A Cookie Cutter Diva's Life

Tonight we went to family night at chickfila to end their Princess Themed month! Every Tuesday they do a different theme and you get a free kids meal with every adult meal bought from 5-9pm while the kids get to have fun doing different crafts or seeing characters! Can't beat that for some family fun!

Tonight they had Belle come to visit and they did princess coloring pages, made book marks, and got balloons! The girls were really amazed and Brooklyn just kept staring! Though the boys would rather hide in the play area and said "mom really?" lol

On Saturday we went to a Stars and Stripes Festival put on by our city at the park. The kids had a lot of fun! Got to do a few amusement park type rides, got tattoos and ice cream!









Today we had a church pic nic after church which was really nice to get to enjoy mingling and talking to some of the people you don't see and chat with much during service and let the kids have fun. We had water games for the kids and a bounce house. They had an absolute blast and some how Bryan and I wound up being in the water wars too lol It was fun!

They also did water baptisms which was a really amazing thing!

Well Peyton had her appointment this morning with ECI (early childhood intervention) to do her evaluation and looks like she does need and qualify to have speech therapy and occupational therapy. She will start going weekly in a week. I've also left a message for her dr to see if he wants to put in a private referal as well. The good thing was she was just sligly delayed and nothing majorly severe so we think we can get her on track since we are very early on but I'm glad I got her checked out since I was so back and forth on rather she was delayed, just being stubborn, if I should listen to everyone she was fine or if I was being a hypocondriact or what.. some things she was advanced on but somet things she was delayed on. So glad we got it looked into and checked out!

Lots of great sales today!! I went to bath and body works and did their buy 3 get 2 free and then got my free item for spending over $10.. so 6 full sized items for $30!!! I got a few lotions, some bubble bath, shower gel! I heart Bath and Body Works but hate spending money like that on myself so it was a nice treat. I went 2 weeks back as part of my mothers day and got 4 at 50% off so I'm stocked now for a bit! yay!

Then I went and hit up the new Crazy 8 store. I've seen their clothes before but never been in a store. They just happened to have a $4.99 sale so I got Peyton 2 shorts and 4 shirts (3 of the are sets) for $30! I'm in love!!!

Then I went to Target to try to hit up the under $1 deals but I'm finding a lot of the suggestions on the sites are not matching up with prices here but got a few of my own deals while there. I got my free first aid bag they forgot to give me the otehr day with my purchase of 3 bandaids (yay!), 3 bags of large M&M's (hubbys snack lol), 3 bags of pretzles, 3 things of icing, 2 boxes of cake mix, clorox wipes, q tips, dryer sheets all for $15

Let's see if I can remember most of this!



Let's start with Wallgreens!

Multi Purpose Solotion $7.99, sale receieve $7.99 back at register in rewards = FREE

Scunci No Dmanage Hair Elastics 18pk, sale $2.00, receive $2.00 back in rewards = FREE

Pure Silk Shave Cream Sale $1.99, receive $1.50 back in rewards = $.49

Tone Body Wash sale $3.99, reeive $3.00 in rewards = $.99

Colgate 2 for $7.00 sale, receive $3.00 rewards, $1 off coupon = $1.50ea

Cost at Register $23 and some change

2nd Transaction..

General Mills Cereal Sale Price $1.99, used $1.00 off 3 cereals = $1.66ea

6 roll of toilet paper, used $1.00 off coupon = $2.99

3 Jellos used coupon to bring it to $.59 ea

3 Macaroni and Cheese with $.69ea coupon

Total Cost at Register after rewards and coupons $.17!!!!





Target


Ziplock 100ct Sandwhich bags sale $2.27, used $1.00 off 2 coupon = $1.77ea

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish sale $1.89 (I forgot my coupon for this but it was small)

3 bandaids at $2.19 each (receive free 1st aid bag which I did not so going back)

Venus Breeze Shavers sale $7.99, $2 off coupon, $5 target card = $.99 (got 2)

Gillette Travel Size Shave Cream $.50 off coupon = $.50

Sauve Travel Size Deoderant $.50 off coupon = $.50

Buy one Get One Free Reeses Butter Cups

Gummi Vitimans, $1.00 off coupon = $4.00

Degree Deoderant Buy One Get One Free

Degree Deoderant, $1.00 off coupon, $.75 off coupon = $1.89

Pringles Buy 2 use $1.00 off coupon = $1.00 ea

Bottled Water, $1.00 off coupon for 12 pack = $1.50

12pk Batteries $1.00 target coupon, $2.00 coupon, $1.00 coupon = 3.49

Special K Cracker Chips, $1.00 off = $4.98 (did this twice)

Buy 2 Dove Chocolate Bags and Receive Free Bag


Total at Register $63




HEB

Bought Bryan a grill for his Father's Day Gift that was on sale I believe and it came with free bag of hamburgers, free hot dogs, free 12pk of water, free charcoal, free pop up cooler.

