​

5. Propagate Propagate Propagate!

Succulent propagation is extremely easy, but it does take a very long time and lots of patience. 

I am just cheap enough to wait. 

Same as above, I will buy succulents that have an overabundance of leaves to pop off and propagate to make more succulents. 
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(A small section of my current propagation station showing another variety of succulent) 



​Below are more photos showing multiple plants (in this case succulents) being sold in one pot which can be spliced off into multiple planters.
​

Love fiddle leaf plants, but don't want to spend $100?
Buy a baby for $20 and aloe it to grow into the plant you are dreaming about. 


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11. Compost

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Many vegetables and herbs can be regrown from the pieces we leave behind. Romaine, onions, scallions, celery, potatoes, and sweet potatoes along with basil, mint, and cilantro. You can regrow pineapples from the heads as well!



I hope you didn't stop reading and leaf because of all these corny plant puns. 
I am just a succa for them. 


Please comment below with your tips for frugal plant ownership!
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You read that right. 
FREE and DISCOUNTED organic foods delivered right to your door!

I would like to welcome you to the amazingly pear-fect world of 
*Misfits Market*

I have been using Misfits Market for a loooooooong time now and I am here to:
1. Tell you about them
2. Show you how to save $10 off your first box 
3. Give you tips and tricks 
4. Show you how easy (and fun!) it is to order 


About Misfits Market
Misfits Market is a farm to consumer site.

This company strives to help local farmers sell their local organic produce that does not meet the grocery store definition of "produce beauty". 

Rather than farmers throwing away ugly or unique fruits and vegetables, Misfits Market "produced" (ha!) a way to buy those items and sell them back to you at a discounted rate. 

Not only does this benefit you and local farmers, but it helps prevent food waste and ultimately helps our environment! 
I love this entire concept from my head tomatoes!

Your items are delivered to you in a large box filled with recyclable packaging to keep your items cozy as well as ice packs to keep everything cool.  



How To Get $10 Off Your First Box

If you use my code or use the link below,
you will receive $10 off of your first box with Misfits Market. So not only will you be receiving already discounted organic produce and foods, but you get an additional $10 off of your first box! 
Use my code COOKWME-FH1WAT or copy the link below:
https://www.misfitsmarket.com/?promo=COOKWME-FH1WAT



Tips & Tricks

When we originally signed up for Misfits, I was having deliveries come every week. 
We quickly found out that even in a family of 4, we could not put away that much produce that quickly. 
Instead, I switched to bi-weekly deliveries. 

You will receive an email from Misfits once it is time to build your box (more below about building your box) and you will have several days to complete the process.

You will be receiving the "misfits" from local farms. The yellow squash that comes in your box may have one the size of your hand and the other the size of your arm. The red onions could be the size of a shallot or the size of your head! It's a fun little mystery to see what crazy looking things pop up in your box. 

The sooner you build your box = the more options you will have to choose.

Make sure you pay attention to when you can begin building your box! 
Some more unique or popular produce items can sell out quickly, depending upon what your local farmers have in stock so be sure to beet everyone else to it!


If you receive damaged goods, Misfits Market is 100% amazing at making it right. 
It will happen occasionally that the shipping company may not take proper care of your box and items inside get damaged. You may also receive produce that is too overly ripe for your palate. 
Simply do an online chat or email Misfits and they will reimburse you - and quickly! 
I have had ZERO issues with being refunded for lost, damaged, or poor quality items. 

​
You have to purchase a minimum of $30 in products/produce to be able to get your scheduled shipment, regardless of frequency. 
If you have opted for weekly shipments, it is still a $30 minimum. 
Let me tell you - you get a hell of a lot more than you would at a grocery store with that $30.
You will see examples of discounted rates and pricing below.


Building Your Box

Here is the fun bit I have bean waiting to tell you about! 

I put a recurring calendar reminder in my phone to notify me when its time to build my box. 
It's just so satisfying to jump onto the website and start adding all of the discounted yummies into my cart.

You start with a blank cart.
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There are many categories to shop from, but I generally always start in the fruit and vegetable category.
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There are also breakfast foods, snacks, dairy alternatives, pantry items, and more!
​

I have even found several of my kids' snacks on here at a severely discounted price. 
New items come and go all the time. You never know what you are going to see on there!
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Lettuce turnip the savings and beet down your grocery bill with Misfits Market! 

