Come journey with Julie.

Easy Crock pot Chili

2017-01-14T15:55:00.001-08:00

Today I made some very easy crock pot chili.

Only 6 ingredients plus 2/3 cup water.
1 can Tomato soup
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1 can Black Beans
1 can Corn
1/4 cup onion
1 Tablespoon Chili seasoning

Add all ingredients together in a slow cooker and heat for 2-3 hours on medium heat.
It is a very simple, inexpensive, and good tasting recipe that serves 4. It would go great with some cornbread.

Easy Shrimp Lo-Mein

2017-01-14T15:49:00.003-08:00

Hello everyone,

I have decided to find new and inexpensive recipes to make in this new year. Today I made Easy Shrimp Lo-Mein. It was good , easy to make, and relatively inexpensive depending on the amount and size of shrimp that you buy. It serves 2-3 people and only takes about 15 minutes to make.

1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables
1 pound (or less) cooked shrimp
1/4 cup of water
1 3 oz package of shrimp flavored ramen noodles
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or teriyaki sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions
1. Combine frozen vegetable, shrimp, and water in large skillet and heat over medium high heat till cooked through and hot. About 7 minutes.
2. Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a small pot. Add ramen noodles and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and add to skillet mixture.
3. Stir ramen noodle seasoning packet, soy sauce, garlic powder, and ground ginger in to the mixture. Stir to mix and cook about 1 minute, making sure everything is hot.

South Beach Diet Day 1

2016-06-13T14:04:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone, I'm trying the South Beach Diet this week. It is new to me. Last year I lost 25 pounds on my own. I cut out Coke, candy, donuts, and most sugar. I gained back a few of those pounds due to 2 deployments in Louisiana with the American Red Cross.
On Phase 1 of this new diet, you can't have any bread, pasta, or carrots. These are 3 things I love, so we will see how it goes.

Here is my breakfast for Day 1 of the South Beach Diet.
Veggie frittata with tomato, onion, broccoli, spinach, egg substitute, and mozzarella cheese.

On the side I had 1/4 cup cottage cheese with 1/4 tomato. Also pictured is 1 slice of Canadian bacon that I cut up and ate with the frittata.

For lunch I had cucumber slices, with 1 wedge of laughing cow cheese and 1 teaspoon of spicy brown mustard mixed together, then a bit of sliced turkey and a slice of tomato.

These are hard to eat whole so I cut them in half and ate them with a fork.

For a snack I had celery with some garlic hummus.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

2016-05-08T11:08:00.001-07:00

NOT EVERYONE HAD BIOLOGICAL CHILDREN. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY AREN'T MOTHERS!

NOT EVERYONE HAD A GOOD MOTHER. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY ARE BAD CHILDREN!

MOTHER'S DAY TO ME IS A CELEBRATION OF ALL WOMEN. THANK YOU TO ALL THE WOMEN IN THE WORLD THAT DO THEIR PART TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

Vegan chocolate pudding

2016-05-08T11:03:00.003-07:00

Vegan chocolate pudding!

I made an interesting vegan pudding today!

Put all this in a blender.
1 banana
1/2 avocado
2 tablespoons cocoa or carob powder
1 packet of stevia sweetener

Put in a bowl and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Yummy!

Can you eat vegan for $3 a week day - day 5 last day and thoughts

2016-05-08T10:54:00.001-07:00

Day 5 final day with final thoughts!

Today is use up what is left and eat leftovers!

Breakfast day 5 Oatmeal with no fruit!
Today I had enough oats left to make a bowl of oatmeal. I added some cinnamon, but didn't have any fruit left.

Lunch
I made a nice spinach salad with 1/2 a tomato, some garbanzo beans, and a bit of carrot. I also made a tofu veggie scramble with 1/2 tomato, some garbanzo beans, which I fork smashed, some carrot, and some spinach. For a snack I used the rest of the garbanzo beans and added a bit of water, blended them and made a hummus. I added some carrot sticks.

Dinner
I ate the leftover veggie soup which had rice, pasta, and garbanzo beans in it. I also ate some of the hummus, and some of the tofu veggie scramble that was left over from lunch.

My final thoughts on eating vegan for $3 a day.

