5 Reasons Why I Would Be a Terrible Health Food Blogger

5 Reasons Why I Would Be a Terrible Health Food Blogger

1. The lighting in my apartment is terrible for food photography. It is always too dark and kind of yellow.

2. My husband wouldn’t eat anything I would make. He’s a mac ‘n’ cheese/Top Ramen/Instant Lunch kind of guy. To anyone whose husband will eat beans, peas, pork, or black olives, lucky, lucky you.

3. I only care about what’s in my food some of the time. One day I can be appalled at the long list of ingredients in Totinoes’ Pizza, or heaven forbid, the HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP that’s in…well, basically everything. The next day (like today), I decide that I really want a cup of hot chocolate with little marshmallows on top (and corn syrup is probably all it’s made of anyway).

4. I can’t invent recipes for the life of me. I usually end up rotating around the same 15 recipes. Meatloaf, lasagna, pasta salad, tacos, meatloaf, lasagna…rinse and repeat. You get the picture.

5. I could never take pictures of the inside of my fridge because it’s not filled with organic almond milk, Greek yogurt, or quinoa. I don’t have children, but it sure looks like I do because my fridge is filled with string cheese and Gogurt.

A Housewifey Day

I just felt “housewifey” today and had to share. Since I spent last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday laid up with a migraine, none of the housework or laundry got done. I rested Sunday since I was feeling a little better, and then today, rolled up my sleeves and got to work. The Housewifey Successes of today:

• Went to Office Depot because of a coupon deal I had read about, and actually scored these cool labels for FREE!

• Made a trip to Fred Meyer with a coupon, got a great deal from their 40% clothing clearance AND scored 4 bags of Tillamook Cheese ($1 each).
• Ran into Winco for a couple things. Got home to realize my cinnamon got rung up as bacon bits. I think I got a good deal on that cinnamon bacon bits.
• Dusted and cleaned the floors! (very important because Baldue the cat leaves behind a heinous amount of cat hair in the summer) It’s amazing what a difference that small amount of cleaning makes.
• Now I’m going to take a nap. And hey, I don’t even need a coupon–it’s free!

Getting A Great Deal

…out of life!

Well, this post is actually more about getting a great deal with your money. Just thought I would share a few sites with some great deals to check out.

Groupon.com

Click on my referral link to sign up. Groupon features a daily deal (must be purchased that day) on anything from clothing to coffee. They have also recently added a Groupon Now! feature (not available in all cities yet) so that you are not limited to the featured deal of the day.

Target

Click this link to view Target’s deal of the day. Again, the deal must be purchased the same day it is featured. I have seen some really great sales on this site. Even better, free shipping comes with these daily deals.

Frugal Living NW

This site has a regular feed that includes links to free samples, links to printable coupons, and posts about the best deals at the main grocery stores.

Money Saving Mom

This site features the author’s video tips on budgeting, as well as links to coupons, samples, deals, etc.

Restaurant.com

This site does not include every restaurant in any city, but you do get a wide variety of options and they often have a deal for 80% off. Be aware of the fine print: required gratuity and required minimum purchase at some restaurants.

 

 

Trying to Sleep

My brain never wants to sleep. My body wants to sleep. My eyelids are closing. But my brain is doing a little dance trying to distract me with a last minute stab at budgeting and last night, a trip down memory lane. When I’m trying to quiet my brain down and get to sleep, I forgo the old sheep counting trick and instead picture myself in a restful place.

I imagine that I’m 7 years old again–outside for the day lying on a carpet of lush, green grass. As I gaze up at a perfectly clear blue sky, I find animals in the clouds. It doesn’t get any more restful than that. Except last night.

Imagining myself as a child reminded me of my Great Aunt Donavie and Uncle R.B. My very first memory of her is driving down to Oregon for a visit. At the time, I was really into making those little nylon potholders. When we arrived, we found her in the bedroom finishing up her makeup. I was intensely curious since my mom never wore makeup. My Uncle R.B. had immediately “legend” status because he had a hook on one arm. He had lost his arm many years earlier in a logging accident.

I haven’t seen my Great Aunt Donavie in many years (and Uncle R.B. since has passed away), but here are a few things I enjoy remembering about her.

1. How much she loved her little dog, Abear. He was definitely her “baby” and when we arrived at her house, Donavie would inevitably be stealthily feeding him a special treat. I will never forget walking into her kitchen and seeing the dog standing in the cake pan.
2. The sweet way she made me feel individually special. There are adults who you doubt if they were ever children themselves. Then there are adults who have that special lilt in their voice and way of making a child feel how treasured they are. Donavie was definitely the latter. She made loading the dishwasher fun!
3. One way Donavie made me feel special is my whispering little secrets to me. Sneaking a little extra ice cream in our bowls (“Don’t tell your dad.”). Making gravy from a powdered mix (“Shh, hide that. Don’t tell.”).
4. The stories she would tell about being a teenager and handsome Uncle R.B. coming around to woo her.

I don’t have any great moral lesson to pull out of this segment of memories, but I did come across this quote.

“God gave us memories that we might have roses in December.” ~J.M. Barrie, Courage, 1922

The perfume makes me smile.

Coldstone Compatibility

I consider my husband and I to be particularly “compatible.” The phrase “opposites attract” doesn’t really apply to us. As we look at other couples, we feel that we tend to have more in common than the average couple–except when it comes to ice cream. I was craving chocolate the other day and was leaning toward a chocolate ice cream from Winco. I do try to get something we would both enjoy, but all my husband wanted was fruity flavors. I finally said, “We’re really not compatible when it comes to ice cream!”

We were driving when I said this and suddenly he switches lanes and drives right past Winco. “We are too!” he said as he bought us some ice cream to share. Turns out I had forgotten how much I like the Cheesecake Fantasy from Coldstone.

Cheesecake Fantasy

via

This delicious blend of graham crackers, strawberries, blueberries, and cheesecake ice cream definitely chased off my chocolate blues (well, and it came in a chocolate covered waffle bowl). Apparently, it chases off incompatibility as well. 🙂