We have moved to Wordpress!

Please Vist HERE

CVS DEAL: Arm and Hammer Laundry Detergent 80% SAVINGS!!!

Hello fellow couponers!

Today we have a great deal at CVS. Deal should last for the week, but get it before they run out of stock! This is an 80% Savings!

Here is the breakdown:
6 Bottles for a total of $9.59
CVS Sale: Buy 1 Arm & Hammer (25-33 loads) for 7.79 get 2 FREE
Use 3 Coupons from RP 9/14 2.00/2 Arm and Hammer Detergent
Total: 1.60 a piece when you buy 6.

Chicken Fajita Wraps

OH MY GOSH! These are out of this world AMAZING! Not trying to toot my own horn but.... "toot, toot!" I have another chicken fajita recipe on here but if you have time to marinate for around an hour... do this one instead (MUCH better)! I personally do not like peppers and onions, so I did not fix them; However, I know some people love them so I am sure they would take well to marinade! I also love to pair the wraps with my homemade salsa instead of taco sauce.

Cooking Time: 10 Minute or Less
Prep Time: 1 Hour Give or Take


Marinade Ingredients:
1 Juiced Lime (Fresh is best!)
3 TBSP Oil (olive, canola, veggie)
1-1/2 TSP Salt
1-1/2 TSP Oregano (dried)
1-1/2 TSP Cumin
1 TSP Garlic Powder
1/2 TSP Chili Powder
1/2 TSP Paprika
1/2 TSP Red Pepper Flakes

Other Ingredients:
1-2 Pounds of Chicken Breasts
Bell Peppers (optional)
Onions (optional)

Tortillas
Shredded Mexican Cheese

Directions:

1. Mix all marinade ingredients into zip-lock bag or shallow container.

2. Cut chicken into thin and short strips. Cut veggies into strips.

3. Add chicken/ veggies to marinade and let it set in fridge for 1-4 hours. ( I did 1 hour and it was great).

4. Heat grill pan on medium high. Add in chicken and veggies and cook until done around 5-10 minutes depending on size.

5. Remove meat and veggies from pan and set on separate plate.

6. Wipe excess juices from pan with paper towel.

7. Assemble tortilla, chicken, veggies, and cheese and fold tortilla burrito style.

8. Place on grill pan fold side down and grill 1 minute on each side or until grill marks are present.

9. Eat and enjoy with some homemade salsa and chips!

Weekly Meal Plan: Sticking to a $50-$60 Budget

We have roughly 200.00 a month for groceries. This is what I do without couponing what so ever. I have been a huge coupon freak and will be starting again next month! Due to health issues I had not had time to coupon this past month, but believe me I will! With couponing I usually spend less than 1/2 of my budget!

This weeks plan is as follows: (Please note on Sundays and Tuesdays we have a meal with in-laws and split the costs. )

For this template click here. Please note that you must download for the formatting to be correct. For some reason google drive is crazy. I always leave the bottom row blank for changes but you can delete it if you want :)

I am looking forward to so much yumminess. To find some of the recipes click on the tab "recipe index".

Saturdays: Prep Day for the Busy Upcoming Week

Today I am preparing for a very busy week by making all bread, snacks, and deserts ahead of time. Since my husband and I (typically) do not buy processed snacks due to the overwhelming costs and the weird ingredients, I try to make a lot of stuff homemade. Using a Saturday to make these ahead of time keeps me from making random snack trips to the store. Because lets face it, in a busy week the last thing I want to do is make extra stuff on top of dinner. So here is a list of things I am making today.

1. Homemade cookies. I make them using the nestle recipe. I make them double the size (2TBSP), I do not flatten them, and I add double the vanilla. This makes them super chewy and delectable.

2. Mexican Munch Mix. Really I just did it with cheerios and saltines. You can make it with whatever: rice cereal, cheerios, saltines, oster crackers, cheese its, cornchips.... ect. I happened to have a huge box of cheerios and a sleeve of saltines. I store it in a gallon zip-lock bag and pack it in lunches.

3. Popcorn. I refuse to pay for bags of popcorn when it is so easy to make at home. I air-pop it, spray it with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Also store this in a zip-lock bag and it keeps well. If you add butter it will not keep, it will be hard and chewy.

