We are doing what we can to stay cool after last week’s hot weather. And trying our best to keep the electric bill down in other ways while having to run the air conditioner more than usual.
In the summertime the leaves come out on the trees and since we are surrounded by woods, it actually blocks our internet from working very well, which can be frustrating.
Some days we have no internet connection at all. I’ve tried several times to write on my blog and visit and comment on your blogs, but some days it is nearly impossible.
Bailey went to one church yard sale last Friday and got a few pieces, but also got a deal on kitty litter from Facebook Marketplace. We litter train kittens on our outdoor back porch until they are old enough to go into the woods like the other cats do.
A few weeks ago I bought a flannel sheet at a yard sale to reuse the material. Good thing I was going to reuse it for something other than a sheet as the elastic on the sheet was dry rotted. So, I cut the sheet into 12 x 12 pieces and made some flannel wipes/hankies.
I also repaired a Poshmark bag for Bailey where the straps had come apart from the bag. She originally ordered these from a Poshmark sale, but now realizes how cheaply the bags are made and refuses to buy anymore. I sewed all around the square and then crisscrossed the stitches to reinforce the strap to the bag. My repair should last a long time.
This week I bought a new shelf to hold my appliances and other items in the kitchen.
This is the second time I have bought this shelf as I bought one last year for my bedroom. Going vertical with storage is a great way to gain even more storage in your home and keep items easy to access. I love the open shelving concept and would rather have that than cabinets in my kitchen. Bailey uses these same shelves, although a bigger version of them, for her business.
Photo of the Week
I love the way the morning light fills my bedroom with sunshine.
Earning Money
I had an issue with MobileXpressions and emailed them about it last week. They hadn’t credited my account with the appropriate number of credits, which they ended up correcting for me. Afterwards I had enough credits to receive $10 in my PayPal account with enough left over to be half way towards another $10 in PayPal cash.
Avoiding Spending
We did not spend any money on Amazon Prime Day this week. If there were any deals to be had, I didn’t know about them. There isn’t anything I need from Amazon at this time, so I didn’t even look.
Saving Money In My Frugal Kitchen
We had a good share of meatless meals this week for both economic and health reasons. I made Taco Style Lentils and Rice and had that for dinner and lunches several days this week.
Meals This Week
Friday: Meatloaf, Macaroni Salad, and Salad.
Saturday: I forgot to get the chicken out of the freezer to thaw for dinner, and I was really tempted to order out, but I didn’t. I went in the kitchen and made some grilled chicken and cheese sandwiches and then served it with macaroni salad and a side salad. It filled all the hungry tummies, so I was happy and saved our eating out money for another day.
Monday: Dirty Rice, Corn on the Cob, Steamed Broccoli.
Tuesday: Taco Style Lentils, Corn on the Cob, Brussel Sprouts.
Wednesday: Tacos with all the toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and onions, jalapeños, and chipotle sauce.
Thursday: Repeat of Wednesday night’s dinner. What can I say? We love Mexican food and tacos. 😋
Recipe of the Week
Sweet Potato Casserole #2
Ingredients:
4 extra large sweet potatoes
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping:
6 Tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons butter, diced
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Using a fork, poke holes all over the sweet potatoes.
Microwave for 18 to 20 minutes or until soft.
Blend brown sugar, egg, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, butter, milk and vanilla.
Slice potatoes in half and scoop out center.
Add to mixing bowl and blend well.
Place into an 8 x 8 baking pan.
Mix brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Cut in butter.
Stir in pecans.
Sprinkle on top of sweet potatoes.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
What I've been Reading This Week
If you’ve been a regular reader here you probably know that I have followed a plant based diet off and on for several years now. The reason I follow this diet is for health reasons.
I’ve not said it before, but Mom passed away from cirrhosis of the liver. She was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) disease two years ago and that turned into cirrhosis of the liver. Unbeknownst to all of us, she was in end stage liver disease at the end of her life.
Dr. Greger over at Nutrition Facts.org has a section of his website dedicated to this topic, which you can find here: Fatty Liver
More and more people are being diagnosed with NAFLD these days and I’ve read that one in three people have this disease.
I’ve been reading up on the subject recently now that things have sort of settled down here. It has reinforced the idea that a plant based diet has been and will be the right choice for me. I probably won’t abstain from meat, dairy and eggs forever and will still enjoy these foods on occasion, but this is something I want to do for my health.
