After dinner, I'm more apt to pull out some cookies or scoop some ice cream for the kids if they want a treat. I do like to bake and make desserts, but I just don't think to do it all that often (which I suppose isn't necessarily a bad thing for my waistline!) For this month's Breaking out of the Dinner Rut feature, I wanted to come up with a dessert recipe to help you turn an ordinary day into an extra special one. I knew I wanted a delicious and "pretty" recipe, but one that would be quick and easy to make. I perused Grocery Outlet's aisles for a little inspiration .... something fun, unique.... And then I found this:

 

 

Danish Wedding Cookies for $1.49! I can't say that I've seen these anywhere else, but I have seen them a few times now at Grocery Outlet and have been curious to try them. And what could be more fun than eating a cookie supposedly reserved for a wedding in a foreign country? I definitely had to take these home. Here's what they looked like, upon opening:

 

 

Yes, they were good. VERY good. Kind of like a little chocolate chip cookie surrounded by a sugary coated goodness. I decided I should continue to eat a few more while I came up with a recipe....

 

 

After some pondering, I decided to trifle these cookies. Now, I've never made a trifle before, but I have eaten a trifle! It's kind of a lasagna of desserts, because you layer fruit, pudding, and usually cake. But instead of cake, we're going to use the Danish Wedding Cookies. Ingredients: 16 Danish Wedding Cookies, chopped 1 package instant vanilla pudding, prepared to package directions 1 banana, sliced thinly Fresh berries (I used blueberries) Whip cream Mint leaves and additional cookies for garnish (optional) Makes enough for 1 regular trifle dish or 2 pint-sized Mason jars Start by gathering all your ingredients. I made the mistake of putting the pudding together only to realize it sets very fast and I was not ready. Don't be like me. Get everything set and ready to go!

 

 

Now I don't own a trifle dish, and it seemed rather silly to go out and buy one! So I came up with the idea of using Mason jars. I think wine or margarita glasses or clear mugs would work well, too. Be creative and don't feel that you can't do this recipe if you don't have a trifle dish. Start by putting in four crushed cookies in the bottom of each pint-sized jar.

 

 

Next, top with a good dollop of the vanilla pudding, a few sliced bananas, some whipped cream, and a few berries.

 

 

Very simply, you'll repeat these layers, in the same order: four crushed cookies, the pudding, bananas, whipped cream, and berries. Allow to set in your fridge for about 3-4 hours.

 

 

Just before serving, top with the garnish of your choice! I opted for a fresh sprig of mint from my garden and another Danish Wedding Cookie. I would think fresh shaved chocolate would also be delightful. This dessert is exactly the kind of thing I want to eat in the evening out on the deck after a long day.

 

 

This dessert sure looks fancy, but would you believe I only spent $4.27 on the ingredients I needed to make it? (I already had the milk, berries, and mint at home.) The best news is you don't have to wait around for a Danish Wedding to enjoy this pretty dessert. Bon appetit!

Download just the recipe by clicking here: Danish Wedding Cookie Trifle Recipe

For more ideas, check out my other posts for this series:

• Cactus Tacos
• Sundried Tomato Pesto Chicken Stuffed Manicotti
• Stuffed Pasilla Peppers
• Asian Mung Bean Salad

Make sure to come back next month for another fun installment!

Angela Russell blogs at The Coupon Project, a site that encourages families to live well for less. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her firefighter husband and two small kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and has recently taken up canning.

 

 

I recently happened upon a different item at my local Grocery Outlet store and I knew instantly that I had to bring it home for a fun dinner creation.....

 

 

Organic Sprouted Mung Beans for $2.99. Now I'm definitely familiar with bean sprouts, but not sprouted mung beans. I flipped over the package and it read:

These tiny fresh-tasting beans have a rich creamy texture and nutty-sweet taste.

Suggested uses included salads, pilafs, soups, purees, and sandwiches. Turns out, these are quite nutritious too! One serving (1/4 cup dry) contains 7 grams of dietary fiber and a whopping 10 grams of protein. It's also high in iron and vitamin C and low in fat. I'm thinking this would be a wonderful superfood for vegetarians to explore!

 

 

I decided to try these sprouted mung beans for the first time in an Asian-inspired salad. Today's recipe is quick, easy, and delicious! It's enough for 2 large servings, or 4 sides.

Ingredients:

Salad
1 cup dry mung beans
2 cups mixed salad greens
couple sprigs cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup chopped sweet peppers

Dressing (from Once Upon a Chef's Asian Slaw recipe)
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
small piece of ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
dash sea salt

Start by prepping your mung beans. Add 1 cup of dry beans to 3 cups of boiling water. Let boil for 5 minutes before removing from heat, covering, and allow to set 4-8 minutes.

 

 

While my mung beans were rehydrating, I got to work on the rest of the salad. I found some lovely salad ingredients at my Grocery Outlet store yesterday - organic baby kale, organic mixed Romaine, a big bag of sweet mini baby peppers for just $3.99, and a bunch of fresh cilantro.

 

 

Have you ever tried these peppers? If not, I recommend them! They are perfect for dipping in hummus, slicing on sandwiches, or great when your recipe just calls for a little bit of pepper.

 

 

Prepare your dressing by mixing all the ingredients listed above and stirring. This is one of my very favorite Asian dressings I've come across on the web, and I make it often. Incidentally, I found a 1 lb bag of ginger at my Grocery Outlet for $1.99 and the garlic for $0.33 each. If you can't use up all the ginger before it goes bad? Consider chopping and freezing leftover portions or making ginger tea!

