The focus of this blog continues to be on green – as in healthy eating and healthy finances!
In that spirit, here are a few things that happened around here last week:
We are in a huge time crunch but needed to enjoy a great home-cooked meal together. In that spirit, George came home with a new (for us) Bag ‘n Season mix from McCormick and it did not disappoint! He picked up a chuck roast and it wasn’t very thick. We cut the cooking time in half and then turned off the oven while we napped. It was fabulous! The directions call for adding carrots and potatoes (which we did) and the flavor was incredible. The roast was so tender, I cut it with a spoon while serving it.
We ate out last night (that time crunch again) and each had a bowl of soup, piece of fish and steamed veggies. The bill (after tip and we are good tippers) was over $38!! That’s more than a third of our weekly budget!! The roast today took the same amount of time to prep as it did to go to Chili’s last night but cost much less to fix. We also have enough leftovers for a second meal – whoo hoo!
Did I mention the meal out did NOT fill our home with great aromas and vibes? I can’t believe I forgot to mention that!
Another trick – tricking myself out of dessert … I’ve been a Nazi lately about not eating sugar and really was missing something sweet late this afternoon. Golden raisins and raw walnuts fit the bill. I filled a small custard dish with the mix. The nuts provide richness (plus those omegas we all need) and the raisins add just the right touch of sweetness. I drank some herbal tea with it and my cravings are gone.
Last – I present a couple of tips and tips I used with our oldest grandson lately. We played Monopoly recently using the electronic “Here and Now” version. There’s a square you may land on between Park Place and Boardwalk. It demands a hefty payment for interest! He landed on it and I told him no one in our family has to pay anything on that square because no one in our family uses credit cards! I’m also careful to call the electronic cards debit cards and to explain the difference. Anyway, it’s a fun way to drive the point home! Call me in 15 years and I’ll let you know if it worked!
I’m also trying to get him to see why math is important. We stopped to buy a few snacks on our way to pick up his best buddy. I gave him a ten dollar bill and off we went. He picked out something that cost three dollars and change and wanted to get another snack. I told him he could IF he could add the two numbers in his head and if the total was under ten dollars. He managed to do it and grinned ear to ear! Since I’m “the bestest grandma,” he also got to keep the change!!
