Rewards Program Love
Know it’s a bit blurry, but I promise that you didn’t mis-read. Saved $42 on these shoes, which means I paid $8 and some change for my sassy new flats. While it can be a pain in the ass to keep track of all your various rewards programs, it pays off. Thanks to the DSW Rewards Program, I got these clearance shoes for even cheaper.
To help keep track of all your rewards programs and coupons, you can do a couple of things: create a Google doc with logins and passwords (that’s a bit too OCD, even for me, but it works), or set up a separate “spam” email address that you can use to sign up for rewards programs (get all the benefits, without all the email, search for a coupon code in your inbox when you need one). Try it out, and let me know what you get with your rewards.
Shrimp with Zucchini and Tomatoes
We’re cooking again to help us stick to our budget, and even though we are trying to keep costs down, we want to make sure we are eating delicious, healthy meals. This is one of our favorites and only costs $3.45 per serving. It’s a Weight Watchers recipe, but don’t be scared, you won’t be disappointed. It makes dinner for two, and leaves you with leftovers for lunch the next day. Follow the directions below and serve over brown rice.
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin, divided
1 medium uncooked zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 pound(s) uncooked shrimp, large-size, peeled and deveined
1 cup(s) grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup(s) water
Directions
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini in a single layer; increase heat to high and cook until bottoms are golden, about 2 minutes. Flip zucchini and cook until golden on other side, about 2 minutes more. Remove zucchini to a plate with a slotted spoon.
Heat remaining teaspoon oil in same skillet. Add shrimp; sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper; sauté until shrimp are almost just cooked through, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic and water; sauté, stirring to loosen bits from bottom of pan, until shrimp are cooked through and tomatoes are softened, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Return zucchini to skillet; toss and serve.
Nutritional Information
(based on 4 servings, 1 1/4 cup per serving) 178 calories, 24 g protein, 3 g total fat, 12 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 4 WW points.
Tourist in my own city
The Mission is hands down, one of the best neighborhoods in San Francisco. With some of the most amazing food, unique shops and a beautiful park, one could spend many a weekend wandering up and down its streets, stumbling upon something new each time. Makes me feel a bit like a tourist, but I guess after just 2 years of living in this amazing city, I am still a bit of a tourist.
Towering over the neighborhood is the Mission Dolores Basilica and the Mission San Francisco de Asis. The two have recently become some of my favorite spots to visit on a Sunday stroll, or to take some of our many visitors to after brunch.
A self-guided tour of both the mission and the basilica will set you back $5, a donation that goes towards the maintenance of the grounds. You’ll get a self-guided tour of both buildings, which are 10 times more amazing on the inside than they appear from the street. If you live in SF and haven’t been, check it out next weekend. If you aren’t lucky enough to live in this amazing city, check it out next time you’re here.
Wordless Wednesday: Chunky Gems
Love the look of chunky necklaces. This one was $9.95 at H&M, a.k.a. Accessory Heaven.
Guilt-Free Tamale Pie: $2.65 per serving
I’m not just a blogger and a deal-hunter, I’m also a cook. I like to try one new recipe a week, and aim for healthy (Weight Watchers-friendly), quick and affordable meals. This guilt-free tamale pie recipe was discovered a couple of years ago in a Raley’s Something Extra issue and has recently become a regular contender on the D’Arcy household dinner circuit. We almost always have the ingredients on hand, it’s simple to prepare and makes for delicious leftovers the next day. This recipe comes in at $2.65 and 340 calories per serving. Throw some low-fat sour cream and hot sauce on top for some extra flavor.
Pie Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb.)
1 (14½-oz.) can S&W Petite-Cut Diced Tomatoes with Zesty Jalapeños
1 tbsp. chili powder, plus additional for sprinkling over masa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (16-oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (11-oz.) can corn, drained
Masa Topping Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
3/4 cup instant corn masa flour or cornmeal
1/2 tsp. salt
Directions:
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: about 45 minutes
Combine chicken breasts, tomatoes, chili powder and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cover pan, leaving lid ajar. Cook for 20 minutes or until chicken shreds easily with a fork. Remove chicken from pan and shred meat using 2 forks. Preheat oven to 400°F and spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Stir together shredded chicken, any tomato mixture from pan, pinto beans and corn; spread into prepared dish. For masa topping, combine milk, masa and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, whisking constantly, for about 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened. Spread over chicken mixture and sprinkle lightly with additional chili powder; bake for 20 minutes.
Nutritional Information:
(based on 5 servings) 340 calories, 31 g protein, 3.5 g total fat (1 g sat., 0 g trans), 41 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 60 mg cholesterol, 1070 mg sodium, 7 WW points.
Museums on Us: CJM
If you are a follower of this blog, then you already know about Bank of America’s Museums on Us campaign; I’ve written about it here and here. For the new folks, here’s the gist: if you are a Bank of America member, you can get in to select museums for free the first weekend of each month just by showing your debit card.
To help us stick to our 2012 budget, we have been making an extra effort to do free activities every weekend. When the first weekend in March rolled around, we decided to visit the Contemporary Jewish Museum, one of the few museums in San Francisco we have yet to check out, and we are so glad we did. Before heading into the museum, we enjoyed the amazing weather with a picnic at Yerba Buena Gardens which gave us a great view of the historic building in which the museum is housed, which also happens to have a super interesting history.
Once inside, we got to enjoy the architecture even more (did I mention we are design/architecture/history fans?), with its exposed brick, skylights and modern style within a hundred year old building. The exhibits themselves were interesting and we learned a lot about Jewish life on the west coast and got to take in some thoughtful art too. My favorites were Stanley Saitowitz: Judacia (an exhibit of contemporary designed ritual and festival objects) and the inspiring Do Not Destroy: Trees, Art and Jewish Thought.
We got all this, a value of $24 ($12 per person), for free!
A few things to note: admission doesn’t include special exhibits that have a separate fee, and each person must show a Bank of America debit card and photo ID for admission.
Happy exploring!
Wordless Wednesday: Flat & Trendy
Affordable, trendy flats for $14.99. Get yours from one of my favorite places on Earth, Target.
