Category: Blog

Cooking on a Budget

natashapaterson1 Comment

I created this post to help people who are trying to shop and eat on a budget. It’s a work in progress. If you have any suggestions please feel free to share a comment.

Grocery Staples

Protein

  • Beans (dry or canned: black, kidney, chickpeas, refried beans…)
  • Butter (or margarine)
  • Chicken, thighs or drumsticks
  • Chicken, whole
  • Cottage cheese
  • Eggs
  • Ground beef
  • Lentils (dry, no need to soak before cooking)
  • Peanut butter
  • Tuna, canned

Carbs/Filling Staples

  • Bread
  • Crackers
  • Oats
  • Pasta
  • Rice
  • Tortillas or roti (roti is often cheaper)

Vegetables

  • Broccoli (fresh or frozen)
  • Cabbage (bagged coleslaw for convenience)
  • Corn (canned or frozen)
  • Spinach (frozen to add to pasta)
  • Lettuce
  • Onions
  • Tomatoes, canned (yep, I know they’re a fruit!)

Fruit

  • Apples
  • Bananas
  • Oranges

Dairy

  • Cheese
  • Milk
  • Yogurt

Pantry staples

  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Flour
  • Oil
  • Sugar

Flavour boosters

  • Salsa
  • Soy sauce
  • Spices (garlic powder, chili powder, paprika)
  • Taco seasoning

Meals to make with these ingredients

Breakfast

  • Oatmeal (add peanut butter and banana)
  • Eggs and toast
  • Yogurt with fruit

Lunch/Dinner

  • Rice bowls (rice, protein and veggies)
  • Taco wraps (tortillas, meat or beans, cheese and salsa)
  • Bean burrito (tortilla, refried beans, cheese)
  • Spaghetti (noodles, sauce, ground meat or lentils, frozen spinach)
  • Macaroni and cheese
  • Loaded potatoes (microwaved potato topped with cheese, beans, salsa, meat)
  • Tuna sandwich (or tuna with crackers)
  • Mini pizza (tortilla topped with pasta sauce, cheese and desired toppings)

Catering to restricted diets

natashapaterson1 Comment

People are often intimidated by dietary restrictions. Gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and the list goes on. But it is possible to create a delicious meal, even for someone on a strict elimination or “whole 30” diet. Here’s some inspiration to help you.

Gluten-free

Dairy-free

Sugar-free

Vegetarian/Vegan

Extremely strict, or combination of restrictions

  • Breakfast:
    Smoothie made with frozen berries, banana and coconut milk (or even just water)
    Unsweetened apple sauce
    Cooked Quinoa “porridge” with almond (or other) milk, cinnamon and berries
    Veggie skillet with sausage patty
  • Appetizers:
    Veggie sticks
    Shrimp ring
    Roasted chickpeas
    Kale chips
    Plantain chips and guacamole
  • Dinner:
    BBQ chicken breasts or thighs (spiced, or honey-mustard, if tolerated)
    Pure beef burgers
    Boiled potatoes or plain rice
    Build-your-own salad, with oil and vinegar dressing on the side
  • Dessert:
    Apple slices with almond butter (if tolerated)
    Fruit salad, or fruit skewers
    Coconut, chia pudding
    Baked apple or pear
    Fried bananas
    Frozen all-fruit popsicles
    Chocolate, almond butter and banana smoothie
    Raspberry, banana smoothie

Cooking while travelling

natashapatersonLeave a comment

There are many reasons you might want to cook while travelling. You can save money; eat healthier, cater to food sensitivities; save time, and eat local ingredients.

We love travelling and have learned some tricks from buying groceries in many countries. Here they are:

Do your research

Is food cheap and easy to access? If not, you may want to make room in your suitcase to pack some extra food to save money/hassle. What food is common?

  • Bananas? You can make banana muffins or pancakes.
  • Avacados? You can make fish tacos or corn chips and guac.
  • Cheese? In some countries it’s plentiful, in others it’s very expensive.
  • Eggs? These seem pretty easy to find and are economical almost everywhere.
  • Bread? If there’s a local bakery on every corner, you know what to add to your list!

Make a basic plan

Be ready to be flexible once you get there and see what’s on sale/local… But having a basic plan is helpful. Here are a few simple ideas:

  • Pancakes
  • French toast
  • Yogurt and granola
  • Bread/pita + jam, Nutella, peanut butter or whatever is local
  • Chicken
  • Chicken broth/Noodle soup cups
  • Banana muffins
  • Brownies or chocolate mug cake
  • Protein bars

Pack smart

There are rules about what food you can/can’t travel with, so you need to do your research. But it’s handy to pack a few essentials (if allowed) to minimize what you need to buy there, especially if you only need a teaspoon or so. Here are some suggestions:

  • Reusable grocery bags
  • Baking soda
  • Baking powder
  • Vanilla
  • Cocoa
  • Salt/pepper
  • Spice mixes
  • Coffee
  • Coffee whitener
  • Dark chocolate (for snacks or baking)

Shop and adapt once you arrive

Once you arrive at your destination, Google where you can find a good grocery store, or ask a local.

