Turkey sandwich - This one is a given, but it is one of my favorites. Some people like their sandwich with mayonnaise and onions.  I like mine with mustard on white bread.

Turkey salad - This is another family favorite.  I chop up some turkey, add some mayo, diced dill pickles, salt, and pepper, and it’s as good as chicken salad.  I also like to make ham salad.

Turkey and rice - Cook rice according to package directions, add desired seasonings.  Throw in some chopped turkey and some vegetables.  You might also like to make a gravy.

Turkey wraps - Add some turkey, cheese, and fresh vegetables to a lettuce slice or tortilla.

Turkey soup - There are many varieties of turkey soup. You could make a cream based soup or a Mexican style soup.  Use your favorite chicken soup recipe using turkey instead of chicken.

Other sources for recipes:

AllRecipes.com – Some ideas include Turkey a la King, turkey enchiladas, turkey pot pie, turkey tetrazzini, and more.
Recipe Goldmine
National Turkey Federation
Healthy Eating Made Easy

What are your favorite ways to use leftover turkey?

image sxc.hu

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I’ll admit, one of the fundraisers was decent.  There were some things that I would not mind buying.   The other fundraiser was asking us to put the names and addresses of family and friends onto postcards so that they could ask for money for computers or something like that.  My little girl came home telling me that I needed to fill out her paperwork and send it back the next day so that she could get a t-shirt.  I thought it was a form to purchase a school t-shirt.  The form said that if two of the people on her list responded, then she would get a t-shirt.  Imagine me trying to explain to my 5-year-old child that she wasn’t going to get a t-shirt the next day and that it was a sales tactic.  Thankfully, she’s well beyond her years and she understood, but still she was heartbroken.

For the most part though, I feel that these fundraisers are inappropriate.  Here are some of the reasons why I don’t like school fundraisers.

1.  The stuff is overpriced.

2.  It’s usually crap that I can’t use. 

3.  Kids are made to feel left out or unaccepted if they don’t participate or do well.

4.  I don’t like being stalked at church, outside Wal-Mart or anywhere else by children trying to raise money.

5.  You get little bang for the buck.  I mean, really, $8 for 25 square feet of wrapping paper?  Are they serious?

6.  There’s little to nothing you can do if the item doesn’t work.  Well, you could take it back to the school and demand a refund, but that would just make you look like a cheapskate that doesn’t care about children.

7.  I feel guilty if I don’t participate.

8.  I don’t feel right asking others to buy overpriced stuff.

9.  I get frustrated and annoyed every time I see the product that I paid too much money for.

10.  Many times the parents are the ones that do the selling which causes them to sell these things at work.

Before you start casting stones, please understand that I am an educator.  I know the importance of these fundraisers.  Honestly though, I think there’s a better way.  I’ve seen some pretty creative fundraising tactics at some of the schools I’ve worked at.  One school did a Coca-Cola sale.  The soda was just as inexpensive as if I had bought it at Wal-Mart, but they received a lot of proceeds from it.  What about a spaghetti dinner?  My daughter’s preschool did several fundraisers where the kids could bring in $1 and earn a special privilege such as wearing a hat to school.  Schools could even ask parents to send in a tax deductible donation at the beginning of the school year and then decide how much more money they should try to raise after the donations were brought in.  Some people would rather just give money anyway.

I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels this way.  How do you feel about school fundraisers?  Please leave your comments below and participate in our poll in the sidebar.  Thanks!

image: Discovery Education

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

As you read this, my little family and I are preparing for our annual summer treck to Bulgaria, my husband’s homeland. Once hidden behind the iron curtain, Bulgaria and its people have been making adjustment after adjustment to the fall of the Societ Union, to the robbery of its treasury by immoral and corrupt officials, to inclusion in the global economy and to its inclusion in the European Union.

All of these historical changes have meant for positive and negative economics…both on a national and a personal scale. A second world country, most Bulgarians know more about getting the most for their money than even the thriftiest North Americans. Here are the lessons they have taught me to make me aware not just of how much I have, but how gratefully I should manage and share those resources for future generations.

1. It’s better for your stomach to be cash poor and land rich.

Most Bulgarians hold on to their anscestral land. You might be able to get cash for the sale of an apartment or a plot of land, but you can’t grow food in a bank account.

2. Buy only what you need.

Most multi-packs that come into Bulgaria are broken up by the time they get to the cash register. If you’re on vacation and forget to bring a razor, you can buy one disposable razor for one-third the cost of a pack of three. Disposable diapers? They cost 30 stutinki, about 24 US cents, per diaper. They are used only when travelling or visiting. When I tell Bulgarians about “buying in bulk to save money” they are rather shocked at the wastefulness. You might save a lot of money per pound of beef if you buy half a cow, but you’re only one electricity blackout away from losing your investment.

