Frugal Recipes: White Bean Chicken Chili

All this cool weather puts me in the mood for chilis, soups and stews! Which is great, because such foods can be major money savers. This recipe cost us ~$4.50 which fed us twice, and I sent some to another couple. So at least 6 hearty servings makes it around $0.75 per serving.

White Bean Chicken Chili

2 chicken breasts

1 chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic (or 1 1/2 tsp. pre minced garlic)

1/2 red pepper, diced

1 LB dry  Great Northern beans (soaked overnight)

2 cups chicken broth

2 cubes vegetable bouillon

1 can chopped green chilies (optional-but add great flavor! we use chili powder if we dont have these)

3 tsp cumin

2 cups water

1 pkg frozen white shoepeg corn

Optional toppings: Tortilla chips, mozzarella, Monterrey jack, cheddar cheese, sour cream and/or salsa

Crockpot directions: Combine all ingredients except corn in your crockpot. Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 10-12 hours. About an hour before serving, remove chicken and allow to cool, then shred it and return to pot. Also add corn at this time. Allow to cook one more hour. Serve hot with your choice of toppings

Stovetop directions: Saute cubed chicken breasts, onion, and garlic in a pan with a little oil. In a pot, bring the rest of the ingredients to a boil, and add chicken/onion/garlic. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot with your choice of toppings.

Mmmm, I can smell it now! Enjoy, and cuddle up afterward on the couch with your honey! I like to serve this soup with a small “wedge” salad- Just slice a head of iceberg lettuce into a few wedges, then top with blue cheese dressing and a few toasted pecans. YUM!

Health moment: Make sure you use trimmed chicken breasts and low fat chicken broth. I make sure my broth is low fat by making it myself. When the broth cools, the fat solidifies on the top and I dispose of it, leaving a clear, low fat broth behind. As for the beans, garlic and onion, all are good for your heart! Yay! I use an organic vegetable bouillon that is basically spices and sea salt- You could come up with your own seasonings without having to use bouillon at all. Lastly, go easy on those toppings! LOL. Or at least choose reduced fat tortilla chips and sour cream.

Here’s to living: Happier, Healthier, more FRUGAL lives!

~FrugalMegan~

Bloom: Super Doubles

This will be a good example of Super Doubles (which they also offer at other national stores, like Kmart), “overage” and how to use a $$/$$ store coupon. Bloom is doubling coupons worth $1.99 and under, 20 coupons a day, one trip per day. There was also a $10/35 coupon in our local paper, which can be (usually) used before the rest of your coupons. So here goes!

Here is what I bought:

(4) AirWick Freshmatic Ultra I-motion: on sale $6.24- $6 coupon= .24c ea

(4) Ziplock EZ Zip freezer bags: on sale $2-$1 coupon x2- FREE

(2) Glad Force Flex trash bags: on clearance for $2.99- $1 coupon x2= .99c

(4) Smart Balance Butter Blend w/ Olive Oil: on sale $1.64- $1.50 coupon x2=  -$1.36 overage on each one (extra money toward other product! Not all stores do this)

(2) Smart Balance Butter Blend w/ Omega 3s: on sale $1.64- $1.50 coupon x2= -$1.36 overage ea

(3) Wholly Salsa: $2.99- $1.50 coupon x2= FREE (not pictured)

(4) Muir Glen tomato paste: $1.17 ea- $1/2 coupon x2= .17c ea

(1) Bottle Matthew Fox Merlot: $4

(1) 6 Pack “pick your own beer” (we decided on some hard ciders and “Shock Top” for the season): $8.49

Original Total: $121.20. Bloom in store savings: $52.74 = $63.46 as the “at register” total.

I gave them the $10/35 first= $53.46

I gave them all my coupons that would double: $25.49

Then I handed them all the coupons that would not double

Final price paid: $1.49.

If you store will allow it, always use your $$/$$ store coupon first, Then hand over your regular coupons. I also save any coupons that won’t double until the end, so I can watch the ones that should double and not get confused.

Most of the items I purchased were free or close to it. So in the end, the overage from the butters covered the cost of tax and anything I used coupons for that wasn’t free. Then the extra $10/35 covered the beer and most of the wine. It was a fun trip!

Here’s to living: Happier, Healthier, more FRUGAL lives!

