Rockin the Quinoa!

 Rockin' the Quinoa!

Easy to Make Quinoa

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp real salt 
1/2 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 c sliced mushrooms
1 c Quinoa (rinsed)
1/2 c chicken broth
2 c warm water

Lightly brown mushrooms and garlic in olive oil over med heat in sauce pan.  You want the garlic to start turning tender.
Stir in 1 cup rinsed quinoa and lightly fry in pan making sure to get all quinoa coated with oil. Keep over med heat for a minute.

Add 1/2 c chicken broth and bring to boil. Stir frequently until all liquid runs dry- takes about 4-5 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp pepper, and 2 cups water.

Bring to boil then cover, reduce heat to simmer, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and let set final 5 minutes, fluff and serve.
(1 c raw quinoa makes about 3 cups cooked.)  Quinoa is delicious!

I was intimidated by Quinoa for a long time! Never having tried it or been exposed to it, personally. But Quinoa is a super food! Considered a complete protein source, quinoa is also high in magnesium,  iron, and fiber. It's a seed- not a grain. And after hearing about it in the majority of real food blogs I read, I knew I could not avoid it forever!
My sister is actually the reason I tried it- and now love it! She gave me the push and I am very grateful! There are dozens of different ways to make it- this is just my initial love recipe. I will be trying more and posting as I can. It actually is as easy to make as traditional rice- but less starchy and has almost a light nutty flavor.  Fluffy! I don't know what I was so afraid of! I regret not having tried it earlier!
The taste will be fantastic with fresh vegetables! I can't wait to try it with peas, broccoli, asparagus, green onions, etc!
Tonight we had it with baked chicken breast. Very very good!




You might love the links found in:
Real Food Wednesday 1/1/2014










You can find Quinoa at Trader Joes, or your Local Health Food store, and  at Whole Foods.

Or you can order it here:





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Best Homemade Pizza Dough

Best Homemade Pizza Dough

(Dough for 2 reg. pizzas, or 4 mini personal pizzas)

 This particular recipe is delicious! For our family, the recipe has brought fun and joy into family food nights- everyone can participate. I usually have all the ingredients already on the shelf, and we save so much money! This feeds everyone with some left over for lunch next day (or midnight gamer's snacks), and the best part is each person gets to choose what goes on- fitting the moods, lightening hearts,  and bringing the family together for more than just a sit at the table- this gives us time. I hope it brings smiles to your family as well!

Homemade Pizza Dough

Start with large bowl & add:
3 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 1/3 c warm water

dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in large bowl and allow to proof for 5 minutes. (will foam up)

add to yeast mixture:
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp corn meal
1 tsp real salt
3 c all purpose flour or whole wheat flour

mix all together and knead dough until smooth. roll into ball, lightly oil the outside with olive oil and allow to rise until double- about 45 minutes









I always use the same bowl I just mixed it in- cuts down on dishes, but doesn't make for pretty pictures! Haha! Once doubled, you are ready to make pizzas! Yay! 

Cut dough in half **- this dough makes 2 pizzas. Roll out each half on lightly floured surface to desired size and thickness. Thin crust, thick crust- it all depends on what you roll it to! We like ours thin to regular.  Place on pizza pan, warmed pizza stone, or cookie sheet lightly dusted with cornmeal.  Bake in oven for 7 minutes at 450 F degrees. Remove from oven, Top with sauce, toppings of your choice an cheese. return to oven - Bake at 450F degrees for 9-10 minutes. (Sorry Sorry! I forgot to take a picture of rolling it out! I'll add it next time!) Here they are at prebake.

Have fun with the toppings! Have the kids help grate the cheese, and choose their own toppings. (For cheese lovers, you can roll pieces of string cheese into the crust edges and create a stuffed crust the kid's will love! -Do this at the first stage). Kids love rolling out the dough.** This is enough dough, you can further divide dough for four mini pizzas if everyone wants their own personal mini pizza!  Enjoy!








you might like the recipes and ideas on:
Frugal Days Sustainable Ways #100

Make Your Own Monday 12/16






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Janey's Pumpkin Pie

Janey's Pumpkin Pie 

Pie Crust:

2 c flour
1 tsp fine real salt or sea salt
2/3 c real butter, or coconut oil (Note for taller, flakier crust use Lard)
1/3 c cold water
Pulse butter (cut into cubes) and salt and flour in food processor until crumbly.









