2014: How to Make Your New Year's Resolution Happen!

Sitting by the fire on this chilly Nebraska day, I am taking stock of my resolution I made last year.  The goal at our house was to eat out less and cook more at home.  I can say, this has been a year that we can say, we did it!  We reduced our weekly trip to a restaurant and went to once or twice a month.  I have to say, it took the whole family to commit to this new habit.  It's important to look back, asses and then determine what you and your family would like to improve on.  The number one subject we American's typically set goals for New Year's Resolutions is related to loosing weight, eating healthy and in general, improving our health.  So, how did we begin this concept of New Year's Resolutions?  The following video will give you  a glimpse of how this tradition of New Year's Resolutions
came to be.

 Take a look at my previous blog on New Years Resolutions dated 12/27/12.  One of the best things suggested was to select one behavior if you are looking at nutrition, exercise or another health related goal.  It has been our experience that the best success is when we are all on board with the selected New Year's Resolution.  A great example was taking pop out of our diet.  It was not successful until everyone decided to take pop off of our menu.  

It's interesting to keep track of resolutions and if they are successful.  Last year our resolution was less eating out, the year before was getting rid of pop.  Both have been successful.  Now if we do go out, our bill is less because we pick water and overall, our health is improving.  Building on change is a great way to improve your families lifestyle and create a lifetime of healthy living.

So, do you have an idea for a New Year's Resolution?  Keeping it simple is the best idea.  Set your goals by using S.M.A.R.T : S=Specific area for improvement.  M=Measurable success A=assignable, who will do what.  R=Realistic, can it be achieved?  Time=When will it be accomplished?  Let's break this down with my last years resolution, the "s" was eating out only twice a month, the "m" yes, we only ate out twice a month and sometimes, we only ate out once, "a" we all did it.  We worked together and planned meals and on the weekends all of us helped in the kitchen, "r" it was realistic, we did it! "t" time related, we got on track and stuck with it all year long.  

New Years Resolutions need not be fleeting bursts of "we have to do this, so here goes" but rather they can be those goals that in ancient times were set by the people to improve the lives of citizens.  Take time before January 1 and make plans with your family for a happier and healthier 2014!

Check out this Flash Mob, exercise can happen even at the mall!

I don't know about you, but I have a knee jerk reaction and maybe even a look that says, "seriously?" when the messages of how much time we have till Christmas appear online or in a store window.  If I could shout from the roof top a message of, please remember the reason for the season, I would!  There is even an on-line clock to take you to the time in seconds that you have before Christmas, you can find it at http://www.xmasclock.com/   Now, don't get me wrong, I am all about the holidays, the food, the shopping, family and oh yes, the food!  I have standards I make, my pinterest board is full of ideas and I am ready to begin the preparation.  The important elements for me are to prepare ahead so that I can enjoy the festivities with my family.  One of my favorite holiday classics, is the Snoopy Thanksgiving.  They didn't have turkey, they had toast and popcorn and everyone was having a great time!

Preparation is the key to success with the holidays.  Did you know that typically food prices drop in November before Thanksgiving and they will increase between Thanksgiving and Christmas?  This is a good time to begin to make your menu plans and make a list of non-perishable foods that you can watch for sales and purchase them ahead of time.  You may even want to add an extra turkey that you could have at a later time.  Turkeys are at their cheapest price before Thanksgiving.  Turkey can be cooked and then frozen for other meals in the future.  There is nothing better than left over turkey and the dishes that you can come up with are endless!  Don't be afraid if you are the hostess to ask your guests to bring side dishes, this will help your stress level as well as your pocket book when preparing for the holidays.

A note about food safety and your turkey.  Be sure to follow the rules of thawing out your bird.  You want to thaw it in your refrigerator.  You may have to put it in your sink, but do be sure that you keep the temperature below 40 degrees, anything between 40 degrees and 140 can be a breeder of bacteria and you certainly don't want your guests to be sick after a nice family dinner.  Here is a great resource for making a safe turkey http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/poultry-preparation/lets-talk-turkey/ct_index .  Also, be sure to have a thermometer to test the doneness of your turkey, the pop up timer is not reliable.  Turkey is pretty simple to prepare as long as you follow these simple guidelines.

I leave you with a favorite leftover recipe for turkey.

