Free Samples on Vitacost

We love Vitacost!

Vitacost is a great place to get organic, gluten free, healthy and just good food products! We have told you before how you can get a free $10 credit! Free credit is what got us started on vitacost.

I was looking through their products and making my order and I noticed that they have a FREE SAMPLE SECTION! So not only can you get free credits you can also get free samples!

Free Shipping Alert:

  • Order $25 or more of Vitacost Brand and get Free Shipping!
  • Order $49 or more and get Free Shipping!

Here are some of the items I have bought and LOVED…

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Vitacost: Gluten Free Sale!!!

Vitacost gluten free products are 15% off!

Get discounts on brands like Bob’s Red MillEner-GAnnie’s NaturalsTinkyada, Udi’sGlutinoGluten Free PantryBlue Diamond, and many, many more!

Don’t miss the $10 Vitacost credit!

Go here to get your free $10 credit!

Free Shipping Alert:

  • Order $25 or more of Vitacost Brand and get Free Shipping!
  • Order $49 or more and get Free Shipping!

Here are some of the items I have bought and LOVED…

 

Vitacost Extra Virgin Certified Organic Coconut Oil — 54 fl oz
Multi-purpose oil made from certified organic coconuts. Coconut oil is natural substance obtained from fresh coconuts. It’s versatile and can be used as a butter substitute, baking ingredient or as a high-heat cooking oil. It’s also popular for skin/body/hair purposes.

Vitacost 100% Pure Lavender Oil — 4 fl oz
High-quality, 100% natural, pure essential oil for aromatherapy use. Lavender essential oil is relaxing, calming and soothing.

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Vitacost Winner: Plus a $10 Credit and A Few Favorites!

We ♥ Vitacost

 The winner of our $40 Vitacost credit giveaway is…

Congratulation Kim! Comment on this post to claim your prize and I will send you the redemption code for your credit.

Even if you did not win you can still get $10 of Vitacost credit here. Woot!

Here are some of the items I have bought and LOVED…

 

Vitacost Extra Virgin Certified Organic Coconut Oil — 54 fl oz
Multi-purpose oil made from certified organic coconuts. Coconut oil is natural substance obtained from fresh coconuts. It’s versatile and can be used as a butter substitute, baking ingredient or as a high-heat cooking oil. It’s also popular for skin/body/hair purposes.

Vitacost 100% Pure Lavender Oil — 4 fl oz
High-quality, 100% natural, pure essential oil for aromatherapy use. Lavender essential oil is relaxing, calming and soothing.

 

Burt’s Bees Champagne Lips Shimmer 
The world’s best lip balm with a hint of luminescent color.  $4.99 so free with referral credit!

Spry Sugar Free Xylitol Gum 
Sweetened with all Natural Xylitol. Studies have repeatedly shown that the incorporation of xylitol-rich products in sufficient quantities (8-10 grams of xylitol) into your daily routine, can significantly reduce your risk of tooth decay. This is $4.83 and free with referral credit!

Montmorency Tart Cherries infused with Organic Apple Juice Concentrate
Best dried cherries I have ever had! They are slowly dried and lightly misted with oleic organic safflower oil to prevent clumping.  Traditionally known as the healing cherry.  Contains powerful antioxidants, with no refined sugar or sulfites added.  $5.57 so free with referral credit!

Bob’s Red Mill Unsweetened Coconut
We have been using this for a topping on yogurt. So yummy. Unsulfured and all natural, this dried and flaked coconut brings an exotic taste of the tropics to your table.  $3.29 so free with referral credit!

Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies
Baked with organic wheat flour and Real Aged Cheddar, Cheddar Bunnies are great tasting and wholesome. They are ideal for toddler-sized hands, but their crispy crunch and real cheesy flavor will tempt snackers of all ages to eat them by the handful. Um ya I could not get enough of these! $4 so free with referral credit!

Organic Pistachios
Dry roasted, lightly salted pistachios for a fun and flavorful snack packed with good nutrition! 100% organic! $6.29 so free with referral credit!

Jennies Coconut Macaroons
I think I could go gluten free because I could still eat these delicious Macaroons! $3.45 so free with referral credit.

 

 

Don’t miss the $10 Vitacost credit!

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Gluten Free Coupons & Savings Strategies {Extreme Coupon Education}

You can eat gluten free food and still save money! Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

Eating Gluten Free Foods and using Coupons

Coupons.com - Our favorite site to print coupons is Coupons.com. They often have coupons for gluten free brands like Chex, Glutino, Udi, and more.  They also offer coupons for milk. yogurt, cheese, organic agave nectar, organic sweeteners and Dole Salad blends. One secret I like to share in our coupon classes is that if you use zipcode 90210 on Coupons.com you can often find more coupons for organic or gluten free brands.

Coupon Database – Our coupon database is a great resource for coupons. If you search the words gluten free you can find a huge list of gluten free coupons.

Facebook – Gluten free food manufacturers want people to buy their gluten free products just as much as other manufacturers. Think of your five favorite gluten free food companies and go like them on facebook. Then see if they are offering any coupons.

Manufacturers - Gluten free manufacturers are a great source for gluten free coupons. Gluten free manufacturers will often offer organic coupons on their websites. You can also write to gluten free manufacturers and ask for coupons! This is also a good way to get high value coupons.

Vitacost – We absolutly love Vitacost.com! Vitacost has lots of organic and gluten free products. My favorite thing about vitacost is that when you sign up here, you get a $10 credit to use on anything on the site. If you tell your friends about them you can earn more $10 credits! See what I bought at Vitacost. Try vitacost for your gluten free food needs, you will find brands like Bob’s Red Mill, Ener-G, Annie’s Naturals, Tinkyada, Udi’s, Glutino, Gluten Free Pantry, Blue Diamond, and many, many more!

PS You can get the $10 credit NOW!

Amazon – You can find lots of gluten free products on amazon.com, including organic foods. Amazon carries gluten free foods from brands like Annie’s Homegrown, Bob’s Red Mill, Pamela’s Products, OrgraN,  and many more!  See a full list of gluten free products carried on >>>> Amazon.com. To save on EVEN MORE on gluten free products on amazon simply subscribe & save when you order. You will get a discount for subscribing. You can easily cancel your subscription at no charge, if you change your mind. You will still save money even if you cancel!

More Coupon Education Resources:

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Free $10 Vitacost Credit, Plus a GIVEAWAY! {CLOSED}

Vitacost Credit Winner

Did we mention that we ♥ Vitacost?

Especially since they give you a $10 credit when you sign up!

We are giving away $40 Vitacost credit! TO YOU!

TO ENTER:

You can do one or all of the following entries….

  1. Write in the comments some of your favorite Vitacost products.
  2. Update your facebook status and tell your friends about the giveaway.  Leave a comment below to let us know you did.
  3. Leave a comment on our facebook page here and tell us how much you want to win (or how much you love us… either way works).  Leave a comment below to let us know you did.
  4.  Subscribe to one of our FREE newsletters, and tell us in the comments that you did (or already do)!
  5. Share something you’ve pinned from our site on Pinterest.  {Here are ideas of what others have been pinning}.  Leave a link to your pin for this entry. Need an invite? I can invite you to Pinterest.
  6. Share this giveaway using our “sharing tools at the bottom of the post, leave a comment to let us know you did.   

Bonus Entry:

Leave two comments if you do this one! Add us to your newsfeed on facebook. Image below shows you how.

The Rules:

  • You are allowed one entry per category for a total of 6 entries and 2 more bonus.
  • Must make different entries example comment #85, #88, #91 will give you 3 entries. :)
  • Invalid entires will not win
  • There will be one winner
  • Giveaway ends Thursday Sept, 13th at 11:59 am MST
  • Winner will be chosen at random, using random.org number generator
  • Winner will be announced on Thursday
  • Winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize and will forfeit prize if no response.
  • Have fun! and Good luck. :)

Don’t forget our Motherload giveaway! 2 days left to enter.

Plus the $50 gas card giveaway. Only 24 hours!

PS You can get the $10 credit NOW!

Almond Chicken with Apricot Sauce

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This is a new recipe I tried this week from the upcoming Taste of Home Best Loved Recipes Book. I had some apricot sauce from my apricot tree, chicken from zaycon and some almonds from Vitacost that I wanted to use so this recipe was perfect. We really liked how it turned out. It was a very good way to prepare chicken.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup of Apricot Spreadable Fruit
  • 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (Soy Sauce Coupons)
  • 2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion (I used minced dry)
  • 4 Teaspoons Cider Vinegar (Vinegar Coupon)
  • 1 Teaspoon Ground Mustard
  • 4-6 Breast of Chicken
  • 1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds (Free from Vitacost)
  • 1 Tablespoon Butter (melted)

To Prepare:

In a shallow bowl mix apricot, soy sauce, onion, cider vinegar and ground mustard. Set aside 1/2 cup. For best results tenderize yout chicken with a meat mallet. Dip chicken breasts in sauce. Place in 13 x 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Sprinkle the almonds over the chicken and drizzle with melted butter. Bake uncovered , at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until the thermometer reads 170°. Serve with reserved apricot sauce.


Chicken basting in the apricot sauce. 

 Chicken in baking dish with almonds ready to bake.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

This recipe came from Taste of Home Best Loved Recipes Cathy and I (Monica) got to meet the Editor-in-Chief of  Taste of Home Best Loved Recipes Catherine M. Cassidy this summer and get our own sneak peek copies of the book. The cookbook does not come out until September 13th, but you can pre-order yours here. Right now you can get Taste of Home Best Loved Recipes from Amazon for only $23.09! This book retails for $34.99. I am will share a new cookie recipe I tried from this book next week.