Add water and pulse until ball forms.Or in a bowl, add cut butter and flour and salt, and use pastry cutter to mix- mixing until crumbles begin and then add water to ball.

Lay out on a flat surface, cut ball in half (makes 2 crusts) roll out flat to fit 9" pie plate, pinch edges of crust. let rest 15 min before baking.

Filling:

1 can Pumpkin Puree (15 oz)
1 can Coconut milk (13.5 oz)
2 egg yolks
1 egg
3 tbsp honey (or sugar)(Note: for sweeter pie increase to 1/4 c, I prefer to taste stronger pumpkin.)
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground ginger, 1 tsp nutmeg)
1/2 tsp fine sea salt (or real salt)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Blend with whisk pumpkin puree and eggs until smooth. Add spices, salt and honey and the coconut milk. Whisk together until creamy smooth.

Pour into pie crust filled pan (9"). Tap to release air bubbles. (Foil around the edges if you do not want dark brown - I forgot this! But I'm reminding you! ;P!  )
Bake 15 minutes. @ 425 F. Then Turn down oven to 350 degrees F and bake remaining time until set- about 40 min. Butter knife inserted toward crust edge should come out clean.

Let cool completely. Serve with Whipped cream and enjoy! 

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Back to Real Food and loving every minute of it!

Yay! We have a kitchen again! 

Love love love getting back into the kitchen and enjoying REAL food again!
Everything is so yummy when it's chopped fresh and cooked right! 

Tonight my hubby is making fajitas with homemade Mexican Rice and beans.
The Recipe for Authentic Mexican Rice can  found here:  Homemade Mexican Rice.

The fajitas really are simple- a matter of taste, really. Use Steak, chicken, or pork, cut the meat into small strips. Set aside.  Chop garlic, onions, bell peppers and jalapeno. Saute vegetables in olive oil until tender over med heat, add meat and brown. reduce heat, lid, and cook for 15-20 minutes until the meat is tender and done thoroughly ( varies depending upon which meat you choose to use.)  Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with warmed tortillas.

Tonight is perfect example of how it has been since we moved here. I was the helper- and happy to be "chef assistant!" Yay! During our 3 months away, we all missed real food so much!  We would sometimes  talk about what we should make first once we had it all back! Discussions debated between lazagna (last night),  or  pork chops(night before),- even meatloaf  made it in there!  The kitchen is now a new sparked interest, and REAL food is the only thing on the menu!!Watching the family now-  Every dinner is now a team effort in cooking! And I am loving the help in the kitchen! It has been wonderful!Yay!!!!

 Hope you've had a great week!





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Returning to Home -

It was breezy and the small wind seemed to increase a bit, but nothing prepared us for the gust that came! Suddenly it gusted 3- - no 40 - no 50 mph! picking up dirt, debris, bits of tree branches flew by. The gust didn't end - it increased! dirt and sand in the eyes- we couldn't see the road any longer- so thick was the wall of dirt going by-  the umbrella for the table picked up and flew 10 feet into the pool, trying to grab it and save it and nearly fell in -then continued blast- trash and tree limbs flying across the parking lot... a dust devil the size of a small tornado picked up large tumble weeds and threw them into a whirl 200 feet up in the air... it kept going....until it was gone.
... just as suddenly as it started....
I saw this happen last month.

 An actual occurrence, that turns out to be a perfect analogy for our lives this last three months.

A whirlwind, a tornado of events, turmoil, upheaval, and then sudden calm.  Discovering how to survive a storm and still smile with little left.
I am not comfortable giving out whole details, but in short- we were buying a house, the seller backed out 5 days before escrow, everything fell through, and three months later- after multitude of events such as losing cars and jobs- we are finally back in a rental house.
It is now a week after our move and I am still going through boxes, and discovering where things might go and basically...settling down.

