Tobins' Tastes: April 2013

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Saving Money On Meat With Zaycon Bulk Chicken: Our Experience


Right now through November Zaycon has Chicken Sale Events across the country. Check out their website to find out if there is one near you!

If you follow my weekly shopping/couponing posts, you may find yourself wondering why you don't see us purchasing meat very often. For one thing, we mostly only eat poultry (in fact I don't eat red meat at all). But for the most part, I was stocking up on chicken breasts and whole chickens and turkeys when they were on sale and storing it in our deep freezer. Check out my latest installment of the Stalk My Stockpile series on the contents of my deep freezer HERE.

A few months ago I wrote a post on our decision to try out Zaycon Foods bulk delivery service to order forty pounds of fresh chicken at $1.79 a pound. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts in South Florida usually retail for around $3.99 a pound. Publix puts it on sale for $2.99 a pound about once a month and only a few times a year do they have a sale for $1.99 a pound. I know that many discount stores and Sam's do regularly price their chicken breasts at $1.99 a pound but we personally find that the quality of the chicken isn't quite what we prefer.



So we decided to try Zaycon to get a better price and a better quality all at the same time. Even though I had heard nothing but great things about them, I as still a little hesitant to place an order. I scoured the internet for other peoples' Zaycon experiences and while I found some good reviews I still had a lot of questions.

For one thing, what does a forty pound box of raw chicken even look like? What if it wasn't the quality we were use to? What if we hated it? How much work would we actually have to do to get the chicken into portions that worked for us? Would we regret it?


Here is the short version: It looks exactly as gross as you would expect it to. It was the best quality chicken we have ever bought. We love it. It took about an hour and a half. No regrets, ordering again next time.

Didn't get all of that? Keep reading for the specifics.

The whole process was much simpler than I originally expected. In February, when Zaycon announced a boneless, skinless, chicken breast sale in South Florida I placed our order right away. I had tried to order chicken once before but the event sold out before I could place our order. This time I got right on it. I paid in full for the order online and the total came to $71.60. While that is more than we spend on groceries in a week, I justified the expense knowing how much we would save in the long run. I saved our excess grocery cash from a few weeks to pay for the order out of normal cash grocery budget.

This is a 9x13 pan for scale

I received a confirmation email and a few reminders in the month and a half between placing my order and my pick up date. On the delivery day, we drove to the local pick up site at our assigned time and there we found a large refrigerated truck and two very nice Zaycon workers. We gave them our name, opened our truck and they laid down a piece of plastic sheeting to protect the car, gave us our chicken and that was it. The whole thing took less than five minutes.

Once we got home, we opened our box to find four large plastic bags each filled with 10 pounds of fresh, never frozen chicken breasts. These were the largest whole chicken breasts I have ever seen. They are directly from the processing facility so the two breasts were still connected by fat so we had to do a little work to get them looking more like what you would find in the grocery store.

It took us about an hour and a half to cut the breasts apart, trim the little bit of excess fat they had on them and then FoodSaver them into portions and cuts that we use on a regular basis. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy the whole process was and all in all they had very little fat on them that needed to be trimmed. We froze the individual portions and now have a freezer full of chicken that is prepped and cut to our preferences.


It has been so nice not to have to worry about budgeting for meat each week and it has been so easy to just take out and defrost what we need each week as we plan our meals.  All in all, I found the chicken we got from Zaycon to not only be cheaper but much higher quality than what we typically buy in our grocery store. It  tastes amazingly fresh even out of the freezer and I don't think that we will buy chicken any other way in the future.

Zaycon doesn't currently have any fresh chicken sales going on right now but they do currently have events going on for hickory smoked bacon, Polish kielbasa sausage, bacon wrapped pork filets, Gold Medal beef franks, and pork loin meaty back ribs. Visit their website for more details.

Have you ordered from Zaycon before? What was your experience? 

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Mealtime Monday Recipe Link Up & Features {#52}

Couponing and Cooking
 
Happy 1st Birthday Mealtime Monday! I can't believe that it is has been a whole year since I officially started this link up! I want to thank you all for helping to make this weekly party so much fun. I truly love seeing what you all link up each week and I am so grateful for each and everyone one of you who stop by each week join in the party.

