My Backyard Garden

Today I'm sharing with you a few garden projects. This is the view from my back porch. I've decided to make a few changes this year so I thought I would show you how it used to look.

 A friend of ours was getting rid of some wood boxes and the wood fence so this garden project was very thrifty! Another friend had a pile of dirt in his yard so we got that too. 

This is how it looked before the plants started growing.

Here's some outdoor projects I did for the garden.

First, I picked up this mirror at Salvation Army for cheap, painted the frame, and hung it on the fence.

Then I made a sign to hang above the mirror. I used an old board, stencils, and a black sharpie. 

To make a wreath, I used some dollar tree items to decorate an old worn out soaker hose that we already had. The flowers faded a little over time but it still held up great through the summer.

This chalkboard inspired sign was definitely a keeper. I painted a board with black paint, used stencils and filled them in with paint pens. 

It lasted through the hot summer sun and rainy days. It was still intact when I eventually took it down. 

Here's a peek at our bigger garden. This is out in the field behind our house. I call it the desert. We live on sandy land and it's so hot out there in the summer.

My husband plants peas and corn in the big garden now while I have veggies in the smaller garden. It's so much easier for me! 

My husband likes to plant a lot, because he likes to plow a lot. I guess it's like therapy for him... or maybe just a man thing?

We pick enough peas and corn for us and we give the rest away.

The best thing about planting corn has been the kids playing hide and seek in it. They love it!

I had fun looking back at my garden. I'm ready for a new look and some new projects. 

I know I've been absent the past several months; I think things are getting back to normal. My family has had a lot going on. Several of you have emailed me and I appreciate it so much! 

My blog friends are the best!

I hope you were inspired!
Thank you for stopping by Thrift My House.

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How to Add More Veggies to Your Diet.

With spring and gardening right around the corner, let's talk about vegetables. I love fresh veggies. Here are a few ways I've added them to my families menu lately.

This. is. the. bomb. dot. com.

Meet the Veggetti.

Zoodles, Squoodles, Cucumboodles... You name it. If you can twist it inside of this contraption, then you can get healthy noodle like spirals. A-Maze-Ing!

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Wash your vegetables. I used zucchini and summer squash for this recipe. Twist the veggie inside the spiral maker. The Veggetti comes with a top that is supposed to help twist the remaining end piece but I found that using a fork worked better.

Do NOT stick your fingers inside to pick out tiny pieces of vegetable. It will cut you! And how do I know this? Let's just say experience is the best teacher. Rinse the spiral maker under water and use a toothbrush to clean it.

I picked mine up at Walmart but I've seen them several other places.

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The noodles are so good stir fried in olive oil. Add some garlic and onion if you like. I added a can of chopped clams to these. Yum!

Another vegetable that is now a staple in my house is cauliflower.

I love it drizzled with olive oil, salt and roasted. But my favorite way to have it is- cauliflower rice. You can use a grater like this. It's a little time consuming but possible.

Or you can put it in the blender. Pulse it a few times and you have cauli-rice. Stir fry the rice and add whatever you like. The texture is so much like real rice... it makes me happy! 

I love my Ninja blender. It's a great blender and it's not expensive.

Also steaming the cauliflower first and then blending, you can make wonderful faux mashed potatoes. 

Add some garlic and cheese..... oh my!

Source

I use a sprayer for my olive oil. It helps to distribute the oil more evenly on my veggies plus I use less. It's a good thing!

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 Stir fried broccoli with garlic and shrimp. This dish is one of my families favorites. I usually serve this with baked salmon. 

Roasted veggies are great when you have the munchies.

Roasted brussel sprouts actually taste sweet.

Roasted broccoli, carrots and cauliflower make a great side dish.

 (pictures from my phone)

What's in your popcorn bowl? Spread Kale on a roasting sheet and lightly spray with olive oil. Make sure you do one layer at the time or your kale will steam instead. It's worth making a few single layer batches. Roast on 400 for 15 minutes. Salt and eat. It reminds me of how potato chips crunch in your mouth... surprisingly good.

I recently discovered coconut oil. I found this at Aldi. It smells and tastes amazing. There is so much good in coconut oil. You can read about it here.

When I crave something sweet, I drizzle coconut oil over sweet potatoes and roast. 

This. taste. like. candy. 

Instead of a resolution to lose weight etc... I've decided to just eat a more healthful diet. Eating more vegetables is a big part of it. 

Do you have an tips on how to eat more vegetables?

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I hope you were inspired!

Thank you for visiting Thrift My House.