DAY 8 CHALLENGE

1st week down, on to the 2nd week....

Homemade granola was FABULOUS this morning!

Trail mix is a pretty filling snack for in between meals....I love adding the jumbo golden raisins to mine....so delicious...I actually look forward to them everyday!

I am almost out of my homemade muffins, need to make some more.....kids are even eating them....they may just join this challenge with me (ok, a little too much wishful thinking)

Made homemade guacamole tonight and added feta cheese, lime juice to add flavor but also to prevent browning and I also added a little pumelo juice (slightly sweeter than a grapefruit....not as tart)....sound weird but added a hint of additional flavor....for my dippers, I used whole grain tortilla chips with all natural ingredients....I actually like them better than regular tortilla chips, these particular ones have sesame and flax seeds in them with give them a boost of flavor....may have to stick with these.....(FOOD SHOULD TASTE GOOD is the brand name)

Another product I love is FLATTENED BANANA from Trader Joes.....it's basically dried banana.....the only ingredient is: BANANA....so yummy!

HOMEMADE GUACAMOLE, WHOLE GRAIN TORTILLA CHIPS AND SOME RED WINE.....I can do this!

I feel great and am sleeping better therefore not as tired......until tomorrow......

DAY 7 CHALLENGE

I made it through the first week with no slip ups.....woohoo!

Still feeling good but I have to say, it is starting to become a challenge on what I drink.  I am drinking a lot of mineral water, unsweetened ice tea, hot tea, and coffee, and the occasional wine with dinner but I am starting to need a different taste in my mouth...I am open to suggestions if anyone has any  :)

Made some homemade granola today using ALL natural ingredients at a very low cost.....don't think I will ever by the boxed stuff again, mine is WAY more tasty!

Am loving my all natural peanut butter (just ground peanuts....that's it...no other ingredients) and all natural fruit sweetened jam on 100% whole wheat bread for my lunch......it's fun to be a kid again and eat a healthier version of PB&J  :)

made some air popped popcorn and seasoned with olive oil, a little salt, pepper, and a dash of cinnamon....sounds weird but actually pretty tasty......not nearly as fatty, greasy, and delicious as movie theater popcorn but it was a satisfying afternoon snack

Am loving all the fresh veggies I've been sauteeing with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.....when you eat fresh, it's hard to go back to packaged stuff.....a lot more affordable when in season and at Farmer's Markets......Sunflower and Sprouts Markets are becoming good friends of mine too....very reasonable prices on the products I am buying.

Homemade granola with cranberries......only cost less than 4.00 to make an entire batch which is probably about 10-12 servings!

1 week down....6 more to go.....until tomorrow.....need to go find something I can drink  ;)

DAY 6 CHALLENGE

Well, I made it through the weekend and all is still well...phew!
We are on Day 6....just 34 more to go!

I am good....not as tired as I normally am at night, my body temperature seems to be changing...I am not as cold as I normally am which is a very nice surprise for me...don't have to always be bundled up.

This challenge has forced me to look at ingredient labels and it amazes me how processed so many things are and how not as processed some things are that I thought would be....very enlightening!

I've been experiencing with recipes and am very pleased with the plantain chips I made today....I sliced plantains, sprayed with a little olive oil and baked at 400 for 20 minutes flipping over halfway through.  They were so delicious and so much more affordable to make.....made chips out of 3 plantains for 99cents!

Still loving my granola and fruit for breakfast and had a brussel sprout salad for dinner similar to my coleslaw in previous blog.

I am hardly hungry due to all the filling fiber I am getting but I have to be honest and say that I did lose a little bit of weight due to a lot of running and not enough calories....I know now that I need to increase my calorie intake with maybe more nuts and cheese and dried fruit .

Still trying to figure this out but enjoying myself in the process.....I just may continue this (on not so strict a scale) after my challenge is done.

homemade baked plantain chips....used a mandolin to slice thin, that is the key!

