bunsofaluminum's journal

[carollynne]

Buns, hope your friend is doing better. did not sound goo though...
Your meal of the spinach, hummus and arugula salad with mango salsa, is a winner for real. will have to try it all, I am growing my own arugula in 2 oblong planters on top of a wooden big cable reel thing, DH brought home. It is perfect so I don to have to bend down to ground and also the rabbits cannot get to it either. The arugula is very zingy, and my tiny crop is still very small, but big enuff to sample. I love it, but too much of it, I don't know if I could eat a big bag of it too often.
Really hope your friend is going to pull thru and you can start her with Mc Dougaling......
let us know!

[bunsofaluminum]

Hey carrollynne...my friend is home from the hospital. The heart attacks permanently damaged a small section of her heart, including shutting down one artery. It's ironic, because she's lost some weight this past year and been working out, and she eats healthy Omnivore (not a junk food nor heavily processed food SAD diet)

anyway. She's home and doing well. I'm grateful that she made it through okay.

I'm doing okay. Not happy with the scale (up two lbs, after going down four...ugh) but it's my own fault. However, because of monetary restrictions, I plan on simpler meals. Munching between meals is completely out, because I can't afford to buy munchy type stuff. With my boy's graduation, his child support goes away. He is sorta kinda working on finding a job. I'll push that harder, for sure. He HAS GOT to become employed.

So, out of necessity, I'll be eating MWL ...or maybe Mary's Mini, simply because my food budget won't allow for lots of fancy stuff. I have enough food in the house for good, basic meals. Probably fresh greens will not be abundant, but it's possible that there will be some. A local church every Friday serves a meal to anyone who comes (lots of the same folks as at the Mission) and they give away anything they have in abundance. This past Friday, and last, it was cucumbers. Like, 10 lbs of em! and last week I got a whole case of spinach that I'm still eating. This week, potatoes, but they were all gone by the time I got over there.

In the house, I have lentils, beans, rice, quinoa, some russets, canned tomatoes, a huge variety of flavorings, such as soy sauce, vinegars, spices, etc. And some stir fry vegs in the freezer along with little packets of fig nuggets (these are okay for munching, but I also have seen some recipes online for baked goods, using figs or dates as a base...and I plan on making some treats with them)

Nope, not worried about going hungry. It's all good. God takes good care of me

at any rate, I'm so glad to know what I do know about dietary needs of the human body...I have ZERO worries that a temporary diet of starches will not hurt me or my kids AT ALL.

[RAS]

Hi Buns,Sorry about your money woes.Me too though.My client has been in the hospital for the past month,and getting cut hours really hurts.But I have now been eating what I have in the house and freezer.I'm trying like Kate to do it on 3.00$ a day or less.Remember God meets our need not our greed.(like Junk food) Have a good one,will be thinking of you. RAS

[carollynne]

Buns, thanks for sharing about your friend. It is a miracle that she is so good then. Wow!!
I know too, and agree that simple foods and meals are the best. I am off all the junk, and really do not even want to shop much anymore, there is so much in Walmart that I will not touch anymore. Adn I see so many huge gutted ppl there who are buying a tons of teh soda pop cases and so on, and it is amazing how they cart all the flab around with them as they do shop for more SAD products, but then I stop myself and remember that ~~~there by the Grace of God, go I !! I am so glad that I woke up out of the SAD world, esp all dairy and all muscle stuff. it was literally killing me!!
have a good week, and I wish that EX of your would consider giving you a bit more support until at least the child gets a job!! Rome was not built in a day, and anyway, that is my 2 cents...

[bunsofaluminum]

wow, it's been a long time since I posted here. I've been lurking at the lounge and a bit at the religious forum. I've kept to plan really well, though...out of necessity.

I've been thinking about simplicity. Because of financial circumstances becoming tighter, I've had to reduce my daily eating to some very simple choices. I haven't been able to afford munchy treats, so I haven't been munching. My meals have been honed down to

B: steel cut oatmeal (just finished off a big batch of punkin pie oatmeal)
L: rice and vegs or beans
D: rice and vegs or beans
This has been my daily menu for three weeks.

I haven't had fresh fruit in the house, so no snacking and I already mentioned, no munching of munchies because I'm broke. Been eating up the canned goods and grains I've had on hand in my house.

There is a passage in Philippians that says

for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

It is humbling to be so broke. It isn't bad, but it does make me different from many people. I don't shop for clothes very often. Only when I or my kids need clothing, and then ONLY at thrift stores.

