Nicole

Freezer-Friendly Frittatas!

Good morning, savvy savers! On this fine Saturday morning, I wanted to share with you my recipe for Freezer-friendly Breakfast Frittatas! What’s awesome about this recipe is its versatility, as it can be cooked quiche-style in a terrine pan, an omelet pan, or in a mini-cupcake wrapper style! Everything for this recipe you will more than likely have on hand. My version, the delicious morsel you see below, its ingredients came solely from the Dollar Tree; I use frozen trinity mix, frozen peppers and onions mix, frozen spinach blocks, and canned tomatoes all from the Dollar Tree. This recipe will cost $5.00, and will feed six! Keep in mind, this recipe, using disposable pans, can be made ahead of time, frozen, and served later, or prepared ahead, and then baked-off right before eating. In addition, I wanted to add that I pair this with fresh fruit and juice for a breakfast, or brunch, worth getting up in the morning for!

Freezer-Friendly Frittatas:

Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1/8 cup red pepper, diced
1/8 cup green pepper, diced
1/2 tomato, diced
1/2 package frozen spinach, thawed
1/4 cup cubed cooked ham (or bacon)
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk, or half and half
Pinch of parsley
Salt, pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Beat eggs with wire whisk; add rest of ingredients to taste.

2 Spray 8- inch skillet, pan, or glass baking dish with butter-flavored Pam and heat over medium flame.

3 Combine eggs, seasoning, and milk. Set aside two minutes to rest.

4) Fold in peppers, onions, spinach, tomatoes, ham, and cheddar.

5) Do not stir mixture.

6) Cook on stove top, on medium flame, for two minutes, then transfer to over for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

7) Remove frittata from pan when sides are a golden, bubbly brown.

8) Carefully slide frittata onto plate. Serve with picante sauce, if desired.

9) Enjoy!

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Coconut Mango Chicken Crockpot Curry

As a curry connoisseur, especially love Thai, Southern Indian, Malaysian, and West Indian I love making curries! Especially in the crockpot. This is a crowd-pleaser, and the leftover curry, drained of sauce, makes out of this world wraps, salad topping, and quesadillas!

Coconut Mango Chicken Crockpot Curry:

Ingredients:

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, cubed; rotisserie chicken leftovers can be used as well
5 large carrots, capped, peeled, and diced
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 large green bell pepper, washed, seeded, and chopped
1 (5 oz ) can tomato paste
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk, or half a box of similar brands, such as So Delicious.
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp curry powder
1 cup mango juice concentrate
1 jalapeno, seeded and halved or 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions:

1) Grease your slow cooker oil or pam; I used coconut oil.
2) Place the chicken, peppers, and carrots on the bottom of the slow cooker.
3) Place the rest of the ingredients, excluding the water and cornstarch, in a food processor, blending until the mixture is creamy and somewhat smooth.
4) Pour the sauce over the chicken and carrots, mix well, then cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
5) An hour before serving, make an instant roux by mixing cornstarch and water together, in a small bowl, until cornstarch is dissolved. Pour the roux into the slow cooker, fold into the curry, and cook for 1 additional hour.
6) Serve curry over rice, with flatbread, or nan, and accompany it with peas.
7) Garnish with fresh mint and cilantro, if available.
8) Enjoy!

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Weekly Meal Planning Menu: This Week Feeding A Family Of Four, For Only $36.19!

Good afternoon, savvy savers! Here is my weekly menu, for which was derived from couponing deals, freebies, and cupboard cooking; I will be feeding a family of four this week for only $36.19! Keep in mind, my corned beef, which is normally expensive was purchased around New Year’s Eve, when it was half-priced, and reserved for today.

This week we will be having:

Monday
Breakfast: Mini meatless mushroom frittatas, Fruit cups, and Juice.
Lunch: Grilled Spinach and Tomato Wraps, with Humus dip, sweet potato chips, and Crystal Light.
Snack: Walnuts and String Cheese.
Dinner: Dutch Oven Corned Beed and Cabbage, with Corn Muffins, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Tuesday
Breakfast: Cereal of Choice, Milk, and Apple Slices
Lunch: Progresso Soup of choice, carrot sticks, and Crystal Light
Snack: Trail mix.
Dinner: Taco Tuesdays!
Dessert: Brownie Ice Cream Sundaes Sandwhiches.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Yogurt with granola, and juice.
Lunch: Taco Salads, with juice.
Snack: Grapes and summer sausage slices.
Dinner: Apple-Stuffed Pork Roast, with roasted garlic and potatoes, with pita bread, and steamed spinach.
Dessert: Homemade flurries, with leftover brownies.

Thursday
Breakfast: Cereal of choice, with fruit cup, and milk.
Lunch: Grilled Mushroom Paninis, Crystal Light, and Sweet Potato chips.
Snack: Hummus and crackers, with grapes.
Dinner: Mini pizzas, tossed salad, with milk.
Dessert: Carrot Cake Cupcakes, with Cream Cheese Icing.

Friday
Breakfast: Smoothies.
Lunch: Tossed salad, with walnuts, grapes, feta, and dressing.
Snack: Granola and fruit cup.
Dinner: Turkey Dogs, With Slaw and Chilli, Chips, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Pineapple slushes.

