Post #350, Plans, Previews and Pinterest....

Well, here she be...post #350 (which means I have between now and August 4th to really get cracking and hopefully flood you with posts in order to make it to #500 for the 6th Blogiversary).

Gonna share the love of food and exercise in this one...along with some links.

First up, awaiting me at the new place and preppin' to start on June 15th is this:

21 Day Fix

My friend and coach, Lindsay Baker (who is freakin' fantabulous btw), just finished her first round and posted a review.  I'm just dying having to wait to start.

Thankfully, there aren't many changes (from what I understand) that will need to be done with the diet, as we've already started those changes.  I've got links posted to favorite foodie haunts on the Foodie Links page AND here ya go...a look at my Pinterest board filled with Clean, Paleo and Primal food yumminess that is finding its way into our chow rotation.  I highly, highly suggest the Paleo Chicken Nuggets...always a win here.

The next week is going to be completely nutty around here as the Great Move approaches and since I'll be MIA (due to utility transfers and weekends not getting along) I'll be attempting to write up some posts for the "down" days.  In other words, be prepared for out of place randomness from May 30th to June 2nd.  You've been warned.

Learning Curves....(and Lumpia)

I have a bunch of friends struggling with what we'll call "the new normal"...they had been accustomed to living high without a care, racking up credit debt...they are now not living so high and learning to live on a much tighter budget.  They are experiencing a learning curve.

In the past week I've gotten no less than 10 emails or FB messages from said friends; wondering how we did it for so long, living on just above minimum wage but still slowly bringing down debt.

Um...prioritize.

Stop planning those vacations to Florida...stop buying the rapidly growing children brand new expensive clothing...thrift, stay home and hang, find local FREE entertainment.

I tend to forget that people are really just looking for an easy answer because honestly, that is stuff they all know really.  And I know they all know how to use Google.

Now...on to more important things....Lumpia.

H/T Google for the random image that came up during a search.

I adore them...I crave them...I need a good recipe for them.

Yes, I googled.

There are a half dozen now bookmarked and saved in my "Cook Me!" file.  But if, by some random chance, you have a recipe you love...share...pretty please!

(Clickity an ad, if you will, perhaps the large one down below...no purchase necessary...another pretty please!)

The Final Word?

So I'm doing a little research, again...into dehydrating lean hamburger meat, again....

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! For crying out loud!! What's the final word? Safe, not safe, aliens will abduct me, what!?!

So far, what I've gotten is that it's perfectly safe...but not because of the possibility of spoilage depending on storage...don't do it at all...freeze it after and all is fine.

So I turn to you, dear readers....advice, suggestions, what have you...I welcome your input.

For what it's worth, the reasoning is this...I have no desire to try to make it to the Commissary with two (possibly three...don't ask) screamers in 10 below snowbound weather at any point this coming winter. And being that my kids and myself are serious carnivores...well, we like our chili, spaghetti and all that good stuff to contain meat.

OMG....

a familiar online/text term...but I'm not using it "that" way tonight. Tonight, OMG stands for Oh My Gallbladder!!

Attack of the great green bile producer! I've been under attack for a few days now, got so bad that at one point I was convinced I was having a heart attack...oy. No, I didn't run to the ER, no insurance would have racked up some serious bills. Besides, it was all brought on by stress over money (I know, I shouldn't stress over paper). Slowly getting better now, at least I can do more than roll on the floor in pain. The liquid diet I've been on has done wonders with the weight loss...7lbs in two days. Not really the way you want it to go, but hey.

All of this of course got me to thinking...what if? Sure my herbals were great help in mixing up some nice teas and muscle relaxing baths, but I had to actually hunt down info on what was going on....online. Of course, WebMD scared the bejesus outta me because it kept popping up with aortic dissection (it's scary, look it up) but never once mentioned gallbladder. That took a little prompting from Mom and Grandma. So now I'm looking at books that are good to have on hand for matching symptoms with issues (taking suggestions, btw). I know, I know...there's the internet, but please let's be honest...do you really, honestly think it's going to last forever? Yeah, me neither.

Off to drink some more tea and maybe, just maybe, eat some crackers.

Madness and Maypops

Wow! It has been an incredibly insane past few weeks…hence the ‘madness’ part. The eldest screamer is now doing pretty well in school; there was a slight adjustment period for everyone naturally. The main one being his teacher (this is only her second year teaching and poor thing got my stubborn, independent do-it-yourselfer who is already bored because they are “learning” things he’s known since he was two) but things are sailing along pretty smooth for the moment.

Eldest screamer is growing up entirely too fast though. Lost his first tooth yesterday and a second is nice and loose. Mrs. Tooth Fairy paid a visit last night…apparently inflation has hit that particular sector too….thank you Mr. Tooth Fairy for that. Anyway, the screamer was squealing happy this a.m. at the money she left him whilst he snored away.

