The Name Game: Update!

Many of you will remember that a couple months ago I posted about my hesitancy to change my name after getting married. This post really stirred up quite a bit of feedback, and I thought it was time to share a little update on what I decided to do with my name.

After that post went up, plenty of friends and family members were eager to share their advice on what they thought I should do. Some thought it was a Biblical responsibility to change my name to Hofmeyer, while others, including my 91-year-old grandmother, thought I shouldn't feel any pressure to change my name; she's a bit of a feminist and ahead of her time. ;)

But the advice that really hit home with me was an e-mail I received from a woman who is very dear to my heart and has always been someone I've respected and admired. She told me when she got married, she, too, struggled changing her last name and what that would mean for her identity. And while she now goes by her married name, it didn't come quickly. Thankfully, her husband was incredibly patient and allowed her to change her last name slowly, as it felt right for her to do so.

Knowing that I could give myself the freedom to adjust to my new name slowly, bit by bit, made it much easier for me. Ultimately, I want to share a last name with my husband and my kids some day, but jumping into being Madison Hofmeyer head first seemed a bit too much.

So, slowly but surely, I'm transitioning to Madison Hofmeyer. Legally, I've settled on Madison Jane MayberryHofmeyer (no spaces), so I can still be connected to my family name. Many people in my personal life address letters and packages to 'Joe and Madison Hofmeyer'. And everyone at work still calls me Madison Mayberry. While it may seem a little confusing, it seems to feel right to me at this point. I imagine that some day, I'll completely transition to Madison Hofmeyer, but for now I feel comfortable where I'm at, as does Joe. And I suppose that's all that really matters, right?

No Fat Talk Tuesday: Katie's Story

Todays' guest post comes to us from Katie Smith, a senior at the University of Maryland. I'm excited to have Katie share because she brings a unique perspective to No Fat Talk Tuesday, since she is still in college and dealing with her own set of stressors and pressures. Growing up with divorced parents, I can relate to the struggles that Katie dealt with growing up, and am happy to have her post today. - Madison


Hey everyone! My name is Katie and I'm 22 years old, finishing my senior year at the University of Maryland. When Madison reached out for stories relating to 'No Fat Talk," I felt compelled to share my experience. Even after my tumultuous teenage years ended, I struggled with my weight and self-acceptance throughout college. On the brink of graduation, I finally feel like I have reached a turning point. But it took some time getting here. 


Everyone experiences pain in their life. As teenagers, minute heartbreaks can seem like the end of the world.  However, through my adolescence, I experienced both the divorce of my parents and a string of bad relationships. I feel like I transferred the pain of each experience into the next and, also, onto myself.  Midway through college, this manifested itself into a lot of partying and heavy drinking, in part to avoid truly dealing with the emotions. For the most part, these behaviors didn't negatively influence other areas of my life, like my schoolwork or my friendships. I continued to make great grades, hold down internships and part-time jobs, and make and maintain amazing connections with the people around me.  To be honest, for a time my destructive behavior didn't sink in because so many others around me were doing what I did. I go to a state school where people drink all nights of the week, so saying no to a drink stands out more than saying yes.  

However, I was treating my body like trash and it was affecting me physically and mentally. My weight would fluctuate depending on how much I was exercising and how vigilantly I was watching what I ate.  But on the days or weeks that I felt heavy or ugly or undesirable because of my weight, I couldn't brush it off.  It would bring back old feelings of rejection and sadness and I would be absolutely miserable.  Sometimes, I would withdraw. I would avoid people because to me, seeing people meant drinking which meant gaining more weight. When I returned from studying abroad in Australia, I was at my heaviest, and unhealthiest. I remember sobbing, flat on the floor, crying to my mother that I was too embarrassed to be seen. A moment so raw, so low and so real that it sparked a resolve in me to change.  I was too young to waste any more time hiding myself from the world and I was too old to be behaving like there was anyone to blame but myself. In order to become happy with myself, my behaviors needed to change and my body would follow.

I made slow changes. I practiced a lot more moderation. The nights I did go out drinking with friends, I found I enjoyed a lot more when I could remember the details of the conversations we had. People are funny and fascinating and have a lot to share. Where they come from, where they're going, what they want to achieve and who they want to become. The memories you make together are a lot better if your head doesn't pound the next day.

