Cinnamon Cake (pareve, vegan option)

This is my new go-to cake. I make it wheat-free (using spelt flour) and nut-free.

Makes one 9 x 13 inch baking pan, or 2-3 loaf pans

2 eggs (or 4 tablespoons flaxseed mixed with 1/2 cup hot water, allowed to cool for 10 min)
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups sugar
1 cup water + 1 tsp vinegar (I made it with water and vinegar)
3  cups flour (I used whole spelt, you can make it with whole wheat or white wheat, or a mix too)
pinch of salt
3 tsp baking powder

Topping (option 1): 150g walnuts, crushed coarsley
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
 OR
Topping (option 2): 
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon oil
mix together eggs, oil, vanilla, sugar, and water-vinegar mixture. Combine flour with salt and baking powder. Slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Mix well to combine (this is best done with a mixer or a whisk).
Pour HALF the batter into 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
 
Mix topping together, and sprinkle half over batter. Cover with remaining batter. Cover the top of cake with remaining topping mixture.
Bake for about 1 hour at 175 C (check with toothpick to make sure it's done)
Allow to cool before cutting.
Enjoy!

IHerb Promo Code Inside!

Thinking about making an iHerb order? Here's your chance to get $5.00 (USD) off your next iHerb order!

Use code PROMOJAN at checkout or click on this link to get $5.00 USD off your next iHerb order

This code is limited to one order, and will expire on Tuesday, January 31st, at 10.00 am. PST.

iHerb offers over 35,000 brand name natural products and reduced shipping rates. All orders are shipped from their GMP certified, air-conditioned warehouses in California and Kentucky.

Take advantage of this promo and do your shopping now!

If you're wondering why I have an iHerb obsession, be sure to check out my other posts about it!

(links in the post are Rewards programs links, and I may receive credit at iHerb when you shop. Thanks for your support!)

This week's deals!

These deals of the the week are a joint project of Kosherfrugal.com and Janglo

(Some links in this post are affiliate links; I may get paid a commission when you purchase thru these links. Thanks in advance for your support!) 

Here are some of the online deals I found this week (shopping online helps me save time and stay dry during the winter!):

Do something this week! (You'll still have to leave home to DO things, but buy your vouchers online first!):

Discount tickets to the Herzl Museum - an educational day out
 
Ceramics Workshops (in Nachlaot, Jerusalem) for half price! (wish I was there to do this one!!)
 
Need takeout food for Shabbat? Save 50% when you buy this voucher for "Ta'im B'Kerem" (Mehadrin, in Jerusalem) - 50% off makes this splurge much more affordable!
 
Have a special occasion to celebrate? Treat yourself to a steakhouse dinner in Jerusalem at a DEEP DISCOUNT (you can do an add-on for a discounted kids' meal, too!)!

MEGAComm 2017 is Feb 2! Save NIS 75 with promo code JANGLO17

Save 20% at L’Entrecote TLV!

 

Save Money on Everyday Items:

50% off at Anipet Pet Supply Store
 
Get 50 shekels off your 100 shekel purchase at the "Soltam" store! (net savings will be 40 shekels. limit one deal per purchase, but you can purchase more than one voucher for use at different times. Save on a new soup pot!)
 
Save on a Car Dashboard Camera ! No delivery fee if you pick up from your local Office Depot. This gadget can save you big time if you ever have to prove something about a road incident.
 
Deal with pantry moths the non-toxic way! Here's another deal for a similar product.
 
Star Wars fans can get great Star Wars accessories on sale this week!
 
Don't get stuck with a dead phone - here's a deal for a PowerBank portable phone charger for just 22 nis!

Stay Warm and Dry:

Keep your house and your feet warm with an area rug!
 
Stay warm with a decorative heater that looks like a wood burning stove (but without all the bother of the wood and constantly checking the ventilation...)
 
And don't forget to check the WallaShops "Deal of the Day" - sometimes you'll find a great one, they change all the time!
 
