Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook

I recently reviewed the Trim Healthy Mama Plan and now have the chance to review the cookbook. While I do have the 600+ page original book I do like how the separate books make this plan easier to research and follow.

What I especially enjoy about this updated cookbook is that the pages are glossy (perfect for in the kitchen!) and there are pictures, which I always love in a cookbook. Some new tried and true recipes from those on the plan have also been added to the book. 

While I appreciate that a lot of the recipes are thrifty the thing I dislike, and noticed years ago when I first started the plan, is some of the special foods that are included in the recipes are expensive and/or hard to find. Items like mct oil, ghee, pressed peanut flour, etc. While these items can be substituted with other items, they won't be so "on plan" then. The authors actually have a baking line for sale now and I feel they press these items a little too much, when the previous cookbook was more about finding alternative and cheaper products.

I do look forward to trying more of the recipes now that I can see photos of the food - it makes the recipes seem more appetizing so that is a good thing! :) 

This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest opinion. 
 

Got Tea?

With paring down my grocery budget budget, I've been buying a lot in bulk. Not bulk as in Sam's Club, but bulk purchases when I find good sales, awesome clearance, or in this case, lots of goodies on the Amish bent and dent shelves.

With winter coming up (seriously, I can't even...but think about it...Christmas is just 5 months away!!!) one can never have enough tea. 

We are big tea drinkers in this house. Finding boxes of organic tea bags for just 40 cents a box is a killer deal. This box is arranged two boxes deep, so that is at least 30 boxes of tea. And if there is still some left on the shelf the next time I go I will be grabbing more.

Now to just find a place to store all these...
 

Nature Heals

The past few months my face has broken out horribly, especially on the chin area. I don't know if it's stress, hormones, bad eating, the heat, or a combination of it all. But it was bad. 

I tried everything in my cabinets. Acne spot cream, the generic form of ProActive, face masks, and more. Nothing worked. My face just got dry and peeled, along with more acne and more redness. This is embarrassing at the age of 32! All those products used to work for me but not this time.

Then I remembered the homemade deodorant in the cupboard.

 Tea tree oil and coconut oil are both powerful antiseptics and healing oils as well. I started to apply this to my face in place of all the other creams and within just a few days I noticed a drastic difference. It's been close to two weeks now and I haven't had new breakouts and the old ones are healing and close to gone! I could do without the baking soda in it (my next batch, solely for the face, with be just the tea tree and coconut oils).

A simple, cost effective beauty routine! If you don't have a source for tea tree oil or coconut oil a good place for both is Swanson Vitamins. I just restocked my supplement and medicine cabinets with several items from there and have always been happy with my orders (as well as the prices!). Use this link for $5 off your first order!  
 

Life, Lately

*Today my husband works his last day at the job he has held for 9 years. Next week he will be on to bigger and better things. More on that later!

*Becca took her end of year CAT tests. She scored pretty good, except in math. Which just reiterates that we will be continuing math through the summer. One of the many benefits of homeschooling.

I made violet jelly this year. The color is so beautiful. Unfortunately, I think I added too much liquid, which means it didn't jell as much as jelly should. Never fear though, it will be used as a simple syrup in drinks and on ice cream and pancakes. And I'll know to follow directions better next year.   

I also made strawberry rhubarb jam. That turned out perfectly and I can't wait to pull it out this winter and have a taste of spring in my mouth. I'm using our huge excess of rhubarb to make deserts and yumminess. A new favorite is this strawberry rhubarb crisp. We go through a whole dish of it for a snack! 

Joe has been practicing on his new skate board that he received for his 7th birthday. I imagine soon enough he will be doing tricks and turns and ready for the skate park down the street. 

I haven't bought a package of disposable diapers for over two months. Except for a few day trips, she has been solely wearing cloth diapers. It's saving loads of money, is better on her skin, and just makes the clothesline look pretty. I'm so glad for the sunny weather again, too, to catch up on all the laundry. My electric bill is happy as well, going down by $20-$30 now with the clothesline usage. 
 

Grocery Update

I've done both good and bad with my grocery shopping and budgeting. 

Bad because I still haven't kept track of how much groceries are costing us weekly.

Good because I have made changes for the better.

One of the biggest changes is shopping mainly from the sales flyer each week and stocking up on the loss leaders. Eggs were on sale for 99 cents a dozen so I got 4 dozen. Butter was $1.29 (or was it $1.59? Either way, it was cheap!) so I got the limit of two. When it's a good deal, I'm grabbing and stocking up on several to last us until the next sale.

