Archives for July 2015

DIY Coffee Shop Drink: Maple Pecan Latte

July 30, 2015 By Anne Simpson

I have a serious confession to make.

*Deep breath.*

Ok. Here goes.

The truth is. I’m addicted to fancy coffee shop coffee.

{insert shocked emoticon}

I know, right? The fact that it’s crazy expensive and that I would never consider spending that much money on anything else so trivial and transient does not deter me. The fact that it’s hardly good for me does not deter me. The fact that it doesn’t satisfy me as much as I think it will does not deter me. NOTHING deters me!

So I put myself on a coffee shop fast. I did it earlier this year in January, and it actually really helped! But then I fell off the wagon and I’m back to my usual tricks again.

{insert tragically sad emoticon}

So another coffee shop fast for me.

Thank goodness I have this amazing little diy coffee shop trick up my sleeve. It makes withdrawal so much easier.

Recipe: Maple Pecan Latte

Summary: a DIY coffee-shop latte drink, completely natural and super easy

Ingredients

1 cup strong hot coffee (or serving of espresso)
1/2 cup milk
1-2 TBSP chopped pecans
1 TBSP maple syrup
whipped cream, optional

Instructions

Place all the ingredients except for the whipped cream in a high-powered blender.
Blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until pecans are completely blended into the liquid.
Strain if desired (depending on the quality of your blender and how long you blended it) to remove any remaining pecan parts, and pour into a large mug to serve.
Top with whipped cream if desired.

Are you also addicted to coffee shop drinks? Try my other DIY Coffee Drink recipes:

Chocolate Orange Coffee

Lavender Iced Coffee #diycoffeeshop

Cold Brewed Coffee #diycoffeeshop

Brazilian Chocolate #diycoffeeshop

2 Comments Filed Under: Beverages, On The Table Tagged With: coffee

Crock Pot Greek Chicken

July 24, 2015 By Anne Simpson

This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Authentic Simplicity!

This is one of my go-to recipes (if I have such a thing… that means I’ve made it more than once!) from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, that crockpot classic, “Fix it and Forget it“. All kinds of crockpot recipes and variations for everything from roast beef to mac and cheese to cake.

The one I picked today was called “Greek Chicken”. I don’t know what makes it Greek, except for maybe the oregano? At any rate, it’s a good basic recipe with few ingredients, but reliable, and, of course, tasty. Can’t go wrong with chicken, oregano and olive oil!

Note: You’ll want to use dried oregano in this recipe because it provides the most flavor. However, if you have fresh oregano from the garden, you can add a little extra of it (maybe 1 TBSP chopped) towards the end of the cooking time.

Recipe: Greek Chicken

Summary: an easy but delicious crock pot recipe

Ingredients

2-3 lbs red potatoes
2-3 lbs chicken pieces (quarters are best, but any kind will do)
1/2 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
1 TBSP dried oregano
1-2 TBSP olive oil

Instructions

Peel the potatoes if desired. Chop them into quarters and place in the bottom of the crock pot.
Place the chicken pieces on top of the potatoes.
Sprinkle the chicken with onion, garlic, and seasonings.
Drizzle all with olive oil.
Cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 6-8 hours.

The potatoes are delicious all by themselves! They alone are reason enough to make this recipe.

This post was originally published in 2009. I’ve updated it and included a printable recipe card and made the instructions on this popular recipe a little more clear.

9 Comments Filed Under: Home

5 Unexpected Ways to Use Fresh Mint

July 21, 2015 By Anne Simpson

Got a mint plant (or two) that’s going crazy? Not sure what to do with it?

I hear ya! Mint is famous for flourishing whether or not you want it to, which can be good (Hey, it’s yummy! And good for you!) and bad (There’s only so much mint one person can handle at a time.). It’s kind of tricky trying to find different ways to use fresh mint when it’s coming out of your ears. I’ve done all the usual things with my fresh mint so far:

flavored my water with it
added it to iced tea and lemonade
chopped it up and added it to fruit salads (it’s especially yummy with melon!
made mint syrup
put it in smoothies

All of those things get old, though, after a while, so I put myself on a mission to find some fun and creative ways to use my mint plant. I’m looking forward to trying out these five fresh ideas for my fresh mint!