I am looking forward to the school year winding down and I can't wait to have more time to blog, coupon and experiment in the kitchen. I am so excited for the plans I have for Couponing & Cooking and I just need to get the next few weeks of end of the year craziness and two weddings before I can officially kick of my summer break!

I'm giving away a $25 Publix gift card this week so make sure to stop by and enter! 

This week's features are delicious looking so make sure to stop by and show them some love!



Strawberry Goat Cheese Quinoa Salad 

 

Butter With a Side of Bread: Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Dip 


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! 
 

Friday, April 26, 2013

Weekly Shopping Totals Link Up: Spent $9 On $117 Worth Of Groceries



This week was an amazing week for me at Publix. I haven't had a trip like this in a long time. I wasn't overly impressed with the current sale ad but as I went though my coupons I realized that I had a lot of high value and FREE product coupons that were expiring soon so I decided to sit down and make a plan to take advantage of them.

I was excited to see the Fresh Savings Event coupons in my stores as well as the Buy Ours, Get Theirs Free promo so I took advantage of those deals as well. Since we had some unexpected car expenses this week our grocery budget was pretty much next to nothing so I very grateful to have a $25 gift card to lower my out of pocket expenses. 

I actually planned this trip down to the last penny since I wanted to be able to do three transactions (which I pretty much never do) and use three $5/$30 Winn Dixie coupons. I was actually able to break it up correctly and I breathed a sigh of relief when all my transactions come to a few dollars over $30 before coupons each. 

It was good to stock up on paper products, razors, eggs, Greek yogurt, snacks and our basics of salad, veggies and milk. Today's trip really shows why it is good to take advantage of things like in store coupon promotions, signing up for coupon booklets and paying attention to facebook promos

Breakdown of Thursday's Publix Trip:
Total retail value: $117.28
Total spent after coupons and gift card: $8.85
Total saved without gift card: $83.43
Total saved with gift card: $108.43
Percent saved before gift card: 71%
Percent saved after gift card: 95%

What I got with sale/coupon match ups:
  • Men's Schick Hydro 5 Razor, retails for $9.99 (I was excited to find one with 2 bonus cartridges!)
    • Used a FREE product coupon mailed to me after signing up on Facebook
    • Made it FREE
  • 1 tub of Yucatan Guacamole, retails for $5.49
    • Used a FREE product coupon from Facebook
    • Made it FREE
  • 2 Women's Schick Hydro Silk Razors, retails for $10.99 each
    • Used two $5 off coupons from being a BzzAgent or you could use a $4 one from teh 3/24 SS
    • Stacked with two $3 off coupons from the Publix Green Ad. Flyer
    • Made them $2.99 each
  • 12 count package of big roll Charmin Sensitive Toilet Paper, retails for $9.25
    • Used a $2 off any Charmin Sensitive TP that was mailed to me by signing up for a flash Facebook promo
    • Made it $7.25
  • 1 tub of Charmin Freshmates, retails for $2.69, on sale for $2.41
    • Used a $1.50 off from a Chamin Facebook promo
    • Stacked with FREE product coupon WYB Charmin Toilet Paper Stocking Spree Publix coupon
    • Made it FREE plus a $1.50 moneymaker
  • 1 six count package of Big Roll Bounty Paper Towels, retails for $10.99, on sale for $6.99
    • Used a .25 cents off coupon from the April P&G
    • Made them $6.74
  • 1 package of Bounty napkins, retails for $1.99 
    • Used a FREE product coupon WYB Bounty Paper Towels from the Publix Stocking Spree booklet
    • Made them FREE
  • 2 boxes of Betty Crocker Muffin Mix, retails for $2.79
    • Used a .75/2 coupon from the 3.24 SS
    • Made them $2.41 each
  • 2 dozen Publix eggs, retails for $1.99 each
  • 2 bags of Quaker Popped Rice Snacks, retails for $2.99 each, on sale BOGO ($1.50 each)
    • Used two .55 cents off coupons from the 4/14 RP
    • Made them .95 cents each
  • 1 box of Tetley Green Tea Bags, retails for $3.99, on sale for $2.50
  • 1 tub of Fresh Attitudes Baby Spinach, retails for $3.09, on sale for $2.00
  • 4 Stoneyfield Organics Okios Yogurts, retails for $1.50 each, on sale for $1 each
  • 5 Dannon Okios Greek Yogurts, retails for $1.20 each, on sale for $1.00 each
    • Used a $1/5 blinkie coupon
    • Made them .80 cents each
  • 1 half gallon of Smart Balance Milk, retails for $3.79 on sale for $2.50
    • Used a $1.00 off coupon from the 4/14 SS
    • Made it $1.50
  • 3 Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits, retails for $2.29 each, on sale for $1.00 each
    • Used a .40/2 coupon
    • Made them .87 cents each
  • 1 bag of Planter's Trail Mix, retails for $2.49
  • 1 bag of Publix Trail Mix, retails for $2.00
  • 1 bag of Publix baby carrots, retails for $1.79, on sale for $1.00
  • Used three $5/$30 Winn Dixie coupons in three separate transactions

