Recipe: Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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The kids have been begging for homemade cookies lately, and I’ve been busy with other stuff, so I haven’t had tons of time to make cookies.

I dug through the cupboard last week and realized that I had all of the ingredients except baking soda. I used the last half box I had to deodorize the kids bathroom.

So I turned to an old favorite, Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Flapjack & Waffle Mix. and because of the other ingredients, I used a smidge of baking powder (please remember that soda and powder are not interchangeable in recipes- it has a lot to do with the other ingredients and their pH/chemical makeup) and the cookies turned out perfect!

Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Flapjack & Waffle Mix contains leavening, so the added baking powder was just a little *bump* to make sure the cookies didn’t come out flat.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

  • One stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth preferred
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup white/granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Flapjack & Waffle Mix
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups quick oats, uncooked
  • 2 cups of chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and peanut butter.
  3. Add sugars one at a time and mix until fluffy.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated fully.
  5. Mix in baking powder, salt, flour, and oats. Once all are blended into the dough, add chocolate chips.
  6. Drop tablespoon-sized dough balls on cookie sheets that have been greased or are lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking pad.  I prefer silicone baking pads.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Let cookies rest 1-2 minutes before transferring to the cooling rack.

This recipe makes approx. 3 dozen cookies. If you are allergic to peanuts, you can substitute sunbutter or your favorite nut butter. Do Not use Nutella- It contains a lot of sugar and other ingredients that will throw off the chemistry of the recipe and you won’t get yummy cookies.

Review of Everything’s a Deal (2 Locations in San Diego)

If you’re like me, you’ve been socially isolated/staying home for the better part of a year, wearing the same clothes, and it’s getting a little repetitive.

But at the same time, you don’t want to go to the mall. And as much fun as shopping on Amazon is, it’s hard to buy clothes on Amazon sometimes.

Last week, after I dropped the kids off at school and ran a couple errands, I found myself in South Bay. I remember that there used to be a discount/mark-down clothing store off of Palomar Road and interstate five, so I decided to drive down and see if it was still there. It is! And it’s even better than I remembered. It’s called Everything’s A Deal (it used to be Everything’s $5.00) and they’ve changed their store again.

The address is: 1141 Bay Blvd, Chula Vista, CA 91911

In a true wholesale try store the more you buy the cheaper the price per item becomes. If you buy between five and 10 items it’s $27.50+ tax for all 5 to 9 items. And the prices go down from there. Unlike a lot of discount clothing stores (I’m looking at a Ross) it’s not mostly trash/fast fashion/awful sweatshop crap.

Originally $44, marked down to $5.99!
I love this brand! They make such cozy sweaters and jackets. Originally sold at Nordstrom’s Rack.

Everything’s A Deal buys lots from well-known retailers (Sears, JCPenney, Nordstrom‘s Rack, or fifth Avenue, just to name a few) and they have a large warehouse-style store where everything is separated by size. All the plus sizes are together, all the small, medium, large, etc.

The nice thing is that the sale prices are for everything. Shoes, accessories, purses, close. They have kids’ clothes in men’s clothes too. So conceivably you could read your entire family there and some really cute outfits and not break the bank. Everything is new with tags. I bought five items and spent $29.99 after tax out the door. I got a jacket, address, two new T-shirts, and a really cute vest that I’m going to tie-dye.

All five items are name brand, and the jacket is a brand that is sold at Nordstrom rack. I googled the RN number and discovered that the original price of my brand new coat was $89.99. My two shirts had the tags still attached, my vest is from a brand I remember seeing at Macy’s, and my new dress, which is adorable, is from a brand that target sells.

Super Cute Sweater from A.N.A. a JCPenney Brand
This sweater, originally from JCPenney started out life at $47, and is now $5.00! Such an amazing deal!

There’s another location on Broadway in Lemon Grove (7696 Broadway Lemon Grove, CA) if South Bay is too far of a jog for you. Honestly, the stores are a great help for us, they help me stretch our clothing budget for new items. I’m able to afford better quality items for the same price that I would be paying at Walmart. And because the clothing swaps are going to be not happening for probably the next year or two, we won’t be able to pick up hand-me-downs or other secondhand clothing and household goods.

Clothing swaps are one of the ways that we are able to save a lot of money and keep the kids’ clothes. The kids are starting to grow out of the clothing that they have been wearing, and because there’s been no clothing swap this year, I don’t have clothing in the next size ready. I am going to have to purchase clothes.

I have been doing buying clothes and replacing our wardrobes little by little when I find stuff on sale and clearance that kids and I will like. This is mostly through jcp.com because they have such great sales and coupons. And I can combine those with cashback deals from online aggregators like top cashback, MyPoints, and Honey.

