The Young Scientists Club – Kitchen Science Kit

May 3, 2013 By 55 Comments

We recently heard that Ms. Frizzle, not known for missing an opportunity for science fun, will take her Magic School Bus® and be joining Clifford with two new kits of her own this year! We are excited to have the opportunity to review one of these kits for you!

We choice to review the Kitchen Science kit … more specifically the …Clifford Kitchen Science Kit Clifford The Big Red Dog Kitchen Science Kit

Clifford knows the kitchen can be a very intriguing place beyond a place to grab snacks and drinks. His friend Emily Elizabeth guides young scientists through captivating experiments with catchy titles such as test tube explosion, making slime, crystal star, crystal art, milk glue, colored celery, waking up fungus, fungus eats bananas, fungus in a tube, sticky ice, upside down trick, crystal garden, and exploding volcano. Young Scientists will feel like real scientists when they use the included colorful lab tray, measuring cup, test tubes, and funnel to perform their experiments! For • Ages 3+ • $19.99

The kids heard exploding volcano and couldn’t wait to try the kitchen experiments out. We had to delay activities by one evening because of some yard work we had to get done and we had three completely bummed out kids. Who knew science could be so exciting that the kids would be sad to not do it? Can you see how excited they were to get started?!

Clifford Kitchen Science Kit - Excited Kids
I personally loved seeing their excitement with my engineering background. We recently did a Math and Science Night at Grace’s school and I have to admit this kit has some great experiment ideas that are perfect for the Kindergarten through 2nd grade age group!

As I said they loved the exploding volcano. The test tube explosion was fun with more explosion happening. The kids laughed and laughed at me when I told them to please not blow the house up! I love hearing that laughter! They also loved coming up with a hypothesis (but we didn’t call it that for our 3-6 year old age range … we just said guess) on what would happen to the celery in the colored water. Grace, our 1st grader, cheated and read the direction sheet and was then all proud she knew the right answer! Guess we should expect that with her love of reading!

Clifford Kitchen Science Kit - In Action

Which activity do you think your kids would love the most from the Kitchen Science Kit?

At just $19.99 – $39.99 a piece, scientifically-inclined kids can get their paws on any one of the five new kits from The Young Scientists Club this Spring. We are excited to offer a giveaway of the winner’s choice of any of these four kits: Bubble Science kit,  Rainbow Science kit, Kitchen Science kit, or the The Wonders of Nature kit! Good luck!

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Spring in the Kitchen: Cuisinart Stainless Steel Set Giveaway

March 15, 2013 By 62 Comments

Are you ready to get cooking this Spring? The Spring in the Kitchen Giveaway we created is designed to do just that. Get you in the  kitchen creating healthy meals for your family while sticking to your budget!

We are excited to bring you this giveaway as a result of partnering with a great group of bloggers that are sponsoring the giveaway. Be sure to check out their sites so we can keep offering giveaways such as this!

Hosted By: Simply Budgeted
Co-Hosted By: Supermom Challenged

Sponsored By: 

So what is the prize?! The prize is a Cuisinart Stainless Steel 11 piece Cookware Set valued at $249.99!

Premium stainless steel construction ensures lasting quality.
Aluminum encapsulated base provides fast and even heat distribution.
Cast stainless steel cool-grip handles promise a safe, secure grip.
Tempered glass covers lock in moisture and nutrients.
Tapered rims allow clean, drip-free pouring.

What is included?

11-piece set includes: 8-in skillet, 10-in. skillet, 1 1/2-qt. covered saucepan, 2 1/2-qt. covered saucepan, 3-qt. covered saute pan, 8-qt. covered stockpot & steamer insert
Dishwasher safe
Oven safe to 500°F
Manufacturer’s lifetime limited warranty
Model no. 77-11G
Now go enter … and GOOD LUCK!

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NOTE: This giveaway is open to US residents that are 18 or older and runs from March 15- 30.
Disclosure: This prize has been sponsored by the participating blogs. The prize will be shipped directly to the winner by the owner of Simply Budgeted.

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The NEW KitchenAid Oven Came

January 5, 2013 By 1 Comment

You might have caught a Facebook post back before Christmas noting that new KitchenAid Oven didn’t come when the delivery people scheduled delivery. I was in full Christmas baking and preparation mode so it really adjusted my schedule for me! The oven did come the next day after Brian calmly explained that he did not pick that delivery date and but the we did a need oven by Saturday when he was hosting our first holiday event.

