Have two printers? Save money!
Let’s talk about a great way to save a little money. It is something that almost everyone has and almost everyone spends money on every month or two. Some of us spend a little and some of us spend a lot. Let’s talk about printing and printers. Do you love yours? If you are like most of the people I meet, the answer is probably no. Lately I have met so many people that say they hate their printers. People talk about how expensive their printer was and how much the ink refills cost. They talk about how much they print using black ink and how little they print using colored ink. Many times when you replace the black ink you also have to replace the colored ink. Some printers even take the expensive colored inks and mix them together to print in black ink. That’s crazy! Those things make having a printer and replacing the ink cartridges so expensive. There is so much frustration surrounding ink and printers. We’ve solved that problem at my house in a very different way – we have two printers.
Have two printers? Some people have told me how crazy this sounds but it works really great for us. The printer we use all of the time is a black and white laser printer. A couple of years ago we were in the same ink using predicament. We hated using colored ink up when we didn’t need to. We looked at what we really print at our house and even with four kids; the majority of our printing was just black ink. We found that we rarely use our color printer. We use our color printer for school projects and a few other things but not day to day printing. It made sense to look for something that made printing cheaper.
We love our printer – it is a HP LaserJet Pro P1102w Wireless Monochrome Printer. It is such a fabulous printer. It uses a black LaserJet toner cartridge instead of ink. Toner cartridges do not dry out the way ink cartridges dry out. One toner cartridge for this printer prints about 1600 pages and costs around $50. That’s about 3 cents a page! I love the wireless feature too. We can print from any computer or mobile device from anywhere in our house. This is the printer I use and some of its features.
HP LaserJet Pro P1102w Wireless Monochrome Printer
List Price: $159.00
You Save: $70.00 (44%)
Price: $89.00
- Wireless HP LaserJet printing in the home or office
- HP ePrint – Now, print from your smartphone or tablet from virtually anywhere
- Save with the most energy-efficient laser printer on the planet
- Use HP Toner for great results, print after print
We still have our color printer. We use it when we need color prints, which isn’t that often. We don’t buy color ink cartridges very often anymore – a great money saver. Having two printers has turned out to be a great choice and a great money saver. Do any of you have two printers or a printer you love? What do you use? Let us know, we love to hear from you.
Popcorn recipe? What’s your favorite?
Do you love popcorn? I do! Yesterday we talked about how much I love popcorn and how it really can be the perfect snack. We talked about how it is actually quite healthy and also quite cheap. Popcorn is fun to eat plain but it is also fun to make fancy and yummy popcorn. I love that there are so many things you can do with popcorn and how many ways you can make it different. I just love all kinds of popcorn and I have some really good popcorn recipes that I promised to share on the blog today.
When it comes to popcorn recipes, I don’t think you can have too many! I love trying new popcorn recipes and discovering new treats. Any time I have fancy or yummy popcorn while out, I try to think of how to find the recipe or create it myself at home. If you have a yummy popcorn recipe, please share it with us in the comments section below. We love to hear from all of our awesome readers.
Here are just a few of my favorite popcorn recipes:
Caramel Popcorn Recipe
Makes 5 quarts
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 quarts popped popcorn
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
- Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.
Kettle Popcorn Recipe
Makes 10 cups
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
Directions:
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, stir in the sugar and popcorn.
- Cover, and shake the pot constantly to keep the sugar from burning.
- Once the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has stopped.
- Pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps.
Kool-Aid Popcorn Recipe
Makes 6 quarts popcorn
Ingredients:
6 quarts popped popcorn
2 cups white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup butter
2 (.13 ounce) envelopes unsweetened soft drink mix, any flavor (such as KOOL-AID)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet. Place popped popcorn in a large bowl.
- Combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan; bring to a boil until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.
