tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61738404284987757912024-03-13T23:18:59.734-04:00Minda HomemakerJust another girl in the world trying to balance work, home, romance and good health all while saving money and saving the planet. No wonder I'm sleepy by 8 PM.Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.comBlogger197125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-38501184962624892422010-06-21T11:56:00.001-04:002010-06-21T11:56:59.676-04:00Recap: Next Food Network Star Episode 3I was on vacation last week so I wasn’t able to do a recap. In short, Doreen was voted off which I saw coming from a mile away.Last night found our finalists without Bobby Flay which I found highly enjoyable as I am not a fan. (Apparently neither is my hubby since he quipped during the first episode “I hope they send the redheaded guy home!”) Stepping in as Bobby’s replacement was Guy Fieri. The Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-79345535395538768702010-06-19T10:36:00.003-04:002010-06-19T10:46:18.075-04:00Good Places to Eat in Richmond, KY: JadeliI've decided to start posting an occasional review of local eateries in my area. I'm starting with one of my favorites: Jadeli.If you are traveling through Richmond, you might not notice Jadeli. It's tucked away in a tiny shopping center on the EKU By-pass next to a nail salon. You should definitely find it though because they offer one of the best sandwiches around. They are also locally owned Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-5733747330266367892010-06-19T10:29:00.002-04:002010-06-19T10:36:05.298-04:00Back From VacationI'm back in town after a few nights in the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee area. I absolutely love that place. It's flashy, tacky, overpriced and in my eyes, a little slice of heaven. We vacationed there when I was a kid, Hubby and I got married there, and because of these wonderful memories, it's sort of my "happy place". I did a lot of outlet mail shopping (Eddie Bauer jeans for $9.99!), ate a lot of Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-90637038142481584122010-06-10T21:28:00.004-04:002010-06-10T21:35:42.701-04:00Kraft First Taste=Awesome Free StuffI may have said it once but let me say it again, Kraft First Taste is awesome!You can sign up here on their website and you'll be elgible to get a "first taste" of new products from Kraft. I've been a member for about a year and I have tried free Velveeta Mac and Cheese, free Digiorno 200 Calorie pizza, free Philly Minis cream cheese, just to name a few. This week I received an awesome load of Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-71457296128028977852010-06-08T12:06:00.000-04:002010-06-08T12:07:29.329-04:00How the Garden GrowsI need to take some pictures so that I can share my humble little herb garden with you. This is, I think, the third summer that I’ve had a small herb garden. A few years ago, we remodeled our deck somewhat and ended up some scrap pieces of treated lumber. I fashioned them into a little raised bed and voila! The herb garden was born. Chives come back each year with no coaxing or effort on my part.Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-79958457306857682482010-06-07T12:57:00.000-04:002010-06-07T16:00:15.730-04:00Next Food Network Star: Recap of Episode 1 Season 6Season 6 of Next Food Network Star kicked off last night with a two hour premiere. The Food Network had been counting down the hours all day long via a running clock in the top right hand corner of the screen. I admit I bought into the hype and was downright giddy by the time 9pm eastern rolled around.This year’s show takes place in Los Angeles. We meet the finalists one by one as they roll into Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-3231841931334635812010-06-03T12:27:00.000-04:002010-06-03T12:28:04.952-04:00Sugar Cream PieA few weeks ago, my hubby watched Paula Deen with me and this sugar cream pie caught his eye. I also thought it looked simple and yummy so I decided to try it. I usually read the reviews before I try a Food Network recipe. To say the reviews of this are mixed would be an understatement. People seemed to be either raving about the pie or slamming it. One of the great controversies was whether or Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-12526246408325963082010-06-01T12:34:00.000-04:002010-06-01T12:35:04.531-04:00Weekend UpdateI love weekends and long weekends are even more to love. I started mine a bit early by taking the afternoon off from work. I hit the Memorial Day sale at Kohl’s armed with an extra 15% off coupon. I picked up several things then went home to pamper myself for my girls night out to the movies. I am a Sex and