Whole, Fast, Frugal

Menu Plan Monday

2012-02-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

Sunday: Portobello Mushrooms with Rainbow Chard, homemade Hummus (this recipe calls for an entire head of garlic to be roasted first!)

Monday: Pasta with Peppers, Onions, and Mushrooms

Tuesday: Julia Child's Garlic Soup, from Mastering The Art of French Cooking, made with homemade chicken stock, Bread Machine Focaccia Bread

Wednesday: Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts, Meatloaf Muffins, leftover Foccacia

Thursday: Leftover Garlic Soup, Peas

Friday: Homemade Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust

Saturday: Valentine's date at Amber Rose (Living Social deal of $20 for a $40 gift certificate and used Open Table to make a reservation)

Sunday: Eggs over Medium, Toast, Caramelized Onions

Weekly extra: Chicken Stock in the slow cooker , Candied Walnuts in the slow cooker(goes great in salads), Homemade Bread Machine Hot Dog Buns, Green Monsters for breakfast, Julia Child's Vinaigrette

Weekly Shopping Trip

2012-02-05T09:30:00.000-08:00

Dorothy Lane trip: $61. I bought my weekly meat for the big salad with grilled chicken or beef I have for lunch every day, plus dried cranberries and specialty blue cheese dressing.

Also went to Kroger and spent $60. A little higher this week, but will hopefully even out next week.

Menu Plan Monday

2012-01-29T15:13:00.000-08:00

Monday: Mushroom Risotto

Tuesday: Pineapple and Chicken Quesadillas,

Wednesday: Falafel, Tomatoes, and Cucumbers

Thursday: Mushroom and White Bean Stew,

Friday: Tuscan Baked Eggs

Saturday: dinner out

Sunday: hunt and peck

Breakfast: Green Monster Smoothie, Homemade Granola, Yogurt, and Fruit

Lunches: (working from home now!!) Fresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and red bell pepper with ranch dip, huge salads with romaine, red onion, carrots, tomato, and either grilled sirloin or chicken

Weekly Shopping Trip

2012-01-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

Dorothy Lane market: local meats, bread, eggs, yogurt, and splurge on beer cheese and muffins: $30

Kroger trip: $70 for food and $7 for clearance priced fresh flowers. I've been getting marked-down flowers at Kroger and they've been lasting about 2 weeks each time.

"When of thy mortal goods thou find thyself bereft, And from the goodly store two loaves alone are left…Sell one, and with the dole buy hyacinths to feed thy soul." Mosli Eddin Saadi

Weekly Shopping Trip

2012-01-22T12:43:00.000-08:00

Kroger trip: $95. $10 for paper towel large pack. The two single packs of Brawny were free this week. We send a small 32 oz. carton of almond milk to day care every week for our son. There was a blinky in the aisle for $0.55 that doubled to $1 off, and cartons were on sale for 2.69- so they were $1.69. I've gotten them for $1 each before, but not in a long while. I bought 4 to last us the next month.

I still have to hit Aldi's to get two 3 lb bags of onions for $0.69 each, a whole pineapple for $1.69, and two 8 oz. mushrooms for $0.59 each, which will add $4.27 more to my total. I should just stay within my $100 budget.

I have chosen to increase it my weekly grocery budget so I can focus more on buying organic and local. We are fortunate to have a local source of organic eggs ($4.69 a dozen), milk from pastured cows, local beef and bison from pastured animals, and locally raised free range organic turkey and chicken. I have decided to take advantage of it.

I will start telecommuting from home again within a week or so, and it will free up that precious time I have not had to focus on cooking again. I bought my last shipment of formula, and will save about $100 a month in gas when I telecommute. This means we can easily increase out grocery budget without stretching our budget more. Hallelujah!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-12-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

Monday: Spaghetti and Spinach Meatballs with Yellow Squash

Tuesday: BLTs, salad

Wednesday: Tuscan Baked Eggs

Thursday: Herb Roasted Turkey Breast, Crock Pot Stuffing

Friday: Indian Food

Saturday: dinner with family

Sunday: dinner with family

Menu Plan Monday

2011-12-14T14:46:00.001-08:00

Monday: Mushroom Risotto

Tuesday: Scrambled Eggs, Avocado, Romaine Salad

Wednesday: Shepherd's Pie, Romaine Salad, oranges

Thursday: Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup

Friday: Leftover Soup, Vegan Baking Powder Biscuits

Saturday: Dinner out!

Sunday: hunt and peck

Extras: Homemade Whole Wheat Bread, Homemade Granola

Menu Plan Monday

2011-11-27T17:13:00.001-08:00

Sunday: Perfect Scrambled Eggs, Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Clementine Oranges

Monday: Spaghetti with Turkey Italian Sausage

Tuesday: Mujadarrah, Celery Sticks

Wednesday: Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, Kale Chips

Thursday: Polenta With Green Peas, Bacon

Friday: Homemade Pizza with Onions, Salad

Saturday: Slow Cooker Chili With Kidney Beans

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Black Friday and Weekly Shopping

2011-11-25T18:02:00.001-08:00

Walgreens trips: 2 trips total, which I heartily do not recommend when you have bronchitis and feel dizzy :(. The Softsoaps were B1G1, and were $2.99 each after coupons. The ALL was $2.99 after coupon, and paper towels were $3.99 after coupon. The last time I bought paper towels was 18 months ago- I hoard those suckers like a goblin hoards gold! Everything else ended up being free or a moneymaker after register rewards. I think I have over $40 RRs now.

I plan to start rolling them quite a bit again. I haven't been to Walgreens in months.

CVS trip: Spent $21.75, got $20.75 in Extra Care Bucks back. I hadn't planned on getting the iPod earphones, but mine have been crumbling to bits after 7 years, and it ended up being $6 ECBs back. Why not?

Health Food Store trip: $32. $16 of that was a quart of local honey.

Kroger trip: $29 ($25 for food)

Weekly Shopping Trip

2011-11-20T10:53:00.001-08:00

Kroger trip: $67. A few extra holiday things in there, including a case of clementines to bring to work to share a healthy treat, and fixin's to make guacamole and chips.

Health food store trip: $67 again. I picked up a few organic ketchups, tahini, flax seed oil, and faux mayo while they were 40% off. I had to get expensive coconut milk and coconut oil to make my dairy free pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. I did find a nice 4 lb tub of nonfat yogurt for $2.99- equivalent in price to what I can make at home.

The plan for next week: pick up only milk, fruit, and veg, and keep the total $40 or less!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-11-20T07:46:00.001-08:00

Sunday: Romaine Salad with Tomato, Blue Cheese, and Fake Bacon, with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Monday: Italian Rice Salad, Clementines

Tuesday: Meatloaf with Veggies, Peas

Wednesday: Sauteed Brussels Sprouts With Bacon,

Thursday: Thanksgiving! My contribution: Dairy and Grain Free Pumpkin Streusel Pie and Homemade Guacamole and Blue Tortilla Chips

Friday: Whole Grain Spaghetti and Italian Spinach Meatballs

Saturday: eat out

Kale Chips: Do They Taste As Revolting As They Sound?

2011-11-15T16:01:00.001-08:00

Above: a recent dinner of 7 Grain Pancakes, Turkey Sausage, Peaches, and Kale Chips

Make no mistake, of all the green leafies, kale has been my least favorite. My mother used to serve us wet, sloppy canned spinach that tasted like dirt. It was not until a couple years ago that I was brave enough to try the fresh versions of spinach and other greens.

Kale, however, always looked too much like the weeds I pull from our flower beds. How could I possibly eat that?

I've had a good half dozen people tell me they've tried fresh Kale Chips and swear they don't taste like crispy green dirt. In fact, they said, they were a little salty and just about as enjoyable as potato chips. Ha!

This is my attempt to call that bluff. I used a Food Network recipe. It was simple. Kale, olive oil, and salt. I used Olive Oil PAM. The first attempt, I made the mistake of not getting the greens dry enough. I ended up having to cook them too long in order to get them crisp, and the outer leaves burned. My kitchen reeked for days.

This time, I whipped out the salad spinner that someone gave us for our wedding eons ago, and that has sat in our cabinets gathering dust. The result: perfectly crisp and unburned leaves.

How do they taste? Not bitter, not dirt-like. They have a nice salty earthy taste. They have appeared on my menu again, even.

You will so like crisp kale with PAM, you will so like them Sam-I-Am.

Weekly Shopping Trip

2011-11-15T15:34:00.001-08:00

Dorothy Lane Trip: I hit the specialty store due to limited time this week. All in all $66. I admit that $6 of that was from a couple slices of chocolate cream pie. Nom, nom, nom. Hiding in the back there is another $15 box of 200 Finish tabs from Costco courtesy of Mom. I think we're set for the next 2 years.

We also picked up 2 boxes of Earth's Best Blueberry Waffles at the health food store, for a total of $72 for the week.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-11-13T11:43:00.001-08:00

Sunday: Whole Grain Spaghetti and Spinach Meatballs (made without cheese), Bread Machine Focaccia Bread

Monday: Leftover Focaccia, French Onion Soup

Tuesday: Pancakes, Homemade Fruit Smoothies with hemp protein

Wednesday: BLTs, Kale Chips

Thursday: Scrambled Eggs, Polenta, Peas, Pears

Friday: Chickpea Broccoli Roll-ups, Carrot Coins

Saturday: Out With Girls, husband on his own

Lunches: Cottage Cheese, Baby Carrots, PB & J, Almonds and Walnuts, Celery, Strawberries

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-11-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

Monday: Edamame, Romaine Salads, Fresh Pears, Sliced Bell Pepper

Tuesday: Whole Grain Pizza with Mushrooms, Onions, and No Cheese

Wednesday: Tuscan Baked Eggs, Romaine Salads, Pears

Thursday: Black Bean Burritos, Kale Chips, Fruit Smoothies

Friday: Falafel, Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Feta, Romaine Salad

Saturday: dinner out for sister's birthday at Olive Garden

Sunday: Mujadarrah

Lazy Night In A Pinch Meal: Simple Pasta and Jarred Pesto Sauce

Lunches: Hummus and Triscuits or PB & J, carrot sticks, clementines, almonds and walnuts, home made dairy-free Skinny Choco Chip Cookies

Breakfast: Non-fat Yogurt with Homemade Granola

Weekly Shopping Trips

2011-11-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

Kroger shopping trip: $44. Nothing fancy, just simple fruits and veggies (most of them organic), almond and soy milks, juice, tea, and baby food. After last week's grocery trip of $108, this evens things out to a little over $70 per week.

CVS trip: I had $7 in extra care bucks, and everything was $7 with coupon (see it in these deals here for the Krazy Coupon Lady). I got $6 in extra care bucks back. Nothing out of pocket for me!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-10-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Sugar-free Homemade Applesauce, Hummus and Triscuits,

Monday: Boston Baked Beans, Grapefruit

Tuesday: Vegan Pear Spice Cake for the boy and Pear Oven Pancake for the adults, Scrambled Eggs with Onions

Wednesday: Mushroom and White Bean Stew, Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts, Sliced Pears
Thursday: Whole Wheat Pasta With Spinach and Vegan White sauce, Sliced Apples

Friday: Bunless Chickpea Burgers,Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes With Feta,

Saturday: Tamarind Lentils from the Veganomicon, Aloo Mattar, Brown Rice

Breakfasts: Nonfat yogurt, homemade granola, clementine oranges
Leftover Pear Cakes

Lunches: Leftover beans, Hummus and crackers, nuts and raisins, peanut butter and jelly, fresh fruit, romaine salad, carrot sticks

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Weekly Shopping Trips

2011-10-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

Whole Foods trip: $113. $5 was an organic basil plant, which my husband was kind enough to pot.I did get some good deals, Muir Glen organic tomatoes for $1 a can, Earth's Best Waffles for $2 each, and 2 cartons of free Imagine Low Sodium Vegetable Broth. The Soy Dream's are $3.29 for a 64 oz container, which is the cheapest I can find it. We added a few things we wouldn't normally buy, like Tamarind Paste, Garam Masala, salt-free Veggie Boullion, and Agave Nectar, as I am eating more vegan and sugar-less dishes. Next week will be a Kroger trip as usual.

