Month: August 2020

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Every Day

August 14: Low Spend Grocery Challenge Month

Today was a lazy day for me. Do you sometimes have lazy days? All I have been doing is puttering in my stockpile to try to make better use of the room I have.

Breakfast this morning was banana bread spread with cream cheese. Not Keto but it needed to be used up before it spoiled. One loaf I gave to my son’s family and West is really enjoying it. Hubby finished it up when he got up. 

About lunchtime, I was a little bit hungry so I ate a hard boiled egg with a little salt.

We had no leftovers this week. So for dinner, I made Low Carb Turkey Cutlets with Dijon Sauce. I pulled some frozen turkey cutlets from the basement freezer and found some dijon mustard in my stockpile. I skipped the little bit of regular flour this called for so that it was Keto. Almond flour is a staple in this household. 

I did not have any poultry seasoning but I did not run out to the store to get it. I made my own homemade poultry seasoning. I did not have the brand of chicken rub that was suggested so I used my own that was in the cupboard.


I skipped the salt and used Primal Kitchen mayo which is Keto friendly. I also used avocado oil instead of olive oil because I did not want to overpower the taste of the sauce. You only have to cook the turkey for a couple of minutes on each side so that it stays tender. The cutlets are thin so they cook quickly. I removed the oil before I made the sauce. There was so much seasoning on each cutlet that I was not worried about dumping some of the seasoning along with the oil. I reduced the sauce by a 1/3 and it thickened nicely.


Hubby raved about this and I loved it too. We each ate 2 cutlets because they were thin and this was delicious. It’s easy and I will be rotating this in our meal schedule at least once a month. I served mine with broccoli and Hubby made a side salad to go with his. 

I hope you all have a nice evening.

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Every Day

August 13: Low Spend Month Grocery Challenge

First thing after I woke up and had my apple cider vinegar water, I jumped on the treadmill for my daily exercise. That always gets my day off to an awesome start.

When I was done, I decided to pressure cook a dozen eggs so that we have quick hard boiled eggs for breakfast, snacks,and/or or egg salad.

While those were cooking, I threw a pound of bacon in the oven to cook. I always under cook my bacon a little because we use it for a few days and heat it up in the microwave. That way it doesn’t get too overcooked.


My breakfast was two hard boiled eggs and two pieces of bacon. Hubby made some egg salad to have with crackers. 


I did some more cleaning today along with 3 loads of laundry. I got hungry about 1PM so I sliced up about a 1/3 of a fresh cucumber and ate it for a quick snack. 


Since my house is clean and the laundry is done, I will take a good look at the Southern Keto cookbook that came in the mail yesterday. Then I can make my menu for next week and perhaps incorporate something new.



Hubby grilled filet mignons for dinner. I made him a side green salad. I cooked up some fresh green beans and some mushrooms to accompany mine.

How are your stockpiles for the fall and winter coming along? I think I have enough soup now for cold winter lunches or brunches to get us through.  

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Every Day

August 12: Low Spend Grocery Challenge

Breakfast this morning was scrambled eggs and bacon. I needed to eat a good breakfast because I had a mid morning appointment today. 

I did not sleep well last night so I took an early afternoon nap. Now I feel better.

Dinner tonight was the fish sticks for Hubby and salmon for me. We each had a side salad with our meal.

I have my usual Wednesday night chat with my sister. I am so looking forward to it.

I hope you all have a nice evening.

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Every Day

August 11: Low Spend Grocery Month Challenge

This is all the grocery shopping I am doing this week.
Aldi’s was my first stop. I got 2 dozen eggs, some shells and cheese(for West’s stay), peanut butter cookies (also for West’s stay), unsweetened applesauce, 4lbs. of chicken wings, 2 cans of mushrooms, a party size box of Ritz crackers, a large bottle of Zesty Italian dressing, 2 containers of iodized salt, 1 box of tissues(not pictured) and a bottle of Avocado oil. I also purchased a mug and some reading glasses that will not be included in the food total. Here is my receipt:

I couldn’t resist the mug and I needed the reading glasses. So my total for food was $ 29.81.


My last stop was Top’s:

I am only showing the food prices here but I did get some greeting cards and some other non food items that Hubby wanted. We had a death in the family and Hubby’s secretary is retiring after 46 years. We wish her the very best of luck in whatever she does now.

