Beef Soup...I mean Stew...I mean Casserole...

I love food coops. I will repeat... I LOVE FOOD COOPS!!!!  From what I have been told, that sentiment isn't shared throughout the country, but in my city (Phoenix) we have a bunch to choose from and I haven't been disappointed yet. This past weekend, I found Markets on the Move, which is a part of The 3000 Club. It was featured on the news and I figured I would give it a shot. With Markets on the Move, you pay $10.00 and receive up to 60lbs of produce. Basically, whatever you can haul away. They have different produce each week, and I think it's mainly vegetables but this was my first time so I'm not entirely sure. Guess I'll see next week! Anyways, it was raining yesterday and I hesitated on going, but I figured it wouldn't be as crowded with the rain, right? Well it wasn't too bad! Waited in line for 15 minutes or so and I hit the mother load!!!! I'll post the picture below but it was so cool. Everyone was so nice and happy, even though they were soaked to the bone! They also take volunteers and I think I'm going to do it to give back to the cause. But the whole idea is to keep what you can use and then give the rest to others who need it. 

 I don't think I've ever been this excited about vegetables before!!!! I was so inspired that I thought, since it was a rainy day, that I would make a soup. So I did!

 My sweet girl wanted in on the photo op as well :)

So I sought out to make soup. However, it turned more into a stew or casserole...I put quinoa and orzo in there and it soaked up the liquid...but it still turned out amazingly...It was so good. So...not a total fail, right? ;)

Beef Soup --> Stew --> Casserole :) (keep in mind, I made this up as I went along so I don't have exact measurements)

1.5 lbs ground beef

20 grape tomatoes

a combination of red, yellow, and orange peppers (i used 5)

3 zucchini

olive oil spray

garlic salt

garlic powder

onion powder

chili powder

red pepper flakes

(Spices are all to taste)

one can tomato paste

2 cans beef broth

1 box quinoa

1 box orzo pasta (this one is optional)

1. Brown beef in a large pan and add one can of beef broth and tomato paste. Let simmer while cutting veggies.

2. Chop zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes. Add to crock pot.

3. Add beef mixture to crock pot. 

4. Add other can of beef broth and quinoa.

5. Add spices (and whatever other spices you like) to crock pot mixture.

6. Stir together and cook on low for 3 hours. 

7. About 30 minutes before serving, I added the orzo and it sucked up the broth. So if you want it to be more of a soup, I would leave out the orzo. But I LOVE pasta and I can't imagine this without so I'll leave that up to you.

Tastes sooo good!!! Hope you try and enjoy! I think that adding other veggies would work too. I just used what I got at MOM :)

Stay classy!

Fail-ish DIY Deodorizing Disks

Now, you're probably wondering why I chose to call this a fail-ish DIY. Well It didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it to, but I am still able to use it for pretty much the same purpose! Let me explain...

I found this recipe via Pinterest but the actual recipe can be found on One Good Thing by Jillee. I love this site. She is amazing but sometimes I can't replicate what she does. This being one of them. The recipe is as follows and I'll explain along the way what went wrong.

DIY Deodorizing Disks

2 cups baking soda
1-2 cups distilled water (or boil your water for 10 minutes) I only needed about a cup.
A flavor of oil that you prefer. I used lavender.
Silicone mold or muffin pan. I found some super cute heart-shaped ice cube trays at the dollar section at Target. 2 for a dollar! Score!

1. Mix a few drops of the oil with 1/2 cup of water. Add this mixture to the baking soda and mix. Keep adding water until you have a thick paste. I added up to a cup and the mixture wasn't thick. I think that's where I went wrong. So to be safe, I would add it 1/4 cup at a time and see what happens.

2. Pour it into your molds. Mine are below:

3. You will have to let it set for 24-48 hours to make sure they are completely hardened. I let them set for 48 hours and they still weren't set. 

Now that's where I am having the issue. Mine didn't set completely and they crumbled when I was trying to take them out. Fail? Maybe..but when I took a tablespoon of the baking soda/water/oil mixture and put in Ava's diaper genie (the main reason why I made it) it worked just fine! Her room now smells nicely of lavender :) It makes my DIY Diaper Genie Refills work even better! It can also be used in trash cans or anything else that needs deodorizing. Jillee also mentioned putting it in laundry to make things even fresher! 

Enjoy! and stay classy :)

Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back :)

It's been awhile. I apologize for that. Not only have I been dealing with the busy-ness of the holidays (Hope you all had a great Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Years!) and was sick for most of it so I didn't get around to blogging, but I have a ton of recipes that I tried throughout the break that I am so excited to share :)

I spent the holidays with my sister, her husband, and their son. While I was there, she showed me some of her DIY stuff for Christmas. I thought I would pass it along!

First, she took candle holders and candles from the dollar store. And then took candy canes and broke them apart. She poured the candy canes around the candles. Voila! Instant centerpiece, decoration, etc. 

I also think that this would be great for any holiday! Change it up and put candy hearts or hot tamales for Valentines, Jelly Beans for Easter, Candy Corn for Halloween, etc. It's the decoration that can stay out all year!

The next thing she showed me was above her cabinets in her kitchen. She took a lantern that was on sale at Lowe's (I think it was under 10 bucks) and filled it with decorations from the dollar store (pine cones, ornament balls, etc.) Super easy and not expensive!

Hope you enjoy these! What money-saving decorations did you do for your home over Christmas? Might as well make a databank now for next year :)

Stay classy :)

Fun with Spaghetti Squash...

