Tips for Living Frugally

Since the word "frugal" is in my blog name, I guess its time for some tips on living frugally (is that a word? I'm pretty sure its not)

This first section is about COUPONING! 

I'm not really going to go over extreme couponing, although you may think that what I do is extreme. Since I started couponing, I always get toothpaste, deodorant, and floss FREE. I also save between 50-75% off my purchase. Some people purchase all kinds of stuff that they wouldn't ever use (unless the Apocalypse happened. More on that in a bit). I only purchase items that I know I will use or consume (in the case of food)

LETS GET STARTED!

STEP 1: Buy a Sunday Paper or get the ads/coupons from a friend who gets the Sunday Paper

Step 2: Cut out all the coupons that you think you may potentially use

Step 3: Here's where it gets tricky. Go to walmart (or wherever) and purchase a 3 ring binder to make your coupon book! This is the best thing ever! Go  here to see an example of how to organize your book. This is how I organize mine:

- I bought dividers and named and placed each one in alphabetical order (i.e. baby, cleaning, feminine products, etc. etc. etc.) into the main binder.

- I also have two sections. One section with all food coupons and one section with all the other items

- Buy baseball collectible card holders to put your coupons in

Step 4: place all coupons you clipped into their nice little organized spot in your binder

Step 5: Sign up to receive Faithful Provisions' emails. They will send you an email giving you the best deals to buy items as well as coupon matchups!

Step 6: After about a month of clipping coupons, you should have enough to go get some stuff for free!

* remember Kroger and Publix will automatically double any coupon 50 cents and under. This is why I mostly shop at these places. 

HAPPY COUPONING! Message me if you have any questions


MORE FRUGAL LIVING TIPS
* If you spend a lot of money on Starbucks (like me), then buy their brand of coffee to make at home. In addition, go ahead and register your starbucks gift card (or buy one) and ALWAYS load more money/add gift cards to that one card. You will eventually become a gold member (like me). This means free soy milk, extra shots, toppings, flavors and...free refills!

* Always purchase flights on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. They're ALWAYS cheaper

* If you don't know already, you get points when you shop at Kroger. After spending 100 dollars, you get 10 cents off gas! The points add up BEFORE you use your coupons. This is a plus

* You can rent movies from your library FOR FREE

* Enjoy Redbox? Click here for free redbox codes. 

* Sign up for Groupon, Living Social, and Sharing Spree to receive awesome deals everyday! This is how I purchase all of my movie tickets, manicures, restaurant gift cards, etc.

* If you shop at Kroger, KEEP YOUR RECEIPT. On the back of the receipt there are coupons! Usually they are for your local restaurants. 

* If you have children, search for local consignment sales that are coming up. You save a TON! I bought Micah's Halloween costume for $5 last year! He was the cutest sweet pea ever...

* If you've never been by Big Lots...go take a look! They have all kinds of things from home goods to groceries for super cheap! I've even found organic munchies there. 

I could probably think of so much more when it comes to frugal living but I've got to head to class. Happy Spending! 

IT Works: A Review from a MAJOR Skeptic

Seriously. This is NOT A SCAM! I thought it was, of course. Because losing inches in 45 minutes sounds absolutely bogus, especially for someone like me who is in grad school getting a Master's in Exercise and Nutrition Science. 

My friend Kelly (shout out!) sells IT Works body wraps and of course I was intrigued as soon as Micah popped out of my...belly. 

In all honesty, I had to be the biggest skeptic of all because I truly believe in eating clean and exercising. But the more I researched and looked into it, the more I thought that it could possibly be something that worked as an added bonus to a healthy lifestyle. 

HOW DOES IT WORK?

* Your skin is the biggest organ in your body and has an amazing capacity with absorption

* EVERYONE has something called "adipose tissue" directly underneath your skin (epidermis if you want to get all technical). In layman's terms, this is FAT

* We need some fat to survive, for a little cushioning, and as an emergency backup in case of famine

* Most of us have too much of that adipose tissue and have a lifetime's worth of toxins built up in each fat cell

* YOU CANNOT LOSE A FAT CELL. Once a fat cell is created, it is there forever. Our bodies can make fat cells endlessly, but they will never go away. Scary, I know. Explains a lot too :)

* YOU CAN SHRINK A FAT CELL. This can happen in many ways. Exercise and diet being the best way

* These wraps work by being absorbed into the skin and shrinking the fat cells by flushing out the toxins  in each individual fat cell. 