My food stores become depleted at times like this and it is humbling to open my fridge and see empty shelves and in the food cupboards, scattered individual cans and jars instead of a stock of items lined up and filling the space. It makes me think with gratitude upon God's amazing provision that enables me to eat for weeks, without going to the grocery store. (I only spent $75 on food for all of June)

Of necessity, my eating has been very simple for the whole month. It should continue thus in July, though I now have a dozen bags of spring greens and lots of strawberries and some bananas (the discount store was loaded yesterday, and I got a LOT of groceries for about $50.00) Including 30# of potatoes for a little over $3.00

anyway. I've been content to eat just my oatmeal and rice and beans. The meals I've prepared out of the abundance in my own house have been simple and sustaining. I haven't needed more. it's been good.

Now there's some treats, though! Some fresh fruit. I found a caramel dipping sauce for .50c and bought two. *please don't flame me. I wanted to reward my kids for their patience in this time of scarcity* *that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it *

After dinner (stir fry YUM!) I had a bowlful of sliced bananas and strawberries and "because i owed it to myself" I put a TBSP of that dipping sauce on it. ...I owed it to myself? See how fast the "humility" and "simplicity" drop away?

Oh, I forgot to mention, that in the past three weeks, I've lost three lbs. I know that eating so simply, and pretty monotonously, and making myself "be content in whatever situation I am" (that is: can't afford "treats" so not EATING any "treats") has made a huge difference. But yesterday was payday and I "treated" myself. I'll probably ditch the dipping sauce, if the kids turn out not to like it. It's the only thing I bought that is off plan.

BUT I will say, thinking this through has changed my mind about what kinds of things I will be buying at Winco (I had thought it would be fun to have a trail mix or other "treat") but now I'm realizing that I need to keep my eating humble and simple, even if I have had a payday! ...I'm thankful for the spring green mix that fills my fridge, and the strawberries are amazing! I'll use those and my kids will enjoy them, too.

Now, instead of any kind of "treat", the plan is to restock some of the things we had to consume in June. Even if I have an overflowing food budget and can afford all kinds of things and stuff my fridge and my cupboards until they bulge...I don't HAVE TO do that. I can still choose simplicity, EVEN IF I have sackfuls of money. Which I don't, btw.

The main difference in my eating pattern now will be that I can once again add greens to my meals, and I'll probably make potatoes my mainstay starch in July, where rice and oats have been that in June.

Keep it simple. Keep it humble. Be content.

TODAY'S PLAN:

B: punkin pie steel cut oats w/blueberries on top
L: rice w/stir fry vegs; tossed green salad; 321 dressing
D: baked potatoes with baba ganoush; saute'd green cabbage; tossed green salad; fresh tomato dressing
Snack: apple? banana? strawberries?

[kkrichar]

Oh, Buns, thank you for sharing this. I'm in the same situation as you and it has been a real blessing to eat simply. I'm eating the same things everyday and my cravings are gone. What a gift! This WOE is so good for us on levels I hadn't anticipated when I started. I'm grateful to enjoy this journey with you.

How do you make your baba ganoush?

[carollynne]

Let me echo the previous comment to you, I feel blessed just to be able to share your tale of humility...
Now what I think of your ex-husband is another thing altogether... Now I cannot understand how a father will not care if his children are fed or not... but I also know they are out there and very self absorbed too.
My DH is the opposite, he loves to over spend on food, and feels like a good man if the cupboards and frig are stuffed to the gills. But oh yes, we had a time in our lives, when he first retired from active duty, and we about had no food in the house for a month till the garden started to produce something, and I was not thinking that I could apply for food stamps, after all, my husband was (is) a military retiree. who is going to feel sorry for me with 3 children in elem school at the time... well anyway, I should have applied for food stamps or gone to area food banks too. There is no shame in it.
But I am not trying to tell you to do that, We really did not have much to eat in the house, back then, and God did sustain us.... and there was no family help either, at times family helping is not a good thing either. Better to stand on your own 2 feet!
It is a blessing to be able to help others, so don't be too proud like I was either...
God Bless you Buns and your children...

[bunsofaluminum]

Oh, Buns, thank you for sharing this. I'm in the same situation as you and it has been a real blessing to eat simply. I'm eating the same things everyday and my cravings are gone. What a gift! This WOE is so good for us on levels I hadn't anticipated when I started. I'm grateful to enjoy this journey with you.

How do you make your baba ganoush?

thanks, krichar It's actually kind of cool that God can use something like my food situation to help me enter into submission and contentment. They say that in the 1930's, during the Great Depression, that the lifespan in the US went up by a few years...because people couldn't afford rich foods and ate simple stuff like rice and beans so I get to learn humility AND be healthier, all at the same time!

I got my baba ganoush recipe off the internet, and it turned out to have too much lemon juice, so I added a can of white beans, drained and rinsed. Haven't had any yet. Going to TONIGHT! *slurp icon* If you google baba ganoush, you'll get a bunch of hits.

