Don't get me wrong, I love cooking.  But I've been SO uninspired in the kitchen for dinners lately. Maybe it's because we have had quite a few bouts of flu going around our house.  Or because I spend most of my days creating fun recipes for my job.  Some nights, by the time 5:00 hits, I'm just staring at the fridge, hoping for a cooked meal to pop out at me.  I wish! Can't I have a magical twitch to my nose like Samantha on Bewitched?!

Last night, I had ground turkey but no ideas what to do with it.  I wanted a burger, but it was still partially frozen.  I remembered seeing something on Rachael Ray once about a cheeseburger casserole and I just went with it.  

The verdict? EVERYONE loved it.  It tastes just like McDonald's double cheeseburgers. We don't do much McD's, but those double cheeseburgers are hard to resist...especially after a nasty post-wedding hangover! (We had quite a few weddings this summer...I learned the hard way)

Served with some of our favorite tots and green beans, this was a tasty meal that hit the table in about 30 minutes! 

Turkey Cheeseburger Casserole

Here's what you need:

• 1 package of Jennie-O lean ground turkey (about 1.25 lbs)
• 2 cups of elbow noodles, cooked al dente (about 5-6 minutes)
• 2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup relish
• 2 pickle spears, chopped (more or less to taste)
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
• 1/4 teaspoon each- onion & garlic powder
• 2 cups cheddar cheese 
• Optional: chopped bacon (I put it on half of ours)

1. Preheat oven to 400. 
2. In a large pan, brown ground turkey for 4-5 minutes.  Add onions, mustard, Worcestershire, onion and garlic powder.  Brown until turkey is completely cooked. Do not drain.
3. Add pickles, relish, tomatoes, tomato paste. Once thoroughly heated, slowly pour in noodles. Stir.
4. Pour into casserole dish and top with cheese (and optional bacon).  Bake 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and drool-worthy.
   
    

What's your go-to meal when you're in a cooking rut?

Time to Bundle Up! Kmart has MAJOR Outerwear Savings!

We woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground today.  I absolutely love snow...this time of year, at least.  By the time January hits, I'm over it.  But for now, I'm optimistic! Especially if it means we will have a White Christmas!

If you're looking for some deals on winter gear, look no further than Kmart!  

As you may know, I am a personal shopper for Shop Your Way Rewards--which includes Kmart, Sears and Lands End.  My job is to help YOU save money.  I can send you exclusive coupons and rewards, or just quick heads up for sales.  All up to what you want!  Also, at least once a month, you'll get a $5 bonus on your Shop Your Way account. Best part? It's FREE!  

Yesterday, I posted a pic of our new boots and a lot of people wondered where they were mine were from.  Kmart!  I love how warm and comfy they are.  Great quality boots for under $40! 

Bustin out the boots!! It's snowing!! ❄️

A photo posted by Ashleigh Evans (@itscheapash) on Nov 11, 2014 at 5:55am PST

Right now, all boots are Buy 1, Get 50% off.  You can get free 2-day shipping as a client of mine, or ship to your local store. Also, be sure to add the  $5 off $25 in shoes coupon to your account. (Tip: I add ANY coupon I think I'll use. At checkout, whatever ones are relevant will be applied)

• Girl's Boots
• Women's Boots
• Men's Boots
• Boy's Boots

All outerwear is on sale 40% off and hat/glove sets start at $6.99!  Coats start at $20, with most around $27 and snow pants are $17.  There are coupons: $5 off $25 in Apparel and also $5 off $50 Storewide.

• Boys Outerwear
• Girls Outerwear

If you have anything specific you need help finding, I'm here to help! Also, be sure to use your Ebates account for an additional 3% back! New to Ebates? You'll get a free $10 gift card.

Is there snow on the ground where you live?

Aunt Millie's Thrift Store: Discounted Bread!

I don't know about your family, but we fly through bread, bagels, English muffins or basically any carbs--during breakfast if we each have a bagel, that's one package right there!  With the prices of groceries getting INSANE, it's nice to find a bargain store for something we frequently eat.  One day on a whim, I stopped into our local Aunt Millie's Thrift Store and I was pleasantly surprised.  They carry most of our favorite breads, including Meijer brand french toast bagels (ah-mazing) and whole wheat pitas (for pizzadillas!).  When you walk in, ask about the specials and for any pricing information.  For instance, our store has a bargain table and you get a FREE item off of that table when you spend over $5.

The Aunt Millie's Thrift Store is located off of 68th Street here in Grand Rapids, but there are locations all over Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin.  I'm sure prices vary by store, but if you have one in your area, be sure to stop in! You're in for a great discount.  I usually walk out with two large bags full of bread for under $10!

Tips:

• Ask about discount days for even better prices!  Ours is on Sunday and bread is only $0.75!  There are other deals too.
• Since the bread is close to the "use-by" date, be sure to have room in the freezer.  For buns, I just pick them up when I need them. 
• Think about other ways you can use the bread. They have $1 bags of day-old bread which I make croutons or bread crumbs with.  With Thanksgiving coming up soon, consider getting one of those bags to make your own stuffing mix!

What ways are you saving on groceries lately? I'm all ears! 

