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Frugal Novice

This Giveaway is Flatout Amazing – $50 to Walgreens!

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Flatout_Cart

You probably saw my Hungry Girl Flatouts post from the other day – and if you haven’t, be sure to take a look for two delicious recipes! Well, thanks to Flatouts I’m getting to host a great giveaway for a $50 gift card to Walgreens!

walgreens_gc

 

It’s super easy to enter – just use the Rafflecopter below!

This contest is open to all U.S. residents aged 18+. Entries will be accepted until the end of the day (midnight Central) Monday, March 4. By entering this giveaway you agree to the Official Rules.

Note: I am participating in the Flatouts program with The Motherhood. I have been compensated for my time.  All thoughts and opinions are honest and are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Healthy Sandwich Recipes with Hungry Girl Flatouts

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We eat a lot of sandwiches around our house, especially now that I’m trying to make a concerted effort to eat healthier. It can be easy to fall into the rut of eating the same sandwich over and over again… but I’ve been inspired to try something new with Hungry Girl Flatouts.

One thing I love about the flatouts is that they’re available at Walgreens, so I could run in quickly and buy ingredients without having to make a long trip to the grocery store. Of course, these are popular… the first Walgreens I went to was ALL OUT!

FlatoutsGone

 

I wasn’t about to give up, though, so I went over to another location and found some – yay!

Walgreens

FlatoutShelf

 

There are several flavors available, but our store only had the rosemary & olive oil variety. I happen to love rosemary, so that was fine by me! I was looking forward to adding new flavors, and rosemary isn’t something I typically get with a standard-fare sandwich.

Flatout_Cart

Once I had my flatouts, I went ahead and grabbed some other ingredients for my sandwiches. I had never realized before how many staple items are available at Walgreens, by the way – I was able to find quite a few things I needed!

DeliChickenStore

TomatoPaste_Store

Spices

 

We decided to try out a couple of different ideas for sandwiches, to add a little creativity and variety. It was a lot of fun, and I think we came up with some really tasty creations.

First, we came up with a basil chicken sandwich – SO easy and packed with flavor. The ingredients for this sandwich are:

  • Rosemary & Olive Oil Flatouts
  • Mayo
  • Basil
  • Deli Chicken
  • Tomato Paste
  • Shredded Italian blend cheese
  • Italian Seasoning

Supplies

First I made a quick basil aioli by blending olive oil mayonnaise with fresh basil:

 

 

 

BasilAioliBowl

I spread that on the flatouts, then topped with cheese and then the chicken:

Sandwich_goatcheese

 

SandwichChicken

Then, for a little extra punch, I spread a thin layer of tomato paste and sprinkled some Italian seasoning.

Sandwich_TomatoPaste

 

That’s it – SO easy! You could add some baby greens too, if you wanted, but I think it was really good as it was:

ColdSandwichCompleted

 

Then we decided to make a hot sandwich. Since we LOVE breakfast for dinner, it was only fitting that we made a breakfast sandwich. We added scrambled eggs and bacon, and for a twist we used goat cheese spread on the flatouts. Yum!

GoatCheese

 

Sandwich_goatcheese

 

SandwichesAssembled

 

I popped the sandwiches in the toaster oven to warm everything through, and give the flatouts a nice crunchy finish:

SandwichesCooking

 

 

 

 

FlatoutHotSandwich

 

We loved these! Brian said the crunchiness of the toasted flatout really added to the sandwich, and the goat cheese was a nice, unique flavor with the eggs, bacon, and rosemary from the bread.

Brian_Flatout

 

Note: I am participating in the Flatouts program with The Motherhood. I have been compensated for my time.  All thoughts and opinions are honest and are my own.

 

 

 

 

Great Value Valentine’s Baking Party Recap

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We had the best time at our baking party! These Great Value parties are starting a tradition I think we’ll continue for a long time. It’s a great, inexpensive get-together that allows quality time with the kids and creativity (plus the ability to enjoy the finished product)!

