Fantastic Friday

Please excuse the mess on the backside of the island.

This week's total:

Spent: $65.92

Store Coupons: $10.00

Vendor Coupons: $12.44

Special Price Savings: $36.33

Saved: $58.77

We're getting pretty stocked up. I can see where it takes time to get a good base for cooking most recipes. I dare say we are almost there...

Chicken Hiatus

In these last few weeks, it seems our schedule consists of run, work, eat, rinse, repeat. So it was nice last Friday when we got to cook a good meal and relax.

MS just returned from Wisconsin with some fabulous appetizers.


All meals need something green. I forgot to lop off the ends of the asparagus, but isn't it pretty anyways? Olive oil, coarse salt, fresh pepper...

and this is what sealed the deal.

Meanwhile, MS was hard at work grilling.

I kid, I kid. He did a bang up job on the steaks. The marinade was fantastic. Who knew you could use ketchup as a marinade base?

I had no idea baked potatoes were such a complicated subject matter. Googling 'how to bake a potato' made my head spin. Foil? No foil? Oil rub? Salt or no? 400 or 425? Holes? No holes?

After much deliberation and advice : holes, oil, salt, foil, 425.

This would be the sound of me tooting my own horn. They were delicious. I ate the entire potato, peel and all - and I'm not that kind of girl.

The Wisconsin sharp cheddar helped matters as well.

I'm 98% sure that potato was my saving grace for the next days hilly 10K. See? Carbs are your friend.

Stewed

MS loves stew and soups and recently requested more in the recipe rotation. Luckily, I had just received a recipe in my power bill (convenient, I might add:) for an easy brunswick stew.

They had me at easy.

Put all this in the crockpot.
(1 cup of ketchup. 1 T of worcestershire. Hot sauce to taste. Brown the meat.)

The sourdough in the background was a nice complement as well.

It was a little sweet for my taste, so next time I might use tomato paste rather than ketchup. Move over, Giada.

Village to Village

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to run a sweet little 10K. It being 27 degrees, I was decked out in everything fleece (and pink.)

Holy hills, Batman. I was not prepared for those first two miles. Luckily, no other than my new father in law was working the water station at mile 3. We've never gotten an "Love ya'll!" at a water stop before, but it was motivating.

I didn't know the course very well, so I was gripped with fear at every turn that another hill awaited.


It was all worth it, since we got these roses.

Syke. The real trophy was the tall stack of pancakes and bottomless cups of coffee the father in law treated us to.

This running thing might be good for weight loss if it wasn't for my equally loved hobby of carb loading. One cannot live on egg whites alone, right?

Sweet Melissa

Happy Birthday today to one of my oldest (length, not age) friends. It seems like just yesterday we were roaming the halls of K-4 in our smocked dresses, yet here we both are, roaming the halls of corporate America in suits and heels.

I so admire your patience and your wisdom. I know I can always get good advice from you - everything from relationships to hair dressers. You are incredibly analytical and understanding.

You are also one of the funniest people I know. You are such a gifted writer, right down to the emails that often make me actually lol in my cube.

You also share my love for cheese, Lifetime movies and a various assortment of frostings and doughs.

It has been such a blessing not only to have you as a friend, but to have you as a friend for as long as I can remember. You have been there in the best and the worst times of my life and I could not ask for a better friend during each.

May this year be filled with joy and all the good things life has to offer. Happy Birthday!

Fantastic Friday

I was going to label today "Frugal Friday" but the word frugal reminds me of dried up grapes (raisins?) and I'm really not a fan.

Without further ado, this week's fantastic deals.

CVS

One always needs movie candy. Five grams of protein? It's practically a vegetable. Used 7 ECBs from last week's deals.

Total out of pocket: $2.96.

*The key to the game is to keep buying stuff that gets you ECB's. This trip was a fail. I make up for it later:)

Publix

Spent: $79

Saved: $70

53% savings

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think balance is key here. I'm sure I could save more, but we try to eat moderately healthy. Yes, moderate includes chewy fudge brownies.

MS is returning from the frozen tundra and I'm really excited about some steak tonight.

It does sound good, doesn't it?

Beef...it's whats for dinner.

Happy weekend friends!!

Lunchtime Errands

I'm getting pretty adjusted to the neighborhood and can almost run all of our errands close to home. No small feat in the Ham.

It was rushed, so I hope E. Seasom appreciates me picking up her dry cleaning.

Was glad to see a good(?) report on the Grizz when I picked him up from grooming. Does this read Big Baby or Big Baby? Both fit. The big baby was ready to get OUT OF THERE and took a flying leap into my car. Impressive when you have the build of a bowling ball.

I cut off the exclamation point. It kind of looks insulting without it. Oops.

Happy Thursday. I'm so looking forward to a glass of merlot with Addison Montgomery tonight.