Once upon a time, I ran a vegetarian restaurant in a college town, and one of its signature dishes was the “Big Veg.” The Big Veg was a scratch-made soy veggie burger.
As such, it was pretty good for its time, but it needed some serious updating. These days, I want something better than “pretty good.”
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Trick or treat? Halloween is all about having a good time and escaping from reality for the day, or days if you are attending parties or Halloween-inspired events! From the treats to the tricks, Halloween is meant to fun, so go…
https://ift.tt/2ArRDc3This spicy and slightly sweet grilled salmon is bound to become a favorite this summer. Smoked paprika, garlic, and onion powders in the rub create a savory, smoky flavor, while a touch of sugar adds a hint of sweetness and helps the skin become unbelievably crispy.
https://ift.tt/2vcaxhcWhere did summer go? I know for some of you that don’t start school until September, you probably think that there’s still plenty of summer left. But, since we’ll start back to school in just a couple of weeks, it feels like summer is ending. Since August begins this week, it means that it’s time
https://ift.tt/2wU77P9Do you have your meal plan ready for this week? If not check out what we’ll be having for dinner all week long and what we’re doing for breakfast and lunches this week.
Our weather has been hot, hot, hot but this week it supposes to cool off about 10 degrees which I’m so looking forward too.
I usually plan all of our meals but this week is different. I’m being lazy this week and only planning our dinners.
I have a few things on hand for lunches that the kids will like or we can eat leftovers. Breakfasts will be our usually toast and eggs.
For the weekend I’ll make something a little nicer for breakfast, like omelets or pancakes.
As you can see even though I don’t have a plan laid out for breakfasts and lunches, I do have things in mind to make for our meals. You don’t always have to have your plan written out but having meals in mind can really help.
I always plan our dinners because that’s the hardest meal for me. If I don’t plan ahead we end up eating out way too much. Which is hard on the budget.
See our full dinner meal plan below…
Dinners
Skillet Pizza Pockets, Salad, and Fruit
Twice Baked Taco Potatoes, Salad, and Fruit
Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps, Fruit, and Rice
Easy Sesame Chicken, Rice and Sugar Snap Peas
Crock Pot Garlic Pork Roast, Potatoes, Salad, and Fruit
Coconut Lime Chicken, (baked on the barbecue or in the slow cooker) Mashed Potatoes, and Salad
Taco Salad and Fruit
What’s on your menu this week?
Do you need help planning your menu? Find my menu planning tips here with a free printable menu planner page and here for my frugal menu planning tips.
This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for your support.
Find more menu plan ideas at Org Junkie too.
https://ift.tt/2OsjyeQWarm weather conjures images of nights spent outdoors, sitting around a campfire surrounded by friends. And with that image usually comes s’mores.
The combination of graham crackers, chocolate, and gooey marshmallows is a classic summertime treat for a reason. With this recipe, we have transformed the dessert into pie form, ideal for serving a crowd of people a summer dinner party or as part of a BBQ dessert spread.
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This month, Summer Miller is back, sharing her meal plans for July. Summer is a mom, a full-time food writer, and also helps test the fabulous recipes we bring you every week at Simply Recipes.
And just like that we are finishing off the month of July! The official end of summer is still a couple of months way, but the back to school sales are everywhere reminding us the end is near. Soon fall sports and homework will replace swimsuits and sprinklers.
With that in mind I want to make the most of these final carefree days. My garden is packed with tomatoes, basil and cucumbers at this point in the season, and this week’s meal plan puts them all to good use.
https://ift.tt/2LsKxZTThis post brought to you in partnership with American Pecans.
We love any excuse to try a new chicken recipe, especially Hot Chicken! A few months ago, our friends at American Pecans hosted the #NotJustPie contest on Instagram and Twitter, asking fans to break pecans out of the pie shell and show off their best non-pie pecan recipes, and it’s clear why this Pecan-Crusted Nashville Hot Chicken came out on top.
https://ift.tt/2v6ebcgIt’s almost the end of summer but you know what’s great to buy this time of year? School supplies are at their best prices this time of year. I stock up on everything I think I’ll need in the way of school supplies and office supplies. Here’s what to stock up on in August.
School Supplies
The best prices of the year are now. Be sure to stock up so you won’t have to pay full price all year. If your family participates in Operation Christmas Child purchasing extras for your shoeboxes can save you money and help you bless others too.
You can often find many items for just a penny. Be sure to stock up when you see them on sale. I usually stock up on notebook paper, spiral notebooks, pens, pencils, glue, binders, whiteboard markers, and sharpies.
Kids Clothing
There’s sure to be lots of back to school clothing sales too. I have my kids go through their closets and dressers to see what we need to purchase.
Then we keep a lookout in the sales flyers each week to see when the items we need are a great price. I often get jeans for around $10 and shirts for around $4 for the kids.
Be sure to also look at the clearance racks for summer clothing you can pick up now at rock bottom prices for next summer too.
Snacks
Yes, the back to school sales even extend to breakfast and snack items. Be on the lookout for cereal, granola bars, pudding and fruit cups, fruit drinks and fruit snacks to be on sale.
Garden and Outdoor Items
With summer rapidly coming to an end there is sure to be gardening items and garden tools on sale. If you need new hand tools for the garden or a new lawn mower or other garden-related items they should be on sale this month. Be sure to look at the clearance items too.
