Cinnamon Roll Waffle Dippers

I was looking for something fun to make for breakfast that wouldn't take a lot of effort.  I decided that I would try the cinnamon rolls that I got at super doubles for free.  Don't these look boring!

In order to make them more interesting to my son, I brought out the waffle maker and turned them into Cinnamon Roll Waffle Dippers.  I put one biscuit on each side of the warmed waffle maker.  I normally don't have to grease my waffle maker but do whatever works well with your waffle maker.  After they were done cooking, they released fairly easily with a fork.

The biscuits came out looking like this little waffles.

I made some with two biscuits in each side which made longer waffle looking strips.  I cut them up so that my son could pick them up and dip them in the icing.  In order to make the icing into a glaze, it just needed to be microwaved for 10 seconds and it made a great dipping sauce that my son and I both loved. 

Think you are too busy to make waffles?  Grab some cinnamon rolls and make these tasty treats!  I promise they will be a favorite of your family too!

Is It Halfway through the month yet because I am halfway through my budget?

I went a lot crazy at super doubles this time because there were so many deals and so many rebates to go with those deals.  In case you haven't heard me talk about Super Doubles before or you are new to couponing, this is a short event that doubles up to 20 coupons with a value up to $2 so if you have a $2 coupon, it is then worth $4.  There were so many deals and I think that I added a few to my list of things that I was looking for every day and not even seeing the deal on Cheez-Its until the last day but they were super picked over so obviously other people were paying more attention to their coupons.  I just added up my spending and savings last night and I know that I got a ton of groceries for the price that I paid but it is going to make the rest of the month kind of tight to pick up lots more deals but I know that I can do it.  The bad thing is that this was all in the first week of a very long month.  I know that my family has started a list of things we still need for the month so here is hoping we can stay under budget for the month.  Check out what I got so far!!

Harris Teeter $11.42

This was my first trip and certainly got a lot of deals still on the shelves because I hit the store fairly early on Sunday when Super Doubles started.  I had to put some things back because I reached the end of my coupons and I found the deal to get the free milk (that is the thing in the back because someone thought it looked like bleach but it really is milk) with $10 of General Mills products and I already had $6 with the Pillsbury biscuits in my cart.  I decided on the cereal which was $0.74 after sale and coupon which is way above what I normally spend but it would get me really close to the free milk with only one coupon.  Then I added and realized that I would be $0.52 shy of the free milk so I got the Cascadian Farm cereal which was $0.50 because it was either that or a yogurt which were both going to cost to me $0.50 (later realized that there was rebate on the yogurt so I probably would have bought that because the cereal rebate was on a kind they didn't have).  I got free Crest tooth paste, Tetley tea yogurt, Atkins bar, Hormel Natural Choice, Cresent Rolls, Cinnamon Rolls and milk!  I paid $0.99 for the Welch's Fruit Rolls and turned it in for $1 rebate.  We were running low on lunch meat so I got this package on sale and with coupon for $2.49 which is less than Aldi's (currently on sale until the end of the month so I know that I will get it again with remaining coupons).  Lettuce was $0.99 and we needed it for tacos this week!

The very best deal was the Johnsville Flame Grilled Chicken which is shelf price of $5.99 but on sale for $4.99.  There was a $1.50 coupon which doubled to $3 making it $1.99 each which I probably wouldn't have touched because that is still crazy high for 3 chicken breasts that are about 9 oz. total.  I got it because there was a rebate for $1.50 each on Ibotta and $1.00 each on Checkout 51.  All of those things together made it so that I actually bought this crazy expensive chicken and not I have to work it into a recipe soon. Rebates for $4 from Ibotta for chicken, Siggi's Yogurt and any item, $4 for Checkout 51 for Atkins, Johnsonville and Welch's and $2 for Saving Star for cereal and Pillsbury rolls.

