Stovetop Christmas Gift

Here’s a really great last minute Christmas idea that is a non food item, perfect for this year. I ran out yesterday and got the items in bulk from the grocery store and then ran by to dollar tree for some really cute containers. Originally I was going to do them in 32 oz mason jars but they seem to be sold out everywhere. I was determined to make this happen though because this was one of my favorite gifts I received last year. The Following is just an estimate, you can add as much or as little of the ingredients that you want.

Here’s what you need for each jar/container:

2 1/2 tangerines quartered

2-3 cinnamon sticks

about a 1/2 Tbsp whole cloves

2 tsps pure vanilla extract

Chopped up ginger root

a large handful and a couple more of cranberries

a couple of springs of fresh greens (I snipped a couple branches from the back of my xmas tree)

and about a cup or so of Apple Cider

a small amount of water to fill up the rest of a mason jar or to bring the liquid to around halfway in the container

I got cute tags from Dollar Tree as well and just wrote on the inside:

“Christmas Stovetop”

-Simmer on the stove on low, add water as needed and enjoy

Thinking back, I probably should have said not for eating but I figured that was implied with the tree branches in there, haha. Feel free to add that if you have adventurous friends though.

Overall, I assembled everything very quickly as it is a type of dump and go situation. Highly recommend, I was able to throw 8 containers of these together in less than 30 minutes. Enjoy! Let me know if you try it! It smells amazing!

-Julia McPeak

Update, this may be my new favorite tradition, its so easy to make and everyone said how wonderful it was on Christmas day. Some people did not buy trees and really appreciated the smell of fresh tree trimmings!

My Favorite Teas Lately

5 years ago you never could have got me to drink tea. We even had a friend stay with us from England and I had to buy black tea for him and you know what I did when he left? I threw those suckers away, haha! Looking back I don’t know if I just really didn’t like the taste or if I just learned to like it but now tea has become my daily afternoon delight. In the summer we make sweet tea and in the winter, hot tea.

If you need reasons to drink tea it will help knowing that certain teas fight off inflammation, they can boost your immune system, they even have studies out there showing promise for keeping cancer and heart disease at bay. Even on a regular everyday level though I like drinking tea because it tastes good, its hydrating, and it is a great “snack” when your body may think it’s craving food, it may be craving hydration. I even added some teas on here I drink if I am not feeling well since, well…tis the season!

That organized box I bought at a TJ Maxx super cheap years ago

Top row– These 5 are the teas I drink on any given afternoon. I love all of these with just a tad bit of honey (which has it’s own benefits) but you could also drink it with a little sugar or a little sweetner. These all do have caffeine in them so be careful if that bothers you and what time you might we drinking these.

Black Tea

My absolute favorite is the English Breakfast tea. I drink it any time though and rarely for breakfast. I like it steeped for 3 mins but if I am feeling sick or not for much flavor you can steep it weak, for a minute or two.

Earl Grey

My close second, I usually brew this one on the weaker side because to me it tastes stronger.

Green tea

Ah I will gulp this down like crazy if I feel a cold coming on or if anyone in the house starts getting sick. It is great for an immune system boost. I also really enjoy brewing this one, putting it in the fridge, and drinking it cold for a pre-workout caffeine boost.

English Afternoon and Lady Grey

These both are kinda the same to me and I reach for them less but every now and again when I want to change things up I will do one of these.

The teas in the second row-

These are all herbal. To me they all taste like what they say, they are my secret weapon at night if I am meal prepping, cutting, and trying to stay within health goals. They do a great job of tricking myself into thinking they are a dessert. None of them have caffeine so they are the perfect one to drink at night. I just a little honey to it right after steeping.

The teas in the third row-

These are the reinforcements I call in when getting sick.

Lemon and Ginger Tea

That lemon and ginger tea saved me when I was pregnant with both kids, sometimes I would squeeze real lemon in there too to get lasting effects. I also drank this while sick or dehydrated but it really helps with nausea. Somehow the idea of lemon to me is appealing usually when sick so I go with it.

