Purex Insider: Honey Bunches of Oats

About a year and a half ago I became a Purex Insider.  This means I sample products for various companies therefore I receive lots of freebies!  The latest product came in the mail last week...a full-sized box of Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal.  Hubby was VERY excited because he loves this stuff, but due to the price, I don't buy it on a regular basis.  

What did I think?

That had to be the freshest box cereal I have ever had!  I'm not gonna lie, I usually do not like cold cereals that much.  This one definitely was a step above the others.  It had just the right amount of sweetness without being over-powering.  I had it with both plain and vanilla almond milk...yum to both!  If I could get a hold of some coupons, I would buy this stuff!  Quick, easy, filling, and tasty...awesome!

Frugal Ways to Pay It Forward (PIF)!

How good does it feel to Pay It Forward (PIF)?  I have paid for the guy/gal behind me at the drive thru or printed out an extra coupon for Michael's and brought it with me to give someone.  Just because your broke doesn't mean you can't Pat It Forward!  Sometimes all it takes is time.  TipHero had a few ideas on how to frugally Pay It Forward and I wanted to share them with you!

• Roll Spare Change. Collect all of your spare change and roll it up. You can take half of what you gathered to a favorite charity or an animal shelter. You'll be surprised by how much you find and you won't even miss it when it's gone.
• Coupons. You might get coupon inserts in your Sunday paper or in the mail. Maybe you use them and maybe you don't. There might even be many that you don't have a need for such as ones for pet food or diapers. Many grocery stores have coupon exchange bins at the entrance where you can drop off your unwanted coupons or you can give them to families that you know of that use products that you don't.  I also leave coupons tucked beside the product they are for around the store.  
• Time. Giving your time doing a bit of yard work for an elderly neighbor, or watching a friend's small children while she runs errands are very valuable gestures. Volunteer groups are always looking for additional help.
• Food Pantry. Food pantries need contributions year-round. The next time you see grocery items at rock-bottom sale prices or a buy one get one free promotion, just toss a few extras in the cart. Every time you've collected a small amount, simply swing by a food bank and make you donation.  I do this all of the time, usually to friends/family/neighbors.  I clean out my pantry and freezer every time I know someone I know is having a hard time.  I appear on their front porch with several bags of groceries and a smile.  It makes me feel so good to see them smile!
• Clothing Drive. While donating your old clothes to clothing drives, women's shelters, and the Salvation Army is charitable in itself, why not take it a step further and throw some new items into the mix. Snagging heavily discounted toys after the holidays or hitting up end-of-season clearance sales will offset your out-of-pocket expense.  Recently, Wal-Mart had T-shirts and shorts marked down to a buck!!  I stocked up on various sizes and brought them to school.  SEVERAL kids truly needed a few new items.  

What are some other ideas do you have for PAYING IT FORWARD?  What are some things you have done??  After all, we are in this thing called LIFE together!

Homemade RAINBOW BREAD!

I love colors!  I guess my faves would have to be every shade of green and pink, but I love all colors.  That bleeds over into my cooking as well.  White is boring...nothing a little gel food coloring can't handle!  Check out my yummy bread....awesome and pretty!  Let me know if you'd like the EASY recipe I use!  If I can bake it, anyone can!  While I do admit I am a good cook, a baker I am not!!

Pretty!

The inside....my ghetto stove!  It was in here when we bought the house so I am using it until it dies!  Then I will have what I want!

Restaurant Review: GrEAT Mongolian Grill

Hubby and I decided to have a date night a while back.  We went and tried a new restaurant that I ran across online through Groupon (although I didn't buy the deal...just remembered the place).  GrEAT Mongolian Grill is located in Cary @ Harrison Pointe Shopping Center.  I now understand why the reviews mentioned that it was never crowded....it's on the back of the center.  I would have never known it was there.  I am SO glad we found it!  Hubby has never liked Mongolian food, but he knows that I love it and we def don't go often.

It was awesome!  The food was fantastic, especially the Sesame Mushroom sauce.  Our service was amazing!  First the food...there was a large buffet right in the middle of the restaurant.  You took 2 bowls:  1 large for Veggies and 1 small for proteins.  They had everything from bean sprouts to zucchini to noodles...probably about 30 different veggie-type things.  For proteins it ranged from tofu to shrimp to steak to calamari...maybe 12ish of those.  My first creation had a little of LOTS of things:  noodles, scallions, onions, mushrooms, carrot, zucchini, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, Napa cabbage, broccoli, shrimp, beef, and chicken.  I'm sure I left something out!  At the end of the bar, there are about 7 containers with things such as sesame seeds, garlic, pepper, etc.  I added some of that as well.  They also use a "stick" system to choose your sauce.  Each sauce is written on a sign with a color beside it.  You place the corresponding stick in your food.  You also choose a chili pepper stick.  Green in mild, 2 greens - medium, 1 red hot, 2 reds very hot!  I chose the Sesame Mushroom sauce out of other sauces such as teriyaki, sweet Asian chile, and a few others.  I went with medium for my heat...and I'm glad I did!  Anyway, once you have done this, you give it to the chefs at the humungous grill.  They ask if you would like steamed or fried rice and give you a number.  Back at the table you stick your number card on the little stand on each table.  The waitress brings it to you when it's ready.  Hubby had a very similar creation.  He order white sauce to go on his...he says he could put it on gravel and it would be yummy!

