Easily Freeze Individual Portions

I was surfing the wonderful world of food blogs tonight and came across this great tip from Lunch In a Box, that is totally worthy of my blog! LOL I've been doing this for years but it never occurred to me to actually write about it. DUH! (No one ever said I was the brightest crayon in the box!) Anyway,  It comes in very handy for us single folk out there and if the family is busy out doing different things, it's a great way to just make one individual serving.  There is nothing worse than buying in bulk, such as hamburger, and having to cook the whole thing at once and wasting food.

 I DON'T WASTE - I LIKE TO EAT TOO MUCH!

The first thing you do is to put the food (meat or sauces or what ever) into a large freezer bag and smush it out as flat as possible, making sure to get rid of all the air pockets. (Making it thin speeds up defrost time due to the increased surface area, and pressing out excess air 

guards against freezer burn.) 

Use a long chopstick or ruler to create divisions within the food, forming individual portions. This way when you freeze the entire bag, you’ll be able to quickly break off just as much as you want to use, no more. 

Because you’re touching the freezer bag and not the meat directly when flattening it out, your hands don’t get messy, and the food and work surface stay clean. You also reduce the waste that would be generated by individually wrapping each little serving in plastic wrap. This freezing technique isn’t limited to ground meat, though. Think thick pasta sauces, mashed or pureed fruit or vegetables, cooked meat soboro, rice, fried rice, cookie dough, etc.

GREAT SPACE SAVER TOO!  You don't have to lay them flat either.  You can fold it in 3rd or halves depending on your portion size. 

How to Recondition & Re-Season your Cast Iron Cookware

First of all, I just wanna say that as much as I would like to take credit for this awesome post, I cannot.  I saw this pic on Pinterest and thought that this would be a good post for my blog too - but, the full credit goes to I Believe I can Fry (cute name by the way) 


I'm sure most of us have one, if not more of these rusty old things out in the garage or in the basement taking up space, so now is the time to go and grab them and put them to use! 


I have always wanted to learn how to do this and I'm sure many of you have to so......Here ya go! 

How to Peel an Egg Without Peeling

  I saw this on one of my Aunts Blogs and I had to share it with you. This is a great way to entertain your kids.  I wish I knew about this easy methods ions ago!! Check out this video!

How to use a Pressure Cooker

Using a Pressure Cooker has got to be the BEST way to cook meat, in my opinion. My uncle used to cook the best ribs, carrots, and potatoes that I've ever had in a pressure cooker.  I'm not a big cooked carrot fan but boy, when he made this, he knew to make extra because the juices of the meat infused with the potatoes and carrots making them SO sweet and delicious.  He would use the yellow Yukon Gold potatoes and when they came out of the pressure cooker, they were so good that they didn't even need butter!! Imagine that...no butter on potatoes!! YUMMO!

How to make Really Good Hummus!

Hummus is pretty basic right? You have maybe 5 ingredients that you throw into a food processor and blend. Should be straight forward, but like making fresh mayo it ISN'T! Isn't a 1-2-3 in the bag dish that is. I've been wanting to make hummus for ages but only recently have I figured out how to do that! And thanks to this video I found on YouTube, now you can too!! Go grab a pen and paper and get ready to write down the ingredients! 

So what's the key to making fabulous hummus? Two things; balance of flavors and consistency. The balance of acid, fat, heat and aromatics is the first part. The consistency part has to do with, how much tahini you add, how long you blend it, and the amount of water you add. The water helps to break down the beans while processing the hummus to give it a creamier consistency. He used to add olive oil instead of water because he thinks the oil gives it more texture. Really the oil has no effect on the texture and it didn't do anything for the consistency. In fact it may have worked against both. Water helps open up the pores of the ingredients allowing distribution of flavor and achieving the right texture. As you'll see in the video, he make it a tad more loose then some of you might, but trust in the fact that it will firm up in the fridge.

See what you think and let me know how your next batch turns out.

Size Matters: Your Guide to Healthy Portion Sizes

Have a lot on your plate? Paring down your portions is the easiest secret to staying slim. Weight loss is a balancing act between calories in to calories out. If you are putting more calories in than your body needs for energy, then it will store the energy and gain weight. If you are putting less calories in than your body needs, then you will lose weight. If the calories you put in equal the calories you put out, then you will stay in balance. The equation is a simple concept, but actually solving the equation in real life isn’t so easy! 

The 411 on Hard-Boiling Egg Whites.

You asked for tips and ideas -- you got 'em! First, the tips. Since it's only the whites you're after, you don't really need to be concerned with exact cooking time or worry about overcooking the eggs. In fact, the more solid the yolks become, the easier it is to separate them from the whites. So, place the eggs in a pot and cover completely with water. The pot should be large enough that there are still a few inches of the pot's inner edge above the water line -- this way, the water won't boil over. Bring it to a boil, and then continue to cook for about 10 minutes. After that, carefully drain the water, and cover the eggs in the pot with very cold water. (Got ice? Add it.)

Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, crack 'em and the shells should peel off easily. Run a knife along the circumference of each peeled egg to separate the white into halves -- like cutting around the pit of an avocado. (It's easier to remove the yolk if you don't slice it in half.) Discard the yolks; and if the whites have any bits of yolk stuck to them, just rinse them in warm water. Tada!

Now, the snack ideas. I like to eat egg whites all by themselves -- they're delicious and have only about 20 calories each! But sometimes I put a little Dijonnaise on them... or even a combo of Dijonnaise and Laughing Cow Light cheese -- SO GOOD! You can also try filling the whites with a little salsa, refried beans, or low-calorie dip, if you're feeling adventurous. Happy egg chewing!!!

