Peel Peaches Pronto!

It's peach season! I really wanted to try my hand at jam and spiced peaches this year, but I was dreading pealing all of those peaches. I've only ever cut the peels off so thinking of cutting the peels of more than three peaches was a little daunting, and honestly felt a bit wasteful-so much flesh lost when I cut the peels.

While searching for the perfect recipes, I came across my answer! This trick may be old-hat for some of you experienced canners, but this was a revolutionary discovery for me! I hope by sharing I can make your canning endeavors more enjoyable (and quick!).

Before you start, have a medium/large pot of boiling water on the stove. On the counter place a bowl of cold ice water, a cutting board, and a large empty bowl for the peeled peaches. 

Now you're ready to start!

1. Take ripe peaches...

2. Place peaches in the boiling water for 30sec-1min...

3. Quickly put the peaches into the cold ice water...

4. Take the peaches out of the ice water and pull the peels off!

It's as easy as that! It took me about 15 min to peel the whole box of peaches-about 50! With pears coming on soon, and possibly canning tomatoes as well, this trick will come in handy.

Happy Canning!

Easy Cake Mix Cookies!

I'll make this short and sweet (literally)!

This weekend my Aunt DH asked me to make some "reverse oreo" cookies-Yellow cookies with chocolate frosting in the middle. Um...ok...I have never done this before...so of course I headed to Pinterest. I found a few good options that were about the same with slight variations and decided to give it a try.

Let's be honest, I don't always have the stuff in my pantry to make cookies from scratch. but I almost always have a cake mix! Here's what I ended up doing--and it was SOOOO easy! No amazing baking skills required. ;)

What you will need:

Mixing bowl
Spoon, whisk, or mixer
1" cookie scoop (or spoons)
2 cake mixes (In this case I used yellow)
4 eggs
3/4 cup olive oil (or coconut oil)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*.

In the mixing bowl, mix ingredients together. Using the cookie scoop, scoop out dough and roll with hands into balls. (12/cookie sheet)

Bake for 7-8 minutes. Cool on pan for several minutes before transferring to a cookie rack.  Be sure to allow the cookies to completely cool or they will fall apart while frosting. Frost between two cookies (sandwich style).

Voíla! Beautiful and delicious reverse oreo cookies. :D

Think of all the possibilities! Using this easy method, you can have a colorful array of delicious cookies that look amazing.

Happy Baking!



**If you want to make the frosting from scratch instead of using store bought, the following recipe is yummy!**

Frosting:

8oz cream cheese
1/2 C butter
3 C powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whip until smooth and use between two cookies.

Food Journey 2015: Bone Broth

I LOVE food! The way it smells, the way it looks on my plate, and oooooh the way it tastes. It can be a problem, can being the operative word.  I'm beginning to realize more and more that not everyone has this struggle! There are many people in the world who can feel satisfied after only a few bites and never have to conscientiously think "how much is a portion?" "am I hungry or bored?" "three helpings of mashed potatoes is too much". The struggle is real! Those who don't struggle with it think it's just mind over matter, and in some ways it is, but for many it is a lifelong battle.

As part of my 2015 Health Initive (my "New Year's Evolution) I am making a more conscious effort to add healthier food into my family's diet (because let's face it-being in charge of the food gives ME that power).  The first thing I am trying is bone broth. Everyone is knows that when you are sick you should have chicken noodle soup, but...why? The broth! Yes, the protein from the chicken is obviously helpful, and the nutrients from the veggies is great, but the broth is the real reason.

Bone broth, be it beef, chicken, turkey, etc., has many health benefits.  According to several sources, including Dr. Axe (Food is Medicine), bone broth can help heal leaky gut, improve joint health, and boost the immune system. He says, "bone broth is rich in minerals that support the immune system and contains healing compounds like collagen, glutamine, glycine, and proline" and then he proceeds to discuss those things in a little more depth. And he's not the only one-research it for yourselves! Before looking into it, I had no idea! I happened to be reading up on the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and there were links to making bone broth. I'd always wondered what to do with my left over bones, and I now I know! 

I use broth in several recipes quite frequently, so after doing a bit of research, I decided I'd try to make my own broth the next time I made a turkey (we crockpot a turkey breast almost monthly). Well, last night was the night! I found a recipe on Pinterest that I felt like was easy, I had all the ingredients for on-hand, and that I could freeze. It is cooking now. I'll let you know how it goes!

UPDATE: After 36ish hours, I had a beautiful and tasty broth!! I strained what was left of the veggies and bones (gave some to my dog and threw the rest away). I ended up with 5 small freezer bags (2 Cups in each) and a few extra cups to make French Onion Soup tonight.  Yay! I will definitely be making this again in the future. Happy Cooking!

The Best Time is Now

Holistic.

When you read that word, what comes to mind? Perhaps crunchy, granola, out-dated, hippie, or backwards are immediately what you think. I know when I first started looking into "Holistic Living" those were some of my thoughts.  But in my search I have found that the idea of holism is treating our bodies as a whole. We aren't only intellectual, spiritual, or physical beings, but a combination of those things.  It is important to not focus on developing one area alone, but to find our personal balance, and it is different for everyone! Why do you think there are sooo many self-help books out there? Because even though we all function in basically the same way, we are all individuals who have our own quirks, tendencies, and histories that shape who we are.  

A little bit about me.  I am a 26-year-old wife and mother.  My husband and I went to high school together, but didn't date until about 5 years later! We have now been married four years and have two beautiful sons. I've always struggled with weight. With obesity running on both sides of my family I was a bit doomed from the start, but it is not a life sentence! Before getting pregnant with my first son I was in pretty good shape. Don't get me wrong, I'll never be Miss Stringbean, but I was at a decent weight and felt very confident in my skin.  Then during pregnancy everything was going fine...until it wasn't. I delivered at 30 weeks-talk about scary! I didn't realize at the time just how terribly ill I was and am still discovering the effects 3 years later. Our bodies are amazing things.  Sooo many things can go wrong, but given the proper tools it can heal itself from many things. What we fuel our bodies with (food and exercise) makes a world of difference. 

Along with health, I feel like developing our talents is very important for our personal wellbeing.  Keeping our minds actively engaged is just as important as what we eat or how we exercise the rest of our body.  The mind is a muscle too and needs to be exercised daily.  Reading, playing, and learning new skills are great ways to do this! Moving forward, I hope by sharing the things I am trying you will inspired to try new things, too. 

As I begin my journey to improve my health and develop existing and new talents, I am reminded of a message by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). He said:

"An old proverb says, 'The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.  The second-best time is now.' There is something wonderful and hopeful about the word now. There is something empowering about the fact that if we choose to decide now, we can move forward at this very moment. Now is the best time to start becoming the person we eventually want to be." 

I absolutely agree! Should I have been working on this for a while now? Yes.  Should I already be engaging in healthy habits? Definitely! Does this mean all is lost? NO! I don't know everything, and most likely never will, but that's what's great about being human.  We can change, progress, and develop! I chose "Sprouting the SEED" because of a scripture passage I love that compares faith to a seed. In describing what a "good seed" will do, the words also spell SEED! (Makes it easier to remember, right?!)

A "good seed" will: Swell, Enlighten, Enlarge, and be Delicious!

What this means to me: As I put new, healthy, and good practices to the test, the desire I have will grow, I will discover new truths, and they will become something I LOVE, not just something I think would be great sometime down the road. While I am not necessarily "crunchy" or "granola", I do believe that by going back to the basics and becoming more balanced I can only improve my wellbeing, and thus my family's wellbeing. Carpe Diem-Seize the Day! Let's put it to the test, together.