I know I promised this info about... a month ago, but we've been a little busy around the house ( baby prep, holiday prep). Today I'm focusing on leftover chicken and a couple pasta recipes. It specifies rotisserie chicken, but any kind of leftover chicken (roasted whole, cooked pieces, what have you) can be sub'd in. And you can use any kind of leftover pasta you have, I have specified my preference, but it is up to you (and your cupboard!)
Looking into your refrigerators, sometimes there is just a sea of Tupperware containers. LEFTOVERS. Eating the same thing over and again can be a bit boring. Here a few ways you can “re-purpose” leftovers.
Rotisserie chicken- who doesn’t love it? It’s a quick, easy way to serve your family a yummy dinner. Pair it up with a salad and crusty bead and butter, and you are set. But what if you can’t finish the whole chicken in one sitting?
Chicken Soup- Remove the remaining chicken from the bone. Boil the carcass in water, add spices, herbs, and some veggies to make a nice hearty stock, add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the carcass and the veggies after cooking the stock down and discard them. Add about 1 cup of the chopped meat and 2-3 cups of veggies (carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, whatever you have), and some egg noodles. Cook until the veggies are al dente and the noodles are done, about 15 minutes, serve up with corn bread or rolls.
Chicken enchiladas- use approx ¾-1 cup of the chicken meat that had been removed from the bone and layer it with corn tortillas, cheddar or jack cheese and your choice on red or green enchiladas sauce. Baked in a greased pan for 30-45 minutes until heated throughout and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
BBQ Pulled chicken sandwiches- Shred 1-2 cup of chicken removed from the bone, add a bottle of BBQ sauce, cook on the stove until heated throughout. Serve on warned buns or in whole wheat pitas. Team up with veggies or salad.
Pasta- I always over estimate the amount of pasta that we need. I like to make pasta salad with the leftover pasta, here’s how I make it:
2-3 cups of cooked pasta ( rotini, small rigitoni, shells, what have you) If you have more pasta, use all of it.
½ c chopped cheese (I use moz. But if we are out, I’ll use string cheese, cut into small pieces)
2 chopped bell peppers (any color)
1 cup pepperoni or salami, chopped into bite sized pieces
½ cup Italian salad dressing
Mix all together in a large bowl, refrigerate at least over night before serving. Add extra dressing as needed. It makes a great side dish, or serve with bread or rolls for a light entrée (also makes a really nice potluck dish).
If you’re not in the mood for pasta salad, turn leftover pasta into mac and cheese, or mix up a batch of Chicken Tetrazini (you can use some leftover rotissierie chicken!)
1 lb pasta, you choice, cooked al dente (if you have less, that’s ok)
1-2 c cooked shredded or cubed chicken
1 can Cream of Chicken and Mushroom soup (if you can’t find it, stick with Cream of Chicken)
I can of water
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
½ cup cheese (you favorite kind- I like sharp cheddar!) You can use more cheese if you like.
In a saucepan, combine chicken, soup, water, Italian seasoning. Cook until bubbly, stirring to combine ingredients. Add cheese and stir until smooth. Add pasta and stir to combine. Serves 4-6. You can add leftover veggies, such as broccoli, peas, or asparagus.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Savings Goals for 2010
My savings goals for 2010 were:
To save money and maintain the lifestyle that DH and I enjoy. We have changed grocery stores (from Vons to Ralph's) and right there with that one change, there has been a noticeable savings, even on items that I do not have coupons for.
We only dine out with a coupon and/or a giftcard (that usually comes from Mypoints or SBKC). We purchase an Entertainment book and use the coupons to our advantage- combine them with Happy Hour prices, the daily special, or we buy one entree and split it. The Ralph's coupons in the Entertainment book have also helped us save money on groceries too! The coupons for services are great!
I joined lots of E-clubs and started following more blogs- that really helped me keep abreast of savings, upcoming sales, and freebies galore.
Use all of the HBA in our house. Not to buy any more unless we had run out of a specific item that we *had* to have. Looking into my HBA cupboard yesterday, I am down to 3 sets of shampoo and conditioner. I started the year with 9 sets. I did have to buy Deo., but with a great sale at target, Bogo q's and the secret clinical buy 5 get 1 free deal, they were less than $4.00 each (which is a great deal since they are usually $9.99/each!! I know, but when you have sensitive armpits, you do what you gotta do!!) I am going to keep the momentum going and starting in January 2011, I will only be bringing home free HBA. We won't need deo for probably another year, body wash or hair dye for 6-8 months.
