Thursday, February 28, 2013

Shabbat Menu

It's time to plan for Shabbat!

Here's our Shabbat menu, although I am desperately behind schedule (I haven't even bought chicken yet, oops).

Challot from the freezer (so glad I still have some)
Vegetable soup (maybe with noodles)
Cholent for lunch
Chicken (probably in teriyaki sauce, but not sure yet)
Bulgur
Asparagus!! (probably roasted, not sure - most likely with a citrusey dressing!)
Potato Kugel
Cut vegetable platter
Cookies - haven't decided what kind.

I'll make an apple-oatmeal breakfast cake, and some muffins to serve at Seudah Shlisheet. I doubt I'll have time for more than that!

For those of you who missed it, the asparagus came from a foraging outing today. I got stung by nettles a few times, and nearly gave up, but in the end, I found some yummy, wild asparagus! And some was even right in my own backyard.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Cost analysis...

So it seems the price wars in Afula are back - at least the 9 ag vegetables that Kimat Chinam/Yeinot Bitan is advertising clued me into that.

But I think I will pass. I don't think even 9 ag vegetables (practically free) will cover the cost of the extra trip to Afula. I don't have any good reason to go to Afula this week. And some of the stores in nearby Migdal Ha'Emek try to compete with the Afula stores, especially the Shufersal Deal in the Eizon Taasiyah, as it is right off the highway that leads to Afula.

So... I think we are skipping the Afula run!

What would you do?

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Salmonella Warning

The Ministry of Health has issued a warning that Stuffed Cabbage, sold frozen, made by "Irena" (located in Ashdod), may be contaminated by salmonella.

This affects the batch that was manufactured on 23/1/2013, with a sell-by date of 23/3/2013.

Consumers are warned not to consume this product.

Please call the manufacturer with your questions: 08-8533194

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Menu Planning

So some of us are fasting today, and I am trying to figure out what we'll break the fast on, so I realized it's time to plan a "week-end" menu.

Here's the plan:

Thursday night: Lentil and vegetable stew, pasta for those who want, toast for those who want, fresh fruit, lemonade, granola bars

Friday lunch: the bane of my existence usually! we have hard-boiled eggs, apple muffins, anything in the fridge that needs to get used up

Shabbat:
Homemade Challot
Split Pea Soup
Vegetarian Cholent
Some sort of roast chicken
sides from the freezer
fruit, chocolate cake from the freezer

Purim night, melave malka: completely up in the air! This is also when I plan to finish up any last minute Purim baking that didn't get done!

Purim seudah:
Chocolate Bread, with chocolate-hazelnut spread
Split Pea Soup
Spinach and Feta Quiche
Broccoli Quiche
Eggplant Lasagna
Salad
Rice
Milkshakes
Various desserts

Ok, I totally have my work cut out for me. I must get back to the kitchen even though I am SO hungry right now!

Have an easy fast!

It's Book Depository's Big 25 hour sale!

It's TODAY! Starts in a little under 4 hours!

Of course, free worldwide shipping.

Book Depository is offering a new sale book every 15 min. The specials won't last long, but rumor has it that it's worth trying to get your wish-list books this way!

You know you like free shipping as much as the next person....

Check it out!

(please note: if you have an adblocker installed, you won't be able to see this link. Please consider disabling your adblocker for this site.)


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Another Recall (Israel)

This recall is for a mislabeled product.

Tempo Drinks has announced that a number of bottles of Nesher Malt (1.5 liters) were mislabeled. They were labeled "Diet" on the back label when in fact they contain sugar, and are the regular version of the product. The front of the bottle has the correct label.

If you have a 1.5 liter bottle of Nesher Malt, labeled low-calorie, please check if it was mislabeled.

The mislabeled bottles have an expiration date of 29.7.2013, and are labeled with production code L3027 and were produced between 13:48 and 14:40. (All of this information is located on the bottle.)