Our party was Saturday morning, so I got up and got everything prepared.

CookieSupplies

Think I have enough heart-shaped cookie cutters? I love my little collection, and they were perfect for the party.

Kids_CookieDough

 

First we let the kids make the chocolate chip cookies. This was a fun and easy way to get them involved – I just cut slices of Great Value cookie dough and put them on each child’s plate, and then we had them roll them up into balls to put on the cookie sheet.

Next we got out the sugar cookie dough and used the cookie cutters to make heart shapes for our stained glass cookies. I will say, in hindsight, that we should’ve added a little flour to the dough so the cookies didn’t spread as much after cutting out the dough. But they still turned out cute, and the kids (and the moms!) had a lot of fun. We sprinkled bits and pieces of broken hard candies  into the cutouts:

Kristi_Cookies  Cookies_Candy

Here’s the finished product – the kids thought they were beautiful, and they tasted delicious.:

Cookie_CandyCenter

 

Once the chocolate chip cookies came out of the oven, we quickly added chocolate hearts to give them a Valentine look (and who doesn’t like a little extra chocolate for Valentine’s Day?) – these were SO good!

Jocelyn_Chocolates

 

Cookies_Chocolates

 

Once we finished all the cookies, we let the kids play while the moms made pies and tarts. We used Great Value pie crust and the cookie cutters to make our pies heart-shaped, of course. For the filling we just used frozen berries (thawed) and strawberry preserves. By using the Great Value brand products, we were able to make our pies for less than $10!

Jen_Pies   PiesTarts

Pie_Uncooked

 

PieCooked

These were SO good!! In fact, I bought more supplies and am going to make pies tomorrow night to take up to work for Valentine’s Day. They would make a great gift, and the flavor combination possibilities are abundant!

As you can see, we had another fun and tasty Great Value baking party – I can’t wait to see what products our spring baking party will feature… time to get planning!

For more fun baking party posts, check out these blogs:

Note: I am participating in the Great Value program with The Motherhood. I have been compensated for my time.  All thoughts and opinions are honest and are my own.

 

LOVE to Bake with Great Value!

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Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! We’re going to bake some fun Valentine’s goodies this weekend with friends at our Great Value baking party and I’m looking forward to trying out some new and creative ideas! We’re going to make two different kinds of easy but creative cookies, and then we’re going to make mini heart-shaped mixed-berry pies. Fun and sweet!

First we’re dressing up some standard sugar cookies, and it’s incredibly easy since we’ll be using the Great Value sugar cookie dough. All we’ll have to do is cut out another heart out of the center of a larger heart-shaped piece of cookie dough (we’ll use the cutouts to make some iced sugar cookies) and then in the hole place two hard candies. Bake as the package directs, and voila! Stained glass cookies.

StainGlassHeartCookies

Another easy cookie idea – we’re taking Great Value chocolate chip cookie dough and adding chocolate hearts to make them a special sweet treat. They’ll look like this, only the ones in this picture are made with peanut butter dough. This would be a great little gift for neighbors or for your kids’ teachers! I think we’ll be using them to put in our boys’ lunches for dessert next week building up to Valentine’s Day.

CookiesHeartChocolates

Of course, I mentioned that we’ll be doing pies, too. I’m not following a particular recipe for these. I bought some Great Value pie crusts and frozen berries, and some strawberry preserves to make a nice berry pie – yum!

GreatValue_PieCrust   GreatValue_Berries

We’ll just use cookie cutters to cut out two large heart shapes, fill with some berries and preserves, and press the edges together using a fork. I got some decorating sugar to sprinkle on top of these to give them a little sparkle. Couldn’t be easier, and I think they’ll turn out adorably! I am thinking about packaging these with cellophane & ribbon and putting a tag that says “You’re Berry Sweet!”

I think this will be so fun and can’t wait to share the results with you! What kind of treats do you like to make for Valentine’s Day?

