A week’s worth of (healthy) eats for under $50

I mainly shop at Publix. But today I took my “$10 off a $50 or more purchase” coupon to Winn Dixie and hit their sales. I got at least a week’s worth of food–that includes my favorite fish and 2 jars of my favorite salad dressings, organic half and half, and lots of veggies–plus almost a month’s worth of Maxwell House coffee, all for $45.57!

Don’t believe me? Here’s what I got:

5 (count ‘em, 5!) bags Maxwell House dark roast coffee (2$5)

3 pounds (YES, THREE POUNDS!) shredded Kraft Mozarella Cheese (Manager’s special @ $1.75 each 1-lb bag)

1 pound Kraft shredded sharp cheddar cheese ($3.49)
1 full size container WD brand Parmesan cheese ($2.99) (good for gluten free meatloaf/balls)

1 pound WD sweet cream unsalted butter (2.50)

1 16 ounce Brand? Organic Half & Half (not on sale)

2 (NOT ONE BUT TWO) 12 ounce bag frozen grouper,  total 1 1/2 pounds
2 (Yep, TWO AGAIN) 12 ounce bag frozen cod, total 1 1/2 pounds (BOGO)

1 16 ounce jar Naturally Fresh Bleu Cheese salad dressing
1 16 ounce jar Naturally Fresh Ranch salad dressing (2/$5)

1 bag Dole salad baby greens
1 bag Dole salad 7-lettuce mix (BOGO)

2 big bags Dole fresh spinach (BOG0)
2 cucumbers (2/.99)

I didn’t use any coupons other than the $10 off my $50 or more purchase. I would have used a 55 cent coupon on whipped Philly Brand cream cheese b/c it’s on sale 3/$5 but they were out of it

After Winn Dixie, I went right next door to the Dollar Store and picked up a huge bottle of Palmolive dish detergent for $2 (cheaper there than at WD, Publix and WalMart).

Later today I’ll go to Publix and pick up some of their 99 cent chicken drumsticks and thighs to put in the freezer and some of their fresh, cut veggies that are on sale this week for $1 a bag (produce section). I’ll also get eggs there b/c they’re cheaper than Winn Dixie.

Sales aside, flour, sugar, dog food, cake mixes, condiments (ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, etc) and so on are usually cheaper at WalMart. But I don’t need any of that right now. Too bad, because you can get Ghiradelli chocolate chips for $2.08 at WalMart right now. Also, I picked up Vital Wheat Gluten for half price,  only 90 cents. Vital Wheat gluten is a “baker’s secret”  that lets you bake bread  like a pro with a bread machine.

Publix:

Chicken drums/thighs @ 99cents a pound
Eggs $1.39 dozen
Cut veggies (broccoli, cauliflower) $1 a bag

THE $250 COOKIE RECIPE

Have you heard the urban myth about the $250 cookie recipe?

And, is it even a myth, or did it really happen? Well, so far as I can tell, no one’s really sure.

If you’ve never heard it, here’s how the story goes:

Supposedly a woman walked into a Neiman Marcus store in NY and asked for their cookie recipe. When she was told it would cost “two fifty,” she agreed thinking it would be $2.50.

When she got her credit card bill, she was so outraged to find a charge for $250, she plotted revenge by sharing the recipe with as many people as she could.

Here then, is the $250 cookie recipe…for free, of course!

The $250 COOKIE RECIPE (oatmeal & chocolate chunk, YUM!)

Recipe

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, or 12 ounces top-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks
3-1/2 to 4 ounces top-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped or coarsely grated
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted (optional)

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.

In a food processor or blender, grind the oats to a very fine powder. (If using a blender, stop the motor and stir the oats several times.) In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In another large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar, sugar, and corn syrup and beat until well blended and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until evenly incorporated. Beat in about half of the flour mixture. Beat or stir in the chocolate morsels, chopped milk chocolate, walnuts or pecans (if using), and remaining flour mixture until evenly incorporated. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the dough firms up just slightly.

Divide the dough into quarters. Divide each quarter into 5 or 6 equal portions. Shape them into balls with lightly greased hands. Place on the baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Using your hands, pat down the balls to 1 inch thick.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at time, in the upper third of the oven for 9 to 12 minutes, or until tinged with brown and just beginning to firm up in the centers; for very moist cookies, be careful not to overbake. Reverse the sheet front to back halfway through baking to ensure even browning. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack and let stand until the cookies firm up slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks. Let stand until completely cooled.

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

Talk Dirty to Your to Your Utility/Phone/Cable Company and Save Big $$$

“T-Mobile, I’m leaving you for AT&T.”

That’s what I said to my cell phone company about seven months ago. And that’s how I got a shiny new ruby red BlackBerry for 50 bucks, one that was supposed to cost me at least $189.

I thought it was stupid that I had to switch phone companies just to get a great deal on the phone I wanted, so before I did, I thought I would give mine a call and see if I could get them to match the price of another company’s phone deal for new subscribers.

It worked.

I got the phone I wanted at the price I wanted. Better yet, I got to continue my old service plan that gives me a 1,000 minutes with free weekends for 45 dollars a month. Even better, they had a special going at the time on unlimited email service for only $9.99 a month. Wait! That’s not all! A few months ago, T-Mobile changed their free time to “after 7 p.m.” instead of “after 9 p.m.” on weekdays so I now have tons of free airtime, too. The result? For about $60 a month, I have a phone and a service plan that ROCK.

If I would have had to switch companies, the closest comparable plan to my own would be $70+ without email.

I am one happy, penny-pinching T-Mobile customer.

I know a lot of people complain about T but I’ve been with them a long time and to me, their customer service is outstanding. T’s CS reps are always cheerful and nice on the phone…and patient! It took me several months to choose what kind of new phone I wanted and I called them for info beforehand more than once. For the most part, I’m happy I finally decided on the BlackBerry, mainly because I can easily check my email wherever I am.

But phone companies aren’t the only place you can whittle your monthly bill. Here are some other tricks I’ve learned along the way:

* Call your cable company and tell them you’re thinking of switching to satellite…is there any kind of deal they can get you? I did this twice and wound up with cable programming that was half of the going cost.

