Coupon Mania

HOW MUCH WOULD YOU GUESS THAT I PAID FOR ALL OF THIS?
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$1.75 !!!!!
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My Albertson's receipts said that I paid a total of $1.75 and saved $57 -- wooHoo!!!
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How did I do it?
This site : http://www.savewithlouise.com/ .
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I just imitated her exact purchases that she posted about and it worked. I am so pumped and had to share it with all of you because you should know about this site and all of the good deals that are waiting to be had.
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Two weeks ago, if you had told me that I could save money by cutting coupons I would have given you all of the reasons that I didn't have the patience or the time to do what was required to save the money.
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Well, let's just say that I have had a change of heart! I found out about this site on the news one night and then checked out her website. She gives the detail and step-by-step instructions that I needed to get rolling and now I know so much more about how to save money.
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I used to shop only at Winco because it is super cheap but now I am saving so much using coupons and double coupons at stores like Albertsons and Safeway that I don't end up buying as much at Winco except for the basics and produce, etc.
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The best part besides saving money is that we are building up a great "family store" in the garage for our food storage.
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I have learned that I could easily become obsessed with all the deals but I just try to do a couple deals a week and NOT try to do them all because I wouldn't have any ink left in my printer.
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Other cool coupon sites:
http://www.hip2save.com/
coupons.com
kraftfoods.com

Turner meals for week of May 3rd

Sunday - Good ol' fashioned pot roast and jello with fresh whipped cream
Monday - fish, baked potato, peas and carrots
Tuesday - Sausage rice casserole, cabbage
Wednesday - Baked cinnamon french toast for the boys - I have a ladies night out!
Thursday - Pizza (1 side with spam (for Brent), the other side hawaiian for me)
Friday - out
Saturday - Quinoa and black beans with chicken

Black Bean Lasagna

So, I've been asked to share more of my bean recipes. Here's the thing, I love beans. My husband loves beans. My girls love beans. So we're beanin' it up lately and save loads of money. Loads? you ask. Yes, loads. When you aren't buying as much meat, it's amazing how much money you save. I've also gotten into canning meat, so when the chicken breasts are on sale, I'm buying a bunch and canning it. It tastes soooo good and it's super convenient, and, of course, cheaper.

Here's a bean recipe we had the Monday night. My vegetarian friend gave this recipe to me, and I tell you, everyone who has had it or made it for their family comes back with raving reviews. I personally love lasagna and this isn't quite the same, but it really is quite tasty If you try it, I'd love to know what you think.

10 no-cook lasagna noodles
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 cup salsa
1 t. cumin
1 t. minced garlic
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 c. skim milk
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
2 c. grated mozzarella cheese

Combine sause, salsa, cumin, garlic, and beans. Combine ricotta, egg, milk, and parmesan. Layer in a 9x13 pan, starting with a thin layer of sauces, noodles, ricotta, more sauce, then cheese. Repeat to make 3 layers. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. You can also use regular noodles, just cook before proceeding with recipe. (I also tend to use more mozzarella cheese. I put a small layer over each layer of ricotta. Can never have too much cheese.)

Save Money Planning Monthly Meals

Well goodness. I had meant to post about my monthly meal planning, but I forgot. As Jenae mentioned, I did post about it on my family blog, but I meant to do it here too. Here's the rundown. I take one day and plan for the entire month. I assign each day of the week a theme. (See Jenae's monthly plan) That makes it easier to plan. Instead of thinking "hmmm 30 dinners to think of..." I think "What are 4 Mexican meals we like? What are 4 casseroles we like? What are 4 soups I'll make?" It makes it much more do-able, and it only takes me about 20 minutes to plan for the month. The first couple months, I saved about $20-40 dollars. I was happy. Last month, I cut $100 off our grocery bill! Hello monthly meal planning, you are now my best friend. Nice to meet 'cha. When you have your meals in front of you for the month, it's much easier to buy the items you need in bulk, or on sale, and you don't waste as much. I also started to strategically plan my menus. For instance, I knew I was making an enchilada casserole where I'd need refried beans. So, I thought of other meals that needed refried beans so I could buy those in bulk and make it stretch. I do one large shopping trip in the beginning of the month and go to the grocery store mid-month to restock our milk and produce. (I have to admit though, that part of that $100 saving is because we've done more vegetarian meals. If you can use beans instead of meat, it saves a ton.)

