meal prep for next-to-nothing

a few weeks ago, i bought some super delicious chicken curry salad from the Wedge co-op in Minneapolis (as most of you know, i am a HUGE support of co-ops). as i checked out the ingredients, i realized i could probably make something similar and just as delicious at home. it's so easy to grab something that's already been made when you're heading off to school or work, so it was a no-brainer to try and imitate the recipe.

at our local Eastside Food Co-op, they sell whole rotisserie chickens from the deli on Sundays for only $7.99. compared to a $17 raw whole chicken we could've cooked ourselves, this was a steal. the original salad was made with mayonnaise, but i wanted to keep it healthy and use Plain yogurt instead. Trevor and i decided to make the salad slightly different than the original one we tried, and the results were absolutely perfect. see here how i did it:

whole chicken, being cut
for salad

1. cut and cube (or shred) 2 breasts or 2 legs of a chicken
2. chop 1 bunch of celery
3. add 1 cup of dried cranberries and 1.5 cups of raw cashew bits to chicken and celery
4. in a separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup of plain yogurt with LOTS of yellow curry powder (powder will absorb into the yogurt better than a curry paste, but do as you like to). we also added sugar and salt to taste.
5. mix all ingredients and the yogurt sauce together, then package for the fridge.

et voila! there you have it. in total this recipe cost about $12 and fed us for a number of days (it was best at lunch). meal prep and healthy eating has never been easier!

the finished product!

winter detox

every so often i like to do a cleanse for the body, primarily for my liver. i'm not necessarily a heavy drinker, but i can be if i want to. i always feel great after i do a cleanse and i decided to do one this week and Trevor decided to join me.

i don't juice cleanse. some people swear by it, but i know that my body cannot sustain any energy without the proper nutrients. before i even did research about the different cleanses out there, i made my own. for 7 days, i avoid alcohol, meat, dairy and gluten. i focus most of my attention on vegetables and fruit, and still allow myself eggs for lots of good protein. basically its like being a wheat-free vegan for a week (if you drink coffee, switch to green tea!). it's definitely challenging and your body will feel tired out, but the results are worth it. trim a little off your belly while also cleansing your system of toxins.

one of my favorite websites for all things holistic, nutritious and conscience-minded is www.mindbodygreen.com. i even found a page with links to a plethora of articles about cleansing, juicing, detoxing and healthy eating here. i HIGHLY recommend doing research on any cleanse you plan to try, and seek out advice from people who have done them before. talk to your friends, family, yoga teacher, or any other mentor for guidance and you will surely find the right way to detox for yourself.

enjoy and be a healthy Betty!!

                                            

                                                                                                      

the best thing i've ever cooked

OK, so by now we've established that i have a deep love for eating, vegetables, cooking and all things food-related. the other night, i made the best thing i've ever cooked. in a decade of living independently and learning how to cook delicious and nutritious food for myself, i swear this is the best thing i've ever made. and it was super easy! 

the other day, i got some organic chicken legs to roast with winter vegetables, and i found a couple of fennel bulbs in the fridge that were about to go bad. i looked up recipes with fennel and found myself this one. i made a few adjustments to the recipe, like i cooked it in a large skillet on the stovetop, so that the house would smell more like fennel and bacon, and so the oven wouldn't be crowded (the chicken and vegetables were roasting away already). instead of using spinach, i substituted chard that we had in the fridge from the other night. i meant to include the chard stems, like i've mentioned before, but i forgot and they can be used for something else delicious. 

the finished product: sweet, salty, fatty, crunchy, garlicky,
tangy goodness. 

maybe it was the organic, thick-cut bacon i used that i get from the co-op, or the slow simmer of the stovetop, but this dish became an instant classic that i will now cook many times in my life. 

to top it all off, we used the leftovers in our egg scramble, such as we love to do, this morning, with avocado slices and Udi's gluten-free toast. if you are vegetarian or vegan, you'll have to use a bacon substitute, and for your sake i hope it's comparable (because only bacon is as good as bacon). 

enjoy!!!