Turkey Shepard Pie

2 cups leftover turkey meat

1 medium chopped onion

2 cups leftover vegetables

2 cups chicken broth or leftover turkey gravy

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes or make 1 1/2 cups instant potatoes

Saute onion in 1/2 tbs. canola oil or olive oil until tender, if you do not have left over gravy, at this point, make a roux.  To do this, add 1/4 cup flour to the oil and onion, brown the flour, add salt and pepper.  Pour in 1 cup milk, stir until thickened, add the chicken broth( depending on the thickness of the sauce, you can add more water or milk if necessary).  Add the rest of the vegetables and cook until the vegetables are heated through.  Spray a 9X13 pan,  pour mixture in bottom.  Cover top evenly with the potatoes.  Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until top is brown.  

The best part about Thanksgiving leftovers is that you can get creative.  I also enjoy making turkey soup when the leftovers are almost to the end.  Remember the 4 day rule, after 4 days, throw your leftovers out.  A better plan is to be creative and avoid left overs, you can freeze the leftovers and pull them out in a few weeks.  You can also send left overs home with guests, this is always nice to do as well. 

I wish you and yours a very Happy Holiday season!  Remember, create memories with food but also be mindful to incorporate healthy eating into your season as well.  Brisk walks and being active are also helpful to avoid un-necssesary weight gain.  

With all of the holidays and hectic schedules, remember the true meaning of the seasons!  Happy Holidays to you and to your family!

Another Saturday Night.......

I have come to enjoy Saturday nights in my kitchen!  Wow how times have changes!  When we are young, we want to be out on the town.  As for me, I cherish time at home.  It allows time to create dishes and master some of my standards in the kitchen.  As the today began to come to an end, I  wondered what to have for dinner.  Whenever I begin a plan, I think about leftovers and how to use them.

It is amazing to think about how much food goes to waste in our world, it begins with each of us in our own homes to reduce this from happening.  According to the NRDC, Americans put 40% of their food into landfills. (http://www.nrdc.org/food/files/wasted-food-ip.pdf). This is a staggering figure!  There is good news though, with planning, you can do your part to reduce this in your home. Tonight's menu was to use food in my refrigerator so it does not go to waste.  I used a basic recipe for vegetable beef soup and let my creativity kick in!  As you work through my recipe, add and subtract the kind of vegetables to assist you in your endeavors to use your leftovers.

Do keep in mind the four day throw away rule, for more information visit http://www.4daythrowaway.org.  Remember, when in doubt, throw it out!

Vegetable beef soup Aspen Style

1 lb beef steak cut in cubes
1/8 c flour
1/2c wine to deglaze pan
2 tbs. butter
1 medium onion chopped
4 medium carrots, sliced
3 small potatoes scrubbed and chopped
3cups beef broth
3 cups water
1 qt tomato sauce
1/2 c barley
2 cups Kale


Directions:
1.  Melt butter in stock pot, sauté onions, carrots and potatoes.
2.  In a medium skillet, heat 2tbs.  Canola oil.  Toss cubed beef in 1/8 flour, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper.  Put floured meat in skillet.  Cook until meat has just a little pink.  
3.  Remove meat from pan, add to the vegetables.  Pour in beef broth ( I like to use beef base, it is less expensive and goes a long way) and water to this mixture.
4.  Deglaze the meat pan with wine.  Stir in wine just as you would for gravy.  You could use water for this process.  The wine enhances the beef flavor so it is not required to use wine.  Add this to the soup mixture.
5.  Add the tomato sauce and barley. Bring soup to complete boil stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium and cook for at least a half hour.  For more tender meat, cook longer.

*This would be a good slow cook soup.  

1.  Toss meat in flour, salt and pepper

2.  Chop onions, cut in half, and then in threes

3.  Cook floured meat in canola oil.

4.  Slice Carrots, I do not peel my carrots, I just scrub them so they are very clean.

5.  This is what pan looks like after I deglazed it, most of the meat drippings are gone and add lovely flavor to the soup.

Kale adds lots of vitamins and minerals along with color!

Everything stirred in the stock pot together, the aroma fills the air with a beautiful smell that says soups on!

Add your favorite sandwich and perhaps a nice glass of wine and you are ready to indulge!

Fall is the beginning of crisp cold weather and in a way, it is sad as summer is gone, but there is so much to love about fall!  The whole landscape is colorful and it beckons the cry for comfort food.  Soup is such a creative way to be healthy while staying on a budget.  It adds to family gatherings or quiet evenings at home.

I am mindful that Nebraska gives us lovely seasons and I am reminded of one of my favorite bible verses, Ecclesiastes 3:1 to everything there is a season.  Enjoy yourself right where you are and add delightful foods to the experience and you will have memories for a lifetime to share with your family and for generations to come.

