Back in the saddle again...

When I began this blog in January, I had no idea what was in store for me in the following months. I never expected to pick up and move to Indiana, and go through the home "building" process again...but I did get to do those things, and here I am in my new home! I love it. I couldn't have asked for more from God. He provided a comfortable, single level living space for us. We have three bedrooms, a furnished kitchen and affordable rent.

Needless to say, the time in between was filled with moving, organizing and caring for kids. But I'm back in the saddle again, ready to move forward with my plans for our family to continue "living fruitfully!" The first and foremost important decision I made recently was to make my home a "toxin-less" home. To truly become toxin-free is nearly impossible in this day and age, but I'm doing what I can to keep harmful substances away from my family.

Let me explain what started this trend in my life. My dear friend Elizabeth has lived this life and I've witnessed the differences, but it was not until I followed a link about toxins in teenage girls blood that I began to dig deeper. As I plunged myself into the world of information out there about the dangers involved in chemicals that surround us, I became more and more freaked out!!! Formaldehyde in baby shampoo?!?! Heavy metals in my loose powder!?! No Way! I started grabbing items from my bathroom and checking them on the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Skin Deep Database. (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com) The details about individual ingredients in my products were scary. Reproductive harm. Neurotoxins. Kidney damage. The list goes on, and I didn't sleep a wink that night. I'd be happy to talk to you more about this stuff if you are interested. The short ending to this story is, my kids now use California Baby shampoo, ivory soap (which the girls of the family already used) and I have a bag full of stuff I'm giving away. We are eating organically, not EVERYTHING, but those items that show necessity in studies because the chemicals are absorbed more than other foods. I feel better about our way of life. I am confidant I'm doing my best to keep my family safe and healthy. :)

That said, let me tell you about the newest recipe I have going today! Two actually. I'm back to testing The World's Greatest recipes. Tonight it's Meatloaf. I'll let ya know how it goes. I also have Ba-Ba-Banana Bread cooling from my wonderful cookbook Real Food for Healthy Kids.

We eat old-fashioned oatmeal a lot for breakfast, occasionally I'll cook steel cut oats overnight in the crock-pot. That's a fantastic breakfast plan for a crowd or a busy morning...it's ready when you are, and everyone can customize their own bowl. We like to use real maple syrup and brown sugar around here, but there are many more creative things you can throw in, like some half and half and finely diced strawberries would make a wonderful strawberries and cream oatmeal. Mmmm....makes me hungry thinking of it.

I love to try new things, if you have a recipe you've been looking at, but haven't tested...I'd be happy to try it out and let ya know how things go! :)

Hash Brown Casserole & More...

Tonight I decided to try a recipe for hash brown casserole. The entire ordeal started behind, because I didn't remember to thaw the hashbrowns. :) So after an "express defrost" in the microwave, I managed to get them to fall apart. I had mixed together the sour cream, cheese and soup, and then stirred it into the potatoes...OOPS I forgot to add the butter. Haha...it was quite the project making this simple recipe. (All recipes will be at the bottom of the post)

I have to admit, for me, the simplest recipes are sometimes the most difficult. For example, the first recipe I ever really truly bombed was Rice-Krispy Treats in 7th grade! Moving forward, I was wrestling with my overfull bowl (my largest bowl is in the fridge holding dough) trying to stir and ended up pouring the entire mess into the 9x13 baking dish then drizzling the butter over it before stirring it right there in the pan! :) I had substituted dry onion flakes because my two onions in the fridge were looking a bit spoiled and when I pulled it out thought I had made a huge mistake and they were burnt!~thankfully it was simply a few pieces of mushroom from the soup that had stayed on top and gotten a tad bit crispy.

Overall I felt like the recipe was bland. At the table, I tossed some seasoning salt and pepper on top of mine, trying to perfect the flavor--and that greatly enhanced it. The next time I intend to use less soup, more cheese and season the hashbrowns with salt before stirring ANYTHING into them. It seems technique has once again won out against sheer ingredients. Mind you--I did not PLAN to make a bland casserole--I simply walked into the recipe with no knowledge of what makes it work. On a side note--I mixed a small bit of Manwich Sloppy Joe on top of the casserole...and that was quite appealing for a second day dish!

Chip really enjoyed the tiny sandwich I made for him from a buttermilk biscuit with a teaspoon of sloppy joe! I served the biscuits because I only had enough buns for the adults and the children don't like manwich YET...

For dessert we finished the dough from one of the "best chocolate chip cookie" recipes I found online. They were definitely better than the ones I typically make, and if you want to know why...it's all about how long you cream the butter and sugars. Turn them nearly white! If you don't believe me--just try it once and it'll make a big difference. I have the blessing of a KitchenAid Stand mixer with a 5qt bowl that I use for most recipes. It took nearly 5 minutes to cream the sugars and butter and then an additional 2 minutes with the eggs and vanilla. This recipe also used more brown sugar than white to provide a chewier cookie!

Hashbrown Casserole
2 lbs frozen hashbrowns (thawed)
1/2 c butter--melted
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 c chopped onion ( I used a handful of dried flakes)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups cheddar cheese

Mix in a large bowl, turn into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake 350 degrees 45 minutes.

As I type this I'm wondering about adding some veggies--like celery or even just celery salt. Maybe some shredded zuchinni or somethiong....I'll let ya know what I revise this recipe with. Any suggestions would be welcome!

And don't forget to save those sour cream containers...reuse...reduce...recycle....or as I like to say wash and repurpose! I'm planning on planting seeds in the baby food containers I have laying around, and more on how I use containers coming later!


Positively Purposeful!
Melissa