Love those leftovers

Does your family enjoy leftovers? We love leftovers because at our house we give leftovers new life. We love to make new things out of leftovers.

Here are a few excerpts from some previous posts that show how leftovers can become new.



Leftovers with purpose

Meal 1 We made a large London broil. It turned out fabulous. We ate our fill for dinner along with some side salads.

Meal 2  We used the sliced beef to make a wonderful sandwich. We sliced a loaf of French bread in half and filled it with the meat, and piled on the toppings (avocado. peppers, onion, lettuce, tomato, olives)

Meal 3 Fajitas. Grilled meat with spicy peppers and onions wrapped up in a warm tortilla, what could be better than that.






My  husband loves homemade pudding. Whenever we cook rice he wants to be sure that we have leftovers so that we can make rice pudding.  He  makes sure to remind me that we need to cook enough to make pudding. He has been known to request rice for dinner just so we can have rice pudding afterwards.

Check out our recipe:

Life less hurried rice pudding recipe





Whenever we cook ground beef we always cook a little extra to make Mexican "pizza" for lunch the next day.


These are so quick and easy. They are great for lunch or snack time.

You will need

flour tortillas
sour cream
salsa
cheese
toppings of your choice

 Heat a large skillet or griddle to a medium high heat
Spread the tortilla with a small amount of sour cream and salsa as the "Pizza sauce"
Top with cheese and whatever else you have on hand;
We have topped these with ground beef, shredded chicken, onions,  mushrooms, olives, green chilies, bell peppers, tomato just to name a few things.
Cook until cheese is melted and the tortilla is crispy and brown on the bottom (about 4 minutes)
slice into "pizza wedges"  and serve.






Making three meals from a couple of steaks


Meal 1.   Steak dinner.  We had a really nice steak dinner with some friends.  I seasoned up the steaks and grilled them outside. I cooked more steak than we really needed. It made it look and feel like we had an abundance of food, and everyone was able to have their fill. I have an abundance of good things in life, and I want others to feel of that. We were able to sit out back and enjoy the nice weather at the picnic table that my husband built out of scrap wood.  It was enjoyable.




 Meal  2.  Beef Stroganoff.  From those leftover steaks I was able to create a beef stroganoff dinner.  It was a good way to use up the mushrooms and sour cream in my fridge. My kids and husband ate it up.  We made a big pot so that there was enough leftover for meal #3

Meal  3. Beef noodle soup. The leftover stroganoff noodles became the base for a nice lunch of beef noodle soup.  My kids love my soups. Soups are so easy to make with many kinds of leftovers. My son is learning to cook with me.  He likes to create soups. We talk about what would go good together.  He will ask "should we put this in?" we will look at it, smell it, sometimes taste it; then decide if the item will go in the soup.  It is a fun learning experience with him.

We create soups quite often, my children love them and they are a frugal way to feed a family.  You can take a few items and stretch them to fill hungry tummies. My biggest problem is that when I make soup I serve it hot. The kids hate waiting for soup to cool. We have started putting frozen vegetables in the kids soup to cool it down. They love it!  My kids now think that every bowl of soup should have an extra serving of vegetables added from the freezer.

This is how we do and who we are.  It is something that we have found that works for us.



I hope this sparks some new ideas for you and your family! 
Leave a comment below about what your family does and what your favorite leftover meal is.

winning the grocery store game part 2

Feeding a family on a budget is not an easy task. In part 1 avoiding the impulse buy we covered the added expense that can happen when you get caught up in impulse shopping. Part 2 is all about shopping the sales and planning menus around sale items.



What's for dinner? The answer usually lies in what's on sale this week.

Combine the sale items with a well stocked pantry and you have the ability to feed a family well on a small amount of money.

It is hard for me to create a meal using ingredients bought at full price. The bargain hunter inside of me comes out screaming and kicking.  A big portion of feeding my family on a budget is not paying full price. These are some of the tricks I use to keep the family happily fed.     


1. Know the sale cycles and buy multiple items to last until the next sale. It is typically 2 months between good stock up sales for most items. For example, my local store gets pasta on sale with those deals that go something like this... Buy 6 save $3 with your card.  It can lead to substantial savings. This last sale the pasta ended up being 49 cents a piece. I bought 24 of them. It cost me $11.76. The everyday price for this particular pasta was $1.39, I saved 90 cents a package which made a total of $21.60 saved. With pasta on hand I can make casseroles, pasta dishes, soups, salads etc.  I also use pasta from the pantry to make our Homemade mac and cheese for a quick lunch.

If you notice, the pasta is rarely on sale at the same time as the pasta sauce. They do this on purpose. Most of the time you will pick up the pasta on sale and then buy the sauce at full price to go with it. You can outsmart them. Buy the pasta when it is on sale, and few weeks later when the sauce is on sale stock up on it. I have learned to pick up each of the individual pieces for a meal when they are on sale. Very rarely (if ever) do I pick up all the things for a complete meal in one shopping trip. This little trick alone saves me tons of money.

It takes some time to build up a pantry, but the results are worth it. You can begin by setting aside a small portion of the grocery budget every week to add to your "Stockpile fund" When the deals come along you will have some money set aside to take advantage of them.

2. Get to know your grocery ads.  Grocery stores often plaster a good deal on the front page of the ad trying to get you into the store, once they lure you in, they snag you with an impulse buy which we have already covered in part 1. So, now you know how to avoid being caught by their snares, be sure to check out those front page deals and use them to your advantage.

Let me tell you a little secret.... I have come to find out that the best deals are not always so easy to see. I have been surprised as I have looked at the ads and found gems hidden in small print in the middle pages of the grocery ads. Be sure to check out the entire ad not just those deals that are being "sold" to you on the front page in large print.  I used to just glance over the ads and often would miss those hidden gems. It is worth my time to check out the entire ad. Once I have seen the ad and gone over it, I make a list highlighting the deals. Once I have compiled a list of the good deals, I put a star by those things that I may want to stock up on if the budget allows.


