My Grocery Savings Adventures

This week's menu & Q & A

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:30:00 +0000

Every Monday I will be answering questions that my readers have for me. If you have a question, please feel free to e-mail me at savingsgal3 (at) gmail (dot) com or just leave a comment here. I can't wait to hear from you!

Last week in my Food Waste Friday post, live and learn asked:

What do the chickens eat when you have a good week of minimal food waste?

Our chickens really love Food Waste Friday & when I am canning! They really enjoy all of the produce scraps. To me I really don't think it's a total waste since the chickens are eating it.

Everyday my youngest son feeds & gathers the eggs. It's his job & he really enjoys it! Except when he finds a skunk or a big black snake, then it's not so much fun.

We feed the chickens a mixture of laying pellets & corn everyday. The laying pellets have a good mixture of protein & other nutrients that they need for good egg production. The corn is really good for them in the winter. It keeps them warmer. We give them less corn in the summer.

Occasionally we give them crushed up egg shells. When they eat the shells the calcium in them make the shells stronger in the eggs that they lay.

We also have a good sized, fenced in area that the chickens roam around in. During the day they scratch around & forage for bugs, grass, leaves & etc.

I have to say, I kinda like having them around! I love it when they will crowd around the fence when we have produce scraps to feed them & I love watching them scratch around & sometimes fight over a piece of bread or produce. I don't really like going into the chicken coop to gather eggs because it's so dark & yucky in there! (I know, I'm such a girl!) But I'm learning to like it.

Now onto this weeks menu! You may notice a few repeats from last week. I was sick for a few days & unfortunately we had fast food since I wasn't up to cooking.

Tonight we had grilled cheese sandwiches & tomato soup

Tuesday: Corn & sausage casserole

Wednesday: Cheese enchiladas

Thursday: Deacon's banquet

Friday: Tuna & chicken patties

Saturday: Family dinner

Sunday: Meatball subs

Have a great week!

Food Waste Friday

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:12:00 +0000

Linked up with The Frugal Girl

It's been a while since I've done this but it really keeps me on track with how much food I throw out.

I'm not too happy with how much food is going to the chickens today. I've had better weeks!

The chickens had quite the feast this evening!

Celery
Cilantro
1 Plum
3 Moldy bell peppers
Leftover broccoli with cheese
1/2 a package of wilted salad

How did you do this week? Did you throw any food out?

Menu Time!

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:27:00 +0000

Here is our menu for this week...

Tonight we had Pancakes, Sausage, & Fruit

Tuesday: Skillet Lasagna, Green Beans, & Garlic Bread sticks

Wednesday: Ranch Chicken

Thursday: Cowboy Beans, Cornbread

Friday: Church Valentine Banquet (No cooking tonight!)

Saturday: Corn & Sausage Casserole

Sunday: Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

Nothing fancy this week! What are you eating this week?

Baby Egg!

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:41:00 +0000

Look at this baby egg my son found tonight while feeding the chickens & gathering their eggs.

Isn't it cute!

Blue Ribbon Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:58:00 +0000

I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks & thought my family would love it.

Often times, when I find a new recipe I always seem to "tweak" it a bit.

This recipe is no different. I have changed it, just a bit...

I am going to tell you how I make this chicken & then I will post the original recipe so you can decide which one you might want to try.

You will need sliced Swiss cheese, ham slices, Dijon mustard, salt & pepper, chicken broth, chicken breasts, & rosemary.

Trim the fat & butterfly each chicken breast. My chicken was still a bit frozen so it was a little hard to butterfly it. Some of them fell apart but it still worked out OK!

Sear the chicken on both sides with a little oil in a skillet. I add a bit of salt & pepper on both sides. When chicken is almost done place in a casserole dish. Spread a little Dijon mustard on both sides of the chicken. Add 1/2 a slice of Swiss cheese & 1 slice of ham on 1 side of the chicken. Fold over the chicken, kind of like a sandwich. Sprinkle some crushed rosemary over the top of the chicken & then add 1/2 a slice of Swiss cheese on top.