It is possible! I was able to just use the items I bought for less than $15. The only thing I had leftover was tofu. Which I could have used more of in the meals. At times I wished I had a little more variety. I would have like a bit more fruit and a bit more different vegetables. I would have liked to eat salad more. These are my preferences. I did use some spices I had on hand, but I didn't buy any. I think eating vegan on $4 a day might be a better option. I'm putting together a menu and that will be another project in the works for me.

Vegan for $3 a day - day 4

2016-05-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

Day 4 Breakfast
Today I had a potato scramble for breakfast. I shredded 1 potato and cooked it with 1 green onion, tofu, and spinach. It was a nice change.

Lunch day 4 Fried rice tofu
I cooked some tofu and green onion and mixed it with spinach and cooked brown rice.

Dinner was vegetable soup with rice.

Vegan on $3 a day - day 3

2016-05-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

Breakfast Day 3

I had oats with 1/2 banana, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a drop of Almond Milk.

Lunch Day 3

Vegetable soup with pasta

Dinner Day 3

Pasta with spinach and garbanzo beans

I took 1/2 cup garbanzo beans, 1 small handful of spinach, and a couple teaspoons of water and mixed them together in my mini blender. I topped the pasta with the mixture and added a couple more garbanzos for protein.

VEGAN ON $3 A DAY-DAY2

2016-05-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

CAN YOU EAT VEGAN FOR $3 A DAY-

HERE IS DAY 2.

BREAKFAST Green smoothie
1/2 frozen banana
10 frozen raspberries
spinach
1/2 cup Almond Milk

Blend till smooth.

LUNCH VEGETABLE SOUP
1 can diced tomatoes Italian style
1 broccoli crown
1 carrot
1 green onion
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
2 1/2 cans water

I divided the vegetable soup into 3 portions. I added rice to the portion I had today. I added pasta to a portion, and garbanzo beans to the 3rd portion.

DINNER

I made fried rice with vegetables for dinner.

Heat 1/2 cup cooked rice with 1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans and 1/2 carrot shredded. Add 1 green onion. Stir till fried enough for you.

VEGAN $3 A DAY CHALLENGE

2016-05-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

CAN YOU EAT VEGAN ON $3 A DAY?

I came across this challenge on youtube while I was looking for some healthier recipes. Can you eat vegan on $3 a day?

I thought hummmmm, I'm going to try it. Step 1 I went to the grocery store and checked out what items were on sale. This is what I bought.

I spent a total of $14.82. I came home and started planning my meals. I also went ahead and cooked up the rice, pasta, and soaked my garbanzos, aka chickpeas.

DAY 1 BREAKFAST Oatmeal with raspberries
Mix 1/2 cup quick oats with 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir, remove from heat. Let stand 1 minute covered. Place in bowl and add 10 raspberries, 1/4 cup Almond Milk, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Oatmeal, banana, carrot bar
Mix 1 smashed banana, with 1 cup oats and 1/2 carrot shredded. Place in baking pan and flatten down.
Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until brown on top.
I cut this into 4 equal rectangles.

LUNCH Tofu and broccoli quiche
First make the crust for the quiche. Ground 1/2 cup oats. Mix ground oats with 1/2 cup Almond Milk. Place in bottom of cooking pan, flatten, and bake for about 15-20 minutes at 375. Cook your choice of vegetables on the stove for about 10 minutes until desired softness. While veggies are cooking, place 1/4 package of tofu and 1/2 cup Almond Milk into a blender and blend till smooth. When crust is ready, place veggies on top and pour tofu mixture over. Bake in oven at 375 for about 15 minutes.

DINNER Pasta with tomatoes and spinach
Heat 1 can Italian style stewed tomatoes with 1/2 cup garbanzo beans. Stir in 1 cup precooked pasta and a small handful of spinach leaves. Stir till spinach is wilted.

The pasta was very good and made a lot. I have leftovers for when I get hungry this week. I did add some seasonings to the sauce, onion and garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
I didn't purchase any seasonings, but used some that I had in my house.

My next blog will have Day 2 meals and recipes.
Thanks for reading.

2015-07-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

Seeds, seeds, and more seeds!

I received a nice box of sprouting seeds today from sproutpeople.com

Included in the kit were 10 small bags of different seed mixes. Also, included was the Easysprout sprouter. The Easysprout has 6 plastic pieces and an instruction kit included. It also has directions on the back of the box.

I also ordered another sample set called Brassica. It has 6 different small bags with some of the microgreens variety.

