Crockpot Jambalaya

I made this for the second time tonight and it was just as good as the first time. Spicy and flavorful, and the whole family loved it! Last time I kept some in the freezer (in individual Tupperware containers) and pulled them out when we were out of ideas for lunch. They tasted even better over time! This round I think we will eat it too fast to freeze. I made this specifically because we are fighting colds and the spice just seemed logical, it really opens up the sinuses!

Borrowed from: http://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/slow-cooker-jambalaya/ (found on Pinterest)

• 1 package andouille sausage (they don't have this at my store, I just used Hillshire brand turkey sausage)

• ½ pound uncooked shrimp (peeled and de-veined)

• 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded to even thickness (I didn't pound it...oh well)

• 3 bell peppers (one each of green, red, and yellow or orange), diced

• 1 white or yellow onion, diced

• 2-3 jalapeños, seeds and stems removed (I used 1 jalapeño and 1 other of some other pepper I picked out...it was hot, that's all I knew! I also kept the seeds for extra spice)

• 1½ cups uncooked white rice (I used 2 cups instant)

• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth

• 1 30-ounce can crushed tomatoes

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (I chopped up 2 cloves fresh garlic)

• 3 tablespoons cajun seasoning

• ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper, or to taste

• cilantro or parsley, for topping (optional) (I didn't use this)

1. Slice sausage into sections (about ¼ inch thick slices). Remove tails from shrimp if they are still on. Chop chicken into 1-inch pieces.
2. Add sausage, chicken, bell peppers, jalapeños, chicken broth, tomatoes, minced garlic, cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper to greased slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on low. Stir in rice and cook another 1-2 hours until rice is fully cooked and tender*
3. About 20 minutes before serving, uncover slow cooker, stir in shrimp, re-cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes.* Stir contents of slow cooker, sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley if desired, and serve hot.

* because I used instant rice, I added the rice and shrimp at the same time (after 3 hours) and cooked on low for 30 minutes, which turned out perfect

Healthy Living Tip: Around the Kitchen

Over the past few years, I have tried new ways to save money, be more healthy (reducing chemical products), and help the environment where I can. A while back, I shared about my love of using coconut, baking soda, and vinegar, all of which I still use. Since then, I've added a few things around the house that I share with people as often as I can and have been wanting to add here. I will start with tips around the kitchen.

Dish Detergent: For the dishwasher, it is very easy to make your own mix. I use 1 cup Borax, 1 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup kosher salt, and (believe it or not) 5 packets of Kool-Aid lemonade mix .When I first started doing this, I bought citric acid (found with the canning supplies) as suggested by one site. It worked just fine but that was the most expensive ingredient and had other chemicals with it. I read another site that suggested the lemonade mix (which has citric acid in it) and its been great! I can deal with $1 for all the packets and seemed less "potent" compared to the other stuff I was buying. I also started adding 1 cup of dry detergent with it, which just makes it all last a bit longer and adds a little "umph." I need to make this mix once every 3 weeks or so and the Borax and washing soda is also used to make my laundry detergent (post coming soon). I re-purpose a used coffee can to add it all together, shake it up to mix, then just pour into the detergent tray.

Oven Cleaning: Recently we decided it was finally time to clean our oven, yuck. That thing was GROSS. I knew there had to be a better way than that nasty chemical stuff you poison the house with and we don't have a fancy self-cleaning oven. Once again, baking soda and vinegar to the rescue! Make a paste with baking soda and water and, using rubber gloves, spread it all over the inside of the oven. If your oven is like mine (was), it will all turn a nasty brown color as it is soaking up all that grime. Let it sit over night or at least a long extended period of time. Use a spray bottle of white vinegar (we always have a bottle mixed with water ready to go for various uses) to spray down the oven. This will loosen up the now caked-on baking soda and will mix with it to do its foaming magic. Use a sponge, cloth, old toothbrush, or whatever you'd like to use to scrub and wipe it all away. We had to repeat this a few times and the oven isn't perfect but looks so much better...and no nasty chemicals to do it.

Trash Cans: People are usually surprised when we tell them we don't use trash can liners. One trick we've learned, to avoid extra messy trash cans, is using an old coffee can and/or used bag (bread bags, produce bags, etc) to collect grimy stuff like used coffee filters, banana peels, vegetable peelings, and sticky stuff. We throw out the gross stuff about every other day and the actual trash can probably once a week or so. Once in a while, maybe every 3 weeks at most, we need to wash and rinse out the trash can. To me, this process is well worth not using plastic to fill up our landfills more than they already are.

Fresh veggies: I used to think that buying fresh fruits and vegetables was more expensive and that frozen and canned was the way to go. However, especially the more I cook fresh meals, the more I realize that fresh is actually very inexpensive. For lunches, I buy bulk carrots and broccoli heads (I'm lucky that my son loves broccoli!) and just fix them up for a yummy veggie baggie. Peeling and cutting fresh carrots takes a bit of time of course but they actually taste way better than the slimy baby carrots that come in bags. Currently, we are also on a potato kick. Buying a big bag of potatoes is just a few bucks and I use them for homemade fries, baked potatoes, and breakfast potatoes. We also always have fresh spinach available. A bulk of spinach costs about $1, versus the container of prepared spinach for at least three times that! Again, it takes a bit of prep work to cut the stems, wash and dry them but totally worth the savings.

Buying Bulk: If your grocery store doesn't sell in bulk bins, find one that does quick! Around here, WinCo is fantastic and Fred Meyer (a Kroger brand) also has an aisle. At WinCo, I buy bulk oatmeal, pasta, flour, sugar, baking soda, granola, chocolate chips...you name it. Some of these will save you money buy going bulk and others are about the same as in the aisle but then you're not using extra packaging (you can reuse the bags for the trash as described above!). And a bonus to buying bulk is that you only need to buy what you actually need. Sometimes a recipe calls for an ingredient that you will only use once, or at least once before it goes bad. Bring your measuring cup and buy exactly what is needed! This is especially wonderful for spices...

Spices: How many times have you bought that big jar of a spice for $5, only to use it once? I remember buying a jar of bay leaves and I think I used one or two. Now, I can buy what I need from the bulk bin and literally spend pennies! I have a set of airtight containers that my sister-in-law gave to me after getting a new set and I now use them for a collection of bulk spices I've picked up here and there and my garlic. I have other ones for my baking soda and brown sugar (both bought in bulk).

Tupperware and Ziploc: While I do use Tupperware containers for leftovers and lunches, I also re-purpose used cottage cheese, butter, Cool Whip, etc containers for this purpose. They work great! Usually I will pack my lunch with these and then not feel guilty if I just recycle them at work, less mess to bring back home. If I can, I will use them more often but I tend to collect so many of these I don't need to! I also wash and re-use Ziploc bags as often as possible. I feel better about spending a bit more on the brand name and re-use them rather than buying cheap and needing to throw them away after one use.

Used Coffee Cans: I've described various ways of re-purposing coffee cans above. We drink a lot of coffee so I try to re-use these as often as I can! A few other things I use them for are: bulk flour and sugar, Goldfish crackers (we bought a big stock of them at Costco), and laundry detergent (post coming soon). You could also use them for planting flowers and herbs but I haven't tried that yet.

Glass Jars: We have stocked up our drink-ware cupboard with re-purposed glass jars. It is amazing how many you can collect! Ours have mainly come from pasta sauce and jelly jars. Simply soak your jar in hot water to loosen the glue on the label, peel it off, wash, then re-use! As a bonus, when we had a big storm approaching and expected to lose power, we filled up a bunch of these with tap water and topped them with the lids we saved. While everyone else was rushing to stock up on bottled water, we were ready with no money spent.

Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice

This was a big hit with everyone! It was easy and a good way to add some broccoli to the diet 😀 Admittedly, not the healthiest with all the sodium-packed soups, sour cream and cheese but still a great dish.

From Picky Palate:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 14 ounce can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 14 ounce can Cheddar Soup
• 14 ounces Chicken Broth
• 1/2 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 6 cups steamed broccoli florets (Boiled in hot water for 3 minutes then drained) *I picked up a couple of the frozen, steamable bags
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
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• Place soups, chicken broth, Cajun and garlic salt into a crockpot over low heat.  Whisk until smooth.  Add chicken, pressing to the bottom. Cover lid and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. *I mixed everything in a bowl, put the chicken in and poured the soup, etc over. I did this because I used a crockpot liner so whisking in the bag would have been tricky. 
• 
  
• When chicken is cooked, use 2 forks to shred into bite size pieces.  Stir in sour cream and broccoli.
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• Serve over steamed rice and sprinkle with cheese if desired (the cheese adds a lot, I recommend it! I grated from a large block. Adding pepper was a nice extra touch as well.) 