Is there something you're looking for? Let me know what it is and I'll tell you when I find a deal!

Lead Warning - Commercial Coffeemakers

Initial tests show that some models (about 50% of those tested) of commercial coffeemakers are producing coffee with higher than acceptable levels of lead. (These machines produced coffee with 20-150mcg lead per liter.)

The Ministry of Health is currently beginning further testing, in order to determine which coffeemakers are leeching lead into the water used for making coffee, and those models will be removed from the industry, or repaired.

In order to avoid exposure to lead, consumers are advised to minimize the consumption of coffee that has been made in commercial coffeemakers (the kinds used in coffee shops, hotels, restaurants, and workplace kitchens). Pregnant women and other at-risk groups are advised to avoid these coffees altogether until tests are complete. 

Coffeemakers that fail the heavy metal test will need to be repaired or replaced.

Find out more about the effects of lead exposure, and why you should be cautious.

Free Admission to MadaTech in 2017

--- Retrieved from http://www.kosherfrugal.com/2016/09/free-admission-to-madatech.html ---

Madatech, if you haven't heard of it, is a Science Museum, located in the heart of Haifa. It's a pretty good Science Museum (and we have seen MANY Science Museums in the past 18 years!), and all of my kids (aged 8-17 at the time we went) found things that interested them and kept them busy for our whole day there!

--- Retrieved from http://www.kosherfrugal.com/2016/05/free-admission-is-back-at-madatech.html ---
Normally, it's pretty pricey to take a family to Madatech (base price is 340 shekels for a family of 4 according to the website, and each additional child is 50 shekels), so naturally, when we found out it was free on Wednesdays in February and March, we took a day to go. I wholeheartedly recommend you find a way to go too.

And now, Free Admission is back - Get into MadaTech in Haifa for FREE on most Wednesdays in 2017!
The following Wednesdays are excluded (admission is NOT free these days):
April 5 and 12 - Pesach
May 31 Shavuot

June 21 THRU Aug 31 (summer vacation) 

Sept 20 - Rosh Hashana

Oct. 4 and 11 (Sukkot)

December 13 and 20 (Chanukah)

In addition, please note that there may be other changes or days the museum is closed. Please check the website or call the museum (04-861-4444) before you go!

This promotion ends December 31, 2017

Opening hours on Wednesday are 10am - 3pm, so plan accordingly!

UPDATE: Tickets are only issued until 2pm, and you cannot get in without one, even though it's free. Be sure to arrive before the ticket counter closes!

**If you can't get in on a Free day, check out this Groupon deal for discount tickets!**

Israel Space Week - Free Events

Israel Space Week is Jan 29 - Feb 2, 2017 -- and the Israel Space Agency has lots of free events scheduled, but they didn't post them on their English language website.

So here's the rundown of what is going on:
(My apologies if an event or two was left off this list, the Space Week website may have been updated since I posted this)

Jan 29 - Feb 2 (multi-day)

Mars Mission 
16:00 - 21:00
"Eretz Israel" Museum, Ramat Aviv, 03-5114070
Advance Registration Required

Jan 29:

By Invitation Only: Final Round in the Space Research Competition
(10:30 - 15:30, Jerusalem Location)

Annual Event Honoring Col. Ilan Ramon and the STS-107 Crew and Assaf Ramon

Sunday, January 29, 2017, at 3:45 p.m.

W.A. Minkoff Senate Hall, BGU Marcus Family Campus, Beer-Sheva

Following the conference, the public is invited to the Ilan Ramon Youth Physics Center

for further activities and telescopic observations, starting at 5:00 p.m.

"Looking Upwards" - A Journey through the Heavens
(program for all, in Hebrew)
17:00 - 20:00
Ilan Ramon Youth Physics Center, Ben Gurion University


"Touch the Heavens" - program for 4-17 year olds IN ARABIC
17:00 - 22:00 (Explanations in Hebrew will be available from 21:00 -22:00)
AlkaSami College, Baka-al-Garbiyye
Free. Advance Registration required.