Whew.
I never intended to be away so long.

I learned a great many things during that time and I want to share it all with you, I just have to figure out how to word it all. I missed writing!
The three months covered the bulk of summer here. The hottest months- we did a great deal of swimming and walking.
Many hours got spent outside- and we enjoyed the BBQ many nights, rather than going out to eat fast food. I found out just how bad I could feel after nasty fast food. (McD's made me feel like I had poisoned myself into a sluggish grease pit, I wasn't alone! Everyone including the kids agreed!)
Oh, how I missed real food! I craved home cooking daily. We all craved it after just a week of not having it! The BBQ helped, but really  nothing compares to homemade lasagna fresh from the oven (our voted most missed food 2nd was baked chicken).

 I missed my All natural cleansers and safe cleansers. I used baking soda whenever I could but could not escape the motel cleansers etc.

In the heated outdoors, I discovered Lavender Essential Oil is fantastic for mosquito bites, and spider bites, and virtually eliminates all itching! It also deters ants and flies.

I discovered my small jar of coconut oil could become far more than cooking oil, it turned into my daily moisturizer, my hand lotion, and a soothing answer for sunburn!

I discovered my bottle of castile lavender soap could wash dishes, be a hand and body soap, and shampoo!

I discovered that even in trying times and adversity I still could not compromise my beliefs that natural is better than the convenience products sold on the shelves. All in all the experience was like a test for all of us- did our steps to go real food and more natural before really take hold? I'd have to say a resounding YES!!!!!

So happy to be back! So happy to be able to write it all again!

As I unbox and unravel from the past summer- I hope to start sharing everything again. Thanks to everyone for following and thank you for your patience!

-Janey
a truly Consistently Sporadic Writer

Lime Water

Lime Water! 

The Lime tree in my front yard is about ready to start picking! I found a few ripe enough to try out this morning and I am enjoying Lime Water! 

Did you know... 1 lime has approx. 32% of your daily value of Vitamin C? 
Lime also naturally has calcium and potassium! 
Lime water is beneficial for your gut health, improves liver function, and helps reduce phlegm in the body.
Like Lemon water, warm lime water can help you wake up faster and improves digestive functions! 

Beyond that it's just delicious! Certain types of limes - like a Persian lime are not as tart as say a Key lime; making them easier to use when making infused water for the kids! 

Also, as a side note: Limes are absolutely fantastic squeezed over chicken tacos!  Yay!!!!!!

Shared with and you may love the links at:

Make your own Monday link up 7/1

Homemade Biscuits

Homemade Biscuits

 

4 tbsp cold real butter or cold lard
1 tsp sugar or honey
2 c whole wheat flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp real salt
3/4 cup whole milk, or half and half

 Preheat oven to 425F.
Cut butter into slices and in bowl,  sift together the baking powder and wheat flour and sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter, or fork, combine until mixture is small crumbs. Add milk all at once and stir until batter follows fork, place on lightly floured surface and barely knead with hands a few times (comes together fast and do not over work).
Roll out dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out biscuits using a cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, or I used a juice glass with edge lightly floured :). Place biscuits on an un-greased cookie sheet.
Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until light brown on top. Do not over bake - or the bottoms will burn.

Awesome, flaky, and easy alternate to pre-made biscuits; making this a healthier Real Food alternate to the convenience prepackaged foods containing unnecessary preservatives and fake ingredients.


Note: This is an excellent recipe for teaching the kids dough, measuring and mixing, following instructions, and baking. Fun for all! Make memories in the kitchen!
Kid Idea: Make small amount of  bacon and scrambled eggs, and grated cheese; allowing the kids to stack their own breakfast sandwiches. :)

Baked Spiral Potatoes

So easy and an awesome variation to regular baked potatoes! A Family favorite! Kid approved!

