Katie's Apple and Carrot Muffins

These muffins are fabulous! Not only are they pretty healthy for you, they are so yummy. They are so yummy, in fact that my girls call them "cupcakes!" They are great for breakfast, snacks, dessert and they even freeze great! It would be a great idea to make a double batch and freeze the rest in a Ziploc. Then you take out how many you need from the freezer, warm it up in the microwave and wha-la!

Here is the pic of the muffins I made w/ Katie's Recipe:

You can click here to view Katie's full recipe.

One more Mother's Day deal...FREE Fazoli's. :0)

Just got this in an email. Free spaghetti or fettuccine alfredo with the purchase of an adult entree. Available Friday (today) to Sunday (Mother's Day).

Friday: Waffles with Strawberries and Turkey Sausage

Yummmmmm waffles! Especially waffles with fresh fruit. It can't get any better than that.... oh wait, add some whipped cream or powdered sugar and it gets better!


This is a classic recipe using Bisquick and fresh strawberries. It shouldn't take much explanation, but I will share my pictures with you!


Here is what you need:


Bisquick (don't have Bisquick? Use our recipe to make your own!), Strawberries, 2 TB vegetable oil (or applesauce is always a great substitute when baking for oil), 1 1/3 cups milk, 1 egg

Step 1:

Slice and wash your strawberries. Even if you don't think you will use the whole container, it is a great idea to go ahead and wash/slice them all and then stick them in the fridge so they are prepped for when you need a quick snack!

Step 3: Mix your Bisquick and Make your Waffles. I have always wanted one of those fancy waffle makers you see in hotels. You know, the ones that have a handle and you flip them! How fun! We just have a simple 2 square Belgian waffle maker. It works great still!

Step 4: Serve waffles topped with strawberries, syrup and powered sugar (or whipped cream!) We chose to add some protein with turkey sausage. Yum!


What is your family's favorite waffle topping?

Give us your creative ideas!

Dining Out Deals

I'm sure many of you will be eating out for Mother's Day! Wahooo!!! Here are some deals at restaurants for moms this Sunday:

• Smokey Bones is offering a FREE entree for Mums when one is purchased with this coupon.
• Coldstone Creamery: Participating locations will be giving away free scoops of ice cream to Mums.
  
• TCBY: Free cone or cup of yogurt at participating locations.
  

(Thanks Mummy Deals!)

And now, onto our regular restaurant deals:
Quiznos is offering up a “Kids Eat Free” program where kids can eat FREE all day, every day!

For every adult entree purchased (Sub, Toasty Torpedo, Chopped Salad or Choose 2), you can snag one FREE Quiznos Kidz Meal:
* Kidz Meals include Kidz Subs, Sammies & Pizzas
* Offer is valid for children aged 12 and under (child must be present)
* Begins May 3rd with no end date as of yet (be sure to call your local store to verify their participation)!

(Thanks, The Frugal Find!)

Free coffee for signing up for Dunkin’ Perks! Just for signing up, you’ll get a FREE medium beverage of your choice (iced or hot coffee, tea, latte, hot chocolate or Coolatta)! Plus, you’ll also get another FREE medium
beverage on your birthday!

(Thanks, $30 Weekly Grocery Challenge!)


Head on over to the Denny’s Facebook page and create a Mother’s Day card to send to your mom. Just for doing so, you’ll score a coupon for FREE pancake puppies! Plus, your mom will get a card with a FREE Pancake Puppies coupon too!

(Thanks, The Thrifty Couple!)

Buy any Grande Specialty Beverage and get any beverage free at Biggby Coffee with this coupon. Valid May 5-9, 2010.

Thanks, Savvy Spending!

Starbucks is offering Half-Priced Frappuccino Blended Beverages from May 7-16, 2010 during their afternoon Happy Hours (3-5 p.m.). More details here.

Thanks, Clippin’ With Carie!

Also, May 6th-May 12th, ALL Cinnabon locations are offering up completely FREE Classic Rolls when you show your Healthcare ID! Check out all the yummy details here.

The Freebie Blogger!)

Bob Evans is offering up a yummy new coupon! Just go to their Facebok page and click on the coupon link on the lower right hand side to print a SmartSource coupon valid for a FREE wrap ($5.99 value) with the purchase of one Farm-Fresh Wrap, a side and a beverage! You’ll also get to choose between 3 different varieties of wraps: Turkey Club, Chicken Caesar or Chicken Salad. This coupon is valid through 6/2/10, so you’ll have plenty of time to make use of it.

