Barnes & Noble Summer Reading 2011

Barnes & Noble is once again offering a free book as a summer reading incentive for kids. All they have to do is read eight books, record the titles on the reading journal form, and bring the form into a Barnes & Noble between May 24 and September 6 to select their free book. There are several free book titles from which to choose.

Go here for complete details and to download the reading journal form.

2011 Free Summer Movie Series at Wehrenberg Theatres

Information for Wehrenberg Theatres' Family Summer Series 2011 is now available. At 10:00 on Wednesdays and Thursdays from June1 through August 4 you can see select movies for free.

Go here for participating theatres and schedules.

Featured movies include:

Shrek Forever After

How to Train Your Dragon

Megamind

Yogi Bear

Marmaduke

Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Alpha and Omega

Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Ramona and Beezus

Best Nook Color "Deal"

I recently purchased a Nook Color with some birthday and Christmas money I'd been saving. Any retailer I've found that carries the popular ereader sells it for the same price as Barnes & Noble, and it never seems to go on sale anywhere. The best "deal" I've been able to find has been to go through Ebates to take advantage of their cash back. The standard cash back offer from Barnes & Noble through Ebates is 4%, but they recently had a special offer of 6% back, which is when I finally decided to take the plunge. (Some other Ebates online stores also carry the Nook Color, but they offered less cash back.) Although the instore and online coupons for Barnes & Noble exclude Nook products, I couldn't find any such exclusions with the Ebates cash back, but I've still been wondering if this would work as planned. I just got confirmation from Ebates on my cash back ($18.35) from the purchase (Nook Color, plus screen protector and cover). I'm looking forward to delivery day!


If you are new to Ebates, I'd love to refer you through the link in the left sidebar. Thanks!

Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice

Here's my recipe for Pumpkin Juice, just in time for the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 this Friday on DVD, etc.

The label for Pumpkin Juice at Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter lists the ingredients as water, apple juice concentrate, pumpkin puree, apricot puree, sugar, natural and artificial flavor, citric acid, acesulfame potassium, and sodium benzoate. Now, I leave out the sugar and everything else on the list after it, and my natural flavors come from spices. We find that it is sweet and tasty enough without the added sugar. Because of the purees, this is a bit thicker than most juices, but I understand that the WWOHP product is also slightly pulpy. My Vita-Mix does a fabulous job with this recipe. I haven't tried the WWOHP juice yet, but hope to some day soon. I'd love to know from someone who has tasted it, if this recipe comes close to matching the wizarding beverage.

Pumpkin Juice
4 cups apple juice (I make mine from concentrate and add an extra can of water.)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup apricot puree
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Place all ingredients in blender. Process on high for 1 minute. For best flavor, chill in refrigerator. Shake or stir before serving.
(To make the apricot puree, I puree a can of apricots without the juice in my Vita-Mix and freeze the leftover puree for future batches. You can also use jarred apricot baby food.)

This recipe is linked in Tasty Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Free Nook Book Title for Easter

Right now, Barnes and Noble is offering a Beginner's Bible tile, The Very First Easter for free. Go here to get it. I don't know how long this will be available at no cost. It looks like a nice book to share with your kids this Easter if you have a Nook (especially Nook Color) or one of the free Nook apps.

Free Yoplait Yogurt

Because women aren't getting enough calcium, Yoplait is giving away one million cups of their original yogurt. Go here to request your free Yoplait yogurt.

Spreadable Butter

Our family uses real butter, but it can be difficult to spread. So, I blend it with olive oil which helps make it more spreadable and adds omega 3 goodness.

Spreadable Butter
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Allow butter to soften to room temperature. Blend with mixer on low to medium speed for approximately two minutes, scraping sides and beaters occasionally as necessary. Add olive oil. Blend an additional five minutes on low to medium speed (again, scraping the sides and beaters occasionally as necessary.)
Pour into airtight containers and store in the refrigerator. It will firm up some once chilled, but should still be quite spreadable. It works well straight from the refrigerator, but for buttering soft breads, you may want to set it out on the counter for a minute or so to help it soften slightly.

This post is linked in Tasty Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Home Depot Kids Workshop August 7

This Saturday, August 7 is the first Saturday of the month. That means it is time for the Kid's Workshop at The Home Depot. This month's project is a School Bus Pencil Organizer. The free workshops are held every first Saturday of the month from 9:00am-noon. Go here for more details.

Simple Savings-Making Facial Cleansing Cloths Last Longer

Disposable facial cleansing cloths are not something I usually buy for everyday, but they are great for traveling, and we've had a few trips this summer. I will make these wipes last twice as long by simply cutting them in half. A half size cloth works just as well, and my pack of 60 will now last for 120 days. It's an easy job to do while watching the evening news and doubles the value of your purchase, and that works for me.

This post is linked in Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.

Green Monster

We go through quite a bit of spinach when making smoothies in our Vitamix. It is full of nutrition and is considered one of the "magic vegetables" since the taste "magically" disappears when you blend it with fruit and other smoothie ingredients. We throw a handful of spinach in almost every batch of smoothies we make.