Then in the same skillet you used to sear the chicken add about 1/2 a cup of chicken broth with about 2 tablespoons of flour. Whisk until smooth & bring to a boil. Pour the broth in with the chicken & bake at 375 for 25 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.

Here is the original recipe:

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, trimmed of fat & butterflied

4 slices low sodium ham

4 slices Swiss or provolone cheese

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp. rosemary

1/4 cup chicken broth

Spread the mustard evenly inside the chicken breasts. In a small non-stick skillet over medium heat, quickly sear the ham for about 30 seconds on each side. Place 1 slice of ham on 1 side of each piece of chicken. Place 1 slice of cheese folded in 1/2 over the top of the ham. Fold over the butterflied chicken to create a pocket. Tuck in the cheese so it's concealed. Season the chicken with salt, pepper & rosemary. Place each chicken breast in the pan. Cook on medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes until golden brown on both sides. Once chicken is done, remove from pan & drain excess grease from the skillet. Add chicken broth to the skillet & return the chicken. Simmer for 2-3 minutes & serve.

Enjoy!

Monday Menu

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:37:00 +0000

This weeks menu is nothing fancy. It's actually pretty easy. Sometimes I just need an easy week in the kitchen!

This weekend we had a family birthday party for both of my boys.

Hubby & I cooked the whole meal for 16 people!

We also had 5th Sunday dinner at church & had to cook for that too.

So needless to say...We had a lot of leftovers from the weekend.

I have always been told to bring enough food for your own family plus one to potluck meals. I think that is a great rule! I always bring a main dish, side dish, & dessert. I know how much my family eats & I want to make sure that there is enough food.

I think it would be silly for us, as a family of 5 to bring 1 small dish of food. It just makes sense to me to bring a whole meal to the church dinner.

What about you, how much food do you usually bring to potlucks or family dinners? What are your favorite dishes to bring to potlucks?

Here is what we are eating this week:

Tonight we had cheeseburger macaroni

Tuesday: Pizza

Wednesday: Pancakes & sausage

Thursday: Pinto beans, cornbread, & potatoes

Friday: Breakfast casserole

Saturday: ??

Sunday:??

What kind of yummy things are you eating this week?

Late Menu & My Weekend Deals

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:51:00 +0000

Sorry for the late menu!

I had a headache last night & I didn't feel like doing anything!

Crazy thing is...I still have a headache!

I'm not really the type of person who like to take a lot of medicine. Most of the time, if I have a headache I would rather lay down & sleep it off than take a pill. If I have a cold, I usually load up on vitamin c instead of taking cold medicine. I will take something if I'm really miserable or if I'm not where I can just rest for a while.

In fact, as soon as I'm done updating my blog, I'm going to take some acetaminophen (since I've had this headache all day long!), finish supper, & then chill out the rest of the evening.

I would really like to know if any of ya'll have any home remedies for headaches for someone like me who doesn't like to take medicine.

Here is what we are eating this week:

Last night we had Cheeseburger Calazone, Potato Wedges

Tonight we are having 30 Minute Chicken & Roasted Ranch Veggies

Wednesday: Potato Soup & Cornbread

Thursday: Black Eyed Peas, Cornbread, Potatoes

Friday: Ham Stuffed Jumbo Shells

Saturday: Birthday Party

Sunday: Tator Tot Casserole, Green Beans

This weekend I was able to snag a few great deals!

One of my local grocery stores is having a 10 for $10 sale, which means many items are only $1 Combine that with coupons & many items are FREE!

Old Spice Body Wash- Some were $1.62 each & some were $1.24 each. (I had 2 different coupons

Pudding snack packs- $.70 each with coupons

Dawn Hand Renewal Dish Soap-FREE!

Dawn Dish Soap- $.50 each with coupons

Disposable Razors- $.50 each with coupons

Canned Fruit- $.50 each with coupons

Crackers- $1.00 each with coupons

Toothpaste- FREE with coupons

I also picked up some pears for $.99 a pound & 20 jars of Spaghetti sauce for $.77 each!

