Showing posts with label frugal groceries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frugal groceries. Show all posts

Monday, October 6, 2014

Simple Healthy Tips: Easy Daily Fruit N Veggie

Who doesn't want to be healthy? Nobody.
Who has enough time to make an effort to live a healthy life? Errr...

It takes effort and commitment to live a healthy lifestyle, but the result is worth it. Afterall, what is the use of all the money in the world and the most loving friends and family if you are sick?

Simple Healthy Tips Series explain what I do for myself and family to gradually live a healthier lifestyle by choice. We are typical two-income middle class family, I am a typical wife and mother of a toddler who works full-time outside the home. Time and resources are limited, yet overtime I have found tips and tricks that enable us to eat healthier, be more active, and get sick less. I explain simple, tried and tested methods that do not take much time nor money, do not take a 180 degree, drastic changes in lifestyle or eating habit. The result is not instant, but it is proven to work well overtime. Here I will share with you real tips from real woman, real family, real people.

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I had always want to eat more fruit and veggies. The problem is: I hate eating them. I don't like the taste, and I find the process of eating fruit too time consuming because I don't enjoy the process. If I did eat fruit and veggies in my lunch or dinner, it would be in a very small amount. Even that would take effort from me. Not to mention the debate whether or not cooked vegetables have lost their nutrients in the cooking process.

Anyhow, I finally opted for a method suitable for busy, lazy, no-fan-of-fruit-and-veggie me, to ensure that at least Hubby and I get some of my daily dose of needed fruit and green first thing in the morning. (Hubby eats fruit and veggies OK, but even he has benefited from this method, as well)

Drinking a glass of fruit and veggie smoothies for breakfast.

How to consume it?

I drink the smoothies first thing in the morning when our stomach is still empty, to ensure maximum absorbtion to our digestive system.

What about breakfast?

I wait for at least 30 minutes before eating anything else, including drinking milk. The only other acceptable intake during the waiting period is plain water. In the meantime, I make our bed, have a shower, get ready, put on my makeup, etc. Sometimes I will not eat anything until I reach my office. Then I drink a glass of milk and have a little bite for breakfast. Hubby usually drinks his smoothie before leaving for work, then have breakfast when he reaches the office, because he has an hour commute.

Why smoothie and not juice?

My definition of smoothie here means you drink the whole fruit and veggie but in liquid form, not just the squeezed juice. That way, not only you will get the important nutrients and vitamin from the fruit and veggie, but also the fiber with all the benefit and goodness. We all know fiber is beneficial for digestion and metabolism.



What makes the smoothie?

I'm still trying to gradually add more greens to my smoothie, but I'm not a hardcore. Honestly, the fruit tasted so much better than the greens, and since my goal is to consume the smoothie on a daily basis, I don't want to go overboard and plunge too much vegetables into the concoction and make the taste horrendous that I would end up throwing it away because I can't make myself drinking it.

My most common smoothie ingredients for two people (Hubby and me) are the following:
  • WATER: 1 cup of water
  • GREEN: 1-2 handfuls of greens. Any greens will do: watercress, spinach, rommaine lettuce, cucumbers, pokchoy, kale, whatever you happen to have or purchase in your last grocery trip. Add the greens first before the fruit, so they will be fully chopped.
  • RED: 3-4 tomatoes and 1/2-1 carrot, depend on size. I ALWAYS include tomatoes because they are cheap, available all year in the tropics, loaded with nutrients, and they have a lot of juice that makes the smoothie not too thick. I add carrots for extra vitamin and betacarotene.
  • FRUIT: Any fruit or fruit combination that you like. This will change according to season. I usually add fuji apple or pear, because they are available all year round. Sometimes I would add pineapple, dragon fruit, star fruit, rose apple, watermelon, whatever fruit that is in season and are available for cheaper price in the market.
  • SECRET INGREDIENT: 1/2-1 ripe banana, depends on the size. Banana is the secret that makes the smoothie taste nice and delicious. I found that adding ripe banana to the concoction somehow ties up all the ingredients and taste of both fruit and green together nicely, that I can stand drinking even spinach in my smoothie. The taste of the banana somehow covers up the green taste. I don't know how it works, I just know it does. Before adding banana to my smoothie, I cannot bear adding more than a few leaves of watercress to the concoction, because it tasted abominable! After finding out this little trick, I could add 1-2 handful of greens. The odd thing is, I don't like to eat banana, but I always put some in my smoothie for the taste.
 Tips:
  • Add greens before the fruit, so the green will be chopped off to the max.
  • Don't pursue fancy, exotic fruit like those at the expensive juice bar. Your goal is to have a daily intake of fruit and greens, not to post fancy recipe on blogs or picture on Instagram. Normally, fruit is much more expensive than greens, so be wise when making your grocery trip. Think seasonally. Buy whatever fruit that is in season, because they are usually fresher and cheaper. Buy local fruit if you can, they are most likely newer and fresher and traveled less (therefore use less gasoline for shipping and transportation) from the plantation to reach your grocery store.
  • Add banana, even if you don't like banana. Trust me, the banana will make the smoothie taste delicious, and that's why you won't mind having greens in your beverage, because the taste of the banana camouflages the yucky green taste. If you don't live in the tropics like I do, and have difficulty finding banana all year round, add some sweet fruit like apple or pear to cover the green taste. 
How to prepare the smoothie?

