Basil Pork

This is a recipe that my daughter in law taught me many years ago.  She is from Thailand and she "Americanized" it to use ingredients commonly found in U.S. supermarkets.  I'm sure the original version is much better, but this way is pretty good too.

Marinate to thinly sliced boneless pork chops in 1 Tbs. minced garlic, 2 Tbs. soy sauce and 1 Tbs. dried basil.  Massage these ingredients into the meat to combine well, cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

In a large pan or wok heat 2 Tbs. hot oil, add salt and pepper to the meat and toss to combine.  Saute meat until just about cooked through.  Add one thinly sliced onion and several thinly sliced mushrooms.  Once meat is cooked and mushrooms and onions are soft add remaining ingredients.

Stir in one can coconut milk, 2 cups chicken broth, 2 Tbs. soy sauce, 2 Tbs. fish sauce, 1 Tbs. dried basil, 1 package shredded coleslaw mix or equivalent in shredded cabbage.  Let simmer about 20 minutes stirring occasionally.  Adjust flavors to suit your taste.  Serve with steamed rice and garnish with sliced green onion sprinkled across the top.  Also very good with Sriracha or Thai chile paste.

Keeping mine Keto - no rice
So delicious!

This is a fairly easy recipe and it makes quite a bit so you'll have plenty of leftovers to enjoy later.  We love this recipe.

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

I appreciated the first full week of February very much.  It was much calmer and quieter with few commitments.  We took the time to relax, unwind, heal and mend, as well as to just enjoy some time at home.  We didn't realize how much we needed a break until we actually got one.

Ground beef $1.99 a pound

Sunday we all slept in, kitties too, and began our day slowly.  By mid afternoon the youngest and I decided to head out and do a little bit of grocery shopping.  We made a plan and routed ourselves a loop to go to three stores - Fred Meyer, Wal-Mart and Grocery Outlet.  We didn't buy a whole lot at either store, but I did want to pick up butter and ground beef on sale at Fred Meyer and replenish my cream and cheese at Wal-Mart, only to find they raised the price of their cream nearly a dollar a quart.  I was not happy.

Fun!  Sprinkles for baking

My daughter found more sprinkles in the clearance bin at Fred Meyer for 59¢ each, some we've never had before, so we splurged.  She is super excited about these sprinkles we've been finding.  I guess we'd better bake something soon so she can try them out.

My Friday freebie item I picked up

I'm not sure why our neighbor pays for the Sunday paper delivery each week, but all she seems to do is drive over it for several days until it is pulverized and then tosses it in the trash.  This week I picked it up on Tuesday, wet and flat to toss it, but decided to see if there were coupons first.  There were so I helped myself.  Along with the coupons I saved the comic section for my daughter and cut out the crossword puzzle.  That evening she and I worked the crossword and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves doing it together.  Now I hope my neighbor continues to run over her paper and not read it so we might be able to.  Ha!

The remainder of the was "normal".  I went to work and my daughter went to school.  We had dinner every evening and she did her homework.  We managed to go to bed on time each night and it was nice.

On Friday evening I stopped by Fred Meyer on the way home to pick up a few loss leader items they had on sale and stock up on yogurt, also on sale.  We stayed home all day Saturday and spent a relaxed day off.

I did work a few hours of overtime last week.

We washed out and reused several Ziploc bags.

Homemade turkey broth

Investment Cooking = I put the carcass I'd saved in the freezer from the turkey breast I roasted a couple weeks ago into the slow cooker with carrots, celery and onions and made a nice batch of turkey broth.  Some will go into a recipe this week and the rest into the freezer for future meals.

Our Saturday snack plate

Some of the 15 Minute Chores I accomplished to keep my home in order:

Laundry Room & Half Bathroom - vacuumed floors, cleaned inside washing machine.  Scrubbed bathroom sink.  Daily swish & swipe.

Dining Room - vacuumed floor, cleaned dining room chairs.

Kitchen -  vacuumed the floor, cleaned stove & rangehood.

Bedrooms & Main Bathroom - vacuumed & dusted.  Scrubbed sink.  Daily swish & swipe.

Other - two large loads of laundry, vacuumed & dusted living room, hallway & entry.

How was your thrifty week?

Taking Full Responsibility

Every decision you have ever made in your life has led you to this very moment.

