Treats & Take Out

The New Year brought upon many resolutions for me. A lot of the things that I decided were important to our family are healthy, money saving promises. This entry is the beginning of a year long trial....

TREATS! For us? No...See...we have two golden retrievers who are family. We spoil them mostly with love, but a tasty treat now and then is a must! When the first fur baby was a puppy we would get him Purina Frosty Paws. These cups of "ice cream" are $4.99 for 4. I spent a lot of $$$ every other week  restocking the freezer. When I first heard of homemade frosty paws it was a no brainer. It takes minutes to whip up a batch of 16 and I DO NOT spend NEARLY $20.00. If you have a pampered pup I highly recommend them.

Frosty Paws:
(1) LARGE container of full fat plain yogurt
(1) large jar of banana baby food (see below)
2 Tbsp of peanut butter
2 Tbsp of honey (optional)
1 package of bathroom size paper cups

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Ladle mixture into the paper cups. I fill them about 1/2 way. (a box of these cups will last you a very long time) Once you have used up all of the mixture, I get anywhere from 14-16 depending on how equal I get them. Set them in the freezer until solid. Once they are solid I stack them and put them in a large freezer bag.
You can vary the ingredients to your dog's tastes. I made these yesterday and happened to have a couple of extra jars of baby food from the little one's last phase of solids...so the flavor of the month is apple/banana/peanut butter. I am sure your pup will love your creativity.
WARNING: Every time you open the freezer your friend may think it's time for a treat!! They love them!!


Okay....now onto my own cravings. I LOVE Chinese food. I think I could eat it everyday. Okay, maybe not EVERY day, but from noodles to rice to egg rolls to...you get the picture...I LOVE it! With the latest resolutions I decided to try my hand at making my own yumminess.
On the menu: Sweet and Sour Chicken, Fried Rice and Egg Rolls.
Let me tell you...it may have been the best Chinese I have ever had. I liked that, after indulging, my body felt light and my wallet felt heavy. Win, WIN!

Here are the recipes I used. I had some items on hand so I am going to have to guess at the amount, but I am pretty sure the total for all of this would be less than $25.00 (and I purchase organic ingredients so that cost is elevated for most)

http://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/baked-sweet-and-sour-chicken-with-fried-rice/
http://www.joyfulabode.com/2009/07/05/homemade-baked-egg-rolls/

A couple of changes for me were: fresh sautéed mushrooms for the egg rolls and I use frozen peas I had on hand for the rice so I did not use a combination of peas and carrots. I also left the egg rolls in a little longer just to ensure a crispy outer layer.

Here is a picture of the finished product...

 

YUMMMM!
Tonight is movie night for the family....on deck homemade tortilla chips, salsa, baked chili lime wings, baked traditional hot wings and cauliflower poppers.

Next month my plan is to tackle another resolution: I WILL NOT PURCHASE A SINGLE COMMERCIAL GREETING CARD! Stay tuned.....

New Year, Fresh Start!

I know it's so cliché but this is when I feel the need to follow the masses. I love the NEW YEAR! I love the feeling of putting things you cannot change behind you and preparing for a new routine. This time of year I reflect on the past and decide what worked and what needs a tweak here and there.

This past year brought so much change to our home. I have acknowledged "letting go" to the best of my capability, after all I am STILL TYPE A, haha. There are many things I use to keep myself on track when the chaos of everyday life appears. I am a list maker. I am a planner. I am an organizer.
I will need help with all of these things this year. With a little one who needs me and a big one who is active, accomplished and growing up faster than I can handle....there are a few things that I plan to get back to this year that will aid in my sanity!!

I love these resources and I want to pass them on for all that may feel the same as me.

I find that having a household binder is handy. I like to have things at my fingertips instead of searching and digging for an important paper or account number.
I find that having meal plans, grocery lists and a calendar that is filled out and ready at all times keep me level headed.

