tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62357279238055339122024-03-13T03:02:58.328-07:00We're on a BudgetA Simple Life Without SacrificeJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-10521897822363063002011-01-11T10:50:00.000-08:002011-01-11T10:50:45.919-08:00We're Moving!I will be migrating this site over to http://havebudgetwillthrive.wordpress.com/. Please take a moment to subscribe to the new blog. The reason for the move is that WordPress offers much more advanced features and frankly, I just like it better! I hope to have the new site up and running by January 16th...see you there!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-23027598851102500482010-12-03T13:35:00.000-08:002011-01-10T09:48:41.267-08:00No More Miniumum Payments!In April of this year I wrote the post below. I am happy to say that effective 11/19/2010 I made my FINAL payment on my last credit card and am now 100% credit card debt free! In less than 1 year I managed to rid myself of almost 10K in credit card debt. Grant it a bit of saccrifice was required but the relief I feel after ridding myself of this huge burden is well worth it.&Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-55311652550980457632010-09-11T16:28:00.000-07:002010-09-17T11:46:29.221-07:00Adventures in Cooking: Vol. 9Here are a few recipes I have made lately using up the last remnants of this summer's gardening bounty.
First up, Black Bean Tostadas with Cucumber Corn Salsa. I dreamt these up when I was trying to find a way to use up some of the cucumbers I had grown. The lime flavored salsa provides a fresh and healthy compliment to the home made tostada shells which are ten times better then anyJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-72228070240412007622010-08-04T19:18:00.000-07:002010-09-17T11:46:59.801-07:00Adventures in Cooking: Vol. 8It's been quite a long time since I last posted anything. Honestly it has been a very very busy summer for me and my son. We've had a ton of adventures outside the home so there hasn't really been much cooking. Things are starting to whined down now and school will be back in session soon which means it's time to tighten up the budget and get back to cooking at home!
The last Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-49645855264402836032010-06-15T19:29:00.000-07:002010-09-17T11:47:32.064-07:00Adventures in Cooking: Vol. 7 (The Vegan Edition)As of Monday I took the plunge into veganism eliminating the dairy and eggs from my previous decision to become lacto-ovo vegetarian. The decision came after some research, like most of my decisions usually do, and the The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet (which I of course picked up at my local library) sealed the deal. Cooking without Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-27950803087955458322010-06-08T20:35:00.000-07:002010-08-06T13:14:31.578-07:002010 Spring/Summer Garden Update in PhotosJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-26960231840342201852010-06-08T20:07:00.000-07:002010-09-17T11:47:55.817-07:00Adventures in Cooking: Vol 6Recently I decided to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian, a personal decision to eat healthier with less fat and cholesterol. At this point I am still eating dairy and eggs, man I loooove cheese, but I am planning to switch to soy dairy all together once I get used to not eating meat and poultry. That being said my latest adventures in cooking are all meatless recipes.
Potato and Soyrizo Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-13693019154286057472010-05-24T21:00:00.000-07:002010-05-24T21:14:50.969-07:00Adventures in Cooking: Vol. 5Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie
I was looking for an alternative to the standard bowl of oatmeal with raisins my son and I have been eating for awhile. This was mainly for my son's sake as he really doesn't like oatmeal but I like the health benefits it offers both of us. The recipe as outlined is only for one cookie so I multiplied all ingredients by ten and made a whole pan full of oatmealJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-83819090585028968192010-05-18T20:31:00.000-07:002010-06-08T20:46:41.199-07:00Spring Garden 2010Since discovering how cooking fuels my soul I've felt a strong urge to complete the process by growing my own food. Earlier this Spring, if that's what one can call this crazy weather, my son and I started our first home garden. We planted 2 types of bell peppers, zucchini, cumcumbers, strawberries and some herbs as well as some annual flowers. We are also growing some tomatoes Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-25395644174293147592010-05-18T19:43:00.000-07:002010-09-17T11:48:34.120-07:00Adventures in Cooking: Vol. 4The last few days I have been eating vegetarian. Here are a couple tasty recipes.
