Tightwad Kitty's $$$ Stretching Blog

I just have a visit from my new neighbour; I just met them the other day. There is a lovely Chinese family, she just stop by the drop in two pieces of beautiful cakes in a box. I had half of one piece with coffee just now. It was a Cherry Chocolate Cake the other one looks like a coffee cake both are iced with a filling. There are a number of Chinese cake shops opening all over the place where you can buy a slice of cakes instead of whole cake these days.

I will now eat them very slowly as I have put them in the refrigerator. I still have to watch my diabetic so I can’t pig out so only half piece at a time.

I have been gardening this weekend, my front strip. Once it took me about 2 hours to do it, now it has taken me over 6 hours of weeding, trimming shrubs and pullout some plants , adding more soil and replanting smaller plants that I pullout as well binning all the rubbish. Now I still have to plant cuttings so I will have more plants if these ones fail and cover the beds with cane mulch that will get done tomorrow as I have run out of energy now. I did check my gardening shed for supply so I didn’t need buy anything.




These are before photos of my front garden

Strategy - Do remember what you have stored before you go and buy more of the same.

The firm that I worked for 26 years had a staff discount cards for those that work for them and all retires that had work more than 15 years with this firm, they were worth 5% off goods purchases. About 5 years ago this firm was bought out by another firm which changed its staff discount system so that after 5 years all retires will drop off the system that was yesterday for us that were with the old firm.

I did go to some of the stores over the past week and bought my lasted staff discount items, 5% doesn’t seem much but every little helps. I did buy my grocery last week as our flooded local store reopen, and bought a film, slides & photograph scanner $99.00 (RRP $139.00) less my 5% discount that I still need to load on to my computer also bought a new Sunbeam electric skillet that I wanted but couldn’t find one on special but I ran into one yesterday so I bought it for $39.00 (RRP $59.00) less my 5% discount.

Am I going to miss these discounts the answer is NO. As I will not be so company focus in my shopping now and I can get just as good specials with other companies be it that will now pay 5% more for my goods but that is not the case if I work the system right by buy store cards to use at these stores. A few companies are selling these cards with a discount of 5% off the purchase price and not just the company that I work for. I just have to make sure that I don’t lose them or use them before expiring which is around 1 year for some and 2 years for others.

So here is to the new shopping era.

As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to a calendar months so here are the figures for my last period.

It’s time to start again on reviewing my monthly daily living allowance.

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35.00=====$52.10
Groceries===$135.50 ==== $113.30
Non-Food===$17.00=====$10.92
Clothes ====$35.00======$11.40
Grooming===$15.00=====$6.25
Gas======$25.00
Pets====== $50.00=== ==$22.58
HH items===$42.50=====$3.20
Fares== ====$9.00
Entrainments= $12.00
Garden =====$10.00
Gifts & Donations =$35.00===$13.50
Medical =====$15.00======$5.60
Diabetes Expenses====$50
Misc ======$9.00========$6.00
Personal Allowance =$85.00 ====$67.08
Note only one amount is a no spend

Budgeted for this period $580 spent $311.93
No Spending days over the 28 days = 14 days in total.

Personal allowance covers confectionery, lotto, books, stamps, craft & hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

As for medical this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up this month just medicine.
As for my medical visits out of pocket expensive if they are related to Diabetes then I will class them as Diabetes Expenses will come under this new category.

Diabetes Expenses – nil
A most will be one off items or once per year expenses. But I need to track these items on my small budget and pension. Each time I pay for some thing in this category I will need to cut something in other categories.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month.

I do keep my bill money separated from this summery. This year I will be budgeting around $650 per period month to cover all my bills. This month bills were around $350 so balance banked this month. These funds do cover all my fixed bills for the year if I can stick to this schedule as I have done for the past ten years or so. This budget will be tight but just doable. On my budget excel modelling chart I can pay the full amount this year.

As for food out, I dined out 4 times this month costing between $5 & $20 a time most were around the $20 mark as I can no longer eat at fast food outlets. That $9.00 meals at casino is looking the healthiest and best deal in the city for now.

I didn’t go over in any other category but for eating out this month so I had a good month spending wise. Most of my social outing are dining out this is part of my social outings money and spending allowance.

If any changes to my spending habits will need to come out of my daily living allowance categories of my budget as my bill categories are very tight now. Still need to work on a few categories as you can see but over all I had a good month.

Strategy: - Track your daily spending down to the cent by writing it down daily.

On Sunday my niece came for a visit, she had flown in to work here for the weekend, as she lives in another state she is a trainer in the medical field. When she has finished training she comes to my place until she fly home again. This time it was for two nights and one full day free here. So Sunday night we went out for dinner at a local Asian restaurant, we had Thai Yellow Curry and spring rolls, she paid as she had a meal allowance for that day. Next day we went to our local shopping strip to look at op shops and antiques shop. Which we didn’t buy to much just some odd’s and ends. I didn’t go out with my son & niece in the afternoon as I had other things to do for her and mother that she was taking back with her and they needed some time together as each time she has come up here before he has missed her, but that night we all went to Irish pub for dinner, I had steak & chips and pancake & ice cream cost of meal $16.00 and $5.00 on pokies.