* Ditto with Internet service. If your connection is DSL, just mention to the phone company that you’re thinking of switching to cable and see what kind of deal they’ll suddenly come up with. The reverse is also true. If anything, I find cable companies are especially good at coming up with bargain deals in the face of lose a customer to the competition.

As a side note, now that I live in a condo, I knew the satellite dish trick wouldn’t work. But with Internet, even if you live somewhere where satellite dishes aren’t permitted, you can still play the DSL card. And this is exactly what I recently did.

Now that my one-year internet+TV cable deal ($60 for both and that includes some premium channels like HBO! I got this as a new customer, and new customers almost always stand to get a good rate so call your local cable co. and ASK if they have any specials when moving to a new place– sometimes they don’t tell you about the deals until you do) is about to expire, I called my cable company to inquire about an Internet-only plan. When they quoted me an outrageously high rate– $59.95 for just the Internet service alone!– I told them I would call my phone company and give them a call back…maybe.

I finished by asking, “Oh, and by the way, who do I call about having my service disconnected?”

Well, that was EFFECTIVE. All of a sudden they remembered had a much cheaper Internet rate. Supposedly this price is for a slower-rate broadband but guess what? More than one person– ex-cable employees and the like– have confirmed that this SUPPOSEDLY slower rate is the same broadband as the more expensive, supposedly faster one and that’s why all cable or ex-cable employees I have spoke with choose the cheaper of the two!

*SHOW YOUR POWER COMPANY WHO HAS THE REAL POWER! Here is something kind of controversial. Even though the electric company will tell you they read your meter, I’ve been told by at least one ex-power company employee that, many times, they actually estimate your bill according to your rate usage for the previous year, then simply adjust it accordingly for rate changes (nearly always, hikes).

What to do?

if you’ve been trying to cut back on your electric usage and your efforts aren’t reflected on your bill, call the power company and tell them you think they’ve made an error and request that your meter be re-read. You can also read it yourself on a month-to-month basis and check it against your power bill.

** WATER COMPANIES There’s not much you can do about water charges, except conserve usage. However, if you run up your bill filling a swimming pool (I used to have one, so I know) (By the way, ask your local fire dept. if they fill pools. It will usually save you big buck– sometimes they’ll even do it the first time FOR FREE!) or excessively watering your yard (say, you just got new sod or something like that) or anything that requires water usage without sewer services, you can contact your municipality and explain the situation. If they have a prior year or even some of your neighbors to compare your bill with, they will SOMETIMES adjust your bill. I’ve had two municipalities that would adjust and one– the City of Gulf Breeze– absolutely refuse, even though at the time of my request, the area was in the middle of a confirmed drought and I had to bring my yard back to life with muchos waterings at my landlord’s request. During that time, one month’s bill jumped from about $80 to over $300 and I told my landlady after Gulf Breeze refused to adjust it: either I or the yard goes.

Fortunately it rained shortly after that!

NONE OF THESE SUGGESTIONS ARE GUARANTEED TO WORK. However, these are all things that HAVE WORKED FOR ME IN THE PAST.

So, why not give it a try? You won’t know if it’ll work for you unless you give it a shot. And if it does, I can tell you, those savings really add up at the end of the month!

Great Haircare Products for (Much) Less Money!

I recently began going to an Aveda spa and I have to say, after using Redken nearly my whole life, I am totally sold on the product line.

However, they are frightfully expensive.

After learning I’ve been paying twice as much for Redken products that, as it turns out, aren’t much better, ingredient-wise, than the stuff sold on discount store shelves, I am just a wee bit jaded about high priced hair care.

And if Redken is expensive, Aveda is outrageous. $80 for the best deal I could find consisting of shampoo, conditioner and a couple of tiny bottles of pre-styling products. But it is a better deal than buying the products separately at the spa. If you’re interested, you can find them at www.aveda.com.

Granted, Aveda’s products are all natural and avoid some of the ingredients that dull color, shine and so forth. I could see a difference in my hair after having it washed and instant-conditioned at the spa.

But when you tack on the $80 to the more-than $50 I paid for a two-inch hair trim, I felt like I was spending too much money for six weeks of haircare (and that doesn’t include color, which runs about $150 to $200 at the spa. Ouch!).

I recently discovered, however, that you can buy all-natural hair products that are similar to Aveda from online health stores, the same place I go to get protein powder and so forth.

I checked out www.vitacost.com and found all kinds of all natural shampoos and conditioners that don’t contain sodium laureth, alcohol or parabens, all ingredients you want to avoid. And the price? About $5 to $7 per item, and in most states, there is no tax tacked on. At $4.95 per shipment– no matter the size of the order– shipping is a deal, too.

Try typing in “natural shampoo” to get some products. Jason Natural and Aubrey Organics are two brands that are well-rated. Ingredients and customer reviews are posted right on the page, too, and can help you decide which products to try, if you can’t make up your mind.

In the next day or two, I plan to order GeniSoy pure protein (great stuff!) to throw in my bread dough from Vita Cost, and am also going to try out at least a few of these brands.

In the meantime, I hope the bigger name, “professional” haircare companies will come to realize we’re in the throes of one of the scariest recessions ever, and start lowering their prices. Between drugstore knock-offs and Internet health stores, they have some stiff, low-pried competition. I’m not sure how long it will take for them to realize consumers are no longer shopping based on lifestyle, but on price. My guess is–given that the recession isn’t predicted to be at all temporary– it won’t be long before they realize that these days consumers are no longer shopping based on lifestyle as in the recent past, but on price.

Until they do get it, I’m done paying hundreds of dollars for their products. How about you?

SAVE BREAD WITH BREAD!

After a 6-year moratorium, I have been cooking up a storm in the past 8 months and I finally figured out why: I miss my kids.

After spending several hours in the kitchen everyday for 19 years, I left the courtroom the day my divorce was finalized, raised my fist in the air ala Scarlett O’Hara and gleefully exclaimed:

With God as my witness, I shall NEVER cook again!

And for five years I didn’t. I fed my kids and myself mainly smoothies, protein shakes, salads and the occasional grilled wrap or homemade soup.