(Thanks, Savvy Spending!)

Restaurant.com is slashing 70% off any gift certificate via coupon code "MOM". Although we've seen better coupons, Restaurant.com restocks many of its certificates at the first of the month, meaning that this weaker coupon is potentially more useful. It cuts $25 dining certificates to $3 and $10 gift certificates to $1.20. Restaurant.com's gift certificates are redeemable at local restaurants across the United States. Some gift certificates have restrictions, like dinner-only or a $15 minimum. (Each restaurant lists its individual restrictions.)

(Thanks Dealnews!)

One more deal worthy of mentioning:
ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS chock full of awesome coupons for eating out are marked super down right now! Entertainment.com is offering its 2010 Entertainment Books for all cities for $15 with free shipping. That is up to $35 off the regular price. Entertainment Books contain hundreds of 2-for-1 and 50% off coupons valid at many restaurants, hotels, and services in your area. (You choose the specific book for your city or region.)

(Thanks Dealnews!)

Family Fun Idea: Camp Out... In your BACKYARD!

My husband and I love to go camping, but truth be told... we haven't seen a tent since our kids were born! Our goal is to go camping next month as our family vacation. Therefore, we wanted to test it out in our backyard to see how the girls would do. Despite the tent collapsing on us at 11:00 p.m. (It was a tent we borrowed from someone else that was missing poles... we made it work for awhile!) our girls did pretty good!

Instead of just sleeping in the tent, we made a night out of it and you can too! You really don't have to go all out, you don't even HAVE to set up a tent (but your kids would love it!!).

We have a fire pit, so with that you can roast hot dogs, do smores... all the fun camping out stuff!

I have found a great resource that I would love to share with you! It talks about camping with little kids, especially toddlers/preschoolers. They include great camping books to read to your kids to introduce them to the idea of camping and lots of great ideas/activities to do with your kiddos while camping in your own backyard. Check it out here!

Here are some pictures of our family camp-out. Enjoy!

Sophie picking the bark off the tree to find bugs. She LOVES to squish bugs!




Having fun playing Ball!


I love my husband for setting up a tent that wasn't ours and was missing lots of pieces!




Yummy, Smores Time! I remember when I was little my uncle used to tease me and say "You know why them call them Smores? Because you always want Smore!"


Getting ready to camp out for the night. Good night everyone!


Have fun... and Remember the purpose of Family Fun Nights is to just ENJOY EACH OTHER!

Our family is going to go camping next month... do any of you have any great Camp Fire recipes to share? I would love to have some to try out! Please post a comment and share!

Winner of the LETZ TALK GIVEAWAY!!

Our winner for the LetzTalk Giveaway is......

Stephanie from Misadventures of a wannabe cake boss, who said,

"I would go for the 5-8 set and give it to my friends who have 2 kids. I think it would be a great family present for them to share."

So nice of you Stephanie!! Congratulations! To everyone else, do not be dismayed...Sarah is posting several other giveaways this week, so stay tuned!

I also just wanted to send some love to Stephanie, our winner, by posting one of her adorable cakes that she made for her dad's (a pilot) birthday. Check this out:

Great job Stephanie, and good luck to you as you work toward your goal of making cakes your career!

Thursday: Baked Chicken Marsala and steamed broccoli

This was a great meal I found at 5dollardinners.com. This is the website that correlates with the awesome book I reviewed on Tuesday of this week. You definitely want to check out all the great recipes she has!

I have never tried to make Chicken Marsala before, so I wasn't quite sure how it was supposed to turn out. I will tell you we did like it, but we both felt that there wasn't quite enough of the Marsala sauce. Next time we make it, we will double or triple the sauce!


Here is what you need for a family of 4:

*
1.4 lb package boneless skinless chicken breast ($2.64) On sale regularly for $1.89/lb
1/2 cup flour ($.10)
1 tsp Italian seasonings ($.05)
1/2 tsp salt and pepper each
1 Tbsp olive oil ($.10)
1/3 cup marsala cooking wine ($.50)
1 4 oz. can of sliced mushrooms, drained ($.49) On sale regularly at Walgreens
1 cup white rice ($.20)
2 large heads broccoli ($.79)

*Please note this is taken from 5dollardinner.com

Step 1:

Mix together the flour, seasonings, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Step 2:

Coat your chicken breasts in the flour mixture

Step 3:

Place into a casserole dish

Step 4:
Drizzle with Marsala Wine and Olive Oil.

