Monday, October 9, 2017

Insourcing....Food Porn and Rewards...

 
For me, insourcing has always meant a kind of freedom. Freedom to have my life the way I like it. Freedom to choose when we have a holiday, where we go, how we eat, how we dress, how we socialise.
 
 Some see food preparation, cleaning, decluttering, ironing, gardening and cooking as some sort of terrible punishment to be endured. Not me. I love that I have the opportunity to be a Homebody. To nurture my family, my home, and my garden and to know that I am making a difference. I love the rhythm of my week, and relish the sunny days and the rainy ones, the busy times and the quiet breaks, and the financial gains I am able to contribute to the family budget through our simple life.
 
 We've just been through a bit of a busy time. In addition to home renovations and insurance claims on our weekender, we've had Daughters final year of school, her recent Appendectomy, grandchildren's birthdays and other celebrations, and Daughters University Auditions. It would have been easy to throw caution to the wind and indulge in all sorts of expensive takeaways, treats and indulgences, even if only to cheer ourselves up sometimes! Midnight trips to the Emergency Room are not fun :/
 
Thankfully though, due to wise shopping practices, a bountiful garden, and a bit of insourcing, our pains were fatigue and a sense of relief, rather than overwhelming financial despair.
 
Five minutes spent dicing some pumpkin, halving a couple of carrots and throwing in walnuts and baby capsicum, meant a Mediterranean style feast on the fly one night, and delicious it was too. See pic above.
 
Another night, when we were all a bit weary and the weather had blown hot and cold for two days, leaving us wondering whether it would ever be Spring, led to delicious platters, called Salagumundi in some cultures, but just called a nibbles plate in our household. A different one for each of us, just an assemblage of things we enjoy eating. For me, Smoked Salmon, lots of veges and nuts, hard boiled eggs and roasted baby capsicum, and I was happy. 
 
 
Daughter too, has learned the lesson of Feed Thyself, and Who Needs Cafes, and conjured up this delectable looking breakfast one morning. That's peanut butter and granola on her toast. I take no responsibility, and make no judgement. I'm just happy to see her embrace the idea of INsourcing!

 
It's Beetroot season here. I do not liked tinned beets, but adore the fresh ones, simply roasted. Cubes of beet, and a bit of this and that, served me well for lunch for several days. Beets are so easy to grow too, even in pots.

 
It's Cauliflower season too here, and Roasted Cauliflower, tossed with lemon juice and Moroccan spices was a treat above and beyond simple, tacky potato chips. Yummy, crunchy, and tangy.

 
Husband brought home a rib roast on the bone one night. He saw it in the butchers window and thought it looked good. Therein is the reason I do not allow him to do the grocery shopping. Goodness knows what he'd come home with! I'd never cooked a Rib Eye on the bone before, but slow roasting it seemed a good idea. A bit of port wine, some stock, bay leaves, and finely diced garlic and onion, and we were off and running. 4 hours in the pot on 100C, and out it came, mouth-wateringly tender and completely restaurant worthy!

 
Oven baked veges, a treat style lunch for me. I do love my veg.

 
And one day when shock-horror, we ran out of strawberries for The Man of the House for his breakfast, our mulberry tree yielded these little morsels as a very lovely substitute. I look forward to a year or two from now when these trees will supply us with all the 'berries' we need for breakfasts, jams, desserts and snacks!
 
 
So life is not all about deprivation and budget. I couldn't possibly hope to replicate this mini éclair, filled with vanilla cream, and topped with edible gold and freeze dried raspberry 'dust'. Not gluten free, but in small doses, okay for a treat. Very pretty too!
 
 
The $6.50 price tag left me reeling a little though, so the next day it was back to home baking, and these little peaches and cream cakes, the result.

 
Manicures were done, always saving significantly...what do people see in those stinky nail salons??
 
 
And the reward for all the chopping and dicing, and growing, and baking, and roasting?
 
Pretty flowers (although I'm hoping to grow these too soon!)....
 

...roses, which I don't think will ever grow successfully where I live...
 

 
...coffee in a lush new café near where we live...

 
...and a weekend away, somewhere peaceful, tranquil and restorative....

 
I estimate my Insourcing savings last month to be well into the hundreds. A simple roasted vegetable salad hovers around the $8 mark for a single serve, a rib roast in a restaurant is about $40 a serve, café breakfasts top around $30 a head with juices and coffees, manicures $35, a deli tub of roasted pumpkin and capsicum $10-$12, and so on. It's not hard to see that all of those little savings add up.
 
I'm calling it a $900 month EASILY. Realistically, if we had just given up and bought meals and treats all month cause things were a bit tough with hospital visits and whatnot, we'd be out of pocket at least that much. Throw in parking, petrol, and doctors visits and it could have been a disaster for the budget.
 
Thank goodness for our insourcing ways.
 
How was your September?
 
...Mimi...

12 comments:

  1. Hi Mimi! Your food always looks so good, I'm trying to add more salads to my lunch options. Do you just drizzle it all with a little olive oil before roasting? And to serve do you dress it or serve as is? I know these seem like really basic questions, but I really don't feel like I've nailed the art of a good salad beyond coleslaw and a basic green salad yet lol. I want to add some cafe-worthy variety to my menu! Some people seem to have the ability to throw a whole bunch of random things into a bowl and create a delicious salad, I have a friend who always makes something amazing. I, on the other hand seem to just create a bowl of a whole bunch of random things!!

