Farewell Good Friend!

Tonight I learned some very sad news....

Just two days ago I had made my monthly pledge to the puppies at the cottonelle website to print off 2 more $1 off coupons, and I was anxious to cash them in for my favorite FREE TP! Well, as I walked by the designated resting place of my beloved 4 pack of rippled wonder I noticed not only were they not there BUT some impostor off-brand was taking over it's spot on the shelf. This was quite disturbing so I asked the night stocker "Where are the 4 packs of cottonelle toilet paper." Without knowing what an impact his answer would have on me he casually answered "they have been discontinued." DISCONTINUED!!!! DISCONTINUED!!! I stood there in shock and just kept saying over and over.. "this is bad, this is baaaaad." Poor stocker- I could tell he didn't quite know what to say to me after seeing my reaction. In his effort to empathize with me he said "Yeah that off-brand sure is scratchy- not near as soft as cottonelle." If he only knew....

To make this story even sadder. Yesterday my 4.9 year old dropped not one but TWO rolls of toilet paper in the toilet!!!

Big Night at Kroger!

Well I just got back from Kroger. I do not recommend going after 10pm- you have to check yourself out. I got a taste of what the checkers must feel when I hand them all my coupons. But anyways.... on to the reason for the post.

It was a BIG night for this couponer. I saved as much as I spent!!!! Woo Hoo! Let me read, I mean write, my receipt to you: Total Spent: $ 70.46 (for 50 items) Total Saved: $69.86!!!! (Exclamation marks, mine). And if that wasn't exciting enough- I got back $5.50 worth of catalinas for $ off my next purchase.

My favorite deal by far was for the Glucerna Cereal. (Did you print your 2 $5 off coupons a couple of weeks ago?) Glucerna Cereal was on sale for $3.99. I bought 2 and used 2 $5 coupons. So right there I had $2 in overages AND THEN it triggered a $2.50 off my next purchase catalina!! So my 2 boxes of cereal made me $4.50!! (PS Glucerna cereal is located near the pharmacy with the slim fasts and other nutritional supplements- kind of by the razors)

Another fun deal was I had received a $4.50 off of 3 Kellogg's Cereals catalina a couple of weeks back. I used that along with the Buy 10 Event to get 3 boxes of Kellogg's Shredded Wheat for $1.50 or $0.50 a box!

And I got 6 FREE Johnson's Buddies Soaps. Note: The Buddies were actually marked $3 something- But sure indeed rang up for only $0.99. Thanks Emily for the heads-up.

I also had a Free Kraft cheese product coupon and Kraft is having a promotion right now that if you buy 2, 2% off Kraft cheese products you will get a $1 off your next purchase catalina. So I went ahead and got 2. I used my FREE coupon and spent $3.49 on the second one. If I factor in the $1 catalina it was like I got 2 bags of cheese for $2.49!

I also found a skim milk that was a "Manager Special" marked down to $1- as long as we don't get food poisoning this was a GREAT deal!

Well those were my favorite deals. Hope ya'll found some great deals too!

Oh I can't believe in all the excitement I forgot to pass on the most horrible of newses. It is so bad it deserves it's own post. So I am going to close this one down and open up a new one. See you in a little bit!

Randomness

Really? Am I the only one with random thoughts? If you suffer from lack of randomness here is a tip. Get in your car, turn off your radio, and simply drive for 45 minutes one way. I betcha that alone time in your head will stem some pretty random thoughts. Here is an example of a thought that entertained me for at least half of my commute to work a couple of weeks ago:

My random thought was: What if my family won a prize that awarded us 24 hours to purchase anything we wanted. Wow, I had fun with that one! Here are just a few things I went for: a new car- I went with a hybrid because the prize was just good for one day, so I thought about future gas prices and decided a hybrid would be the most responsible purchase for us. I went to Kroger and stocked up on absolutely ALL foods. Luckily, I gave thought to how I would store all that food, so made sure to get to Lowes in time to get a large deep freeze within the 24 hours. Of course I did hit all the fancy downtown boutiques and got some really styling clothes and stocked up on boys clothes for the next 3 years. I stuck with just 3 years because even though they are boys, styles change and clothes much past 3 years would probably go out of style. I thought about trying to purchase a house within my 24 hours, but didn't know if that was even possible so I decided not to waste any of my time finding out. BUT I did rack up on some furniture and decorative accessories. After all, I figured I could easily afford a new house since I would be saving so much money on future groceries, clothes, gas etc. Now just so you don't think I was only thinking of myself I did pick up things I knew my friends and family would want. AND I tried to give some money to charities and church But unfortunately that was against the rules.

My purchasing portion of this "random thought" was very enjoyable and occupied at least 20 minutes of my commute. BUT WAIT......

