My "Money Diet" Meals

No, not diet meals for us!  I am putting our grocery money on a diet!  I heard the term "money diet" from one of my Avon clients years ago, and have used the catchy moniker ever since, when I want to tighten up on our expenditures.

Because I am in an ongoing struggle to tighten the grocery budget, aiming for $200 a month (for 2+ adults), I have really been sticking to my guns and using pantry and freezer items already on hand these past couple of weeks.

I thought I would share the meals I have been serving for those two weeks. There aren't fourteen listed since most meals made enough for us to eat more than once. And I only list breakfasts, dinners and a few sweets/treats, since that's basically what we eat each day. Breakfast and dinner.  And a sweet/treat or two.  That is way more than enough for us each day.  Drinks are normally water, tea or coffee.

Included in the grocery budget was the meal we ate out to celebrate our daughters' 23rd birthday and a special, bakery bought birthday cake with ice cream.

Breakfasts 
•  cream of wheat and bagel**
•  fried eggs, grits and toast
•  oatmeal with blueberries and bagel**
•  ham*** and scrambled eggs breakfast burritos**
•  scrambled eggs & cheese breakfast quesadillas
•  scrambled eggs with cheese and English muffin**
•  french toast made from homemade bread that I sliced extra thick  (about one inch)****

*  Some of these breakfasts were served more than once over a two week period.    
**   These are typical breakfasts that I serve regularly.
***  the ham had been stored in the freezer leftover from our Christmas dinner.
****  french toast, grits, quesadillas and burritos are just a way to "mix things up" and           keep breakfast interesting occasionally.

Dinners

•  Cold tuna pasta salad (made with frozen peas, grated carrot, homemade ranch              dressing and sliced green onions from the garden), whole wheat saltines
•  hot dogs and baked beans (Memorial Day)

•  homemade pepperoni pizza (I used this no knead pizza dough recipe, some leftover     marinara I had in the freezer, and pepperoni that was left over from another meal.     I used mozzarella that I keep on hand.)
•  Broccoli Cheddar Pasta Salad (I used plain pasta twirls, not tri color.  Two 12 oz             bags of frozen broccoli florets, and replaced the red onion with green onions from       the garden since that's what I had on hand.)

•  Mushroom Chicken Parmesan Pasta (I used penne pasta, two 4 oz cans of                        mushroom slices drained, three cooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs that I              diced into small pieces.  I didn't use chives, as I didn't have any.)
•  pintos & ham, rice, and homemade cornbread  (I had the pintos and ham in           the freezer, leftover from another meal.  I used rice and cornmeal that I had in the       pantry.)
•  one meal out for our daughters' birthday

Sweets and Treats

•  Easy Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (I had all the ingredients on hand)
•  Cherry Dump Cake
•  brownies (from a boxed mix that I had in the pantry. I added mini marshmallows        and chocolate chips to the batter and sprinkled a few chopped pecans on top                before baking.)
•  birthday cake & ice cream

I hope that if you find yourself wanting or needing to tighten your grocery budget, or you're just in a "I-don't-know-what-to-make-for-dinner" rut, these meals might spark some encouragement to dig around in your pantry, fridge and freezer.  There, you just might find the fixins' that will spark your creativity, and make for some yummy meals and snacks!

What are some of your favorite "throw together what I have on hand" recipes?

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ

Bookworm

Since I am known to be a bookworm, and because that is such a big part of who I am,  I thought I would share the latest books I am reading on occasion.  I used to visit the local library on a regular basis, taking home stacks of books that I could just barely get to the car with without them falling from my greedy grasp.  Although it's been a while since I've been to the library, I still always find myself with plenty of books to peruse that I've unearthed at our local thrift shops.  I would like to say that I should get back in the habit of visiting my old friend, the library, but I have to be completely honest with myself in that, it just isn't convenient in this season of my life.
Since hubby's stroke a few years back, I try to stay closer to home, and not spend an exorbitant amount of time away when I do have to go out.  Although after plenty of physical therapy, he is pretty self sufficient and able to take care of many of his own needs, there are still things he can't, or shouldn't do.  So, I try to go out for only as long as necessary to run my errands.  (For days when I have to be gone longer, I am sure to arrange with our daughter to be home with him, bless her!)  It's our new normal so, some things have to go. Spending stretches of time at the library is one of them.  Thankfully, I still find ways to get my reading material fix!