All Things Summer
If some of your summer items are wearing out or you need summer related items now is the time to snatch them up. Swimsuits should be at the best prices.
Summer plates, glasses, and other tableware will be on sale. If you need extra charcoal or other grilling accessories you should be able to find great deals on those too.
Pretty much anything you would use during the summer or summer related is sure to be on clearance this month.
In Season Produce
This month there is a great assortment of in-season produce. Be sure to stock up when you see a great buy and store some for later use by canning, drying, or freezing the extra.
In Season Now, avocados, beets, bell peppers, blackberries, blueberries, carrots, cantaloupe, chiles, cilantro, corn, cucumbers, grapes, green beans, limes, kiwi, mangoes, nectarines, peaches, summer squash, tomatoes, watermelon, and zucchini.
That’s what to stock up on in August. Back to school sales are the biggest sales for this month but be sure to check out clearance racks too.
What are you looking forward to stocking up on this month?
More Money-Saving Ideas
https://ift.tt/2OiIKnWMaking pizza on the grill takes a little bit of courage the first time. Tossing uncooked dough directly onto the grate over live fire? Topping the pizza while it’s on the grill? Seems a bit daunting.
But once you try it and see how delicious it is, you’ll go back for more.
https://ift.tt/2LNFrU4What is an Adverb? (Free Adverb Worksheet for Kids) Post Preview: This post contains a free beginning adverbs worksheet. There are also other language arts and adverb resources. Adverbs can be a tricky part of speech for many children. Heck – who are we kidding? They can be a difficult part of speech for adults too.
https://ift.tt/2v36gg4Those of us who love tuna salad, LOVE tuna salad.
And while plain tuna salad with a bit of mayo and some salt and pepper is delicious, it can get a little bit same-old, same-old. Luckily it couldn’t be simpler to add interest to that little can of fish, and the options for changing it up are pretty endless.
https://ift.tt/2uKIshHThe summer is almost over. Don’t let the last month of summer slip by. Make a plan to make the most of this last month of summer before school starts. Start with this printable August calendar pack…
Grab the printable August calendar pack below…
With summer almost over, you want to make the most of those long summer days while you can. You can do that by making a plan.
Not just any plan, but plans to include all the important things you want to do with your family this month.
Maybe you want to get out of town one last time before the summer is over. Or maybe you want to get your back to school shopping done early this year. Making a plan and writing it down makes it more likely to happen.
Pick a day, make a plan, and get it on the calendar. And this August calendar pack is perfect for planning those end of summer ideas.
With this August calendar printable pack, you can edit the pages before you print it. It’s so nice. I don’t know about you but handwriting in the squares of the calendar always seems messy.
It’s so much nicer when you can type your plans on the square and then print the calendar page you want.
There are two calendars in this printable pack. One that is vertical, great for putting in a binder and one that is horizontal. The horizontal one is great for hanging on the wall or refrigerator.
Print as Many as You NeedBecause these are printable you can print as many as you need. It will only cost you ink and paper. Plus I’ve tried to make these pretty but also ink friendly too. So it won’t cost you too much to print them at home.
When you join our email list, you’ll be sent not only this calendar pack but all the new calendar packs for the months to come. Not a bad deal, huh?!
Click here to join to get added to the email list!I hope you find this August calendar pack helpful and the calendars help you make the most of the last month of summer.
https://ift.tt/2LLtGh5As a vegetarian during my late teens and twenties, I ate my fair share of veggie burgers. After college I started making my own, improving on the store-bought burgers I’d come to rely on by making my own zesty bean burger packed with herbs and subtle spices.
The recipe has come a long way since those days, and the latest version is this tender white bean number with double pesto—some goes in the burgers and some goes into a creamy sauce over top.
These veggie burgers cook up like a dream. They’re sure to be a winner for meat eaters and vegetarians alike.
https://ift.tt/2O6qFcGIt’s Monday and time to plan our meal plan for the week. If you haven’t made your meal plan yet. I’ve got a few oven free dinner ideas below and more.
This week I have another oven free menu plan. I don’t like to heat up the house this time of year.
I keep my baking in the oven to a minimum to keep our air conditioning bill a little lower.
Last week it cooled down a bit but it is going to be in the 90’s the beginning of this week. So it will be oven-free meals again.
This week most of our meals will be prepared on the stovetop or the grill. I think I’m even going to give making fajitas on the grill a try.
I’ll also be making pizza on the grill again. We love how nice and crisp the crust turns out when we grill it. If you’ve never tried making pizza on the grill check out this tutorial.
Our Meal PlanDinners
Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps, Rice, and Fruit
Chicken Fajitas on the grill instead of the oven, Refried Beans, Chips, and Salsa
Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps, Rice, and Fruit
Pan Fried Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, and Salad (from our garden)
Grilled Pizza with Salad
Sloppy Joes, Fruit, Chips, and Vegetable Sticks
Brown Sugar Steaks, Mashed Potatoes, and Salad
Lunches
Leftover most days
Hot Dogs, Fruit, and Chips
Bagel Sandwiches, Fruit and Vegetable Sticks
Breakfasts
Toast with Eggs
Pancakes, Sausage, and Eggs
Breakfast Burritos with Fruit
What’s cooking at your house this week?
