A little bit of chili...

I made up a batch of chili this afternoon, borrowing a recipe from the following site :

Clipped from: www.ticklemysweettooth.com (share this clip)

Don't let the low carb words concern you! It's going to be okay. No really it is... take a deep breath and give it a shot.

This is really super simple chili, which was what I wanted. I haven't made chili before, just bought it in a can so this was a first. I made some changes from the original recipe to suit mine and Mike's tastes. But if you like green peppers and onion feel free, use the whole recipe.

My recipe was :

7 tablespoons chili powder (I did not have any Cumin in the house, had to sub)

3 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon paprika
4 teaspoons (1TB+1tsp)kosher salt
2 lb ground beef(I use 85/15)
1 lb lean ground pork
1/4 cup green pepper
1/4 cup onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

15 ounces of crushed tomatoes
3 cups water

Instructions:

Measure out all spices and 1 Tablespoon of salt, set aside.

In a large skillet brown ground beef & pork until fully cooked in two batches. Drain fat off. Use the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt to season meat while cooking(1/2 tsp per batch).

In a medium/large pot, heat oil. Add your chopped onion and bell pepper. Cook on medium/low until the bell peppers are slightly softened and onions are translucent & browned.

Add your cooked meats, spices, crushed tomatoes, and water to the pot. Stir well, turn heat up to high and bring to a simmer. Turn down heat to LOW, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Take lid off and stir a few times over the 1/2 hour period. Cook uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes, or until sauce and meat are of a thick consistency to your liking.

There ya have it! Easy quick chili that smells divine. We really enjoyed it! Thank you Candice at Tickle My Sweet Tooth for the recipe!

Deals ...

I'm just looking through the paper for myself. There are a lot of ads to be had. I'm just making up my list for shopping this week ...

Target:

PUR Water Filtration Faucet Mount - $21.99 in-ad + RP 1 4/17 $4.00 off (Target only) = $17.99

Walgreens:

Domino Sugar - In store Coupon $0.89 - Manc Coupon $0.50 = $0.39

Nestle TollHouse Instore Coupon $1.79 (will buy 2) - manc coupon $1.00/2 = $2.48

Scotchbrite Sponges - B1G1 $3.99 - manc coupon $1.00/2 = $2.99 for 2

Fantastik Spray - Sale $2.49 - $0.50 instore coupon - $0.75 manc coupon = $1.24

Easter M&M's - $2/4 - $1.00 in store coupon - $1.00/2 manc coupon = $2/2

I'll come back later to finish this.

H E B Deals

Coupons:

These are the in-store coupon deals at H E B. Later I'll go through and match up with the other coupons I have to see what the best deals are. From that I will make a new list.

$1.00 off 2 Grand Biscuits, 8 ct assorted varieties

$2.00 off Tyson All Natural Bonelss Skinless Chicken Breast Strips or Chicken Thigh Strips, 36 - 43.20 oz

$1.00 off 2 Gatorade, 128 oz assorted varieties

$1.00 off 2 Betty Crocker Fruit Rolls Ups, 5 oz.

$1.00 off McCormick Vanilla Extract, 1oz.

$1.00 off Bertolli Olive Oil, 25.5 oz assorted varieties

$1.00 off Pepperidge Farm Bagels, 17 - 21 oz., assorted varieties

$1.00 off Success Rice, 32 oz white or brown

$0.25 off Crystal Wing Sauce, 12 oz

Buy two GrillMate Marinades Seasoning Mixes get 3rd Free, 0.71 - 1.25 oz., assorted varieties

Buy Ragu Pasta Sauce (45 oz., assorted varieties), Get H-E-B Pasta 16 oz., assorted varieties Free

$1.50 off Yoplait Go-Gurt, 16 ct., assorted varieties

$2.00 off 3 General Mills Cheerios, 14 oz., Cocoa Puffs, 11.8 oz., Trix, 10.7 oz., or Fiber One, 14.25 - 16.2 oz

Buy Kraft Velvetta Cheese, 16 oz., assorted varieties, get $2.00 off 5 lb. Bag of Russet Potatoes

$1.00 off 2 Tostitos Scoops, 10 oz., regular or multigrain

$0.50 off Dallas Cowboy Tackle Towel Single Roll

$2.00 off Green Works Laundry Detergent, 90 oz., assorted varieties

Buy Colgate Max Fresh, Max White, or Max Clean Toothpaste, 6 0z., assorted varieties get Colgate Wisp Mini Brush, 4 ct., FREE

$2.00 off Aleve Tablets, Caplets, or Liquid Gels, 20 - 200 ct, assorted varieties

$1.00 off Minute Rice, 32 oz., white or brown

$2.75 off Brawn Giant Roll White Paper Towels, 8 ct.

