My Favorite "New" Way To Cook Pasta - One Pot Pasta

Have any of you not caught the Pinterest bug yet?  I do not spend a lot of time on there, but when I am looking for ideas for different things I find myself on there.  I am a visual person and so the images that then can lead me to tutorials and/or recipes on how to make things are wonderful!  A few months ago, I started to see pictures popping up of making pasta dinners "all in one pot".  They caught my attention and here about 6 weeks ago, I decided to try it.  I was thrilled with the results and so were my husband and the boys.

The first time I made it, I used one box of pasta, 3 cans of chicken broth, one can of diced tomatoes, 3 fresh cloves of garlic chopped, 1 medium onion cut into thin slices, dried oregano,  some finely chopped cauliflower I had left from a veggie tray, fresh mushrooms, and some fresh spinach and 2 tablespoons of olive oil drizzeled on top.  I brought everything to a boil as recommended, and then turned down to a simmer and stirred every 2 minutes for about 10-15 minutes while I reduced the chicken broth.  At the same time, I sauteed 3 chopped chicken breasts with seasoning in a separate pan.  I then mixed the chicken in with the pasta pot at the very end.  I have to say it turned out great and the fresh flavor to the whole mixture was wonderful!  Everyone ate it and loved it.

This spring, my husband has really decided to get into gardening in our backyard.  He built this amazing planter in May and it has now become our fresh herb garden.

About 2 weeks ago, I decided it was time to make pasta all in one pot again and realized that I had our wonderful new herb garden to be able to use fresh herbs and was pretty excited.  We also have a sugar snap pea plant that has started producing pretty well and so I decided I would use them as well in the pasta.

This time, my combination included: 3 different kinds of fresh basil and cilantro from the herb garden and the sugar snap peas.

I am sorry that I didn't take a picture of it when it was all done, but I have to tell you that it was wonderful!  I have even used whole wheat pasta both times I have made it, and my husband and the boys didn't even notice because the flavors are so fresh and tasty.  I can't believe what a healthy way this is to make a meal that incorporates grains, vegetables, and meats in such a tasty way and so I just had to share with everyone.

Getting Stocked Up For Summer And Beyond

Couponing is all about stocking up when there is a good sale combined with your coupons.  Today was a good example of that.  I went in to get stocked up on Bugles, Gardettos, and Chex and discovered some other really great deals.

In the picture above, I got the 10 bags of snacks I went in for that were on sale for .98 cents each and had coupons for an additional .25 cents off each.  I then found the chicken legs (which are huge by the way) for buy 1 get 2 free.  I had a coupon for .55 cents off the A1 and an additional coupon for $1 off meat when you purchase A1.  The Tic-Tacs were on sale for $1 each and I had coupons for $1 off 2.  The butter (worth $2.50) was free when I spent $25.  My total for everything came to $38.28 and I saved $72.26, for a total savings of 67%.

While at the store, we saw that they had bottles of Hawaiian Punch marked down from $2.98 to $1.98.  It was at this point I knew I needed to go home and print some coupons.  On coupons.com there is a coupon to print for buy 1 get one free.  At home I also printed off more coupons for the Gardettos/Chex/Bugles for .50 cents off 2 and coupons for .30 cents per bag of Haribo gummies.

When I got done printing, we went back and got 10 bottles of the Hawaiian Punch, 6 more packaged of the chicken legs, and 16 more bags of the snacks, 6 bags of Haribo gummies, and another free box of butter.

In total today, I got 12 packages of chicken legs, 10 bottles of Hawaiian Punch, 2 boxes of butter, 26 bags of the Gardettos/Bugles/Chex, 20 Tic Tacs, and 6 bags of Haribo gummies.  I spent a grand total on everything of $84.37 and saved $168.11 for a total savings of 67%.

The chicken legs will freeze and be great for summer BBQ's, and the Hawaiian Punch will also be great for summer BBQ's and parties.

 

Pets In The Family And How Your Children Can Benefit

We had a dog before my oldest was born and I grew up on a farm with many pets.  It has been interesting to see since my children were babies, to my oldest now being almost 12 years old, what having a dog to us now having 3 dogs has affected them.  It has meant that from the time they were old enough as babies to start moving around, that they have been taught the right way to treat animals.  They were taught from the beginning that they couldn't "pull" on the dog and that they had to be gentle, they couldn't "ride" the dog, or treat them in any other malicious way.  I believe this has helped them learn how to treat animals with respect and compassion.  Our dogs have become their "best friends".  

