Frugal Steward 101

'Better than Condensed' Tomato Soup

2013-10-04T08:29:00.001-07:00

Autumn changes the menu, doesn't it?
Suddenly I want to make all kinds of cozy meals; Hot, creamy soups
Shepherd's Pie, home baked buns... Mmm.

Yesterday, we wanted to sit down to a big hot bowl of tomato soup. Back in my canned-soup buying days, we would often enjoy tomato soup. But I can't bring myself to buy the cans anymore. Especially when I know I can make it at home.

So we did! And, served with garlic toast, the kids didn't even mind it too horribly much. It was not EXACTLY the same, but that's going to happen when we're changing our tastes... I really enjoyed it! And it was super simple to make.

Better Than Condensed Tomato Soup

3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup tomato juice
1 Tbsp paprika (I did this mostly for color)
dash garlic powder
dash dried onion powder
dash basil
dash oregano

1. Melt butter in saucepan
2. Blend in flour
3. Whisk in tomato juice and salt. Add slowly to prevent lumps.
4. Cook until smooth and thick. Enjoy!

What are some things you used to buy that you now home-make?

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Benefits of Mulching a Garden

2013-09-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my second year of gardening this plot. After doing some winter reading on gardening - particularly weed control, I decided to try mulching this year. It looks pretty great, no?

I read that grass clipping mulch has a few benefits:

Mulch retains the soil's moisture (and protects soil from blazing sun)
Mulch helps control weeds
Mulch becomes compost, adding nutrients to the soil

I also noticed that, during our cool June, my tomato plants turned purple. Apparently this happens when tomatoes are too cold - they become unable to absorb potassium from the soil and become purple. Right around that time I began to mulch and noticed that the tomatoes regained their green color and grew again. So mulch also acts as an insulation against cool temps. Aha.

This photo compares the mulched area to the unmulched area. (I couldn't get to the whole garden at once). All of the garden had been weeded at the same time. See the difference? Mulched area has no weeds, and the black part has 8 inch weeds. After seeing this, I immediately fell in love with mulch. I may just mulch forever now.

At first, I didn't believe the advice to 'pile on the mulch'.

'Two feet deep!' they said.

'Go for it!' they said.

Really? I didn't want to bury my plants for crying out loud...

But now I see that the 4-5 inch layer I poured in quickly became pancake-thin. We're harvesting now, and there is hardly any mulch left. Amazing.

Next year I definitely plan to continue with the mulching, even ramping it up a bit. ... alot. I'll 'go for it''.

We Made Our Own Pasta! (and averted a pasta crisis too)

2013-08-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

My sister and I joined forces to tackle pasta making. Armed with a pasta machine and our handy dandy recipies, we were ready. Or so we thought.

Good news first. Ta-da!!

(Doesn't my sis take great photos?)

Here's what our Tomato Pasta and Spinach pasta ended up looking like. Beautiful fettuccine nests, no?

We weren't sure we would make it that far though. Having never done this before, we made a few mistakes. On the first run through the machine, our dough looked more like pemmican or beef jerky. The reddish color didn't help appearances...

Eww, right? We were worried...

We immediatly fled the room in search of YouTube help. This video saved our pasta! (And as a bonus, it was professional, informative, and amusing) We returned newly informed, and our pemmican turned right back to dough. Amazing.

All better!

We found our dough was too thick to go through the pasta machine (which we didn't know was what made it look all weird and bubbly). We rolled it out, folded it, rolled it again, and then put it through the machine. That worked much better.

Apparently technique really does matter. And timing. And the way you knead. And the setting on the machine... everything I guess.

And now we have homemade pasta!

Have you ever attempted homemade pasta? What kind, and how did it go?

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Gluten Free Week 1 - A Few Lessons for Newbie

2013-08-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

Week one on the Gluten Free kick has taught me a few things.

Like compassion.

I didn't think giving up bread was going to be a big deal. Especially if I can buy gluten free bread. How hard could it be?

Turns out gluten-free bread is quite different. Dense. Salty. Kinda... corn-mealy. It's possible that I made it wrong, and it is actually supposed to be fluffier. But so far I'm not loving the gluten free bread, and eat it only when I really, really want bread. Which has been several times this week...

Bottom line, if I had to make this switch forever, it would be an adjustment. I can understand a little bit why people say it's difficult. So, if I'm gaining a tiny bit of understanding about another person, that's already a win.

Also learned that wheat (includes 'malt') is in alot of stuff.
It's even in soya sauce! (which I used anyway)

Best of all, I learned that my symptoms are likely not linked to gluten so much as aspartame. I was not happy to learn this. Gluten-free is doable. Not my favorite, but doable. But to rid my life of diet coke is a whole other story. Actually, the whole aspartame thing is a whole other story. So I'll share that another time. For now, I'm glad to know that these symptoms can be managed by my food and drink choices.
I still plan to go forward with the 30 Gluten Free days, but will also be cutting out aspartame.

What diet changes have you made? Did you find them difficult?

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The 30 Day Gluten-Free Experiment

2013-08-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Svetlana Tikhonova

After weeks of experiencing varied symptoms, I decided I would try going gluten free for a few weeks to see if that makes a difference.
First I went online to check it out.

