Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Finally - A Cooperative Grocery Store in Hamilton!


The Mustard Seed, Hamilton's first cooperative, non-profit grocery store, opened its doors for business this past Friday.

The store opening has been eagerly awaited by many Hamiltonians, but especially by the many volunteers like myself who spent countless hours over the past two years working to help make this happen!

The store was abuzz all opening weekend, with over 1000 folks dropping by to check the place out and shop for tasty local treats.

While there are still a lot of rough edges to smooth out, there are plenty of little details that give the store a personal, local touch.

Shown below: the produce section (large photo) and (from top to bottom) the barn doors made by a Mustard Seed member from reclaimed wood; a lineup of shoppers waiting to pay for their groceries, and the whimsical sign for the restroom.


One of my very favourite design touches at the store is all the photos of local food producers hanging on the walls. What a great way to bring to life exactly where our food is coming from and the people who are growing it for us!


Of course, I was also thrilled to see my book nestled on the shelves at the co-op. And particularly pleased to see it tucked in beside the More-with-Less cookbook, one of my longtime favourites. I grabbed this photo from the Mustard Seed's Facebook page - there are a ton more photos there  if you want to see the whole process of creating a grocery store.


It was really fun to walk around the store and be able to say "I helped put up those shelves", "I helped paint that" and on and on.

Of course, while the look of the store is important, the food is the main reason for the co-op's existence. Over the coming weeks and months I think the selection of products and producers will evolve quite considerably with lots of input from members. At the moment there is a fair amount of product purchased through distributors; as we connect with more smaller local producers I expect there will likely be a shift towards carrying more items from these types of businesses.

I'm most excited about being able to easily source more local and/or organic produce to supplement what I grow myself. I'll now have a consistent source for organic lemons, something I've often had trouble tracking down elsewhere. And the organic green onions I bought on opening day were a heck of a lot fresher than the ones I've been able to buy at other local grocery stores (not to mention I was able to get a smaller bunch so I can use them up before they spoil!) As we move into spring and the local growing season begins, the produce section is sure to be the highlight of the store.

Do you have a local co-op grocery store? What's your favourite thing about it?
Mountain Rose Herbs. A herbs, health and harmony c 
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Monday, January 20, 2014

Weekly Menu Retrospective #125

 
Welcome to my weekly roundup of the past week's eats. I prefer to report what we ate in the last week, rather than what we're planning to eat in the coming week. Why? The reason is pretty simple: although I usually have a general idea of what we're going to eat in the next week or so, life often unfolds a little differently than planned, and I adjust my menu plan on a near-daily basis to accommodate leftovers and other not-possible-to-plan-ahead circumstances. I find this is the easiest way to ensure that I minimize our family's food waste. I'm also willing to admit that I'm a rather spontaneous cook, given to preparing foods that strike me as the most appealing thing to eat right here and now!

If you'd like a whole book full of inexpensive, quick and kid-approved recipes, check out my book, Cheap Appétit : The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Family for Less Than $400 a Month (While Eating Better Than You Ever Thought Possible) on Amazon (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon UK) and Barnes and Noble.  It's gotten multiple 5 star reviews!! I've included page references to recipes that are in the book in my menu plans so you can locate them quickly. For more details about the book, go here. 
 
Breakfasts:
Granola (p. 92)  Zucchini Raisin Bran Muffins (variation of the recipe on p. 102), leftover cornbread, Blueberry Clafouti (p. 223)
 
Lunches: 

leftovers, sandwiches, pizza 

Dinners:
Monday:  Black Bean Chili (p. ), Cornbread (p. 212)

Tuesday:  Fish Cakes, hash brown potatoes, Broccoli, Bacon and Cheddar Salad (p. 204)

Wednesday: Everything-But-the-Kitchen-Sink Lentil Soup (p. 162)

Thursday: Sweet & Sour Pork (p. 142) served over rice

Friday: Turkey & Vegetable Coconut Curry (variation of the recipe on p. 136) served over quinoa
  
Saturday: Make-It-Your-Way Potato Hash (with sausage, red peppers and peas, p. 140)

Sunday: Pork Souvlaki, baked potatoes, Greek salad, Chocolate Quinoa Cake
 
In keeping with my local and organic challenge, I'd also like to note the local and/or organic items on this week's menu:

Organic: coconut (in granola), coconut oil (in granola), coconut milk, raisins, sunflower and pumpkin seeds (in granola), flax seeds, quinoa, lettuce, lemons, coffee (locally roasted and delivered by bike!), cornstarch, mustard, tamari, oregano, basil, parsley, Fairytale tea, peppermint tea, lemon balm, oatstraw

