Recipe: Pumpkin Bread

The weather here took a drastic change to bring Autumn in a hurry. I personally don't mind, since Fall is my favorite season. The farmers are already selling pumpkins they harvested early, so I'm in the pumpkin baking mood. The inspiration for this recipe came from the My Baking Addiction Pumpkin Bread and the Harvest Pumpkin Apple Bread on Food.com.

Both of those recipes contain way too much sugar and oil for my personal taste, so I modified them to reduce the amount while retaining the moisture and flavor.  I exchanged the 2 1/2 cups of sugar for small amounts of molasses, pure maple syrup, apple sauce, and apple juice. These ingredients add sweetness while providing a deeper flavor and cutting the sugar content by half.

Since I'm drastically  reducing my consumption of processed white flour, I switched it out with whole wheat flour and quick cooking oats. The recipe makes two loaves, but you can turn them into muffins, just make sure to reduce the baking time.

Healthy Pumpkin Bread with chocolate chips.
Great fall flavors without all the sugar.

Recipe: Pumpkin Bread
Yield 2 loaves

Ingredients:
2 cup homemade pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1/3 cup apple juice
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened natural apple sauce
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tblsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
pinch cardamom
2 tsp baking soda
1 tblsp lemon juice
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

NOTE: If you use can pumpkin instead of homemade pumpkin puree, add 1/3 cup of water to batter.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with large baking pan of water at the bottom of the oven. This helps keep moisture.

Grease and flour two 8.5 x 4 x 2.5 inch loaf pans.

In a bowl, mix pumpkin puree, oil, apple juice, apple sauce, maple, molasses, spices, vanilla, salt, and lemon juice. Mix for 2-5 minutes to ensure ingredients are well blended. Add oatmeal and mix well together. Let mixture rest for five minutes.

In a separate bowl mix flour and baking soda. Add flour mixture to wet mix, and stir until just blended. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the sides of the loaf are pulling away from the pan, it is probably done.

Cool in pans on a wire rack for ten minutes. After the pans are cool enough to touch, remove loaves from pans and continue to cool them on the wire racks.

Pumpkin Bread with chocolate chips fresh from the oven.

Recipe: Ranch Dressing

A lot of premade dressing contain hidden ingredients, and can be rather pricey. In attempt to cut out preservatives and find a cheaper alternative to the premade salad dressings on the shelf, I found a home made version. The recipe I came up with was inspired by the easy Ranch Dressing at Bake Your Day, so some credit should go to them.

Dry Ranch Seasoning Mix
2 tsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. dried dill
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. onion salt
2 tsp. black powder
1 tsp. dried chives

Mix the ingredients in a sealed container, which will keep for a couple of months.

When you're ready for the actual dressing, mix 1 tbsp of dry mix with 1/3 cup mayo, greek yogurt or sour cream (your preference), and 1/4 cup buttermilk or plain milk. For creamer dressing use less milk. If you want a lighter dressing use fat-free greek yogurt or sour cream with skim milk.

Homemade Bleach Cleaner

I really like to use vinegar as a non-abrasive, natural cleaner, but sometimes you need something a bit stronger. While vinegar is a good a disinfectant, it does not compete against the killing power of bleach. Rodale provides a good article "This or That: Bleach vs. Vinegar."  For the most part, they  prefer vinegar over bleach for normal day-to-day use, but recognize bleach is better at killing food-borne germs. I like to use a homemade bleach cleaner on my cutting boards. Occasionally I use it in the bathroom for a deep clean.

Here is what I use in my 500 ML spray bottle.
1 tbsp bleach
2 tbsp laundry detergent (Do NOT use detergent with bleach alternatives. This will cause a bad chemical reaction.)
Fill the rest with water.

This is certainly a lot cheaper than buying the pre-made version. It is mere pennies a bottle to make your own. Happy cleaning!

Library Book Review: How Not to Die

How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier
By Dr. Jan Garavaglia, M.D., otherwise known as America's favorite medical examiner: Dr. G.

Once I picked up this book I could not put it down. I finished reading all 267 pages in one day. The main star from the Dr. G: Medical Examiner series on Discovery Health, wrote a book on the major causes of death she finds from the bodies that come across her examining table. To highlight the major causes of premature deaths, Dr. G used various cases from her personal work. She reviewed these cases more like stories instead of standard medical text, which made this an easy read. Her advice to prevent you from ending up on her examining table prematurely is simple and sage.

I admit I have a thing for health books, but read more like a medical mystery as she unfolds the individual stories in hopes we will learn from these people's mistakes. As mentioned on the inside cover "Using anecdotes from her cases and a liberal dose of humor, Dr. G gives us her prescription for living a healthier, better, longer life." The book could be broken down into ten lessons.

#1. Know your numbers. Blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol. Not controlling these three things can leave lasting damage to your body and sending you to a early grave.

#2. Listen to your body. You know your body better than anybody else. If something isn't right, be proactive and seek medical help early before it is too late.

#3. Use as directed. Take your medicine as directed.

#4. Practice good hygiene. Dr. G points out that the more you wash your hands, the less likely you'll be sick.

#5. Drive carefully. People are still dying needlessly because of reckless driving.

#6. Just say no. Smoking, using drugs, and drinking too much will cut your life short.