3. Combining sales with coupons can lead to great savings. This is the only way to coupon. This is the way the great couponers have made their mark. Couponing can turn everyday sales into super sales.  I always check the ads, then I check to see if coupons are available for the items on my list. With coupons that you can print at home, and companies that allow you to load coupons right to your shoppers card, there is no reason to not take advantage of coupon savings. There are also coupon apps that you can use on your smart phones. You do not need to be a total coupon freak, but having a few couponing skills can really pay off for you.

A full cup is a great online resource for knowing if there is a coupon available for products that you want to buy.  You can use their advanced coupon search to see if there is a coupon available.  I also use grocery smarts as a couponing source. Many of my local stores are listed and they make it easy to find the coupons that go with the ads. Knowing what is on sale and what coupons are available to match can really save you money. The time spent is well worth it.


So, spend a little time, get out and learn some new skills. Make the advertised sales work to your advantage. With a little time and effort you will be putting money back in your pockets. 

What are your best tips for stockpiling and finding sale items?
Leave a comment below so we can all learn.   

Grilled shrimp

Grilled shrimp, there is nothing like it. They are so wonderful and so easy to make. We grilled some shrimp and made a quick and easy dinner that was a hit with all of us but my son who doesn't care for seafood so much.

 

 

 

 

QUICK AND EASY GRILLED SHRIMP

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of raw shrimp deveined with the shells on


Marinade

1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tablespoons apricot jam
1 clove of minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon Mustard of your choice

1. Whisk the marinade ingredients together

2. Pour the marinade over 1 to 1 1/2  pounds of shell on shrimp (deveined but with the shell still on)

3. Let the shrimp marinate for 10-30 minutes (depending on the size).
 For a quick reference on shrimp size check out this Shrimp size chart.

4. Preheat the grill

5. While the grill is heating skewer the shrimp in preparation for grilling

I love a nice flat metal skewer for this job. The round skewers tend to let the shrimp twirl on the skewer and it makes them hard to turn on the BBQ.   Mr Barbeque himself, Steven Raichlen has designed some great metal skewers. Check them out.
Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue 3/8-inch Wide Signature Stainless Steel Grilling Kabob Skewers (Set of 6) - SR8025
(If you don't have flat metal skewers you can use a pair of bamboo skewers and slide them in side by side). This helps so you can turn the shrimp easier.

6. Scrape the grill, or brush with a grill brush like this one,
Charcoal Companion Compact Rosewood Handle Grill Brush

7. Once the grill is scraped or brushed, take a little vegetable oil on a wad of paper towels and run it across the grates (this helps ensure the shrimp won't stick)

8. Lay the shrimp on the grill and cook 2-3 minutes for small shrimp (51-60)
or for larger Jumbo shrimp (21-25) 4-6 minutes.

Color determines doneness. When they turn pink and there is no sign of grey they are done. They really do cook quick, do not leave the grill.

9. Serve them up right away.

notice the shrimp are turning pink


 

We ran out of skewers and grilled some of the larger shrimp right on the grate which works, but it is hard to keep them  turned. It is a lot easier to turn them on the skewers


The skewers make a really nice presentation and it keeps the shrimp from escaping down to the fire beneath

The kids were so happy to have their own skewer of shrimp. The girls loved the shrimp dinner. They thought we had something special. It was fun and it was so easy to do.
 We served up the shrimp with a simple salad and some fruit from the fridge.
 

 

The art and skill of repurposing items

The skills of repurposing or reusing items is becoming extinct in some parts of the country. We live in a "disposable society" Being frugal is not a part of life as it once was. Grandma was good at using what she had and making it work for her it was part of life. We can follow in Grandma's footsteps by repurposing or reusing items around the house.

Repurposing items can be good family fun. One of our more recent large adventures was turning the no longer needed dog house into a chicken coop. It was a fun family adventure for us. It was a good challenge for the kids. A broken deck will soon be a tree house, and old chimney bricks will someday be a brick oven. These are just some of the big projects we are working on as a family, but there are plenty of little things that you can do in an afternoon.   


 Here is a link to Great repurposing blog post. There are some really great ideas in that post. I hope that it will get your juices flowing and help you to make your home a better place.  

Now it is your turn; leave a comment below telling us about your adventures with repurposing an item or what plans you have for your family.


  

Help, my recipe calls for a pinch, smidgen or dash.

Cooking is a part of my life. I enjoy creating and exploring my food world. I love sharing my cooking skills with other people. People often ask me what to do when a recipe calls for a pinch of something.

My answer: Put your thumb and forefinger together and pick up what fits between them.  A pinch of something is just that, a pinch.  I have people get all upset with me over that answer. Some people really can't measure that way. They keep saying things like, "your pinch may be bigger than mine!" It is overwhelming to them. The thought of measuring like this is disgusting for some, and for others it is not accurate enough they just want to know exactly how much. For these types people I would suggest finding a chart like this, Or this one.  Or if you prefer they make measuring spoons that are designed for those who stress over such things. I have included a link to Amazon where you can buy a set.




I just recently downloaded a book for my kindle it has old time recipes. They are really interesting to read. A dash, smidgen, dollop, and tad, were common measurements of the time. I love how they measured butter by comparing it to commonly known objects such as an egg, or walnut.  In my own family we have one of Grandma's recipes that we have passed down. It calls for butter the size of an egg. Each one of my three sisters (and now their daughters) have called me at some point or another and asked, "How much is butter the size of an egg"?  They really get excited  when I tell them to get out an egg and then cut off a piece of butter about that same size.


So in case you wanted to know and want to measure like Grandma did, a hint is about half a drop, a smidgen would be about half a pinch or a very small pinch at the edge of your fingers. A dash would look something like one good shake from the salt shaker, or a couple of shakes from the tabasco sauce or a very large pinch of a dry ingredient. A tad would be a bit more than a dash, maybe a couple shakes of the salt shaker or a couple of very large pinches.  A dollop would be a heaping spoonful. 


