Our First Vegan Road Trip and Stay in Philly!

We recently decided, for a variety of reasons, to become fully vegan.  Although I have been a vegetarian for almost a decade, the switch has made me realize how much we depended on eggs and cheese to eat when out or traveling! Since we were staying with family, but did not want to burden them with any of our specific needs, we brought a lot from home!  

This is what we found most helpful ::

• milk in an aseptic box 
• cereal *the good stuff*
• variety of fruit 
• variety of veggies 
• canned beans for salads 
• a few granola type bars 
• dried fruit 

Basically anything simple, easy and what did not exactly need to be refrigerated, because we did not want to take up too much of their space.  

My most amazing tofu scramble from The Local 44
 - home fries were to die for!

What we loved the most, you ask?  The Local 44 Bar - in West Philly - that had some AMAZING vegan food but also food for the rest of America so everyone could eat there.  I think in 2 days, we ate there 3 times!  

Photos from Daddykins and I exploring the city after a run by the river!  That is the Art Museum ("Rocky Steps") in the background.  And there is me, on a random pretty staircase, suffering from the thick Philly air!

Presents for everyone!

Again, I have neglected this idea for a while, but find myself back here, with a ton of fresh ideas.  June was the month of gift giving and traveling, so we had quite a bit of fun!  My college friends came for the day, so I whipped up a low cost gift basket for them.  I finally got to meet my soon-to-be niece and Daddykins got some baby practice in, which means we brought presents for momma and baby on our visit.  And of course, it was Father's day, so I needed to think of something nice for my step dad!

My first gift basket of the month - the lime green theme!  It was for my best girlfriends who came up for a visit.  It happened to be close to one of their birthdays, so I made a basket for them both, since I didn't send a present for the January birthday gal!

• green basket - $1 
• basket filler and paper - $2 
• stickers (my friend loves them) - $2
• photo book - $1
• picture frame - $3
• photos, 25 printed - $6.75
• Glee game - $8
• Jellies - free (leftovers from xmas presents)
• CD of our favorite songs - free (already had them!)
• wrapping paper and ribbon - free 

So for a gift that covers 2 birthdays, less than $25.  They loved it, it looked amazing and it did not break my bank!

My second gift basket of the month - "play ball" theme!  I was fortunate to be running through my hometown on father's day and was able to give my step-dad his present!  His gift is a little more 'over the top' than I would usually like to spend or do... However, I feel like I must make up for my 20 years of just giving peanut "m&ms" for Christmas, birthday and father's day.  So I step up my game a bit with him.  

•  My step dad LOVES Golden Corral (me, not so much), but our little city just built one, so I hopped on board and tried to get him a gift certificate... after trying FIVE TIMES to get in the door, I finally got one, for $40
• Tickets to a baseball game - I figured since he would be traveling to eat, he could stay for a bit and take in america's past time... tickets for four were only $50 and our seats were awesome!
• Gas card - he didn't really need it, but I thought it tied the gift together and made it more of a carefree day - $20 
• Basket - $1
• Bow - $1 
• 'flair' aka the ball - $1
• basket filler - $1

So our total was a little out there, at $144, but that is including all 4 tickets, not just his.  And like I said, it is money and time well spent because I feel like I need to make up for lost time, and we got to spend a whole day together, which was amazing.  

And now we are on to the new momma and baby!  I had a lot of fun with this one, and my soon-to-be sister-in-law was very thankful and LOVED the chocolate!  It was simple, but had some heartfelt touches.  

• First and foremost - the chocolate.  I went with organic because momma was not using formula yet for the baby, and I didn't want to cause harm.  $12 
• Tea - took some time to research what was ok for new mother's to have, and I think I got it right!  $6 
• Cute little sign "a daughter is a gift sent from above to treasure and forever love" $4 
• a very cute press on/press off owl night light $10 

All in all, she loved it and really appreciated the chocolate!  I think she was very touched that someone thought of her and not just the baby.  

The price was a little high, at $32, but it was much cheaper than sending flowers, fruit or pre-made gift basket that I was thinking about doing just after the baby was born.  And I know she would do the same for me, or even more, so it felt nice to do something sweet for her!!  

