Sweet Potato Fries

I didn't think I'd ever like another sweet potato recipe as much as my Baked Sweet Potato Chips or Best Thanksgiving Yams, but this recipe makes the cut! And really, what's not to love about butter and cinnamon? 

You can find the original recipe here.

Sweet Potato Fries

1/2 c., plus 2 Tb. butter
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut lengthwise into wedges
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Remove pot from heat and stir in cinnamon. 

Add potato wedges to butter and toss to combine. Season potatoes with salt and pepper.

Spread potatoes in even layer on baking sheet. Roast potatoes, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. 

Remove from oven to serving dish and serve.

Zucchini Bread

I originally posted this recipe a couple years ago. Since it continues to be a Family Favorite, I'm reposting it now, with an updated picture. Don't finish up zucchini season without making this at least once!

Original post:
This is--so far--the only guaranteed way I've found to get my kids to eat (and enjoy) zucchini. I'll continue trying other ways--which my husband and I like--but for now, thank goodness for this recipe! It makes a good dessert, yet is healthy enough for a snack or even breakfast.

ZUCCHINI BREAD

Makes 2 loaves

3 eggs
1 c. oil
1 c. honey
3 tsp. vanilla
2 c. grated zucchini

3 c. whole wheat flour
3 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking powder
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Beat eggs. Add honey, grated zucchini, vanilla, and oil. Mix well.

Add dry ingredients, mix well. Pour batter into well greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour or until done.

Pioneer Stew

My family likes this stew almost as much as my mom's traditional chili, and that's really saying something! I first posted this Family Favorite two years ago. (This updated picture shows that this time I made it with stewing beef instead of ground beef.)

Original post:
Not long ago, a former roommate of mine gave me a bean recipe* that I thought sounded fantastic. So I made it and it was! Note: The ground beef could easily be eliminated and it would still be a delicious dish.

Pioneer Stew

1 1/4 c. (1/2 pound) dry pinto or kidney beans (I used both) (or 3 or 4 cans of beans)
1/2 to 1 pound ground beef
1/2 c. finely diced green pepper
1/2 c. chopped onion
one 16 oz. can whole kernel corn with juice (I used frozen mixed vegetables instead)
one 16 oz can tomatoes with juice
1/2 tsp. chili powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I only had mild)

Cook the beans, using package directions (and/or my tips here).

In skillet, cook ground beef, chopped onion, and green pepper until meat is browned and vegetables are tender. Drain off fat.

Add meat mixture, corn, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt to taste to beans. Simmer 20 minutes. After tasting, I always add more chili powder too, and even a bay leaf if the taste still isn't savory enough.

Combine 1 tablespoon flour with 2 tablespoons water. Stir into stew, cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in cheese.

*Recipe attributed to a cookbook put out by the Kolob Springville Utah Stake Relief Society and Home Storage Committee - June 2004.

Cornbread

I first posted this recipe three years ago. It continues to be, not only a Family Favorite, but also a staple side dish--and very easy to whip up.

Original post:
The first time I remember tasting "someone else's" cornbread--at Marie Calendar's, as I recall--I thought it tasted like cake! It was much too sweet for my liking and turned to sticky paste in my mouth (like white bread does). Not long ago, my preschool-aged daughter tried her first cornbread that someone else had made, and she said the exact same thing, which I found ironic. I still prefer Mom's recipe above all others I have tasted, and especially love that it really tastes like it's made with cornmeal. This is the real deal--undoubtedly much the same as what our ancestors would have made back before the widespread use of white flour.

CORNBREAD

2 c. whole wheat flour
8 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. yellow cornmeal
1/4 c. honey
4 beaten eggs

2 c. milk
1/3 c. oil

Stir together first 3 ingredients, then add cornmeal. Add other ingredients and beat just until smooth. 
Pour into greased 9 x 13" pan.
Bake 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees, or until browned slightly. Serve with butter and honey.

Note: I used to let each person cut their own piece of cornbread in half and spread butter and honey inside it, but now--as shown in these pictures--I slather both on top of the whole hot pan-full at once.

Yet Another Favorite Product in 2013

Back in April I wrote about finally starting my transition to safer cosmetics. I started with mascara-- since that was what was bothering me--and am happy to report that I stayed pleased with it. And even though the container is smaller than what I'm used to, it lasted me five months! Additionally, for the first time in my life, I think, I used the mascara all up before having to throw it away. So even though it cost triple the amount I'm used to, it was worth it on a few different levels.

