Do It On A Dime

DIY Velveeta Cheese and Holiday Hanky Pankies

by Filed Under: Recipes

In this Cooking with Carson segment, I’ll be sharing quick way to make your own Velveeta cheese and an easy holiday (hearty!) appetizer.

I stumbled upon this Velveeta Cheese dupe from MOMables.  We’ve used it for almost a year, and it holds up great in any Velveeta cheese recipe where you need a substitute!

One of our favorite Appetizers is HANKY PANKIES!  These are a family secret, and while they aren’t lookers (you won’t win any awards there), these are amazing on the taste buds.

*LOOKING FOR THE FREE DOWNLOAD OF THIS RECIPE?  CLICK HERE!*

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*This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.*

 

 

DIY Fall Scents | All natural!

by Filed Under: DIY Projects, Holiday, Recipes

The scent of fall always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.  In this episode of “Cooking with Carson”, be prepared to fall in love with fall all over again.  Here is an easy (and all natural) way to make your own home fragrance or home scent.  Your kitchen will thank you.

 

Natural Fall Scent (for use in wax melt warmers)

  • 2 Tbsp of Coconut Oil
  • 1/4 tsp ground (or whole) cloves
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Melt coconut oil in warmer and mix in dry ingredients.  Let your home fill with fall goodness.  As the smell starts to fade, just sprinkle in a bit more of the ingredients and you please.  After letting cool, you will notice that the dry ingredients sink to the bottom and the oil stays on the top.  When you warm it again, mix everything up to help re-activate the smell!

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*This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.*

 

Chickpea Popcorn Recipe

by Filed Under: Recipes

In this segment of cooking with Carson (apparently this is a thing now!), we’ll share a great recipe for Chickpea Popcorn!  (Thanks, Dr. Oz for the inspiration!)

 

Easy Chickpea Popcorn

  • 1 can garbanzo beans
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp olive oil

Drains and rinse garbanzo beans.  Place on a rimmed sheet with parchment paper.  Sprinkle dry ingredients over chickpeas, drizzle olive oil, mix to coat.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (or until crunchy).  Serve immediately and enjoy!

If you like a little more “kick to your popcorn…you can try the recipe below, too!

 

SPICY Chickpea Popcorn

  • 1 can garbanzo beans
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp olive oil

Drains and rinse garbanzo beans.  Place on a rimmed sheet with parchment paper.  Sprinkle dry ingredients over chickpeas, drizzle olive oil, mix to coat.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (or until crunchy).  Serve immediately and enjoy!

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*This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are genuinely my own.*

 

DIY Baby Wipes | How to make your own baby wipes

by Filed Under: DIY Projects, Money Saving, Recipes

Baby wipes are expensive. And loaded with tons of ingredients you can’t pronounce. Carson gets diaper rash very, very easily (it’s insane), and even though he is potty trained, he still wears diapers for naps and bed-time, and we still used wipes after going potty!

I wish I would have found a recipe I loved sooner. There are lots of options out there (many use baby shampoo and oil), but the proportions are all wrong and they leave a residue on your skin.

After some research and experimenting, we found wipes we LOVE and won’t be switching to store-bought any time soon. Besides, you won’t believe the money you save. Just one container of these wipes uses around $1 of ingredients, and considering you pay $4 at the store for the same amount, I’d say that’s a pretty killer savings.

P R O D U C T S U S E D:

Storage Containers (also BPA free)
Fiora Paper Towels
Burt’s Bees Shampoo (natural ingredients, tear free and safe for babies)
Burt’s Bees Body Oil (all natural and safe for babies)
Coconut Oil
Distilled Water

M E A S U R E M E N T S:
1/2 paper towel roll in a 64oz container
1 Tbs. coconut oil
1 squirt baby shampoo
1 squirt baby oil
2 cups distilled water

Combine coconut oil and liquid ingredients (make sure water is warm). Pour over 1/2 a paper towel roll (cut with a non-serrated knife). Remove center roll and pull out wipes from the center. Squish roll down using the lid. Keep sealed for up to 2 weeks.

