Delicious DIY Ranch dressing powder and Italian dressing mix

My kids love ranch dressing, but I hate how processed and unhealthy it is when you buy it off the shelf.  So I started making my own from a recipe I found in Homeschool Magazine.  The best part is that I can make up a bunch of little packets (using baby food jars, or ziplocks) to have ready to go so that when I want ranch dressing all I have to do is add the spice mix to the mayo and yogurt.  I know traditionally ranch is made with mayo and milk, but using yogurt helps it not to spoil as fast and adds a healthy boost.  It really does taste good too.  Here is the recipe.

Ranch dressing mix
21/2 TBL dried minced onion
1 Tbl dried parsley
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Mix all together and throw into a clean baby food jar or ziplock baggie.

To make the dressing the healthier way that I do add the spice packet to 1/2 cup mayo and 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt.  If you like it the original way add 1 cup mayo and 1 cup buttermilk.  For dip mix it into greek yogurt in stead of sour cream for a rich and creamy dip.

For butter milk you can use regular milk but add 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar.

Here is a recipe from the same magazine for Italian dressing spice mix (makes a bulk mix).
1/2 C dried basil
1/4 C oregano
2 Tbl parsley
2 Tbl thyme
2 tsp dried minced garlic
Mix 2 tbs of this mix with 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tbs water, and 1/2 to 2/3 cup olive oil 
.
Happy mixing!  What are your favorite recipes for handmade mixes?

What To Do With 6 Gallons of Ready To Expire Milk

I know this is a crazy dilemma but some of you money saving mamas out there must have run into something similar.  Here is how it happened to me...
I answer the phone and a friend says she has some extra milk from the soup kitchen and would I like some.  I say "sure!".  I get off the phone assuming I have an extra gallon of milk.  In actuality she shows up with her husband behind her carrying a CASE, yes a case of milk.  Six gallons of milk packed into a milk crate soon made their way to my table.  I was grateful for the thought so I smiled and thanked them as they walked out the door.  After they had I left I stared at my table for a while... I use almond milk, and at my house we don't drink milk we just use it in cereal for the hubby and sometimes the kids.  I love free food though as our grocery budget is a tight one with 6 people. What was I going to do with 6 gallons of milk that by the expiration date were supposed to be drunk in the next few days!!

A friend just stopped by as I was writing this post.  Perfect I sent her home with 2 gallons!  That just leaves 4!  Now if you have a large enough freezer you could just freeze them all.  Some people complain that fat free milk separates a little after being frozen.  You can shake the milk as it is freezing every 30 - 60 minutes to try to stop that from happening.  I never have a problem with 2% or higher fat milks separating.

As far as the freezer goes though it doesn't work for me at the moment because I have been processing apples from a friends tree and have filled it with several bags of apple pie filling.  So I could only cram in 2 gallons after much rearranging.  With two in the freezer that leaves 2 to use up.  I am thinking a creamy soup like chowder for the majority of one gallon.  Since we are a family of 6 we always make a double batch of soup.  The other gallon is in my crock pot making Homemade thick and creamy yogurt.

Ok it is 1% milk so it will not be as thick as the yogurt I usually make, however it will be yummy drinkable yogurt for the kids, and handy for making Ranch Dressing from Scratch (recipe here), used as buttermilk in pancakes

( I LOVE the healthy delicious Oatmeal Pancakes we make) and other baked goods.  You can make a huge batch of pancakes if you have time to cook them all up and then freeze them for an easy breakfast.

I also will use some in place of half of the fat in homemade biscuits or scones .

 I also use yogurt as a great addition to my smoothies (my recipe here) (my recipe here) to add some tanginess and a protein boost.  Anytime you have ready to expire milk on hand it is a great idea to make yogurt because the fermentation process extends the life by at least 2 weeks or so.

Need a  few other ideas to use ready to expire milk?  How about making rice pudding, cooked pudding, baked oatmeal to eat and one to freeze, quiche, cream of whatever soup from scratch to use in recipes ( you can freeze it), or bread pudding like my delicious pumpkin bread pudding recipe!  Making flan would be a good use as well of any extra milk.  How do you use extra milk when you find it on super sale at the store or have some that needs used up soon?