Just when I was finishing up an exhausting but oh so fun 24 hours of shopping the prize patrol dropped a bomb! With as much reality TV as I watch I should have seen it coming... We were told.... We now have only 12 hours to return all that we had purchased!!!! AND anything that we didn't return we would have to personally pay for!!!! WHAT!!!! Needless to say I was panicked! I mean, some things would be easy to take back: the furniture I could just stop the delivery; I'm sure I didn't take time to hang up all our clothes during the first 24 hours so I could just quickly return the bags; hopefully I could find the receipts! BUT think about those groceries. There would be no way I could distinguish between what I had just bought and what was already in my stockpile. And think about that new car!!! This one made me sick to my stomach. My DH has always preached to me that the second you drive a new car off the lot it loses value, soooo there was NO Way the dealership would let me return that car for full value. Of course now I understood why I wasn't able to give to charities or my church. I would have felt just awful if I had to ask the local soup kitchen to give back the million dollars I had just presented to them.

So there you have it. By the time I got to work I was feeling pretty stressed BUT I had taught myself a valuable lesson about Worldliness and GREED!

What do you think about on your way to work?

Scrapbook Saturday

Today I thought it would be fun to have a "Random Thoughts" Saturday. What a random idea, I know. I'm going to throw up a Mr. Linky for you to record any random thought about any random idea or topic you wish. I'll give you an example:

Ex. I love saying Mr. Linky. That name just sounds so silly when you say it out loud. Try it....... You smiled, didn't you? I have given serious thought about naming my future car Mrs. Linky just so I can have an opportunity to say "Linky" more often. Although when I just wrote the word "Linky" it wasn't near as fun, so from now on I will never use the word "Linky" without a Mr. or Mrs. along with it. Of course people might think it strange for me to name my car, but as a past "Duke's of Hazard" fan, I have always wanted to have a car with a name. I tried "Bertha" with one of my past vehicles but it just didn't stick. But Bertha is not near as fun to say as Mrs. Linky.

So there you go- how was that for random.

Deal Alert

Here is another one of my FAVORITE coupons. Go here to print a $1.50 off 1 AND go here to print off $1 off 1 and $1.50 off 2 coupons for Coffee Mate Creamer. Remember to print your 2 per computer.

Tip: Walgreens has their coffee mate creamer on sale B1G1 free until tomorrow, so if you use 2 coupons you could get some FREE creamer!

Deal Alert

Go here to print $1 off 1 Johnson's Buddies Products or here to print $2 off 2 Johnson's Baby Products. Johnson's Buddies are normally priced at $0.99 most stores. So you can get FREE soap. We have been using these with the boys and LOVE them! They last a long time too! Thanks MoneySavingMom for the tip!

PS Tomorrow is going to be a real fun day to try out Mr. Linky!

Comment Troubles?

I have had a number of girls tell me this week that they continue to have trouble with leaving a comment. I hate this, because it is no secret how much I looove comments. I think the best most trouble free way to leave a comment is NOT in the "comment" section (under each post) but my clicking on the "Mr. Linky" logo thingy. Once you click on it you will be able to enter a comment, answer a simple math question so it knows you are a real person and not a spammer, and hit post. I don't think anyone who has used the Mr. Linky has had any problems. I try to put one Mr. Linky up per day, so feel free to use it anytime throughout the day. Email me if you have problems with Mr. Linky.

Our Afternoon

Sooo the boys and I just got back from an exciting afternoon of couponing. We actually had a shopping play-date with my friend, who I have FINALLY convinced to start couponing. It was so fun to watch a newbie get her first coupon high. Actually, her initial enthusiasm was a little disappointing at first- she didn't even high-five the checker. But once I asked her to please show me her "excited face" I was convinced she was hooked. In fact when we parted ways she was on a hunt for more computers to print more coupons.

We went to Target and Walgreens. She spent about $34 out of pocket and saved about $70 PLUS she has $20 register rewards to spend at a later date. Woo Hoo! Woo Hoo! (The second woo hoo was on behalf of my friend, I feel confident she would want me to say one for her too).
Here is a breakdown of what she got:
4 packages of diapers
2 packages of wipes
Garnier Fructis gel
5 Motts Applesauces
2 Goldfish
All for $14 after RR! Not BAD!

Now I do have to confess something to you. I coveted- a direct violation of a 10 commandment. We rode around town in my friends NEW luxury vehicle. Not only did her car have 4 doors, power steering, a radio, and a new car smell it also had a built in DVD player and a tush warmer! I won't lie, I had serious thoughts about abandoning "the plan," and diving back into a car payment. BUT then I remembered that I had shared my plan with all of you, thus making me accountable, therefore, I am back on track. Besides I have a personal goal to drive "my car" to at least 250,000 miles and I still have a good 10,000 miles to go! Thanks for being there for me!

Familytime Friday

Once again familytime Friday is going to get gypped. I am working today for a couple of hours and then have promised a friend to take her to Walgreens for a personal couponing lesson, soooo I am not sure how our day will shape up. I am sure Colby will not let us out of craft time and I feel confident that my trip to Walgreens with 4 kids (only 2 mine) will have me calling out to the Lord, although I'm not sure I can count that as a devotional time. As far as learning time- I'll be sure to read the Walgreens flyer to the boys. So there you go.

