Recipe=Turkey Chili Soup

Beware, this recipe makes a lot. It is very verry good and very filling. I had to use my big, huge pot. I think it is one of those older canning pots, you know, those black and white speckled pots. Anyway, just so you know it makes alot, but great for freezing too. I was also able to get most of the stuff from MY GARDEN!!! Yay!

Okay, now for the recipe.....

Turkey Chili Soup

Ingredients:
16 ounces of 99% FF ground turkey
2 mediium diced onion
2 (28 oz) cans of diced tomatoes
2 medium diced zucchini
2 medium diced yellow squash
2 (15 oz) cans black beans
2 (15 oz) cans FF beef broth
2 diced celery stalks
4 diced carrots
2 diced green bell peppers
1 (14 oz) package dry chili seasoning
1/4 cup instant brown rice
garlic to taste

Instructions:
Saute turkey until brown. All all other ingredients. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the veggies are soft and tender.

That's it!

This recipe is 22 servings and 1 point a serving. I believe the servings are of 1-1/2 cups.

I have made this recipe just like it says, but last night I made it a little different. I didn't add the turkey (I didn't have any and didn't feel like making "meat" or I would have added lean ground beef). I used chicken broth instead of the beef broth. Then, the other thing I changed was I used taco seasoning instead of the chili seasoning. The soup last night was REAL good! I figured it as FREE as there is nothing, but veggies in it.

I suppose you could even add a little cheese, maybe some tortilla chips, and some sour cream to make it a taco soup. You could really play around with this recipe. We ate it for dinner and I froze three bags for use at a later time.

I AGAIN did not make this recipe up and got iti years ago from the Weight Watcher chat board. So, A BIG THANK YOU to whoever made this up. It is an AWESOME recipe.

Oh, here some more pictures I took while prepping it. I am still new and trying to take pictures and cook, so please bear with me. ;)

I had to share this above picture. THESE ARE FROM MY GARDEN!!

This above picture is of all of the ingredients in the pot and ready to cook. See the big, black pot I'm talking about.

Okay, good luck. Let me know if you make and like it.

Thanks!

Cheryl

Recipe=Peanut Butter Spread

Okay, so this is REALLY good and VERY easy.

Peanut Butter Spread is 24 servings and FREE in points for 2 tablespoons

8 ounces of FF cream cheese
2 Tbls reduced fat peanut butter
1/4 cup of Splenda

and this is what it will look like.......

Okay, this is super easy....All you have to do is mix it up with a fork so it gets a thick, creamy consistency and it will look like this......

That's it! I have had this recipe for a few years and got it from the WW chat boards. So, I did not make this recipe up. I did check it in the WW Recipe Builder and at 24 servings this is FREE. Well, I also checked to see how much you could have for 1 point and you can have 3 SERVINGS for 1 point. One serving size is 2 Tablespoons, if I remember correctly.

I made this up last night and had it with an apple. It was sooooo good.

Thanks!

Cheryl

My Weight Loss Goal

has went DOWWWWNNNNN the tubes. :( I have shared with you over and over and over that I am a Weight Watcher. I never did say I was a GOOD Weight Watcher. Actually, you know, I was a good Weight Watcher for 4 years (I mean I was GOOD). Well, I have been struggling for the past year. Yep, you heard me right A YEAR. It (not Weight Watchers, but the fact that I am struggling) really SUCKS!!! Yeah, it does. I ONLY have a little under 50 pounds to lose to hit my goal. Now, many of you may say 50 pounds is a lot, but really for me 50 pounds is not that much to go compared to the 135 pounds I have lost so far. Right? I have NO idea what is wrong with me, but anyway......I HAVE committed myself to the plan once again and I have been doing real good this week. I dug out some of my old recipes and I am having fun. I found a couple of recipes that I would like to share with you. I also hope that you don't mind, but I need all the help I can get and more accountability is great for me. So, I weigh-in on Sunday mornings and I am telling you now, so that I have to do it, I am going to report Monday morning to you all with my gain and/or my loss. Now, one of my new tricks is not to look at the number I am at, as I thought I was focusing on the number too much, but found out that not looking at the number is quite easy. So, I have made a new goal and once I hit 5 pounds GONE I will start taking charge of that number again and get these POUNDS OFF!!! So, when I hit my 5 pounds GONE I am going to share that with you too. We are actually coming into one of the hard parts of year, for me, but I have GOT to do good. I AM GOING TO DO GOOD. Anyway, I got my recipes ready to share.