"An Out-of-this-World Evening" (program for all, in Hebrew)
16:30-22:00
The Meyerhoff Youth Science Center, Hebrew U. Givat Ram Campus
Free, no registration required

Jan 30:

"Looking Upwards"
program for all (probably in Arabic)
19:00 -22:00
AlkaSami College, Baka-al-Garbiyye
Free.

"Journey to the Stars"
ages 7-14 yrs
16:00 -22:00
Blumfield Science Museum, Jerusalem
Free and open to the public

"Journey to Another Planet"
for all
17:00 - 21:00
You-niversity, in Nahariya
(Zemenhoff 10)

Jan 31:

"Stars in Your Eyes"
for ages 4-14 
17:00 - 22:00
Park Carasso
Be'er Sheva

"Looking Upwards"
program for the whole family
19:00 - 22:00
Mitzpe Givatayim
Free. For more info: 03-5731152

"Super Activities from Space"
ages 7-14 yrs
16:30-22:00
Clore Garden of Science, Weizmann Institute
Free and open to the public

Online Lecture for Teachers only: Space Apps.
20:30 - 21:15
Advance Registration and Preparation REQUIRED

Feb 1:

"Journey Between the Stars"
ages 4-14 yrs, and their parents
16:30 - 22:00
MadaTech in Haifa
Free and Open to the Public

Workshops at Planetanya
ages 5+
16:30 - 21:30
Netanya. For more information and to register: 09-7485760
Registration Required

Looking Upwards - in Arabic
For the whole family
19:00 -22:00
Taibe
For more information, call 09-7996672

Feb 2: 
Space - or not to Be
Ort Braude College in Carmiel
Snunit 51
Ages 7-14
17:00 - 22:00 
Free and Open to the Public

Looking Upwards -  The Ilan Ramon Druze Space Center
For the whole family
19:00 -22:00
Yarka
04-956-6220

Online Lecture about Satellite Technology
11:30
In Arabic, for students in grades 9-12
Advance Registration Required

Online Lecture: Venus Mission
10:15
In Hebrew, for students in grades 9-12
Advance Registration Required

Lectures for the Charedi Community - for men and boys only, for women and girls only, will be held in Jerusalem at the Romema Matnas
For more information call 02-530-2727

Recall - Frozen Peas and Carrots

Today's recall is due to possible listeria contamination:

Shufersal Brand Frozen Peas & Carrots, 800g bag
with Barcode 7296073224907
Manufactured by Ardo (Belgium)
with expiration date 07/2018

Consumers who have purchased this product are asked to return it to the store for a refund.

Please direct any questions to Shufersal Customer Service at 1-800-68-68-68

Brown-Bag your Lunch!

(Some links in this post are affiliate links; I may get paid a commission when you purchase thru these links. Thanks in advance for your support!)  

Recently, someone mentioned to me that she spends about 30 shekels per day buying food for lunch when she's at work. That's about 150 shekels weekly, if you work a 5-day work week! That's over 600 shekels monthly! 600+ shekels a month can be a really big chunk of your "disposable" budget. So today, I want to discuss ways to spend less on lunch.

While I can't promise you a free lunch, I can promise you that you will save significantly if you bring food from home.

It's much easier if your workplace has a microwave you can use to warm food - if they do, just put some of your leftovers from supper in a microwaveable container the night before (make sure you HAVE leftovers by purposely cooking enough to give you lunch the next day) and you're more or less set! But even if they don't, you can manage on a brown-bagged lunch - or a lunch in a thermal container, is more like it, for food safety reasons!

Here are some things to consider.

A wide-mouthed thermos (like this one) (or this one) - is your friend. This handy item will keep your food hot for hours (if you get a good one! If you buy a cheapo one, you will likely be very disappointed). If you warm soup to boiling point (use the leftover soup from the night before, that makes things easier) and fill your thermos before you leave home (don't put your thermos in the microwave, please), you'll have a hot soup for lunch. Round that out with easy to transport items, like a roll or pita, hardboiled egg (I boil a big pot of eggs on Fridays, and they get used over Shabbat and thru the beginning of the week), bananas, clementines, cucumber or carrot sticks (cut those the night before), or anything else you can think of that's easy for you!

