Friday, April 13, 2012

The joys of being a stay-at-home mommy

I've been very blessed to have been able to stay at home with my little munchkin all these years. I have been a stay-at-home mommy ever since I was 8 months pregnant. I know that with this economy, not many mommies are able to do so which is why I consider myself very fortunate! Never has my baby ( well, now he is 3- not a baby anymore) stepped inside a daycare or has he had a babysitter. I have wonderful friends who have watched him for a day ( and one time even overnight!), but my little Justin has always been under my care. I've always been so afraid to take him to a daycare. Although it would mean more income for my family, I figured I'd wait! At least until he started school! After that, I can find a real job (I say real because I do work now, only one or two days a week. I fill in for my husband and he stays home with our son. I do this so that he is able to spend time with our son.) and get a workin'! Although I did complain in the past about being a stay-at-home mom, I realize that I'm very blessed and so many woman would have loved to do what I am doing now. Spending quality time with my son. I've been present for every single milestone. I witnessed his first time crawling, walking, talking, everything. Now that he is older, staying home with him brings more joys and of course more challenges! With the terrible two's almost at it's end (Gosh, I hope I don't jinx myself!), I can enjoy more of Justin and less of Justin's tantrums! A few months ago, I thought I was going to lose it! His tantrums and public meltdowns were taking a huge toll over me! It was extremely frustrating to say the least! Now, a few months later, I am elated to see that his tantrums are slowly coming to a culmination.
Another great thing about this year or so that I have left before my munchkin starts school, is that he is talking soooooooooo much more! My husband and I were just talking about how it seems that both his vocabulary and speech are dynamically changing! It almost seems, to us, that he is speaking as well as an adult and it blows our minds! This is our first child so everything we are experiencing is for the very first time. This age, I'd say, is magical. Very soon he will be able to join a youth baseball team which is very exciting! My husband and I are so looking forward to this! My husband has been trying to enroll him into sports since he was one, lol! We found out that we had to wait until he was at least four which means we have just one more year of waiting!
Another great joy of this age is that they are so willing to help out with cooking, cleaning, and just any task you give them! My son is always volunteering to sweep and cook! Sometimes, I'm in such a hurry to get dinner ready that I let him help me for half a second and no more than that. Today, however, I decided to let him help me make his own lunch. Which he had lots of fun doing! We made quesadillas out of homemade tortillas. He helped mixing the "masa" or corn flour as well as making the tortillas and adding the cheese on the tortilla to make the quesadilla. He was super happy that I let him do this! He ran to the restroom to get his stool and was ready to help me with anything I needed help with. After washing our hands, I let him form the masa and he helped me flatten it out with the tortilla press. After we were done, he ate a very big quesadilla and was a happy camper. Moments like these are what I will be thinking of as I cry my heart out the day he goes off to college! I feel a tear coming!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Biore face wash & pore strips: 5 cents at CVS

I paid my friends at CVS a quick visit because I received an email from the CVS beauty club this week with a coupon for $2 off any Biore item. I was already planning to buy them (and good thing I waited!) so it was perfect! I had a Buy one pore strips, get one face wash free MQ coupon and they have a deal going on as well. Buy $15 worth of select Jergens, Curel, Biore, or John Freida products and get $5 ECB back. The Biore products were on sale at 2  for $15.  The thing is, it was supposed to cost me 50 cents + tax but somehow, the coupon (BOGO) rung up as -9.00 and not $7.50 so I ended up paying 5 sents for both items- tax and all. 



So This is how it went:
2 Biore products (1 pore strips, 1 face wash) at 2/$15                     
Used 1 BOGO free MQ                                                                
Used 1 CVS Beauty Club Coupon ($2 off)                                       
Received $5.00 back in ECB                           


$15.00 + tax ($16.05)
- $9.00 
-$2.00
-$5.00
____________________

Final Price: $0.05               

I love these strips! The face wash I have yet to try :)                 
                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                 

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Free Olay Barsoap at Walmart


The March P&G has some $2/1 Olay Bodywash or In-shower Body Lotion that I hadn't been able to use. I had read that the bars (2 pk) were at low price of $2.59 at Walmart but everytime I went to Walmart, they were out. Shelves cleared. It is a good deal so I wasn't surprised. I haven't been shopping a lot at Walmart so keeping the expiration date (3/31) in mind, I decided to go ahead and (hopefully) use the coupons for these Olay barsoaps. I immediately noticed that one of the 2 pk was priced at $2.00! That meant it'd be free! Yay for free Olay Barsoap!

So I grabbed 8 of them and got them for free. I did have an issue with the cashier, though. He thought the coupon was only valid for 1ct barsoap. I explained it and he called the manager over who told him I was right so that was that. Some of these are heading my in-laws' way :) Some I brought to work with me. The other ones are staying at home and should come in handy during Georgia's scorching hot summer (and Spring!). Yikes!

8 Olay Barsoaps (2 pk) at $2.00
Used 8- $2/1 Barsoap, Bodywash, or In-Shower Lotion MQ from March P&G
Final Price: Free- just paid tax


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Quick Kroger Trip 3/27: $36.88 value for $3.37

I love the buy x, save x at checkout sales at Kroger! Although I don't do much shopping at Kroger, I do plan a trip whenever they have a good sale and I have matching coupons. This week, they have the buy 4 participating items, get $4 off at checkout- a really good sale! That's a dollar off per item- yay! Another sale I love at Kroger is the $10/10 sale! I made a quick trip to Kroger this morning (hoping the shelves wouldn't be cleared). Many times I've had to get rain checks for the good sales. Today, I didn't! They were very stocked up! That made me happy because it made for a super quick trip. In and out. 


4 Colgate Toothpastes at $10/10
Used: 3- $0.50/1 Colgate Toothpaste, any MQ
1- $0.75/1 Colgate Toothpaste MQ
Final Price: $0.25 for all four

4 Colgate Toothbrushes at $10/10
Used: 3- $1/1 Colgate toothbrush, any
Used: 1- $0.40/1 Colgate toothbrush, any
Final Price: $0.20 for all four

2 Febreze Air Effects at $2.49
- $2.00 (Mega Event Savings)
Used: 2-$1/1 Febreze Air Effects MQ
Final Price: $0.98 for both (49 cents each!)

