One of my favorite websites to help me plan out shopping trips is Hot Coupon World. They have a Coupon Insert Schedule here. 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!
Here are just a few of the new coupons that have me excited:
We love bananas, but sometimes they get over ripe before we can eat them all. That usually only happens when the weather is so hot and muggy- or if I buy too many. In that case, I peel, slice and bag them in snack sized zip top bags and toss them in the freezer. They are now perfectly portioned for smoothies or baking recipes! This week, I’m posting my favorite Banana bread recipe. It’s quick, easy, and it uses no white sugar, so it’s ideal for those watching their sugar intake.
I’ve included variations for various diets below.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Stevia or brown sugar splenda (or 1/4 c honey)
1/3 cup applesauce
4 egg whites
1/2 cup of ripe banana (about 3-4 ripe bananas)
3/4 cup almond meal or flax meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Directions:
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large mixing bowl with electric mixer until fluffy and creamy.
Add in the remaining ingredients until smooth.
Pour batter into 1 greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.
Slice and serve hot or allow to cool, wrap in aluminum foil and store in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
Recently, a friend asked me for some non-soda uses for her Soda Stream machine. Since I use ours at least 2 times a week to whip up liter bottles of fizzy water, I figured I’d share some of my concoctions!
Fill a fancy pitcher with 2-3 cups of chilled, sliced fruit. I like Apples, oranges, lemons, Kiwi, and berries (not necessarily all together). Pour 1 liter of chilled carbonated water from the Soda Stream. It makes the best fruity fizzy water!
Try Torani Syrups in place of Soda Stream syrup. It comes in tons of flavors, in both regular and sugar free, including fun fruit flavors!
Instead of adding syrup, why not try ice cubes made of fruit juice? Fill an ice cube tray with orange juice, pomegranate juice, or whatever you have on hand. Add ice cubes to your carbonated Soda Stream water and enjoy!
If you are looking for a different taste, try the powdered beverage mixes in your carbonated Soda Stream water. Mix slowly, and carefully, since some of the powders may cause the water to get a little extra fizzy. I like Crystal Light sticks, Snapple Sticks, and a few store brands that come in cranberry and cran-pear.
Mio or other concentrated liquid beverage mixes are also great in your your carbonated Soda Stream water, and since you control how little or how much you add, your drink can be different each time!
If you are looking to jazz up your beverages, try an Italian Cream Soda. It’s a pretty easy recipe:
Italian Cream Soda
Ingredients:
Ice,
1 ounce syrup,
carbonated Soda Stream water (8-12 oz, depending on your glass size),
1 ounce cream,
whipped cream (optional, but everyone loves whipped cream).
Directions:
Scoop ice into glass
Pour your carbonated Soda Stream water over the ice cubes
Pour 1 ounce syrup over the ice and water. Stir with a stir stick.
As you can see from the photo, we buy a lot of fruit.
I bought this fruit late last week, and within 3 days, the raspberries and cantaloupe were GONE.
So why am I sharing this photo of my fruit purchases? To illustrate that you can eat healthy on a budget.
I visited Our local Ralphs, armed with 8 $1/1 Driscoll Coupons (Internet printable coupons from their surveys), a $5/$15 Produce E-coupon on my Ralphs card (like them on Facebook here and you’ll be notified when new produce coupons are added- usually once a month), and a free Muller Yogurt E-coupon (Free Friday Download).
The raspberries are $1.28/carton, so after $1/1 Q they are a paltry .28/carton. SCORE. I saved over $50 with my coupons and ralphs club card. UGH. I can’t imagine paying full price for anything.
The only not so “real food” purchase was the whipped topping. I made the Cool whip into Bachelor Mousse (1 small box instant chocolate pudding, 1 1/2 cups milk, whole carton of cool whip, beat together and serve with fruit) and we had it for dessert a few times. It’s quick, easy, and the boys LOVE IT.
So you can do it- keep your eyes open for sales on produce, meat, whole grains, and other stuff your family likes to eat. Don’t forget to take advantage of printable coupons and rebate/money saving apps!
One of the ways that we save money is to cut down on food waste. For me that means once we are home from the store and all of the perishables are put away, I pull out the cutting board, a sharp knife, the spiralizer, some zip top bags, and reusable storage containers.
This was last weeks fresh fruit and veggies (plus 3 bags of baby carrots and a cantaloupe- not pictured).
I set to work, chopping, packaging, and spiralizing. In less than 30 minutes I had all of the fresh fruits and veggies prepped and measured into small bags to be dropped into lunches, or packed into plastic containers.
This of course is only for the fruits and veggies that require prep. The oranges, apples, and bananas require no prep to eat, so they just go into the fruit bowl.
