If you haven’t picked up on it, I really adore figure skating. Really, really. Particularly men’s, and not just because they’re handsome. I just enjoy their athleticism more, they reach greater heights and rotations in their jumps. Though the women are more flexible and have such beautiful programs. Not to say that the men can’t be equally as flexible either. If you really want to know about my addiction, go here and here (especially this one).

So back to my Saturday night. Charyn had us put on the guest list through her connections with one of the skater’s mothers. I’ll tell you which one a little later. ;)

I was going to give a full recap, but honestly I think pictures are better. Though none of them are my own, point-and-shoots just don’t get the job done on the ice.

The night was filled with eye-patched men.

Beautiful angels gliding across the ice.

Passionate performances.

A bedazzled glove, Michael Jackson style. Or Johnny Weir style, whichever you prefer.

Incredible flexibility and balance. And costumes, Sasha’s costume here is just beautiful.

Amazing skill. Let’s just say I can’t do that.

Too old Eldridge did a program to Cheap Trick’s I Want You to Want Me. Let’s just say Plushenko’s Fashion on Ice rendition to the song was better. Not that I don’t like Eldridge, just not that program.

Weeeee!

The worm on ice.

Total sass. And yes that’s a hair extension, all the women had a long ponytail for the number with the eye-patched men.

How could I forget backflips? Michael Weiss was a total whiz with them.

A chorus line.

A pretty fantastic night all around.

Charyn and I also went to the meet-and-greet post-show, though only 4, maybe 5 skaters actually came. Champions on Ice did it much better, you actually got to meet each one.

Anyway, we saw Agosto, Alissa, Yuka, and Jeremy from my memory. Charyn is friends with Abbott and his mother from way back when so we chatted with him most of the time. He’s a real sweetheart if you’re wondering.

Thanks Charyn for inviting me! It was a fabulous time.

Oh and did I mention the Smucker’s swag?

Suh-wheeeeet.

All photos (except the one of the Smucker’s swag) are not my own and were found on the Stars on Ice website.

Disclaimer: I received the Smucker’s items for free at the event, but this in no way had anything to do with this post.

Total Cost for Breakfast: $1.25

Now then, I started off my frugal day with a slice of .16 oat bran bread with a .15 slather of pure peanut butter. On the side I had one 1/2 cup of defrosted frozen strawberries (.25 from $1.69 package) in one 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (.31 from $2.50 quart). I drank 1 cup of organic milk for .37 (from a $2.99 half gallon).

Total Cost for Lunch: $1.46

For lunch I had a citrus salad made from a grapefruit (.20, bought on sale for 5/$1), a navel orange (.33), and 1/4 cup organic arugula (.50). I also had 1 pan-fried egg (.20) with a negligible sprinkle of sea salt and some baked potato wedges (.10 for 1/2 pound) with ketchup (.08). I had water with lunch.

Total Cost for Snack: $0.47

For snack I had 1 cup (after popping) air-popped popcorn (.15), with a little olive oil (.32) and sea salt.

Total Cost for Dinner: $1.67

Dinner was a delicious Pineapple Coconut Chicken Curry, but I warn you that it is a rather untraditional recipe. It includes 2 cups brown rice (.90), 3 chicken tenders (.90), 2 potatoes (.15), 1 red bell pepper (.69), coconut milk (.99), pineapple chunks (.79), 1 tablespoon yellow curry paste (.08) and broccoli (.70). Total cost of all these ingredients is $5.20, but it makes 4-5 servings. At 4 servings it is $1.30 per serving. This will be lunch or dinner for a few more days. I had 1 cup of organic milk with dinner (.37).

If you would like to make Asian food for cheap, I suggest buying ingredients at an Asian grocer. The yellow curry past only cost me $2.29 for 14 ounces and the coconut milk was .99 for 14 ounces. The vegetables were not organic, but I picked those up from a discount produce stand. I could have added more meat, but it’s expensive and I don’t always need to eat that much of it. This recipe is very flexible and forgiving, you can find a variant of it here. Keep in mind that to make it more inexpensive I change a few of the ingredients than what is listed in the recipe.

To read more about the Hunger Challenge, visit the United Way Hunger Challenge website. (Hunger Challenge Week was actually 2 weeks ago in Seattle, but shhhhh)

Total Cost for the Day: $4.85

I surprised myself that I spent so little, but I also found a lot of these things on great sales, like the grapefruit being 5/$1 or buying frozen fruit instead of fresh. Planning your meals around produce that is in season is one of the best ways to eat on a $7 per day budget. Incorporating cheap proteins, like eggs and peanut butter, and buying in bulk will also cut costs.

