When choosing fruit for preserving, pick ripe but firm peaches. If you are making peach jam or salsa, it is okay to use fruit that is riper. Sometimes you can get a deal from a local orchard on very ripe fruit that is perfect for jam.

If you are hesitant about canning, you can freeze sliced peaches. Cover a cookie sheet with waxed paper, and place the sliced peaches in a single layer. Freeze until they are solid. Then place the peaches in a freezer bag. Frozen sliced peaches are great for smoothies!

I like to use canned peaches for cobblers and crisps. They are excellent mixed with blueberries! Peaches are fairly easy to can. It is a bit time consuming to peel, pit and slice. If you have older kids, get them involved in the process!

Steps for Canning Peaches:

1. Pick or buy peaches. Cling Free peaches are easier to can because the pit is easy to remove. Eleven pounds of peaches makes about 9 pints.

2. Wash Peaches. Place in boiling water for 30-45 seconds to loosen up the skin. Place in ice cold water. The skin should easily peel away from the flesh of the peach. If the skin is difficult to remove, place the peach back into the boiling water.

3. Cut peaches into slices, and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with Fruit Fresh or lemon juice as you go. This will keep the peaches from turning brown.

4. As you are preparing the peaches, make sure your jars are sterilizing and the water bath is heating up. I place my clean jars right in the water canner as it heats. The jars will sterilize while the water heats to boiling (love doing two things at once!).

5. When your peaches are ready, you will need to make syrup to pack them in. I like to use light syrup. Heat 6 cups of water on the stove and slowly add in 2 cups of sugar. Heat just to a slight boil, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Place peaches in the simmering syrup, and heat for 5 minutes.

6. Pack peaches into hot jars. I like to use pint jars. Pour hot syrup over peaches to fill jar leaving a ¼ inch head room. Place lid on jars.

7. Process pint jars for 20 minutes in boiling water bath.

The most wonderful sound at the end of a long day of canning is … pop, pop, pop! That is when you know your jars are sealed and your fruit is preserved! For more information on canning, Pick Your Own is a great resource as I am not a canning expert. I have really enjoyed canning over the last few years, and I hope to peak others’ interest!

Renae is a married mom of two young boys. She loves to garden, can and play outside with her boys. Renae’s passion is teaching other people how to make dollars out of change. Find out more about Renae and her money saving tips at Madame Deals.

USDA recommended daily servings from each food group

One solid strategy to controlling the grocery budget is portion control! Ensuring our kids are fed a properly portioned meal can be one of the hardest things to figure out. Our society has gotten so accustomed to super sizing everything, and our bodies have adjusted to an over abundance of food, it’s no wonder America is facing an obesity epidemic. Now, I love going out to dinner with the family but the entrees are getting larger every day which doesn’t help matters much. With every restaurant and food manufacturer producing more mega sized items, it’s hard to know how much is an adequate serving for my family. Click the image on the right to see the serving sizes the USDA recommends from each food group.

Don’t despair; here are a few tips to help control proportions in a daily diet, as well as get an idea of what an actual serving looks like:

• Don’t eyeball it. Use ice cream scoops and other measuring spoons or cups until you have an idea of what a proper serving looks like. Not sure how many grapes make a cup of fruit or how much popcorn counts as an ounce of grain? Click the food group images at the bottom of this post to see how common foods portions compare to actual USDA single serving sizes.
• Read labels. Many times it’s easy to think one can or container is only one serving when in reality it can be two or even three servings. Read those labels carefully!
• Understand the label. So many “convenient” ready to heat ‘n’ eat items are full of ingredients I can’t pronounce which makes me think it can’t be all that great for my body…or my kids! The ingredient and nutrition label is key in knowing how much good and bad stuff your body is getting. The label lists the individual ingredients from the largest to the least used item. Learn more about reading ingredient and nutrition labels from the FDA as well as see a break down of each label section.
• Size matters. A slender tall glass can hold the same amount of liquid as a wider shorter glass. Use a measuring cup to see how much each glass actually contains in order to accurately serve your family. Also try serving on smaller dishes. Less food fills the plate, and visually the plate still looks full which is pleasing to the mind and hungry tummy.
• When in doubt, half it! If you’re not sure how much is a serving, try cutting it in half. Most of the time kids eat what is on their plates,, and when the food is gone, they assume they’ve been given enough to fill their tummies. If they are still hungry, they will ask for more.
• Scale back the liquids. Milk, juice and other liquids are good for you, but they also fill little bellies up before the meal has been consumed. Twenty minutes later kiddos are complaining they are hungry…AGAIN! Start with half your normal drink serving and refill when the meal is nearly complete.
• Buy in bulk! You can save a ton by purchasing a variety of items in bulk, but to control consumption, immediately measure individual servings and store in plastic baggies. This will help expedite things when packing a lunch or enjoying a quick snack!
• Save those leftovers! Instead of tossing left overs, either remix them into a new recipe for later in the week, send them for lunch the following day or do what I do and have a smörgåsbord night! I devote at least one day a week to left overs – buffet style!
• Double up your cooking! When it comes to basics like browning ground meat, making waffles or pancakes, or even making rice, beans or pasta it pays to double up. Reserve what you need for that day’s meal, and portion out the rest and freeze or refrigerate for later usage. This will save you cooking time on your next meal, plus it requires the same amount of electricity to cook twice as much rice.

