The 99 Cent Chef features a world of cooking ideas with low prices as the main course. Just to make matters clear, the 99 Cent Chef is not affliated nor does he use only products and produce from the 99 Cent Stores.  While the 99 Cent Store has many of his selections,  Billy Vasquez heads all over to buy items that bring the basic cost of cooking way under average.  An accomplished photographer, the stills show off many recipes and give you guidelines for steps along the way and what the finished product should look like.

This month is destination Cuba. Starting with a simple and yummy salad, he will continue with Cuban Baked Beans, a Cuban Sandwich and Roasted Pork.  Or if you are in a more Brazilian mood, try the Moqueca Fish Stew. Amazing how he grabs a few cans, some veggies, and frozen fish transforming them into an exotic stew to serve over rice.

Learn how to cure your own salmon for a Jewish Taco that he dubbed the Loxaco.  This brings the cost down and as a bonus all the ingredients are kosher. Try it, you’ll like it!

Make this day special with choices tailored to your mom.

Art Lover Mom reads the arts section first, collects catalogs, and thought your first grade drawings were influenced by Kandinsky. Take her to your local art museum and have a bite at the cafe.

American History Buff Mom knows the name of every U.S. President, fact checked your homework, and easily quotes what happened on this day fifty years ago.   Head out to the a historical site in your city and have a picnic nearby.

Environmental Mom recycles everything, knows global warming is not a hot flash, and uses both sides of the printer paper.  Spend the day helping out at a beach clean up or food bank.

Design Mom knows what is the new black this year,  how to use Photoshop to make your holiday pictures more interesting, and only sees art films.  Take an architectural tour of your city.

Sports Mom was always at little league and knows all the baseball stats. Take her out to the ball game for some peanuts and cracker jacks.

Yoga Mom stays flexible, eats vegetarian, and believes that meditation will solve all your problems. Here in Los Angeles take her to BryanKest’s Power Yoga Santa Monica Studio for a donation only class and then to Real Food Daily for lunch.  Sit on the beach afterwards and chant OM.

Let me know if you have interesting ways to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Do you want pickles that have traveled halfway around the world? Why send a fish from across the ocean when we have two coasts and numerous lakes?  Do you need out of season fruit picked thousands of miles away. If there is one time you want to shop local it’s where nutrients are concerned.  Shelf life shouldn’t be into the next millennium for food.

What I like about Annie’s Organics is that there really is an Annie.  Annie lives on her certified organic farm in Connecticut with her husband and two daughters, where she grows a wide variety of vegetables and flowers for her local co-op and farmer’s market.  She remains the inspiration and corporate conscience for the Annie’s family of products. Her products are a twofer – organic and grown in the USA.

Lundberg Family Farms has been producing rice in California since 1937. They have branched out into other rice products such as chips, rice cakes, and rice flour however most of their products are still organic and sustainably farmed plus they participate in the Non-GMO Project.

For the best local fruits and vegetables try the farmer’s markets. My only problem was figuring out where and when.  This site solved all my problems. LocalHarvest.org has all the markets nationwide so you can keep up with any changes, find out what’s fresh that day, and plan your weekly produce shopping.

Let me know your favorite local provisions and they will be added to this ever growing list.

Everyone keeps saying that organic is expensive. Linda Watson, the author of Wildly Affordable Organic, has a very persuasive argument against this theory.  Her recipes emphasize local organic produce and organic vegetarian protein sources. They can be literally beefed up if you are not on a plant based diet. Add cheese or eggs if that is still part or your diet. These recipes are great starting points for learning how to devise an organic menu at reasonable prices.

The Frugal Diva always says, “Be thrifty, not cheap.” That means you want the most for your money and still enjoy the pleasures of eating a wholesome meal. Linda wants the world to know that this does not take a ton of time or effort. Cook up some beans in your slow cooker for a week of meals, enjoy going to the farmers market for produce, and drink lots of water as the best low cost beverage. These tips can help you save your money, your waistline, and your health.

The Frugal Diva has to admit it unnerved her to think that Jamba Juice was over 20 years old. It seemed just the other day that this novel concept with the cute logo had opened. There are college students who have only know a world with blended drinks as a meal option.

Jamba now has a deal for spring. These three 16 ounce smoothies – Strawberry Surf Rider, Banana Berry, and Aloha Pineapple – will be $2.49 until May 20th. Limited time offer valid at participating locations listed below. Offer not valid with catering orders. Offer cannot be combined with other promotional offers. Offer only valid for advertised smoothies, no substitutions. Valid 3/12/13 — 5/20/13. Not including applicable tax.

This week, Fresh & Easy is still fighting the good food fight by offering you great deals on everyday items. This week, fresh&easy ground chuck beef is $2.49 per lb. in a 2 lb. pack, which can be turned into a versatile multi-day meal.

Other deals this week include:

• fresh&easy beef tri tip is 50% off
• fresh&easy assorted pork chops, $2.49 per lb.
• f&e chicken breast family pack, $2.49
• fresh&easy tilapia filets, $5.99 per lb.
• fresh&easy seafood salads, 2 for $6
• fresh&easy large Hass avocados, 77¢ each
• 2 lb. packs of seedless grapes are $1.70 per lb.
• fresh&easy almond or organic soy milk, $1.79
• Guinness draught or black lager, $6.99 for a 6-pack

These deals are good from March 6-12, 2013.

They are still the best place for lower priced spices and sauces. Remember to join the loyalty program so you can start accumulating points, getting recipes, and finding coupons delivered right to your email!

Disclaimer: Fresh and Easy has sent The Frugal Diva samples, coupons, and gift cards plus her stepson works there as a buyer.

There’s no place like home and that is especially true for great meals at the best prices. The Frugal Diva loves the whole process of making dinner. First lovingly finding the nicest potatoes, the freshest chicken, and the juiciest peaches. Secondly integrating them into the refrigerator and pantry. Thirdly cooking them with the Frugal Dude for a great meal. The cooking part used to involve cookbooks however now the internet has a plethora of sites that offer recipes.  Recipes need to meet several criteria – low on the fat, easy to find inexpensive ingredients, and be delicious.

Working my way through the Broke Ass Gourmet, I found so many different variations of easy to cook, yummy, and light on the pocketbook recipes. The Lemon-Leek Chicken Legs barely seemed like any work and the total cost of came to $5 per person (prices will vary depending on your market). Add a side of brown rice or a salad for a full dinner.  For a dinner party, try the Lamb Tagine, where you serve four for under $20. Watch her video and learn how to make fresh spring rolls.

Thanks to Gabi Moskowitz for the inspiration to keep making healthy, flavorful and interesting meals at home!

While The Frugal Diva loves fresh food sometimes having a backup plan means saving money.  I always have frozen turkey meatballs for a quick pasta dinner, frozen wholegrain waffles for a quick breakfast, and frozen fruit to add to smoothies or a healthy dessert.

March is National Frozen Food Month and even if you’re not an extreme couponer, you can still strategize your grocery shopping to save money. Time is another important thing to save.

Coupon site BeFrugal.com founder Jon Lal offers this advice:

1. Make a list. This basic strategy saves a ton of time and money. One simple way is to use the notes feature of your smartphone and add items to your list as you realize you need them. Since we usually have our phones with us 24/7, the list is easy to manage. When you shop stick to the list to save lots of time and money.

2. Check your grocery store’s weekly ad in advance. Sunday flyers are available online, so you do not need to buy a paper or wait until Sunday. Look at it online whenever you want and review the sale items while comparing that to your list.

3. While you are looking at the sales online, now is a perfect time to find coupons for items that are already on sale. Get grocery coupons online; quickly search for the items you have on your list or see as being on sale in the grocery store’s flyer then print them out and you are ready to shop. This eliminates clipping coupons and keeping coupons you may never need in a bulky binder.

4. Stock up (if you can). Some grocery stores will be having big sales on frozen foods in honor of Frozen Food Month. As discussed in the tip above, you can also get grocery coupons for these items to get additional savings. If your freezer is already full or you do not need these items, skip them – even if they are on sale. It’s not a bargain if you cannot use it!

5. Consider buying groceries online. In addition to some grocery stores offering online orders and delivery, you can often get great deals buying items online (and getting free shipping on them, of course) when you use promo codes and earn cash back – this is a portion of your total that gets deposited into a free account for you – especially when buying items which grocery coupons are rarely offered on and nonperishable foods. Don’t rule out getting grocery store delivery, either. While there may be a fee of $6-10 for delivery, it may be worth it to you, depending on how much time it can save you.

If a health food store and big box store had a child it would be called Sprouts.  This is a full service market that combines a fabulous produce department (about 40% of the store) with a natural food store’s selection of everything else at great prices.  What does that mean to the average shopper?  If your shopping list includes fresh produce,  organic cereal, whole wheat baguettes, eco friendly cleaning products, grass fed beef, and a teaspoon of rosemary this is the place for you.  With their low shelving, you can find everything you need quickly plus there are no mainstream brands to impede your search. This is for families who want more fresh and additive free food in their diet at the best prices.

While their organic produce section is still pretty small, organic products can be found everywhere else in the store.  Organic eggs, yogurt, and milk in the dairy case. Bottled organic juices, organic honey, and even organic breads under the Sprouts label on the shelves. They carry all the brands you would expect to see in any of the other health food chains however most of the prices are better and with weekly specials you can stock up when prices are really fantastic.  Especially on their own Sprouts brand of vitamins.

About that teaspoon of rosemary, I mentioned. This is something new for me, spices in bulk.  How many recipes do we pass up that have an unusual herb or use a bottle that has been there since we moved in? This is an opportunity to try out something new without wasting money.

Bulk buying is also possible for nuts, chips, and candies (better to buy a little then gorge on a lot).

Wednesday might be hump day to some people, for The Frugal Diva Wednesday is shop at Sprouts day since items from the previous weeks specials and the new specials are available. Twice the possibilities for savings!

Sprouts is proud to partner with Autism Speaks in creating a new Neighborhood Grant Program designed to fund local nonprofit organizations serving children and adults with autism spectrum disorders. As our company continues to grow, so does our ability to make an even greater impact in the neighborhoods we serve. From Feb. 27 to March 13, Sprouts shoppers can help this worthwhile program take root in their community by supporting our “Autism Speaks Puzzle Piece” fundraising campaign.

Sprouts Farmers Market CEO Doug Sanders knows the affects of autism firsthand; his 3-year-old son was diagnosed with autism in 2009. That’s when Sprouts saw an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the autism community through a partnership with Autism Speaks. Under Sanders’ leadership—backed by the support of Sprouts customers, team members and vendors—they have raised an incredible $2.2 million to fund programs that help bring autism awareness and support to local communities.

Another great reason to shop at Sprouts!

An oldie but a goodie, Top Button has been around for some time giving you the best sales in LA and NYC.  The membership comes for free, so sign up to receive updates on sales such as the following.

The Fred Segal used to be once a year sale now has a winter date. Right now up to 50 off.

And keeping up with the groupons, they have added a restaurant and spa discount section.  These places are pricey so this might be best for a special occasion.