Thank You For Your Patience

I wanted to let you know that I have not abandoned you. I have lots of posts planned, but my heart has not been in it the last several days. As I mentioned last week my dad had a major stroke that has caused left sided paralysis. They believe that with rehab he should be able to regain complete function. I have spent a lot of time at the hospital so blogging has not been a priority. I am hoping in the next day or two to get back to my regular blogging routine. Thanks for being patient.

Black Friday Deal: Nature's Paradise 50% Off

Organic deals & coupons had posted this morning that next Friday ALL of Nature's Paradise items on their website will be 50% off. I have never tried this brand before, but I will be looking into it. You can go here to check out the details.

Foodie Friday

Thank you for all the kind comments everyone has left concerning my dad. As of last night when I left the hospital he had not changed much. He is still in the ICU and unable to swallow or move his left side. He is talking and has a sense of humor. We will continue to pray for his quick recovery.

Here is a new recipe that my daughter and I tried this week for breakfast cookies. We made some substitutions to make it a bit healthier. I had issues with feeding my kids cookies for breakfast even if the title said "breakfast."

Breakfast Cookies

1 cup applesauce (originally butter)
1/2 cup honey (originally 3/4 c)
2 eggs
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla ( I was out)
1/2 buttermilk (I had to use whole milk and vinegar)
2 cups oats
2 c whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons ground flax seed (Not in original recipe)
1 cup raisins, dried fruit, or chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips)

Mix everything together and place heaping tablespoons onto a cookie sheet. Cook at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

The verdict- Not too bad. Definitely not a rich, chocolate cookie, but a great breakfast. My kids have really enjoyed them. I like the fact that they are packed with fiber, protein, and a little chocolate :)

I am having trouble getting Mr Linky to cooperate. Please feel free to leave a comment below with any recipes, food ideas, or any great finds you bought this week. Include a link for others if you have it posted on your blog.

Hopefully in the next couple of days I can get back to regular posting.

Family Time

I wanted to let everyone know that my dad had a stroke this afternoon. I had lots of posts planned, but they may be a bit delayed. He is stable right now, so there is not much I can do except sit at the hospital. I may keep posting to keep me busy. Please keep checking back.

Dillons (Kroger) Organic/Natural Deals Nov. 18-24

Here are the best deals I see in this weeks ad. Not all the deals I post will be for organic food, but I did try to highlight the ones for real, unprocessed foods. Unfortunately there are not always coupons for whole foods, but when I am able to find one I will let you know.

Annies Mac and Cheese $1 each

Kroger brand chlorine free diaper $6.99
-$3/1 here (you can print twice per computer)
Total $3.99 for chlorine free diapers

Kroger frozen veggies $.88 each (good price)

Kroger cheese 3/$5
If you can find 2 pound bags be sure to use the $1.50/2 pounds cheese coupon

Glaceau Vitamin Water $.88 each

Pacific organic broth 2/$4
-$1/1 coupon here
Total $1 each

Organic/and regular Kroger spices 25% off
I believe they recently mailed coupons for these.

Celery $.88

Sweet potatoes $.47 per pound
These are cheaper at Aldi's this week, 3 pounds for $.88!
You can cook these and freeze them still in the skin. Stock up price.

Cranberries $1.88 each
Cheaper at Alid's, $.99 each (These freeze well for baking and smoothies later. Stock up)

Fresh organic herbs 2/$4
I received a coupon for these recently. Hopefully you did as well.

Knudsen organic sparkling juice 2/$4
I have seen coupons for these recently. Hopefully you still have them. I do not think they are available anymore.

Let me know if anyone finds anything else and I will post it.

A Couple Of Dillons (Kroger) Deals

I made a quick run to Dillons this morning with 2 very fussy children, but I did manage to find a couple of decent organic/natural deals.

Annies Mac and Cheese $1 each

Kroger brand chlorine free diaper $6.99
-$3/1 (if you printed these awhile back) I will look for some of these.
Total $3.99 for chlorine free diapers

Possible Short Blogging Break Today

Pregnancy seems to be taking it's toll on me this morning. Hopefully once the kids are down for some quiet time this afternoon I will be able to get some things posted. Thanks for being patient with me.

Coupon For Free Organic Steaz Tea

There is a new Steaz tea coupon out for 1 free tea. I have not tried this yet, but I have heard it is good. I believe the coupon is only good at Target. Go here to get your coupon.

Thanks Organic Deals and Coupons

Baby Steps-Healthy Oils

Oils and fat are things I grew up being taught that they should be avoided. I was a teenager during the whole fat free trend. My mother still believes this is the best way to go. I on the other hand have had a change of heart. Maybe I am wrong, but I feel that the body needs fat to run properly, but like all things it should be used in moderation. Fat is naturally occurring in foods that are left alone and not messed with by man made ideas. Have you ever noticed that the low fat milk is cheaper then the whole milk? I can not figure out that one considering they have to work harder to get the fat out of the milk.

After doing a lot of reading and research of the last several years I have come to the conclusion that the healthiest forms of fat and oil include olive oil (mentioned many times in the Bible as a healthy oil), coconut oil, butter, ghee, and if you have nothing else lard.

Yep, I said lard. I don't know if I could eat it, but it is a naturally occurring and cheap form of fat. I have seen it mentioned in the Maker's Diet and Nourishing Traditions. Both are great books to have in your library if you have not read them yet.