So, what are you doing to take charge of your weight loss goal?

Thanks!

Cheryl

Check out this AWESOME coupon.  Kraft just released a HOT $5/5 participating Kraft Cheese or Dairy product printable coupon! Plus, by printing this coupon, Kraft will donate 5 meals to Feeding America! This is very very Cool. Just go on over here to print this coupon out.

Thanks Coupon Posse!

Cheryl

My Shopping Trip Today

This is a picture of three different transactions, two at Albertsons and one at Safeway....

Sorry, I don't know what happened, but this picture is not very clear. Here is how they played out....

Albertsons Transaction #1

Lysol Wipes X3 @$1.79 each

-$1/1 ordered from recent insert X3

-Doublers X3(doubled to $0.79)

=FREE plus tax of $0.47

Albertsons Transaction #2

Ronzoni Pasta X2 @$1.69 each

-$1/2 printable

- Doubler X1

=$1.38, making them $0.69 each

McCormick Seasoning X4 @ $1 each

-$1/2 off of tearpad recently X2

-Doubler X2

=FREE

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs @ $6.94

-$3/1 markdown

= $3.94

Spent $5.32

Transaction #3 at Safeway

Fruit Smoothie X4 @ $1 each

-$1/1 printable X4

=FREE

Okay, so without coupons today, I would have paid $43.53, but with my coupons and savings I only paid $5.82. I SAVED $37.71!

Thanks!

Cheryl

$2/2 Nivea Lip Care

Yay! I love these kind of coupons. Just go on over here to print ou $2/2 Nivea Lip Care.

Thanks Hip 2 Save!

Cheryl

Free Disney on Demand!

This deal is from September 2nd through September 6th.

Free Disney on Demand!

Thanks to My Litter for sharing this!

Cheryl

Some New Printables This Morning

Here are a few printables that I came across this morning....

Go here to get these coupons....
SAVE $2.00 Garnier WHEN YOU BUY GARNIER HERBASHINE COLOR CR... (These are on sale at Riteaid this week)
Save $1 DelMonte when you buy ONE (1) Del Monte® Ready-to... (These also are on sale this week at Safeway=FREE)
$1.00 Tums OFF ANY TUMS® (24ct. or larger)  (Use this in conjunction with the Target coupon for some FREE Tums at Target)
$1.00 OFF ANY 2 Cap'N Crunch Boxes of Cap’n Crunch® Cereal (I hear these are on sale at Walgreens this week making them $0.50 each)
SAVE $0.50 Simply Asia on any ONE (1) Simply Asia® product
SAVE $0.50 Thai Kitchen on any ONE (1) Thai Kitchen® product
$1.00 OFF Nutella® One 13 oz. Jar or Larger of Nutella® The...
Save $1.00 Life Cereal on any 2 boxes of Quaker® Life cereal
Go on over here to get these coupons....
Save $1.00 on ONE package of any LUNCHABLES Lunch Combinations WITH water
Save $1.00 on any Baby Magic® Product 16.5 oz or larger (available at your local supercenter)
Save $1.00 on any three (3) REESE'S®, KIT KAT®, or HERSHEY'S® snack size bags (9-22 oz.) (Halloween is coming. You might want to print this and save it for a good sale).
Save $1.00 On any size Wholly Guacamole
Save $1.00 On any two Wholly Guacamole products

Thanks!

Cheryl

Home Made Baby Wipes

Check out this great recipe for making your own baby wipes. I got this (the pictures and the recipe) from Fistful of Coupons.

