Back to school

This is how I feel inside!

I have been at Pacific or FPU as they refer it for 3 weeks now. It has been tiring and I have been getting used to being gone in the evenings. Last week I had all my classes so it was a long week! I now know that I need to make an eye appointment and get glasses because my eyes can't take it!

So, this semester I am taking, Methodology of Math, a class on how to do our TPA's (Teacher Performance Assessments) and Special Ed Observation class. Can't say I am enjoying it yet. I think I will need to get into it more to see what I am really getting myself into. This will be for the next 2 years, I am just going to plug away at it part-time. The one good thing is that my semester ends the end of April and I start a new session that goes until June 25th, so I will get three sessions in a year. I have decided that I need to take 6 weeks off during the summer instead of going straight through.

That's about it right now. I need to go and read about math....and I had to write a 2 page paper on math. Just what I want to do (did I tell you that I do not like math)!

smile.ly—Be Heard. Be Happy.

smile.ly—Be Heard. Be Happy.

Weekly meal plan w/recipe

Sunday- Chicken marsala

Monday- Autumn noodle bake (recipe follows)

Tuesday- Crispy pork chops with mango relish and veggies

Wednesday- Leftover day

Thursday- Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and green beans

Friday- Going out of town!!!!

Autumn Noodle Bake

4 oz. wide egg noodles
1 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 minced clove garlic
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can Del Monte sliced carrots drained
1 can Del Monte cut green beans
1 cup shredded cooked chicken (half a rotisserie chicken)
a can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook noodles according to package and drain
3. Heat oil and add onion and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute an additional 3 minutes.
4. Combine noodles with onion and mushroom mixture, chicken, soup, milk, thyme, pepper and 1/2 cup cheese. Gently stir in veggies. Spoon into a 2 qt casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
5. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

SCORE!

You may be tired of these posts, but I am EXCITED about learning how save money with coupons!

This is what I bought and saved at Save Mart:

4 packs Dole fruit cups
4 packs Snack Pack pudding cups
4 cans Hunts pasta sauce (This is my favorite pasta sauce)
4 boxes smart pop popcorn 100 calorie packs

Total 16 items paid $21.50, saved $22.34 with promos and coupons, total savings 51%.
I received $5.75 in catalina coupons and turned around and bought:

Red leaf lettuce
Broccoli
Bananas
Cucumber
Tomato

All for .74 cents a 91% savings!

How did it happen?

*At Save Mart buy $15.00 in Con Agra products receive $5.00 catalina coupon.
*Buy 4 Dole fruit cups receive .75 cent catalina coupon.
*Hunts pasta sauce on sale for $1.00 each and I had 2 .50 cent off coupons.
*Popcorn I had 2 $2.00 off coupons and they were on sale for 2 for $5.00.
*I had a coupon for buy 3 Sanck Pack pudding cups for .50 cents off.
*Saved $5.50 in coupons and $16.84 in promos and sales.

Had coupons for Hunts Pasta sauce, popcorn and snack packs. You can go here to find the coupons.

Kraft Cheese

There is a coupon for Kraft Cheese buy 2/$1.00 off. At Foods Co. they have Kraft cheese on sale for $1.78 a package. For 2 packs of cheese you would only pay $2.56. They also have ground turkey and turkey links(Jennie-O)on sale for $1.96 each.

For Kraft coupons go here.

Going on a Target run

Update:

These are the items that I purchased. I did not buy Stacy's Pita chips since they only had a small bag and I did not want to waste my coupon on a small bag. Total came ot $12.31 and I paid $4.74 about a 62% savings! I had a coupon for everything that I purchased.

I have some great coupons so off to Target again! Kellogs has a buy one get one free on Special K and I have a $1.00 off and a .50 cents off coupon, so each box comes to .72 cents. I have a free Stacy Pita chips coupon, a free Nestle crunch bar coupon and 2 wet ones coupons. I am looking to spend under $5.00 for these purchases! I will update this post once I get back with my goodies.

This is my goal, I have until June to accomplish this. I need to save $400.00 a month on our grocery bill so I do not have to substitute teach next fall. I would rather spend my time looking for coupons than working all day with a bunch of kids that I do not know. I figure 5 months is a good time frame to master this coupon thing.

