One Hundred Dollars a Month

May 20

Asian Noodle Salad with Bok Choy

Tonight we are having Asian noodle salad for dinner. This dish is served cold and is great to make ahead of time {which I love!} for packed lunches. It’s one of the HH’s favorites.

Here is the recipe. I hope you like it, we sure do.

Ingredients

8 oz package linguine noodles
1 carrot, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
5 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup bok choy, chopped
1 cup bean sprouts {learn how to grow your own sprouts}
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil {I like Zoe brand}
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
4 tablespoons unsalted peanuts, for garnish {optional}

Directions

In a medium stock pot, boil water and cook noodles until al dente. When finished, place
noodles in an ice water bath to cool. Drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin and
extra-virgin olive oil. Mix thoroughly and then combine prepared vegetables, cilantro and
noodles.

Garnish with peanuts.

May 20

9 Comments

Ask Mavis – Help! My Tomato Leaves are Turning Yellow

I have the most amazing readers, and most of the time, it is me learning from you, but every once in awhile, someone sends in a question that I think, “Hey, I bet lots of people would love to know the answer to that.” So, I am going to try to feature some of your questions and answer them, the best I can.

Shell writes:

Hey Mavis, my tomatoes have yellowing on the leaves…is that a nutrient deficiency? I planted them with egg shells for the calcium. What is also good for them? No bugs, slugs, or other creepy crawlies on them either…I’ve been watching closely.

Good question Shell. Unfortunately, the answer isn’t super straight-forward. There could be a couple of different things going on, so you may have to read through these and see if any apply.

Right off the bat, I would want to know the climate in your area when you planted them. If you plant tomatoes too early, the cold soil and weather will sometimes cause a shock that causes their leaves to yellow. You could try to use a plastic mulch or black paper to warm the soil the best you can.

Next, if the temperature isn’t the issue. I would check your soil for two things: nutrients and pH level. Check the pH level first. Tomatoes like a pH level between 5.5-7.5, depending on the variety. The reason I would check it first is that there is no reason to fertilize if the issue is the soil pH. You can raise or lower your pH using sulfur {to lower pH} or lime {to raise pH}. If you are good there, you may need to find an organic fertilizer or high quality compost that will add nitrogen into the soil.

Let’s see, what else? Are the plants getting enough sunshine. If just the lower leaves are turning yellow, the top might be shading the plant from getting enough sun. You can try trimming back some of the top leaves–if your plant is big enough. {Also, I am assuming you are watering enough, but not so much your tomatoes are constantly sitting in water?}

Finally, if none of those seem to be the issue, you could have a fungal or bacterial issue. There is a whole host of tomato diseases that each require different types of action, so you may want to take a couple of the leaves to the local nursery and get their opinion if you think a disease or fungus is the problem.

Those are pretty much all of the basic problems that come to mind. Let me know if any of these help.

Happy Gardening,

~Mavis

The New York Times 1000 Gardening Questions and Answers: Based on the New York Times Column Garden Q & A is awesome. I own it, and it’s pretty darn awesome.

May 20

2 Comments

Square Foot Gardening – Lettuce, Kohlrabi, Peas, Kale, Radishes and More

Wowza! Take a look at the square foot garden. It’s growing like crazy.

I had absolutely no idea you could pack so many different vegetables into a 4×8 plot. The peas, carrots, radishes, strawberries, celery, onions, cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli, kale, bok choy, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, cucumbers, Swiss chard, beets, and lettuce are all doing great together.

Check out the kohlrabi. You can see the bulb starting to form and I think it looks really cool. Last year I grew these successfully for the first time and I think I may have harvested them too early.

So this year, I plan on letting them get a big as the palm of my hand. I saw some pretty huge ones at the Puyallup Fair last fall so I’m going for it. The packet I planted contained purple and green kohlrabi varieties and I’m hoping for a couple of purple ones. We’ll see.

Kale. Whop T Do.

Even though I’m not a big fan of this leafy green, it sure does grow well in the Pacific Northwest.

First radish harvest from the square foot garden. Yum!

