Mmm...Turkey Chili...

Hello Frugal Friends!! Can you believe it?!?! My 28 days has almost come to end!! I must say...this week has been tough. Not physically tough...but mentally tough. I expected to be struggle with temptations in the form of food. But this week, temptations came in a whole new way. At my weigh in on Sunday, I had only lost 1.2 lbs. :( It was heartbreaking friends...and here is why.I know that I could lose 1.2 pounds while eating gluten, dairy, soy, peanuts, sugar, etc. It was hard to swallow and really made me want to throw in the towel. I'm also struggling, because I haven't felt a shift in energy. I was really hoping that eating this clean would give me more energy. As the mother of 1 year old twins and a 4 year old girl....staying home full time....and working a successful and busy direct sales business....you can imagine that energy is something that is in short supply. Unfortunately...I'm just not seeing a change. I think that once the cleanse is over, it's time for me to check in with the old doctor to see what can be done to change up the energy factor.

Now...back to the cleanse. Meals have been pretty good. We're at the point where we are repeating a lot of meals. It's just easier. However, there was one meal this week that was AH-MA-ZING!! Last week....we had Turkey Chili and it blew me away! Here is how I made it:

 Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp fresh minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
2 cups water

In a large pot, brown the turkey meat, drain & return to pan. Add the remaining ingredients and heat. I let mien cook for about 20-30 minutes just to let the flavors combine. Serve over brown rice & top with a few avocado slices.

Oh friends....this was so yummy!! I was a little worried that I wouldn't enjoy chili during summer time...but I was wrong! The best part is we ate on this pot for days!! It was super easy to make a quick batch of rice and heat up the chili for lunch. Definitely a repeat here!!


In other news....here is a quick savings tip!! One of my favorite frugal tools is the price match option at your local Walmart store. One item that many people don't realize that they can price match is Walmart's house brand, Great Value. If another store advertises a lower price on their house brand, you can price match it for Great Value brand items at Walmart!! This week...I would encourage you to do this for Milk. We drink a TON of milk....like to the tune of 3 gallons a week! Milk can add up quickly when you are going through it that quick. So...this deal saved our family over $5!

Blessings,

The 5 day review...

Whew!! Have you missed me?? It's been a crazy few days!! I can't believe it, but I haven't updated in 5 days!! Sorry friends...I know you've missed me.... ;)

The past five days have been pretty good. It's amazing how easy it has been. They say it takes 21 days to create a new habit. I am on day 17...and I can definitely see how this is true! It's already becoming apart of our daily lives.

So...how about the weight?? I am sure you are dying to know. :) Today was our bi weekly weigh in and I am excited to say that I am down a total of 11 pounds!! WOO HOO!! 11 pounds in 17 days....insane...right?? Ready to be really blown away...my husband has lost 21 pounds! I am so excited for Trace! He is doing so well and truly working hard at this. We recently earned a trip to Mexico this September through my amazing direct sales business with Thirty-One! He is so determined to do well and feel better before our trip! I am so proud of his hard work.

The past 5 days menu has been pretty boring. :/ We've been running around like crazy people so we've really just stuck with what we knew. We've done a lot of repeat meals and lots of quick salads and turkey wraps. So...instead of boring you with my daily menus, I decided I'll just go straight for my newest exciting option.

I found a recipe similar to this on Pinterest and tweaked it to fit our cleanse.

Hummus Crusted Chicken

It was very tasty!! Here is how I made it!

Ingredients:
2-4 chicken breasts (however many you'd like for your family)
1/4 cup of hummus
salt
pepper


That's IT!!! Here is what you do. Take the chicken breast and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Place the chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. The cover the top with humus. Place it in a 400 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes.

That is it! Super easy and super tasty. I served it with roasted broccoli and brown rice. My favorite part about this recipe is the hummus. I love hummus! The best part is that you can get this at Aldi for $1.69 a container at Aldi!

Go out and try it...I promise you won't regret it! :) 

Blessings, 

Day 11 & 12......The Shopping Trip

Can you believe that I am already on day 12?? Insane, right?! I can't believe it! I am so excited to weigh in again on Sunday. Trace and I are cheaters....:) I used to weigh in every day. So...moving to once a week was a stretch. So, I decided that twice a week is a good compromise. :) So...as of Wednesday of this week (two days ago), I was down 9.6lbs!!

