Best Baked Oatmeal Bars

August 29, 2012 by 4 Comments

I have been feeling like a bad mom lately. The kids keep asking what’s for breakfast and all I have been saying is cereal. That is not me at all. I haven’t really felt like baking either. Now school has started I need to get something that sticks to their ribs. I gotta get back to our routine. So I made these awesome, soft baked oatmeal bars!

These granola bars seem like they will hit the spot! The baked oatmeal bars have all the wholesome goodness a breakfast should have. There is a little bit of every food group in these awesome oatmeal bars. It’s like a whole bowl of oatmeal on the go. This recipe can be nut free, gluten free, dairy free and vegan. I will share with you how to adapt this recipe for whatever tastes or allergies you and your family may have.

Baked Oatmeal Bars

Baked oatmeal bars

Ingredients for Baked Oatmeal Bars:

1 1/2 cups Rolled Oats
1/2 cup nuts (pumpkin seeds or pepitas for nut free)
1/2 cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, dates or prunes)
1/4 cups seeds (sunflower, flax or sesame)
1 tsp. cinnamon (use pumpkin spice for pumpkin pie bars)
1/4 cup of brown sugar for sweetness (optional)
a dash of nutmeg (my secret ingredient)
a dash of salt
1 1/4 cup milk (use dairy free option)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Baked oatmeal bars dry ingredients

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Baked oatmeal bars wet ingredients

Next mix wet ingredient into the dry ingredients.

Baked oatmeal bars baking dish

Pour into a 9X9 in square baking dish and bake for 350 for 40 minutes. Cut into 8 bars. Store in the refrigerator once cut and enjoy.

We all love these Baked Oatmeal Bars in my family and the possibilities are endless and can be adapted to many allergies. We have made these several times using different ingredients. We have even added coconut to the top of one batch and it was delicious. At Pounds4Pennies.com I try to make recipes that can be adapted for many uses and those with dietary restrictions and allergies.

I have used Pecans instead of pumpkin seeds, for those of us that are nuts! You can substitute any nuts for the seeds. Any dried fruit can be used for the cranberries. For traditional oatmeal flavor use raisins. Mix and match with this recipe to see what delicious flavor  combinations you can come up with. Don’t forget to stop by and share at Pounds4Pennies! 

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Filed Under: meals, Recipes Tagged With: ,

10 Easy Back to School Breakfasts

August 14, 2012 by 2 Comments

It’s that time of year we as parents are really looking forward to or are hating sending our kids back to school again. I have in the years past looked forward to my daughter returning back to school; however, this year I don’t want her to go. This year is her last year in elementary school. I am really going to miss her during the day. We had a fun summer. I am not looking forward to it ending.

Back to School Breakfast ideas

Since she will be heading back to school, I don’t want to send her to learn on an empty stomach. I have listed some easy back to school breakfast ideas I make ahead of and a great alternative to cereal every morning. 

10 Easy Back to School Breakfast ideas

1. Pancakes: Make a double batch and freeze
2. Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins: Freeze and easily heat in the microwave for 1 min
3. Boil a dozen eggs and keep the hard boiled eggs in the fridge
4. Bacon: I make the entire package and freeze them. Warm in microwave 15 sec.
5. Waffles: Make ahead and freeze. Pop in microwave for 1 min
6. Frugal Homemade Lara Bars - 
7. Healthy Smoothies for kids - This is like having ice cream for breakfast
8. Make ahead muffin mix
9. Cinnamon Swirl French Toast - Pop in the toaster or in the microwave
10. Scrambled Eggs in the Microwave – Spray coffee cup with oil, scramble egg, microwave 1 min.

I usually make two or three of these at a time and FREEZE them. Once the kids are awake they have a choice of breakfasts that is not just sugary cereal. Something that will stick with them until lunch. I am always looking for more quick and easy breakfast ideas. Do you have any quick breakfasts you like to make ahead for your kids? Are you getting ready for back to school?

