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!!

Leftovers Made New

Thanksgiving is almost here and some of you are about to have a house full of relatives that are ready to celebrate with you as we give Thanks for everything we are Blessed with in our lives.

But Thanksgiving also means - LEFTOVERS!!!!!!

Instead of getting everyone "sick of turkey" - turn the leftovers into a fun, family event that won't cost a thing!  Take those leftovers and any other ingredients you have in your kitchen and host a "Thanksgiving Leftover Cook-Off".

Divide up the relatives into cooks and judges - see who can come up with the best recipe and the best way to use up some of those leftovers.  Not only will you have fun and laughs but everyone will be able to try "something new".

Cold Weather Fun For Indoors

It's that time of year again where the weather tends to keep a lot of us indoors - and you know what that can mean - cranky, bored children!

So lets give them a fun outlet that isn't the same old thing - put away the video games, the dvds and get together for some silly, cheap fun.

Pull out some inexpensive, brown paper bags, markers, leftover yarn and any other scraps or craft materials you have hanging around and make Paper Bag Puppets!

And when they are all done, have your kids do a little puppet show that you can record and share online for all your friends and family.  Cheap entertainment for everyone!

Or what about this classic -

Thumb Wrestling!

Make it even more fun by adding faces to the thumbs with ink pens.  Cute, fun and cheap!

Bertolli Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe

If you just read my last post about how I got my kids involved in the kitchen the other night, you might be having a craving for some easy, delicious spaghetti and meatballs right about now.  No worries, here is the recipe that we used - like I said - it's super simple for the kids to do and if your kids are older than mine, then they should be able to make the pasta as well.  Great times, lots of laughs and good food - time spent with family doesn't get any better than that.  Enjoy!

RECIPE SERVES: 4

PREP TIME	20 Minutes
COOK TIME	20 Minutes

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serving Size1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories	600
Calories From Fat	180
Saturated Fat	7 g
Trans Fat	0.5 g
Total Fat	20 g
Cholesterol	130 mg
Sodium	1150 mg
Carbohydrates	66 g
Sugars	19 g
Dietary Fibre	6 g
Protein	40 g
Vitamin A	25 %
Vitamin C	10 %
Calcium	25 %
Iron	40 %

Bertolli Spaghetti & Meatballs

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. garlic
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 jar Bertolli® Tomato & Basil Sauce
• 8 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine ground beef, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, water, egg, garlic and salt in medium bowl; shape into 12 meatballs.
2. Bring Sauce to a boil over medium-high heat in 3-quart saucepan. Gently stir in uncooked meatballs.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are done, about 20 minutes. Serve over hot spaghetti and sprinkle, if desired, with additional Parmesan cheese.

Cost per recipe*: $8.39. Cost per serving*: $2.10. *Based on average retail prices at national supermarkets.

Get Kids Involved

Spending time with your kids is very important.  You all need to "disconnect" from technology every now and again to actually spend time together.  Sitting down at the table to have a family meal is a great place to start, but what about getting your kids involved in cooking the dinner with you?   It not only allows you to spend time with each other, but they end up learning valuable skills that will help them as they become young adults.

The other night, I decided to pull my kids away from the televisions and get them involved with making our dinner.  We decided on a simple Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe that we found in a Bertolli ad.  It wasn't difficult, it didn't have a lot of ingredients and that meant it wasn't going to cost a lot of money to make.

While I got the pasta cooking, the kids measured, mixed and rolled the meatballs.  Then they lowered them into the sauce where the meatballs cooked.  When everything was finished, we sat down together and shared this fabulously fun meal.  Not only did it taste good, but the kids were really proud of themselves and felt a great sense of accomplishment.

So get your kids involved - you might be surprised at how much fun you have with something as simple as cooking together.