Harris Teeter $5.09

I got the free Crest, Tea, and Atkins bars (tea coupons didn't double because they were free without doubling so I was lucky to get to have not used as many as I thought).  I decided to splurge and get the Barber chicken for $0.79 each even though I normally only buy them when I can get them for free.  They are super easy meals for under $1.00 on busy nights!  I haven't found a deal on my husband's CranGrape in ages so I decided to splurge on the $0.50 Welch's and got one of each flavor so that he could try them and tell me which one he liked so I could get more later.  The Vick's VapoRub was $0.99 each after sale and coupon and there was $3 catalina that came out after the purchase so I got to use it on the next transaction! Also turned this in for $0.25 rebate for the juice from Ibotta.

Harris Teeter $1.60

This was a crazy deal which I only got to do because I read my receipt and totally didn't know about the Charmin deal because it wasn't in my Harris Teeter app and I didn't write it down.  I also only used 11 coupons in the previous transaction so I went back into the store to search for the Charmin.  I only found one on the shelf and I asked the manager person that was in the store and he said that they didn't have any more.  I went to customer service and found one in the re-shop area that there were going to put back!  I did a little happy dance and grabbed free Crest and Atkins bars with my remaining coupon so used 18 coupon.  I also got to use the $3 catalina from my previous purchase so this transaction was super cheap!!

Harris Teeter $2.12

I went to the other Harris Teeter because the app said that the other store carried these!  I used my $4 off 3 Enjoy Life Items and got a $2 catalina which because of super doubles would double!  It ended up being a money maker with a bonus treat of chocolate for my son who helped me with the shopping trip.

Harris Teeter $1.71

I was trying to get another catalina on the chocolate while spending at least $4 so that I could use the catalina from the previous transaction.  I got free Atkins, Hormel Natural Choice and Crest.  I got the Land of Frost for $1.50 after sale and coupon and then added the other Barber Chicken for $0.79 each and then realized that there was still almost $2 cost associated with buying the chocolate bars so I knew that I had the $4 covered with this transaction but the catalina wouldn't scan and they had to override but the cashier did double it and and was amazing!!  I turned this in for $3 back from the Enjoy Life candy from Ibotta and I will get $4 back from Saving Star for buying $10 of candy bars and watching a video and sharing the promotion.  Best transaction ever!

Harris Teeter $4.11

I decided to use the catalina that I got from my last transaction to get the evic deals so the 10 lbs of potatoes were $3.94 which is better then they have been at Aldi recently.  I got $22 of Progresso soup for $1.88 which is $0.23 per can.  I also grabbed three more of the Enjoy Life candy bars that were refilled hoping to roll this into another deal but the catalina didn't print out. Went to customer service after my second transaction to get it resolved (see below).  Turned it $0.10 back for potatoes from Ibotta and getting $1 from Saving Star for the soup.

Harris Teeter $9.29

I got free Progresso soup, Freezer to Plate meals, Minute Rice, Crest toothpaste, Sister Schubert rolls, and Hormel Natural Choice.  I wanted to use the $2 catalina to pay for all these groceries so I grabbed the Windex which was $1.50 each after sale and coupon (get $0.50 rebate from Saving Star and $0.50 from Checkout 51).  I also grabbed another $1.50 Roast Beef because I used part of the last container when making sandwiches on Sunday.  I am not sure why I added the pasta at the last minute but I think I got caught up because it was only $0.75 per box but we were close to out and it is near the same price that I pay at Aldi but 4 would have been plenty.  Sad thing was that I rang everything up and didn't have the catalina to pay for everything and I didn't get a catalina for the three that I purchased in this transaction so the total was really high but I went to customer service and they issued me $4.10 (two catalina plus tax that I paid but I wasn't about to tell them that they doubled if I got them and so they owed me more so I took my $4 and didn't return the items).  I went to the car and unpacked everything and looked at the receipt only to see that there was 4 soups rang up and I only got 3 :(  Grabbed my soups and went back in and explained to another customer service manager who took a little while to do the math and figure it out.  He gave me back $2.05 the price plus tax so both cash backs are reflected in this transaction to make me feel better about the crazy high total that I thought I was paying.  Getting $0.50 back for Windex from Checkout 51 and $2.50 from Saving Star for Soup, Freezer to Plate meal and Windex.  Starting to not feel like it was the worst trip ever.