Honey Mustard Baked Chicken

I made this for the second time and am reminded just how good (and easy) this is! The first time I followed the recipe to the "T" except using breast. This time I had frozen tenderloin so I thawed some in the microwave. I also used onion powder instead of fresh onion and dried rosemary instead of fresh sprigs. I couldn't tell a difference. Best part, I had all the ingredients on hand!

Taken from: http://www.goodlifeeats.com/easy-honey-mustard-baked-chicken

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup of grainy, course mustard (aka Grey Poupon)
1/4 cup smooth dijion mustard
1/2 cup honey
3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 of a small yellow onion, diced (or onion powder)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
salt and pepper
3 - 4 small sprigs of fresh rosemary (or dried rosemary)

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, combine the mustards, honey, and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. (I forgot about the olive oil the second time and didn't notice a difference)

In a sauté pan or cast iron skillet (if you don't have a cast iron yet...get one!), add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 1 - 2 minutes, until fragrant. (I just did the garlic here)

Place the chicken tenderloins on top of the onion and garlic mixture, or if the pan you cooked the onion and garlic in is not oven safe, transfer the onion and garlic to an oven safe dish and add the chicken to it. Salt and pepper the tops of the chicken according to your personal preference. (I sprinkled on the onion powder with the salt and pepper)

Pour the honey mustard mixture on top of the chicken. Arrange the rosemary sprigs around the chicken in the pan. (Or sprinkle the Rosemary. Tip: if you rub the dried rosemary with your hands as you sprinkle on, it releases the fragrance...or so I've read)

Bake the chicken covered at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes (I used aluminum foil to cover). Then remove the cover, baste the chicken with the sauce, and continue to cook for an additional 20 - 30 minutes uncovered, or until the chicken is browned on top and cooked through (it only took 20 min for me). 

It is delicious served over rice! I pour some of the sauce over the top for extra moisture and so it soaks into the rice. This is also paired well with greens like asparagus, broccoli, or spinach salad. 

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

In the last post for Zucchini Parmesan, I mentioned how I wanted to find more uses for zucchini. I found this recipe and, OMG, soooooo good! At first, I was just going to make it easy on myself and just buy marinara sauce but I decided to try out theirs and I'm so glad I did! It was very easy, especially since I had all the spices on hand, and tasted amazing. I even used the leftovers later!

Taken from:  http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/2015/04/stuffed-zucchini-boats.html 

4 large zucchini (makes 8 boats)

1 lb lean ground beef 

1 lb ground sausage

2 tsp crushed garlic (I just minced by hand)

2  cups grated Mozzarella cheese (I just used shredded from a bag)

¹/₂  cup Parmesan cheese (calls for grated from the can, but I used shredded that I get at Trader Joes)

2 tbsp coconut flour (use this for sure because it helps to soak up the moisture from the zucchini)

Easy Marinara Sauce:

14 oz canned, finely diced tomatoes, OR fresh, chopped tomatoes 

1 tsp salt

¹/₂  tsp dried basil 

¹/₂  tsp dried oregano 

¹/₂  tsp dried thyme 

¹/₄  tsp black pepper 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp.  Chop pulp finely and set aside.

Marinara Sauce:  In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, salt, basil, oregano, thyme and pepper. 

Boats: In large frying pan, over medium heat, cook ground beef, sausage meat and garlic until browned and cooked through.  Pour off fat, if necessary. Stir in ¹/₂  cup Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese, plus 1 cup of the reserved zucchini pulp and coconut flour.  Now stir in the Marinara Sauce. Use the remainder of the pulp in a veggie stir-fry, if desired.  Stuff the zucchinis and place on greased cookie sheet.  Bake 40 minutes.  Cover with 1 cup Mozzarella cheese.  Bake another 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted and zucchini are getting quite soft.  Cover with the remaining ¹/₂  cup Mozzarella cheese and bake another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the zucchinis are completely soft to the tip of a sharp paring knife.

Zucchini Parmesan

I've been wanting to find ways to use zucchini since I know it's good for us but I'm just not clever enough to buy some some and cook it up. But this was really good and didn't need a lot of prep work.

