BAD BUTTER, BAD!!

We all know that butter is bad for us. Buying a butter substitute may be a good option but with so many choices out there it may be difficult to find one that works well for our family. You can go to the grocery store and buy lots of options to butter. Some better than others. Personally I like to stay away from all butters and margarine. Many of the spreads claim to be healthier than butter but with so many chemicals in them how can they be?

My favorite substitutes are:

#3 Coconut oil

Coconut oil is the healthiest oil you can eat. So its no wonder that it made my top three. You use it in place of butter in equal amounts. For example, if your recipe calls for 1 cup then you use 1 cup of coconut oil. It also melts like butter. It turns liquid above 77 degrees and becomes solid below 76 degrees. Great alternative!

#2 Apple sauce

All natural, no sugar added apple sauce is my number two fav. It is easy to find and it is very inexpensive. You may do this in equal amounts to butter also but just be aware that it will make your dough runny so extra flour is needed. You may reduce the sugar to compensate for the sweetness of the apple sauce but if you buy the all natural apple sauce I don't find this necessary. You will need to spray your pans with non stick cooking spray because without the butter in the ingredients they will stick.

#1 Pulp from the juice extractor

This may sound strange but it is an ingenuous idea! I juice for my family every morning and I save the pulp in freezer containers. When making apples make sure you remove the seeds before juicing. I use a plastic grocery bag to catch the apple bits and I get a new bag for the carrots and so on. Because it has no liquid in it the added step of adding more flour is eliminated. What a great way to eliminate the fat while adding healthy fruits and veggies. The best part is that you cant even taste it!

5 easy steps

Creating a budget is the first step for those of you who don't want to be in debt anymore. Being a stay at home mom means that I have the ability to keep the home cost down. Here are some tips I have learned:
1. find out which bills you can eliminate or cut down. Such as phone bill, cable, electricity and etc.
2. Don't eat out! This can cost hundreds of dollars every month. Cook at home instead.
3. Pick recipes that are cheep to make and double it. Freeze the other meal for another day. See our freezer meal section for ideas.
4. Make a plan to get out of debt and stick to it.
5. Make sure you have a starter emergency fund of $1000 before you get out of debt. That way when Murphy comes knocking (and he will) you'll be ready.

GOOD LUCK!

Great deal!

Lees Marketplace is having a HUGE sale to jumpstart your food storage. If you live in Northern Utah you should take advantage of the low prices on your basic food storage needs.
36 rolls of toiletpaper $6.99
Brown Sugar 4for$5
25lbs flour $7.99
Complete 72 hour kit $49
5 gallon pail 2for$9
4lb sugar $1.79
24pk water 2for$5
and many many more!
Hurry in the sale ends on 3/8/11

Augason Farms

Since we have moved here to Utah, purchasing food storage has become a priority for our family.  After all, it's so much more readily available here!  We have discovered a brand Augason Farms, that is reasonably priced and has a 15 to 30 year shelf life.  They have everthing including dairy, fruits, veggies, breads, meats, grains, drinks, etc, etc, etc.  I love that they have a little space on each can where you can put the open date.  Once opened, each item is good for one year.  Plus, several of the containers have recipes on them using other food storage items, so you can have an easy variety!  Perfect for the food storage beginner.  We have been purchasing ours at Winco, but they are also available online at augusonfarms.com.  Price and shipping are very reasonable!