Today I’d like to share seven quick grocery shopping tips with you. Oh, I guess I should mention that this is yet another guest post by Susanne Myers – The Hillbilly Housewife. I’m on the road, touring from blog to blog this October to spread the word about frugal living, meal planning and breast cancer research. But let’s get back to the grocery shopping tips…

I don’t know about you, but I don’t really like grocery shopping. That’s one of the reasons I started to meal plan… it allowed me to shop less often.

Here are just a few of my favorite tips and shortcuts:

1. Don’t shop hungry – you’ll end up buying more and more things you really don’t need, especially junk and convenience food. Have a little snack before you leave home. You’ll also be able to concentrate better which will make your shopping experience faster and more enjoyable.
2. Go by yourself if you can – having the kids or husband join you adds lots of distractions. You’ll end up forgetting to get some crucial items. Kids and spouses can also talk you into buying things you don’t really need. Go by yourself when you can and get the shopping done more quickly.
3. Look at the sales flyer before you go – circle the items you really want to get on sale and add them to your list as well. I often plan my meals around what’s on sale that week and then put together my shopping list. Don’t forget to bring any coupons you may need to get the best deal.
4. Look for store brand – I always look to see if there’s a store brand version available. Most of the time they are just as good as the original at a fraction of the cost.
5. Shop the perimeter of the store – skip the middle rows unless there is something in particular that you need. They are full of convenience foods, candy etc. Stick to the whole foods available on the perimeter of the store (i.e. produce, meat, etc.)
6. Keep a price book – I have a little notebook that I carry in my purse that has the prices of all the items I buy most often in it. At a glance I can decide if something really is a good deal.
7. Make a list and stick to it – Take the time to sit down and write out your grocery list. Unless it is something very essential (think diapers), make yourself stick to the list. It’ll keep you from giving into impulse buys. Christine does a wonderful job creating categorized shopping lists for all her meal plans.

That’s it for today. I’ll be back with another blog post tomorrow. Leave me some comments and share some of your own grocery tips.  Christine and I will put all commenters in a drawing and give away a subscription to her Meal Planning Service and one to the Hillbilly Housewife Club.

Susanne Myers – The Hillbilly Housewife
HillbillyHousewife.com

P.S. Love recipes? Take a moment to browse through my collection of frugal recipes. I’m sure you’ll find some new family favorites.

Replace the regular lollipops this Halloween with these gooey soft and chewy pops.  If your kids are not fans of cashews, roll the pops in crushed peanuts instead, or eliminate the nuts all together.

1 (12 oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
4 1/2 t canola oil
40 large marshmallows
20 Popsicle sticks
1/2 C of orange sprinkles
1/2 C of black sprinkles
1 C of cashews or other nuts, crushed fine

Cover a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
Melt the chips according to package directions.
Mix the orange and black sprinkles together in shallow bowl.
Place 2 marshmallows onto each Popsicle stick.
Dip the marshmallows into the melted chocolate, covering them well and allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl. (re-melt if and when necessary)
Roll the coated marshmallows through the sprinkles, coating them well.
Roll the marshmallows through the crushed cashews or peanuts.
Place the marshmallow pops onto the wax paper standing the pops upside down, with the stick facing up.
Place in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour or until firm.

Makes 20 pops

Welcome back to the Hillbilly Housewife Blog Tour. I’m Susanne Myers, the Hillbilly Housewife. In yesterday’s post we talked about how meal planning can save you time. Today I’d like to share some information on the different types of meal planning with you. It will help you decide what style of menu plan is right for you and your family.

Different Styles Of Meal Planning

There are three different styles of meal planning. I am outlining each for you below. Each works well for a particular lifestyle. Find the one that you think will most likely work for you and your family and give it a try.

The Night Before

This is the simplest form of meal planning. Take some time after you finish dinner and get the kids in the bed to think about what you will cook the next day. Work mostly with what you already have in your fridge or pantry. Make a note of what you will need to grab at the store to make dinner.

