Fall Fun

Autumn around here is beautiful so I've been trying to enjoy it while I can before the inevitable snow moves in! I love snow but winter is my season to hibernate.

On an unusually warm day earlier this month me and a friend went to a secret part at Letchworth where we saw beautiful views of the falls. We brought our chairs and enjoyed the serenity of the gorge while watching the sun slowly go down.

We finally picked our apples! I didn't think we would get that many because it seems like most of the fall off during the summer from wind and animals. However we ended up getting a lot! They are not perfect but that just means they were grown organically and with love. And they are delicious! I've been using the bruised and not so good ones to cook all kinds of apple treats with.

I went with my hiking buddy Ken for one last camping trip to Stony Brook State Park a couple weeks ago. We planned for two nights, however rain moved into the schedule so we left after dinner before our second night. No one likes to pack up a wet tent!

Fall was in full swing here, and there were many picturesque views along the river and gorge.

The nights are falling below freezing now, and most of the trees have turned and are dropping their leaves. Halloween is around the corner which means turkey season is next!!

Frugal Meal Series: Minestrone Soup (Vegetarian) <$1 per serving

Welcome to my series aimed at helping families on a budget with some new and cost effective ideas for meals! I aim for around $5-7 per meal while trying to highlight dishes from scratch, meatless options, common ingredients, and whole grains. My typical weekly grocery bill for 4 was $50-60 just a few years ago, but with the current economy and inflation it has increased to about $80-100/week. This series shows you my average family dinners including cost breakdown, links to recipes, and other details to help inspire you!

Step 1 of saving money on your grocery bill is to MAKE A MENU! Once a week I sit down and write out a dinner menu for the next 7 days. I take into account what I have in the freezer, what our schedule is like for that week, what the weather is (hot/cold), and any leftovers. It also stops everyone from asking "What's for dinner??" From this you can easily make your shopping list to only get the items you need while keeping an eye out for any markdowns/clearance items you can stick in the freezer for a different meal. I do 90% of my grocery shopping at Aldi as I find that they have the best prices on most items. For a few other remaining items I go to Walmart.

Some meals I make are easy, some are more complicated. I mostly stick to tried and true dishes that I know everyone likes, but occasionally I like to try out a new one and experiment! I cook many style from American to Italian, Chinese, Mexican, and lots of Tex Mex. Variety is the spice of life!

For my cost breakdowns I will show real or estimated prices of items (based on current prices in western NY), but I don't include typical pantry ingredients i.e. spices/oil/butter/milk etc. unless it's a significant amount.

For this meal I made Minestrone Soup

Total cost for entire recipe: $7.42

Total servings: 6-8

Cost per serving: $0.93

Price breakdown and recipe:

1 small onion, diced.........$0.25

4 carrots, peeled and chopped...........$1

5 celery stalks, chopped..........$1

1 can diced tomatoes......$0.89

1 can northern/cannellini beans (rinsed/drained)........$0.89

1 can kidney beans (rinsed/drained)......$0.89

1 jar spaghetti sauce (use your favorite flavor)........$1.50

2c broth (I used homemade which was free)

1c water

8oz dry small pasta (I used elbow).......$1

1tbs Italian seasoning

3 cloves minced garlic

s/p to taste

EVOO

*optional: dice and add other in season veggies like zucchini

Saute onions, carrots, and celery in evoo 5-10min. Add garlic and  seasonings, stir and cook for a minute then add everything else EXCEPT pasta. PRO TIP: Rinse tomato and sauce jars with a little water and add that to the pot for the last bits of flavor. Bring to a boil and simmer 15-20min or until carrots are tender. Should still be pretty liquidy at this point. Add dry pasta and stir to combine. Boil another 7-10min until pasta is just al dente and soup is much thicker. Turn off heat and add s/p for flavor then serve! Delicious with Parmesan sprinkled on top and some buttered bread.