Crock Pot Wednesdays - Mexican Pulled Pork

Debbie from Dining With Debbie left a comment on my Menu Planning Monday post and here is my response. A very delicious and super easy Mexican Pulled Pork recipe for the Crock Pot.

3-6 pounds of pork (we use pork tenderloin when it is on sale)
1 can cola (no diet please)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cinnamon sticks or sub 2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic (whole or chopped)

Put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

We shred the meat and use it two different ways. First, we add bbq sauce to some shredded meat and make pulled pork sandwiches. Then a couple nights later we use some of the shredded meat to make burritos with rice and black beans (we heat up a drained can with a 1/4 cup of salsa). This recipe is a family favorite and great for those nights my son has a football game.

If you'd like to see how others use their crock pots to make life easy, please visit Dining with Debbie's Crock Pot Wednesdays.

Menu Planning Monday

Last week life happened and the menu plan was not followed to the T. My sons football game ran really late because of rain and lightning. I had the black beans and chicken in the crock pot. My daughter had that for dinner since she stayed home to work on her homework (high school has been a killer). I ate at the game and grabbed Chick fil a for my son on the way back to the school to pick him up. It was 9 o'clock by the time he got to eat something. Sean and I had leftovers the next night and Jessica had a frozen dinner with some fruit. We all really liked the Black Bean and Chicken burritos and will make them again.


Thursday we ended up having frozen fish fillets, mac and cheese, and canned peas (all from the stockpile).


Friday we had a Birdseye Garlic Shrimp and Pasta skillet meal (again from the stockpile).


Saturday rolled around and my daughter was dying for something make from scratch. We eat out after church on Saturday nights. So I told her she could make chili and cornbread for lunch. We altered a recipe to use what we had on hand and came up with Canadian Maple Turkey Chili. I honestly believe that this is the best chili we have ever eating or made. If you try it come back and let us know what you think.


Now Sunday we decided to make the Tilapia with Balsamic Browned Butter and Creamy Farfalle with Bacon, Tomato and Peas from Wednesday's menu.


As you can see not everything got made and some things shifted a bit but everyone was fed.


Sometimes life happens but if you have a well stocked pantry and freezer it is easier to roll with it.


Now for this weeks menu:


Monday-Chicken and Apple sausages with leftover Creamy Farfalle with Bacon, Tomato and Peas, and fruit


Tuesday-North African Meatballs with Couscous and Glazed Carrots


Wednesday-Sleezy Chicken, Green Giant Mixed Veggies w/Cheese, and baked potatoes


Put Sticky Chicken in crockpot and cook for use on Friday.


Thursday-BBQ Pork Chops (copied from Simple Frugal in Canada), Ranch Mashed Potatoes, and Broccoli


BBQ Pork chops


Enough pork chops to feed your family (you can also use ribs)
Your favourite BBQ sauce (we like Bullseye)
Onion, cut into rings


Place onion rings on the bottom of the slow cooker. Place pork on top of the onions. Pour enough BBQ sauce over top the pork to coat every piece. Cover. Cook on low for about 5-6 hours.


Friday-Creamy Spinach and Chicken Enchiladas, black beans and a side salad


Saturday-Dinner out after church


Sunday Supper-Leftovers or homemade pizza

Thanks for stopping by.

If you want to see what others have on their menus, hop over to Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday Link Up.

Splenda Coupon

If you like Splenda, you can find some great coupons here. With the upcoming holiday baking season just around the corner, I wanted to share this link with you now. You can print 2 coupons per computer.

The Best Chili Ever - Canadian Maple Turkey Chili

I just finished having a bowl of the best chili my daughter and I have ever made. We wanted to make the recipe from the Dinner Survival cookbook but did not have everything for the recipe. So, we decided to wing it. Following is the recipe we came up with.

1 to 1 1/4 lbs. lean ground turkey

6 slices bacon cooked in the microwave on paper towels, about 4 minutes or until done

1 onion, diced

2 ribs celery, sliced

8 oz. container of white mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

1/2 of a green bell pepper, diced

1/2 of a 1 lb bag of baby carrots, chopped

2 to 4 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

ground pepper to taste

1/2 ground ancho chili powder, less if you don't like spicy food (you can substitute ground cayenne pepper)

1 Tbsp tomato paste (we use a tube because it is easier to store)

1 small can Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes

1 can cannellini beans (mix with 1/4 c. bbq sauce and 2 tbsps molasses) or 1 can baked beans

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 can of corn, drained (save the other have to put in cornbread)


Put 1 to 2 Tbsps oil in dutch oven or large pot. Heat over high heat and add ground turkey. When meat is browned add the onion, celery, carrot and mushrooms. Cook 1 to 2 minutes to soften vegetables, then add maple syrup, salt, pepper and spices. Cook for 3 more minutes, then add tomato paste, canned tomatoes, baked bean mixture, corn, and ketchup. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes.

