"Snack Time" Savers!

If there is one thing that drives me CRAZY it's hearing my kids always ask for a snack and me reaching in the pantry getting a little bit of this and a little bit of that for two kids that like two different things.  It gets tiresome!   So......I decided to bag up about 30 "snack" size ziploc bags and put a lil salty snack and a lil sweet snack inside.  I think the snack size portions are great for kids...it's the perfect size and portion.  I threw them in a big bowl and placed them in the pantry so now when they ask for a snack I can get the bowl out and they can quickly pick out a baggie!

Farmers Market Deals!

So today I hit the market and got a great deal!  All of this for $3.30!

So now my veggies for the week are complete!  I plan to roast the squash  (2 dinners worth) with peppers and onions and I am making Paleo Meatloaf  this week with the rest of my veggies I have on hand!  Yum!



Earth Fare deals

So I kid you not, I was on my way to Earth Fare to pick up a fab deal on these wonderful Organic, Gluten Free chips that are delish and I get a text from Earth Fare that if I spend $5 I would get a 48 ct box of Organic Green Tea for FREE.  Well, I had already planned to spend $5 so why not!  I also had $1 off coupons for EACH bag of chips which made them .67 each!  These are normally $3.50 a bag plus  10% of every purchase goes towards summer camp scholarships! 

A pretty good $5 deal!  I would say we are set on chips for a while!

1 chicken = 3 small meals + chicken stock!

This past weekend we cooked up a few chickens on the grill.  I usually buy natural, minimally processed chickens as these are better than the ready to eat ones you can buy from the store.  We ate one with dinner guests and then used the other chicken (aprox 4.5 lbs) to make 3 small meals for family.  I decided to make chicken enchilada's which are really easy to make up!  Whole chickens are pretty cheap (usually about .99-1.29 lb) and usually you can make up at least 2 good size meals with 1 chicken!

Afterwards, I take the chicken bones and make chicken stock!

Paleo Guac

I make this once a week and it is SOO good!  I eat avocado's 3 times a week in addition to making this..can you tell I love avocado's!  Just wish they were cheaper!    This is a great easy recipe!

3-4 Avocado's, scoop insides, place in dish
1/4 c red onion diced
1/2 c tomatoes diced
2 garlic cloves diced
1/2 - 1 jalepeno diced
juice of 1 lime

Mash everything with fork, stir and enjoy!

Paleo Taco Soup

This is a great soup recipe I got from fastpaleo.com  I have many friends who have also made this and everyone loves it!  You can use just about anything you want in it!  I always hit the farmers market right before I make this for great deals on veggies!

1 + lbs Ground Beef
1 red onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 jalepeno chopped
black olives chopped
3 garlic cloves
6 cups chicken broth (or more to make more soup)
1 can green chili's
4 tomatoes diced
1 cup salsa
1 tbsp chili pdwr, 1/4 tsp garlic pwdr, 1/4 tsp onion pwdr, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, dash of salt, pepper to taste

Cook ground beef, drain fat if you wish
Add veggies, spices, and chicken broth
Simmer for a few hours
Top with fresh cilantro and avocado!
Enjoy!

Chicken Stock

After making 2 chickens this weekend, I decided to make chicken stock with the bones.  I found a few recipes for doing this and decided to make mine like this:

Place bones in Crock pot
Add some carrots and celery
Add 8-10 cups of water
Cook on low for 24 hours
Add salt at the end if you wish for taste

After the time is up, let everything cool then strain through a sieve into a large bowl and discard the solids. I like to add about 1 tablespoon of sea salt at this point but you can adjust the salt to your taste.

You can keep the homemade chicken stock in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or freeze it. While it is in the refrigerator it’s a good idea to leave the fat that forms on top. It helps keep out bacteria until you are ready to use it. You can even reduce the stock down to a more concentrated form for storage. Some people like to freeze it in ice-cube trays so it is readily available to add to recipes in smaller amounts.