I posted about Try Products over the summer. There are a few new freebies from Try Products now. Try Products has amazing products for you to try absolutely FREE. It’s 100% Free. No credit card is required EVER!
Here are the latest new offers:
food
Cross Country Cafe: Pumpkin Pie Hot Cocoa Recipe!
Yesterday, Cross Country Cafe shared a simply fabu fall recipe! And I know how many of you dig on the fall pumpkin spice drinks.
This is the best pumpkin pie hot cocoa with two ingredients and a Keurig® brewer! You can too with these simple directions.
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Brew your hot cocoa K-Cup® pod in a large mug using the lowest water setting on your brewer.
- Now, brew your Pumpkin Spice K-Cup® pod directly into the same mug. Again, the lowest water setting is optimal.
- Top with tons of whipped cream and mini marshmallows, and if you are feeling extra festive, a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
If this isn’t your jam, Cross Country Cafe has an entire page dedicated to fun, easy recipes here.
10/19/2021 Weekly Meal Plan & Life Update
We are starting week FOUR with no full-size fridge and no freezer. Still living that #coolerlife.
We are still waiting for our fridge to get fixed. They’ll be out with the parts on 10/30/2021. So that means 6 weeks without a fridge and freezer. Never buy anything from Sears or American Freight (formerly Sears Outlet). Seriously, this has been a nightmare.
The CSA Box came yesterday and I did some light meal prep. I’ll post pics on Insta later today with info about our fun meal prep for lunches this week.
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.
And I’ve been getting a lot of 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. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I have made my own and you can find them for sale here on my Etsy Store.
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. The Ancient Grain bagels from Einstein Bros. are the current family favorite. I pick them up on Mondays when a dozen is only $7. I slice them and freeze them to keep them from going bad too quickly.
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, but so far, there is nothing on the menu that appeals to the kids.
Dinner: Until this fridge debacle is over, I won’t be doing any meal prep beyond the stuff in the CSA box. We’re trying to eat up as much of the produce as possible. We’re eating a lot of salads early week, and more hardy stuff (roasted potatoes and baked apples with grilled cheese and soup) towards the end of the week, with our usual Friday night takeout. I want a new fridge- I miss bacon!
- Monday: Mac n cheese, strawberries
- Tuesday: Roasted veggies, salad (avocado ranch)
- Wednesday: Roasted chicken, baked potatoes, veggies
- Thursday: Chicken noodle soup, biscuits
- Friday: take out
- Saturday: leftovers
- Sunday: breakfast for dinner (pancakes, eggs, fruit salad)
Please stay safe you guys!
October 2021: New Healthy Freebies From Social Nature!
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.
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:
- Wedderspoon Immunity Gummies
- Veggiecraft Farms Veggie Pasta
- Ocean’s Halo Seaweed Snacks
- Partake Gluten Free Vegan Cookies
- Notco Plant-Based Milk Alternative
- Khadi Beauty Natural Ayurvedic Hair Oil – Rose Repair
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!
Tryazon: Spin Master Black Friday Preview Party
We’ve been participating in Tryazon events for three+ years. We’ve gotten to try all sorts of fun toys, games, and food. You can learn more about Tryazon here.
Try some of the most popular Spin Master brands in one mega Tryazon Featured Party opportunity! Featuring PAW Patrol, Air Hogs, Kinetic Sand, Cool Maker, and more, this will be a Black Friday Party like never before! With SIX different toys included there is a little something for everyone, making this the perfect party opportunity to jumpstart your holidays.
They have 250 hosting spots open for this opportunity! Those selected get to receive a party pack with a variety of Spin Master toys to sample and share with friends and family, valued at $300+ in total!
New PinchMe Samples Drop 10/19/2021
Sample Tuesday is Coming 10/19/2021- 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.
I get PinchMe samples every month. Here is what arrived at the end of June for the June 2021 boxes. The One Bar was really good.
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!
10/11/2021 Weekly Meal Plan & Life Update
We are starting week three with no full-size fridge and no freezer. Still living that #coolerlife. We did buy a mini-fridge last week, so we are able to keep some fresh food in the house. Milk and creamer and drinks live in the cooler in the kitchen. I’m hoping the warranty company makes up their mind this week and we can get our new fridge. Life without condiments is rough, y’all.
We’ve been eating a lot of shelf-stable stuff (beans and rice, crockpot chili), and I’ve been hitting the store solo to pick up salad kits, and bananas, and apples. Last week we ended up having the share a lot of our CSA box as I wouldn’t store some of the items in the cooler without freezing/damaging the more delicate items.
The CSA box will be here today while I’m at work. I’ll do the prep work this afternoon/evening.
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.
