Friday's Favorite Recipes: Mahi Mahi

Earlier this week I made baked Mahi Mahi. The Mahi Mahi was frozen, from Costco. and I set a few pieces out in the morning to thaw all day.

I combined the following into a small bowl:

2 Tbsp of olive oil
1 Tbsp of lemon juice
1 Tbsp of shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp of seafood rub (I used one from The Fresh Market)

Combine the above ingredients in a bowl and then spread onto both sides of each filet using a brush.

Put the filets in the oven for about 10 minutes (at 375) and you're done!

This recipe was simple, healthy and it tasted good too! Win Win Win!!!

Cold Weather Recipes

While here is Virginia we are experiencing temperatures in the sixties this week...I assume that somewhere in the country it is actually winter-time. So whether it is actually cold where you are...or you are just hoping it will be...here are some great "cold-weather" recipes to warm you up.

1. Spinach and Garden Souffle: This recipe is from House Beautiful. I love souffle's and this one looks especially tasty!

2. French Onion Soup: Nothing beats the chill like french onion soup...but some days you just want to eat in your pajamas snuggled up by the fire instead of making the trip to Panera right?

3. Dumpling Squash with cream and sage: This recipe sounds unique and easy, only a few ingredients!

4. Ground Beef Not-Potpies: This one is from Rachel Ray and looks quite yummy. A little different from your average pot-pie. 

5. Black Bean Pie: This reminds me of a Mexican pot pie...looks so yummy!!

A few yummy recipes...

This afternoon we are heading to the mountains for a week. I'm so looking forward to it!!! Scarves, sweaters, apples and cider here we come! So this week I've been trying to use up our food in the fridge since we won't be here for a week and I found the following recipe on Pinterest.
















I already had all the ingredients except for two: corn flakes and almond slices. BUT...don't be alarmed because I did just so happen to have Fiber One...WITH ALMONDS! I substituted this instead of the corn flakes and it was awesome.

In preparation for a week in the mountains I made this yummy peanut butter popcorn for our trip:

I'd never made popcorn on the stove before and it was a lot easier than I anticipated.  Also, there were almost NO un-popped kernels, unlike the packaged popcorn bags. I tried a few pieces and it's very yummy as well.

What do 'all have going on this weekend? Any special fall activities?

Chicken & Mushroom Pasta

Unfortunately for you guys we recently purchased mushrooms at Costco. Because of this decision I've been trying to come up with creative ways to use all these mushrooms before they go bad. So. Many. Mushrooms. The first recipe I concocted was for Crab Stuffed Mushrooms. Today's episode of Mushroom Madness post, is for a Chicken and Mushroom Pasta dish I came up with for dinner a few nights ago...

Ingredients: (This will serve two people)

• 1/2 a medium onion; chopped
• 4 Large white mushrooms; remove stems and slice
• 2 TB olive oil
• 2 TB butter
• 2 TB white wine
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Our Chicken breasts are also from Costco and therefore are from chickens that would have fit nicely in Gulliver's Travels, you know-when he was a giant) for those of you who purchase your chicken breasts from other establishments and therefore from normal sized chickens..you may need three instead of two.
• 1 cup of Parmesan cheese
• Penne Pasta (I just eye-balled this and used what I thought the two of us would eat)

Directions:

1. Cook the Penne Pasta according to the directions
2. Meanwhile, saute your onion and mushrooms in your oil, butter and wine for 5 minutes. Add your chicken and saute for another 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Add your cheese and stir until melted, then pour over your drained pasta. I sprinkled mine with parsley at the end...just to provide a little extra color. 

Enjoy!

My Attempt at Cake Pops

Happy Friday! First of all I wanted you guys to know that my wonderful sponsor Elise Lee Boutique is offering 10% off for all readers of The Daily Me! Check out their Etsy shop and use the code: THEDAILYME at checkout for 10% off your order!!

Also, in case you missed it yesterday, I made an E-Book this week entitled: Thirty Days of Meals: Recipes, What to Buy, Where to Shop. If you're looking to begin monthly meal planning and are working on a budget you won't want to pass this one up! Shoot me an email if you have any questions or would like to purchase! If you are a follower of the blog you will receive 50% off this week only! (Normally $3.99, followers receive it for $1.98!!)

