When life gives you a box of cheap apples, make cheap apple sauce

I am a big fan of getting a good deal, and when someone was selling a huge box of crab apples for $5, I was on it! Our local buy and sell page on Facebook is a real goldmine sometimes! So what was I going to do with this awesome score? (The box was full to the top. This picture was taken half way through.)

Because the apples were VERY tart, I figured apple sauce would be a safe bet since I could add sugar to balance out the tartness. I started by sorting the apples and rinsing them with cold water. Once I cleaned the apples, I threw them into a big pot filled with a few cups of water. I put on the lid and let them soften - peels and stems too. I knew I was going to strain them once they were mushy. Here are the pretty little crimson gems simmering in the pot.

Once the apples were soft enough, I mashed them by hand then passed them through a fine strainer. That beautiful sauce starting oozing from the strainer. But it was very tart still!

Once all the apple mush was strained, I poured the sauce back into the pot and let it simmer on the stove while I added a few cups of sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. I can't tell you what the exact amounts were because I made the sauce by taste. My kiddos were also part of the taste testing process!

Once the sauce was done simmering, I poured the sauce in sterilized jars and canned them in a water bath canner for 15 minutes. And then came the symphony of jars popping. Music to my ears!

The finished product was beautiful in its scarlet hue, and the taste was even better. The first night we had the sauce as an accompaniment to a delicious pork roast. What a great flavour combo!

I made a dozen jars of apple sauce and had extra apples left for freezing. All of that for the low price of $5.00. *pats herself on the back.

Tomorrow I'll be giving you my tips for furnishing and decorating your home using mostly second-hand finds!

A new direction for our family - headed toward financial freedom!

A few weeks ago, a friend asked if anyone was interested in joining a financial challenge group on Facebook. We've always been okay with our finances (not great) but I knew we had the opportunity to improve our financial outlook and I thought a challenge group would be a great way to kick start this endeavour.

Our group follows financial expert, Dave Ramsey's book The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness which breaks down the process of getting out of debt into small, easy to achieve baby steps that are meant to help you get momentum quickly to help encourage you to keep moving toward financial, debt-free, freedom

Here are the 7 steps:

Our first step, and maybe the hardest step of all, was analyzing how much money we were earning and how much money we were spending. This can sometimes create a little heat between couples (if you are married or living with another person), so be prepared to hash a few things out. It wasn't too bad for us as a couple because we both had the same vision for our family so we were happy to move forward. Together.

Once you have figured out where your money is going, you are going to implement a cash envelop and zero based budget system. Here is a video I created to help you understand the budgeting. Also this sheet from Dave Ramsey's website will help figure out your cash flow.

We use cash for things like gasoline, Christmas savings, water bill, groceries, etc. All our other bills are automatic so that money stays in our account until that money is taken out by the utility company or bank for our mortgage. I'll talk more about that in an upcoming post.

We have used this method in the past but fell off the wagon for some reason. We seem to have a better plan in place now and are really embracing this cash system. It's so good to feel like you have control over your spending!

We are at baby step 2 now which is very exciting! We've saved our $1,000 emergency fund which will give us a buffer in case we have a financial emergency while we are trying to pay down our debt.

My goal is to have our debt paid off within a year and our house paid off within 6 - 8 years. Without debt, could you imagine ALL the things you could do?

I want to use this blog to keep our family accountable while helping to encourage and create a dialogue for other families to follow in our footsteps. I encourage people to post their questions, tips and secrets, and I'll make sure to share ours too.

Who else wants to join the revolution? Comment and let us know if you want to join us!

Barf on the Bus, Mouse Ears and Other Randoms

I'm not at home today (it's my week at work) but apparently the stomach flu has hit our house for the third time in two weeks! Poor Miss Sassypants tossed her cookies on the bus this morning. That's not fun for anyone! I feel bad for her friend that sits with her, the bus driver, the other kids and of course for her. Nothing more humiliating then bringing up breakfast in front of your pals.

Apparently the dog threw up too. So nobody is safe! Ha.... She's been looking a little sheepish (for a dog) the last few days so I have a feeling a visit to the vet is in order. As I mentioned in a previous post, our pup has a short vejayjay which causes her to have bladder infections. Yay! The only issue I have is that, unlike us humans in Canada, our dog doesn't get medical coverage. So you know that vet visit will cost you something for sure. Plus the cost of dog antibiotics. Boo....

