Regrow your veggies: How to Replant your Kitchen Scraps

regrow your veggies how to replant your kitchen scraps

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Spring is almost here which means I’m planning on what we are going to grow outside. I love having fresh veggies and herbs and growing them ourselves we not only have control over keeping them pesticide free but also we can save a bundle!

But I love to grow things inside all year. Did you know that some vegetables (and fruit) you can re-grow? It’s pretty cool and really easy!

replanting green onions

Let’s start with the easiest to re-grow. I promise, even if you claim to not have a green thumb you can re-grow green onions! Green onions grow quickly (I’ll be sure to take photos this week just to show you how quickly!)

Here’s how you can grow green onions at home. Buy your green onions at the grocery store like you normally do. Bring them home and use them in your favorite recipe, cutting them to about 2 inches above the white parts. Then put them in a dish full of water, with the roots in the water. Let them soak up the water for a few days.

replanting green onions 2

Then simply transfer to a pot. Your green onions will grow quickly (in the photo above you can see on the tops the new growth). This photo was taken only 2 days after I originally cut them!

I always have green onions growing in our kitchen! It’s nice to be able to walk over and cut what I need. I use them for a lot of recipes!

While green onions aren’t very expensive, the pennies eventually add up right? I was buying two bunches of green onions a week. Now that I regrow our green onions, I buy about 1 bunch a month. (I replace my pot of green onions about once a month)

Buying 2 bunches of green onions per week for a year: $70.72 ($70 a year on onions! CRAZY!)

After regrowing – buying 1 bunch per month: $8.18

Total savings by regrowing: $62.56!!

Tomorrow I will show you another vegetable that we regrow!

UPDATE: Here are our green onions a week later:

side by side chives

Check out how to re-grow your celery here.

Check out how to re-grow your Romaine Lettuce here.

       

How to freeze cheese & why you should

Did you know that you could freeze cheese? I’ll admit I didn’t for the longest time! If you were to ask about about what some items that would be great for stockpiling cheese wouldn’t have even been on my radar. But now….Now I know! Saturday I was at Target (to get a printer….and only a printer….) strolling around the food section and what caught my eye? But a little red tag inside the dairy case. Kraft cheese, on clearance! I looked closer and saw that the bricks of mild cheddar cheese were only 66 cents each!! What is wrong with them? Nothing – it’s not even close to the expiration date! So I picked up 6 and resisted all urge to do a little happy dance right in the middle of Target. I was already getting an odd look from the lady watching me put 6 blocks of cheese in my cart. (I told her – only 66 cents each she should get one. She didn’t. Sigh. Some people just don’t get it.)I brought them home and opened them up. Then I shredded them. If we are going to eat cheese and crackers we are more extra sharp cheddar lovers, but mild cheddar is perfect for homemade mac and cheese, casseroles and baked potatoes!

Now each block of cheese was 8 oz. – the same that would be in a bag of shredded cheese you would buy in the store. So after I shredded each block I put into a sandwich bag. Then I put all of the sandwiches into a freezer bag.
This week Kraft shredded cheese isn’t on sale at my stores, but the generic brands are.
Kroger brand $1.88
Marsh brand $1.98
My cost: $0.66


By stocking up when I saw this awesome deal I saved $7.32 compared to the Kroger brand!
So WHY should you stock up on cheese?

1. It saves you money!



2. It saves you time – no more having to make trips to the store for 1 item. I don’t know about you but those 1 item trips end up usually costing me at least $20! I always find something else.



3. It’s easy!
So here are a few tips:
1. Hard cheeses freeze better. These are cheeses like cheddar and not like goat cheese.



2. Shredded cheese freezes the best. Sometimes when you freeze cheese the texture changes a little bit (it sometimes will crumble a little bit) so start out with freezing cheddar cheese. It’s going to get melted anyways!



3. If you want to freeze cheese but not shredded, cut it into slices. I have a Food Saver (FoodSaver V2244 Advanced Design Vacuum Sealer, Black) (which I LOVE and highly recommend Honestly, it pays for itself!) so after I slice the cheese I vacuum seal it and don’t have any problems with any change of texture. If you are using regular freezer bags wrap it in plastic wrap tightly and then put it into the freezer bag.



