Clean Eating Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Pancakes (OAMC)

Makes 10 servings, 2 pancakes each
I based this recipe on my friend Martha’s mom, Danette’s, Honey Oatmeal Pancakes. Pretty much everything Danette makes ends up delicious but these are seriously awesome. The only thing that could make them better would be if Danette came to my house and cooked them for me. But no, she wants to spend all of her free time seeing her own daughter and grandkids. The nerve ;-) Thankfully, these freeze ridiculously well so I can pull them out any old time and have delicious homemade pancakes without having to even look at the griddle. (But Danette, if you decided to come visit and wanted to make me some pancakes I certainly wouldn't stop you!)

My boys chow them down without syrup or anything. I quadruple the recipe and make 4 batches at once. I’m not going to lie, it takes a while. But most of the time is just waiting around for them to cook instead of doing anything hands on. I’ll make the first batch and we’ll eat them as we go and then, for the rest of them, I’ll set a timer and do other stuff while they’re cooking.


In the end we have 80-90 totally awesome pancakes which means lots of super fast, easy, and healthy breakfasts that the boys will feed themselves relatively quickly (why do toddlers eat so slowly?!?!?!). This is my go-to breakfast to give them when we need to get out of the house quickly in the morning and I’m rushing around getting all of our stuff ready. For the boys I pop them into the microwave or toaster oven quickly but Matt literally eats them frozen in the car on the way to work. He says it’s like a big, cold cookie. Better than stopping for donuts, right?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup honey/sucanat/agave
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup oil (I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil)
• 1 egg (could do 2 egg whites)
• Chocolate Chips (I guess technically chocolate chips aren't Clean since they tend to have white sugar in them. You could use carob chips or blueberries or bananas or something instead. I'm okay with the little bit of sugar from the chocolate since the rest of the pancake is so healthy and my boys think it's a really special treat. But I'm kind of obsessed with chocolate so I'm a little biased)

ONE: Combine all ingredients except for chocolate chips in large bowl. Mix well.

TWO: Pour batter by the 1/4 cupful onto hot griddle (I have an electric griddle and I set it to 350. Regardless of what type of griddle/pan you use, a good rule of thumb is that it's preheated when you flick a drop of water onto the surface and it imediately sizzles and dances around).

THREE: Drop 6 or 8 chocolate chips on each pancake in a circle with one in the middle. (I do it this way instead of mixing them into the batter because then I can space them out so each bite has just enough chocolate to seem indulgent. Plus everyone’s pancake has the same number of chocolate chips and no one fights for a particularly chocolatey one… Matt.)

FOUR: When the top is bubbly and almost set, flip and cook another minute or so until both sides are golden brown. (I could NOT make pancakes until after I had kids because I was never patient enough to wait for the bottom to be set before trying to flip them. Same thing with omelets. Apparently having two kids has made me more patient. Go figure.)

Freeze leftovers using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per Serving (2 pancakes) -  267 Calories (109 Calories from Fat) 12g Total Fat, 4g Saturated Fat, 23mg Cholesterol, 210mg Sodium, 34g Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 16g Sugar, 6g Protein, 2% DV Vitamin A, 1% DV Vitamin C, 14% DV Calcium, 11% DV Iron

:)

Clean Eating Classic Vegetarian Tacos (OAMC)

Makes 4 Servings, 3 Tacos Each
I'm not kidding when I say this is one of the top 5 things I have EVER eaten. I first tried this recipe when I was recipe testing it for Clean Eating Magazine. You can find it in the April/May 2011 edition with a quote from yours truly on page 58 :) I made it again a few months ago for some other moms at my MOMS Club's Fit and Frugal Meeting. All the moms loved it but the best part was that literally every child there ate it happily and asked for more. It's almost completely vegetables and they all scarfed it down!

The first time I made it for Matt and the boys, Matt had already finished his second one when he asked me what type of meat I used since it was so moist and tender. I wish I could have taken a picture of his face when he found out it was mushrooms and cauliflower, two of his least favorite foods. Priceless.

The other absolutely phenomenal thing about this recipe is how well it freezes. I triple or quadruple the recipe and freeze it in individual portions (3 tacos worth). It is so quick to heat some corn tortillas in a dry skillet for a few seconds while microwaving the filling. SOOOO GOOOOD!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced small (1½ cups)
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, roughly chopped into small pieces (I use Portabella)
• 1 cup cauliflower florets, roughly chopped into small pieces
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp chile powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 12 small corn tortillas
• 5 large Romaine lettuce leaves, sliced into ¼-inch strips
• ½ avocado, pitted, peeled and cubed
• ½ cup grated low-fat cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup low-fat sour cream

ONE: In a large, high-sided skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, until it begins to soften. Stir in garlic and sauté for 30 more seconds.

TWO: Add mushrooms and cauliflower and stir constantly for 2 minutes, until vegetables start to release water and shrink. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are about half their original size and cauliflower is fork tender, about 15 minutes.

THREE: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together tomato paste, ¼ cup water, chile powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Add to mushroom mixture along with corn. Stir to combine, then cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.

FOUR: Warm tortillas over the flame of a gas stove or in a warm oven (I plop them in a dry skillet over medium high heat and warm them for about 20 seconds a side one by one). To assemble tacos, fill each tortilla with ¼ cup mushroom filling. Top with lettuce, avocado, cheese and sour cream, dividing evenly.

