Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 bar soap
1/2 cup borax
2 small boxes of baking soda (or 1 cup washing soda if you are too lazy to make your own)
3 jugs (these can be milk or water jugs or even empty detergent containers, though if you are using a container that isn't one gallon, you will need to measure your water with a measuring cup.)
3 gallons of water

Take 2 of the small boxes of baking soda and spread out in a couple of cake pans. Bake at 450 degrees for 1 hour. At this point, take a pan out of the oven and look at the powder. Is it shiny still? Put it back in the oven for another 10 mins, then check it again. Is it matte and kind of grainy? (Compare to unbaked baking soda if you need to.) If so, take it out of the oven and allow to cool. Realize that when baking soda changes to washing soda, not only does it's use as a cleaner change, but it cooks down so you end up with less volume. You won't need all of the washing soda you made for this recipe, but just save the rest of it, because you can use it to make homemade dishwasher detergent.

So now we can start making the detergent. Grate the bar of soap with a cheese grater. Add 1 quart of your water to a saucepan. Melt the soap shreds in the water over medium heat, stirring constantly. If it starts to foam up and you think it might bubble over, remove it from the heat for a minute and then return to burner. Once soap is dissolved (this is the most tedious step), add in 1/2 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda. Stirring well after each addition. Let cool slightly, but not to the point where the powders get hard again. After cooled a bit (enough not to melt the jugs you are pouring it into), pour the soup solution evenly into the 3 jugs. This can be messy. I ended up mixing well and using a measuring cup and adding it one cup at a time to the jugs through a funnel. Once you are done with that, if you are using gallon jugs, you can just fill them the rest of the way up with water (Do this slowly so it doesn't foam up. If you start getting a lot of foam on top, you can wait a half an hour or so and then finish adding water.) If you are not using gallon sz jugs, you will need to add 2 gallons and 3 qts more water evenly into the 3 containers.

Now close your jugs up, shake them really good, and set them somewhere out of the way and forget about them for about 24 hours. The next day, shake it up again really well and you are good to go! You will want to shake it up every time before you use it. If you have small lumps of powder in your solution, that is perfectly fine, just make sure you are shaking it each time so that the lumps are evenly distributed throughout your loads. I use about 1/2 a cup per load for my HE machine. I like to double this recipe so I have enough to last a while and only have to melt the soap once since that's the step I hate the most.

This recipe IS NOT cloth diaper safe.

Slowcooker Hawaiian Chicken

This chicken is lovely served over rice. It is definitely a family favorite!

1 can or 1/2 of a fresh pineapple, chopped or crushed (with juice if canned)
1 family pack of chicken (I used thighs, but any would work)
1 can of coconut water (my can was 17.5 oz, but any similar sz would work)
1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut
3 tbs Tamari (or Bragg's Amino Acids or soy sauce)
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs minced onion
2 tsp ginger
2 TBS coconut sugar (or you could use brown sugar or honey)
Bell Peppers/Onions cut in strips or Sweet Potatoes cubed, optional
(Other veggies might work here too. Just add what your family will eat or even no veggies at all.)
2-4 tbs arrowroot powder (or cornstarch), optional
Salt (to taste), optional

Add all ingredients except chicken, salt, and arrowroot powder. Mix together in crock pot. Remove skin from chicken if it has it. Rinse chicken and add it to crock pot. Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. About 30 mins before you are ready to eat (also a good time to start rice cooker), you can taste the sauce and add salt if needed. At this time, if you prefer a thicker sauce, you can stir in some arrowroot powder to thicken it (mix well or you get gelatinous lumps) and cook for another 30 mins to thicken.

(If you would like to make this into a freezer meal, you can throw all ingredients except arrowroot powder into a freezer bag and freeze before cooking. You can either add the coconut water or just leave it in the can until the day you are ready to cook, your choice.)

Slowcooker Cafe Rio Chicken

This is my go to recipe for chicken nachos or tacos. You could also use in burritos or on salads, but I love them the best on nachos. 

• 2lbs boneless chicken or 3 lbs chicken with bones
• 1 cup Italian dressing ( I make mine homemade, but store bought is fine too!)
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 pkt ranch dressing (or 3 TBS homemade ranch seasoning mix)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tbsp ground cumin 

Place all ingredients in crockpot. (Or if you would like to make this into a freezer meal, you can add all ingredients into a freezer bag at this point and freeze.) Cook on High 5-6 hours or Low 8 hours. Shred with fork before serving. 

Cooking and Canning Tomatoes, Onions, & Green Peppers (Fajita Vegetables)

Our family goes through a lot of sautéed tomatoes, onions, and green peppers. It is the base for a lot of my husband's favorite Tanzanian dishes, but also is a great way to have fajitas ready in a hurry. I searched the internet high and low, but couldn't come up with any recipes that said that this was an ok combination to safely water bath can. So, after doing some research with a few canning pros, I was urged to give it a shot. And they turned out fantastic! Now I can take advantage of sales on these vegetables in the summer months and still enjoy them even when the price on them sky rockets in the colder months. 

Ingredients:

Equal amounts of tomatoes, onions, and any color bell peppers 

A splash of olive oil

Garlic salt (optional)

Lemon juice

I like to do giant batches of these whenever I find the produce on sale. This was 10 bell peppers, 12 yellow onions, and 32 Roma tomatoes (about 4 lbs). The veggies are chopped just a bit bigger than I would have liked, but the kids helped chop and anytime I don't have to do all the work by myself, it's a good day, so I'm not complaining.

I throw them all in pans in evenish amounts, drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over them, sprinkle on some garlic salt and cook them over medium until they're dry and the onions and peppers are translucent. They will get wetter before they get dry though as the tomatoes cook down. 

When they are done, in freshly sanitized jars (either run them through the dishwasher or boil them), add lemon juice (2 TBS for quart jars, 1 TBS for pint jars, 2 tsp for 8 oz jelly jars) to the bottom of the jars. Then fill the jars up with the sautéed fajita veggies,  leaving 1/2 in headspace. 

Then I put the same amount/size of jars that I want to process on my rack or on top of some extra rings in my waterbath canner (empty, with the lids on). Add water. You want to cover the top of the jars by at least a couple of inches. Remove your empty jars. Put canner full of water on to boil. Remove the lids from jars. Put the disc shaped lids in a small pot of boiling water for 5 mins. Remove them one at a time with a magnetic lid lifter and put on the jars of fajita veggies without touching the underside of the lids. Add the rings. Start another pot of water to boil (empty with nothing in it) Once your water is boiling, in your waterbath canner, add the jars and lower them into the water. Start a timer. I process mine for 1 hour and 15 mins. This could vary slightly depending on your altitude. (I'm in Missouri.) Throughout this time, keep an eye on the pot. If the water ever starts to boil down where it's not covering the jars anymore, add water to the canner from the pot of boiling water and add more water to the pot for the next time. 

After 75 mins, turn off the burner to your canner, raise your rack (if using one), and remove the jars using a jar lifter. Place them on a towel on the counter. Let them sit until cool. You will hear a popping noise as the jars seal. After they are completely cool, feel to see if the lids are firm. If they have some give to them and you can "pop" them up and down, that means that the lids didn't seal and you will need to stick that jar in the fridge and use it within the next few days. For all of the jar lids that are firm, you will need to remove the rings, wipe down the jar and the rings carefully to make sure there is no remaining food/juice outside the jar that might spoil. Now these are good to store in your pantry! 

Real Food Substitute for Cream Soups

One thing I try not to feed my kids is Cream O' Chemical soup. I found this very versatile recipe on a blog I just love called A Frugal Simple Life and adapted it slightly to work for us.

Basic White Sauce (thick):

• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter/olive oil/coconut oil
• 3 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• dash of pepper
• 1-1/4 cup liquid, milk or stock
• Melt butter or oil in saucepan. Stir in flour and seasonings. Cook over medium heat until bubbly. Add liquid slowly, stirring with wire whisk to prevent lumps. Cook until thick. Makes 1 cup or 1 can of condensed soup.

Tomato Soup: Use tomato juice for the liquid. Add dashes of garlic, onion powder, basil and oregano.

Chicken Soup: Use chicken broth for half the liquid. Add 1/4 t. poultry seasoning or sage.

Mushroom/celery/chive soup: Saute 1/4 C chopped mushrooms, celery or chives and 1 T minced onion in butter before adding flour.

Spinach Balls

I had gotten a lot of fresh spinach on sale a few weeks ago and had frozen it, but it was taking up a lot of space in the freezer so I wanted to make something that would use it all up in one big batch. This worked perfectly for that purpose.

9 bags fresh spinach (rinsed, dried, frozen airtight in ziplock, and then defrosted the night before I made these and then blended a bit to chop it up once defrosted)- I have been told that a frozen block squeezed and dried as much as possible is equivalent to a bag of fresh)

2 boxes dry stuffing mix (I used turkey flavor bc it was on hand)

2 16 oz blocks of cheese, shredded (I used Monterey Jack bc it was on hand)

2 containers of Parmesan cheese (mix one in the batch and save one for later)

6 eggs

Oregano, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste

Enough whole wheat flour to make the "dough" not super sticky and wet, just tacky

I mixed this all up and then poured the remaining Parmesan cheese into a little dish. I made these balls the size of meatballs and then rolled them in the dish of Parmesan. I ended up with 120 balls, but I imagine this could differ based on your ball size. We ate some straight from the oven (350 degrees for approx 20-25 mins until they start spurting cheese a bit and are slightly browned on at least a couple). 