Taking off the weight - What really works

Little Minnow (AKA Trek) now at 10 wks

With a masters degree in natural health and a love for all things healthy it is easy to give nutrition advice.  This time, however, after the birth of our fifth kiddo I find myself  14 pounds over my normal weight and needing to shed the weight myself.  So I am not only giving advice I am sharing what I am currently doing to help loose that weight myself.

I had our 5th child January 6th Trek Anderson Neeley.  I LOVE HIM TO PIECES!  He is so precious.  The one thing I do not love is the extra weight he left me with!  Now that he is a few months old I am working to take it all off.  I had 17 pounds to go when he was around 6-7 wks old.  I now have 14 lbs and am so glad it is not more!  One thing I noticed when searching the web for post natal weight loss ideas was that a lot of the tips were only helpful if you weren't already making healthy choices. Suggestions to give up soda and fast food although good ideas aren't that helpful if you already subscribe to a healthy lifestyle.  So if you haven't already start by eliminating the obvious junk like soda, candy, and processed foods.  Now if you are already past that I discovered there were not a lot of  new ideas really, just the same tried and true stuff that applies to all of healthy living.  So here is where I am at in the process and what I am doing to shed this weight as fast as possible!.

Make time for you!

The first thing I did to start that process was to get my sweet little minnow on a 2 1/2 to 3 hr feeding schedule so that I have the freedom to leave "little minnow" with daddy while I work out.  A bit of set aside time makes a big difference.  If you plan exercise ahead of time it will happen.  If you expect it to just happen it won't.

Drink to your health

I try to drink a lot of water and herbal tea and throw in some lemon to keep bloating at bay and detox the system.  I know you have all heard this a million times!  However keeping track of how much you drink a day and using a sports bottle with a straw really helps me.

Exercise

I joined a gym... That was a biggy for me as we don't have extra cash lying around with 5 kids, but it allows me to focus on working out and keeps me from having to stop every few minutes to help kiddos.  I try to go early before my husband leaves for work.  He is great about filling in for me that hour and gets the kids fed and going on their morning routine.  One thing that helps in that department is to have the kids know what is expected of them.  Every day is the same in that they all know to get dressed, make beds, and clean rooms up before breakfast.  Then they eat and do their chores (bathroom and dishes) before we start homeschool at 8 to 8:30.  So whether it is me or dad they can keep the morning moving along.

Find alternates to the gym that you can do if you can't get help with the kids. Here are a few I like..

SHAPE magazines Top 10 Moves to Tone Your Trouble Zones
Need to get rid of saddlebags, arm flab, or a muffin top? Use these moves to fight flab at home—and win!"

Workout at home with these workouts posted on my blog that don't require a gym or expensive equipment.

Work out with a video series like Turbo Jam, Insanity or P90X
Work out with free online workout videos from netflix, hulu, youtube, etc,,

Visit six sisters stuff a great blog for a complete list of 25 workouts you can just click on!  Thanks girls!
Grab your dumbells and throw a few reps in between commercials while you are watching TV at night.  Take the kids for a hike, push that huge stroller all over town, dance with the kids to pandora, or just set the timer for 30 minutes and do whatever exercises come to mind till it goes off.

Take advantage of FREE APPS that help you with free workouts, diet and exercise logs, motivate you or track your progress.  I like the free Nike Training Club app from itunes so far the best, but there is A LOT out there!

Photo from Total Beauty

Follow this link from Total Beauty for "12 apps that will make you skinny".  Great resource!

Exercise is a HUGE component to weight loss, and body shaping, but so is diet.  By diet I do not mean to go on one! Just adjust the quality of what you eat.  I follow these rules to keep me on track..

Try to skip as much as possible packaged pre-made foods. 

 When you do by packaged foods read labels.  All natural is a good start but even sugar can claim that so look a little deeper. Keep in mind if it is not organic and it is from a large company like kraft or gm the grains may be genetically modified since they are not required to label it as such.  So try to stick to organic.  I can't afford to do everything organic so I usually make a homemade version wherever possible

 Focus on what to eat not just what not to eat.  