Check the flyer and store sales and revise your plan as needed. If you were planning to cook chicken, but beef is half the price, change your plan. If you had gin and tonic in mind but tonic is way over-priced, tequila is on sale and the limes are cheap, it’s time to Google a good margarita recipe. (Thanks for the memories Costa Rica.) Often, things that are cheap at home are expensive in other countries. For example, in Australia, chips were expensive and we wanted some crunchy snacks, so we switched over to cheese rice crackers (bonus: way fewer calories).

Remember, if you’re moving from place to place, don’t buy a lot of perishables.

Here are just a few examples of economical food we’ve eaten in different locations:

  • Australia – Rotisserie chicken sandwiches; chicken soup made with the bones; kombucha.
  • Costa Rica – Fish tacos; BBQ chicken; margaritas
  • France – Baguette and cheese; fresh bakery items for breakfast
  • Honduras – Banana muffins; guacamole
  • Israel – Pitas and humus; eggs and pancakes for breakfast
  • Italy – Pasta and fresh veggies; buns, meat and cheese for breakfast

Enjoy your trip. I can’t wait to hear about it and see what you cooked!

Grocery Sale Price Reference

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Resource:
Unit Price Calculator: Enter the quantity and total price to calculate the cost per unit, or unit price.

Butter: $5/lb

ItemGood priceExampleNotes
Bacon$6.50/lb ($14/kg)

$4.50
375g pkg
Zehrs
PC 1kg
$17.99 ($8 back in points)
May/26

Costco
Kirkland 1.8kg
$18.99-$22.99 ($10.55-$12.77/kg)
Nov/Dec ’23		Costco’s price seems to fluctuate, so keep an eye on it.
Beef: Ground, lean$5/lbNo Frills
$5.25/lb
Jun/26
Beef: Roast, sirloin tip$8/lbZehrs
$7.99/lb
Jun/26

Costco (2-pack)
$7.23/lb
Mar 03/23
Beef: Tenderloin, whole$15/lb$13.99
Zehrs
Oct/25		Often on sale around holidays (Canada Day; Thanksgiving).
Cereal: Granola$0.638/100gCostco
$11.49
1.8kg Harvest Crunch
($6.38/kg)
Cereal: Mini Wheats$0.687/100gCostco
$10.99
1.6kg box
$6.87/kg

Walmart
$5.47
700g box
$7.81/kg
Chicken: Breasts, boneless, skinless$4-5/lb
Chicken: Thighs, boneless, skinless
$4-5/lb		To buy from Clements, you need to order ahead, buy 5kg min and pay cash.
Chicken: Whole$2/lb
Chicken: Wings$4/lbCostco wings are good quality.
Chocolate$11/kg or
$1.10/100g


Costco
Chipits 2.4kg: $25.99 ($0.0108/g)

No Frills ($2 off)
Chipits 925g: $12.99 ($0.0140/g)

Costco
Kirkland 2kg: $28.99 ($0.0145/g)

No Frills
PC 300g: $5.49 ($0.0183/g)
Coffee: Decaf, groundShoppers
$18.99
875g PC
– Aug/25

Costco
$32.99
1.36kg Kirkland
– Aug/25
Dairy: Butter$5/lb
Dairy: Gruyere$17/lbCostco
$16.99/450g
($37.76/kg)

Walmart
$8.17/150g
($54.47/kg)
Dairy: Yogurt$0.73/100gCostco:
$11.99
2x 850g Oikos
Dec 1/23
($0.71/100g)

Walmart
$5.49
750g Oikos
Dec 9/23
($0.73/100g)		Watch the size of container for “shrinkflation”
Eggs$3.50/dozenCostco
$7
2 dozen large

West Montrose
$3/dozen (large)
$3.35/dozen (xlarge)
Fish: Salmon, fresh$10/lb
Fish: Tilapia, fresh$8/lb
Fruit: Cantaloupe$2/ea
Fruit: Lemons$2/lb or about $0.50/ea1 pound = about 4 lemons.
Fruit: Pineapple$2/ea
Garbage bags, small compost (10L)$0.14/eaAmazon
$14.42
Box of 100
Jul 12/23
($0.14/ea)