On the weight loss front, I've had three people comment this week that I look thinner. That's always the best kind of weight loss victory! On top of the way I look, I feel so good having returned to my daily exercise routine. I have so much more energy, my anxiety is under control and I feel so much happier!

And where do happy people love to go..... (Horrible segway) Disney World! Yes friends, the Batkis clan will be piling into the old SUV for a three day drive to Disney World where we will spend 5 glorious days sucking up all the happy that Disney has to offer. I am so excited!!!! I won't say exactly when we are going, (I don't want to invite people to rob me when we're away) but it will be before summer. This trip is also going to get my butt into high gear when it comes to losing weight. I want to look extra cute when I'm lounging by the pool in Florida. Not to mention, I'll need the energy to zigzag all over the place with the kiddos.

Here's hoping we are all illness-free by the time we get to the happiest place on earth! But I suppose if you're going to throw up, a Mickey Mouse themed bathroom isn't so bad.

Chicken Wings = 18, Me = Goose Egg

Electric Honey, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Salt and Vinegar, Sour Cream and Onion, Nacho Cheese, Perogy, Maple Bacon and Poutine. Those are the different varieties of chicken wings my friends and I sampled last night at a neighbouring town's bar. Yup.... It was chicken carnage.

I was apprehensive about going to wing night since I'm trying really hard to be good with my food choices. Had I known I was going out for wings earlier, I probably would have had less calories earlier in the day so I could spare a few to enjoy the decadent, sticky, gooey, crunchy awesomeness those chicken wings had to offer.

By the time we were done attacking those poor helpless chicken appendages, I had eaten at least 18. Not chickens, wings. At around 160 calories for 3, it was a caloric nightmare. I could beat myself up for it all week, but at the end of the day, not only did we get a delicious treat, we had such a fun time hanging out which made it all worthwhile. And today is a new day! I've been eating very nutritiously and plan to do my treadmill run later, so I'm back at 'er and hope to still post a loss for this second week of our biggest loser challenge.

If anything, after the Christmas food coma ended and I started getting back into my healthy lifestyle groove again, I feel lighter, more energetic and generally happier. I have mostly cut out soda (except for when I go out) and this has been huge for me. I've also been staying away from simple carbs (white flour and white sugar) and focusing on fruits, veggies and lean protein. And water, water, water..... I've never drank so much water in my entire life but it feels so good to crave it and have it with me all the time. We keep a pitcher of lemon water in our fridge which makes drinking it that much more appealing.

So yes, I did lose the chicken wing battle last night, but I enjoyed every little morsel and had a BLAST with my besties. And at the end of the day, that's what life's all about; being good most of the time but giving into those moments when you allow yourself to be just a teeny bit naughty. I'm such a bad a$$.

n

Flat on my back

I am trying to be active and healthy and then my back gives out on me. I have been lying on my back all day. It is loosening up now... Thank goodness! Just wanted to share a few killer recipes I made yesterday. Both clean and both delish!

Black Bean Brownies

BLT Salad

What is it Lassie? Did the baby throw up in his room?

I don't know about any of you but I get freaked out when our dog starts acting funny. Like when she whines for no reason, or circles around one area for a long period of time. I truly think dogs are extremely intuitive and are highly sensitive to things we as humans can't even comprehend.

Last night, after falling asleep watching Ghost Busters on the couch with my hubby, (by the way, best movie of all time), we made our way upstairs. The kids had been in bed for a few hours at this point, sound asleep. Hubby and I finally get ourselves tucked in and started getting romantic... with our smart phones... when the dog started whining and pacing around our room. We had just let her out to pee before we went upstairs so I was pretty sure she didn't need to go again. That being said, she has been known to have chronic bladder infections which makes her pee a lot. Apparently it's due to her abnormal vagina. I kid you not. Holly has a short vajayjay. Our vet said she may need vaginoplasty. If anyone is getting one of those, it should be me after pushing two kids from my loins. I'm not paying for our virgin dog to have one. That's just not fair. Oops, sorry... Slightly off topic.