5 Unexpected Ways to Use Fresh Mint

Fresh Mint Iced Coffee - You know me, I’m always up for a good cuppa joe. So much the better if it’s made with an unexpected twist and an unusual ingredient. (Remember my Lavender Iced Coffee?)
I never in my life would have thought to put fresh mint into cookies or cupcakes, but these bloggers totally went there! I’d like to try some Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies or Fresh Mint Chocolate Cupcakes!
And while I’m baking, I think I shall have to whip up some Cranberry Mint Scones, which not only use fresh mint, but fresh cranberries, too! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
It’s admittedly not that odd for baked goods to incorporate a fresh mint flavor, but savory foods? This Moroccan Spiced Potato Pizza doesn’t have any cheese… but it does have fresh mint!
Another yummy-sounding savory option is this Honey Mint Glazed Chicken. I’m sort of wishing I hadn’t already prepped all my chicken in marinades before putting it in the freezer!

8 Comments Filed Under: At Home, Basics, Garden, Home, On The Table Tagged With: garden, mint

How to Wash Produce

July 17, 2015 By Anne Simpson

Don’t you just love a tip that saves you time and money… and is good for you in the process? You can’t beat that, right?! Well, that’s the sort of tip I’ve got for you today.

I’ll save you TIME by showing you how to wash your produce all at once (and if you only go grocery shopping once a month, it saves you even more time).
I’ll save you MONEY by showing you how washing your produce all at once will make it last longer and stay fresher.
It’s GOOD FOR YOU because washing your produce and having fresher produce means fewer pesticides entering your body and more nutrition.

It’s a win-win all around, my friend! Here’s how to wash produce in big batches to save you time and money.

How to Wash Your Produce (and save time and money in the process)

First of all, I want to highly recommend that you go grocery shopping once a month if you’re really interested in saving yourself significant time and money. It might sound crazy, but trust me, it’s totally doable and it works. You’ll find all the info you need to get started in my eBook, Your Grocery Budget Toolbox.

Once you’ve gone on your monthly shopping trip, you’ll have a mountain of produce that you want to last as long as possible. There are a lot of ways to do that, and many of them are discussed in the book, but one of the best ways is simply to wash all the produce before you put it away. So pile up all the produce on the counter next to the sink, and then get started!

1. Fill the sink with water and some vinegar.

You can also add a couple drops of Thieves oil for added cleaning power! You don’t need a huge amount of vinegar; I just add a few generous splashes and call it good.

Place your produce gently in the water. Be sure not to put things like apples and blackberries in at the same time, because that could be seriously bad news for the blackberries. Depending on how much produce you have, you may need to do several batches.

Let the produce sit in the water for a minute or two.

2. Rinse the produce in a colander.

Remove the produce from the sink and place in a colander. If you have a double sink, you can rinse it right away; otherwise, you might need to wait to rinse until you’ve run all the produce through the vinegar bath.

Be sure to rinse the produce very thoroughly to get off all the remaining pesticides and bacteria, as well as all the vinegar.

3. Place the produce on a towel to dry.

Set out some towels on your countertops and put the produce on the towels in a single layer to dry. I sometimes leave it on the countertops overnight, depending on the time I get started with it, but generally it will take only a couple hours.

Carefully store the produce in the appropriate spot in the fridge or pantry.

This whole process takes 10-15 minutes plus drying time and saves you a lot of money in the long run! You’ll find that your produce lasts significantly longer when you wash it this way before storing it, which means less produce dumped in the trash. And, of course, your produce will be cleaner and fresher for you when you go to eat it, which is good for your health as well.