    

coco loco

i've written my praises for coconut oil once before and i'm about to do it again. as a hair treatment, the oil is still working wonders. i try to keep most products out of my hair, only using a morroccan oil out of the shower and a smoothing product while my hair is still wet. the coconut oil goes on only when my hair is fairly dirty and ready for a washing the next day. leaving it in overnight is great and after it washes out, my hair feels smooth and shiny!!

lately i've also been experimenting with coconut oil as an overnight moisturizer on my face. its worked wonderfully. i have been washing my face less (only at night with a cream-based sensitive cleanser) and moisturizing more. seems as though the older i get, the more moisture my skin needs. it helps clear up breakouts and keeps my skin relaxed and fresh. in the morning i don't even need to cleanse, which keeps my skin even clearer of products. natural is always better!!!

our future tiny home

last week Trevor showed me the most AMAZING website that we are now both currently obsessed with: the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company makes teeny tiny, livable houses that are built with no foundation and can be moved anywhere. yes, this is real. it's like my dream of an eco-friendly, sustainable home that requires little commitment is finally coming true! (it helps that i have the man of my dreams by my side to execute the construction of the house, and to get a truck to haul it)

we are already planning which house we will get, but from the looks of them they vary only slightly, until you get to the 'cottage'-sized homes. i know that this might not be ideal for some of you, but personally, the older i get the more i realize how little i really need to get by. now that Trevor and i are really thinking about our future and our life together, its amazing to see how it will all happen! we are fully committed to the environment and our future, more so than being concerned with having a big house and a so-called "perfect" job. we will be pursuing our dreams of self-employment and can still buy a tiny house (call it our 'starter home') without sacrificing credit and going into debt for something more typical.

it's clear to see that climate change is not knocking at the doorstep, its already inside the house and doing its damage. though we may not be able to turn it around completely, at least, if we all do a little something, we can impact the damage and lessen it for the next generation. let's protect our Earth and help keep her healthy!!

seamstress betty

remember that betty emergency i told you about a few weeks ago? when i couldn't quite fix my beautiful vintage velvet gypsy skirt in time for my friend's wedding? well, i found a solution and with the help of my mom's nice sewing machine, everything is all better now and ready to wear.

original

thrifted for material

as i was perusing the racks at my favorite Twin Cities thrift store (which i could reveal but i'd be giving away my secret), i found another velvet maxi skirt in a similar burgundy color for $2. i immediately bought it, with the brilliant idea of using it as my added material to lengthen the skirt.

when i finally got around to this project the other day, i made sure to take measurements before beginning, so i knew if i would have enough material or not. i measured the hem of the original gypsy skirt (as a bell-shaped skirt the measurement around the bottom is pretty big), and also measured the replacement material skirt. i cut the replacement skirt into 4 sections of even width, attached them to form one long piece, and hemmed it. when it came time to attach it to the original skirt, i was just a hair short but had enough material left over to fill in the gap.

finally came time to attach the long piece to the hem of the original skirt, for which i used a heavy duty zig-zag stitch, since the velvet materials are fairly heavy. et voila! it turned out great. though the colors are just a hair different and the sewing is not perfect, it's perfect for me and will do just fine for me to wear. yet another way to make use of my resources and efforts for an entirely custom piece of clothing.

finished product!! adds about 4 inches to the original length

organizing betty jewels

if you're anything like me, you are constantly digging through multiple piles/containers of jewelry to find the pieces you want to wear at any given moment. my biggest annoyance is untangling the many long necklaces i own (for an idea of my style, check this out) whenever i want to wear one or more of them. the other day i remembered that i had seen something easy to make, with few materials, many of which are probably already lying around your house. i'm talking about a super awesome necklace organizer, made of a tree branch, nails and string.

my materials: found tree branch piece, heavy-duty string,
nails and a hammer

be sure to find a fairly thick tree branch that will be sturdy enough to hold the weight of your jewelry and also hang from the wall. if you have nails lying around somewhere in your house, they can be 1.5-2" long, or head to your local hardware store to buy some. also be sure to use a strong, thick string that can hold some weight.

step 1
decide how many nails you want to use per necklace hanging section. mine has 4 but if you use a slightly longer branch you may be able to add 5. any more than that and you risk putting too much weight on the branch so i recommend you be a little cautious. next, start aligning the nails so they are evenly spaced throughout the length of the branch.

all nails hammered

step 2
start pounding!! hammer each nail in carefully so as not to break the branch. be sure to leave enough room on the ends where the string will be attached and the branch will hang. after you've hammered the necklace hangers, attach one nail on each end (leave about 1 inch).

step 3
wrap one end of the string around the branch and securely tighten a knot around the nail. do the same on the other end so you have a piece to hang on the wall. it should form a triangle shape.

                                                      step 4

hanging on the wall (sans jewels)

hang the piece on the wall, and get to organizing those necklaces!! hang those jewels, girl!