Saturday
Breakfast: Pancakes, with sausage, and milk.
Lunch: Grilled Chicken sandwiches, with Sweet Potato chips, and Crystal Light.
Snacks: String Cheese and grapes.
Dinner: Chilli, with steamed corn on side, corn bread, and Crystal Light.
Dessert: Cookies and Pudding Trifle

Sunday
Breakfast: Overnight Crockpot Blueberry Cake, with Milk, and Blueberries.
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad, with Crystal Light.
Snack: Grapes and walnuts.
Dinner: Crockpot Matzo Ball Soup, corn bread, and milk.
Dessert: Cookies and Pudding Trifle, topped with ice cream.

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2013 Valpak Savings Institute Research Findings

Good afternoon, savvy savers! For this weeks Perfectly Positive post, I wanted to bring to your attention the findings of the 2013 Valpak Research Institutes Finding on household coupon usage!

According to the research:

-The average household can save up to $10,000 through couponing.

-Only 3-4% of couponers identified themselves as “Extreme Savers.”

-One-in-five consumers feel victorious (22%) after using coupons.

-Female couponers are 20% more likely than their male counterparts to receive emotional satisfaction from using coupons (69% vs. 57%).

-Nearly half of respondents age 18-34 said they feel responsible when they use coupons.

According to this research, women who coupon feel responsible, sapale, and self-sufficient! What do I say to these findings? Score one for the couponers!

Here’s to saving!

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Why You Should Create Separate Email Accounts For Coupons, Sweepstakes, and Product Offers!

Good morning, savvy savers! For this weeks Thrifty Thursday’s piece, I wanted to write about a no-brainer for us couponing folks, creating separate email accounts for coupons, sweepstakes, giveaways, freebies, and product offers! As you know, wading through a sea of emails, because your inbox is full of coupon-related messages, can be overwhelming. I recommend creating a separate email address to keep you organized and as stress-free as possible. I personally have two seperate email accounts, one for coupons and offers, and one for freebies that make you sign-up for offers; this send account is my “spam account.” With this said, here are a few tips to keep in mind when creating your new account:

Coupon Address: Start by creating a new email address. Either sign up with an alternative service provider, such as gmail, ymail, yahoo, or the like, rather than your personal email address. Be sure to keep separate tabs on on your internet browser, while online, so they are easily accessible to you. As well, add separate account to your mobile devices and gadgets, so that you can quickly check offers on the go!

Signing up: Use the newest address when you sign up for exclusive newsletters and offers.

Update: Make sure to update your current subscriptions to the new email address; most reputable companies and services provide a link (typically at the bottom of an e-newsletter) or allow an address change through profile settings.

Enjoy the freedom of a clean inbox!

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Save $48.68 A Year With Homemade Orange-Infused Glass Cleaner!

Good morning, savvy savers! For Thursdays Cleaning Solutions post, I wanted to share with you my recipe for Homemade Orange Glass Cleaning Cleaner! With the outrageous cost of commercial glass cleaners, I created an organic, non-toxic, child and pet-safe all purpose cleaner which can be for under $5.00 for a years worth of cleaner! As the average cost of a bottle of store-bought orange cleaner is 3.89, and I use a bottle of spray a month, that’s a savings of $48.68 a year! Here’s how to make this!

Ingredients:

1 Clean, dried mason jar
The peels of 3 oranges
2 Cups Distilled, white vinegar
1 Empty Bottle
1 Funnel
1 Plastic Bowl
1 Sifter

To start:

1) Obtain a clean mason jar, and fill it with 16 ounces, 4 cups, of distilled white vinegar.

2) Place the peel of three oranges in the mason jar with the vinegar.

3) Secure the cap and ring on the mason jar.

4) Store the jar in a cool, dry place for 14 days.

5) On the 15th day, open the jar and strain the contents into a sifter, over a plastic bowl.

6) Return the solution to the mason jar with a funnel; label your jar as cleaning concentrate.

7) Open a spray bottle and add 1/4 cup of the solution, 2 ounces, to 5 cups water.

8) Seal the bottle and shake gently.

9) Use in conjunction with newspaper to clean most glass surfaces, including counters.

Please note, that this is the cleaner I also use daily to clean off the counters in my own kitchen, on the cabinets, and around the baseboards! This is also the cleaner I use when completeing many of the daily challanges on MoneySavingMom.com and their Organizing Challanges!

This is an awesome cleaner!

Enjoy the clean!

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Homemade French Dressing!

Good afternoon, savvy savers! Its Throwback Thursday! So, today I want you all to remember the not so distant past, the days when the height of sophisticated family dining was going out to the Sizzler or Ponderosa! How I remember those days! So may eisles, so many choices, only one plate!

For me, my first stop was always the salad bar, and my topping of choice, the Orange Stuff! That’s right, the old school Orange French Dressing; the tangy sweetness of this topping always brought a smile to my face! But why let the fun end with adulthood? So, for this edition of Throwback Thursday, I’ll be posting my recipe for homemade Orange French Dressing!
Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1 cup ketchup
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
Directions:

1) In a one quart jar, combine sugar, ketchup, oil, garlic, vinegar, hot sauce, celery seed, and liquid smoke.

2) Cover and shake well.

3) Refrigerate until serving.

4) This recipe makes 1 quart dressing; I save mine in a mason jar, secured, and stored in the refirdgerator up to three months!

5) Enjoy!

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