Green Smoothies June 7, 2012

A couple of weeks ago I saw a post on pinterest about Green Smoothies. I started doing some research and found this site http://greenmonstermovement.com/. The first smoothie I tried was horrible! I don’t even remember what all I put in it. Someone suggested adding just a tiny bit of honey to sweeten it and ween myself off of the honey as I get use to the taste. I only used honey about 3 times… Now I love them with no sugar or honey added!

One thing I didn’t like about making the smoothie was having to clean the big blender after each one. So, I found a small, inexpensive blender for individual smoothies. And you can drink right out of the container..PERFECT!

So here is my favorite recipe:

3oz. green yogurt-vanilla  60 cal.

2 oz frozen blueberries 29 cal.  1.5 g. fiber

2.5 oz. frozen strawberries 25 cal. 1.5 g fiber

frozen banana 1/2 cup 67 cal. 2 g fiber (i have cut this down to about 1/4 cup)

flaxseed 1 TBS.  30 cal. 2 g. fiber

1 cup (or handful) of spinach  7 cal.  .7 g. fiber

Total: 218 calories  &  7.7 grams of fiber.

I would say that is a pretty good breakfast!  I have recently been adding about 1/2 cup of carrots too.

You will want to add a few frozen fruits in the bottom, then spinach, then yogurt and water(or milk), then more frozen fruits. I find it blends a little better this way. But, you will find the best way for yourself

 

I know… it doesn’t look so yummy with all that green….

 

But just keep blending… Not too bad now, right? And if the color bothers you, put it in a colored cup so you can’t see it

My oldest does not like the taste of all the fruits in her smoothie. So we came up with one she does like.

A’s Smoothie:

1 frozen banana (chopped)

1 cup (or handful) spinach

1 TBS peanut butter

Milk (enough to make it blend but still icy like a milkshake).

These have been great because she leaves the house without breakfast a lot. She gets so sluggish throughout the day. Now she can drink her breakfast at school

I would love to hear some of your favorite smoothie recipes. BTW… I get my calorie counts from www.CalorieKing.com

Make-Ahead & Freeze Breakfast Burritos April 26, 2012

This is one our family favorites! And it is definitely a time saver on those hectic mornings before school/work! These breakfast burritos are a nice change from cereal, quick and easy to warm up, and great on the go!

Ingredients needed:

1 &1/2 dozen eggs

3 lb sausage

2-3 packs of  flour tortillas

1 large can Green enchilada sauce

shredded  cheese

1 bag frozen southern hash brown potatoes (the cubes)

Plastic wrap & freezer bags

First you brown your sausage and drain the grease. I use the big 3 lb roll of Jimmy Dean. But any breakfast sausage will work fine.

Next, scramble your eggs. i forgot to take a picture of that…sorry. I used 1 & 1/2 dozen for this batch and had some left over.

Warm your tortillas in the microwave so they are easier to fold without breaking and then lay them out on the counter.

*Lay out the tortillas, sprinkle cheese, scrambled egg, & sausage on each tortilla.

Then sprinkle a few frozen southern hash brown potatoes on top.

I like to drizzle Green enchilada sauce on them too. It may not sound very good but it sure does taste good. Helps them from being dry too.

Careful not to over fill the tortillas. You will have trouble getting them to fold.

Now, fold in each side, then holding those side down, fold up the bottom and tuck it in over the filling and roll it up.

I like to wrap mine in deli paper first but you don’t have to. You do need to wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap.

And then place them in a freezer bag. Be sure to let out as much air as you can before zipping it closed.

Don’t forget to label your bag before putting the wrapped burritos inside. You can even write heating instruction on the bag if you want.

I like to heat a frozen burrito in the microwave for 30 seconds before unwrapping and then 1 minute unwrapped. You will have to find the right heating method that works for you.  ENJOY!!!

