Healthy Living - Not Just Eating

Yesterday I wrote about when I began to consider getting back to basics. My primary motivation at the time was our financial situation. Getting back to basics saved money.

 As our financial situation improved, the need to save every single little penny didn't seem as urgent. We weren't rolling in the dough (we worked for a non-profit organization, enough said) but I didn't feel the need to make my own baby wipes anymore. Gradually our kids went from homemade playdough to Hasbro Play-doh. Needless to say, I was getting away from the "every little bit counts" mentality towards "I don't have any time or patience to make my own things" mentality.

Then a friend recommended the book What the Bible Says About Healthy Living. I loved the book because it's written by a medical doctor who spells out what God told the Israelites to eat and not to eat way back when, and then he explains the medical reasons why God would say that. Even though those dietary restrictions aren't necessary today, they're still a good idea for reasons the author explains very well. It turns out, God had some good reasons to tell His people not to eat pig.

Every Little Bit

I want to get back to basics.

This desire of mine started when I had my first baby and our income was half of what it had been. I relied heavily on Miserly Moms: Living on One Income in a Two-Income Economy which has been updated now to Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy. It was a great resource with lots of helpful hints to cut our expenses. One thing I learned from it: name brand companies are sourced by supermarkets to make their generic brands. So if you tend to go for the more attractively packaged name brand because you are familiar with the product, you may be spending money that you don't need to spend. At the very least, try out the generic brands. You might find that you like them (because they're really the name brand product!) and that you like the extra money in your pocket.

Homemade Granola & Yogurt

I have always loved vanilla yogurt with granola. Storebought is good. Homemade is better. Here are my standby recipes and the background stories on how I came to make them.

Homemade Granola

I've made granola for a while. Initially I started making granola to save money on cold cereal. But as the kids got older & coveted all those colorful boxes of sugary cereal, I caved to the ease of putting a cereal box in my cart instead of making granola at home. But really, making granola is pretty easy and the cost difference is significant, not to mention the significant health benefits.

This recipe I found in an old Mennonite cookbook. I love it because you determine what to put in it in the proportions that you want. You can use what you have on hand. You can use low cost ingredients or high cost ingredients. You can be organic - or not. You can add a certain healthy grain that your kids wouldn't get otherwise. You determine the outcome and benefits of this recipe.

Good Labels

some good labels

I like wine, but I am not a wine connoisseur. I really can't be bothered with the nuttiness or fruitiness of my wine. I like cheap wines and expensive wines. (Not that I've tasted many expensive ones.) So, when I'm at the store deciding what to buy, I really have two requirements:

1.) can I afford it? 
2.) does the label make me smile?

Since I have to be picky about spending money, and since I don't really know what clarity, nose and palate mean, I figure that I'm going to choose my wine based on something I can appreciate: good visuals and a sense of humor. I'll give my money to the winemakers who take the time to make a nice looking label or come up with a clever name.

My Ultimate Cooking Challenge

I have issued myself a cooking challenge: Use what's on hand for as long as you can before going to the grocery store to replenish.

Really it's more of a spending challenge: Since I don't have much money for groceries, spend as little as I can on groceries.

It's not so much of a challenge as it is my reality. This has resulted in some interesting meals.

Breakfast Cooking Challenge: Get Creative
When we ran out of milk for our cold cereal, there were eggs. Until we ran out of eggs, then it was oatmeal. Then toast. The less you have, the more creative you get. How about cold cereal with just a little water, then microwaved so it's warm and drizzled with honey? (Don't knock it until you are desperate enough to try it. And if you ever become desperate enough to try it, it might just taste edible.) See how my creative juices are flowing?