When my oldest was almost 6, we had gotten a new puppy, when I learned from a coworker about dog 4-H.  I grew up involved with 4-H for 9 years in the Home Ec. branch and know what a wonderful program it is.  Let me tell you that if I had had the opportunity to be in dog 4-H, I would have been right in my element!  When I called the leader to find out more, I was surprised that she encouraged my almost 6 year old to start with a 9 week old puppy!  Now, all 3 of my boys are involved, thus why we have 3 dogs.  My youngest, who turns 6 next month, is now a Cloverbud.

With being in 4-H, it has meant that my boys have learned/are learning how to be responsible and compassionate pet owners.  They learn how to take care of their dogs and I can proudly say, that my oldest son has fed our dogs EVERY day for over 4 years!  He will be turning 12 in October.  In July each summer, their 4-H group goes to our local Animal Shelter every Tuesday for 2 hours and help walk and groom the dogs at the shelter.  In fact this is how we adopted Teddy 5 years ago as a senior dog, that unfortunately passed away last October.  He was my oldest son's 4-H dog for 3 years and it was heartbreaking for the boys when he passed away last fall.  However, this experience has also helped them learn a valuable life lesson on dying and losing someone/something and how to cope.

We also adopted Herman the pug from the animal shelter 3 years ago and he automatically became my oldest son's best friend.  He has slept with him every night since coming home with us.  My oldest even reads out loud to him every night before going to sleep and has become his new 4-H dog since Teddy passed away last fall.

Every Thursday evening from April, until after the fair at the end of August, their 4-H group practices Obedience training and Fitting & Showing.  What is funny, is that the dogs love going just as much as the boys!

If you ask my youngest son, he will tell you that there are 8 "people" in our family - Mom, Dad, 3 boys and 3 dogs!  I truly believe that my boys growing up with pets, is helping them grow into compassionate, respectful and responsible young men.

Why I Am In Love With Tria's Age-Defying Laser

Running A Household On A Budget - Stocking Up On Laundry Detergent

In a household of 3 little boys, my husband, and myself, you can imagine that I have a little bit of laundry to do each week!  One of the things I learned about when I learned how to coupon 4 1/2 years ago, was to stock up when you find an excellent deal on something.  In my first year of couponing, I was able to build up a stockpile of laundry detergent that I am just coming to the end of.  Yes, you heard me right,  I was able to stock up on enough laundry detergent that I haven't had to buy laundry detergent for about 3 1/2 years!  A little over a month ago I noticed that I only had a couple of bottles left.  That meant it was time to start watching for the right sale to combine with the right coupons.  However, I almost broke down and spent more than I am accustomed too a couple of weeks ago, as I was afraid that the right deal wasn't showing up.  However, this week I found that deal.

This week, Walgreens put a sale on Purex where you buy 1 bottle at $5.99 and then get one free.  When it is a store sale where you get one free, you can still use a manufacturer's coupon on the free item.  This Sunday's paper came out with Purex coupons for $1.50 for one bottle, as well as coupons for $3 off of 2.  I purchase a "coupon clipper" subscription to our local paper for $20 a month.  This means that I get a daily paper and 5 copies of the Sunday paper to get all of the coupon inserts.  As well, I have a few friends that pass along their coupon inserts to me.  Usually I have 8 or 9 sets of coupons from the Sunday paper.  So guess how I spend my Sunday nights?  Clipping coupons and putting them into my coupon binder. It has become my weekly routine. Organizing them into a binder by categories was something I learned in the couponing class I attended when I started.

You can see that my binder is two sided.  On the right side I have all of my household and personal item coupons, and on the left side are all of my grocery coupons.

So with the buy one get one for free sale at Walgreens this week, I was able to get 16 bottles of Purex (33 loads per bottle approximately) using 8 coupons for $3.00 off of 2 bottles for $26.80 with sales tax.  With spending $26.80, I saved $71.92 for a total savings value of $75%!  

