Menu Plan 18th Week

Click Here for my favorite recipe from last week. A delicious, juicy, cheap, easy, crockpot rotisserie chicken.

This week I planned my menu and went to the store yesterday for all of the ingredients. Hopefully that will make it easier to actually go through with the menu.

I'm always trying to find new recipes that are meatless and easy, I've found one more this week that I'm going to try called Lentil Tacos. I saw this in the menu of a great blog called The Saved Quarter, the name got me interested so I looked up a recipe to try out.

This week most of the meals are meatless, I think this will make for a easy, money saving week.

Monday: Lentil Tacos
Tuesday: No-Bake Mac and Cheese
Wednesday: Ham Fried Rice and Scallion Pancakes
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Soup
Saturday: Date Night
Sunday: Cheese Enchiladas

cheap healthy fast easy frugal recipes food meatless dinner
easy recipes food recipes cooking recipes healthy recipes crockpot recipes slowcooker quick and
For more menus visit I'm an Organize Junkie.

Grab My Button

I now have a button! For all of you that have a blog, grab my button! I think it's pretty cute. If you have any question on how to add it just ask!




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Shade Warehouse Sale

If you love Shade clothing this is a great time to buy! The selection is often more limited but I'm always able to find some great basics for cheap!

Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken

Bad picture, I may have accidentally put the chicken in the crockpot upside down. Maybe you wont read this if I make it small.....?

I am always on the lookout for good crockpot meals. I love my crockpot, I love throwing everything together in the morning and knowing dinner is done. I found this recipe on a recipe swap forum and I knew I had to try it.

For my small family I only used 2 potatoes and a hand full of carrots which was definitely enough, I only had french cut green beans so that's what I used but next time I will use the other ones. I thought the chicken would dry since you don't add any liquid but it was falling off the bone. You can also use the leftover chicken anyway you want the next day.

Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken

1 whole chicken


3-4 medium Potatoes

1/2 bag baby carrots


1 can green beans, drained

1/2 bag of carrots

Salt/Pepper, spices and herbs to your taste

Put all veggies in bottom of the crockpot, season veggies, place the chicken (washed and patted dry) on top. Season with salt, pepper, any herb you like, and set crockpot on high for 1 hour, then turn to low for 9 hours.

I'm linking this recipe to Crockpot Wednesday.

Jane Austen Ruined My Life

I finished my second Readers Choice Book a few days ago titled Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo. Here is the synopsis from Good Reads.

English professor Emma Grant has always done everything just the way her minister father told her she should -- a respectable marriage, a teaching job at a good college, and plans for the requisite two children. Life was prodigiously good, as her favorite author Jane Austen might say, until the day Emma finds her husband in bed with another woman. Suddenly, all her romantic notions a la Austen are exposed for the foolish dreams they are.

Denied tenure in the wake of the scandal and left penniless by the ensuing divorce, Emma packs up what few worldly possessions she has left and heads to England on a quest to find the missing letters of Jane Austen. Locating the elusive letters, however, isn't as straightforward as Emma hoped. The owner of the letters proves coy about her prize possessions, sending Emma on a series of Austen-related tasks that bring her closer and closer to the truth, but the sudden reappearance of Emma's first love makes everything more complicated.

In the end, Emma learns that doing the right thing has very little to do with other people's expectations and everything to do with her own beliefs. Laced with fictional excerpts from the missing letters, Jane Austen Ruined My Life is the story of a woman betrayed who uncovers the deeper meaning of loyalty.

Here is my review:

The title and cover of this book really drew me in, I thought it would be something fun and light to read. In the end I thought it was pretty good. Not great but I didn't hate it. I'm not much of a Jane Austen fan, I never read any of her books (although most of them are on my list for this year) but I have seen the movies. This book is about a professors that knows everything about her life so it was kind of interesting to get a little of that personal information.

This book also has a small amount of mystery as the main character runs around England finding clues to piece together more information about Jane Austen. It also has a little romance on the side, which I always enjoy.

What this book really did was make me crave to go to England, it has always been a dream of mine and the details in this book made me wish to go even more.