Fun times all around…sigh. We’ve taken to going for a walk every night after dinner. Gives a bit of family time that doesn’t involve the boob tube and let’s me point out some goodies that grow around here. Goodies like Maypops (or passion flowers, depending on where you are and who you are). The hill along the lake is LOADED. Now if I can get too them first this fall when they are ready for picking, I’ll be doing a little playing with jelly and juice! I have some stiff competition in the deer and birds though. I’m curious as to how it will work up, I’m positive I’ll get enough for a couple of jars of jelly. Toss those in with the massive amount of fruit hanging around on the persimmon trees and I may (MAY) just have a busy fall with some wild fruits (no, not my family…though that isn’t far off).

With all the crazy weather (cool, hot, cool, warm, cool), I have the feeling we’re in for one heck of a ride this fall/winter. Don’t think that there will be tons of snow (there might be though) but I’m pretty doggone sure that we’ll be plenty cold for a good long while. Especially since the high around these parts is only supposed to be 70 today. 70, on the last day of August…70. Should be interesting, no?

We still await word on exactly where and when we are headed away from the Ozarks. But I’ve learned to just go with the flow…in the meantime, I continue to slowly pick through the possessions and decide what is worth keeping and what isn’t. I battle the massive packrat gene on a daily basis. Someday, I’ll win.

OCM

No, no…it’s not some abbreviated something or other for text speak. Well, actually it is but it’s not something that flies around like: OMG, WTF and such. OCM is short for Oil Cleansing Method. I figure it would be a good one to throw at you all, being that it is an easy prep thing.

Oil Cleansing Method is a way of cleaning your face…using oil. I heard that gasp, but seriously it works (for most people). Check out the link to the page, meander over to the forums and read about others results. Yes, I use it. Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Grapeseed Oil combo (something like 60/40). I’ve even knocked it up a notch lately with a salt scrub mix. I take my oil combo and add a bit (very little bit) to about a tablespoon of kosher salt and voila…an exfoliating facial that beats anything I’ve gotten at a spa AND it’s way cheaper.

I bring this up because I know (I KNOW) that I’m not the only person in the world with adult acne (ugh, I thought puberty was bad!!) and I know (I KNOW) that a lot of the other options out there are 1.) Expensive, 2.) Not practical for prepping, 3.) A royal, smelly pain in the patootie. With OCM, I can prep what I need right along with the food stuffs. Even better, it’s included with the food preps because if it comes right down to it…I can use my oils and salt for food instead of my face.

Can’t do that with any other face goo, now can I? Plus, the whole thing is pretty darn budget friendly. You don’t use gobs and gobs of oil (I use something like maybe ½ tablespoon); you don’t have to use it every day once you’ve gotten through the initial acclamation phase (every other for me, with the scrub once a week). I’ve had the same jar of mix for over three months and it’s still way over half full (8 oz cleaned jelly jar). Since it’s olive oil based, it will take a good long time for it to go gross (if ever). I spent a whopping $8 on the olive oil, caught the grapeseed on sale for something like $5 and the kosher salt is about $2. So $15 on “beauty” supplies that have lasted me at least 3 months and will last way more.

Now I confess I do still use soap on the face. Good ol’ fashioned lye soap, when I have the odd breakout. Matter of fact, I’m running low on it…hmmm, better hunt down a decent source for that (mental note). All in all though, the OCM has been a good thing for the budget and the skin. Figured it was past time to pass that little tidbit along to you lot…use it for what it’s worth!! (Wow, look at that…an informative post…the world really is ending!!)

Just for the heck of it....

I'm going to share a favorite recipe with ya! Howdy! Perfect for preppers 'cause you have everything you need (or should have) in the stores. It's a cookie, of course, because I will admit fully and completely that I am a cookie junkie. Oh and it's egg free, so lasts a REALLY long time in the fridge if you don't want to cook all 4 dozen it yields at once.

Here goes:

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups packed brown sugar (pack it nice and tight)
1 cup butter or margarine, softened (hey did you know there was a study out that said butter is WAY better for you than margarine...just thought I'd let ya know)
1/2 cup buttermilk (never fear, regular milk works here too)
1 tsp vanilla (honestly, I use a little more but hey...I don't measure!)

3 1/2 cups oats (either old fashioned or quick cook, doesn't matter)
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (or use self rising and omit the last two ingredients)
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (seriously go for semi here, there is A LOT of sugar in these already)
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt


Cream together brown sugar, butter, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients (note the separation, I usually just dump in everything and get a good dough before adding the chocolate chips).

Shape into one inch balls (puh-leeze, I just scoop it out with a tblspn) and place on ungreased cookie sheet about 3" apart. Bake 8-10 minutes at 375 (ahem, 10-12 at 350 is better) or until golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool (try not to scald your tongue as you steal them from the rack). Store in airtight container for up to a week (they won't last that long anyway so don't worry about this part).



These are a rocking fave here at the Ozark house...they never ever last longer than a week...NEVER.

I'm actually getting ready to mix some up here shortly for our tattoo artists, 'cause I'm a cool chic that way!

Enjoy!