The Daily Dish Recipes

Coffee isn’t exactly the cheapest beverage out there. If you enjoy coffee a lot though, there is nothing like a steaming hot cup to wake you up in the morning. Many people rely on coffee to get themselves kick started each day, and yes, I am one of those people.

More than likely, if you are an avid coffee drinker, you have probably heard of Gevalia coffee. It’s the coffee that is delivered to your door once or twice a month, and your initial sign up will probably provide you with a free coffee pot or coffee maker. Gevalia has been around for years and is pretty good coffee.

There are several problems with coffee delivery including the cost and the fact that the frequent delivery can garner you a stash of coffee over time that would put your local coffee house to shame. These two problems, in and of themselves, are enough to say that it isn’t worth it. However is the flavor of that coffee worth it? Not necessarily.

First of all, the cost of home delivered coffee can be outstanding over time. Ed Franklin, a long time coffee drinker, recently shared the cost of his Gevalia coffee deliveries for one year.  The results might surprise you. First, Ed didn’t seem to mind the fact that he was paying for shipping and delivery, as it was expected. That, all by itself seems like wasted money. Second, he didn’t seem to mind the fact that I had six flavors to choose from as he offered me a pot of coffee to test the Gevalia. Six flavors, and plenty of pouches - now this of course is because he is the only one in his home to drink coffee. Seems a bit like overkill. The coffee just adds up and even drinking a pot a day isn’t going to allow you to finish it quickly if you’re the only one. The boxes are small, however so if you share with others - it might be alright. However, the cost that Ed Franklin pays for this coffee each month is absolutely paramount. His cost roughly comes to $40/month for two-four (1 lb) boxes and shipping and handling. So, his cost for coffee in 2008 as was proven on his credit card statements? A rounded $547. Even Mr. Franklin was surprised at how much he spent.

In my neck of the woods, a 2lb. Folgers canister is approximately $6.99. I go through roughly a 2 lb. canister each month unless I am cooking with it. My cost at the end of the year with tax? Still under $100, even if I do cook with it.

Consider purchasing seasonings, syrups, powders, extracts and creamers to flavor your coffee.  The cost is such a considerable difference, and you control how little or how much flavor you want.

In other words, expensive coffee is not worth it. It tastes great, but you can make a delicious cup yourself by tweaking your ingredients.

Do you  have a favorite flavored coffee combination you make from scratch? Please let us know.

Fat. Fat. Fat. That’s the main difference to be honest. It isn’t the only difference, however if you are committed to eating healthier and losing weight, I will be the first one to tell you that ground turkey is a much better choice than ground beef.

First off, as I mentioned, ground turkey has a considerably lower amount of fat in it. As does ground chicken which I have tried a few times but tends to be on the expensive side. Second, ground turkey actually tastes better in my opinion, and I do realize not everyone will agree. But honestly, my children seem to enjoy meals and recipes prepared with ground turkey much better than those that I use with hamburger meat.

Another difference is often price. Choosing a “sale” ground beef, is often asking for higher fat and lesser quality of meat. You can purchase 1 lb. of ground turkey for around .99 on a fairly consistent basis in my area. While the leanest ground beef tends to be closer to $1.50/lb. or more.

Honestly, the first time I substituted ground turkey for ground beef, was in a brand new hamburger meat recipe that I was trying. I really wanted to start eating healthier as well as feeding my family healthier. Guess what - absolutely nobody noticed the difference but they raved and raved about the food. So now, they request ground turkey in almost any hamburger meat recipe that we prepare: taco’s, cheeseburgers, pasta dishes, spaghetti and a lot more.

I promise, they won’t notice - you’ll be feeding them better, it tastes better and it definitely helps when you are attempting a weight loss.

Have you made the switch?

Last night we had leftovers soup. I’m sure you’re wondering what in the world that is? Interestingly, it is exactly what it sounds like. A vast concoction of leftovers.

We had leftover noodles, leftover hamburger meat, leftover carrots and celery and I added beef stock, beef gravy and some cubes of velveeta cheese. A few weeks ago we had leftover spaghetti and I made a noodle tomato soup with the leftovers.

When I first heard of making leftover soup, I thought it would be gross, but the way you make it not gross, is thinking about what would taste good together. Use seasonings like garlic, onion or green pepper to flavor it and add some veggies.

Our leftovers soup was delicious and the kids didn’t even realize it WAS leftovers. That’s the beauty of making it - taking old and making it new again.

Have you ever made leftovers soup?

One of the things I absolutely love about the holidays is the scents that seem to be reminisce of this time of year. Scents like pumpkin spice, gingerbread, cinnamon, cranberry and vanilla, all speak loudly of the holiday season. But what about the incredible tastes associated with these items. Where can you find some? Here’s a great list for finding the best new holiday drinks, foods and beverages.

Jack In The Box - Jack in the Box restaurants is bringing back its Egg Nog and Pumpkin Pie shakes for the holiday season. Their shakes are made with real ice cream. Available for a limited time, Jack’s Egg Nog and Pumpkin Pie shakes come in 16- and 24-ounce servings.

