Home Depot Do It Herself Worskhop

Home Depot is offering a Do-It Herself Workshop to learn how to update your bathroom. This workshop will be held Thursday, January 14 from 7pm-830pm at your local Home Depot store. Sign up now to reserve your space in this unique class.

Family Emergency this weekend

I was not able to post the Walgreen's deals this weekend and will not update the website as much as usual (if at all) this week due to a family emergency. The day after Christmas, my grandmother had a stroke and was sent to the hospital. I have been there with her up until this evening and just came home for tonight.

I will be spending as much time as possible at the hospital and with family during this difficult time. I just wanted to let you know why you may not see regular updates and sale information this week and I will be back to providing regular blog updates as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Bath & Body Works - $10 off $40 purchase

Print this coupon for $10 off any purchase of $40 or more at Bath & Body Works. Use code HELLOTEN for online shopping. Offer expires January 3, 2010.

Blog Giveways week of 12/26/09! List your giveaway! Enter to win!

Are you hosting a blog giveaway? Share it here so all Mom Saves Money readers can enter.

Please include at minimum a description of the prize and the direct url to the giveaway. Good Luck!

Holiday Break!

I am taking the weekend off from blogging to spend time with my family to celebrate Christmas. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and I look forward to returning with some great freebies and giveaways on Monday.

Note: The Weekly giveaway linky will still update on Saturday. Also, check out the giveaways listed on the right side of the blog to enter my current giveaways.

Recipe: Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread from 'Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day'

Here is a great recipe to try from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Read my review of this book here.

Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread

by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoë François,
Authors of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients

"I was so pleased when the nutritional powers that be deemed dark chocolate and espresso 'good for you'. Considering what a large portion of my diet they occupy, I was relieved to know I no longer needed to feel guilty, not that I ever really had. So in an attempt to make you all a bit healthier and a lot happier I've come up with Chocolate Espresso Bread. Not too sweet but packed with flavor." --Zoë

Makes enough dough for at least two 2-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved. Use any leftover dough to make cupcakes.

2 cups whole wheat flour

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1½ tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets

1 tablespoon kosher salt (increase or decrease to taste)

¼ cup vital wheat gluten

1 cup lukewarm brewed espresso or strong coffee

1¼ cups lukewarm water

4 large eggs

½ cup neutral-flavored oil

¾ cup honey

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water) for brushing on top crust

Raw sugar for sprinkling on top

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

2. Combine the liquid ingredients and the chopped chocolate and mix with the dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you're not using a machine.

3. The dough will be loose, but it will firm up when chilled. Don't try to use it without chilling at least 2 hours.

4. Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

5. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days. Beyond that, the dough stores well in the freezer for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. Freeze it in 2-pound portions. When using frozen dough, thaw it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before use, then allow the usual rest/rise time.

6. On baking day, grease an 8½× 4½-inch nonstick loaf pan. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 2-pound (cantaloupe-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

7. Elongate the ball into an oval and place it into the loaf pan; your goal is to fill the pan about three-quarters full. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest and rise for 1 hour 45 minutes.

8. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack placed in the center of the oven. If you're not using a stone in the oven, a 5-minute preheat is adequate. Steam is not needed.

9. Just before baking, Use a pastry brush to brush the loaf's top crust with egg wash, and then sprinkle with the raw sugar.

10. Bake near the center of the oven for approximately 45 to 50 minutes, until firm.

11. Remove the bread from the pan and allow it to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.

VARIATION: Cupcakes

1. On baking day, grease a muffin tin. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1½-pound (small cantaloupe-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a smooth ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

2. To form the cupcakes, divide the ball into 12 roughly equal portions (each about the size of a golf ball). Shape each one into a smooth ball as you did above. Place the buns in the prepared muffin tins. Allow to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 40 minutes.

3. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack placed in the middle of the oven. If you're not using a stone in the oven, a 5-minute preheat is adequate.

4. Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top crust with egg wash, and then sprinkle with the raw sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cupcakes are richly browned and firm.

5. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and allow to cool on a rack before eating.

It's true, chocolate may have powerful health benefits: Moderation is the key, because chocolate is high in sugar and fat. But chocolate contains phytochemicals (beneficial plant chemicals) that may increase HDL (good) cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and decrease the likelihood of blood clots. Milk chocolate has less of these phytochemicals than dark chocolate because some of the cocoa is replaced by milk, and white chocolate doesn't have any at all.

Feeling better yet? Well, your coffee contains antioxidants. According to one study, Americans get their highest dose of antioxidants from coffee. It's not yet clear whether that translates into higher body stores of antioxidants, but it's opened up a whole new area of research, not to mention apparently justifying those mocha lattes (careful: sweetened or creamy coffee drinks are a major source of unnecessary calories).

The above is an excerpt from the book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoë François. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.

Copyright © 2009 Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoë François, authors of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients

Author Bios

Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., coauthor of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients, is a physician with twenty years of experience in health care as a practitioner, consultant, and faculty member at the University of Minnesota Medical School. His interest in baking and preventive health sparked a quest to adapt the techniques of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day for healthier ingredients.

Zoë François, coauthor of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients, is passionate about food that is real, healthy, and always delicious. She is a pastry chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America. In addition to teaching baking and pastry courses nationally, she consults to the food industry and is the creator of the recipe blog www.zoebakes.com. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two sons.

The authors answer bread questions at their Web site: www.healthybreadinfive.com.

CLOSED Review & Giveaway! 'Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day' by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. & Zoe Francois, published 2009

Book Synopsis:
"With over 200,000 copies in print, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day has proven that people want to bake their own bread, provided they can do it easily and quickly. Now with their second book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, authors Dr. Jeff Hertzberg and Chef Zoë François are helping people lead a healthier lifestyle.

Whether you are looking for more whole grains, whether you're vegan, gluten-free, training for a triathlon, trying to reduce your cholesterol, or just care about what goes into your body, this book delivers."

My Review:
I made two recipes: the master bread recipe and the 100% Whole Wheat bread, plain and simple with some added honey. Making the bread was very simple, especially since there is no kneading and both recipes had less than six ingredients. The actual preparation and mixing of the dough only took a few minutes, but you do have to allow several hours to let the dough rest and bake. The best part of their method is that once you mix a dough, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 10 days and bake as needed for a fresh loaf anytime. You can even add ingredients, like fruits, vegetables or cheese, to some of the premixed doughs to make a gourmet treat.

How did the bread taste? The master bread recipe was a little bland, but the whole wheat with added honey was so delicious. We gobbled up the first loaf, so I baked the 2nd loaf right away. What I really like about their recipes is that all the ingredients are natural and healthy. There are no preservatives, ingredients I can't pronounce or high fructose corn syrup, ingredients found in most store bought breads. (Even a locally owned artisan bakery in Omaha uses high fructose corn syrup in their breads!)

If your family is looking for healthier food options, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day is a great bread recipe book. Their bread baking technique is an intermediate cooking skill, but they do a good job of explaining every step and making the process very simple. This book would be appropriate for beginners or baking professionals who want to make healthy artisan bread.

Giveaway: Thanks to FSB Associates, I have an extra copy of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day to give away to one lucky winner.

First Entry
1. Leave a comment telling me if you've ever baked homemade bread. Please leave an email or way to contact you if you win.

Bonus Entries
2. Subscribe to my free newsletter here and leave me another comment. Current subscribers or followers just leave a comment saying you subscribe/follow to get an extra entry.

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

3. Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment. Please include @momsavesmoney in the tweet.

4. Grab my button and leave another comment with your site's url.

5. Blog about the giveaway and leave another comment with the link to the post

6. Email three or more friends about the giveaway, cc the email to me at Nicole@momsavesmoney.net and leave another comment here.

