love times two

Closing

2009-09-19T14:40:00.000-05:00

As you can probably tell by my lack of posting...I can't keep up with two blogs! I am closing down this one and I am going to make a GREAT effort to update my other blog more often. Please feel free to follow me there!

The Youngblood's-Love Times Two

Three Cheese Beef and Pasta Shells

2009-05-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

This has to be one of hubby's favorites! It makes a lot, so I usually make it when company comes over or plan to have leftovers the next night for dinner.

Three Cheese Beef and Pasta Shells

1 box of jumbo pasta shells, cooked (leaving them a little firm make them easier to fill)
1 pound lean ground beef, cooked, drained and cooled
1 jar pasta sauce
1/4 cup water
1 (8oz) tub chive & onion cream cheese spread
1 1/2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (the kind in the bag, not the powder in the canister)
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, mix pasta sauce and water. Pour 1 c of sauce into the bottom of a 13x9 glass baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix cheese spread, 1 cup of Italian blend cheese, Parmesan, egg and ground beef. Fill each shell with the mixture and arrange stuffed shells over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over top, covering shells completely. Cover with foil.
Bake 40-45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese filling is set. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup off Italian blend cheese and bake 10 minutes longer.

Serve with green beans and garlic bread.

Visit here for more tempting recipes!

Coupon Sharing: Similac

2009-05-15T16:12:00.003-05:00

I am still receiving Similac checks in the mail on a regular basis although my boys have been off of formula for a year and a half. I hate to throw them away!

I have two $5.00 Similac checks available to the first person(s) to respond.

Swag Bucks!

2009-05-14T12:48:00.004-05:00

I know most of you have heard of this, but if you haven't you MUST sign up! Use the banner at the top of my blog or click here.

Swagbucks.com is a search engine just like Google, in fact it is powered by Google. I have switched to Swagbucks exclusively and have been earning points and gift cards since. Just search as you would normally and you will earn on average 1-4 points a day.

After clicking on the banner at the top and registering (it's FREE) you can search their site for more ways to win!

So stop using your other search engines and start getting rewarded for surfing the web! Why not?

Chicken Piccata

2009-05-11T20:45:00.000-05:00

4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
flour for coating
~6 tbs unsalted butter
~5 tbs olive oil (I use extra virgin)
1/3 cup lemon juice (I use the squirt kind found in the produce section)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup capers, drained and rinsed
salt & pepper

To start, I usually use a meat tenderizer to "beat" the chicken. I find that the finished result is better if the chicken is thinner to start with. Place in a Ziploc bag before "beating" to cut down on the mess.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and coat with flour, shake off excess flour.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tbs of the butter. Add 3 tbs olive oil. Add chicken, not overcrowding the pan, and cook until golden brown on each side. Move the chicken to a paper towel lined plate and continue until all chicken is cooked, adding more butter and oil as needed. Place all the chicken on the plate.

Add lemon juice, chicken broth and capers to the drippings in the pan. Return to heat and bring to a boil making sure to scrape the bits up from the bottom of the pan as you stir.

Now it's time to pass the chicken back and forth! Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Take it back out and place on a clean platter. Whisk 2 tbs of butter into the sauce. Pour sauce over chicken and you're done!

I usually serve this over angel hair pasta with a side of asparagus or green beans (whichever is on sale or on hand).

Visit here for more tempting recipes!

Coupon Sharing: Kashi GO LEAN Waffles

2009-05-07T21:28:00.003-05:00

As a member of Vocalpoint, I am often sent free samples of products as well as coupons to share. Today, I received coupons in the mail for Kashi GOLEAN waffles. I will be totally honest, it was really hard for me to share these coupons because these waffles are YUMMY!

If you haven't tried them, now is your chance. I have 5 coupons for $1.50 off any flavor of Kashi GOLEAN waffles.

Want one? E-mail me at doctorsfrugalwife [at] gmail [dot] com with your contact information.

Why I don't use coupons for cleaning products...

2009-05-07T10:29:00.005-05:00

For the past few months I have been using the Melaleuca family of products exclusively to clean my home and my family. I was turned on to the brand after a woman from our church gave me a sample of their lotion to try for my son’s eczema. It worked like a charm. Now we all use it for our everyday lotion!

I looked into the brand more by exploring their website and discovered many more products available with no harmful chemicals. I have tried brewing my own natural cleaners at home only to be disappointed by their ineffectiveness at cleaning quickly and thoroughly. Since I have a son with skin allergies, I try to be cautious about what I clean the house and the laundry with so not to aggravate his skin…and him for that matter!

