TURKEY BALLS!

After purchasing 2 trays of turkey meat on sale at Brookshires (with coupon), I wanted to try something different.  We cook with turkey meat all of the time, but I wanted something new that would hopefully become a staple.  A quick search lead me to a turkey ball recipe where I already housed all of the ingredients.  I looked simple and easy which made the selection a no brainer.

Here is the recipe I used:

http://www.food.com/recipe/turkey-meatballs-33944

I used powder garlic and green onions and added sauteed mushrooms and celery.  I also baked on 350 for 30 minutes (because it's hands free).

Sidenote:  I wish I took great pictures.  I am jealous of all the cool pictures I see on instagram or other blogs.  Photography is clearly a talent that I do not have

The meatballs turned out really really well!!!! I am happy with how easy they were and will def make more and freeze them in the future.  It was missing a little bit of flavor that I will work on for next time.  Maybe BBQ sauce (since I have about 20 bottles) or a stronger spice.  RL LOVED these.  She ate 3 at one sitting! I was super excited knowing that she was eating the mushroom and celery hidden inside! 

Having a few days off from work means I catch up with fun kid crafts that unfortunately I dont have much time to do during a work week.  One idea was homemade bubbles!!! 

I purchased mason jars because I have always wanted some to make homemade salsa in but you can use any container you have handy.

To fill one mason jar mix:

4 cups hot water
a little under 1/4 cup corn syrup
a little over 1 cup of dish detergent
food coloring if you wish

RL only wanted to play with the pink!! So cute and super fun.  These will last a looooong time! Just be careful with the glass jar, of course!

WHOA TARGET!!!

I have been off the air for a few days with technical difficulties.  I wasn't able to upload pics on my computer ( I am not sure why it all of a sudden worked today) and I also tried this really exciting blogger app, but it would not let me upload pictures EITHER!! It has been really frustrating and a cause for backed up information so I will try to be easy and not overwhelm you!!

I am counting my minutes before the kids wake up and I must end our special time together, so I will start with what I think was an exciting couponing trip to target!! The goal was to clearance stalk and combine manu coupons, target coupons, mobile coupons, cartwheel, and of course the red card. 

Here are the highlights:

I always love having these in my purse for emergencies.  I dug around and found this one box with a clearance sticker! Combine with an Ibotta offer, they are $1.61!

**Well, it seems that RL had deleted my pics of other great deals!! AGH! I just cannot get it together!  I will just have to tell you about it.  This will give my readers a chance to practice creativity by creating visual representations in your mind.  We are given too many conveniences in life, so I am really just trying to help you out by recharging your brain! :)**  #whatever

I small pack of Poise liners had a clearance sticker for $2.11.  I had a $2 off coupon from coupons.com which made them 11 cents.  I was nervous about this one bc the coupon read "hourglass" and the product did not specify, but it worked no problem!!  Typically carefree liners can be purchased for 50 cents with coupons, so that is my bottom line.  Anything under, I always try to pick up.  I did not have any extra coupons with me (honestly, I didnt think I would be lucky enough to find this deal), so I didnt get to stock up! 

Aquafresh training toothpaste was on price cut for $2.  I had a target coupon for $1 off any aquafresh.  I am not sure where this coupon came from as the coupon fairy (my neighbor) left it on my doorstep for me! Plus I had a .75 cents manu coupon.  That makes it 25 cents!!!! You can't beat that!

Do you get the baby coupons in the mail from target??? If you don't already, you def want to!! There was a coupon for spend $50 in baby products, receive a $10 Gift Card.  $50 in the baby aisle.....no problem!! I had several cartwheel offers for these products, so I really wanted to see if I can get the gift card by spending $50 before the cartwheel!! Sure, no problem! Just have them scan the coupon first!!  Here are some things I picked up:

Target Diapers - They were on sale for 14.20 for a substitute for another item that they were out of stock.  I've never seen this notification before, but I saw it several times on my trip.  I'll tell ya, I use to think this target was terrible but they are really stepping up their game!! I also had a cartwheel.

Formula - Cartwheel

Onsies for Ruddick - Clearance.  This child is growing FAST and I am not prepared!!

Up and Up baby lotion and wash - Cartwheel. I need to make a diaper cake for a couple of friends who just had a baby and these are the perfect centers

Yogurt bites and applesauce - cartwheel

Up and Up baby food - Clearance! I checked the expiration date and there is plenty of time for Ruddick to start eating!

Other great finds included Market Pantry protein bars for D.  They were on clearance for $2.50 for 6! That is huge!  He was paying over a dollar per bar at Walmart!

Market Pantry fruit snacks are regular $1.86 plus a target coupon for $1 off two equals $1.36 per box.  This is unbeatable.

