8GB Class 4 Sandisk SDHC as low as $1.69 + more deals at Staples

If you have kids, you can never have too many of these!!

This deal requires price-matching so as with all price-matching deals, your luck does depend on the store/manager on duty.

The Staples closest to me is easy-going about competitor coupons so I had no problem getting 4 of this for $1.60 each + tax!

Anyway, Staples has this card on sale this week for $11.99. Use this $10 off coupon from Walgreens. My store allowed me to use a printout. They said as long as the dates were valid and the store was clearly stated, they'll take the coupon. I recommend calling your local store before going to see if they accept Walgreens as a competitor though. Bringing in the actual coupon from Walgreen's flyer  may also help (available at Walgreens or in the Sunday Paper).

Net cost will be $1.99 + tax. My store also allowed me to stack their 15% off coupon on top of the deal, bringing the total down to $1.69 + tax per SDHC card.

If you want to try using the 15% off, I suggest adding a few items like Trend Micro Titanium which is priced at $35 with a $35 Staples Easy Rebate offer (limit 10). So with the 15% off, this would be a money-maker after rebate. It is also a good way to cash out on any ink rewards which you may have.

Alternatively, you can also opt to buy their Duracell 20 pack AA or AAA batteries which will earn you 100% in Staples Rewards (valid until 12/31. Limit 2 per account per week). Note however, that the 15% discount will reduce your Rewards amount. You just lower your initial outlay. Do NOT use your Staples Rewards to buy the batteries. Rewards do not roll so if you use rewards to pay for them, you get $0 Rewards back into your account.

Next week: 3 triple ink rewards ($6 a cartridge) with $50 HP ink purchase

Leftover Fries in Enchiladas

To be honest, this is the first time I've ever had enchiladas so I really have to idea how they should really taste but my version filled with mostly leftovers was still a hit!
This recipe comes a highly rated recipe and the leftover home fries that still haunted me - even after I had already turned a bunch into Southwestern stew.
At first I thought about making potato pancakes out of them. But, there wasn't quite enough. So I bulked it up with canned diced tomatoes, green chili (also leftover from the Southwestern stew) and canned sweet corn kernels.
This is a forgiving recipe so you can fill your enchiladas with just about any ingredients that suit Mexican cuisine.

Ingredients

Tortilla skins
Leftover fries (cubed)
Leftover diced tomatoes with juice
1 can corn kernels
Leftover green chili
Leftover Cheddar cheese, shredded (the original recipe calls for queso but I never buy that so this was a substitute)
Salt and garlic powder to taste

Oil for frying

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 450F.

In a hot pan, add fries, tomatoes and corn. Mix well. Season to taste. Portion out on tortillas and roll them up. In another pan, heat about 2" of oil until very hot. Carefully place the tortillas, one at a time, seam-side down into the hot oil.
Fry until golden brown. Turn the rolls and fry the other side until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels then place the rolls into a foil-lined pan. Top with green chili (or salsa or pico digao). Sprinkle cheese right on top.
Put in the oven for about 8-10 min or until the cheese is evenly melted.

Side note: I used 505 green chili because that was all I had on hand. Do not skip frying the rolls. Frying them brought them to a higher level, even though they get soft under the toppings.
I recommend not buying the tortilla skins from a regular supermarket. It's often expensive - $3+ for a small pack.
You can instead get large packs (about 4-5 times more than what you get at a supermarket) for about $3 as well from Sam's Club or Costco. You can also opt to make them yourself but unless you want the freshness and/or want to control the ingredients, I don't feel that it's worth my time making these from scratch.

25 Free 4x6 Prints at Walgreens

From now until 12/31/11, Walgreens is offering 25 free 4x6" prints with in-store pickup. Use coupon code PRINTNOW at checkout.

Leftover Fries in Quick Southwestern Stew

I know stew and 'quick' seems counter-intuitive but this actually stewed up nicely without a slow simmer quickly. Though I think using a Dutch oven was important in the process because of its even heating.
This basically came some mostly leftover ingredients, including day-old home-fries. Usually we eat it all but this time. I just made too much:

As you probably know. fries, even when home-fried should be eaten fresh. Once it's cold it's never quite the same. You can use regular diced boiled potatoes but the old fries were delicious in this stew.

Ingredients

Chuck venison (you can use a cheap cut of beef), sliced thickly
1/2 onion, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 small can diced tomatoes
Stale fries, cubed, or potatoes, peeled and diced, boiled until soft
Green Chili (I use 505 green chili sauce but you can make your own)
Soy sauce or amino acids
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, fresh cilantro, minced, to taste

Oil for frying
Baking soda to tenderize the meat (optional but recommended)

Method


Slice the meat thickly (about 1/4"). Sprinkle the meat with baking soda sparingly. I use a salt shaker. Do not add too much otherwise the meat will taste bitter. Mix well and allow to sit refrigerated for about an hour or until the meat has turned more red.
Rinse under cold water to remove the baking soda. Drain and set aside.