* YOU MUST drink water if you do these wraps. Maybe you'll get results if you don't. But HELLO? Water flushes out our system and we all should be drinking water anyway. 

Here is a picture of my results

The second photo was after the second wrap. Mainly because the other picture I took was blurry. I lost two inches from each thigh!!! Actually, I probably lost more than that but I was so skeptical that I didnt' mark where I took my measurements like I was supposed to. 

I'm not going to make this blog super long and go into details about the ins and outs. If you want to know that...google it yourself. Be prepared to find people who say its a scam. And those people probably didn't drink water and eat like crap. Just sayin' :) But also prepared to see some awesome results!

And the question you ALL have in your heads right now..HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

* A pack of 4 costs $99. So about $25 each

* OR you could go the route I did and become a "loyal customer". Promise to buy something once a month for 3 months and you get 4 for $59. 

Got questions? Go ahead, ask. I'm not selling them....yet. I probably will be soon because as far as I can see, this produce is pretty AMAZING

30 Day Shred Review and Results

Most of you all know who Jillian Michaels is yes? The lady on the TV show "The Biggest Loser" who makes someone cry every season. In case you didn't know, she has some workout videos. One of them is called the 30 Day Shred. Last month I completed my first Olympic Distance Triathlon (YAY!). 

This was taken before the mile swim, 26 mile bike ride and 6 mile run. Trust me, you don't want to see the after picture!

However, I was SOOOO done with working out 1-2 hours 5 days a week. I wanted a quick workout so I could just be done! Several of my friends have been talking about Jillian's 30 day shred so I figured why not give it a shot? It's only 25 minutes a day so that didn't sound so bad! 

                                                 

MY BEFORE PICTURE: AFTER DAY 1 OF 30 DAY SHRED

MY "AFTER" PICTURE: AFTER DAY 23 OF 30 DAY SHRED

(I have had amazing results and still a week left to go!)

I've still got a week left and already lost an inch off of each arm, lots of definition in my stomach, and feel stronger. I will admit that the first week I was a bit confused and LITERALLY did the workout for 10 straight days! With NO rest day. After some research I found out you are supposed to do 2 days shred, 1 day cardio, 2 days shred, 1 day cardio, 1 day REST. Much more doable. :)

MY REVIEW:

PRO'S

- Quick workout- only 25 minutes!

- Fast results- I lost an inch from each arm in the first 10 days

- Can do the workout at home- you do need a pair of dumbells. I used only 3 pounds (sometimes 5)

- Each level is on YouTube!- this means you can do it for free

- She has modifications of nearly every exercise- I did the modified version on nearly all of them. 

CON'S

- 3 girls with "perfect" bodies working out in front of you. Making it look easy peasy

- NO break. You literally go for 25 minutes straight. You gotta push it! Push it real good!

- There's not nearly enough stretching at the end. Make sure to stretch longer after you finish the video

It's been real fun Jillian, but I honestly won't be sad to say goodbye to you next week and HELLO to a new workout regimen! 

Which reminds me to remind YOU....Remember to switch your workouts!!! Your muscles have memory and this is where you begin to have that plateau if you're not careful. Happy Working Out!

What the Kale?!?!

Lately I've been obsessed with adding kale into my diet. The hubster is very glad my asparagus kick is over (at least for now). Up until a few months ago, I thought kale was the weird yucky stuff restaurants add as a "garnish". 

We all love Pinterest and that's where I decided to finally branch out and try kale chips. Since I love potato chips (I know, I know...unhealthy right? Nope! Moderation is key peeps). All I had to do was rinse the kale, toss with olive oil and salt, and then pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes. So easy! And they tasted great!

