Recipe Cinnamon Swirl French Toast

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?

Find more great savings deals and steals join Pounds4Pennies on: 

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Friday Finals - Kroger, Tom Thumb, Sprouts, Walgreens, CVS

I have been a shopping fool this week. I am over budget again, but I am not shopping next week for sure. Sometimes a good deal is hard to pass up. With prices increasing and the amount on the coupons decreasing, if I find a deal I grab it. However, I think I am buying more wants than needs lately. I need to reassess my shopping and cut back to needs only.

Stop by to see the great shopping trips from these fabulous sites from last week. The top clickiest from last week are:

Grocery Shop for FREE

Lamberts Lately

Your Mama Said What

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This is only half a all I purchased this week.

Tom Thumb 03/06/12

4 Kraft Cheese B1G1 $3.99 – $1.35/2 Kroger Home Mailer, $0.50/2 doubled Kraft Cheese Printable

            -Final $1.40 each avg.

2 Ducan Hines Cake Mix $1.25 - 2 $0.35 tripled, Duncan Hines Cake Mix

            -Final $0.20

6 Quaker Oatmeal B1G1 $3.39 – 2 $1/3 Quaker Oatmeal Moments to Save

            -Final $1.36 each

2 Cream of Wheat $3.99 each - $1/2 Cream of Wheat

            -Final $3.49 each

4 Progresso Soup $0.99 - $1/4 Progresso Soup GM 02/05/12

            -Final $0.74 each

I also used a $2.00 off your next shopping order I got from my granola bar purchase before. I went back later that day to get the Duncan Hines Cake mix for $0.20, since Tom Thumb will only double or triple one coupon. Cake mix for $0.20 is just too good to pass up.

I spent $21.77 and saved $33.09 on $54.86 worth of groceries this shopping trip.

Tom Thumb 03/08/12

1 Community Coffee $4.99

            -Final $4.99

1 Cheese Nips $1.67

            -Final $1.67

2 Bear Creek Soup B1G1 $4.49 - $1/1 Bear Creek Soup SS 10/23/12

            -Final $1.75

1 4 roll Toilette Paper $0.99

            -Final $0.99

1 Package Pork Chops 50% off $10.61

            -Final $5.30

1 Odwalla Bar $1.00 - $0.15/1 Tripled Odwalla Bar SS 01/08/12 <on sale until April>

            -Final $0.55

I used $3.00 off my next order I got from the cheese from my previous purchase.

I paid $13.82 and saved $18.93 on $32.75 worth of food and necessary items this trip. I am going to keep getting the Odwalla bar. This was delicious. I had planned on rolling my $3.00 for frozen items, but I left my coupons on the table. DARN.

Kroger 03/08/12

2 Gogurts $1.99 - $0.75/2 Gogurt Printable NLA

            -Final $1.61each

2 Kettle Low Fat Chips $2.29 – 2 $1/1 Kettle Brand Chips, RP 01/08/12

            -Final $1.29 each

4 Progresso Soups $1.35 - $1/4 Progresso Soup, GM 02/05/12

            -Final $1.10 each

1 Starbucks 4 pack $4.99

            -Final $4.99

2 Helluva Dips 1 $0.60 clearance, 1 $1.49 – 2 $0.75/1 blinkie coupon

            -Final $0.30 each

1 Kroger Sliced Cheese $2.99

            -Final $2.99

1Oreo 2.98 - $1.50/1 Kroger eCoupon – During Cart Busters

            -Final $1.48

2 Ortega Taco shells $1.50 - $0.50/2 Ortega Products 01/15/12

            -Final $1.25 each

2 Tortillas clearance $0.99 each

            -Final $0.99 each

1 WaterChestnuts $0.79

            -Final $0.79

I spent $26.61 and saved $13.29 on $39.90 worth of groceries at Kroger. The Helluva sour cream and onion dips were all clearanced to $0.60 each, this was a $0.15 money maker for me. The blinkie was right on the door too.

Sprouts

1.8 lbs of sunflower seeds $3.58

1 Pepper Jack cheese $4.56

1 Pork Roast $7.90

I paid $16.04 for groceries at Sprouts.

