Vegetarian Chicken Enchiladas, Oxymoron?

I have been on quite the cooking kick lately! Once again, I am keeping the cost low in the kitchen at about $1 per person, while the flavors and nutrition soar high. This dish is simple to make as well as perfect to prepare and store a day ahead if you like. This recipe yielded 8 enchiladas, which you could multiply easily by bulking up the enchilada filling with a vegetable like corn or spinach. I was using what was in the fridge, so 8 enchiladas are great for me! Here we go: dice your onion and caramelize in a pan with 2 TBS butter on medium heat until golden. Then throw your 'chicken style' strips, that have been diced, in with the onion for a couple minutes. Add salt, pepper or cumin if you so desire. Turn off heat. Next, smear about 2 Tbs cream cheese down the center of your tortillas, following with salsa and then your 'chicken' mixture. Roll your enchiladas and place in a greased baking dish side by side to hold the cigar shape well. Finally, pour a generous amount of salsa over your enchiladas as well as randomly placed dollops of cream cheese. Then bake for a few minutes at 350 until cream cheese is melted and dish is heated through. Dinner is served! 

Price Breakdown:

Corn Tortillas .25, purchased a pack of 24 for .79 after coupon

Lightlife Chicken Style Strips $1.99 Manager Special

Horizon Cream Cheese$1.69 Manager Special

Wholly Salsa .50 after coupon with sale

Organic Onion- .42, purchased 3Lb bag for $2.99

Horizon Butter- .40 for 2 TBS, purchased 1 Lb for $2.89 Manager Special

TOTALING $6.50 or $1.30 per person 

** Lightlife is a product brand that makes soy based meat substitutes. Like any other soy based product, it's the spices, marinades and sauces that make it taste great. Find it refrigerated where you would find tofu. It is normally about $5 a pack so when I find it on clearance I buy several for the freezer. 

1/2 Price Sweet Cece's

Groupon has a deal right now for those of us in the greater Nashville area for 1/2 price at Sweet Cece's! Spend $5 and receive a $10 credit for 18 various TN locations. When you are there, ask for a free membership card, register it online, link to Facebook and then get a FREE cup for your next visit! My kids and I go here all the time so going for half price makes it even sweeter. Click the following link to get the deal: https://www.groupon.com/deals/sweet-ce-ce-s-nashville?utm_campaign=UserReferral_pp&utm_medium=email&utm_source=uu37435688

$1 Black Bean Burger

Dollar menu burgers are ordered by waaay to many people every day because the value menu price fits the pocket. But what about nutritional value? I've got a burger recipe for your dollar menu at home that is not only delicious, but healthy and family friendly. So here we go... Buy 2 cans of black beans (.89 per organic can at Kroger) drain and gently mash with a fork. Next shred & dice 1 carrot as well as 1/4 of an onion. Add 1 TBS diced garlic & 1 TSP cumin to your mixture as well as salt & pepper to taste. Finally, add 1 1/2 C rolled oats to your mixture and pat into burger patties. If your mixture is not holding together well, add more oats to your desired texture. Yields about 6 burgers depending on your patty size. If you make more than you need, freeze them for a quick gourmet grab in the future! To cook, either grill or pan fry over medium heat for about 5+ minutes on each side. This is a great meal for versatility as you can put it on any bread (Toufayan Pita Bread .70 per pack at Publix right now) top of a salad, or wrap it in a tortilla. I love to eat these with Marie's Chipotle Ranch Dressing ($1.35 at Publix right now with coupon) but you can of course add toppings according to what is on sale or already in your fridge. I like avocado, garden grown cilantro, cheddar cheese and heirloom garden tomatoes on mine. For $1 per serving, you are getting gourmet food without the gourmet price!