I predict this will be a low post day, but you never know....

Do you have any fun activities planned with your families this weekend?

Annual Budget Countdown

Last week I shopped 3 times. Once to Kroger and 2 times to Walgreens. Here is the damage breakdown:

Walgreens First Trip:
Spent: $6.85 oop (out of pocket)
Saved: $25 PLUS got back $10 in RR

Walgreens Trip #2
Spent: $0 but got back an additional $3*
Saved: hard to say Plus $2 RR

*How did I get paid $3 you ask? I'm still a little confused myself, BUT here is what happened. I shopped at the Walgreens in my parent's hometown because I was anxious to do the Dove trial size deodorant deal because they were out at our Walgreens. Well, first let me say I was extremely sad to find out that this particular Walgreens did not accept Printables (let's all say a brief word of thanks that our Walgreens does- at least now). So I already was forced to put back the Sambucal and Excedrin I was planning on getting. Then I proudly presented my 4 Dove Deodorants and my 4 Dove bar soaps with respective coupons and paid my $6.41 oop (also picked up the FREE Ritz crackers and more toothpaste) and waited in anticipation for my $10 RR to print. Welllll, No Such RR printed, instead I got a lousy $2 RR.

I tried to "nicely" explain that all across our Great Nation women were receiving a $10 RR for purchasing 8 Dove products- my speech got me no where but a very nice Manager was called to the scene. After repeating my speech to him, and once again getting me NO closer to that $10 RR, I surrendered and "nicely" asked to return all 8 Dove products. Well some where in the confusion, the Manager handed me back a little over $9 for my return, even though I had only spent $6.41 oop. I tried to give back the $2 RR but he said to keep it (I think he was relieved to see me go and was thrilled to learn I was not local!). Sooooo, it ended up being a profitable trip after all.

This week I also received a $19.98 check from Walgreens for my January Rebates (I guess I forgot to mark "gift card" when I entered all my receipts on the ES rebate form)

Kroger:
Spent: $103.95 for 52 items
Saved: $71.85

Total Weekly Spent: $110.80 - $22.98 from rebate check and Walgreens fiasco
Total Saved: at least $96.85

Year to Date:
Total Spent: $1030.94
Total Saved: $767.61
Total Left: $3969.06

Still $70.94 over budget for year! Ahhhhhhh!

Deal Alert- Target

Target has some new printable coupons available. Go here to print. The great thing about Target Printables is that you can print as many as you want.

I am most excited about the Motts Apple Sauce coupon for $1 off 1
Scenario:
I have not confirmed the price at our Target but most Targets have Motts Apple Sauce priced at $1.77
Use $1 off 1 target printable AND $0.55 off 1 from here
Final Price: $0.22 after both coupons

$1 off 1 Pepperidge Farm Crackers coupon is still available until 3/14
There is a rumor floating the internet that the whole grain variety are on sale for $1 which would make those fish FREE. Let us know if this is true at our Target!

Gillete Shampoos, Conditioners, and Body Washes are supposedly on sale for $2
Use $2 off 1 from 3/1 PG
Final Price: FREE

Deal Alert- Kroger

This week Kroger continues it's "Buy 10 Participating Items Get $5 Off" event with mostly new items. Remember you must buy a combination of 10 participating items to get the $5 discount up to 3 times. To get the most out of these type of events be very careful to get exactly 10 or 20 or 30 items. Click here to see a complete list of participating items.

Lean Cuisine Entrees on sale $1.99 or $1.49 with Buy 10 Event
There has been several different catalinas print for lean cuisines ($1.50 off 8 or $1 of 2)
There was also a $2 off 3 Kroger mailer coupon
Final Price: Varies but even without a coupon $1.49 is not a bad price for Lean Cuisines

Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks on sale for $1.99 or $1.49 with Buy 10 Event
Use $0.50 off 2 from 3/8 SS AND $0.75 off 2 from CF (make sure to load your kroger card)
If Stickerz are included there is a $0.50 off 1 in 2/1 SS
Final Price: $0.62 each with both coupons and buy 10 event ($0.11 each with 2 stickerz coupons and CF coupon)
Please Note I pass this deal on not as your nutritionist but as your designated deal finder!