I tend to usually have several books that I read from at any given time and mostly, I read non fiction on whatever happens to be my latest interest at the time.  Right now, I am enjoying anything and everything I can on gardening and nutrition.  Actually, those are pretty much always interests of mine, along with books on health in general.

I just finished A Householder's Guide to the Universe, which I believe I mentioned recently in another post.  I enjoyed the way it was presented in month by month fashion.  It was like reading a diary of gardening and homemaking notes, which was so fun!  This is one I will keep in my library for future perusal.

A book that I was SO excited to find at the thrift store, Nourishing Traditions by author Sally Fallon, was on my wish list for a lonnng time.  I would regularly stalk it on Amazon but couldn't bring myself to pay the prices that were being asked.  Even though it is a popular, beloved by many, book, I wasn't sure that I would like it.  So the day I spied a practically new version on the shelf at Goodwill,  I was thrilled!  It is a heavy, thick book.  I'm finding that I read it in spurts, so it could take a while for me to get through.  From what I have read though, it is full of great information on fermented foods and traditional foods!

For now, these two have kept me busy on the reading front, as I try to fit reading into all my other daily "to-do's".

Have you read either of these excellent books?  I would love to hear any book recommendations that you might have!

Thanks for stopping by! ~ TJ



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Five Frugal Things ~ June 1, 2018

so excited that these have finally bloomed!

Wow, I'm having a hard time believing that it's June already!  I hope you had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!  We did!  It was relaxing.  We enjoyed a simple, and rare, dinner of hot dogs with baked beans and I puttered around in the garden and house. *my happy place*

very long lasting as a cut flower~I couldn't wait to bring a few inside...ohhh, and the fragrance! subtle but delightful!

Since it's been a while that I've posted a Five Frugal Things post, I thought I would do just that to usher in the weekend!  So, without further ado, I present to you, Five Frugal Things I did this past week:

•  we had several days with some decent rain showers, which allowed me to not have to water the garden every day, but all that rain brings out the mosquitoes en masse. Soooo, I whipped up my favorite DIY mosquito repellant and sprayed the yard, front and back and all around the doors and windows.  I only make 1/3 of the recipe at a time, which is normally plenty, with a bit left over after spraying down our entire (city lot sized) property.  I do have another batch in the making to have at the ready for the next time I need to spray.  Typically, one full recipe lasts the entire season.  I really don't know how much this saves us since we have never had to call out an exterminator for mosquitoes. In the past, I have always bought citronella candles and used repellents, (which I don't have to spend money on anymore either) swatted and suffered.  Or just stayed inside during the worst parts of the day.  Now, we get to enjoy our yard!

•  I made another batch of DIY laundry stain remover.

•  We're still being mindful of turning off all lights when we leave rooms, and keeping the front and back doors closed when we go in and out for short periods of time, so we don't air condition the outdoors.

•  We upped our thermostat by one degree.  We have to run our air conditioner continuously throughout the summer and so far, no one seems to be able to tell the difference in comfort level.

•  I took advantage of the coupons I received for free items at Randall's before their Monopoly game ended.  We were able to choose a couple of donuts from the bakery, three packets of gravy mix, and a bottle of 100 count aspirin.

And in keeping with my new tradition of sharing my favorite bloggers, I couldn't resist in mentioning a lady I have followed since the mid 90's when her "blogging" was done in the form of books, lol!  I believe she is one of a couple of people that I can credit for making me fall in love with gardening way back then (Martha Stewart being the other), and still inspires me today! Rosalind Creasy grows luscious, decadent, beautiful, edible gardens and I am now, and have always been, helplessly, hopelessly and completely in love with her aesthetic! *gush*

If you have never seen her gardens, I encourage you to rush over to her website and d̶r̶o̶o̶l̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶  see what you've been missing.  I would love to know know what you think!

And here is one of my favorite videos/interviews of her! Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by! ~ TJ

A Dancing Orchid?!

Before my hubby suffered his health issues, he took great pride, and spent many happy moments tending his collection of orchids.  He had different sizes, colors and varieties.  It became an easy, no fail winner when it came to buying him a little gift. Sadly, after he became disabled, he was no longer able to care for his beloved orchids as he once did, and they slowly, one by one, all withered away.  Oh, I tried to help him with them, but I don't think they "felt the love" from me.  They simply did not flourish under my care.

I really miss the sight of his happy little orchid family that used to live on the table in our family room that was dedicated solely to those stately, graceful plants.