Harris Teeter $9.54

I went with a friend to the store for her first couponing trip although the shelves were quite picked over I got these things and everything was free except the Cheez-Its which were $1.49 after sale and coupon.  I was glad to get a few more freebies but disappointed at the number of things that we missed out on because I would have liked to send my friend home with a cart full of free groceries but we know that certainly isn't always what we get. I turned it in for $3 of rebates including $0.75 for the yogurt (so glad that reset), $0.25 for any item (also reset), and $1 for each tea (wishing that I printed three coupons to make an extra dollar on free tea).

Harris Teeter $0.08

Went to another store and they have three of these that the other store didn't get so I got to use my coupons to get a few more freebies to add to the snack cupboard.

Harris Teeter $17.48

This was my craziest trip by far and I think that I had this end of super double panic so I got a bunch of things that I normally wouldn't have paid that much for but I think that it all turned out okay.  I got the free Sister Schubert bread and Atkins bar.  I wanted to grab some more of the Cheez-Its for $1.49 each because we go through them quickly.  I splurged and for two more of the $0.75 cereal because my husband almost ate it all. I was excited to see the meat raviolis in the deal so those were $0.99 each and might make two meals each for us.  I decided to get the candy for $0.25 a box and put it in the cupboard for stocking stuffers.  My last two deals were the money ones because I got the Kotex coupon finally printed and they were $1 each with $2 rebate when you bought two.  I had some Enjoy Life coupons that I hadn't used before that were for $2 off an item priced $3 or more so I found these cookies on sale for $3.99 so I got 2 for free.  I added one more to the cart with $1.50 coupon because I found that the rebate had rest and I could get $1 back for each box through Ibotta so one box cost me $0.99 and I got $3 back.  I also got an additional bonus for doing so many rebates so $2 added to my account because of these so $7 back from this transaction total from Ibotta.  Maybe I wasn't as crazy as I thought I was being....okay probably still was when I finally added my receipts.

Harris Teeter $23.20

It was National Taco Day so I got the two boxes of taco shells free after promotion and coupon.  I also got some free mac and cheese and Sister Schubert's Shareable bread.  I got the Cranberry Juice for $0.99 after sale and coupon (my husband already finished it).  The Light and Fit Yogurt was $1.25 and I turned a rebate to get $1.25 back from Ibotta which I got to eat for lunch (I already finished it).  The no cook lasagna noodles were on sale for $1.67 and the coupon made them $1.42 each which is the best price.  I am sure that I will be glad later in the winter that I have a huge supply!  The eggs were on sale for $0.67 so I got  one dozen because we were running a little low on our dozen at home.  I grabbed the sale ad and saw that Coke was on sale for Buy 2, Get 3 Free so I got them since we haven't had soda in awhile.  I have a Saving Star I probably should have left well enough alone but I am sure we will enjoy them even if the budget doesn't!

Harris Teeter $3.60

I went to the store to get my Arla Cream Cheese Taste and Tell which was free.  I bought the yogurt because there were two rebates making it a money maker.  I got $1.25 from Ibotta and $0.50 from Checkout 51 for the yogurt that I paid $1.25 for.  I got a $0.75 catalina coupon for the Grown In Idaho french fries and potato puffs which were on sale for $2.99.  Sadly those don't double but I turned it in for $1 rebate from Checkout 51 and $1 form Saving Star.  I got back more money from rebates then I paid for my groceries so I think that it was worth the trip.

Harris Teeter $2.50

After checking out, I saw that there was a evic special on the Land O Frost Deli Snackers and I had a coupon that made them free.  I also grabbed the Land O Frost Turkey meat for when my husband's lunch meat runs out and I was very excited to get it for such a great deal.

 Total Retail $566.03

Total Savings $474.29

Total OOP $91.74

I turned in rebates that ended up equaling $36.35 so I was super excited to get back so much of what I spent but since I don't use it for grocery purchases because I send it to PayPal, I don't count the rebates into the grocery budget.  We call it free money even though it really isn't free!!  I got $6.10 from Checkout 51, $10.50 from Saving Star, and the biggest is Ibotta with $19.75!!!  I am happy that I could focus on the money that rebates could bring in because I have not done that in the past and I think that I have left some money sitting there that I could have put back into our pockets.

Menu Plan Monday 10/9

Monday- Chicken fries, Buffalo Chicken with homemade french fries
Tuesday- Pasta (maybe Meat Raviolis) and garlic bread
Wednesday-Salsa Sloppy Joes with mac and cheese
Thursday- Chicken tacos with rice
Friday- Leftovers
Saturday-Roast Beef Sandwiches
Sunday- Meatball Sliders

Super excited to say that last week went pretty well with my son's favorite meal on Monday, Spaghetti for my son on Tuesday and Chicken Marsala with the Freezer to Plate meal created piece meal for my husband and I, Wednesday was Tacos, Thursday was Cranberry Blue Cheese Chicken with herb rice, and Friday was leftovers.  Saturday I made Taco Pizza with the leftover taco meat and my last pizza crust.  Sunday I made Philly Cheese Steak Pasta even though my husband was pushing for take out pizza...luckily I had a plan so that we didn't have to eat out.  I love that I have a system that is working for me by taking out freezer food needed on Monday then everything can be thawed and ready to eat for the whole week with very little effort.  I upped my pasta game so we enjoyed a very different meal then plain spaghetti.  I am calling last week a win and hopeful that this week goes as well.  I hope that you have a great week and enjoy a stress free dinner time!

Many Sparrows Book Review

I got a chance to review three books all together and two were my favorites that I loved authors and sounded great.  Many Sparrows: A Novel by Lori Benton sounded interesting but I wasn't sure if it was a book that I would enjoy because it was a historical book which usually takes awhile to but I decided that it still seemed interesting.  I realized that I normally jump into a book and figure out which characters I immediately but the change in time period makes it a little more challenging except there is a mother who is protecting her children who seems to be the obvious choice going forward.

Either she and her children would emerge from that wilderness together, or none of them would…In 1774, the Ohio-Kentucky frontier pulses with rising tension and brutal conflicts as Colonists push westward and encroach upon Native American territories. The young Inglesby family is making the perilous journey west when an accident sends Philip back to Redstone Fort for help, forcing him to leave his pregnant wife Clare and their four-year old son Jacob on a remote mountain trail.  When Philip does not return and Jacob disappears from the wagon under the cover of darkness, Clare awakens the next morning to find herself utterly alone, in labor and wondering how she can to recover her son...especially when her second child is moments away from being born.

Clare will face the greatest fight of her life, as she struggles to reclaim her son from the Shawnee Indians now holding him captive. But with the battle lines sharply drawn, Jacob’s life might not be the only one at stake. When frontiersman Jeremiah Ring comes to her aid, can the stranger convince Clare that recovering her son will require the very thing her anguished heart is unwilling to do—be still, wait and let God fight this battle for them?

 Set in 1774 makes this book very different to relate to but quickly drawn in to the small family struggles while traveling across the country before it was settled.  Clare begs to hold off the trip until she delivers her baby but her husband refuses.  While on the trip, their wagon breaks and her husband goes for help, a horse wanders off and her son Jacob is taken while she is delivering her child.  There is an amazing amount of bad things that happen at the same time making this the perfect storm and then you won't be able to put the book down.  Although you need to pick up the book to find out what happens with Mr. Ring coming to Clare's rescue and what he does to protect her.  I know that I enjoyed this book and I hope that you check it out for yourself and enjoy it as much as I did.

**I received a copy of this book for my review but all opinions here are honest and my own.

Slow Burn Book Review

I have enjoyed all the books by Robert Parker and equally enjoy the book series carried on my Ace Atkins.  Robert B. Parker's Slow Burn (Spenser) by Ace Atkins was the next in the series and the next in my pile to read.  I lost track of what number this is in the series but I knew that I was getting towards the end with one more book in my pile.  I couldn't wait to see what trouble Spenser got himself into in this book and I hope that you you want to find out what is at a slow burn too!

Boston PI Spenser faces a hot case and a personal crisis in this adventure in Ace Atkins’ iconic New York Times bestselling series.
The fire at a boarded-up Catholic church raged hot and fast, lighting up Boston’s South End and killing three firefighters who were trapped in the inferno. A year later, as the city prepares to honor their sacrifice, there are still no answers about how the deadly fire started. Most at the department believe it was just a simple accident: faulty wiring in a century-old building. But Boston firefighter Jack McGee, who lost his best friend in the blaze, suspects arson.

McGee is convinced department investigators aren’t sufficiently connected to the city’s lowlifes to get a handle on who's behind the blaze—so he takes the case to Spenser. Spenser quickly learns not only that McGee might be right, but that the fire might be linked to a rash of new arsons, spreading through the city, burning faster and hotter every night. Spenser follows the trail of fires to Boston’s underworld, bringing him, his trusted ally Hawk, and his apprentice Sixkill toe-to-toe with a dangerous new enemy who wants Spenser dead, and doesn’t play by the city’s old rules. Spenser has to find the firebug before he kills again—and stay alive himself.

Spenser is hired to find out who is burning things all over Boston that has firefighters scrambling and some getting hurt or killed.  The Arson people don't want Spenser looking into it so they are giving him trouble.  He accidentally stumbles on to a trail that leads him to a local mobster who wants Spenser killed after the money and guns he stole from him.  In addition, the actual people starting the fire don't want to be caught so they are starting to cause trouble for him.  As always, the closer Spenser gets to the truth the more trouble that appears but he just has to figure out what trouble means people are guilty.  It is amazing the things that always happen to him and this time is no different.  You have to pick up the book to find out what happens in this crazy adventure. I hope that you check out this book and the rest of the great series and enjoy Spenser as much as I have!!  The great part is there is a huge series so it takes a long time to get through all the books.  I am sad to be getting to the end of the series but hope that there will be more books coming soon by this new author.

September Reading Review

I was ready to go through the pile of books that I had on my side table.  I decided to start to get organized and make a draft of each of the my posts with the pictures of the books and the summaries.  I know that that helped me to get the blog posts written and it also helped for me to know what book was next to read in my pile.  I mixed things up a little but still stayed mostly in order.  I was glad to have the rough drafts ready because it was way faster to write up my reviews quickly since I had five books read by the fifth of the month it was obviously going well for me!!  My summer readings list was a little bigger then I could finish in the summer but I certainly took a big chunk out of the list.  Sadly when I ran out of the drafts, I was so sad but I think that I am going to be doing that again because it makes things so much easier to write up when I download all the stuff ahead to be prepared.

If you missed my original review, please click on the title to get the summary and review of the book.  I hope that you add a few of these books to your reading list and enjoy them as much as I have.

Lullaby

by Ace Atkins

 Wonderland

by Ace Atkins

A Stardance Summer

by Emily March

Silent Night

by Robert Parker and Helen Brann

Christmas on Candy Cane Lane
by Sheila Roberts

Cheap Shot
by Ace Atkins

Titus Returns
by Amy Lillard

Marrying Jonah
by Amy Lillard

All Saints
by Michael Spurlock and Jeanette Windle

Kickback
by Ace Atkins

Gathering the Threads
by Cindy Woodsmall

The Proving
by Beverly Lewis

It Ends With Us
by Colleen Hoover

Total Books Read for 2017

January    8

February  15
March     17
April      13
May        10
June         10
July          15
August       17
September  13

Total Books Read    118

Currently Reading:

Slow Burn
by Ace Atkins

Menu Plan Monday 10/2

Monday- Chicken fries, Buffalo Chicken with homemade french fries
Tuesday- Pasta (getting more creative with this because I am sick of plain spaghetti)
Wednesday- Tacos
Thursday- Cranberry Blue Cheese Grilled Chicken with herb rice
Friday- Leftovers
Saturday- Tacos/Enchilada Pizza (not sure what to call it)
Sunday- Philly Cheese Steak Pasta

Last week went pretty well and I stayed with every day and actually remembered to take food out of the freezer so that was pretty exciting.  I think that having everything ready was what helped me get through the week without too much thought.  I love when dinner isn't painful or rushed.  Hoping that this week goes just as well!!  I am even working on planning weekends because things have been a little touch and go on the weekends in terms of getting dinner on the table and we have soccer every Saturday and I am going to be working on Sundays for the month.  Hoping this extra planning is going to help us all get a yummy dinner.  I hope that you have a great week and enjoy a stress free dinner time!