Nanny to Mommy

I've told y'all how I'm a Hamburger Helper/Stouffer's Lasagna kind of cook. Well this Betty Crocker Recipe is seriously right up my alley. Yes it uses a box mix (the HORROR!) but it gives it a new twist. PLUS, it is great for the Holiday, you could change the colors for any other Holiday (pastel colors for Easter, Red/ Pink for Valentine's, Red/ Green for Christmas) but also it isn't scary. And I have a munchkin who is a little sensitive so finding recipes that went with Halloween, were easy to make, AND weren't scary was a hard task. And cream cheese makes everything yummier.

What You Need:
4oz each cream cheese, softened (from 8 oz package)
1 egg
3 tablespoons sugar
4 drops red food color
4 drops yellow food color
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix
Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box

What You Do:
1 - Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Grease bottom only of 9-inch square pan with shortening or cooking spray. In small bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Set aside.

2 - Make brownie batter as directed on box. Spread 3/4 of brownie batter in pan. Spoon filling by tablespoonfuls evenly onto brownie batter. Spoon remaining brownie batter over filling. For marbled design, pull knife through batter and filling in wide curves; turn pan and repeat, if desired.

3 - Bake 40 to 44 minutes or until toothpick inserted 1 inch from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely at room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until chilled. For brownies, cut with plastic knife into 4 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

This recipe can be found HERE along with many other good ones plus other money saving coupons (and you all know how much I love coupons). :)

I received complimentary products to provide this post. All opinions are my own.   Although I have an intense passion for music, I don't usually express it on my blog. I was in choir for seven years. So I love music with strong vocals. I was given the opportunity to review this album before it hits store, and being a music lover I jumped at the opportunity to participate.



I have honestly never heard of Chris Mann. Is that terrible? Have I been living under a rock? He was a contestant on The voice and what is so cool about that is, you can hear Christina Aguilera on "Blower's Daughter". "Blowers Daughter" is off Chris' new album, Roads, available in stores and online October 31st. Which you will be able to buy on iTunes and Amazon.
First of all, I would just like to say, I think Chris Mann is adorable. Just look at him. *SWOON* Anyways, what makes me bat my eyes at him even more is his sweet, sultry voice. But look at me gushy. I'm acting like I'm in high school or something. I really love listening to his music. And when I say love, I mean he is now a regular music in my playlist. You can now officially call me a Mann Fan!

So my question to my readers is, could you imagine how being on this show changed his life? He was just a contestant and whether he won or not, he signed a record deal. How amazing is that?

****Disclosure: This is a review post from One2One Network. I was provided with a copy of the album and I am eligible for a prize drawing. All opinions stated are my own. To view my full disclosure, please go HERE. Thanks!****

I have really been letting the housework slide lately. I did scrub the kitchen from top to bottom (except for the floors) earlier this week. I always need to clean up toys, do laundry, and clear off the kitchen table. There's yard work that always need to be done.

I use to do a post called Housewife Bootcamp but the blogger I got the idea from, no longer blogs and I can't get in touch with. But I want to continue this. I think every week I should include Housewife things that will improve my house, myself, and my sanity, as I think I'm going to go crazy with all this clutter everywhere.



This week's To Do:
1. Laundry.
If I don't put it on here, it won't get done. Plus my daughter decided to take off her diaper this morning and got poop everywhere. It was awesome waking up to the horrendous smell of feces. So I'm still backed up from that, no pun intended.

2. Cook at least three home cooked meals, one none boxed.
I am a Stouffer's lasagna, Hamburger Helper kind of chef. I get it cheap after coupons and I'm tired after watching two almost two-years-olds all day. I have a crock pot and a George Forman. Real home cooked meals can be done. I actually did this already this week! (I made this post last Sunday but never posted it.)

3. Clean off the table and keep it clear all week.
Bills, bills, bills. I clutter the table with mail mostly. My goal in order to accomplish this task is to find a good place to keep my mail. Starting FREEbie Friday's haul isn't going to help. I need to work on organization.

4. Make up the beds everyday.
I am terrible at making up the beds but I love crawling into a made up bed. Do I make up the bed before I crawl in? No. We have to shuffle the covers around though. And that's obnoxious when you are tired at the end of the day.

5. Put on make-up everyday.
I want to look nice not only for myself but for my hubby. I may not be going anywhere but I think he would enjoy it. I am also going to start vlogging more and I want to look nice for y'all. :)

So what are some things you are going to start improving this week? Working out more? Dusting? Trying a fancy Pinterest worthy recipe? Planning more activities for the kiddos? Could be anything! If people want to start making their own posts like this, then I will make a linky. What do you think? Let me know!

