food

No Joke! Legoland California is Back 4/1/2021!

Abby H.

Oh, man, the kids are going to be pumped when I tell them about Legoland!

LEGOLAND® California Resort is excited to offer Park Preview Days with access to select rides and attractions beginning April 1, 2021, under California’s reopening health and safety guidelines with official reopening on April 15, 2021.  After closing its gates one year ago, the theme park built for kids is offering priority access to Hotel guests, pass holders, and existing ticket holders impacted by COVID-19 Park closure, for the month of April.

Park Preview Days offers access to select rides including Driving School, LEGO® TECHNIC™ Coaster, Fairy Tale Brook, and Coastersaurus.  Kids and families can also enjoy socially distant character meet and greets, live entertainment, a wide variety of food options, and Miniland U.S.A.

The Resort officially reopens on April 15, offering access to SEA LIFE® aquarium and LEGO® CHIMA™ Water Park. Guests will once again be immersed into the creative world of LEGO® and some of the Park’s more than 60 rides, shows, and attractions.

Guests are required to purchase tickets and make hotel bookings online in advance to reserve access for their desired dates to visit.  Guests wanting to book hotel reservations can do so now. The Park reservation system will be made available soon.

“It’s been a long and challenging year for all of us and we are extremely excited to be able to start reopening our Resort not only to our guests so they can build family memories, but for our staff who have been patiently waiting to return to work, “ said LEGOLAND California Resort President Kurt Stocks.

To further prepare for reopening, LEGOLAND is hiring for multiple positions within Attractions, Water Park, Food and Beverage, Retail, and Hotel.  Individuals interested in joining the LEGOLAND team can visit: www.legolandjobs.com

To ensure a safe and healthy experience for its guests, the Resort is implementing safety guidelines which include reduced capacity, cashless payments, social distancing practices, and enhanced cleaning regimes. Face coverings will be required for all guests two years of age and up as well as all staff members and temperatures will be taken upon check-in.  For more information, Park and Water Park guidelines, health and safety guidelines and to purchase tickets, visit: www.legoland.com/california.

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!

Fetch Rewards: 4,000 Points Per Referral through 3/23/2021

Abby H.

There are thousands of referral bonus points just waiting to be claimed. If you want some, simply tell all your friends about Fetch. Through 3/23, 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!

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.

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.

 

 

Free Food Resources for March 2021 (San Diego County)

Abby H.

I’m sorry this is a little late coming for March. Fear not, you haven’t missed out! There are still many free Neighborhood Distributions for this month!

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

Neighborhood Distributions for March 2021:

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

Super Pantry Locations can be found here (this listing is countywide).

If you have a child attending public school in San Diego County, check to see if your school distributes free lunches daily.

In Eastern San Diego County, Grossmont Union High School District schools are distributing lunches to kids ages 2-18, Monday through Friday at various times  (Check your closest school to find out exact times and locations within each school). They also do Pizza Fridays, where each kid receives a pizza, drink, salad, plus food to be eaten over the weekend. It is definitely more than enough food to keep kids fed over the weekend.

Forgive the blurriness of this picture, but Grossmont Union High School District will be giving out two family meals over their Spring Break. Monday, March 15, 2021 and Monday March 22, 2021. The offers vary by week, but it’s a great chance to pick up some extra food to feed the kiddos. Yes, I know it says March 2020, but it is for this year.

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

3/8/2021 Weekly Meal Plan!

Abby H.

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Our second CSA Box is being delivered today! To learn more about Yasukochi Family Farms and our first box, click here. A lot of our meals this week are going to be veggie-heavy. We eat a lot of produce anyway, but now we’re eating more local produce!

I hit up the grocery store over the weekend for some much-needed bread, milk, and butter. I’m waiting for the grocery ads to come out for this week to see if I can find some deals on chicken or beef. I really would like to make a meatloaf to have for lunch this week (and meatloaf sandwiches for another lunch).

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 (I’ve been prepping bean and rice bowls on Sundays for us to have during week) so we can get back to our adventures.  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: Badas Burgers (it’s an amazing food truck that’s taken up residence across the street from our house- so dangerous!)
  • Monday: Salad, Nuggets, fries
  • Tuesday:  Entrees & Fruit Salad
  • Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner: Pancakes, Eggs (scrambled with veggies and cheese), fruit
  • Thursday: Skillet casserole, roasted veggies
  • Friday:  Pizza Night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Fiesta

Please stay safe you guys! The sooner we flatten the curve, the sooner life can go back to normal- whatever that means.

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

1,000 pts & Snack Recipes From Chex on Fetch Rewards!

Abby H.

Elevate your snack game with Chex™ Cereal and 1,000 points

 

Whether you’re a fan of savory, sweet, or little-bit-spicy snacks, there’s a Chex™ mix recipe that is sure to win you over.

But before you mix up a batch of Muddy Buddies, Cheesy Ranch Mix or another tasty Chex recipe, be sure to check out this Special Offer from Fetch Rewards. Earn 1,000 points when you pick up two boxes of any type of Chex™ Cereal. That sounds pretty sweet… or savory.

And if you are new to Fetch Rewards, check out my post here. Use my code ND2TB when you sign up and you’ll score Bonus Points (through 3/5/2021, you’ll earn 2000 points!)

 

New Recipe: Banana Bread in a Cake Pan!

Abby H.

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.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray 9×9 glass baking dish with spray release.
  2. In a small dish, mash up bananas, set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter/coconut oil for about 30 seconds-1 minute until light and fluffy.
  4. Add sugar, beat until combined and fluffy.
  5. Beat in eggs one at a time.
  6. Add bananas and vanilla, and blend until the wet ingredients are all incorporated.
  7. Add baking soda and Kodiak Mix. Stir to combine.
  8. Pour into the prepared 9×9 glass baking dish.
  9. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Test with toothpick in the center of the bread for doneness.

This recipe makes 1 9×9 cake pan, which is approximately 9-12 servings, depending on how big you like the pieces.

My kids like this bread toasted with either butter or cream cheese. It never lasts long.