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!  

Frugal Friday: Frugal Clean Eating!

I have this friend named Tamera.  She's kind of a hippie... not the weird shower-once-a-month kind, but the cool rain barrel and organic garden kind.  She's been "eating clean" this year and has been talking about it a lot.  I've always been interested in clean eating, and have enjoyed learning so much from her.  We've never eaten a lot of processed foods, but didn't realize that things I thought seemed good for me still were not.

So, I challenged myself this week to eat clean for most meals.  I usually spend about $50-$60 per week at the grocery store, so I wanted to see if I could stick to that budget and still eat clean.  I ended up spending $65.35.  I didn't buy organic milk or eggs, but everything else is organic, natural, or has less than 5 ingredients (all of which I can pronounce).

They just opened an Earth Fare at Hamilton Town Center and are having some AMAZING deals going on.  So it was the perfect week to start eating clean.  I registered online before I went and got a coupon for a free organic chicken if I spent $10, $10 off for registering online, and 5 organic items for $5.

I got all this for $17.29!
frozen berries, applesauce, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, cookies, oat bran,
1 cucumber, 2 potatoes, a whole chicken, and 4 hamburger patties (all organic!)
*side-note:  the hamburger patties were so huge that we cut them in half
and were able to use them for 2 meals instead of one!  

I didn't get all organic fruits and veggies, but I kept in mind the clean 15 and the dirty dozen when shopping.  When I got home, I cooked the chicken in the crockpot, shredded it for 2 meals, and made chicken broth so that it would be easy to prepare meals during the week.

Then I headed to Meijer to get the rest of my groceries.  

Here they are, for a total of $48.06:

*side-note:  we had to buy another bunch of bananas on Wednesday and since it was a stressful day with the kids, Matt bought my favorite ice cream (homemade's peanut butter and chip)  And, I wrote this blog while eating a large bowl of that icecream.  #cleanfail  #cleanfail   #cleanfail

baby steps my friends... baby steps.

Here is our meal plan for this week:    

Dinners:  

M:  Organic hamburgers (no buns), organic mashed potatoes, and broccoli

T:    BBQ shredded organic chicken (was going to make my own BBQ but didn't end up having time so used regular... #cleanfail) with corn and salad

W:  Watched my friend Andrea's sweet children, and she made my family dinner!  Teriyaki chicken, rice, and broccoli

H: Whole wheat pasta with olive oil and tomatoes with bread from the bread machine

F:  Cubed organic hamburgers over a salad with boiled egg, cucumbers, and carrots

S: Our good friend Marla always makes an amazing dinner for everyone who helps set-up at church :)  

S: Wild-caught cod (steer clear of "farm-raised") over brown rice with carrots

M:  Organic chicken tacos (instead of taco shell, plan to use lettuce wrap) with beans 

Lunches:  organic PB&J with carrots or crackers, veggie sandwich with avocado/tomato/provolone with applesauce, dinner leftovers

Breakfasts:  natural whole wheat banana pancakes (natural syrup was too costly so I ended up using regular syrup... #cleanfail), natural oatmeal with berries and a touch of brown sugar, fruit, toast & eggs 

Snacks:  popcorn, carrots, applesauce, berry smoothies

And of course... pictures!   :)

                                                                                                                                                                               

                    

I realize that we didn't eat 100% clean, but I believe that even small changes can make a big difference.  We still have some changes we are planning to implement and I know every week will be better/cleaner.  

I also realize that this budget may not be all that accurate since I got all of those great deals at Earth Fare, but  it's a good reminder to register online for places you would like to have coupons for and take advantage of good deals and coupons when you can.  Also, Kroger has a line of natural and organic foods called Simple Truth which is less expensive than going to a natural/organic food store.   

If you are interested in the benefits of clean eating and/or would like recipes, here are some great websites to check out: 100 days of real food and A journey to clean eating.

Happy Frugal Friday!

Frugal Friday!

I'm a huge fan of fried rice, but I'm too frugal to get Chinese take-out, plus I'm never sure if I'm really eating cat... so when I found this recipe on pinterest I was pretty excited!!!

I love it because it's filling, has veggies in it, and only required 2 chicken breasts.  

<----I stole this picture from her website.
Ingredients:  (doubled from the original) 

*4 servings of cooked brown rice

*2 eggs

*1 c frozen mixed veggies

*4 chopped green onions

*4 T soy sauce

*2 minced garlic

*2 chopped chicken breasts  (would be a great way to use leftover chicken)
*3 t vegetable oil (she used sesame oil)  

Directions:
1) Whisk eggs and set aside
2) Heat 2 t oil in skillet.  Add chicken and cook thoroughly.  Transfer chicken to a different plate.
3) Heat a little more oil in pan and add veggies, green onions, and garlic until tender.  Then add the eggs.  When the eggs are cooked... add in the chicken, rice, and soy sauce.  Toss well to combine.  Serves 4.

The blogger that posted this recipe says that day old rice is better... another great way to use those leftovers!!!

Finished product:

     

  Tynnley gave her approval!  

Happy Frugal Friday!

  

Goal-Making Monday!

1) Spiritual Goal:
    Assist Warrick in memorizing Luke 6:31 "Do to
    others as you would have them do to you."
    Watch BridgeWay's message from Sunday (you 
    can join me here)
    Read Romans 8 everyday
    Read 21 questions from John Wesley for 21 days.
    This was a challenge from my awesome pastor.
    You can join me in reading them here.
     
2) Intellectual Goal:  
    Read at least 50 pages in Not a Fan.  
   
3) Health Goal: 
    Drink 8 glasses of water per day.
     
4) Financial Goal: 
     Deposit birthday money into Warrick's account.  He got a lot of money for his 
     birthday last week and with our help, decided to give 10% to our church, spend 
     50% and put 40% into his savings account.   
  

What are your goals for the week?