 

 

By now, your mung beans should be cooked and your salad ready to assemble! Toss the greens in the dressing, top with the peppers, scoop on some mung beans and sprinkle on the cilantro. I did have a decent amount of the prepped mung beans leftover, so I will refrigerate them to use in another recipe in the next day or so.

 

 

The warm mung beans added a nice touch to this salad - and they had such a mild, pleasing flavor! I could see how well they'd work on any number of recipes. While researching their use for this post, I also learned that some people even enjoy turning them into a cake! Now how would that be for a nutritious alternative for your kids?

If you're looking for new, fun ingredients to make cooking fun again without breaking the bank? You need to visit Grocery Outlet!

For more ideas, check out my other posts for this series:

• Cactus Tacos
• Sundried Tomato Pesto Chicken Stuffed Manicotti
• Stuffed Pasilla Peppers

Make sure to come back next month for another fun installment!

Angela Russell blogs at The Coupon Project, a site that encourages families to live well for less. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her firefighter husband and two small kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and has recently taken up canning.

We're excited to announce our Go Green Bag Contest on Instagram!  You see, we think the Earth is pretty fantastic and we bet you do too.  In honor of Earth Month, we're inviting you to submit your designs for the front of the bag on Instagram using the hash tag #GoGreenBag.  Every entry will be entered to win a $100 Grocery Outlet Gift Card.

Please read below for the official rules.  We can't wait to see your designs!

 

 

I always find unusual and inspiring ingredients at my Grocery Outlet. This helps me avoid the much-dreaded "dinner rut" and keeps my meals fresh and fun. Recently, I found this item on my Grocery Outlet store shelf:

 

Hmmmm. Jarred tender cactus.

I can't say that has ever graced my dinner table and I think it was just the ticket to keeping my menu creative this week. At $1.79 for a large jar, it would hardly break the bank to give it a go! That's another thing I adore about Grocery Outlet - I get to try new ingredients, but without having to spend a small fortune!

I did a little research, and it turns out this can be a pretty versatile ingredient. You can serve it as is, use it on salads, incorporate it into Tex-Mex dishes, or toss it with beans and rice for a side dish. I decided to try it a couple different ways. But first, I was super curious about the smell and taste...

 

Time to pop the lid!

The smell was totally pleasant. It reminded me of a cross between jarred chilis and green beans. I was excited to give it a try! I decided to do a spin on tacos with the cactus. You could use chicken or pork, but I opted for a pound of thinly cut ribeye steak that I picked up at Grocery Outlet for $7.

 

Here are the ingredients you'll need to complete this recipe:

• 1 lb thin steak, such as ribeye or flank steak
• 1 tbsp cumin
• ground pepper
• 1 cup prepared salsa (your choice)
• 1 cup jarred cactus
• cilantro, to taste
• corn tortillas

Start by rubbing the steak with the cumin and ground pepper. Then top with the salsa. I had a verde salsa on hand, so that's what I used. Cover and allow to marinate in your refrigerator for an hour (or more!).

 

Preheat your broiler when you're ready to assemble the tacos.

How long you will cook the steak depends on two things: 1) the thickness, and 2) your preferred "done-ness" level. I personally have come to enjoy mine just slightly pink, so the meat remains tender. This steak was pretty thin, so I found broiling for 4 minutes on each side (8 minutes total) was perfect. I would encourage you to start with less time on the timer versus more. You can always cook a steak more (but not the other way around).

While your steak is cooking, drain and rinse your cactus.

I then warmed my cactus in a skillet. I didn't add any extra oil or seasoning, but I suppose you could do that if you wanted to. I wanted to enjoy the flavor on its own this time. If you are feeling creative, you might add garlic, peppers, beans, onion, or jalapenos at this point, too.

Here is my steak resting after being broiled. I let it sit on this cutting board for about 5 minutes before cutting it in thin strips across the grain. These two things will help keep your steak nice and tender. (Just like the sliced tender cactus, right?)

Assembling the taco is pretty easy: add some steak strips to the middle of a warmed corn tortilla and layer on the cactus. I topped with plenty of cilantro.

 

This recipe was delicious! (Yes, I did manage to down BOTH of the tacos pictured above for dinner.) Except for the time spent marinating your steak, it takes relatively short time to cook and put together too.

If you feel you always make the same tacos with plain old ground beef, sour cream, and flour tortillas, try this cactus version instead! And here's a bonus idea for you:

Quesadillas!

The next time you find yourself in a dinner rut, explore the shelves of your local Grocery Outlet store. You might just find some unusual, fun, or inspiring ingredient to get you excited about creating meals again. In case you missed them, you might want to check out the meals I've previously shared for this series:

• Stuffed Pasilla Peppers
• Sundried Tomato Pesto Chicken Stuffed Manicotti

Make sure to come back next month for another fun installment!

 

Angela Russell blogs at The Coupon Project, a site that encourages families to live well for less. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her firefighter husband and two small kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and has recently taken up canning.

 

 

It can be so easy to grab for the same ingredients to make the same recipes over and over, can't it? That's why I love hunting for interesting foods at Grocery Outlet. They can help keep me from getting in those dinner ruts! Last month, you might recall how I discovered these pasilla peppers at my local Grocery Outlet store and used them to put a spin on traditional stuffed peppers. This month, I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful new Maple Valley store in Washington and did I ever find some delicious treats!

 

They had beautiful organic pasta for just $1.50. I rarely venture beyond plain old spaghetti (and maybe penne when I'm in a mood!), largely due to the cost. Sure, it would be fun to try some new pasta - but who wants to spend $4 or $5 a bag? Not this gal! But $1.50? Now I'm game to change things up at the dinner table a bit! I decided to poke around and see what else I could find to put together a fun new pasta creation.

