GCC Shopping Round-Up

So the plan was to not spend so much since we're still working on using up leftovers. But sometimes things don't quite work out the way you think. I did happen to find an amazing deal on cottage cheese. I normal 16 oz tub is around $1 but I managed to get 32 oz for $2 by doing a little on the spot mental math. I got the cottage cheese in small serving containers instead of one big tub but since it was for a recipe it all ended up in the same place.

Here's what I got.

Grocery Outlet

2 4-packs (32 oz) cottage cheese $1
3 cans biscuits for $1
2 chicken hot dogs $1.58
Giant tub of hot chocolate mix $4.99
provolone cheese $1.99

Win-co

10 lbs flour $3.08
TP $5.98
2 gallons milk $3.94
bulk almonds $2.79
oranges $1.60
2 avocado $1.36
tomatoes $1.28
2 boxes margarine $1.14
2 tubs yogurt $3.36
soy sauce $1.15
celery $1.20
apples $2.41
frozen peaches $1.68
frozen mixed berries $1.88
bulk salt $.12
2 lbs cheddar $4.49
bananas $1.58
top ramen $3.36
2 italian bread $2.96
2 bags buns $1.86
hairspray $1.18

*I'm having a heckuva time getting my pictures uploaded. I'll try again later so you can see my loot.

Grand Total $58.96

Would you like to share your shopping trip? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back here to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

Menu Plan Monday

Oh My Goodness I have eaten so much in the last week! My New Year's Resolution is going to have to be more exercise if the holiday season keeps up this way. One day I had leftover pie for all three meals. I also boiled up my turkey carcass and salvaged 8 containers of liquid gold (broth) and several containers of meat. And the family is OVER leftovers so this week I'll be cleverly disguising them. I hate to tell them I still have a frozen bargain turkey sitting in my freezer. Here's what's cooking this week.

Breakfasts: (everyone is on their own)

Eggs in some form, yogurt and fruit smoothies, or homemade frozen muffins

Dinners:

Grilled Roasted Turkey and Swiss Sandwich with sliced fruit
Crockpot Turkey Noodle Soup and Bread Machine Rolls
Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes with salad
Amish Macaroni and Cheese, green beans
Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup
Veggie Omelette's and Bacon
Leftover Buffet (if there's anything left)

Check back tomorrow for the shop. I'm hoping it won't be much since we still have all these leftovers.

Online Christmas Shopping

I just started my Christmas shopping today. Thrillingly, I did it in my jammies while I was eating breakfast. Online shopping is equally as frugal as physically shopping in the store and much more convenient. You also get the added benefit of having a delivery guy bring packages to your door. It's almost like getting the presents twice! But there is one little tidbit you should know. When you're at check out and they ask for a promotional code for extra savings, don't be discouraged if you don't have one. Just do a google search (ex: "Bath and Body Works promo code") and up will pop several codes you can choose from. Find the one that offers you the best savings and plug it in. I just took advantage of a buy 3 get 3 free from Bath and Body Works and used the promo code "F103373" to get another $10 off my purchase. It ended up covering shipping, tax and a little bit off my bill. What a deal!

GCC Shopping Round-Up

We were snowed in today here in the Pacific Northwest which is rare this early in the year. We spent the day sledding, warming up by the fire, and sipping cocoa and eating homemade pretzels. Luckily I got to the grocery store early on Monday before the snow was too heavy. I slid my way home up all the hills and unloaded my loot. Here's what we got this week....and just in time.

Win-co

Whipping Cream $3.58
fresh green beans $1.85
2 sweet onions $1.08
3 gallons milk $5.91
5 dozen eggs $7.98
2 cans olives $1.90
sage $2.78
thyme $1.78
sour cream $1.18
2 packs of bacon $3.96
2 boxes butter $4.96
15 lbs potatoes $2.28
apples $2.04
parsley $.48
powdered sugar $1.36
sausage $1.98
garlic $.98
conditioner $3.67
2 soymilk $2.56
sour cream and chive cream cheese $1.97
peppermint mocha creamer $2.98
bananas $2.05
22.61 lb turkey $5.43

Grand Total $66.72

Would like to share your shopping trip? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back here to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

Menu Plan Monday

Bring on Feast Week! I've decided that I'm taking it easy the first part of the week. No heavy cooking, just easy meals until the BIG cook starts. Then it's leftovers for the rest of the week. Here's what's cooking.