It feels so good to put nothing but "nutritious fuel" in your body!.....until tomorrow....

DAY 4/5 CHALLENGE

First weekend of the challenge and was WAY better than I thought it would be!

I am really looking forward to my morning granola every day.....pretty tasty and filling!

Unsweetened Dried Mangos from Trader Joes are delicious and only 1.99 per bag....have to go get some more when done...could munch on those all day!

All natural peanut butter on wheat bread have become delicious and filling lunches as well especially spread with all natural, fruit sweetened jam from Whole Foods.

I am totally out of Plantain Chips (my family decided they loved them too)...need to get more at Trader Joes for only 1.69 per bag and hide them from everyone else!

Went out to dinner last night and we hit "Home Town Buffet" because I knew I could raid the salad bar and not starve.  I thought I would only be able to get lettuce and veggies with no dressing but as it turns out, they have a spice station with a big variety of oils and vinegars that went nicely with my lettuce and veggies.  I was also able to fill up on fruit and hard boiled eggs and there was a very nice variety to choose from....wasn't able to get dessert  ;( so finished the meal off with a nice cup of hot tea....left feeling very satisfied!

We went to the movies after that and was almost going through withdrawals from smelling the buttery scent of popcorn (which in my opinion is a MUST if you are going to the movies) but was good, skipped the popcorn and enjoyed the movie empty-handed.

MY TREAT IS THE ONE ON THE RIGHT ;)

I have to say, one of the best things so far about this challenge is how healthy your body becomes getting rid of all those extra toxins in your body and how regular you become.....what a welcomed surprise!.....more tomorrow.....going to watch the Oscars and munch on all natural air popped popcorn while watching flavored with a little salt and REAL BUTTER!

DAY 3 WHOLE FOOD CHALLENGE

So far still so good!
Loving my homemade granola with fruit for breakfast everyday and homemade muffins for snacks.

For lunch, I made a coleslaw salad with red onions and my salad dressing from last night.....ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS....I would eat it even if I wasn't on this challenge!

I do have to get creatvie when I go out to eat though....that is my challenge....still working on that.

I need to take in more calories I think and eat more nuts along with my dried fruit.....lacking a little energy on my run today....

HOMEMADE COLESLAW SALAD.....YUMM!

It's a work in progress and I am up for this challenge.....more tomorrow!

FRU-GAL'S DEAL OF THE DAY

My shopping adventure only cost me 13.86 today for all this ( a dry fit basketball shirt, good running socks, kids tie, christmas ornaments, and a pair of black pants for me)....the socks alone costs 10.00 but when you shop only clearance racks and pair that with a coupon.....you spend as little as I do!

DAY 2 OF CHALLENGE

It's day 2 and so far so good!
My coffee doesn't taste as good without my coffeemate creamers but sweetening it with cinnamon or ginger is a nice substitute with lite coconut milk which is just milk from the coconut mixed with water.

lunch may get a little monotonous so I will have to start getting creative.

My muffins have been a treat I look forward to everyday and bananas never tasted so good.

I am missing my diet soda I have to say but mineral water isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

For dinner tonight, I made homemade tomato sauce with green bell peppers to top my whole wheat spaghetti  and homemade salad dressing using fresh rosemary and garlic for my salad.....I really wanted a piece of sourdough bread but resisted and had fresh cucumber and grape tomatoes instead.....actually a pretty filling meal.....till tomorrow....

REAL FOOD CHALLENGE

Well, it is that time of year again.....LENT....which means, what am I going to sacrifice this year in honor of the season?  Well, in the past, I've given up meat completely, desserts, not eating after dinner......so this year I thought I would do something a little more challenging:  GIVE UP JUNK AND PROCESSED FOOD AND DRINKS!
Today being Ash Wednesday is the 1st day of Lent and my 1st day of my Real Food Challenge:
I through out all soda, candy, chocolate and stocked up on lots of fruits, veggies, nuts, and REAL food that I can actually understand what the ingredients are!
I actually feel good, had great energy on my run this morning and surprisingly did not feel hungry all day. 
I have made whole wheat, all natural mixed berry muffins which even my kids like, plantain chips that are just sliced plantains with salt and oil baked (DELICIOUS),all natural ground peanut butter on 100%whole wheat bread for lunch and brown rice/veggie stuffed peppers for dinner which were actually pretty filling!

