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Save and Recycle: Easy Tips to Gardening on a Budget

recycle cardboard boxes for garden

When first getting started, it is easy to be overwhelmed by just how much gardening can potentially cost. I’ve certainly learned to save scraps and recycle as part of how to garden on a budget. Below are a few ideas of what I’ve learned to get you started.

Save Package Cardboard

If you want to try planting in a raised garden bed, plain package cardboard makes a great weed barrier to reduce the amount of weeds that grow around the plants. Let’s face it, a large roll of weed barrier can be costly unless it’s being used for a large area. The cardboard is a free byproduct of something else purchased, and over time breaks down to add more nutrients to your plants and soil. If using package cardboard, be sure to remove tape and labels as those do not break down like the cardboard.

Recycle Food Containers to Start Seeds

Containers from fruit and dairy products can also be recycled to start seedlings and effectively make your own mini greenhouse. While starter trays are effective and helpful, they can range from $7-$15 dollars per tray. That is money you can keep in your pocket by reusing grape and strawberry containers that effectively already have drainage holes. If I have to buy, I always look for sales or buy off season to capitalize on savings.

Recycle Watering Solutions

Planting essentials really allow for creativity and setting up a watering system that works for you is a great area to explore. Wine bottles can be washed out and coupled with terra cotta stakes to create a self watering system for your plants. While it doesn’t replace going around with the hose or watering can, it helps you do so less often.

The corks can also be used to plug terra cotta pots if you prefer putting pots in the ground to better support watering the roots of plants.

Buying plants

If buying plants from the big box stores, always look for containers that contain more than one plant. In many cases, seedlings will be started with more than one seed. In that case, you can often get two or three plants for the cost of one. I often see this with plants like squash varieties, lettuce, melons and herbs. Always be careful when separating plants. Certain herbs, like rosemary, lavender, thyme and oregano maybe easier to grow from rooting a cutting. For more tips on growing herbs from cuttings, check out this beginner’s guide.

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Soup Series: Spring into Comfort with Flavorful, Easy Soup

red lentil coconut curry soup with shrimp

While I intended to share part 2 on gardening tips, this cold snap compelled me to share a recipe of comfort food, red lentil coconut curry soup. This dish was inspired by what I had in my pantry and garden. I was excited to use my first onions from the garden that started bolting with this latest weather change. White they were small, they were potent. I also harvested some Tuscan and curly kale for the soup. And I boosted the protein in the dish with some gulf shrimp from the store.

Red lentils are a great soup base as it’s loaded with protein and fiber and does not require soaking as it cooks extremely fast. With a handful of ingredients, this quick soup is flavorful, filling and nutritious. Pro tip: this dish is easy to batch cook to freeze a couple of portions to jump start or refill your frozen meal supply. Check out the recipe below and be sure to share your thoughts. If you want other soup ideas for cold snaps, check out this alternative dish with lentils or greens gumbo.

Red Lentil Coconut Curry Soup

Serves 6-8

~307 calories/ serving (based on 8 servings)

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups red lentils
  • 4 cups (1 container) of vegetable broth (Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 can of organic coconut milk
  • 1 cup of water (optional for thinning soup)
  • 1 lb. gulf shrimp (optional)
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 4-5 cloves (1 head) of garlic
  • 1 tbsp. onion powder
  • 1 tbsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp. red curry powder
  • 1 tbsp. coarse black pepper
  • 1/2 tbsp. turmeric
  • 1/2 tbsp. sea salt
  • 1 tsp. smoked paprika (optional)

Directions:

1. Dice onion and garlic and add to a medium large pot over medium heat. 

2. Rinse the lentils and add to the pot. Stir well and slowly add vegetable broth.

3. Add in all seasonings and bring to a boil. Once boiling top the pot and reduce the heat to medium low.

4.While that cooks, rinse and slice kale.  Cook for ten minutes, stir the pot well and add kale and coconut milk before stirring again. If too thick, add in water. 

5. Top the pot and while it cooks for another 10 minutes, peel and devein the gulf shrimp if needed. After 10 minutes, add them in an even layer to the pot and stir well. 

