Slacking! NOT!

Ok, so I have been slacking on Crockpot Tuesdays. I haven't used the crock pot for 3 weeks now. But I am going to tell you about my dinner tonight. It was super yummy!


I made BBQ chicken in the toaster oven.  Living in the hot Coachella Valley, you learn to use the toaster oven instead of running the regular oven and getting the house even hotter!   I just took some defrosted chicken breasts and poured some BBQ sauce over the top of them and put them in the toaster oven for 30-45 minutes.  They come out so tender and juicy. I cooked some corn on the cob in the microwave and made some Bush's Grillin' Beans, Mesquite flavor, to go on the side.      

My mother-in-law taught me how to make this yummy chopped veggie salad, and so I made it to for a side also.   I chopped up some celery, bell pepper, zucchini, yellow zucchini, cucumber, snap peas, carrots and roma tomatoes. It is very good and can be eaten just like that or over the top of salad.   You can add whatever type of veggies to it that you like. I like to eat it with a little bit of salad dressing on it. It is good for you, because the veggies are fresh! 


So, BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, Grillin' beans (which by the way if you have never had, I suggest you try them, because they are so good!) and chopped salad for dinner!   My kids gobbled it up! That is the best part of all, knowing that you have made something that they think is super yummy (to quote my son)! 


And to top it off, I made stuffed crescent rolls for dessert. I took a can of crescent rolls and divided them in half. I made 4 of them stuffed with peanut butter chips and 4 of them stuffed with Andes mint chips and then sprinkled a little bit of sugar on top and baked them for 13 minutes. Yummy! Warm bread with yummy goodness inside! 


So as far as slacking, I don't think so! ;)

 

 Albertsons trip 5/22/12

Total was $79.36 before store card, $40.68 after card 

I paid $28.78 after coupons! 

My total savings was $50.58 for a 64% savings!

Break down:

2 Dreyer's ice cream on sale for 2/$6 = $3 each 

  (I was craving ice cream and they had Girl Scout Thin Mint ICE   

   CREAM! Yummy! My hubby's favorite   GS cookie!)

8 Oikos Greek yogurt on sale for 10/$10, used $0.50/1 MQ = 

   $0.50  each

2 Smart Balance butter on sale for 10/$10, used $1/1 MQ = free

2 Pasta Sides on sale for 10/$10 = $1 each

Save $5 instantly when you buy any combo of 10 participating products:

3 International Delight iced coffee: $3.49 - $0.50 instant savings = $2.99 - $1 MQ = $1.99 each!  

    (I was so excited about these, because I love this iced coffee!!!)

3 French's spicy brown mustard $1.49 - $0.50 instant savings =  

   $0.99 - $0.30 MQ = $0.69 each

8 Jell-O pudding $1.25 - $0.50 instant savings = $0.75 - $0.50/2 = 

   $0.50 each

4 Pasta Roni Easy Salads $1.29 - $0.50 instant savings = $0.79 each

2 Pasta Roni $1.29 - $0.50 instant savings = $0.79 each

So, I bought 20 items, getting $10 dollars instantly taken off.  It gave those items the $0.50 instant savings!

I also got a rain check for the butter, because I had more Qs for it.  Hey, it's free butter! LOL! And for buying qualifying items, I received 17 game pieces for their summer sweepstakes that they are having.  Good night for just running up to the store for just a few items!

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops

I made Ranch House pork chops for dinner tonight. Easy and good!

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops
http://realmomkitchen.com/287/ranch-house-crock-pot-pork-chops-with-parmesan-mashed-potatoes/
6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.

I used 4 pork chops. I mixed one can cream of mushroom and one can cream of chicken and 3 tablespoons of Ranch powder (which equals one packet) all together.  I sprayed my crock pot with non-stick spray. I then put the pork chops in and then poured the soup mixture over the top.  I set the timer for 4 hours on high.   I made mashed potatoes. I served it with the pork chops and the mashed potatoes with the soup as gravy over the top! 

Nothing exciting this week! LOL! I was looking for easy today! 

Bacon anyone?

Am I the only one who struggles with what to make for dinner every night? I mean, Tuesday are ok, because I can always find something for the crock pot. All the other days ending in Y, that's another thing! LOL! 


I have made this before, but tonight, I tried to change it up a bit. I took chicken breasts and cut them in half, making chicken strips. I then rolled them around in some good ole BBQ sauce and then wrapped bacon around them!  With bacon, how could you go wrong? You can't!  I put those in the oven (at 400 degrees) for around 20 minutes or so. 