- Combine drink mix and baking soda in a large bowl; pour sugar mixture into drink mixture, stirring carefully. Sugar mixture will bubble. Pour mixture over popcorn; toss to evenly coat. Transfer coated popcorn to baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, until coating has hardened, about 30 minutes. Cool and break popcorn into pieces.
Popcorn – Is it your favorite snack?
Everybody has something they love to do when they want to put their brain on pause and relax. Some people bike or hike, others read or sew. Relaxing activities are as different as the people doing them are different. What is my favorite relaxing activity? I love watching movies – both in the theater and at home. I’ll admit one of my favorite parts of watching movies is the popcorn. Having popcorn when you are watching a movie is an absolute must, there is no skipping the popcorn. My all-time favorite popcorn is what you get at the movie theater. Popcorn made at home is also super yummy! There is just so much about it to like!
One of the best things about popcorn is the fact that it is a super yummy snack that is actually good for you! You can’t say that about most of the other yummy snack foods out there. Check out these facts from the National Popcorn Board:
- Air-popped has only 31 calories per cup; oil-popped popcorn has only 55 calories per cup.
- When lightly buttered, it contains about 133 calories per cup.
- Popcorn is a whole grain, making it a good-for-you food.
- It provides energy-producing complex carbohydrates
- Popcorn contains fiber, providing roughage the body needs in the daily diet.
- It is naturally low in fat and calories.
- Popcorn has no artificial additives or preservatives, and is sugar-free.
- It is ideal for between meal snacking since it satisfies and doesn’t spoil the appetite.
- 3 cups equal one serving from the grain group.
After reading all of that, it is pretty easy to think that popcorn really might be the perfect snack food. Not only is it healthy, it is usually a very inexpensive snack. That makes it a great snack to feed large crowds. Those are lots of great reasons to choose popcorn as your favorite snack too. Now the only real decision to make is how to make it. There are lots of different poppers out there and lots of ways to make your popcorn. Here are a couple of my favorites.
These poppers are SO much fun! My kids love the popcorn we make with this. Easy to use – patented stirring mechanism prevents sticking and burning by stirring every kernel until it pops.
Wabash Valley Farms 25008A The Original Whirley Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper
List Price: $30.00
You Save: $10.01 (33%)
Price: $19.99
This is a great healthy way to make popcorn with or without oil. You can even serve it directly from bowl. You get quick and easy popcorn from your microwave.
Nordic Ware Microwave Popcorn Popper, 12-Cup, White
List Price: $11.60
You Save: $2.65 (23%)
Price: $8.95
These are just a couple of the many fun ways to make popcorn. There are lots of other great poppers available. What is your favorite way to pop your popcorn?
Stay tuned to our blog tomorrow when we share some great recipes for making fun flavored popcorn! Have a favorite recipe? Share it with us and it might just make tomorrow nights blog!
New at Kohl’s – Buy Online, Pick Up In Store!
It isn’t a secret – I LOVE shopping at Kohl’s! Kohl’s is one of my favorite stores. Combine their quality merchandise with great sale prices, stacking coupon codes and Kohl’s Cash and bargains are easy to find. The deals are usually a bit better at Kohls.com than in your local store – you can stack more codes and find great clearance deals. Sometimes it is hard to wait for shipping on an item from Kohl’s that I need or want right now. That’s why I was so excited to learn about the new option for shopping at Kohls.com – Buy Online, Pick Up In Store.
Buy online and pick it up in your local Kohl’s store! Don’t want to wait or pay for delivery? Take advantage of this great new program from Kohl’s! Shop their great selection of clothing, shoes, electronics and home decor online and choose to pick up in store when you add an item to your bag. Once you’re done shopping and you purchase the items, all you have to do is wait for the email notification that your order is ready at your local Kohl’s! Orders are usually ready within four hours—you can’t get much faster than that!
Is it really as easy to Buy Online, Pick Up In Store as they say it is? The answer is absolutely yes. I tried this option recently when I was purchasing some shorts for my daughter. I was able to stack and use all of the great online codes and still get the shorts the same day. Ordering was easy, the pick-up email came quickly and picking up the items was super easy to do. I’ve decided that using the Buy Online, Pick Up In Store option may be my new favorite way to shop at Kohls.com.
Want more information about the Buy Online, Pick Up In Store option? Here are some of the details from Kohls.com.
Why are some products not available at my local store?
Due to variations in the merchandise inventory from one store to another, some items may be available at your local store and some may not. Certain sizes, styles and colors change frequently so check back often or look for the item you want at another location.
Who can pick up my order? What do I need to pick up my order?
Currently, only the customer placing the order may pick up his or her order at the store. You will need: a government-issued ID and your pickup notification email. If you are unable to print your pickup notification email, the Associate can view it on your mobile device.
When will my order be ready?
Orders are usually ready within four hours.
Note: If you place an order after 5:00 PM (local time), it may not be ready until the following day. This time may also be subject to change during holiday season.
How long will my order be held at the store?
Your order will be held at the store for five calendar days. We’ll send you a reminder email one day before we cancel the order and return the merchandise to the store floor. If we cancel your order, your account will be credited for the amount of the order. Merchandise credits, Gift Cards and Kohl’s Cash will also be refunded.
Where do I pick up my order?
All orders (with the exception of fine jewelry) should be picked up from the Customer Service desk. Fine jewelry items should be picked up at the jewelry counter. Please reference your pickup notification email for specific location details.
Get ready for summer TV watching – get the best of live TV for $20 a month AND get a free Fire TV Stick or $50 off Amazon Fire TV when you sign up for Sling TV!
Summer is almost here and school is almost out. As much as we’d all like to say that we won’t be letting our kids watch much TV this summer, we know they will be watching some. If you’ve cut cable (or want to in order to save $) you may be thinking about how you’ll let your kids watch quality TV when they are spending their TV time. A great answer is the Amazon Fire TV Stick and Sling TV. They are a great deal and a great combination. As you are making your summer plans, think of this great option.
I talked before about how much I hate paying for cable. In fact, I hate it so much that about a year ago my family ditched cable and went to using an antenna. At first it was a hard transition, we missed a few of the cable channels and programs. There was a time or two that we missed a college football game, but overall we’ve been happy. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a few of those channels back. I’ve looked at going back to a basic cable package but that is still about $60.00 a month – more than I want to pay for sure! I’d pretty much written the idea off until I saw this new promo from Amazon and Sling TV.
We already have an Amazon Fire TV Stick and we LOVE it. We use it with our Prime and watch so many fun shows. It is a purchase I don’t regret at all. We I heard we could use Sling TV with the Amazon Fire TV Stick for just $20 a month I was interested. We would be able to watch most of the channels we missed. That would be great. In the fall we can add an extra sports package on for just $5 more a month if we want to – awesome! To make things even better right now you can get a free Fire TV Stick or $50 off Amazon Fire TV when you sign up for Sling TV for three months! What an awesome deal!
Here are the details from Amazon:
Sling TV delivers live TV—without the cable company—directly to your Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick. Get the best of live TV—sports, current shows, movies, and breaking news—instantly. No hidden fees, just a clear-cut monthly rate. And for a limited time, sign up for Sling TV for three months and get $50 off your purchase of Amazon Fire TV or get a Fire TV Stick FREE.
Get the best of live TV for $20 a month with ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, TNT, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Best of Maker, plus more channels to add on.
How to do it:
- Sign up for your subscription on the Sling TV website and prepay three months of Sling TV service.
- After signing up, you will receive a promotion code that can be used for $50 off Amazon Fire TV or a free Fire TV Stick.
- Copy the promotional code, go to www.amazon.com/redeemslingtvoffer, and add one Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick to your shopping cart.
- Proceed to check out. Paste or enter the promotional code in the “Enter a gift card or promotion code” field, click the ‘Apply’ button and complete your order.
- When your device arrives, simply plug it in, connect to the internet, and start enjoying instantly.
