All Aldi // Almond Butter Oat Bars

So, you guys all know my issues with Aldi lately. It's not them, really, it's me. I figured rather than whine about it, I'd start trying to cook more from scratch again -- using all Aldi ingredients. This particular snack is highly adaptable. You can use most any nut butter you like and add in whatever sounds good. It's also kid and toddler approved, hence the llama in my photo.

ALMOND BUTTER OAT BARS

What you'll need . . .

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1-1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Salt, for sprinkling

Method . . .

1. Spritz a 9x13 inch pan lightly with oil. Set aside.
2. Melt the almond butter, honey, and coconut oil together on medium heat. Whisk it until smooth and take off heat once incorporated, being careful not to burn the almond butter.
3. Using a spoon or spatula, stir in the oats, cereal, and cranberries. You can also add chocolate chips (they'll melt), pepitas, or anything else that sounds good to you!
4. Spread into your prepared pan, sprinkle with a little salt, and refrigerate until firm. Cut into 16 bars.
5. Alternatively, you can roll loose "dough" into balls for energy chunks.

More Aldi:

Aldi Foods for Picky Toddlers and Kids
$93 Aldi Weekly Grocery Haul
$400 Monthly Food Budget
18 Vegetarian Grocery Staples at Aldi
All Aldi content this way . . . 

Read more...

What I HATE About Aldi

I've gone on and on and on about how much I love Aldi. The store has helped to cut our grocery budget overall pretty dramatically. I can still tell a big difference when I decide to shop at Wegmans due to convenience or laziness. But I'm having some new thoughts on the topic I thought were worth sharing. I still love Aldi, but there's one aspect of shopping there that I have grown to hate. It has to do with my own self control BUT Aldi is enabling my behavior!

When I first started shopping at the store, I mostly skipped over the freezer section. I even ignored many packaged foods because they only looked OK. None of it was hugely attractive to me. Slowly a few more prepared items and packaged foods trickled in that were organic and really good looking. And in the last year (or a little longer), the freezer and refrigerated section (CHEESE!) has expanded. The snacked have seen a boost, too. There are now a multitude of interesting vegetarian and vegan options, as well as some more general foods that -- to me -- are just too tasty to pass up.

This, on the whole, is an excellent thing.

BUT: I was never much of a packaged foods shopper. In fact, I used to make much of our food from scratch. Slowly (and because of better affordability compared to other stores), I've put things in my cart. A bag of veggie chips here, a box of root vegetable hash browns there, some interesting sauces, mac-and-cheese thin crust pizzas . . . and then I'd notice "limited time" buys that I just HAD TO HAVE BEFORE THEY WENT AWAY FOR GOOD.

So, I'd stock up.

I also joined some Aldi Facebook groups. There's a cult-like following on there, right? Every time there's a new or exciting product, someone would post about it. Others would quickly chime in about how AMAZING it was. And I'd find myself with tons of new things on my shopping list.

After a while, my stand-up freezer was full. My pantry is teeming with packaged items. I'd stopped making my own hummus. I started buying things I never used to buy in packages (granola bars) because I got so out of the habit of cooking and baking from scratch. And my grocery bill wasn't hugely increased. I mean, it went up -- but because I wasn't making anything on my own, I wasn't buying raw ingredients much.

What was happening? Well, our trash and recycling output has gone up quite a bit. (I'm not zero waste, but I don't like this much waste.) We're not eating as many fruits and veggies as I'd like. My kids are preferring packaged foods to whole foods. I've gained some weight. I increased our weekly grocery budget $25 a week (adds up).

The list goes on . . .

YES. Some convenience foods are a necessary evil for that stage of life I'm in. (I know some people would argue not.) I don't have glorious hours upon hours to spend in the kitchen toiling over homemade crackers. At the same time, my family should really be eating more whole foods. I'll admit that it's a heck of a lot easier to just tell my kids to grab something themselves than to cut veggies and serve it to them.

So, what I hate about Aldi is that I once saved money due to the store being so almost painfully streamlined. I'm now falling into the traps I fell into at other grocery stores because of all the temptations. I am absolutely thrilled that Aldi has so many wonderful and affordable options, especially for vegetarians and vegans, but I now find myself with some work ahead of me to get in better balance.

This all said, I will share some of my favorite foods that I have found with you soon on Instagram. I'm not going to stop buying all the things entirely. But instead of having everything every week, I may treat these items more as treats or weekend special foods. We'll see. 

More Aldi:

Aldi Foods for Picky Toddlers and Kids
$93 Aldi Weekly Grocery Haul
$400 Monthly Food Budget (I want to get back to this!)
18 Vegetarian Grocery Staples at Aldi

Read more...

Nesting: What's In My Freezer

My in-laws were up visitng over the weekend. While I hadn't planned on it at all, I woke up Saturday morning with this INTENSE NEED to make all the freezer meals I could -- as quickly as possible. I don't really like freezer meals, truth be told. But I have had good success in the past with the dump -- raw ingredients -- freezer meals method. So you basically chop everything, put it in a bag, but you don't pre-cook. Then you freeze and thaw it out the night before you dump it into the crock pot.

I learned this method years ago from New Leaf Wellness. They have a great post with 31 vegetarian meals you can make this way. I didn't use any of those recipes -- I mostly stuck to those tried-and-true meals that we know we like. It's too risky for me to branch out and make unfamiliar fare. Anyway, the dump method is legit. I feel like it makes everything taste fresher. It's also wicked fast.

Rather than getting long-winded, I thought I would just share with you everything I was able to cram into my freezer this weekend. As far as cost, it's tricky because I had some of these ingredients on hand. I can tell you that I spent $65 at the grocery store getting produce, more beans, and some random ingredients. But I made 12 meals (some will have lunch leftovers), several batches of cookies, and a bunch of other items, like freezer waffles.

WHAT I MADE

Pumpkin Chili x 2

Miso Split Pea Soup x 2 

Oh She Glows Cheeze Soup x 2

Tikka Masala with Chickpeas, sweet potatoes, peas, etc. x 2

Note: For this recipe, I just chopped an onion and two sweet potatoes, then I added a can of drained chickpeas and a heaping cup of frozen peas. I plan to just use Aldi Tikka Masala sauce when it comes time to cook.

Irish Italian Spaghetti Sauce x 2

Note: This is a family recipe. It's a can of tomato soup, can of cream of mushroom soup, onion, some Italian spices, and traditionally some ground beef. I used Aldi "meat"balls instead. You just simmer and reduce and then use it to top spaghetti.

Carrot + Butternut Squash Soup x 2

Note: I added a heaping helping of ginger to this mix.