Ingredients:


1 Roll of Paper Towels (I recommend Viva as it has a nice cotton feel to it)
2 Cups Water
2 Tbsp. any Baby Oil, Apricot Oil, Mineral Oil, or Tea Tree Oil/ Malaleuca(anti-fungal)
1 Tbsp. Baby Wash (optional)
1 water-tight container (I love the Ziploc large round tub)

Directions:
Take the paper towel roll and cut in in half. You can take some large kitchen shears or a sharp knife. To the Water-tight container add your water, 2 Tbsp. any of the oils listed and optionally the baby wash. Gently mix the ingredients together and drop in the paper towel half. Seal the container and flip upside down. Within about 10-15 minutes normally the whole roll has been absorbed. Open it up and remove the cardboard paper towel holder and you can start using the wipes!

Baby Oil + other oils
I know from my baby shower I already had lots of baby oil that people had given me. I had NO IDEA what to do with baby oil, so I just didn’t use it. As for other oils you can find them at natural food stores or possibly even at Fred Meyer. My sister-in-law buys the Burts Bee’s apricot oil because she loves the smell. She doesn’t add the baby wash to her’s either. Another friend uses the J&J Lavendar baby oil to make her’s smell better. Other’s use the Tea Tree Oil/Melaleuca because it’s an antifungal/antibacterial which will help if your baby gets yeast infections.

Price Breakdown:
Typically you can get the Viva paper towels for around $1 per roll. I have seen them as low as $7.99 for a 10-pack at Target. This week at RiteAid you can get a 6-pack for $5.99 (or $1 per roll). The Viva rolls have 50 sheets, so when you cut the roll in half you get 100 wipes.

Baby oil + generic baby wash can be purchased as low as $1 at the dollar store or if you coupon you might score a great deal. The oil and wash hold enough 10+ batches of wipes..so it costs about .20 per roll.

So these cost about $1.20 for 100 Wipes!
Thanks Fistful of Coupons!

Cheryl

Cap'N Crunch for $0.50 at Walgreens

I am hearing that Walgreens has specially marked packages of Cap’N Crunch cereal for just $1.00, which goes nicely with the new Cap’N Crunch Cereal Printable Coupon on Red Plum! I believe there were coupons in one of the inserts from this past weekend too.

So, here's the deal.....
Buy 2 Cap’N Crunch Cereals: $1.00 ea.
Use $1.00 Cap’N Crunch Cereal Printable Coupon
or coupon from insert this past weekend
Final Price: $.50 ea.

I do have to admit that I have not verified if we are able to score this deal locally. If you know, would you please share.

Thanks Coupon Gal!

Cheryl

Have You Ever Just Had One of Those Days?

Okay, so before I show you the picture I JUST have to say a few words. Many of you, who have been following me for a while, have met/seen my "assistant" Blakey. Well, I have to tell you, he is such a card. Every time we turn around he is making us laugh for some reason or another. He REALLY is the family clown. Of course ALL of my kids are great and have their unique personalities. I could go on an on about my kids (as I'm sure many of you could too about your own children). Well, since most of you have met Blakey via in person or through my blogs, I just HAVE to share this picture with you.

Okay, so yesterday (Monday) evening we decided to go out to dinner (yes, with a coupon) and we were REAL hungry. We sent each of the kids to go in and go potty "AND wash your hands too." Okay, now you are done with that, "go and get your shoes on, so we get be ready to walk out the door." Blakey comes out of his "filthy" bedroom, where he can't find a single thing (yes, he has managed to turn his room upside down in a matter of days), and says "I cannot find my other shoe." I say, "you need to go back in there and find it, because you just had it a couple of hours ago." This is what happens when you ask him to pick his stuff up and he just takes it and chucks it in his room. Things just kind of land wherever. "We are going to leave in a few minutes and you'd better have your shoes on." I am trying to work with him in getting things done the first time I tell him. It is still a work in progress I tell ya'.

Okay, so we are off and running. Get to the restaurant, park the van, my husband goes to open the back door and he is presented with this...........

Look at his shoes!!! So, we ask him why he has two different shoes on, and he comes back with "well, I couldn't find my other flip-flop." Well, to his credit, he has them on the right feet and he DID get his shoes on so we could leave. :)

I don't think I have EVER laughed so hard. So, we came home and I took this picture. As you can see, he is a bit messy and not too happy with me.

