Category Archives: Recipes & Cooking

Favorite simple yet delicious recipes in my Texas Homestead kitchen.

Grocery No-Spend Challenge: FINAL WEEK!!

by Texas Homesteader~
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WHEW, what a month it’s been! Y’all know RancherMan & I embarked on an entire month-long Grocery No-Spend Challenge. It was a rigid challenge, allowing for no purchases whatsoever on anything grocery related which included dining out, beverages and herbs, etc.

Week One wasn’t bad at all. Our pantry & freezers were full so there really wasn’t much change to our routines. 

Week Two had a few catches but it was still easily workable.

By the time we got to Week Three was a little more of a challenge and we had to make several compromises. But by then I’d pretty much hit my stride. Plus we had our eye on the end of the month, so our motivation was still pretty high which helped a lot.

But how about that last week? Read on, dear friends.

30-DAY GROCERY NO-SPEND CHALLENGE! No money spent on food for a full month - see how we survived our FINAL WEEK! Tips & recipes included #TexasHomesteader

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Grocery No-Spend Challenge: WEEK 3!

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

WHEW – things are getting interesting! RancherMan & I have embarked on a month-long grocery no-spend challenge.

Although we didn’t purposely stock up before this challenge (which to me would have defeated the purpose) we did start out with healthy & overflowing pantry & freezers.

Week One was a breeze, no real changes necessary except that I had to start making lots of homemade bread. Then Week Two was a little bit more of a challenge, but still doable.

But now the pantry is getting more & more bare & the freezers are emptying out nicely. How did we fare for week three?  Read on, dear friends.

30-DAY GROCERY NO-SPEND CHALLENGE! No money spent on food for a full month - see how we survived week 3. Tips & recipes included! #TexasHomesteader

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Grocery No-Spend Challenge: Week 2

by Texas Homesteader

Ok y’all, we’re still trucking along with this grocery no-spend challenge where we’ve agreed not to spend any money on food of any type (except Valentine’s Day) for the entire month of February.

That includes fresh foods such as milk, fruits & veggies. (although we may tweak this as the challenge goes on) It also includes soft drinks & juices, spices, eating out, etc.

Week one went without a hitch since our freezers and pantry were well-stocked with food to start with. But what about week 2?  Were there any hitches? How much discomfort? What have we learned?  Read on…

30-DAY GROCERY NO-SPEND CHALLENGE! No money spent on food for a full month - see how we survived week 2. Tips & recipes included! #TexasHomesteader

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Grocery No-Spend Challenge: Week 1

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

What is a grocery no-spend challenge? It’s where you eat only the food you already have in your home. No buying cans of shelf stable foods, or even fresh foods like milk and bread.

I’d embarked upon a grocery no-spend challenge for a whole month. Come see how week 1 went. 

Can we go a month without buying any food at all? I've embarked upon a grocery no-spend challenge for a month. Come see how week 1 went. #TexasHomesteader

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Homemade Bread-Making Shortcuts – Less Work, Less Cleanup

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

I bake LOTS of homemade bread whether in the oven or using a bread maker.

But I’ve incorporated many bread-making shortcuts so I’m not starting over every day. This speeds along my bread baking day with less effort. Come see my shortcut tips!

I bake LOTS of bread. But I've found homemade bread-making shortcuts so I'm not starting over every day. Come see my shortcut tips! #TexasHomesteader

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Quick & Easy No-Cook Cherry Shtuff Dessert

by Texas Homesteader ~
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There’s a favored family holiday no-cook sweet cherry dessert that my family loves. It’s filled with deliciousness such as cherry pie filling, whipped topping, crushed pineapple, cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. And it’s requested, errrrrdemanded every year by all in my family that I bring it. Luckily for me it’s super easy to whip together and requires NO COOKING.

Quick & Easy NO-COOK CHERRY DESSERT - This tasty dessert uses pie filling, cool whip, crushed pineapple, sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese! #TexasHomesteader

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