#2,660: Instant Pot Homemade Yogurt

At the end of the school year my co-worker suggested I try making yogurt in my Instant Pot.  She swore it was easy.  I'll admit, I scared me, so I kept putting it off.  But I'm really tired of buying store bought yogurt which I know is just filled with so much sugar.  I will often buy Greek yogurt for my kids, but they don't like it plain.  I'll put some honey or granola in it for them, but they still would prefer the regular flavored high sugar kind.  So in an effort to make some changes (little changes gradually!), and for the sake of it being a whole heck of a lot cheaper, I decided to make my own!  

For the sake of running high, this huge batch cost me $2 to make!  TWO DOLLARS.  All you need is a gallon of milk (I could have used an organic kind but I figured I'd go with regular whole milk for now to see if was even successful, and 1/2 cup of plain yogurt (I used greek yogurt).  That's it.  Seriously...that's it! 

Now the process took about all day, but most of that was just waiting for it to finish.  For my first batch, I was pretty happy.  It's a bit runny compared to store-bought Greek (or plain) yogurt, but I think that was user error!!  I don't think my milk got hot enough so next time I'll actually test it with a thermometer and not assume that the first time my Instant Pot told me it was ready that it actually was.

My kids are really like this.  I let them add a little spoonful of swerve sugar substitite or honey and a little bit of granola.  Some of my kids even like to add in fruit too.  PS...this yogurt is GREAT for making smoothies!!  

1 gallon of milk (I used whole milk)

1/2 cup store-bought or homemade yogurt (from a previous batch)

First you need to sterilize your Instant Pot. Add 1-2 cups of water to your Instant Pot. Turn the steam release handle to sealed, hit the steam button and set the time for 1 minute.

Your Instant Pot will take a few minutes to come to pressure and then will steam the water for one minute. Once it beeps at you that it's done, do a quick release to release the pressure. After the steam has stopped releasing, open the lid and dump out the water.

Add your gallon of milk to the Instant Pot. Turn the steam release handle back to the sealed position. Hit the yogurt button and push the adjust button until the displays says "boil." The Instant Pot will now boil your milk. This usually takes about 45 minutes, but may take a little longer or shorter for you.  This is where you need to check your milk with the thermometer.  It needs to be at least 180 degrees.  Supposedly the longer it's boiled, the thicker your yogurt will be.  

After the milk has boiled, your Instant Pot will beep and the display will read “yogt.”

You now need to cool your milk down to 110 degrees.  There are 2 ways to do this...
1. Take the lid off your Instant Pot and remove the pot to somewhere on your counter. Stick a liquid thermometer into the pot so you can keep an eye on the temperature. Wait a long time for it to cool. 
2. Fill your sink with some cold water and a bunch of ice cubes.  Place your instant pot into the water to give it a cold water bath.  Periodically stir the milk.  This took maybe 15 minutes for mine to cool down.  I was shocked when I checked on it that it was already done. 

Once your milk has cooled to about 110 degrees, you need to add your yogurt starter.  Grab a medium sized bowl or larger measuring cup (you know the glass kind!).  Add half a cup of the yogurt starter (this is where I just used store bought greek yogurt I already had in the fridge, and add some of the cooled milk from the instant pot.  Stir it together so the yogurt is fully incorporated).  Now, stirring continuously, slowly add your yogurt starter/milk mix to your Instant Pot and make stir gently to combine.  

Return your pot to the Instant Pot and put the lid back on. Hit the yogurt button again and then hit the adjust button until it displays a number. This is the number of hours that your yogurt will culture. You can use the “+” and “-” buttons to adjust how long you want your yogurt to culture. Supposedly the longer it cultures the tangier your yogurt will be.  They suggest 8-10 hours.  I did about 9. 

After you’ve selected the number of hours, your Instant Pot will beep and then display 0:00. It will then start counting UP as it cultures. When your yogurt is done culturing, the Instant Pot will beep a final time and then display “yogt.” 