Primavera Salad a la Trader Joe's
I love LeBoulanger's Primavera salad, but it is so huge and high in calories due to the dressing they use. Here is a lower calorie and lower fat recipe with ingredients all available from Trader Joe's. The best part is the dressing. At 25 calories per 2 Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-81205464524268091462010-05-12T20:50:00.000-07:002010-05-24T11:53:34.130-07:00Adventures in Cooking: Vol 3Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Roll-Ups
I concocted these on a whim. Very tasty and ubber cheesy, YUMM-Y! Very simple to make and you get to work out all your stress an anger for the day on a helpless piece of chicken!
Easy Tamale Pie
This is a tasty, easy to make meal that you can make stretch. My son especially liked it. I would have liked more of a real tamale taste Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-20263447507907567232010-05-07T12:03:00.000-07:002010-05-07T13:41:40.290-07:00Cooking: Fuel for My SoulFor the last several years now I have been surrounded by very talented artists who amaze me with their creations on the regular. I would always think to myself why can't I do that, however I was never able to bring the thought of creating a piece of artwork to light. I just never felt the urge or passion it would have taken to, as many of my artists friend have told me, just do it. Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-4533177030375712712010-04-29T19:02:00.000-07:002010-05-24T11:53:45.587-07:00Adventures in Cooking: Vol. 2Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
Okay so this wasn't exactly Armadillo Willy's Pulled Pork but it was pretty darn good. Very tender and tasty. I used some Costco BBQ sauce instead of the one in the recipe. It was really easy to make, what's easier than a crockpot right! We ate it over rice one night then as a sandwhich the next couple. My son even took a sandwich to Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-29481819822427142302010-04-28T16:00:00.000-07:002010-12-03T13:40:12.784-08:0017 Years of Minimum Payments....**UPDATE 11/19/10**
In April of this year I wrote the post below. I am happy to say that effective 11/19/2010 I made my FINAL payment on my last credit card and am now 100% credit card debt free! In less than 1 year I managed to rid myself of almost 10K in credit card debt. Grant it a bit of saccrifice was required but the relief I feel after ridding myself of this huge Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-72711178041944305522010-04-20T05:15:00.000-07:002010-05-24T11:55:04.098-07:00Cable Schmable!
At the time of the mandated television digital conversion I had the basic expanded cable package from Comcast. I was paying about 30 bucks a month. Just before the full transition took place I lost my favorite channels (Bravo, Food Network and TLC). Basically all channels above 35 were GONE! I don't own a fancy TV that is digital ready so I called Comcast and asked for Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-55932147431685800562010-04-19T20:29:00.000-07:002010-05-24T11:53:59.611-07:00Adventures in Cooking: Vol. 1I have always enjoyed cooking, but recently it has become a passion. I absolutely love it! It calms my nerves and brings me great joy to see people consume the food I worked so hard to make. So, for those that like to cook or those interested in learning to cook here are a couple of recipes I tried recently and really enjoyed.
Cinnamon Apple and Carrot Muffins
I don't bake muchJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-28456576578491591392010-04-16T05:15:00.000-07:002010-05-24T11:55:16.536-07:00Grocery Shopping on a Budget...If you don't have time to shop or are concerned about over spending at the grocery store, home delivery may be a good option for you. A friend of mine recently told me about her experience with grocery delivery from Safeway. At this point in time she doesn't have a car so shopping online and getting her groceries delivered is a great way to solve her shopping dilemma.
I gave grocery Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-85261698160003048982010-04-14T11:35:00.000-07:002010-04-14T11:51:15.052-07:00Eating Healthy on a BudgetI came across this great article about eating healthy on a budget. Many of the suggestions coincide with things I practice myself. Just thought I would share for those that think it impossible to eat well on a budget. Planning is key!Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235727923805533912.post-92176671750582208612010-04-13T13:53:00.000-07:002010-05-24T11:55:31.558-07:00The Most Important Piece of Plastic in My Wallet....My LIBRARY CARD! Yes, it is indeed the most important piece of plastic in my wallet because it provides me with endless hours of FREE entertainment. FREE always fits right into my budget! At the library you can check out everything from books to CDs, DVDs new and old and much much more.
Another great way to save money with the library is by taking advantage of their internet Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15578166632539891534noreply@blogger.com0