Frugal Christmas Gift Ideas

My dear friend Amy F. has been posting all sorts of goodies on her blog, and I was especially intrigued by her list of Christmas basket ideas. She links to this article titled,

"How to Make Thrifty Gift Baskets"

and then follows with her lists of suggestions which are great for filling baskets or as single gifts:

Christmas Basket Ideas, Part 1

and

Christmas Basket Ideas, Part 2


I think you'll find a lot of fabulous, thrifty gift ideas!

Lentil Rice Soup, Again

I mentioned this delectable soup in a previous blog. It is very simple to make and our whole family enjoys it. I couldn't resist showing you a picture! If you eat vegetarian meals and don't mind lentils or rice together, you'll probably find it tasty, too (click on the blog link for recipe details). I like to vary the types of rice and lentils. Currently, red lentils and basmati rice are my favorite! The rosemary gives this thick soup a unique flavor.

Monday :: Baking Day and Food Prep

Yesterday the weather was beautiful and I loved having the windows open and hearing the sounds of spring! Hosanna and Caleb did do their schoolwork, but otherwise spent most of the day outdoors, raking leaves, playing in the sandbox...it was great having them happily occupied while I got some necessary projects finished. I knew that if I got a head start on indoor chores, I could enjoy the weather even more the rest of the week...

So some of Monday's goals, besides laundry, included cleaning out the fridge in preparation for my shopping day. I usually keep it wiped down pretty well, but it had been some time since I actually removed the back plastic sheet behind the shelves. There were some major spills that got junked up there (ugh-couldn't see them until I moved everything out to clean) and I found the strangest things, including a paintbrush and oven thermometer! I wondered what had happened to that thermometer...

To avoid waste and save time, I used up misc. leftovers, so dinner was easy-leftover chopped chicken breast with rice/lentils/spices. I made fruit salad with odds n' ends fresh fruit, deviled eggs to have on hand as a snack, refrigerator bran muffins, refrigerator angel biscuits (trying out a new recipe-I'll let you know if it's a keeper!), and three loaves of banana bread from overripe bananas. That squished in between laundry and the kids made for a busy day!

How to Make Perfect Boiled Eggs!

Now, growing up, here is how I learned to make good boiled eggs:

1) Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water.
2) Bring to a rapid boil. Immediately place the lid on the pan.
3) Leave the pan on the burner, but turn the burner off. Let sit for 15 minutes.
4) Drain off hot water. Run cold water over the eggs for about 2 minutes.
5) Drain again, and leaving the eggs in the pan, shake pan back and forth several times so that the eggs bump up against each other and start to crack. They should be very easy to peel.

And here is another method- slightly different and a little faster, resulting in a tender soft egg. I call it "Mara's Method", since she's the one who taught me how to do it properly:

1) Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water.
2) Bring to a boil and boil for 6 minutes
3) Remove from heat and let sit uncovered, in the hot water, for 4-6 minutes
4) Drain off hot water, and run under cold water for about 2 minutes. Crack and peel.

Perfection! If the eggs aren't fresh, that is. The older an egg is, the easier it is to peel smoothly. Basically, that thin membrane between the egg and the shell loosens up and those shells should slide right off, compared to a fresh egg who's membrane is still tightly adhering to the shell. (For a more scientific explanation as to why this is, check out this link.)

So, what do you do if you want to make boiled eggs and only have fresh eggs on hand? My mother-in-law recently let me in on this little secret and I tell ya, it's kept me awake at night of pure delight! My "can't-make-boiled-eggs-till-they're-not-fresh-anymore" days are over! I can whip up a batch whenever I please.

So here's what you do:

1) Start a pan of cold water (size depending, of course, on how many eggs you want to boil).
2) Bring it to a boil.
3) Using a spoon, gently drop one egg at a time into the boiling water (it doesn't have to be boiling furiously, just a nice consistent rolling boil).
4) Set your timer for 18 minutes and let 'em cook. Don't worry about adjusting the heat-leave it as is. No need to cover with a lid.
5) When the timer beeps, drain off the hot water and let run under cold water about 2 minutes. Peel as usual.

This has worked beautifully for me each time! I've never had an egg crack, explode, or refuse to peel smoothly. I've dropped them in the water both cold and at room temperature.

Eggs are so healthy for you-great source of protein-and there are so many way to fix them!