Freeze leftover filling in 3/4 cup portions using the medium/large portion method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving, 3 tacos each including garnishes - 379 Calories, 12g Total Fat, 3g Saturated Fat, 58g Total Carbohydrates, 10g Dietary Fiber, 8g Sugars, 15g Protein, 394mg Sodium, 11mg Cholesterol, 37% Vitamin C, 45% Riboflavin

:)

Clean Eating Sweet and Savory Turkey Cheddar Meatballs in the Crockpot (OAMC)

Makes approx 35 meatballs
My mouth is watering right now just thinking about these. They are my personal favorite. They are so good that I want to make them and go door to door to share them with everyone in a ten mile radius, LOL :) Not only are they delicious but they combine a lean protein with a green veggie AND an orange veggie. What more could a mother want?! Plus my kids get really excited because they have raisins in them and they feel like dinner involving raisins is just the coolest thing ever. I got the idea for these meatballs from THIS totally awesome crockpot blog.


These are one of my top go-to items for a quick and easy dinner. I serve them crumbled into a bowl of brown rice and they are so moist and tender that you don’t need any type of sauce. I scoop a cup of rice from my freezer stash, plop 3 or 4 meatballs on top, microwave for a minute and a half and presto, a complete meal :)

Ingredients: (Can be doubled... which I do every time because otherwise I am immediately bummed that we've eaten half of them. I like seeing a big bag of meatballs in the freezer.)

• 1 ½ pounds 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 tsp kosher salt OR ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
• 1 ½ cups pureed broccoli *
• ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ cup raisins

*If you are making a small batch of pureed broccoli for this recipe and you are using a blender instead of a food processor (especially if your blender isn’t very good…Mom), you can add one or two egg whites to the broccoli for easier pureeing. Broccoli is sometimes hard to puree without adding liquid but adding water will make the meatball mixture very sloppy. The egg whites will make for a slightly wetter and stickier “batter” but will not negatively affect the firmness and cohesiveness of the finished meatballs. It will work best if you put the egg whites into the blender first and then add the broccoli in a little at a time, pureeing as you go.

ONE: In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Mix VERY well (I use my hands… which I HATE doing but it really does do the best job).

TWO: Scoop out a level 1/8 cup and use your hands to roll it into a ball.

CROCKPOT: Place formed meatballs into your crockpot, stacking them gently on top of each other once the bottom is covered (like a bucket of golf balls). Cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 6-7 hours.

OVEN: Place formed meatballs in rows on a cooking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. (I’ve cooked a batch in the crockpot but kept just enough out for dinner and baked them in the toaster oven before. They came out great!)

Remove from the crockpot or baking tray and cool on a wire rack over a double layer of paper towels (to catch the drips). Freeze using the flash freeze method.

TIP: When cooking them in the crockpot, don’t worry that they don’t look brown at first. I promise you that they will eventually brown and you will be able to gently separate them when they’re cooked. The bottom ones will be slightly moister and mushier than the top ones but we mash them into brown rice anyway so that doesn’t bother us. If you want them firmer you can use a turkey baster to remove the juices from the bottom of the crock halfway through cooking. You may need to increase the cooking time if you do this due to heat loss from uncovering the crock.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving (4 meatballs) -  236 Calories (88 Calories from Fat), 10g Total Fat, 4g Saturated Fat, 75mg Cholesterol, 348mg Sodium, 17g Total Carbohydrates, 3g Dietary Fiber, 8g Sugars, 21g Protein, 107% Vitamin A, 51% Vitamin C, 18% Calcium, 10% Iron.

:)

Clean Eating Low Cost Weekly Meal Plan 4/4

Summer has officially started at our house. Not according to the weather (it was only 69 degrees today which is really cold for us in Florida, LOL) but Monday was the start of my season for teaching Survival Swim Lessons. You would think I’d be used to it by now but each year I just get so choked up during the first week of lessons watching what these kids can do in the water :) Theron was barely a year old at the start of my season last year and before he could walk he could swim the entire width of our pool. Plus he had the survival skills necessary to save himself if, God forbid, all of our layers of protection between him and our pool failed and he somehow reached the water on his own. So what does this have to do with meal planning? I’m going to be an EVEN busier lady from now until October so you will be seeing my best fast-and-easy-to-throw-together-and-my-kids-will-eat-it-without-coercion recipes.

I literally jumped for joy when I saw that Portabella mushrooms, raisins, frozen broccoli, shredded cheese, honey, and chocolate chips were on sale. Sound weird? Don’t worry, they’re not all in the same recipe. But trust me, once you try the Vegetarian Tacos this week, you will do the happy dance when mushrooms go on sale too. Definitely one of the 5 best things I’ve EVER cooked. Plus, they are made with mushrooms and cauliflower, two things that Matt detests (like I mentioned in THIS post) but he INHALED these and regularly asks for them.

The raisins, broccoli, and shredded cheese go together to make the most amazing meatballs you will ever eat in your life. Ever. EVER EVER EVER! These are hands down my boys’ favorite dinner. I would say they might actually have to think about it if I gave them a choice between my famous homemade granola bars and these meatballs. And if you’ve ever tried the granola bars, you know that’s saying something :)

Finally the honey and chocolate chips make absolutely scrumptious Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Pancakes. We actually ran out this past week (horror of horrors in our house) so this is great timing for me to replenish my stash.

Oh my goodness gracious!!! There are going to be some very happy boys (all three of them) in my house this week. EEEEeeee!! (Is it weird that I get this excited over healthy food?)

Make sure you also check out the Giveaway HERE this week too because it ends on 4/9!!

