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I wanted to remind everyone of the cookbook signings that I have coming up in February!!!
- Cincinnati: Tuesday, February 2nd, 7-9 pm
- Nashville: Thursday, February 4th, 7-9 pm
- Fort Worth: Saturday, February 13th, 2-4 pm
- Houston: Monday, February 15th, 7-9 pm
- San Antonio: Wednesday, February 17th, 7-9 pm
Check the Cookbook Signing Schedule for exact street addresses for the various locations!
And the rumor mill is stirring with possible Philly and DC area signings!!! Stay tuned for those…
I love getting to meet you all and hearing your savings stories!
See you soon!!!
Impress.
Impress.
Is that what you think of when you think of a potluck dinner? That you have to impress everyone there with your creative meal or dish…made with the finest ingredients!
Will they like it? Will everyone eat it? Will the dish be empty by the time the dinner is over? What if no one eats it and people figure out that it was me who made it?
Been there. Thought that!
But the reality is…very few people, if any, are going to know what you brought to the meal. So tell those thoughts when they come racing to the forefront of your mind when you are trying to decide what to make to find another brain to bother!
A few weeks back, at the end of the January Pantry Challenge, we had an International Potluck, to kick off Missions Week at our church. I was NOT going to run to the store to grab something fun and fancy. I made do!
I made a Rice and Beans dish, seeing how I spent 6 years of my life in a culture where rice and beans were a daily staple. My dish…Dominican Rice and Beans meets some spice! Dominican Rice and Beans tend to be bland…so I gave them a bit of a kick!
Ingredients
2 cups brown rice (that had been frozen) ($.40)
2 cups pinto beans (that had been frozen) ($.40)
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies (free)
1 Tbsp ground cumin ($.10)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Completely thaw brown rice and beans.
2. Combine ingredients into a bowl. Stir together. Heat in a microwave or in a saucepan. Serve warm.
Cost $.90
Makes 10-12 potluck size servings
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P.S. This is also delicious wrapped up as a burrito!!!
Please share your favorite POTLUCK dish or $5 Dinner Challenge meal in the comments or in the Mr. Linky!
Want a sneak peak at what coupons are in this Sunday’s paper?
Sunday Coupon Preview tells us that there is 1 Smart Source this weekend! Here is the complete list of coupons in the newspaper this weekend.
Also, next weekend (Valentine’s Day)…there will be no coupon inserts!
Now why would I want to know what coupons are in the newspaper ahead of time…you might ask!?! If there are coupons for your favorite products…or coupons for products that are frequently on sale and you can get them for SUPER CHEAP, even FREE, then you might want to pick up a few extra papers. This way you’ll have those few extra coupons that you need to stockpile those favorite products when they go on sale.
Enjoy the Preview!
This post contains affiliate links. More information can be found on the site’s disclosure policy.
This chili is scrumptious…and you can give each bowl the KICK it needs! Just have a bottle of Tabasco right next to the pot for you and your Super Bowl party guests to SPICIFY!
Ingredients
1.6 lb. ground beef ($2.38)
2 cups cooked pinto beans ($.40)
2 cups cooked black beans ($.40)
1 15 oz. can of Zesty Jalapenos diced tomatoes ($.29) After sale and coupon
1 6 oz. can of tomato paste ($.19) After coupon
1 onion, chopped ($.30)
2 Tbsp chili powder ($.20)
1 Tbsp ground cumin ($.10)
1 Tbsp garlic powder ($.10)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tabasco Sauce, to taste ($.25)
Directions
1. Brown the ground beef with the chopped onion and drain. Return to pot and add the black beans and pinto beans. Stir in the can of diced tomatoes plus the tomato paste. Add 3-4 tomato paste cans worth of water, depending on how saucy you like your chili.
2. Stir all together.
3. Add the chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
4. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes, allowing flavors to deepen.
