Syrian Inspired Green Beans Recipe -- Gluten Free, Vegan, Allergy Friendly, and Easy

I wanted to make pasta for my children, but I was trying to come up with an idea that would be a little less boring than just the average pasta and tomato sauce, so I decided to make something based off of this Syrian recipe for djaj wa rishta, chicken with tomato sauce and pasta, just leaving out the chicken. But since I made it with glutenous pasta, I couldn't eat any of it, but the smell of it was tantalizing. 

I decided to play around and see if I could make green beans with this very same idea, same spice combination, etc... It was terrific. I don't think I would have come up with this on my own if I hadn't first made my kids their pasta, and I'm glad I did. Just a note- depending on how you want to eat this dish, you may want to include or more less green beans. If you want to eat this as a topping on rice, for example, you may want less green beans so the flavor is stronger, but if you want to eat it plain, I'd add more green beans to make the flavor more mild.

Syrian Inspired Green Beans Recipe -- Gluten Free, Vegan, Allergy Friendly, and Easy

The 7 Best Tips on Budgeting for Single Moms

Living on a budget is important for everyone (the size of the budget differs for everyone, but even well to do people should still budget their money, or they can go bankrupt) but when someone is a single mom and only has one income to provide for her and her family, it is extra important. Here are some budgeting tips that single moms can benefit from (as can everyone else). 

Single moms face countless responsibilities, and managing finances in accordance with the needs of the whole family is one of them. If you're a mommy feeling overwhelmed by budgeting, let’s sort it all out. Explore 7 practical budgeting tips for single moms to master frugal living, stretch your budget, and find some income-boosting side hustles. Here’s a look at a few smart strategies to simplify budgeting and secure your financial future.

Our Long Awaited Family Vacation -- To Cyprus!

My family and I are really excited. Honestly, I'm not sure who is more excited, myself or my kids. I haven't left my country in 4 years, since I had to return home a day early on my trip to Austria in March of 2020, since all the flights afterwards were being canceled because of Covid, followed by a long lockdown and shutting down of borders. And 4 months before that, I had taken my kids on their first family trip abroad (and first time abroad for my younger 3, period). 

Going on vacation abroad has been a panacea for me. In 2017 I traveled to Poland on my own, my first time going abroad since moving to my current country in 2006, other than a short work trip back in 2011. It was during the lowest point I got to in my mental health journey, and it had such a healing effect that I made sure to go on such trips regularly. Frugal trips, certainly, but I had been so burnt out by my giving my all to my children homeschooling them and dealing with their special needs and had no time for myself, that even the cheap and non luxurious trips I took provided such healing for me. Between July 2017 and March 2020 I traveled to Poland, Belgium, Romania, Greece, US, England, Bulgaria, and Austria, and every second of those were so healing for me. Romania was with my eldest son, Lee, and Bulgaria was with all my kids.

And then everything stopped because of Covid. And lockdowns meant we were stuck together more. I tried booking tickets between then and now, but new waves of Covid and airport shut downs canceled them including my planned trip to Venice that never happened... 

Building a Nurturing Environment to Help Your Special Needs Kid Thrive

Parenting is a journey filled with joys, challenges, and countless growth opportunities. When a child has special needs, the journey takes on a unique set of challenges. Understanding and navigating these challenges is crucial for fostering an environment where special needs children can reach their potential. Whether special needs or not, parents can play a pivotal role in helping their child's development, but this can be extra important with a special needs child. 

The challenges of special needs children encompass a wide spectrum, ranging from cognitive and physical limitations to social and emotional struggles. Every child has a unique set of challenges, and many times they have more than one type of special need. When parents first find out that their child has special needs, it can be challenging, because as much as parents hopefully will love their kids no matter what, parents all have dreams of what they hope parenthood and their children will be like, and when they find out that it won't be so, they sometimes need to mourn the loss of a dream, before they can then move on to accept the challenges that come along with the blessings in their child's life. Educating oneself on the specifics of each of their child's disabilities is very important, as well as joining support groups with other parents, where we can vent and get advice and assistance from people who've been on similar journeys.

New Blog Look, Theme, and More

My new page profile image on my Facebook page.

So... does something look different around here?

I should hope so.

I changed a lot about the design of this blog, from the layout of the sidebar, to the menu options across the top, updated the about me section, fixed the subscription option that had been broken and I hadn't noticed, so please subscribe.. oh, and did you notice the new header?!?!?! 

I really needed to update that header... like years ago. A graphic artist friend made mine for me not long after I started out, and it was beautiful and it reflected what my blog was about then... which in many ways was nothing like it is now. 

The image had a baby in a cloth diaper, homemade pickles, homemade bread, solar cooking, baking soda... all representing the extreme frugality (and mom of babies) that this blog was about back then. 

My life has changed a lot since then. I'm no longer in dire need of saving every last cent that I'd need to cook using the sun. My youngest has been out of diapers for... 8 years... I don't live extremely frugally anymore. And the logo having the words "A Rich Life on a Minimum Wage" no longer is relevant, because I don't live off a minimum wage. 

Crafting a Gaming Paradise: Budget-Friendly Tips and Upcycling Hacks for the Ultimate Gaming Room

I'll admit, I'm definitely not a gamer. I didn't grow up as a gamer or with any gaming devices, and I don't have any in my house, unless phones or computers count. Many people, though, find gaming to be a good source of enjoyment for them and their families, and they may want to create a dedicated gaming room. If you want to do that, you might think that this automatically has to be an expensive endeavour, but with some thrifting, upcycling, and other frugal hacks, you can create a gamer's paradise on a budget.

