The Dollar Hollering Homemaker

What's for dinner this week...

2012-02-11T16:49:00.000-06:00

Our first Valentines Day after we were married we didn't have any money to go out. My husband made me the most amazing meal. He bought a red plastic table cloth, some dollar store candles, and some cheap wine. The pizza he made didn't come from the "best" ingredients (jarred sauce, store bought crust, etc). But do you know what made it so great? He spelled "I love you" in pineapple. No pizza has ever tasted better than my "I love you" pizza!

So in honor of our first Valentines Day as a married couple, we always enjoy pizza.

What we are eating this week:
Beef Stroganoff w/ peas
Tuna Mac w/ roasted broccoli
Pizza and homemade ice cream sundaes
Spicy Black Bean Tacos
Dollar Hollering Chili w/Ground Beef
Chili Cheese Mac
Husband "cooks"

How much does real food cost?

2012-02-10T00:00:00.000-06:00

In response to my post on How to Buy Beef in Bulk, I got a lot of e-mails regarding the cost of eating a real food diet. So today I am going to share with you how much it would cost to feed a family of 4 on a real food diet for 50 weeks. These calculations are based on what it would cost me, here in Missouri. Obviously, you should expect to pay more in a higher cost of living area.I'm assuming the the remaining meals would be eaten at some other place besides home (date nights, vacations, church, dining out, etc).

Budget: $5000, or $100 a week

The following items are all organic and/or pastured raised:

Beef (200lbs) - $1,000-$1,300
- 1 Side of beef:125lbs in ground beef, 75lbs in various cuts
Chicken (100lbs) - $400
- Equal to about 24 or so whole chickens
Pork (130lbs) - $680
- Whole Hog:20lbs of Bacon, 20lbs ground, 30lbs ham, 25lbs pork chops, 6lbs in roast, rest in various cuts
****Important Note**** All meat would be bought in bulk; however, I would suggest splitting say a side of beef twice a year with another family to save on storage space.

Eggs (50 dozen) -$225
Produce: $800*
- $600 for a CSA full share (12-20lbs/wk) for 26 weeks
- $200 for additional produce in off season
* A good portion of the produce from the CSA would be preserved for the off season. At a minimum, each person could enjoy 2lbs of produce a week.

The following categories would not necessarily be organic but are free of GMO's, HFCS, hormones and other icky ingredients.
Pantry Items and Other odds and ends -$750
Dairy- $645

Additional expenses: Gas (driving costs), electric for Freezer $200 or $4 a week.

Total spent: $5000 or $100 weekly average or $25 per person, per week.

With this breakdown. You could enjoy 4lbs of beef per week, 1 whole chicken bi weekly, 2.5lbs of pork weekly, 1 dozen eggs weekly, 8lbs of produce weekly, $15 to spend on pantry staples per week and $13 to spend on dairy.

In my home we don't really eat eggs due to allergies so I estimated that for the average family they would enjoy a dozen eggs per week. We are not big pork people so we would probably buy half the amount of pork and spend more money on chicken, wild caught fish or produce. Some families would spend a lot more on dairy products but we work hard to minimize the amount we spend. Generally we spend less than $100 a week; however, we only have two big eaters in our home. The point is, this is a rough estimate of what it would cost to feed a family of 4, where I live (Midwest). I realize not everyone has access to the resources I do; but, how does this break down compare to what your family spends on food?

Linked to: WFMW, Finer Things Friday, Frugal Friday, WLWW, RH

Star Wars Prize Pack Giveaway

2012-02-09T18:45:00.001-06:00

Calling All Star Wars Fans, are you ready to experience Star Wars: Episode 1 in 3D? It's being released TODAY and General Mills wants to help you celebrate. In specially marked boxes, you can find collectable Star Wars pens!

When MyBlogSpark contacted me about this giveaway, I knew my Star Wars-loving family would be all over it! We loved the chance to sample some of our favorite childhood cereals and re-live the Star Wars fun! Oh and who wouldn't love the fun pens? What a great way to make homework or paying your bills more fun!!!

