Meijer Organic & All Natural Deals 11/22/09

• Organic Baby Cut Carrots $1.29
• Organic Green Onions $1.29
  

Please Note: I use a Central Ohio Ad to compile this list. Please check your local ad Here. This ad runs 11/22-28.

Target Organic & All Natural Deals 11/22/09

Organic

• None

All Natural

• None

Please Note: I use a Central Ohio Ad to compile this list. Please check your local ad Here to confirm prices in your area. This ad runs 11/22-28.

Kroger Organic Deals 11/23/09

Organic

• Cascadian Farms Organic Vegetables $2.49
• Naturally Preferred Organic Soy Milk 2 for $5

All Natural

• Blue Diamond Nut Thins 2 for $4
• Kashi Frozen Pizza $4.99
• Kashi TLC Crackers $2.99
• Kettle Potato Chips $3.99
• Naturally Preferred Cage Free Egss $2.49
• Silk Egg Nog or Pumpkin Spice 2 for $5
• Think Thin Bar 8 for $10
• Yogi Tea $2.99

Please Note: I use a Central Ohio Ad to compile this list. Please check your local ad Here. This ad runs 11/23-29.

Weekly Ad Posts

Sorry! I neglected to do both a Whole Foods and Giant Eagle Post last week. I have been unbelievably tired. And no mom, I am not pregnant!

For Organic Drugstore Deals this week check out Susan's post Here.

Menu Plan Monday 11/23/09

NOTHING!!! I have nothing planned for the whole week! It's killing me, I ALWAYS cook for Thanksgiving, well my mom does the turkey, but I do most of the sides and usually a dessert. This year we are travelling to Tennessee to have Thanksgiving with Dave's sister, her husband and his family. We are all very excited, but it is still weird for me to not be running to the store for sweet potatoes and green beans. If I have some downtime this week I will try to type up the recipes I would have made...

For 400+ Menu Plans please visit the official Menu Plan Monday site at I'm An Organizing Junkie!

Oompa Loompa Doopity Do

Thanks to those who gave me ideas on how to use the pumpkin. I settled on a pumpkin dip, pumpkin muffins and pumpkin applesauce. I was having so much fun with it that I never even got to the pumpkin logs which is the reason I bought the pumpkin in the first place.

The pumpkin dip was/still is a HUGE hit in the house. {Thanks Amy!} I gave a little bit to Alexis to eat with some graham crackers and she decided to skip the whole dipping the crackers in part and go straight to the source. I thought she looked like an oompa loompa afterward. :) Not that I blamed her, it is delicious. Think pumpkin cheesecake. I only made a small batch in case we did not like it. So naturally, we loved it and I will have to make more. I am really dying to get some gingersnaps to dip into it, but $4/box for something that isn't even organic seems a bit much. I am hoping to make a Trader Joe's trip soon and I'm sure I will find some there. I could not find a whole wheat pumpkin muffin recipe so I kind of made my own. Most of the recipes I were finding had a ton of sugar in them, called for vegetable oil and used white flour only. So I kind of just took a few of them and used my limited baking knowledge to come up with my own slightly healthier version. They tasted delicious {phew!}, but the tops were a little sticky, maybe they were underdone or maybe I should have left out the milk?!? No clue. The recipe made 24 muffins regular-sized muffins so I left out a batch and stuck the other dozen in the freezer.

Alexis is the only one who has tried the pumpkin applesauce so far, but she eats anything so it's hard to say if it's good or not. I did not use a recipe for it, just a bowlful of applesauce, a spoonful of pumpkin and a sprinkle of cinnamon & sugar.

Pumpkin Dip (Adapted from Nestle/Libby's)

• 4 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1 c. pumpkin puree
• 3/4c. confectioners (powdered) sugar
• dash of ginger
• dash of nutmeg
• dash of cinnamon
• dash of cloves

1. In mixing bowl blend cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar and spices.
2. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins (Adapted from Julie)

• 2 c. pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2c. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2c. white flour
• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. cloves
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. all spice
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2/3 c. applesauce
• 1/3 c. milk
• 3 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
2. In large bowl, stir together wheat flour, white flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and salt.
3. In separate bowl, beat together pumpkin, applesauce, eggs & milk.
4. Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture.
5. Scoop batter into muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes. (Makes about 24 muffins.)
   