Here is our old oven … it was a good oven in that functioned. You see this oven was a hand-me-down oven from parents. They remodeled their kitchen maybe 5 years ago and gave us this oven. It was a huge improvement of the original oven to the house that would decide to turn off on its own. So any oven that actually stayed on when we turned on it was a blessing to us at that time!

I don’t even want to explain what was under that oven when Brian pulled it out. It was an embarrassment seeing that it had only been there 5 years and we had been here that whole time. (We couldn’t even blame anyone else!) We did find a slew of missing magnets for whatever that was worth. The alphabet is more complete now … but still not all there. oh well! I did some major cleaning with the Seventh Generation cleaners and the space looked good but empty. This picture does show the new fan hood (Air King Under Cabinet Range Hood) that I got for Brian on Amazon. It was a really good deal and it is nice to have a fan that actually works.

Want to see the new oven, well since Brian won it at the Mixed Conference that he went to thanks to The Fresh 20, he decided to share it. I guess I get to make the big announcement too! Brian has started a cooking/foodie blog! You can find him over at ThisCookinDad.com! Don’t worry he will still be here on Simply Budgeted but he can get his food on over there. You can also find @ThisCookinDad on Twitter, ThisCookinDad on Facebook, and ThisCookinDad on Pinterest so be sure to follow in all of those places.

(Click the picture to see the new KitchenAid Oven!!)

The first dish out the new oven was an apple pie. This pie was sooooo good! Darn January healthy eating makes me long for another one for sure!

Leave us a comment and let us know what you think about the new KitchenAid Oven.

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Little Chefs Project eBook Announcement

October 11, 2012 By 1 Comment

We are excited to announce our participation in The Little Chefs Project! As part of the project, we contributed the newly published eBook, The Little Chefs Project: A Collection of Kid-Friendly Tips, Tricks and Recipes for Fun in the Kitchen!

We love to cook in our kitchen as that part of living our life on a budget. We also love to include our children in the cooking process. The kitchen is a great classroom and lab for little ones! You will often see a stool in our kitchen so the kids can reach the counter …

or you will find little hands adding ingredients to a dish.

One little secret we have … if the kids help make the food, they are more likely to eat it!

We hope you check out the eBook. We contributed to Chapter 4 – Family Time where you will find a nice quote from us and these two pictures I featured in this post!

What do you do to make time in the kitchen be family time? Leave us a comment and let us know!

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A Cook’s Wish List from World Market

August 28, 2012 By 6 Comments

World Market lets you easily add to your kitchen while staying on budget!

 // 1. Cast Iron Enamel Skillet // 2. Terracotta Chicken Baker // 3. 15-inch Paella Pan //

// 4. Red Potluck Baker // 5. Dark Teal Glazed Tagine //

 

If given the opportunity, Brian could update just about everything in our kitchen cabinets with products from World Market. He frequently gets a spending limit when we visit the store so the opportunity to make a wish list online was right up his alley since there was no spending limit! Brian loves cast iron skillets but I love how pretty the enamel ones are! We love a baked chicken so the terracotta chicken baker would be a great addition to our kitchen. We have tried the paella a few times but having a paella pan might help it appear on our monthly menu plan more often! The potluck baker Brian claimed to pick for me and I admit that I do love it because I am a sucker for potlocks! As for the tagine, a tagine has been on Brian’s wish list for a few years now and I know he hopes that Santa remembers that gift idea this year!

Be sure to check out the Gourmet Getaway Sweepstakes!

Grand Prize package includes:

  • A trip for two to to Santa Fe, New Mexico (this is a 5 day Trip for 2 to Santa Fe which includes airfare and hotel)
  • Hands on Southwestern Cooking class with Master Chef
  • Personally signed glossy cookbook
  • Multi-course dinner at the acclaimed Geronimo
  • Southwestern Foodie Tour with a cultural kick
  • A $1,000 World Market gift card

There are three (3) runner up prize winners! Each runner up winner will each receive a $500 World Market gift card!

The Gourmet Getaway Sweepstakes runs until September 21, 2012.

Plus if you share the sweepstakes with 5 of your friends (via FB share or email) you can receive 5 additional bonus entries.

