Easy, Tasty Tabouli Recipe!

I love tabouli (tabouleh)- It’s easy to make, and it keeps in the fridge for up to a week (if it lasts that long). It’s a delicious, easy summer salad.

This is my spin on traditional tabouli- I use Right Rice in place of bulgar wheat, but you can use whatever grain you like. Couscous, quinoa, or Israeli couscous are all great choices. My kids don’t like bulgar wheat.

This week in our Yasukochi Family Farms CSA box we received: Tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, lemon, and parsley.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups grains of your choice, cooked as directed ( I use garlic herb or original Right Rice)
  • 1-pint cherry tomatoes halved
  • 2 cups cucumbers, diced (I used larger English cucumbers, but you can use the small Persian cukes and slice them into “coins”)
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint, diced
  • 1.5 cups parsley, diced
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped finely (I like yellow or red)
  • 1/4 cup your favorite oil (olive or avocado are my favs)
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • cracked pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Cook your grains per the package direction, and set them aside to cool to room temperature.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, and salt. Whisk and set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all veggies and toss with oil and lemon juice mixture.
  4. Fold in the cooled grains.
  5. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours minimum before serving.
  6. Season with additional kosher salt, and black pepper to taste as needed.

This salad goes great with hummus, pita, and grilled protein. I’ll have an awesome hummus recipe up in a few days!

This recipe is naturally vegan. If you use Quinoa or Right Rice, it is gluten-free as well.

 

Tryazon- Lucky Iron Fish® Cooking 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.

Improve your iron levels naturally with this Tryazon Featured Party opportunity. The Lucky Iron Fish® is a simple, reusable, and effective cooking tool that adds extra iron to your daily foods or drinks. Iron is the nutrient that helps blood move oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, and it helps muscles store & use oxygen. Without adequate iron, you may feel fatigued, prone to illness, dizzy, and more. Lucky Iron Fish is easy to use, and just ten minutes is all that is needed to get a significant portion of your daily recommended iron.

They have a total of 100 hosting spots open for this opportunity! Those selected get to receive a party pack with a selection of Lucky Iron Fish products, to sample and share with friends and family! Learn more and apply here.

Cross Country Cafe: Hot Chocolate & Tea Markdowns

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

Cross County has some amazing deals right now, and also an awesome giveaway!

The deals can all be seen here. 

K-Cup® Tea sale: Lots of Twinings and Bigelow options for just $9.99 a box

Not a Coffee Fan? Check out the tasty Hot Chocolate options on sale!

Enter to win 96 Apple Cider Pods
Win FOUR full-size boxes of Apple Cider K-Cup® coffee pods! Enter to win before 9/30/21.

New PinchMe Samples Drop 9/21/2021!

Sample Tuesday is Coming 09/21/2021- 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!

Thursday 9/16/2021 is National Guacamole Day!!

Are you ready? I know I am. I know Rubio’s is famous for their fish tacos, but have you ever had their guac? 10/10, chef’s kiss, omnomnom.

On Thursday, September 16, Rubio’s is celebrating National Guacamole Day by giving out free, freshly made chips and guacamole with any order. Rubio’s guacamole is made onsite daily, using rich Hass avocados, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and natural sea salt. Tortilla chips are also prepared fresh daily with a light sprinkling of all-natural sea salt. Guests can use the coupon here in restaurants across California, Arizona, and Nevada. When ordering online at Rubios.com or through the app, use coupon code GUAC.

I know what we are having for lunch on Thursday!

9/12/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgThis week is our busy week. I have appointments for the kids Monday Tuesday Wednesday, in addition to all the other appointments and things that I have to do throughout the day. The weather is supposed to remain hot throughout the week, so my usual easy-to-cook/busy day meals aren’t really appropriate. Nobody wants to tuck into a bowl of soup when it’s still 85° outside at dinner time. So we are relying on some family favorites: breakfast for dinner, and the do-it-yourself salad bar.

I went grocery shopping on Friday before my job interview and picked up about 80% of what we needed for the week. I underestimated the amount of cream cheese we go through, and ice as well. So there will be a trip to the store later today.

I’m very much looking forward to our produce box this week. I plan on making up a big fruit salad for us to enjoy early on in the week, as well as roasted vegetables and a healthy-sized salad. Our CSA box provides us with so many delicious, farm-fresh vegetables and fruit. One thing that I love about it is that the company has a presence at so many southern California farmer’s markets throughout the week. So you can go and pick up produce at the farmers market, or order a CSA box. Whichever works best for you.

