I mentioned recently that it hasn't been as expensive as I anticipated it would be to eat healthy. It's all about buying what's on sale and what's in season. Obviously, this is going to be harder during the winter months. But right now, during these glorious summer months, enjoy all the fresh produce you can!
Last week, I went shopping to stock up on produce and some meat to replenish my freezer with. I did not buy a single boxed or canned food. Nothing processed went into my cart. I got enough meat and veggies to feed our entire family for at least a week ... and I spent about $50. My cart was full to the brim, and we are eating like kings!
Two things helped me do this:
1) buying produce in season and at it's lowest prices
2) buying meat from the discount shelf
I am a huge advocate of going through that discount meat section. Sometimes it's just junk that's not worth buying. But you can often find some amazing buys. This week, we had buffalo meat for the first time. Found it in the discount bin for $2.99, and it was enough for one full meal. Also had some London broil ... got it for $1.99, and it fed us both. I found so many good buys in the discount bin that I splurged and bought some fresh tuna steaks which were not even remotely on sale. If I'd skipped those, our grocery bill would have been closer to $40. But I figured we deserved a yummy treat for finding such good buys and losing the weight we've lost so far.
So, it IS possible to eat healthy and stay within a budget. Challenge yourself to try something new that you find on sale. Try a new veggie that you might not normally buy - do it just because it's on sale for 79 cents a pound. It also gives you a chance to challenge yourself with a new recipe, which is always fun. And it never hurts to try new things!
July 29, 2010
July 28, 2010
At-Home Spa Treatments For Summer
I'm not feeling overly creative today ... so, I'm going to pass along a link to some fun ideas I just read about. Not only are these good tips for taking care of your skin, they're great money-savers!
July 26, 2010
Fishy times
Okay, folks, I need your help! I need ideas for what to do with various forms of sea life at dinner time! I have never been a big fish eater. The closest I usually get to seafood is a big ol' batch of fried shrimp .... and I'm pretty sure the whole deep-frying part takes most of the healthy out of them! However, most shellfish and lower fat fish are super good for you. So I am trying to incorporate them into our dinners more often. But I am totally clueless on preparing a healthy fish dinner that still tastes good. The shrimp salad was totally yummy, but it apparently used up all my creative juices, and I'm at a standstill in the kitchen again. Help!
On a completely different and random note, I have a new mystery plant in my garden! After hubby turned over all the dirt for me to start planting, more stuff sprouted! We're pretty sure it's something in the squash family, and I'm rather hoping for zucchini, since we can use it in tons of stuff. But I'll take whatever.
And since my last gardening mention, I have planted potatoes, corn, eggplant, and green beans! Actually, Matilda and I planted the green beans together. We found these adorable Sesame Street vegetable starter kits at Home Depot a few weeks ago. So we planted green beans and tomatoes (more on those in a minute). After only 3-4 days, I came out on the back patio to find the cover busting off the green bean "greenhouse". They were already about 4 inches tall! So, we transplanted them into our garden and have started a second batch.
As for the tomatoes ... I now have to eat my words about never having a tomato grow from scratch. Our Elmo tomatoes have all sprouted! Every single seed produced a plant. And they are now big enough to transplant as well. If these actually produce fruit, I may have to quit buying the plants! Maybe my brown thumb is even greener than I thought! If the plants produce, I promise to post pictures ... as well as posting a few pics once the garden has really taken off. I figure we should have a nice late summer/early fall crop of goodies to enjoy. Yay!
On a completely different and random note, I have a new mystery plant in my garden! After hubby turned over all the dirt for me to start planting, more stuff sprouted! We're pretty sure it's something in the squash family, and I'm rather hoping for zucchini, since we can use it in tons of stuff. But I'll take whatever.
And since my last gardening mention, I have planted potatoes, corn, eggplant, and green beans! Actually, Matilda and I planted the green beans together. We found these adorable Sesame Street vegetable starter kits at Home Depot a few weeks ago. So we planted green beans and tomatoes (more on those in a minute). After only 3-4 days, I came out on the back patio to find the cover busting off the green bean "greenhouse". They were already about 4 inches tall! So, we transplanted them into our garden and have started a second batch.
