Frugal tip Friday: your weeds might be good for you!

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Nope I'm not talking about the show Weeds on showtime (which is conveniently available on Netflix if your interested in it, its become our show to watch together since we have to wait til the house is raised before we can get cable, hopefully Greys Anatomy will come onto Netflix soon)... I'm talking about those pesky weeds in your garden and in your yard! No matter how big or small, how much you cut the grass, or how much you pull them out, they always seem to come back somewhere...weeds can be annoying when trying to grow a garden but they can also become a part of your garden! :) The weeds that I'm talking about especially are dandelions. Dandelion leaves are surprisingly super nutritious and are even sold at the grocery store! I was shocked to see a bunch on sale while I was walking around the other day. So what to do with a bunch of dandelion weeds that cost nothing and just spring up randomly in the yard? I tried to think...and when I couldn't figure it out, well I googled:) and found out there are a bunch of ways to eat them! In a salad, sauteed with greens or stir fried in greens. I decided to stir fry them with cabbage and collards, with alittle soy sauce, some olive oil, salt, pepper and some onion. And Yum! they came out as part of the dish, I couldn't really seperate which were the dandelions and which the collards afterwards, but I knew they were in there! When you pick your dandelion leaves, just makes sure to wash them well, as dirt can easily accumulate. People even use the dandelion flowers to make wine! I'll stick with the leaves for now, but cool, right!? 

Here is what the experts say at self.com "This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Iron, Potassium and Manganese."  Contained in one raw serving is also 112% of total vitamin A, 32% of vitamin C, 10% of calcium, and 9% of Iron! Try them, their delish!

Enjoy your weekend and as always, I hope you create your own frugal Friday!

Are you a frugalista? Do you have a frugal tip Friday that you'd like to share on Simple Frugalista? Want to share how you save? I would love to hear from you and have your tip or story as a guest post! Please email me at simplefrugalista@yahoo.com.

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