Frugal Friday! Let People Know.

Sometimes if you have a need, big or small, you just need to talk about it.  Let people know.

Just last weekend, I was on a mission to find a cheap toddler bed for Tynnley.  I went to 3 Once Upon a Child's in order to find one.  None of them had one.

I just happened to be talking about it during Saturday night set-up at church.  Someone overheard and said "I have a toddler bed you can have for free.  I will bring it next week to church."

I'm so excited!  We have generous people at our church and I feel blessed.

Don't get me wrong, I have friends on facebook that are ALWAYS looking for free stuff and it's rather annoying.  I'm not saying be like that, but it's ok to share your needs with others.


Oooo... and I got cute clothes for the kids garage sailing this morning!  I spent $4 on it all.  I found boys 5T pants with no holes in the knees, this is unheard of.  Each summer I try to get the kids fall wardrobe.  Last summer I got so many cute name-brand clothing for Warrick that never looked worn and he's the best dressed kid in preschool :)  

Happy Frugal Friday!!!

Frugal Friday!

I have recently learned about The Prudent Homemaker... she's my new frugal inspiration.

Here's a quote from her blog, "We built up our pantry while our income was good. When it stopped for 8 months, we lived from our pantry without shopping for food--for over a year. Our income since then has been cut by 70%. It's been 5 years. We continue to live primarily from our pantry and garden, find ways to lower our expenses, and make due with what we have."

Wow.  If that's not inspiring, I don't know what is.  And she has 7 kids.... 7!!!

Every week, she blogs about her frugal accomplishments.
Here are mine for the week:
1) I had a $5 off coupon for meijer if I spent $50.

2) On Monday night, I made broccoli cheese soup and cheese quesadillas.  My family loved it, it was a super frugal meal and no one said "Where's the meat?"  :)

3) My husband completed a laundry room project that I was really excited about.  This cost a little bit of  money, but it will keep me more organized and less time sorting laundry.  And time is money, right?
     

     before:                                                                                                           

                                                                                                            

after:

4) This morning I went to a few neighborhood garage sales.  It was cold, but I got a few good deals.  I spent $5 and got 2 summer pjs for Tynnley, 2 shorts for Tynnley, maternity capris, a shirt for Warrick, 2 sippy cups, and a snack catcher (pictured below).  I'm in love with snack catchers.  Otherwise, we have fish crackers all over the car :)

What were your frugal accomplishments this week?

Frugal Friday!

Happy Frugal Friday!  Did you miss me?  :)

This morning I made tortillas.  And they were good, so I decided to share them.

I doubled the original recipe and made 32 tortillas, which I plan to freeze for later use.  I'm planning on making chicken fajitas this week and my kids are fans of cheese quesadillas, so it will be perfect!  

These took longer than I expected... and next time I make them, I will wait until Tynnley is napping or Warrick is at preschool or the kids are in bed.  There was a lot of pausing on my part to clean up spilled milk, break up a marker fight, and just general screaming that I had to deal with.  :)

I love making things and being able to know all of the ingredients that go into it.  I have been at the store and am very unimpressed by all the extra ingredients in tortillas.  And the organic ones are EXPENSIVE, in my opinion.  So this was the perfect solution.  And super frugal, but I'm not sure how much they cost though, since I had all the ingredients on hand.

Here are the ingredients:

• 5 cups whole-wheat flour (I used Meijer natural white whole-wheat flour)  
• 1 cup oil (I used olive oil)
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cup warm water 

Instructions:

1. Mix together flour, oil, and salt.  Beat until crumbly (3ish minutes).  Use a dough hook if you have one, but I don't and it was fine.  
2. With the mixer running, gradually add the warm water and continue mixing until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.
3. Take out the dough and divide it into 32 equal sized pieces. I do this by making the dough into a big log shape, then cut it in the middle. Then I cut each of those pieces in the middle and so on until you have 32 pieces.
4. Using the palms of your hand roll each piece into a round ball and flatten it out on a baking tray or board. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.  
5. Heat a griddle or pan to med-high heat. 
6. On a lightly floured board or counter top, use a rolling pin to turn each ball into thin tortillas.  Be careful not to use more than a teaspoon or two of flour when rolling out each ball into a tortilla because too much excess flour will burn in the pan or griddle.
7. Grease the pan with a touch of oil and then carefully transfer each tortilla, one at a time, to the pan or griddle and cook until puffy and slightly brown, about 30 to 45 seconds per side. Set aside on a plate to cool slightly. Eat within an hour, refrigerate or freeze.

I got this recipe from here, and edited it slightly.  

Here are some pictures:  

rolled out and ready to be cooked:

 cooking on the griddle:

Breakfast:  spinach, egg, cheese, and sauteed onions and pepper.

Finished product... MMM.
I loaded it too big and it wouldn't shut.  Don't judge... it was 11:15am before I was able to eat breakfast.  And it was really good :)

Have a great weekend!

Frugal Friday!

Happy Frugal Friday!

Last summer my mom signed up for a CSA.  Each week, a box of fresh fruits and veggies would be delivered to her work from a local farm.  She would send me pictures of vegetables that she hadn't seen before and it was always a fun surprise what veggies she would receive from week to week.

Last summer I tried to plant a garden.  I pinterested ideas, read every article I could get my hands on and spent lots of money on organic soil and plants.  I planted cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, and strawberries.  At the end of the summer, I had 4 microscopic strawberries, no cucumbers, 2 zucchinis and 6 small eggplants.