1 Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner at $2.99
- $1.00 (Mega Events Savings)
Used: 1- $1/1 Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner
Final Price: $0.99

1 Glade Expressions Fragrance Mist Starter Kit at $3.95
- $1.00 (Mega Events Savings)
Used: 1- $2/1 Glade Expressions Fragrance Mist Starter Kit MQ
Final Price: $0.95

Total Value: $36.88

Total Saved: $33.51

Total Paid: $3.37



CVS Trip: Saved 100% (48.41 value + tax)


Ever since I found out about Publix and their awesome sales, I started shoppping less and less at CVS. I used to do a lot of CVS shopping but I soon lost interest. Well, yesterday I decided to pay my friends at CVS a visit. Hehehe. I did prepare before and luckily, my sister had handed me some coupons she had obtained at her dentist office. They were a one page flyer with these coupons: $1/1 Colgate Toothbrush, ANY and $0.50/1 Colgate toothpaste, ANY. These expired in a few days (3/31) so I was hoping for a sale. My sister had brought me 4, she says they had a whole bunch and nobody was paying them any attention. Well, this week both coupons came in handy. Some at CVS, some at Kroger. This is my CVS Trip. Yikes, I saved 100%! I can almost never say that! I even got a 60 cent overage, which I used on candy hehe. Oh, and I had to use my husband's CVS card too since the ECB (Extra Bucks) deals were 2 per card; this is what I purchased in altogether:




8 Mars Chocolate Bunnies/ Eggs at 2//$1
 BUY 2, GET $1 ECB BACK
Used: 4- $1/2 Any Mars Easter products MQ
Used: 1- $0.25/ 2 MARS Easter Candies CVS coupon
Final Price: Free + 4.25 overage!

1 Glade Scented Plug-in Oils Warmer, 
1 Glade Sense & Spray Starter Kit, and
1 Glade Scented Plug-in Oil Twin Refill at a sum of $20.15 for all 3 products
BUY $20, GET $10 ECB BACK
Used: 1- $3/1 Glade Sense & Spray MQ
Used: 1- $1.50/1 Glade Plug-in twin refill MQ
Used: 1-$/1 Glade Plug-in scented oil warmer MQ
Used: 1-$1/1 Glade Sense & Spray CVS coupon
Final Price: $3.65

4 Colgate 360 Toothbrushes at  $2.99
BUY ANY COLGATE 360 at $2.99, GET $2 ECB BACK
Used: 4- $1/1 any Colgate Toothbrush MQ
Final Price: FREE

2 CVS Gold Emblem Jelly Beans at $0.99
BUY ANY GOLD EMBLEM JELLY BEANS, GET $0.99 ECB BACK
Final Price: Free

Total Value: $48.41

Total Paid: $0.00

Great Trip at CVS! I was planning on buying Glade products and toothbrushes anyway! Love it!



Friday, March 23, 2012

Publix: $66.16 worth for $11.16+tax

It feels like forever since I was last on here! I've been really busy lately. I headed to Publix last night, family and all. I usually don't participate in Publix's penny item but I did last night. I didn't make this trip because of the penny item, though. The reason why I decided to make this unusual Thursday trip is because of a Milk Bone coupon that was about to expire hehe. We are pretty much stocked up on dog food for our pup, Coco. We have treats, too, but I knew I had to get these treats at such a low price- almost free! I also went ahead and got my husband's MUST-HAVE cereal- Cinnamon Toast Crunch. They were bogo last week but I got a rain check since my Publix ran out. My munchkin behaved very well so it was a very smooth trip. In and out. This is what I got (Oh yeah, I need to buy myself a better camera!):


6 Milk Bone Healthy Favorites Treats BOGO at $3.19
Used: 2- $1/1 Milk Bone Treats MQ (Milk Bone's website)
Used: 2- B2G1 Free MQ
Used: 1- $1.50/2 Milk Bone Treats MQ
Used: 2- $1/1 Milk Bone Healthy Favorites Treats PQ
Final Price: $0.88 for all 6!! (Less than 15 cents each!)

3 Kraft Macaroni and Cheese BOGO at $1.39
No coupons
Final Price:$2.09 for all three (or about 70 cents each)

1 Publix Animal Crackers at  $1.85
-$1.84 (PENNY ITEM)
Final Price: $0.01

2 I Can't Believe It's Not Butter BOGO at $2.45
Used: 2- $1.25/ 1 ICBINB MQ (coupons.com)
Used: $0.75/2 ICBINB TQ
Final Price: FREE + $0.80 overage

1 Kettle Brand Chips BOGO at $3.69
Used: 1- $1/1 Kettle Brand Chips MQ
Final Price: $0.85

2 Bumblebee Premium Tuna BOGO at $2.89
Used: 2- $1/1 Bumblebee Tuna MQ (Facebook)
Final Price: $0.89 for both (or about 45 cents each)

4 Betty Crocker Poatoes BOGO at $1.57
Used: 2- $0.50/2 Betty Crocker Potato items MQ
Final Price: $1.14 for all 4 (or about 29 cents each)

2 Lance Cracker Creations BOGO at $3.29
Used: 2- $1/1 Lance Cracker Creations MQ
Final Price: $1.30 for both (or 65 cents each)

2 Cinnamon Toast Crunch BOGO at $3.59 (Raincheck)
Used: 1- $1/2 General Mills cereals MQ
Final Price: $2.59 for both (about $1.30 each)

2 Kellogg's Eggo Waffles BOGO at $2.37
Used:1- $0.75/2 Frozen Eggo Products MQ
Final Price: $1.62 for both (or 81 cents per box)

1 Honey Bunches of Oats BOGO at $3.29
Used: 1- $1/1 HBO Fruit Blends MQ
Final Price: $0.65
___________________________________________

Total Value: $66.16

Total Saved: $53.63

Total Paid: $11.16 +tax (or $12.53)

I just now realized that the Eggo Waffles were supposed to be BOGO at $3.25 and not $2.37..... I don't know what happened. My hubby picked these up so I am confused now. Maybe there were two sizes on BOGO? Who knows. Either way, this classifies as a "good trip". My dog loves these new Milk Bone treats so I am a very happy camper! I love bringing stuff home that my family loves! Tonight, I'm making chicken pot pie so the ICBINB will come in handy! It's been too long since we last had delicious chicken pot pie made from scratch! Well, hope everyone has a great weekend! 

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

PUBLIX: $86 worth for $12.96+tax (Fresh Fruit Included)

This week was awesome, as usual! I just got back from Publix and I got a great deal. On this trip (my first time ever using a Publix coupon on produce), I was able to get a good deal on fresh fruit! Being at the peak of it's season, I just HAD to get strawberries! They were on sale already at 3 for $5. They are the regular 16 oz (1 lb) container. Yay for cheap fruit! My husband, as I have mentioned before, makes post workout protein shakes and one of the ingredients is strawberries. My little booger, Justin, loves strawberries as well! I was elated to see that they had enough Kraft Fresh Takes this time, last time they only had about 6. I did, however, have to do more than one transaction since the manager said that one of the coupons (the store coupon $2/2 found in the yellow flyer) was 1 per customer. So here is my trip (Luckily, my Publix doubles MQ coupons of up to 50 cents):
(MQ= Manufacturer Coupon, PQ= Publix Coupon, TQ= Target Coupon)




10 Kraft Fresh Takes at 2/$4
Used: 8- $1/1 Fresh Takes MQ (2 printed and 6 from a Sunday paper insert)
Used: 5- $2/2 Kraft Milk Bite, Philadelphia Indulgence, Philadelphia Cooking Creme, Fresh Take, or Oscar Meyer Selects Beef Franks (PQ in yellow advantage flyer) 
Final Price: $2.00 for all 10 ($0.20 each)
(they were supposed to be free but I misplaced 2 coupons >_< It's ok!)

4 Activia 4pks at 3/$6
Used: 3- $1/1 Activia MQ
Used: 2- $2/2 Activia TQ
Final Price: $1.00 for all 4 4pks ($0.25 per 4 pk!)

2 Birdseye Viola Meals BOGO at $5.49
Used: 2- $1.85/1 Birdseye Viola Meals MQ
Final Price: $1.80 for both ($0.90 each)

2 Stouffer's Family-Sized Dinners at $3.99 each
Used: 2- $2/1 Stouffer's Meal MQ (from their Facebook)
Final Price: $3.98 for both ($1.99 each)

3 lbs/ packs of Strawberries at 3/$5
Used: 1- $2 off produce when you buy $5 or more PQ
Final Price: $3.00 (or $1 per pack)

1 Publix Milk at $3.29
Used: 1- Free Milk when you buy any 3 Breakfast Items (I bought Activia & Toaster Strudels) MQ from the Milk Mustache Campaign's Facebook
Final Price: FREE!

2 Country Crock Spreads BOGO at $2.39
Used: 2-$1/1 Country Crock product MQ
Final Price: $0.40 for both ($0.20 each)

2 Toaster Strudels BOGO at $2.35
Used: 1- $0.50/2 Toaster Strudels MQ
Final Price: $1.35 ( $0.68 cents each)

3 Maggi Soups at $0.65
Used: 3- $0.50/1 Maggi Soups MQ
Final Price: FREE + $1.05 overage!

1 Crystal Light Energy Drink Mix BOGO at $2.99
Used: 1- $1/1 Crystal Light Energy MQ (Mailed along with sample)
Final Price: $0.50

Total Value: $85.93

Total Saved: $73.99

Total Amount Paid: $12.96 +tax  (or $14.10)

My favorite buys this week were the strawberries and the Activia. Well, I'm also loving the cheap Stouffer's! Easy peasy dinner, all I have to do is make homemade garlic bread and a salad. Even more awesome is that I have another produce coupon for next week! Maybe I will get bananas and pears. I love fruit! With all these Fresh Takes I'm going to send some more to my mother-in-law (I gave her all 4 from last week) and buy some chicken breasts to make some easy yet yummy dinner. The crystal light are going to be my pre-workout drink- I need to beat my lame record of running 2.5 miles in 25 minutes. Hopefully it'll give me enough energy to improve my record. Well, that just about wraps my Publix trip for this week! Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday and a great weekend!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Living a Korexican Lifestyle(and yes, I just made this word up)