Step 1: Find out what meat and produce is on sale for the week
This week at Publix Pork Ribs, Italian Sausage, and Mahi Mahi are on sale. In the produce section asparagus, grape tomatoes, Portabella mushrooms, zucchini, grapes, cucumbers, pears, and cantaloupe are also on sale.

Step 2: Take an inventory of your pantry and freezer, check out what other items are on sale, and pick several recipes that use those ingredients.
There are good prices for pasta, diced tomatoes, frozen broccoli, pita bread, almonds, cheese, Greek yogurt, chocolate chips, brown rice, honey, and raisins.

Step 3: Take a look at your calendar for the week and see which nights you’ll have more time to cook and which nights you won't and plan your menu accordingly.
This will be different for every family but, in general, I cook 3 or 4 nights a week and we eat something from our freezer stash the other nights. To learn how to build your own freezer stash go HERE.

Step 4: Get all of the recipes together and make a shopping list of what you’ll need.
Meals-
Sweet and Savory Turkey Cheddar Meatballs over Perfect Brown Rice
Pork Ragout over Whole Wheat Pasta
BEST EVER Vegetarian Tacos
Almond Crusted Mahi Mahi with Grilled Asparagus and Coconut Brown Rice

Healthy Breakfasts/Snacks/Desserts-
Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Cucumber Tomato Bruschetta on pita bread
Grape Zucchini Bread
Hot Artichoke Dip with Sun Chips

If you haven't already, make sure to try the Pear Oatmeal Cookies, Cantaloupe Bread, and Cantaloupe Crunch Bars. 

Here is a shopping list for the complete list of meals (not including snacks and desserts) based on you having nothing in your pantry or freezer. You will obviously omit the items that you already have. Go HERE for an explanation of the couponing abbreviations. The top list has all of the coupon matchups. There is a second list at the bottom that just lists the items with no match-ups and is a little easier to read.

Coupon Matchup List

Produce
- 3 Onions
- Sweet potato
- Spinach
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lb Portabella mushrooms (or cremini) ( Baby Portabella Mushrooms, $1.69)
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 5 large Romaine lettuce leaves (Publix Romaine Hearts, 2/$5)
- Avocado
- 1 bunch asparagus ($2.99/lb)
- 1 medium-sized lime (or 2 Tbsp lime juice)

Grocery
- ½ cup raisins (Sun-Maid Raisins 24 oz, 2/$5)
- Olive oil
     Pompeian Olive Oil 32 oz, BOGO $12.09
     $1/1 Pompeian Olive Oil, Any
- Whole wheat flour
- 1 ¼ cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
     $1/1 Wolfgang Puck Soup or Broth Kroger eCoupon (exp 5/4/2011)
     $1/2 Swanson Broth Rolling
     $1/1 Imagine Broth, Stock, Soup or Gravy 1/30/2011 SS Insert (exp 4/30/2011)
- 1 ¼ cups Zinfandel or other dry red wine (Sutter Home Wine 750 ml, $5.29)
- 3 15oz cans no salt added diced tomatoes (Del Monte Tomatoes 14.5 oz, BOGO $1.39)
- Tomato paste
- 12 small corn tortillas
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
     Sunkist Almond Accents, 3.5 or 3.75 oz, BOGO $2.99
     $1/1 Almond Accents Rolling
     $0.75/2 All Natural Almond Accents 1/9/2011 SS Insert (exp 5/31/2011)
     $0.50/1 All Natural Almond Accents 1/9/2011 SS Insert (exp 5/31/2011)
- Oats
     $1/1 Quaker Instant Oatmeal or Oats 1/2/2011 RP Insert (exp 4/30/2011)
- Unsweetened shredded coconut
- Ground flax seed
- Brown rice
     Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice 8.5 to 8.8 oz pouch, 3/$4
     $0.30/1 Uncle Ben’s Rice Rite Aid Video Values (exp 5/28/2011)
     $0.75/1 Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice Product 2/20/2011 RP Insert (exp 4/17/2011)
     $1/1 Fresh Beef WYB Uncle Ben’s Product 2/13/2011 RP Insert (exp 4/10/2011)
     OR
     $0.50/1 Mahatma or Water Maid Rice 1/23/2011 RP Insert (exp 4/30/2011)
- 1 can light coconut milk
- Coconut oil
- Whole wheat pasta
     Mueller’s Pasta 12 to 16 oz, BOGO $1.39
     $1/2 Mueller’s Products, any – 3/272011 SS Insert (exp 4/30/2011)
     $0.55/1 Mueller’s Pasta, Any – Sign Up Required

Spices
     $1/1 McCormick Product 3/13/2011 RP Insert (exp 4/24/2011)
     $1/1 Frontier Bottled Spice or Baking Extract (exp 8/30/2011)
     $0.50/1 Simply Organic Mini Spice (exp 6/30/2011)
     $1/2 Simply Organic Glass Bottle Spices (exp 6/30/2011)
- Cinnamon
- Rosemary
- Chile powder
- Cumin
- Curry powder
- Ginger
- Kosher salt

Meat/Fish
- 1 ½ pounds 93% lean ground turkey
- 1 ½ pounds boned pork loin (I use pork loin country style ribs) (Boneless Pork Loin Country Ribs, $3.49/lb)
- 2 - 4oz links mild Italian sausage
     Johnsonville Italian Sausage, 19.76 oz pkg, 2/$7
     $1/1 Johnsonville Italian Sausage Rolling
- 4 4oz Mahi Mahi fillets (or another white fish like Tilapia or Cod) (Publix Mahi Fillets, 12 oz, $6.99)