The popcorn is a treat for Hubby and was $ 2.99. He also loves the peanuts so I got two bags since they were on sale for $ 4.99 each. The hoagie rolls were needed for dinners. They were $ 3.99. The family size oreos are a treat for West and were $ 2.99. The large box of goldfish is also a treat for West and was $ 6.99.

The potatoes are for brunch on Sunday and were on sale for $2.49. The au jus packets are needed for future meals and were an outrageous price of $ 2.49 each. The bacon was a coupon item and cost $ 3.99. The two cans of tuna( $2.09 each) and 2 cans of chicken($3.19 each) were stockpile items.

The SF marinade is for a future meal and was $ 4.29. The coffee was B1G1F so they cost $ 4.99 for both cans. The strawberries were a coupon item and cost $ 1.99. The ice cream is for West and was $ 2.99. The mozzarella cheese was needed for our hot Italian dinners and was $ 2.50.

So my total for Top’s was $ 65.72. So the total for my shops was $ 95.93. That leaves $ 99.68 in my budget for the rest of the month. 

West is coming to stay with us starting Sunday for two weeks so I needed to load up on some treats and things. My son has been back at work for a month or so and my daughter in law is a college professor and needs to go into work for a couple of weeks. So we will be having lots of fun over the next couple of weeks with West before school starts.

For brunch this morning I again had 2 eggs and some mashed avocado. Hubby had some banana bread.

Neither Hubby nor I want take out tonight for dinner. Since we had take out for lunch over the weekend, that was enough for now.

So with my zero waste policy, we will again be having hot Italian sausage. Mine will be just on a plate like last night. Hubby will again use a hoagie roll.

I have ordered a new Keto cookbook that should come tomorrow. It is highly rated so I am anticipating making a couple of different meals from it next week. I have to mix it up so that I don’t get bored with my diet. 

I have been having trouble with my camera. Hubby is looking at it now to see if he can find out what is going wrong with it. Sorry about the blurry pictures.

I hope you all have a good day.     

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Every Day

August 10: Low Spend Grocery Month Challenge and a Memory

I always think of my grandfather today because today was his birthday. My mom, my sister, and I lived with him and my grandmother from the time I was 3 until I got married. If they hadn’t taken us in when my mom left my father, I think my sister and I would have ended up in an adoption home. God Bless that man. May you be resting in peace Grandpa. I have fond memories of him and how he walked me down the aisle at my wedding. Unfortunately, he died a few months after that.

Today, it is 71 already and it is only 7am as I start to write this post. I think it is going to be a hot one. 

Brunch today for Hubby was a ham sandwich. I decided to fry up the eggplant that my son had given me. I fried it up in a little avocado oil and sprinkled it with grated parmesan cheese. Yum. 

I have been working hard most of today cleaning the house and the car. I think I am going to take a nap because I am beat. 

We just ate dinner. Hubby had a hot Italian sausage sandwich on a hoagie. I had mine on a plate with sauce, grated mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan cheese. I just am not hungry when it gets this hot outside. We hit 88 today but the humidity made it feel like a steam bath. UGH. Do you seem to eat less in the summer? 

I am off to read now. I hope you have a great evening.

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Every Day

August 9: Low Spend Grocery Challenge

Breakfast today was a slice of banana bread spread with cream cheese. We needed to eat something before we traveled to our son’s home. It’s many miles away. Sorry about the shadow. We took a loaf of banana bread to them for their breakfast tomorrow.

We went there to visit them for most of the day. It was so good to see and spend time with all of them. Hubby was so happy to meet their new dog, Ludo(bottom pic). He is just so huggable like a big bear. But of course, we had to spend some time with Nori(top pic) too. They are both terrific dogs.

We told them we would treat for takeout for lunch. Before we left this morning, I signed up for DiBella’s reward program and they gave me a 50% off coupon for our order. So submarines for 5 of us only cost $20.87. This comes out of our entertainment budget which has a ton of money in it because we rarely go anyplace or do anything since the sickness hit.


However on the trip to visit them, Hubby hit a dog who jumped out of the weeds right in front of our car. Hubby did his best to brake and try to avoid him but we heard the thud. Hubby started to get out of the car expecting to see an injured dog in the road but the dog ran off. 

We went to the ranch whose dog we thought it might be and sure enough the dog was running around like nothing happened. Hubby found the owner in the barn feeding her horses. She was very apologetic but Hubby wanted her to look at the dog to make sure he was okay. He just had a little blood between two toes. Otherwise the owner said the dog was fine. She said he was only a year old and very rambunctious. The Lord was looking over us and that dog. Hubby seemed fine to continue on the trip to our son’s. I was a little shook but it went away.

We never even thought to look at our SUV until we were at my son’s home. No sign of any damage at all. Everybody was lucky on this one.  

We just got home a few minutes ago and Hubby is settled in his chair to read the Sunday paper and do his crossword puzzle.

The reason I told you in my menu plan that dinner was to be determined is because of our trip. We didn’t know how hungry we would be when we got home for dinner. However, we each ordered medium subs. We only each ate 1/2 of our subs for lunch. So we have the other 1/2 left for dinner. Mine which was a Philly steak with cheese and grilled peppers and onions is pictured. Hubby had an Italian sub. I will heat mine up in the air fryer. But we will have a late dinner because we are both stuffed. I will be right back on my diet tomorrow.

If any of you have DiBellas’s near you, you can get the same deal of 50% off your first order by going through the link. It is good for, I think, 7 days.


I plan on continuing to work on my yearlong list of what is needed during that time so that I can shop for those things at the best prices.


I hope you all have a great evening.

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Every Day

August 8: Low Spend Grocery Month Challenge

Brunch today was 2 eggs and some mashed avocado. Hubby ate a turkey sandwich. 


I had bananas that had gotten overripe so I made 2 loaves of homemade banana bread this afternoon. One is for us and one is for a gift.


Dinner tonight was chicken legs. Since Hubby didn’t want anything else with it, I just sliced some cucumbers up on my plate instead of cooking the brussel sprouts. If the chicken in the picture doesn’t look done, it wasn’t. Hubby under cooked it so we put it back in the air fryer for 5 more minutes. Then it was done and tasted delicious. 


Tonight I am going to continue to work on my food inventory and the lists that I have been making so that we know exactly how much food we need to buy for the two of us for one year. If we are going to try to always eat at rock bottom prices, we need to know how much we need of each item. I know there are lists out there by the LDS and other people to guide you. But every family including ours eat differently. So my list and your list would be different.


I hope you all have a great evening.

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Every Day

Starting My Day With a Bonus Post

As I sit here enjoying my first coffee of the day, I am going through my e-mails. I have a number of ones that are going to save me money. Really?

Arby’s wants to give me $5.00 off a $20.00 purchase if I use it by tomorrow. 

I have a number of e-mails about % off from Kohl’s.

Twenty % off everything at Vera Bradley through tomorrow. 


Up to 80% off at Ann Taylor.

Forty % off one item at CVS.

QVC has reminded me that I have a $10. credit on my account. I might use that eventually if I need something from them because it does not expire. However, I am finding that most of the time what you see that you need from them, you can find cheaper elsewhere. So if I use it, I will have to determine if it is cheaper elsewhere or with the $10. off at QVC.  

Applebee’s will give me $10. off a $30. order if I use it by the 16th. I am pondering using that next week if Hubby wants Applebee’s. Hubby is picky and may not want something from them on our take out night. There is also a possibility if we do get take out from them, that we might split an appetizer or something that costs less than $20.

The list goes on and on. This is a daily occurrence. So many e-mails that try to pick our pockets.


They have one big thing in common! If you don’t really need something, you are spending money needlessly. 


Sure I could save $5.00 at Arby’s but I have to spend $15.00 of our money to do it. If I haven’t planned to go to Arby’s, why would I throw $15. away. 


If I truly need something from Kohls, Vera Bradley, Ann Taylor, and CVS, then I could save some money. But I don’t, so they all got deleted. Sure I could buy something from them to save those percentages because I want to. But then you are not saving money, you are needlessly spending money. 

