catvonc

I have never in my life understood the southern man's love of going out into the woods covering themselves in deer urine scent and camoflague clothing in orer to stalk and shoot animals.I have also never really enjoyed eating the meat of their resulting bounty and I really hated preparing the stuff. Something about the blood from the fresh processed wild game turned my stomach and I just couldn't do it. Well maybe my new found heart of stone cold demeanor has changed something in me... Read Full Story

I have been spending my long hours at work doing couponing and it has really paid off. I have been able to cut my monthly grocery bill by about 75%...and I have not had to shop at Walmart. ITs amazing. I've been primarily using these three websites: http://www.southernsavers.com/ http://www.iheartpublix.com/ http://www.attentiontargetshoppers.com/ is doing an awesome Publix gift card giveaway right now. I'm not sure how many of you that actually read this have a Publix in your area (and if... Read Full Story

I haven't done a real meal plan in awhile...everything has been haphazard and anti-planned. Its thrown me off my eating plan and everything else so I'm trying to get back on track again. So to use what we've got on hand this weekend I'm making this: Cheerio Breakfast Cookies Carne Adovado with Rice Layered Eggplant Casserole Thai Fish Lettuce Wraps Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Read Full Story

Wow it has been months since I logged in and posted...as usual I went through one of my bored with the Internet, cooking, gardening, really just bored with life in general slumps. I kept at the garden though-Its going good-but SLOW. Next year I really think I might just go ahead and plant from seedlings instead of seed to speed the process up. My coworkers have been bringing in bags of cucumbers, tomatoes and summer squash to share and my plants are just now starting to form their veggies... Read Full Story

(Tomato plant) I am a little late in posting this as these pics were taken last week Thursday...but you get the idea. We are one month in the ground now and things are growing nicely. The garden is more shaded than I had thought it was going to be. The trees in the woods have really gotten full with leaves and they are keeping the garden out of full sun for most of the early part of the day. I am thinking about taking a saw and hacking off a few of the larger branches. Anyway...here's how... Read Full Story

Today is the 3 week mark for the seedlings (and some seed) we put out in the garden. The rains have been kind to the plants and are really helping them grow rather nicely. Everything is growing and looking great except the broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts...they have bit the dust. But-they were from old seed packets so maybe that was the problem. Maybe I will plant a row of squash in their place. I've really got to get out there and start pinching off some leaves tonight in order to... Read Full Story

I was flipping through my food Network All Stars cookbook the other day and found a recipe for homemade English Muffins. YAY! I love English Muffins and have been using them instead of bread for my tuna and jalapeno sandwiches at lunch everyday. This recipe should be a great way to save money-plus have some homemade muffins stashed in the freezer for whenever I want them. Well-I had total English Muffin failure. I had apparently skimmed right past the part about needing metal rings to make... Read Full Story

Red and I had to make a quick run to the store this morning to pick up some movies from the Redbox and some movie snacks. While I was there I caught a glimpse of some popsicle molds on an endcap for $1.00. That was inspiration enough for me. I knew Red would enjoy making them, he loves to do anything that involves the blender. I picked up a can of frozen limeade concentrate to curb the sour craving I had going. I've got a freezer full of frozen fruits that we usually use for smoothies. Red's... Read Full Story

So it has been ten days since I put seeds and seedlings in the ground and so far so good! Everything has either grown a bit or started to come up. We had a rough few days of very cold temps, lots of wind and then finally quarter sized hail one day but it looks like the little plants have battled through and are going to do just fine. Here's some snaps of the seedlings at ten days in: Tomato plant Lettuce seedlings Spinach Radishes Cucumbers Peppers Yesterday I added some plant food and raked... Read Full Story

I've been sticking to my guns lately-working out, eating healthy, staying off the sauce (coffee for me...lol) and it has really been working. I mean I'm not pulling Biggest Loser numbers but I'm losing and I'm feeling better. I've been focusing on the amount of carbs, protein and fat I get each day by keeping a food journal of sorts. I'm doing it all online with the Sparkpeople nutrition tracker. I've used it in the past and it's really easy to use. You just plug in the food you eat or will... Read Full Story