#7. Watch your step. Careless accidents kill more people than you realize.

#8. Have a good time. Enjoy life, because you only get one.

#9. Don't go it alone. It's important to have a support team. People with close, healthy relationships live longer, because they have these relationships to fall back on during difficult periods of life.

#10. Remember what matters. There are all sorts of things in life, but keep focus on the things that really matter in life. Don't stress the small stuff.

Natural Cleaner: Vinegar

One of the most versatile cleaners in the world may already be in your kitchen, vinegar. I didn't say it was the most pleasant smelling, but it is cheap and gets the job done. Plus once the vinegar dries, the smell will dissipate leaving your house clean without a strong chemical smell. I keep a spray bottle full of vinegar in my kitchen as my all purpose cleaner. Admittedly, my house quickly goes through the huge gallon containers of vinegar. It is significantly cheaper than all those popular cleaners out there, plus I don't need to worry about accidental poisoning by small children or pets.

- Instead of using glass cleaner, I spray a few squirts of vinegar and wipe the windows with a clean cloth.

- To remove tea/coffee stains, I spray with vinegar, let it sit for a few minutes and wipe clean.

- To disinfect and provide a shiny surface, I spray with vinegar, let it sit for a few minutes, and wipe.

- Back when I had a dishwasher, I would use vinegar instead of Jet-Dry. Dishes came out shiney, and my shopping bill was lower.

- To remove hard water stains from the faucet and stainless steel sink, use vinegar.

- To remove hard water stains and soap scum from shower stall, spray with a solution of half heated up vinegar with half liquid dish soap, let sit for 5-10 minutes, and then scrub. This actually provides amazing results.

- To prevent hard water stains from shower stalls or tubs, spray with vinegar after you're done taking a shower.

- To gentle clean the greasy kiddy fingerprints from our flat screen T.V., spray with vinegar and wipe with a microfiber cloth.

- Use vinegar in the laundry to get out strong smells. I also run vinegar through the washer to disinfect.

- Sparky have a little accident in the house? Clean out the urine stain with vinegar.

- To clean stinky, greasy plastic Tupperware, spray with vinegar, let it sit for a few minutes, and wash out.

Oh, and you can also cook with it. It is the only cleaner I would use in a recipe.

Library Book Review: Women, Weight, and Hormones

Women, Weight, and Hormones: A Weight Loss Plan for Women Over 35
By Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet, M.D.

The titled seemed promising, but I guess this is a good example on why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, er title. Honestly, I could not even read over half of it before I had to put it down for good, which means I didn't even make to the diet portion. The book loads on the various medical terms and shamelessly self promotes Dr. Vliet's other book. Having a stable level of hormones play an important role in maintaining weight. As women age, we have a harder time with the weight issue because of our hormones.

This book was published in 2001, and seems a little dated to me. She came across as big proponent for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). In 2002, the attitudes in the medical field towards HRT drastically changed when it was linked to higher cancer risks, so I'm a little leary towards the hormone replacement optimism expressed. The important thing I got out of this is, women who are interested hormone treatment really need to talk to their doctors, because you could cause more problems if you try to self medicate.

This is one book going back to the library without being finished.

Library Book Review: STOP Inflammation Now!

Stop Inflammation Now! A Step-by-Step Plan to Prevent, Treat, and Reverse Inflammation - the Leading Cause of Heart Disease and Related Conditions

By Richard M. Fleming, M.D. with Tom Monte

As far as health books go, I enjoyed this one. Dr. Fleming took technically complex medical information  and simplified it into easily understood terms. If my biology class textbook was like this, I probably would have earned a better grade. The book really takes the time to explain how inflammation of your circulatory system leads to heart disease, what causes inflammation, and how to cure it.

     "The word 'inflammation' originated with the Greeks and was used to indicate a fire within the body. That is still a highly accurate description..." (Page 13) This fire caused by your immune system is triggered by various factors from your environment, diet, and lifestyle. Most of the book is spent on explaining the 12 links of what Dr. Fleming calls an inflammation chain reaction.

1. Cholesterol. The Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL), otherwise known as "bad" cholesterol, is the primary villain. High amounts of LDL start the inflammation chain reaction. A typical Western diet contribute to high levels of LDL.

2. Triglycerides. These are basically tiny bits of fat in your bloodstream. This goes up when you eat too much, especially too much fat and sugar. If your triglycerides become too high, your blood becomes too thick. It doesn't take a medical degree to know how that thick blood is not a good thing.

3. Excess Weight. Carrying around excess weight means your heart has to work harder. Additionally, the things that lead to weight gain are also associated with inflammation within your artery walls.

4. Homocysteine. This is an amino acid, also commonly referred to as protein. When you consume excessive amounts of red meat, the numbers of homocysteine in your blood rise. Elevated amounts act like corrosive acid causing minor injuries against the artery walls, which your immune system reacts to by causing inflammation.

5. Antioxidants. These combat the oxidation process. Oxidation seems like a fancy way of saying decay. Fat, alcohol, smoking, and processed foods are big culprits of oxidants. The cure to oxidation is antioxidants, which is primarily found in plant based food.

6. Exercise. "Exercise is an essential part of ant health program." (Page 10) Considering just taking a leisurely walk helps combat inflammation triggers and strengthen your body, you can see why Dr. Fleming's diet includes moderate exercise.

7. Fibrinogen. This other type of protein in your blood increases your body's ability to clot. While it is important to have some of this protein in your body (otherwise you could accidentally bleed to death), too much of it in your blood could be deadly. Elevated amounts increase your chances of a heart attack or stroke. Diets high in fat and meat increase fibrinogen production.

8. Growth Factors. As the name implies, these promote growth, but it does so much more. It focuses on cellular growth and regulates the arteries' behavior. Diets high in animal products (i.e. meat, dairy) elevate growth factor numbers to unhealthy levels. What's wrong with having a lot of growth factors? "[T]hey stimulate cells to multiply even when the cells are not needed. That's when growth factors give rise to immune and inflammatory reactions, which can lead to several kinds of illnesses, including heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer." (Page 101) I think the doctor summarizes it up nicely.

9. Cytokines and Leukotrienes. These chemicals are communication tools your immune system to coordinate attacks. Additionally, they can trigger reactions in your body, like inflammation, and artery constriction. Needless to say, having elevated levels of these chemicals is not a good thing for your blood pressure or heart.

10. Complement. Another type of protein in your blood, it is used by your immune system to seek and destroy germs. Complements destroy the invading organism by punching holes in its membranes; however, complements become a little zealous and accidentally poke holes in healthy tissue (like your arteries). This triggers inflammation and attracts more hole punching complements. You can begin to see how a vicious cycle starts.

11. Bacteria. We all know that are immune system is on the constant hunt for bacteria. Did you know the cholesterol plaque in your arteries make great homes for freeloading bacteria? It's true! and wreaking havoc on your system by triggering your immune system into an inflammatory state.

12. Protect Your Arteries. The good doctor also advises against unnecessary intrusive procedures, since these could injure your circulatory system. Dr. Fleming devotes a whole chapter on providing medical guidance on appropriate medical procedures.

The recommended cure is a dietary and lifestyle change using the Fleming Diet. The premises of the diet breaks down into two phases.

       - Phase I. You cut out all meat, dairy, eggs, processed food, and grains. You only eat fruits, vegetables (to include white potatoes), beans and nuts. During this phase, you are forcing your body to use up the extra cholesterol in your system. This will force your blood work to return to normal healthy ranges. Additionally, you start exercising. Leisure walks count as exercise. The whole point is to be less sedentary.

       - Phase II. The book says you can move onto Phase II after you reach your intended goals, which should occur after being on the diet for a few months. Slowly you reintroduce in limited quantities whole grain, healthy types of meat, low-fat dairy, and oil. During this phase, your exercise program should progress from leisure to moderate workouts multiple times a week. The Phase II goals are to maintain what you achieved.

While the book focuses on how inflammation leads to heart disease, it does mention other diseases that have inflammation as a cause, such as hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. The good doctor also spends part of a chapter explaining how high protein low carb diets are ultimately bad for your health in the long run. As I mentioned earlier, I liked this easy to read health book and it makes me think twice about the foods I eat. I am giving serious thought to trying out the Fleming diet, or a modified version.  While the book was published 10 years ago, the information is still good today. Less processed typical Western diet, and more plant based food.

Diet Change

The past couple of days I tried drastically increasing my vegetable and fruit consumption as most people do when they start dieting after the holidays. You read how they are low in calories, will fill up your tummy and are oh, so good for you. When it comes to dieting and health, veggies and fruits are your friend, so it was only logical to stock up and chow down on these. Too bad they don't come with a list of side effects, for instance:

You will be hungry again in about a hour. Regardless of the amount I eat, I am hungry again in about one hour, leaving me no option, but to reach for more to eat. I spend all day eating, which is hard when I'm actually trying to do work. The fruits and vegetables just go right through me, which brings me to my next point.

You will go to the bathroom more. Packed with natural fiber, these delectable delicacies will get your indoor plumbing running smoothly. This is Nature's detox routine. I'm certain that is how they make you lose weight, you poop it out! Plus all the running between the bathroom and my desk has to count as some form of exercise.

GAS! GAS! GAS! With all that extra work your stomach is doing, you're bound to get some nasty byproducts. The natural sudden urge to fart will increase. BACK BLAST AREA CLEAR! With the constant running to the bathroom, the gas stench leaves a trail back to me desk, so I can find my way back.

Between me constantly gnawing on something, running to the bathroom, and cutting loose the gas build up, my coworkers are hoping this is only a phase. Fortunately, once my body adjusts to the increase in fiber, my bathroom issues should tame. As for the hunger issue, combining vegetables with a protein, fat or complex carbohydrate should give it some staying power. For instance, combining fruit with a little bit of non-fat or low fat yogurt would take longer to digest. I'll have to play around with some combinations.

Frugal Living Diet

After doing some research on various diets out there, I decided to come up with my own. I am going to use real food - no fake diet crap!, plus it is going to focus on health and be budget friendly. The main reason why I want to lose weight, is to be healthier. By being healthier I hope to reduce the need for expensive medical bills. I'll be posting on how well I am doing on it. Here are the ground rules!