 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!





Thursday, April 25, 2013

Publix Fresh Savings Event & A $25 Publix Gift Card

One of things I constantly get asked is how to find coupons on meat, fruits, veggies and other fresh foods. If you are looking for ways to save on items like these then you are going to be very excited about Publix's current Fresh Savings event. 

Starting on April 24th and going on until May 8th at Publix you can save money on items like bagged salad, fresh chicken, eggs, meat, fruit and bakery bread  why you buy certain name brand products. I found a display board in a few of my local Publix stores and you can also find these same coupons on the back page of this week's sale ad. (also available in stores).

You can check out Publix's Fresh Savings website for more details and hopefully these coupons will also be available for print from Publix's Everyday Saver page too.


The coupons that are available as part of this awesome promo are:
  •  $1 off Publix Large Eggs Dozen wyb Betty Crocker Premium Muffin Mix, 15.2 to 18.25 oz
  •  $2 off Fresh Chicken Breast wyb Hellmann’s Mayonnaise 22 to 48 oz
  • 1 off Fresh Meat wyb Progresso Bread Crumbs 15 oz
  • $3 off Fresh Fruit wyb 2 Quaker Instant Oatmeal, 10.9 to 16.2 oz
  •  $2 off Publix Bagged Salad wyb Wish-Bone Dressing
  • $2 off Publix Bakery Bread wyb Frito Lay Classic Mix Variety Pack 20 ct
  • Free Publix Shredded Cheese 6 to 8 oz wyb one each of specific Ragu, Pillsbury, and Pepsi Products (this one is advertised in the weekly ad and doesn't need a coupon)
Check out my weekly shopping post to see how I used one of the coupons to save on eggs today! Make sure you take advantage of these amazing savings before the Fresh Savings Event ends on May 8th.
And to help you save even more on your grocery bill, one lucky Couponing & Cooking reader is going to win a $25 Publix gift card! To enter use the Rafflecopter widget below (be patient because it can take a few seconds to load). This giveaway will end at Midnight on Friday May 3rd so make sure and enter today!


Disclosure: The information and gift pack were provided by Publix® through MyBlogSpark.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Mealtime Monday Recipe Link Up & Features {#51}

Couponing and Cooking

What a week. I pray that all of you and your families are safe and sound and have been able to spend the weekend relaxing and decompressing from all that has gone on in the last few days. My thoughts have been with those in Boston and Texas all week and I am looking forward to what will hopefully a quiet and peaceful week ahead.

On a positive note, tomorrow is senior skip day at the school I work at and since I teach almost all seniors my day is going to be very productive : ) Last week was our biggest link up ever! And I can't wait for this week's party to be even better!

This week's delicious looking features:

 

 

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! 
 

