Upcycle Aldi food boxes into FREE storage bins!!!!

I was looking for pretty storage bins at IKEA, Target, etc. but i couldn't find what I liked for under $7 a bin. One day I was shopping for groceries and thought those boxes are just the perfect size. So, I decided to upcycle some boxes from Aldi. I don't know about you, but FREE is my favorite price (one I just can't refuse ;)

First I hot glued designs onto the box.

Second I spray painted them burgundy.

Third I lightly sprayed on a gold top coat.

Voila! When the kids break them or rip them I can do it again!

Healthy Green Eggs : no artificial food dyes

My kids love when I make them green eggs and ham, but I am really diligently trying to remove food dyes from our diet. This morning I was scouring our pantry for options and my eyes fell on our large container of organic spinach. I put the eggs in the blender (1 per person) and then added 1-2 cups of fresh leaf spinach and blended. I cooked it in a skillet normally and sprinkled on a bit of cheddar cheese. If you are wondering about taste, it really didn't change the taste much at all. The color kind of weirded me out, but I just tried not to stare at it!!!! The kids thought it was like a monster smoothie and asked for 2nds and 3rds. In the end, The kids loved it and I felt great about serving it to them!

Almond yogurt: FAIL

Well I promised to be honest even if I (sniff, sniff) fail. The almond milk yogurt I tried did fail. I did it exactly as the cow milk yogurt and it never set up during the incubation phase. I poured off a ton of water and continued to incubate it and it got slightly better. I blended it to make it less clumpy, then refrigerated it overnight. It looked MUCH better in the morning, tasted ok, but my dairy free daughter said it tasted funny so I threw it out not to take any chances. Let me know if any of you have any luck and I will keep on trying!

How to make Homemade Yogurt

 

I have to admit I thought about this one for at least 2 years.  I checked into the fancy yogurt makers and kits, but everytime I got ready to buy one I got cold feet.  I really didn't want to make a huge investment into more kitchen equipment I don't have time, money or space for.  Greek yogurt is a staple in this house.  We run out of it every 4 to 5 days and I buy it by the dozen single serve fruit flavor packs and by the quart in the plain or vanilla variety.  Recently I decided to look at creating it from home again, but this time I took the plunge.  I spent a few weeks researching the hows and ways and landed on the easiest and cheapest.  If you follow the directions it is a NO FAIL way to make yogurt without ANY investment into new stuff for your kitchen. 

 

The best way I could describe the taste is fresh yogurt vs. commercial brands is like fresh bread from the oven vs. store bought.  The cost breakdown is $.29 per oz. for store bought vs. $.05 homemade per oz.   If I haven't convinced you yet, it is only 2 ingredients: milk (ANY KIND!!!!) and a starter yogurt with live/active bacteria cultures.  That is it!  No crazy chemicals or preservatives, just milk and yogurt. 

 

Here is the how to:

 



Ingredients
• 1/2 gallon milk - whole or 2% are best, but any milk will work (i.e. coconut, almond, soy, or skim)
• 1/2 cup commercial yogurt - be sure that the yogurt contains active cultures

1. Heat the Milk - In your saucepan or dutch oven, heat the milk to right below boiling, 200°F. Stir the milk gently as it heats to make sure the bottom doesn't scorch and the milk doesn't boil over. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, this heating step is necessary to change the protein structure in the milk so it sets as a solid instead of separating.  You are also killing off the bad bacteria so that only to good bacteria grows during the incubation period.

2. Cool the Milk - Let the milk cool until it is just hot to the touch, 112°F - 115°F. This goes faster if you set the pan over an ice bath in the kitchen sink and gently stir the milk.

3. Inoculate the Milk - Pour about a cup of the warm milk into a small bowl and whisk it with the yogurt. Once it's smooth, whisk this back into the pan of milk. ( I didn't do it like this, I just whisked it into the pan all at once and mine turned out just fine.)

