Stockpile Cooking

Tonight for dinner I made chicken enchiladas with white sauce...and made my hubby VERY happy!

The pictures don't do this dish justice...but take my word for it ~ delish!

Chicken Enchiladas with White Sauce

 

2 whole chicken breast, cooked and cubed (or shredded)

1 pound of Monterey jack cheese, grated (or any cheese you have on hand)
1 (3 oz.) can mild chopped green chilies (I used the 7 oz. can)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (or whatever cream soup you have on hand)
1 pint sour cream
½ pound cheddar cheese, grated
1 dozen flour tortillas

Mix together green chilies, sour cream and cream soup.  Spoon some of this mixture on the bottom of a greased 9 x 13” pan.  Top with tortillas.  I cut the tortillas in half and use enough to cover the bottom completely.  Place chicken on top of the tortillas and a couple spoonful’s of the cream sauce.  Cover with ½ the shredded cheeses and then top with another layer of tortillas.  Spread the remainder of the sauce on top of the tortillas and top with the remainder of the cheese.   Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. 

NOTE:  tonight I made these using a combination of chicken and leftover turkey.  I added a sautéed onion as well.  I used an Italian blend cheese in place of the Monterey jack…since that is what I had and I used less of the cheddar cheese.  This is a great meal to make using items that are on hand as well as using up leftovers.

Snow Day!

It just keeps snowing and snowing and ...

Remember last week when I blogged about these two trees loaded with buds...what does snow do to buds?

My favorite youngest daughter venturing out to measure the snow in the yard...

In her shorts...

9" inches so far and it is still coming down!

My favorite oldest daughter, with my favorite son-in-law along with my favorite youngest daughter...

They are going off in the snow...in a car...which really makes their mommy scared!

Just love these kids!

More Double Coupon Deals

Even though the ground is covered in snow...I sweetly asked my hubby to drive me to Albertsons again to take advantage of the last day of double coupons.  Again...it went smoothly and I did not cause any embarrasement to my hubby..hahaha!

(3) Ken's Salad Dressing
Retail: $12.87  Paid: $0 ~ 100% Savings!

(3) Barilla Penne Pasta
Retail: $6.57  Paid: 80 cents ~ 88% Savings

(1) Ken's Salad Dressing and (2) Stayfree Pads
Retail: $11.07  Paid: 17 cents (SST) ~ 98% Savings

My gosh...I got $30.51 worth of groceries

and only paid 97 cents...amazing!

And now...a moment for some Spring thinking:

I got a delivery today of some gardening supplies!  This entire order was free due to my mother-in-laws wonderful Christmas present to me.  Now I am just waiting for the seeds that I just ordered (which are a Christmas present from my favorite oldest daughter) and then I can get my onion seeds going.  So...there may be a foot of snow on the ground but there is a whole lot of gardening going on in my head!

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

The snow keeps on falling and at this point there is no end in sight.  Local schools are already posting that tomorrow (Wednesday) will be a no school day.  I plan on staying home as well and work on some quilting! 

Tonight we made a favorite dinner for my hubby and I...
Turkey Lettuce Wraps.

Sweating the onion, jalapeno, garlic and fresh ginger...

Adding the ground turkey and cooking until just about done...

Top meat mixture with a sauce containing soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce...

And ready to eat!

A favorite for all except for my favorite youngest daughter...
she had to be force fed!


Recipe:

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. fish sauce
½ large onion (or a small onion)
1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger
1 small jalapeno, stemmed and seeded
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 pound lean ground turkey
Bibb, Boston or Iceberg lettuce leaves
1 carrot, shredded

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, and fish sauce.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  In a food processor, pulse onion, ginger, jalapeno and garlic until finely chopped.  Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat; once hot, add onion mixture and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add turkey and cook until crumbled and almost cooked through ~ about 5 minutes.  Add soy sauce mixture and stir until meat is completely cooked, about 2 minutes more.  Serve in lettuce leaves and sprinkle with shredded carrot.

Spending Very Little

Today there were Albertsons doublers in the paper!  By matching up sale items with coupons...and then doubling them ~ I was able to get some rock bottom prices.  Rock bottom is good because I have VERY little left of my monthly $250.00 budget.  The good news is that I have enough yogurt for us to live on for about an entire month!