5. Serve chili with however many drops of Tabasco sauce that your tongue can handle!!!
Cost $4.61
(We ate this with a $.30 bag of frozen peas one weekend during our pantry challenge, but I wanted to wait and share it with you as a Super Bowl meal idea!)
Serves 6-8
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After a month of spending just $20-25 at the store, I’m ready to get back to my $60/week budget! Because we’ll be in and out this month, and because my shopping will be a bit more sporadic throughout the month, I decided to spend a little more this first week…as there might be a week I don’t even need to shop later in the month! So rest assured, I’ve got my $240 cash for the month, and I shall spend it wisely.
Wise move #1: Take advantage of the Mega Event sale!
MEGA EVENT!!!!!!!!!!
This week was the 2nd week of the Kroger Mega Event Sale! And just in time, after last month’s pantry challenge! We shall now start the “restocking” process…replenishing my supply of canned tomatoes, cereal, and DISHWASHING SOAP!
20 boxes of Electrasol…each with 20 tabs…400 tabs will last us at least for a year!!!
For $17.96, which includes taxes and coupons, I got at least a year’s supply of dishwashing soap!
I decided that this deal was too good to pass up, so I got more coupons. I originally intended on getting 10 boxes, but ended up deciding that 20 boxes would be best. The coupons arrived from ebay late last week, just in time, as they expired on Sunday. So Sunday I went to Kroger and bought what you see above…for $13.98. Regular retail total would have been over $105!!! Add in the cost of the coupons and you get a year’s supply for $17.96! Woot!
*HOT DEALS*
Free – Rotel cans, 2 1/2 lb. bags of Millstone coffee (from the newspaper bag)
Nearly free – Frank’s Red Hot Wings sauce, French’s mustard, Honey Mustard dipping sauce, 2 Post cereals – each product just $.19 after sale, promotion and coupons
Other deals – 2 packages Mission tortillas for $.49 each, 4 – 2 cup bags of cheese for $.99 (that’s as low as I’ve seen in a LONG time!), 2 Green Giant steamers for $.49 each, apples/oranges for $.25 each, mangoes for $50 each
Coupons Used – $2/1 Post, $1/2 Kraft cheese, Rotel coupons from last week’s paper, blinkie coupon for canned tomatoes, $.50/1 Green Giant Steamers, $1/1 Wheat Thins from newspaper, $1/1 Mission tortillas, Frank’s and mustard coupons from the newspaper
Meat – 2 ground chuck at $1.69/lb. (made into spaghetti sauce and froze)
Total spent at Kroger: Part 1 – $17.96 & Part 2 – $49.98 = $67.94
Total for the month: $67.94
P.S. I *might* (not sure when) stop in to Walgreens, because Huggies diapers are on sale for $8.99 and you get a $3 RR…and when you use this $2/1 coupon, with the $1 off IVC coupon from the Children’s Activity book, they come out to just $2.99 plus taxes! Thanks Common Sense with Money!
My grocery store’s ad scan
My grocery store’s coupon match-ups
Find the coupon match-ups for your grocery store at The Frugal Map!
This post may or may not contain affiliate links. More information can be found on the site’s disclosure policy.
I’m thrilled that Sarah from Frontier Kitchen is sharing this fantabulous dip for your Super Bowl Party. My favorite part, besides the fact that it’s super healthy, is that it’s dairy free. Woot! Woot! So many dips at parties are made with cream cheese or sour cream, but I’m loving this great dairy free option! Thanks Sarah!
A Super Bowl Appetizer that’s Full Flavor with Low Cost!
Let me start off by saying that I’m thrilled to be guest blogging on here! I’ve been reading Erin’s blog for over a year now and really enjoy seeing all the creative ways she makes healthy dinners for her family for $5 or less.
The grand Super Bowl extravaganza is quickly approaching. The downside of this fun event is that I’m often faced with a tough decision. We’re talking a tough decision of epic proportions. A decision like, “Should I eat the nachos or stick with my New Year’s Resolution to eat healthier?” And I’m a girl who likes her nachos.