Fruits and veggies all ready for a week of healthy lunches!Cantaloupe chopped up and ready for my belly!! The bottom container has 3 spiralized Italian zucchini squash, ready to be made into “pasta” salad.
By spending a little time each week getting veggies and fruit ready to eat, you’ll cut down on food waste, because the food is all ready to eat. No scrambling to cut up cucumbers for lunch early in the morning, no putting off eating something because you are short on time in the evening.
You will also be saving money over purchasing pre-chopped and pre-packed vegetables and fruit. All of this produce was purchased at 99 Cents only for less than $12.00. So you can eat well (and healthy) on a budget!!
And if it turns out atthe end of the week that you aren’t able to eat all of your veggies and fruit and they can be frozen (pretty much anything except melons), toss the bags in the freezer and you now have veggies for a casserole, or fruit for a smoothie!
The average American family of four throws away $25.00 in food a WEEK! Here are a few more tips to help your family curtail food waste!
Eat your leftovers: this seems like a no brainer. When you divvy out your portions for dinner, make yourself your lunch for the next day. If you won’t eat it right away, pop it into the freezer- label it, so you don’t forget what it is.
When it looks like your fruit is about to go south, freeze it. This includes bananas! You can use defrosted bananas in banana bread or frozen bananas are great in smoothies. Other frozen fruit can also be used in smoothies.
Citrus fruits can be juiced and frozen or the juice can be consumed for breakfast or put in smoothies. Apples can be peeled cooked into applesauce or made into apple butter.
When I buy fresh tomatoes and they get just a little too ripe- I freeze them whole, then I bake them with chicken breasts and herbs and top with fresh parm- Yummy!
Buy less. I know it seems like a strange concept, especially with all of the really great deals you will be finding, but, the one proven way to waste less is to bring less home to waste.
I love this cake recipe. It’s quick, easy, and it disappears so quickly! And the best part, it’s loaded with pumpkin, so you don’t have to feel bad about serving it to your family. It’s easy enough that you can let even the littlest chef help you prepare it without risking a total cake failure!
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients:
1 Cake Mix (chocolate or Devil’s Food) I prefer the mix with pudding it it- the cake is moister
1 small (approx 15 oz.) can of pumpkin
1/2-1c chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix and pumpkin. I used an electric mixer, but you can always mix it by hand.
Add chocolate chips, stir to combine.
Bake as directed on cake mix packaging. If making cupcakes, do not use cupcake liners, use spray release. Remember, there is no added fat in the recipe, so you’ll need the spray release, or you’ll be picking muffin-y goodness off the cupcake liners!
This is the yummiest, fudgiest cake you’ll ever have. This is a great cake to take to potlucks!
Vegan Option: Use a vegan Cake Mix, and Vegan Chocolate chips
GF option: Use a GF cake mix
It was so good that we snuck some cupcakes for breakfast!
We also shared it with our friends at a play date! Even our pickiest eaters gobbled up the cupcakes!
When Lil’ Man was younger, that kid was all about the squeezy pouches, which was great! They are easy to carry, come in lots of varieties, and are overall a million times more convenient than glass jarred baby food. HOWEVER, they make a lot of trash.
Recently I discovered the Easy Anywhere Reusable Baby Food Pouches. These pouches are incredible.
You can refill the pouch again-and-again. No accidental spills with the reinforced double zipper. No more spending a lot of money on store bought pre filled pouches (over $1.00/each at most stores!). It’s made of sturdy but very flexible material that’s environmentally friendly (BPA-free, PVC-free & phthalate-free).
If you’ve got kids that don’t eat a lot in one sitting, you’ll never waste food in a pouch again with the convenient window at the back of the pouch!
They are easy to use too. Pour your delicious homemade purees (Or you could use pudding for a fun dessert) easily into the large opening on the top of the Pouch. You don’t need any special appliances to fill the pouch. No weird, rounded corners that are difficult to clean. Just use a bottle brush to clean the pouch and pop it into the washing machine.
We used ours at the zoo last week. I filled one with chilled pudding, and a second with homemade applesauce. These pouches would be great for backpacking or camping as well.
I’ve already picked up another set to share with a friend who is expecting soon! These make a pretty cool gift.
I want to thank the great people over at Easy Anywhere Brands and Tomoson for the chance to review this product. I was not financially compensated to review these products, however I received a four pack of Easy Anywhere Reusable Baby Food Pouches free to facilitate my review. I only recommend products and services that I feel may be a good fit for my readers.
Recently the awesome people over at Tomoson and Big Easy Brands gave me the opportunity to try out the FlavFusion 26 Oz Infuser Water Bottle with Flip Top Sipper Lid. Most of you know I love water, but sometimes I need a little flavor. I’m over the powdered packets of drink mix- with my amazing pregnancy super taster status, they all have a weird aftertaste, and even my formerly beloved Mio!
