Meal Ideas for Lent - Pioneer Woman's Pantry Pasta

Pioneer Woman's Pantry Pasta with Chevre

I saw this meatless pasta dish on an episode of the Pioneer Woman's Food Network show.  A simple, quick dish she threw together using ingredients right from her pantry.  Artichokes, olives, pesto and cheese.  The recipe calls for jarred pesto since the show was about using items from the pantry.  But after the first time I made fresh pesto, I swore I would never go back to jarred or prepared pesto ever again!  So I did make my own pesto for this dish using another Pioneer Woman recipe.  And instead of feta cheese, I used chevre (goat cheese) since that's what I had on hand!   

Mary Ellen

 

More Triples

Harris Teeter Triples Trip #2

The triple coupon event at Harris Teeter has ended.  But, I did manage to get in one more shopping trip when the new coupon inserts came out over the weekend. Which was a good thing because we were running low on toilet paper!  With a family of six, it goes so fast!  And I've yet to convince (and probably will NEVER be able to) my husband to consider family cloth.  There's limits to what he's willing to do for the sake of frugality LOL!

3 Angel Soft 4pks $2.99 ea - .45/1 Q = $1.64 ea

3 Skintimate shave gels $2.50 ea - .55/1 Q = .85 ea

2 McCormick chili powder $1.99 ea - .75/1 Q = FREE

1 McCormick parsley flakes $1.69 - .75/1 Q = FREE

3 Colgate toothpaste $2.50 ea - .50/1 Q = $1 ea

3 Colgate kids toothbrushes $2.99 - .50/1 Q = $1.49 ea

Also bought: sugar and Kitchen Bouquet

Total oop: $21.67

Total savings: $29.99 

Mary Ellen

Save Money. Print Free Coupons Anytime.

(Note:  This post contains an affiliate link.  Read my disclosure policy here).

Bananas Going Bad? Try Banana Pineapple Bread!

Is this a common sight in your kitchen?  Bananas going brown with no one wanting to eat them - even though the banana itself is still perfectly good!  I do two things with bananas in this state - freeze them for smoothies or bake banana bread.  But instead of the traditional banana bread, I bake Banana Pineapple Bread from Tammy's Recipes.  Everyone loves it, especially Dave!  So moist and delicious, with just the right amount of sweetness.  And the bananas and pineapples are a great combination! 

YUM! 

Mary Ellen

Our Sweet Oreo Kitty

The weather has been gray and dreary this weekend.  Which mirrors my mood at the present.  This past Thursday, I noticed our cat Oreo acting differently.  I didn't know why, I just knew something was off about her.  But she was eating and drinking as usual.  On Friday, she spent most of the day lying close by the house in a shady spot.  Friday evening, Dave went out to check on her in the last spot she had been and she was gone.  He checked underneath the house and all her favorite hiding spots around the yard, but she wasn't there.  We have a wooded area bordering our property and Dave thinks she may have wandered off into the woods for her final moments.  It was so sudden and saddening.  Just last week, I was standing in the kitchen looking out the window at Ashleigh and Oreo going down the slide together.  Oreo loved to run around the backyard just like she was one of the kids!  I really thought we'd have many more sunny days to spend with her.

The kids are taking it in stride.  I try to save my tears for moments I'm alone or with Dave as not to upset them.  I find myself looking towards the back door as I pass by the sunroom, expecting to see her little face peeking in.  She was such a pretty kitty with a sweet demeanor.  We'll miss her dearly.

   

UPDATE - Sunday afternoon, a neighbor knocked on our back door.  She found Oreo lying underneath an azalea bush in her backyard.  She was breathing (barely) and could only move her ear.  Dave rushed her to the emergency vet.  The vet said Oreo's injuries were consistent with either being hit by a car or shaken by a dog.  The injuries to her spine were such that Oreo had completely lost movement in her back legs and was losing movement in her front legs as well.  We decided to have her put to sleep as the damage to her spine could not be repaired.

Despite her significant injuries, Oreo made her way back home.  We got to tell her what an amazing kitty she was and that we loved her.  Alleviating her suffering seemed to be the only thing left to give her. 

Mary Ellen

Stocking Up - Vinegar

Last week, Harris Teeter had their large jugs of white distilled vinegar on sale for buy one, get one free.  I found myself very excited about this deal!  For the working home keeper and homemaker, vinegar is a very useful item to have on hand.  You can use it for making homemade vinaigrette dressings, add it to a cup of milk for a buttermilk substitute, it makes your homemade barbecue sauce tangy and is used in a lot of recipes for homemade cleaners.  Apparently, I wasn't the only one who realized this was a good deal!  When I went back to buy more jugs, the shelf was completely empty.  So, I got a rain check!

This is a tip I learned from one of my favorite blogs - A Cultivated Nest.  Add lemon (or orange) peels to a jar of white vinegar and soak for a few weeks.  Remove the peels from the jar and use the vinegar in your homemade cleaning recipes.  The vinegar will have a nice citrus smell from the soaked peels!

Mary Ellen

 

Meal Ideas for Lent - Yellow Split Pea Dal

Yellow Split Pea Dal

Add a little international flare to your meatless Lenten meals with this recipe for Yellow Split Pea Dal.

Note:  This recipe is from a cookbook I checked out from our public library.  I neglected to write down the name of the book (silly me!), but I believe it's from Easy Indian Cooking by Suneeta Vaswani.

2 cups yellow split peas

2 cups + vegetable broth

1 medium diced onion

Peeled & diced ginger (a small piece)

2 - 3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons tumeric

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Saute onions, ginger and garlic in olive oil over medium heat.  When onions have become translucent, add red pepper flakes, cumin and tumeric.  Stir to combine.  Add broth and yellow split peas.  Simmer for 30 - 40 minutes until peas are done.  Add more broth (or water) as needed during the cooking process.  Serve alone or over brown rice with Naan.

Mary Ellen

Harris Teeter Triple Coupon Event

Yesterday was the start of triple coupons at Harris Teeter!  I made a quick trip in before work and was able to find all the items I had on my list.  And also offer help to an older lady who was participating in triples for the first time :)

During triples, Harris Teeter will triple the value of coupons up to .99.  So a .75 off coupon, now becomes $2.25 off!  Here are the deals I was able to find yesterday:

2 Almond Breeze $3.29 ea - .55/1 Q = $1.64 ea
2 Almond Breeze shelf stable cartons $2.85 ea - .55/1 Q = $1.20 ea
2 Dole Frozen Fruit Cups $2.79 ea - .75/1 Q = .54 ea
3 Kleenex Hand Towels $2.99 ea - .75/1 Q = .74 ea
2 Ban Invisible Solid deodorants $2.99 ea - .75/1 Q = .74 ea
3 Whiskas Temptations cat treats $1.99 ea - .50/1 Q = .49 ea
1 Ivory soap 3pk $1.55 - .25 zvr - .35/1 Q = .25 (for 3 bars)
6 Dole pineapple (in juice) cans .99 ea - 50/2 Q = $1.44 total (.48 for every 2 cans)
2 Dole mandarin oranges (in juice) jars $2.79 ea - .75/1 Q = .54 ea

Total out of pocket (oop) = $15.78

Total savings $38.65

And at checkout, I received a .50 off my next order catalina courtesy of Dole!

I've mentioned before that when it comes to couponing, I like to focus on non-food items.  Well, as you can see from my list, I do make exceptions!  There are some food items I will buy with coupons if a good deal arises. Like the following:  almond milk (refrigerated and shelf stable), baking supplies (flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, yeast), dried fruits, frozen fruit, canned fruit (in juice), 100% fruit juices (no HFCS), nuts and vinegar.  Even though there are tons of coupons for processed foods, you can still find deals for healthier items as well. 

Mary Ellen

Why Wait for the Sunday Paper?  Print Free Coupons Anytime.

(This post contains affiliate links.  Read my disclosure policy here).