I have the following prize pack to giveaway,

2 Boxes of Big G cereal
4 Star Wars character pens
Star Wars sticker sheet

If you have a Star Wars fan in your home, you will want to enter this giveaway to win a prize pack of your own!

To enter: Leave a comment telling me which Star Wars character is your favorite.

Extra entries:
1) Subscribe to The Dollar Hollering Homemaker and leave a comment( with e-mail).
2) Tweet this giveaway and leave me a link to your tweet.
3) Follow me on twitter @dollarhollering and leave a comment

This giveaway will end February 20, 2012 at 11:59 pm(EST). Giveaway is open to US residents. The winner will be chosen using random.org and will be notified by email. The winner will then have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: Prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Tuna Mac

2012-02-07T02:30:00.000-06:00

Tuna Mac

One of my husband's favorite dishes in Tuna Mac and Cheese. Unfortunately, he grew up eating the stuff that comes out of a box. All the additives and preservatives freak me out. So I updated his favorite recipe with a homemade cheese sauce.

Tuna Mac and Cheese
You will need:
2 T butter
1-2 T flour
4 Cups egg noddles (or sub what you have on hand)
1 cup milk, half/half or cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Salt, pepper, garlic to taste
1 can tuna (in water)
1/2 cup salsa

Directions:
Melt butter in sauce pan, mix in flour, salt, pepper, garlic until combined. Add milk and continue cooking on low until mixture is warm, remove from heat add 3/4 cup of cheese and stir until combined. Return to heat if necessary. Add tuna and salsa to cheese mixture. Mix in noodles. Add mixture to small baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

I love serving this with a healthy side of roasted broccoli or asparagus.

Linked to: WFMW, Finer Things Friday, Frugal Friday, WLWW, RH

Superbowl Menu and What's for dinner this week...

2012-02-04T19:34:00.000-06:00

These are mini ones, I made 24 out of 2lbs ground beef

Superbowl Menu:

Spicy Whiskey BBQ Sliders
Buffalo Chicken Dip/ Homemade Tortilla Chips/Celery
Veggies w/ Ranch Dip or Salsa
Hot Legs- Drumsticks instead of wings in homemade hot sauce/blue cheese dressing
"Patriot" Coffeecake my coffeecake made w/ blueberries, raspberries, topped w/ whipped cream)

My plan is to take leftover dip, salsa, tortilla chips and veggies into this week's menu. I'll be making lots of salads and/or wraps.

Here is what's on tap for the rest of the week.....
Buffalo Chicken Salad/ Wraps
Black Bean Taco Salad w/ Salsa and a little ranch dip
Thai Food (planned meal out)
Honey Mustard Chicken Salad or Wraps
Pizza
Leftovers or Sandwiches

Are you having a Superbowl party?

Spicy Burgers in Whiskey BBQ Sauce (Great for Superbowl party)

2012-02-02T02:00:00.000-06:00

As I said in a previous post I tried the Pioneer Woman's Whiskey Sliders and was not impressed. The sauce was great but the patties really needed an extra kick. This recipe isn't too spicy but has just enough kick to keep you coming back for more. If you have a real spicy food fanatic, add in a tablespoon of hot sauce to your sauce and up the Jalapenos.

This batch, I made 2lbs into 24 burgers

SPICY BURGERS

Here is my favorite burger recipe. It has a bit of a kick, but it's not too spicy. If you want to up the spice factor, add more hot sauce and/or Cajun seasoning.

2lbs of ground meat
3/4 Cup Quick Oats
1 egg (can be replaced with 1/4 cup of flax seed egg substitute if needed)
1/4 cup minced onion
2 teaspoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

Combine all ingredients and make into 12-24 patties. Pan fry until they are within a few minutes of your desired "done-ness" reserving a few tablespoons of grease for sauce.