I also started to cook more for myself. I found that I love cooking (and blogs like Espresso & Cream are amazing inspirations--cooking can be easy, healthy and fun... and MUCH better for you than that $7 takeout meal every night of the week). I now also exercise regularly--which I had always done but not accompanied with the right lifestyle choices, which made it futile and much, much harder. I exercise because it makes me feel strong and powerful and the endorphins are irreplaceable. A positive hour at the gym with some great music is a form of therapy unto itself.  

Being a journalism major, I hold a certain reverence for the quintessential bad boy of our trade, Hunter S. Thompson. Amidst his hard-drinking, drug-induced writings (this is the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas guy, after all), he once said, "I don't see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.” A brief, to-the-point reminder that only you can make you happy. 

Making healthy choices breeds a self-respect that can't be replicated by anything else. When you have made the choices that allow you to feel healthy, happy and free, you show that to the world. Since I've changed my lifestyle, I've felt more confident in myself and my future.  It sounds like a cheesy PSA, but I can assure you, I couldn't have said this six months ago. Negative talk and negative choices won't get you anywhere; an active choice to change will. Life is meant to be experienced, enjoyed and exhilarating and we all owe it to ourselves to love ourselves, inside and out, every step of the way.  

Key Lime Pie

Hey, everyone! Hope you had a wonderful weekend and thank you so much for awesome feedback on last Friday's post. It was so refreshing to hear that I'm not the only one who struggles with feeling the pressure to do things perfectly. Sometimes we just need one another to remember how normal (or crazy!) we all truly are.

Moving on to lighter, but still important, matters, like pie. When we were in Salt Lake City a couple weeks back, we enjoyed an amazing meal. One of those lengthy eating experiences where you order appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts. Call me crazy, but I don't usually get all that excited about desserts at restaurants. Unless the restaurant is known for something specific, I find restaurant desserts to be overrated and overpriced.

But our dessert that night was different. Our server brought out the most amazing slice of key lime pie I've ever tasted. In fact, I forgot that I ever even liked key lime pie until a week and a half ago. Now, I feel quite differently. Something about the smooth simplicity, cutting tang of the limes and the almost-frozen chilled temperature was to die for.

When I searched the internet for the perfect recipe to recreate my experience at home, I knew it needed to be simple and classic. Naturally, I went to Gourmet, still my first true magazine love, for the recipe. Simply put, Gourmet never steers me wrong.

Why have I never made key lime pie before? (If you haven't made it before, either, you should be asking yourself the same question) It's ultra-simple, quick to pull together, and killer-good. Oh, and in other news, we've got over half a pie left. Someone help me before I eat it all myself!

Key Lime Pie
Recipe from Gourmet magazine, 2003
Ingredients
Crust
*5 tablespoons butter, melted
*1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
*2 tablespoons sugar

Filling
*1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
*1/2 cup key lime juice (or, if you can't find key lime juice sub freshly squeezed non-key lime juice)
*4 egg yolks

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 350°F.
*In a small bowl, combine the butter, graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir until well combined. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of one 9" pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes.
*Meanwhile, in a second bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and egg yolks. Stir until well combined. Pour mixture into baked pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
*Once pie is cooled, place in the fridge and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Cut into slices to serve. Makes 8 servings

Happy Baking!
Madison

The Good, Bad and Ugly

This morning I was planning on posting a few photos of our life over the past couple days: time spent with Nutter, a spontaneous date-night at home with homemade calzones, pictures of magazines I've been loving lately.

But then earlier this week I started feeling the pressure. The pressure to do everything perfectly: to perform well at my job, to keep the house clean, the laundry done, to put good meals on the table, to be a happy, joyful spouse every minute of the day. And although I know it's not realistic to always be every single one of those things, I lost a little perspective and was feeling down when comparing myself to others on the blogosphere.

I'm not sure what my life looks like to those reading E&C, but I try hard to keep it real. Joe and I have a wonderful, happy life, but it's not all ski trips, spontaneous date nights and cuddling on the couch. There's laundry, dirty dishes and dust bunnies underneath the bed that have been there too long. A junk drawer and a messy closet at times. And while I don't usually post the 'behind the scenes' photos (how many photos do you really want to see of my laundry pile?), I thought it would be fun to show how easily we bloggers can create the illusion of 'perfect' by being selective with what we show.

