Archive for January, 2010

We are making some changes in my home as a family and trying to eat healthier.    We are watching our portions and following a new eating program which I will share with you sometime this week.  We won’t be completely eliminating any food but learning how to enjoy things within reason.

• Quarter pound extra lean burgers on light wheat buns with all the veggie fixins, cauliflower and choice of fresh fruit.
• Whole wheat rotini with marinara and meatballs and side salads.
• Baked crispy fish and homemade potato wedges.
• Salsa chicken and black beans with brown rice
• Taco salads (this can be so healthy with the right toppings and portion control)
• Ham egg bake
• Leftovers and soup

It is time for a winners round-up.  Thanks so much for entering contests at My Red Apron and keep coming back as more are soon to hit our blog.

NutraSalt Winner:

Christina S

January 27, 2010 at 2:40 pm

Texas BBQ- I would use it on Steak to bbq over the grill.

BeemsterLite Cheese Winner:

Country Bob’s Sauce Winner:

I wanted to get this up yesterday so badly but I was down with a migraine and it wasn’t pretty.  So a day late and a few dollars saved you still get to see my latest treasures.

My first find was a Diana Buchman sweater with the tags still on priced at $175 on sale at the Salvation Army for $1.25! The sweater is basic black and it made a great gift for a friend since I can’t wear wool unless I want hives.   This picture really doesn’t do it justice. Sometimes it pays to stop while you are on vacation and out of your area.  I am sure we will drive this back way to Chicago more often just because of the conversation I had with the great sales lady!

The other things we found at this location were new DVD and CD wire mesh crates which were brand new for $3 (I got three of them) and a sharp knife for $.50.  We had brought a block of cheese along on our vacation and forgot a knife so we found a nice one so we didn’t wind up stopping to get a new one.  Hey you have to wash it either way.

Next we stopped at a small thrift store in the burbs of Chicago and I got this great Maggie Barnes jacket which would retail for around $75 at Catherines.  I paid $.50 and gave it to my friend to wear with that great sweater!  She was so excited and I was thrilled to give it to her.

But my favorite was purchased this week at the Goodwill locally.  I got a Franklin Covey laptop bag.  This will surely come in handy for Boy Scouts which I grab my laptop for each week and when I travel to Mexico in 2 weeks for that mission trip.  I searched online to see it’s value knowing either way I got a steal but was in shock to see comparable bags at $169.  I paid only $2.  For Christmas I got my son a Swiss Gear bag at Walmart for $40 and it is pretty basic not much compared to my new “used” bag.  Here are some pictures of all the pockets and such it has way more than a standard laptop bag.

I saved at the very least $432 over the retail price.  The items I purchased were either new with tags or so gently used you can’t tell I didn’t buy them new.  If you don’t shop at thrift stores you might want to find an afternoon and give it a try.  Be prepared for digging and really looking items over but it pays off.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of CSNStores. All opinions are 100% mine.

Most of us at this point have purchased something online.  But the world of online shopping is changing and social media such as Facebook can easily help you find a deal.  You can easily sign up for a Facebook page at facebook.com.  Once you have a page search for your favorite brands and stores.  Many of them offer freebies, giveaways, coupons or just deal updates. 

I recently signed up for CSNStores.  If you  haven’t heard of CSNStores it is a great online site with participation in over two hundred stores.  You literally could do almost all your shopping in this one location.  Stores are catorgorized and these are some of the store categories you will see.

• Furniture
• Home Decor
• Housewears
• Home Improvement
• Outdoor
• Babies & Kids
• Shoes, Bags & Luggage
• Health & Fitness
• Pet
• School & Office Supplies

This is just a start to what you will find at CSNStores.  I encourage you to check it out today if you are doing any shopping for yourself, friends, family or gifts.  Make sure to take a few minutes to sign up as a fan at Facebook also to get the latest deals and giveaway information!

If you have been following me long you know my oldest son is special needs.  I love him dearly but if you have had the experience of living with or been close to a special needs child you understand how much work whether that is physical or emotional that child can take.  Often it is a struggle to find adequate care for these kids.  I am very blessed to have my son on a waiver program provided through the state.  Part of his waiver includes respite care for my family.  Today our new worker Pam came to visit.  I can tell that she is going to work out very well for our family!  Hi Pam if you are reading   I look forward to the time when I am going to be able to enjoy myself or just do the dishes uninterrupted.  If you have a special needs child and don’t have the ability to get a break I highly encourage you to call your local human services department and ask about respite care.  In most states there is a waiting list but the wait might be well worth it.  You might be able to find a low cost alternative with a referral as well.  As hard as it can be sometimes you need to learn to take a break and care for yourself a bit!

