Here's what's poppin'

We started the day with some free day old muffins and a little cold cereal with milk. The kids had plans with some friends in town for a pizza lunch and a game of Risk at their house. James ate lunch for free at work. So lunch at home was a simple and free leftover bowl of soup, potato wedges and apple juice. These were all end of the day cast offs from a restaurant ( good enough to eat, not fit to sell) and so lunch cost us nothing. Even the apple juice was at expiration date and therefor free....................and it was organic........bonus!

White bean soup. Even better the next day!

A couple days ago we brought our neighbors some free leftover baked goods . And today they brought us this homemade chocolate zucchini bread. It was divine! We saw the baby drop a crumb, a teeny, tiny crumb, while he was eating it. He bent down and, using his best fine motor skills, retrieved the crumb and gobbled it up before we could intercept this rather unhygienic practice. Anyway, it was THAT good. We'll post the recipe once we get it from the neighbors.

Cooing bite by bite.

Everyone gets lost in the zucchini laden moment. Such a treat.

Dinner time was fast approaching and the fridge held all the promise of a Tex Mex meal. We put on a pot of brown Jasmine rice, browned some ground turkey, added corn, black beans,tomatillo, tomato, onion, garlic and other seasonings. We smothered another butternut squash with a little oil, butter and brown sugar and placed it in the oven. These summer days are perfect for dining outside. So we enjoyed our southwestern grub out on the patio with some more nearly expired apple juice. Our 12 year old in particular was a big fan of this could-be-burrito-filling meal. Dinner cost about $3.25 with plenty of rice, etc leftover for tomorrow. We had a little monetary jiggle room since most of the days eats were free again.

I heart butternut squash!

The 12 year old goes back for seconds.

The perfect food.....now if only we had a solar oven to bake it all in. Too hot to cook!!!!

After an evening swim, we tucked the fantastic four into bed and settled in for a monday munchies and movie night ("Triple M")...... just us big kids. James shook up some sweet and salty kettle corn. The kernels and recipe were a gift from one of Aleli's five brothers. The sugar, oil, and salt came from our pantry. The shaking was provided by James. The movie, Juno, was a loan from our friends. Man, who doesn't love popcorn and a good movie with the one you love!

James shakes it like a Polaroid picture.

Next time we make this maybe we'll watch King Corn. teehee! ;) http://kingcorn.net/

Kettle Corn

1 cup popping corn

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

* In a pot with lid, get the oil super hot. Add the sugar. Shake a bit to blend. The second the sugar and oil start to caramelize, add the kernels of popping corn. Cover and shake over the burner until last kernel pops. Promptly remove from heat and salt to taste. Let cool and then break it up. Enjoy. For best results use a nice jumbo variety of popcorn.

Check in tomorrow to see what's poppin' ...........

The best things in life are free

Today we got our feet back on the ground financially with very simple meals. It was cheap cereal for breakfast, egg and bean burrito for lunch with leftover grapefruit slices and birthday cake, it was to be chili mac for dinner with some sliced veggies. Simple. Affordable.

But the best parts of the day came to us absolutely gratis. We all needed to let our hair down after yesterdays busy, hot rush. In the late morning as we were doing some organizing in the house, the doorbell rang. It was our neighbors with a huge juicy plate of sliced watermelon. They bought it very afford ably, but it was a 14 pound monster. The three of them couldn't eat it alone. So we had a short but juicy sweet visit with them, all the while enjoying the quintessential taste of summer. The plate was empty by the time we thought to take a picture.

The next simple pleasure was a sliced cucumber (free from our Food Not Lawns friends) at dinner time. It was crisp and sweet and perfect all on its own. It was the first thing to disappear that night. There was a race to the last slice.

Chili mac, sliced cucumber, zucchini spears and a cool evening.

And finally, we enjoyed the group effort of removing the sunflower seeds from that big sunflower head we brought home days ago. It had been propped up on an old wood slat of our fence, drying in the sun since Friday. We were all eager to see what sunflower seeds were like straight from the source.

Before washing and roasting we had some fun with the non industrial reality of these home grown sunflowers. It's so hard not to play with your food!