Detoxinista V, GF Lactation Cookies x 2

Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies x 2

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies x 2

Note: this is a variation of the Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe above. If you're interested, I could post it. I mostly just replaced all sugar with brown sugar and did half Earth Balance, half Peanut Butter for the "butter". The rest is the same, minus pecans.

Applesauce Freezer Waffles x 8!

Bag of mixed veggies (kale, cauliflower, celery) to add to smoothies

Gigantic bag of frozen bananas 

36 Padsicles for the lady bits

TIPS

// My favorite storage device for an activity like this is the humble gallon freezer bag. I know they're not low waste, but they stack flat and I don't have to worry about glass breaking (I've never had an issue with it -- but it's always a possibility. I also think it's easier to thaw things that have frozen flat).

// I like to turn the top of the bag (the zipper) inside out so it stands up straight while I toss everything in the bag.

// I made two of each meal because it was easier to buy ingredients in bulk and then chop them all in an assembly line. Likewise, I found it most easy to make meals with similar ingredients (lots of carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, onions, beans, etc.).

// I left out wet ingredients like vegetable stock or Aldi sauces (here's more #notsponsored posts about my Aldi love). I did put in some wetter ingredients, like tomatoes, in. There wasn't too much method to the madness, but it made sense that way. OH! And while we're on stock/broth. I actually bought a stock concentrate and put in the correct amount of that versus planning to use packaged stock/broth. When I go to make the meal, I'll just add water in the amount of stock needed.

// When you're freezing stuff like waffles, naan, cookie dough, cookies, etc., it's best to freeze them first laying flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment or some other  non-stick layer. Then once they're fully frozen you can transfer to bags.

// Try to get as much air out of the bags as possible to help prevent freezer burn. I do the fancy method of actually sucking the air out myself!

// Some of those recipes above are not crock pot recipes. But they work in the crock pot! Trust me. And several of the soups will require blending afterward. Which is annoying. I'm considering getting an immersion blender.

WHAT'S NEXT?

I don't have a clear plan. Obviously I did a lot of soups and stews already. I'm not a big casserole person. I also really don't love pasta. I know I want to make 100 pieces of homemade naan for sides or pizzas. I'd also like to whip up some Sweet potato + beet veggie burgers (x 4).

Otherwise, I'm also planning to get a few very large bags of assorted frozen fruits for smoothies, several bags of Aldi's "meat"balls, and a few convenience things. If you have suggestions or a recipe that you particularly loved, PLEASE SHARE! Space is getting short, but I'm happy to have done so much on this project in just one weekend.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them either on here (I know my comments app can be weird) or on Instagram.

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Aldi // Foods Picky Toddlers + Kids

I get lots of questions about my favorite Aldi foods. So, today I thought I'd give you guys a quick post about what foods I get for Ada and Eloise. Ada's pretty good about trying new things and getting at least some variety. Eloise, on the other hand, is asserting her toddler independence and is a super picky eater, so it's a challenge finding things she will try and potentially love.

As I have mentioned in the past, we are raising our children vegetarian, so the foods I'll be mentioning are all vegetarian or vegan-friendly. Here's what's in our pantry right now. We have actually eaten through a good chunk of what I bought last week (we adults snack on a lot of these foods, too)!

In no particular order.

• Simply Nature White Cheddar Puffs
• Clancy's Veggie Straws
• Pretzel sticks
• Multigrain tortilla chips
• Graham crackers
• Simply Nature Fruit Squeezes
• Fruit + Veggie Pouches (we used these when E was a baby)
• Eggs
• Milk
• Rolled oats (for making homemade snacks)
• Fresh bulk produce, especially when it's local and in-season
• Freeze Dried Strawberries 
• Plain nuts and various trail mixes
• Lookin' Sharp Granola
• Little Journey Yogurt Bites
• Happy Farms cheese sticks, in bulk when possible
• Hummus, various flavors -- but my kids like plain best
• Guacamole
• Yogurt tubes and pouches
• Organic canned beans
• Simply Nature Organic Mac + Cheese
• Simply Nature Organic Frozen Fruit Bars
• Rainbow organic baby carrots
• Broccoli slaw
• Avocados
• Clementine oranges
• (I realize I mentioned produce, but those are some favorites)
• Frozen peas
• Coconut water, mix in with plain water in a 1/3 to 2/3 ratio
• Sparkling water, Ada doesn't like but Eloise LOVES
• Simply Nature Organic Juice Boxes
• Breakfast Best French Toast Sticks
• Simply Nature Organic Apple Instant Oatmeal
• Organic pasta
• Organic pasta sauces

I provided links where they were easy find with a quick Google search. Otherwise, we just get whatever they have at the store. It's usually just one brand for a lot of the things I didn't link. Occasionally you'll come across store brands at good deals, like LaCroix, so we do take advantage of those.

Here's an example of an all-Aldi nibble tray I made for Eloise this week.

Some kid stuff we don't tend to buy at Aldi include things like peanut butter, bread, frozen fruit, granola bars, and gummies. It's not that we don't like the Aldi brand, we're just able to buy larger quantities for less money elsewhere (like Sam's or Wegman's store brand). I thought it would be good to include a list of things the girls DON'T like from Aldi, but honestly . . . they pretty much eat everything we've bought. So, now I'm wondering why I called Eloise picky!

Scratch that. We DO NOT like Aldi bananas. They are always green at the store and either don't ripen OR they get REALLY weirdly mushy. My girls love bananas, so we buy them at Wegman's (we also get our non-dairy milk, tofu, and a few other items, like large jars of peanut butter there).

Oh, and if you're curious about how we organize our kid plates, etc.

While writing this post, I also discovered that Aldi has a section on its website with snack recipes using their products! And I am also sure I'm missing a whole swath of things I usually buy. Be sure to share your favorites in the comments!

Also: I need to update my Vegetarian Staples at Aldi post! They have so many more options since the last time I wrote about it. Still no tofu, though. Boo!

Read more...

Sharing Thoughts on Picky Toddler Eating

So many of you have asked me how Eloise's eating is these days. I wish I could say we've turned a corner. But, we've hit, like, an even higher peak of picky eating lately. It isn't all bad, but we're definitely in one of those periods of eating ONE big meal every few days and picking the rest of the time. So, it's not all bad . . . just inconsistent and frustrating.

I remember distinctly that she only ate the blueberries:

Despite all my efforts to cook and serve healthy, interesting, and tasty food . . . I have to remember that this phase isn't going to last forever. Or, as a couple of my friends tell me, maybe Eloise will always just be super incredibly picky and never grow out of it and always be super small and never grow much, etc.

