Christmas Gift Ideas

With the current state of the ecomony many different chefs have jumped on the budgeting bandwagon. I've recently found a list of new food budgeting cookbooks. I have no complaints about any of them! Ask for these for you're stocking, or give them as a Christmas gift to help others save.

1. Ken Kostick $10 Gourmet. http://www.kenkostick.biz/gourmet.html
Ken Kostick has recently returned to Canadian television and is currently a spokesperson for Starfrit kitchen products. His new book, released on Nov. 20th, has creative and "fancy" dishes for roughly $10! This book may be hard to find in the U.S.A as he is a Canadian author but I highly recommend the book if you can find it!

2. The $5 Mom Cookbook. http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Dinner-Mom-Cookbook-Recipes-Quick-Erin-Chase/9780312607333-item.html?ref=Books%3a+May+We+Recommend
This book is geared for families on the go. Not only are the meals fast to prepare for the busy family but they cost $5 per serving which is incredibly economical for families. The best thing is this book has 200+ ideas and recipes!

3. Betty Crocker Quick and Easy Cookbook. http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Betty-Crocker-Quick-Easy-Cookbook-Betty-Crocker/9780470530771-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527cookbooks%2527
Betty Crocker is famous for putting out cookbooks that are simple, fast and cheap to make. This cookbook is specifically geared for fast and inexpensive meals. The thing I enjoy about this book is they don't have complicated ingredients that will be hard to find in certain areas of North America. They also don't assume that the people buying the cookbooks are chefs already. This is a great find!

4. Any Best of Bridge book! http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Complete-Best-Bridge-Cookbook-Volume-The-Best-Of-Bridge/9780778802068-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527cookbooks%2527
I grew using the Best of Bridge cookbooks. My mom and grandma would buy every new book in the series and go through all the recipes! The Best of Bridge is a series that not only has recipes for the "everyday cook", but also has recipes that everybody would find challenging. I have always enjoyed the diversity with the recipes in the Best of Bridge series. Also, there are over 20 books to choose from.

5. Unfortunately I don't have a link or even a name for this book but check your local Shoppers Drug Mart. Currently Shoppers has a section of budget friendly cookbooks for the holidays! All locations are different so check out a few different ones!

A Food Network Special you must watch!

I've just finished watching Jamie Oliver's Christmas Special "Jamie Cooks Christmas". This special was very different from most Christmas Cooking Specials. Instead of Oliver cooking copious amounts of baked goods and buttery dishes, he cooked traditional Christmas meals and then showed how to use the leftovers in meals after the holiday season. Some of his creations included a leftover Christmas Sundae with cranberry sauce and Christmas pudding, and an Asian Turkey Salad.

Although some of the ingredients may not be as readily available in North America there are easy substitutions. For example Oliver uses Clementines in almost all of his recipes. These are avalilable in North America but are sometimes hard to find and can be expensive. Instead Tangerines, Oranges, or even Mandarin Oranges can be used. For his recipes that use clementine zest I would suggest not using the zest of Mandarin oranges as they can be bitter because the actual zest is so much thinner than typical oranges.

Thats all for now. Remember to check out my video blog.

A new take on eggs!

Getting sick of scrambled eggs? Love sweet and savoury flavours together? Here's a good recipe for you.

Need:
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp warmed maple syrup.

Method:
Preheat a saucepan with margarine in it to medium, no higher please! Whisk together your eggs, milk, flour, salt and pepper. Add to saucepan and stir till they are a scrambled egg consistency. Put in a bowl and add warmed syrup.

These are german breakfast eggs. Meant to be quite white, hense the low heat, no browning needed. They are sweet and savoury! Absolutely delicious!

Networking in new ways

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to let you know I'm taking this blog to YouTube in the form of a video blog. I'm going to highlight a lot of the points that I write about as well as eventually cook to give everyone better visuals. Search for carynwinnipeg on youtube to check out my channel!

But I don't want to throw it out!

Do you ever get caught in the kitchen conundrum of whether or not to throw your food out? I have a tendency to do my best to keep all of my food, unless its expired, and find a use for it. Heres some suggestions for what to do with those odds and ends in your cupboards and fridge.

What do I do with the odds and ends of crackers, they're all broken, and going stale?
- Grind up your crackers, mix with salt and pepper to taste and some parmesean cheese. Put on chicken as a baked breading! I highly recommend using vegetable crackers.

My leftover cookies aren't looking so hot.
-Mix them with ice cream! My favourite is leftover golden oreos with vanilla ice cream.

My veggies are getting too soft but I don't have enough for a salad.
-add the veggies to chicken stock to add some extra flavor
-add the good pieces of veggies to your eggs or a quiche (check the recipe in a previous blog!)
-cook them and freeze if you don't want to cook them right away.

My yogurt and/or milk is going to expire.
-make foods that require a lot of milk or dairy
*french toast, cake mixes, eggs etc.
-make a homemade pudding or custard!

Cookies that are cheaper than Oreos!

What is your favourite thing to take as a snack for lunch? Mine is definately cookies! But boxes for cookies can be pricey and seldomly go on sale.

I have found a great cookie recipe that is not only better for you but is cheap to make. Here it is!

Three ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter

Mix all three, form into balls, bake until the bottom is brown at 350.

I've added chocolate chips, my favourite are milk chocolate, as an added flavor. I also really enjoy adding half crunchy peanut butter and half smooth!

The bonus with these cookies is they are healthy. If you use sugar free sugar, the kind that measures cup for cup, the cookies are less than 5 calories each and virtually carbohydrate free!

Budget Friendly Chili!

I made a great chili recipe today for my lunches and since its very budget friendly, about $1 per bowl, I thought I'd share it with you!

Here's what you'll need (keep in mind this makes a huge pot, reduce it as needed)

1.5-2lbs of extra lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
3 peppers, diced
4-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 stalks of celery, sliced
1.5 cups of button mushrooms, sliced
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of black beans
1 can of white beans
1 can of mixed beans
2 cans of stewed tomatoes
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chipotle powder
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
In a large pot put in 1-2 tbsp of oil, beef, onions, peppers, celery and garlic. Let cook down until beef is fully cooked. Add beans, cans of tomatoes, mushrooms and spices. Let cook down on low for approx 30 mins.

A new budgeting challenge

Last week I was faced with a new food/budgeting challenge. My stove and oven went so I had to find healthy, budget friendly food that I didn't really have to cook.

This was a huge challenge for me because cooking is something I really enjoy, and preparing meals ahead of time has always been very important to me. I had to put all of that aside for the week and find microwave food. Here's what I found.

First of all, I found that it is virtually impossible to find healthy food that has already been prepared that is budget friendly. I ended up getting a PC Brand prepared quesadilla, Prepared curry, some noodles, sandwich fixen's and some fresh veggies for salads and snacks.

The week is now over and all I can say from this experience is IF YOU SUDDENLY HAVE NO WAY TO COOK YOUR FOOD, STAY AT A FRIENDS!!

Budget wise this week's food bill came to close to $100. I included the times I had to get take-away because there were times I could not cook. Thats over 4 times what I normally spend and the food was anything but health conscious. I also found that since I eat very healthy normally the food I had to eat did not make me feel very good at all... :(

I just wanted to update my readers on what I currently do budget wise as well! Hope you enjoyed!

Entertaining on a budget.

I'm assuming by now that you've got the basics of budgeting for one or two people but what happens when people are coming for dinner?

Entertaining can be a time where budgeting goes out the window. Hosts like to consider the dietary options and preferences of all the guests, want to be unique and original and have good quality food on the table. Is it even possible to do this on a budget?! Of course!

Here's some tips:
-Firstly theres nothing wrong with asking people to bring a course. If you think a potluck is boring why not create a menu and ask your guests to bring an ingredient for that meal. For example, if you're making a barbequed salmon why not ask one guest to bring a homemade marinade, another to bring lettuce or a salad green, etc. The best thing about something like this is you're not going to get 5 casseroles like when you host a potluck, and most people will pay more for better quality products.
-Plan your budget and menu before you buy. It is very possible to have great quality parties where a guests plate is under $5.
-Shop for your veggies, fruit, and meat at local markets. When I'm in BC I frequent Granville Island Public Market. Not only do I like the atmosphere but everything is very inexpensive compared to what you can find in the supermarket. The quality is usually better too.
-If you're planning a part that is far away (eg. Christmas). Start buying things and pantry items when you have extra budget money. That way when the day comes you're spending less because you have atleast the basics there already.

In my following posts I am going to post some reviews on entertaining cookbooks and feature some of the recipes that are unique, tasty and budget friendly.

