February 2022: New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!

Abby H.

 If you are into Organic/Natural/Healthy products, then Social Nature is right up your alley. Sign up and apply to sample products that you are interested in. I get probably 1-2 products to sample each month. And most of the time it’s full-size products, not just a tiny sample.

Social Nature has rounded up products that are available to try at a local grocery store or mass merchandiser near you.  Apply to Try the products that interest you to see if you’re a match here.

Here are some of the new sampling opportunities:

  • Primal Kitchen Mayo
  • Primal Kitchen Dips
  • Primal Kitchen Plant Based Queso
  • Brainiac Kids Applesauce
  • Ocean’s Halo Seaweed Snacks
  • Parmesan Crisps by Joyfull Bakery
  • Maxine’s Heavenly Soft Bakes Cookies
  • Seal the Seasons Frozen Fruit
  • Hand-Crafted West African Bowls by AYO Foods

And one of the things I love about Social Nature is that they don’t leave our friends with food allergies out.

There are sampling offers for Gluten-free, nut-free, meat-free foods frequently.

Canadian Friends- You are in luck, there are sampling opportunities for you too! So if you love trying new products, check out Social Nature!

Family Recipe: Bread Bowl Cheese Dip

Abby H.

This recipe is perfect for potlucks, parties, basically any time you want to eat cheesy dip from a bread boule.

It’s been in the family for years. At least 25.

 

It is not healthy. It is not low sodium. This is a sometimes food for sure.

Bread Bowl

Serves 10-12 as an appetizer

Ingredients:

  • 1 15 oz jar Cheese Whiz (It has to be cheez whiz)
  • 10 slices Hormel Dried Beef
  • 1 bunch green onions
  • 1 brick cream cheese
  • 8 oz sour cream
  • 1 bread boule (I like sourdough, but whatever you enjoy)

Directions:

  1. To prepare the bread bowl, cut a shallow square at the top of the bread. Pull it off in one piece, reserve. Pull out the soft interior of the bread until there is a decent-sized cavity. Tear the “guts” of the bread that you pulled out into bite-size pieces. Do the same with the under/soft side of the square piece that was cut off. This is now the “lid” to the bowl.
  2. On a foil-lined baking tray, scatter your little bread “guts”. these will be heated up and used to scoop the dip up.
  3. Rinse the dried beef very well. It is very salty. Once it has been rinsed and patted dry (I use a paper towel), cut into bite-sized pieces. I prefer mine to be smaller than a penny.
  4. Rinse the green onions and slice. I usually use the bottom 1/4-1/2 of each, discarding the very white end part with the roots (ick).
  5. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, cheez whiz. Fold in the dried beef and green onions.
  6. Pour mixture into the bread bowl cavity, top with the bread lid. Wrap in tin foil, place on a baking tray, and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.
  7. After the initial baking time, unwrap, remove the lid of the bowl and bake for another 15 minutes.
  8. During the last 5 minutes of baking, place the tray of small torn bread pieces in the oven to crisp up.
  9. Serve bread bowl HOT with torn bread pieces, crackers, cocktail bread, crudities, whatever appeals to you.

For my family, the best part is tearing off pieces of the bowl to eat once most of the interior dip has been eaten.

Bread Bowl makes a great dish for THE BIG GAME, which is this coming Sunday.

AO Opinions: Upcoming Teen Project $250!

Abby H.

AO Opinions is another Market Research company that I get information from. Right now they are recruiting for an upcoming research study on the misc. topics for teens.

  • To be considered, complete the pre-screener survey here.
  • Compensation: $250 (if chosen)
  • Open to: 13-17 Year Olds: * PARENT TO COMPLETE FORM *
  • PART 1: Monday, February 14, 2022 – Sunday, February 20, 2022 – 5 ACTIVITIES TO COMPLETE OVER 7 DAYS, 3 HRS TIME COMMITMENT ($250, if chosen)PART 2: FOLLOW-UP WEB INTERVIEWS (1 HOUR) Monday, February 28, 2022 – Friday, March 4, 2022 (MUST BE AVAILABLE IF CHOSEN, $100)

Fetch Rewards: Earn Extra Points stocking up for the Big Game!

