All You Nursing Mommas!

My sister actually told me about this great deal. If you are a nursing mom, or will be one, you need to go to this website and get a FREE nursing cover! You will have to pay shipping. One of my good friends did this with success and had no problems. I warn you there is some stuff out there saying that it is a scam, but it seems unproven. Research for yourself if your worried...but I think it's ok. I haven't actually used this deal because I was given 3 when I had my son (and used them all!). They are super helpful and fold up really small so that you can always have one with you in case you need to nurse somewhere and you feel like you need the modesty.


Here is the link:

http://www.uddercovers.com/


All you have to do is enter "onefree" in the codes section and you only pay shipping! Hope you enjoy!

Picky Eaters?

Any one out there have a picky eater on their hands? Somebody who won't eat their veggies? Well, my friend gave me this recipe for zucchini bread and it is SUPER healthy with lots of fiber, whole grain, fruits and veggies...and the best part? It tastes soooo yummy. I made it a couple days ago and my little guy has been loving it! So, I felt the need to share here (I'm sure she won't mind!):

Zucchini Bread With Hidden Good Stuff

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil (I used canola)

2 cups vanilla yogurt

3 Tbsp (heaping) apple sauce

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup dried fruit chopped (I used apricots, cranberries and plums because it's what I had)

1 & 1/2 cup carrot grated (about 3 medium)

1 & 1/2 cup zucchini grated (about 2 medium)

1 Tbsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 & 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 & 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (you can use all whole wheat, it will just be more dense)

8 Tbsp wheat bran

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 loaf pans with pam and set aside. In a large bowl (I used my stand mixer) Beat eggs until foamy. Add sugar, oil, yogurt, apple sauce, cinnamon, fruit, zucchini and carrot and mix well to combine. In another medium bowl sift together AP flour, salt, soda and baking powder. Add whole wheat flour and bran and stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet and mix until moistened throughout. Pour into loaf pans and bake on center rack in the oven for 45 minutes or until tops are golden and bread is set.

I hope you enjoy! I know we have!

Finders Keepers Sale

Hey local moms! Finders Keepers is having a great sale tomorrow, June 24th. From 8:00-11:00, everything in the store is 50%, 11 -2: 40%, 2 - 7: 30%. They have a little bit of everything and I know I'll for sure be there trying to find Gracie some new shoes!

Here is their website: http://www.finderskeepersforkids.com/new.html for directions. The sale is not listed on their site. It's only sent out to their "club members".

Have a great day!
Natalyia :)

$2 Tank Tops

For those of you who don't follow the Save at Home Mommy blog, Old Navy is having $2 tank tops on Saturday, June 12th. I'd check to see what time they open so you can get some good picks!

New Take on Tuna Salad Sandwich

I found this old recipe that I cut out a few years ago and kept forgetting to try. It's called Cranberry Apple Tuna Salad. Today I was not in the mood to make more of a mess in our kitchen by cooking lunch so I wanted something simple (but not PB&J because that's probably what we'll have tonight since we have church :)). So it was a perfect day to try this out!

The recipe calls for 1 16 oz can of tuna in water, drained; 4 tbps dried cranberries; 1 apple, chopped; and 2 tsp. mayonnaise. I ended up just using half the apple and I added 1 tbsp chopped walnuts. It was so good for being so simple! It was only 4 g. fat AND Gracie loved it as well! I think it also would be good as a grilled sandwich with a slice of swiss cheese.

So, if you are ever in the mood for something quick and easy, give this one a try! Surprisingly scrumptious! :)

Dresses for a Deal!

Do you need a new dress for an event this summer?

Well...Gap has all their dresses and skirts on sale for 40% for the next 4 days!

Just had to pass it along. They are also selling all their shorts (men's and women's) for $25.

Happy shopping!

Free Chick-fil-A

Just wanted to let you all know that Chick-fil-A is offering a FREE chicken sandwich if you sign up online ahead of time and make a "reservation" Just go here:

http://www.getspicychicken.com/

If you love Chick-fil-A like I do I know you can't resist! Enjoy!!!

