Dominos with Friends

Our small group has become our Florida family since we live far from our own families. We celebrate holidays and special occasions together. We study, discuss, pray, celebrate, encourage, play, eat as a group.  

The group gets together on Thursday evening to play a dominoes game called Mexican Train. We have had the fortune of going and always enjoy the evening when we do. 

It is a fun game that is easy to play even though there are some rules. You can play on your own train, the community train, or an opponent's train if it is marked as open for public play. 

It is easy enough that a group discussion can carry one along side the game.

Just when I thought games were lost to digital devices, this group still plays table games. 

Fun times!

Strengths Finder 2.0

I have always been drawn to personality quizzes like Myers Briggs, Jung's Learning Styles, and so many others. 

One profile tool is the Strengths Finder which is composed of 34 different types that describe a person's strengths. 

I went to an interview once where they provided this book to me as part of the interview. Each book has a unique code that allows you access to the quiz. 

In my current organization, my new manager requested that each team member in our specific team take the quiz. Our goal is to celebrate each other's strengths and leverage them to catapult the effectiveness of projects. 

My top 5 strengths are: 

1. Activator
2. Maximizer
3. Achiever
4. Input
5. Ideation

It makes me think of the song "We Are Many Parts" just like it talks about in 1 Corinthians 12: 12-27. We are have gifts and talents to share to make this a better world and to reach the lost. 

Mail Call

My husband has certain comforts from home that are either difficult to find in the US or far more expensive. 

After nearly a year of trial and error, we have categorized which items are cheaper to buy in Africa and shipped to the US. Since my husband has a large network in both Africa and the US, we have channels for making this happen. 

One such package arrived this week which took 11 days shipping. Not bad considering it is coming from the other side of the ocean. Some of my US purchases take that long or more. 

It is always fun getting a package in the mail. Especially when it is filled with goodies!

Homemade Pizza

I have not made a pizza at home in a year or so. I thought I'd try to put one together for us. 

I use the Cuisinart recipe for the pizza dough which calls for 1 packet of yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/2 cup of warm water to start. 

Next, gradually mix 4 cups of flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 cup of water. I add garlic powder to the dough also for additional flavor. 

Place the dough into a ziploc bag for the next hour or 2 to rise. 

After a little over 2 hours, the dough has risen. For a thick pizza, use all the dough. For thin crust pizza, cut the dough in half. 

Sprinkle flour on a surface and roll out the dough. Try to make a similar shape to the pan you plan to use. Spray the pan with cooking spray or grease with oil before placing the rolled dough on the pan. 

I opted for vegetables for toppings for the whole pizza. I also chose sausage for my half of the pizza. Raw vegetables or sautéed vegetables make for nice toppings. 

To start building the pizza, I sprinkle seasonings of garlic powder, basil, and oregano. Next, I spoon sauce on the seasoned dough. 

Once the sauce is on the dough, sprinkle mozzarella cheese or an Italian combination of cheese. After the cheese, add the toppings. 

Bake for 35-50 minutes, depending on the thickness of the dough at 350°. Cut and serve!

Buon appetito!

Shopping: Matching Accessories

I was given this cute purse for Christmas this past year. It is a really cute medium sized bag. 

While this isn't my every day purse, I do use it a lot to add some splash to my outfits. My challenge is matching colors with shoes and accessories when those same shoes and accessories are not with me. 

The benefit of this purse is that it came with a swatch! I can put it in my every day purse and have it on hand next time I'm shopping. 

Why don't more manufacturers provide a swatch? That would be amazing!

Dolphin Sighting

Once in awhile, we will see dolphins in the ocean. It seems to be in the evening when the sun starts to fade. 

Not being a dolphin expert, I don't know what inspires dolphins to pop up in the evening. 

The times that we have seen them all seem to be when it is quiet and settled. We will sit on the beach and stare out into the vast ocean. All of a sudden, a dolphin will jump! 

The first time it happened, we looked at each other incredulously and then looked for another sighting. Sure enough, they were traveling along the coast. 

What an unexpected blessing and reminder of God's creation. Something we know very little about. 

Organic Dinner

Some of our dinners are made up of random dishes just to be fed. 

This dinner a few nights ago was just that. We started with an avocado salad which is made from avocado, cucumber, bean sprouts, and tomatoes. Dice and toss. 

Next, we had some fried tofu. This organic tofu cutlet is firm enough that it does not fall apart. When fried, it is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 

Finally, we fried some sweet plantains. Sometimes I salt them afterwards and sometimes I leave them plain. This time, they were plain. 

