1/2 Priced Cheeseburgers at Sonic (6/20/16)

If you just want a bite or if your headed out on a Father's Day picnic, this is a great item at a great price.

Salami Cream Cheese Sandwich Recipe

Are you tired of the same old sandwiches?  Don't get stuck in a "ham and cheese" rut - branch out and try something different, something new.  We did and we were not disappointed!  These Salami Cream Cheese Sandwiches were AMAZING!

And my one piece of advice for making this an awesome tasting sandwich?  Don't use regular old sandwich bread - like Wonder Bread when you make this - and don't use iceberg lettuce, it has no flavor and no nutritional value.  Please go to the bakery section of your local grocery store and pick up a nice, hearty bread from there.  Typically you can find a nice pre-sliced sourdough or french bread for $1.00-$1.98 and it will make all the difference in the world.  As for the lettuce, you can get a decent head of real lettuce for around the same price and again, it will give the sandwich better flavor and it will be better for you.

Ingredients/Instructions for 4 Large Salami Sandwiches:

8 oz cream cheese, cold or room temp
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion (fresh)
1/4 cup finely chopped dill (fresh)
1 garlic clove, pressed
8 slices of sandwich bread (we used sourdough)
8-10 oz genoa salami
4 large leaves of green lettuce

1. In a small bowl, combine 8 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup green onions, ¼ cup dill, and press in 1 garlic clove. Mash herbs into the cream cheese.
2. Spread about 1-2 Tbsp of the cream cheese mixture on one side of each bread slice.
3. Top with lettuce and about 6-8 pieces of salami, or to taste.

This spread keeps well in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Inexpensive Healthy Meals

There are so many blogs and websites out there that show or boast inexpensive healthy meals but for the most part, I haven't really seen anything that would work for us.  Most of the ones that I have come across either have foods we don't eat or recipes that require a million "teaspoons" of ingredients we don't typically keep on hand - and those become the recipes we can't afford.  But I have come to realize that you don't need a bunch of ingredients, you don't need to spend a lot of money and you can make healthy meals for your family for very little money.

For example, here is something we had just the other night - it was just something I threw together and it came out wonderfully.

It might not look like much, but it was healthy, easy, inexpensive and well seasoned.  I guess you could say it was similar to a stir fry and fried rice but all rolled up together.  We had ground turkey, fresh mushrooms, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots and brown rice....that's it....and my kids tore it up!

I bought the ingredients between two different stores - Aldi and H.E.B. - here is the price breakdown:

1 pound ground turkey - Aldi - $1.89

8 ounces fresh mushrooms - Aldi - $0.69

10 ounces coleslaw mix - H.E.B. $1.79

Uncle Ben's Instant Brown Rice - H.E.B. $1.98

Total Cost $6.35

And it made a big pot full - we each had seconds and there was leftovers that we refrigerated.  So don't be afraid to make something healthy for your family.  It doesn't have to cost a lot, it tastes better than boxed/canned food full of preservatives and your family will thank you for it.

Country Apple Fritter Bread Recipe

Last weekend we tried out a new recipe for Country Apple Fritter bread and it was a hit!  About 15 minutes after it came out of the oven, the entire loaf was gone!  I totally recommend this recipe for a few different reasons:  first of all, it's delicious - it's also inexpensive to make and easy.  Almost everyone should have these ingredients in their pantry - it is that basic.  This would even make a lovely recipe for Valentine's Day breakfast.

Bread Loaf

1. 1/3 cup light brown sugar
2. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3. 2/3 cup white sugar
4. 1/2 cup butter, softened
5. 2 eggs
6. 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
7. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
8. 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
9. 1/2 cup milk or almond milk
10. 2 apples, peeled and chopped (any kind), mixed with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Old-Fashioned Creme Glaze

1. 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
2. 1-3 tablespoons of milk or cream- (depending on thickness of glaze wanted)
3. 
   

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9x5-inch loaf pan and spray with non-stick spray or line with foil and spray with non-stick spray to get out easily for slicing.
2. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In another medium-sized bowl, beat white sugar and butter together using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
4. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until blended in; add in vanilla extract.
5. Combine & whisk flour and baking powder together in another bowl and add into creamed butter mixture and stir until blended.
6. Mix milk into batter until smooth.
7. Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan; add half the apple mixture, then half the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.
8. Lightly pat apple mixture into batter.
9. Pour the remaining batter over apple layer and top with remaining apple mixture, then the remaining brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.
10. Lightly pat apples into batter; swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using knife or spoon.
11. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, approximately 50-60 minutes.
12. To make glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk or cream together until well mixed.
13. Let cool for about 15 minutes before drizzling with glaze.

Happy Valentine's Day

Community Gardens = Family Fun & Extra Food

A lot of cities have these wonderful little things sprouting up called "community gardens" and depending on what yours offers you might be able to turn a family activity into some extra food for your table.

Where we live, the local Parks & Recreation Department has a section in one of the parks fenced off for these awesome 4'x8' raised planting beds.  If you are a resident of the area you can "rent" one for 6 months at the cost of $12.50 or you can get it for a full year for $25.00.  Considering the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables, this is real deal!

My kids and I have rented one for a full year and this will be our first year trying to be "urban farmers" but we are excited about the prospect of growing our own produce!

So look into your local parks and see if they offer anything similar.  Not only would a garden like this give your family a sense of accomplishment, but it can teach your children about responsibility and get them more involved in making healthy eating choices.