Baked Spiral Potatoes 

4-6 small potatoes (1 per person)
skewers
olive oil
seasonings (Your preference)

Peel and wash potatoes. Prep a cooking sheet with butter or olive oil to prevent sticking. Skewer potato lengthwise from small end to small end. With a sharp knife, carefully cut in to potato just until you feel the skewer, using it as your guide- rotating potato over as needed to achieve spiral. This actually is the hardest part if you do not have a spiral slicer, which I don't. But it is not impossible- basically tilt the knife at a slight angle as you cut and do not take it out of the potato- let it guide itself. It goes faster the more you cut.
                                                    
When done to end,  slowly pull potato apart along skewer until stretched and resembling spiral. Place on baking sheet. Brush with olive oil,  and sprinkle with seasonings. I use paprika, garlic powder, and pepper.

Bake at 350F  for 45 minutes or until potatoes are done.

For added goodie: You can add a slice of bacon skewering end at top and winding around to end-spiraled around potato.

The taste is slightly different than a baked potato - more like wedges. Some people pull it in the last 5 minutes and add grated cheese and bacon bits across the top returning to the oven to melt this in. I have also heard people drench it in sour cream, and add chives in the end.

Many people deep fry these, I chose to bake mainly to avoid huge amounts of greasy food. But you can easily look up or google, the directions if you prefer frying. They are also called tornado fries.

Serves great with Homemade Chicken Nuggets or BBQ Chicken! A great alternate for something different on the menu!  Love the fact it's easy to do and cheap making it one of my more favorite frugal recipes to stretch the budget. It's Easy to figure out how many to cook- 1 per person!

I think I am going to try this style with a sweet potato next time and see how that turns out. This might also be promising for a zucchini squash as well! :) I'll let you know! :)







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Frugal Days Sustainable Ways #76



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Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

These are so easy to make- breaded or not- they make a perfect starter for a meal in minutes! Much healthier for your family than over processed convenience food! 100% kid approved! 100% Real food!

Chicken Nuggets - 

1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast meat
1-2 tbsp. coconut oil
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour (or almond flour, or coconut flour, or homemade breadcrumbs!Yummmm!)
1 tbsp. seasonings  (whatever is your preference- paprika gives a good color to the meat, Mrs. Dash's garlic herb seasoning is fantastic!)

Wash chicken breast and slice into finger eating sized chunks, like 2" x 1". In a bowl ,whisk egg and set aside. In another bowl, add flour and seasonings, ( I use a fork to lightly incorporate evenly).
In fry pan add coconut oil, turn on heat to med high and heat to begins to sizzle. Dip chicken strips or chunks first  into egg and then roll in flour mixture until coated evenly and add to fry pan. Drop chicken pieces in to hot oil only, turning once down side is brown. approximately 4-5 minutes each side, when coating is golden brown and center of meat is white.

Oven method: if you prefer baking over frying, these are fantastic in the oven!!!!!!!!!!! Works well with the coating too.

Prep exactly the same way, however place on baking sheet, and bake at 350 for 45 min. turning over once half way! No oil ! Still delicious!


For Plain (No Coating) Chicken Strips- clean and cut the chicken into finger sized chunks. Skip the egg and flour steps mentioned above. Just add chicken straight to heated coconut oil and lightly sprinkle with seasonings. Fry in coconut oil turning once down side is brown. approximately 4-5 minutes each side, when side is golden brown and center of meat is white.

Note: this is an excellent recipe to teach the kids-  if they are still to young to use the stove they can easily help with the coating and placing on a cooking sheet for the oven method. Teaching them such techniques is extremely beneficial for other recipes requiring battering too!





This recipe was shared in, and you may also enjoy:

Real Food Wednesday 6/12/13

    Make Your Own Monday Link up 6/10

Easy Fried Rice - Kid's Favorite

Easy Fried Rice - Kid's Favorite

This is one of my fall back recipes, it is not incredibly authentic, but it has been incredibly successful in my house- particularly when my children were younger- it was one of my favorite recipes accepted by the kids that I felt good about because it got them to eat their vegies! It was easy to make and always a success. I even loved it for the ability to use up leftovers- like the meat or vegies- making my meals spread further and happily stretching my budget! A frugal favorite!

