I hope you don't feel like this blog has turned into a food blog, or a clean eating blog... it's just what I really enjoy writing about lately. So, I have a few more recipes that I've made recently that are frugal and mostly clean.
Chicken Tortilla Soup!
1/2 onion diced
2 cloves of garlic
4 cups of organic chicken broth
2 cans of organic diced tomatoes with jalapenos
2 chopped carrots
1 chopped yellow squash
1-2 shredded chicken breasts
1 T organic butter
salt and pepper to taste
avocado slices for the top
Throw it all in the crockpot on low for 4 to 6 hours. Dish it out and top with avocado... my favorite!
You can find the original recipe here.
The finished product with organic blue corn chips... soooo good!!!
Here are the ingredients: 1/2 cup of organic applesauce, 1 cup of plain greek yogurt, 1/2 cup of organic honey, 2 cups of oat bran (or 2.5 cups of rolling oats chopped in a food processor), 3t baking powder, 1t baking soda, 2 smashed/ripe bananas, 1t vanilla, walnuts and dark chocolate chips... or whatever else you like in your muffins. :)
Bake at 400 for 18 minutes.
You can find the original recipe here. Sorry... no cost-breakdown here either. I already had most of the ingredients for both meals, so I'm not really sure.
Happy Frugal Friday!
Goals Revisited:
Spiritual:
1) I found a you-version for Lent that I will be reading daily. It's shorter than I wanted, but hopefully I will use the extra time to reflect. We are fasting TV during the day. The kids need it... we've been watching too much and I think it's affecting us negatively.
Intellectual:
1) I just finished "The Unhealthy Truth" by Robyn O'Brien last night. It was so good. There were parts that were difficult to read because it's about research and science... and I'm not a fan of either :) There were 2 things I especially enjoyed in her book though. She has 3 rules to avoid unclean/processed foods. "First, If a label includes 'artificial ingredients' or 'imitation' in the description, put it back on the shelf. Second, the shorter the ingredient list the better. Third, If your grandmother didn't have it in her kitchen, you probably don't want it in yours. So if you come across an ingredient that you can't even pronounce, chances are that Grammy would not have had it sitting in her cupboard or on her counter." (page 239) I also really liked her 80-20 rule. Meaning, that it's probably impossible to eat 100% clean, but you can eat clean 80% of the time. She talks about how most food in the grocery store is unclean... cereal, crackers, bread, etc. But you still want your kids to go to birthday parties, class parties, etc. So, you do your best at home, but there are times when your child is going to have a cupcake and eventually eat at a friends house and be served kraft mac and cheese with all the "genetically modified corn and soy they contain, and rGBH-laden cheese, and all the chemicals that had been added to turn them that glowing color." (pg. 143). It makes you want to cringe, but you can only control what's in your home. So practicing the 80-20 rule helps me personally. :) I could go on forever, but you should just read the book!
Homemaking:
1) I did not pack Warrick's lunch the night before preschool days or get his clothes ready... I know, I'm a slacker! But, I organized the fridge and pantry... surely that makes up for it :)
here was my fridge inspiration picture:
here's what mine looks like:
So.. not quite, but we're getting closer haha.
3) We didn't make cheesburger pizza this week and the next several nights we will be gone for House Party, church, and then we are heading to Atlanta for a church conference until late Tuesday night. So we will plan cheeseburger pizza wednesday or thursday next week.
kids:
1) I'm so surprised, but my kids have been really good about conserving energy! It makes a frugal mama proud :) And as it turns out, I'm the one leaving the fridge open for 10 minutes deciding what I want... who would have thought?
