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One Hundred Dollars a Month

I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

Bartering with Mavis – Trading 25 Pounds of Whole Wheat Bread Flour for…

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By on · 31 Comments

Yesterday I ran into Mrs. Hillbilly while I was running errands.

While we were talking, she mentioned she picked up an Oster 2lb bread maker* at the Goodwill for a whopping $25!  And the bread making booklet was in it too!  I could see she was totally pumped about it and I was super happy for her.

Well actually let me back up a second.  I’m not sure if I was super excited for her because she had just scored a sweet deal on a bread maker, or if I was totally surprised  to find out she shopped at the Goodwill too. Hmmm.

Well anyway, as soon as I heard the words bread maker come out of her mouth, I was instantly reminded of the 25 pound sack of flour I picked up for free awhile back when I cashed in some of my Swagbucks for an Amazon gift card.  Now as much as I would like to bake bread every day of the week, I just don’t have any extra time right now. So I immediately  told her about the flour and asked her she would be up for a little bartering a little later.

Well fast forward about 6 hours…

And this is what I traded away my 25 pound sack of whole wheat bread flour for:

  • 3 cups raw almonds {for snacking and a recipe I have in mind}
  • 1 red bell pepper {we used it last night on homemade pizzas}
  • 2 pounds mozzarella cheese {used some for the pizzas and still have plenty left over}
  • 1 tub of organic polenta

What the heck is polenta, and what am I suppose to do with it?

I could tell Mrs. Hillbilly totally wanted to get rid of the polenta so I just took it and smiled.  But seriously, what on earth is it?  Mrs. Hillbilly mentioned something like, “It’s like grits, only you fry it.”

Ummm Okay?

Help!

~Mavis

Read More Bartering Stories

If you like Polenta {and you know what to do with it} Amazon currently has Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Corn Grits, Polenta, 24 Ounce Packages {Pack of 4} on sale for $12.46/$3.11 each Shipped when you use the subscribe and save option at check out.

*Direct link to Amazon product

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Comments

  1. I love all kinds of polenta but my favorite way to eat the polenta in a tube is to slice it about 1/2 inch, pat dry, and pan fry with a little oil until browned. Then serve with maple syrup and fruit. Makes a great breakfast.

    Reply

  2. You could also slice it and pat dry like above, but do like chicken parmesan and dip it in flour, then egg, then italian bread crumbs w/parmesan, fry it up w/olive oil and serve with pasta sauce over noodles or whatnot. Tasty.

    Reply

  3. actually you wouldn’t need the noodles b/c the polenta would be your carb, unless you love noodles then go for it.

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  6. Polenta is the bomb. The ideas above nail it. It’s better than grits. You’ll love it. Red sauce and cheese – can’t go wrong.

    Reply

  7. Just a note about baking bread – you should really NEVER buy whole wheat flour because the moment you grind wheat it begins losing its nutrients. Grind it at home and either immediately use it, or store it in the freezer until you do use it. Your Blendtec grinds wheat. Bread really doesn’t take much time, just experience.

    Mixing time is only 20 minutes (which includes 10 minutes of resting), then let it rise for 20, bake for 35. Really easy. Make four loaves and refrigerate – it’ll last 1-2 weeks for your family.
    http://hutchingsrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/04/wheat-bread.html

    Reply

  9. For this type of polenta, I would just fry it in extra virgin olive oil (pan fry, not deep fry) until golden and crispy, with some salt, pepper, and chopped rosemary.

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  10. Polenta is yummy stuff. Frying is tasty but can get messy and take a while to do all the slices from a tube. I usually slice the tube kinda thin-ish, spray a baking sheet, lay out the polenta slices, spray them, then bake at 425 for 10 minutes, flip them over, bake another 5 minutes or so, and then top with slices of cheese and let it melt. I have some in my cupboard right now and have been thinking about making it up for dinner this week along with leftover tomato/meat sauce from my lasagna last week (tomatoes from my garden!).

    Reply

    • I actually sharpen my knife, and *gasp*, slice right through that dang plastic if I have polenta in tube form. I just peel off the plastic before frying.

      That being said, I’m a good Sicilian girl and I make my own *&#$&U! polenta. It’s putzy stuff, but you can make a huge batch and freeze for later. Just like bigas! Make it ahead, freeze it, and use later. 🙂

      Reply

  11. @Marci, OMGosh, you’re the first person I ever met who also knows what Cornmeal Mush is!!!!!!! Wonder if you grew up in GA like me. 🙂

    Mavis, it’s good. Kind of an acquired taste, I think.

    Reply

  17. So timely! I picked some up at the store last night because it was an awesome price & I heard people loved it. Now I know too what to do with it!!

    Reply

    • I call my local Goodwill the local crack house. It is right on my path as I head almost anywhere, just a mile down the road. Because I know they have put out great stuff I haven’t seen, I have to check it out all the time. That is why I call it the Local Crack House.

      Reply

    • I agree….that bag of organic flour is worth more than what it was traded for in my opinion, but then again, if it was going to go to waste…..and whole wheat flour can’t be stored for nearly as long, it can go rancid, so using 25 lbs could be difficult….

      Reply

  22. Our Goodwill has 50% off on the 3rd Friday of the month so guess when tightwad (me) shops there? You’d be so surprised to see the variety there. I scored a new Zojirushi Bread maker for $7.50 that’s right originally it was $15. Love the Goodwill !!!

    Reply

  23. I love polenta. You can buy a bag of it and make mush (my grandma always put butter, sugar and milk on mine for breakfast. Then the mush can be packed in a refridgerater dish to become somewhat solid for frying, like the premade tube you got. I just discovered a new recipe for the fried polenta. You roast eggplant slices in the oven with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, fry your polenta slices in a little olive oil and butter. Then on a cookie sheet stack your slice of fried polenta with a slice of roasted eggplant, then a slice of tomato, some cut up basil,, top it all with mozzarella and cook in the oven till the cheese is all melty. It’s so good!

    Reply

  24. Surprised my fave use for polenta wasn’t mentioned. Pan saute it (in olive oil or Pam in the pan). Then, I like to saute mushrooms and onions in a little olive oil until both are tender. Add a little light or heavy cream (or even canned evap milk) to make a nice sauce. Pour that over the polenta rounds and voila, yummy fall dinner! You could also add tomatoes if you like (from the garden) or even, gasp, some kale or chard.

    Enjoy!

    Reply

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