Meal Plan Monday

Wow, are we keeping busy already this summer! Besides my attempt at freezing and preserving 3 flats of strawberries last week (note to self: in the future, one flat of strawberries at a time, please!), my hubby has been hard at work on a swing set for our kids.  My dad came to visit for a few days last week to help him build, and it looks great, but still needed swings, a slide, some more wood for the sides and the ladder, and sand for the sandbox. Then, we were blessed this weekend with a slide and a ton of wood from a friend's neighbor who had taken down their swing set.  Now, that is frugally green! Free lumber and a slide, and not needing to use new lumber and cut down trees to finish building our swing set! So great! 

 Hubs and dad hard at work!

So, I made the bread pudding tonight and it was really pretty good.  To me it's kind of like a baked french toast dish, but I like baked french toast, so it's all good!  Also, I finally made the homemade crackers.  They are really good, but it does take a little bit to figure out how to know if they are done cooking or not.  One of my batches is definitely on the darker and crispier side, but still yummy!

Here's this week's menu:

Meatless Monday - Black Bean Burgers (new recipe, excited to try these!) and fried potatoes

Tuesday - dinner with our small group - Hummus with veggies for dipping

Wednesday - Easy Skillet Chili Mac, salad and corn (another new recipe)

Thursday - Quiche and fruit salad
Homemade crust

Friday - Homemade Pizza
Homemade crust and sauce


Saturday - Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken

Sunday - Brenden's First Birthday!! (And Father's Day, that's important too!) - dinner/birthday party at my in-laws house. 

Cooking From Scratch:
After spending so much time in the kitchen with the strawberries last week, I'm not feeling very inspired to cook much extra, besides dinner, this week.  


I'm cooking 2 batches of dried beans today to use in both the black bean burgers and the hummus and then I'll freeze the extras in can-sized portions. It's so great to have cooked beans on hand to use in recipes that call for a can of beans.   


I am planning to brew some cold coffee and tea this week in the fridge following these directions from Simple Bites.  Doesn't that look so refreshing?  I'm hoping to be able to figure out how to make a homemade frappuccino with this. It would be so amazing to make a frappuccino type drink at home instead of shelling out $$$ for one at Starbucks!



I am planning to make Brenden's birthday cake on Sunday as well as some cupcakes to take to church that morning.  It's kind of funny, but for my daughter's first birthday I was really picky about the cake that we made for her.  It was sugar free, and had applesauce in it.  She liked it, but it really wasn't the best cake for the rest of us to eat.  This time, for B's birthday, I think I'm going to make this awesome chocolate cake.  Yes, not the best thing for him to have (I'm sure he'll love it though!), but everyone else will enjoy eating it too! 

What are you making from scratch at your house this week? 

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Thanks for visiting Live Renewed! If this is your first time here and you'd like to learn more about me and what Live Renewed is about, click here. If you like what you've read, and would like to read more, you can subscribe to my blog by clicking here! You can also follow me on Twitter.

June's Change Challenge is Frugally Green Baby Care. You can catch up on all the Change Challenge posts here.

Are you brand new to being frugally green? Be sure to check out my Frugally Green Fundamentals.

Check out more great meal plans at Organizing Junkie!

Strawberries!

I just wanted to pop in and say, "Hi!" And let you know that I'm still around, but have been super busy the last 2 days.  My hubby got a great deal on 30+ lbs of strawberries, 24 quarts, so I have hand my hands full (of strawberries) trying to clean and prepare and freeze them before they go bad.  And trying to do that with two kiddos that are not cooperating with their naps or nighttime sleep has been extra fun!  

So far I have 4 gallon size bags of whole strawberries, a double batch of freezer jam, 2 batches of strawberry coulis (sauce), and several containers of sliced strawberries with sugar, in my freezer. Of course we're eating them by the handful and over strawberry shortcake as well!  And I still have 6 more quarts to go through. I have been using information from this great post at Simple Bites to help me with knowing how to freeze the berries.  We're actually hoping to go strawberry picking this weekend too and get a few more to make another batch or two of jam, and have a few more bags of whole frozen strawberries.