That's it!  Now you can now transfer your yogurt to storage containers (like glass mason jars).  Get a lot, because you will have A LOT of yogurt to store! 

Store finished yogurt in the fridge. It should keep for several weeks.

#2,642: French Onion Dip Burgers

Don't judge this burger picture by the lack of topping ingredients on it!  I took this picture before one of my kids dove into it.  If this was my ideal burger pictured, it would have had lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, provolone cheese, all on a lightly toasted brioche bun!  :)  But the kids were eating so they could go to the pool, and I was trying to finish up dinner so I could go back to writing a paper!  I was impressed I got a picture of this dinner at all!  (And yes, I even made fresh baked oven fries that night too!)

When my family started eating these you could tell there was something different about this burger.  Usually I make my burgers with onion, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, garlic, and some seasonings, and they are much lighter in color than these.  So when my kids took a look at these burgers, my 9 year old asked if it was a new recipe (do they know me or what?!).  Overall we were pretty happy with these burgers.  I personally thought it was a tad salty, but no one else seemed to think so.  I would definitely make these burgers again...they were certainly easy!  Although most burger recipes are easy!  

I honestly don't know if there was a real recipe for this or not.  I saw a packet of french onion soup mix in my pantry and figured it could be added to some ground beef to make a burger.  I always like to add an egg to give it some moisture and I thought the water would cut down on the seasoning packet powder.  But I thought it was a bit too soft for the grill so I threw in a little bit of breadcrumbs to give it more binding. 

1 packet of french onion soup mix (like this kind...although I used a generic version) (next time I'll probably use 1/2 to 3/4 of a packet to cut down on the saltiness)
1 egg (I used just the yolk)
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 lb ground beef
hamburger buns
desired burger toppings

In a bowl combine the ground beef, french onion dip mix, egg, water, and breadcrumbs.  Mix until just combined.  Preheat your grill over medium heat.  Form into patties and grill to desired done-ness.  Serve on a bun (or not!) with desired burger toppings.  

#2,727: Leftover Frosting Cookies

So after I reused the leftover cake from my husband's grandmas 92nd birthday, I could NOT just throw away the frosting.  And I certainly didn't need to make myself sick eating it all.  So I went on a hunt to find a way to use up the frosting.  Clearly there had to be a recipe out there that uses leftover frosting!  I knew I couldn't just freeze it, and I couldn't use it on other baked goods (since it was already decorated), so I found a way to bake with it!  

Although these aren't the best (nor the sweetest) cookies I've ever had, they reminded us all of the ricotta cookies we make at Christmas, AND no one in my family objected to these, and they seemed to disappear quite quickly.  I made a glaze out of powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla, and dipped each cookie in the frosting before adding some sprinkles for color.  You will notice that the cookies have a little bit of a grey tint to it...that's because there was a little bit of leftover cake stuck to the frosting (obviously it's from the chocolate cake pieces!), so if you used plain leftover frosting, or actually got all of the cake pieces off your frosting, it probably would be a bit lighter/brighter/whiter.  :)

As I stated above, you would think these would be sickly sweet, but it really isn't.  So if you like less-sweet cookies, you might really, really enjoy these!  Personally, I think the glaze/colored sugar helps.  Also, I doubled the recipe below and I got four dozen cookies out of it.  

1/2 cup of leftover frosting

1 cup flour

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix everything together.  Place 12 roughly even scoops of cookie dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned. Cool on a cooling rack. 

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar

milk

splash of vanilla

sprinkles or colored sugar

In a small bowl slowly stir milk into the powdered sugar until it creates a glaze thin enough to be spread over the cookies (like maybe 1/8 cup). Dip the cooled cookies into the glaze, and then top with sprinkles/colored sugar.

