Category: Food

All the Foods

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Mombies Ginger Monograph

Zingiber officinale
Zingiber officinale

Ginger seems to be the go-to for everrrrrythang! 

(Zingiber officinale), herbaceous perennial plant of the family Zingiberaceae, probably native to southeastern Asia

Alternate titles: Canton ginger, Zingiber officinale, common ginger, true ginger

(Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/plant/ginger)

Attributes:

  • Drying
  • Hot
  • Pungent

Uses:

  • Stomach & GI issues
  • Headaches
  • Bruising
  • Nausea
  • Flavoring
  • menstrual cramping

→Is safe during pregnancy, postpartum, and nursing

→Caution: Can thin blood in very high doses

 

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Blanching Day

I cannot take credit for this as it is something I never even heard of before a friend told me about it but living frugally is about finding creative ways to stretch things as far as they can go. So I am always on the lookout for new ideas.

Blanching is a process used when you are going to freeze vegetables to preserve their flavor and nutrients. It is relatively simple but does require that you have freezer space, which I didn’t have until I picked up a chest freezer on clearance.

You will need:

  • Freezer bags
  • Vegetables batched out for use in each meal
  • Strainer
  • Pot
  • large bowel

Steps:

  1. Boil Water
  2. Add a batch of vegetables to blanch
  3. Set timer for 5 minutes
  4. Drain after 5 minutes
  5. Put vegetables in ice-cold water to cool
  6. Once Cool put in freezer bags and freeze
Yes, it really is that simple. Today I am blanching Carrots & Potatoes.  For the visual folks:

 

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Basic Chicken legs from the Insta-Pot

I broke down and bought an Insta-Pot last night, an XL version as my family is a bit bigger than most. I feel like a kid with a new toy, so I had to try it out.  ($79 for an off-brand)

I started with a super basic chicken leg roasting “recipe” that I use when I am lazy and do not feel like making fried chicken. It can be torn up and made into sandwiches, added to salads, or virtually anything your heart desires. I tore up a piece and added it to some leftover Mexican, and it was delish!

The best part about this is you can freeze the chicken for a later meal or turn it into something else. You can use this for any type of chicken you make as well so it is completely versatile!

As you can see, I started with some spices from my cabinet. Again, you can choose whatever your favorites are and use more or less to taste. Sprinkle your spices over the chicken. In this case, the legs were still partially frozen.
⏩Don’t forget to add a cup of water to the bottom of the pot before you add the chicken!⏪
Once you have sprinkled the chicken with all of your favorite herbs and spices, stack them on top of the metal rack in the pot. I stacked these like a campfire! I also put a chunk of homemade butter on top.

 

Plug in your pot and push the poultry button. Set the timer for 20 min. You should add more time if you are cooking it completely from frozen, at least another 5 min if not more.
Once the pot is done cooking push the stop button and let it sit. It will naturally cool down and still be warm enough to eat!

 

And that’s it! I made sixteen chicken legs for less than $5.
Total cost: About $5
$4.85 for a family pack of chicken legs.
Pennies for spices bought at the dollar store
Total time: 1 hour