Easy Fried Rice (Takes about 30 minutes to prepare if using old fashioned rice )

To cook, I start with the rice-

2 cups rice
1 tbsp olive oil

a dash salt
4 cups water
To cook, I prepared old fashioned rice, (you can also use instant rice if you prefer, or as time saver. Prepare 2 cups as instructed on the box.). For old fashioned rice:
In large sauce pan, with excellent fitting lid:
I added olive oil and 2 cups old fashioned long grain rice. Over med high heat, I fried the rice grains until they turn puffier white and start to brown. Takes about 5 minutes, stir frequently- but, doing this trick helps to insure the grains won't stick together in finished product. Once rice begins to brown, add 4 cups hot water and bring to boil. When boil starts, reduce heat to low simmer and cover tight. Set timer for 20 minutes.

While rice is cooking, I steam the vegies or prepare the frozen vegetables, as directed, in a sauce pan. ( Or heat up your left over vegies at this time.) You'll need about 2 cups vegies - For the pictured fried rice, I used a frozen vegetable mix; however, I have a lot of success with just frozen peas, or just broccoli.

Last step is the meat:

1 lb. cooked shredded meat- (perfect for left overs! Use anything you have - pork chops, chicken breast, steak, ground beef, etc.)
olive oil
1 clove minced garlic, 1/2 c green onion diced tiny,  salt and pepper. 
1 tbsp. soy sauce
 2 eggs (scrambled in a bowl and set aside for last step)

Shred  or dice the meat into small chunks. In fry pan, add olive oil and garlic and cook until the garlic is tender - just a minute or two (this infuses the flavor of the garlic into the oil.) Add the diced meat. Lightly fry until the meat is heated through. Add the green onions and seasonings. Stir thoroughly and cook only until the green onions are to your liking- they get soft very fast.  Turn off heat.

Your sauce pan of vegies should be done at this point- Drain your vegies. set aside.
By now the rice should be done. Yay! Stir to fluff, and check to make sure it's completely cooked.

In the meat fry pan, bring back to heat until all is sizzling, add in rice, and soy sauce. Stir together until all is combined well. Add vegies and stir again. Once combined well, move all ingredients to the side -so as to give yourself a pocket space to work in of fresh fry pan- pour in the scrambled egg and fry until completely done. Takes only a quick minute- do not worry about the remaining rice- at this point- it's just gaining the extra  fried flavor as you focus on the egg. I scramble it with the edge of my spatula. Once the egg is done stir into the rice mixture.  (Note: I do not add personally add extra salt to this as the soy sauce is already mainly salt. Taste test to decide for yourself.)
Yay! You are done! Use as a main dish or a side dish, depending on how adventurous you are. I served a salad first, and at times I will serve with a spring roll.

Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage

Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage

Cut  and wash half a cabbage pulling leaves apart as whole and large as is possible.

In a bowl, mix:
2 lbs ground meat ( you can use hamburger, ground beef, ground sausage, ground turkey or chicken)
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup oats (if using ground turkey-or chicken eliminate the oats as this will be too dry a mixture to hold)
2 eggs
seasonings - pinch of cumin, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
(Other seasonings that are really good in it are  basil, oregano, green onion, minced garlic, chopped onions, etc.)

Combine all ingredients in bowl, and form med sized  meat balls - wrapping each ball with cabbage and place in the slow cooker/crock pot. Add all unused cabbage to the cooker surrounding the stuffed leaves.

Fill the remaining spaces in the casserole with cleaned and cut potato and carrot wedges.

Pour over all of it 1 quart jar of homemade canned tomatoes -which is  my favorite-juice and all- and  cover. Cook on high for 3-4 hours until meatballs are completely done in center.

