Happy 2015!

I hope you had a blessed, beautiful holiday season this year and that you are excited about 2015! I miss blogging. No grandiose visions of making money or having thousands of readers -- but written things. Writing usually equals having to think about things, and that has to be good for a person!

Since January is a great time to look over things that we'd like to change, I noticed about three things that intertwine with each other that I think I want to improve for me and this house this coming year: save money, be healthier, be greener. Yeah, I am sure these goals are pretty common and are also really, really vague. (I have specific steps in mind!)

But I like these three things because they are super interconnected. My thought process is that we save money when we don't have to keep buying things. Herp derp derp, everyone knows that. However, there are a lot of things that we don't realize we have to constantly refill and repurchase that we could easily replace with something that lasts. Most of those kinds of things things are everyday products that end up in the garbage, and then a landfill. We can also save money by taking the slow way of cooking rather than the quick way with processed, prepackaged foods, which also end up with a lot of trash!

Lots of things done just a little more slowly, the old-fashioned way, makes a huge difference.

Are you thinking of making some changes along these lines, too? Here are some of my favorite things that I found that you might like!

1. Planet Wise Reusable Snack Bags

Image from planetwiseinc.com

I find that I don't go through plastic zipper bags that fast since it's generally just a few people using them, but they still often hold a little bit of food or one toothbrush for travel, and then end up in the trash. These are really cute reusable snack bags (made in the U.S. -- awesome!) that you can use, throw in your washing machine in a cold wash, leave to dry, and use again! 

I had some Paypal money sitting around from using Smart App and Ibotta, so I grabbed a couple of these from Nicki's Diapers since through this retailer, they ship for free and you get reward points you can use later. 

Yes, it's primarily a cloth diaper store, but they also have other reusable home products that can help presently kid-free families (like us, obvi). And we plan on using cloth diapers someday when we do have kids because of the cheapness and environmental impact, so if you are going to be entering the world of parenting a baby anytime soon, that's something else you can totally look into to save money and be green! 

2. Topping Sweet Potatoes with... Everything

My sweet potato bounty!

Huh?

The inspiration came from this recipe for paleo pulled pork topped sweet potatoes. Now, I am not really a big believer in the paleo diet, per se, but this combo sounded SO GOOD. It got me thinking about what else you could put on a baked sweet potato. Maybe some kind of cordon bleu with chicken, ham, and swiss? A Mexican style topping of ground turkey, salsa, cheese and sour cream?

Sweet potatoes are a whole food packed with nutrients. They also happen to be pretty cheap and filling, and last a while if you store them in a cool, dark place. Incorporating them into more dinners by sweet potato-fying your regular casseroles and crockpot meals is smart for your health and wallet. 

3. Grocery Shopping with a System EVERY Time

Me, in the college days, holding a leek at Publix. Why? I don't know. My bangs were also turnt up due to the Florida humidity that I don't miss. This just fits the grocery shopping theme, I guess? I miss being that tan. :'(

I am far from a crazy coupon lady. We don't get any newspapers, for starters, so we don't get coupons in the mail -- just printing them once in a while or using them exclusively in an online format. The stockpiling and clearing out entire stores that you see on TV isn't what I am interested in for a few reasons:

A. Too much time

B. Too much effort

C. Too much shame (I am a major people-pleaser and I can't stand taking up tons of time in line!)

D. Too much junk food that I don't want to eat

The last point is probably the biggest one -- you usually can't use coupons to save on fresh fruits and veggies. They often are for things such as sugary cereal, which we really don't eat even when we have it, so it'd be a waste. (Although if Oreo O's came back, this would be a totally different story. Dlahsdlifhalisudhf crying.)

And we're trying to eat healthier, so how do you get fresh and better foods on a budget?

I've already blogged before about what I usually do here, but I realized that a gap in my system is menu planning. This is huge. Being realistic about what I have time and energy to cook, and what we will really like is key. Will it make good leftovers that we actually want to eat? Does it reheat well? What sides go with the main entreés we like? Can the ingredients for these sides be used in other sides later in the week? 

It may take time to see how best to plan menus for you, after seeing what leftovers you really don't want to eat or what groceries are going bad before you can use them again. Set up multiple reminders to bring leftovers to lunch the next day, or when certain things in the fridge go bad so you can use them up! 