You know, I used to detest deviled eggs and it wasn't until after I got married that I realized why. I don't like vinegar in the filling! And I don't like over-cooked eggs-can't stand whites so rubbery they squeak against my teeth. So here's what I put in my yolk filling- mayo, salt, pepper, garlic powder and THE SECRET INGREDIENT- curry! Tom and the kids absolutely love them. They never last. Scrumptious.

Frugal Shopping Tips

I recently read this post on the "Biblical Womanhood" blog and thought it was great. All of the suggestions she lists are things that I try to do and learned from my own mom.

She begins:

I've received numerous emails from people recently asking how you can lower your grocery bill if you don't live nearby stores which have good coupon deals or if you don't have time to clip coupons. While I'm a big proponent of coupons, I understand that they don't work for everyone in every season of life in every area of the country.

So true! A few years ago I did some research into using coupons and discovered that:

a) local stores will not double coupons (I called them all to find out!)- which is something that coupon proponents in other states rely heavily on- and

b) it was still cheaper for me to buy generic items at Aldi's or grocery brands on sale at other stores than use a coupon for the same name-brand item

I have started using coupons again, but only for a few items.
I'm also trying to do better at keeping an eye on sales and planning my menus accordingly. Recently eggs were on sale at $0.88 per dozen, which is cheaper than I've seen in a long time even at Aldi's, and we had deviled eggs and eggs for breakfast and all manner of egg dishes!

A Dash of Imagination...

...May Accomplish Wonders!



Making the most of what you have is really a lot of fun, and a source of endless satisfaction when you do it successfully. It all begins with the wish for something different-something you believe to be an improvement over what you already have. You see pretty furnishings in the shops or in your friends' houses and you want something of the same sort yourself. It may be a piece of furniture, a lamp, a color scheme, or that intangible thing-atmosphere.
"How to get it? How to get it?" You keep turning the problem over in you mind, whether it be the appearance of a table or the intangibles of color and atmosphere.

It always seems to me that in any problem of "how to do" the first step is to see what you have "to do with." Look the facts of furniture squarely in the face. What is it that you wish to accomplish-or overcome? a small dark hall; no coat closet in the hall; chairs and sofas with no "come-hither" appeal, even thought they are in good condition; shabby, old fashioned beds and tables; jumbled up rooms; too-high ceilings; too-low ceilings; dark woodwork; an ugly mantel; no space for books; no pretty knickknacks?
What an alarming array the things you don't like make!

"What to do? What to do?" You wonder-or you wail-according to your temperament. Neither gets you very far. Instead, let your imagination go soaring as to ways to make the hall lighter, where to put clothes closets, what you have that could be turned into a coffee table, and so on.
Then turn your common sense to the problem of ways and means, and you are on your way.
"A fine lot of theory, " you may be saying to yourself. No! That "necessity is the mother of invention" is proved over and over in many different and attractive ways by many women. You can be just one more to prove it!

That you wish to make the most of what you have presupposes that you must watch and save your pennies. Therefore, what you don't have in money, you must make up by imagination, ingenuity of workmanship, and what my grandmother called, "elbow grease."

excerpt from, "The American Woman's New Encyclopedia of Home Decorating, " by Helen Koues, 1964

Grandma's Oatmeal Bread

A lovely dough, and fun to knead by hand

Fresh from the oven, and smelling marvelous!

The first hot slices, ready to be spread with butter and honey


Make it yourself!


2 pkg active dry yeast (2 T.)
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup light molasses (I've also used half honey and half molasses)
1/3 cup shortening
1 T. salt
5 3/4 to 6 cups all-purpose flour (I used half white flour and half freshly ground wheat)
2 beaten eggs
Quick-cooking rolled oats
1 beaten egg white
1 T. water

Soften yeast in the warm water. Combine boiling water, 1 cup rolled oats, molasses, shortening, and salt; cool to lukewarm. Stir in 2 cups of the flour; beat well. Add the softened yeast and 2 beaten eggs; beat well. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead till smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Shape dough into a ball.

Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover and let rise in warm place until double (about 1 1/2 hours). Punch dough down; turn out on lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Coat two well-greased loaf pans with about 2 T. rolled oats for each pan. Shape dough into loaves.