Bob Evans Restaurant - Bob Evans is jam packed with special food just for the holiday season . You can get Candy Cane Hot Chocolate, a Cranberry Apple Pork Loin, Pumpkin Bread, Fall Harvest Pumpkin Pie, Roasted Caramel Apple Cream Stacked & Stuffed Hotcakes®, or Roasted Caramel Apple Topping to go over any of the typical fare: pancakes, Belgian waffles, French Toast, Stuffed French Toast or Crepes. Pecan pie is also served in addition to the pumpkin pie.

Starbucks - They are always on the seasonal band wagon with many things for just about any taste. Their traditional Starbucks® Christmas Blend and Starbucks® Holiday Blend are back, but there are plenty more seasonal treats to tempt your taste buds. Stop in for an Eggnog Latte or Frappuccino, a Pumpkin Spice Latte or Frappuccino,  a Gingerbread Latte, a Peppermint Mocha, a Peppermint Hot Chocolate or a Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino. Yum!

Dunkin’ Donuts - Dunkin’ Donuts has a new Mocha Spice Latte, doughnuts and Munchkins that are now available with festive holiday-themed decorations and icing, as well as a new brownie topped with creamy chocolate icing, white chocolate shavings and chocolate drizzle. (not sure if that is strictly a seasonal offering or not)

Krispy Kreme - Once again they are offering their Pumpkin Spice Cake Doughnut, and if you have never had one - you are seriously missing out. Through the end of this month they are offering a Fall Combo box that has a combination of seasonal flavors. Remember that there are many flavors of doughnuts at Krispy Kreme that could easily put you in the holiday mood that are offered year round.

Mimi’s Cafe - This one is new to my list. Mimi’s offers a great Pumpkin Pancake Breakfast. The pumpkin pancakes are also available a-la-carte. They also serve a Pumpkin Spice Muffin and a Buttermilk Spice muffin. The latter of the two is served year round but tastes like a little slice of holiday anytime. I am sure there will be something new especially for Christmas.

Please understand that this list is not everything out there, but is a great starting point when you’re craving a pumpkin muffin or feel like a cold coffee drink with a yummy twist to put you in the holiday mood. I will be updating as needed. Have a wonderful holiday season!

So I haven’t tried it yet, but I will admit I am planning to, mostly because I am terribly curious about it. My friend told me about this amazing cake her co-worker makes that she refers to as a soda cake and I was just curious enough to request the recipe. I had no idea what that was so I asked for more information. I was wondering if it is like those recipes you see for 7-up cake or Orange Crush Cake.

According to my friend’s co-worker, you can take a packaged cake mix, dump it in a bowl - add a can of just about any kind of soda you can think of - mix it together well and bake per the directions on the back of the box.

I have to admit, my friend and I laughed when we talked about it - we wondered about the eggs, the oil - I mean, how does it rise and bake correctly?

As I said, I’ve never tried it. I am planning to. I am picturing a white cake mix with an orange or grape soda. Or perhaps a cherry vanilla doctor pepper chocolate cake or … okay so the possibilities are endless. Can you imagine a vanilla cake with a can of root beer? Does it taste like a root beer float? If you have tried this, please share your experience. Otherwise, plan to see me make this during the first few days of October. I’m too curious to just let it go.

Yesterday while browsing my favorite blogs, I came across a post from Kirstin over at BeCentsAble. (I love her blog btw!) She was giving 6 absolutely perfect reasons for shopping at a Bulk Warehouse Club.

On another site that I work for, I wrote an article similar to this a few years ago, but didn’t go as in depth as she did. Since the time of my writing that article, and several others, I have tried a few experiments which undoubtedly used the advice I gave. Here are my results.

About two years ago, we started shopping at three different food locations regularly. We visited the bulk warehouses at least once a month, but often twice. We visited a “shop and save” type of store three to four times a month and we visited our local grocery store (which happens to literally be right behind our neighborhood.) every week.

At the Bulk Warehouse: We purchased anything we use a lot of in bulk - meats, pasta noodles, canned veggies, soups, snacks for school, coffee and creamer, certain beverages, milk and many other items.

At the “shop and save” store: We purchased non-name brand versions of things I needed for upcoming meals - cream of whatever soups, cheese that was being cooked into a meal, rice, flour, sugar, etc.

At the local grocery store: We purchased our deli meats, bakery items, produce and just about anything found around the perimeter of the store. We also took advantage of any 10/$10.00 sales that occurred, purchased anything we used often with coupons and sales, and watched sales fliers like crazy!

In two years we went from shopping everything at one store, to shopping between the three and even with the rising cost of food and gas, managed to save $1,483 in groceries from one year to the next. This was with the help of everything I mentioned above - purchasing in bulk, using coupons, meal planning, sales fliers, discounts, etc.

Oh, and I should mention that this did not include one single non-food related item. We purchase our toilet paper, paper towels, toiletries, paper plates, cleaning solutions, etc. from places such as Wal-Mart and Target because they cost less.

Try it for a month or two and watch your savings climb. You’d be surprised at exactly how much you can cut out of your budget and still be fed well.

