Stupid Simple Chicken Drumsticks Recipe

Preheat oven to 425

4 lbs of large organic free range chicken drumsticks
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
6 Tablespoons of Worchestishire Sauce
1 Teaspoon of Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon of Paprika
1 Teaspoon of Salt
1/2 Teaspoon of Pepper

Lay drumsticks in the pan, drizzle with the olive oil, splosh on the Worshcesthier Sauce, and evenly distribute seasoning. Cover with Foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover for 5 – 10 Minutes, switch to broil and brown for . When I pull them out of the oven they are typically sitting in a good amount of fat, drain that into a can, so it doesn’t absorb back into the drumsticks.

Serve with your favorite sides.  You can also prepare this dish using other chicken parts other than drumsticks.  That was how I originally prepared the dish, then I realized my family was only eating the drumsticks.

Tweet

Steel Cut Oatmeal Made Fast & Easy: Rice Cooker Recipe

Steel Cut Oatmeal is a staple in our families breakfast routine.  But, let’s face it, making steel cut oatmeal can be a pain in the you know what.

Because I don’t have the patience for standing at a stove stirring a pot for 45 minutes.  I came up with a better solution.  The rice cooker.

4 Cups of Water
1 Cup of Steel Cut Oats
pinch of salt – omit if you are watching your sodium -  reasons to monitor sodium – click here!

Combine all ingredients in the rice cooker.  Press cook, when the water boils, remove the lid and stir.  Leave the lid off for the duration of cooking.  When the rice cooker switches to warm – presto oatmeal.

Time Saver: Prep the ingredients in the rice cooker the night before… in the morning press cook.

Note:  The “rice cooker oatmeal solution” is not perfect… I always place my rice cooker on top of a kitchen towel, because… well I have a tendency to get distracted… miss the boiling point and then you get overflowing oatmeal ooze.  By using the towel… the oozing mess  isn’t really a big deal.

I have a family of 4 – so I double the about recipe.  This gives us breakfast for two mornings.  Store the leftovers in a glass container for easy re-heating.

Serving suggestions:

People dress up their oatmeal in many ways.

Apples and Cinnamon can be added before cooking for an apple pie oatmeal.

Walnuts, Almonds, Dried Fruits (look for “un-sulphered”)- your taste will be your guide.

I serve  our oatmeal pretty simply with 1 teaspoon Maple Syrup, a small handful of raisins, 2% milk (normally I drink skim – but this is such a small amount that I go for the creaminess).  Done

I choose maple syrup over brown sugar, honey or agave because I try to select sweeteners that have the least amount of processing getting to me.  This makes maple syrup and honey excellent choice.  I also try to spread my sugar sources around so that I’m not getting it all from one source.  Not to mention, maple syrup is pretty scrumptious on oatmeal.

Tweet

Crock Pot Chicken: Rotisserie Style Recipe

Quick and Easy Crock Pot Chicken: Rotisserie Style

Rotisserie Chicken is a favorite meal around the Diva home and the fact that this recipe is simple, easy crock pot chicken makes it a home run for our family!  From a mom’s perspective it’s quick and easy to grab from the market. The family likes it because it tastes good.  Quick, Easy and Yummy.

I have a few concerns about Rotisserie Chicken from conventional stores:

• It typically contains a number of “extra” ingredients.
• Is not organic or free range – and this is what I think about that.
• It’s high in Sodium – at up to 480 mg of sodium for a 5 oz serving – skin off!

Cooking the chicken in the slow cooker  makes this recipe SUPER easy and replicates a family favorite. Amazingly the crock pot even browns the chicken while it cooks!

One of my favorite things to do is set up a meal – leave it for the day and come home to a delicious, organic, low sodium protein for dinner.

Rotisserie Style Crock Pot Chicken Ingredients

1 Whole Organic Free Range Chicken
3 teaspoons of Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning
1 teaspoon of Organic Onion Powder
1 teaspoon of Organic Paprika
.5 Tablespoon of Grapeseed Oil
.5 Teaspoon of Salt

Rotisserie Style Crock Pot Chicken Instructions

Lift the skin (near the cavity) and rub the salt 1 teaspoon of the Mrs. Dash and the oil between the skin and the body of the chicken.  Take the remaining of spices and sprinkle evenly over the chicken on the skin.

