Wild Edibles Recipes

I got all these recipes from a wild edibles hike and class I took a while ago and needed to not lose these recipes again. I am taking a similar class this coming weekend, so hopefully I will learn some new interesting ideas for wild edibles to share with my readers.

Homemade Yogurt

Making your own yogurt can be a thrifty thing to do and seriously, there is nothing so fantastic as FRESHLY MADE yogurt! There is no other way to describe it other than fresh.

I used whole milk to make my yogurt, which will yield a thicker yogurt than other types of milk without having to use powdered milk as an addition. I have a yogurt maker, which is a bit like a slow cooker for yogurt but someday I plan to try a slow cooker yogurt recipe and see what I think of that.

You will need to buy some active cultures, or the easy way to get that is to buy a container of plain yogurt with active cultures in it to use as a starter. Be sure to read the label and make sure it has active cultures in it, and make sure you are not buying yogurt that is thickened with corn starch.

To start off you will need to heat your yogurt to 203 degrees (make sure you use a thermometer) where it will be boiling. Remove from heat at this temperature. Then allow it to cool completely to 95 degrees.

Next you will whisk in your container of plain yogurt with active cultures. After you make your first batch, be sure to save 1 container of your homemade yogurt because this will be your starter for your next batch and the active cultures in that will be added to your next batch and multiply in your homemade yogurt. If you plan things right, you can continue to make yogurt using your own starter continuously and not have to buy any other yogurt.

Finally pour your liquidy mixture in to your yogurt maker. Mine has seven separate jars, which I really like. Be sure to follow the instructions on your machine. Mine has a simple on-off button and stays a constant temperature. I just need to make sure I leave the jars cooking in the yogurt maker for the length of time indicated by what my choice of milk was. Whole milk will cook faster as well, so I only need to cook it for 6 hours instead of 8 hours with skim milk.

Eat plain or add your favorite topping and Enjoy!

Fun Kids Cars Fruit Snack

How fun are these little Cars Fruit Snacks?!?!?!?!

My kids thought these were so fun. As I brought them these snacks in another room I was making an engine noise and then made a tire screech sound right before I got to them. They thought I was hilarious (or maybe I just thought I was hilarious).

Anyways, this is super simple healthy kid fun food. I have also seen them made with orange slices and blueberries.

Homemade Christmas Gifts

This holiday season our family has received so many awesome homemade gifts from friends and family and I wanted to share with you the hard work others have done. Maybe these ideas will help give you some ideas of your own for gifts that you want to make in the future.

This is my son with his Stegasaurus backpack and hat that my parents gave him.

This is my wooden door mat that my parents made for me.

This is my daughter with the quiver my parents made for her. Her arrows are all at home and weren't available for this picture, but she is anxious to use this with them when she goes to Archery practice.

Some yummy ice cream toppings that my parents made (well, probably just my mom.)

This is some homemade lavender-mint fabric softener that a friend made. I have already been using it so the cute tied on label is gone, plus 1/4 of the fabric softener is gone.

My MIL made me this present, which will go to the cabin with us. It is a table runner (folded in half in this picture), a button on towel, napkins, and potholders.

My parents made this wooden slide-in sofa side table for my husband. He actually has one they made him a couple years ago but we use it so often (usually the kids have confiscated it) that he really wanted to have a second one.

My MIL made this beautiful dress for my daughter and a matching one for her American Girl doll. 

My daughter made me this bracelet.

My son made these bird feeders for his grandparents.

What is missing from these pictures of homemade gifts we received are:

* Winter Survival Kit (we have already taken this apart to use, it had in it Kleenex, Airborne, Ricola cough drops, lip balm, hot cocoa, and tea) - from my parents

* Homemade Candies - caramels and peanut clusters made and given by a friend in book club

* Homemade Playdough with a cookie cutter- for my son from his preschool teacher

* Handpainted Snowman Jar filled with a tealight and candies made by my son while at preschool

* Elf/SantaCandy Jars filled with Hersey kisses and a little felt hat on top and black belt for the kids from my parents

* Hand painted picture of our cabin from one of my friends (this is still in process, I was just given a picture of the work in progress so I haven't actually received it)

Plus, I wouldn't want to forget about the gifts of time a couple of friends have given me. One friend treated me to a pedicure at a local spa and another friend took to to a dinner at a winery with thieving from the barrel. 

