To Buy or Not To Buy

Macro Greens by Macro Life Naturals

2016-11-12T15:37:00.000-05:00

I have tried a few different 'green' drinks and some of the were down right nasty. You could hide the taste in a smoothie but to drink it as a stand alone drink, I passed. Naturally, I hesitated to try Macrolife Naturals Macro Greens for this very reason.
The day had come that I decided to try it, so I braced myself for what I was sure was a bout of gagging and spitting it out. Imagine my surprise when I found that it actually tasted good! It had a lemon flavor even through all the green! I was impressed!
The ingredients are top quality, it contained 18 billion probiotics and it tasted good on top of it! I finally found a winner! This green powder is a sure winner!

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING Macro Greens?

•38 nutrient rich superfoods
•18 billion probiotics

•Richest alkaline greens formula
•Contains 5+ servings of fruits and vegetables
•Boosts energy and supports natural weight loss
•Supports healthy immunity
•Promotes gentle daily cleansing
•Herbal antioxidants; aloe vera, ginkgo, grape seed
•America’s “best tasting greens”
•Non-GMO, vegan, gluten and dairy-free
Most of the ingredients in MacroLife Naturals products are cold processed or are processed at low temperatures to ensure enzyme bioactivity. With the exception of the vitamin E and a few herbs and extracts such as; Silymarin, Green Tea, Grape Seed, Ginkgo Biloba, Eleuthero Root, and Echinacea. The baby barley grass juice powder utilizes a patented cold process to assure the most bio-ability and superior quality.
We recommend to not mix Macro Greens with any citrus juice or any juice that would be too acid like tomato, orange or grapefruit juice, because it kills the friendly bacteria in the Macro Greens. The best juice to use is apple, white grape, pear, peach, white cranberry, or apricot. You can also make a smoothie with rice milk, or almond milk, bananas, blueberries, and even add protein powder for a complete meal replacement!

You can get recipes from their website at: Macro Greens Recipes

Purchase Macro Greens Here on sale this month at: Macro Greens 10 oz. Sale

Macro Greens Sale 12 Packets

The Good Table Product - Freezer to Plate

2016-09-06T16:28:00.001-04:00

In my never ending quest of putting something different on the table, I happened to notice The Freezer to Plate line for $2.50 from General Mills, in the same aisle as Hamburger Helper, Velveeta Dinners and the like. There was also a $1.00 coupon for frozen chicken attached to the box if you purchased a box of Freezer to Plate.

Freezer to Plate is The Good Table's first product expansion since the brand was introduced last summer. The June 2016 debut of Freezer to Plate features four varieties:

Lemon Garlic Herb
Marsala
Southwestern
Teriyaki

My husband is a picky eater and even though we have had chicken marsala in the past, I wasn't sure how he would like this one but, I decided to try it anyways, besides with a $1 coupon off of frozen chicken, how could I go wrong?
I hesitantly put it on the table and waited. Surprisingly, he remarked that "it was pretty good" ! I was floored and happy!
It was a super easy 5 minute prep time. Cover with foil before putting it in the oven.

Bake for 40-50 minutes and serve! There are 4 different varieties:

Freezer to Plate contains no added monosodium glutamate (MSG), artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, colors from artificial sources, or trans fat.

add a salad and vegetables on the side and you have an easy to prepare and healthy dinner.
Tonight we are having Lemon Garlic Herb so we will see how that goes and I will let everyone know.

Update: I liked the Lemon Garlic Chicken but my husband, who is not a big fan of garlic didn't! I was hoping he would not have noticed but no such luck!

Ocean Spray PACt Juices

2016-08-12T19:17:00.000-04:00

A refreshing new take on juice.

PACt® Fruit Infusions is the juice drink you love without the things you don’t. It combines the goodness of juice, with 30 calories or fewer (per serving), plus a healthy boost of cranberry PACs to deliver the goodness your family craves. Click to explore all the tasty goodness of Ocean Spray® PACt® Fruit Infusions Juice Drink!

According to Ocean Spray's Website.

I recently purchased a bottle of Cranberry Concord Grape Blend and I have to admit, it is very good! The best part is that there is no added sugar and the sweetener that they use is stevia, a plant based sweetener that is 200 times sweeter than sugar without the health problems of sugar. ! Personally, I am not a fan of stevia only because I don't like the aftertaste but in this product there wasn't any aftertaste!