Then last winter, my youngest son– the one that has always lived with me– moved back to his old hometown. And suddenly I found myself cooking all of my kids’ childhood favorites: homemade mac and cheese oozing with real cream, butter and several pounds of cheese (which is why in my house, it’s known as “crack-and-cheese,” it’s that good!), 10-pound lasagna (so named because that’s how much it weighs and also, how much weight it seems to put on me– I find good lasagna simply irrisestible ), homemade chicken and spinach parmesana over plump fettucine, good ol’ fashioned all-American meatloaf, big fat sausages smothered in green peppers and onions served up in crusty, tender-middled rolls…Well, I could go on forever. And that doesn’t even begin to cover the cookies, banana puddings, brownies (topped with ganache, no less) and other desserts I’ve made.

Food=love. And good memories.

Oddly enough, even though I gleefully, and often, invite my three sons over to revisit their childhood dinners, I’ve found that my kids have come to prefer salads, smoothies and shakes over comfort food. What hath Mommy wrought?

But I still keep cooking away. And baking my brains out.

Lately it’s been bread and brownies, mainly because I got a new bread maker. I so regret that shortly after swearing off cooking, I foolishly gave away most of my cool appliances– an ice cream maker, an electric pressure cooker and a West Bend bread machine that wasn’t very expensive yet made fabulous bread.

This time around, after walking in front of the television one day, I got sucked in by Wolfgang Puck whipping up all kinds of things in his very own “bread and dessert machine” and ordered it. I have since sent it back because it overcooked virtually everything I tried to make in it and replaced it with T-Fal’s “Emeril” (Lagasse) breadmaker from Amazon.com. It’s expensive enough to qualify for free shipping and also has a $20 rebate, valid on purchases through the end of Nov. Amazon doesn’t ever charge tax.

The reason I was interested in both of these machines is because they make big loaves: the WP a 2.5 pounder and Emeril’s, a whopping 3 pounder. They also each have dual paddles which is important if you make a lot of big whole-grain loaves. And both machines not only made bigger loaves than the top-of-the line Zojuirushi, but are less expensive by at least 50 bucks, too.

Emeril’s even has a special insert that fits the baking pan to make baguettes. And it also supposedly makes pasta. Both supposedly make jam. I say “supposedly,” because I haven’t checked either function out. (But I do intend to make homemade pasta soon!)

Here’s what I learned when I was married and made bread every single day: Not only does it taste amazingly good– incredibly much better than anything that’s store bought. And not only can you control the ingredients by using healthy ingredients and perhaps even more importantly, by leaving out bad things like High Fructose Corn Syrup and preservatives (bread on the shelf is loaded with dough conditioners and preservatives), but you can also make A LOAF OF HIGH-QUALITY BREAD FOR PENNIES, as compared to the $3 or $4 per loaf you’d pay in the supermarket (I buy whole grain and it’s EXPENSIVE and never as good as homemade). Have you priced a loaf of bread lately? It’s ridiculous!

For about 50 cents, I can make a loaf of high-quality stone ground wheat bread similar to what I used to pay nearly $4 for at the supermarket. I can also make classy artesan breads as well as loaves of French and Italian. Plus I can quickly make other baked goods like brownies, bars, cakes and all kinds of rolls from scratch, usually using one pan for everything or two, if I’m using just the dough cycle. No matter what I make, they are all so much cheaper and fresher– and much, much more delicious!– than anything I can pick up at a supermarket or traditional bakery.

THINK about it! If you have a family and made just one loaf of bread per day instead of buying store bought, you could easily save $300 to $1,000 per year just on bread. No kidding!

The machine is a little bit of an investment but if you use it, will quickly pay for itself. And you needn’t go with a high-priced model. WalMart and Amazon have a highly rated model– I think it’s a Breadman (stay away from Sunbeam! It has terrible reviews!) that goes for about $54. Granted, $54 won’t buy you twin mixing/kneading paddles or a few of the other features like the “gluten free” cycle, but you will be able to make a delicious 2-pound loaf of white or whole-wheat bread as well as “quick breads.” Like most machines, even this cheapie has a quick cycle that bakes a loaf of white bread in 59 minutes.

You can sometimes find used breadmakers on CraigsList, and always on eBay, but I haven’t found a good deal othere yet. To me a good deal would be $20, including shipping. If you’re going to pay $30 or more why not just hop over to WalMart and for an extra $20 bill, get a brand new, more modern model that has an impressive warranty? Anyway, you really have to be careful with the used models– some of the breadmakers look to be pretty old so they may be on their last legs. And many of the older models bake vertical loaves instead of horizontal ones. A petty point, yes, but personally I think it matters when you’re trying to slice the bread for sandwiches.

I have made all kinds of bread and brownies over the past two or three months and I tweak most of the recipes. The best one I’ve made so far is a corn-stoneground whole wheat yeast loaf. The bad thing about tweaking recipes is trying to recreate it. I’m going to work on that because it is some of the best bread I’ve ever had in my life!

The bread machine is good for whipping up dough in a hurry, too. I love scones and can throw all the ingredients in the bread pan, make the dough, then remove it and bake them in my regular oven. What a time saver. And money saver, too– I was paying $2.50 for ONE scone over at Panera. I can easily make them for less than a tenth of that!

One aside when trying to save money: Don’t skimp on flour. Generic flour just isn’t as good as name brand. King Arthur is the best flour and right now it’s on special at 50 cents off a 5-pound bag over at my local Publix. So, for just over 3 bucks I can get a sack of flour that will make umpteen loaves of bread. My favorite yeast is Red Star. My only complaint is that it’s hard to find. Our local WalMart has it and it’s 93 cents for a 3- packet package. They also have a jar of Fleischmans instant yeast for about 4 bucks that will, like a sack of flour, make umpteen loaves of bread and is a better deal by far. Still, I go for the Red Star.

WM also has Vital Wheat Gluten. It’s cheap– under two bucks, as I remember– but is imo essential for certain types of bread, especially stone ground wheat.

I’m posting some of the new recipes I’ve tried. They were great!

SHREDDED WHEAT BREAD ( I made this and it was awesome!)

1 1/2 c. warm water
1/4 c. sugar
3 biscuits, shredded wheat
1 pkg. active dry yeast
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/3 c. oil (I used melted butter because I like the taste better0
1 c. dry milk powder
4 c. bread flour (I used whole wheat mixed with 4 tsp. wheat gluten to make 4 cups)

I actually boiled the water and poured over the shredded wheat to get it soft. But if you do that it’s VERY imp’t to wait until the temp cools to about 100 degrees or it will kill the yeast.

Then just throw all ingredients in the bread pan according to manufacturer’s directions and set on whole wheat cycle. Makes about a 2-[ound loaf.

RECIPE Southern Cornbread (Yeast)

Ingredients
• 1 (7 gram) package active dry yeast
• 1 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
• 4 1/3 cups all-purpose or bread flour (Again, I used stone ground wheat mixed with 4 tsp wheat gluten)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 2/3 cup cornmeal
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained (I left this out because I didn't have it on hand, but it sounds good!)
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal (optional)
• 1 egg for egg wash (optional)

Add the ingredients as directed in breadmaker handbook and set it on "light" crust. Makes about a two-pound loaf. The egg wash would go on just before the machine goes into the Bake cycle. You can sprinkle the 2 TBLSp of cornmeal over that if you want. I didn't bother with either and my crust was really crispy and delish.

BASIC SCONE RECIPE:

Ingredients

• 3 cups of flour
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk

(I like to use whole cream instead of milk and cut back on the butter. Add a little extra liquid, about a half to a full Tblsp. to make up for the loss of the butter, though.)

Directions

1. It’s recommended that you use a pan covered with parchment paper, but I don’t and it works fine. You can use a jelly roll type of baking sheet, a cookie sheet or other baking pan. About 15 minutes before the dough is finished, preheat the regular oven to 400°.
2. Throw ingredients into bread pan according to manufacturer’s directions (Liquid then dry or whatever) and set on dough cycle until finished.
3. Flour a surface and knead the dough very briefly.
4. Place on your parchment paper and give any shape you want to the whole thing. The dough should not be thicker than 3/4 inch.
5. Crease the dough almost all the way down on the lines where you will cut it after cooking. (I used the pointy tip of a steak knife dipped in flour)
6. Place into preheated oven at 400° F and bake for 18-20 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and, after letting it cool for 5 minutes, cut, and serve warm or keep for later.
8. If desired, drizzle with a simple glaze of milk and powdered sugar.

Fit for less

About three months ago I decided my arms were too muscle-y. I’ve been into weight training for years but after thinking about it, I decided Pilates would be a better way to train. Pilates focuses on the core (abs and opposing muscles), exactly the area I need to target.

Well, I gave up the weight training alright. But I found that I replaced it with…nothing, even though I have a pilates machine and several pilates tapes. I realized I found the tapes I already owned boring and didn’t like the way they were laid out. Too much sitting around talking about how to do the exercises and not enough reps to be effective. One set of 5 reps just isn’t enough, especially when you come from a weight training background.

So, I called my local pilates studio about taking some classes. They sell them by number with ten of them, the best deal, being about $350.

I put the classes at the top of my Christmas wish list and decided that in the meantime, I would get some better tapes and learn the moves. (Something tells me I’m not gonna find the lessons under the tree anyway and will have to pay for my own classes.) That way I can maximize my time in the studio by perfecting form– which is essential with pilates– on several moves, instead of trying to learn just a couple of moves.

I meant to purchase just a DVD or two, but somehow I’ve gotten carried away and I now have 4 new workout DVD’s. Each is about 50 minutes long, comparable to about 4 workouts at the pilates studio that would have cost me about $150. But the tapes I can do over and over again, indefinitely, so at under $75 for all, I consider it a very good invesment. What’s more, each of the DVD’s came with equipment, which adds further resistance and makes them that much more EFFECTIVE. I know this because my legs are so sore from my new work out, I can barely move them. (can you say OUCH?)

Besides, that, pilates offers the best abs routines I have EVER done. And I’ve been working out since I was 13-years-old!

The drawback is there is a learning curve with both pilates and yoga. I mean an arm curl, aside from some form points, is nothing compared to the complexity of some of these moves.

Here’s what I bought:

1) $25, Danksin Pilates kit, Wal Mart. Comes with a DVD with FIVE workouts that are very good. I like the way the instructor explains the moves WHILE SHE DOES THEM. That way, after your first time, you’re not slowed down by trying to fast forward through all the blah blah blah.

Also comes with:

55 cm balance ball (I needed this like I needed a hole in the head. I now have THREE)

Hand pump (so much nicer than the big clunky foot pumps my other balls came with)

Yoga balls (2), 2 pounds each. Easy to grip and just the right weight for holding the moves.

Bands (2), Light and medium. They’re thick, but a little on the short side, which doesn’t present a problem for me as I’m only 5′5″/

DVD with five workouts, including a yoga workout with a ball.

They have a companion product for $14 that includes a “strap” (which I already have) and a smaller balance ball. I have a similar ball that weighs 4 pounds.

Even if I didn’t, the better deal, in my opinion, is the box set I purchased. If you price out all the equipment separately, you could pay as much as double!

I also purchased the 10-minute Solution Slim and Sculpt Pilates workout for $15.xx at WalMart.

This DVD is excellent, and is my new fave.

Here’s what you get:

DVD with FIVE workouts that you can program in any order you want.

Bands, (2) Light and medium. They’re longer than Danskin’s but not as thick.

I hopped over to Gaiam looking for a “heavy” band, as I heard their bands are the best. I found the band alone for $6.99 and I also found it packaged with a workout DVD for $13. I got that one. I also got Rodney Yee’s sculpting yoga DVD on SALE for $13.99 that came with a free pair of heavy hands gloves and 3 pounds of weights to slip into the gloves. Rodney YEE is THE DVD trainer of choice to go to for yoga so this is a great deal. I also signed up for Gaiams emails and immediately got a 10% off code for my first purchase!

At only $7.99 , shipping was super reasonable despite the fact that I had ordered weights. If my order had been under $25 it would have been only $5.99. And no tax!

Here’s what I got from www.gaiam.com, a site I highly recommend:

$13.99 (before 10% discount) Rodney Yee super sculpting yoga:

DVD with 40 minute workout

“Heavy hand” type of gloves

Several (I don’t know how many) weights for the gloves

$13 (before 10% discount) BAND WORKOUT DVD:

45 minute workout with Ana Somebody, who is supposed to be well-known in the industry.

1 HEAVY band

The most important thing is not only were these products good value, I like them and I’m using them. Just goes back to the first rule of thumb in working out:

Q: What’s the best exercise?

A: The one you’ll actually do.

