Discount Codes for Frugal Moms

As a frugal mom I always take advantage of sale and bargains. I don't normally buy anything at regular prices, it has to be on sale. Timing is also very important to me when shopping, I also take advantage of huge savings when I shop after big holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I prefer shopping online though to avoid the crowd. I always look for coupons, promotional codes, Discount Codes and what have you before I go shopping. I usually get coupons in the mail, but if I need to buy something I don't have coupon for, then I look for coupons I can print online.

In one of my online shopping escapades, I saw this website called Unbeatable where you can get access to a very large collection of products and retailers across the UK and compare prices of huge consumer products side by side. This means that you can make informed decision easily since you can view the specifications of products side by side. Also you can read through editor and users reviews of the products as well as buying guides that will really aid you in getting just the right product you are looking for. So for your next shopping, visit Unbeatable.co.uk to take advantage of great deals and huge savings.

Pasta Primavera Alfredo

When I checked my chiller the other day, I saw a couple of bunches of broccoli and few pieces of carrots. I thought I could make some salad before they go bad. But I remember seeing a pasta dish that uses veggies in a magazine so I thought maybe I could try that one. It is called Pasta Primavera Alfredo, a meatless pasta dish that looked very easy and yummy. I thought my hb wouldn't like it because it doesn't have meat but seemed to not mind, all he said was it's very interesting. My little son loved the carrots because they were crisp and sweet. I sliced the carrots thinly using mandoline slicer.

PASTA PRIMAVERA ALFREDO

INGREDIENTS

3/4 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
3 cups small broccoli florets
3 carrots (3/4 lb), cut into thin slices
4 oz. (1/2 of 8 oz.pkg) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, cubed
1 cup milk
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook spaghetti in large saucepan as directed on package, adding vegetables to the boiling water the last 3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile cook remaining ingredients in saucepan on medium low heat until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring occasionally.
3. Drain spaghetti mixture; return to pan. Add sauce; toss to coat.

Yield - Makes 6 servings (1 1/3 cups each)
Source: Kraft Foods

Losing Weight the Natural Way

I read of some people who aside from working out in the gym regularly are also supplementing on conjugated linoleic acid to pack on lean muscle and reduce body fat. It's not that I have anything against taking any diet pills but it's just that I would rather prefer to do everything the natural way. So far three times a week in the gym is working for me and I've been watching my food intake as strictly as I can. We eat lots of fresh fruits any time of the day and we at least a serving of green salad every meal. And we try to refrain from eating out, maybe once every other week on family outing is good enough. By the way, most restaurants are offering low-calorie or small serving entrees nowadays so we choose to order that.

Building Stamina Together

I talked my hb into enrolling in the gym too but he hasn't found the time to join me in my workout yet. It would have been a great set up to work out together while our son is watched for by a sitter in the baby siting area of the gym. We used to work out together and biked together but a lot of factors contributed to losing the time for fitness and exercise, one of which is his need to travel often on business trips. Hb needs to lose weight too and also build some muscles in the right places, lol just like those guys in the gym who look like fitness trainers. I wonder if they got their huge muscles just by working out, probably testosterone booster has a lot to do with them too. Anyway, hb is not going for huge muscle build up, but just getting light and fit with lots of stamina for the demand of his work, the way that I'm also working for stamina to keep up with my active son.

No Pain No Gain

It's been three days already but I'm still feeling some joint pain and stiffness in the neck. I will never overdo my workout in the gym again. I was killing the time one day, didn't want to drive home anymore and then leave again to pick up my son from school. So I worked out for over two hours and left just in time for my son's dismissal. Anyway, I feel the joint and neck pain particularly right after getting up in the morning, it feels like my joints ran out of some lubricant of sort. Reading through www.jointsupplementreviews.net make me want to get some joint supplements that will help relieve my discomforts quickly. I've been going to the gym religiously since the start of the year, so I'm not letting the pain ruin my schedule. No pain, no gain!

Lotion in My Kitchen Counter

I may say that I don't worry about acne anymore, or so gone are the days of my concern about acne when I moved to US. But now I have a totally different worry, the wrinkles. The very cold weather here zaps the moisture out of my skin so it becomes, very dry, itchy and sometimes flaky. Reading through iQ derma review, I saw different products with wrinkle fighting ingredients that I'm interested to try. But I have very sensitive skin too so I will really have to read through the review and see their benefits. Anyway, I regularly use over the counter hypoallergenic moisturizer for my face and also moisturizing lotion for my body. My hands are particularly dry because of too much washing in the kitchen, that's why I keep a bottle of lotion in my kitchen counter that I use after every wash.

No More Acne

I was reading about this exposed acne treatment reviews and asked myself where were these products when I was younger and prone to acne? When I was a teenager up until the time when I was working already, acne had been a problem to me. I went to a dermatologist once a month to control it and I must have used tons of medicated topical cream to get rid of it. But having very oily skin coupled with the tropical weather in the Philippines made it hard to really get rid of my acne back then. But when I moved to US things changed. Though I still get a pimple once in awhile, it's nothing compared to the acne I got before.

Overdoing Workout

Yesterday I worked out in the gym for a little over two hours. It was because I wanted to finish just in time for my son's school dismissal so I wouldn't need to go home anymore. I did a lot of weight-lifts that were not included in my program. I sweat a lot and it felt good. But when I woke up this morning I felt very sore and I've got stiffed neck. It was my plan to work out again today but my neck really bothers me I could use some best muscle supplements to relieve it. Next time I will just take it easy.