Local: potatoes, onions, carrots, red peppers (from the freezer stash), zucchini (from the freezer stash), apples, salsa (home-canned), ground beef (from VG Meats), honey (unpasteurized), sour cream, whole wheat flour
 
Local AND organic: 
oats, milk (used to make yogurt), eggs (not "certified organic", but real free range and fed organic feed), apple cider vinegar

Want to know more about the specific food products I use and where I buy them? Check out my "What's In My Pantry" board on Pinterest.  I will keep this board updated with current information on what products we use, where we're buying them, and how much we're paying. It's a work-in-progress, and you can find it HERE.

For more great meal ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com. 


Mountain Rose Herbs. A herbs, health and harmony c 
SOUTHERN ONTARIO READERS: Tired of figuring out what to make for dinner? Want ALL the best weekly deals, plus menu plans and grocery lists based on what's on sale and in season? I just launched a new weekly budget menu plan service, featuring the best weekly deals and seasonal foods in Southern Ontario. I have a free sample available that you can read here! It's super-affordably priced, too - more details are here.  

Love what you read here? Click HERE to see the ways you can help support this blog (many of them won't cost you a thing!) 

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

Click HERE to sign up for my Cook with Karen newsletter (max 2 emails a month)

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Click HERE to like Abundance on a Dime on Facebook and get updates and tips on living frugally

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Friday, January 17, 2014

5 of My Frugal (and Kind of Quirky) Daily Health Habits

If you take a quick flip through any womens' magazine these days, you're likely to get the impression that you have to spend a small fortune on gym memberships, expensive supplements and other "essentials" for good health. This isn't really helpful for anyone whose budget is a bit on the lean side. I absolutely think that many of the most powerful things you can do to support your health are very low cost (or even free!) To illustrate my point, I thought I'd share some examples of my daily health habits that cost little or nothing but that have had a strong impact on my overall wellness.

1. Meditation: This is my new daily habit that I mentioned in my post on my new routines for 2014. I've been really consistent with this so far and am up to 16 minutes now - hurray! Meditation is a tool that's available to absolutely anyone - after all it's completely free and you don't even need any equipment to get started (yes, I know a gorgeous meditation cushion would be nice, but a chair will do just fine). The documented health benefits of daily meditation seem nearly miraculous - it's so powerful that researchers at Harvard found that after 2 months of daily mediation, the genes of the study participants that help fight inflammation, kill diseased cells and protect the body from cancer all began to switch on (more details here). Pretty incredible stuff! Meditation is also known to boost overall immunity and help calm and focus the mind as well as improve memory. With all those benefits, I'm extremely motivated to stick with my new habit :)

2. Oil pulling: This technique has been growing in popularity the past few years, so you *might* have heard it mentioned somewhere. Basically, this practice involves swishing (or "pulling") oil around in your mouth for about 15 minutes or so, first thing in the morning before you eat (organic coconut or sesame oil are most commonly used). Sounds weird, I know, but it's an ancient Ayurvedic practice purported to have many health benefits. The reason I was drawn to it was that I've struggled with oral health issues (despite fastidious oral hygiene) and I thought I didn't have much to lose by giving it a try. My mouth definitely feels the cleanest it ever has after my daily oil pulling (I follow it up by a salt water rinse, then brush my teeth). I do the oil pulling while I'm in the shower, so it doesn't take any "extra" time in and of itself. You can read more about oil pulling here and here if you want to know more about it!

3. Nettle tincture: I began using my own homemade nettle tincture to help with my seasonal allergies this spring, but when I did more research and discovered its wide-ranging health benefits, I decided to make this herb part of my daily life year-round. I take a dropperful of tincture once a day.

4. Afternoon Herbal tea: Okay, drinking herbal tea isn't all that quirky I guess, although the one I brew up for my "afternoon pickup" is a lot different than most of those you will get prepackaged in a box! I wrote in more detail here about exactly what's in my afternoon cup of tea and why I picked those specific ingredients. I've been adding about ¼ - ½ tsp or so of rosehips to this basic blend for an extra immune boost during cold and flu season. This only takes me a couple of minutes to put together and not only is it packed full of health promoting goodness, it's pretty tasty too. If you don't have access to high quality herbs locally, I highly recommend Mountain Rose Herbs - their prices are great and the quality is fantastic. 

