Super Simple Crock Pot Chicken & Stuffing

I'm all about anything that will make my life easier. Especially in the kitchen. That's why I'm such a huge fan of crock pot cooking. I plan to share many of my favorite recipes here on my blog, a lot of which are crock pot recipes.

We tend to associate the crock pot with the winter months, pot roast, chili, etc. Now that the weather’s warming up I’ll be using my crock pot more than ever. Running my oven in the summer turns my little house into Dante’s inferno, so the crock pot is a lifesaver.

This recipe is one that I've made many, many times. It's super simple and really yummy.

Super Simple Crock Pot Chicken and Stuffing

What You Need:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (1) can Cream of Mushroom Soup (you could use any 'Cream of' soup if you're not a fan of mushroom- I happen to love mushrooms, but I bet this would be good with Cream of Chicken too), 1/3 cup of milk, (1) box instant Chicken Stuffing, 1 1/2 cups of water and salt and pepper

What You Do:

1) Wash chicken breasts, pat dry. Season to your liking with salt and pepper on both sides. Place in crock pot.

2) Mix soup and milk together in a bowl, pour over chicken.

3) Combine stuffing and water (with a wee bit of salt and pepper if you choose) in a bowl. Allow stuffing to soak up the water. Spoon over chicken and soup in crock pot.

4) Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours

It doesn't get much easier than that. I serve this with cranberry sauce and corn. It’s a family favorite for sure.  

 
P.S. - Love these slow cooker liners from Reynolds. They make clean up a breeze.
 

Coupon Boot Camp - ShopRite Deals for the Week of 05-22-11

Hey Coupon Boot Campers! 

Here are a few Shop Rite deals you can take advantage of this week:

Heluva Good Dips are on sale $1.49 each. Use this printable coupon for .50 cents off and get it for .49 cents and Shop Rite doubles your coupon.  
You'll be able to print two of those coupons from one computer so you can get two dips for .49 cents each. Also, there was a .75 cent off coupon in last week's Smart Source (5/15) insert. If you've been collecting your coupon inserts, you'll be able to grab more of these if you like. Shop Rite will take an additional .25 cents off your .75 cent coupon and you'll get the dips for .49 cents each. That's a Heluva good deal. 


Select Colgate Toothbrushes are on sale for .88 cents each. There was a .75 cent off coupon for Colgate Toothbrushes in the 5/1 Smart Source insert. Shop Rite will take an additional .25 cents off, you'll get your toothbrush for free and have a .12 cent money maker per tooth brush. (FYI: You're supposed to get a new toothbrush at least once every three months. You're also supposed to throw your toothbrush away if you've been sick. You can NEVER have too many toothbrushes!)


Same deal as above: Select Colgate Toothpaste is also on sale  for .88 cents each and there was a .75 cent off coupon in the 5/1 SS insert for Colgate Toothpaste. 


Vlasic Pickles are on sale for $1.66. Use this .55 cents off (1) printable coupon, Shop Rite will take an additional .45 cents off and you'll get the pickles for .66 cents.


Lawry's Marinades are on sale for $1.25. There was a .50 cent off coupon for Lawry's Marinade in the 5/15 Red Plum insert. Shop Rite will double your coupon and you'll get the marinade for .25 cents. These are great to stock up on for summer grilling! 

There's tons of great deals at Shop Rite this week. Grab your sale flyer and the coupons you've been collecting and start matching up sale prices to coupons. :)

Coupon Boot Camp - Lesson 8: Coupons & Couponing FAQ

Since I started this series of posts here on my blog about coupons and couponing a few weeks ago, I've received a lot of positive feedback from readers like yourself. I've also been asked a lot of questions. Which I'm happy to answer. In today's lesson I'm going to answer some of the most FAQ I've been receiving. If this little Q & A session doesn't answer a question you have, please feel free to contact me and I'll be more than happy to answer it or help you find the answer. 

Q: I've been checking out couponing sites and blogs. They use a lot of abbreviations with no explanation as to what they mean. WYB? MM? OOP? What do they mean?


A: This is something I probably should have covered. There are a lot of abbreviations and acronyms used in the coupon world. Here's a list of all the ones I can think of. :)

SS - Smart Source Coupon Insert
RP - Red Plum Coupon Insert
P&G - Proctor & Gamble Coupon Insert
GM - General Mills
K - Kellog's
U - Unilever 
MFG - Manufacturer's Coupon
IP - Internet Printable Coupon
PSA - Prices Start At
WYB - When You Buy 
OOP - Out Of Pocket
MM - Money Maker
OYNO - On Your Next Order
UPC - Universal Product Code
PP - Price Plus (Shop Rite)
ECB - Extra Care Bucks (CVS)
RR - Register Rewards (Wags)
WAGS - Walgreens
SCR - Single Check Rebate (Rite Aid)
CAT - Catalina
DND - Do Not Double
YMMV - Your Miles May Vary or Your Manager May Vary (As in the price may be different dependent upon your location.)
MIR - Mail In Rebate
B1G1 or BOGO - Buy 1 Get 1 Free
$1/2 - One Dollar off when you buy 2 items


Also, now that we've covered the basics of couponing here, I would encourage you to check out different couponing blogs and websites. There is a wealth of information out there and I am certainly not the leading authority on anything. The more you know, the more you can save!


