Sunday, September 15, 2013

Celebrating 12 Years of Marriage with Fresh Finds from Save Mart Supermarket #shop #FreshFinds




This week my husband and I will be celebrating our 12 year wedding anniversary. My husband is a former chef and can make fabulous food! I am blessed to have him as a stay at home Dad that cooks and cleans but this means for me on a special occasion I like to cook for him.

After getting the weekly ads for grocery stores in the mail I decided to head to Save Mart Supermarket to shop for the ingredients I need for my Italian Romantic Pasta Dinner. My husband and I were married in Lake Tahoe and honeymooned at Caesars Palace. We had the best pasta and caesar salad for dinner there.


I plan to make a Vegetable Pasta Casserole full of fresh veggies and fresh refrigerated Pacific Coast Selections Pasta Sauces from Save Mart. My husband and I have been eating so much BBQ this summer that I wanted to have a special occasion with a meatless option. I shopped for fresh pasta sauce, zucchini, red bell peppers, onions, olives, mushrooms, a salad kit and carrot cake for dessert. Its a yearly tradition to eat Caesar Salad on our anniversary to remember Caesars Palace.


Vegetable Pasta Casserole Recipe 

 2 containers (26 oz.)  Pacific Coast Selections Marinara Sauce
 1 pkg.  (7 oz.) Shredded Cheese
3 cups  pasta, cooked
2 large  red peppers, cut into thin strips
2  zucchini, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 lb.  mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of sliced olives
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced




Heat oven to 375 degrees. Boil pasta while chopping up the vegetables. 

Set aside 3/4 cup of the cheese.

Combine all vegetables, pasta sauce and remaining cheese in a bowl. Mix together. Spoon in mixture to baking dish. Top the mixture with the cheese that you set aside.

Bake 20-25 minutes until heated through. 



Through the years my husband and I have been married sitting down to eat a meal together each night has done wonders for our marriage. No matter what kind of day we had, what ups and downs there are we always like to share a meal together. Food can bring back memories of good times and help you create new memories. I am so happy we decided to spend our anniversary dinner having a romantic dinner for two at home with something I made just for him from Save Mart.


My husband and I shared a delicious meal, laughed about the the many things that have happened over the last 12 years and ended the night watching movies together. It was a perfect way to celebrate our anniversary and enjoy a healthy fresh meal.

What meal reminds you of your wedding day?
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Friday, September 13, 2013

Happy Friday + Homemade Apple Pie


 
In honor of the weather change here in Washington, I baked an apple pie.
Apple Pie is one of those deserts that just about anyone loves, served with vanilla ice cream you can't go wrong.
My favorite addition to this recipe is the lemon zest/juice, it gives it that extra tang!
 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  •  Pie Dough, your recipe of store bought crust, whichever you prefer     
  • 10 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
  • 3/4 cup sugar, plus additional for pie top
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • Pinch ground cloves
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 egg, beaten

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out your pie dough into two 1/8-inch-thick circles. Flatten out, slightly larger than you pie plate. Press one of pastry the circles into the pie plate.
  2. In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour. Toss well. Spoon the apples into pie pan. Dab with butter, and cover with the remaining pastry circle. Cut several steam vents across top. Seal by crimping edges. Brush with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional sugar.
  3. Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool and serve with ice cream!!
ENJOY!!

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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Alphabet fun with cookie cutters!

 
With Back to School in full swing around here we are brushing up on our ABC's with these alphabet cookie cutters. I made a simple sugar cookie recipe, but when the boys started the cookie cutting they seemed so bland in color. We added food coloring, although it was messy and didn't blend well the boys loved it!  
 
 
We didn't decorate them with frosting or anything since they were already colored blue, it worked out well and they last longer that way. We sealed them in a plastic bag and they boys have been going back to them to "play", I love an activity that gets lots of use. This activity is a great way to let them play and learn all at the same time, perfect!

How about you? Have you done anything fun or different to get your kids eager to learn? Do tell, we are always looking for ideas!
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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Energizer Giveaway and National Childhood Injury Prevention Week #sponsored



Home safety has always been a big thing for me. I am a what if kinda gal and a bit of a clutz so I try to be careful. When my son was born I went on full crazy mode baby safety everything I could think of (oh and it was a million things that could happen lol).

