Free Sample Offer for Midwestern and East Coast Readers!

I found this awesome offer this morning and had to share!

With social distancing this may not be a good fit for everyone, but if your kids are in school, or doing outdoor sports, this might be a good fit.

Helping your kids stay hydrated just got a whole lot easier in The Creative Roots Campaign! Try Creative Roots and share your feedback in an authentic review as an Insider, click the button to subscribe.

If selected to participate, you’ll receive your shipment of Creative Roots at home, to enjoy and to share! Enjoy Creative Roots right away you’re your kids and share your experience in photos on social media and on the campaign page. Begin passing out your 30 sample bottles of Creative Roots to other parents and clue them in on the secret to delicious hydration for their kids.

* Applying doesn’t guarantee selection for free product.

For more information and to apply, click here.

Special Meal Distributions at Grossmont Union High School District Locations!

A few weeks ago two friends told me about the free meal distributions at the Grossmont Union High School district locations. I knew that the schools were offering them, what I didn’t know is that each Friday the schools give out a free pizza for the kids.

It’s roughly the size of a pizzeria medium-sized pizza. They offer cheese or pepperoni, your choice, and in addition to that, you receive veggies, a quart of milk, fruit, and breakfast items for the weekend! This is a great way to treat your kiddos to pizza, especially if it isn’t in your budget.

Like all of the other free kids lunches right now, there is no paperwork or enrollment, just show up at the school during lunch service times. 

They’ll ask you how many kids you have between the ages of 2-18 and give you the appropriate number of lunches. The high schools tend to give out better food in my opinion, and they tend to have more options (which is great if you have picky eaters or vegetarians).

We stopped by West Hills on Friday to check it out (I’m always down to investigate stuff for you guys!), and the lunch ladies handed out this flyer.

On December 21, 2020 all locations are handing out the supplies for a free Pot Roast Dinner: Stew Meat, Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, Flour, Butter. Additionally, fruit and danishes will be included for breakfast!

On January 4, 2021 all locations are handing out the supplies for a free Carne Asada Dinner: Diced Carne Asada, Rice, Beans, Tortillas, Tomatoes, Onions, Cilantro, Jalapenos. Additionally, fruit and Pan Dulces (Conchas) will be included for breakfast!

And if you are looking for other food resources to help you through the holidays and beyond, here is my post about free food locations and organizations (I recently updated it, so there is lots of new info).

12/14/2020 Weekly Meal Plan

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgI went to the grocery store over the weekend and picked up some much-needed essentials (bagels, fruit, and vegetables chief among them).

I’m trying hard to stick to our budget of $100/week for groceries and prepare dinners that are filling and hearty. We’re looking at some cold night time temps this coming week, so soup is on the menu twice this week! I made potato cheese soup and broccoli and cheese soup on Sunday, and The batches are separated and being stored in the freezer for later this week and beyond. I’ll be posting the broccoli cheese soup recipe this 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 (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.  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. recently the Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Kids are back to school and that means that school-provided lunches are coming home again. Neither kid loves them, but there are things that each kid eats from them, so I try to include those in their daily lunches. The Littlest kiddo has lunch at home, the big kid takes his lunch to school.

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:   Soup, Salad, & Rolls
  • Monday: Veggie Burgers, Veggie Fries, fruit
  • Tuesday: Quesadillas and & salad
  • Wednesday: Avocado Toast (with everything but the bagel seasoning- sooo good), poached eggs, orange slices
  • Thursday: Soup, Salad, and garlic bread
  • Friday:  Pizza Night
  • Saturday: Leftover Shenanigans

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?

12/11/2020 Friday Freebies and Deals!

bright boxes

It’s Friday again! Time to score some freebies, pick up a few deals online, and stay home (or if you have to leave home, wear a mask and wash your paws).

Most of California is going into lockdown (AGAIN), so I’ll only be posting deals that can allow you to socially distance.

