24/Savvy TV

Do you have a yogurt maker?  Me neither.  But I still make yogurt every week, in fact, usually twice a week.  It requires very little effort and for the cost of a quart of milk you can easily make eight, healthy, homemade yogurts with only a few minutes of preparation. 

First appearing in nomadic Turkish medicinal texts around the 11th century, yogurt boasts a lengthy track-record of nutritional benefits.  It's vitamin and calcium rich, natch, but it also helps with weight loss, prevents yeast infections and inhibits stomach maladies with active bacterial cultures.

I'll start you off this deliciously warm(ish) Friday with an trick easy question:

Q: What is the best salad dressing money can buy?
*secretly wishing I had that neat function to turn the answer upside-down to make this quiz not so easy to guess, but here goes anyway*
A: The one you make yourself

I am a cheap frugal savvy girl and I don't know what turns me off more about salad dressing, the $3-5 price tag grocery stores hit us up for it or the scary globulous liquid that lives inside those plastic bottles.  Do you know how easy it is to make your own salad dressing?  I just made it while typing this sentence! (just kidding).  Our easy-peasy recipe below:

Balsamic Vinaigrette a la 24/Savvy:

3 TBSP balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1 clove garlic, pressed
pinch herbs de provence
dash salt and pepper to taste
pinch or dash of any other seasonings you feel like adding: cumin, red chili flakes, dried onion, garlic powder, you name it - put it in!

24/Scoop: Avoid extra calories by thinking of dressing as a flavor accent, rather than a full-bodied disguise. Stick your fork in the dressing and flick it on your salad to and fro.

What's not to love about products that do double-duty?  Dual-purpose beauty goodies like tinted moisturizers not only help save money and packaging waste, they're also one of the best solutions for ageing gracefully.

You know when you want something specific? Like… I want to make a certain soup or let’s say… a vegan ice cream… or delicious green smoothie? And you just can’t get it out of your mind. You excitedly grab all the ingredients and begin to prepare it… mouth salivating… You throw it in the appliance that will whip it up to perfection and… it ends up being MUSH. It’s called a SMOOTHIE, not a CHUNKIE. (Eww. That word in itself is… eck.)

While we're on the subject of Paris (we are, you just didn't know it), we wanted to share this nifty little necktie necklace number we picked up at a Left Bank thrift shop a couple years ago.  We recently dissected it to find out how hard it might be to replicate, seeing as Mr. Savvy has about 50 ties and only wears 2.  Sporadically.  The verdict on project difficulty?  Not guilty.  Of being difficult, that is.  Now if we can just talk Mr. Savvy out of those spare ties.

We featured this recipe last week in our Link Love but thought it deserved another look as a truly budget-friendly Valentine’s (or really Anytine’s) day gift that every savvy guy or gal would love.  We can get pretty unapologetically addicted to Nutella, but add a peanut-buttery flavor infusion into the mix?  Time to schedule an intervention.

Looking for a fun way to celebrate the Holidays in savvy style?! Then look no further than this fun and simple tutorial for DIY Holiday Snowflake Nails!! These shiny, shimmery and sparkly nails are the perfect way to add some flair to your holiday make-up and bring joy to all who have the pleasure of your company this season. Enjoy!

Remember when we suggested awhile back that starting a "project binder" is a great way to keep track of all those beautiful things you see in stores that you just have a hunch you can make for less?  We like to tear out and store project ideas for that rainy day or staycation when we have the extra hours on hand to make them and first up is an art cable hanger for all those "early" Picassos and Rembrandts Wee Savvies bring home from school every day.

Elements that elevate a meal from meh to mahvelous are actually fairly small; quality spices, seasonally appropriate produce, and a little extra prep time can make a huge difference in your enjoyment of meals at home if you're watching your eating out expenditures.

We've started experimenting with infused oils at Savvy Central and 'lo what a difference it has made to our dressings, marinades, sauces, sautés and salsas.  And guess how long it takes?  Almost no prep and just a couple weeks' infusion time.  Easy peasy!

"What do I need, Savvy Girl," you ask?  I'll tell ya: 1) a clean, dry glass vessel, preferably with a lid, 2) extra-virgin olive-oil and 3) a few sprigs of rosemary to start

I like to make small batches--a small jar or bottle is fine-- to make sure the oils don't go bad before we've used them.  The oil will last about 2 months, so guesstimate how much you'll use up before you begin.

Sun tea was a big summer beverage staple at Maison Savvy Girl when I was just a wee one.  It rocks because it's a) cheap, b) delicious, and c) easy—le soleil does all the work for you, so if you're labor-shy, this is the summer sipper for you!  You can either let Mother Nature brew you up a family-sized batch in a big glass container, or if you've got a stash of small clear glass mason jars, jelly jars or other glass bottles—such as those leftover Starbucks' Frappucinos or Snapples—you can make a set of small brews, perfectly portioned for tossing in your lunch tote or picnic basket.