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July 2016

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Burst Tomato Penne with Kale

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Hi! Today’s post is a quick and easy vegetarian dinner option that is so, so delicious and super healthful. This recipe is pretty close to my spaghetti squash with tomatoes and zucchini, but it’s a bit more indulgent and not gluten free. The combination of tomatoes, tomato paste, kale, minced onions and garlic, italian herbs and fresh basil is simmered with parmesan rind and then topped with grated parmesan and fresh basil. If you follow me on Instagram then you know this photo is one of my most liked, and it’s of this recipe! Burst Tomato Penne with Kale $0.80 per serving, $4.81 for 6 1/4 onion- $0.06 ~one pint of grape tomatoes -$2.47 1/2 a can of tomato paste- $0.33 previously frozen kale- $1.28 basil leaves- $0.67 Pantry items: parmesan rind (ask for it at the cheese counters, sometimes it’s free), salt, pepper, garlic, italian seasoning Start by chopping your…

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In favorites

June 2016 Favorites!

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Hey Guys! I wanted to try something new and record a video for a post, and I thought a monthly favorites post would be great to test it out on. I tried to record this about a week ago and it was a miserable failure, so I recorded and uploaded to Youtube a second attempt which didn’t upload well (choppy), so here I am a bit (lot) late with a third attempt! [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDHdvKJVc_k&w=420&h=315] Beauty and Skincare: Cerave Bioderma True Match Smashbox Household Items: Egg Carton (different) Egg Carton (exact) French Press (Similar) Clothing: Black Dress (similar, also Le Chateau and Canadian made) Joe Fresh two layer top (exact) Lastly, my book for the month! Please remember that if you buy this book, a copy goes to someone who is economically disadvantaged so please, please check out http://www.leannebrown.com/. ALSO, if you are in a tight place financially, you can…

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In cheap eats

What’s In Season for Produce

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One of the easiest ways to keep your food bill affordable is to shop what’s in season. While it’s pretty easy to crave a fresh, green salad in January, when you’re trying to keep your food costs under control, you have to think about when and how to indulge those cravings if you want to make serious cuts to your food bill. Here in Canada, we are so lucky to live in such an agricultural country. At this time of year you can find all sorts of things that haven’t had to be shipped from another area of the world and don’t have that added cost. I love visiting different farmers markets because what is available is by default what is in season. I can’t always afford to buy anything at the farmer’s market (it was $5.50 for a pound of peas this weekend!), but it is a great fact finding…

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In Lifestyle

Affordable Decor – Entertaining Dishes

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Now that I no longer have a roommate, I feel a bit more comfortable investing in pieces I love for the kitchen and entertaining. When people come into my house, I think there’s always quite a bit of surprise when they realize this girl that loves bows and sweet dresses has a home styled in an industrial-rustic way, with loads of black pieces and natural wood anchoring a bright, open space. I love this aesthetic because it allows me drop in mirrored pieces, touches of pink and pattern without my house screaming “single female”. Everything is functional, comfortable and durable for when I want to have a few friends over. When I bought my home I didn’t have much in the way of decor, and expensive projects like custom blinds sucked up all of my “fun” money I had laying around. When I realized things like dishes and glasses were being…

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In Food

Paella-ish

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It really shouldn’t be such a surprise that I’m so into paella that it’s my new favorite thing… it’s like Spanish risotto (only easier, hallelujah, because you just deglaze the pan and then add all of the liquid) and you just can’t go wrong with risotto. I’m calling this paella-ish because I’m sure I didn’t make this traditionally and that some true experts will find flaws in my execution, but at the end of the day this was as good as the paella I had out at a restaurant recently. I love the smokey, rich flavor that is present without the use of heavy oils, butters or cheeses. This paella base is one I kind of made up myself based on what I had in the fridge- carrots, red pepper, onion and garlic, then finished with a load of frozen spinach. I deglazed the pan with dry white wine, but…

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In cheap eats

35 Day No-Buy Recap!

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Hello! So my 35 day no-buy for groceries was officially over on Friday, but I didn’t go grab groceries until Sunday so here I am now, giving a bit of a recap on how 35 days of not buying groceries went. It went surprisingly well. In retrospect, I don’t know that I could have chosen an easier month to have a no-buy on, because there was both of my parent’s birthdays, Father’s Day, a family dinner in Red Deer, and a family dinner with friends that took care of five dinners, plus loads of opportunities to visit my parents, and my mum is the best and always feeds me. So there’s a bit of cheating there but it doesn’t entirely wipe out the significance of not buying any groceries from May 25th to July 3rd. So did I buy any groceries? Yes and no. I bought shrimp on sale…

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