Well,  that was Day1, follow me tomorrow for Day 2....I am missing my diet soda though ;{  but sparkling mineral water is actually pretty tasty!

FUN VALENTINES DAY DESSERT

Here is a fun and easy Valentine's Day dessert your kids, especially, will love!
It involves most kids favorite sugary treat: TWINKIES

Here is what you do, so simple, you'll wonder why you haven't done this before:

-Take a twinkie and cut it in half diagonally
-Flip one of the pieces over so bottom is facing up and put together with other piece top facing up to resemble a heart
-Top with whipped cream and a cherry

NOW WHO'S NOT GOING TO LOVE THAT......EVEN YOUR HUSBAND WILL IF HE'S ANYTHING LIKE MINE....He once ate an entire box of Twinkies in one sitting...He LOVES this!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

FUN VALENTINE'S DAY BREAKFAST RECIPE

Use an edible pen/food writer for personal notes like these!

I love all holidays and always try to come up with holiday inspired recipes for my family.  This one is one of our favorites and my family has relied on me to make this every Valentine's Day for breakfast.

PINK AND WHITE HEART PANCAKES:

you will need:
-pancake mix
-water (follow directions on box)
-red food coloring
-heart shaped cookie cutter

-Prepare pancake mix according to package directions (make enough for however many in your family)
-Divide batter in half and put a few drops of red food coloring in one (should come out to a pink color)
-Make both batches of pancakes....some will be white and some will be pink
-when cooled, take a white pancake and cut out a heart shape in the middle of pancake using cookie cutter....put aside.....take a pink pancake and do the same thing
-take white heart and place in middle of pink pancake and take pink heart and place in middle of white pancake to make two-toned pink and white pancakes.....continue with remaining pancakes

-Write personal messages to your family members with edible food writer.

THIS IS SUCH A FUN TRADITION THAT WE HAVE COME TO LOOK FORWARD TO EVERY YEAR....HOPEFULLY, IT WILL BE YOURS TOO!

HAPPY "ALMOST" VALENTINES DAY!

FRU-GAL'S FRUGAL FINDS OF THE DAY

I spent only $11.00 for all these name brand products!  The "smart ones" alone go for 3.00 retail at the grocery stores when not on sale...I got three of them for the price of 1....yeah!

THESE ARE MY LATEST BARGAINS OF THE DAY!

'REAL FOOD" WHOLE WHEAT MUFFINS

My family and I are Catholic and every year during Lent we each pick something to give up or "sacrifice" along with not eating meat on Fridays.  In the past, I have given up eating dessert, eating anything after dinner, eating meat altogether but this year, I decided to up the game and push myself a little harder.  I am giving up all processed and packaged food and essentially only eating "whole" or "real" food.  I have heard a lot of great reviews from people who have done this and am excited to start!  Don't get me wrong, it is definitely going to be a challenge, especially, giving up diet soda...ugh....but I am looking forward to seeing how different my body might start to feel, how much energy I hope to have, how my skin will start getting healthier, and just feeling better because I am eliminating a lot of toxins from my diet. 
I am going to start blogging and tracking my progress and probably challenges come Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22nd, 2 weeks from today!

each muffin has different fillings

you can customize each muffin so you have something different each day.....I LOVE that!

I have to get creative as to what I eat so I found this muffin recipe which I can eat for some of my breakfasts.  I had my kids and their friends try it, and they actually really liked it and so did I, try it and let me know what you think!

