Crockpot Wednesday

I am linking to Crockpot Wednesday over at Dining with Debbie today.
I love using my crockpot. I love it in the summer so it doesn't heat up my kitchen too much, but I also love it this time of year for making simple soups that can simmer and blend all day, creating an aroma that gets me very excited to eat dinner!
One of my more recent favorites comes from Stephanie from A Year of Slowcooking: Creamy White Bean and Apple Chili. A great way to use some extra apples that were picked at the festival and a great blend of flavors!

Menu Plan Monday - October 26

I have been slacking about posting my menu plans, but luckily I have not been totally slacking in creating them. The weather has been perfect here for soups and that is most of what I have been making lately. There are some great recipes to allow the slow cooker to do all the work, and soup is also very easy to send to work with my husband! Plus my son has been able to eat some of them with us too!!
So, for this week, my husband will be making his favorite chili recipe call Quick Turkey Chili.
Also trying this Apple-stuffed Chicken recipe with a few apples I have from picking a while back. And we have fresh green beans from our garden to go with it, just like the picture scrumptiously depicts.
Also making a Cheesy Broccoli and Potato Soup that we will all be able to eat. Includes onions, potato, broccoli, vegetable stock and monterey jack cheese. Can't remember which magazine I cut the recipe out of.
And, finally, making a creamy chicken noodle soup. I just go by memory with this one, but includes water, chicken bouillon cubes, pasta, chicken and sour cream, and it is very delicious!

Head on over to orgjunkie.com for more great menu plans and ideas!

Menu Plan Monday - October 12

Fall is officially here. We have turned our heat on, set to kick in when the house gets below 65 degrees. It kicked in this afternoon...And with fall comes even more excitement for making soup!

Sunday: we had leftover pizza we bought on Saturday (after returning from a trip to Atlanta and not wanting to cook) from Sam's.

Monday: My favorite homemade chicken fingers (that I pulled out of the freezer to make a fast meal) and some fresh green beans from the garden. Love having a garden!

Tuesday: I made this Carrot Mac and Cheese a while back and froze an extra portion. Very exciting for me this week since I haven't made it to the store yet after our trip. And it was good. I am also excited about being able to share some with my son this time around.

Wednesday: Lasagna Stoup. I haven't tried this one yet, but looks simple and delicious!

Thursday: Slow-cooker Turkey Chili. I have not had this one before but chili sounds really good right now, and so does leaving it in the crockpot to cook!

Friday: Leftovers from the week.

Saturday: Tomato Soup and grilled cheese.

Check out Orgjunkie.com for more great ideas on meals this week!

Drugstore Deals and Fears...

It has been a LONG time since I have shopped at CVS or Walgreens. I got to a point where I was very good at finding the deals, cutting the coupons, printing the coupons, making my scenarios and getting great deals!! But then it seemed for a while that there just weren't deals worth spending the time and money on. I have still looked each week to see what I could maybe get for the littlest amount of money, but after I let my RR and ECB's run out so that I wasn't rolling them anymore, I was even more picky about the deals, since I would HAVE to start by spending money no matter what.
SO...
I recently made my first trip (in a LONG time) to Walgreens...and I felt like a newbie all over again. I was diligent but nervous. I was excited about the deals, but afraid I would not find what I needed for my scenarios. I was going at a late hour so there wouldn't be as many people, but was still holding up the line...
To my surprise and delight, I found everything in my scenarios except 1 item. This threw me off a little bit, but not too much...BUT...unfortunately I forgot one of the basic, and yet very important, rules of Walgreens. Coupon to item ratio! I forgot to plan for this! How could I forget? I used to have this all down to a science, and now I am forgetting the basic steps! And the rough thing about this part is that they do not have the clearance items up by the registers!
SO...
I ended up spending more than I planned and more than I would have liked, but felt like I did better than my actual first time ever doing this. The cashier wasn't a helpful one through my forgetfulness, but I got through it, and got some nice items...and some RR to hopefully roll...

The candies became my filler items as I quickly went back into the store (between transactions when I realized my epic failure) and tried to find the cheapest items available. The blowpops were on clearance for .32 for the bunches, so I was pleased with this. As for the other items:

Vaseline Sheer Infusion Lotion 6.8oz @ $6.99, Get $6.99 in Register Rewards (did 2 of these)
Use $1.50/1 coupon HERE (IE) or HERE (FF)
Pay $5.49 out of pocket
Get back $7 in RRs (they round up)

Gillette Fusion MVP Manual or Power Razor System @ $8.99, Get $6 in Register Rewards
Use $4/1 coupon from the 9/27 P&G
Pay $4.99 out of pocket
Get back $6 in RRs

Halls Refresh Sugar Free 20 ct @ $1, Get $1 in Register Rewards
Use 75¢/1 coupon from the 9/27 SS
Pay 25¢ out of pocket
Get back $1 in RRs

Oral-B Advantage 1-2-3 Toothbrush @ $3, Get $3 in Register Rewards
Use 75¢/1 coupon from the 9/27 P&G
Pay $2.25 out of pocket
Get back $3 in RRs

Herbal Essences Hair Care @ $2.99, Get $2 in Register Rewards
Pay $2.99 out of pocket
Get back $2 in RRs

Chapstick Fresh Effects @ $2.99, Get $3 in Register Rewards

The only thing I didn't find? Robitussin DM To Go 2 pk @ $2.49, Get $2.49 in Register Rewards

So, I did 4 transactions and ended up spending $9.74 out of pocket (would have liked to have kept this under $5) and got back $11 in RRs for next time. Hopefully next time goes more smoothly!!