Thanks, friends.
That helps.
Sarcasm.

Ada was also picky at this age, but it wasn't quite as frustrating. Some tricks worked with her. Like serving smoothies or pouches when she wouldn't eat solid foods. Heck, I could even puree up e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g she discarded on her plate and she'd suck it down. I even put scrambled eggs in one of my mixes -- and she didn't notice. Gross but it got the job done.

Ada also loved using the nibble tray. I'd section out different foods -- cheese, fruits, veggies, crackers, tofu, etc. -- and she'd graze for the whole morning to afternoon. I know some people are more for eating proper meals than snacking. I've tried both approaches and Ada's grazing periods were often temporary, punctuated by long stretches of actually eating meals regularly.

With Eloise, I have to take what I can get. The girl will literally starve herself. But at the same time, she'll also eat HUGE meals other days, so I don't think it's necessarily a feeding issue or sensory thing. Last night she ate two scrambled eggs with toast and anything else Stephen would throw at her. She hadn't touched eggs in months. And her preferences of some foods over others isn't consistent enough to pinpoint if anything isn't especially to her liking.

This sounds like a long rant about Eloise. It's not targeted resentment or anything like that. I am just updating to tell everyone that I offer healthy foods. I also offer toddler equivalent junk foods (Goldfish crackers, Nutrigrain bars, etc.). It doesn't seem to matter what it is, my girl is in a picky stage. She eats sometimes. Not others. The doctor isn't worried because she's maintaining her weight and even gaining ever so slightly. So, I'm forging ahead.

I've decided to really give the nibble tray another eager go because when I've tried to wait for proper meals, all hell breaks loose.

I have our old tray, but I cannot find its lid.


And so many of you have asked me where, oh, WHERE can you find this tray!?

Well, here. But it's discontinued and no longer carried by amazon.

Sad face.

So, I'm thinking of buying this oversized silicone ice cube tray that has a lid. It's a 2-pack (glorious!), so I figure I could load one for the morning and one for the afternoon. I like to do berries and peas and other things -- like Cheerios -- that are small and easy to grab.

(This method isn't magic. If you're curious, she only ate the peppers and one section of the Nutrigrain bar.)

PS: If you're interested in what I used to feed Ada -- also vegetarian -- when she was an older toddler/preschooler, check out this Ada's Eats posts with details on that.

Happy Friday!

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My All-Purpose Bread Mix

I've been in a great groove with homemade meals lately. For us, bread often makes the meal. This isn't to say we don't eat heaps of healthy whole foods. But if we're trying to be successful with resisting takeout and meals out of the house, making tasty pizza and other bread-y things is essential. So, I want to share with you the ONE recipe I've been using to make all of it.

I use this mix for garlic knots, pizza dough, and naan.

It does it all!

What you'll need . . .

• 3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2-1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups warm water or non-dairy milk

Method . . . 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together 3-1/2 cups flour, the sugar, yeast, and salt.
2. Add in water if you're making garlic knots or pizza dough. Add in milk if you're making naan.
3. Mix with your hands until a ball forms. You may need to add more flour if it's too sticky to handle.
4. Knead for 5-10 minutes. I find it's best when I really take the time, but five minutes will do in a pinch.
5. Drizzle with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel.
6. Let rise in a warm spot for 2-3 hours, until doubled in bulk.

To bake . . . 

• Divide into small balls to make garlic knots. Bake for 10-13 minutes at 425 degrees F, until golden.
• Divide into discs to make pizzas. We place this dough on well greased pans and press it thin. Bake with toppings at 450 degrees F for 10-13 minutes, until golden.
• Divide into fist-sized balls and roll flat for naan. Bake on a pizza stone in a well preheated oven at 500 degrees for a few minutes until golden.

What's your favorite multi-purpose recipe?

I hope to be back into another blogging groove soon. Ada woke up with the stomach bug and I have some big deadlines this week. But we'll all survive! What would you like to see next? Any requests?

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Aldi Haul + Budget + Meal Plan

Do you guys like these Aldi posts? Back when I started writing them, Aldi wasn't as much a thing as it is now. I feel like whenever I'm there, it's so crowded lately. It's a good and bad thing. I love sharing the good news . . . yet, I want it all to myself.

Here's this week's haul:

Closer up:

DETAILS

So, the total was $93.67.

AVOCADOS WERE .49 CENTS EACH!!!

Some of this includes sugar bought specifically for Stephen's kombucha making. He splits these costs three ways with some friends. Basically, Stephen makes the kombucha and they drink it at work all month. I can get into that whole thing in another post.

EXTRAS

I also bought some things specifically for the Super Bowl:


Overall, I stuck to my list and only got a couple extras. I still need to pick up bananas, Earth Balance, tofu, and maybe a couple other produce items, like ginger, at Wegmans. I wrote last week about re-doing our grocery budget. I have landed on $125/week for the time being. With cooking everything at home and still trying to keep it interesting, I feel this number should work, but I'll report back.

MEAL PLAN

Last but not least, here's our meal plan for dinners this week:

1. Monday: Mac + Cheese with veggies (kids) // Veggie burgers + onion rings (parents)
2. Tuesday: Slow cooker chili + garlic knots
3. Wednesday: Spaghetti and faux "meat" balls with veggies
4. Thursday: Breakfast for dinner -- eggs, toast, veggies, etc.
5. Friday: Homemade pizza night
6. Saturday: Veggie-loaded quesadillas (kids) // Slow cooker Indian + paneer + naan (parents)
7. Sunday: Slow cooker bean + mushroom stew + biscuits + Super Bowl snacks

Read more...

That Time I Spent $172 at Aldi

I used to boast that I could fill up a whole cart at Aldi and still come in well under $100. Well, I decided not to shop with a list a couple weeks ago. (That's grocery budget 101 stuff, Ashley!) And when I got to the front of the store and started tossing everything onto the belt, I realized I'd made a major mistake. It was one of those weeks when Aldi had, like, so many cool things that were those limited time buys. So, I got sucked in and stocked up.

And then: $172! Ahhhhhh! I was hoping for more like $100.

Here's what I bought:

I haven't gone over what our weekly food budget is in a while. It's been anywhere between $75 and $125 a week in recent years. As we examine our debt and budget options, we're still trying to figure out a number that would work well for us monthly. It needs to accommodate not eating out, school lunch stuff, and special things for our tiny toddler (because she NEEDS to eat, so sometimes I NEED to get her special stuff).