It such a great feeling to know that we supported a local farmer, got high quality berries (they were not sprayed with any pesticides, strawberries are on the Dirty Dozen list), and are putting away yummy food that we will be able to enjoy throughout the year. All while saving money because these berries were much cheaper than buying the frozen variety at the grocery store! I'm already looking forward to having strawberry shortcake in the middle of winter! It will be so refreshing to have a little taste of summer when it's cold and snowy out! (Okay, I don't really want to think about that anymore, I am loving summer right now!)
 
Alright, the strawberries are calling me - whew, who knew this would be so much work?  But it is so worth it!

Are you preserving strawberries this year?  What is your favorite way to freeze or preserve them? 

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Thanks for visiting Live Renewed! If this is your first time here and you'd like to learn more about me and what Live Renewed is about, click here. If you like what you've read, and would like to read more, you can subscribe to my blog by clicking here! You can also follow me on Twitter.

June's Change Challenge is Frugally Green Baby Care. You can catch up on all the Change Challenge posts here.

Are you brand new to being frugally green? Be sure to check out my Frugally Green Fundamentals.

Visit Finer Things Fridays at The Finer Things in Life

Meal Plan Monday

Happy Monday! Sorry this post is late - Blogger was having some issues last night and today, but hopefully they got it all straightened out!

How was your weekend?  We had lots of fun around here.  On Saturday, my hubs and I ran a 5K through downtown South Bend, that ended in Notre Dame stadium.  It's pretty cool to run into the stadium and finish on the field, and we ran well, better than we expected!

Then, while I was scoring some great deals on clothes for my kids at garage sales, my wonderful hubby made me another square foot garden bed.  I was having trouble with my tomato plants and some of my pepper plants, so he made me the bed so I could transplant them.  Hopefully they'll survive the transplant and thrive in their new box with organic garden soil and compost.  I'll be sure to keep you updated.

Also, this past week I cleaned out my pantry and freezer to go along with Keeper of the Home's Cook More Real Food event.  It feels so great to have an organized pantry and freezer and to actually know what is in there.  I used the great printable lists from Organized Home to write everything down.  So, now that I know what I have, I'm going to try to incorporate some of the stuff into my meal plans over the next few weeks. 

Okay, onto this week's menu:

Meatless Monday - made Spaghetti and Cheese from More with Less cookbook, Jer was gone for dinner. 

Tuesday - dinner with our small group - making Cream Cheese Chicken with egg noodles

Wednesday - Hamburgers on the grill, Strawberry Shortcake for dessert!

Thursday - Baked Oatmeal (recipe from a friend that I am making for the first time) and scrambled eggs

Friday - Fish Tacos - (new recipe, but just grilling the tilapia to use in tacos)
Homemade Tortillas

Saturday - going to a World Cup Party!

Sunday - Chicken Pesto Sandwiches
Homemade French Bread (I hope it works - I've not had the best luck with bread baking recently)
Homemade Pesto

Cooking From Scratch:
Also, I want to get back in the habit of including the recipes for other things I'm making from scratch during the week.  I've been a little lax about keeping up in the kitchen, having snacks and other things on hand.  I'm planning to try making these wheat thin style crackers this week. 

I also have some leftover buns in my cupboard, so in an attempt to use up my leftovers, I'm going to try to make bread pudding for the first time.  I'm not sure I've ever had bread pudding, and I'm not sure I even like it, but I figure I might as well try to make it and see if I like it or not.  It seems like a great way to use up leftover bread.

Also, making a batch of granola tonight.  Nothing beats homemade yogurt topped with homemade granola and fruit for breakfast!

What are you making from scratch at your house this week? 

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Thanks for visiting Live Renewed! If this is your first time here and you'd like to learn more about me and what Live Renewed is about, click here. If you like what you've read, and would like to read more, you can subscribe to my blog by clicking here! You can also follow me on Twitter.

June's Change Challenge is Frugally Green Baby Care. You can catch up on all the Change Challenge posts here.

Are you brand new to being frugally green? Be sure to check out my Frugally Green Fundamentals.

Check out more great meal plans at Organizing Junkie!

Crockpot Southwestern Beans

Finally! Here is the recipe that I was telling you about for Southwestern Beans in the crock pot.  I love using the crock pot in the summer! Usually you think of crock pots for winter meals like soups and stews, and while it's probably true that most crock pot meals are a little on the heavier side, I love that I don't have to turn on my oven; that I can throw everything in in the morning and then spend the time before dinner outside, instead of in a hot kitchen; and that I can even plug in the crock pot outside to cook so it doesn't heat up the house at all! 

This recipe came from my wonderful sister, (who's getting married later this month, I might add!) and we both had our own ways of adapting it to fit our tastes - or really we didn't follow the directions of the recipe and it still turned out good! :)

This is a great meatless meal, good flavor and still really filling, and especially if you used dried beans, it is so super frugal.  This will probably become a regular for our Meatless Mondays.  

Southwestern Bean Medley in the Crock Pot

14 ounces vegetable broth - (I used homemade chicken stock)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained) - (I used the equivalent of cooked dried beans)
1 can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
1 can white kidney beans (cannellini) - (I used the equivalent of uncooked, dried Great Northern Beans, because white kidney beans are a little bit more expensive.)
1/2 C dried lentils
1 C diced tomatoes with green chilies
Copped fresh cilantro leaves

Mix all ingredients except tomatoes and cilantro in 3 1/2 quart slow cooker (or whatever size you happen to have). Cover and cook on low 6 to 7 hours.  Add tomatoes.  Cover and cook for 1 hour.  Sprinkle with cilantro.

Now for my my sister and I's personal notes:
She put the tomatoes in at the beginning and they were fine.  I didn't put the tomatoes in at the beginning, and then forgot to put them in at all! Still tasted fine, but we think it would have been even better with the tomatoes.  Next time I'll just put them in at the beginning, just so I don't forget.

The recipe suggests serving over rice, which we both did, and really enjoyed it that way.  My sister told me that it turned out more soupy than she expected, so the last hour or so, she left the lid vented to cook off some of the liquid.  I lifted the lid for maybe the last 30 minutes, and we didn't think it was too soupy, but I did use some dried beans that weren't cooked yet, so that might have soaked up some of the liquid.

If you are going to use uncooked dried beans for this recipe, you need to make sure that you soak them ahead of time.  I just soaked mine overnight and then put them in the crock pot with the rest of the ingredients the next morning.  I also added some extra chicken broth to make sure the beans were cooked through.

My sister and I both added extra seasoning toward the end of the cooking time to increase the flavor - you could add salt, pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and/or cumin to suit your tastes.  My sister also added some chopped jalapenos, and though my hubby would have loved them, I'm not a jalapeno person, so that didn't happen at our house.  So, just taste it as your nearing the end of the cooking time and add spices accordingly.

Sorry I don't have any good pictures to go along with this post - this is why I am *not* a food blogger! :) 

Enjoy!

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Thanks for visiting Live Renewed! If this is your first time here and you'd like to learn more about me and what Live Renewed is about, click here. If you like what you've read, and would like to read more, you can subscribe to my blog by clicking here! You can also follow me on Twitter.

This month's Change Challenge is - Frugally Green Baby Care. You can catch up on all the Change Challenge posts here.

Are you brand new to being frugally green? Be sure to check out my Frugally Green Fundamentals.

This post is linked to:
Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom
Recipe Swap at Grocery Cart Challenge
Food on Fridays at Anne Kroeker

June's Change Challenge - Frugally Green Baby Care

Wow, I cannot believe it is June already! My sweet baby boy turns one this month! This year has gone by so fast, but what a blessing it has been to get to know this sweet, funny, lovable little guy.  How can you resist that smile!

In honor of Brenden's first year of life, I wanted to cover frugally green baby care as this month's change challenge.  Whether you have 10 kiddos, or you are just thinking of starting a family, or having a family is not even on your radar right now, it always important to remember that babies and children are some of our most vulnerable, and most affected by toxins in their environment.  Let's work to make changes to make our world a safer place for our kids to live!

If you've read my story, you know that I started being concerned about going green around the time that my daughter was born.  It's amazing how having a little life entrusted to you can change your perspective.  It began with non-toxic cleaning and cloth diapering, and just continued to snowball from there.  While sometimes it can be overwhelming to think of all of the things that our kids are being exposed to and how it may be affecting them, I know that ultimately God is control and that He has called me to this journey, and that I need to be balanced in my approach.

