January 2022 Frugal Chat, here we go again.

Such is life, the plan for today did not happen. I was going to be at Costco when they opened and do our shopping but I just feel like my body and I are on different pages. I started to feel really bad last night and when I woke up at 5 am still was not feeling great so I went back to bed. Trying to see if getting some extra sleep will help. Slept till 9 am which is unheard for me.

Will try to get a few things done around the house today, mostly kitchen stuff. Mom has asked for more of Snack Mix I made at Christmas, it is funny as I was making it she wasn't sure about it but she loved it. I would like to make more of our own snack mixes this year, I love these types of mixes but I am not sure why I only make them at Christmas.

Mom is going to make more BBQ sauce, we are out. Tonight for Dinner Mom will have BBQ Chicken Wings, I will have a BBQ Chicken Breast and we will both have Roasted Potatoes and I am thinking Roasted Brussel Sprouts, but the veggie might change.

I need to finalize my meal plan, I have literally written my meal plan 3 times, I wrote one Thursday night, when I look at it Friday I changed it and again yesterday I made changes. What can I say I went on Pinterest and went down the rabbit hole.

I bought a bunch of Ground Turkey from Costco before Christmas, it was on sale. I broke it down and froze it but the dishes we normally make with it we are not eating as often so looking for some new options. Also looking for more Slow Cooker and Instant Pot options, looking for a mixture of variety and easy dinners for busy work nights.

As much fun as Pinterest is, time to find some ambition and get a few things done.

Happy Sunday Everyone

Happy Sunday! I've had one of those days surfing the net. I've gone from researching how to make my own eggroll wraps to how to fix an Instant Pot valve. Aren't the resources online amazing! :)
I decided to set a new savings category for myself. (I won't be banking any savings but I just want to see how much we can actually save). I've started some new seeds (my bok choy and lettuce are already sprouting) and I'm sprouting but I know I can save even more on food. I'm in awe at how easy and cheap some items can be that we would normally buy from the store. I have to admit that I haven't tried to cook dry beans in my instant pot yet but I have started baking and cooking more. When I think back to some "at home" savings recently, this is what I came up with : $2.50 savings on spring sprouts $1 bean sprouts and about $14 on our friend wontons for a total of $17.50 I'm looking forward to see how much more we can save.

Well I'm off to make chili. Have a wonderful week!

@crafter the dry beams in the instapot are so easy. I do a full batch for my pot and it’s less than 2 hrs of which most is the cooling time. I freeze them for future use and have not bought a can of beans in years. If I have the instapot out I will usually do at least 2 batches as I make a lot of soups in the winter and beans are a staple.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lilo0003

I do a full batch for my pot and it’s less than 2 hrs of which most is the cooling time.

---

I love cooking in winter, because I can just set the pot in the garage and let Mother Nature help me cool them. :)

well we went through all the toys our girls have and sorted out 2 large black garbage bags. I drove to the local value village and donated them; got a coupon to shop in the store. Win-win.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lilo0003

@crafter the dry beams in the instapot are so easy. I do a full batch for my pot and it’s less than 2 hrs of which most is the cooling time. I freeze them for future use and have not bought a can of beans in years. If I have the instapot out I will usually do at least 2 batches as I make a lot of soups in the winter and beans are a staple.

---

Thanks for the tip about freezing the cooked beans. I never would've thought of that.
I'll give it a try

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lilo0003

@crafter the dry beams in the instapot are so easy. I do a full batch for my pot and it’s less than 2 hrs of which most is the cooling time. I freeze them for future use and have not bought a can of beans in years. If I have the instapot out I will usually do at least 2 batches as I make a lot of soups in the winter and beans are a staple.

---

I also freezes beans and chick peas in batches because we also used a lot with 2 vegetarian in the house

Hi all.

Weekend has been pretty much a write off. Friday night we played cards and maybe drank too much. I remember seeing the kitchen clock at 4:15am and we were still up and about. Needless to day I slept all day Saturday.
DS was out Sat night so I couldn't go to sleep till he was home and I woke up early this morning. I think I will sleep good tonight so should be back to normal tomorrow.

Went out and grabbed a few groceries this morning. Trying to eat what we have so just grabbed a few fresh items.

Dinner- Chicken breast, veggies and fries in the air fryer. Did the trick!

Have a great night!

Update my dear older brother spent 6 days in hospital ,he got out thursday night (my sister-in-law pushed for it ) as there was a covid outbreak on his floor .

He will spend his days at home.I am hoping to visit in the near future and do a few things for my sister-in-law .I f i go i may waer a PPE in their elevator ,we will see .This week watching the girls quite a bit for after school.

Stayed in today and did 3 loads of laundry ,2 sets of dishes (cant wait for my dishwasher next month) and worked on my puzzle .I did call my dear brother in london ,ont to update him about the oldest .

With all this talk about beans, does anyone else soak them before cooking? When I use them in stew and chili, I usually soak them overnight. I had heard that it helps them cook by breaking them down a bit.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HermanH

With all this talk about beans, does anyone else soak them before cooking? When I use them in stew and chili, I usually soak them overnight. I had heard that it helps them cook by breaking them down a bit.

---

That’s the bonus of the instapot. You don’t soak them at all.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HermanH

With all this talk about beans, does anyone else soak them before cooking? When I use them in stew and chili, I usually soak them overnight. I had heard that it helps them cook by breaking them down a bit.

---

I soak mine over night . I used a pressure cooker to do mine

Cooking beans, I soak mine overnight and then cook them in the Instant Pot. I flash freeze them on a cookie sheet and then transfer them to a Ziplock baggie. Since I flash freeze them I can just scope out what we need for each recipe.

The Instant Pot makes it so easy, I can make a few batches in one day and stock up the freezer. I like to make them ahead so when we need them, they are there and ready to go. Since I still soak mine even when using the Instant Pot if I do not make them ahead then I end up grabbing a can from the store to make a recipe that day.

Happy Monday! We have snow and it is still coming down. It is light and fluffy so easy to shovel.

House is nice and quiet. Off to put laundry away and put another load in the washer and then hang it to dry.

My bestie is sick. She went away for 2 nights to visit her daughter and came back sick as a dog. Fingers crossed it's not the dreaded C word. Thank gosh I didn't pop by to visit her Thursday night as planned. I haven't seen her in at least 2 weeks so I'm safe for now! I want to go visit my mom this weekend so I am staying away.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by flemeth

I soak mine over night . I used a pressure cooker to do mine

---

That's my method as well @flemeth ( soak and then pressure cook, takes only 6 minutes , if that ) but just reading how @SassyAshley says she freezes her beans after they have been cooked in her Instapot device now makes me want to have cooked beans at the ready in the freezer! I am going to try a batch soon.