I was impressed that finally a commercial fruit juice that wasn't loaded with sugar!

There are four PACt flavor blends:

Cranberry Apple Pear - The mellow sweetness of apple and pear combined with the boldness of cranberry.

Cranberry Cherry Blueberry - Three of your favorite flavors in one place. Give it a try–we think you’ll like it berry much.

Cranberry Concord Grape - The sweetness of a concord grape with cranberry tartness. A match made in flavor heaven.

Strawberry Kiwi -
The floral citrus of Kiwi and the pure sweetness of Strawberry. It’s equal parts delicious.

I use PACt to make a flavored tea as well! It is super and easy and much cheaper an healthier than the bottled teas.
I make a pitcher of unsweetened green tea (any brewed tea will work), add equal parts of the tea and PACt, add ice and BINGO - healthy flavored tea without the additives!

My first bottle was a Kroger Friday Freebie but the shelf price is around $2.98 at Walmart.

Check out the ingredients at: Ocean Spray PACt

Ocean Spray also makes a PACt Infused water with 6 different flavors:

CranberryCranberry LemonadeCranberry RaspberryCranberry Blood OrangeCranberry Mango PassionfruitCranberry Pomegranate

Packed with the Power of 50 Cranberries, PACt® cranberry extract water delivers unique cranberry health benefits, to help cleanse and purify your body better than water alone.*

Check out the descriptions and ingredients at: Ocean Spray Water Infused

*PACs (Proanthocyanidins), found in cranberries, are not found in water.

Buy Groceries and Make $$ Even After Using Coupons!

2015-06-01T15:04:00.003-04:00

I am a huge believer in coupons and price matching! Every Sunday, I make sure to get the newspaper just for the sale ads and coupons. Mid week, I start scanning online for the best deals and print the coupons that I am short in my collection. When I do the grocery shopping, I am armed with my list, ads and coupons and for the longest time I was very happy. I started noticing this site called 'Savings Star' that kept popping up every so often. I signed up and then realized that you had to have a smart phone to use the site. So much for that and went on along my business of coupons and price matching.
I have to admit that when tablets and the smart phones came out, I never much paid attention and I was quite happy with my dinosaur phone. What did I need those things for anyway? I am not one of the 'firsts' to get the latest electronic thing that comes out so I stayed in my little happy space on my shopping trips.
I eventually bought a tablet after my best friend got one to read the bible with in church. That was pretty much what I used it for too, except for a couple of games ... The more familiar I became with the tablet, the better I was at using the apps.
Eventually 'Checkout 51' came along and since all I needed was a scanner and computer - wala! I was making money buying my groceries, using coupons and price matching! Then I discovered Ibotta! I have to admit it took me a few shopping trips to get the idea of selecting the products that I shopped for, scanning them and the receipt but not only am I having fun but I am saving money and making money all at the same time! Pretty cool!
I started with Checkout 51,which is out of Canada and you have to reach $20.00 before you can collect your rebates while Savings Star and Ibotta are only $5.00 and you have the option to cash out through PayPal or as a deposit to your bank. I started with Checkout 51 a couple of months ago and with the other 2 about 3 weeks ago. This past week, I cashed out $44.97!

$27.00 Checkout 51
$ 5.87 Saving Star
$12.10 Ibotta

I didn't change my buying habits, bought only what I normally would and with just the 2 of us, my grocery needs are not anything like that of a family's so I am sure family's can cash in on more rebates than I do. Better yet, Ibotta isn't limited just groceries! You can take advantage of rebates by shopping online, at certain restaurants, shopping for clothes, health and beauty, electronics, home and office and s much more.

Either way, I would urge you to check these sites out! I am sure the extra cash will always come in handy!

Happy Shopping !

UPDATE: Checkout 51 is in Canada. I was a bit leery about getting a check from them but as it turns out, not only did it take less than a week for the check to get here but it is drawn on a New York City Bank with US funds.

Bar Keepers Friend

2014-02-17T15:10:00.006-05:00

We have a lot of rust in our water. I hate cleaning a rusty acrylic shower and bathroom sinks. I had tried them all, CLR, Lysol, The Works, anything I could find that said it worked on rust with limited success. I always had to go over it 3 times before the rust was gone and it actually looked clean!
A friend clued me in on Bar Keeper's Friend Cleaner. Naturally, I was sceptical but gave it a try anyways. Wow! What a difference. One time and the shower and sinks were clean! I could not believe it! This stuff really works! I have used it on the stainless steel sinks and the stainless steel pots and it is great!