Go here for the Special K coupons

Go here for Target coupons

Short Ribs in the Slow Cooker

I found this recipe in the Family Circle recipe and it is really good!

Short Ribs:

4 pounds short ribs (I only bought 2 1/2 lbs since we do not need that much)
1-2 tbsp of olive oil
1 onion chopped
1/2 package of baby carrots
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 1/4 cup dark beer, Guiness (I used Newcastle)
1 cup beef broth
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp dijon or spiced mustard
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt and pepper

Heat up the olive oil in a skillet. Pat dry the short ribs and salt and pepper both sides and brown both sides. Put the short ribs in the slow cooker. Add the onion and sautee for a minute then add 1 cup of beer, beef broth, brown sugar, thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Pour the sauce over the meat. About 1 1/2 hour out add the carrots and mushrooms and stir in.

15 minutes before dinner mix the 1/4 cup of reserved beer with 1 tbsp of spicy mustard and 2 tbsp of cornstarch. Pour into the slow cooker and mix well. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve once thickened over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

I served this with garlic mashed potatoes and then made egg noodles and poured the leftovers over the noodles for leftover night. With the left over beer I made beer cheese bread.

Faithful Provisions

I found this blog Faithful Provisions. I hav posted it on my FB page, but the more I look at it and after I read her story I am following it even more. If you have not checked it out go here and read her story and get lots of insight on coupons and free stuff! Right now there is a freebie at Panera.

Update:

I went to Panera and asked for the Register Reward Card and she looked at my funny. I went to the website and I guess they do not have this for California. I am very bummed! Oh well, I got a free scone when I went in though.

My Shopping Trip to Vons

Update:
If you are wanting to learn how to use coupons etc...check out my friends blog, Wee Wilhites, she has a blog on couponing and how to use them. Her blog is to the left under my blog list.

I did not need a lot of groceries, but I had such great coupons that I could not pass a lot of these items up and now I am stocked! I have not had this much food in my house at the end of the month ever. This is how it began:

I did what Jessica did, bought 4 boxes of fruit roll ups with my coupons and paid $1.50 total. I received a catalina coupon for $2.50 off my next shopping trip plus $1.00 of coupons for goldfish, cheeze-its, 2 liter of diet Dr. Pepper and 200 count napkins.

These were the bargains I could not pass up:

I got 5 boxes of cereal for $5.50
Goldfish is in sale for .88 and I had a $1.00 off coupon so I received .22 cents back
8 boxes of fruit roll ups/fruit gushers for $1.50 total
No Yolks pasta .25 cents
2 liter of diet Dr. P for .66 cents

I bought items like milk, 13 Yoplait yogurts which I had $1.50 off coupon, V8 juice, veggies, cheeses which I had coupons for etc..The only items I did not have coupons for were the veggies I bought, V8 juice and hamburger buns, but they were both on sale. Hamburger meat was on sale for .99 cents a pound so I bought a package since it was 50% savings.

After all was said and done I bought $128.11 worth of groceries and only paid $62.33.
This was the most I have spent at the grocery store in the past 3 weeks and I stocked up. Little man was very excited about the fruit roll ups since I rarely buy them. I only put 2 boxes in the cabinet and hid the rest away.

It took me about 2 hours this week looking at ads, searching for coupons and researching new sites. This time will go down as I go since a lot of the time was looking at new coupon sites. It really does pay off!

Meal Planning

I know it is not Monday, but I have made a list of all the meat I have and have planned meals around that. I can make 12 meals with what I have on hand (minus fresh ingredients). I am planning on buying meat ONLY if it is on a good sale and I am planning on what I am buying produce wise based on these meals. I am going to try to do this more that I am in school and need some easy meals on the nights I have school. I have bolognese sauce waiting for me in the freezer to make a lasagna too.

On these 12 meals the total cost in meat came to $28.00! I have chicken, ground turkey, pork and a whole turkey. I bought the pork from Costco with the $4.00 off coupon, the ground turkey from Smart and Final for $1.89 each and the chicken at VONS for $6.00 for 6 breasts and the turkey was $5.00 during Christmas.

