Read A Book

What is the advantage to me being back here on the letter R, while others are preparing their U posts to debut in a few short hours?  I get to write a post about reading books... on World Book Day!

 

In celebration of World Book Day and my love for reading, I thought I would share a few of my favorite books from over the years. I am intentionally being a bit vague with plots and descriptions, so that you will be able to go and enjoy the books if you choose.  I would love to hear about your favorite books in the comments as well! 

 

For Little Ones

When it comes to books for kids (and no I don't have any) I love books with great illustrations!  They make such fun read aloud options. Here are a couple favorites -

 

 

Strega Nona was one of my childhood favorites. I love Tomie de Paola's illustrations! They are detailed, yet somehow simple and classic. 

I absolutely LOVE the illustrations in Jan Brett's books. I first fell in love with her books back in kindergarten when my teacher read The Mitten to our class, and then we colored in our own mittens and animals to reenact the story.  I still remember the activity some twenty years out of kindergarten, and actually found the printables online so I could do it at the after school program I ran!


For Not Quite So Little Ones

I received a copy of A Little Princess when I was about nine or so from my library's summer reading book.  I devoured it.  It was (and still is) my favorite book! I loved the interesting names of characters like Ermengarde and Melchisedic, I learned about history as Sara's imagination transformed her attic garret into the Bastille, and I simply got enveloped in the life of this little-girl-who-was-not-a-beggar.

 

For Grown Ones
Of course, the kids shouldn't be the only ones busy reading.  Most of my fiction reads are historical fiction and things I find free on Amazon.  Here are some of the other books I recommend:

When I attended the Los Angeles Religious Ed Congress several years ago I was told by the teachers I was staying with that I had to go to Greg Boyle, SJ's talk.  When I went to the talk I had to buy his book.  Greg started his parish ministry in Dolores Mission in LA, and went on to find Homeboy Industries, a (remarkably successful) ministry to gang members.  This is their story.  A story of heartbreak, compassion, love and lots of grace.

I figured I would throw in a fiction book as well, just in case someone is looking for a good read.  Plain Truth is actually the only Jodi Picoult book I've ever read start to finish.  Something about trying to solve a murder in Amish Country is just so surreal it drew me in!



More Meals For One

Since we can't just eat lasagna all the time, I thought I would share few of my other favorite meals that I have found to be perfect for single living.

One-Pot/Skillet Pastas

When you think of a skillet and a mish-mash of ingredients do you immediately think stir-fry?  WeIll for me, it is all about what I like to call "skillet pastas."  Prepare your pasta as normal, then in a skillet or saute pan heat oil and whatever other ingredients you want mixed in with your pasta.  Combine, stir and eat!  To save on dishes, you can simply combine ingredients right in the same pan you boiled the noodles in (I simply pour the ingredients in to the pan while my noodles are in a colander then add the noodles back in and stir).  Some of my favorite ingredients to toss in include tomatoes (canned or fresh), olives, frozen spinach, and garlic.  If you are looking for a more unusual recipe check out this fun jewel pasta recipe from one my favorite food blogs, Budget Bytes.

Mini-Eggplant/Chicken Parmesans

I am in love with these yummy eggplant cutlets that I found at Trader Joe's. 

The whole box costs less than three dollars (more than a fresh eggplant, but way less per serving than a frozen eggplant parm entrée). I simply top the cutlet with sauce and some cheese, heat and voila eggplant parm.  If you're more of a meat eater the same approach can be taken with chicken patties or breaded chicken cutlets for a chicken parmesan version.

Omelets & Scrambles

Eggs are another great resource for single-living.  They keep awhile in the fridge, so you don't need to worry about a dozen going bad on you.  They also come to us already appropriately portioned straight from nature, simply take as many eggs as you like and cook.  Prepare them any way you like but my favorite is scrambling them up with salsa, veggies, or breakfast sausage.