WHY I’M STAYING AWAY FROM EBAY

For one thing, if you’re shopping for the best deal, you may not get it on ebay.

I recently bought two cameras– a Canon high-res, digital SLR for myself (which is a big-ticket item no matter where you buy it) and a Nikon point-and-shoot for one of my sons.

Both of these cameras were way more expensive on ebay than over at Amazon.com. I love Amazon. They offer free shipping on purchases over $25, no sales tax and top-quality merchandise. Their customer service is very good.

Also, you have to be careful with camera equipment. It’s a common practice for some dealers to remove the battery, strap, handbooks, and so on. Then after you purchase a camera and find out all you’ve gotten is the camera and nothing else, the dealer will sell you the missing components for an extra fee, sometimes an outrageous one. So, it pays to choose a reputable dealer, when purchasing camera equipment. Amazon screens its affiliates so even if you don’t purchase directly from them but from a partner retailer on their site, you can be reasonably sure you’re dealing with a reputable company that won’t pull a fast one.

Having these extra partners also allows you, the shopper, to browse the same items at different prices. Whenever the price is close to Amazon’s, I usually go ahead and get it from them because I know they offer fast, free shipping, great customer service and quality merchandise.

Which is something I cannot say about ebay. Ebay is like the wild, wild West of online sellers. Sometimes you get a great deal. But more and more I’m finding, you just get a bunch of hassles that go with it. And if you’re selling, you stand to actually lose money.

Trust me, having been there, done that, I can tell you that it’s easier to lose money and/or valuable time by using ebay. And that goes for both buying and selling.

A few months ago I bought something for my dog over at ebay and when the item never arrived, I contacted the seller. Twice. The seller never responded.

After a couple of weeks with no word from the seller, my only recourse was to fill out an online dispute, which took a fair amount of time. Then one day, I walked out to my mailbox and found the gift for my doggie….with nary a word of communication from the seller or ebay.

It wasn’t a big purchase, by any means. But it was a big hassle. And the item came too late to be used at an event, which was my only reason for purchasing it to begin with. In the end, it was a wasted purchase.

That brings up another bad point about ebay: when dealing with a reputable online retailer, if an item doesn’t ship, say, because it’s out of stock, you’re not billed until it does. On ebay, you can immediately pay for something you purchase and then not receive it. And the only way to get your money back and cancel your obligation to pay is by going through that frustrating and time-consuming dispute process. With an online retailer, you can simply hit the internet or call on the phone and cancel an item…without being billed.

So, that’s why I’m shying away from buying items and positively will never again buy anything on ebay that’s intended as a gift or to be used in a timely situation. I now know that there’s just no telling when, or even if, I’ll get the item. And getting my money refunded, I now see, might be feasible but it will take lots of work. And time, is something I don’t have much of.

But if buying on ebay is bad, selling is even worse. Much, much worse.

Occasionally, I will sell something on ebay, but hadn’t done so in a while. Then in early September as I contemplated moving out of state soon, I decided I needed to drastically downsize my belongings and part with some almost-new items I seldom use.

The first, a workout step with tapes, sold but when I went to ship it, I found that to comply with UPS’ standards I had to purchase a new box. Much to my chagrin, I found the only box at The UPS Store near my home that could accommodate the length of the step was a box that was much taller than it was wide. Because the step only measured 6 inches high and the box was more than two feet taller than that, I would have had to buy a considerable amount of packing peanuts or other material to fill it up. Worse, the box cost $25 without including the shipping fees and I had only charged the seller $20 for shipping. Over at U-haul I found a box for 7 bucks. But it was still big, and I had to pack the equipment with filler material to meet UPS requirements. I used newspaper and shopping bags along with some styrofoam inserts. I underestimated how much weight it added. All I can say is I now know why professional shippers use air filled plastic bubbles to pack their boxes.

Because the box added girth and the filler added weight, much more than I expected, my shipping fees and the cost of the box wound up being $40 instead of the $20 I had charged the buyer.

I sold the item itself for $20 (it had cost $60 new).

After ebay took its fees, and paypal took it’s chunk, I wound up in the hole by more than $5. Not to mention my time. All told, shopping for the box, packing and driving to the main UPS location some 24 miles away took about 3 hours.

It should be noted that ebay routinely sends notes to sellers informing them their ad will be pulled if they feel the shipping fee is too high. I get these messages all the time because I include packing materials and the extra cost to ship from The UPS Store near my house. I received such a message on the step and lowered the shipping, something I really regret doing now. If they did pull an ad due to what they feel are too-high shipping fees, and it would be challenged, I’m sure it would involve some long drawn-out dispute of some sort. I don’t have time for that.

So, I made a mistake. No biggie. Except that it did kind of hurt to know I not only gave away a like-new item, I actually lost about 8 bucks in the process. And all that time wasted…Ouch.

To add insult to injury, the buyer backed out on one of the other items that I had sold in an auction. Buyers, I have since learned, are prone to doing that since ebay changed its policy of not rating buyers. I mean, what do they have to lose if they back out? Absolutely nothing.

I wasn’t interested in making her purchase the item because sellers still get feedback and right now, mine is perfect.

So, I contacted ebay as to how to get out of the fees. I can tell you you don’t want to do this unless it’s absolutely necessary; their customer service is the pits.

I had to wait in an online que to “chat” with a representative. Once I made contact with her, it was obvious she was chatting with many customers. The interaction was very slow. All told, it took about an hour.

Then I had to fill out another bloody dispute.

I was frustrated so took the time to email ebay about their new policies, to which they have yet to respond to. Nice touch.

I can tell you that from a PR standpoint, ignoring even one unhappy customer is pretty much unprofessional and it ticked me off. The courtesy of some type of reply when it’s requested, even a short and sweet one, is standard protocol for any business. I get the feeling ebay thinks they’re above that.

The item I was selling was a brand new Halloween costume with tags that I listed in September. Between the time it took for the auction, hunting ebay’s ill-organized website for solutions, and the many communications with the buyer and customer service rep, I spent about three hours on a no-sale item. And now here it is almost Halloween. It’ll be a hard sell at this point. Add to that, I still haven’t received a notice that I’m not being charged the seller’s fees for that item.

But wait that’s not all.

