One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1616 of 2143 - I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

Lunch for 20 People? No Problem

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By Mavis Butterfield on April 24, 2013 · 17 Comments

{How many tea cups can you find?}

Let me ask you something.

Would you rather volunteer to make lunch for 20 people in April and 600 cupcakes in May, or would you rather park your keister in a 2 hour committee meeting each month and get sucked into volunteering for even more stuff you really don’t want to do in the first place.

Hmm. Tough choice I know.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think volunteering is RAD. But let’s face it, sometimes we say YES to too much stuff and it can be overwhelming.

So this morning, Lucy the sample dog and I whipped up 3 heaping platters of goodness; Classic Chicken Cesar Salad, Spinach Salad and my favorite Qunioa salad. What you see in the first photo is what was left over from the lunch. Apparently the Classic Chicken Cesar Salad was the crowd favorite followed by the spinach salad and then the quinoa salad {maybe it’s an acquired taste?}

We also served giant slices of bread, and made 2 fruit crisps as well. Oh, and we made a jug of lemon iced tea too. But we forgot that on the kitchen counter.

So guess what’s for dinner at Mavis’ house tonight? Salad, fruit crisp and iced tea.

Yee-Haw!

So tell me, when it comes to volunteering do you run and hide, or do you jump right in and say YES to everything?

Mavis want to know!

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Spinach Salad with Cranberries, Walnuts and Feta

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By Mavis Butterfield on April 24, 2013 · 5 Comments

I was craving a spinach salad the other day so I picked some spinach up on my latest shopping trip and made this spinach salad with cranberries, walnuts and feta for lunch. The spinach in our greenhouse is just about ready to be picked and I couldn’t be more excited. The HH loves adding spinach to smoothies and I love it in a salad.

Here is my easy peasy {and delicious} recipe:

Ingredients for the salad

1 pound spinach leaves
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Ingredients for the dressing

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper

Directions

Place the spinach leaves on a platter or in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle feta, dried cranberries and walnuts over the top of the leaves.
In a small bowl whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Drizzle over salad and serve.

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Container Gardening with Andy the Plant Whisperer

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By Mavis Butterfield on April 24, 2013 · 19 Comments

So I’ve really gone and done it: In additional to having my neighbor help me in the garden this summer I’ve also rented/bartered {?} out the basement to a guy named Andy {HH, if you’re reading this, I promise, it’s all going to work out fine}.

Andy is from Miami, Florida and is here for this years growing season to help me with my container gardens. Word on the street is he is a plant whisperer {seriously, he talks to them, people}, which is great because I can really use all the help I can get around here while I try to grow 2 tons of food this summer.

Andy’s partner Gladys will be joining him a little later in the growing season, but had to stay behind in Florida to tie up a couple of loose ends {something about a medicinal herb farm–I decided not to ask}. Andy can’t wait to experience a summer in Seattle. He claims he’s never seen a pine tree until now, but swears he could grow anything with his beloved containers, so we’ll see if the Washington growing season will give him a run for his money.

I asked him to write up a little description of himself for you all, so without further ado, meet Andy:

Hello fellow growers. I am honored to be coming to you live from…Mavis’s basement. Can you hear the cheers? I can! No wait, that is probably the dirt calling to me.

Real quick like, here’s a little about me: I love Pina-Coladas and getting caught in the rain…Ba, ba, so come with me and escape. Ha! Oh man, and I love a feel good tune. Seriously, though, I do love Pina-Coladas.

I have lived in Florida for the past 18 years. I strive for stress-free living. Nothing, and I mean nothing gets me down. Typically, I practice Yoga on the beach every morning, with my guru, Yolanda. Then, I pop home for a sponge bath and a little time with my plants. I am a self-proclaimed herbivore. My plants are my babies. I love each of them individually–and unconditionally. Out of respect, I am going to ask you to do the same.

Now that I’ve decided to trade in the sun and surf for one little summer in the Northwest, I am going to show you all how easy it is to grow an impromptu garden from just about anywhere.

Andy

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Egg Labels and What They Really Mean

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By Mavis Butterfield on April 24, 2013 · 25 Comments

Have you seen the egg aisle of the grocery store lately? Wowza, there are a lot of different choices for eggs. And in case you have decided being a backyard chicken farmer just isn’t for you, here’s a quick overview of all of your egg choices–each of them appear to be clearly labeled on the egg cartons:

Omega 3 Enhanced Eggs: These come from chickens whose food has been enhanced with Omega 3 enriched supplements {think flax seeds, flax oil, walnuts, etc.}. The resulting eggs have a higher amount of Omega 3 fatty acids {you know, the ones they say we don’t get enough of}. They also have a higher amount of cholesterol, so if that is a concern for you, be aware.

Humanely Raised: These eggs are from hens that have been humanely raised, as opposed to conventional eggs where the hens are kept in tiny pens. The carton should have a certified human label. The chickens may or may not have access to the outdoors. There are some regulations on this label that limit the density of the birds in their barn/warehouse. They must also be allowed enough space to “perform natural behaviors”.

Organic: Organic eggs {certified organic, at least} come from chickens that have not been given antibiotics, hormones, and their food has not been exposed to pesticides. The thing to remember with these is that “organic” does not necessarily mean the chickens have a nice happy life–the chickens must be cafe free with some outdoor access, but federal regulations does not define that amount. Conditions for the chickens can be awesome–or not. It just depends on the producer.

Free Range: Chickens are not in cages, and might roam freely for part of the day, but there are no regulations whatsoever on this label, so it is hard to say whether you are flushing extra money down the toilet. Also, there are no restrictions on the birds’ diets.

Cage free: This one is similar to free range, but chickens do not have to have access to the outdoors. Conditions can be a bit abysmal for the chickens and still get this label.

Animal Welfare Approved: This label is much harder to find. It is for independent family farmers with up to 500 chickens. The chickens are free to spend unlimited time outside on pesticide-free pasture. The chickens cannot have their beaks cut {ALL of the previous labels can and typically do cut the chickens beaks}. The best place to find these is to contact your local farmer’s market and/or go out to the farm to check out the conditions.

What kind of eggs do YOU buy? How do you feel about how the chickens are treated? Do you wish the better options weren’t so dang expensive?

Feel free to “lay” your comments out below,

Mavis

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