I recently taught an enrichment on preparing your 3 month food storage supply, and in it I introduced monthly meal planning. I've had several people tell me how it's helped them save money and they really enjoy it. It's taken the stress out of planning/cooking meals and made it fun again. Isn't that how it should be anyway? The idea sounds overwhelming, but it's so easy. I love it. And if it saves me $100 a month -- shoot -- I'm doing it!

So, for a week, you need 7 different themes for your meals. Here are just a few that I've used:

Sandwiches
Salads
Soup
Casserole
Chicken
Crockpot (usually on Sunday because we have 1pm church)
Leftovers (usually my Saturday night)
Fish
Stir-fry
Mexican
Italian
Fish
Chinese
Vegetarian

Trying the Monthly Meal Planning Out

Thanks for posting Ann!
I too am back with a post of meals, this time a whole month's worth.

Jenny had a post on her blog about doing a different style of monthly meal planning so I am trying that out in April and so far I love it! I just copied this from the Excel file I kept it in which made it easy to paste here. If anyone else is trying this, let us know how you like it too.


Mondays: Breakfast for Dinner Night
Breakfast Bagel Sandwiches
Waffles w/ Fruit
Eggs & Hashbrowns
Breakfast Burritos


Tuesdays: Mexican Night
Beef Tamale Skillet
Soft Tacos
Enchiladas
Veggie Bean Burritos


Wednesdays: Soup/Salad/Sandwich Night
Enchilada Soup (FS Deals recipe)
Au Jus Sandwiches
Taco Salad
Grilled Cheese/Tomato Soup
Out to Eat


Thursdays: Chicken/Pork Night
Baked Chicken, Rice Pilaf, Veggie
Chicken Fajitas w/ Lime Cilantro Rice
Yummy Pork Chops, Rice
Stupid Chicken w/ Pasta
Chicken Rice Goulash


Fridays: Italian Night
Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread
Calzone
Sonoma Pasta
Pizza (frozen or homemade)


Saturdays: Beef Night
Shepherd's Pie (w/ Grands or Bisquick on top)
Hamburgers & Oven Fries
Lil Cheddar Meatloaves
Beef Stroganoff

Sundays: Crockpot Night
Shredded Teriyaki Pork (FS Deals recipe)
Cassoulet w/ Bread
Tin Foil Dinner in Crockpot
Elegant Chicken, Green Salad

This blog is not dead. Here's the meal plan to prove it.

Friday: Leftover Easter ham and green salad
Saturday: Yukon gold and green onion Frittata
Sunday: Falafel burgers with yogurt dressing and fresh bread
Monday: Tacos
Tuesday: Roasted Red Pepper Pasta and asparagus
Wednesday: No cook day.
Thursday: green enchiladas

I also recently posted on my usually-non-food-related blog about why I love plain yogurt. Check it out.

There. What are the rest of you eating?

Week plan

As this is my first post I am still learning the ins and outs. I will work on making recipe links next time!

This was last weeks menu:
Monday: Hawaiian Haystack (bed of rice with chicken(creamy chicken with cream of chicken soup added), pineapple, chow mein noodles, green peppers, tomatoes. Can add onions, cocconut etc.
Tuesday: Split Pea Soup with homemade wheat breadsticks. Not a favorite, but someone gave me a huge bucket of split peas and I can't stand to not use them- come get some if you want!
Wednesday: Pasta with Orange glazed carrots (just boil down a cup of orange juice, add some spice and poor over cooked carrots).
Thursday: Homemade Pizza. A favorite with the kids, still working on perfecting the dough
Friday: Greek Pita Pockets (saute chicken with Greek spices, serve on a warmed pita with romaine lettuce, tomato, green onion, feta cheese, and yogurt topping. yogurt topping is made with plain yogurt, diced cucumber and dill mixed, however our family likes Cottage cheese instead of plain yogurt.

