Eat on $30 - afterthoughts

The past few days have kept me away from my computer, but I've had lots of time for much needed reflection. I had about six hours in a float tube on Saturday, which when I wasn't catching enormous fish and pissing off my hosts -- Hi Brent! -- I had lots of quiet time to get into my own head. The water was a tepid 37 degrees so a fair amount of time was spent fantasizing that my toes and arse were on a beach in Tahiti, but my mind also drifted to the week's Eat on $30 challenge.

I felt guilty that my last day on the challenge was on another’s dime, but guess what I woke up smelling?! COFFEE! Yeah, baby. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the coffee that I had been dreaming about and pining for the past week. It was what we call in Idaho: cowboy coffee; I kind of had to chew it. Spiked with some eggnog, it did the trick. I was more than a little concerned it would do the trick on my G.I. track too when I was stuck in my float tube in the middle of the lake, but I think my system was more concerned with the fact that the bottom half of my body was frozen to be concerned with the diuretic.

None-the-less, the week’s festivities replayed through my head, and I realized that I would make a concerted effort to adopt the frugal approach to meal planning/grocery shopping that this challenge necessitated. Granted my financial situation has changed drastically and that should be dictating my spending, but let’s be honest, how many of us really live within our means? I am going to try, damnit, and spending less on groceries is a great place for me to start.

I also plan to cook out of my pantry and my freezer. We have so much great food waiting patiently on shelves to be consumed – I just need to get creative. The other realization I had was how expensive it is to eat out. I’ve always known this, but to see how much I saved with one week of not eating out was huge. I was thinking back on my days of working in downtown SLC, and I ate out every single day for lunch. That was nearly $10 a pop – five days a week! Of course I have a new appreciation of $50, but still, are you kidding me? Packing a lunch, eating leftovers, staving off that $10 noodle soup helps one’s budget enormously!

It’s also been fun checking in on my challenge cohorts. You should check them out here as they had some fantastic observations, stories and recipes. The other great thing about the challenge was it got me writing. I am sure my fervor will wane a little, but I hope you keep reading. I have some “pantry posts” coming up that I think you’ll like.

Below is an easy stew recipe that was made with ingredients I had in the fridge and pantry. The fall weather continues here in Eastern Idaho so the crock pot won't be getting a break anytime soon.

My cooking companion, Berkley.

Beef Stew

2 pounds beef, cut into chunks

2 large potatoes, cubed

2 carrots, sliced

1 large onion, diced

1 leek, white part only, sliced

1 14 oz can beef broth

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1 cup frozen peas

1 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 bay leaf

6-7 fresh thyme sprigs

In a large bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. Add beef and mix well. Add all ingredients, less the peas, to a crock pot. Stir well to combine. Cook over low heat for 6 - 8 hours. About five minutes before service add the peas. Serve with crusty bread.