Now onto the fun stuff...I attempted cake pops yesterday and was somewhat satisfied with how the turned out. You live you learn right? I started out by baking a butter pecan cake in a 9x13 pan.

Once the cake was finished I crumbled it up into a large bowl and added 1/3 of the tub of icing to it using my hands. I think I could have used more icing and the next time I make these I probably will use about 1/2 of the tub rather than just 1/3.

After the icing and cake were well mixed I started forming balls. You will probably be able to get about 30 balls from one cake mix

Next I melted chocolate using a double broiler. (one sauce pan filled with water and a smaller sauce pan sitting over that...my own classy cheap version of a double broiler)

If I were doing this again I would have done the chocolate melting differently. It's more important to have something that's deep rather than wide so that you can dip the entire cake ball into the chocolate. Since my sauce pan wasn't very dip I ended up rolling the balls rather than dipping and it was difficult to get chocolate on the tops of them.

First I dipped my straws (I had these left over from Lilly's birthday party and had cut them in half for this) into the chocolate and then stuck them into the cake ball. Then I stuck them in the freezer  This way your straw won't come out of the ball when you dip it into the chocolate because it is "attached" to the cake with the chocolate seal.

Once the "seal" is frozen I dipped the cake balls into the chocolate and made sure all sides were coated. Because I didn't want my chocolate to crack I stuck them in the fridge rather than the freezer until they were hard. Here's how they turned out

Have y'all ever made cake pops? Any tips you learned along the way?

Meal Planning! 30 days of meals at $1.51 per meal!!

I've got exciting news!!! I just finished an E-Book entitled:

Thirty Days of Meals: Recipes, What to Buy,Where to Shop


Basically this E-Book provides you with everything you'll need to plan out a month of meals. I have included

• All the meals for the month (90 meals total for breakfast, lunch and dinner)
• All the shopping lists you'll need (two total: one for the grocery store and one for a bulk store such as Sam's or Costco).
• How much each item will cost and then the total cost for the month based on your two grocery visits. 
• All the recipes you'll need for the month are also included in the E-Book.

What's great about this book is that the recipes work well together. It was my goal to provide recipes that are healthy, easy, and work off of one another with the idea that by the end of the month you'll have used all your item and won't have a lot left over. (or that will eventually go to waste as so often is the case)

Being able to grocery shop once per month allows us the opportunity to stay organized and save money! If you follow the 30 Days E-Book then your cost per meal will only come to about $1.51 per person!!

The E-Book is designed for a family of four, two adults and two children but regardless of how many are in your family it is definitely a good starting point for monthly meal planning.

It is chocked full with 10 pages of information...with the goal of making your grocery shopping experience easier.

The 30 Days E-Book is available for $3.99. BUT, (This week only) if you are already a follower of my blog it is half off! $1.98!!!

Also, for this week only if you become a follower of the blog you can also receive the 50% discount!!

I am so excited to be bringing this to you guys and I sincerely hope it saves you time and money. If you're interested in receiving a copy of the 30 Days E-Book just shoot me at email at: lrralls@gmail.com

Enjoy!!

Fast, Frugal, and Good for you Breakfast Ideas

First things first! Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway for three free patterns of your choice from Seamingly Smitten! Click here for more info.

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Now, let's talk food...

I am the worst when it comes to breakfast. With so much to do before walking out the door each morning my breakfast tends to fall into two categories: skipping, or grabbing something on my way to work. The first option is unhealthy and leaves me hungry around 10:00. The second option is also unhealthy and not cost effective. (In my attempt to try to be healthy, I will go to Starbucks rather than McDonalds which results in me purchasing banana nut bread AND a White Chocolate Mocha...) So, I'm on a mission to come up with some fast, frugal and good for me breakfast options.

