My friend Jane created this list a couple of years ago, and I think it is brilliant!
Sometimes I will refer to this list for "new ideas" when I pack my hubby's lunch for work.
Watch for sales and begin stocking up now for school lunches, go to nabiscoworld.com to get a $55.00 booklet of savings through the mail. $15.00 in coupons for Kraft favorites like Nabisco, Planters, Capri Suns, Ritz Bitz, and Easy Cheese Along with 2 $20.00 rebates. If you are going to be buying the food anyways....you might has well save money doing it!
What to pack in a school lunch? (print it out in table form click here!)
by Jane R.
Breads/starches
Bagel with cream cheese
Bread sticks
Chips
Crackers
English muffins
Fortune cookies
Fruit newtons
Graham crackers
Granola bars
Hawaiian bread
Macaroni salad
Mini-bagels
Mini-muffins
Muffins
Pasta/pasta salad
Pita bread
pizza
Plain sliced bread
Popcorn
Pretzels (to dip in PB)
Rice cakes
Rolls
Salsa and chips
Silly pasta salads
Sourdough
Tortilla chips with salsa
Tortilla wraps
Whole grain crackers
Whole grain rolls
Whole wheat bread
Proteins
Bologna
Cheese slices or cubes
Chicken nuggets
Cold cuts w/ toothpick
Cubes of ham or turkey
Hard boiled egg
Hot dogs and ketchup
Meat and cheese kabobs
Nuts
Peanut butter and jelly
Pudding
Shredded mozzarella
String cheese
Sunflower kernels
Trail mix
Tuna fish
Turkey
Yogurt (frozen in a bag)
Fruits/Vegetables
Applesauce (w/ straw)
Broccoli trees
Carrots
Celery sticks & PB
Cereal/fruit bar
Cucumber
Dried fruit
Fresh fruit (w/ yogurt dip)
Fruit cocktail
Fruit kabobs
Fruit leather
Green beans
Kiwi
Lettuce
Melon
Orange
Pear
Pickles
Pineapple
Salad
Seedless grapes
Sliced apple
Vegetable sticks and dip
Dippers
Salsa, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, ketchup, honey mustard, or pizza sauce.
Variety
Send a sandwich cut out with a cookie cutter.
Create "wraps" with regular bread. Roll up the bread tightly. Cut wraps pinwheel style.
Showing posts with label My favorite things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label My favorite things. Show all posts
Monday, July 27, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sproutz
I love giving personal-homemade gifts (especially at Christmas time.) Check out this blog they have several ideas on easy to make projects with pre-cut squares or charm packs. Napkin rings, coasters, jewelry travel pouch, and even a necklace are a few things you can create using charm packs. Everyday in April there is a new post about what you can do with charm packs. Check it out by clicking the button below.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Ammonia
Save money by using pure ammonia diluted with water as your main cleaner for your home.
Some facts about Ammonia:
Ammonia is the base in many household cleaners.
Ammonia does have a strong smell, use it in well ventilated areas
NEVER mix ammonia with bleach or other cleaners that contain bleach!
Mix 3 parts water to 1 part ammonia in a marked spray bottle and you can clean:
Windows that will be clean, clear, and streak-free.
Kitchen Counters that the Ammonia will cut through grease and disinfect (kill bacteria)
Stainless Steele Appliances and sinks,
Porcelain, ammonia is great to use in the bathroom it will get rid of soap scum. You may want to use it in full strength to get rid of water spots.
Wall and floor tiles
Some facts about Ammonia:
Ammonia is the base in many household cleaners.
Ammonia does have a strong smell, use it in well ventilated areas
NEVER mix ammonia with bleach or other cleaners that contain bleach!
Mix 3 parts water to 1 part ammonia in a marked spray bottle and you can clean:
Windows that will be clean, clear, and streak-free.
Kitchen Counters that the Ammonia will cut through grease and disinfect (kill bacteria)
Stainless Steele Appliances and sinks,
Porcelain, ammonia is great to use in the bathroom it will get rid of soap scum. You may want to use it in full strength to get rid of water spots.
Wall and floor tiles
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Peek-a-Boo Canopy
This was really easy to make! For the pattern or for more unique baby gift ideas visit www.thesproutzstore.etsy.com
Friday, February 27, 2009
Homemade Yogurt
We are big yogurt eaters at my house. I will buy store bought yogurt, but often make it myself. Here are the recipes I use to make peach and vanilla yogurt .
VANILLA YOGURT
(Milk prices $2.00, it costs me about $1.00 to make 7- 6 oz cups)
1 quart 2% milk
1/4 cup sugar or Splenda
1 tsp vanilla
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (optional, used to give yogurt a firmer texture)
5 Tablespoons plain yogurt (skim and discard upper surface of yogurt before measuring.)
Bring 1 quart of milk to 180 degrees, I use a candy thermometer it takes 10-12 minutes. This kills the bacteria in the milk and also helps give the yogurt a firmer texture. Take out 1/2 cup of milk and put in a separate bowl. Allow the rest of the milk to cool to 110 degrees (about 30 minutes.) When cool skim off the bubbles and the other stuff.
Mix gelatin in with the 1/2 cup milk until dissolved. Add vanilla, sugar, and the rest of the milk. Mix well and add plain yogurt (you need the live cultures to make yogurt), mixing until the yogurt is well blended.
Follow Directions for your yogurt maker (I keep mine in the yogurt maker for 8 hours and chill for 3 hours.) Or use the Oven Method.
