Mom Life in the PNW

Zaycon Foods Chicken Review

Image from CAMonkeyMomma, as I forgot to take a photo.

 

I got a chance to receive a 40 lb box of Chicken from Zaycon Foods when they arrived in my city for their monthly food dispersing travels for posting about them previously. All opinions are my own and no monetary compensation was received besides the free chicken.

Zaycon Foods was actually quite easy to deal with. I placed my order online, chose a date that they would be in my town, and then waited for their arrival.

Once it was time for me to pick up the chicken, I printed my receipt from my email, drove to the area they had set up and waited in line in our cars. It was literally a drive-thru chicken pick up and took less than 10 minutes tops. They opened our cars back door, laid down plastic over our cars interior and dropped the box of fresh chicken on our seat in a total of 1 minute. They’re fast!!

They did have a bit of difficulty with the truck they used for shipment, but they made sure to call me and let me know they would be a half an hour to an hour later than normal since they were having mechanical problems with the truck. But that was fine because I had to go grocery shopping anyways and just stopped on the way there when I was done with that. I liked that they called me to let me know thoug, as well as sent an email out.

When we got home, my husband and I had to vacuum seal 40 lbs of chicken and let me tell you, it was a daunting task LOL but so worth it. I didn’t pound the chicken with a meat tenderizer and I think this helps to make it more tender and less chewy when you cook it since its going to be easy to over cook it as its so thick and huge. Maybe even best to slice the breasts into halves or even thirds, cause 1 person could definitely share 1 chicken breast. I found that cooking on a pan though without doing any of the mentioned above made the chicken taste rubbery and chewy, even cooking it in the oven gave me the same results. I tried the crock-pot and that seemed to work a little better but there were still a couple of chunks that were a little bit chewy, but overall much better.

Thank you Zaycon Foods, you were a pleasure to work with, hope to be a repeat customer if the prices are still right!

Half-Bathroom Remodel!

Half-Bathroom Remodel!
We decided that our downstairs half-bathroom needed a little bit of updating since it was just blah. It’s amazing what a few fixtures and paint can do.

I decided upon the grey-violet paint color at Lowes since it seemed to work well with the dark bronze colored fixtures. I purchased the faucet on Amazon, which is the Hardware House in Oil Classic Bronze for $35. I didn’t want something super expensive just in case we plan on selling the house. I don’t plan on taking out all the faucets and bringing them with, so I figured this would work and it did at a fraction of what other bronze fixtures cost.

We added a small back splash since there was a small dip behind the sink that was hard to clean, which gives it a little bit more character I think.

If you look in the mirror in the photo on the 2nd you can see that we didn’t paint the slanted ceiling since we didin’t want it to feel too enclosed with grey/purple everywhere. It gives it a bit of contrast. I also wanted to put a frame around the mirror, but my husband wasn’t too keen on it, but I will get my way upstairs for the next bathroom!

I purchased the bronze light with the frosted brown glass at either Lowes or Home Depot for around $27 and I got the hand towel rack, toilet paper holder, toilet paper roll holder and toilet brush all at Ross for around $30. So all of this was down for a little over $100, which isn’t too bad if you ask me. I also want to hang my boxed cubbies in here which would go with the bronze, but my husband is weird about having extra holes in the wall since that means we would need to patch them later on. So weird and annoying.

The prep and the amount of work it took to get it looking nice was way more than I expected, so now I can just imagine how long its going to take us to complete our master bathroom remodel. Mostly because my husband is a procrastinator and doesn’t like to do everything in one sitting. If I were to do it, I probably wouldn’t have done it right. He always brings up the time I put together his BBQ and it fell apart instantly. In my defense, the then roommate pretty much did it himself, so yep, I blame him. I am just not looking forward to it, but I am looking forward to the after. We’re probably going to be doing most of the work ourselves up there since it’s way too expensive to have someone else do it, and we all know I’m all for saving monies.

Mexican Lasagna Casserole Recipe!

