Foodie Tuesday Recipe: Mexican chicken sandwiches

First of all, I hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend! I know I did.
We have been completely re-doing our house in preparation for baby girl to come (only 10 more weeks! Yikes!). It's a disaster zone around here.
I'll post pictures soon, I promise.

Second of all, sorry for the post overload! I took the weekend off and am playing catch up for now. Hopefully we'll get back on track pretty soon :)

Thirdly...ready for another amazing recipe?!?!

Welcome back to Foodie Tuesday! I'm excited about this recipe. It's easy, delish, and looks impressive.

My mom found this original recipe HERE and gave it to me. I actually follow this one pretty closely, simply because it needs no tweaking! Here it is:

Mexican Chicken Sandwiches

Here's what you need:

1 1/2T Vegetable or olive oil

1 Cloves garlic minced, or 1/4t garlic powder

2t Chili powder

1/4t Cayenne pepper (optional)

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 1/2C shredded cheese, divided

1/3C Mayo

4 Slices french or sourdough bread

1/2C Chunky salsa

Simple enough.

Here's what you do:

Combine oil, garlic, chili powder and pepper into a small bowl. Combine 1C cheese and the mayo into a second small bowl. Set aside.

With this meal, a little chicken goes a long way. 

I got some amazing chicken for a great deal the other day (remember this post?). It was super thick, so I actually sliced my chicken in half through the middle, making "two" chicken breasts!

Take your oil mixture and spread it on both sides of your chicken.

Cook your chicken on a preheated grill, or you can broil it (like I did). 

I broiled for about 5 minutes on each side, then turned it on low broil and let it cook until it was done.

Meanwhile, get your bread ready.

I use french bread (which was perfect because I price-matched it for $0.88 the other day!) but you can use any thick bread you like. 

For smaller sandwiches you can cut it this way...

But I prefer to cut it this way...

Toast your bread on your grill or broiler for a few minutes. This is important so it doesn't get soggy!

Once toasted, spread the mayo/cheese mixture on one side of the bread. Return to the grill or broiler, cheese side up, and cook it for about 2 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and melted.

Place your cooked chicken on top of the cheesy bread, top with salsa, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and there you go! An amazing, quick, cheap, easy, and DELISH meal. Oh, and it's really pretty too!

I like to top mine with fresh lime. You could also add cilantro.

Top with my favorite (and oh-so-easy) pico salsa (recipe found HERE), or you can eat it on the side. It's honestly so good, you've got to try it!

I hope you enjoy, and have a great Foodie Tuesday :)

FREE coupon class. I'm attending, want to join?

You all know by now that I am not an enormous fan of coupon-ing. (Remember THIS recent post?) 

However, I feel it is always important to become knowledgeable on as many things as possible...especially when it comes to saving money!

I found this FREE coupon class that I will be attending this Friday. Thought I'd share it with you in case any of my other Utah friends want to join! If you are unable to attend I promise to still share some of my newly-learned tips with you. :)

Hope to see you there!

California and Nevada newspaper deals...great for coupons!

Found this great deal on mamasonadime and thought I'd share some love to my CA and NV friends out there!

