Frugal In Florida

You know that we watch FoodTV on Saturday and Sunday mornings, right? I mean, really, doesn't everyone have a tv in the bedroom AND kitchen?? Ok. Maybe not. But you should! This recipe was pulled from  Trisha Yearwood's FoodTV  episode ... It's like a lot of other recipes I have, but once again, something triggered my attention enough to make me go online and look up the basic recipe ... and here is what we did! 1 can regular yellow corn, drained 1 can white corn, drained 1 small can diced green chilies, drained 1 small can sliced black olives, drained 2 tomatoes, rough chopped 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped 4 green onions, sliced thin 3 tbs vinegar 1/3 c olive oil zest of half a lime (zest your lime before you squeeze!) juice of half a lime 1/4 tsp salt 1 tbs chopped cilantro Mix all except cilantro in medium size bowl and chill for a minimum of 1 hour.  Prior to serving stir well and add the cilantro. Now, there are several things y...

Over Thanksgiving and Christmas this past year, I discovered my love for apple pie! At 53, apple pie entered my life. I was the one saying "ooohhhhh, apple pie!" A little embarrassing, I might add! And not so great for the waistline! So when I came across this recipe in Pretty Intense , I bookmarked it and said I'm going to make that one day in the near future. It happened much sooner than most of my bookmarked recipes! It's an easy recipe and ended with great results. My pictures are horrible, only because I still have not gotten around to perfecting my picture taking skills, but I promise, it's on my list of things to do! ahem, I didn't use the cinnamon STICKS Oh ... do you know the differences between a Crumble and a Crisp? I would have called this a Crisp, but NOPE, it's a Crumble ... I much rather say crisp, but that would be incorrect! The Kitchn shares the differences in case you are wondering! So ... a few notes:   ...

For years, and I   do  mean YEARS, I would turn my nose up at egg rolls ... I mean, seriously, it was a fried, greasy 'thing' filled with icky cabbage, carrots and protein. Oh, wait, are there eggs in there? I honestly don't know because I can count on one hand the number of egg rolls I have consciously consumed in my lifetime. Just NOT A FAN of them ... I supposed because I've always had an overly fried, borderline cold egg roll that I've just not been drawn to them. #WHOLE30 #PALEO However, THIS recipe appeals to me in so many ways: 1. It's loaded with veggies which is always a good thing 2. It's grain and dairy free 3. It's a knock off, make it yourself Chinese food 4. It's frugal to make 5. It's damn tasty 6. It's fast and easy AND 7. It fits in with MY Whole30 plan (when I'm on!) Yup. Scored on 7 of 7 points ... I'm in! Here's what you need: 1 bag of tri-color coleslaw (cabbage, carr...

If you are looking for a healthier alternative to Ranch Dressing ... this IS IT! Dairy Free.  Grain Free. Sugar Free. Gluten Free. AND EASY It's also Whole30 approved, just in case you were wondering! This recipe is totally from  Whole Sisters  and I give them FULL credit ... this is just me saying I made it, I loved it and I want to share it with the world!! Give the girls a drive by and check out their site, it's chock-full of good stuff! Here's how I made it egg, room temperature 1 tbs lemon juice, room temperature 1 cup olive oil 2 tbs red wine vinegar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 3/4 tsp onion powder 3/4 tsp garlic powder 1/2 cup canned coconut milk handful of parsley, leaves pulled off and stems discarded dash of dried dill Grab yourself a tall jar and make sure your  immersion blender  fits in the top ;-) I speak from experience! Place everything in jar, insert your immersion blender and let it rip. Make sure ...