6. Turn off heat and top the pot to cook shrimp with residual heat. Pro tip: Shrimp take 3-5 minutes to cook and this method of cooking prevents overcooking which turns the shrimp tough and rubbery.

7. Enjoy

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Discover the magic and savings of growing your own food

romaine lettuce
celery

The concept of “growing your own food” can certainly be daunting though it can save on costs and allows more control over how it is grown. As someone who discovered the magic of watching a strawberry grow from a flower, or shucked fresh corn from the farmers market, I can honestly say it is worth it. While I loved the access to fresh food, it took me years before I decided to try it myself. But I can honestly say, I am so glad I did. Over the next couple of posts, I will share tips and tricks that I’ve learned along the way to make it easier for you to get started.

Where to start

I highly encourage you to start in one thing; it is a marathon, not a sprint. By starting small, it prevents the sensation of being overwhelmed. It also gives you time to learn what grows well in your area and what process or system helps your setup thrive. Here are a couple of ideal starting areas:

Herbs

Herbs. The range of herb options is endless and is easy to grow both indoors and outdoors. In ideal conditions, plants can produce an abundance that can be eaten fresh, or air dried and to restock your spice cabinet. It’s important to know what herbs grow well together and which to avoid. Plants have two primary growing considerations, spacing and watering. For example, rosemary and lavender grow well together because neither like to be in soggy wet soil. They can be watered once every couple of weeks, or once a week during hot summers. On the other hand, basil and parsley grow well together as they both love water and need damp soil and more watering. Oregano and thyme grow well together but need more space as they like to branch out. It is great to ensure they have room to grow or to be planted along the edge of a planter box or bed so that they can grow over naturally. Mint is one that does best planted in a pot because it tends to take over. It can be grown with other types of mint (i.e. sweet mint, peppermint, spearmint), but not with other herbs. 

Transform Food Scraps

Store scraps. Get a head start with growing new plants from store scraps. Now when I say scraps, I don’t mean the carrot peels, but plants like celery and lettuce are often sold with the whole plant and can be used to grow a new plant. You get the benefit of cutting off two-thirds of the plant for dishes for the week, and reserve that bottom third of the plant to grow a new one. It’s important to buy organic for the regrowth as some commercially grown foods contain growth inhibitors. The regrowth process is simple; it requires water and time. It took about 2 weeks to see growth and new roots where I have now transitioned the plants out into my garden. Start by adding a couple inches of water to the bottom of a small dish and place the plant in the water in a sunny window sill. I like to use 6oz glass mason jars, but you can also reuse cleaned yogurt or sour cream containers from the store. If you want more tips on growing scraps, check out growing lettuce and growing celery which I found to be good references.

Choose One Area to Explore

If you are just getting started, start small by picking one of the two options above to try. Start small with a few herbs that you like or two types of lettuce you enjoy. Pro tip: If you choose regrowing, choose something that you can easily incorporate into dishes for the week. For example, lettuce wraps and salads with the lettuce or soup and chicken or tuna salad with the celery. I can’t wait to share your joy at successfully growing something you enjoy. I was thrilled to grow my first potatoes that I harvested a couple of weeks ago. While I only got a couple, I’ve learned what to do differently which is all a part of the process. 

Stay tuned for the next segment on gardening tips! Also in the line up are more recipes to complement treasures from the garden.

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Cost vs. Value: Tips for Picking High Protein

Ground turkey breakfast sausage style

Believe it or not, if you are like me, you struggle to eat enough of the right things throughout the day. I am always trying to extract as many nutrients as possible out of my meals. We have all heard that fiber and protein keeps you fuller longer. So check out these tips for picking high protein items when evaluating the cost v.s the value of your picks.

Skip the breakfast sausage

While it is easy to pop the pre-cooked breakfast sausage in the microwave, what you gain in time, you can lose in nutrients. I have definitely kept such turkey breakfast sausage in the freezer for easy access and valued the 13 grams of protein. I would also alternate with the turkey sausage that required cooking. However, I noted that it only offered about 10 grams of protein per serving.