BEFORE

AFTER

Bar Keeper's Friend comes in a liquid and powder. I found the liquid at Walmart for about $2.58 in the section with the cleansers. The Walmart I was at didn't have the powder but some stores may carry it. It is also available at Menards, KMart, Kroger and Target. There is a $.50 coupon available on their website at: Bar Keeper's Friend There are a lot of other tips that others have used this product for. It is well worth looking at their website.

You can bet this is MY new Best Friend!

Marie Callender - Easy Sides

2014-01-14T14:50:00.003-05:00

I love Marie Callender products, so when they came out with the Easy Sides I couldn't wait to try them! They have 5 different varieties: Chicken, Alfredo, Mini Shells Mac & Cheese,Parmesan and Stroganoff.

I wish I had read the package before buying it.

Each package retails for aroun $1.25. It was simple enough to make. Open the package, add water to the fill line, pop in the microwave for 4 minutes and you have an easy and fast side dish.

I couldn't wait to try it!

What a big disappointment! The package only makes enough for 2 servings and not very large ones at that. For $1.25 a package, it isn't worth the price. The taste was not the of quality that I expected from a Marie Callender product. In fact it hardly had any taste to it at all.

This is one product that I can live without! With or without a coupon, I will not waste my money trying any of the other flavors available.

Campbell's Marsala Skillet Sauce

2013-10-22T20:39:00.000-04:00

Since I had a coupon that was about to expire for $1 off this product and have yet to find it on sale, I decided that if I was going to try it at all, I had better do it now.

Out of the 6 different varieties, I chose the Marsala with mushrooms and garlic sauce mainly because I figured if my picky husband would accept eating something new anything, it would be this one.

I used chicken thighs and legs rather than the suggested chicken breasts and I have say, this sauce was delicious! The flavor was excellent, not to bold or weak and really easy to fix.

The Walmart Super Center stocks this in the pasta sauce aisle and for $1.98. with the $1 coupon that I had, it only cost me $.98 so the price was good.

According to the website: http://m.campbellsauces.com/#/product_selection.aspx you can click on any of the sauce descriptions and there is a link to get a printable coupon for $1 off by entering your email address at the bottom of the page.

Dannon Oikos CAFÉ LATTE Traditional Greek Yogurt

2013-09-12T18:23:00.002-04:00

I sampled some Greek yogurt a while back and found it to be way too tart for my taste and just plain "yuck". Since then I would avoid Greek yogurt like the plague! Kroger happened to have a special on the Dannon Oikos Traditional Greek Yogurt for $1.00 on the 5.2 oz single serving size, as a card memeber I was able to get B1G1F. Needing plain yogurt to use as a starter for my own homemade yogurt I decided to get the plain and try the CAFÉ LATTE.
After all, it was free so what did I have to lose? I wish I had bought a dozen! I can't vouch for the other flavors but the CAFÉ LATTE was heavenly! According to their website: You're not dreaming, the taste of a classic coffeehouse beverage is now in the form of a deliciously creamy yogurt that will leave your taste buds satisfied any time of day. I'm sold!
Greek yogurt is more expensive than regular yogurt but they say it is better for you and has a higher protein content.

Other flavors include:

Stawberry

Key Lime

Raspberry

Coconut Vanilla

Orange Cream

Banana Cream

Quaker Big Chewy Granola Bars

2013-05-17T15:55:00.000-04:00

Quaker Big Chewy Granola Bars are a spinoff of Quaker's Chewy Granola Bars. These are 60%bigger bars of 42 grams each as opposed to 24 grams each of the Chewy Granola Bars and drizzled on top with either chocolate or a "peanut buttery" drizzle. They come in 2 flavors, Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip.

I have tried both flavors but to me the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip was not near as tasty as the Chocolate Chip. Both were good but the Chocolate Chip was much better.