Kitchen Organization for Cheap!

In our current situation  Daddykins and I have a small kitchen, without much storage, but with a lot of ingredients, cook and bake ware and contraptions.  And I happened to do a lot of canning last summer, so we needed to find space for that as well!  This time around, I wanted to focus on 3 things specifically... the pots and pans mess, the spices mess, and the 'pantry' cupboard.  With the help of the dollar store, I was able to make some changes, without much impact on my budget!  

Pots and Pans ::
once stacked and organized, pots and pans are not that bad, but the pot tops are obnoxious 
Easy Fix :: dish drainer from the dollar store!  Keeps all the tops organized and accessible!  Never-mind those silly store bought organizers for now, this was a quick, cheap fix!








Spices::
We love to cook, so we have a ton of spices.  But they can be hard to find, especially when they were high up atop the stove, so I moved them and sorted them into bins from the dollar store!  So now they are organized into 'everyday,' 'Indian/Mexican,' and 'baking' and I can just pull the whole bin out according to what I am working on, which is neat and organized.


The Pantry::
We have a lot of canned goods and dry goods, and every week I add to it, but some weeks it feels like we take very little out of it, so it gets filled and unorganized!  Cue the mason jars!  I have a ton of extras lying around, so I put them to good use!  I also wrote on them with a dry erase marker so I can keep track of everything.  So far, so good!  

Lentils and Sweet Potato - Yum!

I am continuously being told Spring is right around the corner, but with measurable snow fall this April, I am wondering what corner everyone is looking around, because I don't see winter ending anytime soon.  BUT, the good news with that is, I can use stews and sweet potatoes longer!  I had intended this to be a crock pot recipe, but when I got home from working the overnight, I was too tired to even plug the thing in!  So I changed my plan and just made it on the stove top.  This meal was hearty and had a unique combination of savory and sweet, but it was really quite filling and delicious.  I served it with crunchy bread and salad.  Quick, easy, cheap and best of all, vegan. :)

Ingredients:

1/2 onion diced 
1-2 cloves garlic diced 
1 - 2 tablespoons oil 
1 - 2 cups water
1 large sweet potato - cut into 1/2 inch cubes 
1 cup rinsed lentils 
1 tablespoon vegetable stock 
2 teaspoons each rosemary, thyme and sage 

Directions:

• saute onions in oil until see-through, add in garlic, being careful not to burn garlic 
• add water, sweet potatoes and lentils 
• once warmed, add stock and spices, and simmer until lentils and potatoes are tender (about 30 - 40 minutes) 
• At the end, I added about a half cup on frozen spinach to give its some green and it turned out to be a nice addition!

Spending so much $$ on fruits and veggies, just to waste them!

In my house, I always seem to over estimate how many fresh fruits and veggies we will eat in a week, and, as much as I hate to admit it, a lot of them go to waste.  But, on our new budget, I have very little wiggle room and so I have become better at estimating, as well as preserving what we purchase.  As Spring and Summer approach, we will be able to purchase more veggies for less money, and hopefully increase our consumption during that time!

Ways to extend the life of fruits/veggies...

• keep the fridge clean
• leftovers that sit too long accumulate bacteria that increase the spoiling rate of other foods in the fridge.  
• we keep unfrozen leftovers for only 48 hours and discard them after that 
• I use my standard cleaning spray (vinegar, water, tea tree essential oil)  wipe down all surfaces of the inside of the fridge every 2 weeks (or more if I notice anything)
• if fruits or veggies ripen too fast outside the fridge, I toss them in the fridge to give me an extra 2 - 3 days to use them 
• bananas will turn brown in the fridge, but will still be fine to eat
• I usually end up throwing my tomatoes and avocados in the fridge by the end of the week, but they still taste just fine to me!
• as soon as I get home from shopping I wash the fruits and veggies - it makes them last so much longer!!



I do it for all veggies, even melons and squashes... keeps them
fresh longer!

