Giant Food, Giant Eagle, CVS: Deals Worth Noting

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Thank you to all the Soldiers and their families for what you endure to serve this country. It is a sacrifice for everyone involved and many times we do not feel appreciated or remembered, but Memorial Day is a day to be proud and to celebrate, so hold your head high and know that we do make a difference.

(Image courtesy of Bloggings of an Army Wife)

 If you find other deals, please post a comment to share. I pretty much only posted deals I picked us this week. Items listed are at or below my target price.

Giant Food 5/21 -5/27

Avocados $1

Strawberries $1.67 each

Potatoes 5lb bag $2

Francesco Rinaldi Pasta Sauce (Includes TO Be Healthy and more) $1
~use .30/1 from 4/18 RP insert
Final Cost; .40 each

Lay's Potato Chips BOGO (should be about $2 each)

Deer Park Water 24 pk 3/$10 Must buy 3

Giant Brand Hot Dog or Hamburger Buns $1

Butterball Turkey Bacon $1
~use $1/2 from 05-09-10 SS; or
~use .75/1 from 05-09-10 SS

Bar S Jumbo, Chicken or Turkey Franks $1
~use $1/2 from 05-16-10 RP
Final Cost; .50 each

French's Mustard $1.50
~use .30/1 from 05-09-10 SS; or
~use .50/1 printable here
Final Cost; varies $0.50 to $0.90

Giant Eagle 5/20 - 5/26

Fresh Corn (Bi-color, yellow, white) 10/$2, or .20 each

On the Vine Tomatoes $1.79lb

Celery $1.50

Potatoes 5lb bag $2

Bush's Baked beans $1.67
~multiple blinkie coupons, check other stores

GE Hot Dog and Hamburger buns .99

 CVS 5/23 - 5/29

Lindsay Olives Large Can $1

~use $1/2 5/02 RP

Final Cost; .50 each

Arm and Hammer Laundry Detergent BOGO @ 6.99 (price varies by region)

~use 2 - $1/1 from 4/11 SS insert

Final Cost; should be about $2.50 each

Menu Plan Monday 5/24 - 5/30

Menu Plan Monday

5/24-5/30

Printable Weekly Menu Plan

This week is going to be pretty crazy. I hope I will be able to pack for our camping trip and pick up gifts for my daughter's birthday and my ten year Anniversary. I have no idea what to buy and I am down to only a few days. Any suggestions?

Check out more Menu Plan Recipes here at Orgjunkie.com

• 
  
  Taco Salad
• 
  
  Chicken Pot Pie with biscuit crust
• 
  
  leftovers
• 
  
  Spicy Sausage Pasta (Spicy Link Sausage, cooked pasta, pepperjack cheese cubed, mozerella cubed, bell pepper chopped, olives, tomato chopped, italian dressing)
• 
  
  Stuffed Clams, Corn on the Cob
• 
  
  Hot Dogs, Baked Beans
• 
  
  Kiebasa, Homemade Baked Beans, Macaroni and Cheese
• Lemon Pound Cake
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Menu Plan Monday 05/17 - 5/23

Memorial day is quickly approaching, as is my 10 year wedding anniversary. Wow how time flies doesn't it? My youngest daughters birthday is also next week, so there will be lots of celebration in our home next week. I think 10 years is a huge deal. Sometimes I wondered if we would make it this far. I know I am not alone in this. I think we live in a fairy tale when we are growing up and think marriage is supposed to be like in the movies or like Cinderella and her prince, but then reality hits and we realize that there is always drama in real life and things do not happen like they do on "All My Children," or "Day's of Our Lives." Who goes to the beach in heals and jewelry? Seriously....what kind of dissapointments are we setting ourselves up for?

This weekend we were able to take our girls to see their very first NASCAR race, and they had a blast. We roughed it in a tent, but we had a wonderful time. I love camping, but I dislike the packing and unpacking part of it. Theres just something so surreal about sitting around a fire and roasting marshmallows and for some strange reason thats just not as much fun when you are in your own back yard. Well, since we didn't get back until Monday afternoon, things have been kind of chaotic around here. I have been unable to write up our meal plan, but luckily we still had some pre-cooked items in the fridge to warm up. I recently discovered Aldi's Southern Style Chicken Breasts and we REALLY enjoyed them with hamburger buns and pickles. They were priced at $5.99 and there are about 14 servings, so I am going back for more today. I am sure it isn't the healthiest option for dinner, but it is much cheaper than getting fast food at the golden arches and they tasted exactly the same. For a printable menu check out my Google Documents. You should be able to make a copy and edit it as desired.

Head over to orgjunkie.com to see more great menu plans!

Monday - Aldi Southern Style Chicken Sandwich, chips and pickles

Tuesday - Frozen Mashed Potatoes, Meatballs and Graddsas Cream Sauce

Wednesday - Black Bean Mango Tostada's, Refried Beans, Rice (we loved it last week, so were having it again)

Thursday - White Bean Burger with Honey Mustard Mayo, blanched asparagus (did not get to make this last week)

Friday - Broccoli N Cheese Soup, Salad, Rolls

Saturday - Veggie Plate, sour cream and onion dip, queso, chips, Crock-pot saucy meatballs (All Star NASCAR race tonight!)