Breakfast:

Oatmeal, pancakes, muffins or smoothies

Dinners:

• Soup and bread machine bread
• Grilled Tuna sandwiches and fruit
• Omelets
• Thanksgiving: Roast Turkey with gravy, Garlic green beans with bacon, bread machine rolls, deviled eggs, Crock pot Stuffing, Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes, French Silk Pie with Stabilized Whipped Cream, Apple and Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Sauce, Sparkling Cider, assorted pickled things and olives.
• Thanksgiving Memories Casserole
• Turkey Noodle Soup, buttery bread machine rolls
• Leftover Buffet
  

I'm hoping to get a second turkey this week to store away in the freezer. Stay tuned tomorrow for the shopping trip.

Thanksgiving Without The Stress

Thanksgivings as a kid meant mom cooked all day long while Dad and us girls played and watched TV. I just figured that’s the way it worked. That’s what Mom’s do. Dinner would magically arrive on the table; we’d eat in about 20 or 30 minutes exclaiming at how delicious it was and then go back to what we were doing. It wasn’t until I started my own family and began to say goodbye to my childish perspective of the holidays that I began to notice a few things. I started to notice that Mom didn’t get to sit down and enjoy the TV shows or the puzzles that we played with. In fact, I didn’t see much of Mom until it was time to eat. When she finally sat down at the table she looked worn out and almost too tired to eat and gradually I realized what my own Thanksgiving fate would someday be. It was upon that realization that I decided to make some changes.

I really like to cook so I knew I didn’t want to hand over those duties to my husband or kids. I wanted to put a great feast on the table for my family, just like my own Mother did. But I definitely wanted to enjoy the day and all the relaxing and recreation that everyone else did. So my plan was to get as much done as I could, before the big day. I searched out recipes that could be made ahead but not lose any fresh cooked flavor before it was served. . I found that the Turkey, stuffing, potatoes and desserts could all be made either earlier or in much less time consuming ways. Many dishes could be mixed up the day before and just popped in the oven to cook on the big day. Dips could be made ahead, homemade rolls baked early, salads could be tossed and dressing added when served, and traditional foods like jello molds and pumpkin pies are even better when the flavors are allowed to blend overnight. And as they say, “The rest is history.” My Thanksgiving are much more relaxing now and we all get a nice leisurely weekend full of family and friends. I hope these recipes help you to enjoy your holiday too.

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

(food.com)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 lbs potatoes (about 4 large)
  
• 2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
• 2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

1. Place potatoes in a saucepan; add water to cover and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
2. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
3. Drain.
4. Peel potatoes; place in a large mixing bowl, and mash with a potato masher.
5. Add 2 tablespoons butter, cream cheese, sour cream, milk and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
6. Mix until all ingredients are blended.
7. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 12X8X2-inch baking dish.
8. Brush top of mixture with melted butter; sprinkle with paprika.
9. Bake immediately, or cover and refrigerate.
10. If refrigerated, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
11. Bake at 350F, uncovered for 30 minutes or until hot.

Moist Crockpot Stuffing

(food.com)

• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
• 1 cup diced tart apples, peeled and cored
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon ground marjoram
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon savory
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 12 cups lightly toasted bread, cubes
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1. In a large fry pan sauté onions, celery and apple in butter until onion is just translucent.
2. Stir in sage, marjoram, salt, pepper, savory and thyme.
3. Combine vegetable mixture with the bread cubes and parsley.
4. Toss well.
5. Pour stock over mixture, tossing well.
6. Spoon into your crock-pot.
7. Cover and cook on high for one hour.
8. Reduce to low and continue cooking for 2-3 hours, stirring every hour.
9. As stated for Vegetarians use vegetable stock.