Get Taste of Home Best Loved Recipes now!

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School Lunch Ideas {The Plan, The Food, The Tools}

Thank you dear readers for all the inspirational cold lunch ideas last year!  I’ve compiled them, along with a few others, in this post!

EasyLunchboxes is the #1 rated “lunch box” on Amazon!  Set of 4 for $13.95

As I prepare for my children to return to school, I have mixed emotions.  In many ways, I love having them home during the summer.   But I also long for the controlled chaos and hint of structure that comes with the fall.  :)  I registered two of my children last week.  During registration, I heard a woman who works in the cafeteria tell someone else that hot lunch comes to about $50.00 per month per child.  YIKES!   For my family, that’d be $250 per month just for LUNCH!   My little boys LOVE to have “hot lunch” at school.  My girls and teenager son… not so much.  :)

My goal this year is to do some better planning for school lunches!  I plan on getting my kids involved AND need to make an effort to make cold lunch “cool” (for my little boys).

My plan of attack:

Menu plan  

There’s no reason I can’t come up with a weekly lunch time menu!  Make a list of 5-10 lunch ideas and then rotate through it every 1 or 2 weeks.  Here are some ideas shared by our readers last year (share your own in the comments!):

Sandwiches/Main Dish:

  • PB&J (I still LOVE PB&J!)
  • Ham/Turkey
  • Tunafish
  • Homemade Uncrustables (use a cut and seal tool like this)
  • Soup
  • Wraps
  • “Sandwich Sushi” – tortillas with a layer of cream cheese, ham, cheese, spinach leaves – rolled up and then sliced.
  • Mac & Cheese
  • Cubed Chicken/Ham/Cheese
  • Lettuce Wraps
  • Leftovers
  • Bagel Sandwiches
  • Homemade lunchables
Fruit/Sides:
  • Fresh fruit
  • Salad
  • Triscuits with cream cheese & sliced cucumbers
  • Veggie trays
  • Applesauce

Frozen Items (to help keep things cool)
Treat

Get the tools:

When I asked our readers about this last year, they had a TON of great ideas for making cold lunch “cool” (and “hot”!).  And it starts with the tools!

Shop the deals:

Right now there are a TON of coupons you can use towards school lunch stuff!  See the most recent coupons for school lunch here and here are some Kraft Coupons!

Got Special Diets?

Check out Vitacost!   They have a TON of gluten free and organic food!  Sign up using our link, you’ll get a $10 credit to use on your first order!  (We’ll get a $10 credit too, thank you!)

 So… what else am I missing?  What have I forgotten?  Do you have favorite brands that you love to use for some of these items?  What are you putting in your kids cold lunch?

PackIt Freezable Lunch Bag

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Recipe for Drying Cherries

Drying cherries is really easy. I found a few tips to make it easier and healthier! I noticed that when I buy organic dried fruits from vitacost that the fruits usually have a little bit of sunflower oil on them, so I decided to try them with coconut oil since it has so many health benefits. We really liked it. I did some with the oil and some with out the oil and we preferred them with the oil. Both ways are good though.

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You will need: 

I tried out a couple of cherry pitters. This 4 Hole Pitter was my favorite. I bought mine from amazon.

This pitter was good too. I borrowed it from Cathy’s dad. It is also available on amazon.

After pitting the cherries you can coat them in coconut oil. I melted about 1 tablespoon. You can get free shipping when you spend $25 or more on Vitacost.com brand products. You can see the Vitacost oil I buy here. If you have never bought anything from vitacost you should start by getting a free $1o credit!

You can see that I halved some of these cherries. I wanted to try some of them split open and some of them whole to see which one we liked better. We liked the while cherries better, which is nice because it takes out the step of splitting the cherries open before drying. Another nice thing about using the oil is it keeps the cherries from sticking to the tray.

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After you have slightly coated the cherries with coconut oil, or even if you decide to go with out the oil carefully lay the cherries on the drying tray. Dry cherries at 135º for 18-26 hours. This is the dehydrator that I use. I love it because it has a temperature gauge and you can add racks to it. Here is a fab deal on a dehydrator. This one is a lot like the one that I use.

Tip: Find out how to make your cherries or other fruit into fruit leather

Recap of tips I learned from making dried cherries

  • Having a good cherry pitter saves lots of time.
  • Coating with coconut oil makes them extra healthy and extra yummy.
  • Keeping the cherries whole saves time and tastes better.
  • Coating with coconut oil keeps them from sticking to the tray.
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Extreme Coupon Education: Eating Organic with Coupons

Because they don’t tell you everything on reality television we are here to reveal the secrets of Extreme Couponing. TLC’s Extreme Couponing is really not about education it is more about entertainment. Our goal is to educate you and empower you to save money for your family.

