Blue Crab Mac N Cheese

This scrumptious meal came from the inspiration of a hodgepodge of ingredients and my grumbling belly in need of something different than the norm. Here's how to throw it together: Dice 1 8 ounce pack of surimi (imitation crab meat). I purchased for $1.49 at Publix on a recent sale. Next boil whatever pasta you have on hand & drain, leaving in strainer for a moment. In the same pot the pasta boiled in, I then combined 1/2 a pack of cream cheese, a small wedge of blue cheese and 1/4 cup of plain yogurt. I purchased all of these items on manager's special totaling $3.00, not having a plan, but knowing I would use them somehow at such a great price! So, keep burner on low and stir mixture with fork until melted and creamy. Finally, add your pasta and surimi to the pot along with salt and pepper as desired and give it a good stir. This is sooo worth trying and only cost me about $5 to make. It has been hard to find good organic food at a really good price lately. When you see a great buy, throw it in your cart even if you have no idea what you will do with it. With a little inspiration and Google at your fingertips, your mystery ingredient will serve success! 

Fuel Savings Loophole

Who would ever be crazy enough to not want to save money at the pump?! I have a good loophole to help you save quickly on fueling up your transport. Many grocery stores have a point system rewards card that transfer to gas savings. The store in my area that has this is Kroger. At Kroger, if you purchase a gift card (for any number of stores) you get 4X the points. Points equal savings on gas. So, say you need to go to Lowes to purchase some home improvement supplies and know you will spend about $100.00. First purchase a $100.00 Lowes gift card at Kroger, which costs nothing additional, and in return you will get 400 points which is .40 off per gallon your next fuel up! When there is a will there is a way, now start saving!

An Apple A Day

Apples are at an awesome stock up price at Publix through Tuesday October 30th. Organic Gala and Red Delicious apples are only 1.89 per pound! What to do with a plethora of this fibrous cancer fighting super fruit? Let me give you some simple ideas...

Applesauce: peel, chop, sprinkle with cinnamon & bake. Then  mash with fork or puree. Great for babies, freezer pops, or alongside grilled pork tenderloin

Apple Chips: Preheat oven to 350. Slice unpeeled apples super thin and place on greased baking sheet. Put in oven and turn down to 250. Bake about an hour, turning every 20 minutes until dried. 

Apple Stamps: Grab your kiddos, some paint and paper for this fun artsy craft. Lay the apple on it's side cutting off the top half of the apple, revealing a beautiful star seeded shape in the middle. Start stamping!

Apple Turkey: Doubling as a craft and a snack, you will need your children, some toothpicks, pretzel sticks, raisins and marshmallows. Lay the apple on it's side and begin poking pretzels and raisin or marshmallow adorned toothpicks along the side of the apple to resemble a yummy plume of turkey feathers. 

Last but not least, sink your teeth into the juicy red goodness and enjoy!

DIY Vanilla Extract

When the air starts cooling down, the kitchen starts heating up because tis the season to BAKE! Get your pantry stocked now and start by making your own vanilla extract. At the store, this tiny bottle of delight is more often than not too expensive, and not even the real deal, having hydrogenated corn syrup added to it. So, start by purchasing a 750ml bottle of alcohol for about $12. Vodka is the simplest but if you want to add more complexity to your extract you can use rum or bourbon. Then purchase Madagascar Vanilla Beans from Amazon for 12.99 or at a place like Whole Foods. Next add ten vanilla beans that you have split lengthwise to the bottle. Put the cap back on and place in your pantry. Finally, once a day for the next eight weeks, turn the bottle upside down and give it a little shake then place back in it's spot. In eight weeks you have delicious, pure vanilla extract that you can use straight from the vodka bottle. No need to remove the beans as they will continue to add flavor. If you don't need such a large quantity, pour into smaller bottles with some pretty ribbon tied in a bow and give to your friends as a sweet gift. The price breakdown is $25 total for an equivalent of 12, 2 ounce bottles you would purchase at the grocery store which are about $8 each if you purchase with no additives. Frugal, fun and festive. What's not to be merry about?!

