Free or Almost Free Summer activities! 2015

Let's face it, we could all, always use some free activities. So to help make the most out of all the beautiful days we have, here are some ways to take advantage!! These are great ideas for sunny Saturdays and Sunday Funday's! Here are a few ideas I came up with for Spring/Summer 2015, enjoy!

How we save money on groceries, so we can spend our money on fun stuff!

Saving Money on Groceries

Let's face it, we all would love to save money on groceries so we can spend our money on things we really need or want! So here are the tricks I use to help us save $$ on our groceries!

Our grocery budget is 150$ every two weeks, with this we feed my husband, myself, our daughter at home as well as her school lunches, all our daycare children, either lunches or snack every weekday, plus all our company, we have company 2 to 3 times a week, our pantry is full our freezer is full, our cupboards are full! We try to avoid processed foods whenever possible as well.

1- Make the most of your food, 1 whole roasted chicken can last for a few meals if you use it right, roast the chicken, slice up some potatoes and carrots, meal 1, take the remaining meat off the bones and make a chicken sandwich, wrap etc, meal 2 and lastly through all those bones etc in the slow cooker with some water, let it cook on low overnight and in the morning your home smells awesome and you have an excellent broth, just drain out all the bones etc now you have free broth for some chicken soup, meal 3. Winning!

2- Try to make your meat go further for example, when I am making a chicken casserole or a chicken spaghetti I only use one large chicken breast for my whole family, chop it up small and then there is always chicken in every bite, I have even done this for company and no one had any idea. using less meat saves you a lot of money! We also mix our ground beef with ground Buffalo or ground Deer meat whenever possible, it tastes awesome, this is also something I have served many times and no one had any idea there was anything other than beef in the dish, money saving big time!

3- Use your slow cooker, I can buy cheap cuts of beef, let them simmer on low all day and for supper we have a fall off the bone awesome roast and it cost a fraction of the price, love it! Also if you know you have a awesome slow cooker dinner home you are way less likely to grab take out or even stop at the store, which saves you money, big time!

4- Making lots of the same meal, at once, I figure if I am already in the mess I better make use of it, everytime I make lasagna I try to make 6 or 7 at a time, it is not that much more work to make 1 then it is to make 7. I love to make a big batch of soup and freeze the leftovers, I freeze them in little containers for school lunches or in larger ones for a quick lunch for the family, it saves you time and money!

5- When the farmers markets open or your Garden is ready, buy all the in season fruit and veggies you can, from here you can take them home and freeze them or can them and they will last you all year, they are in season so they will be delicious and you saved money, have you ever had to buy an out of season tomato? The prices are high, But who needs it when you have canned fresh tomatoes waiting in the pantry!

6- Meal plan, meal plan, meal plan! Planning your meals ahead of time means you won't be buying groceries you don't need or that you might waste. Once you have planned your meals (I do 2 weeks at a time) then you make your grocery list, everything you need to prepare those 14 meals is on that list, so no late afternoon runs to the store saving you time and money!

7- If you are shopping at Safeway or Sobey's make sure to sign up for Airmiles, many other grocery stores offer free customer cards, make sure you sign up for them, they are full of savings and cost you nothing! Just this month alone I used my Airmiles to save 60$ on my groceries, that is now money in my pocket! Awesome!

8- Only buy groceries that are on sale, my meal plans are planned around the sales flyer, what is on sale is what we buy, if it's not on sale, sorry try again next time. Some things like eggs and milk rarely come on sale, so I just make sure I am getting the best price I can for them. We save a ton of money shopping this way!

9- If you live in a city where there are several stores close together it may be worth it to stop in at another store and get a good deal, but watch how much gas you are using, saving 50 cents on peas isn't worth 2$ in gas :)

10- Stick to your list, we try to only ever buy what is on the list, impulse shopping can cost you a lot in the end, also never go shopping hungry, your cart will be filled with junk!

11- Try out off brands, almost every store has their own brand and these items can be hit and miss, some of the items are awesome, others not so much, but you never know unless you try!

12- Eat your leftovers! It makes me crazy to see leftover thrown in the trash, if eating the same meal twice bores you turn it into something new, what was ham last night can be a panini today or ham soup etc, you get the idea, never waste food!

So those are ways we save money on groceries! It can take a while to get used to all these changes but before you know it, it becomes part of your life and is very easy to keep up! Best of luck and let me know if you need any help with your meal plans I am happy to help!

Freezer slow cooker meals!

