One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1057 of 2143 - I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

Do Emotions Drive Your Food Purchases?

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By Mavis Butterfield on October 12, 2014 · 4 Comments

It’s no secret that the whole fair trade, organic, buy local movement is taking hold, but have you ever stopped to wonder why exactly? It seems like the obvious ethical thing to do, but it isn’t always easy when it means parting with more money than is in the budget. Still, lots of people, from a wide range of economic backgrounds make the choice to do without in other areas, so that they can afford more ethically farmed and sourced foods. So what’s the deal? Well, I ran across an article on treehugger that suggested that emotions have a lot to do with driving our food purchasing trends.

The article noted that when people feel strongly about a purchase, rather than even just neutral, we tend to feel good about making the purchase, with less regard to price. Feeling good equates to creating purchasing habits. The whole idea that no one was harmed in the purchase of our fair trade chocolate bars makes us want to repeat the pattern. We actually get more joy out of our purchase, so the cost becomes easier to swallow–literally.

It’s not just the warm-fuzzies that drive our desire to seek out ethically derived food, either. Apparently, negative feelings play a pretty big role too. When people start thinking about large corporations, who for example contribute to pollution or less than desirable labor practices, they can easily villain-ize them. Those feelings of “anger and disgust” totally contribute to people turning their noses up at those purchases, despite their lower price points.

According the article, one study found that if people that can emotionally assign feelings in three different categories: “contempt for villains, concern for victims, and celebrations of heroes,” they are more motivated to take action. That action trickles into their purchasing choices.

So, what do you think, how much do your strong emotions play into your food buying choices? Are you passionate about how the animals are treated? Do you get angry at having unnecessary chemicals on your food? Does that make more willing to spend more money? What do you do without to make the purchases possible?

~Mavis

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Mavis Garden Blog – Pictures, Plans and Planting Ideas for My New Garden

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By Mavis Butterfield on October 12, 2014 · 20 Comments

Once we decided to downsize our home, one of the most major things I was looking for was a home with a garden. Sometimes you get lucky, and find everything you want in not only a home, but a garden as well. We didn’t. Be we saw possibility. MAJOR possibility. And that was confirmed yesterday while I began the {long} process of weeding our new {to us}, upper garden.

Remember the new 85 year old neighbor of mine who brought me flowers? Well, I met her husband yesterday while I was working near the arborvitae privacy hedge. WHAT A HOOT! Not only did he tell me he’s running for congress {at 85?} he also invited me for pecan pie and tea next week. 🙂 🙂 🙂

He said, “I heard you’re a gardener, and that’s good because this garden hasn’t been touched in years. It’s nice to know someone is going to bring it back to what it once was.”

Well, I don’t know about that, but I’ll tell you one thing… the backyard is full of moss. Lot’s and lot’s of moss.

And I can’t wait to dig it up and plant a vegetable garden in it’s place. I have high hopes of turning this little plot of land into a mini Monticello vegetable patch. A long, rectangular patch full of homegrown goodness.

In fact I’m hoping to turn the garden into one of those well manicured ones you’re always seeing in home and garden magazines. At a little over a 1/3 of an acre it’s just enough to keep me busy without feeling chained to endless weeding and landscaping projects 24/7.

I have high hopes that by next summer we’ll be able to sit at the patio table nibbling on summer salads and gazing out on our newly planted perennial flower and vegetable garden.

And the patio garden? BRING IT ON!! I intend to have oodles of pots lining the back of the house filled with both vegetables and flowers.

I’m hoping to find a cool potting bench this winter to go alongside the house where those pots are right now.

But I better get crackin’ if I want to eat more than a couple of heads of fresh broccoli this winter. So this weeks goal is to weed, weed,weed. Once that’s done, I can get back to what I know best… getting my hands dirty. 😉

Have a great Sunday everyone,

~Mavis

P.S. What do you think of my new garden space? Any suggestions?

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Pumpkin Biscotti Recipe

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By Mavis Butterfield on October 12, 2014 · 6 Comments

Can you even image how good this biscotti would be on a crisp fall day with a nice warm cup of coffee or tea? You can almost smell the crunchy fall leaves and sweater season approaching. I love me some biscotti and this recipe is no exception. The pumpkin spice puts it over the edge and as a bonus, your house will smell delicious for days!

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice {DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe}
1/4 cup pumpkin puree {Pumpkin Puree Recipe}
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pumpkin Spice Topping
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice {DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe}

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper {I use a Silpat. It’s the only way to go!} and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin spice. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat pumpkin puree and both sugars until well incorporated. Beat in egg and egg yolk, and then vanilla. Slowly add in the flour mixture and stir until combined.

