Frugal In Florida

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...

Ready for an old favorite? One that I haven't made in a while and boy am I excited to make it coming up this week?? Tuscan Garlic Chicken. Even those who don't like chicken breast will like this. Ahem, I'm referring to my father in law who will be eating this and slurping, I promise. This is really a good recipe and I need to make sure I put it on the menu rotation soon as it's been a little while since we've made it ... It may look like a lot of work but you CAN do it it parts and generally, that IS what I do as I don't like standing in the kitchen for hours on end at the end of the day, you know? Here's what you need to make this really yummy dish ... 2 large chicken breast - slice them in half (which now I know, alternatively called butterflying!) 3/4 cup flour 1/2 tbs salt 1/2 tsp oregano 1/2 tsp basil 1 tsp black pepper olive oil (ummm, says 5 tbs total, but I don't think I used that much) 4 cloves garlic, minced (or use the lo...

So, hey, I'm sitting up here in Northwest Indiana freezing my booty off ... I was excited about some cooler temps but when I checked from Florida, it was like a high of 70 and low in the mid 50's. Uhm, weather people are sooo clueless ... it's a high of 50!  I suppose I should take a new picture and make it pretty, huh? My father in law is diabetic. And swears that he doesn't really dislike anything. Except chicken breast.   Honestly? He's opted not to eat the protein one night becuase it was chicken breast. To be 100% honest it was Ranchy Chicken in the Crockpot. With LOTS of gravy/saucy stuff.  Wouldn't eat it. Opted to just eat the buttery egg noodles. I think I may have given him attitude for a bit there.  Anyways, I'm trying again. Cuz, you know, I'm all about showing people that good food is easy to make.  Uh huh. And this recipe is SO EASY! And low carb. Perfect for a diabetic man in his mid 70's. Who may or may not be ...

*Repost time ... I'm crunched on time here this week with the Baby Shower on Saturday and us getting in the car and driving 1200 miles that same evening. I'm questioning WHY I would even tell Hubby we can do it, no big deal?? I guess, once again, I was overly optimistic, no problem? I was planning for this to be dinner but because I was running late from work, Hubby just took matters in his own hands. Guess I should be thankful he's not afraid of the kitchen, huh?  It's time to start using the  Instant Pot  a little more as the days are getting longer, the sun is up higher and it's getting hotter in the kitchen! Who wants to slave over dinner? NOT ME! Just a little inside scoop: Hubby has used the thing MORE than me ... he's become the designated cook lately and well, he doesn't always follow the directions and we've had a few flops ... Back to an EASY meal that only uses a few ingredients.  All you need is the following: 2 pounds of bonel...

It's time again for another NEW to me recipe! Wheee!!! Ok, so the original recipe comes from PaleOMG ... and I've made a few revisions to fit our household AND what we have on hand ... Love leftovers for lunch the next day! Note that Hubby really hates 'simple' meals as he always thinks that you'll be missing that certain long drawn out component that makes a dish super yummy ... doh, he needs to learn a thing or two from me! This is the battle in my kitchen as we both love to cook and at times will argue over who's turn it is! FYI - this would also be WHOLE30 approved as potatoes are allowed! Here's how we did it! And yes, we . I let him in on the cooking this time! 1 bag of fingerling taters OR petite potatoes - I used mini reds (Publix B1G1F a few weeks ago) 6 to 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (just picked up at Publix and discovered they were only skinless!) 1/4 cup avocado oil (or olive) lemon, zested and juiced 3 tbs grey...

Hey, how about a little salad recipe that's quick to whip up and yummy too!? Remember I picked up that chicken at Costco ? And was so sorry I did as we are NOT fans of that ... Well, I had to do something with it, you know? So what the heck, lets chop it up and make a salad, shall we?? This was for ONE salad ... head of baby romaine, washed and dried a nice chunk of cooked chicken a few little mozzarella balls fresh basil cherry tomatoes fresh basil, chopped For the dressing, you will need 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup of avocado oil (olive oil is fine as well) a small dab of grey poupon mustard a little more fresh basil chopped ;-) Get chopping! Chop the lettuce and chicken in to bite size pieces. Cut your cherry tomatoes in half. I used two of these little snack size cheese things. I cut the pieces in half as well (there are 3 balls per pack) Grab a small bowl and dump all the ingredients for the dressing in. I personally prefe...

I used to love to get the Mandarin Chicken Salad from Wendy's back in the day ... I thought I was being super healthy, you know? Of course, that was before I learned about reading labels and such ... amazing how something so "healthy" could be so very bad for you. So ... when I came across  THIS  salad at  My Natural Family  not too long ago, I knew I had to give it a try ... and, man, I'm so very glad I did! Talk about an awesome, flavorful salad ... and even better, when I opted to make it at the last minute, I had EVERYTHING on hand so it fit the bill! *With summertime fast approaching which in my world means Bikini Time, even at the soon to be ripe ole age of 53, I am pulling out my favorite, healthy salad options! Here's what you need: 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts head of lettuce (romaine) chopped in bite size pieces (I used one artesian baby romaine head) 1 red pepper, sliced and chopped in bite size pieces 1 large carrot, coarsely shredded...

This recipe comes from  Paleo Girl 99  who I found on Instagram a while ago ... doing the Whole30 had introduced me to a whole new class of bloggers! So. The first time I made this, I didn't have the dehydrated shallots, but had dehydrated onions, so I improvised and used the onions. Yeah. Hubby was in love.  Asked me for 3 days if this was really the only thing that I did to make it taste so good. Was I sure it was just the dehydrated onions and not the "fried onions"  and on and on. Good grief. He just can't accept that something so simple would be so tasty. I did NOT share that this was  Whole30  approved as some things just don't need to be said out loud. Then I put this on the menu again and said, hmmm, let me just order some shallots from Amazon. Well. The first thing that popped up was $1xx.00 to buy. No thank you ... so I kept shopping and finally came across a  $12 bottle . Thank you one click ordering! *I still have the bottle all...