One of my favorite breakfast foods is pancakes. Since going gluten free, I’ve had pancakes less often than usual. For awhile, we were buying Pamela’s Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix but it got to be too expensive. I just couldn’t justify adding that into our food budget. I had to come up with some recipes that would be gluten free using items we normally had on hand. I have an awesome gluten free pancake recipe that has been tested and endorsed by those who are not even gluten free!

Gluten Free Pancake Recipe

(serves at least 2 people)

-2 cups ground oats (you can use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats for gluten free oats)
-2 cups plain yogurt or full fat milk
-2 eggs
-2 Tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil
-1/2 teaspoon of salt
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1 Tablespoon of sugar

1.  Mix the ground oats and yogurt or milk.

2. Add the eggs, butter, salt, baking soda, and sugar.  I make sure to let this mixture sit for about 20 minutes so the baking soda will make the pancakes fluffier.

3. Add butter to your cast iron skillet or griddle and cook the pancakes over medium heat.  You don’t want to have the heat too high- these pancakes take a little longer to cook than regular pancakes and are a little thicker.  I check the bottoms of mine to see when they are ready to flip.

4. Enjoy!

Notes: If you have Celiac Disease or are serving someone that has it, please use gluten free oats.  Oats are naturally gluten free but generally have gluten cross contamination during processing.  I grind my oats in the coffee grinder.

A few months ago we purchased a Groupon for a service that works similar to a community supported agriculture program (CSA).  I was excited because for $15 we would receive a box worth $35 that contained mostly local and organic produce.  The first time it arrived, we were excited to get into it and see what we got.  Right off the bat we noticed that the organic strawberries were all moldy and inedible.  I told Mr. Money to email them a picture explaining what we got and see what they would do about it.  They said they would credit our account $5 toward our next purchase.  As you probably guessed, I hadn’t planned on purchasing another box due to the cost and the fact that they sent us rotten strawberries.

We decided we would give it another try, and in two weeks we were charged $30 for the box (they took the $5 credit off).  The box was much better this time, with no rotten produce.  However, I decided that for the price we could do much better if we purchased the items in the store.  One of the things Mr. Money liked (that I coincidentally didn’t) was that when you get the unique ingredients you’ve got to figure out what to make with them.  Me? If it’s not something I normally eat, I’m not as likely to get creative and dive in.  Bad, I know.

Of course, the next week we forgot to cancel it and received a $35 box of produce.  Fine.  I made sure that before the next time we received a delivery that I canceled our standing order.  The deliveries are made on Thursdays.

On Friday I came home and realized there was a box on the front porch.  I was livid. First of all, I had canceled the service.  Secondly, now I have spent $35 on a box of produce that may or may not be good because it’s sat outside in 100 degree heat.  I took the box inside and luckily everything looks fine.  That didn’t stop me from sending them a nice email telling them that we had canceled and still received a box.

Here’s what we received in our box for $35.

-14-16 oz of yellow crookneck squash
-1 cantaloupe melon
-1 lb. of strawberries
-6 oz of local blackberries
-24 oz of red potatoes
-1 broccoli
-3 yellow peaches
-1 cucumber
-1 green bell pepper
-1 bulbing fennel
-1 lb of roma tomatoes

I don’t think that’s a good value for $35.  I guess I would feel differently if this was an actual CSA from a local farm.  I’d feel much better about supporting them. I don’t like that we’re purchasing this from a corporate company that I don’t know how fairly they are paying the farmers for their produce.  I’m also disappointed about the quality of some of the produce we’ve received.

Do you think it’s a good value?

We have strawberries growing in our garden.  The delicious, juicy, organic berries taste more flavorful and amazing than any other strawberry I’ve tasted.  There’s something about going into our backyard and picking fresh strawberries and then eating them within seconds that is just wonderful.  Unfortunately, our strawberry raised bed is not very big, and it seems that every year we have many strawberry greens and leaves but not as many berries.  It is super sad, but not much I can do at the moment as we really don’t have any extra room to plant more strawberry plants.

I don’t know what got in to me, but the other night I started wondering if the strawberry leaves are edible.  A quick search indicated that they are not only edible, but highly nutritious!  Imagine that, greens being good for you.

I brought some of the leaves inside, boiled some water, and steeped the strawberry leaves in the water for about 15 minutes.  If you wanted a stronger tea, you could leave the mixture overnight in your refrigerator to maximize the benefits.  Yum!

Strawberry Leaf Tea benefits

Strawberry leaves are high in trace minerals, iron, and vitamin c.  They also contain high levels of calcium, making it a great source for those who are lactose intolerant or just avoid dairy.  If you’re allergic to strawberries, I would definitely avoid the strawberry leaf tea.

