Some Random Thoughts

I need a deep freeze. I would really like to start cooking and freezing meals for future use. It would really help when it comes to trying to figure out breakfast, dinner, and supper.

A few weeks ago my daughter was sleeping til 9 am. Now she wakes up at 7:30. UGH!

I need to make some money. Anybody interested in purchasing some homemade pumpkin bread? I make it myself from scratch and it is DELICIOUS! Just ask my husband and friends :)

How can my daughter read to the same book 10 times in 1 hour and not get bored with it?

I wish I had a soundproof crafting/couponing room.

That is all for now. I wish I had something a little more philosophical to say, but I don't. It's still early and I have been up for an hour. Call me lazy, but I am a sleep in kinda person. Anything before 9 am and I am not going to have my wits about me. I should start conditioning myself to get up at 6 am no matter what. I have always wanted to be able to get up super early and have a cup of hot tea on my front porch while watching the sun come up and listening to the birds singing. But since I live right on the highway, the traffic pretty much kills that scene. If I lived further out in the country with nothing but the mountains in the background then I would probably be a little more inspired to spend my mornings in sweet solitude with nature. But, I digress.

2 Easiest Recipes Ever!

I was so excited when I first discovered the 2 easiest suppers I could ever make. Thanks to the Busy People's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Dawn Hall and my favorite blogger, moneysavingmom.com, I now have 2 days a week where supper is literally a breeze.

The first recipe I found was Crockpot Italian Chicken* from moneysavingmom. This couldn't be easier or more delicious! I put the chicken on to cook at about noon and by 5 or 6 pm supper is ready. Paired with mashed potatoes and corn, I have a wonderful nutritious meal that my husband raves about.

Since I'm not cooking for a huge party, there are always plenty of leftovers. My husband usually takes some to work with him the next day and I always like to make myself a wrap sandwich with a tortilla, lettuce, and shredded cheese.

The second time-saving recipe is almost the same as the first, just with a different dressing. I had been searching for simple crockpot recipes when I found Dawn Hall's cookbook at the library. I took it home and in it found Honey Mustard Chicken.

The recipe calls for 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts and 2 cups of honey mustard. But I like to use 6 breasts cut into large chunks and a whole bottle of dressing. Cooked on high for 4 or 5 hours makes for a meal that my husband loves even more than Italian Chicken. And just like the other recipe I pair the chicken with mashed potatoes (it's either that or spiral mac-n-cheese for my husband at almost every meal) and sweet peas.

Leftovers are usually made into salads or work lunches for the hubby.

These recipes are an effortless way to get supper on the table when your clan is banging their plates with forks and calling for chow. So if you're like me and don't like to spend all day cooking or you just don't have the time, try them out! Enjoy!

* click the link for the recipe

Favorite Tips (List 2)

Here is round 2 of my favorite tips for making everyday life just a little easier.  Enjoy!!

#4  Now as bad as this may sound, I don't save water for enviromental purposes.  I am all for conservation and everything, but in my house, I do it to save myself some money.  I figure the less water coming out of my tap, the less I will have to pay on the bill. 

When I need hot water from the faucet, whether it be the tub, kitchen, or bathroom sink, I don't just let the cold water run free until it gets hot.  I catch the cold water in clean gallon jugs and then use it to water my dog, water some plants, or even when I need water to boil for a meal. That way there is less water flowing from my tap and less money coming out of my wallet.  

#5  I always find myself running out of ground beef and turkey at the last minute.  To keep some on hand for quick suppers like tacos, hamburger helper, or chili I buy a few pounds a week, cook it up, and store it in my freezer until I am ready for it.  I season and brown each pound seperately.  (My 3 seasoning staples are Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning (I am NEVER without the stuff), garlic powder, and onion powder. They always add a pop of flavor to every meal no matter what it is.)  After the meat is drained and cooled, I put each pound into a ziploc freezer bag, squeeze out all the air, and flatten it the best I can.  Flattening the bag makes it easier to store in the freezer.  I just stack one on top of the other.

#6  An easy way to clean your ceiling fan blades is to take an old pillowcase, slide it onto a blade, grasp it with both hands, and slide the pillowcase off taking the dust with it.  To clean the pillowcase, just turn it inside out, shake the dust off outside, and then throw it in the washer. Simple as that!

Hope these tips are helpful! More to come soon!

Favorite Tips (List 1)

It's been a while since I have posted any kind of blog.  Things have been pretty stressful around my house these past few months what with the holidays, a broken foot, a hospitalized husband, and a growing, teething, baby.