I will admit I assumed that by signing up for Melaleuca I would be adding another, yet necessary in my mind, expense. I was surprised to be wrong in my assumption. Since all of their products are concentrated, they actually end up being less expensive. One bottle of concentrate costs the same as the other cleaner I was purchasing and actually makes 4 bottles once diluted!

I have LOVED the difference these products have made in our home and I invite you to take a look at their website and consider using more natural cleaning products for your home, you and your children. They have such a wide variety of products available…you’ll be amazed. I have never used such an effective cleaner as the Tub & Tile and not be exposed to powerful odors from the offensive chemicals. I even feel safe plopping the boys in the tub right after it has been cleaned.

Please feel free to contact me if you have specific questions or are interested in signing up to receive the Preferred Customer prices. Right now they are offering $20.00 in free product every month for your first 5 months so that you have the opportunity to try more of their products without the cost.

Visit this link in particular to see the savings vs brands that you are familiar with and are probably currently using.

Tuna Casserole

2009-05-04T19:55:00.000-05:00

This budget-friendly recipe is a big hit in our house.

Tuna Casserole

12oz bag macaroni noodles, cooked according to pkg direction
1 can cream of celery soup
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dry ground mustard
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
12oz can tuna

In a large bowl mix soup, milk, mayo, and mustard. Stir in cheese and tuna. Gently fold in macaroni. Pour into a large baking dish and bake uncovered in a 350 F oven for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown.

This is also a great place to sneak in some veggies such as peas and carrots. Just mix them in before baking.

Visit here for more tempting recipes!

Five Ingredient Friday: Cheesy Bean Casserole

2009-05-01T12:46:00.003-05:00

This recipe is from the Southern Living 5 Ingredient, 15 Minute Cookbook.

Cheesy Bean Casserole
1 cup chopped onion
2 (15-ounce) cans chile-hot kidney beans, drained
2 (14.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

cooking spray
ground black pepper

Saute onion in a skillet coating with cooking spray until tender and translucent. Stir in beans, tomatoes and garlic salt. Add pepper to taste. Cook 3 minutes or until heated through, stir well. Spoon ingredients into a 8-inch square baking dish; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

This is great with a side of cornbread.

Visit here for more 5 ingredient recipes.

Therma Care Sweeps

2009-04-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Enter the Therma Care sweeps to win one of 5 prizes.

After entering my information, I was asked a short survey. Upon the completion of the survey I was given a $1.00 coupon that could be printed as many times as I want...I only printed it twice.

Hubby LOVES the heat wraps for the back after he's been working in the yard.

Coupon Sharing: Frosted Mini-Wheats

2009-04-28T14:03:00.009-05:00

As a member of Vocalpoint, I am often sent free samples of products as well as coupons to share. This morning my little guys shared a sample of Frosted Mini-Wheats (and a banana) for breakfast.

Now it's my turn to share with you. I have 5 $1.00 coupons for Frosted Mini-Wheats.

Want one? E-mail me at doctorsfrugalwife [at] gmail [dot] com with your contact information.

And if you haven't joined Vocalpoint already...you should!

Update: See comments for a great tip from Jennifer at Saving & Giving when using these coupons...and then go visit her website!

Jean Snob No More!

2009-04-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

I will admit that I am a "Jean Snob". I love designer jeans and I have been known to spend hundreds of dollars on one pair of jeans. Go ahead and gasp!

There was a time in my life when I thought that material possessions would heal the problems in my marriage and the hole in my soul where God should reside. Walking into Nordstrom's and trying on expensive jeans, being measured for alterations and being cheerfully handed my silver shopping bag made me happy.

I have since grown spiritually; healing my marriage, soul and bank account. Now the thought of not being a good shepherd of our money makes me want to vomit. Sorry for the word choice, but honestly that is what the thought of spending a ridiculous amount of money on jeans (or anything for that matter) makes me feel like...physically ill.

So why am I no longer a "Jean Snob", other than the spiritual/financial reasons? Because I found two great pairs of jeans for less than $20!