Recently, when I ordered another mascara I decided it was time to also make the switch with eye shadow. I loved it on first application! Mineral eye shadow is way better than whatever that other stuff is I've been using (in a palette by Cover Girl). I never knew! And you get so much more in these stackable containers than you get in those palettes--2 grams, in fact. So I shouldn't have to buy more eye shadow for quite a while.

Realizing that I only have to buy cosmetics a couple times a year helps me feel even better about making this transition to safer, albeit more expensive, cosmetics. It feels good to know that I'm helping myself be healthier from the outside in and not just from the inside out. :)

If you are curious how your cosmetics rate on the toxicity scale, be sure to go to EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics website to find out. I loved discovering that I have options!

Teriyaki Chicken

This is an old recipe my mom has had a long time and it's still a classic. I was quite surprised when all the kids just loved it and kept asking for more! We ate it as a dish unto itself, but I think next time I'll serve it over rice, as it is perfectly fitted for it.

Teriyaki Chicken

Several skinless chicken breasts
18 oz. can pineapple with juice (or 1 fresh pineapple, sliced and cut)
2 Tb. cornstarch
1/4 c. vinegar
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 c. honey
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients except chicken and pineapple--but including pineapple juice, if using canned pineapple.

Heat and stir until thickened. Pour over chicken breasts. Cook 30 minutes.

Turn, add pineapple. Baste and cook 30 minutes more.

Another Favorite Product of 2013

I'm still not being paid anything to recommend products to my readers (*hint, hint*), but I still feel the urge to share things with you that I love and that have helped my family live healthier.  OnGuard drops are one of them. These little brown "cough drops" are amazing! We've been using them for a while now, but not until this year have they become a product I try to make sure we never run out of.

OnGuard drops have everything I've always looked for in a throat/cough drop: deeply soothing to sore throats, truly effective against coughs, full of ingredients that boost the immune system, and no fully refined sugar. These babies are sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice and organic brown rice syrup, plus there are no artificial flavors or colors added. And with the OnGuard essential oil blend (probably my favorite oil) permeating each drop, they are wonderfully delicious. Plus, I honestly feel better while I'm sucking one--I can really feel those powerful antioxidants working.

My husband has used these during colds when he couldn't go to sleep at night because of persistent coughing. He found that if he would go to bed with an OnGuard drop in his mouth, his coughs were soothed and he could sleep all night. Trying this with other types of cough drops didn't work for him. As for sore throats, I don't want to use any other kind of drop anymore because these are the only ones that actually numb the pain and help me feel better.

One caveat, for those on a budget (like me): OnGuard drops are way more expensive than your traditional sugar cough drop (about 50 cents per drop). But they are also way more effective. I have instructed my children to tuck their drop into one cheek to help it last as long as possible, which they do, and it lasts at least half an hour--usually longer. My mom tried one the other day for the first time and it lasted her about three hours!

Yet another reason to love this amazing product. :)

(By the way, if you would like to try this or any other essential oil product, as a consultant I am happy to order it for you at the discounted price, you would just need to add on the cost of shipping.)

Cypress Essential Oil

A little over a year ago I had varicose vein surgery on one leg, which was a very good decision for me. It improved my symptoms markedly, not to mention the cosmetic aspects. Ever since that surgery, I have been using a drop or two of Cypress essential oil on both legs after my shower each night, diluted with some coconut oil in the palm of my hand. I still have a few, more minor, varicose veins in both legs, so I'm hoping to help them not get out of hand, if possible.

I knew that Cypress is good for varicose veins and I liked its smell, but I wasn't sure it was doing any good--ie, improving circulation--so I quit using it after a few months. A couple nights later I experienced an uncomfortable return of restless leg syndrome, which made it difficult to sleep. I couldn't figure out what the problem was or how to fix it that night. But the next night after my shower I suddenly realized it could have been the Cypress--or lack thereof. So I decided to rub some on my legs again and see if my night went any better. It did! I was honestly surprised. And delighted to realize that what I'd been using on faith for a few months was really doing what it was supposed to.

Interestingly enough, each month when menstruation arrives, I also feel the urge to apply Cypress to my abdomen and other areas that hurt during that time, such as my hips. This made sense to me, just from the perspective that it improves blood flow. But come to find out, Cypress is historically known as also being good for menstrual pain and flow, specifically. So I'll be sure to keep up my supply of this wonderful essential oil!

There are many other possible uses for Cypress, which can be found here. Like most essential oils, it has amazingly versatile properties, as it is antibacterial, anti-infectious, antimicrobial, mucolytic, astringent, diuretic, lymphatic, and antiseptic, among others. For further ideas (and testimonials), see this site for more information.