Recipe: Smashed Potatoes

Abby H.

This recipe is slightly more involved than previous recipes I’ve posted, but I guarantee you excellent results, and there will be no leftovers.

It’s perfect for a family dinner or dinner party where there are a lot of people with diverse tastes.

Ingredients: 

  • 10 to 12 small yellow-skinned potatoes- I like Yukon Gold
  • One stick of butter
  • Herbs of your choice (I like this Penzeys mix. Or use any of the following together: rosemary, tarragon, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and thyme) 
  • Spray release 
  •  1 cup of grated cheese, your choice (I prefer sharp cheddar, but I’ve also tried it with an Italian blend also and it’s quite delicious).

 

Directions: 

  1.  Clean the potatoes thoroughly. DO NOT PEEL. 
  2. Place potatoes in a large pot with water, cook on the stove for about 15 to 20 minutes until they are fork-tender.
  3. While the potatoes are cooking, in a separate dish combine spices of your choice, and the stick of butter. Microwave for 15 to 20 seconds until butter is melted.
  4. Drain potatoes, do not rinse.
  5. Preheat oven to 350°. 
  6. Either line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and coat with spray release, or use a nonstick cookie sheet, your choice. 
  7. Place potatoes approximately 1 inch apart. 
  8. Gently press down on the potatoes with the backside of a fork (or the bottom of a coffee mug if your potatoes are bigger) until they are slightly smashed.
  9. Pour a little of the butter/herb mixture over the slightly smashed potatoes (less than a tablespoon).
  10. Bake potatoes in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they appear to have crisp/browned.
  11. Top each potato with a small amount of cheese (1 to 2 tablespoons).
  12. Serve potatoes with sour cream, real bacon bits (I like the ones from Costco), or whatever toppings you and your family prefer.

As a side dish that serves 4 to 6 as a main dish serves 2 to 3. These smashed potatoes are also great with chili or a hearty salad.

2022 Holiday Resources

Abby H.

I will be updating this post as more information becomes available.  This year is very light on programs that are open to anyone, so I recommend that you lean on your community resources:

  • If you receive WIC or SNAP benefits, check in with your social worker to see if they have any information on holiday help programs. Events like Toys for Joy are being held on a referral basis only. You have to receive an invitation from the event to attend. These are being given out by social workers and those with connections to the group.
  • If you attend church/synagogue/mosque, check with your religious leader or the secretary/office staff. They may have referrals to programs offering holiday help.
  • Check with your kids’ school. Talk to the school counselor, resource teacher, or school secretary.
  • If you frequent local food charities or co-op’s, they may have some resources on holiday events or toy giveaways.

Here is my monthly list of free food opportunities within San Diego County. Many of the food pantries also have special holiday distributions, so it is worth a call to find out of any additional food or gift distributions will be done.

As of now, I am not aware of any free Christmas tree giveaways, however, as I gather more information, I will update this post.

  • The Salvation Army does an Angel Tree program to gather gifts for children in need. For more information about this program, contact your local Salvation Army location.
  • 211 San Diego has a listing of all sorts of holiday assistance from food to toys, and events- all free. Some programs/events require proof of need, but not all.

santeesantas.pngIf you live in Santee and need help with food and gifts for the holiday, contact Santee Santas. You can download and print forms, check into eligibility (it is income-based and they are very strict from what I’ve been told), and see what forms you need in addition to the application here.

The window to apply for Santee Santas is closing in a few weeks, so if you want to apply, I recommend checking their website TODAY and apply ASAP.

Talk Back: If you know of any CONFIRMED free local holiday events in 2022, please leave a comment. 

 

Holiday Crafts at Dollar Tree!

Abby H.

Y’all know how much I love crafting, and that I am a frugal person too. Dollar Tree has really upped their game in the craft department. They have tons of wooden paintable items, wreath supplies, and kids craft kits (I love their ornament kits for kids).

If you have holiday events coming up where you will be crafting, this is the perfect time to take advantage of their $5.99 flat rate shipping deal!

Order supplies online in bulk for your upcoming crafty events (perfect for classroom or club holiday parties), and have them delivered to your door!

