I love wine. And I love cider. Beer? Not so much... Although some of the micro-wheat-beers have proven enjoyable over the last few years. Well, since my budget has been lean, I've been trying to minimize what I am spending on alcohol without eliminating it.
I can sip on two ciders all night, but I will drink more than half a bottle of wine. I wondered why my alcohol intake was so much higher with the wine. Then I realized that volume is the key. A bottle of wine is approximately 25 ounces of liquid. If I drink 2/3 of a bottle of wine, I've drunk about 16 ounces of liquid. Two ciders is 24 ounces of liquid. Ah Ha! Now it's all making sense.
And when I look at the cost...well, let's calculate an $8 bottle of wine. 2/3 bottle of wine = $5 A six pack of Strongbow (one of my faves) is $8, so 2 ciders is $2.60.
And look at the math?!?!
2 ciders = 24 oz of liquid + approx 283 calories + 7 carbs + 5% alcohol + $2.60
2/3 bottle of wine = 16 oz of liquid + approx 400 calories + 12 carbs + 13.5% alcohol + $5
Oh yeah, and did I mention that hard cider is gluten-free? So, obviously hard cider is a better choice for me all the way around. Still, if you calculate the cost of drinking 12 ciders a week, it's about $16 a week, or $64 a month, which is a measurable chunk. So I had come across a post awhile back talking about it being fairly inexpensive and easy to brew hard cider. Hmmm -- that's interesting.
I came across this blog post on a blog called The Paupered Chef. And their follow-up post indicated success with brewing a Strongbow-like cider. So, off I went to Wine Craft for supplies to brew two gallons of hard cider.
- 1 packet of lager yeast = $5 (enough for 5 gallons of cider)
- 2 rubber stopper airlocks = $2.50
- 2 #6 rubber stoppers = $1.85
Luckily, Whole Foods was in the shopping center next to Wine Craft, so I popped in for 2 gallons of organic cider in glass bottles. $7 each
Put them together in less than 5 minutes and now just have to be patient. The airlocks and stoppers can be reused, so I'm not going to count them into my costs. A gallon is a little over 10 12-ounce ciders at a total price of $8. That's about $0.80 per cider or $1.60 a night (for two). The other thing that I like is that I sometimes don't want a full 24-0unces of cider. Sometimes 16 ounces would hit the spot, so it may turn out to be less waste. If they turn out decent, then I will expand my operation so I can have some ready and some brewing at all times.
Stay tuned...
I have found it challenging to find a fast, inexpensive, zone-friendly breakfast. I tend to rotate between about three options: a smoothie, cottage cheese/fruit/nuts, and my favorite, a Breakfast Tortilla. I usually prep the ingredients for several of them at a time. Here's the recipe for 6. Really easy to cut it down.
- 6 6-inch corn tortillas (check ingredients to make sure there is no added sugar or corn syrup)
- 12 eggs
- 1 can black beans
- 1 small can diced jalapeno pepper
- 2 T butter
- 6 oz pepperjack cheese (slices work really well)
- Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
- 6 T sour cream (optional)
Whisk the eggs until well blended. Add salt & pepper. Whisk again. Melt butter in a non-stick skillet. Scramble the eggs until still slightly wet. Remove from the heat. If I am making these ahead, I immediately put them into a tupperware container so they start to cool.
Put a tortilla on a small plate. Layer 1/4 cup black beans, 1/3 cup scrambled egg, 1 T diced jalapeno pepper, and 1 oz cheese. Microwave for about 1 minute, or until cheese has melted. Spread 1 T sour cream on top. Bon appetit!
When making ahead, I store the ingredients in separate containers and just layer & microwave for about 90 seconds for a fast breakfast. Alternately, I have layered everything on a plate and wrapped in plastic wrap for an even faster breakfast.
3 blocks protein, 2 blocks carbohydrate, 6 blocks fat
To make this "Zone Perfect", add 1/2 cup berries or pineapple on the side (1 block carbohydrate) and eliminate either the butter or sour cream to reduce the fat to 3 blocks. Personally, I try to add the additional carbohydrates, but I don't worry about reducing the fat since it has a benign impact to my blood sugar.
Will try to take a photo tomorrow morning.