Water, water every where!
Drink plenty of water. Water helps our body metabolize our food, as well as assist our kidneys and liver flush out toxins. Additionally, we sometimes mistake thirst for hunger. By drinking cold water, our body burns calories trying to heat it up. Try to drink eight 8fl oz glasses a day. Tap water is free! You can drink coffee as well, but limit it to no more than two cups. You may drink tea as well since it is full of antioxidants. Make your own tea instead of buying instant ice tea, since tea bags are cheaper and you control what goes into your tea. Word of caution with the coffee and tea, they are not as healthy if you use creamer, sugar, or sweetener in it.

No soda!
That goes for diet soda as well. It is so full of chemicals that come with side effects. Don't believe me? Read Prevention's "7 Side Effects of Drinking Diet Soda." Getting rid of soda will be a saving on your wallet.

No processed food! No white flour!
Prepackaged, processed foods are typically calorie dense with little fiber, which gives you a large amount of calories without leaving you feeling full long. Plus, your body typically breaks down processed foods quickly spiking your blood sugar count. It's all fine and dandy, until it your blood sugar crashes leaving you reaching for more processed garbage. Maintaining a steady blood sugar level helps stabilize your hunger.

No sugar
I'm talking about the white stuff. Americans eat far too much sugar, which is nothing more than empty calories. This rule goes for high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners as well.

More fruits and vegetables

Full of fiber, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins, as well as low in calories, every diet should incorporate more fruits and vegetables. It also helps combat inflammation in your circulatory system. Strive for a wide variety and up to 13 servings. Remember, a serving is 1/2 cup of fruits or vegetable, 1 cup for big leafy veggies, 1/4 cup of dried fruits. Your two main meals should only be fruits and vegetables. Focus on buying in season fresh fruits and vegetables. Also, frozen veggies are another cheap source. Limit your intake of canned sources, since they are typically higher in sodium. If you have a sweet tooth, use fruit as an alternative to dessert, after all it is Nature's candy. For the argument about whether white potatoes should be vegetable or carbohydrates, it is a vegetable. While it should not be your only source of vegetable, it is still a vegetable and counts as a serving.

Beans, beans, the magical...
Beans are really good for you and are thought of by some as a power food. They're great for your heart, full of fiber and help control your hunger. Plus a bag of dried beans is cheap!

Nuts!
Full of antioxidants and healthy fats, these are considered another type of power food. Don't eat too much though, these healthy guys are also dense in calories. Limit yourself to a couple of handfuls throughout the day to ward off hunger. Buying the type you have to crack open yourself is cheaper.

Limit meat
Americans eat WAY too much protein, which is horrible for your kidneys. "The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that the average American male consumes 102 grams of protein per day, while the average female eats about 70 grams. That's almost twice the daily recommended intake established by the Food and Nutrition Board." Most protein is obtained from meat, which is traditionally high in saturated fat as well. While it is okay to have some saturated fat in your diet, it needs to be limited. Select fish (high in omega-3 fatty acids), and trimmed cuts of meat. Try to limit your monthly intake of red meat and processed meat (i.e. bacon, lunch meat) to no more than 2 servings. Meat is an expensive part of the grocery bill. By reducing the amount of meat you eat, you'll automatically get savings.

Limit fat
You still must incorporate fat into your diet, because your body needs it to properly function; however, this must be in limited quantities. Fat is a calorie dense source of energy. One gram of fat is nine calories, while one gram of carbohydrates or protein is four calories. Opt for healthy sources like olive oil. Stay away from hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil, since these are sources of trans fat (a type of bad fat your body does not need).

Limit alcohol
A glass or two of wine is fine, but more than that and you're just adding empty calories to your diet.

Low-fat, no fat dairy
Aim for only 2 servings of low-fat or no fat dairy products. I'm trying to limit my protein intake from animal sources, because I am trying to shift my diet to more plant base for health reasons.

Limit wheat
I'm a carbaholic and will gladly eat a diet of nothing but bread. I already have the rule of not processed food and no white flour. Whole grains such as bulgar, and brown rice are good for you, but whole wheat products don't compare. Granted whole wheat flour is better than white flour, but it is still too processed to keep blood sugar stable.

Get moving!
Exercise is a great mood booster, gets the blood pumping, builds muscle (which burns more calories!), and naturally raises your good cholesterol. Our bodies were made for motion, not a sedentary lifestyle. Try to workout 3-5 times a week for 30 minutes. Also try to be more active, by doing little things like taking the stairs instead of the escalator, carry basket instead of pushing a grocery cart.

As a general rule, you only need 10 calories to maintain one pound of your body weight. So if you're 200 lbs, you need 2,000 calories a day to maintain your current weight. I am 165 lbs right now and would like to weigh 145 lbs, meaning my calorie intake needs to change from 1,650 to 1,400. To help my body to adjust, I am making an intermediate goal of 150 lbs, meaning 1,500 calories, so my body adjusts easier to the calorie decrease.

New Year's Resolution

Happy New Year! An old year passes and a new one is here giving us a clean start.

This new year I would like to be skinner. About 20 pounds should do it, not that I'm picky. But I would also like to be healthier, and stay on a budget. Oh, being skinner with those two additional items might be a bit harder. Well, I'm going to give it a go.  The past couple of weeks I've been reading health books I checked out at the library, researching the best ways to be healthy and lose weight. I will post some reviews on the library books I have been reading. Maybe you'll find a good read?

