Frozen Muffin Batters

Ladies--

I'm so excited to try this new technique for preparing muffins!  Chase has been telling me lately that he likes muffins in his lunch but ONLY if they are FRESH.  I was like, "Get real kid!"  Until I read this:  http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/freezing-muffin-batter-for-quick-breakfasts-and-snacks

Let me know what you think!

Janet

Chicken at Smith's

I just back from Smith's (Tuesday 2/5) and chicken is on manager's special for $1.19 a pound.  Don't know how long this will last.

They had some right as you walk in the door and some back in the meat department.  My guess is they overordered for the Super Bowl.

Christmas 75% off at Glendale Walmart

The Reno Walmart next to the Grand Sierra has all of their Christmas stuff market down by 75%.

Some of the deals I got today:

• Taper Candles .11
• Holiday Time Cinnamon 15 oz glass jar candles .99  (they had a large selection of candles)
• Holiday Time Cinnamon 3 oz glass jar candles .24
• Wrapping paper rolls from .24 to .61  (yes that decimal is in the right place girls)
• Better Homes & Gardens Plug-In Scented Wax Warmer $2
• Tim McGraw Cologne $2.37
• Girls Brush .25
• Disney Lip Gloss .25
• Numerous Toys

Sorry I don't have a picture for you--couldn't get it to upload.

Dollar Twizzlers

If you like twizzlers you can stock up now at Walmart! I took this picture of the end cap of the candy aisle at the Northwest Walmart on McCarran near MaeAnn. I don't know if the other locations have the same deal, but for a one pound bag of the regular twists, cherry bites or rainbow flavors it's only one.dollar. That's about 6 cents per oz. yum! Great for road trips, kids incentive prizes, and movie nights!

Enrichment Muffin Recipes

As requested, here are 2 awesome recipes from the "healthy eating" relief society night. These are from the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld ( I added a few of my own variations on some) and are intended to sneak in more veggies into your family's diet. These also have less oil and sugar in them, but are still super yummy and moist. She uses purees, which you make by cooking the vegetable  first and then putting in a food processor, or using a stick blender to puree. She suggests pureeing batches at a time and so thats what I do - if I have squash I cook it all then puree it and put it in small ziplock baggies in 1/2 c. or 1/4c. increments. Of course, make sure you label them :) Happy baking to you!




Applesauce Muffins (with butternut squash or carrot)

Batter:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. wheat flour (or more white if you don't have wheat)
1 c. old fashioned oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 T. ground flax (opt.)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. butternut squash or carrot puree
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c. canola oil
1 egg
Topping:
2/3 c. old fashioned oats
1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T. butter
*Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
TO make batter, combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flax and cinnamon in a bowl.
In a larger bowl, mix the applesauce. milk, vegatable puree, sugar, oil and egg with a wooden spoon.
Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture stirring until just moistened. The batter should be lumpy.

To make the topping stir together the oats, sugar, and cinnamon. then cut in the butter til crumbly.

Divide batter evenly between 12 greased or lined with paper muffin cups. Bake until topping is slightly browned and toothpick comes out clean - about 18-20 min.
Makes 12 muffins
Enjoy!




Banana Bread/Muffins (with cauliflower)

3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. white flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 T. ground flax
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. canola oil
2 egg whites
1 1/2 c. banana puree
1/2 c. cauliflower puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a bowl, mix flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and flax.
In a larger bowl mix sugar and oil with a wooden spoon until well combined.
Mix in egg whites banana and cauliflower purees and vanilla.
Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.
Pour batter into greased loaf pan, or greased muffin pan
Bake until toothpick comes out clean - 50-55 min. or 20-22 min. for muffins
let cool for 5 min. then turn out on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Makes one loaf  or 12 muffins.
Yum! Can't even taste the cauliflower!

Can You Keep a Secret?

Shhhhhh!  If this gets out I'm ruined!  My family is notoriously picky when it comes to eating healthy food so this week I tried an experiment.  Fellow Moms--please do not tell your children or husbands  about this!  I don't want it to get back to my kids but I did want to share the results of this experiment in the hopes that it can help you too.