And the rest I flash froze on a pan before baking/raw and not touching for about 30 mins and then transferred to a freezer bag. I baked the frozen ones at 350 for approx 30-40 mins. 

They were delicious both ways, but the fresh were soooo good and the frozen first ones were just pretty good. I think the stuffing mix is affected somehow in the freezer. That still won't stop me from freezing them first though probably just due to the convenience of having them ready to pop in the oven at any time. I might sub breadcrumbs for stuffing mix next time though and see if that changes the quality of the frozen ones. I put them about 15 or so to a bag to add to speggetti bc with marinara they are delicious. The kids begged for as many as I'd let them have and fought over them until they were gone. They were unanimously voted for to be added to our regular dinners list. 

Yellow Lasagna

This is a favorite of my 3-year-old whose favorite color is yellow. I used yellow squash, but zucchini would work just as well I imagine.

*1-2 yellow squash depending on sz, sliced lengthwise into strips (No need to peel but discard the top strip and the bottom strip bc they are mostly peel and hard to chew.)

*A jar of speggetti sauce

*4-8 oz of cheese, shredded or sliced in strips if you're lazy (depending on how much you like cheese and on if you're making 8 x 8 or 13 x 9)

*Fresh garlic or garlic powder/fresh onion or onion powder/oregano/salt/freshly ground pepper to taste 

*1/2-1lb of cooked, crumbled ground turkey/beef if you really want to add meat (optional). Frozen Morningstar farms veggie crumbles work too. If you precook your ground meat before freezing, there is no need to defrost it completely. Just break it up a bit.

*Parmesan cheese (optional)

Start with a layer of sauce on the bottom, just enough to coat the pan. Add a layer of squash slices. Follow with a thin layer of sauce, top with meat crumbles (if using), top with shredded cheese, top with spices. Repeat until pan is full or you're out of sauce. Make sure one of the cheese/spices layers is on top. I will usually sprinkle some dried parsley on top to make it look fancy. Bake at 350 degrees for approx 40-50 mins until bubbly and a fork inserted in the squash feels like the squash is pretty tender.

Alternately, you can layer this in the crockpot and either cook immediately (low 6-8 hours or high for 3-5, just look for the same things as baking: fork tender squash, bubbly sauce, and melted cheese) or make a day ahead of time and stick it in the fridge so it's ready to pop in the slow cooker the next morning/afternoon. (Pictured is the crock pot method -all layered together and ready to cook- bc I'm a crockpot lover.)

We frequently make this meatless, but we do like meat in it sometimes for a change. Sometimes I'll also top it with turkey pepperonis to make it look like a pizza. The kids love anything that resembles pizza. 

Homemade Yogurt

Ingredients

• 1/2 gal (2 quarts) whole milk
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (read the ingredients label and find one that contains active/live cultures)

Instructions:

In the evening, pour milk into a large pan or add to your crockpot. Boil (or set to high) and cook until just before the milk froths over (180 degrees F). Remove from heat (or turn crockpot off) and let cool until temperature of milk reaches 115 degrees F. Scoop out about a cup of the warm milk and add to a bowl with the yogurt. Mix well. Add yogurt/milk mixture back into the pan/crockpot. Mix well. 

At this point, if in a pan, pour into containers. (I use mason jars.) If in the crockpot, you can just stick the lid back on. Wrap containers/crockpot in a big towel. I stick the whole bundle in my turned off stove to help it keep warm, but you can just leave it wrapped up on the counter if you prefer. In the morning, stir well and set aside 1/2 cup of yogurt for next time. If you used a crockpot, now is the time to add your yogurt to jars. Put your jars of yogurt in the fridge. (You are able to eat it at this point...I just prefer mine a little thicker/colder so I refrigerate before eating.)

Notes: 

• This is great with a little honey or maple syrup and some vanilla extract mixed in. I also love to top ours with berries/homemade granola. The kids gobble this up within a day or two.
• Also, if you are needing Greek yogurt consistency for tacos or chili or something similar, you can strain this through a thin cloth over a bowl. It will take a few hours, but the whey will drain off leaving the yogurt much thicker. If you strain this too long though (for example, overnight), you will be left with something similar to cream cheese that is delicious on bagels, but may be too thick to use in place of sour cream. And don't forget to save your whey! It can be saved in a jar in the fridge for up to 6 months to be used while soaking oats for granola, in homemade condiments, etc. 