Taken from: http://acozykitchen.com/zucchini-parmesan 

3-4 zucchini

Coarse salt

1 cup flour

Olive oil

2/3 cup of your favorite tomato sauce

1 large ball fresh mozzarella (I just cut up some string cheese we had in the fridge!)

Small handful of basil leaves, roughly torn (I bought a small container of fresh leaves)

3/4 finely grated Parmesan (it's not finely grated but I love the containers they sell at Trader Joes)

Slice the zucchini into about 1/3" discs. Sprinkle slices with a small pinch of coarse salt on each side.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Lightly dredge the zucchini slices in the flour. Heat 1/4″ of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When a pinch of flour sizzles on contact, add the zucchini slices in a single layer, turn the heat to medium-high and cook for about one and a half minutes on each side or until dark golden brown. Drain the zucchini on paper towels and repeat in batches until all of your zucchini it is cooked, adding more oil as necessary.

In a 13″ x 9″ baking dish (or cast iron skillet), arrange as many slices of zucchini as can fit snugly in a single layer. Top each slice with a small spoonful of tomato sauce, a few small pieces of torn mozzarella, a bit of basil and a dusting of parmesan. Continue the layers, evenly distributing all the ingredients, until everything is used up.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cheese is melting and bubbling and the house smells divine

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Nice and easy...and amazing flavor!

1 (5 pound) pork butt roast
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (12 fluid oz) can beer (I used Alaskan white wheat ale.  Apparently you can use root beer as well)
1 (12 oz) bottle barbecue sauce (I used Stubbs Sticky Sweet, has all natural ingredients)

Place the pork in the slow cooker, season top of pork with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder (I just sprinkled away, not measuring).  Pour the beer into the bottom of the slow cooker and place lid.

Cook on high for 1 hour.  Reduce heat to low and cook for at least 8 hours or overnight (with our new crockpot, we did 7 hours).

Remove pork from the slow cooker and shred with two forks (I sort of forgot to remove it but really, it just fell apart with a meat fork so not sure I could have removed it if I tried!).  Discard juices and rinse out slow cooker crock (I ladled the juices out and into a strainer to catch the meat to add back in.  Doing this, I didn't get all the juices but it was ok.  A little juicer at the end but no complaints there!).  Return pork to slow cooker and stir barbecue sauce into pork.

Cook on medium for 1 hour (ours doesn't have medium so I did low for an hour).

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-beer-pulled-pork/ 

Crock Pot French Dip Sandwhiches

Nice and easy recipe with delicious results!

1 lg onion, quartered and sliced (I used about 1 tblspn of powdered onion)
1 beef roast, bottom round, rump, or other lean cut, about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds
1/4 cup water
1/4 dry white wine (or use 1/2 cup water total - what I did)
1 package au jus gravy mix
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
dash garlic powder
sandwich rolls or French bread

Place onion in slow cooker (I about covered the bottom).  Place roast on the onions.

In a bowl, stir together wine and water (or all water), au jus mix, pepper, and garlic powder.  Pour over roast.

Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours or on low 10 to 12 hours, or until meat is very tender.
Note: we bought a Hamilton Beach programmable cooker and only took about 4 hours on high.  I highly recommend this crock pot!

Remove meat from liquid (it FELL apart! It was awesome!) and let stand for 5 minutes (yeah right, we just dove right in).  Slice roast thinly across grain (again, it fell apart, no cutting needed!).

Make sandwiches on bread with meat and onions (we used mozzarella cheese but provolone would work well too.  We did not do onions but will be trying it with green peppers and maybe caramelized onion next time).

Serve the cooking liquid for dipping (yes.  do this.)


Source: http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotpotroast/r/bl83c14.htm

Banana Bread

My family goes through bananas like no other!  Sometimes, they brown quicker than we can eat them.  What do you do with ripe bananas?  Make banana bread!  I always make the classic bread loaf but you can add nuts, chocolate chips, or any other fun addings you enjoy and/or make it into muffins if you'd like!  Most recipes I've found don't call for cinnamon but I like to add about 1/4 tsp to the mix and sprinkle some on top as well.  Spreading melted butter and a cinnamon-sugar mix on top just before its done is great too.