Here are a few good ones:


Koupon Karen


The Krazy Coupon Lady (Thanks Yana!) 

Coupon Dad


Smart Couponing



Q: I found a bunch of coupons online that I wanted to print, but it's trying to get me to download something to be able to print them? What's that about?


A: When you're printing coupons online, like from Coupons.com, you'll be prompted to download and install a browser plugin. This allows you to print coupons with a scannable bar code and also prevents you from printing unlimited copies of the same coupon. Most coupons can only be printed twice from the same computer. There's also a print limit to the number of times a coupon can be printed overall. Once that limit's reached, the coupon will no longer be available (though they sometimes reset them). If you a coupon online that you want, print it right then and there. It may not still be available by the time you find a sale to use it with.



Q: No matter what I do I can't get coupons to print!! Help!


A: Here are a few things you can try that might help you:


Make sure your default printer is set to an actual printer. If the default is set to PDF, you won't be able to print most coupons.


If you're trying to print from a network printer, try connecting directly to the printer. 


Make sure you're already connected to the printer before you click "Print". Once you click print it's assumed you printed the coupon whether it actually printed or not...and after two tries you won't be able to print the coupon again.


Make sure your firewall isn't blocking the printable coupons plugin. Some firewalls may not recognize it as a secure feature and may block the plugin.



Q: I've been reading your Coupon Boot Camp posts and I want to save money with coupons, but I'm really not interested in menu planning or stockpiling, can I still save money with coupons alone?


A: If you're making very little effort or no real effort at all to save money at this point, then yes, starting to to use coupons will save you money. Will it save you tons of money? No. Will it save you as much money as if you were also planning meals and stockpiling? No. Plain and simple. Start out small and do what works for you.


Q: I don't see how you can save so much money with coupons?I hardly ever use coupons. There's never any coupons for the stuff I buy. 


A: Here's the thing about couponing...you've got to keep an open mind. If you don't go into it with an open mind, it's never going to work for you. Most people have certain products or brands that they are loyal to. Which is fine, I'm loyal to a number of brands and products myself, but in order to save money with coupons, you've got to be flexible. If you will absolutely only use a certain brand of toilet paper and a certain shampoo and a certain this and a certain that, then you're not going to save as much as you could be. That's all there is too. 




Q: You mentioned buying coupons in the first lesson. How can it make sense to pay for a coupon to save money?


A: It may seem strange to pay for coupons at first, I get that. It really is beneficial though. It's not absolutely necessary, there are tons of places to find coupons, which I covered in Lesson 1. To save the most money and grow a sufficient stockpile, you need a large quantity of coupons. The easiest way to obtain a large quantity of coupons is by buying them. The first time you use 10 coupons to get 10 of the same item for free, you'll appreciate having paid for the coupons (which is a minimum expense) to get those free items. 

Q: Where can I buy coupons online? 

A: Ebay is a great place to buy coupons. They are generally cheap and the shipping is usually free. 
Here are the other sites I've purchased coupons from and can give my seal of approval:


The Coupon Clippers


Coupon Carry-Out


Coupon Dede


Q: Will you come with me to the store and help me use my coupons the right way?


A: Yes. If you pick me up and throw in lunch.



Check back next Thursday for Lesson 9. Bookmark my blog in your favorites, subscribe to my feed or Follow me with Google Friend Connect! 

Coupon Boot Camp - Lesson 7: Learning Coupon Policies

Store's coupons policies vary from chain to chain and even from store to store within the same chain. To find out the store's coupon policy, first go to their website. Some stores have their coupon policy listed somewhere on their main site. If not, you can get contact information for the store's corporate office from their website, contact them and request a copy. You can also try asking at the store itself, though many stores do not have copies of their coupon policy for customers available in the store.

Unfortunately even after you've reviewed the store's official policy, you may find that your local store has a "policy" of it's own. Some stores make up their own undocumented rules. I've had this problem at Walmart more than once, which is why I now keep a copy of Walmart's Coupon Policy in my coupon binder. If a cashier or manager tries to tell me I can't do what I'm trying to do with my coupons, I can pull out Walmart's official coupon policy and politely show them that they are wrong. :) 

When you are learning a store's coupon policy you should be asking the following:


Does the store double coupons? 

If so, is there a limit to the number of coupons they will double? 

Do they full double their coupons? In other words, does a .75 cent coupon become $1.50 coupon? Or do they double up to a certain dollar amount. Shop Rite, for instance, will double coupon's up to $1.00. So a .75 cent coupon doubled would become $1.00 coupon.

Are coupons doubled every day? Or only certain days? Do you need to use your rewards card for that store in order for coupons to be doubled?

Do they accept internet printable coupons?


Is there a limit to the number of coupons they will accept per transaction? Or a limit to the number of like coupons they will accept?

Are you allowed to use two coupons on buy 1 get 1 free store sales?

Can you combine store issued coupons with manufacturer's coupons?

It's important to know and understand the coupon policies of the stores your couponing at. You'll feel like a stooge if you're trying to use coupons in a way that goes against their policy. It's also important so that you're not given false information by a cashier or manager. Knowing and understanding the coupon policy of the store you're shopping at will make your shopping trip easier for both you and the store.


Last week in Lesson 6, we learned about combining sale prices with coupons for maximum savings. One thing I failed to mention is that there are times when you can combine a store issued coupon with a manufacturer's coupon for even greater savings. Here's an example of this: Let's say CVS has a certain brand of sunscreen on sale for $6.00 each. If you have a CVS coupon for $4.00 off when you buy 2 and (2) manufacturer's coupons for $2.00 off any 1, you could use all (3) coupons (both the CVS issued and the manufacturer's coupons) and get both bottles of sunscreen for $4.00 or $2 each.

It's also important to look at the coupon you're using itself to see what, if any, stipulations apply. Some coupons are for a specific sized item, "Valid for 16 oz. size only" or "Valid on jumbo packs or larger". Make sure you're buying the specified size. Some coupons read "Do Not Double" which means the value of the coupon is the value of the coupon regardless of the store's doubling policy. Be sure to check the expiration date on your coupon too. I've been embarrassed more than once accidentally trying to use an expired coupon.

Speaking of expired coupons, members of the US Military and their families who are stationed overseas can use expired coupons for up to 6 months after the expiration date at commissaries. You can mail your expired coupons to Support Our Troops 
P.O. Box 70
Daytona Beach, FL 32115-0070
Go here for more information on Troopons.

Tomorrow I'll be answering some of the questions I've been receiving regarding coupons and couponing. If you've got a question, send it my way and I'll try to include it. 

We're just about done with Coupon Boot Camp. Next week Lessons 9 & 10 will be posted on Thursday and Friday and that will conclude the basics of couponing. After that I'll be highlighting different stores each week, explaining their policies and sharing deals with you that you can then go to that store that week and take advantage of. Remember to keep collecting those coupons!


*Image courtesy of sellfiles.org*

Introducing DaGeDar...

Da..what..what? 

DaGeDar, pronounced "DAH-geh-DAAR" are super battle balls that encourage strategy and skill in a brand new, one of a kind game from Cepia LLC, the makers of Zhu Zhu Pets. DaGeDar will be available nationwide this summer.

So what is it exactly?

The DaGeDar are big, marble-like balls. Each ball weighs 33 grams. Unlike a marble they have steel cores and really cool graphics. The weight of the balls allows them to roll fast and jump far. More than 240 different DeGeDar balls are planned to be released in 2011, each with a varying degree of rarity, making them fun to collect and trade. Each ball also comes with a unique code so that it can be registered online to reveal that balls hidden powers, which can assist with racing strategy.

How do you play?

DaGeDar balls will require lots of practice and skill. Players must control the speed and velocity of their balls in order to send them around turns and through loops without forcing them off the track. The DaGeDar balls can be sent through spinners or loaded into battle launchers to add even more to this unique game. This ain't your Daddy's marbles, Kids...

I gotta' tell ya'...it looks pretty awesome. If you don't believe me, check this out and see for yourself how cool it is: 









For more info. on DaGeDar, be sure to "like" them on Facebook.


*I was entered to win a DaGeDar prize pack in exchange for introducing you to DaGeDar. If I win it, you're all coming over to play.*
 

When life hands you rotten bananas...

                                       ...make Banana Bread!

Because I can't bare to part with anything, (even rotten fruit) when my bananas go bad, I make banana bread with them. I love this recipe because it takes less than 10 minutes to throw everything together and you don't need a mixer...I'm not so good with machines. It's moist and delicious all on it's own. Great for breakfast or a snack. 

Here's what you need:

Rotten bananas (You don't want them totally decaying with flies buzzing around them, but you want them super soft with lots of brown spots. 3 or 4 will do, you'll need at least 3 decent sized bananas. I generally just use as many as I have. I used all of the cute little bananas shown in the picture for one loaf and the 3 larger ones for another loaf.)