4. Let the cheese defrost in the refrigerator prior to use.



5. Stock up and save!! 🙂

       

Frugal Friday! How to make your fabric softener last forever! (Or a really long time anyways…)

Hooray it’s Friday! Here is this week’s frugal idea:

So as you know I coupon. I love using coupons for our cleaning and personal care items. They don’t expire (or have super long shelf life!) and most of the time I can get them for free or close to free.
$10 for a razor? I don’t think so! $20 for a bottle of Tide? Not a chance. $7 for a bottle of shampoo? Have you lost your mind??? I just can’t do it. I’m able to stock up on these things pretty easily for 90-100% off the retail price. But for some reason – dryer sheets and fabric softener don’t seem to get the same awesome deals that the other products get.
So a few years ago a friend told me this tip on how to turn your fabric softener into a dryer sheet. And it makes your bottle last forever a really long time! This bottle of Snuggle was I am going to guess about $3 for 40 loads. And the bottle has lasted us oh gosh, at least a year. Maybe more?
Here is what you do:
Take a washcloth (I do 2 at a time so I can rotate my ‘dryer sheets’) and put it in a bowl (or a bowl lid like I did!).

Then you just pour the fabric softener on top – soak it! Make sure to flip your washcloth over so both sides get nice and covered. Then just let it dry. It will take awhile to dry – remember we soaked it! About halfway I flip it over and that seems to help it dry a little faster. Last night it was just still damp (but dry enough not to be dripping all over the place!) and I put it draped over a box fan we had – it dried in no time! AND our house smelled so clean! I love that clean smell!!!

When it’s dry, just toss it in with the laundry like a regular dryer sheet. Except don’t throw it away when you are done! Keep reusing it!


I would guess that I do at least 10-11 loads of laundry a week. (That’s 572 loads a year! If you poured the fabric softener in each load you would need over 14 bottles!! Yikes!) I do 2 ‘dryer sheets’ at a time so I can rotate them and I make a new batch of ‘dryer sheets’ about every 6 months. So each one lasts about 3 months. Compared to the bottle saying it lasts 40 loads – this is a huge improvement! And our clothes still smell good! 🙂
Amount this saves my family/year:
$53
Don’t let the small number fool you! Simple, little changes like this add up! For not a lot of effort! By doing this it’s like not having to pay my cell phone bill for a month! Who wouldn’t take a free month of service?

       

How to clean a vinyl or plastic shower curtain

Disclaimer: I’m so embarrassed to post this.

In our shower we have a cheap plastic shower curtain (yes, it is a PVC free shower curtain – but still a cheap one!) and then we have our nicer fabric shower curtain over it. I clean our bathroom once a week – on Tuesdays actually, because I’m kind of OCD and like to do things on certain days. And every Tuesday I wash our bathroom mats and the fabric shower curtain. And every Tuesday I say I’m going to wash our plastic one because it is so gross, but I thought I would have to scrub it and I just never had time.

Holy cow it can go in the washing machine – and come COMPLETELY clean! Had no clue! Or else I would have done it a long time ago.

I guess the time has come I have to finally post a picture huh?

I told you … ewww!!!

You never really realize how disgusting something is until you take a picture of it to put on the Internet for the whole world to see.
Seriously, I’m hanging my head in shame.
So I was planning on just buying a new one. This one was pretty gross , no this one was nasty.
But it was so easy to clean!!
 

Toss it in the washing machine (I put a couple towels in with it). Shake some baking soda in there (very technical I know) then your laundry detergent and wash. I washed mine with hot water and on the gentle cycle.

When it’s done hang it up to dry.

Before

After. Ah much better.

Because everyone knows you need a side by side before and after shot! 🙂

Happy cleaning!

Amanda

       

