March, Where did you go?

March was a bit of a write off.

Meaning, my writing of this blog was off, but I managed to stick to my guns with the challenge.

Yeppers, eating cheap, clean and sticking to the basics. Had to buy the 'cheap' toilet paper once (ugh), and say no to some "Mom, can we have_______?!(the usual crap kids see on TV and want, take your pick)

We did escape to sunnier shores for 10 days in March. It was fabulous to get away. I now see what the snow birds are on to! I usually save up my vacation days and take vacation in the summer, but after this year, I see the joys of getting away in the middle of a bleak winter to re-energize. I think we will try repeating this exercise next year....(you know, it's just science. I have to see if the results are reproducible.)

Food goodness still comes in the form of kale smoothies for breakfast and the kids still like them, too. I haven't eaten cereal in about 30 days now. I had a look at the nutrition information for my cereal of choice and I have to say I am getting far more nutrients with a kale smoothie in the morning than what is in that box.

The kids and I made some home-made macaroni which was delicious and very cheap. And my home-made I mean...we made the pasta. It is easy, but you need the tools.

So, what will April bring? Don't know yet...but I'm going to stick with good, healthful foods and keep to the budget. I hope to have more recipes and pictures coming.

Banana, strawberries, chia, protein powder, ice cubes and 2 cups of kale

The final product.

A new Month; a New Beginning

Beware the Ides of March- so said Plutarch in the play Julius Caesar.  Plutarch was also a character in the "Hunger Games"...of which we are not suffering on 400 dollars a month. After 2 months, I deem this a do-able challenge. A bit of work as far as food prep goes, but manageable.

February, was my freezer meals challenge. I could not for the life of me make a month's worth of meals all in one day. So what I did, as a time compromise, was triple up on meals I was making during the first week. I worked out quite nicely, and I have to say it was wonderful to have some healthy meals in the freezer on those days I did not want to cook...and this month there were many of them. Work got crazy, but I could still put some meals on the table. I will continue with this freezer meal idea. It's just as easy to make a triple batch as a single, then freeze up 2/3 of the meal.

Another food I discovered towards the end of the month was Kale! To me, kale was that pretty bush in the garden..not food. This past Christmas, my sister made a kale salad for a celebration meal and I thought it was pretty good. Then I forgot about it, until I was on a website trying to sell these health 'shake' powders for 119.00 a month..???....so I got my vita-mix out, some fresh fruit, whey powder and 2 cups of kale and voila "health shake", without the commercial hype. It was so good, in fact, my kids loved it. So for the past 8 days, I have been making green smoothies for breakfast. I make extras so the kids have that as a juice to drink with their Cheerios.

As a nice benefit, I have not had a migraine in 7 days...not a one. That is a damn miracle!

Here are some benefits of eating kale:

• fibre
• antioxidants
• anti-inflammatory
• vitamins (K, C, A)
• minerals (calcium)
• cardiovascular support.

Everything I read seems to extoll that kale really is a wonder food. I think the 'wonder' is that it is a fad and people are actually increasing their leafy green intake, which has always been touted as a good thing. I say so what! If we can turn good healthy eating into a fad, and one that sticks....give 'er!

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4408/Top-10-Health-Benefits-of-Eating-Kale.html

My budget will be a bit wonky this month, as I head to Florida for 10 days on a vacation. I'll keep you in the loop!