And when you plan that menu, save that money. Then, proceed to drop the mic.

4. Mrs. Meyer's Hand Soap

Image from mrsmeyers.com. Drool. This scent is one of my faves. Thanks to my brother for introducing this stuff to me.

Although this truth might not seem to jive with the other things I talk about, you need to know: I am extremely biased against all things "crunchy," or hippie. 

How can this be? I bought reusable snack bags!

I will never go "no poo" and wash my hair with vinegar. I prefer using over-the-counter medicine for sickness over teas and garlic. I think that essential oils are mostly voodoo science. I will not give up my Urban Decay eyeshadows and start making them out of cocoa powder or whatever. (You're totally free to disagree with any of the above, by the way!)

My point: yo no soy hippie.

However, if there is a more eco-friendly alternative with more natural ingredients -- that doesn't smell like vinegar, and actually works -- I want to switch. There are some chemicals that I don't love having on my skin if I can help it. 

Here is where Mrs. Meyer's joins the party. The scents are so, so excellent; I love Basil, Peony, and Iowa Pine the most. The fragrances are from essential oils, which is still OK by me as long as no one tells me to start rubbing it on my feet to cure the flu. The other ingredients are more natural. And it works like regular ol' soap.

They also have laundry detergent, dish soap, and other products that are earth friendly! I feel the best use of my money is investing in the soap since it has the most direct contact with skin, so that's the only thing I buy from them right now. Grab some at Target or Meijer sometime and enjoy smelling your hands over and over without realizing it. (Meijer had an mPerk coupon one time for them to be BOGO, which is a killer deal, by the way!)

5. Handwash, Handwash, Handwash!

Ever since moving to Michigan... I have finally been able to indulge myself in my love of graphic sweaters without shame.

I have been über guilty of this, but I used to just chuck everything into the washing machine and be done. On the bright side, when I did this, it was with all my college student-era clothes, which tended to be on a college student budget, so nothing made out of silk or wool. Wool? In Florida? Who are we kidding?

Now that I've hit the middle part of my 20's, I've invested in a few somewhat higher quality things, such as nicer undergarments, blouses, and sweaters. The sticker shock can turn some people away from spending more on clothes, but if they are made better and taken care of, then they will last ages longer than the typical Rue21 or Wet Seal stuff, thus saving you money! And you'll look good, too.

Delicate items deserve to be washed by hand. Some people find it time-consuming and a pain, but for some reason, I have found it highly gratifying since I recently started. I like knowing that the items I really like and invested money into are going to look good. 

Good ol' Woolite does a great job, but if you're really going for the budget option, use baby shampoo! It is gentle and gets things nice and clean. Or, hey -- I bet my buddy Mrs. Meyer would do a good job. Turn items inside out and soak them in warm water with your cleanser mixed in, and then massage the pieces, focusing on the areas where you might sweat the most. Rinse with cold water, and lay on a towel and roll up your garment to get the excess water out. Hang to dry and you're good to go! (Ikea has awesome little octopus hanging racks that will work great!)

Whew. These are a few little things I've incorporated to get us closer to living the kind of life that we want, with more money in the bank, healthier bodies, and a healthier planet. Mind, none of these things should be idolized! They are good things, but not the greatest thing. 

Make plans to know God more this year, and love Him more deeply. Everything else should just point to Him, as we steward what He's given us in the wisest way possible. I should post later as well about what practical steps I am taking to do just that.

What goals do you have as this year starts off fresh? What tiny steps will you take to get you started? What bigger steps should follow? What inspires you?

Kicking off the new year with you,

- Lara

The Queen of Food and Money

Hello, blog!

I am writing this post solely out of the overflowing glee I experienced today after scoring some outrageously good deals grocery shopping, and the desire to share some discoveries I've made -- especially in the world of shopping at Meijer and Aldi. (I have a deep-seated hatred of Kroger, so I'm sorry, but I will be of no assistance there.)

I know, really thrilling stuff, right?

But meal planning, bargain hunting, grocery shopping, and recipe testing are all things I like that hold hands and become part of my foodie life. I LOVE food. I love cooking and baking. And, I love saving money so I can buy more sweaters and handbags save it up for the future like a responsible adult.

Anyway, if you ever struggle to know where to start with saving money at the grocery store (extreme couponing is too stressful), here's what I do. You might like it and find it's not so horrible and time-consuming!

1. Check Ibotta, Checkout 51, and Shopmium.

Okay, first you might need to download them. These apps are all available for the iPhone; I believe they're all available for Android, too. The awesome things about them:

• They're FREE!!!!!!!
• They give you FREE MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!
• They're easy!

I know that it sounds too good to be true, but I believe they make their money through the advertising that brands and companies get by offering rebates on them. Ibotta gives you stores that you can shop from to obtain the rebates while Checkout 51 will give you a rebate no matter where you shop, which is BALLIN' if you go to Aldi, because it's already cheap and they don't take any coupons anyway.

Each app has a bunch of rebate offers that change periodically, some products just generic (like a jug of any brand of milk or apples) and some that are brand specific (like Doritos). The app gives you instructions, but you essentially take pictures of your receipt with the phone camera in the app and select which rebates you are claiming that are on the receipt and send it. That's it! They'll let you know when it goes through, and your money will be in the account! Checkout 51 sends you a check when you reach $20 and Ibotta & Shopmium can either put it into Paypal for you or send you a giftcard.

So when I start planning meals and shopping for the week, I look at these apps first to see if there's anything I would use on there and plan around those things.

2. Check mPerks and see what rewards and coupons there are.

If you haven't heard of mPerks at Meijer, you will go nuts when you find out how easy it is to use and help you save. It's basically an account where you can clip online coupons and also put purchases towards rewards for even more savings (such as getting $5 off your next trip if you spend $30 on deli products one month). 

The awesome part about it is that they have MOST coupons that you'd find on coupons.com, but instead of having to print them out, you just punch in your phone number at the Meijer cash register and your PIN that you make up, and it automatically applies all the coupons you've clipped! Woop woop, run on, sistah!

ESPECIALLY clip coupons for things like salads, or other produce/deli perishables. Meijer almost always has some things like salad mix, potato salad, and cheese in that whole area of the store marked down because they will expire sooner than the others. There will be a huge orange sticker that tells you 20% or 40% off because it needs to be used soon! I got a really fancy Asian chopped salad today for about a dollar because of a $1.00 mPerks coupon and 40% off because it needs to be eaten by tomorrow. And it will. Mwahaha.

3. Check the ad circulars super fast.

It seems like a pain to do this, but I just go on both Meijer & Aldi's websites and look at the deals that week. If any line up with coupons or rebates that I have saved -- and are also things that we will actually use -- then I put that on my shopping list and high five myself! And then if there are any other crazy deals that I want to take advantage of, I make note of that, too, so I don't forget to go down those aisles when I get to the store. (I'm notorious for forgetting to look at any frozen food unless I write it down because it's just darn cold over there.) 

If you aren't far away from each store you want to go to, it's also handy to see where to get certain things. This week, Meijer had no deals on avocados -- they were about $1.50 each! Ugh! But Aldi had them for $0.60 each, so I decided not to impulse buy them at Meijer just because they sounded good. Cheap guacamole for all!

4. Make your list.

I just use the notes app on my phone. I write down everything I plan on getting and how much they should cost, if I know what that is, to get an idea of how much I am spending. Then you know what your wiggle room is when you spy some of those Brookside dark chocolate pomegranate candies that you compulsively grab when you see them. (Duh, they are the best.)

OPTIONAL -- I also take screenshots from the apps where my rebates and coupons are, just in case my phone reception is awful in a store and I want to check if there's a certain size of coffee creamer or tub of cottage cheese I have to buy to meet the requirements for the deal.

5. Get your reusable shopping bags and a quarter ready.

If you haven't shopped at Aldi before, first of all...

...get thee to an Aldi immediately. 

Your brain will probably explode from all the awesome stuff they have in their own store brands for ridiculously cheap prices. Their produce has been hit or miss sometimes but they are improving a lot. However, you need a quarter to stick in the shopping cart -- which you do get back when you hook it back up to the other carts -- and your own bags save you money since you have to pay for bags at the store. I have a few of those thermal bags as well to keep cold foods cold, which is super nice when you go to a few stores in one trip and don't want all your refrigerated and frozen goods to be all melted and sweaty when you come home at the end.

