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Five Frugal Things | Really, just one!

On Sunday afternoon, I had a free block of time. Amazing.

This came on the heels of the first week of fourth semester, a week in which I barely peeked into my fridge. Soooo, I decided I needed to turn my ingredients into ready-to-eat food for this week.

Kristen holding pyrex containers.

As a result, my frugal things this week really all fall under that umbrella: food prep!

1. I made some copycat Starbucks egg bites

I had egg bites one time at Starbucks, and I thought I should try making some at home because they would be even quicker than my usual scrambled eggs, which would be lovely on work mornings.

Vitamix blender.

(I try to eat a breakfast with plenty of protein because then I don’t have a blood sugar crash mid-morning, and I can make it a while before I get hungry again.)

So, I tried a copypcat recipe from Once Upon a Chef and my verdict is that these are a pretty good duplicate of what Starbucks makes.

egg bites ready to bake.

Each egg bite has 10 grams of protein, which is not too shabby. If I eat two, I’m already at 20 grams of protein.

egg bites in a pyrex container.

2. I made some mashed potatoes

I had some potatoes left from the last Hungry Harvest box, so I made a pot of mashed potatoes. These are a good base for me when I’m having a meal on my own because I can easily come up with some protein/veggie topping for a bowl of potatoes.

3. I made a pot of butternut squash soup

Butternut squash is not at all a ready-to-eat type of produce, so during my cooking spree, I made a pot of butternut squash soup.

mason jar of butternut squash soup.

And now my squash IS ready to eat.

squash soup with croutons.

4. I cut up a mango, a cucumber, and some oranges

The mango and the oranges had been sitting in there long enough to become slightly wrinkly, and that’s because I kept grabbing quicker-to-eat fruit.

But now they’re just as fast to grab as a banana. 🙂

sliced oranges and mango.

I also sliced up a cucumber because I will choose that + hummus as a snack if the cucumber is in slices.

5. I drained some yogurt to make Greek yogurt

The last time I made homemade yogurt, I don’t know what happened, but a couple of my jars were a bit runny. I think maybe I got distracted and didn’t thoroughly whisk in the starter.

greek yogurt straining

I used some of the runny yogurt as the buttermilk sub in my blueberry whole wheat pancakes, but I also strained some in a coffee filter to make a more Greek-style yogurt.

yogurt and berries.

And next time I will make very certain that I whisk in my starter thoroughly!

6. I cooked and shredded two chicken thighs

I realized I had two random chicken thighs in my fridge, so I salted and peppered them, let them sit like that for a few hours, and then pan-sauteed them, shredded them, and mixed some BBQ sauce in.

BBQ chicken.

7. I cut up some lettuce

I chopped up the last of the lettuce, soaked it in cold water, ran it through my salad spinner, and now I have ready-to-eat greens.

lettuce in a salad spinner.

I’m good about eating a little salad with my breakfast eggs if I have lettuce that’s ready to go.

bowl of breakfast salad.

This one is dressed with leftover dressing from this mandarin chicken salad recipe. The dressing is sweet enough that it feels good at breakfast!

8. I made some croutons

I had some loaf ends from the 100% whole wheat sandwich bread I buy at Sam’s (Nature’s Own), so I turned them into croutons.

jar of croutons.

I mostly use this bread for peanut butter and honey sandwiches, which are my fallback when I need something super quick to eat! And while I do sometimes use the heels for sandwiches, I much prefer them as croutons. 🙂

Your turn! What frugal things have you been up to lately?

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Marissa

Wednesday 29th of January 2025

I need to try that egg bites recipe sometime. Long ago I made a rolled omelette that was pretty similar in that it was baked (just had to cut it up at the end) but way too much cheese. Oatmeal is good, but you are inspiring me to work on the protein!

1. I made a salad before yoga today instead of getting a bento on the way home 2. I did a repair sweep through all of the clothes with holes I had piling up in my sewing queue 3. I went to the thrift store for some much needed blankets and got a nice 100% cotton comforter for $5 (also bought blackout curtains under the $5 total, but accidentally ruined them in the wash, sad) 4. I stuck my waning bar of soap onto a new bar of soap (thanks for the tip, Kristen) 5. I passed up a "deal" on my favorite tinted lip balm because I have plenty of regular lip balm and the tinted is still more expensive.