It all started with a coupon in the mail for Stein Mart...20% off two items. I also had recently found a check for $50 in a card from my birthday back in October. Deciding I would treat myself to something new, I headed to Stein Mart in search of a deal. My first stop was the clearance rack where I saw a pair of Seven jeans hanging. I quickly found a pair in my size as well as another brand, See Through Soul, that had a really cute wash and cut but that I had never heard of. With 9 pairs of jeans slung over my arm I headed to the dressing room. I narrowed it down to 2 pairs, both STS brand. The price tags said $49.98. I knew that even with the 20% off, I couldn't afford both pairs. I decided to walk around with them for a little while before making a decision. Meanwhile, I scoped out the other clearance clothing and jewelry. As I walked over to put one pair back on the rack I saw that the sign said "50% OFF RED DOT SALE"! The jeans both had red dots...and so did the earrings, bracelet, and crop jacket that I had picked up. I was able to purchase EVERYTHING! I was thrilled that I didn't have to put one pair of the jeans back because they were both super cute and I wear jeans 5 out of the 7 days of the week.

I always love looking at my receipt to see my savings. At Stein Mart they tell you what you would have spent if you had gone to the department store...$247.93...holy smokes! The guy checking me out was so great, he let me use the coupon on all my items and gave it back to me in case I wanted to use it again. Sadly my funds had been exhausted.

My point(s): When you go shopping set a budget and stick to it. Head to the clearance rack first and be sure to read the signs carefully (I rarely shop the rest of the store). Be open minded to new brands, you never know what you may find!

Five Ingredient Friday

2009-04-23T21:41:00.000-05:00

I am linking up with Paige's Place for this fun blog carnival. Here was a great dish I made Tuesday night for the first time...very experimental...very good! Since I started using The Grocery Game, I have ended up with some random ingredients and ingredients I have never used before. In an effort to make a meal from what I had around the house, this is what I came up with. It doesn't have a name, other than GOOD.

1 box of bow tie pasta
1 pkg Jennie-O lean ground turkey - hot Italian
6 fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil (from our garden), chopped
1 cup bread crumbs/croutons (I used crushed garlic bread crisps from the quick-sale section of the bakery)

Prepare pasta as directed and brown ground turkey. While that cooks, slice tomatoes 1/4" thick.

Drizzle olive oil to coat the bottom of a large baking dish. Add pasta and ground turkey to dish. Layer sliced tomatoes, basil, and croutons in that order over pasta/meat. Drizzle with more olive oil, no need to measure or be exact.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Yummy and healthy too!

Coupon Tip: The Grocery Game

2009-04-21T15:39:00.000-05:00

My first week with Teri's List from The Grocery Game was a success with a total savings of 46% at Kroger! I went to HEB also, but wasn't able to find all the deals on the list. The HEBs in our neighborhood are small, so that could have been the problem.

But as for Kroger...I saved a ton! I had a few coupons that weren't on the list that were about to expire (they were probably on previous weeks' lists) so I used them also. I made sure to add my eSaver coupons to my Kroger card to combine with my clipped coupons for a total coupon savings of $104.67!!!

My point in this post is to tell you to go sign up for The Grocery Game if you haven't already. If you are seriously interested, please use my e-mail as the person who referred you so that I can get credit in the form of free weeks. Leave me a comment and I will respond with my e-mail address.

***If you don't have a Kroger in your neck of the woods, don't worry, she has all the store across the country...just plug in your zip-code and select your stores.

***If you're not ready to commit...like I wasn't at first...you can try it for 4 weeks for just a $1. Even once you are a paying member, the fee is nothing compared to the amount that she will save you!

Restoring Order Updated

2009-04-17T14:13:00.000-05:00

Since I work full-time outside the house, I decided to make my use of only working (at work) until noon on Fridays to restore some order around the house. I started at 12:45 and here it is...2:15 and I'm done with all 5 projects! Amazing what can be accomplished when the little guys aren't around!

My projects:

- the pantry

- my glasses

- dresser

- chest of drawers

- night stand

Nothing annoys hubby more than my constant clutter! So I can't wait to see his face when he walks into our bedroom this evening!

I decided to tackle the pantry first, here is the before:

I am trying to be more frugal when purchasing groceries. As you can tell, it is really hard to see what I have in the pantry.

This task was surprisingly quick and easy...and I realized I needed to add sugar to my shopping list!

Next up, the glasses drawer, the source of many manic mornings. As an Optician, I have access to glasses at GREAT prices...so I have multiple pairs. This is the disaster I dig through to find which glasses I want to wear.

This is just the cases. Sadly, only 3 of the cases even had glasses in them...I found the rest while tackling the next three projects.

One of my favorite frame reps brought me a travel tray, this makes it much easier to find the glasses I want when I want them! I had forgotten that I had some of these. And this isn't all, one pair is on my face and another is off having new lenses mounted!