The bok choy bolted here as well as in the pallet garden. I think I might have planted them a little too early, but I started another flat yesterday so we’ll try again. I can still use the leaves in a stir-fry or salad.

The green beans are breaking ground. Don’t they look like little aliens?

The lettuce should be ready to harvest by the end of the week.

Here is a view from 6 feet up. The sugar snap peas in the upper left corner are about 3 feet tall, the bare looking squares in the center are where the beans are breaking ground and in the front row of the square foot garden grid, there are cucumbers starts I transplanted last week.

Pretty neat-o if you ask me!

Are YOU square foot gardening this year? Have you been surprised with your results?

~Mavis

Read more about my adventures in Square Foot Gardening.

Are you thinking about putting together a Square foot garden? See the how I built a square foot garden grid HERE.

For more information, check out All New Square Foot Gardening. It is an amazon bestseller and the author, Mel Bartholomew is basically the king of square foot gardening.

May 20

5 Comments

Mondays with Mavis – How to Feed Your Family for $100 a Month

I stopped by Albertsons twice this week to grab some deals. I’ll admit it, one of the things I miss about Extreme Couponing and Albertsons Double Coupons {do you think they’ll ever come back?} is being able to stock up on boatloads of stuff in one shopping trip.

Even though it was a lot of work to gather all the coupons, calculate the deals and wait in line, it was kind of fun to come home with a car load of food for under $5. But them again, we are eating a lot healthier now and growing more of our own fruits and vegetables so there is really a lot less to buy.

I only had 2 shopping trips this week:

Albertsons – $2.39

English muffins were only $0.50 a bag so I grabbed two of them plus some sour cream for the Asparagus Salad I made the other day.

Albertsons – $13.77

I can explain. Ha!

I picked up 30 {yes 30!} boxes of cake mix and 9 boxes of brownie mix for a committee event. I have a $100 budget to provide dessert for 600 people and Albertsons had a deal that if you bought particular items in sets of 10, you could get them for only $.49 a box.

Now, you and I both know cupcakes and brownies taste better from scratch, but if you had to provide dessert for 600 people would you make them from scratch, or go the boxed route. Hmmm. It’s a tough one, I know.

Because I am being reimbursed for the items I buy for the dessert I am not including them in my total.

I paid $13.77 for 2 gallons of milk, 20 boxes of pasta {I think I’ve got enough now to last me the rest of the year} mustard for $0.19 and a free jar of pickles {Vlasic coupon NLA}.

Mr. Produce Guy – Free

Last week I hit the jackpot. There was a little of everything. Bananas for power smoothies, broccoli for stir-fry and broccoli salad, plenty of fruit for breakfast, corn for the grill lot’s of other goodness. Between the garden, Mr. Produce Guy and my bulk purchases, I rarely have to buy anything these days.

Total Spent This Week $16.16

Total Spent This Year $962.06

Total Spent This Year on Garden Seeds/Supplies $893.99 {I bought a Meyer Lemon Tree, Rhubarb crowns, 6 Fruit Trees , 16 yards of soil}, Walla Walla Onions and 90 pounds of seed potatoes. Plus, supplies to make my own potting soil. I also picked up a boatload of heirloom tomato plants at the Seattle Tilth sale.

Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.

May 20

Mornings with Mavis – Cupcake Tower, Bob’s Red Mill,Quilted Northern Toilet Paper, More Cowbell, USB Cables

Hello Monday.

We spent most of yesterday working in the yard. The HH and Monkey Boy pulled weeds and edged the driveway while I cleaned off the potting bench, pulled weeds and potted oodles and oodles of plants. The Girl elected to stay inside and do laundry. Yay! I don’t know about you, but I love it when my kids take care of the laundry.

As you can see from the picture above, Miss Lucy attempted to dig her way under the gate… but no such luck!

Have a great day everyone, only a few more days to go until the weekend.

~Mavis

If you are fan of Cooks Illustrated you’ll want to grab The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook. It’s packed with 800 foolproof recipes. And when they say foolproof, they really mean it. Have you ever seen Christopher Kimball in action? Wowza. The guy knows what he’s talking about.