6. Hit the store.

Don't forget to punch in your mPerks info on the little screen at Meijer when you check out, and don't forget to hang onto your receipts for when you get home and redeem all your sweet app rebates!

7. Dance because you are the queen/king of food and money.

It goes without saying!

For about $50 this week, I got bratwurst, stew meat, pitted dates, tomatoes, bananas, green beans, broccoli, strawberries, two salad mixes, pumpkin beer, organic veggie chips, goat cheese, fresh mozzarella cheese, natural coffee creamer, the list goes on and on... I am probably a little too pleased with myself, but we are eating really good this week for crazy cheap without spending hours clipping coupons and checking out at the store with four separate transactions.

Speaking of which, I ALWAYS END UP BEHIND THOSE PEOPLE AT THE STORE. It's some kind of curse. No offense if you do that, I just have bad luck and always find you. 

Anywho, planning to write more interesting things again besides boring ol' groceries, but in the mean time, I hope you at least try Ibotta or those other apps! They are a lot of fun and you can't beat even more money in your wallet!

Love, Lara

Web Wins

I used to feel guilty about spending so much time on Pinterest. I probably should still feel a little guilty about spending so much time on Pinterest -- you ultimately end up spending hours finding things that you likely will not look at ever again, much less attempt to cook, build, or style in real life. BUT! Sometimes there are gems on there that are well worth the discovery that you say to yourself, if I hadn't lied on the couch all morning in my U of M sweatpant capris on my laptop, I would've missed on on this.

My primary obsession with DIY's and making things from scratch is not really to be all-natural or anything like that. Although I do greatly appreciate knowing what ingredients are in something I'm eating, if you leave a plate of the chemical storms of horror that I am sure Oreos are in front of me, I will eat them and not think twice. The driving goal behind my missions is to save money. Some things are such a ripoff that it drives me absolutely crazy. We get the bill at a restaurant like Longhorn and I about faint, because that chicken and rice was not worth that much, let alone some beers.

I am all about saving money! Then I can buy more stuff for me that's fun! :) Right, Darin?!?!?

THE BEST FINDS THIS SUMMER

1. Peasant Bread

I am in disbelief at how beautifully this bread turned out. It was so mega easy that I can actually see myself making it on a semi-regular basis for our ordinary bread usage -- sandwiches, toast, anything. You don't have to knead it, and and if you stick the dough in a Pyrex bowl, it can rise and bake in it without any fuss. It was way tastier than I had imagined. Try slicing it up and serving with this outrageously delicious and simple feta dip. These two recipes comprised my dinner last Sunday all by themselves. If you are not culinarily blessed -- try this bread! It's almost foolproof!

A nice buttery, crispy crust!

2. Homemade Laundry Detergent

Way back in the winter time, I made my own powder laundry detergent. And it sucked. I probably should have put all of it in a food processor or blender to make the particles smaller, but I was afraid of my smoothies tasting like baking soda for the rest of my life and left the mix as it was. Chunks of soap would keep not dissolving in the wash (especially since I like a cooler wash to save energy) and would subsequently melt in the dryer and just be a big fat mess. Lame. Luckily, I found this alternative recipe for homemade liquid laundry detergent!

The best choice was buying Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. I hadn't heard of it until I read this method of making detergent -- it's a really neat company that is fair trade and has all-natural ingredients. And this huge bottle was under $15.00. The amount of soap I used for my huge batch of detergent was like, two tablespoons. I found it at Meijer, so I guess it's pretty mainstream now and at most regular stores.

(Pic from Amazon where you can buy it as well)

I poured my detergent mix in a huge Tupperware bin and just give it a good shake before scooping a cupful into the washing machine, and there you have it! Saving mega dollars and no dyes or irritating stuff, in case you have people with sensitive skin in your life. I feel like a pioneer when I use it and that works for me.

3. Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

Now there is no way to make alfredo sauce with healthier ingredients that won't sacrifice taste a bit. Accepting that fact, I gave the above recipe a try and was really, really pleasantly surprised at how good it was. If you are okay with the mild taste of cauliflower, this sauce is really good! I found myself tasting it over and over when it was heating up just because I straight up liked it. 

