Caramel Popcorn

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

I usually try to keep our snacking on the healthy side......but every once in a while, we all need something sweet to eat.  In preparing for having a few of my son's friends over for a sleepover, I decided to make a batch of caramel popcorn for them to munch as they camp out in the backyard. 

I have had this recipe for many years, and I have made it many times..................it's foolproof and so delicious.  It's a great thing to make for gift giving during the holidays too.  While I was making this batch, I found little, kid vultures circling the kitchen waiting for the popcorn to come out of the oven!!

It's called "poppycock" but I there are times that I decide to add pecans and almonds in it, and other times I just want the crunchy, sweetness of the popcorn. 

Caramel Popcorn

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c honey OR 1 1/4 c. organic sugar + 1/4 c. water
1 tsp. salt
5 quarts of popcorn, popped
1 tsp. vanilla

If you want to turn it into Poppycock, add to the popped corn:

6 oz slivered almonds
10 oz chopped pecans

Combine butter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. 

Once it comes to a rolling boil, stop stirring and let it boil for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla and baking soda (be careful when adding this, because it will boil up and the mixture is VERY hot!)

Immediately (and carefully) drizzle the caramel over the popcorn.  Toss with a wooden spoon until the popcorn is well coated.

Pour into 2 large baking pans.  Bake at 250 degrees for 1 1/2 hours until dry, stirring every 15 minutes.

Enjoy! Now..............I'm hoping it makes it until tomorrow!

**Keep in mind that I still try to use organic ingredients even when I make treats like this.

On my last blog post, I talked about planning summer activities for my children when they were younger.  And now that they are older, I need to back off on planning every minute of their summer.  With that being said, they will continue to do their chores as they are expected to do during the school year, and then some.  I already explained to them that I am not their maid, I am their Mom (sometimes they get that confused), and I want to enjoy my summer as much as they do and not be in the house cleaning all the time.

So we sat down and discussed how they wanted to do the chores.  In years past, I had a list of daily chores they needed to do, but I found that many of the chores needed to be done immediately, like emptying out the dishwasher, and they were at school or not home.  They also informed me they did not like doing the same chores every day.  I could understand that.  That could be a bit boring, so I changed my strategy.  We now have a plate that is on a plate stand that I write down what I need done each day.  It sits on a table in the foyer, so when they come downstairs in the morning, there is no missing the list! 

Photo by Life as A Healthy Mom

We decided that since they will be expected to do more chores, they will get an increase in allowance.  I feel it helps them budget money, understand the value of a dollar, and not have to ask Mom or Dad for a handout for every little thing.  They already know that if we are at a store and they want something frivolous, such as an iTunes™ card, they need to have their money with them.  I want my children to grow up not relying on their parents to pay for everything.  My husband and I were blessed with parents that expected each of us to get a job, pay for our own car, car insurance, car repairs (my dad showed me how to change my brake pads on my car), gas, and anything else we “wanted” once we had that job.  They paid for our needs, not our wants. Because of learning how to save and being responsible with money, my husband and I were able to buy a nice starter home at the age of 20 years old right before we married.  In a few years our children will be of driving age, and it isn’t too late to teach money responsibility.  Recently, my son received a cell phone for his 13^th birthday…..he only has been begging for one for a couple of years because “all the other kids have them”, We bought him a phone, as a gift, with the indication that once the minutes that we placed on the phone were used, he was responsible for buying more minutes. He is very careful about not wasting his minutes!! My daughter has been saving up for a Kindle Fire for the past 6 months.  With a boost of her savings from her birthday money, she was able to purchase it, and $25 in an Amazon™ card, on her own.  But I digress……back to the chores!!

