Watermelon Strawberry Lemonade Recipe (No Added Sugar)

Ingredients

2 lb seedless watermelon, cubed (from about a small melon)

1c fresh or frozen strawberries

1c freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 8 lemons)

1c coconut water

Crushed ice for serving

Slices of watermelon, raspberries and lemon wedges for garnish (optional) 

Instructions

1. In a high speed blender or food processor, purée the watermelon, raspberries and lemon juice in until smooth. (You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender or processor.)
2. Press through a fine mesh filter to strain and transfer to a large pitcher. Add the coconut water and stir to combine.
3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to chill.
4. Pour over ice in glasses
5. Garnish with slices of watermelon, raspberries or lemon wedges if desired and serve.

Harris Teeter & Bi-Lo Haul

It's been awhile since I've had a haul. Well I'm back at it. Hit up Bi-Lo and Harris Teeter last night on a last minute haul so I didn't do as well as I would have liked but I got a TON of cereal so I'm happy as my stockpile was dwindling quickly. Here's what I got:

13 boxes Frosted Miniwheats Crunch - ($0.70/1 RP 7/14) - HT
3 boxes Fiber One ($0.75/1 Printable) - HT
1 box Multi-Grain Cheerios ($0.75/1 Printable) - HT
4 boxes Hershey's Cookies & Cream ($0.75/1 Printable & $0.75/1 Bi-Lo) - Bi-Lo
4 boxes Corn Pops ($0.50/1 Printable) - Bi-Lo
45 Yoplait Yogurt ($0.40/6 Unknown & $0.60/3 Printable) - Bi-Lo
8 Dole Mandarin Oranges ($0.75/2 SS 5/19) - HT
13 Pom Juice (BOGO & $0.50/1) - Bi-Lo
7 Smoked Sausage ($0.55/1 Unknown) - Bi-Lo
2 Always Infinity ($2/1 PG 7/7 & $2/1 eVic) - HT
1 Tampax Radiant ($2/1 PG 7/7 & $2/1 eVic) - HT
4 McCain Sweet Potato Fries ($1/1 Printable) - HT
2 Pampers Wipes ($0.50/1 PG 7/7 & $0.50/1 eVic) - HT
2 Dawn dish soap ($0.25/1 PG 7/7 & $0.25 eVic) - HT

Retail = $291.82
OOP = $60.66
Savings = 79%

Ditch the Box - Ranch Mix

Another installment in the "Ditch the Box" series...This allows you to know EXACTLY what your family is eating and they are so much healthier & tastier than the store bought mixes. 

Mix ingredients in a bowl using a whisk and then pour into a mason jar using a funnel. For add in mixes like the Taco & Onion mixes, use 4 TBL in place of 1 packet of mix. I used my label maker to create a label with the mix name as well as the exchange rate. 


Ranch:
 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dry buttermilk powder (found on the baking aisle with the dry milk)
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried chives
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried celery flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

 

 

Directions:

Mix the buttermilk powder, dried onion, parsley, chives, salt, garlic powder, dried celery flakes, white pepper, paprika, and dill together, and store in a cool, dry place. For a finer texture, place ingredients in a blender and pulse several times.Store in the fridge.

For dressing: Mix 2 TBL dry mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup sour cream.

For dip: Mix 2 tablespoons dry mix with 2 cups sour cream or for a healthier alternative use Greek Yogurt.

Never Fail Meatballs

I love all the ways you can serve meatballs, teriyaki, marinara, sweet & sour, spaghetti & meatballs, meatball subs, BBQ meatballs, but it's hard to get a good tasting meatball at home, at least it was for me until I found my moms meatball recipe tucked in the wrong pocket of my recipe box.  I made a batch of these and they were delish. The recipe below makes about 32 small meatballs.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs
2/3 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons milk

Mix all ingredients except ground beef in a large bowl. Add in ground beef and mix together, I use my hands to ensure it's very well mixed.

Using a cookie scoop I made my meatballs, these are about 2 inches in diameter. Once all meatballs are prepped warm about 2 TBL olive oil in a pan and brown on all sides. They do not have to be 100% cooked through unless you're serving them immediately. I made a triple batch and put about 15-20 in each baggie and then froze so I could have them on hand for many recipes to come.