Freebies:

Get on the Pillsbury Sample & Coupon List
Free e.l.f. Lip Gloss + Free Shipping
Free Charmin Mega Roll Extender
Free Pint of Hudsonville Ice Cream – 1st 8,000
Free Package of Lightlife Plant-Based Burgers
FREE Dunkin’ Donuts Beverage
Free Coffee at Panera Bread for 3 Months
Free Fragrance Samples from Macy’s
Free Gifts From Scotch-Brite at 11am Through Friday
Get on Betty Crocker’s Free Sample List
Free Sliders at White Castle
Free Subscription to Architectural Digest
Free Food at McDonald’s for 11 Days – See the Schedule Here
Over 500 Free Daily Goodie Boxes for December
Free Subscription to Sports Illustrated

Deals:

Clinique 8-Piece Gift Set ONLY $23.50 at Macy’s ($160 Value)
Sony Wireless in-Ear Headphones ONLY $18.00 (Reg. $40)
Echo Flex Plug-In Mini Smart Speaker ONLY $9.99 (Reg. $25)
Sony Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones ONLY $123 (Reg. $248)
Melissa & Doug Giddy Buggy Bowling Set ONLY $9.49 (Reg. $20)
e.l.f. Cosmetics has Free Shipping + Cheap Gift Sets
Taboo Board Game ONLY $8.49 (Reg. $17)
Save $10 When You Spend $50 on Select LEGO Toys
Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand Wipes in Stock for CHEAP
FREE 2 Months of Kindle Unlimited Reading (Save $19.98)
Power Rangers Beast-X King Morpher ONLY $9.89 (Reg. $20)
Bella Triple Slow Cooker ONLY $29.99 (Reg $60) at Best Buy
FabKids – 2 Pairs of Shoes for $9.95 + Free Shipping
MUK LUKS Women’s Pattrice Boots ONLY $39.99 (Reg. $76)
Play-Doh Playful Pies Set ONLY $5.99 (Reg. $20)
FurReal Hoppin Topper Interactive Toy ONLY $22.49 (Reg. $50)
Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Cheesy Sandwich ONLY $4.89 (Reg. $10)
MUK LUKS Chenille Pom Cuff Cap ONLY $9.99 (Reg. $20)
Toy Story Look and Find Activity Book $5.28 (Reg. $11)
Marvel Spider-Man Look and Find Activity Book $5 (Reg. $11)
Stanley Classic Thermos ONLY $19.82 (Reg. $40)
Ryobi 100-Piece Drill and Drive Set ONLY $14.88 (Reg. $90)
Playskool Heroes Mega Mighties Power Rangers $5.89 (Reg. $12)
Hot Tub High Dive Game ONLY $6.28 (Reg. $20)
Yahtzee Board Game ONLY $4.99 (Reg. $10)
Secret Life of Pets 2 Look and Find Activity Book $5 (Reg. $11)
Hasbro Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader ONLY $9.99 (Reg. $20)
UGLYDOLLS Uglyville Main Street Playset $9.99 (Reg. $20)
MUK LUKS Women’s Janis Slide Slippers ONLY $16.99 (Reg $28)
Remote Control Monster Truck ONLY $34.99 (Reg $56)
Clean and Green Makeup from dome Beauty
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Play Cash Register ONLY $9.84 (Reg. $32)
Save up to 50% on Gillette and Venus Razors and Blades on Amazon
Gain Laundry Detergent 2-Count ONLY $11.08 Shipped
Journey Girls Styling Studio ONLY $23 (Reg $33)

San Diego, CA Area Residents: FREE Produce and Perishable Groceries-12/11/2020

Our friends over at Faith Chapel understand that with all that’s going on in the world that some of us still need help finding healthy food during this difficult time. And that’s it not always safe for us to go to the store or hit up a farmers market.

Distribution is happening this Friday, December 11, 2020, beginning at 10:00am.

This is a drive-thru style event, so you don’t have to leave your vehicles. There is no paperwork, no questions asked. Show up, pop your trunk, and fresh food is loaded for you, and you are on your way!

Here is a picture of what was available in previous weeks! Sometimes you get produce, sometimes is eggs, milk, and other dairy products and meat- it changes weekly!

Faith Chapel is located at 9400 Campo Road Spring Valley, CA 91977

Save Time and Money with Amazon Subscribe & Save!

Now that Southern CA is back under a stay at home order, I’ve been looking for more ways to save money and keep us out of stores.

Enter Subscribe and Save from Amazon. I’ve been using Subscribe and Save for about a year for food items that we eat a lot of that are cheaper on Amazon (like Squeezy pouches, PBFit, Malt Powder). Talking to some friends online yesterday afternoon, I realized that not everyone knew about Subscribe and Save!