We've experimented with shopping once a month and had good success . . . so I realize that spending a ton at one time isn't always a reason to freak out. But this time was a mistake. A wakeup to get meal planning again. I do actually meal plan each week, but it's been very rough lately.

Anyway, this story had a happy ending. I was able to get groceries for like $65 this week, making the total $240 for the two weeks -- or -- $120/week. I think this sounds like a realistic grocery budget for us. I may bump it to $125 -- or -- $541 a month. Of course, the pay-off-our-loans girl in me says maybe we can shave it down to $500 a month.

But I need it to be realistic and leave some room for wiggle. We try our best to eat a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. And without eating out, we like to cook a couple "fun" meals each week so we don't feel too deprived.

What I've found in my years of writing about our food budget is that grocery costs vary WILDLY across the country (and world). So, these figures may sound either astronomical to you or like "how can you even feed your family" on that amount. I get that. So, no judgement. I'm just sharing our struggles and triumphs with this stuff.

Whatever the case, I'm glad we're back into the rhythm of buying most everything at Aldi. There are still a few items we cannot get there. Tofu comes to mind. But resisting Wegmans has already lowered our food costs by quite a bit.

Do you have a grocery budget or just buy whatever? How do you figure out how much to spend? Do you end up revisiting the budget often -- like we seem to do?

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Staying Home Killed My Diet

When I decided to work from home/stay home, I thought that my eating and drinking would get much healthier. I'd have a whole kitchen of whole foods readily available to me. An oven and many other useful appliances to cook up anything my heart could desire.

The thing is, it's been quite the opposite experience. Being around ALL the food has meant that I eat ALL the food. Even when I plan ahead and have meals ready in the fridge to grab, the snack-attacks set in or I find time to make up different cravings.

When I worked my last office job, I was so incredibly regimented. (Check out Staying Healthy While Working Full Time). Sure, I'd have missteps. I worked on a college campus, after all. I could jaunt down to the food court and get random bagels or cookies at the different coffee shops spread about. But I pretty much did OK (Here's what I'd eat in a typical day). I stuck to eating oatmeal for breakfast (above) and would almost always pack something sensible for lunch (microwave sweet potatoes!). I had a snack drawer and a lot of discipline. My meals were portioned. When I was done eating, I was done eating.

So, why can't I rock this awesome at-home situation? I don't know. Stress from being home with a non-verbal toddler who skips naps and has crazy tantrums gets the best of me on many occasions. And when I have a pressing deadline to meet? Shoveling crap into my mouth always seems to help me power through. Boredom and isolation are other factors. While I love being home, it does get lonely, especially this time of year when I'm not as apt to go out and about. 

As I do most years, I'm trying to start fresh. Trying to approach my situation from a new angle. I got a new cookbook I'll share about soon. I've been mixing together overnight oats (which I don't really love -- but I've been trying new recipes) for more automatic breakfasts. I'm focusing on protein for lunch, even if it means downing a Kodiak Cake waffle with peanut butter.

I've also been wow-ing the family with different dinners. (We'd been in the same rotation for years, including pumpkin chili, veggie quesadillas, breakfast for dinner, veggie burgers, and homemade pizza. You can search these recipes on the blog if you'd like to try them. We've had enough of them, though.)

So, stay tuned for more about how I'm mixing things up. I'm only on day three so far. But the new year is always such a good excuse to keep the motivation going a bit longer. We shall see.

I'd love to know what food goals you have cooked up for 2018! Any recipes to share?

Related:

Simple vegetarian recipes for newbies
15 recipe-lite vegetarian meals to the rescue
Our weekly meals + cost
Shopping for all things Aldi
Our recipes
Posts from my last office job
What I eat in a day, 2010

Read more...

6 Foods That Make My Life Easier

I still love Aldi, but there are several foods that I've had to shop elsewhere for recently. Eloise has been a picky eater since, well, forever. But it was especially bad in the last four months. She would literally not eat anything. In retrospect, I do think a lot of it has to do with the fact that she has 16 teeth when many of her peers have far fewer. Poor girl has probably been in pain for a long while.

That said, I have slowly found some things she loves to eat. As much as I'd like to say they're all whole foods, I have also had to rely on a few "products" if you will. But I'll get to those in a minute. Let's just jump in . . . and I'd love to hear your make-life-easier food suggestions.

I've included Amazon links so you can check out more reviews, ingredients, and just more general info. Always price-compare, as I've found that grocery of Amazon can either be good deals or AWFUL.

JUST. Mayo

There are a variety of flavors of this mayo. Stephen and I are addicted to chipotle mayos of various brands. The just. chipotle mayo is consistently the least expensive and gets high marks on taste. It's also vegan -- at least I know that several varieties of it are. Another favorite is the sriracha. We put it on veggie burgers, use it as dip for fries, and as a spread for sandwiches.

Don Pepino Pizza Sauce

Our family absolutely loves Don Pepino's pizza sauce. Stephen it biased, since it's made in NJ. It's slightly more expensive than some store brand sauces I buy, but the texture and flavor make it worth it in my opinion (especially since homemade pizza costs so much less than takeout). I know I included the Amazon link, but I highly recommend checking your bulk stores for this brand as well. I once found GIGANTIC tins of it at Sam's that I then divided into smaller portions and froze.

Mueslix, etc.

I don't necessarily endorse this brand of muesli over another (there are SO MANY). I'm just addicted to the stuff. I have a thing for cereal and I feel like this is healthier than other varieties I enjoy. I used to make my own muesli, but these days I haven't made time for it. Hoping to get back into that mode at the start of the new year, though.

Stonyfield Whole Milk Yogurt

Here's one of those foods that Eloise will eat without fail almost every day. So, we have had this issue where she doesn't want to drink milk since her first birthday. Not that she necessarily HAS to drink milk, but I think it's a good source of calcium and protein in a vegetarian diet. Anyway, we're working on the drinking milk thing. In the meantime, she's been eating this yogurt and having cheese sticks. I've made my own yogurt in the past (and love it!), but she digs this flavor.

Kodiak Cakes

And this is often Eloise's lunch. I know, I know. I mean, it's protein waffles. Sort of strange to push on a toddler. But she likes muffin texture, and I like that Kodiak Cakes has added protein and it's fast. It also comes in fun flavors -- of which we like chocolate and peanut butter best. Have you guys tried this stuff? I want to get plain buttermilk next.


Bob's Red Mill Soup Mixes

These dry soup mixes have been A LIFESAVER and have massively improved our slow cooking dinners. We got into a soup and chili rut, so I decided to branch out one day and buy a few different varieties. Anyway, this one is my favorite. The prices on these guys on Amazon aren't good, so I include the link only for reference, ingredients, and such.