Only this specific batch was mislabeled, and Tempo is recalling them from store shelves.

Consumers who purchased this product are being asked to call Tempo's customer service hotline at 1-800-300-3700 in order to receive a replacement.


Printable Coupon (Israel)

Want free hamantashen?

Shufersal is giving them away! (I think you have to have a "moadon" membership for this deal)

Print your coupon before they are gone.

Happy Purim!

Valid thru 25/2/2013


Monday, February 18, 2013

Printable Coupon (Israel)

Tivall (line of vegetarian frozen foods) has a new printable coupon available.
It's on their facebook page, but you should be able to print it from here, too.

5 shekel discount when you buy their new potato snacks with pizza sauce.

Valid at MegaBool, Mega Ba'Ir, Shufersal Deal, and Shufersal Sheli stores.
Redeem by 28.2.2013


Sunday, February 17, 2013

Egg problem update

Regarding those eggs I wrote about, the Ministry of Health has issued the following warning to consumers:

DO NOT CONSUME eggs that bear the code 114 "מן הטבע" in the Jerusalem area, that bear a sell-by date of 28.2.2013/refrigerated sell-by date of 28.3.2013

They are likely contaminated with unsafe levels of pesticides.

There are no specific instructions, but I would recommend returning them to the store where purchased. They should agree to exchange them for safe eggs, as these eggs are being returned to the distributor.
(Let's hope they are disposing of them in a safe manner!)

Weekly Menu Plan

This week's menu plan is very sparse. I just cannot think about every meal right now! But I wanted to give myself something to work off of, so I don't get "stuck"!
What's on your weekly menu?

Sunday -
Lunch: French toast + ??
Supper: Pizza + ?? (salad and ?)

Monday -
Lunch: Lentil soup, sandwiches, cucumbers
Monday: Whatever is left from Shabbat

Tuesday -
Lunch: Potato and vegetable stew + ??
Supper: Felafel

Wednesday -
Lunch - sandwiches, carrot sticks
Supper - lentil soup, pasta

Thursday
it's a fast day, little kids will eat leftovers for lunch
Supper: soup? (what kind depends what veggies I get my hands on!) pasta, fruit

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Egg problem (Israel)

Hundreds of eggs are being recalled from store shelves in the Jerusalem area.

The hens that laid the eggs apparently ate feed that was contaminated by unsafe levels of pesticides.

I have no further information, but if I get any, I will update.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

And here we are again...

Wow, this was the week that flew past me!

Thank G-d, no one was sick, the weather was gorgeous, and the flowers are in bloom all around us!



So that makes for a good week!

We also took the kids to their favorite park in the area - about a 15 min drive away but they love it there.

And now, it's back to cooking for Shabbat!

Zol B'Shefa had Rabbanut chickens for 8.99 and Mehadrin chickens for 9.99 - and Rabbanut chicken breast for 18.99 and Mehadrin chicken breast for 14.99 so... didn't do a HUGE shopping run, but I did buy other things than I planned. I justified it because they had a dry red wine we sometimes get for a price that is lower than we usually find, so we bought some wine (we said, Pesach is coming, might as well get it!).

So here's our Shabbat menu!

Whole Wheat Challot from the freezer

Soup - beats me if I know what kind! I've been serving a lot of soup.

Roast chicken with potatoes (Friday night)

Shnitzel (for lunch. the baked kind, not the fried kind)

Vegetarian Black Bean Cholent

Apple Crisp (courtesy of my girls again)

Honey-Cinnamon Oranges

Salad which will likely be cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots (cut into matchsticks), since we don't have a lot of salad-worthy vegetables!

Something my vegetarian son will choose to learn how to make (I will try to report back)

Chocolate Cake from the freezer.

Definitely time to start trying to use up the freezer stash.

What are you making?


Subsidized Bread Discovery

Remember I wrote about price controlled foods, and some of you asked about the bread...?

