banana nut bread oatmeal

Oatmeal is my quick, cheap, gratifying go-to meal. Too tired to cook dinner? Make oatmeal. Too cold to eat cereal for breakfast? Make oatmeal. Want something filling for lunch, but the fridge is empty? Make oatmeal. Belly growling? Make oatmeal. 

Oatmeal is soul-satisfying, hunger-quenching goodness. And for the record: instant oatmeal pouches are only remnants of the real thing. Treat yourself - take ten minutes of your life and make your own flavored oatmeal. When finished applaud yourself for making something from scratch that tastes incredible with minimal effort.

Inspired by A Beautiful Mess's Oatmeal 9 Ways. Here's my version of scrumptious and warm oatmeal! It truly taste like warm banana nut bread just out of the oven (with a fraction of the time and effort). 

Banana Nut Bread Oatmeal - single serving

Ingredients:

1 c. water (if you like thinner oatmeal add more water)

pinch of salt

1/2 c. oatmeal (I use old-fashioned)

1 banana, sliced (a half of banana works too)

1/2 tbsp. maple syrup 

1 tbsp. walnuts

dash of cinnamon

dash of allspice

1. Bring water and salt to boil over high heat in saucepan

2. Stir in oatmeal and lower to medium heat

3. Stir a few times until oatmeal is cooked. It should take a couple of minutes until the oatmeal has expanded in size and still has a little bite to it (similar to al dente pasta). Do NOT overcook it or you will have mush. 

4. While water is heating and oatmeal is cooking combine remaining ingredients in bowl.

5. Pour oatmeal over top of the banana and nut mixture and stir. 

6. Devour! 

Oatmeal is best served piping hot, but if you have delicate taste buds let it sit for a minute or two before eating. Try adding other fruits instead of bananas - raisins, blueberries, and strawberries all work perfectly with the maple/walnut/oatmeal combo. Oh and did I mention it's the perfect companion for a snowstorm? Keep warm, friends! Here comes Nemo! P.S. Anyone else think it's strange to name a winter storm after a tropical fish??

for the love of Wegmans

Devoted? Infatuated? Smitten? Call it what you'd like but I confess I'm in love with a grocery store. The bins of fresh bread still warm from the oven. The colorful rows of fresh sushi. The wheels, chunks, and slices of artisan cheeses. The cheap and reasonable grocery prices. What's not to love?

I blame my mom for the delight I get just from entering Wegmans (and for turning me into the foodie I am...thanks Ma!). We'd make special day trips every couple of months and spend the afternoon roaming the aisles shopping for Asian almond cookies, special Italian pasta shapes, almond croissants, authentic European sodas, havarti cheeses, and other delicious goods. The love affair continued when they built a Wegmans near my college. It became the fun place to "study" over a slice of decadent dark chocolate cake. Fast forward to now - I've converted my hubby into a full blown Wegmans fanatic  We both enjoy our weekly grocery shopping trip! (Yes, I know I got a good one :) 

Lately, I've had a number of people doubt the frugalness of shopping at Wegmans. Yes, the prepared foods, select cuts of meat, and crumbly cheeses can get quite expensive, but there are many fabulous deals. It's time I convert all the doubting Thomases into full blown Wegmans-lovers!

Wegmans app, strawberry almond tart, coupons, notebook - let the deal hunting begin!

And so my frugal(ish) list of reasons to shop at Wegmans: 

1) Consistent low prices -  Visit the Wegmans website and click on consistent low prices to see a current flyer. Just a few examples:

• .49¢/lb bananas 
• .89¢ Wegman's greek yogurt 
• .99¢ for a bag of frozen veggies 

2) Club pack prices - stock your freezer!

• $1.99/lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• $13.98 for 32oz of salmon
• $9.98 for 32oz of tilapia

3) Bulk bins - especially great prices for sprinkles, 12 flavor gummy bears (a favorite special treat), dried fruits, and grains

4) Cheap date night - spicy crab sushi for me and lobster bisque for hubby - date night for a little over ten bucks!!