Dairy
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
     Sargento Shredded Cheese, 5 to 8 oz, 2/$4 OR
     Kraft Cracker Barrel Cheese 7 to 10 oz pkg, 2/$6
- Low-fat sour cream
     Friendship Sour Cream, 16 oz, 4/$5
     $0.55/1 Friendship Sour Cream Or Cottage Cheese
- 1 egg white
     Egg Beaters 15 to 16 oz carton, 3/$5
     $1/1 Egg Beaters (15 or or larger) – All You, April 2011

Frozen
- 2 12oz packages frozen broccoli
     Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers 11 to 12 oz, BOGO $2.39
     $0.50/1 Green Giant Vegetables Rolling
     $0.50/2 Green Giant Veggies
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
Cascadian Farm Organic Potatoes or Vegetables 7.4 to 16 oz, 2/$4
     $1/1 Cascadian Farm Organic Frozen Fruits or Veggies 7.4 to 16oz packages Publix Coupon Gentle on the Earth booklet
     $0.75/1 Cascadian Farm Product Coupons.com 4/1/2011 (exp 5/2/2011)

*SNACKS*
If you are making the breakfast/snacks/desserts, here are the sale items:
Pancakes-
- Honey
     Sue Bee Honey 12 oz, 2/$5
     $0.55/1 Sue Bee Honey Rolling
     $.50/1 Sue Bee peelie (no exp)
- Chocolate Chips
     Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips 11 to 12 oz, 2/$4
     $1/2 Ghirardelli Baking Products (IE) Rolling Printable (FF) (no prints left, check your coupon stash)

Cucumber Tomato Bruschetta
- Grape tomatoes (Florida Grape Tomatoes, 1 pk, $1.99/lb)
- Cucumber (Florida Cucumbers, 2/$1.29
- Pita Bread (Toufayan Pita Bread 12 oz, BOGO Surprising Low Price)

Grape Zucchini Bread
- Grapes (Red or White Seedless Grapes, $1.69/lb)
- Zucchini ($1.29/lb)
- Honey
     Sue Bee Honey 12 oz, 2/$5
     $0.55/1 Sue Bee Honey Rolling 
     $.50/1 Sue Bee peelie (no exp)

Hot Artichoke Dip
- Greek yogurt
     Stonyfield Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt 4 pk 4 oz, 2/$7
     $0.50/1 Stonyfield Oikos Organic Greek Yogurt Rolling
- Sun Chips
     Frito Lay Baked! Snacks or Sunchips 8.75 to 11.5 oz, 2/$6
     $1/1 Sun Chips, Lay’s Kettle Cooked Chips, or Rold Gold Pretzels Rite Aid Video Values (exp 5/2/2011)
     $1/1 SunChips Publix Yellow Flyer, Spring Into Savings 3/26/2011 (exp 4/15/2011)
     $1/1 Sunchips Publix Coupon Spring 2011 GreenWise Flyer
     $1/1 Sunchips Multigrain Snacks assorted var 10.5 oz bag Publix Coupon Gentle on the Earth booklet

Non Coupon Matchup List

Produce
- 3 Onions
- Sweet potato
- Spinach
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lb Portabella mushrooms (or cremini)
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 5 large Romaine lettuce leaves
- Avocado
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 medium-sized lime (or 2 Tbsp lime juice)

Grocery
- ½ cup raisins
- Olive oil
- Whole wheat flour
- 1 ¼ cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cups Zinfandel or other dry red wine
- 3 15oz cans no salt added diced tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- 12 small corn tortillas
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- Oats
- Unsweetened shredded coconut
- Ground flax seed
- Brown rice
- 1 can light coconut milk
- Coconut oil
- Whole wheat pasta

Spices
- Cinnamon
- Rosemary
- Chile powder
- Cumin
- Curry powder
- Ginger
- Kosher salt

Meat/Fish
- 1 ½ pounds 93% lean ground turkey
- 1 ½ pounds boned pork loin (I use pork loin country style ribs)
- 2 - 4oz links mild Italian sausage
- 4 4oz Mahi Mahi fillets (or another white fish like Tilapia or Cod)

Dairy
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Low-fat sour cream
- 1 egg white

Frozen
- 2 12oz packages frozen broccoli
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels

:)

Great Deal on Mixing and Prep Bowls!! Act Fast!!

If you're going to change your eating habits, it's pretty much guaranteed that you're going to need to do a bit of cooking. And if you're going to be doing some cooking, you're going to need some tools to help you out. Tools that I use often are my mixing and prep bowls. Check out these ones that are on sale on Tanga.

This is the Grand Chef 10-Piece Mixing/Prep Bowl & Storage Set w/Lids. The bowls are stainless steel with airtight lids. The set includes a 3.9", 4.7", 5.5", 6.3" and 7.1" bowl. They are also refrigerator, freezer, and dishwasher safe!

This set usually retails for $19.95 but they are on sale for $5.99 plus $4.99 shipping. (Note: In the description on Tanga it says $3.99 shipping) This is a savings of $13.96 or 69% Off! Not too shabby for some pretty great prep/storage bowls. My prep bowls have lids and I can't tell you how useful it is. It really helps when I'm mixing something up and want to save it for the next day... like a quadruple batch of chocolate chip oatmeal pancakes that I mix on Saturday night to cook for the boys on Sunday :)

Act fast, though, because this sale ends at 9:00 Central Time on Wednesday, 4/6. For more great savings, check out this month's giveaway HERE!

