Great coupons right now!

I found some really good coupons online right now at www.coupons.com. Anything from Dole pineapple to cereal and even some for toys! Check it out, you can print right from your computer.

Overripe Bananas - Banana Nut Muffins

I often have leftover bananas that have become too ripe to eat (I hate a mushy banana) so one thing to do is make banana bread, which I have done for years, but I wanted to try something a little different so I came across this banana nut muffin recipe from Tyler Florence (found on www.foodnetwork.com) and it's amazing! If I only have 1 or 2 ripe bananas I throw them in the freezer until I have enough and it works out great. (Just let frozen bananas thaw at room temperature until mashable) I get a great baked good and use up those un-eatable bananas so I don't have to waste them :) You could also use macadamia nuts and stir in 1/4 c. of coconut for a tropical flavor...mmmmm!

Banana Nut Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped (I've used pecans or walnuts - both good)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly butter 2 muffin tins (or Pam spray works good too).
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together like you mean it, for a good 3 minutes. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway. Give them a rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.
Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Seasonal Baking Stock Up

When the weather starts to change I get the itch to start baking again! I absolutely love baking, and find that it's so much easier to decide on recipes and get rolling when basic ingredients are in stock. I get a list together and watch ,y grocery store ads; when items from my list go on sale I stock up. The debate of name brand ingredients vs. store brand is up to the cook; but my rule of thumb is to buy basics like flour, granulated sugar, butter, powdered sugar and brown sugar in the store brand form and save that money to splurge on good quality chocolate, cocoa, peanut butter and vanilla. I find the better quality of key ingredients makes up for the store brand flour - but do what you feel. It's also good to check coupons this time of year, I have found many just in the last couple weeks that are good ones for baking! Here are some of the items I like to keep on hand for my favorites:

flour
granulated sugar
brown sugar
"powdered" or confectioner's sugar
baking soda
baking powder
unsalted butter (can be stocked in the freezer)
vanilla
unsweetened cocoa
coconut
*nuts - walnuts, pecans & almonds (store these in the freezer to make last longer)
light corn syrup
semi-sweet chocolate chips
baking chocolate squares
peanut butter
shortening

*Nuts can get really expensive, try to incorporate them into your grocery budget when on sale, or even check your local farmer's market.

Of course there will be additional items you want to include for your personal pantry, but you will be happy to have everything on hand when you start to get the urge for chocolate cupcakes!

The BEST Brownies Ever!

I was flipping through an old cookbook yesterday (I mean old, circa 1989 - one of my first ones!) and i came across a brownie recipe titled; "Best Brownies". I figured I would give it a go, and considering I usually make brownies out of the box thought i would try the "from scratch" method to see how they stood up to Betty Crocker's box version. I have to say they are the best brownies I have ever had - their name holds truth, don't wait to try these ones they are worth it!

"Best Brownies"
Book: Hershey's Chocolate Cookbook

1/2 c. butter melted
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 c. unsifted all-purpose flour
1/3 c. Hershey's cocoa (I use Ghiradelli's)
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
Creamy Brownie Frosting

blend butter, sugar and vanilla in large bowl. Add eggs, beat well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder & salt; gradually blend into egg mixture. Stir in nuts.
Spread in greased 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes (in my gas range oven it only took 20 exactly) or until brownie begins to pull from sides and toothpick comes clean when inserted. Cool; frost with creamy Brownie Frosting. Cut into squares.

Creamy Brownie Frosting

3 Tbsp. butter, softened
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. milk

Cream butter, cocoa, corn syrup and vanilla in small mixer bowl. Add powdered sugar and milk; beat to spreading consistency. Makes about 1 cup frosting.

Sale at Raleys/Bel Air/ Nob Hill Foods

Raley's stores are having a huge Foster Farms sale on their bone in chicken breasts. I actually prefer the bone-in as they stay moister when you cook them! They are on for $.99 a lb and come with 3 large 1/2 breasts inside. So in total each package is only $2.30-$3.00! I stocked up for winter: freeze, freeze, freeze and use later when Christmas shopping has used up all your grocery money!!! www.raleys.com

Quick Tip - Fruit Cups

If you are like me I do my best to make sure that I stock up my grocery cart with fresh fruit in a variety of flavors and colors! But, what tends to happen is that by the end of the week a portion of what I bought does not get eaten, and we end up wasting it (one of my pet peeves). So I've started preparing fruit cups and keeping them in the fridge, and they are a huge success!! I just chop up whatever I have purchased that week; apples, berries, melons, etc. and seal them in airtight containers and they are ready for snacks, meal accompaniments, dessert, or whenever. It's crazy that when things are in individual packages they get eaten up!! Delicious, nutritious and easy!

Mommy Tip - Whole Roasted Chicken

I often see whole roasting chickens on sale at the grocery store and when I do - I snatch them up! I've recently seen them for as low as $.79 a pound, which on a 3-4 pound chicken is under five dollars, and you can really stretch the chicken for a couple meals, a weeks worth of lunch/deli meat or a combination of both. I usually roast the chicken up on a Sunday, and shred it off the bone and store in the fridge in Tupperware ready to go. It's great for pizza toppings, salads, sandwiches, soups, nachos, etc....the list of uses goes on and on I even grab a few pieces for my daughter when she wants a quick snack or addition to her meals. it's so easy to cook and really is worth the effort and time!
To roast:
Clean all insides (remove all giblets and rinse out with cold water)
Pat dry with paper towels
Tuck wingtips under bird so they don't burn
Stuff cavity with lemon wedges, onions, garlic, herbs - anything you want.
Rub outside of bird with olive oil or melted butter and salt and pepper top
Roast in a pre-heated 425 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or until juices run clear and internal temp is above 180 (I know you don't have to cook it that long, but I am petrified of salmonella, so I cook until 180)
Take out of oven and let rest - then shred (with or without skin) and refrigerate

*If you're ambitious you can always use the carcass to make homemade stock :)

Etsy.com

If you haven't wandered into www.etsy.com, you are MISSING OUT!! I am loving this website, and you can find so many great things. It's sort of an ebay for handmade and vintage stuff, so you can find anything from handmade crochet baby hats to vintage lace pieces, and the beauty of it is that you are dealing with small business owners, stay at home moms, etc. I always believe in supporting other mom's business ventures regardless of how big or small :)
Check it out at www.etsy.com and happy shopping!

Recipe of the Week 9/7/09

Broiled Salmon with Mustard Sauce

I found this recipe from Giada DiLaurentis on the Food Network, and absolutely love it! I have been making it consistently for over 3 years and it is a no-fail, go-to dinner. I changed the ingredient list a little bit, but it's basically the same. It is made with Dijon mustard so it can be a little spicy for kids...pre-warning!

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Nonstick olive oil cooking spray
6 (6 to 8-ounce) salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
In a mini food processor, combine garlic, rosemary, thyme, wine, oil, Dijon mustard. Grind the mustard sauce until combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a small bowl. Set aside mustard sauce.
Preheat the broiler. Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick spray. Arrange the salmon fillets on the baking sheet and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Broil for 2 minutes. Spoon the mustard sauce over the fillets. Continue broiling until the fillets are just cooked through and golden brown, about 5 minutes longer.

Back in the Saddle

After a short (5 month) break from blogging, I am back and ready to post all my new ideas, recipes, crafts and tips just in time to prep for the holidays!! I love this time of year, when the weather starts to get cooler and it's a lot easier to get outside and we can bring out the Autumn clothes from the back of the closet. Ahhh how I miss jeans and scarves!! It's also a great time for new crafts, apple cider and lets not forget WINE SEASON!! (well for those of us not preggo this year) I am looking forward to new posts and please keep sending me comments, I love feedback!

Leftover French Bread

I love buying fresh french bread or baguettes at the grocery store - but it always seems that I don't eat it fast enough and I have to throw away 1/3 of it away. So in attempts to save money and use what I do buy I figured out a couple ways to use it up:

1. Homemade croutons - cut the bread into 1 in. cubes and spread out on a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, garlic salt, pepper, paprika and parsley. Place in a pre-heated broiler and broil about 5-7 minutes. Watch them, some ovens are stronger than others!! When lightly browned and crispy take out. Store in an air tight container for a couple weeks.

2. Garlic Bread - Since you have to toast up the bread anyway - why not.

3. French toast - a yummy treat

4. Soup Crouton - Toast each slice with some shredded cheese on top. Float on your lunch soup - the cheese toast will get warm and mushy on the bottom. Very yummy :)

To Coupon or Not to Coupon....

I myself have struggled with the notion whether to clip coupons or not to waste the time it takes. What it boils down to is a. how much time are you willing to spend looking and b. if you personally purchase brands that actually distribute coupons. In my current situation I beleive it's worth it and heres why; coupons have a bad rap. They are not for "cheapskates" and are not a pain to get a hold of - if you know where to go. Coupons have in the past been known to save you a ouple bucks at the grocery store, and honestly I get more savings out of them at my "miscellaneous" monthly shopping trips. This would include the trips to Target or Walmart for toothpaste, make-up remover, etc - on average I save about $10 each (monthly) trip to Target and about $5 each weekly trip to the grocery store. All in all thats about $30 a month, which could be a trip to the movies or Starbucks money or some beautiful new hair accessories for my little one from Miss Maddie....So where to go:

1. Subscribe to your local paper - for weekend service only. My area paper (Sacramento Bee) offers weekend service (Fri-Sun) for $.99 a week and the Sunday paper is full of coupons. To buy from the newspaper stand each week costs you $1.50 so it's worth it.

2. Register with your grocery store. Most grocery stores have websites with a member email service. My store (Raleys) send me weekly free printable coupons that include anything from $.50 off deli meat to a free bag of mini carrots. Plus stores have promotion sales too that give you early sale info - for instance my store every other month or so offer a $20 coupon if you spend $100 or more. I love this coupon and look for it constantly!! It's basically free $20 worth of groceries.....so check with your store's website

3. Online coupon sites. There are some sites out there who offer free printable coupons, it's finding the good ones that takes time - after that you can have them sent directly to your email inbox. Here are a few I like and use often:
http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.couponloop.com/
http://www.hotcouponworld.com/
http://www.wow-coupons.com/grocery.php

4. Check your snail mail. I often throw away the junk advertisements every week, and then started looking through them to discover restaurant coupons! I keep the ones I actually will use (otherwise there is no point) such as Subway, Togo's, etc. for when we stop to pick up lunch to go on the weekends and such. And since weekends is where we tend to spend a lot of money, this is a way to keep budgeting even while on our way to the park!

These are the 4 main places I get my coupons and I have it down to a science now, so it really doesn't take too much time. Good luck coupon clippers!

Mommy Steal - Hanes tank tops

I read about this in Lucky Magazine, and I know some of my friends buy these as well, and I'm sorry I just started buying them...Men's Hanes brand tank tops!! I'm in love! I usually buy the women's undershirts with built in bras or individual white tank tops say from Old Navy or Victoria's Secret to wear under sweaters or to layer - but they can get pricey, anywhere from $8-$20 per tank. I was just reading in Lucky about buying men's tanks in size medium and they are great. They come 5 per pack and only cost about $10! And as a tall woman (5'10") they are extra long which is an added bonus - plus they come in white, black and grey. I got mine at Walmart for $9.50 - a true steal.

Recipe of the Week 3/3/09

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

I found this recipe from my all time favorite cookbook author - Ina Garten; The Barefoot Contessa. It sounds and looks fancy but it is super easy and affordable. I usually cut the recipe in half for my husband and I. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Vegetable oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
3/4 pound linguine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Directions
Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.
Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.
When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.

The Perfect Apple Martini

1 part vodka

2 parts Apple Pucker Liquor
1 part sweet n' sour mix

Shake ingredients in a shaker with ice (or stir in a pitcher with ice) and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with maraschino cherry or thin apple slice. Delicious, and great for parties or happy hour without tasting too "alcohol-y". Enjoy!

Cupcake Decorating

I adore cupcakes. I've been known to buy 1/2 a dozen and eat them all myself!! I also like making and decorating them for parties, get-togethers, holidays, etc. I have some great cupcake books (see "Who has time to read" section) but I saw this idea online and had to imitate it for Valentines. You basically take 4 different (but simple) decors, I chose pink sugar, multi-colored perils candy, red hots and multi colored confetti candy. I separated the cupcakes evenly, decorated and alternated them on the serving tray. I think they turned out really cute - low maintenance and low cost. Yum!

Switching up Side Dishes..

I have found a new (and easy!!) alternative to the ever popular potato side. Couscous! I love it. I buy the "Far East" brand, it is so easy - water, olive oil and the box contents and voila. A nutritious side dish in under 7 minutes. Gotta love that :) Look for it in the natural foods section at every grocery store.