I could go on and on, but the kids are stirring and all of the words without pictures is a little annoying to me.  However, I can't leave this subject without mentioning that my printed out cartwheel caused TWO registers to shut down!!! Everything had to be rung up a total of THREE times!! The manager suggested I use the cartwheel on my phone in the future.  Luckily target was not busy and everyone was very nice about it!

Here is an art project that RL and I are working on for her room.  Use painters tape on a canvas and paint around it for a cool kid created learning tool!  She loves that she made a "L" for her room.  We will work on the "R" next.

Here is another variation of the salads I been eating.  $1 sausage from brookshires over spinach with corn from the cob (30 cents), turkey bacon (BOGO at brookshires) over spinach (always regular price).  Not the healthiest, but cheap and good!!

SHORT WEEK!

I am so excited that we are heading into a 3 day work week!!  This makes me very happy and little less worried about the mess that always surrounds me.  Trying to have the entire house cleaned and everything put in its place all at the same time is kind of like running around in one of those hamster wheels.  Most of time I have no recollection of how things ended up landing in such a strange place and 1/2 of the strange places becomes the items new home.

Unfortunately, after wasting an hour of taking pictures of deals in the paper with coupons and trying to upload to this blog (as well as downloading a new browser), I still can't get any pictures to appear.  This kind of experience wipes out all of my good thoughts of technology and turns it into spite.  I mostly get frustrated because I don't understand technology and I don't know how to fix it!!!

I have sat at my kitchen table for the last hour with two computers and a phone trying to figure how to fix my blog problem, how to transfer things into icloud (because I have 40 pictures on my phone and it tells me I cannot take anymore???), and how to get a tinkerbell movie off of my phone that is apparently is taking up 1/2 of my storage (can that go into icloud?) What the heck is icloud??

So now I must walk away and prepare for a birthday party feeling under accomplished and confused.  :(

MEALS AND DEALS

Well........todays blog shall include a "what not to do" segment. After dance lessons, dinners, baths, and putting the kids to bed, it was time to open the kitchen to prepare a work lunch for the next day (taco meat for 13 hungry academic advisors) and dinner for myself. I never eat this late, but I dreamed up the idea of taco chicken burgers and at that point it was the only acceptable option.

First the taco meat. I absolutely could not spend the money on enough meat for 13 advisors when I had plenty of deer meat in the freezer. I completely respect that not everyone is comfortable eating deer meat, so I planned to cook both. There is a considerable difference in the amount of grease in each skillet. Can you see the difference in the deer meat vs regular?

**Warning - this may be disturbing to some viewers**

So as the meat was cooking, I started working on the delicous chicken burgers I was craving. I added the meat, an egg, salsa, garlic powder, taco seasoning, and chives.

I patiently waited for an available spot on the stove while my mouth watered in anticipation.

8:45 and time to eat!!! Or not..........

This is what happened to my genious of an idea taco chicken burger :(

Because of the salsa it all looked pink to me and I could not tell if it were done or not. I took a few bites off the top that were amazing, but I had to trash the rest. I just could not take the chance of undercooked chicken. It was a really sad moment for me. I went to bed unfed. I am still upset about it and I will probably not buy ground chicken again unless someone provides me with a fool proof recipe or a high value coupon.

Moving on...tuesday is my favorite day to check the mail. Why you ask?? The Brookshires circular of course. Here are the deals to catch this week. Remember that in order to maximize your savings with coupons, you must plan your week and meals around the sales and coupons available.

These are cheaper during the BOGO sale, but if you must have them this week make sure to load the coupon from their website.

Its sideways - sorry!!! Grapes and Corn!

 

Yay for turkey meat!! Save even more with a Ibotta offer.  Coupon from coupons.com.  You can print 2 per computer.

Coupon from coupons.com

Coupon from coupons.com.  BBQ sauce is also on sale at Freds if you want an even better deal!

Meal ideas...bbq turkey loaf or turkey and rice tacos!!
 

Laundry - Check, Toys put away - Check, Coupons clipped - Check!!  Now its time to plan for the week! Next week will be a bit busier for me in my non-couponing real life, so I will make some quick outings at the beginning of the week and let go of the deals I could have missed.

After meeting with a few ladies last week who were interested in saving money, I have become really passionate about helping people get started with coupons in hopes that they will join my crazy adrenaline pumping world of saving money.  I am not an expert by any means or an experienced blogger, but I hope I can at least help things be a little less overwhelming.

I did a quick review of the deals and coupons this week and these (in my opinion) are your best deals in this area.

****All of the sale/coupon information is taken directly from www.krazycouponlady.com****

CVS is your best bang for your buck this week....

All of the above items were FREE with coupons and promotions.  All but the Venus coupon were printed online, so they should still be available.  Check KCL for links under CVS.

