While on Pinterest the other day (Ok, when am I not on Pinterest?) I stumbled across this awesome blog, Budget Bytes, that not only has recipes for fantastic meals but the cost of each of them too! This is great for those of us that like to stay at or below budget for food and make a meal plan for the week ahead of time. I never used to be a fan of making a meal plan, but it saves some serious time and money!
Photo Courtesty of Budget Bytes
Baked pumpkin pie oatmeal for $0.46 a serving, anyone?
Over the past year or so, I’ve slowly been phasing out meat and any sort of packaged foods. Although many people probably haven’t noticed, I often get the question of “why?” or a quizzical look from a family member when I turn down eating a hot dog, which was a favorite treat of mine as a kid. Alas, I feel the need to explain why I’ve moved in this direction…
First and foremost, I’m hypoglyemic. I didn’t find out that I was until I was 16, and was told to just keep snacks on me. Well, ok! So I kept miniature sized candy bars, cereal, granola bars, crackers, chips – whatever I could get my hands on with me at all times and ate when I’d feel like I was going to start getting shakey. As you can imagine, this had a substantial impact on my weight and did nothing for my hypoglycemia other than make the next blood sugar drop come even faster than the last one, which only led me to eat more (a vicious cycle, let me tell you). Finally, in the summer of 2008 I had had enough. I couldn’t take planning my day around food, and I knew eating like this wasn’t healthy so I put my foot down. I started reading up on managing it through diet, and began cutting back on sugar and all refined carbohydrates (crackers, white bread, white rice, etc.) and started incorporating more fruits, veggies and meat into my diet. Now, this wasn’t as easy or quick as it may seem – it was a gradual progression over a couple of months. But, I felt the effects almost immediately – I could go longer than 2 hours without feeling shakey! And, what was this? Is this stomach growling thing, but without the feeling of passing out, hunger?! I was beyond thrilled that I had finally found a way of eating that worked for me and my body.
While I still have to avoid foods with a lot of sugar or refined carbohydrates (although I find I no longer crave it, and I actually feel sick when I do eat it), over the past year or so I started thinking about just how much meat I had been eating. Not due to any PETA activism or other holier than thou moral issues, but as a result of various pathophysiology and nutrition courses I had been taking. Breakfast frequently had turkey bacon or sausage links, pepperoni or cheese for snacks, chicken or tuna for lunch, and chicken, beef or pork for dinner. That’s a lot of meat for one day! Added up over time, I knew that it couldn’t be good for my body so I started trying to find alternative protein sources to eat so that I wasn’t eating it at every meal. One of my friends introduced me to the vegan blog Oh She Glows for recipe ideas, and I immediately fell in love with the variety I found in her recipes. Her blog also led me to other healthy living blogs Edible Perspective and Never Home Maker that also had fabulous vegan and vegetarian recipes! Gradually, when faced with eating a dish with meat in it I actually found myself not wanting it. Why? It could be because I got used to not eating it, or that I found the alternatives being offered much more preferable but to be honest, I have no idea! I began realizing that looking back at my childhood, I have never had a particularly strong taste for meat; I guess I just kind of ate it because that’s what I was raised with and avoided the parts that grossed me out. Now, however, my diet has never been so diverse and so delicious I don’t think I could ever go back to meat taking center stage! Eating meals that aren’t centered around meat forces you to think outside of the box and explore new foods that not only are delicious, but that are incredibly healthy for you. I never thought that I would eat kale, but now I spritz it with olive oil, some salt and pepper and throw it in the oven to make kale chips 
Cutting out premade and packaged foods has just kind of come along with eating more of a vegetarian diet but also with knowing what is actually in the product. If an ingredient is on the package that you wouldn’t add if you made it homemade, chances are it shouldn’t be in there or in your body (Trust me, having been present for multiple autopsies the effects of a poor diet on your organs are not pretty by any scope of the imagination. Gross, but true.) I also can’t eat a lot of sugar or refined carbohydrates like I said before, so that cuts out about 95% of all premade and packaged foods. That’s ok though – I think my homemade crackers taste much better anyway!
Now that I eat a pretty clean, plant based diet I have noticed even more changes in my body other than a more stable blood sugar. First, I have way more energy than I ever did before and my hypoglycemia is even less of an issue now. Second, my grocery bills are actually lower than they were before and my skin has cleared up significantly - these are all things I can definitely live with! Does this mean that I will never again eat meat or anything that comes out of a box? No. If I feel like eating meat I will, if I feel like eating a few Cheez-Its (my family knows my childhood addiction to them) I will – it just means that I’ve chosen to make those types of foods a very insignificant part of my lifestyle
Disclaimer: As always, consult a physician or other health care professional before embarking on any sort of diet or physical activity change.
