Hello lovely.

Yes, this is a lovely, lovely salad. It’s lovely because it combines a few of my favorite flavors (strawberry, spinach and almonds). It’s lovely because it tasted light, but the quinoa made the me feel full.  And it’s even lovelier because it is made of “ingredients I had on hand.” Otherwise known as “popular ingredients that most people have”…because I don’t buy too many crazy, off the wall or expensive ingredients…so chances are you have these ingredients too! And as you can see from the photo, I chopped up whole almonds…using what I have on hand. It would have been easier to use slivered or chopped almonds (or pecans!), but I didn’t have those, so we made do. I’m all about improvising, and making do with what I can find in the pantry!

Variation: If I’d had poppyseed dressing on hand, I would have used that…but I used a sweeter red wine vinaigrette that I found in the fridge. A balsamic vinaigrette would be lovely too. Use what you’ve got!

My favorite salad that I eat for lunch several times a week is topped with diced mango, diced avocado and a tangy vinaigrette. So that combo is next on my list for a quinoa summer salad! Nom-nom!

(Price breakdown: 1 lb. strawberry boxes for $1.98 this week! More info on quinoa prices here. Baby spinach pulled from the big box of spring mix I buy every week.)

My friend, Linda from The Gluten-Free Homemaker, is offering her fantastic resource for How to Be Gluten Free on Kindle for FREE today and tomorrow!  This is not a recipe eBook, although it does contain a few recipes in the Appendix to get you started.  Instead, it is a book that delves into the actual lifestyle of learning to live and accept being Gluten-Free.  As Linda writes:

Ten chapters give ten steps to take in the process, starting with the most basic but very important step of facing emotions. Giving up food is a grieving process for many, and acknowledging that is the first step to handling it successfully. The remaining steps are more practical in nature and help people learn what they need to know to successfully buy and prepare gluten-free food, supplements, and personal care products as well as eat out safely, and connect with others.

The following chapter titles also give great insight into how this book was written to give everyone hope who is living a Gluten-Free lifestyle for any reason:

1. Face Your Emotions
2. Learn the Basics
3. Plan Your Kitchen
4. Conquer Cross Contamination
5. Read Labels
6. Cook to Be Healthy
7. Bake to Enjoy
8. Dine Out Safely
9. Check Supplements and Personal Care Products
10. Connect with Others

Download your copy of How to Be Gluten Free for free today!

*Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thanks for supporting $5 Dinners!

I like frittatas. My family likes frittatas. But for different reasons.

I like frittatas because they are the breakfast version of stone soup. And I like them because I’ve never tried one that I didn’t like. Pretty much any veggie and/or veggie combination works in a frittata, and this one proves that point. Spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, potatoes….all great additions to a frittata. But zucchini and sweet potato together in a frittata…you’re just gonna have to trust me.

My family loves frittatas because they taste good. And they have eggs in them (a fave ingredient among the little people). They also love the “brinner” concept too!

Another reason I love frittatas, they are so easy to make!

See above…layer of thinly sliced zucchini, layer of cooked & cubed sweet potato, layer of thinly sliced zucchini. Pour milk-egg mixture on top. Bake.

Serve with side of fresh fruit and a glass of cold milk!

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

Deals on Amazon

• Save up to 25% on Gluten Free Products on Amazon this month! Check out the details.

• Save 15% off Roland Quinoa for the month of May. Save even more by selecting the Subscribe and Save option.

 

• Check out this HOT deal for Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Pizza Crust. Each box is only $3.31! This is a Warehouse Deal so the price can go up at any time.

• 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.

DailyDeals

• Over at Zulily, save on Hape Eco-toys. This collection of eco-friendly toys features puzzles, castles and games and will be available until Thursday 5/16. Save on Jungle Roo cloth diapers until Thursday 5/16.  They offer one size pocket diapers, wet bags and diaper clutches. Zulily is offering Zumba products. They have DVDs, Wii and XBox games, weights, bags and more! Deal ends Thursday 5/16. 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.

 

Organic & Natural Printable Coupons

• This isn’t a coupon but for those of you that need to follow a gluten free diet, check out Aldi! For a limited time, Aldi is offering gluten free baking mix and gluten free brownie mix for only $2.99 per box. Check out a review on the gluten free brownie mix here. If you enjoy the mixes, you might want to consider picking up several boxes as these items are only available for a limited time. Check out this site for a list of various gluten free foods that are available at Aldi’s on a regular basis. 

• 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 these great natural and organic coupons:

plus lots more!

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

My husband loves salmon, but it is rather expensive when you have to buy it at the grocery store. One way that I add salmon onto our menu without breaking the budget is by using it in salads. I only need 6 – 8 ounces of salmon to create a flavorful salad.

My husband and kids love salmon and could probably eat it broiled without any seasoning. I don’t like fish as much as they do, so I like to balance the strong flavor of the salmon with a really flavorful glaze. The honey mustard glaze caramelizes on top of the salmon while broiling creating a melt-in-your-mouth delicacy.

One way I prevent food waste is to plate the salads and then add dressing. If you add dressing directly to the whole salad you have to finish it or the dressing will cause the greens to wilt.

If you have any leftover salad, use it to create a make a Honey Mustard Salmon Salad Wrap for lunch the next day. Just spread some dressing on a tortilla, add the salad, and wrap.

Grilling season is officially upon us. Well, it’s been upon us here in South Texas for a few weeks…some days better than others for grilling. I’m thinking the last “really cold” front has passed through and we’ve been enjoying some lovely weather as a result. This weekend we had my sister and her family over for dinner…we grilled out, ate on the deck and had a lovely evening hanging out. My husband grilled the chicken that I had marinated in the Hidden Valley Pomegranate Vinaigrette dressing while I prepared the Mango BBQ sauce on the stove and mixed up the salad…and watched everyone devour the homemade guacamole that my brother-in-law made for us all!

(And “really cold” is totally relevant, I do realize that. But 46 in May is “really cold” for Texas!)

Here’s a little image I pulled together from some iPhone photos…

(Please pardon the funny yellow light in my kitchen. I didn’t add any “filters” to these…keeping it real!)

A few notes about how to keep this meal on the inexpensive side…

• Chicken breast price – don’t pay more than $1.99/lb! Meat is so expensive, so following the sales cycles and buying only when it’s on sale is crucial to keeping meal and overall grocery costs down!
• BBQ sauce – it’s that time of year when the coupons for BBQ sauce are a plenty…and the sales are too! Be sure to use the coupon when the BBQ sauce is on sale for double whammy savings!

Hope y’all enjoy this delicious smoky and slightly sweet grilled chicken dinner!

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored post series with Hidden Valley. Recipe is my own, opinions are my own…as always.

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!

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I love, love, love me some Asian Chicken Salad! I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And I have. Now, I’ve made it easier to take my favorite meal on the go by placing it in a wrap.

There are a couple of steps to making this wrap from scratch. You can save time by making the salad and the wrap spread while the chicken is broiling. You can reduce the prep time further by using leftover cooked chicken.

I make the spread for my wraps by mixing yogurt and dressing. It is a flavorful, low-fat substitute for mayonnaise and you can tailor the flavor to match the ingredients.

I use cabbage in my wraps because it stays crisp even if it is soaked in dressing for hours. That means I can pack the wrap in my husband’s lunch the night before and it is still crunchy the next day at lunch time.