Still Moist, Make Ahead Turkey

Use your favorite Roast Turkey recipe and cook it the day before. Carve it up and arrange slices in the large ovenproof dish that you’d like to serve it in. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The next day when ready to serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour 1 can or 2 cups of homemade broth over the turkey slices, cover with foil and heat through, about 20 – 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Make Ahead Bacon and Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms

• 6 slices bacon
• 16 cremini mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped onions
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet.
2. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown.
3. Drain, dice and set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
5. Remove mushroom stems.
6. Set aside caps.
7. Chop the stems.
8. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
9. Slowly cook and stir the chopped stems and onion until the onion is soft.
10. Remove from heat.
11. In a medium bowl, stir together the mushroom stem mixture, bacon and 1 cup Cheddar.
12. Mix well and scoop the mixture into the mushroom caps.
13. Bake in the preheated oven 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
14. Remove the mushrooms from the oven, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
15. Put into the oven for a couple of seconds to melt if desired.
16. To freeze: Flash freeze them before baking in the oven.
17. A freezer bag would work great for storing these.
18. Let defrost and then add cheese and bake in oven for 15 minutes.

GCC Recipe Swap!

It's getting close to gift-giving season. Here's a handy little recipe that you can package up and give as gifts to friends, family and neighbors.

Gift Giving Cocoa Mix

5 cups powdered milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup cocoa powder

Optional:
mini marshmallows
crushed up candy canes/peppermints
mini chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients together and process in blender or food processor to mix well. Pour into decorative jars and fill 1/2 way. Fill the other half with a layer of chocolate chips, a layer of crushed up peppermints 9or candy canes) and another layer of mini marshmallows. Decorate jar and add a tag with these directions:

To serve, add about 6 tablespoons mix to 3/4 cup hot water, or to taste.

Do you have a recipe you'd like to share? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back here to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

GCC Shopping Round-Up

I took advantage of the turkey deals this week. Managed to get a 21.17 lb turkey for $5.08. That's practically the cost of a few pounds of hamburger. I came right home and stuck it in my freezer and then promptly forgot to add it to my pictures this week. I'm hoping to get one more next week to store away for an end of winter feast. I've also started gathering some extra baking supplies. I like to gradually stock up the special holiday foods rather than one high priced shopping trip. Here's what I got.

Win-co

Turkey (not pictured) $5.08
Hershey Chocolate Syrup $3.58
Pork Carnita $6.60
Cascade $4.27
Coffee Mate $2.98
TP $5.98
Sugar $4.64
2 gallons milk $3.94
bleach $.99
2 graham pie crusts $2.96
Apple Juice $1.98
2 cans tomatoes $1.16
10 lbs flour $2.78
2 mac and cheese $.84
bodywash $1.05
shampoo $.97
conditioner $.97
4 cans tuna $2.28
soymilk $1.28
peanut butter $4.63
bananas $1.64
spinach $1.78
bakers chocolate $2.22
Coffee mate $2.98
2 cans cranberry sauce $1.96
apples $2.20
pears $1.87
BBQ sauce $.98

Grand Total $74.59

Would you like to share your shopping trip? Please link directly to your blog, not your homepage, and please include a link back here to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

Christmas Shopping

I honestly hate the crowds at Christmas while I'm trying to shop. Black Friday? There isn't a deal in sight that would make me enter into that craziness. The older I get, the more peeved I get at people's rudeness.....and the touching. My personal-space bubble is large and having someone cough on the back of my head and bump into me a gazillion times while I'm standing in line waiting for an hour is pure torture. So my solution is either shopping when I know the crowds are low or online shopping at Christmas.

And you can still find amazing deals online if you know where to look. Here are just a few that I threw together to get you started.

• In my left sidebar you'll find Amazon's biggest deals of the day.
• Bath and Body works SALE page is HERE.
• Aeropostale offers free shipping if you spend over $100. Clearance page is HERE.
  
• We save lots of money by using Netflix. Give a Gift Subscription to a friend for as low as $9 for a month of instant streaming and DVD rental.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Make sure and check your favorite online stores the day after Thanksgiving. The offers are still great, even if you don't leave your home.

Menu Plan Monday

Thanksgiving approaches and the turkey deals come with it. This week I'm planning on buying my Turkey at Win-co. They are having a special where if you spend $50 you get your turkey for 24 cents a pound. I'm digging that price and hoping to buy one for this year and a spare for my freezer to eat towards the end of winter. This week we have a few more parties on the agenda which means NO cooking for me. In the meantime, this is what we're eating this week.

Breakfasts (kids help themselves and have these choices)

Oatmeal with raisins, pancakes or muffins from the freezer, fruit and yogurt smoothies, toast and eggs.

Dinners

Breakfast Night (eggs and toast)
Tortellini soup with buttery bread machine rolls
Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Broccoli Salad
Baked Potato Bar with chili, cheese, salsa or steamed broccoli for toppings
Party Night
Leftover Buffet
Party Night

Check back tomorrow for the shopping trip.

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

I can't even begin to describe this day to you. Let's just say it started by stepping into dog poop while barefoot and somewhere in there my hard drive on my laptop crashed and my roof leaked. And to top it all off, tonight when I came home and got out of the car I could hear air hissing out of my tire. So recipes right now? Not so much. You guys are gonna have to carry it this week.

Let 'er rip.

If you'd like to participate.....just do it. I don't even have the energy for the rules tonight.

Save On Sandwich Bags

We use lots of sandwich bags in our house. I use them to freeze homemade bread, to take food with us when we’re on the go, to freeze leftovers, to hold crayons or markers and to store craft supplies. I just use them a lot. And that can get really expensive if you throw them away every time you use them. It seems that the good sturdy kind can cost as much as your child’s college fund if you use them as often as I do. So I stopped throwing them away and started re-using them. That’s a pretty easy concept if all you’re doing is storing crayons but when it comes to food it can get a little tricky.

Once or twice a year I buy a box of gallon size Ziploc bags and a box of quart size Ziploc bags. And that purchase will last me several months. The seams in the Ziploc bags are about the toughest I’ve found so that’s why I’ve stuck to that brand. And I wait till I find them for a bargain before purchasing them.

When I’ve emptied a bag of it’s contents, maybe a batch of sticky cinnamon rolls or leftover hot dogs, I turn it inside out and put it over the tines on the top rack of my dishwasher. Then I just wash it when I do a regular load of dishes. When the washing and drying cycle is done I pull out the bag. It’s usually still wet because water gets trapped in the bends and folds of the bag. So I’ve rigged a string, like a clothesline, over my kitchen sink and I clip them on there with a clothespin so they can drip dry. Then they get folded and stuffed back into their box for another use.

And once I got the kids on board (HEY! Don’t throw that in the garbage!) I started to save lots of money.

GCC Shopping Round Up

I've been waiting excitedly for all the great Thanksgiving deals to start. This is one of the best sale times of the year and I'm hoping to be able to get our Thanksgiving turkey as well as an extra for my freezer. Last year I think they had them as low as 29 cents a lb. Here's what I did gather this week.


Win-Co

5 dozen eggs $8.04 (yikes)
half and half $.78
2 boxes margarine $1.32
butter tub $1.78
Giant yogurt $4.56
vegetable bouillon $2.98
sour cream $1.28
2 lbs cheddar $4.48
bacon $1.98
tortillas $1.98
2 mac and cheese $.66
2 soymilk $2.56
tofu $1.78
boneless chuck $10.10
broccoli $1.30
vanilla $1.24
tortellini $5.02
2 lb carrots $.88
tomatoes $1.20
apples $2.18
french onion soup $1.25
2 cans beef broth $1.26
2 cans veggie broth $1.16

Grand Total $59.77

Would you like to share your shopping trip? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back here to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

Menu Plan Monday

I managed to get out of two dinner nights this week thanks to some pizza parties we'll be attending. I just might actually get sick of pizza. It also means I'll need to make an extra effort to insure that we'll have leftovers for buffet night since I'll be cooking less. Here's what's cooking at our house this week.

Breakfasts: (kids make their own)

Oatmeal, smoothies, pancakes stored in the freezer, or fruit

Dinners:

Pizza Night
Pizza Night
Tortellini with garlic cream sauce, steamed broccoli
Lentil Burritos
Crockpot French Dip and fruit plate
Quiche and green salad
Leftover Buffet

Check back tomorrow for my shopping trip.

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

The conversations have already begun at our house. The ones where we all dreamily talk about what we want for our Thanksgiving feast. According to our most recent conversation we'll be having at least 6 different pies, about 50 lbs of mashed potatoes and possibly...nothing else. We eventually get a little more realistic about our meal but it's fun to go crazy as we dream about our future gluttony. As the major chef when it comes to these feasts I tend to do lots of prep the day before so that I can actually enjoy the eating, visiting and general lounging that comes with this holiday. One of the best recipes I've found that takes a little pressure of is an amazing crockpot stuffing recipe. It keeps it moist and it takes no time at all for homemade stuffing.

Easy Crockpot Stuffing

• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
• 1 cup diced and peeled apple
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon ground marjoram
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon savory
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 12 cups lightly toasted bread, cubes
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock

In a large fry pan saute onions, celery and apple in butter until onion is just translucent. Stir in sage, marjoram, salt, pepper, savory and thyme. Combine vegetable mixture with the bread cubes and parsley. Toss well. Pour stock over mixture, tossing well. Spoon into your crock-pot. Cover and cook on high for one hour. Reduce to low and continue cooking for 2-3 hours, stirring every hour.

Do you have a recipe you'd like to share? Please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back here to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

$5 Christmas Gifts - Works For Me Wednesday

***This is a repost from last Christmas time. Since it's that time of year I thought I'd repost to hopefully inspire you to get frugally creative in your gift giving.

Gosh, it just feels tacky to put a price tag to a gift. But in an effort to get your creative juices flowing (and mine) I thought I'd post a thrifty gift giving idea since we ARE getting close to Christmas and most of us ARE aware of the cost.

And if I know you in real life I might at some point post YOUR Christmas gift. Do me a favor and act surprised when you get it. OK?

If you have co-workers, secret sisters, hostesses, neighbors, or friends on your gift giving list this year then this just might do the frugal trick.

I got the cookbook off paperbackswap.com for free. (if you decided to join please use my e-mail address as your referral gaylebryant4@gmail.com) It's called 101 Things To Do With A Cake Mix. I found a simple recipe inside and bookmarked it so the receiver would be able to find it.

I had a basket stashed away so the cost was again free. You could use any sort of container...a garage sale mixing bowl, a decorated box, pretty Tupperware. Then I decorated it with a star Christmas ornament that I found in my craft stash.

I purchased a wooden spoon for $.25, a holiday towel at the dollar store for $1, a cake mix for $.99, and a bag of M & M's for $1.99. The recipe was for M&M cookies.

I laid the towel in the bottom, tied a scrap of ribbon around the wooden spoon and arranged the ingredients in the basket.

And the fun doesn't stop there. If you have lots of people to give this kind of gift to then the possibilites are endless. Each cookbook can be different, each basket will have different ingredients, different colors, etc.

So there you have it. The grand total was $4.23 and I have a nice gift for my friend who constantly has people over at her house and needs to have a quick snack ready to put together. And I didn't break the budget or need a credit card to pay for it.

GCC Shopping Round Up

If you live around here you probably got the coupons that Win-co sent out. Seriously...don't throw those away. They were pretty amazing deals on some pretty darn good stuff like 2 lbs of cheddar for $2.98 or bananas for $.18 a lb. It rocked. My only problem was not reading one of the sale prices correctly. Come to find out that I grabbed the wrong package of pork and ended up paying $2.69 per pound instead of $1.99. Dang. I didn't find out until I got home so I just decided to consider it an education in reading the fine print. So here's what I got this week.

Franz

12 bread items (loaves, english muffins, donut holes) $6.00

Win-Co

2 12 packs of Shasta Soda $1.96
Sirloin Chops $9.22
3lbs chicken breasts $3.98
3 boxes Kraft mac & cheese $1.14
3 Liters of apple juice $.98
Tortilla chips $1.48
12 double rolls of TP $2.98
green tea bags $2.33
2 lbs cheddar $2.98
3 spaghetti sauce $1.44
3 cans chili $1.44
4 cans veggies $1.12
9.2 lbs bananas $1.65
10 lbs potatoes $.78


Grand Total $39.48

How did your shopping go this week? If you'd like to share please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back here to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

Menu Plan Monday

The first week of the month is always a stretch for us. Seems our budget is squeaking by the time I get to the end, and last month had all sorts of surprise expenses that used up our excess funds. Things like an upstairs toilet overflowing and leaking in the middle of the night through the ceiling of the basement bathroom. Oh, and the branch that fell off a giant tree and poked a small hole through our roof that leaked onto the living room couch. You know....fun stuff like that. So this week the grocery budget was super tight. Fortunately a new Super Wal-Mart just had a grand opening in our town which sent our local Win-co into such a panic that they sent out an incredible coupon flyer. So I basically bought as many of the coupon items as it would allow and I'm just going to go plan-less this week while I get creative with their pretty decent deals. So check in later to see what I got. Should be an interesting week.