Book Review! "Cooking for Less: Chicken"

As I was looking through my cookbook cupboard today I decided to start writing reviews on my cookbooks, partly to see how the books fit into a budget, but also because I don't read my cookbooks enough.

"Cooking for Le$$: Chicken", is from a series of cookbooks published by the people that bring you Favorite BrandName Recipes. This book was made to teach people how to make their favorite Chicken dishes on a budget. The first section of the book goes through the basics of learning to budget. Their main points include planning your meals before going grocery shopping, being aware of sale scams, flavor on a budget and not wasting. A lot of the points mentioned are things that I believe in myself and things that I have blogged about aswell. I did disagree with one point though. The book states that eating fruits and vegetables is very inexpensive. In Canada, I have noticed that fruits and vegetables can be the priciest things at the supermarket, and since these foods are seasonal their prices are never predictable.

The recipes in the book looked very good. Most recipes were ones that people order from restaurants but may not know how to make at home. I enjoyed that the meals were well balanced, although almost all of the meals had some form of complex carbohydrate in them like rice, or pastas. I personally love carbs but know that I can't eat complex carbs at every meal without my body feeling it. I am assuming that the book used carbs in most of their meals because foods like pasta and rice and inexpensive foods to cook.

The book does seem to assume that people have many different types of food in their cupboards. Some of these foods include okra, and udon noodles. In Canadian grocery stores these types of foods are not consistently found, but these are foods that are hard to replace with other foods. Because of this there are many meals in the book that will need to be prepared or thought about ahead of time, which doesn't always work for a chef on the go.

As a whole I thought the book was a good beginners reference book for cooking and budgeting. Most of the meals are ones everyone has heard of which does take the element of creativity out, but for some that is what is necessary when starting budgeting. I would have liked to see a rough estimate of the price of each meal that was in the book. For people new to budgeting it is important to learn how much meals cost.

I also would have liked to have seen recipes that are more recipes that are more adaptable. For example, eventhough this is a chicken recipe book, I would've liked to have seen recipes that would've tasted good with beef, turkey or pork as well as chicken can be one of the more expensive meats out there.

As a person who has been budgeting my grocery bill for over a year now I didn't take much from this book. I do think beginning budgeters would learn a lot from it though, especially with the help from some outside resources. For example, knowledge on buying locally and supporting local buisnesses. I preach this gospel a lot because of the positive effect on community as well as the product you are recieving.

Soup thats Cheap like Borscht, but not Borscht!

On a cold day there's nothing better than a nice bowl of soup! One of my favourites, that happens to be cheap and simple to make is a Greek soup called Avgolemono . Avgolemono is a chicken broth based soup with rice a light lemon taste. Here's the recipe:

You Will Need:
-1 cup of uncooked rice (preferably whole grain, not white)
-2 cartons of chicken broth, low sodium. Set one carton aside for the rice, and one for the soup
-1-2 lemons worth of fresh juice. Fresh is better but if you are using store bought lemon juice lower the amount to about 1/4 cup
-2-3 eggs
-salt and pepper to taste

Method:
-Begin by cooking your rice. I like to cook my rice in 2 cups of broth with some salt and pepper to taste. If you want to reduce costs and or sodium cook rice in water.
-While the rice is cooking simmer the remaining broth.
-After the rice is finished cooking add to the simmering broth.
-in a bowl mix eggs and lemon juice together
-Add in about 2 tbsp of simmering broth to the eggs to brings up the eggs temperature so they won't scramble when added to the soup.
-Slowly add the eggs into the soup stirring constantly for about one minute.
-Serve

Notes and Variations:
- If you want more protein in the soup try adding some shredded chicken or turkey meat
-when you mix the lemon and eggs it creates a creamy texture in the soup without the addition of milk or cream. If you want more of an 'egg drop' consistency add the lemon with the simmering broth and the eggs separately at the end.
-this soup is not a good soup for leftovers. When put in the fridge or if left for a while the rice will absorb the remaining broth. Only make what you are going to eat. If you have left overs, make sure you have some extra chicken broth around to add.

The Greatest Money Saving Tasty Discovery Ever!

At the moment I'm penny pinching. So when I was craving French Toast but didn't have milk I had to come up with a new plan. Instead of Milk I courageously put in about 3 tbsps of Vanilla Yogurt with 2 eggs. The final result was great.