Well, I was at the supermarket today, and they had sliced "lechem achid" on sale for 2.29 (price controlled price is 7.93, this store said the regular price was 7.29). So I looked at it, as the sliced version is packaged, and therefore, discloses ingredients. And I figured if the ingredients were half-decent, I might buy some to keep in my freezer for busy days, especially at this price, which was a lot cheaper than I could bake a 750g bread for at home!

Well... I was dismayed to learn that this subsidized bread (this was made by Angel's bakery) had, as the 3rd ingredient, partially hydrogenated oil!






So the government is subsidizing a food that is SUPER unhealthy.

WHY?

WHY is the Israeli government providing a cheap loaf of bread that is so bad for us? Partially hydrogenated oils are really "the bad guy" in the food world today. I mean, really. If you don't believe me, feel free to research!

I am so disgusted that the bread that the majority of Israelis use on a daily basis contains partially hydrogenated oil. The government is basically subsidizing our way to unhealthy consequences! The same government that provides us with health benefits, is encouraging its citizens to eat food that is truly unhealthy.

We should all be up in arms about this, but I wouldn't even know where to begin. Any ideas?

More Books on Sale!

Of course, free worldwide shipping.

Book Depository is offering a new sale book every 15 min. The specials won't last long, but rumor has it that it's worth trying to get your wish-list books this way!

You know you like free shipping as much as the next person....

Check it out!

(please note: if you have an adblocker installed, you won't be able to see this link. Please consider disabling your adblocker for this site.)


Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Bargain Books

You may or may not know that I am obsessed with books. We have over 3000 books in our home library... Please don't judge me. I'm just a book lover.

And I've been blessed with several children who love books. One handed me his wishlist. It had Eight Hundred and Twenty Six books on it.

I said no.

But I still will buy some books. And right now you can save 15% on every purchase of 4 or more used books with the Better World Books Shop from Work Sale. Free shipping worldwide. So I think I will be off. To buy some books, because if there is anything I like as much as I like books, it is a bargain. So I am a sucker for bargain books... (The sale is only valid on books in the BWB bargain book section)

Milk Recall (Israel)

Tara Dairies is recalling some 1 liter cartons of homogenized milk.
The affected cartons are 1% AND 3% fat milk, bear a Mehadrin hechsher, and have expiration dates of 16.2.2013, 17.2.013, and 19.2.2013

Consumers are advised NOT to drink this milk, and should call the company at 1-800-777-333 to arrange a refund.


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Whole Grain Breakfast Muffins (Dairy)

I know, I usually do a lot of vegan baking, but these have dairy. They are extra-moist and truly a great way to start your day, if you're ok with dairy. If you want to make them vegan, just substitute 1 cup of soy milk or other non-dairy milk for the leben. It will work. My kids preferred the dairy version, though, so I'm sticking with it for now!

Whole Grain Breakfast Muffins (Dairy, but no eggs)

4 T. flaxseed
1/3 cup boiling water
2 bananas, mashed (or about 2/3 cup of your favorite fruit, pureed or mashed)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
200 ml leben (I used Gil) or yogurt
1 cup orange juice or other liquid (I used the whey that was left after making cream cheese)
3 cups whole wheat flour (or your favorite whole grain multi-grain mix)
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Start by mixing flaxseed and boiling water, and allow to cool for 10 min. Add the rest of the liquid ingredients, and mix well. Add the dry ingredients, mix, but don't overmix. Transfer to muffin tin, lined with baking cups. Bake at 350 F for about 25 min (although I suspect my oven may not be registering the temp properly, check yours at 20 min!).
Makes 12 medium size muffins.

Note: you can use 2 eggs instead of the flaxseed/water mixture if you prefer






Monday, February 11, 2013

Today's Loaf

I was so proud of how my bread came out today, I just had to share a picture!


I used my usual whole-wheat-oatmeal-flaxseed bread recipe, and after the breads were shaped and risen, I brushed water over the tops and sprinkled oats and seeds on them.