Move the dough to the baking sheet. Dampen your hands and shape into a log about 12 x 3 inches. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle generously with pumpkin spice topping.

Bake 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes before using a serrated knife to cut log into 1 inch thick pieces {cut at a slight diagonal}. Reduce oven temp to 300. Return cut biscotti to baking sheet, spacing apart so sides aren’t touching and sprinkle with rest of pumpkin spice topping. Bake 20 minutes until crisp and dry. Cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container.

Can’t get enough biscotti? Check out these recipes:

Chocolate Hazelnut Orange Biscotti
Savory Sun Dried Tomato Biscotti
Cranberry Pistachio Cornmeal Biscotti
Gingerbread Biscotti
Chocolate Almond Biscotti

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Ask Mavis – We’re Talking Sprouts, Canning, and Protein Balls {Oh, My!}

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By Mavis Butterfield on October 11, 2014 · 4 Comments

You ask, I answer. Maybe not always coherently, especially when I’m simultaneously trying to remodel 2 houses on different coasts all while trying to unpack and figure out how to live without a laundry room or kitchen for weeks. But that aside, I’ll share whatever bits of knowledge I can with you to try and answer these burning questions that have been piling up in my inbox.

Of course if you are an expert on any or all of the subjects covered in these questions, pretty please, for the love of Frank, pipe up in the comments below and share your knowledge with the masses. I’ve always said my I have smartie pants readers. Now’s your chance to prove it to me. Here goes:

Hi Mavis, can you recommend some good indoor crops I can grow this winter. I have a green house available, not too much space though. I was wondering if you may have some good indoor ideas.

~ Andrea

This is a tough one because so many things grow well indoors. Here’s what I’ve had great success with: Basil, chives, cilantro, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, green onions, mushrooms, mint, radishes, sage, rosemary, garlic and parsley, to name a few. I also absolutely love to sprout things in my Botanical Interest Seed Sprouter. I sprout the heck out of so many things all winter long!

Good morning Mavis- Sometime in the last couple of months you posted a recipe for a no bake energy “cookie”/”bite” thing. I was looking for it on your website and am unable to find it probably because I don’t remember what it is called. (It is a “Wisdom Highlight” thing. You will understand many years from now!) Could you please help.

~ Michelle

So glad you asked Michelle, because these are little balls of awesome everyone should know about. My neighbor, Hulda, introduced me to these Peanut Butter Protein Balls. They are easy to make

Hello, I do not have a pressure cooker canner. Could you tell me (or get me a list of ) what foods I can preserve by water bath only. Thank you.

~ Johnny

I love me some hot water bath canning. But you do have to be a bit careful with what you can that way. Pretty much all acidic foods can be processed in a hot water bath, ie. jams, jellies, fruits, pickled vegetables, sugar preserves, and tomatoes with a little added acidity. Low acid foods like unpickled vegetables, vegetable soup stocks and most animal products (all meat including poultry and fish) cannot be safely processed in a boiling water bath. You need a pressure canner for them.

I am sorry your Otter Box case broke. Did you know that you can call Otter Box and they will send you a new one. Takes about 3-5 days to get. I buy these for all our phones in the house because of this. We have had to replace two. But called and got them for FREE.

~Sara

Shut the front door. Who knew? But let me tell you Bob, it works! I called them up and they are sending me a new one. Easy Peasy. So if you’re not using an Otterbox yet, you’re totally missing out. Thanks, Sara!!

I love reading about your freezer meals but I have some questions. When I purchase meat, I do it in a meat box, so by the time I get it from the store it is already frozen. How can I do the freezer meals with frozen meats? Such as Chicken Cacciatore? These recipes will go over great in my home.

~Jackie

There are a number of my freezer meal recipes you can make using frozen chicken by just subbing frozen for fresh. You always see me using unfrozen meat because I buy fresh Zaycon chicken, but so many of my freezer meal recipes will work for your situation: Chicken Cacciatore, Cilantro Lime Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, Maple Dijon Chicken, and my Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken to name a few. Hope that helps!

Ms. Butterfield, I love your website. We are like minded in many ways and I have signed up to receive your updates and newsletter. Question? If I wanted to make tons, ( well maybe not tons) a large container of your taco seasoning, how many tablespoons should I use for say for 1 pound of taco meat or chicken?

~Dana

Good choice on making tons of meat with my DIY Taco Seasoning. That stuff is so good! As far as how much to use, it really comes down to personal preference. I use about a heaping tablespoon for one pound of meat, but I know some people double that because they like it really well seasoned. I’d start with a tablespoon and see how you like it. You can always add it. but you can’t go back!

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.