Gosh, I hope I didn't forget any homemade gifts. They are all wonderful and I really appreciate the time people have spent making those gifts and thinking of us. 

We also received lots of other wonderful gifts that we are extremely thankful to have received and feel very blessed to be gifted with. We are very fortunate.

Fancy Bacon Pizza Bites Recipe and Review of Chef Proven Grater

Fancy Bacon Pizza Bites makes 30-36 bites
1 tube of refrigerator crescent roll dough

1/4 C pizza sauce
1 oz real bacon pieces
2 oz hard cheese, shredded
1 T fresh herbs, chopped

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Spread out the crescent roll dough on a cutting board so that it makes one large piece and press together seams
• Cut in to bite size pieces
• Press your thumb in the center to make a small well
• Place a small spoonful of pizza sauce in the well
• Top with bacon and herbs
• Shred cheese with the Chef Proven Zester and Cheese Grater
• Top with bites with shredded cheese
• Bake for 10 minutes until dough is golden brown

My Thoughts

I never knew what I was missing by not owning a professional grater such as this Chef Proven Zester and Cheese Grater. This is one really sharp grater and makes grating hard cheeses a breeze. I was really impressed with how well it works. I also used it to zest the rind of a clementine to use in make glycerin soap. It zested easily and did not clog up. My kids really want to buy a coconut now so that we can try to grate one of those. I have never had freshly grated coconut, which I think would be awesome to try!


Product Description from Chef Proven

Our Professional Zester Grater is the easiest way to add instant flavor and uniqueness to all of your dishes.

Take your dishes from good to great!

- Grate a rich Parmesan or Reggiano over your favorite pasta or salad
- Zest fruit including lemons, limes, oranges and coconuts
- Grate chocolate to sprinkle over delectable desserts or ice cream - Grate ginger or garlic for stir fries, stews and more
- Zest lime or orange over the top of your favor beer or cocktail
-Toss your old spices and grate fresh cinnamon and nutmeg for today's meals


Here are just some of the reasons why Chef Proven's Professional Zester Grater is the best on the market:
- High grade stainless steel durable blade never needs sharpening
- Soft comfortable non-slip grip
- Unique ergonomic design for maximum control and easy use
- Bonus cover sleeve for worry-free storage

Buy the Chef Proven Grater and Zester on Amazon!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

GIVEAWAY and Review: Simply 7 Quinoa Snacks

I had the opportunity to review the new Simply 7 Quinoa Chips with my family. I served them at both of my son's birthday parties with each side of the family (my family lives out of state, so that celebration occurs at a different time). It was a fun to compare the chips and rank them with my family. Overall, we liked all the chips but different people liked different flavors more than the other even though we liked them all.

When the box first arrived my kids asked me if they could try them and they polished off a 3.5 oz. bag of the Cheddar flavor between the two of them as an after school snack. The Cheddar flavor was  a favorite for the kids and myself. It came in second favorite for much of my family.

The flavor that many of my family liked best was the Barbeque. I am not a huge BBQ fan and thought they had a smokey flavor to them. My extended family (parents, siblings, in-laws) all had different taste buds than me and really enjoyed those.

We pretty much all agreed that the Sea Salt would taste awesome with our family's Garlicky Cream Cheese Dip recipe or maybe some Chipped Beef Cream Cheese Dip. The ridges on these chips are perfect for holding dip.

The top two pictured chips are the Sea Salt and the Sour Cream and Onion. The bottom two pictures chips are the Cheddar and Barbeque.


