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Birthday Party Planning

Little man is celebrating his 5th birthday this Friday! We are having a birthday party for him at the house and his request was a bounce house and ALL of his friend to come. He even wants the mail man to come too...LOL! At first I thought, I am going to keep it simple and then I think, oh this food would be good to have, this would be a good idea, this would be fun and on and on.

It started out with hot dogs. Then it turned into chili dogs, then it turned into chili dogs with toppings. You can't just have chili dogs now can you. How about baguettes with brie and fruit, veggie tray, chips with guac and salsa. See where I am getting at!

How about a cupcake cake and cupcakes with camo frosting and army men crawling on the cake. Of course little man wants a rainbow cake where you bake the cake and then put 7 different kinds of jello into the cake. It is yummy, but takes a little more time.

Little man wanted some camo decorations, so off to the party store, dollar store and Walgreens I went trying to find decorations without spending too much money.

And then there are cupcakes to bring to school on Friday. All the cupcakes will have different colored frosting with candy presents on top.

Am I missing anything else? I think he is worth it and I am having fun planning it. I do love having parties!

Not my day in the kitchen.....and Meal Plan

This is how my day went when I would try to cook something.

This morning I guess I did not have the top part all the way down on my Mukka Express and it shot coffee everywhere.

Burnt my arm on the iron.

Propane ran out half way through cooking the chicken.

My Mukka Express fell off the counter and shattered in tons of little pieces.

My pepper mill top broke.

I guess the kitchen was telling me to stay away today. I still managed to make breakfast and dinner tonight. Hopefully the rest of the weeks meals will go smoothly.

Meal Plan Monday

Sunday- BBQ chicken sandwiches with onion strings and sweet potato fries.

Monday- Leftovers (cooked a lot this past week).
Ended up making carnitas on my leftover night last week.

Tuesday- Bacon wrapped pork loin, salad and baked potatoes.

Wednesday- Chicken marsala

Thursday- Dinner at the in-laws in celebration of little man's b-day.

Friday- Little man wants to go to John's Incredible Pizza for his b-day.

Saturday- Little man's b-day party (he is making it last)!

Sunday- B-day party at my sisters for my nephew.

It is a busy week of parties!!

Southwest Corn Guacamole

I made this guacamole last night and it was sooooo good! I love getting the Food Network Magazine because it has tons of recipes and gives me lots of ideas too.

Directions
Oil 1 ear of corn; sprinkle with chili powder, ground coriander and kosher salt. Broil the corn, 2 plum tomatoes and 1 bunch scallions, 5 to 7 minutes. Chop the scallions and tomatoes; mash with 3 diced avocados, 2 minced jalapenos, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and the juice of 1 lime. Add the corn kernels and season with more chili powder, coriander and salt.

I used frozen corn since I did not have corn on the cobb and chives instead of scallions, again that is what I had in the frig. I only used 1 jalapeno since I did not want it too spicy because I made salsa as well. The bowl was empty in no time flat.

Honey Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

I found this recipe from Ellie Krieger who has the Healthy Appetite show on Food Network. It passed the test since my daughter said, "Can I have another cookie?...Yum!"


Recipe:
2 tbsp melted unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1 large egg
1/4 cup smooth unsalted almond butter (Trader Joes)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mist 2 baking sheets with cooking spray or use parchment paper. Beat the butter, canola oil, honey, egg, almond butter and vanilla extract in a large bowl with a mixer until combined.

2. In another bowl, whisk the dry ingredients minus the oatmeal and raisins. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and combine. Stir in the oats and raisins.

3. Scoop tablespoons onto lined cookie sheets and bake until golden brown about 12 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Calories 100
Fat 5g
Carbs 13 g
Fiber 1g
Protein 2g

Check your receipts

This past week I have checked my receipts and because of that I have $11.00 more in my pocket. At Vons I was charged $6.98 for 2 Asian Pears that I never purchased and at Target after telling the cashier that one of my coupons did not take (and she proceeded to tell me that they did) I checked out and looked at my receipt and a $4.00 off coupon was not on there that I gave her. Since I have been paying more attention to my receipts I catch someone miss-ringing me at least once a month.

Today I took $25.00 for my shopping. I went to Walgreens and Target and spent $25.00 out of pocket. I received $7.00 back in Register Rewards at Walgreens and I will send in another $5.00 SC Johnson rebate, so my total comes to $13.00 for everything you see.
At Walgreens I spent $7.86 and received $7.00 back in RR's.
*Kotex U $3.95 at Walgreens $2.50 back in RR and $1.00 coupon (2X).
*2 Scotch Bright Sponge 3 pack $3.99 at Walgreens, buy one get one free coupon and 2 $1.00 off coupons.
*Colgate toothpaste at Walgreens $2.99, $2.00 back in RR and $1.00 off coupon.

