Cooking From Scratch!

Hey Frugal Followers,

I was very inspired a while ago after watching a video about how you can eat anything you want if you just make it yourself. If you have to cook it from scratch, you'll be less likely to eat as much of it and ergo you'll be healthier for it. I unfortunately know very well the sad fact of baking or cooking all day. When I'm done I just want to get rid of the thing and barely touch it cause I feel so overwhelmed by the effort that went into it.

I've always been in the camp for trying to make things myself from using a bread maker to sewing small gifts for kids. I take a lot of joy making something special for someone but never really thought about seeing my meals that way. Don't get me wrong, I do love to cook when I'm not exhausted from working so much and have a youtube video to follow. But, I'm talking about everyday eating and that includes weekdays! I've been taking smaller steps to cook some of my foods completely from scratch and making them healthier and knowing what exactly is going in them. On the plus side, I get to use better quality ingredients and my taste buds thank me for it.

 My attempt at making a small one person portion of mash potatoes. Holy! One sized potato that is the size of two of my fists can make mash potatoes for 2-3 people! Lesson learned: get smaller potatoes!

We bought some extra lean ground beef and Winton makes the best burgers! He experiments with different recipes and ingredients and got a really good idea to put cinnamon in the burger patty. It is totally delish! This fresh beef burger beats any store bought fresh or frozen burger! The best part is you can make as big a patty or small as you like!

I have tried to make french fries on my own before, but forgot to take a picture. It didn't end up being as crispy as store bought fries nor as tasty. Apparently, it's not as simple as chopping up a potato and throwing it in some grease. I think my problem is that we only cook with EVOO and that probably contributed to the sogginess of my fries. I think next time I'm going to try to bake them instead and maybe using sweet potatoes instead of my favourite russet potato. 

Give cooking from scratch a try! Yes, it'll take more time but think of all the online shopping you won't be able to do and your wallet will thank you. Think of it as a way to spend time with your family that isn't in front of a screen. Have some fun, experiment with ingredients, all the while picking up some new skills in the kitchen!  

Eros and Pookie

Nutri-Bullet And Shopping Trip Feb 24, 2014!

Hi Again!

So, the Nutri-Bullet diet is going pretty well! Winton's been able to have one or two smoothies a day and I have been having one almost everyday. They are so filling that I can't really have another meal! I would love to take these to work and make a quick snack or have it for breakfast but don't want the risk of waking up Winton. The only time for me to have this is right when I get home from work, so I'll end up have dinner a bit later or right at the end of the day before bed or as midnight snack. The only thing is you gotta have a lot of stuff on hand since you use quite a bit to blend up into a drink!

 One of my smoothies! They aren't as healthy as Winton's but I'm getting there! My smoothies are usually filled with more fruits than veggies and with a touch more juice for flavour and sweetness. I add a finger size celery, a crap load of spinach, small bits of parsley and two fingers worth of carrots. That seems to be what I can tolerate before tasting too much greens. 

No Frills

- 2 X Kraft Dinner $.97 each

- Bananas $.57/lb

- Ritz Crackers pm'd from Food Basics for $1.44

- 2 X Campbell's Broccoli soups for $.98 each

- Tex Mex Shredded Cheese $5.98

- Miracle Whip $2.97

- Halah Chicken Legs $1.67/lb

- Broccoli pm'd from Freshco $.99/lb

- Spinach pm'd from Freshco $.99

- Cucumber $.97

- Asparagus $1.77

- Russet Potatoes $.97/lb

- Coconut Oil $2.49
(I'm on this mission make my own soap, laundry detergent and a bunch of other stuff) 

Eros and Pookie

Fondue?! Yes, Please!

Hi Gang!

