tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53638742280829123062024-03-12T21:13:58.414-05:00Discipline in StewardshipWhat are you doing with what God's given you?AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-40818218820683448712010-03-26T13:07:00.004-05:002010-03-26T13:19:58.952-05:00Earth Hour is Tomorrow Night!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpZXmrkkcixJmZYlVPAIl-RdEtHdgII9eQRAivzIdI5Kq_mpb3hQypqkObtfrDl3JA-m7uHzlqhD42U3tjAp5vbT7oFuPwPCoK9noQIQWRupi_QUb1jJ0zyWEnLtxH_LCAljfyyL3sZQV/s1600/earth-hour.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpZXmrkkcixJmZYlVPAIl-RdEtHdgII9eQRAivzIdI5Kq_mpb3hQypqkObtfrDl3JA-m7uHzlqhD42U3tjAp5vbT7oFuPwPCoK9noQIQWRupi_QUb1jJ0zyWEnLtxH_LCAljfyyL3sZQV/s320/earth-hour.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453008684186367826" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Join me in conserving and celebrating! </span><br /><br />Tomorrow, Saturday, March 27th, at 8:30 pm, it's Earth Hour. Set your timer! Turn off the lights, laptop, and television. If you have kiddos, tuck them in tightly to bed and snuggle with your honey by candlelight. Once they're down, pour a glass of vino, read poetry aloud, or trade foot rubs with your beloved. If that's not your flavor of romance, play a board game by candlelight or go for a walk and enjoy dusk! Or if you're flying solo (or choosing to fly solo!), draw a hot bath, light a candle and enjoy your latest fictional novel up to your neck in bubbles. No matter what you do, do it with the lights out and as many energy-draining appliances in their OFF position. It's only one hour...you can do it! <br /><br />By working together for one hour, we can make a difference in this world's energy usage, and make a difference for what we leave our children by example and by lifestyle.<br /><br />Go <a href="http://www.earthhour.org">here</a> for more information.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-18918759213885009552009-12-13T17:07:00.013-06:002009-12-14T00:02:08.972-06:00Money Saver: Knock-Off Baby LegsA few years ago when Monkey was born, I saw a pair of <a href="http://www.babylegs.com/">Baby Legs</a> on a friend's baby and thought they were so cute! It was even better when I discovered they had Baby Legs for boys. But at $15 a pair back then, it was more of an item for a wish list than a shopping list. The one pair I did get Monkey, we wore out! They were great on his little legs when he crawled on our hardwoods. They make diaper changing a breeze and they are also a must for "shot days" at their well-check visits. You don't have to worry about pulling pants back on over their sore little legs.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Because I'm always looking for a bargain I found Baby Legs on sale BOGO on their <a href="http://www.babylegs.com/BOGO-C642.aspx">website</a> for a limited time. </span> <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW8LMPsxbI/AAAAAAAABec/MVII5kt2J2o/s1600-h/Baby+Legs+1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW8LMPsxbI/AAAAAAAABec/MVII5kt2J2o/s320/Baby+Legs+1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414941027434546610" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">But when a friend reminded me that I could make my own, I got even more excited! Women's knee high socks, with a little "tweaking" can make perfect faux Baby Legs. (Pack of three women's knee highs for $6 this weekend at Target.)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW8BUc1IHI/AAAAAAAABeU/iydboVrmSzg/s1600-h/Baby+Legs+2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW8BUc1IHI/AAAAAAAABeU/iydboVrmSzg/s320/Baby+Legs+2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414940857838411890" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW70L4cSMI/AAAAAAAABeM/W4Hue2cMBts/s1600-h/Baby+Legs+3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW70L4cSMI/AAAAAAAABeM/W4Hue2cMBts/s320/Baby+Legs+3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414940632200005826" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW7nUdnlqI/AAAAAAAABeE/qV-vHfakLSI/s1600-h/Baby+Legs+4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW7nUdnlqI/AAAAAAAABeE/qV-vHfakLSI/s320/Baby+Legs+4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414940411165120162" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW7b_qmrfI/AAAAAAAABd8/JNyH1buHH1k/s1600-h/Baby+Legs+5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW7b_qmrfI/AAAAAAAABd8/JNyH1buHH1k/s320/Baby+Legs+5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414940216603880946" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">You can hem the bottoms or leave them to curl naturally like I do. Does anybody else just want to nibble on baby toes like me? Yum!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW7Mt8kUlI/AAAAAAAABd0/vhPOzP4eVrM/s1600-h/Baby+Legs+6.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW7Mt8kUlI/AAAAAAAABd0/vhPOzP4eVrM/s320/Baby+Legs+6.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414939954149347922" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />What an adorable model! :-) This boy so has me wrapped around that chubby baby toe.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW6-z3sHlI/AAAAAAAABds/dey0_qU86Wk/s1600-h/Baby+Legs+7.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SyW6-z3sHlI/AAAAAAAABds/dey0_qU86Wk/s320/Baby+Legs+7.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414939715221331538" /></a>AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-5138112730583546452009-12-07T08:06:00.003-06:002009-12-07T12:30:25.957-06:00Recipe: Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.acefitness.org/healthyrecipes/images/large/SD6368.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.acefitness.org/healthyrecipes/images/large/SD6368.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Cauliflower is one of those quiet little vegetables that folks either love or hate. I'm not a fan personally, as the texture of it raw reminds me of eating rubber fish gravel with Ranch dressing. Cooked, it's always mushy. Not a fan of mushy veggies. But I've always <span style="font-style:italic;">wanted</span> to like cauliflower. It's inexpensive, it's pretty, it's PACKED with <a href="http://www.oceanmist.com/products/cauliflower/cflowernutrition.aspx">nutrients</a>!<br /><br />While surfing the net a few weeks ago, I saw a picture of roasted cauliflower with garlic. It looked beautiful and since I love roasted garlic, it sounded yummy to boot! I decided to tweak it a bit and make it mine, cooked according to my tastes.<br /><br />Took it to a Thanksgiving dinner last week and again last night to a Christmas party. Both times it was a huge hit with friends and family. It's easy. And better yet, you can prepare it in advance and then just pop it in the oven 45 minutes before you leave. If you got a chance to try this dish, let me know what you thought...<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower</span><br /><br />2 heads of cauliflower, dice into 1" chunks<br />1/3 c. olive oil<br />1/3 c. canola oil<br />1 1/2 T. diced garlic<br />1 T. <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/search?query=herbes+de+provence&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=submit">Herbs de Provence</a> (The original recipe called for chopped rosemary, but I wanted a little more flavor. It <span style="font-style:italic;">does</span> make a difference!)<br />1 t. salt<br />1 t. ground black pepper<br /><br />Preheat oven to 400.<br />Put diced cauliflower into a large plastic Ziploc.<br />Mix oils, spices, garlic and herbs together.<br />Pour oil mixture into Ziploc bag, closing tightly.<br />Toss cauliflower in oil mixture until well coated.<br />Place into large baking dish and bake uncovered at 400 for 20 minutes.<br />Toss again.<br />Continue baking for another 20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender to personal liking.