The yogurt changes the texture of the finished product. Instead of your typical eggy bread the final product is richer, more like brioche! The other great part, there was a hint of vanilla and a slight tang from the yogurt which worked really well.

I don't know if I would try using fruity yogurt but who knows, strawberry yogurt might go well with my flavoured syrup.

Heres the recipe for the french toast
2 eggs
3 tbsp vanilla yogurt
two slices of day old cinnamon raisin bread

If you're feeling fancy try some flavoured syrup.
Take about 1/2 cup of Maple Syrup and mix in frozen strawberries, and some orange zest and half of the juice from the orange. Grand Marnier is also great with this, but not necessary. Let the mixture steep on the stove on low (make sure its not boiling), for about half an hour until all the flavours are mixed.

If you want a smooth syrup strain the zest and strawberries.

Lets learn about new flavors!

The budgeting system may seem easy but what about the flavor and getting out of ruts like always eating pasta with red sauce.

For me, I watch copious amounts of FoodTV and cooking shows. I've felt for a few years now that I should have enrolled in culinary school but I'm making up for it by learning a ton by watching others cook incredible meals. I've learned some great things about budgeting, flavors and new foods from shows too. For example, the cheapest cuts of meat can taste the best and be the most tender with some marinades. Also, trying new meats, veggies, or fruits can be thrifty. In Manitoba, Bison is the meat of choice. Most people choose to have ground beef but bison can be found for cheaper, and tastes a lot richer.

Another thing I have learned is to pay close attention to what I eat at restaurants. If I enjoyed a meal I'll do whatever I can to recreate the meal at home. A lot of restaurants in Winnipeg (where I live), also focus on local foods and sustainability. Most of these local foods can be found for cheaper than others.

Just to keep you posted on my upcoming cooking goals, I am planning on trying to recreate my favourite dish at Inferno Bistro, venison with cherry reduction. Mhmm!

Budgeting when you go out to eat

Most budgeters have separate grocery and eating out budgets but there are times when you can put the two together. Occasionally, well, more than occasionally, I lose the urge to cook and order take out or go out to eat somewhere. I have found that there are some ways to save on your grocery bill when eating out. Here are some tips.
-Many asian take-out restaurants will give out free rice, broth or another appetizer with orders. Asian take away food is also typically served in large portions that will last more than one serving.
-Pizza places frequently have sales. I go to a few pizza places that discount a second pizza, or have 2 for 1 sales for pizza. The bonus with getting a free or discount pizza, free meals for later... also, pizza freezes well.

Another tip is to start exploring your local markets, bakeries and other small buisnesses. The food at these places is typically not any more expensive than what a grocery store would serve but you're supporting local buisnesses. The biggest bonus I've found with this are occasional freebies from these buisnesses. Small owners will do a lot to keep their customers happy and coming back. Build relationships and network with these people!

Conflicts with a new show on NBC

Earlier this year a new show called Community premiered on NBC. Its about a motley group of people who have made the choice to join community college. In the show there are the typical characters, the popular guy, the highschool drop-out, the advocate, single mother, token old guy, guy stuck in highschool and becasue of popularity a guy with Aspergers.

I don't have any problems with society recognizing different disabilities in the media but I do have concerns with how these people are portrayed. For example, this character was made fun of infront of his classmates when someone said he had "Ass Burgers". Would it not be seen as taboo if someone made a large racial slur on television? How come then, its ok to make fun of people with disabilities?

The other part of this character, Abud, is that many aspects, and quirks of Abud's character that are being defined as ASD are not ASD at all. If this show gets more popular, and the writers continue to show Abud as a person with Aspbergers could a populations view on ASD be skewed?

I will most likely continue to watch the show, the writing aside from Abud's character is pretty good but I also want to see what they do with this character.

Learning how to still have flavour

When I first decided to start eating on a budget I was really worried that the flavor and quality of my food would be seriously compromised. Keep in mind, if I could live on a champagne budget I would! I soon learned that I didn't have to sacrifice flavour, I just had to start thinking more about the purchases.

Here are some tips:

- When you have extra money in your budget pick up different spices, sauces, etc. These are items you won't have to purchase every shop, and really add to the flavour of foods. The spice that I found and fell in love with during this journey was Chipotle. You wouldn't believe how well chipotle worked with everything!