Last time I told you about how one of the myths of couponing is that coupons are only for processed foods, junk food or food my family does not eat. I also told you we were featured in the New York Times Magazine and many of the people writing in the comments accused us of only eating junk foods. All of this brought me to the conclusion that some people just need to be educated in the way we save money on food and still eat healthy. This week I am going to talk about how you can eat organic foods and still save money with coupons!

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Eating Organic Foods with Coupons

Coupons.com - Our favorite site to print coupons is Coupons.com . They often have coupons for organic brands like Muir Glen, Newman’s Own,  Seed’s of Change, Cascadian Farms, Snikiddy, and more.  They also offer coupons for milk. yogurt, cheese, organic agave nectar, organic sweeteners and Dole Salad blends. One secret I like to share in our coupon classes is that if you use zipcode 90210 on Coupons.com you can often find more coupons for organic brands.

Coupon Database – Our coupon database is a great resource for coupons. If you search the word organic you can find a huge list of organic coupons.

Facebook – Organic food manufacturers want people to buy their organic products just as much as other manufacturers. Think of your five favorite organic food companies and  go like them on facebook. Then see if they are offering any coupons.

Manufacturers - Organic manufacturers are a great source for organic coupons. Organic manufacturers will often offer organic coupons on their websites. You can also write to organic manufacturers and ask for coupons! This is also a good way to get high value coupons.

Vitacost – We absolutly love Vitacost.com! Vitacost has lots of organic and gluten free products. My favorite thing about vitacost is that when you sign up here, you get a $10 credit to use on anything on the site. If you tell your friends about them you can earn more $10 credits! See what I bought at Vitacost. Try vitacost for your organic food needs!

Amazon – You can find lots of organic products on amazon.com, including organic foods. Amazon carries organic foods from brands like Annie’s Homegrown, Raw Revolution, Pacific Natural Foods, HAPPY BABY, Bob’s Red Mill, Plum Organics and many more!  See a full list of organic products carried on >>>> Amazon.com. To save on organic products on amazon simply subscribe & save when you order. You will get a discount for subscribing. You can easily cancel your subscription at no charge, if you change your mind. You will still save money even if you cancel!

Gluten Free – If you are on a gluten free diet you can save money too. All of the idea I shared about organic products in the article can apply to Gluten Free. I even saw a coupon for Glutino on Coupons.com!

So this is just the beginning of our discussion about eating healthy and still saving money! Look forward to the following topics in the weeks to come…

More Coupon Education Resources:

 

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Homemade Fruit Roll Recipe

We love making fruit rolls at our house. My family just gobbles them up. Fruit rolls are a great way to use your fruit that has been sitting on the counter for too long too. This time I used my fresh Zaycon strawberries to make my fruit leather. Cathy made 15 minute freezer jam with her Zaycon strawberries. If you missed Cathy’s Strawberry Jam Recipe you should check it out!

You will need:

Strawberries
Lime Juice {optional}
Sweetner: I use Xylitol, but you can use sugar or honey
Pam Spray
Blender
Food Dehydrator {Fab Dehydrator deal}
Fruit Roll Sheets

1 Fruit Roll:

1 lb Strawberries
1 t Lime Juice
1 T Sugar or Xylitol or honey
Mist of Pam Spray

Lightly coat your tray with Pam or cooking spray to keep the fruit from sticking to the sheet.

Blend Strawberries with lime juice and sweetener. SIDE NOTE: I like Xylitol for its anticariogenic effect on the teeth because it breaks down the mutans streptococci in the mouth. In other words, it can help prevent tooth decay. :)  Here is a study done on Xylitol chewing gum published in the Journal of the  American Dental Association. Just in case you are interested.  I get my Xylitol from Amazon or Vitacost. As a dental hygienist I like to sneak in the healthier sugars for my family when I can. 

Cathy’s super blender is a Blendtec. I stole her pretty picture from her jam recipe post because I think it is so beautiful. I mixed mine up in my Vitamix. Strawberries are soft enough they should blend in a regular blender or food processor. Once you try one of these super blenders you will never want to go back.

Once fruit is pureed pour it evenly onto your fruit tray.

Spread the fruit evenly with your favorite spatula.

Set your dehydrator to 135° and dehydrate for 4-8 hours or until it is leathery and pliable.

Remove from the sheets, and roll in parchment paper, or plastic wrap.

Enjoy! You can make these with a variety of fruits. I made some with my pineapple and they were yummy, but really did not need the sweetener. I have also done a strawberry and peach roll. Very good too. The key is to bled the fruit well and let the dehydrator do the rest!

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