Copy the link below to save $10 off your first box.
​https://www.misfitsmarket.com/?promo=COOKWME-FH1WAT

Please write below if you carrot all to leave me a comment! 

Thanks for reading! 

*Fun fact time*
You didn't come here for a history lesson, but you're gonna learn today! 

Bento boxes have been around since the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and were derived from farmers' seed boxes. 
They were popular because they were convenient and portable - which is still very much the case today. 

Below you will see 8 options for low calorie "bento" boxed lunches which require very little effort, which is how I roll. 

I hope you enjoy!


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Box 1
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Box 2
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Box 3
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Box 4
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Box 7
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Box 8

Please comment below with your favorite low calorie snack/lunch ideas! 

Microwaves. 
Great when they are clean. Super sucky when they aren't. 

No one wants a dirty microwave, but there is also never a line of people waiting at my microwave to clean it - myself included. 

In this post you will see my super easy, all natural way to clean a microwave. 

Here is my microwave. It certainly is NOT at its dirtiest, but it ain't clean either. 

There is ONE product needed to clean your microwave and it is the magical, all powerful:
White Wine Vinegar

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Fill a microwave safe cup with vinegar and pop it into your microwave. 

​

Nuke that bad boy for 3 minutes and let the steam and vinegar sit in your microwave for 5 minutes afterward. 

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While you wait, give the outside a little scrub down. 
​

Open the door and remove the plate and little plastic rotator with wheels. 

Scrub all the goo and gunk off of that microwave plate, which should come off pretty easily from the vinegar. 
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Many times, this little doohicky goes unnoticed, but look at those yucky wheels! 
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Now get to work on the inside. 
I use a paper towel and will keep the hot vinegar on the side to dip into when needed.
You can also use a sponge. 
​
Make sure you get the top really well since that is where literally everything seems to go: straight up. 

Wipe down the sides and bottom, removing any debris from the ghosts of meals past.

Be sure to clean in these little vents on the sides and top as well. 
​

Give the inside of the door a good scrub down.

Replace the plastic plate turner along with the plate and you have yourself a nice, clean microwave until your husband decides to reheat spaghetti. 


Thanks for reading! 

​-Jamie 

When I roll out of bed in the morning and drag myself into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee, there is always that day old coffee staring at me, judging me.
I know what its thinking. 
"Look at you, wasting all this precious brown deliciousness. And you're about to do it again aren't you. Yeah you are. Shame.... Shame."

Soooo I got to thinking and came up with ways to repurpose that leftover coffee.



1. Make Coffee Ice Cubes 

Food.com has an awesome coffee ice cream recipe. 
1 cup of heavy cream
1/3 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup of strong coffee, chilled

In a medium bowl, whisk the cream and sugar until the sugar has dissolved completely and the mixture is frothy.
Add the milk, vanilla and coffee.
Whisk until blended.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Prepare the ice cream in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.

There are ways to make ice cream without an ice cream maker.
Visit TasteOfHome.com to see their instructions. 


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4. Make Coffee Brownies
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6. Use Coffee In Your Hair
​
I would not recommend using this with light colored hair, as coffee is a natural staining agent, but the caffeine in coffee can promote hair growth and stimulate follicles. Use up to 4 cups of coffee (depending upon your hair length) after shampooing and let those tiny little caffeine monsters go to work on your scalp!





7. Compost It
​

Put the coffee ground AND the filter straight into your compost bin to help regulate the acidity of your wonderful, plant nurturing compost.




8. Make An Exfoliant 

GroundtoGround.org has several DIY exfoliant recipes but this one is my favorite:

1/4 cup used coffee grounds
1 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp honey

Mix in a jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Best results are when used in a hot, steamy shower. 





9. Make A Coffee Protein Shake

This is a perfect “get your butt up and going” breakfast idea.
Mix your cold coffee, protein powder, and some of your frozen coffee ice cubes into a blend and voila! A caffeine/protein packed snack that is also low in fat and calories!