#2,726: Leftover Cake Truffles

A few days ago we celebrated my husband's grandma's 92nd birthday!  I hope I look as good as she does at 92!  Grandma H is the sweetest lady, and we love being able to spend time with her.  After the party, my inlaws sent us home with the leftover cake (half chocolate and half white cake).  Although we LOVE cake, I knew realistically I'd probably end up eating most of it myself (lord knows the kids don't need any more sugar.  HA!).  I debated about freezing it but was afraid it would ruin the buttercream frosting.  I debated about tossing it, but that caused too much guilt, so I decided to search for a recipe that I could use leftover cake in.  Enter leftover cake truffles!  I did a bunch of searching on pinterest and Google and just decided to wing this one.  SO.... here's this super simple way of using your leftover cake.  And don't toss that frosting...I found a way to reuse/repurpose that too!  :)   

First, you need to cut (or scrape) the frosting off your cake.  If you put your cake in the fridge for a while, you can literally just cut it off in large pieces.  

In a food processor (you could use a fork or your hands, but the food processor was WAY easier and less messy!), add your leftover (unfrosted) cake pieces.  Here's the tricky part, once the cake is all crumbly, add a little bit of frosting (like start with enough frosting that you would have cut off the top of one PIECE of cake (maybe about 2-3 tablespoons)).  Keep adding a tiny bit more until the cake literally forms into a ball. 

Using a cookie scoop (or your hands and just eyeball it), roll the cake mixture into ping pong (or a little smaller) size balls.  Place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and freezer for about 2 hours.  (I just left mine in overnight until I ran out and got melting chocolate). 

Since my cake was half chocolate and half white cake (which pretty much turned out being just chocolate in the end!!), I used white chocolate for the coating, but you could use any flavor/kind that you want.  Plus I knew I wanted to decorate these for the 4th of July so white just made sense.  Dip your frozen cake balls into melted chocolate (this is my go-to brand when I need to melt chocolate because there is no mess at the end and I know I can't screw it up!), and then top with desired sprinkles/colored sugar/etc.  Thankfully I put an APB call out to my mother-in-law who dropped off red, white, and blue colored sugar and sprinkles for me to use!  I didn't think red and green cake balls would be as good of an option this time of year.  

#2,703: Homemade Iced Latte

As much as I love a good latte, this time of year, I love a COLD latte even more!  This has been my go-to drink for several weeks now! 

1 cup ice

4 oz espresso (I make my coffee with 2 cups of water to 3 tbsp of ground coffee)1/2 cup milk (I prefer 1%)

Sweetener of choice (I use stevia packets)

Fill a tall glass with ice. Add espresso. Pour milk and sweetener of choice, if desired, into a mason jar. Seal the lid tightly.  Shake vigorously for 30-60 seconds. Pour milk and foam into the glass. Enjoy.

#2,696: Homemade Latte WITHOUT an Espresso Machine

So I have been really into drinking lattes lately, but I am TERRIBLE at making them at home.  I use my Keurig in the morning and my coffee just seems super diluted no matter what I try.  I hate spending at LEAST $4 for coffee at a coffee shop (even if they do offer deals on numbers of purchases), so I figured there had to be an easier way of making them at home.  After several failed attempts, I came across this video which actually seemed to work for me!  So I figured I'd pass along this link in case anyone wants to try it too. 

First of all, I had to pull out my actual coffee maker...not my Keurig.  And I had to double the recipe so that I could fill Tervis cup (and it's a smaller one!).  My first attempt at this, I had one cup worth of a latte...yeah, I drink way more than a small/tall!

My next job/step is to learn how to add the cute latte art!  :)

4 tbsp ground coffee
10 oz water
1 cup milk
And I definitely needed 3-4 packets of stevia.  But I like my coffee a bit sweet

You will also need a glass jar with a lid.

Brew the 4 tbsp of ground coffee with 10 oz of water.
While that is brewing, place 1 cup of milk in a glass jar and microwave on high for 30 seconds. 

Remove the jar from the microwave and put the lid on the jar.  Shake vigorously for 30-60 seconds.  

