Slow cooker "Baked" sweet potatoes.

I can't believe it, three posts in one week!  I am on a role!  I want to share my new favorite way to eat sweet potatoes. I placed 4 medium sized sweet potatoes in my slow cooker, I drizzled a little olive oil on top. (next time I may try coconut oil) I then shook a few very generous shakes of pumpkin pie spice on top. They cooked on low for 4 hours to absolute perfection. Now, when we eat sweet potatoes for the holidays, my husband usually bakes them with brown sugar, cinnamon, syrup, coconut and loads of butter. They are amazing, but not healthy at all. I did want a healthy alternative to putting butter on them.  I decided to take 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, two tablespoons of honey and a couple of healthy shakes of that pumpkin pie spice and blended it all together. We put it on the potatoes and it was amazing!  I also plan to keep the coconut oil mixture in the fridge for many other goodies to come. I hope you all enjoy my new favorite Paleo side dish.

Honey Mustard Slow Cooker Chicken

I am a huge fan of my slow cooker. I use it a few times a week. It is so convenient to throw something in while the babies are napping and have it perfectly done when the hubby gets home. I don't usually follow recipe directions, I tend to take an idea and just go with it. I love honey mustard chicken so I went ahead and made my own. This recipe can easily be converted to Paleo by making your own mustard. ( I plan on doing that very soon with this recipe here)

My plan was to make it ahead of time and cool it so we could eat it over salad. We did do this and it was very good, but I couldn't stop tasting it right out of the slow cooker. I was afraid we weren't going to have enough. Next time I'm going to double the batch. Here is what I did.

3 tbsp sweet hot mustard
3 tbsp regular mustard

1 tbsp honey

1 garlic clove 

1lb of chicken breast

I blended the ingredients together and poured them over the chicken. I cooked it for six hours on low because I wanted it to fall apart, but 4 hours would be sufficient. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!  Next time I will take a picture too!

Money Saving Tips- Food

 


Hello Everyone! Annette here :) I'm starting a new series of posts on ways to save money. Let's face it times are hard for a lot of people and we should always be good stewards of what God has given us.
 Tip #1- Keep a well stocked Pantry having simple pantry items on hand at all times will ensure you always have something to throw together for dinner and will help you avoid those last minute grocery store runs... you know the ones where you go in for 1 or 2 items and come out with 20! Stock up on pantry items when they are on sale so you won't have to pay more later. Also with a full pantry you don't have to worry about going out in that freak snow storm or flood... those things don't happen often around here but, you should be safe rather than sorry:)

Tip #2- Make it yourself! It's no secret that pre-package items cost more and often times include unhealthy ingredients. There are a ton of recipes online and on pinterest for homemade mixes and other pre-packaged items. Have you seen the inflation on prices of things like a ranch dressing packets? I recently made a ranch seasoning mix from Budget Savvy Diva (if you don't follow her on pinterest you should) and it was fantastic! No more expensive ranch packets for me. I never buy pancake mix or bisquick because pancakes, waffles, biscuits and dumplings are very easy to make homemade. I know what fat/oil I am using and I can make them whole wheat. You can also freeze homemade pancakes and waffles to make your own eggos. I will admit I do buy brownie and cake mix pre-packaged when they are on sale (nothing else ever seems as moist). I am planning on making up some different mixes in the near future. I will do an update with recipes once I see how they turn out.

Tip #3- Can it (or freeze, or dehydrate)! Home canning is a great way to save money. It definitely has some up front costs but, the equipment should last you a long time (if not a lifetime). A lot of times you can find mason jars at thrift stores and you my be able to find canning equipment on Craig's list or at estate sales or garage sales. Soon the only extra cost you have will be the disposable lids (which are cheapest at Wal-Mart). I also suggest getting a canning book, my favorite is "The Ball complete book of home preserving" it contains information on canning and freezing. Canning can provide your family with quick and easy meals so you won't end up wasting your money on unhealthy fast food. When you pressure can you are able to jar up whole meals. So far I've done: Beef stew. Chili con carne, ham and bean soup and chicken soup. I've also canned chicken breast, beef chunks, pork chunks and diced ham that can be thrown into an easy soup or casserole. Freezing and dehydrating are also good ways to preserve food and save money. I got an older dehydrator from my dad and plan to use it on this year's fruit and veggie harvest.

Tip #4- Grow a Garden. Every little bit helps whether all you have room for is a couple of potted tomatoes or multiple raised beds. Lettuce and kale are very easy to grow and do well in containers as do most herbs. I have strawberries on my back patio in pots and a little 3ft X 5ft garden in the front. I have lavender, lemon thyme, sage, Echinacea and lemon verbena in one half and Kale that will come back in the spring in the other half. I usually plant lettuce and zucchini in the spring. My parents have raised beds at their house and we grow tomatoes, green beans , corn, zucchini, and yellow squash. This year we are going to try potatoes in a trash can (this could be done even if you only have a patio). I am also lucky that my parents have 2 plum trees, 2 apple trees, a peach tree and 2 new pear trees. Last fall I asked my friends (via facebook) if they had any pear or apple trees that needed to be picked and if they had fruit to spare or even wanted at all. I was able to get both fruits and canned up some delicious pear butter and applesauce. Every fall I see fruit just rotting on the ground. Be brave! Knock on your neighbors door and ask if you can pick their tree. The worst they can say is no. You can also offer to pick the fruit and split it with them providing them with free labor and you with free fruit, it's a win/win. If you find yourself unable to plant some of your own veggies, you can join a CSA (which I plan on doing this year) and shop at your local farmers market. Also if you have a freezer try buying 1/4 cow or pig from a local grower. It is often less money per pound and raised much more naturally. Furthermore see if your land zoning allows you to keep your own chickens... I would if I could. Fresh eggs daily :)

Tip #5- Shop Sale Ads and Discount Stores I almost never buy anything unless its on sale or at a discounted price. Plan your meals around the weekly sale ads (I personally don't meal plan very well instead I buy what's on sale and then get creative) and buy extras of items that are a great price now to save for later. Meats, peppers, avocado, berries and breads can all be frozen for later use. Do your research and know your prices- it's the only way to know if you're getting a good deal or not. Don't forget to shop discount/overstock stores. I get some of my best deals at Grocery Outlet, Deal's Only and Big Lots (yes big lots has a great dry and canned food section). The Dollar Tree sometimes has good deals too but you have to be careful, just because it's a dollar doesn't make it a great deal. The same goes for Costco/Sam's Club/Cash n Carry just because it's wholesale doesn't make it cheaper, divide the product out by volume or weight compared to a normal size item. Some items I have noticed that are always less expensive in wholesale are: nuts, oils (olive and coconut), quinoa, splenda (but not sugar) and many spices, yeast, and baking powder. Don't give into impulse buys, sometimes... ok a lot of the time I find myself putting things in the cart I don't need. Right before I check out I always re evaluate what is in my cart and most of the time I end up putting something back.

Tip #6- Don't use Coupons on Items you don't Normally Buy!!! I am not saying using your coupons is a bad thing, but why would you get a product you don't normally use and or like just because they are cheap? You will end up spending more in the long run. Coupons are very hyped up right now, but using them on products you would be buying anyway can save you money. I get a free paper on Tuesdays that come with the smart source coupon book. I go through it and clip the ones I (or my mom) might use and I keep them in my purse. If you think you're going to be getting $800 worth of groceries for free think again. It takes multiple transactions and tons of coupon inserts and 8 hours in the grocery store to do that. It's a full time job! Plus when ladies on TV accomplish this amazing feat they shop at stores that match coupons to take more money off and they end up with 100 boxes of hamburger helper. Personally I don't think it's worth it. I am happy if I save 5-10 bucks on things I'd buy anyway. Some people do have great success with the Walgreen's and Rite Aid rewards programs. I just never shop at those stores.

Tip #7- Don't Throw your Food Away. Research and learn the truth about "sell by" and "best by" dates on your food. The USDA requires food manufactures To date all food items even if they are safe to eat past that date. All canned food is safe to eat after the "date" on the can as long as the can is not damaged or bulging. However the nutrition quality may decrease a bit and the food may start loose some texture, flavor should be fine. If any type of food tastes "off" it should not be eaten. For dinner the other night I had a can of solid tuna steak dated from 2011, it was perfect! I used to freak out about dates until I did my own researched and discovered most dates on food products are false. Truth be told this morning I had eggs that were dated Jan 14th, they tasted delish! You can test egg freshness by submerging them in a glass of cold water, if it sinks it's fresh if it tilts up somewhat it's borderline and needs be used and if it floats it's old. I personally never test mine and I've never had a rotten egg. Any dairy products should last seven days after the sell by date and I keep anything cultured (yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk) up to 14 days after the date, it's already full of good bacteria. Do you have a bunch of milk that you can't drink up before it will go bad? Make buttermilk by adding a little cultured butter milk to it and let it sit on the kitchen counter for 12ish hours. I encourage you to look up a tutorial on-line. Now that its cultured it will last for weeks! Just keep re culturing and you'll never need to buy buttermilk again. If you have veggies going south freeze them until you have enough to make a soup, veggie, or meat stock. You can also freeze the ends of your onions, celery, and carrot ends and peels to make stock because your gonna toss them out after the stock is done anyway. When I make stock I just rinse, chop and throw everything in the pot skins and all. Save all your meat bones (steak, whole chicken carcass, pork chops, bone in roasts, ham) in a freezer bag and when you've collected enough, make your family some super healthy bone broth. Is your garlic or fresh herbs going to go bad? Chop them up and mix them with olive oil. Then freeze it in ice cube trays. Just pop one in the pan while your cooking and you've got fresh herbs and garlic! I have a specific ice cube tray set aside for this purpose, garlic scented ice cubes do not sound very good to me :). Save your bacon grease, it has amazing flavor! I keep mine in a small glass dish in the fridge. It's great for frying up potatoes or eggs, put a little in your refried beans, use it to sauté veggies like green beans or collards, swiss chard or kale, or use it to make country gravy. Even I have my limits and I am very careful with raw meat and I also only allow cooked meat seven days in the fridge after cooking or opening of package (lunchmeat, hot dogs). If after a few days no one wants to eat the leftovers, toss 'em in the freezer for a homemade TV dinner or save all the odds and ends of roasts to make a kitchen sink soup (that's what I call my throw in anything I've got soup). Re-purpose leftovers, just go into google and type in "what to do with leftover ____" and an abundance of ideas will pop right up. In the USA we throw away 96 billion pounds of food, that is half of the food we produce. I really could go on and on about the environmental impact and the fact that people are still going hungry in the US. Instead I strongly urge you to rent the documentary DIVE! living off America's trash, it is an incredible movie. Don't over load your (or your kiddos) plate. You can always serve seconds but no one wants to eat food someone else has picked through, so it ends up in the trash. Finally if the veggies are too far gone (mushy and/or moldy) compost it! Egg shells can be composted too :)

I really hope these tips can help you lower your food bill and encourages you to try some things you maybe have not considered before. If you have any tips I haven't thought of please feel free to leave a comment. May God bless you and your families! <3 Annette