Premeditated Leftovers

Financial Tips for Women

Alea — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:00:30 +0000

Over the years, I have occasionally written posts on personal finance including articles on Managing Investments, Saving Money on College Expenses, and Renting vs. Buying. But they don’t include chocolate, so I end up putting a lot of energy into posts that don’t generate much traffic. Although I devote most of my time to sharing recipes, personal finance is still a priority for me and something that I am passionate about. In fact, I care enough about it that I told my readers they would be better off reading the WSJ than my blog in my post on Managing Retirement Investments.

I actually started this blog as an extension of my volunteer work as a budget counselor. I discovered in my budgeting classes that those who were most in need of stretching their resources by eating leftovers and buying items second-hand were the most resistant to doing it. I also discovered that people with greater wealth were perfectly comfortable eating leftovers, clipping coupons, and buying used items. So I decided to try to make leftovers a little more enticing to everyone, but I digress.

My daughter has suggested that I try to write about finances in a more interesting way like comparing dividends to chocolate fountains or encouraging readers to save room in their budget for savings in the same way they save room in their diet for dessert. And maybe I will someday. Until then, I will continue sharing recipes and you can read about personal finance in DailyWorth.

DailyWorth is a FREE daily personal finance email for women. It includes practical financial tips, empowering ideas, easy to understand explanations of financial terms and tools, and encouragement to start taking control of your finances. DailyWorth tips cover self worth, net worth, saving, spending, earning, investing, taxes, and entrepreneurship. If you want to learn more as you take control of your finances, you can start by signing up for DailyWorth.

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Gallery of Favorites 5/18

Alea — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

April of The 21st Century Housewife and I would like to welcome you to our weekend blog hop: Gallery of Favorites!

This week we are featuring the Baked Figs with Walnut Tarragon Cream & Rocket Salad Recipe by Sue of Couscous & Consciousness.

The inspiration for this delicious recipe came from Karen Martini’s cookbook “Where the Heart is”. Sue hosts Cookbook Sundays, which is a weekly event. If you would like to participate the linky is open for the entire week. There is no limit on number of entries and archived posts are always welcome.

I really like Sue’s food philosophy: She is passionate about using fresh, seasonal, local produce as much as she can; making things from scratch as much as time allows; and not “tinkering” with things too much. She says, “if you use the best quality, freshest ingredients that your budget will allow, then you don’t have to do a whole lot to them to end up with great tasting food”.

When she is not cooking and blogging, Sue is working at her part-time job in a homewares store, practicing and teaching yoga, and teaching cooking classes.

The Gallery of Favorites is a place for you to feature your favorite posts from your own blog. Although April and I both spend a lot of our time writing about food, we do have many other interests and we know our readers do as well. The Gallery of Favorites is a place for all bloggers – not just food bloggers – to share their ideas, interests and passions.

Link up your favorite post(s) below.

Include a link to your post, rather than to your blog.

Include a link to one of the hosts in your post, either through text or with a button:

The Gallery of Favorites will remain open for entries until Monday afternoon. We hope that you will take the time to visit some of the other entries in our Gallery of Favorites. It is a great way to discover new writers, or a new side to some of your favorite bloggers.

The Easy Way to Plan Meals and Save Money

Alea — Thu, 17 May 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Meal planning can be difficult and time consuming. Not planning for meals can lead to expensive, impulse purchases. But there is an easy way to plan meals and you can save money doing it.

Food on the Table is an easy meal planning service that is based on sales at your local grocery stores. When you sign up, you give your area code and then check the stores that you shop at in your area. Then you check what types of foods you like to eat and what foods you avoid. Then Food on the Table suggest recipes based on sales at your chosen store and your food preferences. You choose which recipes you want to make and Food on the Table gives you a list of ingredients needed to make those items. Then you go down the list of ingredients and check the items that you need and then Food on the Table creates a shopping list for you. It is simple to use and only takes 5 minutes to create a dinner menu and shopping list.

Usually they offer 3 meals a week for free and if you want more you can upgrade to the premium version for $5/month, but through the end of May you can upgrade to the premium membership for free for life.

Use the promo code SPRINGFREE when you signup to use the service free for life.You can sign up here. This offer is only good through the end of May.