California and Nevada Newspaper Deals Posted: 26 May 2011 12:02 PM PDT Do you live in California or Nevada and want to start couponing? One of the best ways is to get multiple copies of the Sunday newspaper. Check out the deals below so you can get started now! Southern California- ____________________________ The Orange County Register (Delivery in Orange County, AND in cities bordering  Orange County on the North): If you are a current subscriber- 1 Sunday paper ADDED-ON each week:  (.19 PER WEEK) 52 weeks for $9.77 2 Sunday papers ADDED-ON each week: (.38 PER WEEK) 52 weeks for $19.54 3 Sunday papers ADDED-ON each week: (.57 PER WEEK) 52 weeks for $29.31 4 Sunday papers ADDED-ON each week: (.66 PER WEEK) 52 weeks for $39.08 5 Sunday papers ADDED-ON each week: (.87 PER WEEK) 52 weeks for $48.85 If you do not already subscribe- 1 Sunday paper each week:  (.38 PER WEEK) 52 weeks for $19.54 2 Sunday papers each week: (.57 PER WEEK) 52 weeks for $29.31 3 Sunday papers each week: (.66 PER WEEK) 52 weeks for $39.08 4 Sunday papers each week: (.87 PER WEEK) 52 weeks for $45.85 5 Sunday papers each week: ($1.06 PER WEEK) 52 weeks for $55.62 ____________________________ Northern California- ____________________________ The Sacramento Bee (Delivery in the Following Counties: Sacramento, Yolo, Sutter, Colusa, Yuba, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado and Amador): 1 Sunday paper each week:  (.38/wk) 52 weeks for $19.99 2 Sunday papers each week: (.77/wk) 52 weeks for $39.98 3 Sunday papers each week: (.96/wk) 52 weeks for $59.97 4 Sunday papers each week: ($1.25/wk) 52 weeks for $79.96 5 Sunday papers each week: ($1.54/wk) 52 weeks for $99.95 ____________________________ Nevada- ____________________________ The Las Vegas Review Journal (Delivery in Clark County Only) (*Max 5 Total) If you are a current subscriber- 1 Sunday paper ADDED-ON each week:  (.75 per Sun paper) 26 weeks for $19.50 2 Sunday papers ADDED-ON each week: (.75 per Sun paper) 26 weeks for $38.00 3 Sunday papers ADDED-ON each week: (.75 per Sun paper) 26 weeks for $57.50 4 Sunday papers ADDED-ON each week: (.68 per Sun paper!) 26 weeks for $77.00 If you do not already subscribe- 1 Sunday paper each week:  ($1.75 per Sun paper) 26 weeks for $40.50 2 Sunday papers each week: ($1.15 per Sun paper) 26 weeks for $60 3 Sunday papers each week: ($1.02 per Sun paper) 26 weeks for $79.50 4 Sunday papers each week: (.89 per Sun paper!) 26 weeks for 5 Sunday papers each week: (.86 per Sun paper!) 26 weeks

More FREE printables for a cute lemonade stand!

Ok, these are super cute too...just had to share. Take advantage of these FREE printables by clicking HERE

Enjoy!

Einstein Bagel Bro's coupons!

I usually post these on my coupons & deals page, but we all love bagels so I thought I'd share on this site instead!
Here you go, click HERE to print!

FREE princess party printables!

Everyone likes a party, right? Well, why not get some free cute, cute, cute princess printables for your next little girl party! Click HERE to get yours FREE.

Enjoy!

Happy Memorial Day!

In case you haven't noticed, I've been taking a break this weekend...and you should too! I hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day, and I'll talk to you again tomorrow.

Tata!

Coupon clipping vs. deal shopping

I know today is "Friend Feature Friday" but I'm going to switch it up a bit and talk about an interesting subject, since I found this awesome video I wanted to share (see bottom of post)....

Coupon clipping vs. Deal shopping

 Duhn, duhn, duuuuuuhn!

Many of you might know by now that I am not a fan of coupon-ing. I haven't caught "the bug" that many people have. The reasons I choose not to coupon-clip when buying groceries are:

1. It takes too much time for my taste.
2. I don't really like grocery shopping anyway, and REALLY don't want to have to go to multiple stores, multiple times a week (plus, we only have one car right now so my time with a car is very valuable to me any more!).
3. I don't buy name-brand items because I can typically find no-name items cheaper.
4. Most of the items you get with coupons are pantry or freezer items and are full of preservatives and unhealthy additives.
5. You can save a ton on non-food items, but you have to store them, and end up with a lot of stuff that you would never need or would never buy if you didn't have a coupon in the first place.

(BOO! Hiss!!) 

I know many of you completely disagree with me, but that's simply MY opinion that I've gathered from MY own experiences. If coupon-ing works for you, great! Keep going!

I choose to PRICE-MATCH and DEAL SHOP instead. See how I do it HERE. By deal shopping I mean: 

• buying bulk, 
• stocking up when on sale, 
• buying items for price (thus disregarding brand most of the time)
• price-matching at one store so I get the best deals in one stop, 
• and buying only what I need.

