Rescuing Food From The Jaws of Pregnancy-Brain Defeat

In working towards being more frugal, common sense dictates that you should try to avoid wasting food.  The things that we buy to eat, afterall, make up one of our largest categories of expenses, along with housing and transportation.  I have tried to be mindful of what we have, what we need, and what is actually consumed.  On the cusp of the third trimester, however, my brain is no longer working properly. 

I give you my attempt to make fudge for a party.  It seemed like an easy enough recipe.  I shopped at Aldi’s for the ingredients, so it wasn’t that expensive.  I even had some left over sliced almonds.  And who doesn’t like fudge?  Too bad this is NOT fudge. 

Well, the plan was good, but the execution?  Utter fail.  My brain, flowing with pregnancy and stress hormones, skipped over the recipe’s instructions to add sugar – during the first step of cooking.  I tried to add it later and ended up with this grainy, chocolate mush. 

I loathed the thought of admitting defeat and tossing money in the garbage.  So, it sat in the fridge for a couple of days while I pondered the mush’s fate.  It was more like the consistency of frosting, but too thick and rich for a cake.  I went to work making super-simple shortbread (only 3 ingredients).  The mush went into a double boiler in an attempt to melt down some of the raw sugar.   

The end result?  These delicious cookies.  They were gobbled up so fast, it was as if they were served to Cookie Monster himself (we’re big fans).

Ultimately, this is a very small victory, but I’m proud of my dermination and efforts nonetheless.  It would have been far easier to chalk it up to pregnancy brain, throw away the mush, and head to the store to grab some pre-made and more-expensive treat.  These little things add up over time.  If we’re willing to put in a little extra effort, we will reap the rewards.