Natural News.com listed these common symptons of gluten intolerance:

-bloating, gas, queasiness, abdominal cramping...
-headaches/migraines
-moodiness
-weakness, dizziness, tingling
-fatigue

Experiencing some of these symptoms, and others not listed, I was not sure what to think. These can be symptoms of alot of things, but I'm willing to use the process of elimination here. People have said how gruelling the gluten-free diet is, but I look at the list of foods allowed, and it's pretty wide open actually.

Check out this list from the Mayo Clinic

Allowed Foods:

-Beans, seeds, nuts

-Fresh eggs

-Fresh meats

-Fruits and vegetables

-Most dairy products

As for grains, there are many grain products a person can use or buy. (see Mayo Clinic's list)

It's the processed foods that get you. Gluten (malt barley is a form of it) seems to be everywhere. I think it will be helpful that we're eating less and less processed foods around here.

The Hardest Part? Probably toast, pasta, pizza and wraps.

Adaptations:

Bread and Pasta - buy, and go easy. At $5/loaf and .99/100g for rotini (that's $5 for a box!) it will be more of a treat than a staple. I'll use more rice and potatoes instead.

Pizza - not sure. I may try making crust or tortillas with homemade rice or oat flour. We'll see how it tastes...

Wraps - hopefully the rice or oat tortillas taste okay. If not, then I may go with lettuce leaves as the wrap? It doesn't sound especially fabulous to me. I'd have to want a wrap pretty badly...!

Yesterday was day two. Lunch was hummus with tortilla chips, grapes and trail mix. (Yum!!), and supper was sloppy joes with corn chips (could have served it on rice, but I was too lazy to cook rice.) That was pretty good too.

I'm thinking this won't be too difficult (probably because I know it's only for 30 days). We shall see.

What has been your experience with Gluten Free eating?

** Note ** the NoName tortilla chips do not contain gluten (as far as this newbie can tell), but the Tostitos brand we often buy does contain gluten (malt). Just fyi.

The Veggies Our Kids Don't Know They're Eating

2013-08-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Our picky eaters make mealtimes a challenge sometimes.

It wasn't always a problem though. Back in our macaroni-and-cheese with hotdogs days, they had no arguement with what I served. White bread, sugary cereals, and meals from a box. What's not to like?

But as I've been changing us over to a more healthy diet, it's become difficult to get them to eat vegetables. They refuse to try anything other than that ONE they'll eat. (however begrudgingly) One of our kids won't eat fruit either.

It's been a year or two, and we're finally off of white bread and white flour. I just recently stopped buying boxed breakfast cereals. And they're okay with the brown bread, oatmeal, and scrambled eggs for breakfast. But the veggies (and fruit and nuts and seeds) are a no-go.

So I've had to get creative. And sneaky. I hide those veggies in anything that I can. Sure, I put some in their plate, and on pizza, just to keep it in front of them and thinking about it as a healthy option. But mostly, they don't know they're already eating it. (Until I tell them afterward at least!)

Here are a few sneaky ways I feed them veggies, legumes, seeds and fruit:

Tomato Sauce:
I puree the sauce with mixed beans, lentils and even add some spinach or kale (or both). (I also add a bit of seasoning as needed to mask the kale/bean taste).
Uses: pizza sauce, meat sauce for pasta, tomato sauce in casseroles/lasagnes

Meatballs / Burgers:
I add pureed beans/lentils to the ground beef before mixing. I added too much the first time (40% beans), and it ended up tasting a little dry, but we'll tweak it and try again. A vegan friend gave me some great advice: when replacing meat with alternatives (like beans), making it TASTE like meat is important. So I add BBQ sauce and taco seasoning when using beans in meat dishes. Works great!

Larabars and Cookies: There are a few sites listed below that offer some TASTY desserts that have little to no sugar, yet taste like chocolate. Magical, AND HEALTHY snacks and desserts!? All natural, all veggie/legume, no sugar, and pure yum.

The kids didn't mind these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Truffles (Made from chic peas!!!) (here's a recipe for baked ones I'd like to try)
And they also enjoyed this Fudge Larabar recipe that really does taste like chocolate. (and it's just fruit and nuts!!! Crazy) (though mine look smoother and more uniform than hers... which is good for my texture-fussy family)

I'm still working to get veggies into them (and reduce sugar). Actually, I'm working on that for me too :)

How do you feed veggies to your picky eaters?

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How and Why to Make Your Own Oat Flour (It's Easier than you think)

2013-07-02T14:41:00.003-07:00

Making Oat Flour is super easy.
Oatmeal + Blender = Oat Flour

(Aren't you glad you stopped by to read these wise words?)

Okay, but WHY.

WHY would we make our own flour? Three reasons.

Grounding your own flour is convenient.
On that crazy day when you run out of flour, there is (with this fancy recipe) now an option. Use oat flour instead. Voila.

Milling your own flour is easy.
Oatmeal + Blender = Oat Flour. That's it. This also works for other things:
Almonds + Blender = Almond Flour (or Almond Butter if you blend too long...)
(Here's a post by AttuneFoods about other flours you can (or can not) make at home)

Milling your own flour can be cheaper.
Buying the whole seeds and grains can be cheaper than buying the processed flour. Between buying bulk, finding sales and using coupons - and growing your own too - it can be cheaper than buying oat, almond or other 'specialty' flours.

What kinds of flour have you made? (and how?)

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Cooking Day and Why It's Awesome to do Together

2013-07-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

Menu Planning? Great.

Cooking day to make meals in advance? Even better.

Cooking day with a friend? The BEST!

My sis and I attempted our first Cooking Day together.