My first taste

Oh, we started with Endamame.  It was good...just your average with s little sea salt.  It was cooked good, but honestly, I buy it by the large bag in the freezer section @ Trader Joe's for $1.69.  I like it just as well.  It was $3.99 here...I'm glad I got it but don't know if I would get it again because I'm cheap!!

My App

 Rebecca was our server.  She was AWESOME!  She was friendly from the beginning but after we had been there a few times, she warmed up even more.  We ended up exchanging email info before we left!  She hooked us up too!  The prices are:  1 trip - 9.99, unlimited is 11.99.  If you want to bring your unlimited leftovers home, it's 4.69 extra.  Normally this is a small take out box and she brought us a large.  I went up and fixed a bowl 4 different ways, skipping the rice.  I took probably 3-4 bites out of each.  The rest was brought home.  We have a GOOD 4 meals leftover!  Oh, and she laughed at me because I told her that their water was some of the best I had ever had.  She said they had a filtering system in place..well...it was GOOD water!  :)

Our bill was right at $35.  We left Rebecca a $15 tip.  It was a fantastic experience!!

Dogs vs. Cats....Laugh a Little!

I subscribe to a publication called "Absolute Newsletter".  I can't remember how or where I found it, but each day it contains something called, "Smile of the Day".  It is one of the few emails I read daily!  I wanted to share today's with you (the 2 people who read this...HA!).

What is a Cat?
Cats do what they want. They rarely listen to you.
They’re totally unpredictable. When you want to play, they want to be alone.
When you want to be alone, they want to play. They expect you to cater to their every whim.
They’re moody. They leave hair everywhere.
Conclusion: They’re tiny women in little fur coats.

What is a Dog?
Dogs spend all day sprawled on the most comfortable piece of furniture in the house.
They can hear a package of food opening half a block away, but don’t hear you when you’re in the next room.
They can look dumb and lovable at the same time. They growl when they are not happy.
When you want to play, they want to play. When you want to be alone, they want to play.
They leave their toys everywhere. They do disgusting things with their mouths and then try to give you a kiss.
Conclusion: They’re tiny men in little fur coats.

How true???  What do you think?  A proper comparison? 

Weekly Meal Plan via the SMARTSHOPPER!

I follow a couponing/deal blog on WRAL.com hosted by a friend of mine and local celebrity, Faye Prosser.  This lady rocks!  She teaches you how to coupon the RIGHT, ETHICAL way!  We call her the "SmartShopper" and her blog is called that too!  Anyway, I just posted my weekly menu plan there so I thought I'd post it here as well!  Hopefully, I will be able to incorporate a few bentos as well!  What do you think??


Monday - Homemade "Hambone Veggie Soup", blueberries/strawberries
Tuesday - Corned Beef Brisket, carrots, potatoes, cabbage (St. Patty's Day again - will be making corned beef hash for breakfast Saturday)
Wednesday - Leftover soup and our fave grilled ham n' cheese topped with a thin slice of tomato (produce box) and fresh basil leaves (YUMMM)
Thursday - Cheese enchiladas (with homemade sauce put up last year), corn on the cob, salad (weekly produce box)
 Friday - my version of Sesame Chicken, broccoli (weekly produce box), roasted new potatoes (produce box) Saturday - HUGE Sea Scallops (Trader Joe's has the BEST), garden peas (produce box), new potatoes (box) and strawberries/blueberries (also from box)
Sunday - Sounds like a great day to use a GROUPON at Backyard Bistro!!
Wow...didn't think I had it in me! Sounds like a yummy week...if I follow through!

Soup is always a win in our house!  Leftovers for lunches!  :)

Puzzle & Penguin Mini-Bento

I have felt pretty close to death for a couple of days!  I hate being sick!  Anyway, I finally cooked tonight...I'm sure my hubby was happy!  I made a big pot of ham/veggie/misc soup...the best!  We are having that for lunch tomorrow.  I made each of us a little breakfast/snack bento to munch on throughout the day.  I bought 2 new sammie cutters from Wally World.  They are CUTE!  I got the puzzle one and a penguin duo!  I hate Wally World but was there checking out a phone deal someone had told me about.  Out of stock - go figure!

Each has a mini penguin sammie and 2 puzzle pieces - filled with....wait for it....COOKIE BUTTER!  YUMMO!  The penguins each have a flower sprinkle for the eyes.  The chili pepper is made from a Trader Joe Fruit Leather.  The ABC cookies are also from TJs and are quite tasty!  Hubby has organic white cheddar mini cracker sammies and a tiny Fruit Stripe packet!

 

 

 

 

 

Cookie Butter: Trader'Joe's Product Review

As promised, a post on Cookie Butter.  Whenever I go to Trader Joe's, which I LOVE, I make it a point to try something new....every time.  There have been a couple of flops, but there have been FAR more YUMS!!  Rich is in LOVE with Cookie Butter.  It is $3.69 a jar.  Best way to describe it is a consistency a tiny bit thicker and "tackier" than Peanut Butter with almost a gingersnap flavor in the background.  You can use it just like you use Peanut Butter.  Our fave so far is to simply roll out a piece of bread and spread a thin layer of the butter on.  We then roll it up.  It's very tasty!  I purchased 2 more jars tonight!  It was funny because we had used about 1/3 of the jar when Rich started panicking over running out!  LOL

Try it out and let me know what you think!  I gotta warn you though...it IS QUITE addictive!!

**Note...I am in no way affiliated with Trader Joe's nor did I receive any form of compensation for saying the positive things about the product!  We just love it!

Helpful Tips!

I read an article recently at TipHero that has some really good info!  I'm going to include my faves below!!

• To create hangers that will support silky and wide-necked tops, just use a hot glue gun to make zigzagged patterns on the tops where the clothes would hang.
• To make leftover pizza extra crispy and yummy, reheat it on a skillet on the stove instead of in the oven.
• When you have green onions, submerge the white ends into a glass of water and put them in a sunny window. You'll be able to grow more quickly.
• Dawn gets any grease stain out, even after it has gone through the dryer!
• Use vinegar and crumpled newspaper to clean windows with no streaks. 
• Coca-Cola is a great toilet cleaner.
• Make your own microwave popcorn- just place  1/2 cup of corn kernels into a brown paper bag. Fold the top over two or three times  and pop it into the microwave on high on your popcorn setting.  Or if yours doesn't have one of those, pop it in for three or so minutes and stop when the popping noise slows to every 1 or 2 seconds.

"Bentoing" - Getting my Feet Wet!

So, I have been growing increasingly interested in creating Bentos for Rich and my lunches.  I have started by doing a few here lately.  I will NEVER have as much time to spend on them as some bloggers have.  I admire their work, though!  Here are a few that I have created...

This first one was created for Rich to take for breakfast/lunch.  I made this one the designated "cold" one and the one below this one the "hot" one.  I figured he could have some of the cold one for breakfast and the rest with his hot one for lunch!

The main compartment has:  Cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and yellow peppers cut into various shapes (stars, flower-type deals, and hearts).  The little green container beside it has some ranch.  It is a repurposed playdoh container!  He also has some crackers in a muffin cup along with cheese and ham.  I couldn't resist the heart pick!  The smallest side compartment is an orange fluff thingie that I LOVE...he's not a fan...it came home!  More for me!  Beside it is some vanilla yogurt with fresh berries!

This is his "hot" one.  It has skewers with leftover pork tenderloin and mandarin oranges.  Weird combo, but he LOVED the broccoli casserole I made so he has some of that as well.

This is actually my breakfast/lunch for tomorrow.  In the main compartment I included a fajita-sized ham and cheese wrap, a skewer of fresh blueberries that I picked this evening, a boiled egg, and a "cookie butter" roll-up.  More to come on the Cookie Butter later...Rich is officially obsessed with it!  The small compartment holds 2 strawberries also picked tonight and some orange fluff.  I topped it with a few flower sprinkles.  :)

This is Rich's breakfast/lunch for tomorrow.  The main compartment has the same things as mine with fresh veggies replacing the boiled egg.  In the smallest compartment, I included 3 Mexican Meatballs in a muffin cup so he can take them out and nuke them if he wants.  Those things are a favorite and SO easy!  The other container has peach yogurt topped with berries. 

This lunch made me giggle and hubby smile!  I will say, Rich is a trooper!  He deals with my little obsessions very well...he even bragged about this to his boss who couldn't have cared less!  I named this "Under the Sea"...yeah, not very original but it's the first thing I thought of when I made this!  It is just dyed Ramen (I had a craving) with a little of the packet seasoning as well as my own twist.  I added some fresh herbs and black & white sesame seeds.  I topped the noodles with sauteed shrimp with garlic and herbs.  He liked it and I agree that it was quite tasty!

So, there you have it!  Laugh is you may, but it's kinda fun!  Let me know what you think!  Maybe I'll actually start posting regularly and get some more followers!  LOL

Another Bento Giveaway!

Mama needs some Bento tools and I'm broke!  Check out THIS BLOG for some cute ideas...and to enter the contest!

Bento-Crazy!

So, I have recently began getting into Bento-making!  I am NOT good at it but it's sure fun to try!  Times like this I wish I had a kid or two!  Thankfully, I have the best hubby in the world that allows me to use him as my experiment.  Afterall, he does get lots of yummy grub!  Today he proudly showed his boss (who couldn't have cared less) his "sea" of blue noodles with sauteed shrimp "swimming" in it!  He's awesome!  I'll post pics of my creations when I remember to take them!

Anyway, I don't have much in the way of bento-making "stuff" yet.  So, I have been reading various bento sites and came across a cool giveaway!!  Check it out!  FUNBITES GIVEAWAY!

O Magazine Offer!

If you like O Magazine, here's and offer to get a years worth for $10!  Click HERE for more info and to subscribe!  Just thought I'd pass along a deal!