My CVS trip: I had $15 in ECBs to use. I paid $13 out of pocket for the above and got $7 in ECBs back.

My mother found this package at Costco for $15. 90 tablets at Sam's is $12. The only time I have paid less is when I got 14 boxes for free last year with a high value coupon.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-10-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Homemade Guacamole and Black beans over Cilantro Rice

Monday: Husband on his own- heading to Michigan

Tuesday: husband on his own- I'm at a Funeral

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans (I have some cooked beans waiting in the freezer)

Thursday: Easy Spaghetti, Jarred Sauce Tossed With Kidney Beans and Onions, Parmesan

Friday: Turkey Sausage, Perfect Eggs, Toast, Romaine Salad, Grapefruit

Saturday: Chicken Piccata, Broccoli, Vegan Baking Powder Biscuits, Plums

Extra goodies: Granola

Shopping Trip

2011-10-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Kroger trip for the week: $60

Nothing too interesting! Waiting for some good deals on free toothpaste and floss....

Blogger Beware: Do You really Want To Connect Yourself With My Memories Scrapbooking Software?

2011-10-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

A couple nights ago, I received an email from a "Liz P. Gardner" asking if I wanted a free copy of My Memories scrapbooking software to both review and give away to a reader.

This sounded like a phishing email to me, so, along with my husband, who has expertise in PC security, I did some research.

The software is owned by a Storyrock Publishing in Utah, and the publisher does have an excellent rating with the local Better Business Bureau.

Here is what I found, a blog post written by a young, male, college student:

"In Touch with the Feminine Side

I have been working in the technology department at Storyrock Publishing for several months. In the past, my responsibilities were to prepare products to be sold online for web download. When I left for school, I planned on doing the same type of work from home. Because of issues with internet connections, I had to change jobs within the company. This has allowed me to get in touch with my feminine side!

One of Storyrock's products is called My Memories Suite. It is digital scrapbooking software. My new job is to help with the marketing of the product. The first rule of marketing is to think like your target market, which means I get to think like a mid-30's stay-at-home mom! I now spend my work hours contacting bloggers under the alias Liz P. Gardner. We have conversations ranging from photo layouts of scrapbook pages to cute banners and blinkies they can put on their walls. In the process, I have learned about cooking, homeschooling children, arts and crafts, yoga, and all sorts of other things I never knew moms did. Who knew you could spend hours making greeting cards or paper shoes for infants!

All of these new experiences have filled me with gratitude that my wife and my mom do not spend their entire days writing about their lives instead of living them! It has been entertaining to get a glimpse into the life of the modern house wife. How grateful I am to be a guy!

I wonder how many 21-year-old male readers this blog has! Don't forget about the Bewitchin' Kitchen. How do these ladies find the time to do all this?"

I don't know about you, but I find it rather insulting for some young pup to be pretending to be a 30-something SAHM, and publicly insulting the women whose business he is trying to obtain. Obviously this kid has no idea how difficult and time-consuming it is to care for small children all day, homeschool, and cook. And he obviously has no idea that the moments we take to blog, stolen when children are napping or in bed at night, help fill that need for adult communication.

I do wish to caution my fellow bloggers not to accept every email offering something at face value, but to take the time to research and explore before jumping at a freebie- especially when that freebie is something that requires clicking on an unverified link or piece of software. Malware can be hidden in just about anything. A trojan program could be built into software you download that allows someone to remotely record every keystroke you make, thereby obtaining your passwords, banking information, and credit cards. Just clicking on a link in an email sent to you, my husband warns, can infect your computer.

Bloggers are excellent targets for such malware, as we seem like trusted sources to our readers, and can have a wide audience for exploitation. I caution all of you to carefully do your research before agreeing to a giveaway that has not been initiated by you, as both your family and your readers can suffer as victims of identity theft.

I do want to note, that I am not accusing this publisher of being malware. I haven't seen anything about this software in tech forums, and it is sold on Amazon. One thing to try and verify is if it truly is the legitimate company contacting you and not a spoof. I would do this by finding a contact for the company and checking to see if they truly are marketing with bloggers.

I frequently get requests for giveaways on my blog, but, as you can see, I rarely do them. Most recently, I declined an offer for shoddy children's furniture made of plywood that has garnered poor ratings on the 'Net, and herbs that tout a miraculous cure for infertility.

And no, I will NOT be running a giveaway for Storyrock. I don't take kindly to deceit.

Weekly Shopping Trips

2011-10-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

Nothing too exciting at the store this week, except a CVS deal that let me get 5 bottles of Tide Free HE for $1.97 each, and 2 bottles of Dawn for $0.47. I also got 2 huge bags of Halloween candy for $10 after ECBs. (You only see 4 bottles here, since I had to do it via two transactions, and alas, I was too lazy to take a second picture!)

I have $15 in ECBs to use up, but see nothing in this coming week's deals that we need. Wait til next week!

Kroger trip: $74.86. $12 of that was marked down ground beef that is now in my freezer. Never mind that Kentucky Bourbon Ale my husband wanted that was $12 all by itself.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-10-02T08:19:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Pioneer Woman Beer-Braised Beef (I'm throwing in the slow cooker), Colcannon Mashed Potatoes, Kale Chips, Pumpkin Gingerbread (made with butternut squash puree)

Monday: Fruit Berry Smoothies with Hemp Protein

Tuesday: Black Bean Chili

Wednesday: Fruit Berry Smoothies with Hemp Protein

Thursday: Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza with Peppers and Onions

Friday: Turkey Sausage, Toast, Tuscan Baked Eggs, Fruit

Saturday: Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowel

Other goodies for this week: Homemade Granola, need to Roast Peppers and freeze them, Pumpkin Spiced Chocolate Chip Cookies, Homemade Whole Wheat Bread (trying new recipe this week), Red Bell Pepper Relish

Menu Plan Monday

2011-09-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup (I add a bit of cheddar to mine)

Monday: (Boot Camp night) Homemade Fruit Smoothies with Hemp Protein (I mix several fruits, nix the yogurt, and use almond milk)

Tuesday: Zucchini Turkey Burgers, Pioneer Woman Green Beans (seriously, the BEST green beans I've ever had)

Wednesday: (Boot Camp night) Homemade Fruit Smoothies with Hemp Protein

Thursday: Pear Oven Pancake, Fresh Fruit, Green Salad

Friday: Homemade Pizza with Lots of Peppers and Onions

Saturday: Chunky Corn Chowder (substituting skim milk for the cream), Tomato and Cucumber Salad, Beer Bread

Snacks and Extras: Pumpkin Spice Bread made with Pureed Squash, Homemade Granola, which has now become a staple in our household

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Weekly Shopping Trip

2011-09-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

Kroger trip: $80. Would have spent less if I did not have a husband and two children with me. At least what they threw in my cart were semi-healthy! I ended up with a bag of organic raisins, chopped dates, larger orange juices, and organic chocolate bunnies that were not on the original list. I did buy 8 extra small cartons of Almond Breeze Almond Milk. We send one carton a week to day care in lieu of cow's milk. With coupons and Mega Sale, they were $1.49 each. Usually they are $2.50 if I am lucky. The Birdseye Steamfresh veggies (which I cook on the stovetop) were only $0.59.

The goal next week is to keep it at $50 or less!

Shopping Trip

2011-09-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

Our ancient Wrap-N-Mats have been starting to wear down after almost 6 years of being used several times a week and thrown into the washer once a week. One of them bit the dust recently. It's amazing, though, when you think of it, that those Wrap-n-Mats I bought before our wedding have been used at least 4 days a week, 50 weeks out of the year, for 5.5 years, and have saved at least 1100 single-use plastic bags!

I found a couple different deals on Mamapedia for half price on reusable lunchware, and picked up 5 cloth snack and sandwich bags, 2 new Wrap-N-Mats, and 6 stainless steel lunch-sized bowls to replace the plastic ones as they wear out.

This week's Kroger trip: $52. They had a Mega-Sale this week, and I got 2 Prego sauces for $0.74 and 8 Fat Free Carnation Evaporated Milks for $0.27 each. I will be making this Pear Oven Pancake for my husband and myself using those evaporated milks (the boy gets his beloved peanut butter sandwich instead). I used this post to make those match-ups. I was so bummed that my husband's soy milk was in the sale, and planned on getting 10 at $1.49 each, but they only had the original flavor that he despises. $10 of what I spent was for fancy cheese for a coworker's bon voyage party, as she will be telecommuting from home after this week.

Shopping Trip

2011-09-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

My Meijer Trip: $15. Seven jars of Planters Peanut Butter for $0.67 each. We go through at least a jar of peanut butter each week.

Also had a trip to Kroger for soy milk, almond milk, a few jars of baby food, dairy free bread, and fresh fruits. $52 for that trip. Tried to take a picture, but the 'dern camera wasn't working!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-09-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

Monday: Homemade Hummus with crackers, Greek Yogurt with Berries and Honey, Pumpkin Bread

Tuesday: Spanish Rice and Beans

Wednesday: Leftover Spanish Rice

Thursday: Homemade Wheat Pizza with Lots of Peppers and Onion (we are getting a ton of peppers in the farm box, and my husband otherwise hates cooked peppers)

Friday: Penne Pasta with Zucchini and Basil Pesto

Saturday: Winds Cafe Dinner: Naked Garlic, Grilled Strip Steak

Sunday: Baked Eggs with Cheese, Tomato, and Bacon

Food Blog Lovin: Zucchini Burgers

2011-09-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe for Zucchini Burgers on Gina's Skinny Recipes a while back, and now that we are getting a lot of zucchini from our Farm Box, we have tried it with both ground sirloin and ground turkey. Both tasted great!


Zucchini, onions, and garlic in the food processor

Having a food processor makes it quite easy to make, as I only roughly chopped everything, and then quickly mixed it together by hand. There are obvious green flecks in the burgers when raw that are not as obvious when cooked. My 3 year old, who hates vegetables, ate these without complaint! They tasted like a good burger with a nice hint of onion and garlic- no zucchini flavor at all!


							Burgers ready to go on the grill

Menu Plan Monday

2011-09-04T15:12:00.001-07:00

Sunday: Turkey Zucchini Burgers (with local ground turkey from the Bowman Landes Family), Fresh Green Beans Pioneer Woman Style, Homemade Air Popped Popcorn for dessert

Monday: Mexican Baked Eggs, Kicked Up Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Tuesday: Late Summer Vegetable Medley, Homemade Hummus and Crackers

Wednesday: Black Bean, Zucchini, and Olive Tacos

Thursday: Homemade Wheat Pizza with Lots of Peppers and Onions

Friday: Lean Mettwurst with Fried Potatoes and Onions
Saturday: Pasta with Spinach and Vegan White Sauce (made with almond milk it has a pleasant nutty flavor)

Lunches: Crackers with Hummus or Havarti With Dill Cheese, Greek Yogurt with Honey and Fruit, Grapes, Pumpkin Spice Bread made with Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Farm Box Produce: Homemade Refrigerator Pickles

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Shopping Trips

2011-09-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

Long time no post- but we have been sick, sick, sick with one bug after another. Hopefully all these summer sickies have run their course.

Kroger Trip: $ 82. In-laws are in town and they expect to eat meat, so that added almost $18 to my total. If you noticed, I got some Light Mayo for a recipe I want to try involving lots of cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppery bacon. Most light mayo has dairy in it- but Kraft brand does not.

CVS trip: $2.14 out of pocket and received $0.99 in ECBs back. The Skintimate Shave Gels were free, and the Hershey Bar was $0.99 and I got the Extra Care Buck back for it. I had a $3 ECB from last week, so the jelly was free. You can see the deal for Skintimate here. I confirmed with the cashier at CVS that I could stack the CVS coupon with the manufacturer coupon.