1. Place a shallow pyrex dish or a couple of pyrex custard cups – upside down – on the bottom of your crock pot.  Rest the chicken on top of the dish, breast side up – tuck the wings under the bottom so it look purdy.
2. Cook Time: Put the lid on and cook for at least 6 hours.  Cooking longer could result in the chicken falling a part a little, but shouldn’t bother the taste.
3. Serve

It’s that simple!  And… Dude took one bite and said it was delicious.  Most of you already know…he’s my toughest audience!

Love letter to the FDA – This blog post was written while  participating in the Mrs. Dash and TwitterMoms blogging program. I was compensated for the time I took to research, test and create the recipes, and to write the posts.  My opinions are my own and aren’t for sale.

Make mealtime easier Share Your Favorite Crock Pot Chicken Recipes in the PND community: Crcock Pot Dinners.

Tweet

Earth Day Money Saving Eco Friendly Tips

For Earth Day – I decided to put together a few of my favorite green money saving tips.

You’ve switched out your florescent light bulbs, sealed your drafty windows and bought energy efficient appliances when you updated your kitchen.  What else can you do?  Well the truth is there are countless things you can do.

Paperless Paper Towels

Create a paperless paper towel system – it costs very little to set up and will save many dollars over the course of a year!

Foaming Hand Soap

Make your own foaming hand soap – with hand soap ringing in at $3-5 per bottle – it doesn’t take long for this to pay off – readers will benefit by having a triclosan free hand wash – not using, disposing, transporting and manufacturing of about 50 containers per year and they will save about $180 a year.  Multiply that by the size of your community and you get the idea of the impact this small step would have if every family did this!

Waste Free Lunches

Pack Waste Free Lunches – Send your children to school with waste free lunches and if this seems overwhelming for you to go waste free for your own lunches, take baby steps.  Start with a goal of 2 lunches per week and build from there!

Bonus – BYOB

Bring Your Own Bottle – If you aren’t already doing this – why not?  It’s easy, good for the environment and you’ll save money too!  Don’t like the stainless – try glass.  They are heavier to carry, but extremely durable (think – bounce off concrete) and dishwasher safe.

I selected these things because they require very little investment, and have a quick payback.  Once you get in the habit you’ll be saving a little green and living a little greener.

Nothing on this list is monumental – they are all little things.  Little things that added together and multiplied can grow into a meaningful difference.

Tweet

Homemade Body Butter Recipe

This is the Homemade Body Butter Recipe I shared when I visited Martha Stewart Living Radio!

Enjoy.

I keep a small tub of my homemade body butter recipe in my car and shared some of it with Kadi Prescott – dynamo mother of 7 children.  Needless to say – she instantly wanted to know how to make it for her sensitive skinned little one.   Because we are both blogging diva’s – instead of emailing the recipe to her I told her I’d kick into gear and get the recipe posted.

All of the ingredients can be easily sourced – but the trickiest may be the beeswax.  You buy it buy the pound so one block will make a lot of lotion!  You can find it at Michael’s for $20 – but I found for less money, not to mention a more trusted source on Local Harvest.

This Homemade Body Butter Recipe has 4-5 ingredients, is easy to make and you’ll have the pleasure of knowing every ingredient that went into it.

Honey Citrus Homemade Body Butter Recipe

2 Tablespoons of Beeswax
1/2 Cup of Grapeseed Oil
1 Capsule of Vitamin E Oil
2-3 Tablespoons of Distilled Water
10 Drops of Citrus Essential Oil – or to preference

Homemade Body Butter Recipe Instructions

Combine the wax and oil together in a wide mouth jar. Microwave until the wax is almost completely melted.

Use a hand blender to whip – ensure it’s completely submerged for safety reasons!
Slowly add water and continue to aerate, then add fragrance. It will turn white and be thick and goopy.