DIY - Emergency Kid Kit

As many parents find out sooner or later, it is inevitable that your child will get hurt. And in my case, being prepared makes me feel better and more in control of the situation than not. But to carry around an entire first aid kit isn't as convenient as say in the car - so I made my own with travel size items and things I might need spur of the moment. I send this out as a template as every child, mommy and family relies on different items. Everything, including the travel bag cost me under $10 (actually under $7 since I had coupons!!) and is small and compact - about the size of 2 diapers. I included in my bag:

1. Band-Aids


2. Packets of gauze


3. Waterproof medical tape


4. Neosporin's Neo to go!


5. Vaseline


6. Baby Tylenol


7. Baby Aquaphor wash


8. Shout Wipes


9. Wet Ones antibacterial wipes (pocket size)


10. Travel Size Adult Tylenol (for Mom & Dad)


11. Hyland's Teething Tablets

Life

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away" - Maya Angelou

Recipe of the Week 2/20/09

Peanut Butter and Cranberry Energy Bars

I found this recipe in Sunset Magazine (one of my favorites!) and they are awesome. I switch out the figs and use raisins, and sometimes put in dried blueberries instead of cranberries to mix things up. They are great to keep in my laptop bag, baby bag, gym bag and my husband loves them for a snack or before the gym because they are full of protein. They use a lot of ingredients, but I make them on Sunday night and keep them in an air-tight container to enjoy the entire week.

Ingredients
Cooking-oil spray
1 cup regular rolled oats
1/3 cup oat bran
3 tablespoons flax seeds
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup finely chopped dried Mission figs
3/4 cup natural chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1 large egg
1/2 cup honey
Finely shredded zest from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation
1. Line a 9- by 13-in. pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on the 9-in. sides, and coat with cooking-oil spray. In a large bowl, stir together oats, oat bran, flax seeds, flour, baking powder, salt, peanuts, cranberries, and figs until well blended.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together peanut butter, milk, egg, honey, lemon zest, and lemon juice until well blended.

3. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture and beat until completely blended. Scrape dough into pan and, with wet fingers or a rubber spatula, pat to fill pan completely and evenly (dough is sticky, so you may need to wash your hands a few times). Chill dough until firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300°. Invert pan onto a work surface, lift off pan, and peel off plastic. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut straight down lengthwise through middle, then crosswise to make 16 bars, each 1 1/2 in. wide. Place bars about 1 in. apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

5. Bake bars until lightly browned and somewhat firm to touch, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Make ahead: Store airtight up to 2 weeks or freeze.
Note: Nutritional analysis is per bar.
Nutritional Information
Calories: 227 (40% from fat)
Protein: 7.4g
Fat: 10g (sat 1.5)
Carbohydrate: 29g
Fiber: 4.1g
Sodium: 160mg
Cholesterol: 13mg

Recipe found at http://www.sunsetmagazine.com/

American Eagle Jeans Sale Online

All jeans at American Eagle Outfitters are $30 and under. I love their boyfriend jean so I will be sure to pick up an extra pair :)

www.ae.com

Mommy Steal - "Kitchen Organizers"

About every couple months or so I seem to find my kitchen cabinets and pantry a disaster. So I have scoured the stores to find some organizational help, and found some great items (at great prices) at IKEA. I found this set of 17 storage containers (ie: "tupperware") for $4.99 and it comes with all sorts of sizes, I like the small ones for my daughter's snacks when we are out as ziplock baggies tend to crush things like crackers. The larger ones I use for my pantry items that come in a bag (uggh!! - I hate that) such as brown sugar or flaked coconut or trail mix. The containers with a flip top I love for Goldfish crackers.

For store locations goto: www.ikea.com. Happy Organizing!!

Inspiring Focus

As many of us women out there "doing it all", there comes times of discouragement, fatigue, frustration and the inevitable emotional breakdown. I try to live each day as positive and healthy as I can, but I too every so often find myself in a "rut", and feel as though the sinking sensation is triumphing over my strength to get back to my routine and focus. I keep these little books in my nightstand that are filled with quotes, sayings and poems that I read and re-read when I feel like I am out of sorts and overly tired. I keep them alongside my bible and together read - and do my very best to keep things in perspective and focus on what really counts in my life. I definitely encourage everyone to do the same, as I am so blessed to have my family, health and motivations to make it through each day and onto the next. Good luck out there, and remember that you cannot control what happens in life but you can control how you react to what happens.

"There is a time to let things happen, and a time to make things happen"

Recipe of the Week 2/13/09

I try to utilize my crock pot as much as possible - so when i saw this recipe in a magazine I had to try it and it's really good. I add a few ingredients to mine, so the listed recipe looks a little different than the original I got from Campbell's Soup. It's a great one for cold, rainy days and makes the whole house smell amazing!