I also sold a third item. I couldn’t ship it with the step at the main UPS location because the buyer waited 5 days to pay for it. Again, without feedback, what does the buyer have to lose in doing so? I, the seller, on the other hand knew I had to get it shipped out quick or risk bad feedback. Unfortunately, I just didn’t have the time to make a trip to the main UPS location again. To make the first trip, I actually had to take time off from work (which cost me more time and money). So, I wound up paying more at a local shipper in order to avoid the 50-mile trip to UPS and get the item out in a reasonably quick manner.

Natch, I’ve been fussing a lot about my experience. In doing so, I’ve met up with a lot of other ebayers with stories to tell. Apparently, they’re charging a hefty price on electronics that sell. And then paypal takes a huge chunk as well.

If ebay is bad, paypal is just as bad.

I recently was paid through ebay by someone I did some freelance work for. Not only did paypal hold over $300 of MY MONEY- only $500 per month is allowed to be ‘withdrawn,” something I think you can get around but I’m not sure how because paypal also has terrible customer service– but the transaction cost me close to $30. For what, I don’t know. It’s sure not for customer service because, again, theirs is the pits.

It’s worth noting that I’m pretty sure paypal’s policy of holding money that long without paying interest is illegal. It’s not their money. They are holding someone else’s money. Again, for what, I don’t know. In this instance, both the payer and myself had been verified. She used a credit card to pay me. At the most, the guarantee of funds should only take a couple days to transfer. Certainly not 30.

I don’t like ebay and I don’t like paypal.

I do however, like Craig’s List. And it’s free.

People on Craig’s List are looking for a deal, that’s for sure. But if you really want to clean out your closets, it’s a better bet than ebay. If someone says they’re buying an item, I always ask for cash. And I don’t consider it sold until its paid for– meaning I keep advertising it until it’s gone.

On ebay, if a buyer “wins” an auction but doesn’t pay, you’re stuck unless you want to risk paying another round of insertion, selling and paypal fees. And take it from me, those fees really add up. Especially if you underestimate the cost of shipping and packing materials.

DOLLAR AND DISCOUNT STORES

Before I was divorced, I never visited these places except for WalMart.

But even there, I never bought more than the essentials. Now I’ve discovered there is more to Wally World than coffee, Q-tips and paper towels. But you really have to know how to shop there because some of their stuff is cheap, meaning they are low-priced and low-quality. But, I now know, some are just cheap in price. For example, I recently bought some beautiful dishes there.The brand was officially some off-the-wall name. But when I opened the box, I realized via the printed information inside, that they were actually made by a top name brand.

The result: I purchased service for 8 (two boxes) good-quality dishware that I absolutely love for under $100. Now that’s a bargain!

WalMart is a familiar place but Dollar Stores are new to me. I initially thought they were full of crap, literally.But when I recently lived in Bluewater Bay, I found the only multi-purpose store located near my house was the local Dollar Store. So, one day, when I needed a plain old shower curtain liner, I dared to venture in.

And wow, the deals I did find there!

First back to WalMart:

Food is cheap here. But if you go, bring a flyer from at least one other neighborhood grocery store with you. If WM’s price is higher than a sale price at a competitor– and, believe it or not, it often is– they will match it.

I don’t buy meat or much produce at WM. Most of the meat is shipped in from God Knows Where and is full of preservatives.

They do have an all-natural brand of chicken and I pick up the skinless, boneless thighs and breasts. They’re pretty good but not much cheaper than Publix’ Greenwise brand.

FOOD: Coffee, condiments (mayo, salad dressing and the like), baking ingredients (sugar, flour, etc.), frozen foods, paper products, dairy products and “Great Value” brands are all consistently priced less than at other stores.

APPAREL: I found out a few months ago that WalMart caries undies and lingerie made by Vassarette, a good quality name brand. They also have Hanes, Fruit of the Loom and a few others. These are good money savers. A bra, for example, at Victoria’s Secret typically costs $30 to $50. At WM, a comparable bra is about 10 bucks.

I don’t care for their sleep apparel but if you’re looking for something basic they have it. They also have some very pretty lacy camisoles and matching panty sets that go on sale for really cheap. VS, my fave brand, can’t match it (VS does have some killer sales on its irresistible lingerie , that’s for sure!)

However, MEN’S cotton, tie-string sleep pants and boxers there are GREAT. And really cheap. About 10 bucks or less will get you a pair of pants or a package of three boxers. And some of the patterns they offer are adorable! I mean…uh, macho. Sorry.

Apparel and shoes, at Wal mart, I don’t consider a good value if you’re looking for a pair that will last for years.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for “fun” clothes, just a little something to switch up your wardrobe, WM is a great place to go.

I bought a pair of wedged sandals with straw heels there on sale for $13 last summer. They were super comfy, fit perfect and I wore them often. But only for three months. Because they literally fell apart. But for $13, I’d say I got my money’s worth.

I bought a similar pair this year with a wooden heel by a known designer and payed $60 for them, on sale. It’s Fall and they’re still around. I suspect they will be for another couple of seasons.

I’ve also picked through WM’s clearance racks and have found some adorable camis and cheap, everyday tee shirts for $5 each. Oddly enough, one of the tops, gets me more compliments than almost any other. I’ve had it for a couple of years and it’s still holding up fine. I’d say I got more than my five bucks’ worth out of that one!

DOLLAR STORES

Great things to buy at the Dollar Store or Big Lots:

Home Dec items: My gosh, you should see the pretty rug I picked up here…for $20!!!! And they have decorator throw pillows for $6 each. At a department store, they can easily go for quadruple that.

kitchen towels– $3 to $5 will get you a pack of 6. Or 2 hand towels, a dish rag and a potholder.

Cookware– Baking pans and cookie sheets go for around $4. Non-stick pans are about $8 each, a bargain! I was surprised to find that these are of fair quality, too.

It becomes even more relevant considering I just shelled out around 120+ dollars for a 3-qt mini dutch oven with lid and two uncovered frying pans, an 8 inch and a 12-inch. Unfortunately, these pans are only 4 months old and already useless. They have the new ceramic Thermolon lining which quickly lost its non-stick properties. I am currently working with the manufacturer to get my money back and it’s a hassle. But so far, they seem willing to honor the warranty.