Allow the lotion to settle for at least 15-20 minutes.

Scoop into a lotion container of your choosing, empty lip balm tubs.

Apply a small amount to any dry spots and enjoy!

Who knew making your own Homemade Body Butter Recipe could be this simple?

Tweet

Tips for Greener Living

1. Before You Buy – Use What You Have.

Chances are you have a lot of stuff in your closets waiting to be used!  I’ve recently broken a habit of buying bulk.  One of my challenges has been to use what I have before moving on to greener and better options. Don’t we just get excited and want to go shopping!

Dig around. You’ll be surprised at what you have – using what you have is better than a green acquisition. In the PND pantry we still have 3 boxes of plastic Costco cutlery, 1200 paper napkins, ribbon, gift wrap, moisturizers, conditioners, sunscreens… you get the idea.  We’re working on it!

2. Take Care of The Things You Own!

Taking care of your “stuff” values the resources that went into making it!  You’ll keep them longer and reducing  impact by not having to replace it. Your home, cars, clothing, shoes, toys, etc… will all benefit from being well taken care of. And the environment will thank you, if it’s taken care of it’s less likely to be tossed when you are done with it.  It’s more likely that you’ll be able to pass it along to a new home when you’re done with it.

Teaching your children to care for their things will impart values that will last a lifetime.

3. Pick just one area of your life to green!

Wherever you are in your green journey… whether you are just beginning or an ecosavant, pick ONE new area to work on. Once mastered you can add another, another, another… you get the idea. Living a greener, healthier life is a journey that starts with one step.

4. Buy Organic

Start buying organic in a new area of you life.

You may have bought organic food, or this might be new for you.  You may buy organic dairy, but haven’t moved into the produce section yet.  Pick a new area to explore the benefits of organic.

If you’ve never bought organic cotton or denim, next time you’re shopping keep your eyes and mind open. Ask the stores you shop at.  Even if you make a conventional selection, asking the questions will help spread the word that customers care and want to see more options.  You may even find organic options in places you don’t expect.  This last holiday season I was able to buy organic cotton casual clothing for lil’ Diva at Walmart and Organic PJ’s for both the kids at Costco.

Keep your eyes peeled and ASK!

5. Buy Fair Trade

I buy fair trade chocolate. I figure chocolate is something I don’t NEED. It’s a luxury.  I figure, if it’s a luxury I can step up and make sure children aren’t picking the cocoa beans for my chocolate.  It’s been fun, I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect fair trade organic fix to my chocolate cravings.

It doesn’t have to be chocolate, you could pick coffee, clothing, bananas, again… sometimes starting in an area of your life that is already a splurge will make it a little easier to spend that little bit extra that fair trade calls for.

You’ll be surprised how it will inspire you!

6. Buy Quality

Can’t find what you are looking for organic or fair trade, buy good quality. It will last and when you’re done you’ll be able to pass it on.  As a country we have become accustomed to buying everything in quantity.  We can take a page out of the Europeans’ book, attempt to retrain our sense of value.  Buy fewer high quality items, moving away from our culture’s more, more, more frame of mind.  Look for items that are made in your country too, supporting your own economy.

5. When You’re Done with Something – Pass It On!

When you are done with something, find a new home for it! We had a rug that our dogs had scratched. I listed it on Craigslist with pictures of the damage, within 30 minutes I had 10 people that wanted it. When we we’re renovating I listed mirrors, sinks, hardware… whatever I thought someone else might find useful…. and they came. These items were destined for the landfill, but with not too much effort were taken away and used by others.

That said – this is one of my areas of weakness. I have a hard time saying goodbye to my stuff. I’m sure it comes from growing up really poor!

6. Reusable Water Bottles

If you don’t have a reusable water bottle and a way to filter your water.  Get one and start using it!

Get in the habit of taking your bottles and the children’s bottles ALL THE TIME.  In particular parties, sporting events and school.  Eventually if host/ess’ start seeing guests arriving equipped with their own beverage containers they won’t feel the need to buy bottled water for their parties.  We put out iced tea, water with glasses.