I picked up 4 of these diapers for $3.50 a pack after a $12 Extra bucks reward and 4 $3.00 coupons (printed online from Walmart).  You would need two different computers to print 4.  It is not my typical brand, but it works! I have always stood by the statement that Target brand diapers will typically always be your lower price.  Well, CVS just said "BOOM! - Got Ya!".

My heart was pounding when I arrived at the store first thing this morning!! These deals made it worth the drive to arrive as they unlocked the doors (insert nerd alert).

These deals will probably be cleared out by Monday.  Alot of times, CVS will re-stock on Friday so you still may have a chance.

I'll also make a quick trip to Walgreens to pick up a Chex-Mix deal.

****Make sure to cut out this coupon in your paper and save for the Brookshires BOGO sale****

Moving on to the meals....

I was in the mood for something different this weekend and quesadillas kept coming to mind.  I didn't really  have any typical ingredients, so I threw together anything and almost everything that I had available.  It was basically leftovers from the week in between tortillas.

Roast, mushrooms, black beans, turkey bacon, corn, celery, onions, bbq sauce, and cheese.

OH MI GOODNESS!! It was soooooo GOOD!  D rated it a bold ten and didn't stop talking about it all night! RL wasn't a fan, but I think it confused her.  She took a couple of bites and moved on.  Total time was about 30 minutes simply because I piled on so many ingredients plus cooking each quesadilla individually. I made a couple extra to take to work next week for lunch!  Tortillas are a staple in the BOGO Brookshires sales, so I will most certainly load up next time.

CHEAP AND EASY = SUCCESS!!

I recently found this great deal at Brookshires during the BOGO sale.  I was thrilled to discover that the Hormel Pork Loin coupon that I typically have plenty of actually covered this Hormel flavored roast as well!!  After the sale and coupon, I got four of these for $2 a piece!! You absolutely cannot beat this price especially for this quality!

I put this in the crockpot with about 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 bottle Sweet Baby Rays Marinade (also purchased in the BOGO with a coupon) and cooked on low for 10 hours.

I sliced my squash and zuchinni on Sunday so they were ready to throw in the skillet after work and  add a little salt, pepper, and butter.  Since we are doing the low carb thing, I served on top of a salad.

The roast was awesome with the bbq sauce! Start to table was a total of 15 minutes!!



DREAMING OF BLOGGING

I have been anxiously waiting to re-enter the blogging world once again.  I am constantly taking pictures of meals and deals and writing a blog in my head for my pretend readers who attentively listen.  Meeting the needs of two kids is no joke not to mention the responsibilities of an employee times 2, a wife, a friend, etc...Etc.  But I also want to do something for self every once in a while.  My hobbies are different than most and like I have stated before.......my how times have changed.  It has taken me about a year and a half to really capture the skill of couponing.  Yes, it is a skill that not all that tries will succeed.  I have taught many who have failed and only a few that continue on the daily journey of saving. Actually, only one that I can think of off the top of my head. 

So after being asked to teach an informal couponing class recently, I started to really focus on why people turn away from couponing.  It's too time consuming, it's too overwhelming; you have to spend money to save money, and several other true statements.  Yes all of the above are true, but it is also something that can be controlled.  I have made many mistakes and learned along the way and I believe I have finally made this couponing lifestyle work for my family.  I needed to stop focusing on trying to learn everything all at once.  I had to begin as a beginner and promote myself as I was ready. 

I hope that I can take what I have learned and try to encourage others to learn what works best for their family.  So as I will continue to post meals (although they are not exciting since I am trying to loose baby weight), I will also post the deals I am getting in the North LA area.

Hope you find something that peaks your interest!

Here are some deals I got the week of June 16.  I apologize for the terrible picture.  I ran around on my lunch break and simply could not wait to get home to lay everything out and capture the joy of success.  It is not often that I am able to find this many items stocked in our stores so I was thrilled!!  All coupon match ups can be found on www.thekrazycouponlady.com

The Hefty bags are from Dollar Tree.  $1 per box with a $1/2 coupon so 50cents.

The Clorox wipes, Pull-up wipes, stir fry seasoning, and dill pickles are from Walmart.  The pickles and seasoning were free with overage and the rest were really cheap.  These coupons can be found under the Walmart tab.  Finally the Right Guard, toothbrushes and toothpaste were from Walgreens. Sometimes when you go on Mondays, the drugstores are already wiped out.  However, everything was beautifully stocked and the cashier even tried to help me split my transactions!! I love days like this!  My total cost for all of these items.  $3.50!!! (including tax).  Yay!

Here is a representation of my meals lately.  As I mentioned, I am trying to focus on loosing baby weight.  For me, that means watching carbs and eating alot of salads.  My husband and I have kind of become addicted and do our best to pile up as many low carb options as possible!!  It is actually really really good! In this salad I used sautéed onions, celery, and peppers (made a big batch on Sunday afternoon to last through the week), mushrooms, and shredded egg whites! 

Until next time.....