Abundatrade – woo-hoo!!

Have you ever heard of abundatrade.com?  I had not until very recently.  It is a site where you can trade in used CD’s, DVD’s / Games and books for other items or CASH!

They have a value estimator on their website where you can enter in the ISBN or UPC of your items and they will tell you how much they will pay you for it – in cash/trade value.

This is JUST what I needed to get me going today…the promise of extra money AND the ability to get rid of a few more items!

I went through our house and rounded up a few books/DVD’s and got to work entering them on abundatrade.com…my trade value should be about $64!! I am mailing off 3 book s and 17 DVD’s today!

I am also donating an extra 8 books to goodwill today.

Total items purged today:  28

YTD total number of items purged: 107

Home made ricotta cheese

I dont make very many meals using ricotta cheese.  Mainly because it is expensive and I am cheap!

I found a “recipe” online that seemed pretty easy so I gave it a shot a few months back and it worked!  It was easy and cheap!  Two of my favorite things!

What you will need:

Large saucepan

spoon

3 cups whole milk (or 2% but you wont get as much cheese)

1/3 c white vinegar (I have heard lemon juice works too but never tried it)

Place the saucepan on the stove and dump in the milk (recipe can be doubled, tripled or quadrupled if you need more cheese).  Turn the burner on to medium low and heat the milk for 10 minutes.  Milk should be hot, but not boiling.  Set the timer for 10 minutes and walk away – no stirring necessary.  After 10 minutes, dump in the vinegar and stir.  You will instantly see it start to separate into curds and whey.  One the curd has completely separated out you can stop stirring.  You can tell if the curd is completely separated out because the whey will be clear and no longer white.  If you stir for 2 minutes and the whey is still white or slightly white, add another glug of vinegar from the jug….precise measurements are not necessary.

Once everything has separated, let it cook (medium low) for another 10 minutes.  No need to stir it or baby sit it.

Once the timer goes off, strain the curd from the whey through a fine mesh strainer.  If you dont have a fine mesh strainer, line a regular colander with cheesecloth or plain cotton, and strain away.

Once most of the whey is drained off, rinse the cheese under cold water. Let it drain again.  Use immediately or store (covered) in the fridge for up a to a week.  I have never tried freezing it, but it would probably work.

This is what it looks like about 30 seconds after you add the vinegar

Once the curd and whey are completely separated

While straining

Voila!  Ricotta cheese.  Easy Peasy.

patience is a virtue my dear…..

one that I am trying very hard to restore to my life!

A two year old at their best can test your patience…toss a 5 month old in the mix and you have hell on earth some days.

sometimes it takes all my willpower to just breathe.  relax. and then respond.

I have discovered that if I delay responding – even for a second – it allows me to respond without becoming frustrated.  It may seem overly simplistic, or common sense to some, but when I am dealing with a tantrum from a 2 year old and a screaming teething infant – its NOT second nature,  lol.

so on my journey to becoming a more patient parent, I think I am progressing.  I still have quite a ways to go, but baby steps in the right direction are better than no steps in the right direction.

Sold!

So in my quest to eliminate items from my home, and become debt free, I have been selling and donating lots of items.

Recently leaving my house as donated items:

Snapping cloth “paper towels” and pvc pipe “roll”

acrylic diaper cover

wool diaper cover

diaper with missing snap

potpourri gift set thingy

3/4 unused package of disposable pads

3 gerber diaper covers

6 cloth napkins

1 kids jacket

Sold:

3 pairs of wool longies

1 pair of wool shorts

5 pairs of cloth nursing pads

13 packets of dylon dye

2 yards of white microfiber

10 microfiber towels

1 yard of raw silk

Total: 45 more things out!

Back on the bandwagon

I have been slacking the last 2 weeks on my “no flour, no sugar” diet…and it shows!  I haven’t lost a single pound in the last 2 weeks…so it is time to get back onto the bandwagon and resume where I left off.

My weight Tuesday 1/19 is 206.6, I would like to get to 200lbs by 1/30 so I don’t have to buy a new dress for a wedding I am going to.  I think I can do it.

The game plan:

No flour

No sugar

~60% raw foods

Murphy came to visit us this month

Well this month we have had a clogged tub, clogged toilet and car trouble…on one hand at least January had 3 paychecks, but on the other hand I REALLY wanted that money to go towards paying off the equity line.  Oh Well.

Total spent this month because of Murphy:

$50 on a rod to declog the toilet

$5 to declog the tub (luckily my dad got it unclogged with a plunger and some draino)

$1080 to fix the car (needed new catalytic converter, water pump and timing belt)

Amount we should have been able to put into savings this month – $2100, amount we will put into savings  $970.  Still a great number, but not quite what I was hoping for.

Where does all this junk come from?!

I swear someone sneaks into my house in the middle of the night and leave clutter behind!  I feel like I am constantly donating/selling/tossing things we no longer need or that no longer work, and yet there is ALWAYS more.

So to add to my goal of eliminating 2,010 items in 2010  the following is leaving my house

donating to salvation army:

plastic slotted spoon, banana keeper (dont ask), plastic lei, avocado slicer, 2 jar openers, small stuffer bear

Giving to my friend:

8 infant sleepers, 4 infant shirts, 2 infant blankets, 4 bottles,  one boppy pillow cover

throwing away

3 stained (beyond  recognition) infant onsies

Total: 29 items leaving my house

The Miracles of Miraclean

Miraclean is an all natural, all purpose cleaner that is safe to use on any and all surface including (but not limited to) hard surfaces, painted surfaces, carpet, hardwood, stainless steel, tubs, cement, glass, and more!