What you need to know about Simply 7 is that they have 7 core standards and principles that keep their chips made with simple natural ingredients. Those 7 core standards are:

No Trans Fat or Cholesterol
No Artificial Colors or Flavors
No Additives or Preservatives
Products are Gluten-Free
All Natural Recipes Used
Simple Ingredients Used
Simply Delicious

Find out more information about Simply 7 Snacks online:

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ENTER TO WIN A CASE OF SIMPLY 7 QUINOA CHIPS 

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I was sent the above box of chips to review for this blog. No monetary compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions and photographs are my own. SGBG is not responsbile for giveaway product fulfillment.

Review: 100% Pure Organic Raw Yacon Syrup

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I have to admit that I had not heard of Yacon Syrup until I was asked to review the 100% Pure Yacon Syrup from Life and Food. I had read the description of it and the claims that it was an natural alternative to sugar that is also an antioxidant and has probiotics and prebiotics and helps boost metabolism. Well, that all sounds like win-win-win-win to me! So, I decided to go ahead and review it.

I wasn't exactly sure how to use it since I just learned about it but it says on the bottle that it is good stirred in to coffee and tea and served on pancakes. I really like my maple syrup for my pancakes, so I thought I would try it in coffee and tea.

I first tried 1/2 tsp in my coffee. I finally got myself to drinking coffee black and away from all the creamers and sweeteners, so I thought this would be a decent alternative if I wanted it sweeter. Honestly, at only a 1/2  tsp. I didn't notice it in my coffee at all. The serving size is actually 1 tsp, but I wanted to start out slowly. At 1 tsp. in my coffee I noticed just the hint of sweetness, but didn't taste any of the other flavors of the Yacon Syrup since the coffee flavors were so strong.

I tried some of the Yacon Syrup on my finger and thought the taste was very similar to molasses, but not as strong as of a flavor and much more sweet. I would be interested in trying this as a subsitute for molasses in cookies since I prefer a lighter flavor.

Next time I decided to try it in my green tea. If you drink green tea, you know the tea would have a much lighter color than this. This picture (below) was taken after I already stirred in 1 tsp. of the Yacon Syrup. It gave it a slightly sweet flavor and a slight taste of the yacon syrup. You could still taste the green tea, but I thought they complimented each other very well.

Product Details of Yacon Syrup from Life and Food

100% pure Yacon syrup has shown to assist in weight management, increase fiber intake and promotes good bowel function. Other benefits include: Lowers blood sugar. Prevents and controls hyperglycemia (over activity). Restores renal activity. Is a powerful Antioxidant. High in prebiotics and probiotics, this syrup contains up to 50% of FOS (fructooligosacharides). It has been found that consumption of FOS does not increase blood glucose, and helps boost your bodies metabolism. Naturally grown and sourced from the fields in Peru. Organic certified by our manufacturing specialists. 100% pure raw organic syrup formula with no added preservatives. Bottled and tested in a FDA certified GMP facility in the USA.

You Can Buy Yacon Syrup from the Life and Food Website.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Thrifty Thursday: Pop Your Own Popping Corn

Sure, you probably don't have cobs of corn you grew and dried over the winter right now, if you did you were probably already popping your popcorn. But if not, why not plant some popping corn in your garden this spring. Allow your corn to dry in a dry location (it may take a month depending upon your humidity level to be dried all the way) and then pop it in a paper bag in the microwave.

Yes, on the cob! Just put the cob in a paper bag and press the popcorn button but be sure to hang around and listen for sounds that it has stopped popping. Only pop one cob at a time. 

So, who is excited to grow your own popcorn this summer!

GIVEAWAY and Review: Del-Monte Fruit Cup Snack and Fruit Burst Squeezers

I had the opportunity to review Del Monte Fruit Burst Squeezers and Del Monte Fruit Snack Cups in new Mango varieties with my family. 

