Frustrations with the Dishwasher

I know, I know.....I am trying very hard to be more eco-friendly, and a dishwasher doesn't usually fall into that category.  But I have to admit, I LOVE having one! With two kids, a husband and myslef all being grazers.....we have dishes constantly piling up. I love being able to load it up all day, run it when I go to bed, and unload in the morning.  No more dealing with stuck on stuff, or gross globs in the sink.  But I do HATE almost every dishwashing detergent I've come across.  First of all, it costs too much.  I cringe a little every time I have to buy it. Secondly, (and this may be the fault of the dishwasher and not the detergent, but I like to direct my anger all in one place) it never rinses away clean from its little compartment and we're left with dried detergent on our dishes and goop or powder all, and I mean ALL, over the inside of the door.   Thirdly, my son's favorite thing to do is climb up onto the door while I am loading or unloading.  Tonight he did that, and there was detergent left over as usual. The bleach in the detergent was so strong it bleached his pants all over!  Not what I want my 10 month old climbing in (and believe me, its easier to find a safe substitute for detergent than to try to get him to stop climbing)  So, I have decided to use my favorite resources, Google and Pinterest, to figure out a way to make it at home.  Most of the recipes I've found so far are pretty similar, using stuff I already have.  The only thing I would have to buy is citric acid.  I am kind of excited to try this, but since its one in the morning...its not looking like its gonna happen now.

On a more positive note.  I've been shopping around, and by shopping around, I mean trolling craiglist and slowing down for every garage sale I see, for a tandem bike trailer.  We have one, but since I got it, its been missing a coupler to attach it to a bike, so it never got used.  Then it sat in the basement, and my slightly dysfunctional cat peed on it.  So i cleaned it and left it outside to air out, and in the meantime every cat in the neiborhood decided they also wanted to take a turn in it! Needless to say, I was in the market for a new one, or at least not this one! No luck with the shopping around, so I bit the bullet and got out the borax and dawn detergent, made a very hot soapy bucket and got to scrubbing.  Then I hosed it down and it was looking, and smelling pretty good.  I was about to try to attach it to my bike, and then I remembered, "Oh yeah, missing coupler, can't do that!" So I ordered it online for $13.90 after shipping.  Better than the $100-$200 it would have cost for a new one, and I felt pretty darn good about myself after seeing and smelling the transformation of my old one.  In my enthusiasm, I bought my son a helmet so both of my kids can ride as soon as the part comes in the mail!

Keep posted for dishwasher detergent recipes and Photos of the Bike Trailer!

That was the BEST. PIZZA. EVER.

I feel a little spoiled right now....my husband is upstairs, putting one kid to bed and the other in the tub while I sit and sip my chai and play on the computer, but hey, I'll take it! So as you may gather from the title, I kind of enjoyed dinner tonight (as I say this I'm contemplating seeing if its as good cold as it was straight out of the oven). 

I realized this morning we were out of bread, so I loaded up the breadmaker for a big loaf.  I noticed there was a small cup full of fresh thyme and winter savory on the counter left over from the night before so I threw that in too.  I really like fresh herbs in my bread.

As my husband was leaving to go play football, he looked at the breadmaker and said "Can you make pizza dough too? I want pizza!" Sounded good to me.  Since the bread machine was already occupied, I made the dough by hand.  I made enough for two pizzas since he's a little pickier than the rest of us. 

The Dough

2 cups white bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast(I use it for everything)

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 - 2 cups water (play around, it depends on your flour and the humidity)

You can also make this dough in the bread machine, if its free.....

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl (I use a large wooden salad bowl because its nice and wide and gives me lots of room to knead).  Mix it until it forms a nice ball, it should be stick but not messy.  Add a bit of flour or water until you get it where you want it.  Knead for 5-10 minutes until its smooth and elastic. Take the dough out of the bowl, and put a small amount of olive in the bowl(just enough to lightly coat the bread) Throw the dough back in, rolling it in the oil to coat.  Put a piece of plastic wrap lightly over the dough, and then a towel.  Find a warm spot for the dough to rise.  I put mine on top of the water heater and run a load on hot in the washer.  It seems to work pretty well and is a good incentive to do a load of laundry.  If you don't have a nice warm place to let your dough rise, a heating pad works well. You can do it in the oven if you're really in a rish, but put it as low as it will go and maybe keep the door cracked.  Anything abouve 140 can kill the yeast.  Yeast will rise, even without the warm area, it just rises much quicker with it. 

While the dough is rising you can prep all your toppings.  It took me a long time because I had alot of produce in my fridge that I wanted to use up and I was feeling all gourmet-ish.

MY TOPPINGS

1 medium to large eggplant

2 red bell peppers

2 zucchini

1 yellow onion

half a tomato (it was left over from breakfast and already cut so i just decided to use it)

1 portabello mushroom

a few handfuls fresh baby spinach

goat cheese

feta cheese

marinara sauce (recipe below too)

MARINARA SAUCE RECIPE

I got this from Giada de Laurentiis on an episode of Rachael Ray. I love both of them because their recipes are so simple i can always just remember them after watching the show. Giada kept making fun of her husband because, being from Michigan,  he'd never had a proper marinara sauce (or as she calls it "mah-ri-nah-rah").  I couldn't believe how easy it was to turn canned tomatoes into something that tasted so good with none of that "I was just dumped from the can" taste.  This recipe makes more that you will need for the pizza, but believe me, you'll want extra! And if youre gonna make it, you might as well make a bunch....it freezes well too.

2 large cans of tomatoes, diced, crushed, stewed -whatever you've got on hand

1-2 large carrots just broken in half (or I used about 8 baby carrots...just what i had around.)

1 stalk of celery broken in half

1 large yellow or white onion peeled and whole

1 clove of garlic (I didn't have fresh so I used a scoop of the minced garlic that was close to the size of one clove)

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

small pinch of sugar

Put all the ingredients but the salt and pepper in a large soup pot and just let it simmer.  I let mine go all the way until my crusts were done cooking, right up until i spread it on.  It was over an hour.  When your marinara is done, scoop out the bay leaves, onion, carrot, celery and garlic (if you used a whole clove).  You can toss them in the compost or use them in soup later. I kept the carrots and celery and just cut it into bits for my 10 month old. He loved it.  Add a bit of salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste.  Then add a small pinch of sugar, really small, you can always add more. Smush the tomatoes a little with a spoon or a potato masher.  If you like smooth marinara you can blend it. 

Now to prep the toppings (your marinara is simmering, your dough is rising)

I peeled and sliced the eggplant, and sprinkled a bit of salt over it to draw out the bitterness.  Then i fried it in a bit of olive oil till it was browned on each side.  Don't crowd the pan, you want it to get a nice crust.   When its done lay it on a plate with a paper towel, you want the oil to come off.

Do the same with the zucchini, except leave the peel on and your mushrooms. Thinly slice and carmelize your onion.

Cut your red bell peppers in half and take the seeds out. Lay them on a sheet of foil and put under the broiler (move the rack down to about the middle of the oven so they have a chance to get roasted and not just black).  

If the peppers are looking black around the edges, but you want them to roast a bit more, turn the broiler off, and turn the oven to 425.  Let them just get nice and sweet and mushy. When the peppers are done, slice them into strips after you've let them cool a bit.

Rip or chop the baby spinach into smaller pieces.

Here are your toppings, all laid out and ready for quick assembly. (I use the same pan over and over to cut down on washing, and just kept emptying it onto a plate.

After the dough has doubled in size, divide it in two and roll out both halves on a floured surface.  Keep its as thick or thin as you like (but remember it will puff back up so i reccomend between 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick) lay each crust on a baking sheet and cover with a towel to rise a bit while you preheat the oven to 425. No need to find a warm spot, i just lay it on the counter, or the stove.  After it has risen for about 10 minutes, use your fingers to poke in all over the dough like foccaccia bread.

Bake till it starts to get golden brown and crispy, keep an eye on it, all ovens are so different. I bake one crust at a time, they just seem to bake more evenly that way.  While the second one is baking, I do all the toppings on the crust that's already done.

Spread the marinara on the crust, leaving just a bit of room at the egde.  Then layer your toppings, and then cheese.  Sprinkle with cracked black pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, then back in the oven for a few minutes util the spinach is wilted and the pizza is warm. 

Like I said above, we made 2 pizzas.  Here's how it broke down.

Pizza #1

Marinara

Eggplant

Zucchini

Portabello

Roasted Peppers

Carmelized Onions

Spinach

Goat Cheese

Pizza #2

Marinara

Zucchini

Fresh tomato

Roasted Pepper

Carmelized Onion

Spinach

Feta Cheese

I usually like my own food, but am also pretty critical of it. I bit into this fresh out of the oven, and literally said "Oh my God. This is the best pizza I have ever had!"  The crust was, well....crusty! The toppings melted into it, and somehow the marinara had a smokiness that just made it feel so hearty.  And yes, it is pretty good cold too! This is a great vegitarian meal, very filling and satisfying.  We had it just with a spinach salad on the side. You could easily make it vegan by omitting the cheese, or doing vegan cheese crumbles. But cheese is one of my favorite things in the world, and  I really thought the goat cheese MADE this pizza.