If you should wish to read some more articles on Bulk Warehouses, please come back and visit and look for the following upcoming articles:

How and Where to Store Large Purchases of Bulk Items
Large Families and Bulk Shopping
Small Families and Bulk Shopping

and of course, many more money saving articles on cutting food costs, shopping and kitchen and meal preparation.

I was recently chatting with a friend about the high cost of food (and gas but that has nothing to do with this). I started telling her ways that we saved money. They are a family of THREE - uhm…hello - I’m a family of seven, and it takes me all of about an extra hour in ONE week to be able to save some money.

Things like coupons, sales and looking for bargains are quick ways that I save money. Yes, I am known to frequent more than one store and tie them into other errands. I am known to purchase from bulk warehouses occasionally. But I know how to shop and do all this because I spent time learning.

My friend just seemed to want me to be able to snap my fingers and make it a reality for her. *sigh*
I tried to explain to her that cooking from scratch was a great way to save money, but she wouldn’t listen. I tried to tell her that you don’t even have to cook entirely from scratch, and that often I don’t. That sometimes you just need to look deeper in a recipe to see what’s there.

So why is it everyone is crying about wanting to be frugal, but nobody actually wants to take the time to figure out why? Does nobody realize that we cannot be lazy if we want to successfully save money? Eventually it will be so easy for you that it won’t take any time at all, but to get those results, you must put forth some effort.

Do you know anyone like my friend?

Food prices are rising dramatically, even as gas prices slowly lower in some areas. While many can live without gas, nobody can actually survive without food, which means now its time to look at ways to lower your costs, and still continue to feed your family.

A gallon of milk a year ago in our area was about $2.56 on average. Now it is about $3.13 on average.

A pound of strawberries last year was about $2.89/lb. Yesterday, our local grocery store had them for $3.99/lb.

As the prices continue to increase, it will become more and more difficult for families to provide good meals and nutritious foods to their families.

So what do you do about something like this? Actually, you need to evaluate how you shop and start trying a few new things to make the food last longer and to make your costs go down.

Even if you think you don’t have time to cook from scratch - you need to. This saves you so much money each month, and can stretch your food dollars. It also allows you to wind up with leftovers which can then be transformed into another dinner either by adding a variety of ingredients, or simply as serving yesterday’s leftovers as today’s side dish.

If you have never looked at a sale flier before because you figured the deals are in the store - now’s the time to start doing that. Pay attention to what is on sale. Consider stocking up on non-perishable items or items that will last a bit of time so that you can always have these things on hand.

My last piece of advice, seriously look into purchasing a freezer. It doesn’t have to be huge, but having an extra freezer placed in the basement can allow you to stock up when sales on meats are prevalent. You’ll be able to take advantage of good deals and always have something in the freezer.

How is your family helping to combat the high cost of food?

Pasta and Noodles are fairly inexpensive items. In fact, they can make a small meal quite a bit larger by their addition and don’t cost a lot to purchase.

Looking for a quick meal that doesn’t cost a lot? Think pasta.

Simply boil some noodles, and then raid your pantry or refrigerator. Look for items such as:

• Canned diced tomatoes and/or black olives
• fresh garlic, garlic powder or garlic salt
• Oregano, Cilantro and other spices can flavor up a dish quite nicely
• olive oil
• butter/maragarine
• Parmesan or Romano cheese
• veggies - celery, carrots, mushrooms, etc.
• chopped up meat either from the deli, or leftovers from another meal
• shrimp or other seafood
• salt, pepper, creole or other seasoning
• can of chili or beans (like Chili Mac)
• soup (this added to some noodles can be delicious - even the cream of “whatever” soups)

Do you have any ideas for additional pasta stir-ins you might find lurking in your cupboards, pantry or refrigerator?

A lot of people seem to think healthy eating is expensive. But that is just an excuse. More than likely you’ve heard it before, or at least perhaps you have thought it to yourself before. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive. There are plenty of ways to reduce costs, cut out unhealthy foods and use meal planning to plan healthier meals, and cut out the rest.

Fruits and vegetables when purchased fresh, last a lot longer than their frozen or canned counterparts and are a much healthier option. It does take some time to wash, peel, slice or cut fruits and vegetables. However you usually get double to triple the amount you would get from any other method. Choosing fruits or vegetables as a snack is one way to get in your recommended daily allowance of these foods, and remain healthier.

In fact, cutting out those prepackaged snacks and foods, cooking from scratch and using coupons to purchase healthier foods are all additional ways to save money on healthy eating.

Cooking from scratch allows you to choose what you put into your meals. This allows you to choose healthier alternatives than anything you would find in a prepackaged meal.

The prepackaged snacks that are on the grocery shelves, are loaded with additives and preservatives which have all been linked to an increase of many psychological disorders. Remove these from your diet immediately, and already you are choosing healthier eating habits.

 There are dozens of ways to cut costs and eat healthier, and it is an important area to work on for the betterment of your family. Trial and error, research, reading labels and meal planning seem to be the ways that most people save the easiest and the most.