Fresh & Healthy
Recipe: Creamy Cucumbers
The fresh Green & Yellow cucumbers from our garden are now Creamy Cucumbers. Growing up my Mom and Grandma made this delicious creamy cucumber recipe from the fresh garden cucumbers. I always looked forward to eating it every summer. Now that we have a garden of our own we enjoy making this for our family and sharing it with others. If you need to use up some of those garden cucumbers and are looking to try a sweet, creamy and refreshing recipe try this one!
Creamy Cucumbers:
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1/4 cup Vinegar (white or apple)
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 4 cups sliced Cucumbers
In a bowl combine mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, and salt. Add cucumbers and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
I will often make a half of recipe and it is still plenty for our family. It is a great cool side dish for summer meals!
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of August 10 – 16, 2011
The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. Save A Lot has continued their sale so it is a great time to stock up on several items (no coupons necessary to get the Save A Lot Today prices). Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Oscar Mayer Wieners or Bologna (16 oz or 12 oz) – $0.99
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 6/19 Smart Source (Expires 8/14/11)
$0.49 each after couponBeef Eye of Round Roast – $2.99 per lb
Eckrich Smoked or Skinless Turkey Sausage (14 oz) – $1.99
Use $0.55/1 coupon from insert 6/26 Smart Source (Expires 8/27/11)
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 6/26 Smart Source (Expires 8/27/11)
As low as $1.44 each after couponBoneless Chicken Breast – $1.49 per lb
Ground Beef 73% Lean (3 lb or 5 lb packages) – $1.99 per lb
Fresh Half Boneless Pork Loin – $1.99 per lb
Fresh Pork Tenderloin – $3.49 per lb
Shaner’s Boneless Chicken Breast – $5.99
Holten Quarter Pound Beef Patties (32 oz) – $3.99
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Coburn Farm Eggs (1 dozen)- $0.19*
*Valid with $10 minimum purchase.
Limit one purchase customer. Must present coupon at time of purchase.
Valid at local store (states the address of our local store)
Expires August 13, 2011Kraft American Singles (12 oz) – $1.88
Use $0.55/1 coupon from Kraft Food & Family Booklet (found at Bi-Lo & Food Lion)
$1.33 each after couponFerratto’s Fully Loaded Pizza (21.5 to 24.4 oz) – $4.99
Coburn Farms Mozarella String Cheese (10 0z) – $2.99
Take & Bake Pepperoni & Supreme Pizza – $5.99
Reser’s Potato and Macaroni Salad – $2.99
Produce
Black, Red and White Grapes – $0.99 per lb
Peaches, Plums, and Nectarines – $0.79 per lb
Strawberries (1 lb package) – $2.00
Cucumbers – $0.33 each
Peppers – $0.33 each
Summer and Zucchini Squash – $0.49 each
Cantaloupe – $1.49 each
Grocery
Ideal Bread (20 or 24 oz) – $0.19*
*Valid with $10 minimum purchase.
Limit one purchase customer. Must present coupon at time of purchase.
Valid at local store (states the address of our local store)
Expires August 13, 2011General Mills Cereal (20.5 to 21.5 oz) – $2.49
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 7/10 Smart Source (Expires 8/20/11)
$1.99 each after couponKellogg’s PopTarts (14 to 14.7 oz) – $1.66
Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 7/24 Red Plum (Expires 9/18/11)
$1.33 each after couponHi-C Juice Drink Boxes (10 Count) – $1.79
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks (4.5 to 5.4 oz) – $1.88
Use $1.00/3 coupon from 7/17 Smart Source (Expires 9/10/11)
Use $0.50/2 printable coupon from Betty Crocker
As low as $1.55 each after couponSplash Out Juice Drink Pouches Fruit Punch (10 pack) – $1.79
Mantia’s Tri Color Rotini – $0.89
Tipton Grove Apple Juice – $1.69
Panner Peanut Butter – $1.59
Bramley’s Concord Grape Jelly (32 oz) – $1.8
Fairfield Farms Mini Raisin Boxes – $1.49
Nature Trails Chewy Granola Bars – $1.99
J Higg’s Potato Chips – $1.19
J Higg’s Cheezie Puffs or Crunchy – $1.39
Portmann’s Salad Dressings – $1.39
Crisp Lemonade – $0.99
Summerset Green Citrus Tea (6 pack) – $2.89
Albany Bakery Creme Sandwich Cookies – $1.99
Vitner Multi Pack Snacks – $4.99
Mrs Freshley’s Buddy Bars or Oatmeal Creme – $1.00
Chef’s Finest Croutons – $0.99
Tree Ripe Lemonade – $1.99
Bakery
Fresh Apple or Cherry Pie – $2.99
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
Fresh & Healthy: Community Supported Agriculture (Week 12)
It is week twelve receiving fresh produce from our CSA! Our family purchased a half of share and will be receiving fresh produce, local honey, eggs and more for 20 weeks. We are back to our usual half share this week. Jake picked up the fresh veggies this week, thanks handsome!Week 12 of Fresh Goodies from our CSA!