My Kitchen Command Center April 18, 2012

With 5 kids, a husband, 1 big dog, and 2 cats AND daycare in my home…..it gets pretty hectic! When I came across Jaime’s Kitchen Command Center on her Blog, I thought to myself “I NEED one of those!!!”

Jaime’s has a chore chart for each of her kids. But I don’t have enough wall space for that… So, I had to come up with another plan! My sister-n law owns a local vinyl business, Just Your Signs and Shirts. So I told her what I needed and in just a couple of days she designed this awesome, custom chore chart for my family (bottom picture)! (BTW… she will do one for you for $10 plus cost of board for small and $15 plus cost of board for large -like mine). I ordered my chore magnets from Abbie’s House on Etsy.com

. I have to admit… I always feel guilty for asking for too much help so I always try to do everything myself. That makes for one TIRED Mama! Not anymore…. The kids have never been more helpful and I have been so much better at handing out chores. When they do their chores, they move the chore magnet back over to the right side. I think they feel accomplished And I am really enjoying a cleaner house!

Now, the Menu board wasn’t as easy. You better believe i tried to find a place I could buy one from… Then, I tried to pay my scrapbooking friend (Hi Peggy) to make one for me   I finally decided to TRY it myself. It wasn’t bad at all…   I bought a cork board at WM for around $8, two different colored fabrics, squiggly border, iron on letters, sticker letters and some green paint (the cheap kind in the squeeze bottle in the craft section). I had the clothespins already at home. I used crayon boxes for the menu card holders. I used a paint scraper and tucked the fabric in…clever huh? And I used hot glue for everything else, except the letters.

We pick out the meals we want for the week and I take the menu cards to the grocery store with me. I print the ingredients list on each card and mark out (with dry erase marker) the items I already have on hand. You would not believe how much money I have been saving on groceries this way!!! I even have an “Eat Out” card but we rarely use it. The whole family has been really enjoying all the new recipes I have been trying

I got my ideas for the Menu board from Jaime @ The Clay Family Blog Here,  Here from All Things Beautiful, and Here @ Heartland Paper. I used the ideas of each one and came up with my own I hope you like it and I hope I have inspired you to make your own! PLEASE send me a link if you try it…. I would love to see what you came up with!

Make-ahead Lunch March 28, 2012

I have started the make-ahead freezer meals and it has really been helpful! When I have something going on in the evening, I can pull out a frozen soup and throw it in the crock pot. Or I can put “chef” on the girls’ chore list! The can pick out a casserole, soup, taco meat, etc., and the heating instruction are on each package.

Well…. I started to wonder how I could make lunch-making easier. It drives me nuts when I find out that hubby ate out of the vending machine for lunch or the girls didn’t even take a sandwich.

So… I started googling things that were safe to freeze. And guess what???? You can freeze peanut butter and jelly!

So I am going to show you my method! Usually I get my ideas from Pinterest or other bloggers and share the process and review with you. But this time….it’s my own idea!

If you like it, you are welcome to share it. But, don’t forget to give credit! You can copy that URL right up there^^^ THANKS!

So here goes…

I know what you are thinking…. “yuck! the jelly with soak into the bread”. Nope! Not my way. My mom has been doing pb&j this way since I was a kid.. and it’s the only way I do it now (only way my family will eat it too).

• Mix the peanut butter and jelly together. You will want to put more peanut butter than jelly or it will be too sweet.

• Keep mixing until you don’t see the jelly anymore. Not quite yet….

• There! Juuuuuust right! Now taste it to make sure it is how you like it. Add more peanut butter or jelly to your liking.

• Now spread PB&J mixture on the bread. Be sure spread it to the edges… no one likes to have an inch of dry bread on their sandwich.

• Put the top on the sandwich and place it in the sandwich bag.

• You don’t want freezer burn. So we need to get out as much air as possible. So this is how I do it. Flatten the extra on the side.

• Fold it under.

• Fold the top up. This will let the rest of the air out.

• This is the tricky part… While holding the air out with your other fingers, snap the bag closed.