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-9229673630657715042009-11-22T23:39:00.004-06:002009-11-23T09:21:55.837-06:00Product Review: More Target Brand ItemsI've always been a bit of a brand snob. But the last few years, I've really tried to keep an open mind about generic items. I try a few things here and there. Some not so good choices, some you cannot even tell it's generic. What really got me reconsidering my brand loyalty was when the salmonella peanut butter scare happened a few years ago. Peter Pan (my personal favorite) was recalled from the same plant as the Wal-Mart brand. It made me realize that many times it's just a matter of appealing mass marketing. I was paying dollars more per jar of PB than I needed to. Since then, I'm more willing to at least try generics once in awhile.<br /><br />Here are a few products that I've tried lately and my thoughts on them:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Target Brand Eye Make-up Remover:</span> I am a Clinique girl. My mom was growing up and I think it's just one of those things that stuck with me. One of the things I really love in their product line is their Take The Day Off Makeup Remover. Velvety soft, non-greasy, cleans in just three or four sweeps. Works great on waterproof mascara and stubborn lipstick. I've happily spent $17.50 a bottle on this stuff. So I begrudgingly tried the Up & Up brand of Eye Make-up Remover and was VERY surprised! I seriously, literally could not tell the difference. Considering the Up & Up brand is only about $3.50, I'm actually going to make a change. It's also got me wondering what else in their skin-care line is worth trying.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Target Brand Dishwashing Detergent Gel:</span> Cascade lemon-scent gel is another one of those products that has my name loyalty. No more. The Up & Up brand is really no different. I see no streaks, smells great, and cleans thoroughly. Sorry Cascade!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Target Brand Toilet Paper:</span> I'm not a fan. I considered starting this with a funny one-liner about how it's "crap", but I'll refrain. I've always been a Cottonelle girl and this huge pack of Up & Up Toilet Paper I purchased last week reminds me why. Cottonelle is soft, the double-ply is matched up, and it's soft. Hee. Up & Up TP is neither of those things. I hate scratchy TP! And when the sheets don't match up and I tear off a half sheet of one side of the ply, it's annoying to me. Maybe I'm just picky, but the $1 or so more for my name brand TP is worth it. This is the last time I make this purchase.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Target Brand Paper Towels:</span> I love me some Viva Papertowels! They seriously feel like little washcloths to me. So it was with a begrudging heart that I tried the Target Brand Paper Towels. They aren't nearly as soft, but they do come in select-a-size and are pretty absorbent. I will purchase these when the budget's tight for the week. But if I have the extra dollar or so, I will probably splurge on my Viva.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Target (Market Place) brand Steam-in-a-bag foods:</span> I've tried asparagus, broccoli, and white rice. At $1.99 a bag, these are a real winner in my opinion! For those nights you need a good hot meal fast, this is the perfect answer. A few days ago, I had a whole chicken cooking in the crockpot, steamed a bag of rice, another bag of asparagus and we had a great meal in under 10 minutes of coming home. Seriously. Just doesn't get better than that on a time and money budget! These are a regular occurrence on my grocery list nowadays.<br /><br />I have a few other items I'm trying out, but still not sure where I stand on them, so I'll write about those at a later time.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-62292337790884123422009-10-06T12:02:00.002-05:002009-10-06T12:09:20.070-05:00Product Review: Purely Decadent Cookie Dough Ice CreamNot that I have tons of readers here anymore, but for the two of you that do read, thank you so much for your patience the last several months. Having a baby will get you a teensy-bit behind schedule. :-)<br /><br />But what is inspiring me to post today is this lovely new friend I met yesterday...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.turtlemountain.com/images/product_images/PD_Coconut_Milk_CookieDough.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 510px; height: 282px;" src="http://www.turtlemountain.com/images/product_images/PD_Coconut_Milk_CookieDough.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Gluten-free and dairy-free for a cookie dough ice cream? I HAD to introduce myself to this new product. It had been years since anything cookie dough was tummy friendly for me.<br /><br />Wow. I'm quoting myself from the first bite. Seriously, this stuff was really yummy!<br /><br />It's a vanilla based ice cream with big flakes of a dark chocolate and big round clumps of gluten-free cookie dough. I was impressed. Word of warning...this is NOT soy-free. So I react a little bit to that, but there are some things I'm just willing to suffer for. This is one of them.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-4959878330305126342009-06-25T08:05:00.001-05:002009-06-25T12:27:52.740-05:00Product Review: Reynolds Slow Cooker LinersI LUUUUURVE my crockpot! There is just something about dumping a bunch of ingredients into a pot, letting it stew all day, and then coming home to a house full of yummy smells and dinner is already to go. How much better can it get? <br /><br />Well, let me tell ya, it CAN get better!<br /><br />What I DON'T love about crockpot cooking is the cleaning of the crockpot. I'm stepping out on a limb here and exposing my underbelly...there have been times where my crockpot has sat in the sink for a few days unwashed, while a science experiment takes place, because I am SO averse to cleaning the messy, encrusted, whatever that stewed all day long.<br /><br />*shudder*<br /><br />This is where I introduce my new friend...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.greatrvstuff.com/uploaded_images/package-b-746604.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 165px;" src="http://www.greatrvstuff.com/uploaded_images/package-b-746604.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Reynolds makes crockpot liners. They are big plastic bags that you use to line your crockpot, even the big ones like mine, and put all your ingredients into the liner. When dinner is done, you simply remove the liner and you still have your clean crockpot.<br /><br /><em>I know...doesn't seem real, huh?</em><br /><br />But it is. And it is a beautiful thing! No, the plastic did not melt on me, although there was a tiny leak and I had to wipe out the bottom of the crockpot with a cleaning sponge. But other than that, it was easy-peasy, like nothing else. The box comes with 4 liners, all for a low price of around $2 at Tar-jay.<br /><br />I see myself using my crockpot MUCH more often, as I have the energy of sloth in hibernation right now.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-77822349073989028542009-06-02T12:28:00.000-05:002009-06-02T15:48:21.655-05:00Our New NormalSince my little posting sabbatical, I've been learning a few things about myself and my son.<br /><br /><strong>About my son:</strong><br /><br />We started removing gluten from his diet several weeks ago. Things have been going very well! One of the symptoms he struggled with was a strange eczema around his mouth that would just not go away. The other symptom was completely behavioral: screaming tantrums, easily frustrated, cried for no apparent reason. Since eliminating gluten from Monkey's diet, he has been doing MUCH, MUCH better! We don't have an official diagnosis and are planning on official testing soon. But the results at this point speak for themselves. A Happy Monkey = a Happy Momma! <br /><br /><strong>About me:</strong><br /><br />Just like a gluten-free/dairy-free/soy-free diet, a gestational diabetes diet has a learning curve. Learning to eat foods that didn't make my sugar soar was a bit of challenge. I was in unchartered territory. So far, I've learned that the easiest way for me to approach food without the GD symptoms (severe fatigue, nausea, confusion), was to focus on meat and fresh veggies with the occasional carb thrown in. Being petite, something as small as a gala apple for a snack would just send me over the edge. My body is not even tolerating natural sugars well. I have also learned not to eat carbs alone. I have to eat it with a protein or a dense carb. So if I do eat half of that gala apple, I eat a handful of almonds with it. I have also learned that I can still have my high sugar carbs, just not in the same amounts as before. And if I eat dessert immediately after dinner, my body handles the sugars MUCH better. <br /><br />All of that to say that I'm figuring things out slowly and N and I have made adjustments in the weekly food budget to accomodate both Monkey's and my needs. We have tentatively made the weekly budget $100 instead of the $75 we've become used to. With the exception of the first week, I've come under by $5 or $10, so we might tweak this more later. But this amount accomodates all the additional proteins that make up the main portion of my diet today. Meat at every meal?! N is a very happy man! No more weird vegetarian stuff. LOL! The budget also accomodates the snacks that we send with Monkey to school. They have been kind enough to work with us on the meals by providing him alternatives for fish stick day or chicken nugget day. I am supplementing this with a few items they can cook when they don't have an alternative. I can't say how grateful I am for that!