This contest will end on Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 10:00 pm, central time. I will use random.org to select the winner and contact them. (If winner does not respond in 48 hours, I will pick another.) U.S. entries only. Good luck and thanks for entering!

Disclosure: I received this book from FSB Associates for review. Opinions and views expressed are all me. View full disclosure policy here.

Hot Coupons & Price Matching Deals 12/23-12/29

HOT COUPONS from coupons.com printable here. Here are some highlights:

$5 off Mr Potato Head Spud Buds toy (Santa Spuds less than a $2.00 at Target)
$2.50 off John Freida Luxurious Volume
$2.00 off Nivea body wash for women
$0.75 off No Yolks pasta
$0.50 off Minute Rice product
$1 off Kellogg's Corn Flakes Taste of Honey
$2 off GoodNites Sleep Pants
$1 off Special K Blueberry cereal
$1 off Muir Glen product
Over 160 coupons, including grocery, medicine and toys Click here

Redplum printable coupon highlights:
$2 off Theraflu
$1.50 off two Kellogg's Shredded Wheat
$3 off DVD or Blu-Ray, Coraline, Curious George, Barbie, Grinch, Funny People, Inglourious Bastards or Public Enemies
$1.00 off Splenda


Here are my top price matching deals for the Omaha Metro area:

HyVee (generic) sour cream, 16 oz, regular or light $0.79 HyVee
HyVee (generic) instant oatmeal, 12-16.2 oz or 10 ct $1.25 HyVee
HyVee (generic) sandwich bread, white or wheat, 24 oz $1.28 HyVee
Skippy Peanut butter, 16.3 oz $1.49 Bag n' Save
Bone-in pork country style ribs $0.99/lb Bag n' Save
Dole classic salad mix $0.98 Bag n' Save
CA navel oranges $0.46/lb Super Saver
Best Choice (generic) flour, all purpose or self rising, 5 lb bag $0.98 Super Saver
Cook's shank portion ham $0.96/lb Super Saver

Saturday & Sunday only:
Bananas $0.33/lb Bag n' Save

Sale prices for December 26-29 only:
Cucumbers 2/$1 No Frills
Bananas $0.39/lb No Frills
Green giant steamers, 12 oz bag (excludes w/sauce) $0.88 Fareway
Green peppers 3/$1 Fareway
Clementines, 3 lb bag $2.99 Fareway
85% lean ground chuck $1.79/lb Fareway

CLOSED Giveaway! $5 CVS Gift Card & 200 clipped coupons!

I'm full swing in the holiday spirit and wanted to do a fun giveaway for my readers. Calling all CVS shoppers: I am giving away a $5 CVS gift card and 200 clipped coupons to one lucky reader. If you've shopped the drugstores before, you know you can get a ton of great products with just $5 and a stack of coupons. You can earn up to 6 entries for your chance to win. Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

First Entry
1. Leave a comment. Please leave an email or way to contact you if you win.

Bonus Entries
2. Subscribe to my free newsletter here and leave me another comment. Current subscribers or followers just leave a comment saying you subscribe/follow to get an extra entry.

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

3. Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment. Please include @momsavesmoney in the tweet.

4. Grab my button and leave another comment with your site's url.

5. Blog about the giveaway and leave another comment with the link to the post

6. Email three or more friends about the giveaway, cc the email to me at Nicole@momsavesmoney.net and leave another comment here.

This contest will end on Wednesday December 30, 2009 at 10:00 pm, central time. I will use random.org to select the winner and contact them. (If winner does not respond in 48 hours, I will pick another.) U.S. entries only. Good luck and thanks for entering! (photo courtesy of CVS)

Disclosure: All items for this giveaway were provided by me. View full disclosure policy here.

Read it Forward: Three FREE books!

This month there are three new books to request FREE from Read It Forward. You can request one or all three, but since there are limited quantities, you may not get a book. The Read It Forward programs encourages you to pass the book on to others once you've read it.