the City junkie so I was very excited for the opening of the second movie. It didn’t Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-35356861002936491392010-05-27T21:32:00.003-04:002010-05-27T21:35:20.363-04:00Honey Mustard Salmon with Roasted Asparagus-From Men's HealthIt seems to me that my hubby's Men's Health magazine has better recipes than my Women's Health. His most recent issue has this yummy recipe that I made tonight. I love salmon but am always a little clueless about what to do with seafood-the drawbacks of living in a landlocked state I guess. This one is a keeper! Honey Mustard Salmon with Roasted Asparagus1 Tbsp unsalted butter1 Tbsp brown sugar2 Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-59900256833925526762010-05-26T16:01:00.002-04:002010-05-26T16:08:07.759-04:00New Place to ShopLast week, Meijer opened in my town. Yay!Our grocery choices are Kroger, Wal-Mart and EW James. I shop at Kroger because I hate Wal-Mart and I've just never tried EW James. It replaced Winn Dixie which I never cared for so maybe I've unfairly ignored it. People were anxious for the new store to open and the crowds have been fierce. What has surprised me is how negative some people have been Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-10395971760806256202010-05-24T17:24:00.000-04:002010-05-24T17:24:00.161-04:00Summer is Here (Almost)I’ve really struggled with eating well the past two weeks. I’ve maintained my weight loss; I’m hovering around my goal of a 16lb drop at about the 15.2 mark. But I’ve not been eating the kind of healthy whole foods that I want to eat. I’ve realized that if I don’t plan out meals, buy the groceries for said meals and prepare them that I am destined to not fare well. And it’s really hard to do Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-59175563484906373592010-05-12T12:01:00.002-04:002010-05-12T12:03:46.903-04:00A Simple PathThis past weekend, I took a little weekend trip with my mom and aunt to Shaker Village. You can find out more about it here. Shaker Village is one of those places that are very close by yet I’d never been there. (It’s strange how we’ll drive three or four states away for a vacation when there are so many interesting places in the back door, isn’t it?) The Shakers lived a simple life. They worked Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-23687115617353276032010-05-09T18:12:00.002-04:002010-05-09T18:22:36.675-04:00Hot Deal on Old Spice Body WashToday, I had $17 in coupons at Kroger. Thanks to some super Kroger coupons, I got FREE Ruffles potato chips and FREE Redi-Whip. Ruffles are a staple of my hubby's diet and I'm planning to make this yummy low calorie mousse this week. The best deal though was on Old Spice Body Wash. Kroger had it on sale 2 for $7. I had a "buy one get one free" coupon from the P&G insert and a Kroger coupon for a Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-57016098018476351742010-05-03T16:38:00.003-04:002010-05-03T16:39:46.363-04:00Storms of LifeThe past two weekends have been wet ones for us. Last weekend, we had thunderstorms and tornado possibilities. This past weekend, it was flash floods.We were fortunate. While the water was all around us, it never got close enough to get inside our home or in the crawlspace. Others have not been so lucky. One person in our county died and there is countless damage. This is the entrance to our Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-38551487719444779402010-04-29T13:08:00.004-04:002010-04-29T13:13:59.504-04:00Being (and Being Rewarded) By a Coupon FairyDo you ever play Coupon Fairy?A coupon fairy is someone who leaves unwanted coupons behind for others, usually placing the coupon beside the item in a store. I'd read of such beings and occasionally saw a stray coupon on a shelf but never got rewarded by one until today.I was buying Cheer detergent which I seem to never have coupons for when lo and behold, there lay a coupon for $1 on the shelf Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-85135924606796411372010-04-20T21:28:00.002-04:002010-04-20T21:30:10.096-04:00Book-a-holicI have a fairly healthy stack of unread books on my bookshelf.I have downloaded books on my Kindle (free ones). So what did I do today?I went to the public library and left with two books.Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-73939857146714296722010-04-18T18:44:00.007-04:002010-04-18T19:15:24.451-04:00How to Cook Dry Pinto BeansPinto beans are a staple food in many parts of Appalachia. (In my neck of the woods, they are "soup beans" and not "pinto beans", by the way.) Beans have suddenly become hip during recession times because they are a cheap source of protein. Many people are intimidated to cook dry beans from scratch but they really are better for you as canned beans tend to be high in sodium. Dried beans are also Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-66606276394258396972010-04-18T18:22:00.003-04:002010-04-18T18:31:16.136-04:00Cool Clearance Rack Find at KohlsSometimes I see things that I'd like to own but then I convince myself that I don't really need them. Case in point, a very nice Food Network coffee mug at Kohls. I love coffee mugs and I love Food Network so this was an item that really appealed to me. However, with a $9.99 price tag, it was also an item that I could pass up. I have too many coffee cups already and really how much more stuff canMindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-88453716105003428662010-04-15T07:52:00.000-04:002010-04-15T10:53:47.952-04:00Weighing In: Sizing Up My New Year's ResolutionAs promised, today is my big reveal of how I did with my goal to lose 15 pounds by April 15th.Drum roll please…..As of this morning, I’ve lost 13 pounds! So, I came up 2 pounds short. I’m a little disappointed but not shocked. When my weight started coming down, my clothes starting fitting better and I started feeling better, I slacked off a little on counting calories. I’m still determined Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-63364041822998331282010-04-14T19:17:00.006-04:002010-04-14T19:23:46.365-04:00Trying to Help Jamie With That Food Revolution...When I grocery shop after work, I'm generally tired, hungry and not in a great mood. This leads me to the temptation that is some sort of prepared deli item or frozen item. Or even worse, a drive-thru trip. Since 2010 has been my year of healthy eating, I'm trying to break that trend. So instead of giving in to some sort of goody, tonight I came home and made this:It was nothing fancy. Just Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-52256845471435872392010-04-13T12:33:00.003-04:002010-04-13T12:38:41.328-04:00The Sun is Shining but It's Raining Sub SandwichesI'm on my lunch break enjoying my second FREE Subway sandwich in four days. How did I do this?In our goody bag at the 5K Saturday, there was a coupon good for one free 6 inch sub at any Subway in town. It was good for that day only. Hubby was golfing and we were grilling out later so I didn't exactly have lunch plans. I happily picked up my free sub.Then lo and behold, I won a $5 Subway card fromMindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-3375912081604962542010-04-12T07:48:00.000-04:002010-04-12T10:49:09.860-04:00Trying Something New: Indian FoodI had a totally new experience on Good Friday. I tried Indian food for the first time. Ethnic food was a rare thing when I was growing up. It still boggles my mind that my hometown now has both a Chinese and a Mexican eatery. Where was that when I was kid? The town where I live now is slightly more diverse. We have several Chinese places, a couple of Mexican places (my favorite!), Thai, Japanese Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-52992221880121975652010-04-11T19:25:00.002-04:002010-04-11T19:32:07.169-04:00Spring FeverThe past two weekends have been gorgeous here in Kentucky!Last weekend (Easter weekend), my hubby and I visited his family in eastern Kentucky. My parents came too and it was wonderful to have everyone together. We rode ATVs up in the mountains, grilled burgers and hot dogs, ate too much candy and just enjoyed being together. I came to work on Monday refreshed and relaxed after a good dose of Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-53254197168297048342010-03-28T09:15:00.002-04:002010-03-28T09:26:07.520-04:00Jamie Oliver's Food RevolutionHave you been watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? A friend told me about it and I watched Friday's episode. I don't watch anything on ABC so I hadn't seen any promos for the show. But when I found out that the premise is that the British chef is trying to introduce healthy living to Huntington, West Virginia, I was all about it. Huntington is one of the unhealthiest cities in the country andMindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6173840428498775791.post-69915165418933424172010-03-25T19:07:00.002-04:002010-03-25T19:12:58.815-04:00This and ThatI really can't think of any particular reason that I haven't blogged lately. Except maybe that I am lazy. Let me catch you up on what's been going on with me...I'm still committed to my healthy lifestyle and have now lost 11 pounds.I made my first trip to a Whole Foods store. LOVED it! I so wish my town had one.Discovered a wonderful cupcake shop that makes heavenly little cupcakes. Thankfully, Mindahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09252340715814976097noreply@blogger.com0