One last tip, learn to cook a few fast and healthy meals that use fresh ingredients (like curry). Then you will be more willing to cook a fresh meal (benefiting your health and budget) than choosing convenience food.

P.S. That weird looking long, dark object in the photo of the curry is a green bean. In the picture it looks a little like something inedible…

Post previously published by me (Carrie) here on Foodista.com.

Now I menu plan every week and I spend a tenth of our income on food. When my husband was working full time (he’s now working on a masters program) that same amount would have been 6% of our income. The average in the U.S. is hard to pinpoint, as of 2005 (US Labor Statistics) the average was 13% but other sources say it’s more like 15-20%. Yikes.

My secret? I do 4 things, each becomes easier with diligence and planning.

1. Menu plan

Let’s be honest, those of us who menu plan do not always stick to the plan. You can’t plan for everything. But you can be prepared. Buy only grocery items you need for the meals planned that week, and have a few standbys for company or for a night you want something quick to eat.

Key: Only go grocery shopping once per week. More trips equals more impulse buys.

2. Keep to the list

This is the hardest part. I stray from my list a lot. It’s difficult, all those products that you want to try calling to you from the shelf, “Carrie! Please buy us! Carrie!”

The solution? Allow yourself a certain amount to spend on impulse buys. Maybe there is something on special that you buy a lot and you didn’t know it was on sale, or maybe you just really want to try those Russian blue potatoes. Go ahead, just stick to your impulse budget so you don’t go overboard.

3. Keep a price list

This is the real fun one. I have an Excel spreadsheet (ah Excel, how I love thee) with columns for product, brand, weight/count/volume, price, price per serving, store, and whether it was on sale or not. It sounds complicated and like it’s too much work, but it’s really not once you have it set up. It takes 5 minutes to input a receipt. And it only takes 5-10 minutes to scan the sheet for to estimate the cost of a product, figure meal price per serving, compare prices between stores, or to see if something is at a good price. It works for me. Just play around with it and see what it can do for you, it doesn’t need to be precise or perfect, and I think it could shave at least 15% off of any bill. I swear I’m not a geek! I do don’t watch Star Trek and Dr. Who in my spare time. You can download a sample Excel sheet by clicking the link below.

Sample Grocery Worksheet

4. Buy primarily only sale items with or without coupons

You don’t need to cut coupons, just buy what’s on sale. Buy two or three chickens when they’re .79/lb. and throw them in the freezer. This alone will cut costs. Check store ads too. They’re in the Sunday paper and usually at the front of the store or at the help desk. You don’t have to cut coupons out of those, you can just show them to the cashier and they’ll scan them. This could easily save you a $10 per trip depending on variables.

In addition to these I visit the Rising Sun Farms vegetable/fruit stand (on 15th and 65th north of the U-District) once per week. This is a great place for those of you in Seattle. It’s not all organic, but sometimes it is. I come out of there with enough fruit and veggies for 2 people for one week and it costs on average between $10-15. I get several bursting bags for that price. It’s cash/check only, let me know if you go!

Tune in tomorrow for a great post on exciting cheap meals, I can feed myself for less than $5/day! And that includes a yummy curry recipe for only $1.30 per serving.

Photo by Bruce Turner.

Anyway, here are the contents of my make-up bag in order that I use them:

Facial Toner: Murad Clarifying Toner

• Thoughts: I love this toner, it’s expensive for me, but Murad is great for break-out prone skin and pores that want to take over the world. It’s clean, refreshing, and makes your skin feel as tight as an over-inflated balloon.

Facial Lotion: Boscia Oil-Free Daily Hydration SPF 15 (like I need SPF in Seattle…)

• It’s very light, and it does help to control oil. Even though it’s a really light moisturizer, it gets my skin through the dry winter months just dandy.

Concealer: Aveda Inner Light Concealer in Balsa

• I dab a few dots under my eye and smooth it down with the tip of my ring finger and a make up sponge. It doesn’t hide everything, but it definitely helps. When I don’t wear it I sometimes get comments that I look tired, so I’ll stick with it.

Blush: Rimmel Blush in Pink Rose

• I’m not a huge blush fan, so I don’t wear it often. This one does the trick though, just adds a little color. I also have one from Aveda, I think it’s from the Inner Light line and the color is Lotus.