When you got a long day in the office, it's nice to come home to a home that smells like dinner is ready to be served ... Doing the Whole30 will sometimes make you feel like an outcast ... it will be a little difficult to go out for dinner and drinks with friends, and forget the fast food or take out joints! BUT ... this might, just maybe, fill that void! Grab yourself a bag of riced cauliflower from Trader Joe's (or any store now!) and you can almost call it a take out meal! 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces *I  strongly recommend using thighs so you won't have dried out chicken ! 4 cups of stir fry veggies (frozen is fine, just check the ingredients to make sure no funky stuff added to "preserve") 1.5 tsp of ginger 1 tsp of red pepper flakes 1/4  c coconut aminos (most grocery stores are carrying this now!) 5 cloves of garlic, minced 2 tsp sesame oil 1/4 cup of green onions, sliced thin salt and pepper t...

Hey, it's been a little while since I've shared a meal plan ... not because I haven't wanted to but more because I haven't been planning with the way life has been lately.  Can I just tell you want a difference life is when you do plan? BIG DIFFERENCE! Hubby was complaining that he hasn't had a "good meal" in quite some time ... well he was out of town for a week and then I dashed off to help the new grandbaby come in to the world ... So this week, here's what I'm looking at ... Sunday - Chinese Fake Take Out - basically, Mandarin Orange Chicken and Veggie Fried Rice from Trader Joe's. Total cost is $13 which if we ordered from a take out joint, minimum of $25 plus as we'd order the egg rolls, the large fried rice, pay a tip and so on Monday - Buffalo Chicken Salad . Been a LONG while since we've made this and I'm excited. Chicken is from the freezer, balance of ingredients are in the pantry/fridge. Will have to use ...

Today, I bring you Mayo. Yes, mayonnaise! I'm a mayo snob, I'll admit it. Do NOT ever put that Miracle stuff anywhere near my plate ... and no, I do not like Kraft either. Only Hellman's ... thank you very much. BUT ... once I made the stuff from scratch (it's really easy, I promise!) I never ever looked at another sale jar of mayo again. Oh. Well. Sort of ... I do buy the jar, I think maybe 2 in the last 12 months? Only because if we are doing something with heavy mayo, I'd be dying in the kitchen to keep up, you know? For the most part though, it's the stuff from scratch. Hubby will even inquire if we have enough for say,  Blackened Chicken Sandwiches  (birthday party, 10 people), or  Blue Cheese Dressing  ... or ... well, a lot of stuff ... he likes it as much as I do, and I hope you do too! The recipe calls for FIVE ingredients, that's all. F I V E! Go grab your jar of mayo from the fridge and look at the ingredient list. I'll wait. ...

It's January and you know what that means ... WHOLE30! And no, it's not like I convinced Hubby to try this with me ... BUT I have convinced him that I really need to be more focused on what I eat and that if he participates, even just a bit, it's a lot easier for me to stay focused ... Yeah. It's kind of working ... until the weekend rolls around and then the beer tops pop, the tequila and wine flows like a river and all those other cheesy little cliches ... (the mountains are blue in this house, just for the record) ... but if I can stay focused Sunday Funday through Thursday then I'm about 75% there, right? It's work in progress, that's all I'm saying ... work in progress ... Right. And, that, my friends, is how we got this dish happening ... 2 pounds of chicken thighs, cut in to bite size pieces (ALDI) 1 large head of broccoli, cut in to bite size pieces (ALDI, I used 4 small heads) 3 tbs sesame oil (forever in the pantry) 2 tb...

*It's another repost but honestly, WORTH the repost! Being January, we can all use help for a successful Whole30! #JANUARYWHOLE30 I'm willing to bet that 50% of you know who Michelle is over at  Nom Nom Paleo , and the other 50% are probably thinking "hmmm....that sounds vaguely familiar" ... am I right?? So yeah, she makes some stuff that I've not ventured into as of yet (bone broth, organs, etc.) but some of her other stuff I have tried and well, yeah, it's pretty tasty ... but I've yet to find something to say Damn Fine, and I know Hubby would certainly back me up on that! So what the heck, let's give this here  Damn Fine Chicken  recipe a shot and see if we have a winner, shall we? It should be noted that this was really supposed to be served up on Thursday night according to the  menu plan , but being a 'single girl' has enabled me to eat popcorn on Monday night, out with the Princess for a quick bite at my favorite pub (was t...