Sunday - Salad, Spaghetti, Bread or Tuscana Soup

Black Bean and Mango Corn Tostada's

Tonight we tried a new recipe, Black Bean and Mango Tostada's, from All You Magazine. It turned out to be so tasty; I wish I had made more than 6 corn tortillas. I substituted 1 Cup of pre-cooked frozen black beans, thawed of coarse, corn tortillas for flour, lemon juice for lime juice, and green onion for the red onion, and added chopped jalapeno's on top. If this is going to be the main course, I suggest doubling the recipe. I love mango's and who doesnt love eating with their fingers?

Black Bean and Mango Corn Tostada's

In a small bowl combine:
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp chili powder
pinch salt
1 green onion, sliced

In a small bowl combine:
1 Mango, peeled and cubed
1 green onion, chopped
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice

8 Corn Tortillas (make your own with MASA flour, water and salt. It's that easy!)
1 Cup Mexican Blend Cheese
Sour Cream

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place corn tortillas on cookie sheet. Bake at 425* for 10-20 minutes or until crispy. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 minutes more. Remove from oven; spread with sour cream, spoon on beans and mango mixture. Top with jalapeno's if you like it hot.

This recipe is linked to Tasty Tuesday's At Beauty And Bedlam.

Green Chili Sour Cream Enchilada Sauce

This is my go-to recipe when I need enchilada sauce. It is so delicious and easy to make. This is a modification of the original located here

I like to make a double batch and freeze half of it to use at a later time. Just remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 24 hours in the refrigerator or microwave to defrost; stir after reheating.

Green Chili Enchilada Sauce

• 1/4 Cup Butter
• 1/4 Cup Flour
• 2 Cups Chicken Broth or Stock
• 1 Cup Sour Cream, or 8 oz
• 1 - 4oz Can Diced Green Chili's (or 1 fresh green roasted pablano pepper )
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• A few twists of Pepper
• 1 clove garlic

1. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter; add flour and whisk continually on medium high heat until simmering. DO NOT BURN.

2. Add chicken broth and cook until thickened. Mix in sour cream, garlic, and green chili's. Use a *submersion blender to puree mixture. Use in place of **enchilada sauce.

*If you do not have a submersion blender, place chili's and garlic into a food processor and puree; Add in sour cream and puree well. Add mixture to the cream sauce after it has thickened.

**For enchiladas, spread 1/4 cup sauce onto the bottom of a 9 * 13 casserole dish. Lightly smear sauce onto each tortilla, place filling into tortilla, rolling tightly, place into casserole dish seam side down. Continue filling tortillas. Pour about 1 cup of enchilada sauce on top of the rolled tortillas. Top with 1 - 2 cups of Mexican blend cheese and bake @ 375 for 20 - 30 minutes. To freeze enchiladas, cover with plastic wrap and then a plastic lid, or cover well with foil.

Menu Plan Monday 5/10 - 5/16

It should be an easy meal week for us again; let's hope the other parts of the week are just as easy. Papa Bear is away on business again, and just in time for Mother's Day. Needless to say this may have been one of the worst Mother's Day ever. The toilet got clogged, so I was dealing with that barrell of fun. All the while my oldest child decided to have yet, another mental breakdown and threaten to run away; and of coarse Dad is not here to help. WHY!?!? Oh, will I survive the teen years? Sometimes I wonder. Wish me luck.

On to the meal plan for the week. Most of the recipes are my usual suspects, but I am planning on trying a new one, Black Bean and Mango Tostadas, I found in All You Magazine. To see more great recipes and ideas, check out orgjunkie.

Tomato Basil Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

All You Recipe: Black Bean and Mango Tostada's (Crock-Pot Pinto Bean Recipe)

Fitness Magazine: White Bean Burgers with Honey-Mustard Mayo

Crispy Beef Taco's using Master Meat Mix from the freezer

From the Freezer Chief Enchilada Casserolle (shredded chicken, ground beef and black beans layered with corn tortillas and Green Chili Sauce)

Vegetable Soup

Make Ahead Meatballs with Graddsas Cream Sauce and Frozen Mashed Potatoes

Lazy Blogger

I would like to apologize for my lack of posting over the last few weeks. I have been rather lazy when it comes to blogging. My posts seems to go in spurts. I am not the most consistent person on the planet (this is an understatement). I somehow manage to get things done, but never in the same order and not on a schedule. Maybe because when you work from home and manage a home, there is more involved and so many different variables. I am still trying to find the answers and time management skills to simplify my life. I am sure I will still be "trying" 10 years from now.

If you have your own blog, how do you come up with things to blog? Do you blog about everyday life, fitness, great recipes, etc? If so, how do you find the time to type it up and get the info out there? That seems to be my biggest problem. Finding a way to balance time between blogging and living. Because without living there is really not a whole lot to blog about.

Are there any NASCAR fans reading this? I am new to NASCAR - about a year into it now and still learning. We don't really watch sports much, so this is really the only sport we watch. Were trying to take our youngest daughter to see a race for her birthday, so we'll see how that goes. She is in love with Jimmy Johnson and she is only 8 - I am going to have my hands full with her. Speaking of NASCAR the race is about to start...