Betty Crocker Potatoes on sale $1.49 or $0.99 with Buy 10 Event
Use this $0.40 off 1 (says do not double) AND $0.35 off 1 from SC loadable coupon
Final Price: $0.24

Carefree Liners on sale for $2.50 or $2 with Buy 10 Event
Use this $1.50 off 1
Final Price: $0.50

Dole Fruit Cups on sale $2 or $1.50 with Buy 10 Event
Use $0.75 off 2 from 1/11 SS
Final Price: $1.13 each with coupon and 10 Event

Nature Valley Granola Bars at $2.49 or $1.99 with Buy 10 Events
Tons of $0.50 to $0.60 off coupons in lots of different inserts as well as recent printables
Final Price: $0.80 to $1 with coupon and 10 Event

Purex Detergent at $2.99 or $2.49 with Buy 10 Event
Use $0.35 off 1 from 3/8 SS or $0.75 off 1 from Kroger Home Mailer
Final Price: $2.29 with coupon and 10 Event

There are lots of other participating items in this "Buy 10 Event." The above were just some of my favorites

More Great Deals:

White Seedless Grapes on sale $0.99/lb

Green Bell Peppers on sale $0.79 each
(Lots of my recipes call for bell peppers)

Boneless Chuck Pot Roast on sale $1.97/lb
(Roast is on my menu next week)

Receive $25 Free Groceries, (when you transfer your prescription to kroger we'll credit $25 to your kroger plus card. ask your pharmacist for details. limit (1) one per household. not valid with transfer from another kroger store or kroger owned pharmacy. not valid with any other offer. not valid for items or services paid for in whole or part by medicare, medicaid or any other federal health care program. offer expires march 31.)

Coupon Reminder

I just wanted to remind you to hop on over to kroger.com to load your kroger card with the latest coupons from CellFire (CF), ShortCuts (SC) and Proctor and Gamble (ePG).

My favorites were from cellfire. Here is a taste of what is available:
Cheerios $0.55 off 1
Colgate MaxFresh Toothpaste $1.50 off 1
Cottonelle Toilet Paper $0.25 off 1
Fiber One Cereals $0.75 off 1
Huggies Diapers $3 off 2
Yoplait Kids Yogurt $0.80 off 2

Remember your loadable coupons DO NOT Double But you can combine these with your paper coupons.

Deal Alert- Walgreens

This week I am going to start incorporating more of the coupon lingo you learned about last week from our Couponing 101 class. Go here for a reminder.

The following are my favorite deals with thanks to the Thrifty Mama and Money Saving Mom

Colgate Total Advanced Toothpaste priced at $3.49
Use $1 off 1 from here or $1.50 off 1 from March All You Magazine AND $2.50 off 1 from ES
Final Price: FREE after both coupons

Garnier Fuctis Hair Care on sale $2.99
Use $1 off 1 from 2/8 RP or 3/8 RP AND $2 off 1 from ES
Final Price: FREE

Smart Balance Butter Spread on sale for b1g1 Free or 2 for $2.99
Use $1 off 2 from 2/1 RP
Final Price: $0.99 each

Glade Scented Oil Sense and Spray Starter Kit and/or Glade Lasting Impressions at $7.99
Use $4 off 1 from 2/8 SS (both Sense and Spray and Lasting Impressions have $4 off 1 coupon)
AND $4 off 1 from ES (pg 29)
Final Price: FREE

Lysol Disinfecting Wipes on sale for 2 for $4
Use 2 $1 for 1 from 2/1 SS
Final Price: $1 each

Register Reward Deals RR

Right Guard or Dry Idea Deodorant for $2.99, Get back $2 RR wyb 1
Final Price: $0.99 after RR

Gillete Fusion Gamer at $8.99, Get back $4 RR wyb 1
Use $4 off 1 from 2/8 PG
Final Price: $0.99 after coupon and RR

AND the MOTHER OF ALL DEALS
(I hope you have printed off your $5 off 1 Huggies coupons from the coupon.com sidebar. By now you could have 4 $5 for 1 coupons because the coupon reset this week!)

Buy $25 o Participating Kimberly Clark Products*, Get back $10 RR

*Huggies Jumbo Packs of Diapers or Training Pants at $10
Huggies Baby Wipes at $6
Kotex at 2 for $6
Scott or Cottonelle $7
Poise of Depends at $12
Klennex facial care at 3 for $4

Scenarios:
Buy 3 jumbo packs of Huggies for $30
Use 3 $5 off 1 coupons (from coupon.com sidebar)
Final Price: $5 for 3 PACKAGES after coupons and RR

Buy 2 packs of Huggies and 1 package of Wipes for $26
Use 3 $5 off 1 coupons
Final Price: $1 for 2 packages of diapers and 1 wipes after coupons and RR

March Easy Saver Deals

Revlon Emery Boards priced around $1.59
Use $1 off 1 from 2/8 SS AND $1 off 1 from ES
Final Price: FREE after both coupons

Colgate Total Toothpaste 4 oz priced between $2.99 - $3.49
Use $1 off 1 from 2/22 SS or $1.50 off from recent mailer AND $2.50 off 1 from ES
Final Price: FREE after both coupons

Sambucol priced around $12.99

Use $4 off 1 here AND $10 off 1 from ES

Final Price: FREE after both coupons (I don't think you get overages except on rebate and RR items)

March FREE after Rebate ES Deals

Advanced Memory Formula 45 count soft gels for $19.99
Final Price: FREE after rebate

Axe Hair Care $5.99
Final Price: FREE after rebate

Wal-Zyr 24 allergy relief 5 count $3.99
Final Price: FREE after rebate

Extra Strength Headache Relief 20 count gel for $2.99
Final Price: FREE after rebate

Thrifty Thursday

Well I had fully intended on publishing the next lesson in our DRS Couponing 101 series, (I even started it) but this weeks deal alerts took a lot longer then I had anticipated. So with the time now reading 12:54 AM on my computer I have decided to fight my DRS, go against "the Plan," and call it a night. I hope you understand.