We found it to be hugely beneficial.

First, there's the yield:

My take home:

3x Autumn Soup
3x Crm of Tomato Soup
1 dozen Tortillas
Meatballs
Power Cookies (Almond/Carrot)
Beef Patties
Oat Flour (not pictured)

Soups are laid flat and frozen so they stack easily in the freezer - like soup files!

Her take home:

3x Autumn Soup
3x Crm of Tomato Soup
1x diced tomatoes
1 dozen Tortillas
Power Cookies x2 (Almond/Carrot)
Granola (not pictured)

Other fun benefits of cooking together:

She has air conditioning. (That's a big deal in +32C)
Kids can play together
Motivation - I work much longer with someone else than on my own. (you?)
Variety - We can taste multiple new recipies without committing to it. Yay.
New Skills - We pick up new tips and tricks to take back to our own kitchens
Hanging Out.

FREE - - - The 30 Day Meal Planner That's NOT Overwhelming - - -

2013-06-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

Yay! A FREE Printable Meal Planner just for you!

This fabulous 30 Day Meal Planner Features:

** easy step-by-step instructions **

** simple to use chart **

** handy dandy printable calendar **

Check it out!

Download or print yours here:

Bon Appetit!

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Homemade Spicy Hummus Recipe

2013-05-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with hummus.
But I'm not in love with the $3-4/cup price of it in store.
So, this week on cooking day, I tried a spicy hummus recipe I found online somewhere. But, 'spicy' being a relative term, it didn't quite do it for me.

Here's the recipe I ended up with. It could still use a little more spice, but I wanted to let it 'steep' in the fridge for a couple of days and check the spice level before adding more. So far, I'm thinking more would be better. (I like the spicy to make my ears warm... if you don't like it that spicy, no need to worry - this recipe doesn't do that.)

Spicy Hummus Recipe

1 can chickpeas
2 Tbsp tahini seseme paste
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tsp crushed pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, crushed (I used 1 tsp garlic powder)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup water (or could add oil?)
1/2-1tsp tobbasco sauce
1 Tbsp paprika (for color and slightly smoky flavor)

Blend all in food processor and serve with crackers, chips, veggies... whatever.

Enjoy!

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Make Your Own Tortillas - Quick, Cheap, and Healthy!

2013-05-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Wraps are healthy, right?
... not necessarily.

The tortillas themselves may contian ingredients that are harmful to your health. We're talking about ingredients that are known to be hazardous. (For example, the potassium sorbate found in some commercial tortillas is a known carcinogen.) That's not including the many forms of sugar that are found in the majority of processed foods. (excess sugar intake inhibits insulin production, contributes to type II Diabetes, and leads to obesity and other related health issues)

That's just two ingredients.

I figure I'll save us the risk and even money (they're $3-4 for a 10 pack in store), by making tortillas ourselves. It's super quick and easy. Then at least we know what's in it :)

I use this recipe from Mennonite Girls Can Cook (using whole wheat flour instead of white though) These yummy tortillas have become a staple in our kitchen!

Homemade

Flour Tortillas

Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil / shortening
2/3 cup hot water

Method:

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
Cut in oil / shortening until crumbly.
Pour in hot water, a little at a time, mixing with a fork until dough comes together.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth.
Cover and let rest 45 minutes.
Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a ball, cover balls with plastic wrap.
With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6-7 inch circle, don't worry they don't have to be perfect circles. Cook one tortilla while you roll out the next one.
Preheat your pan on medium heat. Do not add oil.
Place tortilla in hot pan and cook until small bubbles appear before flipping to the other side, cook approx one minute on each side.
Stack cooked tortillas and cover with a tea towel till all are cooked.
Now they are ready for your favorite recipe. Can be frozen for future use.

Enjoy! We sure do :)

What is a Whole Foods, Plant Based Diet?

2013-04-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

In my last post I outlined how I came to be thoroughly convinced that whole foods and plant-based foods are the healthy option.

But what IS a whole food? What counts as plant-based?

Whole foods are "foods that are unprocessed and unrefined

or processed and refined as little as possible before being consumed." (*)

'Plant based' is basically an inclusive term applied to vegans, vegetarians, and those who eat eggs, and dairy products, but avoid meat. (who would technically be classified as lacto-ovo-vegetarian ... as if it matters.)

Now, before you think I've got it all together - please know that I don't. I had diet coke last night. I'm dipping tortilla chips in hummus right now. Trading in unhealthy for healthy around here has been and continues to be a process.

This eating style tends to raise a few questions:
If I'm just eating fruit and veggies, what am I eating?! And - the ever popular - where do I get my protein?!

I must confess here that I was oddly concerned those first days that I might fall over in the middle of the afternoon, having become too weak from a lack of meat. It's been a month, and I've not fallen over once. (Actually I feel stronger and more mentally alert! More on that later...)