I've talked a lot about price-matching and deal shopping before (remember THESE posts?). The reason I like deal shopping is:

1. It's easier for me to plan my meals around the foods I buy when I deal shop.
2. I tend to save the most on produce, protein, and fresh and healthy items.
3. I only have to shop once or twice a month and spend only about 5-10 minutes in prep time.
4. Some storing of extra items is required, but nothing like the storage space you need when coupon-ing.
5. My family is small so I don't need all the extra stuff. Maybe my mind would change if I had a family of 6.

FOR EXAMPLE...
I just went to Wal Mart yesterday to get a few items. Through price matching (I used dealstomeals.com) I  spent about 3-4 minutes on the computer before I left, and saved a bundle by getting:

• CHICKEN (fresh, not frozen in bags): Regularly $1.99/lb, price matched for $1.59/lb (this is an amazing deal, stock up!!)
• Savings: $4.80
• FRENCH BREAD: Regularly $1.50/loaf, price-matched for $0.88/loaf
• Savings: $1.24
• CILANTRO: Regularly $0.50ea (or more), price-matched for 6 for $1
• Savings: $2.04
• WATERMELLON: Regularly $4.95ea, price-matched for 9lb for $0.99
• Savings: $4.13

I only needed a few things, only went to one store, spent less than 5 minutes preparing, and saved a quick $12.21 on only 4 items! 

Everyone has their own opinions, but I have found deal shopping to be a great fit for my lifestyle, my interest level in shopping, and for my family. 

How do YOU prefer to shop?? I'd love to hear it! Email me at funcheaporfree@gmail.com or leave a comment, you might just get featured on Friend Feature Friday!

Click HERE (or watch below) to see an interesting video that might just change your mind on the way you shop. Which shopper do you think got the better deal??

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Replay Thursday! Savings tip replay: Be assertive

Welcome back to Replay Thursday, where we "replay" a savings tip so you don't miss out on anything good!

Today's tip is one that I posted not too long ago, but I wanted to remind you all the importance of...

BE ASSERTIVE.

Click HERE for my post on ways to do this.

If you recall, this is the "A" of the F.A.C.T's that will help you become a Fun Cheap or Free Queen! To me, being assertive in terms of savings means:

• Ask, ask, ask, ask, ask. Asking questions, asking for opinions, asking for discounts, asking for deals, asking for refunds, ASK. It's being assertive and taking action by asking for things.

• Being confident. "Assume the sale" when asking for deals. Expect top quality when you are paying for something, even if you are getting a discount. You deserve the full quality of the item and you deserve the full worth of your deal...don't skimp or feel bad. Be confident!

• Trying. You never know until you try! I've used more expired coupons than I can count. I've gotten more random discounts on things than you can imagine. I've made money, won things, and gotten amazing deals...just by trying something! Enter contests, try new products and sites, try something even though you don't think it'll work. If it doesn't work, oh well!

The reason this has been on my mind lately is because I've had to be super assertive with a few things, and thought I'd remind you of how important it is! Here are my recent examples of how I've had to be assertive lately:

• We recently got our carpets cleaned. Even though it's been over a month, I called them and nicely asked them to come back and clean our living room because I feel like it's dirty again and it wasn't done well enough the first time. It was hard to do, but now I am satisfied with the results! Give them a chance to earn your business!

• I was shopping on fabric.com and noticed that the prices of some fabrics varied, depending on how I clicked on them. It was weird, but made a $2 per yard difference. That's huge in the fabric world! I called the corporate office, asked if I could get the lower price, and now they will honor it for me. It took a little time and effort but I was assertive and got the better deal!

• We've recently been getting letters of complaint from our HOA saying our dog is barking too much. We don't feel like our dog barks excessively, so we somewhat disregarded them at first. Then we got a $25 fine from HOA for excessive barking. I called animal control, got information on what is deemed "excessive barking", then wrote a (very nice but detailed) letter to the HOA - as well as called them - arguing our case. They now see that the complaints are exaggerated and have dropped all fines. It took some bravery, but now the HOA is on our side and the complaints have stopped!

• Months ago I bought a car detailing daily deal. It expired without my realizing it. I took it to the car place anyway, asked them nicely if they would still accept it, and they did! It took a little convincing, but I saved that money that otherwise would have been lost.