I don't do this right or perfectly all the time, or, more accurately, ever.  I know there are others that do a much better job of limiting their kids exposure to toxic chemicals.  And yes, I do worry about the "what-abouts", as only a mother can. What about the lotion that we slathered on my daughter for the first year (or more) of her life?  What about some of the foods that she's eaten?  What if there's lead, or mold or worse, in the air in this older house that we live in?  What about the coffee I drink on almost a daily basis while nursing my son? Or what about the disposable (gasp!) diapers that my kiddos wear? But, I have learned that dwelling on those questions will not ultimately help anything.  Taking small steps, and making small changes as I am able, can and will make a big difference in the lives of my kids.  

So, let's focus on the positive changes that we can make in our environment at home, and in the environment as a whole, that will lead to fewer chemicals and less toxins in the lives of our little ones.  

If you're just beginning your frugally green journey - here's a look back at some of the past change challenges and posts I've written that would be a good place to start.

Homemade and Green Cleaning
Buying Pre-Owned 
Change Your Mind About Antibacterial Products

How do you limit the exposure to chemicals and toxins for the kids in your life?  Is this an area that you need to improve in? 

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Thanks for visiting Live Renewed! If this is your first time here and you'd like to learn more about me and what Live Renewed is about, click here. If you like what you've read, and would like to read more, you can subscribe to my blog by clicking here! You can also follow me on Twitter.

This is the first post for June's Change Challenge - Frugally Green Baby Care. You can catch up on all the Change Challenge posts here.

Are you brand new to being frugally green? Be sure to check out my Frugally Green Fundamentals.

Meal Plan Monday

I hope everyone had a great long weekend! We had some great family time, got some work done on some projects, got to hang out with some great friends that we don't see often, and overall had a really busy and fun weekend. 

I spent about an hour today blanching and freezing 10 lbs of asparagus from the farmer's market. My friend Jenica has a good post about how to do it, if you are interested.  I just blanched mine in boiling water in a large stock pot. This is the first time that I have blanched and frozen veggies and I'm excited to begin preserving some of the summer's bounty. Preserving fruits and vegetables is such a great way to support local farmer's, buy in season, and save money all while being able to eat variety throughout the year.   I am hoping to have a very full freezer by the end of the summer!

Last week I made salmon patties for the first time.  They were pretty good.  I think I liked them more than Jer, but he said it would be okay if I made them again.  We are trying to include more fish in our diets, and this is a good way eat wild caught salmon.  The only problem I had is that I didn't realize that the salmon in the can has bones and skin in it and it was pretty tedious, and time consuming, trying to dig through and get all of that out.  I'm sure I didn't get all the bones out though and we couldn't tell at all, so I think next time I won't worry so much about the bones and just make sure to get the skin out. 

Also I just had to mention that we made these cinnamon rolls this morning and they are so amazingly good.  We always make a whole batch and cook half and freeze half for later (after rolling and cutting, but not cooked) and they taste just as good coming out of the freezer.  So even though the rolls are kind of a lot of work, you get 2 sets of cinnamon rolls out of it, and they are so good that it is worth it! 

Okay, here's this week's menu:

Monday -Had Steak with homemade marinade (so good!), mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, and grilled asparagus

Tuesday - dinner with our small group

Wednesday - Baked French Toast, fruit salad 

Thursday - Steak Stir-Fry with rice

Friday - Spaghetti and meatballs, salad
Homemade Ranch Dressing (I didn't get to make this last week, hopefully this week!)

Saturday - Pizza
Homemade sauce, homemade crust 

Sunday - Pulled Pork BBQ sandwiches
Homemade BBQ sauce

Check out more great meal plans at Organizing Junkie!

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Thanks for visiting Live Renewed! If this is your first time here and you'd like to learn more about me and what Live Renewed is about, click here. If you like what you've read, and would like to read more, you can subscribe to my blog by clicking here! You can also follow me on Twitter.

May's Change Challenge is Decreasing Your Household Waste. You can catch up on all the Change Challenge posts here.

Are you brand new to being frugally green? Be sure to check out my Frugally Green Fundamentals.

How to Make Homemade Yogurt

Photo by hollygon21

My kids and I eat homemade yogurt on almost a daily basis, and I am still here to tell you about it!
Homemade yogurt might seem overwhelming, or a little scary - you are culturing bacteria after all, but it really couldn't be easier.  Plus it's good for your wallet, it will definitely save you money, especially over buying the individual fruit flavored cups, and good for the earth because it saves on the processing and packaging of conventional yogurt.