At Target I spent $10.44 on my first purchase and received a $5.00 GC and on the second purchase I spent $7.97.
*3 packages of Milk Bone Plus dog treats at $2.96 each. I had a buy 2 get $2.00 off coupon and a $2.00 off coupon on 1. $1.82 for 3 packs.
*Merona purse on clearance for $6.98, used a Target $5.00 off coupon for a Merona purse.
*2 XHIL socks at $2.00 each, used 2 $2.00 off Target hosiery coupons, FREE!
*6 Yoplait yogurts at .59cents each, had a .50 cent off coupon w/purchase of 6.
*Windex outdoor window washing kit $12.99, used a $3.00 off Target coupon and coupon for $5.00 back in GC with purchase, $4.99.
*36 count Tide Stain release on sale $10.99, used $3.00 off coupon.
*I had another $5.00 GC from a previous purchase as well.

I saved $39.00 today and add the $5.00 rebate and that brings my total to $44.00.

With a little planning you can get a lot for a little money. And make sure you check your receipts!

Meal Plan Monday

Sunday- Crispy Pork Chops with cucumber salad and white rice

Monday- Spaghetti with turkey meatballs

Tuesday- Chicken Tandoori, rice and green beans

Wednesday- Grilled steak, black-eyed peas and garlic mashed potatoes

Thursday- Leftovers (hubby at a meeting)

Friday- Out to dinner

I will post a new low sugar oatmeal raising cookie recipe once I make them. It has honey and almond butter in it. Sounds interesting and hope they are yummy. Looks like a great treat for the kids.

Earth Day Deals

I'm not a big Earth Day person because I do not believe you should celebrate "Mother Earth" since God created the earth......but hey, there's free stuff up for grabs, so why not get in on the action. I am trying to use re-usable bags so I do need to add to my collection. Go HERE to find all the deals, savings and free bags this month for earth day.

Some of the deals out there for using a reuseable bag:

Target- On April 18th Target will be giving away 1.5 million reusable bags. Every time you bring a bag with you, you will receive .05 cents off your bill per bag.

CVS pharmacy- will pay ExtraCare reward card members $1 back for every four shopping trips where they decline plastic bags; whether you use a reusable bag or carry out your items.

Safeway (Vons)- Look in the Vons add in the store for a coupon for a free reuseable bag with a $40.00 purchase.

Trader Joes- You will receive a raffle ticket for each bag you bring in for your groceries for a chance to win $25.00 GC. You have to ask for your tickets.

I just received this email...score!

Dear Lora,

We have received your request for a free EarthGrains reusable shopping bag and are processing this as quickly as possible. To thank you for being patient, we'll be sending you an additional bag! Your bonus bag will be a handy EarthGrains drawstring tote bag - and it's yours FREE.
Please expect arrival of your two EarthGrains bags around May 1st - May 15th. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our consumer affairs department at 1-800-323-7117.
Thanks again for your patience and continued support of our Earthgrains bakery products. We hope that you enjoy your additional bag!

Your Friends at,
The EarthGrains Baking Company

Nutritious Banana Bread

I felt like cooking yesterday and made this banana chocolate bread that is nutritious and lower in calories.


Recipe:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp each of baking soda and powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 mashed ripe bananas
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I used non-fat)
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.
2. Mix all the dry in ingredients in a bowl and stir together.
3. Whisk together bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter and vanilla. Add dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and fold in chocolate chips. Do not over mix.
4. Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

174 calories
6 grams protein
6.2 grams total fat
27 grams carbs
3.5 grams fiber

I took the recipe out of Taste of Home and switched a couple of the ingredient to what I had on hand. You can use wheat bran instead of wheat germ and they say to use 2% yogurt, but I did not notice a difference with fat free yogurt. Next time I am going to make it with whole wheat flour. It turns out really moist.

Lora's Homemade Chili

Recipe:
2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 regular size can of diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 jar Pace Picante sauce
1 cup beer (I used a lager)
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos®
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
2. Add the onion, Pace Picante sauce, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.

I served the chili with Frito's, cheese, tomatoes (green and red from Farmer's Market), lettuce, onions and light sour cream. I put avocado in mine and it was really good!

Italian Pork Stew

My sister gave me a bunch of her canned tomato products since she can't eat tomatoes right now. I have planned a couple recipes using all these crushed tomatoes and tomato sauces I have received. Thanks!

Ingredients and my new dutch oven.

Brown the pork first by cutting the pork up in 1" cubes, coating the pork with flour and browning it on both sides.

Add all the ingredients together and then the pork, cover with lid and simmer.

Serve over bow tie pasta and top with parmesan cheese.