 

 

Check out these beautiful pesto varieties: garlic galore; basil, garlic & sundried tomatoes; and bail & garlic. I decided to pick up the basil, garlic & dried tomatoes. After that, I decided to see what I could find in the cheese section to complete my meal.

 

 

If you like cheese of any kind, you really need to make Grocery Outlet your stop. Check out these tubs of shredded Asiago, Romano and Parmesan cheese - all for just $1.99 each. I've seen similar tubs for $4 or more at other stores! It's all good quality stuff, too.

Taking my Grocery Outlet ingredients, I decided to do a spin on this beautiful Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells recipe I discovered a couple weeks ago. Here's what I came up with:

Ingredients: 1 package manicotti
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional: plus more for garnish)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cubed and cooked
1 package cream cheese (I opted for fat free)
1/2 cup sundried tomato pesto (OR other pesto of your choosing)
Fresh ground pepper & salt, to taste
2 tsp minced garlic
1-tsp fresh chopped Italian parsley (optional: plus more for garnish)
One batch Bechamel Sauce

Start by making your filling. Place the cream cheese in a bottom of a mixing bowl and add the garlic.

Next: the pesto! I was really excited to give this a whirl. You can mix it to your taste, and I wanted a really pesto-y taste, so I ended up adding about 1/2 of this container.

Add the cooked, cubed chicken. Make sure the pieces are not too large, because you are going to be stuffing your pasta. If you would prefer, you could omit the chicken for a vegetarian take on this recipe. OR, you could swap Italian sausage for the chicken for a different flavor combination.

Mix in 1/4 cup Parmesan, freshly ground pepper, salt, and a good measure of fresh chopped parsley. If you wish, you could add some other Grocery Outlet cheeses into the mix! I think a little mozzarella would be rather tasty.

Mix it all together. This might not look pretty, but trust me - take one whiff and you'll be wanting to just spoon it right out of the bowl like this! Heavenly!

At this point, I set aside my filling mix to chill while I worked on cooking my pasta and prepping the Bechamel Sauce. Here's one more look at the beautiful organic pasta I ended up with:

I cooked the entire package until al dente in salted water. While the pasta cooked, I made the sauce. Now, I'd never made a Bechamel sauce, but I figured - why not? The whole idea is to get out of a rut, try something new!

To make the sauce, I followed this recipe at Epicurious. Turns out, I had everything I needed in my fridge already and it took mere minutes. Easy peasy!

You can get the full details at Epicurious, but it basically involves melting butter, adding a little flour and watching it bubble, adding hot milk, waiting for it to thicken and seasoning with salt and pepper. Really, really easy.

At this point, you should have the filling, the pasta, and the sauce done. It's time to assemble! I started by adding a small portion of Bechamel to the bottom of a baking pan, to prevent sticking. My manicotti was a "mini" version, so I found roughly 2 tablespoons of the filling did the trick. I worked to get two pieces of chicken into every noodle.

Here are all my manicotti noodles nearly ready for the oven!

I topped with the Bechamel, making sure to cover each noodle evenly and topped with a little more Parmesan for good measure. Then I popped this dish into a 350° oven for about 20 minutes.

The finished product! Yes, this dinner took a little more time, but I promise, it's worth the effort! Delicious!

Serve with plenty of fresh green salad and maybe a loaf of crusty Italian bread or garlic breadsticks. This recipe should serve 4-6, depending on appetites.

If you've been in a dinner rut, can I recommend paying a stop to your local Grocery Outlet? I guarantee you'll find some new ingredients to jazz up your meal plan this week without breaking the bank. Make sure to come back next month and see what new creation I've come up with. If you missed it, check out my Stuffed Pasilla Peppers recipe from last month, too.

With thanks to What's Cookin, Chicago? and Epicurious for today's recipe inspiration.

Angela Russell blogs at The Coupon Project, a site that encourages families to live well for less. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her firefighter husband and two small kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and has recently taken up canning.

With Groundhog’s Day come and gone and President’s Day just around the corner, don’t forget about St. Valentine’s Day—this Thursday! Grocery Outlet has everything you need and more to surprise your sweetie—whether it’s Valentine’s Day cards for an elementary class (just $0.99 for a whole pack!) or some Chocolate Calcium Chews as a healthier alternative to boxed chocolate (just $2.99 for 60 chews!)—Grocery Outlet has you covered.

We’ve got: cards, trinkets, sparkling wines (and nonalcoholic cider), flowers, chocolates, wines, perfumes, cosmetics, and candles—everything you’ll need and want to create a very special day with your very special someone.

 

 

 

 

Visit your local store and find an assortment of sure to please sweets from Ghirardelli, Lindt, and Mrs. Fields OR great smelling bath sets from Dove, Axe, and Baylis & Harding (Bath Sets & Fragrances ranging between $2.99-$8.99). There’s something for everyone, I promise!

 

 

Whether it’s pretty soaps for Mom or Grandma, fragrances for a special young man or lady in your life, or even taking advantage of some of our great closeouts on bath sets for yourself—Grocery Outlet will get you more for less.

 

 

If you happen to have some special plans this Valentine’s Day—or perhaps packing for a weekend getaway, let Grocery Outlet help you glam up with our awesome selection of brand named cosmetics! Check out our selections from Revlon, Sally Hansen, L’Oreal, E.L.F, and Rimmel! Your favorite brands in cosmetics ranging from $0.99 to $3.99! Stock up for yourself for gift some as very affordable and very thoughtful Valentine’s Day gifts.

 

 

 

It can be really easy to get stuck in a dinner rut, can't it? We stock our pantries and refrigerators with the same items, gravitate to the same recipes, and plan our meals around the same foods.