7. Group you errands into similar geographic regions.

Saves trips, saves gas, saves time!  SCORE!

8. Detox Your Beauty!

When I first began the journey to detox my beauty routine, I started by using up what I had (still doing this of a few things!) and replacing them with safer options!  I encourage everyone to do this.  The next item you are running low on, replace it with something better.  Use PND to help find the replacement that is right for you.  Knowing what I know now, if I was pregnant, I wouldn’t use the “use it up” method.  I would make the switch immediately.

Do this for your children first if you have them!  Their developing systems are more vulnerable to the toxins in their environment.

9. Pay attention to Preservatives and Additives.

While you are shopping, get in the habit of reading labels!  If you can’t read the name of the ingredient, chances are you’d be better off with a different option.  You’ll be surprised – pick up pickle relish and 2 brands will contain HFCS, one will not… easy healthier switch.

10.  Use Less Canned Foods.

Chances are you’ve heard about BPA’s in the news, in particular concern over plastics and baby bottles.  But did you know how we ingest the most BPA’s – Canned Food.  Opt for glass packaging over canned to minimize your families exposure!

11. Green Your Parties!

Parties can be a huge source of waste.  We opt for convenience, buy a lot of pre packaged, convenient entertainment foods.  We serve foods on paper or plastic plates, drink from countless paper & plastic cups.  Start adding up the cost of all that convenience and not only are you throwing a lot of hard earned money in the landfill, but that plastic will live there forever.

One year we were getting ready for a super bowl party and did the math.  For the cost of buying paper goods, we were able to purchase inexpensive white plates, glasses and wine glasses from IKEA.  We use these for our parties -  including the parties for the little ones.  It may take a little extra effort, but I never have to run out to the store for cups and plates last minute!  Next on the list is to get party flatware.

You can also find reasonably priced “catering” sets at Pottery Barn, Cost Plus, and Bed Bath & Beyond.

The pre-packaged food options.  Sometimes it’s easy to succumb to the ease of this ready to go food, but for so much less money you can buy really nice, high quality foods,  fruits and vegetables.

You might even find with all the money you’re saving on prepared foods and paper goods that you can spend your savings on getting an extra set of hands to help you at the party!

If you can’t bear the thought of these suggestions buy eco friendly disposables.  You can find them at Smart & Final, Whole Foods and such.  You are looking for plastics that can be Compostable.  This typically means they will biodegrade in a few weeks.  Compostable plastics can be placed in our “green” garbage bins in Los Angeles.  With a little research you can find out if you can compost with your yard waste in your area (in the event you don’t have one in your yard)!

12. Clean Green

Start cleaning your home with green cleaners or make your own formulas using some of our easy recipes.  You’ll reduce the toxins you are breathing in your home after you’ve cleaned it.

I’ll never forget an Oprah “ah ha” moment for me… “CLEAN DOESN’T HAVE A SMELL“!

Extra Credit: Use less plastic!

Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Choose products with less plastic packaging. Choose items packaged in glass. Store your leftovers in glass.

You Can Do It!

I know, I know… I missed so many things… you can do those things too!

I hope these tips inspire you to find new things you can do to have a healthier, happier, greener life!

SHARE WHAT YOU PLAN TO GREEN IN YOUR LIFE!

Tweet

Easy Veggie Quesadilla: Recipe

By Tania Reuben

Quesidilla is a quick and easy meal that is on most mom’s go to list when they need something on the table fast.

The only trouble is that most quesadilla recipes are not healthy.

White flour tortillas with mounds  of cheese -  not that nutritious and full of fat.  Using a whole wheat tortillas, diced mixed vegetables, black beans and less cheese makes this version a much healthier choice.

Easy Quesadilla Recipe

4-5 Whole Wheat Tortilla’s – We use Trader Joe’s Organic

FILLING

1 1/2 Cups of Diced Mixed Vegetables

10oz Refried Beans – We use Refried Black Beans from Trader Joe’s

1/2 – 1 Cup of Shredded Cheddar or Light Mexican Blend

Cheese Chicken or Beef (Optional)

Salsa

Light Sour Cream

Refried Beans

DIRECTIONS

Microwave mixed vegetable for 4 minutes or saute in a small amount of olive oil until soft.