Cooking is fun, it is meant to include all the senses. So go ahead, be like a chef, you often see them on TV using their fingers to sprinkle the salt. They cook with their senses. They often measure oil in glugs. They don't worry about how much a pinch is. They let their instincts guide them. When you are cooking add a pinch then taste it; who knows you might need to add two pinches to make it just right.


Please note that the Amazon link above is an affiliate link. This just means that I referred you to Amazon. They will say thank you by sending me a small portion of the sale if you decide to buy from them. You can read the full disclosure by clicking the privacy policy tab at the top of the page.  


This link is shared as part of real food wednesdays

Essential rest. Suggestions for better and more restorative sleep

Sleep is essential for life, yet life for so many does not include adequate amounts of sleep. So many of us her in the U.S. are too busy living life that we forget this simple thing that is key to that life we are trying to live.  In an article from the Huffington post it was suggested that Sleep is "a third pillar" of life right along with diet and exercise.  My Mother had some real health issues last year. The first recommendation was sleep. Without real restorative sleep our bodies and brains can't function nor repair themselves. YES, SLEEP IS VITAL TO HEALTH.

                                                                                                   Photo courtesy of Bing images

How do you know if you are getting enough sleep?
Here is a link to an article that does a great job explaining it. It includes a handy chart that shows sleep recommendations for all ages.
how much sleep do I need?
Each person is different; for example, my husband needs more sleep than I do. This article gives you a place to start. So, you already know that you need more sleep, where do you go? Here are some ideas to help improve the quantity and quality of your sleep.

What can you do to improve your sleep habits?

1. Regular bedtime is a must.  It used to be that everyone had a regular bedtime especially children. I was recently reading an article about  the parenting skills we have lost in recent years. One of those is a regular bedtime. We are living in a world  much like New York, the city that never sleeps;  our families are falling asleep late into the night, usually to the light and sounds of the television or movies. It is not healthy. Sleep is essential for our growing children.  We often try to give them so much in life and yet skimp on such simple essentials as this.
 
2. A bedtime routine is very helpful. A bedtime routine tells your body that it is time to start winding down and preparing for sleep. If you just decide, "Ok time for bed." and then jump right into bed your brain and body have a hard time keeping up. It sets your body up for confusion.  A bedtime routine does not have to be long and complicated.  It really only  should take a few minutes. It can be as easy and shutting down everything electronic, brushing your teeth, and having a little drink. Reading a bedtime story used to be common place and has been replaced with TV and internet among other things, yet it works. All that is needed is something to signal your brain that it is time to sleep. This sounds to simple to be effective, but it is amazing how it works

3. Check out your sleeping environment.   A key to a good night sleep may be hidden in your sleeping environment. Some things to consider:
    
a . Temperature.  Temperature can really affect a persons ability to sleep. For most people, an ideal temperature is between 68 and 72 Fahrenheit.  Hot or cold, either one can have an effect on sleeping. Try an experiment; change the normal temperature for a few nights and see what happens. Some people swear that this little tip alone has changed their lives. As an added note, many of the newer mattresses and pillows that are made of memory foam can hold body heat thus disrupting some peoples sleep.

b.  Lighting. For some people even the littlest bit of light can be disruptive to sleep. The red or green glow from electronic devices or even an alarm clock can be enough to disturb some people. There are many that are unaware of this fact. Once discovered, the problem can be resolved.  In these cases a darkening shade or a sleep mask may be in order.


c. Sound. Whether it be the constant hum of the fridge, the furnace kicking on, or the neighbor who slams his car door as he leaves for work in the early morning hours. These sounds can have an effect on certain people. Some people sleep well to the constant background sounds. These people do well with a fan running, or a noise box that creates sounds. Babies are notorious for falling asleep to "white noise" Or going asleep in the car with the constant hum of the engine.  Some people are disturbed when the sounds around them change. For example when the furnace kicks on or the neighbor slams a car door. Having a constant sound can drown out those noises. Some people just do well to wear ear plugs. Whatever the case, being aware of these things allows us to make some changes and avoid expensive drugs or therapy that come along with the conventional treatments for  insomnia.


d. Mood. The mood of your bedroom can affect the way you sleep. If you bedroom is used for many other things than sleep there can be an energy that resides there displacing the relaxing sleep energy that should prevail.  Notice how the energy in your home differs from room to room. The main gathering place and the kitchen seem to have different energy than other rooms in the house. The color choices on your wall, and even some of the décor in your bedroom may affect your sleeping patterns. Check it out, become aware and see what happens. Simple things can make a huge difference.



4. Find your sleeping position. This was key for me. Once I discovered my sleeping position it put me in a much better place. I used to toss and turn, sometimes for hours trying to get comfortable and get my brain to relax.  Now this, along with some Yoga during my bedtime routine I am able to get to sleep fast. I don't waste hours trying to get some sleep.  I get into bed and do some Yoga stretches to relax. Then when I am relaxed, I turn over  and assume my sleeping position. This signals my brain that it is sleeping time. I am grateful for the advice  given to me to find a sleeping position. 

5. Eating and drinking before bedtime.  Throw out the old notion that eating and drinking before bedtime is bad for you. For some, drinking before bedtime can change their body temperature and help them get to sleep. Some people need that drink to keep from waking up thirsty. I have a daughter that wakes up thirsty if she doesn't get enough water before sleep. The simple act of drinking before bedtime has saved her from nighttime waking.  Eating sugary sodas, juices, or cookies and ice cream before bedtime might be a bad idea, and caffeine is a stimulant and therefore should be avoided at bedtime.

I got sucked into the notion that eating at night was bad. When I threw that to the wind  and began eating at night, I noticed that I slept better. I observed that when I would eat about 45 minutes to an hour before bedtime that I was able to relax and sleep much better. I noticed that I was sleeping longer and deeper.  I  was reminded of a book I read many years ago. The book was entitled "Potatoes not Prozac" by  Kathleen DesMaisons.  The book is about controlling blood sugar and how diet effects your mood. It was brought up in the book that a potato with the skin eaten before bedtime was helpful in maintaining good mental health.  From what I remembered, it had to do with the starch in the potato getting into your body quickly being a "fast carb" and raising your glucose levels and the amount of serotonin in your brain. The Skin of the potato digested more slowly and therefore is considered a "slow carb" digesting slower and thus stabilizing your blood sugar through the night.

