The Garden Plan

So I decided to go with a container garden this year.  I am a little sad, because this will mean less plants and no onions, cantaloupes, etc.  We're keeping it simple this year, just some tomatoes, peppers and lettuce if I can find it.

I've decided to do something a little different as far as planting the tomatoes go- to keep my costs low, I am going to try planting in the 50lb rabbit feed bags! A picture tutorial will follow.

If this works, I save the costs of buying all those containers and I won't have to do any weeding! Not to mention it will be a little something extra that the bunnies will be helping with, since they are already going to provide the bulk of the soil I'm planting in! Might as well use their feed bags to further assist in the planting!

Now the biggest problem is going to be how to keep the chickens away from the ripening fruits and veggies this summer. :)

-Kristen

Recipe: Toasted Sesame Chicken

It's been a while since I posted a recipe.   This one is SUPER easy, super quick and very good!

You'll need:
Campbell's Skillet Sauce- Toasted Sesame with Garlic and Ginger.
1 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 pound of chicken breast
Angel Hair/Thin Spaghetti noodles
Salt to taste

A quick word on the Skillet Sauce- at the store near my house, the one that is very expensive, these run $3.00.  However, you can find a $0.75 off coupon here.  Right now, the store in my area that doubles coupons is running triples, so I can get these for $.75.  Keep an eye out for deals, to save yourself money.

Start your noodles as you normally would.  Make however much you want for feeding the number of people in your family.  I always tend to make too much.

Put the tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet and get that heating up. 

Slice your chicken in to strips, then place them in the skillet.  Cook them until they are mostly done, then remove them and set them aside.

Cut your yellow onion in half and slice some rounds. I made mine around a quarter of an inch thick.  Cut these in half (or cut your onion in quarters, then do your slices.  However you do this, do it!).  Toss the onions in the pan and lightly caramelize them.  You don't want your onions cooked to death at this stage, so err on the side of not cooked enough, rather than too done.

Toss your chicken back in the pan with the onions, then pour in your Skillet Sauce and mix it all up.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cover the pan for 5 minutes.  I checked it once about halfway through to stir again.

Your noodles should be about done by now, so go ahead and drain them, then put them on your plate.  Simply scoop some onions, chicken and sauce on to your bed of pasta, add a little salt to taste, and voila! A quick, cheap, easy meal!

This one is really customizable.  Add in less chicken if you want, or more onion.  Consider other veggies that you think will compliment the flavors in the sauce.  This would also work very well with rice.

-Kristen

The Ring, My Precious-

So recently, Tim lost his wedding ring.  In typical Tim fashion, he managed to fling it from his finger while wiping dirt on his shorts (I don't know why he was doing that either) and also in typical Tim fashion, he was 100% certain it was about five feet to the left of where it actually was.

After crawling around on my hands and knees for hours in the grass that desperately needed to be mowed (thanks mower guy, for getting upset when we asked you not to scalp the lawn and now doing a "I will cut the tip off each individual blade of grass approach) and literally cutting the grass with scissors (or pulling it up by the handfuls) we gave up for the night.

Ultimately, it took another hour, this time with a metal detector, before I found his ring- and it was a near thing then as well.

Yesterday, I had to make the hard decision to "bench" my rings. After the weight we have lost (around 35 lbs for both of us), they don't fit.  For some reason, yesterday was particularly bad, as they nearly flew off in spectacular fashion at least a dozen times.

I guess I'm going to have to decide if I want them cut down and resized, or if I think a ring guard will suffice.  I have heard the ring guards can be immensely uncomfortable, but I also worry about permanently resizing the ring, only to end up unable to wear it if I gain weight back (which I am not planning on doing, but you know how plans go sometimes.)

Oh well, at least I will know the rings are safe and sound for now, not ready to leap off my finger at any given point in time, never to be found again.

It just feels really weird to be without them.

-Kristen

Cheap Plants

With it being planting season, there are tons of places you can go to find cheap, healthy garden plants!

Try your local High School- many FFAs have greenhouses on campus and look to sell plants at rock bottom prices to raise money for their club.  It's a great way to support your community and save money.

Prison Farms.  Yes, Prison Farms.  There happens to be one near me and they offer the best prices around.  Like the FFA, it helps keep the money in your local community and helps pay for programs that give prisoners life skills. 

Farmer's Market- another local place to try for great prices! You can also find a wide range of plant varieties here.

Craigslist- You never know what you may find here! Perhaps someone started 15 tomato plants, expecting half to die.  Now they have more than they need and will happily sell them off at a buck each.  It's worth a look!

-Kristen

Free Bruegger's Bagels on April 25th!

We’re proud to celebrate our anniversary alongside Children's Miracle Network Hospitals as they celebrate theirs! Help us honor 3 decades with 3 free bagels at participating bakeries. While you’re getting your bagels, please consider donating any spare change to help support kids treated by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals each year.

Go here to download and print your coupon for three free Bruegger's Bagels on Thursday, April 25th!  The coupon is valid from Open until 2pm.

-Kristen

Coupon to Christmas (12 Months of Christmas Post)

It's April now.  How ya hanging in there?  If you haven't started considering Christmas, go back and read the 12 Months of Christmas posts to catch up.

 Now is a great time to gather materials if you haven't already.  Consider craft stores like Michaels, AC Moore, Hobby Lobby, etc.  Each week they come out with some new, awesome coupon- 40% off 1 regular price item!  50% off 1 item, 25% off your whole order including clearance.

Why pay full price for items you need?  Is there a person in your life that loves to bake cookies?  Why not put together a cookie basket- include cookie cutters, a cookie sheet, mixing bowl, sprinkles, etc- and buy each item with a coupon!  Save things like sprinkles for closer to Christmas, but there is no reason not to buy the non perishable items earlier.  Simply make note of what you bought. 

Maybe you want to crochet your sister a scarf.  Find a pattern, figure out how much and what kind of yarn you need, then look for "no dye lots"- you can buy a skein at a time at 40% off.  If you need 3 skeins at $5 each, you will spend $9 buying them with coupons separately, rather than rushing to get them all at once in early December because you waited too long.   If you have a friend or two that you often go out with, maybe they will be willing to buy the yarn for you with a coupon and money you provide (most craft places accept printable copies or take them right off your phone).  

Know someone that wants to learn a craft? Put together a crafting basket the same way- one piece at a time, with a coupon!

Even if you want to skip all this homemade stuff, keep your eyes out for coupons or sales run in your stores.  Have a Vera Bradley fanatic in your household?  Their outlet often posts great sales.   Bath & Body Works lover around? Pick up their favorite scents with a coupon such as "Get a Free Signature item with any $10 purchase" or during their semi-annual sales.

Coupons are your best friends as long as you don't wait too long.  Even in December, there are still great deals to be had, but beware of buying something just because it's on sale or overspending because of a great deal. Keep in mind, if you bank on the sales at Christmas, you may spend more in time and gas than you save trying to find hot items.  If you must shop the toy/electronic sales, try to limit who you need to buy for to just a few people, rather than leaving your entire list to the last minute.  This gives you the opportunity to shop the deals, without setting you up for marathon shopping weekends.

-Kristen
Catch up on all the 12 Months of Christmas posts here.

Another Sad Day

I had a "12 Months of Christmas" post scheduled for today, but in light of the events in Boston yesterday, I have rescheduled it to post tomorrow.

There are no words to describe the tragedy in Boston. I feel like lately there have been entirely too many posts like this- too many innocent people caught up in something terrible as they try to go about their daily lives, or spend what should have been a fun day out with friends and family.

Prayers are going out to those whose lives have been impacted by such a senseless act. 

Now we wait to see if this was a "homegrown" act of terror, or an outside force :(.

-Kristen