My shopping trip did NOT go as planned this week. As you can imagine, shopping with 3 kids under 5 is not the easiest thing in the world. Not to mention...with twins...we don't fit in most carts. So, normally....my grocery routine is for me to go....alone...on Tuesday nights after Mr. Wonderful gets home. However, this week, it just didn't work out. So...the grocery shopping took place in three stages over two different days.

Here are the totals:
-Sam's Club: $71.88
-Akins: $8.58
-Aldi: $34.28
-Walmart: $45.18

Grand Total: $159.92
This means the trip was $34.92 over budget. :(

Well...here is the thing. I think the main problem was I wasn't in my nitch. I had to do my shopping over two separate days and with kids. Plus....I bought diapers. So...that's $39 right there.

The good news is that I found some AWESOME finds at Aldi. Including this....

GRASS FEED BEEF.....at ALDI!!! The best thing is that it's only $5.49 a pound. Friends....this is amazing. I usually buy my beef at our local Farmer's Market or from a close family friend. It runs around $5. However, my friend has moved 2 hours south and the Farmer's Market is only open from May-October. So...this is good news.

Before I head out...here is a quick breakdown of what I've had for the last few days:

Day 11 (Thursday):
Breakfast: Green Goodness Smoothie
Snack: Skipped
Lunch: Tortilla Soup with Beanitos & Avocado
Snack: Rice Cake with Almond Butter & Agave Nectar
Dinner: Cauliflower Alfredo with Sun Dried Tomato & Kale
Snack: Strawberry Snowcone

Okay...so....I have to tell you..this day had the first no!! Dinner was awful! I mean.... for real. The sauce was made from cauliflower, cannellini beans, olive oil, sun dried tomatoes, and kale. It just did NOT work. I am so glad to say that in 12 days....this has only happened once. :)

Day 12 (Friday):
Breakfast: Green Goodness Smoothie
Snack: Skipped
Lunch: Tomatoes, Avocado, Carrots & Hummus
Snack: Rice Cake
Dinner: Chicken Quesadillas with Guacamole
Snack: Almond Ice Cream

So...with Thursday night's dinner being such a flop....I have to say...tonight's was a WINNER! It was so easy. Here is what I did:

Chicken Quesadillas with Guacamole ( I made enough for 3 servings)
Ingredients:
3 Brown Rice Tortillas
2 Chicken Breasts
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Red Onion
Garlic
Handful of Spinach

I started by roasting my chicken in the oven. Here is how I do it: I take a chicken breast (1 full breast or 2 halves) and spread a little olive oil on the breast. Then, I sprinkle garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cumin. I then bake it in a 350 degree oven for 45 mins. It always comes out flavorful and juicy.

I then caramelized the red onion with garlic and through in some spinach. I added that to the brown rice tortilla and grilled it up on the griddle.

OH MY GOODNESS....so good! I was really afraid of the Brown Rice Tortilla. I had heard a few bad reviews. These are stinkin' fantastic....at least when they are grilled.

It's hard to remember your on a cleanse when you are eating this good. :)

Blessings, 

Days 9&10....the shopping has commenced!

Hello Friends!! You'll have to forgive me for not updating the blog yesterday. It was a seriously crazy day. I've had a ton of things going on in my life, business, etc lately and it's left me running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Not to mention...my food has been pretty boring. Anyway...I will give you a quick run down. Here is what I've had:

Day 9 (Tuesday):
Breakfast: Morning Mocha Smoothie
Snack: Skipped
Lunch: Turkey, Tomato, Hummus & Beanitos
Snack: Rice Cake with Almond Butter
Dinner: Grilled Chicken Salad
Snack: So Delicious Dairy Free Almond Milk Vanilla Frozen Treat (more to come on this later)

Day 10 (Wednesday):
Breakfast: Morning Mocha Smoothie
Snack: Skipped
Lunch: Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Snack: Rice Cake, Almond Butter & Agave Nectar
Dinner: Grilled Chicken Salad
Snack: Almond Milk Vanilla Frozen Treat

