One of the easiest and most effective ways to lower your grocery bills is to buy items from the farmers market. The price of oversized zucchini often drops to under $1.00 each at the height of the season. I have seen huge heads of cabbage and cauliflower for a couple of dollars. Likewise, pumpkins and … Read more
Brrrrrr! We are quickly headed toward our first frost in Illinois. The good thing about it is that while most other produce is too tender to weather colder temperatures, squash is a vegetable that is actually known for getting sweeter when it has been “frost kissed.” Squash tends to be pretty hardy, despite falling temperatures. … Read more
I will admit to you that spaghetti squash was a bit of an enigma to me when I first got it several years ago in a CSA box. I have tried it several ways and grown to like and appreciate its “spaghetti-like” interior. Today, I wanted to create a new way to use this versatile … Read more
It is fall and that means a plenitude of winter squash. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but they are all delicious! I adore mac-n-cheese, but I’ve given up dairy. One day, while gazing at the rich orange color of butternut squash, I realized that it would look just like cheese sauce … Read more
Last year, I got a ridiculously good deal on a huge box of kuri squash. There were about thirty small squash in a box for $10! I cooked and experimented with kuri squash for weeks. One night, I needed something quick for supper. I had some cooked squash in the fridge and a few other … Read more
If you are struggling to keep your grocery budget under control and last-minute restaurant runs are sapping funds and adding to your bottom line in more ways than one, then I have some tips, which will make your life easier. Keeping kids fed (and happy about the food they are eating) is absolutely a challenge. … Read more
Peter Piper may have picked a peck of pickled peppers, but he has nothing on you! You, too, can master the art of finding the perfect pepper (and knowing how to use it). Although thought of as a vegetable, botanically peppers are a fruit. Peppers supply a huge amount of vitamin C and are packed … Read more
Over the past 32 years of marriage, my husband and I have made our fair share of mistakes with money. However, you can learn from our example and avoid the same pitfalls. To hear the stories behind the mistakes in honest (and hilarious) detail, watch the video or keep reading for my candid advice on … Read more
Brussels sprouts come by their distinctive cabbage flavor the honest way. They are a close, albeit lesser-known, relative of the cruciferous vegetable family. Even better, they are absolutely delicious and easy to prepare. Common in very early spring and late into the fall, they are sweeter once they have been “frost kissed”. Brussels sprouts create … Read more
For flavor, versatility, and affordability you just can’t beat potatoes. Rich in important nutrients, potatoes contain more potassium than bananas and nearly half of your daily vitamin C requirements. Add to this the fact that you will find no cholesterol, fat, or sodium in what some simply call spuds and you begin to wonder why … Read more