Spread Beans on one half of the tortilla, sprinkle vegetables on the other side, add about 2-3 Tablespoons of cheese.

Fold Over.

Place in a hot skillet and cook on both sides.

Serve with Salsa, Light Sour Cream, and more Beans for Dipping.

Adding the vegetables, black beans and whole wheat tortilla up the nutritional value of the meal. Reducing the amount of cheese and using lowfat cheese and sour cream also helps lower the saturated fats. I don’t like the fat free cheese, who knows what is in that, but a cheese or sour cream made with reduced fat milk – I’m OK with that.

I’m lucky because both of my kids love black beans. You can make this a vegetarian meal, or add some already cooked, diced or shredded beef or chicken for variety and added protein. You could also add a side of Brown Basmati Rice (I realize it’s indian rice, but IMO this is the best tasting brown rice).

If your children are picky eaters, start light and build up to more with the veggies and black beans.  They are more likely to accept a few speckles of veggies vs a whole lot… start small and build up.

This recipe will serve 4 light eaters… adjust your measurements accordingly.

Tweet

Bento Butterfly ~ Entice Kids to Try New Veggies

By Sheri

Think you can’t make a cute, appetizing, healthy bento for your young children or preschooler?

It’s easier than you think!

Start with a smallish size (200-350ml, or whatever you think is appropriate for your child’s appetite) bento box. This one is metal, with a tight-sealing lid and a divided section.

1. I put a variety of fresh fruits in the small section.
2. Then line the larger section with a few lettuce leaves for decoration.
3. On top of the lettuce I put some homemade vegetarian pad thai noodles. Many kids love noodles, and they are great bento fillers. You can also use whole wheat or whole grain spaghetti or shaped pasta. Do you have any leftover noodles that need to be used?This bento is nice as is, but if you add a little more decoration you might entice your child to eat a few more veggies.

For the butterfly body:

1. Use a wooden skewer to poke through some sliced steamed carrots. I used purple carrots.
2. For the wings, use some heart-shaped cutters to make two different sized hearts from different colored steamed sweet potatoes. Here I used garnet and satsumaimo (Japanese white-colored sweet potato).
3. Place the wings next to the body, and decorate with sliced yellow carrot circles.
4. Finally, use a steamed snap pea for the antenna.Suddenly you have a butterfly in your bento.

   The veggies I used are suggestions – so when getting ready to make lunch or snack – take a look in your own crisper to see what kinds of produce you have to substitute — beets, broccoli, even tomatoes can brighten up a lunch to make it look more appealing. Select the ingredients you are going to use. Steam the items that need cooking. Then follow the above instructions for assembly

   Believe it or not, adding a cute touch will only take a few more minutes of your time. Even my 2-year old daughter will agree to eat a few veggies artfully arranged in a fun bento.

Sheri is a bento artist and mom of 2 living in Northern California. Her goal is to help children discover that healthy and nutritious food can be delicious and fun to eat. She uses the bento box as a means of presenting a balanced meal in a beautiful way…and give the kids a smile at lunchtime. She blogs at Happy Little Bento.

Tweet

Foaming Hand Soap: Home Recipe

This is so easy and inexpensive – Everyone can do it!  Not only that – an average family using one bottle of foaming hand soap a week will save an average of $180 a year.

The first thing you need is an aerating dispenser bottle.

Ours came from re-using a container from another  brand.   Method makes one, and I reused a bottle from Clean Well for a year.

Vanilla Orange Foaming Hand Soap

1 1/4 cup of water
2 TBS of Castille Soap – I used the Citrus. To create your own scent use unscented.
1/4 TSP of Olive Oil
3-5 drops of Vanilla Essential Oil
4-6 drops of Citrus Essential Oil

Combine the ingredients and in a measuring cup and use a funnel to pour into the dispenser. Soap will will dispense in an nice foaming lather… and if you kids use the whole bottle in 3 days, you won’t be furious!

Tweet