One less “thing” to do- No stores to visit, and less holiday stress!

Free Food Resources for November 2022(San Diego County)

Abby H.1 Comment

A new month means a reminder about all of the free food options there is here in San Diego County.

Because of the upcoming holidays, you may notice that some locations will be advertising additional distributions or special Thanksgiving or Winter Holiday meal giveaway events. As information about these events becomes available, I will be sharing them.

Keep in mind there are still supply chain issues, so there may not be a lot of food at some distributions, especially those that serve a large portion of the community.

I recommend showing up a little early with a bottle of water and a book and waiting in line. Time passes quickly in these lines, and it’s a great time to learn from others about community food options. Remember to socially distance and follow local masking regulations.

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

The Rock Church, which has many locations all over San Diego County has a food and diaper pantry distribution at many of its locations throughout the month. More info can be found here.

Our friends at Faith Chapel are super ahead of the game and sent out information regarding their 2022 food distributions early on in the year.

If you are located outside San Diego County, call 211. If you are not familiar with 211, here is their website and it can point you in the right direction.

San Diego Food Bank Distributions for November 2022 can be found here. Enter your address (or just your zip code) and the map will show you all of the distributions in your area or closest to you. You can filter by the days of the week to find food when you are available. If there is an income requirement/limit to participate, each location/listing will say such. You can learn more here about the Feeding San Diego Together Tour.

Neighbor distributions are intermixed with the San Diego Food Bank Distributions, however, they have no income requirements, and you come as you are. These Distributions are primarily fruits & veg, however, some locations may also distribute canned goods, dairy, and bread.

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

Nelson Recruiting: San Diego Residents Needed for Hard Liquor Paid Study!

Abby H.

I received this in my inbox last night and I had to share it with y’all, as I know a bunch of you will be interested.

San Diego & San Francisco, CA – Participants from San Diego and San Francisco Counties aged 30 and older are needed for a 2-part online focus group on the topic of Hard Liquor.

Part 1: One hour’s worth of remote tasks will be assigned and need to be completed the week of November 14th. Receive $150 for your time.

Part 2: if selected, participate in a one-on-one discussion between the dates of November 28th-December 2nd. Receive $200 for your time.

Please note: you must be available for both sessions in order to participate. Due to the study being online, it is required to have a computer to participate.

Take the pre-screener if you are interested in being considered for this study here. 

Location: Online
Incentive: $150 + $200 (if selected)
Date(s):  Week of November 14th & November 28th-December 2nd
Time(s): Various

 

Please note not everyone who fills out their information will be called or selected.

Freebies from Sprouts!

Abby H.

Their official free sampling program from Sprouts is gone, however, I found out on Reddit this morning that are several freebies available through the Sprouts app!

I was able to snag the following:

  • Ardor Sparkling Water

  • Milton’s Cauliflower Crust Pizza

  • Happi Foodi Chicken Keto Bowl

  • Miss Jones Baking Co. Mix

  • FAGE Sour Cream

Open up your Sprouts app and see if there is anything available to you.

If you don’t have the app, check out their website here.

10/31/2022 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

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I’m hoping this week starts an easy descent into the end of 2022. This year has been rough, and I really need some rest.

We are finishing up with TBS therapy at about the end of the year, and it’s really been helpful for the whole family, especially the big kid. It’s been a big part of our lives over the past few months.

I went to the grocery store on Friday night. I didn’t do much meal prep this week. I was exhausted from all the driving and other work I’d done last week. So this week is going to be a lot of low-effort meals. This would be a great week for Dream Dinners, but I didn’t have time to place an order for October.

We’ll be eating a lot of vegetarian/low-meat meals this week. With the ever-increasing cost of groceries, we’re leaning on pantry staples and what’s in the freezer again for this week.

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. The big kid brings his lunch from home every day and the littlest buys her lunch at school about half the time. In California, all public schools provide breakfast and lunch for free.

Dinner: This week is packed as far as appointments, so I’m leaning on stuff that’s easy and tasty. I prepped fruits and veg over the weekend and made up the last Dream Dinner and portioned it into lunch-sized servings.