As for the tomatoes ... I now have to eat my words about never having a tomato grow from scratch. Our Elmo tomatoes have all sprouted! Every single seed produced a plant. And they are now big enough to transplant as well. If these actually produce fruit, I may have to quit buying the plants! Maybe my brown thumb is even greener than I thought! If the plants produce, I promise to post pictures ... as well as posting a few pics once the garden has really taken off. I figure we should have a nice late summer/early fall crop of goodies to enjoy. Yay!
July 23, 2010
Saving on extras
Yesterday, I found a way to save money on some things that aren't quite necessities. I stopped off at my nail salon to get my brows waxed (like I said not quite a necessity). When I was paying at the end, the owner pulled out a sheet of coupons to use for the next time I got my nails done or a pedicure or another wax job. I had never seen coupons for getting your nails done! I realize this is an extra, but sometimes a girl needs some pampering. And if I can get something fun and pay less ... I'm all about that! So, don't forget to look for "creative" coupons. You never know what you might find that you can use to have fun for yourself or your family!
July 22, 2010
Salal jam???
I found something new in my yard that is edible and perfect for canning!! I am still trying to identify all the crazy trees, bushes, plants and flowers that we have in our yard. But an old friend helped me identify several of the bushes behind my garden as the Salal plant. Never even heard of it before. But now that I know what it is and have researched it ... turns out the berries growing on it are edible! We have about 7 of these bushes or trees or whatever they are. I suspect they are more of a bush, but some of ours are in excess of 8 feet tall! And they are all overflowing with berries, which should be ripe sometime in August.
I have already found a canning recipe for silal jam, and I already have all the necessary items. It requires very little sugar to can, because the berry is very high in natural pectin, so it gels easily on its own. Which means it should be a healthier jam for us to eat! I will have a shelf full of jam ... and it's not going to cost me a penny! Well, unless you count what we spent to buy the house that had the bushes in the yard ... but I'm not. :)
I am also mulling over money-making opportunities as well, because the foliage from this plant is apparently very popular with florists, for making arrangements with roses. There has to be a way I can tap into that. At the very least, I can spice up my flower arrangements when I bring roses in from my yard.
What do you have in your garden or your yard that can help you save money for your family? Or what would you consider adding to your yard in order to help out the family budget? I challenge you to start planning for next year and see how much you can save. There are so many benefits to having your own produce section in the yard. Not only is it cheaper for you, but you've grown the plants yourself, and you know exactly what was used on them and how they were grown. There's a certain peace of mind in feeding my family food that I know isn't full of pesticides or growth hormones or whatever else you may find at the grocery store. Plus ... it just tastes better when you pick it and serve it the same day!
July 21, 2010
Shrimpy delight
Tried another variation of my stir fry recipe last night ... with shrimp! We bought a pound of shrimp back when we bought our house, and were going to break it out to celebrate. It got lost in the back of the freezer. Oops! However, I found it and added it to this week's menu. This variation is not quite as cheap as my usual stir fry. However, it is about as healthy as you can get, since shrimp falls into the leanest of meats category. Plus, it has all kinds of great things in it that are good for you! So, here's the new variation:
1 lb shrimp, de-veined ($3.99)
2 cups chopped zucchini ($1.00)
2 cups chopped white mushrooms ($0.75)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper ($0.75)
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning
Remove the shrimp tails & peel shrimp (I bought it already de-veined, so this was pretty quick). Throw shrimp in a pan with 1-2 tbsp olive oil (or cooking oil of your choice). Add Mrs. Dash seasoning to shrimp. Stir fry until shrimp is almost completely done (should be pink & "butterflied"). Remove shrimp from pan. Add bell pepper, saute until softened. Add zucchini, saute for a couple minutes, then add mushrooms. Once veggies are all softened, add soy sauce and lime juice. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add shrimp back into the pan. Let it heat through (a couple minutes), then plate and serve!
