My Husband Loves Me

and I love him!!!

He just earned an Amazon.com gift card through some online work and wanna know what he bought? Among other things, he surprised me with these:

Did you see that last one? A DEHYDRATOR! I'm soooo excited! :D The first thing I'm going to use it for is the Fish Jerky that Cara at Health Home & Happiness blogged about.

My husband knows me so well! I've mentioned each of these things a few times as things I'd like to own, but he honestly didn't consult me before making this order! Get ready for some super-inspired blogging!

I am an Amazon Associate. I will earn a commission for any purchases made through the links above.

Works For Me Wednesday: Potted Herbs

I just walked out onto the stoop in front of our apartment and picked enough basil and parsley for dinner. Those are really the only herbs feel like I need to use fresh, so that's what we have - one pot of herbs (with a few flowers thrown in for prettiness). Last year I had two big basil plants on the back balcony that gave us wonderful basil for pesto, but they didn't do well back there. You know what also works for me? Having my two year old water them. :)

Linked to Works for Me Wednesday.

Using Up Summer Produce

I love this season - there's almost TOO MUCH food to eat! Between farmer's market finds and produce from the gardens of friends, we are abundantly blessed. Only problem is, of course, that fresh produce quickly becomes something... other than fresh if not eaten.

Last Summer we bough a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share and were up to our eyeballs in beets and cauliflower mid-season. We decided to choose our own produce (so that we'll actually eat it) this year and we've still gotten enough tomatoes to give us ulcers. I've been making a mental list of the ways we use Summer produce and thought I'd share.

Tomatoes

tomato pie

soups

pastas

stuffed tomatoes

burgers/sandwiches

salsa

eggplant caviar

sliced into wedges with salt

Zucchini
brownies, bread, cookies
in place of lasagna noodles (I just use a potato peeler to slice)
add-in to spaghetti, stirfry, fried rice, quiche or fritatta, tomato pie

Corn

In stir fry and ramen

in tacos

in Southwestern Salad

If you're Japanese - on pizza!

Peppers & Onions
filler in just about any dish mentioned above

dice and freeze them for later

Cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, peppers, cherry tomatoes, celery, and any fruit work nicely together to make veggies trays like the one pictured above. Try sitting one out at snack time, or inviting guests over for a light lunch. Great for picnics and potlucks.

Make sure to save the ends and peels (and any leftovers that you don't want to serve again) for broths or composting.

What are your favorite Summer veggie-filled dishes?

Make it Yourself Monday - The "I'm Busy" Edition

I had a few things to write up, but they didn't go smoothly and I haven't had time to think up another post. That would be on account of the fact that we are BUYING OUR FIRST HOME!

We've been looking for a while. We found our house on Monday, made an offer on Tuesday, Our offer was accepted late Wednesday, we hired our replacements here at Hillcrest on Thursday, and now we are daydreaming and waiting for the loan to go through. We've done some window shopping and planning this weekend, and I've been generally too distracted to blog.

If YOU made anything yourself this week that you *did* have time to blog about though, by all means - link up!!

Make it Yourself Monday: Almond Milk

We aren't big milk drinkers. We'd prefer to drink whole, RAW cow or goats milk, but it's expensive and difficult to come by. About once a month we buy a half gallon of organic VAT pasteurized (lower temperature process than most) organic milk from the grocer, otherwise we go without.

I really like milk in my coffee, tea, cereal, and baked goods. None of those are essentials, but it's nice to have them on hand. I've purchased almond milk from the grocer a few times because its cheaper (especially with coupons) than our cows milk. I've also made coconut "milk" a few times for baked goods. This week I tried my hand at making my own almond milk from raw organic almonds.

I'm pleased to report that making almond milk at home is easy, frugal, and even tastier than almond milk from the store! Here's the method:

• Soak 1 cup of almonds overnight in water to reduce phytic acid. Salt may help reduce phytic acid - but its not necessary.

• In the morning (or after 8 or so hours), drain and rinse almond then combine them in a blender with 4 cups filtered water.

• Blend on high until it looks like the almonds are pretty pulverized - the longer the better.

