I’m feeling quite accomplished and homemakey tonight. I just made a HUGE pot of potato and kale soup and portioned it and labeled it and put most of it in the freezer. It’s joining several containers of sweet pork as well as vegetable soup. I also have a pot of pinto beans and a pot of black beans soaking, ready to be boiled tomorrow and also go into the freezer for future projects (like tasty, tasty sweet pork burritos).

I’m doing this because I’m determined to 1) have more time to write instead of feeling concerned about not having dinner ready, and 2) to be prepared for the near future when I’ll need to be on an even tighter budget. I feel the need to get the hang of cooking on a budget NOW when mistakes can be financially forgotten easier.

Did you know that a dry bag of beans costs .88 and makes 4x the portion of a can of beans, which costs around 1.10? Yes, it takes some prior planning, but I’ve make some incredibly savory pinto beans with just a little bacon added and it tastes better than any can of beans I’ve ever eaten.

Beans also go great in burritos with the sweet pork I made yesterday. Mmm…

But for now, the biggest bonus (besides cooking with fresh ingredients which is AMAZING and way healthier) is giving myself more time to write.

You may have noticed (or not, I understand if you don’t hang on my every word… yet) that my Shape Up Saturdays aren’t arriving each Saturday. That’s because I can’t keep up with all the demands on my time right now AND present a well-explained post for each body issue I’d like to cover. I’ve considered just posting a picture or short video of one pose or exercise to try each week. Would this be helpful? You tell me in the comments and help me decide where to take my Shape Up Saturdays from here.

In the meantime… I’m off to take a few minutes to write.