Here is a list of chores that I have assigned them:

Daily: 

• Walk the Dogs
• Make Bed
• Feed Dogs/Wash Pet Bowls
• Spend 5-10 Minutes Picking up Room
• Take Vitamin (I know it isn't a chore, but I want to remind them to do it

    
      As Needed (I choose 2-3 daily)

• Dust Bedroom
• Dust Dining Room
• Vacuum/Dust Sunroom
• Put Laundry Away
• Wipe Down Vanity, Toilet, Mirror in Kids Bathroom
• Wipe Down Vanity, Toilet, Mirror in Master Bathroom
• Wipe Down Window Sills in Sunroom
• Empty Kichen Trash Cans
• Vacuum/Dust Family Room
• Clean Patio Door
• Vacuum Upstairs
• Bring in Trash Cans After Trash Pickup
• Empty Small Trashcans Throughout the House

Once a Week, my son mows the grass and my daughter picks up “yard bombs” as we call them.

Ideally they should be done in 10-15 minutes, and I explained that I expect them done by 10 am.  If they are done at 9 a.m., that is even better!  By 10 a.m., they are free to spend the rest of the day enjoying the summer.  My friend, Jennifer, made a wonderful suggestion about what she does with her girls (who are of the same age as my two children).  When the girls make the choice to not complete their chores…….she docks their pay!!! Yep, if they don’t do as they are told, they do not get paid for that day.  And, if the other sibling wants to do the chore for them, she gets paid the money.  Isn’t that a great idea? So I implemented that idea into the chores requirements.

Now onto me…..I have chores too! But I organized my chores in a way that not only keeps the house in tip-top shape; it will keep me in tip-top shape too.  Here is my schedule/chores:

6:00 - 7:00          Check Computer/Read/Meditate

7:00 - 8:00           Exercise
                   

                              Monday/Wednesday/Friday-Stair Step /Weight Training

                              Tuesday/Thursday--Step Aerobics

8:00 - 10:00       Make Breakfast/Shower

                              Do Chores:

                               Dishes                             Sweep Floor                Wipe Down Counters
                               Clean Appliances          Empty Compost         Water Plants Outside
                               Wipe Appliances           Make Bed                    Wipe Down Guest Bathroom 

Once a week I pick a chore based on what needs done:  laundry, iron, thoroughly clean kids bathroom, thoroughly clean master bathroom, mop kitchen floor (that is more 2-3 times a week).

We just started this schedule, and it is working out quite nicely, so far!

Summertime is Here!

Summer vacation is almost here! The kids have 4 more days until school is out, and I have been internally stressing about how I can keep the household organized and running smoothly while they are home.  During the school year, it's easy.  I have lots of time to get everything done.  When they are on summer vacation, it can easily become a madhouse at a drop of a hat..or dirty glasses and plates left on the table....or a soaked beach towel lying on the kitchen floor....or the proverbial "mom, can we have a snack" as my daughter marches in 5 of her friend through the front door.  You understand where I am going with this, right?  I am a bit of a type A personality, so waking up and deciding to go downtown to the zoo or the science center on the spur of the moment never worked for me. I gotta have a plan!

Considering my son turned 13 (gulp!) and my daughter is turning 11 on Wednesday, I no longer plan a daily outing to keep them busy.  I have quickly learned the complaining that ensues when I mention going on an outing has become too much for me. 

When they were little, I planned out the entire summer on a calendar, so the kids knew what what to expect each day.  So if your children are still elementary school age, this is a simple plan to follow.  I planned it in such a way that I only spent $20 week total for the outings.......not including gas.  Many of the attractions in our area have free admission, so I made sure I utilized that in my planning.  Our local movie theatres also had a summer series of movies at a reduced price.  And.............we have the privilege of having an amusement park within a 5 minute drive from our house.  We purchased season passes, so we could do for a couple of hours on a weekly basis.  The kids learned quickly NOT to ask for any souvenirs or food. We would eat a snack in the parking lot, spend a couple of hours riding rides, and head back home for lunch.  It was a beautiful thing!

So here is a quick rundown on how I planned summers years ago:

Mondays--Park Day.  We visited a local park with a playground. Some of them even had water features.