Do you need help planning your menu? Find my menu planning tips here with a free printable menu planner page and here for my frugal menu planning tips.
This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for your support.
Find more menu plan ideas at Org Junkie too.
https://ift.tt/2AaoGkWWhen I was growing up in New Jersey, my dad enlisted us kids to dig up clams down at the shore. It was usually a multi-family affair. The grownups built a fire on the beach and filled a new aluminum garbage can with seawater. They set the can over the fire, and once the water was at a boil, the clams went in.
https://ift.tt/2mBHaBc150+ Excellent Topic Ideas for Your Homeschool Co-op Classes Post Preview: Organized by subject matter, this post contains over 150 ideas for your next homeschool co-op class. There are homeschool co-op class ideas for all age levels and abilities. We loved being part of our homeschool co-op for many years while we were homeschooling. It
https://ift.tt/2uT4iikPie IS nostalgia. And this particular Lemon Icebox Pie represents my own personal stroll down memory lane, complete with sighs and happy feelings.
There’s just something about a creamy, dense lemon filling topped with sour cream, settled on top of a graham cracker crust. It’s one of those old-fashioned desserts that takes you back in time. It makes your cheeks pucker and your eyes roll with pleasure.
https://ift.tt/2NB8MlpDo you love pie, but stress about the crust? Welcome to a very large club.
Never fear. Homemade pies aren’t just for those people who were born with the domestic gene. After making this graham cracker crust, you will be able to start your very own new club called “Look, Ma, I Made a Pie!”
https://ift.tt/2LesxCvThis month, Summer Miller is back, sharing her meal plans for July. Summer is a mom, a full-time food writer, and also helps test the fabulous recipes we bring you every week at Simply Recipes.
Midway through July, my kitchen counters usually succumb to their seasonal role as garden vegetable display tables. Every available surface is covered with cucumbers, beans, onions, carrots, Kohlrabi, and tomatoes — among others.
The cantaloupes come in faster than we can eat them, the watermelon vines have taken over half of the yard, and I spend hours every evening washing, preparing, and preserving what I can then giving away the rest.
https://ift.tt/2O7qGNJCreative Ways to Save and Display Children’s Artwork Post Preview: This post will share ways to turn your children’s artwork into treasures that will last for a long time and be well loved. It’s not about organizing kid’s artwork, but about saving your favorites. If your house is anything like mine you have an abundance
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Halloween is a spooktacular time of year! Between the costumes and the candy, there are parties to throw and scary or not-so-scary movies to watch. We’ve put together a list of Halloween movies for kids that you can and should…
https://ift.tt/2zWAUNKTacos are my “single girl” food. You know, the food that you make whenever your partner, kids, or roommates are out of town and you get to sit down and be really honest about what you and only you feel like eating? I never tire of them and am always looking for ways to amp up my taco game.
https://ift.tt/2zW6Im6Jackfruit is turning up in more grocery aisles and restaurant menus these days. Although I am occasionally skeptical of new food trends, this nutritious, tasty fruit looks like it’s here to stay in my pantry thanks to its versatility and affordable price.
https://ift.tt/2NnF4AgAs a homemaker, you can become a little isolated. You spend most of the day at home or carting around the kids. You might work outside the home or work at home but you need to take care of your family too. But setting homemaking goals can help you achieve what you want for your family.
Do you set goals for yourself and your family as a homemaker?
In today’s podcast, I’m talking about goals setting for the homemaker. Before you decide you’re not a homemaker, hear me out.
If you care for your family, make the meals, do the shopping, wash the clothes, take care of the house and the list goes on, you are a homemaker.
Homemaking GoalsYou might have another job outside the home or work from home but you are still a homemaker. Or the CEO of your house.
You’re the one that keeps things running smoothly, gets people where they need to go and keep them fed too.
As a homemaker, it’s easy to go from one task to another. Getting things done that need to are right there in front of you. But those things may take most of your time instead of the things that are really important.
This is where having homemaking goals come in. When you have a goal to work towards, you become more intentional about the things you do and let the less important things fall by the wayside.
Have a listen to the podcast below and I’ll walk you through how I set my homemaking goals and how you can too.
Show Notes…
The notes below are not a word-for-word transcript but more like the cliff notes version of the podcast.
Let’s talk about setting homemaking goals. First, if you work outside the home and take care of your family, you know you have set tasks your boss wants you to do. It’s what makes up your job outside of the home.
You might even have goals or measurements set for your job outside the home. This is how your boss or company measures how well you are doing your job. They may set these tasks for you or you might be the one to set the goals.
Either way, you have a guide to keep you on track for what your purpose is in that company.
Our job as homemakers is to make a safe, comfortable haven for our families to come home to.
We might share it with our spouse, or we might take on most of the work. But if there is no intention in building and taking care of the home, it will become stagnant.
Having set homemaking goals helps you see where you want your family to be in 6 months, a year, five years and beyond.
It helps you to see beyond that pile of dishes in the sink or the mountain of laundry in front of the washer. It gives you direction.
What is a Homemaking Goal?A homemaking goal can be anything you or your family wants to achieve in making your house a home. To make it more enjoyable for the whole family, more comfortable, more manageable.
One example of a homemaking goal might be to eat at home as a family two nights a week.
