Frugal In Florida

I'm not much of a rum fan, but I've been drinking it here and there lately and when we did a big Cuban meal a few weeks back, I opted to keep it Cuban and made Mojitos. Mind you, Hubby LOVES Mojitos and I've never had one so this was going to be an interesting experiment ... so off to Google I went. SCORE! And it's a hit ... even better that I had everything in house needed so no extra trip to the grocery/liquor store needed ... whew! 8 mint leaves, torn from the stem 1 1/2 limes, cut in half 2 ounces white rum 2 ounces simple syrup (so easy to make, 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, over medium heat in saucepan til sugar dissolves, let cool before using) 4 ounces of sparkling water OR club soda. slice of lime (put a slit from one end to the middle) mint sprig Take a TALL glass and dump in the leaves and the simple syrup. Gently mash the mint leaves in the syrup to release the mint oil. I had a small issue with finding something long enough with a ba...

Ahhh ... Sonny Boy is home. My dad is back at his new home (finally released from the hospital). Hubby is home. And Princess is ALWAYS home :) Life is Good. But this week, I'm not really menu planning. I know! Whats up? Hubby and I fly out Thursday for 9 glorious days in the Midwest. Kids are staying home to take care of Kitty Kitty as someone needs to feed him occasionally, you know? Oh yeah, they also need to bring the mail in, set the alarm every night and every morning when they leave, take the garbage out to the street, do laundry, clean house, make food ... you know, just basically do MY job :) So, here's what is sort of planned: Sunday - Tacos (salad for me) Monday - leftover steak and chicken and seafood (from Saturday night) with a bag of veggies from the freezer. Last minute tossed in some fresh mushrooms and diced onions too. Tuesday - Pizza and salad (um, no pizza for ME). Will pick up a couple of GOOD pizzas from the Fresh Market. Wednesday - Plan o...

I was really wanting to try these grain free biscuits over on Food Renegade ... but the thought of buying ALMOND FLOUR sent me screaming for the hills. The price is OUT of the world. Of course, I had tons of almonds in the house. Yeah, some are salted and roasted, others are raw and unsalted. And the last time at Costco, I bought a bag of unsalted, raw almonds ... Perfect timing, don't you say? Almond flour is apparently not difficult to make. Really. Without any unusual kitchen appliances being needed is even more appealing. Yes, IF you are the lucky one that has a Vitamix, then this will be super easy, but if you are like ME, and have to resort to the food processor, it's ok too, as that works just as well, maybe NOT as quickly. I was going to try the blender (again, a simple Cuisinart) but seem to remember that hubby blew up the last blender I had doing coffee beans. Yeah. A food processor makes more sense. 1 cup of unsalted, raw almonds gives you about ...

I've been trying so very hard to be more conscientious of what I'm putting in my mouth. Not necessarily for weight purposes (but I wouldn't mind losing a few pounds), but more for health reasons. No. I do NOT have 'serious' health issues. But I DO have arthritis of the fingers, thumbs and wrist, and now, I believe, my knees. I've also been diagnosed with a high ANA, with other signs pointing towards Lupus. Yeah, now that is some heavy stuff. At this time, we are NOT treating that and quite honestly, I've stopped taking the anti-inflammatory stuff for the arthritis, and blew off my rheumatologist appointment yesterday. I know, maybe NOT the best move, but still ... So, a little research (and a LOT of reading) has led me to possibly consider a lifestyle/food/diet change to see if it helps. And guess what? It appears to help. I can't say 100% because I've not had any serious flares in a while but even the everyday underlying pain/discomfort/pain...

I got home LATE on Wednesday night ... Hubby was in San Fran, Princess was working, and Sonny Boy had driven back up to Orlando to pack up his apartment.  It was going to be me and Kitty Kitty ... so no big rush to get home, although, I probably should have come home and done laundry, cleaned house, etc. So when I did get home, I was STARVING! I mean, like bottom of pit hunger ... I hate that feeling, I want to just toss my cookies ... odd how some people are like that and others aren't. I am. So I thought ... I gotta take the garbage and recyclables out to the street before I go to bed. Oh, wait, I should do the chicken breast in fridge so the smelly wrappers will go away in the morning. And, what about them shrimps? Never cooked them and same for THAT bag. So I grabbed the chicken, tossed on a plate, drizzled a little olive oil and seasoning and let them sit for a bit. Grabbed the shrimp, melted some butter and olive oil in skillet, pressed a few cloves of garlic...

I've been on a strange eating stage lately ... healthier, a little more whole'ish' and well, it's kind of freaking SOME people out in the household ... others, not so much ... So I came across this site and wow, lots and lots of options here! All the more reason to save up for that Vitamix if  you ask me!! I mean, heck, you could make a smoothie a day for a month and not have a repeat! Not all of them looked super appealing but there were some I knew I had to try .... specifically, the Cucumber Lime one. We are in the middle of summer, and a lot of you are hopefully getting down to more normal temperatures after the massive heat wave! So go ahead, grab that blender/magic bullet, or if you are lucky, the Vitamix and lets BLEND! 1/2 of a large cucumber, peeled and sliced/cubed. Me? I took the seeds out juice of half a lime 1/2 of an avocado, scooped out 1/4 cup of ice (make it easier on your blender and make it crushed if you can)   Pu...