There are so many online sites that offer free printables and here are a few for you to check out.
http://moneysavingmom.com/2013/12/15-free-resources-to-help-you-get-organized-in-2014.html


After I pick up the Christmas clutter and get the house back in order you can be sure that you will find me happily sipping coffee, making lists while the sweet babe sleeps.

Happy New Year! I hope it brings you all you desire!

Fly, Baby, FLY!

Happy Sunday to you all!
So as many of you know our weekends from April thru October are full of travel. Our son races Legend Cars and we spend much of our time on the road and at race tracks around the northeast. When the "off season" arrives I find myself craving organization and order in the house.
This fall has been a little different with the baby girl around, an extra hour here and there is pleasantly spent snuggling and playing.
Back when Wyatt was little I found life to be easier if I broke down my household chores into manageable schedules. I fell in love with Fly Lady. (www.flylady.net) It speaks to my obsessive nature. It makes me feel cheery, excited, calm, joyful...okay you get the picture. If you struggle with how to get the whole house clean in a short amount of precious time, check it out.

TIME FLIES!

WOW!! It has been over a year since I last blogged...a lot has happened in our little corner of the world in that time. We have a new addition to our family, Quinn, a sweet little angel that surprised us all. She is now nearly three months old and filling our lives with joy, and expense, mostly joy. Hahaha!
So, back on the bandwagon I go and as always I will share what I find to be helpful. Feel free to read back thru the archives to refresh your memory on past posts. I need to do the same. I am currently reading cookbooks, blogs, facebook pages and websites to gather more information, I need to get back to Down Home on a Dime! Sharing soon....

Here comes the Holiday Season....

Ahhh (insert long sigh of contentment)....November 1st. Here in Maine, the weather is still gray and damp, and relatively warm for the start of what I consider the "Holiday Season"...mostly from the remnants of Hurricane Sandy. I am anxiously awaiting the return of colder weather we had a glimpse of a couple weeks ago, it seems to match up to the hustle and bustle if you are from New England.

Since our racing season has come to an end, I find myself getting organized again. Renewing all of the frugal tips and restoring the balance in the checkbook, haha! I hope to be blogging more and sharing some information on how to save some dimes over the next several weeks.

I love to cook and the many months we spend on the road I miss being in the comfort of my own kitchen with everything I need at my fingertips. Which brings me to "stocking up"....

If you haven't already noticed the stores take this time of year to promote the things that go hand in hand with the Holiday Season....BAKING, COOKING and ENTERTAINING! ♥
Often so do the manufacturers of the products. So, one of the things I recommend is taking the time to do some sale/coupon match ups over the next few weeks. This is a great time to stock up on all of the baking essentials that you need from now thru New Years, but also can carry thru all of the holidays in 2013. Many of these items have a long shelf life.

To help save dimes and time it also helps to plan out your menus for the upcoming entertaining events. Make a list of the items you would like to serve, the number of people attending, what your guests are bringing to the get together. Compile a grocery list from these menus early, that way if there are particular items on sale in the next couple of weeks you can take advantage.

Get planning and stay tuned for more tips on how to save a few dimes....

Grocery Exile!

Good Morning Readers,
This morning I am working from home and although my mound of paperwork is toppling over, I wanted to take a quick moment to update you on another little way to save a few dimes.
Right now, in the height of my busy season it is very easy to resort to eating out or running to the grocery store every day. I am trying very hard to fight this. We returned home from another busy race weekend on Sunday and I did make a trip to the grocery store but with a very rough list to go with a very loosely planned menu. My items made dinner and lunch thru last night and now I feel stuck. I am going to turn on my stubbornness and refuse to go to the store today, maybe tomorrow too. (Although we will need milk) MAYBE I can even make it thru Friday...ahhhh, that would be perfect.
SO, I am on a grocery exile. The way to go about this is to take a rough inventory of what you have in your fridge, freezer, cupboards....look WAY in the back. Make a list of all the meats, proteins you have. Then start pairing them up with grains, veggies, fruits on hand. Get creative, bake your meats with sliced apples for a yummy side dish. Create a casserole with tuna, pasta, fresh or frozen peas and a homemade cream sauce.  You will be amazed at what you can incorporate without having to go to the store time and time again for just a few items.
I will report back with my dinner plan...and if I have the time after conquering the paperwork, I may list out a few meals from items I have on hand!
Happy Hunting!