1 lb shrimp, de-veined ($3.99)
2 cups chopped zucchini ($1.00)
2 cups chopped white mushrooms ($0.75)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper ($0.75)
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning
Remove the shrimp tails & peel shrimp (I bought it already de-veined, so this was pretty quick). Throw shrimp in a pan with 1-2 tbsp olive oil (or cooking oil of your choice). Add Mrs. Dash seasoning to shrimp. Stir fry until shrimp is almost completely done (should be pink & "butterflied"). Remove shrimp from pan. Add bell pepper, saute until softened. Add zucchini, saute for a couple minutes, then add mushrooms. Once veggies are all softened, add soy sauce and lime juice. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add shrimp back into the pan. Let it heat through (a couple minutes), then plate and serve!
Cost per serving is about $3.25. The veggies will cook down to about half their size, which is why the portions seem so large to start with. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand. These were the ones in my fridge that I thought were closest to "going with" shrimp. Hubby and I scarfed this down in no-time flat! Super yummy, very healthy, and fairly easy on the budget. Enjoy!
July 19, 2010
Veggie marinade
My new favorite thing to do with vegetables ... is add soy sauce. Since we are trying to limit our sodium and "extras" these days, I use the low-sodium soy sauce, and I use a little less than I used to. But it's a yummy way to spice up dinner. For example, the other night we had a veggie mixture of asparagus, zucchini and mushrooms. I chopped up 3 cups worth (1.5 cups for each of us), put it in a tupperware container, added 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce and a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime seasoning, shook it up really good so everything was coated, and let it sit in the fridge for about and hour or so. When I took it out later, I spread it on a baking sheet, put it in the oven at about 380 for 15'ish minutes (I started at 10 minutes, then kept adding time as I checked on the veggies), and voila! They actually turned out almost like they'd been grilled. In fact, my hubby thought I'd fired up the grill just to do the veggies!
A couple tablespoons of soy sauce is a pretty cheap addition to the meal. What are some of the ways you spice up veggies so that your family will enjoy them? Or, if you have kids, what are some of the creative things you do with veggies to keep them healthy but still get the kiddos to eat them? My kiddo loves the soy sauce marinade, but I'd love some more ideas to keep her eating those good veggies!
A couple tablespoons of soy sauce is a pretty cheap addition to the meal. What are some of the ways you spice up veggies so that your family will enjoy them? Or, if you have kids, what are some of the creative things you do with veggies to keep them healthy but still get the kiddos to eat them? My kiddo loves the soy sauce marinade, but I'd love some more ideas to keep her eating those good veggies!
July 16, 2010
Saving $$ on salad
I know this is going to prove to the world that I am a complete genius, but I have discovered a brilliant new way to spend less on the salads I make. More greens, less carbs and dairy!
Until now, a salad set before me had a couple of requirements: 1) it must have some sort of cheese on it, and 2) croutons were a must! I love me some cheese! And the combination of cheese and tomatoes in a salad is just heavenly to me. But have you noticed how much the price of cheese just keeps going up and up and up? It's insane. And croutons seem to have risen in price lately too. Plus, I'm really picky about my croutons. They have to be bite-sized. I hate those "restaurant-sized" croutons. Seriously - who can enjoy one of those with a bite of salad without breaking it apart? And my personal rule about croutons is that there must be one for every bite of salad ... which adds up to a lot of croutons!
With the new eating plan that hubby and I are following, a salad consists of up to 3 cups of low carb veggies and up to 2 tablespoons of low-cal/low-carb salad dressing. Last night's salad was 1 cup romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup tomatoes and 1/2 cup mushrooms. Not an ounce of dairy and no croutons to be seen. And I enjoyed every bite! It's amazing how you start to enjoy real food when you eliminate some of the stuff you don't need to be eating! And the bonus is that last night's salad cost about 75 cents per serving. My normal salad, with all the extras would have been more like $1.25-1.50 per serving. I realize that's still not a lot. But every bit adds up these days, doesn't it?!
Until now, a salad set before me had a couple of requirements: 1) it must have some sort of cheese on it, and 2) croutons were a must! I love me some cheese! And the combination of cheese and tomatoes in a salad is just heavenly to me. But have you noticed how much the price of cheese just keeps going up and up and up? It's insane. And croutons seem to have risen in price lately too. Plus, I'm really picky about my croutons. They have to be bite-sized. I hate those "restaurant-sized" croutons. Seriously - who can enjoy one of those with a bite of salad without breaking it apart? And my personal rule about croutons is that there must be one for every bite of salad ... which adds up to a lot of croutons!