Whiskey BBQ Sauce (Adapted from Pioneer Woman's Recipe)

You will need:
1/2 large onion, diced or a more if you love onions like we do
1 1/2 cups BBQ Sauce
1/2 cup Whiskey
1/2 cup Jalapeno slices (jarred)
Optional: 1 Tablespoon of hot sauce for those that really want some spice

In the burger grease, add onion and cook until slightly caramelized, add in whiskey and let it reduce, onions should be fully caramelized. Mix in BBQ sauce, jalapeno slices, and hot sauce. Add in burger patties and spoon sauce over patties, cook for an additional 5- 10 minutes on low. Serve in slider buns.

Red Beans & Rice

2012-01-31T06:17:00.004-06:00

Red Beans and Rice

Red Beans and Rice
You will need:
2 cups cooked/cubed ham
4 cups of cooked beans (I use kidney because that's what I always have on hand)
6-8 cups of broth*
1/2lb cooked andouille sausage
1 small onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1-2 stalks of celery diced
1T minced garlic
1 T Cajun seasoning (more to taste)
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
2 cups cooked rice
Optional: 1 cup tomato sauce

* I use a broth I make with a ham bone which makes a very flavorful broth. Alternatively, you could use chicken broth and add a ham hock in.

Directions:
Saute onion, celery and green pepper until soft. Add garlic, bay leaf and Cajun seasoning. Add ham and sausage. Add Worcestershire sauce, beans, 4 cups broth and tomato sauce. Cook mixture on low for an hour or so. Add remaining broth to achieve desired consistency. Before serving stir in rice or serve over rice.

This recipe is very freezer friendly.

Linked to: WFMW, Finer Things Friday, Frugal Friday, WLWW, RH

January's Most Popular Posts

2012-01-30T04:53:00.007-06:00

Chicken Soup w Dumplings

Buying Beef in Bulk
How to manage your home when sick
Getting Out of a Recipe Rut
Bacon and Spinach Breakfast Casserole
Chicken Soup with Dumplings

What's for Dinner this Week.....

2012-01-29T16:54:00.000-06:00

The Superbowl is almost here and I. CANNOT. WAIT! You know how I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was going to try Pioneer Woman's whiskey burgers? Well I tried them, and honestly, they didn't have much flavor. I'm taking some inspiration from the recipe and making my spicy burgers with a whiskey, BBQ, and jalapeno sauce....come to Mama! I'll be sure to share the recipe with you later this week.

My recipe experiments have been going well. Beef Stroganoff was a big hit last week. We are cleaning out the freezer and hopefully eating the last of the ham.

Layered Ham Skillet
Tuna Sandwiches, and roasted veggies
Italian Sausage and Pasta
Italian Sausage Sandwiches
Ham Fried Rice
Bean and Rice Casserole
Pizza

January Goals Update

2012-01-27T04:25:00.000-06:00

You can see my personal goals here and our financial goals here.

Financial Goals
We are doing well on our financial goals. I was able to stay in budget on groceries by shopping our freezer and pantry. I even made a big Sam's club trip and it didn't blow my budget! We had a few setbacks and had to use more money for transportation. However we sold some things that were not being used and put that money towards some of our goals. We were able to save the entire amount for our new freezer! We are also looking into refinancing our home into a 15yr mortgage; however, housing prices have really been hit hard in our neighborhood and it's not looking like we will be able to do that anytime soon.

Personal goals:
My exercise routine hasn't been going well. I've been training for a 5k and I got injured. Although, I didn't injure myself working out. I was walking my dog after we had a snowfall, I didn't see a big hole because it was covered with snow. I fell in and injured my knee. Unfortunately it was the same knee that I severely injured as a kid and it took it's time healing. I'm back to running (on the elliptical, only) and I'm taking it pretty slow until I'm back to normal.

How are you doing with your goals or resolutions?

Welcome MSM Readers!

2012-01-24T13:43:00.000-06:00

I'm guest posting over at MoneySavingMom today!