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Hearth and Soul Hop with Premeditated Leftovers 5/15

Alea — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Welcome to another Hearth and Soul Hop, the food carnival for and about food that not only nourishes our bodies, but our souls! You can find the Hearth and Soul Hosts sharing links to entries on the Hearth and Soul Hop Facebook Page, Pinterest Boards, and on Twitter at @HearthNSoulHop.

My highlights from visiting last week’s contributors to the Hearth and Soul Hop:

Melon-Berry Salad with Lemon and Thyme Syrup

Chicken and Cashew Stir-Fry

Southwest Tuna Salad with Quinoa

Fresh Green Beans and New Potatoes

Portabella Burgers

~ Please link a post that closely fits into the mission. If you are new, read the Hearth and Soul Hop mission statement which includes the rules for linking up. As always, if you have any questions please email me at aleasleftovers(at)sbcglobal(dot)net.

~Please include a link back to one/any of the host sites (through worded link or badge). The Hearth and Soul Hosts include:

April of The 21st Century Housewife
Elsa of Elsa Cooks
Judy of Savoring Today
Penny of Penniless Parenting
Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen
and me, Alea of Premeditated Leftovers

-Linky will stay open from 1:00 am Tuesday to 11:59 pm Thursday (Eastern time).

<a href=”http://premeditatedleftovers.com” _mce_href=”http://premeditatedleftovers.com” target=”_blank”></p> </form> </div> <p><br /> <script type="text/javascript"> document.write('<script type="text/javascript" src=http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=154448&' + new Date().getTime() + '"><\/script>');</script><br /> </p> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/wTcFhGkae-orQM-ZWxBX2X6bYDU/0/da"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/wTcFhGkae-orQM-ZWxBX2X6bYDU/1/da"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/PremeditatedLeftovers?a=Jkf9Y8iU5iQ:QH4JzPXbZwc:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/PremeditatedLeftovers?a=Jkf9Y8iU5iQ:QH4JzPXbZwc:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/PremeditatedLeftovers?a=Jkf9Y8iU5iQ:QH4JzPXbZwc:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Pizookie (Pizza-Cookie)</h1> <p>Alea — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:41:46 +0000</p> <div class="hrecipe"><span class="published"><span class="value-title" title="2012-05-14"></span></span><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Gluten-free-pizookie-recipe-with-dairy-free-options-640x427.jpg"></a></p> <p>My husband and kids prepared dinner for Mother’s Day. My husband grilled steaks and my daughter made <a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/roasted-sweet-potatoes-and-cauliflower/">Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Cauliflower</a> and <a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/green-beans-with-garlic/">Green Beans with Garlic</a>. My oldest son set the table. And my youngest son picked flowers from the shooting star hydrangea bush they bought me and put them in a cup of water, which was a sweet thought, but annoyed his older siblings.</p> <p><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Mothers-Day-dinner-640x427.jpg"></a></p> <p>Dinner was absolutely delicious! For dessert my daughter made a Double Chocolate Pizookie. My daughter is the family pizookie expert. A pizookie is a pizza-cookie that is served warm with ice-cream on top. She insists that it must be served warm. If you wait until it is room temperature, you no longer have a pizookie, you just have a giant cookie. Giant cookies are good, but they are not pizookies!</p> <p><a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Gluten-Free-Double-chocolate-chip-pizzookie-recipe-pizza-cookie-recipe-640x444.jpg"></a></p> <p>My daughter adapted my <a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/double-chocolate-chip-cookies/">Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe</a> to make her Pizookie. We used a pizza cutter to serve warm slices of pizookie and then let each person choose their favorite toppings.