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Tuesdays--Movie/Amusement Park.  We flip flopped each week by either going the amusement park or to the movies. The amusement park also has a water park attached to it, so if it was too hot we would spend a couple hours there instead of riding rides. The movies were part of a summer series, therefore the admittance fee was $1-$2.

Photo by Life as A Healthy Mom

 Wednesdays--Field Trip!!  We would have a big outing. If we went to the movies and spent money that week, we would go to a free admission attraction, such as a museum or zoo.

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Thursdays--Friend Day.  The kids each chose a friend to call beforehand, and we planned fun activities to do at home. Then Momma would get all the chores, such as laundry, completed in between sprinkler time, snacks, and other fun stuff. When they got bored, I packed up our stuff, and we walked down to the subdivision pool for a few hours.

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Fridays--Errands Anyone?  A momma has got to get her errands done sometime, and I wasn't about to do my grocery shopping on a Saturday...weekend were set aside for family time. 

So, there you have it.  This is how I USED to plan out summers when they were little.  

NOW...............At the ages they are now, their time spent with friends becomes priority (sigh).  So I have chucked the field trip day, friend day, and pretty much every planned day when they were little.  I asked them what they wanted to do, and it was a rather simple list such as going to the pool.  I realized we are in a different chapter of life called adolescence...and I have learned to roll with it and not plan almost every day of their summer like I used to.  

I know myself well enough that if I let "the flow of summer happen", nothing is going to happen. We will become lazy, sit in front of the television watching who knows what, and wonder where the summer went as we are preparing to return to school mid-August.  

So, here is what I have planned this summer......a morning schedule to get things done.  That's it.  If they think they are going into summer chore free and allowing the maid, I mean Mom, to do everything they got another thing coming.  By 10 am, chores are done and they are free to hang out with friends.  They will receive a raise in allowance during the summer months because they are expected to do more chores than usual.  If the kids budget accordingly, when a friend invites one of them to go somewhere, my son and daughter have the money to go.    

So as the school year winds down, our summer will be winding up and I am ready now that I have this simple plan in place.  Happy Summer!

P.S--If you are wondering what chores I have in mind for the kids, I am planning on posting our schedule and list for the summer in my next blog entry.



Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

A couple of years ago, my father gave me a foyer table that was in his childhood home.  I cherish items that tell a story, and I wanted to implement the table into our decor.  Unfortunately, it really didn't fit into our decor. 


I tried to place the table in the corner of our sun room and place plants on it.  It looked okay, I guess, but every time I walked past it the placement just didn't seem right.  So I put the table in the garage.

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

During the holidays, I moved it to a corner of our dining room, and used it for a place to do our Christmas puzzle.  After the holidays, it just sat in the corner, like a child being punished.  So then, I put it back in the garage.



Shortly after I realized it didn't fit in our home (or at least I thought), I asked my siblings if they wanted it because I wanted it to stay in the family.  My one brother said he would take it; I think he was being nice because he didn't want me to get rid of it either, but he really didn't have room for it.  So the table went in the garage for storage; and there it sat for months.

Until...................I began my spring cleaning and took everything out of the sun room to scrub the windows and tile floor.  Believe me, dragging it all out is much easier than maneuvering around the furniture to clean all the windows.  When I began placing the furniture back in, I got this epiphany.  I measured the back of our couch, and went into the garage to measure the table.  It was the perfect height for a behind the couch!!!  I was so excited.  I dragged the table back into the house and placed it behind the couch. 

It fit perfectly in the corner, and the ornate design shows beautifully from the outside.  While shopping for Mother's Day gifts, I came across the green plant on clearance for $2.44.  I used terracotta pots from my collection, and treated myself to the aloe plant that I always wanted.........for $5. 

Everything else on the table was pulled from other rooms.  The aqua bowl was made by my husband as a child and was given to me by my husband's mom.  The tall metal dog sculpture is to honor the passing our our Dalmatian, Tessa; and the small sculpture commemorates acquiring our dog, Toby.  Can you tell I am a sap for memories?


