Community Rewards

I'm not exactly thrilled with how my food budget has sky-rocketed with all my dietary changes these days. I easily spend $60 - $80 just running in 'for a few things'. Things like grassfed beef, wild salmon or organic produce. (It's well more than that should I actually need a $10 bag of almond flour or $8 jar of coconut oil.) Ouch.

But, if you weigh that against pharmaceutical bills or doctors' bills you'd be facing withOUT eating this way... it's worth it.

And, I've found another way to make it all worth it!

A while back, the United Methodist Children's Home posted on Facebook how you can actually help support them by shopping at Kroger. 

And honestly, I used to be a devout Publix girl. Just kind of the difference between Target and Wal-Mart. But, I've come around to really appreciate Kroger lately for what they have to offer. They have a much larger health food section (What I wouldn't give to have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's in town!) and their prices are generally much better than that of Publix. And even though they aren't the same friendly faces I've grown accustomed to seeing at Publix, the staff has always been friendly there as well.

AND... they have the Community Rewards Program!

Anyway - I can't think of a better cause for my money to help support than the UMCH. They are doing some life-changing things over there. 

So, I would encourage you... if you have a Kroger nearby, please consider using the Kroger Plus Card and signing up to support this cause with me! 

http://www.umchildrenshome.org/2014/03/31/kroger-community-rewards/

And if not this one, maybe one that you feel prompted to support.

Homemade Green Beans ~ Yum!

Man. I had forgotten just how much I love some good old homemade Southern Style Green Beans.

I was hooked on these long before I ever started a Paleo or Specific Carb lifestyle. I may have just had in my mind that they were 'illegal' as a legume? But, when I looked at my 'legals' list, they were on there. Woo hoo! Just no canned variety. I can do that! I love making fresh green beans!

I mean, just look at those beauties. Canned are no where near as pretty as that right there.

I start out just frying up some bacon in a big stock pot. Once that starts to brown up, I throw some diced onion in with it. While those continue browning, I rinse fresh green beans and trim up the ends. (I usually go ahead and snap most in half, too.) When I'm finished rinsing and trimming, I throw the beans into the pot, loosening up and mixing in the cooked bacon and onion. Continue turning over periodically to get as many beans possible browned a bit. Once they've begun to brown up some, I add enough water to not quite cover the beans and continue to cook medium-low heat. Once the water begins to evaporate a good bit, I turn down the heat and just let them sit on the stove for an hour or more, stirring every now and again. Cook to desired tenderness and add desired amounts of salt and pepper to taste.

Then, spoon out and enjoy with your favorite main dish!  :)

Here they are with some bun-less cheeseburger sliders I concocted up one night for dinner.

L'oeufs and Turf

Splurged this week on a couple nice steaks - not grass fed, but hopefully, that won't prove all that detrimental just this one time.

Pack of two... Cooked both that night and enjoyed one with sweet potato and homemade green beans (yum). Next day, I cut the other in half and sautéed it in a hot sauce pan just for a minute or two to brown a bit and take the chill off. Threw that in a spinach salad with some Swiss cheese, tomato and vinaigrette for a quick tasty lunch.

Still had the other half in there today, so threw it in a pan for a minute, then scrambled some cheesy eggs to go with it, for brunch. Yummy!