Olive Oil
Your best bet with olive oil is extra virgin olive oil. It has an excellent taste and is the best for your body. You do need to make sure that olive oil is not super heated or it will lose all of it healthy benefits. It is best used as a marinade, dressing, or dipping oil. I will admit that I have used it in baking before when I have been out of anything else.

Another great use for olive oil is as a moisturizer for your hands and legs after a shower. It does not stay greasy and absorbs very quickly. I have hear that this is what women in Italy do and have you ever noticed how beautiful these women are?

You can buy extra virgin olive oil in most grocery stores. Lately I have been getting mine at World Market in large bottles for around $8-9.

Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is a high in saturated fat oil that comes from, you guessed it, the coconut. It has been used by people for many years, but has just recently become popular again by those of us who do not live in a tropical climate. At first I was very unsure about using this oil do to the saturated fat, but my mother started putting about 1 teaspoon in her oatmeal every morning and the doctor could not believe how much her cholesterol had come down.

Thanks to Lindsey at Passionate Homemaking for pointing out this article excerpt from Sue Gregg about why we should not fear coconut oil.

According to Sue Gregg, “There is a double reason not to fear coconut oil. First, it is highly debatable that saturated fats cause heart disease. Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD in The Cholesterol Myths (www.NewTrends Publishing.com) presents the facts of exhaustive research over the decades to disprove this theory. Secondly, the saturated fat of coconut oil is different than the long chain fatty acids of meats and also of polyunsaturated fats.” Read the full article here.

Coconut oil has been said by some to be a miracle oil for it's many health properties and uses which include:

Diaper rash ointment
Deodorant (recipe coming soon)
Lotion
Cooking
It is heat resistant and great for cooking
Heart health
Diabetes
Cholesterol lowering
The list goes on and on

If you are interested in reading more about the health benefits of coconut oil you can check them out here.

Coconut oil can be bought in bulk online with Azure Standards or Mountain Rose herb. If you are concerned about price you may consider buying a large amount and splitting it with a friend.

Other places I have seen it area at Walmart (Spectrum brand) and all health food stores.

Some other good oils to consider...
Sesame oil
Peanut oil
Unrefined sesame oil
Palm oil
Grape seed
Flax seed

Lindsey has a great article regarding these oils here. I considered getting more in depth with them, but this post would get really long if I did, and I think Lindsey does a great job.

Oil to avoid:
Canola oil
This has been considered one of the most healthy oils in the last several years and is nearly impossible to avoid in processed foods.

I can say first hand that it is not good for the body. I used it to make doughnuts before I studied it and became very ill. To the point of the Dr doing a sonogram to find out why I was having such terrible intestinal distress. They never found anything, but I began to notice that whenever I used my canola oil the pain started all over. Needless to say I tossed the bottle.

What is canola oil? I got to thinking one day olive oil comes from olives, peanut oil comes from peanuts. What in earth is a canola? I discovered that canola is a highly processed oil that comes from the rapeseed plant which is considered toxic in it's natural form. Well that was it for me on using this so called healthy oil.

Other oils to avoid include:
ALL hydrogenated oils
Soy, corn, and safflower
Cottonseed

These have all been linked to heart disease, fertility issues, learning disabilities, as well as many other things.

Well I think that about sums up my view on oil. They may be a bit more expensive then some other products on the market, but you only need to use them in small amounts. I think my health is more important then saving a few dollars.

As an afterthought if you are wanting to cut down the cost of baking you can always swap out butter for applesauce, bananas or other fruit. This will also cut down on the amount of sugar you need to use as well.

Thanks for hanging in there for this LONG post.

Natural/Organic Baking Product Coupon

You can go to the Holiday Entertaining website to print coupons for natural and organic baking products.

The coupon is a bricks coupon good for $3/3 items. The brands include Spectrum, Imagine, Arrowhead Mills, Sunspire, or Hain.

I am hoping to find some of the Sunspire baking chips on sale to use this coupon with. I would also love to get some coconut oil. I think I have seen the Spectrum brand of coconut oil at Walmart for a decent price.

Thanks Money Saving Mom

Healthy Oils Post Coming Soon

I had planned to have my post on healthy oils up this morning, but I have not had enough time to research it the way I would like. I would hate to post something that is not correct or written quickly just to keep on schedule. I will try to have it sometime today.

I have some good news. I have started baking bread, cinnamon rolls, tortillas, and pita from home. Today my daughters preschool teacher called me and ordered 2 dozen cinnamon rolls. Yeah! I made my first sale.

Organic Valley Coupons

If you have not been to the Organic Valley website lately they have $8 worth of printable coupons for their products including eggs, milk, and cream. For those of you who are unable to get raw milk and cream these coupons may be helpful for getting some good quality dairy products. I find these coupons to be helpful with baking season starting up.

Here is a list of available coupons. Don't forget to hit your back button to get 2 coupons. Keep an eye out for sales and manager's specials to hopefully get some great deals.

$1/1 Half gallon or gallon milk

$1/1 Pack eggs, any size

$1/1 Cheese

$1/1 Butter

$1/1 Heavy whipping cream

$1/1 Soy milk

$1/1 Cottage cheese

$1/1 Cream cheese

Stash Tea Coupon

You can go here to the Red Plum website and print a coupon for $.50/1 Stash tea product. If your store doubles this could make for some cheap tea. This is one of my husband's favorite brands to keep in his office.