Just think- now you have something to look forward too for next week. DRS Couponing 101- Coupon Matching! It's going to be good! Try not to lose sleep while waiting in anticipation. I lose enough sleep for all of us!

In the meantime- tell me about the latest deals you have snagged around town.

Crockpot Rotisserie-Style Chicken- Verdict

Well it is official, 2 different families have confirmed it was well worth the effort to make the chicken. I was excited to see how much white meat my bird had. Very tasty!

Confessions

There are a few things I must get off my chest:

1. My house is a wreck, Cohen has managed to drop bits and pieces of tonight's dinner throughout our house, I have not touched a zone, laundry is piling up, toys and clothes destined for this weekend's consignment sale are scattered throughout my office/dinning room, and I feel quite confident there are toothpaste stains in both bathroom sinks-although this has not been confirmed.
2. I had slice and bake cookies tonight as I watched the American Idol results show.
3. I am wearing pajamas that have ice skating penguins on them- lucky husband!

Thank you I feel better.

Product of the Week

Today I salute Thomas Light Multi-Grain English Muffins. I love bread, always have always will. There is absolutely nothing wrong with bread BUT some breads are better for you then others. Thomas Light Multi-Grain English Muffins are a great choice because not only are they only 100 Calories they also pack in 8g of Fiber in 1 muffin. Make yourself an egg white sandwich with one of these muffins add a glass of milk and maybe even 1/2 of a banana and you have got yourself a winner of a breakfast.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1 Muffin

Meal Plan: 100 Calories and 1 starch

Wellness Wednesday

I am very saddened by the news I must share with you today. But as your Registered Dietitian I feel it is my responsibility to pass on all relevant breaking Nutrition related news. Well actually, the news I have to pass on is NOT so late breaking, it actually was published in the Journal of American Dietetic Association in July 2008. Unfortunately, my copy of that particular Journal issue was filed neatly away with all my other unopened journals. (There- I admit it, I don't read my professional journals!! Every year "Read 1 Journal article a month" gets put on my New Year's resolution list; but let's face it when I have a split second to sit and actually read an article I would much rather look at the pictures in Better Homes and Gardens then read about "Negative Association between Tofu Intake and Anemia in Jiangsu China" (actual article, no offense to Zumin, Shi- I'm sure it is a fascinating read)) Anyways.... I might still be in the dark about the issue to which this long introductory paragraph is about, had not my dear friend sent me an email.

OK NIKI ENOUGH ALL READY!- WHAT IS THE NEWS?

Ok, Ok here it is....... You know how every week I put at least 1 fish recipe on the weekly menu in an effort to help us meet the American Heart Association's recommendation to eat at least 2 servings of fish/week for heart health. And if you have paid any attention at all to my recipes you would know that my fish of choice is usually Tilapia. Well it turns out all fish are not created equal and some fish could actually be doing more harm than good!!! And guess what fish is getting the most attention for it's potential harmful effects? That's right- TILAPIA! specifically farm raised tilapia.

I didn't believe it myself when my friend sent me a link to a recent story she had seen on our local news. You can go here to watch it for yourself.

Refusing to believe my beloved fish was out to get me, I started researching. Boy was I surprised that the study the MD referred to was straight out of my own National Association's journal. After dusting off my copy, I read the article word for word and here is what I learned:

Farm Raised Tilapia's Omega 6 content greatly exceeds it's amount of Omega 3s creating an unfavorable Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio. Got it?!? Of course not, unless you have a degree in nutrition you are probably still confused. Lucky for us I do have such a degree so let me further break it down for you.

There are two essential fatty acids: Omega 3 (DHA and EPA) and Omega 6 (aracidonic acid and linoleic acid). Both are essential for normal body function and both have been shown to have heart health benefits. However too much Omega 6, especially in conjunction with low intakes of Omega 3 fatty acids, have been shown to cause an inflammatory response. In other words- not good.

The problem with farm raised tilapia is that the Omega 6 fatty acids way out number the amount of heart healthy Omega 3s. In other words, If the whole reason we are told to eat at least 2 servings of fish a week is to increase our Omega 3 intake thus lowering our risk for heart disease- farm raised Tilapia might not be the best choice.

Which fish scored the best: Salmon and Farmed Trout. These 2 had the highest concentration of Omega 3 fatty acids and very low amounts of Omega 6.

Bottom line:
Q. Do you need to go get your stomach pumped because of the tilapia fish tacos you had for lunch?
A. Absolutely Not.

