I wanted to make everyone aware that Bi-Lo has monthly FREE items that are great deals! Everytime that you shop at a Bi-Lo grocery store, at the bottom of your reciept it says “Enter for a chance to win $250 in FREE groceries”. Besides the obvious great deal at a chance to win free groceries, if you actually take the time to fill out the survey (It only takes about 2 minutes) you are able to print off a coupon for something free at Bi-Lo. Throughout the course of me completing these surveys, I have gotten tomato paste, poptarts, 2-Liter Sodas, chips, canned fruit, pudding and many many more items ALL FOR FREE!!!! And you are not limited to how many Free items you can get each month. If you shop at Bi-Lo 15 times a month then you can get 15 FREE items as long as you take the time to complete the survey, even if you go and only spend a few dollars. This months Item is BBQ sauce. I had it on my grocery list for this week and was able to save by being able to get if free from Bi-Lo. Deals do not get much better than this!!
CVS Deal for 7/26
26 Jul
I went to CVS today and got 2 great buys. Cannot beat 148-count diapers for $13!!
Breakdown of My Reciept
1 96-Count Pkg Pampers Baby Dry Diapers… $21.99
1 52-Count Pkg Pampers Cruiser… $3.98 (On Clearance)
1 $2 off Pampers Cruisers Coupon
1 $2 ECB from CVS U-Scan Machine
Total….. $23.65 AND $10 ECB to use as cash on another purchase before Sept. 25!
Chicken Parmesan
26 Jul
I decided to try making this and it turned out very good… and pretty inexpensive too. You should have all of the ingredients on hand, or at least I did.
Ingredients
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 1/2 Tbsp parmesan cheese
dash of pepper
Oil, enough to cover large pan about 1/2-inch deep
Start Preparing
- Heat skillet with oil on medium-high heat.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- In bowl, beat 2 eggs together. Sprinkle in pepper.
- In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, italian seasoning, garlic salt and parmesan sheese.
- With meat mallet, pound a chicken breast at a time, to about 3/4-inch thick.
- Dredge chicken breast in egg and then immediately in breadcrumb mixture. Place directly in heated skillet; Cook until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes on each side; Place on paper towels until all chicken is cooked and ready to put into oven.
- Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place browned chicken breast on sheet; Cover with foil. Cook for 22 minutes.
Serve over pasta and topped with tomato sauce. (See Fresh tomato sauce recipe)
Good Buys on Grocery Items
24 JulI am always interested in finding what the “best buys” are in the grocery store. I got this list from http://madamedeals.com/. My advice is to print this list off and carry it with you in the store. That way you can compare and make sure you are getting the best deal. As stated on Madame Deals, prices can differ depending on stores and regions. Some of these prices are the price after coupons, if they were available. I hope this list will help you out each time you go grocery shopping!!
“Buy Price” for Pantry Items– Sometimes items will be cheaper than the prices I have listed below. Prices listed are after coupons.
- Canned or Pouch Tuna, FREE-$0.50
- Condensed Soup, $0.50
- Canned Tomatoes, $0.40-$0.50
- Dry Pasta, Free-$0.75
- Spaghetti Sauce, $1
- Canned Vegetables, $0.40
- Ketchup, $0.40 (summer stock-up item)
- Mayonnaise, $1 (summer stock-up item)
- Barbecue Sauce, $0.50 (summer stock-up item)
- Mustard, FREE (summer stock-up item)
- Salad Dressing, $0.50-$1
- Crackers, $1-$1.50
- Cereal, $1-$1.50 (There is a huge range for cereal, my buy price is $1)
- Rice, FREE-$0.50
- Canned Pasta (Spaghettios, Chef Boyardee), FREE-$0.49
- Canned Beans, $0.50
- Brownie or Cake Mix, FREE-$0.50
- MuffinMix, FREE to $0.50
“Buy Price” for meat. Sometimes it will be cheaper than the prices I have listed below. However, I make a point not to buy meat that is over the price listed.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, $1.99/lb.
- Chicken Breast Bone-in, $0.98/lb.
- Whole Chicken, $0.99/lb.
- Ribeye Steak, $5.99/lb.
- Beef Roast, $2.49/lb.
- Boneless Pork Loin, $1.99/lb.
- Pork Chops, $1.99/lb.
- Sashimi Tuna Medallions, $5.99/lb.
- Fresh Tilapia, $3.99/lb.
“Buy Price” for Dairy & Beverages– Sometimes it will be cheaper than the prices I have listed below. Prices listed are after coupons.
- Cheese- bar or shredded, $1.50 (This week $0.99 so stock-up! It freezes.)
- Sour Cream (16 oz.), $0.50
- Margarine, $0.80-$1
- Butter, $1.50 (cheaper during holiday baking season)
- Eggs dozen, $1 (recently $0.88 at Harris Teeter)
- Yogurt Cups (6 oz.), $0.35
- Yogurt (4-6 pk.), FREE to $1
- Soda (12 pk.), $2.25
- Soda (2 ltr.), $1
- Orange Juice (64 oz.), $2
- Juice (64 oz.), $1-$1.50
- Water (24 pk.), $2.99
- Sports drinks/ Flavored Water (Gatorade, SoBe, Powerade etc.), FREE to $0.50
Chicken Crescents
20 Jul
This recipe was given to me by a great freind. Once I made it, I was hooked. My family loves it and it is very simple to make.
Ingredients
1 pkg (8-ct) Crescent rolls
8 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins, boiled
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk
Pepper
Start Preparing
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place one cooked tenderloin onto 1 crescent roll; Sprinkle with pepper, then roll up. Repeat with 7 remaining chicken tenders. Place into an 8×8 spraying casserole dish.
- In a bowl, combine cream of chicken soup and milk; whisk until smooth. Pour mixture over chicken crescents.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until tops of rolls are brown and bottoms are not gooey.
- Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
(For larger batches, prepare in a 13×9 casserole dish, double ingredients and bake for 1 hour, 20 minutes.)
Tomato and Cucumber Summer Salad
20 Jul
This is a quick and easy salad that is great served during the hot summer months.
Ingredients
1 large cucumber
1 green bell pepper
2 tomatoes
Dash of salt and pepper
1/4-1/2 cup italian dressing
Start Preparing
- Cut all vegetables into 1-inch (or bite-sized) pieces.
- In a bowl combine cut vegetables with dressing and mix until each vegetable is coated.
- Can be refrigerated until ready to serve.
Pear Pie
20 Jul
I have an over abundance of pears so I decided to experiment. This pie is what I came up with. It is very delicious and tastes VERY similar to apple pie.
Ingredients
1 graham cracker crust
4 pears, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 eggs
Start Preparing
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In medium-sized bowl, stir pears and lemon juice together. Arrange into pie crust.
- In large bowl, combine both sugars, cinnamon and butter. Mix well.
- Add vanilla, flour, pecans and eggs to sugar mixture. Combine until mixture is well combined. Pour over pears.
- Bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
Fresh Tomato Sauce
14 Jul
I had quite a few tomatoes that needed to be used and decided to see if I could make some home-made tomato sauce. It turned out pretty good. Cannot wait to cook some pasta to be able to use this sauce. Was even able to freeze some for use later.
Ingedients
6-8 tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, finely grated
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 green bell pepper, thinly chopped
3/4 tsp sugar
6 oz jar tomato paste
3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
Start Preparing
- Bring water to a boil in large pot. Place tomatoes into boiling water. Let boil for 1 minuter. Immediatly place tomatoes in ice water and let sit 1-2 minutes. Take out of the water and remove skin and core of all tomatoes.
- Roughly chop tomatoes in large pot so as not to lose any juice. then proceed to mash with potato masher.
- Add garlic, italian seasoning, onion powder, bell pepper, sugar and tomato paste. Let simmer for 1 hour; Sauce will be thin.
- Add bread crumbs to thicken.
Three Kisses
13 JulWhen I was growing up I was fortunate enough to have THE BEST grandmother anyone could ask for. When we would stay with her during the summers she would always tuck us in to bed and after kneeling beside the bed to pray she would always give all of her grandkids 3 kisses each. I would always think this was so funny. I mean 1 kiss is typical but 3? Why three kisses?
One night I decided to ask her. “Grandma, why do you give us three quick kisses everytime you kiss us instead of just one big one?” She replied back, “Sugar, because I love you!” Thats it! Three kisses = I. Love. You! Another reason why she was so amazing!!
And I dont know if it’s in my genes or maybe I just adapted it from my grandma because I strive to be like her, but to this day, I give my babies three kisses each and every night. And I even cetch myself doing it throughout the day when I am holding them. So, when I kiss my babies I am giving them something they could never experience from my fantastic grandma.. her three kisses. And maybe one day they will ask me why I do what I do and I can respond with “because I love you, and so does your grandma!!”
Fast and Easy Pasta Dinner
13 Jul
This is what we had for dinner tonight. SUPER quick and easy! I meant to add spinach to it but forgot… will have to try next time.
Ingredients
1-16 oz box fettuccine noodles
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes
3 Tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Start Preparing
- Cook fettuccine noodles according to package directions, about 11-12 minutes; drain.
- In a seperate pan, heat olive oil. Toss in 1 Tbsp butter, tomatoes, garlic, and basil. Cook until tomatoes begin to burst.
- Combine tomatoe mixture with the cooked noodles. Add mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
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