Monthly Archives:

September 2014

Fall Cookie & Dessert Share-Fest: Spooktacular Boo-Berry Halloween Muffins!

 

Good morning, savvy savers! As I have shared last week, I will be incorporating my Merry Monday Cookie and Share-Fest posts, into my month-long Halloween Fall Post Series! Please note, stating with next week’s Merry Monday Linky Party, there will be an iLinz link-up so you will be able to share you best holiday fare as well! This week I am sharing one of my families favorites, my recipe for a truly spooktacular Halloween Breakfast treat, my healthy, low-amylose-friendly Boo- Berry Breakfast Muffins:

 

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose, gluten-free coconut flour
3/4 cup Truvia Baking Blend
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 large organic egg
1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Teaspoon dried orange bits
1 cup blueberries

 

Instructions:

1) Heat oven to 400 degrees

2) Next, combine flour, 3/4 cup of the Truvia, baking powder and the salt in a large bowl with a whisk. Whisk at least 10 times to make sure the baking powder and salt have evenly dispersed.

3) Add vegetable oil to a measuring glass.

4) Add the egg to the measuring glass, and incorporate; while incorporating add your vanilla extract.

5) Add milk mixture to the bowl with flour and sugar then use a fork to combine. Do not over mix.

6) Fold in your berries and orange bits.

7) Divide batter between 12 muffin cups. As I am using silicone, you will not need to use liners (unless giving to others), or add water to the bottom of your muffins.

8) Bake muffins 15 minutes or until tops are no longer wet and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out with crumbs, not wet batter.

9) Once done, tip your Cupcake Molds on its side, and your muffins will simply fall out!

10) Transfer muffins to a cooling rack and cool completely.

11) To store muffins, place them in a plastic bag, seal, and store at room temperature for up to 2 to 3 days, or freeze tightly wrapped for up to 3 months.

 

These muffins, adorned with cute black and orange pieces, are full of healthy omega-3’s, fiber, and protein! These muffins are the best! Stay tuned to next week for another healthy dessert option! Also, be sure to check out the recipes the other hosts will be posting, here! Enjoy!

 

Weekly Menu: Feeding A Family of 4, For Only $29.73 This Week!

Rookno17_vintage_weekly_menu_food_clipart-1

 

 

Happy Sunday, savvy savers! This week is starting off to a sunny start here in Dixie. Thankfully, this weeks menu is going to be a breeze, and consists of Cupboard Clearing ideas, so stepping out to the market is not necessary! I am cooking and prepping solely from what is in my deep freeze pantry, and stockpile this week! Without further ado, here is my weekly menu, for which was derived from couponing deals, freebies, and cupboard cooking; I will be feeding a family of four this week for only $22.79!

Please note: this week and subsequent weeks thereafter will start reflecting my new Amylose, low-insulin dieting options; this diet also reflects options suitable for my PCOS diagnosis.

This week we will be having:

Monday
Breakfast: Turkey, low-fat Mozzarella, and Spinach Omelette, with Green Tea.
Lunch: Turkey and Cheese rounds, with celery, and Crystal Light.
Snack: Almonds, Gala Apple Slices, and String Cheese.
Dinner: Crockpot Three Bean Chili, cooked with Boca Crumbles, with Diet Cola.
Dessert: Sugar-Free Dulce de Leche Cups.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Green Tea and Strawberry Smoothie; made with Truvia.
Lunch: Freezer Cooking Beef and Turnip Stew, and Crystal Light.
Snack: Strawberries and String Cheese.
Dinner: Taco Roll-ups; in lieu of taco shells I use Romaine Lettuce Sheets.
Dessert: Gluten-Free Brownies.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Baked Frittata Cups, with Unsweetened Almond Milk.
Lunch: Taco Salads, with crystal light.
Snack: Grapes and apple slices.
Dinner: Crockpot Chicken Curry, steamed peas, and crystal light.
Dessert: Homemade Gluten-Free  Truvia brownies.

Thursday
Breakfast: Homemade Greek Yogurt, with fruit cup, and Unsweetened Almond milk.
Lunch: Tossed Salad with Turkey, light vinaigrette, and Crystal Light.
Snack: Grapes and apple slices.
Dinner: Grilled Turkey Burger Patties, Bakes Squash Slices,  with Crystal Light.
Dessert: Brownie flurries with leftover brownies; we use Edy’s Sugar-Free Ice Cream.

