Win a Vita-Mix

I haven't posted in awhile but thought this was a great way to get back into it. Check out this site to get the scoop on how to win a Vita-Mix. And check out this site to get all the info on blending and juicing, the low-down on the Vita-Mix and why you might want to add one to your kitchen gadgets.

Happy day!

Organic Coupons

First off, it makes me giggle to say "organic coupons" because it just sounds funny...like the coupons themselves are organic.  

Seriously though, check out this blog by the Affluent Pauper to find some great links for organic coupons.  I printed several out already.  

Happy Monday!

Apple-Raisin Bars

I think it's kind of funny how growing up I never wanted to mix my sweet stuff with fruit or nuts.  Like when offered a raisin-oatmeal cookie or a chocolate chip...I'd always go for the chocolate.  Well, maybe that's not a good example because I still would.  Let's see...how about a carrot cake or brownies with nuts?  But now I know that they're good for me and I figure, "Hey, if I'm gonna eat some sweets, why not put something good in there too?!"

So, when I came across this recipe awhile back I had to try it out.  They were AMAZING!  

Apple-Raisin Bars

Makes: 12 bars Prep: 15 minutes 
Bake: 35 minutes 

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups packed light-brown       sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or       margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups diced Golden       Delicious apples 

3/4 cup raisins

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Liberally coat a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, blend together sugar, eggs, butter and vanilla for 3 minutes or until smooth.

4. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture; mix for 
2 minutes or until just incorporated. Stir in diced apples and raisins and spread into prepared pan.

5. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting into bars and serving.

Side notes:

- I tried 1 cup brown sugar the second time but they weren't as good.  I might try 1 1/2 cups next time.

- Also, I used whatever apples I had on hand.

Cheap Eats

So, my friend Jennie told me about this amazing deal at Rest.aurant.com. Usually you can get a $25 gift certificate to X-restaurant for about 10 bucks. Not a bad deal in itself. Well, she was reading on someone elses blog (sorry I don't know the blog) about how if you enter the code SAVE (not sure how long this will work) in the discount code area you'll save an additional 70%!

Let me break it down even further...

I bought 8 gift cards to various restaurants all worth $25 a piece but were sold for $10. Before the SAVE code was applied I would have spent $80, saving me about $120. BUT...take 70% off $80 and you get a whopping $24!!!! That's $3 per $25 gift certificate.

Now, I did read some of the terms and conditions. They weren't too bad but, if you buy multiple certificates, you may not be able to use more than one per visit, and they may require dine in vs. carry out.

All-in-all, a pretty cheap eat!

Free Christmas Music!

Hey all...

Check out this great blog TheMotherLoad for some free Christmas music downloads. There are several different links but one of them is Amazon which has a free download for each day until Christmas and you can download past days. I've been wanting to add to my holiday collection of music and now I'm doing it for free!

Merry Christmas!!!

Freebie

Arby's Freebie!

Click here for your free Beef n Cheddar.

Redbox

My new favoritest thing is Redbox. I'd been hearing about them but figured in my little Midwest town we didn't have them. Then...the other day I was leaving HyVee and there it was...our very own Redbox! For those of you who don't know yet what Redbox is it's a cheap little way to rent movies. Basically it's a big red box/machine where you use a touch screen to pick the movie you want to watch...and the best part...it's only a buck! That's right $1.00 for one night! They have them all over...grocery stores, McDonalds drive thru's, etc. Just depends on where you live. You can return them anywhere too. Say you rent one at our local South Walmart and then the next day are at the HyVee on 40th and Old Cheney...you can return it there. Check out Redbox for more info and sign up with your email to get your first movie free. Also, check out ThisList for promotional codes that you can enter at the kiosk for a free movie. I've rented twice now and both were free! I think Mondays and Wednesdays are free all the time. You do need to have a credit card with you in order to rent the movie. Even if you have a promo code they'll still ask you to scan your credit card in case you don't return the movie on time or keep it longer than 25 days, in that case it's yours to keep forever.