Or maybe to keep the sink free of dirty dishes every night before bed so you wake up to a clean sink and kitchen each morning.
Or it could make changes to how your family spends money each month so you can save up for a once in a lifetime vacation before the kids are grown up and move out of the house.
Each family and each homemaker will have different goals for the stages of life they are in.
If your kids are little, getting them to do one chore each day to help around the house might be your main homemaking goal.
If you are deep in debt, your goal might be to reduce your debt by 50% in the next year and a half.
It might be to set up systems so everyone in the household can help with the basic chores and keep the house running smoothly instead of it all falling to one person.
All of these would be great homemaking goals.
Now you have a homemaking goal or two in mind let’s talk about how to make those goals a reality.
It’s easy to pick a goal, then think about it, and work towards it for a week or two or even a couple of months. But when you don’t feel progress is being made, it falls by the wayside. Then is forgotten.
Kinda like those new year’s resolutions that fall by the wayside come spring.
Let’s not do that with our homemaking goals. The best way to achieve a goal is to make a good plan.
We want to take our big goal and decide what steps we need to take over the next 12 weeks to work towards that goals or goals.
I like to only take on 3 goals each 12 weeks. If you take on too much too fast, you’ll end up burning out and then nothing may get achieved. It’s better to stick with one to three goals at a time.
The goals may take longer than 12 weeks to achieve but make a plan of what you’ll work on for 12 weeks at a time.
An example is eating home-cooked meals each night instead of eating out. Only eating out when you’ve planned to eat out.
Here’s an idea of how I might make changes for our family over 12 weeks to reach our goal. I know it always helps me to have an example and I hope it helps you too.
✳︎ The first week might comprise cutting back on eating out one meal the first week.
✳︎ The second week if the first week was successful is cutting back on eating out another meal or two.
✳︎ The third week you might make a plan for the meals for the week, including which meals you’ll eat out.
✳︎ The fourth week you might make your meal plan and shop on certain days so you are prepared for the week ahead. It may also include a few convenience food meals to make cooking at home even easier.
✳︎ Week five might follow the meal plan for each day and include a way to eat up leftovers so they don’t go to waste.
✳︎ Then week’s 6-10 might consist of sticking to your meal plan and shopping each week to make it become a habit. And making a list of all your family’s favorite meals to make to make meal planning each week even easier.
✳︎ Week 11-12 might include adding new recipes that family members find to try and adding new meals to your meal planning recipes list.
Change Can be Slow That’s OKAs you can tell by this plan, you slowly change your habits and build towards your goal of eating at home and only eating out when you plan to.
By slowly making changes you can move your family towards the goal and everyone can help.
Give everyone in the family a say on a dinner for the week. Let them pick their favorite meal to add to the family favorites meal list.
When you involve the whole family, everyone feels invested in working towards the goal and you get less resistance.
The best way to be successful at homemaking goals is to get everyone involved and invested in attaining the goal. If one person’s resolve wavers at one time another can keep working towards the goal.
Evaluate to Keep on Track with Your Homemaking GoalsAfter 12 weeks evaluate how you are doing towards your goal. Do you need to plan another 12 weeks or have you achieved your goal?
Start the process over again with a new goal or continue working toward the goal you’ve been working on.
Give Yourself Grace Because We all Need GraceMaking lasting chances for your family is hard work. It takes time. And it’s easy to get frustrated at how very slow the process might be.
It’s easy to get frustrated and start that negative talk in your head. You know that disapproving voice that tells you what a failure you are and reminds you how many times you slipped up.
Don’t do it, give yourself grace. Lasting change takes time, and it’s a process.
I know I’m one that wants to have instant gratification. I want to put the work in quickly and get to the end goal quickly.
But most homemaking goals take time to achieve and become habits. Once the habit is set, it’s so much easier to stick with your goal because now it’s a habit. Just something you do.
As a homemaker to keep our homes running smoothly and to make progress toward what we ultimately want for our families, we need to set goals.
Making homemaking goals can help us work towards the home we want to build for our family. A little each day, each week, each month, and each year. As we build the home life we want our families will be all the better for it too.
Take the time today to make your homemaking goals and build the home life you want.
Let’s start Now…
What homemaking goals do you plan on tackling first? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
More Homemaking Helps…How to Keep Up with Laundry
How to Organize Your Kitchen
How to Plan a Month’s Worth of Meal in About an Hour
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As a parent, you want the best for your kids. You want them to laugh and play and to enjoy themselves during the holidays. However, when it comes to Halloween, you may not be thrilled with the tradition of giving…
https://ift.tt/2LoKg6gBlueberries! Strawberries! Raspberries! Just give me ALL the berries!
The love for sweet, ripe, juicy berries and other fruits has always been strong in my family — my mom often says that the one thing she could be sure my brother and I would eat when we were kids was the fruit salad.
For me, the farmers’ market this time of year is like walking into a candy store. So many choices. So little time.
https://ift.tt/2NY2VYrThere is a true beauty to one-skillet dinners, and it’s not just the fact that there is only one pan to wash.
It’s just very satisfying to place a skillet right in the middle of the table and scoop out essentially your whole meal. It’s family style dining at its best. (Just be careful of the hot pan!)
https://ift.tt/2moMFmyWhat’s cooking at your house this week? If you don’t have your meal plan ready yet, take a peek below. This is another oven free week of meals at our house.