After my son was about 2 years old I was not as worried about everything. Still aware of things but no so paranoid. Until he swallowed a penny. I always check the floors, vacuum regularly and made sure my purse was never around but he managed to find a penny under the couch cushions. It was within the first few weeks of me starting my first job since my son was born and when I got home my husband told me LW swallowed a penny. My first thought was are you sure, maybe you thought he did and was wrong. I panicked I did not want to imagine all the horrible things that may or may not happen. I asked my son did you swallow a penny, his response was "yes mom and its in my tummy". We found out from the doctors this happens often and x-rays would only expose him to extra radiation if we already know he swallowed it so we just have to wait and check his diaper. It was a long wait but eventually it did pass through his system. They did say thankfully it was not a battery since that can be far more dangerous. I had not considered the small batteries that are shaped like a coin. I now realized I needed to make sure all coins and batteries were kept up and the devises that contained them kept up as well.

If it is suspected that a child has swallowed a coin lithium battery, it is important to go to the emergency department immediately.



Coin lithium batteries can be found around most homes in everyday items like remote controls, keyless entry devices for your car, flameless candles and children’s books with sound. If ingested, these coin-sized lithium batteries can cause serious chemical burns in as little as two hours.  Yet in a survey conducted by Energizer, 62 percent of parents reported being unaware of the risk associated with coin lithium batteries.

In support of National Childhood Injury Prevention Week (September 1-7, 2013), the National Safety Council and Energizer have teamed up to share some important tips every parent should know to help prevent injuries from the ingestion of Coin Lithium batteries to help keep kids safe.

The Energizer battery pack felt more secure to me. 
The 4 S’s of Coin Lithium Battery Safety
·         STORE devices that use coin lithium batteries out of reach of children
·         SECURE the battery compartments of devices
·         SELECT battery packaging that meets federal guidelines for child resistance, such as Energizer’s coin lithium battery packaging
·         SHARE this information with your friends and family




Looking over the child proof packing I can see a big improvement on the older packages. Child safety on batteries is important to me since my son is such a busy body and looks for things to mess with. I could easily open it with scissors which I feel is a simple task to keep my son from being able to open the package.

Energizer led the industry by being the first to voluntarily develop packaging for its 20 millimeter coin lithium batteries that meets the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) strict guidelines for child-resistant packaging.  They also developed a national awareness campaign in partnership with Safe Kids Worldwide called The Battery Controlled, which works to alert parents and caregivers to the dangers of swallowing coin lithium batteries. Identifying ways its products can help keep families safe is part of the Energizer commitment to designing its products with people in mind and investing in programs that have a positive impact on the world. that’s positivenergy™



For more information on child safety and coin lithium battery safety, please visit nsc.org, www.energizer.com, TheBatteryControlled.com and www.poison.org/battery.  


My little guy loved the flash light. He always wants to play with one when he sees it, under Moms supervision of course! We had a fun time playing shadow puppets and even spotted a few "monsters".

Keeping my son safe is top priority to me and when a company like Energizer makes it easier with safety packaging it makes my job as his Mom a little easier. 




GIVEAWAY

·         Two (2) packages of Energizer Coin Lithium batteries
·         One (1) Energizer LED Nightlight (winner’s choice between Sleeping Beauty or Cars)
·         One (1) Energizer Weatheready 2-in-1 LED Light

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 *Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts Sept. 4 2013 and ends on Sept. 18, 2013 at midnight EST. Winner will be emailed and has 72 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize. I was sent products from Energizer for my review.
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Monday, September 2, 2013

Lots and lots of coupons to start the week!


Baby Supplies
Entertainment + School Supplies
Breakfast
Drinks + Beverages
Health + Wellness
Teeth Care + Rinse
Beauty + Hair + Personal Care + Shaving Supplies
Treats + Snacks
Food
Cleaner + Polishing + Deodorizers
Pet Food + Supplies
Oil + Propane Supplies
Misc
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