Raise your hand if you are (or were) afraid to buy leeks!

Me!

I didn't know what to do with them or how to clean them.  They are super gritty and full of sand, so if you don't clean them well, they are crunchy.  Yuck!

After reading this, when you see those beautiful leeks at the store or farmers market, you will pick them up!  They have a sweet, oniony flavor that goes great with potatoes, bacon and any veggie.  You can saute, roast or grill them.  As Daniel Tiger says: "Try new food, cause it might taste GOOD!".  As we roll into fall, leeks are a great addition to any comfort meal!  Think: homemade mac n' cheese with bacon and leeks! Or slow cooker potato soup with leeks.  YUM-O!

Our favorite meal right now with leeks (aside from omelets) is an amazing, (calorie) splurge-worthy bacon , egg and leek pizza on thin crust...recipe will be posted soon! 

Recipe to be posted soon!

So here's how you wash and clean leeks.  It's quite simple once you get the hang of it.  Bonus: they last over a week if properly stored in the fridge!

1. Cut off the top and ends of the leeks.  Then thinly slice.
2. Place in a large bowl of water and let sit.  The dirt and sand will settle to the bottom.  Make sure you separate the layers of the slices.
3. Scoop the leeks out, making sure to not mix up the dirt from the bottom.  I usually double wash them, to be on the safe side!
4.  Place in strainer and dry thoroughly.
5. Store in an airtight container with a damp paper towel at the base and top of the container.

How do you enjoy your leeks? I'm always looking for new ideas!

Driscoll's Rewards Program: High value coupons!

In our house, we eat berries by the container full.  I'm not complaining, but that gets EXPENSIVE this time of year!! 

I was so excited when I saw the organic raspberries were the same price as regular at Meijer this week.  $1.66 for some berries is great for this time of year!!

Even better?  With each carton, you can take a quick survey (3-4 minutes) for the Driscoll's Rewards program and in return get a coupon!  Score!

The rewards program is free and you get special offers and a little birthday berry treat.

You all know I love to take surveys...might as well get some coupons while you're at it.  I love when I can find deals on produce, since coupons are hard to come by in that department.  With each survey you take, you are also entered to win $100.  Hey, you never know!

What are your tips for saving in the produce department?

The minute I walk into the store, I beeline for the markdown produce cart.  Ricky says I can sense a orange clearance sticker from a mile away!

Not sure what to do with markdowns?  Here's a few tips for you:

• What to do with grocery markdowns
• Markdown bananas
• Turn day old bread into garlic bread for your freezer

Quick tip: how to save on yogurt cups

I don't know if your kids are as crazy as mine, but the twins like to have their food compartmentalized.  I was buying those "kid friendly" yogurt cups for a while and I stopped one day and thought about how much money I was wasting.  Per ounce, it is MUCH cheaper to buy the big tubs. Did you know that the shelf price tag for any food item will tell you the price per ounce?  I love it!

Unless there is a crazy deal on the cups with coupons, I will only buy the 32 oz tubs now.  We can go through 2-3 per week!

I just saved a few cups from other snacks and now I use those.  The snack cups fit perfectly on plates and my crazy kids are happy!  One less battle...these days we have many.  Toddlers are quite opinionated!

Side note: we do this with a lot of other snacks as well.  We get large containers of applesauce from Costco, so the cups are perfect!  Also, buy boxes of Jell-O and pudding instead of the handy cups.  That can save you ton when you consider the cups are $2.50+ for 6 and the $0.59 box makes at least 8!

Quick tip: How to score cheap paint

We moved into our house in September and we really had no game plan on how to decorate.  All of the walls were stark white and boring.  After a few trips to Lowes, I realized I am obsessed with looking at paint color samples.  So fun!  Once we got a general idea of the color choices we wanted, I started to stalk the "whoopsie paint" section each trip we made to the store.  Each home store has a section of markdown paint.  Sometimes you will find one gallon, sometimes you can find five.  It's a very random selection.

Somehow, we have managed to find every paint color we were looking for in the $5 gallon paints.  How crazy is that?!  For our kitchen, we mixed two similar colors and it turned out fantastic. 

This can save you so much money!  We painted our living room with super tall ceilings for $10. Only downside is you have to play a waiting game.  To us, it didn't really matter how quickly we painted so it worked out perfectly.  Another perk to looking in this section is that you can find a new color choice you wouldn't have even thought of. 

If you aren't sure quite where to look, check by the paint mixing area or ask.  That's what they are there for!

Do you have any home decorating tips you would like to share?