Here's a sample of what I eat in a day, with protein sources highlighted. (Though all fruits and vegetables have some protein)

Breakfast:

1-2 cup coffee (1-2 tsp brown sugar)
Smoothie (2 cups of fruit, 1 cup water, kale or spinach, chia seeds, flaxseed)
water

Lunch:
Toasted tomato sandwich
1/2 cup trail mix
water

Snack:
1/2 cup trail mix
piece of fruit (or, today, a soup bowl of chips and 1/2 cup of chipotle hummus - Mmm! )
water

Supper:
personal pan size vegetarian pizza (black beans and spinach on a tortilla crust is my fave) or 1/2-1 cup serving of sweet potato lasagne... something veggie :)
water

Snack:
bowl popcorn, salted, with 1-2 tbsp butter (when do you measure? When it's hard or melted??)
water

** on days I work out, a protein shake is added too.
Hmm. It doesn't look like much in a list like that, but I'm FULL. It's surprising how filling healthy foods really are. Empty calories in processed foods don't keep me satisfied as long as whole foods do. Interesting... (who knows? Maybe this way of eating is not as expensive as one would think, if one needs fewer whole foods than processed 'food'...) who eat milk or eggVegetarians who eat milk or eggs are called "lacto-ovo-vegetarians"s
For more info on identifying whole foods, how to shop and much much more, check out
100 Days of Real Food

What kind of whole foods do you plan to rotate into your meal plan?

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The Whole Foods Diet - The Convincing of a Starch-Loving Chocoholic

2013-04-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

You should know I love chocolate. And meat. And bread. And sugar. Well... I did. Until something happened. A few things happened really, that together convinced me that a whole foods diet is a good idea.

First, information got me:

I began watching documentaries, reading and talking to friends about health and food. "Food Matters" and "Forks over Knives" were well researched, fact-based (not sensationalist) looks at how diet impacts - and dictates - our health. Specifically, how plant-based foods aid our health, and how processed and animal based foods contribute to disease. It wasn't long before I became convinced. (Watch them and you'll see what I mean...) I wasn't ready though, to sell out and make the commitment of eating well. (I did mention that I LOVE chocolate, bread, meat and sugar, right?) I was not yet willing to give it up.

Then there was chip night...

Feeling the pressure to make a lifestyle change but not yet willing to actually DO it, I decided to console myself with a giant bag of chips and a mountain of yummy, yummy dip. I munched and crunched on those salty circles until the foil bag lay empty. I got to enjoy those chips the next day too - I felt full all the next day from those little liars. I thought they would make me feel better. They didn't.
I also got to enjoy those chips for the next month - I could see them everyday, resting as a soft pillowy addition to my waistline. Every glance in the mirror reminded me that the taste is not worth it!

And finally there was the hamburger incident...

I stared up at the menu above beeping tills, and chose a Big Mac. I hadn't had a McDonalds burger in years (usually I order a wrap), but the coupon convinced me. It went down tender, and oh-so good. Salty fries and a soda finished it off.

An hour later, I lay on the couch. We're talking fetal position, holding my stomach. It's not that the burger was bad - its only crime was being a burger; a greasy, salty, heavily processed food item that my body was not used to. But there on the couch, with a hard rock of remorse in my gut, and crying out 'why?!', I swore to never again eat another take out burger. It wasn't a difficult decision.

Now, dare I say, I've made the switch. Not all the way immediately - I mean, I had a quiche for lunch (animal based), and dipped chips in my hummus (Small amounts of chips - not a bag!!!) But, I am indeed convinced beyond inaction. It makes no sense to go on eating what makes me feel awful and will eventually contribute to disease.

After a month of eating well, I can tell you -I feel a whole lot better physically and mentally. I'll post on that later. I'll also post on how I'm not going totally hard-core or getting it perfect.

In the meantime...

Here's a peek at the evolution

of this starch-lover's eating habits:

2 years ago:

4-8 cups of coffee daily. Each contains 3 tsp of sugar. (2 years before that, it had been 4-6 tsp)
Daily chocolate break. (1/2 cup or more of chocolate chips, every afternoon with my coffee)
Meals = 50% meat, 50% white starch, and finishes with a baked dessert of some kind. (no veggies. ever.)
Snacks - cookies and muffins. (3-6 pieces per day)
End the day with chips and dip and diet pepsi

The last year:

2 cups of coffee daily. Each contains 1/2-1 tsp of brown sugar
Meals = 30% meat, 35% brown starch, 30% vegetables. (no dessert usually)
Snacks = crackers/cheese, homemade granola bars. 1-3 pieces per day.
End the day with popcorn. and diet pepsi

But this month? Even better:

2 cups (or less) of coffee daily . Each contains 1/2 - 1 tsp of brown sugar
Meals = 30% starch, 70% vegetables & legumes
Snacks = nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables
End the day with popcorn and water

Crazy, eh? I look back and wonder, "who AM I?" But it's not a difficult way to eat. I don't spend my days wishing I could please have some chocolate pudding or a burger or a big bag of chips (you did read about the incidents, right?) What's to miss? They just make me feel like junk.

I can't wait to share some recipes, and especially can't wait to tell you how I feel as a result! It's quite interesting how food really does affect our bodies...

"Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food." - Hippocrates

**The 'just incase someone thinks I know what's best for them disclaimer':

Any of the statements made by the author are opinions. Nothing here should be taken as legal or medical advice,

or any other kind of advice that could cause you to lose your mind and sue me.

These are my opinions and experiences. That is all **

On Going Natural in the Kitchen - an Update

2013-03-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

I mentioned my intent to go more natural in the kitchen, and thought I'd check in with you about how it went.

I tried the homemade Cream of Chicken Soup, and it was tasty! (Here's the original post that has the recipe)

I used one of the soups in a Shepherd's Pie dish, and the other is in the freezer for next time.
(don't ask about the spray bottles... I was going to use them for natural hairspray but changed my mind. But I don't want to confess that to you, so just don't ask, K? Thanks.)