Grilled Sandwiches & Panini

No one can argue that a simple sandwich is a perfect meal when you're crunched for time or money.  After a while though ham and cheese on whole wheat can get a little boring.  I have found that grilling my sandwiches or cooking them on my Panini press, makes them a lot more enjoyable!  Somehow the simple fact of heating the sandwich makes it feel less like a grade school sack lunch, and more like a meal.  I also try to elevate the sandwiches with some more unusual (but not necessarily expensive) ingredients, something which works very well when the sandwich gets heated and everything melts together!  Shredded cheese? Salsa?  Sliced avocado?  Chunky canned tomatoes?



This post is part of my "Frugal Food" series, be sure to check out:
Frugal, Hungry and Single - my intro to the challenges of cooking for one on a budget
Lasagna For One - how one simple hack, makes lasagna the perfect meal for a solo kitchen
What Is Your Rice and Beans? - Beyond rice and beans on a rice and beans budget

This post is linked up at:
Giving Up On Perfect, Sarah Titus' Frugal Friday


Lasagna For One

Did you check out my post about the challenges of being Frugal, Hungry, and Single?  Are you too struggling with the stresses of cooking for a small household while trying (or needing) to stick to a tight budget? 

May I present... lasagna for one.  After all, who doesn't love lasagna?

The great thing about this lasagna, is there is no wrong way to make it! Lasagna for one isn't about the recipe but the method of preparation, so if you have a family favorite lasagna recipe - do it up! I love my grandma's lasagna and she says her recipe came from the back of the Mueller's box.  If you need a lasagna recipe check out this one from "my grandma" (aka the folks at Mueller!)

What is the secret to lasagna for one?  Loaf pans.  Simple, aluminum (disposable) loaf pans!

Here are my lasagna supplies & ingredients ready to go! (Of course I used cheese too).

To make this lasagna I started like normal, by boiling my pasta noodles and browning some meat.  I went with ground turkey.

Once the noodles and meat are ready it is time to get your loaf pans out and get layering!

Sauce, noodle, meat, repeat!  Oops - that's sauce, noodle, meat CHEESE repeat!

1. 



 Once you have enough layers to fill the pan, your lasagna is done!  Now it is time to wrap those pans up nice and freezer tight, and you have some yummy lasagna ready for the freezer!  I used about a pound and a half of meat, 2 cups of cheese, and a box of noodles which yielded 3 loaf pan size lasagnas.  I had lots of extra noodles however, so next time I plan to either boil only half a box of noodles, or add some veggies into meat mixture to bulk it up! 

This post is part of my "Frugal Food" series, be sure to check out:
Frugal, Hungry and Single - my intro to the challenges of cooking for one on a budget

More Meals for One - Four simple & versatile ideas for single cooking



Indifference, Inspiration, And Other Things I Didn't Say

When looking at the AtoZ blogging challenge for this year, I considered doing a quotes version with daily quotes by various famous and not so famous people that I liked and which had inspired me.  I (obviously) changed my mind, and decided to go eclectic instead.  But today is the exception as the biggest quote which stood out to me was one by Elie Wiesel about indifference.  Since I <3 quotes here are the words of Mr. Wiesel as well as several other quotes I thought worth sharing.

 

(1) Indifference

The opposite of love is not hate, its indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, its indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, its indifference.

And the opposite of life is not death, its indifference.

-Elie Wiesel

 

(2) (More) Indifference

The most deadly poison of our times is indifference.

- St. Maximillian Kolbe

 

(3) Simplicity

I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things in life which are the real ones after all. -

-Laura Ingalls Wilder

 

(4) Love

I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts there can be no more hurt, only more love.

- Mother Teresa

 

(5) Suffering

Human suffering anywhere concerns men and women everywhere.

-Elie Wiesel, Night

 

(6) Challenges

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

(7) Habits

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not a virtue but a habit.

- Aristotle

Linked Up At:
Blogging from AtoZ Challenge, This Ain't The Lyceum, Missional Women, Create With Joy's Friendship Friday, The Modest Mom Blog



 

Get Off The Treadmill

This isn't a post about exercise.  In fact, if you're at the gym - get back on the treadmill.  I repeat, get back on the treadmill!

