Homemade Grape Nuts

We don't eat a lot of cereal here at the Hive....not because we don't like it - we LOVE cereal!  We just try to eat less processed foods.  Breakfast around here is usually eggs, fresh juice, or smoothies and occasionally we'll have steel cut oats....but sometimes you just want some crunch in your breakfast! 

I can't think of a crunchier cereal than grape nuts! I've been making these for almost a year now and they never fail disappoint.  I'm not gonna lie, I had a bowl before bed last night - I couldn't wait until the morning! :)   

Homemade Grape Nuts
Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
3 1/2 c flour (white or whole wheat)
1 c brown sugar*
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
2 c buttermilk
2 t vanilla

What To Do With It:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Mix all ingredients together until smooth.  Pour into a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Cool a few minutes in the pan, then turn on a wire rack and cool completely.

Pulse in batches (usually about 3) in a food processor until crumbly.  Spread onto 2 cookie sheets.  Bake at 300 degrees F stirring every 15-20 minutes for 1 hour or until the cereal looks toasted.

Allow to cool completely - at least 4-5 hours, sometimes I just leave it overnight - before putting into an airtight container for storage.  I use these containers and they work perfectly!

*I think the cereal is a little sweet with a full packed cup, so I usually don't pack my brown sugar and that makes it just about right.  Also, if you're trying to watch your sugar intake, I have made this with 1/2 c brown sugar and it worked just fine. :)  Do what'ch'ya feel. :)

Reclaimed Produce Week #1 2013

Being able to reduce our grocery bill by half has been an amazing accomplishment for us and we couldn't have done it without Mavis over at One Hundred Dollars a Month and her reclaimed produce!  Thank you MAVIS!!!

I thought that this year I'd do a weekly post about all the goodies I'm getting for my "chickens".  It astounds me every trip, even if all I get it a few heads of lettuce and cucumber, it's FREE!

I know a lot of people have tried asking their local grocery stores and have been told that it is against policy to give out produce.  In my opinion, if the worst that can happen is that they say no, then why not ask every grocery store you can find because maybe one will say yes!!!  

Check out these hauls!

 Tuesday 1/1

Thursday 1/3

Has anyone had any luck getting reclaimed produce for themselves? 

Made in America....yes please!

We love to shop for items that are Made in America - and when I stumbled across over a year ago in the Dollar Tree, I almost flipped my lid (no pun intended).

These containers are BPA free and Made in America!  They come in three different sizes (8 cups, 12 cups, and 1 gallon) and in both opaque and clear.  They have a "handle" that allows for easy pouring.  We use them for so many things!

I use them in our camper for pancake "mix", flour, sugar, etc. I use them to store dog food in small batches in the house instead of a huge bag, I use them for all of Te-Man's crackers, I use them for homemade apple juice in the fridge, really the question is what do I not use them for?

These stand up to Te-Man "helping" load and unload the cabinets all day and I just thought I'd pass along my stellar find in case you were looking for a super cheap, durable, storage option. :)

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Looking for ways to save a little more money this year?  Well, how about switching to homemade laundry detergent?  It's super quick and simple and it's sure to save you some major $$$ over the course of the year.  

I've been using homemade detergent for over a year now and LOVE it!  I've made liquid and powder.  Both work really well, but who needs more than 5 gallons of detergent sitting around at once?!  I find this smaller batch of the powder to be more than enough.  It takes less than 10 minutes to make and lasts for over a month - and we do a LOT of laundry!  I was able to find all of the ingredients at ACE hardware or my other local Hardware stores - sometimes the larger "box" stores don't carry the washing soda...if they don't that's just one more reason to go support the smaller businesses. :) 

Homemade Laundry Detergent

What's In It:

1 bar Zote Soap or Fels Naptha Soap

1 1/3 c Washing Soda

1 1/3 c Borax

1/3 c Baking Soda

What To Do With It:

Shred soap using a cheese grater or just chop it up into chunks.  Put soap into a food processor or blender to turn the soap into coarse crumbs.  Combine remaining ingredients - I just shake everything together.  Be sure to give the container a quick shake before each use.

I have an HE front loading machine and I throw in about a tablespoon and half into each load of laundry.  I don't have any issues with stains, etc. and we are play in the dirt, wear our food, type of folk here at the Hive. :)

**Note, this detergent is not for cloth diapers.  Please use this recipe for cd's. 

Here are a few pictures to help illustrate the steps:

This is what your shredded soap will look like (for this batch I used Zote soap)

This is what the soap will look like after it's been run through the food processor

This is the finished product.  