Option 1: Hard-Boiled Eggs and blueberry muffins. What I love about this option is that I can make everything over the weekend, before the craziness begins, and all I need to do during the week is grab and go. Hard-boiled eggs are very good for you and cost about $.13 each. You can always make muffins from scratch but I love buying the packaged mixes because of the ease of just adding water. A package usually costs about $1.20 and makes six muffins. So... for about $.46 a day you've got yourself a healthy breakfast that was easy to prepare!

Option 2: Yogurt Parfait: At the beginning of the week, purchase a 32 oz tub of vanilla yogurt, some strawberries and a box of granola. Combine about 6 oz of yogurt into a cup with a handful of granola and 3 cut up strawberries/raspberries.  For about $.75 you've got yourself a yogurt parfait! Healthy and quick!

Option 3: Baked Oatmeal: This is one of my favorite baked oatmeal recipes. You can make it over the weekend and and there will be plenty for both you and someone else throughout the week. If it were me, I would bake it on Sunday, cut up the slices and wrap them individually and freeze them. Then each morning, I grab a slice, throw it in the toaster oven for a minute and then walk out the door. Total Cost: about $.45 per serving. 

Three Easy Crock Pot Meals

August is drawing to a close and fall is quickly approaching which means it's time to break out our scarves, boots, sweaters...oh and our crock-pots! Nothing says fall like a wonderful meal slow cooking all day and filling your home with wonderful scents.  Also, it doesn't hurt that crock pot meals are easy, and this lady is definitely not turning down an opportunity to save time.

So, I've put together (with the help of pinterest) three great crock-pot recipes that scream fall. Click on the title to see the full recipe. I hope you enjoy!

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• Slow Cooked Macaroni and Cheese...of course this is my first pick! I LOVE macaroni and cheese...its one of my favorite food groups, (closely followed by cheese cake). This meal would go great with a side of peas or maybe a Caesar salad!?

• Baked Potato Soup...It's like going to Panera but better because you don't actually have to leave your house! Doesn't this soup look amazing! Pair it with some french bread for dipping and you've got yourself a great meal.

• Chicken and Dumplings...Can't you imagine eating this on a blustery day? Yum! I would pair it with some garlic cheese bread and call it a day. My favorite part about this recipe is that you throw everything in and come back six hours later :)

So what is your favorite crock-pot meal? What's your favorite thing about fall?

Fondue night at home!

First off, if you haven't entered into this week's giveaway do it NOW, by going here. So that you can win this: 

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I'm in a book club that meets every Tuesday night. Every year we go the The Melting Pot to celebrate another year of being the greatest book club ever. Last night was the fifth time doing this. (All the pictures on today's post are from last night) For those who have never been to or heard of The Melting Pot, it is a fondue restaurant. They serve a four course meal which includes: Salad, Cheese Fondue, Main Course and a chocolate fondue. The food is amazing and you definitely leave very full. The downside? 'Tis a bit pricey! The "cheapest" four course meal (for two) is $78!! So, a few years ago my BFF and I decided to do our own "Melting Pot Night" at home. (She conveniently had just purchased a fondue pot for me for my birthday, and she already had one so we had two pots to work with)

We don't usually do the salad portion...we skip straight to the cheese (if you know me at all this makes complete sense), but you could easily start with a salad (this part has nothing to do with fondue, it's a regular salad, served to you on a regular plate, and you eat it with a regular fork and knife)

Now, for the cheese!!

This is the actual recipe that the Melting Pot uses for their cheddar fondue (They shared it on The Today Show a while back). Besides apples, we use chunks of french bread to dip. The whole thing should cost you less than $5 (and it serves 3-4)

Now for the main course!

Here is a great recipe for your main course broth. We usually also cut up three chicken breasts and the beef tips that are already cut up and you've got yourself a great main course (for those who like seafood pick up 1/2 lb of shrimp too) The entire main course (which will serve about 4 people) should come to about $14

This is a picture of my friend Rachel's phone...you're supposed to make sure your beef and chicken cook for two minutes. She was very accurate.

