Family Recipe: Fruit Salad

The other day I was chatting online with a group of friends and I mentioned making fruit salad. One of my younger friends asked, “Can you send me the recipe for that?”

I’ve never really thought about writing a recipe for fruit salad, since I’ve been making it since I was a kid. It was always a staple at family dinners with my maternal grandparents. My Grandma was known to make a literal punchbowl of fruit salad for parties.

This recipe does not make a punchbowl full.  The nice thing about fruit salad is that you can put any kind of fruit into it, and if you don’t eat it all in one meal, it keeps in the fridge for a few days.

I change it up based on what comes in our CSA box each week, and based on which fruits are in season.

Grammie’s Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 Apples (any kind but red delicious, those are awful)
  • 2 oranges
  • 2 bananas (not overly ripe or they fall to mush)
  • 3 cups berries, your choice (I recommend 2/1 ratio, sliced strawberries and blueberries)
  • 1 ripe pineapple, cored and skinned. You can also use a can of pineapple tidbits in juice (juice drained off and fed to a kid) if fresh pineapple isn’t available.

Optional, but tasty when in season:

  • 1 cup fresh peaches, skin removed
  • 2 kiwis sliced, skin removed
  • 1 mango, peeled and removed from the pit/core

Note: I don’t like melon in my fruit salad. If you do, add 1-2 cups of your favorite melon (Cantaloupe or Honey Dew hold up well in a fruit salad).

Directions:

  1. Clean, Chop/slice all of your fruit (not needed for blueberries). I try to make each kind of fruit bite-sized, but a different shape. That way it makes for a nice presentation.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the fruit. If you omit the oranges, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and toss the fruit to coat. This keeps the apples from browning.
  3. Serve fruit salad cold as a side dish for any meal. If you like it spicy, serve it with Tajin on the side.
  4. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in a covered container.

Talk Back: What are your favorite fruits to include in Fruit Salad? 

Santee School District Spring Break Meal Distribution

Like many other school districts, Santee School district will be handing out free lunches and breakfasts over the spring break.

On March 22, 2021 and March 29, 2021 at the district kitchen (9880 Riverwalk Drive, Santee, CA 92071) from 11:30-12:30, food for each week will be distributed. Please remember to mask up! The menu is listed below.

If you live outside Santee and know about other school districts distributing lunches/meals, please leave information or a link in the comments! Sharing is caring!

3/14/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

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Our third CSA Box is being delivered tomorrow, and I know that we’ll have all sorts of tasty fruits and veggies to add to our meals this week. To learn more about Yasukochi Family Farms and our first box, click here. A lot of our meals this week are going to be veggie-heavy. We eat a lot of produce anyway, but now we’re eating more local produce! I’m going to try and get a batch of cookies made later in the week, or possibly over next weekend.

I visited the grocery store on Saturday morning when I went to get the last few ingredients for the big kids birthday cake. There are pictures of it on Instagram. We are pretty stocked up for the week, and possibly into next week, depending on how much milk and butter we demolish.

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: The little kiddo and I usually have something quick and filling (I’ve been prepping bean and rice bowls on Sundays for us to have during week) so we can get back to our adventures.  Big kid takes his lunch to school.

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: Chicken Chili, Salad, Roasted Veg
  • Monday: Salad, Nuggets, chips
  • Tuesday:  Ravioli/pasta (I’m not sure which yet) with sauce, Garlic Flatbread, Salad/Fruit
  • Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner: Pancakes, yogurt, fruit
  • Thursday: Chicken Tetrazzini, roasted broccoli, rolls
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Fiesta

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

Free Food Resources for March 2021 (San Diego County)

I’m sorry this is a little late coming for March. Fear not, you haven’t missed out! There are still many free Neighborhood Distributions for this month!

You can still find resources here for Central and East County, and Here for North County.

Neighborhood Distributions for March 2021:

These Distributions are primarily produce/fruits & veg, however, some locations may also distribute canned goods, dairy, and bread.

Super Pantry Locations can be found here (this listing is countywide).

If you have a child attending public school in San Diego County, check to see if your school distributes free lunches daily.

In Eastern San Diego County, Grossmont Union High School District schools are distributing lunches to kids ages 2-18, Monday through Friday at various times  (Check your closest school to find out exact times and locations within each school). They also do Pizza Fridays, where each kid receives a pizza, drink, salad, plus food to be eaten over the weekend. It is definitely more than enough food to keep kids fed over the weekend.

Forgive the blurriness of this picture, but Grossmont Union High School District will be giving out two family meals over their Spring Break. Monday, March 15, 2021 and Monday March 22, 2021. The offers vary by week, but it’s a great chance to pick up some extra food to feed the kiddos. Yes, I know it says March 2020, but it is for this year.