If making a weekly menu seems a bit intimidating, this is a great way to get your feed wet and get a feel for the process. I recommend you try to graduate to one of the other methods eventually.

A Week, 2 Weeks or Month at a Time

This is my preferred method of meal planning. I usually plan for one week, occasionally for two when I know we’ll be extra busy. I sit down on Sunday nights and make up a menu for the entire week. I grab my recipes for the dinner dishes and write down a grocery list to make sure I’m not forgetting anything essential. I don’t usually bother planning breakfast and lunch. I just make sure we have plenty to make our favorites (oatmeal and pancakes for breakfast, sandwiches, salads and leftovers for lunch).

Rotating Menus

If you are super busy and your family likes certain meals on a regular basis a rotating menu may work well for you. Make out about 6 weekly menus and keep rotating through them. You may want to make some slight adjustments in the fresh produce you use depending on the season.

Please take a moment to leave a comment and let us know what your thoughts on meal planning are. Christine and I will put all commenters in a drawing and give away a subscription to her Meal Planning Service and one to the Hillbilly Housewife Club. Can’t wait to hear read your comments.

Susanne Myers – The Hillbilly Housewife

P.S. If you haven’t already done so, take a moment to subscribe to the Hillbilly Housewife Newsletter. It’s free and we share some wonderful recipes and great tips on all things frugal. To join visit HillbillyHousewife.com and look for the signup box in the upper left-hand corner.

These “batty” cupcakes are nice and scary, but they taste delicious.  Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate!  You’ll gladly bite into this bat.

1 (18.25 oz.) pkg. chocolate cake mix
1 (16 oz.) can chocolate ready to spread frosting
24 fudge cookies, halved
24 chocolate kisses
Red decorating gel

Prepare the cake and bake as directed on the package for 24 cupcakes.
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack
Frost the cupcakes with the frosting.
Place 2 halves of the cookies into each cupcake to represent the bat wings being sure the stripes are to the backside of the cupcake.
Carefully press a chocolate kiss into the front of the cupcake to represent the bats head.
Place two small drops of the red decorating gel onto the kiss to form the eyes.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Hi there, I’m Susanne Myers – aka the Hillbilly Housewife. This fall I’m touring and guest blogging on several of my favorite blogs. Christine was kind enough to volunteer her blog as the first stop on the tour. We’ve been great friends for close to 4 years now and are both passionate about meal planning, making this the perfect site to kick of the HBHW Blog Tour. With that said, lets talk about how meal planning can save you time.

Meal Planning – The Big Time Saver At Dinner Time

It’s 6pm, you just got home after a long day at the office, or a busy day driving the kids all over town. You’re standing in the middle of your kitchen and are trying to figure out what you could possibly fix for dinner without having to run to the store or order takeout yet again.

Now imagine that you’ve taken the time to plan your meals ahead of time. You know what you’re going to cook, all the groceries are waiting for you and you may even have done some of the prep work already. It’s not hard to see that making dinner will be faster and a lot less stressful this way.

Here are some of the ways you’ll be saving time with meal planning:

1) No More Time Wasted Digging Through Your Pantry and Fridge

When you plan your meals for the weeks, there’s no need to dig through your pantry and fridge to try and come up with something you can throw together for dinner. You’ll know exactly what you are going to make. Just grab your meal plan, your recipe if you need it and start cooking.

2) No More Time Wasted Running To The Store

Before I planned my meals, I ended up running to the store several times a week because I was missing a key ingredient for a particular dish. Even if you have a few dishes in mind when you shop, without a plan (preferably in writing) chances are good that you will have to rush back to the grocery store. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how much time it saves me to only shop once a week or once every two weeks.

3) No More Time Wasted Waiting For Mom

When you plan your meals ahead of time and post your meal plan in the kitchen, other members of your family (think husband or older kids) can get dinner started when you’re running late. By the time you finally make it home, dinner is almost done and everyone is ready to sit down to a nice family dinner.

By now I’m sure you can tell that I’m very passionate about this topic. In fact, you can read my tips on menu planning here.I’d also like to invite you to give Christine’s Menu Planning Central membership a try. I’ve used her meal plans myself and they are well laid out and there’s a huge variety of meal plans in the member area.

Another topic that’s near and dear to my heart is Breast Cancer Research. My grandmother is a breast cancer survivor and each October (during Breast Cancer Awareness Month), I try to do something to support the efforts in this area. This year I am putting together this blog tour and am donating 20% of all profit from my Hillbilly Housewife products to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

I’ll be back tomorrow to talk to you about the different types of meal planning you can do. I’d also like to invite to to leave a comment below. How is meal planning a time saver for you?

Warmly,

Susanne Myers – The Hillbilly Housewife
www.HillbillyHousewife.com

P.S. Follow me on my blog tour -  http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/blog/?p=2036

If you’re looking for a fun main course to feed your family Halloween night, try this fun and delicious Jack O’Lantern beef pot pie.  The kids will get a kick out of this unusual way their dinner is served!

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 tsp flour
1 cup favorite salsa
1/2 cup of chili sauce
1 cup frozen corn
1 (4 oz.) can green chilies, chopped
2 Tblsp. brown sugar
1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry

1 egg
Orange paste food coloring

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In large skillet over medium heat, brown beef and onion together until beef is no longer pink. Drain any fat or moisture from the beef.
Place the flour into a bowl and stir in the salsa and chili sauce and blending together well.
Stir the salsa/chili sauce mixture into the beef in the skillet, then add the corn, green chilies and brown sugar, stirring until well combined, and reheating until everything is hot.

Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9 inch pie plate, spreading mixture out evenly.
Unroll the pastry and place over the top of the pie plate.
With a small sharp knife, cut a Jack O’Lantern face into the pie crust.  Flute the crust along the edges of the pie plate.

Mix together in a small bowl, the egg and enough food coloring to reach the desired orange color.  Brush the egg over the pie crust.
Bake 9 or 10 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly.

These creepy little spiders will send a chill up the spine of even your bravest Halloween party guest.  Not only are they frightening, but they are also very yummy!  You may even get over your fear of spiders when you bite into one of these delicious critters!

8 individual tart shells
8 scoops of chocolate ice cream (or any flavor you wish)
16 Oreos or other chocolate cookies, crumbled
16 red M&M candy pieces
16 pieces of black shoestring licorice

Place the shells on a cookie sheet.
Add 1 scoop of ice cream to each of the shells.
Crumble all the cookies, then take the crumbles and sprinkle over the ice cream to cover it well.
Press 2 M&M’s into each ice cream/cookie mound to resemble eyes.
Cut the licorice strips into fourths.
Press 8 strips of licorice into each ice cream scoop to form the spider’s legs.
Place the completed spiders in the freezer for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Makes 8 servings

This black cat is fun to make, although it will take a little extra time.  Go ahead and replace the chocolate cake mix with brownie mix if you like a richer dessert.  You might want to also go through the directions for creating the “cat” shape out of the cakes before you begin cutting.  I use two circles of paper, follow the cutting directions, and put the paper shapes together to form the cat before I start cutting the cake, just to be sure I understand the directions.

1 (18.25 oz.) chocolate cake mix
1 (16 oz.) can chocolate frosting
2 yellow gumdrops
1 green gumdrop
1 red gumdrop
2 pieces of shoestring black licorice
6 pieces of candy corn

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 round (9 inch) cake pans with parchment paper and lightly grease.

Prepare the cake or brownie mix according the package directions and pour the batter into the 2 prepared cake pans.  Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove the pans from the oven and cool the cakes 10 minutes in the pans, then remove the cakes from the pans and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.  After cool, remove the parchment paper from the cakes.