You will need a blender like Vitamix or something similar to make your smoothie. I use Madato brand, which was a gift from my parents. It's an expensive brand, but totally worth the money. The blade and motor are so strong I don't need to chop the ingredients into small pieces, it's very easy to clean, and it's still doing very well after more than two years of daily usage.

Ideally, you want to drink the smoothie fresh out of the blender, but let's get real. Not many of us can commit to wake up earlier every morning to prepare the smoothie for the whole family, every single morning, on a regular basis. I make my smoothie the night before and chill it in airtight bottles in the refrigerator, so I can drink it first thing in the morning.

Tips:
  • If the taste is still yucky to you, chill it or add some ice. The smoothie taste so much better cold, whether chilled or iced.
  • You can double the portion, chill one part, and freeze the other part for the day after. Thus, you only need to make the smoothie once every two nights.
  • Don't keep the smoothie for more than two days, they will loose most of its benefit and potency in your fridge. Some ingredients will turn poisonous and too acid.
  • Even if your have very good blender, try to chop your ingredients to relatively small pieces. The blade will last longer. Think of it as an investment.
There you go. My easy, daily fruit and veggie. I know I still have a long way to go, and I still need to eat more veggie and fruit throughout the day, but it's better than nothing.



What's the result?

I am not a strong, robust person. I used to get sick once every month or every other month. Since I started drinking fruit and veggie juice on a daily basis, I got sick less, like once a year, like normal people. My parents are doing even better. They have been drinking this daily for five years, they are both over seventy years old, and they never caught a cold during these five years. Not once.

What about beauty?

Well, I hope I can tell you that I have perfect skin now after starting this habit, but I don't! My skin condition improved, yes, but not drastically. I still have blemishes and redness and occasional pimple, but I can tell that my skin feels more supple. Anyhow, my goal is health, more than beauty. Besides, I always have my foundation and concealer to cover up my imperfection, haha!

I'm linking up to these wonderful Ladies:

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    Monday, May 19, 2014

    (Frugal) Mommies Don't Get Corner Office?


    Well, this Mommy does! 


    I got my corner office last year right after giving birth to Baby Michael. Now, pliiiiiizzzz don't think I'm a mini Marissa Mayer or something like that. I just happened to have climbed the corporate ladder for years before getting married and having a baby. It was unexpected, me getting married and everything, since I was not the marrying type, but God lead me to having a family, being a wife and mother, and I don't want to trade that with anything else. Not for the biggest corner office in the entire world!

    And please don't think I'm bragging about my career accomplishment. I just want to share that each and every one of us received a different gift from the Lord. For some women, it's the gift of being single and travel all over the world as a philanthropist, like a friend of mine. Or being an older single woman who channels her love by teaching children, caring for the elderly, and always lending a helping hand for her family, like a dear aunt of mine. Some have the gifts of being famous celebrities, or even one of those beautiful mommy bloggers, who inspire women to get fit, take care of their bodies, and get back into shape after babies. For some others, it's the gift to being a homeschooling mommy of more than one child  - sometimes five or six - without losing their mind, like many of you, wonderful Friends in the blogosphere. Some women has amazing skills in cooking and getting organized. And some others, - the ones I envy the most, the ones who often make me feel inspired and  also inferior at the same time - have the most amazing fingers that can sew, paint, knit, crochet, embroider, use hammer and nails and glue guns and whip up arts and crafts from even the simplest materials possible, or turn a shabby drawer into a chic-looking cabinet just with a pot of paint, like so many wonderful ladies I found on Pinterest.