5) Register your card and you get Wegmans coupons each week by email, mailings with special store brand coupons, and notices of upcoming free events (for all those lovers of samples)

6) The Wegmans App - my new secret device for finding the best deals!! It's revolutionary! Download it now!!

• search for any product and it will tell you the current price and the aisle it's found in - perfect for comparing prices and couponing
• you can make a shopping list on the app and it will be organized according to the store layout
• the constantly updated prices allow you to see what's on sale that may not be advertised from the comfort of your own abode...every other grocery store needs to get on this bandwagon!

7) Huge selection of specialty and organic ingredients - rarely, do I come across an ingredient that I can't find at Wegmans

8) Wegmans brand - the best store brand available! Wegmans brand products are usually as good and sometimes better than name brands.

If my list hasn't converted you, take a trip for yourself - I promise you won't be disappointed! 

P.S. I have no connection to Wegmans, beyond my love of great food at low prices :)

homemade gift bags with easy hand painted flowers

Today I'm reconnecting with my preschool roots and getting crafty with celery painting. Yes, I said c-e-l-e-r-y p-a-i-n-t-i-n-g. It's not just for four year olds in smocks with paint in their hair.

Lately I've been searching for new ways to cheaply package gifts. 99¢ cards still exist and you can find plain gift bags at the dollar store, but you often sacrifice quality (and prettiness) for the cheap price tag. My frugalish solutions - buy gift boxes and wrapping paper when it's 75% off or more after the holidays, reuse household items such as mason jars for gifts, and buy cheap paper that can be decorated to suit any occasion. This Christmas I bought a ginormous roll of butcher paper for the price of one measly roll of Christmas wrapping paper. Tip: some newspapers offer the end of their newsprint rolls for free. I could have stalked the local newspaper, but I decided my time and gas weren't worth it. Thus putting the semi in semi-frugal life.

Even though I used the paper for all of our wrapped presents during Christmastime, I still haven't made a dent. As awesome as butcher paper is, it doesn't wrap stuffed animals or obscure objects all that well...so I decided to try making my own gift bags. Visit this link to see the homemade gift bag tutorial I used by How About Orange. I measured an old gift bag as the template to make a bigger bag. The purple/green bag is made from a 17.5" x 32.5" rectangle with 10" front panels and 5.75" side panels.

Let's be honest though - an all white bag is borrrriiinnng. It needs some jazzing up. Clearly the next logical choice is to paint with celery! Yes, I have the mind of a preschooler. But in my defense celery painting is super cheap, uses things you probably have lying around (old paints, celery, paint brush), and simple stenciling for those among us who don't have the artist flair.

The bags turned out beautiful, but a few thoughts if you're considering taking the plunge:

• measure carefully - otherwise, the bag might look cockeyed...ahem 
• measure the bag dimensions, cut, then paint - you'll be able to control the overall design better
• if your celery stalk doesn't produce the flower you want - take the stalk apart and work your way from the middle out with the smaller stalks for the middle of the "flower" and bigger stalks for the outer "petals"
• taking the stalk apart also allows you to create different size flowers
• don't dip the stalks in the paint (you'll have a glob of paint instead of distinctive petals) - use a paintbrush!

The perfect gift bag for an upcoming Valentine's Day gift, birthday, shower, or Mother's Day! Now get your craft on! I promise it's ok if you get paint in your hair...all the cool people do...

hodgepodge salad with balsamic vinaigrette

Milk, eggs, a few random veggies and fruit, condiments, homemade mozzarella, leftover bread...that's about all that's left in the fridge. Hodgepodge Salad is what happens when the fridge has been picked over after a week of cooking and I still need a veggie to go with dinner. Instead of heading to the store for more greens or pulling a veggie out of the freezer, I decided to improvise and use what we had on hand. What's in this salad? The bottom of a bag of spinach, two stalks of celery, some pomegranate seeds, a few sections of grapefruit, mozzarella, and croutons...everything but the kitchen sink! The result - a fruity, summery salad perfect for the dead of winter! 

And of course, if you think pomegranates are too seedy or grapefruits are too tart, replace them with dried cherries or cranberries. Or oranges and almonds. Try arugula instead of spinach. Green beans in place of celery. The possibilities are endless...use what you have, so it won't go bad! 