Just look at what it did for a cherry tylenol stain on light carpeting!

Mushrooms and pizza and apple crisp – YUM!

So as part of my goal to eat healthier, I have decided that I need to try at least 3 new recipes per week that are flour and sugar-free.  So far this week I have tried making Tofu stuffed Mushrooms, Flourless Pizza and flourless/sugarless apple crisp.

Tofu stuffed mushrooms

2 packages (16oz) button mushrooms

1 package silken tofu, drained (8oz)

1/2 c parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping

1 tablespoon dried italian seasoning

pinch salt

10 grinds black pepper

1 tbs fresh basil

Clean and destem the mushroom, saving the stems.  In a food processor, chop the mushroom stems to a fine mince (can be done by hand too, but it is more work).  Add the tofu, cheese, and seasonings and mix until well combined – it will look like a thick paste.  Add this paste to a gallon sized zip top bag.

On a baking sheet, line up the mushrooms, top down and drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Take the zip lock bag of filling and squeeze it into one corner while twisting the bag to lock the filling into the corner of the bag.  Snip the tip of the bag with a pair of scissors.  Squeeze the bag to add a small amount of filling to each mushroom.  Top with parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until golden brown and delicious!

This makes quite a few mushrooms, but you can freeze them on the baking sheet (before baking) and then bake at a later date!  I made them all at once to serve for New Years Eve.    These were really quite good and tasted  like they were made with bread crumbs and not tofu. I will definitely make these again!

Flourless Pizza

3 cups cold, cooked rice

2 eggs

2 cup shredded cheese, divided

1/2 cup pizza sauce

toppings of your choice

Combine Rice, eggs and 1 cup cheese in a bowl.  Pat this mixture into a 8×8 baking pan.  Push firmly into the pan.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown…add the remaining ingredients.  Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This was alright, though it tasted more like a casserole than pizza.  But overall it wasn’t bad.  I probably wont make this again.

Apple crisp

3 cups sliced apples

1/2 cup sugar free syrup

1 cup oatmeal

3/4 c splenda

4 tbsp butter

In a food processor grind the oats to a powder…add in splenda and butter and pulse until it forms crumbles.

In a pie dish, put the apple slices and then top with the sugar-free  syrup…top with the crumble mixture from the food processor.

Bake at 350 for 25  minutes or until the apples are tender and the crumble is golden brown.

This was alright.  I am not a bid fan of sugar-free syrup, which is probably why I didn’t like it so much.  It tastes like chemicals (which is what all sugar-free syrup tastes like if you ask me).  It was sweet however and did satisfy my sweet tooth.  I may or  may not make these again…I will try new dessert recipes first though before I make this again.

Well, here we go!

January 1, 2010

Well, today is the day.  Today is the day I start my journey towards a better me.   A better mother….a better wife.

I have been thinking a lot about my 2010 new year resolutions this year.  Mulling over what I need to accomplish this year to craft the new and improved me.  Usually I stick with “safe” resolutions….things that dont require much effort and because of that, dont offer much reward.

This year is different.  This year I resolve to:

• Be more patient with my kids.  They deserve it.
• Be more loving towards my husband, both physically and emotionally
• Become more healthy through exercise and a healthier diet
• Simplify and Organize my home
• Continue towards complete financial freedom

Be more patient with my kids.

I have turned into one of “those” moms while at home.  You know the ones I am talking about…the ones who make you raise an eyebrow and think inwardly “I would NEVER do that.”    I’m the mom you see loosing it when their kids simply asks for something.  The one who sighs and then barks “NO” to a simple request.  I have no patience anymore with my kids.  The littlest thing seems to set me off lately and I HATE IT.   So from now on when I want to scream or snap at my two-year old I work on expressing myself without showing the frustration.   One thing I am implementing is an afternoon activity.   Each day we will turn off the TV after lunch and do an activity of some sort.  Maybe a craft, maybe a workbook…just something that will keep us working quietly together and building a better relationship between us.

Be more loving towards my husband

He works hard and deserves a wife that is more loving and emotionally supportive than I have been lately.

Become more healthy through exercise and a healthier diet

I have been seriously lacking in this department and it shows.  And two kids in 2.5 years certainly didnt help.  I weighed in this morning at a disgusting 205.6 pounds!  When hubby and I met, I weighed 165lbs.  Thats a 40lb gain! Disgusting.  I will be continuing my no flour, no sugar diet….exercising for 30 minutes 4 days per week, and trying to incorporate more whole foods into every meal.  One way I am going to do this is to try a new flour and sugar free recipe 3 times per week.  It does not have to be a “meal” recipe – it can be a snack, salad, side dish or main course….so long as it is sugar and flour free.

Simplify and Organize my life and home

In 2010  I will throw away or donate 2,010 items currently in my house.  This can be any combination of items (kids stuff, household goods, anything I can get my hands on).  Anything that is usable, I will either sell or donate.   Anything broken or with missing pieces will be thrown away.  Each month i will tackle one “problem area” in my home…maybe the toys, maybe the computer desk and its never ending paper clutter…you never know what I might tackle one day!

Continue towards complete financial freedom

Hubby and I have been following Dave Ramsey since January 2008.  I that time we have paid off over $32K!  We completed Baby Step 2 (pay off all consumer debt) in April of 2009…it was a WHOPPING $28K in credit cards and 1 car loan.  Now we are working on saving cash for a fully funded emergency fund (5-6 months of living expenses) and then stockpiling cash to pay for a home addition in 4-5 years.  Our goal is to save $15k a year for the next 4 years in order to have $60K set aside to add an addition onto our house as we are quickly outgrowing it .