Birthday on a budget, eat your heart out!

Homemade heart cake with spice cabinet sprinkles and edible garden flowers

much, much, more to come........

a close up on the organic edible flowers a la escargot!

Ok, ok, ok..... so it wasn't exactly a buck for this birthday. But we did pretty dang good. Aleli whipped up a .97 cent cake mix and baked half of it into a heart shaped cake and the other half became cupcakes. She decorated the baked goodies with only half a tub of $1.27 frosting and used some leftover sprinkles and garden flowers to decorate it. We are still snacking on leftover cake today. We drank about three quarts of Kool aid (.70 cents worth) from a canister that cost $2.79 for 12 quarts. (Aleli would later learn that the more economical way to buy Kool aid is in the little packets. Who knew. The beverages in her childhood had flavors with fruit names....... "red flavor" isn't something she had much experience with.) There were free grapefruit wedges sprinkled with sugar. And we finally cracked out some of that frozen cookie dough we made for fresh baked choco oatmeal cookies. Our big splurge came with make your own ice cream ingredients. We used $2.89 of half and half plus about 1/2 cup sugar and some vanilla extract in an activity/ treat for the kids. All in all, let's call it a nice even $8. Good thing we ate a lot of freebies the rest of the day.

The kids shake it pool side.

Single-serve Ziploc Ice cream

1 cup half and half (or cream)

2 TBSP sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

* Fill a gallon size Ziploc bag about half full of ice. Add a dash of salt. In a separate sandwich size Ziploc bag, add the half and half, sugar and vanilla. Seal the sandwich Ziploc bag thoroughly and place it inside the large ice filled bag. Seal the large bag and shake it vigorously for about five minutes or until ingredients have thickened to their ice creamiest state. MMmmmm! Enjoy right out of the bag. You can include add ins like crushed peanut butter cups, chocolate syrup or fresh berries once the ice cream is fully churned. Or enjoy it as our kids did, milkshake style, if you want to churn it a little less. Either way, it's delicious and fun! A great cool down on a hot summer day!

Kids decorate their own loot bags before an afternoon dunk in the pool.

Fun on the cheap is WORK!

Time to CHECK IN:

What we've spent so far : $99.35

So we sat down at the table after a hectic day of party planning, sun, baking, hosting and what not to see how we were doing money wise. Soooo glad we were sitting because after realizing we were missing a receipt or two and that cards, not cash were used for those purchases....... adjustments had to be made to the money bag. We were at first stunned to discover that in this, the first third of our experiment, we had used up $99.35!!! What?!! How on earth did this happen? We still have like 20 days to go and only $80.65 to go on. That's more like $4 a day. And we have eaten sooo much free food too. Then we realized that expenditure did not equal consumption. Aaaah..... exhale. That's right. We still have 8 pounds of pasta, 9 pounds of pinto beans, 7 pounds of brown rice, 3.5 pounds of tofu, 8 pounds of oatmeal, almost 2 gallons of milk, a fridge drawer full of produce, enough ramen to sicken a small army of kids, etc, etc, etc. We purchased a lot of items up front so that we would have plenty of offerings on hand. oh yeah. We had almost forgotten our own strategy. Money can do that some times. Now it's time to dig deep and just eat what we've got..... not a popular modern habit in any sense, but it's go time now!

What we've learned:

Wow. Going into this we brought our theories of food culture and what might happen. We thought this would have alot to do with economics and recipes, easy tips, and extra family time spent slow cooking together. The whole topic of food is a lasagna of meaning, custom, significance, ritual. There are many, many layers. As each day has come and gone it has brought its' lessons though. This has really put us in touch with a visceral sense of poverty. But even with what we've experienced, we've had it so easy. The world's poor don't necessarily have a stockpile of food staples, cash and a variety of food and vendor options. They don't necessarily have neighbors dropping in with treats and resources. They don't necessarily have the luxury of creativity at the end of their hard days work....... enough creative thinking to put it all together. There is survival. The only stress we've felt is the stress of change...... not of deep hunger, need or even starvation. We actually see resources and abundance all around. That's a very different experience. We still can only imagine.

