Bbq pork pizza

A couple weeks ago we got a great deal on a pork roast at Kroger. I slow-cooked it and we ate part then froze the rest for later. Yesterday I thawed some and used it to make bbq pork pizzas. These were quick, easy and very tasty! I heated the shredded pork and mixed it with a spicy bbq sauce, then spread it on a tortilla I had toasted lightly. (I'd originally planned to make a homemade pizza crust but didn't get it started in the bread machine.) I sprinkled a little chopped red onion over the meat and sauce, topped everything with shredded cheddar and put it back in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese. Since I had some cilantro on hand, I chopped a little of that on top and it added a nice kick. Edward and I both really liked this! I think the "pizza on a tortilla" idea would be a great quick and easy way to use up any type of leftover meat and sauce mixture.

$2.08 at Kroger!

Edward hadn't done any big-time couponing in a week or so, but he made a run to Kroger tonight to get some serious deals on Pillsbury products. For $2.08 out of pocket we got the following:

5 cans of cinnamon rolls (5 count)
5 cans of crescent rolls (4 count)
5 cans of grands biscuits (5 count)
2 pkgs of Cottonelle toilet tissue (4 roll)
Colgate total toothpaste
Juicy Fruit gum (15 sticks)
Lightlife mushrooms burgers (2 count)
Reese Cups (eaten before the picture was taken :) )

You can check out Money Magnet's blog for details on the Pillsbury deals. Edward did pay in three separate transactions, using the Catalinas from the previous transactions as she describes. The toothpaste was completely free with a .75 coupon (doubled to 1.00) and a 1.50 cellfire coupon. Lightlife burgers were marked down to 1.59 for quick sale (exp. March 3), and we had a $1 coupon. The Cottonelle was .99/pkg and we had a .50/2 coup (doubled to 1.00) and and a .25 cellfire. You can almost always get the Cottonelle 4-packs dirt cheap at Kroger using coupons and cellfires.

Make Your Own Taco Seasoning

I've found that a well-stocked spice cabinet is essential to frugal cooking at home. The right seasoning can transform a plain-tasting, inexpensive ingredient like rice or potatoes into something new. You could spend a fortune buying name-brand spices, but I've found the 2/$1 jars at bargain stores like Dollar Tree and Big Lots are just as good as the high-priced varieties. I also buy large containers of spices we use regularly at Sam's and find their prices are hard to beat.

Once you get a good supply of spices you can make your own seasoning blends, like Italian or taco seasoning. An individual packet of taco seasoning sells for $1.09 at my local Kroger, so if you use it often that can add up fast! In addition to saving money, making your own lets you tailor the seasoning to your family's tastes. Here's my recipe for Taco Seasoning:

1/4 cup dried minced onion
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Place all ingredients in a small jar, put the lid on, and shake well to blend. Three tablespoons of the mix is equal to one packet of taco seasoning. For more seasoning blend recipes, take a look at this post from SimpleMom.net.

Kroger

We went to Kroger today and spent $19.40, which nearly finished off this week's grocery budget. Here's what we bought:

grapes 1.93
black beans .74
cream cheese 1.26
parmesan cheese 3.79
cottage cheese 1.00
walnuts 4.99
eggs 3.19
bacon 2.50

We have $6.44 left in the budget, so if there's something we really need (or want--sometimes those donut cravings get the best of us!), we can cover it.

Meijer (and free subs at Quiznos!)

We got a prescription filled at Meijer today and used a coupon that ran in their ad a couple weeks ago to get $20 off our next purchase. The only good thing about Emery having a prescription that has to be filled every month is that these types of coupons are abundant. We can almost always get $20 or $25 from Kroger, Meijer, CVS, Walgreens, or Rite Aid when we fill a prescription.

We used the $20 credit to get everything in the picture above for $2.14 out of pocket.

