Making Monday!

Let me start this post off by saying something regarding my "Making Mondays". No I do not think I am a professional chef, nor am I giving advice on how you should make your food..I am simply a wife and a mom sharing my food journey and unforunately fortunately (LOL) I am in charge if what my husband and kids eat on a day to day basis. So I may not have a certification in culinary arts, but I sure do have my certification in being a wife and a mom. So sit back, relax and enjoy my recipes..or not. Most of the time my recipes are a huge hit at home! But, there are sometimes my husband and son give me the thumbs down...that's okay! It's all about trial and error.

As a wife, mom and full time employee, sometimes you have to cheat when making dinner! I love those days when I cheat because their really isn't an chopping, sauteing, or heavy work involved! Cheating is great when you have a 6 year old running around the house pretending to be a power ranger knocking over valuables, or a 5 month old spitting and screaming the minute my attention is off of her, or a husband that needs to chat about sports, cars and blah, blah blah... Yeah, so lets just say..I cheat a lot!! And I would love to share some of my cheating techniques with you! :)

Moving along to this past Sunday's dinner:

Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and green peas.

So lots of people make mistakes when it comes to frying chicken.  My top 3 mistakes in the past were
1. not enough seasoning
2. fry it too long,
3.use too much flour

Well, I no longer suffer from any of those mistakes anymore. After years of practice, I have finally perfected my favorite thing to eat!! Fried Chicken!!!

Here are my ingredients:

Chicken Wings
Lawry's Seasoning Salt (YOU HAVE to USE LAWRY'S!!)
Garlic Powder
Pepper
Cooking oil - Vegetable Oil
Flour
***My secret ingredients..shhh!! i'm only sharing with you because I love you.. (LOL)
 Red Hot Sauce & Sazon Goya seasoning (A unique blend of seasonings by Goya)

1. AFTER CLEANING YOUR CHICKEN IN WATER, LEMON JUICE AND VINEGAR, SEASON YOUR CHICKEN. I really can't tell you EXACTLY the measurements because it really is about how you like it...I will suggest coverING each piece of chicken evenly with each sprinkle of seasoning.

2.COVER AND REFRIGERATE YOUR CHICKEN (I like to season them the night before I plan on cooking them - that way the seasoning REALLY settles on the chicken) OR AT LEAST LET THEM SIT IN THE REFRIGERATEOR FOR AN HOUR..

3. PUT YOUR FLOUR IN A FREEZER/PLASTIC BAG

***heat up your oil to about 375 dregrees

4. THROW 3 OR 4 PIECES IN THE BAG AND SHAKE IT UP REALLY GOOD.

**shake off ALL excess flour before dropping into your oil

5. DROP INTO THE DEEP FRYER FOR 20 MINUTES

6. Pull out of the deep fryer and let it sit in the basket for a minute... to let the execss oil drip off,  then place chicken on top of paper towel.

For sides I just used already made homestyle mashed potatoes
* DONT JUDGE ME!!

...now, typically I like to make my own mashed potatoes from scratch..i'll blog about that later. But on weekdays, it's just easier to pull out the great tasting already made mashed potatoes! They taste amazing! I just add butter and warm in the microwave for 4 minutes! I want to let the world know that I am NOT a fan of powdered mashed potatoes...I feel that powdered mashed potatoes are a DISRESPECT to human kind!!! LOL yuck!!


 I also boiled up some frozen sweet peas and added garlic powder and a little bit of butter.

You think Hubby liked it??? LOL

Frugal Fridays!!

Oh, this is going to be one of my FAVORITE Frugal Friday posts!!! It's not just because I think I got an amazing deal, its because it involves shopping for myself! :) As you know, Old Navy is one of my favorite spots to shop. I really like their clothing for the entire family. I also enjoy being signed up to receive multiple emails regarding sales, coupons, etc!

I received a VIP email from Old Navy saying this:

SAVE 75% off ALL Adult Outerwear on Saturday 11/19 from 12-5pm only!!!

I thought 1. That's an awesome deal. 2. I REALLY need a winter coat 3. Old Navy has some really cute coats! 3. Hey, I have some $10 old Navy Cash to redeem!!! If you are wondering what $10 Old Navy cash is, this is it...They periodically give these out when ringing you up sometimes and(typically a few weeks later) you can redeem them. So for every $20 you spend, you can use your $10 Old Navy Cash..SWEET!!!

Alright, on to the fun part. This is what I purchased:


Regular Price: $79.94

Regular Price: $79.94

 Regular Price: $59.94

 Regular Price: $89.94

After a Savings of 75% off and $20 Old Navy Fast Cash, I spent.....$60.86 for 4 wonderful coats!!!!! Amazing!!!