When I started studying about sleep habits and sleep cycles. One thing that caught my attention was the fact that our bodies go through a repair cycle early on in the night. Later on, in the early morning hours the brain goes through a restoration/ repair cycle. If the brain does not have fuel enough to go through the repair cycle it can wake us up often asking for food.  In the past I would wake up early in the morning hours and could not get back to sleep. I would sometimes eat and that would help, yet I would feel guilty for eating in the night, or I would just be angry that I was awake so early and could not sleep. It was a bad cycle and one that I see so many facing.

I was able to put it all together and realized that If I ate a "slow carb" and a "fast carb" together  before bedtime I was able to sleep more soundly and in the early morning hours my brain had the nutrition it needed from the "slow carb" to repair itself. I was finally able to get to sleep and stay asleep.  It can be as simple as that baked potato. I often enjoy a slice of whole grain bread with a bit of jam. Grandma may have been right when she suggested a glass of milk before bedtime.  The sugars in the milk digest quickly raising your serotonin levels which turn to melatonin and help you to sleep.  The proteins in the milk digest slower and act as a slow carb thus providing your brain with the nutrition needed during the repair stage especially if it is whole milk providing the brain with the essential fat it needs.   

I would suggest that if you are having troubles sleeping that you become aware and  take inventory of what is going on in your life and take a look at some of the habits you have and  see if there are some little changes that could make a big difference in your sleep cycles.

For more info check out some of these resources.

UCLA sleep center

Better life.com

National sleep foundation

Here is to better sleeping for you and your family

Monster cookies

Memories from my childhood. My Mother's aunt would make these cookies. They were so yummy. She would sell them at the local store. Her cookies were more than twice the size of mine. Her original recipe was HUGE.  This is a half size version and yet it is still a very large batch of cookies.  We were at my Mom's looking at recipes and someone asked why she never made these for us growing up. Upon reviewing the recipe we did not wonder anymore. We did not often have a full canister of oats, a pound of butter, a dozen eggs, not to mention large amounts of peanut butter plus M&M's were a rare treat growing up.

 I made these cookies to share with the neighbors this holiday season and they are good as ever.

Monster cookies
yields 6 dozen large cookies
preheat oven to 350

1 cup butter softened to room temperature
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
3 cups peanut butter
6 large eggs lightly beaten
9 cups quick cooking rolled oats
a 16 ounce package of chocolate chips
about 16 ounces M&M's brand candy coated chocolate pieces.

Yes, this ingredient list is correct. There is no flour and there is a ton of oats.

In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugars
Mix in the baking soda, vanilla, and eggs, beating well
Add the peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and candy pieces mixing well to incorporate all.

Drop the dough by rounded Tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets placing about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes.  Do not overbake they should be lightly browned and still soft. 

Lemon squares

This a wonderful recipe that I have had on hand for many years. We recently made some to say thank you to the gals in the neighborhood who have helped us out with babysitting.

Lemon squares

Preheat the oven to 350

 

 for the crust,

 

 in a mixing bowl combine

1 cup butter  softened

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered or confectioners sugar

Combine into a crumbly dough

press this into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 15 minutes

While the crust bakes make the filling.

 

4 large eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

6 Tablespoons lemon juice

6 Tablespoons all purpose flour

grated rind from 1 lemon

Mix these ingredients well and pour over the hot crust as it comes out of the oven

Bake the entire thing for another 25 minutes  

Dust with powdered sugar after baking.

 

 

Be still and rest

The art of being still/quiet is something that is being lost. We are bodies in motion and we tend to be in motion all the time. We are constantly going even in our sleep. Our young people are experiencing sleep issues. Many young people are even texting in their sleep. As adults we are not getting enough restful sleep. So many experience sleep apnea. I see it on Facebook. I find many of my friends online making comments like this "can't sleep again, Why am I awake, sleep, I need sleep" and on it goes. Many can overcome sleep/resting issues simply by changing a few behaviors. 

 Meditation and Yoga have been key for me. I find that the resting part of yoga is nearly as important than the yoga poses themselves. I am beginning to understand the wisdom that was given by the Lord in Exodus 23:12 "Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day though shalt rest"  Rest is an essential state of being. Our bodies and brains are not made to go, go, go all the time. It is so not healthy for us. Many other cultures still have a rest period as part of everyday life and culture, but here in America we all seem to live the life of "New York the city that never sleeps".  It is becoming the United States a nation that never sleeps.

I have found that turning off all the distractions and taking a few minutes to get ready to sleep is very helpful. A regular bedtime routine is really important. I have found a few minutes  of deep breathing and relaxation really helps me to get into sleep mode. I have also found a sleep position.  After I breathe and relax a few minutes I put my body in that sleeping position my brain says "OK time to sleep now".

Photo courtesy of public domain image

They are just little things that make a big difference. It eliminates the tossing and turning for hours. I love that I can get to sleep alot sooner. I used to get in bed and my brain would start up I would spend over an hour thinking  about all the things that I missed doing during the day. Then I would go into a state of "oh I wish I could sleep, come on sleep brain". I would routinely spend two hours or more trying to fall asleep. I have found that a few minutes spent in quiet/ still time will save me hours of sleeplessness and I feel more rested. 

Resting our brains and bodies on a regular basis is super important to our well being. If you want to be more productive at work, before you get that afternoon slump take five to ten minutes and close your eyes, take some deep breaths and regain your focus. If you can get out into the sun and let the light "recharge" you it is even better.  It is more effective than fighting off that afternoon slump. It is invigorating and once again, a few minutes spent in quiet time will save hours in the long run. 