<br /><br />All in all, we are starting to find a little more comfort in the process, which is nice. I'm not the queen of flexibility, so I'm happy that I'm finding myself just taking the changes in stride. And I'm happy to see my little Monkey feeling so much better. I think that's the best part!AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-46344640321678301752009-06-01T23:11:00.000-05:002009-06-02T13:24:50.846-05:00Menu Plan Monday - 6/1/09I have not fallen off the wagon! I've actually been doing the weekly menu planning and shopping trips, I just haven't been posting about it until I get comfy with the new diet restrictions and what I can safely eat. I've also been trying to get an idea of how much of a budget we'd be working with. I think I'm starting to find my new normal.<br /><br />Here's what's on the menu this week:<br /><br /><strong>Monday:</strong> Tuna sandwiches, fresh cut vegetables<br /><strong>Tuesday:</strong> Grilled chicken, grilled fresh veggies<br /><strong>Wednesday:</strong> Beef broccoli with steamed rice<br /><strong>Thursday:</strong> Ham and fried potatoes<br /><strong>Friday:</strong> Soft ground beef tacos<br /><strong>Saturday:</strong> Shrimp Linguine, tossed green salad<br /><br />For more menu ideas, visit Laura over at <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/">orgjunkie.com</a>.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-15756584876844503522009-05-11T16:31:00.004-05:002009-05-11T16:46:37.084-05:00Adjusting and Giving Myself a Timeout<strong>Menu Plan Monday</strong> and the <strong>Weekly Shopping Trip</strong> is a bit up in the air this week. I've been struggling with adjusting to my new gestational diabetes diet AND navigating that around my gluten/dairy/soy allergies. This is no easy feat. There is not much left to eat outside of meat, eggs, fresh veggies, and fruit. I know that sounds like a wonderfully healthy diet - it is - but it's a total budget buster.<br /><br />On top of that, some of the menu and snack items I've specifically purchased for Monkey are no longer viable, as we think he might have a food allergy like Momma and Pop-Pop (my father).<br /><br /><em>All of this realized this past week, so it's a double-whammy.</em><br /><br />So until we know for sure what we're dealing with, I'm attempting to find alternatives for some basic snacks in his diet (Ritz, Goldfish, Saltines, etc), that are not totally cost prohibitive AND something this picky toddler will eat. If you've ever had a toddler, you probably already know how much food is wasted by their finicky palates.<br /><br />So this week, I'm focusing on what's on sale and attempting to keep the budget as low as possible based on that. I'm not in my comfort zone at all this week, so I know I'll be over budget and I know it will be a few weeks before I understand what the heck I'm doing and how much it's going to cost us on a regular basis. I'm giving myself permission to do that and just deal with the financial repurcussions later, as I figure this out. When one's health and baby's health is at stake, there really isn't a viable option. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.donphin.com/images/timeout.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 466px; height: 366px;" src="http://www.donphin.com/images/timeout.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> <br /><br /><strong>I guess that's my advice this week:</strong> Give yourself a break until you understand what works for your family. Eating foods that fit the budget, but literally make you sick is not even a viable alternative. Stop the game. Figure out the new "rules" and move <em>slowly</em> forward until it becomes your new normal.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-79713863280132004832009-05-06T01:37:00.002-05:002009-05-06T01:37:00.970-05:00Product Review: Good Karma Organic Rice DivineIt was back in 1999 that I realized I had a gluten-intolerance. My father had it for years, so I at least had someone that could help validate how awful I felt. Eventually, I started reacting to dairy products as well. Which stunk because whenever I'd go out to eat with family or friends, ice cream was always my backup plan for dessert at a restaurant. I don't know why, but fruit sorbet never quite cut it. There was something about the creaminess of dairy products that satisfied me in ways that frozen fruit didn't.<br /><br />So slowly I switch to soy products. I bought soy milk, soy ice creams, soy butters, all in an effort to capture that same creamy essence in my meal enjoyment. It wasn't quite the same either, but it was really the only alternative I found that has halfway decent.<br /><br />Eventually, it dawned on me that since giving birth to Monkey, I haven't been able to enjoy any soy product without repercussion. Are you serious? ANOTHER food reaction??? No soymilk in my lattes at Starbucks. No edamame with our sushi. No soy ice cream.<br /><br />Is there ANYTHING I could eat that would fill the void of my ice cream fascination???<br /><br />I tried Rice Dream ice creams. Not too much there I liked. The flavors or the textures were always just "off". My favorite out of their so-so products was the vanilla with TONS of chocolate syrup to cover the taste. LOL! But there was always something "grainy" about them. Grainy ice cream = a big yuck in my book!<br /><br />After reading another GF/DF blog, I was introduced to Good Karma products. And last week, I decided to take the plunge and spend the $4 (oy!) to buy a pint of their Very Vanilla Rice Divine. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SgCXgvgpmaI/AAAAAAAABEk/zCmJ76IwLd8/s1600-h/Rice+Divine.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SgCXgvgpmaI/AAAAAAAABEk/zCmJ76IwLd8/s320/Rice+Divine.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332428547571685794" /></a><br /><br /><br />I'll be really, really honest. I had VERY LOW expectations. Every dairy substitute has direly disappointed me, so I didn't expect this one to be any different. Most non-dairy frozen desserts are not initially creamy, they are really hard. Letting the carton sit out on the counter for 2 or 3 minutes is best. I was a little leary because the Rice Divine had pulled away from the sides of the carton, which gave me the impression that it was old or something was wrong with it. This wasn't looking good.<br /><br />But...<br /><br />I was very pleasantly surprised! In fact...YUM! The texture of the ice cream felt good in my spoon, as I glided it across the top...creamy, smooth. I could see little flecks of vanilla bean, which is always a good sign in my book. The taste? Soft, creamy, milky, rich, very vanilla, thus appropriately named. It didn't have that odd after-taste that I remembered in Rice Dreams frozen products. I was impressed! After a few bites, I realized I could easily eat the pint in a sitting, that's how good it was! <br /><br />But since I'm watching my carb intake right now because of gestational diabetes, I slowed down to savor and only ate about 10 spoonfuls. I very begrudgingly put the pint back in the freezer. I will save some more for later. Even at $4 a pint, it was a really good experience!