holiday

Family Recipe: Marinated Salad

Abby H.2 Comments

6f6a6154-1This salad is a  favorite at our house. Because of it’s simplicity, it’s great to take to potlucks too! It would be a great addition to any holiday feast table.  It’s Vegan, Gluten Free, Low Carb, Paleo compatible!  No excuses- Give it a shot!

Marinated Salad (serves 4)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Mural of Flavor
  • 1 t. granulated garlic
  • 1 t. granulated onion
  • 2 large cucumbers, sliced into coins
  • 3 large tomatoes, sliced (your choice of variety)

Directions:

  1. Mix the vinegar, oil, and spices in a small bowl, set aside.
  2. Place the veggies in a large bowl.
  3. Slowly drizzle the dressing mixture over the veggies and toss lightly to coat. Cover bowl (I use a bowl like this one) and store in the fridge for 4-12 hours before serving- this allows the flavors to mingle. The salad can be stored for up to 4 days.

Sliced fresh mushrooms are also great additions to the salad, as are drained, rinsed canned artichoke hearts. If you aren’t concerned about it being vegan, adding 1/2 cup of cubed Monterey Jack cheese is tasty too!

Cool Character lights from 3D Light FX!

Abby H.1 Comment

With holiday shopping already in the mind of most, I am totally excited to share these cool lights from 3D Light FX with you. We saw these at Target a few weeks ago, and Lil’ Man was entranced.

His favorite is the Batman Logo. And really, who can blame him? Check out how cool it is! 3DLIGHTFX 3D Deco Lights are the perfect gift this holiday season.

They have a full range of comic book, super hero, Disney Princess, sports and car lights that look as though they are popping right out of the wall!

They are battery operated and cool to the touch so you can place them any where in the room!

Your kids will loves having these in their rooms and they’re also the perfect editions to a den, family room, man’s cave or office! Find all of these amazing products here.

No matter what you kid (or kid at heart) is into, there is a light for them!

 

Happy Veterans Day (some freebies and deals)

Abby H.

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First of all, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has served our country and continues to serve.

This list of freebies and deals is primarily for businesses with locations in Southern CA, however there are some nationwide deals as well.

Applebees: Veterans and Active Duty Military can select a free meal from a limited menu for Veteran’s Day. Provide proof of service required.

BJ’s Restaurant: All veterans and active military can enjoy a complimentary entree under $12.95 on Friday, 11/11/2016. Please present your military ID to receive this offer.

screen-shot-2016-11-11-at-8-37-36-amBlack Angus: Free 7 oz. Top Sirloin Steak Dinner, available throughout the restaurant and the Bullseye Bar for Veterans and Active Military personnel who show proof of military service or military ID. Valid on Friday, November 11th, 2016 only. Offer excludes beverage. Offer does not include spouse and other dependents. Offer can not be combined with any other offers. Dine-in only. One offer per veteran/active duty military personnel.

Buffalo Wild Wings Free Wings: All day long on Friday, November 11, veterans and active duty military who dine at their local B-Dubs can receive a free small order of 10-12 traditional or boneless wings and a side of fries. At participating U.S. locations only.

California Pizza Kitchen: On Veterans Day, all veterans or active duty military personnel will be able to select a free entree from a special Veterans Day menu including pizza, salads and pasta. Please come in uniform or bring your military ID or other proof of service.

Denny’s All You Can Eat Pancakes: All active, inactive, and retired military personnel at all participating Denny’s restaurants nationwide will receive a free Build Your Own Grand Slam breakfast on Friday, Nov. 11, from 5 a.m. to noon. Diners must show ID to receive this offer.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit: Veterans and active military who eat at Dickey’s on Friday, November 11th, may enjoy a free meal which includes a sandwich, side and a Big Yellow Cup, up to a $12 total value. Anyone who dines with a veteran is offered a free Big Yellow Cup with applicable purchase.

IHOP: On Veteran’s Day between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., participating IHOP Restaurants around the nation will be honoring the brave men and women who have served, or are serving, in the United States Military by offering them free Red, White and Blue pancakes. Select IHOP restaurants will also offer a combo of two eggs, hash browns and choice of two bacon strips or pork sausage links as part of the Red, White & Blue Pancake promotion.  Promotion for retired and active duty military personnel.

Ikea Free Entree: Veterans can enjoy a free entree at Ikea. Please show some form of military ID.

screen-shot-2016-11-11-at-8-44-00-amMenchie’s Free Frozen Yogurt: On Veterans Day, all Veterans and military personnel with a military ID or dressed in uniform will receive a free six ounce frozen yogurt any time of day on Veterans Day 11.11.16.  Show a valid ID or be in uniform to receive.

