San Diego, CA Area Residents: FREE Produce and Perishable Groceries- 10/30/2020

Every Friday in October, our friends over at Faith Chapel understand that with all that’s going on in the world that some of us still need help finding healthy food during this difficult time. And that’s it not always safe for us to go to the store or hit up a farmers market.

Distribution is happening this every Friday in October (tomorrow is the last- I will find out if there will be more and update the blog), beginning at 10:00am.

This is a drive-thru style event, so you don’t have to leave your vehicles. There is no paperwork, no questions asked. Show up, pop your trunk, and fresh food is loaded for you, and you are on your way!

Here is a picture of what was available in previous weeks! Sometimes you get produce, sometimes is eggs, milk, and other dairy products and meat- it changes weekly!

Faith Chapel is located at 9400 Campo Road Spring Valley, CA 91977

San Diego, CA Area Residents: FREE Produce and Perishable Groceries- Today!

Every Friday in October, our friends over at Faith Chapel understand that with all that’s going on in the world that some of us still need help finding healthy food during this difficult time. And that’s it not always safe for us to go to the store or hit up a farmers market.

Distribution is happening this every Friday in October (today and 29th), beginning at 10:00am.

This is a drive-thru style event, so you don’t have to leave your vehicles. There is no paperwork, no questions asked. Show up, pop your trunk, and fresh food is loaded for you, and you are on your way!

Here is a picture of what was available in previous weeks! Sometimes you get produce, sometimes is eggs, milk, and other dairy products and meat- it changes weekly!

Faith Chapel is located at 9400 Campo Road Spring Valley, CA 91977

Family Recipe: Bean, Rice, & Cheese Bowls

You may have noticed that BRC Bowls is a regular item on our weekly meal plan posts.

Beans and Rice are pantry staples in our home. You can do a lot with both, but the BRC bowl is a quick, easy, and healthy meal that everyone in our home can agree on. If I’ve got more time, I can add roasted veggies too.

We use vegetarian, fat-free refried beans because a lot of commercially made refried beans contain lard, and since I’ve got a small vegetarian in the house, I gotta keep meals vegetarian as often as possible.

It’s also a great recipe to make extra servings of and store in the fridge for lunches throughout the week.

Here is the basic recipe:

Bean, Rice, & Cheese Bowls

Ingredients

• 1 large can refried beans– approx. 28 ounces (or make your own from scratch), heated per package directions. Sometimes we use Ranch-style Beans instead.
• Rice (I usually make 2 cups rice with 4 cups veggie broth so we have lots of leftovers)- The variety of rice is up to you, but we love jasmine or basmati rice. Did you know that you can freeze cooked rice in portions?
• Cheese- your choice of variety. I really like the Mexican blend, which generally consists of a blend of Monterey Jack Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Queso Quesadilla, And Asadero Cheese.
• Roasted vegetables (optional, but I recommend). I like to roast onions, garlic, bell peppers, potatoes, broccoli, and carrots. Cut them up into bite-size pieces, toss in avocado oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper. Roast in the oven on a baking sheet for 30-ish minutes at 450 degrees. You can also add 2 T. of fresh lime juice for some zest.

Directions

Once all ingredients are cooked, assemble individual bowls as follows (from the bottom up):

1. Rice
2. Roasted veggies
3. Beans
4. Cheese

You can do it in whatever amount each person wants. Kids don’t like cheese? Skip it. Watching your carbs? Go easy on the rice.

As I said before I make a few extra servings in leftover containers and stash them into the fridge for lunches later in the week. The girl kiddo loves rice with butter for lunch, so I always make extra rice for her.

San Diego, CA Area Residents: FREE Produce and Perishable Groceries- Every Friday in October!

It’s back for the month of October! Every Friday in October, our friends over at Faith Chapel understand that with all that’s going on in the world that some of us still need help finding healthy food during this difficult time. And that’s it not always safe for us to go to the store or hit up a farmers market.