Today I had lunch out with my ex work friends, only 5 of us this month. Some them were airing they problems with they retired husbands, and they knee operations. Both topics are not my lot. I had Salmon Quiches & Salad with Fruit Salad Cost of the meal $9.00 and playing the pokies $3.00.

I hope not to eat out again this month if I can help it.
No hotel or casino will ever make a lot of money from my style of gambling.

Eating out so far this week $25.00 and pokies $8.00

Strategy - If you got family heirlooms that you wish to give to your interstate relatives then give them some things to take home when you see them and have the joy of seeing them taking it home.

My exercising is working I am losing weight just a little but its going down that what counts. I am trying to walk more than I did before that a lot as I didn’t walk as much as I should have. Now walking twice per day up to hour per day, six times per week, today walked up the to the local strip shopping centre twice that takes a little longer than just doing the four blocks on the ridge.

Shopping area was busy this morning around 11am with most of the coffee shops were full and most of shops busy for once. Went again around 3.00pm again in the same area the coffee cafes were all closed and most of the shops too! It’s was as all quite this time.

We have three charity shops, large antique store, shoes & bookmakers shop, three hairdressers, Indian and normal supermarket, bakers shop, two coffee shops plus two restaurants as well chain food outlets a little further along, number of chemists shops, camera shop and second hand bookshop and apple computer repair shop, Irish pub and a few more odd businesses. The area is getting revamped with my modern shops and businesses. All this is less than 400 metres from my house.

Today I did the mowing as the grass need doing this is a year around job in this part of the world. I will mow again about eight times before next spring. I still have to wait until I have my neighbour husband around to start the mower for me. When he is no longer around then I will need to get a new key start mower. I will be saving my pennies for that time in future too many another things need doing before then.

After finishing off the mowing I got dressed and went around to my neighbour‘s house with the last of my Chokoes and some lemons, she was getting ready to go to the local school fete and asked if I would go with her. I never say no but I wasn’t planning to go today. I put $15.00 in my pocket and went to the school fete as both our children were past pupils of this school so you feel it right to donate if you find something to buy, she bought some stuff toys for her grandkids and plants, I bought lots of Earth Garden magazines about 54 of them @ 20c each I just love this kind of book and have been buying ones like it for years some of these date back to 1973 a bit like ‘The Mother Earth’ and five cookbooks of which I may have two of them but these were updates, one was Laurel’s Kitchen and Diane Seed’s cookbook that I didn’t have but I like the pictures in these books as they watercolour drawings I think I may have 5 or 6 of them now. Most are on Italian cooking but not all so I have found out. I also bought a framed oil painting of the bay with an Australian bush scene in the foreground it was I nice size and on wood. I do have another one painted near 1770 which is a town in Queensland, a relative painted that one. The painting only costed $2.00 so it was a good buy it’s now hanging in my kitchen under my air-con and signed too!

All up I spent $13.00 at the fete I only went to the white elephant stall near where we parked the car.

Strategy - If you will use it and cheap enough then have a treat now and then!

Serve 1

1 tsp oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup onion (diced)
1 tsp curry powder
180g chickpeas, cooked
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1 cup green beans
1 cup cauliflower
100g natural low fat Yoghurt
1/2 to 1 cup cooked basmati rice

1. Heat oil and onion and garlic. Add curry powder and heat until aromatic.
2. Add chickpeas, tomato and water and simmer for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
Add green beans and cauliflower and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Add more water if necessary.
3. Serve on basmati rice with yoghurt.

Handwritten recipe author unknown.

I found this recipe in a cookbook I just bought it sounds interesting. Another way to use Chickpeas.

It was Mother Day last Sunday, I went to have dinner with my family at their local Hotel Bistro I didn’t mind driving up to their place as I don’t spent that much time with them. I got a beautiful leather coin wallet and cookbook on Diabetes that I said I would like to get some day. What I had to eat this time, Chicken Breast & Prawns in a Mustard Sauce with Mashed Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes and water to drink. I got a Senior Card discount off the meal too!

On driving out my car hit a bump and I wondered why! I could fine a cause so I drove up on the freeway to their place went to the Hotel in they car so only had to drive home again on the freeway at 80km all the way home. The car drove as normal so I thought only to have that bump again as I drove into the garage. I had a good look this time and found tat my front tyre was almost flat. As the car just came from a service just a few months before it had to be a nail.

Next morning I rang our car club which I am a member and they charged the tyre and said I will need to get it fixed ASAP. Tomorrow will do fine as I was planning a driving the car then.

After doing what I had planned to do by driving my friend to the bus so she could go on a bus trip with Italian speaking friends. I had two recommendation for a place near son’s place so I drove up there to get the tyre fix as I am looking for a cheaper place to get my car service in the near further.

The tyre cost $25 to fix which is a good price and that price was on they price for that job. As for the next car service which is a big one I will be going there too I think! I was quoted around $1500 at the car dealership which has a car service department as well! Without all that overhead I was quoted around $650 for the same job. That’s an awful lot of money and I have just six month left on parts replacement warranty which I don’t think I will use. As the timing belt is due to the age of the car has to be replaced this time. My style of driving requires me to have things fix on timing scale not on mileage.