 

img_7855Starbucks: On Veterans Day 2016, active duty service members, reservists, veterans and military spouses are invited to enjoy a free Tall Brewed Coffee.
Don’t Forget your Proof of service. Either your Active Duty or Retired Military ID Card, or a copy of your DD214. 

If you find a Veterans Day Deal, please leave a comment!

Fashion Friday from Cents of Style

Abby H.

I love Cents of Style. They have really nice stuff and it’s inexpensive too. This week you can score a free shirt that embodies the essence of this season “Thankful. Grateful. Blessed” for free when you spend $25 or more. Get a jump start on your holiday shopping (or treat yo’ self), and score a free shirt!

The coupon code is THANKFUL1 and it will make each t-shirt FREE with any $25 purchase, + FREE SHIPPING! Anything on the site is free game – any purchase that totals $25 qualifies for the free t-shirt. Here are steps for purchase:

1-Find products you love (jewelry, clothes, shoes, whatever you have to have) and add it to your cart.
2-When the cart totals $25, add the Thankful Grateful Blessed shirt from our Fashion Friday page to the cart.
3-Hit Checkout.
4- Put the code THANKFUL1 in the “Gift Card or Discount Code” Box to make your t-shirt FREE!

 

I can’t wait to order mine!

Sweet Photo Gift Deals from York Photo!

Abby H.

It’s never too early to start stockpiling photo gifts for Holiday gifts- You know I love to give photo gifts. They are great for relatives, especially those who live far away!
Custom Photo Fleece Blanket – Just $19.99 – Save $38 On Each! Use Code: FLBLANKET. Open to All Customers. S&H Not Included. Order Quantity Limit 3. Ordered Online.

101 Free 4×6 Prints– This is a great deal, and would be great for at least two gifts! 101 free 4×6 prints (use coupon code FREE101).  All you need to turn these prints into a gift is a cute photo album (keep your eyes open at Michael’s- they frequently have good sales on albums, or use a 40% off coupon from their website).

 

Custom Photo Mug Order your 11 Oz. Custom Mug from York Photo for only $.99. Use Coupon Code CUP. Shipping and handling starts at $5.99 These mugs are perfect for Grandparents!

Order your Custom Shopping Bag from York Photo for $1.00. Use Coupon Code FLTOTE. Shipping and handling starts at $3.99.

 

Oh, and the best part: All new customers get 40 4×6 prints, regardless of  what you purchase!

Holiday Cookie Recipe: Chocolate Yum Yums aka Poop Cookies!

Abby H.

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My mom makes these awesome cookies that we referred to as Poop Cookies as kids. But they are really called Chocolate Yum Yum’s. And Oh, Lord are they delicious…..

They are delicious, chewy and chocolately. You’ll have a hard time keeping them around.

Once you make them, you’ll see why we called them Poop Cookies.

Chocolate Yum Yum’s (aka Poop Cookies)

Ingredients:

  • 1 c. chocolate chips (your fav. variety- Vegan, GF)
  • 1/3 c butter (You can use coconut oil if you are vegan, don’t use spread)
  • 16 large marshmallows (You can use vegan marshmallows)
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1c. coconut
  • 2 c. oatmeal (GF oats are a great substitute. Don’t use Steel cut oats)

Directions:

  1. Over medium heat, combine chips, butter, and marshmallows. The mixture may separate when melting, but that’s ok. Stir frequently to prevent chocolate seizing.
  2. Once the mixture is melted and smooth, remove from heat and add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.
  3. Drop spoonfuls onto waxed paper on a cookie sheet.
  4. Refrigerate for about an hour or until firm.
  5. Serve with cold glasses of milk

Mom has made them with lemon marshmallows and white chocolate chips.  With all of the marshmallow and chip flavors, the combinations available are endless!

If you are looking for another Poop Cookie Recipe, Check out Seraphina’s Unicorn Poop Cookie recipe here. They are really good!

Shopping online this weekend?

Abby H.

If you are shopping online this weekend, please check out Credit Sesame before you start. Shopping online can open yourself to having your credit compromised- Hackers, Shifty websites that look like the legit websites.
It’s time to give your winter finances a fresh look and get your credit in tip-top shape. Thanks to Credit Sesame, I recently found a mistake on my credit report-it was easy to get rectified too!

Did you know that the recent FTC study found that over 20% of Americans or 40 Million credit reports have reporting errors that are costing consumers money in credit card interest rates and loans?