Remove the lid and continue heating the milk for an additional 30 seconds.  Watch closely so that it doesn't bubble over. 

Pour your brewed coffee into a large mug (my Tervis is a 16 oz one!).  Add desired sweetener, and then add the warmed milk and foam.  

#2,017: Fresh pasta with Brown Butter Sage Sauce

So a few weekends ago we had our 37th (I think) annual ravioli day where we get together with my dad's side of the family and we make ravioli.  We usually make about 400 or so ravioli (some filled with meat and some filled with cheese).  My family has a stingy tradition where you only get THREE ravioli on Thanksgiving, "just to taste" them, but then we eat them at Christmas.  This year some ravioli made it over to the U.K. where my sister is living and about to have her first baby any day.  My mom put a cooler bag and ice packs in her (ahem, MY) suitcase to get it over there. 

Anyhow, when we run out of the filling ot make more ravioli, we use any leftover dough to make some homemade pasta.  This year, my aunt made me also whip up a quick batch of her Brown Butter Sage sauce to add to the pasta.  Personally, I loved it and was asked on facebook by a friend to share the recipe.  So here you go...

1 lb pasta (fresh is obviously best, but I also used refrigerated tortellini) (cook according to package directions)

1 stick unsalted butter
16 fresh sage leaves
1 c chicken broth (we use 1 cube of  this chicken boullion with 1 cup of water)
1 c heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper, to taste

Meanwhile in a sauce pan melt the butter and add the fresh sage leaves.  Stir to combine, turn the heat to medium, and let the butter start to brown.  This takes mabye 6 mintues to so.  Once the butter has started to get a golden brown color, carefully fish out the sage leaves and put them on a plate (DO NOT THROW THEM OUT). 

Add the chicken broth to the butter and bring to a boil.  Carefully add the heavy whipping cream and stir/whisk to combine.  Turn the heat to low and simmer until the mixture is heated through. 

Crumble the sage leaves that you removed from the butter (resist the urge to eat them!) and add it back to the sauce.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Pour over your cooked pasta.  

#2,016: Linguine with Ham and Peas

I bought some ham for my family to eat for dinner this week and I was really in the mood for some pasta so I quickly whipped up this recipe with ingredients I had on hand.  Since I only made 2 servings of this, you will have to double or triple the recipe if making it for a larger group.  I am not a huge fan of cream sauces but this was super light and just the perfect amount for me. 

2 handfuls of linguine noodles (handfuls is a technical measurement term right?!)
1/2 tablespoon butter

1/4 onion, dicedabout 1/4 cup of diced ham
1/2 cup frozen peas1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper, as desired
grated parmesan cheese, as desired

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a saute pan and cook onion over medium high heat until golden brown, about five minutes. Add ham, peas, and garlic, turn heat and cook long enough so that the peas thaw and it and the ham is warm and just starting to brown.  When just about finished, add the cream, turn the heat to medium, and continue cooking until the cream starts to bubble (it doesn't take long).   

If desired, you can add a little bit of the cooking water to thin out the mixture if desired (I did not need to do this though). 

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add hot ham and pea mixture and stir to combine.  . Season with salt, pepper, and grated parmesan as desired.

#2,009: Fresh (and fast) Cherry Tomato Sauce

When you have a whole garden full of tomatoes, you make fresh tomato sauce!  I loved this recipe because it used ingredients I already had on hand (yes I had fresh basil) and I was able to make it so quickly.  This recipe takes less time to make than it does to make the pasta!  I loved this and I have made this more than once with my produce.  

1 pound pasta
Kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 pints cherry tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
Freshly grated Parmesan (for serving)

Cook desired pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12" skillet or wide heavy saucepan over medium-high. Add garlic, then tomatoes, pepper, sugar, and 1 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes burst and release their juices to form a sauce, 6–8 minutes.

Toss pasta with tomato sauce and basil. Top with Parmesan.