10. Make Your Plants Some Coffee Water 

Coffee is a great staining agent, as some of us may have found out the hard way
with clothing or carpet…
To stain wood, sand it first. Once you have a nice, sanded surface, use a cloth and your leftover coffee to rub the stain into the wood. Let the coffee dry into the wood before applying each coat to get your desired color.




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12. Make Tiramisu 
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Let me start this post by saying our toaster is OLD. It's not an antique or anything, but we have owned this toaster for longer than we can remember and it is well used. 
We are a family who loves toasty things.

When I pulled out the toaster this morning to toss in some cinnamon waffles, I finally took a good, hard look at the tiny, appalling appliance. 

It was in desperate need of a deep clean. 

This post is to show you my cleaning method (when I actually remember to do it) for getting a toaster back to a decent condition. 

First, pull out those crumb traps. 

Now if you are like me, you will take a moment to let the shame of this sight wash over you. 
It's okay. This shame will be the motivator to get the job done. 

Anyhoo....

Put the traps in the sink and get to scrubbing with soap and hot water. The crumbs should come off fairly easily. 

Once those are clean, tip that toaster out over your sink and get to shaking. 
Shake as many crumbs out as you can.
Get crazy on that sucker. 

Now it's time to clean the inside. 

This should go without saying - but make sure your toaster is unplugged. 

You can use a good dish brush to do a basic scrub around the inside of the bread insert openings or if your toaster is not as bad as mine (the shame...), you can use dry paint brushes to brush off the interior crumbs. 

Turn over and repeat the shaking process. 

Mine, however, was so bad that I grabbed on of my reusable straw cleaners, bend it to and angle, and used that to really get inside. 

After you have given your toaster a good shake for that second time, you will start cleaning the outside. 

I use soap, hot water, and a sponge with a scrubbing side to get the grime off. 
Keep in mind, this toaster is older and has seen better days. 
The after photo will still show scratches and other war wounds. 
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Here is the before interior photo:

And here is the after interior photo:
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Once you have dried the toaster as well as possible, pop those crumb catchers back in. 
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And voila! You are done!
Allow your toaster adequate time to dry before plugging it back in or using it. 

Don't forget (like me) that going long periods of time without cleaning your crumb tray can actually be a fire hazard! 

Thanks for reading! 
​

We all have those days when we didn't make lunch or don't feel like cooking and swinging through a drive thru is inevitable. 

This post is to give you insight into choosing which low calorie option is right for you. 

The foods will be broken down by:
Calorie Count
Total Fat Grams
Protein Grams

These are the fast food restaurants that I see or visit most often. Be sure to list other fast food places you would like to see in this post in the comments below!

Let's get into it. First:

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Arby's 

1. All of the Arby sliders are 300 calories or less. First, we will start with the least at 180 calories: The turkey slider. This contains 5g of fat and 13g of protein.
2. The ham slider is 200 calories, 7g of fat, and 13g of protein. 
3. Roast beef slider is 210 calories, 9g of fat, and 12g of protein and the jalapeno roast beef slider is the same, only 10 calories more.
4. The chicken slider is 270 calories, 11g of fat, and 13g of protein.
5. Pizza slider is 280 calories, 16g of fat, and 12g of protein. 
6. The last slider is the buffalo chicken slider at 300 calories, 14g of fat, and 12g of protein. 
7. A 5 count of the jalapeno bites is 290 calories, 17g of fat, and 5g of protein
8. Lastly, a snack size portion of fries (not a small size, which is 410 calories) is 250 calories, 13g of fat, and 3g of protein.

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1. Only two items on their breakfast menu came back under 300 calories; a small hash brown which is 252 calories, 16g of fat, and 2g of protein as well as their 3 pack of French toast sticks at 227 calories, 11g of fat, and 3g of protein. 
2. Their hamburger is 242 calories, 10g of fat, and 13g of protein
3. The cheeseburger is 283 calories, 13g of fat, and 15g of protein.
4. A 4 piece chicken nugget order is 224 calories, 11g of fat, and 8g of protein
5. I was not aware of the fact that BK has mozzarella sticks! You can get their 4 piece for 287 calories, 15g of fat, and 11.5g of protein. 
6. Equally unaware: They have jalapeno cheddar bites?? What! A 4 piece is 184 calories, 8.5g of fat, and 4.5g of protein.
7. Their soft serve cone is only 140 calories, 4g of fat and 3g of protein and their hot fudge sundae is 268 calories, 7g of fat, and 6g of protein.