• Strain the almond milk from the pulp over a bowl through a cheese cloth, mesh strainer, tea towel, etc. Make sure to squeeze all that you can out of the cloth.
• Serve and enjoy! It should last in your refrigerator for a week or so.

(Little man approves! Let's pretend those are homemade cheerios, k?)

Tips: You can save the pulp to use in baked goods or smoothies. Or dehydrate it an process it into almond flour! I plan to pt mine in the food processor with some flax meal and honey to make a crust for a butternut squash pie (a modified version of this pie).

You can also sweeten the milk (for drinking) by placing the strained milk back in the blender with a bit of honey and a few dates.

Check out this recipe for Almond-Coconut Milk - I'm trying it next time!

What have you been making yourself in lately? Link to your posts with recipes/ideas for making things at home instead of buying them at the store. Read details here if this is your first time participating.

"Sloppy Lentils" or "Lentil Joes?"

My husband objected to calling these "sloppy lentils" for some reason - he said it made them sound gross. Since they were most definitely not gross, he wants me to call them "lentil joes." Sounds like a coffee shop to me. *shrug*

Pantry-friendly and frugal, what else could you want? "MEAT!" Yells the husband. Don't mind him. :) These really are great for stretching the budget, and it really IS ok to go a meal without meat. :)

Lentil Joes - serves 5-6

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked lentils

1 med. onion, diced

6 oz. tomato paste

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Sauté onion until translucent in medium sized pot. Turn heat to low and add lentils, then the rest of the ingredients and stir until well mixed. Serve on buns.

Extra info:

• I just cooked a whole pound of lentils and froze the remainder, but 1 cup dry = roughly 3 cups cooked.
• If you don't have cooked lentils on hand already, soak them overnight with a tbsp or two of apple cider vinegar (reduces phytic acid) and cook them until tender the next day - give yourself an hour or two (the older they are, the longer they take to cook) before dinner needs to be served so you don't run out of time.
• Need ideas for leftover lentils? Try a Lentil Loaf or Honey Baked Lentils.

This post is linked to Meatless Mondays, Tuesday Twister, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, What's on Your Plate?, and Real Food Wednesday.

Naturally Knocked Up eCourse

Make it Yourself Monday will be back next week. I've been too busy to write this important post up so I'm taking my MIYM time instead.

Those of you who know me IRL (in real life) know that one of my biggest passions (I'd say in the top 3 - right up there with God and food) is family. My own family is immeasurably important of course, but I hope we can all say that. When I say family, I mean specifically the creation of families. I feel passionately, heart-stoppingly, sometimes ridiculously captivated by the events that bring people together as family.

I love engagements, I cry at every wedding, adoption stories - forgettaboutitimallmush, positive pregnancy tests make me literally jump for joy, the birth of new babies has to be the single most beautiful thing next to God's mercy that we can experience on this planet.

My soul aches for families that long for the joy of children and suffer the disappointed of being unable to conceive or the heartbreak of losing a child. I can only imagine the kind of pain these families go through. Standing alongside friends who have miscarried and dealt with infertility makes me even more passionate about the beauty and blessing of family.

The Naturally Knocked Up eCourse is a new resource for couples (and even singles!) who want to prepare themselves for bringing healthy children into the world, overcome infertility, deal with hormonal issues, or just educate themselves about the way food and our environment affects conception and pregnancy.

Donielle from Naturally Knocked Up experienced irregular cycles for years and was finally diagnosed with PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome). After lots of research and lifestyle changes, she's now a mommy of 2 and an inspiring blogger. Her always educated and encouraging posts are a wealth of information in and of themselves. This eCourse is all of her hard work in a concentrated format.

Here are a few things she has to say about the course, you can read the full description here.

"Over the last century or so, our health has radically changed. We’re suffering from chronic and degenerative diseases and becoming infertile at alarming rates. Our modern world is making us sick and most us us just don’t know what to do about it. So much of our traditional thinking of conception has changed. The world we live in is flooded with toxins from both the food we eat and the homes we live in. We no longer know what “real food” looks like. Infertility automatically means medicalizing conception.

