Living on Less - Wind In The Roses

Living On Less

This list was calculated to feed a family of 4 for $70 a week, or a single person for a month, based on prices obtained from online shopping sites in December, 2008, and a few guesses. It strives to make satisfying meals with nourishing foods. In some poor countries, people augment their diet by eating clay for 1 meal a day, a practice which not only saves money and prevents hunger, but supplies many needed soil-based nutrients that are often depleted in western foods grown in mineral-depleted soils. I don't include it in this diet, but I do recommend adding minerals to the diet or consuming edible clay regularly. It will also have the desirable side effect of eliminating many cravings for empty, processed foods..
Prepare these items on an ongoing basis: Beans Beans should be soaking or slow cooking most of the time, depending on how much you make at a time and how much storage you have. You can store cooked baked beans in the fridge for several days, but to feed 4 people, by the time you've got one batch ready to serve, it's time to start the next batch, as it takes several days from start to finish. see recipe below Brown rice see recipe below Cultured milk You use the whole milk in this list as a food side dish and ingredient for other foods, not as a beverage. Sauerkraut (or some other raw, lacto-fermented pickle of your choice), 2 gallons a week for 4 people. see recipe below or sauerkraut Kombucha or raw ale (your primary beverages), 7 gallons a week for 4 people, 1 quart a day Sourdough slurry Keep an ongoing sourdough all the time. You take some out, cook/use it and replace the flour and water every day or at least every few days. Bone broth A pot of bones covered with water simmering most of the time. Use the broth and replace with more water. If you're running out of crockpots and can't simmer all the time, keeping it in a baked enamel saucepan and bringing it to a boil once will suffice. Refrigerate when not using, although in winter you could probably get away with keeping it in a cool spot, covered, in between use, as long as you boil it once a day.		To Print this shopping list, RIGHT-click on list (image) and select "Save Image As" to download. Print according to your printer's instructions.
Methods/instructions for things that are made in an ongoing process. (see Recipes Section below for things made on demand) Baked Beans Day 1 Put beans in a jar, cover with water and allow to soak for a day. Day 2 Pour off that water Repeat by covering beans again with water and letting it set another day. Day 3 Drain off water, put the beans in a slow cooker, cover generously with bone broth and simmer for a day or until soft. Add more bone broth if needed to keep beans under liquid during simmer. Day 4 or more When beans have been cooked soft, add full-array salt, naturally fermented soy sauce, tomato sauce or peeled and chopped tomatoes, lard-fried onions, garlic, butter, molasses or brown sugar and a few leftover crusts of sourdough bread to taste. Add more bone broth if necessary to keep beans moist and make a sauce. Leave on low heat overnight or for another day. Brown Rice Day 1 Put rice in a jar, cover with water and allow to soak for a day. Day 2 Drain off water, put rice in a steamer, cover generously with bone broth and turn on heat. When steamer begins steaming, turn of heat and allow rice to sit in the hot water and steam. When steamer has cooled off completely, turn on heat again and then turn off when it has begun steaming. Let sit overnight. Day 3 Add more bone broth to rice if needed to keep it moist. If rice is fully cooked, add full-array salt, naturally fermented soy sauce and butter. Re-heat and serve. Adding more broth, soy sauce and sea salt makes this rice "congee" Culturing Milk 3-5 days If you can get raw milk, just let it sit out on the counter at room temperature until it turns into curds and whey. You can use kefir or yogurt if you have them. If you can't get raw milk or if it is too expensive, get a good-quality whole, pasteurized milk. Good-quality is hard to define, but a simple guideline is to choose a milk that tells you what kind of cows the milk comes from and the cows aren't Holsteins. Add a culturing agent and let it sit out at room temperature until it turns to curds and whey, or until it thickens if you are using pasteurized cream. If you cannot find a suitable culturing agent like creme fraiche, unpasteurized sour cream etc., you can extract a culture from cheese that has been made with pasteurized milk, as long as the cheese was not pasteurized after it was made (i.e., real cheese, not pasteurized processed.) Take 2 tablespoons of cheese, cut it up and soak in 2 tablespoons of water overnight. Put in 1/2 cup of pasteurized milk in the morning, leave on the counter, should culture in 2-3 days. Use that as a starter culture in cold milk. See more detailed instructions at raw milk and making whey. Sauerkraut Takes about 4 weeks Make 2 gallons of sauerkraut using all the cabbage and carrots and about half of the onions and apples. Put in jars with a little whey from the cultured or you can use leftover sauerkraut juice from a previous batch, cover with an airlock and let set at room temperature for a month. See more detailed instructions at kimchi & sauerkraut. Kombucha and Ale Takes about a week, or ongoing Kombucha Make a pot