My trip to VONS is already planned out with my coupons and everything that I need to buy minus a few veggies I have a coupon for. I even have a coupon for carrots! I will give you my total at the end of the month on what I bought and how much I saved. I do spend a lot of money on food because I cook all the time and I always have fresh produce on hand. I love having people over for dinner or bringing meals to those who need it, so I need to be able to do that without breaking the bank. That is the method to my madness and I hope I can help along the way with budget friendly meals.

And sorry if I post recipes with lots of ingredients, but that's what makes it taste so good. My sister complains about all the chopping(lettuce wraps), but they taste good, right?

Now I am hungry and need to wake up my family so we can go eat. Friday nights are out to dinner nights!

Happy Birthday Hubby!

Happy Birthday to my husband of almost 15 years! We have been together for 19 years now, half of my life. Hope you have a great day and I am proud to be your wife. I love you and this kiss is for you!

I want to do a century ride!

I have been wanting to get back to cycling and I would love to train for the century ride in Tahoe.
Problem number 1: No bike and the bike I want is over $2,000.00.
Problen number 2: Training for one takes a lot of time and I have 2 little kids plus everything else.
Problem number 3: Hubby does not like me on the roads because he is worried that a crazy driver will hit me.

Having said that, I still want to ride. I have been laying low for 5 years now and I am ready to get back into the saddle. If you would like to donate to the road bike fund please send all proceeds to:

Lora Toobusy at
24/7 Rd. Crazy
Fresburg, Ca. XOXOX

Meal Plan Monday

Monday- Tilapia with rice and veggies

Tuesday- Hubbies B-day Making him Carnitas and a cake

Wednesday- Leftover night

Thursday- B-day dinner with the family

Friday- Out to dinner

Not too hard of a week!

Tonight's dinner

Bolognese sauce with pasta. This is the first time that I have made this, so I will post the recipe if I think it is a winner. I wish I had a dutch oven though, I think that is what is on my birthday wish list, a gift card to Sur La Table from everyone since the one I want is about $200.00!

Update:

Dinner was good, took a little while to prepare but it made a bunch of sauce. I put some in the freezer so I can make a lasagna in the near future. Here is the recipe:

Bolognese:

1 1/4lb. each ground pork and ground beef
1 yellow onion diced
1 stalk celery diced
2 medium carrots diced
5 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 cup milk
2 bay leaves
2 large cans whole tomatoes put through a food processor or I just squeezed them by hand.
salt and pepper to taste
I added some chili flakes and white pepper to bring up the heat.

Brown your meats and drain on a paper towel. Add some olive oil in your pan and cook onions, carrots and celery about 8 minutes adding the garlic the last minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Add your wine and scrape up any bits with a spoon and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring up to a simmer. Transfer to a slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or so. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Turkish Dumplings

If you are up to something different and a little time consuming this recipe is for you. It took me a little over an hour to make these. They were good, but you have to make your own dough. I got the recipe out of my Food Network Magazine. I have been trying a lot of their recipe's.

Roll out the dough 20" long and 4" wide then cut into 2" squares.

You fill them with your meat filling and fold over.

You boil them for 8 minutes.

Serve with the chili oil and greek yogurt sauce. I loved both sauces, but hubby said that the chili oil was a little too spicy. So if you do not like spicy cut down on the red pepper flakes. I thought it was perfect.


Directions
For the Dumplings:
Ingredients
2 1-ounce packets plain instant oatmeal(about 2/3 cup)
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Kosher salt
1 large egg
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces ground beef
1 small white onion, grated and squeezed dry
Freshly ground pepper
For the Toppings:1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, grated
Kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Make the dumplings: Cook the oatmeal as the label directs, then let cool. Combine the oatmeal, flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the egg and olive oil to the well and mix with a fork. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead into a smooth ball. Cover with a towel and let rest 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the beef, onion, 1 tablespoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl and set aside.

Prepare the toppings: Whisk the yogurt, garlic, cup water, and salt to taste in a bowl. Heat the olive oil in a small skilletover medium heat. Add the pepper flakes and paprika and cook 1 minute. Set the yogurt sauce and spiced oil aside.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. On a floured surface, roll each piece into a 20-by-4-inch rectangle, then cut into 2-inch squares. Place 1 teaspoon beef filling in the center of each square, fold over into a triangle and press the edges to seal.

Boil the dumplings in batches, stirring occasionally, until they float, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to bowls. Top with the yogurt sauce and spiced oil.

