Some tips and a recipe

 

 

Amost people know, Brian and I are health nuts.  Most of you also know that we eat like cavemen. This means that we exclude all processed foods, grains, dairy (except butter), legumes and sugar from our diet.  I went Paleo almost 3 years ago, then Brian followed about a year later. The benefits have been amazing for both of us, and we haven’t looked back since. It can be a little expensive sometimes, especially with the amount of meat that we eat, but I think that we do a really good job of healthy eating on a budget! Here are a few things I always go by:

1. Plan ahead. Once a week I sit down with the sale flyer and plan my meals. I always plan at least 5 meals for the week so that I know I have everything I need for a few dinners. It saves me from making an extra trip to the grocery store, and saves a lot of time when I’m shopping. I’ll usually come up with a couple of extra ideas once I’m in the store based on what sort of markdowns I can find.

2. Look for mark-downs.  I can usually find the best deals in the meat department if I shop on the last day of the sale week. There are usually lots of marked down packages that they wan’t to get rid of – just toss it right into your freezer if you don’t want to eat it straight away. We try to by the best quality meat we can find. I buy organic, grass-fed, free-range when ever I can, and always avoid meat that has been “enhanced” with broth, or raised with antibiotics or hormones. I try to stock up on sale stuff to keep on hand in the freezer.

3. Know when to spend. Some things are just worth the extra money. Like eggs that come from happy chickens, and organic butter.

4. Make it yourself! Shortcuts are great, and sometimes you need them, but it is almost always cheaper in the long run to do it your self!  Like making your own tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, marinades or chicken stock. You can make all these things in bulk and store them in the freezer. It’s a great way to avoid sneaky preservatives and excess sodium, and maybe you’ll even come up with your own secret recipe to impress your friends with!

5. Know your prices, and shop around. Even though it is sometimes a pain to shop at multiple stores for your groceries, if you have time, and plan well, it is worth shopping around. For instance, I make a trip to Trader Joe’s about every two weeks because I know that I can get my coconut oil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar for about half the price.

6. Eat left overs. I know not everyone is as enthusiastic about their leftovers as we are, but you can save a lot of money by making big dinners and packing the left overs for your lunch during the week. It saves you from having to buy extra of lunch-making stuff, or eating out for lunch.

7. Don’t waste! Channel your inner grandmother, or great grandmother and get a little old fashioned. Save your celery tops, chicken bones, and broccoli stems for making your own stock, and always try to get the most out of what you buy.

The most important thing I always try to do is read the ingredients. I can’t always buy organic, but I always read labels and buy things that have the fewest and simplest ingredients.  If I can’t pronounce it, or it sounds sketchy, it goes back on the shelf!

 

So with all that said, here is a super cheap meal I made this week.  Fresh broccoli was on sale, which was great, we love broccoli! Buutttt… the broccoli stems, not so much. I hate throwing away half of what I just bought, so I challenged myself to come up with something delicious to make with them, and here’s what I came up with!

Creamy Broccoli Soup

6 c. Broccoli stem, chopped (I pealed the larger pieces)

2 1/2 c. Parsnip, pealed and chopped

1 c. Celery, chopped

3/4 c. Onion, diced

1-2 Cloves garlic, diced

2 c. Kale, chopped

4 c. Chicken stock*

2 tbls. Bacon lard (or fat of your choosing)

1 tsp. dried thyme

Salt and Pepper

Saute parsnip, celery and onion in bacon lard until onions are golden and translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, then broccoli and kale. Cover with stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until everything is very soft, about 45 minutes.  Puree with immersion blender, or in batches in your regular blender. Add thyme, salt and pepper to taste.

Eye-balling and taste testing are my usual methods for measuring, so this recipe is very open to experimentation! Adjust the quantities to your own tastes!

 

*Usually, I make my own stock, but Kitchen Basics is a great store-bought alternative, plus most of their varieties come in an unsalted version as well.

 

 

It’s Sunday!

One of my new goals in life is to have goals. Good Start.

So, because I think Sundays are the perfect day to start new things, every Sunday I am going to make three goals for the week ahead. I also think that an even better place to post things than the internet, is the refrigerator. Here is what my post-it reads this week:

Goal #1: I will not eat tortilla chips this week. NONE! for a WHOLE WEEK! It isn’t going to be easy, but hey, go big or go home. I got this.

Goal #2: I will get outside every morning. Early morning is the only time to get out for a run out here. But even if I don’t run, I find that if I can get outside and walk first thing, my day goes a whole lot smoother. Plus it’s the best time to see these guys!

 

Desert Bunnies!

Goal #3: I will spend less time in front of a screen. Not very conducive to starting a blog, I know. I’d just like to stop filling my spare time on my computer or my phone. One great thing about our place in Maine was the lack of internet. I got so much done! And I took the time for creative and relaxing things like drawing, reading, meditating, etc. Even though we’re connected now, I wan’t to pretend we’re not.

Another great thing about Sundays: Sunday Runday! Had a great run this morning at Gateway Trails in the McDowell Sonoran conservancy. We had a bigger turnout this week, and it was great to run along some more seasoned trail runners. Having some running buddies really helped push me faster and longer, and helped me feel more confident in my abilities. I might even start like running for more than just the calorie burn! It’s actually pretty fun!

 

For starters…

I can’t believe its been over 3 weeks since we packed up our happy Maine lives into the back of a Prius and drove across the country to start this new adventure in Arizona. But, I guess it’s these sudden opportunities that make life so exciting and enriching!

Settling into our apartment has been a snap! We bought a bed and were able to have it delivered before our first night in the new place. Side note: Mattress movers are FIT.  I also scored a couch at a consignment shop for 100 bucks, and discovered IKEA, which Brian just described as “Disney World for furniture”. It’s pretty super.

Settling into the new climate – mostly a snap! We’ve adjusted to 105 degree days pretty quickly, but adjusting to staying inside during the summer months is kind of a bummer. We didn’t make it a quarter mile into the hike we attempted yesterday before we were defeated by the sun. The nearby beach was also a bust because the sand was too hot to take our shoes off…. we’re left with a bizarre anticipation for winter.

We’ve been making home-made-juice popsicles to beat the heat and stay hydrated! They’re super delicious and nutritious, but mostly they’re just super cold! There are are tons of ways to get creative with these, even if you don’t have a juicer at home. Coconut water, kombucha, tea, coffee, even store-bought juice, would work really well! I picked up the popsicle tray at, you got it, IKEA.