DIY Herb Garden

Finally got a chance to sit down at the computer, and I have so much to blab (blog) about! We are finally in the house which took way longer than planned. I guess my husband and I are busier than I thought. Nevertheless, we are finally in! The DIY projects have begun, and I'm loving it! It is awesome being able to do whatever you want to a place, unlike the apartment where every hole I put in the wall was followed by the "Ugh, I'm going to have to patch that" thought.

One of the first things I wanted to do in the new house was get out and work on the yard. It's past the point where I can get a veggie garden going, but I still needed to get something growing. I hit the pinterest, and found a great idea from Fancy Frugal Life. An herb garden for your deck! Now, we have a huge deck, so why not? Headed to the store and 2 hours later had an awesome herb garden that is now
growing like crazy!

Basically, you just throw some plants into pots and stack them on each other. Cheers for space saving! I decided to paint my pots because I hate that orange color that clay pots are naturally. I actually only got samples of paint, which is much cheaper than buying a whole gallon or even a quart for a project like this. So there's a tip! If you ever need just a little bit of paint, get some samples! I didn't even use a whole jar on these guys. And I think the little pots are cute.

After they were painted, I just threw it all together. The pots dried incredibly fast, which was awesome because I was losing sunlight. 

And of course, I always have my shadow by my side. She loves the smell of the herbs just as much as I do. I have to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't eat them....silly dog. 

And there ya have it! It's pretty attractive, minus the pathetic looking cilantro down there on the bottom. Starting from the top, I have two kinds of oregano, then parsley and stevia on the middle tier. And finally dill, cilantro, and basil are on the bottom. 

I'm mostly excited about my Stevia plant. If you are interesting in growing anything, but have no idea where to start, go with Stevia and Basil. Both are super easy to grow and use. I just love putting the stevia in my coffee in the mornings. AND it is saving me a bunch of moolah at the store!

Now THIS...

...is what my herbs look like now. Crazy right? What a difference a couple of weeks makes! I've started harvesting some herbs to dry, and have used some fresh basil in some dishes. I don't have any pictures of it, but I also have a tomato plant that is growing too. Hopefully that one works out. It seems to be struggling a bit. 

Loving the house, loving the neighbors. It's all going pretty well! Hope your summer has kicked off on the right foot too!

Until next time, <3

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Vegetables and Stuff

Back to food!

Soooo Vegetables. The ever important part of a meal that we often forego...or at least I have a bad habit of doing so. Let's back track a bit so I can explain my history with vegetables. Where I grew up, there are four vegetables...potatoes, corn, peas, and green beans. Tomatoes are in there too, but some consider it a fruit (I'm on team veggie!). Needless to say, I was not raised eating many vegetables, therefore "hated" them whenever they were offered. When I got to college, I forced...literally....myself to learn to eat new things, most of which were vegetables. I've had to learn many ways to incorporate vegetables into meals where I won't hate eating every bite.

So why are we told to eat our veggies? Why is there so much hype about them? Well, in terms on nutrition, they are like a gold mine for vitamins and minerals, like seriously the mecca of nutrition availability. Eating a diet rich in veggies may lower your risk of developing cancer and/or heart disease. They are low in fat and calories and carbs! Well, most are low in carbs... except the good ones I mentioned earlier in this post. Veggies are also good for your skin, eyes, and teeth.

Green, leafy vegetables are where it's at. In my vitamins class I took in college (yes, a whole class devoted to vitamins...I actually took two) if I didn't know the answer to a question, I'd put green leafy vegetables, and usually got the question right. Colors are important when it comes to vegetables. A variety of colors means a variety of nutrients, so "eating the rainbow" is a good rule of thumb. Skittles was headed in the right direction with their slogan.

The USDA has a general guideline of making half of your plate vegetables (and fruits). That may seem like a lot of vegetables, but most of the times the "plates" we are thinking of are much larger than the plate they are referring to.

Vegetables have a bad rep for being expensive, and it's true, they can be...if you don't know what to look for. Buying in season is extremely important if you want to buy totally fresh. But if you live in the midwest like I do, seasons are ever changing, and man do they change fast. Frozen is your next best choice. I like to stock up on bulk and always have a few different veggies on hand. Canned is a last resort, however it is usually the cheapest option. Canned foods have a bad rep right now because of high sodium content and other chemicals used to preserve them. Just wash them! Wash the food after you take it out of the can and before you cook them. Part of the problem solved! Buy buy fresh if you can ;)

I'm planning on posting some recipes that I use to "hide" my veggies so I can eat them. Hopefully sooner rather than later!

