Tobins' Tastes: January 2013

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Weekly Shopping Totals Link Up: Saved 82% at Publix



Life has been crazy this week. I have had meetings, appointment and tons of work for my classes every day and I just never made it to Publix today. Part of the reason I didn't go is because of being busy but the other part is that I won't be around much this weekend since I will be attending the bachelorette party of one of my best friends so I won't be cooking much between now and Sunday : )

This trip was from the end of last week's sale cycle and I ran into the store yesterday to take advantage of the California Pizza Kitchen deal and the Coca Cola sale too. I am hoping to head to the store Sunday night to do my trip for the new sale cycle. Yes, I know Sunday night is the Super Bowl but since I don't even know who is in it, I figure it will be the perfect time to have Publix all to myself.

This trip was just enough to use a $5/$30 Winn Dixie coupon and it was nice to be able to grab some chicken and salad to get Justin through the weekend while I am out of town. I only spent $9 out of pocket at Publix this week so even after Justin stops by the produce stand tomorrow we will be very under budget for the week.

Breakdown of Wednesday's Publix trip:
Total retail value: $48.47
Total spent: $8.76
Total saved: $39.71
Percent saved: 82%

What I got with sale/coupon match ups:
  •  3 twelve packs of Coca Cola products, retails for $5.29 each
    • Minus $5.29 B2G1 free in store promo
    • Minus a $1/2 Publix peelie coupon
    • Minus two FREE product man. coupons from My Coke Rewards (max value $4.99 each)
    • Made them all FREE plus a .40 cents moneymaker
  •  1.25 liter of Diet Coke, retails for $1.25
    • Used a Publix peelie coupon for a FREE 1.25 product WYB any three twelve packs
    • Made it FREE
  • 2 California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas, retails for $6.49 each, on sale BOGO ($3.24 each)
  •  1 box of South Beach Snack Bars, retails for $4.79
  •  1.4 pound package of Purdue Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, retails for $6.64
    • On sale for $3.98
  •  3 Dannon Okios Greek Yogurts, retails for $1.20 each, on sale for $1 each
    • Used a $1/3 coupon from the 1/20 SS
    • Made them .66 cents each
  • 1 tub of Fresh Attitude Baby Spinach, on sale for $3.09, on sale for $2.69
  •  Used a $5/$30 Enjoy the City Winn Dixie coupon
How did you do this week? Inspire me (and everyone else) with your amazing savings and deals this week. Please link up directly to your specific post. Do not link up to your blog's home page, giveaways, or etsy shops please. You can also "like" Couponing & Cooking on Facebook too! I would love it if you would link back to this post or grab my button from the sidebar : )

Click below to link up your posts!
 


Monday, January 28, 2013

Chocolate Covered Rolo & Ritz Cracker Sandwiches


I guess you could say that I like to do things in an over the top kind of way. Minimalist is not a word anyone would ever use to describe me. Why make one cheese dip for a party when you could make four? Why have one pair of black shoes when I could have seven? Why order the first book of a series off of Amazon when I could just go ahead and order the whole boxed set?


Why use store bought marshmallows when you could make your own? Because you're insane and a glutton for punishment that's why. Can you tell I am just a little bit bitter about this?

Friday night I decided to make my own Valentines Day marshmallows. What, you don't spend your Friday nights with a candy thermometer and powdered gelatin? I used a recipe from my favorite cookbook authors {the Baked Series of Cookbooks} and added an absurd amount of heart shaped sprinkles.


But I didn't stop there. Even though my marshmallows started out cute and yummy looking, I wanted to do more. I wanted to take those labor intensive homemade marshmallows and use them to make ridiculously unnecessarily time consuming Valentines Day S'more Cupcakes complete with melted chocolate hearts on top, an open face s'more cupcake if you will.


Apparently something was wrong with my marshmallows (too many sprinkles maybe?) because they turned to liquidy mush/goo in their tupperware overnight and they ended up in the trash can. Huge homemade marshmallow fail.


And then I realized that maybe I just needed to keep it simple for the rest of the weekend so I didn't end up throwing my kitchenaid mixer in the trash can in a fit of frustrated baking rage. So I went about as simple as you can go. I melted Rolos in between Ritz crackers. And then I dipped them in melted chocolate. And then I covered them in sprinkles. And they were amazing. See what I mean about having a problem with simplicity?


I actually saw this idea on Pinterest last week  and it was so simple I didn't even pin it for future reference. After doing some research tonight to make sure I properly credited the genius who came up with this idea, I landed at Something Swanky. It makes perfect sense that Ashton who is one of the co-creators of Online BlogCon also created something as delicious as Rolo Stuffed Ritz Crackers.