 

Note: I am participating in the Great Value program with The Motherhood. I have been compensated for my time.  All thoughts and opinions are honest and are my own.

 

Listerine 21-Day Challenge: Getting Our Mouths ULTRACLEAN!

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I’ve always felt like I have good oral hygiene. I brush my teeth twice a day, after all. But then I read that brushing alone misses 75% of your mouth.  Can you believe it? I was shocked. I’m determined for our whole family to take great care of our teeth, so we are taking part in the Listerine 21-Day Challenge.

Listerine2

Right now our oral care routine is pretty simple – brushing our teeth twice a day, with occasional flossing. AND, I recently learned we weren’t brushing our teeth for nearly long enough each time – you’re supposed to brush for two minutes minimum, which feels like a long time. So we definitely have some work to do!

Here are some tips we learned for adults:

  • Keep your bottle of mouthwash in a visible spot in the bathroom (out of reach of the children) along with your toothbrush and a rinsing cup so that you remember to rinse twice a day.
  • Give it time. It can take up to three weeks to form a healthy habit (hence the 21 day challenge!) – stick with it, and let the results motivate you to keep it a part of your daily routine.

And here are a couple of tips for kids:

  • Make oral care fun – turn flossing into a funny-face contest, or make brushing a “Simon Says” game by calling out different parts of the mouth.
  • Play your kids’ favorite music to help them brush and rinse as long as they should!
  • Reward healthy behavior. Offer rewards for achieving brushing, flossing and rinsing goals.

Listerine5

As we participate in the Listerine 21-Day Challenge we will make sure we’re brushing the full two minutes, but more importantly we’re going to start using Listerine mouthwash. By using that, we can clean virtually 100 percent of our mouths. I am so glad we’re doing this early on with the kids so that they develop GREAT habits at a young age! Our boys are 3 & 5, and playing is MUCH more appealing than hygiene to them right now, but we want them to understand the importance of taking good care of themselves.

The boys are super excited to use their Phineas and Ferb mouthwash, and Brian and I love the clean feel we get after using the ULTRACLEAN mouthwash. It’s so nice to know our mouths are truly clean after using it!

Listerine3

What’s your oral care routine like? Do you use mouthwash, or do you just brush your teeth? I hope you’ll join in and participate too – a healthier, cleaner mouth is waiting for you! You can sign up to participate at www.facebook.com/listerine – for every person who signs up for the challenge, the Listerine brand will make a contribution to help Oral Health America’s “Smiles Across America” program toward their goal of connecting 210,000 children with needed oral health services in 2013.

Some other facts to consider:

• There are more germs in your mouth than there are people on earth!

• Oral disease is now the most chronic childhood illness in the U.S.

• More than 51 million school hours and 164 million work hours are lost each year due to dental disease.

It’s easy to see how important it is to take good care of your mouth. I’ll be checking in during our 21-Day challenge (we started on the first to make it easy to keep track) and letting you know how it’s going – and I’d love to hear from you, too!

Note: I received products from Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Products Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. and The Motherhood as part of my participation in the LISTERINE 21 Day Challenge. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are honest and are my own.

Wordless Wednesday: Baby E

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“What you talkin’ ’bout, Willis?”

WordlessWednesday

Shari’s Berries Make a Sweet Valentine’s Gift!

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SharisBoxesI am one of those that LOVES Valentine’s Day. It can be hard to come up with a good gift idea, especially for someone who has everything… and guys don’t really want a bouquet of flowers, so it can be difficult for girls to find gift ideas for the men in their lives.

Are you needing an idea too? Well, I’ve got one… check out the boxes in this photo and there’s your solution – Shari’s Berries! They have a ton of different items from chocolate covered strawberries, wine, nuts, cookies, cake, and more.

Edible Valentine’s gifts are a perfect choice, in my opinion. Who’s got room for a giant stuffed bear? Delicious treats from Shari’s Berries are something everyone can enjoy. I can imagine everyone from my kids to my grandma liking something from their site.