Here is an easy recipe I follow:
2-3 very ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (3/4 cup if you want a little less)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 350 and butter/oil a loaf pan

In a medium mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork (I use a mashing tool) until smooth.  Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.

Mix in the baking soda and salt.  Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla.  Mix in the flour (this is where I add cinnamon).

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour (check after 45-50 minutes and adjust if necessary).  To check: insert a toothpick into the center - if it comes out clean, its done.

Cool completely on a rack before serving (although we like to eat before its cool and add butter!).

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Shallot Sauce

I found this recipe in People magazine forever ago and, on a whim, tried it.  It was surprisingly easy and, not surprisingly (given the ingredients), delicious!  I am writing the directions directly from the recipe with my notes.

I prepared my chicken the night before so that my husband could just put them in the oven at dinner time before I got home.  I also made the sauce the night before and heated it up in the microwave when serving it.  My guess is that it would have been better fresh rather than this way but a great alternative as it takes a while to prepare (well, at least when you have hungry boys waiting!)

8oz. goat cheese, softened (I used crumbled from a container and only needed probably 2oz)
4 (6-oz) boned and skinned chicken breasts (I used 6 frozen tenderloins, thawed in the microwave enough to cut into them)
Salt, pepper to taste
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (I just sprinkled on some dried leaves, enough to make it look pretty)
20 (2x6-in) slices prosciutto (I bought packages of 6 and used 12 total, 2 for each tenderloin)
2 tbsp olive oil (I used coconut oil, probably about 2 tbsp...?)
2-3 shallots, thinly sliced (I bought two and only used 1.  It was the first time I've used shallot so I didn't want to overdo the taste.  Super cheap by the way!)
1/2 cup each white wine, chicken broth and reduced-fat milk
1 tbsp flour

Preheat oven to  350 degrees.

Chicken:
Cut lengthwise pocket in each breast and stuff goat cheese in pockets.  Season breasts as desired with salt, pepper, and thyme.  Wrap prosciutto evenly around breasts (I forgot to season the first three before wrapping and just seasoned the outside of the prosciutto instead - oops!  I don't think it affected the taste).

Bake in a lightly greased 9x13-in baking dish for 15-25 minutes or until thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 165 degrees and juices run clear (yeah, too complicated for me - I cut into a thick one to make sure the chicken was cooked).

Sauce:

(I recommend having everything ready to go before starting this.  I tried to get it together as I went and felt rushed and afraid of burning something!)

Cook shallots in hot oil in skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often (so they don't burn), 2-3 minutes.  Add wine and broth; bring to a boil.

Whisk together milk and flour; whisk into broth mixture.  Return mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes until sauce thickens (it thickens a lot once you take it off the heat so don't worry about it being thick after 8 minutes).  

Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with additional pepper.  

I served this with a small salad, a nice meal!  I should have taken a picture...I was hungry, sorry.

Cheesy Chicken in the Crock Pot

This one is from a tin of crock pot recipes and I hadn't made it in a while.  I've discovered that cooking overnight is best for me and especially with my older crock.  It turned out delicious and easy...and inexpensive. 

6 count or about 1 1\2 lbs chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can cheese sauce (from the soup isle)
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic (recipe calls for garlic powder but I minced fresh garlic)
Pasta, rice, or potatoes to serve over (I used rotini pasta)
Parsley

Lay half of the chicken at the bottom of the crock pot and season with salt, pepper, and garlic. Repeat with rest of the chicken.  Mix the soups in a small bowl and pour over the chicken.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Pour mixture over the pasta of your choice and sprinkle with parsley.

When ready, I mixed the chicken and sauce in the crock so that the chicken shredded as I mixed.  After I cooked and drained the pasta, I mixed it all together.

Next time I would like to add in some red pepper flakes to spice it up!

Feta and Cream Cheese Chicken

I love feta cheese to make Greek-inspired salads and omelets.  Problem is that I never seem to use it all.  I found a recipe where you use the below cheese mixture to stuff chicken breasts.  I had frozen chicken tenders so figured I would make my own creation!

1/4 cup feta cheese
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon (rough estimate) Italian seasoning*
1 teaspoon (rough estimate) fresh lemon juice**

I pan-seared 4 chicken tenders in coconut oil and sprinkled them with pepper.  While they browned, I mixed all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Once they were cooked, I used a spatula and basting brush to spread the mixture on top of the chicken and let it melt a bit on low heat.

