Instant Espresso Smoothie

Being short on our typical smoothie ingredients (nut butters, berries, kale, coconut milk, flax) I made this smoothie today. I'm not a coffee drinker but I do like an occasional espresso drink, think Starbucks cafe mocha. And after a few sleepless nights I needed a jump start to my morning routine (the kind only caffeine can give).

You can use anything you like for the liquid (coconut milk or coconut water would be just as good) and if you make your own almond milk even better. Just make sure if you purchase it pre-made like I do, find one without carrageenan (Silk Brand does not contain this and ironically most organic brands do, so read the label). 

We typically purchase the unsweetened brand of Silk but for some reason we had a regular one on hand. Pictured below are both options:

The ingredients are simple! 

1 frozen banana, sliced

8 ounces liquid of choice

2 heaping tsp instant espresso (this is to my preference, adjust as needed)

2 Tbls dark cocoa powder (or raw cacao).  (this is to my preference, adjust as needed)

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and process until silky smooth! 

Tip: When you see bananas on sale pick them up! Peel and freeze whole. 

I found a bag of 20 ripe organic bananas at our local Kroger store for $1! 

ENJOY!

Homemade Laundry Soap - no grating!

Awhile back my mom found a little soap experiment off Pinterest. I wish I knew the source so I could give due credit (if you know if it please comment and I'll add the link). When visiting her this past summer she put a bar of soap into the microwave, letting all her grandchildren watch it "grow". Afterwards I noticed it was a beautiful pile of melted soap, which after cooling down flaked quite nicely!

So instead of the dreaded grating, we used the microwave to do the work for us. After the soap cooled down I flaked it and added it to the other ingredients for our homemade soap. Not only was it fun for the kids to watch, it also cut the prep time in half...thus making this homemade soap even cheaper as my time is definitely worth something to me! Have fun!

Homemade Laundry Soap - Basic recipe

2 cups Borax
2 cups washing soda
2 bars of soap (I prefer Ivory as that's what I grew up on)
1 lidded container. Plastic or glass, whichever works best in your laundry room.

(If a heavy duty soap is desired substitute the soap with 2 bars of Fels-Naptha. But did you know you can just rub the bar directly onto a stain? Personally I do not think it's the best stain remover but I have tried it and it works on light stains. It did not work on grease or grass. But it is commonly added to homemade laundry soap, thus the mention.)

Add Borax and washing soda to a container. Place one bar of unwrapped soap onto a microwave safe plate. Microwave for 30 seconds. Continue to heat in 30 second intervals until the soap has fully "melted". Remove carefully as the soap will be VERY hot.

 Let it cool completely, then flake apart. Continue with second bar. 

Add flaked soap to the container of Borax and washing soda. I have a front load washing machine and use 1/4 cup of this soap for each large load. I have found homemade laundry detergent works best with warm and hot water settings. For cold water settings I still use liquid Ivory Snow. 

Canned Tomato Paste - removal made easy

While making a batch of crock pot chili today I realized I have never posted this little tip. My grandfather showed it to me years ago, and while I believe it's a commonly used method to opening canned tomato paste, I thought maybe the younger generation of cooks may not know it!

I use tomato paste from a tube and from a can. I'm well aware of the canned anything issue but we do not use paste that often so if I find a good brand on sale I'll purchase it to have on hand. When I was younger I'd use a mini spatula or knife to remove the paste and grandpa showed me this method.

Just open both ends with a can opener, making sure the cut goes completely around. Push one end all the way through and just about every bit will come out, with little waste left inside.

Use your kitchen as a classroom!

Growing up I was raised in the kitchen. As the oldest of five children I learned to help out at a young age. My mom cooked just about everything from scratch and in large quantities (10 pound bags of potatoes for one meal!). Looking back I'm amazed at how much I learned without even knowing it at the time!

Now that I'm grown and have a child of my own I realize how important those lessons were. And it's more than just learning how to bake and cook food. So many subjects can be covered using just one simple recipe (patience, following directions, geography, history, math, family tradition, ingredients and where they come from, etc.) So when I saw this curriculum post from Free Homeschool Deals I just had to pass it on!

This holiday season get the kids involved in everything from shopping (let them weigh produce, check items off the list, figure which size can is the better deal) to chopping veggies and measuring flour.

Don't fret over the mess, because there will be one. 

Let them learn hands on and create memories in the meantime!

Learning to crack eggs

Learning how to properly measure flour

Making a homemade pizza

And learning how to wash up afterwards :)

Bye Bye Redi Whip

Thanksgiving week is upon us and it seems like this is the time of year I use a lot of whipped cream! Today my little girl and I made some homemade hot chocolate so I made up a batch of homemade cream to top it. This was a basic vanilla but for our Thanksgiving pumpkin pie I'll make another batch with maple syrup and cinnamon! (I'll post that recipe later this week)

Whipped cream is so easy to make and much less expensive than the store bought kind. Enjoy!

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla (more if you like)
2 Tbs confectioners sugar, sifted

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high until light and fluffy (approximately 5 - 7 minutes). Store in an air tight container in the icebox up to three days. If you do not have a stand mixer use a hand mixer and start on a low speed, gradually working up to medium high as the cream thickens.