I made this slightly healthier version of the Pinterest recipe tonight. My husband said it was the best chicken he has ever tasted! It came out so moist and there were so many flavors bursting in our mouths. MmMm good!
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup bbq sauce.
1/4 cup turkey bacon bits
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 14 oz can tomatoes with green chilies
sliced green onions
pepper
3-4 sweet potatoes
spray butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut chicken breasts in half and season with pepper. Grill chicken till no longer pink (I put them on my George Foreman) and place on baking sheet covered with foil. Top each chicken breast with 1 tbsp bbq sauce, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup tomatoes, green onions and 1 tbsp bacon bits. Place in oven and bake until cheese is melted (about 10 minutes)
Beforehand, bake sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until done (while preparing and cooking chicken.) While hot, cut in half and spray with butter and top with brown sugar. DELICIOUS!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Swim Diaper Savings
My good friend, Melissa told me this cool tip over the weekend:
All of us with babies know how expensive swim diapers are. Last time I bought them I think they were $10.00 for the small package and I about croaked. This tip I learned could save you money this summer!
Swim diapers are reusable! You just carefully take the diaper off, rinse it off, and hang it out to dry! (As long as there are no surprises in them of course!) We figure that the chlorine does a good enough job killing the germs and yes, the diaper will have chlorine in it when you reuse it but the baby is just going to be swimming in it agan anyway.
I am not sure if that methodology is proven science but hey-- I will do whatever it takes to save a little more money : )
All of us with babies know how expensive swim diapers are. Last time I bought them I think they were $10.00 for the small package and I about croaked. This tip I learned could save you money this summer!
Swim diapers are reusable! You just carefully take the diaper off, rinse it off, and hang it out to dry! (As long as there are no surprises in them of course!) We figure that the chlorine does a good enough job killing the germs and yes, the diaper will have chlorine in it when you reuse it but the baby is just going to be swimming in it agan anyway.
I am not sure if that methodology is proven science but hey-- I will do whatever it takes to save a little more money : )
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Budgeting for Gas
It is always hard to know how much to budget for gas. Then, whenever my husband gets a new job or a new school schedule and consequently changes his route, we are forced to change our gas budget allowance. We love using the website: Cost 2 Drive. You enter the year, make, and model of your car and then your start and end location. It will figure the cost to drive based on current gas prices in your area. We will then take that amount and multiply it by the number of days in the month that my husband will be driving to that particular destination. Then we add them all together and add $20 or so (for miscellaneous errands) to give us our monthly gas budget. This is also great if you are trying to budget for a family road trip!
Chicken Roll-Ups
This recipe is so yummy and really fun to make! You can serve it hot or cold. I made my own crescent roll dough to save money but you could also buy cans of it on sale.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken (shredded or cubed)
8 oz cream cheese (I used fat-free)
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. parsley
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup broth
Mix all ingredients together well. Spoon onto rolled crescent rolls, roll up, and dip into melted butter and roll in bread crumbs. Bake 20 minutes at 375. (I rolled my dough out into a big rectangle, spooned all of the filling onto the dough and rolled it up into a big log. After it was cooked, we just sliced pieces off.)
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken (shredded or cubed)
8 oz cream cheese (I used fat-free)
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. parsley
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup broth
Mix all ingredients together well. Spoon onto rolled crescent rolls, roll up, and dip into melted butter and roll in bread crumbs. Bake 20 minutes at 375. (I rolled my dough out into a big rectangle, spooned all of the filling onto the dough and rolled it up into a big log. After it was cooked, we just sliced pieces off.)
Chicken Cabbage Salad
This recipe is also from my friend Dixie. It is super easy,inexpensive, and it makes a huge bowl full. The cabbage just magically expands. This is my husbands favorite salad!
Ingredients:
1 large cabbage
7-9 green onions chopped
4-6 chicken breasts (cooked--shredded or cubed)
1/3 c. butter
2 pkg. Chicken flavor Top Ramen Noodles
Dressing: 1/3 cup oil, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tbsp. soy sauce
Melt butter in pan. Stir in noodles and fry until golden brown. Add flavor packet. Take off heat. Mix with cabbage and dressing just before serving.
Ingredients:
1 large cabbage
7-9 green onions chopped
4-6 chicken breasts (cooked--shredded or cubed)
1/3 c. butter
2 pkg. Chicken flavor Top Ramen Noodles
Dressing: 1/3 cup oil, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tbsp. soy sauce
Melt butter in pan. Stir in noodles and fry until golden brown. Add flavor packet. Take off heat. Mix with cabbage and dressing just before serving.