Over the next several months, I'd like to show you how Grocery Outlet can help you get out of a rut and get inspired to create beautiful meals that won't break the bank. Unlike other stores, you never truly know what you're going to find at Grocery Outlet! I like to think of it a bit like treasure hunting. So what better place to visit to find creative ingredients that will get your imagination going?

Yesterday, I visited my South Tacoma store and found this beautiful bag of pasilla peppers for just $1.49. They sold them individually for $0.50, but the bag of four was a better bargain (works out to $0.37 each).

Now I'd never cooked with these before, but the price was right and I was completely intrigued. How could I use this ingredient to make a delicious meal? I was determined to find out.

After a little hunting on the internet, I learned that I could stuff them - much as you would green bell peppers. I loved the idea of a Mexican-inspired stuffed pepper recipe!

Here's what you'll need to recreate my stuffed Pasilla Pepper recipe (serves 4):

• 4 Pasilla Peppers, cleaned and whole
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes, undrained (fire-roasted would work well, too!)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1-2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp cumin
• salt, to taste
• freshly chopped cilantro, to taste (I used about 1/4 cup)
• 1 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (or Monterey Jack)
• freshly chopped tomatoes, sour cream, etc. to serve (optional)

The first step is to broil your peppers. This took about 10 minutes and I flipped them every 2-3 minutes. They will start to char up, and this is OK!

When done, allow to sit and cool for a few minutes until you can handle them without burning yourself. While waiting, you can prepare your filling.

Start by sautéing the onion in a little olive oil. Once the onions turn translucent, add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.

At this point, I added the can of tomatoes, the can of black beans, cumin, and salt. I let the mixture simmer for a couple more minutes.

Next, I added the cup of frozen corn and cooked for another couple minutes, until everything was warm. Finally, I added the chopped cilantro. I like a lot of cilantro flavor, so I went with about 1/4 cup, but of course, any of these seasonings could be done to taste.

By this point, your peppers should be cool enough to handle. Very carefully, make a small triangular slit just below the stem. Then, remove the stem and the seeds. Take care with the seeds and make sure to wash your hands immediately after! You do not want to forget and then rub your eyes after working with them (speaking from experience here!).

You can also remove the charred parts quite easily at this point.

Continue the process for all four peppers. This took me several minutes to complete.

Now it's time to stuff these babies. Just prior to stuffing, I added 1/2 cup of the cheese into the mix. I don't know about you, but I like cheese mixed through, not just on top. Make sure to stuff the entire pepper. A regular tablespoon did the trick for me!

Finally, top with more cheese and bake in a 350° oven for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Serve and enjoy immediately!

I have to say, I loved this recipe. I had a second helping and it got two thumbs up from my husband. It was a nice spin on the traditional green peppers and would definitely spice up your meal plan this week.

While I was preparing it, it occurred to me you could easily create variations to suit your diet, tastes, and/or what you have on hand. Here are a few other ideas I came up with for the stuffing ingredients:

• Rice
• Quinoa or other whole grain(s)
• Ground meat (I would think chorizo would be excellent!)
• Dairy-free by omitting the cheese or using a vegan "cheese"
• Mexican-style cheese, such as Cojita (see what your Grocery Outlet has in stock!)
• Different vegetables - squashes, bell peppers, tomatillos

I hope I've inspired you to check out your local Grocery Outlet and see what new and interesting ingredient you can find to help get you creating in the kitchen this week!

Have you ever cooked with pasilla peppers? What have you found at Grocery Outlet recently that surprised you?

With thanks to Tasty Kitchen, City Mama, and  SparkRecipes for today's recipe inspiration.

Angela Russell blogs at The Coupon Project, a site that encourages families to live well for less. She lives in Tacoma, Washington with her firefighter husband and two small kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, garden, and has recently taken up canning.

Truly, giving is better than receiving. Giving gifts to our friends, family, neighbors, teachers and co-workers is one of our favorite parts of the holiday season. So we're embracing it! And this year, we're all about edible gifts like cookies or hot cocoa to help your loved ones welcome the holiday spirit in a delicious way. They will enjoy the treat, without the clutter of one more thing to store in the closet, kitchen or garage. And with ingredients you can find at your local Grocery Outlet, your budget will rejoice too!

Here are simple recipes for edible holiday gifts, developed by food blogger Amy Sherman at Cooking with Amy.

Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 12 ounce package, semi sweet chocolate chips, about 2 cups
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Place flour mixture in a 1-quart jar. Layer on the chocolate chips, brown sugar and finally the white sugar on top, pressing firmly after each layer. Seal with lid and decorate with fabric, ribbon and a recipe tag.

Recipe tag to attach to jar:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Beat 1 stick softened butter or margarine and 1 large egg in large mixer bowl until blended. Fold in the contents of the jar with a wooden spoon. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies. Enjoy with a glass of milk - and don't forget to save one for Santa!




Hot Cocoa Mix in a Jar
4 packets hot cocoa mix
4 teaspoons chocolate chips
1/4 cup mini marshmallows

Open the packets of cocoa mix and pour them into a tall narrow jar. Top with marshmallows and add a layer of chocolate chips on top.  Seal with lid and decorate with fabric, ribbon and a recipe tag.

Recipe tag to attach to jar:
Combine jar contents with 4 cups of hot water and stir until dissolved. Pour into 4 mugs and sip by the glow of the holiday lights. Enjoy!

 

‘Tis the Season!  Since Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals have come and gone, this time of the year goes from being "The Season of Giving" to "The Season of Over-Spending."  Even though you’ve checked your Holiday Gift List multiple times, it’s easy to lose track of things in your holiday bows and wrapping paper.