I’ve also been reading Dr. Gregory’s book titled, How Not to Die. It’s a wealth of scientific information on nutrition and how it can help people prevent and reverse diseases like NAFLD.
Thank you for dropping by my frugal blog, you are always welcome here.
We would love to hear all about your week in the comment section.
Thank you for the information on NAFLD. There is a young man in my family who is extremely overweight. I am going to read Dr. Gregory's book to see what changes I can encourage. At least have the information in hand to give him. I love the curtains in your bedroom!
You’re welcome, Cheryl. The curtains are some I found in Mom’s cedar chest after she passed away. I thought they matched the bedroom so well. I hope the information from Dr. Greger is helpful for your family member.
You might consider taking Dandelion Root daily. We use Nature's Way and take three capsules daily when we start to feel that junked up liver feeling. It really does the job. A friend actually reversed non alcoholic Cirrhosis of the liver caused by a blood pressure med by taking Dandelion root!
We needed to restock toothpaste and since we only use Tom's to avoid fluoride, I was very happy to get three tubes for $9.52 on Prime day and got two packs. It is up to 6.99 each at the stores here. I also got some great deals on birthday gifts for our grand daughter and I save postage by having them shipped straight to her.
I have a flannel sheet that needs cutting up, too.
That is wonderful about the dandelion root, Lana. Thank you for telling me. I will definitely look into that. Good deal on the Toms toothpaste. My daughter uses that brand too as it is sls free and she needs that to prevent canker sores. Great deal for Toms!
Looks like you had a great week. It's been hot here also (central AL) but we had a cold front come through mid-week that helped lower the temp to the low 90's. I didn't even go on Amazon during Prime Day. I don't need anything either and I really don't have any extra money to spend right now. The only groceries I bought this week was a bag of cat food. I have plenty of other food in the house so it will be at least a week before I order any more groceries. I really feel a need to spend as little as possible now.
I like those cold fronts that move thru during the summer time as they are very refreshing. I’m with you on spending as little as possible right now. I want to be prepared in case I need some money for something unexpected in the future.
Sorry about the internet troubles. We have trouble getting reception on our tv antenna sometimes during bad weather. Those shelves look really handy. Are they pretty sturdy? So sorry that your Mom suffered from liver disease. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I think we all need to eat more plant based meals. Oh I had forgotten about hillbilly housewife site. I think I made those taco lentils years ago, and I need to try them again. Lentils are probably my least favorite though, but maybe with enough spices they are better.:) Hope you have a great weekend.
Thank you, Kathy. The shelves are VERY sturdy and even I come with a bracket to mount it to the wall if you want, although we’ve not done that with ours.
You know I am the same way with lentils, but for some reason I really like this recipe. It actually even looks so much like taco meat. I think it’s all the spices in the recipe that make it taste so good.
I loved the original Hillbilly Housewife website and still use some of her recipes.
My sister has what you Mom had. I'm sorry she lost her battle. Man it effects everything in your body. It's a rough disease. I'm glad you are taking care and trying to improve your health.
Hi Belinda! ☺ Nutrition is so important and I will admit I'm not an expert, but each month I try to add more and more healthy food to the plate rather than the high fatty pizzas and pastas. Good for you for resisting the temptation to order take out! I dropped by the local farm/market yesterday and put in my order for 200 pounds of field tomatoes for harvest. They were charging $1 a pound last year, I hope it's the same price. I'll can them and there will be enough for a whole year! I also finally got an Excalibur dehydrator on sale at Amazon last week! I'm going to start dehydrating very soon!!!
Good plan to add more healthy food to your diet when you can, Rain. We try and do the same thing here. How neat on the dehydrator! I have a small Nesco one but an Excalibur would be amazing! I hope it provides you with tons of dehydrated food down thru the years. 😊
Doing things for our health is our best investment. Our Internet can be spotty too. You were missed in blogland.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sam. That was sweet of you to say. 😊
DeleteLooks like a nice sturdy shelf. I like your remake with the flannel.
ReplyDeleteI am like you - I could eat Mexican type food every day!
Have a great weekend.
Thank you, Cheryl. I hope you have a great weekend too. 😃
DeleteThank you for the information on NAFLD. There is a young man in my family who is extremely overweight. I am going to read Dr. Gregory's book to see what changes I can encourage. At least have the information in hand to give him. I love the curtains in your bedroom!