I served it with fresh, uncooked asparagus and a little salad. Yum!

* the original recipe called for basil but I used this instead since I didn't have basil
** this was my own addition and added a nice touch I think

Tilapia, rice, and broccoli dinner

This might easily be the tastiest, easiest, and most "elegant" dinner I've made yet!  I am pretty proud :-)

We bought some frozen tilapia that I wanted to use up so I got creative, using a recipe on the bag...modified.  In a small bowl, I mixed a chopped roma tomato, chopped green pepper, dried onion flakes, garlic salt, black pepper, and olive oil. This was all eye-balled.  The recipe also called for cilantro and lime juice but I didn't have those. Would have been a nice touch but didn't need them.  At least a bit of lemon might have added some nice flavor.

On a sheet pan, I made a little shallow bowl with aluminum foil, put the tilapia down, then spread the mixture on top. I closed the bowl and baked them for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. 

While the fish was cooking, I made some white rice (I always just make the quick rice with a bit of butter and salt) and steamed fresh broccoli.  For the broccoli, I shredded cheddar cheese when it was nice and hot from the microwave and let it melt.  We use white cheddar seasoning for popcorn so I sprinkled that, salt, and pepper and shook it to mix. 

Side note: one of the handiest gadgets I have from Pampered Chef is the large micro-cooker, which is how I steamed, drained and mixed the broccoli!

This all came together in less than a half hour and even my 6 year-old ate it all!

Finding Wonderful with Coconut Oil, Baking Soda, and Vinegar

Rather than posting about a new recipe, I thought this time I would talk about my new craze: coconut oil, baking soda, and vinegar.  These products are inexpensive, versatile, and work great!  Here are some of my favorite uses...

Cooking:
Coconut oil serves as a great cooking oil.  I use it whenever I cook something in a pan: eggs, chicken, hamburger meat, boiling pasta, etc.  It leaves no taste and melts fast (at 76 degrees in fact). 

I also stir coconut oil into my oatmeal. I use the minute oats, about a teaspoon of coconut oil, some honey to sweeten, and fresh blueberries...so good!!

It is also possible to replace butter with coconut oil.  I tried this making "no bake" cookies but it just wasn't the same.  It wasn't bad...just not the same.  I like the butter we use so I'm not up for switching that out just yet. 

Skin care:
I unfortunately have dealt with toenail fungus for what seems like forever.  I also regularly develop athletes foot between two of my toes (the same two every time).  I used to use an athletes foot cream whenever it showed up and have just hid the toenail fungus with polish. I could have used various treatments to try and clear it up or spent hundreds of dollars on doctors to treat it...knowing that it may or may not even work.  But, guess what, coconut oil takes care of it!  It fights fungus naturally and softens your feet at the same time!  It rub it on my toe nails and in between my trouble toes twice daily.  I've noticed the fungus slowly going away and it keeps that nasty athletes foot at bay.  I've also been rubbing some on my heals to help with the dry, cracked skin that always happens in the summer.

After shaving, I rub coconut oil on my legs and bikini area.  It works great as a skin softener and helps with those nasty bumps in sensitive areas.  I also use it after plucking my eyebrows, the redness goes away almost instantly and no longer hurts.

For years I have been using an apricot scrub to clean my face.  I loved the grit because it feels like it cleaned my face well.  Now, I mix baking soda and water to make a paste, plus a few drops of lavender essence oil, and it works amazing!  I don't have a formula to give you, I just fill up a small Tupperware tub about 3/4 full of baking soda and slowly mix in some water until it forms a paste.  I make it a little more watery than a paste actually because after a few days, it forms a dry paste and I just mix in water from the shower until its back to how I want it again. 

Hair care:
I've been trying a few combinations to get my hair care regime just right.  You can use coconut oil in the shower as a conditioner but for me, it came out a bit too greasy.

Baking soda and water makes a great shampoo.  Weird right?  One tablespoon of baking soda mixed in 8oz water is all you need to clean your hair, not all this expensive stuff companies have been telling us all this time.  I mix it together in a measuring cup and pour it into a spray bottle.  To use it, shake up the bottle a bit and spray, making sure to get all over.  You don't need a lot but get it all on there and use your fingers to rub it in. 