Happy Couponing!

Hot, Hot, Hot!

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:09:00 +0000

At the moment, I'm feeling cold, cold, cold. Afterall, it is January!

Hot as in SPICY! Jalapeno spicy!

I planted 1 Jalapeno plant in my garden this past spring & got a TON of peppers! I was still picking them off the vine in October!

I chopped froze all of them. One afternoon it took me an hour to chop all that I had picked & I only ended up with 3 cups!

Have you ever chopped & froze jalapenos? Let me just warn you right now, WEAR GLOVES!

Seriously!

If you don't you will burn your hands!

Don't say I didn't warn ya!

You can get latex gloves pretty cheap at the store but I like to use those kitchen gloves for hand washing dishes.

You know the ones I'm talking about...the ugly yellow ones! Who washes their dishes with gloves anymore anyway??

Their a bit thicker than latex and there is less of a chance of getting a leak in them.

Also make sure you do not touch your face or eyes while chopping jalapenos!

'Cause that wouldn't feel good either!

If you do get burned you can make a paste out of baking soda & water to put on it or soak it in a bit of milk.

But really, wear gloves!

The only thing I use my jalapenos for is when I can my salsa. And just because I'm nice, I'll give you the recipe! :)

Wonderful Salsa

8 cups tomatoes,chopped and drained if really juicy

2 1/2 cups onions, chopped

1 1/2 cups green peppers

1 cup jalapeno peppers, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons pepper

1/8 cup canning salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup vinegar

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste

Mix all together and bring to a slow boil for 10 min.

Seal in jars and cook in hot water bath for 10 min.

Enjoy!

This week's menu & Q & A

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:36:00 +0000

Do you ever read a blog, book, article, or even a TV show & have a question but don't know how to ask? Ever ask those questions & never get an answer?

I have recently decided to add a question & answer post each Monday along with my weekly menu.

If you have a question for me just comment here, ask me on my Facebook page, or send me an e-mail (savingsgal3@gmail.com) just put Q & A in the subject line, & I would be glad to answer it.

Go ahead...ask me anything, but be nice! :)

Now onto the menu!

Tonight we had: Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes & squash patties

Tuesday: Blue Ribbon Chicken

Wednesday: Chili

Thursday: Black Eyed Peas

Friday: BBQ Beef Cups, Potato Wedges (Having friends over for dinner so this may change)

Saturday: Youngest son's birthday & he wants KFC

Sunday: Who knows...I haven't planned that far. Maybe just leftovers

What's on your plan this week?

What we're eating this week & my good deals

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:35:00 +0000

Happy Monday Everyone!

Hope all of you had a great weekend!

After an almost 3 week break from work I finally got to go back today!

I love Christmas break, but I am ready to get back to a normal routine!

I was able to do a little coupon shopping this weekend & I found some really good deals!

Wal-Mart

3 tubes of Colgate Toothpaste for 19 cents each

3 Toothbrushes for 19 cents each

3 Ivory soap bars (3 pack) for 89 cents each

4 eyeshadow for $1.89 each

5 pkgs. Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, $1 each

Harp's

6 cans of chicken noodle soup, 38 cents each

6 cans of tomato soup, 38 cents each

6 cans of peas, 51 cents each

8 cans of corn & green beans, 43 cents each

I also ran to Family Dollar to pick up some dish soap for 65 cents!

Yay!

Now onto the menu!

Monday: Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Tuesday: Ham, mashed potatoes, gravy

Wednesday: Spaghetti & meatballs, salad, bread sticks

Thursday: White beans, potatoes, cornbread

Friday: Ham sliders

Saturday: Dinner with family. I'm making a banana split cake

Sunday: Enchiladas

So what are you eating this week?

$5 Hams!

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:38:00 +0000

I was so excited this morning when my mother-in-law called & told me about the ham that was marked down at Aldi!

Her friend told her that they were $5 off last night & they still had a lot left.

So, I high tailed it over there this morning after I dropped my son off at school. I went straight to the hams & sure enough, they had Butt Portion, Shank Portion, & Spiral Cut hams for $5 off.