Q. Will I stop cooking with tilapia?
A. No. It is still a very lean meat choice and provides other valuable nutrients. I am simply going to limit my tilapia recipes to 1 or 2 a month and purposefully increase our Salmon and Trout intake.

If you have any specific questions regarding this topic please feel free to leave a comment.

And now for that chicken

Well tonight I skinned the chickens! Let me just tell you... I came real close to becoming vegetarian. GROSS!! The experience did give me a great idea, however, that could potentially save our tax payers tens of dollars. While scooping out the chicken's innards I was reminded of the time we dissected the frog in my high school biology class. Just imagine the money our schools could save if instead of frogs students could be responsible for bringing their own $0.97/lb. chicken from Kroger. I couldn't tell you exactly what I pulled out but I feel confident it would have made for a very interesting biology lesson. Much more applicable then a frog. I think I'll call Obama.

Anyways... It took me 7 min to skin the first chicken and about 10 for the second (by the second I was so grossed out I had to keep stopping to wash my hands). I really wish this had been a more enjoyable experience because I am loving the idea of this rotisserie chicken. I'll let you know if it was worth the effort tomorrow night!

Below is before and after pictures. I took pictures of the innards but I decided it was way to graphic for this family friendly blog.

PS That is onion stuffed up the poor bird.

Greek Chicken Pasta- Verdicts in!

I don't have the final verdict from the other family I cook for, but we at the Thompson Family gave it 1.5 thumbs up and a nice round of applause- not a standing ovation but a respectable clap. I will definitely be serving this again, I just won't be in a huge hurry to put it back on the menu. It has a very light taste and I'm more of a hot and spicy kind of girl so I think that is the only reason it didn't get the full second thumb. I also think it would be great with mushrooms. If you try it, let me know what you think.

Deal Alert

Thanks Jennifer for alerting me to this deal!

March 12 -15th you can use this 30% off coupon multiple times at Gap, Banana Republic, and/or Old Navy as well as the outlet stores. Not only can you feel great about your savings you can also feel good knowing that 5% of your purchase will go toward Teach for America.

Sounds like a good time to stock up on the kids summer time clothes. Also sounds like a good time to take a trip to Branson to hit the outlets!

Zone 5- Laundry Room, Car, Outside

Day 1- Tuesday

• Wipe down Washer and Dryer
• Organize Laundry cabinets
• Sort through and toss all out of date medications

Day 2- Wednesday

• Clean Laundry Floors
• Clean behind washer and dryer (odd months only)
• Clean out Lint trap (even months only)
• Clean Trash Can

Day 3- Thursday

• Clean out all of car clutter
• Vacuum inside of car
• Clean carseats
• Wipe dust off dashboard and paneling
• Wash car

Day 4- Friday

• Organize garage closet
• Organize tools and tool bench
• Organize right side of garage (odd months)
• Organize left side of garage (even months)
• Sweep out garage

Day 5- Saturday

• Clean up flowerbeds
• Change wreath on door
• Sweep Porch

Tidy Tuesday

It's Tidy Tuesday time!...... Every time I write that, I do so to the tune of "It's Howdy Doody Time." I honestly have no idea how I know the theme music to the Howdy Doody Show; I really don't think I ever watched it- I'm pretty sure the puppet would have scared me. (What's my deal with 1950s television, anyways?- someone should really study me.) Anyways.... you can hear "It's Howdy Doody Time" by turning up your volume and clicking here.

Fast Forward to 2009... Let's clean that lint!!! That's right, it's time to clean out that lint tray in the dryer again. Can't wait to find out how much lint can accumulate in 1 months time. If your new to DRS you can check out my previous battle with the lint here then here. You should really check it out- fascinating read.

Spring is in the air- have you been tackling any spring cleaning chores. If so tell Mr. Linky.

A day at the Zoo

Well we didn't fight the crowd on FREE Admission Weekend at the zoo last Saturday BUT we did go to the zoo today compliments of "Hannah's Heart," a preschool ministry at our church.

What a great day for the zoo! Awesome weather and we practically had the place to ourselves. Colby was NOT excited about our outing because last time he went "his feet hurt." What kind of kid doesn't want to go to the park, AND how can a 4 year old remember that his feet hurt LAST spring- were talking 2008? Cohen, on the other hand, loooooves animals so I couldn't wait to see the zoo though his eyes. He didn't disappoint. His little pointy finger talked a mile a minute (explanation- he STILL doesn't talk but points at everything) and he had a smile that stretched ear to ear.

Colby was most anxious to revisit the BIG turtle but unfortunately we were told he wouldn't be making his appearance for a couple more weeks. Bummer! I had really wanted Colby to get to see that turtle, so I got really excited when, across the way, I saw a couple of little turtles hanging out near the monkey cage. In my most excited voice I told Colby "Look turtles! Hurry, Let's go to the other side of the cage to get a closer look!!" I guess my excitement was contagious because at that time several kids rushed over to where I was pointing and shouting "turtle." You can imagine how embarrassed I was when Colby got to the "turtles" first and said "Hey! Those aren't turtles." Yep, not only were they NOT turtles they weren't even real! They were 3 statues of FROGS! Oh well....

