Make your own Seasonings

Another way to save a little change, cut out on fillers and high amounts of sodium is to make your own seasoning packets.

Spices are another of those ingredients that I have discovered are frequently tampered with. From tasty sawdust to artificial colors our go-to herbs are not safe anymore either. So I recommend researching the websites or calling the companies of widely available herb retailers to make sure they do not use fillers or colorings. It is not enough say "I bought mine at Trader Joe's." and assume it is safe. The best alternative would be to grow them ourselves or buy them local and dry them ourselves. Luckily for my black thumb most herbs are super hardy and can be grown indoors or out. Basil and Parsley are the only plants I have grown instead of murdered. It takes practically no effort to grow a few herbs but the fun you and your little ones will have watching them grow (and grow and grow in the case of Basil) and then cooking with or drying them will be worth it.

On taco night I always used the taco seasoning envelopes. Know why? Right, because I was/am lazy. Not taking the easy way out is a challenge for me. Especially after listening to my three year old run around the house screaming all day. Luckily this project only takes a small amount of time so I really didn’t have a good enough excuse not to do it.


Most of all the mixed envelopes and mixed herbs you buy are full of ingredients you may already have in your pantry. When I set out to make taco seasoning I already had everything I needed. Same with the Creole seasoning. Some of the ingredients in the envelopes you wouldn’t want in your body so making your own is a great way to skip the fillers and the exorbitant amount of salt usually used.

Taco seasoning recipes usually have the same set of ingredients in different amounts. The most common ingredients are :
Chili Powder
Paprika
Oregano
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Cumin
Salt (optional)
Cheyenne pepper (optional)

Basically mix these ingredients together until you have the mix you and your family like. Here are some tips though. What your meat and mix tastes like in the pan will not be what it tastes like when added to your taco with the fixings. Add your water and seasoning mix a little at a time while experimenting so that you can stop when your meat is evenly covered and moist. Record each batch of seasoning and the amount of mix and water you used until you find the right ratio. After you find the right mix the hard part is done! Make up a big batch and store in a jelly jar or saved glass spice jar. Save your recipe and you will never buy the packages again.

The first few I tried I did not care for but I have a recipe now that my family and I like. When I tried it straight from the pan I thought it needed something but when we had it on our tacos we all loved it. What I like most about it was I could control the amount of salt.

My Taco Seasoning:
2 Tbs Chili powder
1 tsp. Smoked paprika (I used smoked because that was what I had)
1 Tbs Cumin
1 Tbs Garlic powder
1 Tbs Onion powder
2 grinds of sea salt
Mix together and use 2 slightly heaping Tbs with between ¼ and ½ cup water.


My previous mixes I added oregano and did not prefer the way it tasted. If you want to use it I recommend grinding it in a mortar and pestle or blender to make it a powder first and using only a very small amount. I also want to try using Mexican oregano. Maybe that will add the right oregano taste.

Taco Soup
½ lb ground beef or chicken
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1 can black or pinto beans
1 can red kidney beans
1-2 heaping Tbs of your taco seasoning
1 heaping Tbs of your Ranch dressing mix (see below)
Cook meat, drain. Add remaining ingredients, simmer 15-20 mins.


Creole Seasoning

This is a spice mix I do not use often so making this one in bulk doesn’t make sense for me but having enough for a few recipes does. This seasoning is high on the salt scale.

1 Tbs Garlic powder
1 Tbs paprika
½-1 Tbs cayenne pepper or to taste
½ Tbs onion powder
½ Tbs oregano, ground
½ Tbs. thyme, ground
2 Tbs salt or to taste
½ Tbs pepper or to taste

Easy Recipe for Creole Seasoning
1 cup cooked rice of choice
1 cup raw shrimp
1/2 smoked sausage cut in chunks
1 cup cooked cubed chicken
1 can rotel tomatoes
Creole seasoning to taste
In large skillet brown sausage. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until heated through and shrimp is pink.


Seasoned Salt

I use seasoned salt all the time. I make French fries the old fashion way. I cut up a potato into slices lengthwise, then slice them into fries. If I have more time I break out the mandolin slicer and we have waffle fries. Yum! Then I fry them and season them with seasoned salt when they are fresh from the fryer. Fries made this way are worlds better than fast food or frozen and is so much cheaper.