We've learned we are gonna need to menu plan. Actually do the sitting down and figuring out in advance part. We've gotta make these next 20 or so days squeeze a bit tighter if we are going to make it. We can't shop so loosely...... have to communicate EVERY purchase. It's kind of annoying actually. We're use to pretty much buying what we feel like, when we feel like it. A soy chai latte here a frappacino there..... you know the drill....... price has been the second consideration. We've gotta use everything we have on hand. Period. No more buying until absolutely needed. We've learned that if you're going to be cooking a lot more, you'd better be prepared to buy a lot more dish soap. We've learned ramen costs the same per serving as regular pasta, dang it! Next time we get a great idea to do something like this.... NO RAMEN. Not necessary. Ramen as cheap.... a myth. Painful learning curves.

We learned not to overcook the poor man's crab cake, that a microscopic snail can find its' way onto the violet on a birthday cake, that a vibrant child can virtually blow our budget on the first day out by over "cinnamoning" free toast and that meals are best spent among friends and family. We've learned that the Beatles got it right....... you do get by with a little help from your friends! We've learned we live in an amazing community and that peoples minds and imaginations are thriving, active.

We've learned that Mama Nature still works. The earth is still fertile, alive and sharing her gifts. The sun still ripens a tomato better than any gas in a factory could ever hope to, and even in wild places there are edibles to be savored (like lamb's quarters and young dandelion greens and nettles smoothies!). We've learned that we have a lot more to learn.

Ate / Ate / Ate

And so the day started with Malto Meal and maple syrup. We know one thing for sure..... baby is NOT allergic to this breakfast of champions. He ate about 4 baby bowls worth, all the while making mmmmmm, yummy noises and checking out other diners' bowls for alms. That boy LOVES the stuff!


After a quick wardrobe change for baby who was covered head to toe in warm cereal, we headed out to the magical and nutrient dense dwellings of our friends' veggie filled yard. These two are a major part of the leadership for the local chapter of Food Not Lawns. http://www.foodnotlawns.com/ The thriving edible landscape you see in their homey rental below was once just a blank and sterile lawn. Many seeds and a bunch of love later, the land has given up her fruits for all to enjoy.

Kids do their best not to giggle during our American Gothic shot as they prepare to pick green beans and other edibles.

They sent us home with this huge sunflower head that is full of yummy seeds. The head needs to dry out in the sun for a few more days and then the seeds will be ready to eat.

The kids get lessons in seed saving from the dynamic Marybeth. A dry method of carrot seed harvesting first and then a wet method of canteloupe seed saving next. We'll be planting those healthy seeds in the spring. What a great teacher she is! And a fantastic drummer!..... we went to see her band perform in a popular village square later in the evening. Those girls can JAM!

Child's play! This wise puppet reminds us that money doesn't grow on trees, but food still does!

With harvesting done we ventured in doors and out of the hot noon sun for some special smoothies and sliced canteloupe. Mary Beth whipped up some unbelievably good nettles (that's right..... fresh stinging nettles you can DRINK!) and deep garden greens smoothies while we enjoyed some fine banjo playing and mandolin moments in the parlor with Todd and the dog.

Eggplant, beets, garlic, butternut, zucchini, squash, oranges, grapefruit, green beans, fennel, tarragon, chard, carrots, tomato, new zealand spinach, tomatillo, sunflower and cucumber. All in a days work.

Deeply contented by the sense of community and nurture we enjoyed, we brought home, washed and made plans for some of the days finds. Recieve our warmest thanks and appreciation for your generosity, hospitality, and friendship. Every town should have a Todd and Mary Beth!

Now, what to cook for lunch and dinner?....

Regrettably, we would not be enjoying many of the fruits of our labor for lunch. We opened the biggest can of tuna known to man yesterday and we absolutely musn't allow it to go to waste. So it was tuna sandwiches with some chopped veggies for lunch. We did share a ripe juicy grapefruit or two, family style, from our noon harvest. Sooo juicy. Sooo good.

One beautiful and necessary summer ciesta later and it was time to prepare dinner. And what should be on the menu for tonight? Why what else? The poor man's crab cake! Yes dear ones, it was tuna all over again. However, when you add heat and fry it, it brings all sorts of neighbors out of their houses and down the lane. This was to be our second community meal of the day.

