Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you don't like whole wheat cookies, you frankly have not tried this one. Need I say more?

Cream together:
2 c softened butter (room temp)
2 c organic sugar
2 c organic brown sugar

Add:
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Grind 5 cups of old fashioned oats in a food processor or blender.

Combine in a bowl:
the ground oats
4 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda

Slowly start combining the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. This makes a lot so I recommend using a large mixer (mine usually ends up overflowing a bit) or mixing with your hands in a very large bowl.

Add in 2 bags of chocolate chips (I used Ghiradeli milk chocolate in the pictures). Place on ungreased cookie sheet in golf ball sizes about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 min. Makes 92 cookies!

The oatmeal in these give them a great flavor I can't describe. I often make these at Christmas but they are great any time of year.

Chewy Granola Bars

I've been searching and working to perfect a granola bar recipe that is chewy and healthy all at the same time. I have made so many batches I think my family might be tired of my failed granola bar recipes. But alas, I have finally created one that I'm happy with.

4 c oats
2/3 c brown sugar
1/2 c honey
4 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Toast the oats on a cookie sheet @ 400 degrees (for about 10 min.) while mixing together the remaining ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat over medium heat till bubbly and thin. Butter a 9x13 glass pan. Remove oats from oven and pour into a mixing bowl. Pour honey mixture over the oats and mix well till all the oats are coated. Pour into the 9x13 and cover with wax paper or parchment paper. Use a spatula or the back of a measuring cup to press the mixture down and spread it evenly. Let cool for 2-3 hours until there is no warmth to the pan. Remove the bars carefully by inverting the pan onto a cutting board. Cut the bars with a butcher knife and either wrap individually or store between layers of wax paper in an air tight container.

If you'd like to add some mix-ins you can do so the following way:

Chocolate Chip - add 1/2 cup of mini chips to the above recipe. Add the chips when mixing the oats and honey together.

Peanut - add 1 cup of crushed peanuts and use only 3 cups of oats. Toast the peanuts with the oats.

Oatmeal Raisins - add 1/2 cup of raisins to the above recipe and 1 tsp cinnamon when mixing the oats and honey together.

Health Nut - add 3/4 c wheat germ, 3/4 c sunflower seeds, 1 cup of crushed peanuts, reduce oats to 2 cups and toast with the oats and then add 8oz. dried fruit when mixing the oats and honey together.

Fruity - add 1 cup dried fruit to the above recipe when mixing the oats and honey together.

Healthy Refried Beans/Bean Dip

pre-soaked pinto beans
1 diced onion
2 minced garlic cloves
olive oil
salt to taste

Pre-soak beans over night. Drain water. Cook beans covered in water (I cook them in my crock-pot for about 8 hours on low). Saute onion and garlic in the olive oil. Drain beans (reserving the liquid) and add to skillet with onion. Begin mashing the beans adding in the reserved liquid as needed to make the beans creamy. Saute while doing this process until beans are bubbly and the consistency you like. Add salt to taste.

Serve hot or freeze for later use. Makes a wonderful bean dip as well.

Note: You can also do the reverse process by draining the liquid from the crock-pot and adding the sautéed onions and garlic to the beans in the crock-pot. Mash the beans in the crock-pot and add some of the liquid back in. Cook on low for one hour or on high for about 30 min.

Crock- pot Lasagna

I've seen this idea online and wanted to give it a try. I've never actually even made lasagna in the oven before. I love using my crock-pot to keep me out of the kitchen when I'm busy and tired in the late afternoon.


1 lb beef
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 diced onion or 1/8 minced dried onion
1 tsp anise seed
1/2 tsp salt
1 jar pasta sauce
1 container ricotta cheese (about 30 oz)
2 cups grated parmesan cheese (or italian cheese mix)
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese plus some for on top
1/8 c dried parsley
2 c chopped fresh baby spinach
1/2 box of regular lasagna noodles
1/2 c of water

Brown beef in skillet with next five ingredients. Once browned, add pasta sauce. In separate bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, and parsley together. In bottom of crock-pot using half of everything, layer sauce, then noodles (break to fit), spread cheese mixture over noodles, layer chopped spinach next and then repeat layers using the rest of the ingredients. Top with a few handfuls of grated cheese (mozzarella) and pour water over all.

Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. In my new crock-pot that cooks hotter than my old one, this was done at about 7 hours on low. But in my old one I'm thinking it might have taken about 9-10 hours. You can prep the night before and then pour water over in the morning and cook.

Wow, this was easy and yummy!

Healthy Quesadillas

Chop up fresh spinach and sliced avocados to add to your quesadillas.