After doing a bit of looking for natural options, I soon found myself doing two things:

1) drowning in the deep, dark realization that I haven't even SEEN the tip of the iceburg that is 'healthy living'

2) deciding to start somewhere anyway.

So I started with something that bugs me. Hairspray. I hate the idea that I'm inhaling a cloud of chemicals every week. That can't be good!! Then I thought of the chemicals I'm putting on my hair and body, and decided to reduce them.

Last Week's Healthy Living Action Steps:

('cuz this thing is only happening one reasonable, attainable step at a time.)

Getting StonedAnother place I'm uncomfortable putting chemicals, is on freshly shaven armpits. I switched back to the natural stone deodorant this week. It's $4 (not the .49 I can get with a coupon) but I'm willing to pay now. Here's an interesting piece on different methods of deodorizing, different products, and also different opinions about why deodorants / antiperperants are healthy.
Facial Nudity

Well... almost. I've been going without eye shadow and liner for awhile. But I started leaving my foundation alone too. It's a little scary to be all face-naked ... I worry people will see my laugh lines and start offering me the senior discount whether I'm in my thirties or not...
But this is no-chemicals-on-my-face time. Well... like I said, almost. I can't leave the mascara alone yet. In time...
Threw the 'Poo
Washing hair with just baking soda and water or... *gasp* JUST water. Here's the separate post on how that went.

I'm not ready to set goals for the next few weeks... I'm still reeling with all the information I'm taking in on Raw Eating. (have you heard of this? It's basically Veganism times 100. At least that's how it feels on this side of it.) I'm interested in this uber-healthy way of eating, but feel a thousand miles away from any decent progress.

So I'll just sit here for awhile and try to figure out my first step. ... which might be buying a dehydrator... ;)

What are some steps you've taken recently toward healthier living?

Decor on a Dime - Painting Baskets

2013-03-21T12:32:00.001-07:00

Our house needs help. Decor help.
And it needs to be cheap - or, better yet, free. (my favorite price)

Here's the before:

We've got a nice start. Dark woods, browns and blues,
even an antique chair in the corner and an old suitcase

on the piano to hold books. But it still needs... something.

A decor-savvy friend - after patiently listening to my strange descriptions - informed me that the look I'm going for is shabby-chic. Ah. I've heard of that.

First tip she gave me was to whitewash my existing seagrass baskets white.

Here's how we did it:

Mixing Paint

I mixed whatever white paint I had, with water. About half-half.

The paint I had on hand happened to be primer and paint in one.

Dab It On

With sponge brushes (on hand), we dabbed on paint.
It dried lighter than this...

Child Labour

My little artist adores painting. She worked so carefully,

and did a great job. Thanks cutie!

Here's How it Looks:

Before:

After

I also white washed an old ladder I had kicking around.
Works well as a blanket holder. The whitewashed basket
holds our library books, and an old rice sac became a
rustic pillow case.

The white washed basket holds our school books. I love the
contrast against dark wood. And the piano is dressed in all
kinds of antique loveliness - an old suitcase to hold my
favorite reads, an old radio, and a lantern. I just love old stuff.

Thanks, my decor-savvy friend, for this fabulous idea! I love it.

Next... I plan to take your window treatment advice. Instead of curtains like I had planned (mostly because that's just what to put on windows...) antique-looking shutters are next!

Check out the shutters here (scroll to the bottom pictures) (and her tutorial on how to make them!!) to see what I mean. I can see that looking pretty great in our place!

What are some decor on a dime ideas you've used?

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Going Natural in the Kitchen

2013-03-08T18:20:00.001-08:00

Last time I spilled about my intent to go more natural with shopping and cooking and things, even if *gasp* I have to pay more!

This week I plan to experiment with 2 soup recipies. I'd like to have them on hand for cooking, and prefer not to buy the canned soups - however inexpensive - because I just don't know what's in them. GMO tomatoes, excessive salt and sugar (excuse me, 'fructose'), and corporate-engineered preservatives to be sure. But that's only the stuff I know about...

Disclaimer: I drink pepsi, and eat chips and buy boxed pizza.

I'm not diving off the deep end, intending to live off grass, okay?

Just getting my boots pointed in a healthier direction.

And it starts with one little bitty recipe at a time.

The two soups I plan to make (and then freeze, because canning is a whole other learning curve I'm not quite ready for) are:

Cream of Chicken Soup
(found at www.allrecipies.com)

4 cups milk
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp sugar
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic

1) In a large saucepan, heat oil. Stir in flour to form a paste. Slowly stir in milk until thickened.
2) Add remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat.
3) Cool completely before freezing.

(We'll use our home-grown chickens, ww flour, and fair trade cane sugar here.
I'll probably reduce the sugar and omit the garlic, but this is the simplest recipe I found so far.)

Cream of Tomato Soup

I'll just include a link here, because
a) it's a fellow blogger - Simple Homemade.net - and I want to share the love, and
b) there are so many brilliant and simple variations, it's easier if you just look for yourself.

By the looks of it, I may never buy a can of soup again! These are just too simple!

I'd love to hear how you go natural in your home.

Update: How it went .

On Becoming Frugal AND Natural

2013-02-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

In striving to live frugally, we've changed a few things over time.

- reduced how much we eat out (though we could still do alot less!)

- sold or given away items we don't need or use (saves on space)

- raised our own meat

- grown a garden

- bartered to get what we want/need (instead of buying)

- home make food, snacks (and monkey cages)

The most fun for me this winter has been couponing. I've enjoyed prowling for coupons and hunting down the deals. (Did I ever mention my favorite price is free?)

But.

As I became more serious about couponing, I noticed that the marketing that IS couponing (companies advertising to us through coupons, offers, freebies, etc) ... well... it's starting to work on us. We enjoyed our free products from company promos, and loved it. They were all so yum ... and so free :))))

But afterward we continued to purchase the product -nearly becoming loyal consumers. (the whole point of such a marketing campaign, sure, but hardly the point of my couponing!)

I also noticed that in the pursuit of cheap and free, I have sacrificed better for cheaper in some things. Like pasta for example. I don't often find deals on whole grain pasta, so I have purchased the more processed white counterpart instead. It's not as filling or healthy, but it's cheap.

I'd like to turn this around, aiming instead at healthy rather than cheap - aim to make Miss Green Jeans more important than Miss Free Jeans.

This may mean saying no to deals - maybe even free?! (Am I really saying this?)

It'll be a thing to work towards. I won't get this by next Tuesday. But here are some things I plan to work on in the coming weeks and months:

1) Research Food Storage

I've wasted food (and time and money) by not knowing how to properly store food. We have enough potatoes to last another month or two, but they've grown soft and have developed long, long eyes. I've canned cream of mushroom soup only to have it sour in the container. I've frozen carrots (raw, cooked and blanched), only to have a soggy carrot-like substance afterward. Gross!!

I need to learn how to do this better.

2) Use Natural Options - As In ... get ready ... HOME MADE! (dun-dun-duuuun)

We're conditioned, in this nation and generation, to buy everything. It doesn't often cross our minds to make something. I want to slowly change out my consumer mindset, exchanging it for a natural lifestyle.

Being at the beginning, most of these sound CRAZY to me. But I'm willing to explore them one at a time at a very. very. slow. pace.

Hand Lotion (I can't even imagine doing this, but maybe one day I'll get there)

Various Home Cleaners - laundry, air fresheners, etc.

And food. Here, I've got a start. I've canned beets, made crackers, bread and buns, tortillas, granola bars, and even Ranch dressing and crackers and pasta! (hey - I just realized I'm making progress!)

I plan to add to the list this year:

- drying our own black beans

- canning tomato sauce, tomato soup, tomato paste, salsa and ketchup

- can our own Maple Syrup from our yard. (Manitoba Maple sugaring is dicey business, so we'll see what weather allows)

I'm not even willing to CONSIDER at this point though, the resourcefulness one can accomplish with sewing and weaving and other crafty things. (You saw the monkey cage, right?)

Seriously. I'm happy if I can sew a button and it stays. I'm happy if I can stitch a rip closed and it doesn't look like a terribly botched scar.
Yes, I'll quit while I'm ahead. The one crafty thing in this world I can do is signs. That's enough.

So we begin.

One

recipe

at a time.

Goals Update

2013-02-19T16:41:00.000-08:00

Last time, I told you about our January goals for grocery spending, and couponing:

The Goals:

1) Limit grocery spending to $400 and stay consistent.

2) Limit time spent on couponing

3) Meal plan from the freezer

How We're Doing:

1) Groceries

I know I only have a month and a half to go on here, but so far it's looking good. January was around $375, and by today (Feb 19) we're at about $150.

2) Couponing

Umm... yeah. My first mistake was calling "limit time spent" a goal. That's not a goal. It needs to be specific and measurable. So, since I aimed at nothing specific, I guess I succeeded? I don't know if I'm spending less time or not. I think so, but there's no way to measure.

I did implement the odd computer-free day (which changed my whole day and attitude...!) so no couponing happened there. And, I haven't taken a single picture this month of my deals. ... of course, I haven't blogged about it either so... I guess that's time saved.

Okay, specific goal now: To implement one entire computer-free day each week. I'll choose Tuesdays for now, and see how that goes.

3) Meal Planning

This one has gone well, probably because it's been part of my regular routine and because we have a freezer full of food.

I also created a list of our favorite foods, which cookbook I can find recipies in, and filled it with blank calendars to do my monthly planning. (Yay! I have energy to do monthly planning! Sometimes I can only do a week at a time before my eyes bug out and I become afraid of the commitment.)

(I hope to offer my 30-Day Meal Planner for free soon... It's sure helped me alot!)

Three Grocery Goals to Save Time and Money

2013-01-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

... ever do your year end receipts and discover that all you've done all year is spend money?
and money

and more money?

And what's worse is that you can't exactly figure out WHAT on this green earth you spent it on?

I hope you don't know that feeling. It's not pleasant.

But it does motivate me to make a few spending goals. So here are a few grocery goals for our year:

1) Limit all grocery shopping to $400/month and stay consistant.

(this includes food, liquor, toiletries, cleaning supplies... everything but pet supplies.) I'm thinking I'll have to do the cash system to pull this off. That credit card is just too doggone handy...

2) Limit time spent on couponing.

I love hunting for coupons, and pouring over flyers, and browsing stores for deals. I really do. And I could do it full time. For a couple of weeks before Christmas, I was heading that way. Hours were spend daily on this too-fun hobby.

But that's not my purpose. I'm a mom. A homeschooling mom! I seriously need to invest my time wisely. So, my goal is to spend three hours weekly. I don't know if I'll get there, but it's the goal. I'll have to work at it. I mean, just today I spent 2 hours. It goes so fast!