Burt's Bees Coupon

Burt's Bees is one of my favorite brands. I was happy to see a couple of coupons in this past Sunday's insert for this brand. I believe it was in the Red Plum They expire 2/07/09.

Save $1/1 On any non-lip product or gift set

Save $.50/1 On any lip shimmer or gloss

I also believe you can print these coupons at the Red Plum website.

Baby Steps To Healthier Eating Habits- Milk

I am sorry if you have already read this post in the past, but I have not had ANY time this weekend to right something new. If you are a new reader then you may be interested. I almost hate to repost this article considering I bought ultra-pasteurized milk, homogenized milk last week which is the exact kind I have said we prefer not to drink. The only reason I bought it was because my husband lost his job a couple of months ago so we are trying to conserve money. When I realized the milk would end up being free I decided that in this season of life it would be ok to compromise for a bit.

If you are anything like me you have been told growing up that you should always drink low fat or skim milk from a grocery store because raw milk and whole milk will make you sick and fat.

Have you noticed that there has been a huge increase in the incidence of heart disease and other cardiovascular disease within the last half of the 20th century? How could this happen? We are doing the right things by cutting out butter and full fat milk? Well I believe the answer is that the Lord put fat in our milk for a reason. He knew we needed it to survive. Fat is not the enemy.

Seriously have you looked at the ingredients in a tub of margarine?

But isn't raw milk dangerous? I used to think so. I have a mother who is a nurse and is still convinced that I am making a mistake. A couple of things that have sold me on raw milk is that it can be so helpful for children who have eczema and allergies. The other thing I noticed was that I had a partial gallon that was forgotten at the back of our fridge for a couple of weeks. When I discovered it I thought it would be stinky when I opened it. Would you believe it had no smell at all? If you need more in depth info I would recommend the web site real milk. It has a wealth of information. Way better then I could ever put together.

Isn't organic milk just as good? Well yes and no. Organic milk is great because it has not been produced by cows who have been given synthetic hormones or antibiotics, but that is about where the similarity ends. Most organic milk has been ultra-pasteurized and homogenized. Pasteurization heats the milk up to a point that it kills all the so called bad germs to the point that it no longer resembles real milk anymore. This process also kills off all the vitamins and minerals in milk. To make the milk worth drinking they have to add back synthetic, fortified vitamins.

Homogenization is a process that keeps the milk fat from separating from the milk liquid. Raw milk will have the cream at the top. This cream can be used to make so many things. For example whipped cream, not Cool Whip, real whipped cream. Never ever buy Cool Whip. It is not even real milk. It is a man made hydrogenated oil. Have you seen the commercial lately asking if you would like cream or oil?

Another thing I discovered about organic milk today is that not all organic dairies treat their cows well. You can read a report about it here. Notice where Horizon rates.

Won't eating fat make me fat? No, on the contrary. Eat fat to lose fat. I know this sounds crazy, but it is true.
The following is from the book Real Food: What To Eat And Why. This exert is taken from the article written by Kelly The Kitchen Kop.
"Unlike polyunsaturated fats, which the body tends to store, the saturated fats in milk are rapidly burned for energy.” “The butter fat found in milk helps the body digest the protein, and bones require saturated fats in particular to lay down calcium.” “The cream on the milk contains the vital fat-soluble vitamins A and D. Without vitamin D, less than 10% of dietary calcium is absorbed.”
Read more about Eat Fat Lose Fat from one of my favorite authors, Sally Fallon, here.

If I can not get raw milk what is the next best thing? I believe that if you can not get raw milk try to find unhomogenized milk. I have seen it in health food stores. Kelly the Kitchen Kop has a great article dealing with just this issue and more. Check it out here. If I were to get into everything about raw milk this would be a very long post.

OK, you have convinced me. So where can I find raw milk? The best place to start looking is at Real Milk. They have a list of dairies that offer it. Although you may still have to look if there is nothing listed in your area. The way I found my dairy was word of mouth. If you have a farming community near you go there and ask around. You might be surprised what you find.

If you have any questions that I have not addressed please feel free to leave a comment and I will try my best to answer it for you.

Menu Plan November 16-21

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I had a very busy one and my daughter had her first sleepover at a friends house. From what I hear she did not go to sleep until 12:30 AM! For a little girl who has an 8:00 bedtime that is late.

I am keeping things simple again this week and using a lot of items I have in the freezer.

Sunday
Breakfast-Pancakes from the freezer, juice, maple syrup
Lunch-My parent's
Dinner-Homemade baked mac and cheese, steamed broccoli, and pears

Monday
Breakfast-Green Smoothies
Lunch-Roast, parm. couscous. veggie
Dinner-My parent's (Hubbie works late on Mondays)

Tuesday
Breakfast-Breakfast cookies, homemade juice (tangerine and carrot)
Lunch-PB and J circle bread, peas
Dinner-Butternut squash soup from freezer, homemade rolls

Wednesday
Breakfast-Toast, almonds, grapefruit
Lunch-Turkey sandwiches, tangerines, green beans
Dinner-Teriyaki chicken, broccoli, quinoa

Thursday
Breakfast-Green smoothies
Lunch-Bean and cheese burritos on homemade tortillas, fruit, veggies
Dinner-Homemade calzones, corn

Friday
Breakfast-Eggs with bell peppers and onions
Lunch-Homemade pizza, fruit
Dinner-Lentil and rice casserole in tortillas, salad

Saturday
Breakfast-Oatmeal, homemade apple/carrot juice
Lunch-Leftovers
Dinner-Leftovers

This Weeks Grocery Totals

I went to several to several stores this week to hit up some sales. I think I did pretty well. I even remembered to take pictures this time!

Dillons (Kroger) Milk and Diapers Budget
Private Selection Organic Milk $1.99 each got 4 Total $8.46

Dillons (Kroger) Grocery budget
Kroger travel size wipes $1 x2 = $2
-$4 off coupon
Total $2 profit!

Muir Glen tomato paste $1.19
-$1/1 coupon
Total $.19

Motts Fresh Pressed Apple Juice $1.69

Organic Romaine Lettuce $1.78

Dream Fields Pasta $2.15 x 2 = $4.30
- 2 $1/1 coupons
Total $2.30

Olive Oil $4.49

Starkist Tuna Pouch $1.25 x 2 = $2.50
- 2 $1/1 coupons
Total $.50

Organic Ketchup $1.95

Applesauce Cups $1.69

Eggs $2.12

Butter $1.88 x 3 = $5.64

Shredded Cheese $1.50 x 2 = $3

Natural Sour Cream $1.21

Cottage Cheese $.49

Apples $.88/lb
Total $2.12

Bananas $.66

Annies Mac and Cheese $1.05

Total After Coupons and Sales $30.95

Green Acres
3 boxes Arrowhead Mills gluten free cookie mixes $.99 each
-$1/1 coupon here
FREE

3 boxes of the same mix (Different expiration dates, I fought this and lost) $1.59
-$1/1 coupon here
$.59 each

Cascadian Farms stir fry mix $2.39
-$1/1 coupon
$1.39 each 3 boxes

Back to Nature crackers $2.39
-$1/1 coupon here
$1.39 each

1 bag Rudi's organic hamburger buns marked down to $.99

Total for all the above $8.44

Target
7th Generation Dish Soap $2.69 x 2 = $5.38
- 2 $1/1 coupons Total $3.38 Grapes $1.18
Total $4.97


Target 2nd Trip
4 pounds Target Brand Shredded Cheese $ 11.76
- 2 $1.50 off 2 pound or more cheese
Total $8.76

2 packs marshmallows (Potty training reward) $2.08
- $1/2 Total $1.08
Total $10.46

Total grocery budget for the week $63.28

This is more then I had planned, but we now have enough cheese to last though the rest of the month. I still think I will stay in budget if I only buy eggs and produce the next couple of weeks.

Foodie Friday

I am starting a new Carnival called Foodie Friday. It is for anyone who has a great, healthy, natural recipe that they would like to share, menu plans, or any foodie tips.

I have not had a chance to make a banner for it yet, but I wanted to give everyone a chance to link up anyway. Feel free to use my blog button if you would like until I have a chance to make a banner.

As soon as possible I will have Mr Linky up and running. Until then you can leave your link in the comments section.

I hope this is something everyone can enjoy!

BeRuby.com- Income Earning Idea

I just found out about BeRuby.com from Money Saving Methods and Money Saving Mom. If you surf the net at all this might be a way for you to earn a little extra income.

I just signed up and already have $1.01 in my account. If you frequently visit sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, or Yahoo you can earn money each time you click on these sites. It is not a lot, but each little bit adds up. If you are going to be on the internet anyway you might as well be getting paid for it. Advertisers are willing to pay us to look at their sites.

Also if you do any shopping online you might want to do it through BeRuby. They have rebate awards when you shop through them.

They also have a tell a friend promotion. Tell 5 friends make $5. When you reach $10 you will receive a check.

I think I like free money!

Baby Steps Continued

Yesterday I wrote about the easier things you can do to start switching your family over to a whole foods diet. Today I thought we might discuss some of the harder and sometimes more expensive ones.

1.) Switch your meat (beef, chicken, eggs) to grass fed, free range and if possible organic. Also if you can find it local is best.

Although the meat in the grocery store may be cheaper you have no idea where it is coming from, what it ate, what conditions it was housed in, if it was given antibiotics or steroids, and many other problems.

Here is a great website called Eat Wild that can give you some great ideas for starting to find local meat. If you are willing to search hard enough you can usually find it. If you live near me try Satchel Creek Steaks or Yoder Meats.

2.) If possible try to switch your dairy products over to raw milk or at the very least non homogenized. A lot of us have begun buying milk and cheese that is organic, but unfortunately it has also been ultra pasteurized and homogenized. These 2 processes kill all of the good bacteria and nutrients in the milk. Sometimes people who are lactose intolerant have found that they area able to drink raw milk without any problems.

If you are still a little unsure about raw milk you can check out my post here or this website called Real Milk.

3.) Buy local or organic produce when possible. Often organic produce is much higher in price then conventional. You will notice though that when you are buying produce in season the prices are often comparable. Lately I have noticed that apples and lettuce are only slightly more or the same as conventional.

If you are unable to buy all organic, which most of the time I am not, there are still things you can do to help reduce your pesticide load. Buy from local farmers, remember the dirty dozen, and buy in season.

4.) Start making your own food rather then buying processed food. Rather then trying to do this all at once start with one thing. Make just that one thing until you are comfortable with it and then slowly start adding things one item at a time. You will find that it gets easier. Some great things to start with would be yogurt (I use a yogurt maker, really easy), tortillas, bread, or granola.

Next week I plan to start going over certain food groups in more detail.

Don't let yourself get discouraged. You will get there. It has taken me a long time to get to the point I am and I still have a LONG way to go.