Key Benefits of Subscribe & Save

  • Save up to 15% on a large and growing selection of everyday essentials!
  • Need an item now? Yes, customers now have the option to receive the item within the usual 1-2 day shipping window for a 5% discount, and activate the subsequent deliveries of the subscription for up to 15% discount.
  • Authentic products sourced directly from brands and their authorized re-sellers.
  • Set it, forget it, and never run out.
  • Save a trip to the store – save time and money. You can have your favorite products delivered straight to your door.
  • No fees. Available for any customer with no long-term commitment, for FREE.
  • Change or cancel a subscription anytime.
  • Coupons-  There are usually coupons available for selected Subscribe & Save. You can always check here.

And there are all sorts of categories that have Subscribe & Save: Household Supplies, Baby Supplies, Pet Supplies, Groceries, Personal Care, and Health & Wellness.

I ordered toilet paper and a couple cleaning supplies through Subscribe & Save this morning!

And don’t forget that you can connect your Amazon account to Dosh and Receipt Hog to earn points for your Amazon purchases as well! Check out my Smart Phone Apps page for all the info on these apps.

12/6/2020 Weekly Meal Plan

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgI went to the grocery store on Friday while the kids were in school. I picked up some essentials and dug through the cupboard once I was home and discovered that I hadn’t updated the cupboard inventory after my last trip.

I’m trying hard to stick to our budget of $100/week for groceries and prepare dinners that are filling and hearty. We’re looking at some cold night time temps this coming week, so soup is on the menu twice this 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 the 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.  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. recently the Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Kids are back to school and that means that school provided lunches are coming home again. Neither kid loves them, but there are things that each kid eats from them, so I try to include those in their daily lunches. Littlest kiddo has lunch at home, the big kid takes his lunch to school.

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 (this week we had leftover Chinese and pizza)
  • Monday: Soup, Salad, Garlic Bread, and Fruit
  • Tuesday: Nuggets, Salad, and Fruit
  • Wednesday: Veggie Soup, garlic bread, and fruit
  • Thursday: Breakfast for dinner (probably waffles and fruit, maybe eggs too)
  • Friday:  Pizza Night
  • Saturday: Leftover Shenanigans

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?

Holiday Light Displays: Socially Distanced Family Fun!

One of our favorite family activities this time of year is to drive around the county and check out Christmas lights. I pack some snacks and hot chocolate (or just white milk for the Bitty Bird- She doesn’t like cocoa- I know…), and we head out for an adventure. I usually grab a couple extra fluffy blankets too. They tend to fall asleep on the way home!

I’ve included our family favorites, as well as some that came recommended by my Facebook fans. I did not include any that charge a fee to see. There are quite a few professional displays that charge a fee to drive-thru all over the county.

There are a few that I did not include as I have heard they are dark (Knob Hill in Vista), or the owners of the homes have moved or chosen not to do a display this year.

East County:

  • Jingle Bell Hill (also known as Pepper Dr. Lights). Solomon Ave./Pegeen Pl. and surrounding area. Off 67 & Bradley. Dec. 8-26, Mon-Th 6-9 pm, Fri-Sun 6-10 pm.
  • 10248 Paseo Palmas Dr. Nicknamed “Tinsel Town”. Dec. 1-25, 5:30-9 pm. Most of the houses on this street are very well decorated with lights and moving displays! They have a Facebook page too!
  •  Starlight Circle, East and West Glendon Circles. Through December 26th, 7-10 pm. This is extremely popular!  Starlight Circle even has a Facebook page!

North County:

  • 12631 Stoutwood St., Poway Off Twin Peaks Rd. & Deerwood St. Nicknamed “The Griswolds.”
  • 23542 Bassett Way, Ramona  Sun-Th, 5:30pm -10pm; Fri & Sat, 5:30pm – 11pm

Be safe, stay in your cars, or mask up and stay socially distant from others.

If you know of any light displays in San Diego County that are active this year and free- Please leave a comment! (that you have gone to- please no linking to other websites)

12/4/2020 Friday Freebies and Deals!

bright boxes

It’s Friday again! Time to score some freebies, pick up a few deals online, and stay home (or if you have to leave home, wear a mask and wash your paws).

Most of California is going into lockdown (AGAIN), so I’ll only be posting deals that can allow you to socially distance.