So the dog didn't have to pee. I was pretty sure about that. So I say to my husband, "does it freak you out when the dog acts like this?" He asks, "why?" "I just get the feeling that she senses something I don't. Like there might be a fire starting somewhere in our house. Or there is a rapist hiding in the basement. Or you forgot your blood pressure pills or something," I explain.

She kept crying so I decided to get up and investigate. As I entered the hallway between our rooms, she immediately made her way for Ben's door and cried. Okay. So this must be the issue. I was so scared! My mind went to the worse case scenario. I'm going to find my little buddy lifeless in his crib. There was a story on the news about a mom who found her son dead in his crib a few days ago and it has been on my mind ever since then. I decide to open the door and immediately hear him breathing. Phew.... Thank goodness he is okay. But what is that smell?? I thought maybe a really bad poop but as I approached the crib I realized it smelled more like barf. I turn on the hallway light and sure enough, poor little guy had thrown up in his crib, on the floor, on his pjs and had fallen back asleep in his mess. I'm not sure how I missed him getting sick. I didn't hear him cry or make any noise at all. I felt so bad for the little guy. Mr. B says, "I guess Holly is our Lassie."

Hubs tackled his room while I cleaned him up and changed his clothes. Baby B stayed in bed with me, which I don't mind because he is not the most snugly of kids. I selfishly enjoy those moments when my kids just want to curl up with me. Mr. B took the couch. None of us slept well but thankfully he hasn't thrown up since. Miss Sassy Pants had a flu this past week and I supposed it has made its way to Baby B.

I guess the moral of the story is that our dogs, despite the fact they eat dirty diapers and piddle on the floor when company comes over, are actually pretty smart. And they are the guardians of our families. How will I reward our Holly girl today? Probably an extra treat or two. Maybe I'll let her sleep on the couch for a few minutes. But she is definitely not getting a vaginoplasty. Ever.

Remember me?

I remember the days when I used to blog religiously back in 2006-2007. I'm not sure what happened to those long lost days but I sure have been a slacker in the last few years when it comes to blogging. Truthfully, I like writing blogs. For a few different reasons. First of all, it's good practise. Since my job actually requires that I write thoughtful and interesting things in order to earn an income, this is definitely a muscle I should be flexing more often. Secondly, I love the funny little things that happen in life and I like sharing them. Those quirky little blips on life's radar are the meat and potatoes of life, and sharing those moments is a way we as fellow human beings can connect and interact.

There isn't much going on in my life right now. Still at the same job (going on 10 years!!!), still married (going on 9 years!!), still have two kids that drive me absolutely bonkers but I love them so much it's sickening. I told my husband this morning that our little bugger is so cute I just wanted to bite his face off. I don't know what that means, other than maybe I have a zombie complex? Too much Walking Dead maybe!? I come by biting honestly though. My memère used to give us what she used to refer to as "love bites". This basically gave her permission to bite us. Not hard or anything. Not 'CFS call' worthy or anything. Just little nibbles on the neck or the earlobes. Totally harmless stuff right? Doesn't everyone's grandma bite them? What? Is that weird or something? Hmmm....

Little Miss Sassy Pants is getting taller yet some how manages to stay the same weight. So as you guessed it, the girl is a bean pole. Skinny... Super skinny. I keep throwing pork chops at her but they don't seem to stick. Lucky girl though.... Good metabolism. Kind of jealous...The best part about her getting taller but never changing waist size is that I can let her wear the same pair of pants for years. They start off as pants, the next summer they become capri pants and then the following summer I can cut them into shorts. This principle also works for dresses. When they start to get a little too short, we just throw her capri pants under them. Boom... Money saving tip to you from me. You're welcome. (disclaimer: I do not condone starving your child to save money on pants and dresses. Children should be fed reasonably so as to not appear gaunt and pale.)

As my daughter seems to stay the same size for years, I have gained some weight over Christmas. Meh, what are you gonna do! It happens. But I'm doing a weight loss challenge for the next six weeks and hope to get back to my weight loss plan. I had lost about 20 lbs last year and probably 40 lbs over the course of 8 years so by my calculations, I should be at my goal weight by the time my seniors discount kicks in. Dream big or go home, right? So if I decide to continue to blog every day, which I would like to do, I'm going to document my weight loss journey. I'm turning 35 in February. I want to spend the remainder of my thirties as a healthy, fit senorita. Wish me luck!