I am completely responsible for where my life is at right now.  I am completely responsible for what I do, how I think and how I feel.  I have the ability to control myself, my attitudes, my feelings and my life.  I accept that I alone am responsible for my actions.  No one else.

On very rare occasions do things just happen to me.  A storm, an accident, a sudden death, a lost job, whatever the case may be.  When that happens, it happens and then it is done.  But after an event it is all on me.  My decisions from that moment forward are still mine.  How I cope, what I do, how I feel.  It's all mine.  I own that.

I work hard to be mindful of how my actions and decisions impact others as well as my environment.  Keeping waste to a minimum, driving safely and efficiently, being kind and considerate, picking up after myself, keeping my home neat and tidy, inside and out, as well as myself.  I take care of my health to the best of my ability in order to prolong my life, enhance the quality of my life and minimize becoming a burden to someone else.

I find all too often people are quick to make excuses or try to blame others.  There really are no excuses and blaming others is futile.  Owning my actions, making sound choices, being responsible.  It isn't someone else's fault, I don't blame others.  If I fail, then it is my fault.  If I succeed, I did that.  I take full responsibility.

Less Technology

Another goal for me this year is to use less technology.  I think, on the whole, we tend to spend (waste) far too much time on our devices.  It used to be that television and the amount of time spent watching was our greatest concern.  But now it seems people are obsessed, especially with that darned cell phone.

I'm not a huge cell phone user so for me it was an easy thing to use it less.  I make a call or send a handful of text messages.  Occasionally I take a picture, but that is pretty much it.  It usually just sits in my purse until I need it.  I don't use it in the car except for the navigation system which I set and start before I even turn the key.  I am the epitome of hands free driving.  If you call me or text me while I'm in the car I won't answer.  You'll have to wait.  Usually quite a while.  Ha!

Laptops and tablets are my personal downfall.  I write a lot and watch Youtube quite a bit too.  So that is what I am working on this year.  Less time with my laptop and tablet and more time with real things and people.  I find I spend more time talking to my daughter (although I'm sure there are times she wishes I wouldn't, like when she is trying to do her homework), more time playing with and snuggling my kitties and I've had more time for crafting.  Lately I've been making Christmas and birthday cards as well as a few Valentines.  I even checked out some books from the library.  It has been well over a year since I read an actual book.

Do you struggle with too many hours spent with technology?  How are you with your phone?  Do you think you spend too much time or the right amount?

My Second Meal Prep In 2020

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My second meal prep was done over the course of two different days and was purely unintentional.  I made a couple things each day and then realized I had inadvertently made components to other meals.

I started out by thawing three pounds of ground beef.  Two pounds of it became chili and the other pound was browned up and used with leftover enchilada sauce I had in our freezer and a partial package of corn tortillas I had in our refrigerator.  I chopped up and onion and grated some cheese.  The chili went into my slow cooker to cook on low all day while I was at work.  The next day I put the enchiladas in the oven to bake.  Plenty of leftovers for several days.

Roasted veggies

One roasted turkey breast is a lot of meat

On a Saturday I pulled a turkey breast out of our freezer and let it thaw.  That Sunday afternoon I put it in the oven to roast.  At the end I added a pan of baby carrots and broccoli tossed with seasoning salt and olive oil to the oven.  We enjoyed a nice roast turkey dinner that evening and then I pulled all the meat from the bones and divided it up.  I kept out enough for several meals throughout the week and put some away in the freezer.  I put the bones in a freezer bag too and plan to use those to make broth.  Most likely I will do that next time I meal prep.  I have plenty of chili, enchiladas and turkey in the freezer now for future quick meals as well as what we are enjoying right now.  Knowing I could head into the busy week ahead with minimal effort required to get dinner on the table was fantastic!

My 4 Season Capsule Wardrobe Update

Last year I shared with you that I keep a fairly minimal wardrobe.  I like the idea of capsule wardrobes because to me, rather than just having a bunch of clothing, I have a more intentional closet.  The pieces of clothing I have in my closet are used, I wear them on a regular basis.  There is nothing hanging in my closet that does not see the light of day at least once a month except for one special occasion dress.  My wardrobe works really well for me and my lifestyle.  I work full time, I enjoy weekend outings and activities, I like to walk, hike and ride my bike and I'm an avid DIYer.  I have items to wear that work for all of that regardless of the season.