Distribution is happening this every Friday in October (8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th), beginning at 10:00am.

This is a drive-thru style event, so you don’t have to leave your vehicles.

Here is a picture of what was available in previous weeks! Sometimes you get produce, sometimes is eggs, milk, and other dairy products and meat- it changes weekly!

Faith Chapel is located at 9400 Campo Road Spring Valley, CA 91977

San Diego, CA Area Residents: FREE Produce! Friday, September 18th, 2020

It’s Back!! Our friends over at Faith Chapel understand that with all that’s going on in the world that some of us still need help finding healthy food during this difficult time. And that’s it not always safe for us to go to the store or hit up a farmers market.

Distribution is happening this Friday, September 18th, 2020, beginning at 10:00am.

This is a drive-thru style event, so you don’t have to leave your vehicles.

Here is an example of what was offered in previous weeks: Navel Oranges, Grapefruit, Plumcots, Lemons, and nectarines. All free.

Faith Chapel is located at 9400 Campo Road Spring Valley, CA 91977

September 2020: New Month, New Coupons!

Here is your monthly reminder!  A new month means new printable and electronic coupons!

Check out the following sites:

• Coupons.com (printable an e-coupons),
• SmartSource (Printable),
• SavingStar (E-Coupons)

One of my favorite websites is the Sunday Coupon Review.  It helps me plot out scenarios in advance and I can email friends to ask for coupons in advance. Remember if clipping coupons isn’t your thing, but saving money is, check out my list of Smartphone apps that can save you the big bucks! New offers are added on the Smartphone Savings Apps all the time!

September is typically the time when lunch box foods and back to school items are on sale, so there are frequently coupons or app deals to go hand in hand. However this year, because of the current pandemic, there are far less. If you aren’t finding coupons for items you want, check the apps. Ibotta and Checkout51 frequently have offers for lunch box foods (juice boxes/bottled drinks, fruit snacks, lunchable type food kits).

Here are a few of my favorite new coupons:

San Diego, CA Area Residents: FREE Produce! Friday, September 4th, 2020

It’s Back!! Our friends over at Faith Chapel understand that with all that’s going on in the world that some of us still need help finding healthy food during this difficult time. And that’s it not always safe for us to go to the store or hit up a farmers market.

Distribution is happening this Friday, September 4th, 2020, beginning at 10:00am.

This is a drive-thru style event, so you don’t have to leave your vehicles.

Here is an example of what was offered in previous weeks: Navel Oranges, Grapefruit, Plumcots, Lemons, and nectarines. All free.

Faith Chapel is located at 9400 Campo Road Spring Valley, CA 91977

August 2020: New Month, New Coupons!

Here is your monthly reminder!  A new month means new printable and electronic coupons!

Check out the following sites:

• Coupons.com (printable an e-coupons),
• SmartSource (Printable),
• SavingStar (E-Coupons)

One of my favorite websites is the Sunday Coupon Review.  It helps me plot out scenarios in advance and I can email friends to ask for coupons in advance. Remember if clipping coupons isn’t your thing, but saving money is, check out my list of Smartphone apps that can save you the big bucks! New offers are added on the Smartphone Savings Apps all the time!

Here are a few of my favorite new coupons:

Save $3.00 any ONE (1) BOOST® Nutritional Drink or Drink Mix

Save $0.75 on ONE (1) 32 fl. oz. Simply Smoothie®, any variety

Save $0.75 on any ONE (1) 6-pack Horizon Organic® Single-Serve Milk

Save $2.00 when you buy any ONE (1) box of Uncle Matt’s Organic Probiotic Popsicles

Save $1.00 on any TWO Incogmeato™ MorningStar Farms® Products

Save $1.00 on any TWO (2) MorningStar Farms® Veggie Foods Products

Save $1.00 on any ONE (1) ARM & HAMMER™ Liquid Laundry Detergent

Save $1.00 on any ONE (1) ARM & HAMMER™ Power Paks Laundry Detergent

Save $2.00 any ONE (1) CLEAN & CLEAR® product (excludes masks, single use, and trial sizes)

Save $1.00 ANY ONE (1) Garnier® Fructis shampoo, conditioner, treatment or styling product (see details for exclusions)

Sign up for Silk®️ emails and get $1 OFF coupons

Print coupon for $1.00 OFF any variety of Whole Fruit Bars.