With the new eating plan that hubby and I are following, a salad consists of up to 3 cups of low carb veggies and up to 2 tablespoons of low-cal/low-carb salad dressing. Last night's salad was 1 cup romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup tomatoes and 1/2 cup mushrooms. Not an ounce of dairy and no croutons to be seen. And I enjoyed every bite! It's amazing how you start to enjoy real food when you eliminate some of the stuff you don't need to be eating! And the bonus is that last night's salad cost about 75 cents per serving. My normal salad, with all the extras would have been more like $1.25-1.50 per serving. I realize that's still not a lot. But every bit adds up these days, doesn't it?!
July 14, 2010
Stir Fry
We had another yummy concoction last night. I am digging the extra challenge of this whole healthy eating thing. It seems to be even more satisfying if I meet a goal or beat my old record. I'm rather competitive that way. Which is probably why I enjoy those silly Facebook games so much, getting the chance to beat a bunch of other people. But I digress ... We had some super yummy stir fry last night. Normally, I would serve this over rice, but we are in the (mostly) starch-free part of our new eating plan. In the past, I would have served it with white rice - in the days to come, we will be using brown rice. You can use whatever your family enjoys. Or, like we did last night? Eat it without the rice!
12 oz chicken tenderloin, diced (about $2)
1 cup chopped celery (25 cents)
1 cup chopped white mushrooms ($1)
1 cup chopped tomatoes ($1)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
olive oil
Mrs. Dash chicken seasoning
Pour 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan to heat, then add diced chicken. I added a pretty good sprinkle of the Mrs. Dash seasoning to it and cooked it up, flipping chicken partway through. Once chicken is cooked through completely, remove it from the pan. Leave drippings and remaining oil in the pan, and add the celery to it. Cook for at least 5 minutes, or until it is starting to soften, then add the mushrooms. Once the mushrooms have started to soften and shrink, add the tomatoes. In the meantime, combine the soy sauce and lime juice - set aside until the veggies are done cooking. (A good addition to this is to add some minced garlic to the sauce, but I didn't have any on hand.) Once the tomatoes have cooked down some, add the soy sauce/lime juice mix. Let it cook with the veggies for a minute or two, then add the chicken back into the pan.
Hubby and I split this evenly again (and I actually cooked a little extra for the munchkin, cuz she loves stir fry too). Cost per person is just over $2, possibly cheaper if you get a good deal on chicken. I have been using variations of this recipe for years with my family, and they love it. It is super easy and fairly quick. You can add in whatever veggies your family likes - we have used carrots, zucchini, bean sprouts, etc. in the past. Something about mixing that soy and lime juice makes the best sauce.
This is one of those recipes that is perfect when you are cleaning out your fridge, by the way. I have often done this dish with whatever veggies I can dig out of the bottom of my crisper and whatever meat is left in the freezer. I've even done it with ground beef before! The seasoning really makes the dish, so it's a great one to get creative with. If you try it, let me know which veggies you used and what type of meat ... and how your family liked it!
12 oz chicken tenderloin, diced (about $2)
1 cup chopped celery (25 cents)
1 cup chopped white mushrooms ($1)
1 cup chopped tomatoes ($1)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
olive oil
Mrs. Dash chicken seasoning
Pour 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan to heat, then add diced chicken. I added a pretty good sprinkle of the Mrs. Dash seasoning to it and cooked it up, flipping chicken partway through. Once chicken is cooked through completely, remove it from the pan. Leave drippings and remaining oil in the pan, and add the celery to it. Cook for at least 5 minutes, or until it is starting to soften, then add the mushrooms. Once the mushrooms have started to soften and shrink, add the tomatoes. In the meantime, combine the soy sauce and lime juice - set aside until the veggies are done cooking. (A good addition to this is to add some minced garlic to the sauce, but I didn't have any on hand.) Once the tomatoes have cooked down some, add the soy sauce/lime juice mix. Let it cook with the veggies for a minute or two, then add the chicken back into the pan.