Finding An Amazing Swim Suit - Divinita Sole

How many of you just LOVE to swim suit shop?  That's what I thought.  After possibly having had a few children and being in our 30's, 40's and beyond....... let just say that sometimes it is not the most fun shopping?   Some of us may not even want to put one on, as A Thrifty Mom talks about.  Last year I read this review on  A Thrifty Mom where she raved about Diviine Modestee's swim suits.  She talked about how Costco had a great deal on them, but my local Costco did not carry them at that time.  They can be ordered online where you can design your own combination , but they cost slightly more online than the deal she had posted about at Costco.  Also, I wanted to see and feel one for myself  and check out the sizing before buying one.  How many of you when you do psych yourself up to go swim suit shopping find it a miserable experience?  Finding the right style, fit, cut and size can be quite discouraging.  Not to mention the whole fitting room and trying them on experience.   I usually find after one or two stores and fitting rooms, I am pretty much done and totally frustrated for at least another year before I will even try again.  Also, for those  of you that  have tried ordering swim suits online and found the quality of the suit to be poor and the sizing to be completely off?

I will tell you that the review of these swim suits on A Thrifty Mom obviously stuck with me, because this morning when I walked into Costco and saw them I was so excited!  This is why I am posting.  I want everyone to know that I am not being solicited to write this review and am not being compensated in any way.  As I took them off the rack to look at them, I could quickly tell that it was obvious that they were true quality, and as I looked at the sizes, they appeared true to size.  Because they are a special item in store, there was a representative/sales lady right with them to explain the suits and show me the size chart.  She assured me that if I tried it on at home and did not like it or needed a different size, that it would be absolutely no problem to bring it back and either return it or get a different size.  I have always found Costco to be excellent about returns and so I did not doubt this.  Looking at these suits, they are so cute, trendy, modern and have good coverage!  I just couldn't resist, so  I called my husband and asked if I could get one for Mother's Day and he said yes!  I was excited to get home and try it on.  Guess what?  I tried it on, it fit true to size, it is totally cute, and I think I am going to love it!  Plus it was a great deal.  I quickly got online and priced it.  I saved at least $75 by getting it at Costco vs buying it online.  Having said that though,  I would say that if you aren't able to get one at a Costco wherever you are, that you can order them online at  Divinita Sole Swimwear .   For many, a great swim suit is worth the money and with these being quality swim suits, it may be well worth it for you.

    

Helping Your Child Learn Responsibilities and Value In Working

In our house, I want my boys growing up learning that everyone within the home contributes.  They see mom and dad going to work and I explain to them that is what pays for our home, food, clothing and day to day living.  Within the home I want them to learn that we all can help our house run.  This involves chores that help mom and dad out and help out the whole family.  Chores are always assigned in an age appropriate manner and they do not get paid for chores because as a family we have responsibilities to help each other out.  Chores in our home involve the boys picking up their toys and other items, picking up their rooms, helping me carry groceries into the house, setting and clearing the table at dinner and other little tasks along the way.

Outside of chores, sometimes we have "jobs".  I also want my boys learning that if there are things they want to have, they have to learn how to save money and be able to buy them.  I want them to understand that you don't always get to have everything you want, that if you want something really badly you have to work for it, and that everything isn't always given to you.  Sometimes they get money from birthdays or other occasions that they can save and spend, while other times they can ask us for jobs to help them earn some money.  We save all of our soda cans, and the last few years it has become my oldest son's job to crush them.  He has learned that we will pay him a dollar or two for crushing them and that then he can save them up and take them with his dad to cash them in and earn money.

My youngest son who is 5 has really latched onto the concept of working to earn money and it has been really cute to watch.  Last spring he helped my husband with the deck he was building in our back yard.  He brought my husband the nails he needed and carried him bricks continuously and was excited to do it.  My husband was quite impressed with him and told me that he really worked hard to help.  That is when he decided to pay him $2 for helping him.  You would not believe how excited he was!  Now he loves to ask for "jobs" so that he can earn money.  I think it is so important for children to gradually start to learn how to work and what some responsibility involves to help them grow into responsible adults.

A week and a half ago, my husband had Good Friday off work and was eager to get some spring yard work done.  My youngest son also had the day off school and was excited to help his dad and wanted a job.  My husband got out our wagon and told him he could pick up all the pine cones that the tree in our front yard drops all over our cul de sac.  He was so excited to help out and proud of his work!  When I came out to take this picture, he said to me "Look mom, I'm helping make our home look more beautiful"!  It was really awesome to see him take pride in his work and want to do the job as best as he could.  He even walked across the cul de sac to pick up the pine cones on the other side.

Beauty On A Budget!

There are very few things that I will pay regular price for.  Almost everything I buy is on sale and then I use coupons as well.  I learned very early on that you didn't have to sacrafice quality to get a good deal.  Quite often when you are couponing you can get brand name products at a better deal than generic or store brand.  The cosmetics above were on sale this week.  There was also an in store coupon for $1 off each item.  I also used a $4 manufacturer coupon off of each one. When you use a store coupon and a manufacturers coupon, this is called "stacking". I buy a coupon clipper subscription to the local newspaper, which means that I get 5 Sunday papers with coupon inserts every week. As you can see from the picture above, I spent $6.75 and saved $31.80.  This added up to a total savings of 87%!

This is how I shop for my clothes and shoes as well.  Quite often people don't realize how well you can dress and take care of yourself on a tight budget.  

Making Homemade Baked Fries

My potato cutter you see above has been a great way to make my boys fries in a healthy way over the years.  I simply wash and scrub my potatoes, cut the ends off, and put them through the potato cutter you see above.  I spray my pampered chef stone pan with Pam before putting the fries in. Then I either spray the fries with Pam or use a brush to brush them with olive oil.  This pan of fries has kosher salt sprinkled on them to have fish and chips with vinegar (on the fries) and tartar sauce with the fish.  I set my convection oven at 400 degrees and bake them for 28 minutes.  Sometimes I sprinkle garlic salt and sometimes I use seasoning salt on them depending on what we are having with them. Sometimes I make homemade chicken fingers using sliced chicken breasts with shake'n  bake or bread crumb coating.  I have also made poutine with fries baked this way.  This way I can cook/bake a meal in the oven in a much healthier way than if a similar meal was gotten at a fast food or regular restaurant and fried.  High cholesterol runs in my family and at 40, mine is already borderline high even though I lead a healthy, active lifestyle and maintain a healthy weight.  This makes it even more important for me to be conscious of the types of food I eat.  I also hope and believe that I am helping my children in a day and age where childhood obesity is such a huge problem.  It is very rare that my kids eat fast food and even rarer that I do.

Here are what these fries look like coming out of the oven.  Depending on how crisp you like them, you can bake them a few minutes less or longer.

The Proof Is In The Picture - Tria Age-Defying Laser

I wasn't going to post on Tria's Age-Defying Laser  for a few more weeks, but when I saw this picture I just had to!  In the side by side picture above, the one on the left is right before I started treatment and the one on the right was taken last Tuesday morning before I started getting ready for my day.  I think that when you look at the pictures side by side, that the results I have been telling people that I think I am seeing show very clearly here.  The first thing that I want to point out is the scar on my face.  If you look at the picture on the right, you will see that I have a scar right below/up to my nose on the right side of the picture.  This is a scar that I got when I was 5 years old.  That was 35 years ago!  When I was a little girl I was pretty self conscious about it and always though that when I got older, that I would seek out some type of treatment to get rid of it.  However, as I got older I grew used to it and stopped noticing it so I stopped worrying about getting rid of it.  This scar fading or diminishing with using the Age-Defying Laser was not something I expected as I started treatment as this is not something the laser has been tested for,which is that it is "indicated for wrinkles around the eyes and smoother skin in the treated areas".  A couple weeks into treatment I thought I was starting to see it changing, but I thought that maybe it was just me.  When I put these 2 pictures side by side yesterday, I was amazed to see the results very clearly.  To me it is obvious how much the scar has faded.  I cannot say for sure, but I am thinking that the treatments must be helping rebuild/renew the collagen around and nder the area of my scar.  If you go back to looking at the side by side picture, I think you can also see how my skin tone has increased which has made my skin feel much smoother and looks more radiant.  Also, I can tell that my wrinkles on my forehead are fading and around my mouth you can see my laugh lines decreasing as well.

I have just finished my second week on level 3 treatment.  That means that 5 nights a week I am treating each of the 4 zones on my face for 2 1/2 minutes which makes my total treatment time 10 minutes.  My face has become accustomed to the treatments and I barely notice any prickling or discomfort during and after the treatment.  The redness I am seeing after a treatment is minimal.  I continue to use the Finishing Serum right after my treatment and sunscreen before my makeup in the morning.  I am following the directions and taking a 2 day break between each 5 day treatment.  I will continue this for another 7 weeks in order to complete the full 12 weeks of treatment that is recommended.

I even packed it on our weekend spring break trip and took it with me to the hotel so I could stay on schedule.  It was easy to take along and use.  It really has become a part of my evening routine and I am very excited with the results I am seeing!

Tria Age-Defying Laser