Suzie Homemaker in Training

Power Balls

2013-08-11T19:04:00.001-07:00

I have recently been trying hard to get healthier and loose some weight. The thought of engagement photos, trying on wedding dresses, and general attention in my direction is something new and frightening for me. I hate photos of myself, luckily we have a great photographer who is helping me be less tragic in front of the camera.

Anyways...on to why you are here. I have started doing the BodyrockTV workouts and following their blog. I am sharing one recipe I found that both my fiancé and I love. Power Balls by Zuzana. You can find the original post here.

They are all natural no chemicals or processed foods packed full of nutrients.

Ingredients:

1 cup of oats

2 cups of almond meal (I buy almonds and put them through the food processor or grinder)
3 teaspoons of baking powder
4 tablespoons of raw honey
4 tablespoons of coconut oil melted
1 cup cooked carrots
Crushed almonds (or any other nut you like)

Preheat the oven to 350
Put the oats through the food processor to make oat flower (or close to it). Add the almond meal and baking powder and mix. Add the honey and mix again. Add the oil and mix. Add the cooked carrots and mix. Roll the mixed batter into balls roll in the crushed almonds until they are covered completely and place on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Makes about 25, two bite balls.

I use the food processor for the entire recipe but it would work just fine with a stand or hand mixer.

I found the recipe did not double well the consistency was more sticky and I wasn't able to roll them. We used these for a snack or a quick breakfast on the go. I just kept them in a bag in the fridge once they cooled off.

Thanks BodyrockTV, the photos are also borrowed from their site.

Sorry the formatting is all wonky, I originally did this post on my phone and it didn't translate well.

Three ingredient Mac & Cheese!

2012-11-04T22:20:00.003-08:00

I Love Mac & Cheese!!

If you are ever in Nanaimo you need to stop by the Modern Cafe for their Mod Mac & Cheese, it is to die for! However this is a quick and easy way to make delicious Mac & Cheese at home.

What you need:

2 1/2 cups of milk

2 cups of dry pasta

1 cup of hard cheese such as parm or cheddar

What you do:

Add the milk and pasta to a pot and bring to a simmer. NOT a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Once the pasta is cooked add the cheese and turn off the burner. Stir in the cheese until it is melted and the sauce is thickening up. And there you have it, creamy delicious Mac & Cheese.

For extra cheesy version you can sprinkle cheese on top and pop in the oven for 10 minutes on Broil. Watch it closely as all ovens vary in temp. Another delicious option is melt a little butter and mix it with some bread crumbs. Spread on top of the Mac & Cheese and pop in the oven until the top is browned.

Now this is a plain Jane version but a simple dish like this it gives you creative freedom to develop new personalised flavours. In the picture above we added shredded chicken, bacon, and peas for a more well rounded meal. Now Mac & Cheese is not a healthy dish so lets not pretend, make something delicious and comforting that makes you happy inside.

Other tasty ideas that I am looking forward to trying are:

Chives

Shrimp and or Crab meat

Mushrooms

Onions and Peppers

Cottage cheese

Broccoli

Dollar Store Display

2012-09-30T21:01:00.003-07:00

I had a "free" weekend, meaning no tests to study for or assignments to finish, just a ton of reading. I find myself craving the creative when I am busy with school and work.

My grandparents 50th wedding anniversary is coming up this weekend and so I thought the grand kids could make a nice lunch for them. I bought all the stuff I need to make cake pops for dessert (as they are my newest obsession) and that got me thinking that I want to have something nice to display them on.

My other inspiration for this project, obviously pinterest because I am obsessed, is the new show Sugar Stars, have you seen it, OMG this is what I want to do that for a living. I would be so content making sweets and candy all day! But their displays, they are amazing! I am not into the kitchy things like the make up cases and dragon eggs but the colours, the symmetry, the creativity, I cant get enough.

