22.83/2.19 lbs (We use about 2.19 lbs. in this recipe)

$16/22.83 = $0.70

Yeast

Instant yeast was $3.18/lb in their bulk bins.

1 C = about .25 lbs of yeast (I measured this the other night)

16 Tbsp = 1 Cup

1 Tbsp = .015 lbs. (We use 1 Tbsp. in this recipe)

.015 lbs x $3.18/lb = $0.05

I’ve seen a 1 lb. package of instant yeast on sale go as low as $2.50

.015 lbs x $2.50/lb = $0.04

Gluten Flour

Gluten Flour cost $2.56/lb in their bulk bins.

½ Cup = .125 lbs (I measured this the other night – we use ½ cup in this recipe)

.125 lbs. x $2.56/lb. = $0.32

Online you can get a 25 lb. bag for $56.60 here.

That is equivalent to $2.26/lb.

.125 lbs. x $2.26/lb. = $0.28

Ground Flax Seed

I like to add this in my bread – it gives the bread a great texture and adds more nutrition!

Golden Flax seed costs $1/lb at WinCo (I buy the seed there and then just grind it in my blender)

½ Cup = .125 lbs (I measured this the other night – we use ½ cup in this recipe)

.125 lbs. x $1/lb. = $0.13

I won’t compare prices for flax seed because it’s not something you really want to buy in bulk due to the high oil content – it’s better just to buy it as needed!

So to summarize again…

The total cost of three 1.5-lb loaves of bread ranges from $1.33 to $1.86. The total cost of one 1.5-lb loaf of bread ranges from $0.44to $0.62. For raw ingredients.

Electricity

So…what about electricity you wonder…how much would it really add to the cost?…okay…we’ll add it and see.

According to my last electric bill I’m being charged about $0.10 per kWh (kilowatt hour) for electricity that I’ve used. I checked and my oven uses 7.9 KW so it costs $0.79 per hour to run. When I make bread I use it for about 45 minutes (15 minutes preheating time) so that’s about $0.59 added cost to all three loaves making the total cost range adjusted now to $1.92 to $2.45. Dividing this by 3, the new total cost of one 1.5-lb loaf of bread ranges from $0.64 to $0.82.

So is it cost effective? Well I guess if you want to know that you’d have to compare the price of what you would purchase a loaf of the same size for at a grocery store.

Pulling out my handy-dandy ads for the week, I see that Grandma Sycamore’s bread is on sale at my local grocery store for 2 for $4. It’s a 24 oz. loaf (which if you do the math is equivalent to my loaf size of 1.5 lbs.). So I can save between $1.18 and $1.36 per loaf by making my bread at home rather than buying Grandma Sycamore’s bread. Our family eats about 3 loaves a week. That’s a weekly savings of between $3.54 and $4.08. With 52 weeks in a year, that’s a yearly savings of between $184.08 and $212.16. I’m actually saving even more if you consider regular price instead of sale price.

Of course to find the real cost effectiveness for you, you’d have to take the cost of the loaf of bread you normally purchase. For me, I don’t buy cheap bread cause I can’t stand to eat it…that leads me to give an analysis on nutrition, but I’ll have to save that one for later...

So in conclusion, Yes! When you make homemade bread you are saving money! Even if you don’t shop sales and just buy ingredients at regular cost, you’ll still save money! So go for it! It’s worth it in more ways than one!

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Meal Planning

For the past 3 or 4 months, I've been trying to plan our nightly dinner meals two weeks in advance. I've been using the food nanny plan meal planner where you come up with a theme for every night of the week. I can definitely say that our food has tasted better and I've had less hassle and struggle with the kids trying new foods. I still make 1-2 new dishes a week, but they are more likely to try them now because they know what to expect and know that the next night something will be served that they know they like. If you haven't tried out meal planning, try it! It definitely works and is well worth the prep time for the dinner-time success. I decided that I will post some of my meal plans for those of you who struggle like I do to come up with what to have for dinner every night. Today I am planning my next 2 weeks of meals. I will shop once for most of the food and then go once or twice more during the 2 weeks to pick up fresh produce.

