Krista from South Carolina asked if there was conflicting information about freezing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Jan Temple says, “I did my own experiment to test this. I made a total of 6 sandwiches, two of each type listed. All were made with store brand, 100% whole wheat bread. Jelly was also store brand. One sandwich I froze; the other I left at room temperature.”
Assembly methods tested:
- Traditional PBJ with 2 slices of bread, peanut butter on top of one slice, jelly on top of the peanut butter and topped with the second slice of bread.
- Spread both slices of bread with reduced fat margarine, then applied peanut butter to one slice, topped with jelly and the second slice of bread. (In the 50’s, this is how all sandwiches were made – butter on both slices first to prevent any filling from making the bread soggy.)
- Spread both slices with peanut butter and spread jelly in between.
Jan continues, “I then compared the frozen with the room temperature to test for sogginess. My taste panel could NOT detect any sogginess in ANY of the six samples. I conclude that freezing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches works as an effective way to save money on lunch away from home. If both time and money are your motivation, I would recommend method 1. If you have more time and can handle a few more calories, choose method 3. (It takes time to spread peanut butter really thin – especially if you have stored it in the refrigerator! You might try warming briefly in the microwave first to avoid getting two thick layers of peanut butter.) Method 2 works, but today, few of us need the extra fat calories from margarine or butter.”
-pointers by Peggy
food cost, food preparation
assembly, experiment, freezing, jelly, lunch, method, money, peanut butter, time
Yes, it costs money and takes some time to eat healthy. But when people who have a large, flavored cappuccino or a 32-ounce soda in their hands tell me that they can’t afford fruits and vegetables, I want to point out how many they could have bought for the same amount as their snack.
Every six months we update the prices on our handout, Fruits and Vegetables-Try for More. The prices this time were less than they were last time we updated. This might be because many of the fruits and vegetables are in season.
When I can buy 9 medium apples for $2.00, I think that is a good deal.
-pointers by Peggy
food cost, resources
apples, cost, fruits, prices, vegetables
The overall Consumer Price Index fell 1.5% for the year that ended in August. That’s good news! But the cost of some food categories rose. For example, the cost of food at home dropped 1.6%, but the cost of food away from home increased by 3%.
When we eat away from home, we are trading our money for someone else’s time to prepare the food we eat. In the process, sometimes we trade away nutrition, too. The Spend Smart. Eat Smart. site has an interesting game which compares the cost and convenience of sample breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner meals. It’s called Fast Food for Busy Families.
-pointers by Peggy
food cost, food preparation, resources
Consumer Price Index, convenience, cost of food, fast food, game, nutrition
Last week after a program, I offered to leave some of the sandwich samples for the staff. One of them commented that they had a bunch of other snacks and that the sandwiches might not get eaten. I said, “Well, you can take these home and freeze them for another day.” The look I received was that of total shock. “You can freeze sandwiches?” was the reply. The individual was just sure the bread would be all soggy and the overall quality so bad that you would never want to consider it. But, the quality isn’t diminished. It’s time to use the freezer and save a few dollars…
Sandwiches you make ahead and freeze can save money and time. Just about any sandwich—other than those with a mayonnaise base (such as chopped meat or egg salad)—can be frozen. It’s best to apply condiments such as mayonnaise when ready to use. Some great filling choices include: peanut butter and jelly; deli meat; plain canned tuna; cheese; or cheese along with a meat. Or, you might consider buying a whole roast or chicken, cook it in the slow cooker or oven the day before, and use the meat from that for sandwiches. It will be cheaper than the deli meat and definitely lower in sodium. Dicing these larger meat cuts will make them stretch further. Make the sandwiches and wrap them in plastic wrap or a sandwich bag, put them in a larger freezer-weight plastic bag (being sure to mark the bag with the contents), then pop in the freezer. For more on freezing sandwiches, Nebraska Extension has a great tip sheet.
When you are ready to pack your lunch, just grab one of the sandwiches from the freezer and place in an insulated bag with an ice block. It should be thawed in time for lunch. You could add to this lunch a bag of vegetable sticks (prep several bags and have ready for grabbing from the fridge), fruit, string cheese, and cookie. Fast! Easy! And easily less than $2.00 for lunch.
-Jottings from Jan
food cost, food preparation, resources
bread, crock pot, easy, freeze, quality, sandwich, savings
My sisters, dad and I share a garden spot. We try to coordinate so that we all work in the garden at the same time because it is more fun that way, but with our schedules that doesn’t happen very often. This spring when we were planting, a couple of times someone planted over the top of something that was already in the ground (this is why we had peppers growing in the bean rows). I was determined to have some winter squash, so I planted a whole row of seeds about 3” apart and put milk cartons filled with water every foot to mark the row. To make a long story short, I didn’t thin the plants, so the squash took over a corner of the garden and now we have lots of acorn squash. If you have an abundance of winter squash or pumpkins, here are some helps.
Tips to freeze pumpkin and winter squash
Harvesting and Storing Vine Crops
All about squash with pictures of various varieties and directions for roasting the seeds
-pointers by Peggy
food preparation, recipes, resources
freezing, garden, harvesting, pumpkin, storing, winter squash
Here’s what Jessica, an Extension Educator from Barco, North Carolina, shared when I requested ideas for using chicken quarters. Jessica indicates she has to have quick/easy meals for her husband to prepare while she is away at work. She says the first two suggestions are his favorites and he makes them all the time without a set recipe. She can’t wait to get more recipes and other ideas for using chicken leg quarters.
- Chicken and Rice Soup
“I add the ‘quick’ shredded carrots so I can get in some veggies for my family. They don’t like celery or onion but tolerate the carrots to the point that now they expect the carrots! We usually use a whole chicken and save the breast to make chicken salad for sandwiches for lunch.”
- Chicken ‘n Dumplings
“…but with the wide egg noodles, or I use the Miss Anne’s dumplings [old-fashioned, frozen flat dumplings/noodles].”
- Quesadillas
“Use the precooked meat for quesadillas with veggies on whole wheat tortilla.”
- Barbecue Chicken
“Old stand-by.”
Thanks, Jessica! I’m still working on a handout with pictures, prices and recipes. It will be coming soon. Thanks to those of you who sent ideas.
-pointers by Peggy
food cost, food preparation
chicken quarters, easy, ideas, meals, quick
In late July, we asked people signed up for our blog to complete a survey. We then raffled 3-$25 gift cards from the survey participants. Below are some comments from our winners.
Our Perry, Florida winner wrote:
What a nice way to start the day with news of winning a gift card! I have used so many ideas from your web site. Most recently the “Snack Boxes” – what a great idea! I shared this information with parents at one of the Pre-schools I visit and they loved it! Breaking down the cost per serving was a real eye opener for some moms. With a little planning, snacking can be fun and nutritious. Thanks for all your recipes and great ideas…
Notes from our Pella, Iowa winner:
Thank you for the gift card. I greatly appreciate it! I love the “Spend Smart, Save Smart” e-mails because it informs me of timely information just when I need it i.e., canning and freezing information etc. I feel that the information is very practical and I feel comfortable putting the information to use because it is from a reliable source. I have been surprised by some of the information that I would not have sought on my own – for instance, cost of pickled beets – not always a savings. I would not have taken the time to figure this out so was glad someone else did it for me. I work full time; therefore, I appreciate the efficiency of finding this reliable information on your web site. I was very pleased when I matched my grocery lists to the one on the web site to find out I already am being very economical in my shopping, but it was reassuring to me that it was confirmed…
Please continue to pass the word along to your friends and relatives about the Spend Smart. Eat Smart. site!
-pointers by Peggy
food cost, food preparation, resources
blog, comments, grocery list, pickled beets, snack boxes, survey, winners
Ten pounds of chicken quarters (leg and thigh with a little back bone) are $3.90 this week. What a deal! Leg quarters weigh about a pound, so a 10# bag will have around 10 quarters. Each one weighs 15 to 16 ounces, but since there is a lot of skin and bones, you end up with about 4 ounces of meat.
When I buy the chicken quarters, I bake or grill a few and then I boil the rest with vegetables and seasonings, creating great broth at the same time. I remove the meat from the bones and then use the chicken in a variety of dishes, or freeze it for a later meal.
USDA has created a flyer on chicken leg quarters with information and some basic recipes. I would like to expand on this and make a handout focusing on how many different meals you could make with 10# of chicken quarters. What would you do with a 10# bag of chicken quarters? If you have ideas or favorite recipes, please put them in the comment section of this blog, or send to me at peggym@iastate.edu. If I use your recipe, I will send you a copy of our 2010 nutrition calendar—which is just out!
-pointers by Peggy
food cost, food preparation, recipes, resources
bake, boil, calendar, chicken quarters, grill, recipes