Let me know if you give this easy recipe a try!

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*This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own.*

How to make Almond Butter!

by Filed Under: DIY Projects, Money Saving, Recipes

Can you believe this jar is $11 from Vitacost? Crazy!

For the price the grocery store charges for almond butter, you should be cracking open a can of liquid gold. Or at the very least prime rib. The cost is outrageous. Almond butter can run you $8-$9 PER SMALL JAR. I can’t think of another explanation other than it’s the health-food industry capitalizing on a “trendy” food with a lot of added health benefits. And considering how fast we go through it in our house, I was really excited to discover how easy it was to make your own.

Almond butter is loaded with vitamins and minerals and is great for your health. Peanutbutter is good for you, too (has lots of protein), but isn’t good to be consumed in mass quantities…especially if you have the 24-7-PB&J-requesting-kid. It’s so easy to switch it up with some almond butter with ZERO preservatives and keep your family eating healthful, varied foods on a budget!

You’ll need a food processor and a large bag of raw almonds. The cheapest place to purchases them is Costco where you can get a large bag for about $17. That makes the cost per jar right around $3…about 1/3 of the price in the store!

Process the almonds for 10-15 minutes (stirring occasionally with a spatula) until smooth and creamy like peanut-butter. Store in mason jars in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. We love to label ours with dissolveable labels.

I hope you give this easy recipe a try. Carson and I will show you how simple it really is!

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*This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own. Links contain affiliates.*

Easy Zucchini Pizza!

by Filed Under: Money Saving, Recipes

Finding creative ways to eat healthfully doesn’t have to be time-consuming or stressful.  Zucchini pizza is one of our family favorites, and it’s so simple to make!

We love gardening, and even if you don’t have a garden, zucchini and tomatoes are in season so this meal is doubly inexpensive.  You can find the original recipe and cooking instructions here.

And here’s an easy step-by-step tutorial:

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*This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are genuinely my own.*

Easy Mason Jar Recipes

by Filed Under: Recipes

I love easy and fresh eating.  Here are some easy mason jar recipes that our family is loving.  There’s nothing like eating healthy and fresh for summer!

BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE

This recipe is healthy and sweet, and there’s two servings of veggies (but you’d never know it!)

  • 1 beet (boiled until can be pierced by a fork)
  • 1 handful of spinach
  • 1/2 banana
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 1/3 mango

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.  Serve immediately.  I usually boil several beets at a time and reserve the rest of the mango for smoothies the next day!

 

SIMPLE FRIDGE PICKLES

Canning can be quite a process, but these fridge pickles (found here) are super easy to create and lasts for months in your fridge.

EASY PASTA SAUCE

I love a simple pasta dinner.

  • About 18 medium tomatoes
  • 1/2 packet Mrs. Wages Pasta Sauce Mix (I never use the whole packet, has a perfect blend of spices and is all natural)
  • 1/4 cup sugar

Flash boil the tomatoes for 3 minutes.  Put in cold water and peel off skins.  Core and blend until smooth in a food processor.  Add to a pot with a 1/4 cup sugar and spice packet (or desired spices).  Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 25 minutes.  Put in cans in fridge for up to 1 week or put in ziplock bags, lay flat, and freeze for up to 1 year.

 

I hope you give some of these recipes a try!  Happy eating!

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*This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are genuinely my own.*

How I Save On Groceries!

by Filed Under: Money Saving, Recipes

My family likes to eat healthfully and as naturally as possible (no we aren’t perfect), and our grocery budget for the week averages around $90 for three people.  For everything.  Here’s how I achieve those savings and don’t have to spend a lot of time.  ‘Ain’t nobody got time for extreme couponing!

1)  Meal Plan:  This is the single most important element of saving on groceries.  Sit down with your store flyer (or find them online) and find what meat is on sale (provided you eat meat).  Plan everything around that main dish.  Chicken on sale that week?  Grab your favorite recipe and make sure you have all the ingredients.  I have our family’s favorite recipes in a recipe binder so I can easily meal plan and I know the go-tos that everyone will love.  You can see more on meal planning here.

