Money Saving Monday: Coupons

Coupons can really really save you money. But sometimes they don't. I used to try to manage all of my coupons myself and go to the store with a stack of coupons and dig through them and try to find what I needed. Only in the end I usually found that even with a coupon it was cheaper to just buy the store brand...so that's what I usually did. Which in my opinion, is fine. Go for it, buy the store brand.


However, I've found now that by using an online coupon manager you can really save quite a bit more AND buy the store brands. I use The Grocery Game, but I've also heard that Coupon Sense is great too. What I've learned to like about The Grocery Game is that you really only need to go to one store. And if you go to the same store regularly you will always end up getting what you need on sale and with your coupon....so essentially for a fraction of the regular price.


Lots of people say, "Yah but we don't eat lots of processed foods like hamburger helper and velveeta cheese." Well, if you read my recipes at all you'll see that we usually don't either. BUT, I save a lot of money on toiletries, paper produces, cleaning/laundry supplies, dry and canned goods, snacks...the list goes on.


Just to give you an idea, I usually spend about $60 per week on groceries for a family of four and that usually includes a bottle of wine and occasionally a package of diapers. So, give coupons a shot. You really will save!

Corn Casserole

Again, no picture. The pan for this stuff was licked clean after the potluck. BUT JUST TRUST ME this is so yummy. My mom has been making this every Thanksgiving and Christmas since I can remember. Whenever I take this anywhere it's a hit and everyone wants the recipe. The best part is it is really simple. Not so great for the waistline, but really easy and fast to put together. The word casserole is a bit of a turnoff for me, so I thought of calling it "Corn Pudding" or "Corn Cake", but I started to think of pudding which automatically takes me to chocolate pudding with lots of whipped cream and then you add corn to that picture, and I threw up in my mouth a little bit so I decided to stay with casserole!
Corn Casserole

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained well
2 cans creamed corn
2 sticks butter, melted
2 cups sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
2 packages Jiffy corn muffin mix
salt & pepper

Mix everything together. Pour into a greased 9x13'' pan. Bake at 350 an hour or until the middle isn't jiggly anymore.

Mashed Potatoes

I made these mashed potatoes last night for our community group Thanksgiving potluck and there were none left! Pretty much the only "secret ingredient" is cream cheese. If you just toss some cream cheese into whatever you usually do with your mashed potatoes, you'll see a big difference. Super creamyness. Super yummy. Great with gravy, or by themselves. In fact, if you're not doing gravy drizzle in some truffle oil for super deliciousness.




Creamy Mashed Potatoes
5 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 stick butter, melted
1/2-3/4 block cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup milk (or more for desired consistency)
1/2 cup sour cream
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Boil the potatoes in a stock pot until fork tender.  Drain and return potatoes to the pot and put the pot on the warm burner to help heat out any water in the potatoes.  Mash potatoes using a potato masher or hand mixer and add in butter, cream cheese, milk and sour cream. Season well. Enjoy!

Creamy Jalapeno Dip

This stuff is good. Spicy, but good. The possibilities are endless with this stuff. Mix it in with some beans and make a bean dip. Put it on a burrito. Use it as a dip alongside chips. Dunk your taquitos in it. Baby carrots. Pretty much anything. Rob insists that I have this in the fridge at all times.

I usually use fat-free cream cheese and low-fat sour cream to even it out a bit.

Jalapeno Dip

2 cups sour cream (or a whole 16oz container)

1 block cream cheese, softened
1 small can green chiles, drained
1 small can jalapenos with carrots, drained well (in the Mexican food aisle)
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp. taco seasoning (if you're gluten-free check for that)

Toss the jalapenos & garlic in the food processer and pulse until mostly chopped. Add everything else into the food processer (or if you have a super-power blender). Blend until everything is incorporated.


 

Money Saving Monday: Christmas Cards

My friend just emailed me a link to this blog where this wonderful woman has shared a way to get 100 free photo Christmas cards (plus shipping)! So I checked into it and even ended up creating my cards and ordering the free 100, plus they have another saving code at checkout for 50% off of your order, so I ordered an extra 35 cards for a big discount! It's not quite the same as the homemade cards I usually make, but the savings was worth it!