Doesn’t this sound like a great idea? I’m signing up today. How about you?
National Eat What You Want Day!
What have you had to eat today? Was your breakfast more like snack food on the run or did you stop and have something healthy? How about lunch and dinner? And then there are the snacks, did you have good for you snacks today or did you grab some of the not so good for you snacks? I’ll bet the answers to those questions are as varied as the food choices themselves. Why do I ask? Anyone who reads this blog frequently knows that I am always a bit interested in the random daily holidays that people talk about online. Today my interest was grabbed by the daily holiday – today is National Eat What You Want Day.
This is not a joke; I am serious about it being National Eat What You Want Day today. When I first saw it I didn’t believe it so I had to look it up. Sure enough, May 11th is National Eat What You Want Day. The idea of holiday made me laugh a little bit. I thought National Eat What You Want Day was a funny daily holiday to pick but it could be lots of fun to celebrate.
What prompted such a crazy daily holiday? Everything I saw online about National Eat What You Want Day was encouraging readers to take a break from strict diets and other self-imposed eating restrictions. (No one encouraged deviating from medically prescribed diets – whew!) Articles encouraged readers to indulge in a favorite food or snack, let their hair down and have some yummy food fun today.
All of this talk about National Eat What You Want Day made me wonder what people would be eating in celebration of this crazy but yummy holiday. What are the favorite snacks and splurge foods? I know a few of the things that would be on my list! What would you eat? Here are a few of the things it seems many Americans are eating on National Eat What You Want Day. (Based purely on my internet and social media searches.)
Twinkies
Add all of the prepackaged cakes and pies to this category. It seems these quick to-go treats are satisfying many a sweet tooth on National Eat What You Want Day.
Cheetos
Chips are another junk food topping the list on National Eat What You Want Day. Cheetos seem to be a favorite; they are one of my favorites too!
Bacon
Is this crazy food still on top of many National Eat What You Want Day wish lists? It seems so. Our national obsession with bacon isn’t over yet it seems.
Doughnuts
This long time snack food love is still on the minds and National Eat What You Want Day lists of many Americans.
Chocolate Cake
Add lots of other kinds of cake to this category because the pictures of the cakes people are eating today are simply amazing and yummy!
Cookies
Just like cake, cookies are a classic favorite. I saw lots of Oreos and chocolate chip cookies being consumed, both with and without milk.
French Fries
Include a few other kinds of fast food here but make sure you think about lots and lots of french fries. Fries from McDonalds made quite a few appearances on many of the National Eat What You Want Day lists.
What are you having to eat on National Eat What You Want Day? Let us know! We love to hear from you!
Save Money for Mother’s Day – Skip the Card!
Have you bought your Mother’s Day cards yet? If you are like me, you haven’t. Strolling down the card aisle with all of the pictures, jokes and sappy lines makes me a bit nauseous. It isn’t the silly sayings and bad jokes that turn my insides around. It is the crazy prices on the backs of the cards that always make me feel a little ill.
With greeting card prices on the rise, you can easily spend over $5.00 buying just one card. If you add music, pictures, embellishments the prices climb toward $10.00. Yikes! If you are a bargain shopper like me, you see that as enough money to buy another gift! Who wants to waste money on something that ends up in the trash hours or days later? I sure don’t. This thought of not wasting money on cards has sent me on a quest to find things to use when gift giving, instead of store bought cards.
Make your own card. I know it sounds a little bit like a trip back to preschool but it really can be fun and inexpensive. Use scraps of things that you already have around the house. Recycle old cards and pictures from magazines and ads. Use a photo and make a card that mom or grandma will love. Use anything you have around the house, just make it yourself without spending money on fancy supplies or embellishments.
Make a gift tag. Simple could be the answer. How often do we read a card and then toss it after the party is over. Do we appreciate the gifts with fancy cards more than those without cards? Cards are rarely important to me. I read them and then usually do not give them another thought. I have started to just make a simple gift tag for many of the presents we give. Quick, cheap and easy.