If you know of other resources, please leave a comment! And feel free to share this post with anyone you may know in need.

3/8/2021 Weekly Meal Plan!

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Our second CSA Box is being delivered today! To learn more about Yasukochi Family Farms and our first box, click here. A lot of our meals this week are going to be veggie-heavy. We eat a lot of produce anyway, but now we’re eating more local produce!

I hit up the grocery store over the weekend for some much-needed bread, milk, and butter. I’m waiting for the grocery ads to come out for this week to see if I can find some deals on chicken or beef. I really would like to make a meatloaf to have for lunch this week (and meatloaf sandwiches for another lunch).

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: The little kiddo and I usually have something quick and filling (I’ve been prepping bean and rice bowls on Sundays for us to have during week) so we can get back to our adventures.  Big kid takes his lunch to school.

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: Badas Burgers (it’s an amazing food truck that’s taken up residence across the street from our house- so dangerous!)
  • Monday: Salad, Nuggets, fries
  • Tuesday:  Entrees & Fruit Salad
  • Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner: Pancakes, Eggs (scrambled with veggies and cheese), fruit
  • Thursday: Skillet casserole, roasted veggies
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Fiesta

Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.

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

NEW on Dosh: Starbucks!

Woo Hoo! I received this offer in my inbox yesterday and I couldn’t wait to share it with you all!

Right now, Starbucks is on Dosh! Get 5% cash back every time you get your fave hot or cold drinks, food, coffee beans, merch, and more.

Pro Tip: You can also earn cash back when you use your Dosh-connected card in the Starbucks app. Thats a double dip: Earn Starbucks stars/points on purchases and earn Dosh Cash-back when you load your Starbucks app! Woo Hoo!

Offers on Dosh can vary by user, so you may have a slightly different offer or other offers.

New To Dosh? You can learn all about it here. You can earn cashback shopping in-store or online. I primarily earn cash back on Dosh these days from Office Depot, and Round table Pizza. We used our Dosh linked card to buy Big Kid a new bed last year and scored 2% cash back, in addition to other sales/deals. Dosh is a great app to double dip!

(The Dosh Link is my personal link, if you sign up and complete an offer, I may earn a small comission. This money helps me run the site and offer contests and giveaways. You can see my Disclosure  info here.)

3/5/2021 Friday Freebies and Deals!

bright boxes

We had sudden mid-week rain, and it was a great opportunity to stay indoors and get some cleaning done!

Do you have a birthday coming up? Check out my list of birthday freebies for 2021 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 Pennington Fertilizer
Free What Do You Meme? Family Game Night Party Pack
Free Alt National Park Service Clean Up Kit
T-Mobile Tuesdays – Free Stuff Every Week
Free JLab Wireless Earbuds at Micro Center Stores
Free 2021 Ruralite Wall Calendar
Free SMN Sampler Samples
Free AMET BioCore Self-Care Package for Those with Covid
Free Ruvi Boost
Free ASPCA Pet Safety Magnet & Window Decal
Free The Wind Stickers
Free Black Box Wines Magnet, Koozie & More
Possible Free $200 Skincare Research Study
Free New Orleans Saints Fan Pack
Free Sample of Derma E Scar Gel
Ulta – Free Mario Badescu Facial Spray for Your Birthday
Epic Games Class Action Settlement – Claim $50 or 13500 V-Bucks
Free Vaporizer or Humidifier
Free Bestway Slide into Spring Break Party Pack
Free Whamisa Deep Rich Toner
Free Subscription to Cosmopolitan Magazine
Free 2-Pack of Vont Blaze Tactical LED Flashlights
Free Beast Men’s Personal Care Products
Free Samples of Mane n’ Tail Haircare
Free Sample of My Eye Cream
Free Coffee Wednesdays at Dunkin
Free Subscription to Whisky Advocate Magazine
Free Acana Pet Food
Free Subscription to ELLE Magazine
Possible Free Box of Cookies + $20 Amazon Gift Card
Free ZenWise Products
Possible Free $100 Streaming Services Research Study
Free Project Purple Face Mas
Possible Free PlantFusion Complete Plant Collagen Builder
Lane Bryant Covert Client Program – Free Clothes, Points & More
Panera Members – Free Bagel Everyday in March
Possible Free $125 Pregnant Women Research Study
Free Sample of Estee Lauder Futurista Foundation
Free Facial Exfoliator

Deals:

Castle Magnetic Blocks 40-Piece ONLY $24.99 (Reg. $60)
Krazy Glue Super Glue 2-Pack ONLY $1.77 (Reg. $4)
Where the Wild Things Are ONLY $5.00 on Amazon
New ShopDisney 50% Off Clearance Sale
LEGO Friends Andrea’s Bunny Cube ONLY $9.99
Bella Egg Cooker ONLY $7.99 at Best Buy (Reg $15)
Criss Cross Ankle Buckle Sandals ONLY $17.99 Shipped (Reg $25)
Pink Crystal Pendant & Necklace ONLY $1.45 Shipped
MUK LUKS Nerissa Sandals ONLY $12.99 (Reg. $39)
Coleman Gas Camping Stove ONLY $43.88 (Reg $80)
Fruit of the Loom Men’s Tanks 5-Pack ONLY $9.39 (Reg $16)
KitchenAid Odor Removal Bar ONLY $6.99 (Reg $11)
Keurig K-Classic K50 ONLY $69.99 Shipped (Reg $120)
Seamless Spandex Shorts $6.99 Shipped (Reg $16)
Women’s Mid-Rise Leggings ONLY $6.50 at Old Navy (Reg $13)
Bentgo Kids Brights Lunch Box ONLY $19.99 (Reg $40)

1,000 pts & Snack Recipes From Chex on Fetch Rewards!

Elevate your snack game with Chex Cereal and 1,000 points

 

Whether you’re a fan of savory, sweet, or little-bit-spicy snacks, there’s a Chex mix recipe that is sure to win you over.

But before you mix up a batch of Muddy Buddies, Cheesy Ranch Mix or another tasty Chex recipe, be sure to check out this Special Offer from Fetch Rewards. Earn 1,000 points when you pick up two boxes of any type of Chex Cereal. That sounds pretty sweet… or savory.

And if you are new to Fetch Rewards, check out my post here. Use my code ND2TB when you sign up and you’ll score Bonus Points (through 3/5/2021, you’ll earn 2000 points!)

 

3 Months of Free Coffee with MyPanera+ Coffee Subscription!

If you live or work near a Panera, this deal is pretty sweet!

If you redeem your MyPanera+ Coffee subscription daily during your monthly subscription, that works out to about 30¢ per day. Subscribe now and get your first 3 months free. After that, it’s just $8.99/month (plus tax).

Any Size, Any Flavor-Includes unlimited hot coffee, iced coffee, and hot tea.

Get any size, any flavor once up to every 2 hours, with unlimited refills while you’re in the cafe. That means plenty of coffee to pair with your favorite bagel, breakfast sandwich, or sweet treat. YUM!

Fine Print: *For new subscribers and resubscribers that sign up for a MyPanera+ Coffee subscription between 12/10 through 3/31/2021, you will receive three (3) free months of coffee subscription. Must be a MyPanera member and at least 18 years of age or older to register. Registration available online only including Kiosk. You may cancel at any time. If you do not cancel either before your renewal date or after the expiration of any free trial offer, your credit card will automatically be charged $8.99 plus tax for the monthly subscription and will be charged on a recurring monthly basis every thirty (30) days thereafter until you cancel your subscription. To cancel your subscription online, visit the Subscription section at www.panerabread.com/MyPaneraCoffee or on the Panera Bread app. Subscription limited to hot coffee, hot tea and iced coffee once every two hours plus unlimited refills. Excludes iced tea and cold brew iced coffee and espresso and cappuccino beverages. Customizations including but not limited to added Espresso and added Syrups (Vanilla and Caramel) are not included in the Coffee Subscription monthly price. Upcharges apply. Other additions such as Milk, Skim Milk, Almond Milk, Half & Half, Sweeteners are included in the monthly subscription price. Subscription program registration and redemption available at participating U.S. bakery-cafes only. Excludes third party delivery and catering orders. One subscription per person. Visit here for complete Terms and Conditions. No cash back unless required by law. Not valid with any other coupon or offer. Offer may expire without notice due to error, fraud or other unforeseen circumstances. ©2020 Panera Bread. All Rights Reserved.

March 2021: New Month, New Coupons!

file000786402730Here is your monthly reminder!  A new month means new printable and electronic coupons!

Check out the following sites:

One of my favorite websites is the Sunday Coupon Review.  It helps me plot out scenarios in advance and I can email friends to ask for coupons in advance. Remember if clipping coupons isn’t your thing, but saving money is, check out my list of Smartphone apps that can save you the big bucks! New offers are added on the Smartphone Savings Apps all the time!

March is here and that means Easter candy will be on sale, as well as all the fixins for Easter Dinner. Also, March is National Crafting month, so keep your eyes open for sales at local craft stores and on Craftsy.  For a complete list of types of foods and items that will be on sale, check out this post on the cycle of sales.