$1.25 off Mitchum Anti-Perspirant or Deodorant, 2.5 - 4.5 oz., assorted varieties

$2.50 off O-Live & Co. Extra Premium Olive Oil, 51 oz.

$1.00 off 2 Juicehead Smoothies, 8.45 oz., assorted varieties

$1.00 off Mary's Gone Crackers Sticks and Twigs, 8 oz., assorted varieties

$1.00 off Weber Grind N Grill Grinders, 3.5 - 4.5 oz., assorted varieties

$1.25 off Dove Bar, 3 ct., M&M Ice Cream Cones or Sandwiches, Snickers Ice Cream Novelties, 6 - 12 ct., assorted varieties

$1.00 off 2 Weber Shakers, 2.5 - 2.75 oz., assorted varieties

$1.00 off Dove Antiperspirant/Deodorant, 2.6 - 3 oz., Body Mists, 3 oz., or Clinical Strength, 1.7 oz., assorted varieties (not good on invisible solid 1.6 oz.)

$0.50 off New York Color Cosmetics (exclusing nail polish)

$2.00 off Tide Powder Laundry Detergent, 56 - 71 oz., assorted varieties

$2.00 off Tide Liquid Detergent, 50 oz., assorted varieties

$1.00 off 2 Keebler Fudge Shoppe or E.L. Fudge Cookies, 6.6 - 15 oz., assorted varieties

Sales:

This by far not a full list of sales. I did try to match as many coupons to the sales as I could. Your mileage may vary...

Colgate MaxClean - sale price $2.73, normally $2.97

Dove Ultimate Clear, Nourished Beauty or Clear Pearl Finish, 2.6 oz., sale $3.62

Tampax Pearl, Duopack Unscented Regular & Super, 18 ct., sale $3.92

Tampax Original, Regular, 20 ct., sale $2.97 normally $3.14

Edge Shave Gel, Sensitive Skin, sale $2.24

L'Oreal Experience Hair Color, assorted varieties, sale $6.97, normally $7.97

Tide Powder Laundry Detergent, 31 Loads, sale $7.97

Tide Powder Laundry Detergent, 63 Loads, sale $11.97

Ultra Clorox Bleach Splash-Less Gel, 82 oz., sale $1.87, normally $1.94

Clorox Bathroom Cleaner, sale $2.97, normally $3.17

Clorox Bleach Foamer for the Bathroom, sale $2.97 normally $3.17

Lysol Wipes, sale 2/$4

Dallas Cowboy Tackle Towel Paper Towels, 2/$3

Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil, sale $0.98, normally $1.57

LifeWater 5/$5

Keebler Fudge Shop Cookies, sale $1.98 normally $2.88

Ritz Crackerfuls, assorted varieties, sale $2.48 normally $2.98

Gatorade 64 oz., assorted varieties, sale $1.88 normally $1.98

Smart Balance Butter Tub, 16 oz., assorted varieties, sale $2.28 normally $2.78

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, 11 oz., sale $1.98

Tostitos Scoops, sale $2.48

Fritos, assorted varieties, sale $2.98

Cheetoos, assorted varieties, sale $2.48

Blue Diamond Almond, sale $2.69, normally $3.48

Cinnamon Burst Cheerios, sale $2.50

Swanson Beef Broth, 32 oz., sale $2.28

Campbell's Chunky Soups, microwaveable, sale $1.72

Campbell's Chunky Soups, cans, sale $1.69

Campbell's Select Harvest Soups, cans, sale $1.69

Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese, 14 oz., sale $1.92

Bertoli Pasta Sauce, assorted varieties, sale $2.09

Rice-A-Roni, assorted varieties, sale $0.98

Ken's Steakhouse, assorted varieties, sale 2/$4

Pepperidge Farms Bagels, assorted varieties, sale $2.98

Mission Homestyle Tortillas, sale $1.72

Pillsbury Flaky Cinnamon Rolls, 13 oz., assorted varieties, sale $1.68, normally $1.98

Pillsbury Golden Layers Biscuits, 12 oz., assorted varieties, sale $1.38, normally $1.58

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits, assorted varieties, sale $1.44, normally $1.48

M&M Peanut Chocolate Easter Candy, 12.6 oz., sale $2.75

I'll do some match ups in a little while to figure out what the best deals will be. Stay Tuned...