People always ask me, "How is it like- being Mexican and having a Korean husband?". There are those who look down upon this but for the most part, people are just plain curious (and that's understandable!). After all, our mix isn't as common as, say, Black and White or White and Hispanic.
Well, I always tell people asking me such question that despite being two totally different races with different cultures, to me it's as if we are the same race. Of course that sounds impossible and "mooshy" to say the least. The thing is, my husband, Alex, is Americanized. He was born and raised in the States. I was brought to the U.S when I was 2 so I, also, grew up here. We are both fluent in English and our native tongue. I can read and write both languages and my husband can read and write some Korean. I have (and continue to learn as I go) learned some Korean and my husband knows enough Spanish to have a photograph/business related conversation, lol. I would say we are both as Korean/ Mexican as we are American.
Mexican and Korean cultures and foods have many similarities, actually. More than you'd think. I love the Korean culture and their cuisine! If I hadn't been born Mexican, I'd have definitely been born Korean- I can tell you that much! I love how respect is everything in Korean culture! I love how you speak to an elder and people you aren't acquainted with differently than you would a sibling or friend! That is true for Mexican culture too! We say "usted" to show respect and the verb changes as well when speaking to elders/ strangers. In Korean culture (and again, this is from what I've learned in four years) you use "yuh" most of the time but that doesn't always work that way. Sometimes the whole sentence changes. That is what makes it hard; but for the most part, you can just add "yuh" to the end and presto (that is what I love)! Anywho, so respect is a huge thing in Korean culture and that is one of the things I love about it because respect is extremely important in life. I'd say that though respect is a big thing in my culture too, Koreans place a larger emphasis on it.
When it comes to Korean and Mexican cuisines, many similarities can be found as well. When I was pregnant, my mother owned a small restaurant about 15 minutes away. My husband and I used to work the same shifts and I sent him to my mother's restaurant to get me some enchiladas from the restaurant. My mother, being the great mother-in-law that she is, packed some beef ribs for Alex. He immediately told me that Koreans had a similar dish. I tried this dish a few months later and my, oh my! I don't know how I survived without eating this before! Ghalbi is my favorite Korean dish and one of my favorite dishes period! Actually, we ate some about three days ago and I have some marinating again for tonight's dinner. Yes, that is how much I love it! I know how to make it and make it pretty darn good (the hubby will testify in my favor!). Another similarity is that we both eat very spicy. Red soups. Chili peppers on mostly everything! Yes, that is my type of food! Our "caldo or sopa de mariscos" is almost the same as "jjammbong"- minus the noodles. Our "picadillo Michoacano" is similar to "yuk gae jang" (which was my favorite Korean soup...Later replaced by "daegu tang" ). One last thing I find very similar is the Kimchi (or atleast the stuffed cucumbers or "oi sobaegi"). No, we Mexicans don't eat Kimchi but we do eat cucumbers with lime, salt and ground red peppers. The Kimchi has an acidic taste to it once it has been fermented and it is made with "gochugaru" (<--- I love this stuff!). So they taste similar but, of course, Kimchi's taste is much more strong due to the garlic (mmm!).
The funny thing about the way we eat at my house is that we mix our foods. For example, a Mexican dish with Korean rice and Kimchi. Other times, we eat a Korean meal with an "agua de piƱa" or an "agua de melon" (homemade fruit juices made with whole fruit, water, and sugar). My favorite mix is steamed, white Korean rice (or "bap") with  "tinga". Tinga is a Mexican poultry dish made with potatoes, chorizo, onions, garlic, and chipotle peppers- delish!. So when it comes to food, I have no issues eating Korean and my husband has no issues (or choice) eating Mexican. We mix it up at the Kim's!
When it comes to keeping traditions alive, I think both my husband and I find it difficult to do. This is so because being here so many years, our parents didn't always keep traditions alive. We do like the traditions, we are just not as familiar with them as we should be. For example, Koreans celebrate the 100 days after birth. With us, we wanted to do it for our son but for personal reasons ended up not doing it. I wanted to dress him in a "hanbuk" (traditional Korean outfit used in formal occasionsand have lots of yummy food and fruits! Unfortunately, we weren't able to do it. For Mexicans, we celebrate the 3rd year. We won't be doing this niether. I don't understand why it is done and we aren't big on birthdays. Growing up, we didn't celebrate Mexican holidays like "Dia de los Reyes Magos" or  even "Dia de los Muertos". None of that is familiar to me. My husband has pictures of him and his brothers in hanbuks so his parents did try to keep traditions alive. It is just hard when you, yourself, aren't familiar with such practices. It becomes almost foreign to you.
With our son, Justin, we try to expose him to all three languages and both our cultures. It is of extreme importance to us that his roots are never forgotten.
At night, when we are resting and unwinding, I don't stop to think how different we look and are. To me, we're just one item. One marriage, one family. All other interesting things we encounter are just a bonus!


Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Publix: $62 worth for $5.21+tax

I procrastinated this week once again and waited until the very last minute to go to Publix (Literally!). I did, however, have a great trip! tee hee! I love Publix! This week and last week I had a $5/$30 Viva Italia Sale which is a huge help. Five dollars doesn't sound like a lot but when you coupon and buy items that are on sale, five dollars could buy quite a few items. For example, I could say that this week, the five dollars helped me buy  4 Honey Bunches of Oats cereals, 1 Silk Milk, 2 Dannon Light & Fit 4 packs, 1 Knorr Homestyle Stock 4 pk, and and a Voskos Greek yogurt AND I still had 20 cents left over. Pretty cool, eh!? I actually messed up because I thought this was the week in which the Voskos were $10/10 and so I sent the hubby to get them and didn't check the price until afterwards. I bought them at $1.50 each- oh well! This is how my trip went this week:
(TQ= Target Coupon, MQ= Manufacturer Coupon, PQ= Publix Coupon)

I forgot to add the gallon of Publix Milk. The hubby put it in the fridge so fast that it totally slipped my mind.

4 Honey Bunches of Oats Fruit Blends BOGO at $3.29
Used: 4- $1/1 HBO Fruit Blends MQ
Used:1- $2/2 Post dry cereal or and Silk beverage TQ
Final Price: $2.60 for all four (or $0.65 each)

4 Kraft Fresh Takes at 2 for $4
Used: 4- $1/1 Kraft Fresh Takes MQ
Used: 2- $2/2 Philadelphia Cooking Creme, Philadelphia Indulgence, Fresh Takes, or Oscar Mayer Select Beef Franks PQ (Yellow Advantage Flyer)
Final Price: FREE!

1 Knorr Homestyle Stock at $2.99
Used: $1.35/1 Knorr Homestyle Stock MQ
Used: 1- $1.25/1 Knorr Homestyle Product PQ
Final Price: $0.39

6 Voskos Greek Yogurt at 2 for $3
Used: 2- $1/3 Voskos Greek Yogurts PQ (Yellow Advntage Flyer)
Used: 1- $1/ 3 Voskos Yogurts MQ
Final Price: $6.00 ($1 each) 
^This is where I messed up but the hubby loves greek yogurt so it's all good.