I made some crescent rolls, mixed veggies and some ranch mashed potatoes to go with it.  I make some instant mashed potatoes and throw some ranch powder in the there! Those are always a big hit with my kids! 


I had pulled the chicken out and put it in the broiler to crisp up the bacon. I set the timer for 10 minutes. Well, when the timer went off, those chickies (what we call chicken - chickie) were a bit done! LOL! They had a nice blackened finish to them. I didn't factor in the BBQ sauce and that it would help cook it too. Oooppss!  But let me tell you, they sure tasted good! I have made it with just the bacon before, but never the BBQ sauce. I liked it that way!

My kid's dinner plates

So, dinner was a hit! Now dinner for the rest of the week, that is another question! 

PS: On a side note, after going to two more Albertsons, I finally found some more of the women's Speed Stick in stock, so I was able to use my last two Qs. 

Albertsons shopping trip 5/7/12

Total OOP $0.62 for the tax!, saved 100%!

BOGO (buy 1 get 1) sale, paired with BOGO MQ 

= 4 free deodorants!

I think that the hubby and I are set on deodorant for like a year or more now!

Coupon Fairy

I love being able to bless someone else!  There are times, when I print out a coupon, I take it to the store to see if I want to buy that item. A lot of times, even with a coupon, I find that it is not a good deal.  That is when the Coupon Fairy, comes into play!   I will put the coupon next to the product it is for, so whomever comes along after me can use it!

Today at Target, the Coupon Fairy (ME!) shares her coupons for anyone to use!

I was at the LQ Target today. I had printed out a Nivea body wash TQ to match with a MQ that I had. I was in the body wash aisle, smelling the different scents, trying to figure out which one that I wanted. This lady had come up beside me and was looking at some other body washes. She pointed at the Nivea Touch of Happiness Orange Blossom scent and said that one is great and it smells so good! I smelled it and it did. She was looking at a different one and I heard her sorta mumble under her breath that it was too much and she couldn't get it. I started to look at another one and then I felt this little tingle in my heart. I knew what I needed to do! I grabbed the orange one off the shelf and told her, if you give both of these coupons to the cashier, it will make this $0.99! She was like thank you so so much! I felt so good to bless her that way! I walked out of the aisle with a huge smile on my face!

Target shopping trip 5/4/12

Total OOP $6.06, saved $15.62!

-5 puzzles for $2.41

-Oxiclean pre-treater $2.79 - $0.50 MQ - $1.50 TQ = $0.79

-Green Works wipes $2.36 - $1 MQ
-2 Green Works all purpose cleaners $2.49 - $0.75 MQ peelie
The wipes are $2.36. The cleaners are $2.49 x 2 = $4.98.  
$2.36 + $4.98 = $7.34 
$7.34 - $2.50 in MQs and $2 in TQs = $2.84 for 4 items, or $0.71 each!

-Green Works dishsoap $2.29 = free
The special purchase that Target is running ends on 5/5/12. Free Green Works Dishwashing Liquid when you buy 3 Selected Green Works Items
-2 eight load Method laundry soap, 
on clearance for $2.54 -$2 MQ - $1 TQ = $0.46 overage each!

Dinner, again?

I was at Walmart today, picking up some groceries.  I was trying to figure out what I was going to make for dinner. I thought we hadn't had salmon in a while and that sounded good. 

If you haven't tried Kraft's Fresh Take yet, then you should! They have some great flavors! I had the Italian Parmesan one and put that on the salmon.

 My fixins for supper! ;)

The salmon with all the Italian Parmesan on it

The cooked salmon

 

My kid's dinner plates

So, for throwing something together... dinner turned out pretty yummy!   I made some steamed carrots, cheddar broccoli rice and sweet potato tator tots to go with the salmon. It was really good and everyone liked it!