    For me, it's being a wife, a mommy, and a career woman who happens to love being fashionable and dressing up everyday. Or on most days. ^__^

    Aaaand also being a frugal mom, which I will talk about in this post.


    Vintage flower-shaped bag, find similar here or here.

    What do you think of my cabbage-like, flower-shaped bag? When I got it several years ago, everbody was like: "It's very cute, LeeAnne, but how in the world are you going to pair it with?" My answer: with so many things!

    I love unique purses that can "stand out" on its own. You carry one of these catchy, cheerful bags, and you don't need to worry about the rest of your ensemble. Just throw on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, and you're fashionable. So practical for busy women. Look at this beauuuuuutiful Anusckha flower tote here. It's really something! I can imagine myself wearing all black and carry one, or wearing jeans, a simple pink top, and carry it for weekend errands.

    Anuschka Bag (Buy)

    My brother told how how many of his lady friends in Austin carry Vera Bradley purses. We don't have Vera Bradley in Indonesia, so I do some window shopping online, and I'm practically drooling over the fun, cheerful, colorful purses! I especially fall in love with this one. It's called Curvy Tote in Flower Shower. I found it here.


    Vera Bradley Curvy Tote in Flower Shower (Buy)

    And this one I especially like, because it's a basic black with a twist. The black color means the purse can go with any outfit. You can dress it up with a blazer or a simple cocktail dress, or you can dress it down with jeans and a simple top, or just a plain colored sundress. The pop of colors also will match any outfit color easily. It's definitely more fun than just a basic black tote!
    M&F Western Paisley Peace Cross Bucket Tote (buy)


    I've always been a frugal type and enjoying finding new tips and tricks to save money. In term of grocery shopping, now that I shop for a family instead of a single household, I spend more and aim to save more. One thing that I always do is stocking up when I find amazing deals. Especially if it's "buy one get one free" promotion for products that my family use on a daily basis, like toiletries, hand soap, laundry detergent, oatmeal, powdered milk, etc.

    Like these baby wipes. I don't use baby wipes on my baby and use washable cotton wipes instead, but I always carry a pack of these and use them as wet ones in my purse. They are very very handy in situation when you need to wipe off your hands and there's no place to wash you hands. Hand sanitizer is nice, but sometimes you still need to wipe off your hands with some... fabric, I guess. These are "buy one get one free", so I stock up. I refuse to pay full price for something that I know will be on promotion regularly! All you've got to do is watch for the cycle and stock up accordingly. Trust me, it saves a lot, and worth spending more in the beginning. Stocking up also means you can avoid those unnecessary trips to the store because you run out of something unexpectedly.


    I use bar soap, but Hubby likes liquid soap. This is a different variant than the one he usually uses, but they come in "buy a refill of 450 ml and get a small bottle of extra 100 ml product" promotion, - which is like a 22,22% of free product - so I got some. Last time I also bought different variants for him, whichever that was on special promotion. Luckily, Hubby's not too picky, as long as it's liquid soap. I never pay retail price for this brand, I always, always, stock up until the next cycle of promotion, because I noted a long time ago that they have promotion on a regular basis. 


    You might think to yourself when you see this picture, "Woman, you have a problem!" Yep, I use lots and lots of baby oil. On me. Not on Baby Michael. My son uses baby lotion and baby talc, but his delicate skin somehow cannot stand baby oil. Mommy is the one uses TONS of baby oil, as beauty product. I use a little bit everyday on my neck, I mix a bit in my body lotion. AND I use A LOT of body lotion because I lotion all over my body, from neck to my feet, not just on my hands and legs. To me, baby oil is a bit expensive. I don't like paying full price for it. So I always stock up, A LOT. Regularly, this brand will have "get 100% more product" promotion, which is like "buy one get one free" so I always buy like a dozen or so to last me until the next cycle of promotion which happens twice a year.


    I have a drawer full of toiletries and bath supplies for my whole family in my closet. So, no worries, Hubby and son! You will never run out of soap, Mommy's got you covered!

    So, what are your tips to save on grocery shopping? Please do share with me! I love learning on how to save money!
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