Week of 4/17/2023- The Game Plan

The Game Plan for this week is to get some food preservation done. This will include:  

• 
  

• Freeze the leftover berries from last week 

• Cut the pineapple into chunks to freeze 

• Use pineapple skins to make tepache 

• Prep some dates into syrup 

• Make the pickled daikon and tomatoes 

• Go through remaining celery, asparagus, kale, and corn and prep for freezer 

• Prep some garbanzo beans 

• Plan out work meals 

Let’s look at some of these-  

Prepping and freezing fresh fruits and vegetables-  

Different fruits and vegetables have different methods for preparing for freezer storage. Berries just need a good wash and dry before the freezing stage while asparagus, corn, and many other vegetables do best with blanching first before hitting the freezer. When in doubt, always look up the best method for the produce you’re trying to freeze.   

 

Tepache 

Listen, I am by NO means a tepache (written recipe from Spruce Eats), or any fermented beverage for that matter, expert. I heard June from the Delish “Budget Eats” series talk about it one time in a video like a year ago on the low FODMAP episode she did. And since I don’t have the standard piloncillo available to me, white sugar it is! And now we just pray it works. We’ll see by the end of the week I suppose.

 

 

Pickled Vegetables 

Pickling vegetables is a great way to preserve them and add shelf life to your food. Without actually canning the pickled vegetables they won’t last as long but in the refrigerator the shelf life is still around a month or so, which adds time to otherwise short-lived produce.  

 

Date Syrup 

Date syrup and date paste are another one of those things that I know of but haven’t ever put into practice, until now. Boiling water over (ideally chopped) dates to let soften then blend, strain, and into the fridge for sweetening yogurt, oatmeal, tea, … whatever you want, I guess. I plan on saving the pulp in the freezer and after a second or third batch maybe using it to make a date-filled dessert or something. I dunno, we’ll see.  

 

Work Meals 

I’ve always liked being prepared with my work meals. This does several things- saves me time, saves me from stress, and saves me money. Take for example my morning coffee. Depending on how it's made it costs me anywhere from $.35 to $1.60 to make I know that seems like a huge jump, but on the days I work I know that I need protein to stay focused, so I add a protein shake to my coffee. Being prepared for that means I don’t spend extra money on snacks that won’t keep me full or focused.  

That said, my work meals this week will likely be this: 

• Breakfast- Peanut butter oatmeal with frozen berries or toasted egg and cheese sandwiches  

• Morning Snack- protein coffee 

• Lunch- Inari sushi and/or some kind of soup with pickled radishes or fresh vegetables 

• Afternoon Snack- Either a cereal bar, veggies with hummus, or roasted garbanzo beans 

Seeing as I usually eat dinner as soon as I get home, I won’t have to worry about that at work. On nights that I work, I try to make them as simple as possible so I can maximize relaxation.  

And there you have it. That's what's happening this week over on the $35 Diet.