2 Dannon Light & Fit 4 pks at $2.19 each
Used: 1-$2/2 Dannon Light & Fit 4 pks PQ (Yellow Advantage Flyer)
2- $1/1 Dannon Light & Fit 4 pk MQ
Final Price: $0.38 for both ($0.19 per 4 pk)

4 Progresso Soups BOGO at $2.29
Used: $0.50/4 Progresso soups MQ
Used: $1/4 Progresso Items PQ
Final Price: $2.58 for all four ($0.65 each)

1 Publix Milk Gallon at $3.39
Used: 1- Free Milk wyb 3 Breakfast Items MQ
Final Price: FREE!

1 Silk Milk at $3.39
Used: 1- $1/1 Silk Product MQ
Used: 1- $2/2 Post dry cereals and or Silk beverage TQ
Final Price: $0.39

1 Beechnut Cookies at $2.09
Used: 1- Try any Stage 4 Products free MQ (received in the mail today!)
Final Price: FREE!

1 Purell at $2.99
Used: $1/1 Purell 8oz or larger MQ
Used: $1/1 Purell 8oz or larger TQ
Final Price: $0.99

Also used 1- $5/30 PQ

Total Value: $61.97

Total Saved: $56.76

Total Paid: $5.21 + tax

My favorite buys this week were the Dannon yogurt, Kraft Fresh Takes, and the Silk! My husband is lactose intolerant and goes through his lactose-free milk super fast! It is way more expensive than regular milk and so anytime I can get cheap milk for him, I take advantage of it! 39 cents is awesome! I was actually hoping to get Silk's new Fruit and Protein milk but my Publix didn't have them yet so I got white milk. He uses most of it to do his post work-out shakes (raw eggs, raw oatmeal, banana, strawberries, milk) anyway so I figured the fruit and protein would be awesome! Oh well, maybe next time! 



Fun Weekend

This past "weekend" was as fun as I thought it'd be! I ended up getting an up-do Tuesday. Wednesday, we went to the gym and I ran 2.5 miles again. I didn't get any reading done, though. I finally took my book but the ladies at the sauna kept talking to me (which is ok, I like talking to new people). We went out to eat, as usual. Later that night, we went to my uhmuhnee's (mother-in-law) house. Volunteering was awesome! Family time was very interesting! At my in-laws, we had plenty of laughs. The girls (my mother-in-law, my brother-in-law's girlfriend, and I) all armed wrestled. The boys (my husband, my two brother-in-laws, and my father-in-law) had a push-up competition as well as arm wrestling each other. It was a very fun night! I made Mexican chicken soup for the whole family that night and we all ate together (minus one of  my brother-in-law who was working out). I always cherish moments like these! These are a few pics of what we did.
Relaxing on Wednesday night at my in-law's house. Haha, Justin looks so little!

 Eating at Swirll, our favorite froyo place! Justin loves it and requests it weekly. They had a deal on half off depot a few months ago, $5 for $10 worth. We took advantage of it and bought 8!

                                               
Me leaving El Patron's headquarters in Midtown. I did some volunteering for St.Judes Research Hospital. we raised (during the two days) $225,137 for this cause! Georgia has some good-hearted people!

Thursday's weather was absolutely fabulous! I took this pic while we waited for our car to be washed at this place called Sky. 

I am planning to go to Publix tonight so I will put that up asap.


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Yay, The weekend is here! .....or atleast for us it is!

Tacky Toddler is happy that the weekend is here!

The weekend is here, the weekend is here! Well, not technically but it is for our family. We aren't your typical American family. We actually are very atypical, lol! Well, we have a weird schedule and so our weekends aren't Saturday and Sunday as it is for everyone else. Our weekends are Wednesday and Thursday. This week I am super excited, though! 
Well, tonight I'm getting a haircut (that's something to be excited about, right? Na...). Then tomorrow, I want to go to the gym and run another 2.5 miles. I am so weird and get bored of activities so fast; I have to keep reinventing it or finding new motivations! Right now, my motivation to go to the gym is my book (which I have not remembered to take with me these past 2 times! Bummer!) and my wanting to get a really defined 6 pack. Right now... it seems that I am stuck on a kind-of noticeable four pack. My book motivates me cause it makes me want to read it and so I take it to the gym, and read it while I sweat my butt off in the sauna. Reading a book makes time go by faster and gives me something to do ( I got tired of staring at people's sweaty feet lol).
Another reason why I am super excited about this "weekend"  is cause I am volunteering for a radio-marathon on Thursday morning to benefit children with cancer at St. Judes Research Hospital! I can't wait! My grandmother passed away a few months ago- November 14, 2011. That day I will never forget and it is the worst thing I've ever had to experience. She passed away after struggling with colon cancer for about a year- a very, very long year for her and an incredibly short year for us. I have always wanted to do some volunteering but I got married so young. Formed a family. And well, you know how that goes. Most people don't have time to do it, I have time but don't have a babysitter! Well, so Thursday I will be a part of the two-day long radio-marathon. The radio station that will be sponsoring it is a Hispanic radio station and is called El Patron. I am beyond excited! I love helping people and especially children. 
Another thing I am looking forward to is spending time with the in-laws. We go at least once a week to their house and my little one always has a blast playing with his "halmonee" or his grandmother in Korean. She is wonderful with him and spoils him like crazy! He is the only grandchild AND great-grandchild! So he gets all  of the attention at my in-law's house! I also enjoy myself very much there! Lately, I've been trying to practice my Korean much more than before. I try to express myself in Korean when speaking to my "shi uhmuhnee" or mother-in-law. I am learning more and more! Any time spent at my in-laws is time well spent :) .
The last thing that I am elated about is grocery shopping. Yep, plain ol' grocery shopping! While most people dread it, I adore it! Just cause I love saving and getting fresh produce and meats and what not. I get meats once every....three weeks or so. I stock up, freeze them, and plan meals as I go. So I get excited at the beginning of each three weeks. The possibilities are endless!! Bahaha, yeah right! No, they aren't as I am shopping on a budget. Who needs filet mignion anyway? Lol, good ol' chicken will have to do the job! I'm just kiddin'!
Well, I hope you have a great week, or what remains of it!  