Health food store trip: $25. The powdered probiotics were $22 and are prescribed by our pediatrician. Soy yogurt was $3- no time to really "yog" my own this week, and I have a ton of garden produce to process and baking to do already.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-08-28T15:55:00.001-07:00

Monday: Creamy Pasta and Spinach made meatless and with Vegan White Sauce instead of Cream Cheese

Tuesday: Lentil Burritos with Onions, Peppers, and Zucchini

Wednesday: Homemade Pizza with Peppers, Garlic, Onions, and Kalamata Olives

Thursday: Spanish Rice and Beans

Friday: Turkey Kielbasa with Fried Potatoes and Onions

Saturday: out to dinner with in-laws

Sunday: Pancakes, Turkey Sausage, and Fruit for Breakfast

Grilled Chicken with Mustard Tarragon Sauce, Corn on the Cob, Late Summer Vegetable Medley

Breakfast: Homemade Granola, Nectarines

Lunches: Hummus, Whiskey Cheddar Cheese and Triscuit Crackers, Leftover Spanish Rice and Beans, Carrots, Bananas or Blueberries

Snacks: Pumpkin Spice Bread with Pureed Pumpkin from the small pie pumpkin the farm sent us

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-08-20T14:56:00.001-07:00

Sunday: Fried Corn (LOTS of corn and peppers from the farm this week), Gazpacho

Monday: Zucchini Burgers, Sweet Corn

Tuesday: Tuscan Baked Eggs

Wednesday: Homemade Pizza with Green Peppers and Onions

Thursday: Quesadillas with Cheese and Onions

Friday: Pasta with Garlic and Tomatoes

Saturday: Tomato Pie

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Food Blog Lovin': Mushroom and White Bean Stew

2011-08-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

We tried this recipe for Mushroom and White Bean Stew from Kalyn's Kitchen a couple weeks ago. It took very little time to whip up on the stove top. We had a bag of quinoa we needed to use up, so we ate it atop quinoa. It was quite good! We topped ours with a little bit of parmesan. The quinoa was leftover from my SIL, so it was free to us, and everything else was probably about $3. Simple and frugal!

Weekly Shopping Trips

2011-08-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

Kroger Trip: $48. Pre-made baby foods were $10. My costs will probably increase over the short term as we do trials of food.

Health food store: $42 plus $6 for lecithin. The lecithin is to make my own cooking spray (part of my yearly pledge to reduce waste- if any of you local folks want to share ours, let me know, we have quite a bit). My husband went, so I had less control over cost. He picked up an $11 maple syrup and $4 of snap peas that were not on my list :(.

Sam's Club and 2nd Health Food Store trip: Earth's Best baby food on sale at health food store means 10 jars for $4.49. Sam's trip was $50 out of pocket after gift card. We seem to be spending a little more since moving towards a more whole foods, organic, made from scratch diet, and since having our daughter. Formula costs are still $69 a month for the Earth's Best formula. I'm hoping once we've hit our stride, and I figure out what, if anything, our daughter is allergic to other than dairy, our costs will decrease again.

I renewed my Sam's Club membership today (the one I won from Stockpiling Moms last year) and got a $20 gift card back for renewing in person at the store. We bought our Halloween chips for $30. The best prices for individual bags of chips are at Sam's. Since our son's allergy means he can't eat the candy passed out at Halloween, we pass out chips instead, and let him nibble from bags all night.

Sam's Club, as I learned last year, does not save as much money as couponing or cooking from scratch most of the time. There are certain, things, however, that make it worth the membership. My husband plays sports all weekend and every Thursday, and drinks Gatorade throughout. I discovered today we can buy a huge container of the powdered formulation for $10, which makes 36 quarts. Usually, I can only on occasion get Gatorade for free in individual servings. The powdered form also produces less waste.

I got a giant container of peanuts for less than $7, and 2 pounds of yeast for $4.50. Usually I spent that much on the jar of yeast at the grocery store. Because I make two or more loaves of bread a week, this makes it very worthwhile. The huge container of brown sugar was $4.50 as well, or 4.5 cents per ounce. Since I started making my own snacks and granola, we are going through more of this quickly.

Other good finds there I would recommend: Bulk flours, sugars, and rice.

I saw a lot of people walking out of there with cases of bottled water (you could pay for your own reverse osmosis water filtration system at home within a year or two after chucking the bottled water habit, as most systems are under $500 installed.) Also, lots of toilet paper, paper towels, pop, and snacks. All I have gotten for substantially less via amazon.com subscribe and save deals or couponing.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-08-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday: It's so nice out, I am changing gears to make Zucchini Burgers (with ground sirloin), Grilled Corn on the Cob, and Watermelon

Sunday: Our zucchini from the farm is the size of a small baseball bat, so I'm making Ratatouille Wanna-Be to use it and the summer squash up- maybe on a bed on quinoa?

Monday: Huevos Rancheros- using those fresh mild chile peppers and tomatoes, corn on the cob

Tuesday: Whole Wheat Pasta with Tomatoes, Garlic, and Parmesan, Spicy Butternut Squash

Wednesday: Massage therapy night: Mexican Pile-On with Black Beans, Cilantro and Lime Rice, Fresh Tomatoes, Red Onions, Sour Cream, and Cheese

Thursday: Falafel with Tomato and Cucumbers

Friday: dinner at Rue Dumaine with friends

Saturday:Homemade Pizza with Onions and Peppers

Sunday: TBD

My lunches: Santa Fe Rice and Beans, fresh carrots and cucumbers

My breakfast: Fresh nectarine and homemade granola- no milk necessary!

The kid's lunches (he always gets an extra fruit and veg from day care): PB & J on homemade wheat bread, soy yogurt and fresh blueberries and blackberries, organic apple juice (we reuse some old 4 oz Medela breast milk bottles to send it!), homemade cinnamon apples, maybe homemade granola bars with chocolate chips

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Homemade Granola

2011-08-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

Just like the homemade yogurt, I swear the homemade granola is super easy.

Store-bought granola has a few pitfalls: it doesn't taste quite the same as fresh; it's pretty expensive, especially when my husband can devour an entire box in one sitting ($4.50 a box with about 4 cupful servings); and there can be hidden dairy, like most processed foods. Not a good thing when your child has a serious allergy!

I started with this recipe at Lynn's Recipe Adventures. I wanted something that didn't have too many ingredients, not too much dried fruit (adds more calories, expense, and we're just not fans), and a cinnamon flavor. her recipe is nut-free, but we have no nut allergies, so I added whole almonds, crushed walnuts, and some sunflower seeds. I added a dash of nutmeg to the spices, and I also used canola for my oil. I'm not a huge coconut fan, so no shredded coconut either.

I baked mine for 12 minutes, and didn't let it sit in the oven. I put it immediately into a canister for storage, and it still was plenty crunchy.

I've made this three times now, and we all love it. I eat mine every morning at work with only a sliced nectarine- no milk or yogurt. We get 7 full servings out of this that last all week. I'd say the cost of 7 servings is $3.50 using organic rolled oats and $2.50 using store brand rolled oats.

It only takes me 5 minutes to prep the liquids on the stove and 12 minutes to bake. Totally worth the effort!

Weekly Grocery Trip

2011-08-09T17:37:00.001-07:00

Kroger trip: $40. It's hard to believe how much beverages take a chunk out of my grocery budget. I know you can make your own soy and almond milk at home, but the cost is higher. One of the almond milks was free thanks to a coupon from my friend Diane. My CSA box of fruit and veg will be $21 a week.

My frugal fail for the week: A shopping trip to Kohl's that cost me $200. My excuse: I just gave away all of my maternity clothes, and had to replace a work wardrobe that was still 50% maternity clothes. Half of that cost was for 2 pairs of pants- the only pairs of pants- that I could find that correctly fit my body. After 6 different stores in one afternoon, I gave in. Apparently the cost of self-confidence is around $100.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-08-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

Monday: Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Marinated Chickpeas, Feta, and Herbs

Tuesday: Caprese Panini on Homemade Rosemary Focaccia

Wednesday: Lentil Burritos with Onion, Summer Squash, and Bell Peppers

Thursday: Mushroom, White Bean, and Tomato Stew over Quinoa, fresh greens if the CSA Box comes with them

Friday: 7-Grain Pancakes, Turkey Sausage, and Fresh Melon

Saturday: Falafel with Cucumbers and Tomatoes, Corn on the Cob

Sunday: hunt and peck

Day Care Treat: Chocolate Cake made with Pureed Beetroots (I cooked the fresh beets in the microwave and will decrease the sugar to 2/3 cup and use egg whites and applesauce), Baked Apples (I decrease the sugar to 1/4 cup)

My Work Lunches/Breakfasts: My Own Homemade Granola and Homemade Yogurt with Honey, Fresh Nectarines, Gingerbread a la The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook (I have lots of homemade dairy yogurt to use up, so snack for me alone!), Hummus (pairing with box of free Kashi Pita Crackers), fresh watermelon, fresh carrots

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Fresh From The Farm

2011-08-07T07:21:00.000-07:00

We have a local farm called Fulton Farms, that is the only one in the area to do delivery of fresh organic produce. I stumbled across this a few weeks ago, and signed up immediately. I get a half bushel- or 10-15 pounds of fruit and veg- fresh-picked that day and delivered to my doorstep between 4-9 PM. It costs $21 a week, and you pay a month up front. I paid a deposit of $100 as well, that counts as my last month's delivery. You have the option of locally grown only (that is the option I chose), locally grown with extra organic produce from a supplier, and customized service.

I thought it would be a good idea to learn what truly is in season, and help support a local farm, to choose the Local-only Basket.

There are many Community Supported Agriculture farms in the US that offer similar programs.You can click the link to search near you.

Our Happy Box

Our produce came packed in a box, with only two small wooden containers that will be cleaned and reused. If cutting down on plastic waste is important to you as well, know that the box and crates for your produce will be reused for the season.

It did require unpacking, sorting, and cleaning. Since it is picked that day, you will have to wash off the dirt. This week, we got beets and beet greens, onions, garlic, tomatoes, summer squash, carrots (purple and yellow ones too!), bell peppers (green and purple!), sweet corn (very sweet and very good), pickling cucumbers, squash, basil, purslane.

I've never had beets, so this will be a new experience. I've had one suggestion for Beet Chocolate Cake and there's a Beet Salad recipe I may try.

Supposedly, there will be melons next week!

The seasonality of the produce and not knowing what we'll get will add a new bit of challenge to my menu-planning. I get my box on Wednesday, so my menus may change a bit mid-week.

Weekly Grocery Trips

2011-08-03T18:14:00.001-07:00

Health food store trip: $45. Pumpkin seeds are expensive! I did discover that their bulk rolled organic oats and other grains are at a decent price- comparable to the grocery store and organic to boot.

I was disappointed in the organic peaches I bought at quite a price because the conventional ones are part of the Dirty Dozen. They had a mildewy taste to them and I had to send them to an early grave in the compost bin.

Kroger trip: $65- though about $20 of that is from fish oil and vitamin D supplements I found at half price. Bought some jarred baby food for our 4-day trials, and if baby girl does not react, I will get started on making homemade purees to freeze. I don't want to go through an ordeal to make them and find out she can't have them after all!

Since I spent more than I wanted this week, I'll have to keep it tight this coming week's trip- I'm hoping to stay at $30-40, since we started home delivery from an organic farm this week, at $20 a week. From now until January, when delivery stops, we'll have to keep the shopping trip total at $50.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-08-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

Monday: Pasta with Ragu and Fresh Tomato (meal cost $0.25!)

Tuesday: Roasted Asparagus and Steamed Egg Over Easy

Wednesday: Parmesan Polenta, Black Bean Patties, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Parsnips, and Turnips

Thursday: massage night- Homemade Pizza with Mushrooms and Onions

Friday: Balsamic Chicken Wraps, Roasted Green Beans

Saturday: Red Lentils, Brown Rice, Sliced Amish Tomatoes and Cucumbers with pepper and sea salt,

Sunday: hunt and peck

Still making Yogurt in the slow cooker, homemade granola, homemade hummus for lunches

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Homemade Yogurt

2011-07-28T13:07:00.001-07:00

A crock , covered with a beach towel, waiting for the yogurt to sufficiently "yog"

In my quest to move to a more organic, whole foods diet, I have been experimenting with making my own soy and dairy yogurt at home in the slow cooker. So far it has been a success for the most part.