That's it- additions to the casserole can include celery, carrots,  onions, squash, whatever you feel would match the cabbage taste. You can use canned tomato sauce, or tomato soup instead of whole tomatoes if you prefer. So easy- so versatile. And very filling!  Serves at least 4-6.  I usually have left overs, making this one of my favorite frugal recipes!. Enjoy!


you may also like the links found at:
Frugal Days Sustainable Ways #75







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DIY Homemade Seasoned Bread crumbs

DIY Homemade Seasoned Bread crumbs

I love bread crumbs. Since I bake more than fry- a good coating for us starts with bread crumbs. Chicken, pork chops, scotch eggs, what ever - a good quality bread crumbs recipe can make or break the flavor. Making my own eliminates the boxed/convenience food problems of added preservatives and or chemical flavorings. Because I'm using up day old pieces of bread, it's frugal and really promoting no extra waste.

One of the best features of making your own bread crumbs is you are not limited in what you use- Homemade bread, white, whole wheat, sourdough, Italian, rye... it simply does not matter. Flavors can pop from trying different breads! The only limit is your imagination!

I have made my own croutons and bread crumbs many times in the past- I would toast bread, and grate it. However I have discovered a new and actually easier way to make my own bread crumbs- I got my own dehydrator! Yay!!!!! Love this thing!

Seasoned Bread Crumbs using the dehydrator

I place in the dehydrator left over bread. Day old is fine- heals are fine! I put the dehydrator on 125F and leave it for a couple of hours- I have a batch going right now- they have been drying for about 4 hours now- I'll check them soon. I want them to be so dry when I pull them out that they crumble easily between my fingers. Drying times can vary depending on the weather- more humid days require more time; also varies due to thickness of the pieces you use.

Once dry, I place the bread into the food processor
 and grind them up into tiny crumbs. If you don't have a food processor- no worries! Place the bread into a zip lock or any bag without holes, and use your rolling pin to crush the bread into crumbs. It's easy and doesn't take that long to do.

I personally like to pour crumbs  into an a recycled Parmesan shaker, adding spices that I want and label it clearly. I find nothing wrong with having a couple shakers- each seasoned differently sitting ready to use!

One of my favorite bread crumb mixes is Italian seasoning (2 tbsp.to each cup of bread crumbs)  added to a shaker of bread crumbs. I mix thoroughly to ensure they shake evenly.

Another excellent addition is garlic and onion flakes (1 tbsp. each to each cup of bread crumbs).  I personally like a an added tbsp of dried parsley with this. Gives it a nice color.

To spice things up you can add 1 tbsp. chili powder; or a combination of cayenne, paprika, and cumin. Adding in dried red pepper flakes would be a colorful addition to the heat. Use your imagination and tastes to create!

A friend of mine mixes in Parmesan cheese with bread crumbs- 1:1 ration. When I tried this- it served as an awesome touch sprinkled over Au Gratin potatoes, baked Zitti, or Lasagna! Yay!

On an added note!
For my readers who prefer to store using only glass, I love the fact the lid to a Parmesan Shaker fit perfectly to a regular mouth canning jar!!!!! Yay!  :)

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Frugal Days Susutainable Ways #75











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Using the Whole Tomato

Using the Whole Tomato

I'm tired of wasting. I am learning to make the most out of everything! Homemade anything is so awesome for the simple fact that I know exactly what is in the product I make. All natural, no preservatives or fake food chemicals.  I am loving using every part of the fruit or vegie that I can.

This weekend we canned Roma tomatoes. Love the way the cans fill my shelves, and I know I have a quality canned tomato without extra chemicals ready to use- makes awesome sauces, and soups!

A wonderful guide to canning exists on this page: Pick Your Own.org Canning Tomatoes
I could attempt to tell you the entire process, but their tutorial is so thorough that it is better to just let you know where I learned it from that try to copy cat their process. 

One thing I would like to note is: 
Be sure to always wash your produce: I use a cup of vinegar to a pan of water and let them soak in it for 10 minutes. It is so important to get the residues off the skins, you just never know- and the process is so easy.
A simple note and measure to ensure no one gets sick and your food is healthier for your family.



One of the steps taken in canning our tomatoes is to blanch them and remove the skins. In past I did this without thought- and tossed the skins!  But no more! What a waste!