I’m super stoked that I’ll be getting flowers this week too as my add-on. Look over at my Instagram and Facebook for pics later today.
And I’ve been getting a lot of 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. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I have made my own and you can find them for sale here on my Etsy Store.
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. The Ancient Grain bagels from Einstein Bros. are the current family favorite. I pick them up on Mondays when a dozen is only $7. I slice them and freeze them to keep them from going bad too quickly.
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, but so far, there is nothing on the menu that appeals to the kids.
Dinner: Until this fridge debacle is over, I won’t be doing any meal prep beyond the stuff in the CSA box. We’re trying to eat up as much of the produce as possible. We’re eating a lot of salads early week, and more hardy stuff (roasted potatoes and baked apples with grilled cheese and soup) towards the end of the week, with our usual Friday night takeout. I want a new fridge- I miss bacon!
- Sunday: We had bowls from El Pollo Loco, and the kids had leftover pizza.
- Monday: Roasted Veggies, Salad, Quesadillas- Produce is delivered today and I roast up a pan of veg as soon as I can!
- Tuesday: unknown
- Wednesday: unknown
- Thursday: unknown
- Friday: Takeout Night
- Saturday: Leftovers (if we have any)
Please stay safe you guys!
New Recipe: Italian Pot Roast
I got a roast the other day because I really wanted something beefy and comforting, but I didn’t want to make Moosie’s Pot Roast, because while it’s so good, it’s a tad heavy.
I wanted to make something beefy, flavorful, and rich, but not heavy. I pulled out a few cookbooks, looked through the cupboard and the cooler where the veggies are chilling (pun intended), and came up with this. It’s like Oso Bucco, Bolognese sauce, and beef stew had a complicated tryst. All of the fresh vegetables came from our Yasukochi CSA Box.
Italian Pot Roast
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1 Chuck Roast (2-3 lbs)
- salt and pepper
- 4 T. Olive Oil
- 1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced
- 1 Bell Pepper, sliced (I used Red, but use whatever you’ve got)
- 2 Carrots, Peeled and diced
- 3-5 cloves garlic, diced
- 6-8 fresh tomatoes, chopped (You can substitute 2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes if you don’t have fresh)
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 T. Italian Seasoning
Directions:
- Salt and pepper the roast and set aside. I recommend allowing the roast to warm up to room temp before searing it.
- In a large pan, heat 2 T. olive oil, and saute onions, peppers for about 10-15 minutes, until soft and browned.
- Add in carrots and garlic, and allow them to cook for about 5 minutes. Garlic will be slightly browned and fragrant.
- While veggies are cooking, chop up tomatoes and add to slow cooker.
- Add tomato paste to slow cooker.
- Add cooked veggies, bay leaf, and Italian Seasoning to the slow cooker.
- Add remaining 2 T. olive oil to the previously used large pan, and allow to warm.
- Sear the roast on all sides.
- Add roast to slow cooker.
- Pour wine into the large pan and turn heat to medium-high. Scrape all browned meat and veggie bits with a wooden spoon. One wine comes to a brief boil and all browned bits are scraped off the pan, pour liquid into the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Put roast beef from the slow cooker, and shred with forks. Return the meat to the slow cooker and stir. Cook for an additional hour.
Serve with mashed potatoes or pasta/noodles of your choice.
October Sprouts Farmers Market Monthly Freebies!
Sprouts is hooking us up and helping us stay healthy! Every month on the Sprouts app in the Digital Coupon section, there are between 4-6 free items (they are marked “SAMPLING PROGRAM”).
Quantities are limited on the app, so if you are interested in any of these, I recommend that you add these coupons (by opening the Sprouts app, click on digital coupons, and click on each coupon in the lower corner where the little green circle is) to your app ASAP.
Not all Sprouts locations will have these freebies, so I suggest trying larger Sprouts location in your area.
These are full-sized freebies- not small sample sized products. they are located in the store with the other products of the same type.
Not all accounts will receive all the same products.
This month the following items are available:
- Zack’s Mighty Organic Tortilla Chips
- Toby’s Dressing and Dip Products
- Free Vital Farms Pasture-Raised Butter with Avocado Oil
- Wicked Foods Meal Pot
Food Distributions are Back at Faith Chapel!
I got this info in my email last night and I had to share ASAP.
Faith Chapel will be having distributions every 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month henceforth starting at 10am!
The Address is:
Faith Chapel
9400 Campo Rd.
Spring Valley, CA 91977
This is a drive-thru style event, so you don’t have to leave your vehicles. Tell your family and friends!
Don’t forget, Faith Chapel also has a boutique open to be shopped at during these distribution times. Everything in our boutique is FREE and available to any guests that come through. You can find everything from clothes to household furnishings, kitchenware, toys etc.
Hewes Family Fun 