Our lives have been insane. Yesterday was a rough day for me. Nothing to do with the diet...just crazy other things. So...that means food on the fly. I've learned a couple of things. First of all, I don't do morning snacks. By the time I finish my morning protein shake, it's 10am. The twins are up from nap at 11:30 and we are eating lunch by noon....so there really isn't any time. So...I've just come to terms with that not happening. :)

I've also learned that I have a new love. So...yesterday was a tough day. When I have a tough day, I would usually turn to something sweet. Last night, my husband went to grab some chicken at the Fresh Market. While there, he found my newest favorite treat. Check this out:

Um....delicious!! It is so good and so fits the criteria of the challenge. This was definitely a victory! 

I am super excited to tell all of you about our my grocery experience!! But....you're going to have to wait for tomorrow. :) For a little sneak peak...here are my three favorite buys from my Aldi trip today

Let's just talk some quick savings. If you've priced these items....they aren't cheap! Extra Virgin Olive Oil is out of control. It can run you anywhere between $5-$8 a bottle!! Here is what I paid: 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: $2.99

Organic Stevia: $2.49

Organic Agave Nectar: $2.49

Can I get a WOOP WOOP!! It's pretty exciting, friends. The savings keeps rolling in! :) Anyway...that's enough for now. Check back tomorrow for more savings excitement!

Blessings,

Day 8...the new week begins

Hello Friends!! Another Monday in the books and a successful day of the cleanse. I am definitely beginning to feel a difference.I have more energy and the weight loss has definitely given me the drive to do more! Hopefully that will keep up.

I am super excited about tomorrow. Tuesday is the night I go to the grocery store every week. This will be the first time I've gone on the cleanse while trying to keep the price down. I am also pretty excited to dig a little deeper into Aldi's Gluten Free and Organic lines. Check back later this week for an update on the savings.

Let's talk about today. Here is what I had today:

Breakfast: Mixed Berry Protein Shake
AM Snack: Skipped this one
Lunch: Turkey Lettuce Wrap and Beanito Chips with Hummus
Afternoon Snack: Rice Cakes with Almond Butter and strawberries
Dinner: Dirty Rice with Chicken
PM Snack: Homemade protein bar

Dinner was very yummy! I definitely think it will be a repeat!! Here is how I made it:

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp grape seed oil 

1/2 large zucchini 

1 medium onion

2 cups rice

Creole Seasoning:

1.5 tsp salt

1.5 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp black pepper

3/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp chili powder 

3/4 tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

Roasted Chicken (pre-cooked and cut into chunks)

In a large pot, saute the onions and zucchini in the grape seed oil. While this is cooking, make up the brown rice. In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients of the creole seasoning. Once everything is done, combine. 

Really...its that easy. And seriously tasty. Anyway....hope you enjoy it. See you tomorrow!

Blessings,

Day 7....it's weigh in day!

Hi Friends!! Well...the first week is in the books & what an amazing week it has been. Today was the BIG day...Weigh in Day. I am so excited to tell you that I lost 7.6 pounds in 7 days!! Seriously....how insane is that! Here is something even more insane...My husband lost 13 pounds!! I feel like we are on the biggest loser or something...haha!! Anyway...we are very excited. We know that this rate of loss won't stay consistent, but what a great way to end the first week!!

One of my favorite frugal tips is to have a left over day. The way this works is that on one day week, our family eats nothing but what we have already made. It's a great day because their is no cooking, no prep and super frugal because you don't have to buy anything new. Today was our Left over Day. Here was today's menu:

Breakfast: GF Oatmeal with Strawberries & Blueberries
AM Snack: We were at church...skipped this one
Lunch: Left over Porcupine Meatballs, Crackers w/Hummus
Afternoon Snack: Almond Candy bar I found at Akins (Eli's Earth Bars Celebrate Bar....um yum!!)
Dinner: Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Beanito Chips & Guacamole
PM Snack: Too full tonight

It was a great day! I am super excited about the weight loss. Here comes week two and tomorrow....is grocery shopping day!! Stay tuned....

Blessings,

Day 5 & 6...the yumminess continues!