• it is quite simple... wash out the sink, fill with cold water, add a half cup vinegar, and soak everything for 3 - 5 min, rotating as it floats up... viola!  
• the vinegar helps stop any fungus or bacteria growth and inhibits decomposition for some time, which obviously keeps things fresh!!
• Hydration is your friend!! 
• soft or soggy veggies (peppers, broccoli, celery, asparagus etc) can be freshened by cutting a new edge (the top stem of a pepper, the ends of celery etc) and placing the fresh end in a bit of cold water and allowing it to sit for an hour will give you fresh veggies once again!!
• sometimes veggies are beyond help, so be sure to look for mold, rot and slime... I would not advocate eating or trying to save those!!

Living and Saving on a Budget

At the start of the year, Daddykins and I started a new budget and so far, it is working well.  We have a few savings options and ideas kicking around, but what I love most is my file folder of savings.  Our amounts saved grow little by little every week and so far, so good!  

I have a few categories that were immediate needs for us, and so those became the categories we contribute to on a weekly basis (most of the time...).  All of the accounts have a capped limit, and once the limit is reached, the funds will be diverted into another account.  If I have to take money out of an account, then I will revert to building the emptied account as I did before it was full.   

• Girl's Food - Amount contributed: $20/week -  we buy the girl's food from amazon, but I did not want it sitting attached to my debit card, so I pull $20 out a week, and then put it back in my account when we need to purchase.  This is the only account that has money coming and going on a regular basis.  The account will be frozen at $200, and new incoming money will be put into their emergency fund.
• Girl's Emergency - Amount contributed: $10/week - we do have pet

  

  Just a simple file folder found at the dollar
  bin in Target!  Love my dollar finds!

  insurance on the girls, but just in case anything happens, we have something to go on.  I have the account to be frozen once funds reach $400 and then we will contribute new incoming money to our vacation fund.  
• General Emergency - Amount contributed: $5/week - this is for those unexpected dryer repairs, calls to the plumber, 'last pair of sneakers finally worn out' things that come up in our lives.  I have less contributed to this account than others because we historically have had few of these 'emergencies' and I am banking on the trend continuing.  Once the account reaches $400 and then new incoming money will be put towards our "car emergency" fund.   
• Car Emergency - Amount contributed: $5/week - I hate cars, hate hate hate them... they always break.  And cost a lot.  So I have this fund, and I hope I never have to use it!  This is capped at $400, and I am sure it will be forever in use and never actually full, but in the event that it is, money will then be diverted to my oil changes and tolls fund.  
• Oil Changes/Tolls - Amount contributed: anything extra - I couldn't justify having a real amount given to this, so when I have a mileage check come in or an extra few bucks, it goes into this account.  



The ledger I created to help keep track
of what was going in/out of the accoutns.

• Camping - Amount contributed:  My Nannying Money - we love to go camping and have most of our supplies but food and gas still cost money, and so I don't blow our weekly budget when we want to go, I have a fund!  And it is full at $300!  So now all my money from part-time Nannying will go into General Emergency!  So happy to have an account full... I never thought it would happen!

Other accounts that will be contributed to in the future... but our budget didn't allow for it now, but I have plans for it!

• vacation 
• home improvement 
• health emergency 
• wedding fund

To keep track:

• I ended up making a ledger for each file within the folder.  It allows me to keep track and add/subtract as things change, and I can easily remember how much I contribute and what my goal is so I know when I can stop.  I also put a sticker on the back of each one which tells me what I will be contributing to next, once my account is full. 

So, what does this look like on a weekly basis?  

• To do the saving I want/can do, it is only $40 a week, which fits into our budget well. 
• Pop it in, adjust my ledger and move on!  So fast and easy once I had it set up and I have a little cushion to fall back on in case of emergency. 

Been away for a while, quite busy!  Planned, decorated and baked my way through my soon-to-be sister-in-law's baby shower!  It was quite a blast and according to many many people I should be a party planner... Daddykins might not be that happy with that choice - my poor house was a disaster for quite some time, but I had a blast!

Of course, most of this was done in "DIY" fashion, with a lot (I mean, a lot) of time was put into it!  It turned out so beautifully and the mommy and daddy - to - be loved it, so I was trilled.

First thing's first... the color scheme.  We know we will have a little niece come May, and the nursery is going to be purple and grey.  So the soon - to - be momma wanted the shower color to be purple... so I settled on mostly purple, with pops of pink.  So our theme was not shower centered, but rather purple and pink, classy and used food for fun.

