CVS Deal through 4/4

Just wanted to share a quick, great deal from CVS this week on toothpaste. This week on Colgate Optic White 3oz toothpaste, CVS has a Buy 2, get $4 Extracare Bucks to use on your next purchase. They are also currently on sale 2/$7.88 bringing them to $3.94 each. There is also a $2 off 1 Colgate Optic White manufacturer's coupon online you can print. Here is the matchup:

Buy (2) Colgate Optic White Toothpaste 3oz at 2/$7.88
Use (2) $2/1 Colgate Optic White Toothpaste 3oz or larger (printable manufacturer's coupon)
Pay $3.88 plus tax!

You can make this deal even sweeter if you have any leftover ECB's from last week like I did. I got an extra $1 off using mine. Comment below if you find other great deals!

Italian Turkey and Spaghetti Squash Pie

Have you ever tried spaghetti squash? It's emerged over the past few years as a great, low carb alternative to pasta. It's great because it doesn't have much of a flavor on its on, and it tends to take on whatever flavor you cook it with. It also doesn't leave you with that heavy and bloated feeling that pasta usually does. And it's a vegetable!!!

I've had spaghetti squash at restaurants before, but I was nervous to tackle the task of making it myself. I have to say it was fairly easy. I think the most difficult part was cutting the squash in half before baking it. After searching for a fairly easy recipe to try to this with, I found one on weightwatchers.com that sounded like something Eddie, my picky eater, might actually find edible. Well, he ended up really liking it! 

I actually ended up using an extra 1/4 pound of turkey and extra shredded cheese because my spaghetti squash was on the larger side. I also ended up using a larger casserole dish so everything could fit well. So here it is along with the link:

Italian Turkey and Spaghetti Squash Pie

Serves 6

Ingredients:

- 1 medium uncooked spaghetti squash
- 1/2 pound ground turkey breast
- 2 tsp olive oil   
- 1 small onion, chopped   
- 1 (medium) garlic clove, minced   
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained   
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning, or more to taste   
- 6 oz fat-free ricotta cheese   
- 1 large eg 
- cooking spray, nonstick   
- 1/2 cup shredded fat free mozzarella cheese 

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Halve squash lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Place squash, cut sides down, in a large baking dish and prick skin all over with a fork. Bake until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.
  
• Meanwhile, cook turkey, stirring occasionally, in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain, remove from skillet and set aside.
  
• In a same skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and Italian seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; add cooked turkey and simmer, stirring often, until desired consistency, about 5 minutes.
  
• Place ricotta and egg in a food processor or blender; puree until smooth.
  
• Coat a 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. Remove squash from oven and increase oven temperature to 375ºF.
  
• Using a fork, carefully rake stringy squash pulp from shell, separating it into strands that look like spaghetti. Arrange spaghetti squash strands in bottom and up sides of pie plate to form a crust.
  
• Add ricotta cheese mixture and gently spread over squash. Pour tomato-turkey sauce over cheese mixture and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before slicing into 6 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Source: https://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=%2099791

A Few Great CVS Deals This Week 3/8 - 3/15

CVS has a couple good deals this week that I wanted to share with you. Especially if you need mouthwash or Advil!

Colgate Total Rinse 1L, Sale $5.99

Colgate Optic White Rinse, 32 oz $5.99

Buy 1, Receive $3.00 ECB, Limit 2

Use $2/1 – Colgate Mouthwash or Mouth Rinse, 32 oz or larger (coupons.com)

Pay $3.99, Receive $3 extrabucks

Final Price: $0.99

Advil, 80-100 ct

Advil Liqui-Gels, 80 ctAdvil PM Liqui-Gels, 40 ct

Buy One Get One 50% OffSpend $30.00, Receive $10.00 extrabucks, Limit 1

Use $3.00/1 – Advil Film-Coated Product (advil.com)

Or $3.00/1 – Advil Film Coated, 80 ct or larger from RP 3/1

Or $2.00/1 – Advil PM, 20 ct or larger from RP 3/1

Here is what I did with this Advil deal. I had $3 in ECBs from the mouthwash to use and another $5/$25 purchase CVS coupon from my email as well:

Buy 2 Advil film-coated 80 ct caplets at $11.49 BOGO 50% off

Buy 2 Advil PM Liqui-Gels, 40 ct at $9.49 BOGO 50% off

Use (2) $3/1 Advil Film-Coated 80 ct or larger (From RP 3/1)

Use (2) $2/1 Advil PM Liqui-Gels, 20 ct or larger (From RP 3/1)

Use $5/$25 CVS purchase (CVS coupon)

Use $3 ECB

Total: $13.46

Get $10 ECB for spending $30

Final Price: $3.60 plus tax!

Without the ECBs I had from the mouthwash, this is still a great deal at about $6.60 plux tax. CVS is one of the few stores that offers several extra store coupons and incentives to help you save the most money. I always check my email inbox every week to see what extra coupons I can get off of my overall purchase. You can sign up for these emails by registering your ExtraCare card online. 

Buy 2 Get 3 FREE at Harris Teeter

When I first moved to North Carolina almost 2 years ago, I was skeptical about the main grocery chain here, Harris Teeter. I didn't know much about them and having gone from living in Florida for the previous 14 years, my love for Publix was unbreakable and I never thought I would love another store as much as them. Since then, Publix stores have opened up closer to my house in NC, but in the time before this happened, I learned the ins and outs of Harris Teeter and realized that I could actually save even MORE than I did at Publix with the double coupons and extra sales that Harris Teeter has every week. Another thing I love about Harris Teeter is the extra coupons they add to items whose sell by date is that day or the next. I have gotten some GREAT deals on produce and other perishables just by looking for those extra yellow coupons on the packages. Don't worry, Publix, I still love you! :) But I digress...