If you don't have any croutons, no problem! Croutons are one of the simplest things to make. Never made your own? Now is a great time to start! [Tip: I keep a bag of "old" bread in the freezer. Anytime I have a leftover heel or a slice that might go bad before we can eat it I slip it in the bag. This hodgepodge is perfect for making homemade bread crumbs and croutons.] Cut the bread into one inch cubes. Toss with some olive oil and whatever seasoning you prefer (I usually use the Italian herbs blend). Pop them in a 325 degree oven for 8-15 minutes (depending on the staleness of your bread). Pull the pan out once the bread has turned crunchy and golden. Viola! You have now made croutons! You've saved yourself at least a dollar. Congratulations! 

Let's make the vinaigrette.  These amounts are approximate - I tend to mix according to taste when making salad dressing instead of actually measuring...whoops. Too much bite? Add some sweetness. Trust your taste buds. They know what they like. 

• 1/4 c. oil
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar.
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 - 2 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. lemon juice 
• 1 1/2 tsp. chopped green onions
• salt and pepper to taste

Whisk it right up and presto...salad dressing! You've now saved another dollar! Isn't this fun!?! (P.S. I apologize if you are reading this early in the morning and the peppiness is a bit much...blame it on the chai tea :)

Throw the salad items in a pretty little bowl with the fruit, cheese and croutons on top. Pour a little vinaigrette over and top with fresh black pepper. Then proceed to stuff your face!

Off to make the dinner that goes with this. I'm trying out a new idea (well, new to me)...using won ton wrappers as the pasta dough to make ravioli. Not as cheap as homemade pasta, but without a pasta maker it's hard to get the dough thin enough.  On the menu tonight - Butternut Squash (harvested from the farm this fall) Ravioli with a Sage Butter Sauce. Hubster's bringing home the Redbox movie and we're set for date night in abode...bring on the snow! 

Happy Weekend!

a few favorite things

Fact: I have A LOT of favorite things. I've been known to state, "This is my favvvorrittee" about many (most!) of my mom's delicious dinners and baked goods. How can I serious choose between espresso brownies, coconut cream pie, and gingerbread cookies? I will not and cannot choose - they are all my favorites!




Here are a few of my other favorite things lately: (P.S. Anyone singing the song yet???)

1) Green tea, cherry, spinach smoothies. Not super green, but still filled with antioxidants, vitamins, and other good stuff. If you plan on making this in single digit temps, I suggest wrapping up in a hoodie and two blankets to combat the brain freeze.

2) Creamy and filling vegetable soups like this one from Two Peas in their Pod that trick the hubster into thinking he's eating meat. If you are interested in trying their Roasted Cauliflower and Cheddar Cheese soup, I added about a 1/2 cup more cheddar because our cheddar was missing some zing. If you have really sharp cheddar, you probably won't need to add more. I also added a few dashes of hot sauce and served with crusty bread for dipping. Perfect for a cold, snowy winter evening. In fact, tonight we're trying another one - spicy sweet potato soup!












3) A clean abode. I have conquered the strange mold growing in the crevices of our shower from the previous tenants. I'll leave the gory details out, but my question still remains why do they create "bath fitters" with strange seams and cracks that create a place for water to pool and turn moldy?? Ok, I'm promise I'm over the mold now.

4) Mom's German Chocolate Cake. It's Dad's birthday cake every year. It's always moist, chocolaty, and delicious. These days there are more candles than cake...

5) Downton Abbey party with some pretty ladies! Complete with coffee, tea, yummy biscotti, and friendship. I was too lazy (it was also dark and cold!) to get my camera out of my car for a picture...

6) Fresh cranberries. Even better fresh cranberries on sale with a coupon! They've been sitting in my freezer waiting to be used. I toyed with the idea of making some cranberry sauce - I'd eat it year round if I could, but decided instead to try an old Cooking Light muffin recipe. I added an additional 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and allspice, but the hubster and I both agree more spice wouldn't hurt. And maybe some orange glaze next time. Best served warm!

Alright friends, hope my favorites list inspires you to warm up your own home with some baked goodness or delicious eats on this chilly day!