It really is a LOT easier than it looks. A 32 oz organic yogurt is easily $3-5, depending on brand and if it is soy (for my dairy-allergic child.) I can buy a half gallon (64 oz) of organic soy or dairy milk for $2.50-$3. It will make a half gallon of yogurt. For the first batch, you will need to buy a small 6 oz yogurt with active cultures to prime the mixture, but afterwards can hold back a cup of your own yogurt to make the next batch.

Homemade yogurt has more water that settles to the top than store-bought. I made "greek-style" yogurt by lining a sieve with coffee filters and putting it in the fridge for 6-8 hours. It then has the consistency of sour cream.

When I made soy yogurt, I used a quarter cup of tapioca flour to help thicken it. The dairy did not require this step. The soy took 18 hours to "yog" and the dairy only about 12.

Word to the wise- I used a stainless steel colander the first time I made it Greek-style and let it sit longer overnight. My first batch then ended up with a metallic taste to it and I had to chuck it down the sink! Next time I used plastic.

A week's worth of soy yogurt, ready to go!

My own plain, unsweetened yogurt, with a few berries- the way my 3 year old likes it.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-07-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

Monday: Pasta with summer tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and olive oil, roasted broccoli

Tuesday: Parmesan Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg, kale chips

Wednesday:Huevos Rancheros

Thursday: Fruit Smoothies with Hemp Protein Powder, Edamame

Friday: dinner at The Winds Cafe with friends

Saturday: Wine tasting for me- husband on his own!

Sunday: hunt and peck for me- probably baked potato and veggie burger

Homemade granola for breakfast, with yogurt and fresh peaches

Weekly Shopping Trips

2011-07-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

This week's trip to Kroger: $76. I spent $6 on meat for my dad- today is his birthday. I am whipping together individual hamburger patties soaked in Guinness , German potato salad like my Grandma used to make, and fruit. I bought store-bought yogurt for this coming week as I don't have a lot of time to "yog" this weekend.

Last week's Whole Foods trip: $85. Yes, I spent $7 on dark chocolate expresso beans. For shame! I eat maybe 6-7 beans a day at work. So, so good!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-07-19T15:46:00.001-07:00

Monday: Turkey Kielbasa, Onions, and Potato Saute

Tuesday: Breakfast is Overnight Steel Cut Oats in the slow cooker with homemade yogurt and fresh fruit

Dinner is Falafel with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce (got to use up that half gallon of yogurt!)

Wednesday: Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Feta, Homemade Black Bean Burgers, Roasted Broccoli

Thursday: day care picnic- bringing Light Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Friday: Spring Pasta with Tomato and Asparagus

Saturday: Ale House Burgers on the grill, Bread Machine Hamburger Buns, Green beans, German Potato Salad, Grilled Pineapple, popcorn for movie night

Sunday: Pancake brunch with sausage and fruit

Making Mujadarrah for lunches next week and Sunday dinner

Lunches: Made a big vat of Spanish Rice and Beans on this past Sunday plus Cinnamon Baked Apples for day care treats

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-07-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

Going to be lots of egg dishes this week!

Monday: Baked Eggs with Cheese, Tomato, and Bacon, Cole Slaw

Tuesday: Parmesan Polenta, Sauteed Kale, Morningstar Farms Pizza Burger Patties

Wednesday: Tuscan Baked Eggs with Tomato, Onion, and Garlic

Thursday: Creamy Pasta and Spinach, Roasted Broccoli

Friday: massage night- Huevos Rancheros over cheap Chi-chis tortillas

Saturday: Rhineland Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage in slow cooker, Turkey Kielbasa, Onions, and Potatoes on the stovetop

Sunday: Spicy Sauteed Chickpeas with Beef and Cilantro, salad

Experimenting with soy yogurt in the slow cooker, still experimenting with dairy free wheat bread(using olive oil in the recipe and mixing in bread machine and baking in oven)

Weekly Shopping Trip

2011-07-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

Whole Foods trip: $49 Pretty much everything is organic except for the polenta and tapioca starch. Why tapioca starch? I am using it in this recipe to experiment making my own soy yogurt in my slow cooker. A half gallon of organic unsweetened soy milk at Whole Foods in $2.49. If this experiment is successful, I can make a half gallon of soy yogurt at a time for the same price I pay for half that amount of store-bought soy yogurt. I had to buy a single small organic soy yogurt as a starter, but should be able to use half a cup of my own yogurt in the future as a starter for future yogurt batches.

I discovered organic unsweetened peanut butter is $2.99 at Whole Foods, the cheapest store bought organic I can find. Still haven't seen any deals the past few months on conventional peanut butter!

While out to lunch, I hit a consignment shop and found a 3T Gymboree dress for $8 andan 18M Carter's dress for $7 on the clearance rack. I used a 30% off Carter's coupon to reduce the dress price further. I got a couple crochet hat patterns on Etsy and looked at Michael's to try and find yarn, but left empty-handed as I didn't want to pay full price. I was intrigued by the bamboo yarn, however, as it was quite soft.

My target trip: a candy thermometer, which is very helpful in ensuring my yogurt culture stays at the right temperature, a drink, and some 80 calorie dark chocolate bites my friend Kim introduced me to. Total $3.50 for the food.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-07-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

Monday: Baked beans and BBQ Chicken from mom

Tuesday: leftover baked beans, chicken, corn on the cob, cantaloupe

Wednesday: Mushroom, White Bean, and Tomato Stew

Thursday: Beef and Bean Chimichangas, Roasted Broccoli

Friday: Sauteed Kale With Tomato and Olives over Toasted Polenta

Saturday: Huevos Rancheros with Homemade Tortilla

Sunday: Tuscan Baked Eggs with Tomato and Herbs

Experimenting with this Wheat Bread recipe this week!

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-06-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

Monday: evil fast food

Tuesday: Bacon Tomato Pasta, Twice Baked Sweet potatoes with Feta

Wednesday: Mexican Tomato Rice and Beans

Thursday: Chipotle Burrito Bowl (minus the chicken and with a nice side of guac)

Friday: Homemade Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust

Saturday: Huevos Rancheros on Homemade Corn Tortilla

Sunday: Mushroom, White bean, and Tomato Stew over Rice

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Weekly Grocery Trips

2011-06-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

Part of this week's trip from the specialty store closer by- and proof that I really need to stay away from there! Mostly homegrown and organic produce $46. I discovered this week that the bread I usually buy for our family now has dairy in it (groan). This now means that I must either bake my own or buy it at $5 per loaf at the specialty store. My husband was out of town, and I only had a short time to run and shop as my mom watched my feverish, sick kids- ended up spending $60 more. Yipes! AT least it was mostly organic, right?

Last week's Kroger trip: $58, plus $6 for frozen organic sale waffles at health food store. Amazing how you can get so much more and spend so much less here!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-06-21T18:56:00.001-07:00

Monday: Boston Baked Beans ( I cooked the beans beforehand in the slow cooker and froze two servings)

Tuesday: simple eggs and toast

Wednesday: Fruit Smoothies and 7-Grain Homemade Waffles with Maple Syrup

Thursday: Twice Baked Sweet Potato with Feta, Veggie Burger Patties, Fruit

Friday: Chic Fil-A

Saturday: Regency Toasted Cheese, Sliced Bell peppers, Kale Chips

Sunday: Lean Beef, Cabbage, and Stewed Tomato in Slow Cooker

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Great Summer Grocery Makeover- Week 4

2011-06-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

I'm still running a little behind- Dad had another bleeding episode and this weekend was crazy.

The last week for my coworker Kim, we went over CVS policies, as they are a bit different than Walgreens. CVS Extra Care Bucks don't expire as quickly as Walgreens Register Rewards, and they are used like cash. Because of that, I can buy a single item, and use multiple ECBs plus a coupon for it without any trouble. We flipped through Target's website and looked at their coupons. Did you know that you can stack a Target coupon, say for Pampers, with a manufacturer's coupon from the Sunday insert? Because of this, Target often has quite of list of things you can get for free, in particular personal care items.

Kim and her mom decided to hit Target, and practice some deal-seeking there this week. For everything in their basket, they paid only $0.18 out of pocket. On the way out the door, she saw someone had left some change on the floor, $0.31. Technically, after finding this, they made money that trip. Cool, huh?

I asked Kim what advice she would give a newbie trying to learn how to coupon. She has one piece of advice:

"Start with only one store." In the beginning, she tried to work deals at multiple stores, and often felt overwhelmed, and like she messed up a few deals, making her out of pocket more than she expected. By deciding to just concentrate on Walgreens, she learned the ins and outs over a few weeks, and smoothed out the bumps before moving on to Target this week.

I myself only started with Kroger and then slowly worked my way up to being able to hit 8 stores in one Saturday when I was really stockpiling.

Overall, Kim was able to reduce her budget by at least 70% for groceries. After an initial investment at Walgreens, she is still rolling her Register Rewards to the tune of about $75 per week. That means nothing out of pocket! What a great student!

Winner

2011-06-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

According to random.org, contestant #3, or TINA, is the winner of The Complete Tightwad Gazette. Congrats!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-06-13T16:50:00.001-07:00

Monday: Falafel, Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Tuesday: Tortilla Wraps with Grilled Veggies and Black Bean, Cilantro, and Lime, Grilled Pineapple

Wednesday: Creamy Pasta with Sun Dried Tomato and Pesto, Broccoli

Thursday: Boston Baked Beans, Cole Slaw with Blue Cheese and Apple

Friday: Breakfast for dinner, Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Waffles with Blueberries, Maple Syrup, and Sausage

Saturday: Father's Day meal: Grilled Ribs, Smoky Grilled Potato Wedges, Pierogies, Peas, Grandma Ople Apple Pie (made dairy free)

Sunday: Jane Austen Toasted Cheese, Fresh Fruit

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Weekly Shopping Trip

2011-06-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

The hummingbird momma that built her nest on a tree branch right outside our front door. Why am I posting this as part of my weekly shopping trip? Because I spent $9 on a hummingbird feeder and nectar today to help keep her and her nestlings happy. I think there are 3 eggs in that tiny nest.

My Walgreens trip: had a $2 Register reward and needed nothing- except peanut butter. Skippy was on sale for $2, so I got this jar for free.

My Kroger trip: $46 on food, $2 for a newspaper, and $17 for a hummingbird feeder, nectar, and bird seed. I guess you can say we like the birds:). Raspberries were still $1 each today, so I got 5, washed them, and just popped them in the freezer.

I also spent $14 at the specialty store a couple days ago, so $60 for the week overall.

The Great Summer Grocery Makeover: Week 3

2011-06-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

This week was a grocery shopping week for my coworker Kim- and it was a great week! The goal was to make it below $59 for 2 weeks worth of groceries. Her total?

$29!!!!!!!

That is $14.50 per week for a family of two, and about a 70% reduction in the food budget. Her strategies that helped the most: using a few things she already had instead of buying extra things that would probably end up spoiled, couponing and getting as many freebies as she could, and planning her menu around what was on sale instead of what they had a hankering for that week.

This week we went over a few sites where we could find extra coupons: Coupons.com, Smartsource.com, Redplum.com, and the Coupon Network. I usually find them at Deal Seeking Mom. They always seem to have coupons for our water softener salt, and tend to run a high value coupon on a regular basis. I also showed her how to use digital coupons like Cellfire and loaded some eCoupons onto her Kroger Plus card.

She and her mom are still going strong rolling their Walgreens Register Rewards (to Jen who commented on the last post, I will post something soon explaining how they work.) They only paid a couple bucks out of pocket and got over $70 Register Rewards back.

Plan for next week? Rolling, rolling, rolling those rewards still....

Weekly Match-Ups Week of 6/5/11

2011-06-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry the match-ups are late this week. My Dad has been in the hospital and I have been driving 1.5 hrs each way to see him the past few days...

Here is where I am finding my match-ups this week:

The Savings Lifestyle for Kroger deals: Raspberries $1 (buying a LOT to freeze as this is as low as it gets), Ragu $0.67, Quilted Northern Double Rolls $3.99, Gillette Body Wash $0.75, Bic Razors $0.99.