Kraft Foods Website

I didn't know if everyone knows this but http://www.kraftrecipes.com/ lets you put in up to three ingredients and it will search all their recipes using those three. I think, Taylor, you may have mentioned that to me before. I hadn't tried it till today though. I was looking for some new recipes to try out (I get bored with recipes fast) and typed in some stuff I have on hand. What I didn't know is that Kraft also has recipes that are mix-and-match. I know that sounds a little confusing but when you click on one of these recipes, three columns will come up and it will show you different ways to change up a basic recipe. These columns usually include meats, sauces, and veggies. You get like 3 recipes in one! I thought that was pretty cool and quite a time saver! Great for those pantry challenge days ;)

Random Tips :)

I was at the grocery store yesterday getting some ingredients for a couple dishes I was making for a friend who just had a baby and I needed some sesame seeds. I accidentally found some in the Asian section that were $2.99. I have never bought sesame seeds before so I was unsure if this was a good price. Well, it turns out it was a steal :) I checked the area with the spices and they had a few different brands ranging from $5.99 to $8.99!!! So, just thought I would pass it along...if you ever need sesame seeds check the Asian section. They are the same thing and taste the same and are WAY cheaper!

Another random tip; when your baby starts to prefer self feeding and you have been making all your own baby food try oven roasting all the old stand by veggies. My little guy is almost 10 months old and loves to feed himself. He would rather not eat off a spoon. So, I peeled and diced up some potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, rutabaga, and butternut squash then tossed them with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and roasted them at 425 for about 15 minutes. He loves them! I froze the extras in a single layer and then stored them in zip bags. Now when he can't eat enough from what we are having from dinner I can toss a few cubes into the microwave and he can feed himself with joy! I also keep a stash of frozen peas, carrots, corn and cauliflower too.


Hope you enjoyed these random tips, and that you all had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!

Recipe Catch-Up :)

So I have a few new recipes to share that have been successes and are really easy to make! All of them, except this first one, are from healthy magazines or websites as well.

Pizza Pasta: serves 8
My sister sent me this recipe and I've made it twice so far (the second being tonight for a group of friends). The recipe is actually for two pans so that you can freeze one for another night.
-2lbs ground lean beef -1 onion, chopped
-2 jars spaghetti sauce -1 16 oz box of whole wheat rotini pasta, cooked
-4 oz mozzarella cheese -8 oz sliced pepperoni

Cook beef and onion in skillet (I season with Italian seasonings and garlic); drain. Stir in sauce and pasta. Transfer to 2 9x13 pans. Sprinkle top with cheese and arrange pepperoni on top. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 -30 minutes.

Wild Rice Turkey Bake: serves 6
My in-laws brought a turkey for Easter so I tried out this recipe. It was so easy and I actually made it on Saturday, then froze it for lunch after church on Sunday.
-3 c. cooked wild rice -3 c. chopped cooked turkey
-16 oz. pkg french cut green beans -17 oz. jar alfredo sauce
-1/2 c. bread crumbs

Preheat over to 350. Mix rice, turkey, green beans, and alfredo sauce in large bowl. Place in 12x8 glass baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes until casserole bubbles at edges and crumbs are browned.
*To freeze: undercook rice by 10 minutes. Don't thaw green beans. Mix all ingredients and place in dish. Can freeze up to 3 months. To thaw and reheat thaw casserole overnight. Sprinkle crumbs and bake at 350 for 50-65 minutes.

Skillet Pasta Florentine: serves 6
-3 c. whole wheat spiral pasta -1 egg, beaten
-2 c. (16 oz.) 2% cottage cheese -1 1/2 c. low fat ricotta cheese
-1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach -1 c. shredded skim milk mozzarella
-1 tsp each: parsely, oregano, and basil -1 jar (14 oz) spaghetti sauce
-2 tbsp parmesean cheese

Cook pasta and thaw spinach. Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine egg, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, spinach, 1/2 c. mozzarella, and herbs. Drain pasta. Place half of sauce in a large skillet; layer with pasta and remaining sauce. Top with cheese mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce; cover and cook for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesean and remaining mozzarella; cover and cook 5 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes.