<br /><br /><em>I'll also blog later about having a gluten/dairy/soy allergy AND try to keep up with a diabetic diet. Talk about hard!!! Holy cow.</em><br /><br />For now, Good Karma's Rice Divine in Very Vanilla gets two thumbs up! This is by far, the best gluten-free, dairy-free frozen dessert I've ever had! There are other flavors that I'm looking forward to trying: Mudd Pie, Coconut Mango, Mint Chocolate Swirl...and others. Although dairy-free, I'm not sure which ones are gluten-free, so I'll have to research those before I try. I'll update the blog later once I do it.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-11157522114499798152009-05-05T07:53:00.001-05:002009-05-05T11:15:30.307-05:00Weekly Shopping Trip - 5/4/09When I write out my weekly shopping trip, I do it in an Excel spreadsheet. In the second column I have an estimate of what that item will cost. And the fun thing with Excel is the formulas that automatically tabulate for you. So I get an idea of what I'm spending before I even hit the store. <br /><br />Anyways, this week, the formula in the spreadsheet said I was going to go WAAAY over the budget this week. I was a little nervous going into it. But a lot of what I put down I overpriced or there were some good sales that really helped me out! Yay for good weeks!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SgBZDW7ozAI/AAAAAAAABEQ/WXJmhkv8nnY/s1600-h/DSC_7199.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SgBZDW7ozAI/AAAAAAAABEQ/WXJmhkv8nnY/s320/DSC_7199.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332359873036864514" /></a><br /><br /><em><small><center>I realized after I took this picture, that I had left some additional groceries in the car. By the time I discovered it, the above items were put away. Sorry!</center></small></em><br /><br /><strong>Target Total - $42.64</strong><br />Generic dryer sheets 3.49<br />Hormel Black Label Bacon 2.99<br />Peter Pan peanut butter 2.00 (The shelf was labeled with the wrong price, but she let me have it anyways! Woohoo!)<br />black olives .92<br />3 cans tomatoes 1.77<br />water chestnuts .89<br />Generic raisin bran 2.46<br />Rice Chex 2.99<br />black beans 1.54<br />generic oregano 1.64<br />McCormick paprika 2.54<br />McCormick onion powder 2.99<br />generic cumin 2.09<br />Bananas .43<br />generic apple juice 1.12<br />generic whole milk 2.29<br />generic eggs 1.67<br />Colgate toothpaste 3.64 (had a .75 coupon)<br />Box of Ziploc plasticware 4.99<br /><br /><strong>Natural Grocers Total - $5.14</strong><br />Pacific rice milk 2.15<br />Tinkyada rice penne pasta 2.99<br /><br /><strong>Sprouts Total - $21.17</strong><br />Mission corn tortillas 1.50<br />Bulk almonds (impulse buy, I was hungry) 1.95<br />Bulk dried apples (another impulse, but this was for Monkey) 1.12<br />GF waffles (BOGOF!!!) 3.49<br />2 lb grd beef 3.92<br />blackberries .77<br />celery .77<br />cucumber .69<br />cabbage .90<br />2 boxes strawberries 4.00<br />head lettuce 1.29<br />yellow squash .92<br />bag credit -.15<br /><br /><strong>Weekly Budget -</strong> $75.00<br /><strong>This Week's Total -</strong> $68.95<br /><strong>Difference -</strong> $6.05 under budget<br /><br />As I typed this out, I realized I left a few items off the list that I'm going to have to go back and get. But with the wiggle room in this week's budget, I think I'm going to be fine.<br /><br />Visit more shopping savvy ladies over at Gayle's <a href="http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/2009/05/weekly-shopping-trip.html">GCC Weekly Roundup</a>.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-82672571890623082402009-05-04T07:34:00.002-05:002009-05-05T09:51:40.370-05:00Menu Plan Monday - 5/4/09Cinco de Mayo has never been a big deal to me until I moved to Texas. It was here that I learned that it's an expectation to eat Mexican, or at least Tex Mex, on May 5th. So that's what we're doing this week! A simple Tex Mex meal of Taco Salad, because that's what fits into the budget. But we're doing things a little differently this time. No prepackaged taco seasoning. Eeks. The shopping trip this week will consist of purchasing everything needed for a scratch taco seasoning. We'll see how that goes! Here's the rest of the menu:<br /><br /><strong>Monday -</strong> Grilled chicken, steamed broccoli/carrots, flash fried potatoes<br /><strong>Tuesday - </strong>Taco Salad<br /><strong>Wednesday -</strong> Tuscan Sausage and Bean Soup<br /><strong>Thursday - </strong>Breakfast for dinner<br /><strong>Friday -</strong> Lunchmeat sandwiches<br /><strong>Saturday -</strong> Thai Lettuce Wraps (I didn't do it last week)<br /><br />For more menu plans, visit Laura at <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/">orgjunkie.com</a>. Have a great week!AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-69347411739424743962009-05-03T15:44:00.003-05:002009-05-03T16:01:50.500-05:00Product Review: Arico Chocolate Chunk GF CookiesWe had family in town this week from Houston and our little gathering was with some other family in McKinney. This particular hostess (N's aunt) always goes WAY out of her way to make sure I have something to eat. This time was no exception. She had my favorite bread, Kinnikinnick, since we were grilling burgers and dogs. Yum! But this time for my dessert, she got a bag of gluten-free cookies that I'd never heard of before: Arico Chocolate Chunk.<br /><br /><a href="http://aricofoods.elsstore.com/app/images/product/pop/18236300018p.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 308px; height: 450px;" src="http://aricofoods.elsstore.com/app/images/product/pop/18236300018p.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The cookies were moist, dense, with a sweet and slightly nutty flavor from the brown rice flour. The chocolate chunks were very large and soft with a rich, dark flavor. I was completely impressed! Since she purchased them, I'm not sure what they cost. There were only 10 cookies in the pouch, so I'm hoping they weren't too terribly expensive. But she was sweet enough to send them home with me, because she didn't want them. I wasn't going to fight her. :-)<br /><br />They have other flavors that I plan on trying: almond cranberry, double chocolate, peanut butter, lemon ginger, and triple berry. The chocolate chunk definitely gets two thumbs up from me!AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-8683857301058621442009-04-27T11:41:00.003-05:002009-04-27T11:50:44.893-05:00Menu Plan Monday - 4/27/09Okay, I'm kinda <em>throwing</em> this up here and not really sure how the week is going to go. Sweet MIL is out of town again this week, so my typical grocery shopping on Monday night is probably not going to happen the "good" way: Monday night after work while she watches Monkey. I'm doing a little shopping during my lunch hour today and probably a little on the way to pick him up from school. If that doesn't work, it'll probably happen after Monkey goes down tonight. If <em>that</em> happens, Lord, help me with energy, please! Shopping at night never goes well. LOL! It's too close to after dinner snack time and I get impulsive. Can we say "four cartons of ice cream" please?<br /><br /><strong>Monday - </strong>Baked potoatoes with steamed broccoli and cheese<br /><strong>Tuesday -</strong> Lunchmeat sandwiches<br /><strong>Wednesday - </strong>Tostadas<br /><strong>Thursday -</strong> Thai Lettuce Wraps (a new recipe I'm trying!)<br /><strong>Friday -</strong> Breakfast for dinner<br /><strong>Saturday -</strong> Polenta with red meat sauce<br /><br />Wish me luck!<br /><br />For more menu plans from savvy mommas, go visit Laura at <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2009/04/menu-plan-monday-april-27th.html">orgjunkie.com</a>.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-56772512778315427442009-04-26T21:56:00.006-05:002009-04-26T22:31:30.798-05:00Recipe: Cranberry Breakfast StruedelA few weeks ago we had a diapers and wipes shower for a friend of ours. I signed up to take an item and scrounged like crazy to find something I could make out of what I had in the cupboards. (Not much.) I kind of combined elements from different recipes. If it didn't work, we were stopping for donuts on the way. Ha! It's not gluten-free, so I didn't get a firsthand taste of it, but next time I plan on using a gluten-free cake mix so I can enjoy it. But from the comments I got from N and others at the event, it was a hit! So I'm going to post it and I would love to see if anyone else gets similar or different results. If you try this, let me know how it goes. I might just have a husband and friends that are too scared to give me a truthful answer. LOL!