Let's all go to the movies!

I love going on dates with my man, but I hate when it costs an arm and a leg to do so. Let's face it, I am not a graceful person. Taking one of my arms and my legs is sure not to help this problem. Trust me, I'm already struggling with this bump that has taken place around my middle section. I can't tell you the number of things/people I have bumped into this last week.

Luckily I learned about Gofobo on one of the deal sites I follow. So I can keep my arms and my legs intact and use them when we need to pay for gas. Because of Gofobo last week we not only got to go see a movie for free, we got to see a movie that doesn't even come out until next month. Score! I got double bonus points because it was one that my husband was really excited about, Here Comes the Boom.

Signing up and using gofobo is a piece of cake. You go to their website and find this little helper in the upper left corner.  Enter in your zipcode, and just a little to the right there is a tab for screenings. Click search/the screening tab to see what movies are showing your area. (You probably should sign up for a gofobo account to get accurate data. I personally use my e-mail because I think facebook gives way to much information to people.)

Under the screenings tab you should see a couple of movies listed. They will tell you the time and the place. They will also tell you if there are any tickets available. You are looking for the little green box that says "open screening." Click on that, enter in your account info and see if there are any available passes left. Sometimes even though it says "open screening" there are no spaces.

If there are (do a little happy dance) and tell them how many tickets you want. (1-2) Gofobo will then send your tickets to the email you registered with. Print them out and take them to the address listed. Try to be at least 30 minutes early because they give out more tickets than they actually have seats. I like to bring a book. Be aware they will take your cellphone (or any recording device on your person) and give it back to you at the end of the movie.

Enjoy the movie. Fill out the small survey they send to your e-mail and check the website often to find tickets to new shows. Tada! A new cheap date idea to add to your list. Check gofobo out and let me know what movie you get to see.

White Bean Chicken Chili

I'm sure this recipe has been around for a while, but I was only introduced to it last year. Since then I have made it pretty regularly. Mr. WB doesn't mind as long as I keep it to soup once a week. I personally could live off soup every day. He can not. A small fact I learned rather quickly in our marriage.

The reason I love this soup? It is super easy. Trust me! The hardest part is getting all cans open. Especially if you have one of those "safe" can openers that make you go around 3 times.

What you need:

2 chicken breasts, cooked & cubed (missing from my picture, but included)

2 cans of northern white beans, rinsed

1 can of corn, drained

1 can of green chilis

1 can of chicken broth

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 c. sour cream (I substituted greek yogurt)

1/2 c. heavy cream * 

Open all the cans; rinse the beans, drain the corn, and add everything (minus the creams) into your pot. Let the mixture simmer for a couple of minutes so the flavors soak together. Lower the heat and add the two creams. Keep the heat on low until the whole pot is nice and warm. Do not boil this soup. (Cream is not meant to be boiled.) Dish up and enjoy!

It makes enough to feed 3-4 adults, so it is perfect for inviting over another couple for dinner. I love to serve this soup with bread and a side salad. If I am feeling very adventurous they get dessert too. Tonight we settled for oreos and milk because Oreos just turned 100 and you know we had to celebrate. 

* I used a substitute recipe since I almost never have heavy cream on hand. For one cup of heavy cream combine a 3/4 cup of milk with 1/3 cup of melted butter. Since this recipe only calls for a half cup of heavy cream I halved that. I used about little less than a 1/2 cup of milk and about 3 T of melted butter. (This could possibly be terribly wrong, because fractions were never my best subject and I have pregnancy brain. But my soup still tasted delicious.) Do not let your mixture sit for too long or it will start to separate like you can see in my lovely photo.

Weekly Menu Plan - 9/24

Last week's favorite meal was Eggies in a Basket. My husband made the Eggies and I finally made the breakfast potatoes I have been meaning to make for the last couple of weeks. 

I used tabasco sauce for the first time, and realized it is not like catsup. When they say 10 dashes they mean exactly that. Do not go crazy like me and double the amount. It still tastes ok but it makes your nose and eyes water. Which is probably not what the Best Bites Ladies were intending. Next time we might halve the ingredients too. We had way to much food for 2 people. :)

This Week's Menu Plan

Monday: Curry Rice
I love curry. Last week we bought a new 20 lb. bag of rice. The checker at the grocery store thought it was massive. Ha! In Japan we ate rice ever day. Here I am lucky if I can squeeze it in twice a week. I am so excited!

Tuesday: Chicken Casserole - Brocoli, Chicken, Stuffing, and Cheese
Sounds familiar? That's because we didn't get to it last week. We had some crazy schedule changes. But we did get to see Here Comes the Boom for free, so I can't complain very much. I'm not a Kevin James fan, but I liked it a lot and recommend it.

Wednesday: Leftover Buffet
I'm really excited. Mr. WB and I are going to go see Owl City in concert. I am in love with their new album, The Midsummer Station.


Thursday: White Bean Chicken Chili with Corn Bread
We hope to have some new friends over for dinner. This soup is super easy to make and tastes delicious!

Friday: Stew
This may change depending on what Mr. WB plans for date night.

Saturday: OYO
I have plans to attend a women's conference. So Mr. WB will be on his own. He might have leftovers, pizza bites, or Mac N Cheese. 

Sunday: Two Timin' Pasta
Another recipe I have been meaning to make that hasn't quite made it to the table. Maybe this weekend?

Want to find more ideas for a weekly menu plan? Look at some of my past posts by clicking on Menu to the left or visit the orgjunkie.

Weekly Menu Post - 9/17

Last week's favorite meal was Taco Rice. It was perfect after a day of running around. We also scrapped one of our dinner's and made pizza instead. Life get's busy. That's why I buy the frozen pizza's when they are on sale. We like Digiorno best but aren't too picky.

This Week's Menu Plan

Monday: Penne with Spinach and Feta
I am always looking for new recipes to try out and add to our rotation. This one has high ratings on allrecipes.com so I am giving it a shot.

Tuesday: Rotisserie Chicken with stuffing and mashed potatoes
I love getting a good chicken from the market. Whip up some stuffing and some mashed potatoes and you have one happy husband.

Wednesday: Chicken, brocoli, cheese, and stuffing casserole
Tastiest way to cook leftover chicken and stuffing. Lay down a layer of chicken, broccoli, cheese and top with stuffing. Bake in the oven until the cheese melts and everything tastes divine.

Thursday: Eggies in a basket, muffins, juice
The Office Season Premiere is tonight. What better way to celebrate then freshly baked Dunder Muffins and bacon cooked on my George Foreman? 

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Mom's Birthday Dinner
I love it when we all go out to eat to celebrate a birthday. 

Sunday: Family Dinner

Want to find more ideas for a weekly menu plan? Look at some of my past posts by clicking on Menu to the left or visit the orgjunkie.

Shopping Online with Ebates

Remember how I confessed my hatred of bacon? Well that is just the start of my weird confessions. I imagine by the time I finish writing this blog, I will have no secrets left. I also hate shopping. I know. A woman who hates to shop.

I could never be this girl. The one who shops every day. My husband gets excited when he can get me to go mall crawling/window shopping for more than an hour. If I get something for myself he is ecstatic. Seriously. My husband loves to shop. Especially when it comes to electronics. This is one of his favorite stores to shop. He was counting down the days until the 12th and made me stay up late so he could order the new iPhone 5. Love that man. But must we check Mac Rumors before going to bed every night? I just don't get it.

I hate to shop! But I have a couple of exceptions. They are groceries, books, and shopping for another person. I know, I am unique. But there is something about having food on your shelves, a book in your hand, and the knowledge that you are going to bring a smile to someone else's face. I love it.

Source: imgfave.com via Madison on Pinterest

Today I did something unusual. I went shopping online. I have to say I almost liked it. And I bought something for myself without being prompted, goaded or bullied into it. The reason?

