Smoker and the Bandit!

We have an awesome smoker and so I was super excited when BzzAgent offered me some coupons to see pork in a whole new light!  I stopped by Kroger and picked up the Kroger Moist & Tender Pork Shoulder/Butt.  This is the cut of meat that I like to use for BBQ Pulled Pork and I was very surprised that my local Kroger carried it.  It was $1.99/lb which is a little higher price than I usually pay, but with the coupon, it was reasonable.  I used a rub of mustard, brown sugar and "butt rub" and put it in the smoker for about 10 hours.  I had read that most people over cook their pork, so using the guidelines by The National Pork Board, I took it out at just the right temperature.  I let it rest for a few minutes and then started pulling it apart.  The label didn't lie, it was very moist and tender!  In fact, it was delicious.  I did think this cut was a little fattier than cuts I had used in the past, but overall I was very happy with it!  It wasn't stringy and had a good, moist texture. 

If you haven't tried pork lately, The National Pork Board recommends cooking pork chops, roasts and tenderloins to an internal temperature of 145° (medium rare)–160° F (medium) (followed by a three minute rest) for juicy, tender pork that’s slightly pink in the middle.

Pork tenderloin carries the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check mark; each serving packs tons of nutrients and, ounce for ounce, is as lean as skinless chicken breast. PorkBeInspired.com is a great resource on all the tasty ways to prepare pork, from braising and sautéing, to stuffing, saucing and grilling.

Be Broke, Live Rich!

(repost from a previous date)

Kindle: I actually don't even own a kindle. I have downloaded the FREE program on my computer and the FREE app for my iphone and, literally, EVERY SINGLE DAY there are FREE books at amazon.com for downloading. They are 100% FREE and change all the time. I have amassed a huge library of free books and it is so convenient! You can read the same book on both devices and it automatically syncs to where you left off. I love to read and hate wasting money on books that I end up not liking, so this is perfect for me!

Redbox: I don't watch many movies because I just don't have a lot of time. However, I LOVE the convenience of Redbox. I can always find movies that I want to watch and it's so fast and easy. What I love the most, though, is that if you sign up online for text messages, they send you a code for a free rental on the first Monday of each month. They never send me worthless text messages, just the ones for a free rental. They also do a lot of promotions with other products, such as getting free Redbox rentals inside specially marked boxes. How awesome is that!

CVS Bucks: This is how it works...you get a CVS card and earn CVS Bucks on everything you buy. PLUS you can earn them on the spot for certain items each week. This is free money to spend in their store. For example, I bought an over the counter medication last week that was on sale, plus I had a coupon, plus you earned $5 CVS Bucks. The cashier rang up my medication. I paid for it and $5 CVS Bucks printed out. I picked up 2 bags of Easter candy, on sale for 2/$6. The cashier rang up the candy, I handed her my $5 CVS Buck and paid the difference of $1 plus tax. Practically FREE candy!

Restaurant Deals: A local news station offers a weekly deal on restaurant gift certificates. Each week they feature a different restaurant and you can buy $50 worth of gift certificates for $25. This is a great deal. They have 200 to offer each week. Most of these sell out fairly quickly, but once in awhile they don't and they reduce the price of the leftover certificates. I have bought certificates for 5 different restaurants in the last year that were reduced to $10 for a $50 gift certificate. All of these restaurants have been in the Indianapolis area and we enjoyed each one of them. They were places we had never heard of and each time the $50 was enough for our two meals, drinks and dessert, plus an extra dessert (or in one case, several deli salads) to take home. The gift certificates were always mailed out quickly, the restaurants were always nice with very good food and we have never had any problems redeeming the certificates. What a deal!

I have also gotten some awesome deals on an online local radio auction. I bought 5 gift certificates for a restaurant that were for $20 each...I bought them for $2.99 each when the auction had a 'fire sale' a week after the original auction.

Last, but not least, I have signed up for text message alerts with fast food restaurants and receive text messages for free food periodically. I have received several text messages for free food from DQ and a local taco joint.

Coupon Websites: There are tons of coupon blogs and websites that specialize in printable coupons. I always check these websites before going grocery shopping, but did you know there are tons of printable RETAIL coupons readily available? On a recent trip to the mall, with a quick advanced search, I headed out with coupons for Bath and Body Works, Carsons, Kohls, Maurices, ULTA and Victoria's Secret.

It's Yard $ale Time Again!!

I love going to yard sales! My favorite is going to town-wide sales in the smaller communities near where I live.  I live in North Central Indiana and it has taken me several years to compile my list of "Can't Miss" town-wide's.  Some of these are two day events, but I'm listing the days that I'm attending....I'm going to share it with you and I'll try to update you with pictures of my treasures afterward!

You may want to call ahead and confirm these dates...

April 19           Wakarusa (in conjunction with the Maple Syrup Festival)
April 26           South Whitley
May 3              Topeka
May 4              Bluffton
May 17             Akron
May 18            Walton (in conjunction with the May Day Festival)
May 31            New Paris, Mentone (in conjunction with the Egg Festival)
June 7             Swayzee
June 13-15      Amboy, Silver Lake
June 22           Bunker Hill
July 6              Mexico
July 27            Galveston
August 2         North Manchester
August 3         Converse
August 16       Elwood (in conjunction with the Glass Festival)
August 23      Rossville (in conjunction with the Summer's End Festival)
August 30      Plymouth (in conjunction with the Blueberry Festival)
August 31      Upland
Sept 19           Nappanee (in conjunction with the Apple Festival)
Sept 20          Frankton (in conjunction with Heritage Days)
Sept 21           Brookston (in conjunction with the Apple Popcorn Festival)
Sept 27           Fairmount/Gas City
Sept 28          Atlanta (in conjunction with the Earth Festival, Burnettsville
October 4      Flora (in conjunction with Moonlight Madness)

I hope you'll take the time to attend at least one of these....stay tuned to hear about the treasures I find!!

Michael Angelo's Italian Meals

 

I was recently invited into the Michael Angelo's Taste and Tell Program. Using the coupons they sent me for free products, I chose the Michael Angelo's Meat Lasagna and brought it to work to share with my coworkers.  Around lunch time, I popped it into the microwave and the aroma was FANTASTIC!  I cut up the lasagna into sample sizes and as each person took a sample, I gave them a coupon.  My Taste and Tell Kit also came with a DVD that I watched so I was able to inform everyone about the company: A family owned company started by Michael and his mom, Sara, and her recipes.  The meals are still cooked in small batches with no preservatives.  I have to tell you that I have tried 4 varieties of these meals and they are all delicious!  These meals taste like authentic Italian and very fresh!  Between watching the video, learning even more on their website and then tasting these meals, I actually felt like this meal was made for my family, by their family, rather than some big factory. Thank you, Michael Angelo's, for the chance to discover such a wonderful product and to share it with others.  For more information, please check out their website: www.michaelangelos.com. 

*Other than the free coupons, I was not compensated for this review and these opinions are my own.

 

Honestly Simple!

 Such a simple idea....honest and affordable foods that represent the joy of eating closer to the way nature intended.  I LOVE the idea of this!  As a bzzagent, I received several items from this line of Kroger's to try.  Hands down, my favorite was the Simple Truth Sweet Potato Veggie Chips.  Admittedly, I have been obsessed with all things sweet potato lately, but these were among the BEST I've had.  I can't wait to use a coupon and try one of the other varieties...maybe the Simple Truth Exotic Chips?!?!  I also had a bottle of Simple Truth Natural Cucumber Melon soda...I was really not sure about this...normally Cucumber is something I look for in a lotion, not a drink...despite the fact that I would prefer to not drink any soda with this many calories, I actually liked it.  Very yummy and would be great for a hot day this summer.  I think Kroger should find a natural sugar substitute and try to make a diet version of their sodas.  I also received a Simple Truth health and wellness bar...Ok, first I have to admit that it was Peanut Butter something...my husband scarffed this down and didn't save me the package.  In fact, he didn't realize it was a free sample, and was scouring the cupboards for the rest of the box! He's picky, so I'm guessing it was delicious! 

I was VERY excited about the frozen fruit!!  I make a frozen smoothie EVERY morning (yes, even when it's below zero outside!) and am always looking for tasty fruit.  This fruit was tasty, however, it was expensive and basically, to me, unsweetened fruit, is unsweetened fruit.  Well....after looking, it was the only organic frozen fruit I could find, so if that's important to you, it's a good solution.  I have to say no to the Almond Milk...I tried it with cereal and it was ok, but I'm not a fan of any Almond Milk.

MorningStar Farms

As a BzzAgent, I was recently given the honor of trying the MorningStar Farms products. Usually I only think of Meatless Monday as being for dinner, but yesterday during the ice storm I made some homemade maple syrup and couldn't wait to use some so I got out my MorningStar Farms Maple Flavor sausage patties.  I chose to cook them in the oven (the recommended procedure), and while they were baking, I whipped up some pancakes.  I was excited that they were only 80 calories, but when I got them out of the package they were pretty tiny.  They looked exactly like pork sausage patties, they cooked nicely, stayed firm and didn't have any grease on the pan.  They were pretty good.  If I were served these in a restaurant, I would never have known they were meatless.If you haven't tried MorningStar Farms or if you have tried meatless products in the past that were less than stellar, I recommend you give these a try.

Perdue Oven Ready Products

As a bzzagent, I really wasn't sure about trying the Perdue Oven Ready Products because I am VERY picky about meat.  I actually raise chickens, so I thought I would be hard on this product...and I was.  First the good:  Having the chicken already cleaned, seasoned and in a bag was awesome.  No prep or icky chicken juice everywhere.  The chicken was juicy, tender and easy to serve.  I read about the Perdue brand and was happy with the "What We Believe" company standards.  Now the not so good:  The chicken was too expensive; I would not have paid that much for the convenience of prewashed.  After two full hours, I stuck my meat thermometer through the slit in the bag and it was well above the 180 degree mark, so I removed it from the oven.  The skin stuck to the bag and pulled away from the chicken.  I carved off some pieces and it had good seasoning and was juicy and tender. However, I thought it was stringy and almost fake or "pressed and formed" chicken tasting. I also noticed that near the bone it was not done all the way.  It is very difficult to test it while in the bag and I did cook it for longer than the recommended time because of this.   I give this product three stars out of five...very easy and a good idea, but I did not like the taste of the chicken.