Current Read it Forward selections include:
True Confections by Kathleen Weber
Prima Donna by Megan Chance
Breaking out of Bedlam by Leslie Larson

Amazon: $5 & $10 Magazine Subscriptions!

Amazon just added several more magazine titles to the $5 magazine sale. You can choose 1 year subscriptions of This Old House, Southern Living, Sunset, Health, Golf Magazine, Coastal Living or Essence for only $5.

The best deal is a one year subscription toEntertainment Weekly for only $10. You receive 55 issues and save $182.50 off the newstand price! That's a steal! These offers are good while supplies last.

EXPIRED Pampers Gifts to Grow: 10 FREE points!

CODE EXIRED
Are you a member of Pampers Gifts to Grow program? Add 10 points to your account and save up for free photo gifts, toys or diapers (shipping is included). Just log in to your account and enter code Welcome2village to receive 10 free points. Add 5 more points with these codes I shared with you in October.

(Thanks, Freebies 4 mom)

Amazon: 25 Days of FREE Christmas song mp3 downloads

Just a reminder to download Christmas songs FREE from Amazon during the 25 Days of Free promotion. So far, they've added one new free song every day this month. Their is a good mix of songs, so there is something for everyone to enjoy. My daughter loves the Curious George 'Christmas with a Monkey' song we downloaded. She asks me to play it at least three times a day.

I really like 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing' by Carola. This version of the song has a very unique middle-eastern sound and is really pretty.

Congrats to our winners!

Winner of 'Fall to Pieces' by Mary Forsberg Weiland:
#40 Melissa

Winner of a 2010 Entertainment book is:
#231 Tammie

Thanks to everyone who entered. Check out this week's Mr. Linky for more giveaways to enter.

Restuarant.com - 80% off, $25 gift certificate for $2

Receive a $25 gift certificate for only $2 at Restaurant.com! This is an 80% savings off the normal price of $10. Use code SANTA thru 12/25/09. The gift certificates are valid from one year of purchase, so stock up while they are on sale. This is the best discount I've seen for the restaurant.com gift certificates and they are great for a 'frugal' night out.

Walgreen's Deals 12/20-12/26

Here are the freebies and good deals I found in this week's Walgreen's advertisement.

FREEBIES

Oral-B stages toothbrush @ 4/$10
- $5 register reward when you buy four
- $1/2 coupon from 11/29 (use two)
- $1 coupon from Walgreen's children's activity book
= FREE plus overage

Theraflu cold relief @ 2/$10
- $3 register reward when you buy two
- $2 from Walgreens Healthy Savings coupon book
- $2 coupon from 12/6 or printable here (hit back button to print twice)
= FREE plus overage

Toblerone bars @ 2/$3
- $1/2 Walgreens December coupon book
- $1 coupon from 11/22 (use two)
= FREE

Good Deals

Russell Stovers boxed chocolates, 11-12 oz @ $3.99
- $1 coupon from 12/13
= $2.99

Mazola extra virgin olive oil, 17 oz @ $3.29
- $0.50 coupon from 12/13
= $2.79

Hot Wheels vehicles @ $0.49 each

Chinet plates @ 2/$5
- $1 coupon from 11/22 (use two)
+ FREE 2 liter coca-cola when you buy two Chinet plates
= $3 for all three items

Arm & Hammer 2x laundry detergent @ $6.99 and BOGO FREE
- $1/2 coupon printable here
= $5.99/2 or $3 each

St Ives body wash, 13.5 oz @ $1.49
- $1 coupon from 11/15
= $0.49

Dove deodorant @ $1.99
- $1 coupon from 10/24
= $0.99

Photo Deals
Shop Walgreens Photo and get 60 prints for $6.99! Valid 12/20-12/26.
33% off collage prints of all sizes at Walgreens Photo! Valid 12/20-12/26.
New Customers Only! 50% off 11x14 Poster at Walgreens Photo, valid 12/16-12/22.

