Couponing Trip: Week 3

Well this will be my last shopping trip for a few weeks while I get adjusted to having 5 kids. But I did get some super deals this week.

 So the total before coupons would have been 55.35 and I paid 25.27 for a total savings of 54% not as good as last week but still better than full price.

2-2 liters of Soda
1 Bag of Tostitos
2 things of Softsoap Body Wash
Pantene Shampoo and Condition
1 toothbrush-FREE
10 pkgs of Certo
4 things of Deodrant
4 Lunchables
2 Ajax Cleaners
1 thing of Pure Silk Shave Cream
1-18pk of Hair Ties FREE
6 candy bars
1 Redbox Rental FREE

Meal Plan Monday

Monday-Fried Chicken, Potato Salad
Tuesday-HOSPITAL
Wednesday-HOSPITAL
Thursday-Chef Salad
Friday-Sweet n Sour Chicken, Rice
Saturday-Hamburgers and Fries
Sunday-Shish Kebabs, Corn on the Cob

Amish Friendship Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Here is what we had this morning for breakfast.

Ingredients

Dough:

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
2 cups flour
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Extra flour to knead

Cinnamon mixture:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup crushed nuts (optional)

Frosting:

1/4 cup butter, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine the dough ingredients: starter, flour and milk. Set aside at room temperature for 10-12 hours, or overnight.
2. Stir then add the remaining dough ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Knead until dough is no longer sticky. (I found I had to add at least an extra cup of flour.)
4. Roll dough into a rectangular shape 1/2-inch in thickness.
5. In a small bowl, combine together the ingredients for the cinnamon mixture.
6. Lightly brush softened butter over the surface of the dough and sprinkle on the cinnamon mixture.
7. Roll up dough and pinch to seal the seam. Cut into 1-inch slices.
8. Place on a well-greased cookie sheet and let rest for 30 minutes.
9. Bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 30-35 minutes.
10. In a medium-sized bowl, beat frosting ingredients until smooth. Spread frosting over warm cinnamon rolls.
11. ENJOY!

Once a Month Cooking

My husband and I just finished Once a Month cooking, I wanted to get at least a month of meals in the freezer before the baby comes in 2 days so all I have to do is pull them out of the freezer and have a good dinner to feed my family. It took my husband and I about 3 hours to complete and I'm exhausted but its well worth it. Here is the list of things that we prepared:

Chef Salad
Burgers
Sweet n Sour Chicken
Shish Kebabs
Pigs in a Blanket
Chili
Grilled Ham Slices
Enchiladas
BBQ Sandwiches
Sausage and Rice
Meatloaf
Marinated Steak
Hot Dogs
Sicilian Meat Roll
Lasagna
Oven BBQ Chicken and Cheesy Biscuits
Chicken Broccoli
Meatballs
Baked Beans and Hamburger
Sandwiches
Spaghetti
Chicken Tetrazzini
French Dip Sandwiches
Lemon Chicken
Fish Sticks
Mexican Stroganoff

Now when I pull these out all I have to do is make some rice or some other side to go with the main entree. I feel so relieved we got that done.

Beef Stroganoff

 Ingredients

• 4-1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
• 1 pound lean ground beef 
• 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 large onion, halved and sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook the beef, mushrooms and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Remove and keep warm.
• In the same pan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add broth and tomato paste. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Carefully return beef mixture to the pan. Add the sour cream, salt and pepper; cook and stir until heated through (do not boil). Drain noodles; serve with beef mixture.

ENJOY!

Couponing for Games

So I went to Walmart today to get a few things for the kids lunches and of course use some coupons.
My kids and I love games so I had 3 coupons for buy a Ratuki game and get another hasbro game for FREE (5.99 or less).

I got 3 Ratuki Card Games-which I plan on giving 2 of them away for birthday presents and I got a Life Adventure card game, a Sorry Revenge game and a Yahtzee card game. So the girls and I are set for a while on new games and I have two games to put in birthday bags. So it ended up being only $3.49 each which is great for hours of fun with my girls.

Meal Plan Monday 5/16

Monday-Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Corn
Tuesday-Tacos
Wednesday-Tator Tot Casserole
Thursday- Chef Salad
Friday-Enchiladas, Rice, Refried Beans
Saturday-DINNER OUT
Sunday-Baked Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans

Couponing Shopping Trip: Week 2

Wow what a week, I went out twice this week to do some couponing along with other errands. Here is what I got this week.

Lots of great stuff and all stuff that my family uses. I spent a total of $98.03  for all this before coupons it would have been  $243.87 so about a 60% savings.  How is that for AWESOME?