Check out the Kingdom First Mom's blog for all of the details! You have until Nov. 30th.

Money Saving Monday: Menu Planning

If anyone is following these Monday posts....you're probably paying a little closer attention now that Christmas is JUST AROUND THE CORNER! AHHH! And, I''m pretty sure I'm not the only person trying to cut every corner to try to make Christmas happen. In fact, I may have to stop making friends so that my Christmas card list gets a bit shorter. Stamps are ridiculously expensive these days!!!

Anyway, if you're looking to save money on groceries menu planning will definitely do it! I have posted a picture of this cheesy little notepad I got at Michael's in the dollar bin that saves me! If you go to the grocery store more than once a week: Stop. Seriously. Everytime you walk into that grocery store you're bound to see something that seems like a great deal that you didn't realize you really needed until you walked past it. Then the next thing you know you're spending $35 every time you step foot in there and that adds up!

I typically spend $40-$70 at the grocery store which includes diapers and formula/milk for the baby. And we don't typically eat a bunch of crap or top ramen for dinner. BUT if you don't plan it won't just magically happen. Another reason menu planning is great is because you will have all of the ingredients you need to make your dinner!

Here's how I do it: I take stock of everything I have in my pantry/freezer AND what's on sale at my store that week. If chicken breasts aren't on sale that week...we aren't going to eat them. If pork loin is on sale for a great price, I'm going to figure out how to use it in my meal plan.

As you can see on my little weekly menu in the picture we were having chicken pot pie and bbq chicken pizza. I had gotten a whole chicken for $.47/lb and it was in my freezer. So I knew that I could cook that chicken and get enough for the pot pie and the pizza and probably have a little leftover for a salad for lunch or something. So, I plan my meals based on what's on sale and what I have, then I make sure to add all the ingredients I don't have for the planned meals to my grocery list to keep me out of Fry's Marketplace and away from their Starbucks the rest of the week.

I'm not rigid, if I don't feel like burritos on Monday, we have them another night and I shuffle around the menu. But, it does really help to have the plan made to help me do my shopping more effectively and efficiently.

Penne with Creamy Marinara & Sundried Tomatoes

I'm not sure what to call this besides..."Vodka Penne that didn't happen" and that seems long and not a very good discription of what it is so....Penne with Creamy Marinara & Sundried Tomatoes it is!

I had some whipping cream leftover from the whipped cream cheese frosting I made for Elise's birthday cupcakes (recipe coming...someday) so naturally I had to use it up or else my frugality would suffer. So I thought I'd make Vodka sauce which is sooo delicious. But, then it was dinner time and I had no vodka and neither did my neighbor so I quickly thawed out some chicken sausage and made this up. It turned out good. Everyone in my family scarfed it down like homeless people so that's always a good sign. Elise had seconds which doesn't happen very often. It was also 6:30 at night which is waaay past her dinner time so she was probably starving, but she liked it regardless. I actually took some notes this time of what I did to make this so that I think my recipe is spot on. Try it, it's good.

Penne with Creamy Marinara and Sundried Tomatoes

1 lb penne (or really any short cut pasta)

1 lb sausage (any kind including Jimmy Dean works, I used Italian chicken sausage because of aforementioned waistline problems)
1/4 onion, finely minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. olive oil
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce or tomato puree
salt, pepper
3 T italian seasoning
1/2 T garlic powder
1/2 tsp crushed chilis
2 tsp sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 small jar artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

1 8-oz pkg sliced mushrooms
3 T juliennned sundried tomatoes

1/4 cup frozen peas

Brown sausage, drain set aside. In the same skillet heat the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic and mushrooms until tender. Add tomato sauce and seasoning, crushed chili's, garlic powder and sugar. Put the cooked sausage back in there too. Simmer all that together for 20 minutes. Boil the pasta as directed, drain. When you're almost ready to eat add the cream, sundried tomatoes, peas, and artichoke hearts. Heat through. Taste for extra seasoning. Wah-lah.