-Most deli sections will slice specialty cheeses for sandwiches. In the end it doesn't end up being a lot more than processed cheese slices, and its healthier. Some of my favourites were Swiss, Edam, and Gruyere.

- The cheapest sandwich meats are kind of boring. I remember eating copious amounts of pepperoni and salami and getting sick of the taste! One tip is to get between 50-100gms of a more special, better tasting meat. Get it sliced really thin and put one or two slices in with the salami. You'd be surprised at how much the taste changes.

- If you need to use boxed foods, like hamburger helper, for a meal spice it up. For one thing those dishes are basically just meat and pasta, I would fill mine with veggies and other flavours.

Here's an example of a meal I would make with Tuna Helper.

Instead of one can of tuna I always used two. And on top of the instructions in the box I added garlic, onions, peppers, tomato, and some cheese if I had. You'd be amazed at how different the meal tastes with a little freshness put in!

A cheap and protein filled snack!

When I'm on my feet all day I find that typical snacks like yogurt, and granola bars just don't do the trick. They give me some energy from the sugar but in the end I find my body is craving protein. Since I'm not a big meat eater I've had to find some alternate options. One that I found are Edamame Beans.

Edamame Beans are found at many Japanese restaurants. They are served in the shell, hot or cold, with a little salt. Recently I found frozen edamame at the grocery store and I haven't looked back. Edamame is a protein filled health food, that has no sugar, or salt. Its essentially pure protein. 

1/4 cup of edamame beans fills me up for the day. That means that a bag of Edamame lasts for at least 8 servings, that's less than $0.45/serving! Much cheaper than a granola bar!

To prepare edamame put frozen edamame in a pot of boiling salted water. Let them boil for 5-7 minutes, drain and cool. Lightly salt the edamame, in the pod. Remember, don't eat the pod, I don't think its very digestible! 

If you want an appetizer version of this food, try making a flavoured oil to drizzle on top of the hot edamame instead of just salt. I like putting on about a tablespoon of Asian Sesame dressing with about 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Be very careful not to add too much liquid though, the pods do not absorb any oils and because of that the last few pods can become quite oily tasting. 

But how do I budget at the grocery store?!

When I started budgeting for food, the hardest part was grocery shopping. It is so tempting to buy everything and anything, no matter how obscure, when its on sale. This was something I had to overcome. These are some hints and tips I use when trying to budget in a grocery store. 

1. Plan what food, and meals you will be having until you go shopping next. Bring your list to the store and do your very best not to buy anything outside of that list.

2. Only buy in quantities that you need. I found that the most wasting money I did was purchasing too much food, and having to throw it out later. 

3. Price check! It may cost you a little extra gas money but all grocery stores have different items on sale at different times.

4. Be mathematical! Some products may look like they are a good find, but how does it compare to a different brand? Is the price per lb, per gram, etc. You'd be surprised where some hidden fees are!

5. Put household items like toilet paper and cleaning supplies in a different grocery budget as these products typically cost a lot of money, and they don't need to be purchased every time you shop. I used to set aside about $50 for these products monthly. If you don't spend that money on those products, its free money!

6. Finally, do your best not to exceed your grocery budget.  When I would set my $50 bi weekly food budget I did my best to stick to that number. If certain foods were more expensive during one shop I would opt not to buy it, or find a similar food that was cheaper. Setting these budgets is really important because its so easy to exceed and go over!

5 star cooking, on a budget!

Here's a great recipe for a restaurent favourite, Chicken Cordon Bleu!

This meal typically goes for close to $20 if not more at a restaurant, but what if you could make it at home for only $3.00?

Heres what you will need for a serving of 2:

2 chicken breasts, butterflied

2 slices of swiss cheese, thin

2 pieces of ham, sandwich meat is fine

Method:

1. after the chicken breasts have been butterflied place the piece of ham and slice of swiss cheese inside the breast

2. Brown both sides of the chicken in a frying pan, but do not cook through

3. After the meat is browned place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the meat is fully cooked. 

Substitutions

-try bacon instead of ham, or if you're feeling risky try both, wrap the bacon over the chicken breast!

-try to change the cheeses up. If swiss is too strong a flavor mozzerella is a good substitute, cheddar works well also. 

What do I pair with this?

