weekly publix trip

this week I needed a LOT - so I knew my ticket would be expensive but I still expected to get a lot and save a lot. I did both and my ticket was cheaper than it normally would of been. The BEST deal I found, and this was just luck, was that the b/s chicken breasts were on sale for $3.99 a pound.... but my publix (trussville) had them priced $1.99 a pound!! They even had them under a sign that said $3.99. I didn't say anything so go get you some extra cheap chicken before they notice. I should of bought more than 3 packs....

Some of my favorite deals this week were:

French's yellow mustard - BoGo - regular $1.39 after a coupon for each - FREE!

Taco bell home orignals dinner kit - BoGo - regular $2.69 after a coupon for each - $0.34

Kraft Mac n Cheese (blue box) - BoGo - regular $1.19 after a B3G1 coupon - $0.44

Uncle Ben's Country Inn rice - BoGo - regular $1.49 after a coupon for each - $0.25

I could just tell you my total and my savings.... but you wouldn't get a very good idea of how much I actually got (and I'm trying to get some friends on the bandwagon) so I'm going to list it out.....

2 bags Alexia frozen parmesan potatoes (delish, btw!)
philadelphia spinach artichoke cream cheese
2 18 count kraft cheese slices
2 8oz blocks Cabot cheese
3 packs boneless pork chops
3 packs boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 packs ground beef
2 pack oscar meyer bun length hotdogs
6 pack vienna sausages (for bradley.... im not THAT pregnant - yet)
4 can hunts tomato paste
8 cans hunts tomato sauce
2 shakers weber grill spices
2 bottles heinz vinegar
handle of publix veg oil
2 taco bell dinners
2 frenchs mustard
5 lb domino sugar
2 uncle bens rice
4 kraft mac n cheese
1 pack peanut butter chips ahoy (pregnant)
2 50 count boxes ziploc gallon storage bags
one clorox ready mop refill
1 4 pack of fresh corn on the cob
1/4 watermelon (pregnant)
publix white bread
publix hot dog buns
2 bags baked lays
publix tortilla chips
24 pack aquafina

Grand total $97.42.... savings of $48.86!!!!!!!!!!

I've only been doing this 2 weeks and so far I've spent $108.80 and saved $75.85. I think that is a GOOD DEAL!

ok im hooked

A couple of months ago I decided to start clipping coupons. Well, I did, but I didn't use them in conjunction with sales, so it was depressing. I would save a little, but nothing fun. Lately coupons and saving has been the talk of the town. It seems like everyone I know has a coupon binder and only shops for items that are on sale and saves BIG. So I took the time to put together a binder and separate my coupons by month of expiration, then I matched it up with this weeks Publix sales ad and - voila!

3 - 1 pound boxes of muellers pasta
2 - 16 oz bottles of kraft dressing
2 - 16 oz bottles of kraft bbq sauce
2 - 16 oz containers breakstones sour cream
2 - 8 oz tubs kraft cream cheese
1 - 13 oz bag lays potato chips
1 - 10 oz box wheat thins
1 - 10 oz box triscuits
2 - 16 oz packages of Cole's garlic toast

All of these items were on sale, and I had a coupon for every item except the lay's chips, in some cases a coupons for each item (ie. I only had one coupon for all 3 pastas but had a coupon for each garlic toast). After the sales discounts and my vendor coupons........ my grand total was $11.38 and i SAVED $26.99!!!!!! I saved over double what I spent!!! And it's all good name brand stuff. Plus my wheels were turning, and as I was going down my grocery list I was coming up with meal ideas. Dressing as a marinade for chicken, cream cheese to make a sauce for the pasta. It is all becoming clear to me and I am definitely HOOKED!

Some highlights of my trip were -

the pasta was bogo and ended up being $0.75 a box. I had a coupon for $1 off 3 boxes so I paid $0.50 cents for three boxes, or - $0.17 PER BOX!! The boxes are regularly $1.49

the bbq sauce was bogo and ended up being $0.75 a bottle. I had a $1 off coupon for each bottle. So, these two bottles were FREE. The bottles are regularly $1.49

the cole's bread was bogo and ended up being $1.40 each. I had a $0.50 coupon for EACH package that doubled to $1, so I paid $0.40 PER PACKAGE! The packages are regularly $2.79!

The best part..... I never dug through a bunch of newspapers looking for coupons. I simply went to this website, where she has the sale ad posted for you with links to the coupons for each item. I just printed out the ones I wanted, made my list and went to the store! EASY!!!

I love this because Publix is my favorite grocery store. I despise wal mart. Publix's groceries and meats and produce are SO much better. Most people think that Publix is the highest priced grocery store around.... but you would be surprised! They also accept ALL competitor coupons. Just the other week I had a CVS coupon that entitled me to $5 off a $25 purchase, and Publix accepted it!

three quick things, ya gotta try!!

first of all, for anyone who may read my blog but not my friend jaime's - the grocery game is something that really intrigues me and i plan on signing up for soon. i despise coupons...... UGH! but love saving money, and now that im buying a lot of fresh fruits and veggies for full price i need to be saving money else where. well that and the whole economy thing. basically im a sucker for easyness. go into the grocery, get what you want, get out. making a list and clipping coupons does NOT appeal to me, but its something i need to grow up and do. i dont budget and im a horrible impulse buyer. which is so not mature! i need to act my wage, so im going to use the grocery game to help me out and i wish you would, too!! ive already been clipping coupons and checking out the sales paper, and i cant wait to pick up a sunday paper for even more coupons! yay for growing up!!