Well back to the topic at hand. These cake plates are just a dollar store plate and candle stick painted with enamel paint and baked in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. I also made just some candle sticks in both black and yellow. The yellow I am using for actual candle sticks but the black ones I am gluing glass jars, also from the dollar store, on top to be either candle holders, candy holders, or if I find the right lid apothecary jars. I spent $15 and I ended up with 4 candy jars, two cake plates and two candle sticks. The paint I found at Micheals on sale for $1.49 each. Tip for shopping at Micheals, they have great coupons, you can get the iPhone app and you can use the coupons together. I had both a 40% of one item and a 20% off your entire purchase and they accepted both on the same purchase.

I had a better time with the black than the yellow, I think I will try to put another layer on the yellow and then bake them again just to try and get a nice even layer. I will also be trying to source out another vessel for the cake holder because the details of the plate is lost on the black one. As well I would like to find some different sized candle holders to get a better looking display.

Don't mind Hooty, he just wanted to be in the picture.

*Update*

I thought I should make a cake to adorn my new cake plate. This is a lemon cake with a lemon glaze.

Blackberries are finally here!

2012-08-24T21:48:00.001-07:00

I love blackberries one because they are delicious and two because they are free!

This season I decided to keep some of that deliciousness for the rest of the year.

For all of $2.00 for the pectin and $4.68 for the containers I made enough freezer jam for the entire year and them some.

I used the freezer jam pectin because it calls for ALOT less sugar, only 1 1/2 cups rather than the 5 cups in a normal recipe. Also there was no cooking involved. You just mix and put in containers then let it set up for 30 minutes.

We picked about 4x as much as needed for the one batch of jam so needless to say we had enough over to make a little Friday night treat blackberry mojitos!

Maybe this weekend we will make a pie too, or a crumble!

Cookies!!

2012-08-18T21:46:00.001-07:00

This one is short, sweet and delicious. Chocolate chip cookies, everyone loves them. Here is the recipe I have been making for over 10 years and before that my mom would make them for us.

http://m.pillsbury.com/recipes/soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/7fd0ee7b-fb8a-46c4-8bc5-ca58a0d6057d

The only change I make is that I use less chocolate chips, the dough is sweet enough already that it doesn't need that much chocolate. I think the most I have used is about a cup and a half but usually I just eyeball it. These cookies stay soft and chewy so if you like crisp cookies these aren't for you.

I use a one ounce scoop and it comes out to be about 4 and a half dozen cookies so make sure you have someone to help you eat them all

Something old to something tasty

2012-08-18T20:55:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you but we never seem to be able to finish our spinach before it starts getting wilted. Colour me picky but I don't like making salads with wilted spinach.

I also hate throwing out food or being wasteful in general and we had an extra large amount of spinach this week. So I went online and looked up what to do with wilted spinach. My favorite result was spinach pesto.

So here are the general guidelines for a pesto. You can create something suited more to your taste or to accommodate the ingredients in your cupboard.

1 1/2 cups spinach
1/2 cup of your favorite herbs good ones to use are basil or parsley
1/2 of nuts walnuts, almonds, pine nuts or anything in that family works
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese or feta would work
4 cloves of garlic
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil

Put everything except the oil in the blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the olive oil and blend until mixed evenly.

Pesto is great for pasta sauces, sandwiches or even pizzas and flatbreads. This recipe makes about two cups of pesto. Keep it in the fridge in a sealed container.

Pad Thai like the pros...kinda

2012-08-18T18:42:00.001-07:00

Ok so I love Pad Thai, it has everything you need for a balanced meal and it tastes great!

You have noodles, veggies and whatever protein suits your fancy. We tried to rotate a good Pad Thai in our routine every couple weeks but found the sauce and noodle combo was expensive so we waited until everything went on sale.

Not anymore! Due to my new pinning ways I have found the secret to the Pad Thai sauce that tastes just as good as those greasy packages you get in the store but without all the grease and at a fraction of the cost! We also have gotten a cheaper brand of noodles that taste just as good and the bigger name and they go twice as far. Half of a package will feed us both for dinner and lunch plus one more portion left over so 5 healthy portions overall.

Pad Thai Sauce:

2 Tablespoons of Brown Sugar (I used agave syrup because we are trying to stay away from processed sugar as much as possible)

2 Tablespoons of Lime Juice

3 Tablespoons of Soya Sauce

½ Teaspoon of Sriracha **OPTIONAL** (I put in a tablespoon because we like it spicy)

And you are done! Make this first before you start prepping your veggies and protein so it has time to break down the sugar.