There are still many things you can do to add nutrients to your diet such as sprouting seeds, soaking grains, and making some of your own dairy products (cheese, kefir, buttermilk...), but I think I will save those for separate posts since they are more involved.

A Great Article On The MANY Uses Of Garlic

Keeper of The Home has a really good post today about garlic and how to use it as a healing herb. It is very well worth reading.

Earthbound Farms Coupon

Earthbound Farms organic produce has a coupon for $1/1 right now. I often see carrots and lettuce for around $1-2. This could make for a really great deal on organic produce.

Thanks Money Saving Mom

Where Are You In Your Journey?

I had planned on starting the baby steps to healthier eating today, but having a very fussy 2 year old, bread baking for the hubbies work, a huge mountain of laundry, and pregnancy I have decided to let you tell do the work today.
I thought it would be an interesting idea to have people leave their comments about where they currently are with there journey to a healthier lifestyle. It does not matter if you are just beginning and looking for a place to start or if you have been transitioning for awhile now. I am hoping to make this a monthly feature so that we can help each other out and gain ideas. I think it may also help me to be more accountable to continue trying to eat better even if the pregnancy hormones are telling me to do otherwise.
If anyone is interested in blogging about their story and leaving a link let me know and I will add a Mr Linky.

Sorry for the mess

I am working on getting a button and new header today. I think I have the button figured out, but the new banner is giving me some trouble. Hopefully it will be fixed soon. I hope you like the new design.

GroOrganic On The Biggest Loser

Check out the post by Organic Deals and Coupons here about GroOrganic on the Biggest Loser tonight. From what I understand you can get 2 months of FREE maintenance from GroOrganic with a coupon code. Might be worth looking into.

Baby Stepping Your Way To A Healthier Lifestyle On A Budget

Today I am starting a series on ways you can slowly work your way into a healthier lifestyle. I know first hand just how overwhelming it can be. When I began my journey about 4 years ago I had no clue where to start. I then started looking at the cost of it all and just about changed my mind. So today I think we should begin with looking at the budget.

Of course, everyone has a different budget to work with so I do not want you to feel that you have to strive to do the same thing as I or any other person would do. If you are interested in looking at my personal grocery budget you can read about it here.

One of the hardest things for me to get over was the fact that it is OK to spend money on food. There is such a huge craze right now to see how much you can get for as little as possible. I will admit that I have been a huge couponer, and still am to some extent. The only problem was that I was discovering that I was coming home with less then natural food. In most other cultures food is something to be enjoyed. As Americans we tend to be in a hurry and want as much as possible for as little as possible. So my husband and I decided that we must remind ourselves it is OK to spend money on food. I am not saying we spend a huge amount, but we have learned to buy the best quality food we are able to with what we have been given.

So what are some tips to staying on a budget while eating healthy, whole foods?

1.) Stop buying processed foods and save your money for the better quality real stuff. You will be better off. If your great-grandmother would not recognize it don't eat it.

2.) Make a list/menu and stick to it. No more impulse buys. This is probably where I struggle the most. If I fail to make a menu we are more likely to eat out and just buy what looks good. This is a big budget buster. When you go to the store have a list and do your best to stick to it.

3.) Make as much of your own food as possible. You may be thinking that you will be spending all your time in the kitchen. You will be there a bit more then before, but modern conveniences have also helped to cut time in the kitchen, such as a bread makers and crock pots. You can also dedicate one day to cooking ahead and freezing meals. This works well for me. The extra time you spend preparing your food will pay off in the long run. Keep things simple.

4.) Search for local food. You are most likely to get the most bang for your buck this way. To help you find sources of local food check out my post here.

5.) Shop with cash. Try to have a predetermined amount for the month and take that weeks amount shopping with you. You are less likely to overspend this way. If you are sticking to your weekly menu and shopping list this is somewhat easier to do. You can even try to adopt the envelope system that Dave Ramsey recommends. This is what we have done. It is one of our methods we are using to get out of debt. Getting out of debt is a HUGE goal we are working on. If you have not already taken Financial Peace University high highly recommend it.

6.) Buy on sale and stock up when you can. If you learn to watch for sales and clearance prices at the right times of the year you can buy things at their lowest prices and save tons of money. For example today I bought 4 pounds of shredded cheese. I really did not need that much, but I got it for around $8. It fit in the budget so I bought it. I took it home and portioned it into 2 cups per baggie and froze it. This should be enough to last us the rest of the month.

Another way to stock up is after the holidays or buying in season. Soon after Thanksgiving and Christmas I can almost bet you there will be some cans of pumpkin, meat, and other baking supplies marked way down.

7.) Be creative and flexible. If you run out of an item before your next shopping trip try to find an alternative. There have been many times we have run out of something and the kids will of course be asking for it. I have had to tell them to wait many times. I will not say that I do not ever give in, but I try to make them wait. It is good for them to learn this lesson and it also helps with the impulse buys that will most likely happen when you go to the store for that 1 item causing you to blow your budget.

8.) Watch for sales on Amazon. I have found many organic items on sale with Amazon lately. I will do my best to highlight them when I see them. If you have any Swagbuck gift cards saved up you can easily score some free or cheap organic/ natural food.

Tomorrow I am planning to post about where you should start to make the changes in your diet to help ease your family into this new way of life.

Here is my proposed schedule of posts for this series. I am open to suggestions.
Week 1-Baby Steps and Budget
Week 2- What, Where, and Why? Food groups
Week 3- Frugal ways to buy natural personal care and toiletry items.
Week 4- Household items
Week 5- Anything I may have left out.

I would love to have you join me. I am thinking about starting a monthly post with a link so everyone can share their progress stories. That way we can all help each other along with additional ideas and support.

Another Target Deal!

Maybe I should just combine all these Target deals into one post. Hopefully this is the last one.

I noticed yesterday that the apples at Target were on sale for around $1 per pound.
Combine this price with the Target coupon here for $1 off 2 pounds or more and you could get 2 pounds of apples for around $1! Not an organic deal, but it is at least a coupon for real food.

Cheap To Free Wipes At Super Targets

We have recently switched to using cloth diapers in an effort to save money as well as be better stewards of the earth. I could not stand all the diapers I was throwing out every week. Thanks to a generous gift from a friend we now have tons of Fuzzi Bunz diapers in all sizes!

The one thing I have had trouble letting go of is disposable wipes. We have been able to cut down on our use of them considerably, but with small children they are convenient to have in the car. So I am always on the lookout for a good deal. Well free does not get any better!

Use the $1/1 Target coupon here (You can print as many as you like)
Buy either the 48 ct refill packs for $.98 or the 72 ct tubs for $1.57
Total FREE or $.57 each!

Looks like I am headed to Target.

Thanks Common Sense With Money!

Up To $4.50 Off Of 2 Lbs Of Cheese At Target

Last week there were lots of sites that were offering a $1.50 off 2 pounds or more of any brand of cheese. I went ahead and printed a lot of them, but have not been able to find a frugal way of using them, until now.

Target has released some new coupons including one for $1.50 off of 1 pound or more of deli cheese. This could make for a great deal on some natural or organic cheese. I prefer to buy deli cheese as opposed to the pre-sliced stuff. It is fresher and you can pick the ones that have the fewest ingredients, sometimes organic. I have really no idea what a pound of cheese costs, but lets pretend it is around $4.50 per pound. Here is what you could do.

Buy 2 pounds of cheese at $4.50 per pound-total $9
-use 2 $1.50/1 Target coupon
-Stack with $1.50 off of 2 pounds (Print from coupons on my left sidebar)
Final total $4.50 for 2 pounds of cheese. That is a lot of cheese!

I plan to work this deal several times. It is a good thing cheese freezes well.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Free Glade Soy Candles At Walmart

****Update, after checking again I am not completely sure this works for the soy candles, but you can still either get the regular candle or a great deal on the soy ones.****

I ran across a deal this morning for free Glade Soy Candles. I love these. In fact, I had one burning this morning. The reason I prefer the soy candles is that they are clean burning, do not leave behind black soot, and they are much healthier for the air.

Here is how you can get them...

Glade Candle $3.00
- $3.50/1 coupon here (Remember to hit your back button to get 2 coupons per computer)
Final price FREE plus $.50 overage. Make sure to add in a small item to cover this.

Thanks Common Sense With Money!

Transitioning To A Healthier Lifestyle Starts Tuesday!

Make sure to come back tomorrow (Tuesday) when I will be restarting a series on how to slowly transition to a healthier lifestyle. Topics this week will include budgeting, planning, and baby steps.

Hopefully next week we can discuss different foods groups such as dairy, grains, oils, sugar...

Great Finds

Ordinarily I would save my shopping trip pictures for Saturday, but I could not wait to share this picture. This is only a small part of my grocery trip today. I had a great week!

These items are from a local health food store. I had coupons for almost everything pictured. Including the gluten free chocolate chip cookie mixes. I was really excited about them because our music pastors daughter is gluten free and I am planning to share some of them with her family.

3 boxes Arrowhead Mills gluten free cookie mixes $.99 each
-$1/1 coupon here
FREE

3 boxes of the same mix (Different expiration dates, I fought this and lost) $1.59
-$1/1 coupon here
$.59 each

Cascadian Farms stir fry mix $2.39
-$1/1 coupon
$1.39 each

3 boxes Back to Nature crackers $2.39
-$1/1 coupon here
$1.39 each

1 bag Rudi's organic hamburger buns marked down to $.99

Total for all the above $8.44
Total saved $17.10 ( I am sure this is more since everything I bought was on sale or clearance)

Menu Plan Nov.8-14

I love having a well stocked pantry. It makes menu planning so much easier. I actually have our meals planned through the rest of November. I don't have many activities planned this week so we should have plenty of time for cooking ahead as well.

Sunday
Breakfast-Cereal, freshly made apple, carrot juice
Lunch-Family get together
Dinner-Pancakes and grapes

Monday
Breakfast-Eggs, raw milk cheese slices, tomatoes or fruit
Lunch-PB and J rollups on homemade bread, carrots and broccoli
Dinner-My parent's house

Tuesday
Breakfast-Baked oatmeal, apples
Lunch-Brown rice, chicken, and veggies
Dinner-Beans, rice, beef, and veggies

Wednesday
Breakfast-toast and eggs with fruit
Lunch-Bean burritos on homemade tortillas, fruit and veggie
Dinner-Apple chicken wraps (one of my favorites), broccoli

Thursday
Breakfast-Leftover baked oatmeal, raisins
Lunch-Pancakes fruit
Dinner-Burgers, homemade french fries, nectarines

Friday
Breakfast-French toast, homemade juice
Lunch-Stacked quesadillas with chicken and cheese, corn
Dinner-Chicken fried rice with stir fry veggies

Saturday
Breakfast- Yogurt and fruit with homemade granola
Lunch-Leftovers
Dinner- Leftovers

We do not usually have many leftovers due to my husband taking most of them for his lunches.