When I realized I could get 22 grams of protein for a serving of ground turkey, it was a no brainer to batch cook a pound of ground turkey. It honestly is easy to mimic the flavors of sausage with ground chicken or turkey. Try adding dried thyme, oregano, fresh garlic, onion and red pepper flakes. One pound will yield four servings and can always be doubled to ensure enough for the entire week.

Read the labels

All protein comes with its own set of nutrients. Because of that, it is good to eat a variety of lean meats including seafood, and some red meat. It can be more cost effective and better on health values like cholesterol and fat targets to prioritize lean meats. I have also found that ground chicken actually has more protein per serving than the same amount of ground beef or pork.

But even with ground chicken or turkey, I have noticed that the highest protein is the ground white meat at 28 grams of protein per serving, vs the blended or dark meat at 22 grams of protein per serving. The difference in price is usually pretty minimal and from a value standpoint, that higher protein will go a longer way.

Other Resources

If you want to learn more about the macro nutrients in different proteins, check out Healthline or FoodStruct. If you find these tips helpful, check out my e-book where you can find more tips on how to save money through meal prepping. Use coupon code TIP25 at checkout to access it for $1.99. Stay tuned for the next posting!

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Dealing with the Reality of Egg Costs and good Alternatives

 It has been a while since I last posted. I must admit, I fell into the trap of trying to do too much at once and got completely overwhelmed making the videos to compliment the food creations. So in this season, I am going back to the basics: tips and tricks to stretch your food dollars, delicious recipes, and lessons learned that hopefully prevent you from the same pitfalls. Let’s start with egg alternatives.

Let’s Talk About Eggs and Egg Alternatives

After spending more than $15 dollars on two dozen eggs this week, I thought others might be in need of some egg substitutes to help buoy the current egg shortage. I primarily consume eggs as an addition to breakfast and also use them with baking. Check out some tips below on egg alternatives for these two categories.

Breakfast

Since I am currently rationing to one egg per day or a skip day, I have to get that protein from other sources. I have found Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and ground turkey or chicken a great alternative.

Greek yogurt: On average, protein per serving ranges from 15g to 19g which is more than double that of an egg anyway. This is great as a base for a morning parfait that can be packed with healthy nuts and chia seeds or a granola of choice. It is also great as a higher protein replacement for sour cream, or as an addition to oatmeal. I have found cost that range between $3.99-$6.49 a tub for some of the organic varieties. And considering this is on average at least 4 servings, it is money well spent on protein.

Cottage Cheese: This gets a bad rep because honestly alot of folks just don’t know what to do with it. At an average of 12g to 15g per serving this is also double or more than double the protein of an egg. It is great in a wrap with sauteed vegetables and seasoned ground meat for something savory, or topped with sliced peaches or pineapples for something sweet. This is also inexpensive at a range of $2.99-$3.99 per tub where it also includes about 4 servings.

Ground Turkey/Ground Chicken: The lean meats are where it’s at! ground turkey packs 20g of protein per serving and chicken 21g of protein. I have easily found that cooking it with onion, garlic, smoked paprika and an herb like thyme, it is easy to add to breakfast wraps for the same taste of breakfast sausage but with higher protein.

Baking

Now I know that eggs add moisture, binding and sometimes richness to baked goods. Depending on what it is, you may can do without it altogether, or use alternatives that add moisture or to help bind the batter. Below are two alternatives that I have used in recipes like pancakes, bread loaves and cookies.

Chia seed egg. While this may not sound like the most delightful thing, it easily adds a good source of fiber and other nutrients like calcium, omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants. To replace an egg, it is simply one tbsp of chia seeds and 2-3 tbsp of water. Let it sit for at least 3 minutes to form a gel.

Flaxseed egg. Similar to a chia seed egg, the flaxseed egg requires a tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 3 tbsps. of water to make the “egg”. Flaxseeds also are a powerhouse of nutrients sharing those listed for chia seeds and also known to help regulate hormones.

If you find these tips helpful, check out my e-book where you can find more tips on how to save money through meal prepping. Use coupon code TIP25 at checkout to access it for $1.99. Stay tuned for the next posting on cost effective meal options!