1) Stock up on staples, even if they are items that do not go on sale.  An example of this in our house is lentils.  They never go on sale, but I buy the store brand so that I spend as little as possible and try to have around 5 lbs on hand at any given time.  Other items that fall into this category are items that I keep on hand at all times (like milk, eggs, onions, garlic, cheese) whether or not I am able to buy them on sale.

2) Stock up on other staples when they ARE on sale.  Some examples of this in our house are things like canned crushed tomatoes, dry pasta, sugar, flour, ketchup, pickles, and frozen (and canned) vegetables.  I buy them when I can find a good price so that I always have them on hand and don’t have to pay full price when I want to make spaghetti sauce or soup.

3) Each week plan your meals around a combination of what you already have on hand and what happens to be on sale at the supermarket.   Before I go food shopping, I always give quick peaks in my freezer/s and pantry for ideas on what I might be able to make.

4) Venture outside of your comfort zone and try new dishes.  When it comes to eating well on very little, you may find that you are using the same ingredients over and over again.  To avoid burn-out it is important to find ways to turn the same staples into new dishes.  It was this very impetus that led our family to try Kushari, and low and behold we found that we loved it.

5) Make larger batches and freeze part.  We all have those days, nights (heck … weeks!) where finding the time and energy to cook is nearly impossible.  By filling your freezer with some meals that simply need to be defrosted and reheated you will find that it is easier to avoid the lure of ordering in take-out (or even worse heading out for fast food).

6) Make friends with side dishes.  Whether it means making vegetables, baking a potato, or  making some elbow noodles and tossing them with butter, side dishes are a great way to help keep the per serving cost of a meal down, while still making sure that everyone is able to eat their fill.

I am planning on taking time over the next few weeks to do some work here at Blade and Cauldron.  I want to try and get this blog to have a much clearer focus toward our dreams of creating the life we want.

I am hoping that by doing this that I will be able to find the voice of the muse again and find my way back to blogging regularly.

Blessings

Jia

Much is the same since I last wrote anything here at Blade & Cauldron.

I’m still working two jobs, often 7 days a week, and there is as yet no end in sight.  My health issues are starting to speak up a bit louder as time passes, but so far I’m still holding my own so long as I rest when I am not working.

Accolan is staying as positive as possible in spite of the fact that, since the appeal (can you call it an appeal if they didn’t send him for another examination but just said “no, we’re not reconsidering”) to reinstate his long term disability was unsuccessful.  We are also in the process of applying for Social Security disability (with the help of an attourney) as well as Veteran’s benefits as well.  None of this does anything to bolster an already shaken sense of self esteem however.

Reya is doing well academically in high school this year.  That being said, we are back in a place where her mood disorder has kicked itself (while not thankfully into high gear) up a couple of notches.  Add to this the expected issues with raising a 17 year old who wants to be given all the rights of adulthood, while having none of the responsibilities thereof.

Sephoni has been having stomach issues for over a year now.  Things have gotten bad enough that she has missed 14 days of school to them since September (not counting days spent down on the couch over weekends and holidays.  We are working with a gastroenterologist and undergoing a lot of tests.  We are also keeping a food/symptom journal to see if we can identify triggers.  Aside from that she is doing well in school and enjoying being in band, choir, and the school musical.

Reya dropped out of Tae Kwon Do and while Sephoni has missed quite a bit of class due to illness and has been unable to proceed further in her belt testings due to our finances it still looks like she’ll be able to go for her black belt in October.

Hope this finds you all well and happy.

Be blessed.

Jia

Id like to say that I’ve accomplished a lot.  Truth be told I haven’t accomplished very much at all.

We were starting to do well in terms of making healthy dietary changes.  More recently, we’ve fallen back to old ways of comforting ourselves with “junk.”  But, overall we are still eating better than we were.

I haven’t had the time or energy to tackle any de-cluttering tasks.  But, my father will be traveling a bit this month and I will have a little more freedom to pull our bedroom apart and slowly put it back together.

I have gone to 2 appointments with my therapist and am making a commitment to myself to go every 2 weeks for the duration.  It is a hard thing to admit that I need help.  It is even harder to lose my habit of making jokes about my troubles and get real about how frustrated, scared, and even angry I am all too often.

After a brief drop in hours immediately after the holidays my hours at Walmart have returned to their usual level.  This means that I am back to working 58-65 hours a week.  Days off are a rare luxury, but I have learned that I have to have them for both my emotional and physical health.

In terms of health, the four of us have taken turns with various ills during the entire month of January (Sephoni alone has missed 8 days of school).  Luckily, the girls have health insurance again as of yesterday (through the state) and were able to go to the doctor today and get on antibiotics.  In fact, that is probably the best thing that has happened so far this year – it is a huge load off of my mind and weight off of my shoulders to simply not have that worry (or the out of pocket expenses) anymore.

I hope that 2012 has been blessing each of you

Jia

While the new year actually began 2 weeks ago, tomorrow marks the first day of what I hope will be a year of positive changes.  Some of the delay can be blamed on us wanting to get the last of the holiday food out of the house, as well as to get past Accolan’s birthday.  Much of it though can be blamed on some health issues that flared up for me.

I am, thankfully, feeling much better than I was for a while there and am looking forward to getting my life back on track.

This weeks goals include:

Starting a healthier eating regimen.  Until the growing season returns and brings with it affordable fruit, smoothies are on the back burner.  Instead Accolan will be starting his days with oatmeal and I will be breakfasting on fat free Greek yogurt with raw honey.  Lunches will have a focus on raw veggies – salad for Accolan and raw veggies with dressing for me (since I can’t digest lettuce).  Dinner will be healthy real food with smaller servings (this week’s menu includes vegetarian chili and a white bean & sausage stoup).  Snacks will be fresh fruit, unsweetened applesauce, sugar free Jello, or air-popped popcorn.

Tomorrow I plan to go to Walmart and pick up some storage boxes and bins and start on decluttering our bedroom.  This means tackling the desk and years and years of paperwork, sorting through every drawer, closet, nook and cranny.

Tuesday I start therapy. As a benefit of Accolan’s Veteran status I am able to get this free and with all the stress that we are currently dealing with (and all of the baggage over the years that I have simply stuffed down) now is as good a time as any to work on getting my head straight.

What steps are you making so far this year?  Are you excited about any particular goals?

Blessings

Jia