IN OTHER NEWS! I purchased a Kitchen Aid mixer like 20 minutes ago. I AM SO EXCITED! Here's to more cooking!

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Fail.

This isn't a post about vegetables. Sorry to disappoint.

I'm not even going to try to make excuses for failing to post for (ahem) four-ish months. Let's just say a lot has happened and blogging just didn't cross my mind. My life is changing so rapidly, I can hardly keep up. But that's what blogs are for right? It's the 21st century diary of sorts...except its completely public.

I've never been one to share my feelings or thoughts freely with complete strangers, but hey why not? I'm sure someone might have some insight for me as I continue on this crazy roller coaster of a life. There have been good's and bad's in the past few months. I hesitate to say "bad" because I know my life isn't all that tough. I am incredibly blessed, and I often take it for granted. I guess my bad's are really just trials; things that God throws in our mix to test us and see how we handle it. I think we are doing ok. So I'm going to ramble a bit and share with you why I haven't gotten to blogging.

So here's what has been happening. I'll start with the not so good:

• My husband's grandmother passed away. I work in long term care and deal with death every day. But the passing of a family member is never easy.
• My husband's company was bought out. This isn't exactly a bad thing, but it is a very uncertain thing. We have no idea what the future holds for his job, and it stresses me out to no end. It is a test of my faith for sure.
• I realized that I've gained 10lbs. Okay okay, I know this really isn't something to complain about since it is totally my own fault, but that's why I'm so upset about it. I should know better. 
• We have been looking for a house. Anyone that has gone through this process can agree that it is STRESSFUL. There was one point when we were told that we couldn't get approved for a loan until June...our lease is up in May. 
• My student loans kicked in. We knew it was coming, but it has been a huge adjustment and honestly I've had to readjust all of my meal planning tactics. Part of me felt like I couldn't blog about food and savings because I felt like I knew nothing all of a sudden. I'm getting my groove back though...I think...

But here's the good and exciting things

• I started selling Gold Canyon candles! I wanted to explore the option of a second income, but my schedule just wouldn't allow it. I learned about this company from a friend, and I must say that I'm very happy that I chose this sales company to work for. The products are great and I have a lot of fun sharing them with others.
• My dream job opened up. I applied, that's the extent of that. I'll keep you posted if anything happens.
• My husband decided that he wants to pursue a different path in his career. Usually, this would really freak me out. I don't handle change very well, but this is a good move and will be great for him. I'm happy for him!
• I turn 24 tomorrow. I know it isn't old, but I feel like it is. I found a gray hair the other day and I felt very indifferent about it. Weird? Maybe a little. 

And lastly...We got a house!!! We scheduled our closing date tonight and will be closing Friday! Not moving too far away, only 10 minutes. But we have a 2 acre lot and plenty of space for our dog to run around (and room for babies...our mothers are ecstatic).  I cannot wait to get out of this apartment! Also it will give me so much more to blog about since I have a gigantic list of projects that I want to do in this house and can't wait to get started!

I think that's it. I'll get back to food eventually. But for now, I'll leave you with this pic of dinner that I made tonight. It may have been one of the easiest things I've ever made. Served with a side salad, it was perfect.

Until next time!
<3

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CARBS CARBS CARBS

As promised, I'd hit on a female favorite for my next post. Now the title is a bit misleading, but I figured it would get your attention. Was I right?

This post is really about Grains. Grains have a bad reputation of sort right now. Everyone and their brother (it seems) have suddenly developed gluten intolerances (not Celiac's disease), and the rest of the world is "cutting out carbs" to lose weight. I'll say it now to get it over with: I'm a cheerleader for grains. Not all grains have gluten in them, and if you actually did cut out all carbs, you'd likely be dead. So there's that!

So grains. Grains are any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain. The products we are most familiar with are breads, pastas, tortillas, oatmeal, and breakfast cereals. There are two types: Whole Grains and Refined Grains. Whole grains have more of nutritional benefit to them as they are exactly what they say, whole grains. Refined grains (white grains) have had the germ and bran removed, which house dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins. Therefore, whole grains are usually a more nutritionally sound option when you have the choice. 

There are many benefits to eating grains. They are packed with B vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function properly. Whole grains can help reduce the risk of heart disease, and can even help with weight management (go figure).

According to the USDA, the amount of grains you need varies with age and gender. However, you should make half of your grains whole grains, and make them 1/4 of your plate. Now, I know that whole grains aren't always the tastiest of things, but try different products until you can settle on some you like. I've converted my husband into a whole grain eater, and I honestly don't even know if he's even noticed.

When it comes to meal building, I focus on making sure there is a carb involved. You may not know this but carbs are very important for your body. Carbohydrates turn into glucose in your cells, which is what fuels most all processes in your body. So cutting out carbs is like never filling your car up with gas and expecting it to run. But grains are not the only carbohydrate source, dairy and fruits are also considered carb sources. I tend to be liberal with this when counting the carbohydrate source in my meals.

For example, if I am making a soup, I will count the cheese and milk base as my carb source, and the protein for the meal. This means I don't have a grain in every meal, but if I worry about it, a piece of whole grain bread with an olive oil spread fixes that pretty quickly.

Grains are great. They can really bulk up a meal, which can make you feel more full, which can save in cost of the meal, which is the goal right? Also, grains are usually pretty cost effective.

Okay, these posts are pretty boring...I'm sorry. There are 2 parts left to cover (I'm combining 2 into 1 to save time), then I'll get into more exciting things. I might post a recipe here soon to break up the boring!

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Proteins!

Two days isn't bad right? I meant to post yesterday, but we have small group on Monday's. When I get home from group, I'm pretty much out for the night. I've hit old lady status in my book. Also my dog is teething, so I have to keep her from chewing on anything and everything...including walls...

Ok Mallory, Focus....Let's learn how to build a meal! It sounds so simple, and it is. You just need to make sure you have all of the parts of the puzzle. Now, I'll be the first to admit, I don't always have all of the parts, but I try my hardest to have a varied meal that incorporates all of the food groups. Trust me, it is easier than you may think.

So let's dive right in shall we? I decided to be biased and post my favorite food group first: Proteins. Proteins play a HUGE part in your body, I'm talking molecular level important. So it is important to have adequate protein in your diet. Basically, your DNA wouldn't replicate without it, which would be bad...so don't cut out protein...please. 

Protein Sources:

• Meat, Eggs, Fish (no brainers)
• Dairy Products
• Legumes, Nuts, Seeds
• Whole Grains/Cereals
• Fruits and Vegetables (protein content is minimal in comparison)

Your body needs multiple sources and different kinds of proteins to work correctly, which is where vegetarians can run into issues. Vegetarians need to eat multiple foods to make a complete protein that the body can use, whereas animal proteins usually make up a complete protein. A lot of times, those who are vegetarian don't know how to replace what they aren't getting from meat with other foods. 

ANNOUNCEMENT: I am not against vegetarianism by any means. I just couldn't do it myself. 

Now that that is off of my chest, I can move on. 

It is my preference to begin planning a meal with the meat. For the vegetarians out there, this can be translated to your protein source of choice. I try not to have the same protein source more than one day a week, or at least try to spread them out (I could eat chicken every day). Every once in a while, I'll have a meatless meal, but my husband usually whines when this happens and ends up eating a snack later on. I think he is just being dramatic. Proteins can be very filling, regardless of what kind.

For example, the other day I had broccoli and cheddar soup. There was a hefty amount of cheese in the soup, and it had a milk base. That's enough protein for me, so no meat for that meal. Plus meat can get expensive, so meatless meals are OK for me. 

How much do you need? Well for adults, the USDA suggests having 5-6oz equivalents a day (see the website for specifics), and it should be 1/4 of your plate. 3oz of meat is about the size of a woman's palm if you were wondering. Most Americans eat too much protein on average, just a fun fact. Too much protein can contribute to wt gain...(dangit).  But when it comes to cost savings, this works out in our favor. 4 chicken breasts can technically count as 8 -3oz servings of protein. I eat by this portion size, my husband doesn't. It's up to you. 

I feel like I'm rambling at this point, so I'm going to stop talking, er um typing. 

Moral of this story:

• Proteins are important
• Suggested serving size is 3oz
• To me, it is the main event of the dish

Hope I didn't confuse anyone! As always, any questions, feel free to leave them below! I'll hit on every female's favorite food group next time...bet you can't guess what that is ;)

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