I purchased these at Walmart SuperCenter

$2.18 per Box

- $ .50 Coupon

$1.68 Total Price

Kellogg’s® Nutri·Grain® Cereal Bars

2013-03-11T12:03:00.000-04:00

With 20 grams of whole grain and real fruit, the newest Kellogg's cereal bar to hit the market are Kellogg’s® Nutri·Grain® Cereal Bars. These bars come in 2 flavors: Apple Cobbler and Strawberry Parfait.

I purchased the Apple Cobbler and admit they taste great! Both flavors have a yogurt type frosting on one side. They do crumble easily and are certainly crunchy! I wouldn't advise eating them over your computer keyboard unless you plan on cleaning out the crumbs that get caught between the keys! They are still worth a try and a great snack or on the go breakfast.

Ingredients

WHOLE GRAIN OATS, SUGAR, VEGETABLE OIL (PALM, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL AND PALM OIL WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS), HONEY, DRIED APPLES, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, CALCIUM CARBONATE, NONFAT YOGURT POWDER (CULTURED NONFAT MILK [HEAT-TREATED AFTER CULTURING]), SALT, NONFAT MILK, SOY LECITHIN, WHEY, CINNAMON, DEXTROSE, BAKING SODA, PEANUT FLOUR.

Available in two sizes: 10 count with 5 pouches or 12 count with 6 pouches.

I purchased the 10 count box at Walmart Super Center.

Retail Price: $2.50

Comp Price Match $1.99

Coupon from Sunday Paper -$ .70

Total Paid $1.29

Betty Crocker Mac & Cheese

2013-02-17T19:59:00.000-05:00

Betty Crocker has come out with Mac & Cheese in three different flavors: Original, Grilled Cheese & Cheese Pizza. I tried the Cheese Pizza at a Super Walmart Sampling Table a few weeks before deciding to purchase the product and loved it! However, I have been unable to find it on the shelf so I purchased Grilled Cheese instead. Both my husband and I liked the taste of this one too but I still prefer the Cheese Pizza.

It is an easy 1 pan operation with 1 cup each of water and milk and 4 Tablespoons of butter. Mix together with the macaroni and cheese sauce, heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cook uncovered for about 12 minutes and that is it.

Easy enough and the product comes out creamy and rich.
I did look on Betty Crocker's website and found mixed reviews on this so ultimately you will have to decide if you like this product or not. I have made this product twice now and did not have any problems with it.

Purchase Price: $.88 - Super Walmart
Price Comp: $.44 - Super Walmart
I have not found a coupon for this item yet but when one does come out, purchase it while on sale with the coupon and save even more.

Fleischmann's Simply Homemade Bread

2013-02-11T21:46:00.000-05:00

This fairly new product from Fleischmann's is very easy to make.

The Country White has a hearty artisan crust and flavor that makes it great on its own with a little butter, or as a base for dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls and much more. (You can find a variety of recipes that use this bread mix as base on Fleischmann's website. )

There are also three other types to choose from: Stone ground Wheat, Multi Grain and Italian Herb.

Each box is compete with flour, fast acting yeast and sugar. You add the warm water. When the yeast blooms, about 3 minutes, stir in the flour until it is well mixed, shape into a loaf and place in a well greased pan. After allowing it to rise, covered in a warm spot for about 30 minutes or so, you simply bake.

It is very tasty and the directions on the box are easy to follow. As noted on the box it does raise some but does not double in size as your usual "made from scratch" bread does. Your baked finished loaf is about the size one would get if using a bread machine.

I purchased this in the baking section near the flour at Super Walmart for:
$2.12
- $ .75
$1.37 Final Price
There is currently a $.75 coupon available at Simply Homemade Bread. Page down and you will see where you can print the coupon.

Fiber One Chewy Bars

2013-01-22T13:37:00.000-05:00

I am not a big fan of cereal or cereal bars so when I had the chance to try these, I had my doubts. I tried the Oats & Peanut Butter and thought it had an aftertaste. Not really that good. I then tried the Oats & Chocolate and I think I was in 7th heaven! These were delicious! No aftertaste, lots of tiny chocolate bits and chocolate drizzled on top.

Each bar contains 35% Daily Value of Fiber*

or 9 Grams of Fiber per serving.These are great for a quick snack, as a breakfast bar or even a tasty lunch dessert. I don't know about the 12 other flavors but the Oats & Chocolate are super!