~Krat

No cooking

It's been one of those weeks, so I haven't cooked at all this week. Hopefully that'll change starting today. Once I get the house cleaned up. I will be posting coupon deals for HEB later this morning though and hopefully we'll have some good recipes to work from!

~Krat

Saturday Quick Trip

I woke up early this morning with a goal in mind. I had some coupons that were going to expire today and wanted to get out and use them. Today's shopping trip was pretty quick, but I think I did a pretty good job. Where I live the stores are just a block away, so I didn't even waste gas going to the stores!

Where I went and what I did:

Walmart:

Renuzit Super Odor Neutralizer Adjustables $0.94

Peanut M&M's $0.50 Mmmm cheap M&M's.

I used a $1.00 Super Odor Neutralizer coupon.

My total was $0.48.

I did have a problem at Walmart. The coupon does not state what product is covered, the graphic on the coupon is for the spray but it can be used for both types of products (the product I purchased was a stand up sort of neutralizer). The lady did not want to accept the coupon at first but I explained that it does not specify which product. She then said that the item was only $0.94 and my coupon was for a $1.00 so it couldn't be accepted. I explained that the coupon should be accepted as the negative 6 cents would be applied to the total. (This is in Walmarts coupon policy.) She said whatever and put the coupon through. Yay!

Next stop:

Walgreens:

Fructus Shampoo $3.50

Fructus Shampoo $3.50

Fructus Conditioner $3.50

Fructus Conditioner $3.50

Renuzit 13 0z Neutralizer Spray $2.99

Renuzit 13 oz Neutralizer Spray $2.99

Snicker Cream Egg $0.29

Snicker Cream Egg $0.29

Cost before tax: $20.56

Seems like a lot I know, but this is the savings breakdown:

Fructus is on sale for 4/$14 plus get $4 in Register Rewards. I used 4 $1.00 off coupons on the Fructus, so it was all $10.

The Renuzit is Buy One Get One free, so it was only 2.99, then I used 2 $1.00 off coupons (I bought two products so I get to use a coupon on each even if one of those products is part of a BOGO.)

I also had a $5.00 Register Reward.

I saved $11.00 in Coupons and $3.81 in Walgreens savings for a total of $14.81.

My total was $7.11. Plus, I received $4.00 in Register Rewards.

Lastly,

Target:

Tic Tacs $1.04

Zantac $7.59

I used a $2.00 off coupon from Target (expires today)

I used a $5.00 off coupon from the Zantac website.

I saved $7.00. My total was $1.72. Mainly the Tic Tacs, but I loooove tic tacs.

All together I spent $9.27, I received $4.00 in register rewards and two surveys. Not a bad morning!

Baked Ziti

Mmmmmmmmmm, cheesey goodness...

Hello there! Tonight's meal is Baked Ziti. I love how easy this dish is to make. My first time having baked ziti was at the Olive Garden. It was a good, but I wanted to try it at home with a little less sauce and a lot more cheese! This recipe is super simple to make, but takes a little time to prepare, mainly for the penne.

What you'll need:

3/4 Box of Mini Penne noodles

1 bottle of tomato sauce (Traditional Ragu with meat sauce works best for us)

1 1/2 bag of shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 lb ground beef

Hardware:

Mixing Bowl

Large Pot (for cooking noodles)

Skillet (to cook beef) - I use an electric skillet for this set between 300 and 325

non-stick Casserole dish (mine was 9x9)

And the steps:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Bring water to boil in large pot on high heat.

3) Lower temp on stove to medium high, pour Mini Penne into pot, stirring occasionally. Let cook for 7 minutes or until pasta is just slightly tender.

4) While Penne cooks, cook and brown ground beef in skillet, "scrambling" beef so it is in little pieces.

5) Once ground beef is cooked, pour sauce over beef and set skillet to warm.