I would double the sauce recipe. However, I am wondering if I would of covered the dish with foil, would that of prevented so much of the sauce from drying out?

Also, on this step I feel like I messed something up b/c all the flour came off of the chicken! Was that supposed to happen? Maybe I should re-coat the chicken after adding the wine and oil.

Anyone have any advice?

Step 5:
Add your mushrooms. I just used a can of mushrooms, but I bet fresh would be even better!


Step 6:

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes

Step 7: Make your rice and broccoli. I chose to use brown rice which takes about 40 minutes to make.

Step 8: Serve and Enjoy!


According to 5dollardinners.com this meal costs $4.87 to make!

Dessert: Peanut Butter Pie

My husband has been asking me for months to try and make him a peanut butter pie. To be honest, I love pie- but I really don't make it very much at all. I think I have made 3 pies in my lifetime, this being one of them!!

My husband is a super picky peanut butter dessert guy, so when he said it was awesome and ate 3/4 of the pie himself.... I guess that means it is pretty stinkin' good! And did I mention it is SUPER EASY to make?!?

Here is what you need:


1 8oz package of cream cheese-softened, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup peanut butter, 1 8oz containers whipped cream, thawed, 1 9 inch pie shell- baked (I used graham cracker pie crust instead), 1 TB, softened butter, 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Step 1:


In a Mixing bowl, whip butter and sugar until blended.

Step 2:


Add your peanut butter (don't you love the handy dandy measuring tool from Pampered Chef! It is so easy to use w/ peanut butter!), cream cheese, and vanilla...

and mix until blended!

Step 3:



Add your thawed out whipped cream and fold into the mixture.

Step 4:
Pour into your crust. Let Refrigerate at least 1 hour and then enjoy!

There are a number of toppings you could add if you wish... chocolate shavings, chocolate cookie crumbs, chocolate peanut butter cups, chocolate syrup.... the list goes on!



This recipe was found at allrecipes.com

Wednesday: Pizza Duo with Mixed Veggies

I have always wanted to try and make a white sauce pizza. Seriously, white sauce pizza's are AMAZING! I also wanted to make a pepperoni pizza for my girls... Thus the Pizza Duo was created!

Here is what you need:

Pictured is everything to make the pizza dough: Flour, Sugar, Salt, Garlic Salt, Olive Oil, Italian Seasonings and Fast Rise Yeast. (not pictured- Parmesan Cheese)

Not Pictured: Pizza Cheese (whatever you like!), toppings (we used spinach on the white pizza and pepperoni on the red sauce pizza), Pizza Sauce, Alfredo Sauce.



Here are the steps:

Step 1:

Mix 1 TB dry active yeast (1 small packet) with 1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F). Let dissolve.
*Kitchen Tip* To save time the next time you make pizza, you can double this batch and freeze the pizza dough to use for later!


Step 2:
Once the yeast has dissolved, add 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 TBS vegetable oil, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning and 2 TB Parmesan cheese.

Step 3:

Mix and then knead for 5 min. I was able to use my handy dandy mixer to knead the dough. To knead it by hand, put the dough on a floured surface and knead for 5 min or until you have a smooth dough.

Step 4:
Grease your pizza pan and then add a little Garlic salt before putting your dough down.

Step 5:

Spread your dough out on your pan.

Step 6:

Get your spinach ready for the white sauce pizza. Drain and squeeze out excess water to prevent sauce from becoming to runny.


Step 7:
Heat up your spinach and Alfredo sauce in a pan. To make 1/2 a pizza with Alfredo Sauce I used about 1/2 a jar. A couple of nights before we had Fettuccine Alfredo, so I saved the extra sauce to use on our pizza.


Step 8:
Spread your sauces on your pizza. Notice that I left about 1 inch between the sauces. I just put cheese there so that the two flavors wouldn't run together. It worked perfectly!


Step 9:

Add your Cheese! We used mozzarella cheese. The girls LOVE helping make pizza! Get your whole family involved!

Step 10
Add your Pizza Toppings to the red sauce pizza. We didn't do this, but I think grilled chicken would be great on the spinach pizza!


Step 11:

Bake at 450 for 13-15 minutes. Top with Parmesan Cheese, Serve with Mixed Veggies and Enjoy!