Helping you save money on your groceries is one of my favorite things to do ever, so I’m super excited about my latest project. I’m working on updating and slightly revising the ebook I mentioned earlier, Your Grocery Budget Toolbox. It’s going to be an even better resource to help you keep your money in your pocket while purchasing the highest quality of food possible for your family. Once the second edition of YGBT is released, I’ll be working on a spiral-bound print copy as well! And on top of all that, pretty soon after that I’ll be releasing an eCourse that personally walks you through the process of saving money on your groceries. I’m not a squee-in’ kinda girl normally, but I’m so excited about what I’ve got in store for you that I’m about to do just that! So make sure you sign up for email updates so you know when all of this brand new awesomeness is released. Here’s to healthy food… and more money in your pocket!

Leave a Comment Filed Under: At Home, Health, Home, Household, In The Budget, Save Much, Waste Not Tagged With: groceries, oams, thrifty, your grocery budget toolbox

Better than the Box - Chocolate Pudding

July 16, 2015 By Anne Simpson

This post was originally published in 2009. One of my main goals on this blog is to prove to anyone who doesn’t believe me that cooking healthy foods from scratch is neither difficult nor time-consuming. Too many people think that cooking is either a great mystery they could never solve, or so time-consuming they would always be stuck in the kitchen. Instead, they rely on boxes (or bags or jars, or packages, you get the idea) that are quick and easy, but expensive and chock-full of unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients.

There’s a better way!

You don’t have to be a gourmet and spend hours over your creations in order to serve healthy delicious meals to your family. So throw away the box and make something from scratch for a change. If I can do it, you can do it!

For example, chocolate pudding. For a long time, I never even ate pudding because I didn’t want to use the mix found in a box, but I thought that home-made pudding was too time-consuming and difficult. Then my diet was forcibly changed because of my son’s allergies: there were so many foods I couldn’t eat, that I began to think outside the box (literally!) for foods that I could eat. I thought I had kissed chocolate good-bye for a while, until I found an allergen-free recipe for chocolate pudding. And I realized that it was so quick and easy, I could make it any time I needed a chocolate fix.

Once I discovered that, I branched out and made all kinds of pudding: butterscotch, vanilla, coconut, etc. I used them to make trifles and parfaits for desserts to serve to guests. And the best part was, it was every bit as easy as using a box!

But not as QUICK, you say. Almost as quick, I say. It took me approximately 10 minutes, start to finish. Anybody can find 10 minutes in their day to fix themselves a chocolate treat!

I thought home-made pudding was hard, but it’s actually quite EASY. What makes it difficult is using an egg, because the egg(s) has to be tempered, or gradually heated so that it doesn’t cook before it’s thoroughly mixed in. That problem is easily avoided by not using an egg! You’ll find most pudding recipes require an egg, but as I discovered, vegans and food-allergic folks know that pudding without an egg is every bit as good. An egg adds richness to pudding. So if you want your pudding a little richer, go ahead and fuss with the egg. But if you just want some pudding, forget the egg. You won’t miss it!

It’s CHEAPer than buying the box. I bet you don’t believe me because those boxes are pretty cheap. Aside from the milk (which is not included in the box anyway), the ingredients in this chocolate pudding cost less than $0.40, even if you don’t buy them on sale.

It may not be HEALTHY, but it’s certainly healthier than what’s in that box. Have you ever looked at the ingredients? Sugar, modified food starch, cocoa, disodium phosphate, natural & artificial flavors, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, monoglyceride, diglycerides, Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, Artificial Colors, citric acid, BHA. Yum. I don’t even know why they need all those food colorings, because, as Matthew McConaughey says in “The Wedding Planner”, “Chocolate’s already brown.”

Have I convinced you yet?

Already Brown Chocolate Pudding
1/3 cup raw sugar
2 TBSP cornstarch
2 TBSP cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1 oz baking chocolate
1 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan, whisk together the dry ingredients:

Slowly whisk in the milk (this keeps the corn starch from clumping):

Stir constantly over medium heat until boiling. Continue to stir for another minute or so, until it begins to thicken. This is actually the trickiest part. If you take it off the heat too soon, it won’t gel at all, and you’ll be left with a sort of semi-solid milkshake instead. And if you leave it on the heat for too long, it will be a little too solid, and you’ll need to eat it with a fork! What you want is something in the middle. Just keep in mind that as it cools, it will continue to solidify.

