Goal Progress & Cutting our Grocery Bill

At the beginning of the month I posted about some goals that I wanted to set for myself. This list included eating less sugar, working out more, and being more supportive of my husband’s decisions. I have been eating less refined sugar (using local, raw honey and maple syrup to sweeten instead), I worked out lots during my vacation and am continuing the trend at home, and because I am feeling better physically, my mental state is better and I’m more open to talking about things that bother me or make me apprehensive.

The other big thing on my goals list was to cut down the cost of our groceries. Last month we spent $575 (!!!) on groceries. And it’s only the middle of April, but we have somehow racked up $450 in groceries SO FAR. Urgh. Frustrating. This was partially due to the fact that we were out of meat so my husband went to the butcher and stocked up. This will last us quite a while because we are eating far less meat than we were previously. However, I digress.

I was trying to find a solution on Google and came across a website with some great tips. Starting with meal planning — ok. I can do that. I have started planning meals a week ahead. This helps to create a specific list of groceries I will need. I am pretty good at bringing a list with me when I shop, but I still buy things that aren’t on my list every time I shop. Bad habit!

Next I saw a neat idea. Instead of a ‘grocery list’, you can use a ‘pantry list’. Shop in your cupboards FIRST and cross off the items you already have. You might only need to purchase fresh produce and maybe a few dry items this way. Another tip I saw was to meal plan for TWO weeks in advance instead of only one. This way you might stock up in bulk for some items and save even more cash. Then with produce, if you prepare it and store it in a container, it will likely last an entire week (maybe longer) and save money that way, as well.

The most important tip I saw was… Set a limit for your spending BEFORE you even leave the house! Why haven’t we tried this? Most times my husband and I don’t really even think of the amount of money we’re about to spend on groceries because we know we are buying healthy stuff that is good for us. Which is great. In theory.

So I’m going to discuss with him about setting a cap of $100 per week for groceries. This will cut our spending and allow us to put more money into our savings account. I think it will be a good exercise in control. Wish us luck!

Do you have any useful tips on saving money at the grocery store?

Yummy Oats & Workouts

So, I saw this pin the other day. I LOVE oatmeal. I also LOVE tea. And then I saw this recipe from A Dash of Meg for tea infused french toast with blueberry sauce and I thought, “Ok. This is definitely a sign!”

My mum had sent me some bags of chai tea in the mail a little while ago and I haven’t had much of an opportunity to use any yet. I am at the mommy-hood stage where I might get 5 minutes to steep a cup of tea, but it will undoubtedly sit on the counter and become stone-cold before I remember that I made it to begin with.

Anyway, I used one cup of water, one half cup of soymilk and one chai tea bag. I steeped it in a pot with the lid on for 5-10 minutes and then added a heaping half cup of rolled oats. I cooked it up and then added a bit of brown sugar, some coconut oil, a small dash of salt and a few frozen raspberries.

Verdict? The chai flavour was subtle and tasted amazing with the coconut oil. It was creamy and sweet with a touch of tanginess from the raspberries. I will definitely make this again!

I haven’t been to the gym since returning from New Brunswick; but don’t worry! I have been getting my HIIT workouts in! We moved the workout stuff down to the living room, where the is enough room to use the skipping rope. I love being able to get a little sweat on and not have to drive to the gym and back. I will see how I feel about running outside, because I really only use the gym for the cardio equipment and the free weights. One day we hope to have our own little set of free weights or kettlebells. But the gym membership fee is so small we don’t really worry about how often we go. That will change if my husband decides to find another career, however!

Thanks to Meg for the inspiration to try my yummy breakfast dish this morning! How do you like your tea?

Recovering from a Busy Week & Thoughts on #Boston

Today I finally felt like life was back to normal after all of the traveling and buses back and forth to Edmonton (3.5 hours, each way!). I didn’t feel like I needed a nap to keep up. The housework is finally caught up, my son is mostly back to himself and now I can focus on planning our trip to Jasper that is coming up fast!

This afternoon, however, I was perusing my twitter feed and I noticed that everyone was commenting on the Boston Marathon. But not positive, ‘go, Chad, go!’ type messages. Thoughts & prayers messages. I really don’t understand why people continually want to hurt each other. For What? Just think, if these people were diligent in other more productive areas (ending world hunger, stopping corporations from trying to patent and own food, etc.) instead of trying to instil fear into the American public, how much more would get done in the world.

But that’s just my opinion. I also hear that a young child was killed during the explosion. That is horrific to me, and I can’t imagine something like that happening to me. I hope that the people in Boston, native and visiting, can get through this awful ordeal with their heads high and hope in their hearts for justice and a brighter tomorrow.

Anyway, I just wanted to weigh in with my thoughts. I try not to dwell on situations like this. It’s  important to focus on here, and now, and to let those who are important to us know we love them.

What We Ate This Week [2]

We are home! After a long day (18 hours, actually) of traveling, we are back in Alberta. There is still snow here but it seems that the temperature has been slowly on the rise. Little B seems to be adjusting ok to the time difference (-3hrs) but the same is not being said for me! I am having a heck of a time getting back on track. I usually have no issues. I guess we were gone for two and a half weeks and I’ve only been back for a day and a half.

So, this week will be a condensed version of WWATW!

Thursday: Quinoa bean salad for lunch (Quinoa 365). Black bean burgers (Veganomicon) and homemade sweet potato fries for dinner. I seasoned the fries with salt, paprika, oregano and cumin.

Friday: Leftover bean salad with leftover burgers for lunch. Chicken stir-fry with peppers and onion over rice.

On Saturday I took my cheerleading team to Edmonton for their last competition of the season. Where has the year gone? I packed some healthy snacks (including my homemade banana bread) and bought a veggie pad Thai from my favourite ‘fast food’ Thai chain (and possibly a vegan cupcake from the shop on the way out of the mall).

I’m hoping to start remembering to take photos of our meals to add here! We will see!

DIY! Onesie to T-shirt Tutorial

When my son was born, onesies were great! He was born on December 30, so needless to say, it was VERY COLD when he was small. I loved how I didn’t have to worry about the onesies creeping up and leaving his little back exposed to the elements. Usually, they fit fine over his cloth diapers and they were super cute.

However, as he got older, and as summertime approached, I wanted less restricting access to his diapers and to let the breeze flow through when the weather was warm. I had a problem, though: I purchased a TON of cute onesies on sale in larger sizes.

So! Here is a tutorial on how to change a (too long) onesie into a regular t-shirt!

Find another shirt that is a good length and place it on top of the onesie you want to alter.

Cut off the bottom portion, being careful not to cut into any ribbing.

Next, carefully cut all the ribbing away from the bottom portion you already removed. You can discard the rest along with the snaps or save for another project.

You should now have two strips of ribbing that are the same length (scraps are to the right).

With right sides together, sew the two strips together at one end.

It will look like this.

Place it across the bottom of the onesie so you know roughly where to join the other side. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Sew that end to make a loop of ribbing.

Turn the loop right side out and line it up almost flush with the edge of the onesie. I lined the joined ends up with the side seams.

Pin.

Line up your needle pretty close to the very bottom. You should catch most of the bottom of the shirt, but if you miss a couple of spots, don’t worry! Sew all the way around.

Move the fabric so that the top of the ribbing lines up with your needle and stitch around once more. You will catch all the bits you missed the first time.

Trim your threads and you’re finished!

I find that t-shirts fit longer than onesies, so the little bit of time is a great investment.

Do you prefer onesies or t-shirts? Why?

Eating Well While Eating Out – My Vacation Struggle

So we’re still in New Brunswick, visiting with my family. My mum and dad both work during the day, so I’m at home in the morning with my son and we usually venture out to town after noon to visit Nan at work (and bring her a coffee!) and do some running around town. I always make something to eat for breakfast and try to have something for lunch before we hit the road but I end up making less than favourable food choices once I leave the house.

I think it’s half ‘vacation-mode’ mentality and half nostalgia. I have been working out while I’ve been here, so exercise is not a problem. I mean well, and last night I made my Sweet Potato Quinoa soup for my family and sprinkled some hemp hearts on top for some extra goodness. BUT, if my mum asks me if I want Chinese food from the restaurant down the street, do you think I’m going to say no? I can’t decide which would have been worse… The Chinese, or the deep fried chicken that was option #2…

I think the fact that where we live in Alberta is totally devoid of ANYWHERE decent to eat out puts me at a disadvantage because when I come home, I just want to EAT EVERYWHERE (I have this syndrome when I go back to Toronto as well… in the form of sushi. It can very well make you fat if you eat as much of it as I do!!). I want the bakery sweets, the quarter chicken dinners, the burgers, the fish & chips…

I guess I’m not saying deprive yourself of the tasty dishes of yester-year. What I am saying is, when your mother orders you a Daily Special from the Chinese place, don’t feel like you have to eat every single grain of fried rice on your plate! Oy, my tummy. We will have a lighter day tomorrow to recover!

Do you have a dish that you end up over-indulging on? Is it because it brings back fond memories, or that it’s just too delicious? Or both?

(Mostly) Raw Vegan Cookie Balls

Every good vegan loves cookie balls – and everyone has different names for them: fudge babies, cookie balls, dough balls, truffles… Whatever you end up calling them, they are delicious! We always have some on hand at home for a quick bite of energy or a treat after dinner.