​

​
Chick-fil-A

One of my favorite places, until all the ones near us got rid of their grilled chicken options! 
​

1. A KFC Original drumstick is 130 calories, 8g of fat, and 12g of protein and a wing is the same, minus 2g of protein. 
   
2. The Extra Crispy drumstick and wings are 190 calories, 13g of fat, and 10g of protein. 
   
3. Everything on the Kentucky Grilled menu is under 200 calories; The breast is 210 calories, 7g of fat, and a whopping 38g of protein. The thighs are 150 calories, 9g of fat, and 17g of protein. The drumsticks and wings are 80 calories, 4/3g of fat, and 11/9g of protein. 
   
4. Kid sized popcorn chicken is 290 calories, 19g of fat, and 13g of protein. 
   
5. A Nashville Hot Extra Crispy drumstick is 250 calories, 21g of protein, and 11g of fat. The wings are 290 calories, 25g of fat, and 10g of protein. 
   
6. The sides at KFC are my favorite. That's typically my entire order. Baked beans are 190 calories, 1g of fat, and 11g of protein. 
   
7. A biscuit is 1801 calories, 8g of fat, and 4g of protein.
   
8. Coleslaw is 170 calories, 12g of fat, and 1g of protein. 
   
9. One corn on the cob piece is 70 calories, 0.5g of fat, and 2g of protein.
   
10. Green beans (which are SO good) are 25 calories, 0g of fat, and 1g of protein.
    
11. The mac n cheese (also SO good) is 140 calories, 6g of fat, and 5g of protein.
    
12. Plain mashed potatoes are 110 calories, 3.5g of fat, and 2g of protein. With gravy it’s 20 calories more, 1g of fat higher, and 1 additional gram of protein.
    
13. All of the above are the individual size side portions. You can eat an entire family size portion of green beans for 80 calories, 0g of fat, and 4g of protein. 
    
14. One Chicken Little is 300 calories, 15g of fat, and 14g of protein.
    
15. A KFC Famous Bowl in a snack size is 270 calories, 14g of fat, and 11g of protein.
    
16. ALL of their desserts are under 300 calories! 
    
17. An apple turnover is 230 calories, 10g of fat, and 2g of protein
    
18. One slice of Café Valley chocolate chip cake is 300 calories, 15g of fat, and 4g of protein.
    
19. Café Valley lemon cake slice is 220 calories, 10g of fat, and 2g of protein.
    
20. One chocolate chip cookie is 120 calories, 6g of fat, and 1g of protein.
    
21. A slice of Oreo cookies and crème pie is 270 calories, 13g of fat, and 3g of protein.
    

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McDonald's

1. The fruit and yogurt parfait has 160 calories, 2g of fat, and 4g of protein 
2. A small Strawberry banana smoothie has 210 calories, 1/2g of fat, and 2g of protein 
3. Egg McMuffin has 300 calories, 12g of fat, and 17g of protein 
4. One hash brown has 150 calories, 9g of fat, and 1g of protein
5. 4 piece chicken nuggets has 190 calories, 12g of fat, and 9g of protein and the 6 piece has 280 calories, 18g of fat, 13g of protein 
6. Their hamburger has 250 calories, 9g of fat, and 12g of protein 
7. Cheeseburger has 300 calories, 13g of fat, and 15g of protein
8. One sausage burrito has 300 calories, 16g of fat, and 12g of protein- but let’s be real. Who on earth only eats ONE of those?? 
9. Fruit and maple oatmeal has 290 calories, 4.5g of fat, and 5g of protein 
10 You can grab a kiddie cone for 45 calories and 1g of fat or get a strawberry sundae for 280 calories and 6g of fat. Peanuts are an extra 45 calories. 
11. The hot apple pie is 250 calories and 13g of fat while that little packet of McDonald’s cookies (which I have not seen in a long time!) are 260 calories and 8g if fat. 