For a conditioner, use the same formula (1 tablespoon and 8oz) of vinegar and water.  I use good ol' white vinegar but some say apple cider vinegar is better.  And, despite what you may think, you can't smell it after the shower.  Yes, you can smell it in the shower but once you rinse it out, the smell does not linger. 

I now wash my hair every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with this method.  You don't need to wash your hair any more than that and some people even wash less!  There is no icky residue left and it cleans so well that your hair still feels great the next day.  A side benefit to using them in the shower is that it also helps to clean your shower and tub, not make it worse!

I also stopped using product (mousse, gel, etc) and instead rub a bit of coconut oil on my hands and through my hair.  This works surprisingly well to hold my curls while keeping my hair soft. 

Personal care:
Mixing equal parts baking soda and coconut oil serves two purposes: toothpaste and deodorant.  Yes, its true!  I mix the two in another small Tupperware and keep it by the sink.  I use my finger to tab a bit on my toothbrush and add just a drop of regular toothpaste to get the minty flavor.  You can mix in some of your favorite mint essence oil but I figure I might as well use up my toothpaste I have lying around! 

For deodorant, just dab some on your fingers and rub it in your armpits.  I used this for the first time yesterday and went for a bike ride at about the hottest part of the day.  I was sweaty every where but my pits!  It did sting for about a half hour after applying but it goes away and is probably because of shaving.  I'm wondering if dabbing on some baby powder on top might help.

I keep another small Tupperware tub of plain coconut oil to use as lotion, hair product, and lip care.  I am addicted to lip gloss and chapstick so this is an ok supplement but doesn't quite feed the addiction (I know, pathetic). 

There is am ancient technique called "oil pulling" which you can use coconut oil, olive oil, vegetable oil, or whatever you like.  It is supposed to help with teeth and gum cleaning as well as any other mouth ailment you might have.  You simply swish a teaspoon of oil for 20 minutes before brushing then spit and rinse with water.  I tried it but can't do it for the full 20 minutes so switched to the homemade toothpaste and called it good.  Maybe I will try it again another time but it just wasn't for me. 

Home care:
One day I will make my own laundry detergent (its actually pretty easy to make) but for now I buy a large tub of store brand powder detergent and I've enjoyed the savings compared to liquid and have not noticed a difference in quality.  This week, I started using half detergent and half baking soda.  This cuts down on using the detergent so it lasts twice as long and my clothes are actually softer! 

I read that adding a half cup of vinegar during the rinse cycle acts a softener.  I tried this on a few loads but didn't see much of a difference. 

I've been sprinkling some baking soda over the dishes and at the bottom of the dishwasher.  It doesn't take a lot but seems to help get it all clean.  This also means that I don't need to use as much detergent. 

To wash my wood floors, I simply pour some vinegar (I don't measure, just pour until I think its enough - you don't' need a lot) into a sink of water.  I don't use a bucket but the same method applies.  It dries quick, doesn't smell, cleans great, and sanitizes the mop all at the same time!  I've been interested in adding some lemon juice as well. 

Final thoughts:
As you can see, I am pretty passionate about using coconut oil, baking soda, and vinegar!  I found the best place to shop for it all is Sam's Club.  I found a 54oz tub of coconut oil for about $12, a huge bag of baking soda for about $6, and two large jugs of vinegar for about $4.  All of this lasts quite a while so its a huge savings, especially considering how much I am also saving on the products that I've created instead of buying! 

There are lots of sites out there dedicated to do-it-yourself projects like these.  I haven't found one that I like over others but its an easy search to read more.  I encourage you to do your own search and try things yourself.  Its all about experimenting and seeing what is right for you.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, other projects you've tried, and new ideas!

Turkey & Cranberry Roll

Need something unique to use up the Thanksgiving leftovers?  This is one of a collection of fun "filling" recipes by Pampered Chef.  They give a few different ways to create a "shape" using crescent roll dough and you pick the filling.  We used this one for my first host party and have made it a few times since.

2 cups chopped cooked turkey (I cut up leftover pieces with the kitchen shears)
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese (I didn't have any Swiss this time so I just used mozzarella)
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries (I used good ol' canned whole cranberries I had for leftovers)
3 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley (fresh? ha! 1 tablespoon of dried parsley works fine)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard (I only had brown spicy mustard...good enough.  And I used a little more than 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon coarsley ground black pepper (I just used my pepper grinder shaker thing until I thought it was enough)
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine all ingredients (only 1 cup of the cheese) except for the egg and mix well.