Strategy - Try to drink water with your meals when you are dinning out and if you on a special diet try to stick to it as best you can.

Strategy - Don’t believe all the sale talk, do your own leg work.

I have a few vegetable plots and fruit and herb trees. Over my lemon tree my choko vine has grown over it so I am planning of removing it some time next week then prune the lemon tree some what as it has some problems that needs looking into. As I was working down stair in the backyard area I look out at my tomatoes vines to a sea of ripe red small tomatoes then looking past them seeing last season lemons that need picking for juicing as I have two seasons crop growing as it’s has two crops per year. Then looking at the choko vine that’s over lemon tree help large Chokoes hanging there waiting to be picked.

Having finishing off my washing I collected my washing basket filling it with 12 large Chokoes 7 large lemons and small container of full tomatoes as well cutting off the flower heads of my aniseed seeds so I have fresh seeds for next year. I don’t need to plant any seeds as many a seeds drops as I pulled these plants out so they will self seeds this year. My herb garden is doing well and a new crop of Italian parsley is coming along fine. My curry tree was prune last week so drying some leaves to use in my cooking. Will pick some bay leaves to dry soon too!

My crop (sorry about the colour.)


This Is the corner of the garden that the chokoes grow in.

Two outings in the same week first off a Birthday dinner at Mexican Restaurant Montezuma's , it's not a expensive restaurant so picking the most suitable meal from the menu is the biggest challenge
Taking into account what I learnt at my diabetes class I had to pick something with beans in and with not a lot of cheese. The family always orders cheese and bean dips with corn chips for starters. You get three dips so I had a bean dip with corn chips, this turn out a big mistake as it filled me up for the dish that I order. It was the house special Montezuma's Delight as it had a white corn tostada smothered with frijoles, cheddar, heaped with diced raw vegetables salad, ranchero sauce, sour cream topped with two black olives. I had the Pollo/chicken version, it was nice and eatable but I only could eat half of it and had to ask for container so I could have the balance next day. But it wasn't as nice as the sour cream did't microwave as good. Next time I will not have the bean dip and corn chips and then I may be able to eat it all. Cost for the meal $18.00 plus 1/3 the dip and I had water to drink.

It was lunch date with my ex work friends at the casino and as they have put up the cost of the meals in restaurant that have been going to we went back to cheaper one. There they reduced the prices for members but with limited choices. Looking at the menu when you are on no mashed or chip potatoes or jasmine rice with limited cheese choices, there isn't much to choose from. The choices from memory were Beef Lasagne with mashed potatoes and mushy peas, Battered fish salad with chips, 2 Lamb & rosemary sausages with steamed vegetables & mashed potatoes, Chicken kebabs with pickled salad and jasmine rice and Smoked salmon quiche with salad. I had the Smoked salmon quiche with salad with small bowl of fruit salad and 2 cups of coffee plus water all included for $9.00 for members and $14.00 for non members . You could have had 30cm square of cake instead of the fruit salad but I had had my fair share of sweet things this weeks and I had taken along with me small Easter eggs to share with the others also. At night I had a

As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to a calendar months so here are the figures for my last period.

It’s time to start again on reviewing my monthly daily living allowance.

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35.00=====$73.45
Groceries===$135.50 ==== $230.61
Non-Food===$17.00
Clothes ====$35.00======$8.45
Grooming===$15.00
Gas======$25.00=======$29.60
Pets====== $50.00=== ==$82.56
HH items===$42.50=====$158.98
Fares== ====$9.00 =====$20.00
Entrainments= $12.00
Garden =====$10.00====$28.56
Gifts & Donations =$35.00
Medical =====$15.00======$44.50
Diabetes Expenses====$50===$43.47
Misc ======$9.00
Personal Allowance =$85.00 ====$51.04
Note only one amount is no spend

Budgeted for this period $580 spent $811.27
No Spending days over the 28 days = 11 days in total.

Personal allowance covers confectionery, lotto, books, stamps, craft & hobby supplies.

Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

As for medical this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up this month, bought a Medicine and vitamins tablets.

As for my medical visits out of pocket expensive if they are related to Diabetes then I will class them as Diabetes Expenses will come under this new category.

Diabetes Expenses – Books $43.47
A most will be one off items or once per year expenses. But I need to track these items on my small budget and pension. Each time I pay for some thing in this category I will need to cut something in other categories.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month.

I do keep my bill money separated from this summery. This year I will be budgeting around $650 per period month to cover all my bills. This month bills were around $1125 so no balance this month. These funds do cover all my fixed bills for the year if I can stick to this schedule as I have done for the past ten years or so. This budget will be tight but just doable. On my budget excel modelling chart I can pay the full amount this year.

My food went up this month because I am stockpiling items that I will use over the winter months hopefully my food amounts will start to get back to a normal range but may be a little higher as I need to change to some more expensive range in a few things like bread is now $5.00 per loaf instead of $1.49 per loaf, and I need to buy more nuts and seeds as well special grains.