The kale chips inspired me to venture out further. This past mother's day, my husband took me to The Wild Cow, a vegetarian restaurant in East Nashville. It was there when I fell in love with...garlicky kale!  I had to learn how to make it myself. Turns out it was pretty easy :)


Just mince some garlic and start to saute!

Add a HUGE bunch of kale. It looks like a lot but it will cook down to not very much. 

See???

Of course, I wasn't going to just eat this by itself. Its good to add to cooked quinoa or pasta. Speaking of pasta, that's what I chose to add to make a complete meal. I was exhausted after work and we had leftover Annie's Organic pasta. Soooooo....it was a spluge kind of night. Doesn't this look good? 

BON APPETIT! 

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 cloves freshly minced/pressed garlic

* 2 cups organic kale (kale is on the dirty dozen list so buy organic if you can!)

*1 Tbsp EVOO

* salt as needed

DIRECTIONS:

* Heat olive oil in a pan and saute the garlic. Then add the kale. You may desire to add more olive oil at this point. Up to you. Now add to a dish or eat it as a side. YUM!

"Sinful" & Swirly Cinnamon Bun Pie

Just to clarify....this delicious recipe is NOT sinful. Yay! It's actually quite healthy in comparison to other desserts (not mine of course. You all know I like to "healthify" desserts). It is GLUTEN FREE and can be made VEGAN by using vegan cream cheese for the swirly icing  (such as Tofutti). 

hold on a sec....






















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Ok I'm back. 
I couldn't resist the smell of warm and oh-so-sweet cinnamon wafting in my kitchen! Had to take a bite! Mmmmm mmmm good. 


ADD moment.....GO!
Today we took bugaboo to the zoo for the first time! 

It was HOT HOT HOT and we stayed for around 3 hours. Micah really enjoyed the animals and it was a fun day but man were my doggies barking after all that walking! (Next time I may wear tennis shoes instead of super cute sandals) 

Oh wait....what was I writing about? Oh yeah, "Sinful" & Swirly Cinnamon Bun Pie. Got a little distracted by that cutie pie...




Most of you know I gained a wonderful 60 pounds while pregnant with Micah and I'm trying to get back to pre-prego body the healthy way. This means I can have desserts (in moderation). Now that's what I'm talking about!


After all the walking today, I really wanted something sweet. After a little pintrest perusing, I decided on making the following...

"Sinful and Swirly Cinnamon Bun Pie"

with cream cheese frosting

   adapted from: Chocolate Covered Katie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cans white or garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup oats (or oat flour. same thing)

1/4 cup applesauce

2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 T coconut or canola oil

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups raw sugar (if you are brave and don't have a super sweet tooth you could try 1 cup. That's what we did)

2 T cinnamon 

Directions: 

Blend all ingredients REALLY well in a FOOD PROCESSOR. If at all possible, don't use a blender. It doesn't blend the beans well. If that's all you've got, then do whatcha gotta do. :) Pour into a well greased pie pan (or whatever pan you have will probably do. You could make them "brownies" if you wanted). Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. 

while it is baking/cooling you can make the FROSTING!!!

Cinnamon Bun Frosting

adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup silken-firm tofu (50g)

4 Tablespoons cream cheese (can use Tofutti brand to make it vegan)

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp Almond, Soy, or any other non-dairy milk

1 Tbsp raw sugar

Directions: 

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. 

and......

VOILA!!! DIG IN!

Oh did I forget to mention? Add as much icing as you want! Its only 10 calories per Tbsp!

Pumpkin Pie Meets Sweet Potato French Toast (VEGAN)

So.....lately I have been SO busy with work and school that I've been eating the same things over 

and over

and over....

You get the picture. Its been something like toast with peanut butter for breakfast, salad for lunch, and stir fry for dinner. With a few cups of coffee added throughout the day. BORING!!!

So this morning I decided I was going to make something healthy, yummy, and new for breakfast. 

Of course I got a little distracted by baby boo first. We had to do his 7 month pictures and since tomorrow is cinco de mayo, I figured we should be festive  :)

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!!!!

( How do you like the awesome pajamas, zero makeup, and crazy hair? This is what I look like unless its after 12 PM or its Sunday morning. Truth)

Ok, back to the French Toast....

