Easter Books for Kids: Are YOU sending the right message?

Want some nice Easter books for your kidlets that have a nice balance between explaining the real story and the Easter bunny? Here are the ones we have in OUR house and are enjoying this week and next ;) 

The Easter Story

without needing much explanation, tells the true story of Easter

The Story of Easter   

has great pictures, and also sticks more closely to the true story of Easter

What is Easter?   

is a great compromise! A light, rhyming, fun tale that differentiates between the Easter bunny, jelly beans, dressing up- and the story of Jesus' resurrection. 

 In other news: 

Our kiddos are getting some new books in their Easter baskets this year, so I thought I'd share for those of you that can benefit; 

Standing on My Own Two Feet

 

 

 

 

 This has been Spidermans' favorite book since I first bought it for him when he was just over a year old. All the pages are torn and now there are two missing, so he is getting a brand new copy in his basket! <3 This is a great tale that compares the child's two feet- with his/her two homes, two schedules, etc. and that mom and dad both love him/her no matter what <3

Mommy, What is Celiac Disease? 

 

This one is obviously going to be for baby A (well, and Baby B- but she won't appreciate it yet ;)) I just found it on Pinterest the other day, and thought to look it up today! I will keep you posted once I get it in how good of a read it is for the little ones! <3

Easter In Our House: 

I typically boycott all the hullabaloo that goes along with the commercialization of Easter. Not for any religious opposition, but simply because I hate it. I hate spending money on cheap crap . I avoid candy like the plague, because frankly, my kids go insane. We decorate eggs, and the "Easter bunny" hides them around the house. 

Although honestly, I'm not sure even my kids believe the some big bunny comes tromping though our house to hide EGGS! But whatever, the hunt is fun, and the kids get baskets at the breakfast table. Here is what we did last year: 

 We decorated our eggs (which we then eat btw- nothing goes to waste here!) We got biodegradable easter grass and each basket ($1.00 section at Target) hold 2 pieces of egg shaped sidewalk chalk, and they each got a new chapstick (also the $1.00 section at Target).  

Two easy, and low waste, and NO CANDY Easter baskets for less then $10.00. 

What have you done to "green up" your Easter? 

photo compliments of Christine Barney

 

And don't forget! You can always find items featured here in the blog, and others that are NNM approved at the NurtureMe Store  

 

Day 8 #12DaysofChristmas #SeasonofGiving: Throwing a Budget Friendly Holiday Bash

Hello, Nurturing the Natural Mama readers! My name is Michelle, and I blog over at The Economical Eater. 

On my blog, I mostly share budget-friendly, vegetarian recipes and restaurant reviews. I also happen to be NNM's younger sister. ;) Today, I'm sharing with you all some ways to make your holiday parties more affordable - without eliminating any of the fun!

Hosting holiday parties can be great for a lot of reasons. For starters, you don't have to drive anywhere - so you can just relax and have a few glasses of wine (or beer) without worrying about how you’re getting home. Secondly, it's nice to have your closest friends and family see your home decked out for the holidays. The downside? You have to do all the work, which can be time consuming and expensive. But it doesn't have to be.

Anytime I entertain, I follow these three simple "rules" to ensure my guests (and me) still have a blast, without blowing my bank account (and without me spending the entire night in the kitchen):

1.) B.Y.O.B. There is no reason why you should provide all of the food plus all of the beverages. Guests are always more than willing to bring what they'd like to drink - especially since everyone has different tastes anyway. To make it more festive, have your guests bring their favorite bottle of wine or craft beer, so everyone can try a little bit of each others'.

2.) Use what you already have. Even with the beverages off your plate, the food can easily get complicated...and cost you a fortune. Simplify the menu, and plan it around what you already have in your kitchen. You can easily turn a can of black beans into black bean hummus, or a can of chickpeas into crispy, spicy roasted chickpeas. Deviled eggs are also super easy and affordable to make (especially for smaller parties), and you can never go wrong with a plate of cheese and crackers.