Guacamole

My father in-law makes the best guacamole. Please don't even try to dispute that because he just does. I'm sure your mom's guacamole is good too....but it can't be as good as his. I'm pretty sure he could start selling it at a stand in front of his house and make a zillion dollars because really once people taste it....they'd come back....a lot.

He showed me how to make "his" guacamole but it never ever turns out as good as the original. But, it's pretty good so I decided to show you. This picture isn't very good but it looked nice and green in real life. I'd like to add that I'm pretty sure it's an unforgivable food sin to put cottage cheese into your guac. Please please please never do that. It's just not right.

I never measure anything, so here's the rough measurements for tasty, but not perfect guacamole. (As mentioned before my father in-law makes perfect guacamole and I am not him...so that's that.)

 

Guacamole

4 ripe avocados seeded

1 1/2 T finely diced red onion

1 1/2 T finely diced roma tomato

1/4 c. pace picante sauce, strained

1 tsp garlic powder

salt & pepper

1 or 2 T sour cream (depending on how creamy you like it.)

a few shakes of Tabasco

juice of half a lime

Put all the ingredients except lime juice in a bowl. Mash and mix with a fork. Taste. Adjust seasonings to your liking. Squeeze the lime juice over the top of the completed guacamole. This will keep the green color from turning brown. Definitely serve this along side salsa and chips.

Candy Buffet

It seems l have a habit of turning "little" gatherings turn into big parties. I don't really know what happens but it just does. So Elise's teeny tiny little family birthday party was no exception to that happening. So since I was at it, I decide to do a candy buffet instead of favors. I mean, why not? She'll obviously be super appreciative and remember it forever.

The buffet turned out really cute and I thought maybe someone else could benefit from the pictures. I wanted pink and white because I'm desperately trying to stay away from Dora or Princesses or Barbie or really any other completely overdone and addictive theme because I figured we've got lots of years for that! If you wanted to do a candy buffet you can obviously do any color, theme, whatever. I even threw a little vase of balloons in there and the kids loved that. Then, with the parents help the kids (and adults!) each made a little celophane bag to take home. It went over really well.

I used all clear-glass containers. Some were cute little jars, vases, bowls, whatever you can find. I borrowed some from a friend found a couple at a yard sale, removed some dried flowers from another....whatever. Varying sizes looks cute and it seems to look better when the jars are almost full so plan that when buying your candy!

Chicken with Shallots & Balsamic Sauce

I found this recipe somewhere....I really don't know where. I remember making it about a year or so ago when I was still pregnant with Elise and now she's a year old, so...who knows! I'm assuming it was off of a blog or something because it definitely wasn't Allrecipes.com. Anyway, it was really good and I stumbled upon the recipe in my enormous pile of print-outs while looking for mac-n-cheese recipe for Elise's birthday party. I made the chicken last night. It's really really good and I think the sauce would be great on pork chops or even a steak too. I didn't have any shallots so I used 3/4 of a red onion sliced and it worked out great. Try this! Take your usual grilled chicken to the next level without having to buy a zillion strange and expensive ingredients.

To make the chicken I heated 2 tsp. canola oil and some cooking spray in a frying pan. I cooked each side over med-high heat for 3 minutes, lowered the heat to med-low and covered it and cooked for an additional 5 minutes.





Chicken with Shallots & Balsamic Glaze

1 lb chicken breasts, grilled baked or saute'd (seasoned with salt & pepper)





Sauce:


5 shallots (or about 1 cup sliced red onion)

1 T olive oil

salt & pepper


1/4 cup balsamic vinegar


1/2 cup chicken broth

2 generous T. apricot jam

Heat the olive oil over med-high heat add shallots/onions, salt and pepper. Saute' the onions until they are getting soft. Reduce heat to medium add the balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil for a minute. Reduce heat again add the chicken broth and jam cooking for another few minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Ta Da! That's it.