You must try this recipe on the back of the bag, by the way.


And if you DO plan to try it, I recommend adding a can of coconut milk in place of two cups of water and added a heaping tablespoon of miso to the mix. I like adding the gourmet mix of mushrooms I get at Wegmans and plenty of fresh ginger.

Related:

Expanding Our Homemade Pantry
Homemade Almond Milk
Our Go-To Pizza Dough
Homemade Ciabatta Bread
Homemade Muesli
Adventures in Cereal-Making
Homemade Bagels
White + Whole Wheat No Knead Loaf
Three Seed Crackers
Homemade Flax Crackers
Homemade Pancake/Waffle Mix
Awesome Couscous Crackers
My Favorite Hummus
Stephen’s Homemade Pickles
Homemade Applesauce
Red Curry Kimchi

Read more...

10th anniversary, baby-making, and more

So much updating to do. So many things left on our to-do list before summer vacation ends. Figured I’d write up a quick what’s-going-on-over-here type post today before I dig into other good stuff later this week and beyond.

Like, literally dig in . . .

// 1: Upcoming posts

Here’s what on tap for soon. Hold me to them! I should be better scheduling my time now that school is back in session. I have gotten rather lax with my wake-ups since I don’t HAVE to finish my freelance stuff in the early AM hours. But come next Tuesday, I’ll be up at 5:30 AM each morning. I’m even considering getting up earlier to shift my workouts.

We’ll see. Regardless:

• 5 frugal accomplishments as of late
• Suburban homesteading projects for fall
• Budget update and whether or not we’re paying down our debt
• Super easy yeasted naan recipe perfect for freezing + making individual pizzas
• Our family command center that’s both fabulous and functional
• Day in the life of a coach’s wife
• More second-hand shopping ninja tips, including thoughts on resale
• Less waste missteps I’ve made and how I’ve corrected them
• Inexpensive toddler + big kid activities we’re enjoying
• Our favorite vegetarian school lunches

// 2: Back-to-school stuff

So many of you guys are already in back-to-school mode. We’re still off for a little over a week, so it hasn’t been too much of a thing in our house. Still, we’ve purchased our school supplies, browsed good lunch recipes on Pinterest, and done the necessary school clothes shopping. Thing is, now we’ve got TOO many clothes between those that kinda-sorta fit and those that are brand-spanking new. I’m going to go through and try my best to make a more minimal wardrobe for Ada (and Eloise), and I hope to share that soon.

I definitely want to keep the nicer, newer things for school but also have a good stock of play clothing, as Ada plays HARD. She’s always getting grass stains and holes. I need to find better ways to launder out the stains and maybe even learn some mending. It’s always a shame when a pair of pants is good except a pesky hole at the knee.

Any suggestions?

// 3: 1997 style

Anyone else a fan of Safiya Nygaard? Yeah, she may be more than a decade my junior -- but her videos are well-researched and often hilarious. I especially enjoyed the latest exploration of style in the late 1990s -- 1997, specifically.

Some of you guys may recognize those magazines, advertisements, and Delia’s catalogs. I am definitely guilty at age 13 of taking a photo of Rachel from Friends into my hairdresser. Heck, in 1997, I was in my most prime teenage year because it was all so new to me. I tried all these trends, including the chopsticks in my hair.

// 4: Uterine happenings

I had my midwife appointment last Wednesday. I was particularly anxious about this appointment because my midwife is leaving the area. There also aren’t any midwives currently working in my area aside from another one who is leaving in November. So, I need to find another doctor, which is kind of weird for me. I’ve been at the same practice for a decade. But the doctor I may go with is at another practice and another hospital.

Though we aren’t 100 percent ready to (or sure we will) try for a third, I had a lot of questions for my midwife because she was most familiar with my issues from before Eloise’s pregnancy. In the end, we decided that if we do go that route, I will immediately using baby aspirin and progesterone. Research is mixed on whether or not this combination truly works. It did for me -- but it could have been coincidental (I think not -- but I don’t hold a medical degree). Anyway, I now have a standing prescription at the pharmacy that’s good for a year. We’ll see if we end up using it or what happens there.

Obviously it may seem strange to some of you for sharing this type of information. I only do it because I think trying after having losses is hard. I know some of you have found my blog through dealing with infertility or miscarriage. Even if you’ve had another successful pregnancy, the doubt and fear is very real. I don’t take any of it for granted. In the end, if we do try for another child I’m not thinking I could emotionally deal with going through what happened the last time. So, if it came to that, we’d likely (happily) move onto life as a family of four.

// 5: The big 1-0

Stephen and I will be celebrating out 10th wedding anniversary on Friday. I mean, that’s pretty insane to me. We started dating in college in 2005, so we’ve been together a little over 12 years. In the last 10, we’ve moved cities, bought two houses, had two kids, and shared a bunch of other milestones.

10 years of marriage looks pretty great, eh?


Here’s more photos from our wedding day. I scanned them in because this was before it was necessarily normal to get big digital drop boxes of your photos. This was also before the times of Pinterest and crazy photo-shoots. I sort of love that we got married before it became all rustic barns, Mason jars, and food trucks.

Some of my friends have jetted off to Europe or done other grand things to celebrate their milestone anniversaries. Sure, that’s would be fun. Maybe I’m a little jealous. But money/time doesn’t allow for those things over here. Instead, we bought a luxury edition of Scrabble (ours is white) that I found for less than half price at Home Goods, went out to our favorite Indian restaurant when we had babysitting a few weeks back, and will probably spend the evening on Friday crafting a homemade meal. And that’s truly enough. We’re both easy to please.

That’s all for today. More soon! 

Any requests for which posts to do sooner rather than later?

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Expanding Our Homemade Pantry

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen my many food adventures this month. Stephen and I are trying to continue out frugal accomplishments by making more and more of our foods from scratch. Many of you have been interested in the recipes and methods we follow, so I figured a post was in order.

Today I’ll cover the more frequent items we’ve been cooking up. But I’m sure I’ll add to this list in the future. And be sure to check the links at the end for a more comprehensive list of the things we regularly make to stock our homemade pantry.

Yogurt

Ah, yes. Yogurt. I waited years to try making this on my own because the idea of it was daunting to me. Thing is, you can easily make yogurt in your slow cooker. A gallon of milk costs me around $1.65 to $2 and yields 8-9 cups of the stuff.

I currently follow this recipe in my crock pot. It is for Greek-style yogurt . . . but that really just hinges on how much you strain it. I tend to do a slightly thicker than regular and thinner than Greek consistency. That’s the beauty with homemade yogurt -- it’s customizable.