Monday, February 18, 2013
$5 Veggie Pasta Pie
I saw this recipe on Dr. Oz and knew I had to try it. It is both inexpensive and extremely healthy. It was so yummy! It tasted like a cross between veggie lasagna and an omelet. This is a must for your recipe collection. *Note make sure you have enough egg to hold your "pancakes" together.
Ingredients
Serves 4 (I doubled the recipe)
3 oz whole-wheat macaroni
6 large eggs
2-3 carrots, finely grated
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 14.5-oz can low-salt diced tomatoes
10 oz frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 oz reduced fat cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil and cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Whisk 2 eggs in a bowl and add 1/3 of the grated carrot and 1/3 of the cooked macaroni. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a non-stick skillet, add the egg mixture and cook over medium low heat until the eggs are set but not dry. Slide this noodle “pancake” onto a greased cookie sheet and keep warm. Repeat this process two more times to create a total of 3 noodle layers.
Add 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet and sauté 1 clove garlic until soft. Add the canned tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook until the juice has evaporated and the tomatoes are almost dry. Set aside and repeat the process with an additional teaspoon of oil, the remaining clove of garlic and the spinach.
Add the first noodle pancake, browned side down, to a greased pie plate. Top with the cooked spinach and add 1 ounce of the shredded cheese. Add a second noodle pancake and top with the tomatoes and 1 ounce shredded cheese. Top with the final noodle pancake, browned side up, and remaining shredded cheese.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve hot or cold.
Ingredients
Serves 4 (I doubled the recipe)
3 oz whole-wheat macaroni
6 large eggs
2-3 carrots, finely grated
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 14.5-oz can low-salt diced tomatoes
10 oz frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 oz reduced fat cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil and cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Whisk 2 eggs in a bowl and add 1/3 of the grated carrot and 1/3 of the cooked macaroni. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a non-stick skillet, add the egg mixture and cook over medium low heat until the eggs are set but not dry. Slide this noodle “pancake” onto a greased cookie sheet and keep warm. Repeat this process two more times to create a total of 3 noodle layers.
Add 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet and sauté 1 clove garlic until soft. Add the canned tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook until the juice has evaporated and the tomatoes are almost dry. Set aside and repeat the process with an additional teaspoon of oil, the remaining clove of garlic and the spinach.
Add the first noodle pancake, browned side down, to a greased pie plate. Top with the cooked spinach and add 1 ounce of the shredded cheese. Add a second noodle pancake and top with the tomatoes and 1 ounce shredded cheese. Top with the final noodle pancake, browned side up, and remaining shredded cheese.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve hot or cold.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
An App that Pays you to Work Out!
So I just discovered this app that rewards you for working out. It is called Gympact. Apparently you set a goal for yourself and put up a bet against yourself like $10. If you meet your goal, you get paid. If not, you lose your stakes.
This might give me an incentive to work out more often and meet my goals I have set for myself. I think it really would work on me because I hate losing money so much! This is a super cool concept. I will have to try it out and let you know how it is!
This might give me an incentive to work out more often and meet my goals I have set for myself. I think it really would work on me because I hate losing money so much! This is a super cool concept. I will have to try it out and let you know how it is!
Friday, February 15, 2013
Frosting-- Double for your Money
Sorry I haven't blogged for a while. I just started a business and I am glad to say it is really taking off but it is also occupying a lot of my spare time.
This is a secret that my sister-in-law taught me: When you don't have time to make your own frosting, buy a can at the store and then scoop it into a bowl and with the mixer, mix it on high. This technique will allow you to double your frosting amount and will also make it nice and light. Who knew? So easy! This makes me wonder though-- when we buy the whipped frosting in the store, are we really getting half the amount for our money?
This is a secret that my sister-in-law taught me: When you don't have time to make your own frosting, buy a can at the store and then scoop it into a bowl and with the mixer, mix it on high. This technique will allow you to double your frosting amount and will also make it nice and light. Who knew? So easy! This makes me wonder though-- when we buy the whipped frosting in the store, are we really getting half the amount for our money?
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Where to Buy: Prescription Glasses
So my darling little Eli was playing with my glasses yesterday. You know when they are playing with something and think: "I really shouldn't let them have that but I need to get this done so I guess it's alright". . . yeah he snapped the arm off.
It looks like I am going to have to order some from Zenni Optical. They have prescription glasses for as cheap as $6.95! They are cute ones too! My good friend Amber told me about Zenni and I am absolutely in love.
It looks like I am going to have to order some from Zenni Optical. They have prescription glasses for as cheap as $6.95! They are cute ones too! My good friend Amber told me about Zenni and I am absolutely in love.
I think I want to get these for $9.95 --->
Monday, February 11, 2013
Going to Dinner--$50 a Month
So even on a tight budget, it is healthy to go on dates. My husband and I do fun activites and/or go out to dinner 4 times a month for less than $50.