Anyway, I just wanted to share with you all. Maybe you won't think it is as funny as I did, but I wanted to share.

Ever have anything like this happen with your kiddos?

Thanks!

Cheryl

Target trip today

Okay, so before I went to Yokes today I went out to Target to see about getting some John Frieda and "other" stuff. This was kinda' messed up. All I have to say is MAKE SURE YOU TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR RECEIPT BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!! I don't know if you have heard recently, but there has been some whispering about "guests" not getting the full amount of their coupons off when shopping at Target. I have been hearing of this for a while now and had never had such a thing happen to me, until today, and to say the least "I am still quite confused." My deal doesn't make sense to me, although I am happy with what I paid, it doesn't make sense to me.

Okay, so here is what I did today.

Without coupons, this would have cost me $38.21. With coupons and savings, this SHOULD HAVE cost me something like $12.21. Okay, so I am going to show you my receipt because it is MEHESSED UP! I wound up actually only paying....$6.16. You can double click on the image below to see it better.

 Okay, so, a little explanation....

Diet Mountain Dew (for my husband, I really do not like buying the stuff as it makes my total go up)

$2.66X2

-$1/1 X2

=$3.32, making them $1.66 each

Feminine Cloths X4 at $1.77 each

-$2/2 X2

=$3.08, making them $0.77 each

Tums X1 at $1.92

-$1/1 Target coupon

-$1/1 Manufacturer coupon

=FREE, making it $0.03 overage

John Frieda at $5.39 each X4

-$3/2 Target coupon X2 (I'm not sure if these are still available)

-$3/1 X4 from recent insert

=$3.56, making them $0.89 each!

Okay, so I was checking my receipt before I left and the receipt does not show that it took off two of my four John Frieda manufacturer coupons and only $1.77 off of two Summer's Eve (should be $2/2). Okay, so, I have been scouring and scouring my receipt and it just does NOT make sense to me. So, I waited for my hubby to get home, so he could help me figure this out and this is what we have come up with........

ALL of my coupons DID come off, but just did not show up on my receipt. I have no idea why that would happen, and it makes absolutely NO sense. I feel really bad, 'cause she gave me money back that I wasn't supposed to get back, but we both could not make sense of the receipt and she works there! So, I will be going in and speaking with them in the next week or so. I have been really swamped with work and today was one of the only days I was able to get out this week and get some shopping done. So, we'll see. Anyway, so just a word to the wise, watch your receipt and take your calculator with you. :) I take mine, but still manage to get messed up. ;)

ADDENDUM:  When I posted this yesterday I forgot to mentioned that the girl at the customer service desk did mention that they just recently received an e-mail stating that there were "weird" things happening with coupons not coming off of "guests" orders. So, just and FYI for you, they are aware of it.

Thanks!

Cheryl

**Repost** Instant Win Game on Facebook for Albertsons

I am reposting this, as I have heard of many people winning. I have won TWICE!! If you know me at all, I'm not a winner and I have won twice! So, if you are interested, go give it a try, you might be lucky too.

If you didn't know already, there is a new instant win game over on the Albertsons Facebook page. You will have to "like" them, then that will give you access to play the instant want game. Many people are reporting wins. I have to admit that I went and played this morning and....I WON!!! Yay! I won a $25 gift card! I am SOOOOOOO excited. So, if you are interested in playing, go here and that will take you to their page.

Thanks Coupon Posse' for the heads up!

P.S.~Let us know if you win. :)
Cheryl

Yogurt Cheese

Remember that recipe I posted a week or two ago called "Yogurt Cheese?" Well, I tried it and I liked it!! It was soooooo very easy and a real nice change from "regular" yogurt. If you need the recipe, click over on the recipes tab at the top of my blog and you will come across it. All I did was.....

1. Bought a big container of FF plain yogurt. (I have yet to make my own yogurt).

2. Lined a strainer with coffee filters.

3.  Placed the lined strainer over a big bowl.

4. Poured the full container of yogurt into the lined strainer.

5. Placed it in the fridge overnight.

And, this is what it looked like when it was done.

Look at how thick and creamy it is.