Centerpieces!

So as I was perusing the Dollar Tree on my Friday shopping trip, I found cute, spring like boxes, that would work wonderfully for centerpieces.  It did take me some time to figure out how I would use them, but after some planning, I figured they could be cute with cake pops, white chocolate candies and purple peeps.  

The Box :: With a little floral foam, Easter grass and sticks, I had planned the centerpieces.  Assembling them, other than the foods, was quite easy and people thought they were cute.  

Pops :: The cake pops that went into the centerpieces and filled in gaps on the dessert table, were somewhat difficult to make, mainly because I am a huge perfectionist.  I used a cake pop mold and box cake mix, with pudding added, and they baked ok... the problems occurred when 'frosting' them in the white chocolate. Some of the cake balls fell off, the chocolate was not going on smoothly... horror after horror.  But by the end of it, I had a good recipe (a lot of vegetable shortening) and a good technique (roll the pop on the side of the jar, to achieve a smooth and not too thick finish).  

Chicks :: The peeps were fun to assemble.  We had 4 packages of purple chicks, and we took them apart and attempted to roll them in the purple dust left behind, to cover up the white sides.  It worked well, but wasn't perfect.  We put them in plastic baggies and taped/tied them off so they would not go stale.  It was pretty quick and easy, and a great addition to the centerpieces   

Chocolate :: we also made purple hearts and flowers out of white chocolate to fill in gaps.  Worked out well and added nice contrasting colors.  

I carted everything from home disassembled, and then put them all together the night before the shower while on the tables.  They held up well and were LOVED!!  What people didn't eat, they took home, which was amazing!  :)


Shower Activities!!  

The momma - to - be did not want to play any traditional shower games, and as we had a short time frame (10a - 12), it didn't really matter.  But I was able to convince momma to do two activities:  advice for the momma to be, and a fun little diaper game where guests wrote funny quips on diapers to make momma's late night diaper changes funny and less stressful.  

Advice :: The note cards were placed on the plates, to add color to the somewhat bland room, and I had made them to fit into a 3x5 photo book so that there was a cute "book of advice" for the parents - to - be.  They guests loved giving advice and there were some very thoughtful insights into parenting, as well as some humor and some art from our younger guests!  

The Diaper Rhyme 

Diapers :: The guests also loved participating in the diaper activity and came up with some really cute quips.  Someone wrote "baby got back" on the back of one diaper, and another wrote "the diva demands!" and a third memorable one was "Mom!  Only 3,232,232 diapers until I am potty trained!"  It was quite fun, and gives the mom and dad - to - be a usable gift, which is always nice.  The table also was a cute addition to the decorating and the frame tied everything together.  




The Dessert Table!!  

It was freakin' adorable!  I made and frosted all the cupcakes (some of the ladies said they looked like they were professionally made... I was so flattered!), designed everything and made (most) of the cake stands, and used the cake pops and white chocolate pops as fillers.  

Spray Painting in Winter!

Cake stands ::  they were all dollar store or thrift store purchases (plates and funky cups/dessert bowls), which I spray painted with a frosted glass finish, before I spray painted them with color.  I assembled them after I spray painted (being sure to leave a perfect circle where my cups would attach), but based on my experiences  it could be assembled pre-paining as well.  I found doilies at the dollar store and was sure to put these on the top of the plates, to make sure the food wasn't tainted.  Not pictured was the one I did in pink so I could add a little pop!

Silverware as decorations :: To add more color and tie in the prints throughout the room, the silverware came into play!!  The pink silverware was leftover from a previous party, the basket I had, and the rest was from the dollar store!  It was simple to roll it up, and then tie them off with some cute ribbon or tulle.  It made a nice addition and was very little time and money to set up.  Once put on the table, it was just adorable.  

