Annies is one of my favorite places to buy snacks for lunchboxes from. They make all natural dried fruit products, nut products and seed products, amongst other things. I urge you to sign up their newsletter for great email specials.
Delivery is often overnight and very reasonable.
This week, on special are Mrs Mays Nut Crunch products. Go and check it out.
These products are an excellent, healthy alternative to sweets in the lunchbox, and are great for car trips where fresh fruit is often too messy to indulge in too often.
LastPenny recommends products we use ourselves. We receive no payment or other benefits from these recommendations nor for visits to websites we recommend in posts.
Kedgeree - a forgotten, filling, favorite!
Kedgeree is, put simply, a type of fish risotto.
It's nutritious, filling, warming and most kids love it. You can make it with any type of fish - personally, for ease and cost effectiveness, I use tinned smoked fish fillets.
You can also make it with tinned salmon (or even fresh salmon! But THAT'S not Last Penny!) to serve as a dinner party entree.
But you can use any sort of boneless, filleted fish.
Kedgeree
Fish of choice - 1x310g can smoked fish fillets is a good place to start. If using fresh fish, cook (grill or poach for preference) and flake.
2 cups cooked rice (long grain) - most kids prefer white, use brown for dinner parties, or, if you are being extremely posh, use a mix of wild rice and brown. Avoid jasmine, basmati, etc (Unless that's all you have in the house, in which case, I can attest to the fact it's quite edible with Jasmine!)
1 hard-boiled egg
1 or 2 fresh tomatoes
Herbs: best are fresh dill, chives and parsley. Use dried if you don't have fresh.*
I make this dish in the electric frying pan, but you can do it on the stovetop in a frying pan or wok if you prefer.
Put the cooked rice and the fish in the frying pan over a medium heat. Toss in a little oil to coat pan and prevent sticking (olive oil is best for fish, I find, but the healthiest option, of course, is good old canola cooking spray). Stir frequently, and cook until the rice is starting to brown.
Chop the egg roughly and add. Chop the tomato into smallish wedges, chop your hebs if they are fresh and add. Stir as you heat through.
Serve it when the tomato is warm but not cooked!
Serving suggestions:
For a dinner party entree, pile in small bowls and serve with a wedge of lemon to squeeze over it.
For lunch or tea, serve with a fresh green salad and slices of avocado, or with an orange-and-carrot salad, according to the season
Personally, I love the leftovers cold in my lunchbox, with a squeeze of lemon! But they also reheat in the microwave to be very tasty :)
*Top Tip: Dill is a wonderful herb to have on hand if your family likes fish. It enhances any fish cooking and is particularly tasty added to tinned fish. I usually cheat with dill and buy it dried, as I don't use the volume to justify a fresh plant.
It's nutritious, filling, warming and most kids love it. You can make it with any type of fish - personally, for ease and cost effectiveness, I use tinned smoked fish fillets.
You can also make it with tinned salmon (or even fresh salmon! But THAT'S not Last Penny!) to serve as a dinner party entree.
But you can use any sort of boneless, filleted fish.
Kedgeree
Fish of choice - 1x310g can smoked fish fillets is a good place to start. If using fresh fish, cook (grill or poach for preference) and flake.
2 cups cooked rice (long grain) - most kids prefer white, use brown for dinner parties, or, if you are being extremely posh, use a mix of wild rice and brown. Avoid jasmine, basmati, etc (Unless that's all you have in the house, in which case, I can attest to the fact it's quite edible with Jasmine!)
1 hard-boiled egg
1 or 2 fresh tomatoes
Herbs: best are fresh dill, chives and parsley. Use dried if you don't have fresh.*
I make this dish in the electric frying pan, but you can do it on the stovetop in a frying pan or wok if you prefer.
Put the cooked rice and the fish in the frying pan over a medium heat. Toss in a little oil to coat pan and prevent sticking (olive oil is best for fish, I find, but the healthiest option, of course, is good old canola cooking spray). Stir frequently, and cook until the rice is starting to brown.
