Financial Crunchies

Sounds like a new breakfast cereal!

So I was just crunching some numbers - it seems I do that a lot lately. My latest financial challenge was to find out if I could manage just on my pension while carrying two homes as there will probably be some overlap between selling the condo and moving into our PEI farmhouse. The good news is that I could but I wouldn't have much leeway and while that makes me a little nervous it's better than being in the hole every month.

Not having a lot of wiggle room means I need to set aside some $$ for renos and redecorating when it comes time to sell the condo - I'll be honest - the house is looking a bit tired. I'm hoping with a lot of decluttering, new flooring throughout, a fresh coat of paint in every room and careful staging that once again its great qualities will shine forth and someone will nab it quickly! I don't want to have to pay for two homes for very long!

Did I tell you about a great book I read lately? No? Well I am now - it's called "Forks over Knives" and actually it was a documentary I watched but I purchased and read the accompanying "Forks over Knives" cookbook. It's a bout living on a totally plant-based diet which I've been trying to do. (Chocolate comes from a plant....right?")

So since January I've only eaten meat once or twice and can say I don't miss it one little bit. This is not to say I'm a total vegetarian - I'm not. If I get a craving for chicken wings I won't deny myself - it just hasn't happened yet. And give up lobster when in PEI? Not a chance! But again it will be when my body tells me -  I WANT LOBSTER! 

I also continue to avoid wheat products having read "Wheat Belly" over Christmas. So I am looking for some good gluten-free recipes for my breadmaker so if you have any let me know! I've printed a few off the internet but haven't tried any yet. And again, it's not like I'm never going to eat wheat again - but I WON'T eat any GMO wheat - EVER! Or any other GMO food if I can help it. I did buy some Red Fife wheat flour at the Bulk Barn but haven't baked with it yet. I don't think I could ever be 100% vegan, vegetarian or anything else as I do like a lot of variety and am a natural born rule breaker so why bother setting myself up for failure. I am only human after all. Shocking, I know!

Here's what we made last weekend:

I made Lentil Tomato Spinach soup and it was soooooooooooooo good. And no oil used either! I sauteed my onions and SIX CLOVES OF GARLIC!! just adding a bit of water to keep stuff from sticking...

added can of tomatoes.....

Oops...had the name of the soup a little wrong... it's Lentil Soup with Cauliflower, Potatoes and Spinach!!

 I've been using a lot of the spice turmeric lately as it is a natural anti-inflammatory and I'm still recovering from the pinched nerve in my neck. This recipe has a bit of curry too.

 Yes, I put the recipe book on my Kindle - it was about half the price of the actual BOOK. And takes up a lot less space on my small kitchen counter.

Have now added the potatoes and spinach and cauliflower - yum yum!

Pretty complementary colours - bright green lentils!

Meanwhile Michael was cooking up some porkchops to add to something else  he was cooking and while normally that smell would make me drool I found it made me kind of nauseous!

This is Aloo Gobi that Michael made - delicious! However it wasn't very moist so I've found another similar recipe except with more liquid in it. Can you tell I got a  good deal on cauliflower this week?? Good thing I like it!
Now I must go get ready - I'm going to go see "Life of Pi" with a girlfriend!
Have a great weekend everyone!

Jane the Juicer

What the ----? Jane's a little tied up right now so she asked me to jot down a few things for her. (But really, what the heck is she doing??) That is one ginormous carrot she's got there and why is she wearing a plastic bag boa?
Well, it's like this...Jane or Michael, I can't remember which one, thought it would be a good idea to buy a juicer. They enjoyed going to the Organic Works Bakery and drinking one of their delicious juice concoctions but figured they could do it more cheaply at home.

So Jane did some research on juicers and found a great one at Sears by Hamilton Beach, powered by an 800 watt motor. It's pretty heavy duty but easy on the wallet. Before they knew it they were pushing whatever they could find in the fridge through the juicer.

Then they had to find a good source for fruit and veg - good quality and not too pricey. After trying out a few places the verdict is in: The United Store (asian grocery store) has the cheapest produce and the most variety! Unlike most grocery store the produce section takes up at least 1/3 of the floor space - it's huge! There are fruits and vegetables there that they've never seen before (but are willing to try!)

Doesn't that look yummy? Our (yes, this is Jane talking now - Michael unwrapped me!!) usual concoction contains carrots (naturally :), a green apple or two, celery, cucumber, tomato, grapefruit, pear and grapes. We also add ginger root and turmeric root to help us with inflammation. Both Michael and I have suffered from pinched nerves over the past couple of months...weird huh? He has two discs that are compressed (C5 & C6) while I have advanced osteo-arthritis of the spine in C5 & C6. Freaky.  Both conditions put pressure on the local nerves so it's recommended we live on a diet of ibuprofin and Tylenol. No thank you.  So we've decided to go the natural route instead and add anti-inflammatories to our diet. It seems to be helping and I no longer take any pills.

We're trying to improve our overall diets. We're eating way less meat - I've had a small bit of chicken twice in the past 4 weeks, other than that NO meat. We make lots of veggie stir fries, soups and stews adding dried legumes, lentils, quinoa and brown rice. Keeps me satisfied. (I'm talking about the food here!) I also purchased a bread maker recently and have experimented a little. We're planning to go gluten-free once I can find and test a really good gluten-free bread recipe. Pinterest is a good source. Some people say going gluten-free has changed their lives...for the better. I'd like to test it out and see for myself. I read Wheat Belly over the Christmas break and accept that the wheat we eat now is so genetically modified from what existed 50 years ago it is barely recognizable and has next to no nutritional value.

Lots of changes but made gradually over time. I'll let you know if I feel any different!

 Until then - CHEERS! Our breakfast version is usually orange or pink in colour as it has more fruit (strawberries, pomegranates, melon, oranges etc) in it while the lunch version below is greener - it may contain spinach, watercress, celery, cucumber plus a number of other vegetables.  While I was home recovering from my pinched nerve I would have juice for breakfast and lunch.

Now that I am back to work I take my morning juice with me in a thermos to drink throughout the morning and take a nice vegetable soup for lunch. It's those after school munchies that I still have to tame - especially when it's been a more than usually stressful day. And most of them are!