Welcome Baby 

Cupcake Liner and Note the Purple Chocolate

Cupcakes ::  I had made about sixty, even though we had 30 people slated for the party... I wanted to be sure I had enough, and I had baked them in white cupcake liners.  I used store bought cake mix (3 boxes at $.99 made for a good deal) and the frosting was butter-cream made from scratch.  I had mixed in varying amounts of food coloring into each batch of frosting, so the cupcakes all had slightly different shades of purple.  Once frosted, I put them in one of two fun cupcake papers, which really made the table come together.  I had also made a "Welcome Baby" decal on the computer, and after many attempts, made it exactly an inch and a half wide!  My mom had a scrapbook punch that size, and a scalloped one 2-inches wide, so I was able to quickly and easily make cupcake toppers!  They turned out beautiful and I so thankful to have my mom's help!

The HUGE Mantle!!

Nothing is worse than having a huge, manly mantle in the middle of a baby shower.  So, I tried to work with what I was given,... a few vases and a place to hang a wreath.  And I once again got busy at the dollar store!

The Masculine Fire Place Made Baby Cute

The Beautiful Wreath :: The dollar store had pool noodles - amazing!  So I got some purple and white tulle, I had some leftover pink tulle, and I got cutting and tying.  The problem:  you could see the blue of the noodle through the tulle... so I ended up using some of my leftover spray paint from the cupcake stands to coat the noodle, which made a bit of a mess (it kept flaking) but it worked out ok.  It basically ended up looking like a stripped tutu, and Daddykins said the middle looked empty (and he was right), so I got a letter T (for the baby's last name) from the craft store with the intention of painting it but ran out of time.  So I punched some paper out of paint samples, various scallop sizes, and quick pasted them on the T.  Looked adorable.  And I found small letters and bought "baby" and spray painted those pink and hung them on the side.  The process was pretty easy and quite fun, and turned out so cute!!  And doubles as a nursery decoration!

The Vases :: quick decorating = tulle bows.  Took less than 5 minutes for all of them and really pulled the room together.  Quite simple and earned a lot of compliments.  

The Diaper Table

The Remainder of the Party:

The dessert table from a distance

Puff Balls :: so cheap and easy.  Tissue paper fanned out with fun cut ends, scrapbook paper cut into strips then made into balls, and coffee filters stuck into a foam ball.  Tissue paper packs were less than a dollar each and if I cut them right, they made very different sizes and 2 for the price of 1, and I personally think the smaller ones turned out better.  They really tied the rooms together and they made the decorations.  It was quite simple and created a warmth and sense of welcoming.

The Food Table, prior to the food of course

  




The Banner :: I was so excited to make this - it was originally going to go over the present table, but once I figured out what the site looked like, it wasn't going to happen - and I wanted it to be cute, but not say "welcome baby" or anything like that since she wasn't actually going to be present!  So we opted for "For now in mommy's belly, forever in her heart" and I made each letter independently and used 3d glue stickers to give it a bit of a pop.  It was cuter in person and the picture below does not give it much justice.  



Other Pretty Shots ::

Dining Room Organization For Free

While our life might just be me and Daddykins, we have plenty of clutter, junk and our dining room table gets swallowed up on occasion when I get busy and going.  So, in my quest for an organized and efficient house, I tackled the dining room to the best of my abilities, while maintaining our budget.

First and foremost was the mail.  I do all I can to reduce the amount we get, but it still piles up after a few days and a small mess always leads to a bigger mess.  So to deal with our mail, I saved up cereal boxes from work and cut them at a cute angle and covered them with some leftover wrapping paper.  While the wrapping paper was a bit tricky with the slanted sides, they turned out really cute and are very helpful.  I had four and made the categories "bills," "coupons," "health," and "girls."  I file things as they come in and go through everything on Fridays and file it in a more permanent location. 

It may seem silly to file things twice, but I do not always have all my binders out at one time and this allows me to be quick about going through mail and making sure it gets to where it needs to be.  

The second pitfall of my dining room... the buffet, which houses all my gift wrapping supplies.  Silly, I know, but we have no extra dishes or linens, so putting bows and ribbons in there made sense when I had nowhere else for them to go.  But then I got more, and more, and more wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, tissue paper... you name it... and the drawers started exploding!  So I cleaned it out, threw away what I didn't want, and made what I had fit!  

Hopefully when Daddykins and I get our house, I will have my own craft room (or corner) and can make use of some dowels and boxes to make it slightly more functional.  But for now, and for my budget, this works!  