By reducing how much food you consume and waste, you will reduce your grocery bill. I am NOT suggesting anyone starve themselves or deprive their children of adequate nutrition. What I am simply saying is perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate what we consider a “serving”. A 20 ounce bottle of soda is NOT one serving even though many people (myself included) can easily consume several in a single day! By eating properly balanced and nutritious meals, the grocery budget can be controlled! Besides, who couldn’t use some extra cash???

Jenn is a stay at home southern mom raising her kids in Northwestern Minnesota with her trucker hubby. You can find recipes, crafts, parenting strategies, budget tips, product reviews and fabulous giveaways on her blog, Frugal Front Porch.

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy a flavorful pasta made with basil and sun dried tomatoes. This is an easy recipe that you can whip up in no time, and it is packed with flavor! If you have fresh basil in your garden, I have a basil pesto recipe posted on Madame Deals.

Basil Pesto & Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

1/2 Box Rotini Pasta, cooked according to directions
3 Sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 Cup Pine Nuts
2 Tblsp. Basil Pesto
2 Tblsp.  Olive Oil
Fresh Basil for garnish

In a small frying pan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add pine nuts, and toast until golden brown.  Add in chopped sun dried tomatoes, and heat for one minute. Remove from heat, and pour over drained, hot pasta. Add the basil pesto, and top with fresh basil.

If you want to make the pasta the main dish, add in some chopped cooked chicken breast. My favorite homemade pasta dish!

Renae is a married mom of two young boys. She enjoys gardening and teaching people how to make dollars out of change at Madame Deals.

Crush the crackers into crumbs using a food processor–or put them in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin. Add sugar. Melt the butter and pour in the bottom of an 8X8 pan. Cover with the crumb mixture, pat crumbs down and bake in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. For a quick shortcut, buy an unfilled graham cracker pie crust.

Cream Layer
8 oz Cream Cheese (may use lite or fat free)
8 oz whipping cream (may use a tub of fat free or sugar free cool whip if desired, but come on, this is dessert)
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Whip the cream. Slowly mix in the cream cheese and then the sugar. Pour on top of graham cracker crust.

Cover with Blueberry Pie Filling.

Freeze until firm. Cut and serve.

Mid-summer is here, and that means that gardens are plentiful with yellow squash, zucchini, green beans and carrots. While it is delightful to eat these fresh vegetables straight from the garden, many times you will have more than your family can consume before they start to spoil. To preserve these tasty vegetables for winter, try freezing them.

The key to freezing vegetables is blanching. Vegetables have enzymes that allow them to ripen. If the enzymes are not destroyed before the vegetables are frozen, the vegetables will be soggy, lose color and not taste as good when thawed.

Vegetable Preparation

For yellow squash and zucchini, freeze in slices, cubes or shredded. I prefer to freeze shredded zucchini in two cup increments for bread in mid-winter. Carrots can be sliced or diced or kept whole if you have baby carrots. Cut the ends off of the green beans and cut into the size you prefer.

Blanching

Blanching can be done in boiling water or a steamer. For the boiling water technique, bring a pot of water to a full rolling boil.  Add your vegetables to the boiling water, and start a timer immediately. Squash, zucchini, green beans and sliced carrots should be blanched for 3 minutes. Whole baby carrots take 5 minutes. Have a bowl of ice water ready to immerse the vegetables in when the time is up. The ice water is an important step to stop the cooking process.