Here's the themes that I'm using:

Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
12 Italian	13 Fish	14 Leftovers	15 Kids Pick	16 Mexican Fiesta	17 Daddy's Pick	18 Italian
19 Comfort Food	20 Breakfast	21 Leftovers	22 Kids Pick	23 Pizza	24 Christmas Eve	25 Christmas

And here's what's on the menu:

Mon, Dec 12
Bean lasagna (I'm working out a new pressure cooker version that I will post in the future) with Fresh Bread and Sunshine Squash

Tues, Dec 13
Tilapia Scampi with brown rice and broiled vegetables.

Wed, Dec 14
Leftovers!

Thurs, Dec 15
Plain Noodles with Sauce (Can you tell this is a kid's pick???)

Fri, Dec 16
Normally Pizza night but this time we're doing a mexican fiesta.
Chicken taquitos, chips & Salsa, Green Salad, Cilantro-lime rice with oven-baked churros and hot cocoa for dessert

Sat, Dec 17
To be determined...my husband likes to see what's in the fridge and create on the spot...

Sun, Dec 18
Spaghetti Squash dinner with Breadsticks

Mon, Dec 19
Spicey Roasted Butternut Squash and Cream of Broccoli Soup

Tues, Dec 20
Cottage-fried potatoes & swedish pancakes

Wed, Dec 21
Leftovers!

Thurs, Dec 22
Red & White Mostaccioli (Food Nanny Recipe)

Fri, Dec 23
Pepperoni and Veggie Pizza

Sat, Dec 24
Our new Christmas eve tradition: a Bethlehem Supper based on ideas from here and here. See our post here from last year...
Chicken Shwarmas on pita bread, cheese cubes, fresh veggies, challlah bread, olives, hard boiled eggs

Sun, Dec 25
Turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, pistachio pudding, stuffing, rolls, sweet potatoes & pies....mmmmh!

Hopefully I'll be able to post some of the recipes soon! Meanwhile hope you are enjoying a wonderful holiday season! Merry Christmas!!

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Fresh Homemade Bread

My husband is the young men leader in our church ward. He works with boys in our neighborhood ages 12-18. He loves working with these boys and they love working with him! The young men's program they have activities every week which include scouting, service, and personal development activities. The other night he brought the boys over after they raked the leaves of some widows in the neighborhood. They were cold from being outside working and they crowded into our kitchen for hot cocoa and fresh, homemade bread. The boys come from different backgrounds - split families, strong families, working mothers, stay-at-home mothers, financially sound and financially struggling. It was amazing to me to see how in a matter of a few minutes 2 1/2 loaves of fresh, homemade bread vanished! Completely disappeared! The bread was gobbled up, with words of gratitude and enjoyment expressed between each bite. One boy even came up and gave me a big hug, which I found out later he was intending to give me since the 30-mile hike they took this summer. At the top of the mountain, after hiking 15 miles, Brandon pulled out a loaf of homemade bread and split it with the boys on the hike. He told me later that there was nothing to compare with the gratitude and enjoyment these boys felt eating that 3 or 4-day-old bread on top of the mountain top. One boy mentioned that he was going to give me a hug when he came back and I received it the other night, 5 months later.

There's something about fresh homemade bread that does wonders for the soul. It draws people into your home. It draws your family together. It bridges barriers between people. It unifies and strengthens. When fresh bread is shared it can communicate love, empathy, gratitude or belonging. This experience the other night re-emphasized to me why I love to make homemade bread. Yes it takes time. Yes it takes effort. But things that are worthwhile always do. Yes the 30 minutes of prep time, 30 minutes of rising time and 30 minutes of baking is worth it, for the benefits far out-way the costs.

