Homemade Anything Stew

Homemade Anything Stew 

Everyone always tells me that I have a knack for making something out of nothing and being able to make soup out of whatever is left over in the fridge. 

This is my Anything stew! 

Total time: 1 hr 

Ingredients: 

1/2 Cabbage 

2 Large Carrots 

Water from a can of corn

1 Box (32 oz) Veggie Broth 

1 Package Brown Gravy 

4 C Water 

1/2 Yellow Onion 

1 Large Russet Potato 

3 TBS Olive Oil 

1/2 C Barley

1 Clove Garlic 

Salt and Pepper to taste 

There are several ways you can go about cooking the stew. 

Cooking on the stovetop: You will have to cook the barley first because it takes the longest to cook. You will need about 2 cups of water for about 1/2 c Barley. Put about 1 TBS Olive oil in the pot with the barley and cook it on high for about 20 minutes. I like to check it after 20 minutes because I know all stoves are different. Cooking the barley on a stovetop should take between 30-40 minutes. 

***I would suggest cooking a bunch of barley ahead of time***

1. Chop all the vegetables and garlic and toss them into a pot with 3 TBS Olive oil. 

2. Add the 4 cups of water, water from canned corn and the vegetable broth. 

3. If your barley is already cooked. Add the barley and the water it cooked in to the pot. 

4. Next, add the brown gravy mix and mix it in really well. 

5. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Cooking with an electric pressure cooker:  Chop and put all ingredients in an electric pressure cooker and let it all cook together for about 30 minutes and then check it. If in needs a little more time then I would give it about 10 more minutes. 

VOILA! ANYTHING STEW! 

Let me know if you liked it and keep on soupin'! 

CHEERS! 

Organizing your kitchen

Organize your Kitchen and spend a little for  A LOT

The key to not spending a lot on groceries is being able to PLAN AHEAD! Easier said than done though, right?

Over this last year I have been playing with ideas to make a functional pantry and keep tabs on almost everything that we have and use. 

Here is our process for organizing our kitchen! READY....SET.....GO!

Step 1: Make a Menu 

1. Make a list of all the things that you REALLY enjoy eating when you go out. Burger and fries, chips and salsa, chef salad, caesar salad,etc. 
2. Check various websites for recipes. My personal favorites are allrecipes.com and Pinterest. 
3. Think about how many people are in your family and multiply that by 3 meals a day. 

Example: There are 3 people in my family and we eat 3 meals a day=3 X 3= 9 portions a day that we will have to make. Then multiply that by 7 days as week. 9 portions day X 7 days a week= 63 portions a week!! WOAH! 

Cheat sheet: 

1 person=21 Meals per week

2 People=42 Meals per week

3 people=63 Meals per week

4 people=84 Meals per week

5 people=105 Meals per week 

BUT....If you plan right and portion right you will be golden! This also DOES NOT include LEFTOVERS!!! 

Step 2: Pick your Recipes

1. On Google Docs or Word, make a list of all the recipes that you would like to make this week. I like to keep a sheet with all the recipes I have found that I REALLY like and then I can pick and choose what I want for which week. Here is an example: Meal Planning List. 
2. When picking your recipes you ALWAYS want to take into consideration what you have in your pantry FIRST. That way you won't have to go out and buy more of what you already have and in turn you will save lots of MULA! 
3. I have created a fast and simple way to keep track of pantry items. You make a list of all the foods you and your family like or the things that you use, print them out, put them in sheet protectors and use a dry erase pen to keep track of what you have. Less food waste. Less paper waste and it's reusable! Here is an example: Kitchen Inventory List
4. Keep this on your fridge or somewhere everyone will be able to see it. 
5. Anything you take out of the cupboard or use, mark it off the list. If there is 24 on your list erase it and put 23,etc. 

Step 3: Make a Shopping List 

1. Make yourself a shopping list of all the things that you will need for your recipes and WRITE THEM DOWN. I like to categorize them so that I can get in and out of the store. 
2. Here is an example: Categorized Shopping List
3. Keep your list next to your inventory list so that you will be able to write something down if you are out of it. 

That's all for today!! Please feel free to leave a comment or email if you have any questions regarding the process! 

HAPPY SHOPPIN'! 

CHEERS!! 

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year my Friends! 

After some much needed R and R and family time we are going to be hitting the ground running with various ways to save money. Now, there are going to be different tips and tricks throughout that you might be willing to try or not. Either way I say, "ROCK ON!" 

I am going to start the year off with a healthier and flavorful alternative to blueberry muffins! We are going to make 2 batches. We will leave half of one batch out to eat and freeze the other batch and a half. 