Maybe all of you make bread like this, but I don't usually!

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Shilav coupons (Israel Printable coupons)

Looking for baby gear, and the occasional kids' book or game?

Shilav (a chain of baby stores in Israel) has a new batch of printable coupons available!
Print the page and take it with you to Shilav.

Here's what you'll find there:

Cloth diapers
Sippy cup
Baby bath seat
Tiny Love baby toys
Pacifiers
Baby Feeding Bottles
Wooden Graggers (Ra'ashanim)
Baby Books (Classi-Kaletet)
Kids' Trivia Game




Weekly Menu

I'm trying to get organized and I decided to make lunch AND supper plans this week. I highly doubt I will actually stick to this plan 100% of the time, but at least it got me thinking about what I have in the house and how I will use it this week!

Sunday:
Lunch - split pea soup from Shabbat, salads from Shabbat, PBJ sandwiches using the leftover challah
Supper - pizza, baked french "fries" and roasted cauliflower (roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. inspired by Busy in Brooklyn. Really delish!)

Monday:
Lunch - bagels with cream cheese, cut veggies, red lentil soup
Supper - whatever is left from Shabbat

Tuesday:
Lunch - Potato and vegetable stew, grilled cheese sandwiches
Supper - Pasta with tomato sauce and cheese, steamed squash, garlic bread sticks

Wednesday:
Lunch - Leftovers from anything made this week so far
Supper - Red lentil soup, stuffed baked potatoes, salad

Thursday:
 Lunch - green lentils, roasted potatoes, tomato soup, salad
Supper - spaghetti, garlic bread sticks, salad

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Printable Coupons (Israel)

Don't forget to print your Tnuva coupons!

They've recently added a new one for Facebook fans, so if you like their page, you can print a coupon for their new spreadable cottage cheese (2 for 10 shekels). It's valid thru March 31, 2013 and may be redeemed at Shufersal, Mega, Chatzi Chinam, Rami Levy, Kimat Chinam, and Yeinot Bitan.















The other coupons are available through their Facebook page OR on their website.
I've posted them in the past, but here they are again:





















Friday, February 8, 2013

Chocolate Chip Cake (vegan)

Chocolate Chip Cake

4 tablespoons ground flaxseed 
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup oil
1 cup lukewarm decaf coffee OR soy milk or other milk subsitute
2/3 - 1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup shredded coconut or your favorite ground nuts
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 - 6 oz chocolate chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 F (about 175 C)

Combine ground flaxseed with boiling water in a large mixing bowl. Stir a couple of times, then allow to cool slightly. Add oil, coffee/soymilk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add coconut/ground nuts, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Fold in half the chocolate chips.

Pour batter into a large cake pan. Spread it evenly. Spread the rest of the chocolate chips on top of the cake.

Bake for 45-50 min. Test with a toothpick to be sure it's fully baked.
Allow to cool before cutting.

Let me know if you try this recipe out!


Thursday, February 7, 2013

Shabbat Menu

Yay! I finally went grocery shopping, and now the house is full of food again! I did not find any amazing bargains at Rami Levy in Afula though - yes, I gave them another chance, but next time I will shop elsewhere. It's just not worth fighting the crowds.

I went there because there is a Nizat HaDuvdevan next door, and I wanted to make a health food store run. I was pleased to find that bulk products at the health food store were all still significantly less expensive than at RL or any other supermarket. They even told me they will deliver to my town, any day of the week - I just need to call in my order (downside: delivery fee is 40 shekels).

Here are some of the prices that I found there: green split peas: 6.90/kg, red lentils 7.90/kg, green lentils 8.90/kg (that surprised me! more expensive than red lentils?) oats 6.90/kg, flaxseed 6.90/kg, black beans 15.90/kg (better than 18/kg at my local dry goods store, but only because they were on sale this week).