I add extra veggies and beans to soups, casseroles, eggs, and most any dinner dish to up the nutrition, fiber and taste factor.  This is easier to do if you have a fridge stocked with veggies.  Right now I have cucumbers, carrots, beets, onions, garlic, celery, kale, spinach, mixed field greens, zucchini, mushrooms, and Tons of fruit in my fridge. That gives me and the kids a ton of snack options... I have lots of recipes here on this blog just check out this link to see the recipes from healthy egg rolls on the grill, homemade tortillas, to granola and other staples.  There are lots to be inspired by and they are all simple if I made them!

Go quality and eat those super foods!

I love adding quinoa, chia seeds, barley, nuts etc.. into snacks, muffins, smoothies, and meals to bump up the nutrition level.  I have a whole list of "newer" super foods on a previous post here "10 new super foods!"

Avoid white flour and white sugar

Choose whole grains and healthier sweeteners like stevia, xylitol, sucanat, and honey or date puree.  I have a whole article on all natural healthier sweeteners HERE at "The Sweet Stuff Line up" and it gives you the low down on chemical sweeteners as well. Stevia, xylitol, sucanat, and honey are all big hits at our house.  

Make it! don't buy it!

Lots of unwanted ingredients can easily be avoided by simply skipping the packaged version and making it yourself.  I make tortillas, ranch dressing mix , biscuit mix , pancake mix, tomato sauce, yogurt, granola bars, granola, humus, berry pancake syrup, smoothie packs for the freezer, Popsicles, frozen burritos, coconut milk ice cream, cough syrup, pizza sauce and crust, pumpkin spice lattes, you name it we make it!  You can find all these recipes HERE or search DIY kitchen at the side of the blog.  It saves a ton of money too!

Eat often and don't skip meals.

If you eat less you will weigh less right?  Well not exactly... You need to eat to fuel your nursing if you are a new mom, or to fuel your life and exercise.  Eat 6 small meals a day rather than 3 large ones with lots of snacks.  This keeps you full, helps you make better choices and keeps your blood sugar in check. 

Learn to cook!  It makes healthy eating so much yummier and creative!  

Eat fat and love it!

That is right... I said it...eat fat and like it!  The right fat that is.  You still want to skip that hydrogenated fat, but go for it with organic unrefined coconut oil.  Coconut oil is a delicious alternative to margarine and butter that you can bake and cook with.  We butter our toast with it and use it on everything.  It is so good for you I throw some in my smoothies!  Here is a longer explanation of all the health benefits of coconut oil and how to use it Here at an earlier post "One of nature's best healers! 20 NEW reasons to love coconut oil!  

Keep a food and exercise journal.

By keeping track of what you eat and when you get a real picture of your overall nutrition and can easily spot your weaknesses.  You can also spot when you tend to lapse in judgment and prep yourself for the next time.  I gotta say you think twice about that bite of chocolate cake if you are going to have to write it down.  Get a free printable fitness journal  from my blog  here fitness freebie -free printable fitness journal.

Rule out food intolerances.

Many people find gluten, wheat, dairy or other food intolerances to really hinder weightloss and their well being.  My digestion hasn't been good since baby arrived so I am avoiding lactose, and wheat for a while to see if I feel better and to get rid of the bloating.  These irritants often hamper weight loss as well.  Many people on gluten free diets have shown remarkable weight loss progress and great gains in their overall health.

Quit stressing about it!

I have to admit I struggle with this one.  Stress will slow your metabolism, increase the hormone cortisol which tells your body to retain weight around your belly, cause you to crave sweets, and  sabotage your efforts to make healthier choices.  So find an activity that helps you relax, take your B vitamins that stress depletes as well as your regular supplements, take a few deep breaths and find a few moments to thank the Lord for all the good in your life.  Gratitude melts stress, negativity and draws you closer to your creator.  

Loosing weight is a valid goal but try to relax and make choices that help you become healthier overall rather than choosing actions that lead to short term weight loss at the expense of your overall health.  

Enjoy who you are at any weight and remember you are so much more than the number on your scale!