The dresser before:

And after, I redecorated a little also.

The chest of drawers before:

And after, I even found a place for the Christmas gift from my mother-in-law.

And the dreaded night stand:

It looks SO MUCH better, but I think I need to pare down my reading selection!

Thank you to Tilly for the comment about the books. I like the idea of a basket, this should also help to keep my collection under control by limiting the number of books that fit in the basket.

Thank you to Monica and Rebecca for the inspiration to RESTORE SOME ORDER!

A Sick Boy & A Dirty Sink

2008-10-14T14:45:00.001-05:00

Sloan and I were on our way back from a morning appointment when I checked my voicemail. The dreaded call from daycare. We'd hoped the sickness was over and we could get away with sending Zachary to school, after all he didn't have a fever. But there's no way to disguise vomit...we were caught. After picking him up and a quick stop by the grocery store for the makings of the B.R.A.T. (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) diet, we were home. Zachary managed to eat a little and quickly surrendered to a nap.

I used this time to catch up on some blog reading when I came across the Fly Lady. As I came across her baby steps, I knew I could handle this guide to cleaning. Day 1, what a great place to start. Shine my sink??? Okay...

What I would have ordinarily considered a "clean enough" sink:

My sink now (I only did one side so far):

And while my sink was enjoying it's soak, I whipped up this:

When the sink cleaning instructions called for bleach, I was reminded of my sad excuse for an apron. Since our budget didn't involve a shopping trip, I got resourceful, I used up leftover material from a quilt I made for my mother-in-law. It's nothing fancy...but it's a lot better than my old one.

Turkey and Blue Cheese Meatballs

2008-10-13T20:19:00.000-05:00

YUM! YUM! YUM!

Don't let the name fool you, these were amazing! Even the hubby who HATES to even hear the words "Blue Cheese" agreed that this recipe was a keeper.

I found the original recipe on Allrecipes.com, but adapted it to suite our taste. The original recipe seemed a little busy and wasn't kid-friendly. So, here's my version:

INGREDIENTS:

4 cloves of garlic

1 small or 1/2 large white onion

1 pound lean ground turkey breast

4 tablespoons blue cheese

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

3 egg whites

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO as Rachel Ray would say)

1 1/2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning (you can use up to 1 tbs, I just don't like Oregano so I cut back)

1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

(now if that's not the most random list of ingredients)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with Reynolds Release foil and set aside.
Pulse garlic and onion in a food processor until minced.
In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, turkey, blue cheese, bread crumbs, egg whites, and olive oil. Mix thoroughly.
Season with soy sauce, parsley, Italian seasoning, pepper, and chili powder. Mix well.
Roll the mixture into 2 inch balls and place on the lined baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and no longer pink in the center, approx 25 minutes.

I served this with a Vodka sauce over bow tie pasta and garlic sourdough bread. Don't forget the wine!

Check here for more tempting recipes.

Unexpected CVS Deal!

2008-07-03T15:21:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, I ventured out to find myself some cheap razors and free mascara at my local CVS. With my coupon in one hand and my CVS card in the other, I hit road...only to come home empty handed. I was told that it was too soon for the items to be available and that the store hadn't received their shipments yet!?!?

So today, Thursday, I thought surely they would have the items in stock. The problem now...they had already sold out of the mascara. I asked the manager if they had any in the back...only to find out they were completely out. The manager was upset that they had let me down and was determined to make it a sweeter deal for me. Instead of the $7.99 ECB I was supposed to receive after purchasing the Physician's Formula Mascara...he just gave me a gift card and loaded it with $10...no purchase necessary!!!

So, here's the deal I got instead:

1 Covergirl Aquasmooth Foundation $4.49 (they are repackaging so it was 50% off)
$2/1 covergirl cosmetic CVS coupon
1 Bic Soleil razor and cartridge pack $13.98
$4/1 manufacturer coupon

Total= $13.50 - $10 GC = $3.50 out of pocket
Received $5.oo ECB for razors and $1.50 in ECB rewards
So I made $3.00 profit after ECB!

There was another CVS close by so I decided to go there in search of free mascara...determined to use my newly earned ECB to pay for it and still get the ECBs earned for the mascara...so only costing me less than $2.00 before ECB. They were completly out too! So I asked the manager again to check the backstock...none! So he gave me a rain check for 2/$7.99. Not as good of a deal as earning the ECB, but if I can find a coupon, this has the potential of being a sweet deal.

Lesson learned: Always ask...you never know what the answer will be!