I did not buy any cheese at RL because the cheese counter line was long, and I can go to my local mega and buy price controlled cheese for the same price. And on Friday I can get 10% off still! So I believe a quick run to mega is in the cards for tomorrow, as my kids have made it very clear to me that they are NOT INTERESTED in living without cheese.

That was a pretty long preface to my menu for Shabbat! oops.

Here's my Shabbat plan:

Homemade Challot

Split pea soup

Black bean cholent for lunch

Roast chicken with potatoes and onions

A vegetarian dish with potatoes that my son will make (when we decide what it is, I will update!) *Update: He says he will make baked potatoes. I found out that he's never actually watched me make baked potatoes so he doesn't know how it's done! This REALLY is cooking 101. I guess if he makes ENOUGH potatoes, he'll be ok, right?

Brown rice

Carrot Kugel

Vegetable platter - will definitely include cucumbers, tomatoes, and red peppers. Perhaps carrots.

Chocolate chip cake (I'll post the recipe later, I hope!)

What are you making? I'd love to hear!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Lemon Quick Bread Recipe

We have a lemon tree, and it is producing an amazing number of lemons this year. Probably twice as many as last year! Which is odd, as our orange trees are producing about half as many oranges as last year... strangely opposite cycles, it seems.

I looked at my lemons, and just KNEW I needed to come up with something to make with them.

3 of my 4 children enjoyed this quickbread (which was gone before I took a picture, sorry).

Lemon Quick Bread


2 tablespoons ground flaxseed  
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup oil
2/3 cup sugar
1 package of leben (gil or eshel, whichever. I bought eshel because it was a few agurot less) (if you live in area where leben is hard to find, use 6 oz of plain yogurt instead)
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon rind
juice of 1/2 lemon (or if your lemons are small, juice a whole lemon)
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:
Mix flaxseed with water, allow to cool for 10 min.
Add oil, sugar, leben, lemon rind, and lemon juice. Mix well. Add dry ingredients, and mix briefly.
Pour into a baking pan (loaf or cake pan) (I lined mine with parchment paper, I recommend it!). Bake at 350 F / 190 C for 35-45 min.
You could also use this recipe to bake muffins, if you prefer. Muffins bake for a much shorter time (20 minutes or so).

Enjoy the aroma while it bakes, and have a cup of tea with it!

I'd love to hear what you think!

Monday, February 4, 2013

Chocolate Bread Recipe

This recipe is being published at Joy of Kosher and here at Frugal and Kosher, at the same time.

Be sure to check out my guest blogs at Joy of Kosher too!

I was thinking about Purim, and while I love giving real food for mishloach manot, I like to keep it fun too. And then we discovered...

Chocolate Bread (whole wheat variation)

Note: traditional Italian chocolate bread is made with a sourdough starter. This recipe is for those of us who don’t keep sourdough starter on hand. 

This recipe makes 6 mini-loaves or 3 regular size loaves.

Ingredients:
3 ¼ cups warm water
2 tsp sugar
3 tsp dry yeast
9 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup cocoa
1/3 cup oil + more for coating the bowl
½ bar dark chocolate, crushed with a hammer or the end of a wooden rolling pin

Mix together the first three ingredients, and allow the yeast to proof for about 10 minutes. (I know, lots of people say you don’t have to do this, but I always proof my yeast, that way I’m sure it is alive!)

Mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, and cocoa) in a large bowl, and make a well in the center. Pour the oil and the yeast mixture into the well, and then combine everything. You can start with a wooden spoon, but eventually you will need to use your hands (unless of course, you have a powerful enough mixer to handle bread dough). Knead dough for about 10 min. Coat the dough with oil and cover with a tea towel to rise.
Allow to rise until doubled in size. After it has risen, punch down the dough, and sprinkle chocolate bits evenly over the dough. Use a knife to cut the dough into 6 approximately equal pieces, if making mini loaves (3 pieces if making regular size loaves). Work the chocolate into each piece of dough, shape into circles and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (you may need two, I did). Cover with a tea towel, and allow to rise for another half hour.
Preheat your oven to 350 F.
When your loaves have risen, bake for about 30 minutes. Watch them! Chocolate burns quickly if left in too long.
Allow to cool before slicing.
Tastes great with butter. Or hazelnut spread.
It’s actually pretty addictive. Don’t get me started...