Place one of the cakes on a large platter or covered board.
From the remaining cake cut a 1 in wide crescent shape slice to form the cat’s tail.
From the cut cake measure 2 inches from the center and make a vertical cut.
Cut this piece in half to form the cat’s ears and set aside.
Trim the remaining piece of the cut cake to form a circle for the cat’s head.
Spread frosting over the top and sides of the first piece of cake.
Attach the tail to the bottom of the cake with a little frosting then frost the tail.
Attach the cat’s head with frosting then frost the head.
Attach the cat’s ears with frosting then completely frost the ears.

Place the yellow gum drops on the head to represent the eyes.
Cut the green gum drop in half and attach to the yellow eyes using toothpicks.
Place the red gum drop on the face for the cat’s nose.
Cut the black licorice and press it into the cat’s face for its whiskers and mouth.
Press the candy corn into the base of the cat, three on each side, to represent its toes.

Preparation Time:  approximately 25 minutes
Baking Time:  approximately 20 minutes + cooling
Total Time:  approximately 45 minutes + cooling

Kids love these creepy crawly cupcakes because they’re not only funny with the worm peeking out, but they’re yummy, too.  These cupcakes look especially cute all gathered together on a plate.  Place a few additional gummy worms around the plate like some worms have escaped!

1 1/4 C of water
1/3 C of canola oil
3 eggs
1 (18.25 oz.) box yellow cake mix with pudding
ready to spread chocolate frosting
24 gummy worms
chocolate cookies to crumble to add “dirt” to the frosting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.  Spray the paper liners lightly with cooking oil spray.

Pour the water into a mixing bowl, add the canola oil, and whisk together.
Add the eggs and whisk again until well combined.
Add the cake mix powder and stir with a spoon until blended in well.
Fill the paper liners 2/3 full of the batter, and bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
Remove the cupcakes to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes.
Using a wooden spoon handle make a hole in the center of each cupcake for the worms to come out of.
Place the frosting into a baggie and snip one corner off the bag.  Squeeze the frosting into the holes on the cupcakes allowing enough to come out the hole on top to spread over the top of the cupcake.
Press a gummy worm into the frosting hole of each cupcake leaving a portion of the worm “crawling” over the edge of the cupcakes.
Sprinkle the chocolate cookie crumbles over the frosting to form the “dirt.”
Place the cupcakes together on a big platter.
Decorate the platter with additional “dirt” and worms around the bottom.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Serve your family a delicious chili dinner Halloween evening in a spooky bowl… courtesy of Dracula!  Keep the contents of the “coffin” secret until everyone sits down to dinner, then watch as your family breathes a sigh of relief to discover that it’s just yummy chili, and not Dracula lurking under the lid!

2 (8 1/2 oz.) pkgs. corn bread mix
2/3 C of milk
2 eggs
1/4 t black paste food coloring
1 T of canola oil
1 sweet red pepper, sliced
1 Serrano pepper, seed and chopped very fine
1/3 C onion, chopped
2 (15 oz.) cans vegetarian chili

Preset the oven to 400 degrees allowing it to preheat.
Generously spray a 9 X 5 loaf pan on the bottoms and sides with a cooking spray.
Place the corn bread mix into a large mixing bowl.
Add the milk and eggs and whisk until well blended.
Add in the food coloring and blend until well combined.
Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan.
Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
When the bread has cooled slice off the top one fourth.
Gently remove the bread from the middle of the bottom piece, leaving a 1 inch shell.
Pour the oil into a skillet placed over medium heat.
Stir in both types of pepper and the onion.
Cook for 8 minutes or until tender.
Remove 1/4 C of the mixture and set aside.
Stir the chili into the remaining onion mixture until blended together well.
Heat the mixture for 10 minutes or until completely heated through.
Fill the hollowed out bread with the chili mixture.
Spoon the reserved onion mixture over the top of the chili.
Cover with the top one fourth of the bread.

Makes 6 servings