ReplyDeleteYou’re welcome, Cheryl. The curtains are some I found in Mom’s cedar chest after she passed away. I thought they matched the bedroom so well. I hope the information from Dr. Greger is helpful for your family member.
DeleteI could also eat Mexican food daily. It's one of my favorites! Nice job making a meal at home, vs going out
ReplyDeleteThank you, some day it’s easier to do that than others. 😊
DeleteYou might consider taking Dandelion Root daily. We use Nature's Way and take three capsules daily when we start to feel that junked up liver feeling. It really does the job. A friend actually reversed non alcoholic Cirrhosis of the liver caused by a blood pressure med by taking Dandelion root!
ReplyDeleteWe needed to restock toothpaste and since we only use Tom's to avoid fluoride, I was very happy to get three tubes for $9.52 on Prime day and got two packs. It is up to 6.99 each at the stores here. I also got some great deals on birthday gifts for our grand daughter and I save postage by having them shipped straight to her.
I have a flannel sheet that needs cutting up, too.
That is wonderful about the dandelion root, Lana. Thank you for telling me. I will definitely look into that. Good deal on the Toms toothpaste. My daughter uses that brand too as it is sls free and she needs that to prevent canker sores. Great deal for Toms!
DeleteLooks like you had a great week. It's been hot here also (central AL) but we had a cold front come through mid-week that helped lower the temp to the low 90's. I didn't even go on Amazon during Prime Day. I don't need anything either and I really don't have any extra money to spend right now. The only groceries I bought this week was a bag of cat food. I have plenty of other food in the house so it will be at least a week before I order any more groceries. I really feel a need to spend as little as possible now.
ReplyDeleteI like those cold fronts that move thru during the summer time as they are very refreshing. I’m with you on spending as little as possible right now. I want to be prepared in case I need some money for something unexpected in the future.
DeleteI also love Mexican food. Good for you knowing how to sew and mend. YOu could just hem pants and make a good living.
ReplyDeleteI see people asking on Facebook for recommendations for alterations from time to time. It could make a good business I think.
DeleteSorry about the internet troubles. We have trouble getting reception on our tv antenna sometimes during bad weather.
ReplyDeleteThose shelves look really handy. Are they pretty sturdy?
So sorry that your Mom suffered from liver disease. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I think we all need to eat more plant based meals.
Oh I had forgotten about hillbilly housewife site. I think I made those taco lentils years ago, and I need to try them again. Lentils are probably my least favorite though, but maybe with enough spices they are better.:)
Hope you have a great weekend.
Thank you, Kathy. The shelves are VERY sturdy and even I come with a bracket to mount it to the wall if you want, although we’ve not done that with ours.
DeleteYou know I am the same way with lentils, but for some reason I really like this recipe. It actually even looks so much like taco meat. I think it’s all the spices in the recipe that make it taste so good.
I loved the original Hillbilly Housewife website and still use some of her recipes.
Doing what we can to improve our health or at least maintain it is just a small thing we can easily do.
ReplyDeleteYou had a great week. The heat is killing us here as well.
God bless.
I hope you all get some relief from the heat this week, Jackie. We were able to get some and it felt better. 😊
DeleteMy sister has what you Mom had. I'm sorry she lost her battle. Man it effects everything in your body. It's a rough disease. I'm glad you are taking care and trying to improve your health.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vickie. I hope and wish the best for your sister.
DeleteHi Belinda! ☺ Nutrition is so important and I will admit I'm not an expert, but each month I try to add more and more healthy food to the plate rather than the high fatty pizzas and pastas. Good for you for resisting the temptation to order take out! I dropped by the local farm/market yesterday and put in my order for 200 pounds of field tomatoes for harvest. They were charging $1 a pound last year, I hope it's the same price. I'll can them and there will be enough for a whole year! I also finally got an Excalibur dehydrator on sale at Amazon last week! I'm going to start dehydrating very soon!!!
ReplyDeleteGood plan to add more healthy food to your diet when you can, Rain. We try and do the same thing here. How neat on the dehydrator! I have a small Nesco one but an Excalibur would be amazing! I hope it provides you with tons of dehydrated food down thru the years. 😊
Delete