This week is starting out hot at our house, I’m hoping it will cool down as the week goes on. I’m not a hot weather girl at all, that’s why I live where it rains most of the year. I love the rain, hate the heat.
To help keep the house cool we’ll be grilling, using the slow cooker, or cooking on the stove top this week.
Our meals are also easy to make meals so if it cools down enough, I can resume staining our fence. I have a little less than half to go but the stain goes on so much better when the weather is cooler. Fingers crossed it will cool down a bit.
Here’s our full meal plan for this week…
Dinners
Crock Pot Lasagna, Salad, and French Bread
Italian Chicken, Rice and Grilled Zucchini (from our garden)
Chili Dogs, Salad, and Fruit
Tuna Patties, Rice, and Sugar Snap Peas (from the garden)
Cheeseburger Skillet Dish, Salad and Cherries
Spaghetti with Homemade Sauce, Salad, and French Bread
Soft and Crisp Tacos, Homemade Salsa, Refried Beans, and Chips
LunchesLeftover most days
Sandwiches, Fruit, and Chips
Salad with Lunchmeat, Cheese and Homemade Croutons
Breakfasts
Toast with Eggs
Waffles, Sausage and Eggs
Toast, Eggs, and Turkey Bacon
What’s cooking at your house this week?
Do you need help planning your menu? Find my menu planning tips here with a free printable menu planner page and here for my frugal menu planning tips.
This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for your support.
Find more menu plan ideas at Org Junkie too.
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https://ift.tt/2urqRLiCut and Paste Hail Mary Prayer Printable post preview: This post contains a downloadable set of cut and paste activities with two versions of the Hail Mary prayer. The post also contains other Hail Mary activities. While working on learning prayers, it’s fun to work on them in many different ways. Not only does that
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Packed with fresh tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers—not to mention Kalamata olives and feta cheese—this pasta salad has all the flavor of your favorite Greek salad! The lemony garlicky dressing is also flavorful enough to stand up to olives and feta, but it doesn’t overpower the more delicately flavored ingredients such as cucumber and tomato.
https://ift.tt/2zGlhKfOne thing we gardeners can count on in the peak of summer is a surplus of zucchini and tomatoes, right? That basil plant in the corner of the garden bed is pretty happy too.
If you are looking for ideas of what to make with the most summery of summer produce, check out this zucchini tomato quiche!
It’s simple enough as quiches go—shallots, shredded zucchini, an assortment of colorful cherry tomatoes, basil, and herbs with a custard base of eggs, milk, cream, sour cream, and Parmesan.
Tomatoes, basil, and zucchini play well together as a matter of principle, and they work beautifully in this quiche. Every bite is a taste of summer.
https://ift.tt/2zF9z2lThis month, Summer Miller is back, sharing her meal plans for July. Summer is a mom, a full-time food writer, and also helps test the fabulous recipes we bring you every week at Simply Recipes.
Summer has arrived launching cannonballs of heat and humidity. The air is thick and heavy like wet blankets. I can feel the weight of it on my skin and in my lungs.
I wade through the sticky and heat-stricken Midwestern masses by day, awaiting the cooler evenings that seem endless this time of year.
The fireflies are out in droves looking for love in the twilight skies and between blades of grass peppered with white clover. Every evening is an opportunity for dinner and a show. Meals by the window or on the porch suit me just fine in July even in the thick summer air.
https://ift.tt/2uxcFjqWhether you’re studying about the ocean or just want to enjoy some fun, creative time for coloring, your kids will love these super cute ocean coloring pages! Even better – they’re a totally free download. Bonus! Related Post: 10 Best Beach Books for Young Children Free Printable Super Cute Ocean Coloring Pages All three coloring
https://ift.tt/2LhsK3PHello Summer, hello July, and welcome to month 7 of our Monthly Produce Guides!
This is the season we wait all year for, the time of plenty. Our gardens, local famers markets, and supermarket produce sections are filled with glorious choices.
If July isn’t National Zucchini Month, it should be, right? If you garden, you might be regretting that decision to plant more than a couple zucchini plants, as each one produces enough zucchini to feed a family of four. No worries! We have you covered with dozens of recipes for zucchini and summer squash.
https://ift.tt/2uql4FaHave you ever had escarole?
It’s easy to mistake for lettuce, but it’s actually a slightly bitter green, in the chicory family with endive, frisée, and radicchio.
The leaves are a bit thick, like kale, have raggedy edges, and are light green on the outside, with often a pale yellow center on the inside.
https://ift.tt/2NKB2mzWhen you are pondering an appetizer for a party, you can never go wrong with hummus. It’s popular with kids and adults, it’s easy to make in quantities large or small, and it’s highly adaptable.
Earthy, savory, creamy, protein-packed: hummus is a great base for all kinds of add-ins.
Sure there are a bunch of pre-made flavor variations available at the store, but it’s so easy to make your own “house” version. Then you not only have a crowd-pleasing party appetizer (or snack), you also have bragging rights!
https://ift.tt/2L5BQADCucumbers are plentiful at the store, the farmer’s markets, and coming out of our gardens this time of year. While you could make a yummy creamy cucumber salad, this easy cucumber salad with onions is quick and easy to make and healthier too.
If you have cucumbers coming out of the garden, you’ll want to try this quick and easy cucumber salad. Even my hubby who doesn’t like cucumber salads ate this one up and wants me to make it again.
This is just one of the farm to table recipes for this month’s Tuesdays in the Garden.
My gardening friends and I this week are sharing farm to table recipes to help you consume all that great produce you are growing or finding on sale or at the farmer’s markets. Scroll down to the bottom of the article to see their recipes too.
When we have cucumbers, I’ll make pickles for our family. We can dill pickles and bread and butter pickles each year.
I also make refrigerator dills and refrigerator bread and butter pickles too. They are quick and easy and so crisp too.
We also love to have salads this time of year. Vegetables are crisp and refreshing on a warm day. And when you have fresh cucumbers straight out of the garden or from the farmers market, they taste so good.
The combination of our love of salads and pickles inspired this easy cucumber and onion salad recipe.
Cucumbers, We prefer the smaller pickling cucumbers but the regular slicing cucumbers are fine too.
Onion, You can use any kind of onion you like. I used a purple onion because of the great color contrast (we eat with our eyes too) and the milder flavor. (My picky eater will eat the purple onions, but complains about other onions.)
Vinegar, I prefer apple cider vinegar to white vinegar. If you want an even milder vinegar, you might try rice vinegar. I use it in many recipes and it has a milder flavor.
Sugar, I added sugar to cut the acidity of the vinegar in this recipe. And to make them taste like bread and butter pickles. You could use honey or any other sweetener. Or leave it out altogether if you are eating Keto.
Parsley, I chose parsley over dill because most cucumber salad recipes use dill and I wanted this one to be different. I used fresh parsley out of the garden but you could use dried parsley instead. If using dry parsley, only use 1 teaspoon.
Turmeric, I added this spice because I use turmeric in my bread and butter pickles and I like the flavor it adds. Not a fan? You can leave it out.
Salt and Pepper, because what’s a cucumber salad without these two.
How Do you Make a Cucumber Salad? Watch the Recipe Video Below to See…This recipe is quick and easy to make. But sometimes it’s nice to watch a recipe be made the first time through. If watching a video isn’t for you keep scrolling for the written version below and the printable recipe.
Tips for Making this Easy Cucumber Salad with OnionsCucumbers, I prefer to slice our cucumber on the thin side. I think the dressing permeates the cucumbers better when they are thinner. But thicker cucumbers hold up better if you are making this salad ahead of time.
Onion, I like to dice the onion into small pieces so my picker eater won’t complain. But if you love onions you might leave them in rings or larger diced pieces.
If you’ll be preparing the cucumber and onion salad ahead of time, slice the cucumber thicker so they will hold up in the dressing better. Or you could cut the onions and cucumber and store them in a covered bowl in the refrigerator.
Then prepare the dressing in another bowl and store with the cucumbers. An hour before serving you can combine the two. The cucumber will stay crisp when you add the dressing close to serving time. And most of the work will be done ahead of time.
Grab the printable recipe below to try…
I like to know how much the recipes I make cost. It helps me to plan my meals and keep our grocery spending under control. All while eating a variety of foods too.
Don’t worry if you don’t want to figure out the cost, I have you covered. Below is the cost breakdown of this recipe. The prices in your area may vary a little but it should give you a good idea of how much it will cost.
Cucumbers, 2 large or 3-4 smaller $1.16 to $2
Onion, 1/2 of onion $.23 at $.80/lb
Parsley, $.59 a bunch you’ll only need a small amount $.05
Vinegar $.11 when you purchase a gallon at $6.79
Spices, $.10 purchased in bulk
That brings the total for this recipe to $1.65 to $2.49 depending on how much you pay for the cucumbers. They can vary in price from $.50 each up to $1 each here at our stores.
The recipe makes 6 servings so each serving ends up costing just $.28 to $.48.
That price isn’t bad at all considering it’s a healthy side dish too.
If you grow your own onions and cucumbers, the cost will be less.
In about 5 minutes and with 5 basic ingredients, you could have a quick and easy cucumber salad to enjoy.
This recipe would be a great addition to a picnic or barbecue. I’m sure it will be eaten up right away because it’s so yummy!
Don’t leave yet, be sure to check out the other Tuesday in the Garden bloggers farm to table recipes below. They are all great cooks and terrific recipe writers so I know you’ll find a new recipe or more to try. Just click on the photo to be taken to their recipe…
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https://ift.tt/2L4t74GAs the weather warms, I spend a lot of time outside. My garden is flanked by the trailing tendrils of cantaloupe and watermelon on one side, and a uniform row of ten rhubarb plants on the other. The raised beds in between burst with any number of vegetables, including tomatoes, peppers, salad greens, and 200 sets of onions.
After weeks of tending, harvesting, and then cleaning the fruits of my labor, I’m ready to prepare them in the simplest of ways. I don’t want to worry about food; I want to enjoy a meal with the people I’m feeding.
Besides, more often than not, fresh produce needs little more than a vinaigrette and a good toss to turn it into something for the table.
https://ift.tt/2N1w1VqDo you have your meal plan done for this week?
I know I’d be lost without my meal plan. I make one each week so I know what I’ll be cooking. If you need a few meal ideas look below to see what’s cooking at our house this week.