Hubby and I did go to Kroger earlier this week (Sunday) but I didn't record that trip and have since lost the receipt. It was uneventful although I did get free Crest toothpaste. By the way, NEVER pay for toothpaste. I don't care if it is $0.10. Why pay for something that you can get for FREE? :)

This trip my friend took me and we took the girl's to the Fall Festival at Hubby's store and got FREE candy and had a LOT of fun. :)

I did the Huggies and Green Mountain catalina deals that I have been talking about all week over on my Facebook page. So here's how the deal went down:

Huggies/Pull-Ups/Goodnights catalina - Buy $20 in products get $5 off your next shopping order catalina
Bought:
Huggies size 4 BOX on sale $18.99
- $1.50/1 direct email from Huggies coupon
Huggies wipes $1.99
- $1/1 Huggies wipes from Oct All You Magazine
Total before coupons: $20.98
After coupons and catalina: $13.48
Other coupons you can use to make your own catalina scenario (let me know how they turn out! :]):
$2/1 package of GoodNites Underware
$2/1 Huggies Little Movers Slip-On Diapers
$1/1 Pull-Ups Flushable Wipes$2/1 Pull-Ups Training Pants Jumbo size or larger $1/1 Pull-Ups Night time Training Pants or Share on social networks and get $2/1
PLUS this deal is even sweeter because I bought a box with $5 in coupons inside! :D

****UPDATE 10/31: This deal is STILL AVAILABLE and just got EVEN SWEETER with the NEW Coupons.com Coupons $3/1 Huggies Snug & Dry Jumbo Pack or Larger!!!! (if you don't see it try zip code 30303. Print NOW this coupon will NOT last long!

Green Mountain Fair Trade Coffee Catalina -
Buy 2 12 ct K-cups get $2 off next shopping order catalina PLUS free gift code
Bought:
2 Green Mountain 12ct K-Cups Breakfast Blend @ $7.79 (Not what they were priced on Sunday so this deal was a BUST but I still thought it was good because it was cheaper than the others and we needed coffee)
- 2 $1/1 from sample packs from bzz campaign (HERE's a $1/1 Facebook IP or HERE's one for the Natural) Total after coupons and catalina: $11.58 or $5.79 or $0.48 per k-cup
(BTW my FREE gift was a $0.50/1 coupon.... :/.... I can get a $1/1 right on their Facebook page!)

Total Spent: $32.06
Total Percentage Saved after catalinas: 58% so NOT BAD! :D

So how did you do? At the bottom of this post is a place for you to show your own brag worthy purchases! If you don’t have a blog or vlog, feel free to leave a comment on this post letting me know how you did shopping this week!

As most of you know I am a proud member of Bzz Agent and recently I was fortunate enough to be invited to review Green Mountain Fair Trade coffee.



First of all the coffee is a little strong but a GREAT pick-me-up. And I am excited that right now you can score an awesome deal at Kroger on Green Mountain Fair Trade coffee 12 ct K-cups!
Here's the deal:
Green Mountain Coffee 12 ct K-cups $6.49
Catalina Deal: Buy 2, Get a $2 off your next shopping order catalina
Buy 2 and Use 2 $1/1 IP Facebook coupons found HERE or $1/1 for Natural found HERE
Total after coupon & catalina: $8.98 or $4.49 each OR $0.37 PER K-CUP!


PLUS Score a FREE gift! Just enter the code you get at checkout HERE. Some people have reported getting a $10 Kroger gift card!

The reason why Green Mountain has changed to Green Mountain Fair Trading, is because they are simply that. Fair Traders. Now let's take a moment to think about what that means:

Definition of Fair Trading according to First Fair Trade Town, USA:

"Fair Trade is a tool for reducing poverty in developing nations. It's a form of trade that builds equitable and long-term partnerships between producers in developing regions of the world and consumers in the north. Fair Trade guarantees many things including the following.

Producers receive a minimum set price for their goods, financial and technical support, healthy and safe working conditions, economic development of their communities, and educational opportunities for their children.

Consumers receive excellent products plus the peace of mind that comes with knowing they are actively addressing poverty, preserving the environment, and promoting an end to child labor.

The planet receives a chance at health and healing since Fair Trade actively promotes sustainable farming techniques, biodiversity, and bird and animal habitat preservation."

Grace Potter and Michael Franti are helping spread the word about how important Fair Trade is through source trips and right now if you visit Green Mountain's Facebook Page, you can get an idea of what they are doing by watching LIVE-STREAMING of their concerts.

Now that you know a little more about Fair Trading, what are your thoughts? Are you going to make an effort to buy products that are produced through Fair Trading? Do you want companies to have to prove their Fair Trading status on their labels? Please share you thoughts on the topic.