You can also try adding:
a sprinkle of ground flax seed
a sprinkle of wheat germ
chopped cooked broccoli
chopped cooked cauliflower
chopped sauteed kale
chopped fresh onion
sliced fresh leeks
a few beans
a little corn
some cooked lentils
some sauteed sliced cabbage
or some rinsed sauerkraut

Shredded Beef Tacos

1 beef roast (I use chuck)
2 packets of taco seasoning

Place beef roast in crock-pot on low long enough to shred (approx. 8-10 hours). Sprinkle with taco seasoning. When done cooking, shred.

Serve in corn tortillas with cheese, chopped cilantro, chopped onion, chopped tomato.

Answering Questions - and some recommendations

I've had a few weeks of posting informational type posts but I'll be getting back to posting mainly recipes starting tomorrow.

If you are interested in meal planning software, I'd consider looking into this one.

Questions about homemade laundry detergent being safe for HE washers: Here's the scoop. Front loading washers can't have suds. Top loading washers CAN have suds. So, when front loading washers got popular, the laundry detergent companies had to come out with laundry detergent that didn't have a lot of suds in them. That wasn't difficult to do because laundry detergent doesn't actually have suds. Suds have been added to the detergents to make them "look" to the consumer like the detergent is working and cleaning our laundry. So, all they had to do to make HE safe detergent for front loading washer machines is REMOVE the sudsing agents that have been added to their detergent. And, boom, now you have HE safe detergent. So, this homemade recipe is totally safe for your front loading washer machine because there is no sudsing agent added to it. It produces very little suds if any at all. I don't work for a washer machine company so this is only what I've researched on my own. I hope that explains the difference between HE and top loaders...clear as mudd?

I've recently read 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life and Nourshing Traditions. Both of which I highly recommend reading! They are listed on my sidebar bookshelf, which is quite full so if you don't see it on the list be sure to flip to page 2 of the bookshelf.

You Buy Mail Order Food?-
Yes. I've been wanting to tell you about this and it probably deserves it's own post so be sure to read this since it's being posted here....In my venture to eat healthier and to also keep our food budget as low as possible, I've recently been ordering several of our groceries through Azure Standard. Not only is the quality amazing but the prices are great (cheaper than health food stores and cheaper than organic products even at Walmart).

I wasn't sure at first how I would feel about ordering food online so I just tried it once to see how it was and it was wonderful! We've been ordering now for a few months and have switched almost all of our grocery shopping (aside from Costco) over to Azure Standard. You can pay the shipping to have it shipped to your house OR you can pick it up from your nearest drop off site.

When you sign up, call and they tell you where your nearest drop off site is. The drop off site usually charges a few dollars as a flat rate for shipping which is really cheap compared to UPS. There is a minimum order amount of $50 per order which I don't seem to have a hard time meeting! If you think you want to just try it out first but don't want to order $50 worth, maybe find a friend who is willing to go in on just one order with you to try it out. That's what I did.

-no tax charged (I assume that they charge tax in Oregon where the company is based)
-no walking up and down grocery isles
-shop from the convenience of your home
-don't get charged till you pick up your purchase
-pay with credit card, debit card, or cash upon pick up
-no standing in line at the check out
-no wasting of grocery bags
-no tired kids hanging on the grocery cart
-no temptation to buy extra stuff you see at the store
-buy in small quantity or bulk if you want to
-I'm pretty sure that they deliver in most of the USA
-order when you want to...there is no required ordering
-deliveries are every 2 weeks
-not happy with part of your purchase, leave it at the drop off and you won't be charged

Want to learn more?
Azure Standard
Getting Started
Want A Catalog
View the Catalog Online
You can't view prices until you set up an account. The account is free and has no strings attached. Just log in and you can see prices.

I had toyed with the idea of buying my groceries this way for years and I finally took the plunge after reading another blog that encouraged me to try it. I wish I had started this YEARS AGO!

my pantry

I promised pictures of my pantry after I did the most recent reorganization of it. Here's a "in-process" photo as well just so you know I'm a REAL person who makes real messes! I emptied my whole pantry into my kitchen first and then wiped down all the shelves.
Here it is once it was all cleaned, organized and had fresh labels on the shelves.
I like to use shoeboxes or any other little boxes I have to make organizing easier. I cover the boxes with paper and label them.
So, my new labels for the shelves are:
Drinks
Snacks
Pasta
Grains
Sugar
Flours
Plastic ware
Canned Goods
Appliances
Cookbooks

Some other posts that might be helpful to you.

Here are some cool things I wanted to share with you.....

How to soften butter evenly when you need to use it in a baking recipe but it's hard and cold from the frig.

The confusion over white hard wheat vs red hard wheat and how you can tell the difference in the store.

The 411 on Olive Oil

What's the big deal about using olive oil? I've been researching and researching the topic of oils and the one thing all the experts out there seem to agree on is the healthfulness of olive oil. Of course, most of them feel it needs to be Organic First Cold Pressed Extra Virgin but others are more concerned with the clarity vs the cloudiness of it, and yet others suggest that as long as you use some form of it you are already taking a step in the right direction.

I've read conflicting information about canola oil and safflower oil. Some say they are good and some say they are bad.The arguments center around how they are derived and how the saturation work in our bodies.

But since they all seem to agree that olive oil is hands down the best oil you can use and put into your body, then I'm happy to use olive oil. I've read that coconut oil and flax seed oils are beneficial as well and that butter is also a great option if you are sticking with natural foods (butter isn't as bad as we've all been led to believe).

So, the big question is can you use it in baking? People worry about the flavor of the olive oil coming through in their baked goods. While in a savory dish we usually want the strong flavor of the olive oil to penetrate our foods, in baking that's not the case. Here's what I've discovered. If you cook the olive oil it loses most of it's flavor (in some cases, ALL of it's flavor) so you can bake with it and not notice. I've been using olive oil in my baking for years and I've never noticed it changing the taste of the recipe.

But there are different flavor strengths of olive oil (or so I'm told) in which case you could surely use a stronger flavor for your savory dishes and a lighter flavor for your baking.

Cream Cheese Eggs

I realize that this post might gross out some people but I have to post it all the same. My mom made these for us, and my Aunt Noreen made these for her kids (this is the only way her kids would eat scrambled eggs), and now I make them for my kids. They are so creamy and yummy.

Cut up small cubes of cream cheese and just before scrambled eggs are done cooking add the cream cheese cubes and stir till they soften. (the picture also has some diced green onion in them)

Answering Questions - Pies, Pantry, and Digestion

Pies -
A friend of mine pointed out that she never sees any pies on my blog....ya, well, that's cause I'm terrible at making pie crust. I've tried all the tried-and-true recipes out there and quite frankly, I think that it would be easier if I had a larger food processor. The food processor I have is tiny, too small for pie crust. Mom promises she'll have me over for pie crust making lessons since I can't seem to master it on my own from scratch. I was really hoping no one would notice that I don't make homemade pies or that I'm a failure at it but apparently I wasn't hiding my weakness well enough. So, once I learn how to make a decent pie crust, or buy a larger food processor, whichever comes first, I promise we'll have a pie making series where others can post their recipes too. Meantime, my favorite pie is strawberry rhubarb. Yum! Makes me long for summer.

My Pantry -
Sure, I'll get brave and post a picture of my pantry....but you'll have to wait patiently because I'm in the middle of spring cleaning it in a major way. I'm emptying the whole thing and going to reorganize it....actually, I'm doing my china hutch and kitchen which just naturally meant I had to shift things around in the pantry too....so, no point in showing it to you now when it's being revamped but when it's done (fresh new labels and all!) I promise I'll post a picture. If you want to see pictures of my cherry kitchen, you can see them here on this old post. I'm hoping to get curtains up in the eating area this year! So many things to do so little time.

Good Digestion -
I've had several conversations with more than one person over the past year about foods that are easy to digest and foods that are harder to digest. I promise to post about this topic in the future. For now, I'm trying to finish up all the things I promised you in this post.

What I learned in college

How to split a dinner roll....

Yep, most of you probably already know this little trick but I happened to learn it while I was in college eating at the little on-campus restaurant with another girl. She took her fork and started piercing the roll in half all the way around until she just pulled it a part with ease. I remember staring in amazement! Something so simple that no one had taught me!? After years of trying to saw my dinner roll in half with a butter knife at restaurants trying not to cause a scene as I demolished my roll into what resembled a crumbly pancake I finally had a new way to cut that roll in half!

Of course, I did learn more in college than that but this memory has stuck with me forever.....unfortunately I don't remember the girl at all. I can't even picture her....she was just someone who was eating in there often like I was and so we would sit together sometimes....she also taught me to squeeze ketchup from a little ketchup packet in a direct, neat, and tidy line along a slender french fry without making a mess. This little trick also came in handy when I was driving my car and eating french fries (something I never do now! Ha!) and didn't have anywhere to squeeze out ketchup for dipping. Oh yes, invaluable skills I tell ya!

So there you have it! What I learned in college! =0)

Do you have any funny stories about skills you've learned with eating? Please, oh please, share them here! I'd love to hear your stories and about the food skills you possess! LOL. Come on! Do tell!

Added Links

I've added some helpful links to the side bar. The polls are still there, I just moved them down a bit.

Favorite Gadget Thing- Tea Wallet

I've been wanting to show you my tea wallet for some time now. You know my love for tea and since I don't drink caffeine I always carry decaf tea in my purse. Up till I got this tea wallet, I had to put my tea bags into Ziploc baggies in my purse which worked fine but they often got disheveled. I really love this little tea wallet which has 4 slots but more than one bag can fit in a slot. Where did I get it?
I bought it online from Megan who is another homeschool mom through her blog. You'd have to comment on her blog to ask her if she is still making/selling these. I'm pretty sure she still is. She sold me mine for a whopping $8. AND she sent it to me (shipping was included in the $8) stuffed with tea from Trader Joe's nonetheless! I love Megan! She has many cool materials and let me pick my material set. Isn't she sweet and amazing! In case you want to make this little tea wallet yourself you can check out this tutorial for it here:
tea wallet tutorial
Or if you are lazy like me and figure you can splurge 8 bucks to have it made by Megan with her cool prints and mail it to you for free, then by golly you need the link to her post where she started selling them. Just comment on the post (even though it is old) with your email address and Megan will get back to you.
purchase them through Megan @ Half-Pint House

Answering Questions - Pizza

I was asked about making homemade pizza so I decided to give pizza it's own category to the left. Now you can click on pizza and see my past pizza posts. To go directly to them, click here.

Yes, I do buy frozen pizza from time to time. I know they aren't "healthy" but they are my way of saving money when we have those days where we are tempted to order a pizza. Most moms have "bad days" for one reason or another and calling the pizza man used to be my crutch for dinner plans gone haywire (and all the times I try a new recipe and it doesn't turn out!). And you've probably noticed how expensive it is to order pizza for delivery these days! So, I buy the Digiorno Pizza from Costco. It comes in a 3 pack for about $11. One pizza feeds our whole family which means we can feed our whole family an "emergency dinner" for a whopping $3.66. And yes, I cringe every time at the ingredients we are consuming but when I consider that my family is FED that's priceless right?

Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage

With St. Patrick's Day this week, we'll be making this.....so I thought I'd move it back up to the top of our blog.

Growing up this was one of my favorite meals. You have to like salty foods to like this. I find people either love it or don't like it. It goes well with my Irish heritage and my mom always made this on St. Patrick's Day (which happens to be my dad's birthday). Imagine that, an Irish man born on St. Patrick's Day...good timing.

1 corned beef roast
1 cabbage cut into wedges
4-5 yukon gold potatoes quartered
2 cups chopped carrots

Put the roast into the crock-pot fat side down. Sprinkle the seasoning packet that it comes with on top. Put potatoes, and carrots on top. Cook on low all day (about 8-9 hours). Add the cabbage in wedges at about noon and continue cooking on low. Remove roast and veggies from the crock and strain the broth. Use the broth to make a gravy. The pictures don't show the potatoes and carrots because I was out of them the other day when I decided to throw this in the crock pot but I usually do the potatoes and carrots too.

Hand Squeezed Butter

I know that when you hear "hand squeezed" you usually think of orange juice but I'm not kidding when I say hand squeezed butter. I know, don't fall out of your chair yet, but I'm churning my own butter. I realize that I risk losing some readers at this point who think I've crossed over the edge! But, bare with me a minute. I've been reading about which foods are the most important to eat organically and yes, dairy is at the top of the list. So, I want organic butter but guess what, it's expensive. So, I thought I'd experiment and see if I could make it cheaper than buying it. It's super easy to churn your own butter with the modern tools of today, the true question was "is it cheaper?"

So, I bought organic whipping cream and set to work last week. Actually, set my mixer to work. After measuring the before amounts, the cost of already made organic butter (unsalted) and then calculating the resulting measurements and comparing the price, it actually didn't save me that much money. Here's the deal, the butter part was cheaper store bought from where I get it, BUT it did yield 2 cups of buttermilk which was "free" so to speak. So, if you count the free buttermilk, well, then it was cheaper. Organic buttermilk cost me about $2.75 for a carton so I got about $1.37 worth of free buttermilk. Doesn't sound like such a good deal but here's the kicker.....my family went nuts for my homemade butter and homemade buttermilk. I have to admit the buttermilk was amazing! It made buttermilk pancakes like we've never experienced! It was seriously shocking. So, even though it doesn't save me a whole lot of money, the quality was well worth the time. Considering it doesn't take all that much work, we'll be making this from time to time. Now, if you are still with me after this lengthy post, I'll share with you the steps.

Ingredients:
2 pints heavy whipping cream
(you can add salt if you want but we use all unsalted butter)

Tools:
mixer or food processor
strainer (optional)

Whip the whipping cream through the many stages till you get butter. That's pretty much it. So, it turns first into fluffy whipping cream, then it gets really thick, then it starts to condense and turn yellow.....then it starts to separate and the yellow turns to little pea chunks and milk starts to come out of it. Keep whipping till you get a hard butter and lots of milk.

Now is when you want to strain the buttermilk and put it into a jar and refrigerate it to use in pancakes or recipes that week.

Now you can take the butter and with very clean hands, squeeze it. Yep, go right ahead and start wringing it out. Press it into a butter dish or mold it if you desire. I'm always amazed how soft my hands are after hand squeezing butter!

Now, you might think I'm totally nuts but seriously this wasn't that hard. =0)

Featured Product - Organic Natural Peanut Butter

I love this peanut butter because after you do the first stirring and refrigerate it, it doesn't separate again! Gotta love that! I get it at Costco.

Taco Seasonings Revisited

Thanks to those that submitted some taco seasoning recipes. I do like the one I've been using but I'm always up for trying new things. I'm excited to give the new recipes you shared a chance in my kitchen!

If you are looking for a homemade taco seasoning or want to see if you've got the ingredients on hand for one recipe or the other, be sure to check out the recipes these gals submitted here.

Switched Over

I came across a list I had made several months ago of goals for being healthier (which cost more) and ways to be frugal (to off set the cost of being healthier). Here is my list. My reason for each goal is included and my progress with each one is included as well. Some are things just to save money that don't really involve cooking, like my hair color for example.

Stop using paper plates on a regular basis -
Goal=To save money. I thought this would be hard for me but it surprisingly wasn't. My kids are old enough to help do dishes so I haven't felt the pain of change as much as I thought I would.
Verdict= I've completely stopped buying paper plates!

Switch to cloth napkins instead of paper-
Goal= To save money. I was worried this would be hard too and that I'd have a hard time keeping up with washing them all. Surprisingly my whole family welcomed the change and it's been super easy. I don't iron them unless company is coming over! I stock pile them so that I don't get too behind on washing them. I use neutral colors so that they can go in just about any load of wash I'm doing. To make the change swiftly, I actually bought dish cloths at first that we use for just our own family...it was cheaper to make the change this way. Cutting old dish towels in half and sewing the edge works well too. I haven't bought paper napkins in 5 months!
Verdict= We are completely switched over.

Make my own laundry detergent-
Goal= To save money and stay natural. I was concerned this would be labor intensive but it's proved to be pretty darn simple considering I can make a lot at once and have it on hand.
Verdict= I've been using it for a couple of months and am completely satisfied with it and completely switched over.

Make my own dryer sheet that is reusable-
Goal= To save money and stay natural.
Verdict= Completely switched over to spraying a wash cloth with natural biodegradable fabric softener. No more dryer sheets getting lost in folded laundry....

Make my own pancake mix-
Goal= To save money and stay healthy.
Verdict= Accomplished this and you can read about it here.

Buy dry beans instead of canned-
Goal= To save money and be healthier (less sodium). This is new to me but I've done it. Not that hard to make the change, just takes extra planning.
Verdict= Accomplished this.

Make my own noodles from scratch-
Goal= To save money and be healthier. Fun and easy. I can use fresh ingredients and organic ingredients. They taste better too!
Verdict= Completely switched over. To see how click here but you can also make them very quickly in a food processor (see the bottom of the linked post for processor directions).

Make healthier butter-
Goal= To be healthier and save money. I started out with one experiment with this but am in the process of revamping it. I will actually be trying out the process of churning my own butter because I want to use organic butter which is expensive. By making it myself, I will save money. Meantime, I'm also revamping my earlier posts about mixing oil with butter...more to come.
Verdict= In process.

Switch to ammonia free hair color-
Goal= Health. Hair color with ammonia causes hair to become brittle and ends to break off. I know the totally healthy thing would be to not color my hair at all but I'm not there yet.
Verdict= I'm much happier with the ammonia free hair color and you can see which one I use here. I'm completely switched over.

Stop buying books and get them from the library instead-
Goal= Save money. I love books! I can't get enough of them but they are expensive and take up a lot of room in the house. With homeschooling my kids, and a pastor husband who is addicted to books, books could easily take over our entire home. We utilize our library and inner-library loans now.
Verdict= Almost completely switched over. If we do buy books we try to use our change that we've turned into the Albertson's change machine and it gives you the amount in credit on Amazon.com.

Stop renting movies and get them from the library instead (or free from Redbox using promotion codes)-
Goal= To save money.
Verdict= Completely switched over other than a dollar here and there for a Redbox movie. Haven't paid for a movie rental in about 4 months!

Stop buying store bought snacks foods and make homemade ones instead-
Goal= To save money and to be healthier. Store bought snack foods almost all contain hydrogenated oils. I'm making large batches of granola, granola bars, healthy muffins, healthy cookies, etc. and freezing them in batches.
Verdict= Family is much happier with this because it all taste so much better. Almost completely switched over. When I do buy them, I try to buy organic ones that are free of hydrogenated oils. Still experimenting with more recipes for snack foods.

Make my own boxed cake mixes-
Goal= To save money and for health.
Verdict= Have recipes and getting ready to do this.

Make my own taco seasoning packets-
Goal= To save money and be healthier.
Verdict= Easy and completely switched over. Recipe here.

Make homemade dressings-
Goal= To save money and be healthier.
Verdict= have made some but have several recipes to try. In progress.

Stop buying canned soups and make my own from scratch at least once a week-
Goal= To save money and be healthier.
Verdict= Making soup homemade 90% of the time. Almost completely switched over. I still love that Campbell's tomato soup.