Family Fun at College Campuses

If you are lucky enough to live in a town/city that has a college campus then you have another possible source for FREE family fun.


Here in our town there happen to be more than one so I make sure to check their calendar of events as often as possible because you never can tell what they have going on.


For example - a few weekends ago one of the colleges here hosted a "Battling Robots" Challenge for Science and Robotics clubs from the surrounding areas.  I knew that my seven year old son would be super interested and it was free so I drove us out to the event to take a look.

While it wasn't as "flashy" as the adult version you see on television, it was still really interesting and pretty cool to see what the "young minds" of today come up with. 


So don't forget to check out local colleges in your area to see what up and coming events they have.  You might find more to do there than you think you might.

FREE 32oz Fountain Drink at Stripes (1/11/16-1/12/16)

Follow the link to print out a coupon for a FREE 32oz Fountain Drink at Stripes.

Easy & Inexpensive - Mandarin Orange Cake

Every now and then I like to fix a dessert but since I am not one that enjoys eating or serving a heavy dessert that is covered in thick, sweet frosting, I am always on the lookout for something light and fresh tasting.


Enter the Mandarin Orange Cake - like most recipes, there are different versions of this cake and most of the ones that I have seen use a cool whip/pudding type mixture for a "frosting" but even that was too much for what I was looking for.  Instead I opted for a very light drizzle of the "powder sugar and milk" icing and it was perfect!

The recipe is so simple - just use a box of yellow cake mix, 3/4 cup of oil, 3 eggs and one 11oz can of mandarin oranges - with the juice.


I gently folded the mandarin oranges into the batter so that they wouldn't break up too much, hoping that we would end up with whole orange segments in our cake.  As you can see from the photos, it worked.


The cake came out airy and just sweet enough - it was very tasty and we drank hot tea with it which was a great combination. 

$0.50 Grilled Cheese at Sonic (12/30/15)

Whether you're still on vacation or headed to work, stop by your nearest Sonic Drive-In today for $0.50 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.  Just mention the deal when ordering!  Limit is 5, tax and add-ons are extra.

Kids Eat FREE at IKEA (12/28/15 - 1/1/16)

Taking the family out to "window shop" at IKEA is something we always enjoy.  You can spend hours in this store checking out the display rooms and all the great items they have.  But what else do they have there?  Why else would you spend an afternoon walking through this giant furniture store?  For the food of course!  IKEA has a great restaurant that is typically right in the middle of the store and more often than not, they run great deals.

Right now, you can take the family to IKEA and kids will eat FREE from today, December 28th, through January 1st.  Not a bad way to end the old year and bring in the new year.  

Fresh & Inexpensive Produce at ALDI Grocery Store

Now that Christmas is over, a lot of us are going to try and go to a bit of a healthier way of eating.  That doesn't mean that we are going to cut out all "junk food" but we want to try and add more fresh fruits, vegetables and other "good for you" foods to our diet.

ALDI grocery stores are the perfect place to help you do that and it won't take a big chunk out of your wallet.  

For example, this week at ALDI you can get avocados for $0.39 each, cucumbers for $0.29 each and a 2 pound bunch of organic bananas for just $0.99.  Pretty good, right?

And when it comes to meats, ALDI tends to run pretty good deals too.  Right now you can get a 5 pound roll of ground beef for only $9.99 and packages of chicken thighs run $0.49 per pound.

So if you're looking to add fresh and healthy to your meals, then head on over to your local ALDI and give your family fresh foods for less.

$0.79 Jr. Deluxe Cheeseburgers at Sonic (12/23/15)

On Wednesday, December 23rd, you can get a Jr. Deluxe Cheeseburger for a mere $0.79 at Sonic. This special will run all day but you must mention the deal when ordering and there is a limit of 5. Tax and add-ons are extra.  

Shared Blessings

Sometimes, during the holiday season, we get super busy and start to feel overextended with all that has to be done.  But try not to let that happen - try not to get so caught up in the "holiday fever" that you forget about those that might be a little less fortunate.

Last week, we were Blessed with a little extra money for the holidays so last night, when we were at our local Wal-mart, we noticed that the food pantry from our area was there and they were doing their once a year food drive.  They stand out there from 6am to 8pm collecting donations that will be used here in our local area and to be honest, I can't think of a better place to share our Blessings with than right here in our own neighborhood.

The kids and I looked at the list the food pantry was handing out and then we got right to it.  We ended up with 2 bags of flour, 4 packets of cornbread mix, 2 bags of split green peas, 2 bags of lentils, 2 cans of corn, 2 cans of green beans and 2 cans of peas - all for a mere $10.04.  And while it's not a shopping cart full, I don't think we did too bad and I'm sure that some family or person will appreciate it and it will go to good use.  

So if you can, share a little something this holiday season with your local food pantry - you never know who it might go to help and how much they might really need it.  As you can see - it sometimes doesn't take more than $10.00 to help those in need.

Try This Game - Crowd Squeezer

Here's another great game for you to play with your family and/or relatives this Thanksgiving holiday......and it won't cost a thing!  It's called "Crowd Squeezer" and all you need are people and a blanket.

Spread the blanket out on the floor - everyone gets on top of the blanket with no body parts hanging off.  If you succeed with this, then everyone gets up and the blanket is folded in half.  Now put the blanket back down and same thing - everyone gets on top of the blanket with no body parts hanging off.  If you are able to do it again, then the blanket is folded in half one more time.  You keep going until the blanket is as small as you can go with everyone on it.  What interesting combinations can you come up with to get everyone on!!