6) Drain pasta.

7) In mixing bowl, mix pasta, ground beef, and sauce. Add one bag of cheese in three parts, mixing each thoroughly.

8) Pour into casserole dish, with second bag of cheese sprinkle over the top of the dish to cover.

9) Cook in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

10) Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

There you have it! If you like different cheeses, try asiago and Parmesan mixed with the mozzarella for a slightly different favor.

Good luck and good cooking!

~Krat

Couponing!

I just started to coupon over the last weekend. I thought it was going to be difficult, but it turned out to be rather easy and so fulfilling when I saved so much money.

Today I needed to go to Walgreens for a few items, Advil mainly. While there I grabbed an ad to see if anything caught my eye. I saw a coupon in the circular for 60 cents off of Halls cough drops, which is nice, they're only $1.99 a pack. Normally I wouldn't consider it though, Halls are one of those things that I only pick up when I'm sick. I remembered, however, that I had clipped a similar coupon from the Sunday ads for 75 cents for the cough drops. The wonderful thing being that Walgreens honors both coupons. So the $1.99 cough drops turned into 64 cent cough drops!

I also saw that there was a sale on the Dove product line, this included deodorant, lotion, hair products, and bath soap. Items that I had coupons on each of! The sale was 4 items for $15 and after purchase, I would receive a $5 register rewards. Register rewards are coupons that print out at the register that work like real dollars, so I would get a $5 coupon to use the next time I made a purchase at Walgreens. For $3.75 each, I purchased two bottles of Dove body wash (normally $5.49) , deodorant (normally $4.49), and anti-frizz hair serum (normally $5.99). So just on the sale I received a $6.46 savings. On the body washes I had coupons for $1.00 each and the other products I had 75 cent coupons. All together I saved $9.96, plus I got $5.00 in register rewards! Not bad!

I grabbed Carmex lip balm for $2.99, which I had a Walgreens coupon for $1.00. So I saved on that as well.

Lastly I purchased Advil, mainly because my head was pounding. I purchased Advil 50 count for $6.29 and Advil PM 20 count for $5.79. I had a $1.00 coupon for the regular Advil and $1.00 coupon for the Advil PM, plus an additional coupon for $3.00 off two Advil products. I ended up saving $5.00 off the two products.

All together I purchased:
Dove Bodywash ($5.49) $3.75
Dove Bodywash ($5.49) $3.75
Dove Deodorant ($4.49) $3.75
Dove Anti-Frizz Serum ($5.99) $3.75
Carmex Lip Balm $2.99
Advil $6.29
Advil PM $5.79
Halls Cough Drops $1.99

Total: $38.52 is the cost before the sales on the Dove products, they were rung up at $3.75 each on the receipt since the deal was 4 for $15, the cost on the receipt is $32.06 because of that.

I used $10.85 worth of coupons, subtracted from the $32.06:

The grand total receipt was $21.21 (before tax)!!!

With the sales and the coupons I saved a total of $17.31! I also received a $5.00 register rewards to use on my next visit. That's some great savings!

In my next blog about couponing, I'll explain what tactics I used to get these savings. Until then, happy cooking and saving!

~Kratrina

Well hello there!

Hello everyone and welcome to my new blog, Kratrina Cooks!

I am Heather, better known as Kratrina on the interwebs. I am a self-described geek, who loves all things sci-fi, video games, and music. Most recently I have taken a huge interest in cooking and being thrifty.

The purpose of this blog will be to show how to cook good, tasty recipes that are easy to make. I will go through recipes with detailed explanations so that even the novice cook can make a wonderful dinner. As a beginning cook myself, I see all these wonderful recipes but feel that I am not capable of making them. What I hope to do here is show how easy these recipes are to make so that everyone can make them at home.

I do work a normal 40 hour a week job, but that doesn't mean that I do not have to cook when I get home from work. I am always looking for ways to cut down on time to cook meals as with our schedules we tend to eat late in the evening. Feel free to ask questions in the comments, so we can all get the best recipes possible!

Along with the cooking, I hope to high light my newest favorite hobby, couponing! I never imagined myself being a couponer until I started getting into it this weekend. It's so simple and the savings are actually amazing! I'll give tips on how to get the most for your money as well!

So thank you for checking in on me, we'll speak again soon!

Kratrina

It will be a journey ...