When I first started my healthy lifestyle I was introduced to dates as being a natural sweetener. It's really amazing how many amazing uses dates have. I typically purchase a container from my local Costco. To me, they have the best prices. I use dates for recipes like my copycat luna bars. OMG! This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. The combination of the sweetness and the nutty flavor is out of this world. I opted to make this recipe in my blender. I don't own a small food processor, just a larger one, and this recipe actually did great in the blender. However, a food processor would have done the job as well.

On a whim, I recently made caramelized apples and topped them on the fried wheat dough and. It was out of this world. The date paste gave an amazing consistency just like caramel. I've also been playing with a spelt flour cinnamon roll recipe. I'm still working on the kinks with this recipe. However, the date paste worked well with this recipe too. The date paste was actually the reason in which I created the date paste...

I tend to make small batches of the date paste because it tends to last for about a week. You can pretty much use it in anything that you would use sugar in.

 Recipe

Ingredients 

• 2 cups dates
• 1/2 cups of water (enough to cover the dates)

Instructions

1. Soak 2 cups of dates in 1 1/2 cups of water for 
2. 30 minutes (or up to 8 hours.)
3. Remove dates from water and set the water aside.
4. Puree dates in the food processor or blender.
5. Add a few tablespoons of soaking water to the date puree and continue to blend. 
6. Blend until the date paste is creamy.
7. Add more soaking water if needed.

Attire Breakdown

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Saving is easier said than done. Trust me, I get it. A lot of the lessons I’ve learned are from trail and error trust me. It hasn’t always been easy. However, once a created a routine and sticked to my budget. It has made it a lot easier for me. Below, I'm sharing ways I saved in the month of March.

Roomie

In March I attended the ALT Summit and cut cost I had a roomie. This saved me 50% off my hotel bill because I was able to share the cost. Everything worked out on my end. My roomie was super sweet and due to our busy schedules we barely seen each other.

Warranty

During my travels I had a luggage malfunction. Due to purchasing from a company with a great warranty. I didn’t have an added unexpected purchase and new luggage set. Had a purchased from a random store and/or site. I would have had to purchase a new set during my trip (Always purchase quality items)

Target

Due to my busy schedule this month. I didn’t have the time to shop at Target which allowed me to save money. Target always has the cutest stuff. Trust me, I get it. Target is my mommy therapy. Though, I have gotten better at not just buying stuff. Being so busy in March really helped me cut down my Target expenses.

Membership

I saved a ton by applying for a Airlines rewards credit card. Not only was I able to get priority boarding and a free checked bag. Which I would have had to purchase separately. I also earned points for my flight purchase. This is only a benefit if you plan to pay your credit card bill on time and NOT have a recurring balance.

Starbucks

I was able to cash in on a free Starbucks gift card by scanning my receipts. This allows me to treat myself to my favorite beverage guilt free.

Zero Budget

My family uses a zero budget which saves us a ton. Are money is never telling us where to go. We’re always telling it where to go.

Did you save in March? How so? 

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For the last couple of years. I've taken my son on a mommy-son trip. This year,  was our first time in a long time that we didn't do anything for spring break. I honestly was super slow at finalizing our plans which led to nothing happening. Last year I booked our trip literally a week before departure. This year, I was trying to adjust after being gone for almost two weeks that I couldn't decide on where to go. I had a couple of places in mind. I tried to see if the place in which I was hoping to visit the flight price would change around week six. That didn't happen. The flights actually went up and continued to go up. My mindset shifted to a different option and the dates are not working out. Sigh. I guess I feel bad because at the start of last week it was super gloomy. It really would have been nice to explore someplace new. Though we haven't gone anywhere yet. We just have a raincheck at the moment. This also has taught me to work on stop being such a last-minute person when it comes to making travel plans and actually finalizing them.


How far in advance do you book family vacations?

Attire Breakdown 

Alfredo is one of my favorite dishes to make for my family. Of course, I meal plan and at times like most people. I forget to take the list with me in the store, and of course when have those moments where I forget that I even have a list with me. Yup, those target moments. I was in the process of prepping for dinner. I started to look for the store brought alfredo sauce and it was nowhere in sight. I'm so happy that we used what we had on hand because my family raved about this homemade alfredo sauce. Not only was it yummy. But it was super fast to make and it tastes 10x better than the store brought.



Ingredients