1/2 cup Kosher salt
1 Tbs. fresh ground pepper
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper or to taste

Leftover mash
Roll leftover mashed potatoes in a ball
Roll in seasoned salt
Shake off excess
Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 mins



Ranch Dressing Mix

I love ranch dressing mix. However, I do not like the high price of the little packets so this is a recipe to make it at home. I use the mix alot in recipes so I want the buttermilk already added in. I recommend you try the buttermilk powder because when I cover pancakes and waffles I will be using it again. Buttermilk powder is great to have in your pantry for when a recipe calls for buttermilk and you (like most folks) don't have any. This recipe comes from The Kitchen Whisperer's blog. You can check it out here:

http://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/2012/07/10/homemade-buttermilk-ranch-seasoning-mix/

1/2 cup dry buttermilk powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp dried onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbl dried parsley
2 tsp dried chives
1 1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl or to get it super powdery, put all ingredients in the blender and process. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 1 cup of mix.
Dressing:
1/4 cup seasoning
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
Combine all ingredients together with a whisk and chill for at least 30 minutes to thicken.
Store remaining in refrigerator.
Dip:
1/4 cup seasoning
2 cups sour cream
Combine ingredients in a bowl.
Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving to thicken.
*If you cannot find buttermilk powder in your area you can use the same amount of dried milk powder (powdered milk in some states) and add in 1 1/2 tsp of white vinegar to your mixture (when you add the wet ingredients).

Recipe ideas for Ranch Dressing mix

Use it in your taco soup from above

Sprinkle on potato wedges before baking (or sprinkle your creole seasoning for a spicy kick)


Pinwheel sandwiches:
Soften one 8oz block of cream cheese
Once softened mix in 1 Tbs of seasoning or to taste
Spread a thin layer in a tortilla
Across the center, layer thin sliced deli meat, lettuce and tomato
roll up and slice
I make these a lot for potlucks and parties. They are always a big hit with no leftovers. Sundried tomatoes and spinach leaves are great in place of tomatoes and lettuce.

Veggie Pizzas:
Another good one for potlucks, parties or a picnic.
Soften one 8oz block cream cheese
mix with 1 Tbs mix to taste
Lay one can of crescent rolls flat like a pizza crust
Bake according to the package directions
Once cooled some, spread cream cheese mixture over pizza
Top your pizza with petite diced raw veggies like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, etc.

These are the days of our lives...and it stinks

This blog is not about how fancy I am or how cute and perfect my kids are (though they are pretty cute). It is not about the speed of my camera or how magazine quality my photos are. This blog is designed for the majority of American families who live paycheck to paycheck. Who sometimes have too much month left at the end of the money but still want to find a better, healthier way to feed and groom themselves and their families. For those who appreciate every dime they make and think twice where to spend it. For those who are sick and tired of the food they eat making them feel sick and tired.

Imagine for a minute you were suddenly allergic to chicken.........if everytime you ate it, about 48 hours later you felt terribly ill. Wanting to go to the hospital ill. Yep, that's me. Allergic to chicken. No more chicken marsala or chicken wings for me. No more sesame chicken from China Wok down the street. It stinks but I would rather do without it than feel the way I do when I eat it. After three years of uncertainty I am also glad because my anxiety attacks have stopped now that I know I am not dying. On top of the chicken allergy I am also allergic to fish, have eczema, seasonal allergies, acid reflux and low energy.
I have been seeing trends (you may have as well) where nutritionists, scientists, etc are saying most of the top food allergens are not good for our bodies anyway and should be avoided by everyone. The ones I see most often spoken of is dairy, eggs, wheat and soy (unfermented). I am not saying this is true. I honestly don't know but I feel it is worth a try. So if you have seasonal allergy, tummy, tiredness or skin issues I think it would be a good idea to see if all the junk we are eating is the culprit. Give it a try! I am eliminating all meat, dairy and eggs for a while to see how I feel and then slowly adding them back one at a time to see how my body feels. It will take some time but be well worth it in the end.




Let's explore the days of our lives:

We wake up and brush our teeth with toothpaste with chemicals, artificial flavorings and dyes. Then we hop in the shower and slather our hair and bodies with ‘soap’ that is full of harsh chemicals. We hop out and dry ourselves off with a towel that was washed with detergents that have ingredients in them we can’t pronounce then put on clothes that were also washed in chemical soup.
If you are like most ladies (or a girly man) you then put on lotion, hair chemicals and makeup. Now that you are covered from head to nail polished toe with chemicals on the outside it is time to have breakfast and start filling up your insides with yummy chemical preservatives, artificial flavors and synthetic additives.

