food

Organic Shoppers Rejoice! BerryCart is here to help you Save!

Abby H.

You may have seen my post on Smartphone Apps mention BerryCart, but I haven’t posted about it specifically, so, let’s dive in and I’ll fill you in on all the deets.

berrycart-logo-300x73.pngFor those of us who are Organic/Healthy Shoppers, a lot of the shopping apps can be a bummer because there are not a lot of choices.

BerryCart to the rescue! With BerryCart, you can find Cashback deals on the best Organic, Gluten-Free, non-GMO, Vegan foods and more.

What I really like is that you can combine BerryCart savings with other savings apps (like Ibotta, Checkout51, and Fetch Rewards) to double and triple dip! BerryCart can be used at any store that sells the items in your BerryCart list!

You can also use coupons and other savings (like your Target RedCard to save an extra 5%) to bring down your out of pocket costs!

What I love about Berrycart is that a lot of these brands are carried at stores that don’t accept coupons like Grocery Outlet and 99 Cents Only.

Examples of items I have seen for sale at our local Grocery Outlet in the past week:

BerryCart is a game-changer for those of us who want to eat better, but have a budget.

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All Cashback rebates are redeemed through the BerryCart iPhone or Android apps. To get started, click here to check out the website and download the app.

Stockpile Cooking: Yummy Strudel Pumpkin Muffins

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2019-09-15 at 7.35.48 PM.pngAs part of my “use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without” mantra, I’m trying to bake more out of the cupboard. It helps us use up what we’ve got on-hand, and it’s also a lot healthier than buying store-bought muffins.

While I was digging in the very back of the cupboard, I found

These muffins were amazing. The recipes makes 1 mini muffin pan (24 mini muffins), or regular sized muffins.

 

Low Fat Pumpkin Muffins

  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour (you can also use whole wheat flour, or a 1 for 1 gluten-free flour blend if you prefer)
  • 1/4 cup flax meal (You could also use almond meal if you prefer)
  • 1 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
  • 1 can canned pumpkin puree (approx. 30-ish ounces)
  • 3/4 cups light brown sugar
  • 3 oz. container of fat-free Greek vanilla yogurt (or use 3oz. of fat-free plain Greek yogurt and 1 T. vanilla extract)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup milk (whatever kind you like)

DSC00551.jpgStrudel topping

  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room temperature butter
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 c. oatmeal
  • 1/4 cup Flour (you can also use whole wheat flour, or a 1 for 1 gluten-free flour blend if you prefer)
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon ground ginger

Directions:

Muffins-

  1. Mix dry ingredients together, set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine all the wet ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth and combined.
  3. Add dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredient mixture and mix until smooth and combined.
  4. Pour batter into greased muffin tins (or use cupcake liners).

Strudel-

  1. Mix all strudel ingredients together in a small bowl.
  2. Option one: Spoon about a tablespoon of the strudel onto the uncooked muffins right before putting to the oven.
  3. Option two: Fill the muffin tins halfway with muffin batter, drop in the strudel mix, and top with more muffin batter to make strudel surprise muffins.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

 

 

 

9/16/19 Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

stemarie_1650skitchen

I just finished shopping for the week, and Boy do I have some awesome meals planned!

This week I’ll be making another big batch of fruit salad! It was a very popular addition to our meals last week. 

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, so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

You may notice a lot of plant-based meals- We are not vegetarian, but I am trying to get more veggies into our diet. I do a lot of cooking from scratch- I find it easier to get veggies and fruit into recipes that I can have 100% control over.

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

Breakfast: Coffee with heavy cream for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids (they love the Kodiak Cakes Mix).  I also keep sandwich Ziploc bags of other frozen fruit on hand to make the kids smoothies when they request them (a few times per week). Berries, peaches, and mangos are pretty popular.

Lunches are leftovers, salads, or soups for me and Bitty. The big kid takes his lunch to school, but once in a while, I can convince him to buy his lunch.

For dinner, when we’ve got busy days (like Mondays), I’ll try and put something in the crockpot (I am picking up my new crockpot this week) in the morning, or pull something I’ve already prepped out that can be quickly cooked.

  • Monday: homemade breakfast sandwiches ( Bagels with sunny side up eggs, cheese, and sausage patties), fruit salad
  • Tuesday:  Cheese and tomato tortellini with pesto sauce, steamed broccoli,  cheese toast
  • Wednesday: Sea Salt & Olive Oil Seasoned Chicken Breasts, cheesy herb cauli-rice
  • Thursday: Homemade Pasta sauce, zucchini “noodles”
  • Friday:  Grilled Cheese sandwiches and soup
  • Saturday: Pizza Night
  • Sunday: Leftover night

 

Talk Back: What are you planning to cook this week?

9/16/19- Free Guacamole Day!

Abby H.

Thanks Rubios!Screen Shot 2019-09-13 at 10.55.10 PM.png

To take advantage of this deal, show or print the coupon here. This would make a great snack with a beer or fresh lemonade.

Easy Jam Recipe: No Canning Needed!

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2019-09-12 at 10.53.44 PM.pngOn Wednesday, I found myself with a bunch of very ripe berries.

2 cups of strawberries

2 cups of blackberries

1 cup of raspberries

1/2 cup of blueberries

Ok, so that’s a weird amount of berries, and seeing as how there were dead ripe, the only thing I could do besides freeze them is to cook them up and make jam!

Making “freezer jam” as it’s usually known is pretty easy. No pectin needed, no jars, no canning. It’s dead simple.

Ready?

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Ingredients

Equal parts chopped ripe fruit and white sugar (or you can use Splenda for baking)

Directions

  1. In a large pot (like this one) coot fruit over medium/low heat, stirring frequently, until the fruit breaks down, about 20-ish minutes
  2. Add sugar/sweetener, and stir until it has melted and the mixture is glossy and thick.
  3. Pour into a refrigerator safe container with a lid. Once the mixture is room temp, store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
  4. Spread the jam on anything!
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After it cooked down, it made about 2 1/2 cups of jam

And for those who are wondering, this is easy enough that kids can help make this, but I don’t recommend that kids do it alone. Molten fruit and sugar can cause a very painful burn on the skin.

Restaurant.com- $2 for $25 Certificates!

Abby H.

Screen Shot 2019-09-10 at 6.46.40 PM.pngNow through tomorrow score a $25 restaurant.com for just $2.00 when you use coupon code TWO at Checkout. Not familiar with how restaurant.com works? Check out my post here.

 

 

*Terms: The majority of Restaurant.com-Specific Certificates are available for the advertised price. In some instances, prices may be higher. Restaurant.com Cards are separately priced. Limit of one (1) certificate per visit to a restaurant. Minimum spend requirements and other restrictions on the Restaurant-specific certificates vary and are subject to change. This promotion does not apply to previously placed orders, and cannot be combined with other promotions or offers, and does not apply to Restaurant.com Card purchases. Purchase or redemption of this offer requires that you agree to all the terms and conditions found at www.restaurant.com. Registration, including valid email address, is required for purchase. When redeeming a Restaurant.com Card, these savings cannot be applied. Offer valid from Tuesday, September 10, 2019 at 1:00AM PST thru Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at 11:59PM PST.

Quick, Tasty Recipe: Berries Romanoff

Abby H.

Berries 2.jpgI was thinking of a way to use the berries we have on hand, and this recipe came to mind!

My friend Ana brought Berries Romanoff over for dessert the last time we had a potluck, and it’s now become a staple in our house. This is a variation on the original recipe, which calls for orange zest and Grand Marnier liqueur. This version is much more kid-friendly.

This is a quick, easy dessert that even kids love.

Ingredients:

  • 6 Cups berries- Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, boysenberries, mulberries, and pitted halved cherries are all good choices.
  • 1 cup  thawed Cool Whip (or make whipped cream from scratch if you feel motivated)
  • 1/2 cup  Sour Cream
  • 1 T. orange juice
  • 1 tsp. brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 tsp. orange zest

Directions:

  1. Divide the berries into 6 dessert bowls, set aside.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.
  3. Spoon mixture over the top of the berries and serve.

The mixture keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days, but once you taste it, you won’t be able to stop eating it.  It’s really good.

 

Family Favorite Recipe: Mountain Man Breakfast Casserole

Abby H.

daddfe86a40aeab53d4014a6760a317e.jpg

This is a great old Boy Scout/backpacking recipe. We eat it when we go camping, cooked in a dutch oven. You can cook it at home in a baking dish in the oven if you aren’t out cooking in a field.