Freebies:

Free Chobani Coconut Yogurt for Kroger & Affiliates
Free Dental Assessment Kit
Free 3-Pack of Hallmark Greeting Cards
Free Ritual of Namaste Cream & Serum Sample
Free Subscription to Allure Magazine
Possible Free $150 Research Study
Free Coffee Wednesdays at Dunkin
Free Samples of Smell of God Perfume
Free Subscription to Wine Spectator Magazine
Free Breakfast Baconator at Wendy’s
Coca-Cola Insiders Club – Limited Enrollment for Freebies 12/8
Youtube Premium Free for 3 Months
5 Free 4×6 Photo Prints From Walgreens
Free Bone Broth Soup

Deals:

Merry Christmas Cards For Kids 28-Count ONLY $2.98 (Reg. $12)
Altavida 12-lb. Weighted Blanket ONLY $31.99 (Reg. $80)
L.O.L. Surprise S1 Ultimate Collection ONLY $49.99 (Reg. $100)
WowWee Pixie Belles ONLY $4.99 (Reg. $15)
MUK LUKS Women’s Bardot Slide Slippers ONLY $14.99 (Reg. $32)
Dreamworks Dragons Hatching Toothless ONLY $19.97 (Reg. $60)
Cooking Class: 57 Fun Recipes Kids Will Love to Make ONLY $8.69
FREE 2 Months of Kindle Unlimited Reading (Save $19.98)
Shrek 4-Movie Collection ONLY $14.99 on Amazon (Reg. $30)
Trolls & Trolls World Tour 2-Movie Collection $14.99 (Reg. $45)
Bed Head One-Step Hair Dryer And Volumizer ONLY $26.39 (Reg $60)
Sneezy the Snowman Paperback ONLY $4.79 (Reg. $10)
Amazon Smart Plug ONLY $0.99 (Reg. $25) for Select Users
Bella 5Qt Slow Cooker with Dipper ONLY $17.99 (Reg $40)
Vintage Faux Turquoise Jewelry 3-Piece Set ONLY $2.99 Shipped
Clinique 2-Pc. Merry Moisture Gift Set ONLY $8.07 ($31 Value)
Save $10 on $40 of Select Household Items on Amazon
Cuisinart 22-Piece Aluminum Kitchen Set ONLY $69.99 (Reg $200)
KidKraft Wooden Kitchen Play Set ONLY $99 at Walmart (Reg $190)
Morphe Whoa La La Lip & Eye Set + Bag ONLY $15 ($37 Value)

If you find an amazing deal or freebie, please share it in the comments below.

New PinchMe Samples Drop 12/8/2020!

Sample Tuesday is Coming 12/8/2020- Mark your calendars, set an alarm on your phone!

Don’t have any idea what I am talking about? PinchMe! Join PINCHme and receive free samples that you can provide feedback on.

PinchMe is awesome! Once you are signed up, they will email you reminders when new samples are about to drop, and remind you when it’s time to leave feedback.

Answer a series of questions about your household and shopping habits in the Member Profile. PinchMe learns what you like and offer samples just for you.

Here are the companies participating in the December Sample boxes:

  • Impossible™ Burger Patties 100% Free Gratuity Coupon
  • Ocean Spray® Growing Goodness™
  • Purely Elizabeth Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola
  • Rascal + Friends Diapers
  • SlimFast Keto Fat Bomb Iced Lemon Drop Snack Cup
  • Caliper Swiftsticks Flavored CBD Powder
  • Biotrue® Multi-Purpose Solution
  • KübWipes 100% Natural Cotton Dry Wipes
  • Life’s Grape Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Classic Vine-Dried Grape Snack Variety Pack
  • Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds
  • Blue Diamond Nut-Thins: Hint of Sea Salt
  • Blue Diamond Nut-Thins: Cheddar
  • Boiron Acidil® Meltaway Tablets
  • HARIBO Goldbears
  • Lumify® Redness Reliever Eye Drops
  • Skylar Vanilla Sky Perfume
  • Prima CBD The Daily Softgels
  • Prima CBD Enlightenment Serum

Once you’ve had a chance to try the samples, complete a short feedback survey to tell PinchMe what you think of the samples.

What are you waiting for? Sign up here and get on the free sample bandwagon! I’ve gotten all kinds of awesome sample/trial size items, as well as full-sized items to try out from PinchMe!