One of my New Year’s Resolutions (like half the country) is to shed a few pounds. But another New Year’s Resolution is to stick to a budget! A third New Year’s resolution is to keep things simple. That’s means I’m not going to pay for a gym membership that I will barely use, I will take exercise seriously, but I’m not spending half the day doing it. What I have been doing lately is a combo of

I was in a hurry the other morning and lamented the fact that I really wanted a smoothie for breakfast. I also hadn’t gotten much sleep and I really needed some coffee, and then this happened…

Don’t let the holidays make you crazy, broke or gain 30 pounds. That’s just putting more pressure on those New Year’s Resolutions you never keep. Here’s 12 ways to stay sane this holiday season with out breaking the bank, (or your cousin’s arm).

1. Shop online – There’s absolutely no reason to stand online for hours on end and fight the holiday crowds anymore. Not when just about everything we own can be ordered online. So save yourself the headache and cybershop this season. You easily find coupons for kinds of items at sites like Retail Me Not, Coupon Cabin, Current Codes, DealCatcher
2. Regift – Got a gift from someone already that doesn’t suit you but would be perfect for a co-worker? Regift! The only time this is not a good idea, when the original giver is present when you make the exchange.
3. Gift Cards – Have and uncle that needs everything but wants nothing? Yep. Time for a gift car. Some of the most generic to choose from are at Amazon. Check out Savvy Amazon Gift Cardsfor simple, last-minute gift giving.

When the temperature drops, I tend tend to drink less water, (because I’m cold!) and my skin suffers. So I’ve gone back to my weekly facial routine, and it’s really helped a lot. My favorite part of the pampering ritual is the mask. It always leaves my face feeling so refreshed, even Sexy noticed a difference! Below are three of my favorites:

I’m always looking for recipes that can make enough to last more than one day, something vegan for Sexy, or can be eaten over more than one meal. This is all three! I adapted this from a recipe I found on allrecipes. This corn bread isn’t dessert sweet, but it’s definitely not bland either. Now, some purists might say that corn bread should never be sweet.

I disagree.

But, for those of you who subscribe to that point of view, feel free to decrease the sugar in this recipe.

This is a great weeknight dish to make and is simpler than you think! It’s basically a rice and bean dish served in bell peppers. The whole thing takes little over an hour to make, and only 35 minutes if you’re using pre-cooked rice!

I found this recipe over at Post Punk Kitchen (love her!) It comes out really moist and yummy and Sexy can’t get enough of the stuff. The only change I made is I used Earth Balance vegan shortening instead of margarine. This is a great way to get rid of those spotted bananas on your kitchen counter.

I swear you won’t care that there’s no butter or eggs in this!

Last month, my good friend and “green twin” Yoli Ouiya contacted me. She’s one of the new hosts over at DeliciousTV and she wanted to use my kitchen. The kitchen in our Brooklyn brownstone often gets used for shoots and I always love it when other people cook, so of course I accepted. The DeliciousTV folks were nice enough to ask me to do a couple of mini-segments with Yoli too!

This episode you’ll learn how to make Stuffed Zucchni Blossoms with Truffle Oil. (It sounds complicated, but it’s really easy, who knew you could cook with flowers?)

The packaged ramen soups that you buy are plagued by two health eroding ingredients, high sodium and MSG. Most of that comes from the nasty little flavor packet that they throw in there. With a few little tweaks, and a little research, I was able to use a 95 cent package of ramen noodles, some fresh veggies, some broth and a little miso and make a healthy meal that lasted us all week but cost less than $10 to make. This is also another great use for some of the ingredients used in my Simple Summer Soba Noodle Recipe

Savvy’s Healthy Ramen Redo Recipe

Ingredients:

The original version of this recipe asked for apples and cinnamon to be added. But since I was out of apples that day. I decided to use what I had on hand…blueberries. I’m so glad I did! As with all muffins I make, I use a larger muffin tin with smaller forms. I get more muffins in a batch, and less calories per serving. I also included some low fat options for you in the ingredients. Enjoy!

Savvy’s Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Ingredients for muffins:

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar (I use turbinado sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used Smart Balance)
• 1 egg (I used 3 tbsp liquid egg whites)
• 1/3 cup milk (I used organic lowfat soymilk)
• 1/2 cup fresh organic blueberries, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup water