The weekend grocery-shopping expedition yielded two wonderful discoveries for busy moms entering back-to-school mode.
First, Nestle Toll House cookie dough is back on the shelves of the dairy case. YAY! It has been a long wait since June when Nestle pulled the dough because of an e. coli threat. Now each tub and break-apart package proclaims NEW BATCH on a bright blue medallion — and promises to be FREE of nasty bacteria. My kids are even happier than me at this news. They love the "home-baked" cookie freshness that we've tried — and failed — to recreate from more than half a dozen homemade recipes. And just in time for school lunches! So far I haven't found the jumbo 5-pound tubs at BJs yet, but we'll just have to make do with the 2-pound size!
The second pleasant surprise came from Starbucks, you know, the company that once upon a time never offered coupons. Well, they've finally gotten on the value-added bandwagon and are offering a FREE tall cup of coffee for each empty 12-ounce bag brought into one of their freestanding stores. The coupon is pretty subtle, but look for it in the upper right-hand corner of the redesigned coffee bags featuring a landscape instead of the more familiar band on a white background. Grabbing a free coffee on the way home will make the school carpool just a little more tolerable. (P.S. Publix has Starbucks on sale for $2 off through Wednesday!)