Target Diaper Deal

Here is a great deal for Target if you need more diapers:

$3 off Huggies Pure and Natural Diapers Click Here
PLUS
$2.50 off Huggies Pure and Natural Click Here

That makes them $5.50 off one package! I know I need some more diapers and I love how soft these ones feel.

Save on Groceries at Coupons.com! Click Here

New Blog Design

Do you like my new blog design? I've been working on it for a little while and I really like it. If' you're reading this post through a reader come check it out, let me know what you think.

Free Cereal Coupon

I have a really hard time eating breakfast. I don't like eating a big meal right when I wake up; my body just doesn't like that. My husband is the complete opposite, he would have a huge breakfast every morning with pancakes, bacon, eggs, hash browns.... the whole thing.

Since I don't really like breakfast, I've always just eaten some toast and fruit or something small but my hubby has suffered. I felt bad buying him the real sugary cereal, but he doesn't really like the healthy stuff. So I was very excited when I heard that General Mills would be reducing sugar and making their cereals healthier.

This week General Mills announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain.

Did you know that ready-to-eat cereal eaters consume less fat, less cholesterol and more fiber than non-cereal eaters? Cereals also deliver important vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients, making cereal a top source of key nutrients in childrens' diets.

Other cereal benefits:

• Ready-to-eat cereals, including pre-sweetened cereals, account for only 5% of sugar in childrens' diets.

• Ready-to-eat cereal is the No. 1 source of whole grains in a child’s diet today.

• More frequent cereal eaters tend to have healthier body weights and lower Body Mass Index measures.

One thing I like to do is give Addie a bowl of dry sugar cereal when she wants a treat. She loves the taste and she feels like she is getting a candy or a cookie. I love that it still has some fiber, vitamins and other nutrients.

Now for the deals:

You can get a coupon for $1 off a box of General Mills Cereal by clicking Here.

This information, coupon and my free cereal coupons was all provided by General Mills and MyBlogSparks. For more information about MyBlogSpark click Here.

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People

I'm really excited to do more book reviews this year. Last year I didn't feel like I had enough time to write reviews for the books I read because I would just hurry onto the next book.

I found this book at my library where they are doing Readers Choice right now. I love Readers Choice because every time you read one of the books involved you get a stamp, when you have enough stamps you get a free book!

Most of my reviews will be short and sweet. I don't know much about reviewing books, all I can tell you is if I liked it or not. So here goes...


The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama

Here is what Good Reads has to say about this book:

What does an Indian man with a wealth of common sense do when his retirement becomes too monotonous for him to stand? Open a marriage bureau of course!

With a steady stream of clients to keep him busy, Mr. Ali sees his new business flourish as the indomitable Mrs. Ali and his careful assistant, Aruna, look on with vigilant eyes. There’s the man who wants a tall son-in-law because his daughter is short; the divorced woman who ends up back with her ex-husband; a salesman who can’t seem to sell himself; and a wealthy, young doctor for whom no match is ever perfect. But although his clients go away happy, little does Mr. Ali know that his esteemed Aruna hides a tragedy in her past—a misfortune that the bureau, as luck would have it, serendipitously undoes.

Alexander McCall Smith meets Jane Austen in this delightfully charming Indian novel about finding love.

I agree with the Alexander McCall Smith comparison, if you've read any of his books you will notice a similarity in their style. I'm not sure I agree with the Jane Austen comparison but it does have a little romance in it which I love.

This book was fun, clean and interesting. I have never read a book based in India so I really enjoyed reading about the culture there. I did think a few parts of the book got a little boring but not so much that I stopped reading.

Menu Plan 17th Week

I'm back to meal planning. I've been really slow getting back into my day to day routine after the holidays. Once again our dinners have suffered with no meal plan. We've eaten out a lot more and had lots of grilled cheese sandwiches and cereal for dinner.

I would like to start figuring out my meal plan on Saturday after I see what is on sale and then go to the store so I can get everything I need for that week. I didn't do that this week, I'll try for next week.

Monday: Tortellini, bread sticks and peas

Tuesday: Cranberry Chicken (new recipe, will post if good)

Wednesday:Soup (What kind should I make?)

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday:Thai Peanut Noodles

Saturday: Black Bean Burgers

Sunday: Not sure yet, I'll figure it out.

For more menus visit I'm an Organize Junkie.

Play Dough Recipes

Addie is now getting old enough that I want to start doing crafts and activities with her. We started this week by trying out play dough. I think she is still a little to young to know what to do with it, but it was a good activity that lasted longer than most.


I decided to make the play dough, instead of buying some, because it's so easy and I knew she would want to eat it. I was right, when I first gave it to her she stuck it in her mouth. Here are some fun play dough and clay recipes. The first recipe is the one I used and it came together in literally seconds. I halved the recipes which gave us plenty for Addie and I to share. I'm planning on trying out the other recipes next.


I first gave her some cookies cutters to use but in the end she just wanted a fork to stab it over and over again.

What other crafts or games do you do with toddlers? I could use all the suggestions I can get!!

Play Dough

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 tablespoon oil
3/4 cup water colored with food coloring

Mix the dry ingredients. Add the water and oil gradually. Add more water if the dough is too dry, or add more flour if it is too sticky. The oil preserves the dough and keeps it soft so it can be used many times. Store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

Provide rolling pins and cookie cutters to use with the play dough.

Craft Clay

Combine:
1 cup corn starch
1 1/4 cup salt
2 cups baking soda (1 pound box)
1 tablespoon oil

Cook until thickened to doughlike consistency. Turn mixture out on pastry board and knead. Cover with a damp cloth or keep in a plastic bag. Good for plaques and other models. It can be painted when dry.

Modeling Clay

2 cups salt
2/3 cups water
1 cup corn starch
1/2 cup cold water

Stir salt and 2/3 cups water over heat four to five minutes. Remove from heat. Add corn starch and cold water. Stir until smooth. Cook again until thick. Store in plastic bag. This clay will not crumble when dry.

Baked Clay

4 cups flour
3/4 cup water
1 cup salt

Press out dough and have child make his handprint on it. Bake at 325° for 1 hour. Will be light brown in color.

I got these recipes from Here, a great source for other fun ideas!

Also check out my list of great toys and books for 12 to 24 month olds here.  Gifts for 4 to 5 year olds.

Aveeno Baby Review and Giveaway

As a memeber of Bzzagents I've had the opportunity to try a few different products. The last product they sent me to try was the new Aveeno Baby shampoo and Diaper Cream. I love Aveeno products so I was very excited to try some of their baby line. I had very high hopes and expectations because of the other Aveeno products I have tried.

Aveeno Baby Essential Moisture Shampoo

Here is what Aveeno has to say about it: HOW IT'S DIFFERENT: Not all baby shampoos are created equal. Some formulas may be fine for newborns in need of a basic tear-free cleanser, but fall short when it comes to tackling tangles in older babies. Containing AVEENO^® exclusive ACTIVE NATURALS^®, AVEENO^® Baby^® Essential Moisture Shampoo is unique in that it's gentle enough for infants, yet it gives older children the extra boost of moisture their hair needs.

Review: Addie was born with a full head of dark hair. It has now become very fine, long hair that tangles very easily. I was having a lot of problems with her hair before I started using this baby shampoo. The back of her hair would become a nest of tangles after riding in her car seat for any amount of time. After the first time I used this on her I could noticeably see the difference. Her hair was softer and smoother than ever before. It doesn't tangle as easily and I can now style it better (when she lets me). This shampoo is also tear free so it never causes any problems with her eyes and it smells nice.

Smoothing Relief Diaper Rash Cream

Here is what Aveeno has to say about it: HOW IT'S DIFFERENT: Some diaper rash ointments can be thick, messy and hard to smear on your baby's bottom. Containing AVEENO^® exclusive ACTIVE NATURALS^®, AVEENO^® Baby^® Soothing Relief Diaper Rash Cream is easy to apply and is easy to wash off hands. Did we mention it's fragrance and odor-free? No yucky mess or smell, just pure relief for baby (and peace of mind for mom).

Review: I really liked using this diaper cream. Addie doesn't get a diaper rash very often, but whenever she does have a problem I just smeared a little of this cream on and it does the trick! I love that it doesn't have a fragrance and it feels creamy and nice.

Giveaway: I have three packs of samples for three people that want to try out these two products. In the pack you will get a sample of the baby shampoo and a sample of the diaper cream. You will also get a coupon for $1 off a Aveeno product. If you would like a sample just leave a comment. If more than three people want them I'll draw the names.

Old Spaghetti Factory Deal!

The Old Spaghetti Factory is celebrating their 41st anniversary with 41% off their pasta classics on January 12 & 13 only. Click Here for more info.

We went to this last year and it was a fun, inexpensive night out.

Thanks The Frugal Girls!

Free Workout Music Download

The Biggest Loser and Subway have created this 60 minute workout mix, click here to download it for free! I just downloaded it and it almost makes me want to get outside and run. Almost. Instead I'll use it for some power cleaning music.

Some of the songs included are: Bleeding Love, American Boy, Umbrella, Stronger, Love Story, Paparazzi.

Just click here for your free Biggest Loser and Subway Workout Mix.

New Year's Resolution Helps

I love making New Years Resolutions, I usually don't accomplish my goal but that doesn't stop me from trying again the next year. I found some great blogs to help with your New Years Resolutions.

Mandi at Organize Your Way has started this 31 days of organizing for a better 2010. Each day she is giving tips on how to achieve different goals, like today is "Do more kids' crafts and activities". I've read all of her past posts and they are wonderful!

If one of your resolutions has anything to do with your marriage you should check out Simple Marriage. It's a blog I just found with great tips and articles about making your marriage better. We all know we can improve on our marriages (if you don't, read this article about how a good marriage is the enemy of a great marriage).

More Water

One of my many goals for this year is to drink more water. I don't like the taste of water (weird I know) so I have a hard time drinking it. I'm trying to get healthier and that means drinking water...so I've made it fun. I bought this bad boy at target for around $3 and all ready I drink twice as much as I did.

I don't know what it is about drinking from this bottle, it could be the straw, the fact that I keep it in the fridge, or because its MINE. Whatever it is I'm glad its helping!

Oven Mitt HOT

My husband showed me this video. Watch it, you will laugh.

I DID IT!

I did it. I read 100 books in 2009. I'm so happy that I actually did it. I thought it would be easy because I love to read, and I do it all the time, but it was actually really hard. A lot of the time I didn't feel like reading but felt like I had to read whenever I had any down time, it became more of a chore.

This year one of my goals is to read more of the classics. I read a lot of good books last year but I read even more fluff. They were fun while I was reading them, but I don't remember anything about them anymore. I want to read books that are more substantial this year.

Here is a list of some of my favorite books from last year. The are all different and I enjoyed them for different reasons. If you have a question about one of these or the others I read just let me know!

• The Hunger Games and Catching Fire - LOVE LOVE LOVED these books.
  

• They did it with love - Fun mystery, interesting twisted ending

• Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Cute and easy book. I loved how clean and simple it was.

• City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass - Great books to read when done with The Huger Games. Not quite as good but I really enjoyed reading them.

• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Loved this book a lot more than I had imagined. Interesting story and cute little romance.
  

• Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Loved the movie, wanted to read the book.
  

• Murder on the Orient Express - I love Agatha Crisitie. There is a reason why this is a classic Mystery.

• Austenland - Fun book for Pride and Prejudice lovers.
  

• Love After All - One of my favorite LDS Romances.

• Jurassic Park - First time reading it and I really enjoyed it. Great way to break up the romance mystery pace I had going.

• The Help - Really interesting book, I think it should be made into a classic.

• The Lovers' Knot - Another fun mystery with a little romance on the side.

• I'd Tell You I Love You but then I'd Have to Kill You - Young Adult spy book series that will be made into a movie, I think younger girls would really enjoy reading it.

• Princess Academy - Another Young Adult book that I really enjoyed reading.
  

• I'll find you - Great LDS mystery, reread it and enjoyed it as much as the first time.

• Time and Eternity - A new LDS Romance to me that I still remember, so it must have been good.

• The witch of Blackbird Pond - I love this classic Young Adult book.

• Dear John - Nicholas Spark book, so I cried. I didn't love the ending but I enjoyed reading the book.