9 boxes of cereal 
3-6 packs of Propel Water
9 things of Gatorade
3 Kraft BBQ Sauce
4 Lay's Potato Chips
3-2 liter bottles of Sierra Mist  FREE
6-4 pack of Starbucks Frappe drinks
10 bottles of Powerade
10 bottles of Vitamin water
3 things of deodorant
2 things of Colgate toothpaste
4 things of Purex laundry detergent
8 jars of Pasta Sauce
8 boxes of Spaghetti noodles FREE
2-4 packs of women's razors I MADE $.03 each
3 containers of dish soap

Pretty soon I'm going to have to buy another shelving unit for the basement.

Pineapple Upside-Down Amish Friendship Bread

My pineapples kinda got moved to the sides

Ingredients


1/4 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 can (20 ounce) pineapple slices in juice, drained, juice reserved
1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter

3 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

1-2 boxes French vanilla instant pudding



Directions


1.Preheat oven to 325° F (165° C).

2.In baking pan, melt butter in oven. Remove from oven.

3.Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over buttered pan and arrange pineapple slices on top of brown sugar.Press gently into brown sugar.

4.In a large mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients as listed, including reserved pineapple juice.

5.Pour the batter evenly into cake pan

6.Bake for one hour or until the bread loosens evenly from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

7.Immediately run knife around side of pan to loosen. Place heatproof serving plate upside down onto pan and quickly turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake for 5 minutes so the brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake; remove pan and allow to cool.

ENJOY!

Productive Day

Finally the sun is shining on this beautiful day and it's the weekend, which means we got to do things outside for a change. I love the sun it got up to 81 degrees but with the wind we have here it really didn't feel like it.

We got our garden planted which feels so good, I started the plants in the house a couple weeks ago and they were starting to get pretty big. So now this summer we will have corn, sweet peas, watermelon, cantaloupe, zucchini, cucumbers and pumpkins in the fall.  I don't know how the cantaloupe, or the corn will do because we haven't had those before but I'm assuming they will do just fine.

The kids love working in the garden and planting their plants. Jaedyn our youngest loves working the garden too but I don't think her Dad thinks she is much help, she pulled up some sweet peas a few times and she loves throwing the dirt around. The kids each got to pick something to plant and Madyson picked watermelon, Kyndal picked corn and Lyndze picked sweet peas.

Ok that is really all we got done today but that took a good couple hours, now my husband is outside grilling up some hamburgers and corn on the cob. YUM

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Tomorrow I'm organizing baby things.

Only 10 more days.....

Yes I only have 10 more days until I get to meet our little guy. I am so ecstatic I can't even believe we are this close.

I feel like I have been pregnant FOREVER. I also am having this feeling of anxiety I guess, I just feel like I don't have everything done, maybe I am forgetting something that he is going to need, I'm dreading going to the hospital and knowing that they are going to be putting a needle in my back (for me that is the worst part, I hate the feeling) I'm hoping he will pee on his Dad before me.

On the other hand my girls are all super excited to have a baby brother, they have actually been arguing about who is going to get to hold him first, silly girls. I'm pretty sure it will be our oldest that will get to hold him first but I'm not telling them that until it happens just another thing for them to argue about.

These last 10 days are just going to drag on I think so I'm going to try and keep myself busy. I'm going to go and have lunch and get my hair done with a friend on Thursday, my husband and I are going to take the girls to watch a movie and out to lunch on Saturday then I think my husband and I are going to go out to dinner by ourselves Saturday night.

I almost feel like this is my first baby for some reason maybe because I know what to expect with girls.

I can't contain my Excitement!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Amish Friendship Bread

I have so much zucchini stored in my freezer from last summer I need to start using it to make room for this years zucchini. So I decided to make

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Amish Friendship Bread

Ingredients
1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter


3 eggs

1 cup oil

1/2 cup milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

1 cup grated zucchini, excess liquid removed

1 cup mini chocolate chips

1-2 boxes instant vanilla pudding


Directions:
1.Preheat over to 325° F (165° C).


2.In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients except the chocolate chips. Mix well.

3.In a smaller bowl, combine all the wet ingredients. Mix well.

4.Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly fold in the wet ingredients, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

5.Add the chocolate chips.

6.Bake for one hour in a well greased pan or until the bread loosens evenly from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

ENJOY!

The Chocolate Diaries *Book Review*



Book Description:

Ready to Make Some Sweet Changes?

Karen Linamen dishes up a satisfying blend of moxie and mocha, sharing stories from dozens of women who reveal savvy strategies for embracing a sweeter life—even while traveling rocky roads. If you’re hungry for more joy, reasons to laugh again, ideas to help you heal, and reliable hope leading to a sweeter future, this journey will leave you satisfied.