I purchased 4 Butt Portion hams for $5 each! Woohoo!

That ends up being about $.71 per pound!

We had been looking for hams for quite a while but didn't want to pay those high prices for them.

We were told that they had ordered too many & had to mark them down in order to get rid of them.

We were also told that someone almost lost their job because they ordered too many. I'm thinking we probably should not have been given this information. But he freely gave out that information, we didn't ask why they were marked down.

Although I'm sorry someone almost lost their job because of this, I'm excited to have these hams at such a good price!

I may be able to get at least 2 meals, maybe 3 out of each ham if I'm real careful. I can cook the ham 1 night & have mashed potatoes & gravy then with the leftovers I could make a ham & noodle casserole & then I could use it to season beans with it.

That would be 12 meals for $20!

Yay!

So tell me, what is the cheapest price you have paid for ham? Most of the time, when it is on sale it is usually $.99 per pound, which is pretty good but $.71 is even better!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:37:00 +0000

2012 is here!

I don't know about you, but 2011 just flew by!

I have a feeling 2012 is going to fly by too! Better make the most of it!

Have you made any resolutions or goals?

I haven't really sat down & thought about it, but the 2 main things I want to focus on this year is to live simply, & be more productive.

By nature, I'm pretty lazy. I like to just sit around & watch TV, surf the net, & take naps. Who doesn't?

But, do I get anything accomplished by just sitting around all day? No.

This year I want to focus on getting more done throughout the day in order to accomplish my goals.

I also want to focus on living the simple life. I want to focus more on mine & my family's needs than wants. To be content with what we have & to make do with what we have.

I think by living more simply we will have less stress, more time on our hands, & hopefully more money in our hands!

I hope all of you have very blessed 2012!

Here is what we are eating this week:

Monday: Pancakes, eggs, & sausage

Tuesday: Southwest Veggie Soup

Wednesday: Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joe's

Thursday: Beans, cornbread, potatoes

Friday: Bean & cheese burritos

Saturday: Sandwiches

Sunday: Meat Loaf, mashed potatoes, green beans

Beef Vegetable Soup & My Cookbooks

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:01:00 +0000

Have I ever told ya'll how many cookbooks I have?

56!

I love cookbooks!

I'm always looking for new cookbooks & you can find some really good ones at garage sales & the Goodwill store. I especially like the old cookbooks like Fanny Farmer, because they have great recipes that use simple basic ingredients. I would say that my favorite cookbook is the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook(The red & white one in the picture) but lately I have been using my 2 Taste of Home Cookbooks.

In the picture you can also see my 3 recipe boxes. The green one has all of my recipes that I use almost daily. Those are the recipes I know my family loves. If my family likes a new recipe, I write it down on an index card & put it in the green box. The small brown box was my mom's recipe box & it is full of recipes she used while I was growing up & the other box on the left is one that my Grandma gave me years ago because she knew how much I loved to cook. I also have my Grandma's canning books that she used. This is something of hers that truly treasure!

I also have in this cabinet, a few folders that are full of recipes pages I have printed off from websites & pages from magazines. Anytime I want something new I will look through these folders.

I am constantly looking for new recipes! One of the newest ways I have discovered to find new recipes is on Pinterest. Have any of you joined yet?? If not...You should! I have to say...I'm a bit addicted! Let me know if you would like to join & I'll send you an invite. If you have joined, click on the link on the right side & follow me.

Beef Vegetable Soup

1lb lean ground beef

1 med. onion, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 cups of water

3 medium potatoes, peeled & cut into cubes

1 can(14-1/2 oz) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (11-1/2oz) V8 Juice

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup sliced carrots

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes

2 tsp. dried basil

1 bay leaf

In a nonstick skillet, cook beef & onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in salt & pepper. Transfer to a 5qt. slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Cover & cook on low for 9-11 hours or until vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf before serving.

So...How many cookbooks do you have? Do you use all of them? What is your favorite one?

What we're eating this week.

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Well, It's that time of year again...It's finally time to eat some yummy, warm soup!

I love eating hot soup on a cold day, don't you?

As we get deeper & deeper into the fall season, I find myself using my crockpot more & more. Our weeknights seemed to be filled with meetings, football games, band concerts, bible study, church, & many other things. I want something quick & ready to go so we can eat & be out the door in a timely manner.

And even if we don't have anything going on, I love walking in the door to that wonderful aroma that has filled the house & knowing that dinner will be on the table quickly & I can spend the rest of the evening doing what I want to do!

Here is my crockpot ready for the pot roast in the morning!

I have had my crockpot for many years! It looks pretty pitiful inside but as long as it still works, I'll keep it! My hubby got me a nice new red crockpot for Christmas last year (Yes, I got a crockpot for Christmas & I was thrilled! It's the simple things that make me happy!) but a few weeks ago I discovered a crack in it & I have been afraid to use it.

With all that being said, I'm using my crockpot a lot this week!

Sunday: We had, Beef Vegetable Soup & rolls(I'll post the recipe tomorrow night)

Monday: We had, Breakfast Casserole

Tuesday: Pot Roast & Veggies

Wednesday: Bacon & Cheese, Potato Chowder

Thursday: Black Eyed Peas

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Hot Dogs, Chips, & S'Mores! Church Hayride at our house!

I would love to hear what you like to put in your crockpot? What is your favorite recipe??

This week's menu

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:21:00 +0000

Fall is finally here!!

Fall is my favorite time of year! I love the cooler weather, the beautiful colors, & all the yummy foods like, soup, chili, & pumpkin bread!

We have been so busy around here! School has started, which means, homework, football games, conferences, & practices. I have recently done a lot of canning! I have also started couponing again & have stocked up on some great things. I'll tell you all about that in a later post.

In the meantime, let's see what we are eating this week!

Tonight we had, Pinto beans, cornbread, potatoes, & salad

Tuesday: Baked Tilapia, Broccoli & Rice

Wednesday: Pizza Casserole, salad

Thursday: Chicken Noodle Casserole

Friday: Chuck Wagon Dinner

Saturday: Dinner at MIL's

Enjoy your week!

This Week's Menu & Free Samples

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:26:00 +0000

I've decided to start posting my weekly menu again. I quit posting the menu because it just got too hard to remember to post it & most of the time I would forget!

I'm hoping to get back into a better blogging routine. I love it so much & enjoy having a place to share the things I've learned about being frugal. I also enjoy what people have to say about the things I post.

Here is our menu:

Monday: Tilapia (I'm thinking about seasoning it with lemon pepper??)

Tuesday: Blue Ribbon Chicken

Wednesday: Taco Pasta Skillet

Thursday: Pinto Beans

Friday: Bean Burritos with leftover beans

Saturday & Sunday: Who knows?

Did you know you can sign up to get free samples in the mail? I get e-mail everyday from All You & I also "like" I love free things on Facebook. Each day you can sign up get free samples in the mail. I really enjoy it! Sometimes I don't just get samples, I get full size products!

This week I ended up getting a 30% off coupon for Old Navy, a sample of Beneful dog food (which my dog loved!) & coupons for Beneful dog food, & I also got a full size Febreeze air freshener.

I love opening up my mailbox & finding these free samples!

Food Waste Friday

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 03:54:00 +0000

In an effort to keep myself accountable of the food I waste, I'm teaming up with The Frugal Girl each week & cleaning out my refrigerator every Friday. I'm hoping this will help me be more aware of how much food I waste!

I cleaned my fridge & a cabinet out this afternoon & I was pretty surprised at all the stuff I had to get rid of!

We really didn't have a busy week & I was home almost all day, everyday. I really thought I was paying better attention to the food I was using this week!

I had to throw out a package of pepper jack cheese, some old hot chocolate mix, 2 packets of marinade seasoning & some stale ice cream cones.

I think I may keep that glass jar that the hot chocolate was in. I'm sure I could re-use it for something!