3.) Keep it simple. Most guests are more than happy to gather around for cocktails and hearty appetizers. Keep the menu simple, and offer 3-4 appetizers (especially recipes you can make ahead of time). This will also prevent you from spending the entire night in the kitchen!

It's really that easy to make your holiday parties festive while keeping your costs down. 

Here's to a happy and economical holiday season!

Oh, and to make your holiday party prep even easier, NNM and I are giving one lucky reader a Chef'n VeggiChop! 

photo courtesy of Michelle Collins

This hand-powered vegetable chopper will make preparing any dish - like salsa, baby food or hummus - much easier. 

 **** GIVEAWAY***** 

ENDS Sunday 5pm, EST

Mandatory Entry: 

To enter, simply comment on this post telling us what recipe you'd use the VeggiChop for. 

Additional Entries: 

For a second entry, you can also tweet: "I want to #win a VeggiChop from @MichellePC and @MyMackey!" Just leave a second comment saying you did so. NNM will pick a winner this Sunday at 5pm EST. 

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

Holiday Season is Upon Us!

Just as we did last year, our family hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year for my parents, siblings, and our friend Ali.

We kept the meal budget friendly by not purchasing enough food to feed an army. We prepared a variety of small dishes, so that everyone could enjoy, without having enough leftovers to feed 10 families, or worse, throw it all away!

This year's meal consisted of:

fresh turkey, 22lb.   $16

tofurkey with stuffing, compliments of Trader Joe's (for my sister and her soon-to-be hubby) 

stuffing, stovetop  $3

(I always add an onion and a few apples to keep it moist and fresh!) 

carrots and parsnips  $3

mashed potatoes 

sweet potato tartlets

baked apples

one bottle of red, and one bottle of white wine ($3 each, compliments of Trader Joe's) 

I asked everyone to bring a dish, so my sister contributed stuffed mushrooms, vegetarian stuffing, and wine. My parents brought more wine, squash, and a pumpkin pie, my brother brought his world-famous banana cream pie, and our friend Ali brought her amazing-to-die-for brownies! 

 Budget Friendly Tablescape:

* borrowed tablecloths
* used Christmas "china" ;)
* centerpiece was compliments of our friend Ali and her mom!
* I bought the candles for $2 for a pack of 12. I re used old wine bottles and some raffia to make the candle holders

Budget Friendly NEW recipes:

Here are the recipes of some of the new items from this year. I found all the recipes via Google or Pinterest, using items I already had in my pantry and fridge: 

Sweet Potato Tartlets (these came out AMAZING btw) 

Ingredients: 

oranges                                                    1 tspn vanilla extract

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes                  1 c softened butter

1 c sugar                                                 1 tbspn orange zest

1/4 c orange juice                                   1 c brown sugar

2 eggs                                                  1 c nuts (I used carmelized, flaxseed coated walnuts for $3/bag)

1/2 tspn whole wheat flour

To make: 

* cut the oranges in half and "core" them so you just have the shells

* combine the sugar, OJ, sweet potatoes, eggs, vanilla, 1/2 c butter, and orange zest

* spoon into shells in deep casserole dish or as you'll see I used- a cupcake pan) 

* in small saucepan, over MED heat combine remaining butter, brown sugar, flour and nuts

* cook until sugar dissolves in butter and spoon over oranges

* fill casserole dish with about 1/2 in of water 

COOK AT 350 for 30 min. 

BEFORE

AFTER

Pear and Goat Cheese Appetizer: 

Ingredients; 

cracker of your choice (I used raisin rosemary crackers from Trader Joes) 

goat cheese

honey

bartlett pears

To make; 

* spread crackers over serving dish

* top each with a slice of bartlett pear and crumbled goat cheese (I used honey infused goat cheese) 

* drizzle honey over top and SERVE

DELISH! 