Free Stuff!!

Click on my Freebies 4 Moms button and get a coupon for free chocolate milk with a purchase of regular milk. Enter soon, only 125,000 given out.

If you like workout music, go to www.podworkoutmusic.com/SUBWAY/ and you can download a Biggest Looser entire workout for free. That is 12 songs for free!

Gevalia coffee has an offer with no obligation. Get 3 boxes of their coffee and a measuring spoon for $3.00 no shipping. When you receive your coffee just call and say you do not want to sign up and you keep your 3 boxes of coffee for $3.00. (Gevalia.com)I found this offer on couponmom.com.

Also, ground turkey meat is on sale at Smart and Final for $1.89 a package. They are $5.00 at the grocery sale. Limit 4 and it is good until 1/12/10.

When I see good deals, I will post them for you! Happy shopping:)

The Coupon Mom

I recently got the book The Coupon Mom so I can learn how to save more money by using coupons and how to plan my grocery shopping trip to hit sales with coupons etc... I have always used coupons but I know I could do better. I am in the category of a "Rookie" shopper. I take some time to cut out coupons and I try to save but I could do better. My goal is to become a "Varsity" shopper. On her website there is a video on how she takes someone shopping to show them how to save money. On one shopping trip her bill came to $96.00 and she only spent .25 cents! I still don't know how you can do that. On another trip her total bill came to just over $10.00 after coupons and store savings.

Today hubby went to Walgreens. Hubby started off buying my Tresseme hairspray 3 for $12.00 then he received a $5.00 rewards, so he used it for the rest of the items he purchased. This is what he purchased, he used coupons and purchased sale items. We got all this stuff for $28.52. We saved $44.34!

Then I went to VONS and my goal was to save 50% on my grocery bill by following the coupon mom (couponmom.com). I tried to put ecoupons on my Vons card, but they did not come off so that was $2.00 off I should have saved. I am not sure about ecoupons.
My bill came to $89.69 and I paid $46.03, a 49% savings! If I would have received the $2.00 off from ecoupons I would have been at 50%. That was a good start. I will see how it goes.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I just had to share this recipe. It is soooo good and little missie even loves it. It is a great recipe to sneak in veggies since you dice them so small and it has a hoisin sauce over it. I do not use peanuts, but I do cut up and fry the wonton skins (wraps). You can find them in the produce aisle of the grocery store.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil
1 small carrots, diced
1/2 celery rib, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
5 snap peas, diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup mung beans, cut in 1/2 (Bean sprouts)
2 chicken breast, diced
6 ounces Apricot Sesame Sambal Szechwan Sauce, recipe follows
5 fried wonton skins
6 iceberg lettuce leaves
2 tablespoons diced green onions
2 tablespoons crushed, unsalted peanuts
Black sesame seeds, for garnish
Directions
In a medium saute pan over high heat, add oil. Add vegetables, and chicken, saute for 45 seconds. Deglaze with sambal sauce for 30 seconds.

Add wonton to lettuce cup, pour chicken and veg mix into cup, top with green onions and peanuts. Garnish lettuce cups with black sesame seeds.


Apricot Sesame Sambal Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced ginger
3 tablespoons sambal hot sauce (or Suracha or Hunan chili sauce but only use 1-1.5 tbsp)
3 tablespoons apricot preserves
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon minced cilantro
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Shake before serving.

I could eat the sauce with a spoon it is so good.

Meal Plan Monday

Monday- Cheeseburgers and oven fries

Tuesday- Chicken lettuce wraps with veggie fried rice and wonton wraps

Wednesday- Hot dogs and fruit (gym night)

Thursday- Pasta with Bolognese sauce

Friday- Out to dinner

Saturday- Skirt steak with Chimichuri and corn pudding

Sunday- BBQ Chicken with salad and homemade bread

Ringing in the New Year!

My sister-n-law (in the picture with me) threw the kids a New Years Eve party at 7pm. She got them hats, made cupcakes and tried to get all four of them to hold up 2010.

Our family picture! We are so cute!

Little man with my nieces.

Isn't he cute in his bow tie and hat!

Me and little missie out playing in the snow. She loved going down the sled with me. Only problem was carrying her back up for the 10th time!

We had lots of fun playing in the snow and spending time with our family!