3) Menu Plan from the pantry and freezer

Planning meals saves money, but planning from what I already have saves even more. Instead of spending grocery funds on the weeks menu, I can spend it on the good deals and on stocking the pantry. The change in focus and immediacy I think will save extra money.

I've refined the meal planning process, so it's become much easier. Monthly or weekly planning isn't as important to me as planning from what we have.

.

What My Stock Pile Looks Like

2012-12-08T19:15:00.002-08:00

Note: No shelves were cleared in the making of this stockpile. Just incase you were wondering...

Just a few months ago, our freezer was bare. I mean seriously bare.

Our shelves weren't much more full than that either. 7 boxes of cereal and a few ketchup... not much of a stock pile at all.

But we had a garden, two pigs, and a bunch of chickens.
And, between the splurges of late, learning to get free stuff (by stacking coupons), and the recent Shoppers Drug Mart Mega Redemption Event, our freezer and shelves look much better...

The Freezer

Tomatoes from the garden,
beef exchanged for the chickens

Doesn't translate well in a picture, but
there are chickens and a pig in here.
There is also some beef we traded for
chickens, and some bacon, fish and bread found on sale.

Toiletries

Most items were .99 or less, except for Tampons.
Had to pay $2/pk for those. Some items like some of the stayfree,
the Playtex tampons, and shave gel, were free. Yay!

Stored under the stairs, it's neither attractive nor easily organized. But that stack of Puffs is about a year supply of tissue, and cost about .50/box on avg. Most were .35, some were .85...

And, let's not forget about the pantry part of the stock pile...

Sure, it's not like some people's stock pile... but I'm super excited about our progress.

I guess my goal is to have an adequate supply of most everything so that I can make it from sale to sale on most items. I'd really like to not need to buy groceries every week. I'd really like to shop ONLY sales, not needing anything.

What are your stockpiling goals?

The Pantry ~ Before and After ~

2012-12-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

I LOVE before and after photos. I also LOVE peeking at photos of other people's stockpiles.

I also LOVE that my husband added shelves to our pantry. With the Shoppers Mega Redemption weekend coming up, I wasn't sure where we would put everything...

BEFORE

Lots of wasted space between these shelves. And those boxes are painted plywood boxes that were used to hold spools of wire. They were a free make-do deal that is no longer working. Oh - and the rake wine glass holder while cute, has to go. I'm kind of sad about that one...

AFTER

The extra shelving makes a huge difference! Seems to double the storage space. I've got the whole SDM redemption in here, and there is still alot of room for more. Thank you darling husband! (and six year old son who helped)

.

Free Groceries with Shoppers Optimum!

2012-12-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

It's been a few months since I started using the Shoppers Optimum Program in a serious way.

Helped in large part by my friendly neighborhood couponing group (highly recommend you join one if you're not already in one or five...), and also assisted by Mrs January's Guide, I was able to gather enough points to redeem at the mega event. It was my first time, and I. am. pumped.

Wanna see?

All free. My favorite price! Well, I paid tax, so it costed $17 for approx. $250 worth of product.

So many prices were inflated for the special event, but I managed to find a couple of deals. (Gotta stretch that dollar even if it is 'just points')

Raincheck for Dempsters at $1.88 x4 - $1 coupon = .88 for 4 of them. (The rest were 2/$6 -$1cpn each)
Uncle Bens $2.99-$1 = $1.99 I'd been waiting for that one. They're usually $4 and up

Goodnights were on for $17.99 for the mega pack (reg. 28.99) - $2 = $15.99.

Crest .99-.50 = .49 each

My sweet indulgence

Cheerios $2.99-$1 = $1.99

And, the free remote control for a Christmas gift? That was a great find. It's exactly what we were planning to buy our kiddo. (but shh! don't tell him!)

The rest was full retail or, in some cases, more (Tostitos 3.99 each! What was I thinking?!) But it's okay. It was still free. I also stocked up on some other staple items that don't go on sale a whole lot... milk, cola, bacon, butter.

Full retail or no, free is free, and I was happy. I celebrated by picking up a McLatte and savoring every carmelly drop. MmmmMMMM
And, it was on sale! Even better!

After the redemption, I headed over to Superstore, with a steamy latte in hand, to pick up some produce. This was about $19. Nothing on sale but the buns, and the oranges taste more like grapefruit... but there it is.

And then I zipped over to Canadian Tire for .59 plastic wrap and aluminum foil. That's the best price I've seen yet. Once this is added to the stash, I think we'll be set for awhile.

And that's our shop for the week.

I can't wait to show you the pantry. I wasn't sure WHERE we would put all the groceries... then hubby added some shelving. All is well with the world now. I'll show you the pics soon!

Shopping for a Cause (Sometimes Love Looks Like Shampoo...)

2012-12-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

This fall I became one of the shoppers for Community Outreach - a local organization that serves the poor and homeless in our city. I was thrilled to be able to use this couponing hobby to benefit others. Plus, I get to coupon shop on someone else's dime. How could that not be fun?

I've got to pause here to tell you how much I love this ministry. The struggle of poverty is one that's close to my heart, and I love being able to just be there for someone in that rough stuff. Having someone there for me when I needed it has changed my LIFE!