Let me echop the previous comment to you, I feel blessed just to be able to share your tale of humility...
Now what I think of your ex-husband is another thing altogether... Now I cannot understand how a father will not care if his children are fed or not... but I also know they are out there and very self absorbed too.
--- I should have applied for food stamps or gone to area food banks too. There is no shame in it.
But AI am not trying to tell you to do that, We really did not have much to eat in the house, and there was no family help either,
It is a blessing to be able to help others, so don't be too proud like I was either...
God Bless you Buns and your children...

aw, don't be too rough on the old feller. He has actually been more than generous, since we set the amount of child support when he was full time employed at four dollars over the minimum wage AND has a regular income every month from a trust fund. (Not a huge amount, but steady and enough to live on)...more than a year ago, he lost his job, which cut his income in half, but he has been maintaining the level of child support even though legally he doesn't have to. He even offered to continue it for my boy until he gets a job but the manager of his trust won't let him...Yes, he doesn't have hardly any say about where his money goes, and that's A Good Thing, Man.

as for food banks, believe me, I've done that many times, No shame AT ALL. You kidding me? My wonderful Bill was head cook at the Rescue Mission and I walked away with boxes of food from there, more than once, and I've gone to a local church a couple of times where they give away a box of food to any comers. I will probably go there next week or so, to get some stuff. They asked me "Will your family eat beans?" because they always have lots of canned beans...

Hmmm, will we? WILL we! I think food banks are Western Society's answer to the "gleaning" practice of ancient times. God told the Israelites to leave the corners of their fields at harvest, and not to pick up the grapes that fell on the ground, because the poor could then come and glean and have food to eat. I'm a gleaner and I have been one who "left the corners unharvested" (because I've given to food drives many times, and still do. heck, eight cans of garbanzos...I can afford to give away two...)

well anyway. I think all of this is an adventure. God asks us to give, and He will give "poured out, measured, pressed down, overflowing" and I know it's true. We didn't even come close to being without. We all ate, every day, whenever we were hungry. I'm just so happy to know what I know now...that we don't need meat at all (let alone at every dinner.) That we are better fed on this simple stuff, than many who eat rich at every meal and have vitamin deficiency, gout, indigestion, obesity, heart problems, etc.

what I actually ate:

B: the last of the punkin pie oatmeal THANK GOODNESS
L: rice and salad Oh BABY those greens were good...
D: rice and saute'd onion and green cabbage (with curry) and some chunks of tomatoes over the top.
snack: if I get hungry, I gonna have veg stix and ganoush. oh, and I had some strawberries when I first got home. good stuff, maynard.

[bunsofaluminum]

Hi Buns,Sorry about your money woes.Me too though.My client has been in the hospital for the past month,and getting cut hours really hurts.But I have now been eating what I have in the house and freezer.I'm trying like Kate to do it on 3.00$ a day or less.Remember God meets our need not our greed.(like Junk food) Have a good one,will be thinking of you. RAS

RAS, it's rough when your main "billable hours" are away, innit? When I first started at my current employer, it was like that, but they've got me working full time now, between two or three clients, and I do some office stuff. I like that thought "God meets our need, not our greed." wonderful! thanks for that. And thanks for dropping by. sorry not to have noticed before now. busy couple of weeks

[bunsofaluminum]

made me own almond milk yesterday and had some with my oatmeal this morning. Not bad, and there are two ingredients: almonds, and water. (You should read the label of the almond milk at the store for an eye opener...)

There's almond meal left over, which I might use as a base for a veggie dip for today's dinner. It's not very creamy, but it tastes good and it'll go well with carrots and pepper strips and such.

B: cheezy steel-cut oats w/spinach
L: salad; whole wheat toast
D: baked potato; veggie stix w/almond meal dip
Snack: hm. Apple

went to a party yesterday after church and had some guacamole with "baked" tostitos. Also had a boca burger on whole wheat flat bread (those little rounds that are very thin. Shaped like a bun with about 1/5 of the bread) so...not MWL, not "simple" nor "humble" but 95% on plan. (those tostitos. I know, I know)

not expecting anything huge today. I'll check out the fireworks if I can see any from my home (not wanting to muscle through crowds, and not really wanting to stay up too late...but NOT WANTING to miss the fireworks either.

wish I could get the day off. Ha.

[nomikins]

Hi buns, thanks for sharing your journey with us. I'm glad to be back.