How I do it: Part 3 Meal Planning

Part 3 already
If you missed part one (download my free daily planner)
or part 2 (download my free cleaning schedule)
You can click on the links above!
FOOOD. Meal planning has saved my life. Perhaps that is a bit of an overstatement, but it certainly helps. I already told you I write all the dinners on the Calendar at the beginning of my book. But at the beginning of each week I also put in a weekly meal planning calendar. This is by far, the least fanciest thing I’ve got! Just a warning!
Yes it is pretty boring. But it’s got all I need. A spot for the date and then the 7 days of the week, plus a column for stock. I’ve got a box for breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts/snacks. And a box for groceries.
I try really hard to cook from scratch – it’s so much cheaper and more healthy and not to mention lots of things are just as easy as pouring it out of a box! So when I make something lots of times I will double a recipe and freeze half of it. Cook once and it’s done! So that’s where the stock column of my meal plan comes in handy.
Here’s my meal plan for this week. You can tell I usually don’t plan lunches (we either do left overs or make sandwiches) And I usually don’t include sides with the meal – just the entree. Then depending on what we pick up at the Farmer’s Market becomes our sides.
I DO make my own bread. It’s easier than you think. This week I made English Muffin Bread. It makes about 3-4 loaves. I keep one out for toast, use 1 loaf to make a big batch of French Toast (see it as one of the breakfast stock items?) and freeze the other loaf for toast for next week. It’s super easy to make – I’ll share my recipe with you next time I make some! 🙂
Next week I will make just a daily loaf of bread. It makes 2 loaves and I do the same thing – keep one out for this week and freeze the other loaf. Simple and SO good!
I always try to make a double batch of breakfast items and freeze half. That way I’ve got breakfast cooked for next week! So this week I’m making a double batch of pancake mix and that big batch of French Toast. I’m not a morning person so to have breakfast pre-made is a HUGE help. Especially during the school year!
On Tuesday I made Meatball subs. And so I made a huge HUGE batch of meatballs. Meatballs are the best to have in the freezer – sandwiches, pasta, lasagna, pizza, or Josh likes them just plain.
Tomorrow I am making a chicken tortilla casserole. I’m already doing the work so I may as well make 2 casseroles instead of 1. Then if something comes up later on, we get home late, or I’m feeling lazy and don’t want to cook – no worries. Dinner is done.
In my book, I keep track of my daily blogging stuff. I realize not everyone that reads this is a blogger so I’ll be super quick. (IF anyone is interested in knowing more about these items please let me know!) I have a blog post planner. Each sheet has enough room for 2 planned posts. There is a spot for the date, post title, SEO, any internal links, follow up ideas and ways to promote it. Plus a few other boxes. (Do you like my motivational topper? lol)
I also have my blog stats page. I still need to tweak this page a little. I fill it out every morning for the day prior. I’ve got spaces for my blog (followers, page views, unique visitors and subscribers), Twitter (followers), Facebook (likes, share, weekly reach), Pinterest (followers), Blog Frog and any company I may have any affiliate links with. I check each morning for any money (really, lack thereof) that I made and I write it in the bottom box. Stats aren’t everything, but it is important to know what they are for when people ask about advertising and talking to sponsors. I check once a day and that’s plenty for me!
And that’s it. My planner book (I think I need a new name!)
It has:
4 monthly calendars
5 weekly cleaning sheets
5 weekly meal planning sheets
31 daily planners
31 blog post planners
and 31 blog stat sheets
It’s a lot. But it’s all here. All customized to me and saves me SO much time in the long run!

Amanda

       

How I do it – part 2 – Cleaning Schedule & printable

It’s day 2 of sharing how I get organized. If you missed day one you can find it here (it’s where I shared my daily planning sheet – free to download and print! Good stuff!)
Well today I’m going to share the rest of what is in my life saving book. That way if you want to construct your own planner you can – and feel free to customize it to your needs! That’s the whole reason I made my own instead of buying one! 🙂
Alright First off I have 4 Calendars for the month. Right up front. Why 4?
Well…
Calendar 1: Meal Planning Calendar. I write down each night’s Dinner while I’m planning it out.
Calendar 2: Monthly Blog Calendar. I write down things like what advertising ads need to go up, what the daily post will be about (although it changes all the time! I need to be better at keeping to my schedule!) I write down Twitter parties, guest blogging. Basically if it has to do with this blog it’s on my Calendar #2.
Calendar 3: My deep clean calendar. Yes. I have one. I hate to clean. But I worked my butt off to get my house to a point where I can clean for about 20-30 minutes a day and never have to worry about unexpected company dropping in. I don’t ever want to go back to the 30 minutes and people will be here, if they are on time and not early, and the house is still a mess and I still need a shower way. More on my cleaning schedule in a bit.
Calendar 4: Here it is. The family calendar. Summer camp dates, doctor’s appointments, birthdays, parties, bills. It’s all here.
Next in line is my weekly cleaning schedule.

I list my daily cleaning items.

1 load of laundry – start to finish (finishing laundry is the hardest for me. I like to either keep it in the dryer – and keep resetting the dryer OR fold it and keep it in the laundry basket. Don’t ask why putting it away is the worst it just is)

Make the beds

Pick up the clutter

Clean up the dishes after each meal

Clean up the counters/table after each meal

Then, I have a schedule (told you I’m completely a type A person..with a little OCD. I’ll leave it at that so I don’t embarrass myself).