Honey Camomile Tea

This seems to be my go to when I am congested and need to get liquids down. I will go through a whole pack of these just trying to get better. The warmth of the tea relaxes the nose much like a hot shower will allow you to breathe again when sick.

Peppermint Tea

Not just good for around Christmas, it also helps with an upset stomach. If you are having stomach issues this is the one for you. I can honestly say pairing it with a banana is weird but that helps too, haha! You are welcome.

Ginger tea

Another one that helps in early pregnancy but also helps soothe the stomach. Some people throw in a little bit of ginger root for a stronger effect but I just don’t like the taste like that.

So there you go, here’s some teas to try the next time you are at the grocery store. It also makes it more fun to drink it out of a really cute antique tea cup. This one was made in England and it’s Bone China. It has brought me a stupid amount of joy for $6, haha. I have watched all the major royal events drinking it, which also makes it fun. I also like to pretend I have tea time too in the afternoon with cookies and my boys. They usually just eat the cookies, ha!

Maybe I’m just 5 going on 30 something, haha! I’m okay with that. There are worse things out there.

Cheers,

Julia McPeak

Monster Mash Rice Crispy Treats

These were really fun to make with the kids for our favorite holiday, we hope you enjoy making them as much as we did! They aren’t really pretty but we sure did have fun!

1. Melt butter in a large pan and then pour marshmallows in and melt those as well and add green food coloring and take off heat.
2. In a large bowl put the whole box of cereal in there and pour the marshmallow mixture ontop. Stir it all together and add more green food coloring if you’d like.
3. Spray hands with cooking spray to avoid mixture sticking to hands and press into a 9x 13 pan.
4. Let cool 15 mins before cutting into squares or rectangles.
5. Get choice of eye sprinkle and dip or put a small drop of icing on it and put onto Monster.
6. Use icing to create hair at the top and a stitched mouth.

My own icing creation

*I used about 2 spoonfulls of icing I already had in the fridge and a couple of sprinkles of pure cacao powder. It gave it a really nice deep rich brown color for the icing.

That’s about it! I think these would be really fun to bring to a halloween party or even to use like we did just making some fun treats for Halloween.

Enjoy!

-Julia McPeak

Carmel Apple Cider Punch

Ok friends, I scoured the internet and have tried this version of the punch and I am hooked. There are so many recipes floating around Instagram but I ultimately gathered different parts of what I could find on Pinterest and have come up with my own take on the recipe. For reference, I don’t think it is a super sweet drink. I’m not really even a sweet white wine or red wine drink girl, and for the most part we don’t even like ciders, but this was delicious! My husband preferred not to put Carmel in his drink but even my drink with a drizzle of Carmel made it just sweet enough for me.

It really is a fairly easy, simple, recipe. Most importantly, it tastes delicious. My husband isn’t really a sweet drink kind of drinker, or even ciders in general, but we both tried this and looked at each other saying wow. That. is. good. We initially made it and drank it right away because we couldn’t wait, and it was delicious! But as it sat overnight, and even 4 hrs later, it really allowed all the tastes to blend together nicely.

You will need:

2 apples cut up into slices, large chunks if fine if you don’t have a slicer. (I recommend honey crisp)

(1) 1/2 gallon of Apple cider

1 bottle of dry white wine (I recommend either saviagn blanc or pinot grigio (I did the pinot grigio)

*1 to 1.5 cups of camel vodka ( We did smirnoffs carmel version and it was delicious. Pinnacle also makes a good one)

Optional: Carmel drizzle (I prefer the smuckers squeeze bottle). To me this is what makes the drink, my husband preferred the drink without it.

(* I saw alot of recipes using 1 cup for this ratio but that is only a third of alcohol ratio. If you will be taking it to a party the 1 cup is fine. If you are wanting it more for a sipping drink and not as many glasses the 1.5 to 2 cup ratio will be more up your alley. We prefer it with the 1.5 cup ratio for at home by ourselves).

You can also double this recipe for a party, it will go quick!