[bunsofaluminum]

I checked out that link you gave me, OMG!!! The only part Ive done so far and only half way is the sink. I only did half the sink, well, not totally true. I didnt feel like empting the dishwasher (it was late and the bug to clean something bit me) so I piled dishes in one side then cleaned the main side. But decided the other side looked pretty bad, so I cleaned that side then neatly piled up the dishes back in that side. Im not so good at wiping it dry everytime, after all I use it almost every 5 mins it seems. But Im liking the clean sink thing. Now on to other things, like hot spots

Thanks Oh have you checked out Jeff's burgers I posted? I put the recipe in my journal, but in my blog I posted a pic of them. They are very very good And easy too

flylady has such a novel idea: do SOME of your housework; work your butt off for 15 minutes in one room, and then you can be done (or not); de-clutter just 25 items (or is it 27?); etc. "Housework done imperfectly still blesses the home" Shine your sink. That's all.

I've been sorta following the babysteps (though I haven't done any hot spot stuff at all) but I started the July Challenge (Swish and Swipe, which is a daily 30 second wipe down of the bathroom sink and toilet) and am loving my cleaned-up bathroom sinks and toilets. Also got the kitchen counters thoroughly cleaned up as the "mission" for yesterday. It took a half hour and my sink, stove top, and all countertops in my kitchen are WONDERFUL.

but it started with shining my sink and looking around, the house is still plenty cluttered in most places...but my sinks are all shiny and beautiful and clean.

Ate well today. Ate not so well yesterday (butter toffee almonds )

(and a lot of them)

I have decided that I like rice best of all. Potatoes are good, and I like quinoa a LOT...LOVE quinoa...but rice is my fave. Gonna keep my lundberg gourmet blend around for sure.

[janluvs2heel]

Think I need to check that out as well. I have some clutter, you know, now with having to shred every piece of paper that comes in the mail, it tends to pile up. I probably have 3-4 grocery bags, the plastic ones full of stuff that needs to be shredded & I do not have a shredder. At least it is contaned I guess.

Then my other problem is stuff I would love to take to the dump, but dont have the extra $$ to pay for that.

But I keep my bathroom decently cleaned, I actually have 2 bathrooms, but I never use the other one, need to go in & clean off the dust though. I used to use it to take a bath in but then I had some sewer problems & oh, my gosh, the couple bugs I saw, I just never was comfortable in that tub again.

I think you do have to start with 1 thing, then just keep plugging away. I keep looking at my hearth, I need to get busy on that, just have some stuff that can be tossed, clean it all off, then my whole room will look neater I think.

[bunsofaluminum]

Now the shoe thing. No can do. We dont wear shoes in the house. Even if I buy shoes for that purpose, the girls wont really get it and I already have a HUGE issues with shoes being worn indoors ( the baby is obsessed with shoes!!). I get so grossed out by thinking of their shoes being worn in public bathrooms picking up whatever germs then walking on the floors and then them ultimately laying on those floors!!! Cant do it. But I dont need my shoes on to clean. And after all, I havent worn shoes in the house in so many years, well over 7 now, that I would just feel like I was getting ready to leave and even more wouldnt want to clean anything

I hear ya on the shoes. I don't have the problem with germ issues, and I put on shoes anyway, to go to work...but when I'm home, I kick em off. I think she wants shoes on, to help us get in "work mode"...if you work just fine without your shoes, then don't put em on. I have a pair of comfy flat slip ons that I keep near my door. If I have to go outside, the go on easy, and back off again, easy. If i have work to do such as housecleaning, I do wear my shoes for the foot support. I'm prone to bone spurs, which my custom insoles prevent and ya gotta have shoes to have custom inserts! ha!

You can go on the website and contact them, ask about the shoe thing. see what advice they or others might have.

I'd forgotten about her shoe thing, from when I followed flylady years ago.

the way I see it, if the sink is clean, it's something in the house to really feel good about, even if there is still chaos elsewhere. Baby Steps! I followed her awhile back, and my house was overall nice, all the time, with four kids at home, and two of them in diapers. It didn't get clean in one day, though. And this time around, it REALLY isn't getting clean in one day!

[bunsofaluminum]

I just figured out how much today's food cost me.

I had the same food for all three meals:

Baked potatoe(s); salad; fresh tomato dressing

The potatoes are a 10# of russets, for $1.38. This makes them
.14c a pound. At 1/4 lb per potato, I pay about .03c per potato.

a sack of greens is .69c at the discount grocery where I bought them.

the salad dressing consists of

tomatoes: .69c a lb (I used 1/2 lb of tomatoes for .35c)
onion: .10c per each (I used half, for .05c)
1 clove garlic: ~.04 c
1 TBSP honey: ~.06
dash smoked paprika... ~.05c

so the whole recipe of salad dressing cost me about .55c for just under a quart. I used 1/4 c of dressing each meal. which comes to .05c

so...

1/2 bag of greens= .35c
1-2 potatoes = .03-.06
salad dressing = .05
total for one meal .43-.46c

for three meals, then, I paid no more than $1.38...wow. thank you, God for discount grocery stores. The only food in all of that, not from the discount store, was the tomatoes, at the produce stand for .69c a lb.