Bonus Friday Favorite: Recipe

While we are on the subject of Hallee the Homemaker, I wanted to share one of her awesome recipes. This recipe is for white chicken chili. I'm not a big chili fan, but I loved this chili. It had just the right amount of spice for me. It's not really chili season right now, but soon enough it will be!

Photo Credit: Hallee the Homemaker

She has a ton of great recipes especially for homemade (healthy!) breads. If you haven't checked out her site, it really is worth it!

Great Giveaway on Another Site

Hallee the Homemaker is hosting an awesome giveaway, which makes me super excited. It's for the grain mill I've always wanted!




A grain mill is a great thing to have with food storage because it really widens the amount of things you can store and make.

I'll try to remind you daily to go enter!

Friday Favorites- Website!

I recently discovered this wonderful website called Parenting. Illustrated with Crappy Pictures. I find t to be a really entertaining look at parenting. The writer illustrates common parenting moments through funny stories and pictures that could easily been drawn on MS paint. For parents out there, it will make you feel like you are not alone in the weird things you go through.

This is one of my personal favorites.

If anything, the site will give you a good laugh. Enjoy!

Frugality: To "Green" or Not to "Green" and Other Popular Phrases

I'm not very old, but I know that there is always some sort of catch phrase going around when it comes to food and other things you buy. Words like "light" and "low-fat" used to be big, then came "low-carb," now it's things like "all natural" and "green." Now not all the time do these words mean something bad. Something that is low carb can be good for you, as can something that is green. So how do you know what is good and what is just marketing?

• Read the label. Sometimes in order to make something low-fat, light, or low-carb, they actually add things like tons of salt, artificial sweeteners, or the infamous "natural/artificial colors and flavors." Those things themselves can be kind of scary.
• When it comes to the words all natural or green, those really don't have a lot of backing. You can say something is all natural, but think about what things are "natural." Sugar is natural as is salt, but thinking about cleaners a lot of things naturally found are not necessarily safe. My adage to remember is "even arsenic is natural." If you want natural food, stick to the outer aisles of the store, where you find produce, meat, and dairy. For cleaners, stick to vinegar, lemons, baking soda, etc.
• For the term green, always weigh the price to what it is. I'm sorry, but a hybrid gigantic SUV just does not make any sense, you pay a ton more to get a few extra miles. A lot of things will claim to be green, which really aren't any different then they used to be, and somethings don't make the claim and are more green then the ones that do.
• Organic. Organic is a good thing, but to truly be organic at the grocery store it needs a USDA label. When it comes to the farmer's market, ask how the farmer grows his food.  A lot of times local farmers do grow things organic, but cannot afford to be certified. Also, organic does not mean good for you. Organic sugar is just as unhealthy as regular sugar. An organic cookie is just as bad as a regular cookie.
• Whole grain. Whole grains are good for you, but if it's whole grain Chef Boyardee, you'll probably still find trans fat in it. Also, corn is a whole grain, but really it's not the best kind of grain to have. Really you want wheat, rice, barley, etc. Don't buy something that says whole grain without reading the whole label.
• 0g of Trans Fat per Serving. Here's the thing if there is less then 0.5g of trans fat in the food, the company doesn't have to list it on the nutrition label. However, if you read the ingredients you'll still find it. It will be listed as either fully or partially-hydrogenated oil. You'd be surprised what you'll find it in. Also, with the reality that most people don't eat just one serving of many foods, it can be concerning that the company can fool you into thinking you are not eating any trans fat.

Really what it comes down to is read the label and do research. Remember the company is trying to sell you something, they will not tell you the bad, only the good. It's up to you to be informed.

Emergency Prep: A Checklist

A lot of people work really well when they have a list to go by. There are a lot of things to remember when it comes to preparing, and you really don't want to forget any of it.

The American Red Cross and FEMA has put out this checklist that goes through everything you need, from supplies needed to making plans. It even has blank "rooms" for you to draw escape plans for a fire in your home. It also has a "home hazard hunt" section where you can look for things that could be potential hazards to your home.

It's 4 pages, and I highly encourage you to print it out and go through the list, even if it takes a few days. Remember if you are prepared, you will not fear.

Clever Tricks for Getting and Keeping Your Home Liveable

Notice I didn't say clean in the title? I'm a firm believer that if your house is always absolutely perfect, then you probably are missing the important things in your life, like spending time with your family, and that kids are missing out on being kids. I'm not a perfect housekeeper, and there are days when my daughter makes a mess of the whole living room with her toys or days when my coupons take over the table. I try to only do laundry once or twice a week. How do I do that? We have enough whites and colors to last two weeks, and we rewear our jeans and khakis (they're meant to be worn that way). Also, by waiting to have full loads of laundry, we cut back on the energy and water used to wash them. I try to keep the main living area (kitchen, family room, and dining room) presentable, but worry less about bedrooms and the office because not too many people go in there, ya know?

First, here's a resource for getting your house to a maintainable level and being able to keep it. It is called Fly Lady. She can really help you to develop habits that you can then keep.

Second, the best way to avoid total chaos is to organize your house in the first place. If everything has a home, it's a lot easier to put it away. That also means purging anything you don't want or need from your life.

Third, try to follow the touch it once rule. For example, when you get the mail from the mail box immediately sort the junk into the recycling, the bills where you pay bills, file the things you need to file, and anything you need to do put in your to-do pile. This keeps the mail from piling up all over the place.

Fourth, try never to leave a room empty handed. Chances are there is something in the room you are in that belongs in the room you are going to, so you might as well take it with you.