Stop buying cream of soups for cooking and make my own from scratch.
Goal= Totally for the sake of health.
Verdict= have recipes to try. In progress.

Make freezer meals for days I don't feel like cooking so that we aren't tempted to eat out-
Goal= To save money.
Verdict= Completely switched over.

Stop eating out other than about one meal a month!-
Goal= To save money.
Verdict= Completely switched over. I thought this would be harder than it was. I'm actually really surprised. Actually, some months we haven't eaten out at all...not even one meal! Sometimes we do eat out more than one meal a month if we have a gift card or can take advantage of some other promotion or coupon but it's rare.

Get back to thrift store shopping for clothes-
Goal= To save money.
Verdict= out of my comfort zone but have had success. I have found two women's high end consignment stores and 2 children's high end consignment stores. Still shopping clearance racks from time to time in regular clothing stores.

Make homemade bread once a week-
Goal= To save money and be healthier.
Verdict= striving for this goal every week.

Don't buy cereal and make homemade breakfast from scratch instead-
Goal= To eat healthier.
Verdict= Completely switched over. I haven't bought a box of cereal in about 5 months!

Make and freeze pasta sauce from scratch.
Goal= Save money. Organic pasta sauce is expensive and we go through it fast.
Verdict= Success! See recipe here.

Use my crock-pot as often as possible.
Goal= keep my sanity.
Verdict= not hard to do and it does indeed help keep my sanity!

Making Homemade Babyfood

Making homemade baby food is actually quite easy. It's healthier, cheaper, and makes the transition to whole foods much easier. It does take some prep time but is well worth the quality and frugality it provides. At the heart of homemade baby food is feeding your baby whole healthy foods. I was surprised when my kids were babies just how easy it was.

I recommend these supplies:
food processor (or blender but the processor works better)
strainer
ice cube trays or small containers

VEGGIES
Steam or bake veggies.
Squash and carrots (butternut, zucchini, hubbard, crookneck, etc.) can be sliced in half and the seeds removed. Place on a cookie sheet face up or down and bake till fork tender. Scoop out flesh and puree in processor.
Peas, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, etc. can be steamed on the stove top until fork tender. Puree in the processor. For younger infants, strain the peas and beans after pureeing.

FRUITS
Steam cored and peeled apples on the stove top till completely tender. Puree in processor.
Peaches, pears, and nectarines can be pureed fresh after removing skin and pit.

GRAINS
Prepare grains (cream of wheat, brown rice, oats, etc.) either in crock-pot over night or on stove top and then puree if desired.

You don't add anything to the foods. Leave them as they are without butter, salt, seasonings, or anything of the like. Your baby will appreciate the fresh taste of foods unaltered. Be sure to use fresh ingredients instead of canned. Fresh from the garden is great but if you don't have that, choose fresh organic produce or fresh frozen when there are no other options. Fresh will give your baby the best tasting produce.

Storage:
I recommend making baby food in large batches and freezing in a deep freeze in labeled with dates on containers or Ziploc freezer quality bags. Be sure to use the oldest dates first. You can freeze directly in small containers that are easy to grab and go and reheat or in ice cube trays which then are transferred to baggies.

My favorite way to make baby food was to use my baby food mill. It was fast, easy, and convenient when out and about. You may be leery of the power in this hand cranked mill but trust me it's amazing. I carried it in my diaper bag in a large 1 gallon Ziploc for easy clean up and to keep it clean in the first place. Place food off of your own plate into the mill with a little water, milk, or dressing to moisten it and grind. It produces pureed food in the little bowl shaped top that you can serve baby right out of. Don't think it's powerful enough for food off of your plate.....how about BBQed steak? Yep, I've done steak and chicken in it!

Feeding your baby whole foods without the taste of perservatives or canned jars, will make the transition to real foods easy. And, since babies don't eat that much at one meal, making a big batch of baby foods that are ready to grab will keep you stocked for quite some time.

Coconut Wet Cake

This is amazing! Yum. I found the idea for it online when I was trying to come up with a recipe to represent the wet cake that is common in Mexico for my kid's homeschool co-op presentation on foods in Mexico. I tweaked the recipe to make it my own and will be making this again it was so good. Terribly unhealthy so brace yourself as you read these ingredients!

1 box cake mix

Mix and bake according to instructions.

While cake is baking, mix together:
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 can of coconut milk (14 oz.)

When cake is finished baking, remove from the oven and while it is still hot poke it with forks to cover it well with holes. Pour the milk mixture over the cake slowly being sure to spread with a spatula evenly over the cake as it slowly absorbs into the cake. This may take some time.

Let cake cool completely and then refrigerated. It can be made ahead of time and refrigerated over night as well.

When ready to serve, frost the cake with cool whip or homemade whipped cream frosting mixed with 1 cup of shredded coconut (I would toast mine and sprinkle it on top but I didn't use it at all in the pictured version).