Teriyaki Meatballs

Teriyaki Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water

For the sauce, in a medium bowl mix the soy sauce, 1 3/4 cups water, ginger, garlic powder, brown sugar, and honey together. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch into the 1/2 cup cold water. Set both bowls aside. Warm sauce in a pan or crock pot, once it begins to bubble add meatballs, allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes or until meatballs are heated through (and fully cooked). Serve over couscous or rice.

Ditch the Box - Frozen Pizzas

My husband LOVES pizza (and that is putting it mildly). I however am not a fan of the preservatives or some of the "ingredients" I would rather have a more natural alternative especially since my daughter loves pizza too. Well after lots of researching and studying the compositions of frozen pizzas I have done it. Homemade frozen pizzas that are just heat and eat like those at the store. I made everything from my own sauce (albeit with canned tomato paste, but it was organic) to my dough. I did not make my mozzarella because I am out of rennet.

Here is my sauce recipe:

2 small cans tomato sauce

2 small cans tomato paste
2 "sauce cans" of water 

1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

2 whole bay leaf
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix all ingredients into a small crock pot and simmer for 1 hour. Store in mason jars until ready to use.

Here is my dough recipe:

2 Pkg dry yeast
1/4 Tsp garlic salt
2/3 Cup water, Warm
1 Tsp salt
2 Tsp sugar
1/2 Tsp dry oregano leaves
2 cup cold water
6-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbl olive oil
2 Tbl sugar

Sprinkle yeast over warm water and stir in the sugar. Let stand about 8 minutes or until very bubbly.

Combine the remaining ingredients with about half of the flour, beating to a smooth batter.

Beat in the yeast mixture and then with a sturdy spoon work in remaining flour until you can toss it lightly on a floured surface and knead it until it feels elastic in texture. The kneading may require abaout 2/3 cup additional flour, that you will be coating your hand with as you knead the dough. Don't let the dough become too stiff and yet you don't want it to stick to your hands.

Place it in a large bowl, which you can spray inside with Pam or wipe the inside of it with oil and place the ball of kneaded douogh in this, cover with seran wrap and allow to rise until doubled in bulk.

When dough has doubled, punch it down and shape it to fit 3 - 15' round pizzas that have been greased and dusted in cornmeal. Poke holes using a spaghetti server. (makes larger holes than a fork).

Parbake on a preheated stone (350 degrees) for 8-10 minutes or just until it begins to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

Once the dough has cooled top with sauce, cheese & toppings and place on a cookie sheet in the freezer until mostly frozen. wrap with seran wrap and place back in to fully freeze. 

When you're ready to eat remove and place in the oven (on a stone if you have one) and bake for 15-18 minutes at 425 degrees or until cheese is melted and crust is light brown. 

Remove from oven, cool for 5 minutes, cut and serve. ENJOY!!

Ditch the Box - Hershey's Syrup

We go through a lot, and I mean A LOT, of Hershey's syrup in this house, but one day I was reading through the ingredients as I poured it in my daughters sippy and saw this:

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP; CORN SYRUP; WATER; COCOA; SUGAR; CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE); SALT; MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES; XANTHAN GUM; POLYSORBATE 60; VANILLIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR

I'm not one of those moms that hates corn syrup because whether it's corn sugar or cane sugar, you're still consuming sugar, but for there to be 2 kinds of corn sugar and they're the primary ingredients made me cringe a little. Then water, okay I get it, cocoa, again what I expected, but then MORE sugar. Then there are preservatives and lots of other things I can't even pronounce.  I did a little research and Monoglycerides & Diglycerides are just Trans-fats relabeled to get around the ban. XANTHAN GUM is a thickener that is used to keep the product gluten free. POLYSORBATE 60 is an emulsifying agent to keep the ingredients from separating. Are we that lazy that we can't shake it before we use it? Vanillin, that just vanilla. Artificial Flavor?? So even through there is sugar, corn syrup and high fructose syrup, with a little cocoa tossed in, and vanilla, they still have to add artificial flavors, but won't tell us what? I mean I understand not giving away trade secrets, but give us some clue, are you flavoring it with cocaine? arsenic? dog poop? Well after reading all that I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands and make my own. I did some more research, made a couple batches from some copykat recipes I found, mixed and matched some ingredients, even tried out my own recipe entirely, and found one that I feel comes pretty darn close and is SUPER easy and SUPER cheap.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dash salt

Directions:

Use a big saucepan – at least 2 quarts, or more, the bigger the safer. This will expand when boiling, and overflows will make a big mess on your stovetop!