Thank you to my husbands sister in law for this recipe. It has become a frequent dinner in the weekly routine and the best part is, there’s leftovers for another meal! Sometimes I just loathe cooking, other times I want to be creative and venture outside of the box. However, last night was not one of those nights.

Mexican Lasagna Casserole Recipe

What you’ll need:
  • 1 lb of Hamburger
  • 1 Large Jar of Spaghettie Sauce (your choice), we usually use traditional or garlic.
  • 1 16 oz Jar of  Medium Salsa.
  • 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.
  • 1 can of olives, either large whole and cut them up or pre-chopped ones – your choice.
  • 1 can of sliced mushrooms.
  • I usually add pinto/black beans as well and about a half-cup of mild jalapenos. 

Directions:

Preheat the oven on 350 degrees and start browning the hamburger.

Add all above ingredients into large sauce pan and simmer for 5-10 min.

Layer the bottom of the casserole dish with flour tortillas. I use soft taco size and it requires 2 for each layer usually.

 Top each layer with the sauce mixture and cheese. Repeat until all sauce is gone, distributing layers evenly. I usually have about 3 layers in my casserole dish.
 Top it off with flour tortillas and the rest of the cheddar cheese. Stick it in the oven for about 20 minutes. You want the top to be melted-cheesy goodness and a little crispy.
Once it’s finished, let it cool for 5-10 minutes, slice and Enjoy!


All posts here are to help our fellow frugal friends score the best freebies and deals possible through various companies, including Amazon. At times, we do earn a small percentage on purchases made through our links, which helps keep the site running.

We’ve Survived 1 Year of Marriage!

We’ve Survived 1 Year of Marriage!

Holy hell, it’s been a year already? Well, technically a year and 26 days. We kind of celebrated more when we were in Vegas at the beginning of October since our anniversary was the 26th of October, but we did end up going to Seaside Oregon to spend the night together since we hadn’t been there in a while. It was okay but we’re so spoiled from the hotel luxuries in Vegas that it was kind of a disappointment when we arrived at the hotel. We felt like we were living in a jail cell that evening. I was expecting big bubba to come out of the bathroom at any moment!

And yes, it looks like I have giant man hands in the above picture that we took in the sand with our rings, but I assure you my hands are not bigger. Wait, who am I trying to fool? Screw it. I have big hands, that’s because my husband and I are the same height. You ever see a tall woman with tiny hands? Don’t think so!

Even though we didn’t enjoy our room, we did enjoy our nice and romantic dinner at Maggie’s on the Prom, the walk along the promenade, our brisk, cold moment on the beach, my ice cream I’m stuffing down my face, and our shop hopping which led us to a mechanical shark! I mean it is the beach after all. One wouldn’t expect to see a bull there unless it was a bull shark of course. 😉


We had fun, even though it may not show on my husbands face. He was mean muggin’ the camera the whole time. Usually, he’s all smiles, but I guess that’s when he’s drunk.

Here’s to many more years with the love of my life. Can’t wait to see what it’s in store for us after this wonderful year we’ve had of marriage and almost 8 years of being together!

Best Buy: The Top Holiday Shopping Destination!

The holidays are upon us and that means great deals from great companies like Best Buy. My husband and I play video games together on the PC, and any PC gamer knows you need headphones with a microphone in order to communicate with your party. Well, my husbands headphones recently went to poop after 7 years. Thank you Plantronics for making one of the best headphones I’ve ever used! But alas, those headphones have been discontinued and cannot be found anywhere without paying an arm and a leg for them. Everyone knows I’m a bargain hunter and cannot fathom spending more on items when they can be found, “eventually”, at a lower price.

Now we’re in the market to find new headphones for the husband and for myself since the current ones I have aren’t very good either. We headed over to Best Buy a few days ago to test some of the headphones out, and I found myself glued to the hi-definition headphones Beats by Dr. Dre that are for music listening. They’re obviously not going to work for PC gaming, but the sound was so crisp, clear, and the bass was fantastic in most—if not all of the varieties there. I need a pair for when I go on vacations!