This is how we do it:
CityDeals.com
City Deals is awesome because they have gift certificates available to buy for like 50% (give or take) off. So at the beginning of each month, I will order a few for dinner/activites that we can do for our dates.
For example, last week we went to Pizza Factory. Our bill with the gift certificate was only $8.
They have all sorts of rockin deals on their site. It is worth a peek for sure and their deals change all of the time.
This is how we do it:
CityDeals.com
City Deals is awesome because they have gift certificates available to buy for like 50% (give or take) off. So at the beginning of each month, I will order a few for dinner/activites that we can do for our dates.
For example, last week we went to Pizza Factory. Our bill with the gift certificate was only $8.
They have all sorts of rockin deals on their site. It is worth a peek for sure and their deals change all of the time.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Breakfast Casserole
I bet you are all wondering what we usually do for breakfast if we do not usually buy cold cereal. This recipe is one that I make often. It is cheap, so easy, extremely versatile, and you usually have everything already on hand. This recipe was given to me from my friend and wonderful cook, Dixie.
Breakfast Casserole
4-6 pieces of bread
2 cups cheese
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper
Tear bread into pieces and place in a greased 13X9 casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese on top of bread. Beat the eggs, milk, mustard, salt, and pepper together and pour over bread and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
*You can also add sausage, peppers, bacon, whatever you want to mix it up. (Sprinkle on with the cheese before adding the egg mixture.)
Breakfast Casserole
4-6 pieces of bread
2 cups cheese
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper
Tear bread into pieces and place in a greased 13X9 casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese on top of bread. Beat the eggs, milk, mustard, salt, and pepper together and pour over bread and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
*You can also add sausage, peppers, bacon, whatever you want to mix it up. (Sprinkle on with the cheese before adding the egg mixture.)
How to get More for your Money-- Everytime you Shop!
One day a couple years ago, I was looking at a price label on the shelf in a store. Then I saw a magical magical thing-- "price per ounce." When you compare the price per ounce, you can truly find the best value for almost every product. In some cases you may even notice that the off-brand is not the best deal, or maybe a different off-brand is a better deal. I use this trick for almost everything. For example. When I buy cereal (which is not very often), I do not choose any that are over $0.12 an ounce.
Using this trick will get you a lot more for your money. Does anyone else use this trick?
Using this trick will get you a lot more for your money. Does anyone else use this trick?
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Turn the Spender Into a Saver!
As a couple, we have the same goals, but we have still have a hard time finding the balance between spending and saving. I want to save every dime, (almost to a fault) and he wants to save a little, and have fun too. We decided we would budget $25 each for our own personal fun money. As he did not check our mint.com budget very regularly, we were finding he would go over his $25 very quickly. We tried to envelope system (where you put cash in evelopes for each category of your budget) but when the cash was gone the debit card would get pulled out. I kept trying to think of ideas to help him stay within our budget.
Finally, I was talking to my friend and she told me about a method that she and her husband use to keep their budget. In their marriage, she is the spender and he is the saver. They have 3 bank accounts. They have their joint bank account, and then each have their own personal bank accounts. Usually I am not a fan of married people having separate bank accounts but they only use it for their "fun money." They each have an allotted amount that is automatically transferred at the beginning of each month into their separate accounts. She spends her "allowance" each month until the card won't work anymore (kind of like a monthly gift card to herself) and he, being the saver, has a card that is loaded due to his lack of spending.
I thought this idea was absolutely BRILLIANT! We just need to get to the bank and get our accounts set up so we can try it out.
What do you think? Could this work in your marriage?
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Homemade Onion Soup Mix
This mix is so much cheaper to make than it is to buy. This recipe makes 1 packet. I bulked up the recipe and separated it into little baggies.
2 1/2 tbsp dried minced onion
4 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
2 1/2 tbsp dried minced onion
4 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
Apricot Chicken
My friends aunt used to make this Apricot Chicken recipe all of the time. It is so delicious, so simple, and affordable.
Ingredients:
4-6 cooked Chicken Breasts
8 oz Catalina Dressing
16 oz Apricot Jam
1 packet Dry Onion Soup Mix (for homemade recipe, click here)
Mix up the sauce and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.
Ingredients:
4-6 cooked Chicken Breasts
8 oz Catalina Dressing
16 oz Apricot Jam
1 packet Dry Onion Soup Mix (for homemade recipe, click here)
Mix up the sauce and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.
Where to Buy: Kids Clothes
1. Gordman's: This place has awesome clearance prices. We found my 14-month-old pajamas for $3 and an outfit for $5. If you get on their text list, they will send you 20-%30 additionally. Killer deal.
To see if they have a location in your area, click here.