Next pans I buy, I’m going for the cheaper ones. I’ve bought all kinds of non-stick cookware from Circulon to Farberware to Cook’s Essentials and it seems like no matter how good the exterior is, the non-stick just doesn’t hold up. Until someone comes up with a way to re-surface them, it seems silly to pay for a pan that is built to last a lifetime only to have its cooking surface give way in a few years– or in Thermolon’s case, a few months.

Laundry detergent: Sometimes I find big name brand laundry detergent here for cheap. When I don’t, I stay away from non-brand. Cheap detergent is a gamble. It may be just as good as a brand name. But it may be the kind that either doesn’t clean or contains harsh ingredients that will fade and degrade apparels with each wash.

STORAGE CONTAINERS: Whether you need plastic containers to store leftovers or last season’s clothes, go to Big Lots or the Dollar Store! You will get them at anywhere between a third to a half off retail price…and we know how expensive storage is! I have found, when it comes to storage, these places are even cheaper than the almighty WalMart.

Hangers, on the other hand, are a good buy over at WalMart. You can get a pack of 25 for about little more than a buck.

SMALL APPLIANCES: Big Lots offers close-outs and refurbished items. Sometimes they’re a good deal but sometimes for a few more bucks, you can get a brand new item at WalMart, Best Buy or Amazon.com (my fave place to shop) and get much better quality. Just depends on what you need and how good the deals are. As always, it pays to shop around a bit. Also, the reviews on most online retailers can help you decide which brands are the best overall buys.

GREETING CARDS: WOW! The place to go is the Dollar Store. The BARGAINS are here! You can get really nice cards for 50 cents to a buck each.

You can also get cheap cards at Walgreens and Walmart. But these are usually small and are printed on cheap media (paper). The ones at the Dollar Stores are the good stuff– full-sized and printed on good quality media.

WRAPPING PAPER, ETC: I like to use gift bags with tissue paper. Both are here (also try Big Lots) at a fraction of department store prices! Traditional wrapping paper is also cheap.

FOOD: I find the the Dollar Store is not that great of a buy when it comes to food. Big Lots, however, often offers cheap food that is nearing its expiration date and is definitely worth checking out, especially if you have kids and pack their lunches. Little Debbies snack cakes there are pretty cheap but nutritionally worthless (which doesn’t stop me from picking up a box every now and then as I LOVE Little Debbies)

But you can also get fruit roll-ups, granola bars, snack-sized cans of puddings and Jello, too. And you can get them at about a third of the retail price.

Also, the DS and BL especially are A GREAT PLACE TO BUY BEEF JERKY. We love the stuff in my house and it goes fast so the savings really add up.

OK, I’m out of time, which is unfortunate, because there are so many more good buys to tell about!

I’ll have to pick this up sometime in the future. In the meantime, try taking a little time to check out these stores. They’re filled with great bargains…and not-so-great bargains. But the easy part of shopping at these places is it’s pretty easy to tell the difference between the two.

In the end, it pays to shop around. If you’re someone who enjoys shopping like I do, that becomes part of the fun. Especially if you take some of the money you save and go have a fabulous lunch!

Dinner Dates That Won’t Break The Bank

I did a story on restaurants recently. It seems they are still crowded but the per-check bill has gone way down.

Diners are going out but spending less, much less. So much less that many restaurants are closing their doors.

It’s sad, in a way, but for most of us, cutting down on the check is necessary. When I was married, my now ex-husband and I would routinely go out to dinner– about three times a week– and nearly always spent over $100 at each meal. And we’d come home overstuffed and in his case, half-enebriated. He liked to drink and those extra drinks he ordered really ran up our dinner bill. I’m not much of a drinker and would usually have one drink. Still, drinks are so expensive in a restaurant– typically between $7 and $11– even a couple of them can add 25 percent or more to the final check.  Even soft drinks are expensive, usually around $2. One of the best things you can do is check out a bar special or skip the alcohol altogether. If you’re a water drinker, order it with a straw and a nice slice of lemon and cut your bill significantly.

I should know. Out of necessity, I don’t spend much more on food per month than what my ex and I used to shell out for restaurant meals in a week. And I eat very, very well. But I do eat at home more, mainly because I like good food. And no matter how you look at it, good food is expensive.

But there are ways to eat out, eat well and not spend a lot of cash. I happen to have good taste, literally, and like the best restaurants in a town. But despite my caviar taste, I have a hamburger budget (if that. These days it’s probably more like a bean soup budget).

One of the things I found myself doing more and more is going out for appetizers rather than dinner. It’s amazing how full you can get just from sharing an appetizer. I would think it’s easier on the waistline, too, but that probably depends on what you order.

For under $30 two people can order two or three delicious appetizers and still come away more than full. I usually leave a restaurant with leftovers, a nice protein treat of some kind to bring home to my dog.

Appetizers generally run a fraction of the price of a full fledged dinner and a great way to try new foods without committing to a meal that runs $30 and up. There are some interesting dishes to be had, for sure.

But if it’s a meal you’re after, you never need to pay full price again. Because I often work as a food writer, I’ve also discovered that most restaurants will offer some little-advertised specials. Here are some I’ve found in the Destin area:

* HARBOR DOCKS, Destin Harbor HD, is probably the No. 1 restaurant for sushi in this area. On Thursdays you can get any roll for 10 percent off…if you choose to sit out in the deck area. As most people know, the deck area is the best place to be at HD anyway with its fantastic water views and cool breeze fanning the tables.

It’s also the best place to catch the live music they offer. The quality of the bands for this freebie is surprisingly good.

The only catch with HD is it uses valet parking, which a lot of people don’t realize is a free service (a little tip is always nice). I suspect the reason they do this is so they can squeeze more cars into their woefully inadequate parking lot.

I don’t use valet parking when I drive there because I’m usually late in meeting whoever it is I’m meeting and like to walk. So, I just park somewhere nearby and trek into HD. I have, parked right next door in the business’s lot to the west where there is plenty of parking. Yes, I see the signs that say “customers only.” But with all the empty spaces they have, I’m def. not taking anyone else’s spot.

To date, I haven’t been towed yet.

OSAKA, Destin

Speaking of great sushi, Osaka. Yep, as you might expect from a Japanese restaurant, their sushi is awesome. So is their hibachi grill and menu, but sushi offers the best value (translation: it’s cheap). Everyone says Osaka is expensive, but I have to disagree, especially considering the quality of the food– it is superb, and might tasty, too. It’s also important. When you’re ordering sushi or, especially, sashimi which is essentially raw fish, you really need the ingredients to be fresh and expertly handled. There are a lot of medical conditions that don’t immediately show up that are associated with eating (bad) sushi, believe it or not.