Fresh goodies from our Local CSA Farm! Items in our Basket this Week:
- 1 bag Red & Green Okra
- 1 bag Beans
- 3 husks of Corn
- 2 Tomatoes
- 1 Red Hot Pepper
- Half Dozen Fresh Eggs
I am looking forward to eating these goodies this week! Thanks everyone for the delicious Recipes, keep them coming!!!
To find out how you can be a part of a local CSA check out this post – Fresh & Healthy: Community Supported Farms
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
A whole week at home, yay! It has literally been weeks since we have had an entire week at home together. I enjoyed having the opportunity return to a somewhat “normal” schedule although the traveling has been a lot of fun! Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
Groceries from Walgreens, Rite Aid | Save A Lot, and Aldi's Walgreens Groceries:
- $2.95 at Walgreens for 1 bottle Coffee Mate French Vanilla, 1 bottle Coffee Mate Hazelnut, and 3 cans Mandarin Oranges.
Rite Aid | Save A Lot Groceries:
- $2.38 at Rite Aid | Save A Lot for 1 package Cinnamon Raisin Bagels (on clearance) and 3 packages English Muffins (on clearance).
Aldi’s Groceries:
- $29.65 at Aldi’s for 1 can Cooking Spray, 1 package fresh Spinach, 2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup, 3 cans sliced Mushrooms, 2 packages Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 4 cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, 2 cans sliced Olives, 1 bottle Ranch Dressing, 4 cans Refried Beans, 1 box Raisins, 2 cans Black Beans, and 1 bag All Purpose Flour.
Groceries from Ingles Ingles Groceries:
- $4.95 at Ingle’s for 1 container Blackberries, 1 container Strawberries, 1 container diced Yellow Onions, 1 container Carrots and Celery, and 1 container Baby Romaine. (all the items were marked down on clearance to $0.99)
This week I spent $39.93 on groceries. Even though I barely squeaked under my budgeted amount for the week I was able to do it and stock up on several items on clearance. I hope to have an even better week for my next update since it has been hard going under budget. Several of our local stores have raised their prices A LOT over the last several weeks making it even more of a challenge to purchase groceries within the budget. I am happy to stock up again and look forward to a fresh start next week. Part of our groceries went towards making a meal for a friend who was in the hospital this week as well as hosting, thankful for the ability to share what we have been given with others.
It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks! As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me. I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too. The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.
Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances. Life doesn’t always go as planned. We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given. Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life. A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others. There is so much more to life than having all the stuff. We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.
Family Recipe: Grandma’s Crunchy Coleslaw
The red and green cabbage fresh from our garden is now ready to be turned into coleslaw! During the summers when I was a kid I always enjoyed going to visit my Grandparents. Many summers I would spend a couple weeks helping Grandma Willa make meals while the guys were harvesting wheat. Grandma made the BEST coleslaw. It was one of my favorite side dishes she would make throughout the summer. I recently harvested a couple cabbages out of our garden so I had the opportunity to make Grandma’s Crunchy Coleslaw for guests.