#1,851: Easy homemade croutons

After Christmas, I had a big bag of leftover brat buns (Bolillo Rolls) from Sam's club and I really didn't want to just throw them out, so I decided to make homemade croutons with them.  Although I enjoyed this recipe/these croutons, they just don't have enough flavor.  I think next time I would make them and add some rosemary and minced garlic.  And WAY more parmesan for sure!  This is a good start, but certainly not the best or my future go-to recipe for homemade croutons.  

3 cups Day Old Sourdough Bread (I used leftover Bolillo rolls instead)

1/4 cup Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Black Pepper To Taste

Preheat the oven to 375º F.

In a large bowl, combine the bread, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss well to distribute the ingredients.

Spread the bread cubes out on a sheet pan, giving them plenty of space in between. Bake the bread cubes for about 10 minutes, or until slightly golden brown and crisp. Keep in mind that the staler and older the bread, the quicker it will brown, so color is a good indication of when it’s done.

#1,833: Stuffed Cheesy Calzone

A couple of weeks ago I found a recipe for homemade stuffed cheesy bread.  Although it sounded good, and easy, and something my family would like, I just don't have the time or patience for dough that is made with yeast.  So I kept avoiding the recipe.  Then I decided I could alter this recipe and make it even easier and something my family would like for a main dish...I was right!  My family loved this dinner and it was so stupid simple!  Here is the link to the original recipe (aka my inspiration).  Below is the recipe that I actually made:

2 tubes of refrigerated pizza crust
about 10 leftover homemade meatballs, chopped up (use whatever you have...ground sausage, pepperoni, etc).

pizza sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley 

Cornmeal (about 1/3 cup) 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; sprinkle with cornmeal. 

In a medium bowl, toss together cheeses, garlic powder, salt and parsley flakes. (Save some of this mixture for the top of the calzone)

Unroll one pizza crust on the parchment paper.  On half of the dough top with half of the leftover meatballs, and a big handful of the cheese mixture.  On the other half of the dough, spread a little bit of the pizza sauce.  Fold over the dough so the the two pieces come together to close and press lightly to seal or twist the edges to seal the dough in a pocket shape.  Repeat with the remaining dough, making a second calzone.  

You should still have some cheese mixture left over, set aside.  

Bake at 400 degrees until almost done, about 10 mintues.  Remove from oven, and sprinkle remaining cheese on top of the two calzones.  Place back in the oven until the cheese is melted on top and the calzone is a nice golden brown color. Let cool slightly before cutting. 

#1,832: Homemade Pineapple Sage Tea

See that gigantic plant?  That was a tiny pineapple sage plant that my friend gave to me at the beginning of summer.  It was one of the few things that did super well in my garden this year.  I'm shocked that it's the first week of November and shockingly, still going strong!  I barely used it this year because I never knew what to do with it.  Since I know it's going to get super cold soon and it will probably perish, I decided to start searching for some recipes to use it in. Yes I know you can use it with chicken, but unless my chicken is grilled or in can for (for a chicken salad), I just don't love chicken.  I found a super simple recipe to make fresh brewed pineapple sage tea.  I loved the tea!  I tried to get my kids to try it but that all hated it.  

This made about 3-4 teacup size drinks for me, which I put the leftovers in mason jars and then just heated up in the microwave when I wanted to drink it.  I think I'm going to go heat up a cup now...

1 quart spring water (yeah I'm too lazy for that...tap water was good enough for me!)

1/2 c packed fresh pineapple sage leaves
3 tbsp honey

1 lemon, juiced

Bring water just to a boil and pour over the sage leaves.  Stir in honey and lemon, to taste.  (I also added a packet of stevia).  Steep the tea for about 20 minutes.  Strain into mugs.  