Enter Commercial Palm Trees, offering to send me one of their beautiful, life like, faux plants in exchange for a neutral review.  I went straight to their website to see what they offered and was immediately bowled over by the wide array of faux plants that even I couldn't kill!  So much to choose from!  But when I spotted this sweet beauty, I felt I had to give it a shot, and see if it would come close to the living, breathing orchids that used to inhabit our abode.

From the moment it arrived at our front door, securely packaged and presented so no damage would occur while in transit...

to the moment when, after unswaddling it and showing it to my husband without any sort of forwarning or explanation, (I had not mentioned any of it to him beforehand) and his face lighting up because he thought it was real,

and even before zhushing it,

this beauty has brought life back to the "orchid table" and smiles to our faces!

I soon set about arranging the tiny blossoms' stems and leaves since they are easily manipulated and hold whatever position you desire, and stood back to admire the delicate shape.  Coming in at a little over 2 pounds 6 ounces, (yes, I weighed it, lol!) it is a good weight that will not topple easily.  How big is it you may be asking?  The company's official measurements are: 19" X 15" X 12".

I am enthralled with the pure white flowers that are tinged with the most eye catching chartreuse-y green, and how the plant is nestled in pebbles and realistic looking "water" inside a real glass container!  The glass container, pebbles and "water" are what give this arrangement it's substantial weight.

I can in all honesty say I would recommend this wonderful company if you are in the market for faux greenery and/or flowers.  From beginning to end, I have had the best experience with Commercial Palm Trees!  Even if you aren't looking to bring any new plants into your home or office right now, may I gently suggest you at least do some browsing on their website?  After all, it's a "no sweat" experience, unlike traipsing the rows upon rows of plants at the local nursery in the blazing sun.  And BONUS!  You won't have that nagging feeling in the back of your mind saying, "yeah, it's pretty and I know just where to put it, but will it live once I get it home?"  (Maybe that's just what goes on in my mind...?)

A special thanks to Commercial Palm Trees for reaching out to me and sending us this gorgeous Dancing Orchid!  Our "orchid table" is no longer a barren, sad reminder of what once was!

And an added bonus for my readers!  When you pick out your special plant to bring home from their site, you can take 10% of of your  purchase when you use code: BLOGGER10 (does not apply to custom orders).  What a great opportunity!  Now's the time to add that little "spruce up" touch to your home and save money while doing so!

Have you had a personal experience with Commercial Palm Trees?  I would love to know what plant(s) you brought home and all about your experience!  If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ


*Disclosure: this product was received as a sample in exchange for my neutral, honest opinion and review.  I did not receive monetary compensation for this review and I was not required to give a positive review in exchange for receiving the sample.

Memorial Day 2018

Prayers, peace and thanks...

image thanks:  the graphics fairy

today and every day.

The Heat is On!

strolling the beach on Galveston island in TX, with a lone fisherman in the distance

As much as I would like to be one of those people that embrace the hot, sultry summer months here on the coast of Texas, sadly, it just doesn't happen for this girl.  And never has.  As a child and teen, while all my classmates were hoping for sunshine and warm weather for their weekend beach plans, I was silently praying for a cool, rainy weekend, so that I could curl up with a good book.

Once the heat and humidity really set in, I easily become physically ill.  Spending too much time in the hot outdoors leaves me feeling, exhausted, queasy, and like I might pass out at any moment.  Our first official day of over 90 degree Fahrenheit temperature was on the 8th of this month.  That is about the temperature that I notice I just can't take the heat anymore and have to spend most of my time indoors.  I become phantomlike, waiting for sunset, if at all possible, before venturing out to run errands.  Even then, the humidity can make my evening and nighttime outings as unbearable as during the heat of the day.

I have learned to wholeheartedly embrace the months that have temperatures that agree with me to the fullest, and that's just what I have been up to.

any day that leaves you, your dog, and your vehicle covered in sand from stem to stern, is a good day!

One of the things I did before the mercury hit the high 80's, is take a little day trip to my hometown of Galveston, Texas.  I explored my old stomping grounds, walked the beach and closed out the day with a late lunch, parked at Sonic, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.  While noshing, I was treated to the sight of birds, divebombing into the water to catch a little lunch of their own!  The weather was glorious, with light, sea salt scented breezes!  The high that day was 80°F.

a late lunch at Sonic enjoying the view

How is the weather where you are?

Thanks for stopping by!  I'm off to sit in front of a fan, lol!~ TJ

Happy {belated} Mother's Day!

I hope y'all had an amazing Mother's Day!  I'd love to hear about it! Here's a glimpse into mine...

XO~ TJ