Nothing we buy is safe and I am sick of it.

The more I read the more sick I get. I am tired of reading that my morning cup of coffee is full of twigs and sawdust and my afternoon tea may contain grass clippings. Sick of reading that everything I eat is good for me one minute and bad for me the next or shows up on a recall list.

I just read this in my Publix family style magazine:
“Scientists have found pesticides excreted in children’s urine but within five days of the kids’ switching to organic produce, pesticides were reduced to undetectable levels.” If so much is being filtered out, how much is being absorbed? I am sick, sick, sick of it. My eyes are opened and I am now fully awake. I no longer trust a word the FDA says and really it is not their job to make sure everything my family eats and drinks is safe. I should take the reins and research where our food comes from and how I can make it safer and more nutritious for my family. It’s my job and I am ready to be the CEO.

It’s time for a change.

In high school and my early adulthood I was really into herbs (the legal kind). I made soap, vinegar hair rinses (the softest my hair has ever been), homemade lip balm, homemade teas and lots of other things along those lines. It was all for fun and learning back then. Now I am blowing the dust off my old books and reading through my old notes with new eyes and a new purpose.

I, like most Americans, can not afford to say "Ok, only organic everything for me and my family!". If you can thats great. Do it. But if not lets take the reins! Even if we buy only products with 'organic' labels on them that doesn't guarantee it is healthy or really safe. We have to be our own health inspectors. My goal is to make as much myself as possible so that I can afford to buy only local, organic and fully researched meat, produce and other necessaries. It will take time and effort but I believe it will also be fun and rewarding. It is so tempting to say "Why bother?" when it is next to impossible to eliminate all the toxins we are exposed to but it really isn't about us as much as it is our children. By setting these examples for our children they will (hopefully) do the same for theirs. Maybe our great great grandbabies will live in a greener, healthier world. If we all take steps to eat better and preserve instead of toss we might, collectively, save the world. A somewhat cheesy statement but I believe it is possible. Instead of "Why Bother?" how about "We can't afford NOT to bother!".

Over the next several months join me in sticking it to these companies who sacrifice our health and our children’s health to make an extra buck. Let's roll up our sleeves and take the control back!

Now let's pray about it:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me on this journey
I want to help myself and my family
Make better choices
Guide me on this path that I am taking
And let it glorify you in everyway possible
In your Son's sweet name I pray
Amen

Making tortillas

I am not going to lie. Making tortillas is alot like work. I certainly will not judge you if you stick with store bought (just don't read the ingredient label)!
When I told my husband I wanted to make homemade tortillas he looked at me like I sprouted a second head. He understands that I want to save our household money and eat healthier but he thought tortillas were taking it too far. Being me, I did it anyway.
Making them from scratch is rewarding when you have that first tortilla fresh and hot from the pan. It is even more rewarding when you realize everything you need to make them you already have in your pantry!

3 cups all purpose flour OR:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oil, I used coconut but you can use whatever you like
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup hot water

Mix flour, salt and baking powder then add oil. Mix with your hands until incorporated and crumbly. With your hands again, mix in hot water to form the dough. My dough was sticky. If yours is also dust lightly with flour as you knead. Knead on a lightly floured surface for a minute or two just until you have a smooth dough ball. Get as much flour dusted off as you can. Wrap with plastic wrap and let dough rest in the fridge for at least thirty minutes. You can make your dough in the morning then pull it out for dinner.

Pinch off a small amount of dough and roll into a ball. Press ball down flat with the palm of your hand then roll, alternating directions to form a 'circle'. I use the term 'circle' loosely here. My batches yield 13 oddly shaped tortillas. I have not mastered the perfect tortilla circle......yet.
Heat a non stick or cast iron skillet to between med and med high heat. Put your masterpiece in the skillet. You know when it is time to turn when bubbles start to form on the top of your tortilla. Flip and cook a minute or two more. Serve immediately.
I used mine to make burritos for the freezer so I let mine cool on wire racks. If you do not have any wire racks , place them in a single layer on a flat surface then flip your tortillas over after they have cooled some to keep them from getting soggybottom syndrome.

You can store your tortillas in a ziplock bag on the counter or in the fridge. Best if used within a few days.