It’s time to become empowered and reclaim your natural fertility and

have truly healthy babies.

This one-of-a-kind 12 week multi media course will be a breath of fresh air in an otherwise depressing world of unfortunate statistics. With these classes you will learn:

• How to cleanse your body of toxins
• Why common products you use may be contributing to your infertility
• What exercises can help you prepare your body for conception and pregnancy
• How to pin point ovulation
• What to eat…..and what not to eat
• Alternative treatments for infertility

But most importantly you will learn how to conceive and go on to have a healthy pregnancy and a truly healthy baby!

Not only will you receive 12 weeks of educational materials (workbook style lessons, videos, and more!) during this class, you'll have access to Donielle and your "classmates" through a members only forum that already has a growing community! The forum is a big part of the reason Donielle is offering an eCourse instead of writing a book at this time - you'll be able to go beyond even what is written because of your ability to interact.

In exchange for being an affiliate (I'll earn a commission from any purchase made through my affiliate links), I gained access to the first week of the course. I consider myself "well-researched" in this area, and I learned quite a few new things from just 1 week of materials! You will get lifetime access to these materials with your purchase so that you can take your time if this is all new to you.

Classes officially begin today but enrollment is open until this Friday, the 16th.

I hope you will take the time to read more about this eCourse and consider signing up or purchasing the course for a loved one.

I have a list of other E-courses, e-books, and great web resources for making the switch to real food here.

What Frugal Looks Like

Would you like to know more about how I save money? Read about my family today over at Almost Frugal. While you are there, check out all of the other people that have been covered in their series What Frugal Looks Like.

And welcome to all of you who are new here from Almost Frugal or elsewhere! You can begin by navigating through the links on the left or just scroll through entries as you please. Happy to have you!

Meal Plan in REVIEW

I did a pretty good job planning and executing our meals (snacks in particular) last week. This week isn't off to the best start, so I thought I'd share last week in case you're looking for inspiration.

Sunday night:

Start soaking brown rice, oats for granola, dough for wheat thin crackers.

Monday:

Bake granola, wheat thins, and fruit roll-ups.

Process/make "Lara Bars" from Healthy Snacks to Go.

Cook rice and have rice & veggies for dinner.

Soak dough for tortillas overnight.

Tuesday:

Make hummus

Make tortillas

Fish Tacos

Cook extra fish to eat for lunches Wed.

Wednesday:

Cook whole chicken in crockpot.

Chicken rice casserole.

De-bone chicken and make chicken broth over night.

Thursday:

Chicken sausage links with homemade sauerkraut.

Friday:

Leftovers

Chocolate Avocado Banana Pudding

Saturday:

Ate fried egg sandwiches and went out for ice cream (have to have a treat every once in a while, right?) :)

Make Roasted Tomato Soup for Sunday lunch.

Sunday:

Guests over - served homemade tomato soup with bread and walnut pesto, salad on the side.

Start soaking almonds to make crispy almonds on Monday.

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday and Mindful Menus

For menu planning forms, check out Organizing Junkie, $5 Dinners, and Nourishing Days.

E-Book Winner and Discount Code!

So excited to announce that my friend Brianah's comment was picked by random.org and she has won a free copy of the Healthy Snacks to Go E-book!

And for the rest of you, Katie has kindly offered a discount code for 25% OFF!! Use code EFP25off at checkout before July 8th midnight. This really is a fantastic e-book - read my review if you haven't yet.

Hurry and buy your e-book before time runs out!

Make it Yourself Monday: Fruit Roll-ups

The photos don't do the fruit justice. This would be great to make if you needed to preserve lots of fresh fruit before it turned. I wish wish wish that I had a dehydrator, but it was easy enough to use the oven for this.

I was completely shocked to read in the Healthy Snacks to Go E-book that making fruit roll-ups is as simple as pureeing the fruit (I used frozen!) and spreading it out thinly on parchment paper or a baking stone in an oven on the lowest temp. You can read directions for using a dehydrator here or enter to win the Healthy Snacks to Go E-book before tomorrow night and cross your fingers for a chance to win better directions - we've enjoyed very much all of the recipes and ideas we've tried.