Spa Day on a dime!

So recently I found myself looking for a little pampering. However, during race season I am quite careful with my budget for those types of things. I found myself browsing Pinterest (a VERY useful frugal tool) and found a pin for a bath recipe that helps detox the body and relax the mind. Well that's all I needed to set forth and find helpful pedicure and manicure tips, facial mask and a homemade body scrub. I will describe my spa set up, just try and stay with me as you picture the peace and solitude....

To begin make sure your bathtub is nice and sparkly clean. I LOVE my cleaning solution of baking soda and a bit of dish detergent and water. Since the only bathroom with a tub in our house is my son's, I did take a 1/2 hour or so and cleaned it up, so that is was extra SPA like! He appreciated this, haha!

Next, make your after pampering area nice and relaxing. I chose my bedroom. I shut my shades, placed a bottle of water next to my bed (hydration is key when detoxing) made my bed with a couple of heavy blankets and sprayed my linens with a nice lavender spray (my favorite is found at Bath and Body Works) ...placed my Whole Living magazine in reach and set out a comfy set of clothes to slip into after my spa appointment down the hall.

One of the tips I found for pedicures was to soak your feet in apple cider vinegar before scrubbing, this helps fight bacteria and leaves them soft as well. So, beside my bed I set out a large bowl and filled it about half full of apple cider vinegar (that my sweet husband was kind enough to run and get for me, he is a fan of me being relaxed! haha) and set out a clean hand towel beside it to allow me to dry off before heading down to the tub.

I mixed up my homemade face mask:
2 Tbsp Honey
2 tsp nutmeg and cinnamon

*WARNING*
This smelled heavenly, and the instructions were to leave this on for 30 minutes, I however tend to have sensitive skin and found I could only leave this on about 5 minutes. It started to burn. I do think it did wonders while it was on though and the spices were great at exfoliating as I rinsed it off with a washcloth. So don't hesitate to try it, but maybe start out with just a few minutes.

The body scrub on the other hand I LOVED!
1/2 C dark brown sugar (although any would do)
1 Tbsp honey
splash of olive oil
1/4 Tbsp of lemon juice

I doubled this so that I could be sure to have enough for my feet and hands.
THIS was amazing. I highly recommend doing this a couple of times a week. My skin still feels great a couple of days later.


Once you have these two things made, find a candle and deliver them all to the Spa....
Fill yourself a nice hot bath and throw in the following:
Handful of Epsom Salts (which my husband also had to get)
1/2 C of Baking Soda
and about 10 drops of lavender essential oil


Once you have the bath filled light the candle and shut off the lights, shut the door and let the room get warm, moist and spa like while you soak your feet in the pre-treatment/recovery room (see you just have to pretend). I soaked my feet for about 15 minutes while browsing my magazine.

Then head to the tub, sit, soak and relax. Candle light, relaxing spa music (courtesy of Pandora) and the calming scents will really take you away, I promise. I applied the face mask first and after letting that sit as long as I could I rinsed that off and then started exfoliating with the body scrub. After about a 30 minute soak...dry off and head to your recovery room. I turned on my fan and promptly fell asleep for over an hour. THAT is how relaxed I was. If you feel like you can't nap then pick up your favorite magazine and just enjoy the peace and quiet and sip your water.

When I awoke, I drank my water, took a shower and gave myself a manicure and pedicure.
I would say the whole spa treatment cost less than $5.00 and the fact that I had happened to have the afternoon to myself was priceless.

I think days like these are so important to whole health and I plan to take advantage more often. Now if I had just had a massage in there before I fell asleep that would have been heaven.....hmmm...I'll have to figure out a frugal option for that too.
I hope you take the time for yourself, to rejuvenate and replenish your soul...on a dime!