#1,804: 3 Ingredient Homemade Cheese Crackers

I made these crackers for my kids.  I love that they are easy, the kids can help, and it's a healthy alternative to store bought crackers.  Unfortunately my kids enjoy processed crap and have not yet liked any minimal ingredient crackers I've tried to make.   Sadly this recipe followed along with the kids' trend of giving a thumbs down.  None of the kids liked these.  I thought they were ok...a little bland, but ok.  I certainly wouldn't turn these down, but they did.  I stuck these in the freezer and will try giving them again when we go sugar free for a week this summer.  Maybe their tastes will start to change and they will actually like them! 

1 cup whole-wheat flour
5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into tablespoon size chunks (I needed about 7 tbsp to get it all to incorporate and turn into a ball)

4 oz. or 1 ½ cups grated cheddar cheese…the sharper the cheese the cheesier the crackers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Combine all three ingredients in a food processor and blend. The mixture will eventually turn into one big ball chasing itself around the bowl. Be patient because it can take a few minutes.

Roll the ball into a log about 1 ½” in diameter. At this point you could refrigerate the dough until later. With a sharp knife slice ¼” thick pieces off the log (pictured above) and place each one flat on an ungreased baking sheet. Try to rotate which side you are cutting down on because the top of the log does start to flatten a little. It is like your very own homemade slice and bake!

Bake for 8 - 14 minutes or until golden brown. The thicker the crackers the longer it will take.

These crackers can be stored in the freezer so double the recipe and save some for later!

#1,683: Homemade Ranch Dressing

I had a few healthier recipes pinned for my kids to try and I wanted to make something for them on this day off of school.  My kids love ranch but I hate that it's so full of fat and preservatives (and general crap!).  So I thought I'd give this recipe a try.  My ranch loving 6 year old ate it, but didn't love it, but the other 2 actually ate it.  And my 3 year old super picky eater, actually ate his carrots tonight dipped in the ranch.  Uh, I'd say that was a huge win!  It's a little greener in color thanks to the seasonings, but it didn't stop my crew for eating it.  

1/3 cup mayonnaise (organic store bought or homemade)
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk (or 3 tbsp milk + 1 tbsp white vinegar – mix together and let sit for 5 minutes)
2 tsp minced fresh parsley
2 tsp minced fresh chives
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt

Mix all the ingredients to together in a bowl with a wire whisk or blend in a blender briefly. 

Store in the fridge 7-10 days (potentially longer if your dairy products were especially fresh when used).

#1,682: 3 Ingredient Homemade Crackers

This recipe got some mixed reviews with my crew.  Although they complained about them (they're too crispy, I don't like the cheese...), they still ate them.  So I'd say overall they did like them and this was a successful recipe. But, would I make this particular recipe for them again, probably not.  I also think this would be better with more seasoning and flavor..and maybe some cheese mixed into the dough would make this better too.  So, play with the recipe and make it your own.  

1 cup whole wheat flour, plus more for flouring surface

½ cup + 1-2 Tbsp water

¼ tsp salt

sea salt for topping (optional)

Using your hands, combine flour and ½ cup of water in a medium bowl. Mix well until all the flour has been incorporated. The dough will be stiff, but add additional water 1 Tbsp at a time if the dough is too stiff or if more water is needed to incorporate the flour.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out onto the back of a lightly floured 10x15 metal cookie sheet. Roll the dough to each edge and corner of the cookie sheet, rotating and flipping as needed to prevent sticking. Roll the dough as thin as possible for a crunchy cracker, or leave it slightly thicker for a chewier cracker.

Score the dough into desired sized using a pizza cutter or a knife. Prick holes onto each cracker using a fork.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for 10-15 minutes, or until the crackers are medium brown and begin to pull up at the edges.

Remove from the oven. Eat immediately, or the next day. Store in a sealed container.