Friday
Breakfast: Turkey, Cheese, and Egg Scramble, with Unsweetened Apple Juice.
Lunch: Tossed salad, with walnuts, grapes, and  homemade Greek Yogurt dressing.
Snack: Strawberries and two pieces of Sugar Free Chocolate; candy is used as melted drizzle for berries.
Dinner: Barbecue Pork, Steamed Green Beans, Quinoa, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Diet Coca-Cola slushies.

Saturday
Breakfast: Omelettes with sausage, and milk.
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad, and Crystal Light.
Snacks: String Cheese and grapes.
Dinner: Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry, Quinoa, and lemonade.
Dessert: Sugar-Free Dulce de Leche Cups.

Sunday
Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs, with Unsweetened Almond Milk.
Lunch: Grilled Andouille Sausage, Steamed Broccoli, and Crystal Light.
Snack: Grapes and walnuts.
Dinner: Crockpot Orange Chicken with Almonds, Steamed Snow Peas, and crystal light.
Dessert: Fresh Fruit Smoothies.

Enjoy the ideas!

Goals For The Week Ahead!

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Hello again, savvy savers! I wanted to end my weekly posts by bring the week to a close with a post about the reflections on this past week.

 

The highs for the week:

  • Trying to expand my family!
  • Organizing my kitchen; somehow purging this one room seems the most drastic for me.
  • Continuing a daily devotional.
  • Saving $48.00 on my groceries; this allowed me to only spend $14.56 on groceries this week!
  • My new hair cut! I cut and donated a foot and a half of hair yesterday, and it was so freeing!
  • Attending a local historic league cemetery tour!
  • Being a co-host for the Merry Monday Linky Party! 

 

My lows for the week:

  • The outdoors being so humid its hard to breath outdoors; I have seasonal allergies and asthma.

 

My quote for the week:

“Though she may be small, she is fierce.” -A Midsummer Nights Dream, Act 3, Scene 2; William Shakespeare

 

My inspiration for the week:

Being able to cut my home phone and cable, and while I am still finalizing he details of adding other forms of services, I have found that I can now watch more shows, and save $160.00 a month doing so!

 

Goals For The Coming Week:

  • Walk 3 1/2 mile daily.
  • Finish my Motivated Moms Planner Chores daily.
  • Read for 1 hour.
  • Prepare three recipes and a freezer cooking session for the blog one day this week.
  • Finish an upcycled projects to post to the blog.
  • Sleep eight hours a night.

 

What are your goals for the week, I’d love to hear them below in a comment!

 

Happy Sunday!

Misty

Check Out The Giveaways Tab On The LadyPrefers2Save!

Hello again, savvy savers! I just wanted to post a notice reminding everyone to check out The LadyPrefers2Save Giveaway tab on the blog! Weekly we typically have 2-3 giveaways, contests, and promotional offers going, and I would like to encourage all of my readership to enter for their chance to win a myriad of fun prizes, products, and gift-cards! To check out these giveaways, click here! 

Gardening Update 9/2814: Chrysanthemum Time!

Gardening-On-a-Budget-Homesteading-and-Health

 

Hello again, savvy savers! this weekend is a very, very slow weekend in my garden. The humidity of late summer is in full force, and my husband and I are spending double duty on nightly watering sessions for out gardens, flower beds, and hanging garden areas; we have switched our attentions from perseverance to full on preservation, in hopes of salvaging as many perennial plants as possible going into the next season.

 

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However, one area of garden happiness for me this week is that my discounted chrysanthemums, purchased from Walmart last Autumn for $0.50 a plant, have doubled in size and are starting to bloom for the fall, and within the next month will be gorgeous; I planted the bed in rotating patterns of orange, yellow, and white to mimic candy corn! For those with mums planted in-ground, early August is the time to stop plucking blooms off of plants, start concentrated feedings, add new mulch, and let the growing season commence for your mums!

Here’s to gardening until next week!

Tutorial Tuesdays: DIY Hand Sanitizer, $0.15 A Bottle!

