The Most Delicious Tuna Salad You'll Ever Have

I love this recipe.  It's part from a health magazine, part improvised from me! :)  Make it, taste it, and you'll fall in love!!! :) :)

INGREDIENTS
-1 small can chunk albacore tuna in water (drain)
-2 teaspoons mayo (use Hellman's Light! or Miracle Whip)
-1 tablespoon sliced almonds
-1 tablespoon craisins
-1-2 tablespoons chopped green/bell pepper
-Garlic Powder
-Parsley flakes

Mix tuna, mayo, almonds, craisins, and green pepper.  Add 2-3 pinches of the garlic powder.  Add 4-5 shakes of the parsley flakes.  Mix well to make sure the garlic powder is evenly distributed.

Put on wheat bread with sliced tomatoes, a bunch of lettuce, and three thin slices of mild cheddar cheese (don't use processed american cheese -- that will totally ruin the flavor!!!).

This recipe is great -- it gives you crunch (almonds and green pepper), a burst of sweet/fruity (craisins), some salt (garlic powder), and omega-3's (tuna).  Be sure you load up on the tomatoes and lettuce to qualify for a serving of vegetables.  That plus the green pepper will give you the vegetables needed for this meal.

Calculate it Out

Getting paid is always exciting.  You feel like you've accomplished something, and that you're less trapped by the lack of money.  There's the brimming of possibilities -- what to buy???  But for me, there's mostly anxiety -- how can I best and most responsibly spend this money?  Where will it be best put to use?

Do I use this money to pay another $100 off the credit card bill? On top of the $340 I've paid this month?  Will these weekly payments lower my credit score?  Is it better to do one large payment a month or several smaller payments?  If I do one large payment, will I be disciplined enough to save instead of spend the money that comes in?

Do I use this money to pay my electric bill (about $100), even though I've asked Dad for the money for the bill?

My thinking has changed from spend spend spend; buy buy buy to think carefully about how this money can best be used.  What a difference a word makes: spend versus use.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again:  I want to take control of my finances.  I want to make smart, responsible, and mature decisions that will help me out in life and get me further. 

Here's a great tool that you can use to examine your credit card debt a little closer:
http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/debtplanner/debtplanner.jsp
It lets you see how long you'll be in debt, how much you have to pay, etc.

This little article ( http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/money101/lesson9/index.htm )  gives some great information on Debt, managing money, and everything in between!  It's your personal finance college course boiled down to an easy to read article (without all the calculations!).

So based on the calculator, if I make $500 payments, I'll be with a $0 balance in 7 months!!  Woot woot!! :) :)  This is something I know I can achieve for 2 months (the payment), and something I'll be aiming for in the Spring once school starts.  Having a manageable credit card balance is a major goal for me right now.

Eek.  I need to get to bed...  Hope this information was useful for you like it was for me! :)

Financial Health

Attaining financial health feels so unattainable for me.  I'm so far behind.  In debt ($3K).  In spending (its gone before I make it).  I am in over my head. 

They say to start small -- make minimum payments on credit cards, make budgets (and stick to them), etc.  And I'm trying to start small.  I have a plan for November -- a budget written out that after close inspection, I can't deviate from.  It's going to be cutting it close as it is.  Really close.

And to top it all off, I'm pretty sure I just overdrafted my bank account today by making a large ($300 large) credit card payment -- I didn't realize there were a couple of things still floating that hadn't been taken into account in my checking.

I really just need to get rid of the debit cards.  They're convenient.  But they're more trouble.  It may be time to revert back to the old checks.  And I need to stop using the credit card!  If I don't have the money, I shouldn't be buying it.

So it's up early tomorrow to withdraw money from one bank to put into another bank to prevent (hopefully) overdraft fees.  ::sigh::

And so slips away more of my meager savings.

Yes, time to remove the debit cards from use.

