Recently, a friend forwarded me an article (or was it a blog post?) written by a man who took control of his spending and started paying close attention to how he spent money. After years and years of living frugally, he cut himself some slack and realized that the habits he’d created were now ingrained and he didn’t need to log every single receipt or account for every penny in money management programs.

It was inspiring. It was promising. It was so interesting … and if I could remember who sent it to me and where I read it, I would totally share it with you. Sorry. I can’t.

In any case, where that writer was in terms of habits is not where I am. After a few weeks of trying to lighten up on My Spending Diet, I have fallen into old habits. Though my spending is down still, I have been too lax. We’ve gotten take out when we really didn’t need to. I’ve spent on days other than my designated day. It hasn’t been bank-breaking, but it’s enough for me to realize that I need to curb it. My good efforts could easily slip away if I don’t go back to the full-on spending diet. So, that’s what I am going to do. I just have to.

So, tomorrow I will do the shopping for the week. I will fill my gas tank and get every last thing we need. Then I won’t spend a dime until next Saturday. It just has to happen.

As for my meal plan … It will be posted on Sunday, if you want to check it out.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Photo credit: mconnors from morguefile.com

We’re going to skip the recap this week since I gave myself more leeway for spring break. Instead, I wanted to share some fabulous food and frugal living websites that I have recently discovered. The women (all moms!) who write these sites are ones who I recently interviewed for an assignment.

But first …

Something purely amazing happened this week: I started saving money again. It’s been a long time since I was able to pluck money from my income and squirrel it away. But when a received a payment this week, I quickly divided it between the kids’ saving accounts and my own. Although it wasn’t a lot, it was a very big and positive step in the right direction.

Another amazing thing: despite giving myself leeway, I mostly stuff to the rules and kept my spending down. Go me. Read the rest of this entry…

Sometimes you stumble. Sometimes you fall. This week was all about stumbling and falling in My Spending Diet. As I mentioned last week, it was the first time where my kids had to do the big weekly shop with me. It turned out to be harder (on me) than I anticipated. Add in an intensely busy workweek and an otherwise crazy schedule, and I just was off. Really, really off.

First, as a reminder:

The Plan: No spending from Saturday until the following Saturday. Cash in wallet can only be used in a true emergency.

What Happened: On Saturday, the kids and I hit two stores and got most of the stuff we needed. I had trouble finding the pork shoulder that was to comprise two of this weeks meals. In the end, I didn’t end up buying quite everything we needed on Saturday.

On Tuesday, after consulting with Twitter experts, I discovered that pork butt could be used (apparently, the butt can be part of the shoulder … in a pig, at least) and I knew where to find that. We never found the taco shells I wanted for Friday’s dinner (it’s hard to locate ones without those partially hydrogenated ingredients that I avoid). But that’s okay, because we ended up ordering pizza last night. Read the rest of this entry…

This week, I was featured on MomTrends as part of the site’s Fit Mom series. When I received the email from Nicole Feliciano, who writes MomTrends, that my profile was up, I was a little giddy. Not only did Nicole say some nice things, but it was an amazing feeling to show off my successful efforts to shed my weight from marriage and two pregnancies. You can check it out here.

I’ve lost about 12 pounds since just before Thanksgiving. I feel better, I look better and I have more energy. Lately, I have conquered some serious vendetta goals. For instance, I’ve been running lately as part of my workout. Last week, I ran for a whole 11 minutes. It might not seem like much to most people, but to someone who has never been able to run due to breathing issues, it’s huge.

But here’s the thing: being a healthy mom and getting fit isn’t easy. Heck, it’s hard. There’s always temptations – the cupcake at a kid’s birthday party, the on-the-run lunch, the kid’s leftovers. And there is always reason to slip up: being too tired, feeling weak, being stressed out. So to be fit and healthy takes a good deal of constant effort. You have to be vigilant and make conscious choices to do the right thing. Read the rest of this entry…

On December 31, my mother eagerly asked what resolutions I was going to make for 2010. Honestly, I hadn’t even thought about it yet. Sure, it was New Year’s Eve, but I just wasn’t ready to resolve anything yet. I didn’t really give her an answer.