I made my first batch of homemade yogurt just about a year ago, and I think I can count on one hand the number of times that I have bought yogurt since then.  Over the past year of making yogurt, I have come up with a few tips and tricks that help me to make the the best yogurt (in my humble opinion).

I'm sorry that I don't have any of my own pictures.  I don't usually think about taking pictures when I'm making, or eating for that matter, my homemade yogurt.

Easy Homemade Yogurt in the Crockpot

*Plug in a crockpot and turn on low.  It's very important to do this first so you don't forget, and so the crockpot is the right temperature when you're ready to pour the milk in - can you tell I know this from experience?  

*Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it reaches 190 degrees. (I use a candy thermometer I got at Meijer for $10). You can use whatever amount of milk you want - I usually do either 4 cups or 8 cups. You want to be careful not to let the milk burn on the bottom of the pan, and make sure it doesn't boil over - so stir often and keep an eye on it.

Also, I have stopped checking the temperature during this step.  It's just one less thing to have to do.  When the milk starts getting bubbly and frothy (or it boils over onto your stovetop) you know it's done.

*Once milk reaches 190 (bubbling) remove from burner and run a sink half full of cold water.  Cover the pan and place into water in sink.  (This is kind of obvious, but make sure the water doesn't go over the top of the pan, just part way up the sides.) You can add ice to the water as well, but I've found that it doesn't really cool the milk down any faster, and that's again one less thing to do.  Can you tell I'm all about simplifying steps here?!

*Let milk cool down, stirring occasionally.  Once milk has reached between 90 and 110 degrees (I've read different temps here, I usually do about 100 degrees), remove pan from water. 

*Put yogurt starter into a bowl (I use glass) and pour about a cup of the warm milk over it and stir together. Use 2 Tbsp of yogurt starter per 4 cups of milk. Meanwhile pour remaining milk into heated crockpot.  Pour milk and yogurt from bowl into the crockpot and stir it all together. 

*Put the lid on, turn off and unplug the crockpot and wrap a heavy towel around it.  Let sit for 6-10 hours. (I usually do around 8 hours).

*Place crockpot bowl in fridge to cool yogurt - this step is really important because it helps the yogurt to set better.  Since I started doing this my yogurt has been nice and thick and creamy.  If you don't have room for your crockpot in your fridge, you can carefully ladle yogurt into containers and cool in the fridge.  Don't stir too much, it needs to be disrupted as little as possible in order to set well. 

*Set aside about a 1/2 cup of yogurt to be used as yogurt starter for your next batch. 

A few more tips:
Your yogurt starter should be plain yogurt that specifically says "Live and Active Cultures" on the package.  I use Dannon, and have had success with both the regular (full fat) yogurt and the fat-free plain yogurt (that is all they sell in the small cups at my grocery store).

I use whole milk to make yogurt because we have switched to using all full fat dairy products.  But, I know that my sister uses 2% milk with good results, although she says it's not as thick as when you use whole milk.

If you are having trouble with your milk burning on the bottom of the pan, turn your heat down.  It might take longer for the milk to heat up, but you should have less trouble with it burning.

It definitely depends on the price of your milk, but last year, I figured out that it cost me $1 to make 64 oz (8 cups) of yogurt, more than a $3 savings off Dannon plain yogurt on sale, and even greater savings compared to buying the individual fruit cups.

Our favorite ways to eat homemade yogurt are with a little raw honey and frozen fruit, usually blueberries, or topped with homemade granola.  Here is a great way to make your own fruit yogurt to-go cups, instead of buying the individual ones: just mix the frozen fruit and honey into the yogurt in a container with a lid, and the fruit will help to keep it cold but will have thawed out by the time you are ready to eat it.  Yum!

Have you considered making your own yogurt at home?  Do you have any questions about it?  


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Thanks for visiting Live Renewed! If this is your first time here and you'd like to learn more about me and what Live Renewed is about, click here. If you like what you've read, and would like to read more, you can subscribe to my blog by clicking here! You can also follow me on Twitter.

May's Change Challenge is Decreasing Your Household Waste. You can catch up on all the Change Challenge posts here.

Are you brand new to being frugally green? Be sure to check out my Frugally Green Fundamentals.


This post is linked to:
Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom
Recipe Swap at Grocery Cart Challenge
Food on Fridays at Ann Kroeker