This chili goes great with homemade cornbread. We follow the recipe on the canister of cornmeal and add the leftover 1/2 can of corn. We mix up the cornbread while the vegetables are cooking.

I hope you will try this recipe and let us know what you think.

For more great recipes, you can visit The Groery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

"Release Your Inner Gloria" House Party

I was chosen to be a finalist in the "Release Your Inner Gloria" House Party. This House Party is sponsored by Glory Foods. It combines my three favorite things southern food, family and friends. In my opinion this is a winning combination.

I have done one other House Party in the past and have been impressed with the quality of the party packs. The best thing about these party packs is there is no charge to you. They send you gifts of the product and coupons to share with your guest.

Here is a picture of the party pack that I received for the "Release Your Inner Gloria" House Party.

If you'd like a chance to host your own House Party sign up here.

Good Luck and let me know what House Party you are selected for.

A Little Fun At Target

I went to Target to pick up some of the great with coupon deals. It's trips like this that make it worth the time to go.

I used the Huggies coupon printed from this link. It is good on any Huggies diapering product. The wipes were $2.39 - $2 printable coupon.

I used the Hasbro coupons printed from this link for the games. I used the coupons on the travel games found in the luggage area of Target. I will be donating these to a toy drive or the Rainbow Room mentioned in this post.

I price matched the Skippy PB with Walgreens ad for $1.66 (go to customer service for this) and used $1 off target coupons found here.

For the Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls I used the $1/2 insert coupon from 8-30-09 and (4) $1 Target coupons printed from here.

The coupons for the Chef Michael's came from several source. Some were found in previous bags already used. I had two Target coupons from an insert and a coupon printed from here. I also used coupons from the 10-11-09 SS insert.

The $2 Rimmel Mascara coupon came from the 8-23-09 RP insert making the total for the mascara only $.29. There is also a coupon in the November issue of All You.

The orange juice and Cheerios coupons were printed on the bottom of previous receipts.

My total out of pocket for this trip was $13.42.

A Time to Give

One of the reasons that I work at saving is so that I can give to others. Not very long ago, I was involved with a backpack stuffing project for under resourced children. I met Terri from Montgomery County CPS. She was telling us about a project called Rainbow Room. This is a room that they hope to have filled with supplies that the CPS workers can pull from to fill needs of children recently taken from their homes. I asked Terri what types of things they were in need of. She said, "Believe it or not, toothbrushes and toothpaste would be nice." You can only imagine how that spoke to me being an avid couponer. I told Terri I would love to help in this area.

It was to my great delight that Walgreens started having awesome deals on toothbrushes with Register Rewards. In less than a month, I have collected 30+ toothbrushes and about 20 full size toothpaste. I have been putting these in a box along with other items that I have found a great deal on. I really can't wait until I met with Terri to hand over this box.

So, as you can see you don't have to look very far for children who really need your help. This is just one way your desire to save money can help others.

For more inspiration head over to Saving and Giving and see what others are doing for A Time to Give.

Kraft Cheese Coupon

I was reading through some of my usually list of blogs and noticed that Marcy over at Stretching a Buck had posted a link to a new Kraft Cheese coupon. I love reading other blogs because not every person can post about every deal/coupon available. I try to pick some of my favorites to pass on to you. If you find a great deal or coupon, please feel free to leave me a comment. I always read them and try to respond after reading them.

When there is a coupon for Kraft Cheese make sure you print them right away. This one is for $1 off 2. You can print 2 per computer. Thanks, Stretching a Buck.

Menu Planning Monday

Well I haven't posted a menu in a couple of weeks and it is time to get back into the swing of things. The first week I didn't post we were mainly eating from the stockpile (frozen meals and easy throw togethers). The second week I just wrote it down in a notebook and never got back to post it. This week I feel like we need to be a little more organized, so this is what's on the menu.



Monday - Porkchops, Baked Acorn Squash, side salad and rolls

Tuesday - Black bean and chicken burritos (slow cooker) - This is a recipe received in a feed for Melissa's Bargain Blog. I thought we would try it today because my son has a football game tonight. Quick and Easy is the name of the game tonight.