Now, ever time I walk into my sun room............I smile. I have always loved my sun room, but now my smile is much wider.  Finally, my grandmother's table has found it's permanent spot in my home, and it's perfect!

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Homemade Yogurt

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Can I get preface this post by saying "I love Pinterest!"  As much as I do in terms of making things from scratch and gaining new information about health, it takes alot of time researching, reading, and implementing.  What I love about Pinterest is that it has allowed me to look up stuff, such as recipes, from like-minded people rather than googling it only to have alot of websites show up that may or may not fit my needs.

Oh..........and it has opened my world in knowing there are ALOT of things that I can make at home without having to buy it at the grocery store.  And save money...I'm all about that, as long as it keeps with my healthy bottom line. 

Take for example--- YOGURT!  Seriously? I can make my own yogurt in a crockpot?  I had read many years ago that it could be done, but I had to buy this electric contraption in order to make it; at it was only for yogurt.  I refused to buy the $50 appliance just for the principle of it.  So I continued to buy my Oikos Organic Plain Greek Yogurt for my parfaits, and Stonyfield Organic Plain Yogurt for the smoothies, ranch dressing, and dip for the kid's veggies, and recycled the plastic container.  Well......not anymore (insert in the mad scientist laugh)!

I found this recipe on Pinterest for crockpot yogurt from a blog named Over at Julies, by Julie Backus. I followed her instructions on making it to the T (including setting the timer).  The only thing I changed was that I used kefir, which is a fermented milk drink made with kefir grains, instead of yogurt.  The yogurt I had in the fridge had pectin in it. Kefir has a little bit of a tangier taste, but it has so many more probiotic properties than regular yogurt.  Next time, I will use regular yogurt or a yogurt starter to compare the difference in taste.

I also strained 1/2 of the yogurt in cheesecloth to make a thicker greek yogurt, and left the other 1/2 in it's regular state for pourable yogurt. 

Here is Julie's recipe for Crockpot Yogurt:

This recipe uses a 3 quart crock pot.

Makes 8 servings.

INGREDIENTS

2 quarts whole milk

fresh or frozen variety of fruit

honey or maple syrup for sweetening yogurt and fruit

DIRECTIONS

• Pour 2 quarts of milk carefully into your crock pot bowl.
• Turn heat to low. Cover and heat milk for 2 hrs and 45 minutes. Be sure and use a timer!
• When timer goes off, turn off crock pot, keep lid on, and set timer for an additional 3 hour “cool down” time.
• After 3 hours, ladle 1 cup of the very warm, crock pot milk into a small bowl.
• To the very warm milk add ½ cup of natural, live culture, no pectin added, "plain" yogurt, like Chobani Greek Yogurt. That's your starter to produce a batch of new, live culture, yogurt. Whisk together well. Pour milk mixed with yogurt back into crock pot bowl and whisk gently to incorporate.
• Unplug crock pot. Cover with two bath towels and leave it to “culture” overnight for at least 8-12 hrs.
• In the morning, place tea towel in colander and pour yogurt into towel-lined colander placed over a large bowl. Drain off 1 to 2 cups of whey. Whey is very healthy and can be used in place of water to make homemade breads.
• Save out 1/2 cup of yogurt to use as starter for your next batch of Easy Crock Pot Yogurt. Starter should be used within a week. You may use homemade yogurt as starter 3 times before buying more natural, no pectin added, plain yogurt, like Chobani as your starter.
• Yogurt may be stored in a large jar and dished out for individual use. With small, covered, individual containers: place chopped fruit in the bottom of each container, sweetened with 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey; add yogurt and finish off with a little drizzle of syrup or honey and snap on cover.
• Store in the refrigerator for a week. Yogurt will thicken as it cools, but you must try it before you cool it because the yogurt has such a delicate texture before it is cooled.
• Whey will last 6 months in the refrigerator.