Hello frugal friends!! Well...my first week of the Arbonne 28 day challenge is quickly coming to a close. What a week it has been!! First of all, the good news is that the detox has moved on! PRAISE THE LORD! I am finally feeling like a human being. I am growing more and more impressed with how easy it is for me to turn down things that used to be irresistible. Tonight...I took my 4 year to a dance recital. Those of you who know me know that my middle name might as well be Chocolate. My daughter asked and received a....and I quote...."brownie cookie." Did I have one bite? NOPE! I drank my water like a good girl. I'm telling you friends....this would have NEVER happened before. No matter what diet I was on. It's a good day!

So let's talk food. The food these past two days have been pretty tasty. Here is a recap of what I've had:

Friday (Day 5):
Breakfast: Chocolate Oat Protein Shake
AM Snack: Skipped this one
Lunch: Turkey Burger (Left over from Thursday)
Afternoon Snack: Homemade Protein Bar
Dinner: Zesty Tomato Sauce with Brown Rice Pasta
PM Snack: Green Apple with Almond Butter

Saturday (Day 6):
Breakfast: GF Oatmeal with Strawberries & Blueberries
AM Snack: Carrots w/ Hummus
Lunch: Zesty Tomato Sauce with Brown Rice Pasta (Friday leftover)
Afternoon Snack: Homemade Protein Bar
Dinner: Porcupine Meatballs with Cauliflower Mash
PM Snack: Chocolate Strawberry Shake

My favorite of the two days has to be dinner tonight.....Porcupine Meatballs with Cauliflower Mash. This was amazingly delicious and I really didn't feel like I had a missed a thing!

Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:
1 lbs grass feed beef
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 t. minced onion
1/2 t. garlic powder
salt
pepper
24 oz tomato sauce

Take the ground beef and place in a large bowl. Add rice, onion, garlic powder, salt & pepper a mix together. Form into meat ball. Place in a 9x13 pan. Cover in tomato sauce and cover in tin foil. Place in 350 degree oven for 1 hour (uncover for the last 15 minutes). Once they're done, serve on mashed cauliflower.

Seriously...how easy is that?!?! Plus...the cauliflower did NOT taste like cauliflower. I mean really....I even fooled the 4 year old!!

Anyway...it's been a great week!! I can't believe it's already over!! I'm hoping the next 3 weeks go just as fast. :) I can't wait to get on the scale in the morning and see the difference!! Stay tuned to the blog. I will be headed to the grocery store in the next few weeks!! The savings will be pouring in!

Blessings,

Day 4....detox is no joke!

Hello again, my frugal friends!! I'm a pleased to say that I've made it through Day 4 of my 28 day challenge. This one has been the toughest one yet!! I was expecting this to be hard....mentally. I thought...I will crave my coke zero or die for a piece of chocolate. To be honest...that has NOT been a problem. Yes...other foods are tempting, but for some reason it's easy to say no. Here is the problem I'm facing....my body detoxing. I literally feel like I've been hit by a mac truck! I've got body aches, headaches, and feel weak most of the day. Unfortunately...this is all part of the detox process. Just goes to show how much crap I've put into my body! The bonus is I know it will be over soon.

As for the food...it was a great success! I can honestly say there is nothing I didn't like today!! In fact, my meals were so satisfying today, that I didn't have two of my snacks!! I'd say it was a major food success.

Here is what I enjoy:
Breakfast: Morning Mocha Protein Shake
AM Snack: Skipped this one
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad with Lemon garlic vinaigrette
Afternoon Snack: Homemade Protein Bar
Dinner: Turkey Burger with Sweet Potato Fries
PM Snack: Skipped this one

Breakfast: Morning Mocha Protein Shake

Lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad with Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette 

Dinner: Turkey Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

The shake is a little deceiving. Being a coffee lover, I was pretty stoked about the mocha part. But alas...there was no mocha....just a chocolate almond butter shake. Either way...it was pretty tasty. I think this was definitely my favorite food day so far. Everything was really tasty and I was completely blown away by how good the turkey burger was!! Here is how I made them:

I started with a glass bowl and put 1 pound of ground turkey in the bowl ( I bought my turkey at Fresh Market). To the turkey, I added 1 large handful of chopped spinach. I used my pampered chef slap chopper thingy. It's amazing....if you don't have one of those...get one. Sorry..that was a side bar. :) To the spinach and turkey add a bit of parsley, rosemary, garlic, salt & pepper. No real measurements here....just as much as you like.

