Saturday, August 15, 2009 by Dea.

A Mexican/South American dish, it’s typically fried tortilla pieces covered in a salsa stew.  I made this up after tasting it at a restaurant, and figured it was perfect for the crockpot.  This is a great use for leftover chicken and stale tortilla chips.  You can also use stale tortillas, which will cut down the calories/fat.

Crockpot Chicken Chilaquiles

• 1 lb chicken breast, cubed or shredded (this is approximate, I usually use leftover chicken from grilling or roasting)
• 2 - 24oz jars Salsa (I use Casa Mamita Thick and Chunky from Aldi - $1.49 a jar, can’t go wrong!)
• 24oz water (I fill the salsa jar with water)
• 5 servings stale tortilla chips (that’s about 100 chips)

Pour the salsa into your crockpot, then fill one salsa jar with water and pour into crockpot.  Stir in cubed or shredded chicken meat.  Set this to simmer on low for about 4 hours.  About 10 minutes before serving, hand-crumble the chips into the stew.  Stir, and serve.

This makes about 10 servings.  Each serving is 158 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, and .5 grams of fiber, based on basic white corn tortilla chip rounds from Aldi (99 cents a bag!).  You can increase your fiber using a whole grain chip.

We top this with a sprinkle of cheddar and sour cream.  It’s also delicious as a leftover.  I love that I’m getting my Mexican flavor in such a low calorie option.  Not to mention, if you use leftover chicken and the Aldi brands I mentioned, this costs $4 total.

Posted in Favorite Things, Deceptively Delicious, Money Saving Tips, Aldi, Healthy Eating | Print | 1 Comment »

Friday, August 14, 2009 by Dea.

At Aldi, they have some amazing deals.  Unfortunately, sometimes they’re limited time offers.  This summer, they’ve had a different selection of Sundae Shoppe frozen treats each week.  All of them have been delicious.  This week, they have Swirl Stix (green box on the right).  They’re Italian Ice done up on a stick, like a popsicle.  It’s a box of 12 for $1.99.  The best part, though, is that they’re only 48 calories each!  No fat, no cholesterol.  They are very yummy, making them my favorite treat right now.  For a bare blip in my daily caloric intake, I get to eat Italian ice for dessert.  SWEET.  If you find them at your Aldi, grab a few!  They are, unfortunately, a limited time thing.  If you see other Sundae Shop items - check them out.  I’ve tried most of them, and they’re all very good.  Check the calories, though, because some are more than others.

Posted in Fabulous Finds, Favorite Things, Deceptively Delicious, Money Saving Tips, Aldi | Print | No Comments »

Wednesday, August 5, 2009 by Dea.

It can be pretty confusing to head down the fitness aisle at the local mega-store.  There are so many fad fitness movements, it’s hard to know what works and what is just an empty promise.  Getting fit at home can be done, though.

The most important things for getting fit are raising heart rate and strengthening muscles.  If you think about it, you can even do this in your home without any equipment at all.  Run in place, do squats and pushups, lift cans of soup - these are all good ways of starting out on the path to better physical fitness.

If you’re looking for a bit more challenge, here’s the best way to get a good workout at home - without breaking the bank.

1. Invest in an Exercise Ball.  You can train core, legs, and arms using these.  They aren’t just for crunches anymore, and trainers swear by them.
2. Invest in some resistance bands.  They’re easy to find, easy to use, and they don’t take up much room.  Another bonus?  They’re affordable - Target even has a set as low as $10.  Not bad, considering how expensive dumbbells and weight sets can be.
3. Invest in an exercise mat.  They’re great for crunches, floor work, and stretching.  I keep mine by the tv so that I do crunches and leg lifts while watching my favorite shows.

Those are the basics you need to do a full body workout in the home.  Aerobic work outs are as simple as walking down the street, climbing your stairs, jogging in place, or putting on some music and doing grapevines.  If you want more variety, many cable and satellite providers have fitness channels and on-demand type shows.  Or you can buy a video.  Anything that keeps you interested will help keep you motivated.

Posted in Money Saving Tips, Exercise | Print | No Comments »

Sunday, August 2, 2009 by admin.

Two women who’ve been up and down the scale get together over coffee and talk about their ideas and tricks and little changes they are using to become healthier.  This is how a blog is born.  So, without further ado, an introduction to us both!

Dea is a 32 year old wife and mother of two boys.  She has osteo-arthritis in her knees, which makes exercise and heck, climbing the stair, interesting.  She is six feet tall, and currently not pleased with her weight, or the junkiness of her diet.  She believes the word “diet” is not about losing weight, but merely means the food you eat.  She is also very, very interested in budgeting and saving money, and how to work the healthier, lighter way of eating into tight budgets.

Becca is a 31 year old single girl.  She has the best beagle ever, named Molly.  She has back problems, so she has to come up with creative ways of getting more exercise.  She, too, has a tight budget, and has had to come up with very creative ways of cooking for one that are both healthy and cheaper.  She is very interested in lowering cholesterol, keeping her back healthy, and watching out for diabetes.

Why the title? We’ll tell you why. Carrots should taste like cheetos. They’re the same color. Why is one healthy, and the other has more calories, fat, etc? Whoever came up with healthy food needs to do a bit more R&D and come out with “New and Improved - Carrots!” Extra strength lettuce would be nice too. Basically, we’re all  in battles with our minds and bodies to get to - and then maintain - good, healthy levels of fitness and weight. So we’re sure a lot of what we post here will wind up referring to our frustrations, or successes, of that struggle. Battle, more like.

So that’s us.  We’re hoping that we’ll have lots of new ideas that can help others to lead healthier, happier lives - while also saving money!

Posted in Money Saving Tips, Saving Money, Weight Loss, Healthy Eating | Print | No Comments »