food

4/12/2021: Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

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The CSA emails us in advance to give us a heads up as to what may be in our boxes on Monday, so that’s helped me be able to meal prep and write up this post last night.. But I went to bed early and forgot to hit POST.

I picked up a full order from Dream Dinners on Friday afternoon, and I’ve got three DD meals planned for this week. I’m working through the freezer too, and I’m planning on making vegetable soup with some homemade stock in the freezer and some freshly frozen veggies. I freeze fresh veggies towards the end of the week so that we have room in the fridge for all of the new CSA goodies.

Veggies and fruit are delivered each Monday 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 spend about an hour on Monday afternoon cleaning and prepping veggies for the rest of the week.

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 like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

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.  The kids are nuts about pancakes. The Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Lunch: The little kiddo and I usually have something quick and filling, lately it’s been sandwiches on croissants, and strawberry yogurt.  Big kid takes his lunch to school.

Dinner: Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday: Roasted loaded cauliflower, Salad, Garlic Baguettes
  • Monday:  Orange ginger chicken, rice, roasted veggies
  • Tuesday:   Vegetable Soup and Cheddar Biscuits
  • Wednesday:  Meal o’ Snacks!
  • Thursday: Chicken tikka Masala, rice, salad or veggies
  • Friday:  Pizza/Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Breakfast for Dinner (Pancakes, Eggs, Fruit)

Please stay safe you guys!

Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?

Fetch Rewards: Add 4,000 bonus points to your weekend plans

Abby H.

 

It’s back!

There are thousands of referral bonus points just waiting to be claimed. If you want some, simply tell all your friends about Fetch. Through 4/11/2021, you’ll get 4,000 points for anyone who signs up using your code.

There’s no limit to the Rewards you can earn, so tell everyone. It’s super easy, and each friend who signs up gets 2,000 points.

Referring friends is easy. Step one: share your referral code with friends. Step two: friends enter your code and snap a receipt. Step three: points are deposited into your account.

Let’s get started! If you are new to Fetch Rewards, you can learn more here. When you sign up, use my referral code ND2TB and share the love (and referral points!).

When you sign up, leave your referral code in the comments!

 

Fine Print: In order for you to qualify for the increased referral bonus, your friends must enter your referral code and complete a valid receipt now through 11:59 PM PT on 04/11/2021. After 11:59 PM PT on 04/11/2021, the referral bonus will expire.

April is Financial Literacy Month! Budgeting and Savings Tips

Abby H.

Today I learned that April is Financial Literacy Month. Which is just in time for tax day (which has been extended this year, but it traditionally April 15th).

One of my favorite topics for this blog is how to save money. So I thought I’d put together a post with links to some of my best ways to save money and throw out some tips and tricks that work for me.

Last year I wrote a three-part series about making a practical budget that a family can adhere to and how to get some extra help if you need it. This was written during the pandemic, so there is a lot of information and resources especially for those feeling the financial panic that many felt during the height of the pandemic last year.

If you already have a budget or feel that your spending is out of control and you aren’t to the point yet where you feel that you need a budget, I did a series of posts in late 2019 about how to reign in the out-of-control spending.

  • Part One- Start in the Kitchen
  • Part Two- Entertainment Some of these tips may not be applicable right now, as so many public places are still closed or have limited services (Like gyms and libraries).
  • Part Three- Shopping Around to Save. Internet, cell phones, health insurance (and that’s just three examples), a lot of times you can save money with a few clicks or a phone call.

Keeping an eye on your Credit Score is another great way to be financially literate. I wrote this morning about Credit Sesame, which I personally have used for at least 9 years.

And finally, if you feel like you need a little more help than the posts above to get a handle on your finances, check out Simplifi by Quicken. To celebrate Financial Literacy Month, Simplifi is offering a 30-day FREE Trial of Simplifi by Quicken.

  • Simplifi by Quicken was named the Best Budgeting App & Tool by the New York Times’ Wirecutter!
  • The app helps you stay on top of your money in less than 5 minutes per week.
  • After your free 30-day trial save 38% off the regular price. That’s $29.99 billed annually for the first year. For the cost of one lunch date, you can have a year of budgeting at your fingertips.

Talkback: What are your tips and tricks to saving money and staying on budget?

Dream Dinners: Coupon Code $99 off Your First Order!

Abby H.1 Comment

Dream Dinners is hooking new clients up with an incredible offer! If you’ve never heard of Dream Dinners, check out my post here.

Right now, you can save $99 off your first month’s order when you use coupon Code “REFER99“.  When you check out, use Coupon Refer99 at check out and enter my name  (Abby Hewes) and email (akeen02037@gmail.com) in the how did you hear about us when creating your new profile.

This offer is only valid for new guests. This offer is good for a Standard order and can only be used one time per customer, per household.

A standard order is at least 12 small meals (feeds 2-3 people) or 6 large meals (feeds 4-6 people).

I love Dream Dinners because it’s a great way to save time and still serve the fam a tasty healthy meal. We order 12 small meals each month and serve 2-3 a week. Between Dream Dinners, and our CSA box, our grocery budget is under control, and we aren’t eating out multiple times per week. Because we’ve been home 24/7 for the past year, our grocery budget has gone up, but we are not eating out often. Whenever we get the urge to eat out, I grab a Dream Dinner meal from the freezer, and in less than an hour, we are eating gooood.

There are Dream Dinners locations in 22 states, find your closest location here.

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)

Free Food Resources for April 2021 (San Diego County)

Abby H.

A new month means that it’s time for the monthly update of free food resources in San Diego.

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

Neighborhood Distributions for April 2021:

These Distributions are primarily fruits & veg, however, some locations may also distribute canned goods, dairy, and bread.

Super Pantry Locations can be found here (this listing is countywide). The San Diego Foodbank website also has resources for Diaper banks, free food resources for seniors, and more.

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

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!

Recipe Round-up: Fruit and Veggie Extravaganza!

Abby H.

Spring is upon us, and that means that there will be all sorts of fruits and veggies coming into season.

Here are some of our family’s favorite recipes featuring fruits and veggies! These are all easy to make and will satisfy everyone in the family- even the pickiest eaters.

Fruit:

 

Veggies:

SheSpeaks: New Snack Shopping Program!

Abby H.

SheSpeaks has a  Snack Food Shopping Program! To participate, you’ll purchase a specific snack food at an approved Walmart store. The item will cost approximately $5. You’ll be reimbursed $10 for your purchase within two weeks of you submitting your receipt!

To qualify for this program, you will need to be able to shop at a Walmart store on this list. (Due to limited availability, this product is only available at certain stores in AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, TX, UT, WA, WY.)

To get started, click here.

Q-insights Parent/Child Cereal Survey Pays $125

Abby H.
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Q-insights is another company that I do research groups, focus groups, and online surveys to earn extra money.

They have a lot of stuff in South Orange County, and less often San Diego County. These days they are doing most of their studies online via chat or online surveys.

Right now Q-Insights is currently recruiting for an online study on the topic of Breakfast Cereal.

Q-Insights is looking for males and females ages 30-49 nationwide that have a 6-12 year old child to participate in a 75-90 minute online focus group regarding breakfast cereal.

The survey pays $125 for participating. Your child would need to be present for about 45-60 minutes of the online focus group.

If you are interested, please fill out the Google Form here and one of their recruiters will call you.