My Papa is a big peanut brittle fan so I like to make him a batch of it for Christmas. The problem is that most recipes for peanut brittle are based around corn syrup. I prefer to avoid this ingredient, so my goal this year was to make my own peanut brittle from natural sweeteners. I am hear to announce that I have been successful. Thanks to the inspiration of this recipe and some further tweaking and adapting, I am excited to share this yummy candy treat with you. This is another great gift idea that is simple, delicious and more healthy for you.
1 cup Sucanat/rapadura
1/4 cup honey (I am sure you could use maple syrup here if desired)
1/4 cup water
1 cup peanuts, raw or salted as desired
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1. Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
2. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring sucanat, honey, and water to a boil. Stir until sucanat is dissolved. Bring to a boil and add coconut oil and vanilla, stirring constantly until mixture reaches 280F on the candy thermometer. If you don’t have a candy thermometer (like me!), then you want to have a cold glass of water nearby and drop a bit of the mixture into it every few minutes until it forms a stiff ball in the water. This will confirm that it is hot enough.
3. Add peanuts and continue stirring until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or for another 2 minutes or so, or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads.
4. Remove from heat and quickly stir in baking soda. Work quickly and pour at onto cookie sheet, spreading out with the spoon to form a thin layer in a rectangle shape. Cool and then break candy into pieces. It takes about 10-15 minutes to cool. Store in a covered container.
Need a simple easy treat to give away this holiday? How about some delicious healthy fudge that is incredibly easy to assemble? I adapted this recipe from Kimi’s edition of healthy fudge. I don’t use coconut sugar, so I had to do some experimenting to use with honey. I used raw honey to sweeten and it is a delicious combination of three simple ingredients -cocoa powder, coconut oil, and honey! Whip it up in your blender and solidify in the fridge, and you are set! This is a great little nutritious gift idea for him or her (especially the guys!) and also an very easy dessert for guests. I have served it several times over the last few months and always received great reviews.
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup coconut oil, divided (virgin unrefined coconut oil is recommended for its nutritional value), palm oil or butter
3/4 cup honey (raw honey is recommended again for its nutritional value)
Gently melt half of the coconut oil in a small saucepan. Allow too cool slightly. Place the remaining 1/2 cup solid coconut oil in your blender with the cocoa and honey. Carefully add the melted coconut oil and pulse a few times till smooth. Make sure not to over blend or else it can seperate. Line a bread pan with a layer of parchment paper or saran wrap. Carefully pour the fudge into the pan. Place in your refrigerator until solid, about 1 hour. Gently remove from pan and cut into squares. Makes about 12-15 squares. Store in refrigerator till ready to serve.
Note: I found that if I melted all the coconut oil, the final result was a very stretchy, wet fudge. For the more solid fudge like texture, I melt half of the oil, just enough so that it blends together well, and this seems to work perfectly.
I absolutely love vanilla extract! Talk about a fun, easy and delicious homemade gift idea! Organic vanilla extract can be quite spendy at the store, and with these cute jars you cannot go wrong in blessing family and friends and your own kitchen cupboard. I made 6 (4 oz bottles) this last weekend and they are steeping away nicely in my cupboard ready for Christmas baskets. Here’s how I did it:
Supplies:
6 Vanilla Beans
6 (4 oz jars)
24 oz. vodka
I purchased the vanilla beans and recycled glass cork top bottles from Mountain Rose Herbs. The vanilla beans are sold by the 1 oz (which is 6-9 beans) for $9.00, making it about $1-1.50 per bean. The jars were $1.60 each. I purchased the vodka at my local liquor store for $10 for 750 ml (which I figured out is about 26 oz). So you are looking at less than $5 per 4 oz jar, compared to easily double that amount at your local health food store. And with reusable glass jars, you can save even more with future batches (if you are making it for yourself, that is). The beans smelled fabulous! I cut them down the center with scissors and then into 2 inch pieces and put them in the jars. I then filled each jar with vodka and put the top on! That’s it! You must steep them for 8 weeks. Once you have used half the jar, you can refill the jar to the top with more vodka to stretch it even more! Make sure to make a note of this when you send it for gifts. You can also save room to sweeten with a 3/4 tsp of rum per bottle after it has steeped.
You can also use this recipe and steep them altogether, but since I was in a rush getting them ready for Christmas, I chose to steep them individually, so I could send them on their way.
Aren’t they adorable? I just have to make a cute little label tag to go with them! That’s more natural living on a budget for you!