This was such a fun thing to make with my daughter too, she's 3 and a half, and LOVES to "help" in the kitchen.  I let her knead the dough.  She put all the toppings on the pizzas, and she kept peeking to make sure nothing was burning (through the oven window of course).  And, as always, she was my official taste tester.  Which would more truthfully be called my "eat half the food before its served" volunteer.  But hey, I'm not gonna complain.  She was eating raw zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes and handfuls of spinach. I didn't really care if she spoiled her dinner on that!

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it was just alot of simple steps. It's a great way to enlist the help of family and share some time teaching about food and healthy eating.  And except for the cheeses everything was made totally from scratch, which makes me feel really good.  No high fructose corn syrup. No preservatives.  And when you you put effort, thought, and love into your food.....boy does it show!

Back to the Breadmaker

So like I said...it all began with the breadmaker. I would love to say that it was immediately life changing, easy and satisfying....but as I soon found out, there is a certain learning curve to using a breadmaker.  Upon opening the box I was greeted by a big, bright, shiny, new breadmaker.  So new, it even smelled new! That was the first problem....if you buy a breadmaker NEW...expect your whole house to smell like burning or melting plastic for several hours the first few times you make bread. You've got to keep doing it though, and that smell will go away and then you can enjoy that heavenly scent of fresh baked bread.  My first breads were far from stellar, some were even bad. I had some that were hard and dense, some were so fluffy you couldn't cut them without the whole loaf being crushed, too much yeast, not enough, to dry....you name it.  But I kept at it, I am fiercely stubborn, and rarely do i let an appliance get the best of me.  Over a period of a month or so the bread got better and I became more confident.  I discovered a few tricks that will help anyone outsmart this crafty little machine.

1. THROW THE RECIPE BOOK THAT COMES WITH THE BREADMAKER AWAY!  Hear me? Seriously. This thing is garbage.  Especially what order to put the ingredients in. Use Google to find recipes, you'll get great ones along with all the comments that let you know what people really think and suggestions for improvements. Also make sure if you do this, specify BREAD MACHINE RECIPES, at least until you get good at knowing how the dough will react.

2.  Ingredients go: Dry then wet! I usally do Flour, yeast, sugar, salt, any herbs or spices or grains you want to add, then oil, water.  If you do liquids first the flour can float and you'll be left with a horrid half mixed mess.

3.  Hover over the dough.  I am a helicopter parent when it comes to my dough. No joke.  Once you put your ingredients in, don't close the lid until you are sure that it is ready.  Be ready with a little more flour or water if the dough is too sticky or dry.  Use a rubber spatula to make sure all the flour in the corners and on the side gets incorporated.  If the dough won't form a ball it is too dry: add water 1 teaspoon at a time.  If its making a sloppy slapping sound, its too wet, add a teaspoon of flour.  I usually add a little water, then a little flour, then a little water and so on until its right. Don't be afraid to grab the dough ball out and feel it! It should be sticky and a bit tacky but not messy. It shouldn't leave remnants on your hands.  This whole process usually only takes a few minutes and saves you from disappoinment in the end.  (I hear you thinking: "Why not just measure correctly in the first place? Then you wouldn't have to go through all this...." Changes in humidity, type of flour, how long the bag has settled....many things can affect the dough. You gotta be able to adjust it)

4.  Yeast....I prefer bread machine yeast.  But I also use rapid rise yeast. I havent ventured into fresh yeast yet but I hear its great!  Just make sure its a new packet(or very recently opened) or use the jar so it can be sealed.  Yeast needs to be kept in the fridge, the freezer is too cold and can damage it. Use the correct amount for your recipe. Don't think if 1 teaspoon is good, 2 is better-NO NO NO!

5.  Salt.  Salt inhibits the growth of yeast.  Sounds counterproductive, but its actually important. It keeps the yeast from rising too fast or too much for the dough.  As with yeast, use what the recipe calls for. 

6. Water temperature.  The water should be between 80 and 95 degrees.  Over 140 and the yeast will die, under 85 and it will be very sluggish, if it even becomes active.  No need to use a thermometer unless you want to. Its not as hot as a hot tub, but very warm. 