I was surprised that these bars as do the others contain chickory root. After doing some research, I found that chickory root is a popular supplement in high fiber diets. It contains inulin, a polysaccharide that is used as a probiotic and beneficial to your health.

Retail Price at Walmart Super Center: $2.68 but using Walmart's price matching policy, I paid $2.50 for a box of 10.

$2.50 Purchase Price

-$1.00 Coupon

$1.50 Final Price

Clabber Girl Whole Grain Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix

2012-11-28T18:42:00.000-05:00

Clabber Girl Whole Grain Chocolate Chunk cookie Mix is an all-natural product with no trans fat, no hydrogenated oils, and no artificial flavors or preservatives.
This 16 oz. bag is a good source of fiber with 11g whole grain in the mix.
Just add egg and butter to make this mix.

The recipe was easy enough to follow although the dough was more crumbly than cookie dough should be. I worked in about 2 tsp. of water and it smoothed the dough out.

The taste was surprisingly good and didn't taste like a whole grain product. Depending on the size you make the cookies, you can get between 18-24 cookies out of one batch. Purchased - Walmart Super CenterPrice - $1.98

MaraNatha No Stir Almond Butter

2012-10-26T14:46:00.000-04:00

MaraNatha No Stir Almond Butter is absolutely mellow and delicious! If you love almonds, you will love almond butter. MaraNatha has three flavors, creamy, crunchy and raw maple and available in 12 oz. jars. They also have 4 other types of Almond Butter but I tried the No-Stir type.
It is cholesterol free and contains vitamin E, calcium, iron and magnesium. You can enjoy it on crackers, in cookies, on toast with jelly and many more ways.

Ingredients: Dry Roasted Almonds, Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar, Palm Oil, Sea Salt.

The big drawback is that if you are on a budget, like most people are these days, this probably won't be a staple item in the pantry. It is fairly pricey and retails for around $4.98 at Walmart Super Center.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 2 Tbsp (32g)
Servings Per Container: about 11

Amount Per Serving

Calories 190			Calories from Fat 150

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 17g							25%

	Saturated Fat 2.5g						12%

	Trans Fat 0g

	Polyunsaturated Fat 4g

	Monounsaturated Fat 10g

Cholesterol 0mg							0%

Sodium 65mg							3%

Total Carb. 7g							2%

	Dietary Fiber 3g						14%

	Sugars 3g

Protein 6g

Vitamin A		0%	•	Vitamin C			0%

Calcium		8%	•	Iron			8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

		Calories:			2,000	2,500

Total Fat		Less than			65g	80g
	Sat Fat	Less than			20g	25g
Cholesterol		Less than			300mg	300mg
Sodium		Less than			2,400mg	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate					300g	375g
	Dietary Fiber				25g	30g

Progresso Recipe Starters

2012-10-06T18:02:00.000-04:00

Do you ever get burned out on trying to get some variety into your meal planning? I do and since my husband is kind of a picky eater, what I would love, he usually doesn't. This tends to make the job much harder. I found a coupon for Progressive Recipe Starters in the Sunday paper a few weeks ago and decided to try the Creamy Roasted Garlic.

These are fairly new to the market and are available in 5 different flavors: Creamy Parmesan Basil, Creamy Portabella Mushroom, Creamy Roasted Garlic, Creamy Three Cheese, Fire Roasted Tomato. Each can has a featured simple recipe on it. The Creamy Roasted Garlic recipe was for chicken pot pie. Easy enough, pie crust, mixed vegetables, rotisserie chicken and of course the Recipe Starter.

The recipe was easy to follow and was actually pretty tasty, although not quite what I like in a chicken pot pie. Personally, I think this flavor would be better on baked chicken, a beef roast or pork chops or any number of recipes listed at Progresso's website.

I plan on trying the other 4 flavors but I can tell you that this one was really very good.

Purchased: Walmart Super center

Price 1.48

Coupon: - .50 Coupon

Final Price: .98

Yoplait's Go-Gurt

2012-09-25T18:11:00.001-04:00

Yoplait's Go-Gurt is according to Yoplait,

The first-ever yogurt in a tube, Go-GURT® Portable Low fat Yogurt makes on-the-go snacking slurpably fun. Kids go crazy for the delicious, creamy texture and wacky flavors, and moms love the Yoplait goodness. GoGurt gives everyone a reason to be happy!