We were first introduced to true Quebec fondue last year on our trip to Mont Tremblant with some good friends. It wasn't your typical fondue set that comes to mind, it consisted of a grill on top and eight individual trays under. The grill was to cook up our meats and the bottom was to melt cheese on top of our meat or veggie of choice. Our same friends decided to get us a little fondue set for Christmas! Man, it was a blessing and a curse all at once! We have been obessessed with having fondue dinners for the last couple of months and chocolate fondue for dessert. It's terribly tasty and amazing and all so fattening at once! I recommend you give it a try and see how good it and easy it is!

They sell this President's Choice fondue kit for about $6 at No Frills. Trust me, it's much cheaper and easier to grab this than going to a cheese store and picking up raclette cheese or something and white wine. The raclette cheese we bought at St. Lawrence Market cost us about $13 for a big block enough for two people and the wine cost us about $8-9 a bottle. If you get more serious with your fondue you can experiment with other cheeses and such, but to start off just grab this PC kit. With the kit, all you do is toss it into a pot and melt it on the stove and transfer to your fondue set... 

 

Voila! Cheesy goodness! You can basically add anything you want for your fondue dinner. Our staples are whole wheat bread, apples, pears, meatballs, bacon strips, and a variety of veggies. 

They sell Hershey's chocolate fondue kits which we've had before at Loblaws. However, I had so much left over Hershey kisses from Valentine's day that I decided to heat them all up at once for a fondue. I just played by ear and added what I had laying around, which was some milk but it's suggested to use whipping cream. 

I kept adding enough kisses to get the thickness I wanted 

And BAM! Chocolate fondue! Great for kids and the whole family and super easy! Just grab a bunch of fruits, marshmallows, and even some bacon and have at it. 

Enjoy!

Eros and Pookie

Eating Healthier, Shopping Trips and More Tax Prep!

Hey Guys,

Most of you who know me in person know I can have pretty bad eating habits. With a hectic work schedule and just pure laziness it can be so hard to cook dinner and not order some take out or grab a slice of pizza for dinner. So, with this year's goal of getting healthier I've been putting in a little effort into my diet and exercise. It's been a bit of a slow start but I think I'm getting there.

First off, I'm starting to walk to work again with the better weather we're having and I signed up for yoga classes in the condo! Which, by the way I absolutely love! It's fun, challenging and it's a small class and since it's in the condo I don't waste time walking through the snow hauling all my stuff to get there. I also try to do yoga at home when I can to build up my stamina for some of the harder poses.

Second, Winton's also got us a Nutri-bullet thing, so we've been making some crazy healthy smoothies with carrots, strawberries, spinach and whatever else we can think of. The best part is most of them taste amazing! He specifically makes Julie approved smoothies with more strawberries so I can't taste too much veggies. I can't bear to do the protein powder. I have to draw the line there as it just makes me want to gag! Bleh!

Here are some of my attempts of having a better breakfast on the weekends. Omelettes! I love them! Drinking juice is just too sweet for me so I usually dilute it like crazy. I use a 20% juice to 80% water ratio. I just need the flavour.

I discovered spinach and I love it! I just love leafy greens! 

Voila! Tasty spinach, cheese and bacon bits omelette! 

Salads! Learning to love them! :( They are pretty good but I gotta be in the mood for them. Which is almost never but Winton seems to eat them more now so I just force myself to eat them with him. This rare time I felt guilty and made a huge one myself and chopping up the leaves instead of getting it out of the pre-made box. I missed judge how much salad you can get from a few leaves of romaine! Besides, if I'm eating that much I can afford to treat myself to a Barq's. 

Here is stuff from my last couple shopping trips!

Shopping Trip 1! 

- Crap forgot how much the cocktail sauce was but it was 20 cents cheaper than normal

- 5 X 2pk of Lysol for $2 each

- Pears at 97 cents/lb

- English muffins at $1

- 2 X Stagg Chili at $2 each (emergency work lunches)

Shopping Trip 2!