I got a chance to review some chocolate covered strawberries from Shari’s Berries, and I had them delivered to my office. Let me tell you, they were a hit with everyone! They came with a variety of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate – and there are some you can also select that have nuts and other toppings – yum!

The berries came well-packed and were in perfect condition. Doesn’t this photo make you want to dive right in?

SharisBerries_Dozen

We were all impressed with how juicy the strawberries were, especially for this time of year. And the strawberries are big, so they definitely feel like a decadent indulgence! I had two dozen strawberries, and they were gone within a matter of minutes – it just goes to show how much everyone – men and women alike – loved them!

SharisBerries_Bite

 

If you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day gift this year, be sure and check out Shari’s Berries for all of their many delicious choices. AND they have coupons very often – just click here to take a look!

Note: I received chocolate-covered strawberries to facilitate my review. I was not compensated monetarily. All opinions in this post are honest and my own.

 

 

Give a Personalized Gift this Valentine’s Day from CafePress.com!

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CafePress_Logo

I have always been a fan of Valentine’s Day. I think it’s great to have a day especially for showering love on people you care most about! It’s easier for me to think of things to give the kids, but sometimes it can be a challenge thinking of something for Brian. For one thing, he’a got specific interests and hobbies that might be hard to find gifts to fit! Thankfully Cafe Press has a ton of Valentine’s gift options available (and I can make something completely custom, too)!

I took a look at all the gifts for guys – they have everything from phone cases to messenger bags to cups and more!

CafePressForHimVday

 

My husband is a big gamer, so it’d be fun to find something that relates to video games for him! He’d love that a whole lot more than some generic box of chocolate from the store, for sure. I think everyone would prefer a personalized gift – it means more, don’t you think? I had fun looking through the “gifts for her” page – I’d love a custom necklace or bag!

CafePressForHerVday

 

I think it would be fun to pick something for the kids from CafePress too – a personalized stuffed animal would be really special! What would you get for your loved ones from CafePress?

Note: I received a promotional item as thanks for this post. All opinions are honest and are my own.

Barista Prima Coffee K-Cups Review

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IMG_0648 I’m not the coffee drinker in the house, so when I got an offer to review Barista Prima K-Cups, I knew Brian would be the one for the job. He loves coffee and is the official owner of our Keurig, so he’s a natural fit. He especially likes dark (REALLY dark) roasts, so I was curious what he’d think of this Italian Roast flavor. Here are his notes:

  • Pleasant aroma, not too strong or acrid, right amount of strength
  • Medium-dark color
  • Bold, but not bitter at all, very balanced and a clean finish to it. Not harsh at all compared to other k-cups for the Keurig, no taste of the plastic cup or chemicals, just coffee beans.
  • Great cup of coffee to sip on after dinner or later at night for those kind of coffee drinkers. Strong but smooth, hearty and flavorful!
  • Here is the link to the k-cup on their site: http://www.baristaprima.com/K-Cup%20Coffees/Italian%20Roast

He said it’s his favorite kind he’s tried so far, and we’re planning on purchasing more for him when we run out of what we’ve got. We would definitely recommend Barista Prima K-Cups!

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Note: We received K-Cups to facilitate this review. We did not receive monetary compensation. All opinions are honest and are our own.

It’s Been a While

It’s been fifteen days since I last posted. I think that’s a record – not that I was trying for one with my lapse.

It’s also been sixteen days since I started my new job. Correlation, maybe?

I love my job. It’s a perfect fit for me, the people are great, and the work environment couldn’t be nicer. Over the past two weeks I’ve been learning the ropes of designing two different magazines – one the first week, another the second – and whew, learning new things is exhausting. In a good way, but nonetheless it’s meant that I’m not left with much mental or physical energy to divert toward my blog as of late.