Jenae please add this link to the side bar

My friend Kimberley Eggleston from my old ward is a contributing author for about.com - she keeps a page and blog on low-calorie cooking. The link is http://lowcaloriecooking.about.com/b/ She is a nutritionist by profession and a really neat person. So I'd like to shout out to her by letting you all know about her site.

Meals While Waiting For Our Baby

While we wait for this baby to come, we might as well eat!

I must repent for being such a slacker and not posting menus the last few weeks! Here goes:

Friday: EQ activity--don't have to cook
Saturday: Pepperjack Pasta, Salad and Crazy Bread
Sunday:Slow-simmering BBQ Sandwiches & Potato Salad
Monday: Chicken & Cheese Enchilada Soup (myfoodstoragedeals.com)
Tuesday: Egg sandwiches & Fruit Salad
Wednesday: Beef & Mushrooms over rice w/ Steamed veggie
Thursday: Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna & Salad

Turner meals for week of Feb. 2nd

Monday: leftover chicken noodle soup and bread
Tuesday: I'm out - Brent can cook mac and cheese for him and Jacob
Wednesday: Chicken fettuccine Alfredo and Caesar salad
Thursday: unstuffed cabbage over rice
Friday: out
Saturday: waffles
Sunday: Asian Peanut Butter Pork crockPot recipe with rice

Healthy Kids

If you have kids, I think it's worth checking out Super Healthy Kids. I've been trying to not only get myself healthier, but my kids too. I want to establish healthy habits now for them. Anyway, worth checking it out. There are some good ideas and recipes.

Dinners this week...a little late

Monday: egg salad sandwiches (I hadn't been to the store and I had a lot of eggs)
Tuesday: Meatless Greek Stew in the Crockpot
Wednesday: I never cook on Wednesdays
Thursday: Homemade Meatballs and Broccoli with rice (and store bought Asian sauce)
Friday: Faux-tisserie Chicken (in crockpot) with mashed potatoes and salad.
Saturday: BBQ Chicken Pizza (with chicken leftover from today)
Sunday: uh....not sure yet.

I know I made this big speech about how I love to go meatless, but we're moving and it turns out we have a lot of meat in our freezer. I'm trying to use some of it up. And winter seems the right time for it.

Turner meals for week of Jan. 26

Monday: Teriyaki tilapia with rice and peas
Tuesday: Cheesy ham cups with hash browns and fruit salad
Wednesday: Roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and cabbage
Thursday: Chicken noodle soup with peasant bread
Friday: for me, pot luck - for the boys, pizza
Saturday: sloppy joes, corn and chips

Two Weeks of Meals - Catching up

I will just list them all:

Fiesta Beef Enchiladas
Pasta Primavera
Yummy Pork Chops, Spanish Rice & Veggie
White Chili & Cornbread
Sloppy Joes & Salad
Chicken & Rice Goulash
Hamburgers & Oven Fries
Pork Fajitas (Thanks to Jaime, yum!)& Jello fruit salad
Pasta, Salad & Crazy Bread
Cassoulet
Beef Tamale Skillet
Teriyaki Pork & Broccoli over rice

I will work on getting some of the recipes, if there is one that you really want, leave a comment.

Chicken in Red Curry Ginger Sauce

To me, this is as good as a curry you might order in a Thai restaurant. Pretty easy, too. Serve it over rice. Plain sticky rice is good; jasmine rice is better.