Let me know if you try this!

Coupon Offer (Israel)

Superherb will email you a coupon for their Sambokid product, if you fill out their form!

You'll get a coupon for 5 shekels off your Sambokid Syrup purchase.


Coupon Offer (Israel)

Tzabar brand salads is offering specially marked packages of chummus (available in stores now).

Find the code inside the container, enter it into their website, and you'll get a coupon for free chummus from a local "chummusiyah"!

(Your free coupon is only valid on weekdays, it may not be redeemed on Shabbat. And a limited # are available, so get it while you can!)


Printable coupon (Israel)

Tu B'Shvat may be over, but you can still print this coupon and get a discount on Adama brand dried fruit!
Valid thru Feb. 28, 2013
 Coupon is accepted at Health Food Store throughout the country





Printable coupons (Israel)

Weleda natural products has new printable coupons available right now!

Print them now, and use them whenever you want - they are valid thru Dec 31, 2013




SuperPharm coupons (Israel)

Don't forget to sign in the SuperPharm's site and print or load their coupons onto your smartphone!

The new batch of coupons is good thru February 13, 2013.

They include:

sample coupon
Kleenex brand toilet paper  

Huggies brand wipes (refill pack)

Sunday brand bleach

Life brand hand cream

Barcelona brand men's cologne and deodorant

Nicole brand paper towels

Meridol brand toothpaste

Jade brand eyeliner (metallic)

Careline brand mascara

Make sure you are logged in and you use the "print" button on top of the page, in order to print coupons with a real barcode. What you see when you first open the site are sample coupons that will not be accepted in the store...

Happy savings!

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Pasta with lentils and carmelized onions

I made my son take over some of the cooking.

In particular, I let him know that he needs to know how to cook food he will eat, so we are starting with food for Shabbat. He's a vegetarian, and even though the rest of us are weekday-vegetarians, he's also a vegetarian on Shabbat.
And that means that sometimes I end up making a TON of different foods, with the hope that he'll agree to eat enough to satisfy his 14-year-old-boy appetite.

But it's just a lot of cooking, and my thought was that if HE prepares something, maybe he'd eat more of it. He's a little suspicious of food he's not familiar with, especially anything with more than one ingredient, so what better way to be familiar with it than to PREPARE it?

He agreed to make this pasta with lentil dish that I suggested, as I was trying to make sure he got some protein into him over Shabbat (this was after he looked through one of my vegetarian cookbooks, On the Road to Vegetarian Cooking, and declared that there is nothing there to try).

Pasta with lentils, carmelized onions, and garlic

Ingredients:
1 small onion, sliced in strips
1 T. olive oil
1 cup green lentils, dry, sorted and rinsed
1/2 pkg of pasta (he used spirals)
salt, pepper, granulated garlic (or you could use fresh garlic, crushed and roasted in olive oil), and another tablespoon of olive oil

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and add the lentils
While the lentils cook, heat 1 T. olive oil in a cast iron frying pan (over medium heat), and cook the onions in it, stirring from time to time, till they brown. Set onions aside.

Once the lentils have cooked for about 10 minutes, add the pasta to the pot. Simmer till pasta is fully cooked.
Strain the pasta and lentils and toss in a serving bowl with the carmelized onions, more olive oil, and seasonings.
Serve warm, although I suspect it can be served cold as a pasta salad too.

He ate it readily!
And the other kids all sampled it too, and most liked it. Most of all, they were impressed that their big brother cooked something REAL...