Kids Eat Free at Chili's Tonight!!

It's back!! Another coupon for a free Kid's Meal at Chili's! If you missed this last time, here's your chance to cash in. This is only good for April 5th and you can get up to two free kid's meals for each adult entree purchased. This is the fourth Tuesday in a row for this promotion so I'm thinking Tuesdays are Kids Eat Free night at chili's from now on. But they're pretty smart for making it a coupon thing :) There's just something so great about printing off a little piece of paper at home and turning it into 2 free meals. Here are my thoughts on Chili's:

Over the past few years, Chili's has made some changes to their menu, mainly with the addition of the Guiltless Grill items. It's now one of the few places that we can go for dinner and I actually feel good about what we ate and don't have to bring a meal for my kids. As long as you order something sensible, you could easily have a dinner out here that doesn't blow your Clean Eating lifestyle.

I always order my kids the grilled chicken sandwich from the kid's menu with a side of steamed broccoli or fresh pineapple. I have them put it on a whole grain bun and make the broccoli without any seasoning. I usually get one with broccoli and one with pineapple and chop them both up together so each boy gets  a pineapple broccoli mixture. I love the Grilled Salmon with Garlic and Herbs. They even have a vegetarian menu, you just have to ask.

If tonight was one of your night's off in your weekly meal plan you should definitely give Chili's a try. Make sure you bring THIS coupon with you so your kid's eat free. Enjoy!!

P.S. For some more great coupons make sure you check out the current Giveaway HERE!

:)

Clean Eating Magazine on sale for ONLY $5.99!!

UPDATE: This deal is gone :( ... But I still recommend the magazine and it's totally worth paying full price for, which you know I never say about ANYTHING.

I almost died of excitement when I saw this!!! Tanga has a one-year subscription to Clean Eating for only $5.99 when you use the coupon code EATING. You can buy up to two years at this price.

$5.99 is a great price for this magazine, which is currently $24.97 over on Amazon. Clean Eating combined with Couponing, EEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeee!!!! Kind of like this blog, LOL.

I've personally never seen a big discount on this magazine so this is very exciting for me. If you get a 2 year subscription (which you totally should because it's the best magazine EVER) you save almost $38!!! Plus, if you go through UPromise you earn 2% of your purchase. That's like a coupon on top of a coupon!! I might pass out from excitement :)

P.S. If you have the most recent issue (April/May 2011) check out pg. 58 where yours truly is quoted :)


:)

Printable $5/30 Winn Dixie Coupon!! (Good 3/30 - 4/5)

Go HERE to print a coupon for $5 off a purchase of $30 or more at Winn Dixie. (Great to use at Publix if your store considers Winn Dixie a competitor!!)

Thanks Who Said Nothing in Life is Free!!

:)

Clean Eating Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts (OAMC)

Makes 6 Servings
These are super easy but they look gourmet when they are done. I love, love, LOVE that you cook them from frozen becaues you know I'm incapable of remembering to thaw things the night before. When there is a really good sale on chicken, I've been known to make 30 stuffed chicken breasts at once. It takes next to no time to assemble them and they've really become one of my go-to throw together meals. I usually have them with some Perfect Brown Rice and steamed veggies and I drizzle the rice with the juices from the baking dish. Yum!!

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 3 oz reduced-fat cream cheese
• ½ cup feta cheese
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves

ONE: Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and feta with a fork.

TWO: Make a slit in the side of the chicken breast to create a pocket. Fill the chicken breast with the cheese mixture and spinach. (My sister, Anthea, uses scissors to snip the spinach into tiny pieces and then mixes it in with the cheese before stuffing.)

THREE: Wrap individually in tin foil and freeze. Store frozen breasts in a freezer bag.

TO COOK: Preheat oven to 350. Unwrap frozen chicken breasts and place them in a baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake, covered with foil, for one hour or until tender and no longer pink in the center (45-50 minutes if defrosted).

NUTRITION INFO:

Per Serving -  89 Calories (46 Calories from Fat), 5g Total Fat, 3g Saturated Fat, 32mg Cholesterol, 229 mg Sodium, 2g Total Carbohydrates, 0g Dietary Fiber, 1g Sugars, 9g Protein, 21% Vitamin A, 5% Vitamin C, 9% Calcium, 3% Iron



:)

Clean Eating Low Cost Weekly Meal Plan 3/28

I’m really excited for this week’s meal plan. As I said in my 10,000 pageviews post I am sharing the link-up love by making my meal plan using recipes from some of my favorite blogs. I’m also excited about trying out Stevia this week. I tried it once before in my tea and really wasn’t a fan but my friend, Mandy (who is HYSTERICAL and totally awesome and writes the funniest commentary ever on her recipes so you should check out her blog), uses it in a lot of her baked goods. I’ve enjoyed each and every one of them and there’s a great sale on it this week so I’m going for it!

Make sure you check out the Giveaway HERE this week, too!!

Step 1: Find out what meat and produce is on sale for the week
This week at Publix Pork Chops and Trout are on sale. In the produce section salad, grape tomatoes, broccoli, pears, onions, and potatoes are also on sale.

Step 2: Take an inventory of your pantry and freezer, check out what other items are on sale, and pick several recipes that use those ingredients.
There are good prices for stevia, applesauce, feta cheese, and shredded cheese. I have whole wheat pasta in my pantry.

