Frugal In Florida

Confession ... we aren't frying a turkey, or six, this year. Our friend is roasting a 21 pound bird and we will eat it at our house ... WHAT!? I remember last year our usual partners in crime spent the holiday back at their home states, Princess was in California visiting her fiance's (now her husband) father who has been there for a year receiving chemo treatments (who passed away that December), my dad had the flu and the boy and his girlfriend were vegetarian (still are) and doing something Veggie Like. And then I got the text message from my best friend in Bethany Beach that her mom was admitted to Hospice End Stage (which has just broken my heart for both her and her mom) ... which left me and Hubby ... WHO, by the way, was wearing a boot and waiting on x ray results on his foot ... this year, thankfully doesn't have all that drama ... a few things, but nothing like that! This year's only excitement will be the pregnant lady (Princess), only one partner in ...

*I'm planning on making this for lunch one day while visiting family so figured I'd repost it for you as well! 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! 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 1/4 of a small red cabbage head, sliced ...

Hi, Hi! Do you know what today is?? Today is Menu Plan and Meal Prep Day! Sweet! Ok, maybe it's not all that exciting but it should be! Oh, did I mention it's also the official week start of the Pantry/Freezer Challenge? Even better, don't you think? Let's get the Pantry/Freezer Challenge out of the way first, shall we?  For the month of July, my goal is to buy ONLY produce, dairy and bread. Mind you, we don't really eat a lot of bread or dairy, but there are a few in the household who eat cereal and make smoothies with milk ... so I got to make sure they are taken care of. The bread? Well, it's only because the boat is back in the water and boating and sandwiches (and beer!) go hand in hand. Beer? Not sure yet about what I'm doing with that. I need to lay off it for awhile but not sure if the other family members will follow suit so that's up in the air still. My goal is only spend $240 for the month of July on actual groceries, the produce, dair...