Confession, the recipe calls for a sweet potato and all I had was some of Micah's sweet potato baby food. 

Hey, don't judge. You do what you gotta do for french toast right? 

Enough's enough, here it the recipe...

Pumpkin Pie Meets Sweet Potato French Toast (Vegan)

adapted from The Diva Dish

Ingredients:

1 cooked sweet potato (or in my case, 2 jars of sweet potato baby food)

1 1/2 cup Almond Milk (or any other dairy free milk. Or dairy filled if you wish! But then it wouldn't be vegan...)

1 tsp. vanilla 

2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

Bread 

(I highly recommend Ezekiel Bread. Its uber healthy AND when I tried to use Nature's own I ended up with a yummy but soggy mess. Just make sure its a thick bread. No flimsy 35 calorie bread peeps!)

Directions: 

1. Cook the sweet potato (microwave it, bake it, whatever! Just cook it). After its cooked, drop it (without skin of course) into a blender with all of the other ingredients (except bread) and blend until like a puree. 

2. Empty puree into a bowl 

3.Lightly coat (DO NOT SOAK) bread in the bowl and then place on a sizzly, buttered griddle (pan) for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

* side note: if you soak the bread, you will end up with a soggy mess. Just dont' do it. :)

3. Add a little powdered sugar, dairy free butter, maple syrup (or whatever toppings you desire) and devour.

4. Lick the plate. 

You can omit step 4. I didn't. I literally licked the plate clean when I was finished...

Why I Became Vegetarian

MOOOOOOOO
Don't Eat me!

Just kidding. But seriously. I was sitting in my nutrition class 2 months ago and my teacher said she didn't like to buy ground turkey because they grind the skin in WITH the meat. This really grossed me out. Then we continued to talk about protein.

And it dawned on me.

For 25 years I have been eating muscle, fat, and skin. I thought I might get sick in class. I had images in my mind of cows staring at me. Of cute little piglets (Babe anyone?) squealing. Of little, bright yellow, fuzzy, cute chicky chickies.

Why I had never truly thought about this OBVIOUS fact beats me. I know its a bit ridiculous. Oh well. Moving on from that...

I decided I couldn't eat meat. A few days passed and I didn't eat meat, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, etc. Then I decided I could eat yogurt and sweet cece's. I also decided to eat eggs. Then Ben proceeded to tell me I was eating dead baby chicken fetuses. I was horrified! (and he was totally joking). After much googling and researching, I decided I could handle eating egg whites. (The occasional egg yolk doesn't bother me because a friend soothingly told me that they were un-fertilized eggs. phew).

Technically, I'm a "Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian".

Maybe its just a phase. Maybe I'll cave and just have to have a big juicy hamburger. But for the past 2 1/2 months I have felt so wonderful physically. I haven't had ANY stomach problems (many of you know of my horrible stomach issues I have because of my eating disorder.) My energy levels are great and I am making sure I am getting all the essential nutrients that I need. Actually, only strict Vegans have trouble getting all the nutrients they need.

So there you have it! Am I saying everyone should be Vegetarian? NO! If you eat meat, great! Try and stick with red meat only 2x per week. Most importantly, be sure you buy ALL your meat free-range organic. You will be thankful in the long run, trust me. As for now, I'm happy with my chicken-free chicken nuggets and Tofurkey. :)

Mono and Weight Loss: Do They Mix?

Mono and Weight Loss: Do They Mix?

Apparently, YES! As you know, I previously started a 60 day slimdown and promised to take you on my journey. Little did I know that I would contract mono in the last week of Month 1. Sad day.

And little did I know that I would STILL see results with zero exercise, lots of laying around on my bum (i.e. resting!), and continuing my healthy diet (complete with sweet cece's tart froyo ice cream in moderation of course).

I have heard that missing a week or two of an exercise program shouldn't hinder your weightloss as long as you continue to eat clean. But let's get real, that sounds BOGUS. At least, it did to me. If you've ever truly had mono, you know that it is just physically impossible to exercise. You're exhausted. Couple that with having a baby that is nowhere near sleeping through the night and I was for sure not going near a treadmill.

So, BE ENCOURAGED! YOU CAN STILL LOSE WEIGHT/INCHES IF YOU "FALL OFF THE BANDWAGON" (the exercise bandwagon that is. You still, "Gotta eat your spinach. babbbyyyyyy")

Although the results weren't monumental, numbers still were going down. In the 3 weeks that I had mono I lost 5 pounds. Here are my stats after my bout with mono:

Weight: 192
Arm: 13 in (1/2 inch lost)
Chest: 38 in ( 1. 5 inches lost)
Neck: 33.25 in (.25 in lost)
Waist: 33.25 (.25 in lost)
Hips: 44.5 (.5 in gained)
*everything else was the same

2 inches total and 5 pounds lost. YEEHAW! I'd say that's better than gaining wouldn't you?

Here's the pics...

                                                    YAY!!! NO MORE MONO!!!!

                                                             

Stay tuned for the end of my 60 day slimdown next month!

60 Day Slimdown!

You all know how I'm all about nutrition, exercise, and healthy living. Well, let's get real. I thought I'd post a part of my journey of getting my body back after pregnancy. I am determined to do it the healthy way. Many of you know I lost 90 pounds a few years back from a full on eating disorder. Now I want to prove to everyone out there that it can be done HEALTHILY. The RIGHT way.  Boy has it been a ride so far! I gained 56 pounds when I was pregnant (ok maybe more. After I hit 212 I decided not to weigh myself anymore). During my entire pregnancy I exercised with Lindsay Brinn's workouts which are specifically designed for prego's. She also has post natal workouts (which I am doing now).

Honestly, I have been quite discouraged because I thought I would get my body back sooner rather than later. I thought, "Oh I'm such a healthy eater and I exercise 45 minutes per day, etc. etc. etc.". NOPE! Hello reality! Nice to meet you. In case you didn't know already, pregnancy will do WHATEVER it decides to your body. Maybe you are lucky and only gained 10 pounds and looked back to your pre-prego self weeks after baby. (If so, count your blessings mama!)

Currently I am doing the 60 day slim-down workouts with Lindsay Brinn. I took my measurements at the beginning of the month and took pictures. Then I deleted them. (I had NO idea that I had that much back fat going on back there!) So here is a picture of me about a week before Micah was born. Looks like I have an alien in my belly! Nope...its precious baby Micah.

Here are my measurements for when I started the 60 day slim down (which was almost 4 months postpartum)

Arm: 13 in
Chest: 40 in
Waist: 34.5 in
1" below Belly button: 43
Hips: 45.5
Thigh: 27
Calf: 16
WEIGHT: 198.4

Now here are my measurements 3 weeks after the slim-down
Arm: 12.5 in
Chest: 39.5 in
Waist: 33.5 in
1" below belly button: 41.5
Hips: 44
Thigh: 26
Calf: 15
WEIGHT: 196.8

As you can see, I didn't even lose a full 2 pounds yet I lost 6 INCHES! That's progress. I don't look anywhere near where I'd like to but for not even 5 months postpartum I guess this will do. The Lord is humbling me in this process and I'm learning to give myself grace. Stay tuned for next month's results :)

Skinny Girl Blueberry Muffins

I  L-O-V-E this recipe from Bethenny Frankel's Skinny girl dish book. Its a great book with great tips and recipes. She actually gives a recipe for blueberry muffins. WAY healthier than the ones you buy at Starbucks.

* In fact I just paused to make some for myself and the hubs since he's been bad and eating gluten products (he's intolerant)

RECIPE: makes 6-8 muffins

1 1/4 cups oat flour (I don't buy oat flour. Its cheaper to just buy the oats and grind them as you go. I just buy the gluten free oats but you can buy regular if you're not gluten intolerant)
1tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup soy milk
2 Tablespoons buter (we use earth balance non-dairy its yum!)
3/4 teaspoon  real vanilla
3/4 cup blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients to dry. Stir in blueberries
3. Use an ice-cream scoop and scoop into greased muffin tin. Bake 20 minutes, rotating at 10 minutes.

ENJOY!