~FrugalMegan~

ps- Have a great money saving tip to share? send it in to frugalmegan @gmail.com. Every Friday is “Frugal Friends’ Friday” where I highlight what others are doing to save their family money. This week, I didn’t get any tips So be sure to send them in!

Frugal Recipes: Quiche

~A Quiche is a Wonderful Thing~

…for the frugal and lavish alike. I use a ratio of 3-4 large eggs to 1 cup milk with 1/2 cup cheese and 1 cup meat and veggies.

Tonight’s Quiche: Spinach Mushroom with Jarlesburg Cheese

Ingredients:

1 cup left over brown rice

2 TBS butter

3-4 lg eggs

1 cup milk (regular, reconstituted dry, or evaporated)

1 tsp kosher salt (or more to taste)

1/4 cup Jarlesburg cheese, shredded

1/4 cup cheddar cheese

1 cup fresh spinach

1/2 cup mushrooms

First, mix brown rice with butter, evenly coating the rice. Then spread in your 9in pie plate to form your “crust”. Bake at 450F until lightly browned (5-10 minutes or longer, depending on your butter). Remove from oven and let cool. Decrease oven temp to 375F.

Meanwhile, slice mushrooms and wash your spinach, then give it a rough chop. Arrange veggies over the rice crust in layers with your cheeses, leaving a bit of cheddar for the top. Whisk together eggs, milk and salt, then slowly pour over veggies and cheese. Leave a bit of room at the top, as the eggs will puff up a little. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.

Bake at 375F for 40-45 minutes. Let set for 10 minutes, then divide and enjoy! Serves up nicely with a fresh salad with fruit and nuts/seeds.

Healthy Tips: Eggs are high in cholesterol, so use the healthiest eggs you can find- Like free range or cage free eggs. These generally are higher in heart healthy fats, like omega 3 fatty acids and lower in bad cholesterol. You can use reduced fat cheese or even a vegan cheese that you enjoy. Try making quiche with out meats- You are already getting plenty of complete protein from the eggs.

Here’s to living: Happier, Healthier, more FRUGAL lives!

~FrugalMegan~

Target: Gift Card Deals

I know this deal was last week, but I wanted to do a post on it so people could see an example of how to take advantage of Target’s gift card deals. Not every deal will work out this well, but it’s good to keep your eyes open for deals that would be good for your family!

So in case you didn’t know about the deal last week, it was this: Buy any 5 Kashi cereals/bars/snacks/frozen items, get a $5 gift card in return. They also had select Kashi items on sale for $2.88. Not bad for a regular everyday shopper, in my opinion.

But not good enough for us serious couponers . So here are a few things that you can do on top of such a deal.

#1- Use coupons. I had coupons for $1/1 Kashi cereal, $1/1 Kashi TLC snacks, and $1.50/1 Kashi chewy breakfast bars. The cereal and TLC coupons came from trading with someone from a different area, and the breakfast bar coupons were printed from online last month. *extra tip- Always print any online coupons you *might* even think you’d like to use- You never know if a good sale might come up before they expire!*

#2- Target just came out with a price matching policy, so if you find a store that is advertising a lower price than them, you bring in the ad and they adjust the price. Luckily, Walgreen’s ( a competitor) had Kashi Cereals $2/5 in their sale ad- .38c less per box. May not sound like much, but when you’re buying several boxes, it adds up. I take the ad with me to the store, check out, then go to Customer Service to have the price adjusted. Also, the Walgreen’s ad stated a limit of 4 boxes at the $2.50 price, so I purchased 4 cereals and one “other” Kashi product.

Ok, so here is what one deal looked like this week:

Spend $2.88 on (5) boxes of Kashi items: Total = $14.40

Using (4) $1/1 Cereal coupons and (1) $1.50 coupon: Total drops to= $8.90

At the register, since I bought 5 items, I was handed a $5 Target gift card (but you aren’t supposed to use it on that immediate purchase).

Then, I went to Customer Service and had the price adjusted down .38c for each cereal ($1.55 because for some reason you get some tax back too):

Total drops to: $7.35 with a $5 gift card.

So then basically I went back and did similar deals all week using the prior $5 gift card, paying out $2.35 each time and ended with 25 boxes of Kashi products and that last $5 gift card. WHEW!

Now, I admit I didn’t do that exact same deal every time- Several times my total was more, depending on coupons used and items purchased. The receipts were very confusing with the gift cards and price adjustments, but from what I purchased I figured out I paid like $16 for those 25 boxes, and still have a $5 gift card from the last transaction. If you want to take the gift card into account, I spent $11 divided by 25= .44c per box of Kashi cereal/snacks.

So see- You can eat organic on a frugal dime! It just takes some time looking through ads and using your resources. Keep your eyes peeled and your minds ready

Here’s to living- Happier, Healthier, more FRUGAL lives!

~FrugalMegan~

Make Your Own: Applesauce

It’s getting to be my favorite time of the year (tomorrow in fact!)!! Fall is so full of festive colors, smells and activities. It’s time for harvest and abundance- especially of apples!! While an apple a day can keep the doctor away, you may not soon be rid of all those apples you have lying around.  A great way to preserve them and save your family money is to make applesauce with them. You can eat it fresh, store it in the fridge for up to one week, or freeze it for up to 6 months. What a wonderful snack to send with your husband or little ones in a packed lunch. I also like it still slightly frozen, like a slush…mmmmm. And let me tell you- It is SO easy to make!

I hardly can call this a recipe, but here goes. You need:

-A bunch of washed apples (how about 8-10 medium sized), cored and sliced- I don’t even peel them, but you can. I like a mix of apples, say about three kinds. My two favorites to have are Granny Smith and Gala.

-2 cups of water

- One crockpot

- Optional: spices like nutmeg & cinnamon, and sugar. Do this to your own family’s taste! I tend to only use flavorings if I am using apples that are a bit old…they need a little help.

I generally cut up the apples using an apple slicer that removes the core. Then I toss them in the crockpot with a couple of cups of water, turn it on high, and let them cook until they are soft (2-3 hours).

Then I transfer the apples (leaving most of the water) to the blender and gently “pulse” until the apples are to a consistency  we enjoy. I only add about 1/4 cup of the water it cooked in. You can also save time and dishes by using a stick blender and just blending the apples there in the crockpot. If you do this, be sure to remove most of the water first.

Why so much water, you ask? Well, I think it makes a better applesauce consistency to cook it in that much water. The apples stay more moist, and don’t dry out on the edges. I usually save the left over water, and add it to the blender after I’ve poured out my applesauce. Since there is still some applesauce left in the blender, and I add the apple water to it, I make apple juice! I just blend the apple water for about 30 seconds to make sure there are no chunks (since I don’t strain the apple water). Depending on the apples, you may want to add some natural sugar, but I usually don’t need to. It’s not much, but my son really likes to drink the juice afterwards.  Not a problem in my mind, the juice is jammed packed with tons of fresh nutrients. The apple juice can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.

I hope you get a chance to discover on your own this fall, just how easy, yummy and inexpensive it is to make your own applesauce!

~FrugalMegan~

Days 2 & 3: Harris Teeter Triples

Well I took it easy on you guys for day one…easy deals, simply matching Sunday paper coupons with sales to get free or cheap items. NOW we get to some deeper stuff! I am burdened by how long this will take me, but happy to explain some deals that people all across the nation may be able to relate to- As most stores offer promos similar to these. But watch out! We had triple coupons on top of it all!

Let’s sub title this post “Instant $$ Back and Catalinas”

First, I will explain the “instant $$ back” offer we had this week. The store I shop at, Harris Teeter, is offering a $5 instant coupon when you buy (wyb) 15 general mills (GM) items. So if I checked out with 15 GM items in one transaction, the cash register took $5 off of my total, instantly. No coupon needed.

Second, there were two “catalina” deals to take advantage of. Catalinas are coupons that print at the register when you buy certain qualifying products. You find out about these in several ways: Looking on the store’s website under a “promotion” tab, reading about it in their weekly ads, or receiving a “catalina” a week before that explains the deal. The first deal was  “Buy 3, 4 or 5 Green Giant frozen veggies and get $1, $2, $3 back on your next order (respectively).” The second deal was “Buy 3 or 6 Old El Paso items and get $1 or $3 back on your next purchase of chicken or beef (respectively)”. Both of these $$ on your next order/purchase of beef/chicken would print out as those register coupons to be used on the next trip to the store.

The best part? The Old El Paso products AND the Green Giant products were both also GM products- Making the deal even sweeter!! Not to mention there are coupons out for both. I didn’t have the good Old El Paso coupons, but I bought them regardless since we love Old El Paso. Now I will attempt to show you my complete deals/savings/coupons used. Don’t go getting  confused now, this is meant to help!!

HT Trip # 2- Yesterday

Here’s what I bought, and the coupons I used:

GM Product- (3) Total cereal: on sale $3-.75 coupon x3= .75c ea

GM product- (4) Old El Paso Taco(OEP) shells: on sale $1.50 ea

GM product: (2) OEP taco seasoning packets- Free with (2) coupons stating “buy 2 OEP products, get (1) free seasoning packet (found on boxes of taco shells)

GM Product- (6) Green Giant frozen boxed veggies: on sale .99c ea- .50/2 coupons x3= .50c/2

(1)Scrubbing bubbles: on sale $2.99- .75c coupon x3= .75c ea

(1) Reese’s PB cup 8 pack: on sale $1.65- .55c coupon x3= FREE

(1) Murphy’s Oil Soap: on sale $1.79- .50c coupon x3= .14c

(1) Wacky Mac veggie spirals: on sale $1.39- .75c coupon x3- FREE

(2) Mento’s Gum: $1.49- .55c coupon x3= FREE

(4) Barilla Pasta (whole grain and piccolini): $1.50- .50c coupon x3= FREE

(1) Bumble Bee Tuna pouch: on sale $1- .55c coupon x3= FREE

(1) Silk Soy Milk: $2.99- .75c coupon x3= .74c

WHEW. Total: $12.03. Minus $5 for the GM deal= $7.03. And I got back (1) catalina for $3 off my next purchase and (1) Catalina for $3 off my next purchase of chicken or beef. So I guess you could say I spent $1.03. Counting the two catalinas and the $5 back, I saved $62.38

Ready for round 2?

HT Trip #3- Today

GM product- (8) Green Giant veggies: on sale .99c- .50/2 coupon x3= .50c/2 or .25c ea

GM product: (4) OEP taco shells: on sale $1.50

GM product: (1) OEP seasoning packet: Free with (2) coupons stating”buy 2 OEP products, get (1) free seasoning packet (found on boxes of taco shells)

GM Product: (3) Total Cereal: on sale $3- .75c coupon x3= .75c ea

(3) Viva paper towels: $2.49- .85c coupon x3= FREE (not pictured)

(3) Barilla Whole Grain pasta: $1.50- .50c coupon x3=FREE

(3) Grande reduced fat tortilla chips: on sale $2.50- .75c coupon x3= .25c ea

(1) Amy’s Hot Cereal: $2- .75c coupon x3 = FREE

(1) Silk Soy milk $2.99- .75c coupon x3= .74c

(1) Florida Natural OJ: $4.69- .75 coupon x3= $2.44

(6) Bakery fresh French Breads: on sale $1.47- $1 store coupons (found on product)= .47c ea

Total: $17.91, minus GM deal discount= $12.47, minus (2) $3 catalinas = $6.47

Saved: $75.21

Not the best totals all of you have seen by far, I know. But I’ll gladly admit I’m not the best. I just want others to see one example of what can be done!

The coupons used for this trip were from Sunday inserts, Blinkies, printed from online and traded or purchased on hotcouponworld.com and ebay. If you’d like more information on where coupons come from, please see my post on “Coupons: Where do they come from?”

Health note: We only purchase items that are made without high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and MSG (in most detectable forms). I try to buy mostly whole grains, all natural products and even organic when I can. So while my totals may be a bit higher than some, its because I’m buying things that our family enjoys. Just a few highlights of the items above: The Grande chips are all natural, the Old El Paso taco shells are made with Palm oil instead of hydrogenated oils, the Green Giant veggies are those without sauce (or at least just an olive oil sauce), and Amy’s is an organic brand. Sure, I got french bread, but that’s a treat for pasta night, and HT doesn’t use any of our “no-nos” in making them. As a side note …anyone need OEP seasoning packets? LOL. Those were just to get the discount.

Whew. This is a long post- But I hope its helpful to some and an encouragement to many!

Here’s to living: Happier, Healthier, more FRUGAL lives!

~FrugalMegan~

Frugal Friends’ Friday!

Welcome to Frugal Friends’ Friday! Let’s see what you all have been doing this week to save your family money…

“Bartering is a great way to save money and use your gifts and talents. Bartering babysitting for babysitting is a great way for parents to spend alone time together. You can also barter babysitting for say a Leap Frog table for your little one (well, I did!). Of, course it doesn’t have to be babysitting. You could barter mechanic skills, baking or sewing skills.” -Whitney, Cornelius NC

“Hang clothes on the line. Then to give them softness, toss them in the dryer for 5 min with a wet washcloth that has fabric softner on it…..saves money and you still have soft clothes.” – Angie, Xenia OH

“Keep blocks of cheese from molding longer by wrapping them in aluminum foil.” – Patti, Wakeman OH

“Save seeds from your vegetables and flowers for next year’s garden.” – Mary, Lorain OH

What great tips! Have a fantastic weekend everyone! And if you have your own money saving tip you’d like to share, please email them to me at frugalmegan @gmail.com- I’m sure everyone would love to hear it!

Here’s to living- Happier, Healthier, more FRUAL lives!

~FrugalMegan~

FREE: TGI Friday’s Burger

FREEBIE

If you are a member of Facebook, click here to become a fan of Woody and get a coupon for (1) free TGI Friday’s burger!

I LOVE FREE FOOD!! Don’t you??

(p.s. it says on this page its valid starting Oct. 11th, but it was actually September!)

Day 1: Harris Teeter Triple Coupons

Now we get to the heart of where I save grocery money! This week is meant to show what you can do with coupons

Out of pocket (OOP): $4.40. Saved: $48.21    Here’s what I bought:

(3) Reynold’s Wrap Recycled Aluminum Foil: on sale $1.94. Used $.85/1 coupon (x3) = Free

(3)  Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaners: on sale $2.99. Used $.75/1 coupon (x3)= $.74 ea

(3) Murphy’s Oil Soap: On sale $1.79. Used $.55/1 coupon (x3)= $.14 ea

(3) Wacky Mac Veggie Spirals: On sale $1.39. Used $.50 coupon (x3)= Free

(3) Mento’s Gum: $1.49. Used $.55/1 coupon (x3)= Free

(2) Barilla Whole Grain Pasta: $1.50. Used $.50/1 coupon (x3)= Free

(3) Grande Reduced Fat Tortilla Chips: On sale $2.50. Used $.75/1 coupon (x3)= $.25 ea

All of these particular coupons were from regular Sunday Paper inserts. The coupons all tripled only to the value of the item on sale, so no “overage”.

It was a fruitful morning!

Here’s to living: Happier, Healthier, more FRUGAL lives!

~FrugalMegan~

Produce Co-op

Fridays are my favorite days. Fun easy day for the blog, Hubby is home often, and its the night I get to have homemade pizza and a beer. YUM. But what can make a Friday better? If it’s produce co-op Friday!!

I belong to a local produce co-op that has several pick up areas on different days of the week, all over the city. I pay a whopping $17.50 every two weeks for my basket of produce. How does a co-op work, you ask? Well, it starts with one person with a really good idea. They order lots of produce in bulk from (in our case) a business that distributes produce to local restaurants.  The head of the co-op orders from that company, their delivery trucks just take an extra load for us, and drop off at our pick up location. Several members of the co-op then sort the produce into baskets. As co-op members, our part in the co-op is to #1 buy the basket, and #2, come every now and then to help sort the produce into baskets for everyone. All the purchasers come during a time slot, transfer the produce to their baskets, and off they go! Members do not have to purchase every week, but the more people who buy into the co-op, the more and better produce we get for $17.50.

Here is what we had in our baskets today: 4 red plums, 6 bananas, 7 gala apples, 4 valencia oranges, 15 red potatoes, 4 yellow onions, 2 bell peppers, 6 roma tomatoes, 6 yellow squash, 2 bags of baby carrots, 2 avocados, 2 heads of iceburg lettuce, and one bag of spinach. Each week is a little different, including types of potatoes, apples, onions, tomatoes and lettuce. Sometimes instead of special things like plums, avocados and spinach we will get garlic cloves, corn, cantaloupe, etc.

If you live in the Charlotte, NC area, you can join the same co-op circle I am in- just check here for open pick-ups near you. If you are interested in organic produce, click here. The price is higher, but you can tailor your order. Elsewhere, simply google “produce co-op” and a large city near you. If you don’t find one near you, perhaps you can start one for your area! Let me know, and I will get you into contact with our co-op leader. She always says, “I’m just a Mom who had a great idea.”. You could be too!!

Here’s to living- Happier, Healthier, more FRUGAL lives!

~FrugalMegan~