Frugal Friday: Make Your Own Snack Bags

Welcome to Frugal Friday!

You know how the latest thing in lunch box packing is these 100-calorie (or more) snack bags? Well, I did the math and they are a money waster that's for sure.

One of the best reasons to make your own snack packs is that you can choose the reduced fat or whole grain snack options whenever possible whereas the prepackaged bags tend to come in the "original" versions.

I wanted to calculate the money we would save if we made our own snack bags after bought a big box or bag of the snack and divvied it up into individual snack bags (using the snack bag size baggies).

I used the ever popular, strangely irresistible goldfish snack crackers as my example.

A 6.6-ounce bag of "Goldfish made with whole grain" costs around $2.39.

A box with 5 pouches of goldfish (100 calories each) costs around $3.49.

Here's how to make your own goldfish snack bag:

• A slightly heaping 1/3-cup measure is about 41 goldfish and equals about 105 calories.


• The 6.6-ounce bag of goldfish makes 8 servings total - just fill snack bags with slightly heaping 1/3 cup of the goldfish and they are just as easy to add to that lunch bag or box as the store-bought 100-calorie bags.


• $2.39 divided by 8 snack bags = 30 cents each!


• The box with 5 pouches= 70 cents per pouch.

What Could You Save?
If you made your own snack bags and put them in your children's' lunch bags every day for a week (5 days) and you had two children, you would save 4 dollars a week! And you were able to increase the fiber a little by switching to the "made with whole grain" goldfish.

Related Topics:

• Saving Money the Healthy Way
• 100-Calorie Snacks

Technorati Tags: Frugal Friday, snacks, 100 calorie, healthy diet

5-Minute Chicken Caesar Salad

During the week, things can get a little ugly at the Magee house what with two tumultuous teens, a demanding work schedule and after school activities that would make your head spin...

So...one of my easiest weeknight dinners that seem to please all members of the family is 5-Minute Chicken Caesar Salad. I buy 4 charbroiled chicken breasts (skinless and boneless) at a deli/grill nearby but you can just as easily shred the meat from a rotisserie chicken you bought at the grocery store (sometimes these are on sale too).

The only prep work you have to do is chop the chicken into bite size pieces then layer the following in a big salad-serving bowl:

• A bag of romaine lettuce (just open it and pour it in)


• Any vegetables you like to add to your Caesar salad like cucumber or cherry tomatoes (cherry tomatoes are easy because all you do is wash them)


• The chopped charbroiled or roasted chicken


• Some shredded Parmesan cheese (this comes ready to sprinkle in bags and tubs at most grocery stores)


• Drizzle some light Caesar dressing over the top - it's available in several brands in the salad dressing section of most supermarkets


• Any light croutons you have handy can be sprinkled over the top as well.

This is literally thrown together in 5 minutes! (Not including the chicken that you bought at the store.) I'm sure we'll get sick of it sooner or later, but for now, it's a hit with the family and we usually have this once a week.

Happy salad month!

Related Topics:

• 10 Tips and Tricks for Healthy Summer Salads
• 9 Myths About Your Salad

Technorati Tags: salad, recipe, healthy diet

Taste Test Tuesday: NEW Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Links (60% Less Fat)

For the love of pigs in a blanket!

I know I've done quite a few Taste Test Tuesdays with various types of breakfast sausage (meatless and turkey products usually). But this is all because of my love of "pigs in a blanket".

There is something totally yummy about fresh buttermilk pancakes (I make them with part whole wheat) wrapped around a light tasty sausage link. Well this morning I made my light buttermilk wheat pancakes and tried out the new Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Links with 60% Less Fat.

They are packaged "fully cooked" so all you need to do is reheat them in a microwave or stove top (I chose the latter). This way adds a little extra browning. They tasted really good and my husband, who tends to be picky about his sausage, loved them.