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Hello again, savvy savers! Today I want to share with you my recipe for DIY Aloe Vera Hand Sanitizer! I often make this formula in large batches, a bath for each bathroom, kitchen, and work rooms. I can make a 2 cup bottle for only $0.15, a savings of $2.00 a bottle at my local Walmart!; I purchase Aloe Vera gel at my local Dollar Tree, or use aloe gel from my succulents at home. I purchase my essential oils via Amazon.com using earned gift cards online, as well.  I make my blend with all natural ingredients, and find that this blend is the most gentle sanitizer I have used to date!

Here’s how I make it:

  1. Add the following ingredients into a bowl; 2 cup Aloe Vera gel, 2 cup witch hazel, 4 drops of each oil, Tea tree oil, lavender oil, and clove oil.
  2. Gently fold the ingredients together.
  3. Let the blend rest in a bowl for 10 minutes,
  4. This recipe will fill six hand-soap bottles, or 24-pocket-size bottles.
  5. This blend will last indefinitely on counters.
  6. Enjoy!

 

Weekly Menu: Feeding A Family of 4, For Only $22.79 This Week!

Rookno17_vintage_weekly_menu_food_clipart-1

Happy Sunday, savvy savers! This week is starting off to a sunny start here in Dixie. Thankfully, this weeks menu is going to be a breeze, and consists of Cupboard Clearing ideas, so stepping out to the market is not necessary! I am cooking and prepping solely from what is in my deep freeze pantry, and stockpile this week! Without further ado, here is my weekly menu, for which was derived from couponing deals, freebies, and cupboard cooking; I will be feeding a family of four this week for only $22.79!

Please note: this week and subsequent weeks thereafter will start reflecting my new Amylose, low-insulin dieting options; this diet also reflects options suitable for my PCOS diagnosis.

This week we will be having:

Monday
Breakfast: Turkey,low-fat Mozzarella, and Bacon Omelette, with Natural, Unsweetened Apple Juice
Lunch: Pepperoni and Cheese rounds, with celery, and Crystal Light.
Snack: Almonds, Grapes, and String Cheese.
Dinner: Crockpot Ham and Cabbage, and Cauliflower Au Gratin, with Diet Cola.
Dessert: Sugar-Free Dulce de Leche Cups.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Strawberry Smoothie; made with Truvia.
Lunch: Freezer Cooking Turkey Chili Cups, and Crystal Light.
Snack: Grapes and String Cheese.
Dinner: Taco Roll-ups; in lieu of taco shells I use Romaine Lettuce Sheets.
Dessert: Gluten-Free Key Lime Cookies.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Baked Frittata Cups, with Unsweetened Almond Milk.
Lunch: Taco Salads, with crystal light.
Snack: Grapes and apple slices.
Dinner: Crockpot Chicken Curry, steamed peas, and crystal light.
Dessert: Homemade Gluten-Free  brownies.

Thursday
Breakfast: Homemade Greek Yogurt, with fruit cup, and Unsweetened Almond milk.
Lunch: Tossed Salad with Turkey, light vinaigrette, and Crystal Light.
Snack: Grapes and apple slices.
Dinner: Grilled Turkey Burger Patties, Squash and Zucchini Shish Kabobs,  with Crystal Light.
Dessert: Brownie flurries with leftover brownies; we use Edy’s Sugar-Free Ice Cream.

Friday
Breakfast: Turkey, Cheese, and Egg Scramble, with Unsweetened Apple Juice.
Lunch: Tossed salad, with walnuts, grapes, and  homemade Greek Yogurt dressing.
Snack: Strawberries and two pieces of Sugar Free Chocolate; candy is used as melted drizzle for berries.
Dinner: Barbecue Pork, Baked Butternut Squash Pasta, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Diet Coca-Cola slushies.

Saturday
Breakfast: Omelettes with sausage, and milk.
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad, and Crystal Light.
Snacks: String Cheese and grapes.
Dinner: Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry, Quinoa, and lemonade.
Dessert: Sugar-Free Dulce de Leche Cups.

Sunday
Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs, with Unsweetened Almond Milk.
Lunch: Grilled Andouille Sausage, Steamed Broccoli, and Crystal Light.
Snack: Grapes and walnuts.
Dinner: Crockpot Orange Chicken with Almonds, Steamed Snow Peas, and crystal light.
Dessert: Fresh Fruit Smoothies.

Enjoy the ideas!