NatureSweet Cherubs Greek Salad

My friends over at NatureSweet asked me if I would like to share a recipe with my readers, just in time for spring. Of course I jumped at the chance!

Course Type: Side Salad

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Short Summary: A classic Mediterranean favorite

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Fresh Express® Spring Mix
• 2 Tbsp pitted black olives, sliced
• 1 cup NatureSweet® Cherubs® Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup red onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 4 whole pepperoncinis
• Your favorite balsamic or tarragon vinaigrette dressing

Instructions:

1. Place Fresh Express® Spring Mix into a large salad bowl.
2. Top with olives, NatureSweet® Cherubs® Tomatoes and onions. Add cheese and pepperoncinis. Drizzle dressing over salad.

Stay tuned, I will be developing a recipe that is perfect for spring and summer eating featuring my favorite little tomatoes!

6 Things Not To Bargain Shop For

6 Things Not To Bargain Shop For

We all love a good bargain. Saving money is awesome and unless you are one of the nearly 500 billionaires in the United States, it is often a necessity.  As the financial adviser in my family, I try my best to get the most bang for my buck on every purchase. I check ebates to see if I can earn cashback.  I use my paypal debit card to purchase nearly everything I buy because I earn 1% cashback each month, which adds up! I look for sales, coupons and discounts. I even shop the closeout stores like Big Lots and Ollie's Bargain Outlet. Who doesn't like buying stuff at a lower cost?

In all of my attempts to save money, I have discovered things you should not scrimp on. Things that are just worth the cost in the long run. I want to share these suggestions with you to help you in your attempts to save as much as you can.

1. Laundry Detergent 

I say buy something good for several good reasons. One your clothes are meant to last. Washing them in something like the brand from Dollar Tree is going to take a toll on your clothes. You can take my word for this. I bought a new pair of jeans, washed them in the cheap cheap LA Awesome (or something like that) brand exclusively. Ya know what? In 6 months time the denim was so worn and threadbare all over that I was afraid to go outdoors in them for fear they might just fall apart! I bought a new pair of jeans to replace the holy than thou pair and went back to Tide... same brand of jeans, same style. That was 5 years ago... I still have the 2nd new pair today. Secondly, your clothes should look and smell good after washing them. A cheap detergent is mostly water, it just can't do the job as well as Tide.

2. Deodorant

This should be a no brainer. Buy something good, don't try to save money here... cause no one wants to smell your attempts to save money on a hot summer day....

3. Pet Food

If you can't afford to feed a pet quality food, you shouldn't have a pet. Feeding off brands of food, such as EverPet, will lead to health issues. Pets deserve to be cared for in many ways, but their diet is vital to the overall health and well being of any pet. 

4. Trash Bags

I have bought cheap trash bags before and ended up picking my trash up off the lawn as the bag rips, tears or whatever on the way to the curb. No fun, not worth saving $2 in my opinion.

5. Shoes

I think buying quality footwear is important. Not only do your feet feel better in great shoes, but they are safer. When my son was about 18 months old and on the go, go, go we found a great deal on a pair of well known kids shoes. I jumped on them. Days later I realized why they were so affordable... the hard way. The sole of the shoe detached, causing my toddler to fall and he got a black eye out of it. Since that moment, no more bargain buys on shoes. Find the new air force 1 here.

6. Pillows

Repeat after me. "I will not buy a $5 pillow. I will not buy a $5 pillow." 

I am not saying you need to spend a few hundred on a great pillow, but invest in one that is going to give you a good quality of sleep. I use a Technogel pillow. I love it. I can't sleep without it, without waking up in pain or exhausted. A good pillow is an investment in your quality of life. 

Do you have any items to add to this list? What do you think you should buy without bargain hunting?

Easy Banana Pancakes

We love Post cereal in my home. We are thrilled to have the chance to share another recipe on their behalf with you!

Easy Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 cup pancake and waffle mix
• 1 cup Great Grains Banana Nut Crunch Cereal
• 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Directions

1. Beat egg with milk and oil in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Add pancake mix; beat until well blended. Stir in cereal. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Ladle batter onto hot griddle or into hot skillet, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on tops, then turn over to brown other sides.
3. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Summer Sauteed Corn and Squash

Sauteed corn and squash makes for the perfect addition to any summer meal. It is delicious enough to make a meal on its own! Made with fresh and simple ingredients, this dish comes together in a matter of moments and is going to get rave reviews from anyone that samples it!

Summer is here you guys! I have never been so happy to hit the farmers market! After a long winter with access to a sad selection of fresh veggies, to see food grown with care and pride inspired my stomach and my menu planning.

I made the easiest dish for dinner last Sunday. It was a lazy summer day. The kids had been playing outside most of the day and I turned to my farmers market finds to create dinner. This recipe is so easy you guys it makes only 3 ingredients and the prep time is minimal, so you can spend more time making summer memories.

Chefs notes:

Use real butter. Butter is something that should not be sacrificed in any kitchen. I firmly believe that using butter to cook is healthier than turning to some scientifically created food like substance. Butter- just do it guys. 

At the last moment, I tossed roughly chopped fresh parsley into the veggie mix to add a splash of green and a little extra flavor. This is optional

This post contains affiliate links

Ingredients

1 yellow squash

2 ears of corn on the cob

2 tablespoons of real butter

parsley to taste (optional)

Directions

Shuck your ears of corn 

Cut the corn from the cob

Chop the squash into chunks

Heat a skillet at a a medium heat setting

Add butter

Add corn and squash

Add parsley if desired

Sautee for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. When your squash is tender you can remove from the heat and serve.

I served this along with garlic roasted asparagus for a delicious dinner that was extremely delicious and healthy. It offered a colorful plate packed with summer veggies! This is one of the many ways we love to enjoy summer squash.

 I would love to hear how you enjoy summer squash!

This dinner was so economical. It is one of the many examples of the reality that you can eat wholesome and healthy foods even on the tightest of budgets.  I always hear people claim that it costs too much to eat healthy. Recipes like this dispell that myth. While I didn't add meat to the meal- you could easily do so if you desired.

Summer squash {1/3 of a pound} In stores squash sells for $.99 to $1.59 a pound in my area. I paid 50 cents for the squash at my farmers market.

Corn was on sale for 12 cents an ear. I used 2 ears for a total of 24 cents.

Figuring butter into the equation would be about 15 cents for the amount used in this recipe.

Asparagus was on sale for $1.49 a pound. I used 1/2 a pound with this meal for .75 .

Seriously, this was one of the best dinners I have eaten in a week and I served this to 2 adults for a total of $1.64. We both left dinner incredibly satisfied. This is a completely healthy dinner that is budget friendly for proof that eating healthy is not as expensive as everyone wants you to believe.

DIY Kids Reading Nook and Book Storage Solution

We have moved into our house and are now in the stages of making it work for us. The rooms are all spacious, there are closets! But we have a mass of childrens books fitting for a small library. After filling the only 3 shelves available with books, I had to get creative about storing them but I also wanted to come up with something functional.

I got an under the bed storage tote. I filled it with about 50 books.

I placed the lid on it and immediately my daughter dashed into see what was up. She is a little bookworm and the idea of several hundred available books really appealed to her... and the mess maker in her too.

                  From here I got a soft blanket. and covered tote of books.

I added a few favorite stuffed animals, but they were instantly snatched away by the kids. so I gave them a pillow and a small basket of books at the side of this reading nook.

As you can see, it was instantly put to use by my sweet book loving daughter.

So, for about $8 I created a storage solution and a seating area for the kids! This has worked well because the kids like to lay down and read, and the tote filled with books supports their weight and is just the right length for them to do so.