    What a great month you had given all the hurdles you faced, and congratulations to your daughter for getting her first job!

    Have a lovely week
    Jen in NZ

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    1. Dear Jen, you are always so sweet! I just spray the veges with olive oil spray, and season with things like cumin and ground coriander, or basil and thyme and toss well. A little salt and pepper is good too. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how sweet the roasting makes things, and you really don't need any other flavours. The roasted walnuts are divine! Just think of flavour contrasts for salads, and add a bit of crunch and a bit of soft, a bit of sweet and a bit of salty and you can't go wrong. Remember things like little Cornichons (pickled cucumbers), capers and olives add a flavour boost too. Feta, olive and roasted veg is unbeatable. Thanks for your encouragement. The last two months have actually been really tough. But we got there. We always do, I guess. Love, Mimi xxx

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  2. Jen you may like to google Jessica Sepel salad basics - basic & stuff I 'knew'but the step 1 step 2 approach has really helped me shake up my approach - sometimes I just need someone to tell me what to do lol

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  3. My goodness! Your food photos had me salivating! Lol

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  4. I'm intrigued by the pumpkin! That is not something I've ever seen anyone eat except in baked goodies! Do you grow them? I was just at the market today and there were two types of pumpkins for sale. One said, "Pie pumpkins" and they were smallish. And the huge ones outside for carving. Actually, I don't ever cook any kind of squash. I think I may have to borrow a sure-fire recipe from a friend and start simply! I greatly expanded my soup abilities some years ago so I think I can do better with squash expertise, as well.
    Is pumpkin soup hot or cold?

    It looks like you've done a wonderful job of keeping expenses down with so much going on. There's nothing like creating a financial crisis while dealing with other things- eek! Before my mom died several years ago, she was in the hospital/rehab/hospital for over a month. I was there most of the time and I can't imagine what eating out daily would have done to our budget. I didn't do much cooking unless I coached my husband through the crockpot lol, but I sure did a lot of throwing odd things together. Yogurt, nuts, an apple, half a peanut butter sandwich, cold pasta salad, etc. I put all types of combos together, but it worked. I survived and I don't recall ever being hungry. I even figured out how to make iced coffee in their waiting rooms with their complimentary refreshments to give me much-needed energy from time to time.
    I also made several Christmas gifts during the times my mom slept.
    That was my therapy and kept my mind from worrying too much.

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    1. Dear Debby, now isn't this an interesting observation. We mainly eat pumpkin as a savoury vegetable, only rarely using it in baking. Simply roasted pumpkin is delicious and much like a Sweet Potato/Kumera, and an easily grown back yard vegetable too! You are so right...the food at the hospitals, whilst convenient, is soooo expensive. Pity the poor people who think they have no choice! You're very clever to be having your own iced coffee 'station' in the waiting room. I bet you felt quite smug and accomplished. Hospitals just make me tired. And yes, using that time productively makes a difference too. The worrying is a real problem, isn't it. Love, Mimi xxx

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  5. Mimi how interesting that Debbie has never had pumpkin other than in baked goodies. I on the other hand have never had it other than as a vegetable. I had two butternut pumpkins in the slow cooker yesterday. We use the cooked puree in a number of ways. We use it to make a delicious creamy soup, instead of white sauce in lasagne, as part of the gravy in casseroles and as a delicious mash to nest meat onto the plate.
    You salads really are food porn. Mine taste great but look like the ingredients have just been thrown together on a plate or in a bowl.
    Our mulberries are still quite green but the two little blueberry bushes are loaded with fruit that is beginning to ripen.
    Given the climate here, my broms will never look as lush as those by the water source. Mine are lovely and thick and do look good, just not lush. Oh well they still enjoy biting me everytime I walk past them.
    Your insourcing has been most productive this month.

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    1. Dear Jane, yes I thought that was an interesting difference too. Thanks Debbie for mentioning it! These subtle differences in our otherwise similar diets are fascinating to me. I laughed at your interpretation of your salads. I'm quite sure they're not that bad...lol! The mulberries amaze me at how quickly they ripen. Every day, I think I've got all the ripe ones, and every day, there's new ones there. As for the Broms...well, that garden has a full time staff nurturing their prizes. You should see their Cycads! Incredible! Thankyou...Mimi xxx

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  6. I am with you girl. I do think that food is cheaper in this part of the country (states) But going out is so expensive. I do many of the the things that you do to save money. I am trying to get out of debt and I have learned to stretch the pennies so to speak. What an inspiring blog post.

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    1. How lovely to hear from you. Yes your produce is quite often much less expensive than ours, so we do tend to try to make the most of what is available seasonally, and grow a bit too. I'd love to hear some of your ideas on stretching the pre-retirement budget :) Mimi xxx

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  7. Now, Mimi & Jane, I must ask if Pumpkin flavored things are as popular there as here. Mostly sweets, of course. Many years ago, Starbucks started selling a Pumpkin Spice Latte...PSL for short. Then, EVERYONE started selling pumpkin flavors. Cheerios & other cereals did it. Ground coffee. Cream cheese. Yogurt. Milk. Pudding. Cookies. Cake treats. Hot tea. Iced tea. Snack chips. M & M's and various candies. Oatmeal. Ice cream. Even beer!
    However, I just read today that Maple-Pecan flavored items are making a surge! I'll keep you posted...

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I love hearing from you! I always respond to comments, so don't be shy! Mimi xxx