Now it is your turn, how to you find rest and repair for your body and soul? Leave a comment below for others to be inspired.  

PAY IT FORWARD

A number of years ago a popular movie was "pay it forward". It was a movie about how one good deed can go around and come back to you.

It is something that has been forgotten in our culture. We are so busy living our own lives we forget to do good deeds. We have lost our humanity by being wrapped up in our own little lives. THE CHALLENGE! LET GO OF YOURSELF AND DO SOMETHING KIND.

IF YOU HAVE FELT BLESSED RECENTLY, PASS IT ON.  

The skinny on trans fat part 2

In case you missed it here is the link to skinny on trans fat part 1


The early 1900's brought about many changes in our food system. The quest for cheap food has brought about changes in the last 120 years that are icredible. Margarine was just the start, it was followed by Crisco, corn syrup, artifical sweetners and a myriad of other things.

 Crisco was developed by Proctor and Gamble who were brother in laws making soaps and candles. The cost of making of these items had been driven  up by a lack of tallow and lard. During this time cotton was big buisness. Procter and Gamble bought out eight cotton mills, the wheels began to turn, and with the help of a German scientist E.C. Keiser they were able to harden the cottonseed oil turning it into something that would work for making soaps and candles. This was great until they realized that the candle making business was on the decline due to this thing called electricity.

What next for the two brother in laws? There was a shortge of lard and butter.  People were starting to use this stuff called margarine instead of butter, why not sell this refined cottonseed oil that resembles lard as an alternative  at a fraction of the cost?  In a pure stroke of genius, they developed a cookbook to be given away with the cans of stuff called Crisco. Of course every recipe in the book contained Crisco. Homecooks loved the stuff. It was convienent and easy. They did not have to render out the lard and strain it to make it ready for cooking. This stuff was great. It was shelf stable and didn't go rancid like lard did.

 First margarine, and now Crisco or hydrogonated oil. The popularity of these products  was really growing.  Hydrogonated vegetable oil was quickly making its way as a staple in the American diet.  In the meantime, heart disease started to take hold of the country. The government started looking about for what may be the cause. One thing they looked at was the introduction of hydrogonated oils into the food system. Could it be the trouble? It sparked a debate over healthy fat and unhealthy fats that still rages on today.

Dr Fred Matteson (who happened to be working with Proctor and Gamble) along with others, presented the US Government with research (The lipid hypothosis)  that seemed to point a finger at animal fat as the troubles causing the increase in heart disease. It was adopted by the goverment and the heart association. The heart association began to recommend that people consume less animal fats. All over the United States people started eating less animal fats. Low fat dairy had taken over and less butter was being used. Butter was being replaced by margarines made with vegetable oils as opposed to the original margarine.

Heart disease continues to rise along with obesity, and diabetes. Maybe this lipid hypothisis is not really it. Maybe it is these hydrogonated fats that are clogging our arteries and causing us troubles. By this point it has gone crazy. The governement is researching which fats are good, which ones are bad, and the public decided that all fat is bad, thus the lowfat craze that swept the country a number of years ago. This was not the answer, people go even fatter on these low fat diets and heart disease is still not slowing down. So we are back to square one.

The people are begining to wonder what is going on. They are so confused by the information out there. Margarine is good one day and bad the next, the same with butter. The war between butter and margarine is getting old. It has been going on for so many years off and on. The only thing that has changed is that the American people are getting fatter and heart disease is still rampant. If is is these hydrdogonated fats causing troubles, we need to be concerned about more than just margarine and butter. Hydrogonated  vegetable oils have became big business. Mass food producers are making all types products using hydrogonated vegetable oils. It is cheap and has a long shelf life.

Hydrogonated oils are in nearly every food item on supermarket shelves in America. If these products are the problem how do we solve it? There are really no alternatives to hydrogonated fats, except for going back to animal fats. The food producers cannot afford to really change and start using animal fats again. It is too expensive, and a large portion of the public is convinced that animal fat is bad for you. The Heart association and others have been sold on the lipid hypotthosis, they have endorsed hundreds of products containing these fats. They are the main endorsers of many of these products. They have to save face. They cannot come out now and say, "Oh we may have been wrong."  Hydrogonated oils are really here to stay unless there is another major breakthough. We are started down a path and there is no turning back.

 What to do; you can't ban all hydrogonated fats. It is not fesible. The government  needed a solution. This is the the solution and the theory being pushed on the public, There is already information out there about about good fats and bad fats.  The public seems to understand. They have been told of good oils and bad oils; saturated, vs unsaturated, and pollyunsaturated oils.  There are some  oils that are labeled and widely accepted as healthy. Let us used this to our advantage. Let us  hydrogonate some of those oils that have been designated as the "good oils".  We can tell them that hydrogonated oils are not that bad if made with the right kinds of fat.

The term trans fat is born and popularized. Trans fats are now the bad ones. They are the kind of fat you want out of your diet. Trans fats are made by hydrogonating the wrong kind of oils. Hydrogonated fat are acceptable as long as they are made from the right kind of "healthy oils". It is working well. The public eats it up. Trans-fat takes off as the bad villian in the fat world. The public starts crying, "We want better health, we want better labeling on products, we want to know what kind of fats we are eating. Out with trans fat." 

After quite and extensive debate about what kinds of fats are acceptable and the levels that will fit into the requirements, they make it mandatory to label trans fats. Those who read the banners on fronts of packages and see "no trans fat" are happy. The public is apeased for now. But where does it go next. The people are not going to be apeased for long they are going to figure out that the a label that reads "no trans fat" is not non fat It still has hydrogonated fat and it is not really any better for you.  It is like the labeling of corn syrup. The label can say "no high fructose corn syrup" and there is still corn syrup in it, just not the high fructose kind.  The regulation and labeling of products is not in favor of the consumer. It is all about big business.

Heart disease, diabetes, and obesity are still going to ravage this country until we get back to the basics. Until we get back to a society that regularly eats real food that comes from the farmers field and not from a factory.    