It turned out perfect! And I felt so empowered to know I can do this stuff at home and not have to rely on yet another container of processed food!  Enjoy! 

Homemade Almond Milk

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Last week, I wrote a blog about things I do in my life that I feel help me become mindful of the Earth and it's resources that it provides.  One of them was making my own almond milk.  When I tell people that I make my own almond milk, some of them look at me quite strangely. My husband joked with me at first and asked, "how do you milk an almond?" and then proceeded to pinch his fingers together and pretend to milk tiny, minuscule, invisible utters. No honey, it's not like that.

For those of you who are lactose intolerant, vegetarian, vegan, or just want a change in your daily routine, nut milks are the way to go.  I tend to use it in smoothies and baked goods; and believe me, when I say that it is soooo simple to do.

I choose to make my own almond milk because:

• almonds are chock full of essential vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium, potassium, copper, vitamin E, selenium and calcium
• almonds are also high in monounsaturated fats
• store bought almond milk contains synthetic vitamins and may not contain as much fiber as the homemade comparison
• store bought almond milk also contains thickeners to make the milk more palatable
• there are no surprise ingredients....what are "natural flavors" anyway?  You know what you put in it.
• it has a more delicate taste, and you can sweeten it however you choose

And finally................nothing goes to waste.  I don't throw away a container after I am finished, and the leftover almonds are dehydrated to make almond meal.

Here is my recipe for Almond Milk:

Makes 3 cups

1 cup raw almonds (I buy them at Trader Joes)
3 cups water, plus more for soaking
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp sweetener such as maple syrup or raw honey (optional)
pinch of salt

 Pour the almonds in a bowl and cover it with filtered water. Let them soak in the water overnight.

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

 Drain off the water from the almonds.  Add almond to the blender.  Add 3 cups filtered water to the soaked almonds.  Blend for 5 minutes.  Strain mixture through a cheesecloth covered colander.  You can use the back of a spoon to push as much liquid out as possible.

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Rinse the blender container, and add the newly strained almond milk back in the blender.  Add a pinch of salt, vanilla, and your choice of sweetener.  Blend for 1 minute.

Choose a reusable container.  I use a recycled milk container that I sanitize in my dishwasher.  Use a funnel and a small sieve to pour the milk into the container.

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Label the container. 

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

You are done!  The liquid will seperate in the container, so just shake it up before each use.  And be sure to use it within a week.

Now........what to do with the leftover almond mush left in the cheesecloth.  See my blog about almond meal.

 

 

Almond Meal

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Whenever I make homemade almond milk, I have this almond mush that is left over.  I didn't want to throw it away, or put it in my compost bin.  So I decided to put it to good use.  After I make my weekly bottle of almond milk, I always plan to make almond meal.  It's kinda like the book, If you Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff that says, "if you give a mouse a cookie, he is going to want a glass of milk"....or something like that. So mine is "if you want to make almond milk, you will need to make almond meal afterwards."  Almond meal can be used in recipes as a replacement for flour.  For people with gluten intolerance, almond meal does not contain gluten.  I add it into cookies and muffins.  I also use it as a binder, instead of bread crumbs, in meatballs or meatloaf. 

If you plan on not buying as many processed foods, as our family has, it is a good idea to invest in a dehydrator.  I make almond meal every week, hence the need for a dehydrator.  Although we do use the dehydrator for a lot of other things as well.  But I digress.

So.......after making almond milk, there will be a kind of a mush left over in the colander.  Spread this mush in the dehydrator tray uses to make roll ups, and set the dehydrator to the setting based on the manufacturer's suggestion.

About 8 hours later, the almond much will be dry.  Add it to a blender and blend it into a flour.

Put the flour into a reusable contain and place it in the refrigerator.  If you do not plan on using it in the next couple of weeks, it can be placed in a plastic bag in the freezer.