Frugal In Florida

I really need to come up with a better name for this as the title just doesn't do this chili any justice! I've been making this for the past 4 years or so and it's become a freezer staple in that I freeze half of it in a large ziploc bag for a future meal that's beyond just chili:  4 Way Chili ,  Chili Cheese Dogs , Chili Taters ... so many things!  Of course, MY favorite is the  4 Way Chili  ... This batch was made with zucchini to keep it Grain Free/Paleo ...  remove the cheese and it's Whole30 Approved! So, being that it's been a while since I originally shared the recipe, and I'd like to think my photography skills have gotten a tad better (stop laughing!) I figured I'd update the recipe! Not to mention, over time, I've made a few slight modifications to the recipe to suit our taste! Yes, it IS grain free, and because I finally threw down the kitchen towel on Thursday morning and said I'm doing it, I knew I needed to make a batch...

*Repost Alert! It seems like I've been doing a LOT of reposting lately but that's because the recipes are so dang good I feel the need to share when I make them again! This is on the menu to feed my father in law when we head to Indiana in a few weeks! Whee! I hope you try this and enjoy as much as we do!* I have no idea how I came across this recipe on  Pinterest , but it's been hanging around for a while and with our Pantry Challenge underway, it was PERFECT that I had everything on hand to make it one night this week! Now, granted, Kalyn does call it a " Low Carb Pizza Chicken Bake " but I just can't call it low carb ... although, it does NOT have a crusty base like you'd expect ... and I will say, it was really tasty ... I'll be making this again real soon! The beauty of this is that it can be a very inexpensive, a/k/a FRUGAL, quick meal if you shop right! All this can be bought at Aldi's this week for a little less than $5 right now if ...

I know, for someone who is "on the fence" when it comes to soup, I certainly have a few recipes to share, don't I? This is an excellent soup to make when I'm on a Pantry/Freezer Challenge, except the last time, I was surprised when I went to make this and could NOT find a single can of black beans? What the heck?? Ahem. It would seem that Sonny Boy had been doing his own meal prepping and was putting together the fixings for knock off Chipolte Burritos using brown rice (pantry) corn (pantry) and ... you guessed it, black beans (pantry). I couldn't be mad at the kid, you know? ;-) So there was an Aldis trip bright and early that morning ... and, of course, I spent more than I planned (but only because I got sucked in to the cheeses, the zucchini, veggies, and so much more!) This time around, I checked to make SURE I have a few cans of black beans in the pantry, and yes, there are 8 cans. Oh. That would be because of the recent Hurricane Matthew scare we had...

Hey hey, it's time to share the Frugal Activities post and I know a lot of you liked them because of my full disclosure too! It's been crazy busy around these parts lately ... both at home and the office. And of course, I try to have a little fun time too, you know? It's a very fine balance and I'm trying to perfect it ...  So.  Whats been going on in YOUR life?  Are you all things Fall and Pumpkins yet? I'm getting there, although we don't really have the dramatic change in the season like the rest of the country does. I still miss that, all these years later.  However, thanks to Hurricane Matthew's sideswipe the week before last, we did experience some cooler weather and a little less humidity. Sadly it's been windy as heck, which, I suppose, is kind of an October expectation ...  Here's some of the Frugal Activities we've been doing for the past few weeks ...  1.  Stayed out of the grocery stores for 9 days until Friday evening. On...

*It's October and time for All Things Pumpkin!* I mentioned over  here  that I am not a huge pumpkin fan ... but once in a while I find something that makes me think .... Hmmmmm, not so very bad after all ... And this is one of those times! Original recipe comes from  Civilized Caveman  and of course, I have to do my own things to make it more ME! Here's how I did it ... 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 1/2 cup almond milk 1/4 cup apple juice (I used cider, it's what I had) 1/2 frozen banana (I used a whole banana, will do half next time) 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice 1/2 tsp hemp heart seeds (these are so tasty and loaded with something healthy, I just know it and impart a nutty flavor) 1/2 cup (more or less) ice small handful of pecans or walnuts, chopped, for garnish if desired. Guess what you do? Toss all (except walnuts/pecans) in blender and let it rip til smooth. Pour in glass and garnish with pecans/walnuts. I didn't have t...