Baked Apples: 

Ingredients; 

apples

1/4 c brown sugar

2 tbspn butter

1/4 c nuts (I used another bag of the carmelized, flaxseed coated walnuts) 

1 tspn cinnamon

1/2 c apple juice 

optional- 2 tbspns orange liquor 

To make; 

* core apples

* mix everything but the juice and fill the cored apples

* place in crockpot on HIGH for 3 hours

* cover with apple juice (and liquor) before covering

BEFORE

AFTER. Apple pie without the guilt!

 * you can serve these by themselves, topped with whipped cream, or topped with Noosa Honey yogurt! YUM! 

Enjoy!! How was YOUR Thanksgiving?? Did you try any NEW recipes??

Our Journey Toward Further Simplicity

I am a purger at heart. I don't keep a lot of crap. It helps, depending on how you look at it, that we have moved several times the last few years because that's always an opportunity for purging. :)

As many of you know, I have recently ended up a permanent stay at home mom, which unlike some moms; I have been having trouble adjusting to. Life still seems too busy to get things done- so NOTHING gets done, the house seems in more disarray than when I was working, and life just seems to happen around me. I also am convinced I belong on What Not to Wear lately. Blehhh....

Hubby keeps saying I just need a schedule. But even that previously seemed too overwhelming. Thankfully, we are moving this weekend- a chance for a fresh start! Purging is happening- which is SO refreshing! A new chance for better organization as I put things into their new home in a better flow! And I feel like it gives me the opportunity to hit the refresh button and create a better flow for myself as well, so I make life happen: Life doesn't happen TO me.

Thanks to my Facebook obsession, I saw a status update about a week ago for a FREE Kindle version of the book Organized Simplicity. So I immediately downloaded it (anything for FREE works for me! ) and started reading and discovering how to live INTENTIONALLY. I love it. I love everything about it! I am now living and breathing and consuming everything I can about 'simple' organization. In reading this lovely selection, I have discovered it's author and her FABULOUS blog Simple Mom .

So over the next few days to weeks, I will share with you step by step how our family becomes more organized, with a presumably better flow, and how it (if at all) changes our day to day life. I hope you will share with me your personal stories as well so that we all may learn from them.

My first step? Finish purging  and move.

Keep your eyes open for that post! Enjoy!

Eversave DEAL for today! Thurs Jan 19th

One of my FAVE ways to save money: ThredUp!! You like craigslist?? You HAVE to check out ThredUp!

 

Pay $10 for $20 worth of pre-loved kids' books, clothes, or toys from thredUP.com! At thredUP, moms and dads pack up their kids' lightly used clothes, toys and books and send them to you starting at just $9 a box, plus $10.95 shipping. You shop the boxes and use the tags, symbols and descriptions to find the items you're looking for. Best of all, this community of sharers get peer reviewed to help you shop with confidence.

* CLICK HERE to get this deal TODAY!

New members can get today's deal for just $8 when they use their $2 credit. Also, codes can be used toward shipping!

* Be sure to check out Eversave on Facebook and Twitter and let them know NNM sent you! 

Eversave DEAL for today! Last one :)

Ooh! I found another one my fellow mamas will like:

Pay $5 for a two-year subscription to Parents magazine ($24 value), your source for all the tips, articles and information you need to raise a healthy and happy family. For every cough and cry, Parents is there with a soothing solution. Turn to these childcare experts for the latest in child health and safety, as well as product recalls and reviews. Find healthy family recipes, beauty tips, pregnancy guides and more!

Please note: Save Rewards and promo codes are not valid on this deal - but new members get $2 when they sign up and $2 after they buy and share the deal, giving them $4 towards their next Eversave purchase!

CLICK HERE to get this save!!! Enjoy!! 

* Be sure to check out Eversave on Facebook and Twitter and let them know NNM sent you! 

Hosting Thanksgiving: Budget Friendly Tips

Here are some tips on what I have done this year to plan for tomorrow's big meal! I'll post a full update after Thanksgiving, but I wanted to share some tips in case some of you knee deep in last minute preparations:

Food

For the best deal, scope your grocery flyers. I scanned mine a few weeks in advance, and sorted out our menu based on the best deals at our local Hannaford.

