KIS - Get Moving

Another great way to enhance a healthy lifestyle it to simply move more.  Even if you don't care to exercise there are plenty of ways to do this without really feeling like you are doing a whole lot.  But the reality is the more we move the better off we are.

Here are some great ways to get moving:

When shopping park as far away from the entrance as possible.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Rake the yard.

Trade in your power mower for a reel mower.

Go for a walk in your neighborhood.

Play Wii sports or a dancing game.

Vacuum your entire house at one time.

Go swimming.

Visit parks, museums, events, etc.

Play with your kids or grandkids.

Walk the dog.

Go dancing.

Turn off the TV and go outside.

Consider walking places instead of using the car.

Go for a bike ride.

Get moving and you will find you feel better and more than like will sleep better.  Plus you'll have some fun doing it too.

Healthier Pasta Alfredo Sauce

We love pasta and alfredo sauce.  It has so much cream in it that I was hoping to come up with a healthier version so we can enjoy it more often.  This is the recipe I came up with and it got rave reviews at our dinner table.

Healthier Pasta Alfredo

1 lb. pasta, cooked & drained

1 tsp. olive oil

1 heaping Tbs. pesto

1 clove garlic, crushed

3 oz. light cream cheese (not fat free)

2 c. milk

1 Tbs. flour

1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese

Place flour in a bowl and whisk milk into it until smooth and well blended.  In a large pan, over medium heat, place oil, pesto and garlic.  Whisk together and add milk mixture. Stir until sauce begins to bubble and thicken, add cream cheese.  Continue stirring until cream cheese has melted into the sauce.  Remove from heat, add parmesan and stir well.  Add pasta and toss to coat.  Serve.

Serving suggestion:  Add 2 cups sliced cooked chicken breast to sauce before tossing with pasta.

We enjoyed it plain along with a big freshly made garden salad and homemade dressing. I do think adding cooked chicken or shrimp would be excellent in it too.  Give this one a try and let me know what you think.

Vintage Sewing Finds

I bid on this box of vintage sewing goodies and won it for the starting bid of $17.99.  The seller also offered free shipping.  While considering whether or not to bid on this item I happened to be in JoAnn's looking at fabric.  I needed new needles for my sewing machine but after seeing what the price was I realized that it might be worth trying to get this box of sewing supplies after all.  They were including four packages of sewing needles among a slew of other wonderful things.

It arrived on Wednesday of last week and I have to say I was in heaven!!!!

I love stuff like this.  To me it's like finding treasure.

Look at this pile of zippers in all the nice colors and a good variety of sizes.

Sewing machine needles and elastic in widths I didn't have.  Yaaay.

Tons of buttons.

Love these football buttons.

Cute bumble bee and patriotic buttons, plus hearts too.

Lady bugs and super cute gingham.

Loads of assorted vintage buttons.

A nice assortment of variegated embroidery flosses.  Brand new.

A handful of assorted jewelry findings.  My oldest was thrilled to get these as she loves to make jewelry.

I was able to add a new button jar to my collection.  This pint jar is completely full and I used a lid I saved from a jar of Hersey's chocolate spread.  It was a perfect fit.

I think I'll definitely get a lot of use out of all this wonderful stuff.

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

I made a double batch of my homemade salad dressing mix.  Then I mixed up a pint of homemade creamy Italian salad dressing, a pint of 1000 Island dressing and a half pint of Buffalo Ranch dressing.  My little one loves the spicy stuff.

We "baked" our Sunday dinner in our slow cooker.  We put a meatloaf inside and then added some scrubbed potatoes.  It was a great way to cook our dinner without heating up our kitchen.

I printed off 11 grocery coupons from Coupons.com.

Monday, after work, I grouped my errands to save time and gas.  After filling my tank at the gas station I headed next door to use 2 of my new coupons I'd printed at Walgreens and picked up two bottles of laundry detergent and a bottle of dish soap on sale.  Final price was $2.00 for the detergent and 74¢ for the dish soap!  Then to the feed store for chicken food and the post office to drop off a package before heading home.  Took me less than 30 minutes.  Whooo hooo!

I cleaned out the refrigerator and made a delicious soup for our supper one night.  I served it with a big garden salad with tomatoes from the garden.  We enjoyed the leftovers for lunch twice last week.

