He did it! Stewart ROCKED the coupons!

I did give him easy ones, but I'm very impressed with the job Stewart did on the coupons at Harris Teeter:



Bagelfuls - on sale for $2.49, used $1 off for a net cost of 49 cents each
Oreo Cakesters - on sale for $2.99, used $1 off for a net cost of 99 cents each
Morningstar Farms veggie burgers - on sale for $4/box, used $1 off for a net cost of $2/box
DanActive - on sale for $1.99, used $1 off to make them free!
CapriSun - on sale for $2.69, used $1 off for a net cost of 69 cents
Activia yogurt - on sale for $1.99, used $1 off to make them free!
Buitoni - costs $2.29, used $1 off for a net cost of 29 cents each

Today is the last day of super coupons and I'm going to try to go by. I've been so sick the last 4 days and my Mom is here helping me today, so I'll either nap the whole day or take advantage and get us both to HT to pound through the last 40 coupons. Hmmmm...nap or free food? They're both so great! :-)

Harris Teeeter super doubles visit #2!

So much fun I had to do it again. Stewart's hitting Harris Teeter without me after picking Nate up from a birthday party this evening - I gave him some really easy ones. :-)



Terra Chips - on sale for $2.99, used $1 off for a net cost of 99 cents
V8 Splash - on sale for $2.50, used $1 off for a net cost of 50 cents
Capri Sun juices - on sale for $2.69, used $1 off for a net cost of 69 cents per box
Activia yogurt - on sale for $1.99, used $1 off to make them free!
Danimals yogurt - on sale for $1.99, used $1 off to make it free!
Danimals smoothies - on sale for $1.99, used $1 off to make it free!
DanActive smoothies - on sale for $1.99, used $1 off to make them free!
Hormel Compleats - costs $2.69, used $1 off for a net cost of 69 cents
Silk Soymilk - cost $3.69 each ($7.38 for two), used $1.25 off for a net cost of $2.44 each
BumbleBee Tuna pouches - cost $1.39 each, used $1 off to make them free!
Buitoni linguini - cost $2.29 each, used $1 off for a net cost of 29 cents each!

Nate was just asking for those crush cups the other day; I love being able to treat him sometimes!

Harris Teeeter super doubles

Sorry for the very long silence! The house closing has turned into a nightmare; I think all will be resolved by Tuesday but it's been harrowing.

All of the balls in the air got me into a little funk a few weeks ago and I've been doing the bare minimum to take care of my kids and the house. Yesterday I woke up feeling a bit better; today was better yet. Perseverence.

So I got myself over to Harris Teeter today for super doubles (they're doubling coupons up to $1.98). Some fun deals to be had!




Kraft dressing - on sale for $3.45, used $1.50 off for a net cost of $.45
Terra Chips - on sale for $2.99, used $1 off for a net cost of $.99/bag
Buitoni pasta - costs $2.29, used $1 off for a net cost of $.29
Wholly salsa - on sale for $1.50, used $1 off to make it free!
Wholly guacamole - costs $1.99, used $1 off to make it free!
Oreo Cakesters - on sale for $2.99, used $1 off for a net cost of $.99
Capri Sun juices - on sale for $2.69, used $1 off for a net cost of $.69
Starbucks Frappaccino - costs $1.79, used $1 off to make it free!
Bagelfuls - on sale for $2.49, used $1 off for a net cost of $.49
Juicy Juice immunity - costs $2.99, used $1 off for a net cost of $.99
Frank's Hot Sauce - costs $1.29, used $1 off to make it free!
Sure deodorant - costs $2.59, used $1.50 off to make it free!
Danactive yogurt drink - on sale for $1.99, used $1 off to make it free!
Activia yogurt - on sale for $1.99, used $1 off to make it free!

This goes on for another 5 days and I will definitely be back for more. The Oreo cakesters are a fun treat to put in Nate's lunches and at 99 cents a box it's a steal. The CapriSuns will be a special every-now-and-then treat I can surprise him with. Free yogurt is great for smoothies (not vegan, I know.) Got the Bagelfuls free a few weeks ago and Nate loved them; whatever I have to do to get him out the door in the morning is good with me - definitely getting more at 49 cents a box!

Off to clip coupons for tomorrow!

He reads!

So Nate was never much interested in books as a toddler; I blamed it on the fact that we didn't spend much time reading to him. Seems logical, right?

But, as you can imagine, we don't do things much differently with Jack and at least three times a day I find him sitting somewhere (on the couch, in a chair, or smack in the middle of the floor) with a book. Heck sometimes I find him standing stock still in the middle of the room looking through a book. He hoots at pictures, points, smiles, and sometimes brings them to me to share the joy. I now keep one in my purse and when he gets antsy in the car I just give it to him and watch the grin spread over his face.















I get such a kick out of this kid!

Falafel bento

It was all I could do not to eat these before I finished packing them up.

When Stewart and I honeymooned in Israel, I had at least one falafel sandwich each day. I came home 27 pounds heavier than I was when I left, and I squarely blame falafel. I love falafel.

For today's lunches I used a time-honored family passed down from my Mother - I bought a mix at Giant. Stir in some water, let it sit, form into balls, and fry the heck out of it. I paired it with a hummus/tahini mix and tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden. I wrapped Nate's up for him but left Stewart's in pieces so he could mix it up any way he likes.



Snack: cherries, celery, carrots, cucumbers
Lunch: falafel wrap, extra cucumbers and tomatoes, M&Ms
Snack: new dry mix of raw almonds, pretzels, and Cheerios snack mix (discontinued at 50% off)

Stewart:



Lunch: whole wheat tortillas, falafel, cucumbers, tomatoes, hummus/tahini, and carrots for dipping. Pack of M&Ms tucked under the tortillas of course!

Another two reasons to love Trader Joes

Two more of my favorites:

A full pound of organic raisins for $2.69. They're great snacks for the kids; I throw them on cereal and into trail mix and keep a little baggie in my purse for those times the kids are hungry when we're out of the house. Fabulous.



Veggie dogs, which I find totally completely inedible, are a reliable fast meal for the kids who somehow adore them. I roll them up in a whole wheat tortilla for lunches and just cut up in pieces for Jack. Good protein, good for their bodies, no animal products, and buying them at the regular grocery store was sending us to the poorhouse at $4.39 per pack. At Trader Joes they're $2.99 a pack and freeze beautifully - I just pull out a pack whenever one's used up and keep in the fridge overnight. In the morning I have another set ready to go. Voila.

Another two reasons why Trader Joes rocks. Stay tuned for more fascinating posts soon.

Fourth of July

Stewart took such wonderful photos on our weekend away that I'll just muck them up if I write too much about them. I'll try to let them speak for themselves.



Nate hanging out with his beloved older cousins:



and learning different "hand bumps":



Cherubs cavorting:













In the fireworks glow:

Boring Bento

Today's lunches:

Nate:



Stewart:

Bento from the backyard

The leftovers from yesterday's harvest showed up in today's bento:

Nate:



Snack: watermelon & the last mandarin orange!
Lunch: pasta salad with tomatoes, basil, and cucumbers from the garden, fresh corn from Charlotesville. I flavored it with a scoop of tahini, olive oil, garlic, kosher salt, red wine vinegar, and a little lemon juice. Yum! Carrots, celery, and M&Ms on the side.
Snack: leftover leftover leftover chex mix with raw almonds

Stewart:



Lunch: same pasta salad, carrots & celery with hummus on the side, M&Ms.

Harvest

Got back from a nice weekend away to find a nice harvest waiting for us:



Most turned into dinner tonight; the rest became lunch for tomorrow.

For dinner tonight I sliced the tomatoes and just put a little salt and basil from the garden on top. Sliced the cucumber and carrots for dipping in hummus. Boiled water for corn (brought home from Charlottesville this weekend) and dropped the purple and green beans near the end - served the corn and beans with a little butter and salt. Delicious dinner.

Check back tomorrow for a post on what became lunch!

I lurve a good deal

I'm not doing much of anything with coupons these days; too busy with the house and everything that's going into getting ready for the closing and the work I'll have to do before we can rent it out.

So when a great deal smacks me in the face when I'm walking through the store, I'm all over it.



The 8 ounce size of my favorite brand of hummus was on sale from $3.99 to $1. That's 75% off, no coupon needed, and they don't expire until September 12th. I went a little crazy. I'm definitely looking forward to trying all of the fun flavors they had!

Mexican lunch

Made "enchilada-sagne" last night - a recipe from my dear friend Emily. It uses up tons of stuff in the cabinets, especially the refried beans I keep getting free at Harris Teeter with triple-coupon days. It's not vegan; I used good-old cheese on top. Tastes best cooked forever in the oven until melty and gloppy and gushy.



Packed up the leftovers for lunch today (cut Nate's up for him).

Nate:



Snack: carrots, snap peas, green beans (from the garden), tomatoes (from the garden), hummus
Lunch: enchiladasagne, chips, salsa, M&Ms
Snack: leftover "Mommy Mix"

Stewart:



Lunch: enchiladasagne, chips, salsa, veggies, mandarin orange, M&Ms

Super quickie lunch

So tired. Allergies keeping me up all night. Nothing fancy to show for today; I skipped Stewart's entirely (the $8 he'll spend at Potbelly was well worth the extra 4 minutes of sleep).



Snack: watermelon and a mandarin orange
Lunch: veggie hotdog rollup, snap peas, M&Ms, cherries, blueberries, and cucumber slides.
Snack: leftover "Mommy Mix" from yesterday