Getting Better

Can you feel the economy getting a little better already? I read that some companies are hiring again. Actually if you look at job search online there are tons of available jobs waiting to be filled up. Also the value of some of our stocks went up a little bit, so I guess that's a good thing. Hopefully things will get much better this year and the people who got laid off and lost their houses will get their normal lives back again.

I Want to Experience New Orleans

One of the places that my hb and I want to visit is New Orleans. We both want to experience its famous annual carnival, the Mardi Gras, a celebration attended by tourists all over the world because of its ornate parades, costume balls and festivities. My hb was there once before but on business trip. He stayed in hotel new orleans close to where the action was supposed to be, but he didn't see much because he was a week ahead of the festivities. But I know it could get a bit crazy during the Mardi Gras day with people getting drunk and women flashing for bead necklaces. So I don't think it is such a good idea for my little son to see this wild behavior. But I read that the parade goes around town anyway, and there's only one street where people get pretty wild, so we shouldn't take our son in that street.

I Need Portion Control Scale

It has been a struggle for me to control my craving for sweets. Once I started eating chocolates I just couldn't get my mind off them. It's good enough that I started going to the gym already, at least I could burn some calories off. But I still feel the need to get really serious about controlling my appetite for sweets and fatty food. I eat a lot of junk when I'm stressed and I'm working online. Munching something sweet while doing my online work seems to get my brain working, so it became a habit for me to have sweets within my reach, like I'm munching on M&M's right now, yikes.

Anyway, I am thinking of getting myself one of those food scales so I can control the portion of my food intake. I need portion control scale so I can monitor my 1,200 calorie per day goal and it would be best to get those digital scales so measuring is quicker and easier. I could easily get to the weight I'm working for if I can strictly control my food intake coupled with three-times a week work-out. But hopefully I won't backslide in my work-out routine this time. Well of course I can't totally give up baking cookies for my 'boys' even if I'm trying to control my sweet tooth. I bake cookies a lot and I usually bake in bulk so I can freeze away for later. I found stainless steel scales that bakers use which I'm interested to buy. It's 16 lb capacity and two platforms sound perfect for baking in bulk.

My Hair Vanity

Do you have any vanity? I do. I don't go for expensive clothes or purses, not even make-ups but I will splurge on my hair and hair supplements. I'm also very daring when it comes to hairstyle, I've tried them all - from very short bob cut to long frizzy style; from one length style to spiky tops. That's only because I trusted my hairstylist back then. But when I came over here in US, it took a while for me to find the hair stylist that could really do the style I want. I must have tried all the salons in town but just didn't go back to any of them anymore after my first appointment. Then luckily I found this Vietnamese salon some 24 miles from my place. I go there all the time and I don't mind the drive. It's also just beside the fave Oriental store and Chinese dimsum restaurant that we frequent, so it's worth the long drive.

Linguine with Kielbasa and Broccoli

My family is a pasta lover so there's no week that pasta is not included in my planned menu. I mostly use tomato sauce in my pasta dishes but because hb requested that I make some pasta with sauce other than tomato for our Christmas get-together with friends, I thought I'd try this interesting Linguine with Kielbasa and Broccoli recipe that I found in my Food Network magazine. I love basil pesto and I've used it in some of my dishes like baked salmon, however, I have never tried using Gorgonzola cheese. I was reluctant at first to try this dish anticipating that it might have very strong flavor because of the Gorgonzola cheese and the salty kielbasa, but it turned out really great.

INGREDIENTS:
1 16-ounce pkg. uncooked linguine
4 cups fresh small broccoli florets
1 pkg. Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 7-ounce pkg. refrigerated basil pesto
1 5-ounce pkg. crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 green onions, sliced
Salt and ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook linguine according to package directions. During the last 4 minutes of cooking, add broccoli to water. When linguine and broccoli are tender, drain; keep warm.
2. Cut sausage into 1/2 inch cubes. Heat a 4 to 6 quart pan over medium high heat for 3 minutes. Add sausage and onion to pan; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is browned and ionion is tender.
3. Add hot sauce, cooked linguine and broccoli. Toss gently over medium heat for 1 minute. Stir in pesto, Gorgonzola and green onions; heat through. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Source: gomeat.com

Holiday Gift Shopping

Every year no matter how I plan to do an early holiday shopping to avoid the crowd I still end up cramming anyway. Kids get harder to buy gifts for each year, they are into expensive computer games and latest gadgets that oftentimes they already own. I find it easier to buy gifts for younger kids and older people, they are easier to please. Like my son loves anything Thomas and Friends. He gets excited at just anything he sees the logos and pictures of the trains on like in books, stickers, underpants, backpacks, blanket, etc so he's got them all. My uncle who loves to smoke hinted that he'd like to receive cigars or his fave unfiltered cigarettes for Christmas, so it was also easy. Though I didn't feel like giving in to his request because it's bad for his health, I just had to give what he likes. Anyway, I'm glad that holiday gift shopping was all over, hopefully it would still be easy for my son and relatives again next time.

It's Time to Work Out Again

I'm sure a lot of us found an excuse to pig out over the holidays. Who would want to count calories while everybody else was enjoying good food and drinks? I know I made a resolution that I will get back on the nordictrack audiostrider 990 pro after the holidays. So I started working out in the gym again today after being absent for two weeks. I didn't mind driving through snowy and slippery roads with a toddler in tow. Hopefully I could take off the weight I gained over the holidays, on top of the lingering excess pounds I've been carrying all this time, ha ha ha. Goodluck to me!