If your visiting for the first time, we are in the middle of revamping the site. You can read more about me, here and be sure to check out these popular posts:

1. Buying Beef in Bulk
2. Name Change Checklist
3. Ditch the Can: Cream of Mushroom Soup
4. Homemade Chocolate Syrup
5 Honey Glazed Ham
6. Dollar Hollering Chili
7. Blueberry Coffeecake
8. Crustless Pumpkin Pie
9.Saving on Pet Care
10. Preparing for a Winter Storm

Chicken Soup w Dumplings

2012-01-24T13:24:00.000-06:00

We love chicken soup around here. It's a great way to stretch a roasted chicken into another meal and incorporate veggies. I use this basic chicken soup recipe and change things up as I go. Sometimes, I make it with dumplings, add egg noddles, or top it with a biscuit. This can be a great vegetarian meal, just sub vegetable broth for chicken broth and add more veggies!

Basic Chicken Soup:
You will need:
1 Carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 small onion, diced
Optional: peas, corn, sliced mushrooms (if upping the veggies, be sure to add more broth 1-2 cups should be enough)
6-8 cups of Chicken Broth
2 cups of cooked and diced chicken
2 tablespoons of oil or butter
1-2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar (you can sub wine, apple juice, or cider just up the amount to 1/4 cup or so)
Seasonings:
For a more traditional soup: I add a mix of 1-2 T parsley, 1 T rosemary, 1T thyme, 1 T garlic, and a bay leaf. Salt and pepper to taste
For a Cajun twist: I add a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning

Directions:
Over medium heat saute celery, onion, carrots, mushrooms, 1/2 of your seasonings in olive oil until softened. De-glaze the pan with apple cider vinegar. Add in chicken broth, chicken, and remaining seasonings. cook on low for 20-30minutes. If adding frozen pea and/or corn add to soup mixture 5 minutes before serving.

Dumplings
You will need:
11/2 cup Flour
11/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cornmeal
1 T baking powder

Directions:
Gently mix together flour, cream, corn meal, baking powder. Be careful not to over mix, let stand for 10 minutes. 15 minutes before serving. Using a tablespoon, scoop out dough into soup. Simmer for 15-20 minutes

Linked to: WFMW, Finer Things Friday, Frugal Friday, WLWW, RH

Update your Emergency Binder

2012-01-23T04:34:00.000-06:00

Now is a great time to check your emergency binder to make sure all of your information is current. Here is what I keep in our emergency binder...

- Copies of insurance cards ( medical, dental, vision, car, FSA )
- Copies of life insurance, house, car papers, wills, health care POA, marriage certificate
- Sacramental Records, Parish contact information
- Current physicians, vaccinations, medications and allergies for each family member
- Pharmacy contact information
- Vaccination records for any pets, veterinarian information
- Contact information for all household accounts (gas, electric, mortgage, insurance,etc)
- Contact information for all financial accounts (checking, saving, credit cards, retirement, etc)
- Copies of your drivers licence, ss card and passport
- Contact information for local friends & neighbors
- College Transcripts & current resume
- Evacuation plan (include local places to meet if family members are separated, other meeting places outside of your city, along with phone numbers for family contacts)

What do you keep in your emergency binder?

Linked to: WFMW, Finer Things Friday, Frugal Friday, WLWW, RH

What's for Dinner this Week.....

2012-01-21T20:44:00.005-06:00

Last week my roasted chicken lasted a few extra meals so I did get to some recipes on my meal plan.

This week we will be having...
Beef Stroganoff with mushrooms/peas
Red beans and Rice (recipe coming next week!)
Chickpea Burgers, roasted fries, carrots
Bean and Cheese Burritos
Ham and Potato Soup
Pizza
Leftovers or Fried Rice

Postage Stamps Are Going up in Price

2012-01-20T02:48:00.000-06:00

Just a friendly reminder, postage stamps will be increasing in price on Sunday. So be sure to stock up on forever stamps and save yourself a few pennies!