Fru-gal Lisa

Tuesday 28th of January 2025

First of all, let's all send A. Marie greetings on this, Jane Austen's 250th birthday! (It's all over the internet --that's how I know.) A. Marie, I'm sure she regards you as her #1 fan. 1. Last week, the city water dept. notified me that they thought I had a leak bc an unusual amount of water usage was recorded. But last week, the temperatures were below freezing. After checking around the house, I pretty much figured it was due to having the faucets streaming and doing several loads of laundry while I was "holed up" in the house. But yesterday, I called the water dept. and got a free check. Sure enough, my water usage is back to normal now that we're no longer below freezing. A free check is much more frugal than a plumber's house call. Streaming the water is much more frugal than burst water pipes. 2. Gave my friend the cleaning lady a small appliance, still in the box and never used. Less clutter! 3. She left me a prepared hot meal, everything made from scratch: meatloaf, cornbread, turnup greens, sweet potatoes. Which I took to work today, yum! Best. Lunch. Ever. 4. Frugal fail: despite soaking it overnight and washing it twice, the holiday tablecloth used on the kitchen table still has a huge stain on it. Will either donate it to the animal shelter for a pet blanket, or use it here for the same purpose. Haven't gotten a puppy 5. Bought a case of Big Red soda pop on sale -- 24 cans for $9.97. Will be giving it to a friend for Valentine's Day in a couple of weeks, as Big Red is their favorite. Just have to draw a heart on the red cardboard box.

Liz B.

Tuesday 28th of January 2025

@Fru-gal Lisa, I have had very good luck soaking stained clothing and cloth items- including a vintage cotton tablecloth that had stains of unknown age on it - in cold water with about a half-scoop to 3/4s of a scoop of OxyClean dissolved in it. (I use an empty, clean plastic kitty litter bucket -the big square kind - and fill it maybe half-full with the water/OxyClean mixture). I let it soak for a week, then wash it. Seriously. I weigh the cloth down in the bucket with a 2- liter pop bottle filled with water.

A. Marie

Tuesday 28th of January 2025

@Fru-gal Lisa, thanks for the greetings--but JA's actual 250th birthday won't be till December 16. What's being celebrated today is the publication anniversary of Pride and Prejudice, which hit the bookshops on January 28, 1813.

And although I'd be flattered indeed if JA regarded me as her #1 fan, I think that the line for this honor forms on the right at the Pearly Gates. There are quite a few people ahead of me already. :-)

But you're absolutely right that the entire Janeite world will be doing a buck and wing this whole year for JA's 250th. Events are being planned all over the UK, and this year's JASNA Annual General Meeting in Baltimore is going to be an even bigger party than usual!

Marlena

Tuesday 28th of January 2025

mine is mostly house renovation stuff. I bought some vintage copper cabinet pulls and knobs from a lady on facebook marketplace. I got them for a steal and love them so much more than what I'm finding in stores right now. I bought a dining chandelier from another lady on marketplace for $20 (probably saved $250+) I got eggs from a friend that keeps chickens...I traded her a jar of homemade jam I quit netflix because I realized we haven't watched it in forever. I had leftover scrap wood from another project and made a board & batten focal wall with a shelf above that I LOVE. It only cost me the amount of a quart of paint.

Jenn

Tuesday 28th of January 2025

Cleaned out the small freezer above the fridge and turned all the frozen overripe bananas lurking in there into GF banana walnut chocolate chip muffins. We ate a few, took a bunch to band rehearsal lunch potluck, and I took the last few to work to share. Baked goods make folks happy! Also threw a small jar of leftover frozen enchilada sauce into the tamale pie I was already planning to make to use it up. Into the freezer went the last two servings of soup we were tired of eating. I’ll take them for work lunch in couple of weeks. I also made two meals over the weekend that have leftovers so I’m set for work lunches this week.

I guess it was all about food for me as well!

Val

Tuesday 28th of January 2025

Should I get a salad spinner the next time I see one at the thrift store? I'm thinking from how often Kristen mentions using hers, it would be worth it. I don't like soggy lettuce and it never seems to dry thoroughly when I drain them dry on paper towel.

Val

Tuesday 28th of January 2025

@Diane, Wow, it is cool that you have a wedding gift that has been used for so long and it's still holding up well with heavy use. I still have my Corelle dishes that one of my husband's friends bought us 43 years ago and use them daily. I think only one dish has broken. I am definitely going to invest in a salad spinner now that I have all this positive feedback. I'll keep my eyes peeled at the thrift store; I know I've seen them there on past visits.

Diane

Tuesday 28th of January 2025

@Val, I got one as a wedding gift nearly 35 yrs ago & I still use it weekly!

Val

Tuesday 28th of January 2025

@Heidi Louise, Thank you for looking up the other uses besides salad. I wasn't even considering other uses, but it's interesting about the potatoes for fries and the use for drying herbs and berries.

Heidi Louise

Tuesday 28th of January 2025

@Val, I have never had one. Just looked up other uses than salad-- draining various veggies, beans, pasta, drying herbs and fruits especially berries, potatoes for french fries that are better extra dry, and non-food uses of drying swimsuits and tiny toys.

Val

Tuesday 28th of January 2025

@WilliamB, Thank you for your input, William B. I think I am sold on getting one. I've walked by them several times at the thrift store wondering if they would just end up being something taking up space in my cupboard, something I don't use. I do believe it will be well worth getting one now.

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