The Misunderstood Eggplant » Quickies

Ecofest Quickie: No Subscription Required

jenn — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:05:17 +0000

Do you have tons of subscriptions to magazines? Well, in most cases you can cancel those subscriptions, because most magazines are placing content online, free of charges. If you subscribe to any food or cooking magazines, consider checking out their websites. Here are my favorite food magazines, in Internet form:

Real Simple: Not only a great online recipe collection, but other tidbits about cleaning, storage, organizing, and other nifty household tips.

Everyday Food: All of the recipes from the magazine, plus other Martha Stewart publications such as Martha Stewart Living, Body & Soul, and even the now debunked Blueprint.

Food & Wine: Quite a pricey magazine subscription, I’ve found most recipes available online along with all the wine advice you will ever need.

Eating Well: Great healthy recipes without the publication price. Like many food and cooking websites, this one offers free email newsletters as well.

Cooking Light, Southern Living, Sunset and more are all part of the awesome recipe collection on MyRecipes.com (Real Simple is also part of the recipe network).

Newspapers also publish great local recipes, the best way to find these hidden gems is to use a news search engine like Google News and type in the search criteria “recipes” or a specific recipe you are looking for like “soup” or “casseroles.”

In case you have not seen or heard, the Food Network now has a magazine publication, but most recipes are still available online for free.

Ecofest Quickie: Giving the Gift of Food

jenn — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:05:27 +0000

Once again, our friends over at MyRecipes.com have everything you need to celebrate the holidays. Looking to give gifts of food this year? Check out these ideas:

Gift-Worthy Holiday Jams, Spreads, & Sauces: Pick a traditional flavor like apple butter or cranberry-orange marmalade, or give them something unique like sun-dried tomato jam or peachy barbecue sauce.

Gifts from the Oven: Gingerbread people, pound cake, biscotti and more!

Give the Gift of Candy: Sugared cranberries, candied orange rind, fudge, and other easy-to-make goodies to give as gifts.

Heartwarming Breads: Find the perfect baked goods to bring to family dinners or potlucks, such as flaky dinner rolls, cranberry-sweet potato quick bread, and orange-pecan muffins.

Econofest Quickie: Trimming the Turkey Budget

jenn — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:05:03 +0000

Are you fretting over the cost of a traditional Thanksgiving smorgasbord? Once again, I scour the Internet so you don’t have to, so fret not! MyRecipes.com has everything you need to low-cost holiday entertaining. A few cost-saving articles to check out:

Money-Saving Appetizers

Budget-Friendly Holiday Side Dishes

Looking to break tradition and try something new this Thanksgiving? Read up on Fresh Takes on Thanksgiving Menus, including a turkey-less menu and a Thanksgiving menu for two.

Finally, complete your turkey day by finding the Perfect Wine for Thanksgiving, then saving some money with the Top 20 Wines Under $20.

Econofest Quickie: Sweet Spot in Sour Economy

jenn — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:55:11 +0000

Check out this video segment on cupcakes from the Associated Press: Cupcakes a Sweet Spot in Sour Economy.

Also, watch the informational video on peeling and dicing butternut squash and red onions, which features easy to follow, step-by-step instructions. Perfect for Thanksgiving!

Econofest Quickie: Cheap & Healthy

jenn — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 10:05:44 +0000

WebMD recently featured an article on 15 Nutritious Foods for About $2 (written by a Registered Dietition). For each food, the article lists the serving size, price per serving, nutrition info per serving, and offers serving suggestions.

To piggyback on Organic vs. Economic, also check out How to Be a Budget Organic, a guide to shopping for organic produce, dairy products, meat and poultry.

Econofest Quickie: Stay In For Savings

jenn — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:05:08 +0000

Another quickie idea for saving money: stay in! From the website Start Making Choices, here is an article titled Stay In For Savings. Start Making Choices is a website that focuses on taking small steps towards a balanced life, including nutrition, activity, and well-being. Points of interest: recipes for $5 Meal Ideas in 10 Minutes and the Budget Box, a rotation of quick tips posted on the home page.

For more inspiration, check out these articles on Creative Combinations for food and Nutritious Gourmet Cooking on a Budget.

Econofest Quickie: Recession-Proof Your Mood

jenn — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:05:50 +0000

Vital Juice Daily is a website devoted to health of the mind, body and spirit. Offering free daily email tips, VJD has a “thirst for a healthy life” and shares this philosophy with readers. One recent post offered a little advice for those stressed by the current economic situation: Recession-Proof Your Mood.

If daily email tips sound a little intimidating or time consuming, don’t worry. The tips are short, sweet, and extremely relevant. The topics vary from fitness to beauty to food to general wellness.

Also check out Freshly Squeezed, an archive of weekly news, information, and healthy living tips from VJD.

Econofest Quickie: Breaking the Habit

jenn — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:05:51 +0000

Love Food Hate Waste is a UK-based campaign to raise awareness and reduce food waste. The website is full of ideas, recipes, and information on reducing food waste. The website consists of six basic categories:

Perfect Portions: How to adjust recipes to create the portion desired
Save Time & Money: Meal planners, food dates explained, pantry essentials
Recipes: Cook Once, Eat Twice and Rescue Recipes
Top Tips & Storage: Keep food fresh longer or revive food past its prime
About Food Waste: Why cutting food waste matters
Add Your Voice: Add your opinion to the campaign

Users can also share suggestions for saving money. Many of the recipes are in metric measurements, so if metrics are a foreign language to you, use a good Conversion Calculator.

For additional information on preventing food waste, check out this article from the Guardian on how to break the habit of wasting food (it even mentions LoveFoodHateWaste.com).

Econofest Quickie: Ditch the Dry Cycle

jenn — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:05:39 +0000

Here’s an Econofest Quickie from the folks at Ideal Bite: Turn off your dishwasher’s “heated dry” option and save approximately $25 a year in electricity costs, which is great for your pocketbook and the planet.

Want to sign up for Ideal Bites daily bite-sized ideas for light green living?

www.idealbite.com

Econofest Quickie: Sexy Lentils & Cheap Cabbage

jenn — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:05:29 +0000

Looking for cheap meal ideas? Wise Bread has the answer! One of my favorite sites, Wise Bread has an awesome archive packed full of frugal ideas for house and home. It is a treasure chest of goodies for those looking to save money and possibly help save the planet. Most of the articles have a green twist for those of us wanting environmentally friendly options for cooking, cleaning, and living.

Check out Lentil Love: How to Sex Up a Simple Staple and Save, loaded with recipes centered around the humble lentil. The author includes links to recipes for dips, soups, salads, and even lentil bread in a variety of ethnic cuisines such as Moroccan, Ethiopian, South African, German, and Mediterranean.

Once you’ve had your fill of lentils, hop over to Cooking with Cabbage: Ten Cheap Meal Ideas. This article includes ideas for slaws, soups, and Chinese favorites low mein and egg rolls. Also check out the author’s Survival Mode Produce List, which includes (what else?) cabbage.

Still hungry for more? Look up 8 Meatless Dishes for Meat-n-Taters Lovers, great recipes for those who favor meat and potato meals but are looking to expand their palates and shrink their grocery bills.