The "Big Mac" at home Challenge....

Before I give you the Big Mac sauce recipe, let me tell you a little story.

About 9 years ago, I completely stop eating beef At first it was a bet, then it turned into a lifestyle. The bet was that 2 of my friends and I wouldn’t eat beef or pork for 2 weeks. We were college students, gaining weight and we decided that we should try to lose weight by cutting out what we ate most, FAST FOOD! So we thought maybe eliminating beef and pork would help us cut down on eating fast food and lead to weight lost.

Well, I totally won the bet because I stop eating pork and beef for a long time (Pork 4 years and beef, 9 years).

I became pregnant with my son in 2004, that lead me back to eating bacon and pepperoni (due to the cravings), but no other pork.

I once also had a craving (during my 2004 pregnancy) for a chipped beef frozen dinner, I ate it and then completely threw it up within 5 minutes of eating it!! I will NEVER touch beef AGAIN!!!

With all this being said, I REALLY missed eating a Big Mac. It used to be my favorite burger! I now eat turkey burgers and still am trying to perfect the recipe, but they are still pretty good J I decided to do a little research and try to see if I could find a recipe for that famous Big Mac sauce, and guess what, I did!!

The sauce turned out pretty good; you really couldn’t tell it was homemade. My husband enjoyed it. (But he’s a man and totally satisfied with any burger I make – LOL)

I on the other hand was a little disappointed because I had high hopes that my turkey burger would now taste like a Big Mac (by adding the sauce), but boy was I WRONG! The thing is, you just can’t duplicate a Big Mac.

So, sauce a WINNER, but BIG FAIL on duplicating the BIG MAC ATTACK!!!

Dear Big Mac…I really, really miss you!!!

Love,

Mrs. B.P.

Anyway, here is the recipe:

1/2 Cup of Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons of French Dressing

4 Teaspoons of sweet pickle relish

1 Tablespoon of finely minced onion

1 teaspoon of white vinegar

1 teaspoon of sugar

1/8 teaspoon of salt

-Combine all ingredients in a bowl, whisk really well!!

-Refrigerate for several hours, or even better- overnight (so that flavors mesh well together)

-Stir well, again before serving

Here ya go!!!!!

Making Monday....

Ground Chicken & Spinach Lasagna.

My son is NOT a fan of vegetables, so I have to be creative when coming up with ways to sneak veggies into his food! He loves corn and string beans. But there is NO way to get him to really eat carrots, green peas, and don’t even mention spinach – YUCK!! Well, I did some research on how to use spinach in a recipe,and wanted to see if there was a sneaky way to get him to eat spinach! Anndddd, I found it! I put it to the test and it worked!!!!!

Lasagna!!! That’s right, I said it! Lasagna!!!

Ground Chicken & Spinach Lasagna. Very healthy!

What you need:

Ground Chicken (It’s awesome! Juicer than Ground Turkey)

Green Pepper

Onion

Tomato Sauce (your own, or Ragu, Prego, etc)

Mozzarella and Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese

Spinach

Lasagna Noodles

1 Teaspoon of each….Garlic, Seasoned Salt Sugar, and Pepper (all are optional and season to taste)

Directions:

Cook your ground chicken in a pan. (Spray pan with cooking oil)

Once it’s cooked, add in chopped green peppers and onions, and cook all together for about 2 more minutes.

Boil your lasagna noodles

Start making your tomato sauce

I like to add in some sugar, garlic powder and pepper - just to give it some added taste!

Let simmer for about 2 minutes.

Now, add  your sauce to your cooked meat... it should mix well like this...

Chop up your spinach...

Sauce the bottom of your pan with that extra sauce I told you to save.

****save a little sauce (with no meat added) so that you can spread this on the bottom of your baking pan)

 

Lay your lasagna on top of the sauce, across the pan

Now, start layering….

1.lasagna noodle,
2.shredded cheese,
3.spinach,
4.ground chicken/sauce mixture
5.repeat

Now, sprinkle your shredded cheese on top!

Bake for 25 minutes on 350

Yummy!!! Let cool for about 5 to 10 minutes....

You can't even see the spinach!!! My son LOVED it!!!! :) Success!!!

If you have any leftover meatsauce, just throw it in a baggy and freeze it...I save this for a rainy day and make a sloppy joe out of for my son :)

 

Enjoy!!

Frugal Fridays!

You know I always try to have a gift for you! Well, here's to being Frugal!!! Have a frugal shopping filled weekend from some great stores.

Click HERE to save 20% off your total purchase from Aeropostale.


Click HERE for a few grocery deals..Toilet paper, Honeysuckle Turkey, Renuzit Air Freshener, etc.

