Simple Homemade Tortillas

I have been making this bread every week, sometimes several times every week, for months now and it always turns out fantastic.

It is simple to do if you have the right equipment, it has simple ingredients, and it only takes 3 hours start to finish.

Simple Homemade Bread

This post may contain affiliate links.

Ingredients

1 scan Tablespoon yeast
1 pinch sugar
1.5 cups warm (not hot) water
3.25 cups flour
1 scant tablespoon sea salt

I hate smells. Well not all smells, but artificial, perfumy smells are not my thing. Unfortunately, depending on the weather, I cannot always open a window to air out odor. So to get rid of the smell, in the past we would spray room freshener. Then I take a towel or pillow and attempt to fan the scent out.

Not only are the smells of store-bought fresheners nauseating, but when you look at some of the ingredients, they might make you queazy as well.

Benzisothiazolinone - possible immune system toxicant; irritating to eyes, skin, or lungs; possible organ system toxicity for use around the mouth/on the lips.

Most homemade air fresheners have baking soda in them. I tried it and I did not like that. The problem was that the baking soda clogged up my spray and would never stay suspended in the liquid. So one batch I decided to leave it out and it worked great.

This air freshener smells 100 times better than a store-bought spray.

Ingredients
1 cup vodka - you can use any kind; don't waste the good stuff (I have however used the good stuff when I did not have any cheap vodka lying around. I don't think #1 noticed and I am helping his liver)
1 cup water
20 drops essential oil- I think peppermint is my favorite, but purification works great. There are really so many to choose from

Directions
Mix in a spray bottle and enjoy the smell of natural ingredients.

Making homemade barbecue sauce has been on my to-do list for a couple years. I love barbecue sauce, but hesitated to make my own because I thought it might be difficult, with a lot of ingredients. Making homemade barbecue sauce is actually quite simple. Plus you can control what ingredients and how much go into it.

This homemade molasses balsamic BBQ sauce is so much different than what you find in bottles. It is very tangy and not too sweet. Making homemade barbecue sauce is actually quite simple. Plus you can control what ingredients are used and how much go into it.

If you like sweet, you may have to add more sweetener. I have used both molasses and brown sugar. The molasses version here is actually a bit sweeter, but brown sugar works very well. 

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis Everyday Italian

Ingredients

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cup tomato paste
3 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp patis (or Worcestershire)
1 clove garlic - minced
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper

Directions

I followed her directions pretty much as is. I put all the ingredients in a sauce pan and cooked on med-low heat. I only simmered for about 5-10 minutes because I was using this on some slow cooker ribs. So I knew it would cook some more.

I am so glad I know how easy homemade barbecue sauce is now so that I don't have to scour the grocery aisle looking for some that is not made with high fructose corn syrup.

An easy way to incorporate healthier ingredients in your everyday cooking is to use homemade spices. I have put together a collection of 15 recipes from fellow bloggers on a variety of different spice mixes. Hopefully, you will find one or more that you would want to try.

Making homemade spice mixes is a great way to control the ingredients in your food and ensure you are eating real food with real ingredients.

Another nice thing about making homemade spice mix is that it will last a really long time. You could probably make a bunch every six months and then not have to worry about it again. Even though you might think spice mixes are just spices, sometimes they will add MSG (which is something a lot of people are sensitive too) or there might be more salt or sugar than to your liking.

If you want to take it a step further, I would suggest using organic spices for the ones that you use a lot. I like Simply Organic brand.

Need some ideas for homemade spices? Stay tuned. I will have a post with spice mix recipes. 

The other day I wanted a creamy, ranch like salad dressing.  I knew I did not have any buttermilk, but that was fine. I would make a recipe similar, the essence of ranch without the tradition.

I created this dressing using mayo, 1/2 and 1/2 and a bunch of spices. Yet when I tasted it, there was something missing. I thought it needed an acid to balance it out. So a splashed some apple cider vinegar in. That is exactly what it needed.

After I made this I realized, I actually kind of did make a buttermilk ranch dressing. When a recipe calls for buttermilk and you do not have any, you can add some vinegar to milk. Hence, my no buttermilk "buttermilk" ranch dressing.

No Buttermilk "Buttermilk" Ranch Dressing

1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup half and half
2 pinches salt
Pinch pepper
pinch parsley
pinch thyme
pinch oregano
pinch dry mustard
pinch dill
Splash Apple Cider Vinegar (affiliate link)

Directions: 

Today's 5 for Friday highlights 5 homemade granola recipes. Oats are a great addition to your real food journey. You can read more about them here.