Filed Under: Kids, meals

Why I Never Buy Sour Cream

March 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Today is the STARR writing test here in Texas. Little miss is off to school and ready to go. This year she will get the help she needs, since she has been diagnosed with dyslexia. However, this is the hardest test for her since she she will be graded on writing along with spelling. Spelling is the most difficult for children with dyslexia, since they may know all the letters that make up a work but are unsure what order they go in. We were able to write her a letter letting her know we believe in her and her abilities and not to worry about this silly test. If you can say a little prayer she does well today.

~ ~ ~

Healthy Couponing

Sour Cream 

There is a ton of junk food out there you can get with coupons or great deals on junk food. I am not going to say I never buy junk food. I do buy some things because I think it is OK for a small treat every once in awhile. Everything in moderation. I want them to understand you can eat certain food like cookies and ice cream, but only on occasions. Just like cake I don’t have it everyday, so that when it is served I can have a piece and not feel guilty about it. These are treats and should be considered as such.


I started to research how can I provide similar tastes of products that aren’t as healthy, but with more nutrition for my growing kids. I am always looking for way to add calcium, protein and additional vitamins to their diets. Protein tends to stick with you and make you feel full longer than empty sugar calories.  If I am providing a high carb meal I see if there is a way I can sneak in more protein and not change the overall quality or taste of the food.


One switch I have made is using plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or regular yogurt. Greek yogurt has 8grams of protein per one cup serving compared to sour cream only 6grams. I add this to a lot of breakfast items we eat. This gives more protein in a carb packed breakfast such as pancakes or muffins. We also use this instead of sour cream to top tacos, taco soup and anything else delicious you would normally add sour cream to. Where ever you can use sour cream you can use plain Greek yogurt. It is very similar in taste and texture. Whenever there are coupons for Greek yogurt I always make sure I print these healthy coupons.


I cannot always find coupons for plain Greek yogurt. There is a store here in the Dallas area called Sprouts that run sales all the time on Greek Yogurt. I make sure I buy enough to make it last until the next sale. I will make sour cream recipes like stroganoff or tacos when these are available. If I don’t have the greek yogurt we normally don’t have these dishes. That way we still get to enjoy these family favorites, we just do this around sales. That is the secret to reducing your grocery budget. Reviewing what sales are going on to see what items you can purchase on sale and make your meals around those items. By do this, you will greatly reduce your grocery budget every week and still buy healthy items.

Have you tried Greek yogurt before? How do you cook with Greek Yogurt?

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Filed Under: Couponing, Couponing 101, Healthy Couponing, meals

How I Save Money by NOT Eating Cereal for Breakfast

March 19, 2012 by 3 Comments









I rarely buy cereal any more. There are some great cereal deals out there right now and I just don’t feel the need to buy cereal when I have great items I can make for breakfast ahead of time and freeze.

Here are a few items I like to make pancakes, muffins, french toast and hard boiled eggs and sausage. I make extra on the weekends and freeze these to eat throughout the week. Just simply pop them in the microwave for a minute or two and you have a quick and easy breakfast. 


Cinnamon Swirl French Toast – $1.44 for a family of Five
Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins – Fruits and Veggies in a muffin
Make Your Own Muffin Mix  – Don’t buy prepackage muffins, make your own to have on hand at anytime
Healthy Smoothies for Kids – My kids think they are getting Ice Cream for breakfast $0.50 per serving
Then kids were lucky enough I made the Cinnamon Swirl French Toast and Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins last week for them to choose for breakfast.

My grocery money for high carb cereal is now going towards wholesome ingredients such as multigrain pancake mix, eggs, fruit and whole wheat flour while trying to stay within my budget of $50.00 a week for a family of five.


Do you have any great breakfast ideas other than cereal for breakfast?


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Filed Under: Frugal living, meals, Money Saving Tips

Recipe Cinnamon Swirl French Toast

March 14, 2012 by 14 Comments

I normally get the Cinnamon Raisin Swirl bread loaf at Kroger when it is in the discount section for $1.00. I take it home and freeze it right away. This recipe will feed all five of us for one meal; However, I like to make this on a weekend afternoon on my electric griddle and freeze it, so the kids have this for breakfast instead of cold cereal. I warm it up in the toaster on a higher setting and press the frozen button. This past week they were lucky enough to have freezer muffins and Cinnamon Swirl French Toast to choose from.

