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Monday, February 8, 2016

A Worry-Free Date Night and a Better For You Pub Mix Recipe #DataAndAMovie #ad #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #DataAndAMovie #CollectiveBias
There are a lot of things about my kids growing up that make me a little weepy and nostalgic, but it's also really great to watch them maturing into responsible young men and women. In the last couple years, I've had to give up a bit of my mommy freakout and let my teens grab hold of a little independence. One great thing about having older teens is the freedom it gives Jamie and I to have a date night now and then. With our affordable Walmart Family Mobile PLUS plan, we feel comfortable leaving our teens in charge because they have a dependable way to reach us, if needed.

The Walmart Family Mobile PLUS plan features Unlimited Talk, Text, and Data. It includes up to 10GB of 4G LTE data PLUS a free movie rental on VUDU every month per line for just $49.88. Sometimes I need to keep up with my social media while I'm out, so I love having the extra data. The affordability of the plan means we can have an extra phone at home so the kids can reach us while we're out. Even though we have contacts saved in the phone, I still leave a list of numbers and info. for them. This makes it easier for them to just pick up and dial if there's an issue and they're upset. It's also easier for the youngest kids to just type in a number rather than try to navigate my contacts. 

While nights out are fun, usually we want to stay in and have a date night at home. We put the kids to bed early, make a simple snack, and play a game or watch a movie. 
If you're like us and prefer an at-home movie night, this is a great time to take advantage of the new Walmart Family Mobile PLUS plan and get a free monthly movie rental to boot!  

Back in the day, (like 1998) Jamie and I loved to browse the video rental stores and pick up a stack of VHS tapes to watch over the weekend. The 5 for $5 nights were the best! It's funny---we're the only generation who experienced that. Our teenage selves never imagined we'd soon be able to rent a movie and watch it without ever leaving our home. Usually our teens choose what's on the TV in the evenings but we'll have to wrestle it away from them when it's time for our VUDU movies!

We love putting together fun snack mixes for our at-home movie nights. Here's a great one that features some of my favorite better-for-you snacks.

Better For You Crunchy Pub Mix
2 c. veggie chips
3 c. sour cream & onion puffed corn
2 c. miniature pretzels
1 c. mixed nuts

I found the LG Leon LTE on Rollback for $69.82 (originally $99.82). When you go to pick up your phone, make sure you get a $25 starter kit, as well (located right above the phones). You can set up your service in the store or online. You can find a selection of phones and Walmart Family Mobile plans in the electronics section of your local Walmart.

Be sure to check out the Walmart Family Mobile PLUS plan and let me know what fun things you like to do on a date night at home!

Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to http://cbi.as/28aqc or your local Walmart for current pricing.


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Monday, February 1, 2016

Homemade Chicken Stock & Broth -- Trim Healthy Mama Recipe

So what's the difference between stock and broth? Aren't they interchangeable? No. It's all about the seasoning. Stock is what you get from simmering the scraps of the meat, along with any vegetables you throw in. Broth is made when you add herbs and spices to season the stock.

Much of my cooking the last few years has involved various forms of soups and stews. When you've got a good broth base, a little bit of food can stretch a long way in a hearty soup. At first, I'd buy cans of broth---but when I was buying eight or more cans per meal, storage became an issue. Then I switched to bouillon cubes or granules---but the additives made me nervous and I had little control over the flavor. Last year, I started making my own stock and found it to be the least expensive, most flavorful, and healthiest option I'd tried. In fact, I spend just pennies every time I make a huge stock pot full, as I use scraps* that I've saved in the freezer.

Homemade Chicken Stock
Chicken, Vegetable, & Herb Scraps (frozen or thawed---doesn't matter)
3-4 bay leaves
splash of vinegar
water
large stock pot

Making your own stock is so simple that I feel a little silly writing this out. Still, it's something I didn't start doing until my mid-30s so I've got to assume this information will be valuable! So basically, just put your chicken, veggie & herb scraps, splash of vinegar (to draw out more nutrients from the chicken carcass) and bay leaves in the pot and fill it with water within 3 or 4 inches from the top. You don't have to cut anything up---just put it in there frozen, if you'd like. Put the pot on a back burner to boil. Once you've got a good boil going, turn it down to simmer and leave it for several hours. You'll know it's done when you've lost a few inches of water and the water has turned a beautiful golden color.

I use two straining methods to remove the scraps from the broth. I use my vegetable colander for the first straining, gently pouring the stock, a little at a time, through the colander and into a roasting pan. I throw the scraps away at this point, and then I clean out the stock pot and pour the mixture back into it---this time using a fine mesh sieve to get out the smaller stuff.

