Do I Save Money Doing It Myself? Is It Worth It?

 Is it worth all the work we do to save money?  For me I would say most of the time.  Although I have to say, when these deals pop up, I have to jump on them, and ask why now? 

   Why now?  I'm in the middle of this water leak repair, and so far have had someone at my house every single day.  I'm not usually comfortable with people coming, walking around my house while I'm doing something else.  After a couple days though it seemed like it didn't matter.  I really don't know why.  I was kind of glad that today the same guy showed up, since he knew that I was capable of being dressed.  Yep, he showed up and I had jeans and my pj top on.  If he noticed, he sure didn't show it, since he spent most of his time doing his job and playing with the little guy here. 
  

     So, what kind of deal cropped up?  Apples, a lot of apples.  All I know is that I couldn't pick up the box.  Who could pass up such a deal on organic apples?  My daughter had bought herself a case also, and when I visited her she was canning them in jars, cold pack and the boiling water bath method.  With mine, I'm not sure if I have enough actually for everything I'd like to do with them, but I'll let you know what I end up doing.  I'm not the most experienced person with preserving and I have to look up a lot of different methods and compare them to understand the science of my projects.  I do like very clear concise recipes and methods, and I love the pictures.  By following these recipes I gain a better understanding of the steps that have to be done, or whether they don't matter one way or the other.

   I'll be posting what I've done with all these apples along with some pictures.  And what of my title of is this worth it?  I think so when all is said and done.  It gets the family involved, hopefully and we are all working toward a common goal of putting food on the pantry. 
   Knowing where my food came from and how it was cooked and processed also is great.  It puts me in control of what we are eating.  At least some of it anyway.  I'm just hoping the next good deal on food or produce doesn't come up too soon.  Just can't pass up a chance to save money on organic produce and fill my shelves with food I prepared myself.

Vegetables for Juicing

   

      Okay, okay.  I've totally wanted to skip this part.  Which vegetables are the best for juicing.  The thing is I don't think there is a best that can be pointed out.  Every single person is different in their nutritional needs and of course, what they like.  Now, I'm not going to expect every veggie concoction to be wonderful.  In fact, I'm assuming that some of it may be an acquired taste, which is why starting out slowly could be a good thing. 

   One of the first things I noticed is that apple juice is almost always suggested to make things taste just a bit better, or less bitter.  I did find a very extensive list, and it would take a lot of time to investigate each and every vegetable.  Some of these vegetables, maybe since I'm not a die hard juicer yet, seem a bit odd.  For example, artichokes.  They seem to be a bit pricey, so I really would rather eat it than waste the taste on juicing it.  Or alfalfa sprouts.  If I do find time to sprout them, I'd rather throw them in a salad or a sandwich.  So, check out this list and see what you think.  List of juicing vegetables

     Another thing is the beets.  A few websites state to never drink beet juice by itself or it can paralyze your vocal chords.  Yet I see that very thing in Henry's Market and other places.  I didn't see any warnings on the package.  I've seen pro and con on that.  But really, I would wonder just how many beets would you really want in a glass of juice anyway. 

The list is a good starting point, with a lot of information on the nutrients and what each vegetable could help you with.  If there is one in particular that catches your eye I encourage you to do further research on that individual vegetable. 

   As for myself I'm going to just start with what I like.  Okay, so I'd rather have fruit in my juice.  One of my favorite smoothies is Strawberry Banana.  It uses one whole banana, about five strawberries, crushed pineapple with a tad of the juice, (if you do it the unhealthy way like me and get it from a can) and if I have protein powder I'll use a scoop of that.  Oh yeah, don't forget an ounce or two of apple juice.  This I throw in the blender and it makes a nice sweet treat.  Now from there, I can add things that I will never notice.  I like to add a spoonful of flax meal, and a few leaves of some fresh spinach.  Since I know I like this concoction, always have since I was a kid (a very long time ago) so I will just start with those and add in from there.  A tweak here and a tweak there.  For starters, I'm going to add in a carrot.  So now I've got my fruits with two veggies.  It's a start anyway and will have to do until I find a juicer to do all the work.

Does Food Matter To You?

   Does food matter to me?  Yes, yes it does!  The fact is, the way our bodies are designed, it matters alot in order for us to function at optimal levels, to feel good and ward off illness and disease.

   

     I watched the movie Food Matters on Netflix and it was very informative.  It was also very persuasive on the topic of vitamins.  In fact, it did such a good job that my husband was ready to run out and buy vitamins.  If you met my husband, you would know that's amazing, since getting him to take anything by mouth in the form of a pill or vitamin is near impossible.  But on the other hand, he can be persuaded at times more easily than me, ( I hate door to door salespeople) 
   I do believe we need to increase our daily veggie intake.  Also we cannot forget  other nutrients such as trace minerals, enzymes and a host of other things our bodies need.  This movie will get you thinking about it. 
 

     I am not a vegetarian or vegan since I believe we do need to have some of the nutrients that meat delivers to us.  Each persons needs are different.  I may need about 12 ounces of meat, someone else may only need 8 ounces.  I bet most of us pretty much know just based on how we feel.  This website actually had this post this morning which seemed timely to me watching this movie.  CLICK HERE to see this post. 

   

This all seems to come again at an odd time, it wasn't planned at all, with me examining juicing machines.  I'll have to say, it all is starting to make me want that juicer now, today. I'll force myself to continue shopping for a brand with a decent price and good reviews with the features that I want.