Clean and Creative!

I've said it before and I'll say it again...cooking based on a goal of staying clean or staying on budget isn't limiting, it's inspiring!!!  I found this recipe yesterday on the Clean Eating Diet Facebook page, but I tweaked it a bit to make it work for me, my standards of "clean" and what I had on hand.  Specifically, the recipe called for sour cream for the sauce, for which I substituted Nonfat Greek Yogurt.  Also, the "pancakes" themselves included all purpose flour and sugar, also things I personally stay away from based on my own standards of "clean".  

So...this is what I came up with!

For the pancakes:

Finely shred 2 carrots and 2 zucchini, place in a colander and 

toss with 1t of salt, let sit for 20 minutes

Make the sauce while the veggies sit:

3/4 Cup of Nonfat Greek Yogurt

2T Scallions (the recipe said chives, but I had scallions, and let's be honest...they're the same) 

1/4 Cup of chopped fresh basil.  Yep, this was another great way to use the fresh basil which served as a them during yesterday's chicken prep!

Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients, and chill while preparing the pancakes to let the flavors combine well

Whip 2 egg whites until they make a standing peak, ideally with a mixer

Remove the zucchini, carrot mixture from the colander one handful at a time, and ring out all of the moisture.  

Place the veggie mixture in a medium mixing bowl, add 1/4 Cup of flax seed meal (my flour substitute) and 1/4t of fresh ground pepper.  

Then, gently fold in the egg whites.

Preheat a non-stick or cast iron pan with 1T of EVOO.  Take 1/4 Cup servings of the mixture, place them in the pan, then flatten with a spoon.  Cook 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown, then place on a paper towel to remove any oil.  

Then comes the most important part...top with the sauce and enjoy!

Its All Greek to Me!

We've already touched upon two of the key philosophies of Frugal Fitness; stocking up when a price is great, and making it EASY to make good choices by planning ahead!  

One behavior of mine that I know I need to beware of is my snacking.  

So with that in mind, I always keep good choices close at hand, 

and this week I have a deal for you that will make it even easier to do so!

This is another deal which utilizes the ibotta app, so make sure you download it and load your offers before heading to the store!  I also want to mention the importance of emailing or registering to receive emails from your favorite retailers.  This deal was made even sweeter by an email I received with a Buy One Get One free coupon (BOGO).

I was able to score all six of these Chobani Greek Yogurts for only $1.98, that's only $.33 each!  I paid even less than I would have for bargain-brand, non-greek yogurts full of sugar or even worse...processed, fake fruit and sweetener!  Here's how I did it!

There are several Chobani rebates on ibotta right now, and I loaded both of the $.75 back on three rebates; one for any 3 Greek Yogurts and the other 

specific to the Simply 100 variety.

Here's the breakdown!

6 Chobani Greek Yogurts @ $1.12 each (this is the price at my Walmart)

Then, I used two of the BOGO coupons 

from my email (online coupons can be printed twice to limit overuse)

This means I only paid for four of them, for a total of $4.48

Then, I submitted my receipt to ibotta for both of the $.75 rebates.  PLUS, there is a bonus right now, giving an extra rebate of $1.00 if you redeem two Chobani offers, 

so I got a total of $2.50 back!

My total cost after two BOGO coupons and rebates, including the bonus, is only $1.98, or $.33 each!  Even without the BOGO coupons you can still get a great deal just using the rebates, and only pay $.70 each!!!  

One more tip for today: always check a coupon database before heading out to the store, just in case there's a coupon out there for something you plan to buy anyway!  I use this one, from local Maine blogger Darlene Michaud, but they all feed from the same master database so the coupons listed aren't just local, they're national so this one can be used anywhere!  The overwhelming majority of the coupons I use are printed ones, not from newspapers, so don't feel like you need to start collecting papers, just printing the ones that you really need will make such a difference in your grocery spending!

Chicken, and Basil, and Mozz...Oh My!

As promised, not only am I sharing some yummy, healthy ways to use that fresh mozzarella cheese you just got a great deal on, but I'm also showing you 

how easy it is to prep in advance!  