I find that this chicken dish is quite rich so I like to pair it with light vegetables. I love this meal with steamed broccoli with a little butter, or sauteed spinach in garlic oil. 

And Now For Something A Little More heavy!!

I was watching television last night and some questions arose about society and the medias perception of people with disabilities. 

In today's society its taboo to go public about prejudices and racism, especially in the media, unless you're watching Gran Torino.  But that taboo doesn't seem to work when it comes to talking about people with developmental disabilities.  Often times I watch movies, television shows, or listen to talk radio and find that people are stigmatizing, and using out of date language when it comes to talking about people with disabilities. 

Did you know that the the "R" word is not being used anymore to describe people with disabilities. That is, if you're not in the states. The United States still diagnoses children as "retarded", a term that has been out of Canada and the rest of the world for over ten years! And why has the word been taken out of Canada and the rest of the world partly because of the negative connotations, as well as the fact that it was not relevant. People with developmental disabilities are able and just as capable to do everything that people without disabilities can do, just differently. 

Here are some films, shows, etc that I have recently found that have put a negative look at people with disabilities. I am in no way saying that these movies are bad, or that people shouldn't watch them. 

-Pumpkin

-Freaks and Geeks (I haven't watched the whole season, but episode 1 there was a lot)

-Tropic Thunder

-Howard Stern

-UMFM

Thats just a short list. 

Heres a list of movies that bring to light why the "R" word is so harsh.

-The "R" word

- The Freedom Tour

The Cheapest and Easiest Meal!

Just after Christmas, while trying to pay off all the bills, my boyfriend and I tried not only to eat healthily but to do it for under $50 biweekly for the both of us. It seemed like a huge feat but we did it, and this meal ended up being the tastiest of all of them, and the cheapiest. 

Quiche! Who knew. We took muffin sized quiches for breakfast, and also had them for meals. When broken down we figured that each breakfast sized quiche cost under a dollar and included everything from spinach, to feta in them.

The recipe can be varied to whatever you like but heres what we did for breakfasts.

1 cup fresh spinach

8-10 eggs (depending on how eggy you like your quiches)

1- 1 1/2 cups of milk

1/2 onion chopped ( if you like extra flavor try carmelizing them in a pan before, don't forget to let them cool)

3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (brown them with the onions if you like)

1/8-1/4 cup cheese (feta works best with this recipe, cut into small cubes)

1/2 cup frozen peas (keep 1/8 aside)

bacon, or cubed ham (if you use bacon, cook before hand, not too crispy)

Put the spinach, eggs, milk, onion, garlic, and most of the peas into a blender. Blend until the color is consistent and the mixture is pretty runny. Pour into pre-greased muffin tins (will fill over 24, only fill up to half way point). After you've poured in the egg mixture add in equal amounts of cubed cheese, meat and leftover frozen peas. Bake in the oven at 350 for 30-45 minutes depending on your oven.

These quiches will puff up, but will shrink down because they won't all be eaten right away. To keep them fresh pack them in plastic wrap individually or in a tupperware and put into the freezer.

To alter this recipe for a dinner or lunch meal substitute the spinach for other vegetables. Also, do not blend the egg mixture. I really like adding a few potatoes, peppers, onions, and whatever left over meat I have in the fridge. 

Quiches are a great way to get rid or food that is going bad like veggies, and pre-cooked meats.

Thanks For Reading,

I've been considering putting together a blog for almost a year now. So, here goes! 

My name is Caryn. I'm passionate about many things but only want to blog about two of those passions.. 

1. Cooking, especially cooking on a dime, menu planning, and nutrition

2. Asking and answering questions about the field of mental health, and developmental disabilities. 

These two don't necessarily connect but they are major parts of my life. 

I have always been a huge fan of cooking. For me there is nothing better than creating my favourites from scratch in my own home.  In the past year I have had another goal with my cooking, to cook all of my favourites on a dime. 

I this blog I am going to post some of my advice, notes and recipes for great foods on a dime!

The second part that I will be blogging about is the mental health and developmental disabilities field. 

I have been working in the field of supporting adults and children with disabilities for the past 9 years, this field of work has become a large passion of mine and has opened my mind to thinking of all of the possibilities there are for everybody. 

In my few years of experience I have started to ask a lot of questions about the field and how society views people with disabilities. I would love you hear your responses to all of the many questions that I have in my head everyday!

Thanks for reading!

Caryn