Cincinnati Cents for Meijer deals: International Delight Creamer, FREE Country Crock, Smuckers Jelly $0.67 (great price!), Kashi Cereal $0.66, Suddenly Salad $0.50, Bar S Franks or Blogna $0.50, Baby Cut Organic Carrots $1, Dole Bagged Salad $1, Hormel Pepperoni $0.30, Sunny Delight $0.50.

Koupon Karen for Walgreens deals: FREE Fish Oil, FREE Healthy Woman Soy Supplement, FREE Reach Floss or Toothbrushes, Morton Salt $0.50, Butterball Chicken Broth $0.50, Comet Cleanser $0.50, Nivea Body Wash $0.50, Duracell Batteries $0.74, Gillette Fusion Proglide System $0.99, Blue Diamond Almonds $1.45, Planters Nuts $2.

Cincinnati Cents for CVS deals: FREE Excedrin, FREE Honest Tea or Fuze, FREE Crest Pro Health Rinse, Colgate Toothpaste $0.04, Ban Deodorant $0.24, Blink Tears $3.99, Huggies Jumbo Pack $4.99, Pampers $14.99.

Deal Seeking Mom for Rite Aid deals: FREE Bayer Aspirin, FREE Arm and Hammer Toothpaste, Crest Toothpaste $0.50, Axe or Dove Men's products $0.72, eight Lysol wipes $0.75 each (or buy a pack of washclothes for $1 and make your own cleaner!)

Deal Seeking Mom for Target deals: Pampers or Huggies as low as $6.32, FREE Playtex Toddler Cups, Ghirardelli Squares $1.74.

Money Saving Mom for Walmart deals: FREE Gain Dish Liquid, FREE Kids n Pets, Weight Watchers Yogurt $0.30, Curad Bandages $0.46, Snuggle Fabric Sheets $1

If I haven't listed your local stores, I highly recommend you try out The Frugal Map to find local bloggers that do match-ups for you!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-06-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

Monday: BLTs

Tuesday: Quick Pasta with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Wednesday: hunt and peck for husband, fast food for me, visiting Dad in the hospital :(

Thursday: Falafel with Cucumber Dill Sauce, Twice Baked Sweet Potato With Feta, Bell Peppers

Friday: Penne With Asparagus and Tomato, Sauteed Kale

Saturday: Grilled Turkey Kielbasa, Grilled Pineapple, Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad

Sunday: Eating hearty lunch at The Meadowlark- light dinner of Fruit Smoothie made from banana, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, almond milk, and hemp protein

Hundreds more menus here!

Weekend Shopping Trip

2011-06-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

I am throwing a baby shower today- with almost 50 expected guests- so the budget is much higher again this week. My brother, a chef, was able to get sandwich supplies, a veggie tray, and a cheese tray at cost, and my mother and I filled in the rest. My total this week from Kroger was $113.85. $20 of that were flowers for decor and favors, and $35 for food and fruit juices. I expect the other supplies from my brother will be $25-$35. Our family food was $58 for the week.

The Great Summer Grocery Makeover: Week 2

2011-06-04T18:25:00.001-07:00

Week 2

This was not a grocery shopping week for my coworker Kim (remember, she shops for groceries every 2 weeks), so this week's focus was hitting the deals at multiple Walgreens stores. Kim had $92 in Register Rewards to try and roll, and she did very well. By bringing her mom with her to complete two transactions at every store, and hitting multiple stores, they were able to fill her stockpile and earn $85 back in Register Rewards- in other words, keep $85 those $92 rewards bucks rolling instead of having to outlay more cash out of her own pocket.

We loaded her Google Reader with a few deal blogs and food blogs, and went over her stockpile list. They are almost fully stocked with a 12 month supply of most items of her stockpile list. Because they are a family of 2, a few weeks of concerted effort is enough to get them to an almost fully-stocked state. For my family, with two small children, this was a longer process.

I highly recommend using a Reader to avoid wasting time clicking on non-updated blogs. A Reader highlights every time a blog is updated, and will allow you to quickly scan through all the posts to find the ones you want (for me, the grocery store and drug store deals for the week.) Keeping a list of at least a few often used items in your stockpile will keep you from wasting time and money duplicating purchases. My list allows me to know that I have 5 weeks of peanut butter left and need to start keeping an eye out for coupons and deals- and that I have 20 toothpastes and can ignore those deals for quite some time.

What she found helpful, since she is learning to really work the deals, is typing out every deal in a Word document, including how many items and which coupons she is using. Focusing on one store at a time has also been good practice.

The plan for next week: Trying to get two weeks of groceries to be less than $59, and continuing to roll her Walgreens Register Rewards.

My coworker Kim, for being such a good sport, is earning a copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette. My US and Canadian readers can as well, by following me on GFC and leaving a comment on the post linked HERE that you have done so, before June 9th, 2011. Earn an extra chance by leaving a comment with some great frugal advice for my challenger.

Match-Ups Week of 5/29/11

2011-05-31T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here are the places I am going for my match-ups this week:

Deal Seeking Mom for Meijer deal s: Aunt Millie's Bread $0.15, Wish Bone Dressing $0.67, Smart Balance Milk $0.79, Coffee-Mate Creamer $0.57, Philadelphia Cooking Cream $0.50, Head and Shoulders $0.98.

Frugal Coupon Living for CVS deals: Aveeno products $1.33 each, FREE Mennen Speed Stick, Crest $0.48, Bic Soleil $.099, FREE Cortaid, FREE Preparation H Wipes, FREE Mars Chocolate Singles, FREE Nature Made Vitamins

Stretching A Buck for Kroger deals: Raspberries $1, Kashi Cereal $1.99, Wish Bone Dressing $0.67, International Delight Creamer $0.40, Suave Deodorant $0.17.

Koupon Karen for Walgreens deals: FREE Applied Nutrition Calcium, FREE Icy Hot Cream, FREE Goody's Headache Relief Powder, FREE Illy Coffee Cafe, FREE Royal Gelatin, FREE Listerine, FREE Listerine Pocket Packs, Act II Popcorn $0.25, FREE Nabisco Crackerfuls.

Koupon Karen for Rite Aid deals: FREE Renpure Organics Shampoo, FREE Aquafresh Kids Pump, Speed Stick $0.24.

If I haven't listed your local stores, I highly recommend you try out The Frugal Map to find local bloggers that do match-ups for you!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-05-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Not So Meatless Monday: Grilled Hot Dogs, Grilled Pineapple, Baked Beans, Watermelon

Tuesday: Spanish Rice and Beans, Roasted Broccoli

Wednesday: Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes With Feta, Black Bean Salad, Corn on the Cob

Thursday: my own creation- Penne Pasta with Creamy Pesto Sun Dried Tomato Sauce, Sauteed Kale

Friday: Grilled Panzanella Salad over Quinoa, Fresh Cucumbers, Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts

Saturday: Lentil Burritos for Lunch, Cole Slaw With Blue Cheese and Apple, BLT Lettuce Wraps, Julia Child's Cherry Clafouti for dinner

Sunday: Baby Shower

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Weekend Shopping Trip

2011-05-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

Kroger Trip: Food $57.18 and Memorial Day Sparklers $2

My best finds: 3 packs of Chi-chis Tortillas for $0.59 each, FREE Ore-Ida Sweet Potato Fries from a Facebook coupon, and B1G1 salt-free pretzels (these are a month supply for us at least)

My CVS trip was a whopper. Due to allergies, my husband and son do best with Aveeno products. I bought 3 bodywashes and one lotion, paid $25 out of pocket, and got $10 in ECBs back. I am Vitamin D deficient and have been told to supplement, but those supplements are typically $17 a bottle. Two brands were B1G1 at CVS this week, and I had several coupons. For buying the Nature's Made plus the Planters B1G1 nuts, I also got a $10 gas card back after spending over $30. The three Vitamin D/1 Fish Oil would usually be at least $60 alone. Total for everything was $77.36 out of pocket, plus $10 ECBs for Aveeno, $10 gas card, and a FREE Essence of Beauty Body Mist back at checkout.

Walgreens trip: 8 Act II popcorns for $2. I had planned on making a buck on the Ritz Crackerfulls deal, but my store was out of stock and they substituted Ritz Crackers instead. I paid $2 for the crackers and got a $2 RR back, and plan to use them for a baby shower I'm throwing next week.

We are now pretty much out of the paper towels I got 12 months ago on a great deal. With sale and coupon 12 rolls were $5 this week. Hopefully we can stretch these 6-8 months.

My Meijer trip: $21.37 including FREE Cottonelle Flushable Wipes from a Facebook coupon, 3 Eckrich Turkey Smoked Sausage for $0.67 each, 2 FREE Dean's french Onion Dips and 3 Heluva Good Dips for $0.50 each, and 3 FREE Ch-chi's Salsas for the baby shower.

Since food was about $96 due to stockpiling nuts this week, the plan is to cut back a little next week!

The Great Summer Grocery Makeover

2011-05-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

I admit it, I am addicted. I love cruising the deals every week, trying to get something for free. Thanks to our using several frugal strategies,, we are a year away from paying off both my new car and student loan, and 2 years away from paying cash for a new truck for my husband. We are 5 years away from a 25% down payment (not including our current home equity) on this dream house, an experiment with geothermal and solar heat, built-in bookshelves, and a nice parcel of land.

I've given a few lessons to friends, and I've started to wonder: can I take the strategies I've learned the past 10 years and help someone else learn how to reduce their grocery budget by 50%?

I've hornswaggled three willing victims: my coworker Kim, a newlywed who doesn't have kids yet but is planning on them; my mom's coworker Brieanne, a single twentysomething who wants to focus on healthy foods; and my Boss, married with children, and with a very busy career that has her traveling and working late quite often.

My plan is to meet with my Challengers weekly for one month each. At the end of the monthly challenge, they get a copy of one of my favorite frugal books, and my readers get to win a copy too!

Week One

This weekend, I met with my coworker Kim. I showed Kim my favorite couponing sites (buttons on my sidebar) and gave a run-down of how they work. She typically shops every two weeks, and spends $140. Kim has been a very quick study! She is lucky that her mother lives in a building where other residents aren't big couponers, and she has a huge stack of multiple Sunday inserts available for gleaning. I can thank Kim's mom for the Huggies wipes coupons that got me a great deal last week. After hanging out at the Krazy Koupon Lady's site, and using up things they already had, Kim was able to cut her grocery bill to $59 for two weeks! She and her mother have been hitting multiple Walgreens stores and now have $92 in Register Rewards to use up! The Force is strong within this one!

I feel confident that we can shrink that budget even more, and plan to use these strategies:

* Kim and her husband eat meat for dinner daily. Substituting a bean or legume dish for even one or two meals a week can cut down on grocery costs. The biggest challenge is that Kim is a die-hard bean-hater. I am plotting a bean intervention come this Saturday! Any suggestion for recipes?

* What to do with all those Register Rewards? We will discuss the fine art of using RRs to earn more RRs this week.

* Building a stockpile. Kim is bringing a list of what they have, what they want, and what they need. I am sharing what I think is the lowest price she should hold out for. Why pay $0.25 when you can get it for free?

My coworker Kim, for being such a good sport, is earning a copy of The Complete Tightwad Gazette. My US and Canadian readers can as well, by following me on GFC and leaving a comment on this post that you have done so, before June 9th, 2011. Earn an extra chance by leaving a comment with some great frugal advice for my challenger.

Weekly Match-Ups Week of 5/22/11

2011-05-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here are the blogs I am visiting this week for my coupon match-ups!

The Savings Lifestyle for Kroger deals: Sweet Corn $0.25, Cucumbers $0.50, 5 lb potatoes $1.99, Santa Cruz Lemonade $0.25, Kraft Salad Dressing $0.94, FREE Kool-Aid, 64 oz Turkey Hill tea $0.75 (or make your own for $0.20 a pitcher!), FREE Pampers Kandoo Wipes, Purina 1 lb. Cat Food $0.49.