But what if you aren't on a literal treadmill?  What if - like me - you're on a figurative treadmill? 

What if you find yourself going nowhere fast?  What if you're not going "nowhere" but you aren't really going "somewhere" either?

What if you want to be great, but you find yourself stuck at good?

What if you just find yourself stuck?  In your career, in your personal life, in your health, your relationships, your faith? 


Well, then maybe you're just like me.  Ready to get off the treadmill.  Ready to move. Really move.  Move forward. 

After all - the hare didn't win the race.  Are you better off building speed and running full throttle on a treadmill?  Or are you better off slowing down a bit in order to get off the treadmill and start running (or maybe just jogging) down the road?

Interested in seeing just HOW I plan to get off the treadmill? - Check out my follow up post, Just Kick It In Gear.

Linked Up At:
Blogging from AtoZ Challenge, SDG Sisterhood 

Frugal, Hungry and Single

Like I said the other day in my post about couponing at CVS, I am one of those people who likes couponing. I am usually pretty good with grocery and household purchases.  Yet, since moving on my own I have found keeping a food budget quite challenging!


I thought shopping for one would be easy.  After all, I am not feeding multiple people or caring for a big house, and I don't have a gaggle of teenagers or a house full of babies and picky toddlers. But single living brings its own challenges, here are a few I encountered (and some solutions).

Challenges of Cooking for One:

Recipes – While they can be adjusted relatively easily, most recipes are not designed for one person and need to be altered.

Time – Single people often find their time stretched in different ways than non-single people.  While I certainly don’t have as many responsibilities as I will when/if I have a spouse and family, my life as someone living alone is much less “home-based,” than it would be if I were living with family or even roommates.  I work multiple jobs, and all of my fellowship and family support is found outside of my home.  A lot of times that means my food budget is spent on drive- through meals and quick convenience foods.

Waste  - When you’re cooking for one food waste can be a big issue.  I have had fruit rot and yogurt mold before I could finish containers, and have tried my hand at batch cooking only to discover that I disliked the recipe or grew bored of the meal before I finished it.

Cost Saving Strategies Don’t Always Apply - When you’re cooking for one person, buying in bulk is out for perishable items.  Sure the cost per unit is less, but that doesn’t save you money when you simply can’t use the items before they will spoil.   The same can be true with Buy One Get One (or Two) sales.  

Overcoming the Challenges:

 Batch Cook Basics – If you are set on batch cooking, stick with basic items.  Cook a chicken, broccoli and rice casserole on Sunday night and you may easily be bored of it by Wednesday.  Bake some plain chicken breasts and you can have baked chicken and veggies one night, a chicken sandwich for lunch one afternoon and countless other meals throughout the week.

 Buy (Semi) Bulk of Things That Keep – It goes without saying, that non-perishables and paper products can be bought in bulk regardless of household size, but what about other items? While buying warehouse size packages of most perishable items is not the best idea for single-person households, there are some fresh produce items which keep well, and come in “semi” bulk packages.  While I would never buy a restaurant size package of apples or carrots, I can confidently buy things like 10 lb. bags of potatoes or large quantities of easily-freezable bananas. 

Buy Just What You Need for Things That Don’t – For the things which spoil quickly like fresh greens buy just what you intend to use in the next few days.  For fresh salad I often stop at my grocery’s salad bar.  While the cost per pound is significantly higher than regular produce, I am able to get a variety of salad veggies which I otherwise probably wouldn’t buy for just one person, and I don’t have to worry about anything going bad before it is eaten.   

Linked up At:

The Shine Blog Hop, Women With Intention, Works For Me Wednesday, Frugal Friday


Easter Greetings

To all of my Catholic, Protestant and other Christian readers - Happy Easter.  To all of my Orthodox and Eastern Catholic friends - Happy Holy Week.

And to all, regardless of denomination - Christ Is Risen!

 

 



Linked Up At:
The Modest Mom Blog