Wednesday "Word"... Jar

http://www.pinterest.com/savorthethyme/food-in-a-jar/

http://www.pinterest.com/mom_md/food-in-a-jar/ 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/25/meals-in-a-jar_n_1699545.html 

     I use a lot of jars to store my food in, in an effort to use less plastic. Some are Mason Jars and some are just jars that I've cleaned out after the peanut butter, salsa, jelly is gone.  I also like to use them to carry my snack or a meal when I am going out. The links above gives you lots of ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even gifts that can be made and stored in a jar.

      Its about trying new ideas, experimenting with new ways to "play" with your food. Let it be fun and exciting and as always, if it this doesn't work for you... take what you like and leave the rest. But try one or two recipes and see what you think. This would be a fun project to do with some friends or your kids. Or plan your family and friends birthday gift - in a jar!

Thursday " Tip "... Seasoning

     I had mentioned in an earlier post on January 7, 2015 http://whole-food-living.blogspot.com/2015/01/wednesday-word-essentials.html about four essential spices to have in your pantry. Another good tip is making your own spice mixes. The ones in the store usually start with salt as the main ingredient, as well as added preservatives. So by making some of your own you can control the amounts and freshness.
      Seasoning salt is a fun one to mix up and put together. You can put on your french fries, sprinkle on your cooked vegetables and chicken, your popcorn and basically anything you would sprinkle salt on. Many considerate this an "all purpose" salt.

Homemade Season Salt

2 Tablespoons Salt

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1 teaspoon Paprika

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric

1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder

Other variations to add in:

celery seed

curry powder

dried thyme

dried oregano

dried mustard

cumin

Mix all ingredients and store in container.

*Note- you could put more of each spice to double the batch and leave the salt as is or leave out altogether.

It's your seasoning mix, tweak it to fit your taste, but most of all, have fun doing it!

Friday "Fun" - Freeze Pops...

Homemade Freeze Pops

I came across these "Zipzicle" http://www.amazon.com/Zipzicle-Patent-D614043-Zip-Top-Ice-Pop/dp/B00CE1PQDE  and it reminded me of childhood fun. My children are older now, but with it being the middle of summer, I thought they would be a FUN cool treat for any age.  I love the idea that I can fill them with whatever I want and I know what the ingredients is. No dyes of any kind and even though they have some sugar each one has very little over all. They were inexpensive to purchase and reusable! If your looking for some different ingredients ideas just look online. Be creative and share what you filled yours with!

If you would like help reading labels, shopping and/or making meal planning easy contact me athttp://www.wholefood-living.com/contact.html