Dollar Daunting Unraveled

Don't be dismayed if you open your wallet to find a single dollar bill tucked away all by its lonesome (as I do many days!) A dollar can actually go very far if you know where to go and what to do with it. A single dollar should not be daunting! Here are a few shocking delights our first and former President George Washington still has access to:

• Get creative with a handmade t-shirt scarf. Follow the instructions I recently shared in my Re-Purposed Clothing snippet
• Choose from hundreds of eBooks for a new cheap read through Amazon.com 
• Quench your thirst with Santa Cruz Organic Raspberry Lemonade 32oz Bottle right now at Kroger
• Go treasure hunting at a local Thrift Shop. I recently found a beautiful, new with tags, name brand top priced $69 and paid $1.00
• Hone your soup making skills for Fall's arrival by making the Crockpot Vegetable Soup recipe I recently shared
• Redecorate for Fall with paper crafting. Buy warm hues of tissue paper at your local dollar store, then make & hang tissue pom poms, flowers, pinwheels or a wreath
• Grow your dollar by planting Fall lettuce & leafy greens seeds bought at the dollar store. You'll be pleasantly & effortlessly surprised at how great a small plot of dirt produces

If you have any other dollar stretching ideas, help us rid the daunting of a dollar by sharing your wealth of knowledge and creativity with us!

Introducing Kroger's Organic Label

Starting today through 9/29, there are some awesome organic savings at Kroger. They are kicking off their own organic label, Simple Truth, offering some great discounts on staples to stock up on. Remember to look for those bright orange Manager Special stickers for incredible hidden savings as well! Here's what is advertised:

Simple Truth Salad Mix $2.99                      Simple Truth Chicken 25% Off

Simple Truth Half Gallon Milk $2.99           Simple Truth Eggs $2.50

Simple Truth Half Gal Soy Milk $2.50         Simple Truth Butter 1Lb $3.99

Simple Truth Peanut Butter $3.99               Simple Truth 32Oz Yogurt $3.00

Simple Truth Protein Bar .79                        Simple Truth Broth 32 Oz $1.50

Simple Truth Canned Beans .89 (perfect for Vegan Beanie Weanie Recipe)

Also...

Morningstar Farms $2.99 ( the crumbles are perfect for Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie Recipe)

Boca Burgers $2.99

Organic Gala Apples $1.99 Lb (Honey Cinnamon Fruit Crisp Recipe mixed with raspberries)

Organic Raspberries $2.50

Organic Broccoli $1.99

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Scrambling to have dinner served in 15 minutes? Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie is quick, yummy, simple and costs about $1 a serving to make, feeding 4-6 people. There is no downside to this recipe! You can totally adapt it with ground beef if soy substitute freaks you out (it shouldn't) but it will make your cost rise as well as your cooking time.

Ingrediants:

1 Onion Diced

1 TBS minced Garlic

2 C Mixed Frozen Vegetables

1 Package Ground Soy 'Meat Substitute' (looks like ground beef)

2 Medium Potatoes

1/4 C Butter

Cheese Optional

Preheat oven to 350. Start a small pot of boiling water for your 2 potatoes. Chop potatoes in large chunks for quicker cooking in water. Place potatoes in water once boiling. Saute your onion & garlic until lightly browned. Add frozen vegetables and ground soy and saute until thawed (about 7 minutes) If you would like to add salt, pepper or dried herbs, do so at the end of sauteing. Spray baking dish (I used 12 x 9) with non stick spray. Spread vegetable mixture in dish. Drain water from cooked potatoes, add butter to potatoes and smash with a fork in pot. Add seasoning as desired. Spread smashed potatoes over vegetable mixture. Finally, place your choice of cheese, shredded or sliced, over top of dish. Bake at 350 til browned on top and warm through (about 5 minutes). Mmmm tasty! 

**$$ SAVING TIPS- I always have packs of ground soy crumbles in my freezer. The more you season it the better it will be and it is GOOD! When I find it on clearance I stock up. If you find them on clearance in the refrigerated section and the date of expiration is that day, buy them for your freezer. Morningstar Farms routinely goes on sale and when combined with my coupons, I got them for $1.75 per package versus the regular price of $4.29 per package. Also, I stock up on a GIANT bag of organic frozen mixed vegetables for $5.79 at Costco which lasts me a few months and is extremely versatile.