Think outside the envelope. I have really thought about cards and why we are so much in the habit of giving them. We usually use them to convey and idea of love or appreciation. Why not use something other than a card? One of my new favorite ideas is to use a children’s book. Picture books look cute on top of a gift, even when giving the gift to an adult. You can get a themed book and write a note or two on the inside cover, just like a card. For Mother’s Day consider a book about mom or grandma, there are lots of cheap favorites at places like Amazon.com, Walmart or your local book store. Some great and super cheap books can be found in new condition at your local thrift shop.
It must be a store bought card. There are some situations when you may feel like you absolutely have to buy a card. Shop smart when buying a card. Check the dollar stores. Our local Dollar Tree has a great selection of cards and they are just $1.00. Stores like WalMart have $.50 and $1.00 sections for every occasion including Mother’s Day. Look for card multipacks with a number of different greeting cards for a great price.
Whatever you choose to do: make a card, use a tag, use a book or buy a card, remember to pinch your pennies!
Free or inexpensive Mother’s Day gifts!
Mother’s Day is right around the corner, are you ready? For many of us Mother’s Day is a very special day where we can honor our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, friends and anyone else who has loved us and helped us grow. There are ads everywhere giving us great ideas of things we can give those we love for Mother’s Day. If you are like me, because we love all of these people so much, it would be easy to spend hundreds of dollars on each and every one of them. Retailers want us to do just that and they are trying to win our purchasing dollars with those ads. But what if we don’t have hundreds of dollars to spend this Mother’s Day?
There are lots of great ideas for Mother’s Day gifts that don’t cost much at all – some are even free! Most of the moms and other loved one’s in our lives don’t need expensive gifts. In fact, most of these women would rather have something meaningful and sentimental. There are lots of great Mother’s Day gifts that are free or cheap plus meaningful and sentimental. Here are a few great ideas for free or cheap Mother’s Day gifts.
Give Mom a poem
Let you mom know how much you love her by writing her a poem. Put your feelings on paper and mom can read them whenever she wants. If you don’t want to write your own poem you can find one online. It can be simple or complex. It can be handwritten or typed. You can illustrate it or leave it plain. You can pick up a nice frame at the dollar store and frame the poem for her. All of these different ways of giving mom a poem for Mother’s Day are sure to make her happy.
Frame a photo
I love this idea! Surprise mom with a framed photo – capture a special memory. Find a favorite photo of a special event or memory with your mom. Print the photo yourself or get it printed at a local store. You can get a frame without spending much money at all – there are usually quite a few at your local dollar store. Frame the photo and write a note about how much that memory means to you. This will be a Mother’s Day gift that mom will treasure forever.
Make a book
This is another Mother’s Day gift idea that I just love. Make mom a book that tells her all of the reasons why you love her. Make your own book or use a small photo album from your local dollar store. You can put one reason that you love your mom on each page or use a couple of pages for each reason. Decorate and embellish the pages, include a few pictures too. Mom will have a constant reminder of all of the reasons that you think she is special. This is another Mother’s Day gift that mom will treasure forever.
There are so many more good ideas out there for free or inexpensive Mother’s Day gifts. Have an idea to share? Let us know, we love to hear from you.
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Shoe Box Storage! Get Organized!
I hate clutter. It is one of those things that can make me bonkers. If I open a drawer or cupboard and see piles of clutter, I get a bit cranky. I want things to be organized and easy to find. I hate digging through a drawer full of randomness to find batteries, scotch tape or a glue stick. I hate going into the cupboard for an extension cord and having to dig behind everything to find it. I need things to be organized. I’m not always great about organizing and cleaning out things but I am much happier when I do it.
