Tasty Thursday: Crockpot Mac & Cheese

This is my all-time favorite go-to recipe.  It got me through my pregnancy.  Feel free to change the cheeses to suit your taste - these are just my favorites!

Crockpot Mac & Cheese

In a crockpot (which I line with a Ziploc crockpot liner for super-easy cleanup), add: 
3 1/2 cups milk (I use whole for a creamier sauce)
3 TBS butter
1/4 TSP garlic salt
1 small brick Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 brick Cracker Barrel Vermont Sharp White Cheddar, cubed
1 cup Sargento Italian cheese shredded blend
1 box elbows (or whatever your favorite shape is), cooked al dente (they'll cook more in the crock pot)

Mix all together and let cook on high for 2 1/2 hours, or until creamy.  Stir occasionally to allow the cheese sauce to coat all the pasta.  Makes great leftovers, too.

What's your favorite recipe?  Share it here: The How To Mommy: Tasty Thursday

Blueberries & Babies

Ah, blueberries.  I was so excited to introduce these to Ella.  I picked out fresh blueberries, I cooked them, pureed them, portioned them out, froze them.  I waited until she had tried her veggies first (green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash - all wins in Ella's book).  She tried bananas, pears, prunes, and peaches.  She hated the peaches - too tart.  I sat her down in her highchair, changed out of my white shirt, and started feeding her blueberries.  Instant FAIL.  She puckered her face, started blowing raspberries, and flat out refused to take the blueberries.  So, seeing as how I have 7 more portions of blueberries to go up in the freezer, she will now be eating blueberry oatmeal at daycare ;-)



Ella's Failed Attempt At Blueberries


Oh well.  Maybe she'll enjoy the mangoes more.

I have more coupons to sort through tonight and add to my binder.  I've got a pretty good collection going and I have them sorted out pretty similar to what The Krazy Coupon Lady has in her binder print-outs.  I have a pretty big grocery shopping trip planned for this week, so we'll see how far my coupons get me! :)  Best part?  My grocery store is offering an extra $0.30 off each gallon of gas when you spend $50 in groceries.  I'll pick up a few extra circulars in the vestibule at the store and break my transaction out into a few different $50 purchases to maximize my "cents off" on gas (our grocery store has its own gas station in the parking lot - normally it's $0.10 off each gallon for every $100 you spend, so I'm particularly excited about this deal!)

Oh yeah! And, I scored a free full-size sample of Pantene last night.  According to Money Saving Mom, they're releasing more today!  Make sure you get yours!

So, tell me - what kinds of foods are your babies eating now?  Likes, dislikes?  What awesome coupon deals do your local grocery stores add? 

A little bit of background...

Well, I've finally started it.  My first-ever blog.  This is going to be a good opportunity for me to share updates about Ella for my friends and family that aren't on Facebook, as well as post about some of the fun things that are going on in our life.  Or some of the not-so-fun things.  It'll be a little bit of everything.


So I'll do a little bit of introduction.  I'm Kirsten.  I'm 26.  I've got a great hubby and an amazing daughter.  We've got 3 furbabies (dogs).  Adam (hubby) is a cop.  I'm an emergency management planning specialist.  Ella (our daughter) is a baby.  The furbabies?  Oliver, Coconut, & Sarge.  We're a happy little family of 6.


I think this will also be a good forum for posting about my couponing for my friends who are interested.  It's kind of neat.  And I've already saved $250-ish this month by using coupons, so who doesn't love saving money?


Feel free to look around, comment back, and make suggestions.  I'll be here, enjoying whatever life throws my way!