And yes those are Spongebob Square Pants muffin cups. They were leftover from Tyler's birthday party last year. It was either those, Easter Eggs or Valentine's Frogs. Me and all my frugalness right now could not bear to go buy something more fall appropriate. And if that does not kid a get to try something than I do not know what will. Not that I have to get Tyler to try anything, he's pretty good, but I have a feeling Spongebob will entice my niece into trying one tomorrow.

To Flu Shot or Not to Flu Shot (Alexis' 1-year Checkup)

Photo Source: www.flu-vaccine.org

Alexis had her one year checkup today and it went surprisingly well. I was expecting not much of a height or weight gain for her, which would have led to some testing to figure out why we are not seeing much of a height and weight gain for her, but... She actually gained weight, and a lot of it. Her last visit (at 9 months) she weighed only 14 1/2 pounds and was only 26 inches tall. Today {drumroll...} 19 pounds! What a relief! She actually was back on the growth chart, 12% for weight (which is the highest she has been since she was 2-months old) and 3% for height (which has steadily been decreasing since she was born, last month was 6%.) Oh, and like her brother, she has a giant head, she's in the 72% there!

She had 5 shots today (mmr, chickenpox, flu [booster, had 1st one awhile ago], etc...) and a blood draw from her toe (to check hemoglobin-which was fine.) She did not even cry during the blood draw, but screamed for all 5 shots :( She took a nice nap this afternoon, but was extremely irritable all evening. I know the flu shot is a controversial issue, but I did a lot of research and decided that it was worth it for my kids to get the flu shot. There can be some mild side effects, but nothing major has been reported. I talked about it in great lengths with my doctor last time we were there and she recommended it for both kids since 1: Alexis is a baby, 2: Tyler is in school, 3: both kids frequent 'childcare' like areas (church, childcare at my bible study, the YMCA, etc...) and 4: I watch other kids inside the home. Considering her concerns and my research I decided it would be best. However I never made the decision on whether or not I would get it myself. But I have now.

I mentioned I was sick last week, but I thought it was a cold until I had a few people told me it was probably the flu. Then I got to chatting with the nurse while we were on the subject of flu shots and she asked me about my 'cold' and she said oh no, that was the flu. Then she gave me this handy little chart that laid out the symptoms of cold vs. flu and I went through each one check, check, check all in the flu column. It was miserable, but the worst of it was so short (maybe 24-hours) that it wasn't what I expected considering all of the hype surrounding the flu. Honestly I am not even upset by the fact I could have avoided it by getting a flu shot, and who is to say that it was not H1N1? Then it would not have mattered if it I had the shot or not. I will say I have had a headache for a week and I am still very tired. I had to take a nap after I took her to the doctor. (The nurse said that the tiredness would probably last two weeks, perfect, I have another week to go.)

But I am a grown woman, I know how to express myself and not to push myself when my lungs and joints feels like I ran a marathon, but all I did was walk from my bedroom to the couch. I knew I needed to eat even if I didn't feel like it. I knew I needed to keep myself hydrated. I knew I needed to sleep until 9:00. Ok, maybe I milked that a little since Dave was home :) But in all serious, I had the flu, but I knew what to do. I cannot say the same of my kids. I cannot force them to eat and drink and the weaker immune system makes the more susceptible to having further complications.

Anyway, I have had so many conversations with friends deciding whether or not to give their kids the flu shots that I thought I would share my opinions. I do NOT believe that the flu shot is the right choice for everyone. Because I do believe in medicating & vaccinating children only as necessary. Last year was the first year Tyler had the flu shot because up until that time he was home with me, alone, 90% of the time. No school, no church nursery, no playgroups, no kids coming to the house...

Weekly Grocery Totals

Giant Eagle $73.81 (saved 24%)
Kroger $29.03 (saved 54%)!!!
=$102.84

Giant Eagle
Manufacturers Coupons $10.80
Doubled $2.25
Food Perks + Store Sales $11.51
Saved $24.50 (24%)