- Old El Paso $3 - $2 coupon from save.ca

- Egg whites $2.27 - $1 coupon from save.ca and $1 rebate from Snapsaves

- Plantain 67 cents/lb

- Hellman's $3

- 2 X Low Sodium Ketchup $3 each

- 6 X Broccoli Soups at 98 cents each

- Strawberry Cream Cheese $3

 - Halal Hot Dogs $1

- Sweet Potato 77 cents/lb

- Chinese Pears 79 cents/lb

- 2 X Blackberries at $1 each

Good news!

I'm over the moon that the condo I live in downtown finally gets the Redplum coupons! Now, if I can get mailed the SmartSource too life would be grand! 

My Tax Prep Progress!

So, I finally sat my butt down and started to crunch the numbers for all my expenses! Reading receipt after receipt is so painfully slow. Thank goodness for my iPad and the Numbers program. I love just typing it in and hitting "sum"! It took me a good part of my day to separate the HST out of my expenses and what I paid over the year. It's definitely a good reflection on the amounts I spend over the year on all that stuff. I'll go over in detail what I do in another blog poset. I'm just glad the tedious part is over with. Now, it's just the waiting game to get all my statements mailed to me and start up a new file in my tax program! Hopefully, I'll have an easy weekend to plug in a few numbers and get started. Being self employed can be hard since they don't teach us any of this in school. Let alone the HST form I'll have to prepare. *Sigh* First world problems!

Eros and Pookie

Shopping Trips and Preparing Taxes!

Hi Everyone,

I've been in such a lazy mood for the last few weeks with the winter reaching -30 C daily. I've done the bare minimum with couponing and price matching by just checking a couple of stores for their deals. I can't but help dreaming of hiding under my sheets until spring arrives or dreaming about a quick trip south to recharge and bask in the sunlight. I hope you guys are all surviving and thriving! And Happy Chinese/Vietnamese New Year!

Here's what I promised! My shopping goodies from Walmart after New Years!

- Kinder Eggs $2

- 3 X Christmas card boxes for $1.75 each

- Owl Gift Card Tin 60 cents

- 8 X Various Ribbons ranging from 25 cents to 75 cents

If you're a big ribbon user like me, I find it hard to find good ribbon for cheap

- 2 X Non-seasonally descript wrapping paper for 75 cents

One was a red kraft type paper and another a super glittery red paper. Best part was they weren't the dollar store kind and was actually a large long roll that is about 3 or 4 times more than what I regularly would get from Dollarama.

Two Weeks Ago

 - Turkey Pie $1

- Baby Carrots $1

- Bagel Bites $1

- Chunky Soup $1

- 4 X Blueberries $1 each

- Empire Apple Bag $1

- Country Harvest Bread $2

- Bananas 57 cents/lb

- Snap Peas $1.50

- No Name English Muffins $1

- Barlett Pears 97 cents/lb

- Field Cucumber $.97

Last Week

- Wonder Bread $1.97

- Dolfino Havati $2.97
Makes really good grilled cheese!

- Activia 12 pk $4.97 

Who knew you could buy all strawberry flavour! That is the best thing ever!

- 8 X Grapefruits 4/$1

- Old Mill English Muffins $1

- Potato 97 cent/lb

- Plantain 97 cents/lb

Sadly, it's that time of year again where the government gets their pound of flesh from everyone in the form of taxes! There is a good two months left to get your things organized and pay up what you owe without incurring penalties. I found the stress of doing this last minute isn't worth it and if you're getting them done by someone else you'll be waiting in a long line up at the mall.

A few years ago, I used to be terrified to go get my taxes done as my parents always took care of things for me. But, I knew it was time to grow up and figure this crappy life chore myself. So, after being hugely dinged in my wallet by H&R to do my taxes as a self-employed person, I vowed to never take this huge financial hit again for my ignorance. I signed up for the next available H&R Block tax course and sat through 7 hours of a double tax class on Sundays for months. I was so dedicated going to every class after having worked till about 3-4am the night before. I can't say I can do my taxes perfectly as I learned you can never know EVERYTHING about taxes but I'm glad to say I'm a lot more knowledgeable about it. I tried to make it my friend than make it my enemy. This one course helped me:

- Budget properly to account for taxes paid in April
- How I pay and keep receipts
- Organize my paperwork for taxes and remitting HST
- Force me to see what I spend
- Get me to submit all my receipts to get reimbursed from my benefits so I can claim the remaining amount I actually paid
- Keep me on top of my TFSA and RRSP contributions
- It actually saved me money! Knowing what I can deduct/claim and enrolling me in government programs like getting an HST Credit!