Time to make the shape!  I used the wreath shape; here are some online instructions.  And here are some pictures of the book (All the Best).

Mine never looks that great but who cares, it all tastes the same in the end!

Once the shape is constructed, brush the egg white over the dough and sprinkle the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

I used to make this dish a lot with the Sam's Club brand chicken because the cans came with the recipe.  I have since lost the copy of the recipe but I conjured up my own version tonight and I think I got it spot on!  Easy, cheap, and delicious...my kind of meal  :-)

1 can chicken
1 4oz can green chilis, chopped
1 cup (approximate) of salsa verde or verde enchilada sauce
5-7 tortillas (depends on how stuffed you like your enchiladas!)
1 cup (approximate) heavy cream
2 cups (approximate) shredded cheese (I like monterey jack but you can use your favorite Mexican blend!)

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease the bottom of a shallow pan, about 10 x 14.

Mix the chicken, green chilis, and salsa together in a medium bowl, shredding the chicken as you mix.  Scoop portions of the mixture into the tortillas, fold, and place seam-side down into the pan.  Cover the stuffed tortillas with the heavy cream (I found cream by aMexican company, Cacique, famous for its cheeses, and it was a bit cheaper than good ol' heavy cream), enough to cover the tops completely.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until cream is bubbling.  Top with your desired amount of cheese and bake 5-10 minutes longer.

You top with some more of the salsa/enchilada sauce, (red) salsa, and/or sour cream to spice it up even more.  Serve with your favorite Mexican sides!

One version I read online include using a can of refried beans in the mixture - I am trying that next time!!

Easy Homemade Pizza Crust

Since discovering this receipe, we have been making a lot of pizza at home!  Its quick, easy, and much cheaper than buying crust or ready-made pizza. 

2 1/2 cups flour
2 3/4 tsp baking powder (or 1 1/4 tsp baking soda but eliminate salt)
1 tsp salt
1 tblspn oil (I use olive oil)
1 cup water

Mix dry ingrediants; add water and oil; stir into a ball.  Once is mixed and sticky, start kneading with your hands until it forms a good ball to roll into crust.  I use a pizza stone and spread a little oil so that it doesn't stick to the stone.  It also helps to flour the dough, rolling pin, and stone before rolling. 

To make the crust edges, roll the dough out just pass the edges and roll the ends in.  It takes some manipulating and practice to make a nice round crust; sometimes you have to make another ball and start over!

Bake the crust at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes before adding your toppings; bake again for about 10 minutes.

Some of our favorite fun additions:
* add italian seasoning and garlic salt (use less salt) to dry ingrediants (or any of your favorite seasonsings)
* for a BBQ chicken pizza, use your favorite BBQ sauce instead of pizza sauce and cooked chicken cut into small pieces
* slice string cheese length-wise and roll into crust edges

Broiled Lobster Tails

We were lucky to find some lobster tails on sale and took advantage.  The last time we tried lobster we boiled them...and failed.  I found a recipe on AllRecipes.com using spices and broiling in the oven...and scored!  I will list the recipe but our tails were a lot smaller than I think that recipe called for so I ended up wasting butter so just note to adjust based on the size of what you have; you only need enough to baste.
This mix brought an amazing taste to the lobster!
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon paprika
White pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Preheat oven on broil.
Use baking sheet (I lined with aluminum foil).
Cut tails along top, lengthwise, using shears.  To get to meat, I cut a thick line so meat was exposed.
Baste with melted butter and sprinkle with mixed spices.
Broil about 10 minutes until meat is opaque.

Everything Apple for Fall!

Haven't tried any of these recipes yet but plan to and will post! For now, check them out through link below:

Everything Apple for Fall!

Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a favorite that my mom used to make.  Perect for fall time and really easy.  All I needed to pick up was pumpkin!

1 can pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 tsp milk
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

In large bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg
In medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt
Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture along with dissolved baking soda; mix well
Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla
Drop by spoonful on baking sheet
Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes

Note: it can be difficult to tell when the cookies are ready.  I recommend baking the full 12 minutes, let them cool and try one to determine if they should be baked less or more.