Chop the egg roughly and add. Chop the tomato into smallish wedges, chop your hebs if they are fresh and add. Stir as you heat through.
Serve it when the tomato is warm but not cooked!
Serving suggestions:
For a dinner party entree, pile in small bowls and serve with a wedge of lemon to squeeze over it.
For lunch or tea, serve with a fresh green salad and slices of avocado, or with an orange-and-carrot salad, according to the season
Personally, I love the leftovers cold in my lunchbox, with a squeeze of lemon! But they also reheat in the microwave to be very tasty :)
*Top Tip: Dill is a wonderful herb to have on hand if your family likes fish. It enhances any fish cooking and is particularly tasty added to tinned fish. I usually cheat with dill and buy it dried, as I don't use the volume to justify a fresh plant.
Grocery Shop and Save
Consumer NZ has confirmed what most of us Laast Penny shoppers had already worked out for ourselves! Pak N Save has New Zealand's cheapest grocery prices.
The NZ Herald Article is here.
Here is a quote:
The survey excluded fresh produce, meat and fish - but, as LastPenny recommends, you are nearly always better off buying those products from a speciality dealer.
There are many asian groceries with fantastic prices on fresh produce, as well as markets and garden stores.
Meat is best purchased from The Mad Butcher, or other butchers in your town who are able to provide you with good prices.
If you are in Auckland, check out the Auckland Fish Market for the best prices on fresh fish!
The NZ Herald Article is here.
Here is a quote:
"Shopping there [Pak'nSave] saved around $20 and sometimes more than shopping in the dearest supermarket in each city."
Pak'nSave's Albany store produced the cheapest shopping basket, with a $115 transaction. Foodtown Glenfield was the most expensive, with a $140 total.
Woolworths had the highest prices of the nationwide chains, with prices varying from $136 to $145.
The survey excluded fresh produce, meat and fish - but, as LastPenny recommends, you are nearly always better off buying those products from a speciality dealer.
There are many asian groceries with fantastic prices on fresh produce, as well as markets and garden stores.
Meat is best purchased from The Mad Butcher, or other butchers in your town who are able to provide you with good prices.
If you are in Auckland, check out the Auckland Fish Market for the best prices on fresh fish!
Moving House? Check out Backload Moving
Shifting cities can be a costly business - anyone who moves finds that out smartly!
But Backload Moving** are here to help. What are Backload Moving?
Many furniture trucks end up driving up or down the country empty, because the company has only been able to book a one-way load. Backload Moving lets you, the consumer, take advantage of this - if you are able to be at all flexible on your moving dates, or even if you cant, go on over to Backload Moving and list the requirements of your move.
The listing is free, there is no commission for you to pay, and you'll be contacted directly by moving companies so that you can choose your own quote.
We are about to move, and we've done it this way, and we've received some great quotes!
**Backload Moving are a New Zealand company for clients in New Zealand, but I'm sure there must be similar outfits on other countries. Googling Backload Moving or Movers is likely a great place to start!
But Backload Moving** are here to help. What are Backload Moving?
Many furniture trucks end up driving up or down the country empty, because the company has only been able to book a one-way load. Backload Moving lets you, the consumer, take advantage of this - if you are able to be at all flexible on your moving dates, or even if you cant, go on over to Backload Moving and list the requirements of your move.
The listing is free, there is no commission for you to pay, and you'll be contacted directly by moving companies so that you can choose your own quote.
We are about to move, and we've done it this way, and we've received some great quotes!
**Backload Moving are a New Zealand company for clients in New Zealand, but I'm sure there must be similar outfits on other countries. Googling Backload Moving or Movers is likely a great place to start!
Reader Recipe: 5 Bean Soup
Beans, Beans, They're Good For the Heart: The More You Eat, the Fuller You Get Without Breaking the Bank
What? Is that not how that phrase goes?
Anyway, beans, yes. They're cheap, they're easy to cook, and they're proteiny and filling. Mix them with rice and cheese and you have a full complex protein, or get five kinds of them together with stock and a big pot and a flame, and you've got soup.