1/3 cup of melted butter (Which is a little over 5 tablespoons.)

1 cup of sugar (You can easily reduce this to 3/4 cup or even half a cup if you're looking to cut back on sugar.)

1 egg

A splash of milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

A pinch of salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

A pinch of nutmeg

1 1/2 cups of flour

Here's what you do: 

1) First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Peel rotten bananas and place them in a large mixing bowl.

Then use an old-fashioned potato masher to mash the bananas up until they look something like this:

2) Add 1/3 cup of melted butter to mashed bananas. Gram says you should only melt butter in the microwave 10 seconds at a time or it loses it's flavor. Gram is never wrong. So if you're nuking your butter to melt it, make sure you do it in 10 second intervals until it's melted. In a separate bowl, beat an egg with a splash of milk. Pour egg into mashed bananas as well as sugar and vanilla.

3) Mix it all up. Then sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mix and mix in. Next add cinnamon and nutmeg and mix.

4) Last but not least, add the flour.

Mix the flour in. If you've ever made bread before, this dough won't be sticky like other dough, it'll still be fairly slimy and will look something like this:

5) This recipe makes enough for one loaf of bread. My bread pan is 4" x 8". You could use the same amount of mix for a larger pan or use smaller pans and make several little loaves. Butter your bread pan and pour mix into it.

6) Bake at 350 for one hour. I'd suggest pulling it out and popping a tooth pick in it after 45 minutes just in case, as oven times and temperatures vary. Cool on a rack.

Remove from pan, slice and serve. Sooooo good. My kids tear it up every time I make it. 

 

Coupon Boot Camp - Lesson 6: Combining Coupons with Sale Prices + Starting a Price Book

If you missed Lesson 5 on How Grocery Store Sales Work + Marketing Tricks, it's back online now. Blogger had some technical difficulties yesterday, which is why today's lesson wasn't posted yesterday like it should have been. It also caused all of Thursday's posts to go missing for a short time. Looks like they are back in business now though. 

Today we'll talk about combining coupons with store sale prices and how to start a price book.

A lot of people don't use coupons because they think they're going to waste money buying something they don't really need, spending money just because they have a coupon for something. Hopefully you're starting to see that's not the case at all and developing a whole new mindset about couponing. 

Before you can get a really good deal, you need to know what a really good deal is. Starting a price book is essential to smart couponing! Use a 3-hole spiral bound notebook for your price book and you can keep it right in your coupon binder. A price book is exactly what it sounds like. It's a book of different items you buy frequently and what the prices are for that item at various stores you shop at. It might sound like an awful lot of work, but it really isn't and it isn't something that needs to be maintained. For the most part, once it's done, it's done.

Make a line half way through each piece of paper in the notebook as you go along. Use each half to list a different item. You'll have 4 items listed on each sheet of paper in the notebook (front and back). When you go to the stores you normally shop at, bring your price book with you. Jot down the names of items you buy and what the regular price of each item is, along with the name of the store. 

When you look at your weekly sale ads. you can compare sale prices to those in your price book and determine if you're really getting the best deal possible. You can also keep track of the sale prices of the items you buy at different stores, what the sale price is and when it goes on sale. This will help you to follow the stores sales cycles like we talked about in Lesson 4. 

After you've started your price book, look at your store ads. each week and the coupons you have. Go through your coupon collection and match-up coupons for the items that are on sale and determine the price after coupons. 

Here's an example:
A certain brand of chips is on sale 2/$5 or $2.50 each. Looking at your price book you can see that the regular price of those chips is $2.75, so it's really not a great deal. Unless you really need those chips this week, you'll want to skip that sale. Of course you'll be implementing the Menu Planning and stockpiling strategies we've already gone over at the same time.

Keep going through the weekly sale ads., matching up coupons you have with those sale items, comparing to your price book and seeing what's a great deal and what's not.

My #1 Couponing Rule is to never use a coupon to buy an item that's regular price. The key is to use your coupons wisely on sale items that are at their absolute lowest sale price. Sure, you might save some money other wise, but not the kind of money you could be saving. And the whole point is to save as much money as you possibly can!

It's also really important not to buy anything just because you have a coupon for it, sale price or not. It can be tempting when you're just starting out. There will be many, many coupons that you'll throw away expired and that's ok. Remember that the goal here is to only use coupons to buy items at the lowest price possible. You'll need to learn to have patience and wait for that price to come around. Make sure that when you do find that low, low price, you're implementing the principles of stockpiling so that you have enough of that item until it goes on sale that low again. 

Next week we'll talk about learning stores coupon policies and I'll answer some of the FAQ I've been receiving about coupons and couponing. :)