If you do not have an electric griddle here is one from Amazon that is very similar to mine. This makes an awesome gift too.



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Cinnamon Swirl French Toast
1 loaf Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread
4-6 Eggs
½ Cup of Milk


1. Toast both sides of the Cinnamon Swirl bread on and electric griddle set for 350 degrees for a couple of minutes on each side or until starting to turn golden. After the bread is toasted allow to cool for a few mintues. Otherwise the bread gets too soggy.
2. Take 2 eggs and crack them in a large flat bottom bowl and add ¼ cup milk. Mix well.
3. Dip the bread in the egg mixture and let it soak a minute or two on each side. The egg should soak into the bread. Keep dipping pieces until the egg mixture is gone. Once gone add another couple of eggs and the remaining milk until all bread is soaked and on the griddle.
4. Spray electric griddle with spray oil and lay the egg soaked bread on the electric griddle. Let fry for a couple of minutes. The egg will get brown around the edges of the toast. Flip and let the other side brown.
5. Once complete serve with powdered sugar, apple butter, apple sauce or syrup.
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Last time I made Cinnamon Swirl French Toast I only used four eggs and a little milk. This costs me $1.00 for the bread and $0.44 for the eggs. So for the main part of the meal I spent $1.44 to feed a family of five for breakfast. This meal includes protein, carbs and a fruit.
How much do you spend on breakfast for your family?

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Filed Under: Frugal living, meals, Money Saving Tips, Recipes, Time Saving Tips

Tips for Tuesday – Make Ahead Muffins

February 7, 2012 by 4 Comments

When I first started my extreme couponing journey a year ago, I loved the thrill of getting things for free or really cheap. However, when I really looked at what I was buying, it was a lot of junk food or unhealthy food. I really didn’t want to be feeding this to my growing children. I wanted to feed them nourishing food for their growing bodies.


We were spending way too much on food, since we were now on a single income.  I needed to also stay on a strict budget. When I was looking at what I could do, I knew I needed to cut back on the grocery budget. When I was a single mom a few years back, my daughter and I survived on $20 a week for all our meals. I thought I would try to do the something similar with a family of five. I would spend $10 per person per week for my grocery budget.

I like the fact of buying muffins in the package and opening them up and pouring a few ingredients in then baking them. Ta Da you then have muffins. I also realized in order to provide better food I needed to get back to the basics and start cooking more things from scratch. I was staying at home now, so I had the time right? So I thought. I was just as busy if not busier. How could I provide good food and save time?

I remembered my “Joy of Cooking” cook book had a recipe for making muffins by listing the dry ingredients then telling you what to add to make variations of these muffins. Here is the simple recipe and a few variations you can use:

1 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour (I use whole wheat, I haven’t noticed to much of a difference)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Teaspoons double-acting baking powder (I use a little more, since I use whole wheat)

I simply make a few ziplock bags with these dry ingredients in there. Then I have a little print out of the wet ingredients:


Dry Ingredients for Muffins:
Beat in 2 eggs
2-4 Tablespoons butter melted
3/4 cup milk

Combine all the ingredients and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Blueberry or berry muffins add:
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup berries

Pumpkin:
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup Pumpkin

Then I have my own prepackaged muffins I can whip up whenever I want. 


I must say the best gift for a new bride would be ”Joy of Cooking ” cook book. It is very educational and has a recipe for just about anything you would want to make.  

Learn couponing strategies by reading my
How to Start Couponing Beginners Guide
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Do you have any great time saving tips? How do you save time during the week?

Filed Under: Frugal living, meals, Money Saving Tips, Recipes

Homemade Pizza Rolls

February 1, 2012 by 21 Comments

When I asked my stepson what he wanted to eat for his birthday party, he told me pizza. I am not the type that wants to do just boring pizza. So I started thinking. Then I remembered Double Daves, a pizza place here in Texas. They serve their own version of pizza rolls. These are the best thing I have ever had. After a little bit of research I found a recipe as a guide for homemade pizza rolls, since this recipe was basic and used more processed ingredients than I wanted to use, I made own version of homemade pizza rolls. I made my own pizza dough from scratch using my bread machine. Overall these are pretty easy to make, but a little time consuming.

This takes a little timing if you are doing this for a party. To make sure the pizza roll dough is ready in time and the rolls will be ready when the guests arrive. This recipe makes enough to put two batches on a pizza stone.
 Homemade Pizza Rolls

First make a 2 pound batch of pizza dough using a bread machines recipe, or the largest amount of dough you can make. Add two cloves of minced garlic and a teaspoon of Italian seasoning to add a little flavor to the dough for the rolls. You can adjust to what you like.

Preheat the oven to 400. Cut the dough in half. Then sprinkle some flour on your surface to roll out half of your dough for the pizza rolls.
Start working one half of the the dough into a round shape. This may take a while. Try stretching it in your hands if using a rolling pin proves difficult.
Make about a 12-14in circle. Just like pizza.
With a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut into eight pieces for eight pizza rolls.

Starting at the large end of the dough, place 4-6 slices of pepperoni at the end and put a piece of mozzarella on top. It can be sliced, block or shredded. Since, these are homemade you can fill these pizza rolls with whatever you want. I am traditional and love pepperoni.

Fold the sides over onto itself and stretch the back over the cheese and pepperoni and roll. Stretch the dough as you roll to the point to form a tight seal, so the cheese won’t leak out. It is ok if it does. Do the same for the other half of the dough.

You can spray the homemade pizza rolls with your MISTO spray bottle filled with olive oil and place them on a cookie sheet or pizza stone and cook in the oven on 400 for 15-20 min. The oil will provide a nice brown coating on the outside of the rolls.

Serve these homemade pizza rolls with warmed pasta sauce or ranch dressing for dipping. Very yummy.
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I was able to time it where I pulled out the last batch of homemade pizza rolls right before the first guest arrived and kept them in the oven on warm until everyone arrived. Then we ate hot homemade pizza rolls. I am going to make another batch using whole wheat flour and keep them in the freezer. When the kids want a quick snack or I don’t feel like cooking lunch, we can just pop them in the microwave and serve. Let me know if you make these. I know you will be hooked. 

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Filed Under: birthday party ideas, childrens birthday, meals, Recipes

Tips for Tuesday – Quick and Easy Breakfast

January 24, 2012 by 10 Comments


Most of us are looking for a quick and easy way to start the day. Let’s face it if the morning starts off bad, the rest of the day goes with it. Breakfast can be one of those moments where you can save a little bit of time and money. Cereal coupons are not always easy to find or always a good buy. Most of the time cereal is packed full of sugar and carbohydrates and not the most nutritious way to send the kids off to school. They will be on a sugar high and it will be difficult for them to focus during the morning. They will be hyper at first and then hit that crash after about an hour or more.
How can you reduce your morning stress, save money,
and provide good nutritious food for your kids in the morning?
One thing you can do is prepare a nutritious breakfast for the kids ahead of time. On the weekend try cooking a double batch of what you are eating on the weekends. Then you can take the leftovers and have those during the week. This provides the kids with options for breakfast.
Instead of making one pound of breakfast sausage, make two. One for eating on the weekend and put the leftovers in a container to heat up during the week. If you like bacon, make the entire package of bacon. Drain and let cool, then freeze it. Take it out as needed and pop it into the microwave for 30-60 seconds. This is also great for instant bacon bits. Bacon freezes great and comes out crispy in the microwave. This will save time and provide a great protein for the morning. 