And lastly I ordered a 1lb. bag of Amber Waves of grain. A mix of wheat, barley, rye, spelt, triticale, oats, kamut, sesame, millet, amaranth, and quinoa. I will be soaking this one tonight. I hope to be eating it for breakfast soon.

2015-07-28T18:15:00.002-07:00

Sprouting Seeds Part 2

I have sprouted the following types of seeds: lentils, chickpeas, a salad spout mix, and a 13 bean soup mix. Some of the other types of seeds you can sprout are grains, including wheat, barley, rye, popcorn, and quinoa. In the legume category you can sprout lentils, peas, black beans, chickpeas, mung and soy beans. In the greens category you can sprout the following sprouts: alfalfa, broccoli,, clover, canola, radish, buckwheat and sunflower.

Some people also spout nuts such as almonds and peanuts. Soaking these overnight increases the nutritional value tremendously.

Seed Days of sprouting

Alfalfa 5-6 days

Broccoli

Radish

Lentils 3-4 days

Mung bean 4-5 days

Soybean

Sunflower 7-8 days

When your sprouts are ready to be eaten, place them in a sealed container in the fridge.

If you need some raw food recipes, just google them ;) J.

2015-07-26T23:03:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I'm back on my blog with a new view on life. I have recently cut out added sugar from my food choices. I stopped drinking COKE. I started really paying attention to what I eat. I have tried to get more exercise. I have lost 20 pounds since March 1st.

Come journey with Julie will now be about my life's journey to eat and be healthier. Don't worry, I will still have travel information! I will also have lots of random thoughts! LOL

I recently began sprouting seeds. When you sprout seeds, beans, legumes, or nuts, you receive a lot more nutritional impact.

"Sprouts are the perfect raw food. They are easy to grow, simple, and tasty to eat. Since the agrarian era, people have been sprouting seeds because they offer dense nutrition and easy energy. No cooking is required, yet all the nutrients of the same seeds cooked are present in the sprout. In fact, minerals in many sprouted foods increase while fat content is lowered. And sprouts are full of the digestive enzymes needed for metabolism. When you eat sprouts, they literally digest themselves--leaving your body free to work on more important things!" sproutpeople.com

1/4 cup lentils

quart mason jar

cheesecloth and rubber band

add water swish and drain

set at angleseal for fridge

4 days of sprouting

1. Place dry lentils in Mason jar.

2. Add water and swish around.
3. Let soak for 8 hours (overnight is good)

3. Add cheesecloth and rubber band. You can also use pantyhose or screen mesh.

4. Drain. Rinse and drain again.

5. Set at angle to assure air flow/drying.

6. Rinse two or three times a day for approximately 4 days.

7. When sprouted to your liking, place in fridge with sealed lid.

So far I have only used my sprouts on salads and sandwiches. I'm going to try other recipes and I will pass them on to my readers. I have sprouted lentils which are pictured and I have also spouted a salad mix. Both are very tasty. I will be spouting chickpeas and a soup mix next. Stay tuned for those pics. ;) Julie

2014-08-14T22:02:00.001-07:00

What is it?

It's a 28ft 1995 Georgie Boy

Who's is it?

No, it's not mine, not yet anyway!

My 91 year old friend Roger now owns this lovely RV. He wants me to drive him around to local parks and fishing areas here in Southern Oregon. Roger knows a lot about RV's as he has lived in them before. This one has the queen bed in the back that you can walk around making it easier to make the bed! It also has the dining room table that seats 4 and a nice sofa that I will use as my bed when we are out camping.

We are in the process of testing everything out. We knew there was a problem with the generator when we bought it. It makes a noise when the button is pushed, but it wont start yet.

I think it will work our well for what we need. Just for weekend jaunts at the moment.

I'm still planning for my RV road life. It will be a couple of years, but I'm doing a lot reading about destinations, workkamping, and how to budget for life on the road.

Thanks for sticking around to read my blog even though I don't post very often. Hopefully now I will have some info to share about my local area here in Southern Oregon.

Hello Everyone! Yes, I know I only seem to post about every 4 months! LOL

2014-04-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Southern Oregon!

This is a picture of my client caseworker group that worked up in Darrington,WA to help the victims of the recent mudslide. I have volunteered with the Red Cross two years now. I have helped on four different types of natural disasters. Hurricane Sandy, Oklahoma Tornadoes, Arizona Wildfire, and the WA mudslide.