For a full lengh tutorial on trans fats and how they have changed the world, check out these two  links....wikipedia on trans fat  and Weston a price foundations Oiling of America.   There is  more information than most people will ever need on the subject in these two articles.

an unexpected source of sugar being dumped into our kids

We are eating so much sugar in our society. It is absurd. It has been estimated that in the United States we are eating half a pound of sugar per person per day!!!!!!

Although it sounds so over the top,  is not totally surprising. Sugar in it's many forms is found in the majority of our foods. Processed foods are fueling our need and dependency on sugar. Processed foods have become so over sweetened. It is scary. Many blame the problems on soft drinks,Thus they tried to ban large sodas in New York. We all know that candy and sugared cearals are loaded with sugar, but there are plenty of other foods that supply our children with staggering amounts of sugar that we may not be thinking about.

Just a few examples,  pasta sauce, many pasta sauces are loaded with sugar, ketchup and peanut butter are two others that our children are eating that can be stuffed full of sugar. There is one food in particular that I want to address today. This food in some cases has more added sugar than soda, and our kids (and maybe we as adults) are slurping it down in huge amounts. This food is being marketed  to us and our children as something truly healthy. have you guessed it yet? Are you ready for this? It is ...... Yogurt.  Look and see for yourself, check out the labels next time you are at the grocery store.

I hate commercial yogurt from the store. We hardly buy it anymore. These yogurts are so full of sugar, dyes, emulsifiers, flavorings etc. There is not really any goodness left when you look at the the fact that some of them do not have any live or active cultures in them. Live active cultures is what makes yogurt so good for you.

Yogurt itself is a great food when made properly. Take good quality milk, inoculate it with good friendly bacteria (active cultures) let it grow in a warm place for a while and you have something wonderful. Top it with some fresh fruit YUM! There is something wonderful about a good fresh yogurt. It has been eaten for centuries. It has contributed to good gut health. It is something that can be truly healthy.

 How different is this "good" yogurt from the commercial yogurt you buy in the store?  Many store bought yogurts starts with milk that has been homogenized, pasteurized and processed until there is no goodness left in the milk, they pump it full of sugar, corn syrup dyes, preservatives, emulsifiers,  flavorings, starches, and artificial sugars. They may, or may not put any live yogurt cultures in it.They may put a bit of real fruit in it, but mostly it is fruit flavorings and such. It is a far different food with a far different effect on the body than real live cultured yogurt. This is not to say that there are no good brands of yogurt out there, and that every brand is bad.  There are some brands that we buy. We are just more careful about which ones we choose nowadays.


Choose a good wholesome yogurt product. Read labels. Do not buy it if you do not understand the ingredients in it.  Avoid the kinds that are targeted to children,(the ones with cartoon characters on the outside) they are some of the worst. There are some decent brands of yogurt out there. I do buy some of those better brands on occasion. But just for fun, or if you are unsure about the quality of the yogurt you are buying make your own. An added bonus of making your own is the money you can save. It is really cost effective to make your own yogurt as good quality yogurt can be a bit pricey.

 Early on I wrote a post about making yogurt at home.  It is really not all that hard, it does take a little planning.  Eating real food does take a bit more planning than just open up a package. It requires label reading and a bit of change but is so worth the efforts. For those of you stuck on the Greek yogurt bandwagon, make yogurt and then strain the excess liquid and whey out of the yogurt through a couple layers of cheesecloth set in a strainer over a bowl. This method will thicken it up nicely and give you the same results as a greek style yogurt. Strain it a bit longer and you have something that resembles and can be interchanged with cream cheese.


Try making yogurt and see what happens.

Here is the link to my post about making yogurt.

making yogurt





As an added note. 

Yogurt is one of the dairy foods that is on the agengda to have artificial sweeteners added without labeling. They are working on a proposal to change the labeling of dairy products. The producers are becoming smart to the fact that we as consumers are looking at labels. Consumers are craving the sweet stuff, but trying to cut back. It is amazing to me that they are pumping our food full of sweet stuff and hiding it under all kinds of names. For  dairy producers to be able to add sweetners and not have to label it; expecially when it is an artifical sweetner, that is not right. This is yet another reason to make your own yogurt and take control of what you and your family eats.

Here is a link to a petition against this

tell the FDA to reject the proposal of unlabeled apartamine in dairy

Fast food the healthy way

People tell me that they do not have time to cook for the family and that it is easier to eat out. It may be true that it is easier and more convienent to eat out, but making meals at home can be done simply and easily if the mind is put to it.

                                                                    All pictures in this post courtesy of Mircosoft office

When we think of home cooked meals we think of Grandma slaving over a hot stove all day long to create a meal. We think of a large elaborate meal like Thanksgiving. We put it into our minds that it is too much work, too overwhelming, too much of a hassle, too messy to cook.  There is a long list of reasons that people have for not wanting to cook.  If we would take a challenge and cook for a period of time,  we would find that it is not nearly as impossible as it seems. I have some advice to help overcome the excuses and thoughts that arise in cooking real food at home.

1. It takes too long to cook.

Early on in my blogging, I wrote a post about making stove-top mac and cheese. It can be done in about the same time as a boxed mix. My husband finds it funny that it takes me twice as long to create from a box as it does otherwise. This last week we made Asian lettuce wraps. They came together very quickly. We had the meal on the table in about 20 minutes. We could not  load up the kids in the van and go get fast food  that quickly. Thin cut skillet steaks can be cooked in a matter of minutes. Heat some nice vegetables while the meat cooks and you have dinner in a snap. Watching Dr Oz the other day, he had a guest on the show advocating real food. He did an experiment with his family. He let each member of the family buy a microwave meal for dinner. It took nearly an hour to get all the food heated and on the table. There are many meals that can be prepared and on the table in less than 20 minutes. When people tell me I don't have time to cook, I know that it is more than an issue of time.