• I was price-matching some groceries at Wal Mart. He miscalculated some of the items at the top of my receipt. It was only about $4 worth of miscalculation, but I asked him nicely to fix it anyway. It took a few extra minutes but that $4 is mine, and you always deserve to get the full worth of your deal! Just be assertive and ask!

Opportunities arise every day to be assertive. Take advantage of the opportunities and you'll save more than you can even imagine!

Here are the original videos I did to help with examples on how to do this:

So that's our replay tip... BE ASSERTIVE! It's hard, but worth it. Good luck!

GREEN Lawn Care for CHEAP! The secret of using sugar on your lawn.

Enjoy this guest post from my friend, Lauralee:

source

Generally speaking, going Green means spending lots of Greens. You can save money in the long run but you sometimes have to pay more up front. Also having a GREEN weed free lawn can cost a lot of GREEN too. It can cost $300-$500 a year for lawn fertilizer and weed killer.

I hate how much it cost to keep your yard looking nice and I also don't like having to keep my kids off the grass for a few days after we have fertilized it. 

I asked my dad if he had a better solution and now I am going to share it with you!

This is for all you home owners out there. 

It is a constant job keeping your grass looking nice and green and weed free! 

It can get expensive and can have lots of toxic and harmful chemicals! 

Well not any more! 

Are you ready for the surprising solution?

You don’t have to hire an expensive lawn care company to maintain your lawn. You can do it yourself with hardly raising a sweat. On top of that, you’ll save yourself a bundle.

All you need is this:

That’s right, SUGAR. Plain white table sugar may just be the answer to your ‘green’ problems.

• Sugar feeds beneficial microbes, insects, and worms
• Sugar won’t cause allergic reactions in people or pets
• Sugar will fortify grass while discouraging weeds
• Sugar is easy to apply
• Sugar is cheap
• Sugar will not only make your lawn green ... but ‘green’, that is free from chemicals that damage the soil, our water supply, and ourselves.

Chemical fertilizers and herbicides kill off the beneficial microbes and insects that enrich soil. Sugar—the simplest carbohydrate—feeds them. And in turn, they will enrich your soil by —

• Increasing nutrients and enhancing the absorption of those nutrients
• Promoting nitrogen availability 
• Increasing photosynthesis for a greener plant
• Stimulating root formation
• Improving soil structure 
• Increasing humus levels 
• Providing resistance to the climate extremes of heat, drought, and cold
• Controlling fungal diseases like brown spot

St. Augustine and other grasses thrive on nutrient-rich soil. Weeds, on the other hand, love poor soil because they can take over and crowd out unhealthy sod that barely gets enough nutrients from those sporadic, artificial feedings. Nutrient-rich soil, on the other hand, nourishes your grass every day without depletion.

 If you have this it is helpful, but not required. 

It’s easy to apply sugar to your lawn. You don’t have to be precise and you don’t have to use a spreader. 

• Just sprinkle it onto your lawn by hand. 
• I use an old juice container with a wide mouth, and just walk up and down the lawn, shaking out the sugar.
• Use a 5-pound bag for each 1,000 square feet of lawn. 
• You cannot use too much, and it won’t burn your grass if more sugar spills on a concentrated area.
• I would suggest applying sugar several times during the first year of use. 
• Since your lawn has been damaged from years of chemical applications, it needs time for those artificial fertilizers to be leached out of the ground and even more time to replenish those microbes that have been chased away. 
• Once your lawn is normalized, you only have to spread sugar twice a year, in spring and fall.
• After applying, thoroughly wet down your lawn.

If you want to make your lawn healthy and at the same time eliminate crabgrass, Bermuda grass, dandelions, clover, dollar weed and other shallow rooted weeds like chickweed, fire your lawn care company and start acquiring a sweet tooth!

Click here for the full article
See HERE for another article
See HERE for a forum discussing the topic, with lots of Q&A and how it did/didn't work for other people.

Foodie Tuesday Recipe: EASY crockpot BBQ chicken sandwiches

Welcome back to Foodie Tuesday! Today's recipe is SOOOO easy, SOOOO quick, and SOOOO good (it's on my husband's top 5 favorite meals list...) I just had to share!