It’s going to be downright hot later this week. I’ll be making quick and easy stove top or grilled dinners.
I don’t like to heat up the kitchen when it’s hot outside. Eating out each day isn’t an option, although it might be fun for a few days.
We are also getting lots of lettuce from our garden so we will be having salads as side dishes this week. Salads are easy to make and you can prep ahead salad for the whole week at the start of the week and be set.
Enchiladas are so good but when it’s hot out, I’ll make them in the slow cooker. They are easy to assemble and turn out great. Plus you don’t have to heat up the house running the oven.
For the baked potato bar, we’ll be making the baked potatoes in the microwave. And I’ll make skillet chili to go on top of the baked potatoes.
We’ll also be cooking the pizza on the grill. If you haven’t had grilled pizza you have got to give it a try.
Here’s our full meal plan…
Dinners
Slow Cooker Enchiladas, Salad, Chips and Salsa
Salmon Patties, Rice, Homemade Tartar Sauce and Salad
Grilled Herb Chicken, served on a Salad with Grilled French Bread
Ham Slices, Mashed Potatoes, and Salad
Chili Baked Potato Bar, Salad, and Fruit
Pizza and Salad
Sloppy Joes, Fruit and Vegetable Sticks
LunchesLeftover most days
Sandwiches, Fruit, and Chips
Big Salad with Lunchmeat and Hard Boiled Eggs, and Grilled Bread
Breakfasts
Toast with Eggs
Whole Wheat Pancakes, Sausage, and Eggs
Omelet and Toast
What’s cooking at your house this week?
Do you need help planning your menu? Find my menu planning tips here with a free printable menu planner page and here for my frugal menu planning tips.
This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for your support.
Find more menu plan ideas at Org Junkie too.
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https://ift.tt/2m3fiph15 Important Life Skills: An Essential List of Life Skills for Kids is a post by contributing writer Tonya from Travel Inspired Living. As homeschoolers, we often like to think that our children are better prepared to handle life situations than many of their public school counterparts. After all, they do see us “living life” day
https://ift.tt/2MX1pnQBlueberries are such a popular snack in our house—my 3-year-old son eats them by the handful. But they also make their way into a lot of the baking and cooking I do.
He often requests them in pancakes and muffins, and more recently, in these blueberry crumb bars.
https://ift.tt/2J47BbaThis month, Summer Miller is back, sharing her meal plans for April. Summer is a mom, a full-time food writer, and also helps test the fabulous recipes we bring you every week at Simply Recipes.
I ease into my work weeks like I ease into my mornings – slow and simple. I do my best to leave my meetings to the other days of the week, and let Mondays serve as the day I set myself up to take care of odd and ends, dig out from emails that have accumulated over the weekend, and take stock of the week ahead.
When I transition to dinner on Monday nights, I take the same approach. I want to hang out with my kids and husband, find out how their days went and see what lies ahead for them. I don’t want to be distracted by over complicated menus.
https://ift.tt/2KDvbl4These kimchi deviled eggs transcend your average deviled egg by incorporating classic Korean ingredients such as kimchi, sesame, and gochujang, a Korean chili paste.
The result is wildly exciting. The sesame and gochujang add nuttiness, sweetness, and spice while the kimchi contributes a bright, sour flavor with a hint of funk.
https://ift.tt/2MWX7NkOpposites Worksheets for Kindergarten and Preschool (Antonyms Worksheets Packet) Post Preview: This post includes a free eight page learning packet with printables all about opposites for preschoolers and kindergarteners. This free opposites worksheets packet is perfect for kids ages 4 – 7, depending on skill levels and interest. In eight pages, it works on opposites
https://ift.tt/2MU0kNwHow to Get a Grip on Homeschool Planning: Steps for Planning Your Homeschool Year is a guest post from Mary Prather of Homegrown Learners. During much of our “off” time this summer I have been thinking about and planning for the upcoming school year. The downside to immersing myself in homeschool reading (books, blogs,
https://ift.tt/2MOg9peJuly is National Ice Cream Month! In addition to some coconut milk hot fudge sundaes, it seemed like a perfect time for an ice cream printables packet for preschoolers. Featuring colorful ice cream treats, ice cream cones, and the ever popular ice cream truck, this packet is a wonderful addition to an ice cream or
https://ift.tt/2iXZEgAFor as long as I can remember, shrimp has been one of my favorite foods, and these grilled shrimp taco bowls treat shrimp like the pretty little superstars they are!
This bowl is packed with healthy Mexican-inspired ingredients such as black beans, corn, tomatoes, and lettuce, all served on top of rice with a spicy cilantro dressing.
https://ift.tt/2lUhzDdEnjoying a nice cool drink on a hot summer day can really quench your thirst. Having these mint ice cubes ready to go in the freezer can add a hint of mint and a little sweetness too, to any drink, so easily. Plus, they are so easy to make.
Imagine it’s a hot summer day. You need a cool drink. You grab a nice glass of iced tea, lemonade or ? to cool off with. You add ice but as the ice melts it does nothing but water down your drink.
Sure it cools off your drink, but that’s about it. By the time you get to the end of your delicious glass, it’s so watered down, it doesn’t taste good at all.