Homemade Vegetable Soup

Vegetable soup is one of my all time favorite dishes/meals.  I eat it all the time -- when it's cold, when I'm too lazy to cook a real meal, or when I'm sick.  And my Mom made the best homemade vegetable soup -- we always got so excited as kids when she made a big pot!  And so I called Mom the other week and asked for the recipe!  :)

One of the biggest advantages to making homemade soup is that you can make it (and you can only make huge portions -- there's no such thing as a small soup recipe lol) and then freeze whatever is left over!!  So you'll have meals for ages. :)

It's low calorie, heart healthy, it has tons of vegetables (which as Americans we don't get enough of), and it's so easy to make!!  :)

I made my soup in a croc pot, but Mom's recipe calls for the use of a dutch oven.

INGREDIENTS
Package Stew Beef (get the leanest cuts you can!  Venison or Bison would be great choices as well)
Beef Bullion Cube
Rosemary
Thyme
Basil
Onion
Carrots
Frozen Vegetables of choice: peas, lima beans, corn, green beans, etc
2 cans whole, peeled tomatoes
2 small cans tomato sauce
*or for thicker broth, 1 small can tomato sauce and 1 can tomato paste

STEPS
1.  Place Stew Beef in dutch oven.  Cover with just enough water to come to the top of the meat.  Brown meat by boiling.
2.  While meat is cooking, chop up onion and carrots
3.  Once meat is done, place onion, carrots, potatoes (if desired), frozen vegetables, whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, and (if chosen) tomato paste in the pot.  Stir
4.  Add 1 beef bullion cube.  Add other spices to season to taste.
5.  Let simmer for a couple of hours on medium heat.
6.  Eat and enjoy!! :)

Depending on your seasonings, a cup of homemade beef vegetable soup will run you about 150 calories.  So like I said, a great, healthy meal that's cheap, easy, long lasting, delicious, and filling!!  How could you pass it up??

Cleeeeeean

Clean eating is a phenomenon that is taking over American trend eating.  There's no need to do South Beach or Atkins or Jenny Craig.  Instead, all you have to do is eat clean.

Clean eating is all about using ingredients in their rawest form -- nothing processed, pre-made, or canned.  Want chicken nuggets? Don't go running to the frozen nuggets.  MAKE them using healthy ingredients! 

Clean eating is a lifestyle.  It is not a diet (however if done properly, it will most likely lead to weightloss).  It's about apprecaiting food and its flavors the way God meant us to taste them.

Clean eating doesn't come without its challenges -- it means throwing away the processed foods that we Americans have come to depend on and love.  But with time, dedication, and patience, it's totally achievable!!  And it's my newest thing.

Interested?  Google "Clean Eating" and you'll get a TON of results.  Including a magazine!!!  (a subscription is totally on my Christmas wish list)

http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/minisite/ce_index.htm

And if you read the recipes, you'll find yourself salivating.  I know I did!  They're all fairly simple recipies that will make you look like a sophisticated, healthy cook!  I can't wait to dive in!!! :) :)

The New Living Room! :) :)

ignore the mess on the floor on the right... and in the bathroom door...

LOVE this corner!!! :) :) :)

Love the matching/mis-matched pillows that bring out the blues of the print and the browns of the couch legs and coffee/end tables!  I feel like a design MASTER! hahaha  (yes, that's a Christmas present in progress on the couch!  What can I say? I'm a crafty girl :-p)

Decorate!

Ohhhhhhhhhh my gosh. :) :) :) :) :)

So I came to Greensboro this weekend to visit my sister and see my BFF Suja, and today (my first full day here), oh lordy...  We went shopping.  hahaha.  Put Blair in a big town with a TON of stores after she's been living in small town USA for 5 months, and she's going to go a little crazy.

And crazy I went!!  We went to Michael's (where I got new crochet hooks and yarn, as well as a poster for above my couch), Wal Mart (where I found some more scented wax to melt and some dried grass to put in a vase which I also found at Wal Mart), Garden Ridge (where I found wall sconces, a turtle candle holder, pillows for my couch which are super cute, and an end table -- I don't have any right now), Big Lots (where I purchased blank canvases to paint on for my bedroom since there's no decor in there either), and a Consignment clothing store where I found a pair of Seven's jeans for $15!!!!  I spent a bunch of money, but I am so excited to have things to finally finish decorating my living room!!!  I can't wait to drive home and put it all together.

Still need to go back to Wal Mart to get a frame for my poster, but I'm pretty well ready to go decorate! :) :)