Abby H.

Fetch Rewards has a great deal just in time for the big game! I love these offers because I can redeem them Grocery Outlet, and There are a lot of brands that I already buy!

Earn big on Hellmann’s®, Knorr® & more. Spend $15 on popular Unilever brands at grocery stores and get 5,000 points*. Redeem up to four times for a total of 20,000 points.

Need a little help drawing up dinner plans? Elevate your spread with game-winning recipes from Hellmann’s.

Redeeming this offer is simple. Head to any of these 5,000+ participating grocery stores, buy your favorite products from these Unilever brands, and snap your receipts!

If you haven’t signed up for Fetch Rewards yet, or want to learn more, check out my post here. Find the Fetch Rewards app in your app store, and when you download it and scan any receipt, use my code ND2TB when you sign up and you’ll score 2,000 bonus points. I earned $295 in rewards in 2021 alone, just by purchasing my regular groceries and scanning in all of my receipts (grocery, mass merchandiser, gas receipts, restaurants, you name it).

It is simple, takes minutes, and the points really rack up!

And here is the fine print: *Offer valid 1/08/2022–2/28/2022. The offer will be live until 2/28/22 or until 150,000 offers have been redeemed. Limit 4 redemptions per household, equating to a maximum of 20,000 points. Offer is only available at these participating grocery retailers. This promotion excludes purchases made at mass/superstores, club stores, discount stores and drug store retailers. Offer valid in the U.S. only and open to legal U.S. residents 18 and older. Limits and restrictions apply. See Terms & Conditions for complete details.

Dream Dinners: Send a Dinner Care Package to Your Friends and Family

Abby H.

This is such an amazing idea- I love it! As many of you know, we lost my dad a little over a week ago, and so many people have reached out to support my mom. One of the ways is with a hot meal.

If you have someone with a loss in their family, or they are recovering from an illness, or maybe they’ve added to their family, bringing a meal is a great way to help.

Dream Dinners has a great option for February. It includes a complete, cook-from-frozen, vegetarian meal with no prep work:

Spinach & Artichoke Ravioli Bake Garlic BreadHope's Cookies

Available in 2 sizes. The medium bundle serves 2-3 and the large bundle serves 4-6. Ordering is easy, just email at lamesaca@dreamdinners.com, and Marsi’s amazing staff will work with you to schedule a pickup.

Want to send more than just one meal? Send them a Meal Prep Starter Pack with 3-6 freezer meals! For just $99, you’ll provide them with delicious, easy meals that they can thaw and enjoy any time they need a break. Marsi and her team at the La Mesa Dream Dinners location offer home delivery and can bring it right to their door for you. You can order a Meal Prep Start Pack online at DreamDinners.com.

If you aren’t in San Diego, it’s cool! There are Dream Dinners locations in 21 states, and many of those locations offer local delivery too!

Parents Helping Parents: Behavior Resources at Home Class

Abby H.

download.jpgOn February 22, 2022, the Santee School district is presenting a behavior training with a “Make it, Take it” for behavior resources at home.

Visual Schedules: Children benefit from increased structure and predictability. Help take the stress out of your daily routine by providing
your child with a visual schedule.

Behavior Contracts: Contracts help keep kids on track and reduce family battles. Let us help you create one for your home!

Zones of Regulation: Help teach your child how to identify how they’re feeling and then utilize a co teach them about self-control.

Positive Reinforcement: Learn how to shape your child’s behavior with positive discipline. This will help to reinforce behaviors we want to increase in the home.

Santee’s Behavior Team Come meet Santee’s behavior team and find helpful strategies to implement at home. You’ll leave with individualized strategies and resources that you can begin implementing right away. You’ll have access to three team members to help you create individualized systems for your child! Listed above are just a few of the strategies you’ll go home with!