Good news! A small fry is 230 calories, which means it makes this list! It comes with 11g of fat and 3g of protein. 

For their coffee choices, I would suggest pulling up the full nutritional guide or their nifty online nutrition calculator. Their coffee and McCafe options are endless and there are MANY under 300 calories. 

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1. Popeyes Bonafide Chicken in spicy or mild: a wing is 210 calories, 14g of fat, and 13g of protein. It’s 160 calories for a leg with 9g of fat and 13g of protein. A thigh is 280 calories, 21g of fat, and 14g of protein. Surprisingly, the breasts are higher than the thighs.
   
2. A 5 count of their Handcrafted blacked chicken tenders are 283 calories, 3g of fat, and 43g of protein. 
   
3. A 6 count of their Handcrafted nuggets are 225 calories, 14g of fat, and 11g of protein.
   
4. One biscuit is 207 calories, 13g of fat, and 3g of protein.
   
5. A regular size portion of cajun fries is 268 calories, 14g of fat, and 4g of protein
   
6. 1 corn on the cob “cobbet” is 210 calories, 6g of fat, and 0g of protein
   
7. A regular size portion of mac n cheese is 219 calories, 10g of fat, and 8g of protein.
   
8. Mashed potatoes in regular size with cajun gravy is 110 calories, 4g of fat, and 3g of protein.
   
9. Regular size red beans and rice is 247 calories, 16g of fat, and 8g of protein
   
10. Regular green beans are 55 calories, 2g of fat, and 3g of protein. You can get the large size for 167 calories! 
    
11. Regular size onion rings are 278 calories, 19g of fat, and 3g of protein.
    
12. A regular size of jambalaya is 190 calories, 9g of fat, and 8g of protein.
    

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The beverage list from Sonic’s nutritional information site is over 4 of the 9 pages long. It contains lemonades, slushies, Ocean Waters, teas, juices, limeades, along with various add-ins. Many options are under 300 calories, but I would suggest pulling up their nutritional info before ordering. I saw drinks on there as high as 600 calories! 
If you order diet, you are probably getting a drink well under 100 calories. 





Starbucks
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This post is specifically about Starbucks food and will not include coffees or drinks. 
In another blog (click the button below to go there) you can read about the Starbucks drinks orders that are 100 calories or less.

Sadly, no shakes made it onto the list due to calorie content.




Taco Bell

My favorite 1:00am drunk food. 
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Last, but certainly not least:


Wendy's

Take a Jr. fry and a Jr. chocolate Frosty and mix them together for a heavenly treat... at 460 calories.
YIKES.
But totally worth it.


Thanks for reading!

​-Jamie

If you're a mom like me, you are always looking for ways to keep your kids entertained. 
My kids turn boredom into chaos, and I prefer to shut that "sheet" down as quickly as possible. 
So - We craft! 
Painting outside, blowing giant bubbles, chalk on the driveway, whatever it takes to keep the chaos at bay. 

For Halloween, the kids LOVE to holiday oriented art.

Below are a few crafts the kids and I have done so far this year.

Dollar Tree has these pumpkins. For $1 each you grab a pumpkin, bring it home, and have the kids paint it. They are currently sitting on our dining room table in all their gourdy-glory. 
It's cheap and they love to paint. 

*BONUS INFO*
Turns out these pumpkins are hallow! 
I painted one myself and plan on turning it into a spooky succulent vase. 

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Lollypop + Tissue Paper + Ribbon = Ghost!

I help draw on the faces (because my kids and 4 & 2 years old and sharpies are NOT allowed in their hands)
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What I love more than anything right now is the ready made sugar cookie dough you can buy from stores now. No matter how hard I tried, I could never master the art of the elusive 
​"sugar cookie". 
Buy some Halloween cookie cutters, some premade dough, and get to cutting! The kids will love it and the prep work and clean up for parents is essentially null! 

Life is batter with cake.
And cake puns bake me smile. 

In keeping with the baking crafts, Walmart currently has these little gems for sale! 
How fun would it be to make little monster cupcakes with your little monsters?!

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Michaels makes it impossible to walk out of their store without buying crafts for your kids. 
These were already cheap, but then they were also on sale, so OF COURSE I had to buy them. 
Add a little paint (or markers or whatever you have on hand) and voila! Crafty kid fun! 