• Voila!  (It doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s almost impossible to get ALL the air out of the bag).

• Repeat the process with the whole loaf of bread.

• Put the bagged sandwiches back into the bread bag. (Don’t forget to label & date the bread bag first)

• Tie the bread bag, place in the freezer, and YOU ARE DONE!

Now the kids (and Hubby) can grab a sandwich every morning and by lunch time it’s thawed out and ready to eat   And no…. they won’t be mushy.

You can also do this with ham/turkey, cheese, & mustard. Mayo and veggies don’t freeze well from what i have read.

Please let me know if you try it… I would love to hear your reviews!

 

#2 Homemade Laundry Soap- different method. March 27, 2012

I tried a different method of making homemade laundry soap. I like this way a lot better! It was easier and I think it’s stronger (more concentrated). PLUS…. I didn’t need the 5 gallon bucket or the drill!! I got this method from Jillee’s One Good Thing  (I love her Blog!!!)
I added a little twist of my own…you will see later.

Items needed: 1 cup Borax, 1 cup Washing Soda (not baking), and 1 bar GRATED fels naptha. (I found all of these items in the laundry isle at Walmart.)

I heated about 9 cups of water with the grated fels naptha on med-med high heat. If you are going to “cook” it with this high of heat like I did, you need to watch it close and stir it often. Most posts I read say to heat it on low-med but I am not that patient and don’t have that kind of free time

These are the 3 jugs I used. I don’t recommend using the vinegar jug or milk jug if you are not going to let it cool…
The Gatorade jugs worked great!!

Heat until completely melted. I used a slotted spoon to made sure there were no bits left unmelted. Lower the heat to med (or a little lower). Then add 1 cup borax and 1 cup washing soda. Stir well. It will thicken a bit. Heat until it’s all melted.

Ok… Here is my twist. I added scented oils to each container I love the smell of fels naptha. But, after the clothes are washed you don’t smell it anymore. So I thought I would try adding my own scents. I’ll let ya know if it worked after I do some laundry!

Distribute the mixture evenly between the 3 containers.

I used my big measuring bowl and pour 2 cups in each one and then split what was left between the 3.

Add 3 cups of hot water to each container. Put the lids on. Now SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE!!! Be sure to keep taking the lids off between shaking to let some of the air/heat out.

Add 6 more cups of water to each one. Now SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE again!!!

Then top off with hot water again. I am leaving some room to shake some more since it tends to separate later.

And there you have it! I think this method is a keeper!
BTW, I used “Linen” and “Ocean Breeze” scented oils (found near candles). And “Lavender” essential oil. I can’t find the essential oils anywhere yet (except online and they are expensive). But I did stumble on the lavender one on clearance at the health store in the mall. They all smell very good. I can’t wait to see if I can still smell it on the clothes after washing!

 

***Update: We started noticing a not-so-clean smell to the laundry…musty…mildewy. I wasn’t ready to give up and go back to paying full price for laundry soap. So… I tried a homemade dry recipe. I found Jen’s recipe @ “How Does She?”   We have been using it for 2 weeks now and LOVE it!!!!

How to Make Southern Sausage Gravy (and How to Freeze It) March 23, 2012

Week days are so busy that we usually have a bowl of cereal or warm up a breakfast sandwich (if I have some premade in the freezer). So on the weekend when we have the whole family together at once, we like to have a BIG ol’ breakfast! Here is my version of country sausage gravy. I have to make a big batch because I have a big family. You can cut this in half very easily.  ENJOY!

2 lbs sausage

6 TBS butter

1/2 cup flour

6 cups milk

salt & pepper

1/2 cup flour

1. Brown 1 lb. sausage (I use Jimmy Dean or Tennessee Pride)

2. Scoop the sausage out into a separate bowl, leaving the grease in the frying pan. (Sometimes I strain it with a bowl under the strainer and then pour the grease back into the pan.)