Talk about the perfect balance of sweet, salty and chocolatey, these treats are addictive and bite sized and easy to make in any quantity at any time of day. And simple, because simple is better, right? Especially when it is dipped in chocolate and covered in sprinkles. Whoops.


Chocolate Covered Rolo & Ritz Sandwiches originally created by Something Swanky
  • Ritz Crackers
  • Rolo Candies
  • Melting Chocolates (I used Wilton's Dark Cocoa Melts)
  • Insane amounts of sprinkles
1.) On a lined baking sheet, place Ritz crakers salted side down and top with an unwrapped Rolo.

2.) Bake at 275 degrees for three minutes.

3.) When they come out of the oven, press another Ritz cracker on top of the Rolos salted side up. Press down enough to form a sandwich but not too hard that the melty Rolo squishes out.


4.) Let cool and firm up completely.

5.) Dip in melted chocolate and cover in sprinkles.

6.) Let them firm up (or not) and enjoy!




Make sure you stop by this week's Mealtime Monday and link up any amazing recipes you have been working on lately.

***Depending on the day this post may be linked up to any of these fabulous linky parties.***

Do you host a weekly party? If so, make sure to visit my party page and add yours so we all can join in the fun!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Mealtime Monday Recipe Link Up & Features {#39}

Pin It

Hello, all! Last week was our biggest party yet; over 90 link ups! Thank you so much for stopping by every week and for spreading the word. Just a friendly reminder that this is a recipe posts link up only. While I know that you all have some fabulous DIY posts and super informative articles please keep it to food/drink posts only : )

Let's check out this week's features!

Caramel Hot Chocolate Fudge
 
 
 
 
 

You can also check out my Pinterest board for Mealtime Monday Features where I will be pinning the original links to the items featured here each week as well as my Facebook page which will have even more features too!


If you were featured you can feel free to grab a button from my sidebar.





As I teacher, I enforce rules all day so I am going to call these my suggestions.



I would love it if:

  • You would link back to this post/blog. You can do so by grabbing my button (upper right hand corner), linking back to this post in your post, or by adding this blog to your list of places you link up to/party at on your Link Parties page. The more people who link up the better it is for all of us : )
  • Please follow this blog through GFC, Linky Friends or Blog Lovin.
  • As an added bonus you can become our Facebook friend too!
  • Please only post directly to your recipe link. No giveaways, etsy shops or anything not family friendly.
  • Please do not link up to posts you have already linked up to before. Also, the recipe needs to be something you made with photos of your own and should give credit where credit is due : )
  • Pretty please visit at least two new blogs and show them some love.
  • By linking up you give me permision to use these photos (with proper link backs) in my features and on my Facebook page
  • Come back next Monday and link up!

Ready, set, make me hungry!
 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Weekly Totals Shopping Link Up: Saved 67% At Publix Including Fruits and Veggies

Spent $37 for over $110 worth!
I was a little annoyed with my Publix today. They didn't seem to have anything I was looking for. They didn't carry the normal sized California Pizza Kitchen pizzas, they didn't have any South Beach Bars other than the BOGO ones which aren't a match for this amazing $3 off coupon and it just seemed like everything was a hunt today.

It's my own fault since I forgot my coupons this morning so I didn't go to my favorite Publix which is on my way home and ended up just going to the one right down the street from me which is always out of everything and it set up totally weird. I am hoping to go back and grab the California Pizza Kitchen deal and a few other things later this week.

I was really happy with my totals and my savings since we did grab some fruits and veggies (FREE Salad!) as well as Greek yogurt, chicken, almonds, stocked up on soda (money maker!), and a few other items that don't normally go on sale. I had very few coupons and mostly I just took advantage of good store sales and BOGO deals. Using two $5/$30 Winn Dixie coupons really helped too : )

Breakdown of today's Publix trip:
Total retail value: $113.48
Total spent: $37.11
Total saved: $76.37
Percent saved: 67%