Welcome to the Nourishing Crockpot Carnival! So glad you could join me today! This is a place where we are all uniting together to share crockpot recipes that will help busy wives and moms prepare nutritious meals for your families. Are you in a busy season of life? Do you want to serve nutritious whole foods for your family but overwhelmed by the time and effort it may take? Do you have those full scheduled days running errands, here and there, and then come home and become stressed trying to throw dinner together? I personally have been there and love simple meals for busy moms! There are so many days that I have a bit of energy in the morning, but as the day wears on, it goes out the window and who feels like making dinner? Crockpots are simple and very useful tools for helping simplify and maximize your time and energy! Make the meal together in the morning, clean up the mess, and let it cook away. Dinner comes and there is no mess or extra stress. Yah! I am totally there!
1. Share your recipes in a post on your personal blog. Come back and add the link below in the comments. I will then compile them and add them to this post. Feel free to add as many recipes as you would like. You can also add previously posted recipes. Please be sure to add a link back to this post so your readers can find other nourishing recipes.
2. If you do not have a blog, feel free to submit your recipes in the comments of this post.
If possible, please submit recipes that are made from whole food ingredients, or include homemade varieties of any processed food it might include, that way we can give people the option to adjust. If you don’t know where to begin in adapting your favorite crockpot recipes to be more nourishing, go ahead and submit them and we will offer tips and suggestions for you! We want this to be helpful for one and all, whether you are an old-timer in the nourishing foods camp, or whether you are new and eager to learn.
D0 you have any resources or tips to share when using the crockpot? Feel free to share!
What does our food budget look like while trying to eat a real food diet on a budget? Today, I welcome you to take a peak into our food budget. We keep to the basics in our eating habits, nothing fancy. I have come to realize that although real foods can cost more up front, the value is worth every penny. We feel better, we are satisfied longer, and we rarely need the doctor. Truth be told…I have realized you can always afford what you prioritize. When we first started out pursuing a more whole foods diet, Aaron and I sat down to evaluate our overall budget. We concluded that if we wanted to spend more on food, other things would have to go. One of the main reasons I chose to cloth diaper, for example, was so that we could eliminate that monthly expense and use the money for food. Other expenses that we chose to eliminate: we own no television, no magazine subscriptions, own one vehicle, eat out less, etc. I have found that if you have the vision and passion to eat naturally, you can make it work!
Our food budget is $400 per month for four of us. Yes, Titus eats his share! Whole foods definitely seem to be more expensive here in the Portland area of Oregon, probably because there is more demand for it. This includes all our food and household products (bath, cleaning, and general household items). Where does it get spent? I have listed out the stores I buy my food from below. These are typically the best sources that we have access to that I have found the best price. As you can see below, I keep pretty much the same list monthly and keep it organized in the Shopper application on my I-phone (which has been very helpful, by the way!). All these ingredients are also based upon my monthly menu plans. This works for our family, but there is always room for flexibility as to the season of life.
Trader Joe’s - I make a monthly grocery trip to TJ’s to pick up various staples. I found they have some of the best prices on good, organic, and preservative free items.
Here is what I buy monthly or as needed, spending around $125 per month:
All Beef, Nitrate Free Hot Dogs – 1 pack
Nitrate Free Ham (lunchmeat) – 1 lb
Chicken Italian Sausage (2 lbs)
Organic Spinach (for smoothies) – 3 bags
Bananas (about 20 – freeze for smoothies)
Avacados (2 packs – mainly for Titus)
Raw Parmesan Cheese (in the bulk form)
Canned Wild Salmon
Organic Ketchup
Organic Mustard
Mayonnaise (sometimes I buy, sometimes I make my own)
Kerrygold Butter (2 pounds)
Olives (2 cans)
Organic Sour Cream (1 container)
Salsa
Peanut Butter (2 jars)
Brown Rice Pasta (1 pack of spaghetti, 1 pack penne, as needed)
Chicken Breasts (1 bag)
Frozen Organic Peas (1 pack)
Frozen Organic Corn (1 pack)
Frozen Wild Salmon (2 lb = 2 packs)
Olive Oil (32 oz container -every two months)
Pure Maple Syrup (every two months)
Organic Quinoa
Organic Raisins
Toothpaste (every two months)
Shampoo (every two months)
Soap Bars
Toilet Paper
Coffee & Beer (for the hubby)
Occasionally, we will get a few treats…such as Jo-Jo’s, (yes, those yummy oreo alternatives), raw bleu cheese, feta cheese, etc.
