Don't Be Afraid- Say "I meant to do that!"

One of my goals in order to feed my family healthy meals and save money is of course to cook meals at home instead of eating out or using prepared dinners. I do consider myself someone who can cook, but if you don't feel very saavy about cooking, hold your chin up high and give yourself some credit (and confidence). Can you read? (a recipe), can you follow directions? (you were told to all during elementary school), and can you pour, flip, and stir with the best of 'em? I bet you could. Get cooking! Meals made at home with fresh ingredients are much more healthy and economical (in general) than those premade frozen or fast food choices. Start with recipes that sound really tasty and read through them to see if they seem like something you can handle. Then... don't be afraid! There are so many options for success in cooking. Think of the recipe as a suggestion rather than a must do. Leave out the curry, add in more basil, chop up some carrots to add in, use a little less salt. The possibilities are endless because its all about what suits your tastes and desires. Deviating from the recipe doesn't mean you messed up, it means you modified, and that can be something really tasty.


Please note, in BAKING, the measurements are much more important, so take a bit more precaution when modifiing baking recipes.

Cheese Sauce Alternative

Do you wish to feed your family more veggies at dinner, only to have them complain there's no cheese sauce to smother them with? Making the transition from high-calorie convenience foods can take some time and tricks. Your family may not fall in love with healthy choices immediately, if you know they're used to other foods. Have patience, keep cooking, and talk about the choices you've made for them (like what you made for dinner) so they know why they are better for them- Children need to know that vegetables are good for their bodies. You can go into more detail for older children, but I just leave it at that for my 2-year-old.


Here's a recipe that replaces cheese sauce for a more healthy alternative- Lemon Sauce. Great on broccoli, but try it on other veggies too!  For those who insist veggies aren't edible alone!

Lemon Sauce for Veggies

2 T. butter
1 T flour
1/2 C. milk
1 t. grated lemon peel
1 T lemon juice
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground ginger

Melt butter. Blend in flour with fork until smooth. Slowly stir in milk and cook uncovered in the microwave for 1 minute (or until thickened and smooth). Gradually stir in lemon peel and juice. Stir in salt and ginger until well blended. Spoon hot sauce over veggies and serve. ~ About 4 servings

We've had this recipe in our family for years and I don't know where it came from. Sorry for not being able to cite.

A New Spin on Cauliflower

Looking for a new side dish? This one uses a common vegetable as its main ingredient, but gives it a whole new look. I gave this a try after hearing about it from a friend, and really liked it. Of course,  I didn't measure carefully (sorry-that's me), but I think this recipe is VERY adaptable and just a matter of taste and texture liking. I've seen this be described a "velvety smooth" which mine did not result in, but perhaps I needed more patience with my food processor. Mine resulted in a somewhat-smooth-with-small-chunks consistency, but that was perfectly fine to me.


Adapted from the Taste of Home Cookbook- as you can tell, one of my favorites!

Cauliflower Whip

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets

1/4 cup fat-free milk

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 C grated parmesan cheese

Start by steaming the cauliflower florets. I do this with a micro. steamer, but you can also do this with a steamer basket in a pot of water. Be sure the florets are steamed until tender. Cool slightly.

Place the milk, oil, and parmesan cheese in a blender or food processor. Add the cauliflower, salt and pepper; cover and process until blended. Transfer to a bowl. Serve immediately.

I think its great that this recipe allows for so much adaptation. Take out the cheese, add butter, add some herbs... whatever suits you. BUT as is, this is a pretty healthy vegetable side dish that still passes the taste test.

Children's Orchard (Pick Some Clothes!)

If you've got kids, then you've probably not only got an endless need for new clothes that fit, but also  a growing pile of clothes that no longer fit. Hand-me-downs within the family are obviously a good idea when they work, but those families that it doesn't apply to may not have figured out other options. Having a kind friend willing to save clothes for your child from their older child is great, but not something you have control over and doesn't always happen when you need it to. There are other options though.
I'm sure some of our readers can comment on great places/ideas in their neck of the woods for you, but around here, I've discovered (and used over and over) a store called Children's Orchard. This is where regular people like you and I can not only shop for clothes that are usually used, but still in good condition, but also... sell the used clothes that are outgrown(and other items). This store gives a bigger percentage if you take store credit, which I always do so I can purchase new items that we need without spending. They also have coupons and special "mom" nights if you sign up for their club. Do a little digging on the Internet, look for advertisements, and ask around... there may be a gold mine of savings near you too!
http://www.childrensorchard.com/

Worth the Asking

I'm going to bet that many of you who read this will be thinking that it is not new news, but I'm also willing to bet that many of you who have heard about it, still aren't taking advantage of it. What are we talking about? Asking for a lower interest rate on those looming credit cards. Obviously debt being the topic of more conversations these days opposed to a couple years ago, but because of that we do need to take action. If you feel like you aren't getting anywhere with the bills (maybe because you're paying minimums, but maybe all you can do to stay afloat), fight back in all directions. If you sell something on Craig's List, put that cash, small as it might be, on a bill- beyond the minimum. If you get a tax return, put it onto debt instead of justifying the purchase of something else. AND call up those cards and ask what they can do. There are tips all over the Internet on how to do this, but I found success with trying this and keeping it simple.