Check out these Amazon Deals -

Amazon has the Wilton 4-Tier Stacked Cupcake and Dessert Tower on sale for just $14.24 and the reviews are awesome!

Deals on Bob’s Red Mill Products

Bobs Red Mill Cinnamon Raisin Granola, 12-Ounce (Pack of 4) $10.30/$2.57 each shipped when you use the subscribe & save option at checkout.
Bob’s Red Mill Cereal 10 Grain, 25-Ounce (Pack of 4) $7.48/$1.87 each shipped when you use the subscribe and save option at checkout.
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Cornbread Mix, 20-Ounce Units (Pack of 4) $10.17/$2.54 each shipped when you use the subscribe and save option at checkout.

Amazon has my favorite Traverse Bay Cranberries on sale for only $16.91 shipped when you use the subscribe and save option at checkout. This is the lowest price I have ever seen on these!

Amazon currently has Quilted Northern Ultra Plush, Double Rolls for low as $21.05/$.21 per single roll/$.42 per double roll SHIPPED when you use the subscribe and save option at check out along with the $1 off ecoupon you see below {you must be logged into your account to see the coupon}.

Zulily has Crazy Dog funny t-shirts on sale today for both kids and adults. A few years ago we bought the HH a “More Cowbell” shirt and he still wears it to this day. Fun stuff!

Already a Zulily Member? Go HERE to Get This Deal

6pm has wedges, flats and sandals on sale on sale all for $39.99 or less shipped.

Discount Mags is offering a 1 year subscription to Weight Watchers Magazine for only $4.49 a year when you use code 5162 at checkout. This deal will expire tonight 5/20/13 at midnight EST so be sure and grab your subscription before then.

Groupon – Flirty Aprons Deal - $15 for $30 Worth of Aprons, Bibs, and Kitchen Gloves

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Living Social has this 3 in 1 Dotzilla charger for only $7 + Shipping. You can find it under their “shop” section.

With this three-in-one charger, you can juice up to three different devices at once using your computer. Compatible with iPhone 5, 4/4S, 3G/3GS; iPad/iPad Mini, iPods, Android, HTC, Samsung, and more.

10 Things to Do Before You Leave on Vacation

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We are still collecting Garden Gnomes for road trip to St. Jude’s in Memphis, Tennessee this summer. If you have not sent one in yet, please consider this set of 3 Garden Gnome Stakes. $10 will be donated for each garden gnome we receive* by August 1st, 2013. Up to $10,000.

New Hormel coupons available this morning:
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$1.00 off any two HORMEL Bacon Toppings
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May 19

7 Comments

How to Make a Bean Teepee

When Monkey Boy and The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird were young, I would build them a bean teepee every summer. Back then, we lived on a .25 acre lot and because there was not an abundance of trees, I would purchase 6 foot bamboo poles at the Home Depot.

These days, we live in a more wooded area so we can make teepees a big as we want now.

If you have never built a bean teepee {or even thought about building one} for your kids, and you have the space, you should give it try. Not only will your kids think you are the coolest parent ever, but if you space the poles far enough, your children will be about to walk into the teepee, giving them a unique summer “clubhouse.”

Lets get started.

First, you’ll need to decide how wide you want the inside of your teepee to be. I spaced my poles far enough apart so there was about 4′ of open space in the center, which is plenty of room for a child and their friend to sit down and enjoy a picnic lunch.

Next, gather {6} 1o’ wooden poles and secure them together with twine, both at the top and the bottom. Make sure you push the poles deep into the soil so they don’t fall over if it gets a little windy or Fido walks by. Most pole beans grow about 6′ tall, so don’t feel like you have to haul 10′ poles home from the hardware store. 6′ poles will work just fine.

Once you have your teepee poles in place, rake the soil from the center of the circle to build up a nice mound of dirt around the teepee base.

Then, plant a generous amount of pole beans in the mound of dirt surrounding the teepee, and water as necessary.

You should have a fully covered teepee in about 60-70 days.

Last year we planted squash at the base of the teepees and it did really well. So if you have the space, go crazy!