Costcto
$14.99
Box of 125
Jul 13/23
$0.12/ea
Honey$8/kg or
$0.80/100g		Costco:
$23.99
3kg jug
($8.00/kg)

Costco
$9.99
3 x 750g
($8.88/kg)
Naan$3.762/kg
or about $0.40/naan		Costco
$4.89
1.3kg (12 naan) bag		Usually much cheaper at Costco. These freeze well.
Pasta: Dry$1.50/900g pkg
Peameal$2-3/lb
Sugar, Brown$2/kgCostco: $3.79/2kg
Bulk Barn would need to be $0.20/100g to be a good deal.
Toilet paper


$0.25/roll
$0.50/double roll
Costco
$17.99
30 rolls/425 sheets
($0.60/roll.)		Approximately $0.25/roll (or $0.50/double-roll) for two ply. This makes the math easy to do in your head.

Cashmere is cheaper, but rolls only have 242 sheets, so Costco rolls are almost double the size, and I find it is better quality. 
Veggies: Broccoli$3/lb for broccoli crownsCostco
$6.99
2lb bag
Dec 9/23
($3.50/lb)		I find FreshCo usually has the best quality/price broccoli crowns
Veggies: Potatoes$4 for 10lb bagNo Frills
$2.49
Feb 11/23
Water Softener Salt$5/18kgNo Frills
$4.99 / 18.1 kg
Sep 15/24

A man a plan a canal Panama (an essay)

natashapatersonLeave a comment

That well-known palindrome is about as short a story as you can get of what is considered to be one of the greatest engineering feats ever accomplished by mankind. small wonder that such a mammoth project was undertaken.  just imagine this: shipping companies could shave almost 8000 yes 8000 nautical miles off their trip from New York to San Francisco! over 10,000 miles off from Frisco to Gibraltar and 5 1/2 thousand miles from Liverpool to San Francisco.

Let’s take a look at geography and history and examine some special people who made this project possible. We go back as far as 1502 1503 to get our start and guess who is parked in ships right at the entrance of the modern-day Panama?

Christopher Columbus – yes the Christopher Columbus – spent Christmas and New Year’s day right at the entrance of the Chagres River. Why didn’t he go up that river and have the added glory of being the discoverer of the Pacific ocean? Were his ships too badly battered by storms? Were he and his men too tired? Whatever the reason The door to history was left open and 10 years later Balboa marched across the Isthmus of Panama and discovered what he called the great South Sea. The Pacific ocean!

Imagine just forty short miles from one major ocean to another and a shortcut that made men drool! France was the first country to rush in where angels fear to tread and it was no surprise that they put their hopes in Ferdinand De Lesseps who had already completed the Suez Canal in 1869. Because the Atlantic and Pacific are at the same level (except for tides) he suggested a sea level canal with no locks. He started in 1881 and felt he would finish it in 12 years. Things went terribly wrong! Mosquitoes put them out of business. Some say 16,000 died of malaria and yellow fever.

By 1889 he was in disgrace and a lot of French machinery was rotting in the jungle.

In 1898 during the Spanish-American war it took three months for an American warship to get from the Pacific to the Atlantic, so in 1902 they bought the project from the French for $40 million! Now, as Teddy Roosevelt said “make the dirt fly.” They started in 1904 and because of impossible conditions, John Wallace, the first engineer quit after one year! Enter John Stevens who lasted until 1907. He is noted for two innovations that made sure the canal would be completed eventually. #1 He rebuilt the old railroad system and procured lots of rolling stock and steam shovels. #2 He convinced everyone that only a canal with locks was possible. A level canal entailed too much digging.

When Stevens resigned in 1907 Roosevelt turned the job over to the Army Corps of Engineers, along with them came Gen. George Washington Goethals who stayed with it until completion. While the engineers removed dirt from the cut, another famous man was busy cleaning up dirt from around their living quarters! Many feel that without Dr. William Crawford Gergas the canal might never have been completed. He had already conquered yellow fever in Cuba and he used his tried and true methods in Panama. These included muslin cloth for mosquito netting, isolation of the infected, installing sanitary sewers, and fumigating buildings. In 1905 he looked down at the body of a yellow fever victim and said this was the last case they would see! He was right and his name belongs with those who moved literal mountains to complete that project! Finally on May 20, 1913 two steam shovels met from opposite ends of the Gaillard cut and the job was basically over. Just think, over $366 million spent and over 240,000,000 yd.³ of earth moved. Even with that amount of overburden removed ships still travel about 90 feet above sea level! They are raised and lowered that 19 feet by 3 locks at either end of the canal. The Pacific end is actually 27 miles east of the Atlantic and due to the way the isthmus twists at this point. A rather startling statistic when you realize that you are traveling from east to west!