While I haven't quite decided on how I'm going to achieve my budget friendly healthier weight-loss, I know some ways I am not going about it are:

Crash Diets

I could easily go on those crash diets that severally restrict your caloric intake to 1000 or below. It would definitely help with shedding the pounds, and when you're eating less, the grocery bill would correspond by being lower. My health would take a hit, plus I would be very, very hungry. I don't like being hungry. I get cranky, very cranky,  and others will pay. Additionally, with crash diets, you are often missing key minerals, vitamins and protein your body needs to properly function, so it breaks your muscles to fuel itself. The drastic reduction in calories also sends your body into starvation mode, making it hold onto the fat reserves. Ultimately, these don't work and they end up making you frustrated.

Meal Replacement
The meal replacement option often contains more minerals, vitamins and protein than the crash diet, so it is certainly a healthier option compared to crash diets. However, meal replacements are often costly, and lack in the taste department. Yuck! I still have to buy real food for the rest of the family, so the grocery bill would not be lower. There is no budget savers in this area.

No Diet Pills, Supplements, Herbs, or Detox

Majority of the popular diets that require you to purchase expensive items while going on their calorie reduced diet are only taking you as a sucker. Most of the supplements and herbs are not covered by the Food Drug Administration, and may contain more than you bargain for. Since one of my goals is to also be healthier, I am going to skip this route. Let's face it people, health and weight loss are not in a magical pill.

Weight Watchers

Admittedly, I have been on Weight Watchers before and successfully lost weight on their program. It promotes a balanced healthy approach by teaching you how to eat real food. I like that. Unfortunately, the fees add up when you look at the registration fee, weekly fee or monthly pass (depending at what route you take). You have to pay the fees regardless if you show up to the weekly meeting or not. This program is not helpful on my wallet, plus I do not have a meeting group conveniently near by. Granted you can pay for the strictly online option, which is cheaper than the meeting package, but I don't feel like I really get my money's worth. To me, the main reason why Weight Watchers is so successful, is the meetings.

Here's to a New Year! While I am not sure what I am going to do achieve my goals for this year, I know what I am not going to do, which is a starting point. Throughout the year I will post about my progress and failures in hopes others can learn along the journey.

Cut the cord

It is hard to believe, but this month marks one year of living without cable. As somebody who grew up as an avid television viewer, it is hard to believe that I managed to survive. Like many people watching their expenses increase while the paycheck remain stagnant, I was looking for ways to cut back on living expenses. One of the largest bills we had was from the blasted cable company. It angered me, because we always complained there was nothing good on, we hear various reports about how watching too much T.V. is not good for you, and it provided very little for amount it cost. Yet, we kept it month after month. When we moved, the cable bill did not come with us. We cut the cable! It wasn't easy at first as we transitioned to finding other forms of entertainment to fill the void but here are some things that we did.

Library Patron. We visit our local public library to not only checkout books, but videos, video games, and other multi-media as well. Our library rotates their videos and games with other libraries in the region, so the selection is never stale. We get to borrow from their selection for free. Yes, FREE! Of course, you have to watch out for late fees from some libraries, but it is still significantly cheaper than cable, and it is something you can easily avoid.

Games. We play games together. Okay, we're not gathered around a board game having family game night. It is primarily video games. My kids are using their brains trying to solve the puzzle and challenges presented by the game, which is a step up from just staring at the T.V. Plus, I don't have a reoccurring bill for the gaming console. With the ability to checkout games from the library, you can easily refresh your entertainment selection.

Internet. Some households consider the Internet as a luxury, while they still keep the cable bill. If I had to choose Internet or cable, I would keep the Internet. The Internet can help with homework, provide entertainment, help me stay in touch (hello Skype! and Facebook), help me with finding new recipes and provide a wealth of knowledge. Cable? Not so much. We kept the Internet to stream videos, allow me to complete online classes, read news, and to video chat with family members in different timezones. Fox, ABC and CBS let us stream our favorite T.V. programs with minimal commercials. We also watch a good bit of sporting events online as well. We just hook up our laptop to the T.V. using a HDMI cable.

Netflix or Amazon Prime. We subscribed to Netflix and are thinking about switching to Amazon Prime. Either way, they both provide us a vast entertainment selection. We dropped Netflix for a few months, since we were not watching it very much; however, we decided to pick them back up. Guess what? There was no hook-up or cancellation fee.  We could stop and start services when we wanted to, plus the monthly rate is still cheaper than a cable bill.

Hobbies. Without the usual past time of flipping through the channels and staring brain dead at the idiot box, we had to find other things to preoccupy our time. My husband and I got into cooking more and trying different recipes, with delicious results I may add. I crochet providing me more scarves, hats, and blankets. They make great gifts as well. My boys love to create intricate Lego vehicles. My husband loves to go running. Find something you are passionate about, or something that relaxes you. With a hobby  you will have something to show for your time, whether it good meals, better health, new doilies or a new Lego Starship. Cable cannot provide this.

Benefits.

