The Blonde Diaries

Living along the Gulf Coast my entire life has taught me the importance of paying close attention to the weather forecasts between June 1 and November 1 each year. Why? Because those are the official dates of Hurricane Season and anyone living along the coast is fair game to a hurricane.

This year, the activity in the Atlantic has been fairly quiet as compared to a few years ago when we made it all the way to a W hurricane name (that is quite the number for 1 season!). It has been quite nice not to have to worry so much about the weather this year and the extra stress it brings.

One thing I didn’t count on was being hit by a hurricane from the Pacific Ocean! Right now, Houston is being rained on by what is left of Hurricane Rick which came from the Pacific Ocean, across Mexico, and is now in Texas and a few other Midwestern states. Luckily things aren’t too bad or heavy here so we don’t have to worry about hurricane damage or the likes. We have had steady rain for the past 18 hours with more rain to come. I’m looking forward to the clear skies we have been promised for the weekend and hoping the cold front isn’t too cold!

Tonight I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner. Mike and I are on a strict budget right now to try and recover from our honeymoon spending. One of our budget busters is grocery shopping. We stock up on items but never finish eating them and sometimes they go bad. For the past month, I have been shopping at home and trying to use up these items which we have stocked up on.

Tonight I reached my limit. I think I need to start looking for recipes and shopping from a recipe ingredient list. We are out of things to eat or at least things that go together. We are eating hot dogs with ketchup (out of chili), baked beans, peas, and a small salad. I would have loved to make a large “junk” salad for dinner but Mike insists on having protein in every meal and well, hot dogs won’t cut it and I have nothing else. It is all very frustrating.

I decided that I better start looking for recipes to cook with just a few ingredients as well as coupons to save on our grocery bill. I found a great $1.00 online coupon that will help me save a little money at the grocery store as well as fixing that no protein in the salad issue I mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Budding has developed a new product on sale in Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, and Arizona called Fix Quix. It is a diced meat product that you can add to any recipe or salad to help make a quick and nutritious meal. I have not tried it yet but I will be looking for it this weekend as it is sold at the local HEB and Kroger grocery stores – both available near me. There are three varieties – chicken, ham, and turkey and it looks just like you cooked the meat yourself on the grill and diced it up yourself. I can see using it with salads, pitas, and wraps just to begin with and then venturing out into chicken alfredo pasta and turkey enchiladas. So if you are in a food rut, need to save a few bucks, and want to try a new product look for the Fix Quix kits in your super market. Don’t forget if you live in Texas, Arizona, or St. Louis, Missouri to print that $1.00 off coupon to take with you! Unfortunately the coupon only works in those states/areas but be on the lookout for the product and coupon coming to your area soon.

I don’t know about you but after working 9 hours a day at my full time job, I am plain tuckered out when I get home. My client does a 9 hour M-Th, 4 hour Friday work week and so I find that if I don’t make it in by 8:30 am I do not get home until after 6:30pm making for a long day and late night. I also lose most interest I have in housework and cooking thanks to these long days. Sigh.

Luckily, companies are starting to pay attention to dual working families and trying to help make life easier. Over the past few years I’ve seen a huge upgrade in frozen foods as well as convenience foods. Take Budding for example. This company has developed a product called Fix Quix. Fix Quix is currently available in Texas, Arizona, and Saint Louis. Since it is being tested for further release nationwide, Budding is offering a $1.00 online coupon that you can print and bring to the grocery store with you when you purchase this product. The coupon is only valid in the areas previously mentioned.

Fix Quix is a precooked, prediced meat product which comes in three varieties – grilled chicken, oven roasted turkey, and ham. The diced chunks of meat can be added to a variety of foods such as salads, pastas, wraps, and soups and involve no cooking on your part. Just open the container and mix into your food dish. Hopefully, if the sales and feedback are good it will be expanded nationwide. I can’t wait to try it out because I love to make salads for dinner but never have enough protein to add to it without increasing the fat content. I am also in desperate need for a new item to bring for lunch and a turkey wrap sounds really appealing. I’m planning on printing that coupon and giving it a try this weekend. I’ll make sure to report back.

Once again it is time for the Texas tax free shopping holiday.  It seems that the weekend is being pushed back a little further each year.  I remember a few years ago it was the first weekend in August and now it is the third weekend in August.  The end result is the same no matter when it is held though – most clothing and shoe purchases under $100 qualify for a tax-free break!

If you haven’t blown your budget for the month or have a shopping list for back to school clothing or starting a new job, you might want to consider a trip to the mall between August 21 and August 23rd.  To get the most bang for your buck remember the various outlet malls around Texas and budget stores for trendy clothes like Forever21 and Charlotte Russe.

Have fun shopping tax-free next weekend!

It has been 9 Very Long years since we have been able to yell that phrase out after the College World Series Championship game!  In fact, I was a freshman in college and my first year as an LSU Batgirl.  It was very exciting and I hoped to have that same chance in Omaha my senior year.  Well, I did make it to Omaha as a batgirl but it was the beginning of LSU’s 2 and done streak so my time was very short but boy was it a blast.  I hope to make it back one day again.

I had a friend send this photo to me yesterday after LSU’s Game 1 win over Texas but I was too afraid to post it today for my Wordless Wednesday post.  I thought I might jinx things.  I’m glad I waited and I’ll share it now. Bevo and the ‘horns just weren’t fast enough or tough enough this time around. They definitely were tasty Tiger Bait!