Funny, transparent, and uplifting, The Chocolate Diaries is like taking a road trip with good friends who are wise about life. And while you’re at it, indulge (just a little) in the quirky recipes for concocting chocolate delights out of whatever ingredients you can round up in your kitch. The road may still be bumpy, but you’ll be having too much fun to care.

About the Author

No stranger to good chocolate, Karen Scalf Linamen is a popular speaker and the author of fifteen books for women, including Just Hand Over the Chocolate and No One Will Get Hurt and Chocolatherapy: Satisfying the Deepest Cravings of Your Inner Chick. Karen writes, entertains, cooks, and pursues the sweet life with her family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. 
 
My Thoughts:
 
I must say I chose this book because I thought it would be interesting to read and maybe learn some things but I am sad to say that I didn't care for the book. The author provided some good stories about her life and others but I honestly felt like she just rambled on about things. I will say the best part of the book for me was the chocolate recipes that are through out the book. So some people may find the book interesting I on the other hand did not.


Disclaimer:I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah FREE in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Donuts

Saturday I made donuts for the kids for breakfast and boy were they good and super delicious.

Plain

With Maple Glaze

Finished with powdered donut holes

These are so simple to make.

Ingredients:
Pillsbury Biscuits (not flaky)
Oil

Directions: Heat oil on med-hi while heating cut out donut holes in each biscuit. Fry on each side about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with sugar or glaze them.

Glaze Directions:
Powdered Sugar, milk and maple flavoring
Mix about 2 cups of sugar and 1/2 milk with 2 tsp flavoring, you might need to add more milk it just depends on the consistency that you want.

ENJOY!!!

Couponing Shopping Trip: Week 1

So Saturday I conducted my first couponing shopping trip with husband and kids in tow (that was lots of fun). I went to Rite Aid, Walgreens, Safeway and Walmart. Here is all the stuff I bought.

                                               
3 Rolls of Bounty                    
3 bags of Kitty Litter               
3 containers of Salt                  
2 Speed Stick Deodrant          
1 3pk of Ivory bar soap            
3 Tropicana Juices                   
3 things of Dawn dish soap      
3 pkgs of Crest toothpaste    
                                   
Retail value for the things above is  $47.69 what I paid was $ 15.45

How is that for savings? I think it's pretty good for my first time trying the whole couponing thing. Stay tuned for my next shopping trip.

Meal Plan Monday 5/9

I hope everyone had an awesome Mother's Day yesterday, I know I did.

Monday-Elk Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Corn
Tuesday-Sandwiches, Chips
Wednesday-Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad
Thursday-Pork Chops, Stuffing, Broccoli
Friday-Fried Chicken, Mac and Cheese, Green Beans
Saturday-Waffles, Sausage and Eggs
Sunday- Skillet Beef Tamales

Meal Plan Monday 5/2

Monday-BBQ Ribs, Mac and Cheese, Fruit Salad
Tuesday-Taco Soup
Wednesday-Elk Steak, Baked Potatoes, Corn
Thursday-Chicken, Rice, Green Beans
Friday-Chili
Saturday-Elk Steak, Mac and Cheese, Salad
Sunday-BBQ Pork Chops, Potato Salad, Fruit Salad

Amish Friendship Bread Waffles

I had Amish Friendship Starter that I needed to use so I decided I would try the waffle recipe from the website Friendship Bread Kitchen.

Waffles

Ingredients:

1 cup flour


1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup oil

2 cups Amish Friendship Bread Starter

1/2 cup milk (plus 1/4 cup if needed)

1 egg



Directions:
1.Preheat waffle iron.


2.Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.


3.In a smaller bowl, combine oil, Amish Friendship Bread starter, milk, and egg.


4.Add ingredients of smaller bowl to the ingredients of larger bowl and mix on medium speed.


5.Spray waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and pour batter onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown.

Oh my gosh these were so delicious, they are by far the best waffles I have ever had. So try them and ENJOY!!!

Couponing continued....

So this weekend I went out and bought 3 papers which isn't even close to how many most people buy to get the coupon amount that they want.

So here all the inserts I went through.

And these are all the coupons I cut out.

Now I only cut out the coupons of the things I knew we would actually use I don't think there is any point in buying something that you aren't going to use just to get a good deal. Now I have all the coupons to organize which will also take sometime so that will probably happen tomorrow.

Wednesday will be the day I will try this method out and see if I do a good job or a bad job being a Coupon Virgin (that's what the ladies over at The Krazy Coupon Lady call beginner couponers).