After mixing it all up, divide the burgers into four paddies. 

Then throw into the ol' cast iron!

These burgers were really, really good!! I was seriously impressed. Even without the cheese, ketchup, mustard or mayo...I loved it. I also use Udi's Gluten Free Buns (purchased at Fresh Market). These burgers were so good even my precious 4 year old approved. :) 

Day 4 is done and I'm ready for the next one. Here's hoping the detox ends soon! I'm excited for my weigh in Sunday morning!! I bet I will see a difference. ;)

Blessings,

Day 3....ended with a bang!

Well frugal friends...I've made it through day 3!! WOOT WOOT!! Today has been a rough one. To be honest...I don't feel well. I'm not sure if my body is just yucky from detoxing or if I'm coming down with something, but I've felt pretty puney today. Couple that with two fever ridden 15 month old boys...and let's just say...it's been interesting.

Again...the day had some serious ups and downs. My favorite of the day was my PM snack...we'll talk about that in a minute. :) The downside was lunch. Surprise, Surprise. It was the same meal from last night. :( I followed my handsome husband's advice and put the chicken fajitas on a lettuce wrap. Here's truth, friends. It was much better than last night....but I still missed the dairy & gluten. It was a no go. So.. I feel like that is one I won't be repeating. Anyway...the rest of the day was pretty good. Here is what I had:

Breakfast: Mixed Berry Protein Shake
AM Snack: Apple Pie Lara Bar
Lunch: Chicken Fajita Lettuce Wrap
Afternoon Snack: Homemade Protein Bar (I also had a piece of turkey at 4pm)
Dinner: Zesty Quinoa Salad served over Spinach with Lemon Sauce
PM Snack: Strawberry Snowcone

Breakfast: Mixed Berry Protein Shake

Lunch: Chicken Fajita Lettuce Wrap

Dinner: Zesty Quinoa Salad over Spinach with Lemon Sauce

Dinner was my favorite of all the meals today. It was a really great salad. Trace & I had never had Quinoa before and we are definitely fans. When I make this again...I will change a few things. The biggest will be adding more almonds. The crunch really made it awesome!! The shake was also very good. I have to say though.....after the amazing-ness of yesterday's shake....it was hard to be in love. ;)

So...did you see what I put above?? STRAWBERRY SNOW CONE!!! 

If you know me, you know that I have a serious obsession with a local snow cone place. My favorite flavor is Strawberry Wedding Cake with cream. Though this was not my favorite frozen treat...it was a close second. Not to mention....it was INCREDIBLY frugal. My favorite icy sweetness runs me $3.75 a piece. I don't have an exact number on price for this recipe, but my guess would be between $.50-$1.00. Not bad for a fabulous end of May treat. Did I mention it also meets ALL of the requirements for my cleanse! Here is how I made it.

I started by making the strawberry sauce. Add 2 cups of strawberries to a saucepan. To the strawberries, add 1/2 cup of water and the equivalent of 1/2 cup of sugar. I used stevia....so for me...it was 12 packets. 

Bring this mixture to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes. When the strawberries have finished, place in a blender and puree. I put my sauce in a cute little mason jar and placed it in the fridge. You will want to put this in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. 

When it's snow cone time, you will need to make your snow. I have an AMAZING blender!! I'm lucky to have a Ninja Ultima blender. It makes ice into snow in no time!

When you've got snow...you've got a snow cone!! All I did was pour the sauce over the top and I was in sweetness heaven. Definitely what I need after a rough day. 

 So....three down and 25 to go. My hope is that I will be feeling better tomorrow. I can tell you that I definitely fell better when it comes to bloating. It's amazing to me that I can already feel the difference! Bring on Day 4!!

Blessings,

Day 2 and all new challenges...

Well...the honeymoon is over!! Haha! That was like the shortest honeymoon ever! Today was a successful day 2 of the cleanse, but a little bit more difficult. The caffeine headaches have kicked in. These were expected. However...when you couple that with two twin boys having 15 month shots and blood work for iron levels, it makes the caffeine headache a bit more than I was expecting.