This what the yogurt "water" looks like when you are done. This is the "stuff" that drained out of the yogurt.

Okay, so, now all I have to do is add a little bit of vanilla extract and some Splenda and I'm good to go. It tastes very very good. And, I feel it is VERY frugal too. So, I just have a half-a-cup of this (1 point worth) with some fresh fruit and yum!

Thanks!

Cheryl

Yokes' Deal With Some Doublers

I went out today to get a little shopping done. I don't normally use doublers at Yokes, nothing against it, I just don't normally. Anyway, I really wanted to get some more FREEEEE pickles. Yep, a girl has to have her pickles. :) Anyway, here is what I came away with and I'm very very happy with it!

So, without coupons, this would have cost me $18.41. With my coupons, this cost me......$1.72!

Ronzoni pasta 2X$1.50=$3

-$0.50/1X2 from Blinkie at Safeway a month or so ago

-Doubler X2 (She took off $2,one dollar for each doubler)

=FREE

Nalley Pickles 5X$1.50=$7.50

-$1.50/1X5 from RP 8/29

=FREE!!!

Crest toothpaste2X$0.79 (I think these were supposed to be $0.97 each)

-$1/1 X2 ordered from previous insert

=$0.42 overage total, $0.21 overage from each coupon

M&M Pretzel1X$2.99

-$1/1 X1 ordered from previous insert

Doubled at $1/1

=$0.99

Note:  The Crest originally rang up at $2.46 each (Crest Tatar). So, I had to go back in and have that fixed. They were so good about giving my money back and then only charging me $0.79 for each toothpaste (not on purpose), but anyway they were just really nice!

Thanks!

Cheryl

The Frugal Life of a Mom is Being Honored with an Award!!

The Frugal Life of a Mom has been honored with A Blog With Substance Award!!


Okay, so I started this blog only months ago and I absolutely love it. I LOVE talking coupons and deals! I LOVE sharing coupons and deals (I have a  big mouth)! I have met a lot of people doing this, both in person and via the Internet. It's amazing the type of bond there is between fellow couponers. Thank you so much for your support and making this even more fun.


Okay, so the rules for this wonderful award, "A Blog With Substance" Award....

1. Thank the blogger who awarded it to you. So, onto my thanks....
THANKS A MILLION TIMES OVER TO THE AWESOME LADIES OVER AT THE COUPON POSSE!!! You gals have been so good to me and have shared so much with me as a blogger and as a bloghopper. You gals rock!!

2. Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using 5 words.

Fun-It is absolutely fun getting an AWESOME deal and then getting to share about it with you all.

Family-It is spendy having a family these days (not that it was much cheaper back then), but I love sharing ways for the family to get out and have fun with the kiddos or even other family members without having to spend your right arm and your right let. ;)

Frugal-I, personally, have saved sooooo much money learning how to coupon and in-turn have learned to become "frugal."

Honest-I am a FIRM believer in Karma. What goes around ALWAYS comes back around. I never knowingly will share a dishonest deal.

Sharing-I love sharing deals with you all and I love hearing about all the deals you all have come away with.

3. Pass it on to 10 other people you feel have blogs with real substance.

Here are some of my favorite picks for this award. Thanks to EVERYONE for sharing such GREAT information and your hard work!!

Fistful of Coupons

A Thrifty Mom

Fabulously Frugal

Tightwad in Utah

Clippin' With Carie

My Litter

Hooked on Bargains

Thrifty and Thriving

The Coupon High

Passion for Savings

Thanks again Coupon Posse'!

Cheryl

Walgreens Pepsi and Redbox Movie Deal

It has been reported that from 9/1/10 through 9/25/10, when you buy any two (2) Pepsi 2 liter beverages at Walgreens, you will get a FREE one night Redbox movie rental. Alternatively, when you buy any four (4) Pepsi 2 liter beverages, you will get 2 FREE one night Redbox movie rentals.

A Catalina will print at the register(at Walgreens) with your free movie rental code. I hear that Pepsi 2 liters are on sale this week for $1.  So, this week is a good week to take advantage of this offer, just remember not to make your purchase until Wednesday, September 1st.