Optional Carmel Drizzle

Carmel Apple Punch Recipe:

1.) Dice up the apples and throw them in a large drink dispenser. Add the entire bottle of wine and 1/2 gallon apple cider.

2.) Pour your desired amount of Carmel vodka in there, ours was 1.5cups.

3.) Stir it all and let it sit overnight, or at least 4 hours.

4.) Stir again before serving. Optional: pour a drizzle of Carmel syrup in there to make it taste like a wonderful Carmel apple punch.

Enjoy!

It really is that easy and delicious. We will definitely be drinking this on Halloween! Happy Carmel Apple season friends!

-Julia McPeak

Camping with Kids Part II Food and Drink

Prepping tacos at the house

I feel like this is the most stressful part of packing for a camping trip. It is the only thing that is a lot of work up front but it pays off in the end. We usually stick to the same menus meaning, we will never take a meal plan out there that we have never made here at home before. We also like a lot more focus to be on the camping experience so we keep the food prep basic and at minimum.

Food:

Planning: I start out looking at what kind of campground we are going to, if we are camping as a way to do a vacation I will plan to cook at our campsite and leave 2 nights to eat out. We usually do one of those nights a kid friendly one like pizza or if the campsite has a cafe maybe do something like that by the pool and the last night we eat somewhere nice. If we are strictly camping I will of course plan for the meals every night keeping in mind what might be leftovers. The first step in the planning process is figuring out what kind of camping we are doing.

We like to go somewhere nice on the last day if we are vacation camping

Tried and true menus: For us, these are the ones that have worked for our family, everyone is different though and these may not work for everyone. We just try to keep it simple with the least amount of cleanup possible.

Breakfast: We keep this really simple now days. If we are on a legit camping trip we usually do some type of eggs, bacon, and salsa for breakfast tacos. If we are camping and have plans that morning we do a cold breakfast. Usually something like bagels and fruit or cereal. I have even prepped breakfast burritos in the past and froze them, then we just heated them up on the grill for an easy breakfast and little cleanup. Most of the time though we have an agenda of things we want to do that day so we plan for breakfast to be quick since we are usually trying to get onto the water early to wakeboard or to go exploring if we are vacation camping.

Lunch: Almost always sandwiches because they are easy, quick, and get us back to activities. Usually served with fruit and chips.

Our top 4 Dinner Entrees:

• Tacos- This one is very simple for us because all we need is the carne asada meat, corn tortillas, salsa, limes, cilantro, and avocados. We make the salsa at home and usually serve it with elote, Mexican corn. The meat we marinate it for a day or two before taking it, usually in 2 ziplock bags so it doesn’t get waterlogged in the cooler. Because of how fast the avocados go brown we just cut it into slices on the campsite. We heat up the corn tortillas directly on the grill.

• Bratwurst- Another favorite of ours, beer brats, hot dog buns, bell peppers and onions sliced up, and butter. We usually do the peppers and onions in a small foil rectangle pan with a little bit of butter, salt, and pepper and cook them on the grill before throwing the brats on. All the slicing we do at home so we just pack it in a plastic baggie and then its ready to go in the foil tin. My husband and I differ on whether or not to toast the buns, haha so you can decide that! My favorite all time bread is the BBQ bread made by sunbeam though. Yum. Then we usually serve this with foil packets of precut veggies we threw on the grill or something like chips, potatoes, or macaroni salad.

• Hamburgers- A classic. All you need is ground beef or frozen patties, buns, sliced cheese, sliced onions, mushrooms, butter, lettuce, tomato, and condiments. For sheer convenience we use the frozen patties and they are usually still frozen (and keep the cooler cold) by the time we cook them. I usually slice everything at home except the tomatoes so all that work is done as well. With hamburgers I will usually do some kind of veggie side like squash and zucchini pre sliced in foil packets and some kind of pasta salad.