Buy 4 Gerber Meals get one Free

Buy 2 creamers get one Free

Buy kids vitimans get Bandaids Free

$.75 off coupon for bandaids = $.75

Buy one Get one Free Sauve

$2.00 off 12 pack Toilet Paper = $6

$.50 off Paper Towels = $.50 (got 2)

$1.25 off 12 pack toilet paper = $4.00

Buy 3 Pepsis for $11 get 4th Free

Buy Pizza get Ice Cream Free

$1.00 off pint of starbucks ice cream = $2.25

$1.00 off 2 Nestles Ice Cream = $2.50ea

$1.00 off hot dogs plus get lunchable with fruit free = $1.00 (got 2)

$1.00 off lunchable with fruit and get corn nut cracker chips free = $2.00 (got 2)

$1.00 off 2 pasta sides = $.50 ea

$1.00 off 2 rice sides = $.50 ea

$.50 off tostino pizzas = $.50 (got 2. Didn't bother checking walmart)

Buy Chicken Breast, get mac and cheese and croutons free

4 tuna helpers for $5, $.75 off coupon = 1.05 ea

$1.00 off 2 bolognes = $1.50 ea

$.55 off 2 hormel chili = $1.25 ea

buy pasta sauce get noodles free

$1.00 off 2 Dole Jar Fruit = $1.50 ea

Buy one get one free HEB kids shampoo

$1.00 off cheese = $2.00


Total at Register = $211 (with out grill and toy it came to $137 for groceries)



Total today for groceries and personal hygeine = $223

My shelves I put in the garage are almost crammed full now, my freezer barely shut, my pantry and fridge is full.. I have over a month of meals and plenty of back up hygeine and cleaning items!!!

My deals today!

I headed over to Old Navy and thought for sure they would be whiped out by the time I got there at 11am but they weren't! I got 5 pairs of different colored flip flops for $1 for me! The kids were pretty whiped out but I don't like their baby ones for Peyton and I just got the other kids a ton at childrens lpace not to long ago. I also found 2 really cute shirts on sale for $6 for Peyton!

Then we went to children's place and I got all the kids patriotic shirts for $6 and a few lip glosses and nail polishes for $.50 each and saved and additional 10% off!

Then I went to Arbys and got my free chicken salad sandwhich mmmmm

today I went to Sam's and finally joined! I was giong to do the 10 weeks for $10 but then I thought about how if I wanted to stay how I was loosing that money so I actually wound up signing up for a membership and I went ahead and did the advantage where you get coupons because right now till sometime in June if you are military you get a free cookbook and a $25 gift card for getting the advantage! So I figured it was worth a try!

I also finally got a printer! The first printer I got was a return that was on mark down to $63 and was wifi but I get home and the wifi won't hook up, keeps saying it's not compatable with windows 7 yet it's downloading and the ink that came with it was empty! It was an Epson and pretty nice but I returned it and wound up getting the Lexmark printer/scanner/copier/fax machine that was on sale from $80 to $53 and I was able to find a driver onlnie so I could hook it up to my netbook as well so I'm stoked and printed off my first batch of coupons!!

I also got an industrial shelf and put it together after Bryan headed out to let some steam off (long story lol) and got my storage all pretty and organized that I've been building up from coupons, freebies and my sams trip!

check out these sweet summer saving recipes that you can enjoy while some of the items are in season and cheaper!

Orange-Pineapple Smoothie


1 cup calcium enriched orange juice
2 cups pineapple chunks packed in their own juice, drained
1 banana, peeled
1/4 cup low fat milk
2 tbs honey
4-5 ice cubes

place all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth! Serves 2!





Milky Ways

1 glass of milk, hot or cold, low fat or whole
your choice of one or two ingredients from the list below:
1/2 cup fresh or frozen pureed berries
2 tbs orange juice and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup cranberry juice and small scoop of low fat vanilla ice cream
1 tbs creamy peanut butter and 2 tbs chocolate

mix your one or two ingredients with a glass of milk
drink and enjoy the extra 300mg of calcium! makes 1 serving!