Thanks Smart Shopping Ladies!

Cheryl

It's That Time of The Month Again

Remember to go print out the coupons you are interested in as it is the end of the month. Remember that the coupons usually get changed at the beginning of the new month, so if you have one or some that you have been waiting to print, you may want to print them now so you don't miss out on them. Here are a few sites you may be interested in going to see if they have something you would like...

Redplum
Coupons.com
Smart Source
Betty Crocker
Eat Better America

Thanks!

Cheryl

New Target Coupons

There are some "new" Target coupons over here this morning, or at least they are new to me. Here are a few.......

$1 off With purchase of two 9.9-oz. or larger M&M's bagged candy
$1 off 8-oz. or larger Aveeno daily moisturizing lotion
$1 off 4.3-oz. Sensodyne iso-active toothpaste
$1 off Neutrogena facial care item
$2 off Neutrogena face cosmetic item
$2 off With purchase of two Garnier Nutritionisteskin care items
$1.50 off Vaseline Hand or Body lotion
$1.50 off 8-pk. Dove Men-Care or 8-pk. Dove or 12-pk. Lever 2000 Bar soap
75¢ off Suave hair care item
75¢ off Wish Bone 16-oz. pourable dressing or 7-oz. salad spritzers
75¢ off With purchase of two Skippy peanut butter
$1.50 off Pond's face skin care item
$1 off two Stove Top® products
$1 off 285-ct. or larger Q-tips swabs
$1 off All® liquid laundry detergent
$1 off Degree or Dove Deodorant or Body mist
 
Thanks!
 
Cheryl

Local Spokane County Fair

Are you going to the Spokane County Fair this year? I do not normally go to the fair (I REALLY dislike the fair), but I do manage to go with my kids' school to help out. Anyway, I had forgot all about this until my friend, Tammy, and I were talking yesterday and she had mentioned that she went and pre-bought her admission tickets for the the fair.

The fair runs from September 10-19, 2010, and the theme is "It's an AG-Venture"

You can get your tickets early for a discounted price. Here is a bit of info that I got from their site....

Save a little cash this year by visiting us prior to the Fair opening. Pre-Season discounted tickets will go on sale beginning July 6 running through September 9. Remember...Fair Admission is charged on a daily basis. Once you're inside, exhibits, North Stage performances and a whole lot more are absolutely free! Food, beverages, carnival rides, games, and most Grandstand Arena entertainment will have an additional cost.


ADULT (14 to 64 years of age) - $7.00
YOUTH (7 to 13 years of age) - $5.00
SENIOR (65 years of age and over) - $5.00
CHILD (6 years of age and under) - FREE
TEN-PUNCH PASS (good for ten admissions to the Fair) - $45.00
FAMILY PAK (includes 2 adult and 4 youth admissions, 30 carnival ride tickets, and $3.00 in food coupons) - $39.00


Do you accept checks or credit cards for ticket purchases?
Tickets may be purchased using cash, a check made out to SCF&EC, or via credit card (Discover, Mastercard, or Visa).
Where can I purchase pre-season tickets?
Tickets will be available at the Fair and Expo Center Office as well as other locations throughout the area including the following. Please contact them directly for hours of operation.
Downtown - County Commissioners Office (County Courthouse) / 477-2268
Mead - Big R (15228 N Newport Highway) / 465-8100
Medical Lake - Village Supply (220 E Lake) / 299-3451
Spokane Area - Safeway Stores (Adult / Family Paks Only)
Valley - Big R (8307 E Trent) / 922-1090
Valley - HAV Western Wear (14902 E Sprague) / 924-4945
Valley - Super 8 Motel (2020 N Argonne Rd) / 928-4888
TicketsWest Outlets throughout the Greater Spokane Area


Where can I park when I come to the Fair?
Parking is available on our grounds at the Main Gate and the South Gate. Handicapped parking is located at both gates. The Interstate Fair provides handicapped accessible parking spaces, more than code requirement, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please note: All information is subject to change without notice and should be confirmed just prior to your visit.

If you would like a little more info, just go on over here to their website.

Thanks!

Cheryl