Natural Chow

Jam Labelizer

September 6, 2013 by Margaret Anne Leave a Comment

I won’t waste your time because this is a totally awesome post. Last week we went to Dollar Tree, and, as most people do, spent like $35 dollars. But one of the major things we got was frozen fruit. For only a dollar, 10 to 14 ounces of fruit is a steal, not to mention the prices will sky rocket when autumn and winter hits. But the best thing about the fruit is that we’ve started to can, and you know what that means… JAM! With the frozen goodies, we can make strawberry, blueberry and mixed berry jam. [Read more…]

How to Make Your Own Brown Sugar

September 5, 2013 by Margaret Anne Leave a Comment

Making your own brown sugar does not only save you money, but it can also save you trip to the store.

The tradition of making of my own brown sugar happened a while ago when, funny enough, I ran out of brown sugar. I know. Who’da thunk? Anyways, I had to have brown sugar for something and so I had to search the internet for a recipe for brown sugar. I knew I wasn’t the only one who had ever thought about making brown sugar at home, so clearly there was going to be something on the internet about it. Luckily, about.com provided and I found the recipe that saved my life. Okay, so maybe not my life, but the certainly the life of a very certain batch cookies.

[Read more…]

How to Grow A Bean Plant From Dry Beans

August 3, 2013 by Margaret Anne Leave a Comment

Every now and again, we plant new things in our garden. But have you ever tried to grow beans before? Did you know that it is possible to actually grow a bean plant from the bagged dry beans you get from the grocery store? Well, you can and it’s easier than you think. At my local Walmart, dry red beans in a 1 pound bag costs $1.69 and you can imagine how many bean plants you can grow from that many seeds. Not only is this very economical, it’s also super easy and a great project to do with the kids. Have fun telling them about how the seed turns into food. Children love to see things grow, and beans
grow at a rate where every day it either grows another inch or another leaf.

[Read more…]

Whole Wheat 30 Minute Rolls

August 3, 2013 by Margaret Anne Leave a Comment

Rolls are so easy to make and not even I can screw up. This is something that goes with practically anything from spaghetti to soup to grilled chicken. They can also be eaten as a snack, for those early mornings, and even for dessert. These keep so well in the refrigerator that sometimes I make a double or triple batch to save for other meals, still only taking me 30 minutes.

The rolls are completed in four phases.

Phase 1: Yeast mixture sits for 15 minutes.

Phase 2: Add in other ingredients.

Phase 3: Shape rolls and let rest for 10 minutes.

Phase 4: Bake for 10 minutes. [Read more…]

Pasta Salad

July 22, 2013 by Margaret Anne Leave a Comment

Everywhere I search, the same recipe and variations pop up. Pasta salad is different to my family than it is to other families. Other people share their recipes with me, but it’s never the same. But I’m sure you’ll fall in in love with this recipe. It has served my family well for over four years. Made with inexpensive ingredients, this recipe is sure to be a hit.

I’ve also tried this recipe using different combinations of vegetables such as substituting spinach for the kale, green olives for the ripe olives, and shallots for the onion. This recipe is easily adaptable around what kinds of vegetables or pasta you’ve got lying around. Maybe you only have penne noodles or shells. No biggie. Just adjust the cook time of the pasta to the boxes directions. Also fell free to double this recipe or even triple it and pack in your kids lunches during the week. Adjust the flavoring to your families tastes so that it’s a dish that everyone will want to see in their lunch box week after week.

[Read more…]

Subscribe to Email Updates