Let Grocery Outlet be your one stop shop for holiday gifts!  There are all kinds of wonderful finds for the holidays—at amazing prices!  The Health & Beauty Department has all kinds of gift sets and stocking stuffers that will be sure to WOW on Christmas morning.

 

 

 

 

• Nail Polish
• Hair brushes & Accessories
• Tooth Brushes
• Tooth Paste
• Whitening Kits
• Small bottles of perfume
• Makeup Sets
• Nail Clippers
• Nail Files
• Body Lotions
• Lip Gloss
• Travel Kits

Some great brand names to snatch up and stuff into stockings: Revlon, Sally Hansen, Bert’s Bees, Tim McGraw, Katy Perry, Trim, Marvel, Star Wars, Crest, E.L.F., Adidas, Barbie, Dora the Explorer, Disney, Justice League, Baby Phat, and much more!

Gift Sets From: 

• E.L.F
• Adidas
• Disney
• Trim
• Baylis & Harding
• Assorted Fragrance Sets
• Burt’s Bees
• Crest

Don’t forget, you can also create your own unique gift sets! Grocery Outlet has everything you need—from bags, baskets & boxes—to ribbon, bows, & cards!

No matter how big or small your holiday budget is, Grocery Outlet can help you bring tremendous value to your holiday. Save time shopping—spend time with those you hold near and dear.

Remember gift sets and quantities vary from store to store—but each Grocery Outlet is stocked with extraordinary finds! Enjoy the treasure hunt—we’ve loaded the stores up with all kinds of goodies this year!

by Amy Sherman, of Cooking with Amy

The holidays mean friends, family and, of course, food. Lots of food.

While it may seem like a lot of cooking, many holiday dishes can become the base for great meals the day after the holiday and all weekend long. Best of all, you’ll be saving money and trips to the grocery store too.

Instead of a cold turkey or ham sandwich, I like grilled cheese sandwiches with ham or turkey. These versions don’t feel like leftovers, but something special that everyone will enjoy. With people stopping by to drop off gifts and visit, it’s nice to have something warm on the stove to serve. Split pea soup or turkey rice soup are warm and soothing and can be served for lunch or a light supper. For bigger appetites, serve soup and a sandwich.

 

 

Shopping at Grocery Outlet, you will find lots of special ingredients that can help add pizzazz to your holiday meals without adding a lot of expense, whether you are serving a holiday meal or dressing up leftovers. To make a festive holiday salad, I used a pomegranate that was only 69 cents and some roasted salted pepitas, which were also a great buy. While there is a lot of rich food at the holidays, look for dried fruit, nuts and pies on sale.  They are all wonderful choices for dessert and will give your holiday table a traditional feel—all while saving you money.

It's that time of year. The magical and joyful holiday season, with twinkling lights, festive music and parties galore. It's a time to reconnect with loved ones, and embrace the spirit of giving. And while kids are making their holiday wish lists and hoping to make the “nice list,” grown-ups often become too over-committed and overstressed to enjoy the season. At Grocery Outlet, we hope to inspire our customers, employees and friends to be nice to themselves by keeping the holidays simple.

 

 

We put together this Grown-Up Holiday Wish List to remind folks to keep it simple and enjoy the greatest gift of the season – making holiday memories with family and friends.

A Grown-Up Holiday Wish List

• I wish to embrace the joy of the holiday season
• I wish to not exhaust my energy and financial resources
• I wish to resist the urge to do it all
• I wish to plan ahead to avoid last-minute stress
• I wish to ask for help when I need it. Even Santa has lots of helpers.
• I wish to stick to my holiday budget
• I wish to give gifts from the heart more than the wallet
• I wish to leave room in my schedule to slow down and enjoy the small things
• I wish to slow down and keep it simple

Throughout the season, we will be sharing tips and ideas for a simple holiday. We hope you'll join us and wrap-up 2012 on the “nice list.”

Hi, I’m Carol, Assistant Wine Buyer for Grocery Outlet.  Are you excited about this year’s November Wine Sale? I know I am! Starting this Wednesday, November 7th, it runs for 5 days until Sunday, November 11th.  During the sale, all stores will have a 20% discount off on every bottle! With this discount added to Grocery Outlet’s everyday low prices, you can save from 40-70% off what you’d pay at a conventional store.

Our team has been working hard to stock up your local stores with great wines to give you the best variety and quality.  Here are my two top favorite recommendations:

Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Extra Dry Sparkling ($5.99 retail, sells elsewhere at $11.99)—I helped host a bridal shower for my dear friend who was getting married two weeks ago. I decided to pick up a bottle of Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Extra Dry Sparkling Wine at my local Grocery Outlet to make Bellinis & Mimosas. Boy, was it a hit! The wine had a perfect hint of sweetness, with aromas of crisp orchard fruit and honeysuckle.

You don’t have to make Bellinis or Mimoas with Woodbridge like I did, because it also tastes great alone and pairs well with Asian appetizers, creamy cheeses, spicy dishes like Thai curry, or custard desserts such as panna cotta with fresh berries. Pop open a bottle to enhance everyday events, or whenever a little celebrating is in order.

Let’s step away from the sparkling and go into the red wine category.  If you are a fan of Cabernets then I’ve got the perfect wine for you.

Mazzocco Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon ($12.99 CA, $13.99 all other states; sells elsewhere for $29.99)—Mazzocco Sonoma winery is very well known and is located in Healdsburg, CA (the heart of Sonoma County wine country). They are so renowned that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invited them to the Department of State to join the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership.  Mazzocco Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon also received the Gold Medal at the 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Aromas of cassis, cacao and forest floor lead to a plush mid-palate impression having dark chocolate, allspice and black licorice notes.  It’s the quality you'd expect from a Cabernet. For a Gold Medal winner, a $12.99 retail price when it drinks like a $25-50 bottle is a very impressive wine.