About Fruit Burst™ Squeezers 

• Made in the U.S.A., 
• Del Monte® Fruit Burst®Squeezers contain 1 ½ servings of fruit or fruit and veggies and are an excellent source of vitamins A and C. 
• Del Monte® Fruit Burst®Squeezers contain no artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup.

 Fruit Burst® Fruit + Veggie Squeezers: 
- Peach-Mango: Pear puree concentrate, water, pumpkin juice concentrate, peach puree concentrate, pear juice concentrate, carrot juice concentrate, carrot puree, mango puree concentrate, natural flavors, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), citric acid.
- Blueberry: Pear puree concentrate, water, pumpkin juice concentrate, pear juice concentrate, natural flavors, carrot puree, blueberry puree concentrate, fruit and vegetable extracts for color, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), citric acid.

Fruit Burst® Simply Fruit Squeezers: 
- Apple Cinnamon: Pear puree concentrate, water, apple puree concentrate, pear juice concentrate, natural flavors, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), cinnamon, malic acid.
- Mixed Berry: Pear puree concentrate, water, pear juice concentrate, natural flavors, strawberry puree, red raspberry puree concentrate, blueberry puree concentrate, fruit and vegetable extracts for color, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), malic acid.
- Strawberry: Pear puree concentrate, water, pear juice concentrate, strawberry puree concentrate, natural flavors, carmine, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), malic acid.

MY THOUGHTS:

We tried out one variety of each the fruit and fruit and veggie squeezers. I really like the concept of these squeezer products. They are awesome of bringing along in your purse and giving to your child as a snack. They are shelf stable and do not need refrigeration, so they are an easy healthy snack to bring along. I often carry along fresh fruit, but then I am met with complaints from my children that they don't want to eat one of them because it has a bruise on it from being knocked around. They squeezers provide me with the opportunity of offing them a snack made of fruit and not have complaints. I also like that they are mess free and can be re-sealed. Usually my kids eat the whole thing right away, but if they don't we can easily save it for later and they can finish it, so there is no food waste. I don't like to waste food.

Mango Fruit Cup® Snacks - These rich and luscious mangos are a healthy way to add a little sweetness to your day - fat-free, cholesterol free, and high in Vitamin C - that you can enjoy anywhere.

Mango Pineapple Fruit Cup® Snacks: - Del Monte® Mango Pineapple Fruit Cup® Snacks combine two of the world’s most popular fruits: mango and pineapple. Made with rich and luscious mangos and pineapple, they contain no high fructose corn syrup and are a rich source of vitamin C.

MY THOUGHTS:

I do buy fruit snack cups for my kids. They are a quick and easy thing to throw in to the lunch bag if I don't have any fresh fruit available. What I really like is these new varieties that contain mango which I have not seen before. My daughter really loves mango and we buy a fresh mango often, so often in fact that I even have a mango slicer, which make cutting a mango easier but it is still a bit tedious. She really enjoyed these cups. I thought the syrup it sat in was a bit on the sweet side but you can drain that out if you wanted. My daughter likes it and drinks it.

My daughter is a HUGE mango fan and was so excited when she saw what had arrived for us to try out and review! Of course, she thought they were all for her and then there is my son who is a BIG squeezer fan and he thought these must all be for him. Reluctantly they have both been sharing the items they were hoping for each one of them. I am super excited I was given some more coupons and a Wal-Mart gift card to be able to try out more varieties of Del Monte fruit.

Del Monte Fruit Cups and Fruit Squeezers are available at your local Wal-Mart. You can even order them from the Wal-Mart website or check their availability at your local one. That will come in quite handy for the winner who will receive to free product coupons!

ONE LUCKY READER WILL WIN 2 FREE DEL-MONTE PRODUCT COUPONS AND

A $25 WAL-MART GIFT CARD!!!!!

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I was given the above products from Del Monte and coupons and gift card to purchase more Del Monte products for the purpose of review on this blog. No other monetary compensation was received. All thoughts, opinions and pictures are my own. The Del Monte products, information, gift pack, and gift card have been provided by Del Monte. 

Review: Simply 7 Chips

Are you looking for a chip for the Big Game this weekend and don't want the standard potato chips or tortilla chips? Well, these chips from Simply 7 are anything but standard. We have tried almost all the flavors in each variety and I have really been enjoying them. In fact, if you buy any of the flavored chips, you are probably not going to want any dip at all, which helps save some fat and calories!

What you need to know about Simply 7 is that they have 7 core standards and principles that keep their chips made with simple natural ingredients. Those 7 core standards are:

1. No Trans Fat or Cholesterol
2. No Artificial Colors or Flavors
3. No Additives or Preservatives
4. Products are Gluten-Free
5. All Natural Recipes Used
6. Simple Ingredients Used
7. Simply Delicious

I was sent hummus chips, pomegranate chips and lentil chips to try with my family and now they also have new quinoa chips, which I think sound fantastic with 8g of protein per serving! I think my favorite of all the chips we tried was the Jalepeno Lentil Chips because I really liked the kick they had, but I think my kids much preferred any of the varities in the original sea salt flavor.

They are all crunchy and hold their shape well. They do have a curved shape so if you wanted to used them with a dip of sorts (hummus chips in some hummus dip perhaps!) if would work well for that. I think the Lentil Sea Salt Chips would be a perfect swap for regular potato chips and to have with a party dip.

Try their store locator to find them in a store near you. In MN, you can find them at many Kowalski's Markets and a handful of other stores. If you don't need them this weekend and can also a couple days for them to be shipped, you can also buy them on Amazon.

Review: YoYummy Yogurts

My kids and I had the chance to review YoYummy yogurts. I only ended up my only being able to try 2 of the flavors because my children bogarted the rest. YoYummy yogurts are available in four delicious flavors: Mixed Berry, Strawberry Banana, Strawberry, and Cotton Candy. I am not sure they had a favorite flavor, they seem to ask for each flavor equally.

From YoYummy:

YoYummy was started by three guys with a very basic philosophy in mind: create a healthy, responsibly-made yogurt that tastes great and is affordable! YoYummy and Green Mountain Creamery strive to support their local dairy economy and community, using only Vermont cow milk from the Commonwealth Dairy. As a company, they are also committed to environmental sustainability and package all of their products using BPA-free materials.

Check back later and see a post how we re-used the caps off our YoYummy Yogurt in an art project the kids did. It was all my son's idea and the projects turned out so cute. I love that we were able to reuse the packaging.

I really liked having these on hand because my kids like to have snacks after school and these are a healthy snack that they really enjoyed. YoYummy yogurt is made with Grade-A rBST-free Vermont milk, is a good source of calcium, and is rich in vitamin A and D. I love the pouches they are in because they could easily be opened without squirting yogurt all over yourself and could be resealed if they did not finish it, although that was not the case with my kids. The sucked them down quickly.

YoYummy is available at Wegman’s, Costco, Hannaford, Stew Leonard’s, Fresh & Easy, and Sprout’s Farmer Markets. I do not have a Costco membership, so unless I ask someone who to pick some up for me that does have a membsership their, it looks like I won't be able to get any more for my kids because those other grocery store lines are not in my area. Hopefully they will expand to other grocery stores that are in MN because my kids really did like them.

Find out more information about YoYummy Yogurt online:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

For more YoYummy fun for kids, check out their website for free printable color sheets of cows and fruit, as well as bookmarks, birthday invitations, birthday hat, or downloadable wallpaper. And don't forget to come back later to check out our post on how we re-used the caps in an art project!

The retail price for YoYummy is $4.99 for a 4-pack, $9.99 for a 12-pack, and $1.29 for single pouches.

Stay tuned for a giveaway of $10 Worth of YoYummy Product coupons. 

But in the meantime, you can get your own YoYummy Yogurt coupons here.