At first it felt counterintuitive to not post after selecting “purpose” for my word this year. Shouldn’t I be posting with greater fervor, with crafts and recipes galore? Maybe, if that were my purpose. But I’m reminding myself day in and out that my faith, family and friends are top priority. I adore blogging, and am about to have my three-year anniversary with the Frugal Novice (craziness)! I’m finding a balance with it this year, though. Balance was actually another word I considered for this year, but I think it can go hand-in-hand with purpose, so it’s kind of enveloped with my goals for 2013.

I do have some review posts coming up soon for products I received in 2012 (there are some really great things I think you’ll enjoy hearing about), another Great Value baking party in the works (these have been such a blast!), and DIY post on its way. My good friend Kristi has a daughter who was born just five days after E, and we’re doing headbands, onesies, and yes, even legwarmers for them for Valentine’s Day. Can’t wait to share the finished products with you!

Off to tackle a mountain of laundry while the children – yes, all three of them at once! – take naps. I hope you all have an amazing start to your week!

 

Transitioning

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KidsPJs

I couldn’t think of a good photo for this post, so I’m including a favorite one from Christmas – my attempt at a sweet PJ pic Christmas Eve night. Instead I got rolled eyes from C, a not-so-happy look from E, and J’s attempt at a convincing smile when all he wanted to do was unwrap one gift as promised. It makes me laugh every time I see it – love these kids!

Well, we’re only five days in to 2013 and I feel like it’s been a whirlwind of a year already.

I started a new job Thursday, designing magazines. I love what I’ll be doing, who I’ll be working for and with, and it’s in the same office space as my husband. I can’t see him from where I sit, but it’s still nice knowing he’s mere feet away – and we can carpool. So, I’ve only worked two days but it’s gotten off to a good start and I feel really good about the change. It was bittersweet leaving my old job, because there are a lot of people there who are wonderful and several who have become dear friends to me, but I feel confident this is the right path for me and for our family.

So, there was that change. And because I’m back to work in an office, that means baby E started day care. That was a rougher transition that starting a new job, although not nearly as traumatic as when J started back in 2008. I guess now I know from experience what a great nursery our day care has, and how well the kids have thrived there, so that helps. But still – as I walked away from her class that first day, there was a slight catch in my throat. She was fine, mind you. They said she did great and was her typical smiley self all day. I was smart and took her for a trial run the day before work began, so she could have a shorter day but I could still get that first day over with. It also helps that one of my great friend’s daughters is in the class with her, so I know she’ll have a little buddy there. When, y’know, they can actually interact with each other a little more than lying beside each other under the play mat arch. But still! BFFs in the making, I tell you.

Another transition is that our three year old, C, moved up to the “big kids” class. It’s the class he should’ve been in this past fall, but potty training challenges meant he was with the kids a few months younger than him. It was a blessing the way it worked out, because the teacher in that class was just what he needed, and he got to experience being a leader, which I think gave him a new level of confidence. Being a younger sibling to a very Type A older brother doesn’t give him a lot of chances to take the reins, and I think he really got to shine in that class. I really felt like it was time for him to move up, though. For one thing, the teacher he has now (whom I adore and think is really great) is much more strict, and I think his little three-year-old self could use some of that.

J’s still in his same class and is excited to be back with friends, which is a total 180 from the whiiiiiiiiiiining we heard on the way that first day – “I don’t waaaaaaaaaaant to go to school!” We’re trying to really make sure and enjoy this first half of 2013, while he hasn’t yet hit kindergarten and the new realms of big kidness. August will bring about a truly big transition for us, and I am trying to steel myself to prepare and not be a blubbering mess at my baby going off to school.

I haven’t blogged since New Year’s Eve, because we’ve been in the midst of adjusting to our new routine, and because I’m trying to really stick to my word – purpose. I want to be more present with the family when we have the opportunities to all be together and enjoy each other, so blogging has been pushed slightly to the back burner. I’ve still got a few commitments to fulfill so I’ll be taking care of those, and I do have some upcoming partnerships I’m excited about, but my hope is to write more posts like this. I’ve shied away from writing too much about our day to day life, because I’ve tried to post content that would be appealing to a broad audience, and I admittedly got swept up in a lot of product reviews. I’ll still do those from time to time (especially here at the beginning while completing agreements previously made) but you’ll notice a reduction in those, or at least more editorial content in proportion to those posts. Brian and I love to cook, and I’m trying to incorporate one new meal each week, so I hope to write more food-related posts this year, too. If you think of anything you want to see on this blog, let me know. I’m always looking for ideas!

