Atlanta's Frugal Mom

I seriously heart smoked salmon.  Like borderline addict love it.  This oh-so-fancy smoked salmon and arugula flatbread is one of my favorite dishes to order when we manage to sneak out to a nice restaurant without kiddos.  Unfortunately, that happens never like twice a year, and that’s just not often enough for me.  Did I mention how much I love smoked salmon? Anyhow, after making the ghost pizzas with the kiddos for Halloween, I realized there was a leftover tube of pizza dough, and I had a smoked-salmon-withdrawal-induced stroke of genius.  I could just make my own flatbread at home!  Duh, right?  I’m super cheap and make copycat restaurant meals all the time, so why this never occurred to me, I don’t know. It’s awesome.  You’ll love it.  I promise. Smoked Salmon Flatbread Ingredients: 1 tube prepared pizza dough (in the canned biscuit aisle) 8 ounces cream cheese (whipped is easier to spread) 1 Tbs minced garlic Juice of 1/2 lemon 1 Tbs chopped fresh ...

Disclosure: I received free LeapFrog LeapReader™ products in order to host the LeapFrog sponsored MommyParty.  The opinions expressed here, as well as (some of) the cute kids are all mine. When a big ol’ box of LeapFrog LeapReader™ products showed up at my door recently, I literally did the happy dance.  (…and just be glad no one was around to see that sad mess…)  I had the distinct pleasure of being chosen to host a LeapReader™ party, a privilege given to only select bloggers, as I later learned!  Included in my party kit were: (2) LeapReader™ Reading and Writing Systems – each includes a LeapReader™ device, pre-loaded with books and learning apps, as well as two USB cords for charging the devices Disney-Pixar’s Monster’s University  3D book (and 16 pairs of 3D glasses!) Get Ready for Kindergarten book Talking Words Factory flash cards (2) LeapReader™ sampler book LeapReader™ Write It! Talking Factory Writin...

I don’t eat a lot of meat.  I like meat, it’s just that my body is not a big fan of it.  Maybe I’m missing some important enzyme or something that helps me break it down.  That would be my luck.  Anyhow, I tend to eat very little meat to keep from having a crazy, messed up gut all the time.  Well, except for bacon.   Because it’s bacon, duh. So since I don’t eat a lot of meat, I get my protein from other places.   Like chickpeas!   Of course, I don’t just eat them plain (boring!), I like to mix them in with different dishes.  I threw this particular salad together the other morning to have for lunch, and ended up eating it for 3 days!  It makes a lot more than you would think. 🙂 Marinated Zucchini and Chickpea Salad 1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion 2 cups chickpeas (if canned, rinse well first) 2 roma tomatoes, sliced into strips 1/4 cup chopped roasted red pepper 2 Tbs olive oil 2 Tbs lemon juice 1/2 tsp sugar salt an...

If you haven’t heard of eMeals, you are SO missing out!  It’s a meal planning service that makes my life so much easier on busy days.  I’m lucky enough to be working with them as an ambassador, so I get to share some of the awesome food we make along with the recipes so you can try them out at home! Each week you get a new set of recipes emailed to you, complete with a shopping list and easy-to-follow directions.  They have an awesome app you can use that makes the shopping and preparation fast and simple.  No need to print anything or make a list on a separate sheet of paper!   eMeals offers 12 different dinner plans to choose from, and you can even customize them specifically for the store you shop at the most!  We’re currently using the Mediterranean plan, though I’ve tried out Clean Eating, Classic, and Simple Gourmet in the past as well, and they’ve all been fantastic.   It’s less than $5.00 a month for the yearly membership , and tru...

  If you’re in or near the Dunwoody area, brace yourself: there is an amazing new restaurant opening up that will blow you away!  Earlier last week, I had the pleasure of getting a “sneak peek” dining at First Watch in Dunwoody yesterday, and -well, yum! I met up with Diana, my blogger pal over at Sandy Springs Macaroni Kid , and had my toddler son tag along as well.  We were kindly greeted upon entering, and promptly seated, with a high chair immediately produced for my son.  Our server, James, was patient and kind.  Patient was a must for me, not only because I had a toddler with me, but because I just couldn’t’ decide what I wanted — there were SO MANY tasty options from which to choose! You see, at First Watch, the menu is chock full of fresh, healthy dishes prepared made to order.  It’s a breakfast, brunch, and lunch place, so there’s plenty of dishes that offer an egg white options (all cage-free) at no charge, as well as fresh seas...