<br /><br /><strong>Cranberry Breakfast Struedel</strong><br /><br /><em>Ingredients</em><br />1 box white or yellow cake mix<br />1 can whole cranberry sauce<br />1/3 cup oil <br />2 eggs <br />1/2 cup water and 2 T water separately<br /><br /><em>Streusel topping ingredients</em><br />1/3 cup brown sugar<br />1/3 cup oatmeal<br />2 T butter or margarine<br />1 T Cinnamon (I used pumpkin pie spice, as I was out of cinnamon.)<br /><br /><em>Directions</em><br /><li>Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.<br /><li>Mix eggs, oil, and water together.<br /><li>Empty cake mix into a bowl and create a well.<br /><li>Place egg/oil/water mixture into well and mix until moistened and most of the lumps are gone. Mix will be drier and denser than typical cake mix.<br /><li>Pour mix into 13 x 9 cake pan.<br /><li>Mix 2 tablespoons water into whole cranberry sauce to make the fruit a little "creamier". <em>Next time I plan on using Grand Marnier or Cointreau instead, just to see what it tastes like.</em><br /><li>Marble in cranberry mixture into cake mix.<br /><li>Mix streusel ingredients together until mixture is mealy.<br /><li>Top cranberry/cake mix with streusel topping.<br /><li>Bake 30 - 40 minutes, until cake is golden and fruit is bubbling on the edges.<br /><br />For more yummy recipes, go visit Gayle at <a href="http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/2009/04/grocery-cart-challenge-recipe-swap-so.html">GCC's weekly recipe swap</a>!AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-20058151637534591662009-04-22T06:33:00.001-05:002009-04-22T15:08:50.975-05:00A Green ChallengeHappy Earth Day everyone! Hope it's as lovely in your world as it is in mine!<br /><br />As mentioned in the sidebar, this blog is about stewardship, primarily of the financial type. But really stewardship is about making the wisest investment in whatever resource is given to us. It really isn’t just about money, but so much more. N and I have attempted to be wise(r) about other decisions in our lives. Being more environmentally aware is one of them. The littlest changes can make a difference. But sometimes those little changes can be a challenge. We finally realized that many of the things we could be doing, but weren’t, were simply out of laziness. Pretty pathetic when you get right down to it.<br /><br />So last year, we decided that we’d start implementing some changes to the W household. Knowing it was a mindset change, we knew if we didn’t approach things slowly and deliberately, that we’d fail simply out of being overwhelmed. So instead of making a lot of changes at once, we adopted a new “green” method of living every month or every few months, depending on what was going on and what we could handle.<br /><br /><ul><br /><li><strong>Moving to fluorescent bulbs.</strong> The whole house is not complete yet. We’re still replacing them as the incandescent ones burn out. Which helps a big on the pocketbook too, since they’re pricier. Spreading the costs over several months is a bit easier to swallow.</li><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se9zX90eUeI/AAAAAAAABAI/odBiapRsO64/s1600-h/Fluorescent+bulbs.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 285px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se9zX90eUeI/AAAAAAAABAI/odBiapRsO64/s320/Fluorescent+bulbs.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327603739771425250" /></a><br /><br /><li><strong>Stopped buying bottled water.</strong> We have a filtered water dispenser on our fridge, so I’m not entirely sure why I bought bottled water anyways. Old habits die hard I guess. I spent $14 bucks on this at Sprouts. I now carry this or a similar one with me almost all the time. It’s dishwasher safe and BPA-free, so it’s convenient AND safe for me and the Monkeys AND doesn’t fill up landfills. Plus I can’t even begin to speculate on how much money we saved not buying bottled water.</li><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se9zfZVNPGI/AAAAAAAABAQ/IuMs7E4g_4Q/s1600-h/Pink+Camelback.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se9zfZVNPGI/AAAAAAAABAQ/IuMs7E4g_4Q/s320/Pink+Camelback.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327603867415559266" /></a><br /><br /><br /><li><strong>I started using <a href="www.divacup.com">this</a>.</strong> I hate talking about such personal matters on a public forum (apologies to sensitive readers), but let me just say that I am now a huge fan of this product. About one million tons of waste in our landfills EVERY YEAR is due to feminine waste products, which surprisingly enough, is not always biodegradable. This one little detail blew me away! One million tons? I know what I go through every month. If you’re a woman, you know what YOU go through every month. Multiply that with all the women in your city, your state, our country, the world. I was horrified! That alone was enough to send me to the store to purchase one. It took me a few cycles to get the technique down and there is a technique. I’ll be honest, I was frustrated the first month. But I fought through it. The initial cost was a bit hard to swallow (around $33), but after about three months of use, I decided I was not ever going back to paper products. Never, ever! I’ve been won over and I feel very good about my decision. This is one area that I feel is making a huge impact on our earth and only us women can do it.</li><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se9zyOgE1hI/AAAAAAAABAY/kzG7OJKJAec/s1600-h/DivaCup(1).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 294px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se9zyOgE1hI/AAAAAAAABAY/kzG7OJKJAec/s320/DivaCup(1).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327604190925870610" /></a><br /><br /><li><strong>We purchased a recycle bin.</strong> Some cities provide an actual recycle bin. Ours does not. But they do pick up recyclables, as long as they are in blue bags, differentiating them from trash bags. They are also nice enough to provide free blue bags once a year at their community center. They also list on their website and in the local paper what recyclable items they accept. So I clipped it out of the newspaper and have it taped above our recycle bin. I go there regularly to remind myself what goes in the bin versus what goes in the trash. So take a look at your city's website listing. You might be surprised what they are doing in your community.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se90FfDLFvI/AAAAAAAABAg/l99ZtkQZ2sw/s1600-h/Blue+Recycle+Bags.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se90FfDLFvI/AAAAAAAABAg/l99ZtkQZ2sw/s320/Blue+Recycle+Bags.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327604521785562866" /></a><br /><br /><em>If you decide to recycle, check with your local city listings to make sure you’re not putting things in the recycle bins they can’t recycle. It’s a waste otherwise. Haha! Get it? Waste? A little green humor. *ahem*</em> </li><br /><br /><li><strong>Using recycleable shopping bags.</strong> I don’t use them for all the stores and I don’t use them every time. But I figure if I use three less plastic bags a week, then that’s 156 less plastic bags I use every year. And for those plastic bags that do follow me home? I use them for liners in our bathroom cans or save them and take them back to Sprouts or Tom Thumb to place in their recycled bag bins.</li><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se90P4tNRzI/AAAAAAAABAo/LpwijPDzsy4/s1600-h/Shopping+bag.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se90P4tNRzI/AAAAAAAABAo/LpwijPDzsy4/s320/Shopping+bag.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327604700471445298" /></a><br /><br /><li><strong>Composting.