Our Pad Thai consists of:

2 Eggs - cook your eggs first and then set aside until the end

1 Red Pepper

½ Zucchini

1 Carrots

5 Mushrooms

½ Onion

2 Green Onions - cook the whites of the onion with the rest of the veggies and throw the greens in when you add your noodles.

2 Chicken breasts

½ Package of Noodles, soak the raw noodles in hot tap water for 20 mins and then throw in once the veggies and protein are cooked.

The easiest bread you will ever make!!

2012-07-31T22:06:00.001-07:00

Seriously the easiest! Four ingredients and a little time and you are done.

This loaf is a cranberry and lemon, but you can make any kind you want. I also tried it with whole wheat flower and it turned out great.

Here is the original recipe:

3 cups unbleached flour

1 3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

In a large bowl mix the flour, salt and yeast together. Mix in the water. Done! It won't look pretty but don't worry it will be pretty.

Cover with plastic wrap and leave on the counter for 12 - 18 hours.

After you have let it sit preheat your oven to 450. Once heated put your baking apparatus in the oven for 30 mins. I say baking apparatus because the recipe calls for a Dutch oven (<-- in the picture) but not everyone has one. You can use a pot and lid or anything you want as long as it has a cover. Dutch ovens are not cheap I have learned so don't worry if you don't have one, luckily I found one at a garage sale because we saw them in the store for $350 Yikes!

While it is preheating place the dough on a well floured surface and form into a ball. Cover if there is still some time for your pan to heat up.

Once you pan is hot carefully take it out of the oven and just as carefully drop your dough into the hot pan. You may want to use more flour on your hands cause the dough will be sticky.

Bake covered for 30 mins then remove the cover and bake for another 15 mins. Remove the bread from the pan onto a cooling rack and let cool before serving.

Here is the site I got the recipe from it has all the flavor variations you can think of

http://simplysogood.blogspot.ca/2010/03/crusty-bread.html?m=1

** Update**

These pictures are from a cinnamon raisin loaf I recently made:

This first picture is the dough right after mixing all the ingredients. You can see it is quite scraggly looking, this is good.

This picture is after the 12 hours of resting time. You can see the the size has doubled. I have to note that this is the smallest I have seen of all the loaves I have made, I think this is due to the raisins they rehydrated and absorbed the liquid that usually is taken on by the dough.

My newest obsession

2012-05-26T20:10:00.001-07:00

I asked for this book for Christmas and when I got it I was super disappointed that all of the recipes were for ice cream machines. I put the book away for months because I was mad I couldn't use it.

Luckily I also received a gift card for Home Outfitters and after 5 months it hit me, buy a ice cream maker. So I used my GC and bought a Cuisinart ice cream maker.

The difference in the quality is amazing and knowing everything that is in it feels good too.

I bought $6 worth of ingredients and the rest was just stuff I had around the house and it made 3 quarts of ice cream. A big savings in my book.

The book is jenis splendid ice creams at home by by Jeni Britton Bauer and the Cuisinart ice cream maker was obviously from Home Outfitters and was $69.99.

Grow your own green onions with just water

2012-05-24T22:31:00.001-07:00

I had to try it for myself. I kept seeing these posted on pinterest and wondered if there was much truth to it. I used the ends of 6 green onions that were going in the trash regardless and cut them about two inches from the root. This picture is a weeks worth of growth.

I'm never buying green onions again!

**Update**

This updated photo is 24 hours of growth, we have been doing this for a while now and it still amazes me. It is about half an inch in just 24 hours!

Plastic or foil?

2012-03-04T16:58:00.004-08:00

Whenever I open the drawer to wrap something I always reach for the plastic wrap because this is what my family has always used, but every time I have to throw away a piece of plastic wrap I get an awful feeling of wastefulness.

I have done a little research about when you should use one or the other and what the environmental effects of each foil and wrap have on the environment.