What have you been making yourself recently? Read more about Make it Yourself Monday and link up.

Happy Independence Day!

Just a few reminders:

The Healthy Snacks to Go E-book giveaway ends on Tuesday at midnight!

I'd love for you to take my very short poll about cooking at home.

Please email/leave a comment with your dumb cooking questions for a chance to receive a free copy of my e-book this Fall!

and Have a GREAT holiday! :)

"Dumb" Cooking Questions

I've answered some whoppers over the last 2 1/2 years working for Hillcrest Transitional Housing. Some of these women (and men) have never cooked a thing that wasn't microwaveable in their lives. To some of us, "how do you cook frozen vegetables?" is the most ridiculous question we can think of. However, if you have literally *never* eaten or prepared frozen vegetables, how could you possibly know the answer to that question?

When we cook, we are guided by a large amount of "common sense," right? It's pretty easy to "wing it" in the kitchen if you just buckle down and do it... right? But what if your family has been eating pre-packaged meals for generations and you've never spent any time in another family's kitchen? If cooking hasn't been "common" in your family, then you have no cooking "sense" to draw from.

Most of us with a basic understanding of food preparation have holes in our knowledge. Wives and moms especially might feel too dumb asking their relatives or friends for instruction in domestic matters. It's easy to let an insurmountable wall of insecurity and fear build up around your kitchen if you let questions go unanswered.

Can I tell you a secret? There was a time not so long ago that I had more dumb questions than answers about cooking. I have fortunately been blessed with a proclivity to research and a constitution impervious (*ahem* yeah right) to condescension. I'd like to include the answers to frequently asked "dumb" questions in the e-book I'm working on, and I'd love your help. I hope I can help you with your questions in return!

Here are some of the questions that I have felt dumb asking over the years:

• What's the difference between liquid and dry measuring cups?
• What kind of cookware can you safely use on an open-flame stove top? (hint - not a glass measuring cup, true story!)
• Is there a difference between baking soda and baking powder?
• Can you cook meat from frozen?
• Is milk safe to drink if I leave it on the countertop over night after my midnight bowl of cereal?
• Can I eat potatoes after they've started sprouting?
• Will a watermelon really grow in my stomach if I eat the seeds? ;)
• What exactly *is* canola oil?

What about you? What have you been afraid to ask? You can leave a comment here if you are brave, or email me at eatfromyourpantry@gmail.com

Ask (or condescend) away! If I answer your question in my e-book, you'll get a free copy! Either way, I'm happy to email you the answer to your question personally. And if you are the veritable source of all kitchen wisdom and have no "dumb" questions to ask, please share the basic questions you've answered for others.

And while you are at it, answer the 1 question poll I posted last week? Please and thank you!

"Wheat Thins" from Healthy Snacks to Go

These absolutely delicious crackers were super easy to make - even though I went the extra step and soaked them! The basic recipe and my interpretation of the directions are below, and you can find the directions for the soaked version, as well as a few great tips, in the Healthy Snacks to Go E-book or over at the Kitchen Stewardship blog.

If you missed my review, or haven't entered the giveaway yet, scroll down to the last post or click here to read all about this e-book and how you can win one!

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

1 ½ Tbs sugar (or honey)

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp paprika

4 Tbs butter

¼ cup water

¼ tsp vanilla

salt for topping

Directions

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to mix butter into the flour mixture until it has a crumbly appearance. Add the wet ingredients and mix until a workable dough has formed.

Preheat the oven at 400 degrees while you grease one or two baking sheets or cover them with parchment paper and prepare to roll out your dough. Alternatively, if you have a baking/pizza stone, you can roll the dough out directly on top of it - that's what I did.

Roll your dough out as thin as you can get it. I didn't roll mine out thin enough this time, but they were still great. You should be able to split the dough in half and cover a baking sheet with each when rolled out. Transfer it to baking sheet if necessary once rolled. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut dough into squares and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 5-10 minutes until just crispy - they will harden a tiny bit more as they cool. Store in an airtight container.

This post is linked to Wholesome Whole Foods and Pennywise Platter.