Hubby and I split this evenly again (and I actually cooked a little extra for the munchkin, cuz she loves stir fry too). Cost per person is just over $2, possibly cheaper if you get a good deal on chicken. I have been using variations of this recipe for years with my family, and they love it. It is super easy and fairly quick. You can add in whatever veggies your family likes - we have used carrots, zucchini, bean sprouts, etc. in the past. Something about mixing that soy and lime juice makes the best sauce.
This is one of those recipes that is perfect when you are cleaning out your fridge, by the way. I have often done this dish with whatever veggies I can dig out of the bottom of my crisper and whatever meat is left in the freezer. I've even done it with ground beef before! The seasoning really makes the dish, so it's a great one to get creative with. If you try it, let me know which veggies you used and what type of meat ... and how your family liked it!
July 13, 2010
Healthy AND inexpensive!
Hubby and I have officially started our new eating plan. So, keeping dinnertime affordable has become a bit more challenging. So frustrating that eating healthy seems to be more expensive than eating all the pre-packaged crud the stores try to sell you. Anyway ... I am now on a mission to find some new healthy recipes and good deals on produce (while I wait for my garden to truly take off). Here was last night's dinner:
2 cups Romaine lettuce ($1.29/head - so about 25-30 cents worth)
2 cups baby spinach ($2.99/bag - about 75 cents worth)
1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes (used about 6-7 of them, so maybe 50 cents worth?)
1/2 cup sliced zucchini (about 50 cents)
3 cans white tuna in water, drained (from my pantry, but probably bought when they were 4/$1 - so, 75 cents worth)
2 tablespoons (each) low fat/low carb salad dressing (minimal)
Split this between the two of us (Matilda had PB&J), total cost per person was about $1.50. Now that I see it broken down, it doesn't seem so expensive to eat right! It was really, really filling too. I added a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash southwest chipotle seasoning to the tuna, which was a yummy addition. Hubby added a couple splashes of hot sauce. Not my thing, but whatever floats your boat!
How have you used tuna in your cooking? I would love some more ideas, since it's fairly cheap. Preferably recipes that don't involve lots of mayo or dairy products. If I come up with any other new ideas, I'll be sure to pass them along!
2 cups Romaine lettuce ($1.29/head - so about 25-30 cents worth)
2 cups baby spinach ($2.99/bag - about 75 cents worth)
1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes (used about 6-7 of them, so maybe 50 cents worth?)
1/2 cup sliced zucchini (about 50 cents)
3 cans white tuna in water, drained (from my pantry, but probably bought when they were 4/$1 - so, 75 cents worth)
2 tablespoons (each) low fat/low carb salad dressing (minimal)
Split this between the two of us (Matilda had PB&J), total cost per person was about $1.50. Now that I see it broken down, it doesn't seem so expensive to eat right! It was really, really filling too. I added a sprinkle of Mrs. Dash southwest chipotle seasoning to the tuna, which was a yummy addition. Hubby added a couple splashes of hot sauce. Not my thing, but whatever floats your boat!
How have you used tuna in your cooking? I would love some more ideas, since it's fairly cheap. Preferably recipes that don't involve lots of mayo or dairy products. If I come up with any other new ideas, I'll be sure to pass them along!
July 12, 2010
The blueberries are out of control!
Okay, so I just started harvesting blueberries about 5 days ago. Between a gift from a relative, the blueberries I've already harvested, and what will obviously be ready in the next 24-48 hours ... we have too many blueberries! Especially since the kiddo is the only one allowed to eat them right now (and too many blueberries in one sitting does NOT make for pleasant diaper changes!!). So, I'm going to try my hand at canning. Check out this link: http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/new_products/258.php.
Thanks to a coupon that I randomly clipped weeks ago, and then walking past an aisle display at the home improvement store that had a pile of these, I decided to make an impulse buy and try it out. I probably won't get to it until later in the week, but I'll keep ya posted on how it goes. In the meantime, I have 3 bags of blueberries already frozen and many more to come. Guess I better not wait too long, eh?
What are some of your family's favorite ways to use blueberries? I plan to make some jam, as well as just can some by themselves. But I'm wondering if there are other creative ideas out there that I could "borrow" from my friends. Please share whatever ideas you have!
