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In cheap eats

Easy Flatbread

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Hey! Today’s post is a quick and easy snack inspired by a restaurant dish I love! On this particular day I had been helping out at my sister’s new place all day and everyone was going to have a Famoso flatbread (seriously, check it out!) at my parent’s place afterward, but I really needed to get home and get ready for the week. So, my mum helped me assemble all of the required ingredients to make something similar myself! This recipe isn’t an exact dupe- it uses flatout flatbreads (something my mum found at Safeway and I’m now obsessed with) and I wasn’t in the mood to make my own tatziki so I used a pre-packaged hummus. Since most of these ingredients were actually my mum’s (I think she felt a bit bad I had helped all day and wasn’t going to be there for the fun post-work snack), the…

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In DIY

How To: Plant Your Own Flower Pots

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Hey! Today I wanted to talk about something I do pretty much every year with my mum- custom flower pots. While my mum probably could afford to purchase pre-made planters and pots of flowers, she makes her own each year and says that the best way to save money on having a nice yard is to take the time to learn how to do it yourself. The type-A’s amoungst us will also appreciate that these are 100% customizable to your own color and varietal preference. So lets get started! When you’re within a day or two of having time to plant, get to the local greenhouse or big box store and start looking at plants. As you are looking, keep in mind where you’re wanting to put these plants- if they’re going in a shady area, find some that are shade lovers by reading the tags inserted in the…

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In cheap eats

Cous Cous Salad

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This easy multi-meal salad is perfect for when it’s hot out since you don’t need to really “cook” anything. You just need to wash your veggies, boil the kettle, and you’re good to go. This version isn’t vegetarian, but you could easily remove the chicken to make it vegetarian, or add a vegan cheese to make it vegan. When I’m making this salad, I keep everything separate until the end and then arrange the toppings because I love how it looks, but if you are in a rush just dump in as you go! Mediterranean Cous Cous Salad $6.81 for four, or $1.70 per serving 1 cup cous cous – $0.44 one can of chick peas – $0.77 one tomato – $0.85 half of a cucumber – $0.38 the juice and zest of one lemon – $0.87 salt, pepper, oregano and olive oil feta (or vegan option to your preference)…

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In Casual Wear

Affordable Fitness Wear

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I don’t know about you, but I’m a big fan of athletic wear. Most days, I go straight from business clothes to athletic wear, or my onesie. The point being, I own quite a bit of workout wear and it ranges from expensive (looking at you, LuluLemon) to super affordable! This post is a bit of a roundup of my favorite accessible and affordable workout wear- Old Navy, Joe Fresh and Walmart. Everything is linked. All of these outfits are appropriate for hitting the trails, running some stairs or popping by the gym and cooling down after the fact. You’ll note that most outfits have a jacket or sweater- this is because I personally like to get outdoors when it’s cool at night. Joe Fresh While this option is the most expensive, I had to include it because of these super on-trend mesh insert leggings. Oftentimes I find going affordable is…

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In cheap eats

Lentils with Israeli Cous Cous and Mushroom Ragout

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Hi! Today’s post is a freezer meal stockup or family sized recipe that is cheap and cheerful- my two favorite things! Cooking with beans and lentils allows me to skip on expensive meat, and instead load up on healthful vegetables. Sometimes I make the choice to eat meat free and have the nice produce I want. This option actually only uses one fresh ingredient- mushrooms. These could easily be swapped out for rehydrated dried or canned if you are looking to save even more. The most common comment I get when people talk about lentils is usually a combination of “those take forever to cook” or “aren’t those hard to cook?” My answer is the crockpot we all love- seven hours on low while you sleep, and those lentils are cooked. I boil mine because I tend to do a bunch of food prep all at once and one little…

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In cheap eats

Easy Tatziki

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Do you remember this post where I said I eat my chicken and rice with fresh, home made tatziki? Here’s a reminder: What I didn’t tell you in that post is how I make my own tatziki for a lot more of an affordable price than purchasing it in the store. My favorite store bought tatziki is definitely the President’s Choice Traditional Tatziki, but it is $5.89 for about 1.5 cups (484grams). In this post I’m going to show you how I make the same amount at home in about 5 minutes, for only $2. Easy Tatziki $2, or $0.40 a serving 1/3 of a container of 0% greek yogurt: $1.27 2 cloves of garlic: $0.17 1/3 of a long english cucumber: $0.48 A few sprigs of dill (optional, but recommended): $0.07 Start off by putting about a third of your container of greek yogurt into a mixing…

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In Cheap Housekeeping

Making a Home: Affordable Small Bathroom Organization

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Hello! Here’s the next post in my ‘new homeowner chronicles’ which is getting used to a very different storage situation in my new master bathroom. In my bathroom at my parent’s house, my sister and I shared a bathroom with drawers, shelves, a storage cabinet… there was a lot of room and diverse options for storage. Which was good because I have a problem… and that problem is makeup and skincare products. Honestly, it wasn’t just that I have way too much makeup (although I do). I also have very, very sensitive and dry skin that for a long time, I was buying lotion, shampoo and different foundations etc etc to try and cover and combat. I still have a ton of difficulty with my skin, but thankfully I’ve found a few things that work now. The hangover of that was way too many products that I couldn’t even use,…

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In cheap eats

Easy Rice and Beans

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This post is inspired by Clinton Kelly’s “Breakfast Beans and Rice” from a recent episode of The Chew. The Chew is one of those shows I just love to watch when I’m at my parents (they have alllll the TV channels) and my mum is especially careful to save me the episodes when they are doing specials on how to stretch a buck! I actually really appreciate that they do things like this because I often find the food in magazines and TV shows to be a bit unattainable. Clinton’s recipe came up in a segment about never wasting the last little bits of what you have in the fridge! When I saw Clinton’s recipe, I immediately thought of this salsa from Sobey’s Our Compliments brand. My mum got me hooked on it because of it’s smoky chipotle flavor, and since I use a LOT less than traditional salsa, I feel…

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In cheap eats

Parmesan Risotto with Sausage and Fennel

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Risotto is, by my mind, a total comfort food. It’s delicious, carb-y (admit it, carbs make us all happy) and can be made with pretty much any ingredients you have laying around. I’m sure someone reading this is thinking REALLY?! Three risotto recipes in three months?! I know. I’m predictable! This recipe is actually inspired by a pizza you can get at a local restaurant near to where my parents live called Buco Pizzeria. This pizza is so good it lives in my dreams sometimes! I was craving it one morning while going grocery shopping and fennel and sausage miraculously ended up in my cart. Parmesan Risotto with Sausage and Fennel Serves 4 for $10.98, or $2.75 per serving Ingredients: 1/2 an onion- $0.12 ~1 cup of arborio rice- $0.80 1/2 cup of parmesan (grated)- $3.38 1.5 boxes of vegetable stock- $2.21 2 Links of italian sausage – $2.00 1 fennel…

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