number two - and this kind of ties into the grocery game and eating healthy. e-mealz.com is a co-workers sister's business. (jaime, look at the picture and guess which one, they look exactly alike!) the grocery game helps you make a list, emealz goes one step further and creates your menu!! how awesome is that!! for just $5 bucks a month, you pick your plan (points, low fat, just for two, family size, etc...) and pick your store and print out your recipes complete with grocery list. it even puts the correct price by each item!! this is also something i plan on implementing.

lastly, and not nearly as exciting as saving money and having a meal plan made for you with the push of a button..... but still tasty.... is asian pears. oh.... my.... gosh!!!! also known as (thanks to me) "appears", they are delicious bites of heaven. so juicy with a honey like sweetness. please go get one. i have found them at wal mart and publix and am totally addicted to them.

diet pizza

gross, right? wrong!! :D by far one of the best pizzas i've ever eaten, i can't wait to eat the other slice for lunch tomorrow!!

i got the inspiration from this recipe

Caramelized Veggie and Goat Cheese Pizza
recipe by me, inspired by above

one precooked 4 serving whole wheat thin pizza crust (mama mary, buitoni)
1 & 1/2 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 teaspoon sugar + pinch of salt
1 teaspoon evoo
2 cups thinly sliced onion (about one medium onion)
1 "cup" fresh spinach leaves - its hard to measure spinach, just get a nice handful
4 ounces reduced fat feta
1/2 to 1 whole roma tomato, thinly sliced

preheat the oven to 450*
heat a skillet and brown the mushrooms
drizzle the pizza crust with a little evoo and rub it in
crumble the feta evenly over the crust
once the mushrooms are browned, remove them from the pan and heat the oil, sugar and salt
add the onions and cook until they're see through and starting to brown, remove
add the spinach and toss around in the hot pan until it wilts
top the feta with the slices of tomato and then the rest of the veggies
be sure to cover the feta with the veggies, exposing it will make it harden
lower the heat of the oven to 425* and put the pizza in for 10 minutes
let cool and enjoy!

~~~~~

this pizza serves 4 at 400 calories a slice. that may seem like a high number for a single slice of pizza, but you are eating a quarter of the pizza and it is very filling. also verrrrrry good! the saltiness of the cheese goes perfectly with the sweetness of the veggies.

i only made half a pizza, but posted the recipe to feed 4. the other half was "meat lovers" and im sure not nearly as healthy, or good in my opinion! but bradley loved it.

patato patoto

I am a carb-oholic, I would never last on atkins.

This mashed potato recipe is perfect! I subbed 1/2 cup of fat free milk for the 2 tablespoons of light sour cream and achieved great results without altering the calorie count. I left the skins on, but actually think the end result would be better without them. They all kind of clumped at the bottom of my stand mixer bowl anyway. Sprinkled lots of salt and pepper, this mashed potato recipe is not only fool proof but taste proof. You have no idea you are eating a healthy side! And with only 178 calories per 3/4 cup, you could easily sprinkle some cheese on top and not feel guilty.

I usually boil my potatoes with a chicken bouillon cube, but was running low and opted not to. I think it would of given them even more flavor, so if you have an extra one, throw it in!

Mashed Potatoes
recipe and picture courtesy of eatingwell.com

3 pounds baking potatoes (about 8 potatoes), peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
Salt to taste
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, heated
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Place potatoes in a large heavy pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Off the heat, mash potatoes, adding enough hot broth to make a smooth puree. Stir in sour cream and season with salt and pepper.

PS - this is my 100th post; YAY!

4th and 4th

Jaime tagged me to go to my fourth folder and upload my fouth picture.

I only have two picture folders, one is a catch all and one is a holding tank for blog photos. After I upload them to here I delete them to save space on this dino.

So how bout a pic from the 1st and 4th??

This is me at my fiesta wedding shower thrown by my office. This expression came with the sentence "why are you taking a picture of this??" I had spilled the drink on myself, haha!

That's a weight I wouldn't mind getting back to....... sigh!!

I tag........ amanda, je yall and annemarie

Recipe Review

I have several low cal recipes book marked, and I plan to try them all and see which ones fool my husband and which ones will be filed under the "never make again it tastes like cardboard" tab. I don't wanna use the word diet here...

I eat whatever I want. Nothing is off limits. However, I only allow myself a set number of calories a day, so I have to budget them. Kinda like a bank account. Now, say I have $100 dollars to spend at the galleria. As soon as I walk in I see a shirt in the window at express and swoon and go try it on. It's $48 (and you know that's true!). As I'm walking out of the dressing room I notice the clearance rack and realize that I can get two shirts and a pair of jeans for $35. Why on earth would I blow half my money on one shirt when I could get one shirt plus an entire outfit for $13 less??? It works the same way with calories. At the end of the day, I want to come in on budget, and not overdrawn :D Sure I could have a coke, but for the same amount of calories I could have a string cheese and 16 wheat thins, with calories (money?) leftover!!

So when I saw a recipe on eatingwell.com entitled No-Bake Macaroni and Cheese, I wanted to give it a shot.

picture borrowed from foodnetwork.com who borrowed it from eatingwell.com

First of all, it should be titled Broccoli Alfredo. It in no way tastes like macaroni and cheese and if you dive in expecting it to then you might be turned off. With that aside, this is a great recipe! The recipe feeds four at 412 calories per serving, which is a little on the high side but it makes a TON and the serving size is really big. I think they intended it to be the main course, serving it as a side, you can lessen the portion and have fewer calories.

When I saw the calorie count I made one change and used fat free cheese instead, which lowered the count to 327.

Also - We tried whole wheat pasta for the first time. It has slightly fewer calories but extra good for you stuff. Well worth it. I couldn't tell a difference, and once you boil it the dark brown color fades a little. Covered in the white sauce, it looked like regular pasta.

This recipe will be tucked away for future use, filed under "Alfredo".