More free time. Without television competing for my children's attention and distracting them, my kids have time to do their homework and other **gasp** educational pursuits. My oldest son read more this past year than he did in the previous two years. Before we got rid of cable, he would read because it was assigned reading. Now, he reads for pleasure. He is really into the "Diary of Wimpy Kid" and "Captain Underpants" series. For me, I have free time to work on my degree (college classes are online), write, blog (just not too much on this site), and spend time with my family.

Less advertisement and commercials. Since going cable free, my children see less commercials. It's great because I hear less whining from my kids about how they want the latest and greatest toy they had no idea they needed until the commercial came on.

Learning. The extra reading I've done taught me a great deal, such as how to live healthier, cook, crochet, sew and a new language. As I mentioned earlier, I am pursuing my college degree, so there is a good bit learning there. My oldest son started creating his own comic book, so he is learning on how to develop a story and write dialogue.

Lighter Chocolate Chip Muffin

In my quest to healthier cooking, I found Cooking Light. Admittedly, I use them a lot. I was really happy when they came out with Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins. Finally, I could have a chocolate treat without all the guilt. Well...to be honest, they were okay. If you read the reviews, many people recommended adding more chocolate or some other alteration.

Fat is a flavor vehicle. The problem with going low-fat in any recipe is you're messing with the vehicle that delivers and develops the flavor. Also, fat provides forgiveness in baking by keeping things moist, even if you leave it in the oven just a little beyond the finish stage. When you remove some of the fat, you need to compensate for flavor some where else.

After reading a few books on baking (I have more time to read since we no longer have cable, which I guess is a different frugal post all together), I learned that the secret to enhancing the flavor of chocolate is a cup of java. Vanilla helps too, but the original recipe already includes that. Thinking I could do better, I tinkered with the recipe to provide my version of a healthier chocolate chocolate chip muffin, and I think I succeeded. My family really likes these muffins over the original recipe, despite the fact I reduced the sugar and increased the fiber. Healthy can be tasty!

Note: My recipe calls for dark brown sugar. You can use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar adds a bit more flavor. Remember, since we reduce the fat, we need to compensate for flavor in other places. Rolled oats increases the fiber without adding to the calorie count or deminishing the flavor.

Lighter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Serving size: 1 muffins. Yields: 12 muffins.

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 tbsp red wine
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup coffee
2 eggs
 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions: Set eggs out to warm up to room temp. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat the muffin tin with cooking oil. Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, mix the rolled oats and coffee together, then set aside.

In a medium size bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda together. Add chocolate chips, except for 2 tablespoons of chips (this will be used for the topping later). Mix well and then set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, apple sauce, red wine, and vanilla extract. Make sure to break down any brown sugar lumps. Add the eggs, and whisk the liquid mix for  2-3 minutes. Add the rolled oats and coffee mixture. Stir until well mixed.

Add the dry ingredients. Stir to incorporate the dry ingredients, but care should be taken to not over mix. Do not stir more than 15 times.

Spoon mixture into the muffin tin. Place on the oven middle rack and bake for 10-12 minutes. The muffins are done when you stick a tooth-pick down the middle and it comes out clean. Do not leave the muffins in too long, since they're more susceptible to drying out due to the decrease in fat. During the last minute add the remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips to the tops.

Once done, let cool for 5-10 minutes before eating.

Nutrition Information for one muffin:
Calories: 177 (tastier & shaved 12 calories off the original)
Fat Total: 8.5 g
Saturated: 2.5 g
Cholesterol: 31 mg
Sodium 164 mg
Carbohydrate: 30 g
Fiber: 3 g (increased the fiber)
Sugar: 11 g
Protein: 3.5 g

Pie Crust Cookies

I have a slight problem. I made pie crust following the recipe below, which made a fabulous pie crust, if I do say so myself, for my pumpkin pie.

 

2 1/2 cup white flour

1 cup cold butter (cut up)

2 tbsp cold water

 

Instructions: In medium size bowl, add flour and butter. Cut butter into the flour until it is a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle water over mixture and create a ball out of it. When a well you have a well formed ball of dough, place in fridge for 15-30 minutes to make the dough easier to work with.

You may be asking yourself, um...so what's the problem? Well the recipe is great if your pie required two pie crusts (upper and bottom), but a traditional pumpkin pie only needs one. This left me with a whole lot of left over pie crust. It seemed like a shame to throw it away since I'm a firm believer in "waste not, want not."

What to do?

Make pie crust cookies. Stay with me. What are the basic ingredients in short bread cookies? Flour and butter. The left over pie dough already has butter and flour, so I just had to add the remaining cookie ingredients.

1/2 pie pie dough from above recipe
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract (I really like vanilla!)
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup walnuts

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small food processor or grinder, pulse the coconut flakes and walnuts to create a powder like substance. Add the coconut/walnut powder, vanilla extract, and sugar to the left over pie dough. Knead these ingredients together for about 5 minutes. Create small balls out of the dough (about 1 1/2 in diameter), place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet, and press down the ball to flatten it some. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.

Makes approximately  1 1/2 dozen.

Beauty on the Cheap

Hair Care: Use warm oil to provide deep condition to your long hair or moisturize your damaged hair. This is cheap substitute for the V05 hair oil. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a small container. Submerge the container in warm to hot water to gently warm the oil. After a couple of minutes, spread the oil through the ends of your hair. Let sit in your hair for 3-5 minutes, then wash your hair with your normal shampoo. Its amazing how shiny and smooth your hair looks and feels afterwards.

Highlights: Hydrogen Peroxide provides a cheap hair lightener. The basic brown bottle from the drug store won't change your dark brown hair to blond, but it will certainly lighten it. Spray a small amount through your hair, brush, and let your hair dry. When I started, I had dark brown hair. After about 2-3 days my hair was a light reddish, brown. It was enough of a difference that my male boss noticed.

I also used the hydrogen peroxide to lighten the hair on my upper lip, otherwise known as my woman'stache. Every morning, I dip a Q-tip into the hydrogen peroxide and cover the hair. It doesn't irritate my skin like the over the counter hair bleach, but still accomplishes the job. Not bad from a small brown bottle that comes in under $1.

Water-proof eye make-up remover: A tablespoon of simple cooking oil mixed with a drop of shampoo does the trick to gentle remove even the most stubborn of water-proof mascara.

Skin Care:
At Petit Elefant, she provides a tutorial to make your own pore strip, which is a cheap alternative to the name brand pore strips you get at the drug store.

In an earlier post, I provided a couple of recipes to make homemade facial and sugar scrubs, which I happen use quite frequently.

Recipe: Greek Dressing

One of our favorite dressings for salads and marinades is Gazebo Room Greek Dressing (pictured left). While coming in at over $3 at the register (and probably will continue to rise with inflation), I thought I could come up with something just as good, but cheaper. Then we moved to a region that did not carry our favorite Greek dressing, so this gave me an opening to get creative.

Just using the items I typically keep in my pantry, I came up with the recipe below. This is our "go to" dressing.

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp basil
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp brown mustard
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup white vinegar

Directions: In a clean sealable jar, add the oils and spices. Then shake the jar to mix ingredients. Add the vinegars and shake. If you're somebody that really like tangy flavor, you can reduce or omit the sugar.

This can be stored on the kitchen counter...no refrigeration required. We use this not only for salad dressing (salads will keep you feeling fuller with a little bit of fat), but to marinade chicken for the grill, dress cubed potatoes for roasting or dressing for our pasta salad. All very yummy!

Beauty Scrub

I have sensitive, dry skin, so I need to be extra cautious with skin care products on the market. Instead of going through the testing phase to see if I'm allergic to a product or paying the extra costs for hypoallergenic, I learned to make my own using ingredients that won't cause an allergic reaction. They're really cheap and easy to make, while giving me a pampered feeling.

For sensitive, dry skin, try the Baking Soda Facial scrub a few times a week. I use this on my face to exfoliate, then wash it off with soap and water. It leaves my skin very smooth, and provides the moisture my skin craves. It'll keep in an airtight container for at least a few weeks. I only make small batches, so I'm not sure if it'll keep pass that time frame (I don't see why it wouldn't).

Baking Soda Facial scrub
3 tbsp Baking Soda
2 tbsp Oil (i.e. Canola, Olive)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract (or a drop of oil of essence). It's for fragrance only.

Mix all ingredients together to make a small batch to last a couple of weeks.

To exfoliate my body, I use a sugar scrub that I absolute love. I prefer more of a gritty scrub than the baking soda one. I knew I was onto something when my husband kept making remarks about how smooth my legs were (without me prompting him). This works well on tough spots like elbows and knees. Much like the baking soda scrub, this will keep for at least a few weeks. Because it is so easy to make, I only make small batches.

Sugar Scrub
2 tbsp Baking Soda
2 tbsp White Cane Sugar
3 tbsp Oil (i.e. Canola, Olive)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract (or drop of oil of essence). It's for fragrance only.

Mix all ingredients up and store in a sealable container.

For really tough spots like feet, the below is the pamper scrub I use, but I must warn you that it only keeps for a few days. It starts to harden after a while. This has real grit to sandblast my callous feet.

Sugar Salt Scrub
1 tbsp Baking Soda
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Epsom Salt
3 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Mix together and apply liberally to your feet. You can either let your feet soak or immediately wash the scrub off.

With all these scrubs, I wash it off with soap and water.

Mind Set..

Many people think that being frugal means going without, which is not necessarily true. Being frugal is a mind set where you try to get the most value out of your money. Resources are finite, so you learn to make due with what you got.

You can accomplish this through various way, such as finding another use for an item. For example, we buy clementines in these little wooden boxes. Instead of throwing out the box once we're done with all the clementines, we find another purpose for it. We use one of the boxes to store our spices, which keeps our spice cupboard organized. Another box we used to keep the cat's food dish in, which helps keep the mess down. A third box we used to organize my children's arts and crafts supplies. These items are providing another service at no additional costs to me. As you can see (besides the fact we eat lots of clementines), stuff that was once heading for the trash may have another purpose.

Homemade items are better than you think. There are various of recipes to make items at home, such as sugar scrubs, soaps, tasty dishes and more! Before the grocery stores expanded their aisles to hold various merchandise choices, families were making stuff at home. Also, there is something rewarding about making your own stuff.

Find activities to preoccupy your time and fill your life. Life is not about stuff, yet we're a society that seems so focused on it. Life is about memories. The memories from my life do not revolving around stuff, but rather around doing things with friends and family. Taking walks, riding bikes, trips to the library, sitting around talking, creating crafts, playing in the snow... All of these are joyful memories that did not require expensive items.