Theoretically, it is a great idea but why would Yoplait want to taint a great, healthy food with artificial flavors and colors and 10 grams of sugar per serving, especially for kids? hasn't Yoplait heard the news that obesity is a problem with our younger generation, not to mention ADD.
They have 17 flavors and every single one of the flavors contains artificial ingredients.
Doctors consistently warn parents not to give their children products with artificial food dyes as well as watch the sugar intake. Seriously Yoplait, you should know better!
Considering all the foods that contain huge amounts of sugar and artificial ingredients, I am beginning to think that there is a conspiracy to cause our kids to become obese and have ADD just so the pharmaceutical companies can get sell Ritalin other ADD drugs.
If kids are exposed early to foods that contain natural colors and sweeteners, they won't want the artificial junk. It is a matter of training.
I would not recommend this product to anyone no matter how convenient it is. Yopliat does make other yogurt products for kids that is free of the artificial additives and doesn't contain as much sugar.

Healthy Choice Frozen Yogurt Cups

2012-09-25T11:39:00.000-04:00

A 100 calorie treat from Healthy Choice this new frozen yogurt is divinely rich and creamy tasting! It comes in 4 flavors, strawberry,blueberry, raspberry and vanilla bean. My favorite is the strawberry!

There are 3 - 4 oz cups in each package and is given a Weight Watchers PointsPlus™ Value of 3. If you are on a weight loss diet, that may be an ideal snack or treat but 4 oz for anyone else isn't much. There are no artificial flavors and they are made with real fruit.
   The drawback - 3 cups per package this product is pretty pricey. There is a $1 printable coupon available Print Coupon

Purchased - Kroger's

Price              $2.00
Coupon         -$1.00
Final Price     $1.00

Servings Per Container 3

Amount Per Serving
Calories 100 Calories from Fat 15

	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1.5g		2%
	Saturated Fat 1g	5%
	Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 10mg		3%
Sodium 35mg		1%
Potassium 115mg		3%
Total Carbohydrate 19g		6%
	Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
	Sugars 13g
Protein 4g


Vitamin A 0%	Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 10%	Iron 0%

Diet Exchanges Per Serving**:
Carbohydrate (1)	Fat (.5)
Contains: milk
Weight Watchers® PointsPlus™ Value* : 3 * The PointsPlus™ value for this product was calculated by ConAgra Foods, and is provided for informational purposes only. This is not an endorsement, sponsorship or approval of this product or its manufacturer by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the Weight Watchers® and PointsPlus™ trademarks.
Product formulations and packaging may change. For the most current information regarding a particular product, please refer to the product package. * Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. ** Diet Exchanges are based on Choose Your Foods: Exchange Lists for Diabetes, © 2008 by the American Diabetes Assoc., Inc. and the American Dietetic Assoc.

Trix Are For Kids? - Not so fast

2012-09-10T13:35:00.000-04:00

Thinking that I would add a little spark to the grand kid's breakfast, I bought a box of Trix on sale and with a coupon. It was a great deal as far the purchase price went. I should have read the ingredients, but not thinking and it being a name brand item, I figured it was okay. Not so.

Granted he loved, the colors and the taste but within an hour, this energetic yet mainly well behaved 2 year old had transformed into a holy terror! What had happened here? It finally dawned on me to check the cereal box, since that was only thing different from any other day. Sure enough, it contains high amounts of sugar, red 40, yellow 6 and blue 1 food dyes.

There has been a lot of speculation and research as to whether or not, food dyes are a contributing factor to ADD in children. Some doctors warn parents to read the labels and restrict or eliminate these ingredients from a child's diet.

Food coloring linked to ADHD?

Food Dye and ADHD

Symptoms of Food-Dye-Related Behavioral Problems

I am convinced and that great deal on price found its way into the trash can.

Johnsonville Pork & Chicken Brats - A Leaner Brat

2012-08-27T15:01:00.001-04:00

    If you have a passion for brats, Johnsonville's Pork & Chicken Brats may not be a brat you may have thought to try but believe me they are awesome! Made with premium cuts of pork and chicken and Johnsonville's special blend of traditional seasonings, Johnsonville has created a robust bratwurst flavor that has 50% less fat!
   They have been on the shelves for awhile and generally cost the same as Johnsonville's other brats but so far it has been easy to find a $1 off coupon for these. Buy when they are on sale with the coupon and you can save quite a bit!
   Because of the lower fat content, you do have to add a little oil to the pan if you are frying them, otherwise prepare them as you would any other brat. Try a little horseradish or whipped cream cheese and perhaps some diced green onions on the side for a new and exciting taste! Of course, anyway you serve them will be a hit with the family! One nice thing is, they are made gluten free but on the downside they contain monosodium glutamate.