1. Homemade "nutella" granola - I posted this recipe yesterday. I love chocolate-hazelnut spread and am always looking for unique ways to use it.
2. Coconut Granola Clusters - I love the technique Barbarabakes.com uses to make clusters
3. Double-Chocolate, Almond, and Coconut Granola - This granola from Brighteyedbaker.com is packed with antioxidants. (see how I justified it there, you're welcome!)
4. Quinoa Granola - One of my other favorite grains - quinoa. A great addition to granola from savorysimple.net.
5. Healthy homemade granola - this recipe from mynaturalfamily.com uses steel cut oats as a base.

linked to Talent Show Tuesday

This week's real food abc was about that wonderful chocolate hazelnut spread. If you missed it, I found some great versions that you can buy that are not filled with scary ingredients.

However, some of you may want to try to make it yourself from scratch. So here are 5 homemade nutella recipes.

1. From reclaiming provincial - Homemade Nutella - I love the story behind how she decided to create this recipe.
2. From Minimalist baker - Homemade Vegan Nutella - Only 5 ingredients in this vegan version.
3. From The Coconut Mama - Homemade Nutella - Here is another way to incorporate more coconut oil in your diet.
4. From Pastry Chef Online - Shewtella - This version is made with cashews instead of hazelnuts.
5. From The Nourished Caveman - Homemade Nutella - This version uses organic cultured butter!

When you think of an easy meal that you can just open a box and quickly prepare I am sure mac and cheese comes to mind. Unfortunately, boxed mac and cheese has many questionable ingredients. Case in point:

Since pumpkin season is now upon us, and I am in the midst of my Real Food ABC's, I wanted to include a "real food" pumpkin recipe. Although ice cream is more of a summer treat, I don't deny myself some at other times of the year. And of course, walking in to a grocery store, the freezer aisle has an endless amount for sale.

The other day at the store I noticed some seasonal pumpkin ice cream available. As I often do, I had to turn it over to look at the ingredients.


19 ingredients in the store-bought version. And although not all of those ingredients are weird and/or scary, there are still a lot of them. Especially when you compare the ingredients in the homemade version vs the un-homemade.

6 ingredients vs. 19

You can still have a yummy real food treat and avoid the over-processed products by making things at home.

A special thank you goes out to my sister. She actually made the ice cream for this post and photographed it for me. She used her KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment. (affiliate link) The recipe also came from KitchenAid.

When it comes to toiletries and beauty products, I would say I am about 80% natural 20% conventional. (I really do not want to give up my Diorshow) One way I have decreased the scary chemicals I am exposed to is by making homemade toothpaste.

This toothpaste only has 3 ingredients. Although you can find a lot of variations around the web and on Pinterest, I have played with the formula a bit to get what I think is the best consistency.

This post may contain affiliate links. 

I love my crock pot and I love freezer cooking. Over the last couple weeks I combined them and filled my freezer with food. 


This is what I did over 5 days plus a bonus day the next week:

Sunday - homemade spaghetti sauce using fresh tomatoes
Monday - cooked ~5 1/2 pounds taco meat. Used ~ 1 pound for dinner and froze four 1-pound portions
Tuesday - crock pot chicken - ate some for dinner and froze the leftover meat which will be enough for 2 meals
Wednesday - zucchini lasagna - didn't really turn out as expected, but it made a great side dish and I was able to freeze enough to use as a pasta sauce
Thursday - Carnitas - ate some for dinner and was able to save another portion for another dinner

So just in those 5 days I was able to freeze 9 items. The weekend was a holiday weekend and we were out and about, but then...

Tuesday - sausage and carrots - ate some for dinner - froze two dinner portions.

So that makes 11 freezer items in 10 days!


And besides the Sunday where I made tomato sauce, the rest of the days did not require any extra prep work from what I would have normally done for dinner.

Hope this inspires you to try some freezer cooking using your crock pot. 

Besides my crockpot, I also love these tools. They make cooking so much easier. 

Awhile ago (sorry it has taken so long) my brother asked me how long the homemade dressings I make will last. I usually do not have much leftover, or when I do I use it up the next day. However, I decided to make a list in case you want to double or triple some of the recipes so that you always have homemade on hand.


Please note that this only gives you an approximate shelf life. Many factors can and will influence how long food can last.