Combine the cocoa powder, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix with a whisk until smooth.

Stir constantly with a whisk or a wooden spoon until it boils. Allow it to boil for 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat & Add vanilla.

Syrup will be very thin/watery. Allow to cool completely and it will thicken to about the same consistency as Hershey’s syrup.

Store the syrup in a mason jar or any other container. It will keep for several weeks in the fridge with NO ADDED preservatives.

If you want to be really sneaky, like me, pour the cooled syrup into an empty Hershey’s syrup container and see if anyone notices the difference! Once everyone ate some I peeled off the label and renamed the bottle "Working Supermom's Homemade Chocolate Sauce". I'll make a prettier label once I figure out a more permanent container but I'm not sure how well the Hershey's one will hold up.

NOM NOM NOM

Enjoy!

Ditch the Box - Taco Helper

Another installment in the "Ditch the Box" series...This allows you to know EXACTLY what your family is eating and they are so much healthier & tastier than the store bought mixes.

Taco Helper Mix:
1cup instant brown rice
1 8oz can of diced tomatoes (leave in can)
1 sauce packet:
     2/3 cup powdered milk
     1 TBL corn starch
     2 tsp taco seasoning
     1 tsp Onion Powder
     1 tsp Garlic Powder
                                              sugar
                                           
Mix "sauce packet" in a bowl with a whisk, place in small Ziploc bag. Put pasta in gallon bag, place sauce packet inside. You can put the directions directly on the bag or on an index card to reuse next time. I actually printed up 4 cards since I try to keep 4 of these prepared. 
 

To cook for dinner:
Fresh Ingredients for cooking day:
1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)
3 cups hot water
1 cup shredded cheese
Optional: tortilla chips

Brown ground beef in large skillet, drain grease, add hot water, rice, tomatoes (drained) and contents of sauce packet.  Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low about 20 minutes stirring occasionally, until rice is tender. During last few minutes of cooking, stir in the cheese; cover and cook final few minutes till cheese is melted.  Turn off heat and uncover. Let skillet dinner sit for about 5 minutes. This will allow sauce to thicken a bit.

Ditch the Box - Brownie Mix

Another installment in the "Ditch the Box" series...This allows you to know EXACTLY what your family is eating and they are so much healthier & tastier than the store bought mixes. 

Mix ingredients in a bowl using a whisk and then pour into a mason jar using a funnel. I used an Avery label and printed up the directions on my computer and put it on the smooth side of the jar (the below is a new larger jar that needs a new label, I made a triple batch this time to keep on hand), you can play with fun fonts and colors if you want to give it as a gift.  

Brownies:
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 c. all-purpose flower
1/2 tsp Sea Salt (you can use regular, but I prefer Sea Salt)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 c. Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (or whatever your favourite is)


Mix in a bowl with a whisk, then store in a mason jar until you're ready to use. 

Once ready add in:


3 3/4 c. brownie mix (or one jar if you only made the above without doubling or tripling) 3 large eggs
1 cup melted butter (you can use oil but the flavor isn't as rich)
1.5 TBL vanilla 

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. I've also made these in a mini muffin pan to be able to have brownie bites, but I don't know the time on them as I just watched them closely.  

Once they're cooled you can top with icing if you'd like, I have a super yummy recipe for fudge icing, but we'll save that for another post. ;-)

Ditch the Box - Homemade Mix Series

I'm a starting a new mini-series here on Working Supermom... Homemade "box" mixes... You can make your own Ranch, Dry Onion Soup Mix and Taco Seasoning, Brownie Mix and more, then just store in mason jars or any air tight container...This allows you to know EXACTLY what your family is eating and they are so much healthier for you than the store bought mixes.

Unless directed mix ingredients in a bowl using a whisk and then pour into a mason jar using a funnel. For add in mixes like the Taco & Onion mixes, use 4 TBL in place of 1 packet of mix or you can add to taste. I used my label maker to create a label with the mix name as well as the exchange rate. 

For the ones that require ingredients in addition to the mix, like the brownies, I used an Avery label and printed up the directions on my computer and put it on the smooth side of the jar, you can play with fun fonts and colors if you want to give it as a gift.