What I got with sale/coupon match ups:
  • 3 twelve packs of Coke products, retails for $5.29 each
    • Publix promo B2G1 FREE (minus $5.29)
    • Used two FREE product coupons from My Coke Rewards ($4.99 max each)
    • Used a $1/2 Publix peelie coupon found on product
    • Earned a .75 cents deposit from Ibotta
    • Made them all FREE plus a $1.15 MONEY MAKER!
  • 1.25 liter bottle of Diet Coke, retails for $1.29
    • Used a peelie coupon for a FREE product WYB any 3 twelve packs of Coke products
    • Made it FREE
  •  4 Lean Cuisine Salad Additions, retails for $3.79 each, on sale for $2 each
    • Used four $1 off coupons from the 1/6 SS
    • Made them $1 each
  •  2 bags of Fresh Express Salad Mixes, retails for $4.09 each
  •  2 boxes of Ocean Spray Fruit Snacks, retails for $3.15, on sale BOGO ($1.57 each)
    • Used a .75/2 coupons from the 1/6 SS
    • Made them $1.20 each
  •  1.5ish pounds of Purdue Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, retails for $7.93, on sale for $4.75
  • 5 pound bag of Organic Russet Potatoes, retails for $4.49, on sale for $2.99
  • Pint of Blueberries, retails for $4.09, on sale for $2.99
  • Fuji Apples, retails for $3.74, on sale for $2.31
  • Egg Whites, $2.50
  • Publix Reduced Fat Mozzarella String Cheese, retails for $4.19, on sale for $3.50
  • Publix Goat Cheese, retails for $2.99 each, on sale BOGO made them $1.49 each
  • 2 packages of Velveeta Cheese product, retails for $4.39 each, on sale BOGO made them $2.19 each
  • 2 jars of Tostitos Salsa, retails for $3.49 each, on sale BOGO made them $1.74 each
  • 5 Dannon Okios Greek Yogurts, retails for $1.20 each, on sale for $1 each
  • 2 canisters of Emerald Almonds, retails for $5.99 each, on sale BOGO made them $2.99 each

How did you do this week? Inspire me (and everyone else) with your amazing savings and deals this week. Please link up directly to your specific post. Do not link up to your blog's home page, giveaways, or etsy shops please. You can also "like" Couponing & Cooking on Facebook too! I would love it if you would link back to this post or grab my button from the sidebar : )

Click below to link up your posts!


Peanut Butter Sweet Treats Round Up!


I don't know about you but I am OBSESSED with peanut butter in all forms. The best way to have peanut butter (in my opinon) is to have it in dessert form. In honor of National Peanut Butter Day I am sharing some of my favorite peanut butter desserts! {Click on photo or title for the recipe posts!}










Make sure you stop by this week's Mealtime Monday and link up any amazing recipes you have been working on lately.

***Depending on the day this post may be linked up to any of these fabulous linky parties.***

Do you host a weekly party? If so, make sure to visit my party page and add yours so we all can join in the fun!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Winner of the Edwards Pie FREE Product Coupon!


The winner of the Edward's Pie FREE product coupon is Jennifer (comment #29 or second to last). Please email me your mailing address to couponingncooking@gmail.com so I can mail it to you! 

Thanks to all who entered and make sure you check out the $150 Container Store gift card giveaway before it ends on the 23rd!

Boar's Head Lower Sodium Deli Meats & Cheese

This post brought to you by Boar's Head. All opinions are 100% mine.

 photo boarshead770_zps554900fa.jpg

As a couponer, I have learned to branch out and try new brands and shop the sales but there is one thing that we always buy the same brand of is our deli meat. As far back as I can remember my mom always bought Boar's Head deli meat and cheese and to this day it is still the only brand that I buy.

 photo 421OurPremiumTurkeyb_zps53d95582.jpg

Since the holidays, Justin and I have been trying to be a little more concious about what we have been eating and something we have been working on is reducing our sodium intake so I was thrilled to have to opportunity to try Boar's Head lower sodium deli meats and cheeses.

During my last shopping trip, I brought Justin with me and together we attempted to pick out one of the lower sodium deli meats and one of the cheeses to make paninis with. I was shocked at how many lower sodium options Boar's Head had, over 20 to be exact!

 photo boarshead795_zpscd09a9ba.jpg

We settled on the Golden Catering Style Oven Roasted Turkey Breast with 47% less sodium than the original and the Low Sodium Muenster Cheese and they were both delicious. And they are both gluten free too! Justin and I both agreed that we actually liked the lower sodium version of the Oven Roasted Turkey better than the orginal and we plan on buying the low sodium version from now on.

We used the turkey and cheese to make paninis for dinner. You all know I am a weird eater so I stuck to the tried and true turkey, cheese and honey mustard (Boar's Head of course!) and Justin got crazy with his by sauting onions and spinach to top his turkey and cheese.

 photo boarshead781_zps4874b885.jpg

Have you tried any of Boar's Head lower sodium deli meats and cheeses yet? If so which one is your favorite? If not, what produt are you most interested in trying?