* for a possibly less budget friendly, but more earth friendly way you plan your meal: check with your local farm and use in season veggies and pre order your free range turkey :)

Our menu for tomorrow will be as follows:

Our Daily Red Organic Wine
turkey
stuffing
gravy
mashed red potatoes
mashed sweet potatoes
rutabaga and carrot casserole
dinner rolls
egg nog and coffee brandy dessert beverages

I purchased all of the above goods at our local Hannaford for less than $100. We are serving 6 people, and baby A :)

Tablescape

No need to spend a ton of money at department stores to have a pretty table this holiday. I spent a day or two scoping out our local Goodwill and Dollar Store. At Goodwill I found two tall, glass hurricane vases for 99 cents each. (You may even have some empty vases under your kitchen sink that you could use).  I also scored 9 cloth napkins for $2.99- a simple wash and iron and they are good to go!

I filled the vases with cranberries and a white tealight, and the cloth napkins have been secured with napkin rings (but you can also tie them with raffia, which is available at any craft store). 

I was able to get some flatware at the Dollar Store for $1.50, regularly $3.50. Cheaper than buying plastic silverware, I might add, and less waste.


General Preparation

Key Points for a successful, budget friendly, and more earth friendly holiday;

* Don't buy an excessive amount of food. Not every one of your guests needs 3 helpings! This will help your budget, and limit the amount of waste.

* Many times, disposable plates/napkins/flatware can be more costly than using the real thing and cloth options.

* Have your guests bring something! For example, we are doing the turkey and all the fixin's! but we have one of our guests bringing wine and two bringing dessert.

* I also purchased an inexpensive package of holiday tupperware (3 for $1.00) to use as leftover containers for my guests. Again, less waste if you send some home with guests!

* Last tip, compost your food waste. If you DO choose to use disposable items (cups/plates/flatware/etc) you can find biodegradable options at www.compostables.com and you can add them right to your compost!


Happy Thanksgiving!! How do YOU save money during the holidays??

Buying vs Renting in the Current Economy

Is it worth buying a home in this economy??

BUY OR RENT????

I know many people have an emotional tie to the feeling of "owning" their own home. But with 72% of America living paycheck to paycheck (courtesy of the Nate Berkus show lol), is it worth the extra expenses that come with home ownership?

I've owned a home. It was foreclosed at the very beginning of the recession.

We now rent, and while I know my husband has an emotional motivation to someday buy a home- I am extremely happy 'merely' renting. There are plenty of months where we can barely pay rent- so WHY would we want the added expenses of a broken furnace, or an old roof, or peeling paint?? I just call my landlord.

Yes we pay oil. We pay electricity. But everything else is 'all inclusive' when it comes to rent. No surprise expenses. And now that we are finally getting to the point where we are catching up with bills and rent; we have the 'extra' money to (again finally) be able to furnish the apartment the way we want, eat better, decorate, improve the children's bedrooms, etc.

Cash Diet

My husband and I also live on a cash diet. We have no credit cards (not totally by choice, because ideally it would be great if we had one for emergencies), but this limits our extraneous spending. Once the cash is gone, it's gone.

For bills, we use the prehistoric envelope method :) One envelope for rent, one for electric, one for cell phones, etc. and then every few months, admittedly, we scramble to come up with enough cash for the minimum oil delivery. But regardless, we are not accumulating any additional debt.


Savings

We have been living in our little apartment haven for almost 2 years now. We have not saved anything. We are just now, I would say, breaking even. But this has allowed us to get back on our feet. My husband is working extremely hard, and I am now home again doing my best to keep up the house and get the kids where they need to go, etc. without using too much gas :)

Today I am creating a budget. A much needed budget.