Ingredients:

1 taco/fajita seasoning packet

2 cans black beans, drained

2-3 chicken breasts

1 can green enchilada sauce

Place chicken breasts in bottom of the crockpot and then add remaining ingredients. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred chicken before serving and serve in tortillas. We add cheese, sour cream, etc. to the tortillas. We sometimes add rice (cooked rice to the mixture once we're ready to serve, not in the crockpot!). This is also really good if you use beef instead of the chicken!

Wednesday - Tilapia with Balsamic Browned Butter and Creamy Farfalle with Bacon, Tomato and Peas with a side salad

Thursday - Chili with cornbread and fruit

Friday - Chipotle Chicken Pizza, salad and fruit

Saturday - Dinner out after church

Sunday Supper - Braised Short Ribs with Carrots and Onions over Creamy Polenta (we have made Rachael Ray's version with Beets but it was to much work with the fresh beets and not everyone liked them)

I hope you find something worth trying this week. I personally am looking forward to Tuesdays dinner.

For more inspiration hop over to the Org Junkies Menu Plan Monday link up.

One Hot Artist

Michael Buble` - Haven't Met You Yet"

You just have to love a music video that takes place in a grocery store. Michael Buble`'s new music video for "Haven't Met You Yet" is great. I love the upbeat music and the story in the video. You can check it out for yourself here. Come back and tell me what you think.

I think that all grocery stores should play this while we shop. I think it will be my new theme song when I'm looking for a bargain.

Randalls: Cheap Cereal and Free Kleenex

Today, I did two transactions at Randalls on Tuesday and ended up with everything in the picture for only $4.10 . The Promotion ended 10/06. If they do it again I will post to let you know. I didn't find out about it until Tuesday morning. Here are my transactions:

Transaction #1

4 boxes Raisin Bran $9.96

1 box Cocoa Krispies $2.49

3 boxes Kleenex $2.97

1 bottle Dial Liquid hand soap $1.00

- $3 off your next order cat.

- $5 instant discount when you buy 5 Kellogg's cereals

- $.35 MQ tripled

- $.50 MQ doubled to $.99

-(2) $2.00/2 MQ for cereal

- $1 MQ for Cocoa Krispies coupon received from Vocal Point

Total oop = $1.57 (Received a $3 cat. off my next order from Kleenex

Transaction #2

2 boxes Raisin Bran $4.98

1 box Cocoa Krispies $2.49

2 boxes Mini Wheats Little Bites $5.98

3 boxes Kleenex $2.97

1 bottle Dial Liquid hand soap $1.00

- $3 off your next order cat.

- $5 instant discount when you buy 5 Kellogg's cereals

- $.35 MQ tripled

- $.50 MQ doubled

- (2)$2.oo/2 MQ for cereal

- $1.00 MQ for Cocoa Krispies received from Vocal Point

Total oop = $2.53

We are definitely stocked up on cereal for a year. I will be donating future purchases and rotating stockpile if I pick up any more cereal.

I believe that Kellogg's and General Mills are just getting started with these offers so hang on to those coupons. Always stock up at the lowest prices. Don't worry if you missed this sale, another one will be just around the corner.

Have a great day and remember to, "Pay it Forward."

To view more great shopping trips checkout The Suburban Jungle, Southern Savers, The Grocery Cart Challenge, Money Saving Mom and Coupon Geek.

New Procter & Gamble Magazine: Free

I received an email this morning from P&G. They had sent me a preview copy of their new magazine, Rouge. I like the magazine very much and it had some great P&G coupons. The magazine is free and you can sign up to receive yours here.

Have a great day.

Coupon Updates

New Cellfire coupons are available today. If you load them to one card early in the cycle and use them, they will be available to load on your other loyalty card. I loaded most of them to my Randalls card and will use them soon. Then I will load them to my Kroger card.

I want to let you know that there are many Hasbro coupons ranging from $2 - $10 off Plaskool toys. These are bound to go on sale soon. Keep an eye on your store fliers and check back here to see if I find any great deals. Print as many as you can and pass them out if you can't use them. With the holidays right around the corner, think toy drives and Angel Trees, these will help stretch our giving dollars and put a lot of smiles on children's faces. You can find these coupons here or by clicking on the Coupons.com button in my sidebar.

If you find any great deals on these toys please feel free to share in the comments section.

Free Redbox Rental Today

Here's the Free Redbox Rental Code for this month, QNGJ7KD. It will be good for one nights free rental until midnight tonight. Enjoy.

Spend A Little Time Visiting Healthy Choice For High $ Coupons

When you visit the Healthy Choice site here you can print 2 of each high $ coupon for a total of 4 coupons. If you have more than one computer, you can print these coupons 2 times each per computer. These coupons can make for some really cheap/possibly free lunches. I've tried the frozen Sweet Asian Potstickers and they were fabulous.