Cheap Or Free 7th Generation Dish Soap At Target!

I just found out from Organic Deals & Coupons that there is a really good deal on 7th Generation dish soap at Target. I am low on soap so I will have to try it out and let you know how it works.

Here is how it said to be working...

Buy one 7th Generation dish soap for $2.69. Use $1/1 coupon here.
Pay $1.69 out of pocket.
The catalina machine should print out a $2/1 Target coupon for any 7th Generation product.

You can then use another $1/1 manufacturers coupon and stack it with the $2/1 Target coupon to hopefully get this for free!

If you are lucky another $2/1 Target coupon will print and you can roll this deal. Just make sure to through in a filler item to cover the extra since the combined coupons will give you an overage.

Has anyone had any luck trying to deal?

Thanks Organic Deals & Coupons!

This Week's Grocery Totals

I did not have to spend too much on groceries this week since I made a large bulk food run last week as well as stocked up on meat the last week of October. I think I spent less then $50 for the month on good quality local beef and chicken (Smart Chicken). One of these days I will remember to get a photo of my groceries before I put them away so you can get a better feel for what I am able to get on a tight budget.

I will admit that am not completely happy with some of the purchases I made. They were not all the best choice health wise, but I am still learning how to balance everything as well. Especially when it comes to wanting all organic, whole foods and staying within budget. Hopefully we can all learn together.

Next week I will be restarting my series on transitioning to real foods and where to find them.

Aldi's (Not organic, but at least real foods)
9 pounds of tangerines - $2.97 (for making juice)
Broccoli $.99
Pasta Sauce 1.59
Apple juice $1.19 (Not good for us, but it gets the elderberry juice down my 4 yr old)
Carrots $.99
2 Grapefruits $.80
Garlic bulbs $.89
Bananas $1.17
Frozen Peas $.95
Frozen Corn $.95 (Usually I agree that if you can not buy organic corn it is not worth buying, but the budget is very tight this month and I had to compromise. I think I may have a good deal for next week on organic corn.)
Cream of mushroom soup $.59 (I finally found a recipe to make my own, yeah!)
Can green beans $.49
Total $14.40

Dillons
6 cups of yogurt (My kids will not eat homemade for some reason. I will share how sometime.)
-$1 coupon
Total $1.70

Dillons again
Cheese ravioli $3.00 (For making pumpkin ravioli)
4 Pie crusts $4.00
Parmesan cheese $.99 marked down
Freezer bags $.83
Something for $2.19 (I can't understand the receipt)
Total $11.70

Emergency Essentials (online)
1 pound cinnamon -$10 gift card
Total $1.50

Totals for the weeks $29.30

50 Beans/Lentil And Rice Recipes With Links

Photo Courtesy of Photobucket

After buying a lot of bulk beans and rice last week I decided I needed to look for some inventive ways to use them so we do not get bored with just beans and rice. I have obviously not had a chance to try all of these, but I have made a few. All of which were quite good.

I tried to look for recipes that did not include meat to make these more frugal, but there may be some that do have it in the ingredient list. Of course you can always adapt the recipe to your taste and budget.

I also tried to find recipes that did not require strange or expensive ingredients, but were still varied and interesting, including two desserts. (Check out the recipe for chocolate hummus at the bottom.)

Italian and Mediterranean
Minestrone
Pasta e Fagioli
Italian Black Beans and Rice
Hummus and Veggie With Pita
Falafel

Indian
Curried Lentils and Rice
Chola (Channa Masala)
Butter Chickpea Curry
Lentil Curry Dip
Lentil Curry Snack
Dhall

Southwest
3 Bean Chili
Taco Salad
Rice and Bean Burritos
Taco Soup
Taco Pizza
Mexican Lasagna
Spanish Rice With Bean Dip
Bean Quesadillas
Layered Bean Enchilada Casserole
7 Layer Tortilla Pie
Pintos With Mexican Spices and V8
Arroz con Leche (Mexican Rice Pudding)

Southern
Red Beans and Rice

Soups and Salads
Chickpea Soup
Chickpea Pasta
Lentil Soup
Split Pea Soup
Black Bean Soup
Tuscan White Bean Soup
Lentil Curry Soup
Moros y Christianos
Chickpea Salad
Pasta Bean and Veggie Salad

Indian (American)
Indian Fry Bread (Tacos)

Asian
Pho
Chinese Fried Rice

Caribbean
Caribbean Rice and Beans

Misc.
Lentil and Rice Casserole (Easy, cheap, and YUMMY!)
Lentil Soup With Mashed Potatoes (Think shepherd's pie)
Black Beans and Rice Burgers
Bean Chili Over Baked Potatoes (Just like it says. Leftovers over baked potato)
Caramelized Onions and Beans
Lentils In Butter With Veggies and Cornbread
Sauteed Crispy Chickpeas
Savory Lentils and Rice
Chickpeas With Sweet Potato ans Summer Veggies
3 Bean Casserole
Black Bean Tortilla Bake
Chocolate Hummus (I think this sounds interesting)

OK, after putting this together I am hungry!