Foil

What it's best for: If you're refrigerating something smelly, foil creates a stronger barrier to keep odors in. Just be sure to seal as tightly as possible. Foil is also ideal if you'll be reheating the food in a conventional oven, since it can withstand heat. It’s also good to wrap a snug layer of foil around plastic-wrapped foods you plan to freeze like meat because it keeps out oxygen, which causes freezer burn.

Plastic

What it's best for: Keeping acidic foods such as fruit or avocados from browning, and keeping other foods like sandwiches and cut produce fresh. And when you're using a dry marinade or spice rub, you can speed up the rate of absorption by snugly wrapping the meat between two sheets of plastic wrap.

Environmental impacts:

I am going to leave the results to the professionals on this one. In a study done by The Green Lantern it was found that:

“Aluminum foil was the loser in nearly all the metrics Compass assesses, including fossil fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, human health impacts, aquatic toxicity and potential for eutrophication (a kind of water pollution, caused by excessive nutrients, that can lead to fish-killing algal blooms).

However, there are ways that foil can narrow those gaps.

Reusing it is one straightforward option. According to Compass, if you use one piece of foil three times, it will contribute less aquatic toxicity than using three pieces of LDPE, and it just about matches the plastic on fossil-fuel usage and eutrophication. You'd have to use that foil six times, however, before the greenhouse gas emissions and human health impacts were also comparable.

Foil made with recycled aluminum can reduce the impacts associated with manufacturing. Aluminum, unlike plastic or paper, can be recycled forever. According to one industry estimate, household foil already includes 25 to 40 percent pre-consumer recycled material -- i.e., factory scraps and trimmings -- with the rest coming from freshly mined, virgin metal. The Lantern knows of two companies, Reynolds and If You Care, that make foil with what's billed as "100 percent recycled content." In Reynolds's case, that content is a fluctuating mix of pre-consumer and post-consumer material (i.e., metal that's already had a life as a can or a pot). If You Care foil contains only pre-consumer material.”

Refrences:

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/food/wrapping-food-foil-vs-plastic-10000001713191/index.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/12/AR2010041203231.html

Lunches to go

2012-02-27T21:13:00.001-08:00

Often we like to make quiche for lunch because it will feed us for a few days. Normally we make our quiche with no crust just to be healthier but because of the longer hours I am working we find there are longer waits in between meals and the carbs help the meal go a bit farther.

These two quiches from start to finish cost about $8 to make and will feed both of us for at least four lunches which is $1 for each lunch.

In our quiche we have:

Zucchini
Red pepper
Spinach
Ham
Mozza cheese
Salt & Pepper
And the obvious egg

What I like most about this is it is quick and we can make it on a Sunday night and then have lunches for the rest of the week. Otherwise I end up being too tired to make a lunch at night and I never have enough time in the morning. This means I end up spending unnecessary money on lunch.

Friday nights at our house...

2012-02-24T20:15:00.001-08:00

I may be showing my age here but most of the time Chad and I like to spend Friday nights at home. We make a homemade pizza get a bottle of wine (or two) and maybe fire up the wii.

This is a Hungarian salami and shrimp pizza with caramelized onions and peppers.

It cost us less that $10 to make this pizza and about 30 minutes start to finish. Plus homemade pizza is twice as filling as delivery so we usually have lunch for the next day too.

I highly recommend switching from delivery to homemade. The quality is worth the extra effort.

**UPDATE**

I have started making my pizza dough a bit healthier as that seems to be our trend, but we still like to have some indulgences on the weekend. I found this recipe on Pinterest (where else) but I am sorry, I didn’t pin it and can’t remember which of the 100 different posts it was from. This is beyond easy, anyone can make this.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup Greek yogurt

You just mix them all up and I usually let it sit for 10 minutes before I roll it out. If it is too sticky and doesn’t form a ball add more flour. It makes one pizza with about 8 slices give or take a couple, or two personal size.

We like it a bit crispy so we throw it in the oven for 5 minutes before we put the toppings on. Then throw whatever you like on and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350. Last night we did grilled veggies, it was a perfect light summer meal.

When looking for Greek yogurt I have found that the lower the fat content the more thin and crispy your crust will be and the higher the fat content the crust tends to rise more and be softer.