Big into Social Media? Follow World Market on Twitter, Pinterest , Google+, and Facebook!

Note: This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™, but all my opinions are my own.

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Wordless Wednesday: Out with the Old, In with the New … Fridge

November 23, 2011 By 23 Comments

We bought a new fridge on Sunday afternoon. We have wanted a new fridge since we moved in this house almost five years ago. This explains why, this was our old fridge (by our calculations/research it was 10-12 years old) …

Good-bye old fridge that froze stuff in the fridge thanks to its poor design. Goodbye old fridge that had no space in it for Grace’s lunch box plus a week’s worth of fresh food.

Hello new fridge …

 

 ahhh. The space in this fridge is amazing.

And it is all because I opened the darn Lowe’s sale email that came Sunday morning that had it 40% plus we got Brian’s military discount of 10% off. I think I will put a bow or a wreath or LED lights on it for Christmas because this is now our Christmas present!

Let us know where your Wordless Wednesday is so we can come say hi!


Leave us a comment about your dream fridge!

Filed Under: Home & Garden, Memes, Simply Life, Wordless Wednesday Tagged With: , , , , ,

Two Cents Tuesday: Kitchen Scale

July 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

As part of our continued expansion here at Simply Budgeted, we wanted to make sure that we take opportunities to share with you our simple tips, techniques, and tools that make life a little easier, a little cheaper, and a little more healthy.  These could show up anywhere on the blog.  So we decided to join other bloggers out there by calling this new feature “Two Cents Tuesday.”

This week’s tool:  The handy kitchen scale.

You may or may not have one of these.  If you do, you probably don’t use it nearly often enough.  If you don’t, you should strongly consider getting one.  They can save you a lot of money and keep you eating healthier.

Big box stores, like Sam’s Club and Costco, sell huge packages of shredded cheese.  Instead of trying to use up all of that cheese before it goes bad, measure out smaller 1 lb. portions into freezer bags and freeze them.  Pull one out a day before you need it and it’ll be fully thawed, ready for whatever you need it for at a significant savings over the 1/2 lb. bags at the supermarket.

Those same stores also sell large cuts of meat.  A large beef tenderloin could set you back a few bucks.  If you eat beef on a semi-regular basis, however, that purchase could save you a lot on your monthly grocery budget.  These stores normally sell these cuts for around $10 a pound.  A 4-oz filet mignon (so a 1/4 lb piece of the same meat) can cost more than that on it’s own.  So if you cut and weigh these right, you can more than pay for the entire piece of meat with only the small half of it.

As a bonus, the scale let’s you weigh out the portion size.  If you try to eyeball it, you’ll almost always overestimate, costing you money and calories.  Shoot for a 4-oz piece of meat, freeze on a sheet tray, and wrap up in plastic and the meat should last for a couple of months in the freezer.  Use the rest of the meat for tender, succulent steaks and skewers and use the scraps for a yummy stir fry or stew.

Don’t be afraid to weigh out your food.  It’ll help you eat a little healthier and it can ease that burden on your budget.  Leave us a comment telling us how you use your scale.

Filed Under: Budgeting Advice, Memes, Simply Food, SimplySaving, Tips & Techniques, Two Cents Tuesday Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Handy Kitchen Tip

July 16, 2011 By 3 Comments

I love basil.  Sir Thomas Moore was once quoted as saying:

“A man taking basil from a woman will love her always.”

Maybe that’s explains why I love my wife so much.  If you are anything like me, though, you don’t have the counter space to grow a pot of basil and the cut stuff seems to dry or whither before you could ever use it.  So here’s a great, simple tip:

Place cut stems of basil (and/or other herbs) into a juice glass filled partially with water.  The basil will stay fresh, luscious, and fragrant for weeks.  Make sure to remove the leaves that fall below the water line and rub the leaves occasionally to release the scent.


Bonus tip:  Basil helps to repel flying pests (houseflies, fruit flies, mosquitoes, etc.) in your kitchen.  We keep a glass near our garbage bowl.  It’s supposed to go out to the compost bin daily, but it never does.  The basil helps keep the fruit flies away so that when we do get around to putting it out, we don’t have a swarm of the darned things.

So bring a touch of summer into your kitchen.  You don’t need anything fancy; a juice glass and some water will do.  It will be beautiful, tasty, fragrant, and keeps away those pesky pests.  Enjoy!

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