WHOLE WHEAT MUFFINS:
-1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
-3/4 cups unsweetened apple juice
-1 tsp pure vanilla extract (or any flavor....orange extract would be good in here)
-2 tbsp honey
-2 eggs
-1/8 tsp each nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger
-1/4 cup oil or (1/8 cup unsweetened applesauce and 1/8 cup coconut or olive oil)

-Mix all dry ingredients together, then add wet ingredients and mix until combined
-fill 12 muffin tins or what I did (6 jumbo muffin tins) with batter
-add any "whole or real" toppings you like to each tin and then gently stir to combine
Here are some examples:
-orange/lemon peel
-dried fruit
-nuts
-berries
-all natural jam
-all natural peanut butter

Bake at 400degrees for 15 minutes for 12 muffins or 20-25 minutes for 6 muffins

HAPPY WHOLE EATING EVERYONE!

FRU-GAL RECIPE

My favorite cake to have on my birthday or anyone else's birthday for that matter is:  CARROT CAKE!  It is so delicious with all it's sweetness and warm spices especially studded with raisins but I hate to think about all the FAT and CALORIES in that wonderfully, yummy and creamy CREAM CHEESE FROSTING.  So, here is my version of a "liter" more figure and budget  friendly "fru-gal"  alternative:

LEAN CARROT CAKE MUFFINS

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

-1 box carrot cake mix…on sale for 1.00 at grocery stores

-3/4 cup egg beaters….on sale for 2.00 at grocery stores

-1/2 cup applesauce….on sale for 1.00 per jar at grocery or dollar tree stores

-water needed per cake box directions

-1 cup raisins…1.99 per box…won’t use all of it

FROSTING INDREDIENTS:

-1 container of  marshmallow fluff…on sale for 1.00 at grocery stores

-1/2 container  fat free cream cheese…on sale for 1.99 at grocery stores

RECIPE DIRECTIONS:

-make cake mix according to package directions replacing the oil with the applesauce, egg beaters for eggs, and adding the raisins

-spray 2 jumbo sized 6 count muffin tins with nonstick spray and fill both trays with batter, bake per package directions for cupcakes

-meanwhile, mix marshmallow fluff with cream cheese with hand mixer, if available, until well blended….set aside

-let muffins cool

-spread 1-2 tbsp frosting mixture over each muffin, depending on how much you like, and enjoy!

MAKES 12 MUFFINS FOR LESS THAN 6.00….LESS THAN 50 CENTS PER MUFFIN

HAPPY BAKING EVERYONE!

fru-gal: FRU-GAL'S TIP OF THE DAY

fru-gal: FRU-GAL'S TIP OF THE DAY: I am a stay at home mom, as most of you know, and I usually have the time to clean but I absolutely HATE to do it but I don't want my house ...

FRU-GAL'S TIP OF THE DAY

I am a stay at home mom, as most of you know, and I usually have the time to clean but I absolutely HATE to do it but I don't want my house to suffer for it....what to do??

So. I came up with a solution......clean 1 thing every day but do it well!   That way, you don't get overwhelmed and when you finish cleaning that daily room, you are done for the day!  Here is my system:

MONDAY: Vaccuum all rooms downstairs and break out the hose and vaccuum in the corners and the bathrooms.  My children are in charge of the upstairs and vaccuum that every weekend (you'll love it when yours get old enough, if they aren't yet already.....I'm talking as young as 6 can start pushing that vaccuum)

TUESDAY: clean all bathrooms downstairs (I have 2)...wipe all counters and mirrors, clean toilets, wipe down showers and tubs, and wipe down floors as well.
My children have their own bathroom upstairs and they divide up the chores and also clean it every weekend

WEDNESDAY: dust everything (including upstairs....kids do an ok job but I like perfection and have more time on Wednesdays to do this)....wipe down walls if there are smudge marks....if you have kids, you have smudge marks   :{

THURSDAY:  Thursdays are our garbage nights, so I chose this day to clean the kitchen.  I clean out the fridge and toss out anything that is expiring or has lived out it's life ;}, wipe down all counters, empty toaster crumbs, clean sink (we have a stainless steel sink and needs a special cleaner for this), mop floor

FRIDAY:  Vaccuum again ( I have a dog, 3 kids, and a husband), must vaccuum again!