**VEGAN FRIENDLY- use dairy substitute butter and soy based cheese on top. I have actually been pleasantly surprised by some of the shredded soy cheeses and have tricked skeptics into thinking they were eating the real deal! I regularly find soy based cheese on Manager Special at Kroger for about $1 a package.

CHEAP Organic Baby Food & Groceries

I just swooped into Publix and left with some pretty awesome grabs! The best thing, in my opinion, to stock up on at Publix this week is organic baby food pouches. These are perfect for traveling and a great snack for my toddler as well. Here is what I scored along with other groceries that you can find through 9/18:

Happy Baby (squeezable) .60 when you buy 5, combine sale price & print $2 Target coupon
Gerber Organic Pouch .56 each when you combine sale price with .75 swagbucks.com coupon 
Earth's Best (squeezable) .88 each sale price combined with .50 off printable Target coupon
Lightlife Veggie Burgers $2 pack sale price combines $1 off promo coupon on freezer door
Silk Fruit & Protein Drink $1 Quart sale is combined with $1 off swagbucks.com coupon
Kashi Indigo Morning Cereal $1.95 per box*
Kashi Frozen Pizza $4.66*
Kashi Frozen Meal $2.66*
* To get these Kashi prices, print Kashi Indigo Morning Coupon .70 off from swagbucks.com as well as $1 off 3 Kashi products Target coupon combined with sale prices 

Re-purposed Clothing

Would you believe that this scarf was once a men's turtleneck? It is crazy but yes, true! As fall begins tempting us with cooler evenings and earlier rusted sunsets, my mind immediately darts to my wardrobe. Who couldn't use a new scarf? As much as I would love to run out and purchase one, sometimes the truth is, I can't. However, one of the benefits of not having much extra cash flow is the heavy flow of a creative mind! So, I purchased this shirt from a thrift store for $1.00. A men's large or extra large is ideal for a good long scarf. I also felt a million shirts between my fingers to find one that was both stretchy and soft. If you have one in your closet, you don't have to buy a thing. So, lay the shirt out in front of you right side up. Cut the top of the shirt off horizontally from armpit to armpit, leaving you with a big rectangle. Next, start from the bottom of the shirt and cut or tear strips vertically until about 2 inches from the top. Do this all the way around until you have a big oblong piece of fabric with a bunch of strips hanging from it. I placed it around my neck and in front of a mirror just started braiding and knotting pieces together randomly until I had a look going that I liked. I also pulled the fabric even more, giving it a good stretch to work with. Voila! Within 20 minutes I had a new funky fall accessory that is not only one of a kind, but nearly FREE! Time well spent, money well saved! Try it and let me know how works out for you. 

FREE Photo Book

This deal has been extended! If you order by midnight this Thursday, you can score a FREE 8x8 hard cover Shutterfly Photo book by entering the code SUMMERBOOK at checkout. Normally, these are $29.99. Since you are still charged shipping and tax, it ends up being about $7 total which is a really great buy for your summer snapshots in a custom made book. This could make a really great gift too! Visit www.shutterfly.com and get your creativity flowing.

Cheap Seventh Generation Products

You can stock up and score green this week on Seventh Generation products at a really cheap price on Amazon. Amazon Coupons offers several Seventh Generation coupons at the moment. My two favorites are $5 off toilet tissue& $5 off paper towelsboth by Seventh Generation. These coupons are off of a case price. While I do not need 24 rolls of paper towels or 48 rolls of toilet tissue, I'll find a friend to split the deal making it twice as nice. So, here's the deal: Concerning both items, clip your coupon first to apply on your check out page. Next, purchase under Amazon's 'Subscribe & Save' option for a further discount than the noted sale price. Because the order is over $25 you will get free shipping. All in all, your 100% recycled toilet tissue is .49 per roll while paper towels work out to be $1.25 per roll. This price is better than Charmin on sale while stacking coupons, is green and you don't have to go anywhere or worry about buying paper products for months!