If you are interested in learning about the history of teepees, check out Tipis, Tepees, Teepees: History and Design of the Cloth Tipi by Linda Holley. Amazon currently has the book on sale for $11.55.

May 19

3 Comments

Mavis Butterfield | Backyard Garden Plot Pictures – Week 21 of 52

Backyard Garden Plot Pictures – Week 21 of 52

I plan on spending all day in the garden today. My online boyfriend Ryan from Botanical Interests is coming to visit me in less than 2 weeks when he’s up here for the Mother Earth News Fair and I want to have my garden in tip top shape.

On the agenda for today is whipping up a few batches of potting soil, watering the garden, pulling weeds, spreading a yard of bark in the front yard, cleaning off the front porch {it’s a disaster} and getting my pumpkins planted. I’d also like to tackle the raspberry patch and get the greenhouse in order too. I believe in miracles, don’t you?

I already told the kids we are not leaving the house today so we’ll see what gets done.

Here are a few pictures I snapped this morning while wandering around my backyard with a cup of tea in my bathrobe.

The wood pallet garden is looking good. I plan on harvesting more lettuce for a salad tonight.

Inspector Lucy followed me outside early this morning to check on the 16 raised garden boxes. She loves those French breakfast radishes and now every time we go near them she sits by the garden bed and waits for me to pull one up for her. What a nut!

The pea and potatoes are growing really well. I do need to get some twine and help the peas up the teepee poles though.

The greenhouse is still a work in progress. I plan on making another batch of my homemade potting soil and adding some black pots {for growing tomatoes} down the center of the greenhouse today.

I reported the progress of our potato towers last week. So far so good. If you look real hard you will also see potato plants coming out of the wood pallet compost bin. I’m not sure how a potatoes got in there {My guess is Lucy had something to do with it} but we now have potatoes growing in the compost bin. Ha! I wonder what they will taste like.

Here is a view from the back deck. I think I need less bark and more dirt.

We planted a mini pea patch right smack in the middle of the shaded backyard. And guess what? They love it there. Fava beans, Swiss chard and kale line the perimeter of the chicken run.

The raspberry patch had become a bit unruly again.

Here is a view of the raspberry patch from the kitchen window. Our 12 blueberry bushes are just beyond the raspberries on the left. For some reason the blueberries are kind of tricky to photograph, but I’ll try and get a decent photo so you can see how tall the 1 gallon bushes we planted 4 years ago are getting.

The herbs we have growing in container are growing really well too. I still have a few tiny rosemary starts I want to get planted. I need to check Costco and see if they have anymore of those huge brown pots in stock. Have you been lately? Are they still selling them?

Well that’s a bout it for this weeks garden tour.

I’m off to pull weeds!

Have a great day everyone.

~Mavis

This years garden is being sponsored by the awesome folks at Botanical Interests Seed Company. You can check out their website HERE, order their new 2013 Garden Seed Catalog HERE, or visit my boyfriend Ryan’s blog HERE.

May 19

11 Comments

One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure – Terra Cotta Flower Pots

Yesterday, The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird and I were driving down the road when we spotted a tiny garage sale sign. We were in a hurry so we hesitantly drove by.

Then, about 10 seconds later I said, “Turn around, let’s go real quick, you never know, there could be something good.”

After a quick 45 second scan of the sale we decided there wasn’t anything we wanted/needed and headed back to the car. On the way there I spotted these flower pots in some tall weeds alongside the persons house. I wasn’t sure if they were included in the sale, so I asked.

The lady sold them to me for 10 bucks!

I seriously have no idea what I’m going to do with them {there must be over 100 pots} but I thought 10 bucks was a great deal. And I’m kind of into gardening {Ha!} so I think they’ll come in handy at some point.

What do you think?

Trash, or treasure? Would you have bought all these terra cotta pots for $10, or walked passed them?

~Mavis

I Brake for Yard Sales: And Flea Markets, Thrift Shops, Auctions, and the Occasional Dumpster

May 19

2 Comments

Raisin Bran Muffins

I don’t know about you, but I think I could pretty much live off of muffins. Couldn’t you?