Azure Standard (whole foods co-op) – $50 per month – most of these items are purchased on an as needed basis
Raw Cheddar (5 lbs) – every two months – grate and freeze it
Mozzarella (5 lbs – every 2 months – also grate and freeze)
Organic Whole Grains, Legumes: Wheat, Kamut, Spelt, Oats, Millet, Lentils, Brown Rice, Black Beans (purchased in 5 lb quantities, oats and wheat in 25 lb bags)
Spices
Organic Coconut Milk
Chia Seeds
Cocoa Powder
Nuts
Rapadura/Sucanat
Leavenings -baking soda, baking powder, arrowroot powder, sea salt
Goat’s Milk Powder (for baby)
Produce on occasion – Organic Apples, Pears (20 lb box)
Milk & Eggs – local source = $75.00 per month
2 dozen eggs weekly – $3.75 per dozen
1 1/2 gallons of milk weekly- $7.50 per gallon – from which I make kefir, yogurt, and some butter, and occasional ice cream
Vegetables/Fruit- local farms- $15-20 per week – $80 per month I stick with the frugal vegetables and fruits and whats in season for better prices. I rarely if ever buy cherries, peppers, pineapple, etc. We eat a lot of greens, apples, pears, carrots, broccoli, onions, garlic, squash, potatoes, etc. We typically serve raw veggies and fruit with lunch and dinner includes a fresh salad (even if its just greens sometimes), and usually a steamed or baked veggie.
Beef – annual local purchase of 1/4 cow – $375 - $31.25 per month
We typically eat beef twice a week, chicken once, fish once, vegetarian once and pizza and leftovers on the weekends.
Chickens – annual local purchase of 12 chickens (one per month) – $180 – $15 per month – I cook up one chicken per month from which we make chicken stock.
Produce stocked up on in the summer for freezer- Strawberries, peaches, raspberries, blueberries, tomatoes (canned all my own tomatoes for sauce), pickling cucumbers for pickles, berries for homemade jam – I usually set aside $200 for such purchases, but I don’t really include this in our food budget. I just set money aside early in the summer from other earnings.
Other items from different sources:
Organic EV Coconut oil – order from Mountain Rose Herbs (we consume about 1 gallon every 2 months) – buy in quantity and split with friends Cod liver oil – purchase through Vitacost Pepperoni – I buy Applegate Farms nitrate free pepperoni from Fred Meyer’s Bread – I currently buy sprouted bread, hot dog buns, hamburger buns from Dave’s Killer Bread Outlet – I can buy one loaf of sprouted 100% organic bread for $2.10 a loaf in bulk quantities(it’s been one of those seasons when making it from scratch has been a real challenge!) Raw Honey -from a local farm – Honey House Farms (1/2 gallon every two months) Vinegar, club soda, hydrogen peroxide, oxygen bleach and a few other cleaning supplies – infrequent purchases at wal-mart or Fred Meyers Soap nuts – for laundry from NaturOli
What happens when we really need to cut corners? As my husband is self-employed, income is never quite consistent, so there have been times when we really had to cut back. In order to make it work, we cut the following out of our grocery list, and can usually get by with $300 per month:
limit to 1 gallon of milk
1 dozen eggs
no salmon
no lunchmeat
no snacks
make my own ketchup
make my own bread
What products do I make myself?
chicken broth
breakfasts (smoothies, pancakes, oatmeal – meaning that we don’t use packaged products, just use our own homemade recipes)
muffins and other breakfast pastries
tortillas
biscuits
salad dressings
ice cream and other desserts
protein bars for snacks
canned tomato sauce – homemade chili, spaghetti sauce, etc
jams
I may have overlooked something…
What products do we avoid? As you can see, we do really strive to keep to the basics with the ocassional splurge on a special dessert or snack.I try to avoid mixes, cereal, soda, packaged snacks…
You can make it work! You just sometimes have to cut out some of those convenience foods. Alas!
I am thankful for all the input that I received on my recent twitter request for yummy and nutritious larabar and granola bar recipes. Thanks for all the recipes! I wanted to share a collection of the recipes received here today with you all. My purpose in finding a good recipe was to have a good snack bar to have on hand. The hubby in particular was requesting something to give him a little boost occasionally during his long work hours. Here is my version of a good protein bar that we totally love thanks to Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship for her tweaked almond bar! Let me say that again…it is awesome! A great source of protein and a fun way to get those nutritious nuts, seeds and dried fruit into your diet. Great for pregnant mommies too! I simply threw all the ingredients into my Blendtec Blender (my favorite kitchen appliance and functioning food processor at our home) and pulsed it for a few seconds and it turned out beautifully, but you can also use a food processor as described below.