Sunday, February 19, 2012

Miriam's Mole de Pollo ("Chicken Mole")



Mole ( pronounced mow-leh; mow as in "mow the lawn")  is a very popular Mexican dish and a staple at my house! Mole refers to the sauce made with peppers, spices, garlic and even chocolate. Of course, there are different types of moles and even varies by states and regions of my native Mexico. I read that there are over 300 types of mole of different colors. Growing up my mother only made two (and we were greatly satisfied with both of these because they were absolutely delicious!) of these 300 moles. She made a green one, and a red one. Sounds simple, eh? Green and Red, how hard could that be? Well, you'd be surprised to know that many Mexican woman (atleast the ones here in the States) do not know how to make mole and do not dare to try (for fear of failure). I am here to tell you that it should not be that way. When it comes to Mexican food, I have to have it authentic! No tex-mex for me when it comes to dishes like mole but that doesn't mean it has to be hard!
Like I mentioned before, I grew up eating two very tasty moles. Red or brown mole is known to have chocolate in it but my mother was never a big fan of it. I, however, do add some when I have some in my pantry. If not, it's no biggie for me as I prefer mine spicy! We enjoy this delicious dish with Mexican rice, handmade tortillas, and black or pinto beans. I, personally prefer beans that we call frijoles de la olla as opposed to frijoles refritos. Frijoles de la olla literally translated means "beans of a pot" and is basically the beans cooked in water. They are soaked and then cooked with onion, salt and garlic (optional). Once they are tender (and still in it's own soup), we eat it along with a main dish. Frijoles refritos, on the other hand, are refried beans. Basically, fried frijoles de la olla. My mother used to fry them with vegetable oil and onion and/ or a bit of pork lard. Of course, the pork lard gives it so much flavor but is less figure and health friendly tee hee! 
 Now, for the rice, my mother used to always make "red rice"  or "tomato rice" (used interchangeably) to accompany her award-winning mole. She made this with jasmine rice, vegetable oil, onions, tomatoes, plenty of garlic, chicken broth, and a vegetable medley. Are you getting hungry yet? I, however, did a different type of rice this time. I was out of jasmine rice and decided to use brown rice. I just cooked it in chicken broth, pepper, salt, garlic, corn, and peas. One last thing before I give up my mole recipe- you must use a whole chicken! No taking shortcuts! You can't make this with just chicken breast! If you do not know how to cut a whole chicken, get your butcher to cut it for you.Whole chicken, please! Got it, okay, let's get on with the mole!!
Starting with garlic and going clockwise: garlic, onion slices, pepitas, cumin, black peppercorns. And in the center: cloves!


Tasty, yummy chicken mole, brown rice, and frijoles negros de la olla.


For this recipe, you will need:
1 WHOLE chicken (about 3 lbs)
1/4 small onion-medium-sized slices (yellow or white is up to you)
4 cups of water, plus 1/4 cup
salt & pepper to taste
6 cloves of garlic
4 whole cloves
2 pinches of whole cumin
5 black peppercorns
1/4 cup "pepitas" (dried, toasted pumpkin seeds (no shell)) 
1 tostada (fried tortilla) or a few tortilla chips (e.g: tostitos) 
1/4 Hershey's milk chocolate bar
5 dried chiles pasilla 
4 dried chiles guajillo 
5 dried chiles de arbol (omit these if you do not like yours too spicy)

(Note: if you don't cook Mexican often, you might not have some of these ingredients already but they are all inexpensive, can be found in almost all farmers market or Walmart, and last a long time. Plus, after trying this recipe, you are going to use them quite frequently! tee hee)

Directions:
1. In a skillet (or comal  if you own one), toast all the dried chiles on both sides on low heat. toast both sides and set aside to cool down.
2. While the chiles cool down,  put the 4 cups of water into a large pot and put it on the stove on medium high heat until it boils.
3. Meanwhile, wash and cut your whole chicken into parts. The breasts into 4 pieces, two wings, two thighs, two legs, and the ribs. Do not throw any of these pieces, they are full of flavor. *Skip this step if you have it cut already*
4. Once the chiles are cooled down, remove and discard the stem. Then, break them in half. Shake them to remove all the seeds. Do not devein them. Place them all in a container with 1/4 cup of water to soak. Sink them down occasionally to make sure all the chiles are being soaked. 
5. Once the water has boiled, add the chicken carefully. Add to the pot almost all of the onion slices, leaving a few (about 5) for the sauce. Also add about 1 tbsp of salt. Lower the heat to medium-low. Allow to cook for about 20 minutes.
6. While the chicken cooks, make the sauce by putting the garlic, cloves, cumin, peppercorns, pepitas, tostada, chocolate, and the now soaked peppers (water and all) in a blender. Blend until well blended. Note: If your blender is having difficulty blending the sauce due to lack of enough liquids, use some of the chicken broth in the pot.
7. Once the chicken has cooked for 20 minutes, remove from heat. pour the broth into a container. You can use most of  this for rice and some will be used for the sauce.
8. Add the sauce into the pot with the chicken in it and return to the stove. Add some broth (little-by-little) to make sauce less thick. Stop when it is medium consistency. Note: This part is kind of easy to mess up if you pour too much chicken broth into the pot. That would make it watery and not too yummy. That is why I say little-by-little.
9. Add salt to taste and let the mole de pollo cook for about 20 more minutes or until fully cooked. This is bone-in so it takes a bit longer. This should be done over medium-low heat.
10. Serve with beans, rice, and tortillas and enjoy!