Vegan Lunches

Since Daddykins has decided to go vegan, I have been digging through my brain back to my college days, and unpacking some old favorites.  Now, I have never been one for tuna fish (ew, even when I ate meat as a kid), but Daddykins loves it, so I thought why not substitute a bean?  I didn't want it mushy, so I went with chick peas, because they don't mush unless you really really puree them.  

Better Than Tuna :) 

1/2 can of chickpeas 
1 stalk celery 
small bit of onion (if desired) 
Vegan mayo 
Salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning to taste 

Throw chickpeas, celery and onion in food processor  run until your preferred consistency, add in desired amount of mayo and spices!  Easy peasy!  

I eat mine on toast to give it more texture, and Daddykins says 'it really does taste like tuna... for the most part.' So I got approval for one vegan meal that isn't full of processed/prepackaged foods.  And it is relatively inexpensive, just like real tuna.  

Goin' Vegan!

Well, it has happened... the household is going vegan!  Gasp!  I honestly thought this day would never come (Daddykins loves his animal products), but I am super excited because I get to cook just one time per meal and I can eat all the old foods I love (tofu, tempeh, seitan) that I have foregone because of Daddykin's preferences!  It is going to be amazing!

Some major changes or areas of concern:


Finding Omega-3s....

• We found some at our local co-op that were made from flax seed oil, but the expensive      price ($10 for not even a month's supply) will have us searching for a better price online 

Ensuring enough B-vitamins... 

• We are not huge cereal eaters/energy drink consumers, and without any animal products, we opted for a vegan B-vitamin supplement that has good levels of all B-vitamins, especially 3, 6 and 12, so that we do not become deficient.

The debate on honey...

• Daddykins has decided that honey is ok, and so we will continue to use it.  I have not told him of white sugar yet, but will inform him soon enough. 

Finding real, vegan food, on $80 a week....

• Our food budget is set at $80 per week 
• Since the change, we have needed to add a number of things to our pantry (tofu, miso, new vitamins etc) and these things, while typically not a weekly charge, are adding up quickly 
• We are still not much into the processed foods, and this will remove us even further from it... although it is going to be VERY strange not to buy cheese every week!

Vegan-ism and Running...

• There are many many many amazingly good runners who live off a plant based diet and compete in ultra-running, and Daddykins is convinced this is the right dietary choice for him, but he has concerns about deficiencies/malnutrition, so he is continue to research the diet for himself.  (I assured him he would be fine as long as he ate protein and a wide variety of fruits/veggies)

Organization on a Dime!

One of my major goals this upcoming year is organization, while also maintaining a very strict budget... two things that don't always go together.  I have been on so many 'pre-made' websites, but they aren't exactly what I want/need, plus if I printed everything just to try it out (and figure out it didn't work), I would spend a small fortune on printer ink!  So, I thought of a way to organize my life, without expensive printer ink or fancy paper, and so far, it seems to be working for me!

What is it?

Simple:  card stock and post-it notes!  Some permanent markers to make the writing pop!


Reasons why it is working:

1. It is flexible 
• if I am done with a post-it note, I throw it away 
• if I have something important that needs immediate attention, I can move it to the top with ease 
• if I find I need a new category, I can make one, without having to go to my computer 
2. It is color coded to help me differentiate between categories 
3. It holds all the major/important things in my head in 4 highly organized pages 
4. I can easily see what needs to be done/what my goals are, which helps me stay on track 
5. It is on card stock, so I will be able to use the backing for quite some time 

Total cost: $0 (I had the materials on hand!!)

Vegan Crock Pot Meal - Lentil Chili-ish

This week is going to be very busy for us, between the New Year, working our normal schedules, still putting away Christmas stuff, and getting ready to have my future Mother In Law over for dinner on Tuesday... so I wanted to have a meal/snack ready for us whenever we got a bit hungry, but not wanting to ruin our healthy eating habits.  

A look in my pantry revealed that I had lentils, rice and sweet potatoes, and I managed to find celery, carrots, onion and two tomatoes - To the crock pot! 