After just watching "Madagascar- Escape to Africa," I tell you, I was completely fascinated by the giraffes and zebras. I could have watched them all day. God got really creative when he designed that giraffe. And that gorilla! What a beast!

It was a good day had by all- including Colby! He was already talking about going back to the zoo on our way home. Below you will see just a couple of my snapshots from the zoo.

Cohen loved the animals. Can you see his little cheek bones raised from his big smile.

The above, is a picture of a porcupine. I had no idea they were that big!

There are those funny giraffes. Is that not wild how they have to spread their feet so far to get their neck to reach the grass.


Elephant

Mealtime Monday- accountability

Here's Mr. Linky. Tell us what your having for dinner this week.

Deal Alert

Be sure to visit the coupon.com DRS sidebar. Amazingly they have reset the Huggies $5 off 1 coupon so print yourself 2 more and get ready for a mighty cheap diaper deal coming your way on Thrifty Thursday


I think Kroger is going to have a deal on Nature Valley and Fiber One bars this coming week so be sure to print those off too.

The Free Monday rental redbox code is: F3T9L6

Remember this code is good until midnight tonight. Add you must return your rental by 9pm on Tuesday or you will be charged $1 each additional night.

Breakfast Casserole

It's baaaack! The other family I cook for requested Breakfast Casserole to be included in the March meals; I aim to please- so here it is again.

Modified Breakfast Casserole

• 12 slices of whole wheat bread (I will use Natures Own Double Fiber Bread)
• 3 TBS Lite Butter
• 3 cups skim milk
• 1.5 cups Egg Substitute
• 1 cup Mexican Blend Cheese
• 1 Package of Jimmy Deans Reduced Fat Sausage
• 1 Green Pepper (this was not part of the original recipe)

(this time I used a can of green chilies instead of the green pepper)

Spray 9x13 cooking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cut crusts off bread, butter the bread and slice into 9-inch cubes*. Place in pan. Place cheese on top of bread. Brown sausage. Whip eggs and milk together then mix with browned sausage. Pour the meat mixture over bread and cheese. Cut green pepper into rings and place on top of casserole. Put in refrigerator overnight. Take out of refrigerator 30 min prior to cooking. Bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

*Last time I made this recipe I thought I might like it better if I toasted the bread, so I did this time.

Nutrition Information for my ingredients:

Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe

Meal Plan: Calories: 380, 3 meats, 1 starch, 1/2 milk, 1/2 vegetable (that is a stretch) 2 fats

I will serve this with a fruit salad and a glass of milk.

Black Bean Burgers

You know how much I love Morning Star's Spicy Black Bean Burgers right? You also know that those little burgers can be quite expensive for this ole' tight wad, right? Well... I might have just found a recipe that offers me the same great taste and nutrition of Morning Star burgers at a fraction of the cost. I do emphasize the word "might" because I have never attempted to make my own garden burgers. They looked pretty yummy as I prepped them, but I'll let you know how they go over with the fam.

Go here for the recipe.

Black Bean Burgers

Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1/4th of recipe
Meal Plan: 198 Calories, 1.5 meat, 2 starches

I am going to serve this on a whole wheat bun with typical hamburger fixens. I will also serve with a tomato salad. (Cherry Tomatoes, cut up Mozzarella String Cheese, marinated in Low Fat Italian Dressing)

Crockpot Rotisserie-Style Chicken

So last week I introduced a recipe from the blog crockpot365. And guess what crockpot lady left me a comment!! You know how much I loooove comments and so imagine my excitement when a real celebrity left me a comment (she has been on Good Morning America- so that's famous in my book). Anyways... this week I bring you another recipe sponsored by crockpot lady. I am pretty pumped about this recipe because I love the taste of rotisserie chicken but don't want to go out and purchase a rotisserie. Plus I was able to snag a whole chicken for around 3 bucks last week at Kroger so talk about a cheap meal.

Go here for the recipe

Rotisserie-Style Chicken

Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 4 oz serving of chicken (without skin)
Meal Plan: ~150 to 230 Calories (depends on white vs dark meat chicken); 4 lean meats if white meat only, or 4 meats, 1.5 fat if dark meat only

I am going to serve this with baked potatoes and green beans.

PS Turns out Crockpot Lady has DRS too. Check out her new blog Totally Together. I knew we could be friends.

Greek Chicken Pasta

Boy, this one looks yummy! It is a new recipe to me so I'll have to let you know how it turns out. As I was prepping this dish I thought to myself "this would make a great cold pasta salad to serve in the summer." I'll have to remember that.

Go here for the recipe.

Greek Chicken Pasta
I used low fat Tomato Basil Feta instead of regular Feta.

Nutrition Information (with low fat feta)
Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
Meal Plan: 400 Calories, 3 meat, 3 starches, 1 vegetable

I am going to serve this with a side salad.