Tofu is one of my favorite sources of protein because it is just so versatile! So when I had a block of it sitting in my fridge, and this recipe sitting in my inbox I knew I had to make it!
The original recipe is from one of my favorite vegan blogs, Oh She Glows, but I modified it slightly to fit the ingredients I had on hand. They turned out so crunchy and delicious – even when they were reheated in the microwave for lunch! The only thing that I would change would be to add a bit more cayenne pepper so that you can really taste the heat (if you aren’t one of those people that enjoys sweating while they eat, then these proportions should be fine!)
Ingredients:
1 package firm or extra firm tofu
1/2 cup soy milk
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
sprinkle of kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Press the tofu. This will get all of the excess liquid out of it so that it crisps up nicely. There are a variety of ways you can do this, but I flipped a plate upside down in my sink and put the block of tofu on it. Then I put a paper towel on top and set a heavy jar on it for about 30 minutes. Easy clean up, and easy slicing it into strips!
3. Make coating. While the tofu is pressing, whisk together the milk and cornstarch in a dish shallow enough to allow dipping the tofu. In another bowl, mix together the cornmeal, wheat bran, salt, and spices. Set both of these aside.
4. Slice tofu. Once you remove the jar and paper towel from the tofu, slice into 8 strips, lengthwise. With one hand dip the tofu strip into the milk mixture and then into the cornmeal mixture. Coat both sides entirely, either by patting the mixture all over it or flipping it over and then place on a baking sheet covered with tin foil. Repeat until all the strips are coated.
5. Bake. Place tofu on middle rack and bake for 20 minutes. Flip then bake for another 20-25 minutes until crispy.
6. Dip in favorite sauce and eat!
Super simple and easy to make, and with the awesome deal at Whole Foods making Nasoya Tofu only $0.50, you could make this for as many meals as you’d like!
Right now, Whole Foods has some great deals going on and when paired with coupons it makes for some super cheap finds! Head on over to Krazy Coupon Lady to check out the full list for this week
Right now at CVS, there is a promotion going on for Physicians Formula Matchmaker pH Powered Lip Gloss! Normally $9.99, they have a $3 off one coupon attached to them which will make them $6.99. Well, CVS has a promotion for buy one, get $7 ECB, so you pay $6.99 and get $7 ECB making it FREE! With my lip product obsession, I am beyond excited about this one. Off to CVS I go!
Thanks, Krazy Coupon Lady!
I have 4 Red Plum inserts with coupons for pet food. I don’t have any pets, so leave a message in the comments section if you want any of them!
Following my previous post about the travel blues, I made my way back home and was well on my way to relaxing when it hit me. Just when my bout with “mini pneumonia” was coming to an end, I was blindsided by another cold. I guess maybe it was my body’s way of forcing me to stop everything and focus on me and my health – fever, body aches, intense sinus pressure and all. So, these past three days I did just that by sleeping pretty much all day, every day, and consuming plenty of fruits, veggies and water and finally, I feel like I am bouncing back! Although my cough and raspy voice are still around, everything else has vanished and I couldn’t be happier.
Along the same lines, one of my goals for 2012 was to bounce back in another way – start doing again the things that I loved to do when I was younger (you know, before school and working took over my life lol) As you can probably tell, one of those things is cooking and baking (which I plan on doing a bunch of this weekend – stay tuned!), but I also used to love to read (reading for school doesn’t count!), paint, sew/bead and play the piano and French Horn. I also wanted to live off the land in a log cabin with 65 kids (a kid can dream, right?!) While I am seriously praying that this one may never come to be, I am working on having a big garden this summer – that’s a nice compromise
So, while I was laying around trying to rest up I started back to sewing and beading. It was so relaxing, and so gratifying to see something you made come together so nicely! I made a little medicine pouch in probably about 2 hours. It fits in the palm of your hand and is super adorable
Front side
Back Side
I also started sticking a book in my work bag to read on the 20 minute bus ride to work. I’ve already gotten through 2 books – both of which I’d recommend (The Millionaire Next Door, and The End of Overeating. AMAZING!) Next up is to begin playing music again… I miss my horn and the piano more than I ever thought I would 
Has anyone ever had to abandon things that they enjoyed doing to focus on work or school, only to find yourself coming back to them years later?
