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!