Visit Sponsor's Site

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Mealtime Monday Recipe Link Up & Features {#38)

Pin It

Welcome back to another week and another Mealtime Monday party! Things have been picking up around here now that the holidays are over. I have been very busy with the blog and hopefully you have been able to keep up with everything that is going on!

I shared a new Valentines Day recipe this week, Brown Butter Snickerdoodles and I particpate in my first ever Secret Recipe Swap and made Italian Herbs & Cheese Flatbread. I also had two giveaways going on and the $150 Container Store Gift Card giveaway is still going on so make sure you check out the many ways to enter before it ends on the 23rd.

Last week's party was amazing! Over 90 link ups! I had the hardest time picking this week's features! Thanks to all of you for linking up and for spreading the word about the party. Fingers crossed to hit 100 this week!


Skinny Crock Pot Chicken and Veggie Chowder by http://backforsecondsblog.com  #crockpot #skinny #diet #soup #chowder #easy #healthy #dinner @BackForSeconds

 

 

You can also check out my Pinterest board for Mealtime Monday Features where I will be pinning the original links to the items featured here each week as well as my Facebook page which will have even more features too!


If you were featured you can feel free to grab a button from my sidebar.





As I teacher, I enforce rules all day so I am going to call these my suggestions.



I would love it if:

  • You would link back to this post/blog. You can do so by grabbing my button (upper right hand corner), linking back to this post in your post, or by adding this blog to your list of places you link up to/party at on your Link Parties page. The more people who link up the better it is for all of us : )
  • Please follow this blog through GFC, Linky Friends or Blog Lovin.
  • As an added bonus you can become our Facebook friend too!
  • Please only post directly to your recipe link. No giveaways, etsy shops or anything not family friendly.
  • Please do not link up to posts you have already linked up to before. Also, the recipe needs to be something you made with photos of your own and should give credit where credit is due : )
  • Pretty please visit at least two new blogs and show them some love.
  • By linking up you give me permision to use these photos (with proper link backs) in my features and on my Facebook page
  • Come back next Monday and link up!

Ready, set, make me hungry!
 

Italian Herbs & Cheese Flatbread: The Surprise Recipe Swap


I am so excited to be participating in the Surprise Recipe Swap this month! The SRS is a great group of bloggers who each get assigned another blog to pick a recipe off of and recreate it each month. I am honored to have gotten matched up with Earning My Cape this month.


I had so many great recipes to chose from and I really had a hard time picking just one but when I saw that Susie had various versions of Naan on her blog I knew that I would be recreating one of them.


Justin and I love naan bread. We usually buy it at Publix so when I saw how easy Susie made it sound to make it at home I jumped at the chance to try it. Justin was skeptical at first but even he came around when he saw how easy and how delicious it was to make it homemade.

Our favorite thing to do with naan is to use it as crust for our own homemade pizzas. I chose Susie's Italian Herbs and Cheese version of the flat bread and it was the perfect choice for our pesto pizzas. Her idea to make the naan in a skillet or on a griddle was an amazing idea and the buttery outside made the bread so good we were eating right off of the skillet without any toppings too : )


Italian Herbs & Cheese Naan Flatbread adapted from Earning My Cape
  • 4 cups flour (I used half all purpose, half bread flour)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese  
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine half of the flour, the yeast, salt and sugar.

2. Lightly whisk the egg and then add the egg, milk and warm water to the bowl and combine using a dough hook attachment. 

3. Add the rest of the flour with the mixer still on until the dough starts to form a ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl.

4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a dish towel and let it rise for 30 minutes.

5. Place dough onto a floured surface and knead in the garlic powder, seasoning and shredded cheese.

6. Divide dough into 8 pieces, roll them into balls and then let them rest on a baking tray lightly covered for another 30 minutes to allow them to rise further.

7. Heat a pan or griddle and then roll out each dough ball into a flattened out circle or oval. Poke holes in the dough with a fork.

8. Lightly grease the griddle/pan with butter and let the rolled out dough cook for 2-3 minute on each side until golden brown.

9. Either serve warm as a side dish or top with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake for an amazing homemade pizza!

Interested in joining the Surprise Recipe Swap? Click the button below and check out all the details!

HungryLittleGirl

Make sure you stop by this week's Mealtime Monday and link up any amazing recipes you have been working on lately.