4 12-packs of Meijer drinks $9.00
cilantro .89
Mission whole grain tortillas 3.99 - 1.00 coupon
4-pack of silicon spatulas 5.99
3 lbs of orange bell peppers 1.47 (reduced for quick sale)
2.75 lbs of apples 1.39 (reduced for quick sale)
Valentine cards .28

I can't find anything wrong with the bell peppers--I've paid full price for ones that didn't look as good! A couple of the apples have big bruises, but we can certainly cut around them for snacking or cooking. Their regular price on apples was 1.69/lb, so I'm willing to cut around a few spots to get them for less than 1/3 of that! We hardly ever find produce reduced for quick sale at Kroger, where we do most of our shopping. Meijer always has a cart, but since it's about 10 miles away (and Kroger's literally just around the corner) we don't shop there as often.

I was excited to find the silicon spatulas on clearance. I have two that I use constantly and it will be nice to have more so I don't have to wash those two over and over on days when I do lots of cooking! We also picked up a box of Valentine cards to use next year for only .28. The Valentine clearance merchandise was very picked over, but the race car themed valentines should be just right for a 4 year old boy.

Before going to Meijer, we registered at this site for Quizno's Million Free Subs promotion. They're going fast, so go sign up now and you'll get an email with a coupon for any small sub free. After we bought a kids meal and drinks for us, we paid about $7 for lunch out for the four us. It was definitely a good trip. Now I need to get busy chopping and freezing peppers! :-)

Aldi

I went to Aldi today for our first shopping trip of the week. I spent $11.02, leaving us with $28.98 in this week's budget. Here's what I got for the money:

macaroni & cheese .35
red onions .69
salsa 1.49
flour tortillas .99
salt .33
beef hot dogs 2.29
hot dog buns .85
egg noodles .99
tortilla chips .99
paper bag .06 (I forgot to take my bags!)

Aldi's selection is small but their prices are hard to beat, especially for things we don't have coupons on. I've also been pleased with their produce. They had 3 lb bags of granny smith apples for 2.38 and I'd hoped to get one of those today, but they only had a few left and they were not in good shape. Aldi's really close to our house (walking distance if the weather's nice!), so I'll probably pop in later this week and see if they have any that look better.

Breakfast--Fast, Filling & Frugal

I love breakfast, but I also love sleeping until the last possible minute. I know I need a good breakfast to function well at work, though, so I've found a hearty sandwich that I can make in about 5 minutes and eat in the car if necessary. Sausage, egg and cheese on an english muffin costs about 50 cents a serving, has 282 calories, 14.5 fat grams, a very respectable 5.5 grams of fiber and 16 grams of protein. I calculated the cost and nutritional info based on the following items:

Aunt Millie's whole grain English muffins .90/6 pack
Banquet brown & serve sausage .90/10 links
eggs 1.69/dozen
8 oz block of Kraft 2% cheddar cheese 1.66

The sausage and english muffins regularly go on sale as part of Meijer's 11/$10 promotion, and we always stock up when they do. Eggs are regular price, and Kroger frequently has their brand of cheese or Kraft available at that price.

Here's my workflow to make a sandwich in 5 minutes:

• heat small nonstick skillet over medium & spritz with nonstick spray
  
• put muffin in toaster
• put 1 link of sausage in microwave for 1 1/2 minutes on medium
• crack egg directly into skillet and stir to scramble (I see no need to dirty up an extra bowl for this! I use a small plastic fork so it won't scratch the pan when I stir.)
• put a lid on the egg and get sausage out of microwave and cheese out of fridge
• chop or crumble sausage
• slice or shred cheese if using a block (I use my veggie peeler to shave off a few thin slices. I calculated based on 1/2 oz of cheese.)
• sprinkle sausage and cheese over egg
• cover pan and finish cooking until egg is set and cheese is melted
• remove muffin from toaster, top with egg, and enjoy!

If you're really pressed for time in the mornings, you could make these ahead and just reheat in the microwave. At my local McDonald's, a sausage egg & cheese mcmuffin is $2.19, so you can make these at home for a family of four for less than you'd pay for one! And it really doesn't take any longer to cook these than it does to go through the drive-thru. A homemade mcmuffin also has 1/3 fewer calories, 1/2 the fat, and almost three times more fiber than one from McDonald's. You can view their nutrition info here.

(I really need to work on my food photography skills! Anyone have any tips?)

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