Freezing Broth

 

 

I had a carton of beef broth that I got on sale that had an expiry that was creeping up on me. 

I didn't have a current use for it, so into the freezer it went!

 

All you have to do is pop the broth into a freezer safe bag (I highly recommend labeling it with type and date). Throw it in the freezer and let completely thaw before using for a recipe.

Banana Oat Muffins

These muffins are great for busy mornings!

They are the perfect grab-and-go breakfast item!

 

Ingredients;

1 1/2 cups of flour

1 cup of oats

1/2 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 tsp of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 egg

3/4 cup of milk

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

1 cup of mashed banana

Steps for Success;

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl ; flour, oats, sugar, powder, soda, and salt.

In a seperate bowl, beat egg lightly.

Stir in milk, oil, and vanilla extract.

Add mashed bananas and combine well.

Fold dry mixture into wet mixture completely.

Make sure to scrap the sides of the bowl while combining.

Pour evenly into lined cupcake tray.

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.

Makes 1 dozen.

 

February 2014 Week #4

Links;

Pasta Bake Recipe

Chicken Parm Recipe

 

 Lookout for; 

Recipe for homemade hamburger buns

Money Saving With Produce

There are some easy ways to save money on fresh produce for you an your family.

Obviously, looking for sales on produce is the first step to saving money in the produce department. Sales are a great way to trim your grocery budget in all departments in the grocery store.

There are not a lot of coupons available for fresh produce, so finding great sales are the best way to save money.
Shopping the seasons are always great as well.
Click here for a list of produce and the best time of year to purchase!

When you find a deal you can't pass up it is always a good idea to buy extras and do some freezing for future recipes!

These peppers were a little soft, but nothing that wasn't easily fixed by washing chopping and throwing in the freezer.


Now we have a huge bag of peppers in our freezer waiting to be used! 

Puppies!

We are extremely proud to introduce..

Our puppies! 

Molly & Oscar are parents! 

Oscar Jr ~ boy

Mocha ~ girl

Vanilla-Thunder ~ girl 

hehe. 

(yes, we gave them silly names!)

On February 9th (my birthday!), we helped miss Molly birth her three little puppies. 

It was an interesting experience to say the least, especially since we didn't plan on breeding her with Oscar, or at all. 

We had planning for them to be fixed, but everything with Josh's health happened very fast and took priority. 

Molly and Oscar spent the 4 months we were in Toronto with my parents, and apparently they weren't completely supervised. 

But, there was nothing we could do about it, so we did our research to become prepared. 

It was an amazing experience to see, and obviously the puppies are adorable. 

We will be seeking good homes for these little ones when it is time, and we all will be extremely sad when they go. 

We are looking forward to spending the next weeks watching these puppies grow and bonding with them. 

Scented Salts

Here's a very simple DIY for scented salt bags for your dresser drawers!

All You Need; 

Epsom Salts 

Essential Oil Scent of Your Choosing

Little See Through Bags 

Use 1/4 of salts per little bag you make.

Whisk with a few drops of essential oil until it is as strong as you would prefer. 

 

Place in little bags and pop in your drawer! 

Smells great every time you open it up!

 

 

Sugar Free Diabetic Cookies

We have a friend who has recently been hospitalized. 

He also has cystic fibrosis and is a complete fighter. 

His also has cystic fibrosis relate diabetes.

We decided to visit him and bring him a treat that wouldn't put him in a sugar coma. 

Ingredients; 

• 1 1/4 cup of flour 
• 1 tsp of baking soda 
• 1/4 tsp of salt 
• 2/3 cu of cocoa
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar substitute
• 1/2 cup of sugar substitute 
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 eggs 
• 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract 
• 1/4 cup of icing sugar

 

Whisk together dry ingredients (excluding sugar substitute) and set aside. 

Cream together white sugar substitute with butter until fluffy. 

Add one egg at a time until well combined. 

Add vanilla. 

Add dry ingredients slowly until completely combined (will be very thick).

Now add milk and combine. 

Place icing sugar in seperate bowl.
Form little balls with the dough and roll in icing sugar until completely coated.
Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Allow to completely cool before trying.
Store in an airtight container.

Parmesan Asparagus

This is one of or all time favorite side dishes! 

We make it so often its ridiculous!