This may seem like a lot of ingredients, but it did not take long to throw everything together and then you just let it simmer for 2 hours.

Recipe:

2/3 cups flour
2 lbs. boneless pork loin, cut into 1" cubes
4 tbsp of olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes (I used crushed)
1 cup dry red wine or beef broth
3 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp anchovy paste
1 tsp each of dried oregano, basil and sage leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup minced parsley (I put spinach in mine instead)
Hot cooked bow tie pasta
Grated parmesan cheese

1. Place flour in a large Ziploc bag. Add pork, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. In a dutch oven, brown the pork in 3 tbsp of oil in batches. Remove and keep warm.

2. In same pan, saute onion in remaining oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add tomatoes, wine, bay leaves, cinnamon, tomato paste, vinegar, anchovy paste, herbs, salt, pepper, chili flakes and pork; bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat; cover and simmer or 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally (I added a little water while cooking). Stir in parsley or spinach and cook 30-60 minutes longer or until meat is tender. Discard bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Serve with pasta and sprinkle with cheese.

It was a good rainy day dinner.

Meal Plan Monday

Sunday- Turkey Cheeseburgers with sweet potato fries

Monday- Italian Pork Stew (I will post the recipe)

Tuesday- Chili Boats with homemade chili, cheese, tomatoes and lettuce

Wednesday- Leftovers

Thursday- Lettuce wraps and chicken cilantro pot stickers

Friday- I'm gone for a seminar until Saturday night

You Can't Pass This Up!

Target Deal

In today's paper there was a $5.00/1 coupon for Extend-A-Clean Scrubbing Bubbles
Have a friend, mom, sister etc....give you their $5.00/1 coupon or buy an extra paper.
Go HERE for a free refill coupon with purchase of a starter sprayer valued at $3.99. Hit the back button twice once it prints and it will print 2 coupons.
There is another coupon in today's paper, if you buy 3 Scrubbing Bubbles products you will receive a $5.00 Target gift card. This is the breakdown for you:

Purchase 2 Extend-A-Clean SB $7.99 use (2) $5.00/1 coupon
Purchase 2 refills and use 2 free refill coupons (you will pay .15 cents for each)
Use buy 3 SB products and receive a Target $5.00 GC
You will pay out of pocket $6.28
You will get a $5.00 GC making your grand total for these 4 products $1.28!

There is a SC Johnson rebate form for $5.00 with a purchase of 3 SC Johnson products. If you do this it will be a money maker for you.

Bob's Natural Honey

At the Farmer's Market at Shaw and Blackstone Bob sells his natural honey and other honey products. The prices range from $4.00 for a small bottle to $16.00 for a large bottle. I buy the medium size (he told me the ounces etc... but I forgot) for $8.00.
He is there on Saturday mornings and I believe I have seen him there on Wednesday afternoons as well.

Pork Souvlaki with Garlic Sauce

If you have not noticed from some of my other posts, we like Greek food around here. My hubby said that this meal rates in the top 10 of meals that I have made.

I cut the pork in cubes and marinated it for 3 hours then barbecued them.

This is the inside look at how I built the pita.



Pork Souvlaki Recipe:
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds pork tenderloin. trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-2 inch cubes

1. Prepare the souvlaki: Combine the shallots, garlic, oregano, jalapeno, lemon juice and olive oil in a ziploc bag. Add the pork and coat. Marinate at least 3 hours to overnight.

2. Preheat grill and remove the pork from the marinade. Thread the pieces of pork onto the skewers. Remember if you are using wood skewers, soak them for 20 minutes in cold water. Cook until juices run clear on the grill.

Garlic Sauce:
5 pieces of white bread
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sliced almonds
5 cloves garlic
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil (a little thick, not runny)
6 tbsp of lemon

1. Soak the bread in 1/2 cup water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the excess water out of the bread and put into the blender.

2. Cut up the garlic and add it to the blender and add the almonds. Stream in the olive oil and then the lemon juice.

I served these with flat bread or pita bread, garlic sauce, shredded lettuce and feta cheese. I made a Greek salad with cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, feta cheese and avocado. For the dressing I used olive oil, lemon juice, minced galic, small amount of dried oregano, salt and pepper. It leaves you with garlic breath, but it is yummy and pretty easy to make.

Our New Blue Door

Our house is finally painted. I love our door color. I am going to get a big red star for the front and have a very patriotic looking house!

We went with a lighter grey, but if you really have not looked at our house you really would not notice too much of a difference. It looks clean and free of chips in the paint. We also took out one tree that was up against the house.

Low-Fat Raspberry-Corn Muffins

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup apricot nectar (I purchased 1 can at Vons)
3 tbsp grapeseed oil (Trader Joes for $3.69)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated orange zest
4 large egg whites
2 cups frozen raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line or spray 12 cup muffin pan.