Purple Cow Pops

1 8oz container sugar free, fat free plain yogurt
1/4 cup + 2 tbs unsweetened frozen grape juice conentrate, thawed

In mixing bowl, combine yogurt and grape juice concentrate. Stir well.

Pour into small frozen-pop molds or 5 oz wax coated paper cups, filling 3/4 full, and freeze solid about 2 hours (if using cups partially freeze then insert frozen dessert sticks)

remove cups when frozen solid. serves 5!



fruited Frozen Yogurt

1/2 cup frozen yogurt
1/8 whole cantaloupe
10 grapes, sliced into quarters

using a mellon baller, scoop the cataloupe flesh into balls and place on a serving dish.

continue using the melon baller to scoop the frozen yogurt into balls and add them to the cantaloupe.

top with sliced grapes and serve. makes 1 serving



Cinnimon Apple Frosty

2 containers 8oz each vanilla flavor yogurt
1 can 6oz apple juice concentrate
1/8 tsp cinnimon
1/8 tsp nutmet
3 ice cubes

place all ingredients in a blender container, cover and blend until smooth and foamy or beat well in a bowl.

serve immediately in a all chilled glass. Makes 3 servings.



Banana Mint Slushes

2 bananas
10 mint leaves
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups low fat millk
1 cup ice cubes

place bananas in a blender and puree or mash well in a bowl.
add remaining ingredients to blender and blend well or beat well.
serve from tall pitcher in frosty glasses. makes 6 servings.


Strawberry Dream Pops

10oz pkg fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
2 cups vanilla nonfat or low fat yogurt

puree fruit and yogurt
divide mixture among paper cups, insert popcicle stick
freeze for 3 hours





Spring Delight Salad

1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 head romaine lettuce, torn
1/2 bunch fresh spinache
3 roma plum tomatoes, chopped
8oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
1 cup raspberry vinaigreette salad dressing

preheat the oven broiler
brush the pepper with oil, and place on a baking sheet. broil, turning occassionally until black splotches appear on all sides. remove from heat and wrap tightly in plastic. set aside for 15 minutes. Remove seeds and pulp, and chop.
In a large bowl, toss together the roasted red pepper, romaine lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, sprouts, and raspberry vinaigrette


Calico Bean Salad

2 cups drained, small white beans, cooked and canned
2 cups drained dark or light red kidney beans, cooked or canned
salt and black pepper
2 cups drained garbanzo beans, cooked or canned
1 1/2-2 cups french, italian, or vinaigrette dressing
tomato wedges and onion rings

mix drained beans together lightly
cover with dressing
refrigerate for several hours
when read to serve, mix again. Taste and add more seasonings or a little vinegar if needed.
Serve in large bowl. Garnish with tomato wedges and onion rights. Makes 8-10 servings!

so I had to go to get the cake mix deal after Kelly did lol I got 4 cake mixes, 3 pasta salad mixes, toilet paper, 2 bbq saucs, egg rolls, 2 packs of 8 juice boxes all for $12 after sales and coupons! the bbq sauces were $.30!

my saves today.. Wallgreens I got the colgate toothepaste that was on sale buy 2 for $6, use the coupons and get the $5 registry reward or what ever it was.. bringing it to $.12.. turned around and did a seperate transaction and they had my detergent on sale buy one get one free so I got 4 of them, gillette body wash, gillette deoderant..used the $5 rewards coupon, and a buy one get one free gillette coupon which brought my total to $14 for 4 detergants, body wash and deoderant..

Target I used my coupon for the BBQ sauce bringing the total to $.20, they had my special k cracker chips I loved so much on sale for $2.55 and it was buy 4 get the 5th free and I had 2 $1.00 off coupons, then hair color was on sale $7.99 and I had a $3.00 off coupon, brownie mix with a $.50 coupon which brought my total to $22

free coupons from DQ after I joined the fan club



sent in 20 UPCs from Kelloggs and should be receiving 2 $10 gas cards in the mail from them!





tried my free strawberry lemonade and it was pretty yummy! shared it with my oldest daughter!

just a few of my favorite fast and easy breakfast ideas I've used over the last few weeks! Some were asking for the Savory Sausage Bread Pudding recipe so here it is!