*It's October and time for the annual pilgrimage of pumpkin recipes ... so here's a re-post of one from a few years ago! I can't believe it's FALL ... I mean seriously, where has the YEAR gone already? I have a confession ... I'm not a big pumpkin lover ... sure, I'll eat them yummy pumpkin bars with the creamy cheese frosting slathered all over the top ... but other than that, no thank you, very much. Until I made this recipe a few years ago when Hubby was traveling ... and I had made it a few times since then ... but it's been a little while now ... so in honor of FALL arriving, I am re posting the recipe and making this as part of the Sunday morning breakfast for Sonny Boy before he heads back home ... The original recipe is from the  Practical Paleo  cookbook. I've been picking up the pumpkin at ALDIS because it's 99 cents a can and it's all pumpkin ... Oh ... I just remembered, it's time for Pumpkin head beer (and the ...

We are seeing some cooler weather, by our standards, so I'm back to making soup again!  What? You don't call 75 at 6am cooler? You do NOT live in Steamy Paradise, do you?? We've been so stinkin happy after Hurricane Matthew came through because it's cleared the air and the humidity a bit more than usual! Now, THIS soup is yummy and I get really excited when I'm making it ... its just a little bowl of pure comfort food to me ... yummmy .... The last few times I made this, I switched it up a little and used the refrigerated steakhouse seasoned diced potatoes .... I really liked the seasoned taters and plan to stick with that from here on out! Another thing I have to point out: toppings. I love toppings, but then again, I love a loaded baked potato ... so that's how you need to look at it. Do you like bacon, cheese, green onions on your baked potato? Then, by all means, add those to your cup of soup. Otherwise, eat it naked and make feel a little healthi...

When I was doing the Whole30 back in September I kept hitting the wall on the weekends ... most likely because I was around endless options of food, both compliant and not so compliant ... and we all know that Whole30 is simply about veggies and protein ... no sugar, no grains, no dairy, yada yada yada. Then tell me THIS: Why is it so hard sometimes to find something to eat??  Explain that to me, please? I see you out there nodding your head in agreement. The last time I was at Wally-World shopping, I came across some marked down beef. You know me, I'm all about a bargain (hence my Alter Ego,  Frugal in Florida ) so I scooped up this roast for $9.99.  Not the 'best' price in town, but certainly a lot cheaper than some of the other stores around.  Does anyone else remember when this stuff was like, $1.99 on a fairly consistent basis? I had picked this hunk of beef up to make a batch of  Mexican Beef  but I think Hubby is getting burned out ...

*Repost Alert!* I never really  knew  if I liked sweet potatoes or not ... I mean, heck, who doesn't like something covered in brown sugar (or maple syrup) and then marshmallows over the top? What I didn't like was the stringy-mushy texture of that stuff ... but I would take a little orange stuff and LOTS of toasted marshmallows during the holidays. Now. Not so much. It does kind of suck when you grow up and learn to read the labels and whats good for you and what's really not. Being an adult does stink sometimes! So ... with the  Whole30  thing underway (which by the way, I jumped ship on Day 6 at lunch time and hurried up and caught up to the boat and jumped back on asap!) I'm back to experimenting ...  *UPDATE - ha, that didn't really happen for a Whole30 Days, you know that, right? And ... I give you SWEET without the cloying, sticky stuff ... This was so stinkin easy to do that I'm actually surprised I never tried it before ... Ready? Grab yo...

I am not a huge fan of veggies, I'm sure you already know that, but I have been working on it! And of course, butternut squash is running rampant at the grocery stores lately, with Whole Foods having the organic stuff at 89 cents a pound! Really? Nothing is ever 89 cents a pound at Whole Foods, you know, so yes, I grabbed a small squash.  Mind you, every 2 weeks, I get the bug, and pick up a butternut squash, a spaghetti squash, an acorn squash AND some zucchini. Generally it's the pretty display and the less than $1 per pound sign that lures me in ... after all, it's Frugal and it's supposed to be good for you ... so hook me up and reel me in, every time. Then, 10 days later, I see the variety of squash STILL sitting in the guest kitchen refrigerator and end up tossing them out ... FOOD WASTE EXTRAORDINAIRE! There. I said it. :-( Boo. So this time around, it's a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I've left the butternut and spaghetti squash sitting on the coun...