Search Results for “budget” – Page 8

Battle Of The Bulge, Budget-Style: Perfectly Portioned Meal Control!

Hello again, savvy savers! Today I am starting another new blog series, Battle Of The Bulge, Budget-Style! I will be focusing on ways to live a healthier, more active lifestyle while be able to afford clean, organic, obtainable foods! I believe this series can be worthwhile for many, who like myself, wish to get more in shape, not through crash-dieting but by small attainable lifestyle changes! All of the changes I propose will be free or affordable, and most meals and plans will contain couponed savings or deals! Fads are fancy, but coupons are a commitment! With that said, here is where I am currently: I have a family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. I am looking to lose 60lbs., find affordable non-gym membership options for working out, and change the way I consume food; this includes meals, snacks, and splurges!

Today I am 31 years young, I am 5’6”, and weigh 201 lbs; I am down three pounds since last week. I walk my dogs but beyond this am not terribly active. My lifestyle causes sedentary behaviors; I work-from-home, blog, run two internet businesses, and perform advocacy work online as well. I am an internet-based excuser! Today this changes! Spring has sprung, and so shall I! I have taken up yoga, and have started working out with a pedometer on as well!

For my fourth post, I wanted to discuss a new measure I have implemented to help in my food portion control, measuring cups. This may sound very rudimentary, but I have found this very effective. I use a 1 and 2 cup pyrex measuring glass to measure out the portions of food I eat each meal at home. I purchased my cups, for free, on Amazon.com using survey-derived gift cards, but similar versions are available at the Dollar Tree.

Here is a guide I use in doing so:

1) Foods that should be served in 1 cup servings: Raw vegetables, cooked or raw fruit,

2) Food that should be served in 1/4 cup servings: Cooked vegetables, Dried Fruit, Waffles,

3) Foods that should be eaten in 1/2 cup servings: Whole Fruit, Canned Chicken or Tuna, Prepared Salads, Meats, Poultry, Eggs.

4) Foods that should be eaten in 2/3 cup servings: Fruit Juice, Yogurt, Milk, Potatoes, Cereal,

5) Foods that should be eaten in 1/8 cup servings: Cheese, Bread, Pretzels, Potato Chips,

6) Foods that should be eaten in 1/3 cup servings: Rice, Couscous, Quinoa, Cooked Pasta,

7) Foods that should be eaten in 1 teaspoon servings: Oil, Butter, and Spreads.

8) Foods that should be eaten in 1 tablespoon servings: Nuts.

Here’s to the Journey!

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Gardening On A Budget: Mother’s Day Update!

Happy Sunday, everyone! Here is this weeks gardening Mother’s Day post update!

This week I was able to plant the other half of my herbs, including my lavender, thyme, basil, lemon grass, parsley, bay leaves, and mint. Also, the tomato sprouts are coming up and in a week, should be able to be thinned, and then planted outside! Even in the face of all the horrific storms this week, everything was thankfully spared, and growing right on schedule! As for the other areas of my year, we have had nearly constant rainfall, so tilling and further planting has been on standstill, for the next three posts, I should have plenty to share; I will be planting both my potted and upside varieties next weekend. Aside from rain, and the largest amount of pollen I have ever seen (we have composted four trash barrels full), out pots of Green beans are beautiful, as seen above!

Also, the squash plant, though small, is growing! In addition, my mum plants from last fall have doubled in size, and will have sucker that need to be plucked in the next few weeks! This week to come I will be planting my hill of strawberries, starting potato and sweet potato towers, as well as creating a summer butterfly flower bed! As well, my $1.00 rose bushes from Fred’s Super Dollar have thus far produced some of the most beautiful roses I have ever grown, as seen above. They are just so lovely, and I will be giving some today to my wonderful Grandmother for Mother’s Day! I also love my free lattice, as it was recycled from discarded pallets, and works just as well as anything purchased at my local supercenter! I feed my roses a special homemade blend, which i will be blogging about in the weeks to come!

Here’s to next week!

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Battle-Of-The-Bulge, Budget Style: Gardening To Lose Weight!

Today I am 31 years young, I am 5’6”, and weigh 198 lbs; I am down one pound since last week. I walk my dogs but beyond this am not terribly active. My lifestyle causes sedentary behaviors; I work-from-home, blog, run two internet businesses, and perform advocacy work online as well. I am an internet-based excuser! Today this changes! Spring has sprung, and so shall I! I have taken up yoga, and have started working out with a pedometer on as well!

For my fifth post, I wanted to discuss a new measure I have implemented to help in my healthier lifestyle choice, gardening! Did you know that according to the American Heart Association, gardening 1 hour daily will burn up to 400 calories, and considering that the average weekend project tales 4-6 hours, and that maintaining your yard weekly, in warmer weather, will take nearly 1 hour a day, you would, on average burn upwards of 2,400 calories a week! An entire days worth of calories! This is a staggering number! For me, I make sure to water the plants, lawn, and mow as often as I can, as its no longer a chore for me, but an exercise! I love that performing tasks for hobby can lead to better health!

How awesome is that?

Here’s to the Journey!

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Battle Of The Bulge, Budget-Style: Monthly Measurements!

Today I am 31 years young, I am 5’6”, and weigh 199 lbs; I am down tw0 pounds since last week. I walk my dogs but beyond this am not terribly active. My lifestyle causes sedentary behaviors; I work-from-home, blog, run two internet businesses, and perform advocacy work online as well. I am an internet-based excuser! Today finds my continued yoga, meditation, walking my dogs, using a pedometer, portioning my meals, and now I also measure myself monthly!