I melted a good bit of parmesan cheese into it and mixed it up with some tricolor pasta and grilled chicken and Darin ate it, so that's a healthy meal success in my book! But this sauce's tour de force for me is as the sauce on a healthy pizza. OH MY GOSH! I had it for dinner tonight and it was every bit as satisfying as a real white sauce pizza. I toasted a healthy flatbread (this kind from Aldi, which is really really tasty) and put my cauliflower sauce on, and some chicken and a half cup of mozzarella cheese, and had an awesome under-400-calories dinner that I couldn't even finish.

Melty goodness with pesto chicken on top. 

4. How to Shave Your Legs Less

Yes, please. Where was this tutorial in February where our bathroom was so cold that I chose not to get razor burn from all my goosebumps and just my leg forests thrive? (Ew, sorry that I wrote that.) I only tried the first step, and rubbed my St. Ives Apricot Scrub on my legs and rinsed it off before shaving, and HOLY WOW did it make a difference. So soft and fancy. I am now on an exfoliation mission -- it probably solves many other skin woes. This was one of the few beauty/health tricks I've encountered that actually worked in a noticeable way, not just a placebo effect. I think? Maybe I'm losing it.

Nevertheless, give these four Pinterest discoveries a try. 

Now enjoy photos of what we have been up to lately. 

In my opinion, a sweet shot of the Ambassador Bridge as Darin and I locate a certain rum that my dad wanted that we could only find across the border.

Darin and I enjoyed a nice shower at DTE Energy Music Theater (or Pine Knob, if you prefer) to watch Dave Matthews Band.

Our view from our room at the wonderful Yorkburg Manor Bed & Breakfast. I seriously loved this place. 

Happy to have arrived after a painful, painful many miles over hot sand dunes.

Love the photobomb of my sandal in my hand.

Lake Michigan is very pretty... and very freezing.

Sleeping Bear Dunes is a neat place. I highly recommend not trekking across them to the beach -- next time I will be content to roll down them like the little kids do.

It was sweet to get some fresh air on our anniversary in Williamsburg & Traverse City. We had a great time! 

Homesteadin' in the D

Happy Sunday, friends! I love this day of the week, even though Darin has to work for most of it (fortunately, not during church!). This morning, though, we woke up really late from our night downtown! It was poppin' in Detroit from the Tigers game and we got home a bit late...

Fall is definitely going on up here already. The high has been in the 50's all weekend, and the trees are looking so good. Darin's birthday is coming up, and I start my new job tomorrow! All in all, I'd say that this season has always been my favorite for good reason!

Lately, we've been doing two things in particular: watching The Walking Dead on Netflix and making fall goodies in the kitchen. Oh em geeeee, that show is out of control. It stresses me out to no end. While we were on a Breaking Bad kick, at least I didn't really care what happened to any characters. But with The Walking Dead, they are seriously doing everything they can to give me heart attacks.

However, the fall harvest is a lot more productive and exciting! One of the many things I am loving about fall in Michigan is the apple-calypse. I hear the crop was lacking this year, but I have been picking up bag after bag of Michigan apples.

I pored over a few slow cooker applesauce recipes and decided on using about three pounds of Gala apples and two tablespoons of brown sugar, as well as half a cup of water, and then letting them cook on low for 8-ish hour, or on high for 4-ish hours. After all that time, they fell apart so much that mashing them wasn't really necessary. Stirring them hard with a wooden spoon, as well as cutting some of the skins apart -- which I left in, for vitamins and ease, and it worked great -- did all the mashing needed. And, voila! I had applesauce! It would so good hot on vanilla ice cream, or cold like we usually eat it. Darin loved it too!

The best part is that it is SO healthy! The tiniest bit of brown sugar enhances the natural sweetness of the apples. I think the slow cooker does a great job of keeping the flavor locked in as the apples break down and dissolve.

Now, today's adventure was a little beyond anything I've attempted before... apple butter! I've had it at Cracker Barrel, I've seen it at TJ Maxx, I love it. It tastes like the essence of what apple should be. And, thanks for the millionth time to Pinterest, I saw the slow cooker version that would push me to making it on my own!