Q-insights Kitchen Appliances (Pays $75)

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Q-insights is another company that I do research groups, focus groups, and online surveys to earn extra money.

They have a lot of stuff in South Orange County, and less often San Diego County. These days they are doing most of their studies online via chat or online surveys.

Right now Q-Insights is currently recruiting for an online focus group on the topic of Kitchen Appliances.

The study will run May 3rd to May 4th  and you will be compensated $75 as a thank you for your time.

Please note that this study will require a pre homework assignment

If you are interested, please fill out the pre-screener questionnaire here. 

4/26/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

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The CSA emails us in advance to give us a heads up as to what may be in our boxes each week, and that really gives me an upper hand when it comes to meal planning for the week.

Veggies and fruit are delivered each Monday by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $25, it’s a great deal. I don’t have to pick anything, go to the store, or carry it upstairs. I can’t go to the store and get the same amount we get weekly for $25. Seriously. It’s a deal. I spend about an hour on Monday afternoon cleaning and prepping veggies for the rest of the week.

Over the weekend, I did some meal prep: I made a batch of potato cheese soup on Saturday evening, and yesterday I cooked rice, made a big salad, cooked marinated chicken thighs, and refilled the snack/school lunch box to make morning lunch prep even easier.

I’m planning on making a couple batches of soup today or tomorrow. I’ll freeze half, and the other half will go into the fridge for my lunch throughout the week. Broccoli Cheese Soup and Copycat Zuppa Toscana are planned (most of the ingredients will be coming in the CSA box today).

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids.  The kids are nuts about pancakes. The Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Lunch: Kids take lunch to school. I eat leftovers. Everyone rejoices.

Dinner: Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday: Leftovers and roasted veggies (it was Brussels Sprouts and onions with bacon)
  • Monday:  Chef Salad, Grilled Croissants (halved, buttered and cooked on the flat top), smoothies
  • Tuesday:   Steak, Potatoes, Fruit, Roasted Veggies (probably broccoli)
  • Wednesday:  Nugget night (nuggets, fruit, crackers, milk)
  • Thursday: Dream Dinners and Roasted Veg
  • Friday:  Pizza/Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Meal o’ Snacks and /or leftovers

Please stay safe you guys!

Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?

Want 4,000 easy points? Refer friends to Fetch Rewards!

It’s back!

There are thousands of referral bonus points just waiting to be claimed. If you want some, simply tell all your friends about Fetch. Through 4/26/2021, you’ll get 4,000 points for anyone who signs up using your code.

There’s no limit to the Rewards you can earn, so tell everyone. It’s super easy, and each friend who signs up gets 2,000 points.

Referring friends is easy. Step one: share your referral code with friends. Step two: friends enter your code and snap a receipt. Step three: points are deposited into your account.

Let’s get started! If you are new to Fetch Rewards, you can learn more here. When you sign up, use my referral code ND2TB and share the love (and referral points!).

When you sign up, leave your referral code in the comments!

In order for you to qualify for the increased referral bonus, your friends must enter your referral code and complete a valid receipt now through 11:59 PM PT on 04/26/2021. After 11:59 PM PT on 04/26/2021, the referral bonus will expire.

4/23/2021 Friday Freebies and Deals!

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I’ve been hunting freebies and deals all week! Earth Day was this week and there were a few freebies to take advantage of. You can check out my Earth Day post here.

A new year means new birthday freebies. I put together a list for 2021. Check it out here.

Most of these freebies and deals are online. I am not encouraging anyone to go into stores or go out into public. Mask up, wash your paws, stay socially distanced!

Freebies:

Free Kids Firetruck Foldup Activity Sheet
Target Baby Registry – Free Welcome Kit In-Stores
Free Subscription to Esquire Magazine
Free Subscription to Cosmopolitan Magazine
Free Tree Seedlings from Arm & Hammer
Free WHOLLY Diced Avocado Package
Free PYT Beauty Cruelty-Free Liquid Lip Gloss
Free PYT Beauty Cruelty-Free Face Primer
Free Pretzel at Auntie Anne’s
Free American Spirit Cigarette Butt Pouches & Gift
Free Mixed Waterproof Stickers Pack
Free Subscription to Runner’s World Magazine
Free Bottle of Frunutta Vitamin C
Free 8×10 Inspirational Quote Print
Free Rowan University T-Shirt
10 Free Promise Cards
Free Sample of Impossible Foods Products
Free CBDa Muscle & Joint Relief Cream Sample
Free Babybel Plus+ at Walmart
Free Ice-Cream, Music Vouchers, SLINKY Shoes & More
Free Medium Hot or Iced Coffee at Circle K
Free Flow Alkaline Flavored Spring Water at Select Stores