Step 3: Take a look at your calendar for the week and see which nights you’ll have more time to cook and which nights you won't and plan your menu accordingly.
This will be different for every family but, in general, I cook 3 or 4 nights a week and we eat something from our freezer stash the other nights. To learn how to build your own freezer stash go HERE.

Step 4: Get all of the recipes together and make a shopping list of what you’ll need.
Meals-
Pork Chop and Feta Skillet over Salad with Cauliflower Bread Sticks (they were so good Matt and the boys insisted we have them again this week) – Passionate Penny Pincher
Hashbrown Crusted Frittata – Finding Joy in my Kitchen (maybe made with Homemade Turkey Apple Sausage - The Nourishing Gourmet)
Trout Almondine over Perfect Brown Rice with Honey Glazed Carrots - Coping With Frugality
Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken and Broccoli Pesto and Fusilli Pasta - 101 Cookbooks

Healthy Snacks/Desserts-
Whole Wheat Pear Poppy Loaf - In Praise of Leftovers
Carrot Cake Muffins - Chocolate Covered Katie
Orange-Vanilla "Half Pound" Cake - Learn, Laugh, Cook (Mandy brought me some of this today [don't you wish you had a Mandy!!] and it is GOOD! I'm not gonna lie, though, it does use a whole stick of butter. This would be an indulgence treat, not an everyday treat. Mandy uses Smart Balance instead of butter or you could use Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread which is approved by Clean Eating magazine.)

Here is a shopping list for the complete list of meals (not including snacks and desserts) based on you having nothing in your pantry or freezer. You will obviously omit the items that you already have. Go HERE for an explanation of the couponing abbreviations. The top list has all of the coupon matchups. There is a second list at the bottom that just lists the items with no match-ups and is a little easier to read.

Coupon Matchup List -
Produce
- Minced Garlic
- Lemon juice
     $1/1 True Lemon Product 6/5/2010 True Lemon Rolling
- Head of cauliflower
- Salad (Fresh Express Salad blends, 5 to 12 oz pkg, 2/$5)
- 3 medium potatoes (Idaho Potatoes, 5 lb bag, $2.99)
- Bell pepper
- Broccoli (3 1/2 cups) ( $1.69)
- Onion (Sweet Onions, $0.99/lb)
- 1 lemon (or more if doubling trout recipe)
- Parsley
- 16 oz bag baby carrots (or 4 big carrots)
- Baby spinach (2 cups)
- Spinach/chard (3 handfuls)

Grocery
- Olive oil ( Publix Olive Oil 17 oz, $3.99)
     $1/1 Filippo Berio Olive Oil (exp 4/2/2011) (printable)
     $1/1 Filippo Berio Olive Oil Rolling (printable)
     $1/1 Filippo Berio Olive Oil (IE) Rolling Printable (FF) (printable)
     $1/1 Pompeian Olive Oil (exp 4/2/2011) (printable)
     $0.75/1 Crisco Olive Oil 2/6/2011 RP Insert (exp 4/30/2011)
     $1/1 Goya Olive Oil Rolling (printable)
- Dried apples (if making apple sausage)
     $0.75/1 Sunsweet Dried Fruit Rolling
- Honey or Pure Maple Syrup (if making apple sausage)
     $0.75/1 Golden Blossom Honey Rolling (printable)
- Whole wheat flour
- Sliced almonds (1/3 cup or more if doubling trout recipe)
     $1.50/2 Archer Farms Nuts TARGET coupon Target.com (exp 4/23/2011)
     (can use on Publix brand nuts)
- White wine (1/4 cup or more if doubling trout recipe) ( Foxhorn Vineyards Wine, 1.5L, $6.49)
- Chopped walnuts (1/2 cup)
     $1.50/2 Archer Farms Nuts TARGET coupon Target.com (exp 4/23/2011)
     (can use on Publix brand nuts)
- Parmesan
- 1/2 pound (8 ounces) dried whole wheat pasta (bite-sized - fusilli, penne, etc)
     $1/1 Dreamfields Pasta Product Rolling
     $1/1 Dreamfields Pasta Product Rolling
     $1/1 Dreamfields Pasta Product Rolling
     $1/1 Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Products, Varieties (IE) Rolling Printable (FF)
     $1/2 Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta Rolling
- Black olives

Spices
     $1/2 Simply Organic Glass Bottle Spices (exp 6/30/2011)
- Rosemary
- Basil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fennel
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Allspice (if making apple sausage)
- Sage (if making apple sausage)
- Ginger

