Yesterday, it hit 80 degrees here and I was beyond miserable (the heat really exacerbates my allergies and asthma). After watching the Sodastream commercial for the millionth time, I figured it might be fun to make root beer from scratch since I was stuck inside.

Making soda is very simple. You only need 3 ingredients: sparkling water, root beer extract, and sweetener.

Start with a clean pitcher. Add 2 pint bottles of sparkling water and 1/2 TBS of extract. Dissolve 8 TBS of sweetener in a little water. Add that to the pitcher and mix well. Done!

If you’re drinking this at home, leave it in the pitcher. If you want to take it on-the-go, pour it back into the water bottles.

I made 2 batches, one with Splenda for me and another with sugar for Hungry Bear (my guy). The taste of homemade root beer is similar to commercial soda, but definitely not the same. It’s no where near as carbonated, so if you drink soda for the bubbles, skip this. The smell was identical.

I enjoyed the ease of this recipe, but it doesn’t save much time or money. I doubt I’d make soda on a regular basis. If I do make this again, I’d cut down on the sweetener for sure.

Homemade root beer gets 2.5 out of 5 stars from me!

Have you ever made soda?

Sin-Free Sugar is offering FREE samples here. Add the samples to your cart, checkout and they will be mailed to you. Shipping is free, too.

According to their site, Sin-Free Sugar has no calories, fructose or artificial ingredients. It’s diabetic friendly and can be used for baking, cooking, and beverages. Sounds good to me!

Do you use sugar substitutes? (I’ve used Stevia and Splenda.)

If you’re taking your mom out to eat on Mother’s Day, check out this list of restaurants offering free food:

Dunkin Donuts:  FREE donut for Moms

Starbucks:  Buy One, Get One FREE Teavana Chai Tea

Boston Market:  Buy any Individual Meal, get one Individual Meal FREE.

TCBY:  Moms get FREE yogurt

Crispers:  FREE dessert for Moms and certificate for $5 off her next purchase

Beef O’ Brady’s:  Moms eat FREE, up to $10

Shoney’s:  FREE Slice of Strawberry Pie for Moms with purchase of an entrée

Steak Escape:  Moms eat FREE with purchase of Sandwich, Salad or Smashed Potato with this coupon.

Tijuana Flats:  Moms eat FREE with the purchase of another entree.  Just show your server the Mother’s Day promo on the Tijuana Flats Facebook page.

Denny’s:  FREE Dessert when you buy 2 entrees.

McDonald’s:  FREE Breakfast for Moms

Hooters: FREE entree for Moms

If your mom is a nurse, she can get a FREE Cinnabon, too! (Must show ID)

As usual, I recommend calling ahead since not all locations are participating!

Meat is an expensive item, no doubt about it. Most budget gurus will tell you to eliminate, cut back, or focus solely on the cheapest cuts like ground beef. Elimination isn’t practical unless you’re a vegetarian. Ground beef can be good; I love meatballs, but what about the times when you just crave a steak? Cutting back is what I focus on. Here are my tips for stretching meat:

1. Buy on sale

Anytime I go shopping, I check the grocery flyers for sale items. I pick through the markdown bin. On occasion, I’ve been known to Price Match. When I find a great deal, I stock up. If I buy it cheaply, I can buy more.

2. Portion control

Don’t serve whole steaks! Cut the meat into strips or chunks and use in stir fries, kabobs, or fajitas. A 1-Lb steak can feed four people easily this way.

3. Flavor

Highly-seasoned meat has a much stronger taste and seems to be more filling. Try marinating meat in salad dressing or coating with dry rubs. I love Italian dressing and Thai chili paste.

4. Add Bulk

By adding rice, pasta, beans, or veggies to my meat dishes, I can stretch it further. Make soup. Put some on a salad. Be creative!

How do you stretch meat?