This is a simple, slow cooker yogurt that is dairy-free and almost fool-proof. If you are sensitive to dairy or just want to mix things up, this is a great recipe to try. Prep it at night, stick it in an oven, and in the morning you will have coconut milk yogurt.

I decided to try making yogurt with coconut milk since we have a dairy-sensitive little one. I have been making homemade yogurt for about a year now in my slow cooker. It is super easy. If you are intimidated by the thought, rest assured that it is almost fool-proof.




The first time I made the coconut milk version it was a fail because I used the wrong type of coconut milk. I used a coconut milk beverage. From everything I have read about making it, it is very important to use the stuff in the cans.

You can buy coconut milk here.

For my version, I used my slow cooker and a candy thermometer. 

Ingredients:
2 cans coconut milk
2 1/2 teaspoons of Gelatin 
~1/2 Tbsp honey
~1/2 cup plain yogurt (any kind with active cultures is fine)

Directions: 
Heat up the coconut milk in the slow cooker until it reaches 180 degrees. Turn off slow cooker and add in the gelatin and the honey and stir until dissolved. Let cool until ~105-115 degrees.

Take about a cup of the warmed coconut milk from the slow cooker and in a separate bowl add the yogurt. (You might not even have to do this step, but you don't want to shock your good bacteria. Just like slowly stepping in a hot tub to get your body used to it, that is what you are doing for the bacteria.)

Add the yogurt/coconut milk mixture to the slow cooker and stir. Cover and place in a warm location for about 12-16 hours. I always put mine in our oven with the light on and it works great. You can even wrap it in a towel to ensure that it stays warm and incubates.

In the morning it will have a slightly sour taste, but it will be very runny. It needs to be cooled in order to gel up. Once it cools in the fridge, it will be thick like yogurt, so do not be discouraged if it looks the same in the morning as it did in the evening.

Check out my post on how to make slow cooker Greek yogurt.

This enchilada sauce came about because of laziness. I didn't want to go to the grocery store. I figured I could make some homemade enchilada sauce. I had no idea it would be so spicy. I couldn't even use it, and had to buy some anyway. :) However, the flavors are great and #1 loved it as a side sauce. I even added a bit to some sour cream so that I could enjoy it as well.

I used this recipe as my inspiration. The directions are pretty much the same, but my ingredients did vary a bit.

Ingedients-ish
~1/4 cup oil
~2 Tbsp flour
~2 scant Tbsp chipotle chili powder (this is what took it over the edge. Feel free to use less and add more later)
~12 ounces tomato sauce
~1 cup water
The following I did not really measure:
Cumin - maybe 1 teaspoon
Cocoa - maybe 1/2  teaspoon
Onion flakes - maybe 1 teaspoon
Garlic powder - maybe 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - a pinch

I will definitely make this again. Just with less chipotle powder.

linked to Whimsy Wednesday, Fresh Foods Wednesday

I have to admit I am not a fan of hummus. It never really appealed to me. But #1 likes it, and since I have been making it homemade, it is starting to grow on me. This is a really simple recipe but tastes great.

Once again I used Dyno-moms taco seasoning. I now always have some on hand to add to different dishes. If you haven't yet checked it out, you must!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chickpeas - I used dried and soaked them overnight
~1 cup light olive oil
~ 1/2 cup lime juice
1 heaping Tbsp Dyno-moms taco seasoning

Directions
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. I started off with less olive oil and lime juice, but as I went along the hummus was too chunky and gritty. So I added more liquid as I needed and tasted as I went along. You may also want to add less seasoning and taste as you go. It can get spicy.

If you like this recipe you might enjoy my creamy taco dressing.

Ingredients: high fructose corn syrup, water, cider vinegar, dijon mustard (black mustard seeds, vinegar, white wine, salt, spices), honey, potato starch, cellulose gel, cellulose gum, mustard flour, salt, mustard (cider vinegar, mustard, water, salt, propylene glycol, alginate, oil of pepper), lemon juice concentrate, brown mustard seed, potassium sorbate as a preservative, xanthan gum, granulated onion, caramel color, granulated garlic.

1 tsp dijon

1 tsp  honey

Just whisk all the ingredients together.

* NOTE: I totally forgot I had already done a lemon dijon dressing a few months ago. They are very similar, but again I think it just reiterates how easy it is to make your own and you don't even have to worry if you don't have all the ingredients on hand. Just improvise!