Meijer is having a GREAT stock up sale on baby formula right now. And if you were lucky enough to find the $10 off Enfamil coupon on coupons.com awhile back, you can get some great savings!
Right now through 1/28, Meijer is running $10 off instantly when you purchase 3 Similac or Enfamil formulas, 16 oz to 23.2 oz.
See my scenario below! Now I use Similac Sensitive normally but all gentle formulas are required to be the same by the FDA, so I can use the gentlease too – and have without any hiccups…. literally and figuratively….
This is what I plan on doing, I will update if it doesn’t work. Even if you don’t have any coupons this is a screaming deal for both Enfamil and Similac!
Buy 3 Enfamil Gentlease formulas 22 oz – $23.99 each
Subtotal: $71.97 – $10 Instant savings = $61.97
Use 3, $10/1 Enfamil coupons
New subtotal: $31.97
Use 2, $3/1 Enfamil product checks receive from signing up with them for coupons
OOP: $25.97, or 3 tubs for $8.66 each
I got some good deals this week – especially on my new favorite, Skinny Cow candy! See below!
Target
Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners, 4 count – $1.94 regular price
Use $1/1 Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners from 1/22 Smartsource
OOP: $0.94 each
French’s Spicy Brown Mustard – $1 on sale
Use $0.30/1 French’s Classic Yellow or Spicy Brown Mustard from 1/22 Smartsource
OOP: $0.70 each
Skinny Cow Heavenly Crisp or Dream Clusters, 6 count – $3.99 regular price
Use B1G1 Free Coupon Nestle Coupons here
Use $3/2 Skinny Cow Target printable coupon
Target’s coupon policy doesn’t allow for a coupon a free item, so you have to buy 4. Use 2, B1G1 and a $3/2 to avoid beeps
OOP: $4.98 for all 4
Up and Up Printer Paper, 400 count – $3.14 regular price
Use $1/1 Up and Up Item over $3 Target printable coupon
OOP: $2.14
Meijer
They are having a 10 for $10 sale, get the 11th free! Lots of great finds
Wolf Brand Chili $1
Use $0.40/1 MFR from 1/22 Smartsource
OOP: $0.20 each
Traditional Chex Mix $1
Buy 2, use $0.50/2 MFR
OOP: $1 for 2 bags
Kraft BBQ Sauce – $1
Angel Soft Bath Tissue – $1
Goldfish Crackers – $1
Hunts and Rotel Tomatoes – $1 (great for my taco soup recipe!)
Hormel 4.5 oz sliced pepperoni $1
Buy 2, use $0.55/2 MPERKS (must sign up online at www.meijer.com/mperks) and $1/2 MFR coupon from 1/22 Smartsource insert
OOP – $0.23 each
Laughing Cow Cheeses – B1G1 Free
Use $1/2 MFR for cheese wedges or babybel cheeses from 1/22 Smartsource
OOP: Varies
Tags: coupons, meijer, reynolds, skinny cow, Target
Hello all!
I wanted to write a post to explain the lull in blog posting that’s been happening over the past few months to let you know that you weren’t intentionally forgotten!
The short of it is that I have been traveling a lot – like non-stop since the beginning of November (I’ve visited 6 states in 9 weeks…ugh). I think I’ve only been home for a total of 2-3 weeks since then! Since 99% of my travel is for business purposes, it’s been incredibly difficult to find time to write on the blog, exercise, sleep and be a normal human while also getting all of my work done (a 2 week long struggle with my asthma has also complicated things as well… breathing is kind of important!). However, today marks the last day of my travel marathon so once I return home (and regain my sanity – I am completely and utterly exhausted!) I will begin posting as normal.
One of the things that I have struggled with during my travels is finding healthy foods once I’m at my actual destination. It’s perfectly easy to pack my own food for flights as I discussed in my previous post, but during various meetings and conferences it’s been impossible to find filling, healthy food that won’t leave me hungry in an hour. For example, this past trip I’ve had 3 meetings at a restaurant that served Southern comfort-style food. Total nightmare! Can I please just get a salad with some grilled salmon on top that isn’t covered in buttermilk dressing and fried cheese?! Sigh. It’s been an incredible struggle to even find soy milk. Soy milk! I’ve had to result to buying it for $3 a cup at Starbucks From all of this, I’ve been feeling pretty beaten down and am yearning for getting back to my little apartment and my normal routine. Has anyone else experienced the traveling blues? What do you recommend for getting past them, or preventing them all together?