Since spinach is on the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen list, we buy a big, one-pound box of organic spinach at Costco for $3.99. It contains about ten cups, which works out to $.40 per cup.

Fresh spinach can be frozen for later use in cooking or smoothies. (Just don't expect to make a salad out of it.) I just rinse the spinach, spin it in the salad spinner, and pop it in a zipper freezer bag.

"Green Monster" is a term that can be used for just about any smoothie that contains green vegetables. Here's a recipe for a basic green monster that our family enjoys.

Green Monster
1 1/4 cup diluted juice (apple, white grape, pineapple, almost any juice will do OR use 1/4 cup juice concentrate plus 1 cup water)
1 orange, peeled (leave the white pith)
1 slice pineapple, 3/4" thick, skin removed
1 banana, peeled, fresh or frozen cut into chunks
1-2 cups spinach (1-2 big handfuls)
1-2 cups ice
Add ingredients to the Vitamix in the order listed. Start on variable speed 1 and quickly increase to variable speed 10, then switch to high for one to one-and-a-half minutes.

This post linked in Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam , Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace and Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom.

Menu Plan Monday

Here's what's for dinner at our home this week:

Monday - Grilled Cheese, Fresh Fruit and Veggies, Green Monster (recipe posting tomorrow)
Tuesday - Breakfast for Dinner: Bacon, Egg, and Cheese "Burritos", Fruit

Wednesday - Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Green Beans, Strawberries in Vanilla Yogurt

Thursday - Skillet Cheeseburger Macaroni, Carrots, Cinnamon Applesauce

Friday - Pizza, Salad, Smoothies

Saturday - Grilled Chicken, Salad, Potatoes

Sunday - Hot Dogs, Chips, Carrot Sticks, Fresh Fruit

This post is linked in Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie.

$1.00/1 Grandma's Molasses Coupon

Go here to print a coupon good for $1.00 off one Grandma's Molasses product.

Simple Savings - It Really Can't Hurt To Ask

This week, we got a couple of our bills reduced by simply contacting the companies and asking a few questions. We did this previously with our trash service.

The first bill we were able to reduce this time was our monthly phone bill. We've been getting lots of advertising mailers from competitors with lower rates, so we called our phone company and explained that we were considering switching if they couldn't do anything to lower our rates. We ended up getting our bill reduced by twenty dollars a month plus an additional service was added. This will net us an annual savings of $240.

We were able to lower another bill with a simple email. We contacted our insurance agent, asking about the rating on our vehicles and let him know we weren't driving them as many miles as previously recorded. They are now both able to be rated as pleasure vehicles and our rates went down by $54 every six months. This will save us another $108 annually.

We don't have any paid programming services and use only an antenna for our television, but a neighbor did something similar with his cable company after hearing a suggestion in a talk radio show to call and ask for customer retention where he was able to get his cable rates reduced in order to keep him as a customer.

It can't hurt to ask the companies with which you choose to do business if there are any ways you can get your bills reduced. They are frequently willing to work with you in order to keep you as a customer. We asked and were able to save $348 for the year.

This post linked in Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.

Saving Money on Fresh Fruit Smoothies

No one in my family really cares for eating cantaloupe, which is a shame because they're packed with so much low-calorie nutritious goodness. So when I would see a great produce deal on these melons, I didn't get too excited. Now that I have the Vitamix, I stock up on them. We are able to take advantage of all the nutrition cantaloupe and its seeds has to offer by blending it with other smoothie ingredients.

Right now, our Aldi store has cantaloupe for $.89. When cantaloupe is priced less than a dollar, I pick some up so that we can use some in smoothies and freeze some for later. After washing the outside of the cantaloupe, I cut it in half, then cut each half into eighths for a total of sixteen pieces. I cut off the rind and cut each sixteenth in half. I do not remove the seeds since the Vitamix can blend them right into the smoothie. I place each piece on a wax paper lined jelly roll pan and freeze it. After the melon chunks are frozen, I package the fruit into gallon zipper freezer bags. I'll use two to four frozen chunks when making smoothies for our family. Cantaloupe purchased at this price adds less than $.06 (for 2 chunks or 1/16th of a melon) to the overall price of the batch of smoothies. Plus, we're getting vitamins and fiber from a fruit we might not otherwise be eating, and that works for me.

Be sure to see yesterday's post on Strawberry Lemonade in the Vitamix.

This post linked in Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.

Vitamix Strawberry Lemonade

The most common reaction I get when I mention our Vitamix is, "It costs too much. I could never spend that much on a blender." I'll admit, I thought the same thing when I first heard about the Vitamix years ago. Now, I consider our purchase of the Vitamix 5200 an investment in our family's health. It was my birthday, Christmas, Valentine, Mother's Day present, and we use it every day. We are eating more fruits and veggies than ever before.