We gave the chickens 2 clementines, 2 whole wheat tortillas, 1 plum, 1 peach, 1/2 a package of grape tomatoes, & a bowl of sliced bell peppers.

I really like pepper jack cheese so I was pretty disappointed when I found that it was moldy. The crazy thing was, I also had a new package in the fridge that I bought just last week!

And those peppers! Everyday this week I looked at that bowl & thought, I should really eat those or they are going to go bad!

UGH! Hopefully I will do better next week!

Did you clean out your fridge this week?

Sunday Coupon Review

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:49:00 +0000

Sunday Coupon Preview

This Sunday 8/28, you will have 2 coupon inserts in your newspaper.

1 P&G insert

1 Redplum insert

Here are a few of my favorites:

P&G

Always Save $.50/1 Pads, Clean or Feminine Cleansing Cloths

Always Save $.50/1 Pantiliners 30ct+

Always Save $1/1 Infinity 14ct+

Covergirl Save $1/1

Covergirl Save $2.50/2

Crest Save $.50/1 toothpaste 4oz+ or liquid gel

Dawn Save $.50/1

Febreze Save $1/1 fabric refresher

Gillette Buy one Mach3 8ct+ cartridges, get one shave prep free (up to Save $3.29)

Mr. Clean .50/1 magic eraser

Olay Save $1/1 facial moisturizer or cleanser

Tampax Save $.50/1 18ct+

Tampax Save $1/1 Pearl or Pearl Compak 18ct+

Redplum

Degree Save $.75/1 men or women anti-perspirant & deodorant (9/25)

C&H Save $.40/1 24oz organic or 32oz washed raw sugar (11/25)

C&H Save $.75/1 4lb or 5lb granulated sugar (11/25)

For a complete list of coupons in this Sunday's paper check out Sunday Coupon Preview

Homemade Glass & Window Cleaner

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:43:00 +0000

Making your own window & glass cleaner is very simple and, in my opinion, it works just as well as that blue stuff you can buy at the store.

Years ago, when I decided to start making my own household cleaning products, I started with this one because it was so easy! I saved an empty window cleaner spray bottle & I still use that same spray bottle today. You can also purchase empty spray bottles at the dollar store or at Wal-Mart.

The cleaner works really well on mirrors, windows, & fixtures in the bathroom.

If you haven't already, I encourage you to try this homemade window/glass cleaner, because it will not only save you money, it will make your windows, mirrors, & fixtures shine!

Homemade window/glass cleaner

Mix equal parts of vinegar & water together in a spray bottle.

SEE?? Didn't I tell you it was easy!!

My Breakfast This Morning

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:45:00 +0000

This morning as I was trying to decide what I wanted for breakfast, I remembered seeing a recipe for peach almond oatmeal. I knew that I had some frozen peaches, almonds & oatmeal so I searched & searched for the recipe, but I couldn't find it! So I decided to make up my own.

It was SUPER easy & SUPER, SUPER YUMMY!

Do you ever do that? Just throw some ingredients together & then it ends up being really good? I follow most recipes to the T. But, there are times when I add a little of this & a little of that to make a recipe better. Sometimes it turns out & sometimes it doesn't!

I think this one is a keeper!

Peach Almond Oatmeal

1 3/4 cup water

1 cup oats

2 Tbsp. brown sugar (Add more if you please!)

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup frozen peaches

2 Tbsp. milk

Bring water to a boil & add oats, sugar, almonds, milk & peaches. Stir together & let simmer for about 15 minutes.

ENJOY!

Homemade Pizza Crust

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 03:01:00 +0000

As a family, we like to make our own pizzas at home. It's so much cheaper than going to the local pizza joint & you can put anything you want on it!

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE the pizza we get sometimes from the local pizza joint just down the road from us. But it is Soooo expensive!

Our favorite is pepperoni, & we also like sausage & black olive. A while back ago I made a pizza with spinach & alfredo sauce. Yummy! We usually use crescent rolls as a crust, but this recipe is really easy & healthier when I use wheat flour.

