Still going strong on no soda. 
The light duty person has been diagnosed with per-diabetes and high cholesterol, so we have been doing a lot of talking about diet, etc. She's a big meat eater, so I suggested she may want to try cutting back on meat by using it as a condiment to her meals, as well as cutting out/back on dairy and eggs.
I've been doing fairly well with the DD. The one item I'm having trouble with is getting my greens.
That's partly why I'm thinking about getting a dehydrator - so I can make Kale Chips (maybe spinach ones too?) Then I can use them to dip in my homemade hummus. Taking care of greens and beans!
I'd also like to do dried apples like my dad's friend Pete does. Every time I go out to CA, I come home with bags of died apples. So addictive.
I found one on Amazon for $50 I like, but plan on checking Craig and FB first. DH thinks that's a good idea in case I end up not really using it.
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I got an email from the Achievmint app today telling me how many points I'd earned. I've been ignoring them because I thought that I'd earned the max number of rewards. But today I decided to see why they kept sending me emails.
Well, I guess they restructured their program so that even people like me (who earned $200 from them) could continue to earn rewards in $10 increments. I'm halfway to the next $10! Guess I'll start tracking my water again.
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Also last night I decided to look at the Bounts store ... and was able to snag a $10 CVS card! I tried to get a second one, but it wouldn't let me add it to my cart.
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I stopped at a Dollar Tree yesterday (Tuesday) and was disappointed to find that most of their frozen vegetarian selections weren't available anymore. 
At least they had a good selection of frozen fruit.
I also bought 4 plastic canisters to put rice/beans/quinoa, etc. in. I need to buy some more, and also find my sharpie so I can label them.
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I got a reply back from N e l n e t. They didn't answer whether they accept 3rd party checks or not, but they told me here to send a payment ... So, I guess we can try and see?
DH needs to recertify for the IBR plan. If it's based on 2015 taxed income, he should be okay still. By next year when it'd be based on both of our incomes together, we'll already be in student loan repayment focus so it won't matter. Right now we are focusing on the medical debt.
(Citi gives the option of sending rewards money to either a student loan or a mortgage. Otherwise, I'd send it to the medical debt. The medical debt has no interest, but the interest on the student loans is negligible, and the mortgage isn't bad either. I just want the medical debt gone first. Even if it doesn't totally make financial sense. )
DD 23/24 - Thinking About a Dehydrator
September 29th, 2016 at 02:54 am
September 29th, 2016 at 03:27 am 1475119657
September 29th, 2016 at 05:55 am 1475128507
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September 29th, 2016 at 02:52 pm 1475160760
September 29th, 2016 at 05:30 pm 1475170229
Making lasting changes in your diet can be very difficult. For years, I tried to switch from white pasta to whole grain and i just didn't like the taste of whole wheat pasta. However, at some point, I got used to it and now it whole wheat pasta exclusively. I just told myself that i just wasn't going to get to eat pasta unless it was whole grain.
September 29th, 2016 at 07:53 pm 1475178818
LR - Thanks for the info!
CCF / MM - That's good to know! I need to call Citi and get a check started!
Kashi - that sounds so good!
PS - I now live way too near to a Whole Foods. I should go in there and see how much their dried apple rings would cost.
I've eaten whole grain pasta and liked it well enough. It's DH I need to convince ...
September 29th, 2016 at 08:52 pm 1475182320
September 29th, 2016 at 10:30 pm 1475188232
September 29th, 2016 at 10:45 pm 1475189136
Ceejay - I'm heading that way (vegan) but DH is far from that... so if I can get him to like the kale chips, I need them to be as low in fat as possible. Though if it gets him to eat them ...
Would you repost your recipe for the kale chips? Search function in the blogs is ... not much to say for it.
September 30th, 2016 at 03:46 am 1475207200
September 30th, 2016 at 12:41 pm 1475239281
Any kale makes good kale chips, but to me, dinosaur (lacinato) kale is the best! Deeper flavor and it also makes flat vs. curly chips.
I've made loads of batches over the past few years, so here are my best tips:
- Wash the kale and thoroughly dry it before prepping to bake.
- Tear into bite size (couple inches square) pieces.
- Toss the kale in oil and then, as you lay it out on the baking sheet, kind of rub each piece to make sure it's coated.
- Don't overlap and try not to let the pieces touch one another. Even if you have to use two pans or make multiple batches, they come out so much better if they're all separated at least a tiny bit.
- Sprinkle with salt and nutritional yeast. They taste amazing that way!
- Bake at a low temperature like 280. Try 10 minutes and if they aren't all completely crispy, give them another 5 minutes, and then if they need more just do 2 minutes at a time, checking frequently. You don't need to move them or flip them over, thank goodness.
- They should be delicate and crispy. If they're at all floppy or chewy, they need more time.
September 30th, 2016 at 04:12 pm 1475251945
Ceejay - thank you! How do you know what kind it is?
September 30th, 2016 at 06:35 pm 1475260509
September 30th, 2016 at 06:39 pm 1475260778
October 2nd, 2016 at 10:18 pm 1475446722
I have a dehydrator but rarely use it. What I've found it best for has been dried apple rings and also taking packages of frozen mixed veggies and dehydrating them to make a vegetable snack. For my little use a Nesco is fine--Excalibur is the standard but if I were you I would look for a cheap dehydrator at a garage sale and then, if you get into it, buy an Excalibur. (Or buy a cheap Nesco using credit card reward points to see if you will use one enough to make an investment in an Excalibur worthwhile).