When the bottle arrived, Lil’ Man and I washed it, and set to work. He chose raspberries to infuse our water. He grabbed a ziploc baggie out of the freezer, and told me he was going to, “Little Chef cook the waters.” Ok. Being the cool mom I am, I stood back and let the 4 year old do it. And I took photos.
Step one: Disassemble the bottle (assistance from Mommy required)Step 2: Load fruit of your choice (fresh or frozen) to the little infuser basket.Step 3: Re-assemble the infuser basket into the lid, add water, and shake. We stored ours in the fridge for the fruit flavor to infuse.
It’s BPA & Lead Free and made of PET Plastic – the Safest Plastic in Drinkware. No worrying about Toxins and Chemicals Seaping into your Drink. The bottle isn’t as rigid as some of the double walled water bottles in our collection, but this bottle is perfect for packing in our snack bag when we visit the zoo (I just toss a few ice cubes into the bottom of the bottle to keep the water cold).
So far we’ve enjoyed raspberry, strawberry, and pineapple. Tomorrow we will be enjoying green apple! It’s a great alternative to flavored waters that contain artificial flavors and colors. Plus, you can eat the fruit when you are done! You can use whatever fruit you have on-hand! It’s a great way to use up the last few lingering berries, orange segments, or mango tidbits.
I want to thank the great people over at Big Easy Brands and Tomoson for the chance to review this product. I was not financially compensated to review these products, however I received a FlavFusion 26 Oz Infuser Water Bottle with Flip Top Sipper Lid free to facilitate my review. I only recommend products and services that I feel may be a good fit for my readers.
One of my goals for this blog is to show you all how to save money and continue to eat the same healthy foods you already eat, or give you new avenues for saving so you can afford more of the healthy foods you like that you can’t find coupons for.
Today I went to Ralphs. For $7.30, I bought all of this:
That’s 10 1 lb. packages of Driscoll’s Strawberries and 3 cartons of Dream Blends nut milk. I used ten Driscoll’s coupons I earned from the Driscoll’s Advisory Panel and three Dream Coupons that I printed from a recent Facebook Campaign (they are no longer available).
The Strawberries were $1.48 on sale and I used a .75 off coupon on each package, for a total of $.73/each.
The nut milk was marked down to $1.79/each and I had $2.00 off coupons. Because the coupon price was greater, the cashier adjusted the amount of the coupon on her register, so I received the nut milks for free.
But, what am I going to do with 10 lbs of fresh fruit? I’ve already chopped up 5 lbs and put them into snack size Ziploc bags. They are chilling in the freezer, perfectly portioned for smoothies or to go into yogurt.
Henry is taking two pounds to school tomorrow to share with his class (his school has a no baked goods/candy for birthday celebrations rule).
One pound we will eat tonight, and the remaining two will be served at Henry’s birthday party on Saturday. Ten pounds of fruit doesn’t go all that far when you have two guys that LOVE fruit!
If you follow a healthy diet and are looking for more coupons on the products that you regualrly purchase, here are a few suggestions:
Check the websites of the products you like. You’d be surprised how many have printable coupons on their websites! That’s how I found out about the Driscoll’s Advisory Panel!
We eat a lot of berries, especially when they are on sale. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered the Driscoll Advisory Panel!
It’s quick and easy to join. Sign up here, and after you enjoy a package of Driscoll berries, just visit the website and enter the traceability code or scan the QR code at the bottom on the carton to take the survey.
You’ll earn coupon with each survey you take! Sign up and you’ll automatically score a .50/1 coupon!
Rewards Club members enjoy: -Special offers & a birthday gift -Get access to sweepstakes & contests -New & exclusive recipes, health & wellness tips, and more -A monthly e-newsletter
With all of the berry sales coming up, you’ll find tons of chances to buy Driscoll Berries! You’ll be taking surveys and earning coupons in no time!
This week, Ralphs has Strawberries for $1.88- after the .50/1 coupon you can print after you sign up that’s only $1.38 per pound- that’s a good deal. And if you are an ORGANIC eater- Rejoice! These codes are on Driscoll’s Organic berries too! I’ll be posting a recipe featuring berries this weekend!
Here is your monthly reminder! A new month means new printable and electronic coupons!
. Most of you know I love water, but sometimes I need a little flavor. I’m over the powdered packets of drink mix- with my amazing pregnancy super taster status, they all have a weird aftertaste, and even my formerly beloved Mio!
We eat a lot of berries, especially when they are on sale. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered the 
Hewes Family Fun 