First, I call up the card with the number on my statement. I ask to speak with someone about my APR and sometimes they transfer me to someone else. Then I just say that I've got lower percentages on other cards and I was wondering what they could do for me on this x% I have now. I may remind them how long I've been a customer and that I pay on time, but often they actually do that for me. Sometimes they say there are no programs right now and to call back in a month or so. So I do. But most of the time I've tried this, they are able to lower the % some. Be sure to ask about the % of where your balance is if there are different percentages for everything- such as past purchases, new purchases, balance transfers etc. It doesn't help much if they only lower the APR% on new purchases if you're not using the card and trying to pay it down.
If they sound unwilling to budge, ask to speak with their supervisor and try again on them.  If nothing else, try again in another month or so. 
Yes it make take a few minutes of your time, but just a few minutes can shave off lots of money you are handing over to your creditors.

Chicken Pineapple Bake

Pineapple Chicken Bake- One of my favorites. SO easy and quick too. I especially like to make this for great freezer meals.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
salt and pepper
1 (20-oz.) can pineapple -crushed or tidbits- in juice
1/4 cup honey
1 T cider vinegar
1 T soy sauce
2 t curry powder
1 t cornstarch
1 T water
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1. Adjust oven rack to upper position and heat to 450 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Lay chicken in a 9x13in. baking dish coated lightly with vegetable oil spray.
2. Drain the pineapple chunks, reserving 1/2 C of the juice. Whisk the pineapple juice, honey, vinegar, soy sauce, and curry powder in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer, whisking often, until the mixture has thickened, about 8 min.
3. Quickly dissolve the cornstarch in the water, then whisk into the honey mixture. Stir in the pineapple chunks. Pour the pineapple sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the almonds. Bake 15-18 minutes.
-Adapted -America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Hormone Free Dairy

Is hormone-free dairy important? Seems to be the talk of many, yet perhaps not yet fully researched. Well, I don't need lots of research to tell me that hormones given to cows and flowing through the dairy products my family and I consume could be a bad thing. I think more research is needed to make real solid conclusions, but from what I've heard already, it doesn't sound like something I want to keep consuming if I can help it. One problem I've found with choosing the "healthier" alternative in many situtations though is increased cost. I was delighted to find out that my local (and cheap!) Walmart is one that carries NON-rBGH milk- their "Great Value" brand! Costco milk is another great choice.  Here's a couple sites that I found which list brands by state with dairy products (not just milk!) promising to have no rBGH hormones. If you too want to avoid those hormones in your dairy products- no matter what your reasons, these lists can make your decisions easier.
http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?id=Dairymap

http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/dairymap/

Chicken Nuggets To Be Proud Of

Especially if you've seen Jamie Oliver's 'FOOD REVOLUTION' on t.v., you may be looking for a better alternative to frozen and very processed chicken nuggets. Here's a recipe you'll be proud to serve your family. I adapted the recipe from Nigella Lawson's from Food Network- http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/ritzy-chicken-nuggets-recipe/index.html


Try it out with your own twist and leave your adaptations in the comments! (and you can always use the organic versions of the ingredients!)
About 1 pound of chicken, 1 cup of yogurt, and 1 1/2 rolls of crackers(like Ritz)- crushed:
Cut up chunks or strips of chicken and marinate in yogurt.  Works well to do this in a large ziplock bag. Marinate for a few hours, or even overnight. You can get this marinating before bed or before work in the morning, and then be all ready for the last steps for dinner in the evening. I used pineapple yogurt once and it gave the chicken a sweeter, pineapple flavor. Plain will work well too. When you're ready, gently shake off any excess yogurt and drop the chicken pieces a few at a time into a prepared bowl or bag of crushed crackers. I often use the vegetable flavored Ritz.  Pat the pieces to help get the crumbs to stick to the chicken and coat it well. Place the chicken pieces on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. (a few more minutes if you like them good and brown) -Enjoy! NON-processed, delicious chicken nuggets.

And Some Like It Cold

When I thought of this idea first, I thought I'd just be giving you a simple idea for saving a little money that could work for some, but in looking further into it, I've found that there's more to save than I realized. Seems like the consensus around "Go Green"-type sites are all in favor of washing clothes in cold water.   Not only will it save on your utility bill, but will also help reduce your carbon footprint. According to PlanetGreen.discovery.com about 90 percent of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water, which means that you'll only be using 10 percent to run the washer by switching to cold water. In addition, if you do 4 of 5 loads in cold water, you'll cut 72 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions this month alone. The SeventhGeneration.com site even says that washing clothes in cold water allows fabrics to retain their color and strength longer. My conclusion? Well first of all, I've tried washing in cold water numerous times over the years, and have never been disappointed. Now that I know what a difference it can make, I plan to continue to do so too. Unless you are washing baby diapers, or a greasy mess, I suggest you give it a try. I'm always proud to reduce waste, save energy (and MONEY!), and do better for the Earth.