Now, I am investigating a few more that might create less waste and yield even more result. I hear if you use powdered milk, it thickens the batch so little straining is necessary. I began my batch by using a cup of the Siggi’s plain yogurt as my starter. The first batch was very similar to the Siggi’s and later batches (using homemade starter) have been more sour. But you can sweeten them up with honey, maple syrup, or -- my favorite -- peanut butter.

Also: I always use non-fat milk.

// Mozzarella Cheese

Mozzarella was also on my bucket list for many years, but actually buying vegetable rennet made the whole thing feel like a production. Oh, and I suppose I should also mention that I only very recently bought a rapid-read food thermometer, which has been a game changer for making all things dairy. Oh, and cheesecloth. Lots of cheesecloth, though the less-waste in me has started experimenting with nut milk bags.

I follow this recipe for mozzarella (the image is also from this site -- I somehow deleted mine). You simply heat the milk, add in the rennet and citric acid, strain curds, knead, etc. Then you get this delightful ball in less than half an hour. I’ve made this a few times now. With practice it becomes much more automatic. There’s nothing cooler than looking at a ball of fresh cheese you’ve made from scratch.

Also: I always use whole milk.

// Paneer 

Speaking of cheese, I am addicted to paneer. One way we’ve gained some independence from takeout meals is by making our own Indian food. I buy the simmer sauce at Aldi and make the cheese a day or hour ahead of time. It’s even easier than making mozzarella. All you need to curdle the milk is something like vinegar or lemon juice.

From there, it’s all about pressing. Here’s the recipe I follow for perfect paneer. I’ll be making it tonight -- with whole milk.

// Ghee

After making paneer, ghee was a natural next step, right? It’s wonderful on homemade naan (getting there in a minute -- just you wait!). It’s also great for cooking stir-fries, eggs, etc. I’ve only made one batch so far, but it’s was super easy.

Here’s the recipe I followed. It keeps on the counter for a few weeks to a month. I used unsalted butter.

// Naan

You guys know I’ve been making my own naan-like creations for years. It all started in college when I lived with a graduate student named Aggrey. He used to roll out these unleavened dough balls and cook them on the stove-top like he did back home growing up in Africa. I slowly developed my own version of a flattened, more savory pancake.

My favorite recipes include the following. We make different kinds according to our moods.

• 5-minute naan
• 3-hour naan
• Banana naan
• Whole wheat naan

// Sandwich Bread

I searched far and wide for a suitable sandwich bread recipe. Something reminiscent of store-bought, but oh-so much better. And about a month ago . . . I found it. The perfect white bread recipe. It turns out flawlessly every single freaking time. My only sub is that I use canola oil in place of butter inside the bread. I may start brushing the top with ghee.

I’d like to slowly modify this to include more whole grains, but bread can be tricky. I’ll report back soon.

// Jarred veggies in brine

We’ve started jarring + pickling lots of veggies in the fridge -- from zoodles to jalapeños and more -- and I basically just chop them up and pour in this brine. The instructions say to wait until the brine is cool to add it to the veggies, but I actually like it hot with things like jalapeños. It makes them so soft and delicious.

// Seitan

It had been years . . . but we dusted off the old seitan recipe.

Now we make this stuff weekly. So much less expensive than buying Field Roast. I’ll have to do an updated recipe, too. We’ve been seasoning it in all different ways. We’re still making seitan dogs, too. And the other night, Stephen made a pulled-pork-esque thing with BBQ sauce! Did you know that vital wheat gluten is full of protein? It’s true.

// More pantry goodies

Homemade Almond Milk
Our Go-To Pizza Dough
Homemade Ciabatta Bread
Homemade Muesli
Adventures in Cereal-Making
Homemade Bagels
White + Whole Wheat No Knead Loaf
Three Seed Crackers
Homemade Flax Crackers
Homemade Pancake/Waffle Mix
Awesome Couscous Crackers
My Favorite Hummus
Stephen’s Homemade Pickles
Homemade Applesauce
Red Curry Kimchi

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Meal Plan, Takeout Fatigue, etc.

Before I get into the meal plan for this week, I don’t check Facebook all that often anymore. However, someone added me to a group that I do find quite interesting. It’s called the Non-Consumer Advocate. It’s all about finding ways to do things without necessarily spending money or otherwise consuming. Or if you do spend money, how to be smart about it. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, I highly recommend joining!

So, you’ve seen our $98 Aldi haul for this week. Our meal plan this week is nothing shocking or particularly interesting. I am trying to use up the things we have left over from vacation. (PS: Want more meal planning? Here’s the last time I wrote about this subject. And here’s all my posts on it.)

I’ll just be giving you the dinners we’re eating. Breakfasts are usually eggs and toast for Stephen, a protein smoothie for me, cereal + fruit for Ada, and waffles for Eloise. Lunch has been quite random as well this summer. I’m still trying to eat raw once a day, by the way. Should I do an update on that? Let me know in the comments!

Also: I’m trying to get Ada into more diversified eating, so I’ll try to touch on this subject another day. Snacks are things like Greek yogurt mixed with peanut butter, popcorn, carrot sticks, homemade granola bars, etc.

DINNERS

• Coconut Curry Tofu w/ Freezer Veggies + rice
• Veggie Burgers (bulk + frozen), onion rings
• Veggie Quesadillas with greek yogurt + salsa
• Pizza Night
• Hummus, homemade pita, and Greek salad
• Omelettes + homemade kale chips
• Mexican Quinoa Salad

The girls will eat the veggie burgers, quesadillas, pizza, hummus, omelets, and Mexican quinoa dish with us. Or at least try. We also have some staples on hand for them, like mac and cheese or pierogis, if we think they won’t enjoy a meal (or if we’re eating at different times).

Thoughts on Eating Out

We definitely have takeout fatigue. I loved sampling cuisine from our favorite restaurants while on vacation. That said, it was mega-expensive (regrettably so!). And you know what? I missed cooking. I think we may even make better meals than some we get out. While a good meal out can certainly be a nice indulgence -- even a regular one -- I think we’re going to skip for a while. Even with my birthday coming up, a home-cooked meal seems much more pleasurable than anything else right now.

You get a lot of facts and figures if you look up how much the average family spends going out to eat each year. I estimate that we probably spend around $50 a week on an average week getting a mix of takeout, dining out, etc. That’s figured into our “entertainment” budget category. So, if we stopped doing that . . . that’s $2,600 a year. I only took the time to figure this out just now.

And now I feel a bit sick to my stomach. Do you know how many places that money could go? Holy moly.