4. Homemade rolls. These are amazing and saves me from making a trip to the store to get the pan rolls I love so much that cost about 3.00 for a pan. These also keep very well for a week.

5. Homemade frozen pizzas. I use my recipe for pizza crust  divide into four small pizzas and par bake it (475 for 5 min). Then allow to cool completely (no warmth whatsoever). Add sauce and toppings and cover with saran wrap and then with foil. Freeze. When you want one cook of 475 until golden brown and cheese is bubbly in middle (about 15 min).

This is my Saturday, whats yours look like?

How to Keep Dog Hair to a minimum

I love my dogs but.... they shed and I mean a tremendous amount of hair... as buddy (the long haired English Sutter mix) walks by, if the light is right, you can see the hair just pouring off him and his cute, but furry, tail. 

 

The mess this dog puts out is anything but cute... not to mention I have a beagle who sheds just as much... Meet Annie. (and my sleeping husband).

As we moved out of our first home (a small humble single wide trailer), we found massive amounts of hair and dust behind everything... I vowed that this would never happen again. I was also dumb founded as to why it looked so horrendous even though I kept it pretty clean.

I found the answer... We just moved into a huge 2 story house that is by all accounts amazing (pictures to come). We have these old dark hardwood floors and within the first day the dog hair was piling up... I knew that I had to find a solution to this horrible issue and I did but it is major work.

How to keep Dog Hair to a Minimum:

Step 1: Vacuum every single day. 

Yes, I am serious! But thank god I am only talking about a light vacuuming with the swiffer vacuum (a huge lifesaver!) This keeps the dog hair down in between weekly cleanings.

Step 2: Cover sofas/ loveseats/ recliners with sheets.

Is this the prettiest solution? No. Does it work better than anything else? Yes.  I know you can buy very pretty sofa covers but honestly, they are the biggest pain in the butt than anything. You cannot wash them as easily, for some reason hair likes to get into the  fabric making it impossible to get the hair off when washing/drying. Not to mention they are very expensive. Save the headache and pull out the sheets. Sheets are easy to wash and dog hair comes off with a quick washing... as you can see it doesn't look as great but if you have company just pull them off!

Step 3: Weekly Cleaning.

I have a cleaning schedule that I regularly update. The one on the blog here is a great outline but I have an updated version that I will be posting soon. Pretty much the only difference is that my daily chores are two rooms. Living room/Office happens to be Thursday. When I clean the living room (the main dog hair area) the first thing I do is get the dogs out of the room. Second, take off the sheets and throw them in the laundry ( I rotate my sheets). Next vacuum the furniture. My best friend is the Dyson Animal Upright vacuum.

The little tool at the bottom right, is an upholstery tool. it has the beater bar that is perfect for getting dog hair off furniture and stairs. I seriously love this thing! Best money you will ever spend. So if you dont have one of these, get one! Vacuum the furniture very well and then cover them back up with fresh sheets. Then make sure to dust all surfaces (seriously that hair gets everywhere!).After that use the vacuum to deep clean  the floors. The swiffer is great but once a week use a heavy duty vacuum. After you are done, spray everything down with febreeze (because its amazing). Make sure to do this once a week. Don't forget to do the same in the bedroom or any other high traffic dog areas!

Yes, It is a lot of work, but it is well worth it to keep the dog hair down. The only other solution is a bald dog or no dog. 

Happy Cleaning!

Cheesy Shells & Italian Sausage

This is an awesome recipe that is from the Pampered Chef.

Weight watchers friendly: 10PP per serving!!!

8 oz (250 g) bulk hot Italian pork sausage (see Cook’s Tip)
3 garlic cloves (minced
3 cups (750 mL) unsalted chicken stock
1 jar (24 oz/680 mL) marinara sauce (2½ cups/625 mL)
12 oz (350 g) medium shell pasta
4 oz (125 g) reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel)
¼ cup (50 mL) fresh basil leaves (chopped)
1 cup (250 mL) seasoned croutons
2 oz (60 g) fresh Parmesan cheese (½ cup/125 mL grated)

1. Preheat broiler. Cook sausage in Dutch Oven over medium heat 4-6 minutes, breaking into
crumbles with Mix ‘N Chop.

2. Place garlic into Pan. Cook 30-60 seconds or just until fragrant.

3. Stir in stock, marinara and pasta to Pan. Increase heat to high; cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, 7-9 minutes or until pasta is
cooked but firm.