Well y’all, I’ve got a recipe that is not only delicious and craving worthy, but also completely healthy. Honest. In fact, it’s so good I wasn’t sure whether or not to ‘fess up to the healthy factor because most Americans associate healthy foods with negative tastes. Unconvinced? Well, let’s just whip up a little batch of this goodness and one taste will make you a believer.
Hope y’all like garlic!
To make roasted garlic, slice the entire top off a head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 425 for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown and soft.
By roasting the garlic, the overpowering flavor of the garlic will die down and become somewhat sweet (just like when you caramelize onions). It is a nice little trick that you can use in a variety of dishes to enhance the flavors.
While the garlic is roasting, grab 1 can of Great Northern Beans, rinse and drain them; season with salt and pepper.
Remove roasted cloves of garlic from the head. Place in a food processor with the beans and pulse until creamy. Now, I’m a garlic enthusiast (feel free to pity my husband) so I like using all the garlic. If you are a bit less enthusiastic about garlic, start off with half of the cloves and then add more if you want.
Stir in two pinches of dried cilantro, chili powder, cumin and lime juice.
Now gently fold in Rotel diced tomatoes and spinach. Taste test and add more salt and pepper if you like.
Chill the dip for at least an hour before serving and enjoying!
White Bean Spinach Dip
1 clove garlic ($.20)
1 15.5 oz can of Great Northern Beans ($.89)
1 10 oz can Rotel diced tomatoes, drained ($.28) Bought on sale for .98 and used a .35 coupon that doubled
1/2 cup spinach ($.50) Use frozen spinach, thaw, and squeeze to drain out the excess moisture before measuring
2 pinches dried cilantro* ($.05)
1 lime, juiced ($.10)
1/2 tsp. chili powder ($.05)
1/8 tsp. cumin ($.10)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Slice the top off a head of garlic, exposing each clove, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 425 for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Rinse and drain beans. Season with salt and pepper. Remove at least half of the roasted garlic cloves from the head (leaving behind the papery exterior).
- Place beans and garlic into a food processor or blender and pulse until creamy.
- Stir in cilantro, lime juice, chili powder and cumin.
- Fold in tomatoes and spinach.
- Chill for an hour before serving.
Total Cost for Dip: $2.17
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*Money Saving Tip! Shop for spices in the “Ethnic” section of your grocery store and you’ll likely save a little cash over buying the more popular varieties.
Looking for other affordable appetizers to make for your Super Bowl party? Try my Roasted Red Pepper Hummus or Super Bowl Football Shaped Cheeseball…both of which you can make easily at home much cheaper than buying them at the grocery store.
Sarah Lenhart is the author of Frontier Kitchen, a cooking blog dedicated to simple home cooking that your family will love. She lives in Wyoming with her husband and daughter.
Well, I’ve spent the last month cleaning out the freezers and pantry, and you got it…it’s time to start filling them up again!
Here’s the “batch cooking” plan…
1. Cook up a bunch of dried beans and freeze in 2 cups portions (about the same amount that comes in a 15 oz. can of beans).
- Red Kidney Beans
- Black Beans
- Navy Beans
I’ve LOVED having beans in the freezer that I can just throw in to whatever I’m cooking…so I’ll keep up the tradition of batch cooking my dried beans!
2. Bake 2 batches of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins (and hope some make it into the freezer!)
3. Bake Zucchini Pineapple Bread (made into mini-loaves and muffins)…recipe found in The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook!!!
Somebody didn’t do a good job keeping the batter off the rims! *ahem*
4. Make some spaghetti sauce with ground chuck (on sale this week for $1.69/lb.), chopped onions and homemade spaghetti sauce.
For more ideas, inspiration and encouragement, visit Jessica and Crystal…the Freezer Cooking Day hostesses!!!
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