2. I don't know how to cook

So many have not learned the basics of cooking. It is something that used to be passed down from parent to child, but nowadays many have to start from scratch. In Chef school we learned. It is not all about recipes, it is about the techniques. Martha Stewart has a television show called Martha's cooking school. She goes into detail about different techniques each week. I enjoy this show and I learn each time I watch. Once you learn the techniques or methods then it is just a matter of applying it to different foods. Just recently I wrote a post on making salad dressings. Once you know the method, you can go from there and create a variety of dressings and sauces. There are many resources available to help.

Take a class, watch some instructional videos, borrow a book.

3. I don't know what to make.

This is very common, Coming up with dinner ideas can be a challenge. There are many planning strategies out there. Find one and see if it might work for you. The food nanny has a great plan. Pick a theme for each night of the week. Some examples could include pizza night, Mexican, Chinese, breakfast, soup, grill night, etc. Plan out for two weeks and make one large shopping trip for the main ingredients. You have a plan for what you will make each night, and you should have the ingredients on hand in the house. Having a plan is essential for most people. Create a plan or find one online and begin.

Give it some time to find what works for you. Some people love freezer cooking, others love slow cookers etc. Start wherever you are and build from there. Plan A may not work for you, so then you go on to plan B, or C ......on down the line until you find something that works. One pot meals have been a lifesaver for some. Freezer cooking is also another method that can help. There are some who do all the chopping of vegetables and fruits for the week all at once. Find a method that can work for you and your strengths.

I know one mother that has made a habit of starting a large pot of water to heat when she comes home from work. By the time she gets her clothes changed and back to the kitchen, the water is hot and ready for pasta, potatoes, rice etc. It saves her time and hassle. If she finds that the hot water is not needed for dinner then she uses it to wash up the dishes. It is simple things like this that make it possible to  put good food on the table quickly



4. It is such a mess to cook and clean up.

I think one thing that really deters people from cooking is the mess. For some this is a real concern. There are people that after cooking it looks like a  bomb exploded or tornado ran through the entire house. Sometimes the clean up can take 5 times as long as the cooking part. I am getting a bit more efficient in the kitchen. I am learning to keep the mess down. I do not make near the mess I once did. The more you practice the easier it gets.
 Cooking and cleaning up the kitchen mess can be beneficial for family life. Early on in my writing I wrote a post about washing the dishes by hand. It gives me a chance to get to know the kids better as we work together on a task such as this. It opens up conversations in a way that nothing else can. It is worth the efforts to ask the kids to put away the electronic devices and "unplug" long enough to help with the household chores. Try it, see what happens.

5. It does not have to be elaborate, simple can be extremely yummy.

A simple pasta dish can be made with  fresh tomato, a bit of olive oil, and a few fresh herbs, add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and you have something wonderful. Sometimes the simplest dishes are the very best. When you are starting out, look for simple recipes with easy to understand ingredients and instructions. It does not have to be complex.

Start the change in your life. Put your fears aside and begin. Start small if need be. Cook one or two nights a week. As you gain confidence you can build up to cooking nearly every night.

I would love to hear from my readers: What has worked for you? What is your lifesaver in the kitchen? Leave a comment below for us all to learn together.


links to my posts mentioned above
making salad dressing
easy stove top mac and cheese
why I hand wash dishes


Other helpful links

Food nanny meal planning
Money saving mom's freezer cooking 101
15 one pot dishes
slow cooker recipes from spark recipes
cook, eat, share recipes for beginners
easyrecipesforbeginners.com
monthly meal planners

Is it an intolerance to wheat; or the processing of the wheat?

 I keep hearing more and more about Celiacs disease and gluten intolerance.  I have come to believe that many people are not allergic or intolerant to wheat itself, they are having troubles because of the way it is processed.



I have been reading up about the processing of wheat into white flour. (I have included the best link below for describing this process) It is disgusting what is left once you take away all the good stuff.  We process the wheat into something that some would no longer consider food. They keep on changing and adding to the mix until they get a substance that is far from the wheat that it began as. Then we mix it and mash this stuff with a whole variety of other chemicals into the food -like substances that we find lining our supermarket shelves.

Ants and other insects do not recognize white flour as food. White flour kills them. Try it for yourself. Set out some white flour near an ant pile. Many will not even come close to the stuff. Those that  find the white flour will shrivel up and die after getting into it. We are being poisoned by white flour.  It is no wonder that people feel better when they get this stuff out of their diets.

Getting the white flour out is a challenge. You almost have to make everything from scratch.  Desserts made with whole grain flour are usually a flop. (I have been there.) White flour has been processed and created to behave in a certain way, whole grain flours do not have those same properties. Chef Brad has created a whole grain flour mix that can be interchanged with white flour with fairly good results. It is a mix of  spelt, brown rice, and pearl barley. I have used it with pretty good results.  I choose to eat fruit for dessert. I have found that I really do not love the cakes and cookies as much as I once thought. Fruit is sweet enough for me now days.


Getting the white flour out of breads, now that creates a whole new set of troubles. Nearly everyone will tell you that you have to have white flour to create the gluten to make bread rise and give it structure. I know many people who add a dough enhancer which contains gluten and several other chemicals to aid in the rising process.  I do not want this!  I want a good whole grain bread that has just a few simple ingredients that I understand. I can't find that in the store. Finding a bread that is 100% whole grain that does not have a load of  extra ingredients is hard to find.  I think I will make my own, but I am like so many who have tried to make bread with 100% whole grain flour and end up with bricks. So we go back to part white and part wheat flour in bread; Until recently when I discovered something.



One of the biggest culprits causing the problems with getting whole grains to make good bread is the yeast we are using. The overwhelming use of rapid rise dry yeast in the 1980's really changed the face of bread making. Before this you had a wet yeast, or yeast cake, now these are nearly obsolete. (In some parts of the country you can still buy yeast in a cake form).  Bread bakers and homemakers were constantly trying to get product out faster and faster. Waiting around for bread to raise was lost profits for companies and a pain for homemakers who had hungry mouths to feed. The advent of rapid rise yeast was a dream come true; now we can produce bread in less than half the time. The results were pretty good, but it changed the texture of the bread.  So they went back and changed the properties of the flour to keep up with the changes in the yeast and achive the desired results.