• 12-pk. Cherry Coke store sale 4/$11.00 = $2.75/ea.
• (2) Gallons of NB Organic Milk sale $5.49/ea.
• (2) Cascadian Farms Organic Frozen Vegetables sale 4/$9 - $1.00 coupon = $1.25/ea.
• (2) Full Circle Organic Frozen Vegetables $2.00/ea.
• Stonyfield 32oz. Yogurt $3.69
• (2)Organic Valley Cream Cheese sale $2.49 - $0.75 coupon (doubled to $1.50) = $0.99/ea.
• Kashi Waffles sale 4/$10 - $1.00 coupon = $1.50/box
• Nature's Basket Organic Ketchup sale $2.00
• (2) Nature's Basket Organic Applesauce $2.19/ea.
• (5) Back to Nature Crackers sale $2.50/ea. - $1.00 coupon = $1.50/box
• Full Circle Organic Cereal Bars sale 2 for $6
• (2) Powdered Sugar sale $1.00/ea.
• (2) Brown Sugar sale $1.79/ea.
• Yeast $5.49 - $0.75 coupon (doubled to $1.50) =$3.99
• 5.93 lb.s Organic Bananas $4.10
• Organic Carrots $0.99
• Organic Gala Apples $3.99
• Bread $3.29 - $0.55 coupon (not sure why, but they will not double this one) = $2.74
• Organic Eggs $3.39
• Nature's Basket All Natural Ground Turkey $4.36

Kroger
Manufacturers Coupons $11.00
Store Sales $23.99
Saved $34.99

• (2) Cascadian Farm Organic Cereal sale $2.99 - $1.00 coupon = $1.99/box, saved $4.00/box ($8.00!)
• (3) Cascadian Farm Organic Granola Bars sale $2.99 - $1.00 coupon = $1.99/box, saved $3.40/box ($10.20)
• McCormick Gourmet All Spice sale $4.59 - $1.00 coupon = $3.59, saved $1.40
• McCormick Organic Gourmet Ground Pepper $3.19 - $1.00 coupon = $2.19, saved $1.40
• Private Selection Organic Nutmeg $3.99
• Naturally Preferred Organic Green Beans sale $1.50, saved $0.39
• (2) Cascadian Farms Frozen Fruit sale $2.49 - $1.00 coupon = $1.49/ea., saved $4.50/ea. ($9.00!)
• (2) Organic Valley Whipped Butter sale $2.99 - $1.00 coupon = $1.99/ea., saved $2.00/ea. ($4.00)
• Organic Green Bell Pepper $0.85

Menu Plan Monday 11/16/09

I have to say I surprised myself last week. I ended up getting sick Wednesday night and I'm still sick, but I managed to get dinner done every night. Thankfully my hubby was home and took care of the kids for me, otherewise there would have been no way I would have been rested enough to pull that off! Thanks Dave! <3

Monday: Something creative (I do not have a lot of dinner foods on hand right now, I do have some tuna fillets, but not enough to feed 5, I'm thinking some sort of veggie & rice stir fry with the tuna mixed in...?)

Tuesday: Spinach Stuffed Shells (1) (Make extra to freeze!)

Wednesday: Pork Chops with Rice & Veggies

Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Homemade Pizza with with Whole Wheat No-Rise Pizza Crust (Note: this is a different recipe from the one I have been using, the 'No-Rise' part has me excited. I am not very patient.)

Saturday: Honey Mustard Chicken Pasta
Sunday: Cheddar Ham & Potato Soup and Italian Herb Rolls

(1) Spinach Stuffed Shells*

• 1 box pasta shells (I think Ronzoni makes whole wheat ones now)
• 1(10 oz.) package of frozen spinach
• 16 oz. ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 c. parmesan cheese
• 1 c. mozzerella cheese
• 1-2 jars of spaghetti sauce
• mozzerella cheese (for topping)

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
2. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water.
3. Cook frozen spinach according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water.
4. Meanwhile mix ricotta cheese, eggs, salt & pepper, parmesan cheese & 1c. mozzerella cheese. Stir in spinach.
5. Stuff shells. Top with sauce. You want to use enough to completely cover the shells so they do not over bake and get crunchy. Top with mozzerella cheese.
6. Bake for 45-minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

*This recipe makes a lot of shells. I usually freeze half of them for another day :)

For 400+ Menu Plans please visit the official Menu Plan Monday site at I'm An Organizing Junkie!

Meijer Organic & All Natural Deals 11/15/09

• Organic Broccoli 2 for $4
• Organic Romaine Hearts 2 for $4
• Organic Celery Hearts 2 for $4
  

Please Note: I use a Central Ohio Ad to compile this list. Please check your local ad Here. This ad runs 11/15-21.