Friday, August 29, 2014

What's in Our Fridge

Now that Joe and I are Paleo people I thought it would be interesting to share what we have in our refrigerator. One evening while making dinner I was opening the fridge and was really surprised at how the inside of our fridge had changed. Obviously, the contents of our fridge changes all the time depending on the amount of leftovers we have, etc. 


At any given time our fridge will look very similar to this: eggs, organic pesto, bread (this was left at our house by the neighbors), meat defrosting for dinner, left over beer from the BBQ I am sure we had the weekend before, cheese (left by the neighbors), and fruit & veggies drawers that are stuffed full. The amount of food that both Joe and I eat has drastically changed as well. By eating more whole foods we tend to get full faster which leads us to cooking less which leads us to buying less.

 My favorite part of our fridge. Yum!


 The freezer is a sneak peak of meals to come. Above I have a full chicken and some pork-chops that were delivered by our farmers market delivery service. I also keep frozen fruit for my protein shakes I make on the weekends.


We keep frozen veggies just in case we run out of the fresh stuff so we don't have to run to the store. For any of my frozen fruits and veggies I always check the label to make sure that it is 100% fruits or veggies with nothing added to make them last longer. (you would be surprised at what put in frozen fruits and veggies)

My fridge may look a bit empty but you would be surprised how little it takes to make a tasty, healthy meal. 

Monday, August 25, 2014

CVS Coupon Haul

I have been told that when taking advantage of the ExtraCare program at CVS sometimes you can get the best deals by splitting up your transactions. For yesterday's haul I tried this out, see below for a detailed description of my Sunday haul:

- - -

Transaction #1



Nature Made Adult Gummies: $16.99 on sale for $8.29

Coupons.com $2.00 off coupon

 Paid $6.29 + received $5.00 ExtraCare Reward

- - -

Transaction #2



Colgate Toothpaste: $3.99 on sale for $3.00
Tide with Febreze: $9.39 on sale for $4.94

Coupons.com Tide $1.50 off
Used the $5.00 ExraCare Reward from Transaction #1

Paid $1.44 + received $3.00 ExtraCare Reward

- - -

Transaction #3



Lady Speed Stick: $3.49 on sale for $1.99
Axe Deodorant: $5.49
Axe Body Spray: $5.79
Axe Shower Gel: $5.79

Axe Deordorant + Spray was Buy One Get One 50% Off
Coupons.com Axe Deodorant $1.00 off
Coupons.com Axe Body Spray $1.00 off
CVS Coupon $1.50 off Deordorant
CVS Coupon $1.00 off Deordorant
CVS Coupon Axe Shower Gel 50% off
Used the $3.00 ExraCare Reward from Transaction #2

Paid  $5.93

- - -

Retail Value: $50.93

Paid: $13.66


Saved: $37.27
73%

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

101 Things in 1001 Days: #26 - Add 50 New Amazing Recipes to My Recipe Book


I am sure you all know that Joe and I try to eat Paleo as much as we can but sometimes it's unavoidable. This past weekend we were at the neighbors lake house and I wanted to thank them by making dinner. I decided to forgo the spaghetti squash and use traditional pasta because of what was available to me at the time. I enjoyed this dish very much but I can say that I do not miss pasta one bit. I will be keeping this recipe handy but using spaghetti squash in the future.

- - -

Sausage & Peppers Pasta


Ingredients

½ (19 oz.) package Italian sausage (hot, sweet, or mild) 
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium orange bell peppers 
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium yellow bell pepper
1 medium white or yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 (28 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
½ Tbsp dried basil
½ Tbsp dried oregano 
¼ tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1 tsp salt (or to taste) 
¾ lb. pasta 

Directions
  1. Add the vegetable oil and sausage links (unsliced) to a large pot and cook over medium heat until the sausage is browned and firm enough to slice. It doesn't have to be cooked through at this point.
  2. While the sausage is cooking, thinly slice the bell peppers and onions, and mince the garlic. Once the sausage is browned, remove it from the pot and add the peppers, onions, and garlic. Let them cook while you slice the sausage into thin medallions.
  3. After the peppers and onions have softened, return the sliced sausage to the pot along with the diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine and continue to cook over medium heat.
  4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta for about 7 minutes, or just until tender, but still firm. Slightly undercook the pasta as it will continue to cook and soak up liquid once added to the pot with the sausage and peppers.
  5. Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain it in a colander and then add it to the pot with the sausage and peppers. Stir to combine, place a lid on top, and allow the pasta to cook in the pepper sauce for about 5 more minutes, or until it has absorbed most of the liquid in the pot. Add about a half teaspoon of salt, taste, and add more if needed.
- - -

#26 - Add 50 new amazing recipes to my recipe book

36% Complete

Monday, August 18, 2014

Weekend Wrap-Up (8/15-8/17)

This weekend Joe and I were invited up to Lake George to spend the weekend with our neighbors at their lake house. It was exactly what I needed, it was great to get away from it all and unplug from the daily grind. Although I did panic just a tad because I was not going to be able to accomplish anything around the house this weekend but I managed to put that out of my mind for a few days.










As usual Joe and I insisted on stopping by Sonic Drive-In on the way home just like we used to do every time we went to the lake in California. It's funny how some traditions follow you no matter where you live!

Friday, August 15, 2014

Friday Favorites: Freeman Facial Peel-Off Mask


This item I have seen in countless YouTube videos and decided to check it out for myself. I am not big into masks but was drawn to this product because it is a peel-off mask. I headed to CVS and found it for $3.99. (steal!) After using some coupons I purchased this product for FREE! I had nothing to lose so I headed home and applied the mask. On my first attempt I applied too much product  because I was unsure how it was going to peel-off if I didn’t apply a good amount. It took me about twenty extra minutes for the mask to dry and be ready to peel-off but it eventually got there. My skin was left extremely soft but didn’t have any instant visual improvements. The next week I applied the mask again and as the directions states it was ready to peel-off in ten minutes.

Three weeks later I can happily state that my acne has yet to return using this product and my skin is as soft as ever. For $3.99 I would recommend anyone to pick this up and give it a try.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Couponing - CVS Edition

This post is not exactly going to be a couponing haul but just a few more tips to becoming coupon friendly.

When I began couponing I was obsessed with saving money. I would do all my calculations beforehand and if I was not going to save at least 80% I would scratch the entire trip. Now that I am taking a little more relaxed approach to couponing I have stumbled upon a couple of ways to get free stuff on top of items you need to buy but don't have a coupon for.

Last week CVS sent me a coupon to save $3.00 off a $15.00 in-store purchase. We needed hand soap but I was not going to buy $15.00 worth just to use the coupon. Joe and I were having a BBQ that night and we needed to pick up some beer so we headed to CVS and here was the breakdown of our purchase:


If I would have looked at this before I would have been annoyed that I only saved 20%. Looking at it now I see that I got FREE hand soap on top of a purchase we were going to make anyway.

Don't focus on the percentage you are saving on one purchase just keep in mind that in the long run you are saving yourself hundreds if not thousands of dollars if you keep shopping smart.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Weekend Wrap-Up (8/8-8/11)

This weekend was nothing other than a typical summer weekend. This weekend we completed the following:

  •  Dog-sitting again! :)
  • Walked Butch to the library on Saturday because he is famous there
  • Recycled all the bottles and cans that have been left at our house ($23 worth!)
  • BBQ on Saturday night
  • Four mile hike with both sets of neighbors on Sunday morning
  • BBQ'ed lunch after the hike
  • Five loads of laundry done and put away
  • Movie day/night with the Husband 
 
All in all it was a very relaxing weekend and cannot wait to be sitting at the lake next Saturday!

On a side note I would like to wish one of my best friends a Happy Birthday!! (yesterday) 


I hope everyone had a great weekend, Happy Monday!

Friday, August 8, 2014

Official Mary Kay Consultant!


I have recently joined Mary Kay and became an independent beauty consultant! My husband was really the one who had the idea in the first place and who am I to say no. ;)

My current location posed a question because I will be unable physically hold Mary Kay parties for most of my friends and family that live on the other side of the Country. With that said I will be focusing more on online orders from my personal Mary Kay online store I can send the product(s) off to you or a person of your choice with speedy and free shipping.

So be sure to check out my online store to spoil yourself or others.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Christine S.
Advanced Color Consultant
ChristineESancheZ@marykay.com

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

First Attempt at Couponing - CVS Edition


I have been inspired to get back into couponing by a fellow blogger. My husband is forever complaining how expensive good razor and refills can be so I decide this would be my first task. I started small but as you can see above I was able to save $26 on a purchase of a new razor and one set of refills. 

Here are a few of my tricks and tips I have learned in the coupe of weeks about couponing at CVS:

 CVS has a coupon policy listed on their website that they accept only one manufacturer coupon and one CVS coupon pure item. I have learned from personal experience this policy is not the same at every store so do your research.   

CVS offers EXTRACARE money back on your next purchase. The best way to research these items is on CVS.com. Some offers will indicate “Bath Tissue 2 for $7 (spend $20 and get $5 EXTRABUCKS)* with that said most people would not want to purchase six packs of bath tissue and store them just to get the $5 EXTRABUCKS. But, if you check their website they list a group of different products that you can purchase: mouth wash, tooth paste, bath tissue, etc. and if you spend $20 on a purchase that includes a combination of these products you still get the $5 EXTRABUCKS. Throw some manufacturer coupons in there and you can get a ton of items you need and have EXTRABUCKS for your next purchase.

Keep the coupons that print out on your receipt. CVS honors expired coupons so keep that mile long receipt and keep them organized all together.

Log onto CVS.com and register for their e-mail list. Most weeks I receive a 30% off my entire purchase valid for the weekend. (This does not apply to sale items.)

- - -

The combination of coupons (for non-sale items) that gets me the best deals is:
  •  Using my weekly 30% off my purchase
  • Using some kind of CVS coupon that prints on my receipt (ex. $4 off a $10 beauty purchase)
  •  Paring that with a manufacturer coupon (ex. $2 off a Revlon lip product – from coupons.com)  

 Here is what the break down will look like:


- - -

The next challenge for me is to try my skills at Target. Target offers a coupon program called Cartwheel by Target that I don't completely understand yet but hope to soon.

Monday, August 4, 2014

101 Things in 1001 Days: #26 - Add 50 New Amazing Recipes to My Recipe Book


- - -

Spicy Avocado Chicken


Ingredients 

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 avocado, diced 
1/2 pint halved cherry tomatoes
 
Directions 
  1. Stir 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl; rub evenly into the chicken breasts.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook the chicken in the heated oil until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 5 to 7 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F.
  3. Stir the onion, lime juice, halved cherry tomatoes, and avocado together in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Spoon over the chicken breasts to serve.
- - -

#26 - Add 50 new amazing recipes to my recipe book
34% Complete