Broccoli & Cheese Quinoa Casserole

So...it's official.  I'm on the quinoa band wagon.  I didn't want to be - it seems like something I would run screaming into the hills from....all hip and trendy...I mean heck, I'm not gonna lie, I still pronounce it wrong in my head.  But it is so good!

Couldn't you make this recipe with Rice and would it be delicious?   Yes - I'm sure you could.  But there is something about quinoa, maybe it's the "nuttiness" (or maybe that's just me), maybe it's the unique texture it brings to a dish, maybe it's just because I get bored in the kitchen - I don't know....but I do know that this stuff is fantastic!  We had it for dinner a few nights ago, I then had it for lunch yesterday, and I'm planning on finishing it up for lunch today unless Wolverine snags it first. :)

If you haven't given quinoa a try, this might be a good introductory dish...you get all the familiar comforts of broccoli and rice casserole but with a little twist.

Broccoli & Cheese Quinoa Casserole

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
1 1/2 c stock
3/4 c quinoa
1 can cream of broccoli soup or 1 recipe of Homemade Cream of Broccoli Soup
2 T milk
1/3 c sour cream
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
2 c cooked broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c parmesan cheese

What To Do With It:
Bring stock and quinoa to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until all moisture is absorbed into the quinoa.  
Combine broccoli soup, milk, sour cream, and seasonings in a bowl.  Add broccoli, cheese, and quinoa. 
Pour into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees F for approximately 40 minutes or until top is starting to brown.  

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Can I just say that I LOVE making my own Cream of ____ Soups?  It might not be as easy as just opening a can that is already in my cupboard, but it really only takes about 20 minutes and how can I complain about taking an extra 20 minutes to make something for my family that is of course chemical free but also, really darn good?

I can tell you this, I would never open a can of Cream of Anything and just happily eat it with a spoon, but this soup almost didn't make it into the Broccoli and Cheese Quinoa Casserole it was intended for.  It almost made a detour into my tummy. :)

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Original Recipe Here

What's In It:
2 T butter
1/4 c flour (I have used whole wheat and white)
1/2 c stock*
1/2 c milk
1/2 t salt**
1/2 t pepper
1/2 c finely chopped broccoli 

What To Do With It:
Melt butter in small sauce pan over medium heat, add broccoli and saute until tender - this won't take long.  Reduce heat slightly, add flour, and stir until thick paste formed.  Add stock and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in milk and seasonings.  Continue to simmer gently until desired thickness.  

This will replace one 14oz can of condensed soup.  

*I have used vegetable and chicken stock for this recipe.  I have also used just water flavored with approximately 1/4 t garlic powder, 1/4 t onion powder, heaping 1/4 t poultry seasoning, and any other seasonings that catch my eye that day.
**If you are using a high sodium stock, be sure to taste it before you add the salt.  I might not need the full 1/2 t.

Mexican Rice

Do you have an item that when you go out to eat, you know you are going to be pawning it off on someone else?

Anytime I order a dish that come with Beans and Rice, I always know that I'm not going to want the rice - I mean I want to want the rice, but I'm just always disappointed.  So then the quandary becomes, order double beans and get weird looks or order it normally and give my rice to Wolverine.

Well, Wolverine can have my rice no longer! I want it....all....for...myself!

I want to give a special thanks to Hit Girl for really helping me out with this recipe.  She's such a sweetie... I texted her (while she was at work!) in a panic because our internet apparently was on a 5 hour strike and we only get spotty 4G at the house, so I was a girl in need of some rice to go with some CHILI CITRUS CHICKEN and no internet?!?!  Well, Hit Girl to the rescue...I sent her over to Hispanic Kitchen's* website and asked her to just send me the recipe that looked the best.  She did even better than that and browsed around and gave me the general components of about 5 different recipes and from there, I created this delicious rice dish! YUM!

Mexican Rice

What's In It:
2 T oil
1 1/2 c rice (I use brown basmati)
2 1/2 c broth
1 c onion, diced
1/2 c mild banana peppers, diced
14oz canned tomatoes
1 c corn
1 T chili powder
2 heads roasted garlic
1/2 t salt
1/2 c cilantro

What To Do With It:
Saute rice in oil 3-4 minutes or until it starts to look toasted.  Add onions and peppers and cook 2-3 more minutes.  Add remaining ingredients.  From here, cook according to your rice directions.

*Go check out Hispanic Kitchen...everything I have made from their site is to die for.  Let me know if you make anything that I need to add to my ever growing recipe box! Good thing Wolverine got me a HUGE one for Christmas...'cause I'm fillin' 'er up! :)