I was looking thru the grocery ads this week and noticed a deficit in organic food deals, so I thought I’d pull out my cheap meal plans and share some with you. Both of these meal ideas are low calorie, well balanced, and inexpensive.

Meal 1: Veggie Burgers and Fries

Just so you know, my family is not a tofu family. We are originally from the midwest where you eat lots of meat…..especially beef, so keep that in mind if you’ve never tried a veggie burger before. Our favorite is the Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Burgers in the frozen section of your grocery store.

Ingredients

Frozen Veggie Burger patties (see above for our favorite)

Buns

2 Potatos

Olive Oil

Garlic (minced or garlic salt)

Burger Toppings: You can use traditional burger toppings, or guacamole is fabulous)

Rinse and slice potatoes for fries. You can make these as thin or thick as you like. Pat the fries down, and then place on a cookie sheet (spray sheet first with non-stick spray). Pour 2 tbsp. of olive oil over fries and toss. Sprinkle garlic salt or minced garlic over the fries. Bake at 375 for 20-35 minutes depending on the thickness.

Prepare burgers according to directions. We toast our buns, melt cheese over the patties and put a dollop of guacamole on each burger.

Meal 2: Pizza

Amy’s Pizza is 2/$10 this week. On nights we have after school activities, or a babysitter we serve this for dinner. I only cook 1 pizza for all 4 of us, because I use pizza night to get rid of leftover fruit and veggies. At the end of every week, I always have leftover produce. I’ll whip up a salad, or roast the veggies in the oven (prepare like the fries in the first recipe).

Tonight I am roasting apples. I’m mixing a little brown sugar, lemon juice, and some water, and pouring it over apples sliced in half laying face down in a casserole dish. Since I have cinnamon sticks I’ll toss in a few of those as well. Cover this with foil and bake at 450 for 15 minutes. You can do this with pears too.

December 2nd, 2008 | Category: Recipes | Comments (2)

I just ran across a new site called RetailMeNot, which I totally love. They have the coupon codes and printable coupons for many of the places I shop. They have everything from Pottery Barn to organic beef. This is a great site to use while doing your online shopping.

December 1st, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (3)

Happy Monday. If you’re like me, you’re already thinking about holiday shopping. I thought I’d share with you some of the things I discovered this weekend:

• Victoria Secret: I went to the store on Friday to try on one of their jogging suits I liked. The price for the pants was $48 and the hoodie was $58. I went to their website and found the pants on sale for $39 and the hoodie for $45. Plus, an online special offered 25% of your highest priced item and free shipping. Once it’s all added up……it’s $34 cheaper to purchase online. I asked an associate at VS about this, and she said the online site runs it’s own promotions…..something to keep in mind this holiday season.
• On Friday, I received a ToysRUS advertisement for a 24 hour sale on certain toys. I saw a NERF gun my son wanted, which was marked down 50% to $19.99. Just out of curiosity, I went to Amazon to check their price. Their everyday price was $4 cheaper, and shipping is free if you spend $25.
• Also on Friday, the paper had a $5 off coupon for the movie KungFu Panda. I did some online searches for Target, Walmart, CVS, Amazon, and Circuit City. The highest price I found was $24.99, and the lowest was a special at Circuit City for $14.99.

Bottom line: a little research can net a big savings!

November 24th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (5)

For the month of December you can subscribe to some really great magazines for CHEAP at the Amazon website. Here’s a list of some of my favorite $10 deals:

• Vanity Fair
• Bon Appetit
• Good Housekeeping (2 year)
• GQ
• Self
• Gourmet
• Glamour
• Parents (2 year)
• Better Homes & Gardens
• Veranda (2 year)
• Best Life
• Redbook
• Bazaar (2 year)
• Cookie

They also have $5, $15, and $20 deals. I’m going to pick up a few for myself and send out a few as gifts.

November 18th, 2008 | Category: Freebies & Cheapies | Comments (1)

Go to the Betty Crocker website and sign up for their free 2009 calendar. Each month features a new recipe and baking tips. By signing up, you will also receive coupons for Betty Crocker products, and the occasional free sample.

November 18th, 2008 | Category: Freebies & Cheapies | Leave a comment

It seem like every time I go to the grocery store I come across a different type of fruit. A couple of fruits have been popping up everywhere…..juice, cereals, smoothies, and even gum. I decided to get the skinny on these new fruits. Here’s what I found out:

• Acai: this tart Brazilian fruit is rich in antioxidants. It’s been labeled as a “Super Food”, and is thought to fight heart disease, cancer, and prostate enlargement.
• Pluot: This fruit was scientifically created. It is a sweet cross between an apricot and a plum. It is rich in Vitamin C and fiber.
• Dragon Fruit: This beautiful fruit is found in South America and Southeast Asia. It is another fruit rich in Vitamin C and fiber, and is said to assist in controlling glucose blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes. I think an entire episode of “Ugly Betty” was about this fruit.

Please comment if you’ve tried any of these fruits and what you think.

November 17th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Mattell is offering a free Planet Hero’s “The Ace That Jumped Over The Moon” DVD. You don’t pay shipping, give credit card information, or anything. I hope mine comes by Christmas, so I can stick it in my son’s stocking. The last time they ran this offer, supplies ran out quickly…….so you better act quick.

Special thanks to Bargain Shopper Lady who posted this free offering to begin with.

November 14th, 2008 | Category: Freebies & Cheapies | Leave a comment

Usually when I think of casseroles, I think of mayonnaise, heaving cream soups, and lots of butter. I also think of long prep time, lots of ingredients, and a big mess. But still, on a cold day I love a good casserole. This recipe is only 301 calories with 5 grams of fat. It’s easy to prepare and not too messy. This is a good end of week recipe, because you can use up all of your leftover odds and ends from the week.

I’ve subsituted canned tomatoes for fresh. Replaced the bell peppers with things I have laying around, and even substituted black beans for chicken. Play around with it and make it your own.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups diced skinless cooked chicken
10 corn tortillas, cut in quarters
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Whisk together milk and flour in a small bowl to make a smooth paste. Add to the broth and cook over medium, whisking constantly, until thickened and smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in yogurt, tomatoes, chilies, cilantro (or parsley), chili powder, oregano and cumin. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.
4. Line the bottom of a shallow 3-qt. baking dish with half the tortillas. Top with half of the chicken and half of the onion mixture. Spoon half of the sauce evenly over the top. Repeat layers with remaining tortillas, chicken, onion mixture and sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.

November 13th, 2008 | Category: Recipes | Comments (1)

It seems like my family has been locked into AT&T forever. Every time I call them to check on my contract it seems that we are eons away from it ending, and have a high buyout if we do change. I’m not saying that we’re unhappy with their service, but I’d like to do some price comparisons from time to time.

I’ve recently heard that Sprint will pay up to $200 of your termination fee if you choose to change to their service. I’m going to surf over to Sprint’s website and see how their Family Plans compare to mine…..you might want to do the same.

November 12th, 2008 | Category: Freebies & Cheapies | Comments (1)