Most notable of the changes in the white flour is the addition of potassium bromade. Bread flour is the most common to have this chemical added. It works like a charm reacting with the yeast to make perfect bread. It makes the bread stronger and springier. It allows for very consistent results, it makes it easier for the machines to produce our bread. The bread will behave the same each and every time. which is imperative when you have a machine creating the product.  The problem with the stuff is that it is a toxic substance that is banned in several other countries. There are several states that are requiring labeling on the bag of flour you buy at the store, but what about the  comercially made bread? Often it is just labeled as enriched white flour.

I have avoided these troubles by grinding my own wheat into flour. I really enjoy the smell and experience of using fresh ground flour. Then I use a natural wet yeast. I grow my own yeast.  I love not having to rely on yeast from the store. It has been a learning experience. I will include links below so you can read about my  beginning experiences with the yeast.  I have finally got to where most of the time the bread turns out great.

 I have to remember to slow down and let the yeast do its job in its own time because it is a living thing. Our food should be living. I should be able to see it growing. This is why I avoid most of the food-like stuff at the grocery store. I shop the perimeter and buy food that I know and understand. The produce section is my favorite part of the grocery store. I love being in touch with my food. It nourishes me on so many levels. I hope you will also let your food be nourishing to your body and soul.



Links for additional reading
caleb wornock on natural yeast

my adventures with the natural yeast

making waffles with the natural yeast


madehow.com white flour
wisegeek on brominated flour
live strong on bromade in flour
chef brad website

Spring is coming and so is the asparagus

Asparagus what a wonderful vegetable. I love springtime when it becomes available and somewhat affordable.  
© Razvanjp | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

There is alot of nutrition and health benefits packed into this vegetable. It is high in folic acid and a good source of potassium, fiber, thiamin, and vitamins A, B6, and C.  There are many health benefits associated with asparagus. It is known to be benificial for heart health. It has been known to help stabilize blood sugar, and  aid in relieveing depression, inflammation, and joint discomfort. It has been used in the treatment of the aids virus, M.S., and cancer.




How to pick asparagus.

Pick asparagus with straight stalks with uniform green color and a compact pointed tip. Pick asparagus that is small in diameter. You really want it no thicker around than a crayon. Smaller stalks seem to be more tender. Allow 1/3-1/2 pound of asparagus per person as a generous serving.   


How to prepare asparagus

Snap off the root end of the stalks. Peel off the scales and stringy skin from the lower part of the stalks. For very small stalks this step may be skipped.  Wash well, and then cook in boiling salted water.  You can blanch them in a large deep skillet for 3-5 minutes until just tender. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Asparagus becomes mushy and slimy very quick. remove the asparagus right away from the hot water and cool in cold running water, or in an ice bath. Drain on paper towels until ready to use.

You can also steam the asparagus. Some swear by this method. claiming that the tougher ends cook in the water, and the tender tips cook in the steam. To do this; place the spears upright in a very deep pot. (You can tie the spears together in bunches of 8-10 spears to aid in keeping them upright). Add boiling water to 1 inch deep. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 5-8 minutes. Remove from the steam bath an cool the asparagus in cold running water to stop the cooking.


Once cooked, the asparagus can be kept in the fridge for several days. It can be eaten cold or warmed again. It can be made into salads, or soups. It is great grilled, roasted or deep fried. This vegetable is beautiful and makes for a nice presentation. Because of it's strong and distinct flavor simple preparations seem to be the best. Lemon, butter, and garlic seem to lend themselves well to the flavor of asparagus. One of my favorite preparations is  a simple cream of asparagus soup.  However you prepare it make sure you enjoy the health benefits of this wonderful veg.





who knew?  There is a whole website dedicated to asparagus recipes and tips

asparagus recipes.net

more info on asparagus

The lost art of handwritten letters

This past week I had a great mail day. I received a a handwritten letter. It was a nice surprise. There is something about a handwritten letter or note that just lifts the spirit like none other. My Grandmother wrote me every week while I was in college and while serving as a missionary for my church. It was so nice, and it gave me something to look forward to. It is something that I really miss.

 There is something about the thought and time that goes into expressing yourself in a letter.  It says I took the time to think about you and our relationship.  It is something that our children are missing out on.  Our children are not learning to communicate effectivly. They communicate in short, abreviated, half written thoughts through text and e-mail. A quick e-mail or text gets lost in the daily shuffle;  they are easily looked at, discarded, and sometimes overlooked. On the other hand, a thank you letter or a quick thinking of you note can create a long lasting impression.

With Valentines day right around the corner, take the time to write an old fashioned love letter. It will be much more treasured than a cheesy store-bought valentine. Those you love will appreciate it. It does not have to be real fancy and cute, It only has to come from the heart.

                                                               © Pontuse | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

Nun's puffs

Nobody knows just how these got their name; but they are heavenly. Fluffy,buttery, and just slightly sweet; they are a real treat. 

 To make these sweet little treats you will need only a few basic ingredients

Nun's Puffs
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
4 large eggs
1 Tablespoon sugar
Honey or jam  for serving

Preheat the oven to 375

1. In a medium saucepan melt the butter, then add the milk. Bring to a boil
2.. Add the flour all at once stirring with a wooden spoon until it comes together in a ball. Set this aside to cool for 5 minutes.
3. While this is cooling, generously grease 12 standard size muffin cups.

4. Add the eggs one at a time stirring after each addition until incorporated into the mix.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups
6. Sprinkle the sugar over the tops of the batter
7. Bake in a 375 oven for about 30 minutes until golden brown and puffy
8. serve while still warm with honey or jam.

This is the dough as it formed in the saucepan, before the eggs were added.

 My daughter was helping.  You can see that she got a little too much sugar on the tops of the puffs before they went into the oven.






The finished puffs as they came out of the oven.






Happy baking.