There aren’t many people I know who like dirty dishes or like to cook a big breakfast on school mornings. A quick idea for making scrambled eggs is to spray a coffee cup with cooking spray. Then crack the egg and scramble it up in the cup and cook for 1 minute in the microwave. As soon as you get it out. Cut it up some more. This is quick and easy. You could also mix it with some of the sausage, a little cheese, put it in a tortilla and have a quick breakfast taco.
Make a double batch of muffins on the weekends and place the leftovers in the freezer. As soon as they come out of the oven put them on a cooling rack. Once they are cooled place them in a freezer bag and then in the freezer. To thaw and eat, take two out and place in the microwave for 1 min. They usually come out perfect. I use whole grain wheat and a fruit to make this a heartier muffin. I normally make them from scratch for pennies a piece. 
Pancakes are so easy to freeze and to have ready for the kids on school mornings . To add more protein to your pancakes add a half cup or whole cup Greek yogurt to your batter and decrease your liquid. Another bit of nutrition, add some frozen berries or pureed fruit to the mix. If you do both you are providing a protein and a fruit along with the carbs to make the pancake a complete meal. This will keep your kids full longer and avoid the carb crash later. I also use a multigrain pancake mix. Make a double batch. Once the pancakes are done, place them on a cooling rack to cool. Then place them in the freezer. I find they don’t stick together nearly as much after they are frozen. Then you can pop them in the toaster or microwave to thaw. Instead of syrup to top them off with some powdered sugar. It gives them the sweet taste, but they will not eat as much sugar.

If you start doing these things for your morning routine, you will find that you will not only save time, but you may also find you save money too. I have a pantry full of cereal that has not been eaten in while. The kids love the muffins and pancakes and little do they know it is good for them too! Do you any great time saving tips for the morning?

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Filed Under: Frugal living, meals, pounds 4 pennies, Recipes, Stretch meals, Time Saving Tips

Whatever Wednesday – Meatball Soup

January 11, 2012 by 3 Comments

I have been sick since Sunday. Thank goodness I picked up the Theraflu from CVS last week. I have been drinking it to relieve my stuffy head. I can’t taste or smell a thing. So last night when I was cooking dinner, I added a few spices here and there, but I didn’t know if it had the right flavor or even if it smelled good. I made meatball soup.  My husband and kids thought it tasted good, but it was fail in my book.
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I will post the recipe how it is supposed to be done and not the way I did it last night. This is a great meal to pull from your stockpile.  I didn’t take a picture because, it looked awful. I put the noodles in the slow cooker and cooked them in there instead of cooking them separately and throwing them in at the last minute. They fell apart and were very mushy. It looked like a meat ball mess, instead of meatball soup. It still tasted ok, from what I am told, but it didn’t look so good. We all ate it and little face even had some today for lunch and he ate it all. So he must have liked it. I ate for lunch too, but I couldn’t taste it today either
Soup:
1 Cup pasta 
1 Small Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1 28oz Can Whole Tomatoes & Juice
2 Small Carrots
3 Cups Chicken Broth or (1 chicken cube with 3 cups water) 
2 Table spoons Italian herb seasoning
Meatballs:
Or you could use frozen meatballs, print $1/2 Armour Meatballs coupon now!
1 lb Ground Meat
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg
½ Cup Bread Crumbs (I used Italian for more flavor)
½ teaspoon Paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste
Meatballs:
Add bread crumbs, egg, and parmesan cheese, paprika and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl and let set for a couple of minutes. Then add the ground meat. Roll into small ½ inch meatballs. Cook the meatballs in the oven at 350 for 30 min and then throw them in your pot. I like to bake mine before. They come out much firmer.
Pasta:
Cook your pasta in water in a separate pot. VERY Important step!
Soup:
Cook onions and garlic in oil over medium heat until translucent. You can puree the tomatoes and carrots in a blender or pour them in the pot with onions and garlic and use an emulsion blender to puree the mixture. I like doing it all in one pot. Less clean up. Now pour in the chicken broth. Let simmer covered for 10-15 Minutes.  Then add the pasta and the meat and let simmer for a few more minutes.
I hope you will try this soup. It really is delicious, just don’t try to cut the steps like did. I also tried to make this in the slow cooker, instead of on the stove. I wanted something to be ready when we got home. On the stove it turns out great. Tuesdays are our long days and we don’t get home until 5:00. Dinner pretty much needs to be ready when I walk in the door. I got a slow cooker cook book for Christmas, I should have gotten a recipe from there instead.
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Filed Under: meals, pounds 4 pennies, Recipes, Stockpiling, Stretch meals
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