Cheeseburger Pasta: serves 4
-1 1/2 c. uncooked whole wheat penne pasta -3/4 lb. lean ground beef
-2 tbsp chopped onion -1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
-2 tbsp dill pickle relish -1 tsp steak seasoning
-1/4 tsp salt -3/4 low fat shredded cheese
-2 tbsp of condiments (your choice): mustard, ketchup, mayo, honey mustard, etc.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat; drain. Drain pasta; add to meat mixture. Stir in tomatoes, relish, mustard, ketchup, steak seasoning and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.

There they are! :) Hope you all enjoy!

Great Deals at Aldi

Some of you may have noticed a new store called Aldi being built near you. There are new ones all over DFW. My sister has one near her and thought it had some great deals, and I got a flyer with some impressively low prices listed on it (10lb of potatoes for $1.29!) so I decided I would try it out.

This morning I went to the one close to me and I agree it has some pretty great deals. Here is my impression of the store; it is small which is nice because you can get in and out quickly and it is well organized and easy to navigate, but that also means they don't have a large variety of items or everything you need. One nice thing about the one near me is that it is right next to a walmart so I was able to swing by there to finish off my list. They have low prices on staple items and produce (especially the frozen foods);
frozen peas for 0.95 (1.39 at walmart)
baby carrots 0.49 (0.99 at walmart)
pineapple 0.99 (2.50 on sale at walmart)
avocados 0.39 each (on sale for 0.79 each at walmart)
taco seasoning 0.35 (0.72 at walmart)

They don't provide bags which would stink if you didn't have any of your own and had to buy them on the spot, but is good for the environment. You have to bag your own food (again, best for small trips I think). They have almost all store brand items with a few name brands mixed in, which I don't mind, but may bother some people. And, if you are going to try it out, make sure you have to have a quarter to get your cart (which you will get back when you return your cart).

I will certainly be returning to Aldi for certain items and be watching for their flyers. I'm a lover or produce and frozen foods, so this is a good fit for me because those items seem to have the best deals. So, if you don't mind shopping at more than one store I highly recommend trying an Aldi near you!

Free Easter Fun at Michaels! :)

This Saturday, April 3rd from 10:00-1:00, Michaels is hosting a free knack event. Take your family and decorate your own Easter pail. I've checked to make sure the Michaels closest to me (in Keller on 377) is participating but if you need to check another location, just go to www.michaels.com and click on "find a store". A list will come up and to the right you can check out "this store's events" for the store closest to you. Even though Gracie isn't old enough to do an egg hunt yet, I'm still going to make one to use as decoration this year and then she'll have one ready next year!

Thanks saveathomemommy!

Sundance Square Coupons

Just in time for the Main St. Arts Festival!!! For my fellow Ft. Worthians (?) :), if you join the Sundance Insider, you receive newsletters with upcoming events and coupons. I just got mine and there are great coupons for our trip to the Arts Festival: 20% of at Cabo Grande, free appetizer with purchase of drink at Simply Fondue, $15 off any 50 min massage at Parfumerie Marie Antoniette and Spa, BOGO free strawberry shortcake at Marble Slab, and lots of others! All the coupons are good through April 30 and, of course, the Arts Festival is free! Get out, enjoy some culture, and I'll see you there! :)

Woman's Day Planner Giveaway!

www.orgjunkie.com posted a free giveaway by Chaos Simplified. It is a day planner that has split pages so that you can see your monthly planner at the same time as your weekly planner! Truly brilliant!!! Just go to this site, leave a comment, and you could be picked to get it for free. (Even if you don't win, it's only $28) :)

http://orgjunkie.com/2010/04/chaos-simplified-the-womans-day-planner.html

Good luck!

Homemade Baby Food

Hi! This is Jocelyn. I'm a friend of Natalyia's and will occasionally be posting to this blog as well! I have an 8 month old little boy and adding another member to the family has made me (or at least made me want to) be more careful about the way I spend our money, especially on everyday items, like groceries. One thing I have discovered as a BIG money saver has been to make my own baby food. There are a lot of great resources out there and my two favorite are Wholesome Baby Food.com and the book First Meals by Annabel Karmel (got it for $6 at Half Price Books...another great place to save money, also got a box of 16 cute thank you notes for $2 while I was there!).