In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add onion slices and saute until soft. Add garlic, then meat. Allow meat to brown. Add fries, diced tomatoes, including the juice. Add green chili, add seasonings to taste. Feel free to adjust the amounts of any of the ingredients to taste.

Top with cilantro (I didn't have any but it will go well with this).

Serve with rice.

Free Kindle Cook Books

Amazon is offering a couple of Kindle cook books for free:

 

Prices fluctuate so order it while it's still free!

Burmese Coconut and Butter Glutinous Rice Cake

I'm more used to the Thai version of this, which is steamed then topped with durian or mango then drizzled with coconut cream.

I found this recipe in "Flavors of Burma: Myanmar : Cuisine and Culture from the Land of Golden Pagodas". I managed to download the Kindle edition for free sometime ago.

This Burmese version is good as well, with a nice caramelization formed from the baking (instead of steaming). I topped if with apple sauce before serving. Obviously, that is not traditional, nor was it part of the recipe. However, the tartness of the apple sauce complemented the rice very nicely.

Ingredients

2 c sweet glutinous rice, washed and soaked overnight
1 Tbsp oil
2 tsp butter
1 can coconut milk
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Method

Wash the rice and soak overnight. Drain
Preheat the oven to 400F
All oil and butter to a sauce pan. Add rice and fry over medium heat for 2 min
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well over medium heat for about 3 min
Reduce to low heat, cover and simmer until rice is cooked
Pour mixture into a greased baking pan and smooth the surface with a spatula
Bake the rice for about 15-20 min or until the top is golden brown and crispy.
Allow to cool, slice and serve with apple sauce (optional).

The Good, Bad and Ugly Fats

Disclaimer: I am not a health professional or a nutritionist. Please consult your healthcare professional before embarking on any diet change.

Last week, Maya's class coordinator invited a nurse/nutritionist to speak to parents. It was a very interesting talk and I thought it'd be useful to include a summery of the talk in my blog.

For decades, we've been told that fat is bad, low-fat is good. Butter is bad, liquid vegetable oils and margarine are good and 'heart-healthy'. So instead of fats, we ate carbs and in the US, obesity skyrocketed.

So, what's really good to eat?

- Eggs - the perfect food. It contains nutrients that are important in a child's brain development. After age 4, the benefits of egg consumption on brain development decreases. If you have to choose, choose free-range over organic. Free-range hens are allowed to roam in the open and feed on grass and insects. They may be supplemented with non-organic feed.

- Organic butter is full of vitamins and minerals. Cholesterol found in butterfat is essential to children's brain and nervous system development.

The cheapest organic butter source I've found so far is Costco's Kirkland Signature organic butter at $7+ for 2 lbs.

- Organic whole/full cream milk. The 'goodness' of skim milk is a myth. To get skim milk, milk’s natural and nutritious saturated fat is removed. The industry has a lot to gain by selling 'skim' milk and removing the cream because sales of the cream is very profitable.

When you eat fat, you feel full even though you have not eaten much. The food industry has more to gain by keeping us hungry.

- Most vegetable oils are bad because they are processed at high temperatures causing the oils to actually turn rancid. Worse, many oils like soybean, corn and canola here in the US are genetically modified by Monstano (the company that brought us DDT and Agent Orange).

- Cold pressed olive oil is good - as long as you don't subject it to high temperatures. It's best to add it to food after cooking.

Again, Costco's pricing on organic olive oil is quite reasonable. Sunflower Market's prices also seem OK for olive oil, although I cannot remember if it is cold-pressed/organic or not.

- For high temperature cooking, palm oil or coconut oil are best. I have not checked prices but your best bet to get these at lower prices are probably from an Asian grocer.

- Avocados are great fats. Sunflower Markets often sells them for about $0.33-$1 each, depending on the sale. 3 for $1 is usually a good price in the Denver area.

- Peanut Butter is an OK butter to use. Other nut butters like Almond Butter better choices. There are other risks like mold and pesticide use (for non-organic) associated with peanut butter. I will elaborate on this in another post.

Of course, avoid the peanut butters that are loaded with hydrogenated oils and sugars. Many well-known brands are guilty of adding these ingredients.

Costco's organic peanut butter from New Mexico runs about $7+ for two 28 oz jars. That might be your best bet, even though I personally prefer the texture of JIF Natural.

You can also opt to grind your own butters that some stores offer. That way, at least you can see the molds (if any) on the peanuts.


I know I mention Costco's products quite a bit. No, I am not their spokeswoman, nor do I get paid to mention them or their products. However, they do seem to have a good selection of organic foods are reasonable prices.

Other possible store options are: Trader Joe's, Vitamin Cottage, Safeway's O Organics line, Sunflower Markets and Wholefoods. From time to time, Sunflower has good prices on their fresh organic produce.


I'm not familiar with the other stores' pricing so if you have any comments on these or other stores, please let me know so that I can update this post! I'm also happy to include international store information!