Place loaves in pans. Cover and let rise in warm place till double (45 to 60 minutes). Brush loaves with mixture of egg white and water; sprinkle tops lightly with rolled oats. Bake at 375 degrees till done, about 35-40 minutes. Cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes if tops are browning rapidly. Remove from pans after 10 minutes of resting and let cool on wire racks. Makes 2 loaves.

From the 1973 edition of, "Better Homes and Gardens Homemade Bread Cook Book".

Wrap It!

When you want something besides the ordinary sandwich, try a wrap!
Here's a new combination we recently enjoyed:
Slather a spinach wrap with cream cheese. Spread ground/chopped cooked ham on top (I put some leftover turkey ham in my food processor until it was crumbly) and crisp lettuce leaves. Roll up tightly and devour! Tastes great chilled.

Another family favorite: Peanut Butter Apple Wraps! Spread peanut butter over a flour tortilla. Cover with finely chopped apple. Drizzle with honey if you like (since I mainly use unsweetened natural peanut butter this adds some extra sweetness). Roll up tightly, cut in half and serve with cold milk! My Aunt Robyn showed me how to make these a couple years ago, and my kids beg to have them!

Trip to Florida :: Trying to Cut Costs

Caleb enjoying the ocean water and hunting for shells.

Me: thinking I want to get in the van and head south again!

We thoroughly enjoyed spending time at several beaches along the Tampa and Clearwater area coastline, soaking in the sunshine and fresh breezes.

The sand at Clearwater Beach was like walking through powdered sugar. Heaven for your toes!

Tom and I had been discussing a trip to Florida for quite some time. Our last visit was during our honeymoon, over 9 years ago. He agreed to make the trip if I could keep our costs down-no luxury vacation this time! I was ready for a challenge and willing to do anything as long as I could see the ocean in January!

So here are a few things we did to save money:

Went camping! State parks are great. We tent camped at one, and slept in a yurt at another! The facilities were very nice. I'm not a primitive girl-have to have my morning shower.

Made online hotel reservations a couple weeks ahead-saving us $30 per night! Our AAA card gave us an extra discount as well.

And the biggest money saver of all-bringing most of our food. We ate out only one dinner, using a gift card saved from Christmas (thanks Dad and Mom!). Lunches are cheaper, and so if we did eat out it was (often using coupons!) at lunchtime. About 85% of our meals were from food I previously prepared and/or items purchased from a local grocery store. I brought my crockpot along and a few other kitchen tools. It worked great! I made some one dish dinners-like spaghetti-froze flat in freezer bags, and kept iced in the cooler. I have a few kinks to work out-like timing how I thaw the dinners!-but overall I was very pleased.

Be watching for the next post-one of our favorite crockpot meals enjoyed during the trip!

Frugal Laundry Tips and Links

Now that I'm in the post-vacation laundry throes, I thought I'd take the opportunity to reassess my washing needs and see if there are some ways I could be more frugal.

I have front loading high efficiency machines (bought on sale, of course!) that are great for reducing the amount of water being used. I really only need to use just a little bit of detergent. When my water was hard (we now have a water softener installed) I added borax to each load to decrease mineral buildup and aid in cleaning. I've also added baking soda to my laundry before, which is a great cleaning agent as well. See how little soap you can get away with!

I know the Internet hosts a ton of great resources on the subject, but to keep it simple, here are two links that I've found very helpful:

This post from "Fabulously Broke in the City" titled, Eco-Friendly yet Frugal Laundering, has some great suggestions and is a good starting place. I like her reminders to consider what your laundering needs are-for example, have a load of just gently worn clothes? Then you probably don't need soap at all!

This article on "About.com" has some good tips on using vinegar as a Frugal Laundry Booster. Vinegar has been a long-time companion of mine! I use it all over the house, in addition to laundry.

I have been trying to stretch the time between washing our jeans. They don't get that dirty in the winter anyway! I can often wear my shirts 2-3 times if I hang them up between uses. I always air dry my shirts-keeps them from shrinking and reduces wear and tear on garments. Plus, then they usually don't need to be ironed!

Incidentally, laundry has never been my forte. Ugh-I'd rather ignore it and do dishes instead! Because of that, I've really tried to change my attitude toward laundry and make it into my own "fine art" to keep me motivated. Coming up with ways to do it frugally adds to the fun for me.

So get creative with your laundry!

Home Again!...Bathroom Decor...and Laundry

Yesterday evening we returned home from our trip to Florida.

Loved it!