Once it’s reached the right consistency, remove from the heat and add the 100% chocolate bar and vanilla. At this point, you can get creative and try adding different things. For example, chocolate chips instead of the chocolate bar. Or different flavorings instead of vanilla. I have also used a mixture of coffee and milk to make a mocha pudding. Mmmm, that was yummy.

Pour the pudding into serving dishes and place in refrigerator to cool. If you plan on serving to guests, you may want to consider placing some plastic wrap tightly on the surface of the pudding while it cools to prevent a skin from forming. I don’t bother when it’s just for myself, or if I’m going to stir it up and use it in something else. Garnish as desired:

Sharing at Try a New Recipe Tuesday

1 Comment Filed Under: Basics, Dessert, On The Table Tagged With: better than the box, chocolate, pudding

A Super Easy No-Cook Summer Meal

July 8, 2015 By Anne Simpson

**This post was originally published in 2009. Summertiiiiimmmeee… and the livin’ is eeeaaasssyyyy…

Fish are jumpin’ … and the cotton is high…

And I don’t feel like cookin’….

Oh wait, that’s not part of the song. But it should be! Who wants to cook on a hot summer day? Not me! So I decided NOT to cook today, but I still felt like I should feed my family, so I compromised: Cold Plates!

An Easy No-Cook Summer Meal

This is one of those ideas that’s just so brilliant, I wonder why I didn’t think of it sooner! All one has to do is assemble a variety of cold, fresh foods, make it pretty and put it on the table. Presto, Change-o, Dinner! Simple as that.

I used some cold ham slices as the main portion of the meal and augmented them with some scoops of tuna salad. Then I added in some various fresh fruits and veggies, some cheese for my DH, and some pickles. A dollop of honey mustard served as a dipping sauce for the ham. Usually, bread of some sort is served with a cold plate, but I had none, so I offered crackers on the side.

The nice thing about these cold plates is that I could customize them to our different dietary needs. Here’s my plate with strawberries and unpeeled apples and apricots:

Here’s DH’s plate with cheese and peeled apples instead:

Even our Certain Little Someone had his own cold plate (not that he ate it all! He was mostly interested in the watermelon and sweet potato fries!):

Sharing at Grounded & Surrounded, Tasty Tuesday

Leave a Comment Filed Under: Basics, Dinner, Home, On The Table Tagged With: dinner, no-cook, summer meal

3 Health & Wellness Books Every Mom Should Read

July 6, 2015 By Anne Simpson

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Authentic Simplicity!“Nurse” should be on every mom’s resume because it’s a large part of our mommy job, isn’t it? Unfortunately, most of us don’t have the requisite degree behind the title, therefore we sometimes lack the necessary knowledge to fulfill our role.

But there’s no need to go to school and get an “RN” after your name - many, many books are out there that will help you nurse your children back to health when they’re sick, and better yet, keep them healthy all year long!

My favorite books about health and wellness focus on the nutritional aspect of things, because I believe that what we eat is key to our overall health and well-being. If you’d like to broaden your understanding of our food and where it comes from, I highly recommend the following books and authors:

1. Michael Pollan

Ok, so this is one author with many books, and not just one book. If I had to narrow it down, I’d pick “In Defense of Food: The Eater’s Manifesto“, wherein he introduces his mantra, “Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” I always recommend Michael Pollan to people who have questions about food and nutrition, because he’s a journalist who is not afraid to dig down deep to the truth. He presents the evidence he finds, draws his conclusions, and invites you to draw yours. I find him to be the most balanced author on nutrition, without swinging to one extreme or another (for example, veganism vs Paleo).

2. The Maker’s Diet

This book was pivotal for me in terms of changing my approach to “healthy” food. I realized that at least half of what was in my refrigerator and pantry wasn’t even remotely healthy when I first read this book almost 10 years ago. While I don’t agree with all of the conclusions Jordan Rubin draws in The Maker’s Diet, I do believe his main points are all accurate and his diet is one everyone should consider adopting at one level or another.

3. The Healing Intelligence of Essential Oils

Anyone who wants to make use of essential oils in maintaining their family’s health will find this book invaluable. Kurt Schnaubelt, chemist and aromatherapist, is one of the leading experts on essential oils in America, and in The Healing Intelligence of Essential Oils, he clears up all the confusion surrounding oils with solid science and historical information.

Want to see what I’m reading? I’d love to see what YOU’RE reading! Join me at Goodreads, where I keep track of books I enjoy (and even books I don’t)! I’d love a sneak peek onto your bookshelf, too.

Join Our Summer Book Club!

Some blogging friends and I are going to spend the next six weeks talking all about reading… and sharing our favorite books with you! Follow our blogs to join in the discussion and find some new favorite books to love. We’ll also be chatting about our blog posts - and the books we love - in our Facebook community for women, Christian Homemaking Community.

Sharing at Grounded & Surrounded

Fruit Punch Ice Pops

July 2, 2015 By Anne Simpson

Oh the dog days of summer! Great for lying in the shade on a sultry day and enjoying an ice pop and hoping it helps cool you down.

Just not those nasty ones that are full of food dyes, fake colors, nasty sugars, and other assorted ickyness. They’re so easy to make yourself that there’s no need to resort to such.

Honestly? Making an ice pop is simply a matter of freezing juice in a lickable format. So if you have popsicle molds and juice, you’re in business. Even if you don’t have popsicle molds, you can make do with cups and craft sticks. The juice is kind of essential, though, no getting out of that one.

I have these Zoku Mini Pop molds which I actually bought at Michaels’ with a 40% off coupon, but you can also get them from Amazon with free shipping if you have Prime. They’re the perfect size for little mouths and quick snacks!

The Boyz created this recipe together as a Summer Camp at Home activity: they each chose 2 kinds of fruit and I determined the quantities. It turned out to taste exactly like fruit punch!

Recipe: Fruit Punch Ice Pops

Summary: a refreshing, all natural, super easy ice pop

Ingredients

1 apple
1 pear
1 cup grapes
1/2 cup cherries, pitted

Instructions

Slice the apple and pear in half.
Juice all the fruit in a juicer; alternatively you can place all the fruit in a high-powered blender and add just enough water to keep it moving through the blades, then blend until you have a liquid consistency. When using the blender, you may want to strain the juice.
Pour the juice into ice pop molds and freeze for several hours.
Enjoy!

Preparation time: 5 minute(s)

Sharing at Grounded & Surrounded, Try a New Recipe Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesday

3 Comments Filed Under: Home, On The Table, Snacks Tagged With: popsicles, recipe, snack, summer

Archives for July 2015

DIY Coffee Shop Drink: Maple Pecan Latte

Recipe: Maple Pecan Latte

Ingredients

Instructions

Crock Pot Greek Chicken

Recipe: Greek Chicken

Ingredients

Instructions

5 Unexpected Ways to Use Fresh Mint

5 Unexpected Ways to Use Fresh Mint

How to Wash Produce

How to Wash Your Produce (and save time and money in the process)

1. Fill the sink with water and some vinegar.

2. Rinse the produce in a colander.

3. Place the produce on a towel to dry.

Better than the Box - Chocolate Pudding

A Super Easy No-Cook Summer Meal

An Easy No-Cook Summer Meal

3 Health & Wellness Books Every Mom Should Read

1. Michael Pollan

2. The Maker’s Diet

3. The Healing Intelligence of Essential Oils

Join Our Summer Book Club!

Fruit Punch Ice Pops

Recipe: Fruit Punch Ice Pops

Ingredients

Instructions

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