Sign up and receive a printable coupon for $5 OFF 1 Mucinex Product over $14.99.

New Recipe: Baked Tortellini

This recipe is dead simple. Make it as complicated as you want. Use jarred sauce, make your own from scratch, or take a jar of sauce and church it up yourself. Whatever.

Frozen pasta, fresh pasta, heck, you can even use the shell stable/dried tortellini. You could use ravioli if you wanted.

You can make this Vegetarian, Vegan, Chock Full o’ Meat, Gluten-Free, it’s up to you.

This is one of those recipes that’s a big hit at potlucks too. It’s pretty inexpensive, and we always have the ingredients in one form or another to make a batch.

Baked Tortellini

Ingredients:

• 6-8 cups of Red Pasta Sauce.  I usually make a big batch of this sauce and portion some out just for this recipe. If you use jarred sauce, I recommend  you add 3-4 cups of veggies (carrots, onions, celery, bell peppers, zucchini, chopped/diced tomatoes, etc.)
• 22-30 ounces of Tortellini/Ravioli, cooked per the package directions (this will probably take a couple packages)
• 2 Cups Italian Cheese blend

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta per the package directions. Drain.
2. Pour pasta sauce into a baking dish (I use a 9×13), toss cooked pasta in sauce.
3. Sprinkle cheese on top.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-ish minutes until food is bubbly, and cheese is brown and delicious looking.
5. Serve with hot French Bread or Garlic Bread and a green salad.

This serves 8-10 people as a main.

 

If you are vegan, substitute in filled pasta and cheese that works for you.

Recipe: Hearty Veggie Soup

This soup is vegan and high in protein!

I made this last month while it was cold and rainy. I keep forgetting to post this recipe. It’s so tasty. And easy. The leftovers (if there are any) freezes well.

 

It’s vegan and gluten-free as is, but you can make changes and use bone broth if you want, or even add meat of your choices I think kielbasa pieces would be really great in this soup!

I used Right Rice in this recipe in place of regular white rice. What I like about Right Rice is that it’s made from Lentil Flour, Chickpea Flour, and Rice Flour.  Those ingredients mean that this “rice” is high on protein! The “rice” thickens up the soup for sure.

 

I found Right Rice at Grocery Outlet, but you can also order it on Amazon.  You can substitute canned chopped tomatoes for fresh tomatoes- Use what you have on hand.

Hearty Veggie Soup

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 cup bell pepper, diced (I used green)
• 2 T. cooking oil (your choice)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green or yellow zucchini (whatever is in season or you have on hand)
• 2 quarts veggie stock
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes (you can also use a large can of diced tomatoes)
• 1 14oz.-ish can of tomato sauce
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 2 cups Right Rice
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 T. Penzeys Forward Spice Blend
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large, heavy-bottom stockpot, heat oil.
2. Saute carrots, celery, bell pepper, and onions until onions are soft and clear, about 5-10 minutes.
3. Add garlic and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant.
4. Add remaining ingredients and spices. Cook on low for 20-30 minutes, or until right rice is done and soup has thickened up.
5. Soup can simmer on low as long as you like. I let it simmer on low for about 45 minutes.
6. Serve with bread and butter and salad.

Forward Seasoning blend contains extra bold black pepper, onion, paprika, garlic, turmeric, spice extractives (including oleoresin of celery, rosemary, black pepper, thyme, basil and paprika).