While my son and I have been on vacation, I have been buying apple Larabars (omg yum) to throw in my purse in case one of us gets hungry. I feel good about feeding him Larabars because, while they do contain sugar, it’s natural sugar from dates and other fruit as well as energy from nuts. Thankfully my son does not have any nut allergies and he can enjoy these yummy treats!

However, Larabars aren’t cheap! They are about $2/bar, and a little cheaper if you can find them by the box of five. My mum told me she has dates and nuts at home, along with her trusty Cuisinart (the same one I have at home!) so I thought I would whip up some cookie balls for everyone!

I assembled all my ingredients. I decided to make two different kinds. The first kind was Almond with Toasted Coconut. My mum has to buy all of her products certified gluten free, that’s why most of them are organic. You don’t have to buy organic, though! Buy what you can afford 🙂

• Pitted dates (3/4c, but these were dry. Use fewer if your’s are wet)
• Raw almonds (1/4c)
• Toasted coconut (3tbsp)
• Sea salt (pinch)
• Vanilla (1/2tsp)

Literally, throw everything into the food processor.

Process until you can press the crumbles between your fingers and it sticks together. I ended up having to add quite a few more dates than this because the brand my mum buys are on the dry side.

Roll into balls (or press into a baking dish and cut into squares after you set it) and chill in the refrigerator. These were my favourite! I love the crunch of the toasted coconut!

The second kind I made was Chocolate Macaroon! I kind of over-processed these ones and they came out chewy. But that’s how my mum likes them, so it worked out!

• Pitted dates (3/4c, same as above)
• Raw cashews (1/3c)
• Cocoa powder (2-3tbsp, depending on how chocolatey you want it to taste)
• Shredded, unsweetened coconut (1/4c)
• Sea salt (pinch)
• Vanilla (1/2tsp)

Same procedure as the last batch, just throw everything into your food processor! I wouldn’t recommend trying to do this with a ‘bullet’ style mixer or immersion blender!

Again, I had to add more dates than what is in the picture. Just mix until you can form balls. Chill and keep covered! You can keep them on the counter, or they will keep longer in the fridge. My son prefers them from the counter because they stay a little softer for him to bite into!

So simple and so sweet. What is your favourite raw, vegan treat?

 

 

 

 

I’m Actually Going to Set Some Goals!

I just read a post by Katie at Peace Love & Oats about her goals. I know that successful people SET goals for themselves. I also know that goals should be ‘SMART’. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. I believe that setting and re-evaluating goals for yourself on a monthly basis is very do-able and will help to keep me on track!

So, it’s the beginning of April. My skating job has ended, my cheerleading team’s competitions are winding down for another season, and the weather is starting (…slowly….) to warm up. Enter: goal setting for Clair!

I have never really set goals for myself that I could re-evaluate or come back to on a monthly basis. My goals have always been things like ‘finish my degree without flunking any courses’, or ‘don’t let the OB/GYN bully me into using drugs during my labour and delivery’. These were kind of one-time goals (which I achieved! Yay!).

I will start with a couple of goals and see how it goes. I will have one health and fitness for each food and working out, one financial and one personal. Here goes nothing…

1. Try to cut down even further on sugar: I am not ready to give up sugar! I try to use things like maple syrup, dates and honey where possible to make sure I’m eating only small amounts of refined sugar.

2. Get more exercise outside while continuing my HIIT workouts: We have two big dogs. There is no reason that with a Mei Tai and a jogging stroller, that my husband and I can’t get outside more with our son and our dogs! We could totally use the extra Vitamin D after a 6-month Cold Lake winter. Also, I love my HIIT workouts so I want to continue doing those. I see great results with them.

3. Cut down the grocery bill. With my husband and myself being away from home for the first week of April, this one is kind of cheating. With my food intolerances and our drive to eat healthy at home, we spend insane amounts of money on food! Most of it is not even organic because we don’t have access to that where we live! This goal will be easier to attain in the summer once we stat working on the farm to earn our CSA baskets. Maybe then I will change my financial goals to include putting more money away into savings. We’ll see.

4. Try to be more positive and trusting with my husband’s decisions: We are in the middle of deciding what the next steps will be for our family in terms of location and my husband’s career. I have a lot of anxiety because his job is so secure right now and we have everything we need. I just get nervous with change. I will try to focus my nervous energy toward more positive thoughts and actions.

So, there they are! Right out on my blog for the world to see. This will make sure they get done, right??

I would love to hear about your goals and how you make sure they don’t get neglected! Comment or tweet me (@ClairFBN)!