Bulgarians grow and conserve a lot of their own food, but canning and storage never depend on the power grid that could fail at any time.

3. You can’t save money with a trip to the store.

When Bulgarians want to save money, they stop spending. They find a way to make do with the things they have rather than buy something new. As a result, they have so many solutions to little problems that about half the convenience products we buy are considered, well, kind of stupid.

Here’s an example: I assumed we needed some plastic wrap for the house. I just assumed it had run out.

My husband then spent an entire afternoon trying to find cling wrap. He is probably the only person in the history of Bulgaria to get stressed out over the lack of plastic film. Traditionally Bulgarians have been stressed out over bread and cooking oil shortages, but not things that they don’t need. By the time my husband found the cling wrap, I’d been converted to the local solutions: put your leftovers into a cold clay bowl and cover it with a cold clay plate. I haven’t used plastic wrap in years.

There are other examples and here, thriftiness just becomes more and more Earth-friendly:

Seed trays from the gardening shop? Bulgarians use recycled yogurt containers…if they don’t make their own yogurt. Seed? they save it from the previous season’s crop. Weed killer? Who needs such a thing? You put down a layer of straw around the plants and let your chickens scratch and peck up any weed seeds that might blow in.

I am not sure what the world has in store for all of us. The environmental crisis, global food shortages, and clean water issues are indeed scary. Of all the experiences I have had in my life, of all the people I have met, I am grateful to ordinary villagers in Bulgaria for teaching me to make use of everything, to waste nothing and to pay attention that I am not using more than I need.
**
Kate Baggott is a Canadian writer currently living and working in Europe. Her work has appeared in Today’s Parent, The Technology Review, The Globe and Mail, and the Christian Science Monitor, among other international publications. Her web site can be found at http://www.katebaggott.com

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

 1.  Use over ripe bananas to make banana bread. 

 2.  Use apples, peaches, etc to make a pie or cobbler.  Umhmmm!

 3.  Leftover grilled chicken tastes great on top of a salad!

 4.  Have excess bread?  Make stuffing or croutons.

 5.  Use your excess hamburger to make a sloppy joe sandwich.

 6.  Save your beef or chicken broth and freeze it.  Use it later for soups. 

 7.  Save those last few pieces of bacon from breakfast and add them on a baked potato tonight.

 8.  Have left over rotisserie chicken?  Use it to make Rachael Ray’s chicken taco soup.

 9.  If you boiled too much chicken, use it to make chicken salad.

10.  Use leftover sausage in a breakfast casserole.

11.  Freeze it.  There are lots of foods that you can freeze.  Some of my favorites are lasagna, spaghetti sauce, chicken, and soups.

12.  Make baby food. 

13.  Dehydrate your fruits for a tasty snack.

14.  Have some meat that you absolutely have to use now?  Make beef jerky.

15.  Feed the birds.  Each day, I throw something out for the neighbor’s (illegal) chicken.  I’ve given him corn on the cob, bread, tortilla chips, etc.  The chicken is very appreciative.   

16.  Freeze your bread scraps until you have enough to take your child to feed the ducks at a pond.

17.  Use leftover chicken or beef to make quesadillas.

18.  Use extra tomatoes to make tomato sandwiches or BLTs.

19.  Freeze casseroles into lunch size portions.  This will keep you from going out to eat while working.

20.  Need to find a use for your extra tortilla chips?  Use them to make chilaquiles.

21.  If you have extra herbs from your garden, then dehydrate them to use during the off season.

22.  Sprinkle leftover coffee and tea grounds on your plants.  Most Starbucks shops even provide free bags for their customers.

23.  Use it to make compost or a worm bed.

24.  Use vegetables in a casserole or soup.

25.  Organize leftovers.  If leftovers are shoved here and there in your refrigerator, then you’ll forget about them or find them when they’re no good.  This past week I have eaten leftover salad, pizza, chicken taco salad, pork chops, and more.  I planned my lunches so that I had very little waste.

26.  Use your leftover fried chicken, pork chops, or steak to put on a biscuit. I used my leftover pork chops today for a biscuit.  Yummy!

27.  Use leftover diced potatoes, steak, etc to make breakfast burritos. 

28.  Cut up extra onions and bell peppers and put them in your freezer.  They won’t be as firm as fresh ones, but they’re still great in spaghetti, casseroles, and fajitas.

29.  Have leftover turkey during the holidays?  Who doesn’t?  Check out 20 Things to Do with Leftover Turkey.

30.  Those with a bountiful garden can tell you the benefits of canning vegetables.

31.  This may seem like a no brainer, but only cook what you need.

32.  Share with a friend!  It is a shame to waste food.  If you can’t find a use for it, or if you just want to help someone out, then pass your food along. My neighbor likes it when I have too much potato salad or pinto beans. 

33.  Use excess onions to make french onion soup.  Oh, I’m getting hungry now!

34.  Chop up your leftover roast, mix in some barbeque sauce, and have barbeque beef sandwiches.

35.  Vacu-Seal your food to keep it extend its shelf life.

36.  Throw your extra fruit into the blender to make a smoothie. 

37.  Use your leftover pinto beans to make refried beans.

38.  Make potato soup.

39.  Put your extra meat and veggies on a homemade pizza.

40. Top your cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt with sliced strawberries or bananas.

41.  If you have oatmeal that going out of date, use it to make oatmeal cookies or no bake cookies.

42. Freeze your milk before it spoils.  Some people say they can tell if milk has been frozen, so rather than drinking it, use it in casseroles or mashed potatoes.

43.  If you have cream cheese that’s getting ready to go out of date, make a cheesecake or stuffed jalapenos.  (I’ll be posting a recipe for stuffed jalapenos next week.)

44. Use milk, fruit, chocolate, peanut butter, etc to make homemade ice cream.

45.  Save your vegetable water for your plants.

46.  Boil your turkey or chicken carcas until it’s really tender and the meat falls off.  Use the meat and broth to make soup.

47.  Boil your noodles in your leftover chicken or beef broth.  It gives them a great flavor. 

48.  Make fruit preserves.

49.  If you have sour cream that is about to expire, you can mix it with some french onion soup mix and make dip.

50.  Use your corn muffin mix before it expires to make this delicious corn casserole.

51.  Freeze leftover wine into ice cube trays.  Use it later for casseroles or cooking.

52.  Make horchata with your rice.  Would you believe that Mexican restaurants charge $1.50-$2 for this drink? 

53.  If you have some eggs you need to use, then try making crepes.  They’re really easy to make and are good too.

54.  If you have fresh spinach that’s about to go bad, wilt it in a pan with butter and use it to put inside your crepe.  My husband made these last night and they were yummy!

Other helpful articles:
25 Tips for Freezing Food
What kinds of foods can you freeze?

Well, that’s only about 50 ways to keep from wasting food.  I know there are hundreds more.  What are your favorite ways?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I got this recipe from a well-known website.  I won’t cause them any problems by putting a link in here.  Anyway, I just wanted to rant a bit about this “7 layer casserole”.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

For brown sugar that is hard as a rock:
• If you need it in a hurry, simply grate the amount called for with a hand grater.
• Soften by placing a slice of soft bread in the package and closing tightly.  In a couple hours the brown sugar will be soft again.
• Put brown sugar and a cup of water (do not add to the sugar, set it alongside of it) in a covered pan.  Place in the oven (low heat) for a while.  The warm moisture will soften the brown sugar.

Frozen bread loaves and rolls:
• Please in brown paper bag and put in 325 degree oven for 5 minutes to thaw completely.For food that’s too salty:
• For soup and stew, add cut raw potatoes and discard once they have cooked and absorbed the salt.
• Another remedy for salty soup and stew is to add a teaspoon each of cider vinegar and sugar.
• Or, simply add sugar.

For food that’s too sweet:

• Add salt.
• If it’s a main dish or vegetable, add a teaspoon of cider vinegar.

Wilted vegetables:

• If fresh vegetables are wilted or blemished, pick off the brown edges.  Sprinkle with cool water, wrap in towel and refrigerate for an hour or so.
• Perk up soggy lettuce by adding lemon juice to the bowl of cold water and soak for an hour in the refrigerator.
• Douse quickly in hot and then ice water with a little apple cider vinegar added.
• Lettuce and celery will crisp up fast if you place it in a pan of cold water and add a few raw sliced potatoes.

Picture FromNatureWithLove.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

And did you know????  We chop down 100,000,000 trees and waste 28 billions gallons of water EVERY YEAR producing this stuff.

So, on behalf of today, Earth Day, I have an alternative.  For a dime-a-day, GreenDimes will reduce the marketing in your home, help you to maintain your privacy and they will plant trees on your behalf.  Here’s what they do:

We’ve researched dozens of direct mailers and literally thousands of catalog publishers. We contact them on your behalf and make sure that you STAY off of their lists. There are 4-5 direct mailers that require your signature, however. For those, we’ll send you pre-printed, pre-stamped postcards (on recycled paper, of course) that you can simply sign and drop in the mail. We’ll also register you with the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service (MPS) to remove your name from hundreds more mailing lists.

So, what do you think?  Is it worth $36 a year to cut down on the number of trees and water we use, the time you spend sorting junk mail, and to help keep your privacy?  I think it is!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy