Considering frugal

Veggie heart pizza at home

2012-02-14T17:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day. We made mini heart pizzas with pesto and mozzarella! Yum.

It was surprisingly easy to form the doe into heart shapes. Roll into a ball, squeeze in the middle and roll flat.

Easy Bread Machine Pizza

2 1/2 cups organic white flour

1 cup warm water

1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Top and bake in 375 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Affordable organic chicken nuggets

2012-02-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

If you are anything like me, you have searched everywhere for an affordable frozen chicken nugget that competes with the flavor of the big name brands. My kids are picky eaters and I am sorry to say they like their chicken nuggets. The organic nuggets I have been successful in locating are usually around $7 for a small box. So today we set out on a taste testing frenzy to find a recipe using organic chicken that is affordable and easy enough to make ahead in big batches and freeze. Imagine the excitement when I got it right the first try!

Organic Make Ahead Chicky Chicken Nuggets

1/2 Cup Oatmeal
1 pound organic free range chicken cooked and chopped to mash or food processed
1/2 Cup canned Organic squash puree
1/4 cup shredded cheese (we used Colby jack)
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder

In one bowl place...
2 eggs, beaten and mixed with a splash of milk

In another bowl place...
1 cup each panko bread crumbs and organic white flour

Heavily grease two cookie sheets and preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine first seven ingredients in a bowl and mix. Mixture will look like dry meatloaf, roll into balls and then shape into nugget ovals of choice (this is very important if you want your picky eater to taste, choose the correct shape for your nugget), dip in egg wash and then bread crumbs. Place nuggets on greased cookie sheet for baking. Bake in 375 Degree oven for 8 minutes, turn and bake on second side for 8 more minutes. Nuggets will firm up to expected consistency as they cool. Freeze in zip lock bags for reheating later.

When the nuggets first came out of the oven they were popular but they gained in popularity as they cooled and became more firm like traditional chicken nuggets.

If your child does not prefer these nuggets over their favorite brand at first don't get discouraged, it takes an average of 7 to 11 introductions before a child becomes familiar with a new food.

Tips for taking a family meatless or vegetarian

2012-02-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

When my husband and I were married 10 years ago we both made compromises and my vegetarian lifestyle gradually fell by the wayside until recently when we watched the movie Food Inc. I instantly knew I wanted to return to vegetarianism at least temporarily if not for good.

Men are sometimes a little different. Although he was strongly moved by the abuse in the movie...he likes his meat. So we are making compromises to eat less meat so that we can afford organic meat. Following are some tips on how I am successfully introducing this new lifestyle choice to our family.

Don't go 'whole hog' or 'cold turkey' so to speak. We have some friends that are missionaries to a third world country where food, especially meat is scarce. For several months before they make a mission trip they gradually cut back on their protein intake making it much easier for their bodies to adjust to the change in lifestyle.

Serve a complete protein at every meatless meal. Beans, tofu (if your family likes it), eggs and cheese are all good choices. Learn the winning combos to serve. Rice, organic corn and beans make a compete protein for example. Sometimes you can make a recipe complete by adding nuts or seeds.

Stock your pantry for success. If you already cook from scratch transitioning to vegetarian can be very simple. Stock your pantry with your favorite legumes, nuts, nut butters, whole grains and a large variety of fresh, frozen and organic canned fruits and vegetables. Stock your refrigerator with plenty of high protein dairy and invest in tools such as zip lock freezer bags and a food processor.

Introduce new meatless recipes as side dishes rather than main dishes. If your family really likes the new introductions you can make it the main dish next time. Remember to make it a meal by adding salad, sides and bread if appropriate.

Introduce naturally vegetarian recipes. For us this first introduction was Quiche, a huge hit at our house. The great thing about Quiche is that you can adjust the recipe to fit your pantry. Our pantry was low this week so rather than making Quiche with veggies, this week I used fresh herbs. I also found a recipe that uses a hearty potato crust rather than the traditional pie crust.

Start by re- introducing favorite family foods. I started with one of our favorite foods, Enchiladas. We love enchiladas and I remembered ordering Mushroom Enchiladas at a local Mexican restaurant and loving them. It was an instant hit and I built momentum for all recipes to come.

Go ethnic. One of the first things I discovered when surfing for hearty vegetarian recipes was that many ethnic favorites like rice and beans, felafel's in pita and egg plant Parmesan are naturally yummy and meatless.

Take it slow and know that your family will gradually begin to prefer more fruits and vegetables. I have observed that overtime both my husband and children are starting to ask for more of the vegetarian favorites I am cooking.

Meatless Superbowl Crowd Pleasers

2012-01-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

Superbowl Sunday is fast approaching and Americans are expected to consume on average 1 billion chicken wings as well as a possible 50 billion pounds of cold cuts.

Based on these two figures alone we could save approximately 6 million animals with meatless Superbowl Parties. 151.6 million Americans are expected to watch the Superbowl and if that sounds like a "ton" of meat per person (as my hubby suggested) you are absolutely correct. It is.

One fact that may account for the high number could be the amount of chicken wings consumed; most chickens (at least last I checked) only have two wings. Send a message this year and throw a meatless Superbowl Party. Below are some hearty recipes in addition to whatever veggie tray you may be planning to offer.

Meatless Southwest Superbowl Party Ideas

Mushroom Enchiladas
Veggie Nachos Supreme (topped with black beans and cheese)
Black Bean Chili
Or why not offer a Chipotle style Veggie Burrito Bar

Hearty Finger Foods

Stuffed Mushrooms
Deep Fried Cheese Sticks
Sweet Potato Fries
Twice Baked Cheesy Potato Skins

Hearty Italian Favorites

Baked Alfredo Pasta
Bruschetta with pesto
Egg Plant Parmesan
Veggie Lasagna

Meatless Superbowl Pizza Delivery

You can still patronize your local pizza place; serve deep fried cheese sticks or chips instead of wings. Pizza Hut has a great Veggie Lovers pizza while Papa John's uses fresh mushrooms on their mushroom and cheese. New York Pizza Department serves a hearty egg plant Parmesan pizza.

Something of a Surprise

If you aren't afraid to live on the edge a little, call your local Subway and order a 12 foot Veggie Delight. Deck it out with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo and see what kind of reactions you get.

Ask Mr. President/State of the Union 2012

2012-01-24T13:53:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you noticed the advertisement on Google this morning for the State of the Union 2012. I couldn't help myself, I had to click and I must say I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. The White House is going high tech with the State of the Union Address 2012.

This is not a plug either for or against President Obama, just a vote for watching the speech and a thumbs up for the techno savvy way in which it is being delivered.

You can post your questions to the president on the White House YouTube Channel and view a web enhanced model of the President's speech complete with charts and graphs @ the White House Website.

The White House even made a movie style trailer to promote the speech, you can view it below.

Interview the President

2012-01-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

frugal Birthday Parties

2012-01-20T15:11:00.000-08:00

We love to celebrate our children's birthdays, every single one, so we are always looking through a frugal party. One of our favorite ways to save is by making our own cake but we also like to vary our types of parties and party favors.

Saving On Birthday Cakes 101

Baking your own cake is the best way to save. $3.00 for cake and icing as opposed to $30+ for a purchased cake is great. My kids love to come up with a birthday theme and research possible cake designs on the web (supervised of course).

Sometimes we buy special cake toppers (mini toys) at the dollar store and sometimes we will clean some we already own. If you do not like to bake, you may consider picking up a plain cake from the bakery section and adding your own cake topper.

Making a permanent ceramic cake topper at a pottery store like As U Wish is also a great way to save on cakes. The cake pictured below was a kit purchased for $2.67 @ Fry's Marketplace.

Limit the Large Parties

Although large parties can be a lot of fun they can also be expensive. We give each child a large party about once every three years. If it is not their party year we still make it a special day with a cake and presents. This year is not a big party year for our daughter so she is having one friend over for a sleep-over. We still have a pirate play theme to which we have set up some fun pirate play decorations in her room and planned a treasure hunt. We are having fish and chips for dinner and plan to watch "Pirates of the Caribbean" for entertainment. This is a good social lesson too; she is learning to politely explain the lack of invitation to her other friends if they should ask.

Saving on Favors and Invitations

Even when we go to a party location like Peter Piper, we make our own favors and invitations. I like to shop at Dollar Tree where I can pick up 30 favor bags for $1 and fill them with candy and small toys according to the theme for that year. Likewise invitations are 8 for $1 however we often make invitations ourselves. One year we had a pirate mermaid themed party and we made messages in a bottle as invitations. It can be great fun.

Learn to Set Limits

Although it may be hard it is wise to plan your party budget and tell your child he or she must only invite 10 friends or whatever your limit is. If you are afraid to enforce this rule remember that by doing so you are teaching your child good social skills for later in life. I instruct my child to keep the party on the down low as to not hurt anyone who was not invited. If someone does ask then they can say, "my mom said I could only invite so many people..."

Birthday parties are great for you child and with a little planning they can be both fun and inexpensive.

Shopping report/Finding organic labels

2012-01-17T07:48:00.000-08:00

In keeping with our New Year's Resolution to find more organic labels and Non-Gmo products my daughter and I set out on a week long shopping trip to see just what was available in our area and how easy it is to find meat, produce and products.

We began our trip by making a list of foods that were most important to us. Our list included organic popcorn, since we love popcorn and corn is a very high risk product. My daughter has also been on a search for organic meat filled canned ravioli. While Annie's Homegrown does have a very good ravioli product, it hasn't quite satisfied the ravioli taste buds in our house. This is what we found.

At the end of my report you will find a chart listing my findings. Grades were based on products available, prices, shop ability (could I make one stop and find everything I need?), and taste (I have to feed a tough crowd, lets face it, I am the only one in the house really committed to this cause).

We began our shopping @ Safeway since they introduced their own organic store brand, "O", line of organics. I expected to pay a little more but also find a little more. I was surprised by the lack of organic and Non-Gmo labels. When I asked about the "O" line of meat the butcher told me that he could order it but that it was just way too expensive in his opinion. Overall I gave Safeway a grade of C+ for their efforts.

We continued on to Wal-mart. After viewing the movie Food Inc. and noting the efforts of organic vendors to get their products on Walmart shelves, I expected to find more here. While there was a section of frozen prepackaged organics, I still found very little organic and Non-Gmo labeled foods leaving Wal-mart with a overall grade of D+.

Next Stop was Sprout's Farmer's Market where I expected to find organic meat, produce and hoped to find popcorn. I did find Organic popcorn and prepackaged goods like organic enchilada sauce that tasted great. In regards to meat, Sprout's brand was simply labeled "USDA Choice." I did find one organic chicken for an outrageous $14.99. Ouch! Overall, I will probably shop Sprout's to stock up on some of my dry goods but I couldn't stop and pick up everything I needed. I gave Sprout's a B-.

I was very surprised to find that my normal shopping stop was quite shop able. I would say it is one of the best places to shop. Not only has Fry's Marketplace come out with their own store brand but they have started carrying some national organic labels as well and they put them on sale offering prices competitive to name brand. I found Annie's Homegrown for the same price as Kraft and Chefboyardee. They are also offering a large section of organic produce. I gave Fry's Marketplace a B+.

Trader Joe's received the highest score being very shop able, carrying organic meat and everything imaginable, I gave them an A-. Why the minus? Taste, I just cannot use some of the meats and cheeses without complaints. Some of the dry goods taste "pasty." The breads and produce however are wonderful, very flavorful produce.

Honorable Mentions:

Costco (B) is a warehouse store, but I am finding some organic meats for reasonable prices as well as organic produce, I will probably continue to stock up there. SuperTarget (B+) now carries their own brand as well as competitors brands for competitive prices.Target brand has come under some question so as always make sure the label says organic.

Grade Card

Store	Organic Meats	Organic Produce	Organic Dry/Frozen Goods	Organic Dairy	Grade
Safeway	None	None	Organic Store Brand	Organic Store Brand	C+
Wal-Mart	None	None	minimal	none	D+
Sprout’s	One Chicken	Very little	Some	Some	B-
Fry’s	None	Rather Large Section of Produce	Organic Store Brand & several isles of competitors	Yes	B+
Costco	Some	Yes	Not so much	Yes	B
Trader Joe’s	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	A-
Target	Minimal	Yes Some	Enough to Stock up	Yes	B+

Frugal Sea World San Diego

2012-01-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

Sea World San Diego can be an educational and affordable family destination if you plan ahead.

Hotels and Transportation

The most important thing to consider when choosing a hotel in the Sea World, San Diego area is the hotel placement and the freeway system. Very few hotels in San Diego offer shuttle service, however if you choose a hotel in the right location you can use the San Diego trolley system to get around. The trolley however does not stop at Sea World. Choose a hotel that either states that they have a shuttle to and from Sea World or choose a hotel that is closer to the beach than the freeway as you will have a much easier time getting around.

The Dana, Ocean Park Inn and the Hyatt are all located between the beach and Sea World, San Diego. Although these hotels may take a little bit more out of your budget you will save quite a bit of time and headache as the San Diego freeway system can be very difficult to negotiate.

Hotel Circle may seem tempting because of price and free breakfast offers however the hotels are very run down, the breakfast if not usually as great as it sounds and the freeway system around Hotel Circle is indeed a nightmare.

You will pay for parking once you are at Sea World. Parking rates are $12 per car for regular and $17 for premium. The parking lot is not that big and regular parking is not that far from the door so unless you are seriously handicapped it really is not worth the upgrade.

Food @ Sea World San Diego

Sea Worlds official policy on bringing snacks into the park is no food or drink. I have heard mixed reviews in regard to security. We were not allowed to take our snacks in, while others say they take lunch in with no problems. I imagine this must depend on the day, time and mood of the security guard. Sea World does have collector popcorn buckets and refillable drink cups. These are around $8 to $10 on the first purchase and then they can be refilled for $1 to $3. Food prices do vary within the park on like items. It seems to be cheaper to purchase from a vendor on the boardwalk rather than at the shows.

Once you are in Sea World Park there are several choices in regards to food. Some families have had great success with the Dine All Day bracelets. The food is quite expensive; however they do offer large portions. Should you choose to purchase these Dine All Day bracelets, in my experience you could purchase one bracelet for every two people and then share a plate. In general, the Dine All Day offers more food than one can eat in a day.

Should you choose to eat in the park beware of the Seagulls. They are armed and dangerous. Many people have fed them over the years so they are very fat and inclined to swoop down out of the sky and attack you for your food. Choose a restaurant with covered seating. Although Sea World is aware of the issue and will be happy to replace your food the trauma you may suffer is just not worth the risk.

If you want to dine on a micro budget then the Denny’s on Mission Bay gives great service and hot food. Also on a budget you can try Kono’s on Pacific Beach but the wait is long so plan ahead. We stayed for the fireworks the first night and they were not really that great. Most people leave at dinner time and go off site to eat at one of the many restaurants through the San Diego area. It is especially nice to go back to the beach for dinner. Kono’s serves breakfast all day and they offer large portions that you can share.

Attraction Tickets

The park is not unmanageably large so one to two days is really the most you will need to plan for. This is where you will want to be careful when purchasing a ticket package. Sea World, San Diego has a new policy when you purchase tickets through a vacation package they will include a seven day pass. While this may seem like a great deal, you really do not need this much time in the park.

Purchase your vacation package through a website such as Get Away Today and then when you get to the check out portion you can down grade your tickets to one or two days. If you have children then down grade to one day and it will possibly give you the children’s tickets for free depending on what special Sea World is running at that time. You can also purchase a Southern California City Pass that will allow you into most of the theme parks including Disneyland, Sea World, San Diego Zoo and Universal Studios.

Plan ahead if you want to do an animal encounter; these encounters run anywhere from $6 for sea lions to $45 per person for dolphin encounters. Make sure you arrive at the park early and then stop at the reservation desk on the way in to make a reservation for an dolphin encounter. Should you wish to swim with the dolphins this is much more expensive and sometimes you can make reservations online. Visit the Sea World, San Diego website to review this information.

Saving at Disneyland

2012-01-13T13:40:00.000-08:00

When planning your Disneyland vacation it is important to consider what type of hotel stay will best fit your family and what your food budget will be. You may also want to consider what attractions are most important to you so that you can plan your time accordingly.

Once you decide what kind of experience you wish to have you can shop for the best deal within those perimeters. Although saving money is important, remember if you cut too many costs and have a miserable vacation all of your money will be wasted. Consider where and how you would like to spend the budget that you do have.

Travel Off Season

September through November, with exception to the Thanksgiving weekend, is the best time to visit Disneyland Resort. The weather is still nice but not too cold. The crowds are small so you can ride the rides as many times as you want. The staff is not rushed so the food is usually well prepared. The prices are awesome in September and October too. By choosing to visit Disneyland in September and October you can save anywhere from $300.00 to $500.00 on your hotel package. This season is a great deal.

Make Hotel Reservations Online

My favorite place to stay is Holiday Inn Main gate. If you book through Get Away Today you will get a free hot breakfast and the accommodations are clean and very comfortable. There is a shuttle to ride back and forth to Disneyland and it is still close enough that we have plenty of time to travel back to the hotel for nap time (a must with young children).

Saving on Food

Whether you are a regular guest or it is your first Disneyland experience, the food prices can often be shocking. If you go prepared, however you need not starve. If you stay in one of the Disneyland hotels bring your coffee maker from home, because there is not one in the hotel rooms and the price for a morning cup of Joe is outrages.

The two cheapest places to find food in the park are in Mickey’s Toon Town and California Adventure Food Court. In Mickey’s Toon Town we opt to share a sandwich, the sandwiches are huge and the small pizzas are great too. In California Adventure two stir fry meals will serve a family of four. I am also told that the bread bowls are a yummy deal; ask for your soup or salad on the side so you can save the leftover bread for later.

More Money Saving Tips

Choose a hotel that serves a hot breakfast and fill up before you enter the park.

Take snacks with you; they usually won’t stop you if you have small children and a few granola bars.

Stay away from the children’s menu. We order two adult plates and share with the kids. There is always plenty of food.

Plan your meals for the day around your trips to the hotel room. Sometimes we eat in the park but many times we will plan to eat lunch at the hotel on the return trip to the room. Sometimes we will eat lunch in the park and then eat dinner after nap time before we re-enter the park…you get the idea.

Take gift cards for nearby restaurants. We often receive gift cards for large restaurant chains like Olive Garden or Chicfila from cash back rewards. They are great to have when you are traveling.

We also find that keeping sandwich making supplies and snacks in our room is a real lifesaver. Not only can snacking get expensive, it is sometimes hard to find good food late at night.

Hearty meatless meals/ Cheesy hash brown quiche

2012-01-12T12:05:00.000-08:00

Remembering my first taste of quiche as a teen in France, I picked up a loaf of Country French Bread at the local grocery to eat with this dish. It was a huge hit. My hubby ate leftovers for breakfast and took a second helping in his lunch. If you prefer a more traditional recipe then use the filling and put it in a prepared pie crust; bake it longer at the lower temperature.

Cheesy Hash Brown Quiche

2 cups Simply Potatoes Shredded Potatoes

1/2 stick organic butter, melted
3 Large organic eggs
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup organic milk
1 small organic zucchini, chopped (According to the Non-GMO Project, zucchini is a high risk produce, always buy organic zucchini.) You can also substitute any fresh green veggie of the same consistency that you prefer.
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup thick sliced mushrooms (slice them thick so they bite like soft meat)
1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
Olive oil

Toss potatoes with melted butter and press in pie plate just like a pie crust, sprinkle with salt. Bake in preheated oven @ 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Saute zucchini, mushrooms and garlic in a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. In large mixing bowl mix eggs, milk, cheese, spices and veggies, take crust out of oven and add mixture to crust; return to oven and bake an additional 30 minutes @ 350 degrees. It took me back to that little French bistro that looked something like this...

Apple crunch muffins/frugal organic recipes

2012-01-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

As we are trying to cook frugal organic mostly vegetarian meals I am posting the big hitters and these muffins are turning into a big hit. I have made them twice this week and can't seem to keep the bread box stocked. They are an extra special hit for breakfast and snacks, whole grain, organic and yummy. The reason I am calling them Apple Crunch Muffins is because the evaporated cane sugar magically rises to the top forming a crunchy sweet topping.

Apple Crunch Muffins

1 cup organic whole wheat flour
1 cup organic white bread flour
3/4 cup organic evaporated cane sugar (Florida Crystals)
2 teaspoons organic baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash salt
1 large organic free range egg
1 cup home canned chunky applesauce (see below)
1 stick melted organic butter

Preheat oven to 375 and line 12 muffin cups. Dump all ingredients in large bowl and fold together. Batter will resemble cookie doe. Spoon into muffin cups and bake for 18 minutes.

My home canned applesauce is super easy to make. I simple wash, peel, core and slice 2 pounds of apples and place them in a slow cooker; add 1/2 cup brown sugar (or not) and a dash of salt and cook on low all day. Can hot and process for 10 minutes. This recipe is yummy without the pesky use of a strainer.

Finding non-gmo labels

2012-01-11T06:44:00.000-08:00

Looking for non-gmo (genetically modified organisms) has been overwhelming to say the least. So many of our foods are genetically modified, even fresh produce and whole grains, and previously the only way to spot non-gmo with the naked eye is an organic label. After careful research, I am so pleased to provide you with two additions to looking for the organic labels.

Both Greenpeace and the Non-GMO Project have compiled a comprehensive list of non-gmo brands. Brand listing is so helpful because frankly that is how most of us shop. Think about how bombarded we are with business logos. Both of my children materialized there first steps to reading by the recognition of logos before age 2. Logos are a huge part of our culture.

Greenpeace has made gmo free brand recognition easy with a downloadable color coded list of good, moderatly good and bad brands to look for while you shop. You can also link the list to your facebook account for easy viewing from your smartphone.

There is also a new label in town, The Non-Gmo Project label. This is not only a new label to look for, you can search the website for your favorite brands. The website will tell you what brands have been approved as well as those pending approval. The Non-GMO Project website has also compiled a list of non-gmo wholesalers to watch for when reading labels.

I will be watching for these non-gmo brands when I am shopping today. Watch for my reviews in future blog posts.

Hearty meatless meals/mushroom enchiladas

2012-01-10T13:25:00.000-08:00

As promised I am starting a new series of recipes for Meatless Monday meals. Any one of my frugal recipes can easily be converted to organic and vegetarian with a few substitutions but these particular meals are guaranteed to be family friendly, super hearty, nutrition packed and husband approved.

We started our quest with Mushroom Enchiladas, a simple and hearty recipe that will feed a crowd and I wouldn't be ashamed to feed to company. Here it is.

Hearty Mushroom Enchiladas

1pound of your favorite variety of organic mushrooms

1 pound grated organic Colby Jack cheese

1 small can organic enchilada sauce (or prepared package Simple Organics Enchilada Sauce)

2 tsp. fresh organic minced garlic

1 finely chopped organic onion

Sea Salt to taste

1 small can organic green chili peppers, drained

1-package organic corn tortillas

Canola or olive oil

Saute sliced mushrooms, garlic and onion in oil until transparent, salt to taste. Add green chili peppers and set aside. Heat oil and soften each corn tortilla in the oil and then drain (for lower fat recipe soften tortillas in warmed enchilada sauce). Wrap veggie mixture and a little cheese in each tortilla and put in greased 9x 13 pan. (you may need an additional pan for overflow) Cover with enchilada sauce and then remaining cheese. Cover with greased aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, uncover and bake another 10 minutes for browning. Recipe makes about 14 enchiladas.

And you are ready to eat. Caution, don't burn your mouth...we do it every time. You can also strain and rinse a can of black beans, add these when you add the mushrooms. Serve with organic guacamole and sour cream, perhaps a little homemade salsa. These are so good your family will beg you to make them every week! Your husband will go to work bragging about your vegetarian enchiladas. I promise.

Teaching kids sustainability

2012-01-10T06:31:00.000-08:00

After viewing the movie Food Inc., I wanted to include my kids in changing our lifestyle and teach them a little more about sustainability. This wasn't a huge task as we already practice sustainability and healthy eating, we already include our children in the education process. I just wanted to take it to the next level.

A Search for Organic Produce

We started with a trip to the local supermarkets looking for organic meat and produce. I gave my daughter a clipboard with a list of foods we normally stock; I divided the list up by supermarket and instructed her to keep track of what we find and how much it cost. I will be posting a supermarket review later in the week.This led to a day long discussion about what Certified Organic really means.

A Discussion About Sustainability

A discussion in the car about sustainability brought up several movie titles you may want to make sure your kids watch. The movie Wall-E, "The Bee Movie" and "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs." All three of these movies address the topic of sustainability from a child's perspective.

A Few Movies Later

After mentioning "The Bee Movie" my five year old gave me a great working definition. He said, "Oh yeah, stay-ability, if we mess with the bees then we won't have any flowers." I realize this is a very simple breakdown of a complicated topic but it is a great start.

So, my advice on teaching your kids "stay-ability" is to let them have fun with it. Let them watch these movies, involve them in your lifestyle changes and then let them plant a garden and do some recycled crafting. They catch on faster than we do sometimes.

When spending more saves big

2012-01-09T06:04:00.000-08:00

Spending more saves big when you buy organic. It saves your health, your environment and your freedoms in life. I have seen clips and read bits from the movie Food Inc. over the past few years but I never scraped up the courage to watch it until this weekend. Wow, almost didn't make it through the whole movie at once. It is sooo powerful, if you have not watched it yet, I encourage you to.

The movie had such an impact on us that I will probably be blogging about the changes that we are making for a couple of weeks. Surveying the Internet has been discouraging because there remains a shortage of organic business even in a big city like Phoenix. So today I will be hitting the grocery isles and comparing prices at local retailers.

In response to the movie here is a list of immediate changes we intend to make:

Eat Vegetarian more often
Buy organic meat when we eat meat
Buy organic corn
Buy as many organic products as we can possibly find
Eat at restaurants that buy organic meat and produce

You can look for new posts including a page of hearty Vegetarian dishes as they get the families approval, ideas of where to buy and save on organic products and forthcoming reviews of organic businesses. After watching the movie some previously favorable reviews may be edited or disappear from my site completely due to laws that would prevent a more critical review. Yes, you heard me correct...we have laws in our food industry that prevent us from talking about what not to eat. This movie is not just about eating healthy, it is about the eroding of our constitutional freedoms.

Here is the trailer...

Movie money

2012-01-07T06:22:00.000-08:00

Movies don’t have to be expensive; whether you like to watch at home or view in the theater, you can find discounts and even free movie tickets just about anywhere you look. What if I told you that you could get your movie fix for free! Yes there are ways to save money on movies as well as get them for free.

Gofobo

Preview new releases for free with tickets for movie premiers from Gofobo. The catch is you have to go when they tell you and you have to be there early to wait in line but it is a great way to view for free and we have even preview dinner theaters with free dinner.

Build your own collection. Sometimes it is just as cheap to buy a movie as it is to rent it for a few days. We look for discounted movies at all the big retailers and we trade old movies for "new" ones at the used bookstore. Amazon also has reasonable prices on used copies of old favorites.

Library

Did you know that most public libraries carry the new releases as well as the classic movies? You can get a library card for free and there is usually no extra charge to check out DVDs. Our library lets us check out up to ten movies at a time. We go online to reserve the more popular ones and the new releases. The movies are right there waiting for us on Friday night; all ten for free!

Dollar Theaters and Matinees

Most theaters have an early morning discounted matinee showing. Our local theater offers matinees before noon for $5 as opposed to $8. We also have a theater in our neighborhood where all movies are always $2. They do not usually get new releases however. They show movies that are just about ready to be released on DVD. Perhaps you can with a couple more weeks and get them at the library for free, but the dollar theaters are still great for a budget night out. Pop your own popcorn and take your candy with you to save even more.

Ticket w/ Purchase

Pay attention to everything you buy. I have purchased everything from DVD's to pizza that had free movie ticket rebates attached. Take advantage of these coupons for discounted or free movies. You can also buy slightly discounted movie tickets at some wholesale retailers like Costco.

A final word on snacks. Movie popcorn and candy is not only high in fat and calories, it is also expensive. Sometimes more than the movie ticket itself. We purchased a Stir Crazy popcorn popper to make homemade movie style popcorn. We use olive oil and sea salt and it taste better and cost less. We also purchase our candy at the local grocery when we buy groceries.

Healthy lifestyle changes are frugal and green

2012-01-06T07:34:00.000-08:00

After our New Years re-review of the movie "Supersize Me," my hubby and I have decided to make a few new small changes. The benefits of changing to a more active organic lifestyle is that it is innately frugal and green in nature. Eating more organic, less processed food is naturally going to reduce the amount of packaging. While walking more...uses less gas.

Wearing a Pedometer

In the movie "Supersize Me," they use a pedometer to calculate the number of steps Morgan takes everyday. Experts estimate that the average office worker walks less than 2000 steps a day; it is recommended that we walk around 10,000 steps a day (approximately 5 miles). Wow!

You don't have to buy a pedometer to calculate your steps. I downloaded a great step counter widget for my android (the downside is you have to wear your phone around). It was free! I found mine at United Cheddar. Choose the widget rather than the app, it is more accurate. The widget not only tells you your steps it gives you a kilometer count as well as a count of the number of calories you have burned. I love it.

The Great American Detox Diet

The other great change inspired by the movie is the diet Morgan's then girlfriend (now wife) offered at the end. Alexandra, a vegan chef developed an 8 week detox diet for Morgan to help reverse the evil effects of McDonald's food on his liver. We are not planning on going all vegan for 8 weeks but we are planning on drastically reducing our meat, refined sugar and processed food intake. While we normally cook very healthy and eat at home, for at least the next eight weeks we plan on eating more vegetarian meals than meals with meat and when I say this I mean dinner. As a rule we usually only eat meat once or twice a day substituting with high protein legumes, but for a few weeks we are going to meet the challenge and do so much more often. Again, what is good for your body is also good for the environment.

Now showing "Supersize Me"

2012-01-05T05:01:00.000-08:00

We watched the movie "Supersize Me" again last night while flipping channels. Although McDonald's has removed the Supersize option from the menu (they did so 8 weeks after the movie originally aired), it still has some astonishing content. If you want to keep your New Year's diet resolutions, I recommend watching the movie again. Released in 2009, it is truly a powerful flick that send a statement about the American way of life. I have made it easy to watch with an embedded video but please be advised it is rated "R".

Green grocery list

2012-01-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

Coupons go high tech and green with mobile apps.

Grocery iQ is just one of the free mobile apps available for smart phones. These mobile grocery apps are a great way to store your grocery list and find the best prices. Most apps also download coupons to your local grocery card and can even scan a bar code.

I have to admit my husband and kids were the first to get me started with these savvy programs because they were all having so much fun scanning the pantry. Switching to a mobile grocery list is both frugal and green saving money and paper.

Other handy shopping apps include Foursquare and Out of Milk.

Saving on fuel as gas prices rise

2012-01-03T04:54:00.000-08:00

As Iran threatens sanctions and fuel prices rise there are a few things you can do to save on gas and make the most of what is in your tank.

Start by getting the car you have in order.

Check tire pressure, empty unnecessary items out of the trunk, check all the fluid levels and change your air filter.

If you have a smart phone you may want to download both a hypermiling app as well as an app that links you to the best gas prices in the area such as Gas Buddy.

There are several websites dedicated to logging the station with the best gas prices of the day; both Motor Trend and Gas Buddy will search gas prices across the nation. This is especially helpful if you are planning a weekend trip.

Consider carpooling to work, mapping out all your errands and cutting back on unnecessary trips. You may even consider downsizing to one car for a while.

Practice the basics of hypermiling; don't use air conditioning, drive slower and turn your car off at red lights and other long wait times.

Finally, if you are in the market for a new car, by all means consider a fuel efficient model; Tree Hugger has a list of the 10 most fuel efficient cars.

Best and worst movies 2011

2011-12-31T06:46:00.000-08:00

Judging by the length of my list you might think I didn't see many movies this year, however we are big movie viewers even shelling out for the theater on a regular basis. I am very hopeful that 2012 will prove some better pics from Hollywood. Please don't disappoint me!

Best family movies

Soul Surfer is both my best family pic and in my opinion the best movie of the entire year. It tells the incredible and inspiring story of Bethany Hamilton, the then amateur surfer who had her arm bitten off by a shark.

Best Action Drama

Of course Pirate's was great as usual, and we had the pleasure of previewing it at a new AMC dine-in theater which was the bomb. The Lincoln Lawyer, not a family film but full of great suspense and great contrast between drama and light comic relief. Matthew McConaughey is great in this film.

Best Romantic Comedy

Although I did see a few romantic comedies this year, Something Borrowed being one, nothing really stands out. I am hoping for a better one in 2012.

Worst movie of the year

Midnight in Paris was a snore fest. Happy ending, yes. One funny scene and the remainder of the movie left me wanting to pluck out my eyebrows slowly.

Best Kids Movie

Best kids movie, based on the fact that I enjoyed watching it in the theater and didn't regret the $7 it cost to get in, Judy Moody and the Not So Bummer Summer.

Worst Kids Movie

Worst kids movie, based on the fact that I regretted the the $1 it cost for rental and the long wait until the end of the movie, Smurfs.

Memorable Recommendations

If you have already seen all the best movies and are looking for a few more...Footloose, for fantastic remake, Dolphin Tale, for great family film, Rio, beautiful animation, Country Strong, excellent drama, Larry Crowne, Captain America was reasonable, Courageous and We Bought a Zoo.

20 frugal tips from your grandma

2011-12-30T10:54:00.000-08:00

As I was scraping butter off the paper and into the cookie batter I was reminded that everything I know about being frugal I learned from either my grandmother, my mother or my aunt. They were the original experts on reducing, reusing and recycling (usually as an arts and crafts project but sometimes as a household item). Here is a list I have compiled, perhaps you will recognize a few. Does anyone remember the soap savers like the one pictured to the left?

1. Scrape the bottom of the bowl. Use a butter knife to scrape the butter or margarine off the paper; a spatula to clean batter from the bowl.

2. Save your plastic butter containers. That butter container can double as "Tupperware" (my grandma had a cabinet full when she passed, kind of like the "Friends" episode with the Sweet & Low). I can remember several gifts given to our family in the form of homemade strawberry jelly in a sealed glass pickle or mayo jar. Few people these days realise you can reseal those jars with a standard canning jar lid.

3. Plastic grocery bags make great bathroom trashcan liners.

4. My grandma did not go to Target and buy plastic closet caddies, she made her own from used boxes and contact paper.

5. Every year my Aunt Clara planted a fruit and vegetable garden and all summer long she home canned enough jam, pickles and other essentials to feed her family and give wedding and holiday gifts to the rest of us.

6. T-shirts and unmentionables with holes? Those make great cleaning clothes, quilt filling and rag rugs. In fact, white t-shirts are great on glass.

7. Don't turn the lights on until you need them. Ok...my grandpa took this too extreme. It literally had to be dark outside before he would let you near the reading lamp, but I sure do miss him and it is good advice.

8. Eat at home and cook with what you have in your cabinet (this is probably why I always keep powdered or canned milk on hand).

9. Fix it till it completely falls apart; patch it, paint it, duct tape it. This one is hard to do considering the quality of merchandise that we are left with these days, but the basic principle holds true. If your sofa is looking bare, slipcover it, if a book binding is falling apart tape it (packing tape and neutral duct tape work great for non-collectible books). I remember my parents and grandparents sanding and painting the same bedroom suits and dinning room tables over fifty years. They were satisfied to give it a new look rather than going shopping on credit.

10. As long as you can bend over, paint your own toe nails, clean your own house and wash your own car. It is also highly recommended that you mow your own lawn unless you have a teenage son or daughter.

11. If your clothes become too small or become torn, sew a patch on it. My grandma was noted for using lace (which was great for us girls and lol for the boys). Denim works just as good too.

12. Make your own popcorn and take it to the movie theater in a bread bag. I have a great memory from when I was a teen visiting my older brother in CA. Although he had embraced the sunny California life, he still showed up at the movie theater to see Top Gun with a bread bag of popcorn and candy bars in his pocket.

13. Bake your own birthday cakes. This one is a little tough with all the beautiful character cakes in the stores but if you get your kids used to it when they are young they will look forward to it. In fact, my kids get into the planning and surf the web for great decorating ideas. If you are artistically challenged then an alternative is to pick up some inexpensive sprinkles and cake toppers at the party store. We also make our own party favor bags and we don't do a big party every year. It is good to teach your children to make choices.

14. If you aren't going to eat it before it expires freeze it. If it is a fresh vegetable, cook it and then freeze it or serve it for dinner.

15. Shred your own cheese.

16. Wait for it to go on sale or even clearance. This one is so true with the holidays. Resist the temptation to go out and buy new decorations for a holiday, instead save your money and stock up the day after when they are 75% off. You will have new ones next year and more money in your pocket.

17. Take your lunch to work. Invest in microwavable containers and take last nights leftovers.

18. Stretch the meat. We buy our meat in bulk, divide it into just under a full pound servings and vacuum seal it for the deep freeze. We have done this for so long that when we use a full pound of ground beef in a recipe it just doesn't taste right to us anymore. It is much healthier too, less fat and calories per serving.

19. Carpool, walk to work, plan your errands. Just think about how much gas your are using in general. My grandpa only filled his car once every two weeks.

20. Use up the leftovers; do you remember pie crust cookies? or if you were unlucky, leftover casserole on Saturday morning (I don't recommend this, it was pretty scary). See my post Love Affair with Leftovers for some better ideas.

Chic fil a top fast food pic 2011

2011-12-30T06:28:00.000-08:00

Although eating fast food is unhealthy and expensive, we have all found ourselves in the situation of being out and about and hungry. When this happens, one of my first pics has been Chicfila in the past. Chicfila is arguably one of the most ethical companies in business with reputable company policies and high food preparation and cleanliness standards. Chicfila is closed on Sunday and committed to education. (Since this post first aired I have become a vegetarian and the family eats less meat. When we visit Chicfila, I choose a Crispy Chicken Salad and ask them to hold the meat).

Chicfila versus McDonald's

Chicfila is not everywhere and McDonald's is, for this reason I will stop at McDonald's occasionally. In recent years McDonald’s has attempted to add healthier items to their menu and has therefore set some precedence for other fast food chains to follow. With the advent of “Super Size Me,” McDonald's banished the ‘Supersize Me’ option from the menu. However there are still many more policies and procedures in question if McDonalds is to once again become an All American company. We no longer stop at McDonald's, as an alternative to stopping anywhere we have become accustomed to brown bagging it on days when we will be running errands. This way we save money and our health and the kids learn lunch packing skills.

McDonald's is among the many fast food chains that use hormone fed meats and chemically processed food products. McDonald’s has indeed created a new image with healthier menu choices such as salads, yogurts and fruit added to their Happy Meals. McDonald's even includes apples in every Happy Meal now by cutting the fries portion in half.

Burger King

Burger King has to be my worst pic, not just my worst pic in fast food, but my worst pic of all companies.

When assessing Burger King as a company it is hard to ignore their unethical advertising practices as well as the numerous complaints that exist on the web; including an employee bathing himself in a Burger King sink on YouTube.

Most recently Burger King was banned from Face book as they ran an advertising campaign asking users to choose which friends to block from their Face book account to receive a coupon for a free Whopper. The recent Face book campaign comes amidst other irresponsible advertising campaigns some staring a sleazy King and a crew of scantily clad booty swinging girls.

Although Burger King does offer some healthy alternatives and grilled burgers rather than fried, they are hardly a healthy alternative. Neither will customers find Burger King quick to back up their famous slogan, “have it your way” as there are rampant complaints and even blog sites dedicated to complaining that there is no way to complain to Burger King when the service is that bad.

Burger King is clearly unconcerned about socially responsible behavior.

Considering frugal ethical pic 2011 Starbucks

2011-12-29T06:18:00.000-08:00

Why do I love Starbucks so much? It is because of the business plan. Although they may make a boo boo here and there, overall they are set up to succeed both ethically and organically.

What is an ethical company?

According to a researcher at Harvard University there are five phases to the development of social responsibility at the corporate level (Zadek, 2005). This model begins with the defensive stage, “social responsibility is not our job”; the compliance stage is next, “we will only do what we are required”; the managerial stage, this is the stage where social responsibility is viewed as a public relations strategy; the strategic stage, “social responsibility can give us a competitive edge”; the civil stage, this is the stage where a company becomes a leader in social responsibility, encouraging other companies to do so (Zadek, 2005).

Highlights of a Great Business Model

Starbucks was one of the first companies founded on the principles of social responsibility. Starbucks intentionally spends more on employee healthcare then they do on purchasing their product. Starbucks offers full health insurance benefits to all of its employees both full and part-time (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2007). As a result Starbucks has one of the lowest employee turnovers of any retail business (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2007). In a country where affordable healthcare and health insurance are in complete scarcity, some would consider this extreme social responsibility.

After stanch criticism over fair trade with coffee growers, Starbucks responded by establishing fair trade compliance rules (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2007). It is clear that Starbucks has operated at the civil stage of social responsibility since its founding. There is no question that Starbucks is a model of social responsibility.

Starbucks Corporate gives full freedom to its store managers to donate sums of money to any cause in the local community that that manager feels is worthy (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2007). Many pro-life/pro-family political supporters have been banning Starbucks for several years; however I would be inclined to believe that the solution to this problem is not so much found in banning Starbucks as in petitioning the local establishments (Hartline, 2006; Kleppinger, 2005).

If the local managers are given the freedom to support what the community supports than by all means as a community we must request donations for our educational programs and pertinent social needs. Characteristic of a decentralized organizational model, Starbucks will shift with the paradigm of society (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2007).

Not only does Starbucks give its managers freedom of philanthropy, it encourages employees both new and old to contribute suggestions to the company on a regular basis, publishing these suggestions, even the anonymous ones in the company newsletter (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2007). This method of publishing the suggestions affords a form of corporate accountability that encourages ethical behavior. Starbucks is an organization that is not only a leader in social responsibility; it is an organization that encourages social responsibility on an individual level, which is where social responsibility begins.

References

Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2007). Business ethics: Ethical decisionmaking and cases (7^th ed.). Boston: Houghton-Mifflin.

Hartline, James. (2006). Starbucks funds homosexual causes. Americans for Truth About

Homosexuality. Retrieved @ http://americansfortruth.com/news/starbucks-funds-radical- homosexual-causes.html.

Kleppinger, Meghan. (2005). A habit easily broken. Concerned Women for America. Retrieved August 17, 2009 @ http://states.cwfa.org/articledisplay.asp?id=8788&department=FIELD&categoryid=nation.

Nike. (2009). Nike Responsibilty. Nikebiz. Retrieved August 17, 2009 @ http://www.nikebiz.com/responsibility/.

Zadek, Simon. (2005). The five steps of corporate responsibility. Harvard Business School. Retrieved August17, 2009 @ http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/4573.html.