I could ramble on and on about how beautiful the weather was and how we had a wonderful time. :)

I intended to blog a few pictures, but discovered Tom took my camera to work this morning! Apparently he wants to photograph something at a job.

So, instead, I leave you with a recent photo of a bathroom. How's that in exchange for Florida photos?!?

Our little bathroom has been a fun project that we've worked on over time. Nearly everything was purchased or created from fantastic bargains. The bowl sink came from eBay. The laminate counter top it sits on is something Tom pulled from a trash bin! Even the trim work and crown molding was an incredible deal. When I get my camera back, I'll photograph and post more pictures of the bathroom as well. It's very different from the rest of my house and I've had fun with it!

Meanwhile, on to conquer Mount Laundry. During our vacation, I did just one little load. So now one week x's 5 people plus camping towels and bedding equals a headache of laundry!

Easy Lunches ...made from basic ingredients

And I mean really easy...we've enjoyed these simple ideas many times, especially when the cupboard is bare right before shopping day! Also, in an effort to stretch $$, I like to see what I can make with ingredients on hand.

Rice- plain ol' unromantic rice. I have a rice cooker, which I love to use when I don't have time to keep track of rice on the stove top. Brown rice with butter and seasonings-usually the kids add their own salt and pepper. That's it! Hot, steamy rice will fill their tummies. I rarely buy instant rice ( regular rice is probably a lot cheaper) but I imagine that would be a fast lunch idea, too.

You can be as fancy or plain as you like-throw in some leftover cooked hamburger and/or chopped veggies and stir-fry a bit.

Popcorn and smoothies-we like to pop our corn fresh in a hot-air popper and then add butter and salt to taste. Blend some of the following together to make tasty smoothies: yogurt, fruit (bananas are great! we love frozen blueberries, too), ice-cubes, orange juice or other juices, milk, even ice-cream!

Refried Bean tortillas- I mentioned these here...look near the end of the post.

Grilled cheese sandwiches- got bread? got cheese of any variety? You're good to go! If you happen to have fresh tomato on hand then you can get really fancy.

Quesadillas-same idea, only using tortillas! Butter the outsides and fry lightly on the skillet while the cheese melts.

Beans-put together with rice and you have a complimentary protein! If you remembered to soak them the night before, you can simmer them in the morning to make soup, or add to rice, or make your own refried beans, and so on.

Noodles-like the rice, you can experiment by adding cooked meat or veggies. Or, serve them with lots of butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, a little oregano, and Parmesan cheese!

Leftovers-no explanation needed here! It's great to have extra, say, lasagna or soup on hand from the night before. Or mix and match leftovers, like the roast beef hash mentioned here

Eggs-have eggs and not much else? Make deviled eggs with the kids and have a "finger food" lunch with any other odds n' ends you have that need to be used up. Bits of lunch meat? Fruit? Cheese? Stick 'em on toothpicks and the kids will be thrilled. Or, if you have bread you could make egg sandwiches. Boil the eggs like you would for deviled eggs, mash them up, add some mayo and spices and there you go!

Biscuits-no bread in the house? Make a batch of biscuits and serve as is, with jelly and honey, or slice and melt cheese on top. Most everyone has the ingredients for biscuits-flour, salt, baking powder, shortening or butter, and liquid (can be milk, buttermilk, or water. I regularly make biscuits using each of those and they always turn out good).

Potatoes-they really are a wonderful vegetable and great staple to have on hand. Mid-morning, pop some in the oven to bake. Add toppings-cheese, little bits of leftover meat, sour cream, crumbled bacon, etc.

Fried Potatoes- My siblings and I loved making fried potatoes for lunch when the fridge was empty! Chop them into bite-sized chunks and fry in hot oil. Drain well, salt, and there you go!

To any of these lunches add yogurt, carrot sticks, sliced apples, or other fruits and veggies you may have on hand. If you don't have any of those things-don't worry. Your kids will survive just fine. Pass the fried potatoes please!


Do you have any lunch ideas to add here? I'd love to hear them!

Homemade Vegetable Wash

I recently used the last of our "Fit" vegetable and fruit wash, and instead of buying a new one, decided to make my own. I did a little research on Google and apparently the store-bought wash is way overpriced. You can make your own wash at home for just pennies!