If you need a good, easy recipe for homemade bread, here are some of my favorites that I make all the time:

Honey-Oat Wheat Bread

Whole-grain Oat Bread

Whole-Wheat Bread (Pictured above - this is my quickest, cheapest and most-often made bread)

In these recipes, you do use a stand mixer which makes the bread lighter and much quicker to make. But if you don't have a mixer, you can still make bread! Just follow the same recipes and knead it by hand for 10 minutes. Then let it rise twice - once in the bowl and once in the bread pans. You also really should get a grain mill so that you grind the grains fresh. The flours are so much more healthy and tastier that way. But if not, you can find hard white wheat flour in the grocery stores as well. This is recommended as the second option. The third option is to use the regular (hard red) wheat flour. This has a denser consistency so you may want to consider adding an additional 1/4 C. gluten flour to lighten the bread up even more. Any option you choose will be wonderful. It takes a little practice, but it's well worth it!

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Creamy Chicken Taquitos with Sweet and Savory Coconut Rice

I'm so excited about this dinner. Don't you love those dinners that just turn out exactly the way you wanted and get even better of a response from your family than you hoped? Well get ready because this exactly that kind of a recipe!! Caprene over at Eat your Veggies, peas posted this recipe for creamy chicken taquitos with sweet and savory coconut rice and I've been wanting to try it for a while. It intrigued me that the taquitoes were baked instead of deep fat fried and the rice sounded delicious. Well I'm so glad I finally did because it is one for the books.

Merry Christmas to my Dad - another gluten free, low fat, low sodium flavorful meal that he will love! I hope you enjoy it too!! :)

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Printable Recipe

*Note:Mix ½ Cup green salsa or enchilada sauce with 2 Cups sour cream for a yummy taquito dipping sauce!

INGREDIENTS:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 Cup green salsa or enchilada sauce
1 Tbsp. lime juice (fresh is best)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. chopped garlic
3 Tbsp. or more chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. chopped green onion
2 Cups or more cooked chicken, shredded *see note below
1 Cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Taco Size Corn or flour tortillas
2 Tbsp. canola oil
Non-stick cooking spray
Salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Mix softened cream cheese with green salsa or enchilada sauce, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic until smooth. Add chicken, cilantro, green onion and cheese and mix well.

Line a cookie tray with parchment paper. Then wrap 3-4 tortillas at a time in a damp paper or cloth towel and microwave for about 20-30 seconds. This will prevent the tortillas from cracking when rolled.

Now you are ready to roll. Place 2-3 Tbsp.chicken mixture onto the edge of the tortilla. Roll the taquito and place seam side down on parchment lined cookie tray. If you overfill the taquitos, you may need a toothpick to hold them together. Continue rolling until you have used all the chicken mix.

Spray or brush the taquitos will oil to help them crisp in the oven. Sprinkle with salt (optional). Then bake in the oven at 425 for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before eating.

*Note: if you use more chicken it makes it less spicy for the kids. I cooked my chicken in the electric pressure cooker for 25 minutes (just throw in the frozen breasts with about 1-1/2 cups of water) and they turned out perfect - soft and yummy.

Recipe Source: adapted from Eat Your Veggies Peas

Sweet and Savory Coconut Rice

Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups white or jasmine rice
1 - 14oz can coconut milk
2 Cups water
1 tsp. salt
1-2 tsp. white vinegar
2-3 tsp. sugar
1/4 Cup chopped green onions, optional (I didn’t use)
Black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS (Stovetop):
Combine rice, coconut milk, water, salt, vinegar and sugar in sauce pan. Bring to boil and then lower heat and cook for 20 minutes. Allow to stand before serving. Top with green onion and pepper if desired.

DIRECTIONS (Pressure Cooker):
Combine rice, coconut milk, water, salt, vinegar and sugar in pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. Naturally release pressure. Allow to stand before serving. Top with green onion and pepper if desired.

Recipe Source: adapted from Eat Your Veggies Peas

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