Fish Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa

This week I brought back the fish tacos from January's Menu minus the jicama. It's not that I didn't like the jicamia, I just thought I might like black beans more and for a lot less $$. Once again, you can find the link to the recipe at allrecipes.com

Fish Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa

The only change I made to the recipe was I substituted black beans for the jicamia, Mission Carb Balance Tortillas for the corn tortillas and omitted the cilantro (I just don't like cilantro).


Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
Meal Plan: Calories: 370, 4 meats, 2.5 starch

I am going to serve this with a side salad. Yummy!

Mealtime Monday

Alright, here is the low down on my prep night. It took me 1 hour and 7 minutes to complete the following:

• 2 fish taco recipes complete with black bean corn salsa
• 2 breakfast casseroles
• 2 Greek chicken sauces
• black bean burgers for 2 families
• boiled chicken*

*The boiled chicken is actually for one of next weeks meals, but while I had the chicken out I thought I would just go ahead and throw it in a pot of boiling water.

Sooooo if you count up my meals you'll see that I only prepped for 4 meals. Now don't panic; I fully intend to feed my family a 5th meal- I simply forgot to thaw my whole chicken fryer. It is safely defrosting in my fridge as I write, so it should be ready for prep on Tuesday night. My bet is that it will take me the full 23 minutes to skin 2 chickens so that will put me right at my 1 hour 30 minute time budget. (Really looking forward to de-skinning that chicken- major sarcasm there!)

Please note- I have not prepared any of my side dishes yet.

Here are my recommendations for final meal prep and food storage

Monday- Breakfast Casserole. This dish was fully prepped Sunday night and stored in fridge "overnight" as recipe directs. I will take casserole out of fridge 30 minutes prior to baking (per recipe instructions). While baking I will prepare our fruit salad.

Tuesday- Greek Chicken Pasta. I have prepped all but the pasta. The chicken, artichoke, feta sauce is being stored in my fridge. On Tuesday night while the pasta is cooking, I will toss the chicken sauce in a skillet and briefly warm. I will then stir in the pasta and serve.

Wednesday- Rotisserie-Style Chicken. Tuesday night I will skin chicken, add spices and place in crockpot. Wednesday morning I will plug in crockpot and cook all day on low. If I can fit my foil wrapped bake potatoes in the crockpot I will cook them with the chicken.

Thursday- Fish Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa. I sprinkled the recommended spices on the frozen fish and then placed the fish back into the freezer. I stored the black bean salsa in fridge. Wednesday I will transfer fish from freezer to fridge to thaw. Thursday night I will either bake or grill fish.

Friday- Parents Night Out at Church- aka DATE NIGHT!!!

Saturday- leftovers or out

Sunday- Black Bean Burgers. I am taking a risk here, but I have frozen my black bean burger patties. I am slightly nervous about the freeze second to the egg substitute ingredient- but feel fairly certain it will all be ok. I'll let you know. Sunday morning I will transfer to fridge and then grill after church. Cross your fingers.

Missed ya!

Ok I'm back! And ready to start a new week complete with nutritious meals, tidy house, fit body, great deals, happy family, and daily alone time with God- move over Donna Reed here I come...............

Just a quick peak into the exciting week scheduled here at DRS:

Monday- I am going to introduce a yummy rotisserie chicken recipe that doesn't require a rotisserie

Tuesday- It's car zone time again. Yippie always a fun time! (Please read with sarcasm)

Wednesday- Hmm... Not real sure yet. Anyone got any ideas or a product they would like to share with me?

Thursday- Get ready to stock up on some really cheap diapers. In the meantime go here to sign up for Quizno's club and get a coupon for a free sammie (I highly recommend the "Turkey Sonoma" sammie- yummy!)

Friday- More St. Patrick's day crafts.

And throughout the week let's work on modeling a "hope filled" life. I'd love to hear your stories!!

Sonday Sunday- Scripture Accountability

Just in case you want to tell us about the scripture you are hiding in your heart this week- here's a Mr. Linky.

Sonday Sunday

In 1 Peter we are told to:

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 3:15

Now the obvious lesson from this verse is that we need to "be prepared to give an answer"- but what sticks out to me is the part about "the reason for the hope that you have." It can be scary or intimidating to just walk up to someone and strike up a "Jesus Saves" conversation but imagine how much easier it would be if someone actually opened the door of conversation by asking "Why do you have so much hope?" What a challenge. I want to live such a hope filled life that others can't help but ask "What's your secret? What is the source of your HOPE?"

Application:
I think the best way to start living a life that reflects HOPE is to start focusing on His Hope. Therefore, this week when I am tempted to get down about our current economy or when I start to worry about my children or when I am about to complain about my workload, I ask that the Lord remind me of His gift of guaranteed HOPE. When reminded of this HOPE I betcha my negativity, worrying, and complaining will quickly be replaced with happiness, peace, and contentment. Virtues that are sure to stand out in such a dark world. Let the witnessing begin.