</strong> As a gardener, I understand the HUGE benefits of compost. Talk about making trash into treasure! Rotting fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, cut up egg cartons and newspapers are some of the best things for your garden. Currently our compost is going in an old trash can in our backyard that we don’t use. I actually get excited when I have vegetable remains or empty eggshells. LOL! This weekend N and I will be making an actual compost bin to oxygenate the materials most efficiently. I’m excited! I’ll post later on how that goes. </li><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se90eh_JruI/AAAAAAAABAw/gOzoV8MSj9I/s1600-h/Composting+blog.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se90eh_JruI/AAAAAAAABAw/gOzoV8MSj9I/s320/Composting+blog.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327604952070729442" /></a><br /></ul><br /><br />There are a ton of other things that we need to change about our lives, but these are the baby steps we’re making. Some other ideas that we plan on implementing over the course of this year:<br /><br /><ul><br /><li>Turning off the water while we brush our teeth. I’ve started on this as of last week. Hard habit to break. Something about the calming sound of the water…silly I know. </li><br /><li>A clothesline. Maybe not for everything, but for large items like towels, bedsheets, blankets, etc.</li><br /><li>Planting a vegetable garden. This year with M2 coming along, this is just not something I can commit to. But I’m hoping that next year it’s something I can really get rolling.</li><br /><li>Turning down the heater. N and I are pretty cold natured. So in the winter, our gas heater is on overload. I’m not going to tell you where we keep our thermostat, because, well frankly, it’s really embarrassing. But next year we plan on turning it down a notch and wearing a sweatshirt.</li><br /><li>Re-insulating our attic. I’m hoping we can get this done sometime this summer. We’ll see.</li><br /><li>Taking the train. Later this year, the DART Rail is supposed to have a station stop right in front of N’s office. We’re hoping to conserve fuel, money, and air pollution by him taking that instead of driving downtown for his daily commute. An added bonus: we found out his company is willing to pay a stipend for any employees that uses public transportation. Way cool! </li><br /></ul><br /><br />I'll try to write more about how things are going green in our household. If it inspires just one more family to make one change in their lives, then great! So far, we're happy that we've made the changes we've made because we feel like we are really making a difference on the earth we leave to our boys. And all of this in just about 6 months. Just imagine in another year what we could be doing!<br /><br /><em>God gave us this earth to enjoy...are we making the most of what He's given? In celebration of that beauty, what change can you make TODAY to make a difference in our environment?</em>AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-12590866170491813832009-04-21T00:56:00.002-05:002009-04-21T13:22:51.016-05:00Weekly Shopping Trip - 4/20/09I knew this week was going to be a smidge of a struggle because I didn't have a lot of time to plan and scour the pantry before I went shopping. The stress of having to rush through that process doesn't always bode well. But all things considering, I'm happy that we were only a tiny bit over budget.<br /><br />Sorry about the blurry picture. I was in a rush to take the picture too and didn't realize my auto-focus wasn't on. :-( Even photographers make lame mistakes. LOL!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se4Mq-lkIFI/AAAAAAAAA_8/8qDpbisRUYo/s1600-h/GCC+-+042009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Se4Mq-lkIFI/AAAAAAAAA_8/8qDpbisRUYo/s320/GCC+-+042009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327209341720469586" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong>Target Total - $54.83</strong><br />Tostitos 3.00<br />Generic saltines .99<br />Jimmy Dean hot sausage 2.04<br />Dole lettuce in a bag 2.49<br />Generic olive oil 4.99<br />Arriba salsa 4.19<br />Mission corn tortillas 2.29<br />Hormel ham 6.94<br />Black beans .77<br />Applesauce 1.87<br />4 pack Starkist Tuna 3.14<br />Wheat bread 1.29<br />McCormick cinnamon 3.29 <em>(with a coupon 2.54)</em><br />Vegetable oil 2.49<br />Bananas .90<br />Gala apples 2.96<br />GF Waffles 3.84<br />Apple juice 1.19<br />12 pk sprite 3.00<br />Milk 2.29<br />Eggs 1.67<br /><br /><strong>Tom Thumb Total - $6.80</strong><br />6pk Generic club soda 1.25<br />Cottonelle TP 6.49 <em>(with store coupon 5.49)</em><br />Red grapes 1.00<br /><em>Coupon for 1.50 off total - Yay!</em><br /><br /><strong>Sprouts Total - $14.63</strong><br />Bulk sea salt .56<br />Earth balance butter 2.99<br />Bulk cheddar cheese 2.24<br />Cucumber .79<br />Grape tomatoes 2.50<br />Avocados 1.76<br />Onions .77<br />Orange bell pepper .89<br />Red bell pepper .88<br />Strawberries 1.25<br /><br /><strong>Weekly Budget -</strong> $75.00<br /><strong>This Week's Total -</strong> $76.26<br /><strong>Difference -</strong> $1.26 over budget<br /><br />To meet other gals that share their weekly shopping trips, visit <a href="http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/2009/04/gcc-shopping-round-up-yeah-thats-what.html">Gayle at GCC</a>.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-25590343369699122112009-04-20T22:29:00.000-05:002009-04-21T12:46:47.029-05:00Menu Plan Monday - 4/20/09Nothing big going on this week, so just another week to put on the menu books. <br /><br /><strong>Monday - </strong>Chicken Enchiladas with green sauce<br /><strong>Tuesday -</strong> Breakfast (sausage, eggs, hashbrowns)<br /><strong>Wednesday - </strong>Tuna Casserole (not sure how to do this yet)<br /><strong>Thursday -</strong> Beef fajitas<br /><strong>Friday -</strong> Pizza<br /><strong>Saturday -</strong> Sandwiches<br /><br />I'm typing this AFTER dinner on Monday, so I must confess that we did not do the chicken enchiladas. The jarred sauce I purchased awhile back on sale, was WAAAY too intense for a pregnant lady with delicate tastebuds. Holy cow. That stuff was going to keep me up all night with heartburn! So, thinking maybe I was being a baby, I had N try the sauce. Even HE thought it was hot and he's got tastebuds of steel. So that made me feel better...less of a pansy. On top of that, the DF/GF "cream" sauce that was supposed to go with the chicken, was a total disaster with a capital D. I was flustered and frustrated. I REALLY wanted chicken enchiladas! <br /><br />So this meant we had to change plans and quickly. It was pushing 9:00! So N made chicken nachos for himself and I made chicken soft tacos. Dinner was still really good! But what this experience did was teach me that I needed to be more flexible, which I'm not good at when I.HAVE.A.PLAN! :-)<br /><br />Also, I have tuna casserole planned for later in the week, but it also counted on that cream sauce that was a Disaster. So I might have to be flexible again later this week. We'll see what happens...AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-17798789752632348042009-04-16T10:17:00.004-05:002009-04-16T10:49:20.629-05:00Lesson LearnedI am usually pretty disciplined about bringing my breakfast and lunch to the office. I hate spending money in our office café. The food is decent and it’s reasonably priced on the most part. But with us tightening our belts the last few months, I just cannot justify spending the $5 on lunch, when I know I have a perfectly good box of leftovers from home for free.<br /><br />Today was my day to take Monkey to school and usually that means I’m attempting to finish getting dressed, get him his juice, packing my work bag, and trying to brownbag my breakfast/lunch all at the same time. So today, in my rush, I packed my lunch, but forgot to pack breakfast. It’s not complicated. Usually just a couple frozen GF waffles and some fruit. But being preggo, if I don’t eat breakfast, it’s a really ugly morning. When I got to the office and realized my oversight, I was beside myself. All I had in my secret desk stash was a small container of applesauce that had expired, some peanut butter, and my candy jar with leftover Easter peanut M&Ms. Not good! So I dig through my change drawer and come up with two dollars. Woohoo! This was plenty to get myself the café’s “breakfast scrambler”: two scrambled eggs with two toppings of choice, usually ham and onions. Plenty to fill me up for the morning. It’s been awhile since I’ve eaten at my office café, so my walk had a little bounce as I walked across campus. I was excited! I felt like I was eating out, which N and I haven't done in awhile now. Haha!