Online Deals
Walgreens Site Wide Offer! Free Shipping at $25, valid 12/21-12/24. Use promo code NEWYOU.

What other good deals did you find at Walgreens this week?

Amazon: Standard Shipping extended to Dec 21

Still need to shop for gifts and don't want to brave the crowded malls? Amazon extended their standard shipping by an extra day. Order by the end of the day, Monday December 21 and receive your order by December 24. Standard shipping is FREE with any Amazon order over $25.

Stumped about what to get someone? Order an Amazon.com gift card or choose a gift card to major retailers (Home Depot, Sephora, Subway and many more) and have it shipped with a personalized greeting card to the recipient. If you order by Dec 21, they will receive the card on Christmas Eve. You can also choose to email or print the gift card information if you select an Amazon gift card.

Free Christmas Crafts ebook!

Free Christmas eBook: Free Craft Projects for a Quick and Easy Christmas featuring 25 crafts for greeting cards, ornaments, kids crafts and more. Create easy, inexpensive Christmas ornaments with mirrored paint and swirl techniques (pg. 7), or send a thoughtful holiday greeting with a Christmas Story scrapbook card (pg. 25). Find fun and easy Christmas crafts for kids using cinnamon dough. Check out these gift giving ideas and budget-friendly ways to be festive this Christmas! Click Here

Blog Giveways week of 12/19/09! List your giveaway! Enter to win!

Are you hosting a blog giveaway? Share it here so all Mom Saves Money readers can enter.

Please include at minimum a description of the prize and the direct url to the giveaway. Good Luck!

Snapfish: FREE Mug, Prints and Photo Cards!

New Members of Snapfish will receive a FREE collage mug, 50 free 4x6 prints and a free set of 5x7 photo cards when they join by December 31, 2009. This is valued at over $45! You only pay shipping. This is one of the best new member deals I've seen from Snapfish. If you haven't used their photo printing services yet, now is the time to join to receive all these great freebies.

Walgreens: Friday - save an extra 15-20%!

Friday December 18 is Walgreen's friends and family day! Just print this coupon and save 15% on eligible store items and 20% on W brand items. Make sure to check out at photo or cosmetics and present the coupon at beginning of checkout. Combine this coupon with this week's Walgreen's deals to save lots of money.

CLOSED Giveaway! 2010 Entertainment Book!

The 2010 Entertainment book includes coupons for free items, buy one get one free offers, travel discounts and many other coupons. My local Omaha edition has $5 off $50 coupons for a local grocery store, discounted movie theater tickets, a FREE Auntie Anne's pretzel and a BOGO free entree at Bohemian Cafe (my favorite local restaurant). Once you buy the book, you will also have access to continuous new offers throughout the year as either printable coupons or links to online discounts at entertainment.com.

This week only, through December 20, 2009, pay only $19.99 for any 2010 Entertainment book and shipping is FREE. Click Here

Giveaway: Thanks to Tonja, I have a 2010 Entertainment book to give away to one lucky reader. You will choose which book you want, so the coupons will be local to you.

First Entry
1. Visit entertainment.com and leave a comment telling me which book (city) you would choose if you win. Please leave an email or way to contact you if you win.

Bonus Entries
2. Subscribe to my free newsletter here and leave me another comment. Current subscribers or followers just leave a comment saying you subscribe/follow to get an extra entry.

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

3. Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment. Please include @momsavesmoney in the tweet.

4. Grab my button and leave another comment with your site's url.

5. Blog about the giveaway and leave another comment with the link to the post

6. Email three or more friends about the giveaway, cc the email to me at Nicole@momsavesmoney.net and leave another comment here.

This contest will end on Sunday December 20, 2009 at 10:00 pm, central time. I will use random.org to select the winner and contact them. (If winner does not respond in 48 hours, I will pick another.) U.S. entries only. Good luck and thanks for entering!

Disclosure: I received a 2010 Entertainment Book for this promotion. The views and opinions expressed are all me. View full disclosure policy here.