Cereal Deals and FREE Milk!

Our local grocery stores here in the Delaware Valley have been having some great deals on cereal and offers for free milk when you buy a certain number of boxes.  Today, I just got back from Giant with 4 boxes of General Mills cereal and a gallon of milk for only $4.36 total!  Here was the deal:

Purchase 4 boxes of GM cereal, any variety/size and get $6 off instantly at checkout.
I had 4 coupons (one per box) from online (coupons.com) and from the Smart Source section (or smartsource.com)  of the Sunday paper (it was either this past Sunday or the one before), that were all doubled, giving me another $4.20 off.   I tried to pick the best coupons for the least expensive cereals.

It was like getting each box of name brand cereal for $1.09/box and a free gallon of milk.  In case you can't make it to Giant tonight before the sale ends, no worries, the deals continue this week at Acme, starting tomorrow, April 1.

Select Kellogg's cereals (and Pop Tarts) are on sale, 3 boxes for $5, and on top of that you can get a FREE gallon of milk with every three boxes purchased (note: any variety of Kellogg's works for the milk deal, but only a select few are on sale).  Kellogg's coupons are a little bit harder to find than General Mills ones, but I just signed up today on the Kellogg's website and found some coupons on there.  I printed two of the ones for $1.00/3 boxes because it looks like that coupon includes the same ones on the Acme deal (3 boxes for $5).  So, starting tomorrow you should be able to get 3 boxes of cereal for $4 and a free gallon of milk (or 6 boxes and 2 gallons of milk for $8 if you print two coupons).  This deal will make each box only $1.25 and you will get free milk!

In case you didn't know this trick, just click the back button after you print one coupon and then you can print your second one.  There are other coupons available on the website too for other Kellogg's varieties.   Anybody know where there are any other Kellogg's coupons floating around?

Parents Magazine for only $1!

Barnes and Noble (bn.com)  has PARENTS Magazine on sale for only $4.97.  Use this code: K4M8W9D and get it for only $1.  This magazine has had some hot coupons for Amazon.com lately, so it is well worth the $1 investment.  And don't forget to order through Ebates.com and get 4% cash back.  Thanks to Money Saving Mom for the heads-up!

Homeschool Freebie of the Day!

Are you homeschooling your children?  Do you plan to homeschool in the future?  Do you love free stuff?  Well, I have a site I want to tell you about.  I recently discovered Homeschool Freebie, a site that offers free homeschool resources to homeschooling families.  They offer a "Freebie of the Day" each and every day of the week, Monday-Friday.  The best way to find out about the upcoming freebies is to be on their email list.  I get an email every Sunday with the upcoming freebies.  You can read more about this site here and join the email list here.  If it is something you are interested in, you need to download the PDF that day, as it may not be offered as a freebie again.  I have already downloaded some great resources to add to my own collection.  I am excited about this week's freebies of the day, The Big Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock (Part II--bird study and fish study is also available for download today).  And I am pretty sure that each day this week will be a new freebie in this series.  This looks like it will be very helpful for future science lessons with my boys!  Happy homeschooling!

Black Bean and Quinoa Burritos

As promised, I wanted to share this recipe that I made up a few weeks ago with Quinoa with all of you.  You can read more about this nutritious stuff here.  

Here's what you need:

1 cup Quinoa

2 cups of water

1 beef bouillon cube

1 Tbsp. oil

1 red pepper, finely chopped

1/2 onion, minced

approx. 1 Tbsp. chili powder

1/2 Tbsp. cumin (give or take a little)

salt and pepper to taste

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

6-8 tortillas

Cheddar cheese 

Salsa  (optional)

Sour cream (optional)

Soften the veggies in the oil.  Add water, Quinoa and bouillon cube.  Bring to boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes until the Quinoa is fluffy.  Remove from heat.

Mix in spices and beans.  Heat the tortillas in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or in a large frying pan with cooking spray over medium heat for a couple of minutes until warm, turning once.  Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 cup of Quinoa/bean mixture (give or take) and add desired toppings.  Wrap it up and enjoy!!!  (This mixture can also be combined with ground beef or turkey to stretch your meat, but it if very filling without the meat).  We actually prefer it without meat.

And I am very happy to report that you can freeze them and use them for later meals.  They are great for lunches too.  After you fill the tortillas, wrap them in a paper towel and then a piece of aluminum foil.  Place in the freezer.  When you are ready to eat them, unwrap the foil, but leave it in the paper towel.  Microwave on High for about 60-90 seconds.  Enjoy!

Let me know if you try them and what you think!

New Rite Aid Surveys: $3 off/$15 purchase

If you are a Rite Aid shopper you will be happy to know that there is a new customer satisfaction survey that prints on the bottom of some of your receipts.  When you complete this new survey online, you will be eligible for a coupon for $3 off a $15 or more purchase.  Usually at the bottom of the receipt there is a code for a phone survey that enters you into a contest to win $10,000, but occasionally you may get this new code for the online survey.  Honestly, I rather do the online survey and get the coupon. In my last three visits to the store, I got two opportunities for the coupon survey.  You must complete it within 14 days and use your coupon within fourteen days of completing the survey.  I don't know for sure, but I think you are only eligible for the coupon up to 3 times per month.  Have you gotten any yet?

Quinoa-Gluten Free and Very Nutritious!

Have you ever heard of it?  Well, it is our family's new favorite side dish and is a great alternative to rice, pasta, and couscous.  My husband has had to make some significant dietary changes lately due to some health issues and we were very excited to find Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) at our local Costco.  We were hesitant to buy this highly nutritious, gluten free seed because of the price, about $9.50 for a 4 pound bag.  (The are 42 1/4 cup dry servings per bag making it about $0.22/serving).  But after trying it for the first time back in January, we are hooked.  We are big fans of this yummy stuff.  Yes, you can probably get a 1 pound bag of non-instant brown rice (instant stuff is quite a bit more) at Walmart for about $1.50 (about 7 cents a serving), but it probably doesn't expand as much as this Quinoa does nor can you say that it is a great source of protein (5.5 grams per 1/4 dry serving), contains all 8 amino acids which is very good for you vegetarians out there, fiber, B vitamins, and iron (18%).  I couldn't believe how much the one cup expanded the first time I made it.  I made it into a pilaf with some veggies and walnuts and there was probably enough to serve 6 adults a nice size serving.  You get a lot of bang for your buck!  It is well worth the investment for a healthier alternative to rice and such.  And the taste....so good!  It is very filling and has a "nutty" kind of flavor.  My husband actually frowns now when I make rice instead of Quinoa.  You can serve it as a side dish with veggies, with soup, add it to chili, and mix up for a filling for your burritos and tacos.  I am so excited to say that I actually have made up my own recipe for Black Bean and Quinoa Burritos that I will be sharing soon.  Have you ever heard of Quinoa?  Do you like it?