<br /><br />And then reality hit as I stood in line. Wow. It really HAS been awhile since I’ve eaten there! Their prices have almost doubled in everything! As I figured out what my $2 could buy me, I was getting disheartened. Eighty cents for a fried egg? Sixty for a slice of bacon?<br /><br /><em>*sigh*</em><br /><br />So I got an over-medium fried egg and one slice of bacon and decided to have a handful of Easter M&M’s after I got back to my desk. As I walked back to my desk, it dawned on me that last week I spent 99 cents on a dozen eggs. A dozen! And here I’d just bought one egg and one slice of bacon for $1.50. Wow. I fully realize $1.50 is not that much money in the grand scheme of things. But when I considered WHAT I got for that amount of money, it hurt just a teensy bit. I’ve had such a high for the last several months on how well we’ve been stretching our grocery dollars. I felt a little deflated.<br /><br /><em>Sometimes it’s the pain of mistakes and oversights that help us learn. You can bet that tomorrow I will NOT be forgetting to pack my breakfast!</em>AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-22393870479886784742009-04-15T06:46:00.001-05:002009-04-15T11:11:26.460-05:00Recipe: Shepherd's PieSome of my fondest memories as a child, are in the warmth and comfort of my step-mom's kitchen. Being with my single-father for so many years, it was not lost on me how blessed I was to have a Momma that was such a wonderful cook. She could make anything and that anything always tasted or felt special, even if it was just sweet cornbread on Sunday mornings with honey and butter. After all the years of Dad's PB&J's, Campbell's soup, and crock-pot chickens, Momma's food was like heaven! As a teenager, I was blessed to be a student under her tutelage and some of my best meals are because of things I learned from her.<br /><br />I was browsing through Recipezaar on Monday night after dinner and just happened to bump into <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/Easy-Shepherds-Pie-207896">this recipe</a>, which brought up a load of memories of a meal my Momma cooked on a regular basis! Since I have this knack for cooking waaay too much of something, I decided I wanted to give this a try. A nice way to use up the 10 gazillion pounds of leftover mashed potatoes I'd made just that night. I've tweaked it some (per usual), but the end result was really, really wonderful! This is definitely one of those meals you can call comfort foods.<br /><br /><strong>Shepherd's Pie</strong><br /><br /><em>Ingredients:</em><br />1 lb ground beef<br />salt to taste<br />pepper to taste<br />1 T butter<br />1 T olive oil<br />1 medium sweet onion<br />1 clove garlic, minced<br />1 can Italian style tomatoes<br />1 can green beans<br />2 to 3 cups cooked mashed potatoes<br /><br /><em>Directions:</em><br />Pre-heat oven to 350.<br />Brown ground beef, drain fat, and pat dry with paper towels. <br />Salt and pepper to taste and mix.<br />Layer on the bottom of a loaf pan.<br />Brown onions and garlic in butter and olive oil, until golden and tender.<br />Layer on top of the ground beef.<br />Drain can of Italian style tomatoes VERY WELL and layer on top of onions.*<br />Drain can of green beans VERY WELL and layer on top of canned tomatoes.*<br />Layer mashed potatoes thickly on top of green beans.<br />Cook in oven for 30 minutes.<br />Broil on high for 2 minutes or until mashed potatoes are golden brown.<br /><br /><em>*It's important to drain the canned vegetables really well or the "pie" is runny. A mistake I will not make again. While this tasted wonderful, it was not pretty. Next time I know what to do.</em><br /><br />This is one of those recipes that's fast and a good use of "pantry" items or leftovers. You could use corn, mixed frozen veggies, sauteed peppers, ground turkey, whatever you have on hand. N and I enjoyed this, but Monkey did not. Lately, he has this Thing for not liking his food being mixed up. (Shelia, I think just talking about your kids being like this, jinxed me. LOL!)<br /><br /><em>*kicking myself for not taking a picture of the meal, yet again*</em>AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-4286707621864183242009-04-14T08:31:00.006-05:002009-04-15T09:11:11.230-05:00Weekly Shopping Trip - 4/13/09This week's shopping trip was MUCH more successful than last week's. Not that that took much. Ha! But the menu plan was fairly simple and I didn't have any high cost items that were really needed, so extra money was spent on some meat I found on sale. I am SOOO wishing we had a deep freeze so we can put some of this stuff away without filling our freezer too much. One of these days...<br /><br />I also hit a different store that I don't frequent. It's on the same corner as Target, so it's not out of my way. Nature's Grocer/Vitamin Cottage. It's an all natural health food store. Honestly, I've been pretty impressed with them. I would venture to say that their selection of gluten-free items comes close to, if not rivals, Sprouts. And they're cheaper! A bag of my GF Tinkyada pasta is 50 cents cheaper and their Pamela's cookies are 80 cents cheaper. Also, I noticed they had a sale bin in the back where they had cookies and crackers close to expiring on sale for really, really ridiculous prices. That makes the trip worth it! So for those weeks where I REALLY need to be watching the pennies, they will probably win the bid for the week. Like I said, it's not out of my way. <em>The drawback: Their produce selection is VERY limited and I don't see myself purchasing produce there. Sprouts just has everyone beat in that area. </em>So, who knows...I might be frequenting them more often.<br /><br />I don't necessarily <em>enjoy</em> hitting FOUR stores like I did this time, but all four stores are at three corners of ONE intersection, so I don't feel like I'm counteracting my savings with gas-money. It IS more time-intensive, but my goal is to stay under a certain amount every week. I don't think an additional 15 minutes a week to hit that goal is really much of a sacrifice. I'm comfy with it.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SeSRJ0dJOeI/AAAAAAAAA-o/RWnJxPiG9yU/s1600-h/DSC_7031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/SeSRJ0dJOeI/AAAAAAAAA-o/RWnJxPiG9yU/s320/DSC_7031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324540257344502242" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong>Target Total - $37.42</strong><br />Ruffles 3.50<br />Hebrew National hotdogs 3.29<br />1 lb split peas 1.00<br />Malt-O-Meal Wheat Spooners 4.83<br />Frosted Flakes (on clearance) 2.08<br />Bananas .85<br />Small gala apples 2.89<br />Lean Cuisine 2.25<br />Apple juice 1.19<br />Generic orange juice 1.32<br />Dozen eggs 1.67<br />4 Generic yogurts 2.08<br />Wax paper 1.19<br />Generic paper towels 3.49<br />3 boxes lotion Kleenex 4.99<br /><br /><strong>Natural Grocers Total - $5.98</strong><br />Pamela's Mini Cookies 2.99<br />Tinkyada GF Penne Pasta 2.99<br /><br /><strong>Tom Thumb Total - $10.31</strong><br />Stouffer's Panini 2.50<br />Red Baron Pizza 3.00<br />2 Top Sirloin Steaks (on sale) 4.81<br /><br /><strong>Sprouts Total - $16.15</strong><br />.05 used bag credit<br />Rice Cheese 3.49<br />GF Waffles 2.49<br />2 lbs Ground beef 4.12<br />Bulk baby spinach .94<br />2 yellow onions .81<br />3 HUGE oranges 1.40<br />Red bell pepper .88<br />2 lbs grapes 2.07<br /><br /><strong>Weekly Budget -</strong> $75.00<br /><strong>This Week's Total -</strong> $69.86<br /><strong>Difference -</strong> $5.14 under budget<br /><br />I'm realizing as I'm typing this out, I might need another trip to the store, as I've forgotten I signed up for a breakfast item at a baby shower this coming weekend. Either way, it'll still be fairly inexpensive and I'll still be under budget. I'm still in decent shape for the month, despite what happened last week! Yay for good weeks! <br /><br />If you get a second, visit Gayle over at her weekly <a href="http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/2009/04/gcc-shopping-round-up-upcoming-workshop.html">GCC Shopping Round Up</a>! I'm so wishing I lived close to her...I'd be attending that workshop she's hosting. Boo!AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-50458868442219710262009-04-13T22:16:00.003-05:002009-04-13T22:31:10.052-05:00Menu Plan Monday - 4/13/09I really tried to keep costs down this week since last week was such a bust. Although it might take a few weeks to get caught up on going over so bad. Eeks.