  • Monday:  Protein shakes, fruit, and toast (and trick or treating)

  • Tuesday: Beans, Rice, and cheese bowls with roasted veggies

  • Wednesday: Nuggets, fruit, crackers, and cheese

  • Thursday:  Pasta with red sauce, spinach salad

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday:    Grilled cheese sandwiches, soup, fruit
  • Sunday:  Leftovers

Cents of Style: No TRICKS just TREATS 31% off the Entire Site!

Abby H.

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

This is a pretty sweet deal from our friends at Cents of Style! Going LIVE at TEN PM on 10/30/2022, they have a SPECIAL Halloween deal of 31% OFF SITEWIDE for ANYTHING AND ENTIRE ORDER (sale & clearance items included) FOR 24 HOURS ONLY as our Halloween Treat.

This deal runs from Sunday at 10pm until Monday at midnight!

In order to take advantage of this deal, use coupon code TRICKORTREAT at checkout.

I’ll be picking up stocking stuffers and holiday gifts!

Toys, Books, and Art Supplies Deals At Target This Week!

Abby H.

Target has some really great deals this week on toys and books- perfect for stocking up for the upcoming holidays!

Score a $5.00 Target Gift Cards when you spend $15+ on toys or books.

There are of course exclusions, click on the image and learn more.

And if that’s not enough for you, you can also score 25% off one toy with Target Circle here.

Target has started their Black Friday Sale early, and there are a lot of really great offers this week, as well as more planned throughout November.

If you have an artist in the fam, Target is offering 50% off selected Art & Writing kits this week. I know my littlest would totally dig this Sharpie set. 

If you are a military veteran or active duty member, Target has a thank you discount currently- just in time for Veteran’s Day! Get 10% off two separate purchases (restrictions apply). This discount is redeemable Oct 30 – Nov 12. Click here to learn more and details on how to verify!

And remember that you can save an extra 5% at Target every time you shop with your RedCard. You can learn more and apply here or in store. This 5% stacks with other coupons, discounts, and deals.

Target also gives you a discount of five cents per reusable shopping bag that you use per transaction- just remember to bring the bags in your car into the store!

Weekly Round-up of Research Studies from PRC!

Abby H.

PRC aka iOpinion is a nationwide research study company. They are always running studies and looking for more respondents. They send me an email once a week with online studies they are looking to fill. Here are just a few:

 

Topic: Food Products

Incentive: $125 digital incentive
Who: Nationwide residents
Location: Online
Duration: 90-minute group webcam interview
Date(s): November 7th – November 9th, 2022
Take Survey >> https://forms.gle/Peb6ByiX6Ftb2kM17

Topic: Health Issues

Incentive: $125 digital incentive
Who: Nationwide residents
Location: Online
Duration: 60-minute group webcam interview
Date(s): November 17th – December 9th, 2022
Take Survey >> https://forms.gle/LibtmmWa1wS59Av39

Topic: Senior Discounts

Incentive: $100
Who: Adults 50 and up years of age
Location: Online Webcam Interview
Duration: 60-minute
Date(s): November 14-17, 2022
Take Survey >> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AARPPRC

Topic: Electronic Storage & Phone Services

Incentive: $125
Who: Adults, ages 18+
Location: WEBCAM (Via Zoom)
Duration: 60 minutes
Date(s): November 8-11, 2022
Take Survey >> https://forms.gle/HQn855ifyUt7WHTx5

Notes:

1) Only allow 1 response per survey, per person.

2) Unless otherwise stated, most online studies require a webcam with working audio/video on a laptop/desktop.

3) Unless otherwise stated, payment will be in the form of a digital gift card or PayPal.

Interested in Participating? The surveys are to see if you qualify for an upcoming study. Use the links below to respond to the surveys! If you pre-qualify, a recruiter will contact you with further questions and details. Please do not call about the studies listed below (unless you are indicated to call for a study). Please note that all replies are confidential, and no data is aggregated from your responses; PRC only uses your provided information to determine if you might qualify for the postings.

Spots are limited for each study that is listed. Due to the significant response to the surveys, not everyone will be contacted.