What’s your policy on going out to eat? I doubt we’ll stop doing it altogether. But I’d like to save it for only special occasions. Maybe once a month? That sounds like cutting to the bone, but I think it’s doable. 

Recipe Liberation

Here’s my parting idea for the day . . . and it’s something I’ve neglected to mention on the blog. I rarely follow recipes (even my own) exactly. Well, if I have everything on hand, yes. But if I’m missing ginger for a stir-fry, for example, I’ll skip it. Of course, it’d be nice to get the extra flavor, but usually there are other spices + things that will do enough of the heavy lifting. If the ingredient is non-essential, like peppers for veggie quesadillas, I’ll leave it out, too. (This rule doesn’t apply with baking usually. Especially with things like baking powder, baking soda, etc.)

Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to explain is that cooking can be flexible. I am sure many of you know that. But I think some others think we must follow recipes exactly. Not the case at all! You can make all sorts of substitutions, swaps, and omissions. Heck, you can add things, too. It takes time to get cooking right. You’ll make missteps along the way. But you may even make something particularly delicious -- accidentally.

I’ll be back soon with a recipe for Greek salad, homemade granola bars, and some notes on getting back to from-scratch cooking and baking. Feels good.

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Aldi Haul + $400 Monthly Food Budget

I am in super productive mode now that we’re home from vacation. I have tons of freelance work this week. Our house needs a good tidying and deep cleaning. And -- honestly -- our budget needs an overhaul. Whenever we find ourselves needing a reset, I look to what we’ve been eating. So much money goes to food. We got especially lazy despite meal planning while on vacation and ended up spending mega-bucks keeping our tummies full.

I’ve started going through our pantry to take stock of what we have. You know what? We’re eating entirely too much packaged and convenience food. This habit started slowly when I had morning sickness and didn’t feel as much like cooking. Then with the newborn days and Ada’s first year of packed lunches, well, it increased and took a strong hold.

Budget

I’d like to keep our food budget to around $400 a month. Heck, one month I got away with only spending $291! (We have a CSA share that works out to a bit more than $20 a week. Unfortunately, our pickup person fell through while we were on vacation, so this week we didn’t get the share. I had to spend more than I wanted -- but am hoping to stick closer to $80 in the next weeks.)

Game plan:

• Meal planning
• Shopping at Aldi exclusively*
• Making more from scratch
• Kicking packaged foods to the curb

* We cannot get tofu or Earth Balance butter spread at Aldi, but those -- I think -- are the only exceptions.

I’ll be writing more soon, but I thought I’d just start with our $98 Aldi shopping haul.

The Haul

Here’s what we bought, in no particular order:

Toasted sesame oil

Pierogies

Toaster waffles

Dried mango

Baby food x 5 squeeze packs

Jarred jalapeño peppers

Whole grain bread x 4 loaves

Organic mac and cheese

Organic grape tomatoes

Bananas 

Raisins

Package of kale

4 avocados

Carrots

Baby carrots

Cucumber

Spring mix

24 ounces blueberries

Organic BBQ sauce

Organic peanut butter x 2 

Veggie refried beans x 2

Tomato paste

Sliced gouda cheese

String cheese

Chili lime cashews

Yogurt tubes

Ricotta cheese

Canned beets

Canned carrots

Canned veggie mix

Whole milk

Organic soy milk

Sparkling water case x 2

24 eggs

Medjool dates

You may notice randomly that I bought like four loaves of bread and lots of refried beans, etc. I picked up a few things in bulk that I knew we’d use over time, but not all in the next week. Also: packaged foods. I wanted to get away from buying chips, cookies, granola bars, juices, individual sized anything, and junk food. I did a pretty good job during this shop, but I could definitely improve.

For example:

• I could just start giving the kids regular yogurt sweetened with honey or jam versus the yogurt tubes. I can make toaster waffles and freeze them in bulk.
• We could buy a new CO2 canister for our Soda Stream and make sparkling water at home.
• I could buy some reusable squeeze pouches for Eloise. She doesn’t do a lot of baby food, but it’s nice to have them on the go.
• As an aside, my favorite reusable grocery bags are these ones that are mesh. They are so compact, yet they stretch to accommodate so much. I am always so pleased when I’m packing up at the store. And my market basket does some massively impressive heavy lifting.
• I think I may write a post about the swaps I’m going to map for packaged foods. It’s actually something I want to research and write so I have the information to use myself!

There are times when I want to turn this blog into one entirely about shopping for groceries and saving. Tips and tricks on making food cheap. I don’t know. I feel very motivated, so I think I may just blog through my own thought process as it rolls.  A lot of my Aldi posts are from like 2014. I think I need to update them because as I look through the photos, it becomes clear to me just how much the store has changed (for the better!).

Related Posts

In the meantime, I have some good posts up from when I am doing things the optimal way, so if you’re looking for some ready tips -- check ‘em out.

18 Vegetarian Staples at Aldi
What’s Great + NOT About Aldi
What $77 Looks like at Aldi
Monthly Groceries for Less than $300 at Aldi
Grocery Budget -- Dollars and Cents

Monthly Shopping?

What about shopping for groceries monthly? I did it for four months in a row, and it was pretty awesome. It required some advanced planning, though. And the summer hasn’t been working well for that. That said, I may try to revisit this approach again when the school year starts. I found that shopping monthly did contribute to buying more packaged foods, though. Let’s explore this another day.

I’ll be back soon with our meal plan for the week and a recipe for some granola bars I’m making with Ada.

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Our Week's Meal Plan

Do you have a favorite cookbook? I do. Well, I actually have several. I'm a big fan of the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook. It's where I learned how to make anything from bagels to ciabatta to English muffins. Lately, I'm digging the Fit-It and Forget-It Vegetarian Cookbook. The recipes are really easy to make, and you can easily search by ingredient to find the ones that will use up what you have in the fridge and pantry.

Anyway, I thought I'd share my meal plan for the week. We started getting our CSA recently, so there will be a great injection of fresh, local produce into our lives. Sometimes I don't know what to do with all of it! But that's part of the fun.

I go back and forth on the going-out-to-eat line in our budget. On one hand, it's an obvious thing to cut out to save money. On the other, going to restaurants is fun. You get to try new things. How I feel about it right now -- today -- is that I'd like to save it for special events. As a result, I've been spending a bit more on our weekly groceries so I can make satisfying meals Monday through Sunday.

Meals:

MONDAY

Roasted asparagus with BBQ tofu (from the book) sandwiches

TUESDAY

 

Beans + Greens (from the book) and yogurt biscuits.

WEDNESDAY

Veggie burgers with kohlrabi slaw and baked sweet potato fries.