Mrs. Milestone

Today is a big day and I am therefore deeming myself Mrs. Milestone. To some of you, this may seem rather silly, but others may be shocked that we are so alike. All my life I have despised doing dishes. Chores are part of life and as you go through the journey of marriage and children, the daunting list grows legs and quickly runs away with a teasing smirk, seeming 'uncatchable'. Even so, it all eventually gets done, but there has been one thing I have never been willing to do- until today. You know when you have washed the dishes and the water drains away, only to leave a soggy mushed pile of food scraps in the sink? Nothing has grossed me out more than the idea of gathering  the wet pile of leftovers with my bare fingers and tossing them into the trash. In fact, I will go to tedious length to scrape them together and jam them down the tiny sink holes with a fork so I do not have to touch it.  And then it happened. Today I reached down, gathered the soggy, mushy mess and tossed it way without thinking. Then I stopped in my tracked linoleum steps when realizing what just happened and thought, 'What does this mean?'  Does this mean I have become a slaving housemaid that has been overcome by soggy mess and madness? NO!! It means that I am growing and maturing in my role as Mommy and Wife. This means that there is one less thing in my day that I will uselessly think twice about, shutter at or allow to waste my time.  It also means that there is one more thing I have overcome and one more milestone I have achieved. Sometimes accepting the roles we are given and the job description they come with can be a bit intimidating (at least for me, maybe no one reading this) Thankfully, every day is a new day with new mercies and second, third or maybe twenty second chances. I took my one thousand eight hundred and ninety fifth chance at the mushy mess in my sink and made it a surmounting milestone. What will you overcome today? 

Cheap Organic Vegetables

Publix starts their new ad today though Oct 23rd and you can score some really cheap frozen organic vegetables from it. Cascadian Farms frozen vegetables are $2.49 per bag-without coupons. Go to coupons.com or swagbucks.com (as I do for added benefits) and print two of the .75 off Cascadian Farms products. Then, when you go into Publix, grab the latest coupon flyer at the front door and take out the $2 off 2 Cascadian Farms products coupon. This brings your organic frozen vegetables down to .75 per bag! Cream of broccoli soup is now on the menu!

Roasted Fig & Vegetable Quinoa Pilaf

Since I do my grocery shopping based on what is on major price reduction, the ingredients in my fridge and pantry often do not seem to make any sense together at first glance. But like most treasure, good meals must be sought for! Here is the simply delicious while nutritious result: I roasted a pan mixed with carrots, yams, onions and dried figs , along with dabbles of butter and savory dried herbs. Then I boiled quinoa in water with some butter, hazelnuts and more of the same dried herbs. Once vegetables were soft and water was evaporated from quinoa, I tossed all ingredients in a large bowl for a hearty quinoa pilaf. It would be even more amazing if you have some kale to wilt and mix in as well. If you twinge at the thought of a vegetarian meal, toss in some pork or chicken to your heart's content.  A simply merry meal! 

Flying Alligators and Security Camels

I love that we do not have to be taught how to be creative because it runs in our blood inherently. 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.' Gen 1:1. Then as you probably know God went on creating everything else in this world of ours, including, 'man in His own image,' Gen 1:27. So, you and I were created in the image of our Daddy, Almighty God. Pretty radical right? I mention this because my daughter is only just now 2 1/2 years old and I can see His creativity in her that I know comes from a deep well within her. Today as we were driving she spotted a giant alligator flying in the sky and was genuinely ecstatic to him. While I saw an elongated fluffy white cloud, she saw a chomping green reptile. She often sees camels as well while peeping out the bottom of her passenger window. This one took me a while to grasp as she would see them so often. Finally I saw the camels, or rather the rounded humps on the tops of privacy fences securely enclosing people's yards. Brilliant right?! Her overflow of creativity inspires me to get back to that pure and joyfilled mindset that God has given us. What creative moments have you recently been blessed by?

Enter That Code!

Are you taking advantage of the free rewards that many companies offer for using their products? If you are clueless as to what I mean, let me tell you the rewards programs I use frequently that in return get me free groceries and gift cards. Each of the following companies have little codes on their product's packaging that if you use, should be saving. I have a drawer that I toss all my cardboard and plastic coded tidbits into and then once a month enter them online while relaxing with some vino. For each company, you will need to create a basic account user name and password when logging onto their website. Then, watch your codes turn into points and prizes for you to redeem. Also, if you are not into tallying them for yourself, many people swap them on sites such as swapmamas.com for other things of value you may need. So, here are the rewards programs I currently use and recommend: Stonyfield Farms, Pampers, Huggies & Kellog's. Others that are popular that I have not personally used are Coca Cola, Seventh Generation & Beech Nut. Know of others? Due tell!