Our favorite Hummus Recipe

A pint of garbanzos/kabuli chana/chickpeas (all different names for the same thing)

Cumin (I love this stuff and use like 2 TBS, but you can adjust to personal taste)

Salt to taste

A couple glugs of lemon juice (You're loving my technicality here, right?!)

A couple glugs of olive oil

A small splash of tahini...more if you like a real nutty flavor (this is ground sesame/sim sim...usually found in the ethnic or peanut butter aisle)

Take one pint jar of garbanzos and rinse, soak for a couple hours. Drain. Add to crockpot with a little salt and fill the rest of the way full with water. Put on low (or high if you are in a hurry). I usually put these on low right before bed and they are perfect in the morning. 

In the morning/when the beans are soft:

Drain garbanzos (reserving a cup or so of the liquid for later). 

I then cool them in the fridge or freezer for just a bit. Then add them to the food processor/blender. Add in the other ingredients. Blend. Then slowly add the reserved liquid from the crockpot until the hummus is the right consistency for you. 

I then add mine to a mason jar and stick in the fridge. Usually this yields about a quart mason jar full (and a teeny bit leftover that never makes to the fridge bc the kids have been patiently awaiting hummus since they saw me start soaking the beans.)

Serve hot on nachos or in burritos, or serve cold in a wrap or with crackers/fresh veggies. We can't get enough of it here and make probably 2 batches a week. I don't suggest doubling the recipe though unless you have a really big crockpot and giant food processor bc 1 pint of beans seems to be the perfect size batch to fit both of my appliances. And while I could probably fit more in the crockpot, I would end up needing to add more water throughout the night for a bigger batch. 

Zucchini Enchilada Bake

I have been trying to use up our garden veggies and so I have been experimenting a lot lately with meals. This was one of said experiments. 

Zucchini Enchilada Bake

1-2 zucchinis (depending on sz...you want about 2/3 of a saucepan full), shredded

Cumin, Chili Pepper, Onion Powder, Paprika, Garlic Powder and Salt to taste

About 5 tomatoes (washed, stems and blossom end cut out and pulsed in blender or food processer for a bit)

about 4 cups of water

4 oz of cheese, shredded (We used Mozz bc it was on hand)

About a dozen whole wheat tortillas 

about 2 cups of cooked brown rice

Combine spices, tomatoes, shredded zucchini and water in saucepan. Simmer on stove until the tomatoes, water and spices have created a thin sauce and zucchini is soft. Ladle some of the sauce on to the bottom of a couple of square cake pans, cover with a tortilla in each. Then add some of the zucchini mix, cover with a tortilla, ladle on some of the sauce, etc etc until both pans are full or you run out of tortillas. On the top layer, top with sauce and cheese only (hopefully you have used up all of the zucchini mix by then.) Then in the corners, you should have lots of sauce from the run off of the tortillas. Fill each corner with cooked brown rice (we used what was leftover from last night's dinner). Press each corner down so that the sauce goes over the rice a bit. (When this bakes, the rice will soak up the sauce and become sort of a spanish rice.)

Bake for 35-45 mins at 400 degrees or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. 

The reviews in our house on this were split. Some loved it and some said it was too salty. Either way, no complaints about the zucchini whatsoever so I am calling it a success (and next time I will add a tad less salt.)

Apple Pie Muffins

With the kids back in school, lunches to be packed every morning, and the addition of my 16-year-old nephew to the mix, I have decided to start trying out muffin recipes that I can freeze which can be quickly microwaved for school morning breakfasts (or to stick in their lunches). This was today's recipe:

Apple Pie Muffins

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 stick real unsalted butter, melted
4 apples, chopped small
1/2 cup local honey
2 TBS baking powder
4 eggs
Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger ( I don't measure these...I use alot of cinnamon and a little less nutmeg and ginger)
100% Pure Maple Syrup

I mixed these all together, rubbed a little coconut oil on my silicone cupcake liners, and filled them up about 3/4 of the way. I baked at 400 degrees for 20 mins. Then once they were baked, I poked small holes in about half of them in the middles about 1/2 inch down and poured in a little pure maple syrup to sweeten them a bit. It soaked all up so these weren't messy or sticky at all. The littles were fine eating them unsweetened, but the bigs loved the extra little bit of sweet. This recipe made exactly 3 dozen muffins. (2 dozen of which were eaten this morning and 1 dozen which actually made it to the freezer.)