***Depending on the day this post may be linked up to any of these fabulous linky parties.***

Do you host a weekly party? If so, make sure to visit my party page and add yours so we all can join in the fun!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Weekly Totals Link Up: Saved 74% At Publix


I don't know about you but I have almost been too busy to shop/coupon the last few weeks. I planned a coupon light trip today since I just couldn't bring myself to sort through my stacks of inserts and printable coupons that need to be organized before they take over my kitchen. Most of my coupons were ones I printed this week and set aside for this trip.

Justin went to Publix with me today and we kind of just let loose and grabbed a couple of things that weren't on my list and were in no way rock bottom deals. It's nice everyone once in a while to just forgot the list and get what you want :  )

Even though we did some impulse shopping I managed to save 74% thanks to some moneymaker baby food, two $5/$30 Winn Dixie coupons and $10 worth of Boar's Head for free thanks to an up coming sponsored blog post. I managed to get a few other free or under $1 items and since we didn't really need anything I kept my shopping totals really low this week.

Maybe I will get around to going to Target and CVS one of these days but for now I am enjoying living out of the pantry/fridge/freezer/stockpile and not spending much after the expenses of the holidays.

Don't forget to stop by and enter my two current giveaways! $150 Container Store Gift Card and a FREE Product Coupon from Edwards Pies. 

Breakdown of today's Publix trip: 
Total retail value: $88.62
Total spent: $23.18
Total saved: $65.44
Percent saved: 74%

Breakdown of what I got with sale/coupon match ups:
  • 4 Beech Nut Fruities, retails for .99 cents each, on sale BOGO (.48 cents each)
  •  2 frozen loaves of Rudi's Gluten Free Bread, retails for $3.99 each, on sale BOGO ($1.98 each)
  •  1/2 pound of Boar's Head Low Sodium Turkey ($5.19) and 1/2 pound of Boar's Head Low Sodium Munster Cheese ($4.38)
    • Reimbursed $10 for a sponsored blog post
    • Made it all FREE
  •  1 bottle of Gold Bond Ultimate Sheer Ribbons Body Lotion, retails for $8.99, on clearance for $4.05
    • Used a $2 off coupon from the 1/6 RP
    • Stacked with a $2 Publix from the Publix Green Ad. Flyer
    • Made it .05 cents
  •  10 pouches of Starkist Premium Tuna, retails for $1.49 each, on sale for $1 each
    • Used five .55 cents off coupons from Facebook or the 1/6 RP
    • Stacked with a $2/$10 Publix coupon from the Get A Jump On Good Health booklet
    • Made them .52 cents each
  •  2 boxes of Pepperidge Farms Garlic Bread, retails for $2.89 each, on sale BOGO ($1.44 each)
  •  2 packages of Fresh Attitudes Salad Blends, retails for $3.09 each, on sale BOGO made them $1.54 each
  • 1 bag of Way Better Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips, retails for $3.99, on sale for $3.29
  • 1 bag of Publix matchstick carrots, $1.89
  • Boar's Head Honey Mustard, $3.79
  • 3 Voskos Greek Yogurts, retails for $1.50 each, on sale for $1 each
    • Used a $1/3 coupon from the Publix Get A Jump On Good Health Booklet
    • Made them .67 cents each
  •  1 box of Bisquick Heart Smart Baking Mix, retails for $3.69
    • Used a .60 cents off coupon
    • Stacked with a $1 off Best Meals At Home Coupon from the in store display or in the weekly ad
    • Made it $2.09
  •  Boar's Head Spicy Cajan Mayo, $4.09
  • Onion, .73 cents
  • 1 loaf of Publix Bakery Ciabatta Bread. $4.49
  • 1 pint of blueberries, retails for $4.09, on sale for $2.99
How did you do this week? Inspire me (and everyone else) with your amazing savings and deals this week. Please link up directly to your specific post. Do not link up to your blog's home page, giveaways, or etsy shops please. You can also "like" Couponing & Cooking on Facebook too! I would love it if you would link back to this post or grab my button from the sidebar : )

Click below to link up your posts!



    Wednesday, January 16, 2013

    Organize Your New Year $150 Container Store Giveaway!


    I and 14 other bloggers are so excited to provide you with this opportunity to make one of your New Year Resolutions come true! We all want our organization to be pretty and sometimes that costs money so we are offering all of you the chance to win



    $150 to The Container Store!

    in our

    Here are the generous Bloggers that are participating in the wonderful giveaway to help you achieve your 2013 organization goals!





    Please note this contest is open for US and Canada residents only as it is the only place The Container Store Ships to. There are lots of ways to enter, there is something for everyone so come on get going! {It may take a minute for the Rafflecopter widget below to load}

    Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...