The biggest change for us is that we make a few trips a month to the local Amish salvage store. What is that, you ask? When a grocery store has items damaged in shipping (dented cans and boxes) or close to expiration dates they often send them to "salvage" where businesses can buy large boxes often by the pound and resell them. While you have to watch closely for the expiration dates (I don't mind a month or two expired as "best buy" dates are often just suggestions) the deals there can not be beat.

The nice thing about this store is that items come from all over the country, so you can find things that you can't buy anywhere locally. You never know what you will find so if there is something awesome I grab them all! 

For example, my last shopping trip netted:

*R.W. Knudsen Organic Blueberry Pomegranate Juice for 75 cents a bottle. I know that our local health food store sells this brand for over $4 a bottle. The expiration date is not until 2016 so I bought all 8 bottles they had.

*A 12 bar package of Clif Kid Z organic brownie Bars for 75 cents. Expiration date of Sept 2015 and the box just slightly dented.

*Celestial Tea boxes. These are "holiday flavors" such as Sugar Plum Spice and Pumpkin Spice. They don't expire until 2016. I bought all the boxes they had, probably 10 in total for 50 cents each. 

*Deliciously Organic Better Baking Blend (Coconut and Cane Sugar). Doesn't expire until July and was just 50 cents for a pound of it. I bought the two bags they had.

*Annie's Organic whole wheat shells and extra cheesy cheddar sauce. 75 cents a box and expired a month. My kids like mac and cheese for lunch sometimes so I bought all 10 boxes they had. These sell for over $2 a box at the store. I think more like $3 since they are the creamy deluxe version.

*Starbucks and Green Mountain Ground Coffee for $3 and $2.50 a bag.

This is just a sampling of what I have bought there. For example...I have chicken in the crockpot for supper and topped it with a jar of natural salsa I bought there for 65 cents. I will add in the Zataran's Red Beans and Rice mix that I bought for 30 cents a box. It will be rolled into a tortilla and topped with cheese for a very inexpensive supper.

Next step is to keep track of my weekly spending. We shall see how that goes! ;)
 

Hungry, Hungry Hippos

One of my most popular posts, even 4 years later, is How to Feed a Family of Five Under $75 Weekly. Daily I get a hit or two on that post alone. 

For years I was able to come in at $75 or under a week for groceries. All that went out the window when Jacob got sick. We were blessed by being surrounded by caring people who dropped off meals, sent gift certificates for the grocery store, or local restaurant gift certificates. That took a huge strain off of me having to closely budget and shop all the sales. It allowed me that extra time with Jacob, which I will forever be grateful for.

But a lot happens in three years, mainly rising costs of groceries. And boy, did the cost of groceries rise in the past five years! When I went back to budgeting, meal planning, and detailed grocery shopping in the fall of 2013, I was horrified by how our grocery budget needed to be doubled, if not tripled, some weeks. 

Still, I am in sticker shock. My problem is doubled by the fact that I could care less about food. No, I haven't stopped eating, probably the opposite is true, but the pleasure of meal planning...of even being able to think up a menu seems a little beyond me yet. It's grief, it's not really caring about this issue, it's trying not to stress out about it. 

But stress I do.

I find myself running to the grocery store a few times a week. Spending $30-$40 and walking out of there with just a few meal's worth of food, then repeating the process a few days later. I find myself sending hubby to the store for something, only to have him return with several bags of (unasked for!) stuff. I find us eating too much junk. Going through food too quickly. Wasting time and money. It's a circle way too easy to fall into.

I've gotten to the point that I don't even know how much we spend on food, and am a bit scared to find out. I don't even know what a reasonable weekly food goal is at this point. According the a quick Google search it sounds like $900 or more for a family of four?!

I did the Frugal Housewife's $70 Menu Plan (which ended up costing me $82) in 2012. We found the menu to involve way too much bread and not many meals that we liked. I did a $400 Healthy Month Meal Challenge in 2010 and don't think I could replicate that 5 years later.