Thanks to a coupon that I randomly clipped weeks ago, and then walking past an aisle display at the home improvement store that had a pile of these, I decided to make an impulse buy and try it out. I probably won't get to it until later in the week, but I'll keep ya posted on how it goes. In the meantime, I have 3 bags of blueberries already frozen and many more to come. Guess I better not wait too long, eh?
July 10, 2010
Strangely addicted to gardening
My newest way to save money in the kitchen? Grow it yourself! Since we bought our house last fall, we have been discovering all kinds of goodies in our yard. When we first moved in, the previous owners left behind a full harvest of carrots and beets for us. We discovered we have a pear tree which gives off a hefty harvest, and the pears are SO yummy! Then we realized we have a blueberry bush ... that actually produces. Now there are a few blackberry vines trickling through. My hubby is all about destroying them, but I am (not so) secretly hoping they will survive, because I love fresh blackberries! Our tomatoes are producing, and it looks like we have about 10 bell peppers starting to grow. Also hoping for some corn and more lettuce.
I have always joked that I have a black thumb. But I have discovered this odd new love of gardening since buying our own home. I think there's some special sense of pride when it's your own and when you grow it with your own hands. My flowers and vegetables are all thriving this year! I actually planted flower bulbs last winter ... and they actually grew flowers this spring! I know it makes me a total geek, but it was like I had accomplished climbing Mt. Everest or something when those tulips actually bloomed! Apparently, my gardening gene was just being repressed during all those years of apartment living. And now it is starting to thrive and grow ... and I love it!
I am so excited to be able to put food on my family's table in the coming months. Food that I didn't go and pay retail for at the grocery store. It is such a money saver to grow it yourself. Now, I cheat with the tomatoes and refuse to plant seeds. I buy starter plants, because growing from seed has just never worked for me. But it's still cheaper! I am planning to learn how to can this year, so I can stash away some of those pears for winter time. If the corn works out, I will freeze a bunch for later. Our blueberry plant seems to be producing a LOT, so I'd like to freeze some of them as well. Since we are on a much healthier eating plan now, all this "fresh" produce is going to save us a lot of money in the coming months. So I'm challenging myself to see how much I can grow, produce and store away this year ... and then I'm going to try and double that next year!
I have always joked that I have a black thumb. But I have discovered this odd new love of gardening since buying our own home. I think there's some special sense of pride when it's your own and when you grow it with your own hands. My flowers and vegetables are all thriving this year! I actually planted flower bulbs last winter ... and they actually grew flowers this spring! I know it makes me a total geek, but it was like I had accomplished climbing Mt. Everest or something when those tulips actually bloomed! Apparently, my gardening gene was just being repressed during all those years of apartment living. And now it is starting to thrive and grow ... and I love it!
I am so excited to be able to put food on my family's table in the coming months. Food that I didn't go and pay retail for at the grocery store. It is such a money saver to grow it yourself. Now, I cheat with the tomatoes and refuse to plant seeds. I buy starter plants, because growing from seed has just never worked for me. But it's still cheaper! I am planning to learn how to can this year, so I can stash away some of those pears for winter time. If the corn works out, I will freeze a bunch for later. Our blueberry plant seems to be producing a LOT, so I'd like to freeze some of them as well. Since we are on a much healthier eating plan now, all this "fresh" produce is going to save us a lot of money in the coming months. So I'm challenging myself to see how much I can grow, produce and store away this year ... and then I'm going to try and double that next year!
July 7, 2010
Getting serious
Today was a massive pantry clean-out. Hubby and I are getting ready for our new weight loss plan, and I am determined to do this right. We have been using up as much as we could, but there's just no getting around the excess that is left over. So, the unopened cereal boxes have already been donated to other lucky users, along with things like Hamburger Helper and those lovely blue boxes of Mac & Cheese.
But today it gets serious. I emptied out partial containers of "mashed potatoes" (you know - the boxed variety - don't ask - my hubby loves the boxed stuff over the real thing - I know), emptied out the last of the white rice, scarfed down the last of my Apple Jacks, threw out partial packages of buttery crackers and dried fruit I'd forgotten we bought. I managed to clear 3 full shelves in the pantry! Which was just enough space for MY meal stuff for the next month. Guess I'm gonna have to get SUPER serious tomorrow if there's gonna be room for hubby's food! Which means saying goodbye to my yummy croutons, all the cans of divine tomatoes and corn, the brown sugar ... and, I guess, the chocolate cake mix. Probably not on the diet. Probably.