Nature's Gate Toothpaste Review

I am sorry the rest of my baking day did not get posted. Time got away from me and the kids needed some extra attention. It was so nice yesterday that all we managed to make was some cookie dough and play dough. We then decided to go to the park. I did manage to get all 50 pounds of flour bagged and put in the freezer even with a little "help." I also did get a couple of meals, beans, rice, and cooked meat frozen. I am really excited that I had time last night to finish up my November menu and start on December. Anyway here is a quick review of a new toothpaste we have been trying out.

Recently we have decided to start slowly switching over all of our body care products to more natural products. Since these things tend to be a bit pricey and I have been spoiled in the past with getting most of them for free using coupons this might be a bit hard for me.

I thought about going the more frugal route and and making most of my own products to save money, but toothpaste seemed to be the one that I had the most trouble with. The recipes I have found did not sit well with me. We have made our own deodorant with great success. I am planning to do a post on that later this week.

In the end I decided to go with Nature's Gate Creme de Mint toothpaste after a suggestion from Laura at The Heavenly Homemaker. I decided to go ahead and order it from Amazon using my Swagbuck gift cards. Unfortunately I could not find any coupon codes for it, but I still managed to get a pretty good deal. I ended up being able to get 6 tubes for $10 shipped. Not too bad a deal for natural toothpaste.

When it came in the mail I decided that I had better like it since we now have a lot and it will probably last us a good 6 months. Thankfully I really did like it. Since I am pregnant I was a bit concerned that the taste would not sit well with me. I am happy that I decided to go with mint since mint seems to be a flavor that calms the stomach. It is not too strong either. It left me feeling like I had a very clean mouth. The tubes were also much bigger then I anticipated.

Overall I am very pleased with my purchase. I will probably have to get the kids something else since it may be a bit too minty for them.

Here is a list of ingredients I took from the Nature's Gate website. I was happy to find something that was fluoride free. I know this is a debatable subject, but for us we have decided to try and avoid it for now.

Ingredients:
Calcium Carbonate, Glycerin, Water, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Calcium Ascorbate, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Calcium Glycerophosphate, Sodium Chloride, Flavor.

Cooking And Baking Day Plans

I am planning to join Crystal from Money Saving Mom in a cooking and baking day. I love to cook ahead and freeze food. It saves me so much time on nights I don't feel like cooking or have time to. Here is my proposed list. It is a bit long, but I have 2 days. I may be adding more meals as I go along.

Bread x 4 loaves
Pumpkin seeds (We cleaned 15 pumpkins!)
Brown 1 lb beef
Meatloaf
Cook and freeze beans
Cook and freeze rice
Pumpkin pancakes
Pizza x 2
Butternut squash soup
Rolls
Pumpkin pie x 2
Tortillas
Chicken and rice (crock pot)
Pumpkin ravioli Casserole

It is about 10:45 and so far I have almost finished the pumpkin seeds, meatloaf, beans, rice, and I have started soaking the tortillas.

Menu Plan

It has been a very busy week and an even busier week. We have had a plumbing problem so I have not been able to do dishes or laundry all weekend. Add on top of that my trip to Yoder and my son's 2nd birthday I am beat. This weeks menu will be using some things I have in the freezer and will be quite simple.

I promise I will try to get to some more interesting post this week.

Breakfasts-

raw cheese, tomatoes, eggs, and oranges

cereal and fruit

bakes oatmeal

pumpkin pancakes

Lunches-

Turkey sandwiches, fruits and veggies

PB & J rolls, fruit

Bean and cheese burritos with homemade tortillas

All natural hot dogs from our local beef market

Dinners-

Homemade pizza from freezer

Veggie soup from freezer

Cornbread, chicken and rice in crockpot

Calzones (Make extra and freeze)

Beans, rice, beef and veggies

Beef burritos

I am not sure this was worth posting as boring as it is. I am planning to join Money Saving Mom in a cook ahead and freeze day sometime this week. Check out her sight and join in the fun. I have found that cooking ahead saves a lot of time and money.

More Bulk Food Fun

I wish I would have taken a picture of my bulk food purchase yesterday. There was enough to fill up the back of my small SUV! My husband and I decided to make a quick run to Yoder Saturday morning to restock on some staple items. We had so much fun shopping and spending some time together without the kids.

Here is a breakdown of what I came home with....

Carriage Crossing- 2 HUGE cinnamon rolls. We are talking dinner plate size. Total these were less then $3! (definitely an item we "needed")

Yoder Meat Market-I already stocked up on meat from Satchel Creek so we just poked around and bought 2 things of raw milk cheese on sale BOGO, hydroponic, organic tomatoes, and a little cheese snack. I think we spent around $7-8

Yoder Bulk Foods-Our main reason for going........

25 lbs oats

10 pounds black beans

10 pounds pinto beans

10 pounds red beans

5 pounds split peas

50 pounds of flour (No grain mill yet, sigh. I store this in my big freezer)

5 pounds of cornmeal

10 pounds of rice

5 pounds of lentils

6 pounds sugar (Yes, the processed bad stuff. The holidays are coming and my extended family does not care for the natural sweeteners)

Lots of different spices

About 1 lb sea salt

I think that is it unless I left something out. Total for the bulk food store $105! Not too bad. This should be enough to last us 4-5 months. With the meat I bought earlier in the week I am hoping to only have to buy produce and eggs the rest of the month. We will see how it goes. Yes buying natural food is a little more expensive, but when you consider how many things you are not buying it almost evens out.