If your ball has properly formed, and the lid is closed all you have to do now is wait! It won't hurt the dough at all to lift the lid and peek. I can never help myself. 

You can also use the machine to prepare dough that you may want to form yourself.  This setting is great for calzones, pizza dough, cinnamon rolls, pita bread, rolls, and all sorts of things other than one big loaf. 

After the initial learning curve, I have to say I am so happy with my breadmaker.  I use it very often and love that it allows me to control the ingerdients in my bread.  I also use alot of fresh herbs, like thyme, winter savory and rosemary from the garden in it.  Plus, there is no bread in the world that tastes better than a fresh steaming just baked loaf!  

A Day of Discoveries!

As I did my routine walk around the garden this morning to see what was growing, what was blooming and what was on its way out, I noticed some very distressed robins.  I quickly realized I must be walking too close to a nest, becuase they were quite agitated and refusing to leave the area.  I did a quick searh and found it right at eye level nestled in some climbing plants on an arched trellis. Inside were two perfect blue eggs.

And then I got the heck outta there, they were not happy. My daughter Noorah had been watching me, and was curious about my quick exit. I explained to her that the mama robin was mad at me because I was too close to her eggs, she was there to protect them. Just I am there to protect Noorah and her baby brother Zayd. I explained that if the mama gets to scared, she will leave and the eggs won't hatch or the babies will die.  I promised her we would go look really quickly, and that would be the only look she would get, becuase after that we had to leave them alone.  She was amazed by the shrieking robins, and she loved the beautiful eggs.  And then the mama got REALLY mad, i looked up just in time to see her coming straight at us, we ducked as fast as we could and she barely missed us. We ducked so fast that Noorah and I clunked heads, and we ran quickly into the house.

I reminded her that was the only visit to see the eggs, we couldn't go again.  So we decided to build our own nest, and fill it with "eggs" that we could go check on every day!  She used a Chobani yogurt cup, and glued ribbon to it, then she filled it with even more ribbon.  Then she went outside and found several rocks that were egg shaped. I was so proud of all her hard work on the nest!

  Then we found the perfect spot to put our nest! In our dining room is a tin wall hanging of a tree with several birds flying in it! Our eggs now have a bunch of guardians! And we can check them everyday without a fear of leaving baby birds as orphans, or having our eyes pecked out....its a win/win.

Later we went for a walk and found two dead squirrels, one very fresh and another in an advanced state of decay.  Noorah looked at them both and compared, saying "This one looks like he got hit by a car, but not this one.  He's not flat".  She went on speculating about the squirrels as we walked along, and warned the others that she saw to stay out of the road. I don't think they took her seriously.  Zayd was just excited to watch the cars. 

For dinner, we decided to try something new.  We made pasta from scratch, using just eggs and flour. Noorah loved rolling it out, and we found out that her toy rolling pin worked better than my big one.  Then we made a spinach and ricotta filling. We made lots of big raviolis, using a fork to smoosh the edges.  We made a creamy garlic sauce using thyme and winter savory that Noorah picked from the garden(her favorite chose is picking herbs!) It was so much fun watching her help and learn. Honestly theres no difference nutritionally between fresh homemade pasta and store bought.  Nor are there any preservatives in storebought and its definitely not expensive to buy pasta.  But I think its important for kids to know how food is made, and what goes into it.  Personally, I know I don't take it for granted when I know what went into creating or growing it.  So many children (and adults) these days are so detatched from their food.  They put no thought into it, and thats why they can just inhale thousands of calories without a single bat of an eye.  When food is too easy, people dont care.  When it takes work, time, thought and energy to grow a garden or create a meal, we think twice before we just sloppily toss food around.  Food is precious, it is a gift to nourish our bodies and keep us healthy. If it can't do that, then what is the point?  Okay, I'm done preaching now! And I forgot to take a picture of the ravioli! I guess that just means I'll have to make it again (no complaints from this girl...it was yummy)

Make Chai at Home, Save Money and Calories!

I love chai: Tazo, Oregon, Morning Glory, you name it! I love the feeling of sitting with my hands wrapped around a big warm mug and inhaling the spicy sweet scent. Nothing is more relaxing to me than slowly sipping a chai. So, needless to say, trying to enjoy a chai from the Starbucks drive-thru while I manuever through traffic is pretty pointless. Not to mention how guilty I always feel, knowing that I just paid more for a 20 oz chai than i would pay for 2 gallons of the milk in that chai! So I started making it at home.....and by making it at home I mean that I bought the concentrate from the store and poured it in a cup with milk and microwaved it. Or if I was feeling really fancy, I used my espresso machine to steam it and get the nice foam on top. I felt good about it. A box of chai concentrate cost me less than a single chai from a coffee shop and would make several cups. And the best part was I could sit at home, catch up on an episode of Greys Anatomy and really enjoy that cup!