The Savings Lifestyle for Remke/Biggs deals: FREE Aunt Millie's buns, Sweet Corn $0.25, Dole Pineapple $0.79, French's Mustard $0.49, FREE Dannon Greek Yogurt, Propel Fitness Water $0.10, Oscar Meyer Weiners $0.79.

Cincinnati Cents for Meijer deals: Ball Park Franks $0.48, Eckrich Smoked Sausage $0.67 each, Bi-Color Corn $0.16, Country Crock $1, FREE Chi-Chis Salsa, Hormel Chili $0.25, Knorr Sides $0.25, FREE McCormick Seasoning, Shout Stain remover $0.89. Deal Seeking Mom reports FREE Dean's Dip (stocking up for the baby shower I'm throwing!), FREE Baby Ray's Marinade, and Heinz Ketchup $0.69.

Deal Seeking Mom for Walmart deals: FREE Ivory Soap, FREE Wilkinson Razors, FREE Carefree Pantiliners, FREE Noxzema Razors, FREE Reach Floss.

Deal Seeking Mom for Walgreens deals: FREE Carefree Pantiliners, FREE Scunci Hair Elastics, FREE Complete Multi-purpose Solution, FREE Gillette Proglide Razor, FREE Suave Lotion, two Glade Fabric Odor Eliminators for $0.38 each, Pure Silk Shaving Cream $0.49, one Advil and one Thermacare for $0.49 each, Huggies Little Swimmers $2.99.

Stretching A Buck for CVS deals: FREE Trident or Stride Gum, FREE Revlon Nail Polish, Irish Spring or Softsoap Body Wash $0.50.

For The Mommas for Rite Aid deals: FREE carefree Pantiliners, Dixie Ultra Plates $0.99, Lamisil product $0.99.

Other deals:

Money Saving Mom reports Kraft Salad Dressing for $0.44 at Target.

If I haven't listed your local stores, I highly recommend you try out The Frugal Map to find local bloggers that do match-ups for you!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-05-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Spanish Rice and Beans (minus the meat)

Meatless Monday: Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes With Feta, Avocado Bean Salad

Tuesday: Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Black Bean Burgers

Wednesday: Lite Fettuccine Alfredo, Roasted Broccoli

Thursday: Breakfast Quinoa with Fruit and Nuts, Fruit Smoothies

Friday: Homemade Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust and leftover veggies

Grillin' It Saturday: Bun-less Burgers, Sage Grilled Potato Packets, Watermelon, Sauteed Kale

Lunches: Leftover Spanish Rice, PB & J

Saturday Recipes to Try With My Son: Hibiscus Tea Grapefruit Smoothies, Dried Fig Bread

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Weekly Shopping Trip

2011-05-22T05:50:00.000-07:00

Total at Kroger: $70.64, including formula. The formula was only $4 after $10 formula check from Good Start. Can you see my little helper, disguised as the Mixer? No big freebies this week. My best deal was more Almond Milk for $1.

I hit Walmart for these flushable wipes that ended up being $0.64 each after coupon. Total out of pocket was $4.48.

This case of diapers and wipes is the last of the stockpile for my niece. Total was $6.50 after coupons and extra care bucks. I got $5 in ECBs back too!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-05-16T17:32:00.000-07:00

Lots of repeats this week, as we use up what we have...

Meatless Monday: Light Fettuccine Alfredo, Roasted Broccoli

Tuesday: Black Bean Burritos, Sweet Potatoes With Feta

Wednesday: Mujadara, Roasted Broccoli

Thursday: Black Bean Chili, Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Friday: Whole Wheat Pizza with leftover veggies

Grillin' It Saturday: Mustard, Lemon, and Coriander Grilled Chicken, Grilled Pineapple, Grilled Corn

Sunday: hunt and peck

Lunches: leftover pasta salad from birthday party, Curried Chicken Salad made with Sam's Rotisserie Chicken, PB & J, leftover mujadara

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Weekly Match-Ups Week of May 15th

2011-05-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

Here's the list of blogs I am visiting this week for the most comprehensive listing of match-ups:

The Savings Lifestyle for Kroger Deals: Whole pineapple $1.99, French's Mustard and Lawry's Marinade $0.49 each, Wisk $1.99, Huggies $5.49 each, FREE Colgate toothbrush and toothpaste, Lean Cuisine $1.35 each, Green Giant Veggies $0.79 each.

Deal Seeking Mom for Walgreens Deals: FREE Activ-On Pain Relief, FREE Colgate Pro Toothpaste, FREE Dove Men Care Deodorant, FREE Nova Max Blood Glucose Monitor, FREE Gillette Fusion Proglide, FREE Scotch Magic Tape, FREE Gain Dish Liquid, FREE Oscar Meyer Lunchables, Glade Air Freshener $1.99 (was $6.99), Finish Tabs 20 pk $1.24, three Gillette Body Washes for $0.33 each, Pantene $1 each, Huggies Jumbo packs $4 each. The Krazy Koupon Lady also reports Enfamil Formula for $14.99.

The Krazy Koupon Lady for Rite Aid deals: Purex Laundry Detergent $0.97, make $0.51 buying Crest Toothpaste, Biotene Mouthwash of Toothpaste $1.02 (this is really expensive stuff!), Sensodyne Toothpaste $0.51, make $0.83 buying Aquafresh, Polident $0.51, Benefiber $3.99, Colgate Toothbrush $0.24, two Huggies diapers $6 each, L'Oreal Excellence Hair Color $0.10 each wyb 2, two L'Oreal Hair Colors and three L'oreal eye shadows, $0.21 each wyb all five, two Finish 20-ct dish tabs for $1.65 each.

The Krazy Koupon Lady for CVS deals: Scott's Paper Towels 6-pks $4 each wyb 2, Cottonelle Wet Wipes $0.99, Wisk 2x or HE $2.99, two Neutrogena Sun Care products $0.99 each, three Eucerin Moisturizing Creams $2.12 each, four L'Oreal Preference Hair Colors $2.25 each, FREE Finesse Shampoo.

Deal Seeking Mom is showing a deal for Pampers Kandoo Flushable Wipes for $0.65 at Target.

I haven't seen any great match-up posts for Target, Walmart, and Meijer yet, but will update when I find them!

Weekly Shopping Trip and Birthday Party Costs

2011-05-15T14:05:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated my son's 3rd birthday. He loves Dora The Explorer, so my friend Bridget used her Domestic Goddess skills to whip up this dairy-free Dora cake. (Yes, she is available for your party!)

My grocery budget was a little large this week, with having to feed 17 people the usual party food, plus feed ourselves and be able to pack decent lunches during the week. We had a nice fruit tray of blackberries, watermelon (bought whole and sliced), and strawberries ($1.25 a quart and in-season).

We had fresh veggies and dip (dip was B1G1 this week).

Pasta salad made from 2 boxes of free pasta, a few veggies, and a jar of salad dressing I bought. Total cost was maybe $2.

The heftiest part of my budget was the meat. We finally bought a grill that we had been saving for, and despite the rain, we set up a "man-cave" in the garage around the grill, and cooked out there. Now I know why we don't eat much meat! I was really short on time, so I bought pre-made patties. The meat was $23.63 just by itself!

The bread was $9.

Lots of produce. Corn was $0.25 an ear, and we decided to grill it. We bought 8 ears and cut each ear in half after cooking to make 16 servings.

I had to buy a vat of Crisco to season our propane grill. We send a 32 oz almond milk to day care each week for our son's lunches. The Almond Breeze was on sale 2/$4, and there was a blinky for $0.55 off that doubled to a buck, so I got 5 of them for $1 each. The Propel Fitness waters were free. The Minute Maid OJ I ended up getting for a $1 after the Mega Sale and a coupon I had for $1.

Another steal: Boulder Canyon Chips for $0.49 each. We went through all four yesterday!

I picked up some diapers for my niece with a $5 catalina, making them $4.49. I tried to stack them with a $1.50 manufacturers coupon, but they wouldn't take it, so be forewarned!

All in all: my total was $104.18 for food. $36.85 of that was party food, which comes out of my entertainment budget, plus $25 for the cake fee and non-dairy margarine. Our family food was under $70 for the week. Considering there were 17 of us there, I fed them for $3.64 per person.We didn't have to buy any plates, napkins, or cups, as we are still working on the ones I bought for my mother's 60th birthday 2 years ago! We could have brought down the total by making our own cake, but I didn't mind splurging on my friend's special skills.

Weekly Shopping Trip

2011-05-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day! This is my gift from my beautiful new daughter!

My total from Kroger this week: $52.90 for food, $14.48 for a case of 92 Pampers and some Pampers wipes (for my niece!). I separate my budget for food and kid-related expenses. Add $16.49 for a case of Huggies Pull-ups on amazon.com and I am down to $69.03 out of my $100 budget for kid stuff for the month. We also spent $12.49 at Whole Foods for soy yogurt, dairy-free chocolate chips for a "chocolate-chip day" at day care next week (and may I say, dairy-free chocolate chips are expensive), and some organic blueberry dairy-free toaster waffles (they are cheapest at Whole Foods).

Food total = $65.39. Not bad! I used a $5 Pampers catalina I got on a previous deal and a $5 Kroger gift card from another deal.

Quite a few freebies too- 6 boxes of free pasta, a package of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice (I cook it on the stove instead of the package), and a free Glade Spring Scent (I will use as part of a gift for a baby shower I am throwing).

The usual fruits and veggies. We watched America's Test Kitchen last night and they had a very simple recipe for oven-roasted fresh broccoli. I decided to make it on the spur of the moment. You can never have too many vegetables, right? I also bought some parsnips to roast with some carrots, and some brussels sprouts.

The flowers were from my in-laws, as we celebrated our 5th anniversary this past week. I love tulips and irises! Yes, I bought diet pop. Cheaper than the vending machine at work. Yes, I am totally guilty of drinking caffeine to help counteract the sedation of my medication and sleepless nights with a baby.

I bought a big disgusting vat of butter-flavored Crisco. There is a lot of cookie baking in the next two months, and the faux butter flavor helps boost the taste in the dairy-free cookies.

A case of Pampers was $12.99 and the wipes were $1.49. I used the $5 Pampers catalina and two coupons. The nice surprise- I got another $5 Pampers catalina back to use on a future Pampers purchase!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-05-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

Monday:
Black Bean Burritos, Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

Tuesday:
Light Fettucine, Roasted Broccoli

Wednesday:
Sweet Potatoes With Feta,
Avocado Bean Salad

Thursday:
Whole Wheat Crust Homemade Pizza with leftover veggies

Friday:
Creamy Pasta and Spinach, Pan-Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Saturday:
3 year old birthday party
Dairy-free Dora The Explorer Cake
Slow Cooker Sloppy Joe
Corn on the Cob
Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Val's Guacamole and chips
Skinny Artichoke Dip
Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Fresh fruit: watermelon, strawberries, blueberries
Potato Chips

Day care treats:
Oatmeal Raisin Birthday Cookies

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Match-Ups Week of 5/1/11

2011-05-04T17:14:00.000-07:00

Each week I pick the sites I feel have the most comprehensive lists of deals for a store. A few places I'm going for my match-ups this week:

Stretching A Buck for Kroger deals: FREE Creamette, San Giorgio, and Ronzoni pasta, FREE Boulder Canyon Chips, FREE Mom's Best cereal, Campbell's Soup as low as $0.09, Silk ALmond Milk $0.49, Quaker Rice Snack $0.24, Kraft Singles $0.29. The New Frugal Mom adds that Sunny-D, Propel Fitness Water, Nivea Body Wash, Reach Toothbrushes, and Ivory Bar Soap can be gotten for FREE too.

Stretching A Buck for Meijer deals: Yoplait Yogurt $0.37, Oscar Meyer carving Board Lunchmeat $0.69, Ore Ida Hashbrowns or Fries for $1.33 each, Prego Pasta Sauce $1, Aunt Millie's Bread or Bins $0.01, Uncle Ben's Ready Rice $0.16.

Stretching A Buck for Target deals: FREE John Frieda Hair Color, Huggies or Pampers big packs 2 for $15.99 each, FREE Rayovac batteries, FREE Aquafresh Training Toothpaste, Nivea For Men Body Wash $0.04, Up and Up Panti Liners $0.39.