I am once again dogless! I had to find a new home for my new dog because he had separation anxiety and need to be with another dog. He also hated cats! I don't own a cat but I feed about 10 neighborhood cats!

Sorry I don't post very often. I guess since I don't have an RV yet I think no one wants to read it!

I did find a new website that I really like. It's called RVillage.com
Check it out! Lots of different groups to check out there.

Come meet Jamie!

2014-01-12T14:34:00.001-08:00

Come meet Jamie!

I was dogless for about 6 months. I finally decided to get a new dog and have been looking for the past couple of months at my local shelter. I didn't have much luck. Most local dogs are large or are Chihuahua mixes. I was looking for a Terrier mix.

I went to the Bay Area in CA to visit a friend for Christmas. So, I looked online at the local animal shelter in Martinez, CA to see what small dogs they had. So, on Dec 24, at 3:30PM I called the Martinez animal shelter to see if he was still available. He was! So, I said I would be there first thing the day after Christmas. I was there at 10:00am when they opened, but Jamie wasn't there. That same morning, they moved him to the Nevada Humane Society in Reno, NV. That was on Thursday. On Friday I drove to Reno to get my new dog. It was a big hassle, but it was worth it. Jamie is a good dog. He is a Manchester Terrier. He looks like a Mini Pin, but is a bit taller and thinner.

He was neutered in Martinez so I had to get him a plastic dog collar so he wouldn't chew his stitches. He was a trooper about wearing it. It's off now and he is not licking. He also had a dog bite on the top of his head. It is healing now and he is going to be fine. He likes to go in the car, so I know one day he will be fine in a RV if and when I ever get one! LOL

2013-11-11T14:53:00.001-08:00

Happy Veterans Day to all those that served our country!

My father served in the Navy during WW2. He didn't get a chance to serve overseas as he was a great football player and played for the Navy football team.

My grandfather helped during WW1 but he was not actually in the military.

I have many friends that were in Vietnam. Some are suffering from Agent Orange poisoning, many are suffering PTSD.

I support all those that served in the Armed Forces. Thank you all for our freedom. I would not live in any other country in the world. Our freedom we have is more important to me than living anywhere else in the world.

Happy Veterans Day to all.

Thanksgiving dinner for 1 or 2

2013-11-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

Quick and easy Thanksgiving dinner for 1 or 2.

Turkey Cutlets stuffed with stuffing, onion, apple, and cranberry sauce.

Ingredients
1 package Turkey Cutlets
1 small package of stuffing mix (some will be left over)
1 apple
1 small onion
1 can cranberry sauce
1/2 cup water

Prepare packaged stuffing as directed. Cook sliced apple and onion over medium heat. When apple and onion are cooked add a few tablespoons of cranberry sauce. Add approximately 1 cup cooked stuffing and stir all together. You will probably have extra stuffing for another time. Place a couple of tablespoons of this mixture in the middle of the turkey cutlet and seal together with a toothpick.
Place remaining stuffing mixture around the cutlets in the baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup water into baking dish. Bake at 350 for approximately 25 or 30 minutes.

The turkey might be a little dry for you, but I like my turkey cooked and smothered in cranberry sauce!

2013-11-06T13:01:00.001-08:00

Julie's Mexican Casserole (Vegetarian)

Greetings everyone!

Just a quick update...I don't have an RV yet. I'm working part-time and I'm volunteering at the local animal shelter, hoping to find my furr=ever friend!

I thought I would start posting more on my blog so here is an easy recipe that I threw together with ingredients I had at home!

Ingredients
1 box Rice a Roni Mexican or Spanish Rice
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can corn
Green onions
Cilantro
Taco seasoning
Tortillas
Shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the Rice a Roni as directed. After it is cooked add to the pan the tomatoes, black beans, corn, green onions, cilantro, and some taco seasoning.
Preheat oven to 375. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. I used 2 of the smaller 1 1/2 quart dishes. Break a few tortillas apart and place in the bottom and the sides of the baking dishes. Place the rice mixture on top of the tortillas. You can make 2 layers and place some tortillas between the layers if you like. Top each layer with some cheddar cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

This recipe can be make spicier by the amount of taco seasoning you add. Also, you can add a spicy salsa to above ingredients to make more spicy. I'm a gringa and my stomach can't take it to spicy! If you wanted to add cooked ground beef or ground turkey to the rice mixture you could do it when putting it all together.