So I've been cooking with spaghetti squash lately. I don't ever remember eating it as a child, but I have really found to like it! So I have used it in two recipes so far. It's really easy to work with and it can be used in recipes that call for pasta, or just used as squash. I have tried two recipes so far and they are below!

The first one that I have used a few times is from Better Homes and Gardens, via pinterest (Oh how I love pinterest!) I first found this because it is South Beach Phase One-friendly! (For my husband). It is spaghetti squash with chili. 

You will need the following:  

1 spaghetti squash (about 2lbs)
8 oz lean ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (though I tend to use more)
1 14 oz can corn
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (I normally just use the tomatoes without chiles because I have a young daughter, but whichever works fine)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce, with no salt added
2 tbsp tomato paste, with no salt added
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano


1. First thing you want to do is preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Then cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes. Then take the halves, cut sides down, on a banking sheet. Bake 45-50 minutes or until tender. Once it is finished and cooled a little, take a fork and shred and separate the squash into strands. 

2. Now, onto the chili! Take a medium saucepan. Add ground beef, onion, and garlic. Cook this until the meet is brown and onion is tender. Drain the fat.

3. Stir in the undrained tomatoes, corn, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, and dried oregano. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. 

4. Serve the meat with the spaghetti sauce and you have yourself a meal!

The next recipe is Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin. This one was bomb!!! It tasted just like potatoes au gratin but so much better. I love potatoes au gratin..I never knew it could be better. But it really is!!! I got this recipe from Dandy Dishes. 

You will need the following:


1 spaghetti squash
2 tbsp butter
1 small yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (i used a colby jack blend and way more of that. If you are a cheese fan, like me, then you might need more like 1- 1 1/2 cups)


1. First things first. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. This recipe calls to microwave the squash. Doing that or oven baking it like the above recipe work just fine. Cut the squash and remove the seeds and membranes. Place in a covered dish with 1/4 inch of water and microwave 10-12 minutes. 

2. While this is happening, take a medium pan and add the butter, onions, red pepper, thyme, and cook until onions are slightly brown in color. You can add whatever other spices you want (I did some garlic).

3. Once the squash is done, take a fork and scrape out the insides. Transfer them to a bowl. Combine the squash, onions, sour cream, and half the cheese together and mix well. Put the mixture to a greased baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. 

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. 

Enjoy! Both of these dishes were so good! I'm excited to continue using spaghetti squash and see what else I can do with it :)

stay classy :)

Chicken and Orzo Stuffed Tomatoes

Now I love me some tomatoes...I also love pasta....but I have never been a fan of chicken salad. But this recipe was awesome and I have been thinking about it all week! I even made enough to last me throughout this week's lunches so that came in handy. 

I got this recipe from Poor Girl Eats Well. If you haven't checked out her blog, you should. She has a ton of money-saving recipes that are healthy at the same time!

So here goes...

You will need the following:

3-4 medium to large tomatoes (We used beefsteak tomatoes and they were plenty big)
1 cup cooked orzo
1 cup cooked chicken, cubed
1/4 cup herbs of your choice (we used cilantro and basil)
1/4 cup scallions (we used red onion instead)

For Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper

1. Make the vinaigrette. That way the flavors can marinate while everything else is getting ready.
2. If you haven't already, cook the orzo and the chicken. Feel free to put some of those great herbs in with the chicken!
3. In a separate bowl, once cooked, combine the orzo, chicken, herbs, and onion/scallion and mix well. Toss with vinaigrette until well combined. Cover and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. You want to make sure the flavors get well mixed!
4. While that's happening, slice off the top of each tomato and carefully scoop out the flesh, seeds, and juice. Once the orzo mix is done sitting, take it out and scoop it into the tomatoes. 

And you're done! You can also buy grape tomatoes and just mix it with the salad if you can't find big enough tomatoes to put the salad inside. 

The Joys of Baking Soda :)

Hey there-

I haven't done much DIY stuff this week but I thought I would pass along some beauty tips using baking soda that I heard from friends and family! Here goes :)

Every month, my aunt Carol washes her hair and then puts 1/4 cup of baking soda on her hair. She then rinses it and conditions it. She told me that it strips your hair of the residue from shampoo and styling products! It also doesn't affect color (Not sure about perms though). 

My friend, Andi also mentioned that she mixes baking soda with some cold water. She then rubs that on her face instead of using face wash. She has seen great results! 

I have also found some great tips here and here. It's great because baking soda is so inexpensive! I use it in a ton of other things (Febreze, laundry detergent, and fabric softener). It's about time I started using it in my beauty products!

Stay classy :)

DIY Fabric Softener!

It's been a little while...I was in a wedding this past weekend so it's been nuts around here! I hope everyone has had a great few weeks! I decided this week to make homemade fabric softener. It was super easy and it cost me maybe 4 bucks to make! It was enough to fill a huge container of regular fabric softener. 

I got this recipe from Frugal Girls. This is also a place where I get coupons and other deals. The recipe is as follows:

6 cups HOT water (it needs to be hot to dissolve the conditioner. I just kept my faucet on for a bit and it was hot enough)

3 cups white vinegar

2 cups Suave conditioner (I used the green apple one)

Take the conditioner and put it in the hot water. Mix together until it is completely dissolved. Add the vinegar and mix together. And you're done! I saved an old fabric softener container and put the softener in there. So much cheaper than the other stuff and it works just as well!!

Stay classy :)