Here are the more beautiful moments...

{Looking through magazines, both old and new, for inspiration for upcoming work projects.}

{Making homemade calzones with leftover marinara sauce and homemade whole wheat pizza dough.}

{Fresh asparagus roasted in olive oil to go with our dinner.}

{Healthy whole wheat pizookies to end the meal with something sweet.}

{And the cutest little dog you'll ever see, waiting for dinner to be done so she can beg for food.}

{The finished product!}

And the less than glamorous parts of life...

{Still working on getting our ski stuff cleaned from this past weekend!}

{And more laundry that needs to be put away asap.}

{A bag of dry cleaning that I've been meaning to get to the cleaners for over two months and shoes that never seem to have a good place to rest.}

{Dust bunnies that always hide underneath our shelf/wine rack in the hallway.}

So that's me, on a Friday, keeping it honest. Now, it's your turn! Tell me, do you ever read blogs and feel the pressure to have it all together?

Madison

Whole Wheat Waffles with Banana

Chances are if you met me and we got to talking about kitchen appliances, I would tell you something about my waffle maker. Not about how much I love it, but about how little I use the thing. It's not that I don't love my waffle maker, since I most certainly do, it's just that I never think to take it out on the weekends.

Pancakes rule the roost in our little apartment. In fact, late on Friday night, you can usually find me in the kitchen getting the coffee ready and the pancake batter mixed ahead of time in order to have the most relaxing Saturday morning breakfast experience possible.

But it never occurred to me until last weekend that waffles might actually be more stress-free than pancakes could ever dream to be. I mean, you don't even need to clean the waffle iron after you make breakfast. Just wipe it down and call it a day! Waffles for all!

When we do make waffles, this whole wheat recipe from King Arthur Flour has been my go-to. Since most waffle recipes rely on way too much butter for me to feel good about, this recipe appealed to me right away. There is just enough butter/oil to give the waffles a crisp exterior without making you feel heavy and weighed down for the rest of the day.

And another note: since there is no possible way Joe and I could eat all the waffles this recipe makes, I cook up the whole recipe and then wrap the waffles in plastic wrap and place them in freezer bags. That way we have breakfast during the week that takes no time at all. Just pop them in the toaster and go!

Whole Wheat Waffles with Banana

Adapted just slightly from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

*1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour

*2 teaspoons baking powder

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*2 tablespoons sugar

*1 large egg

*1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

*1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

*1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil

*2 bananas, sliced

*Sugar-free syrup or maple syrup (optional)

Instructions

*Preheat waffle maker.

*Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a second, smaller bowl, beat together the egg, water, vanilla, cinnamon and butter or oil until well combined.

*Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Small lumps will remain which is fine.

*Cook waffles according to waffle maker manufacturers instructions. Serve with sliced bananas and sugar-free syrup, if desired.

Skiing Utah

Joe and I took full advantage of the long weekend and met my family out in Salt Lake City for a little ski weekend. Here are a few shots from our trip!

{Our view on the way up to the slopes.}

{Mandatory airplane/travel shot!}

{We stayed at The Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City. It was beautiful! The staff was helpful and attentive and the prices were reasonable. I would highly recommend it for anyone visiting SLC.}

{We skied the first day at Solitude and the second day at Snowbird. We all agreed we liked Snowbird better.}

{Joe blew me away with how well he did, considering it was only his third time skiing! Since he's athletic, competitive and fearless, he picks things up quickly. While I prefer to go a little slower and not fall, Joe likes to push the limits, go fast and fall more often. I guess it's a pretty typical male/female scenario.}

{Now that my family has moved from Florida to Idaho, I have a feeling they are going to be experts on the mountain in no time at all.}

{This guy snowboarding in a banana costume got the award for most entertaining person on the slopes.}

{We were sad to leave! Joe was already asking me when we can go back. I think he has the skiing fever, that's for sure. Although it was hard to leave, it always feels so good to be back at home, cuddled up with little Nutter!}

Madison

No Fat Talk Tuesday: Justine's Story

Hey, everyone! Joey and I are back from skiing with my family in Salt Lake City over the long President's Day weekend. While we settle back into a schedule and routine (and I catch up on laundry) I will leave you with today's No Fat Talk Tuesday post. This week's post comes to us from Justine who blogs over at Stop Me If You've Heard This One. Justine actually shared her story of how she learned to love her body in Glamour magazine, and I'm trilled to have her sharing her story with E&C readers today!