Flaxseed for a Colon Cleanse

I recently read this article about flushing out the intestines with flaxseed and kefir. It promotes digestion and cleans out bad bacteria otherwise lodged in the intestines. 

The two ingredients are healthy and harmless. You might as well give it a try! I am using flaxseed meal and pomegranate flavored kefir. 

Week 1: 1 tablespoon of flaxseed and 6 tablespoons of kefir. 

Week 2: 2 tablespoon of flaxseed and 6 tablespoons of kefir. 

Week 3: 3 tablespoon of flaxseed and 10 tablespoons of kefir. 

Creole Black Eyed Peas and Rice

I am always looking for a way to change up our rice dishes. 

At my husband's request, I purchased black eyed peas. You can see in the photo below, I upcycled another glass jar to store the beans.

Not having a lot of experience with these types of beans, I searched for recipes. I found a Creole Black Eyed Peas and Rice recipe on allrecipes.com  

The recipe calls for ground beef. I eliminated that ingredient and focused on the beans and rice. 

The recipe also calls for cans of beans. Since I had dry, I had to boil the beans first and then set them aside. 

Then, I chopped onion, pepper, and cabbage. I sautéed them in olive oil until they were soft. 

Next, I added rice and water to the veggie sauté. Along with the rice, I added some spices to give it a kick. Once it boiled, I covered the pan and turned it down to simmer. 

Once the rice was mostly done, I added the beans to the rice mixture and simmered some more. 

I served mine with a twist of lime and turkey sausage. My husband took his without meat. 

We both really liked this dish. It was a welcome change from the typical rice and sauce combo. 

Space Saving: Fruit Baskets

For the last few years, I've used a large plastic bowl and 2 small glass bowls on the countertop for fruits and vegetables.

Since the countertop is rectangular and the bowls are round, there was never a good fit for the fruit bowls on the countertop. I decided to look for a rectangular basket of sorts to make better use of the space. 

I found this double decker sliding drawer-basket at Marshall's for under $10. (Typically, you get Shopkicks for walking into Marshall's as well).

My countertops are not as spacious as I would like, so I am not able to use this basket system as drawers. It works well on the countertop as is.

I like that it is double decker and a wired basket. With the other bowls being opaque, I would lose track of the produce I had. This basket system allows me to see the produce with no barrier. 

More Smoothie Recipes

I have posted about smoothies before (see more here). They are something we make for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

This time the recipe consisted of:

• strawberries
• blueberries
• pineapple
• splash of lime juice
• splash of lemon juice
• Ocean Spray Cranberry Mango Juice
• Nonfat Greek yogurt

I paired this smoothie with a bowl of tapioca. This breakfast kept me going for awhile!

Couponing: Meat

People ask me a lot about saving money on meat. There are deals to be had! 

A couple weeks ago, Winn Dixie had a deal on Smithfield breakfast meat. The retail price was $3.99 and the sale price was $1.99. There was a $2 off coupon for 1 package of Smithfield breakfast meat. 

(Although, we live in a meat-free zone, I still eat meat on occasion.)

It was a promotion that was a Saturday-Sunday only deal. When I arrived at the store, the shelves were cleared. 

Here's the hack: ask for a rain check. Stores still honor sale prices when the item is out of stock. Typically a rain check is for 30 days. 

I returned to the store a couple weeks later, with the rain check and coupon to purchase the item. 

Here is the breakdown: 

      $1.99 sale price for 1 package

-    $2 coupon

= - $0.01 

The package was completely free! The Winn Dixie I went to does not allow for an overage to be paid to the customer. Otherwise, they would have paid me 1¢.

Father's Day Gift from an App

Today is Father's Day! 

This year I decided to send my dad a Starbucks ecard. He and my mom go to Starbucks and wile away the hours together. 

From my Starbucks app, I sent him a gift card which he can seamlessly add to his Starbucks app. 

Ecards are great ways to send a gift without the hassle of mailing it. 

Money Saving Apps: TGIFridays Rewards

Signing up for TGIFridays Rewards is a great way to have benefits and save money on future visits. There is also an app that is free. 

For example, Rewards members get chips and salsa at every visit to the restaurant. There is also an option to skip to the front of the line at busy times. 

Each transaction racks up points stored up for benefits. 

50 points: a free dessert

80 points: free sandwich or burger

90 points: free select burger

100 points: $8 off food purchase; free chicken, seafood, salad, or select entrée

150 points: free rib or steak entrée

You can see below that I currently have 116 points which makes me eligible for 5 of the 6 point  reward intervals. 