You can purchase those reusable ice cubes and they work well. If you don’t mind looking at colored plastic cubes floating around in your glass.
But what if you could cool your drink without it being watered down and flavor it too.
Wouldn’t that be great?!
These mint ice cubes can do just that. They can cool your drink, just like regular ice cubes do. But as they melt, they don’t water down your drink. They flavor and sweeten it instead.
Plus when you add a mint leaf to each cube you get a pretty addition to your glass instead of plastic color cubes.
And these flavored ice cubes can help you drink more water.
In the summer we all know we need to drink more water while working outside. If you don’t drink enough, you can get to feeling terrible or worse yet make yourself sick. All from being dehydrated.
But drinking plain old water gets boring after your fifth glass.
When you add a cube or two of these mint ice cubes, you can keep your water chilled. And have a nice flavored drink instead of plain water.
Plus since there is only a little sugar in each cube it doesn’t add much in the way of calories but adds a big benefit in taste.
Which keeps you drinking more water. Which we all know is good for us.
How to Make Mint Ice CubesIf you want to give these little ice cubes of flavor and sweetness a try, I’ve made a video tutorial for you. It’s just over a minute and takes you step by step through the recipe.
You will need to make mint syrup first, but it’s just as easy and I have a video tutorial for it too.
After watching the video, keep scrolling for tips on how to use these cubes, how to store them, and how much they cost to make too. Don’t forget to grab the printable recipe too, it’s below.
Where to Use the Mint Ice CubesUse these mint ice cubes in any drink you want to flavor. Some of our favorites are..
Ice Tea, instead of adding lemon try adding a mint ice cube instead. It won’t be as sweet as sweet tea but it will add a touch of sweetness and mint flavor too.
Lemonade, lemonade can be even better with an addition of a little mint. And these mint ice cubes are a great way to add mint flavor.
Plain Old Water, most of us don’t drink enough water. It’s easier to grab a glass of tea or a glass of juice. But this can add calories, caffeine, and other substances you don’t really need when plain water would be better.
Adding mint ice cubes can help to flavor the water like I mentioned above without adding much in the way of calories. Which can help you drink more.
Print the recipe below…
Once you have your mint ice cubes made, you’ll want to store them. Now if you have room and don’t need your ice cube trays, you could store them in the trays.
But when not sealed they can get sticky on top and not look as nice. That’s why I recommend storing them in a freezer bag out of the trays.
You can dump the mint ice cubes out of the trays and then place the into a freezer bag. Remove most of the air and place them in the freezer. When you need a cube or two for a drink, take one out and seal them back up.
This is the best way to keep these ice cubes the longest and they will take up less room in the freezer too.
If you are having a party, you won’t know who wants mint ice cubes and who doesn’t but you want them available for your guests to try.
The best way to display them and have them available but keep them from melting too quickly is to put the on ice.
Place the mint ice cubes in a chilled bowl with a bed of ice below them. As your guests get their drinks, they can grab regular ice or mint ice for their drinks. It’s easy, and it helps to keep the from melting.
Making mint ice cubes is quick. It only takes a minute or two to assemble them once you have the mint syrup made.
And using them to flavor water instead of reaching for juice, pop, or a sports drink, can save you money and calories.
But how much do these cost to make. After all knowledge is power. And if your food budget is tight something small can make or break it. But don’t worry you won’t have to figure out the cost for yourself. I’ve done the calculations for you below…
Some of the links below are my referral links. Which means when you purchase through them I can make a little money at no extra cost to you. Thanks! See my disclosure policy for more information.
Ingredients and Costs
Mint Leaves, cost for a bunch in a small box at the grocery store $2.30, it will be next to nothing if you grow your own mint at home in pots on your patio.
Mint Syrup, $.48 per cup is the cost of the homemade mint syrup, using the mint from the grocery store in the plastic containers. One package of mint from the store will make a batch of mint syrup and leave you enough leaves to use in the ice cubes.
You can purchase mint syrup at the store in the coffee aisle. If you like to shop online amazon carries this item and you can get free shipping if you order meets the shipping requirements.
Water, nothing extra if you use tap water, a little of money if you use bottled water. I use filtered tap water.
Kitchen Tools Needed…
Ice Cube Trays, I purchased mine at the dollar store, but you can also order fancier ones on Amazon. I like this one and this one too. You can use them over and over, the fancier ones will last longer than the dollar store ones. At least that has been my experience.
What’s the Cost…
For one ice cube tray full of mint ice cubes, which worked out to be 16 ice cubes, it cost $.20 for the full batch. And a little over a penny per cube.
And that is with purchasing the mint in the small packages from the store. You can save even more by growing your own mint.
If you purchase the mint syrup instead of making it at home that will increase your cost to $.96 for a batch of mint ice cubes. Or $.06 an ice cube. Still not bad at all and it saves you a little work too.
If you are looking to drink more water but plain old water just doesn’t cut it for you. Give these mint ice cubes a try.
If you need to watch your sugar intake, you can try making the mint syrup with a sugar substitute or purchase sugar free mint syrup from the store.
These mint ice cubes can help you dress up regular drinks for a party. Add a little sweetness to your ice tea or lemonade. Or make it easier to get that water you know you should drink everyday down.
Find More Summer Drink Ideas to Cool Off… https://ift.tt/2Nnp3ei