5-Bean Soup
Ingredients:
--five kinds of beans
--stock, your choice of
--spices
Steps:
Find five kinds of beans. My feelings on the subject are: whatever's on sale. Canned pintos at 0.49 per? Sold. Dry black beans, three bags for a dollar? Fabulous.
Except for white beans. I don't know. They creep me out. **Note from LastPenny: I LOVE white beans! *vbg*
Anyway! Assemble your beans! If you're using all canned beans, your cooking time will be much much less than if they're dry. Basically, with all canned beans, you're just looking at heating ingredients through.
Some canned some dry? Dump all your dry beans in the stock in the pot. Cook over medium-low heat for hours and hours. Yes seriously. Or do the whole thing where you rest them in cold water overnight. YMMV.
When the dry beans have become cooked beans, add the canned beans.
Now, basically, as soon as you have beans in stock, you can add spices. Totally up to you what kind. Me? I continue to be in love with Tony Chachere's Cajun Spice mix, so that's me sorted, but I've also used Old Bay (nom nom nom), generic "Italian seasoning" mix (did I mention I buy what's on sale? My kitchen looks like a swap meet), garlic powder and oregano, turmeric and garlic, and whatever was in the unmarked jar at the back of the cupboard, but smelled fabulous.
The thing is, beans are usually cheap little suckers, and they pick up the flavors of whatever's added, and they fill bellies well.
Things You Can Add When Flush:
--bacon (whoa there big spender)
--chopped garlic (my fave, as I can actually grow it)
--chopped celery (hey, what's that wilting in the fridge?)
--canned tomatoes (saaaaaaaaaaaaale)
--rice (if it's regular, non-minute rice, either cook it with the dry beans or pre-cook it, because I have had bad experiences with stubborn rice)
--other things you'll all tell us about in comments
With thanks to oddmonster. Check out oddmonster's blog over here at Your Daily Dog
What? Is that not how that phrase goes?
Anyway, beans, yes. They're cheap, they're easy to cook, and they're proteiny and filling. Mix them with rice and cheese and you have a full complex protein, or get five kinds of them together with stock and a big pot and a flame, and you've got soup.
5-Bean Soup
Ingredients:
--five kinds of beans
--stock, your choice of
--spices
Steps:
Find five kinds of beans. My feelings on the subject are: whatever's on sale. Canned pintos at 0.49 per? Sold. Dry black beans, three bags for a dollar? Fabulous.
Except for white beans. I don't know. They creep me out. **Note from LastPenny: I LOVE white beans! *vbg*
Anyway! Assemble your beans! If you're using all canned beans, your cooking time will be much much less than if they're dry. Basically, with all canned beans, you're just looking at heating ingredients through.
Some canned some dry? Dump all your dry beans in the stock in the pot. Cook over medium-low heat for hours and hours. Yes seriously. Or do the whole thing where you rest them in cold water overnight. YMMV.
When the dry beans have become cooked beans, add the canned beans.
Now, basically, as soon as you have beans in stock, you can add spices. Totally up to you what kind. Me? I continue to be in love with Tony Chachere's Cajun Spice mix, so that's me sorted, but I've also used Old Bay (nom nom nom), generic "Italian seasoning" mix (did I mention I buy what's on sale? My kitchen looks like a swap meet), garlic powder and oregano, turmeric and garlic, and whatever was in the unmarked jar at the back of the cupboard, but smelled fabulous.
The thing is, beans are usually cheap little suckers, and they pick up the flavors of whatever's added, and they fill bellies well.
Things You Can Add When Flush:
--bacon (whoa there big spender)
--chopped garlic (my fave, as I can actually grow it)
--chopped celery (hey, what's that wilting in the fridge?)
