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20 Minute Meals

**I know I normally post a crock pot recipe on Friday, but my scheduled poster and friend, Rachel, had a recent tragedy and was unable to be with us. I would ask that you say a special prayer for her today. Thanks.**

Last year I had the honor of making a new friend – LeighAnn from Intentional by Grace.  She has blessed me in thousands of ways. I know without a shadow of a doubt God matched us up as friends – we’re so alike, but so different. She keeps me in check. She tells me when I’m being dumb…and I’m dumb a lot.

She invited my family to come spend the weekend with her family and we had a fabulous time! She’s exactly the same in person as she is online. And then she went and did something crazy. She moved to Colorado.  But that’s okay – I still love her…and I also love her new book!

I’m going through a time in life where meal times are crazy. I used to be a meal planning fanatic, but after we sold the townhouse, moved in with mom, and bought a new house to remodel, things haven’t gone very smoothly. Sometimes I freak out at 5pm when I realize I forgot that dinner was coming. Uhhh, oops?

Enter 20 Minute Meals. LeighAnn has created a cookbook for the weary chef…the mother who is busy…the wife who works…the pregnant woman who loses her mind and forgets that she needs to feed her family dinner every night. [Read more…]

Food Is Not Your God

A Year Later

So, it’s been about a year now that our family has been on this “whole foods” journey. We started out just eliminating all the processed food I was buying – then I got into more deep things like healthy fats  and natural sweeteners. I’ve kept some things and I’ve ditched some things. I’ve read and watched movies until I was blue in the face and about to lose my mind.

Here’s something you might not know – everything is bad for you. Some people say “eat all the veggies you can!” Others say “watch out for those veggies…if they’re not organic, they can kill you.” Some people say “eat butter!” Others say “don’t eat butter if you don’t personally know the cow that it came from.”

About three months ago, I unsubscribed from most of the whole foods blogs that I was reading. They were NOT encouraging…they were only stressing me out and making me feel like a complete failure. There was NO WAY I could measure up to most of those blogs. 

[Read more…]

Four Ways To Brew Loose Tea

I’ve got a nice relationship going on with More Than Alive. They send me some of their products to try for free in return for a review…but I’m not very fond of posts where I just say “Hey guys, I tried this and it was nice.” I’d rather give you a little meat to go with that review. This month, More Than Alive sent me two types of loose tea: Coolmint and Sweet Sleep, along with a ½ pound of their Cane Creek coffee to try. So, I thought it would be fun to do a little post and let you know there are various options for brewing loose tea.

Most people don’t bother buying lose tea – they just buy tea bags that are already filled…I know I do. But the truth is, loose tea is usually fresher and of better quality. I could immediately tell that the tea from More Than Alive  was HIGH-class stuff and very fresh…I almost felt too “country” to brew it. 😉 But the truth is, country people love tea….just put some sugar in there. Ha! [Read more…]

10 Easy Ways to Cut Costs in the Kitchen

These days, everyone is looking to cut costs…I’m always looking where to save money and cut costs, so I like this turn of events.  Makes me seem more popular. Ha! I’ve been asked exactly how I operate in the kitchen to keep costs down and keep my budget on target.  It’s really not that hard, it just takes a bit of thought and effort. I’m going to give you 10 easy ways that you can cut costs in your kitchen too. Chances are, you’re already doing most of these things but you just haven’t thought of them as being “frugal.” You may just need to change your mindset.

1. Use leftovers. This is almost like a “daily duh” that I post on Facebook, but you’d be surprised at how many people just don’t use their leftovers. They make too much for dinner, put the rest in the fridge and it stays in there until it grows mold. That’s money down the drain. Make plans for those leftovers – they make a great next-day lunch. If your family hates leftovers, freeze what you have left and bring it out again later for a “new” meal. Trickery works sometimes.