#1,655: No Knead Yeast Rolls

I got this recipe from a co-worker who talked about having the dough made ahead of time in the fridge.  Although I avoid yeast-type recipes (because I don't like to measure things and baking is so precise and specific!!), I figured I'd give these a try.  I will admit it was a pretty easy recipe and I just pulled off little balls of dough to rolled into biscuits instead of having to roll them out and use cookie cutters.  Matthew (3) didn't enjoy these, but the other 3 did...although they did complain that they are a little dense.  These certainly aren't light and fluffy, and the honey gives them a bit more of sweetness than I expected.  But the family said they would eat them again, so they must not be that bad.  :) 

PS...my hubby took this picture and I give him a hard time about taking bad photos.  So he sent this picture to me about 6 times...except they all look the same!  :)  

2 tbsp yeast
1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 c milk
1/2 c butter
1/4 c honey or sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 c whole wheat flour
2 eggs

Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Heat milk, butter, honey and salt in a saucepan until very warm.  Add with yeast to flour in a large mixing bowl.  Add eggs.  Beat well and let rise for 30-50 minutes.  Stir down.  The dough may be shaped immediately or refrigerated for several hours or days.  

Spoon dough onto a greased cookie sheet.  Let sit for 15 minutes in a warm place.  Bake at 375 minutes for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.  Brush with melted before or after baking, if desired.  

#1,653: Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer with Essential Oils

I found this recipe somewhere online and was excited to give it a try.  The original recipe I saw used canned unsweetened coconut milk, but I am in love with this coconut creamer from Trader Joe's, so I decided to use this instead.  Personally, I really liked this, but the oils gave this a slightly more bitter flavor.  I think I expected it to be sweet...not sure why.  BUT I did like this.  And I put it all in a mason jar after I blended it up so that I can just shake the jar and pour it in my coffee in the morning.  

I love that there are the added benefits of the oils I used, especially anti-viral properties during this time of year!  Anything to help keep us healthy right?!!?

2 c unsweetened coconut milk (I used coconut creamer)
1/3 c pure pumpkin
1 drop Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil
1 drop Clove Essential Oil
Optional: 1 drop Ginger Essential Oil (I omitted, but added a tiny pinch of ground ginger)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge, and shake well before using. 

Back to School Idea: Grab-and-Go Lunches for Kids

If you have kids going back to school and pack school lunches, my guess is that you've seen different photos/pins on Pinterest showing how to make "grab-and-go" lunch containers for your kids to help pack their lunch.  My oldest is now going into 3rd grade.  The last two years I've been letting her (and now her younger sister) get hot lunch about 80% of the time because it's so much easier for me in the morning and to not have to worry about one more thing.  This summer though I really have been trying to stress to the girls the importance of making healthy food choices and we are trying to make more healthy/organic choices at home too.  As you can see from this blog, I like (no LOVE) making my kids different recipes and food choices, including for their lunches.  However, although I love making these for them, they aren't always the fastest way for me to get their lunches packed/unpacked and get us all out the door quickly.  So I decided that we are going to do 2 things different this first month to see if these changes will work for our family.

1.  The kids are only allowed to choose 3 of their favorite hot lunches to eat at school for August and September and the other days are going to be cold lunches from home.  This allows my girls to still eat some of their more favorite school lunches but forces them to really think about what they want to commit to.  :) (I still can't get over that Allison's favorite lunch is the rib sandwich?!?!?!!?)

2.  I will make their main item, but they are responsible for choosing the remaining ingredients and items needed for their lunch.

We are a "PackIt" lunchbox family mainly because I like that it keeps their items cold without having to deal with ice packs.  And I know that their dairy products are not going to spoil before their lunch time.  

We had to do some rearranging of our cabinets to get all of these containers in one place, but hopefully this will work for us.

The girls are responsible for taking:
1 water bottle (yes we use disposable mini ones b/c I was tired of reusable ones leaking)
Napkin, spoon, fork (if needed)
Plus they can choose ONE item from each of the tubs:
1 Dairy (kept in fridge: includes cheese (different kinds), laughing cow wedges, Greek yogurt tubes, etc.)
1 Fruit (can be fresh (in fridge) or non-perishable such as fruit pouches, applesauce, fruit cups, etc.)
1 Chip or Side: (organic granola bars, freeze dried fruit/veggies, crackers, bag of chips (on occasion), etc. 