We are a family of five. My husband packs a lunch each day for work. With us homeschooling, every single meal and snack is on me to provide. That adds up to a lot of food. Add in a 6 year old boy that literally grew out of his shirts in a one week span and a tween that will soon be as tall as me. A toddler that burns her energy as fast as she makes it. Food, food, food seems to be the theme around here! Even the cats beg for food all day long. :/

What is my point? I'm hoping to get back on track. My first goal is getting together a good menu and shopping list for this coming week. My next goal is to figure out just how much we are spending on groceries each week. My next goal will be to see how low we can go. I shall allow you peeks into this process.

What area of the country do you live in and what is your grocery budget each week?
 

Blast From the Past

I saw a recipe on Facebook that I just had to try. It must be from the 70's, when JELLO and JELLO molds were all the rage. 

Buy a can of sliced pineapple (in 100% juice) and a box of Jello (I used lime). Drain the juice from the can of pineapple, reserving it. Make the Jello as directed on the box, but instead of using cold water use the pineapple juice from the can.

Pour the Jello over the pineapple while it's in the can (there will be lots of Jello leftover so just put that in a bowl in the fridge for an afternoon snack!). Put the can in the fridge until set up. Slide a knife around to loosen it and invert it onto a plate.

Then slice each pineapple slice and eat. It's disgusting. Disgustingly good! The kids loved it and I even enjoyed it. A simple, different dessert.
 

Dandelion Jelly

As I opened up another jar of jelly today I realized that I never shared with you my new discovery this past spring! As dandelions popped up all over my yard in early spring I googled Dandelion Wine (something my Grandma had talked about) and saw that I wouldn't have enough to make that, but stumbled upon dandelion jelly instead.

I was intriqued. It sounded like it would be gross. Yet, all reports I read made it clear that it tastes like honey. I figured I would give it a try.

We picked a huge mixing bowl full of dandelion blossoms (no stems) in an area that is not sprayed or used by animals. I rinsed them and spread them out on a towel on the kitchen counter. Several hours later I separated the yellow petals from the green part (I started by cutting off the base but finally just started to pull the middle out with my fingers which was much faster). Discard all green parts.

Pour enough boiling water over the petals to cover and let sit several hours or overnight. After brewing you will have a yellow colored "dandelion tea". Pour through a strainer lined with a coffee filter into a bowl. Discard the petals as all you are using is the "tea liquid".

You will need: 3 cups dandelion tea, 4 1/2 c. sugar, 2 T. lemon juice, 1 box powdered pectin

Add dandelion tea, lemon juice, 1 box of pectin into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.  Add your sugar and bring back to a boil.  Continue boiling 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and fill jars. Process in a hot water bath canner for 10-15 minutes.

 

I think this made about six jars. I am hoarding the last few in the cabinet because it seriously is very delicious! It does taste similar to honey and is great on toast, biscuits, and English Muffins.

100 Days of Real Food

A couple years ago I started following 100 Days of Real Food on Facebook. It was an easy way to see lunch ideas and get some great recipes for our family. I visit their blog occasionally and have pulled some of our favorite recipes from their (the creamy wheat macaroni and cheese is a favorite of my husband's!).

I was thrilled when I heard about their cookbook. And even more excited when they offered me a copy in order to review it! 

100 Days of Real Food by Lisa Leake is more like a Bible for food and healthy eating. The recipes are divine, yet family friendly and easy to make. The pictures are gorgeous (you know I love a cookbook with photos!). 

Macaroni Casserole, anyone? (Page 252)

Fall is right around the corner, which means soups and stews! How about some Vegetable Chili? (Page 248)

The lunch box ideas are fantastic, and there are several pages of ideas. Perfect for any lunch, really, not just one away from home!

But it's not just recipes. The first half of the book is about the Leake's own food journey and how to get started on your own road to real food. From "What is Real Food?" to "Making Changes; Don't Overthink, Just Start!" 

There are menu plans based on seasons, what to watch for in food labels, how to shop, snack ideas, and so much more. As a busy mom, with limited time in the kitchen, this is the book on how to change our diet while not having anyone rebel at mealtimes! 

I am thrilled to add this to my bookshelf and see myself using it time and time again. Perfect for all degrees of cooks, the recipes even list the difficulty from easy to advanced.
 

Menu Help

I've done a poor job with grocery shopping and meal planning recently. It's gotten to the point that hubby and I were running to the store several times a week to pick up meal items here and there. That wasn't working for the budget and we never seemed to have any good food in the house.