The first ingredient is "boneless turkey" and the second is "water." There is less than 2% of the rest of the ingredients. The package says the serving size is 3 cooked links (68 grams) and this serving will add the following to your breakfast totals:

120 calories
7 grams fat
2 grams saturated fat
0 g trans fat
55 mg cholesterol
490 mg sodium
13 grams protein

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Health Benefits of Turkey
• Healthy Breakfast Ideas and Recipes

Technorati Tags: Taste Test Tuesday, Jimmy Dean, turkey sausage, breakfast, healthy diet

5 Tips To Save Money In The Kitchen

Photo Credit: Doug Floyd

Whether it's the higher food prices that have hit you hard or the April tax deadline that has left your wallet lighter than usual...most of us are more motivated lately to save as much money as possible in the kitchen.

Here are my top 5 tips to save money in the kitchen:

1. Get that last serving of dressing from the bottle! When you think you've gotten all the creamy salad dressing from the bottle, add a couple of tablespoons of fat free half and half to the bottle. Screw the cap on and shake it up well. Now you have at least one more serving of lite creamy salad dressing! I do this all the time with my light Caesar salad dressing.


2. Clean the inside of the jar to save money and recycle! Certain foods that are really sticky like peanut butter or light mayonnaise can be a bear to clean out and recycle. But here's a way to get at least one more serving from the sides of the jar AND make the jar clean enough to recycle without washing. Use a mini spatula/scraper to remove that last bit of peanut butter or mayonnaise on the inside of the jars. You will be amazed how much of it you are able to scrape out and use!


3. Save that bread! One of the foods that people end up throwing away most because it gets moldy or stale before they can use it all up is bread and bread products. So freeze what you don't think you'll use in 3-5 days and when you are ready for the next batch of bread, just take it out of the freezer and it will defrost within a few hours. This works well for sliced bread, buns and rolls too.


4. Save money when you buy meat by making your portions of meat smaller. Dishes like stir-fries, meat and veggie kabobs and casseroles work well for this. Where as a pound of meat might have served about two people before, with smaller meat portions it can serve four well.


5. Keep your refrigerator and pantry well organized so you don't forget about products you've bought and need to use soon. For example, once you've cut into the block of cheese, it's days are numbered. Make sure you see it in the cheese drawer so you can use it up before you have to throw it out. Once you've opened up that box of whole wheat crackers, Keep the inside plastic well sealed (so the crackers stay crisp), and keep the box front and center in your pantry so you'll remember to include them in the near future. Same goes for the vegetable and fruit crisper. Know what's in there so you can use them within a few days after purchase.

And remember that going to discount food stores only works if you only buy what you truly need and will use. Those coupons and "2 for 1" deals only save you money if it's for items you really want and would buy anyway.

What are some of your best tips to save money in the kitchen?

Related Topics:

• Saving Money Message Board
• 12 Ways to Eat Better for Less

Technorati Tags: healthy diet, food budget, saving money

Taste Test Tuesday: Breyers Double Churn 100 Calorie Vanilla Fudge Swirl Cups

I'm a fan of the whole "double churn" technological advancement because it produces lower fat ice-cream that is wonderfully creamy in texture. Well, just in case you want your double churned ice cream pre-portioned, Breyers now makes 100 Calorie Vanilla Fudge Swirl Cups. It's a 1/2-cup serving of light cream.

Granted the photo on the box shows a whole bunch more "fudge swirls" than I actually had in my tester cup, but it still tasted pretty good and had a wonderful creamy texture. The fat grams are low, 1.5 grams per serving, but the sugar is par for the course with 14 grams of sugars which translates to 56% calories from sugar.

The first 5 ingredients:

• Ice Cream: milk, skim milk, sugar, cream, sugar syrup
• Fudge Swirl: sugar, water, corn syrup, chocolate liquor, cocoa
  

The nutrition information: 1 dessert cup (66 grams) - about 1/2 cup of ice cream

100 calories
3 g protein
20 g carbohydrate (14 g sugars)
1.5 g fat
1 g saturated fat
5 mg cholesterol
3 g fiber
55 mg sodium

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Why We Overeat
• Light and Luscious Ice Cream

Technorati Tags: Taste Test Tuesday, ice cream, double-churned, 100 calories, Breyers, healthy diet