Now for the best part...the desert. A few years ago the BFF was enjoying an evening at the melting pot when the waiter came by with the check. He gave her a Lindt Truffle and said "don't tell anyone I'm doing this but here's a little somethin' extra." She pondered why it would be such a big deal for him to give her that piece of chocolate and then she realized it was probably their secret recipe?! So the next time we had fondue we purchased a bag of Lindt milk chocolate truffles and dropped them in the pot...oh.my.goodness. Amazing. This is definitely what they use to make their chocolate fondue. Also, Lindt makes so many different flavors that you can always have a variety: milk chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter, dark chocolate...just like at the restaurant!

For dipping we usually do strawberries and bananas, you could also do pound cake, brownies or cut up rice krispy treats. Total desert cost for four people: $7

So, once you throw in that salad your four course meal would probably run you about $33...which definitely beats a bill of $208 (4 people with tax and tip)

This is my book club (minus two ladies) Aren't we awesome looking?

Harris Teeter $2.00 Double Coupons = Free Products!!

Harris Teeter is doubling coupons with an original face value of up to $2.00 this week!!! Yep, you read that right, a $2.00 off coupon is now a $4.00 off coupon! Below is a list of deals that I've found. All of the coupons can be found by clicking on the Coupons.Com link at the bottom of this post. Just Click, print them off and save!

• Sambazon Organic Juice: The Coupons.com coupon is for $1.50 off Sambazon Organic Juice. Harris Teeter has a few options to choose from and all are $2.99, so your juice is free!
• Glad Carpet and Room Odor Eliminator: The coupon is for $1.00 off. Harris Teeter has it for $2.65 this week which means once the coupon is doubled it's yours for only $.65!
• Gerber 2nd food organic pouch: The coupon is for $.75 cents off and it's on sale this week at Harris Teeter for $1.50 which means once the coupon is doubled...it's free! (blueberry spinach is the one on sale)
•  Reach Floss: The coupon is for $1.00 of of two. Harris Teeter has them for $1.45 each which means after doubling the coupon the floss would be $.45!

Now get out there and save some dough!

Cheap Eats: $1.50 per serving!! + Great Coupons!

Below I have a great recipe that only comes to about $1.50 a serving! It has all my favorite qualities: yummy, easy and cheap!

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of Italian Dressing Mix (Dry Packet)
• 2 Cans of Green Beans
• 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 4 small red potatoes
• 1/2 a bag of baby carrots 
• 1 stick of butter

Lay your chicken breasts down the center of a 9x13 baking dish. Drain your two cans of green beans and place on one side.  Quarter your red potatoes and lay them and the baby carrots down the other side. Sprinkler a packet of Italian  dressing over the vegetables and chicken. Melt one stick of butter and drizzle over everything. Cover with tin-foil and bake for 65 minutes. 

Enjoy!

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Now for some coupon savings! I love it when coupons coordinate with stuff I actually buy on a weekly basis. That's when you really get the best deals. This week is a great example!

Below are some coupon deals going on this week:




When you use your VIC card at Harris Teeter this week (through August 7th) most Gerber 2nd Foods are on sale for $1.25  to $1.33. (Normally $1.55-$1.79). The Coupons.Com link below also has a manufacturers coupon for $.75 off of two of these so you end up paying $1.75 for two (they are two packs so really you get four total) which is a savings of 44%!!

Also through August 7th, Harris Teeter has the Gerber 2nd Foods Organic Pouch (Apple, Blueberry, Spinach) on sale for $1.50 (normally $1.79). The Coupons.Com link below also has a manufacturers coupon for $.75 off one of these pouches so you end up paying $.75 which is a savings of 59%!)

Also through August 7th, Harris Teeter has the Toddler Yogurt Melts (Strawberry) on sale for $2.00. They are normally $3.19!! Click on the Coupons.com link below for an additional manufactures coupon for $1.00 off one bag, this means you get these yogurt melts for $1.00! That's a savings of 69%!!

Remember, you need to use your VIC card in order to get these great deals. Click on the link below and print off those coupons, and while you're there check out all the other coupons that the site has to offer.