Oven Method: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Turn off oven and place yogurt inside. You can do small jars of yogurt or 1 big bowl of a quart of yogurt. Keep the door closed and turn on oven light. The yogurt needs to incubate for 8-10 hours. If the yogurt doesn't set, take it out of the oven, preheat oven to 200 degrees and return yogurt to the oven with the light on, for 1 hour. Cover yogurt with lids or plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours, yogurt will continue to thicken as it chills.
PEACH YOGURT
(Milk prices $2.00, it costs me about $1.50 to make 7- 6 oz cups.)
1 quart 2% milk
1/4 cup sugar or Splenda
1/2 cup Peaches, chopped or purred
5 tablespoons peach juice
1 pkg. unflavored gelatin (optional, used to give yogurt a firmer texture.)
5 Tablespoons plain yogurt (skim and discard upper surface of yogurt before measuring.)
Bring 1 quart of milk to 180 degrees, I use a candy thermometer it takes 10-12 minutes. This kills the bacteria in the milk. Allow the milk to cool to 110 degrees. When cool skim off the bubbles and the other stuff.
In a separate bowl combine the peaches, juice, sugar, gelatin. Add cooled milk and plain yogurt, mixing well so all ingredients are well blended.
Follow Directions for your yogurt maker (I keep mine in the yogurt maker for 8 hours.)
Or use the Oven Method.
OTHER TIPS
Temperature is key to making good yogurt.
You can use whole milk, 1%, 2%, fat free, or powdered milk to make yogurt.
Make sure you use PLAIN yogurt with live cultures.
VANILLA YOGURT
(Milk prices $2.00, it costs me about $1.00 to make 7- 6 oz cups)
1 quart 2% milk
1/4 cup sugar or Splenda
1 tsp vanilla
1 envelope unflavored gelatin (optional, used to give yogurt a firmer texture)
5 Tablespoons plain yogurt (skim and discard upper surface of yogurt before measuring.)
Bring 1 quart of milk to 180 degrees, I use a candy thermometer it takes 10-12 minutes. This kills the bacteria in the milk and also helps give the yogurt a firmer texture. Take out 1/2 cup of milk and put in a separate bowl. Allow the rest of the milk to cool to 110 degrees (about 30 minutes.) When cool skim off the bubbles and the other stuff.
Mix gelatin in with the 1/2 cup milk until dissolved. Add vanilla, sugar, and the rest of the milk. Mix well and add plain yogurt (you need the live cultures to make yogurt), mixing until the yogurt is well blended.
Follow Directions for your yogurt maker (I keep mine in the yogurt maker for 8 hours and chill for 3 hours.) Or use the Oven Method.
Oven Method: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Turn off oven and place yogurt inside. You can do small jars of yogurt or 1 big bowl of a quart of yogurt. Keep the door closed and turn on oven light. The yogurt needs to incubate for 8-10 hours. If the yogurt doesn't set, take it out of the oven, preheat oven to 200 degrees and return yogurt to the oven with the light on, for 1 hour. Cover yogurt with lids or plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours, yogurt will continue to thicken as it chills.
PEACH YOGURT
(Milk prices $2.00, it costs me about $1.50 to make 7- 6 oz cups.)
1 quart 2% milk
1/4 cup sugar or Splenda
1/2 cup Peaches, chopped or purred
5 tablespoons peach juice
1 pkg. unflavored gelatin (optional, used to give yogurt a firmer texture.)
5 Tablespoons plain yogurt (skim and discard upper surface of yogurt before measuring.)
Bring 1 quart of milk to 180 degrees, I use a candy thermometer it takes 10-12 minutes. This kills the bacteria in the milk. Allow the milk to cool to 110 degrees. When cool skim off the bubbles and the other stuff.
In a separate bowl combine the peaches, juice, sugar, gelatin. Add cooled milk and plain yogurt, mixing well so all ingredients are well blended.
Follow Directions for your yogurt maker (I keep mine in the yogurt maker for 8 hours.)
Or use the Oven Method.
OTHER TIPS
Temperature is key to making good yogurt.
You can use whole milk, 1%, 2%, fat free, or powdered milk to make yogurt.
Make sure you use PLAIN yogurt with live cultures.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Shopping Trip 3
After seeing the ad for Sproutz I wanted to go check it out for myself. This is what I bought:
carrots were $.50/lb and were locally grown,
cilantro $.34,
Fuji apples $.69/lb
garlic $.50
green leaf lettuce $.69 each
avocados $.69 each
limes $.20 each
red peppers $.50 each
roma tomatoes $.69/lb,
corn 6 for $1.00!
The Bananas were $.57/lb which was less than the grocery store, but Costco still has the cheapest price/lb for bananas. Cantaloupe $1.50 each, Colby Jack Cheese block $1.99/lb, this was a special sale this week and is the same price/lb as Costco. The Tortilla Chips were $1.89/12 oz, and they were an extra buy (I am not perfect at sticking to my list.)
The Bananas were $.57/lb which was less than the grocery store, but Costco still has the cheapest price/lb for bananas. Cantaloupe $1.50 each, Colby Jack Cheese block $1.99/lb, this was a special sale this week and is the same price/lb as Costco. The Tortilla Chips were $1.89/12 oz, and they were an extra buy (I am not perfect at sticking to my list.)
The chips were good and I would buy them again, but my FAVORITE tortilla chips are made in Henderson, CO, La Favorita chips.
Sam's Club is the cheapest place to buy them, but you can find them in King Soopers and Albertsons for $1.99/16 oz bag. I have also found them at the Wal-mart in Commerce city. You will have to look around at your local Wal-mart and grocery stores, because not all Wal-marts, King Soopers, and Albertson's carry them.
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