All You Need;

Asparagus 

Olive Oil 

Salt & Pepper

Parmesan Cheese 

 

Place asparagus (fresh or frozen) in a sauce pan with 2tbl olive oil and 1tbl of water. 

Saute on medium heat until soft. 

Push asparagus to one side of the pan and sprinkle a generous tablespoon of parmesan cheese on top. 

Stir to combine. 

Serve with favorite meal! 

DIY Frugal Floor Cleaner

If you're anything like me, you hate spending money on unnecessary things. 

I hate buying floor cleaner. 

I feel like floor cleaner is basically a combination of the other cleaners I already purchase, but in a bottle labelled 'floor' just to get you to buy it.

So, I decided to make my own.

And let me tell you. 

It works wonders. 

Living in an apartment has its perks, but what is the most annoying about our apartment is that the entry way leads right into the kitchen. 

And this is Canada. 

We get a lot of snow. 

So we are constantly tracking in snow, slush, dirt, salt, and who knows what else!

I needed a super cleaner that was going to get the job done the first time.

Ingredients;

4 cups hot water (*if your tap water doesn't get hot enough, boil some or use water directly from the keurig!)

2-3 tablespoons of Dishsoap (I prefer sunlight for this!)

1/2 cup of vinegar 

1/8 cup of baking soda

the juice of 1 lemon

Homemade Cheesy Scallop Potatoes

I love me some scallop potatoes. 

I'm usually a cheater and will buy the boxed kind, or if I am feeling extra cheater-y I will buy the frozen kind.

I know, I know. 

But, I wanted to try to make my own scallop potatoes. 

I've wanted to do it for awhile now and I finally decided to do it the other day. 

I also discovered something. 

All the ingredients to make the potatoes were cheaper than the boxed ones, and a lot cheaper than the frozen kind. 

I estimate for this recipe its about $3-$4 depending on where you purchase your ingredients.

Ingredients;

3 - 4 Russet Potatoes (washed and sliced very thin)

2 tbl of butter 

2 tbl of flour

1 1/2 cups of milk

1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar cheese 

salt and pepper to taste

Cheese Sauce

In a small sauce pan, melt butter and mix in flour. 

Stir until completely incorporated. 

Add milk and whisk. 

Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. 

Stir in cheese until melted and smooth. 

In the bottom of a casserole dish, make a layer of potatoes that completely covers the bottom. 

Add half the cheese to cover the potatoes. 

Add another layer of potatoes to cover the cheese sauce. 

Add remaining of cheese sauce. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour until golden brown and bubbly. 

Finished Product. Yum-o.

February Week #3

This weeks menu is up lovelies! 

Recipes for this week that will be posted; 

 ~ Cream of Broccoli Soup 

~ Classic Chili 

~ Vegetable Quesadillas with Spicy Rice

Keep your eye out for them! :) 

 

Happy Family Day!

Hope you're having an amazing family day! 

Spend it with the people you love! 

xo

Olympic Pride

Oh the Olympics. 

I love the Olympics. 

Winter are especially my favorite! 

Figure skating, skiing, hockey, snowboarding, speed skating. 

Everything. 

I love everything about the winter Olympics. 

GO CANADA GO!

I will be watching as much as I can! 

I love to cheer for team Canada!

 

 

Tomato Macaroni Soup

This recipe is one of my all time favorites. 

Mostly because of how versatile it really is. 

The tomato base of this soup is easy, inexpensive, and healthier than using a cream base. 

 

 

What you Need For The Base; 

- Can of Original Tomato Sauce 

- Carton of Broth (Chicken or Vegetable)

- Can of Crushed Tomatoes 

- Salt & Pepper to Taste

 

 

To make the base all you have to do is empty the pasta sauce into a large soup pot and slowly add the broth. Whisk until combined. 

 

Add Ins; 

- Elbow Pasta 

- Carrots 

- Celery 

- Zucchini 

- Potatoes 

- Spinach 

- Anything you have! 

 

If choosing to add pasta or vegetables, I recommend bringing the base mixture to a steady boil before adding your yummy extras. 

The finished product. 

I went with a very simple soup of the tomato base, elbow pasta and canned tomatoes.

Served with warm grilled cheese for dipping. 

Delicious. Easy. Quick. Frugal.