Heaven's tu Betsy the best brownies EVER!

I have become such a blog (or food) stalker of the spunky coconut! I have been making a lot of her stuff today for my new diet and all I can say is YUM! I am listing *my* version of her brownie recipe on here for you to try. The only reason I used my version instead of her's is because it was cheaper to use mine...so I did. The brownies I made today (recipe below) turned out cake like (because I used the baking soda-won't do that again) so I used Spunky Coconuts ganache on top (my version) to help make them gooey! Eat up, there good for you!

Faith

Flourless Brownies:
(gluten-free, casein-free, sugar-free):

Set oven to 325 degrees
Add to Bowl:
1 cup almond butter
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon stevia mixed
1/2 cup xylitol
1/2 tsp baking soda, for low altitude (may not be necessary at high altitude - I don't need it here)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (no more than 1/4 cup - or they will be dry)

Beat with electric mixer.

If the batter appears too dry add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water.
Pour into square greased cake pan. Spread slightly (it will even itself out).

Bake on the middle rack for 25 minutes.

Ganache:

1 Can coconut milk
1 bakers unsweetened chocolate bar chopped(these are made on machines that have had milk on them)
3Tbls cocoa or carob powder
1 fist full xylitol or to taste- I pray to get my taste buds to learn to enjoy 1/2 a fist full or less someday

Heat the cream add the chocolate bar (chopped up) and the two are whisked together. Of heat stir in xylitol and cocoa powder and pour over brownies. Enjoy!

Menu Plan Day

My Meals for the week:-I have links to recipezaar below but I use America's Test Kitchen cookbooks.

Chicken Pot Pie
-Salad
Mustard Pork Chops
-crispy cabbage
-cornbread
-mashed potatoes
Mexican Chicken Soup
-Mexican rice
-Mexican re-fried beans
Tomato-Basil Pasta with fresh Mozzarella
-Salad
-Rolls
-Corn
Cincinnati 5 way chili
-rolls
-salad

Check back tomorrow to see what I purchased. Also check out orgjunkie for other menu plans.

Latte

Shopping Day Adventures $50/$50 challenge

I am actually going to make this post my new $50/$50 challenge launch off. As my followers may know I am trying to buy all groceries (toiletries like toilet paper, shampoo, make-up ect are included in groceries) for $50.00 each week and buy all other house hold necessities (AOHHN) for $50.00 each week. If you have a challenge like this that you post or want to start your own (does not have to be $50/$50 it could be $60/$60 or $60/$40 or what ever you like just so long as it's x amount for groceries and x amount for all other necessitates.) sign the mr linky below. Please follow the directions below on how to post your link.

It is probably not a bright idea to post this week and my launch week at the same time as it is a bad week. See the first 3 weeks of this challenge seemed so easy...I should have known something was up. Well I went to my credit card account to see what I might have been missing (after my husband mentioned the total was a bit high) and sure enough I had missed some of the house hold items. I just forgot that those items are no longer in a separate budget. I am going to lay them all down here today and then start fresh this week with $50/$50

Don't Forget to Check out The Grocery Cart Challenge for more shopping day adventures!


So my shopping totals and my missed purchases:-highlights of my deals are in red

CVS:
Vitamin 2.99
Razor 7.99
Mouth wash .99
Make-up 16.95
2 Cascade soap 6.00
Candy .35
Razor .75
Total 36.00
-Coupons 10.00
-CVS cash 12.98
Total 13.92

Total of all items: 36.00
-Coupons 10.00
-ECB's 12.98
Total OOP 13.92
0 ECB's left

Walgreen's:-forgot to use my Colgate coupons-duh!

Colgate toothpaste 3.29 (earn 3.50 Walgreen's cash)
Wal-zyr allergy tabs 3.99 (rebate item)
Revlon eye shadow 4.99
Revlon eye shadow 4.99
4 mentos gum 1.69x4=6.76
Axe Shampoo 5.99 (rebate item)
-4.99 BOGO Revlon eye shadow sale
-2.00 Revlon coupon
-2.00 Revlon coupon (off the free one, cool huh)
-4.00 mentos coupons (4/$1.00)
Total: 18.11 (paid for with rebate gift card from last months purchases)
Total OOP 0.00

Total of all items: 25.02
-Coupons 8.00
-Gift Card 18.11
Total OOP: 0.00
Rebates earned: 9.98
Walgreen's cash: 3.50

Walmart:
Band-aid Bandages 1.18
2 Gillette Shampoo 7.00
2 Neosporin 1.50 (on clearance for .75 each!)
J & J Gauze Pads 1.56
Gillette body wash 3.50
Total: 14.74
-1.00 neosporin coupon
-1.00 neosporin coupon
-1.00 band-aid bandages
-1.00 J & J gauze
-2.00 Gillette coupon
-2.00 Gillette coupon
-2.00 Gillette coupon
Fireproof movie: 20.00
Total: 24.74

Total 34.74
-10.00 coupons
OOP 24.74+ tax

Target:
Cascadian organic granola bar 2.58
Kashi bars 2.50
Kashi bars 2.50
Kashi bars 2.50
Soup .54
Soup .54
Revlon nail 1.98 (clearance)
Revlon nail 1.94 (clearance)
Revlon nail 1.94 (clearance)
Revlon nail 1.94 (clearance)
Revlon lipstick 2.52 (clearance)
Revlon lipstick 2.52 (clearance)
Revlon lipstick 2.97 (clearance)
Revlon lipstick 2.97 (clearance)
2 Head and shoulders trial shampoo 1.94
Total 35.68
-10 $2.00 off Revlon coupons 20.00 (some only rung up 1.94 off)
-3 $1.00 off Kashi 3.00
-1 $1.00 off Cascadian 1.00
- .50 Target soup coupon .50
-2 1.00 Head and Shoulders 2.00
Total: 9.15
-5.00 gift card from last weeks transaction (toilet paper deal)
Total OOP: 4.15

Total for all items: 35.68
- Coupons 27.50
- Gift Card 5.00
Total OOP 4.15

Grand total: 42.00


Eating out: In town shopping all day-13 hours
McDonald's 4.20
Burger King 11.00ish
Village in 20.00 (had coupon BOGO or it would have been 8.00 more)
Grand Total: 35.22

Home School Swim and Gym:
Grand Total 6.00

Birthday gifts/food:
Food 4.46
Gift 30.00
Birthday eat out total: 18.02
Grand Total: 52.48

Missed house hold items:
$5.00 seed catalog for 4-H
$2.50 e-bay purchase for coupons
4.00 health bars
Grand Total: 11.50


Grand Total Groceries: 79.68
Grand Total AOHHN: 67.50
Grand Total for both 147.18 over 47.18!

Okay if you have a post or want to start one where you list a $50/$50 deal similar to mine (does not have to be $50/$50 deal just x amount for groceries and x amount for all other house hold necessities.) please sign the Mr. Linky below. Make sure to only link to your post on your deals and not your blog homepage. Also please link in your post back to me so that others can see this and other great challenges.

Latte