We have been loosely following a budget of: "we need this much for rent each week, and we'll put this much towards phone and electric each week", etc. But now that we have a better revenue stream coming IN, we should have (in theory) WAY more money left over every week than we do!

How do you create a budget for your family? When you live paycheck to paycheck, do you still leave FUN money aside? How much?

Juice: What's in YOUR Sippy??

Many moms and dads frown upon the use of juice as a beverage of choice for their late infant/toddlers. Hail to all the supermoms who get their kids to EBF for 18 months and then get them to drink water straight out of a regular cup; I envy you (no, seriously- I do)...

picture found via Google Images

My kids, drink juice. And frankly, probably too much of it.

My toddler is a juice-a-holic. Yes, I water it down- but I've heard mixed reviews on that as well. Are you taking away the little nutritional value there IS in juice by watering it down? But if he drinks straight juice all the time, clearly his teeth will rot out of his head, right?!

Thankfully, he has successfully visited the dentist with all his little teeth in good shape :)  and we have come to alter what he thinks of as  "juice", to make it more age appropriate- and healthy.

My little Spiderman enjoys "Shrek" juice, our infamous ingredient-hiding-name for the Odwalla Superfoods Drink :)

...and he loves Odwalla protein shakes, and V8 Fusions, carrot juice, organic yogurt smoothies, etc.  So for that, we are thankful. And of course, thanks to WIC we are constantly supplied with a never ending source of 100% juices in a variety of flavors to fill in the gaps.

So what's my latest healthier-juice-alternative creation??

Iced tea.

I know, common sense, right? I have let my toddler drink tea since he was about 18 months when he was sick, and now he asks for it by name (and usually specifies that it contain honey) :)  and baby A has had warm (but not HOT) chamomile tea in her bottle on many occasions when she has had an upset belly (it really works mamas!), and a favorite at our local Panera bread has always been the Icey Green Tea! YUM!

But today, I created a delicious, inexpensive, and mouth watering juice alternative.... iced berry tea. (I'm sure many of you are like, "duhhhhh Theresa.... who HASN'T thought of that?!" ... but I'm sharing in hopes that some of you mamas are like me, and hadn't... and will be just as excited as I was to try it) :)

Making Iced Berry Tea: 

Pour 2 cups boiling water over 4 tea bags....

Today I used the Black Cherry Berry flavor :) 

 Let steep for 4- 6 minutes... 

 

Pour into a container already filled with 2 cups ice water.... 

the one in her sippy/bottle is the Country Peach Passion flavor from the other day :)

 

And ENJOY!! 

(* additional money-saving tip: BornFree and Avent both have "sippy" toppers that can be used with their training cups, OR directly placed on top of your existing bottles- HUGE money saver over buying a bunch of new sippy cups, and you are repurposing your now outdated bottles!) 


What is your child(ren)s favorite juice? Or what do your kids enjoy instead of juice?

Going Green: Trendy vs Necessity?

Reusable items are cool right? Saving the Earth is the 'in' thing to do. You pay more for the word 'organic', and items like Kleen Kanteens, reusable coffee cups, and cloth diapers are hip and trendy. So what about your house? Do you re use things because it's 'cool', or out of necessity?

Our house, along with many others due to the economy I'm sure, re use out of necessity. There are days, like today, where I am unable to go to work because I can't afford car repairs.
* There are days I have trouble getting back and forth to work because I don't have the gas.
* My husband has ran out of gas on the side of the highway trying to get to work.
* We use cloth diapers so that I don't run into having to re use disposable diapers (yes, some moms do this out of necessity and it can cause severe diaper rash, etc.).
* I've had to put groceries back because I didn't have enough cash.
Etc, etc.

So yesterday, I read Managing your Money: Do you have Goals? by The Happiest Mom and was relieved to find that I was not the only one naive enough to believe that when our income went up, our problems would go away. Because when I went back to work (at our most desperate financial point), and Hubby got a new job that paid a bit more- we seemed even further in the hole! How is this possible?