About two years ago, I lost 30 pounds. You can read the details of that story here if you want to. The thing is, the actual weight loss wasn’t really the important part of that story. The point of the story is that I found a way to make myself a happier person, and weight loss was more of an effect than a cause of that change.

When I read Madison’s first post about No Fat Talk, I was so excited to see that someone else saw the importance of changing the way women talk about their bodies. For the last two years, I’ve been making a conscious effort to only talk about my body in a loving way. (I called it “no bad body talk,” but Madison’s version is a bit catchier!) For me, there were two things I actively changed that started altering my perception of myself.

First, I changed the dialogue going on in my head. Every day, whenever I felt myself mentally slipping into that broken record of bad body talk (you know the one: “My thighs are huge. And my upper arms jiggle. And this thing on my belly…ugh”), I would make myself think, “STOP IT.” Then I would repeat a series of mini “mantras” I had created to make myself focus on not only positive things about myself, but things that deep down I knew were more important than being able to wear size zero jeans: “You are a good person. You are a kind person. You are better than this. You deserve to be happy.”

Sometimes I would even say them to myself out loud while looking in a mirror. (Did I feel a little stupid doing it? Yes. Did it help anyway? Absolutely.)

The second thing I did that really changed the way I looked at my body was to start taking yoga classes. I had always been extremely interested in fitness, but in the past, I had opted for classes that punished my body. Hours of kick boxing, miles of running—they did the trick (and made me feel like a warrior), but they were more about atoning for my “sins” (AKA, that extra slice of pizza, a chocolate chip cookie here and there, etc.) than treating my body well.

Yoga was different. My instructor looked at fitness differently, for one. She was fond of telling us to listen to what our body needed. “If your body wants to stretch further, let it. If your body needs to pull back, that’s fine too.” It had never occurred to me that my body could already be telling me what it needed. For the first time, I started listening.

Then, without my even realizing it, I started “listening” to my body in all aspects of my life. I slept more. I hate healthier foods. And I would stop eating when I was full. I also stopped punishing myself for eating delicious foods just because they weren’t necessarily the healthiest options. If I wanted a cookie, well, then I would eat a cookie. I just wouldn’t eat six. 

For the first time since I had been a pre-teen, I stopped dieting entirely. To this day, I refuse to subscribe to any eating plan that cuts any food group out without exception. (Besides, we all know that the second you can’t have something, it’s all you think about!) And I continued to refuse to speak unkindly about my body. Which isn’t to say I always love what I see in the mirror (Lord knows I wouldn’t be sad if I woke up looking like Adriana Lima tomorrow), it just means the focus has changed. Instead of obsessing over a perceived flaw, I concentrate on my favorite parts of myself. (Because, yes, I actually have favorite parts now!) 

I think the weirdest part about Fat Talk is how fulfilling some girls find it to be. I once told a female friend of mine that I don't engage in negative body talk, and she laughed loudly and said, "But I LOVE negative body talk!"

She was kind of kidding. But mostly serious.

Women seem to get some kind of thrill from picking out every thing about themselves they don’t like. If you let someone get on a roll (in some cases literally), you can watch them slowly move down their entire physique. “My nose is so crooked. And my teeth could be whiter. And I hate this thing under my chin. What is that? And my shoulders are way too broad. And my boobs sag. And this belly thing—what is that? And my butt is awful. Don’t get me started on my thunder thighs. I wish my calves were more defined. I HAVE CANKLES. And my feet…ugh.”

But the thing is, there is zero actual benefit to insulting your body. Glaring at that roll below your belly button, pinching the extra layer on your hip, hating anything that jiggles when you dash across the street—you’re not fixing anything by telling your body what you hate about it. You’re tearing yourself down, and it’s not going to make you feel better.

Because you are worth so much more than your dress size. You are a good person. You are a kind person. You are better than this. And you deserve to be happy, too.