Some pictures of my pathetic garden attempt...

This year, I decided to find a CSA in my area that grew organic fruits and veggies.  I found one a few miles from my home!!!  I emailed the guy, checked his website, and visited his farm with my friend Tamera.  The Robinson's signed up a few weeks later for a 20 week commitment for $200 (which is about what I spent last year on my garden that didn't produce anything.)  Meaning, organic fresh fruits and veggies all summer and I did no work!!!  My black thumb is happy :)

When we visited the farm, there were chickens roaming everywhere.  One even liked me so much it wouldn't stop pecking my foot.  I was like a kid in a candy store, which is why I was really glad that Tamera was there.  While I had my head in the clouds, she was asking the important questions... what do you feed the chickens, do you use any type of fertilizer, etc.

They gave us some free-range chicken eggs for free.  MMMM!!!  My kids thought it was cool that they were all different colors.  I can't wait to take them to the farm this summer to see how things are grown and see the chickens.

I can't wait to tell you all about my CSA experience.  I'm excited to venture out and try new vegetables that I've never eaten or made before.  Hopefully you all will help me with recipes or help me identify a vegetable that I have never seen before.

Happy Frugal Friday!

Frugal Friday (and goals revisited)

Can you believe it's Friday already?  Yay!  This week has gone by fast... which means spring will be on it's way sooner than later :)  

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!

 

 Here's Tynnley with all the ingredients:
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!!!

 Now on to some pretty amazing muffins... and I mean amazing.  Our family ate 32 of them in 2 days.  It was out of control... I had to cut us off.  They are so easy to grab and snack on.  (Especially for a pregnant woman who has a serious sweet tooth!)
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.  

2) I made muffins (the recipe is at the top)  
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?  

Goal-Making Monday!

I've been a goal-making slacker, but not this week!

Here are my goals:

Spiritual:
1) Find a You-Version for Lent and pray about what to fast.  You-version suggestions welcomed :)

Intellectual:
1) Read "The Unhealthy Truth" by Robyn O'Brien.  I ordered this on half.com and it finally came!  Note to self... media mail takes FOREVER!  It may have been faster on the pony express.

Homemaking:
 1) Get organized!  This goal came for a couple reasons.  First is that Sunday mornings are always the most stressful mornings of the week for me.  I rush around like a mad woman, packing and getting everyone ready and out the door by 8am.  This needs to change!  The littlest things can make the biggest difference... all I have to do to fix my Sunday morning fiasco is pack the bag the night before, pick of my kids clothes the night before, and figure out breakfast the night before.  I am a woman that needs some more organization in her life!  I'm going to pick out the kids outfits for the week and pack Warrick's lunch for preschool the night before.  Second, I need to organize my fridge and pantry.  I saw this picture on pinterest and it inspired me.  The lady talks about if you have fresh healthy produce/food in your fridge displayed in a nice way... your family will be excited to eat it cause it's easy to grab and looks appealing.  So, by the end of the week, my fridge will look this way:

(fingers crossed!)

 2) Make muffins using applesauce instead of eggs.  Wish me luck.. I'm skeptical  :)
 3) Make cheeseburger pizza one night... I LOVE cheeseburger pizza and I got a free 1/2 lb of ground beef from Earth Fare the other day.  Yay!

Kids:
 1) This week we will be learning about energy conservation... yes, you read that right.  The electric bill came in the mail last week and was DOUBLE what it was last month.  So, we are talking about the importance of turning lights off when you leave rooms, not leaving the fridge open for 10 minutes deciding what to chose, etc.

Frugal Friday!

The Robinson's have been eating clean for almost a month now.  It's been hard to find "fun" snacks for the kids that are natural or organic and that don't cost a fortune!  A few weeks ago, I heard of nature box.  I looked up the website and ordered 5 snacks for $14.99 with free shipping (it usually costs $19.99, but I googled promo codes and found one for $5 off).  There are a lot of options to chose from.  10 days later, my box was delivered to my door and my kids were so excited about it.  Here's what it looked like:

We chose dark chocolate berry trail mix, dried pears, organic mighty mix, 

cherry berry granola, and nuts for granola.  

Each month, we can go online and choose 5 more items to be mailed to us.  Warrick enjoys getting to pick out a snack especially for him.  I found a ton of promo codes online, so for several months I will be able to get the box for $15 instead of $20.  I love that my kids enjoy snacking on organic and/or natural items.  (here's a $5 off promo code if you are interested:  refer25).  If you find a promo code that doesn't work, just google others... I tried a few before one worked.    

I will leave you with an easy & frugal 90% clean meal that my family enjoyed this week.
Here are the ingredients and cost break-down:
organic olive oil
salt
meijer organic rotini $1.50
1 lb organic chicken $2.99
tomato $0.33 (non-organic: I couldn't bring myself to spend $3.49 for organic)
asparagus $3.99 (non-organic, but it's one of the "clean 15")

Total cost:  $8.81

Directions:  chop and cook chicken, chop asparagus and tomato.  Cook and drain pasta and add all other ingredients.  Add salt and olive oil to taste and stir lightly.  It's a tasty, frugal, and easy meal that my family really enjoyed.  Sorry, I forgot to take an "after" picture.  But it was pretty :)  

Oh, and before I forget... I used the bottom 1/2 of the asparagus to make asparagus soup the next day for lunch.  It was really good!!!  

Happy Frugal Friday!