Every time you get an e-mail like this, you should ask yourself, can I use it for a need that we have? Will it really save me money or can I get it cheaper somewhere else? Am I using it because I want to? If that is the case, if you have the cash and can afford it, go for it. If you have to charge it and can’t pay the bill in full, then you should not be buying your wants.


Just a little coffee time chat to remind myself and all of you that we don’t have to part with our money just because there is a deal out there. That most of the time you are needlessly spending money instead of saving money.


I will be back with a post after dinner tonight for the Low Spend Grocery Challenge.

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Every Day

August 7: Low Spend Grocery Month Challenge

I woke up at 4:30am and could not get back to sleep so I got up. I guess my body was telling me that 7 and 1/2 hours was enough sleep. I love early mornings because I get a lot done including my exercise.

Before enjoying my bullet proof coffee, I took the ground turkey out of the freezer to thaw.

Breakfast was another Keto wrap with bacon and eggs for me. Hubby had a turkey and bacon sandwich.

I took a return back to the store today and ran one other errand for Hubby while I was out.

Hubby is spending a lot of time outdoors today cutting the heads off dead flowers. The landscape service does this but Hubby was looking for something to do outdoors because it is the perfect day.

Here is our next week’s menu plan:

Sat. Air fried chicken drumsticks with Frank’s sauce

Sun.To Be Determined ?

Mon. Hot Italian sausage sandwiches & a veggie

Tues. Take out? Possibly Applebee’s?

Wed. Fish sticks or Salmon with  side salad

Thurs. Grilled filet mignon, FF’s, & a veggie

Fri. Leftovers  

This is how I like my summer menu’s – simple and easy. Notice how the fish sticks keep showing up. I really want Hubby to eat them and give me some space in the freezer.


We love our air fryer and we especially like doing drumsticks or wings in it. I usually make a sauce of Frank’s red hot sauce and butter. I just heat it on the stove and meld the flavors all together. But I think on Saturday, we will try one of the new Frank’s sauces that I purchased this week.

Hubby will likely eat his sausage in a bun. I will probably smother mine with peppers and onions and eat it bunless.  


We have not done takeout in a long time. A night off from cooking sounds good to me. I will just pick it up curbside.


I love it when Hubby grills filet mignon. He grills it just exactly as I like it (medium) and it is always superb.


I have left room for two leftover nights this week. If there are no leftovers, I will decide what we will have and let you know on that day’s post.

Dinner tonight was different than on the menu. Hubby wanted a taco wrap. So I cooked ground turkey with taco seasoning and a little bit of chili powder. Then we had our choice of lettuce, onions, a cut up tomato from my son’s garden, black olives,  shredded cheddar cheese, taco meat, and sour cream. I had a little of everything. This was delicious especially in my Keto wrap which is pictured here before I wrapped it.


Being Friday night, Hubby will be hunting for sports on TV, probably golf. I am going to read. 


I hope you all have a good evening. 

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Every Day

August 6: Low Spend Grocery Month Challenge

It is another beautiful day here, sunny and 71. Hubby was out watering all of the flowers in baskets and pots.

While he was doing that, I cooked up a package of uncured bacon that I found in one of my freezers in the refrigerator. I don’t usually buy uncured. I think I had purchased it sometime before the virus came. At that time my sister and family were coming in April. My BIL can’t have regular bacon. That trip was cancelled because of the virus. Until we have a vaccine, we will not reschedule their visit so that we can keep all of us safe.

After the bacon was cooked and drained, it was calling to me. So I made a bacon and scrambled egg wrap using a Keto wrap. It tasted so good that I may do that again this week for brunch. My original plan was to have a broccoli omelet but I finished the broccoli yesterday. 

Now I am off to the treadmill to get in my daily exercise. I don’t really feel like doing it today but I must.

Neither Hubby nor I were very hungry at dinnertime. It got up to 77 here today and it just felt hot. I think that is why we weren’t really hungry. So Hubby decided he was going to eat a little bit of spaghetti and meatballs that were leftover. I cooked a piece of salmon that fell apart while I was cooking it. That is all I ate. Menu plans don’t always get eaten as originally planned in this house. To keep food waste at just about none, we move things around. 

It was a good productive day though. I cleaned our master bedroom from top to bottom. I even tidied up and cleaned out all of the drawers in our dressers and nightstands.

I hope you all had a good day!