Cost of this meal for a family of 4: $5.00 (depending on what you already have on hand!)
Cost per person: $1.25


I would LOVE to hear what creative pizza recipes you have come up with.

Leave a Comment and share your favorite pizza combination!

Tuesday: Taco Macaroni and Cheese with Green Beans and a Cookbook Reviewr

This is a fantastic recipe from Erin Chase's "The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook." Not only did we enjoy it the first time we ate it, but it made 2 meals for our family- plus a lunch sized portion for 2 to freeze. The recipe is extremely flavorful and more of an "adult" mac & cheese. Enjoy!

Here is what you need:



1/2 lb ground beef (pictured is 1lb, I decided to brown it all and freeze the other 1/2), Cayenne Pepper (I used Chile Powder instead), Tomato Sauce, Rotel (I used Rotel b/c I had it on hand, but a can of diced tomatoes w/ green chilies would be cheaper), ground Cumin Seed, Milk, 1/2 onion- chopped (I used Onion Powder instead), 2 garlic cloves, Elbow Macaroni, Cheddar Cheese & Cilantro


Step 1:




Brown the ground beef and add either 1/2 of a chopped onion or Onion Powder and then drain once browned.



Step 2:

While your ground beef is browning, start boiling your 16 oz. box of elbow macaroni according to the directions on the packaging.


Step 3:


After draining the ground beef, add your 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook for a few minutes.


Step 4:

Chop up 1/2 tsp. of fresh cilantro. I used more because I can't get enough of Cilantro! I would also recommend saving some to add to your dish after it is cooked.

*Kitchen Tip* A great way to preserve the rest of your Cilantro is to store it upright in a glass of water in the fridge.


Step 5:
Add to your ground beef mixture: 1 (6 oz) can of tomato sauce, 1 (12 oz) can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 to 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper, 1 tsp. ground cumin, and 1/4 tsp. chopped Cilantro.

Allow to Simmer for 10 minutes


Step 6:

Add the drained elbow macaroni and top with 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese


Step 7:

Dish up alongside some green beans, add Cilantro, Crushed Tortilla Chips or Sour Cream to the top, Serve and Enjoy!

We had so many leftovers that the next day for lunch I put the Taco Macaroni and Cheese in a glass dish, put cheese on top and baked in the oven at 350 degrees until warm. It was delish!



In "The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook", Erin breaks down the meal into cost per ingredient.

Here is what Erin had listed for the Taco Mac & Cheese Meal:

1 package (16 oz) elbow macaroni ($.97) 1/4 cup of milk ($.03)
1/2 lb ground beef ($.75) 1/2 tsp chopped, fresh cilantro ($.05)
1/2 onion chopped ($.20) 1/2 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper ($.05)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.10) 1 tsp ground cumin ($.05)
1 can (6 oz) tomato sauce ($..33) 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ($.85)
1 can (12 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies ($.37)

With a grand total of: $4.12 (plus the green beans I added- $4.47)
This meal will EASILY serve a family of 4!


This cookbook is phenomenal! In her cookbook, Erin provides 200 meal ideas, broken down by cost (per ingredient) with each meal totaling up to around $5. As I was looking through the cookbook, I realized I didn't have some of the spices on hand or items needed to make the meal. In that case, the meal only cost $5, but I will end up spending more at the grocery store to initially purchase spices or items I don't have.

Most of the meals are kid friendly and are quick and easy to prepare. Erin has a lot of unique recipe ideas such as: Apple-Walnut Pork, Grilled Zucchini and Chicken Pizza and Mexican Chicken Skillet.

I was also very impressed with this book, because as an avid meal planner and frugal Mamma, Erin starts out the book with 49 pages teaching the reader how to Strategically Grocery Shop, Coupon and Meal Plan. If you know someone who is a newbie to cooking- Get them this book!

Not only should this be a staple cookbook in your household, it will make great Wedding, Birthday and Christmas gifts! Not to mention- Mother's Day just around the corner! So if you haven't hinted to your hubby for anything yet... Send him the link to this cookbook. It sells for $10.19 on Amazon, but is also available for purchase at Barnes & Nobles, Borders and many other retailers!

Check out Erin's site at : 5dollardinners.com for more information!


Later in the week, I will be posting another of Erin's meals from her website: Baked Chicken Marsala.


Do any of you have this cookbook already?

If so, Leave a comment and tell us what you think!