In the world of gaming, having a dedicated space that is both immersive and comfortable is a dream for many enthusiasts. While the idea of creating the ultimate gaming room might seem financially daunting, fear not! In this blog post, we will explore creative and affordable ways to transform your space into a gaming haven without breaking the bank. Better yet, we'll delve into the world of upcycling to breathe new life into old items and elevate your gaming room to new heights.

The Ultimate Guide To Throwing A Wine-Pairing Dinner

There's not much that I enjoy more than feeding people a good meal and watching them enjoy it, especially if it's a crowd of people that aren't my immediate family. Going out with friends for a nice meal is terrific, but it can be pricey if its a nice meal. You can make a fancy dinner at home for less than you can get in a restaurant, and often a very fancy meal at home is still cheaper than a less fancy meal at a restaurant. Of course, if you don't enjoy cooking, then this obviously isn't for you, but if you're like myself, a wine pairing dinner can be done quite frugally, especially if you purchase the wines on sale (they don't spoil so you can stock up on each when you see a good price) and the same with meat or fish (they both also freeze well uncooked) and use seasonal produce. 

So, let's say you want to have a wine pairing dinner (I might want to do that next month when I turn 36!), here is how you'd do it.

Wine pairing is an art that turns a regular meal into a memorable dining experience. When the right wine meets the right dish, it creates a harmony of flavors that can elevate the taste of both. It could be a romantic dinner or for a large group of friends but either way, it will be better by picking the perfect wines to match the food.

Imagine a perfectly cooked steak of American Wagyu beef paired with the wine that best compliments it. You’ll have a dish that was already good in its own right become something much more memorable. In this article, we will go over what you need to know to pair wines with food.

13 Wild Edibles I Found Outside Therapy Today!

I arrived at therapy a little early today (since I'm the type to run late, I try to aim to arrive 30 minutes early, just to be on the safe side) and as I was about to enter the building I saw this beautiful patch of wood sorrel, one of my kids' favorite wild edibles, and honestly, the favorite of many kids. It is one I foraged as a child, I just called it sour grass. When I teach it to my foraging students, I mention the 3 heart shaped leaves reminds you that children, including 3 year olds, love this plant. It was raining lightly, after some recent heavy rains, and I decided to take the opportunity before my class to see what wild edibles were growing in the typically green yard of my therapy building. I was not let down.

Moving On a Budget - Tips for A Low-Stress, Cost-Effective Smyrna Move

Are you moving soon? Moving can be a real pain in the butt, a big stress, and quite expensive. But there are some things that can remove some of the pressure and cost. My guest author has some terrific ideas, which you can read below, but there's another idea I wanted to include.

When moving to a house, especially with different dimensions, you might be tempted to buy new furniture to suit the new place, either because you want to start new in a new place, or to suit the new layout better. However, a move as it is is expensive, and adding the cost of new furniture on top of those expenses can make for a really expensive month (or two). If you can make do without new furniture or appliances in your new home, that will obviously save the most. But if you just hold off temporarily, so you can look around for sales, second hand items, etc... you can comparison shop leisurely, without needing to worry about it arriving immediately in your new home, and you'll be more likely to get items that suit your home well without spending as much money.

Read on for more ideas.

Are you moving soon? Preparing for your move now can help save you a lot of stress and potentially even some money. Opting for a professional moving company, asking friends for a favor, and taking advantage of discounts are just a few great ways you can save on your upcoming move.

Charred Honey Sweet Potatoes Recipe and Technique

I've been to some weddings and other fancy catered events that had sweet potatoes cooked to perfection. Soft and creamy in the middle, crisped up and lightly charred edges. I'd tried making it at home many different times, but it never came out quite how I'd wanted it. But after the last event I went to and had these amazing sweet potatoes, I knew I had to figure it out. And I did. I was so excited about it and I'm thrilled to share it with you. 

If you're the type of person that just looks at ingredient lists and not instructions, you'll be disappointed in these, because the instructions matter almost more than the ingredients.

These make the perfect side dish, and since they're gluten free and allergy friendly, you can serve pretty much anyone with them, as long as they aren't low carb. And while I haven't made it this way yet, I am absolutely positive you can replace the honey with jaggery syrup, date molasses, or maple syrup and get very similar results, with a delicious vegan end product.

Charred Honey Sweet Potatoes Recipe and Technique

6 Things To Plan For Before Starting A Business

There are a few main ways to make sure your expenses don't exceed your income. One is to lower your expenses. The other is to raise your income. Ideally you want to do both. Make more and spend less. You can get a job, another job, or a higher paying job, or you can start your own business. Of course starting your own business can be a very risky way to make money, because you can also lose a lot. So it is important to make plans to help start your business off on the right foot. Or you can start small and start a business without too many expenses and then scale up as you get bigger.

Embarking on the entrepreneurial journey is an exciting venture, but the road to success is fraught with financial intricacies that can spell disaster without proper guidance. The significance of working hand-in-hand with a professional accountant cannot be overstated.

Failure to navigate the complex financial landscape with professional insight can lead to financial mismanagement, compliance issues, and missed growth opportunities. In this intricate dance of profits and losses, having a seasoned accountant by your side ensures that your business not only stays afloat but also thrives.

Lost My Facebook Page- New Facebook Page

I can't believe it- my Facebook page was hacked yet again, and these hackers are posting pornography yet again. I am disgusted, but I can't delete it because I have been locked out of access to it. I don't know how/if I'll get it back again, and if I will, I will be deleting it, because if this can happen twice, it can happen again, and I would never want that to happen again, and I'd rather lose everything on that page than have pornography being posted under my blog name.

So I made a new Facebook page, and will be updating it and making it hopefully as good and even better than the last one. Please follow me there, and unfollow the porn showing old one.

Thanks!

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