$3 PER DAY GROCERY BUDGET: HOW A FREEZER SAVES MONEY

One of the ways to save money while living on a strict budget is to use a freezer.  A freezer can be beneficial in several ways.  I have sure enjoyed my freezer through the years and it has definitely paid for itself many times over.  Besides having food storage, you can buy things at rock bottom prices and stock up.  You can freeze garden produce and extra food.  A freezer is a real money saver.

Add Variety to your Veggies Day 5: Spinach

I spent a LONG time picking spinach leaves today.  We are going to pull up the rest of the plants next week, as they are starting to bolt and go to seed.  It was a good year for spinach, although it wasn't for raspberries.  I guess the hours we save from picking raspberries has gone to picking spinach.  I am just grateful for whatever we get.  I love having a garden and eating organic produce for next to nothing.   

There are a lot of good spinach recipes around.  Most of them include cream, but it is a very good vegetable to cook with.  If you don't want to fuss in the kitchen, try making a green shake.  The spinach provides the color, and if you have pineapple or banana in it, it is hard to tell that there is spinach from the taste.  

The second thing you can do is to freeze it and save it for later.  This is always a good option if you have more than you can handle eating at a time.  

If you are up to cooking, I found this link with spinach recipes that look really good.  The only problem is that I am trying to eat healthier and there is a lot of cheese or cream in many of them.  It was really hard to choose which one to make, as they all look good.  But, I chose to make the Tuscan Chicken Pasta.  You would never know by the picture that I used a whole gallon bag of spinach in the recipe.  I cooked less pasta than they suggested, but it still was plenty.