2)  Go meatless once a week.  This give huge savings in and of itself.  Get creative with beans, mushrooms, peppers, cheese.  There are lots of yummy meatless meals out there that will save you at least $7-10 on your grocery bill every week.  Here are a few of our favorites.

3) Stock up on good meat discounts:  If there are really great meat markdowns, buy a few and freeze some, that way when chicken isn’t on sale, you have a stash of meat on hand.  No coupons required.  Just a small amount of advance planning.  Check when your grocery store does markdowns.  There will usually be a daily markdown, and a big weekly markdown (I usually aim to go to the store this day).  We store extra in our deep freezer.  You can see how I organize our stash here.

4) Download the FREE ibotta app.  There are TONS of cash-back rebates on fresh produce (not joke) and other products you were probably going to buy anyway (lots of natural options.)  You complete an easy task (like answering a poll, watching a 30 second video) and after scanning your store receipt, they credit your account with cash, and you can get giftcards, or straight up cash to paypal.  I have been using this app for years and I have earned hundreds of dollars in savings.  There isn’t any prep work.  Just have your phone in store with you as you shop, and do it as you go.  No extra time required.  Click here to get the app!

5) Shop by BOGO.  We plan most of our grocery trip around By On Get One (Free) sales.  And word to the wise: you don’t have to buy two at most stores to get the savings!  Lots of times you will find that these BOGO sales align with what is already on ibotta.

6) Stacking.  Here’s where you can get a little fancy if you want.  I don’t extreme coupon, but I do bring in 5-7 store coupons for additional savings (many that I can stack with what is on ibotta).

 

HOW TO GET COUPONS

  • Subscribe to your Sunday newspaper for ad inserts.  There are three types: Red Plum, Smart Source, and P&G.  Label these with the date, file, and you can use them as you need!  (Note: The best deals usually come from circulars from the previous weeks, not the current one).
  • Visit online sites that do all the work for you.  Find the grocery store you shop at, and these sites provide links to online coupons that you can print at home, circular match-ups so you know what coupons to use, and even ibotta deals on top of that so you know what the best scores are.  They take the guesswork out of eveything and align the great sales for you.  Then you pick the few you are interested in! You can get coupons on loads of different items, we recently used cashcoup and saved so much money! I highly recommend checking them out.
  • Dr. Google.  Need a coupon for a specific item?  Google that product and the word “coupon.”  I usually can find what I need this way if you are having trouble!

8)  Stock up for 6-8 weeks.   More sales will be there.  I promise.  The next time the store has a sale (in about 6-8 weeks) you are ready to stock up again.  And buy what you are actually going to use and eat.  Otherwise you aren’t saving, you are just spending.  See my point?  There is always another deal and another day.

I hope this was helpful to you so you can see how I meal plan and get the most bang for my buck.  Here is a video that walks you though how I use ibotta and stacked deals with coupons this shopping trip:

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*YouTube has been such a blessing and I am fortunate to get to work with many brands that I love and use daily!  I have been using Ibotta since 2013 and have saved hundreds using this app, so when the company approached me wanting me to share my rebates and grocery savings, I was really excited.  Thanks to Ibotta for sponsoring this post and video.  As always, all opinions are genuinely my own.*

EASY SUMMER MEALS | Mango Salsa (Pico de Gallo)

by Filed Under: Recipes

I LOVE this pico de gallo inspired salsa.  It’s probably one of my favorite meals of all time.  I always go for 2nds (and 3rds!)  You could add jalapenos if you wanted a little extra kick, but this combination of flavors is so sweet (yet somehow savory), you really don’t need it!  It’s perfect for hosting summer get togethers because it’s so easy and fresh….and a total crow pleaser!

** CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE RECIPE! **

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*This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are genuinely my own.*

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