I think homemade baby food looks, smells and most importantly tastes much better than the jar stuff! I keep a few jars on hand for times when I won't be around a fridge or microwave and I have compared. So, in my first time mom opinion, it is totally worth it to make your own! Get ready, this is going to be a pretty long post!

One 4 oz jar of baby food cost about $1 depending on the brand and where you buy. Here are a few examples of things I made for my son and about how much I saved:

Peas-
2-12 oz bag of frozen peas costs about $3
makes 8 jars worth
SAVES about $5

Sweet Potatoes-
4 sweet potatoes cost about $3
makes about 12 jars worth
SAVES about $9

Carrots-
1-2lb bag of carrots cost about $1
makes about 12 jars worth
SAVES about $11

Pears-
5lb bag (got it at Sam's) cost me $4.99
makes about 12 jars worth
SAVES about $7
TOTAL SAVINGS about $32 :) for 44 jars worth of food..that's over 70% saved!

I could list more...let me know if you want to know a certain favorite food and I may have made it :)

And the best part is that making your own baby food it VERY easy. If you don't already have a food processor this would be an added cost (but you can use it so many ways, so in my opinion you need one!). Here is how I made the previous list of foods:

Peas- place about 2 inches of water in a sauce pan, place a steamer basket in pan and fill with frozen peas, bring water to a boil and steam peas (about 5 mins or less) until tender, place steamed peas into food processor and puree until smooth, you will need to add a little of the hot water from the pan to get it to the correct texture, spoon smooth peas into ice cube trays and place in freezer until firm, pop out into labeled gallon bags and store for up to 3 months in your freezer. Pull out 2 or more cubes and defrost for about 1 minute in microwave, stir and add a 1/2 tsp butter if desired. My little one LOVES these!

Sweet potatoes- bake sweet potatoes in middle of oven or racks for 1 hour at 425 after scrubbing them clean and poking a few wholes in each, pop flesh out of skin and puree and store as described for peas (another favorite in my house!)

Carrots- wash, peel and cut into 1-2 inch pieces, steam as store as described with the peas (my son loves a cube of carrots mixed with a cube of sweet potatoes and a cube of pears!)

Pears- wash and peel pears, cut into 1-2 inch pieces and place in a skillet, cover will about 1 inch water, simmer until soft 10-15 minutes (I seasoned mine with a little cinnamon) puree and store as described with the peas.

I made all 4 of these in 1 day and it took me a bout 2 hours of work. Not to bad for the money saved. I also purchased some ice cubes trays for $1 at Walmart and already had (because I use it so often!) a food processor. You can get one for $20 - $200. Mine cost about $30.

Here is a pic of one of my son's favorite recipes from the First Meals book I mentioned above, Baby's First Chicken Casserole:



I hope you all find this helpful and it inspires you to try to make some of your own baby food. My little guy loves it and it feels great to know that I saved money and that I know exactly what he is eating because I made it!

Meal Plan Mondays

I promised Brock I was almost done so this will be short :) but I had to post this. This site, www.orgjunkie.com is all about organization and what caught my eye is that she has a Meal Plan Monday - complete with recipes and everything! I'll definitely be using this to change up and add some meals to our menus. The more recipes you have, the more you can do with what you already have, right? :) Plus, there's a McLinky at the end of this post and there are hundreds of other bloggers who have shared their meal plans as well!!! Wow!

There are other organizational tips on her site that I haven't gotten to check out yet but the meal plans are enough to make it a favorite!

