Free Veggie Tales DVD!


Thanks Misty for the heads up on this deal!

Click here to get a free Veggie Tales DVD when you register and sign up for the newsletter from Big Idea.com. There are three DVDs to choose from:

*Larry and the Fib from Outer Space: Lesson in Telling the Truth

*Where’s God When I’m S-Scared: Lesson in Handling Fear

*The Ballad of Little Joe: Lesson in Facing Hardship

You do have to pay $2.99 for shipping. You can use Paypal to pay.

Get a free 4th of July craft and recipe e-book!

I am not a crafty person by nature, so I rely on great blogs and other online resources for ideas. You can download a free e-book with tons of great 4th of July craft and recipe ideas by clicking on the link above. You can also sign up for their newsletter and get great craft ideas delivered to your inbox daily.

Here are a few of my other favorite craft sites:

*Crayola

*Dollar Store Crafts

*Make and Takes

Menu Planning Monday: my menu for the week of 6/28


SUNDAY

Here is our menu plan for the week. My $40 weekly grocery shopping trip is pictured here. Since I’ve been off for summer, I’ve been having fun browsing online for new recipe ideas and trying them out. If you have a weekly meal plan post or a favorite recipe and would like to share, feel free to link up below!

Breakfastcereal

LunchChef Boyardee (ABCs and 123s and mini ravioli) and fruit salad

DinnerCilantro Lime Chicken – We were actually supposed to have this last week, but things got hectic and we ended up not trying it, so we tried again this week – my family loved it!

Ingredients:
2 T lime juice
2 T vegetable oil
1 T honey
4 chicken breasts
1 C finely crushed tortilla chips
16 oz. thick-n-chunky salsa
2 T minced fresh cilantro
1 C shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Combine lime juice, honey, and oil. Dip chicken in lime juice mixture then coat with crushed chips. Place in ungreased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake uncovered @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until juices run clear. Combine Salsa and Cilantro. Pour over and sprinkle with Cheese, bake for 20 more minutes or until the cheese melts. (they also added avocado to theirs which looked yummy, so I’m going to try that!)

MONDAY

BreakfastBlueberry-Cheese Rolls – I got this recipe from the Babycenter Cooking for Your Family board – the original poster of the recipe was Rachel (keenerrk) – we are excited to try this recipe out!

1 pkg. (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup blueberries, divided

PREHEAT oven to 375ºF. Unroll dough into four rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal.

COMBINE Neufchatel cheese and sugar; spread onto dough rectangles to within 1/2 inch of edges. Top evenly with blueberries. Bring opposite corners of rectangles together; press together to seal. Place on ungreased baking sheet.
BAKE 11 to 13 min. or until golden brown.

Lunchout with friends

DinnerTexas Kielbasa skillet – I originally got this recipe from a freezer swap and it has become a big hit with our family

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) CREAM OF CELERY SOUP
1 1/2 cups WATER
1 Tablespoon BUTTER
¾ cup uncooked LONG GRAIN RICE
1 pound SMOKED KIELBASA SAUSAGE, cut into 1/2 pieces
1 pkg. (10 oz.) FROZEN PEAS
½ cup SLICED MUSHROOMS
1 cup SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE

Combine soup, water and butter substitute in a large skillet with a lid.
Bring to a boil. Add rice and sausage. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in peas and mushrooms. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes,
or until rice Is tender. Sprinkle with cheese and serve hot.

Makes 4-6 servings

TUESDAY

BreakfastPancakes

LunchEgg salad sandwiches

DinnerBeef Tenderloin with Mushroom Gravy – we were supposed to have this last week, but things didn’t work out as planned, so we’ll try again this week! This was originally posted by Amy (amyls) on the BBC Cooking for Your Family board and comes from Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
4 (4-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks, trimmed (1/2 inch thick)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup presliced mushrooms
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 cup low-salt beef broth
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle steaks with pepper and salt. Add steaks to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan.

Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes. Place sour cream in a medium bowl. Gradually add mushroom mixture to sour cream, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in minced parsley. Serve gravy with steak.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 steak and 1/4 cup gravy)

CALORIES 210 (33% from fat); FAT 7.8g (sat 2.9g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 26.2g; CHOLESTEROL 75mg; CALCIUM 45mg; SODIUM 237mg; FIBER 0.7g; IRON 3.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 6.7g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2002

WEDNESDAY

BreakfastStrawberry and Cream Cheese French toast – when I was a kid, my mom would make french toast at least once a week and I hated it, but everyone else loved it….there are so many yummy and different french toast recipes out there that I am learning to enjoy it. This one comes from Favorite Family Recipes (this has to be made the night before)

1 loaf french bread, cut into 1 inch slices.
Whipped cream cheese

Spread cream cheese between two slices of bread, place sandwiched slices in a glass pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Mix together:
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Pour over bread and let sit for five minutes, turn bread over and cover pan with saran wrap. Refrigerate overnight. Drizzle melted butter over the top and bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Whipped Topping:
1 pt whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. almond or amaretto flavoring

Top with strawberries mixed with sugar and the whipped topping.

LunchCrisp bean burritos (this recipe also comes from favorite Family Recipes)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. oil
5 soft flour tortilla shells
1 c. refried beans
1/4 c. cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a medium-sized skillet. Spread about 2-3 Tbsp. of refried beans on each tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, then roll up. Fry in oil for about 15 seconds on each side. Then place on baking sheet and put in the preheated oven for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and serve. Dip in enchilada sauce, guacamole, sour cream, or salsa.

DinnerPasta Carbonara – I found this recipe on the Babycenter Cooking for Your Family board (the original poster of the recipe was Elyselovesherboys)

Ingredients:
3 cups uncooked penne pasta
6 slices bacon, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 1/4 cups milk
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened & cubed
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp.
Remove to paper towels, reserve 3 Tablespoons drippings,
Sauté garlic and onion in drippings until tender.
Add the milk, cream cheese and butter; stir until smooth.
Stir in the Parmesan cheese and bacon; heat through.
Toss with pasta.
Serve.

THURSDAY

BreakfastScrambled eggs and cheese

LunchPeanut butter & jelly sandwiches

DinnerBeef tips (slow cooker) – I found this recipe in Taste of Home Magazine. We have eaten it a few times now and my whole family (even my picky eater kids) loves it!

Ingredients:
1 beef top sirloin steak (1 pound), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 to 3 medium carrots, chopped
1 to 1-1/2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed golden mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 to 1 cup white wine or beef broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Hot cooked egg noodles

Directions:
In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the beef, carrots, celery, onion, soup and wine or broth. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until meat is tender.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into cooking juices. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until thickened. Serve with noodles. Yield: 4 servings.

FRIDAY

Breakfast – Pop Tarts/cereal (I have a doctor’s appointment that morning, so things will be rushed)

Lunchturkey cheese roll-ups

DinnerRio Grande Pork Chops – This recipe comes from the Slow Cooker and Crockpot Recipes blog and sounded interesting

Ingredients:
6 pork rib chops, cut 3/4″ thick (about 2-1/2 lb.)
1 can (15 oz.) Mexican style or Tex-Mex style chili beans
1-1/4 cups bottled salsa
1 cup fresh* or frozen whole kernel corn
2 cups hot cooked rice
Chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Trim excess fat from chops. Place chops in the bottom of a 3-1/2 or 4 quart crock pot.

Add chili beans and salsa.

Cover; cook on HIGH heat setting for 2-1/2 hours or on LOW heat setting for 5 hours.

When that step is complete, turn to HIGH heat setting, if necessary. Stir in corn. Cover and cook 30 minutes longer on HIGH heat setting. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.

For all day cooking: Substitute 8 boneless pork chops for the 6 rib chops. (When cooked this long, chops with bone may leave bony fragments in the cooked mixture.) Cover and cook on LOW heat setting for 9-1/2 hours. Turn to HIGH heat setting Stir in corn. Cover and cook 30 minutes longer.
Serve as above.

Makes 6 servings.

*Note: 2 medium ears of fresh corn equal about 1 cup of whole kernel corn.

SATURDAY – HAPPY 4th of JULY!

BreakfastMonkey bread (my computer is having issues, so I will have to post the recipe later)

LunchQuesadillas

Dinner – BBQ at my parent’s. I’m bringing chicken spinach bowtie pasta salad and fruit salad. For the fruit salad, I basically just cut up whatever fruit I have on hand (this week will probably be cantaloupe, watermelon, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries).

Chicken Spinach Bow Tie Pasta Salad – I got this recipe from Marci’s blog. It was served at her baby shower and it was SO good.

Ingredients:
baby spinach
grilled chicken
bow tie pasta
pesto
feta cheese
toffee glazed almond accents
diced tomatoes

-make the dressing by mixing equal parts Italian dressing and Caesar dressing

Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the Cheerios Spoonful of Stories Giveaway is #9 – DeAna.

Here’s what DeAna had to say about their favorite children’s books:
We love to read our Veggie Tales book series. Also love “God Gave Us You” and “The Tale of the Three Trees.” Such sweet books. 🙂

Congrats DeAna! I hope your kids enjoy these new books as much as mine have!

My $40 weekly grocery budget shopping trip

It’s been awhile since I have done one of these posts. I usually do my grocery shopping early on Saturday morning and my son has swimming lessons also on Saturday mornings, so by the time I get home from shopping, I’m running around to make sure that everything gets put away and that we get out the door in time and I don’t get a chance to take a picture. By 10 in the morning Saturday, I had hit up four different grocery stores and Target. I don’t normally go to that many grocery stores, but there were some deals that I just didn’t want to pass up and I’m lucky enough to have them all down one street within minutes of my house.

Here’s the breakdown:

Fiesta – 2 cantaloupes (.99/each) and 2 bags of rice (.99/each) – total spent = $3.96

HEB – 3 Lunchables ($1/each), strawberries ($1.50) and cucumbers (2/$1) – total spent = $5.50

Kroger – I did two separate transactions here utilizing the Daytona deals (see the breakdown/coupon match-ups here). On my first transaction, I bought 6 boxes of fruit snacks, 3 cans of Chef Boyardee, and one bottle of Kraft BBQ sauce. I earned a $3.50 OYNO catalina from the fruit snacks which I applied to my second transaction. On my second transaction, I bought: 2 boxes of Lucky Charms, 1 bag of Banquet chicken nuggets, 2 brownie mixes, 4 packages of hot dogs, Kroger cheese slices, 2 Kraft cheese slices, A1 sauce, and watermelon – total spent = $13.08 ($4.83 on transaction #1 and $8.25 on transaction #2)

Randalls – 10 boxes of Pop Tarts (in the add it says that they are $.99/each for every five you buy, but at my store, they actually ended up being $.79/each), 4 bags of Goldfish (.99/each!), 1 gallon of milk ($1.99), Precious string cheese (they had $2 peelie coupons making them $1.99/each!), Mrs. Baird’s bread ($1.29 w/ in ad coupon), blueberries – $1.88, raspberries – $2.50, and Rosarita refried beans ($.99) – total spent = 17.50

Target – grapes (they were .99/lb), 4 Eggos bake shoppe items, and 3 Dreyer’s ice cream mini containers (the Eggos and Dreyer’s aren’t pictured because after all that running around, they needed to go straight into the fridge) – total spent = $4.55 (paid with a gift card)

Total OOP = $40.04
Total savings = $100.19!