Quick & Easy Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Here's what you do:

Put frozen chicken in a crockpot sprayed with cooking spray. I did frozen chicken thighs rather than chicken breasts because 

A) they are cheaper, 

B)I had some I needed to use up, and 

C) frankly...it doesn't matter much with this meal! You can't taste a difference!

 I did about 4 thighs for my husband and I, we had plenty of leftovers. 

You could certainly thaw the chicken before putting it in the crockpot, but I like things easy so I throw it in as-is.

Dump some of your favorite BBQ sauce on top of the chicken. Eyeball it. We're talking EASY, people!

I used some of the super cheap BBQ sauce I got for $0.69 through price-matching, making this meal even cheaper.

Put it on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours (I prefer low and slow!). Shred the chicken in the crockpot when it looks cooked through, add a little more BBQ sauce, and let it sit on low until you are ready to eat! That's it!

Toast up some of your favorite rolls to make mini BBQ chicken sandwiches, or some nice crusty hoagie rolls for a big meal. Serve with a baked potato... 

• (scrub the potatoes, poke with a fork, bake at 475 degrees for about 1 hour and it's perfect!)

...and some corn on the cob...

• (cover with just enough cold water to cover the corn, bring the cold water and corn to a boil on the stove, let it boil for 7-8 minutes - you can add a little sugar and lemon juice to the water as well to make it awesome. DON'T ADD SALT to the water, it makes the corn tough!)

 ...and you're set! 

Sorry our plates and meal are so ugly, taking pictures of the meal was a second thought so it looks pretty ugly. You get the idea though :)

Toast cheese on the bread and be sure to add a little more BBQ sauce. Sweet Baby Ray's is the best, sold at Costco and other stores. I usually cook with the cheap stuff and top with the nice stuff. You can do whatever you're like, obviously :)

It's seriously so good, and is the perfect last-minute meal idea. 

Enjoy!

New feature...My Favorite Things! 1st favorite thing: Kidco Peapod

We all know I like LOVE Oprah. Remember how I went to see her...twice?? 

Ah-may-zing.

I'm so sad to see her go. 

Seriously.

One thing I love is her Favorite Things segment. I thought, why not share some of my favorite things too?! I don't have the cash-ola to give them to all of you like she does (unfortunately) but since I have people ask me ALL THE TIME my opinion on things, might as well give them!

Now introducing:

Here's a favorite thing to start us off!

Oh wait...first, a few things to keep in mind:

A) This is simply my opinion.
We are all entitled to our own, I promise! I'm not paid for this, I'm not sponsored to tell you any of these things, I simply like these products and want to share!

B) Some are steals, some are NOT...but are definitely worth the investment.
It's all about balance, people!

Ok, ready to rock?

My first favorite thing:

Kidco Peapod travel bed

I first saw this on my friend blog. We were headed on our cruise (and we all know how tiny the cabins are!!), she raved about it, so I did my research. I looked it up on Amazon, read the 126 reviews (well, a lot of them anyway...) and decided I HAD to get one.

Why I love it:

Pack 'n plays are rough to travel with. They take up a ton of space, are heavy and awkward, and if your child is anything like mine, he throws everything out of it to get your attention and he doesn't sleep well in it. 

AT ALL.

The Peapod is great because they are completely, and safely, confined!

It folds up easily into a throw pillow-sized pouch, pops open like a pup-tent, and my kid slept like a champ in it! We even used it on the beach and in the airport. (It has some UV protection so it's great to use at parks, baseball games, on the beach, camping, vacationing, etc.) I also read that it's amazing for multiples. Who can travel with multiple pack-n-plays, or expect twins (or triplets!) to sleep in the same bed?! Impossible.

On the beach in Belize

In the airport.

He fell asleep in the terminal! An absolute miracle!

A friend of mine just went on vacay for a week and was super worried about her daughter sleeping. I suggested the Peapod, and she called me today saying it changed her life. She said it was a miracle and her daughter slept like a champ the whole time!

Needless to say, I highly recommend it. 

Pricing, and tips from me:

This is one that is worth the investment in my book. It's about $60 depending on where you get it from. I tried the classifieds, Kid-to-Kid and other consignment shops, couldn't find a used one for the life of me (in the short amount of time I had to search). 