Make sure that your credit report does not contain erroneous information that could be impacting your credit score. Keep tabs on your credit report activities and your score by signing up for free credit monitoring and score services like Credit Sesame, so that you can easily protect your financial good standing.

* Receive daily credit monitoring alerts
* Get your FREE Credit Score Monthly
* Limit ID Theft Damage
* Find Potential Errors Sooner
* Get Access to Better Loans and Save Money

And unlike those “free” credit report offers that you see on TV with the catchy jingles, Credit Sesame is 100% free. You don’t have to enter your credit card number.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Abby H.

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I know it’s only Tuesday, but I wanted to let you all know that I’m working overtime today and and tomorrow to schedule Black Friday posts to go live Thursday and Friday!

I’m taking those two days off, but I don’t want you to miss anything good! All the deals I post will be online,  no need to rush to the mall. You can shop in your PJ’s!

Save for the Holidays (and Beyond!)- My top tips!

Abby H.

file0001508044668Christmas is 64 days away, and while some of us have been saving our pennies and dollars, some of us haven’t. This article is for those of you who are looking to earn some extra money. For the holidays, or heck, even beyond that!

Now these are all methods that I have used, and continue to use, so there is no baloney coming from me.

  • I do Surveys. Here is a post with links to my top survey companies, including how much each one has earned me!
  • One of my favorite survey companies is Paid View Point.  Surveys are short (less than 5 minutes).  Earn cash with each Survey.  You get $1.00 when you sign up! The pay out is $15.00, and it takes about a month-6 weeks to earn $15.00. So far in 2015, I’ve earned about $78.00.
  • I send my junk mail to Small Business Knowledge Center. Here is a post about it with details. I just got another $20 GC from them earlier this month!
  • I take our bottles and cans to the recycling center. It’s not a ton of money, but I paid the deposit on those bottles, I want it back! I take Lil’ Man with me and we get about $4-$5/month between the milk jugs and misc. bottles and cans. We don’t drink a lot of soda or juice. My parents save their recyclables for us too!
  • I do simple tasks with Field Agent. Field Agent is an app for smartphones that allows you to do simple tasks like photographing displays in stores or scanning items in stores. They even have secret shopping tasks.  Tasks vary in pay, however most pay between $3-$10. I’ve been using Field Agent for 2 months and I’ve earned over $100. Payment is done via Paypal!
  • I also do simple tasks with Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. I transfer the earnings to my Amazon.com account. You sign up and do tasks for small amounts of money, but the money adds up fast.  The tasks are quick and simple (transcription, surveys, flagging inappropriate photos).  I’ve earned over $50 since February.  If you want cold hard cash instead of Amazon.com credit there is an option to have money transferred to a bank account.  Mechanical Turk does ask for your SSN when you sign up- you will receive a 1099- MISC at the end of the year., regardless of which option you select.
  • Earn Gift cards with Mypoints. I take surveys, click links in emails, and do all of my online shopping through Mypoints. So far in 2015, I’ve earned about $45.00.
  • I also use Swagbucks. I use their search engine toolbar, take a daily poll, watch a video and click a few links each day! So far in 2015, I’ve earned about $60.00. Swagbucks has tons of rewards, you can receive cash via paypal too!
  • I use my smartphone to save money too. There are tons of apps that have help you save money in the store (coupons), and get your money back afterwards (rebates). Here is a list of my favs. I’m loving Ibotta right now- I’ve saved over $100 this year alone, just buying my normal groceries!

All of these things are easy to do, realistic, and even a busy person can take 10 minutes out of their day to do one of the things I’ve listed.

Where have I been?

Abby H.

I swear, I haven’t gone off the deep end! This is a super busy time of year for me! With Halloween in 11 days, I’m up to my eyeballs making costumes, planning treats for our play group Halloween party (gotta make sure they are free of everyone’s allergies), and getting ready for the WOW Summit that’s coming up this week (New business cards arrived Friday!!).

In the next few weeks, I’ll have some reviews of cool products my family has tried recently, tips for saving money for the holidays (nothing crazy I promise you!), cute giftable crafts (Pinterest Fail Free, I promise!!), and some yummy new recipes.

Screen Shot 2015-09-19 at 12.17.16 PMI’ve been working on holiday gifts for the family. Here is one of the photo collages that is going on one of those photos gifts (I told you guys, I’m all about photos for gifts- I mean it!).  It’s Lil’ Man and Bitty Bird. Mr. H is the headless adult in the photo.