Yesterday morning (Saturday) I dragged my favorite youngest daughter out to go shopping with me.  She has been home sick since Thursday and I wanted her to get some fresh air.  Unfortunately, she in turn made me regret that decision with her unappreciative attitude!  I actually felt sorry for her by the time we made it to Albertsons, Safeway, Fred Meyer and Winco...she was realllllly worn out.  On top of her attitude...snow was starting to fall pretty rapidly.  Wasn't it just six days ago I was out in my yard, without any heavy clothing, having a Spring Fever attack?  Ahhh...life in western Washington.

Today (Sunday) finds us with several inches of snow on the ground.  It is beautiful but I do not care to drive in it.  I felt bad asking my hubby to drive me to my Albertsons double couponing trip...but finally I couldn't stand it any longer!  At 7:00 pm I asked him to drive me and he actually pushed the cart through the store.  Thankfully couponing went smooth and I didn't have to cause him any couponing embarrassment!

Really needed to stock up on some dishwasher soap.

Retail: $11.03 Paid: $3.93 ~ 64% Savings

Next up ~ almost free toothpaste at Safeway!

Retail: $12.35   Paid $1.35 ~ 92% Savings

Albertsons Doubler #1

Retail: $11.07  Paid: $0  ~ 100% Savings!

Albertsons Doubler #2

Retail: $18.04  Paid: $1.00 ~ 94% Savings

And...Albertsons doubler #3

Retail: $14.69  Paid: $3.42  ~ 77% Savings

It took three separate transactions at Albertsons but I was able to purchase $43.80 worth of food and only paid $4.42...that is just amazing to me.

Weight Watchers

I have three major goals this year:

• Spending only $250.00 per month on food, toiletries and paper goods
• Creating a bigger and better vegetable garden
• and most importantly, work on becoming healthier

I have always, always struggled with my weight.  About 10 years ago I lost 100 pounds with Weight Watchers and then gained about 70 pounds back.  Five years ago I had a lap band put in...while I try not to ever "regret" decisions ~ I wish I had not done this.  I did lose 80 pounds.  However...my weight has crept back up and I have gained 50+ pounds in the last couple of years.

I have had most of the "filling" taken out of my lap band due to pretty severe acid reflux issues so the band no longer offers me any "resistance" or the feeling of fullness to foods that I eat.

Time for Weight Watchers and a new attitude about food.  I join WW last Thursday and officially started yesterday ~ Friday the 13th!  I am not ready to announce my current weight or how many points I can eat per day...but I will share more as this journey moves along.

Here is what I ate for lunch yesterday:

Tuna (with mayo!) on w/w bread with some lettuce and tomaotoes.  A carrot and some sweet/salty mini rice cakes rounded it out.  It was good and filling. 

11 points plus.

Here is my new favorite kitchen gadget ~ TopChips chip maker by Mastrad.  http://www.shopmastrad.com/

It really works.  You cut up the raw potato (can be peeled or unpeeled), place it on this platform and cook in the microwave for about 3 1/2 minutes.  When done, you get crispy potato chips without any oil.  We do lightly salt the potatoes prior to cooking.  Yum!  I can have a whole potato worth of chips for about 3 points.  Ahhh...heaven!

My Week in Review

The spring like weather is long gone and a cold front has moved in.  We are actually hearing the word "SNOW" in the forecast for the first time this winter.  I know that my kids would love to see some snow...I on the other hand, would rather be working in the yard. 

Here is my week in review.  It was a busy week with 2 volleyball games and fighting colds...so I did not get much couponing done.  The rumor is that Albertson's will have double coupons in the Sunday paper...so give couponing a try.  Find a coupon in the Sunday paper that interests you, clip an Albertson's double coupon (which will also be in the Sunday paper) and head to Albertsons.  Remember...Albertson's will only double up to $1.00; so if you have a 50 cent manufactuer coupon...with the double that coupon will be worth a $1.00.  If you have $1.00 manufacturer coupon...it will be worth $2.00 when using the Albertson's doubler.  Easy peasy...start small and see if it works for you.

I took advantage of eggs and milk that were on sale at Walgreens.  I used $5.00 in Register Rewards that I earned last week and only had to pay $2.16 for all of this. 

Full Retail would have been $10.36 so I saved about 75 percent.

Next up ~ Rite aid.  Retail: $19.05, Paid: $4.92 ~ 76% Savings!

Tonight (1/13/12) this was our sunset...simply glorius.  As my mom has always said: "pink sky at night...sailers delight!"  Not often do we see a sunset this beautiful...

and on a Friday the 13th even!

Spring Fever!

Today was a rare treat in the Pacific Northwest...no rain, a bit of blue sky showing and warmer than normal weather.  It was time to do some cleaning in the backyard. 

I cleaned these two vegetable beds out.  I added some Starbucks coffee grounds, dead leaves and some blood meal. I am not sure if this combination will help the soil...but I don't think it can hurt.

I then raked and raked and raked.  It took a good hour and I pretty much filled up the bin...but it looks good!

I am a little nervous that my flowering cherry tree is loaded up with buds...it's only January.  Note...see that beautiful blue sky?

My hydrangea's are budding as well; it's still winter!  It has been too warm and things are budding too early

...I think.

The artichoke plant my mom gave me last year is still looking good. 
I heard that these are a perinnial...so we will see how it goes.

Blueberry plants.  I only have three so far, but want to get some more.

48 garlic plants that I put into the ground last fall...

should they be sprouting already?

The strawberry plants still look okay.  I want more of these too.

After working in the yard for a couple of hours...I had fun practicing some volleyball moves with my favorite youngest daughter.  Tomorrow she has a game...I love game days!

A Week in Review

This week I made a visit to Grocery Outlet in Everett because I heard about a couple of great deals that I wanted to take advantage of.  I haven't gone here much anymore because they do not accept coupons...but even without coupons ~ I saved 70% on the items above.  The Cajun Shrimp Alfredo meals...are amazingly good and fast to make. Plus they were buy 1/get 1 free which made them $1.00 a piece.  I am heading out again this weekend to try to get some more of these for the freezer. 

Total Paid: $15.08.  Total Saved: $34.84

Albertson's had double coupons this week.  I was able to purchase salsa for 50 cents each!  The salsa above normally costs $2.99 each but using a coupon with a sale...I got a great deal. 

Total Paid: $3.00  Total Saved: $11.94 ~ 80% Savings

Deal #2 at Albertsons.  This picante cost $3.99 each...but again, I paid 50 cents each!

Total Paid: $2.95  Total Saved: $15.71 ~ 84% savings

Walgreens has a good promotion going on.  Buy (4) Nature Valley Thins for $10.00 and get $5.00 Register Rewards (which acts like cash on a future purchase).  By using (4) 75 cents off coupons and getting back the $5.00 RR (register rewards) I esentially got each box for 50 cents.

Total Paid: $7.00/$5.00 RR earned   Total Saved: $10.16 ~ 88% factoring the RR 

Stocked up on some bread at the Franz Bread Outlet in North Everett.  It is hard to calculate how much I saved...and how much I spent because I lost the receipt and used cash to pay for it and cannot for the life of me remember what I paid.  But I know it was a good deal...trust me!

On Friday I stopped by QFC and bought some SoftSoap for cheap.  While I was there, I picked up some blinkie coupons for some Kraft cheese that I am going to be using at Albertsons this weekend.

Total Paid: $3.09  Total Saved: $9.55 ~ 76% Savings

Happy New Year!

After 17 days off...it is back to work and school tomorrow.  Part of me is really sad but a bigger part of me needs to get back into a routine because I have been really, really lazy.  Today is January 2nd...and I have already spent $96.00 of my monthly $250.00 allotment...yikes!

Albertson's have their double coupons out...here is what I spent today:

(2) Minute Maid Juice boxes and 10 Yoplait yogurts ~ $7.91.  (Retail: $17.21) 

(2) Eyebrow pencils (2 in each package and includes a sharpener) and 10 Yoplait yogurt ~ $6.93 (Retail: $16.07)

(2) Olive Oils and 10 Yoplait yogurts ~ $7.98.  (Retail: $26.48)


**In addition to these great savings...I got (3) coupons for a free 4-pack of Yoplait yogurt (worth $2.75 for each coupon).  I also received a $1.00 off on my next hair care purchase.  Not too shabby.


Top Food and Drugs was next...

I used the last of my coupons to get these for 99 cents each...with tax I paid $6.27  (Retail: $30.27).


And finally...I stopped by Target to get a couple of deals:

(2) Theraflu night time cough syrup and (4) Cascade sample packs (3 tabs per package) ~ $5.24. (Retail: $14.24).  I also received a coupon for a free 12 ct package of Breathe Right nasal strips...a $7.49 value!