Enjoy more free stuff. I have requested hundreds of free samples this year. I have been using them as they come in and a need arises. I also put them in our travel toiletry kits, and participated in a freebie swap on HCW. I have tried to share the links either on the blog or by posting them in my twitter feed. We also enjoyed more free activities, such as potluck dinners with friends, evenings with friend in our home (or theirs)- playing games, watching movies, just hanging out.
Shopping at new stores to discover new bargains. I am not really a Target fan, however, the closest Target to our house just opened it's expanded grocery section. With coupons and their sales, many of the items we regularly use are free.
A Fresh and Easy opened a few months ago, less than a mile away from our home. I really enjoy their philosophy of fresh food at low prices and the prices aren't bad. I try to go right as the open to hit up the mark down section to save a little extra. They also have $10/$30 or $5/$20 coupons available most of the time. The only down fall is they do not accept manu. q's.
I have also started a spreadsheet to help me track all of the money that has come into the house with rebates and bonuses earned (Mypoints, SBKC, Misc. Surveys, Synovate, E-club rewards, Office Depot WorkLife rewards, etc.). Seeing the total saved really puts all of the work I do to keep us on budget in perspective. To date, we have received $847.20 in cash and giftcards!
I'd love to hear how you all have kept on track with your savings goals, and what those goals are! Please leave a comment and share your goals. I will choose one tip on December 10th, and the winner will receive a holiday savings gift from me, which will include coupons, a $10 gift card and other goodies!
Your goal can be as simple as, "I will save $10 from each paycheck to fund our annual vacation." to "I want to save $10k for a new car and here is how I will do it." Sharing our savings goals can inspire others.
*Extra Entry- Tweet about this contest and use the hashtag #cacpndiva
*Extra Entry #2 Post about this contest on your blog
To save money and maintain the lifestyle that DH and I enjoy. We have changed grocery stores (from Vons to Ralph's) and right there with that one change, there has been a noticeable savings, even on items that I do not have coupons for.
We only dine out with a coupon and/or a giftcard (that usually comes from Mypoints or SBKC). We purchase an Entertainment book and use the coupons to our advantage- combine them with Happy Hour prices, the daily special, or we buy one entree and split it. The Ralph's coupons in the Entertainment book have also helped us save money on groceries too! The coupons for services are great!
I joined lots of E-clubs and started following more blogs- that really helped me keep abreast of savings, upcoming sales, and freebies galore.
Use all of the HBA in our house. Not to buy any more unless we had run out of a specific item that we *had* to have. Looking into my HBA cupboard yesterday, I am down to 3 sets of shampoo and conditioner. I started the year with 9 sets. I did have to buy Deo., but with a great sale at target, Bogo q's and the secret clinical buy 5 get 1 free deal, they were less than $4.00 each (which is a great deal since they are usually $9.99/each!! I know, but when you have sensitive armpits, you do what you gotta do!!) I am going to keep the momentum going and starting in January 2011, I will only be bringing home free HBA. We won't need deo for probably another year, body wash or hair dye for 6-8 months.
Enjoy more free stuff. I have requested hundreds of free samples this year. I have been using them as they come in and a need arises. I also put them in our travel toiletry kits, and participated in a freebie swap on HCW. I have tried to share the links either on the blog or by posting them in my twitter feed. We also enjoyed more free activities, such as potluck dinners with friends, evenings with friend in our home (or theirs)- playing games, watching movies, just hanging out.
Shopping at new stores to discover new bargains. I am not really a Target fan, however, the closest Target to our house just opened it's expanded grocery section. With coupons and their sales, many of the items we regularly use are free.
A Fresh and Easy opened a few months ago, less than a mile away from our home. I really enjoy their philosophy of fresh food at low prices and the prices aren't bad. I try to go right as the open to hit up the mark down section to save a little extra. They also have $10/$30 or $5/$20 coupons available most of the time. The only down fall is they do not accept manu. q's.
I have also started a spreadsheet to help me track all of the money that has come into the house with rebates and bonuses earned (Mypoints, SBKC, Misc. Surveys, Synovate, E-club rewards, Office Depot WorkLife rewards, etc.). Seeing the total saved really puts all of the work I do to keep us on budget in perspective. To date, we have received $847.20 in cash and giftcards!
I'd love to hear how you all have kept on track with your savings goals, and what those goals are! Please leave a comment and share your goals. I will choose one tip on December 10th, and the winner will receive a holiday savings gift from me, which will include coupons, a $10 gift card and other goodies!
Your goal can be as simple as, "I will save $10 from each paycheck to fund our annual vacation." to "I want to save $10k for a new car and here is how I will do it." Sharing our savings goals can inspire others.
*Extra Entry- Tweet about this contest and use the hashtag #cacpndiva
*Extra Entry #2 Post about this contest on your blog
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Are you ready for black Friday?
I know a lot of you are prepping for both Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
For my die-hard shoppers- Remember your coupons. Tomorrow's paper is the single largest paper, so there will be tons of store coupons inside the adverts. Keep your eyes peeled for great coupons from Kohl's (who always has the best coupons), as well as coupons from JCP (orignator of the famous $10/$10).
If you are on a budget, (and who isn't?) stick to your list. I will be using gift cards that I have earned from SBKC and MyPoints paired up with coupons to buy the last remaining gifts. I have a stack of coupons that I have pulled from my coupon wallet for various stores for the sole purpose of my holiday shopping.
If you are still looking for a way to maximize your savings- consider Groupon. Currently, Groupon has a GREAT DEAL! Ok, so they always have a great deal, but for the next 13 hours, Groupon is selling a $50.oo Nordstrom's Rack Gift Certificate for $25.00- It is redeemable at all Rack Locations. Use it to buy gifts, or gift it as the gift itself. If you haven't checked out Groupon yet, it's a great website and they usally have something cool!
For those who do their shopping online, don't forget sites like retailmenot.com and couponcabin.com. You can look up coupon codes to your favorite shopping sites and retailers. Also, if you are a member of mypoints or ebates, don't forget to shop through them to save extra money and earn points or rebate dollars. If you aren't a member of Mypoints yet- What are you waiting for? We've earned over $100 in rewards this year, just for doing the shopping online we normally do, as well as completing surveys and clinking on links in emails. It's really easy and fun!!
Some stores are giving away gift cards/ certificates when you buy $X in products or gift cards. Save those for yourself, or gift them as a gift! Remember that these gift certificates may have certain limitations and exclusions, be aware of these before you give them or use them.
Whatever your shopping plan of attack is: Please be safe and courteous.
For my die-hard shoppers- Remember your coupons. Tomorrow's paper is the single largest paper, so there will be tons of store coupons inside the adverts. Keep your eyes peeled for great coupons from Kohl's (who always has the best coupons), as well as coupons from JCP (orignator of the famous $10/$10).
If you are on a budget, (and who isn't?) stick to your list. I will be using gift cards that I have earned from SBKC and MyPoints paired up with coupons to buy the last remaining gifts. I have a stack of coupons that I have pulled from my coupon wallet for various stores for the sole purpose of my holiday shopping.
If you are still looking for a way to maximize your savings- consider Groupon. Currently, Groupon has a GREAT DEAL! Ok, so they always have a great deal, but for the next 13 hours, Groupon is selling a $50.oo Nordstrom's Rack Gift Certificate for $25.00- It is redeemable at all Rack Locations. Use it to buy gifts, or gift it as the gift itself. If you haven't checked out Groupon yet, it's a great website and they usally have something cool!
For those who do their shopping online, don't forget sites like retailmenot.com and couponcabin.com. You can look up coupon codes to your favorite shopping sites and retailers. Also, if you are a member of mypoints or ebates, don't forget to shop through them to save extra money and earn points or rebate dollars. If you aren't a member of Mypoints yet- What are you waiting for? We've earned over $100 in rewards this year, just for doing the shopping online we normally do, as well as completing surveys and clinking on links in emails. It's really easy and fun!!
Some stores are giving away gift cards/ certificates when you buy $X in products or gift cards. Save those for yourself, or gift them as a gift! Remember that these gift certificates may have certain limitations and exclusions, be aware of these before you give them or use them.
Whatever your shopping plan of attack is: Please be safe and courteous.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thanksgiving approaches, what are you having?
I love to share recipes and food with others, so Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days.
We’re going to my parents house, but I always help cook. This year is a fremily potluck with about 12 people invited (at last count), but the basics will be supplied by my parents:
Turkey- We usually cook it in a dutch oven in the backyard over open coals- this ensures that it is extremely juicy. More drippings=more gravy!
Turkey Gravy (I always make the gravy! The secret is cornstarch instead of flour)
Mashed taters and cauliflower (a 50/50 mix made with Neufchatel and evaporated milk). I’ll probably top it with very sharp cheddar and Durkee French friend onions. NOM!! I'll be making this.
Cranberry sauce- Made from Scratch! There is no other way! Berries, water, cook until they pop, add sugar to taste.
Stuffing/Dressing (cooked outside the bird). Mrs. Cubbison’s with onion, celery, dried cranberries, apples. Cooked with a smidge of butter and chicken broth for extra flavor. Why cooked outside the bird? I'm pregnant and that's what all the books say. We go with what the book says!
My mom has this delicious recipe for creamed spinach. It involves spinach (defrosted and squeezed dry), sour cream, cream cheese and Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix. Mix it all together and bake in the oven- it’s sooo good. And I don’t really like spinach.
We’re also cooking a ham (12 people need more than one poor turkey).
I’ll be making apple sauce from scratch (it sounds more impressive than it is, it’s pretty easy).
I’m hoping for popovers or spoonbread!
We’ll have the usual tossed salad, carrot jello (it’s orange jello with carrots and raisins), green bean casserole, homemade rolls/bread, roasted root vegetables, and whatever else the fremily brings.
Mom’s making a pumpkin pie, apple pie, and a German chocolate pie too. YUM.
What are you having? Are you spending the day with family and friends?
We’re going to my parents house, but I always help cook. This year is a fremily potluck with about 12 people invited (at last count), but the basics will be supplied by my parents:
Turkey- We usually cook it in a dutch oven in the backyard over open coals- this ensures that it is extremely juicy. More drippings=more gravy!
Turkey Gravy (I always make the gravy! The secret is cornstarch instead of flour)
Mashed taters and cauliflower (a 50/50 mix made with Neufchatel and evaporated milk). I’ll probably top it with very sharp cheddar and Durkee French friend onions. NOM!! I'll be making this.
Cranberry sauce- Made from Scratch! There is no other way! Berries, water, cook until they pop, add sugar to taste.
Stuffing/Dressing (cooked outside the bird). Mrs. Cubbison’s with onion, celery, dried cranberries, apples. Cooked with a smidge of butter and chicken broth for extra flavor. Why cooked outside the bird? I'm pregnant and that's what all the books say. We go with what the book says!
My mom has this delicious recipe for creamed spinach. It involves spinach (defrosted and squeezed dry), sour cream, cream cheese and Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix. Mix it all together and bake in the oven- it’s sooo good. And I don’t really like spinach.
We’re also cooking a ham (12 people need more than one poor turkey).
I’ll be making apple sauce from scratch (it sounds more impressive than it is, it’s pretty easy).
I’m hoping for popovers or spoonbread!
We’ll have the usual tossed salad, carrot jello (it’s orange jello with carrots and raisins), green bean casserole, homemade rolls/bread, roasted root vegetables, and whatever else the fremily brings.
Mom’s making a pumpkin pie, apple pie, and a German chocolate pie too. YUM.
What are you having? Are you spending the day with family and friends?
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Today=Free Food day!!
I know, free food is pretty rad.
Free Tacos (2 per person) at Jack in the Box after 2pm.
Free ice cream noms from Cold Stone creamery! (Thanks Drug Store Divas for the heads up!)
Love Starbucks? They are doing the 12 Days of Sharing starting Dec. 1st. They are also doing a BOGO holiday drink dealie 11/18-11/25 2-5pm. Check out the 'Bux website for more info.
Go get your free Noms on!!
Free Tacos (2 per person) at Jack in the Box after 2pm.
Free ice cream noms from Cold Stone creamery! (Thanks Drug Store Divas for the heads up!)
Love Starbucks? They are doing the 12 Days of Sharing starting Dec. 1st. They are also doing a BOGO holiday drink dealie 11/18-11/25 2-5pm. Check out the 'Bux website for more info.
Go get your free Noms on!!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Working away!
I'm working away on a couple posts that should be ready by Sunday! I'm still here, I promise!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Preparing for the holidays- The Gift Basket!
We do a lot of holiday parties in the winter. There are events with work, our family, and several sets of friends all host parties where each person must bring a gift for the gift exchange that is a $10 (or $20) value.
I try to be a little more creative than just stopping at Starbucks and picking up a gift card. I love to make gift baskets. They are a great way to stretch your budget.
This year I am going to a Bunco/Girl's night in Holiday shindig. I had $10 to spend for a gift. I decided to do a beauty basket. I brought a basket home from work (a vendor brought us treats!), and I filled my basket with goodies that I had bought on clearance at CVS and Walgreens (lotions, bubble bath, masks, moisturizing gloves).
I bought a microfiber wash cloth at Dollar Tree, along with the cellophane, ribbon, and tissue paper.
For work, we have to bring a gift to the holiday lunch- This is a $20 limit. I am making a hot beverage gift basket. I have a cute coffee mug, and a cute snow man tea pot, as well as cookies (3 kinds), tea bags, cocoa and instant mocha packets. I will probably also toss in a $5.00 Starbucks card to round up the value to $20.00.
The coffee mug came from Tuesday Morning or Home Goods after X-mas, it was marked down.
The cookies, tea, cocoa and instant mocha mix came from various clearance sections, and combining coupons with sale prices to score some incredible deals!
I bought the basket, tissue paper, cellophane and ribbon at Dollar Tree.
Here are my tips on making a kick ass gift basket:
It's all about theme: Movie night (with candy, popcorn, redbox codes or a DVD), pampering (body products), Coffee/tea/cocoa. Pick a theme and run with it.
Don't waste too much money on a basket. If you can't find a basket that you like/is the right shape, get a cardboard box, and cover it with wrapping paper, or fabric. If you are doing a movie theme, consider looking into plastic popcorn buckets (Target usually has them).
It's all about display: Remember to pad the bottom of the box/basket with crumpled newspaper or tissue paper so the items in the basket are nicely presented. If you use newspaper, consider using crinkly paper shreds or tissue paper to cover the newsprint.
Look around for sales and on clearance sections for your basket filler. Drug stores and mass merchandisers have great clearance sections. Remember to combine coupons with sales. This time of year, Bath & Body works has coupons for a free item WYB something almost every weekend. If you have a JC Penney's Card, they will be mailing $10/$10 coupons soon- use it to buy some great jewelry or candles from the clearance section for your basket.
Don't waste money on fancy ribbon, celleophane, or tissue paper. Haunt your local dollar store, like Dollar tree, 99 Cents Only, or Family Dollar. They have great products for a really cheap price. Or, keep your eyes open after each holiday and stock up on the clearance section.
I try to be a little more creative than just stopping at Starbucks and picking up a gift card. I love to make gift baskets. They are a great way to stretch your budget.
This year I am going to a Bunco/Girl's night in Holiday shindig. I had $10 to spend for a gift. I decided to do a beauty basket. I brought a basket home from work (a vendor brought us treats!), and I filled my basket with goodies that I had bought on clearance at CVS and Walgreens (lotions, bubble bath, masks, moisturizing gloves).
I bought a microfiber wash cloth at Dollar Tree, along with the cellophane, ribbon, and tissue paper.
For work, we have to bring a gift to the holiday lunch- This is a $20 limit. I am making a hot beverage gift basket. I have a cute coffee mug, and a cute snow man tea pot, as well as cookies (3 kinds), tea bags, cocoa and instant mocha packets. I will probably also toss in a $5.00 Starbucks card to round up the value to $20.00.
The coffee mug came from Tuesday Morning or Home Goods after X-mas, it was marked down.
The cookies, tea, cocoa and instant mocha mix came from various clearance sections, and combining coupons with sale prices to score some incredible deals!
I bought the basket, tissue paper, cellophane and ribbon at Dollar Tree.
Here are my tips on making a kick ass gift basket:
It's all about theme: Movie night (with candy, popcorn, redbox codes or a DVD), pampering (body products), Coffee/tea/cocoa. Pick a theme and run with it.
Don't waste too much money on a basket. If you can't find a basket that you like/is the right shape, get a cardboard box, and cover it with wrapping paper, or fabric. If you are doing a movie theme, consider looking into plastic popcorn buckets (Target usually has them).It's all about display: Remember to pad the bottom of the box/basket with crumpled newspaper or tissue paper so the items in the basket are nicely presented. If you use newspaper, consider using crinkly paper shreds or tissue paper to cover the newsprint.
Look around for sales and on clearance sections for your basket filler. Drug stores and mass merchandisers have great clearance sections. Remember to combine coupons with sales. This time of year, Bath & Body works has coupons for a free item WYB something almost every weekend. If you have a JC Penney's Card, they will be mailing $10/$10 coupons soon- use it to buy some great jewelry or candles from the clearance section for your basket.
Don't waste money on fancy ribbon, celleophane, or tissue paper. Haunt your local dollar store, like Dollar tree, 99 Cents Only, or Family Dollar. They have great products for a really cheap price. Or, keep your eyes open after each holiday and stock up on the clearance section.
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