Fun Mason Jar Gift: Sriracha Party Mix!

I have a confession: I am a sriracha addict.  If you aren't sure what sriracha is, it's a spicy chili sauce that you can buy in your ethnic food aisle.  Look for a green top and a rooster on it!  It's the most grabbed condiment in our house.  I put it on EVERYTHING. Eggs. Popcorn. Sandwiches. Chicken.  My aunt even found sriracha candy canes for me last holiday season (thank you Aunt Beth!). 

When I was pregnant with Gabby, I had a major spicy food cravings and I found sriracha.  Other hot sauces weren't cutting it for me, so grabbed . I'd seen it before at Noodles and other restaurants, but I never thought to buy any.  

Along with a sriracha addiction, I love snacking.  So it was only a short time until I figured out that sriracha and party mix are a match made in heaven.  Add some coconout oil for sweetness (and a bit of a healthier alternative to butter) and it gained a new nickname in our house: crack mix.  

Sriracha Party Mix aka Crack Mix

Here's what you need:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 cup Sriracha
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 tablespoon seasoned salt 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 3 cups EACH: Corn, Rice and Wheat squares cereal
• 2 cups pretzels
• 1 cup peanuts
• 1 cup sesame sticks

Mix it up!

1. Preheat oven to 250. 
2. After coconut oil is melted, mix in the sriracha, Worcestershire, seasoned salt, garlic and onion powder. I love to use a Pyrex glass measuring cup for this, it makes it easy to pour.
3. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients.  Pour coconut oil mixture over and mix well. 
4. Pour onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. 
5. Store in an air-tight container....although it probably won't last too long. 

What do you put sriracha on?

Mmmm Monday: Buffalo Ranch Chicken Salad

I have been trying to do a little meal prep on Sundays so I'm set for lunches during the week.  Otherwise, it'll be 2:00 and I realize I've only had coffee.  Even with just Gabby home, I get stuck on Pinterest busy and forget to eat!

Favorite make-ahead items: hard boiled eggs, tuna salad, chopped veggies and shredded chicken. During the summer, I loved wraps with regular chicken salad--but that can get boring.  Enter: buffalo ranch chicken salad!!  Aside from wraps, this chicken is tasty for nachos, buffalo chicken pizza or simply on a cracker.  This is a bit healthier than regular chicken salad since there is Greek yogurt dressing used instead of mayo.

Buffalo Ranch Chicken Salad
What You Need:

• 3-4 Chicken Breasts
• 1/4-1/2 cup Bolthouse Farms Yogurt Ranch Dressing (Opa! is great too)
• Frank's Buffalo Sauce (or your favorite!), to taste- start with 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• Optional: chopped celery, chopped green onion

1. In a pan, add chicken and water, just enough to cover the chicken.  Boil on medium heat until fully cooked.  Remove from pan and let chill.
2. Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, shred with a fork.  Toss in buffalo sauce, then add ranch until it's the consistency you want.  
3. Refrigerate until ready to use. Will last 2-3 days in the fridge.

• For Wraps: heat tortilla, add shredded lettuce, carrots, green onion, blue cheese and extra  dressing.  Fold and cut in half.  We LOVE Alexia waffle fries on the side.  They bake up super crispy
• For Nachos: top chips and cheese with buffalo chicken, blue cheese, green onions and drizzle with more buffalo sauce. 

What's your go-to quick lunch?

Treat Yourself Giveaway: $150 DYLN Inspired Gift Card!

I was doing laundry this weekend and realized I have eight pairs of black yoga pants.  Then I have capris and yoga leggings....it's an addiction! Yes, they are somewhat different, but I probably look like I'm wearing the same pants every morning when I walk the girls to school. Oh well!

This time of year gets super hectic and I know most ladies out there are thinking about others.  Which is great...but I wanted a giveaway for YOU!  Or you can re-gift the gift card to someone you love for Christmas--shh! I won't tell.  Whatever floats your boat!

DYLN Inspired is giving one of my readers a $150 gift card to spend on their site.  Also, ALL readers get 40% off all yoga pants until November 15 using code SAVINGS!  These aren't just your run of the mill work out pants, DYLN uses quality materials (including pearls for softness) to help wick sweat and keep you comfortable!  I have my eye on the compression pants! Also, note that super cute orange zip up above!

How do you enter? See below!

Treat Yo Self $150 DYLN Giveaway

Coupon Alert! Print These Game Coupons NOW!

We love a game night in our house, especially now that the girls are getting older!  I'm so excited to introduce my little ones to some of my favorites!  There are some new game and toy coupons to print ASAP! This week, there are deals at Target and Meijer--be sure to check your ads.

If you already have some of these games, they are also great holiday donation items.

Healthy Thanksgiving Dessert: Pumpkin Pie Cake #Feast4All

This #Feast4All shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

I absolutely love Thanksgiving. Tasty food, catching up with family and just a relaxing night--plus our annual post-dinner game, usually girls vs boys.  Much less stressful than Christmas!  I don't mind indulging during the holidays, as long as I'm smart about it.  I love turkey, stuffing and all of the fixings.  For dessert, anything pumpkin is on my list!