Good thing tomorrow is trash day. No time for me to change my mind and rescue a few old favorites. By the time I get up in the morning, all those yummy temptations will be long gone. Time for a fresh start ... stay tuned!
But today it gets serious. I emptied out partial containers of "mashed potatoes" (you know - the boxed variety - don't ask - my hubby loves the boxed stuff over the real thing - I know), emptied out the last of the white rice, scarfed down the last of my Apple Jacks, threw out partial packages of buttery crackers and dried fruit I'd forgotten we bought. I managed to clear 3 full shelves in the pantry! Which was just enough space for MY meal stuff for the next month. Guess I'm gonna have to get SUPER serious tomorrow if there's gonna be room for hubby's food! Which means saying goodbye to my yummy croutons, all the cans of divine tomatoes and corn, the brown sugar ... and, I guess, the chocolate cake mix. Probably not on the diet. Probably.
Good thing tomorrow is trash day. No time for me to change my mind and rescue a few old favorites. By the time I get up in the morning, all those yummy temptations will be long gone. Time for a fresh start ... stay tuned!
July 6, 2010
Multiple meal times
So, my hubby started his new work schedule this week, of 3 days on, 3 days off. Which is actually quite fabulous. I am really looking forward to having some weekdays to do things as a family or just get stuff done around the house that we want to do (but can't seem to cram into the weekends). However, it is going to create an interesting dilemma for dinnertime on certain days.
For example, today he gets off work at 6 pm, which means arriving home at 7 pm after he deals with the evening commute (and this is if he gets off work on time!). The kiddo gets up from her nap around 4:30'ish usually. Most days, she gets a little snack to tide her over until dinner, and dinner is between 5:30 and 6:00. No way can she wait until Daddy gets home from work on a night like tonight. So, do I make dinner and have it ready at 5:30 for the two of us girls and then just re-heat for hubby? Or do I make her something quick and easy, then wait and eat with hubby when he gets home? If I do the latter, the little girl will undoubtedly mooch off both our dinners and end up with an extra meal for the evening, right before bedtime. If I choose the first option, hubby has to eat alone, and said child will still mooch off his plate.
At least for tonight, I am leaning towards fixing dinner at the normal time and re-heating for hubby after he gets home. But I hate to do that to him on a regular basis. Do any of you have weird schedules that you have to work around? How do you handle it? What are some of your ideas for handling multiple meal times? I would love some ideas!
For example, today he gets off work at 6 pm, which means arriving home at 7 pm after he deals with the evening commute (and this is if he gets off work on time!). The kiddo gets up from her nap around 4:30'ish usually. Most days, she gets a little snack to tide her over until dinner, and dinner is between 5:30 and 6:00. No way can she wait until Daddy gets home from work on a night like tonight. So, do I make dinner and have it ready at 5:30 for the two of us girls and then just re-heat for hubby? Or do I make her something quick and easy, then wait and eat with hubby when he gets home? If I do the latter, the little girl will undoubtedly mooch off both our dinners and end up with an extra meal for the evening, right before bedtime. If I choose the first option, hubby has to eat alone, and said child will still mooch off his plate.
At least for tonight, I am leaning towards fixing dinner at the normal time and re-heating for hubby after he gets home. But I hate to do that to him on a regular basis. Do any of you have weird schedules that you have to work around? How do you handle it? What are some of your ideas for handling multiple meal times? I would love some ideas!
July 3, 2010
Gross grapes
It is officially that time of year when it suddenly becomes affordable to buy (most) fruit again. And, since there has been more variety in the store, I have been trying to buy more than just bananas for my daughter. This past week, I bought a beautiful bag of grapes ... which are already growing fuzz on them. Grrr. Apparently, my problem is that I left them out in the basket with the other fruit. I am going to try the advice I found and store them in the fridge the next time. I am not entirely convinced that will solve my problem, but I will keep you posted.
However, in my quest to find answers about how to keep the nasty fuzz off my grapes, I stumbled across a really nifty website I thought I would share with you. http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/ They have tips for just about anything you can think of - tips for fruit, meat, storing things in your fridge, freezer ideas, etc. I have barely skimmed the surface of it, but I have bookmarked it to spend some more time at. Just thought I'd pass my new find along to you, in case anyone is as challenged in the fruit area as me!
And, since I probably will not have time to get on the computer tomorrow, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July. Take a moment to remember why we celebrate, and if you know a soldier or their family, give them a big hug and say thanks!
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However, in my quest to find answers about how to keep the nasty fuzz off my grapes, I stumbled across a really nifty website I thought I would share with you. http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/ They have tips for just about anything you can think of - tips for fruit, meat, storing things in your fridge, freezer ideas, etc. I have barely skimmed the surface of it, but I have bookmarked it to spend some more time at. Just thought I'd pass my new find along to you, in case anyone is as challenged in the fruit area as me!
And, since I probably will not have time to get on the computer tomorrow, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July. Take a moment to remember why we celebrate, and if you know a soldier or their family, give them a big hug and say thanks!
July 1, 2010
I'm going in!
Today is officially one of my least favorite days of the year. I knew it was coming. I have dreaded it's arrival. I thought maybe it might still be a few days away ... until my husband muttered those ominous words, "Something smells funny in the refrigerator."
Time to clean out the fridge. Blech.
About the only thing that ranks lower on my list of chores I hate ... is scrubbing the toilet. And thank heavens for a husband who has made cleaning the toilets his official job for almost 15 years now. He is a life-saver!
However, I am on my own with the fridge. Oh, he would probably do it, but things would disappear that weren't supposed to. Food that is perfectly good would get thrown away, and my tupperware containers would disappear into this weird black hole that only my husband seems to know the location of. It is for this same reason that he is no longer allowed to unload the dishwasher ... things disappear.
So, I'm off to peer into the depths of my fridge, trashcan in hand, and get rid of all the food we've let go to waste. I think that's the main reason I hate to clean the fridge. I hate acknowledging that we have let perfectly good food go to waste. Leftovers that got shoved to the back of the fridge after I went grocery shopping, and then they were forgotten. Condiments that went bad, because we forgot we had them. Things that just don't smell quite right. It's sad to say goodbye to what should have been a perfectly good meal for someone but will now take up space in my trash.
However, it's time to throw out the old, do a little cleaning and scrubbing, and welcome in some new, fresh, yummy, healthy food. A bit like life, really. Cleaning out all the icky bits in our lives is never fun. But it's necessary if we're going to make room for the new, healthy, wonderful stuff that God wants to fill us with.
Who'd have thought I would gain a life lesson out of cleaning my fridge?!
Time to clean out the fridge. Blech.
About the only thing that ranks lower on my list of chores I hate ... is scrubbing the toilet. And thank heavens for a husband who has made cleaning the toilets his official job for almost 15 years now. He is a life-saver!
However, I am on my own with the fridge. Oh, he would probably do it, but things would disappear that weren't supposed to. Food that is perfectly good would get thrown away, and my tupperware containers would disappear into this weird black hole that only my husband seems to know the location of. It is for this same reason that he is no longer allowed to unload the dishwasher ... things disappear.
So, I'm off to peer into the depths of my fridge, trashcan in hand, and get rid of all the food we've let go to waste. I think that's the main reason I hate to clean the fridge. I hate acknowledging that we have let perfectly good food go to waste. Leftovers that got shoved to the back of the fridge after I went grocery shopping, and then they were forgotten. Condiments that went bad, because we forgot we had them. Things that just don't smell quite right. It's sad to say goodbye to what should have been a perfectly good meal for someone but will now take up space in my trash.
However, it's time to throw out the old, do a little cleaning and scrubbing, and welcome in some new, fresh, yummy, healthy food. A bit like life, really. Cleaning out all the icky bits in our lives is never fun. But it's necessary if we're going to make room for the new, healthy, wonderful stuff that God wants to fill us with.
Who'd have thought I would gain a life lesson out of cleaning my fridge?!
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