Taxes just seem scary because most people just don't understand them nor want to. Who can blame them, it's probably one of the most boring subjects on the planet! So, if you're like me and are self employed take baby steps and learn to understand how taxes work. If you're like most people I know and get a T4 from an employer, you can still benefit by learning to do your own taxes and saving the dough you'd pay for someone. Or figure out how you can make filing benefit you and your family.

Good Luck!

Eros and Pookie

Shopping Trip to Shoppers and Huge Sears Clearance Sale!

Hi Guys,

I scored some amazing deals lately! I got some post Christmas stuff from Walmart, which I forgot to take a picture of. So, maybe I'll post those at a later time.

Last night, I hit up the local Shoppers Drug Mart for some great deals! Check them out! I love using the gift cards and getting double points!

 - 2 X Royal Tissue Paper $3.99 and for each I had a $2 off coupon from GoCoupons, $1 credit from Snap Saves and $1 off from CartSmart. Essentially, I got both these boxes for FREE!!! 

- 5 X BioLife Detergent $5.99 each. Unfortunately, we only use this brand and it's down a few dollars this week and we are low. I'm still holding my breath for the crazy sale they had more than a year ago when they were $3.88 or something compared to regular $8.99-$9.99.

- 3 X Classico pasta sauces $1.97 each

- 2 X Colgate $.88 each

- 2 X Aquafresh $.88 each

I don't know if you guys are living around a Sears that is liquidating but the one here at Eaton Centre is have a massive furniture and merchandise sale on practically everything. I just went this morning and found some amazing deals! Unfortunately, I live in a small space and can't buy any big stuff like tables and chairs. But, I'm definitely going to go back after work to see what else they've got that could be useful! 

Picnic Table for $75! Wow! I wanted to pick this up for my mom but I think someone would jack this from her house :(

See ya next time!

Eros and Pookie

Happy New Year!

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had a great ending to 2013 and a good running start for 2014! I feel strangely tired and refreshed all at the same time! I've been keeping weird hours but I loved seeing friends and family during the holidays. But now it's time to face reality and gear myself up to head back to the office.

In total, I made three turkeys over the holidays! Thank goodness I got them all on sale! Sadly, the pre-made stuffing wasn't on sale too. They cost almost as much as the turkey themselves! I received this great turkey rub recipe from my boss that I loved, so I recreated it again this year. The secret to moist turkey is to stuff butter under the skin near the breast and cook them breast side down for about 1/3 of the time. The hard part is flipping over a super hot and heavy bird in the middle of cooking. I like to cover with foil so the top skin won't get too burnt and just remove when it's almost time to eat.

My raw turkeys

The butter!

I don't believe in buying fruit platters from the supermarket and prefer to pick and chop up my own fruit for my party. Why spend $20 on a fruit platter when you can spend much less and a few minutes of your own time to get 10 times the fruit. I'm also big on presentation and making stuff look as appetizing as it can be. 

 I also made fresh gingerbread cookies. Here is the slowest moving ingredient I've ever worked with! It took about 10 mins to get about 1/2 cup and cost me about 80 cents.

I'm so happy to now have a hand mixer! It makes life so much easier!

Using my cookie cutters for the first time! Everyone loved the Hello Kitty designs.

Tasty even without icing!

I also made my famous Skor cookies a.k.a. "Crack Cookies" as some friends like to call them.

Whole wheat flour all the way! 

Too much food!

I hope everyone has as much fun and food as I did this holiday! And I can't wait to write up some more money saving deals and tips this new year!

Eros and Pookie