You Need A Budget (or at least, I do)

Well, as you can see, I've been a busy beaver, though not when it comes to blogging. We've been involved (more like consumed) with music projects, preparing for our 3rd Annual Summer Music Intensive, and setting up a new budgeting program which I am really pleased with. I have actually been doing a lot of cooking (gluten free and mostly vegan) and will even start posting about that soon. But for now....

About a month ago, we decided to make some changes and it has been really rewarding in a lot of ways. While it might seem that the impetus was financial, that is only part of the story. We also wanted to make a change to the way we spend the hours we have each and every day. We started by getting rid of the TV in the kitchen. We put it upstairs in one of our spare bedrooms, along with a DVD player and a bunch of exercise DVDs. We canceled our TV cable (still have cable modem), we bought bikes, we canceled Netflix. Sounds rather drastic I know. But we both felt that we spent too many hours in front of one screen or another. Bottom line: the changes have already reaped many positive benefits. We're both listening to a lot more music, I get up in the morning and do one of the exercise DVDs (yes, it's a screen, but at least I'm not being a couch potato), we're taking time to go biking together, and we're renting movies from the public library. AND saving money at the same time!

We also decided to try and only use cash for items that we would've bought with a credit card. How, you ask? We froze our credit cards! Literally. In a plastic container filled with water. Deep in the freezer! It's worked great except for one blip.

On Sunday, I drove to a nearby outlet to return some clothing I'd purchased at the end of May and found that I didn't really need or want. I arrived only to find out that you have to have your original credit card (the one I used to buy the stuff in the first place) in order to get the refund. I totally forgot that my credit card was in the freezer:).

With the cost of gas and home heating oil rising, we've had to really give our budget a once-over. I'm pleased to say that it hasn't been painful at all. I've tried a number of different budgeting programs over the years and I finally found one that is excellent. It's called (duh) You Need A Budget. It has a very active and enormously helpful online forum that you have access to once you sign up. The cost is very reasonable and is well worth the investment.

I'm not usually in the habit of recommending anything other than food-related items on my blog. Though I never mentioned it on this blog, I am passionate about learning to live within a budget. I've tried everything, honestly. Years ago, I tried putting our budgeted money into envelopes (when we combined families, we had to figure out a way to live within a budget)! Fourteen years later: You Need A Budget seems to be the ticket.

So, if anyone is interested in giving themselves a real gift, get your own copy of YNAB using this link: 10% off YNAB! That gives you a 10% discount on the program, and I end up receiving a small portion of the proceeds (very small, but hey, every bit counts!).

Good luck and stay tuned for new recipes and GF ideas!

Banana Cocoa Smoothie

Every day at about 3:30 or 4, I begin prowling around our kitchen, looking for a snack to tide me over until dinner. Something fast, something easy, something nutritious, something delicious. Here's a mid-afternoon snack that fits the bill. I originally found it in a Vegetarian Times magazine and cut the recipe in half.

I've been eating an almost entirely vegetarian bordering on vegan diet. Between that, and being gluten free, I know how important it is for me to maximize the nutrients I get from my food. This recipe is rich in potassium from the bananas, calcium from the soymilk, and magnesium from the cocoa. These three minerals strengthen brain function and reduce anxiety and fatigue, as explained in the preface to the recipe in the magazine.

Banana Cocoa Smoothie

1 ripe banana, peeled and frozen
1 cup chocolate soymilk
4 ice cubes
1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

To Tofu or Not To Tofu

I want to share a recipe for tofu. If your eyes glaze over at the mere word of the squirmy practically tasteless stuff, please permit me to try and convert you. There was a time, not very long ago, when I wouldn't go near it with a ten foot pole. I used to buy it and then I would woefully neglect the packages that would accumulate in my frig - thinking I'd soon break down and figure out what to do with the stuff. I wanted to like it, but just couldn't get over the hump of how it looked. I threw out a lot of those packages. If I'd only known....

Then something changed. Not sure what precipitated it but I decided to experiment. Lo and behold, I now have a few really delicious tofu recipes.

My newest addition is a combination of two recipes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Simple Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin. This is a wonderful resource. This author really helped me transition to a more plant-based diet. I still eat meat now and then, but mostly when we're at a restaurant and I don't feel there are any other reasonable gluten free options.

Curried Tofu "Eggless" Salad
adapted by Ellen Allard, from Simple Vegetarian Pleasures

1/2 lb extra-firm tofu
1 1/2 tsp canola oil
3 tbsp mayonnaise (I used Vegannaise)
3/4 tsp curry powder
1 celery rib, very finely diced
1 small carrot, grated
1 1/2 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp red onion, very finely diced
1/4 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the tofu in a cotton towel, gather the sides and squeeze the water out of the tofu. Put the tofu in a bowl and crumble with your hands.

Heat the canola oil in a large, non-stick skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the tofu and stir it in order to keep it from sticking. Using a spatula, flatten it, then flip it to get all the surfaces evenly golden brown and crisp. This will take about 10 minutes.

Pour the tofu into a bowl and allow it to come to room temperature. Then stir in the remaining ingredients and chill for about an hour.

Arrange artistically on a bed of lettuce or slap it between two pieces of toasted gluten free cinnamon bread (Bob's Red Mill mix). Pat yourself on the back. You've come a long way baby.