Well now daycare and gas cost more, and the inevitable withholding of 1st weeks pay for both of us sunk us even further behind and we are now (after about 4 months) just STARTING to catch up.

So why am I sharing this? Because after reading Happiest Mom's post- I feel, more than ever, that it is SO important to have financial (and general) goals. We, as a family, only have had one financial goal the past year: survive.

It clearly has not been a specific enough goal, because sometimes I feel like we are barely hanging on.

Happiest Mom lists her financial goals using the following template, and has asked others to do the same. I figured now would be a good time for me to determine some specific goals for our family.

So, here I go (although I'll be starting a whole lot smaller than Happiest Mom) :) -

Goal: Start to build an emergency fund.

More specifically: Put $50 away every two weeks (each pay period) for the next 6 months, then go up to $50 every week for an additional 6 months. Then, re assess the amount based on income.

Why: Having any kind of savings at this point would help us when we need car repairs, health care costs, heating costs, or unexpected utilities.

Look, shiny! alert: To do this, it means we MUST have our other bills PAID in full and on time, otherwise there is no 'extra' to store away. So by building an emergency fund, we must be honest with our necessary expenses as well, like rent, food, electric, etc.

But it’s worth it because: We will no longer have to bug family members and friends for money when unexpected expenses arise, and just the day to day stability/financial security will relieve an immense amount of stress from myself, my husband, and our relationship. We can start to focus on each other again instead of always discussing how we are going to pay our bills!

Having a goal is important, but writing it down is the key! I'll continue to share my journey so you can hold me accountable for these financial goals I have put in place. Feel free to take the first step and share your goals (financial or otherwise) below! :) 

Your turn. Any big or small goals you want to share?

Real Mama

Time to get down to the REAL stuff! As I was working on the next installment of our Attachment Parenting Series, a few things occurred to me. My life often does not follow the chapter of a book. However, there are some amazing things happening in this little bubble that is our home, so I thought I should share them.

As I sit here, baby A is crawling all over the place, waving to dada (who is not here, mind you). She still refuses to say mama. She cuddles with the dog, and LOVES playing action figures with her brother. It is a GORGEOUS day outside today and we just went for a walk with the dog with the baby in her Moby. We got to breathe in some MUCH needed fresh air and burn off some of those winter calories.

I was so proud of her today as she ate her banana like a big girl, and thoroughly enjoyed a wheat waffle with some maple syrup. For lunch, she indulged in a hummus sandwich with a side of organic yogurt. (How is it that she has graduated from needing me to puree everything?) Her hair is getting the toddler whisps and curls, and she is able to walk when she holds onto things. Where has the time gone?

Baby A, 1 week old

Baby A, about a week ago eating scrambled eggs :)

My toddler (aka Spiderman) is going to register for preschool on Wednesday! Wow......

On the flip side, as I sit and write weekly about cloth diapering and attached parenting, we are reminded daily of what a normal family we are. We have trouble paying our bills, we clothe the kids in items from Goodwill partially out of liking the idea of recycling clothes and partially out of necessity, we have a wish list a mile long, we struggle with discipline, and our conflicting parenting ideals.

Nonetheless, we are in this together. As wars, and tsunami's, and radiation, and collapsing governments surround us- our little family; with no cable, a limited grocery budget, cloth diapers, and choosing which bill to pay this week- will persevere together. We have a little home, and an even little-er checking account :) , but we have a LOT of love <3

 and for that, I am very thankful :)

Check out this awesome post on Almost-FREE-diapering

Amazing! I'm sharing this with EVERYONE I know! Thank you Cotton Babies

Almost FREE Diapers- How to Diaper your baby when you can't afford cloth diapers or disposables

My eco-change of the week!!

Here's my quick tip of the week for making your home a little more Green :)

So in our home, we are huge fans of Seventh Generation products. Over the past two years, we have switched our dish soap, disinfecting wipes, disposable diapers, baby wipes, all purpose cleaner, and laundry detergent to the Seventh Generation brand. Since we are always on a budget, we have switched slowly and go with the plan of just picking up one thing at a time, because let's face it- they're not the cheapest on the market! But we are committed to creating a greener home.