of sweet tea and when it's cool, add it to a jar of brewing kombucha. See more detailed instructions at kombucha. Ale Make a pot of sweet tea and add some previously brewed ale as a starter. Put it in a plastic soda pop bottle and screw on top. When bottle is firm to the touch and can't be squeezed, ale is ready to drink. See more detailed instructions at ale. You can make a fermented beverage suitable for children by reducing the fermentation time to as little as needed to make the drink. See Bread Kvass for a simple and nourishing fermented beverage made from bread and/or cornmeal suitable for children. Sourdough Slurry Mix a small amount of flour with whey from the cultured milk until it is a thick but runny consistency. Cover bowl and set out at room temperature. Every day add a little more flour and water, maintaining same consistency. See more detailed instructions at sourdough bread. Bone Broth Get some soup bones or any bones leftover from cooking. Put in a baked enamel pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat, or transfer to a crockpot or clow cooker, and allow to simmer at a low temperature overnight or continuously, taking out broth as you need it and replacing with water and starting over again. See more detailed instructions at bone broth. Recipes Corncake or Cornpone Day 1 Mix 175 mls cornmeal and with 250 mls broth. Put in a slow cooker overnight Day 2 To cook, slice and fry in fat. Corn Cereal (Grits) For each person put into a slow cooker the night before: 3 tablespoons of cornmeal (polenta, maize meal) 1 cup of water Cover and let slow cook overnight. Makes 1 serving of hot cereal Add milk and sugar as desired or available Two-Minute Egg You can make the eggs any way you like them, but the most nutritious way to eat an egg is with the yolk raw and the white cooked, and the way to do that is to make a 2 minute soft boiled egg. To do that, put water into a baked enamel pot and bring to a boil. Put the egg into the water and start timing. As soon as 2 minutes are up, remove the egg from the boiling water and set it on the counter. Put on a pair of gloves to pick up the hot egg, hold the egg at the pointed end and tap it with the flat of a knife on the round end. As soon as the shell is broken enough, use a small spoon to pull the shell away and then scoop out the inside of the egg. Cream of Wheat Cereal In a heat-proof glass or baked enamel bowl or pot, mix 3 tablespoons spelt or whole grain flour and 3 tablespoons of water or 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of whey, if available. Nuts, raisins or other dried fruit can be added at this point. Cover and let soak overnight or 24 hours. After it has soaked overnight or the next morning, cover the bowl with a ceramic saucer or other non-metallic cover and put on very low heat for a couple hours, stirring every now and then. When it becomes very warm but not so hot that you could not put your finger in it comfortably it is ready to serve. Oat Cereal Mix together: 1 cups fresh rolled oats, 1 tablespoon whey and 1/2 cup water. Soak overnight. In the morning add 3 tablespoons cultured milk and some finely chopped apple. sweeten as desired. Hot Oatmeal Soak steel-cut oats in water overnight in a glass bowl or jar . In the morning, drain and put in baked enamel sauce pan Add water to cover oats and cook over medium heat until done Add fruit, sugar or cinnamon as desired or available Can be made in large batches and then re-heated in the morning with a little water added Dumplings Mix in a mixer or blender on high until smooth: 1 egg 4 tablespoons whole milk or cultured milk or cream 1 tsp melted butter Add and blend in with fork: 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup flour 1/8 teaspoon sea salt pinch of pepper Drop this dough into hot fat (hot but not steaming) by the tablespoonful and cook until golden brown on both sides. These dumplings make a nice, light biscuit that is crunchy on the outside, melt in your mouth on the inside, and a little bland. They are perfect for serving with soup when you want bread to soak up the soup and not to add its own flavor. They can also be cooked by dropping in boiling water, soup or broth. Use for chicken and dumplings. Chicken and Dumplings Get an old chicken that would be too dry and tough for a roast, put in a pot of water, bring to a boil and then simmer until cooked. Remove chicken and set aside. Make dumplings and drop into simmering water, cook for about 15 minutes. Remove dumplings, add more dough and repeat until you have as many dumplings for however many people you are feeding. Meanwhile, remove the meat from the chicken, set aside skin and bones. When all dumplings have been cooked, return to pot with chicken meat. Use skin and bones to make more broth for more dumplings during the week, or make into biscuits and gravy. Dumplings: 1 cup flour, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons melted butter, 1/4 cup milk. Mix until smooth and drop by tablespoonfuls in broth. Cook 15 minutes, covered. Do not lift lid while cooking. Other birds or fowl may be used. Sourdough Biscuits Adding some salt and flour to sourdough slurry, leaving it thicker than a slurry and more like the consistency of bread dough before kneading, and then drop that dough into the hot, but not smoking, fat by the tablespoonful. Rice Pudding 1 cup of rice + 1 egg = 1 quart of pudding or 8 1/2-cup servings Day 1 Combine:. 1 cup white rice 3 cups of water Bring to a boil and turn off. Stir in: 1 tablespoon of butter 1 tablespoon of lard. Replace cover and let it sit overnight until it has absorbed the water and is soft. Day 2 The next day mix together: 1/2 cup milk or cream 1 egg 5 tablespoons of sugar 1 teaspoon of mixed spice or ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon of rice flour (or unbleached white wheat flour) Beat well until smooth Blend in The cooked rice 1/2 cup of raisins Transfer to a slow cooker and leave overnight Day 3 Sprinkle with nutmeg and serve, or store in fridge. Cake Mix together until finely blended: 4 tablespoons white flour 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon lard Add: 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (for chocolate cake, add 2 tablespoons of cocoa) 2 tablespoons sugar In a separate bowl, put the following and beat until smooth: 4 tablespoons milk 1 egg Combine the wet and dry ingredients, beat in a mixer on high for a minute and then pour into greased bowl. Put in a slow cooker/crock pot, cover and slow cook for 4 hours. Creamed Eggs on Biscuit Take 1 tablespoon lard or tallow, 1 1/2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 cup milk. Melt fat in baked enamel or cast iron saucepan over low heat. Add flour and salt, stirring constantly until smooth and frothy. Cook about 2 minutes stirring often to prevent browning. Gradually stir in milk. Increase heat to medium and simmer, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth, thick and boiling. Shell and slice 4 hard-boiled eggs. Gently stir into cream mixture and spoon over 4 sourdough biscuits. Oatmeal Soak 1 cup of rolled oats (not instant) overnight in 1 cup of a mixture of water and buttermilk, yogurt, whey, kefir or lemon juice. Exact amount can vary from what you have on hand to what you prefer. Add a little water if needed to cover. In the morning, put it in a baked enamel saucepan with another cup of water, add a handful or unsulphured raisins if desired and simmer for a few minutes. Serve with cream and natural brown sugar. (substitute rolled oats for some of the rice or wheat) Suggested Menu MONDAY breakfast: leftover chicken and dumpling, a spoonful of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, 8 ounces kombucha lunch: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, butter/lima beans and corn, deep-fried sourdough biscuit, 16 ounces raw ale supper: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, potato, baked beans and brown rice, cornmeal biscuit, banana, 8 ounces kombucha TUESDAY breakfast: 1 egg, a spoonful of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, cream of wheat cereal with 3 ounces of milk, 8 ounces kombucha lunch: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, soup made with leftovers and dandelion greens, deep-fried sourdough biscuit, 16 ounces raw ale supper: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, potato, 1/8 pound liver with fried onion, fried cornmeal, baked apple, cake, 8 ounces kombucha WEDNESDAY breakfast: creamed egg on biscuit, a spoonful of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, 8 ounces kombucha lunch: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, butter/lima beans and corn, brown rice, 18 ounces raw ale supper: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, potato, piece of fried fish, fried cornmeal, banana, 8 ounces kombucha THURSDAY breakfast: 1 egg, a spoonful of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, cream of wheat cereal with 3 ounces of milk, 8 ounces kombucha lunch: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, soup made with leftovers and dandelion greens, sourdough cornbread muffin, 16 ounces raw ale supper: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, potato, baked beans and rice, baked apple, 8 ounces kombucha FRIDAY breakfast: 1 egg, a spoonful of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, sourdough biscuit, 8 ounces kombucha lunch: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, butter/lima beans and corn, deep-fried sourdough biscuit, 16 ounces raw ale supper: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, piece of fried fish, peas, fried cornmeal, cake, 8 ounces kombucha SATURDAY breakfast: a spoonful of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, cream of wheat cereal with 3 ounces of milk, 8 ounces kombucha lunch: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, brown rice, deep-fried sourdough biscuit, 16 ounces raw ale supper: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, 1/8 pound liver, potato, baked beans, rice pudding, 8 ounces kombucha SUNDAY breakfast: 1 egg, a spoonful of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, sourdough biscuit, 8 ounces kombucha lunch: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, baked beans and brown rice, deep-fried sourdough biscuit, 16 ounces raw ale supper: a half cup of sauerkraut, 2 ounces cultured milk, chicken and dumplings, peas, fried cornmeal, cake, 8 ounces kombucha Concise Guide to Self-Sufficiency by John Seymour The Forager's Harvest A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Sam Thayer. Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann Eat Dirt, Drink Vinegar and Sleep on the Floor alternative health, cookbook, frugal, home remedies, folk cures and more.