Do you know an infomercial junkie?  Maybe you are one yourself.  Well I have a website for you.  Taylor Gifts has a huge selection of those great as seen on TV. You can also find several gadgets that you likely didn’t know existed.  I can find several items quickly that would be handy for me or things I know some of my friends would love.  For instance I drink a lot of tea and my cupboard is likely to have at least six flavors in it at all times.  I sure could use this handy tea bag storage system to declutter my cupboard.

If you know a practical joker you are sure to find a lot of gifts for them as well. Look at these funny ideas.

You can now lock up the toilet paper!

Or do you need some help picking out  your lottery numbers?  While these might not be the most practical gifts they are bound to give you hours of fun and possibly a memory you won’t be able to replace.

If you are on the hunt for something more practical you will find several options for organizing tools, home decor, furniture and energy saving devices.  There really is something for anyone no matter who you are shopping for.

This post was sponsored by Taylor Gifts.

Over the weekend my family got together to finish with our Christmas celebrations.  The weather has been a bit hectic here in our area and not everyone could get where we needed to go Christmas weekend.  My nephews, nieces and kids had a blast bowling like they do every year.  I thought I would share how much fun bowling can be even if you aren’t a great bowler!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dr Oetker. All opinions are 100% mine.

I know that I have some great Canadian followers and this post is exclusively for all of you! Dr Oetker Adventure Romantica Contest is up and running until February 15th and you won’t want to miss your chance to enter.  I suppose you are wondering  just what is at stake.

You could win the Grand Prize of an eleven-day Italian wine tour for two, complete with romantic meals, sightseeing and more!

You are going to want to register to become a  Savoury Moments member so that you can get a PIN now and start winning prizes.  Take a look at these great Instant Win prizes that will be given away as well.

There are one hundred thousand and eight (100,008) Instant Win Prizes (100,008 instant win pins out of a maximum of 2,152,000 PINS available) available to be won as follows:

• 100,000 – Ristorante Pizza Coupon (good for any variety where Dr. Oetker Ristorante Pizzas are available) with an expiry date of December 31, 2011– (APV $4.75) – Approximate odds 1:21

• 5 – “Ristorante for a Year” prize pack – which includes 52 free Dr. Oetker prize packs and 24 bottles of custom labeled wine. Winner must be of legal drinking age in jurisdiction of residence or winner will be substituted with a prize of equal value. (APV $700) – Approximate odds 1:430,400

• 3 – Tours for two at a local winery / vineyard near the winner’s residence. No transportation is included. (APV $300) – Approximate odds 1: 717,333

Good luck about now I wish I lived in Canada!

Frequently I get asked about my Baked Potato Bar nights when I post them in my menu plans.  I thought for this How To Tuesday I would share with you what my potato bar looks like and just how we do it.  This would really work well in replacement of a potluck if you were having friends over for movies or a game night.  It might be a fun super bowl party idea too!

First I bake the potatoes.  I do mine in the microwave most often but you can do them in the oven, toaster oven (great for just 2) or crockpot.  With the five of us I just plop them on a plate when baked but with a large group I would put them in a covered casserole dish or roaster pan to keep them warm.  I set out a small cutting board with knife for the kids (mine are teens) to slice their potato. 

After splitting the potato the kids can go down a line of small bowls of toppings which are alright to be warmed.  Tonight we have out taco meat, asian chicken cubes, onions, mushrooms and cheese.  Then each plate gets put back into the microwave for 1.5 minutes so that the cheese gets bubbly and the meat reheated.  This is a really good way to use up leftovers.  I have small anchor hocking bowls with lids which I can put small amounts of leftovers in for this night. 

After the potatoes come out of the microwave we tend to add salsa, ranch or sour cream.  This makes for a really easy supper!

Do you have a really great how to post? I would love to have you share it and feel free to grab my badge and share!

We are having horrible blowing snow and the boys have been home all day and full of energy to top it off.  Andrew came home early from work as soon as they pulled the plows off the road.  Little to say I have been distracted and occupied most of the day.  Now that I have done most of the dishes and a bit of laundry I had better post the menus for the week.

• Mexican Pizza (using up leftover taco meat)
• Creamed Turkey Sandwiches
• Goulash
• Beef Hashbrown Bake
• Baked Potato Bar
• Crab Cakes and Pasta

Sorry about the delay but I hope your menu planning is a success this week also!