Tasty Tuesday- Easy BBQ Chicken

Y’all know I love quick and easy recipes!

Here is one of the quickest I know {and one I frequently fall back on when short on time and ingredients}

Ingredients

bag of frozen chicken breasts

1 bottle BBQ sauce

1/2 C. italian dressing

1/2 tsp. chili powder

Directions

Mix the last three ingredients.  Place chicken in a baking dish.  Pour the BBQ sauce mixture over the chicken.

Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes, until chicken is cooked and juices run clear.

So easy and good!

What is your favorite go to recipe?

This post is linked to

Frugal Decorating for Christmas

I love to decorate for the holidays!  I also love to save money!  So, I wanted to share a few frugal decorating ideas that have worked for me in past and would love for y’all to chime in with what works for you and your budget in the comment section.

• Tie thick ribbon around the stem of a pine cone.  Group two or three together and hang from a mantle or shelf.
• Get a big glass bowl or vase.  Layer unshelled nuts, cranberries and artificial greenery as a base for a festive candle holder.
• When I had a banister in our old house, I used artificial garland from the dollar store along with a box of ornaments from there that I tied red ribbon to and attached them to the garland at equal increments. I always loved how that looked!
• I saw this idea on Pinterest.  Get a shadow box and fill with dollar tree ornaments.  Adorable!


Source: veetje.be via Wendy on Pinterest

Tasty Tuesday~ Easy Shrimp Alfredo

I love quick and easy meals.  Being a busy mama to four kids, writing, being in full time ministry and being the mom-taxi leaves me little time {or desire} to cook gourmet meals.

Here is another easy go-to recipe that is frequently in my menu plan cycle:

Easy Shrimp Alfredo

1 bag frozen {41-60 ct.} shrimp, tails removed {follow directions on package for thawing}

1 jar alfredo sauce

1 pkg. whole wheat linguine noodles

2 TB. olive oil

1 tsp. minced garlic {refrigerated kind}

1 TB. dried italian seasoning

Cook pasta according to package directions.  In a saute pan, heat oil.  Add shrimp, garlic and italian seasoning.  Saute until shrimp is cooked.  Add alfredo sauce.  Cook until combined and bubbly.  Mix with the cooked noodles and serve hot.

This is an easy meal that my kids and hubby enjoy.  Serve with breadsticks and a salad and call it dinner

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday.

Teaching Kids about Money

Money and finances is a serious issue, one that we need to teach our children about.  I think about how to instill financial values a lot, especially as my kids are getting to the age where they will be managing their own money soon.  I recently wrote an eBook, Cutting Through Money Clutter: A Guide to Managing your God-given Resources and I included my thoughts on teaching our kids about money.  Here is an excerpt:

1. Be respectful. Two years ago our boys were scared that they were not going to get any
large electronic presents at Christmas. That is because they had not been doing a good job
of showing respect for the things they do own. It came to a head when my hubby found
the plugs to the DVD system in our van soaking in a cup of soda in the backseat. We
reminded them of how much money the DVD system cost by explaining how many hours
their dad had to work to buy it – lessons like this make sense to children who are still
thinking in the concrete phase. We do not automatically replace items when they are
broken because of misuse or lack of respect for the item. We feel they need to learn that
money is valuable and therefore the things you spend your money on have value and
need to be respected.
2. Be thankful. Another thing that it is important for kids to grasp is that the money does
not belong to us in the first place. Everything we have is a gift from our Heavenly Father
and needs to be treated as such. Therefore, tithing has been a concept they have
understood from a young age, as well as giving to those less fortunate. Having an attitude
of gratitude is a must in this house, or the purchases {for wants, versus needs} will cease
until thankfulness reappears!
3. Be content. We are blessed financially. However, recently the influx of medical bills
from my condition has affected our discretionary income. Our boys are old enough to
understand the relationship between increased expenditures and decreased extras. This
teaches them the value of being content with what they have and prioritizing whether
they want the name brand pair of shoes or a less expensive pair and extra money to go to
the movies. Even from a young age, children can be taught that contentment should not
be dependent on what you can afford but what you have that you cannot put a price on –
family, time, health, etc.

I recently found out about a prepaid card from American Express.  I immediately thought of what a great tool a card like this can be in teaching the concepts of budgeting to my teens.  Two years ago we began giving our boys a certain amount of money and letting them do their back to school shopping on their own.

We start by going through their clothes and donating what doesn’t fit anymore.  Then I assist them in making a list of what they will need for the upcoming school year.  My husband and I decide on a figure, based on what each kid needs and then they get that amount of cash in an envelope.  It is amazing how well they prioritize needs versus wants when they are holding the money in their own hands.

This prepaid card from American Express would be a great tool for this type of budgeting exercise.  I could load the amount of money allotted for their shopping and they could use the card.  This would help them keep track of transactions, handle receipts and much more.  Because the card is prepaid with a certain amount of money, my kids can learn how to use a card without fear of overdraft charges or their credit being negatively impacted.

This card offers benefits as well, including fraud protection.  The card can also be used more than once, you can load the card from your computer or your phone.  There is also an online feature where you can view transactions, etc.  This can help your kids learn about online banking.

All in all, I think this card is a great tool for teaching kids about handling money.  My son that is headed to basic training in October will be leaving with one of these cards so that my husband and I can load it as needed while he is gone.

How do you teach your kids about money?

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of American Express and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Back to school tips

Previously featured on The TODAY Show, Martha Stewart, MSNBC, Rachael Ray and Fox & Friends, Michelle Madhok is a well-known expert who can help parents get through this year’s back-to-school shopping with flying colors! 