2. Whisk in flour, cornmeal, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, apricot nectar, grapeseed oil, vanilla extract and orange zest until combined.

3. Beat the egg whites and remaining 3/4 cup sugar with a mixer on medium high until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Whisk in the wet ingredients into the cornmeal mixture until just moistened. Gently fold in egg-whites until almost combined, then fold the raspberries in; do not over mix.

4. Divide the batter and cook for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

I was able to make a sheet of mini muffins and 12 regular size muffins with the amount that was made. I baked mine for 29 minutes and they were perfectly done. The mini muffins took about 18-20 minutes.

Calories: 293
Fat: 5 grams
Cholesterol: 3 mg
Sodium: 338 mg
Carbs: 60 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Protein: 7 grams

I found this recipe in the Food Network Magazine and I really like them!~

Meal Plan Monday

Monday- Dai Bai Dang Leftovers

Tuesday- Lunch- Going to make split pea soup w/my ham bone. Dinner- Chicken Parmesan

Wednesday- Red Robin for my free B-day burger and I don't want to cook on my b-day.

Thursday- Pork Souvlaki with flat bread and hummus with a Greek salad.

Friday- I think I want to go to Yoshino's for my real b-day dinner (it's an all week event, is it not?)

I will post some more recipes this week.

Do NOT Throw Away Your Ham Bone!

Make Split Pea soup with it and it will be the best split pea soup you will ever make!


Split Pea Soup

Recipe:

1 bag of split peas
1 bone from Ham
1 potato
1 large carrot
1 stock celery
1/2 yellow onion
2 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 bunch parsley (tear a small portion off bunch)
1 bay leaf
3 cans chicken broth
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse the split peas and set aside.
2. Cut up onion, celery, carrot and potato. Heat some olive oil in a stock pot and add the onion, carrot and celery ans sweat for about 5 minutes. Add potato and split peas.
3. Add 3 cans of chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Wrap your herbs in a cheese cloth and tie and throw it into the pot.
5. Simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours adding water as it simmers.
6. When it is done, take out the herbs and take all the bits of ham off the bone and add it to the soup. I like to blend the soup with an emersion blender or in the blender in batches.

Resurrection Roll

I got this recipe from Faithful Provisions and thought some of you would like this, it is easy and great for Easter.

Resurrection Rolls
Ingredients / Items Needed:
1 pkg. refrigerated crescent roll dough 1 tsp. cinnamon melted butter 1 tablespoon sugar large marshmallows Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
1. Give each child a triangle of crescent dough and a marshmallow.
*Explain that the roll represents the cloth that Jesus' body was wrapped in and the marshmallow represents Jesus.
2. Have each child dip the marshmallow in melted butter, symbolic of the embalming oils.
3. Then dip the marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar, representing the spices used to anoint Jesus' body.
4. Wrap the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like the typical crescent roll, but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside). This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after His death.
5. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and place in the oven (tomb) for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven; cool slightly.
6. When the rolls are cooled, children open their rolls (cloths) and discover that Jesus is no longer there. HE IS RISEN! (If you seal the crescent rolls well, the marshmallow will melt and the roll will be puffed up empty.)

How to receive products for free

I spend about 15 minutes every morning hitting the blogs that I have listed on my blog list to see if there are great deals, freebies or rebates. Since I have been doing this I receive a lot for free or almost free.

The sites that I look at every day are:

Clippin with Carie
Freebies 4 Mom
Money Saving Mom
Faithful Provisions

I have signed up to be a part of:

Swagbucks (earn points for free gift cards or products)
My Points (earn points for free gift cards or products)
Vocalpoint (You can receive samples and full size products, just write a review)
Pinecone Research (I take a survey every now and then and get a check in the mail, last check was $3.00)
Inbox Dollars (Earn dollars and you can request a pay out once you hit $30.00)

Sites I use for coupons:
Coupons.com
Redplum.com
Smartsource.com
Target coupons

I have been sending off for rebates which I usually find on Clippin with Carie's site. If you use coupons and send in rebates you can get cleaning products or beauty products for free or next to nothing.

This past week I received a full bottle of Pantene shampoo in the mail from vocalpoint. I also receive great coupons in the mail by visiting SC Johnson or Proctor and Gamble and requesting coupons. I do this regularly so I always have coupons for laundry detergent.

Just today by cruising the sites I have a earthbound farm reusable bag coming (picture at top of page) and a free coupon for Chavrie goat cheese (I love goat cheese). I also have a coupon for a free box of Clairol hair color (I will give to someone that uses this product).

Once you get a routine down, it does not take a lot of time and effort to save a lot of money. If you have any questions please leave a comment!