4. Incubate the Yogurt - Now comes the long wait period where the milk actually transforms into yogurt. The trick is keeping the milk around 110°F until it has set, usually 4-6 hours. Commercial incubating equipment is handy for maintaining a consistent temperature, but not necessary.  First, warm the oven to about 115° (an oven thermometer helps to know when the oven is heated). Put the lid on the dutch oven or saucepan with your inoculated milk and wrap the whole pot in a few layers of towels. These will insulate the pot and keep it warm. Set this bundle in the warmed (but turned off!) oven and set the timer. It's important not to jostle the milk too much as it's incubating so that it sets properly - the temptation to peek is so hard to resist!  (I did peak and even removed it warmed it, rewrapped it and put it back and it worked just fine.)


The longer the yogurt sits, the thicker and more tangy it will become. Check it around the 4-hour mark and give it a taste. The texture should be creamy, like a barely-set custard, and the flavor will be tart yet milky. If you like it, pull it out. If you'd like it tangier, leave it for another hour or two. It would be good to make yogurt overnight, putting it in the oven around midnight and taking it out when you get up in the morning should be about right.  It really is easier than you think to maintain the temperature without a fancy yogurt machine.  There are many different ways to do it (like in a crock pot or with a heating pad) so, I suggest you do your own research before you begin. 



5. Cool the Yogurt - If you cool the yogurt in the same container you incubated it in, you should end up with a smoother end result. Once it's completely chilled, transfer it to air tight containers for easier storage. Sometimes there will be a film of watery whey on top of the yogurt. You can strain or pour this off or just stir it back into the yogurt. Yogurt lasts about two weeks in the refrigerator.

I used pint mason jars and it was perfect, and nothing to transfer!  Then, I can add different flavors with fruit preserves or leave it plain for cooking without disturbing the other jars. 

Homemade yogurt taunted me with the fear of opening the jar and seeing (and smelling) something that would resemble a 2 week old sippy cup found under the couch with what looked like the cheese touch from Diary of a Wimpy Kid!!!  What helped me decide to finally do it was reading a comment from a blogger that said "If you wouldn't try it, just throw it out and start over."  I thought, well if a little milk and a starter yogurt are all I am wasting, I am willing to try it!


Most of all have fun trying it. I really did feel accomplished by finally conquering this recipe! There are so many blogs and how to's out there, check them out!

(This is the blog I followed for my first try: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-yogurt-at-home-125070)

Roasted and Candied Pumpkin Seeds

One of the advantages of carving a pumpkin is having the seeds as a treat too! Pumpkin pie pumpkins have sweeter seeds, but you can do this with any seeds.

 

Ingredients:

seeds from a pumpkin

1 Tbsp of butter or coconut oil

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. white sugar

dash of salt

 

Remove the seeds from a pumpkin or two, rinse off the pulp and boil in a sauce pan of water for 10 minutes; drain.  Dry off the seeds with a paper towel and place back into sauce pan.  Add the butter or coconut oil, brown sugar and spices.  Cook and stir, coating well for a few minutes.  Spread into a cookie or baking pan.  Roast at 425 for 15 minutes, watch carefully and turn down heat if it starts to burn.  (The burnt ones taste like popcorn :)  Remove from oven and let cool for 3 minutes. 

 

They are VERY HOT, so be careful. 

 

Do not let them completely cool or you will not be able to remove them from the pan after hardening.  Sprinkle them with salt and white sugar.  Remove them onto a glass plate or tray and enjoy! 

We break them apart like peanut brittle.

Pumpkin Pie from a pumpkin (dairy free, too :)

 

Homemade pumpkin pie from a pumpkin (not a can) is something everyone should try making at least once. It isn't nearly as difficult as one would think. I even had success with it as a dairy free recipe.