Ingredients:

1 cup green lentils, rinsed well 

1/2 cup brown rice (not instant) 

1 large sweet potato - cut to 1 inch pieces 

1 large onion - diced 

1 celery stalk - diced 

2 tomatoes - diced 

1 carrot - cut into 1 inch pieces 

1 tsp garlic powder 

1 tsp black pepper 

1/2 tsp rosemary 

dash cayenne pepper 

dash turmeric 

dash cumin 

1 tsp vegan condensed vegetable stock 

~3 cu water (more if you are not checking on it all day)

Directions:

1. Throw all ingredients into crock pot!
2. I put mine on the high/4 hour setting, but I think it would be better cooked at 6 hours 
3. Monitor the water level, lentils and rice suck up a lot!

Makes about 6 servings.  For being a 'throw together meal' this was fantastic!  Really good with crunchy garlic bread or croutons!  The sweet potato was an amazing addition!  

A Wonderful New Year!

As Christmas is over and we are inching closer to the New Year, I have decided to take a bit of time to pen my goals/expectations for 2013.  Some of them are more personal than others, and some are just 'things I want to do.'  Most are aimed at saving money, being healthier and overall improving our lives, which in the middle of this awful winter is hard to do.  

My Goals/Expectations:

Health
During our annual health fair, I was told I have 'high cholesterol' which was befuddling to me, seeing as I have been a vegetarian for almost a decade.  Nevertheless, medication is not an option, so diet changes will have to do.  I fully intend to be vegan by May of 2013, while in the mean time, I have substantially lessened my dairy/egg intake and have been more aware of my cholesterol intake.  

Fitness
As Daddykins and I prepare for our wedding, I am working hard to return to my 'pre-dating' weight, and I will be continuing to work hard (even if I am discouraged by the total lack of weight loss week after week after week!).  I will be setting up a little area in our room to encourage before work workouts, and Daddykins and I will continue to frequent the gym regularly during the winter months.  One of our pups is old enough to run (longer distances), so come warm weather, I will be out with her, slow and ugly as my running might be.  My goal is to be down at least 30 pounds by the end of the year. :) 

Budget
For Daddykins and I to have a wedding, we require a house for our backyard affair, therefore a large chunk of 2013 will be be spent focusing on our budget, spending, income and for myself, trying to get a bit more income through 'at home' work.  Our goal is to save over $12,000 by December of 2013, as part of the down payment/closing costs on our house. 

Blogging
Although I just started this website, I hope to grow it into a useful/dependable site, like many of the awesome ones I see and rely upon daily for various things.  I hope to update it with useful posts at least twice a week, maybe even daily if it takes off enough.  I also hope to have photos in most of my posts, although I do not have a super fancy camera.  

Organization
My house is always in-flux it seems, with new furniture coming in, new pets coming in, people moving in and out, holding stuff in storage for some... it is messy.  And the beginning of my weeks are very busy between work schedules and finding time to cook, clean, etc.  So my goals as far as cleaning and organizing are concerned are:  Take 2 weeks to organize every room in the house (so in 14 weeks, I will have every room organized, with the basement and attic to be attended to once warmer weather hits), starting with the dining room (our main room of mess), and go from there.  I have created a 'what to clean when' chart, but have yet to find it useful as I cannot get through all of the clutter in my house!  

Vegan Crock Pot Meal - Potato Stew!!

I love, love, love stew... and although I have not eaten meat in almost 10 years, I still crave beef stew when it gets cooler out, so I make potato stew instead.  It is yummy, vegan and so easy that we eat it almost once a week in the winter!

I do not always follow a strict recipe.  To me, cooking is a combination of chemistry, art and a passion for feeding others.  So sometimes, I go with 'dash,' 'handful' or 'splash'... do what you think is best and what your family would like most.  