If you would like to share your No Fat Talk story, email me (madisonjanemayberry@gmail.com) for more details! 

Healthier Strawberry Milkshakes

Thank you all SO much for entering the J. Crew giveaway! A whopping 328 people entered and I wish I could give more than just one card away. That said, the winner of the giveaway is...

Beth who said "I'm dying for a cute summer dress and shorts that can be dressed up!"

Beth, please shoot me an email and I will get your gift on its way!

Moving on, Joe and I traveled to visit my family this past weekend, so I'll be back with a recap soon. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this milkshake that I intended to post before Valentine's Day as a way to celebrate with something pink.

Although some may argue that milkshakes shouldn't be made healthier, after eating one of these Healthier Strawberry Milkshakes, I have to disagree. Knowing that I was getting a serving of fruit and a little extra protein along with my dessert made me feel better about having desser all together. I'm sure after tasting these sweet treats, you'll agree, too!

Healthier Strawberry Milkshake
Ingredients
*1/2 cup no sugar added vanilla ice cream or light vanilla ice cream
*3/4 cup skim or 1% milk
*1/2 to 3/4 cup frozen strawberries
*1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
*1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

Instructions
*Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until mixture is smooth and creamy. Add additional frozen strawberries to adjust thickness. Serve immediately.

Happy Cooking!
Madison

J. Crew Giveaway!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I have an almost obsessive love for all things J. Crew. Walking into a J. Crew store is like a burst of sunshine, sort of like a grown-up version of Disneyland.

So while this may not be a fashion blog, spring is just around the corner, and I thought one of you might be able to find a few uses for a gift card from my favorite store.

One lucky reader will win a $75.00 gift card to J. Crew! Between today and Sunday, February 19th at 10 p.m. you have two ways to win:

1. Leave a comment telling me what wardrobe item you are dying to buy for Spring/Summer. 


2. You can enter a second time by liking Espresso and Cream on Facebook. Just go HERE and click 'like'. Then, come back and leave a second separate comment letting me know that you did so. 

Madison

Coconut Caramel Blondies

Happy 'Day After Valentine's Day,' everyone! How did you spend yesterday? Joe and I aren't much for fighting the crowds of people on February 14th. Instead, we opted to take Nutmeg on a walk when we got home, make dinner together (salmon, asparagus, garlic rye toast) and watch The Biggest Loser. Pretty great night if you ask me!

Now moving on to matters related to blondies...

Working for a publishing company, magazines, bookazines and cookbooks are never in short supply. All the new publications land on our administrative assistant's desk, which I frequently scan. A couple weeks ago, I found a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication called 'Our Best Desserts'. If you can get your hands on a copy, I highly suggest doing so.

And as usual, the recipe I made first was dependent on the ingredients I had on hand. But since I was short on pecans, I swapped them for slivered almonds. And since ice cream was lurking in our freezer, it got tossed into the mix, too. I've yet to find a dessert that doesn't taste better with ice cream.

I served these blondies when Joe's parents were visiting a couple weeks ago, and they were a huge hit. Although you can't see from the photos, there are marshmallows stirred into the batter for extra chew, and the coconut, butter, brown sugar, and almond mixture you press into the pan before the batter makes for a caramelized, chewy crust underneath the actual blondies.

Oh, and did I mention that these bars actually taste better as the days go by? Well, they do. I was able to slip a bar into Joe's lunch for about a week without feeling like the flavor or texture suffered. Which is a major win in my book.

Coconut Caramel Blondies
Adapted from Our Best Desserts bookazine

Ingredients
*1/3 cup butter, softened
*1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
*3/4 cup slivered almonds
*2/3 cup packed brown sugar
*1/2 cup butter, softened
*1 cup packed brown sugar
*1/2 teaspoon baking soda
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*3 large eggs
*1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
*1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
*1/2 cup tiny marshmallows
*Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the 1/3 cup butter over medium high heat until melted. Stir in the coconut, almonds and 2/3 cup brown sugar. Press mixture evenly onto bottom of prepared pan. Set aside.
*In a large bowl, beat the 1/2 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat until combined, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until combined. Beat in flour until combined. Stir in the marshmallows until they are completely coated with the batter. Carefully spread mixture over the coconut layer.
*Bake about 25 to 28 minutes or until top is evenly brown. Center may jiggle slightly when gently shaken. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. If desired, serve with ice cream.