For my fifth post, I wanted to discuss a new lifestyle strategy I have implemented, monthly measurement logs. Using a seamstress tape, I measure my neck, arms, bust, waist, hips, thighs, and calves, then log my progress each month, good or bad, to see a visible result of my diet strategy. I have found this method daunting at first, but now, in my weight lose, find that seeing my actual results, is amazing and euphoric!

I highly recommend pushing your boundaries to the side, and see how you measure up to your own personal, obtainable healthy lifestyle goals!

Here’s to the Journey!

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Budget-Basic Burger Recipe!

Good afternoon, savvy savers! Spring has sprung, and at out house, the grill is on and sizzling this fine April afternoon. With all things grilled on my mind, I thought I would share my go-to Budget Burger Recipe. Keep in mind, I purchase my beef on sale at Save-A-Lot, for $1.00 per pound, prepare the patties, and freeze them for days like today! Also, if I have coupons for Laura’s Lean Ground Beef, I would use that instead if everyone is clamouring for beef burgers; all other ingredients, including buns can be purchased at your local Dollar Tree. This recipe can be made, for under $3.00, and will feed eight.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground turkey
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons evaporated milk
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Instructions:

1) Preheat grill to high heat.

2) In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, or beef, egg, bread crumbs, evaporated milk, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and garlic using your hands.

3) Form the mixture into 8 patties.

4) Lightly oil the grill grate; I use coconut oil rendered.

5) Grill patties 5 minutes per side, or until medium-well done.

6) Enjoy!

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Battle Of The Bulge, Budget-Style!

Today I am 31 years young, I am 5’6”, and weigh 210lbs; I walk my dogs but beyond this am not terribly active. My lifestyle causes sedentary behaviors; I work-from-home, blog, run two internet businesses, and perform advocacy work online as well. I am an internet-based excuser! Today this changes! Spring has sprung, and so shall I!

For my first post, I wanted to point out four healthy food options I will be focusing on in the coming months, all of which can help bulk meals and snacks, are readily inexpensive when paired with coupons, and (for today’s list) can all be found at your local Dollar Tree!

1. Brown Rice:

Great for: Side dishes, rice salads, fried rice, casseroles, soups, and stews.

What’s a serving? 1/4 cup dry rice.
Price per serving: 18 cents. A 1-pound bag costs about $1.75 and contains 10 servings.
Nutrition info per serving: 170 calories, 2 grams fiber, and 4 grams protein.
Cost: $1.00 for 10 servings!

2. Whole-Wheat or Multigrain Pasta:

Great for: Hot and cold pasta dishes.

What’s a serving? 2 ounces of dried pasta. A serving for most people translates into about 2 ounces of dried pasta, which means you get about 7 servings in the typical box or bag of dried pasta.
Price per serving? About 24 cents. You can get a 13- to 16-ounce box or bag of store-brand dried pasta for about $1.69.
Nutrition info per serving: About 200 calories, 7 grams protein, and 6 grams fiber.
Cost: $1.00 for 6 servings!

3. 100% Whole-Wheat Bread:

Great for: Hot and cold sandwiches, bread stuffing, bread pudding, and breakfast strata.
What’s a serving? 2 slices. Labels usually list a serving as 1 slice of bread (about 28 grams per slice), but for our purposes, we’ll use the amount you’d use to make a sandwich.
Price per serving: About 18 cents. You can get a 22-ounce loaf of store-brand whole-wheat bread for about $1.99 (on sale). Each loaf has about 22 slices, or 11 servings of 2 slices each.
Nutrition info per serving (2 slices): About 120 calories, 6 grams protein, and 3 grams fiber.
Cost: Nature’s Own Bread and Rolls, $1.00 for 10 serving of bread!

4. Nonfat Greek Yogurt:

Great for: A quick snack, parfaits made with fruit and granola, and smoothies.

What’s a serving? Most individual servings come in 6-ounce or 8-ounce containers. You can save money by buying a larger container of Greek yogurt and then taking your 6- or 8-ounce portion from it.
Price per serving: Individual servings (6- to 8-ounce containers) cost about 89 cents each and sometimes less when found on sale.
Nutrition info per serving (for a 6-ounce serving of honey vanilla): 150 calories, 0 grams fiber, and 14 grams protein.
Cost: $1.00 for 2 servings; cheaper options are obviously available at Walmart, Target, and Sam’s Club.

Here’s to the Journey!

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Budget-Basic Blueberry Overnight French Toast Casserole!

Hello again, savvy savers! for nightly desserts, and weekend brunches, at both home and with family and friends, one of my go-to recipes is for Budget-Basic Blueberry Overnight French Toast Casserole! This recipe can be made exclusively with ingredients from the Dollar Tree, and can be made for under $5.00, and will serve 6-8, depending on serving size! Here’s how to make it!

Ingredients:

1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
12 slices whole-grain bread
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk, or dairy-free substitute
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Optional garnish: Maple syrup, whipped cream, and fresh blueberries.

Instructions:

1) Grease your stoneware crockpot insert.

2) Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, in a bowl, and fold-in, and cream the spices into the butter.

3) Sprinkle one-third of the mixture evenly over the bottom of your prepared slow cooker.

4) Cover with 6 bread slices.

5) Then sprinkle with another third of the sugar mixture.

6) Add a layer of blueberries on top of the mixture.

7) Now, add your remaining bread slices to the slow cooker.

8) Sprinkle the second layer of bread with remaining sugar mixture.

9) Now beat the eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt in a separate bowl.

10) Pour the mixture evenly into the slow cooker.

11) Press down lightly on bread slices.

12) Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least six hours during the day, for dessert preparation.

13) To cook the casserole, set the slow cooker to low, 3 to 4 hours or until eggs are set browned.

14) Plate warm, and garnish with maple syrup, a dollop of whipped cream and blueberries, if desired.

15) Enjoy!

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