Fifth, decide how often things need to be done around the house based on your family's needs and situations. If you have kids, you may need to do things more often. Perhaps you only need to run the dishwasher every few days instead of everyday. Maybe you're really good at eating your leftovers, so cleaning out the fridge only needs to be done occasionally.

Finally, come up with your own housekeeping plan based on that. It doesn't have to be fancy or even day specific. Perhaps you just need a list of things that need to be done every week, and you choose one to do whenever you have a chance, or you like to have specific things to do each day. Remember, what works best is what works for you, and that you will keep up with.

Remember to keep it simple. Your home is your home, not a museum, it's supposed to look like people live there. There will be dust, there will be dirt, there will be fingerprints, and there will be clutter at times. Like I said before, I'd rather spend time with my family or spend some time for myself then making sure my house looks immaculate, besides if anybody puts a white glove to your house, you probably shouldn't be friends with them. LOL.

Meal Plan Monday

Monday- Stuffed Shells, Veggie
Tuesday- Lazy Nachos
Wednesday- Pork Chops, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Veggie
Thursday- Leftovers/DIY
Friday- Hotdogs, Mashed Potatoes, Veggie
Saturday- Cheeseburger Loaves, Couscous, Veggie
Sunday- Pretzel Chicken Nuggets, Pasta, Veggie
What's your menu for the week?

Don't forget to link up or leave a comment with your meal plan or recipe below!

Publix Trip 7/23/11

I spent $18.73 for $102.98 worth of groceries, saving $84.25 or 82%!



Here's the match-ups:
(4)Morning Star Farms BOGO $4.19
   -(2)$2/2 from Morning Star Farms Booklet
   -(2) $1/2 HERE

(2)Nabisco Grahams BOGO $4.09
  -(1)$1/2 from 6/26/11 SS

(2)Gerber Graduates $2.19
   -(2)$1/1 HERE
   -(2) $1/1 from Ooh and Aah Booklet

(2)Gerber Pasta Pick-Ups 2/$3
   -(2) 55¢/1 HERE
   -(2) $1/1 from Ooh and Aah Booklet

(2)Earth's Best Snacks $2.19
   -(1)$1.50/2 Homemailer
   -(2)$1/1 from Ooh and Aah Booklet

(4)Frosted Flakes 50% off price- $2.44
(2) Frosted Mini Wheats 50% off price- $2.32
(2) Crunchy Nut 50% off price- $2.04
(2) Special K 50% off price-$2.10
   -(2)$5/5 printable (no longer available)

(1)Special K Protein Bars $6.49
   -Free wyb (2) Special K Cereals Peelie

Strawberries $2.50
   -(1)$1.50 off strawberries wyb 2 Special K tearpad
Blueberries $2.50
   -(1)$1.50 off blueberries or rasberries wyb 2 Kellogg's Products tearpad
Bananas $1.66
   -(1)$1.50 off fruit wyb 2 select Kellogg's Cereal from New School Year Booklet
Watermelon $1.88
   -(1)$1.50 off fruit wyb 2 select Kellogg's Cereal from New School Year Booklet
Apples $2.95
   -(1)$1.50 off fruit wyb 2 select Kellogg's Cereal from New School Year Booklet

-$5 g/c from last week

I fully took advantage of the 50% off sale to stock up on cereal and get a ton of fresh fruit. There were some other things I wanted, but unfortunately my Stocking Spree Booklet has not come yet, anybody else still waiting to receive it?

I'm sure you noticed my lack of posts this week. If you follow me on facebook, you probably saw that I wasn't feeling too great. I'm feeling a little better, but not the best. Since I was going shopping on Saturday, I also fully took advantage of Thursday to go to the beach, even if I didn't feel that great, it was still fun. Everything should be back to normal next week!

Clever Tricks from Readers for Greening Your Life

Recently I did a giveaway, and one of the entries was to share a green tip. I loved them so much I thought I would share with you some of the tips that were left.

• When you're waiting for the water to heat up, don't let the water go down the drain. We collect it and use it to water our garden. -Elizabeth
• Try to save all the food you would normally throw into the garbage! Instead, compost it and use it to feed your garden! This not only nourishes the garden, but helps send less to the landfill! -Lindsey
• Use cloth faux paper towels and napkins. Cuts on waste and we just throw them in the wash with our clothes. -Tristan
• Use canvas bags when shopping! Leave the plastic behind and if you do use them - recycle them at Publix or Walmart or wherever they have plastic bag recycle bins. -Mary
• I love my cloth diapers and I wash them in my high efficiency machine and then dry them on a drying rack so that I use less energy by not drying them AND the sun naturally bleaches out any stains! What a great bonus! -Samantha
• Clean with vinegar whenever possible, instead of a bunch of chemicals. You can use it to clean almost anything! -Kelli
• Re-usuable snack bags! We used to go through soo many ziploc bags! -Sarah
• My favorite "green" tip is use less and recycle more! -Bethany
• Your green tip here! Comment below and I will add it to the list.

Here's my green tip for today: Reuse things as much as possible, almost everything has a second life after it's first use. :-)

Meal Plan Monday

Monday- Burgers, Pasta, Veggie
Tuesday- Beef and Broccoli
Wednesday- Breakfast for Dinner
Thursday- Italian Chicken, Couscous, Veggie
Friday- Pizza
Saturday- Beef Stroganoff, Veggie
Sunday- Leftovers/DIY
What's your menu for the week?

Don't forget to link up or leave a comment with your meal plan or recipe below!