3. The sausage I use normally doesn’t make much grease so I add about 6 TBS of butter and let in melt together.

4. With heat at medium, slowly add about 1/2 cup of flour and stir until smooth. You may need more or less flour depending on how much grease you sausage made. You want it smooth and somewhat thick but, not so thick it turns to dough. (I’ll take a picture and update this section the next time I make it)

5. Let it cook until it starts to turn brown, stirring often so it doesn’t burn.

6. A little at a time, add your milk. Stir it well each time you pour some in. At first it will get thick very fast… don’t panic. Just keep adding milk and stirring.

7. Heat on medium a few more minutes but do not let boil.

8. Add salt & Pepper to your taste, return the sausage to the pan, lower temperature to low and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

If it is too thick add a little more milk. If it is not thick enough you can add about 1 TBS corn starch to 1/4 cup milk or cold water (mix it up good) and stir it into your gravy 7 turn your heat back to medium. It will thicken as it heats up.

GOOD LUCK! It took me a while to get it…

If it turns out great and you don’t want to do all that work every time… Double or triple the recipe and freeze some.

To freeze gravy:

1. Let the gravy cool completely.

2. Pour into a freezer bag. (write description and date on bag BEFORE filling)

This is my little trick to getting liquid into a freezer bag

3. Zip up the freezer bag really well. make sure you get all the air out.

4. Lay the bag flat on a cookie sheet and freeze. This will give you more space in the freezer

I have some in my freezer now ready for our next camping trip!

Homemade Laundry Soap….Is it worth the trouble? March 22, 2012

In my opinion….YES!

Laundry Soap:

Purex: $7.97

Tide (150 oz.): $17.97

Homemade: $7.62 (And you only have to buy the washing soda and borax when you first start. They will make MANY MANY batches!)

Fels Naptha: $1.00 (one bar makes 3 batches)

Borax: $3.38

Arm & Hammer Washing Soda: $3.24

What you will need:

1 bar grated Fels Naptha soap I LOVE the smell of this stuff!)

 

5 gallon bucket

 

1 cup washing soda (Again, Arm and Hammer)

 

1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax

 

4 1/2 gallons water

 

Put grated Fels Naptha in saucepan and cover with some of the water. Heat on low until dissolved. Fill bucket 1/2 way with hot water and soap mixture.  Add 1 cup washing soda and 1 cup borax and mix well (I used my husbands drill with mud mixing attachment). Add more water until it reaches near the top of the bucket (mix again). As it cools, it will thicken (if it gets too thick for your taste, add more water). I believe this makes about 5 gallons… So have your recycled milk or o.j. jugs ready to go!
If mixture becomes too thick, add hot water to thin it to desired consistency. May be used immediately. Mix well before each use. Use 1/2 to 1 cup per load (depending on size of load).

It does tend to separate a little in the jugs as it sits. I just shake it up before pouring into the wash.

 

This detergent does not make suds so MANY say it is perfectly safe for the new HE washers…. I wouldn’t know. I still have the old fashion kind

 

I made my first batch about a month ago…

 

 

and I STILL have PLENTY (about 3 gallons) left! And I even gave some away.

 

My husband is so proud that I am saving so much money and he is even more proud that I used the drill to mix it all by myself Our clothes are CLEAN and smell GREAT!

So YES YES YES…. I think it is worth the work!

I have googled MANY different homemade laundry soaps, fabric softener, and cleaning supplies. Since I did this before I decided to start a Blog, I did not keep the link to all of the pages I got my info from I will from now on though. i always want to give credit where it is due! I can tell you that my laundry soap and fabric softener recipes came from Jillee @ http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/  (I LOVE her Blog!). I do tend to change a recipe sometimes to fit my needs.

***Disclaimer: I am not responsible for anything that happens from using these recipes or suggestions (except for making you smile!). These are my own opinions and you can try them out at your own risks. They have all been completely safe for my family.***

Please let me know if you try it or have a different recipe that you love!

I can’t wait to tell you about my homemade fabric softener!!! Until nap time tomorrow….TTFN!