Being frugal is not about missing out, it is about using creativity to find other uses and finding value in what is around you.

Avoiding the Beverage Aisle: Confession of a Cola Addict

I admit it. I'm addicted to the sweet bubbly stuff. While my preference is Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Diet Dr. Pepper, I don't really have any brand loyalty. Typically I would consume 3-5 cans of soda a day. However, with the prices of soda rising and the articles warning about the health effects of diet soda, I knew I need to quit.

A price for a 2 liter of soda cost about $1.50-2.00.

If I was going to quit, I needed to avoid the beverage aisle and go cold turkey. My problem was I wanted my drink to have flavor. How could I find an acceptable alternative to that sweet stuff, but won't cause me to go broke in the long run?

Make my own drinks!

Cucumber Water. A pitcher of water with some cucumber slices is oddly very refreshing with a nice crisp flavor to the water with no extra ingredients (no sugar, preservatives). After letting the cucumber slices sit in the water overnight, I fish the slices out and save them for a small snack.

Lemon Water. A pitcher full of water with a few slices of lemon. I recommend warming up the lemon slices in the microwave for about 20 seconds, which makes the lemons juicer (flavoring the water).

Fruit Flavored Water. Strawberries are in season now, so we have bunch in the house. I sliced up a few strawberries and added them to a pitcher of water. It taste pretty good. For a sweeter taste like the bottled flavored water, I would probably add a teaspoon or two of sugar (not much). I also tried it with a kiwi.

Iced Tea. Add some hot water to a few bags of tea to brew, then place in the refrigerator. You can flavor how ever you want....sugar, mint, lemon, ginger (saw it in a Kung-Fu movie, don't knock it until you try it). Home brewed iced tea is so much better than the bottle store bought variety, which is more of a sugary, syrup than tea.

At night I fill a couple of water bottles with one of my homemade brews so I have a cold drink while at work. I'm able to quench my thirst without spending money at the vending machines or visiting the grocery store beverage aisle.

BBQ Beans

I swear there is nothing cheaper per serving than dried beans. It's also pretty healthy. In fact a serving of Northern Beans has over 50% of your daily fiber serving, as well as 8 grams of protein, all with very little fat. In a quest to find healthy and cheap, you should not over look dried beans.

Naturally it is not convenient as canned beans, but it is a minor trade-off.

Ingredients:
1 lb bag of dried Great Northern Beans
1 bottle of favorite BBQ sauce
12-16 cups of water

Directions:

You'll need to soak the beans. There are 2 methods, the overnight soak and the quick soak. Some swear by the overnight soak as the way to get the best tasting bean. To my unrefined palate, I cannot tell a difference. If you're planning ahead, do the overnight soak; it's easy, with very little work. If you're like me and don't plan that far in advance, the quick soak is the way to go. Don't worry, it is still easy, but has a little bit more work than the overnight method.

Regardless of what method you use, you'll need to rinse and sort through the beans to remove any pebble or weird looking bean.

Quick Soak: After rinsing and sorting through your beans, place the beans in large pot with 6-8 cups o hot water. Bring to a rapid boil. Once you reach a rapid boil point, boil for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour. It's okay to let it stand longer if you forget about it. Drain and rinse beans again.

Overnight Soak: After rinsing, place the beans in large pot with 6-8 COLD water. Place in refrigerator or on counter covered overnight.

For cooking, there are two methods, stove top and the slow cooker (a.k.a. crock pot). Again, what method you use depends on time and how involved you want to be.

Stove Top: Combine 6 cups with your soaked beans in a large pot. Simmer gently with lid tilted until desired tenderness is reached, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Slow Cooker: Add soaked beans in slow cooker. Add enough water to barely cover the beans. Place on low for approximately 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Once your beans are done cooking, drain the water and add favorite BBQ sauce. Let bean sit for 5-10 minutes in sauce, then serve. For better flavor, let the beans sit overnight and reheat the next day; however, this requires planning.

Recipe: Carrot Quick Bread

Vegetables are important part of a healthy diet; I know this. Despite this knowledge, I have a difficult time getting them in, while having no problem getting to dessert. A simple solution? Combine them. This carrot bread has a taste like carrot cake, but with less sugar and fat. Additionally, by using whole wheat flour, I increase the fiber.

Wet ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup applesauce (to cut the sugar down, use natural unsweetened applesauce)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup rolled oats

Other ingredients:
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups shredded carrots
1 med potato peeled and shredded (I know this looks weird, but the end result tastes good!)
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup crushed walnuts (optional)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a normal loaf pan.

Combine all the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk until well blended. Add cinnamon and whisk until it is blended throughout the wet mixture.

In other large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Mix together until all ingredients are well distributed. Add dry ingredients to the wet mix and stir. Fold in the carrots, potato and coconut flakes. If using the optional crushed walnuts, add at this time.

Spoon mix into loaf pan. Place on middle rack in the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes. If you insert a knife in the center and the knife comes out clean, the bread is done.

Once done baking, transfer to cooling rack and cool completely.  Once cool, wrap the bread in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 5 days before serving. The bread tastes better if left in the refrigerator overnight, but it is still good if you want to serve after it cools.