Winstead Wandering

Prone to Wander

homemade microwave popcorn

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who knew you could make popcorn in your microwave without all of the nasty chemicals of the store-bought bags? It's easy and you can add any flavors you want | winstead wandering

Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks. I love salty foods, and I love to be able to munch on something while I’m working or watching TV, so popcorn is a natural fit.

My reason for making it myself, rather than buying bags of microwave popcorn from the grocery store, is two-fold. First, this homemade method is so much less expensive than the store-bought variety. Second, those pre-made bags are loaded with preservatives and chemicals. While I’m not a poster child for natural, organic living, I do try to make healthy choices when I can, especially when the healthier option is cheap, easy, and, in my opinion, even better tasting than the other option.


After popping a bag of this popcorn, you have a blank canvas just waiting to take on whatever flavors you’re in the mood for. My current favorite is butter, kosher salt, and garlic powder. I’ve been known to toss in a little Parmesan cheese, too. I’ve also enjoyed my popcorn with cinnamon sugar and with chili powder and garlic salt (not all in the same batch).

who knew you could make popcorn in your microwave without all of the nasty chemicals of the store-bought bags? It's easy and you can add any flavors you want | winstead wandering

homemade microwave popcorn

1/4 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
1 brown paper lunch bag
toppings of choice: butter, coconut oil, kosher salt, cinnamon sugar, garlic powder, brewers yeast, and Parmesan cheese are a few that I’ve either tried or had recommended to me

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french bread pizza

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This pizza is the easiest meal you'll ever make. You can use whatever toppings you want and use $1 bread from Walmart. You can't beat cheap and tasty! | winstead wandering

The other day, I made what I consider to be a brilliant discovery.

I don’t remember what I was originally looking for, but I noticed that Walmart sells, in their bakery department, fresh loaves of French and Italian bread for $1. ONE DOLLAR. When I saw the price, my mind buzzed with possibilities. Oh, the things I could make with a $1 loaf of bakery-fresh bread.


So, of course, I bought a loaf.

French bread pizza can, of course, be made using homemade bread; I make it that way often. But even those, like me, who love to bake, sometimes need a go-to meal that’s easy to throw together and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. When that’s the case, this pizza fits the bill.

The only ingredient you really have to have is the bread. Beyond that, you can use- or not use- whatever sauce, cheese, and toppings you have around. I find that this meal is a great vehicle for leftovers. If I have chicken and vegetables in the fridge from a meal earlier in the week, I’ll chop them up and call them pizza toppings. And, unlike a traditional pizza recipe, this one easily accommodates eaters with different preferences. Just give each person their own section and let them customize the meal.

This pizza is the easiest meal you'll ever make. You can use whatever toppings you want and use $1 bread from Walmart. You can't beat cheap and tasty! | winstead wandering

French Bread Pizza

1 loaf of French (or Italian) bread, homemade or from a bakery
toppings of choice
Oregano
olive oil
garlic salt

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what is winstead wandering?

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what is winstead wandering? | winstead wandering

winstead wandering is my new blog. I’ve been blogging for a few years at Mother on a Mission, but I’d been considering a name change for almost as long. The tagline of that blog is still accurate; I am on a mission to make the world the kind of place- and to be the kind of mom- my kids deserve.

But the blog began to morph away from the in-the-trenches-SAHM posts (especially when I began working full-time again) and contain more recipes and frugal living tips, and I was beginning to itch for an outlet for my teacher side. I’ve created classroom material, developed strategies, and gained hilarious stories that I wanted to share somewhere.


When it comes to blogging, or specifically to writing, the tip write what you know is thrown around a lot. Well: I know Jesus and faith. I know marriage and college sweethearts and hard times. I know toddlers and picky eaters and diva daughters. I know teaching and high school students. I know miscarriage and c-sections and VBACs. I know computers and spreadsheets. I know travel and Oregon and wanderlust. I know cooking and baking and the joy of feeding people. I know books. I know frugality and the fight to have more with less.

Instead of attempting to narrow down my focus and make the thoughts in my mind fit into a blog-shaped box, I decided to create a new blog, with a name that reflects the wanderings of my mind. Which is brings us to winstead wanderings: the random wanderings of one who is not lost.