The good news is I survived and ate pretty well. The boys are sleeping and I'm ready to start the day again tomorrow. But before I do...let me give the break down on the day.

Breakfast: Green Apple Goodness Shake
Snack: Hummus & Carrots/Crackers
Lunch: Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Hummus and Carrots, Green Apple
Afternoon Snack: Skipped this one today...to busy at the doctor. ;)
Dinner: Baked Chicken Fajitas Salad
PM Snack: Protein Bar

So...there were definitely some highs and some lows. One high was breakfast. HOLY COW!! The Green Apple Goodness shake was insane!! It was basically a Cinnamon Apple Smoothie, but HOLY MOLY, friends....yummy!! The low for the day...for me...was dinner. I love to make Fajitas in the oven and that is exactly what I did tonight. However, instead of enjoying it on a yummy flour tortilla with cheese & sour cream, I had it on a bed of romaine lettuce. To be honest....I missed the tortilla, cheese & sour cream. My brilliant husband suggested we use the lettuce as a lettuce wrap for these and I think that would definitely work. I might try that in the future. But...as for this formula...I don't think it will be repeat.

My favorite meal of the day was lunch. I decided to make a simple Turkey Lettuce wrap. It was super easy and seriously yummy. Here is what used:

2 large leaves of Romaine Lettuce
1/2 of an avocado
1 Roma Tomato
6 slices of English Cucumber
2 slices of Free Range deli turkey (I bought mine at Fresh Market)

I began by taking the Romaine lettuce and laid each out. I then removed the avocado from the shell and mashed it up with a bit of salt and lemon juice. I spread this mixture over the lettuce and then layered turkey, tomato and cucumber.

IT WAS AMAZING!! I'm a turkey, mayo and provolone kind of girl and I can assure that I did NOT miss the mayo, cheese or the bread!! All in all it was a major success and I will definitely be repeating.

I would definitely say today was more of a challenge than yesterday...and I figure this is just the beginning of the challenges to come. But...the good news is I'm a Jesus girl and I know He is all over this!! So...bring on the challenge!

Blessings,

Day 1 is in the books...

Well friends....Day 1 is in the books. Here is the good news....I didn't completely hate it!! I've learned a lot....like how NOT to make Zucchini chips (more to come on this later). But all in all...it was a great day. Trace and I were both successful and we both feel pretty good. I'm not going to bed hungry...so I feel like that means I've won. :)

So....let's talk about today's menu. It was pretty easy and dinner was stinkin' fantastic. Here is what we had:

Breakfast: Strawberry, Lemon, Basil Smoothie
AM Snack: Homemade Protein Bar
Lunch: Kale Salad with Italian Chicken & Garlic Lemon Vinaigrette
Afternoon Snack: Carrots with Hummus
Dinner: Lemony Chicken with Sauteed Broccoli & Brown Rice
PM Snack: Pecan Pie Lara Bar

All in all...the day wasn't too bad. The thing that surprised me the most was the Strawberry Smoothie. To be honest, when I saw basil...I was pretty convinced I would start the day by getting sick. :) Haha!! Good news....it was delicious. The basil gave it this very bright flavor. I really enjoyed it.

Breakfast: Strawberry Surprise Smoothie

Lunch: Kale Salad with Italian Chicken & Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette 

Dinner: Lemony Chicken with Sauteed Broccoli & Brown Rice

Although...my favorite item of the day was my homemade protein bar. First of all....can we have a moment for the price of Protein bars!?! They are stupid expensive. I mean come on....$3.99 for a bar that taste like chalk....I don't think so. Plus...the majority of the time, those crazy things are packed full of chemicals I cannot say. When I started looking through this cleanse, I noticed that Arbonne has a line of bars. However, my consultant recommended that I make my own protein bars. So...I did...and kids...they are A-MA-ZING!! Like seriously...these things are out of this world yummy. Not to mention incredibly frugal.

I will share the recipe with you, but before I do. Let's talk the frugal part of this recipe. A normal protein bar that you can buy at the store will run you between $1.99-$3.99 per bar.  This bar is $1.17 per bar!! That is a serious savings. Not to mention....these are made with Arbonne's protein powder which is insane delicious(in the realm of protein powders)....but pretty pricey at $69 for 30 servings. So....even with pricier ingredients...it's still a serious bargain!

So...let's talk about how you make them

Ingredients: 

2 cups or 16oz of Almond Butter ( I got a big batch at Sam's club)

2.25 cups of Arbonne Chocolate Protein Powder

1.5 cups of Organic Agave Nectar ( I got this at my favorite savings spot...Aldi)

3 cups of Gluten Free Oats (I purchased mine from a local grocery store...Harps)

Begin by adding the almond butter and Agave Nectar to a microwaveable safe bowl. I would suggest using a pretty big bowl. It will make it easier when you add the other ingredients. Put the bowl in the microwave for 70-90 seconds. Then, add the protein powder & GF Oats. Mix together and then pour them out onto a half sheet baking sheet. Press the bars out to fill the pan and then place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. 

SIDE NOTE: I rubbed the pan down with a little coconut oil prior to putting the bars in the pan. I think this made it a little easier to get out. 

Once the bars had set, I cut them into 24 pretty similar sized bars and wrapped them individually in aluminum foil. I then placed them in a large zip top bag. 

This was by far my favorite part of the day!! This bar is delicious and has a serious nod to the no bake cookies I love!

Anyway...day one is in the books and I survived. I'm excited to see what tomorrow is like and even more excited to see how different I feel in a week.

See you soon,

Let's talk cleanse...

Okay friends! So....a few people have asked what cleanse I am doing. We have decided to do Arbonne's 28 day challenge. Let's face the facts, this is a blog about savings, so let's talk about the frugal side of this.

The challenge involves lots of things. A few of them, we decided not to opt into. These were things like the fiber plus, the chews, and the detox tea.

Here is what we did choose:

1 bag of Vanilla Protein Powder
1 bag of Chocolate Protein Powder
2 7-Day Cleanse
2 boxes of Pomegranate Fizz Sticks
3 bottles of clear control facial system (no apart of the cleanse :)

The total of all of this is $368
Now....let's be real....that is not frugal approved. :) The good news is that I did not pay $368. I paid $220.

Here is how:
Arbonne has a preferred customer program That costs $20 a year.  When you first sign up, you get to choose $325 in product for $200, plus a $50 free gift. Not a bad deal for this frugalista.

Now...let's be real, $220 is a LOT of money and definitely not something I plan to do a lot. But...it's time for a change for this Frugal momma. So....here we go.

A whole new savings is coming...

Hello Friends!! It's been so long that I am embarrassed!! I can't believe I've been so terrible about posting. Well...that's not true. I have 1 year old twins....let's be real. I'm lucky that I get out of bed everyday. :)

Anyway...I'm back in the saddle and ready to begin a frugal journey and here is why! My husband and I will begin a crazy journey tomorrow morning. We have decided to begin a 28 day challenge. My sweet friend, Callie, is an Arbonne consultant. A while back, she and I did a co-party (Thirty One/Arbonne) in Missouri. On car ride together, she told me all about this crazy cleanse and how she was already feeling like a new woman. At the time, I was still nursing the twins and knew it wouldn't be possible to do any kind of cleanse when I was providing their nourishment. However, the thought always stayed in the back of my mind. A few weeks ago, My husband, Trace, and I decided it was time to make a change and immediately the 28 day challenge came to mind. So...here we are!!

Here is how the cleanse works. Trace and I will combine a 28 day eating plan with a 7 day liquid cleanse. Our diet will be Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Pork-Free and Sugar-Free. We will be able to eat grass feed beef and free range chicken. We can also eat berries & green apples as well cage free eggs. Needless to say, it's a bit restrictive. But we are ready for the challenge.

However....there is a whole other challenge that we will face. That is the MONEY challenge. I'm still a stay at home mom on one income. I can gladly say that my amazing Thirty One business is thriving, but it's not like we are millionaires. :) So...I've got to put my frugal spin on this. I learned this the hard way today. After making our grocery list, I decided that I really didn't need to worry to much about couponing or what not. Umm...WRONG!! After three store, I spent almost $200 on one week's worth of groceries. Our budget is $125. So....here is the deal, I've got to make this work. I've got to find clean eating organic foods and fit our budget. So join me on my journey. It's going to be crazy! :)