Another thing I hate is spending money needlessly. I love spending money on fun things but hate spending it on things that really aren’t much fun. Storage containers fall into that “aren’t much fun” category. So how did I solve the problem with organizing clutter without spending a lot of money? Simple! I used shoe box storage. There are shoe boxes in lots of shapes and sizes. They are usually perfect to organize so many things. You can use them in drawers with the lids tucked underneath or in cupboard stacked with the lids on top. You can use them plain or cover them with paper. You can even make your shoe box storage containers cute and pretty if you want. Label the box so you know what is inside at first glance.
Here are just a few of the things I keep in my shoe box storage containers:
Kids Toys
There are so many little sets of toys with a crazy amount of little pieces. Store a set or two of like toys together in this great use for shoe box storage containers.
Games
The pieces of games are pretty much just like the toys. So many little parts! So many games come in crazy packaging and does not fit back into the factory package. Use shoe box storage and put those messy games away.
Art Supplies
Art supplies are a staple of childhood fun but boy can they be messy! Crayons, glue sticks, markers, scissors, and more, it can make quite a mess. Gather them all together and put a shoe box storage container to good use.
Sewing Supplies
Many people have at least a few sewing supplies. If you aren’t a seamstress these sewing supplies tend to get scattered around the house and make a mess. Thread seems to get everywhere. Another great use for a shoe box storage container.
Kitchen Gadgets
I have a lot of kitchen gadgets with random parts and attachments. I hate it when I go to use a gadget and one small piece is missing. I end up digging in the cabinet to find it. No fun! Put gadgets and their parts in a shoe box storage container and you will be able to find it all.
Batteries and Mail Supplies
Both batteries and mail supplies tend to get lost in big junk drawers. I put all of these in one shoe box storage container and finding them is now easy.
Have more ideas for items that could be kept in show box storage containers? We’d love to hear about them!
Happy Star Wars Day!
Are you eating Wookie Cookies today? Or are you drinking Yoda Soda? Happy Star Wars Day! If you are like many households across the country you may be celebrating today as Star Wars Day. Star Wars Day you say? Yup! May the 4th is a play on the words from the popular Star Wars quote “May the force be with you.” The first organized celebration of Star Wars Day took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 2011. After the Walt Disney Company purchased Lucasfilm, Disney Parks began to celebrate the holiday in 2013 with several events and festivities. Now in 2015, Star Wars Day is a fan favorite and is celebrated by fans of the Star Wars franchise young and old.
A simple look through my Facebook or Instagram accounts shows how many different people are celebrating and how many different ways there are of celebrating. I know people who are simply sitting back tonight and watching a Star Wars movie. I know people who have decorated their houses, created Star Wars themed menus and are watching the movies complete with popcorn in Star Wars themed popcorn bowls! And I know lots of people in between. The ways people are celebrating Star Wars Day are really interesting to see.
I scoured the internet for fun recipes and neat ideas for my family for our Star Wars Day celebration. I found lots of fun ideas. Some of my favorites are the ones that the kids can help make, so the easier the better. I found this fun recipe on the Today Show website. This recipe for making Princess Leia Cupcakes is perfect for kids, so easy and so much fun to make. Do you have another favorite recipe for Star Wars Day? If so, share it with us. We love to hear from you.
Princess Leia Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Cupcakes
Cream cheese frosting
Black frosting
Heart quins
Oreos
Cream cheese frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar, then the vanilla. Beat until it is combined and spreadable.
For the Princess Leia cupcakes, bake any type of cupcake you want and let it cool. Take the cooled cupcake and spread a thin smooth layer of frosting on top (I used cream cheese frosting because it has a slight off-white tint to it, which I liked for the complexion.)
Using a frosting tinted black, do one side of the hair first. Add the other side of the hair and then the eyes. Place a little heart quin for the lips.
For the hair, take an Oreo and stick it into the side of the cupcake liner using the black frosting. Do the same for the other side. To get rid of the ‘white line’ (i.e. the creamy center), simply run a thin layer of black frosting down the center of the sandwich cookie.
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Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies? Oh yes!