Here’s how to navigate the waters of Osaka for sushi on a budget:

1) Skip the Baytown location during peak tourist season and head just up the road to the main restaurant in Destin. It’ll save you some bucks and the decor there is positively breathtaking.

2) Ask to be seated in the sushi bar. The advantage to sitting at the bar rather than a table– which is always packed first– is you can watch the sushi chefs up close and personal. They are amazing. They move so fast, that when I tried to photograph them with a point-and-shoot camera, I couldn’t stop it down enough to capture their hands at work. Time and time again, they were nothing but a blur in my photos.

3) Check out the teeny tiny chalkboard for specials. If you can’t find it, ask your server.

4) If the special doesn’t appeal to you, try one of their platters. Expect to pay about $25 for a platter but believe me, you will get more than your money’s worth. Two of us shared a platter there as our main meal and still came away with a box of leftovers (the next day’s lunch).

If you’re not up for a platter, you can get a roll there for as little as $8. The super-dooper roll is more, around 10 bucks if I remember correctly, and it will more than fill you up. It’s rich and incredibly delicious.

Be sure to take in the atmosphere at Osaka– the peaceful falling waters that greet you at the door, the art on the walls in the waiting area and most of all, those amazing sushi chefs. It may be the best part of Osaka. But then again, maybe the food is the best part, because it is divine. That’s a hard call.

Whatever, Osaka makes an interesting, relaxing night out. And it’s a great value, when you know how to order there.

* Zampieri’s, Destin Harbor.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

Z’s is one of my all time fave restaurants. Their menu is varied and their food is absolutely delicious. On Thursday nights you can get entrees at HALF-PRICE. (Check their website for times www.zampierisharborgille.com).

Or head to the — good night to go is Friday, when it’s Ladies Night– and cozy up to the beautiful mahogany counter or in one of their overstuffed and super comfy booths and order the reduced priced drinks and some appetizers. My fave appetizer there is the smoked tuna but they also have some interesting potato dishes. With two or three delicious appetizers and a couple of drinks, two people can eat, drink and be merry (and leave a tip) for under $50, less than the price of two entrees there. Surprisingly, the crowd at the bar is pretty diverse and interesting too.

**Great Southern Cafe, Seaside

Love this place. Love it even more because locals get a 10 percent discount IF you know to ask about it (BRING YOUR DRIVER’S LICENSE). They don’t advertise or talk about it much because they don’t want to upset the tourists by selling their food cheaper to locals. However, they also know that most people in this area are struggling to get by, especially now, with the current economy as it is.

Great Southern is known for its grits. If you order the grits roulade, their signature dish, I defy you to eat it all. I have ordered this and it was more than enough for both my teen aged son and I…and we still had leftovers. It’s about the size of what I would serve three people.

Great Southern also offers beignets, and they are very good. Again, one order would easily serve about three people.

They also have a sushi and oyster bar (hopefully it’s still there), a great place to go for a casual appetizer, in addition to a full bar. The restaurant is divided into a formal dining room, tastefully done in minimalist decor, covered deck seating and a porch area. You can go there and enjoy a full blown meal or just sit around and drink and nibble away at atmospheres. By the way, this is one of Jim Shirley’s restuarant. He’s a nationally known cookbook author and chef and has one of oldest and most popular restaurants in P’cola. (The name escapes me right at the moment).

BEACH WALK

I’m including BeachWalk, Chef Tim Creehan’s prized restaurant, because I love this place. About a year or so ago they rolled back their prices so it’s fine dining but not too terribly expensive and right now they offer 9.95 specials! Wow!!!! This is an unbelievable bargain.

Even without specials, lunch, served until 4, offers an incredible value. You can find all kinds of yummy food for about half the price of dinner. Click here for the menu:

http://www.beachwalkcafe.com/menus/index.html (if the link doesn’t work, copy, cut and paste the address)

By the way, BeachWalk has one of the best bars in all of Northwest Florida. I’m not big on sweet drinks but love love LOVE their lemon-drop martini anyway. Tastes just like the candy. AND THEY HAVE THE BEST MOJITOS I HAVE EVER HAD IN A BAR OR RESTAURANT! If you’re new to the South, try BeachWalk’s MINT JULEP. Very sugary, but definitely different.

These are all great places and I can never make up my mind as to which is my fave. Guess, I’ll just have to keep coming back for more until I can make that decision.

HERE’S THE BEST TIP OF ALL:

No matter where you are going, call first and ask if they have specials, particularly local’s specials. It’s amazing how many places offer these but can’t be public about it because they don’t want to risk losing their valuable tourist clientele.

If you don’t call, at least look for a website and hit it. Chances are that a little bit of time will once again, save you BIG BUCKS.

And get you out of the house. And really, when you think about it, going out to dinner is as much about the atmosphere of the place and the company you’re in as it is about the food and drink.

Instead of Potato Salad…

try cauliflower salad.

Super fast, super easy, low-cal AND low-carb. And it’s really good. My kids like it and that’s always my test to see if something really does taste good.

Right now cauliflower is on sale for 2 bucks at publix. I just picked up a big bag of celery hearts (4 of them in a bag!) for under $3 at Sam’s.

1 head cauliflower

4 stalks celery, trimmed , halved and sliced (diagonally always looks pretty)

1/2 cup Naturally Fresh reduced fat Ranch or Peppercorn Ranch.

Trim, wash and pat dry the cauli. Break into small flowerets and place into a casserole-sized dish, preferably one with a top. If you’re in a hurry or, like me, impatient, break the head into pieces, then slice into thin pieces. You may need to halve them before slicing.

Add the celery. Gently mix veggies. Pour Ranch dressing over all. (Gently) mix well.

If you’re a fan of carrots, you can add about a cup of them, chopped or sliced into small pieces, instead or with the celery. Carrots are  usually very cheap and are also a good source of Vitamin A. But if you’re a  low-carber you may want to skp them as they’re pretty glycemic.

Cover and refrig overnight, if possible. Serve with a slotted spoon so extra dressing runs off.

Note: You can serve this right away but it’s not as good.