Savory Sausage Bread Pudding

4 eggs
2 cups milk or 1 cup half and half and 1 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1 package smoked breakfast sausage links
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups day old bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes


Beat eggs in a large bowl. add milk, salt, pepper, thyme and pepper flakes; stir in well. cut sausage into half inch pieces. Stir in well. Cut sausage into half inch pieces. Stir in sausage, cheese and bread. Press bread into egg mixture. Set aside 10 minutes or until bread has absorbed liquid.

Pour sausage mixture into crock pot and cook on low 4-5 hours.




Apple Sauce Muffins

6 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups chunky applesauce


Kids' Cooking Skills: Use this recipe as an opportunity to teach your kids how to mix wet and dry ingredients, scoop batter into muffin tins, and test for doneness.


Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with bake cups and set aside.


In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter on high for about 30 to 60 seconds; set aside to cool slightly.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a large mixing bowl. When mixing dry and wet ingredients for muffins, gently stir just until the flour disappears. This will produce muffins with a nice crumbly texture.

In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar. Stir in the applesauce and melted butter until the mixture is smooth. For mess-free muffins, use an ice-cream scoop to spoon the batter into the bake cups.

Pour the apple mixture over the flour mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until combined (it's ready when you can't see any traces of flour).

Fill the bake cups about two-thirds full with batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until light brown.

Have your kids test for doneness by inserting a knife in the middle of one muffin. If it comes out clean, the muffins are ready to eat. Makes 12.



Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar


Directions
1.Heat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease bottoms only of 12 muffin cups or line with baking cups.
2.In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt; mix well. In a small bowl, combine milk, oil and egg; blend well. Add dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy.)
3.Fill cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops of muffins before baking with a combination of 3 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoon brown sugar.
4.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 1 minute before removing from pan. Serve warm.

I'm working on trying to become an extreme couponer! I started a few months ago trying to shop the deals and what had coupons at HEB. A few weeks ago I started adding in manufactured coupons which isn't many since I have limited printing options.

I'm trying to really center around what I have coupons for, sales, etc and get the cheapest bet on things and start a food/hygenie storage!

I'm far from where I want to be but slowly getting there!!

Grocerie Trip today! $249 worth of stuff.. final check out price after coupons.. $160! Tuesdays trip $65 for $22! Total groceries from HEB this pay check $314 for $182!

Some great deals I found..

buy turkey dogs/get shredded cheese free
buy dip get chips free
buy chicken fried steak/get mashed potatos and mac and cheese free
buy lasagna/get cheese cake free
buy sandwhich meat and sliced cheese/get bread, mac and cheese, dressing, and corn nuts free
$.50 off popcicles
$1 off fruit roll ups (plus I had a manafuctur coupon bringing it to $.50!)
buy 2 packs of gatorade/get 32 pack of bottled water free (not huge on bottled water but the reason I started buying was Bryan likes to take them to work..saves on him buying sodas lol)
buy 2 coffee mate creamers/get 3rd free
$2 off mini bags of chips for lunches
buy chicken fajita meat/get flour tortillas free
$1.50 off 6 toddler meals; $1.00 off 2 toddler meals
$.75 off trash bags
$1 off nabisco cookies
buy cookies/get chocolate milk mix free
$1.00 off 2 chex mixes
and lots more!!


2nd half to groceries.. trip to Wallgreens! $90 for $50!

buy one get one free laundry soap
buy one get one free batteries
4 - 12pk pepsis $12 (normally $5.95 a piece) get 12pk diet pepsi free
buy one aveno/get one half off; 2 kellogs special k cereal $5
2 baked beans $1
waterproof bandaids FREE with coupon
buy one toilet bowl cleaner and get one free!

Total this week for groceries/house hold goods/higeine all together $404 .. total cost at check outs for this weeks groceries $232!! (one day I'll reach my goal of walking out paying $30 like on tv lol)

everyone in the family loved this new recipe!

1 cup long grain white rice
1 can 14oz chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups small broccoli florets
4 bone in chicken breast halves
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 tsp garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese


combine rice, broth, onion and broccoli in 11x7 inch baking pan. place chicken over rice mixture. Combine paprika, thyme and garlic salt in small bown and sprinkle over chicken.

cover with foil; bake in preheated 375 oven at 40 minutes. Uncover, bake 15minutes more or until liquid is absorbed, rice is tender and chicken is cooked through.

sprinkle chicken and rice with cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.