Fandango Tickets $4.00 from Groupon

Groupon has a great deal for Fandango tickets for only $4.00 (up to $12.00 value). This coupon doesn't expire until Feb. 28, 2011. The offer is valid at more than 16,000 stores nationwide. Limit one per person. Not valid on IMAX or 3D movies. You have four days left to buy these tickets or while supplies last. HURRY!!!

Bacon Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken with Pears

Cooking is a passion of mine and when ever I find a new recipe I have to try it out. When I ran across this Bacon Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken recipe from $5 dinners , I knew it would be a hit in our house. I added some fresh canned pears to the recipe to give it a sweet taste. We had my step-dad and mom over to enjoy it with us. My step-dad made this comment, "this meat is so tender a baby could eat it." Yummy!!

Here is my version:

8 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
1 bottle of BBQ sauce
1lb. bacon
1 granny smith apple (grated)
1 jar of canned pears

I first wrapped the bacon around the chicken. Placed it in the crock-pot. Then mixed BBQ sauce, grated apple and pears. Stir it up and pour over chicken. I cooked it on low for 4 hours, then turned it on high for 4 more hours. You probably could cook it on high for 5-6 hours and be fine. I just had to run some errands and didn't want it cooking on high the whole time I was gone.

Just add your favorite side dishes and voila, dinner is served. Enjoy!!

Fall Vegetable Gardening: Part 1

It's about that time to start your fall vegetable gardening, depending on your first frost. Here in Virginia we usually get our first frost in late October. Find out your frost date.

Mid August is the perfect time to get those fall vegetables in the ground. Check your soil for the correct pH levels. Summer plants will drain a lot of the nutrients from your soil.

Determining when to plant, you need to know the average date when your area gets its first killing frost. Once you have determined the frost date, look at the plants you want to grow and look at the number of days for maturity, plus the number of days for harvest, add two weeks for Fall Factor (slowing growing due to cooler nights). This will give you how many days you need to count back from your areas frost date.

Example:
I am going to plant Spinach:
Days to germination: 8-10
Days to harvest: 45
Two week fall factor: 14 days

Equals = 67-69 days

Virginia's frost date: October 20

Which would have been last week, August 13. Have no fear, the seeds are still going to be planted. Hopefully I'll be able to get them in the ground by this weekend. Stay turned to what I plant in my fall vegetable garden.

Some cool weather plants are spinach, kale, turnips, mustard, broccoli, cabbage, radishes, lettuces and onions. These plants thrive in the cooler days. If your area is calling for a mild frost, around 30 degrees, cover your plants with a light tarp, 5 gallon buckets, or netting. This will keep them from the frost bite.

Enjoy your fresh garden vegetables up to the first frost. This is usually when fresh vegetables rise in cost at the grocery stores.

Don't forget about your local farmer's markets. They are in full swing right now.

Saving with Groupon!!!

Groupon is a new an exciting website where you can purchase items 50%-75% off. There is everything from hair cuts to restaurants. There were some delicious cupcakes at 50% off the other day and I missed it. Bummer, maybe next time.

It's FREE to sign up. You pick your city or any city and Groupon will send you an email each day with a cool money saving offers. Click here to find out all the details.

When you get your friends to sign up you can receive $10 when they make their first Groupon purchase. Go ahead and give it a try. It's FREE. We all love FREE.

CVS: $32.94 in product/ $1.89 profit

CVS has some pretty sweet deals this week. I bought all of these products and made $1.89.

Here is what I bought:




Dulcolax, Hydro razor, Shaving cream, and Lysol hand soap. Paid out of pocket $7.11 and received $9.00 ECB's.

Thanks goes to Mrs. Moneysaver for all the coupon match ups.

Back-2 school ebooks on sale @ Heavenly Homemakers

It's back to school time and Laura at Heavenly Homemakers has her "school type items" 20% off. Laura has written many e-books for kids of all ages. The items are "Learn your letters, Learn to serve curriculum kit, Fill Em' Up e-book, Do the Funky Kitchen e-book." She also has some awesome cookbooks you can buy.

Click on over and check it out. Enter code "BACK2SCHOOL" to get 20% off.


This post may contain an affiliate link! Thanks, Amy

Healthy Lunch Box Snacks

School is about to begin and so are ideas for a healthy lunch.

I am pretty blessed with a daughter who likes healthy foods. She can be picky but she loves her salads. Salads are a great way to get in their veggies. Ice burg lettuce is one of the worst nutritional lettuces. Try Romaine Hearts lettuce, it looks and taste the same, only better for them. You can add their favorite veggies like cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, etc. Instead of the croutons, try sunflower seeds or sliced almonds.

Apples: cut up your apple and core. Mix a tablespoon of lemon juice in a two cups of water. Add your cut up apples. This is save your apples from turning brown.

Celery sticks are great with peanut butter or cream cheese.

Baby Carrot sticks are a kids favorite, they are sweet and healthy.

Cucumber slices or cherry tomatoes.

Make a mix of sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, m&m's, pretzels, cheerios. It's a great salty sweet mix.

Sandwiches can be cut out with fun cookie cutters. Heart shapes or dinosaurs.
Wraps are another fun idea. You can make your own healthy wraps and add in lunch'n meat or the chicken left over from last nights dinner.

Yogurt is only healthy treat. It comes in a lot of different flavors for all kids enjoyment.

Peanut butter banana sandwiches are a tasty healthy idea. Butter your bread with peanut butter, slice bananas and place on peanut butter side. Top with another slice of bread and enjoy.

Fresh fruit is always a favorite in our house. Blueberries, strawberries, orange slices, pears, kiwi, grapes. If it's a fruit we love it.

What are your favorite healthy lunch box snack ideas???

End Results of Freezer Cooking Day

Here are the end results of my freezer cooking day last week. It only took me 4 hours in the kitchen. That includes clean up and all, not bad huh?!?



This is an awesome recipe for Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls from MoneySavingMom. I gave a pan to my mom to take with her this weekend camping. Everyone loved it. Actually a lady she works with wants me to make her some. Delicious and easy.

Banana bread muffins. Great for freezing. Just wrap individually in saran wrap and place in freezer bag. They thaw out quickly.


Stuffed Shells for seven dinners, remember it's just my daughter and I.




Fifteen Fajitas and three stuffed peppers. Fifteen homemade tortillas. Yummy!!

Also not pictured is five taco burritos, one coconut rosemary meatloaf, and french toast sticks. This should last us at least a month. All we have to do is add some side dishes(applesauce) and dinner is done.

New Look

Construction Zone Ahead!



Blogging can be difficult at times. Please bare with me.
I have been trying to get the right look for my blog. Hopefully this will be the final change. I'm still working on a button. Stay tuned to grab it. Thanks to all my great readers, you make it worth it.