Potato Stew (in the crock pot):

Ingredients:

4 to 6 large red potatoes, washed and cut to ~2in x 2in pieces 
1 large onion, quartered (or smaller, depending on your texture tastes) 
4 to 5 large carrots, the fatter the better, washed and cut into 2 inch chunks 
3 to 4 celery stalks, washed and cut into 1 inch chunks 
Thyme 
Italian Seasoning
Sage
Black pepper 
Vegan stock (I use the brand Better than Bouillon)
1/2 container of Tofu (silken) 
Corn starch 

Directions:

1. Throw all ingredients into the crock pot, add about 6 cups of water (enough to cover the potatoes and veggies), with spices on top.  
2. Turn on crock pot to have it done cooking a half hour prior to dinner.  
3. If you will be 'setting it and forgetting it,' heat a cup of water in the microwave for about 2 min and stir in about a table spoon of broth, mix well and add to the stew.  If you will be supervising, add bouillon directly to stew after 2 hours, and stir well.  
4. A half hour before you are ready to eat, the stew should be finished. If you want a thicker stew, take a half cup of stew broth and put in a sauce pan.  Heat on medium low, and as it is rising to a boil, take a tablespoon of corn starch and add a small amount of water to make it a liquid (but not too thin).  Once broth is boiling, add corn starch slowly, while whisking quickly.  It will thicken as you continue to add the corn starch.  Once the broth has become thick and uniform, add it to the stew and stir, stir, stir!
5. If you would like a creamier stew, take half a container of silken tofu and a few tablespoons of water and blend it until smooth.  If you would like a more flavorful stew, you can add a teaspoon of broth to the tofu as you blend it.  Once blended, add to stew and stir, stir, stir.  
6. You can have both creamy and thick stew, or you can have a more soup like stew, up to you!  
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Very simple and delicious!  I usually serve with a fresh green salad and homemade whole wheat rolls!  Yumm!!     

A 'mostly' DIY Christmas!

In our house, we do not believe in anything religious, but we do believe in giving gifts and being with family.  

This year, our budget was tight and we still wanted to do some nice things for people. 

The 'smaller' gifts:

I had my aunts and uncles, grandparents, Daddykins' step siblings, and neighbors to give gifts to, and I had been busy all summer trying my hand at canning, so for presents, I made jelly/jams.

For 8 people:                                                                              

• they got 3 jars of jam each                                        $.66(jar)  ~$1 (jam) x3
• wrapped in bags (leftovers from a few years ago)            $0
• ribbons from the dollar store                                   $.33
• little plastic plates from the dollar store               $.13
• decorative fabric to top jelly jars                             $.16  x3
• and "care cards" that I made from old scraps     $0

  Total each:  $5.92

The smaller baskets, with the small plastic plate to keep the jars stable.  
I used old curling ribbon and scrapbook paper to decorate the jars.  

The 'bigger' gifts:

For the big gifts, I made the the 'couples' or dear friends presents that were a bit nicer and bigger than the smaller gifts.  

For my parents, Daddykins' parents, my sister and brother an law, and soon to be brother and sister in law, I made fun baskets.  We did baskets, but only had to buy 1 basket for these gifts.  Some baskets I was able to make one of the presents work as a "base" which worked out well.  

For 4 baskets:

• They each got 3 jars of jelly (no plastic plate needed)                               $5.97
• I crocheted each of the girls a scarf, with yarn bought on sale               $4.99
• and the boys got small presents, which averaged around $10 (with the exception of my step dad who threw my budget out the window, with his only request for a gift in 20 years)      $10.00

Total each:  20.96 each 

The basket for Daddykins' parents...
strawberry, raspberry and blueberry/cherry jam!

Some of the scarves I made, wrapped in ribbon or tulle, 
put in the baskets with the jelly and guy's gifts  

The tag on how to ensure food quality were 
included in the presents!

For my close girlfriends, they got scarves and jelly:

For 3 baskets: 

• They each got 3 jars of jelly (no plastic plate needed)                     $5.97
• I crocheted each of the girls a scarf, with yarn bought on sale     $4.99

Total each:  $10.96

Random Present Expenses:

• baskets                        $2 (dollar store) 
• basket fluff                $6 (dollar store)
• basket bags                $3 (dollar store)
• candy                           $5 (dollar store)
• wrapping paper        $3 (dollar store, recyclable) 
• 'pet gifts'                     $10 
• random stuff             $2
• 2 Thomas Puzzles    $2 (dollar store) 
• 1 Thomas DVD          $16

Total: $49

Total for 16 people:  $213.08