Suzie Homemaker

Crockpot Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 06:18:00 +0000

I made this yesterday and the kids loved it!

Throw the following into the crock pot-

1 package chicken breast (raw and cubed or even leftover chicken)

1 chopped onion

3 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can rotel tomatoes

2 cans nacho cheese soup

1 carton chicken broth

2 cans of corn

Cook on low all day while you are at work. Serve with crushed corn chips, sour cream, salsa, or anything you like.

My first T-shirt Scarf

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 06:05:00 +0000

I found a website that has 10 T-Shirt Scarf Tutorials so I thought that I would make one with the kids. Here is what we came up with-

You can find more at-

T-SHIRT RUFFLE SCARF TUTORIAL

DIY T-Shirt Scarf

braided scarf tutorial - this one requires a little sewing

Teacher Crayon Art

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:49:00 +0000

The kids made these for their teacher for Christmas.

We used-
$4 frame from Dollar General (glass removed)
1 box of 64 crayons (made three frames with one box)
1 large print out of the teacher’s initial (set at 500 using arial)
Hot glue gun

The instructions that we used are HERE.

It took about 30 minutes to do each one and cost $5 to make each.

Pumpkin Fluff - 3 ways

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:41:00 +0000

I love this recipe because it can be made for different diet plans. I use it when I am doing low cal and low carb.

#1 Pumpkin Fluff

1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

In a bowl blend dry pudding mix and pumpkin till light. Add spices,
mix to distribute. Fold in whipped topping. Refrigerate until serving.

#2 Pumpkin Fluff ( Low calorie style)
1 (16 ounce) container frozen lite whipped topping, thawed
1 (5 ounce) package instant sugar free vanilla pudding mix

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

In a bowl blend dry pudding mix and pumpkin till light. Add spices,
mix to distribute. Fold in whipped topping. Refrigerate until serving.

#3 Pumpkin Fluff (low carb style)
1/2 heavy cream
1 (5 ounce) package instant sugar free vanilla pudding mix

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

In a bowl blend dry pudding mix and pumpkin till light mix in heavy cream and water. Add spices,

7 Up Biscuit Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 05:08:00 +0000

I saw this recipe over at I Heart The Mart, one of my favorite couponing sites!

7 UP Biscuits ( I used Sprite)
2 cups Bisquick (coupon HERE)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up or other lemon lime soda
1/4 cup melted butter
Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough.
Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out. ( I made drop biscuits) Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan. Place cut biscuits in pan and bake at 450 degrees until golden brown.

My review- They are awesome. They remind me of the cat head biscuits that my grandfather made when I was little.

Weight Loss Update!

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:03:00 +0000

It has been a long time since I did a weight loss update. Here is the last photo update. I have lost another 20 pounds since then!

I am at 176 pounds right now and it feel great.

2 Ways to Refill Lysol Soap Dispenser Quick and Easy.

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 06:12:00 +0000

I got several Lysol Soap Dispensers free with coupons a few weeks ago. I was looking for a way to refill it to save money. I have found two ways that work well.

This method requires a drill.

This is my method of choice. A quick fix with a butter knife!

If you happen to get some free or cheap bar soap you can make your own liquid soap to refill it! Check out Savvy Housekeeping for a liquid hand soap recipe and how to!

Dryer Vent Pumpkins

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:34:00 +0000

My Fall decor on top of the piano.

This week my girls and I spent an afternoon making Dryer Vent Pumpkins. We looked at instructions on several sites including

Smilemonsters

DLTK

Shingleroof

We made the pumpkins and then hot glued them together. Then I did a coat of gold spray paint. From there the kids took over. They used cut up pieces of an old wash cloth to rub their paint on. For the stems we used twisted brown paper sack.

How cute are these?!?

When life gives you leftovers, what do you make?

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 02:19:00 +0000

We had a BBQ for Labor Day and had some ribs left. I had promised my 7 yr old that we could have omellets today so it worked out great. I chopped the meat off the ribs and sauteed that with some bell pepper and onion. They came out great!

What is your favorite ways to make over leftovers?

Our Weekly Menu- Cutting cost using coupons!

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 01:10:00 +0000

Most of my readers know that I started couponing awhile back. I usually do not make a weekly menu but this week is hectic so I did. I thought I would share my menu using items that I got couponing and the cost to feed my family of 5. If you would like me to break it down more as to how I came up with that figure just ask in the comments.

Sunday

New - Velveeta Cheesy Skillet (free with coupon)

Fresh Veggie Salad

Green Beans

(cost for my family of 5- $5.50)

(Cheesy skillet was free, 1/2 lb hamburger was 1.50, fresh veggies from farmer's market was 2.00, dressing was .49 a bottle, green beans were .50 a can and we used 2 cans. That comes up to 4.99. The rest covers any small usage of butter, spices, or etc.)