If you find one used, GRAB IT! 

I ended up getting it from Babies-R-Us. With a 20% off coupon (I asked the lady at the counter if she had one, she did!) it ended up being about $47. 

Tip: Your child will most likely cry the first time you try to get them to sleep in it. Just be strong, don't let them out, they will eventually fall asleep and your life will be changed!

Let me know if you love it too!

Our new fridge, yard sale finds, and double-date fun!

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! 

Our weekend was pretty good, but my husband I and ended up getting food poisoning at one point (still can't figure out from what...) so it was a bit more of a bummer than usual.

However, we still were able to take advantage of some great deals! Here's what we did this weekend:

Friday:

We officially said GOODBYE to our old, ugly, broken fridge.

(Notice the chips in the paint? That's because it was a WHITE fridge and we painted it BLACK with cheap paint! I don't recommend that, for the record.)

We replaced it one year ago with an AWESOME fridge that we love (bought from the Sears scratch & dent outlet for a steal!) so it's been living in our garage ever since. It's been nice having a second fridge but it's been slowly dying for years now the freezer stopped working. We figured we couldn't sell it but didn't know how to get rid of it.

We heard about the "See you later refrigerator" program, called, and got $30 for our old fridge and they picked it up for us! It was great. I recommending finding a similar program in your area if you don't live in the Salt Lake Valley.


Later on Friday I picked up a HAUL of shoes that I sent to a shoe repair place to get fixed, re-soled, and shined up. I wish I had taken pictures, the transformation was amazing!! This is one of the things we've done to help us get out of debt; take care of the things you have, and repair them rather than replace them whenever possible!

In case you are interested and live in the SL Valley, I use Ace Shoe Repair and highly recommend him.


Saturday:
I picked up my produce basket, then went yard sale-ing again! I took my friend Shannon this time. It was a quick run, but we still managed to find some good stuff.

I used the sites I mentioned last week, and also looked through the classifieds myself and found a ton of sales. I mapped them out in google, printed off the description of the garage sales and the route, then we picked and chose what we wanted based on how much time we had left. It worked out well!

Here's some of the stuff I got this time:

Brand new baby outfits, $1.50 each! I'll give these as gifts. Notice the tags are still attached??

At the same sale I picked up a Halo Sleepsack Swaddle (not pictured) for baby girl coming in August. It's still in it's original package, only used once or twice. Saved me $20, click here for proof!

I got this cute basket for organization or decoration, $2 

(I washed the canvas lining and it looks good as new)

I got a bunch of great clothes from one sale. The tan ModBod skirt still has the tags attached...and is STILL selling for $48! Click here for proof!! 

The other skirt is from Gap, perfect for a big-ol-prego-woman (myself) to wear in the hot summer.

I got them for $2 each. Bam, baby.

At the same sale I got a bunch of new-looking gap shirts and one from Shade. $1 each, all in perfect condition, and some of them are size TALL! HOORAY!!!

Since the clothes are all name brands, in perfect condition, and have new labels, I could sell them to Plato's Closet and make money if they don't fit. Can't go wrong with that!

 I got these mini hampers for $1 each. They fold up flat, perfect for travel and storage. I'm excited about these!

I also got some cute home decor stuff. The black thing is really heavy and sturdy, would be cute on a night stand - $5. The white organizer was $3 (see the cute bead board detail on top?? I love it.), and the beverage tub was $2. 

I'm excited about my new finds, and am extra excited to use them in decorating!

Later on Saturday we used some free tickets my husband got from a work acquaintance and went to a FREE showing of Pirates of the Caribbean with some friends. They even gave us $10 gift cards for food! It was super fun. Remember to work your connections and take advantage of free stuff!

P.S...I really enjoyed the movie!

We exchanged babysitting so we didn't have to pay a sitter. That was a life saver.

P.S...do you like my green shirt? I got it from a garage sale last week for $1! It's a brand new Liz Lange maternity shirt, my new favorite.

Saturday and Sunday we were sick (which is a bummer because my husband's mom flew into town and stayed with us Saturday night!) but we still ended up having a great weekend.

Remember that you don't always have to spend a lot of money to A) get nice things, and B) have fun!

How was your weekend?!