 

Be sure to take advantage of our wine selection during the wine sale!  For 5 days only, all of your favorite wines could be yours at 20% off!  Or you might take the chance to try something new.  At these prices, you can afford to!

Cheers from Grocery Outlet!

We like to partner with local chefs and experts to illustrate how you can use the bargains you find at Grocery Outlet Bargain Market in your everyday life.  We've been honored to work with Sam the Cooking Guy, whose take on easy, affordable cuisine is one we greatly admire.

A little about Sam
Sam Zien, known as Sam the Cooking Guy, is a Canadian-born television cook (not a classically trained chef) and author, based in San Diego, California. His show, Sam the Cooking Guy, started on local television stations before moving to a Fox affiliate and thence to Discovery Health. He has won multiple Emmy awards, including one for an episode on Jewish cuisine. Zien started his television career doing travel shows, but reconsidered after the World Trade Center attack. in the decade following Zien has taken his television cooking show on the road, producing multiple shows across the world in places like Hong Kong, Fiji, New Zealand and Vancouver. (from Wikipedia.  For more about Sam, check out his bio here.)

Source: Sam the Cooking Guy

Grocery Outlet
Sam agreed to partner with us in launching our East Village San Diego location.  He cooked for a couple of events we hosted at that store, and in the process, created these five videos for us about the amazing values he found at Grocery Outlet, checking out the deals by scanning them on his phone.  He even made some spicy steak and corn soft tacos.  Check out our videos below for more.

Sam the Cooking Guy - Introduction

Sam the Cooking Guy - Prices

Sam the Cooking Guy - NOSH (Natural, Organic, Specialty, Healthy)

Sam the Cooking Guy - Wine & Beer

Sam the Cooking Guy - Sam Cooks Spicy Steak and Corn Soft Tacos

Thank you Sam, for showing us you can make a healthy and delicious dinner easily and inexpensively, by shopping and saving at Grocery Outlet!

It’s about that time of year that more people are sniffling, coughing, and feeling ill. This is the time of flu shots and cough drops, warm beverages and cold remedies. For all of your seasonal ailments and more, Grocery Outlet has you covered.

Many of us are familiar with the soothing effects of NyQuil, which gives you much needed rest but suppressing symptoms while you don't feel well.  Vicks has come out with a new, effective remedy for those pesky sniffles, coughs, and blah feeling of being sick: Nature Fusion.

If you haven’t heard of this stuff, you should come on in to your local Grocery Outlet and check it out! Nature Fusion is Vicks's solution for natural, healthier, and more eco-friendly cold and flu symptom relief.  It's made with real honey, and is absolutely gluten, dye, and alcohol-free, which is uncommon in the medicine market.

Please keep in mind that this is in fact a medicine—although it’s made with real honey and smells like honey, it’s going to taste like medicine.

Vicks Nature Fusion comes in several varieties.  At Grocery Outlet, we’re happy to carry Nature Fusion Cough Remedy and Multi-Symptom liquid or if you’d prefer caplets—we’ve got those too. Each is selling at a Grocery Outlet near you for the low price of $5.99! We’ve even got a double cough and cold whammy value pack for $9.99!

 

There’s no time like the present to start preparing for the dreaded season of cold and flu—especially at the great prices and values that Grocery Outlet offers. While you’re in, be sure to check out our selection on cough drops! We’ve got bags and bags of Halls Cough Drops which are being sold for the phenomenally low price of $0.99 per bag! There couldn’t be a better time to stock up on these cold remedies.

 

It’s better to stock up now when you’re healthy, so if and when cold and flu strike you’ll be prepared to stay in and remedy those pesky symptoms with some old-fashioned rest and new-fashioned cold medicine.

A 12-Month Series by Guest Blogger Julia Wessels, from The Frugal Find

When I grew up, Halloween costumes were made from "scratch" around the house.  Today, however, costumes can cost upwards of $50 each just for the kids!  This is just silly.  They're worn for a couple of hours then tossed in a bin to donate next year when they've been outgrown.  Now, I realize there are those kiddos that wear their costumes night and day for months—we have had a couple of those around here, however, I still cannot justify the $50 price tag.  So with this in mind, I thought I'd share a few DIY costume ideas from around the web.  I hope you find something here that will save you a few bucks.

Tip Junkie has a slew of great Halloween DIY ideas, everything from food, to decor, to costumes.

Real Simple has a photo slide show with 16 DIY Costumes for Kids.  They're really cute too!  I especially love these because most of the costumes are from your kiddos' gear that they already have at home!

 

 
Photo Credit: Real Simple

 

Of course we can't forget Pinterest, especially when DIY is in mind.  Check out this Halloween Costume board over on Pinterest for some great costume ideas for all ages.

I'd love to hear from you.  What are some of your frugal, tried-and-true costumes?  Has your child ever won a "Best Costume" award and you were grinning from ear-to-ear because you knew it cost you practically nothing?  Leave a comment on our Facebook post and let us know what your best costume was!

This past week Grocery Outlet ran an AD featuring the new and exciting Skinny Girl line by Bethenny Frankel. Many of us know her for the Skinny Girl Margarita and assorted other mixed drinks, but she seems to be a jack of all trades these days: skincare line, shaping body wear line, nutrition line…what’s next?

We got an awesome deal on Skinny Girl products, so naturally we are sharing it with you! The unusual thing about this buy is the breadth of product we got—we are almost able to carry the complete Skinny Girl line! That amount and variety of product is rare in a closeout deal.

