Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

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Momof2Still
Posts: 173
Joined: Mon May 14, 2018 10:05 pm

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by Momof2Still »

Janet, I had a wonderful time on my trip. I got to spend a lot of time with both my son and my daughter-in-law alone and with them together. Your casserole sounds amazing. I am glad that Teddi is getting better.

I am craving fish tacos, so that is what I am making for dinner. While I was looking for a recipe for a coleslaw with lime (found one on this site: https://www.budgetbytes.com/), the first recipe that popped up was for a Creamy Coconut Curry Lentils and Spinach, which I think I will try tomorrow night. I am a proud mom (for many reasons) because my son loves to cook alone and with K (his wife).

Finishing up the cleaning and organizing this week, and then next week just relaxing. The following week it is back to school. Boy did the summer pass fast. At least I am organized, my home clean, and I am for the most part ready to start again.

I also want to kick up my exercise routine. I walk almost every evening but would like to add alternating yoga and an aerobic routine to my day.

Well, off to finish dinner and read for a while.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Momof2Still wrote: Sun Jul 14, 2019 5:20 pm Janet, I had a wonderful time on my trip. I got to spend a lot of time with both my son and my daughter-in-law alone and with them together. Your casserole sounds amazing. I am glad that Teddi is getting better.

I am craving fish tacos, so that is what I am making for dinner. While I was looking for a recipe for a coleslaw with lime (found one on this site: https://www.budgetbytes.com/), the first recipe that popped up was for a Creamy Coconut Curry Lentils and Spinach, which I think I will try tomorrow night. I am a proud mom (for many reasons) because my son loves to cook alone and with K (his wife).

Finishing up the cleaning and organizing this week, and then next week just relaxing. The following week it is back to school. Boy did the summer pass fast. At least I am organized, my home clean, and I am for the most part ready to start again.

I also want to kick up my exercise routine. I walk almost every evening but would like to add alternating yoga and an aerobic routine to my day.

Well, off to finish dinner and read for a while.
Momof2 so glad you had a good time with your DS and DDIL. Yes a man that cooks is a wonderful thing. My brother and SIL have been married for 50 years and it was not until 2 years ago that he had to start cooking for himself. She was ate their home in Mexico and he was on a keto diet and had never cooked anything just lived on sandwiches, pot pies, TV dinners etc ( gag) when she was gone. So he decided he needed to learn how to cook. He made hard boiled eggs. She said he called her 3 times while he was making them...lol. He still does not cook other than making the hard boiled eggs and lives off of something she has made and left in the freezer for him.. Sad! However both of his sons are great cooks.

I love the budget/bytes site. I am going to make the coconut lentil curry/spinach dish this week. I have everything but the spinach and I can pick that up when I am out this week. Thanks for sharing.

Bummer that the school year is starting up so soon but at least you were able to get your home clean and organized. That will help when you get back in to full work mode. Also that you had time to go visit your DS and DDIL.

Good to see you posting again.
Janet Alliesmama
2dogs+someCats
Posts: 845
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:46 pm

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by 2dogs+someCats »

Janet, I was able to improvise by using peanut butter and some melted strawberry preserves. Added the oats and flax seed and some dried cranberries. This is not as healthy as using the dates - but it works and tastes good.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

2dogs+someCats wrote: Mon Jul 15, 2019 7:02 pm Janet, I was able to improvise by using peanut butter and some melted strawberry preserves. Added the oats and flax seed and some dried cranberries. This is not as healthy as using the dates - but it works and tastes good.
Sounds yummy. I know it feels good to use what you have in place of what you do not have..Also to me it is fun to see how I can stretch things and use them up in ways that are different for their intended usual way. Keep up the good work.
Janet Alliesmama
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Still have a long way to go for the month of July. All of my bills are paid and I was pleasantly surprised that one of my bills that was being automatically deducted was less that what I had in the budget. I had been paying a little extra here and there and it is now paid in full. Now have a little bit of extra money left to buy groceries..woo hoo. Although the bill is now paid the money that was being used will now go towards paying an installment on my property taxes but at least I have some breathing room.

For breakfast ate the last of my keto sausage gravy with half of a keto English muffin leftover from yesterday. Coffee of course with the last of my 1/2 and 1/2. I do have whole milk in the fridge to use but not as yummy as 1/2 and 1/2 but a whole lot cheaper.(.69 cent half gal). Lunch was two salmon patties and potato salad. Also used the last of the strawberry soaking water, with a little bit of stevia to add some sweetness, as a nice refreshing drink. Dinner was the last little bit, about 1/4 of a head of cabbage, with 1/2 of a small onion sauteed and the last salmon pattie. Dessert was the last of my plain whole milk yogurt and some dehydrated strawberries. I had not hydrated them yet. However I do like them and the dried peaches in the yogurt despite the mild crunch. They soften up as you eat them. Mid evening had a nice cuppa of English breakfast tea with some milk and stevia. The tea was bought at Big Lots and was very reasonably priced compared to the grocery store or on line. Not sure what tomorrow's menu will be. I am thinking of making some veggie burgers but will have to see how much energy I have. I was like a slug most of today. It was very overcast with a light rain on and off. I did get a couple of short naps in which unusual for me.

Teddi is on and off with his food again. He ate a hard boiled egg around noon and maybe 1/2 of his dog food around 7:00 PM.
Janet Alliesmama
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Eating is a pain in the keister and cooking is even more so.. I had potato salad with leftover sauteed cabbage and onions for breakfast. Lunch was tuna fish salad made with just mayo, onion, and tuna and strawberry short cake. I made almond flour short cakes to go with my strawberries. They did not turn out well. Seems like my oven is not working like it should. My stove oven is dead. This is a stand alone convection oven that I had from another house from years ago..It was hardly used and had been in storage but I guess it has started to fail.. Bummer. I do have a Nesco oven in the basement so will have to drag that out soon. Will have to read up how to use it. It has been in storage for years as well. I hope it works. The short cakes did not taste as good as I anticipated but due to under baking them and then over baking them I guess I really cannot judge the true quality of the recipe. Dinner was the last of the potato salad and strawberry short cake. Also had some of the soaking water from the strawberries as a nice refreshing drink. I do have some money now due to paying off a bill and saving some money on the interest. So will have my aide do some grocery shopping tomorrow.

Tomorrow my roofing contractor will be here to replace my roof. I feel really sorry for them with the heat index it is going to be over 100 F and higher. However I will be glad to have it done. We still need to have the adjuster come out to look in the attic to see what kind of damage was done up there but there was no sense in having it repaired until the roof was replaced. At least we got the leak to stop when my brother had a friend of his come out and do temporary repairs.

Teddi did not eat all day and just about dinner time we had a storm move in so he was under the couch for a couple of hours. He did finally come out and just ate some of his dinner.
Janet Alliesmama
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