The above solution is:
1 T lemon juice
2 T baking soda
1 cup water
I added 10 drops of "Grapefruit Seed Extract"-can't hurt, right?!?
Mix well and pour into a spray bottle. I reused my "Fit" bottle. How thrifty is that?
When ready to use, simply spray your fruits or veggies and let sit at least 20 seconds or preferably a few minutes, then rinse thoroughly in cold water.
You can also soak your fruits and veggies in a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, then rinse well. This is a great way to wash a bunch at once in the sink!
However, don't do mushrooms-they are too absorbent and just need to be rinsed well.

Roast Beef Hash

We love roast beef, and we love to use the leftovers in various ways.
Stew/Soup. Rolled in tortillas with black beans, cheese, and salsa.

Last night, I used the last of our leftover roast for what I call "Roast Beef Hash." It's easy, and really good comfort food, in my opinion. I started cooking an onion in "Extra Virgin Olive Oil"-or EVOO as Rachael Ray calls it. Enough to cover my skillet bottom and keep things from sticking, but not enough for deep frying. (My amounts are vague here, as it all depends on how much onion, potato, and beef you want to cook.) After your onions are cooked to perfection, soft and sweet, you can remove them to add later or, as I like to do, leave them as they are to get crispier.

After the onions have spent some time getting happy in the oil, I add chopped potatoes. Here I am using yellow potatoes with the skins on. They are thin and tasty. I love not having to remove potato skins. Cook them on medium heat to crisp and steam cook in the oil.

Then, when the potatoes are nearly done, add chopped cooked roast beef. You are just frying them together for a while, to get a little crispy. When I do this, the beef still tastes tender. I imagine if you add it too early or let it sit too long, it may get dry.

The finished hash. My kids like this with a little ketchup. Don't forget the pepper and salt! Serve with veggies.

"How we did it" series

For the last couple months, I have enjoyed following the blog, "Amy's Humble Musings". Recently, Amy started a series of articles on how they became debt free. I would really encourage you to check them out! You can find them here. I can tell that we share similar goals and ideals, and it's been inspiring/motivating for me to read her story.

Tom and I have always been prayerful about our finances. (We know it's all God's!) We've also endeavored to live far below our income, even when he made less than $15,000 a year.

Contrary to popular opinion, it's not how much you make, but what you do with it. Anyone can save money, even if it's just pennies at first. As Amy mentions in her third article, each little choice adds up, one way or the other.

When Tom and I got married, we had virtually nothing. We did, however, have a trailer to live in rent free on family property, a used vehicle in good condition, and absolutely no debt. Slowly, slowly, we saved. We also paid more than $8, 000 in medical bills during those early years. Now, 9 years later, we live in a modest home that we built and love. We own that and our two used vehicles (Tom's work van and our family van). We have no debt.

I feel extremely humbled and blessed. It is not impossible to get here! But it takes hard work and a willingness to be content, creative, and think outside the box. This is something I am still learning. It's actually been a fun, motivating challenge! What can we do with what we have? How can we make our savings grow? How can we live generously?

God is good, all the time.

Monday :: Baking Day!

I've been trying to be more consistent in baking loaf bread, and Monday seems the best day to get the weekly baking in. I started making and selling homemade bread when I was nine, and have loved it ever since. However, the last few years I've neglected my whole wheat bread baking. I've often used a bread machine-which is great-and also gone through cycles of biscuit and quick roll baking, but now I'm trying to schedule a weekly or at least twice monthly loaf baking day. After all, I have the grain, the mill, and a Bosch mixer to get the job done! Tom and the children absolutely love my homemade loaves-none of us ever got used to that yucky store bought stuff! :) It isn't unusual for 1 whole loaf to disappear the first day it's made-who can resist hot buttered bread straight from the oven?!? I don't like store-bread crusts, but the heel on homemade bread is my favorite piece!

So today, the kids and I baked 5 loaves of whole wheat bread, 2 loaves of banana bread, coconut oatmeal cereal, and toffee bars. Plus, I cooked a whole chicken to be deboned and (hopefully) made into chicken potpie tomorrow morning. I consider that a successful baking day with three children in tow, and look forward to doing so again next Monday!

The toffee recipe is what I call a "Rachel Special"-meaning I adapted a recipe using what I had on hand. Even if you are out of eggs, you can still make these! They're quick, easy, and quite yummy:



Rachel's Coconut Toffee Bars

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate pieces
coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar; blend in flour. Add extracts and salt, mixing well. Spread in bottom of ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate pieces. Return to oven briefly to allow the chocolate to melt. Remove again and spread evenly with a knife. Sprinkle liberally with shredded coconut. Cool and cut into bars.