More importantly, these products are a great value. If you go to Target, Walmart, CVS, or even drugstore.com you’ll see that this skincare line retails anywhere from $5-$16—but at Grocery Outlet, we’re selling Skinny Girl for $1.99-$4.99. Yes, you read that correctly.

Items that I’m most excited about:

Skinny Girl Lip Balm Shimmer—for when you want to keep things fun but not flashy. The Plumping Lip Gloss also has a lovely shimmer to it. And for $1.99—what’s not to love?! With ingredients like Shea Butter and Castor Seed Oil, lips will look luscious and be moisturized!

 

 

 

Skinny Girl Cleansing Facial Cloths—I’m addicted to facial cloths, because I’m lazy and can’t be bothered to walk over to the sink and wash my face. These particular facial cloths have Aloe, Chamomile, Cucumber, and Willow Bark, which have natural anti-inflammatory properties. They’re only $2.99 for a pack of 25! These are great to pack in your bag to use after hitting the gym, yoga studio, or even doing a little gardening outside—or you could be like me and use them instead of washing your face, which might not be the best thing to do, come to think of it.

Skinny Girl Tinted Daily Moisturizer SPF 15—I wear sunscreen every day—if you don’t already, you should too! Finding a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen is wonderful, especially if you’re not one to wear very much makeup, but want just a little bit more coverage. This is a great product to use as your base if you wear foundation. We carry this in three different shades: Sand, Beige, and Mocha. For $3.99, it’s hard to beat this awesome deal.

 

 

 

If that wasn’t enough to get you excited about the Skinny Girl Skin Care Line, you should know that Skinny Girl does not test on animals. All of the products smell great, feel great, and are a great value! So hurry in and try Skinny Girl before we run out!

Back by popular demand!  Introducing our 2012 Second Edition Bobbleheads!
Last year, we launched our bobblehead promotion with our frugal friends, Ben, Tammy, Doug, and Lois.  It was so popular that we brought it back for 2012, but with all-new, limited 2nd edition bobbleheads!

 

Next week, we’ll be releasing the 2012 Ben Saven, but in the meantime, we wanted to give you a little preview and instructions on how you can take home your own FREE bobbleheads.

Here’s how:
With every $25 purchase*, you will earn a Bobble Buck on your cash register receipt.  Collect FIVE Bobble Bucks and receive a FREE bobblehead.
*Excludes alcohol and gift card purchases.

• Limited to stock on hand
• Sorry, no rainchecks
• Limit of 4 per character per customer
• Not available on commercial sales
• Maximum 20 Bobble Bucks per transaction

We got extra this year so we wouldn’t run out as quickly, but our bobble friends are available for a limited time only, so be sure to stop in to get yours as they are released!

Ben Saven – available October 8th
Tammy Underspend – available October 22nd
Doug – available November 5th
Lois Prices – available November 19th

Hi! My name is Sarah and I’m the new Assistant Buyer for Health and Beauty Care at Grocery Outlet! Working here these past few weeks started to make me wonder what our products were really like, so my guest posts on the Bargainista Blog will give you the rundown on Grocery Outlet beauty products and real-life product tests, how-to’s, and fun ideas on how to use them.

Our first topic is Nail Polish. Grocery Outlet carries a variety of nail products, and this week we will be looking at Nutra Nail’s Gel Perfect 5 Minute Gel-Color Manicure.

This nail color comes in twin packs—so you’re getting 2 Gel-Color polishes for $8.99—already a pretty neat deal, but let’s take a closer look.  The packaging promises that the polish sets 5 minutes and I’ll get a "lasting patent leather shine."

Anyone who has ever had a ‘gel manicure’ at a salon knows that it can take close to an hour if not longer.  The payoff is that the manicure will last for at least two weeks without chipping—while maintaining a glossy finish—as compared to a regular manicure.   I’m going to test it out and see if that’s true.

 

Before we begin, a few things to remember about any sort of nail polish: paint your nails in a well-ventilated area and give yourself enough time to paint your nails—plus dry time.

This nail color kit comes with a handy-dandy instruction sheet, which seems easy enough to follow, along with three different little bottles: gel color, activator, and brush cleaner.  If you follow the directions on the sheet provided, everything should go smoothly.

 

 

Before

As someone who isn’t very good at painting her own nails, I found this product to be extremely user-friendly.  For example, I didn’t manage to strike the perfect balance of gel color and activator—but conveniently there’s a Q&A on the back of the instruction sheet.  My nails weren’t drying quickly, so I ran some cold water on my hands and viola!  The color set!  And I was left with a very vibrant red color on my nails that gleam like patent leather.

 

For $8.99, this is a super fabulous deal! Especially since elsewhere this product will be sold anywhere from $9.99 - $14.99 for a single pack, while Grocery Outlet is selling a 2-pack for $8.99—so that’s about $4.50 per pack! And you could save up to $10.49 per pack!  Wow!  What a deal!

I was surprised by how quickly the polish set and how shiny my nails are! The packaging advertisements were right—my nails dried fast, the color is vibrant, and they are patent leather shiny!

 

And if you want to change up your nail color, Grocery Outlet also carries the Nutra Nail No-Mess Express Gel Perfect Remover for $4.99 (five individually packaged nail polish remover pads) although 100% acetone polish remover will work as well. This retails for up to $7.99 elsewhere!

 

Give it a try, and let us know how it goes on our Facebook page.  I think you’ll be really surprised at how great a manicure you can give yourself.  See you next time!

A 12-Month Series by Guest Blogger Julia Wessels, from The Frugal Find

If you're sending kids to school, likely you're making the decision between hot lunches at school or sending a cold lunch.  We have four kids all in school this year and a hot lunch costs $2.50 x 4 that's a whopping $10 a day!  I've talked before about our ENTIRE family grocery budget being only $75/week.  This would seriously eat into our budget so the decision for our family was an easy one to make.