2 cups almonds
1/4 cup flax seeds, chia seeds or pumpkin seeds (ground in a coffee grinder or blender)
1/2 cup dried prunes, dates or raisins (we used prunes!)
½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
½ cup peanut or almond butter
½ cup coconut oil or butter (melted)
1/4 cup honey
2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract
a few squares dark chocolate, less than half a bar needed for thin layer (optional) – I melted about 1/4 bag of chocolate chips in a small saucepan for the topping
Place almonds, flax meal/seeds, dried fruit, shredded coconut, almond/peanut butter in a food processor. Pulse briefly for about 10 seconds.In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil over very low heat. Remove coconut oil from stove, stir sweeteners and vanilla into oil. Add coconut oil mixture to food processor and pulse until ingredients form a coarse paste. Press mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, until mixture hardens. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously. Spread melted chocolate over bars; return to refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate hardens. Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve. Makes about 12-15 bars. Store in refrigerator or freeze for later enjoyment!
Are you in a busy season of life? Do you want to serve nutritious whole foods for your family but overwhelmed by the time and effort it may take? Do you have those full scheduled days running errands, here and there, and then come home and become stressed trying to throw dinner together? I personally have been there and love simple meals for busy moms! There are so many days that I have a bit of energy in the morning, but as the day wears on, it goes out the window and who feels like making dinner? Crockpots are simple and very useful tools for helping simplify and maximize your time and energy! Make the meal together in the morning, clean up the mess, and let it cook away. Dinner comes and there is no mess or extra stress. Yah! I am totally there!
We are excited to announce…the Nourishing Crockpot Carnival on Tuesday, November 17 hosted here at Passionate Homemaking.
Come share your favorite crockpots meals: main dishes, sides, and desserts. All varieties are welcome, although main dishes are particularly desired. We love the simple versions as well!
On November 17th, please come by here and share your recipes in the comments or write a post on your blog and include a link to your blog post. We will keep a running list of all the yummy recipes you submit. You can share previously posted recipes, or post new recipes, as desired.
If possible, please submit recipes that are made from whole food ingredients, or include homemade varieties of any processed food it might include, that way we can give people the option to adjust. If you don’t know where to begin in adapting your favorite crockpot recipes to be more nourishing, go ahead and submit them and we will offer tips and suggestions for you! We want this to be helpful for one and all, whether you are an old-timer in the nourishing foods camp, or whether you are new and eager to learn.
Come and join us for a crockpot party offering nourishing meals for busy wives and moms!
We would love to have you! Please use the icon above to advertise and promote this carnival further so we can have a great participation!
It’s been one of those seasons when learning to use the crockpot has come in quite handy! It is so nice to be able to get dinner prepared while you have a little more energy in the morning, if you know what I mean? I have been adapting some of my favorite winter meals for the crockpot and wanted to share with you my variation to Sloppy Lentils. It is actually way easier to prepare this in the crockpot actually! Just throw all the ingredients in and let it go! This is a easy, frugal, and nutritious meal that we love. I have actually simplified the original recipe a bit as well. For the original recipe, visit here. It’s recipes like this that make eating whole foods on a budget possible!
2 cups water (the original recipe uses 3 cups, so notice the change for crockpot preparation!)
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
salt to taste (optional)
1 cup chopped onion
15 oz can diced tomatoes (drained), tomato sauce or 2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste, optional (as needed to thicken – especially if using tomato sauce)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons rapadura, molasses, or honey
1 Tbsp white vinegar
salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 hamburger buns, split
cheddar cheese, grated (to top your lentils when serving)
Combine all your ingredients in the crockpot (besides the buns and cheese!). Turn on low and cook for approximately 5 hours, until lentils are tender and the mixture has thickened and absorbed most of the liquids. Serve on open faced hamburger buns and top with melted cheese, as desired.
Want to join me for a nutritious crock pot meals carnival? It would be a great way to pass around meals such as this that make meal preparation a little easier for busy moms! I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Pizza is a family favorite at our house…especially when you load it up with lots of delicious, fresh and hearty toppings! Here are my favorite tips for the best pizza:
Pizza Stone
I must say that I love my Pampered Chef pizza stone (thanks to hosting a PC show, I got this for free!). It makes the best crispy crust. It is never soggy or undercooked. It is easy to cut on and clean (no soap is necessary or recommended). Stoneware gives it a fine even baking to your crust. No burning your pizza here! After several uses, stoneware becomes non-stick as well, but until then, a thin layer of olive oil does the trick. Although a pizza stone is not essential, it is a nice addition! I highly recommend it if you like pizza at your house! Amazon also sells one, but I cannot say how good it is.
