Bountiful Baskets (of produce)

Bountiful Baskets is a co-op that offers fruits and vegetables on a regular basis, as well as "specials" that vary by season. We have participated a couple of times and love it. The first time, however, I goofed and bought a basket ($15 for conventional- which we did the first time but now we do the $25 organic) AND an optional $5 fruit salad basket. We received all of this: for $20 (plus an extra $3 since it was our first time).


The result was:
-3 heads of spinach
-a head of Kale? (or some sort of lettuce...)
-3 bundles of celery
-2 yellow peppers
-9 pears
-1 cantelope
-6 apples
-5 peaches
-3 artichokes
-7 bananas
-18 little tomatoes
-4 yellow tomatoes (not sure what they are..)

and for our added-on fruit salad basket:
-huge bag of grapes
-1 watermelon
-huge case of strawberries
-huge case of blueberries

Luckily Charles had a birthday party that day so we made some fruit salad & served some vegetables. The produce lasts.... if you take good care of it & store it properly. It is always extremely fresh because the group of participants all purchase fruit/vegetables in bulk from the distributor. This means that we get it before the grocery store and therefore get super fresh produce at the cost that grocery stores do. And you don't have to pay anything (besides a $1 in handling) because it's a bunch of volunteers that put on the show. You pick your purchases up on the Saturday that you select. It's generally around 7 or 8 in the morning (since heats a huge factor here) and it's wise to bring either a laundry basket or a ton of reusable shopping bags. You do not get to chose what is in the general basket but I've also seen crates of tomatoes, loafs of bread (the $10 for 5 loafs of honey wheat is supposedly amazing... it's bakery style!), grass fed beef, Italian produce baskets, fruit salad baskets (like what I received), summer fruit baskets (pineapple, coconut, etc.) for sale. It's an awesome deal and if your family is small (like mine.... it consists of mommy, daddy & toddler), I would suggest splitting it. This coming Saturday, we are splitting the basket with my mom. I'm curious to see how this goes!!
You can find more information about the one that I participate through here.
You can also check here if you don't live in Arizona or Utah. I would also suggest googling your state/city & the words "produce co op" together and see what pops up.

Happy Savings!!

Buy One, Get One Free @ Dos Gringos

Dos has some really rockin' deals lately. If you go Mon-Fri, I would suggest checking out their Lunch Buffet for $7.99. With this coupon, you get the 2nd buffet free. My two year old also eats for free. Get water (if you want to be really cheap!) and leave happy for under $10.00. We honestly leave for under $15.00 since we are weird about leaving decent tips (we both used to serve) and we tip off of what the meal would have cost us before discounts. OH and for those concerned, Dos is actually pretty family friendly during the day. At night, however, I'd leave the babies with a sitter.
They also have a killer Happy Hour. 4-7 pm Monday-Friday & 10pm-2am daily. $4 for your choice of Cheese Quesadillas, Rocky Point Nachos, Fried Monster Taco, Gringo Rolls, Gringo Tacos (2- we suggest steak!), and Queso Dip (my favorite!). I want to say that their margaritas and beers are around the $2 range.

Free Juicer

Paramount Citrus is currently giving away a free juicer! The promo code is "juicer". Here is the link.

Making Your Own Baby Food

Baby Food is actually a LOT easier to make than people realize. As easy as baby food is to buy, it's considerably close to being just as easy. The only cons are: you have to invest a bit of time into making the food and you want to let it "defrost" (and therefore need to plan your baby's meals out). The pros: you can save a TON of money!!! AND it's an easy way to "reuse" an every day product!

image courtesy of Chow



Need:
1. your choice of fruit/vegetable/meat
2. Ice trays
3. Tupperware for storing the food (first preference... although ziplock bags work, too.)
4. Blender/Puree/etc.
5. Time & Patience for the Prep work.... if this is too much, PLEASE do not guilt yourself into doing this. I know it is to have a hard time finding time to do anything. If cooking isn't your thing, and your already a busy mom, skip over this and please go play with your mini-you! This is just a cheaper way of getting the same result....

Follow the P's of cooking.... from Sweet Peas & Pumpkins
Prepare the food, usually by peeling and/or steaming or baking. Be sure not to overcook the food, as overcooking leads to nutrient loss.
Process the food in a food processor, adding breast milk or boiled water to the puree until a “baby food” consistency is reached. ((Be sure to make it smooth & the consistency that your child is at. This is a quick way to get an unhappy but still hungry baby!))
Pour the food puree into ice cube trays to freeze, reserving some of the puree for your sweet pea’s next meal.
Pop the food cubes into tupperware containers (or ziplock bags if you prefer)…be sure to label each item (don't forget the date!) , as you will be amazed at how similar many of the food cubes will appear (ie, hard to distinguish carrots from sweet potatoes from peaches)
Pick the cubes you need when the day prior to the meal via the refrigerator. Or, for immediate use, the microwave or oven. Just remember the bit about heat & nutrients!


Have fun and enjoy mixing together different food items!