5. Acupressure and Energy Medicine: I wrote about this topic almost 3 years ago here on the blog - you can find that post here.  While this goes well beyond quirky for some people :) my personal experience is that these techniques can be extremely powerful. I do a modified version of this 5 minute energy routine developed by Donna Eden as part of my morning routine and I may add in some specific acupressure techniques as well, depending on whether I feel I need some further support in either the physical or mental health department :) Acupressure's usually one of the first things I turn to for acute issues like nosebleeds, motion sickness, headaches, earaches, congestion, etc. as well. If you're interested in trying out acupressure, you can find a variety of YouTube videos on this topic here or for more detailed information the book Acupressure's Potent Points is an excellent resource.

While I have found that all of the above practices have enhanced my personal health and well being, as always I encourage you to do your own research before starting any new health regimen, and consulting with your health practitioners if necessary. And yes, that link to Mountain Rose Herbs is an affiliate link :)
Mountain Rose Herbs. A herbs, health and harmony c 
Love what you read here? Click HERE to see the ways you can help support this blog (many of them won't cost you a thing!) 

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Wednesday, January 15, 2014

RECIPE: Cranberry Apple Compote

Cranberries are one of the Ontario-grown fruits that I don't think are all that well utilized. Sure, they get a lot of press at Thanksgiving and Christmas but we seem to forget about them for the most part over the rest of the winter when we could certainly use an injection of the colour and pleasant tartness they provide.

This winter I'm particularly motivated to incorporate them into our menus as my hubby went and bought half a dozen packages of organic, Canadian-produced cranberries when they were on sale right before Christmas.

This cranberry apple compote is really easy to whip up and it's plenty versatile. It makes a great topping for waffles or pancakes or plain baked oatmeal. You could also layer it with granola and yogurt to make breakfast parfaits, or serve it over vanilla ice cream for dessert (for an adults-only indulgence, add a shot or two of rum at the very end of cooking time). My kids are actually quite happy to polish off a bowlful of this straight up without any embellishment whatsoever :) 

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
3 medium apples, chopped
2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
¼ cup honey
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup apple cider (or sub apple juice or water)
1 tsp cornstarch

Instructions:
  • In a medium frying pan, sauté the apples in butter for a couple of minutes until they start to soften.
  • Add the cranberries, honey and sugar and cook for a few more minutes over medium heat until cranberries start to pop.
  • Mix cornstarch with cider and add to cranberry mixture. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes until thickened.
Do you have a favourite way to cook with cranberries?
 
Mountain Rose Herbs. A herbs, health and harmony c 
Love what you read here? Click HERE to see the ways you can help support this blog (many of them won't cost you a thing!) 

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

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Monday, January 13, 2014

Weekly Menu Retrospective #124

Welcome to my weekly roundup of the past week's eats. I prefer to report what we ate in the last week, rather than what we're planning to eat in the coming week. Why? The reason is pretty simple: although I usually have a general idea of what we're going to eat in the next week or so, life often unfolds a little differently than planned, and I adjust my menu plan on a near-daily basis to accommodate leftovers and other not-possible-to-plan-ahead circumstances. I find this is the easiest way to ensure that I minimize our family's food waste. I'm also willing to admit that I'm a rather spontaneous cook, given to preparing foods that strike me as the most appealing thing to eat right here and now!

If you'd like a whole book full of inexpensive, quick and kid-approved recipes,
check out my book, Cheap Appétit : The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Family for Less Than $400 a Month (While Eating Better Than You Ever Thought Possible) on Amazon (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon UK) and Barnes and Noble.  It's gotten multiple 5 star reviews!! I've included page references to recipes that are in the book in my menu plans so you can locate them quickly. For more details about the book, go here. 

 

Breakfasts:

Granola (p. 92)  Zucchini Raisin Bran Muffins (variation of the recipe on p. 102), peanut butter toast
 
Lunches: 

leftovers, sandwiches, pizza, quinoa with scrambled eggs & veggies

Dinners:


Monday:  Spaghetti with Creamy Tomato and Vegetable Sauce

Tuesday:  Potato, Cheddar and Bacon Soup (p. 165)

Wednesday: Sausage and Apple Sauté (p. 137)

Thursday: Spinach, Bacon and Cheese Egg Puff (p. 181), hash brown potatoes

Friday: Smothered Pork Chops (variation of the recipe on p. 143), roasted sweet potatoes
  
Saturday: Leftover Buffet

Sunday: Roast chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, orange-glazed carrots

In keeping with my local and organic challenge, I'd also like to note the local and/or organic items on this week's menu:

Organic: coconut (in granola), coconut oil (in granola), raisins, sunflower and pumpkin seeds (in granola), flax seeds, quinoa, lettuce, lemons, coffee (locally roasted and delivered by bike!), cornstarch, mustard, tamari, oregano, basil, parsley, Fairytale tea, peppermint tea, lemon balm, oatstraw

Local: potatoes, onions, carrots, red peppers (from the freezer stash), zucchini (from the freezer stash), apples, salsa (home-canned), ground beef (from VG Meats), honey (unpasteurized), sour cream, whole wheat flour
 
Local AND organic: 
oats, milk (used to make yogurt), eggs (not "certified organic", but real free range and fed organic feed), apple cider vinegar

 Want to know more about the specific food products I use and where I buy them? Check out my "What's In My Pantry" board on Pinterest.  I will keep this board updated with current information on what products we use, where we're buying them, and how much we're paying. It's a work-in-progress, and you can find it HERE.

For more great meal ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com. 

Mountain Rose Herbs. A herbs, health and harmony c 
SOUTHERN ONTARIO READERS: Tired of figuring out what to make for dinner? Want ALL the best weekly deals, plus menu plans and grocery lists based on what's on sale and in season? I just launched a new weekly budget menu plan service, featuring the best weekly deals and seasonal foods in Southern Ontario. I have a free sample available that you can read here! It's super-affordably priced, too - more details are here.  

Love what you read here? Click HERE to see the ways you can help support this blog (many of them won't cost you a thing!) 

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

Click HERE to sign up for my Cook with Karen newsletter (max 2 emails a month)

Click HERE to follow me on Pinterest 

Click HERE to follow me on Twitter

Click HERE to like Abundance on a Dime on Facebook and get updates and tips on living frugally

Click HERE to like Cheap Appétit on Facebook and get updates and tips on frugal eating and cooking

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

This Year's Big Goal: 10 Routines for 2014

I can sum up all of my goals this year with one word: ROUTINES! Yeah, it's not very sexy :) and it's something I've definitely resisted for a long time, however, it's become pretty clear to me that if I want to make some concrete and consistent progress in a few different areas of my life, it would be a good idea to get more friendly with this concept. I have a tendency to resist anything that looks like "too much structure" but as I've made some baby steps towards establishing better routines I'm starting to realize that they can actually be pretty liberating.

I just sent out an email to my newsletter subscribers talking about the 5 systems you need to have in place to feed your family well with less money, time and stress. And I have those systems pretty firmly in place in my own life, so much so that they are second nature. In effect, these new routines are just other "systems" to make sure I get the other things done that are important to me. When I think about it that way, it seems much less constraining.

Also, I should note that most of the specific items/activities in my new routines are not brand new to me - they are just things I've done more inconsistently than I'd like, and I'd like to "pull it all together" and make them more formalized and ingrained habits.

So, here are my shiny new routines for 2014:

1. Morning routine: I have started getting up at 7 a.m. so I can be fully showered and dressed before I wake my son up for school just before 8:00. This also gives me enough time to do a morning meditation, which is the one brand new thing I'm trying to incorporate into my life this year. I may have to start getting up a bit earlier as my daily meditation time increases (right now it's 12 minutes but I'm already feeling like I want to increase the time slightly).

2.  Email routines: I am setting specific times to check my email during the day - 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.- so I don't compulsively check it (something I can do far too often if I let myself). I'm also working on finding the system that works best for me to help keep my inbox cleared out (I've unsubscribed from a lot of lists lately and that's a good first step!).

3. Lunchtime routine: I want to consistently take an hour and a half break from 11:30 to 1 p.m. My son comes home for lunch from 11:30 to 12:00 and too often I find myself in the middle of something and not all that available to him. So during that time I can help him fix lunch, chat with him a bit about his morning, and clean up the backlog of dishes in the kitchen. From noon to one I can eat my own lunch and take a 30-40 minute walk (except on a day like today where it's -40ºF!!) 

4. Afternoon exercise routine: I've been trying to get back to doing strength training consistently twice a week, and after having poor mobility in one shoulder for a couple of years due to a frozen shoulder (and thus unable to do upper body training), it's been tough to get back in the habit. My upper body strength is nonexistent waaay below what it used to be, too, so it's hard not to feel discouraged. I know the only way to get back to where I was is steady, consistent progress. I'm scheduling 4-5 p.m. as my daily workout time during the week. Hubby and I go to a hot yoga class at 4 p.m. one afternoon a week, and two of the other days will be strength training.The remaining days I'll devote to my home yoga practice. 