As for food out, I dined out a 7 times this month costing between $4 & $18 a time most were around the $10 mark as I can no longer eat at fast food outlets. That $9.00 meals at casino is looking the healthiest and best deal in the city for now.

Another large category is for the household section that was a once off purchase of Gerni (water pressure machine) costing $149.00. This was a need as with all the wet weather we are having slimy paths and steps are becoming an issue.

If any changes to my spending habits will need to come out of my daily living allowance categories of my budget as my bill categories are very tight now. Still need to work on a few categories as you can see but over all I had a good month.

No Savings for this month over by $ 251.27 on budget for amount. This equals the cost of the Gerni and extra I laid out in food stuff this month in stockpiling both for my own and pets.

Strategy: - Track your daily spending down to the cent by writing it down daily.

I left early this morning for my diabetes class as I have to go two hours early to get there on time. When I got there I was 45 minutes early so I had breakfast again, this time a vegetarian one. it consist of grilled mushrooms & baked beans both in ramekins with a poached egg and lettuce & tomato as a garnish with buttered multi grain toast on the side. I had water this time to drink. Cost $9.95 all up. After at the class I had a cup of coffee and later an orange drink on the way home and I was full and didn’t have anything else until around 3pm.

At the class we learnt about what food to eat and how to space them out. It was very interesting to see the charts and be given booklets to take home with us. I am planning to copy and laminated some these charts for my personal use as reference and reminder to stay focus on this diet as it’s for life. I know I can do it.

Learning to choose meals out will be my main problem as I have a number of outing in the near future to attend. I will write about my choices from these menus as I attend.

I am watching the Royal Wedding on TV now!

Today is the anniversary of this blog; I started here with a question and under $1000 in the bank. I have come a long way since then. Still all my bills are paid on time and still living in my own home

Late last year I changed to a cheaper plan with the same company that I was with.

Previously I was on a plan that allowed 7G internet and all free phone calls but I had to pay for any international calls if any. I don’t have very many so I don’t need international calls as I have only made 2 calls in 30 years. Both ship to shore internationals ones, now they are expensive. This new plan is for seniors and the lowest you can go at 5G internet and free local & national calls but all mobile calls are now changed. I have only a limit number of mobiles to ring and I use texting on my own mobile only with limited calls out for emergency or when lost someone in a crowd and I need to find them. I save around $40 per month on this plan and with adding in mobile calls saving still about $36. I don’t need any extra Gig on the internet as not using half of what I am paying for now. It’s a go back to dial up plan so if I watch my usage of mobiles calls and never go over my limit in the internet I will have around a fixed amount to pay each month. This is how I always worked my budget even if I am paying more than others I just don’t like bills that I just can’t pay because someone else has used up your limit for the month. On the five occasions that I went over on my limit some else used it on me and once at the beginning of the month too, I was not happy with that.

Our dollar Aus $1.07 to US $ at moment.

Strategy – Review your bills about every six months to see that you are still saving money with your changes that you made since renewed or changed bill companies. Change your habits if you can’t change the company.

I just paid my water & sewage bill this morning, I know that I do get senior subsidy but when I looked at this bill, my water consumption was only 17 kilolitres for the quarter costing $16.89 and sewage and everything else around a $100 total bill that I paid was $111.19 for the quarter.

Our water & sewage access changes are $156.03 plus my $36.89 in water consumption changes then less my senior discount rate of $81.73 so comes out at $111.19 bill. For every kilolitre that I don’t use I save only $2.17 then get a senior water subsidy $20.00 off the total. So 17 kilolitres cost $16.89 for three months the balance of the bill was access fees. They are putting up these fees at alarming rate too! The only control on this bill is the water consumption. The city average per household is 360 to 400 kilolitres per quarter and most household are without any subsidies. The lowest I got my water consumption down to was 9 kilolitres per quarter when we were using bath water to keep our plants alive and at level 7 with dams level around 16%. This quarter I used some extra water to blast the slime off the steps and paths here. Will see what next quarter comes in at!

Went to the first of free diabetes classes, I found it interesting and learnt some things about what is diabetes. The next class is on food so I will be looking forward to that one.

While I was in the area I went too for this class has the top breakfast restaurant in Brisbane so I dropped in for a coffee and had a mini breakfast as I had to start out very early to get to that area on time so had my breakfast 3 hours earlier. This cost $12.65 and when coming back to the city I had a Asian Chicken & Rice Noodle Salad $4.00 with a drink that I had in my bag.

I have been bulk shopping this month so buying ahead to save money down the track. I don’t like having to go shopping for things that I can get cheaper buying else where. By timing my shopping to go with where I shop and whether I have the car with me. So far I have bought $67.82 worth of cat food. For myself I bought yoghurt mix $8.48, coffee bulk $13.30 = $21.78

As I have been changing my diet to more friendly foods for diabetes so the cost of this month is a little high but it will work out over time.

I had two medical appointments on Thursday, one for Chiropractor and podiatrist. Both cost out of pocket expenses but I need them to keep going. My chiropractor annual fee was due so $540.00, I do get $232.80 back in refunds from Health Care Fund over the course of the year. I save money by paying this way as we can’t get bank interest of 10% here and that money is sitting in the bank anyway! As for the podiatrist fee it will cost about $2.50 in the end for this visit and the next 3 visits then I will start paying full price again its part of Diabetes refunds that I been getting. I have about 6 visit per year. The Chiro. is 12 visits per year.

While I was out I had a few bills to pay that I received just the day before, as I like to pay my bills in person, that requires me to have a trip to the city for some. I like to do them as soon as possible as all have late fees if I miss the deadline date. I do have a few B-pay ones but these are rare. So my rates were dues for this quarter $260.50, and my credit card that I put my eye specialist bill on so paid that in full too! Then bought another book on Diabetes this one on general information so it was must. As it alright having things in your computer that you have downloaded to read but not printed out to read offline which would be the case if I need the information now and no computer.

I did buy lunch to as I needed food so I bought poached chicken and egg noodles. $8.90

I some shopping for DF-M too! Some muscle cream and a new pair of slippers. As for exercise that day I thought that I had done enough I left home at 9am and got back around 2.30pm.

All up I outlaid around $1080 for the day, it’s not luck that I can find this kind of money but my budget is set out for that kind of spending. Stress free budgeting and spending.

Strategy - Don’t spend your forward bill money on trivia; it’s been put aside for a purpose and keep you stress free.

As I work on 28 day cycles, my dates may be out to a calendar months so here are the figures for my last period.

It’s time to start again on reviewing my monthly daily living allowance.

These are the categories for this challenge.
Items === Approx Budget===Spent
Eating out===$35.00=====$53.20
Groceries===$135.50 ==== $133.84
Non-Food===$17.00=====$8.39
Clothes ====$35.00======$4.40
Grooming===$15.00======$22.90
Gas======$25.00=======$23.18
Pets====== $50.00=== ==$67.20
HH items===$42.50=====$54.05
Fares== ====$9.00
Entrainments= $12.00
Garden =====$10.00
Gifts & Donations =$35.00
Medical =====$15.00======$11.20
Diabetes Expenses====$50===$218.86
Misc ======$9.00
Personal Allowance =$85.00 ====$58.06
Note: only one amount it's no spend

Budgeted for this period $580 spent $655.78

No Spending days over the 28 days = 9 days in total.

Personal allowance covers confectionery, lotto, books, stamps, craft & hobby supplies.
Eating out including meals out with family and friends, we all go Dutch.

As for medical this is the extra out of pockets amounts that came up this month this I had a visits to a GP Doctor bulk billed Medicare (FREE), and bought a Monthly Medication.

As for my medical visits out of pocket expensive if they are related to Diabetes then I will class them as Diabetes Expenses will come under this new category. So the $120 eye specialist cost is included here. All the little things that I need to do for this charge over. Like update the books on the my new diet as some are 15 years old and 7 years since I last bought any on this subject and a lot has charged in that time. Joining a Diabetes Australia fee $15.00, all these little extras outside Food as I am on no medication.

Diabetes Expenses – Books $83.86, DAQ fee $15.00, Eye specialist $120 = $218.86
A most will be one off items or once per year expenses. But I need to track these items on my small budget and pension. Each time I pay for some thing in this category I will need to cut something in other categories. I read somewhere that it cost over $4000 per year for non medication diabetes and over $9000 per year for insulin dependent, some of this is pick up with medical refunds and the government discounts for health card users. I think this article was written for Australian but then I have read so much in the last 3 weeks it’s becoming a overload.

My credit cards are still paid in full each month.

I do keep my bill money separated from this summery. This year I will be budgeting around $650 per period month to cover all my bills. This month bills were around $230 and the balance goes into the bill account to cover the next large lot of large bills. These funds do cover all my fixed bills for the year if I can stick to this schedule as I have done for the past ten years or so. This budget will be tight but just doable. On my budget excel modelling chart I can pay the full amount this year by doing this.

If any changes to my spending habits will need to come out of my daily living allowance categories of my budget as my bill categories are very tight now. Still need to work on a few categories as you can see but over all I had a good month. No Savings for this month over $ 75.78 on budget for amount.

Strategy: - Track your daily spending down to the cent by writing it down daily.

I have been trying a few new recipes out using chickpeas/ garbanzo beans. The first one I made up as I went along because I forgot to download the second recipe that I wished to try.

It turned into an Indian style curry that was eatable and quite nice to eat. As for the second recipe I will give it ago soon. It's a Spanish tapas recipe that I got from a blog I was reading, they had the ingredients but not the method which I found in another recipe of the same name. I was looking for a chickpea side dish so both recipes may work.

Spicy Chickpea & Spinach - Indian style
1 x 400g can of chickpea, drained or 3/4 cups of cooked chickpeas.
6 - 8 cubes of frozen spinach or 8 -10 (250g) leaves of spinach, cooked and drained
1 teaspoon Olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 - 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock

Heat a saucepan put in olive oil cook the cumin seed for a few seconds add the turmeric and curry powder add stock, chickpeas, spinach, stir. Bring to the boil and simmer until stock absorbed it's cooked.
Serves 3 as side dish

espinaca con garbanzos (spinach and garbanzo beans)

You can use dried chickpeas and cooked as normal. You need about 3/4 cups of cooked chickpeas.