Deal Seeking Mom for Walgreens deals: FREE Fixodent Cleanser, FREE Noxema raxors, FREE Gum Eez-Thru Flosser, FREE Tylenol Precise, 2 FREE Right Guard Body Wash, FREE Relaxer Kit, FREE Head and Shoulder Shampoo and Conditioner, FREE Gilette Fusion Proglide System, Aussie hair Care $0.99, U by Kotex $1.50 each, 2 Cottonelle 12-pks for $2 each.

Deal Seeking Mom for CVS deals: FREE Colgate Toothpaste, 3 Nivea Body Lotions $1.32 each, Tide $3.99, Metamucil $3.99, All Detergent $2.99, Right Guard Deodorant or Body Wash $0.25 each, 4 Maalox Liquids for $1.74 each, Miralax $5.99, Oscal +D 2 for $2.29 each, Soft Scrub $0.49.

Deal Seeking Mom for Rite Aid deals: FREE Crest or Oral-B toothbrushes, FREE Revlon Emery Boards, FREE Profoot Foot Care, FREE Dove For Men Deodorant, FREE Excedrin PM, FREE Butterfinger Snackers (SO addictive), Revlon Foundation $0.99 (usually $10!), Gillette Fusion Proglide $0.99, Pampers Jumbo pack $5.49.

Deal Seeking Mom is also reporting Staples has HP Photo Paper $1 after easy rebate and Hammermill 500 sheets ream for $3. We have two huge boxes of paper I got a year ago for free using Staples Easy Rewards and we have barely touched one. My kids will be in college before we get through that free paper.

Also, Aveeno Baby Sun Care $0.99 each at Target after coupons and gift cards.

According to Cincinnati Cents, Restaurant.com is selling gift certificates for 80% off and Blooms Today is offering 50% off flower arrangements.

Money Saving Mom reports Driscolls Berries has a coupon for its fresh fruit, that Swiffer will be giving away 100,000 Swiffer Duster Kits via Facebook soon (we are sticking with a plain cloth diaper, as I am too cheap to buy refills of this), and you can get a FREE Breath Rite product at Rite Aid.

If I haven't listed your local stores, I highly recommend you try out The Frugal Map to find local bloggers that do match-ups for you!

Weekend Shopping Trip

2011-05-01T13:54:00.001-07:00

Kroger shopping trip: About $70 even. I got a TON of strawberries.

I set aside $25 a month for drugstore deals, and only spent $8 of it on eye drops this month (and got $8 back in Extra Care Bucks). I decided to hit the health food store and spend that surplus on a few extras, including a big 'ol jar of raw honey, a bag of hemp protein, and pre-made organic waffles for my son. They are a huge treat for him. I have a hard time getting enough protein every day, despite eating nut butters, greek yogurt, or beans and lentils at every meal. Hopefully it won't have too strong a taste when mixed with other things.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-04-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

Monday: Mexican Pile-On of Rice, Black Beans, Homemade Guacamole, Fat-Free Sour Cream, Tomatoes, Onions, Green Onions, Cheddar, and Mild Chiles

Tuesday: Falafel with Cucumber Sauce, Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes With Feta (we LOVE these)

Wednesday: Pasta With Pesto and Peas

Thursday: Huevos Rancheros with Homemade Corn Tortilla

Friday: Whole Wheat Crust Pizza with whatever leftover veggies we have

Saturday: Beer-Bison Burgers (locally raised bison) on homemade buns, corn on the cob, green salad, Baked Seasoned Fries with Skinny Garlic Aoli

Sunday: Quesadilla with Cheese, Onions, and Refried Beans

Lunches: Fruit smoothies with hemp protein
Walnuts, Raisins, Fresh Fruit, and Peanut Butter on Wheat Crackers
Greek Yogurt with Hemp Protein, Fruit, PB & J
Leftover Rice and Beans and Falafel

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Win An iPad2?

2011-04-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

You all see the list of contests I've won listed on my sidebar. I don't enter every contest I see- just for things I'd think I'd actually like to have. I told my husband I've been trying to win him an iPad. Well- there's a blog giveaway with relatively low entries I recommend you check out at The Centsible Life.

I’m posting this to enter a contest offered by CheckNGo at The Centsible Life! I want to win the iPad 2! Enter to win here: http://bit.ly/TCLiPad

Good luck!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-04-27T16:06:00.001-07:00

Monday: Avocado Kidney Bean Salad

Tuesday: hunt and peck

Wednesday: Asparagus and Tomato Over Penne

Thursday: Pan-Fried Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potato With Feta, Falafel

Friday: Whole Wheat Pizza with Artichokes and Onions

Saturday: out to dinner with friends here

Sunday: Quinoa With Black Beans, Avocado, and Corn

Weekly Shopping Trip

2011-04-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

Kroger trip for the week: Spent $72.79 and got a $5 gift card back. We went through a ton of produce this week, got hit by a stomach bug, and ended up picking up some extra juices, Gatorade, and broth, bringing my total up more than I expected. Still- not bad though. I'm $12 over where I want to be.

I did get some good deals this week- four 14 oz boxes of Cheerios for $0.91 each (could have gotten them for $0.54 each, but the coupons I had weren't the higher value ones), FREE Planters Almonds from a Facebook promo, Dannon Greek Yogurt for $0.50 each, and 2 FREE boxes of Barilla Piccolini pasta.

I had to buy more expensive individual containers of soy yogurt, so paid a few bucks more. Lots of extra packaging too. It just reminds me I need to experiment with making my own yogurt at home, as both soy and dairy yogurt can be made in the slow cooker, and extra portions frozen. Dairy yogurt can be drained of excess water to make it "Greek" style with more concentrated protein. Anyone make their own yogurt? I am contemplating getting this machine with its own glass containers to decrease our plastic consumption.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

2011-04-22T18:32:00.000-07:00

I must admit, I was never a fan of sweet potatoes. I prefer savory flavors to sweet, and the only sweet potatoes I'd ever tried as a kid were loaded in sweet syrup and covered with marshmallows. Blargh!

My friend Val makes these simple cottage fries in the oven that I really like, and it made me wonder if there are other ways to cook them that weren't too sweet or coated in sugar.

I ran across this recipe for Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes With Feta and Sumac on Kalyn's Kitchen a few weeks ago. I love feta, so it piqued my interest. I had to remember to throw the potatoes in the oven as soon as I got home, but once baked the first time, it doesn't take that long for the second bake.

Verdict: These are really good! I didn't have any sumac, so I used paprika instead. I think I found a new way to make good sweet potatoes! I had to make some without feta for my son, as feta is most certainly not dairy-free.

Week of April 17th Match-Ups

2011-04-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

Here's where I'm looking for my deals this week:

The Savings Lifestyle for Kroger deals: Sweet Corn $0.25, Sweet Potatoes $0.79/lb, Silk Soy or Almond Milk $0.50 to $1.50, Fage Greek Yogurt $0.25, Birdseye Frozen Veggies $0.50, Green Giant Frozen Veggies for FREE, Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies $0.99, Cheerios and Honey Nut Chex $0.54.

Stretching A Buck for Meijer deals: FREE I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, FREE Stove Top Stuffing, Birdseye Steamfresh Veggies $0.39, Dole Pineapple $0.47.

The Krazy Koupon Lady for CVS deals: FREE Easter Grass, FREE Paas Egg Decorating Kit, 12 pack Coke for $2.50, 4 Aveeno Lotions for $2.49 each (was $6.49), Thermacare heat Wraps $1.99 each, Edge Shave Gel $0.44, FREE Green bag tag, FREE Colgate Toothpaste, FREE Reach Toothbrush and Floss, Stove Top Stuffing $0.38, Nivea Body Wash $0.88.

Deal Seeking Mom for Walgreens Deals: FREE Goody Hair Accessories, FREE NasoGel, FREE Gas-X, FREE Always product, FREE Airwick Freshmatic, FREE Scotch Magic Tape, FREE Colgate Toothpaste, FREE Reach Toothbrush, FREE Peeps, FREE Dawn Dish Liquid, Duracell Batteries $2.99 each wyb 2, Gillette Fusion ProGlide System $0.99, Enfamil Formula $10.49, Easter M & Ms $0.50.

Cincinnati Cents for Aldi deals: 3 lb of sweet potatoes $0.99, Cantaloupe $0.99, Gallon Milk $1.79.

Deal Seeking Mom for Rite Aid deals: 4 FREE Nivea Body Washes, FREE Easter Candy, FREE Gain Dish Detergent, FREE Little Remedies product, FREE Febreze Noticables Warmer, Airwick Aerosol Air Fresheners $0.05 each, Dixie Ultra Plates $0.75, Huggies $4.99.

Deal Seeking Mom is also reporting Seventh Generation cleaning products for $0.49 at Target.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-04-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Meatless Monday: Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes With Feta, Avocado Bean Salad

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Beef Vegetable Soup

Wednesday: Penne with Asparagus and Tomatoes

Thursday: Smashed Red Potatoes, Fresh Green Beans, Mushroom Frittata

Friday: Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza with Peppers and Onions, corn on the cob

Saturday: Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts, Creamy Quinoa Primavera

Sunday: Mushroom, Tomato, and White Bean Stew

More menu plans here!

Weekly Shopping Trip

2011-04-16T14:13:00.001-07:00

Kroger total for the week: $72.50 for food and $16.50 for pull-ups and flushable wipes for my potty-training resistant son. I still have to buy apples, organic locally-raised eggs, and organic apple juice, so my total will be more like $80 once I hit the health-food store. That means next week my budget will be $60 to keep my monthly spending at $280. I have a separate monthly budget of $100 for baby formula (currently $44 a month and will increase to $88 a month in a few months) and my son's pull-ups. We tried underwear and cloth training pants, but it just ended up with months of constant wet jeans and pee all over my carpet. So disposable pull-ups it is!

As you can see, there is a lot of fresh produce, mostly organic.

I was able to get 3 Steamfresh frozen veggies (I take them out and cook on the stovetop instead of inside the bag) for $0.67 each and 2 bags for $0.50 each).

The Huggies pull-ups were $8.99 at Kroger, and I had a $1.50 off coupon and a $2 off coupon. Huggies are the only brand that fit our skinny boy the best, as the sides are adjustable. The Charmin flushable wet wipes were $2 with coupon.

Quinoa with Brussels and Leeks

2011-04-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this recipe for Quinoa with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Slivered Almonds, and Leeks at the Gluten-Free Goddess. We've had a bag of quinoa in our pantry left by my SIL, and when I saw this recipe for brussels sprouts (because we do love them!), we had to try it.

I've been trying a lot of different veggies lately, and have found that it's so easy to chop them, throw them on a cookie sheet with some herbs, and let the roasting process give loads of flavor. The quinoa was easy to cook on the stovetop and didn't taste strange at all. I didn't have almonds, and I used regular raisins and balsamic vinegar.

The finished product does look pretty green, kind of like the color of my grandmother's wallpaper, but the taste is fantastic! We will definitely make this again.

Week of April 10th Match-Ups

2011-04-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

The places I'm going for my match-ups this week. Click on the links for details :

Cincinnati Cents for Walgreens deals: FREE Carefree Pantiliners, FREE Luster 7 Toothpaste, two Biore products for $0.50 each, Pampers Jumbo Packs $6 each, FREE Snickers Chocolate Eggs, FREE Gatorade G Series, Glade Spray $1, Playtex Tampons $1.74, $2.50 for ALL Detergent. Also, $2.50 for a 6-pack of Scott's Natural Paper Towels.

Cincinnati Cents for CVS deals: FREE Russell Stover Egg or Chocolate Bunny, FREE Super Miracle Bubbles, three FREE Honest Tea, Special K Cereal $1.30According to the Savings Lifestyle, at CVS, earn $2 buying 8 Lysol Neutra Air, Colgate Whitening for FREE.

Stretching A Buck for Rite Aid deals: two Mars Easter Candy FREE, AMO Complete Multi-Purpose Solution FREE, two FREE Gillette or Old Spice Body Wash, FREE Stayfree Pads, L'Oreal Vuve Hair care $0.50-0.75.