How to prepare and store Mangoes

This easy and fun way of preparing mangoes is sometimes called making mango porcupines. First you use a sharp knife to fillet each side of the mango, cutting off the ‘cheek’, and getting as close to the mango pip as you can.

Then on each cheek make cuts in the mango about 2cm (1/2 in) apart in a criss-cross pattern, but don’t cut through the skin. Now if you push the skin from underneath it will pop the inside out, and the squares become mango cubes that are easy to spoon off or schloop up with your tongue. Then you can go back to peel and eat the small amount of mango left around the pip.

Cut chunks from the skin to serve. (The skin can cause irritation, so it should not be eaten.)

To store your mangoes, keep unripe mangoes at room temperature to ripen, which may take up to 1 week. A paper bag might help them ripen sooner, but they will not ripen at temperatures below 55 degrees F. Ripe mangoes can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or they can be frozen, dried, cooked in syrup or puréed.

Check out these 10 Healthy Benefits from Mangoes HERE

10 Health Benefits of Mangoes

The delicious and juicy mango has long been one of the world's most popular fruits. The fruit's flavor is often described as an exotic mix of pineapple and peach. Mangoes are available from April to September, but June and July usually offer the best pick and prices.  Mangoes taste so good that people forget they are also healthy! Discover how the “king of fruits” can help your health by reading these 10 health benefits. 

Baking Substitutions

OK..I know...this is supposed to be a blog dedicated to healthy foods right?? Well, hopefully there are a bunch of people looking at my blog and they might bake so I gotta cater to them too...after all, even if you yourself are on a diet, the rest of the family might still enjoy a great cake every now and then so here are a few tips on some baking substitutions that might come in handy.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE                                                             USE

   

1 tsp. baking powder                                1/2 tsp baking soda plus 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar           1/2 cup sugar mixed with 2 tbs molasses

1 oz (1 square) unsweetened                     3 tbs unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tbs shortening

baking chocolate 

3 oz (3 squares) semisweet                       3 oz (1/2 cup) semisweet chocolate morsels

baking chocolate

1 cup sweetened whipped cream              4 1/2 oz thawed frozen whipped topping

1 cup heavy cream                                  3/4 cup whole milk plus 1/4 cup butter

(for baking, not whipping) 

1 cup cake flour                                      1 cup minus 2 tbs all-purpose flour

1 cup honey                                            1 1/4 cups granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup water

1 pkg active dry yeast                             1 cake compressed yeast

How Much of This Equals That?

Nine times out of ten, we have all come across a recipe that calls for...lets say 3 1/2 ounces of something and your thinking...I don't have a scale to measure that.  So I've decided to give you a little conversion tool that might help you out and make it a little easier for you.

BELOW ARE SOME EASY CONVERSIONS FOR INGREDIENTS THAT ARE USED OFTEN

Six ways to use Vinegar with your food

It gets rid of mold, it’s good for cleaning windows and it makes amazing “volcano” science fair projects when combined with baking soda. But did you know that vinegar can be used in your kitchen too? Here are six quick ways you can use vinegar in the kitchen and around: 

ONE: As a Simple Salad Dressings 

* Classic Salad – mix together: Balsamic Vinegar (just a dash), Olive Oil, Lemon Juice 

* Wakame (Seaweed) Salad Dressing – mix together: Rice Vinegar, Sugar, Sesame Oil 

TWO: As a Condiment 

* Over French Fries instead of ketchup (Try it! Not as weird as you would expect) 

* Mix with ketchup to reduce sugar consumption (for fries, sandwiches, fish sticks, crabs) 

* With cooked beets 

 THREE: As a Pickler 

* Make homemade pickles (cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots) using a simple solution of vinegar      and sugar. Not low in sugar, but contains no salt. 

FOUR: For flavor in cooking 

* A southern tradition, vinegar is used in cooking collard greens, green beans, dry beans or cabbage. 

* Add balsamic vinegar to any tomato-based pasta sauce – it will reduce with cooking and add a rich flavor. 

* Try a sprinkle (and we do mean sprinkle) of balsamic vinegar with olive oil (+ herbs, + garlic) on top of your baked vegetables (before baking). 

FIVE: As a Substitute for Veggie Wash 

* Soak organic leafy greens or herbs in a light vinegar & water solution for a dirt-free salad. 

SIX: To Keep Herbs & Garden Greens Bug-Free 

* Spray herb gardens and garden greens with vinegar water mix for a non-toxic bug repellant. How do you use vinegar? Which kind do you prefer?

Source: Fooducate 

50 Amazingly Helpful Time-Tested Tips for the Kitchen

You know all of those helpful kitchen-related suggestions that old-timers are so willing to share with the younger generations? These little tips and tricks might be called “kitchen hacks” these days, but they’re still the same good old nuggets of wisdom that they always were. As with any old wives’ tale, hack, or tip, your mileage may vary. Some of these gems have been around for several lifetimes - and according to most grandmas, they really work.

1. For cleaning smelly hands after chopping onions or garlic, just rub them on a stainless steel spoon. The steel is supposed to absorb the odor.

2. Fresh coffee beans can also absorb nasty odors from your hands.

3. If you happen to over-salt a pot of soup, just drop in a peeled potato. The potato will absorb the excess salt.

4. When boiling eggs, add a pinch of salt to keep the shells from cracking.

The Perfect Valentines Day Egg!

Who wouldn't want to wake up with breakfast in bed in the shape of a heart!!  You could follow up the idea with Toast and some fruit cut in the heart shape using a cookie cutter! You could always Pickle the egg, (soak it in beet juice) for a bright pink take on this!!

Kelly's Tips

We'll be posting more soon!