After about three minutes in the ice water, drain the vegetables well. I like to flash freeze my vegetables on a cookie sheet. Flash freezing prevents the vegetables from sticking together. This way you will not have to defrost the whole bag of vegetables at once! After 24 hours, place the vegetables in freezer bags marked with the date and contents.

Preserving extra summer vegetables for winter is a great way to save money. Come winter time, you will be craving squash but it will be priced at $2.99/lb. If you have a stockpile in your freezer, it will make stir fry, soups, casseroles and bread so much more affordable!

Renae is a mom of two young boys who keep her running. She blogs at Madame Deals and helps people make dollars out of change. In her spare time, she loves to work in her vegetable garden and cook.

Crab Quiche

We like to try new foods and about a year ago I started buying imitation crab to make crab patties for us. We all enjoy crab patties, but that was about the only thing I had ever made with crab.
Earlier this week I had a pound of crab in the fridge, as I had planned on making more crab patties, but in a moment of daring creativity I decided to look up recipes for something other than crab cakes and I discovered this amazing Crab Quiche recipe – it was a huge hit with everyone here! It was easy to whip up and you can really do so much with it, seasoning it to your own preferences.

• 2 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup oil (it called for vegetable, I used EVOO)
• 1/2 cup milk

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
• 1/2 lb imitation crab meat
• black pepper – to taste
• sauteed onions, bell peppers and corn
• other spices – to taste

There were enough scraps of pie crust dough left over that I put some in a mini muffin tin, made a thumb print “hole” in the middle and filled it with the quiche filling for the boys – they loved the kid size quiche.

I am a SAHM to two little self proclaimed “manly men” and married to the man of my dreams.
I dabble in photography and enjoy creating a home for our family.
My blog is www.paulsbride.blogspot.com

Presented by: Lizzie at A Dusty Frame
Price: $7
Available at:  A Dusty Frame
Description:

Visions of Sugarplums: A Collection of Christmas Cookery is a delightful ebook published by Lizzie of A Dusty Frame, filled with those exceptional recipes of holidays past. My mouth waters as I examine the contents:

Visions of Sugarplums is available for just $7 and is thoughtfully arranged with vintage illustrations—a lovely keepsake for yourself or a special gift for a friend

Melissa J’s Thoughts:
I made the mistake of looking through this e-book when I was hungry! So not a good idea! The recipes looked amazing and some I have digitally book-marked to try out, such as the homemade hot cocoa mix, donkey chow, and Mediterranean meatballs. 

Recipes are separated by Christmas related quotes or facts. Interspersed throughout the book are also tips, such as activities to do with your children, how to display your Christmas cards, and things pertinent to cooking a turkey.  

While many of these recipes seemed quite familiar to me, and not necessarily unique,  there is a nice compilation of them to print this book out and have a month’s worth of yumminess! Instead of hunting through several cookbooks for the best holiday-themed treats, they are all bundled together nicely in this e-cookbook.  




Mel’s Thoughts:
Visions of Sugarplums- A Collection of Christmas Cookery is a holiday e-cookbook by Lizzie Norris. It is filled to the brim with all kinds of traditional holiday recipes, as well as some you might not have tried before from lands far away.  Featuring fifty recipes, this cookbook is sure to have a recipe for everyone.  

Like any cookbook, this one is broken up into sections.  Here are the sections with just a few of the recipes that are included in each section.

• Beverages, Appetizers, and Breads- Boston Brown Bread, Grandma Bea’s Gingerbread Waffles, Warm Cranberry Punch, Hot Cocoa Mix, Peanut Butter Dip, etc.
• Meat and Side Dishes- Easy Christmas Eve Lasagna, Mom’s Green Bean Casserole, Grandma’s Sweet Potato Casserole, Bruna Bonor- Swedish Brown Beans, etc.
• Cookies, Desserts, and Candies- Jumballs (from England), Moravian Cookies, Mom’s Spicy Gingerbread Boys, Dorothy’s Toffee Squares, Grandma’s Sweet Potato Pie, Leah’s Three Layer Brownies, Creamy Pumpkin Pie, Turtles, etc.
• Miscellaneous- Apple Cinnamon Dough (for decorative items), Gourmet Dog Biscuits, etc.

I like how, in the beginning, the author gives a chart for measuring equivalents and one for substitutions that can be made for ingredients that might not be ordinarily found in one’s pantry.  She even gives tips on how to cook your turkey just right and a temperature chart for making candy. She includes Scripture and quotes throughout the cookbook, as well as wonderful illustrations, some of which are Victorian looking pictures.  Also included are traditions that go along with some of the international recipes that are included, along with activities that can be done with your family. 