Simple accessories & jewelry

I like to layer my outfits so as the weather changes, even from morning till night, I'm not only well styled, but also comfortable.  For work I keep it very simple with a basic foundation of black or dark gray slacks, socks and black leather shoes.  On top is where I change things up a bit.  I love color and jewel tones look best on my.  Deep rich reds, purples, pinks, blues, green, even orange.  I have acquired a nice collection of sleeveless tops in a variety of those colors and most of them are patterned.  I like to top them off with a nice cardigan and have a selection of long and 3/4 sleeved solid colors to coordinate with my tops.  I find this way of dressing works nicely in an office setting where it is chillier in the winter and the A/C is on in the summer.  And I always look nice and professional too.

Weekends I can use my same tops and sweaters depending on the activity.  I keep a nice pair of jeans to wear when I need to dress more casually for things like grocery shopping, dance competitions, football games and so forth.  I also keep a small amount of active wear on hand for walking, hiking and more physical activities.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I have a few items of older worn clothing that I keep for messy DIY projects that have paint on them.  I wear them when I change the oil on my truck or paint the house.  I also keep an old pair of jeans for less messy projects and yard work like tree pruning.  I keep an old pair of tennis shoes in our garage to wear too.

I've been working off of this particular wardrobe system for several years now and find it works for me extremely well.  The best part is that I don't worry about what I'm going to wear, no matter what the occasion and it is quick and simple to pull an outfit together each day.  No muss, no fuss and no stress either.  I really like having one all season wardrobe.

Last Week's ThriftyMoves

Sunday I felt like I was much more productive than I have been for a while.  After a very full and long day of dance and cheer competition the day before I awoke at my regular time, but felt exhausted.  I went back to bed and ended up sleeping in until 10:00!  Even still, I managed to get up and get going.  I started the laundry, headed off to the grocery store, came back and put away groceries and then finished up the laundry.  I even put a turkey breast in the oven as well as a nice sized pan of vegetables to roast.  That gave us a very nice Sunday dinner as well as loads of leftovers to carry us through the week.  I even froze some turkey and the carcass to make future meals with.  My girls are hoping for turkey and dumplings.

Sunday dinner was fabulous!

Monday morning I e-filed my taxes before I left for work.  I already know what I am doing with my refund and I'm super excited about it too.  Being debt free is a huge goal of mine for 2020 and I will be well on my way when that refund shows up.  Yay!

Loads of turkey for several meals

Roasted veggies too

Tuesday was my errand running day.  After work I went to the feed store and picked up a 50# bag of chicken food before heading home.  I filled the feed bin in our garage, tidied up a bit in there and then gathered up all the two bags of paint cans and an old TV to take to the hazardous waste drop off at our neighborhood grocery store.  Boy did it feel good to get rid of that crap!  Once those items were deposited I parked and went into the store to pick up two more pounds of butter and another package of the toilet paper that was on sale.  We are now very well stocked with both of those items and I still have grocery money left!  Yay!

I made some more Christmas cards last week and a few gift tags

Thursday my daughter had a basketball game to cheer at so I dropped her off and then parked myself at the nearby library with my laptop to wait.  With only an eighth of a tank of gas left in my car I didn't want to run back and forth too much.  This allowed me to sit and relax for a while too which is always good.

Have I mentioned how proud I am of this beautiful girl?

By Friday we were completely worn out and were very happy for a quiet evening at home.  Saturday was another early morning, heading out of town for a dance team competition.  We arrived home exhausted but happy as it was a great day and my daughter's junior varsity team took 3rd place in a varsity competition.  They were really happy about it and it was a nice way to end a fully packed go, go, go week.

I worked quite a bit of overtime last week.  We also had an extra day on this pay period so that combined with the overtime should make for a very nice check come payday this week.

Some of the 15 Minute Chores I accomplished to keep my home in order:

Laundry Room & Half Bathroom - vacuumed floors, tidied laundry room, scrubbed sink.  Daily swish & swipe.

Dining Room - vacuumed floor.

Kitchen -  vacuumed, cleaned stove & inside refrigerator.

Bedrooms & Main Bathroom - vacuumed & dusted.  Scrubbed sink.  Daily swish & swipe.

Other - two loads of laundry, vacuumed & dusted living room, hallway & entry.

How was your thrifty week?