I also love that they have a fundraising offer for local nonprofits. So if you have a scouting troop or your local youth sports team, or if your PTA is tired of selling cookie dough and wrapping paper… You can sell CSA subscriptions instead! Click here to find out more about it, I’m kind of hoping that maybe our school PTA will give that a shot.

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 did a great deal of meal prep today after the box was delivered- You can see some of what I did over on Instragram.

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: We’ve got a pretty good schedule down for dinners. We have nuggets (vegetarian for the boy child, chicken for the rest) on the nights that we have respite. It’s quick to prepare and clean up, and I can serve it on our cafeteria trays with other fingers foods (we have trays like these) like cut-up fruit, crackers, and cheese. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday: Breakfast for dinner: hashbrowns, egg bites, fruit salad
  • Monday: Salad bar night, garlic baguette
  • Tuesday: Beans, rice, roasted veggies, quesadillas
  • Wednesday: Nugget night, fruit, cheese, and crackers
  • Thursday: Protein shakes, fruit, toast
  • Friday:  Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Leftovers, fruit

Please stay safe you guys!

99 Cents Only: Celebrate 9/9/2021 with Deals!

Today is September 9, or 9/9 and that means that 99 Cents Only is celebrating with some pretty good deals.

I’m going to grab some eggs and Pringles for sure.

Did you know that 99 Cents Only has an app with coupons and otherwise unknown deals?

I wrote all about it here. 

I’d love to hear about what you score at 99 Cents Only today.

Egg Bites: Quick, Easy Cook Ahead Breakfast (Starbucks CopyCat)

These are so good!
Ready to get into the oven.

I love the bacon and Gruyere Sous Vide Egg Bites at Starbucks, but… I’m frugal and those little dudes ain’t cheap.

So Sunday night, I set out to see if I could make them. This was a test batch, so I only did 6. I’ll be making more in the future. They are super easy to make, and you can customize them with ingredients you like.

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 T butter
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/3 sour cream or Creme Fraiche
  • 4 Oz chopped/shredded cheese (I used Kerrygold cheddar)
  • 1/3 cup bacon pieces (I use the ones from Costco)
  • salt and pepper to taste
greased cups in the shallow baking dish with water.

NOTES:
I used small glass bowls from dollar tree, but you can use a muffin tin, custard cups, whatever fits into a shallow baking dish (I used a 9×13 baking dish).

Directions:

  1. Spray cups/muffin tin with spray release, set aside.
  2. Fill a shallow pan with 1-2 cups water (start with 1). You want the baking cups/muffin tin cups to be covered in water on the outside, but you don’t want to water to get into the cups.
  3. Set the cups/muffin tin into the water bath pan.
  4. Sauté onions in butter until the onions are clear (about 10 minutes). Take off the heat and allow it to come to room temperature.
  5. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, and sour cream until combined.
  6. Add cheese, bacon, and onions to mixture.
  7. Stir well to combine and add salt and pepper.
  8. Give it a quick mix and ladle it into the greased cups/ muffin tin.
  9. Bake 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees
  10. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10-ish minutes.
  11. Run knife around the edges to free egg bites from the cups and allow to cool on a plate.

Store in fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat in microwave for 30 seconds-1 minute.

Substitutions:

  • If you are a vegetarian, omit the bacon. You can substitute the same amount of chopped veggies (bell peppers, and spinach are two of my favorites).
  • If Cheddar cheese isn’t your jam, goat cheese, gruyere, mozzarella are all good choices.
  • Finally, bacon can be swapped with crumbled sausage.

9/6/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgHappy Labor Day! I hope you all had a fun, relaxing weekend. The kids and I spent most of it playing with Legos, or swimming with friends.

No trip to the grocery store this week- I did go buy ice (our icemaker is STILL broken- Looking at you Sears) and popsicles, but we have enough groceries to get us through the week. I may have to buy milk… We’ll see.

Getting the fam to eat more fruits and veggies has been my personal mission this year, and thankfully, Yasukochi Family Farms has my back.

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 did a great deal of meal prep today after the box was delivered- You can see some of what I did over on Instragram.