Week's Organic Kroger Deals

The weekly ad for Kroger starts today, lasting through September 15th and offers some great organic grocery deals. Here is what I found worth sharing:

Organic Raspberries $2.5o per 6 oz

Organic Red or Green Seedless Grapes $1.99 lb

Organic Bartlett Pears $1.59 lb (perfect for the fruit crisp recipe I shared)

Organic Simple Truth Milk $2.99 half gallon
Silk Almond Milk $2.99 half gallon ($1 off coupon through swagbucks.com)
Simple Truth Organic Canned Vegetables & Beans .89 each

Annie's Macaroni & Cheese $1.00 per box

Morningstar Farms Products $2.99 each (.55 off coupon at Commonkindness.com)

A few things to remember when shopping at Kroger: 

Use reusable shopping bags for a further discount-I remind them
Check your receipt for any mis-rings & receive full refund for incorrect charges
Look for 'catalina' coupons to print with your receipt when buying organic produce
(I frequently receive $1 organic produce coupons to use on my next shopping trip)
Keep your eyes peeled for bright orange 'Manager Special' stickers on products for additional awesome deals

**** So, I am writing now after my trip from scooping up these deals... I ended up being incorrectly charged by .10 a pound for my pears as well as some kiwis I found on clearance at .10 each. So, I ended up getting $10 in my pocket as well as with FREE PRODUCE. Look at your receipts people! A merry day indeed in the savings department!

Cinnamon Honey Fruit Crisp

Tasty, simple, versatile & affordable are the words I love in a recipe. This dessert has them all! I used fresh peaches & frozen mixed berries in mine, but you can use anything you would put in a pie such as apples, plums or apricots. It is also up to you on how much sugar and spice you put in the recipe depending on the flavor you are going for. This recipe is totally tweekable. In fact, I found that for me, there was not have enough of the yummy crumbly part on top, so next time I will probably double the 'crisp' part of it making any leftovers perfect for breakfast with coffee. So, I tossed 2 fresh, diced peaches & about 2 cups of frozen berries together in 2 TBS Honey and 2 TSP Cinnamon. I let that defrost and flavors settle for a couple hours. Next mix together 1 C Oats, 1/2 C Flour & 1/2 Brown Sugar. 

Then take half of a stick of butter cut into small cubes, mix with flour/oat sugar mixture with hands until coarse & crumbly. Spread the crumbly goodness evenly over the fruit. I then sprinkled hazelnuts on top, which you can totally omit if you prefer. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream for an even fuller indulgence. Mmmmm tasty!                                   

Too Much Watermelon?

In my family of four, we can never eat an entire watermelon before we either get sick of it or it starts to go mushy. As it pains me to not eat perfectly good food, I have found a solution. I have been making watermelon pops and my kids LOVE them! You can either use the juice of the fruit that drains in the bottom of your storage container, or throw it in a blender after picking out the seeds. Then fill your ice pop holders for a tasty, healthy, affordable treat. If you prefer, you could also freeze them in ice cube trays and use the frozen cubes as a flavor booster for your morning smoothie. Making the most of what we've got can actually be delicious and rewarding!

Kroger Booty

This is not a thrilling coupon week for groceries, so I have been out scouring the shelves amongst a rough sea of shoppers for deals not listed in the weekly ads. It does require some time and patience going up and down the isles, quickly scanning for hidden deals, but it is worth it in savings. At Kroger I found the following: Nature's Path Organic Cereal $1.50, Gerber Organic Baby Food .29 for a 2 pack, Private Selection Organic Dried Herbs are all clearanced at various prices, Organic Peaches & Nectarines 1.79 lb, Organic Bananas .38 lb, Simple Truth Organic Semi Sweet Chocolate Morsels $1.99, POM juice $1.19 after Commonkindness coupon with manager special, Silk Pure Almond Milk $1.99 after sale plus Swagbucks coupon and last but not least Power Bars for .39 each with Swagbucks coupon on top of manager special. Ask your grocer where their clearance section is if you have not seen it. Usually, it is in a hidden spot you have to search out and then dig for the buried booty. But isn't that true for all treasure? Let's share our wealth! What worthy nuggets have you found? Maybe next time I will bring my eye patch and wooden leg. I'm not the Pirate Who Doesn't Do Anything, I'm the Pirate Who Does It ALL! Hmmm, I think I need to convince my daughter to watch something besides Veggie Tales tomorrow.

