easy

New Recipe: Loaded Roasted Cauliflower

Abby H.

I’ve seen this kind of recipe before and I had never made it because it’s really hard to pick decent fresh cauliflower, and honestly, frozen cauliflower is always kinda… soggy (?) when you defrost it and cook it.

We’ve been getting a lot of cauliflower in our  Yasukochi Family Farms CSA box over the past 5 weeks, so I figured it was time to give it a shot.

This recipe is easy. And tasty. It does not duplicate potato skins. I don’t care what any low carb/potato hating website tells you.

Loaded Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:

  • 2 heads of cauliflower, leaves and stem removed, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 T. Olive oil or your favorite cooking oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • 1/2 cup bacon crumbles (use real bacon, not baco’s)
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • Sour Cream (optional, but tasty)
Served with a green salad, rotisserie chicken, and half an avocado. YUM.

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place cookie sheets lined with foil into oven to heat up with the oven.
  2. While oven/pan is heating, toss cauliflower in oil, salt & pepper.
  3. Once oven is heated to 450, remove pan, spread cauliflower out in a single, well spaced layer.
  4. Bake for 8 minutes, then turn veggies to roast evenly.
  5. Return to oven and bake for another 8 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven. Top with cheese and bacon. Broil for 2-4 minutes, until cheese is melty and bacon is hot.
  7. After removing from broiler, top with green onions and eat up ASAP.
  8. Serve with sour cream, or salsa. Or both.

This serves 2-4 people as a side dish, or be greedy and eat the whole recipe as a main dish. I won’t tell anyone. I make this at least once a week.

This recipe is gluten free. You can make it vegetarian by omitting the bacon.

April 2021- New Month, New Coupons!

Abby H.

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!

April is here! Easter Sunday is this coming Sunday, so there will be deals for candy and egg dying supplies (and don’t forget markdowns in the days following the holiday). April is National Gardening Month, keep your eyes peeled for deals and sales at home improvement stores, as well as stores like Dollar Tree and Walmart. For a complete list of types of foods and items that will be on sale, check out this post on the cycle of sales.

 

Here are a few of my favorite new coupons:


Save $0.50 when you buy TWO BOXES any flavor/variety Betty Crocker™ Fruit Shapes OR Mott’s® Fruit Flavored Snacks
Save $2.00 when you buy ONE (1) Nature’s Own® Perfectly Crafted Loaf and ONE (1) Sabra 8 oz – 10 oz Hummus (Available at Walmart)
Save $1.50 any ONE (1) Carnation Breakfast Essentials® Nutritional Product
Save $3.00 ONE Venus® Razor (excludes Venus® Disposable Razors and trial/travel size)

Advanced Opinions is Recruiting for Dog Food Study

Abby H.

Advanced Opinions (A market research firm located in New York) is recruiting for an upcoming Online Project about Dog Food.

To be considered for this project, please complete the screener questionnaire here.

Compensation: $40-$90 (if chosen)

Project dates:

  • Tuesday, April 6th
  • Wednesday April 7th
  • Thursday April 8th 2021

Times Currently Available:

  • 11:00AM-1:45PM ET / 10:00AM-12:45PM CT / 9:00AM-11:45AM MT / 8:00AM-10:45AM PT
  • 2:00PM-4:45PM ET / 1:00PM-3:45PM CT / 12:00PM-2:45PM MT / 11:00AM-1:45PM PT
  • 5:00PM-7:45PM ET / 4:00PM-6:45PM CT / 3:00PM-5:45PM MT / 2:00PM-4:45PM PT

New PinchMe Samples Drop 4/6/2021

Abby H.

Sample Tuesday is Coming 4/6/2021- 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.

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!

March 2021: New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!

Abby H.

 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!

Mid-Month Coupon Round Up March 2021!

Abby H.

I was cruising my favorite coupon sites this morning and I found some great stuff.

The two sites I use the most for printable coupons are:

Here are a few coupons that have me kinda stoked:

Save $0.75 On ONE (1) Juicy Juice® product (excludes 4-pack juice boxes)
Save $0.75 When you buy THREE (3) Avocados From Mexico
Save $1.50 FOUR (4) Lean Cuisine Frozen Items (redeemable at Walmart)
Save $1.00 on any ONE (1) LISTERINE® Mouthwash product (from 500 ml to 1L) or any (1) LISTERINE® READY! TABS® product (8 ct. or larger)
Save $2.00 on ANY ONE (1) Garnier® Whole Blends® Sulfate Free Remedy or Miracle Treatment product
Save $2.00 on ANY ONE (1) Garnier® Fructis® Treat Shampoo or Conditioner (11.8oz only), 3-in-1 Hair Mask or Invisible Dry Shampoo product
Save $1.00 on any ONE (1) package of Green Giant® New Frozen Product, Any Variety
Save $1.00 on any ONE (1) package of Green Giant Veggie Spirals™

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!

Roasting Veggies: Simple and Tasty!

Abby H.1 Comment

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:

  • Cooking pans (like these)
  • 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.

Paid Market Research Opportunity: Motorcycle Owners!

Abby H.

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.

Paid Marketing Research Opportunity – $100 (Topic: Grocery Shopping)

Abby H.

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.

Easy Recipe: Homemade Pico De Gallo (Fresh Salsa)

Abby H.

Time to Salsa!!

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:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Toss all ingredients until the lime juice coats all of the veggies.
  3. Transfer into a container with an airtight lid.
  4. Store in the fridge for at least 4 hours. This gives the flavors to meld, and the salsa to chill.
  5. 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.