Other sections include topics on family traditions, ideas for snow days, craft ideas, and favorite Christmas books for both children and grown-ups.  The book is very unique with the author’s choices and favorites listed, so it has a very cozy and personal feel to it.  When reading through this cookbook, I feel like I’ve stepped back in time or stepped into a Christmas movie with the little town full of Christmas cheer.  It’s definitely a blessing to have at this time of year, and I can’t wait to try some of the things that are included.  I definitely want to make the Apple Cinnamon dough with my boys and make special, sweet-smelling ornaments for family and even for our own tree.  The only thing that initially bothered me was that there was no table of contents.  The book is very organized, though, and with everything that’s included, it makes you want to keep reading and looking, so it quickly became a non-issue for me.  At only $7, this cookbook is a true bargain in every way….you can find it over at The Dusty Attic.       

Learning about nutrition can often be overwhelming; there are so many opinions and books and ideas out there on what is healthy and what is not. It can often lead to information overload because you’re just not sure whose advice to follow. Nutrition 101: Choose Life! is a handy resource that basically covers everything for you in one spot.

There’s no need to run off and look something up somewhere else, because this e-book is chock full of anything you’d ever want to know. It is meant for the family to use together, and it’s based on Scripture. It was written by four moms, all with education and experience in nutritional studies, who wanted to share with other mothers how they can feed their families, according to God’s menu.

One of the things I really found interesting with this book is that it covers the major systems of the body, first of all. It explains how they work and gives prompts for family discussion. The book is wonderfully illustrated with pictures and diagrams to further study. It covers the following systems:
1) The Brain and Nervous System
2) The Digestive System
3) The Respiratory, Olfactory, Auditory, and Visual Systems
4) The Skeletal and Muscular Systems
5) The Cardiovascular and Immune Systems
6) The Endocrine System and Emotions

Throughout each section, there are also activities to do with your children. For example, in the section on the brain, there is an activity in which you help your kids understand the difference between left brain and right brain by simply having them brush their teeth with first their right hand and then their left hand. It helps them to see the difference when one hand works better than the other. The authors also suggest supplements for each system of the body and several recipes, or “power” recipes. In fact, last night we made the Ultimate Pizza, found in the section on Endocrine health.

Jaden loved it; it was actually really good! The sauce was a little different at first, but it grew on me.I couldn’t be more thrilled about the information given on different supplements, because over the years, I’ve heard so many opinions on which supplements I should/should not be taking, and with all of the opinions out there, it’s hard to discern which ones are going to be the best and which ones could actually be harmful. Now, I can actually sit down and read about how these supplements actually work with the particular systems in my body and if they might be beneficial for myself or my family to take.

Not only does the book break down the major systems of the body, but it also breaks down nutrition and explains the different terms, such as omega fatty acids, carbohydrates, glycemic index, fiber, etc. Certain health topics and diseases are covered, such as vaccines, diabetes, cancer, etc. It makes these topics very real within the study of nutrition and helps the reader to learn how to apply these Biblical, nutritional concepts to their everyday life.

My favorite part of the book comes toward the end, in the form of the Appendices. There are certain things that help make my life easier, such as a shopping list, vitamin chart, tips on how to select fresh produce (which I’ve always wondered if I’m getting the right stuff), etc. I especially appreciated the page that gave information on nutritional recommended daily allowances for not only adults, but children as well. Dan and I have been questioning how much we should let Jacob eat because we know he’s growing, but it just seems like he’s starting to want more and more, and we just weren’t sure where we should draw the line. Now, we can kinda look at this to get an idea of how much is probably too much.

As I studied through this book and started using it to make recipes, I realized that living organically takes true dedication because not only are the ingredients a bit more expensive, but it takes more time to prepare some of the dishes in this book. If you are a mom who is dedicated to helping her family live more organically and healthy, then this book is a great resource for you. If you are a mom who wants a quick solution, then this might be a more difficult transition. I am actually hoping to use this myself, as well as with my children through the next few years to try to teach them about proper nutrition and how their bodies work. It is an awesome resource for any family.

At 448 pages, this book is basically a manual on how to have a truly, healthy home. You can order the book via the Growing Healthy Homes website. It is available as a CD-ROM for $79.95; print book for $99.95; or the combo pack of both the CD-ROM and the print book for $129.95.

To read more reviews, head over to the TOS Homeschool CREW Blog.