Now, it’s January 15. Whew. I guess I am off to a lateish start, eh?

Actually, I really am not. See, one of my resolutions (or goals, if you will) for this year is to focus. So, since the beginning of the year, I have been doing just that: focusing on the things that really matter. Resolutions? They fall pretty low on that list.

But, today I have a few minutes … so, away we go!

Read the rest of this entry…

The end is the beginning is the end …

The end of the year is always an interesting time. People turn introspective, looking back on the past year. Evaluating. Discussing. Hey, I do it myself and usually I write about it too. But this year, I wanted to take a different approach.

See, I could write a week or more of posts looking back. But I didn’t want to do that. Instead, I offer you several lists detailing my favs from the past year. And at the end, I recapped my resolutions — which amazingly I was pretty successful with.

Once you’ve read through my favorites, be sure to share a few of your own in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear about the things you loved in 2009.

Happy New Year! Read the rest of this entry…

Usually, at the end of the year, I do a few year-end wrap ups. I really didn’t want to do days and days of that this year (there will be a fun list post tomorrow though!). So, this year I decided to do it a little differently.

Every year, many publications put out lists of what they think the food trends for the following year will be. I’ve always thought it was an interesting thing … something just out of my reach. But this year, I had a few thoughts on where food is going next. So, why can’t I join in?

Without further ado, these are my very own food trend predictions for 2010. Enjoy!

Fewer Better

The restaurant industry has been hit hard by the recession. People just aren’t eating out as much, since they can’t afford it. That means restaurant closings, layoffs and more. I don’t foresee that stopping quite yet.

In 2010, I think we will see a landscape of fewer restaurants — but the ones that remain will be producing better food with better ingredients. Survival of the fittest and all that.

Slimming Down

Dear Butter and Bacon, We still love you. But we need some time apart. Sorry, but our days of weaving bacon baskets and buttering our butter are over. But, we wish you the best.

In the past few years, there has been what seemed like a disregard for calories and nutrition when it came to good food. High in fat? So what, as long as it’s tasty, right? Not anymore. Documentaries in recent years like Food, Inc. and Super Size Me have bought to the forefront the problems of our food system and eating habits in the U.S. and I think people are finally listening.

In 2010, I think we will see a larger focus on producing not only healthier food (and recipes) but a mainstream push for it. It won’t be a fat-free revolution, but it will be a lightening up of recipes.

More Local

There’s been a brewing movement of local-eating and sustainable growing for quite awhile. The term CSA (that’s community supported agriculture) has entered the mainstream vocab. More people are interested in buying locally, supporting local food systems and even growing their own. Totally a good shift.

In 2010, I think we will see this trend really get a solid footing as a “norm” for more people. Furthermore, I think we will see a great increase in home growing.

More Cook with Kids Resources

People are still being deeply impacted by unemployment and the down economy. As a result, the things families do together have shifted. Less nights at restaurants, more eating at home. Less time spent spending at the local more, and more time on at-home activities … like cooking.

The book world and the internet are noticing. In 2010, I think we’ll see a great increase on resources to help parents get into the kitchen with their kids and spend some good ol’fashioned time cooking together. And really, it’s so fun. You should be doing it anyway. I do!

What do you think the big food trends will be in 2010? Share in the comments!

Dearest Mother Nature,

I am a big fan of your work–Brandywine tomatoes? Genius! Basil, rosemary and lavender? Amazing. Tulips, lilacs and forsythia? Lovely. So, it’s with the deepest appreciation that I write to you. Really, I think you are great at your job.

But recently, I’ve been really concerned. You’re erratic behavior lately has me downright worried. The late start to summer was so disappointing. And I don’t just mean because of the incessant rainy days. The impact was felt all through summer as tomatoes made scarcely any appearance here in Connecticut.

