Strawberries Anyone?

This is probably one of my favorite times of the year....its strawberry season :) We have a wonderful local farm that we go to and the kids can pick their own strawberries. This past trip we ended up with quite a few! Everyone in our house loves them and while I had every intention of making some jam with them, the never ending train of hands in the fridge to get "just one" didn't leave many for jam! I did however get to freeze a bunch of them for smoothies and we did have fresh waffles topped with strawberries, strawberries for breakfast, dessert, etc.....

Here is one of my favorite smoothie recipes! I find it a GREAT way to sneak in some greens and not taste them!

-3 cups Almond Milk (or any other milk if you choose)
-2 cups Strawberries
-1 tbsp lemon juice
-1 small orange, peeled
-1 banana
-1 cup of frozen or fresh chopped spinach (I have also used some wheatgrass powder for the greens)
-1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)

Blend well and enjoy!! Makes about 3-4 servings.

Homemade Bisquick Recipe

So one of the things that I do for our family budget to make it stretch farther is to make my own bisquick mix. It is super easy and saves a lot! We use it for so many recipes-pancakes, waffles, chicken dinners, biscuits!!

The best part about it is i can whip up a really big batch of it and then freeze what i do not need for that particular recipe and pull out the mix when i need it!

Homemade Bisquick Mix Recipe

• 10 cups flour
• 1/2 cup baking powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups shortening

1. Mix dry ingredients.

2. Drop in shortening until mixture is about the consistency of cornmeal.

3. Store in large ziploc bags or air tight containers in freezer.

  Easy as that! If you think that this is way too large of an amount for your family, then just cut it in half.
 Enjoy the possibilities of this versatile master mix!!

There's nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread!

There is nothing quite like the aroma of fresh baked bread....mmmm!! I was soo intimidated by making my own bread for so long but i have stumbled upon the perfect easy recipe for fresh baked artisan bread. After trial and error and with much tweaking I have found that this recipe is AWESOME and is perfect for a loaf a day while the dough sits in the fridge and they freeze sooo well!
Here are the ingredients & supplies you will need:

• 3 Tbsp yeast
• 3 Tbsp kosher salt
• 6 Cups of warm water
• 13 Cups unbleached all purpose flour
• A Handful of cormeal
• large container with lid (for storing dough in fridge)

**If you don't have a large family or don't want to make such a large batch, just cut everything in half**

1. Combine the salt, yeast, and water.
2. Add flour and mix until there are no dry spots.
3. Cover with a loose lid and leave at room temperature for 2 hours. It will start to rise quite a bit!

 4.. Dust the top of the dough with flour and cut off a hunk or two about the size of a grapefruit. Let that rise for 40 minutes on a corn meal dusted surface or right in the loaf pan which is what i do.
 5. After the bread has been rising 20 minutes, Preheat the oven to 450 or if your oven is really temperamental like mine-425.
6. At the end of the 40 minute rise, put into the oven and bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes.
7. Allow the loaves to cool on a wire rack.

*Put the rest of the dough loosely covered in the fridge and take out a hunk a day for fresh daily baked bread and repeat the process!
*Get creative with them! I have added honey into one loaf, rosemary and garlic into another...the possibilities are endless!

Bon Appetit