--canned tomatoes (saaaaaaaaaaaaale)
--rice (if it's regular, non-minute rice, either cook it with the dry beans or pre-cook it, because I have had bad experiences with stubborn rice)
--other things you'll all tell us about in comments
With thanks to oddmonster. Check out oddmonster's blog over here at Your Daily Dog
Hash Brown Stacks
Quick, tasty and cheap hot lunch or light supper - also yummy if you want a hot breakfast! And kids love these tasty treats.
Ingredients:
1 or 2 hash browns per person (frozen are fine)
1 tin spaghetti in tomato sauce*
A few rashers streaky bacon (if desired)
Grated cheese - about half a tablespoon per stack.
Preheat your oven to 200C (or heat as appropriate for your brand od hashbrowns) Grease an oven tray by spraying lightly with cooking spray, or rub with a little oil on a paper towel. (Don't pour the oil on or your hashbrowns will go soggy.) Lay hashbrowns on tray, and top each with a generous spoonful of spaghetti. It should heap, but not overflow. I find a small tablespoon is about right for most hashbrowns.
Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese, and if you're having bacon, chop it finely and sprinkle around a teaspoon on top of each.
Pop into your oven and turn on the grill, or best of all fan grill. time will vary depending on your oven - mine take about 7 or 8 minutes but it might be as little as 3 or 4. Basically, your hashbrown should be warm through, your spaghetti nice and toasty, and your cheese melted and bubbly.
Serve!
*Use the budget kind for recipes! They cant taste the difference! Trust me!
Ingredients:
1 or 2 hash browns per person (frozen are fine)
1 tin spaghetti in tomato sauce*
A few rashers streaky bacon (if desired)
Grated cheese - about half a tablespoon per stack.
Preheat your oven to 200C (or heat as appropriate for your brand od hashbrowns) Grease an oven tray by spraying lightly with cooking spray, or rub with a little oil on a paper towel. (Don't pour the oil on or your hashbrowns will go soggy.) Lay hashbrowns on tray, and top each with a generous spoonful of spaghetti. It should heap, but not overflow. I find a small tablespoon is about right for most hashbrowns.
Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese, and if you're having bacon, chop it finely and sprinkle around a teaspoon on top of each.
Pop into your oven and turn on the grill, or best of all fan grill. time will vary depending on your oven - mine take about 7 or 8 minutes but it might be as little as 3 or 4. Basically, your hashbrown should be warm through, your spaghetti nice and toasty, and your cheese melted and bubbly.
Serve!
*Use the budget kind for recipes! They cant taste the difference! Trust me!
Cheap power? I'll keep you posted.
Well, I have signed up for a make-your-own solar/wind power kit today!
You can find more info over here: http://www.freeenergygogreen.com/australia-newzealand/
The testimonials talk about people halving their power bills, or even bringing them to zero: and the kit itself is on sale price at the moment, so if you're interested, now is likely the time.
I will be keeping you posted with updates: as soon as we move to our new house at the end of September we'll give it a go.
You can find more info over here: http://www.freeenergygogreen.com/australia-newzealand/
The testimonials talk about people halving their power bills, or even bringing them to zero: and the kit itself is on sale price at the moment, so if you're interested, now is likely the time.
I will be keeping you posted with updates: as soon as we move to our new house at the end of September we'll give it a go.
Your groceries for free!
By collecting coupons from newspapers and websites, a Massachusetts woman has managed to trim her grocery bill down to just $4/week, to feed a family of six.
You can read more about it here.
Her answer? Collecting coupons from newspapers, magazines, manufacturer's websites, and going to the stores appropriate for each coupon. She spends an hour a week finding coupons; and four hours per week shopping.
Worth it? I think so.
How often do you "forget" your coupons, or go to the store where things aren't on sale because it's more convenient? Just think of all the money you could be saving.
You can read more about it here.
Her answer? Collecting coupons from newspapers, magazines, manufacturer's websites, and going to the stores appropriate for each coupon. She spends an hour a week finding coupons; and four hours per week shopping.
Worth it? I think so.
How often do you "forget" your coupons, or go to the store where things aren't on sale because it's more convenient? Just think of all the money you could be saving.