Friday, April 19, 2013

Weekly Shopping Totals Link Up: Saved 80% on $100 Worth At Publix



I want to start out with a story that is just one of the one million reasons Publix is my grocery store of choice. Today it started pouring while I was doing my shopping. Like torrential downpour. I was standing under the overhang outside of Publix waiting for the rain to subside when one of the Publix employees came up to me and told me that he would stay with my cart while I went to get my car. When I pulled my car up, he proceeded to load all my groceries into the car without me having to get out at all. Top that off by the fact that I saved close to $80 today and it is clear to see why my blood boils when people tell me they shop at Walmart because it's cheaper.

Today was a stocking up on basics trip for me. Every single thing I bought was either on sale, had a coupon for it or both. I got tons of stuff for under a dollar!

There were a few deals that store I went to was out of so I hope to hit up Publix Sunday to grab the Nivea Shave Gel deal, and to look for a few more Schick Hydro razors too.I just barely spent over $60 before coupons so I could use $5/$30 Winn Dixie coupons.

I am waiting for the Fresh Savings event to start in a few days to do my $25 Publix gift card giveaway post so stay tuned for that soon. Check out my post on what's in our deep freezers to see what I have on hand to supplement my weekly shopping trips to make our meals each week. Want to know why you rarely see me buy meat? Check out my post on Zaycon chicken! 

Breakdown of today's shopping trip:
Total retail value: $98.08
Total spent: $20.27
Total saved: $77.81
Percent saved: 80%

What I got with sale/coupon match ups:
  •  1 Nivea Lip Butter, retails for $3.99, on sale for $2.00
  •  2 boxes of Club Crackers, retails for $3.99 each, on sale BOGO (Made them $1.99 each)
    • Used a $1/2 coupon from the 3/24 RP
    • Made them $1.49 a box
  •  1 dozen Publix eggs, retails for $1.99
    • Used a peelie coupon for FREE eggs WYB 2 Keebler Crackers (Club Crackers) worth up to $1.80
    • Made them .19 cents
  •  3 (32 count) packages of Sunlight Dish Detergent SingleDose Power Packs, retails for $5.99 each, on sale for $2.99 each
  •  1 jar of Smuckers Raspberry Preserves, retails for $4.25, on sale for $2.50
  •  6 bottles of Zephryhills Sparkling Water, retails for .99 cents each, on sale for .67 cents each
    • Used three $1/2 hang tag coupons
    • Made them .17 cents each
  •  1 packages of Sunsweet Plum Amazins, retails for $2.39, on sale for $1.79
  •  2 canisters of Quaker Oatmeal, retails for $2.93 each, on sale BOGO
  •  2 boxes of Ronzoni Pasta Portions, retails for $1.49 each, on sale BOGO
    • Used a $1/2 coupon from the 3/24 SS
    • Made them .24 cents each
  •  2 bags of Fresh Express Salad, retails for $4.09 each, on sale BOGO
  •  2 bags of Craisins, retails for $3.79 each, on sale BOGO made them $1.89 each
  • 1 Schick Hydro Silk Razor, retails for $10.99
    • Used a $5 off coupon from being a BzzAgent or you could use a $4 one from the 3/24 SS
    • Stacked with a $3 Publix coupon from the Green Ad. Flyer
    • Earned a .75 cents Ibotta deposit 
    • Made it $2.24
  •  3 Chobani Greek Yogurts, retails for $1.25 each, on sale for $1 each
  •  2 cans of Le Sueur Peas, retails for $1.81 each, on sale for $1 each
  • 2 bags of Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps, retails for $3.29 each, on sale for $1.65 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!






Thursday, April 18, 2013

25 Homemade Pizza Recipes


Wanna know something weird about me? I didn't use to like pizza. When I was little it completely freaked me out. Maybe it had something to do with tomato sauce which I am still not a big fan of... However, I am now a HUGE fan of pizza.

While Justin and I love going out for pizza or ordering in from Papa John's, we also really love making our own pizzas. We use it as a stay at home date night and love experimenting with different homemade doughs and toppings. So in honor of our love for homemade pizza here is a round up of my favorite online recipes!

These photos are not mine but I have rounded them up for you to enjoy. If you want to pin an individual recipe or specific photo please click through to the original post and share from there. If you want to pin this post and the entire collection just pin the collage above!





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