Purchased at: Walmart Supercenter
Price: $2.99 per package (using Walmart's Competitor Price Matching)
- $1.00 coupon - (Pork & Chicken or Chicken: .55 johnsonville.com, $1 (SS 7/22), TOTAL $1.99 Pork & Chicken or Chicken: $1 facebook.com)

Ortega Soft Taco Dinner Kit

2012-07-24T22:09:00.003-04:00

Ortega Soft Taco Dinner Kit

This is a dinner kit that I really enjoyed making and eating! It was simple, affordable and even though I am not a big fan of Mexican food, it was actually tasty! The kit contains: 10 Four Soft Tortillas, Taco Seasoning and Taco Sauce. You supply the ground beef, shredded lettuce, tomatoes etc and within 15 minutes you can have dinner ready!

You can buy the ingredients that are included in the kit separately but if you are not likely to use them at some point, they will just sit in fridge, take up space and probably end up in the trash, at least in our house they would. Money down the drain! The kit is ideal since it contains just the right amount of basic products to build a great meal on without the left overs.

Purchase at: Walmart Supercenter

Price: $2.50

Note: Once in awhile you get online coupons at the official Ortega site. If you any of their products, it would be to your advantage to check out the site.

Aaahhh Coffee .......Beans

2012-06-19T21:39:00.001-04:00

For anyone who is a coffee lover, there is nothing more tantalizing than the fresh aroma of fresh ground coffee beans not to mention the superb flavor! Years ago that was the norm, when you would grind your beans in the huge grinder at the store. Oh what a wonderful memorable aroma!

Then came the canned coffee, and the only time you actually get that similar aroma is when you first open the can. Sadly, that diminished each time the can was opened. Leaving not much more than the very faintest smells of what may be coffee
With the advent of the home coffee bean grinder, store shelves have exploded with a variety of brands and blends with sky high prices that those on a budget can rarely afford. So someone tell me why whole bean coffee is so much more expensive. It is not like the manufacturer has to go to the trouble of grinding it much less using the power to grind it. All they have to do is sort the beans. Don't they do that anyway? Is it because it is considered a luxury item? Seriously, it makes no sense, unless the canned ground coffee contains low grade beans and/or fillers.

   I did happen to find one company that was fairly reasonable, if there is such a thing in the coffee bean market. Eight O Clock coffee, a brand that has been around for what seems like forever, runs about $4.98 for 12 oz. at Walmart Supercenter.
   Using savingsangel.com, I found that it was on sale for $3.00 a 12 oz bag, with a printable coupon from for $2 on 2 @ eightoclock.com. That brought the price down to only $2.00 per bag. For my coffee aroma fix, I can live with that and it didn't break my budget!

Walmart Supercenter Price: $4.98
Price Match Policy:                 $3.00
Coupon                               - $1.00
Total                                     $2.00

A Honey BBQ Quick Meal!

2012-05-30T19:37:00.000-04:00

Some days are so busy that I barely have time to cook! Since I love Honey BBQ, the perfect fast meal to make starts with Tyson's Honey BBQ Chicken Strips.

You toss them in the oven with some french fries for about 20 minutes. Add some celery stick and lots of ranch dressing to dip everything into and hmmmm, I am in seventh heaven!

Probably not the healthiest of meals and certainly not low calorie but so yummy!

I bought a bag on sale at Martin's Supermarket for:
                                                                                     $4.25
I added a $1coupon                                                     -$1.00
Total Price:                                                                   $3.25

Not only a quick meal but a fairly cheap one as well!

Make it Soy

2012-05-04T23:45:00.001-04:00

Offer people Soy milk and most will turn their noses up. Offer me white milk and I will turn my nose up. I have been drinking soy milk for a number of years now and have tried several different brands but my choice is Silk Soy Milk. It comes in 4 flavors, Original, Vanilla, Very Vanilla, Chocolate and DHA Omega-3 & Calcium but I like the original unflavored or the DHA Omega-3 & Calcium the best. To me Silk Brand soy milk has a richer more full bodied flavor and I the thought of drinking plain white milk, well, "No Thanks"!