Crock Pot Creamy Spaghetti

Another edition of Crock Pot Tuesday....
This week, I tried out another new recipe. I follow Budget Savvy Diva on Facebook. She posts a new recipe every day! I have made her Pizza in a Crock Pot several times and we all love it! Well, I had commented on one of her posts that we liked that recipe so much and she suggested that we try this one too. 


http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2012/04/crock-pot-creamy-spaghetti-recipe/ 
Crock Pot Creamy Spaghetti
-1 pound lean ground beef
-1 cup of chopped onions
-1 Teaspoon of Italian Seasoning
-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-2 Minced garlic cloves
-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
-2 jars of pasta sauce – should be around 70 ounces of sauce
-1 pound spaghetti noodles
-1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
-4 ounces cream cheese
-1-2 cups chicken broth
-Olive Oil


Instructions
Heat up a small amount of oil in a pan – saute onions. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add beef and brown. Add all seasonings.
In your crock pot over high heat add one jar of pasta sauce.
Layer next with broke spaghetti noodles ( you just break them in half)
Layer with beef.
Layer with Parmesan cheese and dollops of cream cheese.
Layer with 2nd jar of pasta sauce.
Cook for 3 hours – stir once add chicken stock ( amount will depend on how little moisture is left) and cook for one more hour.

 I cut up two smalls onions and sauteed them in the olive oil.  Then I added the garlic.  I used ground turkey and cooked all of that together with the onions and the rest of the seasonings (except the pepper, because I don't like pepper). 

I poured one jar of sauce in the crock pot and put the angel hair pasta on top of that. 

Then I poured the meat mixture over the top of that.

I put the Parmesan cheese and cream cheese on top of the meat.  

I poured the second jar of sauce on top of that and set the timer for 3 hours on high. Around 2 1/2 hours, I stirred it. The noodles were all clumped together.  It says to add 1-2 cups of chicken broth, but after adding 2 cups, it still needed more because it was so dry. With all the liquid in it now, I was able to pick apart the noodles. I ended up adding 2 whole cans of chicken broth. It cooked for almost another hour.  When I went to serve it up, it had majorly stuck to the bottom of the crock pot. It just seemed like there was never enough moisture.

The finished dinner. My family has always ate corn with our spaghetti. That was something that I grew up with and now I make it that way for my kids too!

So the verdict?  My husband and son didn't really like it. My best friend and my daughter ate two plates of it! I liked it, but it is not one of my favorites! I like the Pizza in a Crock Pot much much better! For future reference, I am going to make my spaghetti the good old fashion way!

Free? Sure!

I still had some BOGO Speed Stick deodorant MQs left. I went to one Albertsons and they were sold out of the kind that I wanted. So, I went to another one and they had some left.

I bought 2 Ladies Speed Stick and 2 Men's Speed Stick. (My hubby had already snagged one of his!) 

Albertsons shopping trip 5/2/12

Total OOP  $0.62! Total savings $15.96 for a savings of 100%!!!!!

Free items? Anytime! You won't see me saying no! ;)

Saving money feels great!

So this week at Albertsons, they are have an in Ad Q that says if you buy All detergent, you get Snuggle fabric softner for free!  They also have their Double the Value coupons out this week too. That coupon will double any MQ up to a dollar! So, I used 2 $1/1 All detergent MQs and the 2 doublers that I had. 

Albertsons shopping trip 4/30/12

Total OOP $5.06, total savings $21.98 and saved 85%!

Albertsons is also running a Buy 1 Get 1 (BOGO) sale on Speed Stick deodorant.  A BOGO MQ for Speed Stick came out in the past weekend's coupon inserts. According to Albertsons coupon policy, you can pair a BOGO sale with a BOGO Q, getting 2 items for free and you just pay the tax.    So, I went back to Albertsons today to get some of the Speed Stick deal. I was also going to get some more of the All with free Snuggle deal, even though I didn't have anymore doublers. I thought that $2.99 (after the $1/1 All detergent MQ) for both items was still a good deal. I needed to stock up on detergent. I decided to get 3 All detergents which would give me 3 free Snuggle fabric softners. When I was checking out, the bag boy handed me some doublers and said that they expire today. I was like wow, thank you, can I use these now? They said yes! She had more doublers on her register, so I used 3 doublers on the All MQs. So long story short, I got 8 free deodorants, 3 All detergents and 3 Snuggle fabric softners. I am so happy!

Albertsons shopping trip 5/1/12

Total OOP $9.06, total savings $61.89 and saved 91%!

I walked out of the store and thought, these doublers expire today. Hmmm... how many All MQs do I have left? I had 3 left, so I walked back in and got 3 more All detergents and 3 more Snuggle fabric softners.  I went to the same cashier. I said that this was too good of a price to beat! I am totally stocked up on detergent now! Yipppeee!

Albertson's shopping trip 5/1/12
 Total OOP $7.83, total savings $29.97 and saved 83%!