Make sure you use either completely dry leaves or very green leaves.  Anything in between can be toxic, and it’s not a good idea to risk your health.  I would make sure that you use organic strawberry leaves so you aren’t drinking a ton of pesticides and other chemicals.

It’s always neat to find out a new home remedy.  Who would have thought strawberry leaves would be good to make a tea out of?!

Would you try strawberry leaf tea?

A few months ago I started getting interested in probiotics.  Probiotics are good bacteria that are essential to your health.  Probiotics can help balance your gut flora, which in turn can help keep you healthy and even reduce allergies.  A lot of people turn to yogurt for probiotics, but I didn’t want to ingest so much dairy so I knew I had to find a good source of probiotics that didn’t involve dairy.  I looked into commercial probiotics (Bio-kult was the best commercial probiotic I could find) but they are more expensive than I thought I’d like to spend. I did some research and came across something called water kefir.

What is Water Kefir?

Water kefir is a probiotic drink that is made with water kefir grains. To get started, you do have to invest in good quality water kefir grains. I bought mine from the source above.  Water kefir is fermented for a few days, which allows the good bacteria to populate in the sugar water solution.  Water kefir allows you to introduce your gut to different strains of probiotics without consuming dairy.  Water kefir helps keep your gut flora healthy and will help even out any imbalances.  Much of our food today is pasteurized so it’s hard for the body to get the probiotics it needs through food.

How to Make Water Kefir

Water kefir is very easy to make.  You need the following supplies:

-1 Glass quart jar
-A few pint mason jars
-Water kefir grains
-A plastic strainer
-Organic sugar plus unsulphured molasses (or Sucanat)
-A hankie or breathable cotton cloth
-Spring or mineral water

The first step is to sterilize the jar you are using to make your water kefir. After this is done and the jar has cooled, you want to dissolve 1/3 cup of Sucanat or 1/3 cup of organic sugar plus 1 Tablespoon of unsulphured molasses in a pint of mineral or spring water. It’s very important to not use tap water, as the chlorine and flouride will damage your water kefir grains. When the sugar is dissolved into the water, add another pint of water to the solution. Pour your water kefir grains into your sterilized jar and cover them with the sugar solution.  It is very important to not pour the sugar solution onto your water kefir grains until the water is about room temperature.  If you pour hot water on your water kefir grains, you’ll kill them. Your jar should look like this:

You now want to cover it with a hankie or a breathable cotton cloth and store somewhere warm, so the water kefir grains can convert the sugar solution into the water kefir. The water kefir grains basically eat the sugar and turn it into kefir. Water kefir grains love minerals, so it’s important to use good quality water and sugar when making water kefir. I filter my water through my Berkey water filter , and use Sucanat (which is evaporated cane juice and contains the natural minerals not found in refined sugar).

After a few days, check your water kefir to see how it tastes. I pour a little into a glass and make sure not to contaminate the water kefir container. You’ll want it to not taste sweet because that means that the sugar has not all been converted yet. Sometimes you’ll find a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) that forms on the top of your water kefir. It will look like scum almost and you’ll want to make sure you don’t pour it in your jars. It’s not harmful, it’s just better left to help work on the next batch of water kefir.

If at any point you see mold or it smells funny, dump it out. It’s not worth getting sick over! When your water kefir tastes like all the sugar has been eaten by the water kefir grains, it’s time to bottle it for a second fermentation. I like to do a second fermentation so that I can add some flavors and get more carbonation. Sterilize the mason jars you’ll be using, and set them aside. When they are cool, you can pour 1/3 cup of organic juice in them and fill them 3/4 of the way up with the water kefir. Be careful not to let your water kefir grains go into the jars. This is where the plastic strainer comes in handy!

Another method is to use unsulphured dried fruit. Organic raisins, mango pieces, lemons, figs, or prunes are all good fruits to add to your water kefir. I just place a small piece of the dried fruit into the jars and then pour the water kefir in the jars. I’ve found that when you fill the jars 3/4 of the way full you have more fermentation than if you fill the jars. I like our water kefir bubbly and carbonated so it’s like drinking natural soda. If you don’t want the carbonation, you can fill your jars more.

Return the jars to a warm place and allow them to sit and ferment for another couple days. Be sure to check on them so they don’t get too carbonated. You don’t want your water kefir exploding! After about two-three days I remove my jars, test one of them, and then refrigerate them if they are to my liking. When the water kefir is in a warmer place, it tends to be ready faster.

After I bottle the water kefir for the second fermentation, I start another batch so I can have more kefir in a few more days! It’s an awesome cycle.

Learning how to make water kefir is very easy once you give it a shot. You’ll benefit from the probiotics, and it’s a wonderful natural soda alternative. Give it a try! It’s so much fun.

Have you heard of water kefir? Have you ever wondered how to make water kefir?

We like to buy our organic eggs from Costco.  They come in a two dozen pack and cost us less per egg than shopping at a store like Kroger.  The only downfalls about buying eggs from Costco is that they come in a plastic package and sometimes it seems as though two dozen eggs is just a little excessive.  I’ve had to come up with some creative ways to use up eggs every once in awhile, and I thought I’d share my tips with you!

-Scramble an egg in a bowl.  Before you wash your hair, spread the egg over your hair evenly.  It will help condition your hair and add shine.  Wash with your normal shampoo as normal.

-Make egg salad sandwiches.  Hard boil your eggs, chop them up into small pieces, and mix with mayonnaise, celery, onion, salt and pepper, and any other ingredients you’d like to add.  You can eat it like that or spread it on bread to make the egg salad sandwiches.

-Hard boil eggs and eat them as a snack.  Eggs contain omega 3 fatty acids that are good for your body, as well as protein.  I love hard boiled eggs with salt. Yum!

-Separate the egg yolks and whites and freeze them.   You can then thaw them and use them in baking recipes.  I haven’t tried to make them into scrambled eggs, but you may want to give it a shot.

-From local pastured eggs, you can separate the egg yolk and whites and mix the egg yolk into smoothies.  You can also stir egg yolks into soups and stews for a nutritional boost.

-Make omelets or frittatas for breakfast or even dinner.  When we are lazy, we like cooking breakfast for dinner.  It’s super easy and tastes great!

-Make deviled eggs.  Deviled eggs are awesome, and there are never any leftovers!

-Custards or even angel food cake are a great way to use up eggs.  Custard is going to use the yolks, and angel food cake will use the whites, so you may want to make them together!

-Scramble and cook eggs and feed them to your dogs.  They will love them!

How do you use up eggs? Do you ever have too many?

Mr. Money and I have very different views when it comes to grocery shopping.  He thinks it saves us more money on groceries when we stop by the grocery store every day and pick up the items we need to make dinner that night.  I think we save more money on groceries when we make a meal plan and go shopping once a week, or once every two weeks.  I know that I’m an impulse shopper and he sometimes is too, so I think it makes more sense if we limit our shopping trips.

Every Day Grocery Shopping

I will admit stopping at the grocery store every day can help save money on groceries.  Sometimes it feels like we buy produce and it goes bad before we eat it, so that’s money wasted.  If we went grocery shopping every day, that would not be an issue because we’d be buying the freshest ingredients for the meals that we want to make that day.  The down side?  The impulse shopping.  I’ve seen some of the receipts from when Mr. Money has stopped at the grocery store on his way home to pick up “a few items”.  Normally the receipts are $20 and include a Snickers bar or other candy bar.  While this doesn’t sound like too much, it totals $600 a month which is more than I want to spend on groceries.

Another nice thing about stopping at the store almost every day is that if you have a craving for a certain meal, you can pick up all the ingredients necessary to make that meal.

Grocery Shopping Once a Week

Meal planning is fabulous for me because it helps keep me organized.  It saves so much time because I can’t tell you how much time I spend during the day thinking about what I’m going to eat!  When I meal plan on Saturdays and go grocery shopping for the week, I spend less money and get everything necessary to make all the meals.  I also try to purchase ingredients that are multi purpose and can be used in different dishes.  Of course, if I need to pick up a few items during the week to supplement our menu, that’s not a big deal.  We generally have to pick up eggs during the week.

Like I said earlier, when we do the once a week or once every two week grocery shopping, sometimes we end up wasting food, which means we waste money.  I hate that.  A lot of the time I get a craving for something, and what I have planned for that night’s dinner just doesn’t sound good.  Sometimes we end up going out for dinner, which we all know costs more than going to the grocery store and cooking from scratch!

Overall, I think we save more money on groceries if we do the meal planning and just go shopping once a week.

How do you save money on groceries? Do you shop once a week, or are you one of the daily grocery shoppers like Mr. Money?

What are superfoods?  Superfoods are foods that pack a powerful nutritional punch.  They are great because you can obtain many vitamins and minerals straight from these foods that you may be otherwise lacking in your diet.  Some superfoods that come to mind are acai, goji berries, and cacao.  Unfortunately, these are also a little more pricey and can be hard to find.  Don’t worry though; you can find superfoods in every day foods!  Here are some of my favorite ‘normal’ superfoods:

1. Kale, collard greens, Swiss Chard.  Greens are packed with nutrients and vitamins B and C.  They also contain chlorophyll which helps cleanse your blood.  Greens are also high in vegetable protein and can help detoxify your body.  Learn how to cook greens or how to make a green smoothie to incorporate more greens in your diet.

2. Almonds.  Almonds are full of vitamin E, healthy fats, and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.  Soaking almonds for 6 hours and then dehydrating them is the best for digestion, as the soaking helps neutralize phytic acid.  Phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that prevents your body from absorbing the vitamins and minerals from the nuts.  When you soak the almonds properly, you eliminate much of the harmful phytic acid.

3. Broccoli.  Broccoli (and other cruciferous vegetables) is high in Indole-3-Carbinol, which is thought to promote liver detoxification and help prevent cancer.  Eating broccoli or Brussels sprouts with your dinner can be a good way to pump up the anti oxidants.

4. Tea.  Green tea is full of anti oxidants, and when prepared properly, tastes great.  It also helps you save money because tea is cheap and a nice alternative to drinking just water.  I add a little honey to my green tea and it tastes amazing!  Unfortunately, when you do add sugar or sweetener to tea it does cut down on its anti oxidant properties.

5. Sweet potatoes.  Sweet potatoes are full of fiber and vitamins A and C.  They make a great alternative to regular french fries when you cut them into french fry sized strips and bake in the oven until tender.

6. Honey.  Honey is great as one of the natural allergy remedies.  The thought is that when you use local honey, you are ingesting some of the pollen that the bees in your area have made into honey, so your body starts fighting the allergies naturally.  Honey is also very healing for your body.  It’s a much better alternative to sugar as it is not refined and the body processes it better than white sugar.

7. Apples.  Apples are one of the Dirty Dozen list, so it is important to purchase organic apples.  Apples are full of fiber, enzymes, and vitamins.  They are contain phytochemicals and antioxidants to help neutralize free radicals and toxins in your body.

Eating well can help you save money because generally when you eat better, you’re healthier.  You’ll also feel better and get sick less.  Don’t worry about spending tons of money on the normal superfoods; just eat more fruits and veggies and be sure to include some of these everyday superfoods in your diet.  You’ll be glad you did!

Do you buy superfoods?

About four months ago, I decided to go gluten free to see if it would help with my fertility problems.  I’ve learned quite a few things while being gluten free.  For one, it’s a lot more complicated than eating a the Standard American Diet (SAD).  Secondly, it can be a lot more expensive!  I’ve found quite a few ways to be gluten free on a budget, and I am hoping that my tips can help someone else who already is (or has been thinking about becoming) gluten free.  I am sure that the longer I’m gluten free, the easier it will become.  With that said, here are some tips for being gluten free on a budget.

1. Cook from scratch.  So many prepackaged foods contain weird things like gluten, soy, and corn.  I try to avoid all three of those things, and you’d be amazed at the weird things that corn is in (those little packets at the bottom of the meat package- those contain corn!).  Cooking from scratch will not only ensure that you aren’t eating any gluten, but it will also help save you money because prepackaged foods are expensive!

2. Don’t buy gluten free packaged items.  It seems like so many companies are now labeling their items as gluten free to be able to market themselves to Celiac people.  While I think it’s awesome that more and more companies are looking to cater to the gluten intolerant, I also think that they are trying to just make more money by throwing the label on the package.  Of course, sometimes you might just have to buy a package of gluten free cookies because you don’t have time to make your own.  Overall, it’s much better for you to avoid gluten free packaged foods.

3. Eat more raw veggies and drink more water.  Raw veggies can help keep you full and will help you feel better.  Water helps your body detoxify and keep things moving.  Don’t drink bottled water so you don’t have the extra added expense.  Buy a filter like the PUR Faucet Mount Filter to help keep your water yummy and cheap!

4. Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet (GAPS Diet) are gluten free.  Search for recipes that are suitable for that diet.

5. Meat and veggies are gluten free.  When in doubt, you can make a meal with some meat from the freezer and a can (or even frozen) veggies.

6. Eat more beans, rice, and lentils.  Beans, rice, and lentils are all cheap and good for you.  When buying rice in bulk though, keep in mind that brown rice does not keep as long as white rice.  Brown rice is better for your health, but if you’re buying rice at Costco, go for the white because it will last longer.  We get a 25 pound bag of Jasmine rice from Costco. Vegetarian chili is a great meal that’s easy to be gluten free.