I’ve been using this raisin bran muffin recipe for years and they have just the right amount of sweetness to them. Plus, these muffins freeze really well too, just in case you want to make a double batch.

Here’s the recipe. I hope you like it, we sure do.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups wheat bran {check the bulk foods section in your grocery store}
1 cup buttermilk {How to make buttermilk}
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the wheat bran and buttermilk and let the mixtures stand for 10 minutes. Mix together the oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and slowly add it to bran mixture. Next add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir until just blended. Fold in the raisins.

Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the batter into a lined {or greased} muffin tins and bake for 18 minutes.

Serve with a wee bit of butter or honey. These muffins freeze really well too!

Yield 12 muffins

The Ultimate Muffin Book: More Than 600 Recipes for Sweet and Savory Muffins

May 19

Mornings with Mavis – Free Kindle Books, Travel Deals, Soap.com Voucher, Car & Driver Magazine, Golf Organizer

I was planning on spending the whole day in the garden yesterday but shortly after breakfast The Girl decided she wanted to go spend the day watching her friends compete in a sporting even. So we packed up the car and off we went. So much for getting anything done. Ha!

We had a great time cheering everyone on but holy cow, there is a lot of work to get done.

Have a great day everyone, I’m off to get my garden clothes on.

~Mavis

Available Kindle Books I think are cool…

The Rationale Behind Homesteading: The Key To Self Sufficiency FREE
Backyard Chickens Crash Course – Raising Backyard Chickens For Fun & Food FREE
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This Samsonite Golf Trunk Organizer would make a great Father’s Day gift for the golfer in your life. Amazon has it on sale right now for $39.75 shipped. The HH has one and he uses it all the time.

Nothing is classier than showing up to a BBQ with a Redneck 6 Pack Beer or Soda Can Holster Belt. Amazon has this beauty on sale for just $6.89. Get ‘er done!

Looking for something a little fancier? You could always make a set of Redneck wine glasses.

Amazon has the Birdscapes Clear Window Feeder on sale for $8.45. What a great way to bring sweet little birdies to your windows.

Father’s Day Gift Idea -

Discount Mags is offering a 1 year subscription to Car and Driver Magazine for only $4.50 a year when you use code 5474 at checkout. This deal will expire tonight 5/19/13 at midnight EST so be sure and grab your subscription before then.

Groupon has a 4-Piece Jersey-Knit Sheet Sets on sale for $29.99 shipped

New to Groupon? Join Groupon Here!

Travel Deals -

Salish Lodge & Spa {2 nights} Snoqualmie, WA $286 + Dinning and Spa credits
Summit Lodge & Spa Whistler, BC Starting at $89 C a night
The Chateaux Deer Valley Park City, UT Starting at $109 a night
Pacific Beach Hotel Honolulu, HI Starting at $119 a night
Eight-Day London and Paris Vacation – Starting at $1,699 {I could be your tour guide!}

Fishing Gnome

We are still collecting Garden Gnomes for road trip to St. Jude’s in Memphis, Tennessee this summer. If you have not sent one in yet, please consider doing so. $10 will be donated for each garden gnome we receive* by August 1st, 2013. Up to $10,000.

Asian Noodle Salad with Bok Choy

Ask Mavis – Help! My Tomato Leaves are Turning Yellow

Square Foot Gardening – Lettuce, Kohlrabi, Peas, Kale, Radishes and More

Mondays with Mavis – How to Feed Your Family for $100 a Month

Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.

Mornings with Mavis – Cupcake Tower, Bob’s Red Mill,Quilted Northern Toilet Paper, More Cowbell, USB Cables

Find More Printable Coupons

How to Make a Bean Teepee

Mavis Butterfield | Backyard Garden Plot Pictures – Week 21 of 52

One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure – Terra Cotta Flower Pots

Raisin Bran Muffins

Mornings with Mavis – Free Kindle Books, Travel Deals, Soap.com Voucher, Car & Driver Magazine, Golf Organizer

Find More Printable Coupons

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