Ebates. They are so sneaky. They send me emails every couple of days with great deals. And every once in a while they get me. But boy, am I a hard sell. Today they got me with a 20% off coupon to a store I knew I had a giftcard for in my wallet. This store also happened to be having a sale of their own. So I got almost $60 worth for $5 from my budget. I told you I am a hard sell. And the best part? I'm getting back 2% of what I bought. Satisfied smile :D If only shipping and handling wasn't so expensive. :(

Ebates is an online website. You join for free. If you do a lot of shopping online (Ahem. Dad!) then you should probably check it out. What happens is before you log on to the site you usually shop at, you log into Ebates. Then you find the shop on one of their lists. You click on the shop name and it takes you directly to the shop's site. Boom. You do your normal shopping and Ebates will save some of the money you spent (usually 1-6%) and give it back to you. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. You just saved some money. Sometimes Ebates will even tell you coupon codes to help you save money or get you free shipping. Isn't that nice?

Ebates is a free way of helping you save a little bit of money doing your normal online shopping. As the holidays loom closer and closer, do yourself a favor and check it out. It all adds up and then you have a little extra spending money.

I like Ebates and try to remember to use it every time I shop online. I don't make a ton of money back, but I love getting checks from them in the mail.

P.S. Once you get started you can even get money from Ebates for sharing the good news with your friends. Share the love and get more money to shop. A win win situation.

Weekly Menu Plan - 9/10

This Week's Menu Plan

Monday: Leftover Funeral Potatoes
This last weekend we went and visited my family. My mom knows how much I love her potatoes so she sent me home with two full containers. We are slowly making our way through one container and placed the other in the freezer for a lazy day. I tried to find the recipe online, but everyone has a different interpretation and I like ours best. Look for a recipe soon. 

Tuesday: Spaghetti with sausage
One day I will learn how to make my own spaghetti sauce. Until then I will stick with the stuff they sell at the store. It was on sale, and we haven't had spaghetti in ages.

Wednesday: Taco Rice
One of my husband's favorite meals. He could probably eat it once a week. We brown hamburger meat and add taco seasoning. Then we place that meat on a bed of rice. Finally we pile on the toppings. Lettuce, cheese, salsa, and the secret ingredient, crushed Taco flavored Doritos Chips. The real reason we are having Taco Rice? Avocados are on sale and I want some of my husband's delicious guacamole. Mmmmm.

Thursday: Breakfast Potatoes and Eggs
A couple of weeks ago I posted I was going to make this recipe. I haven't yet. So in an effort to try to replicate a recipe by the Best Bites crew I am placing it on the menu again. :)

Friday: Eat Out
Mr. WB is signed up to run a race this weekend. Which means meal times will be rough. So we are eating out. 

Saturday: Stew
I love easy dinners. And this stew is perfect because you throw all the ingredients in and walk away. Best idea ever. 

Sunday: Two Timing Pasta
I really love this recipe. I also love the fact that it makes a lot of food. Perfect for inviting over one of the couples from church so we can get to know them better. (I'm waiting on one of my girlfriends to send me the recipe so you get detailed measurements. Another recipe worth adding to your rotation.)

Want to find more ideas for a weekly menu plan? Look at some of my past posts by clicking on Menu to the left or visit the orgjunkie.

Weekly Menu Plan - 9/3

This Week's Menu Plan

Monday: Family Dinner
Mr. WB was in high heaven with all you can eat crab. He loves holidays! :) I need to get him his own crab cracker so I can cook some at home for special occasions.

Tuesday: Chicken, veggies, orzo, and salad
I recently learned about orzo and I have fallen in love. It adds a different element to our normal dinner rotation. I like to cook the chicken in a little bit of butter with italian seasoning. I switch up the vegetables I cook with it. Usually it contains carrots and onions.

Wednesday: French Toast, OJ
Using up extra bread, milk, and eggs in a delicious dinner. I can't wait. Recently pregnant cravings seem to be more sugar based. Last week, my husband asked me what I wanted for dinner and I said syrup. No joke. We had leige waffles. I need to learn how to make these myself. Step one: buying Belgium Pearl Sugar. Mmmm. Sugar.

Thursday: Chicken Tacos
Defrosting leftover chicken taco meat from the freezer. Adding cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and fresh tortillas for an easy and healthy dinner. I need to share this recipe with you. Hopefully it gets done this week. :)

Friday: Chili and rice
Keeping it simple.

Saturday: Eat Out

Sunday: OYO Leftovers

Want to find more ideas for a weekly menu plan? Look at some of my past posts by clicking on Menu to the left or visit the orgjunkie.