Quick Dinner Ideas

As you've probably noticed, I'm not very good at photography. So please believe me when I say that the above dish did indeed taste much better than it now looks! Yesterday was one of those crazy days when I was away from home and running from one thing to the next. Actually, I rarely have days like that but yesterday was one of them. And in spite of my high hopes, I never quite managed to get dinner in the crockpot before heading out the door in the morning. I have this thing about remembering to remove meat from the freezer to thaw overnight. I'm usually frantically trying to water-thaw my meats in the morning in order to cook them in the afternoon or evening!

So yesterday I found myself at Wal-Mart at about 5:30pm and wondering what to fix for dinner. (Don't you hate that?!) I'm really trying to avoid fast food and overly pre-packaged foods. (Hey, it happens sometimes and that's ok!) I finally decided to grab a rotisserie chicken (those things are so yummy) and 2 boxes of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice (chicken flavor). It worked out great. While the kids unloaded groceries and Drew scarfed down a banana, I put the rice on to cook (15 minutes, tops) and began deboning the chicken. It came off the bones very easily. I piled it in a large glass serving dish and stirred in the finished rice. The kids were happy with it, and I was pleased to have a healthier alternative to frozen pizza (which, by the way, would have taken the same amount of time or more to prepare). There was plenty for our family of 5, and leftovers to boot. I served it with all-natural applesauce, as well.

Another last-minute-throw-it-together meal comes to mind: Bean tortillas. Spread refried beans over flour tortillas, lay flat on a baking sheet, sprinkle shredded cheese on top, and broil lightly until warm and melty. You can serve as is (my kids love to either roll them up or just tear pieces off the tortilla as they eat) or add a variety of toppings such as salsa and sour cream. If I have cooked, seasoned, leftover hamburger I add that, too.

If you have any quick meal ideas I'd love to hear them!

The Crockpot Wins!

Crockpot-Roasted-Chicken= Delicious-Easy-Dinner! The chicken roasted slowly all afternoon, rubbed with herbs, butter, and a little wine. The result was tender and tasty-almost guiltily simple! I quickly made mashed potatoes while Hosanna and Caleb chopped carrots to be sauteed in butter. It was a meal the whole family loved.

I try to use my crockpot at least once a week, usually on days when I am away from home. Saves time and money, always a plus! It's so nice to come home from a day of shopping or homeschool activities to find a comforting dinner bubbling in the crock.

Recently, I found this fabulous blog about an industrious gal and her crockpot adventures. One whole year of using her crockpot every single day! She lists recipes and pictures and detailed information on recipes she loved and those she didn't-and why she thinks they flopped. She was even featured on a Rachel Ray show! I'm excited about her "making-yogurt-in-a-crockpot" recipe and look forward to trying it this week.

Here's a recent favorite crockpot recipe of my own. It came from my sister-in-law, Grace, and I've made it twice in the crock with great success. (My slight alterations to her recipe are in italics):

Lentil Rice Soup

Saute`:
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup chpd celery
3/4 cup chpd onion

Add:
6 cups water I use broth or a combination of broth and water
3/4 cup lentils*

Add:
1- 28 ounce can puree or petite diced tomatoes We prefer puree-the soup turns out creamier and thicker. My kids aren't thrilled with tomato chunks!
3/4 cup rice I use brown
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt

Put everything into the crockpot for 4-5 hours. You can add a dollop of sour cream in the bowl when serving. Great with oyster crackers or homemade rolls.

* If you prefer to quick cook, at this point you can simmer for 20 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients and cook for 45-60 minutes in a soup pot till done.

Coconut Oatmeal Cereal

From the "More with Less" cookbook.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine in a large mixing bowl:

3 c whole wheat flour
2 cups flake coconut
2 cups quick oatmeal
3 T sesame seeds
3/4 cup sugar (I use date sugar-adds a nice taste!)
3 T water
5 T cooking oil

Mix well. Bake in 2 or 3 shallow baking pans until browned, about 14 minutes, stirring occasionally to produce crumbles of desired size.
Serve as cold cereal.

OPTIONS:
Add for variety:
raisins
brown sugar
sunflower seeds
nuts