When I say chocolate chip cookies – how many of you want one? I can see all of you raising your hands out there in blog land, almost everybody loves chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chip cookies are an American favorite, a classic feel good snack. Sadly, many of us don’t really eat chocolate chip cookies for one reason or another. Most of those reasons are probably sugar related – diets and health concerns keep many people away from sweets. Guess what? There is a great solution, a chocolate chip cookie recipe that will let lots of us enjoy this favorite treat again.
Do I have your attention? I thought so! Let me introduce you to an amazing recipe. This recipe uses a great product that is used by many people who are watching their carb intake. It uses Carbquik which is a lot like the Bisquick that we are all familiar with and probably use occasionally. As with any low carb or carb free baking product, the results using Carbquik are not exactly like those obtained when using one of the carb filled counterparts. Even though the texture and taste may be a bit different, this baking product can be a worthy replacement. When you are limiting your carb intake, a baking product like this is a welcome and yummy addition to your pantry.
Carbquik is available at many health or diet stores and is also easily available online at Amazon.com. If you grab a box you can make these yummy cookies and lots of other things that have been off of the menu if you are cutting your carbs. Think of things like pizza crust, rolls, biscuits and breads. If you decide to try this recipe, let us know. We love to hear from you. Have another favorite low carb recipe? Share that with us too!
Carbquik Chocolate Chip Cookies
Approx. 30 cookies
Net Carbs Per Serving: 2g
Total Preparation Time: 9 to 11 minutes
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups Carbquik (start with 2 cups, add additional as needed to form a nice cookie dough)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups (12-ounce package) Sugar free semi-sweet morsels
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 Splenda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar twin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup chopped nuts
Directions:
– Combine Carbquik, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, Splenda, brown sugar twin and vanilla in large mixer bowl till butter is well creamed.
– Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in Carbquik mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts.
– Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
– Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Do you want to have a Yard Sale?
Usually about once a year I have a yard sale. Sometimes my yard sale will be combined with family or friends and sometimes it’s just me. If you want to get rid of some of the stuff laying around your house and make a little money in the process having a yard sale might be a great idea for you.
I wanted to share a few things I have learned over the years that I think can make any yard sale a success. My first suggestion is to commit to the yard sale, plan a day and stick to it. By planning your yard sale day ahead of time you can be sure you have time to prepare and not be overwhelmed at the last minute. Go through your closets, storage rooms, shed, etc to find thing you want to get rid of. I have a shelf in my storage room where I put yard sale stuff throughout the year.
Once you have your day set and you are working on collecting your items to sell at your yard sale, you will want to arrange for or figure out what tables, tarps, stands, etc that you will use to display your items. I really like to have fun here! It’s really fun to me to make my driveway looks like a store! I plan for sorting like items together. I have sold several end tables & coffee tables throughout the years and I love adding a little centerpiece or decor items to make it more eye catching. It’s amazing how many times I have actually had people not only by the table, but also the decor that I have “merchandised” on it.
Plan for your signs. Colorful poster boards make great yard sale signs. If you are putting up colorful signs, make them all the same color. You might want t check with your city to see where you are allowed to put signs. I have a fun idea if your city won’t allow yard sale signs to be hung on poles; ask people around the area (especially) at corner houses if you can put a sign in a small stake in their yard & give the a “gift certificate” to use at your sale!
Get your family involved! My kids love to sell something themselves! Sometimes they sell soda or donuts and sometimes stuffed animals! It’s fun for them to sell some of their junk to make a little bit of pocket money for themselves.
Negotiate! It’s a yard sale! Be willing to negotiate on the prices! This is important to think about during the 2nd half of your yard sale. How badly do you want to get rid of it? We usually have a small table with free stuff & we will often do everything 1/2 price for the last hour.
Having a successful yard sale takes a little work, but it is also pretty fun. It’s a great way to purge the junk and spend sometime outside meeting people!
What are your yard tips?