Getting my children to eat a whole onion, squash, 3 carrots, 3 celery stalks and a handfull of cauliflower is just not realistic in my world.  But with the Vita-Mix the impossible just became possible.

I pureed all of the above vegetables beyond recognition.

I mixed the vegetables with a package of ground beef in a large bowl.

At first I thought, "Oh crap.  This is too much veggie juice!"  But no--it mixed in nicely.  Even I couldn't tell it was there.

I formed the meat into patties and stuck them in the freezer on cookie sheets.  After they were frozen I used my seal-a-meal to package 6 patties at a time (enough for our family).

So last Saturday we tried the hamburgers.  I had fantasies that the hubby and  kids would say, "Wow, these are the best burgers ever!"  But no. Nothing.  The hubby commented that he liked the store bought ones a little better because they are bigger.  But no comment on taste. 

They all just ate them.  No fanfare.  But most importantly no COMPLAINING!  This is a triumph.  I did it.  I got my family to eat something remotely healthy without complaint. I love my Vita-Mix!

P.S. If you have veggies that need using up before they spoil this is a great option.  I was thinking the puree would be great in a soup too.

Flip a Dresser for a Profit....eer, ah--keep it!

So one of my hobbies is to restore ugly and otherwise broken down dressers to good form and sell them for a modest profit.  The first step is to find a quality dresser at a good price.  Garage Sales and Craig's List are good options for this.  I have paid from $0-35 for a project piece.

Look for items that suffer aestetically but are structurally sound.

Dovetailed drawers are a sign of good quality craftsmanship.  Repairs are easier to make on these kinds of pieces.  This particular dresser did not need any major repairs.  When drawers do need to be repaired I use lots of clamps, wood glue, and a nail gun.

Hardware can be the most expensive part of a flip project.  So try to select a piece that has good hardware.  I got lucky on this one.  When I removed the hardware I discovered it came in two pieces.  I opted to remove the face plate, fill the holes with wood putty and just use the pulls.

Take the drawers out, remove the hardware and sand the drawer faces.  I use an electrical hand sander for this.  You do not have to remove all of the old paint/stain.  Just buff it enough that paint will adhere to the surface.

More sanding.  Clean the surface.  Then you're ready to paint.  Black and white always sell fast.  Universal appeal I guess.  I chose to paint this dresser chester grey (has olive undertone).  I just love that color!

Once the paint is dry you can sell as is or take it a step further.  I wanted to "antique" this dresser.  I always second guess myself on this because I realize that this process requires a lot more time and what if my buyer doesn't want it antiqed?.....well, I like it antiqued...soooooo.................................

I use a paint scraper to scratch the areas where natural wear and tear would occur.  I hit the edges and around the drawer pulls with a few scratches in other places.

Next I wear gloves because I just make a huge mess with the stain!  I use an old towel to rub stain on all the parts I just jacked up with the paint scraper.  I also rub the stain over the paint.  I wipe it of in long, smooth strokes taking care not to leave signs that this is an un-natural process. 

Allow the stain to dry completely.  I then use a foam brush to seal the paint and stain with polyurethane.  This makes it so the surfaces are not "sticky". 

Replace the hardware.



And, viola!  It's ready to list on Craig's List.  Unless.....you love it so much you don't really want to sell it!  Okay, I did list this piece for $125.  But, I'm going to be a stickler on the price because I want an excuse to keep it!...But have nowhere to actually use it.  Last time I loved a piece this much my friend Summer bought it and I was happy to let it go knowing I could have visitation rights.

As far as pricing goes I consider the going price on craig's list and the investment of time and resources I have into it.  I usually try to make sure I get paid about $35/hr. minimum.  If you are able to score a dresser for a great price you can make much, much more.  This week I sold a different dresser set that I made $75 per hour invested.

So that is my fun little hobby.  Two years ago I earned enough money flipping dressers to supply my family with all of our spending money for our 4-Day Disneyland trip.  My daughter just told me this morning that I needed to sell some more dressers so we could go to Disneyland again.

P.S. If you see or have  an old dresser and you're not going to flip it yourself--give me a call!

:) Janet

50% OFF PLANTS AT HOME DEPOT

Home Depot is running a 50% of deal on 4", 4-Packs and 9-Packs through April 25th (Wednesday).
On Saturday I picked up 4 packs of Kale, Broccoli and Cauliflower for just .84 cents each!

Don't forget that Home Depot also does a "meet and beat" deal in which they will beat any advertised price by 10%.  Just bring the ad with you.  I was recently able to get 5" tomatoes for $1.35 using this method.

Bountiful Baskets

I was very pleased with my first pick up at bountifulbaskets.org yesterday.  Here's how it works.  Every other week there is an opportunity to order/contribute.  This is done on  the Mon/Tues just prior to the Saturday pick up.  You are under no obligation to order every time--I love that!  The cost is $16.50 (Plus a one time $3 fee your first time)  The order consists of 1/2 fruit and 1/2 veggies.  You get what you get and you don't throw a fit.  Here's the breakdown on yesterdays order:

Weight = 25 lbs @ $16.50 = just .66 cents per lb

Another way to break down the cost is by what I would pay if I purchased these items at a "good price" in the supermarket.

• 6 ears of corn  $1.50
• 4 yellow squash  $1.50
• 6 tomatoes $1.25
• 1 bunch spinach  $1.00
• 1 stalk celery   $1.00
• 1 Romaine Lettuce $.75
• 3 brown onions  $1.25
• 1 bunch bananas $1.50
• 1 lb strawberries $1.00
• 3 lemons $.75
• 5 kiwi $1.00
• 3 lbs apples $3.00

GRAND TOTAL= $15.50

Pretty comparable.  I'm giving Bountifulbaskets.org a thumbs up on value!  Here is what I see as the advantages of this program.

1. Keeps me out of the supermarket where I am likely to pick up a few other items.
2. It's not likely that I would find all of these items at a "good price" at one store each week, so it saves me having to make multiple stops to get the same prices or the trouble of price matching at Walmart.
3. Helps me try new things that I wouldn't normally purchase.  Can you believe I've never purchased squash before?
4. It's fun!  I car-pooled to the pick up site with a friend and we had the chance to chat it up. Plus, I knew a number of people at the pick up site.
5. There is no obligation to order every time like in so many co-ops.  So if I'm going out of town--no worries I don't have to buy something I can't use.
6. There are other order options.  There is an organic option for $10 more.  There are different specialty items available if you choose.  For instance, one of my friends ordered a 25 lb bag of carrots for $8.  She was going to can them but I thought they'd be great for juicing too.

This co-op is available all over the country and our closest pick up site is in SunValley.  Now who wants to start one in Spanish Springs?

Walmart Deals - Spotted Wed, 4/4

Mini Cuties - 2 containers for $3 - each container is 3.6 lbs. So it ends up at about $.41/lb

Cheese Nips - $1 ea (8 oz. box) - they are located in the main isle between the baby dept. and the frozen foods

Steal of a deal at Walmart!

Today at Walmart, I was able to get a GREAT DEAL!

1. Betty Crocker Cookie Mix for 50 cents each! (they must have a surplus, and have to get rid of them)
          It's the big one that makes 3 dozen cookies. Its mostly sugar cookie mixes, but the choc. chip and oatmeal variety are included too! By the way, you will notice in the picture that SOME of the mixes are the bonus size and have 20% more (for the same price!) They make 3 1/2 dozen.  I didn't notice till I got home....so try to get the bigger ones for an even better deal!
The awesome thing about getting these mixes is that I have some bar cookie recipes that call for these mixes and they are usually more expensive, so I don't make those recipes that often. Also the sugar cookie one is good for a fruit pizza cookie crust. (I will post that recipe on here sometime)

This is the kind of deal that is while supplies last, so I thought I would post soon so you could take advantage of it!

Homemade Detangler

Ladies---
I have tried this and it works great on the girls hair!  I just squirted some conditioner in my old detangler bottle added some water and whalla!  Since I usually get conditioner for very cheap or free this method costs just pennies! :)

Good luck!