4. Remove Pan from heat. Stir in cream cheese and basil until blended. Sprinkle cheese
mixture evenly over pasta. Place Pan 2-4 in. (5-10 cm) from heating element. Broil 1-2
minutes or until top is golden brown.

Serves 8

U.S. Nutrients per serving: Calories 370, Total Fat 15 g, Saturated Fat 4.5 g, Cholesterol 30 mg,
Sodium 830 mg, Carbohydrate 43 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 18 g

Cook’s Tip: 8 oz (250 g) Italian turkey sausage (2 links, casings removed) or 8 oz (250 g) 90%
lean ground beef can be substituted for the bulk Italian pork sausage, if you’d like.

Taco Pizza Roll-ups

TOTAL TIME:  1min Prep:  30 sec Inactive Prep:  min Cook: 30 sec

Taco Pizza Roll-ups

Ingredients:

2 Homemade tortillas

1 TBSP taco sauce

¼ C Mozzarella Cheese

12 slices of pepperoni

Instructions:

Take two tortillas and cover each with ½ TBSP of taco sauce. Add mozzarella and pepperoni. Roll up and microwave for 30 seconds on high. Add a little taco sauce on top or on the side. Enjoy.

Autumn’s Tips: See my recipe fortortillas and taco sauce!!!

Spiced Cheerios - The perfect snack!

TOTAL TIME: 3 min Prep:  min Inactive Prep:  min Cook: 3 min

 Autumns Spiced Cheerios

Ingredients:

1 C Original Cheerios

1 ½ TBSP Butter

¼ Tsp Chili Powder

1/8  tsp Salt

1/8 tsp oregano

¼ tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp black pepper

Dash of red pepper

Instructions:

In small skillet, on medium heat, place cold butter and sprinkle seasonings on top of butter. Stir until butter is melted and seasonings are incorporated. Add in cheerios and stir until butter and seasonings are incorporated into cheerios. Eat!

Autumn’s Tips: This is an quick and easy alternative to my Mexican munch mix!

Keeping a Clean House

Alright lets face it...

Nobody's house is always clean 100% of the time (unless you're a freak and in that case you wont need to read the rest of this blog). Me however, I have a hard time keeping this really small house clean, much less spotless. My husband is forever the messiest person in the world and it has slowly weaned off on me... yep I said it.

So in order to keep my house clean I have some worksheets that I found on Pintrest and with them in mind, created editable worksheets for me (and of course who ever wants them )

The first will help you clean that massive amount of work you probably have to do right now. This is also great if you get off schedule!

To Print and Save or Edit please click here. Please keep in mind once you download it on Word it will look like the picture... for some reason would not save right on google drive.

This next worksheet is wonderful and will keep your house spotless ALL THE TIME!

To Print or download and edit click here. Please keep in mind once you download it on Word it will look like the picture... for some reason would not save right on google drive.

I hope these worksheets bring you as much happiness as it does me!!!

Autumn

Autumn’s Mayan Pork Chops

TOTAL TIME: 40 min Prep: 5 min Inactive Prep:  min Cook: 35 min

 Autumn’s Mayan Pork Chops

Ingredients:

2 TBSP Olive Oil

4 TBSP Butter (divided)

1 Sliced Mayan Onion  (or another sweet onion)

1 TSP Minced Garlic

½ C Sherry Cooking Wine

½ C Sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms

4 Pork chops (1/2 inch Thick)

Salt

Pepper

2 TBSP Fresh Chopped Parsley

Instructions:

Heat Large skillet on medium heat until oil and 2 TBSP butter is hot. Add in sliced onions and minced garlic. Cook until soft and translucent. Add in ½ of wine. Cook until caramelized (dark and tender). Stir very often. Add in mushrooms. Cover and cook until mushrooms are tender. Stir often. Push mushrooms and onions towards the rim of the pan and add in remaining 2 TBSP of butter. Once melted, add in seasoned pork chops. Add in remaining wine. Once it is seared on one side flip and cover pork with onions and mushroom mixture. Cover pan. Cook until pork is to correct temperature (12-15 min, 170 degrees). Top with fresh parsley.

Autumn’s Tips:

Make sure to allow onions to become very dark and tender (Caramelized). This will take a while.

Pork may take longer to cook. Make sure you reach correct temp.