You can use your wide mouthed thermos for foods like spaghetti, or any other hot food you like, too. I remember bringing macaroni & cheese in my thermos for lunch at school when I was a kid. There's no reason that you can't do the same as an adult (only now, you might not want that cartoon character thermos anymore. Or do you?).

Sandwiches are the obvious choice for your brown bag lunch, but you do need to make the time to assemble them. Or you could take the "fixings" with you to work and assemble your sandwich there (and you can share/swap with friends there too - my son says people at his workplace do this all the time, sharing salads and such). Easy sandwiches my family members take to work include: Tuna, Cheese, Egg Salad, Omelet, Chumus... each sandwich gets vegetables in it too. We usually stock up on pitot and freeze them for this purpose, but only when we can get them cheaper than the local bakery price. Otherwise, I make homemade rolls and breads, but even if you're buying bread, you'll still save money over buying food from a vendor.

Another idea I saw done once: Get together with a few like-minded colleagues and buy a large crock pot to keep at work. Each of you takes a turn (once per week?) making a filling stew or other crock pot dish to share during lunch break. You'll need to get to work early enough to put it all in the pot, and you'll need to let it cook on High for about 4 hrs (sometimes more, so be sure you get a crock pot that cooks in about 4 hours!). Save time and make sure your stew will be ready in 4 hours by using canned beans, parboiled potatoes, etc when filling the crock pot (consider pooling together to buy spices to keep at work with your crock pot). Downside: someone will have to wash the pot out each day. You may want to consider cooking in a crock pot bag to make it easier.

Remember, you need to eat lunch to get through your work day, but you do NOT need to splurge on a gourmet lunch every day! Yes, often there is a lot of peer pressure to pick up food from a restaurant or order in. But I recommend you keep your eyes on the prize - getting your work done and keeping as much of your money in your pocket as possible so you have it for the important things - and DON'T give in to peer pressure. Bring your lunch from home, knowing it cost you about 5 shekels instead of the 30 or so your colleagues are spending. You'll feel good about it, especially when you think of your bottom-line savings!

I'd love to hear how you save money on your work lunch! Please let me know in a comment below!

Discounted Glasses - Back by Popular Demand!

It's back! Here's your chance to get a really affordable eye exam and glasses if you missed it last week!

This Thursday, Jan 19, 201,7 you have another chance to get subsidized eye exams and glasses in Karmiel. You'll be able to get a pair of glasses - frames + lenses for just 100 shekels! There is an option to have this fee waived in case of need. I am happy to share information about waiving the fee, please just send me an email (ester@kosherfrugal.com) asking for more info!

The event will take place at The Pitchon Lev Center, at HaLevona Street #1 in Karmiel.
(According to some maps, the street is called Levona Street, so try both ways if you have trouble finding it)

Eye exams are available from 12noon - 4pm

Hope this helps some of you out there! There's been a lot of discussion about the cost of glasses lately. Your savings will certainly be more than the cost of your transportation to Karmiel and home!

I'm sure there will be similar programs in other towns - please let me know if you know of any!

Coupons - Eden Teva

For all you health food lovers out there, here's a great way to save!

Right now, you can sign up to receive a series of 50 shekel coupons of your purchase at Eden Teva Market - online OR in-store

You'll get 4 coupons, each good for different dates:

50 shekels off your 200 shekel food purchase, good from 8.1.2017 - 21.1.2017

50 shekels off your 200 shekel food purchase, good from 22.1.2017 - 11.2/2017

50 shekels off your 200 shekel food purchase, good from 12.2.2017 - 28.2.2017

50 shekels off your 300 shekel VITAMIN purchase, good from 8.1.2017 - 28.2.2017

Click here to get your coupons!!