This was my inspiration: Slow Cooker Naked Apple Butter at Oh She Glows. Her recommendation is adding no sugar at all, making the healthiest and most natural apple butter possible. I went out and bought a decent variety of apples, following her advice of going half tart and half sweet. I got pounds and pounds of Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala, and Jonathan apples to balance out the flavors, and then chopped them up and overstuffed the slow cooker, and set it to go on high for 4 hours. I used my immersion blender to blend it to death, until it was chunk free and smooth as velvet. Even at that point it tasted amazing.

I added a tablespoon of brown sugar just for my taste, and a squirt of lemon juice and a good dash of cinnamon. I let it keep going for another hour to thicken up. 

It is the most heavenly thing I've ever cooked in my life. Even compared to my favorite mint chocolate chip cake. Sweet Lord. This is an inexpensive homemade concoction you've got to try! I can't wait to make biscuits and smother them with this stuff!

Today's try was just to see how it turned out, but next time I'm putting my new canning water bath to work! Thanks Amazon gift card! Hope y'all like apples, because these may be my gifts of choice to give from now on... Anyways, happy fall and October, friends! I know my Floridian friends aren't getting much of that yet, but for us here in Michigan, I hope you're having as much fun as I am!

Love, Lara

A snapshot of the beauty in our neighborhood. Love ya, October!

Grad Party

Well... the big news of the day is that I am an official USF GRADUATE! WOOHOO!!!!!!! Oh, praise the Lord for giving me this education and the ability to do what I did.

Yesterday was a lot of fun. My family (Dad, Mom, brother Robbie) drove from Orlando and attended. I have to say, USF has graduation commencement ceremonies down to a science and an art. I got there and was handed my card with my name, and could sit wherever I wanted. They ran it like clockwork. I guess you really have to economize when you have about 6,000-8,000 students graduating each spring. My particular commencement had about 780 students (USF puts on several each semester divided by degree). Lo and behold, despite writing my name phonetically on the card as instructed, it was still read wrong -- Lay-ruh, my patooty -- and made no mention of being in the Honors College. Oh well. I was Summa Cum Laude which I did not realize until I looked in the program. Nothing to complain about! I am finished, and that is that. :)

Tomorrow we are throwing a little graduation party at our apartment for friends still in Tampa to come hang out. Since I've got nothing better to do today, I'm getting started on our menu of snacks. Here is our delightful lineup:

• Mint Chocolate Chip Cake -- I wanted something green in honor of USF and this sounds to die for. Almost all our recipes we can thank Pinterest for.
• Tortellini Skewers with Pesto Dipping Sauce -- ummm, yum. And not hard! Inspired by a wedding appetizer.
• Chips & Salsa -- you know, always a good party food.
• Shrimp & Cocktail Sauce -- usually I don't bother with things like meat at parties because it's so expensive, but there's a bag of shrimp in the freezer I bought a few months ago and completely forgot I had. Time to use it up before I go!
• Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip -- easy peasy, I have everything on hand for this! Perhaps I can get some friends to bring apple wedges or graham crackers? I will also whip some coconut milk and add cinnamon for another nice fruit topping.
• Ginger Lime Iced Tea -- this one is so easy and so good, an idea thanks to my daddio. Make a gallon of unsweetened tea and throw in some sliced ginger while it's hot to infuse the flavor. Then add limeade concentrate a bit at a time until you like the sweetness and flavor. Tadaa! It's amazing.
• "Girl Scout Punch" -- at least, that's what I associate it with. Putting scoops of sherbet into ginger ale in a punchbowl is what I remember from Girl Scout ceremonies as our drink. Still love the sugary wonderfulness.

There might be more if we think of it, but not a bad spread for some college girls, right? My two roomies and I each paid about $13.00 and used stuff we had in our kitchen for ages to make this snazzy menu.

This afternoon I've been making tons of tea and cooked the tortellini so it can be ready to skewer up tomorrow. As soon as I discover the fate of my round cake pan, the mint chocolate chip cake can be on its way! MAN, it sounds so good I can't stand it. Tomorrow is not a day people should miss.

Congratulations to everybody who is finishing up school this year, and for the rest of you, press on!

Love, Lara