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I tried to make sure I made lots of keepsakes for the grandparents and myself when the girls were younger. This is one and its so easy and cheap. 
I wish Dollar Tree had some kind of a membership club or point system because I am sure I would be a Platinum member. 
This and other plates were purchased at Dollar Tree along with a small thing of black paint. 
Dip some little chunky feet into the paint, mush them on there, and then decorate for a cute little keepsake. 

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Lastly, rock painting is fun for any holiday. 
My little ghouls had a great time painting the rocks and then I had just as much fun helping them finish with decorating. 
I mean, come on. How cute is that little candy corn rock?! 
Candy corn in general is EW, but on a rock, it's really cute! 

I hope you and your little monsters have just as much fun as we do Halloween crafting. 

Thanks for reading!

-Jamie

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If you have never had a fried egg over rice before now, let me start off by saying:
You're welcome. 

Not only is this dish incredibly tasty, but it is CHEAP.

It takes all of 15 minutes to throw this meal together.

Quick - Cheap - Easy - Yummy

Yep, that checks all the boxes for me. 


You will need:

Two individual bags of "boil in a bag" brown rice
Eggs
Scallions
Salt & Pepper

Options add ins:
Soy Sauce
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Sriracha

First, start by boiling your rice. 
I like to use the "Success" boil in a bag rice.
You can use white rice if you prefer.
​

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One cooked bag feeds one person, at least in my house. 

As the rice is boiling, fry up your eggs however you like. I am an over easy/medium girl. The hubs is an over medium dude. Both of these are awesome with this recipe because as you dive into that fried egg on top, the yolk runs down into the rice. 
YUM. 

Cut your scallions. 
​I keep a scallion stash in my garden all year round. 

Assembly is as simple as this:
-Rice into a bowl
-Add salt & pepper (I also put a few dashes of soy sauce)
-Scallions
-Fried egg

Here is where I also top with Sriracha.

The options for additions on this recipe are endless. Broccoli and stir-fried mushrooms are really great in this bowl along with onions, carrots, you name it! 

I hope you find this recipe egg-cellent! 

Be sure to come back for more corny puns. I literally can't help myself. 


​-Jamie
​

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I have a slight addiction to Rae Dunn. I managed (barely) to keep myself to only two Rae Dunn Halloween items this year and I love them both sooooooo much - as I do all of her things! 

A newly added tradition (which started last year) are these flippin' bats!
I LOVE THEM! 
They are incredibly cheap on Amazon and they don't take the paint off of your walls. 
We will continue to use them every single year to decorate. 
Talk about a great statement piece! 
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A cheap little decorating cheat that I like to use is this:
Dollar Tree frames + Halloween print outs

You just print it off your computer, stick it in a $1 frame, and BOOM! So cute!
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This year I decorated the plants on our entertainment center with fake webbing. You could throw a few fake spiders in there too.
​I did not because the grubby little fingers that run around this house will steal them and at least one of my children will undoubtedly try to eat them. 

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Each season/holiday I like to decorate the tops of our kitchen cabinets. This year, I kept it pretty basic with some cheap black webbing from Walmart, a witch hat and spider from Dollar Tree, and a few of those awesome bats in the back. 

TJ Maxx is ON IT this year with their Halloween options.
​I found super cute garland and kitchen towel there and they were pretty inexpensive. 

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The bar gets decorated too. As you can see, the "bar" is pretty pitiful at the moment, but that Makers Mark really fits in well with that red wax looking all bloody. 

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Lastly, the dining room table got a makeover. 
The amazing table throw came from Target
(AKA: heaven on earth - AKA: where all of my money goes) 
And the centerpiece is a mix of Dollar Tree and Michaels, with a crystal and string-of-pearls succulents.
I think my favorite of all the décor this year (besides Rae Dunn - I just CANNOT with her) is this $1 creepy cup from Dollar Tree holding the string-of-pearl succulents. It looks like the cup is bubbling over with some kind of crazy potion. 
This would also work well in a small black cauldron. 

These are our Halloween decorations.
I hope you find something you like and use it to decorate your own home!

Thanks for creeping on by.

​-Jamie