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8 Ways to Use Up Leftover Produce

Do you ever have leftover fruits and veggies that you just don’t know what to do with? When I first got married, I was TERRIBLE about letting leftover produce go bad. Ahem, let me be transparent. I can be bad about letting leftover produce—or even excess produce from our lovely summer garden go bad. And I always feel so guilty. Sure, there may have not been enough leftover green beans or carrots for a side dish for an entire meal, but there must have been something I could have done with that food I let go to waste. Right?

And I’ve discovered there is! Whether it be a spoonful of leftover peas or 5 lbs. or extra carrots from your garden (I wish we had that problem!), there are lots of ways to use up all those veggies without letting them get all moldy in the bottom of the produce drawer of your refrigerator! [Read more…]

Kitchen Tip: Using Butter to its Fullest

Save those butter papers! When I’m done with a stick of butter, I fold the paper over and place it back in the fridge. I keep them all in the door compartment. When I need to butter a pan, I grab a butter paper and use it to do the job. There is still enough left on the paper to sufficiently grease an 8 inch pan. If you need more, then just grab another sheet. The way I go through butter around here, I have these on hand all the time.  😀 Another benefit is that your hands stay clean since the butter is on the other side of the paper.I’ve noticed that if I let a stick of butter soften on the counter in the paper, then I have extra butter residue left. Don’t throw that gold away ladies. 🙂 Use up every last drop of butter possible!

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Open the Honey Jar Without Needing He-Man

Have you ever went to get your honey out of the jar and the lid was plastered to it?You grunt and you grit your teeth. That puppy isn’t budging. You might run it under some hot water to loosen it up…..and that works sometimes. What happened? Is there a  conspiracy against you getting honey today?The last time you were in your jar, this likely happened – some honey was remaining on the lip of the jar, and you just put the lid back on. Oops? I used to do this all the time. I thought “Ah, I’ll get it open somehow.” But having a fit in the kitchen over a jar of honey isn’t really worth the fit. 😀
I’ve solved the problem by wiping down my jar every time I use my honey…..even if I think that nothing was dribbled. Sometimes it can get sticky and you won’t even know it. I use a clean dishrag and wipe down the lip of the jar and any surface that will come in contact with the lid. Now I can easily open my honey jar any time I need to get in it……which is quite often around here.
 

Reuse Those Rubber Bands to Identify Cups!

You know those rubber bands that come around broccoli or asparagus at the grocery store? They are a lot wider than normal rubber bands – wide enough to write on. If you have children, keep those rubber bands and use them to identify cups! Use a sharpie marker and write the names of your children on them. They fit very tightly around a sippy cup or a tall regular cup.

This allows your child to keep the same cup all day long. They won’t wonder if it is their cup or if it’s Sister’s cup. It will really cut down on the amount of dishes you have to wash.

It’s also a plus if you’re going to a group gathering with lots of children. Sometimes several children might all have the same type of cup. Using the rubber band will help your child to identify their cup – because who really wants to spread more germs around?

Protect Yourself from a Hot Grease Burn

Did you know there was a country song called “Loving You is Like Frying Bacon Naked?” Well, if you didn’t know it before you know it now. I’m so glad to give you that type of important information.I hate frying food when it splatters everywhere. Not only does it burn like the dickens, it also gets all over every surface in the kitchen. Clean up is a pain. So, I purchased this little lovely dohickey from The Dollar Tree. It works fantastic for keeping splatters to a minimum. Any time I’m frying, I use it. You really need one. Trust me. Guess how much they cost? [Read more…]

Kefir Cream Cheese

I LOVE making things from kefir! Mostly I just love that it makes my life a lot easier and cheaper. Because I’m already making it, I have it around to use for other things – which keeps me from buying buttermilk and other various “soured” items. Now I’m making cream cheese from my kefir and it’s SO EASY! You can use kefir in tons of different ways (including ice cream) and I love sharing them with you. So, let’s make some cheese……but not cut it, okay? [Read more…]