1 Dessert/Treat (fruit leather, fruit bars, chocolate covered raisins, fruit snacks, etc.)

I have super high hopes for this plan....here's hoping it works and makes this school year a little easier, less stressful, and a lot more healthy!

#1,595: Homemade Strawberry Honey Butter

Isn't that strawberry butter pretty?? I had some fresh strawberries that we're starting to get a little soft so I figured this would be the perfect recipe to use them in. 

It was a really simple recipe to make, and I think my kids described it best when they said "it tastes like butter and strawberry jelly."  Yep, that's exactly what it tastes like.  It's a little too "strawberry" flavored for my liking, but his would be great on some really fresh bread. 

What I loved about this recipe is that it only requires four ingredients.  The lime juice in this makes it a little tart, but I like that about it as well. 

1 pint strawberries, rinsed and hulled
3 Tbsp Honey
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
12 tbsp butter (I used organic unsalted butter)

Puree strawberries in a food processor.  Push puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds.  (There was no way I was doing this, so I skipped this step.  I don’t think it made any difference!)

Place in a pot with honey and lemon juice.  Bring mixture to a boil, and cook for a few minutes until slightly thickened.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Whip with room temperature butter.  Keep and serve at room temperature or in fridge. 

#1,587: Veggie Packed Pizza Rolls

I took the 5-Minute No Cook Pizza Sauce recipe that I just posted and used it as the base for this veggie packed pizza sauce recipe.  You can use any pizza sauce (homemade or store bought) that you have on hand and make it healthier by adding more veggies to it.  I whipped this up in about 10 minutes and my husband knows something is up with this recipe but can't figure out what I've done to his beloved pizza!  (If I ask him to try a recipe chances are there is something in it he isn't going to like...and he's right!).

Anyhow, you can totally adapt this recipe to whatever veggies you have on hand.  I used green bell peppers, mushrooms (which my husband thinks he's allergic to...obviously he's not), carrots, zucchini and kale.  Shhh...don't tell my hubby or kids!  I sauteed the veggies in a tiny bit of olive oil to cook/soften them and then added it to my blender.  Once pureed as much as I could get it, I added my homemade pizza sauce and pureed it again.  The kids (and my husband!) loved these.  It was so simple to make and is such a healthier option for them.  

I'll post the original recipe below which actually tells you to make a homemade pizza crust.  I didn't have time for that.  I intended to buy the pizza dough you get in a can and just rolls out (super bad for us I know!) but found mini ones instead.  So I just rolled out the mini crusts (from the pop open can) as much as I could, spread the sauce on it, added some cooked veggie sausage, and mozzarella and then rolled them up. I then put them in my square brownie/muffin pan.  I sprayed the tops with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkled on some Parmesan cheese.  I baked at 375 degrees for about 18 minutes or until the dough was golden brown.  SOOOO simple.  

Original Recipe Instructions: 

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
2 cups of chopped veggies (spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, onion, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini)
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (can use more if you like it cheesy)

Crust:

2 cups flour (I use whole wheat, but you can do 1/2 wheat and 1/2 all-purpose)
2 1/4 tsp rapid rise yeast
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup very warm water
3 tablespoons olive oil

Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the warm water and the oil and add to the dry ingredients. Mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes.

Place dough in a large, lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to rest for 30 minutes in a warm, draft-free place.  Dough should almost double in size.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Chop veggies and saute for 3-4 minutes or until slightly tender.  Blend in a high powered blender with marinara sauce.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured work surface.  Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a ½-inch thick rectangle, about 12 by 10 inches. Begin by spreading about 1 cup of sauce over the dough, leaving a ½-inch boarder around the edges.  If it seems like it needs more, then add 1 or 2 Tbsp at a time.   Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Begin rolling the dough until you have one large roll.  Slice into 8-12 slices and place in a greased muffin tin.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until rolls are golden brown and cooked through the middle.