THURSDAY

Summer Risotto (from the book) with eggs +  sauteed Swiss chard on the side.

FRIDAY

Homemade grilled pizza topped with whatever veggies we're in the mood for.

SATURDAY

Coconut yellow curry tofu + veggies with 5-minute naan.

SUNDAY

Sloppy lentil Joes with side California Salad (from the book).

Frugal tip:

I have been buying supplemental veggies in the freezer section. I sometimes even get the fancy stuff, like bags of cauliflower rice or marinated mushrooms. (And, yes, I have to go to Wegmans for this a lot of the time. Aldi doesn't have the same cool stuff you'd find at Trader Joe's. You lucky people with Trader Joe's!) While the price point may not seem smart compared to fresh in some instances, I find we actually save money having ingredients on hand that cook up fast versus submitting to takeout.

More good stuff:

• Here's a typical rundown of food costs in our house.
• Here's more about my shopping with Aldi. 
• Here's more good stuff about meal planning. 
• And here's some good info on once-a-month grocery shopping.

What's on your menu this week?

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ROAD // Zucchini Noodle Salad

My first recipe is what inspired this whole series. And you don't need a pricey spiralizer to make it either. Of course, I've seen the ones that attach to KitchenAid mixers, but they come at a premium (may make a nice gift, though -- I doubt my cheapie can make beet noodles). One of the most popular tools on Amazon is around $20; it has a handy handle and makes very neat looking noodles. I, on the other hand, have a bare bones model. You hold it in your hand and twist. It makes large and small noodles and costs around $12.

However you slice it, this is what you want in your life:

RAW ZUCCHINI NOODLE SALAD

What you'll need . . . 

• Half a bell pepper, sliced
• Half a large zucchini, spiralized
• Half an avocado
• Few tablespoons water (or kombucha*)
• Couple tablespoons almond meal
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt, pepper 

* I added some ginger kombucha because I happened to be drinking it when I made this dish. If you use plain water, consider adding a bit of apple cider vinegar just to give the sauce a little extra flavor.

Method . . .

1. Toss your veggies into a medium bowl. You can add more variety of veggies if you like, too. I just happened to have these on hand.
2. Then put your avocado, water or kombucha, garlic, and almond meal in a food processor. You want to get a thick sauce, so play around with the ratios until you reach your desired consistency. Mine was like lowfat yogurt.
3. Toss everything together and top with the salt (I'm loving pink sea salt lately) and black pepper to taste.

This meal took about five minutes to prepare from start to finish. It serves just one person, which is how I'll approach all meals in this series. It's best served fresh or else your avocado sauce may brown.

And if you want to read more about Raw Once A Day, check out yesterday's post.

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The ROAD + Opening Up About Food

For quite some time, I have been spinning my wheels on the blog. I haven't had a direction. I get compelled to share one thought or another idea. But nothing every stays cohesive like back in the good old days. I also haven't shared much in the way of recipes -- at least not consistently, which is what a lot of you came here for in the first place.

Well, today I wanted to open up and share with you about all things food. You know I struggle with sugar. You know I eat lots of desserts and breads and all those "bad" things. In the last several years, it's been worse than ever. That's why I probably haven't shared much. I don't cook as much as I used to. And what I eat is almost embarrassing at times. I hate making excuses. Still, going through what we went through to get and stay pregnant with Eloise took a toll on my mental and physical health in many ways.

For starters, I am struggling to get back into the running shape I was once in . . . not just from pregnancy, but from all the miscarriages and time off I had to take during TTC. My mileage and pace steadily declined, and I'm fine with the reason. She's almost one, and I'm forever thankful for her. But it's SO hard and quite humbling getting back. It makes me less excited to run. It feels like a chore despite how much I love it. I also just lack energy to exercise from my poor diet.

Along with exercise woes, I became a sugar monster beyond my wildest dreams nightmares. I fully admit I used food to cope with my emotions (especially when you can't use alcohol during countless two week waits, amIright?) and haven't looked back until very recently. I tried Weight Watchers earlier this year with some success, but I haven't shared much because it didn't stick. I wasn't mentally ready to clean up my act.


Something about the weather (silly) and -- more -- the passage of time has inspired me to do better. For myself, yes. But with Mother's Day on the horizon, a lot of this has to do with my kids. I look at them and realize that I can do better for them. I want to be around for a long time. I know I don't have total control over it, but I do have control over some aspects of my health. I want to have energy for them. I want to be in a better mood. I want to feel my best. I want them to have good relationships with food, too.

Stephen eats really well. Like, he should have a food blog. You guys would love it. Each night, he bolts through the kitchen in just 10 minutes and makes the most amazing overnight oats, salads, and other healthy eats to take work. He's in the peak of health, and it's quite inspiring. And -- at times -- it can be discouraging to me. Why? I, on the other hand, usually nosh on bread, leftover toaster waffles, candy or desserts, and anything else carb or cheese related during the day. I've barely been cooking. I miss cooking. I miss feeling healthy. I took a look at myself the other day (figuratively) and said out loud:

WHAT has HAPPENED to you?

It was like a swift slap in the face.
Something woke me up.

This isn't my introduction to starting up some program like Beach Body. I'm not going to say I'm going to start replacing my meals with protein smoothies. I have nothing to sell. I'm not doing the Whole30. I'm not going gluten-free. I'm not going vegan. I'm not making any sweeping change to my diet, in fact. You see, I've decided to start small, and I want my blog my way through it for motivation.

I plan to eat Raw Once A Day.


That's where ROAD comes from. I need to eat more raw foods -- veggies, specifically. I hate salads, though. So, I'm on a mission to eat a raw meal just o.n.c.e a day that satisfies and excites me. Salads to fall in love with salads. But there are so many other raw things that can be good. I feel so amazing after eating this way . . . but I know I like my cooked fare, too. So, once a day seems like a great place to start.

I'm sure many of you are like "what's the big deal? I do this anyway!" Eat like an adult, already! And good for you. Right now, this seems like an epic change for me. I'm excited for it. I am hoping eating raw once a day will help inform my other food choices throughout the day, week, month. I am hoping it will shift my mindset a bit. Shake it up.

So, for the time being I'm planning to start sharing three posts a week (REALLY!). Quickie meals that you can make. Raw foods. Easy and hopefully inexpensive ingredients. Maybe many that you can find at Aldi. I'd like to start food blogging again, along with my regular writings, and I feel like taking charge of my health is a wonderful way to get inspired and start. I'll have my first recipe posted for you tomorrow. Spoiler -- it's on Instagram today if you cannot wait!

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