You can learn more about their products, their philosophy and the benefits of drinking soy at Silk Soy Milk including the fact that research also suggests that soy protein may offer a natural way to help lower cholesterol. If you sign up on their website you can print a coupon for .75 off.

Size: 1/2 Gallon
Purchased at: Walmart Supercenter
Price: $3.50
It was on sale at another store so I paid $1.79 by using Walmart's Price Match Policy
I had a coupon for $1.00 off so I actually paid only $0.79 for the half gallon! You really can't beat that!

Spring Cleaner Made Easy

2012-04-24T12:18:00.001-04:00

Purple Power

Ah Spring! Generally the time to wake up from winter hibernation, open the windows and air out the house. Spring is traditionally the time to clean carpets, walls, windows and everything else.

I HATE spring cleaning! Over the years , I have used a number of different cleaners to clean the walls, all with limited success. This year is different! Purple Power Industrial Strength Cleaner/De greaser, is my new best friend!

You know how it is when you take a picture off the wall and you can see where it had been hanging? Horrible! You can just never get the surrounding wall clean enough to match the part that was covered up. My new best friend made it so easy and what a difference!

This stuff is awesome! It works great on a wide variety of surfaces in auto, farm, marine, home and industrial applications. The formula penetrates quickly and then creates a barrier between the stain and the surface being cleaned. Granted, the label says that you should not use it on painted walls. I have found that if the walls were painted over a year ago, it won't remove the paint. If the wall were painted within a year, then it can take the paint off. The best thing to do is to try it on an inconspicuous area.

All I did was spray it on, watch it run down the wall taking the dirt with it and wiped it off with a clean damp rag. Easy work, no scrubbing! If the wall are really dirty a second application may be in order but once it is dry, the walls look like new!

You can use this stuff on a variety of things, inside and out. I have used it on oil spots in the driveway, patio furniture, grills, ovens and even in the laundry. You just have to try it! It is Certified biodegradable, non-abrasive, non-flammable and phosphate-free. Don't Spring without it!

Size: 40 oz. spray bottle

1 gal. refill jug

Purchased: Walmart Supercenter

Price: $3.87 Spray Bottle

$4.89 Refill jug

To Buy or Not To Buy

Macro Greens by Macro Life Naturals

The Good Table Product - Freezer to Plate

Ocean Spray PACt Juices

Packed with the Power of 50 Cranberries, PACt® cranberry extract water delivers unique cranberry health benefits, to help cleanse and purify your body better than water alone.* Check out the descriptions and ingredients at: Ocean Spray Water Infused

Buy Groceries and Make $$ Even After Using Coupons!

Happy Shopping !

Bar Keepers Friend

You can bet this is MY new Best Friend!

Marie Callender - Easy Sides

I couldn't wait to try it!

Campbell's Marsala Skillet Sauce

Dannon Oikos CAFÉ LATTE Traditional Greek Yogurt

Quaker Big Chewy Granola Bars

Kellogg’s® Nutri·Grain® Cereal Bars

Ingredients﻿

Available in two sizes: 10 count with 5 pouches or 12 count with 6 pouches.

﻿

Betty Crocker Mac & Cheese

Fleischmann's Simply Homemade Bread

Fiber One Chewy Bars

Clabber Girl Whole Grain Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix

MaraNatha No Stir Almond Butter

Progresso Recipe Starters

Yoplait's Go-Gurt

Healthy Choice Frozen Yogurt Cups

Trix Are For Kids? - Not so fast

Johnsonville Pork & Chicken Brats - A Leaner Brat

Ortega Soft Taco Dinner Kit

﻿Ortega Soft Taco Dinner Kit

Aaahhh Coffee .......Beans

A Honey BBQ Quick Meal!

Make it Soy

Spring Cleaner Made Easy

Purple Power

Packed with the Power of 50 Cranberries, PACt® cranberry extract water delivers unique cranberry health benefits, to help cleanse and purify your body better than water alone.*

Check out the descriptions and ingredients at: Ocean Spray Water Infused

Ingredients

Ortega Soft Taco Dinner Kit