5. Bedtime routine: Getting to bed at a reasonable time has always been a challenge for our household full of night owls. I really want to see us ALL better rested this year, so I'm establishing some clearer boundaries around bedtime for all four of us. Of course, just like in most families, mom has to lead by example, so I'm going to have to be REALLY firm about this with myself in order to get everyone else on board. My goal is for us all to start getting ready for bed at 10 p.m. (including getting anything ready for the next day like clothes, permission slips, etc) and all be in our beds by 10:30 p.m. That gives us all half an hour to read or have "quiet" time before lights out at 11 p.m. 

6. Writing routines: I need to get better at scheduling in specific larger chunks of time for writing as I'm only getting done about one third of the writing I'd really like to at the moment.

7. Cleaning routines: Oh, how I really want to get this one under my belt! While we are really good at cooking and washing dishes, most of the other cleaning around the house is pretty hit-or-miss. I think I may finally have come up with some ideas that will keep us more consistently on track in this department.

8. Business routines: Although I don't have an entirely clear picture of what this is going to look like, I need to have better consistency around making updates to my website and blog, a more consistent blogging schedule (that one's also related to my lack of good writing routines), and more structure around my use of social media. I also want to come up with a more formal plan for doing offline types of marketing (something I've neglected to a large extent in the past).

9. Financial routines: While I have a very reliable system in place for paying bills and tracking spending in certain categories like food and clothing, we've gotten a bit sloppier than I would like about our overall financial management. I had been using Mint.com for the past couple of years to manage our finances, and overall it wasn't a very successful experiment for us. We're going back to good old-fashioned paper, pencil and calculator this year, which has worked well for us in the past. We're also doing the 52 Week Savings Challenge to reboot our savings account.

10. Weekly planning routine: This one seems critical to holding all the other ones together! While I'm pretty good about making a to-do list each day, it has a tendency to be filled with mostly specific appointments and urgent items. I'm now setting time aside on Sunday evenings to plan out my entire week, scheduling in more of those "important but not urgent" items so I actually get them done :) Click HERE for a great little 3 minute video on why that's so important!

That's a big list, for sure, and it might look awfully overwhelming at first glance, but I'm actually feeling excited about the concept of making routines a priority for the year. I'm sure my success may be a bit spotty at times as I try to pull it all together, but some progress is better than no progress :) and I do feel like I'm already making headway just one week into the new year, so that's encouraging!

I'll be sharing in more detail about some of these routines as I go along to let you know what has worked well for me and what hasn't!

Do you have any specific routines that help your life run more smoothly?
Mountain Rose Herbs. A herbs, health and harmony c
Love what you read here? Click HERE to see the ways you can help support this blog (many of them won't cost you a thing!) 

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Thursday, January 2, 2014

My Top 13 Posts of 2013


2014 is here, whether we felt ready for it to come, or not! I hope everyone had a great holiday and that you're all full of great plans for the new year.

I hope to have many interesting things to share with you this year, from home renos on a budget, fun things to do with herbs and making your own natural personal care products, and of course lots of recipes and food related posts. Before we jump in to new territory, I thought it would be fun to share my 13 most popular posts of 2013. I'm sure even my most devoted readers might have missed a couple of these, so enjoy a quick trip through the "best of" the blog from the last 12 months and I'll be back soon with some new material :)

1. Whipped Body Butters, Two Ways (Chocolate Orange Body Butter and Kerry's Easy Whipped Coconut Oil Body Butter)



2. Chocolate Power Balls



3. Create Your Own Tea Blends

 

4. Lavender & Calendula Face Scrub



5. Chocolate Chai Granola



6. Coconut Orange Millet Porridge



7. Is Your Olive Oil the Real Deal?


8. Bay Rum Aftershave Balm


9. Fall Thrifting Extravaganza


10. Moroccan Chicken & Quinoa Salad


11. Ham & Cheese Skillet Quinoa
 

12. My "Afternoon Pick Me Up" Herbal Tea



13. Three Easy Salad Dressings


Mountain Rose Herbs. A herbs, health and harmony c 
Love what you read here? Click HERE to see the ways you can help support this blog (many of them won't cost you a thing!) 

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

Click HERE to sign up for my Cook with Karen newsletter (max 2 emails a month)

Click HERE to follow me on Pinterest 

Click HERE to follow me on Twitter

Click HERE to like Abundance on a Dime on Facebook and get updates and tips on living frugally

Click HERE to like Cheap Appétit on Facebook and get updates and tips on frugal eating and cooking



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