^ Yummy!! Handmade tortillas!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Publix Trip- $172 worth for $95.18+ tax (Including 2- $50 gas cards)

I love to procrastinate and that is what I do! I headed to Publix on Wednesday (the last day before new weekly specials are implemented). This was a family trip for us, since my hubby was off. I like it when we shop at Publix as a family because 1) it is of tremendous help for me when I can shop while my husband watches our 3-year-old and 2) because I love it when my husband gets to actually be present when I get good deals! So we headed to Publix and as usual, I had my coupons ready and a list of things we would purchase. Wednesday was a busy day for us so I did not get a chance to snap a picture-booo! By the time I was able to get a picture, a portion of the things were missing/ had been eaten or given away. So you're going to have to take my word for it this week! It was a great trip for me because I got things I needed and yes, gas cards! I love the gas card deal (If you have not yet noticed!)! Once again, the gas card deal goes something like this (and can be found in the weekly ad for that week): buy $25 worth of groceries [this is before coupons] and get $10 off any $50 gas card. Yes, that easy!!! Not only is it easy peasy, but we all need gas anyway so why not get $50 worth of gas for $10 less? So this is how my trip went:

10 Yoplait Yogurts at 10 for $6
Used 1- $0.40/ 6 Yoplait MQ
Used: $1/ 10 Yoplait yogurts Publix Q (running out run in flyer)
Final Price: $4.20 for 10 (or $0.42 each)

3 Liberte Greek Yogurt at $1 each
No coupons- hubby really wanted greek yogurt.
Final Price: $3 for 3

2 Lysol All Purpose Cleaners BOGO at  $2.69
Used 1- $1/2 Lysol Cleaners MQ
Final Price: $1.69 for both (or $0.85 each)

2 Krusteaz Cinnamon Crumb Cake BOGO at $2.79
Used: $1/2 Krusteaz cake mixes peel tag MQ
Final Price: $1.79 for both (or $0.90 each) 

2 Kelloggs Krave Cereal BOGO at $3.99
Used 1-$1/2 Kellogg's  cereal Target Q
Used 2- $0.70/ 1 Krave Printable Q
Final Price: $1.40 for both (or $0.70 each)

2 Kellogg's  Crunchy Nut BOGO @ $3.99
Used 1-$1/2 Kellogg's cereal Target Q
Used 2- $0.70/1 Crunchy Nut cereal Printable Q
Final Price: $1.40 for both (or $0.70 each)

1 Duncan Hines Cake Mix BOGO at $1.83
Used 1-$0.35/1 Duncan Hines MQ
Final Price: $0.22 

3 Oscar Meyer Lunchables at $10/10
No coupons
Final Price: $3

1 Resolve Spray & Wash 50% off at $1.50 (reg: $2.99)
Used 1-$0.50/1 Resolve Pre-wash treatment
Final Price: $0.50

2 Mentos UP2U Gum at $1.49 each 
Used 2-$1/1 UP2U Gum MQ
Used 2- $0.55/1 UP2U Gum
Final Price: Free + $0.12 overage

And now...my favorite buy:

1 Centrum Probiotics 25% off at $9.74 (reg: 12.99)
1 Centrum Silver 25% off at $5.99 (reg:$7.99)
Used 1- $5/2 Centrum Products Publix Q (found in the pharmacy booklet)
Used $10/1 Centrum Probiotics MQ (I was mailed this coupon)
Used 1-$3/1 Any Centrum Multivitamin MQ
Final Price: Free + $2.27 overage!

2 $50 Gas Cards
Used 2- $10/1 Gas Card Publix Q
Final Price: $80 for both (or $40 each)

Total Value: $171.98

Total Saved: $76.80

Paid: $95.18 + tax (or $97.35)

I bought the Centrum Silver Multivitamins (for adults 50+) for my mother-in-law and father-in-law and the Probiotics for myself. The lady behind me in line said she was shocked that I had saved so much and congratulated us. That always makes me smile and feel good! I, of course, suggested iheartpublix.com to her! 




Monday, February 13, 2012

Mexican-Style Turkey [Jumbo] Meatball Soup

Last night, here in Georgia, we witnessed very frigid temperatures! Georgia's weather has been pretty insane lately. We've been having very warm, Spring-like weather for a few weeks so when temperatures dropped last night, I knew I had to make some sort of soup. I decided to make turkey meatball soup since I had ground turkey thawing. This was my first time making turkey meatball soup and second time ever working with ground turkey (first time was chili- yum!). The soup turned out pretty scrumptious! This is a very hearty soup and leaves you feeling very satisfied. Not to mention, it is figure friendly! The meatballs came out to be pretty big, hence the name. I did not have corn at home so I left it out (usually I add corn on the cob to soups). You can also add chayote which is Mexican squash which I'm not crazy about but many add this as well. If you asked me to describe it, I'd say it looks very similar to a Guava (growing up, my mother would always stop me from biting into a chayote thinking it was a delicious guava). Anyhow, so why is it "Mexican-style" you might ask? Well, for a very simple reason, I infused the broth with Mexican flavors. I can not make a soup without adding whole cloves, garlic (and plenty of it!), whole cumin, whole peppercorns, and oregano. My family and I LOVE garlic! My husband is Korean and they eat garlic like it's candy! I always liked garlic growing up, but I must admit that since my husband and I got married, I eat about twice as much garlic! So if you aren't crazy about garlic, I suggest you put less of it and not omit it, as it is the source of  so much flavor! This is what you will need:

For the meatballs:
2 lbs ground turkey
1/4 cup uncooked brown rice (you can use white, I just use brown to boost up the fiber)
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (I make this myself with whole grain bread)
2 medium eggs or 1 jumbo egg
1/2 cup of finely diced onions
1/2 roma tomato finely diced
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp salt
2 pinches of dried oregano

For the soup:
1/4 cup of thickly sliced onions
3, 1/2 roma tomatoes (diced but not too small)
5 potatoes
5 medium sized carrots
5 cloves of garlic (I told you I loved garlic!)
3 whole cloves
1 pinch of whole cumin
3 whole black peppercorns
1 chicken bouillon 
1 tsp of salt or more, depending on your taste (just remember that the bouillon has salt too)
9 cups of water, plus 1/4 for the blender
a bunch of cilantro

You will need two pots, a smaller one for the vegetables, and a larger one for the meatballs.