1 x 400g can of chickpea, drained or 3/4 cups of cooked chickpeas.
8-10 (250g) leaves of spinach, cooked and drained or 8 cubes of frozen spinach
Olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)
Fresh garlic, crushed
1/8 teaspoon each of dried thyme, oregano, rosemary
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
dried red pepper flakes to taste
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
some cubed white bread (to bind the sauce) about a half slice
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
pinch of salt
splash of water to make the consistency right.

Wash the spinach, drain well, and tear into pieces.
Place in a microwave dish, cover and on high about 4 minutes or less. (Depending on your wattage of your microwave) or simmer 10 minutes in a pot of water on the stove. Drain and chop finely.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet and then saute the bread and garlic until they are golden on all sides. Transfer the bread and garlic to the mortar or mini processer.
Add salt and vinegar and mash to a paste.

Add remaining oil to the skillet and heat.
Quickly saute spinach, then add the paprika, chickpeas, the bread and garlic mixture, thyme, oregano, rosemary , cumin, chilli pepper.
Cook a minute, add a little water if mixture seems too dry.
Let sit 10 minutes to blend flavours, and then serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 3 -4

I had to go to the Eye specialist one day for tests to make sure that my eyes weren’t affected from the diabetic so far. My cataracts are stable for now and no problems from the diabetic so $190 later I am all clear for next two years so long I see my optician annually which I do as I am allowed one almost free pair glasses annually and I have 4 pair in use. While out I found another GI Diet Handbook that I didn’t have so I bought it for $22.95 and I seen it else where for $38.99 and they had the one I was looking for $38.99 also but didn’t buy it.

Second day was my lunch date with ex-co-workers. I had to pay a few bills and get a refund on that Eye Specialist Bill so Medicare paid $70.00 so out of pocket was $120.00 as I knew I would be it was expensive last time I went. Paid my credit bill in full $50.00 and my power bill $74.00 and bought the book on GI Diet on Diabetes that I was looking at the day before for $35.00 and the latest version 2011 too! Online ones were published 2007 for $35.00 + postage. So I am ahead on that one.

Lunch menu this time was expensive as the casino had put there prices up by $10.00 and no member discount but did get a senior card discount 10% so $27.00 for lunch just to expensive for my liking and the food menu has changed to a more Asian foods and it wasn’t hot for that matter. So we said at that price and menu change we move on to a different restaurant next time. Some of them don’t like the other restaurant but we will go there until we find somewhere else to go. I can’t afford to pay that price every month it was bad enough at $20.00 but now that I have to be real picky about the food I eat with my diabetes.

Saving on books RRP $38.99 each
$38.99 -$ 22.95 = $16.04
$38.99 -$35.00 = $3.99 or online $ 6.50 p&p
Saving $20.03 on books that I needed by shopping around.

I am trying to do two 20 minutes walks a day now, as part of my exercise as I can’t do to much as it makes me lightheaded and very tried. But I am still giving it ago.

This morning I did walk to the shops for my neighbour MF-M to get her some fresh milk, and I bought some ground cumin as I was out of this when I went to cook the other day. I stopped by the second hand book shop and got 2 cookbooks and 4 magazines about greening world, they have some articles that I wish to read at some time and at 50c each it’s now or never buying.

Spent $4.00 on books and $1.30 on spice
Tonight I am having dinner with the family so don’t know what I will be eating yet!

At least two days are no spending day here and other was hairdresser appointment for hair cut that I need. About every 8 weeks or so I get my hair cut then I will dye it myself after the cutting. As I have a number appointments this coming week, it was best did it now. While out I buy two more cookbooks for $2.00 to read. One was on vegetarian cooking and the other one on Jewish cooking.
I do have number of these cookbooks so I like to crosscheck some of the recipes in them.

I doing a lot of reading on diabetic at the moment so learning about it. I did sign up for the free classes in April so that is all organized. As for my GI Diet I am still learning about what I can and can’t eat and what best for me. I did start a food diary but keep forgetting to write the food down. Two days out of seven is not good in my books. One thing still I need to do is drink more fluid as I need cut back on my coffee as I have hypotension along with the diabetics. I got appointment to see an eye specialist next week that was quick. That means I will get eye drops and I will have blurred vision for a few hours as I had these test before I do know the drill. NO driving the car for 24 hours and sunshades.

As for some of the meals that I have been making her, it was hot last week 33C so I a cold salad of boiled egg, Cos lettuce, 1 Roma tomato, chunky cut, 1tbsp charred pepper strips , a few bread & butter cucumbers, 3 black olives with Italian low fat dressing. On the side I had one slice pear (skin still on), two tbsp cottage cheese with 1tsp pepitas (pumpkin seed) on top plus water as it was to hot to cook here.

Tonight I have spiced chickpeas and spinach with 2 sausages and some grapes. Cold Peach Tea

I am having only porridge and sultanas with LSA as a cereal now as this is one thing that keeps my level down.