Be creative, you don't have to use just the regular old pizza sauce you can use whatever you like, antipasto, pesto or create your own concoction. This way you get what you want and dont have to worry if the server remembered your order.

Enjoy!

Cheesy cake

2012-02-23T18:10:00.000-08:00

So this cheesecake was one I made for Chad's birthday because he is a Toblerone lover. It actually turned out really well and not as sweet as I thought.

Here is the link to the recipe

As far as cheesecake goes this is a really easy one to make and you don’t need a lot of ingredients. One thing I did notice is that it didn’t come out quite as tall as the picture makes it look, but I think that helps with cutting down the sweetness. You could easily change out the cheesecake recipe for one that you have in your repertoire and just use the toppings.

Overall it was a crowd pleaser and it was put my back pocket for an easy go to dessert that I can make the day before if I need to.

Can you tell me how to get...

2012-02-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

Today my friend Katlyn came over and we made Sesame Street cupcakes.
We used the #233 Wilton tip for the fur, marshmallows for the eyes and cookies for the mouths.

The cake mixes were still $2.98 and the icing sugar, butter and vanilla were just in the cupboard so I can't really say how much they were. Plus Katlyn brought the goodies for decorating.

I find that the food colouring ruins the consistency of the icing because you need so much to get the right colour. The gel you can get at Michaels is better for keeping the consistency but is more expensive.

But I did learn that if you make the icing the day before the colour becomes more saturated and will look red rather than the pink you see here.

2012-02-16T21:05:00.000-08:00

It was a pretty good mail day today...

Overall I think there is $39.40 worth of savings just in one day.

If you are thinking of becoming a couponer too here are a few websites that have helped me out:

http://www.savealoonie.com/

https://www.websaver.ca/en_ca/

https://www.brandsaver.ca/en_ca/

Another new site I have been trying is Superpoints, you do small tasks or watch videos to earn points. Each point you earn equals 1 penny. Once you have enough points you can redeem for PayPal cash, Amazon gift cards and more.

It is an invite only site but if you like you can use this link to sign up...

http://superpoints.com/refer/karlielalonde

2012-02-15T23:29:00.000-08:00

More on Valentines day...

My BF has been picking up all the slack that I have been leaving behind with my work and school schedule so I thought I would make him an awesome V-Day dinner.

I don't know what this cost me but it was so worth it. We sat in our PJ's drank wine and champagne and ate the awesome meal.

One thing I will say is making your own pasta from scratch is a little bit time consuming but you feel good for doing it and it costs pennies.

I also made chocolate souffle from the Kraft website, but I forgot to take pictures of it. It was so tasty I will be making it again for sure, so next time.

2012-02-15T23:14:00.000-08:00

The boys I work with are always requesting treats and baking so I thought I would pull out all the stops for Valentines Day.

These are cake balls or cake pops, the powder on top is ground cinnamon hearts and red swirl is just candy melts from Michaels.

Cost breakdown:

Cake Mix $2.98 from Walmart
Icing $2.99 Save on Foods
Chocolate melts bulk foods $0.53/lb Save on Foods
Cinnamon hearts $0.43/lb from Save on Foods
Red candy melts $3.49 less 40% off coupon Michaels

This made about 36 cake pops for an approximate cost of $0.25 each. I have to say everyone who tasted them thought they were store bought.

2012-02-15T22:52:00.000-08:00

So a little about me and what you'll be seeing on this blog.

Ok, I'll be honest I created this blog because I wanted to make some extra money. But at the same time, I do get asked for my recipes and tips on different things.

I am an accountant by day and a student by night but when I have some spare time I enjoy baking, cooking and recently I have gotten into couponing. I'm no extreme couponer but I am learning more and more about how to my couponing experience.

These are the two loves of my life, my boyfriend Chad and my puppy Rypien. They are a handful, but I wouldn't have it any other way :)

I hope I can help other Suzie Homemakers in training, and we can share tips and recipes too.

I will try to break down my projects by cost so you can see how easy it is to be thrifty and still have it look like you spent a bundle of time and money on it.