Almost every week at Harris Teeter grocery stores, their ad includes a few items where you buy 2 and get 3 free. This is a great way to stock up on grocery essentials, especially things that don't go bad too quickly. This week (ending 3/3), they had this deal on HT Fresh Foods Market pre-sliced deli meats and cheeses in the deli section. I got five 8oz packages of deli meats and cheeses (totaling 2.5 pounds of meat) for only $10.98! This deal is great for weekday lunches for the kids or boyfriends/husbands (aka the big kids). 

Another deal that I wanted to share with you from this week was on Barilla pasta and sauces; both were part of the B2G3Free deal this week. Here's a look at what I got:

5 Barilla Sauce at B2G3 Free $2.99 each

Pay $5.98 for 5

- (2) $1/2 Barilla Sauce (From 3/1 insert)

Final Price = $3.98 for 5 or $.79 each!

5 Barilla Pastas at B2G3 Free $1.99 each

Pay $3.98 for 5

- $1/2 Barilla Proteinplus, Whole Grain, Veggie, White Fiber or Gluten Free Pasta (From RP 1/4 insert)

Final Price = $2.98 for 5 or $.59 each!

This deal would have been even better if I had another pasta coupon to add, but $6.96 for 10 items still isn't half bad. And stocking up on sauces and pastas are great because they usually don't go bad for years. It's also a great stand-by dinner to have on hand for nights when you just don't know what to make. Adding veggies and lean meats or even using this as a side dish are great ways to incorporate the carbs from pasta into a balanced, healthy meal. 

Some Great Publix Deals Week of 2/25 - 3/3

I'm pretty excited to share some great deals that I got at Publix today. These are some great examples of using both manufacturer's and store coupons to save tons of money. Here's a picture of everything that I got:

And I only paid $4.45 including tax! Let me break these deals down for you item by item so you can see how this works.

Avocados on sale 10/$10
Final Price = $2

Jennie-O Turkey Bacon Sale $2.49
- $.55/1 Jennie-O Turkey Bacon (Publix Digital Coupon)
Final Price = $1.94

Crystal Light Drink Mixes BOGO Free at $3.39 ($1.70)
= 2 for $3.39
- $1/2 Crystal Light Drink Mix (Manufacturer's coupon, printed at register during a previous order)
Final Price = $1.20 each

Biore Pore Cleanser Reg. Price $5.69
- $2/1 Biore Pore Cleanser (From 3/1 Newspaper) 
- $2/1 Biore Pore Cleanser  (Publix Digital Coupon)
Final Price = $1.69

Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara Sale $1 off Reg. Price $7.49 ($6.49)
- $3/1 Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara (From P&G insert 3/1)
- $3/1 Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara (Publix Digital Coupon)
Final Price = $.49

Total after coupons = $8.51
- $5 any purchase of $5 or more Publix Store Coupon

Grand Total = $3.51 before tax
Savings of $23.73!

Combining store and manufacturer's coupons can really get you some cheap deals, even at stores that do not double coupons like Publix. As I've previously mentioned, I follow a few couponing blogs and get a lot of my deals from them. However, the Biore cleanser and mascara deal I found on my own by perusing the Publix digital coupons on Publix.com and realizing they matched with a few of the coupons from this Sunday's paper. Trips like this don't take too much time to plan and you still get great savings on essentials and healthy items. 

Why Diets Don't Work

It seems like these days there are an endless amount of diets and fads out there, all with a different twist or "secret" to losing weight. Low fat, low carb, no carb, high protein, high fiber, no fruit, all vegetables, etc. etc. etc. It's enough to make your head spin it's so confusing. No wonder so many people begin various diets and are not successful. The truth is that everybody is different and every body is different. All we really know is that we need food to live, but what things are healthy vs. unhealthy are always going to be debatable depending on who you talk to what has worked for them.

I was introduced to this great video on TED talks a few years ago given by a neuroscientist Sandra Aamondt who incorporates science with personal experience to give her take on why diets don't usually work.

http://www.ted.com/talks/sandra_aamodt_why_dieting_doesn_t_usually_work?language=en


This is why I'm a strong believer in lifestyle changes as opposed to dieting, because restricting yourself of certain foods does not work and it's unrealistic. Even if you have an extraordinary amount of self control, you will still eventually crave foods that you cut out of your diet that you will end up binge eating them or eating them anyway and feeling bad about yourself for it. This is how eating disorders are born. However, if you look at things from a different perspective, this guilt and shame can be avoided. You should never restrict yourself of any certain food. If you want something, eat it. Don't feel bad about. Your craving will be fulfilled and eating that one slice of pizza or one bowl of ice cream isn't going to make you gain any weight. As long as you eat these things in moderation, they can be a part of a healthy lifestyle. Changing your lifestyle to incorporate more healthy foods, such as lean meats, fruits, vegetables, whole grains is going to help you see the changes you want. And you can still have that cookie or soda and not feel bad about it. Here is a great government website that has tons of information on nutritional guidelines and healthy eating made by dietitians. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Another thing I want to mention is that weight loss doesn't happen overnight. The healthy recommendation from doctors is to lose 1-2 pounds per week. I also think it's important not to weigh yourself more than once per week. And try to weigh yourself at the same time and same day each week, that will it will be easier to track changes in your weight and body. Also remember, the scale is not the only change your body will go through. You can do measurements of your hips, waist, arms, etc. and see the inches lost as well. Body fat percentage is also an indicator of body changes, especially for those who incorporate a lot of weight training into their exercise regimen.

Don't be so hard on yourself, lifestyle changes aren't easy, just take baby steps to get there. It takes about 21 days for something to become a habit, keep that in mind. Slow and steady wins the race of weight loss.