Monday

Sausage Gravy

Biscuits

Scrambled Eggs

Turkey Bacon

(Cost of meal for my family of 5 - $6.00)

Tuesday

Baked Chicken Pasta

Cucumbers with Ranch

Corn

(cost of meal for my family of 5- $4.50)

Wednesday

Tuna Melts

Peas

Veggie Mac & Cheese (new from Kraft and very yummy)

(cost of meal for my family of 5- $3.00)

Thursday

BBQ Pork Chops in the crock pot

Deviled Eggs

Steamed Carrots

(cost of this meal for my family of 5 - 4.00)

Friday

Beef Veggie Soup

Cornbread

(cost of meal for my family- $6.00)

Weight Loss and Guest Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 07:14:00 +0000

If you recall I had lost about 60 pounds and then just stopped. http://mrssuziehomemaker.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-weight-loss-journey.html

I have had trouble getting over that hump but with the help of my friend April, some cleaner eating, and Skinny Body Care I am back on track. I will be writing a blog post at April's Blog http://achilly33-myfitnessjourney.blogspot.com/ with updated weight loss photos and a little more how I have done it.

Until then here is a link to the new supplements ( Skinny Body Care) I have been taking- http://Kansas.EatLessFeelFull.com

They have a new infomercial coming out so you will be hearing about them all over the place very soon.

Look for my updated weight loss photos on April's blog this week. They are awesome!

Salad Makeover!

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 03:38:00 +0000

I was looking for something low cal for supper. The first thing that came to mind was a salad but honestly I was not in the mood for one. I looked at the ingredients that I would have had in my salad and went another direction with them.

* I started with some chopped raw boneless skinless chicken breast.

* I put them in a bag with 2 TBS of low cal/low fat raspberry dressing for about an hour.

* I then started steaming 1 c of broccoli and heated up 1 tsp of oil in a skillet.

* The chicken went into the skillet while the broccoli was cooking.

* While those "got happy" I shredded a large carrot.

* As soon as the chicken was done I removed it and I tossed the carrots in and sauteed for about 1 to 2 minutes.

* I stacked them up on a small plate and it was awesome!

Here is the calorie breakdown-

1 c steamed broccoli - 50 calories
1 large shredded carrot- 30 calories
4 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast- 120 calories
2 TBS Raspberry Vinaigrette Fat Free Dressing - 30 calories

1 tsp olive oil- 40 calories

That is only 270 calories! This was almost enough for 2 people. It's a big serving!

Also I will be a guest blogger on My Fitness Journey very soon! Check it out at

http://achilly33-myfitnessjourney.blogspot.com/

Dr. Pepper Ten

noreply@blogger.com (Lyssa) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 18:50:00 +0000

While in Amarillo last week, I went to see my Aunt Tammy who has been doing independent consult work for a while now and travels wherever they'll pay her to be. Lately that has been San Antonio. While in SA she went to HEB where they were giving samples of and selling 10 calorie Dr. Pepper. That's not a typo - TEN calories! She gave me a 12 pack and said she can't find it in Amarillo yet. In fact, the Coca-Cola man at her grocery store had never even heard of it.

Now, I don't drink coke very often (sorry y'all, I'm from Texas and regardless of brand, flavor or color it's all coke) but when I do it's DP. I've never really liked Diet DP but this 10 calorie pop top is a nice, guilt-free treat. There is a very slight artificial sweetener back taste (as you can see in the nutrition information below, it does contain the controversial aspartame where most DP products do not), but I personally think it is less than that of a Diet DP.

Nutrition information from Dr. Pepper's website

Size: 8 fl. oz. (240 ml)

	Amount Per Serving	% Daily Value *
Calories	10	0%
Total Fat	0g	0%
Sodium	40mg	2%
Total Carbohydrates	2g	1%
Sugars	2g	0%
Protein	0g	0%

Ingredients

CARBONATED WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CARAMEL COLOR, PHOSPHORIC ACID, ASPARTAME, SODIUM BENZOATE, CAFFEINE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, SODIUM PHOSPHATE

*These views are my own and product was purchased as a gift from my relative.

Guest Blogger & Solar Hotdog Cooker Project

noreply@blogger.com (Jenni) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 03:16:00 +0000

Hi everyone! I'm Jenni, just popping over from DisheveledMommy to share with you guys a really fun mom & kids activity.

