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.
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!
If you are into Organic/Natural/Healthy products, then Social Nature is 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.
There are a lot of really awesome products available to sample right now. From Broth to snacks, protein powder, meat alternatives- There is something for everyone to try.
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!
Another thing that is super exciting as of late is the Sprouts App. You can sign up here for their email list and they will send you a link to their app. They have all sorts of great in-app deals and coupons (last week it was a $5 off coupon).
And if you are looking for more ways to save, check out my Smart Phone App Page. It’s got all kinds of great apps to help you save and earn cash back on all of your grocery and home essential shopping!
Over the past six months, I’ve been trying to get us to eat more veggies. But honestly, you can only eat so much mixed green salads and steamed broccoli. My prior attempts at oven roasted veggies were basically a hot pile of steamed veggies that lacked any of the qualities of oven roasted veggies I knew- none of them were sweet, with crispy edges, tender but not soggy. Thankfully with our CSA box coming straight to our door weekly, were getting tons of tasty new veg to try!
I did some reading in a few cookbooks, websites, and asked some of my friends who are chefs/professional cooks. The secret to perfect oven roasted veg? Space. Room. The veggies need space for the heat of the oven to circulate and heat them evenly.
Second tip: place the pans in the oven and allow them to pre-heat. Once the oven has pre-heated, pull your pan(s) out and place your veggies on the pans, then back in the oven.
Third tip: Half way through roasting, turn over/flip your veggies to ensure they are getting equal roasting time in that hot pan. I say pan, but I use a baking sheet lined in foil, like this one.
It’s all about high temp and short cooking time- 450 degrees! Your veggies will be done in less than 45 minutes and you’ll be feasting away! And anyone can make roasted veggies- as long as you have the following:
Aluminum Foil (I like it because it makes clean up easy)
1-2 lbs of your favorite vegetables, chopped up into evenly sized pieces (the secret to having them come out perfect)
3 Tablespoons oil (I like canola, avocado, or grapeseed)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon (or more, depending on how seasoned you like your veg) fresh cracked pepper
With the CSA boxes we’ve been receiving weekly, making roasted veggies is a snap. Here are cooking times for a few in season veggies. These times presuppose that you have cleaned/peeled as needed, and cut them into 1-inch pieces as needed. Cooking time is for 1 lb.
Beets: 20-25 minutes
Carrots: 20-25 minutes
Brussels Sprouts (Cut off the bottom, and cut in half): 15-20 minutes
Onions (I usually quarter and slice them): 15-20 minutes
Garlic (peel each clove- if they are large, cut in half) 15-20 minutes
Green Beans: 15-20 minutes
Potatoes/sweet potatoes: 20-30 minutes
Zucchini/summer squash: 15-20 minutes
Bell Peppers: 15-20 minutes
Asparagus: 10-15 minutes
Brussels Sprouts and Purple Onions
If you’ve got something that isn’t on this list that you want to roast, I suggest starting with 10 minutes at 450 degrees, then flip the veggies over and see how they are doing. If they are brown and caramelized on one side, give it another 10 minutes for the other side to cook, then test for doneness with a fork. If they need longer, give them another 5 minutes and test again.
Focus Forward is conducting a PAID research study March 30th to April 1st for Motorcycle owners. Each session will last 75 minutes and will be conducted online. They are offering $75 to those participating. There are several sessions, scheduled at various times on each date. Focus Forward is looking for men and women who own motorcycles.
If you are interested in earning $75 for participating, please click on the SURVEY LINK to take the screener survey to qualify.
I received this offer in my email this morning- I’m sure that some of you will be interested!
Focus Forward is conducting a PAID market research study on Grocery Shopping starting on March 16th. They are looking for men and women aged 24 to 59 who live in the United States. If you know anyone who would be interested in earning an extra $100 for a 90-minute Online Focus Group please pass along this email with the survey LINK
I’ve done a few smaller surveys/projects with Focus Forward, it is a legit company.
With the massive amount of super tasty local veggies and fruit we’ve been getting, I decided to make Pico de Gallo (fresh salsa) since we had all the ingredients in this week’s box.
This recipe is super simple and takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.
Pico de Gallo (Fresh Salsa)
Ingredients:
3 cups chopped and deseeded tomatoes
1 jalapeno, seeds and white membrane removed, diced
1/2 red/purple onion diced
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 bunch cilantro, chiffonade (that means cut up into small ribbons)
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
Toss all ingredients until the lime juice coats all of the veggies.
Transfer into a container with an airtight lid.
Store in the fridge for at least 4 hours. This gives the flavors to meld, and the salsa to chill.
This salsa stays good in the fridge for 4-6 days, but it won’t last that long.
I love this salsa with zucchini chips or tortilla chips. Or in an omlet.
Pinecone Research members receive points for each completed survey! Points can be redeemed for cash or prizes. They have a new app, so you can do surveys on your phone or other enabled device!
They send you an email notification when you have a survey available. Complete the survey and earn points to be redeemed for either cash or prizes. Occasionally, they will send you a product to test, too.
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.)
These bananas are perfect for making banana bread!
I’ll admit: I don’t have a loaf pan. I did, but it died. It was metal, and after 10+ weeks of weekly use… ::Sad Trombone:: I know I should buy a glass one (I have my eye on this one), but until then, I’m making do with what I’ve got.
And what I’ve got is a glass cake pan. Specifically a 9×9 glass cake pan, like this one. I looked online for some ideas about baking times and temps and reworked my usual recipe. The best part of this recipe is that the bread is moist, fluffy/airy with a good crumb. It is not dense or heavy at all.
If you are into Organic/Natural/Healthy products, then 
There are a lot of really awesome products available to sample right now. From Broth to snacks, protein powder, meat alternatives- There is something for everyone to try.
So if you love trying new products, check out 
Directions:
Hewes Family Fun 