What I do on a daily basis is wipe down my kitchen every night after dinner, sweep up the kitchen floor, and wipe down my countertop in my bathroom.

This daily system works for me and SAVES me time for other things I enjoy doing (like writing in this blog), reading, scrapbooking, running, oh yeah, and taking care of my family ;)

Try it this way or choose different things on different days that work for you

HAPPY CLEANING EVERYONE!

FRU-GAL TIP OF THE DAY

Here is my tip of the day:
Save all those big snack containers that you get at Costco....you know the ones that have the Pub Mix, or pretzels, or granola, etc......when you finish with what came inside.  Wash out and save for future use.  I use mine for cereal (I take them out of the box and put into canisters....more appealing and gets rid of those boxes......and when you purchase from amazon in bulk like I do, you can combine more than 1 box into 1 big container and save space in your pantry), chex mix that come in big bags, dried fruit, and anything I purchase from bins at the grocery store.....(rice, pasta, oats...etc.).

This will save you from spending money on extra tupperware containers!

Want more tips?   Let me know, I'm certain  I've got the answer  ;)

FRU-GAL'S FAVORITE GUILT FREE FOOD FINDS

I LOVE food and I LOVE to eat but I don't like all the fat and calories that go along with yummy tasting food.  I don't believe we should have to sacrifice flavor while still trying to stay in shape.  Every time I am at the grocery store, I look for new products that are tasty, affordable, and are figure friendly.  Here are some of my favorites that I use on a consistent basis:

-Sugar Free Apple Cider packets:  only 15 caloried per serving and 0 grams of fat....drink hot

-Jalapeno flavored popcorn seasoning: 2 calories and 0 grams of fat in a 1/4 tsp....sprinkle over popcorn after spraying with butter spray (below), sticks well to popcorn, mix with shredded cheese for a nice "kick" to quesadillas or grilled cheese,

-I can't believe it's not butter olive oil butter flavored spray: 0 calories and 0 fat....spray on pasta, toast, french bread, baked potato, or anything else you like butter on

-sugar free Torani syrups: 0 calories and 0 fat.....use in coffee (for a more affordable latte at home) , add to milk (my kids LOVE the vanilla added to their regular milk, gingerbread is AWESOME during the holidays!), as a substitute for water when baking, hot chocolate (especially peppermint....yumm!)

-sugar free preserves: 10 calories and 0grams of fat in 1 tbsp......use wherever you would use jelly(delicious in PB&J), use in place of half of oil or butter when baking (great trick)

-spicy mustards: 0 calories and 0 fat.....use in sandwiches, burgers, or added to pulled pork/chicken/beef  recipes using slow cooker....you will never need mayo again!

-fat free whipped topping: 20 calories and 0 grams of fat in 2 tbsp......add to ice cream sundaes using lite ice cream, top off hot chocolate, or use 1/4 cup of topping and 1/2 cup lite ice cream with ice  for a lighter alternative to a milkshake, I have also used in place of whipping cream also.....works beautifully!

-Gimme Lean ground sausage meat alternative: 60 calories and 0 grams of fat in 2 oz.....has a true sausage flavor....add to lasagna, tacos, nachos, anywhere you would add ground meat....ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS....if you like sausage, you will LOVE this stuff!

-weight watchers or laughing cow cheese wedges: 35 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per wedge.....use as a cream cheese alternative to bagels, add as a spread on sandwiches or wraps, add to pasta sauce for a creamier but lighter version, add to nonfat milk and nonfat sour cream for a cream sauce.....the best part is they come in an abundance of flavors....I love them all!

IF YOU WANT MORE FRU-GAL'S FOOD FINDS, COMMENT AND FOLLOW MY BLOG!