Some tuna, an egg, breadcrumbs and some fresh garden herbs in a pan with oil and little noses come sniffing round the corner. This cute neighbor friend asked," What is that? Are you making fish sticks?". "Nope.", said Aleli, "it's fish cakes". She stayed for dinner. And who should appear at our door moments later? The lovely and sweet neighbor, Sam with her sidekick Ezra...... and a dish of disappearing homemade pizza! This is that warm and funny neighbor we mentioned a few days ago who made us those scrumptious waffles for breakfast. James baked one of the butternut squash we picked in the yummiest way. Hey, it's an impromtu dinner party..... al fresco! The dollar would stretch.

Dressed for a sultry southern California evening we relax, enjoy the company and see what this "fish cake" jazz is all about. A few adjustments and next time they'll be just right. And, oooh yeah......... you bet your bippy there'll be a next time.......... plenty more tuna to go. Yikes.

The butternut squash was the hit of the night. Both James and mother nature know about food!

Fresh sunflowers and zinnia from Todd and Mary Beth's adorn our simple gathering.

Tomorrow is a big day! We will be "checking in". We'll give our weekly accounting of what we spent, what we learned, and our favorite moments. We'll be doing this every Saturday through the end of our experiment. Look for "check ins" on the 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th. But more importantly than that, a special little girl turns 6 tomorrow. Now how to do a birthday on a buck. We............... shall.................... see.........................

Those who don't remember the pasta are doomed to reheat it!

It was a veritable pasta-fest these last two days. Wednesday night we cooked a simple whole wheat pasta (1 lb for .99 cents @ Trader Joe's), some olive oil, half a can of kidney beans (about .30 cents worth) and some locally harvested summer veggies and herbs ( free from our garden and the public gardens). The only other cost, and the most important ingredient, GARLIC, was the last of our inexpensive supply. The kids keep claiming they don't like garlic... or tomatoes for that matter, but every single time we make pasta with garlic chopped rustically, more like a veggie than a spice, they absolutely devour it! Last night was no exception. We enjoyed free fresh fruits from the gardens and a small glass of organic grape juice lightly diluted to stretch (Newman's Own from Costco around .50cents worth).

Kids lend a helping hand. Youngins can be involved on almost all levels of food prep.

Here is the only evidence of James afternoon garden splurge. A juicy deep crimson colored heirloom tomato with cracked pepper, sea salt, an edible flower (high in vitamin C) and a sprig of fresh sweet basil, olive oil, and a splash of balsamic. This "Black Krim" variety we grow is super succulent and a rare delight... wish they were more prolific!

That, however, is yesterdays news. Today was another poignant reminder that we are in fact having an ADVENTURE with food. We know that food truly can be medicine. It has healing properties if you prescribe the right thing for what ails ya ......... but it can also take a more poisonous and sinister place in your system as we once again experienced this evening. For any individuals with food allergies I'm sure you understand the severity of this next bite. A couple months ago baby Juju had a serious allergic reaction to split pea soup. After a trip to the E.R. and a prescription for the wonderful, stupid and miraculous "Epipen Jr." (it's a love/ hate thing we have going on), we were left shaken but confident in our ability to keep split peas off the grocery list (it's not like every American kid has them in their lunchbox every day at school..... easy enough). We discovered today however, during our delicious, nutritious free lunch of lentil soup and baguette that it's time to 86 another legume! Stat! Farewell my yummy bean of the past. We loved you well little lentil. (weep, sob, sniff)

Baby with his first line of defense..... pre-measured children's liquid Benadryl.

Hives, scratching, puffy neck, rubbing pink swollen watery eyes are all signs that cropped up within seconds of his first few spoonfuls of the dreaded legume. The above photo is post Benadryl and he started showing signs of recovery. No Epipen Jr or E.R. trip today. Whew!

With baby back on his feet and parents by his side we searched the garden beds for basil for tonight's homemade pesto. While breaking bread we gave thanks for our health, baby's safety and the healing power of a shared meal.