But, I think everything is finally starting to get back to normal. Our routine is falling back into place and I am getting more and more time to do some blogging.  To ease myself back into it, I have collected some of my favorite everyday life tips to share.  Whether it has to do with shopping, cooking, or the household, I will be posting them at random.  Here are a few to start:

#1  For cleaning mirrors, windows, and countertops, I use white vinegar. I do not dilute it with water. I just pour it into an old spray bottle, grab some paper towels, and get to work. It does not leave streaks and is way cheaper than regular cleaners.  Some people don't like the acrid odor of vinegar, but I don't mind it in the least. In fact, I really like it and have come to associate it with a freshly clean bathroom or kitchen.

#2  I have a wooden cutting board and do not like the thought of meat juices seeping into it when I need to chop, say, chicken.  So, what I do is take a plastic grocery bag, turn in inside out and cover my board with it. When I am done chopping, I take off the bag, turn it outside in, tie it up and throw it away.  Problem solved!

#3  I don't just shave my legs and armpits, I shave my sweaters too!  You know those annoying little pills of fuzz you get on your comfies and cozies after while?  To eliminate them, all you got to do is take a razor (I use a twin blade), pull the material a little taut (don't stretch it out too much), and start shaving.  It's amazing how quickly they come off!!

 

These were just 3 examples of what I do to make my everday life's chores just a little easier.  I will be posting more again soon.  Stay tuned!

Get 1/2 Price Groceries Every Day!

Every Sunday, I trek out to my driveway to retrieve my newspaper.  I always really look forward to getting it because I know it holds for me all kinds of lovely goodies; coupons, sales, puzzles, local events, and even the funnies.

One of my favorite things to pull out is the Publix grocery sale paper.  Without fail, I am always able to find amazing Buy 1 Get 1 Free deals.  Ever since I discovered Publix about 4 years ago, I have been shopping at least once a week there and taking full advantage of this sale.  I am always quite proud of myself when I come home with bags full of "free"groceries.

Recently I have started really paying attention to my receipts.  I know, I know.  I'm supposed to check my receipt after every purchase, but I forget. After finally remembering to check them, I lately have been noticing something about that B1G1F sale.  I am not paying full price for one item and getting the other for free.  The price of 1 item is split up between the 2.  For example: Velveeta cheese cost $3.50 for a 1 lb. package.  If it's B1G1F, then each package will cost $1.75 .  That got me to thinking.  There have been times when I don't really need 2 of an item, so I wondered if I could just get the 1 item and still get the half price.

So, I made my weekly visit to Publix the other day, sale paper in hand, ready to test out my theory.  There were numerous B1G1F items to be had, so I started stocking up, just taking 1 item instead of 2.  Halfway through, I got a little nervous.  What if the price doesn't split unless I get both items?  I will look stupid when I start checking out.  So, I found a cashier and politely asked her if I got just 1 item would it be half price or would I need to get 2.  With a suspicious look in her eye, she cautiously informed me that the price would split even if I got only 1.  Yippee!!!  With that, I wheeled my cart around and continued shopping. 

I am elated to have discovered this little hidden "sale".  I no longer will be purchasing 2 items with the B1G1F sale, but will be getting just the 1 and therefore my groceries will be half price.  

Most grocery stores have B1G1F sales.  I do not know if the price for sale items splits or not, but it is definitely worth asking about.

Homemade Pumpkin Latte

I'm not a big coffee drinker.  I rarely have anything to do with the caffeinated beverage unless it is super cold outside and I am in the vicinity of a gas station with a cappuccino machine.  Yes, I get my cappuccinos from a gas station.  I just think they taste much better than anything from Starbucks or any other fancy schmancy coffee shop.  And they are cheaper too.

Lately, my little precious, who never has any sense of what time it is, has been waking up and bouncing in her crib at a too early time in the morning.  Not being an AM person, I wondered if maybe I should dabble in coffee drinking to help give me a little pep. Unfortunately I don't like straight coffee, so I set out to find something with a more fun flavor.  I got excited when I found a recipe for a pumpkin latte.  I like pumpkin and I can handle a latte!  I actually looked forward to getting up too early this morning with my morning happy babe just so I could try out the recipe.  

It is as follows:

Pumpkin  Latte

• 1-2 tbs. canned pumpkin
• 1-2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup strong coffee
• Sugar to taste

In a saucepan, heat milk and pumpkin until steaming. Add vanilla and cinnamon.

Put mixture in a blender  until thick and foamy. Pour into a mug and add coffee. Add sugar and enjoy!