I received my box of sewing goodies I bid on and won from eBay.  It was so good I'll be sharing a post about it tomorrow.

On Saturday I took the girls out to lunch at a new restaurant called PizzaPieCafe.  They have pizza, pasta and salad bars.  My youngest had been given a free meal coupon at the end of the school year so we decided to try it out.  It was delicious, we loved the atmosphere and the price was more than reasonable.  I especially enjoyed the salad bar.  We'll be going back, I'm sure.

I composted egg shells and coffee grounds.  We harvested jalapenos, tomatoes and cucumbers from our garden.

All of the girls are now laying.  Hurray!  Our chickens blessed us with 19 eggs last week.

How thrifty were you last week?

Home Improvements For Around $10 Or Less

Are you wanting to do some home improvement projects around the house but you are a little short on cash?  You can still get something done without spending too much.  Here are some ideas:

Fence Repair

Replace a broken fence post by purchasing a pressure treated post or buy some cedar fence boards to replace ones that are missing or damaged.

Bark Mulch

Watch for sales on bark mulch to spruce up flowerbeds.  I often see them on sale 3 bags for $10.

Mini Blinds

Add a blind or replace a worn one in smaller windows.  Measure across from inside to inside of window frame to determine the appropriate size.  If you've never installed one before watch videos on YouTube.

Curtains

If you can sew consider purchasing fabric or bed sheets to make curtains or a valance.  Curtain panels can also be purchase on sale.  Check for clearance priced items too.

Light Fixtures

Replace missing, damaged or outdated glass light fixture shades.  Use spray paint to update the fixture itself.  Check out thrift stores, Habitat or rehabilitation stores and Craigslist for fixtures as well.  Many people with replace a perfectly good fixture and sell or donate them.

Weather Stripping

Replace worn, damaged or missing weather stripping on your exterior doors.  Keeping doors properly insulated along their edges keeps weather and moisture out and saves on heating and cooling expenses as well.

I'll come up with some more to share.  After all, as a homeowner, there is always something that needs to be done around my house.

KIS - Choose To Eat Healthier Food

A simple way to take better care of ourselves is by choosing to eat healthier food.  It is important to purchase the healthiest and best quality food that one can afford.

The closer we are to a food's original form the healthier it is.  Remarkably, it is also less expensive.  The more a food is manipulated and changed end the higher the chance is that it contains more additives and preservatives as well as the higher the price.

Fresh, whole foods don’t last as long as those containing preservatives, which requires more frequent shopping, especially with regard to produce and dairy.  Meats and some dairy products, do freeze for greater longevity.

Read labels to see exactly what is inside that can, jar or bottle.  Many manufacturers now offer healthier, more naturally processed options.  A good rule of thumb is if you don't recognize and ingredient or you can't pronounce it, leave it on the shelf.

While grass fed beef and free range chicken is marketed at a dramatically higher price consider what you might spend on a package of frozen breaded chicken pieces and the prices may seem a little more reasonable.  All natural vacuum packed frozen fish versus a box of fish sticks isn't a lot different in price but turn that package over and read the ingredients and you definitely will see a difference.

Healthy, affordable, whole food options can be found at a regular grocery store.  Shop the perimeter of the store for the majority of these healthy options.  By shopping for the fresh stuff you will most likely save money.  By choosing to eat healthier foods you will definitely feel better and you may even lose some extra weight in the process.  Sounds like a win-win to me!

Homemade Creamy 1000 Island Dressing

This is a super easy, very versatile and thrifty salad dressing.  Not only is it delicious on a salad but I use this dressing whenever I make Reuben sandwiches and in place of mayonnaise on a hamburger.  It also makes a great fry sauce and vegetable dip.

Creamy 1000 Island Dressing

1 1/4 c. mayonnaise

1/2 c. ketchup

1/4 c. sweet pickle relish

1/4 c. milk

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth and well blended.  If dressing is too thin add a little more mayonnaise, too thick add milk.  Makes about 1 pint.

Serving suggestion:  Cut a head of iceberg lettuce into wedges.  Place a wedge on a plate.  Drizzle with Creamy 1000 Island Salad Dressing.  Garnish with tiny shrimp, cherry tomatoes, black olives and thinly sliced cucumber.