This afternoon Crystal had posted on Facebook that she was going to try baking cookies in her HOT car, and posted a link to a site with pizza box cookers as well. Those reminded me of the shoebox hotdog cookers we used to make in school growing up in Phoenix. While it was only 102 (ha!) here today, and not the 110+ we had growing up, I figured it'd work. I bet it was only 102ish while we were still in school ;-)

I'm going to give you more of a "process" type instructions, rather than set directions, so you can easily adapt it for the supplies you have on hand. No one wants to run to the store, kids in tow, in this heat!

First you will need a shoebox, or similarly sized box with the flaps cut off. I have a slew of these boxes, but could not find an empty shoebox! They were all filled with treasures, socks, extra toiletries, etc. So I grabbed one of my small Amazon shipping boxes. Nice & sturdy. Plus, I already had cut the flaps off because I was going to cover it in contact paper to store my make up palettes in. (I now have a basket for them...)

Ok, so we have a box (preferably from our stash, ) now we need to grab some aluminum foil, some plastic wrap, (or plexiglass...) a gluestick just-in-case, some tape, and a few wooden skewers. I was super lucky & had a small bit of plexiglass just the right size.

Optional: a paper towel tube to place under the dogs in case they drip, cut in half, then each half cut in half longways in a curved fashion. Cover with foil. (More reflection!) The little one loved doing this!

Cover the inside of your box with foil, securing with tape around the outside edge, using a bit of gluestick if needed. I also went around my plexiglass with some electrical tape in case the edges were sharp.

Mark with a pen in about equal intervals along one long side of your box 2-4 places for skewer holes.
Poke these with the tip of a screwdriver and slide the skewers through. Poke the opposite side with the skewer. I didn't go through the other side with the screwdriver so they'd be snug.

Place the "drip pans" under each skewer.

To use, pull the skewers halfway back out the holes, tilt up and skewer a hotdog. Slide the dog down to the middle, and place the skewer back into the hole. When your skewers have been dogged, cover tightly with plastic wrap, or your plexiglass "lid" and place into direct sunlight. It may take a couple-few hours to cook, but it's fun!
You may need to place a rock under the cooker to get a good angle, adjust as the sun moves. You may also have to tape your lid a little, as I did today! (Definitely tape it if using plastic wrap!)

Hard water stains on your dishes?

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 03:20:00 +0000

We have hard water here in Syracuse, Kansas and it leaves your glasses looking horrible after a trip through the dishwasher. I have spent lots of money trying to find a solution.

I am not 100% happy with the results but I have found that Cascade Complete (which I got for free couponing yesterday) and Lemi- Shine Rinse does a good job.

See the photo above for the results of Cascade with Lemi Shine vs Finish and Jet Dry.

My house smells like Blueberry Muffins!

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 07:07:00 +0000

I love the name brand wickless candles but I am not a fan of the $5 a package price tag! I have been known to make my own which is VERY simple. Right now I simply do not have extra time to make my own.

I found these at WalMart for only $2 a package. I have compared them to many other brands and my own creations and find them to last just as long and smell just as strong.

Give them a try and let me know what you think. I leave my warmer on 24/7 and use one package of these a week.

Cheap Summer Craft #1 - Fluffy Flip Flops

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:04:00 +0000

My kids have only been out of school a few weeks and they are bored to tears. I am trying to find some affordable crafts that we can do as a family. With three children the cost can add up fast!

Yesterday we made Fluffy Flip Flops. We grabbed some $1 Flip Flops from Dollar General and some old shirts that were trash bound.

You can find the instructions here.

Find an old shirt and cut it into strips. See link above for strip size.

Tie strips to your flip flops and wear them!

How cute! We might wear them this way for a couple of weeks then redo them in a new fabric.

My My baby is growing up and cooking without help!

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 04:59:00 +0000

This is my VERY big girl Hannah who just turned 8 a few weeks ago. She is beautiful, independent, and strong willed. Some would say just like her mother.......

She has recently started helping in the kitchen and today was her first time she cooked something with no help. She insisted that we use some of them items that I have been couponing for. She loves the fact that I coupon and tells people that we are saving for her braces. LOL

These are the things we grabbed out of our stockpile.

French's Worcestershire Sauce was 1.00. We used a coupon for .75 cents off. It was in the newspaper on 5/15/11

Heinz Ketchup was on sale at Dillons for 1.99. We used a .50 coupon from the newspaper put out on 5/22/11. They doubled the coupon making this huge bottles only .99 each.

Kikkoman Soy Sauce was 1.42. We used a $1 ( coupon no longer active) - Cost us .42

She made Marinated Baked Pork Chops.

Ingredients
3 tablespoon soy sauce
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoon lemon juice
6 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons ketchup
6 or 7 pork chops, trimmed

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a small bowl, thoroughly blend soy sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and ketchup.
Place pork chops in a medium baking dish, and spread with 1/2 the sauce.
Bake pork chops 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn, and spread with remaining sauce. Continue baking 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chops has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Look for the pasta recipe coming soon. It was also a couponing dish!

Summer Fun with Mommy Points!

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 04:45:00 +0000

This summer we are doing a new program called mommy Points.

It's fairly simple-

Chores and good behavior is worth points. If they misbehave they lose points. They can also trade the points in on special things.

The kids insisted that Mom and Dad get points (pennies added to our little bucket). They give us points for the things that we do and when we are super sweet. I think we should be able to trade our points in on a date night. ;)

Couponing for Christmas?

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 04:42:00 +0000

I had an idea for Christmas Gifts!

I have been getting so many items with my couponing for free to .50 each. I thought it would be cool to make some LARGE gift baskets full of bath, body, and beauty items as Christmas Gifts for women I know.

Here is the start of one of the baskets.

After telling my sister-in-law and 11 yr old niece about it they both requested a basket for Christmas instead of a normal gift! My niece said I can fill her's with any free candy that comes my way!

I am going to try to keep the cost of each basket under $10.

Homemade Egg Noodles

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 03:18:00 +0000

This is a great project to do with your kid!

All cut up and drying.

Ingredients
4 eggs
2 tablespoons water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions
Beat the eggs and water together in a bowl. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a separate large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the beaten eggs into the well, then stir in the flour mixture until a soft dough forms. Let sit 5 minutes
Roll the dough into a very thin layer on a lightly-floured surface; let sit for 10 minutes, then cut into 1/2 inch strips. Allow to dry at least 4 hours before using. ( Dry mine on a rack with a fan for 1-2 hours if I am in a hurry)

Want to make extras and store them for future use?

After making your noodles, allow them to dry completely on a drying rack. I suggest at lease 24 hours! Put the dry noodles in a air tight container or Ziploc bag . Store in a dark cool place. Good for about 3 weeks.

or Freeze them-

Dry your noodles out for 24 hours, put in ziploc bags and freeze.

Best if used in 2-3 months.

Review of the Brownie Pops Silicone Mold from Wilton

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 06:42:00 +0000

The pan

Cost- about $10

The Wilton pan instructions say: "For best results, spray baking surface with non-stick spray" and "Place pan on cooling grid and cool completely....To remove baked goods, invert pan and apply gentle pressure to the bottom while gently peeling the pan away."

My result-

Needless to say I am not impressed. I am going to try again with another type of mix or homemade recipe. I might even try with a cake mix. Needless to say I am not impressed at this point!

Still Couponing!

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 17:09:00 +0000

Here are a few blog post that I found helpful this week. I am off to go couponing now!

67 itemas you can get a WalMart under $1 using coupons-
http://www.couponcounselor.com/2011/06/walmart-weekly-list-61-67-under-1-and.html

Here is a list of the coupons in tomorrow's paper-
http://www.momsneedtoknow.com/printable-coupons-2/coupon-insert-preview/

A huge list of things that you can get at Target for $1 or under-
http://www.couponingtodisney.com/2011/01/10/target-under-1-master-list/

Couponing Trip with Suzie

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Sun, 15 May 2011 03:48:00 +0000

Today I spent a total of $86 dollars today! I got everything in these photos.

I will start posting the deals that I am getting soon.

Here is a good one that I got- Free Razors. $1 off a package of Wilkinson Sword Twin Blade Razors. A package of 4 is only $0.97 at WalMart! Find the coupon here.

Extreme Couponing in 4 simple steps.

noreply@blogger.com (~Crystal~) — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:33:00 +0000

(My first week of extreme couponing. The total spent was around $40)

Step 1- Educate Yourself!

* Learn the lingo.
Here is a link to couponing lingo on My Litter.

*Know Your Store Coupon Policies.
Use Google to find your store's coupon policy. Always have your store's coupon policy on hand with you at checkout. Money Saving Amanda also has a list of them.

* Learn the laws. Educate yourself on Coupon Fraud.

Step 2. Get the Coupons!

* Get a newspaper subscription, they have coupons in them almost every Sunday.

* Ask your friends and family for their coupons too.

* Print coupons online. Fabulessly Frugal has a nice list of places to print coupons.

* Find more tips at - The Krazy Coupon Lady

Step 3. Get Organized.

* This site will tell you several ways to do it!

* Plan your shopping trip. I use this method.

Step 4. Go Shopping!

* Check out day 6 of this blog and find tips to make shopping day easy as possible!

Have FUN!