After that let down, I thought you would make it up to us with a drawn out conclusion to summer. I don’t know why, but I thought maybe we’d have some warm days into late October even … but no. No, instead you decided that October 15 was the perfect day for the season’s first snow.

Seriously, Mother Nature? We’re weeks from Halloween. This is when we should be wearing light layers and considering fleece while we pick apples and take hayrides to collect pumpkins. Instead, we are using gloves and winter coats while we shield ourselves from the biting wind. What gives?

Look, you are a smart, competent, lovely woman. You are strong and confident. But these past few months have been a blur of confusing and aggravating  behavior. It needs to stop. If you could find it in your heart to bring back the pleasant temperatures, that would just be awesome.

Best,

Sarah

The post I had planned for today on my canning activities over the weekend will now appear tomorrow.

When I heard the news this morning about Conde Nast’s decision about Gourmet magazine, I was heartbroken. Gourmet is the apex of quality food writing – having lived, breathed and exuded all things food since 1940. It treats food and food writing as an artform. The magazine shares international culture in a vivid and ever-fresh way (look at the back issue from years ago at right — Grilling Around the World in bold).

But the magazine is much more than just wonderfully linked words. The breathtaking photos take you into cultures and customs you might otherwise not know about — whether it’s a celebration in New Jersey or ceremony in another country. Editor Ruth Reichl has led the magazine with honesty, integrity and grace for the last decade. What will we do without her, and this amazing tome? Read the rest of this entry…

Let’s take a break from cooking for just one day. I really want to tell you about what I did today, but I will forewarn you — I was invited to this event, a product launch. It’s not something that I generally talk about on this blog, but it was a great event at a great place so I just wanted to share a bit. And to be clear: I wasn’t asked to write about it, nor was I persuaded in any way to say something nice …

So, what was it? Starbucks has just launched Via, an instant coffee. Yea, I know. You are probably smacking your lips in disgust and shaking your head. I have some wonderful memories of traveling in Europe that are dotted with drinking way too much horrific NesCafe instant coffee … blech. It had this burnt, dirty taste that still makes me cringe.

The strange thing was that when I tried the Via, I actually liked it. It won’t replace the brewed coffee that my husband makes me every morning (thanks, honey!) and it won’t stop me from occasionally feeding my nonfat Caramel Macchiato habit. But it’s good and I wouldn’t hesitate to make it when Shawn forgets to brew me coffee once in a while.

Back to the event. It was held at Craftbar – one of Tom Colicchio’s New York spots. Sadly, I didn’t see Tom, but believe me, I looked. I have a huge chef-crush on that man. Seriously. That smile …

I digress.

The food, which came straight from the Craftbar menu, was out of this world. The mixed greens salad might have looked simple, but the shallot vinaigrette was extraordinary. I want that recipe (Tom, dear, would you send it over? If only it were that simple). I don’t even know that I can adequately describe the flavor — it was slightly sweet, full and salty, in a very good way. I could have stopped eating there and been a very happy woman … but I am glad I didn’t.

For my entree, I had Fried Organic Chicken, Collard Greens, Watermelon and Picholine Olive. If you read New York Magazine with any bit of regularity, you probably know that fried chicken is the “it” food of the moment in New York. Well, I can tell you that this chicken was to die for … Every crunch just screamed with flavor. If I was at home, I would have happily picked up the bones and sucked every bit of breading off. It was just so good.

And dessert … oh, dessert. Olive Oil Cake, Black Mission Fig, Rosemary Ice Cream, Pine Nuts … Swoon. First off, I have never had figs before. Heck, I have avoided them. When I think fig, I think Newton’s and they aren’t my fav. So, I just don’t do it … except today. When it arrived, I nervously took a bite. Then another. Then another. Turns out I happen to love figs. Who knew? As if that’s not enough, the rosemary ice cream tasted of fresh rosemary just plucked from the home garden — and I love that flavor. And the pine nuts? Salted and lovely. The cake was lovely too.