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend, everyone.

My Word for 2013

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Last year I came across a blog that discussed the concept of selecting a word as your theme for the coming year. I loved the idea and decided to embrace it – my word for 2012 was give. I realized how blessed I was (and at that time I couldn’t even imagine the blessing-to-come in our daughter) and wanted to share that with others, both in resources and in time. It’s also vitally important to my husband and I that we teach our children to be givers as a natural instinct (something that can feel impossible with a 3- & 5-year-old). I’ve certainly still got room for improvement in that arena, and giving will be something I strive to continue, but I felt like it was a fitting word for the year. An unexpected lesson learned was to also be a gracious receiver. Sometimes I can be so enthusiastic to give that I might inadvertently rob someone else of the joy of giving, and I learned that receiving things wholeheartedly and joyfully can be a gift to others, too.

So, now I’m on the cusp of 2013 – it’s literally about an hour before it reaches us here in Texas – and I was struck today with my word for 2013. Honestly, up until this point I wasn’t entirely sure if I’d pick a word for the coming year, because nothing really spoke to me. Then, as I was thinking about a project I am hoping to tackle this year, I realized what my word should be:

Purpose.

photo-12It’s very easy for me – with family commitments, work commitments, and blogging commitments, among other things – to fall into autopilot mode. I rush through the morning to get us out the door on time. I mindlessly snack on things, sometimes without really even being hungry. In spare time, it’s quickly sucked away by aimlessly surfing Facebook or Pinterest. With regard to budget, it’s all-too-easy to fall off track and make impulse purchases that are, frankly, idiotic for our long-term goals.

So, I want to live with purpose this year. I want to keep my faith at my forefront. I want to think about what I say to those that mean most to me – especially my husband and kids – and make sure words are uplifting and encouraging. I want to think about what I say to those I don’t know, remembering that my interaction with them could very well make a difference in their day.

I want to be purposeful in what I eat and make healthier choices. I want to really think about items we purchase and decide if they’re worthwhile. I want us to spend our money in a way that benefits others that need it more than we do.

I want to be a more purposeful blogger, and write posts that really reflect what I think and what is going on with my life. I want to tackle a project I’m really excited about and act with purpose to follow through on bringing it to fruition.

My hope is that keeping purpose as my theme for this year will cause it to trickle down through every aspect of my life, so that I can live more fully, be there for others more often, love more deeply, be a better example of Christ, and become a better person as a result.

I almost finished this post with the sentence above, but realized that I ought to decide on a few specific actions to start implementing purpose from the start, since January 1 is looming.

  1. Go to bed earlier. I tend to stay up too late, making me tired and less effective. This will mean making better use of my time in the evenings, too.
  2. Get up earlier in the morning – early enough to allow time for a decent devotional and a brief workout, and to really focus on each of the kids without just rushing out the door. I want the start to their day to send them out the door feeling loved, valuable, and happy.
  3. Perform one purposeful, conscious act of kindness each day, whether big or small.
  4. Make, and stick to, a budget. Set a couple of goals for things to save toward for motivation. Set aside money specifically for giving, and let the kids help us think of creative ways to use that money to help others.
  5. Make a monthly meal plan and be better about shopping sales again to save money. Have a variety of meals (no more food ruts!) and incorporate plenty of veggies & fruits, even if I have to sneak them in for our five-year-old.

What is your word for 2013? And do you have any advice for me on really committing to purpose? 

Whatever your word, or your goals, or your hopes and dreams for 2013 are, I hope it’s a year of blessings and growth for you. For safety and happiness, for joy, and for memories made with those you love.