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (could also use pork or tofu)
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce (or use an equivalent amount of soy sauce and water)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp red curry paste (available in the Asian food part of the grocery store)
1 can coconut milk or lite coconut milk
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or thai basil)
2 tbsp peeled and finely chopped or grated ginger root

1. Slice chicken into very thin strips, cutting against the grain. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the lime juice, fish sauce (or soy sauce/water mixture) and brown sugar. Set aside.

3. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add curry paste with 1/2 can of coconut milk. Stir frequently until the curry paste is dissolved and the mixture is bubbling.

4. Add the rest of the coconut milk, onions, and bell pepper. Stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat a bit and simmer for 2 minutes.

5. Add the lime juice mixture and the sliced chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Add the cilantro and ginger. Stir and cook 1 to 2 minutes more until the chicken is cooked through.

Takes about 30 minutes and serves 4-6.

What we had for dinner last week

Sunday: Pork chops and mashed potatoes
Monday: Frittata with Feta and Yukon Golds
Tuesday: Homemade pizza--pepperoni for the boys, plus veggies for the parents
Wednesday: I never cook on Wednesdays
Thursday: Pasta with artichokes hearts and feta, green salad
Friday: Tofu in Red Curry Ginger Sauce (I'm posting the chicken version of this recipe)
Saturday: out

Creamy Pineapple Sorbet

This is delicious, low-cal, and from the Biggest Loser. My husband asks for it regularly for a little dessert. Last night we tried it with blackberries. It was also good, though I prefer the pineapple. Tonight we are trying it with peaches. We'll see how it goes.


1.5 cups pineapple chunks, frozen
1/3 cups fat-free pina colada, coconut, or vanilla yogurt (we use vanilla)
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-2 packets sugar substitute, such as Splenda (optional)

1) Place pineapple in blowl of food processor. Pulse, scraping down sides as needed, until finely chopped.

2) Add yogurt and lemon juice. Process, scraping down sides of bowl again, until very smooth. Stir in sugar substitute, if using. divide between 2 dessert bowls. Serve immediately.

Green Family Menu -- Week of January 25

Monday -- Chicken fajitas. We had them last week and are craving them again.
Tuesday -- Mediterranean Chicken Sandwich
Wednesday -- Vegetable Stir-fry with whole wheat noodles (whatever veggies are on hand)
Thursday -- Breaded Tilapia
Friday -- Enchilada Soup (soooo good.)
Saturday -- Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich
Sunday -- Left over Enchilada Soup

Connie's Crockpot Week - Jan. 25-30

I'm trying all new crockpot recipes this week and I'll let you know which ones I like and post the recipes for those. I got most of them from www.slowandsimple.com. Here's what we're trying:

Sunday - Turkey with Sweet Potatoes & Green Beans
Monday - Beef Stroganoff
Tuesday - Crockpot Enchilada Casserole
Wednesday - Chicken and Stuffing
Thursday - Crock Pot Mongolian Style Beef
Friday - out

Turner meals for week of Jan. 19th

Monday: Lemon Garlic Tilapia with broccoli and rice (making this again because it was so good).
Tuesday: Shephed's pie (Lion House recipe) using leftover pot roast from yesterday
Wednesday: Tortellini soup with rolls (excellent, if you want the recipe post a comment)
Thursday: Tamale pie (crock pot recipe) with salad
Friday: FFY
Saturday: Out
Sunday: Chicken Enchilada's (one of my freezer meal)

Green Family Menu

Hello all! I'm new to the group -- well new to posting that is. I so love your menus. Mmmmm I'm yet to try them out, but I tell you some of these recipes look great. Lately, I've become really motivated to change my life and get sincerely healthy -- not just lose the weight I want to lose -- but get healthy. Luckily I have a husband who wants the same thing. So, our dinners have been really healthy and nutrient rich. Surprisingly, the recipes I've been using have all been delicious as well. So, yippy for happy, healthy food. On the menu for the coming week:

Monday: Chicken fajitas -- your basic chicken breast, green and red peppers (on sale! wahoo!), onions
Tuesday: Herbed Spinach Pasta -- whole grain pasta with garlic, spinach, and peppers
Wednesday: German Potato Soup
Thursday: Breaded Chicken Fingers with baked potato wedges
Friday: Beef and broccoli stir-fry with brown rice
Saturday: Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich -- sooo good and easy! Can be a bit spicy depending on how much cayenne and chili pepper you add to the marinade. mmmm mmmm good!
Sunday: Breaded and baked tilapia

Recipes are forthcoming. And now that I look at it, these aren't as healthy has this past week, but still, they're pretty good.

Looking for a Pasta Primavera Recipe...

Does anyone have a Pasta Primavera recipe they could recommend?
I know I can find tons on the internet but I would rather have one that is tried and true!
Please post the link or the recipe if you do, thanks!

Connie's Menu (January 10-16)

Saturday - Out for Spiro's pizza and pasta
Sunday - Cheese Enchiladas, Spanish Rice and Refried Beans
Monday - Potluck at the high school (made green salad)
Tuesday - Crockpot Chicken Curry over brown rice
Wednesday - Asian Beef & Broccoli
Thursday - BBQ Ribs in Crockpot (recipe on this site), mashed potatoes and fresh green beans
Friday - Papa Murphy's take 'n bake pizza

Weekly Menu (J)

Fri. - Pizza
Sat. - Zuppa Toscana soup and bread bowls
Sun. - Glorified Crockpot Porkchops, Rice Pilaf and Sauteed Zucchini
Mon. - Taco Salad
Tues. - Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli over rice
(Just cooked chicken and broccoli in teriyaki sauce)
Wed. - Pasta, Salad, Garlic Bread
Thurs. - Dorito Casserole

Turner meals for week of Jan 5th

Monday: FFY (fend for yourself)
Tuesday: Lemon Garlic Tilapia with baked yam and green beans - This was fantastic!
Wednesday: Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake with fresh veggie - This was better than I expected
Thursday: Sage pork chops (using coupon for chops at costco) with mashed potatoes and veggie
Friday: Super Nachos - chips topped with seasoned beef, olives, onion, cheese and sour cream
Saturday: Out - it is our anniversary! :)
Sunday: Moroccan Lentil Soup in the crock pot (now that church is from 2-5 pm every sunday will be either pot roast or a crock pot recipe)

Thanks Jenae for the wonderful links to other food blogs, I've had lots of fun browsing them.

Tortilla Melt Recipe

from Moosewood's Simple Suppers Cookbook

This is a great, easy recipe, especially good for summertime when tomatoes are best and basil for pesto is in abundance. I made and froze a bunch of pesto this summer, so as long as I can find a decent tomato, I'm in business. It's one of my husband's favorite dishes and it easily serves four.

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing on the tortillas
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 large portabella mushroom caps
1 small red onion
salt and pepper
6 flour tortillas (about 8-inch size), either plain white or whole wheat
3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened (light cream cheese works fine)
3 tablespoons jarred or homemade pesto OR 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 large tomato, sliced
6 ounces sliced mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450. Lightly oil a baking sheet.

In a bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the vinegar. Slice the portabellas and red onion and add to the bowl. Stir well to coat evenly with the marinade. Spread on the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until the onions are softened and the mushrooms are juicy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Lower the oven temperature to 350.

To build the sandwiches, lightly brush one side of two tortillas with oil and place them oiled-side down on a clean baking sheet. Spread the top side of the tortillas with cream cheese. Pile roasted mushrooms and onions on the cream cheese. Spread pesto on two more tortillas and lay them on top of the onions. Top the pesto-covered tortillas with tomato and cheese slices. Place the last two tortillas on the stacks and lightly brush the tops with olive oil.

Bake until the cheese is melted and the top and bottom tortillas are crisp, about 15 minutes. Let the sandwiches cool for a minute or two before cutting them into quarters.