Pumpkin pie is pretty drool-worthy on it's own, but it can be pretty time consuming if you're making it from scratch.  This pumpkin pie CAKE is simple and actually quite healthy! Instead of butter or oil, I used mashed banana and applesauce (shhh, no one has to know!).  This recipe does still use sugar, but I love using baking Splenda for an alternative to regular.  At first I was considering a cream cheese frosting, but I decided to top with shredded Honeycrisp apples and then Edy's Slow Churned ice cream in vanilla bean.  The final finishing touch is a drizzle of sugar free caramel topping.  YUM!  

This Pumpkin Pie Cake has a very similar texture to Pumpkin Pie, so a little square will be more than enough.  I love that you can make this cake in one 9x13 pan and feed your whole crowd!  

Are you an Edy's Slow Churned fan? It's super creamy and full of flavor.  I love that they actually put TONS of toppings in their ice cream, too--the cookie dough has enough for every bite! The seasonal flavors are always a hit in this house.  Last summer they had a salted caramel to die for!  For the fall, keep your eyes peeled for the Pumpkin Pie variety.

I headed to Walmart to stock up on all of my holiday baking fixins.  I figure if I start stocking up on the basics like sugar, flour, chocolate chips, etc now, I'll be set by December! I was SO happy with their supply and low prices.  Libby's canned pumpkin, which we use quite a bit for baking banana bread, was on price-cut to $0.89!  The entire center aisle had baking supplies all together, so convenient!

PUMPKIN PIE CAKE

Here's what you need: 

Makes: 1 Cake (9x13 sheet)

• 1/2 cup mashed banana
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 can Libby's 100% Pumpkin Puree (15 oz)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup skim evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or regular skim)
• 3 Honeycrisp apples shredded and drained of liquid
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• 2 cups baking Splenda (or regular sugar)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• For topping: Edy's Slow Churned vanilla bean and sugar free caramel topping

Let's Bake!

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spray 9x13 dish with Pam.
3. Combine: banana, applesauce, pumpkin, eggs, milk and vanilla in a mixer.  Mix together on low until blended.
4. In a small bowl, add flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices.
5. Slowly add dry ingredients to mixing bowl. 
6. Pour into baking dish.  Sprinkle shredded apple on top, adding extra cinnamon if desired.
7. Bake 45-50 minutes. 
8. Serve warm with Edy's Slow Churned ice cream and drizzle with caramel.  To store, put in refrigerator. 

What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving?  Does your family have a game night too?

Pumpkin Pie Cake topped with Edy's Slow Churned ice cream! A healthified Thanksgiving dessert! #Feast4All #Shop

A video posted by Ashleigh Evans (@itscheapash) on Nov 11, 2014 at 4:24pm PST

Fun Thanksgiving Treat: #OREOCookieBalls Little Turkeys!

This #OREOCookieBalls shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

I am more of a cook than a baker.  Have you noticed how people seem to be one or the other?  I like to throw ingredients in without measuring and the precision of baking intimidates me.  That being said, OREO cookies are my weakness and I have been seeing seasonal OREO balls all over Pinterest: Easter eggs, pumpkins, flag themed, you name it.  They are too cute, but I assumed they were complicated.  WRONG!

Three ingredients and with the help of microwavable chocolate, these can be finished in less than 15 minutes.  You do need to allow time for chilling, but these are super simple and kid friendly!  A bit messy, yes, but the girls would love to help make the cute turkey faces.  (I call my girls "little turkeys", so I thought these would be a perfect Thanksgiving treat for them to enjoy). I searched high and low for candy eyes at Walmart, but they were nowhere to be found... I improvised with mini OREO cookies.

(Side note: I had all intentions of letting the girls help me with this recipe, but we have some major flu bugs floating around this house--boogies and baking don't mix!)

What I love the most about this recipe is that it is really easy to customize.  You don't have to do pops like I did, just add festive sprinkles.  Or they are really cute served in mini-cupcake liners. For a fun family activity, get a few dishes of toppers out and let your kids decorate them however they want! Instead of turkey, owls would be cute too.

Pumpkin Spiced OREO Cookie Balls

Here's what you need: 

• 1 package (8 oz.) brick Philadelphia light cream cheese, softened
• 1 package of Pumpkin Spiced OREO cookies, crushed
• Can't find the pumpkin spiced? Try golden OREOs with a dash of pumpkin spice seasoning
• 2 packages Bakers microwavable milk chocolate
• Optional ingredients to "turkey-fy" the balls: Mini OREO cookies for eyes (or candy eyes), candy corn for feathers and candy pop sticks

Make it!

• MIX cream cheese and cookie crumbs until blended. I found a fork was super helpful. 
• SHAPE into 1-inch balls. Freeze 10 min. While waiting, melt chocolate in the microwave.
• DIP balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan. For pops, be sure to add the stick BEFORE dipping.
• CUSTOMIZE it with your own ingredient additions! 
• Fall colored sprinkles would be perfect!
• For my turkey faces (make sure to add while chocolate is melted!): add cookie eyes and feathers after dipping.
• REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.

Have you tried OREO balls before? I have a feeling I'm going to be addicted!