Janet

http://www.livingonadime.com/homemade-hair-detangler/

Cuties & Pineapple at Walmart

I visited Walmart on 3/17 and found the following deals:

Cuties 3 lb bag for $2.00 use .35 cents off coupon from recent insert = $1.65 or .55 per lb.
Bananas .35 per lb

Price Match from Marketon Ad (if you don't get this ad visit their website http://www.marketon.com/

• Pineapple  for .99 each
• 3 lb bag of Fuji apples for $1.50 each
• Celery Bunch for .50 each

Super cheap grape tomatoes!

 Savemart has their grape tomatoes (a 10 oz clamshell container)  two for a dollar! That's right folks, 50 cents a piece! On the sign at the store it says it's a $4.29 savings! Amazing! I have never seen this variety of tomatoes this cheap - ever! (is there a grape tomato contamination scare that I am unaware of ?!)
Anyway - the sale lasts till next Tues. the 13th, and there were about 20 more containers today when I was there.
(sorry no picture, I was too lazy to take a picture of my tomatoes)

I was at Walmart today (not a good idea to go there on a Saturday!) and I found this booklet. It's mostly recipes but it has these 2 coupons in the back. It was at the Spanish Springs Walmart in the center isle between the frozen section and the baby section. They were in little holders on the side of a big display.

Going Bananas for Bananas!

Hey ladies, better get this deal fast! I was at Walmart tonight -( 1/12/12) and saw that the price sign at the bananas said 10 cents per pound! 
I wasn't wearing my glasses, so at first I thought I saw wrong, but sure enough that was the price! Me and my son started loading up bag after bag! I have a dehydrater, so I think I will dry some. And freeze some. And make some yummy banana recipes! If you have a good one, let me know. The best part is that some of these bananas are in the ripe/speckled brown stage, and some were perfectly yellow or greenish yellow. So these are great!

I asked the worker who was stocking them how long she thought the sale would go. She said they just marked them down to that price today (thurs) and she showed me all the boxes of ones to keep stocking to clear out. There were about 8 or 9 boxes left besides what was on the shelves.

Anyway, if you can, I would go get some soon!

By the way, my checker didn't believe the price when it came up and I told her it was true. She still got another worker to check on it, because she thought it was a computer mistake.....ha ha , she was shocked when she found out it was true!

4 lbs. C&H Sugar $1.23-1.48

If any of you are still sitting on your C&H sugar coupons now is a great time to use them.  Sak' N Save has a weekend (Fri-Sun) special on C&H Sugar for $1.98.  Limit two.  There have been two recent sugar coupons for .75 and .50.  That makes the cost .30 cents to .37 cents per lb.--half the cost of Costco or the cannery.  Sak' N Save also has some well priced produce:

Green Grapes .97 /lb
Avacados 3/.99
Celery 2/$1
Cucumbers 3/.99

Remember you can always price match at Walmart!

.50 Candy at Scolari's

Scolaries has Hershey's Candy on Sale this week 2/$5.  Print 2 coupons at the following link.  It should double to make the bags just .50 cents each!  I did this deal Saturday and had no problem.  The cost is about .05 cents an ounce.  Comparable candy at Costco is .14 cents per ounce.

http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?bt=wi&tqnm=yjwrcrz4012247&o=93972&c=JK&p=nrq6mp7c

Make Up Stock Pile

Here is my make up haul.   I had purchased a few with the same coupons last week.  I have 3 more to use.  I plan on going to Savemart to use my last few coupons since Walmart is running low on selection at this point.

The blush is priced $3.74 and the eyeshadow is priced $3.14 at Walmart.

Cover Girl Make Up Overage

Have ya'll seen this coupon found in the October P&G insert?

This week I used 4 of these coupons to purchase 8 make up items (blush and eye shadow). I ended up with a $3.88 overage which I applied towards 3 boxes of wheat thins that cost $3.87 total.  ( I price matched and used coupons on the Wheat Thins.) So the way I see it, I got 8 free make up items and 3 free snacks.  I LOVE COUPONING!