Meat/Seafood
- 4 pork chops ( Center Cut Pork Rib Chops, $3.49/lb)
- 1 chicken sausage (or make your own) (OR use Italian, Publix Mild or Hot Italian Sausage, $3.69/lb)
- 1 lb ground turkey or chicken (if making apple sausage)
- 2 6 oz trout fillets (or one per person you are feeding) ( Fresh Rainbow Trout Fillets, $7.99/lb)
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Dairy
- 3 oz reduced-fat cream cheese
     $1/1 Organic Valley Cream Cheese or Neufchatel Rolling
- 1 cup crumbled feta ( Publix Crumbled Cheese, Feta, 4 oz, 2/$4)
- 4 Eggs
     Eggland’s Best Eggs, 2/$4
     -$0.50/1 Eggland’s Best Eggs March 2011 Woman’s Day, Weight Watchers, Everyday Food, Country Living Magazine (exp 6/30/2011)
     -$0.50/1 Eggland’s Best Cage Free Dozen or Organic Dozen Eggs 1/30/2011 SS Insert (exp 6/30/2011)
     -$0.50/1 Eggland’s Best Cage Free or Organic Eggs 12/12/2010 SS Insert (exp 3/31/2011)
     -$0.50/1 Eggland’s Best Cage Free or Organic Eggs 10/31/2010 SS Insert (exp 3/31/2011)
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella ( Publix Shredded Cheese, 8 ox pkg, 2/$4)
- Milk
     Smart Balance Half Gallon, 2/$5
     -$1/1 Smart Balance Milk Product (exp 4/2/2011)
     -$1.50/1 Smart Balance Milk 3/6/2011 SS Insert (exp 4/20/2011)
     -$2/1 Smart Balance Milks 3/27/2011 SS Insert (exp 5/1/2011)
     -$1/1 Smart Balance Milk Product Rolling
- ½ cup shredded cheddar or other cheese ( Publix Shredded Cheese, 8 ox pkg, 2/$4)
- Butter (or buttery spread) (Land O Lakes Sweet Cream Butter 16 oz, 2/$6)

Non-Coupon Matchup List
Produce
- Minced Garlic
- Lemon juice
- Head of cauliflower
- Salad
- 3 medium potatoes
- Bell pepper
- Broccoli (3 1/2 cups)
- Onion
- 1 lemon (or more if doubling trout recipe)
- Parsley
- 16 oz bag baby carrots (or 4 big carrots)
- Baby spinach (2 cups)
- Spinach/chard (3 handfuls)

Grocery
- Olive oil
- Dried apples (if making apple sausage)
- Honey or Pure Maple Syrup (if making apple sausage)
- Whole wheat flour
- Sliced almonds (1/3 cup or more if doubling trout recipe)
- White wine (1/4 cup or more if doubling trout recipe)
- Chopped walnuts (1/2 cup)
- Parmesan
- 1/2 pound (8 ounces) dried whole wheat pasta (bite-sized - fusilli, penne, etc)
- Black olives

Spices
- Rosemary
- Basil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fennel
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Allspice (if making apple sausage)
- Sage (if making apple sausage)
- Ginger

Meat/Seafood
- 4 pork chops
- 1 chicken sausage (or make your own)
- 1 lb ground turkey or chicken (if making apple sausage)
- 2 6 oz trout fillets (or one per person you are feeding)
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Dairy
- 3 oz reduced-fat cream cheese
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- 4 Eggs
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- Milk
- ½ cup shredded cheddar or other cheese
- Butter (or buttery spread)

:)

Freeze Your Way Fit Just Passed 10,000 Pageviews!!!... and What Do You Want To Know?

I can NOT BELIEVE I'm writing this right now! Especially since less than 2 weeks ago I was posting THIS post about passing 5,000 pageviews! All I can say is, "You like me, you really like me!" LOL :) In all seriousness, it makes me positively giddy to think that so many people are taking an interest in preparing healthy meals and saving money on nutritious foods while spending less time in the kitchen.

I designed this logo myself. Are you impressed?
(Don't be... it took me about 16 hours, LOL!)

Many thanks to anyone who shared this site with a friend and to all of you other bloggers out there who posted a link. However you found this blog, just know that I'm glad you came and I hope you got some good ideas out of it. I've decided to share the link-up love this week by using recipes from some of my favorite blogs to make up my Clean Eating Meal Plan.

Since I won't be spending time posting my own recipes, I'm going to make an effort to post some more general info stuff in response to some of the questions I've received. Make sure to come back and check out the Getting Started page to see the updated info. Some of the topics I'm going to address:

• Natural Sweeteners Explained
• Whole Grains 101
• More info on Getting Started with Clean Eating
• How to Build a Natural Food Pantry

If you have a specific question or an area where you'd like more info, leave a comment and I'll add it to the list. Let me know what you want to know :) And, as always, if you have a great recipe or tip and would like to submit a guest post, send me an e-mail HERE.

Thank you again for checking out my blog!

:)

Kids Eat Free at Chili's Again March 29th!!

It's back!! Another coupon for a free Kid's Meal at Chili's! If you missed this last time, here's your chance to cash in. This is only good for March 29th. Here are my thoughts on Chili's:

Over the past few years, Chili's has made some changes to their menu, mainly with the addition of the Guiltless Grill items. It's now one of the few places that we can go for dinner and I actually feel good about what we ate and don't have to bring a meal for my kids. As long as you order something sensible, you could easily have a dinner out here that doesn't blow your Clean Eating lifestyle.

I always order my kids the grilled chicken sandwich from the kid's menu with a side of steamed broccoli or fresh pineapple. I have them put it on a whole grain bun and make the broccoli without any seasoning. I usually get one with broccoli and one with pineapple and chop them both up together so each boy gets  a pineapple broccoli mixture. I love the Grilled Salmon with Garlic and Herbs. They even have a vegetarian menu, you just have to ask.

If the 29th was one of your night's off in your weekly meal plan you should definitely give Chili's a try. Make sure you bring THIS coupon with you so your kid's eat free. Enjoy!!

P.S. For some more great coupons make sure you check out the current Giveaway HERE!

:)

Cantaloupe Cake Bars

Makes 12 Servings
My boys love, love, LOVE cantaloupe so they get VERY excited when I make this great little dessert. The original recipe used a box of cake mix and a lot of butter. I made my own cake mix based on how my great friend, Mandy, did in THIS recipe. Then I substituted some of the butter with olive oil, replaced the white sugar with sucanat and Agave nectar, and used whole wheat flour instead of white flour. The results were a delicious dessert that is still a bit indulgent but packs 4g of Fiber, 4g of Protein, 33% DV of Vitamin A, and 27% DV of Vitamin C. 