Happy Baking!
Madison

No Fat Talk Tuesday: Kristin's Story

I'm so excited for this week's No Fat Talk Tuesday and that it happens to be on Valentine's Day, too. What better day to focus on loving our bodies than today? Today's post comes to us from Kristin Tigges. I first met Kristin about a year and a half ago. She was one of my mom's 'college girls' through a mentor program at church. I wish Kristin and I lived closer and could spend more time together. Her joy for life and beauty on the inside and out is evident to anyone who meets her. With that, I'll hand it over to Kristin.

Hello all! My name is Kristin and I’m very excited to be sharing what God has been teaching me lately. Being Valentine’s Day, I must tell you how blessed I am to be married to Tyler Tigges a little more than 8 months now. He’s an amazing teammate who encourages and challenges me in so many ways.

God has blessed us all in many ways. While I can share about my amazing husband, fulfilling job, and cozy apartment, the most satisfying blessing comes through my relationship with Jesus. This relationship needs to always be number one in my life and be the motivation behind everything I do.

St. Valentine is someone known for the now commercialized holiday of Valentine’s Day. However, have you heard his real story? He was executed because He refused to worship Roman gods and because he tried to convert the emperor to Christianity!  Today’s “gods” come in a variety of forms, such as money, possessions, entertainment, looks, etc. But these “gods” are only temporary and do not satisfy us.

As I strive to see my body as God created it, I’m challenged by the fact that I have wasted time focusing on exactly what I eat, how long I exercise, and what I look like in the mirror.  This time is wasted when my motives are not devoted to loving Jesus first and loving all the people He has put around me. 

Psalm 86:11-12 says “Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.”

This verse points out the choice we are faced with each day to either be devoted to God or to live life with a divided heart.  We can either choose to honor God with our bodies or we can choose to chase our own desires.  It’s about our motives.  When faced with a choice today involving your body, ask yourself this question, “Why am I doing this?”

Don’t get me wrong, my biggest passion is to help reveal God’s plan for the physical aspect of people’s lives. God is pleased when we are disciplined in the way we care for our body (Romans 12:1). I’ve recently started working at a place called Inspired Chiropractic with the Maximized Living organization. This is where I learned how to work with the way God designed our bodies to heal and function. This has changed my perspective on nutrition, my jean size, exercise, a zit, health…EVERYTHING. If you’re interested in learning more, click here to find the Maximized Living doctor nearest you as you strive to honor God with what He gave you.

You’re welcome to stop by my blog Treasure’s Untold anytime to read more about what God is teaching me. But I pray that what I shared here is an encouragement as we all strive to see our bodies through God’s eyes. I’m so thankful that Madison started NFTT so we can all grow and learn together!

Shopping and Saving: Part 2

Thank you so much to everyone who weighed in on how they save money when grocery shopping! It was nice to hear that I'm not the only crazy person who grocery shops at two or even three different places in order to get the best deals.

Last week I decided to commit myself to seeing how much I could save on our grocery budget if I put some real effort into it. Turning it into a challenge to see how much we could save made it fun! (did I really just say that?) Each week, Joe and I have $100 set aside for groceries for the week. And each week, we spend almost exactly $100. It probably sounds like a lot for just two people, but we don't eat out very often (maybe once a week), so we eat a lot at home and take our lunches with us to work.

For this week's challenge, I took a multi-channel approach:
        1. Coupon Clipping I clipped coupons from the Sunday paper and browsed a few sites like Coupons.com for products we typically buy. Many of you were right in saying that there aren't many great coupons for healthy items, but I did find some good coupons for coffee, cheese, milk and cereal.
       2. Comparison Shopping The two local grocery stores we shop at are HyVee and Fareway. Each week these two stores have fliers highlighting their sales, as well as a few store-specific coupons. I found this to be the most effective method of saving money, especially on healthy items that we frequently buy. Instead of deciding ahead of time that we were going to buy pears, oranges and a certain type of cereal, I decided on what we would buy based on comparable items that were on special.

 

After I looked through the store specials and clipped my coupons, I made my grocery list, thinking about meals I could make with the items on special. There were also items on our shopping list that weren't on sale or special anywhere, such as ricotta cheese and spinach, but we bought those items anyway. 

So how did we come out? We saved a lot of money and only ended up spending about $81 dollars! I was surprised at how much we got this week in comparison with other weeks while saving around $19. Here's what we snagged:

Dairy

     *4 Chobani yogurts 

     *Ricotta cheese

     *Gallon 1% milk

     *Mozzarella cheese

     *10 Dannon Light and Fit yogurts

     *1 dozen eggs

     *Egg beaters

     *I Can't Believe It's Not Butter

Dry Goods, Etc

     *Granulated Sugar

     *Whole wheat penne pasta

     *2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

     *Peanut Butter Cheerios

     *4 Cans Progresso Vegetable Classics Soup

     *1 can corn

     *Ketchup and mustard

     *Rolled oats

     *2 jars pasta sauce

     *Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix 

     *Tide laundry detergent

     *Seattle's Best coffee

Produce

     *4 bananas

     *2 containers blackberries

     *4 Pink Lady apples

     *1 pint strawberries

     *1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans

     *1 bag celery 

     *2 lemons

     *3 grapefruit

     *1 bag spinach

     *1 bunch asparagus 

Like I said, it was quite the haul! I've got a couple meals planned for this week (completely unusual for me), that I think Joe will be excited about. One of those meals is even a healthy casserole recipe I found from Cooking Light magazine, which is also out of the norm for me.

Bottom Line: Comparison shopping and coupon clipping (within moderation) works and is worth it, in my opinion. I was trilled with our finds and the fact that we didn't have to buy junk food or items we wouldn't normally buy in order to save money.

Madison

Have a Relaxing Weekend!

I think I'm finally starting to realize that time really does go by so much faster the older we get. It seems like the weeks fly by these days and here we are, getting ready for another weekend to begin. Sometimes when life moves so fast, I find myself so caught up in the craziness that I forget to really soak up the blessings that are right around me.

Last weekend I snapped a photo of two of my favorite blessings, cuddling together on the couch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. And as much as I might enjoy traveling and spending time with friends, it's really these moments of the weekend that I cherish the most. Take a little time to savor the slower moments in your weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Madison

Healthier Mexican Layer Dip

Last Sunday Joey and I held off on dinner in order to enjoy a few Super Bowl snacks. But since my least favorite feeling is that stuffed, over-full feeling you get after endless amounts of snacking, I decided to keep our snacks on the healthier side and stick to eating just one thing, instead of trying a bunch of different dips and spreads.

Of course, variety was still important to me, so I made the most colorful, varied dip I could think of. Mexican layer dip (sometimes called seven layer dip, depending on the number of layers you have), has always been one of my favorites. And with a few swaps and twists, it can actually be pretty healthy, too. Here are a couple changes that made things healthier:

*Using fat-free refried beans
*Eliminating the sour cream and serving it on the side instead for those who still want it
*Only putting meat on half, making it vegetarian-friendly
*Boosting the veggie content by upping the lettuce

Although football season is over, I could imagine serving this dip for a game or movie night. Or maybe for dinner on a night I don't feel like cooking. Which seems to be more often than I would like to admit.

Will someone convince my husband that having roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli every night is a perfectly ok dinner?

Healthier Mexican Layer Dip
Ingredients
*1 (14-ounce) can fat-free vegetarian refried beans
*3 avocados, lightly mashed
*1/2 tsp. lime juice
*1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt
*1/2 to 3/4 cup salsa
*1/2 lb. ground beef, browned and seasoned according to package directions with 1/2 packet taco seasoning
*1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
*1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
*Tortilla chips, veggie dippers or veggie chips

Instructions
*In a large platter or shallow bowl, spread the beans into a thin layer with a rubber spatula or spoon.
*In a small bowl, combine the mashed avocados, lime juice and salt. Stir until well combined. Spread atop the beans in an even layer.
*Top avocado layer with the salsa, followed by the ground beef. (Note for vegetarians: I made ours half veg-friendly by putting beef on only half the dip)
*Top the beef with the Mexican cheese and then the Romaine lettuce. Serve with veggie dippers or veggie chips.

Happy Cooking!

Madison

Shopping and Saving

Sometimes, as was the case today, we end a photo shoot for work with plenty of leftover food. Since we take photos of many different recipes, often only using a small portion of a package for each recipe, it's inevitable that there will be extras. Since I'm always interested in finding ways to cut back on our grocery spending from week-to-week, and because I hate seeing food go to waste, I take advantage of bringing home some of the healthy food that is up for grabs. This week's haul:
*Whole Wheat Fusilli Pasta
*1 (8-count) package whole wheat tortillas
*1/2 box Wheat Thins (one of Joe's favorite snacks)
*Bare Naked High Protein Granola
*Baby carrots
*Green grapes
*Fresh blueberries
*Partially-eaten bags of frozen blueberries, strawberries and peaches
*Bottle of Club Soda
*2 Boca Veggie Burgers
*Creamy peanut butter
*2 apples and 3 clementines
*2 Vanilla Greek Yogurts
*1 avocado
*Whole Wheat Bread
*Silk Vanilla Almond Milk and 1/2 gallon 2% milk

Of course, this is a great way to keep the grocery spending down for the week. But it's not often that I have a photo shoot, and even more rare for me to come home with this much food. So I've decided to give smart shopping tactics, like couponing and browsing the sales fliers at various grocery stores, a try.

Typically, Joey and I break up our shopping between three stores. It sounds a little excessive, especially since we both have jobs and busy schedules. But since we don't have a store that meets all our needs (ie: Trader Joes), we make it work. HyVee for produce, Fareway for canned/dry goods and meat for Joe, and WalMart for toiletries and cleaning supplies.


Since I'm a coupon novice, I would love for any of you with experience to share your strategies! Websites I need to check out? Blogs? Help!

No Fat Talk Tuesday: Sarah's Story

Hello there Espresso and Cream readers! My name is Sarah, I am wife to Abel, mom to 3 month old Simeon and I blog at The Crosby Show.

I was encouraged when I read Madison’s “No Fat Talk” resolution, because let’s face it, in the past year my body has taken quite a beating in the form of pregnancy, labor, and delivery - more on that in a minute.

My story begins in Jr. High. I was at a swim party and the water was freezing. A “friend” commented that Sarah should be fine since she has a little more fat to keep her warm. Ouch! Needless to say, this was the start of a long (and continuous) battle with negative self-image. Not only did I struggle with negative thoughts, but I put those thoughts into action and fought the battle of anorexia throughout high school.

I am very blessed to have an amazing family and friends who caught this early. They got me the help that I needed to recover before any major damage was done to my body. I discovered what the Lord had to say about my self-image and how he thought I was “beautifully and wonderfully made” and for the first time began to believe it.

I met my (hottie) husband in college and in 2010 we married. Even knowing my husband and more importantly that the Lord thought I was beautiful, I still battled negative self talk and constantly compared myself to others.

February 2011, Abel and I were pleasantly surprised to find out that we were expecting a baby. We couldn’t wait to meet our little bundle. As the months passed, so did my growing belly. For the first time I was proud and even a little excited to watch my body change and grow, but in the back of my mind I knew there was going to be a long road ahead of me to get my body back to the way it was pre-baby.

October came and our sweet boy, Simeon Kade made his grand debut. To say it was one of the best days of my life is an understatement!

My son was 2 ½ months old when I read Madison’s New Year’s resolution to keep her mind and mouth positive about her body.  It came at the perfect time for me since I still had a few of those aggravating extra pounds that I hadn’t let myself forget! I was working out, eating healthy, even breastfeeding, but the pounds wouldn’t budge. I was tearing myself down mentally all of the time because my jeans and my shirts were a bit too snug. This was making me a negative person in all aspects of my life. 

After I saw the “No Fat Talk” resolution I knew I needed to take the challenge and boy, has it made a difference. I decided that I am going to embrace my new mama body! Is my stomach a little stretched out? Yes, but when those negative thoughts come creeping in I remind myself that I grew a human in this body for 9 months! And yes, my hips are a little wider, but my body needed to make room for him to come out! How awesome is that? My body did exactly what it needed to do to keep my son healthy.  One of my favorite Bible verses sums it up: Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Philippians 4:8