Here are some of her tips for a successful back to school year:

1. Shop online. Only. Avoid the back-to-school mayhem entirely. Carve out time with each child to cybershop, saving contents of shopping carts until all the kids are done!

2. Sign-up for Price Alerts – Sites exist where you can sign-up to be notified when an item is marked down

3.       Earn cash back on purchases – Take advantage of websites like Ebates.com shopping websites that allow you to earn up to 20% cash back on online purchases

4.       Don’t pay for shipping – Join a service like ShopRunner that will give you fast, FREE shipping!

5.       Shop from the bottom up – Hit view all and then shop from the bottom up of the sale page. Everyone else will be shopping top down so things sell-out more quickly at the top of the page.

6.       Make a list – List out who you need to buy for on an organizing site like rememberthemilk.com and check-off when you score something for them

7.       Know the and return policies – Many items may be FINAL SALE, and are nonrefundable

8.       Skip the sales tax – Get big savings when you combine a sale and a coupon with a state-tax holiday. Sixteen states have tax holidays this year. Check out the full list of states here.

What are some of your back to school tips?

Tasty Tuesday~ Back to School Snack Ideas

I don’t know about you but when my boys come home from school they are famished!  Not to mention, they usually bring home a friend or two from the bus stop.  Feeding boys can be expensive but I have a few tried and true snacks that my boys are {almost} always happy to consume.  I keep the snacks in a big picnic basket in the bottom of the pantry and that way they don’t have to ask, they can help themselves to anything in the basket.

Here are a few of the typical snacks:

• popcorn
• pretzels
• homemade trail mix
• dried fruit
• apples
• crackers {my boys love to make pb & j sandwiches with the crackers}
• granola bars

What do you give your kids for a snack?

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday

Back to School Bash

It seems like the summer has flown by!  My boys return to school {Berkeley County} in less than a month!  We will be having a back to school bash here at Eastern Panhandle Moms August 1-5th with special deals, ideas and giveaways!  So mark your calendars and subscribe to our Facebook page and blog updates to make sure you don’t miss out!

Local Grocery Deals~

Grocery stores are not wowing me with their sales this week but here are the things I will be picking up:

Food Lion:

$1.99 on select Kellogg’s brand cereals

Martin’s:

$1.99/lb fresh Northwest cherries

$.88/ea on Vitamin Water

$5/5 Giant brand English Muffins

Weis Market:

$10/10 fresh Mangoes or Avocados

Have you seen any good grocery deals lately?

Father’s Day Shopping Tips

Online Shopping Tips

1) Check for Promotional Codes: Always check for a coupon or promotional code online before checking out. Finding a discount code Web site through your favorite search engine only takes a few seconds and could save your family anything from free shipping to 50 percent off or more.

2) Compare Prices: If you know the exact product you want to purchase, it pays to visit several online retailers to compare prices. Some Web sites can help shoppers find the best price by providing a list of online stores in a particular category.

3) Pay with Credit Card:  Security of  credit card information is a top concern when shopping online. In general, it is far safer to use a credit card than a debit card.  Most debit cards do not offer the same level of protection as a credit card does when making an online purchase.

4) Review Carefully: Always take time to review the final checkout screen. Be sure to confirm that your order reflects the correct items, quantities and pricing before you click “submit.”

5) Protect Your Privacy: One of the most important steps of online shopping is how to find Web sites that are safe and secure. It is important to keep your personal information out of the hands of identity theft predators. Be sure to read the site’s privacy policy on information sharing, and don’t unintentionally opt-in to having your information shared with third parties.

6) Sideline Sales Tax: Some merchants are required to collect sales taxes in your state, while others may not.  It can save you money to check several online retailers if the merchant you are about to purchase from wants to charge sales tax.

7) Beware of Shipping & Handling Fees: Pay close attention to shipping charges. Some retailers make up for their “low” prices by padding the shipping fees, so be sure you are getting the lowest possible overall price.

Barry Boone is owner and founder of CurrentCodes.com, a Web site clearinghouse for promotional codes that directs shoppers to timely bargains and discount codes.

Here are some codes good for Father’s Day shopping:

MyGolfer.com- Receive 5 % off tool purchases with code TOOLSFORDAD

Neckties.com- Receive 10% off with code DADGRAD

Ties.com- Receive 10% off with code DADGRAD

Wrangler.com- Receive Free shipping on order with codes DADFS1

Original Penguin- Receive 30% off order with code OPGDAD30

Perry Ellis- Recieve 30% off slecetd items with code FATHERSDAY30AF

Cabelas.com- Receive $5 Shipping on $150+ order with code WDADSDAY

Kiehls- Free shipping on any $30 order with code FATHERS

Carol Wright Gifts- Save $4 off $40+ order with code CWLDAD

Vosges Haut-Chocolat- Save 15% off with code DAD15

Wildties.com- Save 10% off with code DADGRAD

ShopCatepillar.com- Free shipping on $75 or more with code CATDAD1

Wine.com- Save 10% on all wine club memberships with code CLUBDAD

Sears.com- Receive free shipping on all orders over $99 with code SHIP4DAD

52% off at Adventure World

Adventure World in New Market, MD is a great family-friendly environment.  Through Groupon, they have a 52% off deal so the ticket price is $12!  This is a savings of $13/person!  Check it out if you don’t have plans this weekend!

Click here for the deal!

Next Page »