It’s Earth Hour tonight here so at 8.30pm I will be turning off my lights for one hour. I will be sitting on the front porch watching the stars and may be having a pot of green tea.

I had a quick search and found these recipes on some other links in Saving Advice that I have not posted in this series. I hope you have enjoyed some other flavours & ways to cook lentils.

Some Recipes found in other blogs & forum

LENTIL PATE
Makes 2 cups

1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
2 cups water
2- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon French mustard to taste
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1/2 teaspoon or more chili powder to taste

Place lentils in a medium saucepan with water.
Bring to the boil, reduce heat slightly.
Simmer for 20 minutes or until tender, stirring every 5 minutes.
Drain off water and save. Add to mixture if to dry add more lemon juice.
Beat mixture thoroughly till smooth and creamy.
Add tomato paste, mustard, lemon or lime juice and chili powder.
Stir until well combined and smooth or blend.
Place in a suitable shallow dish. Chill in refrigerator.
Serve accompanied by crudit's and pita bread or as a spread.
Freezes well.
Divide into 3 portions and freeze if using as a spread. Last more than week in fridge.
Whole recipe = Cal.475

LENTIL PASTIES
Makes 8

375g short crust pastry
egg to glaze
Filling
2/3 cup red lentil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 grated zucchini
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
Pepper and salt

Place lentils in a pan of water to cover, simmer 10 minutes until tender, drain and cool.
Cook onion in oil until softened, add curry powder and coriander and cook 2 minutes. Fold into lentils with remaining ingredients.
Roll pastry and cut 8 rounds about 15cm in diameter. Place a spoonful of filling in the centre of each; dampen edges and fold over. Press edges together with the tines of fork to seal. Brush with egg glazing; cut 2 small slits in 3each and place on lightly greased tray.
Bake at 190 C for about 30 minutes until golden.
Serve hot with vegetables

SPICY LENTIL PATTIES

2 cups red lentils
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon chili powder or less
1 tablespoon ground rice

Carefully wash lentils and put in pot with 3 cups cold water.
Cook until mushy - use a potato masher.
Add all other ingredients and mix very well.
Let it get cold, then form into patties
Heat oil in a thick pan until fairly hot.
Add the patties and cook on each side until brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
Serve with Cucumber and yoghurt salad, tomato sliced with little onion and chopped mint with lemon juice.
If eaten hot, serve fluffy basmati rice, if cold, grainy bread or chapatis.

Final part four on lentils to come

GREEN LENTIL AND VEGETABLE SOUP
Serve 4-6

1 cup green lentils
4 cups finely chopped pumpkin
1 potato, chopped
1 onion, chopped
6 button mushrooms, chopped
2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
6 cups water or stock
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce (optional)

Place all the ingredients except for the soy sauce in a large saucepan.
Gently simmer uncovered for about 1 hour or until the lentils are soft.
Add the soy sauce and simmer for a further 5 minutes before serving.

INDIAN LENTIL CURRY
Serve 4-6

1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. freshly grated root ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. each, chili powder, cumin and coriander
2 tbsp. Oil
250g cauliflower pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 small parsnip, chopped
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 cup brown lentils, soaked as directed on packet
1 x 425g can Tomatoes, low salt
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper
In a large saucepan, fry curry powder, ginger, garlic and spices with oil for 2 minutes.
Add vegetables and toss through. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until sauce has reduced to desired consistency and vegetables are tender.
Serve with steamed basmati rice, yogurt and selection of sambals eg. Fruit chutney or pickles, sliced banana, sultanas, shredded coconut.

LENTIL & RICE - ONE POT DINNER
Serves 4

1 cup lentils (green or brown)
1/2 cup rice
2 cups carrots -- sliced (see note below)
3 cups hot water
2 tsp. vegetable stock powder (blended into hot water)
1 teaspoon garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tbsp. olive oil or Canola oil

Wash and pick over lentils.
Place in large pot with rice and carrots.
Add all remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover and cook until rice is done, 20 to 30 minutes.

Note: You could add other vegetables to this recipe or a 2 cups Frozen Mixed Vegetables

More Lentils Recipes - Part three to come.

I have found a lot of information on lentils over the years. For the past 10 years I have been researching different foods then collecting as many recipes that I can on that one ingredient. Lentils was one ingredient that I covered more than once in 2000, 2005 and now in 2011 with this collection of links.

I will posts few recipes from the old collection notes in another post. When you look into some old cookbooks you usually only find about 2 or 3 recipes in about every third cookbook that you look at, so to find over a 100 recipes each time without the internet for the first year and now I can do it without typing up one recipes. I haven't tried everyone but the ones that I liked I make all the time.

What we call red lentils here are called in on one of these links Orange Lentils (Hulled & Split) and I have seen whole red lentils with brown skin here called brown lentils so it can be confusing. I buy most of my lentils in Indian grocery shops.

As for low GI /GL (Glycemic Index /Glycemic load) latest in 2011 on lentils.
Note: Grams (g) is the serving size.