2. Target: Sometimes Target will have pretty good clearance prices on their kids stuff. It is hit and miss though. When you do find a good deal on their clothes it is awesome because they are all super cute.
3. Kid-to-Kid: If you do not mind used clothes, Kid-to-Kid and other childrens thrift stores have some great finds. I believe most of these stores will also give you in-store credit for bringing in clothes your kids have outgrown.
4. thredUP.com: I haven't shopped with this company yet but it looks like a great idea if you are on your last child. You order a free bag from them, you fill it with clothes and send them back (free shipping), they pay you 20-40% for the clothes you send in. You also shop at their store for a discounted price.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
5 Dollar Remedies from Dr. Oz
I have to apologize. I know I have not blogged for a few days. Somehow I caught the flu over the weekend and have been stuck in bed. I have never had it before but man is it nasty. I am seriously considering getting a flu shot after this.
So I was watching Dr. Oz today (not a big fan but there was nothing else on) and he had a Dr. from Harvard Medical School come and share her home remedies for under $5. As I currently have illness on the brain, and this sounded budget friendly, I ran and grabbed a pencil and paper.
Here are the remedies:
Back Pain
Mix a few drops of peppermint oil with water in a small paper cup and freeze. Peel off the paper cup and apply to back. Massage.
Cold
Mix 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Drink. The apple cider vinegar with boost your immune system, the honey will coat your throat, and the cayenne pepper will break down the mucus.
Toothache
Apply ground cloves to the affected area
Bad Breath
Chew on some fresh parsely
Chapped Lips
Brush your lips with a soft toothbrush. Spread mixture of 1 tsp each of lemon juice, sugar, and honey onto lips. Wash or lick off and apply additional honey to seal in moisture. Who needs Burt's Bees? ;)
As soon as I purchase some honey, I am going to try the cold and chapped lip remedies.
So I was watching Dr. Oz today (not a big fan but there was nothing else on) and he had a Dr. from Harvard Medical School come and share her home remedies for under $5. As I currently have illness on the brain, and this sounded budget friendly, I ran and grabbed a pencil and paper.
Here are the remedies:
Back Pain
Mix a few drops of peppermint oil with water in a small paper cup and freeze. Peel off the paper cup and apply to back. Massage.
Cold
Mix 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Drink. The apple cider vinegar with boost your immune system, the honey will coat your throat, and the cayenne pepper will break down the mucus.
Toothache
Apply ground cloves to the affected area
Bad Breath
Chew on some fresh parsely
Chapped Lips
Brush your lips with a soft toothbrush. Spread mixture of 1 tsp each of lemon juice, sugar, and honey onto lips. Wash or lick off and apply additional honey to seal in moisture. Who needs Burt's Bees? ;)
As soon as I purchase some honey, I am going to try the cold and chapped lip remedies.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Perkstreet: A debit card with cash back
I am sure you Dave Ramsey fans out there have heard about Perkstreet. We opened our account a couple years ago and we have really enjoyed earning free money. We used our Perkstreet debit card for almost everything and earn 1 to 2% cash back. This account, combined with our Ally Bank account, has given us a 2% raise.
The great thing about Perkstreet is that it is not a credit card. There is no interest and no fees (as long as you are making purchases with it each month.) And who doesn't like free money? We love Perkstreet.
The great thing about Perkstreet is that it is not a credit card. There is no interest and no fees (as long as you are making purchases with it each month.) And who doesn't like free money? We love Perkstreet.
Night 5 Dinner (1/26-2/2)
Pizza Pizza
Night 5 was a pizza night. It was not what I had planned but I needed something quick and easy. I did not have tomato sauce so I decided to make some alfredo sauce. We topped my favorite pizza crust (recipe here) with alfredo sauce, cheddar jack cheese, pepperoni, and pizza seasoning. I think it was my favorite pizza I have ever made. You will have to try it out!
Here's the recipe for the easy Alfredo Sauce:
Alfredo Sauce
4 Tbsp. butter
4 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp Parmesan Cheese
dried parsley
Melt butter in saucepan. Stir flour into butter until you have a nice paste. Slowly stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir in garlic and salt and cook mone more minute. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese.
Night 5 was a pizza night. It was not what I had planned but I needed something quick and easy. I did not have tomato sauce so I decided to make some alfredo sauce. We topped my favorite pizza crust (recipe here) with alfredo sauce, cheddar jack cheese, pepperoni, and pizza seasoning. I think it was my favorite pizza I have ever made. You will have to try it out!
Here's the recipe for the easy Alfredo Sauce:
Alfredo Sauce
4 Tbsp. butter
4 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp Parmesan Cheese
dried parsley
Melt butter in saucepan. Stir flour into butter until you have a nice paste. Slowly stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir in garlic and salt and cook mone more minute. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese.
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