Happy Saving!

Geez!! So Busy!!

Seriously, I feel like I need a secretary! How do people do it with 3 kids or more! I can hardly handle my schedule and things to do working full time with 2 kids and a hubby! Okay so here is my to do list...look at how crazy this is!


wash all comforters
wash extra linens for moms party
pump breast milk - EVERY 4 hours!!
mom's party pictures - print and organize
renew license
organize my list of "things to blog about"
get birth certificate for baby (yes! i still haven't done this)
register for new health insurance
switch car insurance stuff
pay for license tags
post office
hair appointment
baby needs shots
document my son's half days of school
make baby food
grocery shopping
pay bills
mail off invites for moms party
print more invites
finalize linens
pay off dj, linens,photographer, and food
order cake, pay for cake
turn in my final vaca days to manager
look up requested info for hubby
brother coming into town- hang with him Sunday
go see Chrisette Michele this Saturday w/BFF
get son's hair cut
buy hubby some cologne
oh!! we need paper towel and toilet paper
get gas...almost on E!
Oh and get SOME SLEEP! (not likely to happen for a while)

I mean REALLY!!! I feel like a nutcase!!! Anyone want to be my intern? LOL Just kidding!

Making Monday....

Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie Soup!!

So I am a HUGE fan of the resturaunt Zoup...especially in the winter! They have all kinds of soup to choose from. This fall, I came across one of their new popular soups (Chicken Pot Pie) and I loved it! But, it got a bit expensive since I was going so much ($6.00/cup) so, I decided to make it on my own!!

Now, there are sooooo many ingredients that you can add or omit, depending on what you like. But below, I am sharing how we like it in our household. Also, of course you can make this in a big ol' pan and it can be done in about 1 hour, but the crock pot comes in handy on days that I have to work, or on early Sunday mornings..that way dinner will be ready by eating time! Typically 6pm during weekdays! Plus, the crock pot slow cooks it merging all those delicious flavors together while tendorizing the chicken! Yum!!

What you will need:

4 Boneless/skinless Chicken Breast (thawed and uncooked, cut into cubes/small pieces)
*If you add the chicken in frozen, add 1 hour to your cooking time
2 10 oz cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 10oz can of Cream of Celery Soup
1 10 can of Chicken Broth
1 bag of mixed frozen vegetables
Pepper
Garlic Powder

***Extra's
Pie Crust
Mashed Potatoes
Corn Bread

How to cook it:

Throw everything in the crockpot (except for the mixed veggies - you will throw these in at the end)

2 10 oz cans of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 10oz can of Cream of Celery Soup
1 10 can of Chicken Broth
1 Teaspoon of Pepper (measure according to your liking)
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder (measure according to your liking)
Cook on high for about 5 hours. Or low for about 8 hours (if you are going to be away from home)
About ten minutes before you are done cooking, throw in your veggies and look cook for an additional 10 minutes.

This is what you get!!

Now, I like to add it over some mashed potatoes for the hubby and the kid......

Let me just tell you, I have the pickiest eating husband in the WORLD!! Let it be known that he frowned at my soup before trying it...here is the end result of his frowning....

I guess he liked it!! :)


I like mine with in a bowl with crumbles of pie crust!! Yummy!!

I just baked a pie crust for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees...

Once it cooled down, I crumbled it up into tiny pieces and topped off my soup!!!

Enjoy!!!!!

Frugal Fridays!!!

Remember I posted about being open to signing up and receiving emailed coupons? Well, this week it REALLY paid off! One of my favorite stores is having a 30% off your TOTAL purchase sale!!

OLD NAVY!!! I purchased 4 outfits for my daughter, 2 shirts for me, and a Old Navy performance fleece for my son..total spent... $22.98!! That's awesome!!! Start your holiday shopping EARLY! :)


Visit this link to get your coupon!

Old Navy 30% off

Hurry, offer ends 11/8!!


Happy Shopping!!

No words needed....

Free Pass!! Sam's Club!!!

For those of you who enjoy shopping at places like Sam's Club and Costco's, but haven't coughed up the dough for a membership fee, I have a gift for you!!!

Click on the link below.
http://www.bargainez.com/printable-coupons/free-one-day-pass-sams-club-printable-coupon-2/

I myself have a Costco membership, but I have a giftcard to shop at Sam's, so this pass is right on time for me! It's funny because not even a week ago, I was thinking/wondering if Sam's would offer a "free pass" day soon, and I guess the "shopping gods" were listening to my thoughts! So, I will be heading to Sams Club this Saturday to load up on diapers and wipes!

My suggestion:  Go on a Saturday and enjoy all the free food they give away!!


Happy Shopping!!!