This rewards program is a great way to dine out while keeping an eye on a budget. 

Fortunes

One of my favorite things about going out for Chinese as a kid was getting the fortune cookie. Rumor has it, that this is a tradition instilled in the US and not in China. 

We went out for Chinese recently and there was no fortune in my cookie. That was a first in all these years. 

Things that make you go hmm...

Tapioca

I grew up with tapioca pudding and never knew what tapioca actually was. Tapioca comes from cassava, a plant and root that grows in warm tropical climates. 

We bought some at the African market to have on hand. It does not have much of a taste and once boiled it is gelatinous. 

Here is a closer look.

We boiled it with some ground nutmeg.

Once done, we added condensed milk to make it creamy.

Prepared tapioca is a filling snack or breakfast. We don't eat it often but enjoy it when we do. 

Florida Summer

Now is the time of year the rest of the US relishes: summer time. 

In Florida, on the other hand, it is time to "hibernate." We tend to be less visible to neighbors than the rest of the year, similar to winter up north. We may deal with heat but not with snow!

The humidity is can be stifling. Most people stay indoors all day soothed by the air conditioning. If one needs to do yard work, it is cooler out after the sun goes down. 

Summer is still a great time for convertibles, pools, and beaches. 

Eating outdoors may occur on occasion at home or at a tiki hut restaurant. 

Enjoy the summer everyone!

Salt Pig

Like most people, I have always used a salt shaker to salt food. Even if it needed to be measured, I would shake some into my hand to see the right amount. 

My mom has always had a salt crock with a cork lid which can easily fit varying sizes of measuring spoons. 

Not being the gourmet cook she is, I used a salt shaker. 

It was not until I was studying abroad in France that I noticed a smaller salt container. It didn't take up the space my mom's salt crock did. A salt pig!

I was given this salt pig and scoop from my host family in France. It has been a great addition to the kitchen. I find that I can control the amount of salt easier this way. 

Personally, I typically keep course sea salt in it. The sea salt seen in the photo is fine sea salt which means I need to buy course sea salt. (There happens to be a rebate on ibotta for that!)

Crystal Light Containers

I had shown these containers in a previous post that discussed repurposing containers. So many great ideas out there!

These Crystal Light containers are my favorite because they are tall and slim. They stack easily, too. Many containers I have are short, wide, and take up a lot of space. 

I use them in the kitchen to store dry goods. There are great ideas using them in the office, workshop, craft room, etc. There are great ways to paint them, cover them with contact paper, washi tape, and other materials. 

The dry goods I currently store in these containers are sunflower seeds, bulgar, and sliced almonds. 

Looks like I'm running low on sunflower seeds!

Red Beans and Oil

A very simple African dish called haricot (French) or veyi (pronounced vay-ee in Ewe) entails red beans and palm oil.

I am using dry red beans and boil them until soft. Salt can be used if desired. 

Once the beans are soft, dish some into a bowl with palm oil (seen below). 

My husband adds gari (read more here) which adds a nice crunch to the beans. Ultimately, I added some, too. 

The hardest part about this dish is the wait time for the beans to boil. Other than that this is a very easy dish to prepare. Being in a meat-free zone, this is a great way for us to get protein. 

Badge Protection Hack

Many organizations require employees to wear a badge for identification purposes. It serves as a safety measure to ensure who belongs in that location. 

Going through the daily tasks of a job can result in a beat up lanyard and badge. Here is a solution to keep your badge clean and free from scuffs: a luggage tag holder. 

Make sure the luggage tag holder has a clear window. Mine has a clear window front and a leather back. My current workplace does not have a double sided badge. For those who require this, there are fully clear luggage tag holders. 

Place the badge inside with the photo identification visible through the clear plastic. I flipped mine over for this post because much like my driver's license, my badge photo is not the most flattering. 

Attach the lanyard to the luggage tag holder and the badge will be protected! 

This is a fun way to jazz up the ubiquitous badge. Having an interesting luggage tag holder can also be fodder for water cooler conversation as well. It may break the ice with someone who will become important to you. 

Money Saving App: 7-Eleven App

The 7-Eleven app is a fast and easy way to get free coffee. Buy 6 coffees, of any size, you earn the 7th coffee free!

It takes no time for coffee lovers to get free coffee. Conceivably, once a week if you're a frequent-flyer of 7-Eleven. 

There are other freebies on the app also. There are deals on beverages, snacks, and food. There are a couple events throughout the year that you can have free coffee for a day or the whole week if you have the app. 

It's a free app with freebies. Awesome!