Tom Thumb Rocks My Socks Off! :)

After that last post, I've been on a misson! The last hour while Gracie was napping, I started checking out grocery store specials (Albertsons, Wal-Mart, CVS, & Tom Thumb). Albertsons has really good specials/coupons! I'll be going there tonight to get some stuff on my list. I don't actually have their coupon page so I'll need to clip some of the deals when I get there. I was really disappointed with Wal-Marts specials. Maybe it's just because it's Easter but it was mostly toys and candy. I also wasn't super impressed with CVS. You have to be in the mood to sift through lots of stuff.
Tom Thumb however is awesome! Their specials were okay (Albertsons was better) but I already have a rewards card so I started looking at that. Apparently if you have a Rewards card, you can look at their coupons online, pick the ones you want, and upload it to your card. No clipping, just hand your card to the cashier when you check out and your coupons are used, along with whatever you've saved with your rewards card! :)
This was too good to not pass on! All this comparison shopping is a lot of work and time. I'm so glad Tom Thumb has a way to cut out some of the process! Yay :)

www.saveathomemommy.com

We're on our way back from Tennessee so I'm catching up on blogs and looking for new blogs. My friend Kristina had a link for Save At Home Mommy (if the title isn't incentive enough to check it out, I don't know what is!) so I checked it out. Now I'll look through the Ad pages we get in the mail but I don't really see coupons anymore. They just advertise sales in which the prices will be already marked down anyway, right? Or that's how I was thinking of it. On the website's blog roll, there was a link to The $30 grocery challenge (which I posted a link to on the right) and between these two sites, I am so convinced that I could do this. Maybe not $30, we'll see, but if I could get close to $30 I would be happy! I thought I had been doing well with our grocery budget... I make out a menu using whatever we have in the pantry first and then any extra meals we need, then I make my grocery list and stick to it so that I don't overspend. But $30?! This woman puts me to shame! In a good way though! :) I'm so curious to see if I can do it. It might take me a while to get there. Stockpiling seems to be what really helps so that may take a few times. But, I'll keep you all posted. :) I know every bit I save helps ensure that I can stay home part time!

Pork Chops, Sweet Potato, and Apples

Okay, I don't always get a workout in so I've been trying to cook really healthy to make up for it. Brock and I were cleaning out the office (we still have boxes in there from moving!) and I came across his P90X nutrition guide, which has RECIPES in it! :) I'm thinking these people should know what they're doing right? So, last night I tried their Pork Chop, Sweet Potato, & Apple bake. It sounded super easy.

I used 3 pork chops (which we're pretty thick so I cut them once lengthwise) and then cut them into quarters. Slice the sweet potato (I just needed one) thinly and core & quarter the apple. Layer those on top of each other; season as you like with salt, pepper, and cinnamon; and wrap up in foil. Cook at 350 for 40 minutes.

So that was the recipe... however, since it was wrapped in foil, it had all that meat gunk on it. I rinsed it all off and put the meat in one skillet, potato and apple in another. I poured the juices in with the meat and just a tablespoon of oil with the potato and apple. It turned out really well! :) I thought the sweet potato tasted like the sweet potato chips at Blue Mesa. (YUMMMM) Brock doesn't like sweet potato but he liked this. The only problem was that the pork chops did get a little dry. But for such an easy healthy recipe, I'll give it a try again! I may try browning it all first and then cooking it...

Why I Made This Blog

There's an excitement that comes with being a new bride. We desperately want to make our husbands happy and proud. This usually motivates us to show how resourceful we can be by clipping coupons, making menus and shopping lists; or how tidy we are by keeping up with the house (even if it means folding laundry till 11 at night); or what culinary geniuses they married. It's so much fun... and yet so much time! And once you add beautiful babies to the mix, it can be hard to keep your sanity. I'll be the first to admit I am not always the "joyful" wife (and Brock could be the second to nicely confirm) but it's still something I definitely strive for. I know I could never be the Proverbs 31 woman on my own but I'm hoping if I were to learn from others and save myself some time, maybe I could get a few steps closer. That is why I created this blog.
I've had several friends ask for recipes and I've asked friends for advice on budgeting. We sat and talked for hours about ideas on decorating our new homes and researching more ideas. My mom has given very valuable advice on maintaining a tidy home and other women have told me where to get the best deal on produce. SO... I'm hoping that you can join me in creating a place where we can all come to get tips from those we love, those who are in our shoes, and those who have wisdom to give. Whether it's a recipe that was so amazing you have to share it or just a quick post saying "Holy Cow, awesome sale going on at Kohl's", it will be appreciated! Just let me know if you would like to be a contributor, and I'll add you on here.
Thanks for checking this out and I hope that the gems shared here will make your day a little more joyful =)