Sauce – Less is more!
The more sauce you put on your crust the more soggy your dough will become. A very thin layer will do you just fine (about 1/4 cup is all). Just remember…less is more! You don’t need any fancy pizza sauce either. Just some simple spaghetti sauce pureed in the blender will do. Spread it thin it spatula.
Cornmeal
Dust your pizza stone or pan with ground cornmeal before laying our your crust. This helps give it a nice crisp crust!
Combine your Cheeses
I use a combination of mozzarella and white cheddar cheese on my pizzas, with a final thin topping of Parmesan on the very top. It gives the pizza a ton of flavor. A sprinkling of Parmesan on the top gives it a yummy crunchy texture as well!
Spice it Up!
Sprinkle a good layer of Italian seasoning and garlic salt or basic garlic powder on the top of your pizza. Yum!
Here is our favorite collection, topped in this order:
Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (soaked or regular as you desire) Spaghetti/Pizza sauce, 1/4 cup pureed (I like to freeze my homemade sauce in small portions to pull out for this purpose.)
Mozzerella, sliced (about 1/3 cup)
Cheddar Cheese, grated (about 1/3 cup)
Pepperoni (Applegate Farm’s Nitrate Free pepperoni is wonderful! 1/2 package covers one pizza.)
1/2 pound Chicken Sausage, cooked & crumbled
1/2 (15 oz) can olives, chopped
1/4 cup onion (red or yellow), chopped
1/2 Green/Red Pepper, chopped
Mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Dipping sauce: 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Melt together in a pan over low heat. We love to dip our crust into this sauce! Just like Papa John’s.
In light of our current giveaway from Cultures for Health, my friend Samara offered to give her review of one of the yogurt starters offered through this company. I personally am currently using the Viili starter and love it. It seems they all work well and have the same process for preparing.
Photo courtosy of Cultures for Health
Matsoni Yogurt Review
I tried the Matsoni Countertop Yogurt with a bit of skepticism – I had tried several different ways of making yogurt in the past and had diverse results. I wanted a thick yogurt that didn’t taste like sour milk, and I couldn’t get that result consistently. I also wanted to make raw milk yogurt. I tried the Matsoni Countertop Yogurt starter and I was very pleased! My yogurt turns out every time! No sour milk taste!
The process is pretty simple too, with options for both raw-milk and pasteurized-milk users.
The process is pretty simple. I heat ½ cup of my fresh raw milk up to at least 160 degrees F, or just to bubbling stage (this is to make the starter – the bacteria in raw milk can interfere with the bacteria in the yogurt culture, so it is necessary to use a starter made from heated milk). I mix ½ tsp. Matsoni Yogurt Starter with the cooled milk and leave it for 6-24 hours. This is now my starter and I use it to make my yogurt (1 tablespoon per cup of raw milk). My yogurt usually takes about 8 hours on my counter.
Pros:
-consistent results each time
-very easy
Cons:
-As a raw milk user, I have to make a new starter every 7 days
-The yogurt doesn’t stay thick but rather becomes more of a liquid over time. I make a pint of yogurt every 2 days and it stays thicker (compared to making ½ gallon at a time.
Definitely recommend it! Enter the giveaway to try your own culture starter!
Have you tried any of the Cultures for Health starters? What are your thoughts?
This post is a part of the Healthy Holiday Eats and Treats Carnival! Check it out!
Whole foods definitely seem to be more expensive here in the Portland area of Oregon, probably because there is more demand for it. This includes all our food and household products (bath, cleaning, and general household items). Where does it get spent? I have listed out the stores I buy my food from below. These are typically the best sources that we have access to that I have found the best price. As you can see below, I keep pretty much the same list monthly and keep it organized in the Shopper application on my I-phone (which has been very helpful, by the way!). All these ingredients are also based upon my 
(optional) – I melted about 1/4 bag of chocolate chips in a small saucepan for the topping
Are you in a busy season of life? Do you want to serve nutritious whole foods for your family but overwhelmed by the time and effort it may take? Do you have those full scheduled days running errands, here and there, and then come home and become stressed trying to throw dinner together? I personally have been there and love simple meals for busy moms! There are so many days that I have a bit of energy in the morning, but as the day wears on, it goes out the window and who feels like making dinner? Crockpots are simple and very useful tools for helping simplify and maximize your time and energy! Make the meal together in the morning, clean up the mess, and let it cook away. Dinner comes and there is no mess or extra stress. Yah! I am totally there!