My husband had his eye on the Turtle Beach Ear Force X12 Gaming Headset and Amplified Stereo Sound. It says it’s for the Xbox 360, but surprisingly enough, it can be used on the PC as well. We both listened to the sound on them while a video game preview was playing in the background and I was thoroughly impressed. These sounded just as good as those hi-definition headphones that I wanted, AND they are about 1/4 the price of the Beats. Obviously it’s a no brainer on which ones we’re going to choose! You might be thinking that the Beats are more comfortable, but surprisingly enough, I found the Turtle Beach Earforce X12’s to be beyond comfortable. These do not sit on or press against the ear, nor are they tight on your head to where it feels like vice grips. I’m like shocked, because those are 2 of my biggest complaints when it comes to headphones. No one likes being in pain when you’re trying to relax and enjoy yourself.

And the best part is, starting 12/1/13 – 1/18/14 we can score an extra 10% off headphones and portable speakers! Unfortunately it excludes Beats, Sony, and Bose, but it will work on the Turtle Beach ones we want.

They’re also doing 15% off Health & Fitness, Fisher Price and Mattel Toys for those in the market for toys like the Digital Barbie Makeover Kit and the Fisher Price Little People Apptivity Barnyard to name a couple.
They know price is important to us, and frankly it’s important to them too. Their Low Price Guarantee will ensure you’re getting the most competitive price possible. If you find it at a lower price somewhere else, let Best Buy know so they can price match it! They will even price match Amazon.

Here’s why Best Buy is a great Holiday Shopping Destination:

Best Buy is the authority and destination for all your technology and appliance product gifting needs this holiday season.

The assortment is second to none:

– Feature more than 100 products sold only at Best Buy this Holiday.
– Offer a market-leading selection of the hottest tablets, smartphones, gaming consoles and titles, wearable technology, health and fitness gear, mobile accessories and much more.
– Blue Shirts and Geek Squad Agents are passionate, highly trained, knowledgeable and impartial so they can help ensure you get the perfect gifts for your family and friends…and yourself

The combination of bestbuy.com and their 1,400 stores offers the ultimate showroom to touch, test, try and buy the latest technology. Technology is evolving quickly and becoming increasingly complex- Best Buy is here to help make it easy for you to choose the products and services that work best for you.

  • Phones: At Best Buy you can see and try all of the phones, carriers, plans and accessories under one roof with industry-leading trade-in options
  • Tablets: Best Buy is the only place in America where customers can see all of the latest and greatest tablets.
  • Computing: Best Buy features the best selection, advise, services and support in computing. They help set the market by working with the industry’s tech leaders to develop a highly specialized and innovative assortment of laptops, many of which are only available at Best Buy.
  • Mobile Accessories: Best Buy has one of the largest selections of accessories and wearable’s this holiday. Bluetooth speakers, smart-watches, health & fitness gear and headphones will truly rule holiday.
  • Home Theater: Best Buy offers the world’s newest technology, best assortment and service in home theater.
  • Appliances: Best Buy is better positioned than ever to bring the latest small appliances and special deals to you.
  • Gaming: Best Buy is THE destination for gaming this holiday. Not only dodo they have the latest Xbox and PlayStation consoles, but the hottest game releases and everything else you need for a great gaming experience.
  • Music/Movies/Musical Instruments: Best Buy offers terrific deals on the best entertainment stocking stuffers.
  • Digital Imaging: Best Buy features the newest selection of cameras, accessories and advise so you can find the perfect gift, or capture your own holiday memories.
  • Tech Services: Best Buy is home of the Geek Squad for help installing, repairing, troubleshooting, optimizing and offering all sorts of technical advice from every Best Buy store, in-home, online and by phone

One of the main reasons I love Best Buy is because I can place my order online and have it ready for Free in store pick-up in less than an hour. I don’t have to run around the store trying to find something I need, all I do is pick it up at the front and I’m out the door. When you don’t have much time, you adore convenient shopping.

And if you’re needing some gift ideas, you can check out the Best Buy Gift Center.

*The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. All opinions are my own.*