The cake is spongy wet...it's so good! My friend Robin says she makes something similar but sometimes makes it with chocolate cake and tops it with slivered almonds so that it taste like an Almond Joy cake! Now that's something I'm going to have to try! I love Almond Joy....terrible I know.

Recipes Wanted - Taco Seasoning!

Anyone have their own taco seasoning recipes to share? We'd love to try new ones, compare recipes, and get more ideas! If you have a homemade taco seasoning that you love to use, please share it with us here!

Tips and Links About Getting Kids to Eat Healthy

I get asked often about how I get my kids to eat certain foods and often hear other moms complain about how their kids eat so much sugar or won't eat veggies, etc. I will list here are few things that have worked for me over time. Key word "time". Keep in mind that I'm not a food or child expert but rather a mom who was desperate to get her kids eating healthier foods after establishing bad eating habits with them when they were toddlers. I kept a watchful eye observing other moms and here's what I learned. I'm sharing my personal journey with you and don't take my advice as professional.

1. Start young.
From the time your baby begins eating solid foods you can develop good eating habits. Feeding your infant a balance of fruits, veggies, and whole grains is key. Don't be tempted to only feed them fruit baby food just because YOU don't like pureed peas. AND, don't make wincing faces like "YUCK" when you are feeding your baby veggies. Babies are smarter than you think and if you are making a horrid face while trying to shove a spoon of veggies in their mouth they'll catch on that something isn't right about that mush when otherwise they probably would have thought it was fine. If you do this step you can disregard all the other steps! =0) If you didn't start young, keep reading!

2. If you didn't start young, realize that it will take a long time to turn the ship around.
Kids don't change bad eating habits quickly. They need TIME to get used to new foods. It took me about 3-4 good years of making changes to get my kids off their bad eating habits and into eating healthy whole foods. And, even then, there are still new foods they are learning to eat. It's a process and it takes patience and time. Give yourself YEARS to get them switched over. Make small changes first and not all at once. And be prepared for some complaining a long the path to changes!

3. Involve your kids in cooking.
Making your kids a part of the cooking process can do wonders for their interest and excitement about trying new foods. The fact that they had a hand in preparing it can go a long way. Not for all, but for some. Either way, get them involved in a fun part of food...the cooking! They will be more likely to try new foods down the road and have a healthy and positive attitude about food in general.

4. Be an example.
If you say you don't like it then they will most likely follow suit. Be a good example and eat good foods in front of your kids. I often tell my kids "we have to eat foods that we don't like sometimes because they are good for us!" We have to demonstrate that concept.

5. Be the parent.
It's our responsibility to ensure our children's safety and health. If they are sick we take them to the doctor, if they've got teeth, we make them brush their teeth, and so on. Well, I guess not all of us do. We live in a world where not all parents care about the health, safety, protection, and well being of their children. But, if you ARE a parent that IS concerned about your child's health and safety then realize that getting your kids to eat healthy is a priority in their best interest. They'll thank you later for not letting them survive on mac n cheese and pizza! It's hard work and it's tough love sometimes but taking responsibility is key. If your kids are eating too much of the wrong things, then stop buying them and making them available to them. Take responsibility for what you buy and what you make available to your kids. Just like your kids depend on you for clothing, for education, for shelter, your kids depend on you to train them to eat healthy and supply healthy food for them.

6. Introduce new foods slowly and in small quantities.
I'm going to break this process down for you into parts. This method is something I figured out over time by observing other wiser moms and it worked great for us:

• Just on the plate. Start with putting the new food (just one tablespoon of it) on the child's plate. Don't mention it, don't draw attention to it. If they ask what it is, tell them what it is and leave it at that. PURPOSE= is to get the child familiar with the food. They get used to seeing it on their plate without having to taste it. They get familiar with the shape, the color, the smell and they watch you eat it. Once they've gotten used to the new food on their plate you'll be surprised that sometimes, many kids eventually will just start eating it without any coaxing! I was shocked the first time my son just out of the blue picked up the "new food" that I had been placing on his plate over the past month and he gobbled it down. Suddenly it wasn't "new" anymore because he was used to seeing it. Once they get used to seeing this foreign object on their plate a few times without trying it, move on to the next step. (no, I do not place it there every meal...only when I'm serving it in our normal meals but I do try to have that new food a little more often when I'm introducing it.)
• Just one bite. If they haven't already, it's time to give it a little taste. Just one bite. Tell them that they can spit it out if they don't like it but they need to start having just one taste and see if they like it (or if they've had it in the past, see if they've changed their minds about it). If they spit it out, don't think you haven't made progress. They just got that taste in their mouth and that means MORE FAMILIARITY. Yep, they are getting used to it without even realizing it. From now on, that food has "just one bite" status and each time it's presented on their plate, they need to get in just one bite. Over time, they actually start developing a taste for it. Watch, you might not even have to mention the "just one bite" before they've finally decided that it's just not so bad and eat it on their own.
• You need to eat it because it's good for you. After a few months of "just one bite" status, assuming that we aren't having major gagging issues over this one food (more on that later) then it's time to move to this new level. Yep, it's good for you. By now you've talked long many times with your children about why our bodies need healthy foods, you've checked out books from the library that educate them on what healthy foods are, you've made them a part of picking out veggies and fruits at the super market and they understand that they grow big and strong by eating healthy foods so they totally get "you need to eat it because it's good for you." Remind them that even mom and dad have to eat foods that they don't like so much because they are good for them. My kids can now recite this statement to me without coaxing. Altogether now, "We have to eat foods we don't like sometimes because they are good for us!"
• Allow your kids to NOT like food. Okay, I know this sounds hypocritical but what I'm talking about is a sincere dislike for something. Your kid might be a great eater and love just about all the healthy foods you give him but he just has this strong aversion to peas that he just can't seem to get around. That's okay. Allow your child to have their one or two things that they just can't handle the texture or taste of. Just train your child how to handle the times when they are served that one disliked food in public so that they don't cause a scene. =0) Most adults have these picky foods that they just can't get past and that doesn't mean they aren't a healthy eater. Allow your child the freedom to express his personal taste in foods. Even in this case, you may find with time that they change their minds as they grow and their taste buds change. My son hated pasta for the longest time. It was his one food texture that he couldn't stand and then one day he got a hold of some pasta and poof, it was gone. He ate it all. So, don't worry if your child has a dislike for one particular food item, time could change that..but if it doesn't, that's okay too as long as they are getting what they need in other healthy foods. Kids have more taste buds than adults. We lose them with age which is why elderly people usually like a lot of salt on their food. So, this may explain why kids don't like strong tasting foods until they are older....spicy is usually 10 times as spicy for kids.

• Do what it takes to get it down. What do I mean by that? No, not force feeding them. Time to get creative. You can get creative in the ways you HIDE IT, SERVE IT, and DIP IT. Let's take each one of those one at a time.

1. Hide It. If you are going to hide it, you have to hide it good. Puree it and put it into recipes is the best way to hide it. Check out Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld to learn how you can start getting healthy foods into your kids BEFORE you've accomplished getting them to eat it on their own (cause remember, it takes a long time to do the above process). This way, your kids are getting the foods they need while you patiently do the above process AND believe it or not, they are possibly still developing a taste for certain foods that are hidden. You can hide it also by mincing it, using dried versions of it (like onion), and mixing it into other foods.
2. Serve It. Be creative about how you serve foods. Make it fun by building bugs out of veggies and raisins with peanut butter, chop up several new foods and some they already love and serve them in a muffin tin. Kids love little cups and dishes that are divided. Check out the new bento box idea..it's all the rage for healthy school lunches but they could also be a fun way to get kids to try new things at home too. Make food into shapes...use cookie cutters and shaped pans. Decorate food with things your child already loves. If they love olives, try topping those yucky mashed potatoes with olive slices. Sounds gross to adults but you'd be amazed what little tricks get kids to eat things.
3. Dip It. For a very long time this method got my kids to eat all kinds of things they didn't want to try. I would ask them during the food prep time when they were cooking with me, "what should we serve this with to dip it in?" and they would usually say ranch dressing. If they knew they could dip it into their favorite dip (even if it sounded gross to me) then by golly they got to dip it! I was amazed what foods I could get into my kids with the dipping technique and yet again, here they were developing a taste for some new food without even realizing. Slowly over time I would give them less and less of the dip and eventually I'd conveniently "forget" to offer the dip and they'd end up eating the "new food" plain without even missing the dip.

Our hide it, serve it, and dip it days are over and so I want to encourage moms with younger ones that success is possible! It might take years (like it did in our case) but now I'm reaping the rewards of healthy eating kids. It was well worth the time and effort.

Here are some links for some other posts on blogs that I found helpful! They all have to do with eating:
Why What Your Kids Eat Is YOUR Responsibility
Parenting Style
Kids Learn By Example
Getting Kids to Eat Fruits and Veggies
How Much Sugar is Okay For Kids?
Switching to Whole Grains
Healthy Snacks for Kids
I love Dr. Oz...and here you can see the 5 things to avoid..great tips in terms of feeding your kids
Places You Wouldn't Think To Find High Fructose Corn Syrup
The 411 on High Fructose Corn Syrup

This last one I thought was a really cool post about how our healthy eating effects others in our lives...when it comes to having people over for dinner and not offending others with our food preferences. It can apply to how we train our children to eat but I thought was helpful mostly for adults when it comes to the making all these changes part.
Extending Grace

Homemade Taco Seasoning Packets

1/4 c dried minced or chopped onion
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic or 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp crushed oregano










2 tbsp of this mix = 1 packet
this recipe makes 3 packets worth

Makes a great homemade gift as well.