But you know me, I can't leave well enough alone. Again, I thought there had to be an even better way. I was lurking around Pinterest as I so often do and I came across a recipe for homemade chai concentrate. Well DUH! SO I googled it, i compared recipes, got a general idea of the process and ingredients. I also looked at the ingredients listed on the side of the box in my favorite brand and decided I could do it. Or at least I could give it a shot.

The first time I made it, it turned out pretty tasty, not the best ever but a close second, and i really enjoyed the way it made my whole house smell as I was making it. Definitely worth another go. The problem is when I make things I rarely measure, i just kinda eyeball it and taste it as I go along.........kinda makes it hard to tweak a recipe. Also my mom asked for the recipe. So the next batch I made, I tried to measure as I was putting stuff in. This batch turned out way better, I was not as shy with the spices, and it definitely stood up to my Starbucks.

CHAI CONCNETRATE

This recipe makes about 4 large mason jars, give or take.

Fill a large soup pot with water, put it on the stove to boil. As you are waiting for it to boil, gather your ingredients. You will need:

5 TBSP Black tea, I use Ahmad Tea, orange Pekoe is good....any loose leaf tea is good. Im sure you could use tea bags as well......but am not sure about the number

2 cinnamon sticks

A few slices of fresh ginger, you can also use powdered(about 1/4-1/2 TBSP depending on how much you like ginger)

1/4 TBSP Anise seed, or 4 star anise pods (or half and half of both)

1/4 TBSP Fennel seed

1/4 TBSP Black Cardamon Seeds, or 10-15 green cardamon pods, broken open

1/4 TBSP whole cloves

15 black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

Orange Zest

Honey to taste and 3 TBSP vanilla extract (to be added at the end, after its strained)

For all of the ingredients you can adjust the amount to your own taste, or you can omit it completely, this is just a guide to get you started.

Once the water is boiling add all the ingredients except the honey and vanilla. Let it remain at a rolling boil for 5-10 minutes.

Turn the heat off, cover and leave it to steep for 30 minutes to an hour(I prefer an hour, i like it stronger)

Put a strainer in a large mixing bowl and line the strainer with a piece of cheesecloth. Pour or ladle the tea into the strainer. Be careful it is still very hot and your cheesecloth will want to slip. Do it slowly. Some people use a cotton, muslin or mesh bag to put their ingredients in, so they can skip this step. I don't have one, so I do this.

Take the strainer away and add the vanilla and then the honey (or sugar or agave nectar-whatever you like to use as a sweetener). Go slow with the honey. I add maybe 10 TBSP and taste it. You may need much more, but make sure as you are doing it you are stirring well to incorporate the honey at the bottom. Also it will taste sweeter when you add milk, so if youre not sure - try a little bit with milk. Its better to make it less sweet and have to add a bit everytime you make it, than to have it too sweet and hard to drink.

When you have it how you like it, ladle it into containers. I use 4 large mason jars. Its very easy to use a jar spout or funnel to do it. The glass doesn't stain from the tea, or soak up taste and odor. I use them for everything, and if you want to give some as a gift, it looks really nice with just some twine and a cinnamon stick tied around the neck.

I let them cool on the counter and then keep them in the fridge. When I want a nice relaxing chai, i just go to the fridge, fill a mug with equal parts milk and chai and just sit! A batch of 4 mason jars costs less than $2.50 (if you buy your spices from bulk...you get ripped off in the baking aisle. Try your local health food store or co-op for great prices on bulk items) Oh yeah....and you save the calories by limiting how much sugar is added in it. Forgot to mention that.

This recipe is one that I make weekly. I am never out of it! When I see my last jar half full I know it is time to make another batch. Like I said above, it also makes a great gift if you have a chai lovin' friend. Just remind them to refrigerate it.

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do, and would love to hear any suggestions you have or other ingredients you might use!

Homemade Laundry Detergent That Really Works!

All these years, I've been doing it all wrong! Laundry, that is.  I've been throwing away tons of money on detergents, just because I didn't realize that there was any other option.  I found this recipe on my latest obsession....errrr inspiration.....PINTEREST! I kept seeing homemade laundry detergents, but couldnt bring myself to grate several bars of soap, then cook them on the stove.....alot of work, especially if it didn't work! Then I found the NO GRATE, NO COOK method.  A gallon of store bought detergent was costing me between $10 and $15, it couldn't hurt to try.....