Monday: Master bedroom

Tuesday: Bathroom

Wednesday: Josh’s room

Thursday: Living room/Hall

Friday: Kitchen

Saturday: Outside

Each room has a few specific chores that I do in it. We have a small house – just 2 bedrooms and 1 bath so it works out that I just have to do one room a day.

And don’t forget that calendar! So today. Today was Tuesday. I did my daily items and I cleaned the bathroom. (Yuck). On my cleaning calendar I have things listed that are more deep cleaning things that maybe don’t get thought of too often. Today it was clean the shower curtains. Check. (Tomorrow is clean the washing machine in case anyone cared!)

If you want to download and print my cleaning schedule go here. I made sure to save it in a way that you can change anything on there and personalize it the way you want!

Come back tomorrow for more on my planner – and I’ll share about how to have the easiest meal planning system EVER!

Amanda

       

How I do it – Getting organized my FREE printable planner

It all started with me asking on Facebook if anyone was interested in my July meal plan menu. (You follow me on facebook right? You should! I love chatting up new friends!)

Anyways.

I started typing it up and I found myself trying to explain things. So I thought it would be easier to just start from the beginning. Here you go.
How I do it. Mind you I am no expert. There are probably a million other (and many better) ways to do things. This is just how I do it. Maybe you will take a few ideas and make them work for you. Or perhaps you will share a few things that work with you so that I can intergrate it into my daily plan.
Follow on Facebook and over at The Blog Frog to chat with me and moms all over the country! 🙂
Here’s part one. I plan. I am most defintely a Type A person. I need lists. I love the calendar on my computer and phone but I NEED pen and paper. Ask Andy. I have notebooks all over the place.
See this stack. This is my planner (excuse the binder clips I haven’t made it over to Office Max to get it binded!) Did I mention that it was for 1 month? Yes, that’s right. That is my planner for July. Now just know that before I was a ‘blogger’ my planner was no where near this big! 🙂
That’s my daily planner. Here’s a closer look.
Obviously, the date goes up top. Then I have my daily reminders. Just things that I need to do and a reminder that I am blessed!
This tiny part of my planner has transformed my relationships! I swear by it! In the top right hand corner of my planner I have a spot where I write down 3 small acts of kindness to do – one for my husband, one for my child and one for myself. Somedays I write things like write a thank you note, play Skylanders, paint my nails, pick up Andy’s favorite buffalo chicken salad at the store. Just something small. But it makes sure that the people I love the most know they are valued and that I care!
Here is where I keep track of my water (by the glass) and my fitness (by the minutes). I also focus on a different body part each week to work out. For example this week I’m focusing on arms.
Today is a special day – I write down things throughout the day that make it rock. Not only does it ensure that when Andy gets home I don’t forget to tell him something important, but it is a great way to make sure I stay positive. If I’m having a really crummy day where nothing seems to be going right I have this empty spot. I can’t just leave it empty – it makes you think what is one awesome thing that happened. I also write in birthdays/anniversaries here. Plus, it’s nice to be able to look back at the week and see all the cool stuff that has happened.
Needs to be paid – Boo. Bills. I hate them, but they are a part of life. If I don’t write down call in the electric bill I will forget.
To accomplish today – Here it is. Finally my to do part of my planner!
A look ahead – Just what it says – a look at things to come.
Get in contact with – people to call, email, meet up with. I also put in Twitter parties! #ihearttwitter
Ideas and inspirations – any new ideas for home decor, movies to watch, blog post ideas. You name it I probably write it down!
Daily Cleaning – I have to stay accountable. If not, well, I end up on Pinterest and before I know it I look at the clock and realize Andy will be home from work in 30 minutes, I’m still in my pajamas, I’ve gotten nothing done and dinner is still in the freezer. True story.
There you have it. My planner. It’s nothing fancy. But it works for me. I need boxes to fill in, things to circle and more details than a from the store planner. If you are interested in a copy of my planner you can download it here for free!
I print mine at Office Max for 10 cents a copy and they will bind them up for you too.
“How does this fit in with meal planning?” you may be asking. Well, stay tuned. It will! Tomorrow will be part 2 of How I do it!
What are some must haves for your planner?

Amanda