Almost every Wednesday during the school year, my kids and I are gone from 7:30am to 5:15pm. It is our music co-op day. My kids are busy with band, orchestra, choir, color guard, jazz band, and private lessons for various instruments. A couple of my kids also go to another co-op partway through the day […]
Quick-Prep Crockpot Nachos Recipe for Busy Weeknights Read More »
There is a lot to love about canned green beans. While they may not have the most glamorous and nutritious reputation, they are an easy…
I was talking to some friends the other day and one of them was very surprised that it was the more or less in the 1950s when processed foods began taking over America. She said that it felt like the 50s were so wholesome. Wasn’t everyone making homemade dinners back then? The 1950s definitely were
“Just Add Water” Instant Pot Meals | Real Food While Traveling Read More »
Chili season is here! If you don’t have a favorite go-to chili recipe, let me fix for you that right now. There are all kinds of ways to do chili. When I was growing up, one of my mom’s friend’s famous chili recipes even included Coke – you know, like the soda. In chili. Don’t
As much as I’d like to be, I’m not a planner by nature. Do you struggle with planning too? But I learned very early on in parenting that without a meal plan, it’s nearly impossible to get nourishing food on the table every day. Now that my kids are a bit older (my oldest is
Sheet Pan Chicken Piccata Recipe with Spaghetti Squash and Beans Read More »
I love an easy, fresh, fun, real food meal. Pinto bean tostadas are simple, delicious, comforting, and oh-so-very flexible, depending on what you have in your kitchen, what foods you love, and how far you’ve gone into your real food journey. It’s my very favorite kind of meal. Real Food Bean Tostadas Tostadas are very
Pinto Beans Tostadas Recipe | Budget Friendly Dinner Read More »
One thing we’ve tried really hard to do as a family is making plant-based, plant-forward recipes that we all love. A recent discovery is this easy Instant Pot vegetable soup recipe. Not only is it loaded with vegetables, but it’s super flavorful and family-friendly. My kids have been learning about Plant Points from Katie’s teachings
Let’s talk about the greatest dinner ever: Burrito bowls. Why are burrito bowls the best? For these reasons: Family-friendly (who doesn’t love tacos? Serial killers. That’s who.) Budget-friendly (beans and rice!) Allergy-friendly (GF? No problem. DF? Use guacamole or this easy cashew cream sauce – game changer) Flexible (eat it plain, make it into tacos,
Okay, let’s talk about food prep for healthy meals. When my fellow Pinterest junkies and I think of weekly meal prepping, we think of cute, glass rectangular containers with snap-on lids and neat rows of fitness-friendly clean eating food, like rice, diced sweet potatoes, perfectly sliced chicken breast, and steamed vegetables. While this is a
Weekly Food Prep Tips: 5 Easy Healthy Meal Foods I Prep Every Week Read More »
Let’s make an easy, comforting, healthy dinner that is about as budget-friendly as you can get! In Fall and Winter, we crave soup. It’s one of my favorite meals to make for several reasons: Instant Pot Beans I love my Instant Pot – between the quick cook time and keep warm setting, it’s a game-changer
What is the best long term storage food? Storing protein in case of emergency is an important part of your preparedness plan. We’ll cover meat storage, how to store meat in the freezer, and best beans for long-term storage. Plus, we’ll touch on storing oils and fats. Many of the preparedness food storage solutions for
Storing Protein, Meats, Beans, Nuts & Oils Long Term Read More »
We’re living through a unique time in history, when a virus spreading worldwide has us cooking at home more than many people have done in years, a significant number of us are dealing with job loss or other reductions of income, grocery shopping is a potentially life-threatening expedition, and some foods are out of stock!
Smoky Lentil-Potato Bake and 30+ Frugal Meals to Feed Your Whole Family Read More »
Back when my husband and I went from being “Double Income No Kids” DINKs to suddenly single income, one kid, practically in-the-red, desperate young people, I used to stretch our meat to save on the budget. As we transitioned into eating more sustainably grown, traditional foods, the price of meat doubled because organic, grass-fed beef
How to Stretch Your Meat and Keep That Protein Source Going Read More »
Breakfast or dessert? That’s one of my favorite questions for baked goods, and one that isn’t asked nearly enough in the popular culture. Healthy Breakfast Treats for School Party Coffee cake, cinnamon rolls, and mass-produced muffins are automatically delegated to breakfast, when in fact they surely deserve to be dessert based on their sugar percentage.
My husband will tell you he’s not a picky eater, but don’t believe a word of it. Even now that I’ve convinced him real food is good for us, there are foods he won’t touch. He doesn’t like cucumbers, Brussels sprouts, beets, sweet potatoes or any other mushy orange vegetable, and quinoa. Until now. Apparently
Vegetarian Taco Quinoa Chili Recipe (for Instant Pot too!) Read More »
On those days when I just didn’t plan…or I planned dinner but pulled a Mommy-brain moment or everything just went wrong and the meal was derailed…I might not have properly soaked dry beans around. What’s better in that moment – compromise and spend more money on canned beans, give up and get fast food, or pressure
How to Pressure Cook Dry Beans/Legumes (with OR without soaking!) Read More »
Wanna lean how to use an Instant Pot? Can you boil water in the Instant Pot? This Instant Pot basics will guide you through IP uses, address safety concerns, and put your IP to use making delicious real foods with 10 basic Instant Pot techniques. Plus I’ll toss in a few more tips and tricks
Instant Pot Basics: How to Use Your Instant Pot + 10 Techniques Read More »
It’s funny how tastes change. As a kid, I despised legumes of all kinds and never ate yogurt, ever. Now two of my top three recommended good habits include cooking dry beans and making homemade yogurt, and I eat a plain yogurt with fruit (no sweetener) every single day for lunch. Add honey and it’s
Kid-friendly, Freezer-friendly Three Bean Soup Recipe Read More »
Beans, beans, they’re good for your… Budget. Oh, I bet you thought I was going to say “heart” like in that infamous childhood song. Well, I thought about it, but I am far too mature for it now. Especially while writing a post about about adult topics like budgets, vegetables, and being smart with your time.
I’m not a bandwagon kind of girl. Just because everyone loves freezer cooking doesn’t mean it’s for me – the one time I did the “once a month cooking” thing with a friend, we spent about 3 days planning and shopping, 8+ hours cooking, and had 12 meals out of it. I remember being very,