Beautiful Nebraska in the Fall!

Fall and Winter, It's In the Air!

 

My favorite time of the year is fall, the colors, crisp mornings that fill you with life when you go outside.  Best of all, time for soup!  There are so many things you can do with soup and they are healthy and of course, left overs galore!  One thing I had never had before I married my husband was Chicken and Dumplings.  I have mastered this through the years and it is truly a comfort food.  I love to add a lot of vegetables to it and we double the amount of dumplings because they are just the best ever.  Add a fall dessert like apple crisp and you have a meal.  Here is my favorite recipe:

 

Chicken and Dumplings

 

Ingredients:

Soup

2 tbs. butter

1 medium onion chopped

1 stalk celery chopped

2 small potatoes chopped

1 16 ounce frozen mixed vegetables

2 medium chicken breasts chopped (un-cooked)

4 cups water

4 cups chicken broth ( chicken base works well, read directions for amount)

1 tsp. sea salt or regular table salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Dumplings

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbs. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried oregano

3 tbs. canola oil

3/4 cup milk

 

 

Directions:  Soup

In large stock pot, sauté onion and celery in butter until vegetables are translucent in color.  Add frozen vegetables and chicken breast, water and chicken broth.  Cover pot, stir occasionally until vegetables tender and chicken is no longer pink.  While the chicken and vegetable mixture is cooking, you can then put together the dumplings. 

 

Dumplings:

 

Whisk milk and oil together in a small bowl.  In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and herbs together.  Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour the milk and oil mixture into the flour.  It will be crumbly.  Shape the dough into tablespoon sizes and place on top of the soup mixture ( you will want the soup mixture to be almost to boiling, small bubbles rising to the top).  When all of the dumplings are placed on top, cover and simmer ( keep it at a gentle boil) for 10 to 12 minutes.  Do not lift the lid.  To check for doneness, place toothpick in center of dumpling and if it comes out clean, the dumplings are ready.

 

At this point, take a cooking sheet and place a cooling rack on the sheet.  Carefully take the dumplings out and place on cookie sheet with a slotted spoon.  Mix 1/4 cup flour with 1/2 cup milk until no lumps, bring the soup mixture to a light boil and add the flour and milk mixture, cook until desired thickness (If you like more of a soup consistency you may skip this part of the recipe).  When the soup is thickened, serve up in bowls and add the dumplings on top. 

 

**I always double the dumpling recipe as we like a lot of dumplings. 

 

Sauté celery and onions 

Add Potato

Cook to release the flavors of the vegetables

Add frozen vegetables and chopped chicken breast

Add water and chicken broth

Flour, Parsley, Baking Powder, Salt and Oregeno

Milk and Oil

Flour Mixture Combined

Well in middle of flour mixture and milk and oil poured into the well.

Mix dumplings, will look crumbly

Form into tablespoon, slotted spoon works well to put into broth

After you place on top of broth, put lid on top and cook.

Checking for doneness

Dumplings are done.

Place dumplings on cooling rack while you thicken soup



Soup

 

 



Chicken and Dumplings Ready to eat!

 

Soup is a great way to add lots of vegetables to your diet and just the right portion of protein.  I enjoy using the vegetables that have been leftover and are waiting to be used before they get to old and I have to toss them out.  If you are like me, the name of the game is nothing goes to waste!  As I was thinking about soup, I found this great YouTube that brings all of this together.  Happy fall and winter and try some soup!

 











White Sauce:  The Golden Sauce that Will Add Wow to Your Table!

If you have not learned to make a white sauce, you are missing out!  No more creamed soups to buy and you can turn the sauce into a mushroom sauce, cheese sauce and it can make a lot of different dishes.  Did I mention you only need butter, salt, pepper and milk?  So in-expensive and you will turn into a culinary chef!

Basic White Sauce:  Yield 2 Cups

Ingredients:

2 tbs. butter

1 1/2 c. milk

3 tbs. flour

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt the butter in a medium size sauce pan.  Stir in flour to make a paste and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Stir continuously, do not allow mixture to brown.  Remove pan from heat and whisk in milk.  Return pan to medium heat and continue to whisk sauce together to avoid lumps from forming.  Simmer sauce until desired thickness, add salt and pepper to your desired taste.

*for cheese sauce, prepare as stated above and add cheese at end, 1/4 c. to 1/2 cup.  Depending on the dish will determine the type of cheese.  For an example, if you are making an Alfredo style sauce, you can add Italian blend cheese, if you are making an Au gratin Potato dish, you would add cheddar cheese to your sauce. 