How to mange a home when you're sick

2012-01-18T01:25:00.001-06:00

As wives and/or mothers, we are the best at caring for others when they are sick. However, when we are sick we don't usually get much time to rest as there are always meals to make, dishes to be done and laundry to be folded. Below is my plan of attack when I feel a cold coming on....

1. Go shopping and buy what you need on this list:
    1-2 loafs of bread
    Lunch meat
    Sliced Cheese
Block cheese (Colby jack)
    Lettuce, Tomato, Onion
    Peanut Butter
    Jam/Jelly
    Beef or Pork Roast
    Rotisserie Chicken
BBQ Sauce
   10lb bag of Pots
    Canned soup (enough for 3 or 4 meals)
    2 cans of re-fried beans
   Salsa
   Tortillas
   Baby Carrots
   Ranch dip ( i make my own but get whatever you usually buy)
   Orange Juice
   Milk
   Oatmeal- quick oats
   Paper products (paper plates. cups, bowls)
   Tissues, Vitamin C, Neti pot (or whatever else you take/use when you got the flu)

2. Organize:
           -Make a sick basket for yourself and any little ones (movies, blankets, snacks, books, water, etc)
   - Prep work: If you need to pull the roast or bread dough out of the freezer, do so. Slice veggies.
- Organize meals, put cheese and lunch meat together, peanut butter next to the jam, etc
            - Put paper products on the kitchen counter. Label water cups with family member's names. Put cleaning wipes or rags within reach in the kitchen, bathroom, etc.
           - Pick out a few comfy outfits for yourself ( don't forget a sweater). If you have little ones pick out 4-5 outfits for them to wear.

3. Clean what you can. You don't need to over work yourself but if the whole family is out of clean underwear it's not going to get any better. Toss the dishes in the dishwasher, wash a load or two of laundry, wipe down counter tops.

4. Put together a 5 day meal plan that works for you:
Breakfast: Oatmeal (mix ins: brown sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, jam, peanut butter)
Lunches: Soup, Sandwiches, loaded baked potato, leftovers
Dinners: Rotisserie Chicken, baked potato, carrots/ roast, potato, carrots/ bean & salsa tacos/ leftover roast, baked fries/leftover chicken quesadillas

How do you keep everything together when sick?

Linked to: WFMW, Finer Things Friday, Frugal Friday, WLWW, RH

My Top 3: Gluten Free Convenience Items...

2012-01-16T03:44:00.012-06:00

As some of you may know, I have a wheat intolerance and the rest of my family does not. Gluten Free flours and replacements are generally very costly. There are only a few convenience products that I think are worth the money.

Here are my top 3:

I love this gluten free pizza crust. It's not the same as traditional but it has a good taste to it and is very easy to mix together. It something that your whole family will enjoy. You can buy a 4 pack on Subscribe and Save for around $12. If you use Amazon gift cards earned through Swagbucks you can save even more!

2. Organic Corn Tortillas: I buy these for around 99 cents at Whole Foods. I tend to buy 5 or six packages at a time to freeze. They reheat beautifully and have only two ingredients ( organic corn, water). These tortilla's make a good bread substitute in a pinch and are great with any Mexican inspired meal.

This mix works well in many recipes. I sub this for flour in my cornbread recipe and it makes cornbread so good you would think that it has flour in it. I'm not a Pancake person so I can't say if they are good in that capacity.

Do you have food allergies? What convenience items are worth the money?

What's for dinner this week?

2012-01-14T22:41:00.032-06:00

This week most of my ingredients are coming from the pantry and freezer. I had to take a trip to Sams to stock up on some bulk items. I knew it would be an expensive trip so I've been doing my best to keep our regular shopping trips as frugal as possible.

What's for dinner this week....
Roasted Chicken, gravy, brown rice, green beans
Cajun Chili
Chicken and Dumplings(using leftover chicken)
Chickpea Burgers, sweet potato fries, carrots and dip
Chicken Fried Rice(using leftover chicken)
Leftovers or Pizza
Steak Fajitas

Breakfast: Greek Yogurt, bagels, blueberry muffins, or oatmeal

Saving Money on Amazon.com

2012-01-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

If you have read this blog for any length of time, you know I love Amazon! You can buy almost anything on Amazon. Some of my favorite Amazon buys are food and personal care items because I'm able to get such great deals. Today, I'm sharing a few tips to help make your dollar holler at Amazon...