A friend recently asked me about the price of all of the produce we use to make our smoothies, so I thought I'd explore how I save money with my Vitamix. Last weekend, we were in the area of a local farmer's market so we stopped in to see if there were any good deals on produce there. We found a stand selling grapes in two pound bags for one dollar. Fifty cents a pound is a pretty good price. We were offered a twenty pound flat for eight dollars, making the price per pound even cheaper. We were also able to get a flat with eight one-pound packages of strawberries for six dollars, making them $.75 per pound. They also had lemons three for one dollar. Stocking up on great produce deals when you find them is an excellent way to fill your Vitamix while saving money.

We were able to have lots of grapes and strawberries for smoothies, snacks and freezing. To freeze grapes, line a jelly roll pan with waxed paper, fill it with a single layer of washed, dry (we used a salad spinner) grapes, and place it in the freezer. Once they are firm, I put the frozen grapes in a gallon zipper freezer bag. Strawberries are handled similarly. I take washed, dry (again in the salad spinner) berries, remove the tops, and place them whole on the waxed paper lined pan and freeze them, then transfer them to gallon zipper freezer bags. (The tops don't have to be removed to blend them in the Vitamix, but sometimes the berries get used for other things, so I do remove them. Sometimes I will quarter the berries to freeze them for other uses like fruit and yogurt parfaits.)

Saturday night, we made strawberry lemonade with the neighbors for around a quarter per 12-ounce glass. Sonic sells their smallest, sugar(probably HFCS)-laden no-fruit slushie for fifty cents during happy hour (regularly $1.00). We had whole fruit slushes for about half that price.

Strawberry Lemonade
3 cups fresh or defrosted grapes (red or green)
1 slice lemon 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick with the zest still on
4-5 fresh or frozen strawberries
Up to 1 Tablespoon honey, optional
2 cups ice
Start your Vitamix on variable speed 1 and quickly turn the dial up to 10, then switch to high. Blend on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Makes approximately 36 ounces.
Strawberries can be omitted for plain lemonade.
For limeade use a 1/4 to 3/8-inch thick slice of lime with the zest still on instead of lemon.

This post linked in Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace.

Menu Plan Monday

Here's what's on the menu at our home this week:

Monday - Whole Wheat Pasta with Tomato Sauce, Green Beans, Cinnamon Applesauce, Garlic Toast

Tuesday - Breakfast for Dinner: Applesauce Pancakes, Sausage, Fresh Fruit

Wednesday - Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken, Fresh Fruit and Veggies

Thursday - BBQ Chicken Bites, Whole Wheat Shells with Light Cheese Sauce, Fresh Fruit and Veggies

Friday - Pizza, Salad, Smoothies

Saturday - Grilled Hamburgers, Carrot Sticks, Strawberries in Vanilla Yogurt, Smoothies

Sunday - Grilled Chicken Fettuccine with Lowfat Alfredo Sauce, Carrots, Cinnamon Applesauce, Garlic Toast

This post linked in Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

2010 Free Summer Movie Series at Regal Theaters

Regal Entertainment Group is once again offering their Free Family Film Festival on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:00am during the summer. Go here for details and to find the schedule for a theater near you.

Free Lever 2000 Sample from Sam's Club

Go here to request a free sample of Lever 2000 soap from Sam's Club. The membership number is an optional field, so you should be able to get this sample without being a member.

Free 8 x 10 Photo Collage at Walgreens through Saturday

Walgreens Photo is offering a free 8 x 10 photo collage through Saturday, May 8. Go here to create yours. Enter the code GOODTHOUGHTS at checkout and select in-stor pickup to get it for free. This would be a nice free Mother's Day gift.

Apple Pie (Soaked) Oatmeal

I've been doing my best to make changes in our family's diet as I learn more about nutrition. Soaking whole grains is one of the latest nutrition topics I've been researching. Basically, whole grains are good for you, but to get the most out of them, you need to neutralize the phytic acid in them to aid digestion and absorbtion of minerals. There are lots of good resources available on this topic at the library and through the internet. (Check out Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon or these posts for information on soaking whole grains: Sue Gregg, The Nourishing Gourmet, Passionate Homemaking)

Apple Pie (Soaked) Oatmeal (serves 2-3)

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup warm water

2 Tablespoons yogurt (You can also use kefir, whey, lemon juice, or vinegar.)

1 cup water (or milk)

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon blend (or apple or pumpkin pie spice)

sweetener as desired

butter

frozen diced apples, optional

Soak oats for 12-24 hours in first cup of water and yogurt. (I just put them in my saucepan, cover, and leave it on the counter to ferment overnight.) The next morning, add the second cup of water (or milk, if desired) and simmer over medium low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking until oatmeal reaches the desired consistency. Remove from heat and stir in applesauce and cinnamon blend. Sweeten as desired with maple syrup, honey, or other sweetener. Add butter. Stir in frozen diced apples if desired which will add flavor and cool the oatmeal for little ones.

This post is linked in Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom.