So this was my lunch yesterday and today. And I’m thinking about whipping up another bowlful this weekend to serve with some yummy grilled chicken (if it warms back up enough to be pleasant for eating outdoors! Brr!). And whipping up is probably not the best verb here…because there is no whipping involved. Just stirring really. So maybe I’ll stir up another bowlful this weekend

This dish is a super “clean” and diet friendly recipe. It’s almost paleo (I think…I can’t keep the “rules” straight on this diet!), gluten free, dairy free, low carb, etc. There is minimal chopping (learn here how I chop green peppers so I don’t have to deal with the seeds or the white ribs inside the pepper. And here on how to cut an avocado for a salad like this.)…and just takes a few minutes to prep! Win-win-win…Baja-Cali Black Bean Salad FTW!

I’m calling this Baja-Cali because it has all the flavors and colors of Baja..red/green…lime/cilantro…plus an avocado mixed in as well. Hence the Baja-Cali prefix for this black bean salad. Hope y’all enjoy this refreshing black bean salad!

Before you wonder off to your next stop online…hear me out on this one. I know it sounds strange.

Taking our boys out for dinner is an adventure. We don’t go out often, but when we do it’s usually with family, so we at least have a 1 on 1 ratio at the table. We divide and conquer, which makes the whole dining experience a little easier…but they are still wiggly.

• “Get down from there.” Trying to climb over the sides of a booth.
• “Don’t stare at their (the table next to us) food. And stop complaining about the wait. We know you are hungry!”
• “Please stop ‘falling’ out of your chair.”
• “Sit up, this is not our house and you can’t lay on the seat.” When sitting in a large booth.

Those of you with littles…you’ve said these things before. I can’t be alone in this.

Our boys know how to sit still. But they are boys and their sitting still usually lasts no more than 5 minutes. They would just prefer to be in motion! One of the ways that we combat the wiggles at restaurants is by visiting restaurants with play areas. So far we have discovered several near us…

• Bigz Burger Joint has a giant play field where the boys can run and run and run, and work up a hearty appetite
• Willie’s Icehouse has a giant sandbox
• Joe’s Crab Shack has a play structure and sand box
• Two Bros. BBQ Market also has a giant play structure and tons of outdoor seating

We find ourselves frequenting these places, and especially Two Bros. because it’s super close to where we live. It’s reasonably priced and we can feed our crew for less than most other restaurants! The first time I had their beans was at night and I was totally puzzled by them, as we were eating outside, it was dim and I couldn’t tell by looking at them, what was added. I could tell there was something mixed in, but couldn’t place the flavor the first few bites. It was something sweet, but not too sweet. It was perfectly balanced with the spice from the sauce and the smokiness from the bacon. By the time I’d finished my portion of beans, I’d figured out that there were diced peaches mixed in with the beans and the bacon. Seriously, great (and clever) addition to the beans. The peaches are a tasty addition and a great balancer of the spice and smoke flavors!

Here’s my remake of their Pinto Beans with Peaches and Bacon y’all!

(These would be great for a family BBQ, or to make at the start of the weekend and eat throughout the weekend with food from the grill!)

Here are some of the latest and hottest allergy friendly printable coupons:

Food

• $1.00 off 2  Kelloggs Rice Krispies (Gluten Free!)
• $1.00 off Glutino Gluten Free Bread
• $1.00 off Star Olive Oil
• $1.00 off Pompeian Olive Oil
• $1.00 off 2 Chex Cereals (Gluten Free!)
• $.75 off 3 LaraBars
• BOGO Silk Single Serve Yogurt
• $1.00 off Silk Iced Latte
• $.55 off So Delicious Product
• $2.00-$1.00 off GO Veggie Cheese (purple packaging is dairy free)

Personal Care

• $4.00 off Allegra 30ct
• $2.00 off Childrens Allergra or 12-15ct

Be sure to check out all the printable coupons available at Red Plum, Smart Source, Coupon Network and Coupons.com!

Looking for a coupon for an item on your shopping list? Or a coupon for your favorite product? Be sure to check for it in my coupon database!

Never miss a coupon! Get the latest and greatest coupons delivered straight to your inbox, just moments after they are posted!

A

 

 

So I have a new item on my stockpile list: crushed pineapple. That way, I can make this any time I want. Because I will be making it often. Being a food blogger, I’m always trying out new recipes and mix-n-match concepts with the food that I have on hand and what’s on sale at the grocery store. We have a very small “regular rotation” of recipes because of this…but this meatloaf is being added to the regular rotation. I’m so glad that I doubled this recipe…I doubled it so that I could make a regular loaf pan of meatloaf, and muffin tin meatloaves as well.

Huge. Huge. Huge hit!

The leftovers went into the freezer and made for quick and easy lunches. Below you’ll find the doubled recipe…cut it all in half if you just wish to make 1 meal’s worth. (But I highly recommend making extra to freeze!)

(Note: I tagged this recipe as Gluten Free…just sub the regular bread crumbs for gluten free bread crumbs.)

So I happened upon some $1.49/lb pork roast recently. I bought 2 roasts last month…one to use that week I bought them and another for the freezer. I got to talking to the butcher at the store while she was weighing and packaging up the roasts. I told her that I was surprised at the price, as I hadn’t seen that great of a price in a long while. She, too, was surprised when she saw it come across her desk…and again when the sale went live. She told me that this price was the “at cost” price…and then I said that I was certainly glad to take some of these roasts off her hands “at cost.”

I decided to do a peach glaze on the pork roast…as I still had some peach preserves in my fridge from the Ginger-Peach Glazed Tilapia. I served it with some frozen green beans and brown rice. Here’s the recipe for ya…hope you enjoy it!

As  promised, more cilantro recipes!

We love love love these black beans. I’ve made them here and there over the years, and have “rediscovered” them…now that we live in the land of really inexpensive cilantro and super delicious mangoes. My oldest son isn’t the biggest fan of beans, but he seemed to enjoy these. I’m not sure if it was the added flavor from the cilantro, or that mangoes were included and made the beans a little sweeter (he’d eat 4 mangoes at once, if I let him!). These beans were a big hit for our family, and made for great lunch leftovers too!

(Helpful links: How to Choose and Cut a Mango, How to Cook Dried Beans, Rice and Beans Budget Recipes)

(Other Recent Cilantro Recipes: Avocado-Egg Breakfast Sandwich, Slow Cooker Cilantro-Lime Shredded Chicken)

Hope you enjoy this spin on black beans!

 

{Repin It!}

So here’s the conundrum that I face with chicken breasts. 2 isn’t enough for our growing brood (it used to be plenty!)…but 3 is too many. (Unless all 3 boys are in a growth spurt at the same time, and that doesn’t happen often.) So 2 and 1/2 is perfect for our family right now, but they don’t come in packed as 2.5 breasts in a package. (If I was really smart, I’d take the $1.99/lb value packs and split them up with 2 1/2 breasts in a bag and freeze them…now I’m talking to myself…)

I found a package in the freezer that had 3 breasts that I’d recently purchased from Sprouts at $1.99/lb! I dropped the breasts into the bottom of a roasting pan, sprinkled with salt and pepper and minced onion. (I wanted to use a real onion, but didn’t see one where I usually keep them. I hadn’t looked hard enough, as a few days later I found them behind the stack of bowls in that cabinet. Oh well.) I scattered pieces of carrot sticks and quartered potatoes all around the chicken in the roasting pan.

Then I whisked up an equal parts maple-Dijon sauce and poured it over the top (click to watch the Vine video). Into a 400 oven for 30 minutes it all goes…dinner’s ready for the table shortly thereafter.

Here’s what I love about this meal…it’s a bit on the sweet side with the honey and carrots, but savory enough to work. The other thing I love…I knew even before I put it on the table that each boys would eat everything on their plate without comment, and that they would likely ask for seconds.

How did I know this?

My boys are “meat/chicken-potatoes” boys…they love any meal with meat and potatoes…and carrots too. Cooked carrots, to be specific. We are huge fans of the Slow Cooker Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry meal…and I can now add this one to the list of favorites. (And lest we not forget about the Slow Cooker Maple Chicken…there’s just something about chicken, potatoes that are lightly sweetened!)

And no growth spurt…we had some leftover chicken…which Steve and I fought over who got to have for lunch the next day!

And…this is a perfectly delicious and inexpensive one dish dinner.

I love being able to serve Sunday dinner shortly after arriving home from church. But I don’t like leaving the oven on while we are gone. I do feel comfortable leaving the slow cooker on, so I occasionally use it to make Honey Glazed Ham.

I can cook the ham for one hour on high, then turn it to low before we leave and arrive home to a delicious ham. Once home, all I have to do is quickly saute some veggies to go with the ham while my husband slices it and my kids set the table. Then we can sit down and enjoy a low-labor, but fairly elegant Sunday dinner.

I do not use spiral sliced hams because they tend to dry out in the cooking process. Plus spiral sliced hams tend to be more expensive. You can save money by buying an uncut and unglazed ham and creating the glaze yourself. Homemade honey glaze is fast and easy to make and yields delicious results.

So this dish I made with the intention of my husband and I eating for lunch. But it could certainly be a main dish in and of itself, or a delicious side dish with some grilled chicken or steaks. The reason I made this as a “lunch dish,” is the Brussels sprouts. My kiddos are fantastic eaters, they love most green vegetables, but 2 out of the 3 of them “draw the line” at Brussels sprouts. And I didn’t want to waste all this delicious-ness on kids who wouldn’t enjoy the meal!

Our boys love quinoa (remember when Tyler couldn’t get enough of it at about 16 months old?!). And they love bacon. But I didn’t want to risk it, with the addition of the Brussels sprouts

Steve enjoyed this for lunch…so much so that he texted me and thanked me for the tasty food. (He doesn’t text. Ever. So this was a big deal, and shows how much he enjoyed it!)

I’ll share the recipe as I made it, but note that it is heavy on the lemon flavor…as that’s how we prefer it. You could try using just 1 lemon, and then adding more lemon juice as your taste buds prefer. But in general, lemon + bacon + Brussels sprouts = fabulous flavor.

(There is a little bit about pricing information and best places to find/buy quinoa in this post.)

I hope you enjoy this as much as Steve and I did!!!

Erin’s Favorite Quinoa Dishes

• Chicken and Quinoa Waldorf Salad with Creamy Maple Vinaigrette
• Curried Chicken and Quinoa with Peas
• Greek Quinoa Chilled Salad
• Cinnamon Walnut Breakfast Quinoa 

Check out the latest natural and organic deals and printable coupons for December:

Deals on Amazon

• Save 15% on all Happy Baby Organic Products when you clip a coupon (under the product price will be a link with “Special Offer Available”).

 

 

• Spend only $0.73/ per bar on Larabar Fruit and Nut Bars with Free Super Saver Shipping! These are a Warehouse Special.

 

 

• Spend only 67 cents per bar for BumbleBar Gluten Free Junior Amazing Almond Bars.

 

• Check out Amazon’s coupon section. There are great coupons for several organic and natural products like Ezekiel 4:9 products, stevia, chia seeds, various Glutenfreeda products as well.

Confused on the Subscribe & Save option? The Subscribe & Save option allows you to order an automatic delivery at a regular interval of your choice. The best part of the option is that you get FREE shipping  plus an additional 15% off. Don’t want another delivery? Cancel your subscription after your initial order has shipped.

Daily Deal Sites

• Over at Zulily, save on Melissa & Doug toys which are my favorite! These are guaranteed to arrive by Christmas.  They have added additional stock. Save on Beyond 123 Wooden Toys until Dec 6th.  Save up to 45% on CitiBlocs wooden building sets. Sets start as low as $9.99! If you plan on ordering more than one item, note that shipping is free on orders after you place your initial order for that day.

• Over at Groupon, save 50% off a voucher for Katz Gluten Free products. You can choose two options: $10 for a $20 voucher or $15 for a $30 voucher. Offer is good until 12/5.

 

Organic & Natural Printable Coupons

• It’s a new month so be sure to print off the reset Whole Foods store coupons. These can be combined with manufacturer’s coupons!

• Create an account with Stonyfield to print off coupons on organic dairy. These coupons refresh every month.

 

• Over at Coupons.com, print off $1/1 Yoplait Frozen Yogurt Original or Greek Pint or Frozen Novelty Carton, $0.75/1 Silk Pure Almond Half Gallon, $0.55/1 Hormel Natural Choice Deli Sandwich Meat, Chicken Strips, Chicken Sausage or Smoked Sausage Product, $0.75/1 Food Should Taste Good Chips, 4.5 oz+, $1/off Johnsonville Smoked Chicken Sausage (Available at Publix), $1/off Arrowhead Baking Product.

• At Mambo Sprouts, check out more new organic coupons!