Right on cue too early this morning, Ittle Bit started cooing in her crib.  I got up, greeted her with a cheery good morning (cause that's what moms do), fed her, changed her, set her down to play, and set off to the kitchen to make my first pot of coffee ever. The recipe does call for strong coffee, but I chose to make mine regular at my dear husband's prompting.  He reminded me that my system is not used to caffeine and that I would crash and burn after a day of having super energy if I went the strong route, so I took his advice and toned it down.  I followed the recipe to a tee and was pleasantly surprised when I took my first drink.  It was yummy!  I savored every single drop.  But, when I got to the bottom of my cup, a laugh escaped me as I discovered a glob of pumpkin stuck to it. Apparently I didn't stir it into the milk good enough.  But, no worries, the drink was still delicious and it was a nice treat for waking up at the crack of dawn.    

If you try this recipe, let me know how it came out for you!

All About Avocados

This particular blog is one in a few that I will be doing about avocados.  I am always coming across tips and stuff for avocado hair and face masks, smoothies, salads, etc... Supposedly this weird looking fruit has amazing health benefits (look it up).

Case Study #1:  Face Mask

One of my favorite magazines is a weekly one.  "Woman's World" never fails me when it comes to tips, recipes, and good stories.  What I often find are recipes for homemade face masks, scrubs, and such.  This is my first time testing one of them.

Here's how it reads:

"Get glowing, younger skin with a $2 avocado facial!"

What you'll need: 1/2 an avocado 

                                     2 Tbs. sour cream

1.  Mash both ingredients together until creamy.

2.  Smooth over freshly cleansed skin.

3.  Relax for 15-20 minutes. Rinse with warm water and moisturize as usual

Why it works:  The lactic acid in the sour cream lightly exfoliates dead skin cells, which allow the avocado's moisturizing oils to really penetrate deeply.

This all sounds pretty great huh?  Who wouldn't want younger, softer, glowy-er skin for just $2?  Who needs to pay big bucks at the spa when one can just go to their local grocery?  Well, yesterday, I did just that.  I went to Publix for my supplies and grabbed an avocado for $1.49 and sour cream for 99 cents. (mind wandering: I wonder why there is a dollar sign on the keyboard, but not a cents sign?)  That comes to a total of $2.48.  It's a little more than $2 but I figure 48 cents is worth the sacrifice. (If I wanted to get technical with it, I did really use only half of the avocado and half of $1.49 is 75 cents plus the 99 cents for sour cream and the total would be $1.74, less than $2)

Back at home, I begin the test.  To halve the avocado, I cut deep to the pit all the way around from top to bottom and twisted each half off the other.  I took out the pit for use later to start an avocado tree (blog on this to come later).  

Then I scooped the meat out of one half and mashed up in a bowl.  I recommend using a fork to do the mashing.  I tried using a spoon but the pieces just kept sliding around the bowl.  The fork tines catch it better.  (Also, when choosing an avocado for mask making purposes, make sure it is good and ripe.  It will be a little soft with a dark green rind.  You can purchase the fruit before it completely ripens if you don't mind waiting a few days for it to do so.) Next I added my sour cream and mixed it with the mashed up avocado.  The mask was then prepared.

My dear husband gave me a grossed out look when I told him what I was doing, but wished my luck anyway as I trekked to the bathroom for application.  After cleansing my face, I began.  I found I didn't do a good enough job of mashing because I found the texture of the mixture to be a little chunky.  This did not deter me, though, as I dipped my fingers in and spread it all over.  I then set the timer for 15 minutes. 

As I was relaxing and letting the mask take effect, it slowly came to me that what I really just put on my face was nothing more than simple guacamole.  My stomach was already growling so I got the idea to grab the Tostitos and give my creamy camouflage a taste test.  It wasn't half bad!  It just needed a little salt and I had an easy snack to tide me over til supper!  As if my husband wasn't squeamish enough just from looking at me, this really sent him over the edge. *HaHa*

When my 15 minutes were up and the chip bag was empty, I headed back to the bathroom for rinsing.  Once the mask was off and the moisturizer was on, the inspection process began.  Was my skin glowing? A little, but it's not like there was a halo around my face.  Did my skin look younger?  Simply put, no.  Did the sour cream do its job of exfoliation? Nope, that dry patch is still there and not looking any better.  Did the oils from the avocado moisturize?  Well, my skin felt a little waxy afterward so if you consider waxy to be moist then sure.

It was fun trying the mask out and especially seeing the look on my husband's face.  I even got a little snack out of it. Bonus!  But, on a scale of 1-10, I give this recipe a 5. I know there have got to be better ones out there that deliver completely and one of these days I will find them.