Three wonderful things can come from the tomato skins! 

1. You can use them in a crock pot along with other vegie left over and cuttings and start a pot of vegetable broth.  A great blog about this is found at: My Humble Kitchen
2. You can put all the skins into a food processor and grind them into a pulp for tomato bark! Dehydrate the pulp, and yay! You have instant tomato paste later for anytime you need it! tomato bark
-or-
3. You can dehydrate them, as I did this time. The end result was wonderful flaky dried tomato,  that I whirred into the food processor for a minute until I had small flakes and poured into a recycled spice jar to add to my new homemade spices! Instant tomato flavor to add to anything! -All natural, all homemade.
I laid the tomato skins  on my dehydrator racks, set the dehydrator for 135F and let it go for about 10 hours to be sure we were completely dry. Times may vary due to weather and humidity. We had a cloudy weekend, so I wanted to be certain I got all the moisture out.

<-- this is how we started
        this is what came out ----->







<--I tossed these into the food processor

and this is my end result-
 pure tomato flakes! -->


Love it!



No waste, and a new spice jar for my cabinet! Awesome!!






You might also like the links found at:

Frugal Days - Sustainable Ways #74

Ideas for younger Kitchen helpers

Little ones love the kitchen.
It's a noisy, rattly yummy experience. This is the place where magic happens! 
While they are young, there are several basics they can learn to help both you and them have wonderful experiences in the room!

Some are obvious: like always wash your hands first.   

Textures in the kitchen are amazing. If your little one wants to help, here are a few ideas they can manage and enjoy: 

Hand them a pile of lettuce and a bowl- they can tear the lettuce into pieces to start the salad.

Have them pull the celery apart and peel out the strings.
Have them fill the celery with peanut butter.

Have them butter the toast. Once older, Have them learn how to make toast. Rules are simple- show them the toaster, and the fact there is heating elements. "Never stick anything in the toaster." Wait, and butter.

Snapping fresh green beans or snap peas is a great start!

They love helping putting vegies into the sink, or the bowl of vinegar water or colander to wash! They earn what floats!

Have them rinse the beans in the colander before cooking. This is fun and a texture experience!

Have them help make sandwiches. Peanut butter and jelly or honey is great to start with!

Even if they cannot read yet, point out the recipe and have them help follow. Many mixes show pictures of the eggs and the cup of water. They can help and learn to follow directions, and starts reading skills and measuring skills.
 
Have them help stir the mix! Cake mix, cookie dough, pudding mix, all super yummy and all teach self control, improve dexterity,  and care in what they are doing. 

Have them help frost the cupcakes!  Or help decorate the gingerbread men! 

Have them help arrange the platter of raw vegies around the dip! This would involve stacking and sorting, colors, and vegie names!

The magic in the kitchen really is all about quality time and a fun experience. Any and every child, boy or girl, should learn the basics with joy -  without fear. This fosters healthy attitudes for entire family and healthy attitudes for real food. The more they know about healthy real food and how it works; the more likely they will continue good cooking habits later on in life. And, Yes!  the less likely they are to eat junk food. If a person enjoys cooking- the more real food they'll cook! 
  

 

Easy Mexican Style Chicken - ready in 30 minutes

Delicious Mexican Style Chicken

Easy quick meal ready in 30 minutes

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 lbs.  chicken breast meat, cubed

1 clove garlic finely diced

4 diced Roma tomatoes

½ cup finely chopped onion

2 finely diced jalapenos – remove the seeds if you want less heat

1 can black beans (drained)

Salt and pepper to taste

And in separate sauce pan:

2 cups white rice – prepared as directed on package.

garnish:

1 lemon

fresh chopped cilantro

In fry pan add olive oil, chicken, and garlic and lightly brown about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, and 1 can black beans (drained), salt and pepper.  Cover, and Reduce heat to low – simmer cook for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir occasionally to ensure no sticking.  Serve over white rice.  Serve with lemon to squeeze over top and fresh chopped cilantro.