Now you can bag it in quart size bags and freeze, or preserve it in jars with a pressure canner. I'm thinking I'll start saving plastic food containers to reuse, but for now I use quart size bags. I usually get 5-6 quarts of stock each time I make this. I stand them up inside a baking pan and let them freeze, then I retrieve my baking pan and I'm good to go.

Using the stock is simple...just remember to thaw first!

When you're ready to use it as a broth base, add your own blend of seasonings. Some that we love include: salt, pepper, bay leaves, garlic, thyme, basil, and marjoram. I don't add any extra salt or seasonings when I'm making the stock because I don't always know what I'm going to use it for. This also helps me not over-salt the soup as I don't have to remember whether or not I salted each batch.

*A note on scraps:

Chicken: Oftentimes, I pick up a rotisserie chicken from Walmart to use in chicken taco salad or our favorite creamy chicken soup. If I go during the right time of day, I can get one from the day before at half price (about $2.50). I save the bones and skin from these in the freezer in a gallon-size freezer bag until I have saved up enough vegetable scraps to make the broth. Of course, you can always just pick up some fresh chicken on sale---but be sure to buy it bone-in and boil for awhile to get all the important nutrients out of the bones.

Vegetables: We always have a simple vegetable tray made up to serve with lunches. Usually just carrots and celery, with a separate bowl of cucumbers. When the carrots and celery start to dry out or turn a little brown at the edges, I put them in the freezer bag with the chicken bones. Onion scraps often come from leftovers on hamburger night (tomatoes, too) or from the other half of the onion when a recipe only calls for a small bit (this is becoming rarer---ha!).

Herbs: use stems and "less fresh" herbs from your garden.

Once you get in the habit of saving scraps, you'll find that there are actually lots of things you'd normally throw away that can be saved for a soup base or even a casserole.

Thanks for visiting the Homemaking Party! Have a beautiful week!

Looking for more great Trim Healthy Mama Recipes? Try these! 
Got one to share? Let me know and I'll add it to the list.

 THM Lunches & Dinners

 Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken
Pork Egg Roll in a Bowl
Spaghetti Squash Casserole (No Pasta Spaghetti)
20 Squash Recipes
Baked Spinach and Pepperjack Chicken

 THM Breakfasts

 List of THM Breakfast Ideas
Chicken Ranch Omelette

 THM Treats
Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy

 THM Misc.
Homemade Ranch Dressing
Make Your Own Chicken Stock & Broth
Zesty Burger Spread

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Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Homemade Ranch Dip & Dressing Mix

Long ago, I discovered that my children will eat all kinds of fresh vegetables if they've got ranch dressing to dip them in! 

My kids love dipping carrots, celery, cucumbers, and more in ranch dip. When I was a younger mom, I thought this was a great idea and bottles of cheap, store-brand dressing were a necessary item on each week's grocery list. Now that our family has become more health-conscious, I'm trying to replace much of the processed, chemical-laced, sugar-filled products we used to use with things that are homemade. This saves money, uses a safer recipe with ingredients that I've put in myself, and gives me a sense of accomplishment knowing I've taken the time to make a healthier alternative for my family.

A couple years ago, I started making my own ranch seasoning mix and I use it whenever I need dressing, dip, or a ranch flavor in a meat or salad recipe. I buy very inexpensive seasonings at Walmart or Aldi for less than a dollar each---but I don't scrimp on my dill. The dill is what makes or breaks it, in my opinion, so I use the best quality I can find. If you grow your own, that's even better! When I'm ready to mix up a dressing or dip, I use sour cream, liquid cream or milk, and lemon juice. 

Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix
1 1/2 c. dried parsley
3/4 c. onion powder
1/4 c. each of salt, pepper, dill, and garlic powder

Mix all dry ingredients together (I use a whisk) well and store in an air-tight container (I use a Mason jar with a screw-on lid). Do not store dry mix in the refrigerator or freezer.

Homemade Ranch Dip
2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. milk or liquid cream
1 TB. lemon juice
2 TB. ranch seasoning mix 

Homemade Ranch Dressing
1 c. milk or liquid cream
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1 TB. lemon juice
2 TB. ranch seasoning mix

Both recipes must be stored in the refrigerator. You can substitute mayonnaise or yogurt for some of the sour cream, if needed. I've even used water for some of the liquid, in a pinch. As far as expirations go, I just use the closest expiration date between the dairy products.

I like to use full-fat dairy products in my home. Often times, fat is replaced with sugar in low-fat products and healthy fats can be very beneficial to our bodies---definitely more so than sugar! The recipe will turn out fine whether you choose to use full-fat or nonfat products, so don't let that keep you from making your dips and dressings in a way that suits your unique family.

Thanks for stopping by The Homemaking Party! I can't wait to see what you've got to share!
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