Going gluten free can help many different ailments.  I know personally it’s helped me, so maybe it can help you!  My budget really hasn’t taken a huge hit, and for that I am thankful!

Do you have tips for being gluten free on a budget?

I’ve always wondered how to make apple cider vinegar, and this weekend I thought I’d give it a try.  I actually made pineapple vinegar instead of apple cider because I had pineapple scraps.  You can use fruit scraps to make fruit scrap vinegar, and apple cider vinegar is just another fruit scrap vinegar.

Apple Cider Vinegar Health Benefits

Apple cider vinegar has many health benefits, and is great for making salad dressings, using in a bath for detoxification, and even cleaning.  Apple cider vinegar has been often called a wonder drug, and contains vitamins and minerals essential to good health.  Losing weight, lowering blood pressure, and even healing headaches have been some of apple cider vinegar’s benefits.  Personally, I take it when I feel a cold coming on because I think it helps ward off the bad germs.

When you make your own apple cider vinegar, you control what goes in it, and you know you are getting the real deal.  When I purchase apple cider vinegar, I buy the Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar because it contains all the goodness of unpasteurized vinegar.  It’s unheated, unfiltered, and contains the “Mother”.

How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar

You can make apple cider vinegar, or any fruit scrap vinegar using this method.  All  you will need is some fruit scraps, sugar, and water.

1. Chop your fruit scraps up.  You don’t have to chop it into tiny pieces, so chunks of fruit are fine.  I made sure to wash the pineapple very well before I used it for my fruit scrap vinegar.  Use the core and skin of the pineapple or fruit you are using.  Apples and pineapple are the most popular fruit to make into vinegar.

2. Mix 1/4 cup of real sugar with 1 quart of warm, filtered water.  Allow the sugar to dissolve in the warm water.  You may need to stir to help the sugar to dissolve.

3.  Put the fruit scraps into a large clean jar.  Make sure you wash it well with hot water and soap.  You don’t want your vinegar getting bad bacteria in it.

4.  Add sugar water solution to the scraps and place a kitchen towel over the opening of the jar.  I secure mine by using a rubber band.

5.  Place jar in a warm area (around 70 degrees) for about two days to a week.  Check it every day and stir if you are able to.  When it smells like vinegar and has a darker color to it, remove the fruit scraps and use!

Please remember: when making fermented foods, if it smells bad, don’t eat it! If it has mold on the top, throw it out!

Apple cider vinegar and fruit scrap vinegar can be added to salad dressings, soups, and even green smoothies.  A tablespoon won’t even be detected by your family.  If you don’t like consuming the vinegar, you can actually use it for cleaning or even conditioning your hair with the no poo method.  Making apple cider vinegar is a great way to use up fruit scraps and provide your family with a great quality vinegar!

Have you made apple cider vinegar?  Do you like it?

This is the first time I am attempting meal planning.  I’ve never planned a menu before, and I think that is a large part of why I feel so unorganized at times.  Most of the time, when I come home from work I have no idea what I am going to eat for dinner.  Because it’s just me eating dinner 80% of the time, it’s easy for me to just grab a bowl of cereal or make a smoothie or something just as easy.  I’m lazy when it comes to cooking, partly because I hate cooking when I don’t have the ingredients, and I hate shopping for a million different things.

I’ve decided that my first week of meal planning I will keep simple and make dishes that don’t require many different ingredients.  The simpler the meal, the better.  I’m sticking to whole foods and gluten free foods as well.  Now, if I decide I want to have Wednesday’s meal on Tuesday, or Friday’s meal on Monday, that’s okay.  I’m not going to be that picky!  That will stress me out more, and I don’t want that.

Breakfasts will be over easy eggs, soaked oatmeal, or green smoothies.  All of those things are very simple to make.  Lunches will be leftovers from dinner, or a green salad with lots of veggies.  I’m trying to limit the amount of meat we are eating as well, to keep costs down and lower our carbon footprint.

Here’s my meal plan for the week:

Monday: Gluten free Spaghetti with grilled broccoli

Tuesday: Pot roast leftovers from Sunday dinner

Wednesday: Grilled portabellas with asparagus

Thursday: Eggplant caponata with quinoa

Friday: Rosemary lemon chicken with cauliflower rice

Saturday: Lentil casserole

Sunday: Chili

I think this is a step in the right direction.  With meal planning, I’ll be able to focus on making sure I’m getting good nutrition, saving money on groceries, and being more prepared to cook.  Also, it will be nice to have leftovers to pack for lunch so I don’t have to scramble in the morning to pack something to take.  I’ll even save money because I won’t have to buy lunches while I am at work!

Do you meal plan?