Each Nivea was .99, the Clear Burst was 1.09, the razors
were $2each (one coupon got left out) *tear*
(... funny... I really don't like paying for things... )
Everything else was free. (except for tax)

That's the most important thing to me - connecting with people in a way that hopefully helps or encourages. But another way I contribute is by purchasing the toiletries that are handed to patrons. It stretches their budget money - and your donation dollars - further. And, as a bonus for me, it's super fun :)

Here's what we bought yesterday -->

And many couponers shop for a cause, using their couponing abilities to benefit others.

*Some give to fill Christmas hampers with the deals they've found.

*Mrs. January suggests donating your finds is one of the awesom-est things about couponing.

*Others turn their finds into gifts for Christmas, birthdays, or just because.

To all you couponers who skim from our own family stash to give to someone in need,

thank you.
To all you deal hunters who toss items in the food bank bin at your local church or grocery store,

thank you.
To those giving to anyone
thank you.

This is what life is really all about. Not to coupon or give people things, but to think of others. And share and help each other. Sometimes love looks like a bottle of shampoo, you know?

I love, love, LOVE seeing people give generously of their time - and it DOES cost time! - and of their deals they worked so hard to find, and of their precious stockpile they laboured to build.
I know.

And I love seeing y'all share like you do. Stuff, tips, deals, coupons, videos, links, donations, advice, time, time and more time. It's great. And, even though shows like Extreme Couponers can make us all look a little insane and greedy, in real life there is some excellent selflessness in it.

And that. is. awesome.

Cheers, fellow shoppers and generous givers!

My SDM Shop Nov 24th ... And a Fun Video Too

2012-11-24T14:28:00.000-08:00

Here are our SDM Saturday-only deals this morning.

I wanted to hold out for better deals on TP, Stayfree, but we needed them so...

H.N. Cheerios $2.99-$1 = $1.99 (was waiting to apply to a 1.99 box, but the cpn will expire soon)

Pepsi 2Ls 4/$4 (too bad I traded away the coupons that would have saved more)

Turtles (Reg $12) $6.48-$2 = 4.48 Hello Christmas Candy :)))

4L Milk 4.59 - $3 peelies on it= $1.59. Short expiry, but we'll freeze it. Perfect for baking / making pancakes :)

Royale 12 pk $4.99x2 - $2 = 3.99 ea

Stayfree $2.88 - $2 = $0.88 each

Fleecy $3.88 - $1 = $2.88

Also found some Glade aerosol sprays at Superstore for .99 ea (limit 2) so picked up two of those.

Next Saturday is the Shoppers Mega Redemption event, so I'll be planning that shop. Eeee! I can't wait.

(Rumors are floating around though, that the redemption might not be as 'mega' as last year - that 95,000 pts may only be worth $210 this year instead of $250. Guess we'll see...)

And in the next week or two I hope to make a trip to London Drugs to stack up loads of deals for the local Community Outreach I shop for. (more on that later...)

In the meantime, I'll leave you with this fun video about couponing.

Made me smile!

.

Aaaand We're Back.

2012-11-15T10:45:00.000-08:00

So... you know how we were doing the $50/week challenge? And ... you know how it didn't have an end date? Yah... I guess 12 weeks was the end. Since then, I've been shopping without limits.

Still careful - with sales and coupons and such - but not with a strict budget. It's been fun!

But tonight I tallied grocery receipts and find that I just really do need boundaries.

July & Aug - did the $50/week thing. $200ish/month. good.
September -splurged a bit... ~$280

October = $386

November = $278 half way through the month.

Time to reign it in again, but not to the $50/week. It's as comfortable as... last year's jeans, you know? Yeah, we can squeeze into them if we really want to, but can't wear them for very long...

So in the interest of reality, I'll shoot for $75/week. Then we'll even be able to have fresh fruit and veggies all the time!

I feel like I'm cheating though - I've been busy spending whatever I want, we'll have one of the piggies in our freezer in the next few weeks, ANDI have a huge free shopping spree coming up on Dec 1st (Shoppers Drug Mart points redemption!!!), so really I should be able to get by with spending nothing - I mean ZERO - without trying to hard... !

BUT. Whatever. I didn't plan it that way, and I'll try not to let that zero spending (yipes - would I actually do that? ... could I? Hmm... intriguing... ) go to my head. We'll just see how far we can stretch a buck while still eating what we like, and that's it.

A reader commented that we don't seem to have much for fruits and veggies. You're right, there are precious few veggies in those photos! We'd been eating from the garden so we hadn't been without veggies, but now that's it's November, we're buying all our fresh produce from the store except for potatoes which are keeping so far... Thanks for pointing that out! I'll think of a way to include veggies in our photos and will also make a point to include them in the menu plan (which I intend to continue) :)

So, while the $50/week challenge is over, the aim of frugal living is not. I have alot to tell you about!

- The new level of couponing I've discovered... (Got $45 worth of stuff for free just with regular coupons!)
- From Whence I've Come - Wasteful Choco-holic to frugal healthy(er) eater - even a few pounds lighter!
- The new stockpile (You know that's what I was doing while I spend what I wanted, right?)
- My new shopping job!! I get to spend other people's money for them, coupon, AND it helps the poor and homeless! Suuuper fun!

- Meal Plans and new recipes... (like homemade chocolate syrup? Or how about homemade Febreeze-type fabric freshener spray?)
... and maybe if I think about it, some money saving tips or organizational ideas? We'll see. I'm told I'm organized, but I sure don't feel it...

Talk to you soon!

(... I probably shouldn't tell you that I'm heading out to the stores today, right?)