Here are the deals which inspired this week's chicken prep!

Fresh Basil: $2.79 at Shaw's

Chicken Breast: $1.99/lb at Shaw's

Grape Tomatoes: $.97/package at Shaw's

The great Galbani Fresh Mozzarella deal at Hannaford or Walmart

I started with my usual chicken prep, which was about half of the 4.8 lb package of chicken I scored for only $9.57!  I trimmed the breasts, sliced them into smaller pieces, and topped with dried oregano, fresh basil (thanks to this week's deal), fresh ground pepper, and some minced garlic.  In no time, I had four servings of chicken which I keep in the fridge, ready to go for salads or to heat up with veggies for dinner!

Next, I used the other half of the chicken to make another lean protein option for this week, integrating our Fresh Mozzarella deal!  I again used fresh basil, minced garlic, and fresh ground pepper plus I added grape tomatoes.  I cooked the chicken until it was about 90% of the way done, then added chunks of fresh mozzarella and baked it uncovered until the cheese was melted and the chicken cooked through.  YUMMY!!!

Now I have EIGHT servings of chicken all ready to go for the week!  In total, this took 20 minutes of actual hands-on prep time, and each batch cooked for about 30 minutes! 

I will only need to cook one more time this week, all because I made enough in one cooking session for lunches and dinners for myself and my husband for at least four meals!  I pre-packaged some with vegetables (broccoli for the husband, zucchini for me) and will treat myself to some whole wheat organic pasta with others.

Another simple and super yummy use for these same deals is more of a party option; Caprese Salad Skewers!  I just slid the tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella on wooden skewers, then drizzled them with a bit of balsamic vinegar and extra light EVOO, and a bit of fresh ground pepper.  

Voila, I have a healthy, frugal, and fabulous appetizer for guests!

One last way to use these super fresh and tasty ingredients brings all of these recipes full circle!  My dinner tonight was a salad of baby romaine, topped with all of my caprese ingredients, plus some of my pre-cooked oregano and basil chicken.  

There are so many ways to combine each of these recipes 

to keep the week interesting and easy!

How are you using these great, healthy deals this week???

Fresh and Frugal!

Confession time: I LOVE CHEESE!  For most of us, the biggest hurdle to any weight loss, diet or lifestyle change journey is our tendency to focus on what we can't have.  Well, I challenge you to focus on finding ways that you CAN have what you want, while keeping your health goals in mind!  
Today we are focusing on cheese, more specifically, fresh mozzarella.  

Let's start with the DEAL!

In order to duplicate this, you will want to download the ibotta app on your smart phone.  Once you're all set up and registered, start scrolling through the rebates available and add them to your list.  You do so by taking quick polls, watching videos, etc.

For this deal, I loaded both of the Galbani Fresh Mozzarella rebates, available through 8/29.  This gave me the option to buy them either at Walmart or Hannaford, since both are available retailers for me.  My local Walmart doesn't carry this brand, but if yours does you may get a better deal than I did at Hannaford!  Make sure you use the app in the store to double check that the product is right before you buy it.  Here's the breakdown!

Galbani 8 oz Fresh Mozzarella Ball $3.99

Galbani 16 oz Fresh Mozzarella Log $7.99

I used a $3/2 Galbani Fresh Mozzarella Products coupon at the register

My total out of pocket (OOP) was $8.98

Now comes the rebate part!  I scanned my "My Hannaford" Card at the register, which I have linked to my ibotta account.  This will earn me rebates of $1.50 back on the 8 ounce ball, and $2.50 back on the 16 ounce log.  

Once I have a balance of $5 or more in my account, ibotta lets me choose one of many payouts including a deposit in my paypal account.  So, I take these rebates right off my total cost, bringing my total down to only $4.98 for both!

Now, let me guess, you're wondering why on earth I need this much fresh mozzarella all at once, right?  Part of the "couponer philosophy" is to stock up when you can get a great deal on something, so that's what I'm doing!  This ties nicely into my other philosophy...cooking based on deals isn't limiting, it's inspiring!!!  

Check out my next post about prepping chicken for the week, to see how this great deal makes for a super tasty and creative week!