This blog is on  http://www.adornedfromabove.com/

The ultimate BLT

So nothing says summertime like a BLT right? You really can't go wrong with a classic BLT but I wanted to mix it up a bit so I added a little something and it was AMAZING!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of Bacon (8 slices)
• Iceberg Lettuce (enough for 4 sandwiches)
• 1 Tomato, sliced
• 8 Sliced of bread (you're choice, I used honey wheat)
• 1 TB of basil
• 1 TB of sugar
• 2 TB of oil
• Mayo if you like it

1.  Toast your bread, slice your tomato and shred up your lettuce.
2. Cook your bacon ( I used Smithfield* Twice as Thick Bacon and it was so so good. I had a coupon and so I got it for half off, I don't think I'm ever going to use any other bacon. Ever. ) Also, cook it on the stove people...Bacon is not allowed to be cooked in the microwave.
3. Combine the last three ingredients and brush the sauce onto each slice of toasted bread, then put on a layer of Mayo if you desire and then load up your other three ingredients. 
4. Eat.
5. Enjoy

I loved the sauce! The sugar added just a hint of sweetness and made the sandwich even more amazing. 

I served my sandwiches with chips. Not the heathliest option I know but lets be honest, you're eating bacon, you've already failed. But I did use honey wheat bread right? That's something...

Total cost for this meal (including the chips) is $1.50 a person. Not bad right?

*You should only use Smithfield bacon. Why you ask? Smithfield bacon comes from a small town in Virginia that specializes in all things bacon/pig related. I grew up there and I'll explain:

• When entering the town you'll see a water tower...on that water tower is a picture of a ham, hanging. I'm explaining this to you now so that you are not confused and accidentally think it's a poorly constructed map of Smithfield (I thought this for 4 years until someone explained it to me)
• The High School mascot is the Packers (as in the Smithfield packing plant)
• The number one business is the Smithfield packing plant, most people work here and on a weekly basis you can get a nice whiff of pig, floating in the air.
• A few years back, the town made the Guinness Book of World Records for making the largest Ham biscuit. I was there. It was in fact very big. Now, as you enter the city limits you will see this sign: Welcome to Smithfield, home of the world's largest ham biscuit.

So,  never buy any other bacon, it really is the best :)

Now go out there and eat some BLTs!!

Cheap Eats: Dinner for under $1 a serving

So last Wednesday I mentioned that you could purchase a Betty Crocker Complete meal  and have a cheap, easy meal: (See Link Below to get one of these from Amazon)



But I got to thinking and thought, "I'm sure you could make that for even less." Basically the box contains biscuit mix (where you just add water) and a can of soup.

I found this quick and yummy biscuit recipe here . I split the recipe in half and it was the perfect amount. You will most likely have most of these items laying around in your pantry already which is great. Also, I love the hint of sugar in these biscuits, it added just enough sweetness to them.

I bought a can of Campbells Chunky Soup (see Amazon link below for a 12 pack)



 Walmart has this soup for $1.88 but after doing a google search I noticed that there are occasionally coupons available for $1.00 off two cans. While Walmart doesn't double coupons, Farm Fresh and other stores do. If you clipped one of those coupons your soup would be free! I know I'll definitely be on the lookout for those coupons in the future.

So I just placed the soup on the bottom of a square 9x9 baking dish and then I divided my biscuits into 8 spoonfulls which I placed on top. And that's it! Very Easy. Sick it in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 and it should be golden brown and yummy.

Total Cost if you have DO have coupons: $0.25 per person (This meal makes 3 servings)
Total Cost if you have no coupons: $0.88 per person

Below is a before and after picture

Meal Sharing! A way to save money!

I've always wanted to meal share, I'm pretty sure I may have just made up the term "meal-sharing" but it's where three family units (all should about the same size) get together and share the load of making dinners each week. This is an awesome idea for a few reasons:

1. No one likes coming up with dinner ideas and if you only have to come up with two each week that is AWESOME!
2. It's a cheaper alternative. It is always cheaper to make a meal that serves 8 than to make that same meal that serves 2. Most likely, you will be purchasing the same amounts of some things but will be able to use all of it rather than just a portion of the item.

So here is how it works. First you need to find two other groups of people like yourself that are willing to give this a try. Since Lilly is only 10 months old we would want to try to find two other couples that have one or two small children so that everyone is contributing the same amount and it's easy to equally divide the meals.

