Friday Was Groupon Night

I have bought a number of Groupons over the last year. Most of them are for dining but others are for things like spa services, skydiving, cup cakes,  or a all you can drink margarita cruise. Groupons are a locally offered coupon in your area. If enough people buy them, you've won the Groupon. You can click this link and then click on the city to select yours. http://www.groupon.com/r/uu1531594 You get steep discounts on many varieties of things.

Last night I had a $40 Groupon to Chili Lili's Chili bar. Although the service was very slow the food was pretty good. My food did come out a bit cooler that I like though. My hubby had the Buffalo chicken wing chili with blue cheese on top. Mine was Texas Chili with steak in it. My stomach hurts today because of the habeneros! I wouldn't go out to eat unless I have a Groupon or a restaurant.com certificate. I am just too frugal. We ended up paying $7.00 for our whole meal last night. Not bad for the three of us! Our oldest daughter wanted to stay home so she missed out!

Shrimp with Gnocchi and Asparagus

Last night I was supposed to make the Asian Spicy Noodles however, when I got home I had very little time. We were going to go clothes shopping for my oldest. I decided on Shrimp and Gnocchi instead. Earlier in the day I cut about a lb. of asparagus into smaller pieces and defrosted some ready cooked shrimp in a bowl of cold water in the fridge. I told my hubby to have some water boiling when I got home. The recipe came together in a matter of minutes. I made it semi-homemade. The recipe I saw called for making your own pesto. I just didn't have the time. I love the pesto and will be using it later on this week to make pesto baked chicken.

1/2 bag of 61-70 count ready cooked shrimp defrosted
1 lb of asparagus cut into 1 inch sections
1-2 boxes of ready made gnocchi
3 TBS. Classico pesto
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP EVOO

Into the boiling water salted with 1 tsp of water place the asparagus pieces and blanche for 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place to the side. I didn't put them in a ice bath because I wanted them to cook through a bit more. In the boiling water add the gnochhi. We used one box but I think I may use two the next time. They are pre-cooked so they are done within 3-5 minutes. Remove from boiling water and in a frying pan heat 1 TBSP of EVOO. Begin to brown the shrimp. Since they are ready cooked you only need to do this for a minute each side. Add the asparagus and gnocchi. Lastly add the pesto and give everything a big stir and serve. It serves 4.

It Can Only Get Better Right? Asian Noodles and Chicken

My morning was not off to a good start today. I went back to bed after the kids were off to school and got up to take a shower. I go to blow dry my hair and had it plugged in. I laid the dryer on the sink and sure enough it fell into the toilet! Thank God for the automatic shut off! Everything was ok though and I went to go get a hair cut for the first time in about 6 months.

I promised my kids I would take them shopping tonight after I get home from work but I will be coming home to make dinner first. I am making Asian noodles and chicken tonight. Here is the recipe I saw on myrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste) I used 1
• 1 (6.75-ounce) package thin rice sticks (rice-flour noodles) I am using linguini
• 2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Preparation

• 1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic to pan; cook 45 seconds, stirring constantly. Place in a large bowl. Stir in remaining 1 teaspoon oil, chicken, and next 6 ingredients (through sambal).
• 2. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain. Cut noodles into smaller pieces. Add noodles to bowl; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts

note: you can freeze bulbs of ginger and pull out of the freezer when you need it. Use the back of a spoon to take the skin off the ginger and a micro plane to add it to your dish.

Sweet and Sour Meatball Sliders

Back from the store. It was a restocking mission today! I cleaned out my freezer and have so much room. I had to buy some meat and shrimp today so my bill was high for us $130 ish but I did save a lot in coupons.
This is what the plan is for this week

sweet and sour meatball sliders
Asian chicken spicy noodles
shrimp and gnochhi with pesto and asparagus
meatloaf muffins
baked pesto chicken

Here is the sweet and sour meatball slider recipe. I will post a picture later! I saw this in Family Circle Magazine: Right off the bat I am going to be adapting it. I am making it for the crock pot. I usually like to bake my meatballs on a baking sheet lined with foil for about 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. It is less messy and the result is really good. This time I will be browning the meatballs in a frying pan and adding them to the sauce in a crock pot and letting them cook off all day.

Sweet and sour Meatball Sliders
1 green pepper finely chopped (I am using red)
1 15oz tomato sauce
3/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp pepper
2 lbs ground pork
2 lg eggs or 1 egg per lb of pork
1/3 c cornflake crumbs (I may substitute 1 pk instant oatmeal)
1 medium onion diced
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 pkg dinner rolls

Add peppers, onion, and garlic to a skillet with evoo heat for four minutes. Add salt and pepper and some of the tomato sauce and garlic salt. I divided the pepper mixture and put half in the sauce and half in the meatballs.  In a medium bowl mix the pork. Stir in the eggs, corn flake crumbs(or oatmeal), and pepper mixture until blended and form 12 meatballs using about 2 TBSP of the meat. I got 20 meatballs this way instead of the 12 they got. The meatballs just have to be browned they will cook in the crock pot all the way through.

Heat a large non stick skillet over medium heat with some Evoo. Add medium onion diced with the remaining tomato sauce, sugar and vinegar, and a dash of garlic salt. Here I browned the meatballs in the skillet and added them to the sauce in the crock pot. I am using the low setting for up to 8 hours. I am going to be serving this with rice on the side because I like the sweet and sour sauce over rice. Also I thought about adding pineapple tidbits to this. It looks like each dinner roll will get 2 meatballs.

We loved it and think it's a keeper! I served rice as the side and put the sweet and sour sauce on top. I served two meatballs per dinner roll.

Day Two of Living off Groupons

Last night I used a Groupon to a Mexican restaurant in South Milwaukee and stuffed my family of 4. I didn't take any food porn pictures though because we were so hungry we stuffed our faces right away. My daughter ordered a strawberry and goat cheese salad with some cheese sticks. I know not your average Mexican fare but that's what she wanted. My youngest had a kids meal with a taco and rice. And my hubby and I had the South combination which included a steak chimichanga, a ham and cheese quesidilla, rice and beans, and a chicken flauta. I paid $10 for the Groupon and spent an additional $7.00 for tip. Here is the link for Groupon. You can change your city on the dropdown next to the city name.
http://www.groupon.com/r/uu1531594

I have a variety of Groupons still to use. Last year my girlfriend and I did a margarita cruise which was a blast! Today we had a Groupon for National Bakery and Deli. I haven't been there since I was a kid. They are famous around here for that Paczki's. I paid $10 for $20 worth of food. This is what we got:

I also went to Walmart and got two free packages of Zatarains frozen meals from having my House Party. Houseparty.com is a place I learned of through the disboards.com (disboards is a Disney chat board and is the best out there) Through houseparty.com you apply to have different parties. They send you a kit full of free coupons and merchandise. I had a "Just Dance 2" party and got two free video games for my Wii. I also had a Zatarains party and got free food and I love to cook. I posted all the food I made a few posts back. I have applied for a Weight Watchers ice cream party and a adult Long Island Iced Tea party.

Living off Groupons for the Next Few Days

I love Groupon and have a few I have been wanting to use. In case you don't know what Groupon is, it's like a coupon co-op. A offer is presented and if enough people join in your area, you receive the Groupon. For example you pay $15 for $50 worth of food at a restaurant. They also have spa services, events, and hotel stays. I recently bought a certificate to spend on eBay. It's available around the nation. You can click this link and change it to your area.
http://www.groupon.com/r/uu1531594
The one I wanted to use this A.M. was for a local bakery. Alas, they were closed. Ham and rolls are a big thing here on Sunday and I was disappointed.

The Groupon I am using tonight is for a Mexican restaurant. I get $35 to spend on whatever food I want. It will be feeding my family of 4 and I just have to leave a tip. Can't wait to go food shopping on Tuesday!

I am Wrapping My Family In Plastic Wrap!

What a week it has been! My hubby came home on his week off last week sick with a cold. Then it was my turn on Monday. I have been battling a cold since Monday. It started with a sore throat, didn't get the cough, but my sinuses are going crazy! I think I am at the end though.

My little one came home from school yesterday and complained of not feeling well, didn't eat lunch and proceeded to fall asleep on the couch. She never naps! Needless to say she stayed home from school this morning.

I normally have insomnia so not sleeping much is my norm however I was only getting around 4 hours of sleep this week every day. It all caught up with me today and I was fell asleep at 7:30 ish in the recliner tonight. My oldest came in the room and was complaining of a sore throat too! Will the cycle never end?

This week we had no food budget except for about $30.00. Like many families we struggle with our second check of the month. My DH is the breadwinner. My little check usually goes for food but I found it going towards our rent this time. Luckily I have a stocked freezer and we by no means went hungry. I did have to send him to the store for cat food so our cats will not eat us and staples like bread and diet soda. Yes I did say diet soda is a staple lol!

In a effort to drive out the sick I made soup a few days this week. One day was chili and today was Chicken Chipotle tortilla soup. Our grocery store had a sale on boneless chicken breast on sale for $4.99 this week. That's an awesome buy as we go through one of those bags a week. I buy one of those 5 gallon tubs of ice cream every week. Unfortunately my youngest hasn't been good this week and has missed dessert more times than I can count. Here is the page with the Chicken chipotle soup.
http://tinkmomfoodie-foodobsession.blogspot.com/2011/01/frugal-with-capital-f.html

The good news out of all of this is my pantry and freezer are getting empty! Grocery shopping will be on Tuesday this week. What happened to the good ole days when you could write a check for something and have the check deposited in a few days?  Now our grocery store sends everything electronically so the funds better be in there or else you get charge a gazillion dollars in fees. It kind of negates writing out checks.

How am I getting by? These are some of the things I do when I shop.

 My store had double couponing but only allows me to do it on 5 items. I keep a binder with coupons and save about $35 to $40 in coupons every week. If my store allowed more I would probably go crazy. I usually buy generics and am not brand loyal although there are some things I do like the regular brands. Oftentimes the regular manufactures also make the generic product. I generally spend $80-100 a week on food and supplies like cat food, litter, soda, etc. I also sit down every Sunday and plan out my meals for the week with my stores circular. I see whats on sale and see what I have on hand in my freezer and pantry.

These are some of the things I buy on and store in my freezer and keep in my pantry for the rough weeks

Pantry:
Rice (I purchased a 20lb bag of long grain rice and use it several times a week)
canned soups (nothing goes better with sick than soup) also a coupon sale item
lentils or beans
tomatoes (stewed, diced)
spaghetti sauce and noodles (I usually have 2-3 different kinds of noodles at a time)
canned veggies
juice
cereal (I coupon and buy on sale)

Freezer:
3lb bag of boneless chicken breasts (buy every week)
fish like Tilapia (when it goes bogo I stock up)
when on sale I buy hamburger and freeze it into one lb bags
soups (like my French Onion) I freeze it into one cup baggies and use it for Pot Roasts or single servings
frozen veggies (mixed veggies and peas)
veggie purees (I learned this from a Jessica Seinfeld cookbook and sneak the purees in meals)
meats buy large amounts and divide into single meals and freeze


In the basement freezer
breads, milk, overflow from the upstairs freezer