My favorite addition to my white sauce is onions.  This would be done while melting the butter for the white sauce.  I chop onion and sauté it with the butter and then begin the rest of the process for making the sauce.  You would also add mushrooms to the sauce at this point as well.  The sauté process releases the flavors of the onion and the mushrooms. 

I love to prepare my sauce the old fashioned, on the stove method.  I actually find cooking to be a stress reliever after a long day, so the action of whisking, sort of "whisks away" those stressors of the day!  If you prefer, you can do a white sauce in the microwave, the time is reduced and you don't have to worry about scorching the milk or about lumps forming in the sauce.  Here is a recipe that works well in the microwave.

Easy White Sauce for the Microwave

1 tbs. butter or margarine

2 tbs. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. milk

Melt butter in microwave, approximately 10 to 15 seconds on medium high.  Be sure to cover the dish when melting the butter.  Stir in the flour and gradually add the milk to this mixture.  Cook stirring occasionally on medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes until sauce is thickened.  At this stage, if you are making a cheese sauce, you may add the cheese and cook on high for 1 to 2 minutes until the cheese is melted.

White sauces are very easy to make and step out of your box and be creative with them!  I love to add things like onions, mushrooms and even chopped celery to my white sauce.  Cheeses are a lovely mix with white sauce.  The possibilities are endless!  Something I learned while watching Rachel Ray is that a small amount of chicken broth really adds a great flavor to your macaroni and cheese.  I  keep chicken base on hand and just 1 tsp. of chicken base is a great addition to my cheese sauce.  Check out this video for Ham and Macaroni and Cheese and you will see what I mean!  Challenge yourself to make home made macaroni and cheese for your family and you will never again make a box of macaroni and cheese ever again. 

A couple of notes after you have watched the video.  1.  If you do use the chicken base, simply add 1 cup of water to 2 tsp. of the chicken base, very simple!  2.  Rachel tends to go with fatty choices on milk and cream, I use my good old 1 % milk.  Less on fat and less on my pocket book!  3.  You could add a bag of frozen broccoli to the pasta as you are boiling it and drain when it is cooked.  Throw it together and you have everything in one dish, just add a fruit to your menu and you have all of the food groups in a very simple meal!

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

2 tbs. butter

2 med. chicken breast, cut into chunks ( flash frozen skinless boneless chicken breasts works well!)

1/4 c. chopped onion

4 tbs. flour

2 tsp. chicken base

1 c. water
1 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. Italian blend shredded cheese

1 pkg. thick spaghetti or fettuccini noodles and 1( 16 ounce) pkg. of frozen chopped broccoli , cooked and drained. 

1.  Melt butter in large sauce pan, add onion and chunks of chicken, sauté until chicken is done and onion is translucent.

2.  Whisk in flour and chicken base.  Cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, do not let flour brown, keep whisking the mixture around.

3.  Pull pan off of heat,  gradually stir in the water and the milk.  Keep stirring and cooking over medium heat until sauce is thickened.  Stir in cheese. 

* You may toss sauce into the pasta and broccoli mixture or you may top pasta and broccoli with sauce for each plate.   Our family likes to mix it all together.  Serve this with whole grain slice of toasted garlic bread and add a fruit salad to this and you have a complete meal.

Pasta and Broccoli

Alfredo Sauce

Dinner is Served!

~Cooking is a lot like love.  It should be entered into with abandon, or not at all.~  Julia Child













 

 



Are You Ready for Some Football?

If you are like our family, fall means football and football means serious snack food!  I marvel at the amount of money that is spent on football, all the way from barbecue to just over the top dips and chips that can be costly as well as high on calories and fat and low in nutrition.  Through the years, I have learned to keep it simple, add a little flare and with a little creativity, football season does not have to mean stressing out over the food part of it.

The first thing I am mindful of is to fit the football food into Choose MyPlate.  This helps maintain weight, increase nutrition and can even lend itself to staying within your food budget.  Here are a few favorites at our house!  I hope your favorite team does well this season!  Go Huskers!

Humus

Have you ever tried humus?  If you have not, it truly is a treat and so easy to make in your kitchen.  Humus is Middle Eastern food.  It is a spread/dip made from Chic Peas, also called Garbanzo Beans.  It is lovely and I enjoy using it as a dip for fresh vegetables and believe it or not, I enjoy a creative grilled humus and cheese sandwich that I put together in my kitchen.  The recipe I use is very simple, a traditional Humus has tahini in it.  Tahini is a a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds and has a bit of a nutty flavor.  It is not an overpowering flavor, so not using it is not going to truly alter the flavor of the Humus.  The main reason I do not add it to my humus is that it is a bit expensive and I would not use it enough to justify the cost of it.  I have a recipe that I use that did not include Tahini in the ingredient list, and it is amazing!

Humus Dip

                      

Ingredients:

1 can Chic Peas, drained

1 tsp. garlic powder or 1 clove garlic

1 tsp. chopped onion

1 to 2 Tbs. lemon juice

1/8 c. canola oil or olive oil

Directions:

Place all ingredients in food processor or blender.  Add the garlic and lemon juice to fit your families taste.  Start out with 1 tsp. garlic and the 1 Tbs. lemon juice and add to your liking.  The oil is for mixing purposes only.  I have found that 1/8 cup is enough to blend it.  You may need to add slightly more.  Serve on whole grain crackers, pita bread, as a dip for fresh vegetables and you can even use it as a whole grain grilled humus and cheese sandwich

                                           

Another great idea for football season is to make your own tortilla chips.  You will find that they are healthier because you control the salt you add or you could choose to add another seasoning such as chile and cumin and forget the salt.  Also, you will find them to be in-expensive, especially if you made your own flour tortillas (see my previous blog on making your own flour tortillas).  Here is a link to walk you through how to make your own baked flour tortilla chips or baked pita chips:  http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-baked-chips-tortilla-or-pita-124908 

Dips are always a hit at a football party, a favorite for us is a simple dip made with processed cheese ( I do break my rule of natural cheese for dips, it melts better and is a bit less on the pocket book), 1 can refried beans (If I have prepared ahead, I make my own from dried pinto beans), browned hamburger with chile and cumin added to the mix, and finally, salsa ( your favorite heat) and melt this together. This dip works well to keep on low in a slow cooker for easy serving.  This is one of those recipes that the amount of the ingredients depends on the size of the crowd at the football party as well as what your family likes.


Chile is always a great dish to make for a game day, especially on a cold Nebraska game day.  One of our favorites is Taco Soup.   Here is a recipe for Taco Soup in a Slow Cooker http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-taco-soup/  I enjoy soups in the colder months as they make great leftovers and you can freeze them for another game day festivity!

In place of a heavy sugary dessert, try a fresh fruit salad with fruits that are in season.  For fall, I also love a tasty apple crisp prepared in the slow cooker, here is my favorite recipe for this lovely comfort dessert, http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-apple-crisp/

Best of luck to your favorite team this year!  Remember, keep the food simple, add a bit of flare with garnishing and your presentation and you can't go wrong!

Exactly where did the summer go?  I read all of the magazines that give wonderful ideas of preparing your children for school.  You know the ones, get your family back into a routine, bed times and so on.  Well, I would love to tell you I am that mom, the one that eases everyone into the routine, the one that has her act together with everything fine tuned down to the food and getting back into the swing of things.  Nope!  Each summer, it seems I loose track because I am having perhaps more fun than the kids are having!

First things first, to pack lunch or not?  Whatever you decide, don't beat up on yourself! We tried this last year, we got the fancy lunch boxes, experimented with different ideas and this year, we are back to school lunches.  One thing to keep in mind, we seem to be getting on a good track as far as nutrition and our school lunch menus.  The challenge for our children is that due to being careful of portion sizes and the fact that schools still serve processed food (which in turn reduces the amount of the entree on your child's plate) my kids tend to feel they are not getting enough to eat.  I am easing into this and will make plans to add a healthy take along, non-refrigeration needed item to add to the lunch.  When looking at this option, take into account your child's level of activity and their age as well.  My kids are in middle school, and one is participating in football, so it is a good guess that he will be in need of a quick pick me up at the end of the school day.  So this is item number one on my list of things to plan for.  I am going back into my memory to think of some healthy and easily transported things to pack for my kids.  Granola is one that comes to mind.  Here is a recipe that I plan to try:  http://www.chow.com/recipes/30062-basic-granola  This one looks simple, no extra things that are not already on my pantry list and I can be creative to fit the individual tastes my kids have!  The website with this recipe showed the process step by step, that is always a plus for me if I am stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new!