Screen Shot 2019-09-05 at 4.38.58 PM.pngIngredients

  • 1 bag O’Brien Potatoes, approx 28 ounces- defrosted
  • 1 dozen eggs
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage (like Jimmy Dean) cooked, crumbled and patted to absorb the excess oil
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese, divided
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Sour Cream and Salsa (for a topping)

Directions

  1. Mix the sausage,  1 cup of  the cheese, and potatoes in a bowl
  2. Pour sausage/egg/cheese mixture into a 9×11 baking dish
  3. Scramble eggs and milk and pour over sausage/egg/cheese mixture
  4. Top the dish with the remaining 1 c. cheese.
  5. Bake at 350 for 20-35 minutes until the eggs have set and the dish is brown, bubbly and delicious.
  6. Serve with Sour Cream and Salsa.
  7. Serves 8-10 at home 4-6 when camping (fresh air makes you hungry).

If you have any leftovers, it’s great in a warmed tortilla the next morning as a burrito! I’ve also been informed that this is really good with avocado slices on top.

 

Modifications for special dietary concerns:

  • You can make this vegetarian by using soy sausage crumbles.
  • This recipe is naturally gluten-free.
  • This recipe cannot be made vegan.

Celebrate 9/9 Day all week with 99 Cents Only!

Abby H.

September 9th is coming. For most of us, that’s not a big deal, but for 99 Cents Only, it’s HUGE!

Every year they celebrate 9/9 day with a week of great deals! Starting on Monday, September 9th, 99 Cents Only has awesome deals each day for nine days- In addition to their daily deals and bargains.

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  • Monday 9/9* Only 6ft Stuffed Bear $19.99 (limit 1 per household) and 3 lbs. of Chaquita Bananas for .99!
  • Tuesday 9/10* Only Assorted Name Brand Skin & Hair Care 12 – 24 oz (limit 4 per household) for .99 each!
  • Wednesday 9/11* Only 18 Count Large Grade AA Eggs (limit 2 per household) for .99 each!
  • Thursday 9/12* Only 24 Pack Niagara Water (limit 4 cases per household) for $1.99 each!
  • Friday 9/13* Only Tide Simply Clean & Fresh 100 fl oz liq. (limit 1 per household) $2.99! This is a great deal- It’s usually about $5-6/bottle at Wal-mart/Target
  • Saturday 9/14* Only Light Up Razor Scooter (limit 1 per household) $4.99 each, and 3 pairs of flip flops .99!
  • Sunday 9/15* Only Assorted Premium Pet Beds up to 22 x 24 inches (limit 1 per household) $2.99
  • Monday 9/16* Only Pikmi Pops Surprise! (limit 2 per household).99 each
  • Tuesday 9/17* Only Bathrobes, Throw Blankets (limit 4 per household) .99 each

Some of these deals would be great for stocking stuffers or little surprises. I won’t be there every day, but I’ll definately be there a couple times to stock up on Tuesday 9/10/19 and 9/11/19!

 

Talk Back: What deals are you excited for?

Score $5 or $10 from Checkout 51!

Abby H.

unnamed.pngCheckout 51 is a savings program that’s so easy to use, and no Smartphone is needed! It’s an app on your iPhone or Android phone, or you use your computer. Just purchased specific products (and these products change each Thursday, so make sure you check out the app/website before heading out to shop), scan and upload your receipts weekly. Checkout 51 is NOT store specific!

I’ve been using it for years, and I love that I’m able to save money when I shop at Grocery Outlet and 99 Cents Only- Two of my favorite stores that don’t accept coupons.

unnamed.jpgI also like that they frequently have bonuses- right now when you buy any 4 Colgate or Tom’s products, you’ll earn $5 Cash Back. And this is in addition to the individual rebates for Colgate & Tom’s product that are available!

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Right now, Checkout 51 has an awesome referral bonus!

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Invite a friend to join Checkout 51 and earn $10* once they become a saver.

Offers on Checkout 51 change weekly, so I recommend that you download and start saving!

 

*Disclosure* Most of those links are my personal links, so if you sign up I earn a few cents. When you sign up, you can share your links too and earn a little bit of green!