Red dried, boiled - 125g - 26 GI- 5 GL- 18 carbs
Red dried, split, boiled 25 mins- 125g - 21 GI- 3 GL- 15 carbs
Green dried, boiled -125g - 30 GI- 5 GL- 17 carbs
Brown canned, 80g - 42 GI- 5 GL- 13 carbs
Green canned, 135g - 48 GI- 8 GL- 17 carbs

From 'Low GI Diet Shopper's Guide 2011'

This is the recipe that I made today; it tasted quite nice so I will make it again.

A very tasty winter soup and warming makes a meal in itself.

1 tbsp oil
1 large onion 150g, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed or 2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp minced chilli
6 cups water
1 1/2 cups (375ml) prepared chicken stock
1 cup (200g) red lentils
1/2 cup (100g) pearl barley
425g can whole tomatoes, undrained and mashed
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley or coriander to serve

Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
Add the onion, cover cook gently for about 10 minutes or until beginning to brown stirring frequently.

Add the garlic, turmeric, curry powder, cumin and chilli and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
Stir the in the water, lentils, barley, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to the boil, cover and simmer about 45 minutes or until the lentils and barley is tender.

Serve sprinkled with parsley or coriander.

Serves 4- 6
Notes: I add an extra can of tomatoes in the soup as I still quite a lot of them on hand. I counted the soup scoops that I got 16 soup scoops out of it. It tasted quite nice so will make it again.

Per serve (6)
Low GI
Cal 180/kJ 760
Carb 25g
Fat 5g
Fibre 5g
The New Glucose Revolution by Prof Jennie Brand- Miller p47

What you may ask? I went to the doctor’s one day last week to get the results of Glucose test that I had done. It came back that I was now Diabetic type 2 this may explain my chronic fatigue that I have been having over the past few years where I didn’t feel like doing any housework but for things that had to be done. Then only in short tasks time periods if it took more than 2 hours it never got started or it never ever got finished period. After two hours I had it for the day and had to sit or lie down for an hour or so just I could finish off if I had too! If had to do something for other people then that was it for the day. Just getting the basics done some days was a chore, that was only cleaning up after the cats, empty the rubbish, wash the a few dishes and make my bed.

My glucose levels at fasting have been border line for the past 20 years or so but never going into diabetic levels. So it has been coming on for years but I am still in a fasting 5.5 range but with a 12.9 after 2 hours. So now I am a diabetic type 2 and on diet control. Until told other wise I will be trying low GI diet control along a higher protein intake using more legumes in my diet to keep my budget in control. I will be having more expenses but that can’t be help.

Now I have to do a lot of reading on diabetes and what I can and can’t eat extra. I have join our local Diabetic group and downloaded some of their recipes and found out about free classes that they have and what I can get by signing with my health card. Yet it’s very earlier days.

I will have to make up a balance menu plans and look at what not wanted in my pantry anymore.

I have a lot of books on GI Diet so I don’t have go out a buy them.

I have been only buy things that I need in the way of food and will need to change my shopping a little to take into the need for my fresh vegetables and only buy enough for the next few days not enough to last until the next shopping trip. Less is more will be the way to go. I will need to exercise more about 30 minutes per day. But I don’t wish to walk to the shops each day exercise either. I may do this in the early morning and again in the late afternoon for about 20 minute’s time each. Plus any extra exercise that I get when I go to the shops but when I go to a shopping centres or city I don’t need to exercise at all as I will walk long distances when I am in these areas for hours.

On the Free food front. Yesterday DF-M was looking for me while I was out to give me my share of black grapes and Roma tomatoes about two kilograms of each from the family farm. These will be the last lot of grapes that I will eat for a long while. Now the persimmon tree is fruiting and I been give one each day so will need to check out this fruit as they are so big 350g each on my new diet. Cash Value of all this free fruits is quite high much of these lines were hit by the rains if not flooding. Tomatoes $6.98kg, black grapes $3.98 kg and persimmons are $1.50 each here.

I found a easy soup recipe that I will today. I will post it later if it’s any good.

Going to the supermarket for pet food is when I shop most times now. I always buy cat food when on special and this week it was at its lowest price for months. So I set out to stock up on it by 40 cans and some dry cat food that cats have run out of. While there I planned to check out some of the special in the meat and seafood lines. So I bought some seafood and sausages on special to give some variety to my diet. These will give me about 24 extra single meals over the coming months. Along with what already in the freezer this should do for a while. I do still have a lot of can tuna in the pantry. Thinking of making some fish cakes as I have still got some potatoes that need to be used soon!

I get more serving buy making fish cakes /patties than making a Tuna Mornay or tuna bake. There are plenty of recipes around for canned tuna. Mostly I buy in bulk when it comes to fruit by buying the cheapest fruit in season and then buying it by the bucket, this can last up the 3 weeks in the fridge. As for vegetables when they are expensive I stop buying and then buy just frozen vegetables and buy a few items that are cheap at the time of buying my fruit.

Seafood and sausages $18.76
Potatoes $1.00
Pet food $24.48

Ok my pet food cost more than my own food is always been the case when I shop for the cats. It’s not called the cat shop for nothing.