Menu Planning Monday: My Menu for the week of 4/5/09


Here’s my menu plan for the week. I posted a lot of information about my family and how we plan meals in this initial post.

Sunday – I don’t have to cook dinner on Sundays because it’s provided at our Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class, but it was our week to help contribute and I had to make dessert for 50-60 people (and I hate baking!) It was quite a project!

MondayCrescent chicken casserole (This is another recipe from my BBC board – I have been listening to everyone rave about it, so I decided to try it myself!)

Ingredients:
1 package of chicken tenders or breasts (boneless, skinless — at least 4)
1 can of crescent rolls (8)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 soup can full of milk
1 cup of shredded cheddar
1/2 cup sour cream

First, boil the chicken until done. Set the chicken aside to cool while mixing the sauce.

For the sauce, mix the cream of chicken soup, cheese, milk, and sour cream together over medium heat (until the cheese is melted and it is well blended).

Cut the chicken into small pieces. Roll out the crescent rolls and put the chicken pieces inside. Roll up the crescent rolls like normal and place in a baking dish.
Pour sauce over top.

Optional: Sprinkle a little more cheese on top.

Tuesday Three Cheese Baked Spaghetti– – this is coming out of my freezer (I first saw this one on Mom of Littles, which I believe is “Money Saving Mom’s” personal blog, when she was talking about preparing freezer recipes to use after her baby is born. I made three batches – one for my brother/sister in law, one for my parents, and one for us – over spring break. I haven’t tried it yet, but everyone else who has says it’s GREAT!)

WednesdayFoil baked Asian Chicken – This comes from the April issue of All You Magazine

Ingredients:
8 tsp olive oil
4 cups baby spinach
4 4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
4 tsp teriyaki sauce
salt

Preheat over to 450 degrees. Tear off four 10-inch square sof aluminum foil (great sure for all that foil I stocked up on at Walgreens last week!). Brush each square with 2 tsp olive oil. Place 1 cup spinach on each square, slightly off center. Top with a chicken breast half and some mushrooms. Drizzle 1 tsp teriyaki sauce over each portion. Sprinkle with salt.

Fold each piece of foil over to cover chicken and vegetables. Crimp edges together tightly to seal. Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

ThursdayFrench dip sandwiches (crock pot)

Friday – Dinner at Chuck E. Cheese (it’s my son’s 2nd birthday!0

SaturdayColorful Kielbasa (another BBC recipe – thanks Jake~and~Olivia)

Ingredients:
1 link kielbasa, cut in bite-size pieces
3/4 cup white rice (not minute rice)
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can water (refill soup can)
1 tsp. butter
1 20-oz. pkg. frozen mixed vegetables
1 can mushrooms
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

In large saucepan, combine soup, water, and butter, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, add in rice and kielbasa, cover, simmer 18 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add vegetables and mushrooms, cover, simmer 15 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top, remove from heat, stir after cheese is melted. Serve.

Hot coupon alert: All Small & Mighty $2, Aveeno $2, Huggies .75 wipes


Thanks to happymomma on BBC for the “heads up” on this coupon!

Through 11 p.m. EST today (4/6) ONLY, you can print a $2 coupon (well, actually two if you hit the back button on your browser) for All Small & Mighty here. After 11 p.m., it will be for $1 off, which still isn’t bad. These go on sale BOGO free at CVS fairly regularly. They are typically $6.49 at my store, so that would be two bottles for $2.49 with the $2 coupons or 2 bottles for $4.49 with the $1 coupons. Not bad!

Register here to print a $2 coupon for Aveeno products.

There is also a new .75/1 Huggies wipes printable that you can print from the blue coupons.com link on the right sidebar.

What’s hot this week at Target


Gift card offer: Get a $5 gift card when you buy a Gillette Fusion power razor or cartridge and one other item shown (other items shown: Gillette Clinical deodorant – $7.49, Gillette shave gel – $1.89, Gillette shampoo/conditioner/body wash – $3.69)

My first scenario:
Buy 1 Gillette Fusion – $7.99
Buy 1 Gillette Body Wash – $3.69

Use $2 Fusion coupon from this week’s inserts
Use Free body wash WYB Fusion (this is from a home mailer)
Use $5 Target gift card

Spend $.99 OOP, get a $5 Target gift card

My second scenario:
Buy 1 Gillette Fusion – $7.99
Buy 1 Gillette Shave gel – $1.89

Use $2 Fusion coupon from this week’s inserts
Use $1 Gillette shave foam coupon from this week’s inserts
Use $5 Target gift card

Spend $1.88, get $5 Target gift card

Cadbury Mini Eggs, Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Eggs, Milky Way Eggs, Reese’s Eggs, Snickers Eggs – $1.99
$1.50/3 Hersheys printable on Smartsource.com

Plastic Easter eggs – $.65

Easter grass – $.25

Starburst/Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans – $1.99

Preschool games – $5/each (shown in ad: Let’s Go Fishing, Memory, Cootie, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, and Hi Ho Cherry-O)

Kids Games – $12/each (Shown in ad: I Spy Bingo, Apples to Apples, Zingo, Twister, BattleShip, and Fancy Nancy Big Easy)

Circo Small Wood Puzzles – $3.99/each

Toddler Mix and Match separates – $3.50/each

6 ft folding banquet table – $39

Leapster TAG book – $39
$10 printable coupon
(The books are on sale for $9.99 at Toys ‘R Us this week and there is a $5 printable coupon for the books at the link above)

Kid DVDs – $6.99: Kung Fu Panda, Bee Movie, Shrek the Third, Madagascar, Madagascar 2, Secrets of the Furious Five

Kid DVDs – $13.99: High School Musical 3, Pinocchio, Space Buddies, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Wall-E, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Bolt
High School Musical 3/Hillshire Farms $5 MIR
$4 Bolt/Ronzoni Pasta MIR
$5 Disney movie/Rayovac MIR
$3 Space Buddies IP
$4 Pinocchio/Sun Maid MIR
$4 Pinocchio/Hefty MIR

Super Target Deals:
Asparagus – $1.49/lb

Strawberries – $1.99/lb

Carrots/broccoli/cauliflower – 3/$4

Philadelphia cream cheese – $.99

DelMonte Fresh Cut vegetables – $.66

Campbell’s cream soups – $.66

Printable coupons are up on Target.com:(these coupons expire 4/25/09)

*$1 off Market Pantry® fruit snacks There are smaller bags of fruit snacks by the registers in some stores that will be free with this coupon!

*75¢ off 11- or 12-oz. Dunkin’ Donuts coffee

*75¢ off 6-pk. Gatorade beverage

*$1 off With purchase of two 8-pk. Nutri-grain bars

*55¢ off Splenda sweetener
.55/1 Splenda, Any – All You, February 20, 2009
$1/1 Splenda No Calorie Sweetener with Fiber Product, Any – 03-29-09 SS
$4/2 Splenda No Calorie Sweetener Products, Any – 03-29-09 SS
.55/1 Splenda No Calorie Sweetener with Fiber Product, Any – 03-29-09 SS

*$1 off With purchase of two Betty Crocker Warm Delights microwave desserts
.50/1 Betty Crocker Warm Delights Bowls or Mini Bowls, Any – 02-08-09 GM

*$1 off 1-lb. or more Archer Farms® deli cheese Deli Dept.

*$1 off Archer Farms® pork fillets Herb or Teriyaki or Chipotle

*$1 off Dole bagged salad

*50¢ off With purchase of two Gerber Graduates toddler foodsCheck out Gerber.com for printable coupons. There are also home mailer coupons that match up with this.

*75¢ off Johnson’s baby toiletry Excludes trial size – these coupons are good for almost a month, so wait for a sale on Johnsons products, and then stock up! (Get the safety swabs for free using the Target coupon and a $1 off coupon)
$3/3 printable coupon here
$1/1 Baby Bubble bath and wash printable here
$2/2 Johnsons printable here

These coupons are no longer available on Target.com, but you can access them through the coupon generators on HCW and AFC (these expire 4/11/09)
*$1 off Archer Farms® artisan bread Bakery Dept.
There are small “artisan breads” priced at $.99 in the bakery area, so they are FREE with the coupon!

*$1 off 5-lb. bag Green Giant Russet Potatoes Excludes organic

*1.50 off 1-lb. or more Archer Farms® bulk deli meat Deli Dept.

*50¢ off Hostess snack cakes
.50/1 Hostess Snack Cakes, Any Family Size Package – 02-22-09 RP
.50/1 Hostess 100 Calorie Packs, Any – 01-11-09 RP
.50/1 Hostess 100 calorie packs printable here

*50¢ off Ming Tsai frozen meals

*$1 off 40-ct. Bagel Bites
$1/2 printable coupon here

*$1 off With purchase of two Eggo frozen waffles
.75/1 Kelloggs Eggo Frozen Product, Any – 04-05-09 RP

*$1 off Cheetos snack
Buy the small bags by the registers. They are priced at $1.19 at my stores, so $.19 after coupon!

*$1 off Pop Secret popcorn
$1/2 Pop Secret microwave popcorn, any boxes – 03-08-09 SS
$1/2 Pop-Secret Microwave Popcorn, Any Boxes – 02-08-09 GM

$1/2 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn, Any – Eat Better America booklet (click on the link to get your free coupon book in the mail – mine came really fast!)

*$1 off 5.5-oz. Febreeze candle
Febreze Candle (1) And Get (1) Febreze Air Effects Free – 03-01-09 PG

*$1 off Pledge furniture care product
$3/2 Pledge products, $2 off Pledge multi-surface cleaner, $2 off Pledge Fabric sweeper for pets printable coupons here

Awesome clearance deals – Target.com has some AWESOME clearance deals right now. I used gift cards I got from Swagbucks and got my daughter several pairs of PJs for $3.75/each and for boys, they have long-sleeved college sports tees for $3.49 and hoodies for $4.49. If you spend $50, you get free shipping (you can also do returns in store). Don’t forget to shop through Ebates to get 4% cash back (you also get a $5 bonus if you are registering for the first time after your first purchase credits).

Here are the links to some of the clearance deals:
*Toddler girls
*Girls (4-14)
*Toddler boys
*Boys (4-14)
*General clearance

Scenario Sunday: CVS deals for the week of 4/5


If you are just learning how to shop at CVS, start here for some helpful tips.

The coupon match-ups for the weekly deals are here.

The following are scenarios for people who are “new” to shopping at CVS or who have very few ECBs to start with: (these are just ideas….you do not have to follow this exact order and you can skip some items if you do not need them or don’t have the coupons that match up with them)

Get $15.23 in merchandise for $3.48 OOP, $3.49 ECBs left to spend

Transaction #1:
Buy 1 Colgate MaxWhite or MaxFresh – $2.99
Buy 1 Excedrin – $1.99

Use $1 Colgate manufacturer’s coupon
Use $2 Excedrin printable

Spend $1.99, get $2 ECB

Transaction #2: (this will work on Sunday/Monday ONLY)
Buy 1 bamboo basket – $1.99
Buy 1 Easter grass – $.79
Buy 1 Excedrin – $1.99

Use $2 Colgate ECB
Use $2 Excedrin printable

Spend $.78 OOP, get $2.78 in ECBs back

(since this is limit 2, you could repeat this step again)

Transaction #3:
Buy Skintimate shave gel – $3.49
Buy Excedrin – $1.99

Use $2.78 in ECBs from Easter items
Use $2 Excedrin printable

Spend $.71, get $3.49 ECB

My Scenarios for the week: $52 in merchandise for $0 OOP
Buy 2 Easter baskets – $1.99/each
Buy 2 bags Easter grass – $.79/each
Buy Colgate MaxFresh – $2.99
Buy Skintimate shave gel – $3.49
Buy 4 Excedrin – $1.99
Buy 2 Jumbo packs Huggies diapers – $10/each
Buy 2 Johnsons shampoos – 2/$6
Buy 3 bags Hershey’s candy – 2/$4

Use $1 Colgate manufacturer’s coupon
Use 4 $2 Excedrin printables
Use 2 $3 Huggies printables (these are no longer available)
Use $2/2 Johnsons printable
Use $1.50/3 Hershey’s printable

Total before coupons = $52
Total after coupons = $33.50

Spend $33.50 (pay w/ ECBs), earn $21.05 ECBs (Yes, I’m losing some ECBs, but I’m getting things that we need and I haven’t been shopping at CVS as much lately, so I’ve had a hard time ‘Rolling’ all of my ECBs)

**If you do buy Huggies, don’t forget that you can submit your receipts to Caregivers Marketplace for a .75 rebate per jumbo pack!

Another Huggies diaper deal!

If you don’t have a CVS near you, and you’re bummed about missing out on the Huggies deal next week, there’s still a way for you to get a great deal on diapers and you can do it from home!

Diapers.com has their Huggies jumbo packs on sale for $10.99 each right now. With the deal below, you can get 5 jumbo packs for $35.84 (it’s like paying $7.17/pack) and get free shipping (our out of pocket will be even less if you have manufacturer’s coupons).

Here’s how it works:

1. Send in any manufacturer’s coupons you have. Diapers.com accepts manufacturer’s coupons. To find out how to submit your manufacturer’s coupons for credit, click here.

2. If you haven’t already, sign up for Ebates. If you are a new member, you will get a $5 bonus (after you make your first purchase) when you sign up here. Once you have signed up, search for Diapers.com, and click through the link on the site. You will get an additional 1% cash back for shopping through this link.

3. Choose 5 Huggies jumbo packs (size 1-6) here. Add them to your cart.

4. Proceed to check out. If you’re a new member, you’ll have to register.

5. Enter the coupon code MELISSASBA if you are a new customer to get $10 off your order of $49 or more. If you’ve ordered from diapers.com before, you can try to use the code RESOLUTION.

6. If you originally added $49 or more to your cart (before the code), your order should qualify for free shipping. Your total should be $44.95 at this point.

7. In the “promotional code” box in the bottom right hand corner, put a comma after MELISSASBA and then enter the code NEW5. An additional $5 should be deducted from your balance. You should be at $39.95 at this point. (Any coupons you have submitted should also appear as a credit on your account)

8. Submit your receipts to Caregivers Marketplace. You should get $3.75 back.