Jesse's New Year's Blueberry Muffins

3 C Unbleached Flour

1 C Wheat Flour 

3/4 C Unbleached Sugar (Raw but fine grain) 

1/2 C Unsalted melted butter 

2 Eggs 

2-4 C Almond Milk 

2 TBS Baking Powder 

1 TBS Cinnamon 

1 TBS Vanilla 

3-4 C Frozen Blueberries (Depending on your taste) 

Regular muffin tin cups 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Take the flour, wheat flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon and mix them together. 
3. Mix the butter, eggs, almond milk and vanilla in a separate bowl. 
4. Add the wet mix to the dry mix and stir until all the ingredients are mixed together. They will have a semi-spongy texture. 
5. Add the frozen blueberries. You should be able to look at the mix and see an equal amount of blueberries to the actual mix. 
6. Get the regular muffin tin cups and put them in the muffin tin. 
7. Fill up each muffin cup until it is about 1/4 inch from the top of the cup. 
8. Next, put the muffins in the oven for  20 minutes. 
9. After 20 minutes you can double check that the muffins are cooked all the way through if you just take a knife or a skewer and poke it into the center. If the knife or skewer comes out clean then they are finished. 

VOILA! New Years blueberry muffins! 

Happy Berry'in! 

Homemade Turkey Soup

Homemade Turkey Soup

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! 

Do you ever have those few days after Thanksgiving where you are trying to finish eating the turkey that is left over? 

Does it seem dry after the first day? 

DON'T THROW IT OUT! 

Here is one solution for you and here is what you will need: 

Turkey leftovers 

1 can Broccoli Cheese soup 

Mashed Potatoes 

3 Cups Brown Rice 

6 Cups Water 

Salt and Pepper 

3 TBS Granulated Garlic 

2 TBS Olive Oil

1) Cook the rice. Get a pot with 5 cups of water, add the olive oil and bring water to a boil.Then add the rice and stir. Let it boil again for about 2 minutes. Then turn it down to low heat and put a lid on the pot for about 20 minutes. 

2) Get another larger pot and add the turkey, Broccoli cheese soup, 1 cup water, mashed potatoes and spices to taste. Stir everything together for about 20 minutes on medium heat. 

3) Add the rice and check to see if you need to add more salt/pepper or garlic. 

4) Put a lid on it and let it cook for about 15 minutes on low heat. THEN SERVE! 

The turkey will make a comeback and you will have yummy tasting soup! 

Happy Turkeyin'! 

CHEERS! 

Homemade Skin Moisturizer

Homemade Skin Moisturizer 

I have been battling with acne most of my life as well as dry skin from the products that I have been using to get rid of the acne. Most products burn or they dry your skin out. I am also one of those people with HIGHLY sensitive skin and I have to use specific shampoos and soaps.

I know a lot of people that are like me that have to have scent free or products that don't contain certain ingredients in them. As of now there are a lot of products that are no longer using and other harmful chemicals. THIS IS A GOOD THING because now more and more of us are becoming allergic.

There are a few solutions I have found as far as self care products. First, I would like to share that shampoo and conditioner that I have found. It is called Avalon Organics B-Complex Shampoo and Conditioner. After doing some research I have found that you can buy it on Jet.com  or Amazon . I tend to check the prices on both sites to see who has the better deal and there are sometimes where I will buy shampoo on Jet and conditioner on Amazon. The reason that I am sharing this is because there are so many of us who think that we can't buy the good stuff and the stuff that works for us because it is too expensive. But if you play your cards right like I did. You will be saving money in the end. I promise!

Now, on to the Skin Moisturizer! 

You will need: 

Small sauce pot 

2 tsp Vegetable Glycerine 

2 tsp Cocoa Butter 

2 tsp Coconut Oil

2 tsp Shea Butter 

3 drops Rose Geranium (or scent of your choice if you use any) 

1 tsp 99% Aloe Vera 

1-4 tins or containers to put the mix into

1) You want to put the sauce pan between low and medium heat. You don't want this to boil

2) Add the Vegetable Glycerine, Aloe, Cocoa butter, Shea butter and Coconut oil and melt it. As soon as it's melted pull it off the heat. 

3) Pour your mixture into a container, add your essential oil if you want, mix it with a spoon and let it sit over night. This will help it all to solidify together. 

USE: 

This will help with dry skin on your face and help to start repairing that areas that have the most problems. Like, dry patches, red spots,etc. This is what I have noticed with myself anyway. This might be different for everyone. 

How much do I use? 

I LITERALLY only use about a dime side or a little less that that because it spreads fairly easy. 

If you try this recipe I would love to see your containers or how you have spiced it up and I would also like to know the results and if it worked for you. There are so many of us with skin irritation issues that we have to modify and sharing those modifications can really help others to find what works for them. 

Take care and happy moisturizing! 

CHEERS!