This recipe calls for three ingredients: Borax ($5.50), Arm and Hammer Washing Soda, not baking soda....this is soda ash, and is great for cleaning but can't be used in cooking ($3.50) and Dawn dish detergent, I chose green apple blossom ($3.50). 

Here goes nothing!

Find a gallon jug, I used an old orange juice one that was in the recycle bin. Just don't use a milk one, they tend to hold onto their stinky old milk smell.  I created a funnel out of a rolled up piece of paper to put the powders in, you could do it without but i have bad aim....
                       3 TBSP Borax
                       3 TBSP Washing Soda
                       2 TBSP Dawn

Add 4 cups boiling water, and swirl it around a bit until it dissolves. Let it cool down, then fill it the rest of the way with cool water. The suds will come out the top, thats ok, just keep filling until its almost full. 

THAT'S IT!!!! I figured even if it didn't work I could still use the ingredients for other things, so nothing wasted. 

I used 1/2 cup for a medium-large load.  It didn't suds at all, and was so clear and thin that I felt like I hadn't put anything in the washer. I had to really hold back from adding some Tide. But I wanted to really test the stuff, and i told myslef "If it doesnt work, just wash the load again with Tide". To my surprise, though, it worked FANTASTIC! The only difference I noticed was less of a "perfume" smell.  To me that's a good thing.  If you like a smelll, you could always add a scented dryer sheet in the dryer, or maybe even try lavender oil in the detergent(let me know how it works if you do that!).

So then came the REAL TEST! Could it stand up to my 10 month old son's CLOTH DIAPERS? I used 1/4 cup for a small-medium load of diapers.  I have a mix of BumGenius, Rumparoos, and FuzziBunz.  We have a pretty lame washing mashine, and when I say lame I mean it just kinda slacks along and does a half a$$ed job.  If my washer was a person, you'd fire it because you found it sleeping in the cubicle.  Anywaaaaaays.....I usually have to wash my diapers three times, and add an extra rinse cycle, kinda defeats the whole environmental angle of doing cloth. With my new homemade detergent, I found the diapers CLEANER AFTER JUST ONE CYCLE, than after three with Tide! So, it's settled. I'm hooked. 

Detergent that costs less than $1 per gallon and works better than Tide.

I know, this has nothing to do with food. But it is my newest and easiest way to save moeny and simplify! I've realized that these days, we all have a multitude of cleaners under our sinks. A host of chemicals designed to do a specific job.  My theory on food applies to cleaning. Get the ingredients, make it yourself.  Know what's in it! (Not that I know all the ingredients in Dawn, but......)

I think we can all do with a little more self reliance!

The Beginning.....A Breadmaker

A few years back, it began with a breadmaker.  I was on a mission to save money, simplify our life, and cut back on processed foods.  I decided that bread was a great place to start since it needed very few ingredients(all of which were cheap) and we consumed alot of bread as a family.  Most store bought bread has high fructose corn syrup and a number of other unnecessary add-ins, and its relatively expensive compared to the cost of it's componenets. Being a very busy small business owner, I decided that if I really wanted to be serious about not buying bread from the store, I would need an easy solution. The breadmaker.  This initial investment of about $50 has paid for itself many times over since we bought it. I now make everything from our regular loaf of sandwich bread, to cinnamon rolls, to pita bread dough in it. 

Little did I know that this one small change of eliminating store bought bread would lead to so many more. Over the years our pantry and refridgerator have gone from being full of ready made and processed foods to simple ingredients and fresh produce.  Our family has doubled in size, while our grocery  bill has shrunk even though we are now buying far healthier, fresher and just plain BETTER food.

Making all these changes at once would have been hard, inconvenient and very unlikely to stick.  My method was to implement one thing, like bread. When that one change became routine, and all the kinks were worked out, i moved onto another challenge, until that one became routine and so on.  Some changes are incredible, save us so much money, are far healthier, and are just as convenient as going to the store.  Some aren't as easy, but for the money we save or the quality we get, are worth the trouble.  And some things....well.....I'm glad I tried, but they definitely don't make the cut. 

Now, I'm on a mission.  Going back to simple ingerdients.  As few and as natural as possible.  Teaching my children that food doesnt have to be expensive, but it should be wholesome.  Starting from scratch.  Back to basics.  Flour, yeast, sugar, salt and water.  And maybe a breadmaker.