The Savings Lifestyle for Meijer deals: Mangos for $0.50, Del Monte canned veggies $0.49 each wyb 10, Chef Boyardee $0.67, Ronzoni Pasta $0.50, Classico Pasta Sauce $1.50, Peter Pan Peanut Butter $0.50, Breakstone Sour Cream $0.30, Philadelphia Cooking Cream $0.50, Kool-Aid FREE to $0.30 each, Gillette Shave Gel $0.88.

The Savings Lifestyle for Kroger deals: Sweet Corn for $0.25 each, Green Bell Peppers $0.59, Blackberries $1.50, Powerbar $0.49 each, Banquet Entrees $0.38, Birdeye Steamfresh Veggies $0.50, Campbell's Cream Soups $0.20, FREE Suave Deodorant, FREE Oral-B Toothbrush, Dial Soap $0.30, General Mills Cereal as low as $0.54.

The Savings Lifestyle for Aldi deals: Large Pineapple $0.99, 16 oz Strawberries $1.49, 3 lb Sweet Potatoes $0.99, Spiral Sliced Ham $1.49/lb,

Money Saving Mom for Walmart Deals: FREE Similac Ready to Feed formula, NYC Nail Polish $0.18, French's Mustard $0.50, Olay Bar Soap $0.47.

A few more deals:
The Savings Lifestyle reports $0.99 Mother's Day cards from Tinyprints.

Fantastic post on the Cotton Babies blog about how to cloth diaper for virtually nothing.

Money Saving Mom reports FREE ExquisiCat Cat Litter at Petsmart.

Nickels-n-Dimes reports Amazon.com has Pampers wipes 720 ct box for $12.63 shipped if you use subscribe and save.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-04-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Quinoa With Brussels Sprouts and Leeks

Monday: Black Bean Burgers and Sweet Potatoes With Feta

Tuesday: Spaghetti and Garlic Bread

Wednesday: Cream Cheese Ranch Tortilla Wraps

Thursday: Mexican Omelettes

Friday: Pizza Night! Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza with Peppers and Onions

Saturday: Mujadarrah

Sunday: Roasted Vegetables on Broiled Polenta, Poached Eggs

Lunches:

Avocado tacos

Chickpea Salad

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Weekly Shopping Trip

2011-04-09T15:54:00.000-07:00

Kroger trip: $41 for food. I plan on making simple bean wraps and quick bean-based dishes for lunches to work this week, eating leftover rice and beans, and using up what we have in stock for regular dinners, with some additional veggies bought to round things out. I spent $10 mid-week this week, so it brings my total to $51 for the week.

Kroger has a great deal on Pampers this week. They are on sale for $8.99 a pack, and you get $5 off your next purchase of Pampers if you buy at least $25 worth. I had two $3 off coupons to combine with this. Total out of pocket was $21, and I hope to combine another coupon with this catalina to try and get another pack for free. Once we got past the first few newborn and post-surgery weeks, we started using the same cloth diapers we used for our son. These disposables are for my niece, due this summer.

Next trip was Babies R Us. Gerber two-packs of Organic Baby Food (usually $1.79 each) were on sale for 8 for $10. I plan on making baby food myself mostly, but like having a few backups just in case.

Curry Chicken and Bean Salad

2011-04-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

I like curry, and I like chicken, but usually only when it's Indian takeaway. This curried chicken and bean salad turned out FANTASTIC. My house reeks of curry, but the husband and I both loved this. Because of the organic chicken, the price of the main dish was pricier than usual, about $6.50. The bean salad could probably stand alone as a main dish, and was about $4.

The bean salad had a little bit of everything I like, especially avocado. Two thumbs up!

Thanks to Kris at The Motivation Station for another great recipe!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-04-02T12:51:00.001-07:00

Monday: Roasted Veggie Wraps and Homemade Whole Wheat Tortilla
Homemade Guacamole

Tuesday: Potato, Spinach, Kielbasa Skillet (still haven't made this!)

Wednesday: Bacon and Tomato Pasta

Thursday: Mexican Tomato Rice and Beans

Friday (Pizza Night!): Homemade Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust, Onions,and Peppers

Saturday: Rosemary Focaccia Bread and Portobello Mushroom Saute with Caramelized Onions

Sunday: Pear Oven Pancake

Breakfasts:
Zucchini Apple Muffins

More menu plans here!

Weekly Shopping Trip

2011-04-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

Kroger trip: $78 for food,including organic chicken and a few extra items to make things for lunches, as I am back to work this week. I plan on making these Zucchini Apple Bran Muffins for quick breakfasts. I also used some of my drug store budget to buy some calcium plus D3,as my food journal on Sparkpeople.com tells me I am not getting enough calcium by far.

I also made a trip to the health food store for my son's soy yogurt (I'd rather pay $4 for a carton that lasts 8 days for him instead of almost $10 for individual containers.) Total was $12. I bought organic local eggs and non-creepy bacon that, combined with the organic chicken, really brought my total up this week. It just means we'll eat from the pantry more next week to keep me overall at $70 a week for the month. I knew there was a reason we ate vegetarian most days! Organic meats are expensive.

Match-Ups Week of March 27th

2011-03-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

A few places I'm going for my match-ups this week:

The Savings Lifestyle for Kroger deals: KC Masterpiece is $0.19, FREE Yakisoba (too much sodium for me however!), Pillsbury Crescent Rolls for $0.48, Pampers for $6.49, and Ronzoni pasta as low as $0.29 (we won't need any for a loooong time).

The Savings Lifestyle for Meijer deals: Sweet Corn for $0.33, FREE Old El Paso Taco Shells, Meijer brand Bagged Dry Beans $1, No Yolks Noodles $0.50, Crest Toothpaste $0.67, Stayfree Pads $0.75.

Deal Seeking Mom for CVS deals: FREE Physicians Formula Cosmetics, FREE Halls Cough Drops, FREE Colgate Toothbrushes, FREE Pledge Multisurface Cleaners, Skintimate Shave Gel $0.44, Lady Speed Stick $0.75, Toy Story, Sponge Bob, or Dora band-aids $1.42, three Visine Allergy Relief and three Visine Soothing Wipes for $1.22 each, Arm and Hammer Detergent $2.99.

Cincinnati Cents for Walgreens deals: FREE Colgate toothbrushes and toothpaste, Edge or Skintimate Shave Gel for $0.45, Speed Stick $0.49, Kotex $1.17 each, Garnier Fructis $1.50 each, FREE Snickers Creme Eggs, Coffee-mate Liquid $0.50 each, Mentos Gum $0.49, Ban Deodorant $0.74.

Other deals for this week:

The Krazy Coupon Lady reports Aveeno Shave Gel for $1.87 at Walgreens.

Frugal Coupon Living reports FREE batteries at Staples this week after rewards as well as Stove Top Stuffing for $0.27 at CVS.

Your Green Helper reports Soy Dream Soy Milk 64 oz for $2.69 at Trader Joe's. (The best I usually find is 32 oz for $1.99 at Kroger.)

Centsible Savings reports Groupon is selling a $15 Ebay certificate for $7.

The Savings Lifestyle is reporting FREE Scotch Magic Tape at Staples.

If you take advantage of Facebook promotions like I do, Stretching A Buck now has a Facebook Promotions page where she keeps a tally of current promotions.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-03-27T19:26:00.001-07:00

Monday: Philly Bacon and Tomato Pasta (made with vegan bacon)

Tuesday: Potato, Spinach, and Kielbasa Skillet (minus the bacon)

Wednesday: Rice and Beans (minus the beef)

Thursday: leftover rice and beans

Friday: Homemade Pizza with Mushrooms and Onions

Saturday: Mushroom Risotto

Sunday: Curry Chicken and Bean Salad

Hundreds more menu plans here!

Weekly Shopping Trip

2011-03-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

I did next week's shopping early this week since I had a family funeral today, and my mother was available to watch my son. In all, I spent $40.96. I probably have about $10 worth of soy milk and my husband's birthday pierogies to buy, but $50.96 is pretty good. I will add in an amazon.com purchase of Eight O'clock Coffee that was $15, and I am still within my $70 budget.

Did I mention that with coupons from the newspaper and printed from online, I was able to combine them with Kroger's megasale to get 22 boxes of Ronzoni Smart Taste, Healthy Harvest, and Garden Delight for FREE?

I also combined the megasale price with coupons to get 5 Philadelphia Cooking Creams for $0.49 each. I needed 3 more megasale items, so I got 3 Coke products for $0.89 to be used for my son's birthday party in a couple months.

Weekly Shopping Trips

2011-03-22T12:03:00.001-07:00

Kroger Trip: about $41 for food and $4.87 for 1.5L Listerine using stacked coupons. Just about everything else is fresh produce, much of it organic. I'll be going back in the next few days to take advantage of free pasta and $0.49 Philadelphia Cooking Cream at Kroger's Mega Sale.

Health food store trip: About $25. Some organic produce, unsweetened organic soy yogurt for my son's daily snack (I usually add berries), and organic frozen fruit for smoothies that were on sale.

I just discovered that Earth's Best makes soy formula (we discovered our daughter likely has a dairy allergy as well). Usually this is a rather expensive $29.99 per can, but amazon.com currently has a coupon code of EBMARCH4 good through March 31st that will give an additional 5% off the sale price. I used Subscribe and Save for an additional 15% off, to bring the price per 25 oz can to $22. For those of us unable to nurse, but wanting to make sure our child gets an organic formula, subscribe and save on Amazon is a great deal. I get free 2-day shipping through Amazon Mom.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-03-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

Monday: French Toast on Homemade Bread, salad of Banana, Kiwi, and Strawberries

Tuesday: Grilled cheese and PB & J, dairy-free Healthy Apple Crisp

Wednesday: out to dinner- aunt's visitation tonight

Thursday: funeral in AM, Spanish Rice and Beans for dinner

Friday: Veggie Wraps

Saturday: Pierogies with peas and onions, Dark Chocolate Cake with 1969 Betty Crocker Chocolate Icing

Sunday: Potato, Kielbasa, Spinach Skillet

Hundreds more menu plans here!

CSN Winner!

2011-03-18T07:53:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Carolsue, the winner if the $20 CSN promotional code!

Here they are in random order:

Blogger Carolsue said...

Timestamp: 2011-03-18 14:52:44 UTC

I will be emailing you with your prize! Thanks to everyone who entered and to CSN Stores!

Black Bean Burritos

2011-03-17T16:26:00.001-07:00

Today's experimentation in vegetarian eating- black bean burritos. I reduced the amount of oil used to saute the veggies to 1 tsp, added a drained can of mild Rotel tomatoes and chilies (gotten for $0.17 per can), an ounce of cheddar, and about a tsp of cumin. I thought these were great! I made sure to rinse the beans well to reduce the sodium content. This served the two of us, and I'd say the meal was about $2.50 tops.

We will definitely make this again.

Last Day for My CSN Giveaway

2011-03-17T10:28:00.001-07:00

Enter now- the giveaway ends at 5 PM today!

Homemade Pizza With Whole Wheat Crust

2011-03-16T17:48:00.001-07:00

I made the sauce for this pizza with a $0.25 can of tomato sauce, and added powdered garlic, oregano, and basil.

The recipe comes from my best friend Val. It has good wheat flavor without being too strong. This pizza wasn't on the menu for tonight, but I had leftover peppers from the veggie wraps, and provolone cheese that was going to expire in a day or so that I didn't want to go to waste.

The dough took 90 minutes in my bread machine, and it took 20 minutes to cook.

The end result- scrumptious!

Roasted Veggie Wraps

2011-03-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

This Veggie Wrap turned out very, very well. Definitely on the regular rotation list again. I roasted some zucchini, summer squash, red onion, a minced garlic clove, and half a red and yellow bell pepper with a small drizzle of olive oil, pepper, and dried basil. I heated the tortilla in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften it, then put a couple ounces sharp cheddar down the center, loaded some veggies on, then a couple tablespoons of guacamole. I used pre-made guac this time, but will make my own next time. I also think I will try to find a lower calorie tortilla, or experiment with making my own. This was full of flavor!