I have found $1.00 OFF coupons online and in the newspaper (see below), and most recently made the switch to the Seventh Generation dryer sheets. Check out what Seventh Generation had to say about them today (looks like I changed at a good time)!


 A Different Kind of Dryer Sheet

coupons available at:
http://www.seventhgeneration.com/coupons


And with my $1.00 OFF coupon and FREE Green shipping, I got all my Seventh Generation products for a great price from www.soap.com 

Did you switch to a greener product this week?

Addendum:
To avoid dryer sheets all together if you'd rather,  check out PVC Free dryer balls .

Superbowl SAVE!

Ok, so I wanted to post this earlier, but baby A required being rocked to sleep tonight, and since the days come all too fast where they don't want to be rocked anymore, I relished in the opportunity :)

But due to that, pics will be posted tomorrow! But my saves of the day are as follows;

Game day breakfast (aka our every-sunday-morning-breakfast) :

eggs
wheat toast
nutella
bacon or chicken sausage
fruit/ veggies if we're doing omelettes

Since we always have Nutella on hand since my toddler eats it on toast daily (he calls it "chocolate spread"), and we use whatever fruits/veggies we already have, total cost ends up being approx $8.00! 

This $8.00 serves a family of 5 AND we have leftovers! For us, since we participate in our state WIC program, we actually get the eggs and bread for FREE, so our meal ends up just being the cost of the bacon or chicken sausage. To find out if your eligible for your state WIC program, which helps with nutritious family food choices as well as breastfeeding support, contact your state Department of Health and Human Services.

And all week long, never underestimate the cost savings and nutrition of toast for breakfast! Whether you purchase an organic variety, or make your own bread, or buy the store brand wheat bread (usually the cheapest)- it is far more cost effective (and usually more nutritious) to eat wheat toast, versus the leading bagel or waffle! And adding something like Nutella or Tahini paste, are great ways to add some variety that will please all the members of your family!

Game Food SAVE : 

slow cooker pulled pork with homemade bbq sauce and beer :)

* So, I purchased a pork shoulder at my local Hannaford for $3.41
* placed it in my slow cooker with olive oil, 2 medium white onions coarsely chopped, salt & pepper, and some additional seasonings (you can use whatever you have in your pantry- I chose paprika, cumin, and minced ginger)
* set the slow cooker on HIGH for 4 hours
* I then drained the liquid, and shredded the pork.
You want to then add 2 cups of bbq sauce (or 16 ounces if you're using pre-made bbq sauce) to the slow cooker. My husband made our bbq sauce using about 1/4 cup of Sweet Baby Rays Original Recipe Barbeque Sauce, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup ketchup (we use the Hannaford Organic variety), approx 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, 2 tbspn spicy brown mustard, and garlic and celery salt to taste.
* Once your bbq sauce is in the slow cooker, return the shredded pork and onions back in as well. Keep the setting on HIGH for about 2 more hours.

We served ours over leftover Honey Cornbread from last night. All we did was cut up the corn bread and toast it with butter in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10- 15 minutes. YUM! Total cost, since we used only what we already had in our fridge and pantry to make the bbq sauce, approx $5.00! That would include the cornbread, which we actually purchased for last nights dinner!

Additional benefit of this delicious $5.00 meal?! It served 2 adults and 2 children AND we have leftovers! Oh, I almost forgot, since it was game-day, we also splurged on beer to accompany our delish meal! I have recently discovered that a microbrew snob like myself, can be won over for purposes of finances, for a light and delicious Heineken Light! Best part ? A 12 pack is only around $12.00, versus the $16-18 microbrews in our area. SCORE :)

I hope you all scored with your game day snacks or meals too! Be sure to let me know what YOU were eating today!