Frugal In Florida

The very first time I made this dish, we were in the beginning stages of a Pantry Challenge and I was so thankful that my freezers were stocked with some pretty yummy stuff that allowed me to make this for dinner! Granted, now we eat a little different with purpose to avoid certain things, such as soy, etc. so I've put in parenthesis what we do now ... Here's what you need: 3 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bitesize pieces (Chicken thighs are WAY better) 1/2 cup soy sauce (coconut aminos) 3 tbs sugar (I cut this in half now, just 1 1/2 tbs) 1/2 cup chicken broth 2 tsp corn starch (or arrow root) 1 onion roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic finely minced 8 cups of wonderful frozen stirfry veggies from the freezer (carrots, broccoli, shrooms, water chestnuts, green beans, etc.) Sesame oil Canola oil (avocado oil) Mix 1/2 cup soy (coconut aminos) with 3 tbs (1 1/2 tbs) sugar in small bowl. Will make it thick. Mix 1/4 cup broth with 2 tsp cornstarch (ar...

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...

I seem to have re-discovered my love of Margaritas it seems with all these recipes lately! Ahhh ... it's summertime, I'm trying to be more mindful of just what I eat (ahem, GRAINS, I'm looking at YOU) and well, Tequila IS one of the cleanest alcohols to drink if you must ;-) So Ritas are on my mind ... Now, this one was more of a curious tasting than a "yummm, I must try this immediately" ... which is ok ... because, once again, I had everything on hand ... and you do know that I like to try and Use What We Have around here ;-) ... and man, were they ever refreshing and interesting. Glad I gave them a shot! The key with this round of margaritas is to try and remember ahead of time that you want to make these because you want them to hang out in the fridge for a little while to do a little meet and greet because the jalapenos are going to be kicked out before the real party starts. Ready to make yourself FOUR lovely, refreshing ‘Ritas? 1 cup ru...

When times are good and your wallet is fat, it's easy to forget about the frugal things you do on a day to day basis that made that wallet fatter and the times better. I've decided to remind myself of things that I do, or need to re-focus on doing since I seem to have been on a wave lately with extreme frugalness one month and extreme spending the next. Yes. It's true.  I figure that if I try to practice these tips consistently and then a few things I need to get back on track, the wallet will certainly get fatter again, right? Half the battle is recognizing a weak spot! So here you go,  Frugal Tip #3 Do you own Manicure and Pedicure. Ok, maybe you don't pay for these services, but IF you do, you know how much it costs ... I pay anywhere from $40 to $60 plus tip. Yikes.  A little extravagant, wouldn't you say? I'll admit, I don't have the pedicure thing down pat yet but just continue to use my PedEgg and a little foot razor on the...