Not Your Granny's Wreath

If you have some time and a dollar to spare, making a wreath is a super fun outlet to flow your  creative juices to. I used to think that wreaths were only affiliated with the words gaudy and Granny. But a wreath can be as cute and trendy as your tastes and supplies are! So, Target has foam wreaths in their dollar section right now which is where I got this one. Then I went digging through my craft supplies bag to see what random things I could use. I came across ribbon scraps, a piece of round yellow fabric and some buttons. After my hot glue gun was ready I simple wrapped the wreath with ribbon, stacked buttons on top of each other and glued, and then bundled the fabric in a flower like shape which I glued and hung from the center. The result from a dollar stretched and an hour well spent is simple joy which brings a smile at the door. 

Freebies & Cheapies

Printing & trimming coupons paid off today at Kroger for me with free & nearly free groceries! Check out the Manager Special Clearance area of your local store for similar steals. If you have questions on printing & matching coupons I am happy to assist in your savings efforts!

Muir Glen Organic Tomato Sauce .69 + .50 off coupon, which Kroger doubles being under .51, means they paid me .31 cents to take this product home. I had a few of these coupons printed so used them all.

Starbucks Via $3.79 + $3 off 2 Starbucks products coupon means I paid $2.29 each for an 8 count of Starbucks Via coffee, equaling .28 per cup of caffeinated goodness!

Larabars .25 each + my printable coupon of .70 off 3 equaled about .01 each!

I also was fortunate enough to stock up on yummy gourmet brie and blue cheeses that had been clearanced out at 1.99 per package as well as organic yams, carrots and raspberries which are all on sale this week.

On another note, there is a really fun website called Paper Coterie that is offering fun free downloads for crafty Halloween treat bags, themed Bingo, party invitations and gift tags. I really enjoy the creative ideas this site offers and every month there is a new free offer for you to play with. Check it out here: http://www.papercoterie.com/blog/bingo-and-treat-bags/ 

Seasons Change, God Does Not

There is a change happening in our midst. Can you feel it? What do you see? Summer is is being wrapped by the golden hued branches of  Autumn's cool embrace. My taste buds crave that of decadent, rich flavors, being manipulated by the perpetual sight of pumpkins waiting to be baked with nutmeg and cinnamon upon a warm flaky crust. And, rectangular signs litter lawns and fences, hoping to persuade The People politically, in remembering someone's accentuated name. Yes, the seasons are changing, but on Earth as it is in Heaven? I believe that what we experience in the physical is a hint as to what is also happening in the spiritual. As our seasons change on the calendar what other season is approaching that can only be seen with spiritual eyes? The United States of America once lived and believed it was 'One Nation Under God'. This is now a season in our country when not only the leaves are falling, but moral and political standards as well. Thankfully, God in His preeminence saw this season coming and reassured us in Daniel 2:21 that, ' He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.' While the person governing this country is slinging hate in hopes to earn a vote, our hope as Christians is in the Promise of our Savior Jesus Christ. Hebrews 8:1 reassures us that, 'We have such a High Priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the Heavens,' who doesn't sling, put pierces our hearts with Love in sparkling intention. In your understanding, let this be a season of radiant Love of which you are changed by His word as such in 2 Corinthians 3:18, 'being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.' Now, please excuse me while I begin my transformation while sipping my pumpkin spiced latte. Mmmmm, God is so good! 

Meat-ish Loaf

I tried a new spin on making meatloaf today and ended up in brilliant success. With organic ground beef prices on the rise, I blended soy based crumbles into the mix to keep the costs down, as well as using no eggs. This is a super simple, yummy, make ahead meal I dare you to try! So, take 1 Lb ground beef and 1 package soy based crumbles and put into a large bowl. Next add 1/2 Cup rolled oats and 1/2 Cup Italian dressing. You could stop here but I like to sneak vegetables in where I can so I then added 1 shredded carrot & half of an onion diced, along with salt & pepper. Next, get your hands dirty and mix ingredients thoroughly. Place mixture into a greased bread loaf tin and top with barbecue sauce. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until firm. Dinner is served!

** Save yourself some time in the future by doubling this recipe, baking 2 pans of meatloaf and freezing one for a night when you need an effortless dinner.