This event is free- If you have any questions, or wish to RSVP, contact the school district office at (619) 258-2300

Date & Time: 2/22/22 9:30am-11am
Location: Santee School District 9625 Cuyamaca. Santee, CA 92071

Cents of Style: Comfiest Clothes on Sale This Week- Save an Extra 20%!

Abby H.

Pants** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

I’m a big fan of loungewear. This week Cents of Style is delivering the good, with an EXTRA 20% off of their comfiest sweatpants, layering tanks, biker shorts, and joggers!

And most of these items come in sizes xs-3XL.

TO take advantage of this deal, at checkout use coupon code  RELAXING and it makes ALL under $20 and MANY under $10! Don’t forget FREE Shipping over $40! The code is active until 2/15/22 at midnight!

PantsI picked up a couple pairs of the Lucille lounge pants, and the Alexis High-low tops. These layering pieces are perfect for cozy winter days at home.

2/7/2022 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

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I did a ton of meal prep yesterday. I cleaned the kitchen, made a big pot of vegetable soup, made a big salad, and cleaned out the fridge and freezer.

And the CSA Box will be delivered this morning too- I’ve got plans for most of that stuff too! I’m sharing the box with a family friend- sometimes it’s hard to get through all those fruits and veggies in 7 days!

Veggies and fruit are delivered 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. They email a preview of what will be in the boxes over the weekend, so I can start thinking about what I’d like to make.

We’ve been trying a lot of new foods lately, thanks to the really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

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.

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. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. Lately, the big kid has been digging protein shakes in the morning. This is his favorite kind. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I’m back to packing lunches again. However, school lunches are free this year- Little Bit has been buying her lunch and expanding her palate.

Dinner: The Dream Dinners I picked up 2 weeks ago are really helping with those nights where we’ve got so much going on. This week I’ll be making the salmon tarragon with crispy potatoes as lunch for grown-ups.

  • Monday: Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches, Green Salad
  • Tuesday: Nug night- I’ve got 3 different types, crinkle fries, apple slices & strawberries
  • Wednesday: Chicken enchiladas, beans, rice
  • Thursday:    Cheese and spinach cannelloni with red sauce, garlic bread, roasted veggies
  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday:  Leftovers
  • Sunday:  Kentucky Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies

I’ll be hosting two Dream Dinners events, one virtual, and one in person at the La Mesa store later this month- It’s a great way for those of you who want to check it out for yourselves!

Q-insights- Books Study $200-$250

Abby H.

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Q-insights is another company where 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. This upcoming survey takes place virtually!

Q-Insights is currently recruiting for an online interview on the topic of Books.

The study will run between February 21st to March 18th and you will be
compensated $200-$250 as a thank you for your time.

If you are interested in participating please fill out the survey
Here. If you pre-qualify someone from Q-Insights will call you to ask some additional
qualifying questions.

Frugal Cleaning: “Magic Blue” Cleaner- Great for the Bathroom!

Abby H.

It’s not really magic, but it gets your bathroom (and kitchen) clean without much elbow grease or fuss.

I recently discovered this concoction, and It’s definitely worth sharing. And the best part, you probably have all of the ingredients in your home. If not, a quick trip to Dollar Tree will get you going!

I went to help my mom this week, and I thought I’d clean her bathroom. Our area has the worst hard water (lots of minerals in the water), so cleanings bathtubs and showers are a lot of work.

Enter our magic blue cleaner!

  • 2 cups white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup blue dawn hand dishwashing detergent liquid (I know a lot of people call it soap, but technically it is a detergent).
  • 1 cup water (I used tap water)

Pour the vinegar and water into a spray bottle, add Dawn, screw on the lid and shake until the Dawn has dissolved.

Spray on the dirty areas, let sit for about 10 minutes, wipe off (I used a scrubby sponge), and rinse.

The recipe makes a lot, I tend to pour it into smaller spray bottles, so I can have one in each room (bathrooms and kitchen).

It also works great on cleaning toilets, countertops, and sinks too!