Walgreens

2 Soft Soap $4.49– 2 $0.50/1 Soft Soap SS 02/12/12

2 Kettle Chips $1.99 - $1/1 Kettle brand Chips RP 01/08/12

Used $3.00 RR

Received $3.00 RR

OOP $5.39

I spent $5.39 on groceries and necessary items and saved $6.00 on $11.39 worth of products.

CVS

3 Revlon Top Speed Nail Polish $4.79 each

1 CVS Training pants $6.99

Used:

$3.00 CVS redbox coupon Revlon Cosmetic item Printed a while back

$2.00 ECBs

$7.00 ECBs

$4.00 ECBs

Received:

$9.00 ECB on nail polish

$2.00 ECB on Training Pants

OOP $5.36

I paid $5.36 and saved $16.00 on $21.36 worth of products at CVS this week.

Altogether I spent $85.99 and saved $87.31 on $173.30 for groceries and healthcare items this week.

Want to reduce your grocery budget read my series on

How to Start Couponing 

How did you do this week? One of the best ways to learn good strategies is reading how others shop. LINKY is open below.

Find more great savings deals and steals join Pounds4Pennies on: 

BlogFrog community - COUPONS                      Facebook                                                          Google +

Recipe Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

2 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour (I used 2 Cups 100% Whole Wheat & 1/4 cup Buckwheat)

1 teaspoon Baking Soda (I add a little more, since I am using Whole Wheat)

1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

½ teaspoon salt

2 Eggs

2 cups Sugar (You can use less. These turned out very sweet)

1 Cup Canned Pumpkin (I used pumpkin I had pureed in the freezer)

½ cup Vegetable Oil

1 cup dried cranberries

1. In bowl combine the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt.

2. In a separate mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar; then add the pumpkin and oil mix well.

3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until moistened. Then fold in the cranberries.

4. Fill greased muffin tins ¾ full.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-22 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from pan.

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The Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins have a great blend of tartness of the cranberries and the sweetness of the pumpkin that blends well together. They were very moist and almost melted in my mouth when we ate them.  The sugar caramelized to make the edges a little crispy.They still are very moist and delicious after you freeze them. I know you will enjoy these.


I let them cool on a wire rack. Then I place  Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins  in a large gallon freezer bag and freeze for the kids to take out and enjoy every morning before school. Pop 2 of them in the microwave for about a minute. Let me know if you try these delicious muffins.

I have switched all of my flour use to 100% Whole Wheat flour. The biggest difference I have noticed it is more dense than regular white four and a little more grainy in texture. The kids don't seem to mind. The flavor is great. The whole wheat flour has little more nuttier flavor than the bland white flour. There is  more nutrition in using whole grains than processed and bleached products and your body can digest this better. I would recommend going whole grain before going gluten free.

I am thinking of adding a linky to my Wednesday recipe posts. Let me know if you would be interested in a recipe linky?


Find more great savings deals and steals join Pounds4Pennies on: 

BlogFrog community - COUPONS                       Facebook                                                                Google +

Super Saving Saturday

Here are a ton of new coupons to print for the month of March:


Baby & Toddler

•   $1.50 off ONE Pampers Cruisers or Baby Dry Diapers
•   $1.50 off ONE Pampers Swaddlers Diapers
•   $0.75 off ONE Pampers Wipes 60 ct or larger
• $3.00 off AVENT Multi-pack BPA-Free Baby Bottles 
• $1.50 off AVENT BPA-Free Toddler Cup
• $1.00 off THREE gallons of GERBER® PURE™ Water 
• $1.50 off when you buy any ONE AVENT Pacifier Pack
• 75¢ off Gerber® Graduates® Fruit Pick-Ups™ / Veg Pick-Ups™ 
• 75¢ off Gerber® Graduates® Breakfast Buddies™ Hot Cereal 

