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DIY Day: Taco Seasoning

February 8, 2012 in DIY Day with 0 Comments

In the Wise household, we LOVE tacos!  Good thing, too, as taco night happens fairly frequently.  It’s quick, easy and a crowd favorite.  Plus, there are usually leftovers which makes for a happy 2 year old!

A few months ago I started reading the label on taco seasoning packets. When I couldn’t read some ingredients (or understand why they would be in taco seasoning!) and noted many packets contained MSG, I set out to find the tastiest homemade taco seasoning.  Lucky for you if you’re a taco fan… we have a winner!!  In addition to these seasonings likely already being in your cupboard, I bet no one in your family will notice the difference.  The great thing about this, too, is that between the cayenne pepper, chili powder and crushed red pepper, you can make this seasoning as mild or as hot as you like!  With Finn in the house, we go fairly mild, which the below recipe is, but feel free to spice it up as you’d like!

DIY Taco Seasoning:
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (can add more to taste)
2 tsp chili powder (can add more to taste)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp paprika
Dash of pepper
1/2 tsp salt
(Optional) Crushed red pepper to add spice (I add 2-3 good shakes)

Proceed just as you would if this were the little grocery store packet.  Add above seasonings to 1/2 cup-1 cup water (I use 3/4 cup) while your ground beef or turkey browns. Once brown, add liquid mixture and bring just to a boil. Lower the heat and let the meat simmer until the water is absorbed and spices soaked into the meat.

Taco night for me is more like taco salad night, where Justin love his shells.  In addition to the meat, I load up on romaine lettuce, black olives, a few crushed Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips, cheese, fresh tomatoes, corn and avocado (which I forget this week – shoot!). I mix a dip of sour cream with Amy’s Mild Salsa to add to the top like “dressing.”

As mentioned, the hubs does enjoy taco shells, so I buy shells for him.  He also adds black beans.

I have found a few recipes for homemade tortillas but haven’t had time to test them out.  Anyone have a tried and true homemade tortilla or taco shell recipe?  I’ll test those out in the months ahead.   Will let you know how they go over!

Happy, healthy taco seasoning nights from now on!

Have a great DIY recipe I must try?  Pass it along!  I’d love to try it!

DIY Day: Pizza Dough

February 1, 2012 in DIY Day with 0 Comments

It was always “Friday night pizza night” growing up. My parents usually ordered a family meal which included pizza, a pasta side, garlic or cinnamon sticks, salad and pop. Carb overload, anyone? Whoever happened to be at our house was welcome (and encouraged) to stay. This usually was my best friend Erin, my partner in crime Megan, or one of our neighbors. “Friday night pizza night” was one of those great constants growing up. Even today, if we’re back in Omaha on Friday night, sure as the sky is blue, it’s pizza night!

I have such great memories of Friday nights from high school. I’d head home from school and veg for an hour on the couch (or gabbing on the mega-cordless phone) before getting ready to cheer on my Mustang football boys. As a late-90′s high school cheerleader, it was quite the process to doll-up, too… the higher the poof, the curlier the pony, the more glittery the make-up, the better off you were. Just fact. Erin or Megan and I would shovel in “Friday night pizza night” and then fly out the door to the field. Crisp fall air still conjures up great memories for me of high school!

Anyway… thanks to my pizza-loving husband, “Friday night pizza night” marches on! We used to buy a frozen pizza because we thought that was somehow healthier than delivery, but we’ve wised up and started a new tradition: homemade pizzas! And as any pizza connoisseur knows, a great pizza starts with a great crust.  Here’s our favorite, simplest recipie:

“Healthified” Pizza Crust
1 1/3 cup unbleached flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk (cow’s, almond, coconut… your choice)
2 Tbsp olive oil

Heat oven to 400°F. Mix dry ingredients, then stir in milk and oil until the dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add a few more Tbsps of milk. Knead dough 10-15 times on a lightly floured surface. Ball the dough up, put it back in the bowl and cover it for 10-12 minutes. Flatten dough on an ungreased cookie sheet or pizza pan. The dough should roll out to a 12-inch round pie. Bake for 5 minutes before adding toppings.

Add toppings and bake an additional 12-18 minutes, depending on how “done” you like your crust.

For a basic Wise pizza, follow these instructions:
Once the pre-bake is done, brush olive oil over the dough.
Cover pie in sauce (sauce recommendation below) and lightly sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Chop up a clove of fresh garlic and sprinkle over the pie.
Add toppings. We go 1/2-1/2 here… I go simple with organic mozzarella cheese, fresh mushrooms and tomatoes. Justin adds cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, green olives, deli pepperoni and more cheese.

If you’re buying sauce, look for a pizza sauce with as few ingredients as possible, or at least all ingredients that you can read. Avoid any sauce that contains “high fructose corn syrup” and, if it’s an ingredient, try and ensure “sugar” isn’t one the first few ingredients. Our tried and true favorite is Gino’s. It’s local, it’s delicious, and it’s filled with a readable ingredient list!

 

With Finn’s allergies, we make him a small pizza using the above dough and almond milk. We top with olive oil, sauce, deli pepperoni, mushrooms and almond cheese. Even with allergies, Finn loves pizza night as much as we do. Plus, he has started helping make his own pizza which is a treat in itself!

Here’s to delicious pies all around!

DIY Day: Glass Stovetop Cleaner

January 25, 2012 in DIY Day with 1 Comment

Who has a glasstop stove and HATES cleaning the glasstop stove? If we were facing one another now, you would see both my arms in the air waving frantically as I jump up and down. I mean, I HATE cleaning that thing because no matter what I buy or how hard I scrub, the dumb thing NEVER looks clean. Add to the fact our stovetop is black, which shows EVERY burn, stain, crumb and dust particle.

Thanks (again) to Pinterest, we have a solution! Behind the Stuido posted incredibly easy, step-by-step instructions using hot water, soap, and baking soda.

No need for me to retype Jayna’s great instructions, just hop over to her DIY post and follow the steps.

My stove was a hot mess! After the first soak, it looked alot better but still needed some love. It took letting the hot (think scalding) soapy water soak into the baking soda twice before it really cleaned up the mess, so don’t be alarmed if it looks like a little more elbow grease is in order after the first scrub. The result is well worth your time!

Happy Cleaning!

DIY Day: Play dough

January 18, 2012 in DIY Day with 0 Comments

What child doesn’t love a little play dough action?  Finn is just getting into it and he LOVES making animals!

Thanks to a shared recipe from my neighbor, now we can let our kiddos play assured some random non-editable toxic ingredient in some doughs won’t end up becoming mouth putty.  I am told the taste of this dough is so atrocious that once a child puts it in his/her mouth, he/she probably won’t be making that choice a second time.

Plus, it’s cheap.  Holla!

DIY Play dough

2 c flour
1 c salt
1 t cream of tarter
1 pkg Kool-aid (for color or could use 4-6 drops of food coloring*)
2 c water
2 T (or more) vegetable oil

Mix dry ingredients together.

Bring water and salad oil to a boil and pour over dry mixture.  Stir.

Knead when cool enough to handle.  Add more oil (not water) if dough is too dry.

* My neighbor told me the more a child plays with the play dough, the more intense the color will become when using food coloring. *

 

 

 

 

DIY Day: Subway Art

January 11, 2012 in DIY Day with 3 Comments

I’m a terrible decorator.  Just terrible.  I envy people who can step into a room and “see” all the possibilities.  I step in a room and see whatever is there and think it’s probably pretty perfect.  But, Pinterest has inspired me to take a few (2 inch) risks to be bolder and crazier with our cozy little home.  One of the things we desperately needed in our house was artwork.  The walls were fairly bare outside a few mirrors and framed photos.  I thought it was keeping things simple.  My husband thought otherwise :)

I like things to change.  I like seasons and holidays and being festive, but I’m also incredibly frugal and just refuse to spend big bucks on decorations for Valentines Day, St. Patricks, Easter, etc.  We have a few for each holiday, but what better way to tie it all together than with a sweet little framed piece of art?

Eighteen25 was a FIND for me in this area with their downloadable Subway Art.

A fun frame from Kohl’s, a late-night run to Kinko’s and BAM… call me Mrs. Crafty! Actually, don’t.

Trust me, if you’re looking for something to just fill a little space, or maybe a fun changeable piece for a bathroom, Subway Art is where it’s at!

* The image framed below is actually the only piece I printed from another site and is currently in our frame.  It’s from the Side by Side blog. Go to the download link under the image for this color version. The Eighteen25 art fills the entire 8×10 area. *

 

DIY Day: Egg Substitute

December 21, 2011 in DIY Day with 2 Comments

As I’ve shared before, Finn has allergies.  He is currently allergic to eggs, dairy and peanuts.  Although we hope he will grow out of these allergies one day, there are no guarantees.  It makes dinners and events incredibly difficult.  In our house, we’re getting creative about what we eat as we eat as a family.  I don’t want to make a separate meal for Finn, so Justin and I have adopted some new ways of eating.  I was recently given some great baking substitute options for those who can’t or don’t eat eggs.

To date, I haven’t tried these recipes yet, but plan to do so in the future.  Do you have an egg allergy in your home or use an egg substitute?  If so, I’d love to hear your options!

DIY: Egg Substitute

For each egg, substitute one of the following in recipes. These substitutes work well when baking from scratch and substituting 1 to 3 eggs.

  • 1 tsp. yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 1/2 T. water, 1 1/2 T. oil, 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 packet gelatin, 2 T. warm water. Do not mix until ready to use.
Have a great DIY recipe I must try?  Pass it along!  I’d love to try it!

DIY Day: Swiffer Liquid

December 14, 2011 in DIY Day with 0 Comments

REBELS! We broke the rules recently!

Every Sunday night, I sweep and wash the kitchen floor.  With a 2-year-old on the loose, it’s pretty much a necessity!  In fact, it could stand to be washed more often now that winter is in full swing, but I’m simply too lazy to do this dreaded chore more than once a week. Ya dig? I was getting tired of buying the Swiffer solution as – no surprise – we seem to go through it pretty regularly.  So, we broke the rules!

Justin followed these simple steps to pop the cap off the “DO NOT REMOVE” top. The cap has warning labels all over the darn thing about not popping the top or using other solution. Clearly, a ploy to keep you coming back to well of Swiffer solution, but no longer! Follow these simple steps and remove the top.

I then whipped up a batch of my homemade all-purpose solution to add to the bottle.  Let me tell you, though, cut the vinegar!  It was so strong and left streaks on our faux-wood laminate.  I think the streaks were a combination of the vinegar and baking soda, so I made some slight modifications for batch #2.

DIY: Swiffer Solution

2 teaspoon dish soap (all-natural or Earth-friendly product recommended)
1 1/2 tablespoons baking soda
5 cups warm water
1/2 tablespoon essential oil (lemon or eucalyptus work well)
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

I have heard some people make their own Swiffer cloths.  I’ve yet to venture down this road, so if you have a good suggestion, I’d love to hear about it.

Good luck and happy sweeping!

Have a great DIY recipe I must try? Pass it along.  I’d love to try it!

DIY Day: All-Purpose Cleaner

December 7, 2011 in DIY Day with 5 Comments

Back again with another household cleaner.  Like the DIY glass cleaner recipe, I’ve been using this cleaner for a few years now.  We mainly use it in the kitchen and bathrooms.  Again, this is a simple, cost-effective, non-toxic way to clean.  This is especially great for houses with little ones!

DIY: All-Purpose Cleaner

1 teaspoon dish soap (all-natural or Earth-friendly product recommended)
2 tablespoons baking soda
4 cups warm water
1/2 tablespoon essential oil (lemon or eucalyptus work well)
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

Mix all ingredients together and then transfer to a spray bottle (32 ounce or larger) using a funnel.  If the baking soda leaves a residue (I haven’t had this issue), add a little more water or vinegar and reduce soda in the next batch.

Do not double if your bottle is 32 ounces.  A half batch will suffice for a 32 ounce bottle, or make the full batch and have 2 bottles to fill.

 

 

 

DIY Day: Glass Cleaner

November 30, 2011 in DIY Day with 2 Comments

Since becoming a stay-at-home Mom, we’ve become more frugal and more creative at our house!  I’ve also started obsessing educating myself on what’s really in most of the products we eat, apply to our bodies, or use to clean.  As a result, I’ve started quite a few DIY projects in our home.  Justin sometimes quietly rolls his eyes and chuckles but is so supportive of my relentless drive to find healthier, cheaper alternatives to how we spend money.  As I find a new DIY recipe that works wonders for us, I’ll share it here.  First up, the endlessly used GLASS CLEANER for toddler moms!

Fingers are everywhere in this house which means smudges and smears on all glass.  I’ve been making this glass cleaner for a few years and won’t go back to more expensive, toxic cleaners.  Plus, it’s incredibly simple and makes plenty to get you through a few months (depending on how frequently you clean).  Depending on the size spray bottle you have, it’s easy enough to double this recipe, too.

 

DIY Glass Cleaner

1 cup water
1 teaspoon essential oil (I use lemon)
1 cup distilled white vinegar (buy the biggest bottle you can – you’ll use it for other DIY cleaners)

Mix ingredients in a bowl and use a funnel to transfer to a large spray bottle (ours is 32 ounces)

If you have used traditional cleaners, you might have to clean your glass twice the first time to remove the lingering residue.

 

Have a great DIY recipe I must try?  Pass it along!  I’d love to try it!