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March 2016

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Like a good kid of a mum that loves to feed people, I tell my mum what I’m eating pretty much every day. I’m just joking around really, this is a bit of a family tradition. When we were kids my dad traveled for business quite a lot but every night he would call and each of us would get a chance to talk to him and mum would always ask us questions about what we learned from him that day. We would always ask if he saw any animals while he was driving and what he ate for lunch and dinner. Now, it’s just a habit to tell my mum. (She asks too, I swear!) Anyhow. Lately, about 80% of the time when we talk about what I’m eating, it’s this! To be honest, I got 4 pounds of ground chicken for 10$ which is about 15 meals of…

I find sometimes that when you get down and you’re broke… you just kind of stay down. All of the things that I usually associate with cheering up (going out for dinner with a friend, getting a pedicure, making myself a nice meal, going to a movie, taking an exercise class…) tend to cost a decent amount of money. Especially if you’re like me, where you haven’t taken a “holiday” (Europe 2009!) in years and tend to work a lot of your days off from work… having some ways to cheer yourself up on the cheap is really nice. Go for a run- I have to confess, I actually don’t like running. At. All. I do love that all I need is my running shoes and some tunes and I can rage run out whatever I’m feeling. There’s science behind this, as Elle Woods famously told us… exercising creates an…

Now that I live on my own, I love having friends over for a meal and company. Recently, I wanted to have a dinner for some girlfriends on Valentines Day, but since it was supposed to snow that day, I wanted to make sure that it was a warming and cozy meal. Also, since we live in Edmonton, I wanted to do in such a way that if a small amount of snow became impassable snow/ice/terribleness mix, that I could freeze the soup for later uses since we all live in different areas of the city and sometimes winter driving is just a no-go here. It ended up being a good idea since for varying reasons, our party of five became a party of three. What I came up with was a slightly spicy, veggie filled soup that everyone loved. Veggie Noodle Soup $7.31 for a party of 5, or…

This past Christmas my sister gifted me with some gorgeous Le Creuset bakeware that I’ll pretty much take any excuse to bust out. It’s perfect for roasting vegetables in, and I’m planning on making a queso cheese dip in the individual sized ones she got me soon. I’ve been trying to limit my extreme bread love to make room for my extreme pasta and ramen love (priorities, right?), so I’ve been trying to find accompaniments for my eggs that don’t involve toast. This was one such experiment that turned out super well. Butternut Squash and Brussel Sprout Hash with Fried Eggs $3.91 for 3-4 servings, $1.30 per meal Butternut Squash- $1.47 (1/2 a squash at 2.93) Brussel Sprouts- $1.24 Eggs-  $1.20 for 3 servings Method: Peel and rough cube up your butternut squash, and place in a baking dish. Bake your squash at 375 degrees celcius until is is fork…

Recently I was so bored that I told my mom that I was going to clean my baseboards. Yes. While this is a totally productive way to channel boredom, I truly try to clean on a schedule now that I live alone. I have a roommate/renter, but she won’t really tell me, “Hey, the vents need cleaned”. Little things that you don’t conscientiously notice end up compounding into a gross “My guests must think I’m a heathen!” moments. When I moved into this house, my mum and I spent a lot of time talking about what cleaners were necessary and which were merely ‘nice to haves’. Have you ever noticed how ridiculously expensive cleaners are!? Thankfully, the most often used cleaner in my house is now vinegar, which is good because I’m an overzealous weirdo with sanitizing things and vinegarabottom of this post is my cleaners shopping list- you may…

Recently I was inspired to make some make-ahead breakfast sandwiches to be able to grab a quick breakfast on the go, whether that was on my way to work or anywhere else. To be honest, I was inspired by my new deep freeze, which I can now do these kinds of things with. Eggs are one of my favorite things in the world. Not only are they cheap, but they can be presented in so many different ways and used in so many different things. This application may not be the fanciest, but it certainly is tasty and versatile. This recipe is about 30-35 minutes to make, and about 15 minutes to cool and you have eight meals to show for it. Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches Makes 8 for $11.72  (1.47 a serving) Frozen Spinach -$0.68 Buns- $3.79 (I use these) Monterey Jack slices – $2.89 Ham – $1.60 12 eggs- $2.76…