Directions:
1.In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the meatballs and mix well to thoroughly combine every ingredient.

2.In the larger pot, add 7 cups of water and set on medium heat until it comes to a boil.

3.Meanwhile, start making the meatballs with your palms and make sure they are all about the same size so they can cook uniformly. 

4. Once the water has come to a boil, add half of the bouillon, the sliced onions, 2 largely diced tomatoes, and the salt and lower the heat a bit. Stir to dissolve the bouillon.

5. Start adding the meatballs one by one very carefully. Make sure you don't take too long, as they will not cook uniformly. Cover and leave on medium heat.

6. Add the other 2 cups of water to the smaller pot and set on medium heat.

7. While the water warms up, wash, peel and cube the carrots and potatoes into 1 inch pieces.

8. Once the water is hot, add the other half of the bouillon and a pinch of salt. 

9. Add the carrots and the 1, 1/2 diced tomato to the smaller pot and cover. Let it cook for about 4 minutes.

10. In a blender, add the 5 cloves of garlic, pinch of cumin, 3 peppercorns, 3 cloves and 1/4 cup of water.

11. Add 1/3 of the blended mixture into the vegetable pot, 2/3 in the meatball pot. 

12. Add the potatoes to the vegetable pot (the reason why: potatoes cook faster than carrots so you want to let the carrots cook a bit before integrating the potatoes so they're both cooked perfectly at the end). Cover and cook on medium-low heat until the vegetables are cooked perfectly, about 15 minutes. Then remove from heat.

13.Once the meatballs are cooked thoroughly, taste and add salt if needed. Remove from stove. 

14. Wash the bunch of cilantro, chop it finely, stems and leaves, and add to the meatball pot. 

15. Serve in a bowl, veggies and meatballs together. Enjoy with lime, cilantro and diced onion, and diced raw jalapeƱos for a little kick! I also serve it with tortillas. Store bought is fine, just pick a yummy brand. My husband and I both prefer La Providencia. 






If you feel like making your own, homemade tortillas, that is even better! I usually do homemade for stews but I was too lazy (and cold!) to do them so we ate store bought. The hubby actually really likes this brand so that makes me feel better about not making homemade this time around. 

  The final product: A yummy, aromatic, and hearty soup!

Lime, plenty of diced onions and cilantro to go around, and diced raw jalapeƱo (for the bold).










Sunday, February 5, 2012

Publix Trip: 02-04-2012



This week, I was wanting to take advantage of Publix's [in ad] deal. The deal is that if you spend $100 (this is before coupons so it's very easy to do), you get a $10 Publix gift card. I made a list, did the math, and headed to Publix. Once there, my now-three-year old (oh my goodness, he's grown so fast!) had the biggest meltdown! Now, of course Publix employees (being awesome, and caring people ) offered him balloons, books, and crayons. Justin, however, was not having any of it. Long story short, we made three trips that day to Publix before finally getting all this! By the time I was finally able to grocery shop in peace, I was exhausted! Driving to and from Publix while dealing with 2 big meltdowns could wear even  Superwoman out. As a result, I ended up getting a frustrated to the point that I was no longer interested in the gift card. Later on I ended up regretting not getting it since I bought almost $90 worth. Maybe next time! This is all I bought (Note: Luckily, my Publix doubles MQ up to $0.50 AND accepts Target as a competitor):

7  Birdseye Steamfresh Vegetables @ $1.00 each (reg price: $1.99)
1 Birdseye Steamfresh Vegetables @ $1.24 (reg price: $2.47)
Used: 1- $1/3 Birdseye Steamfresh Veggies (printable MQ from birdseye.com) 
Used: 5- $0.50/1 Birdseye Steamfresh veggies (01/08/2012 SS)
Used: 4- $1/2  Birdseye Steamfresh Veggies Publix Coupon (Find Yourself in Good Health booklet)
Final Price: Free + $1.76 Moneymaker 

2 Tropicana Trop50 orange juices BOGO @ $3.99
Used: 2- $1/1 Trop50 juices (Facebook coupon)
Final Price: $1.99 (or $1.00 each)

4 Planters Peanuts BOGO @ $4.29
Used: 2- $1.50/ 2 Planters Peanuts (01/29/2012 SS)
Used: 2- $1/2 Planters Snacks Target coupon
Final Price: $3.58 (or about $0.90 each)

4 Barilla Whole Grain Pastas BOGO @ $1.23
Used: 2- $1/2 Barilla Whole Grain Pastas (Facebook coupon)
Final Price: $0.46 (or about $0.12 each)

2 Pepperidge Farm Three Layer Cakes BOGO @ $4.49
No coupons, just being a fatty teehee
Final Price: $4.49 (or $2.25 each)

6 Beech-Nut Baby Food Jars BOGO @ $0.55
Used: 2- $1/3 Beech-Nut products (SmarSource Printable coupon) 
Final Price: Free + $0.45 Moneymaker

2 Alexia Frozen Potato Products @ $3.79 each
Used: 2- $1/1 Alexia product (Facebook coupon)
Used: 2- $1/1 Alexia potato products Target Coupon
Final Price: $3.58 ($1.79 each)

2 Campbell's Slow Kettle Soups @ 2 for $6.00
Used: 2- $1/1 Kettle Style Soup (01/08/2012 SS)
Used: 2- $1/1 Publix coupon (found in store)
Final Price: $2.00 (or $1.00 each)

1 Aleve 40ct @ $4.99 (reg price: $6.99)
Used: 1- $2/1 Aleve 40 ct or higher Target coupon) 
Used: 1- $2/1 Aleve Product 20ct+ (01/01/2012 SS)
Final Price: $0.99

1 Smart Balance Milk @ $3.95
Used 1- $1.50/1 Smart Balance Milk (01/08/2012 SS)
Final Price: $2.45
(not a great deal but the hubby needed lactose free milk)


Total Saved: $69.63
Total Paid: $17.38 + tax

Didn't get my gift card but I did have a great trip!