bring joy

Debt Snowball Update

debt-free

But first.

Part of my choice to write & publish in such a public sphere, I put myself, my family, up for scrutiny.

At times I cringe, & think–what am I thinking, sharing such details with all the world?!

But then other times, particularly after I receive a sincere & heartfelt email from a reader about how reading has helped them some way, I move forward with confidence & know that by sharing, I am doing some good.

I’m in a very trying period of my life right now. Forgive me if my next slew of thoughts are a bit jumbled.

I feel like I’m being pushed & pulled, knocked down & humbled by this mothering thing. It’s not just motherhood. If only it were that! It’s being a military spouse, where my husband often has to work very long hours (with no overtime), goes to training in another...

Arsenic in Rice {+ Why I’m Still Eating It}

vegan/health

In light of yesterday’s post on rice, a few of you raised the ol’ arsenic concern.

Who wants to knowingly & willing consume carcinogens?

If you aren’t aware of the arsenic & rice (not to be confused with arsenic & lace) issue, let me get you up to speed. (Well really, just read this.) But essentially, low-levels of arsenic have been found in all crops of rice–brown, white, wild, regardless of the country they are grown, regardless of the farming methods (ie. doesn’t matter if it’s organic or not).

This little bit from the FDA website explains more:

Arsenic is a chemical element distributed in the Earth’s crust. Human activities such as fuel burning, mining and the use of arsenic compounds in pesticides have also added arsenic to the environment.

Though, they do point out that “[…]...

Want to save money? Eat more of this. {New Recipe: Vegetable Tomato Rice Salad w/ Lemon Tahini Dressing}

salad & soup, frugal eating

{What I think of arsenic & rice, here.}

If you want to get rich by spending less & saving more, here are a few tips for you:

Buy used, when possible/reasonable
Bike or walk instead of driving whenever possible (this post will change your view of driving & commuting)
Line dry your laundry (it’s not as hard as you think, & you may be surprised at how relaxing it is)

As for us, we mostly eat white rice these days.

It’s not that I don’t like brown rice, it’s just that white rice is:

even more inexpensive than brown,
has a longer shelf life (I have to store my brown rice in the freezer to help keep it from going rancid),
& contrary to popular belief, will not suck your nutritional soul.

Further, in my opinion it’s more versatile than brown. (I only like brown rice steamed straight...