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: We’ve got a pretty good schedule down for dinners. We have nuggets (vegetarian for the boy child, chicken for the rest) on the nights that we have respite. It’s quick prep and clean up, and I can serve it on our cafeteria trays with other fingers foods (we have trays like these) like cut-up fruit, crackers, and cheese. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday: Korean BBQ Beef, Rice, Roasted Veggies with Haven’s Kitchen Gingery Miso
  • Monday: Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce, Garlic Cheesy Bread, and fruit
  • Tuesday: Breakfast for Dinner (probably waffles, eggs, sausage, and fruit)
  • Wednesday: Nugget night: Nuggets, crackers, cheese, fruit
  • Thursday: Cheeseburgers ( topped with caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms), chips and dip, and salad
  • Friday:  Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Leftovers, fruit

Please stay safe you guys!

9/3/2021 Freebies and Deals!

It’s Friday, Friday, Funday! We’re celebrating with pizza. And there are some pretty cool freebies and deals this weekend!

If you are looking for birthday freebies, fret not! I put together a list new for 2021- Check it out here.

Most of these freebies and deals are online. I know y’all are vaxxed and ready to party, but I’m trying to keep you safe. Keep up the social distancing with strangers, wash and sanitize your hands, and cover your mouth and nose if you are going to be around strangers. The kids and I still mask up when we go out, and I’ve got hand sanitizer at the ready.

Freebies:

Free Personalized Chateau Souverain Wine Labels
Free Mr. Orange Multipurpose Cleaner Sample
Free Donut Wednesdays at Dunkin
Free Magnetic Eyelashe Kit, Mascara, Tweezer & Mirror
Free Urinozinc Prostate Immunity Support Supplements
Free Rael Beauty Miracle Patch Dark Spot Cover
Free Foaming Hand Soap Tablets
Free Pretzel with the Wetzel’s Pretzel App
Free Yankee Cande Birthday Gift
Free Redbox Rental
Free Bodyarmor Drink at Pilot Flying J
Free Joolies Date Snack Packs
Free Books, Journals, Stickers & More
Panera Members – Free Bagel Everyday in September
12 Free Backyard Beans Coffee Co. Cold Brew Cans
Free Mylanta Gas Minis Sample
Free Sample of Coach for Men Cologne
Free Curion’s Prestige Beauty Products
Free Milwaukee MX4 4-Cutter SDS PLUS Rotary Hammer Drill Bit
Possible Free $125 Alcoholic Beverages Research Study
Verizon Up Rewards – Free $3-$5 Amazon or Starbucks Gift Card
Kellogg’s Kitchen Insiders – Earn Free Gift Cards
Free Core Organic Bar at Target
Free Tylenol Extra Strength Cold Multi Action Capsules
Ulta – Free Lancome Anti-Aging Face Serum for Your Birthday
Free Kim Crawford Wines Illuminate House Party Kit
Sephora – Free NARS, Laneige, Moroccanoil or Kerastatse Mini Set
Free Subscription to GQ Magazine
Free Kinderlyte Oral Electrolyte Solution Products
Free Sample of Rituals Sakura Body Cream
Free Happiness Digest by Ellen White Book
Free Boots Ingredients Collagen Serum

 

Deals:

Treasure Beach Wooden Sandbox ONLY $56.91 (Reg. $106)
Michael Kors Charlotte Saffiano Bag ONLY $75.65 (Reg $398)
Funko Games Back To The Future $9.88 (Reg. $21)
Buy 2, Get 1 Free Books on Amazon
PAW Patrol True Metal Mighty Meteo Track Set $9.57 (Reg. $20)
Multipet Gumby Dog Toy ONLY $2.85 on Amazon
Kate Spade Staci Medium l-Zip Wristlet ONLY $29 (Reg $119)
Reversible Micromink Faux-Sherpa Throw ONLY $13.99 (Reg $40)
Nautica True Comfort Standard/Queen Pillows ONLY $6.99 (Reg $20)
Tramontina 9-Pc Non-stick Cookware Set ONLY $19.88 (Reg $40)
Powerbeats Pro Wireless Earphones ONLY $169.99 (Reg $250)
Extra 15% Off your Entire Order + FREE Shipping at Coach Outlet
Nostalgia 16 Cup Air-Pop Popcorn Maker ONLY $10.93 (Reg $30)
Paw Patrol Ride-On Vehicle ONLY $16.41 at Walmart (Reg $40)
Little Green Box Board Books by Dr. Seuss ONLY $9.11 (Reg. $20)
MUK LUKS Marsha Sandals ONLY $16.99 (Reg. $45)
Free Kindle eBook This Month on Amazon
Rainbow Pebbles Stacking Stones ONLY $18.56 (Reg. $35)