If you decide to pack lunches, there are a lot of websites out there with helpful ideas, here is one from NBC that actually had a menu:http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8913826/ns/health-childrens_health/t/home-packed-lunches-your-kids-will-eat/#.UhPRTH_hdPc

Ok, I have solved that dilemma.  What about dinner?  So far, we have not had dinner before 8pm, so, I better get things in gear.  The first item on the agenda, go back through my huge notebook of easy items and look at things to try.  I am getting used to the fact that we are now on a schedule, so I no longer will be able to be home before 6pm,  I am the designated pick up person for the football player.  This means, I need quick, easy and healthy meals to prepare when I get home.  One skillet dishes have always been a favorite.  Sunday evening, I looked at our schedule for the week.  I noticed that Tuesday was going to be quite a challenge.  I work a bit later on Tuesdays and then I will be picking up the foot ball player.  Then, we are in route for home, we need a quick meal and then it is time for the middle school open house, back to school by 6:30pm.  I found a new recipe that called for a prepared sauce, of course, I altered things a bit, I used whole grain rotini.  Also, instead of the rotisserie chicken, I sauteed flash frozen chicken breasts seasoned with a bit of chile and cumin.  I mixed all of this together while on my lunch break,  sprayed my slow cooker with non-stick spray and put everything in the slow cooker on low.  As soon as I get home, I will add the taco seasoned cheddar cheese, and wha la, dinner will be served! http://progresso.com/recipes/cheesy-southwest-chicken-skillet/dcde5d91-7ffa-4dc1-a53a-90c94407d92a  Next on my to do list is that when preparing my shopping list the next time I do a major shopping trip, I will add to it things that will assist me in making quick and easy meals.  Sometimes I need to be reminded that when you are going to have a day that it will be difficult at best to cook, a convenience item is acceptable.

Last on my list of things I want to include in my kitchen is to have some of my own prepared seasoning mixes such as ranch dressing mix.  here is a recipe for making your own ranch dressing mix:

Ranch Style Dressing Mix

 Makes 1¼ cups of mix (Enough for 5 batches)

1   c. non-fat dry milk                                            2   tsp. dry mustard

4   tsp. dried basil, crushed                                    1   tsp. garlic powder                             

½  tsp. salt                                                                2   T. dried minced onion

1.  In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.  Stir well.

2.  Store at room temperature in a dry, closed container for up to 6 months. 1/4 Cup mix is equal to one packet of dried prepared ranch mix.

   Recently, I found this online and I plan to use the above mix in place of the packet of ranch dressing mix :

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 packet hidden valley ranch mix
1/2 cup 1% milk.

Making things from scratch is not only economical, but you can control the salt, fat and sugar as well as you are not adding additional preservatives.  Anytime a recipe calls for sour cream, you can use low-fat plain yogurt, to prevent others from whining, this is your little secret!  It is healthier and I would have to say more economical than a tub of sour cream.


By having the mix on your shelf, there are endless dishes you can use it for, here is a spinach dip recipe:

Spinach Dip

1   (1 ounce) packet dry ranch salad dressing mix

1   (16 ounces) container sour cream

1   (10 ounces) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained

1   (8 ounces) can water chestnuts, rinsed, drained and chopped

1   round loaf French bread

Fresh vegetable sticks

1.    Stir together dressing mix, sour cream, spinach, and water chestnuts. Chill 30 minutes or until just before serving.

2.    Cut top off the bread and remove center (using firm bread pieces as dippers). Fill bread bowl with dip. Serve with cubed bread and vegetables.

And one last one for Cucumber Dip:

Ranch Cucumber Dip

½    cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

½    tsp. dried dill weed

¼    c. Ranch Style Dressing Mix

2     c. sour cream

       chips or sliced vegetables

1.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Mix well.  Best if chilled overnight.  Serve with chips or sliced vegetables. 
Are you catching a theme here?  I need organization and planning!  First up is to be creative, find some new recipes on-line, in blogs, those that have been tucked away in my large three ring binder and taken out and dusted off.  I work on finding recipes that are easy, ingredients that are those found typically in my pantry and above all, dishes that are healthy.  If you try a recipe, be sure to make notes if you have altered it.  If you try a recipe and you do not like it, throw it out!  Give yourself permission to do this, it lessons the amount of recipes and can help you in making a good sound decision.

I hope you and your family are easing into the back-to-school routine and working your busy schedule into a habit of it including healthy meals.   Remember, the basic habit of sitting at the table, conversing with one another, and working hard on including food from each one of the food groups is what is necessary.  Do not expect yourself to be a gourmet chef all the time.  Do the best you can with the time you have and your family will have great memories of the food on the table and the great conversation! 

Cooking is like this!  You can make a great dinner out of very simple easy to fix food, if you make it into an occasion that include your family and great conversation, you have succeeded!