Cheap & Easy

1. Have you ever had an Aveeno Oatmeal bath? Aveeno sells all natural oatmeal, ground finely, to put in warm bathwater. The bath helps rashes, itches, and just feels good. My kids get rashes, especially in the summer, and I had started buying the Aveeno Baby Oatmeal bath packets. They cost too much, but the indulgence was worth it, since it really seemed to work. Hey, it is just oatmeal, right? Well if you have ever tried to make your own oatmeal bath by putting plain oatmeal in water, your result will be slimy, your kids won't go in the water (and you can't really blame them), and afterward you have another gooey mess to clean up (or you could just leave it in the tub and clean it up when you are feeling more energetic).

If you want to make your own oatmeal bath without the mess and the expense, you need old pantyhose or an old sheer sock, and some oatmeal. You can use instant oatmeal if you want the bath thick and porridge-like, or you can use organic if you are feeling virtuous or prefer organic. The rest is obvious: put about a cup of oatmeal in the sock or cut-off leg of the pantyhose, tie it at the top part of the oatmeal, and throw "snakey" in the warm bath. Kids love to squeeze "snakey" and this does wonders for red, chapped hands teachers have been squirting with antibacterial gel all week. Your skin will feel moist and fresh, too...just like, well, a plump raisin in a bowl of oatmeal. You can also try grinding the oatmeal in a blender, to make it fine, and skip the sock, but that might not be as much fun and you may be accused of killing "snakey".



2. I have been making salmon burgers, a good way to get your Omega 3's without dealing with finding, buying, and cooking fresh fish. The mess is not worse than garden burgers, and you don't have the smell from cooking fresh fish. This is a forgiving recipe: amounts can be altered, and you can throw in whatever fresh veggies you have on hand. You need a can of salmon, 1/2 cup torn up bread, 2 eggs, 2 tsp lemon juice (or Dr. Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar), some parsley, and a little mayonnaise. I added fresh spinach and chopped onions, yum. You can also add garlic or garlic salt. You just mix up all the ingredients, shape burgers, and fry them in a tiny bit of oil.

A variation: put canned salmon in a can of clam chowder, and you have instant salmon chowder--which sounds so classy. Your friends will think you have been cooking all day, instead of just opening a couple of cans. Ok, this is degenerating from easy to sleazy, reminds me of a cookbook for guys, based on canned food, I saw titled: "A Man, A Can, A Plan." On a final note, if anyone has a tip on getting YOUR man to open a can, let me know.