Deals:

Cravings: Hungry for More a Cookbook Hardcover $11.07 (Reg. $30)
Little Blue Truck Leads the Way Board Book $4.44 (Reg. $9)
Coach Pebble Leather Wristlet ONLY $39.20 (Reg. $98)
Allure Beauty Box ONLY $23 ($235 Value) + New Mother’s Day Offer
Coach Gifts for Mom from $25 + Free Shipping
Versace Men’s Mini Cologne on Sale for ONLY $7.71 Free Shipping
Weather Radio 2-Pack ONLY $34.99 (Reg $50)
Gorilla Grip Cutting Boards 3-Pack ONLY $14.99 (Reg $40)
Small And Mini Boxy Cosmetic Case Set ONLY $52.50 (Reg $150)
White Sapphire Pendant Necklace ONLY $10 (Reg $50)
Made By Me Window Art ONLY $9.22 (Reg. $19)
Burberry Perfume ONLY $27.99 (Reg $94)
Llama Llama’s Little Library ONLY $13.49 (Reg. $24)

4/22/2021 New Deals from Checkout 51!

unnamedCheckout 51 is one of my favorite cashback shopping apps! Most of the deals/cashback rebates are not store specific, so I can save at stores that don’t accept coupons, like Grocery Outlet and 99 Cents Only.  You can also stack with store sales and discounts.

Here are just a few of the offers for this week!

And in addition to sweet deals on groceries, you can also save on gas at select stations. Information and specific participating stations can be found in their app.

To learn more about all of the Cashback apps I use, click here.

Earn Rewards and Cash Back with P&G Good Everyday Rewards

I just learned about P&G Good Everyday Rewards– It’s a pretty great way to save on products you love, help others, and earn cashback!

P&G Good Everyday is a Rewards Program for your favorite brands, like Tide, Crest, Dawn Bounty, and 60 more.  Earn up to $150 + in Rewards annually for Brands you already use and love.  Enter for chances to win Free P&G Products.  And, P&G Donates to Charity on your behalf.  More participation = More Rewards and More Donations.

To learn more, click here.

 

 

 

Q-insights Online Focus Group Pays $175 (Cell Phone Carrier)

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Q-insights is another company that I do research groups, focus groups, and online surveys to earn extra money.

They have a lot of stuff in South Orange County, and less often San Diego County. These days they are doing most of their studies online via chat or online surveys.

Right now Q-Insights is currently recruiting for an online focus group on the topic of cell phone carriers.

For this study, they are looking for males and females ages 18-85 to participate in an online webcam focus group on May 4th or 5th regarding cell phone carriers.

Sessions are 90 minutes long and will pay $125 plus an additional $50 for completing a homework assignment before the group.

If you are interested, please fill out the pre-screener questionnaire here. 

2021- It’s Earth Day, Y’all!

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Once again, there are not too many freebies for Earth Day. Between the pandemic and stores not being open or making a lot of money, there are barely any freebies. I’m not posting deals for Earth Day, because really, do we need to go out and shop?

While the free day to visit the National Parks has passed for earth Day/National Parks Week, don’t fret. There are several other days as well. You can find the complete list here. The only National Park in San Diego is Cabrillo Monument on Point Loma. If you have a 4th grader in your home (We do!!), Check out Every Kid Outdoors. It’s a free program for 4th graders and their families to visit National Parks for free through August 2021!

The next Freebie isn’t super fun, but it might be needed. We’ve been doing a lot of deep purging and cleaning the past year, and I’ve got a bunch of papers that need to be shredded (oh hi 20-year-old tax paperwork!). Check out your local Office Max/Office Depot- Armed with this coupon (Scroll to the bottom of the page)  you can score up to 5 lbs of shredding for FREE!! This deal is valid through 4/24/2021.

And perhaps my favorite freebie this April: if you live in Southern California and have utilities with SDG&E, PG&E, or SoCal Edison, you can join OhmConnect for free and start conserving electricity and earning money (as well as saving on your utility bills). And through the end of April, when you sign up and connect your utility account (it literally takes 5 minutes), You’ll earn $25 straightaway! You can learn all about OhmConnect here. We’ve been using it for 5+ years, and have saved hundreds on our SDG&E bill, and earned almost $1000 from OhmConnect.

And once again, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…

Despite what you read online there are NO Origin Freebies, Disney Store Freebies, Free milkshakes on the west coast, Mac Freebies, Sephora Freebies, Ice Cream Freebies, or free coffee from Starbucks. 

So, that’s it. I know, it’s kinda depressing, but I’ll be on the hunt for freebies for you this week, and I’ll report back on Friday morning.