New Way to Save

I found a loop hole that will save you even more on Amazon Organic Groceries. This glorious loophole goes by the name of Ebates. Basically, it is a website that pays you to shop online. I recently joined for free and they sent me a $10 Target gift card in return. This offer may still be available for you making it even more sweet. The gist of it is, they pay cash back for your online shopping. So, when you purchase Amazon Organic Groceries by going to Ebates first and then to Amazon through their site, they send you 3% cash back of your purchase. They have thousands of stores that they give cash back on to cover all your retail needs. Check it out and join if you'd like by clicking on the link or image included:

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=hFbYZyZ46HdoTK0Spy1SmQ%3D%3D

Starbucks Gift Card Half Price!

I just purchased my Starbucks gift card at half price and thought this is totally worth sharing. Living Social has a deal today, buy a $10 Starbucks gift card for only $5! Click on the following link for the same awesome savings https://www.livingsocial.com/deals/448600?ref=conf-jp&rpi=79238016 

Different Benefit

How different are you from your spouse? My husband and I are as different as black is to white when it comes to most things. This can stir the water in my boiling pot pretty quickly if I let it. He likes chocolate, I like vanilla. He stays up late, I go to bed early. He pees standing up-well you get it right? So, we have been married 5 years now. A wise man told us before getting married that as different as God made each of us, He wants us to be a little more like the other. We believe that we were each created in God's image. If we could be a little more like each other, we would be doubly closer to the goodness of God. For instance, my husband will be a child at heart all of his days. This is a beautiful quality that God planted in his DNA. I, on the other hand, wear the serious pants-a little too tightly most days. This is one area of difference I can definitely benefit from by letting him rub off on me. The hard part is having the will to change; allowing yourself to see things differently. Easier said than done, I know-from experience. Live wild today by taking a step back and reevaluate. There's probably more to gain than realized. Who couldn't use a better marriage? I am going to go and change my pants now.

Amazon Grocery Deals

There are some really great grocery deals to stock up on through Amazon.com right now. If you make a purchase of $25 or more these items all qualify for free shipping as well!

Annie's Organic Fruit Snacks .81 a package with Subscribe & Save








Gloria Jean's Mudslide K-Cups .45 each








Fruit & Nut Vegan Snack Bars GMO & Gluten FREE .60 each









Peace Cereal Raspberry Ginger Clusters & Flakes $2.92 per box













Nature's Path Organic Blueberry Toaster Pastries .34 per package

Publix Deals

A dollar can stretch a loooong way at Publix this week! I saved half of my grocery bill (both spending and saving $45) in coupons stacked with sales at Publix! Go to http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/smb081807 coupons section under the 'Earn' tab to print the following coupons for items already on 'Buy 1 Get 1' sale. By printing from Swagbucks website, you will earn points for using your coupons, which you can then redeem for gift cards like Amazon or Starbucks. I get at least 1 gift card a month which is simply free money in my pocket. When shopping at Publix keep in mind if you purchase only 1 item from the B1G1 sale you will still get the item half price. Use the following brands coupons through Tues evening to stack for awesome savings: Nabsico Crackers, Breyers Ice cream, Chex Mix, Kellog's Raisin Bran, Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, Morningstar Farms Veggie Products, Athenos Feta Cheese, Post Honey Bunches of Oats, Silk Fruit & Protein Drink. Hope this helps and have a merry day!