<br /><br /><strong>Monday -</strong> Grilled porkchops, mashed potatoes, grilled onions & 'shrooms (I'm writing this AFTER I've cooked dinner. Yum-o!)<br /><strong>Tuesday -</strong> Shepherd's pie<br /><strong>Wednesday -</strong> Grilled chicken salads<br /><strong>Thursday - </strong>Gluten-free Baked Ziti<br /><strong>Friday - </strong>Split Pea Soup<br /><strong>Saturday -</strong> Breakfast Tacos<br /><br />Some of these I've never fixed before, so I'm not entirely sure if all of these will work. I keep a few frozen meals in the freezer for nights like this. I made a Cuban black bean soup last week that was a DISASTER. Probably my worst meal I've ever cooked. Boo! I'm so grateful I've got such a laid-back hubby...he's forgives me easily for bad meals. (And is still willing to let me use him as a guinea pig a few nights later. LOL!)<br /><br />For more creative menus, visit Laura over at <a href="http://orgjunkie.com/2009/04/menu-plan-monday-april-13th.html">orgjunkie.com</a> for this week's challenge.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-73433314419764996582009-04-08T23:00:00.003-05:002009-04-08T23:11:10.564-05:00Product Review: Pamela's Chocolate Chip Mini CookiesI've had a few of Pamela's pre-baked gluten-free cookies and have never been impressed. But I read a review lately that said these little guys were pretty good. So I thought I'd give 'em a try.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pamelasproducts.com/productimages/SIMPLEchochip.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 185px; height: 173px;" src="http://www.pamelasproducts.com/productimages/SIMPLEchochip.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />So I got a bag today at Nature's Grocers. My verdict: TWO THUMBS UP! Seriously. These totally remind me of Chips Ahoy. From the store to home I probably ate 6 or 8 of them! I'm only like 3 miles from Nature's Grocers too, so that's a lot of cookies in a 6 minute drive. I've never been so happy to get stuck at that stupid light in the middle of a construction area. LOL! Tonight after dinner another 3 or 4. Ridiculous. I have no self-control with these suckers! They run about $2.99 a bag and I think they're worth the money. Almost too worth the money...these are a little on the dangerous side. Eeks.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-5422757152945032162009-04-06T06:51:00.003-05:002009-04-07T11:18:49.563-05:00Weekly Shopping Trip - 04/06/09As mentioned in my previous post, this was a tough week. I won't re-regale you with the details, but suffice it to say, I got home and realized I didn't purchase two of my larger priced items and had to make another trip. Busting our budget and encouraging the rhino-virus migraine I was trying to thwart. Oh well...Holy Week is a time to celebrate right? :-S <br /><br /><em>As I'm typing this, I'm realizing I'll probably go even more over budget because I haven't yet been given my Easter Lunch assignment from the in-laws. Oh man. I hope this doesn't send us over the edge this month. :-(</em><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Sdt3wIbGBcI/AAAAAAAAA8o/nMGa_y-Zoao/s1600-h/DSC_7028.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xrfJQr6bV7M/Sdt3wIbGBcI/AAAAAAAAA8o/nMGa_y-Zoao/s320/DSC_7028.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321979053446923714" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong>Tom Thumb Total - 30.78</strong><br /><br />Hormel Cure 81 Ham - 7.18<br />Starbucks Coffee (with $2 off coupon) - 5.99<br />Generic Club Soda - 1.25<br />Generic Sprite - 2.50<br />Stouffer's Panini - 2.50<br />Ground Beef - 1.96<br />Pork chops - 5.32<br />2 lbs Green grapes - 1.79<br />Cucumbers - 1.98<br /><br /><strong>Sprouts Total - $8.97</strong><br />Rice Dream Ice Cream - 2.49<br />GF Waffles - 3.98<br />2 onions - .61<br />1 Red bell pepper - .89<br />3 Mangoes - 1.00<br /><br /><strong>Target Total - $45.82</strong><br />2 pks Extra Gum (with coupon) - 1.04<br />Tostitos - 3.00<br />Goldfish - 1.66<br />2 bags Dole lettuce - 3.98<br />10 lb bag russet bakers - 2.99<br />Mission corn tortillas - 2.29<br />2 pkg McCormick Enchilada sauce - 2.04<br />Box Cocoa Pebbles - 2.84<br />Box Frosted Flakes (with coupon) - 1.50<br />Can Dole Pineapple - 1.25<br />2 cans pink salmon - 4.38<br />2 lbs strawberries - 3.98<br />Bananas - 1.10<br />Gala apples - 2.40<br />Apple juice - 2.38<br />1 gallon milk - 1.99<br />1 dz eggs - .99<br />2 cartons yogurt - 1.10<br />Colgate toothpaste (with coupon) - 2.49<br />Nexcare bandaid tattoos - 2.00<br />2 jars Barilla sauce (with coupon) - 2.78<br />$5 off coupon for entire order over $50.00 (yippy!!!)<br /><br /><br /><strong>Weekly Budget </strong>- $75<br /><strong>This Week's Total</strong> - $85.57<br /><strong>Difference</strong> - $10.57 over budget<br /><br />To see more shopping trip details, visit Gayle at her weekly <a href="http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/2009/04/gcc-shopping-round-up.html">Grocery Shopping Roundup</a>. Is it tacky of me to feel relieved that she too has her off weeks???AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5363874228082912306.post-25804914032405845332009-04-05T18:10:00.002-05:002009-04-05T21:33:43.454-05:00Menu Plan SUNday - 04/06/09This week's already gone awry before it's started. LOL! Sweet MIL is out of town tomorrow, so Monkey is going to school tomorrow instead of Gramma's. The sticky part here is N always picks up Monkey on Gramma Day, so I have the few hours immediately after work to do the weekly grocery shopping. Not so this week. Momma and school's on duty, which means I had to scramble today to get the menu plan and grocery list squared away. With a sick baby, sick husband, preggo (Adderal-less) brain, tight schedule, and what I think might be my OWN cold, the menu plan and shopping trip left a lot to be desired. <br /><br />It started off with making the mistake of taking Monkey WITH me so N could rest. Wow. Big mistake. I see now why Gayle recommends NOT shopping with the kids. First he knocked two bottles of glass items off the shelves and made a disaster in the aisle. Which started a major cry fest for the whole store to hear - the crashing scared him. Then when I went to pay, I realized I didn't have my wallet. So a quick call to N to come bring me my wallet and to please fetch his son, solved the issue. But at some point in this, I lost my gumption and said "screw the list". Oy. I'm gonna pay for this.<br /><br />I read a quote last week talking about pregnancy brain being compared to feeling like a koala bear that is slightly stoned all the time. OMG, I can sooo relate to that. I think that describes me perfectly lately. Except my munchy cravings don't include bamboo leaves, but peanut butter cookies and chocolate covered raisins.<br /><br />Anyhoo, with lots of grace and patience with myself, the end of today is drawing near. Tomorrow is a new start. Onwards to the menu plan...<br /><br /><strong>Monday:</strong> <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/Cuban-Black-Bean-Soup-39966">Cuban Black Bean Soup</a> with Mango Pineapple salsa (new recipe I'm trying out)<br /><strong>Tuesday:</strong> Huevos Rancheros<br /><strong>Wednesday:</strong> <a href="http://godlystewardship.blogspot.com/2009/04/recipe-salmon-patties.html">Salmon Patties</a> on fresh greens (encore from last week's hit!)<br /><strong>Thursday: </strong> Fried pork chops/black beans over polenta<br /><strong>Friday:</strong> Home made pizza<br /><strong>Weekend:</strong> leftovers<br /><br />For more fun menu plans, visit Laura over at <a href="www.orgjunkie.com">www.orgjunkie.com</a>! I'll be sharing my Weekly Grocery Trip details in my next post.AWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07976537861843058177noreply@blogger.com2