Try this simple overnight steel cut oats recipe for a healthy, delicious breakfast! Use this easy-to-prepare method, and finish with your favorite sweet or savory toppings. I helped my kids learn to love oatmeal, like these Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets, early on. But I’m always looking for variations on a theme, and oatmeal is the perfect launching pad for breakfast creativity. Now, our rotation of ... Continue Reading
Eating Real Food on a Budget
Learning to save on food isn’t hard, but it does take work! Use this extensive list of 20 tips to learn how to save money on groceries, so you can feed your family healthy food on a budget. Years ago, my husband asked if we could cut out the boxes of processed food we relied on for the bulk of our meals. For a minute I’m sure I looked like a deer caught in headlights. What would we eat?! We didn’t have ... Continue Reading
How to Make Powdered Sugar
Make your own confectioners sugar with only 2 ingredients! Learn how to make powdered sugar yourself using a blender or coffee grinder. Use for baking or sprinkle on your favorite treats! I love it when I’m able to do something myself and save tons of time and money. Like cutting a whole pineapple? That’s $5 saved. Or making my own oat flour - that’s 30 minutes AND $3 at least because I’m not driving ... Continue Reading
Healthier Sugar Cookie Recipe
This sugar cookie recipe makes soft and chewy cut out cookies that keep their shape. Perfect for your traditional cookie decorating day, these healthier sugar cookies with a simple icing are just sweet enough, and pair with other holiday favorites like Candy Cane Cookies and Snickerdoodles. Decorating sugar Christmas cookies wasn’t a tradition in my family growing up. We made Chocolate Chip Cookies for ... Continue Reading
Easy Baking Hacks for the Home Baker
Don’t have an ingredient you need to finish your recipe? No worries! With these easy baking tips, you can get the ingredients you need in minutes! Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you’re baking and you run out of one ingredient? Enter panic mode. I’ve been there too. But, over the years, I’ve picked up on a few of the best easy baking hacks that have saved me from a trip to the grocery store ... Continue Reading
How to Use Your Instant Pot as a Slow Cooker
Can you slow cook with Instant Pot? Yes! Learn how to use the Instant Pot as slow cooker, plus 8 tips to convert your favorite crockpot recipes to cook in the Instant Pot. The slow cooker was invented in 1940, and there are TONS of really great slow cooker recipes out there. However, the Instant Pot has given the traditional slow cooker a run for its money, thanks to the fact that it cooks many meals ... Continue Reading
Healthy Winter Recipes for December
Here's your Healthy Winter Recipes for December! Feed your family real food on a budget AND eat seasonal produce with this complete four-week meal plan. Enjoy meals for the holidays, and healthier holiday treats! It’s holiday time, and while we are busy decorating and planning for our holiday festivities, I’ve also got my mind on what to feed the family this December! Quick & easy meals that are ... Continue Reading
Homemade Vanilla Extract
Make homemade vanilla extract without added sugar or preservatives. You only need 2 ingredients and a bit of patience for a delicious baking staple to put in the pantry or give as a gift! I’ve always been a huge fan of vanilla, using it in Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, White Bean Blondies, and Homemade Vanilla Bean Coffee Creamer. And it’s not just for cakes or cookies, I even use vanilla extract in ... Continue Reading
The Top Ingredients to Avoid in Food
What are food additives, and how do you know which ingredients to avoid in food? Work your way through this list of the top 10 ingredients to avoid, with real food alternatives. I love lists. I love making them, I love looking at them and I love working with them. I ESPECIALLY love crossing things off of them. Confession: I've totally added something to my to-do list AFTER I had already done it, ... Continue Reading
Best Flour For Cookies
What's the best flour for cookies? From wheat flour to cake flour, there are so many different options to choose from. So, let's dive in so you can sink your teeth into the most delicious cookies ever! There's not much I wouldn't do for a freshly baked cookie right out of the oven. Those crisp, golden brown edges with chewy, gooey insides that melt in your mouth with each bite are pure bliss. Now that I've ... Continue Reading