Slow Cooker Savory Pot Roast

Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)

1 pouch (2 ounces) dry onion soup & recipe mix
6 small red potatoes, cut in half
6 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
3 -to 3 1/2-pound boneless beef bottom round roasts or chuck pot roast

4 stalks of celery cut into 2 in. pieces

4 Tbsp. of chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Stir the soup, onion soup mix, potatoes, celery and carrots in a 4 1/2-quart slow cooker. Add the beef and turn to coat.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours* or until the beef is fork-tender.

Add parsley in the last 20 minutes of cooking
*Or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.

Recipe collected from Campbell's Kitchen, for original recipe click here.

Freezing Leftover Fruit

It always seems to happen that I have 1/2 carton of leftover blueberries or go to the farmers market and anticipate eating an entire crate of strawberries in 3-5 days. It never happens and I end up throwing it away - which I hate doing, especially with the price of produce these days. So I did some research and learned how to freeze my leftover ripe berries and fruit. Its easy:

1. wash the fruit thoroughly
2. pick over any pieces that are "over ripe"
3. Sweeten with sugar or sugar syrup (optional)
4. Freeze at least 1 hour on a baking sheet or shallow pan
5. Seal in freezer ziplock bags or freezable containers

This fruit is great for smoothies or those months when certain fruit is not in season. Plus you're not throwing money away. Here is a link for prep and sugar suggestions I found, I don't sweeten my frozen fruit so it's entirely optional.

Sale at Borders Books

I was at Borders Books today shopping with a friend and they are having a huge sale! Tons of markdowns on cook books, children's books, novels, invitations, calendars, journals and lots of other items as well! If you are near a location I would recommend stopping in - I found hard cover (and thick-cardboard pages) stories for $2 - $8 and box sets with 4 short stories inside for $5, not to mention a Williams-Sonoma cookbook for $7.

Check www.borders.com for locations

Stress

This was sent to me by a great frind of mine and it holds so much truth, I had to share it:

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked 'How heavy is this glass of water?' Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. That's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes too heavy and you won't be able to carry on.As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When you're refreshed, you can carry on with the burden.So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. You can pick it up tomorrow. 'Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment.
Put down anything that may be a burden to you now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
* Remember to fill your senses with something uplifting: Music you love, a gorgeous sunset, a really great meal, passionate kisses, a heart to heart conversation with someone you care about.
* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.
* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
* It's the second mouse that gets the cheese.
* When everything 's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
* Birthdays are good for you The more you have, the longer you live.
* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty, and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Have a wonderful day and know that someone has thought about you ...May you always have Love to Share, Health to Spare, and Friends that Care.

Baby Clothes Sale at Target

I was at Target yesterday picking up my usuals and breezed through the baby/toddler clothing section to find a ton of stuff marked down. To make room for all the spring lines I am assuming...but there were great deals for boys and girls on sweatshirts, long sleeve polos, pants, jeans, etc. I got my little one a really cute cotton hooded sweater coat and pair of jeans for $5 each. Not bad :)

Recipe of the Week 2/4/09

I accidentally found this recipe as I scoured the cabinets looking for something to make for dinner one night. I found a box of Stove Top stuffing and this was posted on the back - and it's awesome! Plus it's easy, inexpensive and even my 18 month old (at the time) had 2 servings. I pre-cook the chicken only because I freak out about salmonella, even if I am short on time I will throw the chicken in the crock pot with water and leave on as I go about my day and it's perfectly cooked when I get home.

Stove Top Chicken Bake

Recipe
1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1-1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup Breakstone’s or Knudsen Sour Cream
1 bag (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, drained

Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.
Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and vegetables in 13x9-inch baking dish; top with the stuffing.
Bake 30 min or until chicken is cooked through.

http://brands.kraftfoods.com/stovetop/hearty-meals/easy-chicken-bake/

Blank Canvas...

A new blog, a new project! Technically this isn't new for me - instead of emailing all my tricks, tips and short cuts to freinds and family I will be posting them here for all to utilize however they can. My plans are to keep up this blog as much as possible with posts such as;

• Recipe of the week: Easy and delicious recipes from my collection and those I find
• Mommy Steal: Deals and steals I find online or in stores that we can't live without
• Positive Thinking: Quotes or sayings I find that inspire me and my crazy life!
• Mommy Time: Good books, movies, ways to unwind, exercise tips, etc.
• DIY (Do it yourself): How to's from facials to crafts to homemade cleaning products
• Drink of the Month: I love trying new wines, cocktails and "mocktails" too

I hope some of these short cuts can be used, I am happy to take requests or suggestions too!!