Food

•  $1.00 off any 3 General Mills Cereals
•  $0.50 off two Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts
•  $0.75 off two Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough
•  $0.40 off three Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls
•  $0.40 off two Pillsbury or Grands! Sweet Rolls
•  $1.00 off 2 Cheerios cereals
•  $0.40 off six Yoplait Yogurts
• $1.50 off NESCAFÉ® TASTER'S CHOICE® or CLASICO™ 
• 75¢ off when you buy any ONE Dean's® Heat 'n Eat Dip 
• $1.00 off POST Honey Bunches of Oats NEW Fruit Blends 
• $1.40 off when you buy EIGHT HOT POCKETS® Brand Items 
• 50¢ off when you buy any THREE Cans of DOLE® Tropical Fruit
• $1.85 off when you buy any ONE Birds Eye® Voila® Product 
• 40¢ off when you buy THREE Totino's® Rolls Snacks 
• 40¢ off when you buy THREE Pillsbury® Crescent Dinner Rolls 
• 50¢ off when you buy ONE BOX Lucky Charms® cereal 
• $1.00 off when you buy any TWO BOXES select Cheerios® cereal 
• $1.00 off when you buy any TWO BOXES General Mills cereals
• 50¢ off 4.5 OZ./ LARGER Chex Mix® OR Chex® 100 Calorie Snack 
• 30¢ off when you buy any Yoplait® Lactose-Free Yogurt cups 
• 50¢ off when you buy EIGHT CUPS any variety Yoplait® Yogurt 
• 40¢ off Pillsbury® Sweet Rolls OR Grands!® Sweet Rolls 
• 75¢ off when you buy ONE BOX Cookie Crisp® cereal 
• 75¢ off Pillsbury® Refrigerated Cookie Dough 
• 50¢ off Pillsbury® Rolled Refrigerated Pie Crusts 
• 65¢ off when you buy ONE Knorr® Homestyle Stock 

Personal Care

•  $1.00 off one imPRESS Press-on Manicure
•  $1.50 off any JOHNSON'S NATURAL product
•  $3.00 off any Slo-Niacin
•  $1.00 off one Bronkaid product
• $5.00 off Philips Norelco Shaving Replacement Head Printable Coupon
• $1.25 off when you buy any ONE Disney or Marvel Vitamins
• $1.25 off Glucerna® Multi-Pack Bars or Multi-Pack Shakes 
• $2.00 off any ONE Bausch and Lomb Soothe® dry eye product
• $1.40 off when you buy any NatureSmart Ester-C® item 
• $1.10 off Nature's Bounty® Vitamins or Supplements 

Household

• $0.50 off ON (1) BOTTLE OF ANY PALMOLIVE
• $0.99 off SCOTT Naturals™ Flushable Wipes Tub or Refill  
• $0.99 off when you buy SIX or more rolls of SCOTT® Towels 
• $0.99 off SCOTT Naturals™ Bath Tissue
• $0.99 off SCOTT® Extra Soft Bath Tissue
• $0.99 off when you buy 6+ rolls of SCOTT Naturals™ Towels 
• $0.99 off SCOTT® 1000 ct. Bath Tissue
• 75¢ off two Cottonelle Fresh Care™ Flushable Moist Wipes 
• 50¢ off when you buy any ONE Comet® Stainless steel cleaner
• $3.00 off Osteo Bi-Flex® Supplement or Powder

Pets

• $1.00 off when you buy 6 cans of Mighty Dog® brand dog food 

Misc

• $2.00 off when you purchase any PEOPLE® Magazine 
• Video Reward: Knorr Homestyle Stock Printable Coupon 
• Video Reward: NatureSmart Ester-C® Printable Coupon 
• Video Reward: Nature's Bounty® Vitamins or Supplements Printable Coupon

Affiliate Links are used in this post. I may get a commission if you click on any of the links above.

Friday Finals - Kroger, Tom Thumb, Sprouts, CVS, Walgreens

I have announced my winners for the two giveaways I had on Purex items. Stop by my Giveaways page to see if you won. 


Also I am still looking for five guest bloggers to post on the week of 12-16 contact me or post a comment and I will get back to you. Looking for articles you have written or want to write on topics such as:

Frugal living ideas

Ways to save money - not grocery related

Couponing ideas

Any tips concerning cooking, cleaning, organizing

Fun kid activities 

Here are the most clickiest links from last week:

Couponaholic

Frugal Follies

Durham Deals

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Now on to savings totals:

Kroger 

1 Perdue Chicken $2.50 - $1/1 Perdue Chicken Kroger eCoupon

            -Final $1.50

1 Armour Pepperoni $3.00 - $1/1 Armour Pepperoni catalina

            -Final $2.00

2 Gortons Fish $3.25 - $1/1 Gorton’s Product Printable

            -Final $3.00 each

1 Kroger Cheese $1.67

1 Kroger Butter $2.25

1 Kraft Easy Mac & Cheese $1.19 – FREE Kroger Daytona days

            -Final FREE – I LOVE FREE

1 Package Kroger Chicken Breasts $7.20 - $1.50/7 lbs meat Kroger Home Mailer

            -Final $5.70

I spent $18.62 and saved $16.11 on $34.73 mostly on meat this shopping trip. My daughter loves those Kraft Mac & Cheese cups, since she can take them to school for lunch. I am also trying to change from margarine to Butter. Butter just seems more natural than all the other artificial ingredients in margarine.

Tom Thumb

1 Wesson Canola Oil $2.99

2 18 Count Eggs $1.99 each Store coupon

8 Milk 50% off clearance $1.04 each – I plan on freezing these

2 International Delight creamer $2.49 Each store coupon - $1/2 Peelie coupon

            -Final $1.99 each

1 Martha White Muffins $1.19 - $0.35 tripled RP 11/13/11

            -Final $0.14

3 Cans Hunts Tomatoes $0.89 each store coupon - $0.45/3 doubled Hunts Tomatoes SS 1/22/12

            -Final $0.59 each

1 Starkist Tuna pouch $1.25 - $0.50/1 doubled Tuna Pouch March All YOU MAG

            -Final $0.25

2 Kettle Chips $1.98 each Store Q - $1/1 Kettle Chips RP 01/08/12

            -Final $1.48 each

I spent $23.99 and saved $23.95 on $47.95 worth of food. Since I now have milk and bread and I am stocked up on nearly everything. The only thing I am a little low on is lunch meat.  

Sprouts

.42lbs Dried Cranberries @ $2.99 lb

            -Final $1.26

4 So Delicious Coconut Milk 1 Qt $1.79 each – 4 $1/1 So Delicious Product

            -Final $0.79 each

3 Clif Bars $0.89 each – 1 is missing from the pic. It was too good I ate it.

1 lb Asparagus @ $0.99 lb

            -Final $0.99

2 Avocados $0.69 each

2 Organic Seed Packets $1.99 - $2/2 Seeds of Change March ALL You

            -Final $1.98

1 Garden Kit $3.99 - $2/1 Seeds of Change Garden Kit. March ALL You

            -Final $1.99

I spent $13.45 and saved $8.00 on fresh food and groceries this trip. The two seed kits will not go towards my grocery budget this week. But I did want to show you this awesome deal. How awesome to get organic seeds and also have coupons for them? I was excited, since I looked at these last week, but thought it was a little expensive. Then I found the coupon. Woo Hoo.

Walgreens

1^st Transaction

6 Boxes of Gelatin $0.10 each clearance

            -Final $0.10 each

1 Burts Bees Throat Drop Honey $1.99

OOP

$2.59

Received

$2.00 RR for the Burts Bees.

2^nd Transaction

1 5 Blade mens razor $3.99

Used:

$2.00 from Previous transaction

OOP:

$2.15

Received:

$3.00 RR for the Razor

CVS

1 Can Lindsey Black Olives $0.99

1 Hydro Razor $8.49

1 Colgate Toothbrush $3.99

1 Physicians Formula Blush $12.79

Used:

$4.00/1 Schick Hydro 5 Razor SS 02/26/12

$0.75/1 Colgate Toothbrush SS 02/26/12

$1/1 Physicians Formula SS 02/12/12

$4 ECBs

$1 ECB

$6.99 ECB

OOP:

$8.53

Received:

$4.00 ECB Schick Hydro

$7.00 ECB Physicians Formula

$2.00 Colgate reward

So I made money this trip!

I may not need to go shopping next week. Wow what will I do with all my free time? Any suggestions 

Altogether I spent $65.36 and saved $63.80 for groceries and healthcare items this week.*

*I did not include my seed cost or savings in these totals.

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Want to reduce your grocery budget checkout my

How to Start Couponing Beginners Guide

Find more great deals join Pounds4Pennies BlogFrog community or stay connected with Pounds4Pennies on Facebook  for MUCH MORE great savings and deals and steals.

How did your savings go this week? Looking at how others save is the best way to learn great couponing strategies and where good deals are.