Jul 5, 2010

Reader Q&A: Storing Your Stockpile

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Questions & Answers

Today’s question is from Tanya who says she doesn’t have much space and asked for tips on how to store her stockpile.

Tanya,

I can sympathize. My house is seriously lacking in storage space. I am also paranoid about pantry moths and weevils so I don’t like to keep more food than we can eat in a week or so in my cabinets. Here are some suggestions:

* Remove things from their packaging. It’s amazing how much space this saves. I can fit three boxes of pasta in one decorative jar on my counter. I also use plastic shoe size containers to condense rice/pasta/mixes. This also helps protect them against pesky little bugs!

* Put shelves up wherever you can. In your laundry room, basement, garage, etc… You can get wire shelves many places for less than $10. If you do store in your garage or basement, be aware of items that are susceptible to climate changes, heat and moisture. I only keep laundry detergent, cleaners, and paper products in my garage.

* Use under-the-bed space. My bed is very high and I can easily fit 6 large totes under it. You can also buy bed risers for about $15 at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

* Invest in a deep freeze. We aren’t big meat eaters but I do use a ridiculous amount of frozen vegetables so this is a life saver for me.

The goal is to control your stockpile and not let your stockpile control you. If I get to the point I just have no more room, I start giving stuff away/donating.

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Jul 3, 2010

Cooking From Stockpile: Beef Vegetable ‘Unfried’ Rice

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Beef Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 Small Flank Steak (cut into bite size pieces) $1.89 (marked down)
  • 2 Bags Steamfresh Brown Rice ($0.20 each after coupons)
  • 1 Bag Steamfresh Broccoli Florets ($0.40 after coupon)
  • 1 Small Can Water Chestnuts $0.97
  • 2 Large Carrots Shredded (I finely shred them in a small food processor) $0.20
  • 1/2 Cup Frozen Peas (about 1/4 of the bag) $0.40
  • 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed $0.20
  • 2 Eggs Scrambled $0.25
  • 1/4 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce $0.20
  • 1/4 Cup 365 Organics Soy/Ginger Sauce (from Whole Foods) $0.50

DIRECTIONS:

IMO, the best method for making fried rice or stir-fry is to have everything ready. Once you put the meat in the pan, this recipe goes very quickly so my directions are in the order that I do it.

  1. Cook the rice and broccoli in the microwave according to the package directions and set aside.
  2. Cook the eggs and set aside.
  3. Rinse the frozen peas with hot water and set aside.
  4. Open and drain the water chestnuts and set aside.
  5. Heat one tablespoon olive oil over high heat in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, add the beef and one tablespoon of the low sodium soy sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until just cooked through.
  6. Turn the heat way down to medium-low, add the garlic and carrots and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
  7. Add the broccoli, water chestnuts, peas, rice, eggs, remaining soy sauce and soy/ginger sauce.
  8. Stir constantly until ingredients are mixed well and heated through.
  9. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Salt, pepper or more sauce…whatever you like.
  10. Serve immediately.

Total cost: $5.41 made a huge pan. More than enough for dinner and lunch the next day!

My family loves fried rice so I am always making these ‘unfried’ versions and no two are ever the same. I really like using the different oriental sauces to change it up and frozen microwavable veggies eliminate the need for all the chopping. Super quick, super healthy and very affordable! Who says eating healthy isn’t easy AND affordable?? BTW I was able to get the flank steak so cheap because my meat manager had just marked them down :-)

This recipe is part of our Cooking From My Stockpile Series

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Jul 1, 2010

WINNER: $25 Disney Gift Card

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Thank-you to all who entered our very FIRST Disney Gift Card Giveaway

And the winner is….Amber Robbins!

Please send me an email with your mailing address within 72 hours! Congratulations!

To all who entered and didn’t win, fear not, there are lots more fun Disney giveaways to come :-) I loved reading all the comments and hearing what everyone’s favorite restaurants are!

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