If it were me, (and hopefully it will be soon) I would meet with the other two moms at the beginning of each week and swap your meals. I would also make sure everyone had something like this
or this 


I own this CorningWare set and it comes in Handy. I think it would also be helpful if everyone owned the same thing. This set comes with plastic lids as well as glass lids which makes it easy for transport.

Since you have three groups of people I would have each group make two meals a week. This way you have six meals prepared each week. I would leave the seventh night free in case you and the Mr. wanted to go out for dinner... or just eat leftovers... or grab a pizza... or fast.

As far as which type of meals you make, I would suggest ones that can be easily frozen or refrigerated for a few days. Examples would be Sloppy Joes, Enchiladas, Soup or Casseroles.

Below is a recipe that we eat at our house a lot (Chicken Vegetable Soup) I usually make it for just the two of us but the ingredients below will make enough for 8 people (three couples and a kid or two thrown in there).

I usually serve biscuits with the soup, I just grab the "just-add-water" bags and they are about $1.00 a piece. If I were to make this recipe for just the two of us I would have still purchased many of the products and spent the same amount (like the cream which doesn't come in smaller amounts than 1 cup) So, I did end up saving money by making a greater quantity!

Chicken Vegetable Soup (enough for 8 people), served with Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of chopped chicken meat
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 2 cups of chopped onion
• 2 cups of celery
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 12 cups of chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon of thyme
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 2 cups of diced potatoes
• 1/2 cup of diced carrots
• 1 cup of light cream

Based on my calculations you should be able to make this meal (As well as the biscuits) for about $16.

Alright, one meal down and one to go. For my other meal I would make Enchiladas. Below is the recipe I use (this make enough for 8) (the recipe can be found here)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of chicken breast, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• eight flour tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups of grated cheese (Mexican blend is good) 
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1 (15 oz) can of chicken broth
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1 4 oz can of chopped green chilies

According to my calculations you can make this meal for about $11.75! Since it's such a deal I would throw in some tortilla chips and salsa for each couple as well. This brings your total to about $17.50.

So for under  $34 you have all your dinners prepared for the week.

Another tip, it might be good to chat ahead of time to make sure no one's eating enchiladas 3x that week :)

Also, I'm sure you could come up with some cheaper meals as well, like Spaghetti or those Complete Meals from Betty Crocker? You can purchase them on Amazon in a pack of six. (Yes you can purchase food on Amazon and for not a bad price too!) Three boxes would be more than enough for 8 people and then your total meal cost would be only $9.75! (and it would only take you 10 minutes to prepare!!)



The options are endless! Could you imagine if you only spent $20 a week on dinner for your family and only had to prepare two meals!? I'm getting excited just thinking about it! This makes your trip to the grocery store so much easier because you don't need as many items. I'd love to hear your stories, whether you've tried this in the past or might try it in the future.

Summertime Grilling!

Happy fourth of July everyone! This is one of my all-time favorite holidays. I love the collective feelings of patriotism and nationalism, oh and fireworks are pretty sweet too.

We've been spending a lot more time grilling in the past few weeks (one of the great things about summer) and a few nights ago we tried grilled pineapple. I hate cutting up pineapple, it's difficult and if you don't get it quite right and leave some of the rough spots on they hurt my tongue. Sooo....we buy our pineapple pre-cut from Costco. It's $7.99 and comes in a huge container (3 lbs of pineapple) and its fresh. I love the taste of grilled pineapple but I wanted to mix it up a bit so i drizzled one small drizzle of honey on each slice and then we threw them on the grill. So. So. Good. We took them off just after they got those wonderful grill marks and it basically melts in your mouth!

We ate our grilled pineapple with grilled Ahi-Tuna (with an equal mix of lemon juince/lime juice/olive oil brushed on them while on the grill) and grilled corn on the cob (wrapped in tin-foil and brushed with a mix of 1 TB of butter, parsley, salt and thyme)

Everything was wonderful and all in all not too unhealthy...right?

Have a Great Fourth!