My number one tip for saving money on Amazon, is to use Swagbucks. What is Swagbucks? It's like google or any other search engine you use when you use swagbucks, you get awarded random "swagbucks" for searches you do. You can redeem your swagbucks for gift cards to various places or items that they have in the swagstore. When you earn 450 swagbucks you can redeem them for a $5 Amazon.com. You also earn up to 1000 swagbucks for referrals. Even a casual user can earn a $5 gift card every month!

Subscribe and Save is also a great way to save on Amazon. It’s available on tons of food products and personal use products. It gives you 15% off and FREE SHIPPING. I like to pick the 6 month option which you can always cancel, request an extra shipment or postpone a shipment without any penalties. You can still use this option even if you don't want regular delivery. Once the item arrives, visit your account section, click "mange subscribe and save" and cancel your order.

Finally. when shopping on Amazon, I always make sure to check out the special offers section. It's a great way to see what is on sale. For example, May is a great month to stock up on gluten free products while January is a good month for stocking up on health food.

What is your favorite way to save on Amazon?

This post contains affiliate links, thanks for supporting this site.

SurveySpot

2012-01-12T12:29:00.004-06:00

One of the things I do to make a little extra money is surveys for various market research companies. They don't pay a lot; however, every little bit counts! If you are interested in making a little money online and would like the chance to win fun prizes, check out Surveyspot!

From the Surveyspot join page:

Bacon Spinach Breakfast Casserole

2012-01-11T04:48:00.001-06:00

I came up with this recipe when I had some leftover bacon and spinach left in my fridge. My husband is not a fan of cooked spinach but this dish won him over.

Bacon and Spinach Breakfast Casserole
4 Eggs
1/4 c cream (or milk)
1/2 c grated Parmesan (you can grate it all at one time and store it in a freezer bag)
4 slices of cooked bacon, diced
1 cup of fresh Spinach
Optional: Mozzarella Cheese

Combine eggs, cream, and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add in spinach and bacon. Poor entire mixture into small baking dish. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese and/or mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes at 350.

I like to serve this with a small salad or roasted veggies on the side for dinner. If you have this for breakfast, make some home fries on the side. If you are making this a one dish meal, double the recipe.

Saving Money by buying Beef in Bulk

2012-01-09T16:56:00.002-06:00

On my weekly meal plan posts I sometimes reference my "cow" purchase especially when it comes to more expensive cuts of meat. If we are having steak for dinner you can bet it came from our cow purchase ($25 a pound for grass fed steak is a little out of my budget). For our last cow purchase we paid around $4.50lb for a cuts of meat (steaks, roasts, short ribs, ground beef). If you prefer conventional beef you can probably buy a cow for around $3lb. The key is purchasing your beef in bulk.

Here are a few simple steps to take when considering purchasing a cow:

1. How much beef do you typically consume? Generally speaking we go through about a 1lb or so a week and more on weeks where I make a roast or steaks. We are not big red meat eaters and I often make meat less than the main focus.

2. Determine what cuts of meat you eat: Many people stick to ground beef and rarely eat steaks or roasts. Although many farmers cut the beef into traditional cuts you can often buy ground beef in bulk as well.

3. Storage: A 1/4 of a cow is about 100lbs of meat (this depends on the breed/size). 100lbs can fit in a regular freezer (the kind that's over your fridge) but you won't be able to fit anything else in there. If you are anything like me you like to store other things in your freezer so you may want to consider purchasing an additional freezer. You can find a used one on Craigslist or a new small chest freezer for about $200. Additionally you could split 1/4 with another family to avoid purchasing a freezer all together.