Grandma’s Crunchy Coleslaw:
- 1 package Coleslaw Mix or 1/2 medium head of Cabbage, shredded (or part of a green cabbage and part of a red)
- 1 small Green Onion (yellow onion will work too)
- 1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
- 1/2 cup Almond Slivers
- 1 package Ramon Chicken Flavored Noodles (uncooked), noodles broken in pieces (beef flavor will work as well)
Dressing:
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/3 cup Vinegar (white or apple vinegar)
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Oil
Mix the coleslaw (or cabbage) and onion together. Measure and place in a separate bowl the Sunflower Seeds, Almonds, and Ramon Noodles. Mix the dressing and add chicken ramon flavor packets to the dressing. Pour the dressing over salad and mix well. Before serving add the mixture of Sunflower Seeds, Almonds and Noodles (adding before serving makes sure they are crunchy when you eat the salad). Serve and enjoy!
You can also add a lot of other great items to make the coleslaw more colorful and tasty:
- 1/2 cup Raisins
- 1/2 cup sliced Apples
- 1/2 cup shredded Carrots
- 1/2 cup shredded Broccoli Steams
I always add the raisins to the coleslaw and sometimes the carrots & apples depending on what I have in the kitchen.
Summer Recipe: Cucumber Water
Fresh Garden Cucumber in a Pitcher of Water You probably have had a glass of water with a lemon wedge in it for extra zest, but have you tried Cucumber Water? Instead of adding a lemon to your glass of water today try adding a couple slices of cucumbers. During the summer months when we have fresh garden cucumbers we like to slice them up and add them to a pitcher of water for extra flavor. It is a great drink variation you can bring to the dinner table. It’s especially fun to serve when you have guests. If your family enjoys cucumbers this is a refreshing drink to try. Add a few slices to your pitcher of water today.
- 1 sliced Cucumber
- Water
Slice up the cucumber and add it to a pitcher of water. Allow the cucumber to remain the water about an hour before serving for extra flavor.
Fresh & Healthy: Our Garden – Cabbage, Okra, Green Beans, Cucumbers, Purple Beans,Tomatoes, Peppers and More!
We are enjoying the fresh vegetables from our garden! We didn’t have to travel this week so we had the opportunity to enjoy the veggies even more. Our garden is slowing down a little with all the heat. I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of all the vegetables because a couple neighbors came over to get some produce.
Here are some of the fresh veggies we were able to eat and share this week:
Green Cabbage and Purple Cabbage from our garden We made green and red coleslaw out of our two cabbages.
Red and green cabbage heads ready to be sliced for coleslaw! The cabbage made great coleslaw!
Fresh Garden Produce Fresh vegetables and fruit from the garden – Big Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Purple Beans, Okra, Banana Peppers, and Strawberries.
We have had a lot of great tomatoes the last couple of weeks. We had a friend made some delicious salsa from our tomatoes and peppers. It has been neat seeing and hearing what others have been able to make with our vegetables.
What are you eating out of your garden this week?
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of August 3 – 9, 2011
The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. Save A Lot continued their sale on “Save A Lot Today” brand products. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Oscar Mayer Wieners or Bologna (16 oz or 12 oz) – $0.99
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 6/19 Smart Source (Expires 8/14/11)
$0.49 each after couponBeef Eye of Round Roast – $2.99 per lb
Eckrich Smoked or Skinless Turkey Sausage (14 oz) – $1.99
Use $0.55/1 coupon from insert 6/26 Smart Source (Expires 8/27/11)
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 6/26 Smart Source (Expires 8/27/11)
As low as $1.44 each after couponBoneless Chicken Breast – $1.49 per lb
Ground Beef 73% Lean (3 lb or 5 lb packages) – $1.99 per lb
Fresh Half Boneless Pork Loin – $1.99 per lb
Fresh Pork Tenderloin – $3.49 per lb
Shaner’s Boneless Chicken Breast – $5.99
Holten Quarter Pound Beef Patties (32 oz) – $3.99
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Coburn Farm Eggs (1 dozen)- $0.19*
*Valid with $10 minumum purchase.
Limit one purchase customer. Must present coupon at time of purchase.
Valid at local store (states the address of our local store)
Expires August 13, 2011Kraft American Singles (12 oz) – $1.88
Use $0.55/1 coupon from Kraft Food & Family Booklet (found at Bi-Lo & Food Lion)
$1.33 each after couponFerratto’s Fully Loaded Pizza (21.5 to 24.4 oz) – $4.99
Coburn Farms Mozarella String Cheese (10 0z) – $2.99
Take & Bake Pepperoni & Supreme Pizza – $5.99
Reser’s Potato and Macaroni Salad – $2.99
Produce
Black, Red and White Grapes – $0.99 per lb
Peaches, Plums, and Nectarines – $0.79 per lb
Strawberries (1 lb package) – $2.00
Cucumbers – $0.33 each
Peppers – $0.33 each
Summer and Zucchini Squash – $0.49 each
Cantaloupe – $1.49 each
Grocery
Ideal Bread (20 or 24 oz) – $0.19*
*Valid with $10 minumum purchase.
Limit one purchase customer. Must present coupon at time of purchase.
Valid at local store (states the address of our local store)
Expires August 13, 2011General Mills Cereal (20.5 to 21.5 oz) – $2.49
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 7/10 Smart Source (Expires 8/20/11)
$1.99 each after couponKellogg’s PopTarts (14 to 14.7 oz) – $1.66
Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 7/24 Red Plum (Expires 9/18/11)
$1.33 each after couponHi-C Juice Drink Boxes (10 Count) – $1.79
Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks (4.5 to 5.4 oz) – $1.88
Use $1.00/3 coupon from 7/17 Smart Source (Expires 9/10/11)
Use $0.50/2 printable coupon from Betty Crocker
As low as $1.55 each after couponSplash Out Juice Drink Pouches Fruit Punch (10 pack) – $1.79
Mantia’s Tri Color Rotini – $0.89
Tipton Grove Apple Juice – $1.69
Panner Peanut Butter – $1.59
Bramley’s Concord Grape Jelly (32 oz) – $1.8
Fairfield Farms Mini Raisin Boxes – $1.49
Nature Trails Chewy Granola Bars – $1.99
J Higg’s Potato Chips – $1.19
J Higg’s Cheezie Puffs or Crunchy – $1.39
Portmann’s Salad Dressings – $1.39
Crisp Lemonade – $0.99
Summerset Green Citrus Tea (6 pack) – $2.89
Albany Bakery Creme Sandwich Cookies – $1.99
Vitner Multi Pack Snacks – $4.99
Mrs Freshley’s Buddy Bars or Oatmeal Creme – $1.00
Chef’s Finest Croutons – $0.99
Tree Ripe Lemonade – $1.99
Bakery
Fresh Apple or Cherry Pie – $2.99
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
New Upromise eCoupons for August 2011
Upromise has posted their new eCoupons for the month of August 2011. Remember to activate your eCoupons to get additional savings. If you have not yet signed up for Upromise you can get more information regarding on our experience or directly at the Upromise website.
This month they have 27 coupons you can activate for bonus savings. Once you activate your eCoupons all you have to do is scan your rewards card or purchase the items at the store and the cash will be added to your account. You don’t even have to carry any coupons to get the rewards!
You can go to their website for more information on the Upromise program, it’s free to join.
Fresh & Healthy: Community Supported Agriculture (Week 10 & 11)
It is our tenth and eleventh week receiving fresh produce from our CSA! Our family purchased a half of share and will be receiving fresh produce, local honey, eggs and more for 20 weeks. This week we picked up a full share instead of our usual half share because we were out of town last week. Jake picked up the fresh veggies this week, thanks babe! It was nice to get our basket again this week after being away for a little bit.Week 10 & 11 of Fresh Goodies from our CSA!
Fresh produce from our local farm! Items in our Basket this Week:
- 1 bag Red Okra
- 1 bag Green Okra
- 1 bag Beans
- 3 Cucumbers
- 5 Tomatoes
- 1 container Cherry Tomatoes
- 4 Green Peppers
- 6 Eggplants
- 2 Green Squash
- Dozen Fresh Eggs
I am looking forward to eating these goodies this week! Thanks everyone for the delicious Recipes!!!
To find out how you can be a part of a local CSA check out this post – Fresh & Healthy: Community Supported Farms