 

Of course, finances aren't the only factor that plays into sending a lunch with our kids to school.  Knowing they'll actually EAT the food I send with them is even more important.  I wanted to share a few examples of lunches we send with our kids each day.  First of all, we invested in a few containers with snug lids to put inside their lunch boxes so that we could cut back on the cost of Ziploc bags.  I also scoured local thrift stores and found a few Thermos containers so that I could send hot lunches from time to time.  Sending hot lunches is a great way to stretch your budget if you have leftovers from dinner.  For example, today my daughter is taking a bowl of White Bean Chicken Chili to school today—I think that beats a PB&J any day!

Cost of food varies greatly from state to state, but I think you'll find that hands-down, eating at home (or prepared at home) food is always cheaper.

Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking about creative (and frugal!) lunchbox meals:
Bagel & Cream Cheese
Homemade Uncrustables (PB&J or Grilled Cheese)
Salami, Cheese, and Crackers - substitute ham, turkey, etc
Peanut Butter and Apple "Sandwiches"
Homemade Pumpkin Muffins
Soups and Chilis

 

There are also a few tools that make packing lunches a breeze for me.  The first one is the Apple Wedger which works great for pears too! When packing hot liquid lunches (soups, etc) the Thermos Leak Proof Stainless Steel Food Container is a must!  Of course if you're packing a cold lunch and actually want it to stay cold you'll need a couple Blue Ice Packs.  Also as I mentioned above, a good set of plastic containers are very useful and in the end will help you to save money by cutting out Ziploc bags. I like The Container Store Klip-It Lunch Cubes but there are many different products on the market, the key is to make sure they don't leak especially if you're putting fruit or yogurt into the containers.

Lastly, I thought I'd share one of my family's favorite recipes: Homemade Granola Bars!  They're actually very simple to make and a lot heartier (and healthier) than your average Quaker granola bars. This recipe comes from my friend Sumiko who blogs at Near to Nothing.  She guest posts on The Frugal Find each week in our From Our Pantry on a Budget series!

Granola Bars
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 to 3/4 Cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ*
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup mix-ins (see below)
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix-ins:
Dried cranberries
Chocolate chips or peanut butter chips
1/2 Cup peanut butter (plus some chocolate chips, of course!)
Nuts
Dried fruits (apples, bananas, cherries, blueberries, etc.)
Pretty much anything your heart desires!

 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan and set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; pour wet ingredients into well.  Mix until combined, then spread into the prepared pan. Using your hands, press it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until they begin to turn brown around the edges. Cut bars while still warm then cool completely. Store in an air-tight container or zip-top bag.

A 12-Month Series by Guest Blogger Julia Wessels, from The Frugal Find

We talked very briefly last month about freezing your food as a method to saving money each month. Well I want to elaborate because in my opinion this is one of the MAIN ways you can save BIG each month. The key is stocking up when the prices are low, but if your food goes to waste so does your money. So you need to be prepared to freeze your goods. For quite some time I used the affordable over the counter Ziploc Vacuum Starter and Bags to freeze various food. However recently we upgraded to a FoodSaver from Costco, we bought the lower end model for $64 (after an instant $20 rebate). I’m so happy we did this, it’s made the process so much quicker and easier! However the Ziploc Vacuum works very well too!

 

 

Here is a list of many food staples that freeze well. Of course, this isn't an extensive end-all list, but it's a great place to start!

Milk and Cheese - Cheese is simple, just toss it in the freezer that includes shredded cheese too! However with your milk, you'll need to take the cap off and pour out about a 1/2 cup to leave room for the jug to expand. Often times you can find milk on clearance but if it expires in just a few days, you may not consider buying 4 gallons, unless of course you freeze them! When you thaw out your milk (in the fridge) you may need to give it a good shake before serving, but that's it.

Eggs - Yes, surprisingly eggs freeze very well! You'll just need to take them out of their shells first and scramble them (you don't have to, but I find it's much easier this way). Place the scrambled eggs in ice cube trays to freeze them initially, then I combine them in a Ziploc bag to save space. You could also just place 6 scrambled eggs directly into a ziploc bag if you plan to use them all at once.

Veggies, Herbs, and Fruit - These are one of my favorites to freeze because it means that even when produce isn't in season I can still enjoy it. Recently I stocked up on asparagus. Here’s a tip when freezing asparagus (and brussels sprouts), the key is to blanch them first. Drop them into boiling water for 2-3 minutes then immediately place them into a cold water ice bath. Blanching stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture. Until vegetables are harvested, the enzymes cause them to grow and develop their color and flavor. By blanching them you stop that process, keeping them as fresh as possible.

Bread, Cake, Pies, Dough - All forms of pastries freeze well, you just need to make sure that you prep it well using wax paper and a good freezer bag (or freezing system). Bread goes on sale from time to time and if I can find a good hearty whole wheat loaf for $1.00, that's when I buy 8-10 loaves and stick them in the freezer. We have 4 kids and we easily go through a loaf every 2-3 days so stocking up is essential for us.

Fully Prepared or Fully Cooked Meals - This won't just save you money it will save you a lot of time too! If you can cook a meal or two in bulk and then freeze the rest you'll be very thankful when a busy day rolls around. Just grab that extra pan of enchiladas out of the freezer and stick in the oven! Maybe you'd like to organize a group of friends and create a Freezer Meal Exchange Group on Facebook!

You may also be interested in using this Free Printable Freezer Inventory Form to keep track of what you have in the freezer. After all, you've gone through all the effort to score a deal and prep it for the freezer you wouldn't want it to go to waste because you forgot you had it!