Thursday, April 15, 2010

Confessions of a Broke-Ass Blogger

Remember the time I had a salad-gasm? Well, I had another one today, only this time it didn't come with  a FREE soup. Damn. What made it so special you ask? I've eaten a cheese slice for either lunch or dinner for the last FOUR days. Eww. Grossss. My body was really craving veggies, and since I got a paycheck in the mail today, I decided to treat myself to a trip to Hale and Hearty Soup. That place is my JAM!

It was a whopping $8, but I just needed it, y'all. (For the record, I do not even know why I say "y'all" so much. I am not that Southern. For realsy reals. I kind of say it in a Britney Spears voice in my head, if you can picture what that sounds like?) My salad contained: Romaine lettuce, walnuts, egg whites, cucumber, chicken, peppers, onion, corn, carrots, tomatoes and a drizzle of Balsamic. Dangit, I forgot the apples! Regardless, it was de-lish. 

I hate that I resorted to eating so much pizza in my time of desperation, but I seriously do not know how to eat healthy on the super-cheap. It seems so HARD. I always end up cooking the same three things and eating them over and over, which ends up just totally yucking me out on everything. So then pizza it is. And my friends at my neighborhood spot are so gosh darn nice. I can pay for a slice all in coins and they don't even flinch. I feel so pathetic, but their warm smiles reassure me that I'm not the first person who has done it!

And this is going to be my dinner tonight with a sweet potato and black beans on the side. Frozen veggies, I know—not the best choice ever, but it was only $1.60 and I really LIKE this mix. (With a little Olive Oil, of course.) If I were a food blogger, I'd probably be sent straight to food blogging prison, but, Phew, I'm not. 

Why hello there! (I just said that in an English accent, fyi.) This is my standard uniform on days I am at home. Technically my weekend is almost over because Wednesday and Thursday are my only non-working days this week. Tomorrow I'm back at Women's Health, Saturday I'm doing my reporting thang for Glamour all day and Sunday I'm at the boutique. Hooray for money coming in! 

OK, so I have one more teensy confession to make. Yesterday I stopped into The Lite Choice on W. 72nd Street for a small cup of Cookies 'n' Cream because I had a FREE coupon. (And, um, because I love it.) Upon wolfing it down, I went into Subway to get a small bag of Baked Lays. That was lunch. Double-eww. But yes, I was THAT broke. 

I'm totally outing myself right now because I'm forever complaining to my bf that the scale just won't budge even though I've totally cut down on sweets. Umm yeah...and he bought a bigger-than-my-head chocolate chip cookie at our favorite coffee shop after dinner yesterday, too! SCREW YOU BIKINI SEASON!

Ok, now this has got to be the longest nonsense I have written in a while. Sorry 'bout that. But before I sign off, I want to give a shout out to a few of my favorite fitness/food bloggers that inspire me every single day. (Even if I'm not following their lead!) Heya Kelly, Megan and Caitlin! Ohh and I just found this one, too. I entered the Barney Butter giveaway contest—fingers crossed I win! I'm such a sucker for FREE FOOD.

Ok, I'm finally saying adios. Tell me: Do you have any food confessions to get out in the open? C'mon, I don't want to be the only one! And what's your go-to food when you're low on funds?

10 comments:

  1. Gotta love those random lunches! I usually eat at home for lunch since I live really close to my office. That usually ends up meaning a random lunch, like today I had a bunch of cheddar cheese and crackers, graham crackers with peanut butter and a chocolate pudding pack. Or I meet my husband for lunch every once in a while which usually means going to one of my favorite burger places or getting a po-boy or something else totally amazing, but not healthy at all. Recently every night I have been gorging myself on mini Reeses Peanut Butter cups that my husband keeps asking me to buy. He never used to be a sweets person, and now he is addicted which means I am addicted! Ahhh!
    Oh, and I love your use of "ya'll". :) As a southerner I use it constantly. Although being from New Orleans, we don't have a typical southern accent, we have our own unique one.

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  2. Actually frozen veggies are good for you. Since they frozen early and it maintains all the vitamins. I love doing a shrimp or beef stir fry over some white rice...yummy.

    It's definitely hard to eat healthy super-cheap. Which is why America is so unhealthy. Farmer's Markets are pretty good for buying veggies at a reasonable price. I left once with two full bags for only $11.

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  3. Ok so today me and my friend a guy where discussing what we ate and I ate nearli x3 as much as he..im extremly petite as is he but wow did tht make me flipping think twice! but then i got home and made a wrap tell a lie x2 wraps with nething i could find and now ima bout to hunt down a easter eggg uhhh!!

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  4. My go to food when I am low on funds is definately oatmeal. Cheap and filling. Can't go wrong with that combo.

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  5. Now THAT is a salad. In fact, you have just given me new ideas of preparing my own salads. Thanks.

    Too funny @ food blogging prison.

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  6. A can of beans with hot sauce on it is my standby when I'm not in the mood to make anything. Black beans with a smokey chipotle sauce, or garbanzo beans with franks red hot and some blue cheese crumbles. I know it sounds nasty, but it's pretty good, filling, cheep, and fast. Plus it only dirtys one bowl and one spoon! I would LOVE to eat more salads like that but it requires me to have too many ingredients in the house that won't get eaten before they go bad.

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  7. There's the dollar pizza in NYC now! Its sad but sometimes when I'm so broke I go there. Pasta is also my broke choice. Neither of these things are going to help me get bikini ready. I also order from Hale and Hearty when I have a few dollars. It's worth it-but I usually also get a pack of their cookies. SO good. I have a sugar problem. Glad to know I'm not alone. ;) Its really bad. Where I spend so much money is drinks. A $2.50 10 cal Vitamin Water, starbucks iced tea....so bad.

    http://thenylife.blogspot.com

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  8. DOLLAR PIZZA?! Saaay what? Where can I find this? Er, maybe I don't need to know. Nah...SPILL IT, Elizabeth!

    I know, G, I hate when I buy veggies/bread whatever and it goes bad before I can finish it. Hate.it.

    Glad I could inspire you, Don. Now if I could just recreate the salad at home, I'll be all set!

    I looove oatmeal, Kellie, but I eat it almost everyday for breakfast and I'm worried if I eat it for lunch or dinner too I'll burn out. But, I'm not sure if that's possible!

    I know, Kelly...when I eat more than my bf, it is just SCAR-Y. Doesn't seem natural...

    Oh, good to know about the frozen veggies, Latoya! Glad I'm not making a big health food offense :)

    Mmm, po-boy. I haven't had it in forever JKW and now I'm totally craving it!

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  9. hahaha! I can't resist the Lite Choice! They have the BEST flavors. My sister and I always stop in and get the free samples. Sometimes we even go on a "walk" to free-sample-hop all of the froyo type places we can think of in our vicinity.

    As far as cheap/broke-ass go to foods. I typically reply on beans. Once I was so broke I bought 5 cans of Goya chickpeas and reguar peas (add ketchup-gross), a bunch of bananas and ate that everyday for a week. I literally went to the store once and planned out every meal for the week on as tight a budget as possible. Pizza is a go-to as well. I've even scrounged up items in my pantry and made my own pizza I was so broke.

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  10. Ellen,

    Here is a super easy, cheap and healthy soup that I made a couple weeks ago. I am actually going to make it again this week and eat it for dinner for like three days (yay for being broke!) http://www.hy-vee.com/meal-solutions/recipes/recipe.aspx?r=6304

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