Here is my very simple and extremely tasty recipe:

 

Ingredients

2 pie crusts

1 pie pumpkin (the small ones not the carving kind)

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup milk (almond, cow, or evaporated all work great)

1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. vanilla

whipped cream: optional, and highly recommended

 

Slice the pumpkin, scoop out pulp and seeds.  Then roast in a pan of water in the oven at 350 for 35 minutes, or steam slices in a steamer until soft. 

Set aside to cool. 

 

Prepare pie crusts.  Peal off the skin of pumpkin and place in food processor or blender.  Add eggs, milk and spices and puree.  Pour into pie crusts and bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 350 and bake another 30-35 minutes until the center is done.  Remove from oven and serve with whipped cream.

 

There is something very wonderful about eating a pumpkin pie from a pumpkin!  Yes, it adds a step, but you will feel like you accomplished something special and can justify a second piece! 

 

You also will have pumpkin seeds you can roast....that recipe is next!

Homemade Honey Lemon and Orange Cough Syrup

A few summers ago I was on vacation with the family. The morning after a miserable night in the hotel with coughing kids, I was up and into an Urgent Care. The doctor on call asked me if I had heard of the benefits of natural honey for coughs? I hadn't but LOVE the natural approach to just about everything so was of course all ears! He gave me a packet of studies to read up on about the overwhelming evidences for natural honey being more effective than every single over the counter AND prescription cough medicine. I went to the nearest Farmer's Market and bought some honey. We were able to sleep that night and I have used honey for coughs ever since. This year I decided to up the attack on coughing and am trying an all natural cough syrup with raw honey as it's base. It takes about 10 minutes, quicker than I can get in and out of Walgreens, and makes 1.5 pints of syrup. The total cost here is about $9. Here is my recipe and how to do it.

 

Ingredients:

1 pt. of raw honey

1 orange

1 lemon

1/2 cup water

 

 

Slice the orange and lemon.  Boil in water for 5 minutes to soften the skin and release the pulp.  I mashed mine slightly with a plastic spoon.

 

 

Let the lemon and oranges sit in the water to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, then strain.

 

Pour liquid into clean and sterilized jars.

(My ratio is about 1/3 liquid to 2/3 honey, or 30% to 70%.  Most recipes recommend not exceeding 50% water to 50% honey)

 

 Mix well and store covered in the fridge for as long as you would normally keep honey around.  (For me it is 3-6 months, perfect for cold season)

For Adults use, 1Tbs; children 50 pounds and over, 1 tsp; and children under 50 pounds, ½ tsp. May be taken four times a day or as needed. 

You can also drink it in a cup of herbal tea as a nice way to soothe your throat and quiet your cough.

*This is recipe and blog is not intended to replace medical advice.  Always talk to your doctor and discuss medical treatment, including home remedies, before use.

Some noteworthy notes:

* *DO NOT use honey for children under two years of age - there is a microorganism in honey, which is otherwise harmless for children age two and older, that can sometimes make infants ill because of their young digestive system. Alternatives include brown rice syrup, barley, and organic fruit syrups; as substitutions in the recipes use the same amount as honey.

* DO USE all natural raw honey if at all possible.  It takes a little effort to find a good source, but is well worth your time.  Natural raw honey is full of wonderful antibacterial properties and has been used for thousands of years for it's health benefits.  Recent studies have shown the unusual antibacterial activity of honey, leading to a greater understanding of the ability of honey to kill pathogenic bacteria through several different mechanisms. In studies, honey was effective against many different drug resistant bacteria.

**DO NOT boil, microwave, or overheat your honey as it kills the good stuff in it and changes it's properties. (Think about it like you would the good bacterias in yogurt ;)

*DO Learn more about honey as a medicine.  There are many many resources out there and reliable studies to read on the use of natural honey.  Take the time to educate yourself so that you can make wise health choices for your family.

Learn more:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/honey/AN01799

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/honey-eases-childrens-coughs-study-shows/2012/08/27/2ed5b478-6a22-11e1-acc6-32fefc7ccd67_story.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7419158n

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/08/06/honey-may-ease-nighttime-coughing-in-kids/