Eyeliner: Petal Essence Eye Definer in Cacao

• I really like Aveda’s eyeliners, they go on very smoothly and smudge in the way I like.

Eyeshadow: Petal Essence Eye Color Duo in Khaki Cloud

• This is my favorite eyeshadow, it has one color for the lid and one for the crease. It’s a very natural color with a very small amount of shimmer (not like Claire’s shimmer).

Mascara: Almay One Coat Nourishing Lengthening Mascara in Black/Brown

• I generally like Almay’s mascaras, but this one just gets the job done. Nothing special.

Other products I wear on occasion:

Eye Primer: Sephora Eye Primer

• Meh. It makes my eyelid more smooth, but it does this weird thing that makes my eyeshadow go on kind of strange. It’s hard to describe, it looks kind of fuzzy/clumpy? Sometimes it works but ugh, I’m just not a fan.

Under Eye Brightener: Smashbox Photo Op

• I have a problem with under eye circles. It’s not sleep-related, just hereditary I believe. I bought this to help. It’s supposed to reflect light so you don’t see the circles, and when used with concealer it does help. But I probably won’t buy it again.

Foundation: Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15 in Fair/Light

• It works fine. It makes my face look somewhat more smooth, but I just don’t like to wear foundation. It feels like too much.

And there you have it! My mish-mash of make-up products. And that’s just in the bag. You should see the box under the sink. We all have one, yes, you know who you are.

To see what others have in their make up bags, visit Chic Critique!

Photo by swimparallel.

Photo by Maciej Łebkowski.

Tip: If you’re worried that you’ve gotten enough curd and used enough tartaric acid simply drain the first time into another clean pot. If you didn’t put enough tartaric in the first time you can just repeat the process with the stuff that drained through.

Your actual working time is less than an hour to make the cheese and the tiramisu. And the instructor said last night that her friends say it’s the best tiramisu they’ve ever had. The proof is in the homemade mascarpone.

See more deliciousness at Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays!

Tiramisu photo by stu spivack.

Monday night my friend Jamie and I decided to make this creation and executed the Spanakopita with perfection. And by perfection I mean the lasagna noodles did didn’t stick together. Helpful tip: Buy precooked noodles, or add a tablespoon of oil to the pot of boiling water to keep the noodles from sticking.

In the end the recipe came out quite pretty, and I used the huge casserole dish I received as a wedding gift (and that I never get to use). :) We tweaked it a little bit, but I’m sure it would still come out delicious.

*We ended up without enough filling for 3 layers, but we also didn’t perfectly measure the spinach so I think we had a little less of that. We also used a larger pan than 9×13.

**Ignore the spots on the baking dish, it’s from the lasagna. :)

Really, black beans and sweet flavors are meant for each other. In Guatemala I was served Rellenitos de Platano which is like mashed plantains molded around pureed black beans mixed with a little sugar with the whole thing plopped in a deep fryer. It’s one of my most favorite Guatemalan desserts. That and just pure, fried plantains. Mmmm. For the Rellenitos de Platano recipe scroll down and click on the Foodista link.

But what you really want is the black bean brownie recipe, isn’t it? I thought you’d never ask. But a few more things first, just tips really. I suggest coming back to them after you see the recipe. It’s like in college when the professors told you to read the chapter before class and then go back and review it after lecture…which I hope you’ll do now even if you didn’t then.

1. Do not, I repeat, do NOT forget to rinse the beans extremely well if you used canned beans. You want as little extra sodium and bean flavor as possible.

2. These are better spread thinner than regular brownies. Think fudge.

3. I also prefer these stored in the fridge, they hold their shape better.

4. Don’t try using a blender for the beans and walnuts together. It really doesn’t work. A food processor is your friend here. If you don’t have one then use a coffee grinder for the walnuts, a blender for the beans and chocolate, then mix them by hand in a bowl.

5. I used just regular ground coffee instead of the natural coffee substitute.

6. I also don’t use a whole stick of butter, I probably only used about half.

The recipe is really quite simple. At least by my standards. I cranked them out in under 30 minutes.

Ok, enough is enough. The recipe can be found at 101 Cookbooks! I wish I could reprint it, but I don’t have proper permissions. The recipe is originally from Baking With Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature’s Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. (Ten Speed Press 2008)

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This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free and to Chocolate Fridays at Stop and Smell the Chocolates!

The rellenitos recipe can be found through the below link. Happy baking!