In just under 1 hour, I made 8 meals! 8 meals! That is awesome, this is my second time trying freezer cooking and I have to say I am a huge fan, I literally don't have to cook supper all week now cause I spent just one hour preparing meals! Perfect! This is especially great for us right now, December is a crazy busy time for everyone and it is so nice to know that meals are one less thing you have to stress over! Brilliant! Now all you have to do is defrost them a bit, either in the fridge over night, or run in under hot water for a bit till it loosens up, then toss it into your slow cooker, all of the these recipes can be placed in the slow cooker for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

So I found all these recipes on pinterest. This is the woman's blog, Genius! http://melissafallistestkitchen.blogspot.ca/2011/09/freezer-cooking-slow-cooker-meals.html

so i pretty much followed her directions, but I did make a few changes, I didn't have all the items in my home, so made a few substitutions.

These are the recipes

Savory Vegetable Beef Soup
Teriyaki Chicken
Balsamic & Onion Pot Roast (I didn`t make this one)
Healthy BBQ Chicken *from mamaandbabylove.com *Stephanie's Goulash *adapted from mamaandbabylove.com *

My Grocery List:

Veggies:

Salsa ( I use this in place of peppers, easier then doing all that chopping)

Shredded zucchini (this is from my garden this summer)

Onions (I buy these pre chopped and frozen) (I used white, in place of white and red)

Potatoes (I used Purple potatoes we grew in our garden)

Carrots (This was the only veggie I had to peel and chop)

Celery (I left this out, cause I am not a fan, but by all means ad it if you like)
Meat:

Chicken Breasts 6 medium to large (depending on the size of your family you may want to ad more or less) (Chicken breasts go in the bags raw)

Ground Beef 4 pounds ( I used this instead of stew meat, cause we prefer ground beef) (All the beef in pre cooked) 
Extra Groceries

1 can of pineapple

1 can of tomato soup (I used this instead of tomato sauce, cause I didn`t have any on hand)

1 6 oz can of tomato paste

1 cup Clamato Juice (I used this in place of V8 juice)

1 large cans of diced tomato`s 

(it calls for tapioca but I left it out, I didn`t have any)

Beef Broth ( I used beef broth powder and water)

Frozen green beans

Gallon freezer bags

Label your bags before you get your goodies in there. Each one of these recipes makes 2 bags each. 

Teriyaki Chicken (2 Bags)
Savory Vegetable Beef Soup (2 Bags)
Healthy BBQ Chicken (2 Bags)
Stephanie's Goulash/Beef Stew (2 Bags)

Once you have all your ingredients out get ready to start filling your bags!

Teriyaki Chicken (2 Bags)

• Split a large bag of Baby Carrots between the 2 bags
• Cut Red Onion into Large Chunks and split between the 2 bags
• (1) 20oz can pineapple in each bag (undrained)
• (2) Garlic Cloves chopped per bag
• (2) Chicken Breasts in each bag
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce in each bag

*Add 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce to mixture. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. Serve over Rice.

Savory Vegetable Beef Soup (2 Bags)

• Chop (1) Onion and Chop (2) Cloves of Garlic- Brown in Pan with the Ground Beef- once cool divide mixture between bags
• (2) whole carrots chopped per bag
• (2) celery stalks chopped per bag
• (3) Red Potatoes chopped per bag
• (1) can v8 split between bags
• (1) 28oz can diced tomatoes SPLIT between bags
• (1) cup frozen green beans in each bag
• (1/2)TBSP Worcestershire per bag
• (1/2) cup Beef Broth per bag
• (1) TBSP Parsley per bag
• (1) tsp Basil per bag
• 1/2 tsp Thyme per bag
• (1/2) tsp salt per bag
• (1/2) tsp pepper per bag
• (1) TBSP Sugar per bag

*Place in Crockpot with 1.5 cups of water and 15 oz Beef Broth. Cook on LOW 8 Hours

Healthy BBQ Chicken (2 Bags) * from mamaandbabylove.com *

• (2) Green Peppers Cut into Slices split between 2 bags
• (1) Red Pepper Cut into Slices-split between bags
• (1) Zucchini Chopped and split between bags
• (3) Onions Chopped and split between bags
• (6) Red Potatoes Chopped and split between bags (you can also use Sweet Potatoes)
• (4) Garlic Cloves Chopped & Split Between bags
• (4) Chicken Breasts Split between bags (I cut each breast in half again)
• (1/2) TBSP Quick Cooking Tapioca per bag
• (1) 15 oz can of Tomato Sauce Split Between bags
• (1) TBSP of Brown Sugar per bag
• (1) TBSP Worcestershire per bag
• (1) TBSP Mustard per Bag
• (1/4) tsp Salt per bag

Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. Serve over Rice or Egg Noodles

Stephanie's Goulash/Beef Stew (2 Bags) *adapted from mamaandbabylove.com *

• (1) Green Pepper Chopped split between bags
• (1) Chopped Onion per bag
• (2) Carrots Chopped per bag
• (2) Chopped Garlic Cloves per bag
• (3) Ibs Beef Stew Meat Split Between Bags
• (1) 6oz can Tomato Paste per bag
• (2) tsp Paprika per bag
• (1/4) tsp Black Pepper per bag

*Cook for 4 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW in a slow cooker. Add (1/2) Cup of Sour Cream about 10 minutes prior to serving. Serve over Egg Noodles

Here are all the canned goods i used

Get yourself some good quality Gallon freezer bags, this is not where you want to spring a leak!

All the veggies! 

Seasonings and flavorings

I place both bags in the bowl, the bowl really helps them stay up and not spill over, very handy tip! 

                                A shot of inside one of the bags, yum! lol!

And the end result!!! This took less than an hour from beginning to end, including, peeling, chopping, hauling everything out of the freezer, pantry, cupboards etc 

This is so great for us and our busy life, but this would also be a wonderful gift for a new Mom, someone who just had a stay in the hospital, anyone really! Hope you enjoy freezer cooking as much as I did! 

If you have any questions don`t be afraid to ask! 

Let's stock up that freezer for winter with Freezer Burrito's!

My family and I recently made a trip to Qdoba, a wonderful little burrito joint, much like Mucho Burrito! I love all the real food and yummy options, I thought to myself, why don't I make these at home more often? Well the truth is when I hear the word burrito, I think "fart in a tortilla" !! LOL! The word burrito makes me think of refried beans, which I am not a fan of, but then I thought, I can put whatever I want on them, after a quick google search for burrito toppings, I came up with tons of option I knew me and my family would love.

Here are the ones I thought we would like the most: rice, cheese, black beans, parsley, hot sauce, ranch or sour cream, beef, tomatoes, garlic, tortilla's, salsa, peppers, bacon, onion, green chillies, hashbrowns or potatoes, eggs

You can also turn these into breakfast burritos by simply adding breakfast toppings to your tortilla

I made 24 burritos in about 45 minutes, beginning to end, and so can you! Here we go!

for my tortillas I used 24 of them, you can use more or less depending on how much you fill them up! 

 My filling, I chose, ground beef, black beans, salsa, corn, rice, seasonings, chili sauce, onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, YUM!

 Next is the cheese, I grated one large block for my burrito's, you may need more or less depending on your preference

Then I added sour cream I put it in my Pampered Chef icing dispenser. Here is the link if you would like one, it is totally not necessary, but it made it easier and funner! lol! http://www.pamperedchef.ca/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=4552&catId=122

Look at that beauty of a burrito! drool! 

Now I have 24 of these sitting in the freezer, just waiting to be devoured! These are perfect for hubby to bring to work and for those late night suppers when you have nothing else, top it off with a salad or soup and you have a nice meal! 

So when you are ready to eat one, you just:

1. Unwrap frozen burrito from foil

2. Wrap burrito in damp paper towel

3. Microwave for 3 mins on high.

4. Wait to cool, then eat it!

Let me know if you give these a try! That was 45 minutes well spent!

Preparing for School Lunches!

My daughter is starting Kindergarten and one of the things I hear over and over again is how awful it is to make school lunches everyday, there are a few things you can do to make sure this task isn't so bad. First of all, be prepared, do the work ahead of time and it will lighten the load for those super busy school mornings. Second I am a huge fan of leftovers, if we have them, I am sending them! So here are a few things to get you started:

Chocolate chip zucchini mini muffins, I made 200 of these, took me about an hour and a half counting baking time, one day I will have a convection oven and cut my time in half, until then, it took an hour and a half lol!

I love these mini muffins, they are full of zucchini (4 cups) but kids love them cause they have no idea whats in them lol! I put these in individual baggies and tossed them all in the freezer, they are ready to go, no chemicals or processed junk, just home made goodness. Plus these cost next to nothing when you do a break down of all the ingredients and all those individual snacks on the store shelves are only getting more and more expensive, I have 100 baggies here, plenty of snacks for my girl! 

Zucchini Chocolate Chip muffins!

1 c oil

4 tbsp cocoa

½ buttermilk (You can use regular milk and add 1/4 tsp vinegar)

1 1/3 c white sugar

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2 ½ c flour

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 bag of hersheys milk chocolate chips (I use half a bag)

2 cup shredded zucchini or squash

Mix ingredients in order they appear.



350 degrees 20 mins makes 24 muffins can also be made into a 9 x 13 cake and bake 35 to 40 mins! Good luck, enjoy!

Next I made Focaccia bread, a nice quick and easy bread, I wrapped around 40 individual wedges of this, it is quick to make and yummy, a good filler too, goes great when you have a soup or casserole and just need something to finish off the meal. These take no time to whip together and bake about 15 minutes, i did a double recipe to get 40 wedges. 

Gold Medal® Classic Focaccia

Ingredients

2 1/2

to 3 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour or Better for Bread® bread flour

2

tablespoons chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed

1

tablespoon sugar

1

teaspoon salt

1

package regular or fast-acting dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1

cup water

3

tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

Cooking spray to grease bowl and cookie sheets

2

tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1/4

cup grated or finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

• 1In a large bowl, stir 1 cup of the flour, the rosemary, sugar, salt and yeast with a wooden spoon until well mixed. In a 1-quart saucepan, heat the water over medium heat until very warm and an instant-read thermometer reads 120°F to 130°F. Add the water and 3 tablespoons oil to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed 3 minutes, stopping frequently to scrape batter from side and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula. With a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until dough is soft, leaves side of bowl and is easy to handle (the dough maybe slightly sticky).
• 2Sprinkle flour lightly on a countertop or large cutting board. Place dough on floured surface. Knead by folding dough toward you, then with the heels of your hands, pushing dough away from you with a short rocking motion. Move dough a quarter turn and repeat. Continue kneading 5 to 8 minutes, sprinkling surface with more flour if dough starts to stick, until dough is smooth and springy. Spray a large bowl with the cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place 30 minutes or until dough has almost doubled in size. Dough is ready if an indentation remains when you press your fingertips about 1/2 inch into the dough.
• 3Spray 2 cookie sheets or 12-inch pizza pans with the cooking spray. Gently push your fist into the dough to deflate it. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a flattened 10-inch round on a cookie sheet. Lightly spray 2 sheets of plastic wrap with cooking spray; cover the dough loosely with the plastic wrap, sprayed side down. Let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Remove plastic wrap.
• 4Heat the oven to 400°F. Using your fingers, gently make 1/2-inch-deep depressions about 2 inches apart in dough. Carefully brush with 2 tablespoons oil, using a pastry brush; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cooled.

Next comes the Best ever Chocolate chip cookies, these are so nice and soft, even after being frozen. I did a double batch, these are also smaller cookies, so two would be a perfect snack, all bagged and ready to go.

Best Ever Chocolate chip cookies

1 c marg (I use ¾ of a cup)

2 ½ c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2c white sugar

¾ c brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1pkg instant vanilla pudding (4servings)

2 eggs

1 - 12 oz package chocolate chips (I only use half the package; I find the whole package is WAY too much)

Cream eggs, marg, sugars and vanilla. Add all dry ingredients then chocolate chips. Bake 350 degrees f oven for 8 minutes.

Enjoy!

Now to figure out how to keep my husband from eating these cookies, they are his favorite too! 

Next I made a home made ham, veggie, barley soup and froze it in individual containers for those days where there is nothing to send, anytime you have leftovers, soup etc freeze it for lunches, it will come in handy one day when you have nothing to send.

Now I know I am a rookie here and I am not claiming to know it all when I have never had to make lunches day after day, I am just hoping these tips will help all of us, rookies and veterans! 

Send something delicious in their lunches today! 

Summer slow cooker meal plan!

I am so excited, I got me a brand new slow cooker, look how pretty it is:

LOVE IT! I sure did love my old one, but it has served me well and it was time for it to go, it was all cracked on the bottom and I just knew one day my dinner was going to come busting through the bottom. So we saved up our air miles and got this one for free!! This slow cooker is super smart, it can tell when your food is done and turns itself to "warm" so your food doesn't over cook and mushy, I love it and I am so excited to use it! So I started to look for some summer slow cooker meals, perfect for the days when you don't want to heat up the house! But who wants to eat soups and stews in the summer? Not me, so I went searching for meals in the slow cooker that actually go with summer time, and I found some interesting ones, so I will give them a try. Here is our meal plan for the next 2 weeks, including some summer slow cooker meals: 

This meal plan only has 10 meals cause we plan to be out and about for a few nights so we won't need home meals, also we never made the chicken ranch tacos from the last meal plan, so they are being carried over to this meal plan. The Balsamic chicken, the Mexican Haystacks, the ribs and the King ranch chicken over potatoes are all summer slow cooker recipes that we will be trying! Almost everyone of these meals is a new (to us) recipe, found on www.pinterest.com and I am so excited to try them all! just because it's summer doesn't mean you have to stop using your slow cooker! Keep reading my blog to see more summer slow cooker meals over the next few weeks, if you would like any of these recipes, just shoot me a message! Happy cooking! 

20 Cheap or free Summer activities!!

We all love summer, chillin' outside is everyone's favorite pastime in the summer, but the expenses can add up quick and summer or not, there are always bills to pay, so I thought I would help y'all out and give you a list of cheap or free summer activities! There is so much fun to be had out there and it doesn't have to cost a thing, the best things in life are free, and with family or friends by your side, you can't go wrong!!

1- Fly a kite, if you don't have one, you can easily make one, http://www.handmadecharlotte.com/lets-go-fly-a-kite/ making one might even be more fun!
2- Go on a nature walk, walk around your community you might be surprised what you see, flowers, butterflies, birds etc, bring your camera catch a few pretty shots, let the kiddo's take pics too, see the world through their eyes.
3- Go to a Parade, most people have a parade near by, parades are always free, they are fun for the young and old, bring your lawn chair and get some free candy to boot! Fun for all!
4- Have a Picnic! This is the same meal you would have had at home, so it is still free, grab a blanket and eat outside, you would be surprised how much better food tastes outside, everyone loves a picnic!
5- Blowing bubbles, we make our own out of dish soap, 1/2 cup blue dawn dish soap in a 2 liter bottle, top with cold water and you have enough bubbles to last all summer, you can buy some bubble wands or make your own out of pipe cleaners!

6- Celebrate the first day of Summer or any old day with a bonfire! Roasting marshmallows on a fire is wonderful way to spend the evening! Throw in some family and friends and you have got yourself a wonderful summer night! 

7- Go fishing, well you will need a license depending on your age etc, but they are usually pretty cheap and in the end you get dinner! (hopefully) There is so much fun to be had out at the lake with your line in the water, beauty! 

8- Visit your local splash park, or turn on your sprinkler, on a hot day, water is water, and we love it. Find a puddle lol! Most splash parks are free and so nice on a hot summer day! 

9- Harvest food and fruit from your community, if you live in the Country ask around find out where some local free food is growing and bring some home, yum! If you are out in the city, find a farmers market and get some delicious food, fresh off the farm! 

10- Go on a bike ride! Take the family or friends out for a ride! Everyone gets some exercise and a change of view too! 

11- Take pictures, take lots of picture, these are the moments, you don't want to forget them! 

12- Go to baseball or football game,  there are a lot of schools that have free ball games you can attend, take in a local game and cheer on the home team!

13- Watch fireworks, fireworks are always free and a great way to spend a summer night, get out and enjoy!

14- Plant a garden or flowers, for the price of a few seeds you can have entertainment all summer long, watching the seeds sprout and harvesting your fruits or veggies is tons of fun and about as organic as you can get! 

15- Catch butterflies, examine them, look up their breed, they are so beautiful and fun to catch, they have nets at the dollar store, 1$ for an afternoon of fun sounds good to me! 

16- Pick wild flowers, there are wild flowers growing all over this beautiful country of ours, go on a nice country drive, look for wildlife and for flowers, some  wild flowers are not to be picked, make sure you check that out for your area.

17- Send a post card to a loved one, post cards are inexpensive, grab one and send it out, you are sure to put a smile on someones face! 

18- Bird watching, head out to your local park and check out all the pretty birds we have here, bring some bird seed or bread and really make a birds day! 

19-  Set up an entertainment swap, gather some old books, board games and dvds, that you and your family no longer want and swap them with your friend and neighbor for their unwanted entertainment! This is a great way to try out new things and it doesn't have to cost you a thing!

20- Organize a garage sale or sell your stuff online, take the extra cash and go for ice cream! Or better yet, make your own ice cream! 

I sure hope this list inspires you to get out there and have some fun this summer, fun doesn't have to cost you a thing!! Enjoy!