Pizza Crust

2 1/2 c. flour ( I use 1/2 white & 1/2 wheat)

1 pkg. dry yeast

1tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. oil

1 c. warm water (110 -120 degrees)

I also add some garlic powder & Italian seasoning to the dough

Dissolve yeast in water. Add oil. Mix in dry ingredients & let stand for 5 minutes. Roll onto pizza pan & add toppings. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

So, what is your favorite pizza? Do you make it at home or do you get take out?

$10 To Spend On Baked Goods For Only $5!

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Here is a great deal today on Livingsocial!

Purchase a $10 voucher for half price ($5) to Stone Mill Bread in Fayetteville!

Stone Mill Bread has a huge variety of breads, dinner rolls, baglels, muffins, cookies, cinnamon rolls, & you can even purchase stone ground flour for 75 cents a pound!

So what is Livingsocial?

It's a website that offers local deals from resturants, theaters, carwashes, & more!

Sign up today to recieve daily deals sent to your e-mail. Once you purchase a deal you will recieve a printable voucher to use the next day.

You can also purchase these deals as gifts!

Check it out today!

What in the world???

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 02:04:00 +0000

This evening I went for a walk around our property & I decided to take a look at our garden before going in the house.

As I was looking at the bell pepper plants I found this:

We believe it's a horn worm. As you may be able to tell from the pictures, several of the leaves have been ate off of the plant. I'm wondering if this little guy is the one that has been making a meal out of my pepper plants.

Needless to say, I took a stick & removed it off of my pepper plants. Just in case he was eating them.

I'm hoping I will never see him again!

Food Waste Friday

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 22:30:00 +0000

OK...I'm REALLY embarrassed to show you this...but here it goes!

It's been few weeks since I have cleaned out the refrigerator. The chickens are really going to enjoy those 2 bowls of fruit & veggies!

In front of the 2 big bowls I have, a little dab of yogurt, whipped topping, Dijon mustard, regular mustard, orange marmalade, & 2 cans of biscuits that expired before I used them. In the 2 big bowls I have lots of fruit like, apples, pears, oranges. I also have bread, hot dog buns, carrots, & a few leftovers that needed to be thrown out.

SUCH A WASTE!

Earlier this week I made a loaf of zucchini bread & I had to throw it out too.

SEE?

Look at it really close...There is a hole in the middle of the loaf. I don't know what happened?? I didn't get done in the middle. The recipe said to bake it for 1 hour & I actually did it for 1 hour & 15 minutes. Maybe I should have baked it longer but it was getting really brown on top & I didn't want it to burn.

I am not very good at baking, but I followed the recipe. It was really good! We ate off the 2 ends & then gave the rest to the chickens.

Here is the recipe if you want to try it yourself. Maybe you can help me figure out what I did wrong.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs, beaten well

1 cup oil

2 1/4 cup sugar, or less ( I used 2 cups)

2 cups grated zucchini

1 Tbsp. vanilla

Mix the above ingredients well.

Then add:

3 cups flour ( I used 1 1/2c. white & 1 1/2 wheat)

2 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

Mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until done.

Enjoy!

Throw it out...or fix it??

noreply@blogger.com (DebDoo) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:01:00 +0000

Last week while I was hanging clothes on the line I noticed that there were several clothespins in the bottom of my bucket that were broken.

I took all of them out of the bucket & with the thought of throwing them away when I got in the house. As soon as I got into the house I got to thinking about those clothespins I was getting ready to throw away.

Can these be fixed?

Why yes, they can be fixed!

After taking a good look at them I realized how easy they are to fix. It took me about 5 minutes to put all of them back together. Then I put them back in the bucket so they could be used instead of taking up space in the trash.

How many times do we throw things away without ever giving it a second thought? In today's culture, when something breaks, we throw it out & buy a new one. That's just the way it is. Our landfills are full of things we have thrown away years ago. According to the EPA, in 2006, 138 million tons of trash were placed in landfills. Wow!

So what can you do? Before you throw something away think about it. Can I recycle it, can I re-use it, or can I fix it? What have you thrown away recently that you thought you could have used later? Do you recycle?