Ingredients:
Homemade Cake mix –

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat)
• 1 1/2 cups of sucanat (can use turbinado/brown sugar but it won’t be “clean”)
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1/4 cup of light butter, cut into small pieces

Crunch Bars -

• 3 cups cubed cantaloupe
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Agave nectar (can use honey)
• 1 Tbsp whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup olive oil

ONE: Preheat the oven to 350. Using a food processor or your hands, blend together the homemade cake mix ingredients until well mixed and the same consistency as packaged cake mix.

TWO: In a 9-inch square baking dish, mix together the cantaloupe, lemon juice, Agave, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Spread the dry cake mix evenly over the top.

THREE: Drizzle the olive oil over the cake mix. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving - 308 Calories (118 from Fat), 13g Total Fat, 4g Saturated Fat, 10mg Cholesterol, 196mg Sodium, 45g Total Carbohydrates, 4g Dietary Fiber, 8g Sugars, 4g Protein, 33% Vitamin A, 27% Vitamin C, 12% Calcium, 12% Iron

:)

Clean Eating Cantaloupe Bread

Makes 16 servings
OOOOOooooohhhhhh Buddy!! This is good. Like REALLY good... as in we ate the entire loaf in one day, LOL. It's an interesting flavor. It's not overwhelmingly cantaloupe-y (that's a word, right?) and it almost tastes like pumpkin bread but with a lighter type of sweetness. Does that make sense? If not, go back to we ate the entire loaf in one day. I'm making another one tomorrow :)

This is all that was left 15 minutes after it came out of the Breadmaker hehehe

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 cup sucanat (can use turbinado/brown sugar but it won't be "clean")
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 2/3 cups pureed cantaloupe
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)

ONE: Dump everything into the breadmaker, adding the flour last. Run the breadmaker on the quick bread setting (I take a rubber spatula and run it around the edges after it's been mixing for a little while to make sure there's no pockets of unmixed flour). Remove from the bread pan and let cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Isn't it amazing that you push a button and this becomes perfect bread?!

NON-BREADMAKER INSTRUCTIONS:
ONE: Buy a cheap breadmaker on Craigslist, LOL. Just kidding. Preheat the oven to 325. Lightly grease and flour a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

TWO: In a large bowl combine the eggs, oil, vanilla, and pureed cantaloupe. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Pour into prepared pan.

THREE: Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack before slicing.

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving - 146 Calories (48 from Fat), 5g Total Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 26mg Cholesterol, 203mg Sodium, 22g Total Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 2g Sugars, 3g Protein, 20% Vitamin A, 16% Vitamin C, 4% Calcium, 7% Iron

Couponing Scenario Using Coupons from Many Sources - 2

A little while back, I posted THIS couponing scenario courtesy of the AMAZING Casey and the response was huge. I found when I first started couponing that it really helped me to see exactly what other people were buying and what coupons they used to get great deals and apparently you all agree :) Coupon Queen Casey had another awesome shop this week and was nice enough to write it all up and share the details with us.


This gives you an idea of all the different coupon sources there are and how the really savvy couponer can pull things from a bunch of different places all into one shop. Thanks, Casey!!!!

Bought	Used
4 Kraft Shredded Cheese (2/$4)	2 $1.50/2 Target Qs and 2 $1/2 MQs 3/13/2011 SS
2 Kraft Cheese Blocks (2/$4)	2 peelies found on bag for $1 off when you buy both a bag of Kraft shredded cheese and a Kraft block of cheese
2 Ritz Munchable Pretzels BOGO $3.69	2 $1 MQs
4 Kraft Salad Dressings BOGO $3.19	1 B2G1 Free Target Q and 1 $1/2 Kraft condiment Target Q
Lindsay Reclosable Olives $2	$1 off printable from a while back that I had in my coupon file
2 Pure Protein Bars $1.25	1 B1G1 MQ 3/6/2011 RP (or $1/1 HERE)
2 Zone Meal Bars $1	2 $0.55 MQs 1/16/2011 or 2/27/2011 SS
Myoplex Meal Bar $1.50	$1/1 MQ 2/27/2011 SS
4 Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks BOGO $2.93 (I know, I know. Don't hate me, I donate them to the food bank!)	2 BOGO coupons that were on boxes months ago and I've been waiting until I could get them for free. Great food pantry donation item!
TGIF Skillet Meal 50% off (Sale price $2.99)	$2 peelie from a long time ago that I had in my coupon file
2 TGIF Appetizers 50% off (Sale price $4.49) (I'd just like to say that the TGIF stuff is for my hubby when I'm out of town next week. Plus I'm buying him some bagged salads, LOL)	$4/2 Target Q
1 Friendship Sour Cream $1.99	$1 PQ from the Yellow Advantage Buy Flier
2 Organic Valley Milk 2/$7	2 $1 MQs
	I used a $5/55 Winn Dixie Q that I had but here's a $5/30 from Winn Dixie that you can print

I may be forgetting some stuff I bought (I know I did last time) but I spent $19 oop and saved $78. Considering the cheese alone would have cost that much had I not shopped sales I think it was a pretty good week. For those of you who don't know you can freeze cheese!

Woo hoo, Casey!! Great shop! And thanks for writing it all up for us. You're the best :)