I made 2 casseroles so I could freeze one. I used a foil dish and wrapped it with foil. Don't forget to use a sharpie and mark the outside with the name and date. I didn't cook this one, I just wrapped it and place it in the freezer.

2013-09-09T19:00:00.002-07:00

Hello everyone,

I am still motorhome less! LOL I'm still working part-time. I am now dogless. I lost both my dogs in the past 14 months. They were both old. I'm still reading blogs and any information that I find on the internet about the RV lifestyle. I have finally decided what type of motorhome I would like. I'm looking for a Class A less than 30 feet.

I have volunteered for the American Red Cross for the past year. I have been to NY Long Island for hurricane Sandy, I went to Oklahoma for the May 20 tornado, and I went to Arizona for the Yarnell wildfire.

I'm going to try to start posting more about my trips. Thanks for reading. Julie

2013-06-29T09:54:00.002-07:00

Hello eveyone,
I just got back from Oklahoma. I'm a Red Cross volunteer and I spent 2 weeks in Moore, OK helping those that houses were lost or damaged in the May 20th tornado.

2013-04-30T19:28:00.001-07:00

Wow! It's been a year since I posted.

I'm still here in Oregon, hoping one day to be on the road. Thanks for following. Julie

Sorry it has been so long!

2012-04-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

I just realized I haven't posted to my blog in about 2 weeks! It has been a rough month for me since my dog passed away. I have been trying my best to get on with life. I did visit a small RV show here in my town. I looked at the difference between a Class C with the full bed overhanging the cab and some of the new models. I don't know if they are considered Class B or what. The newer ones just have about 1 foot or even less overhang. You may wonder why this concerns me? Well, I'm claustrophobic! The overhang bothers me when I'm in the drivers seat. I don't need the bed up there anyway, so I'm looking for something different. I think I'm going to have to go with a small Class A.

I watched some videos on youtube. I learned how to dehydrate food. I also learned how to make potato soup! LOL You can learn how to do anything from watching a youtube video!

Some friends of mine and I made some knit hats to donate to a local church that feeds the homeless twice a week. I'm posting a pic of some of the hats. Today I found some great warm winter gloves on sale at WalMart for $1 each. So, I picked up some of those to hand out too. You might be wondering about the weather....well I woke up to snow this morning! It was cold, rainy, and windy all day. Don't forget I live in Southern Oregon!

Thanks for reading! Happy Friday the 13th! ;)

$500 Million MegaMillions Lottery

2012-03-29T18:20:00.001-07:00

OK! So, I have lottery fever, just like millions of other Americans across the US. I tried last Tuesday to win the MegaMillions $363 million lottery. I didn't even get 1 number! Friday the jackpot will be over $500 million, or half a billion $. Chances are the jackpot will be shared by more than one ticket owner, but this is what I would do with my money!

1. Buy a nice motorhome for me and maybe a couple for a few friends too!
2. Pay off bills including mortgages
3. Buy Real Estate
4. Help a local church that feed the homeless twice a week
5. Buy Real Estate
6. Help some of my local grade schools with books or other necessary items
7. Buy Real Estate
8. Help my local hospice
9. Buy Real Estate
10. Help my local Women's Shelter and the local Gospel Mission
11. Buy Real Estate
12. Take a cruise with a few friends, maybe 10 or 20
13. Buy Real Estate
14. Help the local animal shelter/cat shelter
15. Winning the lottery is a great REVENGE TOOL!

Doomsday Preppers

2012-03-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

I was flipping channels one night and found National Geographic's program "Doomsday Preppers" It is a 1 hour program that shows 3 different Americans and/or Canadians that are preparing for a disastrous event. I'm fascinated by two things: one is the amount of people that believe a disastrous event will happen and secondly, the amount of food, water, and ammunition the preppers are hoarding.

What do you think about this situation? How would you prepare in a RV? Does living in a RV hinder your ability to be prepared for a disastrous event? Do you keep extra medical or emergency items in your rig?

As a young child I remember my grandmother sending me into the garage to get some tuna fish. She had a large storage area of food. I have always had lots of food on hand because of this. I also have stockpiled other items in the past as I have been a big coupon shopper.

Those RVers that boondock are well on their way to being self sufficient, but where will you get your food and water from?

I hope this isn't a frightening post to you. I'm just curious about the idea of prepping.