</p> <div class="easyrecipe"> <table class="ERHDTable" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td><span class="item ERName"><span class="fn">Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Pizookie (Pizza-Cookie)</span></span></td> <td align="center" valign="top"> </td> <td class="ERHDPrint" valign="top"> <div class="btnERPrint">Print<a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/gluten-free-double-chocolate-pizookie-pizza-cookie/?erprint"></a> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div class="ERHead">Recipe type: <span class="tag">Dessert</span> </div> <div class="ERHead">Author: <span class="author">Alea</span> </div> <div class="ERHead">Prep time: <span class="preptime">10 mins<span class="value-title" title="PT10M"> </span></span> </div> <div class="ERHead">Cook time: <span class="cooktime">15 mins<span class="value-title" title="PT15M"> </span></span> </div> <div class="ERHead">Total time: <span class="duration">25 mins<span class="value-title" title="PT25M"> </span></span> </div> <div class="ERHead">Serves: <span class="yield">18</span> </div> <div class="ERIngredients"> <div class="ERIngredientsHeader">Ingredients</div> <ul class="ingredients"> <li class="ingredient">1 cup of butter, softened, but not melted (you can use df margarine or coconut oil to make this dairy free)</li> <li class="ingredient"> 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed</li> <li class="ingredient"> 3/4 cup sugar</li> <li class="ingredient"> 2 eggs</li> <li class="ingredient"> 1 teaspoon vanilla</li> <li class="ingredient"> 1 1/4 cup rice flour</li> <li class="ingredient">3/4 cup tapioca flour</li> <li class="ingredient">1/4 cup potato starch</li> <li class="ingredient">1 teaspoon guar gum</li> <li class="ingredient"> 1/3 cup cocoa</li> <li class="ingredient"> 1 teaspoon salt</li> <li class="ingredient"> 1 teaspoon baking soda</li> <li class="ingredient"> 2 cups chocolate chips (use can use dairy-free if needed)</li> </ul> </div> <div class="ERInstructions"> <div class="ERInstructionsHeader">Directions</div> <div class="instructions"> <ol> <li class="instruction">In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.</li> <li class="instruction">In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and beat. Stir in vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.</li> <li class="instruction">Spread the cookie dough out onto a 16″ greased pizza pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes.</li> <li class="instruction">Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve warm with ice-cream and topping on top.</li> </ol> </div> </div> <div> <div class="ERNotesHeader">Notes</div> <div class="ERNotes"> <p>If you used butter and the dough seems too soft, then put it in the refrigerator for an hour to firm it up.</p> </div> </div> <div class="endeasyrecipe" style="display: none;">2.2.1</div> </div> <p><strong>Delicious Pizookie Topping Options:</strong></p> <p>Your favorite ice-cream<br /> Fresh fruit<br /> <a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/easy-homemade-fudge-sauce/">Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce</a><br /> <a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/easy-homemade-caramel-sauce/">Homemade Caramel Sauce</a><br /> <a href="http://premeditatedleftovers.com/chai-spiced-pudding-with-vanilla-whip-cream/">Homemade Vanilla Whipped Cream</a></p> <p><em>I am sharing this recipe at <a href="http://www.blessedwithgrace.net/2012/05/tempt-my-tummy-tuesday-chicken-salad-for-a-tea-party/" target="_blank">Tempt My Tummy Tuesday</a>, <a href="http://laurasglutenfreepantry.com/2012/05/allergy-free-wednesdays-blog-hop-week-17-grain-free-brownies-no-bake-cookie-smoothie-frozen-stuffed-banana-sandwiches-more.html"> Allergy-Free Wednesday</a>, and <a href="http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/2012/05/gluten-free-wednesdays-5-16-12/" target="_blank">Gluten-Free Wednesday</a>.<br /> </em></div> <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpremeditatedleftovers.com%2Fgluten-free-double-chocolate-pizookie-pizza-cookie%2F&media=http%3A%2F%2Fpremeditatedleftovers.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F05%2FGluten-Free-Double-chocolate-chip-pizzookie-recipe-pizza-cookie-recipe-640x444.jpg&description=Gluten-Free+Double+Chocolate+Pizookie+%28Pizza-Cookie%29" class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal">Pin It</a> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/yx_emspvEz8fwSIwnt2ArFiCZzU/0/da"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~a/yx_emspvEz8fwSIwnt2ArFiCZzU/1/da"></img></a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/PremeditatedLeftovers?a=Nzt4YLWQox4:tPV81XFHOUo:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/PremeditatedLeftovers?a=Nzt4YLWQox4:tPV81XFHOUo:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/PremeditatedLeftovers?a=Nzt4YLWQox4:tPV81XFHOUo:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> </div> </article> </main></body></html>