4. Research: Check out eatwild for farms in your state that sell pastured meats. Ask friends or family for recommendations. Will they let you try a sample of the meat before buying in bulk (these are usually more expensive per pound cost but you can determine if you will like the beef). How do they sell the beef do you have to buy a whole cow, half or can you purchase just a quarter. Usually the more cow you buy the deeper the discount. So you may want to consider purchasing a whole cow with a few other families. If possible I would consider visiting the farm before purchasing, pay attention to the cleanliness, how the animals are treated, etc.

5. Purchase: Contact your farmer and place an order for the beef you want. Keep in mind that you may have to put a deposit down when ordering. It may also take some time for your cow to be ready for pick up. This is not the grocery store so be sure to ask when you can expect to pick up your cow.

6. Pick up your Beef: Bring coolers especially if you have to make a long drive to the farm. When you go to pick up your order, you'll be provided with an inventory of what you ordered. Be sure to do a rough check and make sure you got everything you ordered. As soon as you get home throw your purchase in your freezer and enjoy your beef!

Have you ever bought beef in bulk? Was it a good experience?

Linked to: WFMW, Finer Things Friday, Frugal Friday, WLWW, RH

What's for Dinner this Week.....

2012-01-08T04:04:00.002-06:00

What's for dinner this week? I'm trying a new recipe this week from the Pioneer Woman, I've never tried any of her recipes before but the whiskey sliders came highly recommended.

This weeks dinners:
Whiskey BBQ Sliders, roasted veggies
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Beans and Rice Casserole
Italian Sausage and Veggie Calzones
Chickpea Pot Pie Soup
Italian Sausage and Veggie Pasta
Jalapeno Poppers, Buffalo Chicken Dip, Queso, Homemade tortilla Chips, Veggies

How I save money at Vitacost.com....

2012-01-06T04:30:00.004-06:00

Above is a picture of my most recent order at vitacost, I was able to get 6 cans of Amy's Organic Chili, 3 cans of organic kidney beans, desert essence lotion and some organic popcorn. I spent $15.07 to have these items shipped to my door. If I were to buy the same items in my local store I would have spent $42.50.

I like shopping at vitacost for certain items. I find they sell items at reasonable prices year around. Vitacost also sells things in smaller package as well as a few bulk items. Although, I love buying in bulk, I don't do so unless I have tried the product. In my recent vitacost order, I picked up a new brand of organic popcorn to try before I decided to purchase it in bulk from Amazon.

I like to buy an item before I "need" it so that I can get at item at it's best price. In my vitacost order, there was free shipping on orders over $25, the items I bought were on sale and I had a $10 off coupon which made the savings the best they could be for items I bought.

How to Shop at Vitacost:
1. Get a $10 credit off your next order of $10 or more. You can refer friends to receive more credits.
2. Browse items on sale or in the clearance section. Only add items to your cart that you would normal buy and are at a reasonable price.
3. Wait until they over free shipping on orders of $25 or more. Alternatively, they have free shipping and free samples for orders of $49, year around.

Occasionally vitacost will offer a voucher deal through one of the daily deal sites and you can save even more!

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting this site!

Getting Out of a Recipe Rut....

2012-01-04T02:34:00.007-06:00

Do you ever get in a recipe rut? I love cooking but sometimes I just need to get food on the table so I resort to my old favorites like meatloaf and homemade pizza. My husband always eats what I make him and he never complains but sometimes I wonder if he would like me to branch out more in the kitchen.

So I asked him what he would like me to make more of, and this is the list I got:

Sloppy Joes
Roasted Asparagus
Pizza with Italian Sausage, peppers, onions
Mozzarella Sticks
Italian Beef
Cheese Burger Macaroni
Dirty Rice
Jambalaya
Buffalo Shrimp
Buffalo Chicken Salad
Calzones

His list is definitely different then what I would choose to make. Although, I think we can both agree on the roasted asparagus:)

Have you asked your family what recipes they would like to make more often?

Linked to: WFMW, Finer Things Friday, Frugal Friday, WLWW, RH