In the December issue of All You magazine (found at Walmart), starting on page 48 is a week's worth of healthy meals...breakfast through supper. This is the first time that I've found a week's worth of meals in a magazine that doesn't include weird foods or recipes that my family wouldn't try. Every single meal looks easy and healthy.

The best part is that it took the guess work out for my meal planning this week. I made a shopping list for every single food item and went shopping. Our menu will start tomorrow and last us a week (we will skip a day on Thursday for Thanksgiving). This was an awesome help and I'm just passing it along to all of you in case you are in a cooking rut and need a little jump start to get back on track.

For example of how easy this meal plan is, tomorrow our menu is:

Breakfast:
1 hard-boiled egg, 2 slices whole-wheat toast with 1 T. peanut butter, 1/2 grapefruit, 1 cup coffee (for me; milk for the kids)

Lunch:
2 slices whole-wheat bread with tuna salad, baby carrots, yogurt

Snack:
banana

Dinner:
Whole wheat penne with meat sauce, lettuce salad with tomato and cucumber, milk

Snack:
Pudding

While this meal plan is for low fat and counts calories, I adjusted it for us by not buying the low-fat or fat-free items suggested. There are some new recipes included in this menu and it will take the guess work out of this next week for me!

Pantry Cooking

Yesterday I mentioned pantry cooking. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the word, it means to make meals from your pantry (and fridge and freezer) instead of going grocery shopping. It's a great way to use up the items that got pushed to the back of the shelf or hidden under other items in the freezer, as well as a way to save money by not shopping that week. If your typical grocery budget is $100 weekly and you are able to not go shopping for a week that is an extra $100 in your pocket.

The past couple weeks I have been doing a lot of pantry cooking and spending way less at the grocery store because of it. Using up pasta from the shelves, chicken from the freezer, frozen vegetables and canned goods has helped me use up items before they went bad and saved us some money which we were able to use in other areas.

I recently ran across two bean recipes at The Path to Frugality which called for ingredients that I already had on hand and usually have on hand. I love recipes like these! My husband is not a big bean fan but even he liked both of these recipes. I thought I would share here but I suggest you visit Martha over at her blog as she will be posting more pantry recipes as well!

Hungry Boys' Casserole
1 lb. hamburger
1 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (or substitute dried minced garlic)
1 can tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
2 - 1 lb. cans pork n beans, undrained
1 tomato paste can full of water
Brown the hamburger with the celery, onion and garlic til hamburger is cooked and vegetables are tender. Drain. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together. Pour into a casserole dish (I use an 11 x 7 inch rectangular pan). Top with drop biscuits (recipe follows).
Biscuits:
1 1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup milk
Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the margarine. Add the milk and stir into a dough. Drop by tablespoons on top of bean mixture. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Chili Beef Casserole
1 lb. ground beef (or less)
1 small onion chopped
1 16 oz. can pork n beans, undrained
1 can corn, undrained
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cups corn chips OR cornbread batter
1/2 cup (or less) shredded cheese - can be optional
In skillet brown ground beef with onion, rinse or drain the fat. Add the beans, corn, and chili powder. Pour into a casserole dish and top with the corn chips OR make a cornbread batter from 1 box of Jiffy cornbread mix OR do as I do and make your own cornbread batter from scratch. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

What is your favorite pantry meal?

Stocking Up

I've made it my goal to pick up the loss leader items at the grocery store each week and to stock up on them whenever possible (often times when a price is really good there will be a limit on the number of items you can purchase).

Yesterday was the beginning of a two day sale at our local grocery store. After running some errands I stopped in to take advantage of the sale. I was able to get this:

for $34.04. The potatoes were on sale for 68 cents for a 5 lb. bag so I purchased 2 (the limit). The cream of mushroom/chicken was on sale for 50 cents so I purchased 4 (again, the limit). The 93% ground beef was on sale for $1.88 lb. when purchased in a 10 lb. tube. I paid $18.10 for that and divided them up into ziplock bags to go into the freezer. The sugar was on sale for 97 cents for a 5 lb. bag so I got the limit of 1. I also found large specialty salads that are usually marked $4.99 for 99 cents each and bought the last two. Along with some ziplock bags, chips, bologna, and three little treats for the kids.

I will continue to stock up on the loss leaders each week and am trying to keep a fully stocked pantry.

I have to go back to the grocery store as my in-laws are arriving later today from out of state to visit a few days so I need to stock up on groceries. I hope to grab a few more bags of potatoes and another bag of sugar while I am there.