I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms MeetSM program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms MeetsSM blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

Review: Milk Unleashed!

My family recently had the opportunity to review a variety of shelf stable milk from Milk Unleashed. While we are not unfamiliar with shelf stable milk, we had not tried most of these varieties and have not seen all them in the store so it was fun to try new things out. In the past we have tried both Organic Valley choices and I typically buy them as a pack of 12 on Amazon where they cost less than a dollar a piece. Our favorite is the chocolate.

After trying the shelf stable Hershey's chocolate milk I did buy it at the grocery store to bring along for a recent lunch play date for my son and a friend and it was on sale at $1.99 for a three pack. As I type this, my daughter is enjoying the third milk in that pack in her lunch.

My favorite uses for shelf stable milk are to bring them along when we are camping or up to our cabin. I don't always want to take up a lot of cooler space with a larger container of milk, so having individual portions that do not have to be refrigerated is perfect. We use one container as needed and don't worry about the rest spoiling.

Also, I love to have shelf stable milk to bring along when I am meeting a friend for a long run or if I am doing double workout classes. I bring along a milk and a banana and leave them in my workout bag or the car and and replenish my body right away after working out with the necessary nutrients.

Of course, I do love them for packing in lunches or grabbing for a quick snack for the kids when we are on the go. Milk Unleashed has provided a bunch of ideas below of how give your child's lunchbox a healthy makeover.

Does Your Child’s Lunchbox Need a Healthy Makeover?

Follow the “Five Cs” from Experts at Milk Unleashed

CHICAGO – (August 14, 2013) – Twinkies may be back on store shelves, but they are not the best thing to put in kids’ lunchboxes! If your child’s lunchbox needs a makeover, follow the Five Cs for tasty and healthy school meals.

1. Convenient – A package of string cheese is just as easy to toss in the lunchbox as a bag of salty, fatty potato chips. So is a box of raisins. And shelf safe milk. Keep some single-serve cartons in the freezer – then nestle one in the lunchbox, and they’ll keep the other items chilled until noon. Since healthy can be so easy, vow to pass on the junk!

2. Colorful – Research shows that kids eat with their eyes, and many colorful foods are healthy options. Like baby carrots, red grapes and bright green edamame. Buy the red or green tortillas for wraps. Or make some pasta salad with colorful corkscrew noodles.

3. Cut Up – Youngsters are much more likely to eat an apple (and other produce) if you cut it up for them. Especially if there is something to dip the wedges in…like peanut butter or yogurt and honey. Try cutting a sandwich in four strips or little triangles. Or make a mini kabob with rolled up lunchmeat, grape tomatoes and chunks of cheese on a toothpick.

4. Cute – Use a cookie cutter to shape a sandwich or vegetable slices. Get some fun printed napkins at the dollar store. Draw a smiley face on a banana. Need more ideas? Click here.

5. Cow – Embrace the cow! Dairy foods are packed with nutrients. Just one carton of shelf safe milk has 9 grams of protein and plenty of calcium and vitamin D. It’s just the right beverage to help kids learn and play all afternoon.

For an entire month’s worth of ideas for your lunchbox makeover, download the latest Cow Calendar.

ABOUT TETRA PAK AND MILK UNLEASHED

Tetra Pak is the world's leading food processing and packaging solutions company, providing safe, innovative and environmentally sound products that each day meet the needs of hundreds of millions of people in more than 170 countries around the world. Our motto, “PROTECTS WHAT’S GOOD™," reflects our vision to make food safe and available, everywhere. In 2012, Tetra Pak launched Milk Unleashed, an educational campaign in the U.S. and Canada to inform families about shelf safe milk and how they can have real, Grade A nutritious milk, anytime, anywhere.

milkunleashed.com |@milkunleashed| facebook.com/milkunleashed

I was sent a variety pack of shelf stable milks for the purpose of reviewing them. I received no monetary compensation. All thoughts, opinions and pictures are my own.