• BBQ Chicken sandwiches- We get a family sized pack of boneless chicken thighs and prep them at the house and marinade them using the same 2 gallon baggie method. We throw them on some buns with a slice of cheese and some mayo and call them good. Usually eat them with leftover corn from the night before or broccoli. Only because the kids love it.

Other dinner thoughts: On the first night plan for something simple because you will be setting up camp/tent etc. and will be worn out or pressed for time to cook, eat, and cleanup before dark. There has been times where we have premade chili at the house and just heated it up on the grill or campfire there. Or even bringing cold pizza and reheating. Just keep it simple. Also, be prepared for the occasional bad weather and change of plans. There has been times we have had to throw a beach blanket down and bring all the food into the cabin or tent in the rain.

We were vacation beach cabin camping here, it rained and it was dinner time haha!

Sides: I’m not going to list out all the sides we ever use because I feel like everyone is different. I try to incorporate some green veggies in there but sometimes its just potatoes, pasta salad, fruit, or chips as a side. It’s not exciting, but its easy and simple. Goes without saying but just bring what you know the kids will eat, if they don’t like broccoli then bring the veggie they do like. Better yet, bring a variety!

Our favorite side, Elote

Deserts: I usually only bring 2 things the whole week with this plan. Oreos, and stuff to make smores. My kids love Oreos enough that it’s a good backup if they really wanted to do smores that night and we didn’t feel like doing them, it makes as a good consolation prize. As for smores, we just bring the typical marshmallows, chocolate, and graham cracker stuff. Buy those cheap wooden sticks at Walmart and bring those with you, when you are done you can burn them up in the fire instead of trying to wash gooey marshmallow off of those metal ones. If it’s hot camping throw the chocolate in a ziplock and put it on the top in the cooler so it doesn’t melt. You want to make sure it’s in a ziplock so it doesn’t get water logged in the cooler though.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Goodcook-Marshmallow-Stick-Skewer/865169055

Alcohol: If you are going to be consuming alcohol I would check the place you are camping at. Some family campgrounds are very relaxed and allow you to walk around even with a beer or drink. Other places, like state parks, might forbid it. I would do your research ahead of time.

Logistics:

Coolers: We got these (2) 55 quart lifetime coolers from Walmart, they were on the pricier side of glamping but totally worth it in my opinion. We have played the ice game for years always having to run out and get ice. With these coolers I know food stays ice cold for 2 days, and drinks for about 3 days. For long camping trips we will take both coolers and keep one food and one strictly drinks. We do this so that the food doesn’t get water logged after days or crushed and so we only have to worry about the food cooler as crucial to keep cold. It’s also easier if you are just grabbing a drink not to have to dig or worry about crushing the food.

Tip on keeping things cold, we freeze a gallon jug of water (just plain jug) and throw that in there first so that it keeps the cooler really cold. When it defrosts you have fresh drinking water. We also pre cool all our drinks, etc. before throwing them all into the cooler, that will make your ice go so much further if you put everything in there already cold instead of wasting ice to cool the items.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lifetime-55-Quart-High-Performance-Cooler-Grey-90949/490384164

Water source: We use this small collapsible water cube as our water source. We really like our well water so we fill it up with that before we leave but there is always a water spicket on the campground to fill up something like this with. It is handy at the campsite for when we need to wash dishes, wash hands, brush teeth, etc. We just position it to be on the end of the picnic table and use it accordingly. (P.S. since we do live in NC with hurricanes it has also become really handy during those times in case of a water shortage.) I also bring my water bottle and fill it up before we go on a hike, go on the boat, etc.

Grill: This is nothing fancy, we usually catch them on sale and buy the cheap little $40 grills that Walmart has. Mostly because we just enjoy grilling and being able to control the heat rather than a campfire while cooking.

I’m not sure what’s going on in this picture but you can see the grill

https://www.walmart.com/ip/RevoAce-10-000-BTU-Portable-Gas-Grill-Red-GBT1726WRS/135029245

Coffee: Can’t forget this, we basically use a French press. It’s called a Jet boil and we got it at REI so its obviously pricier, but any way to make coffee will do. Just don’t forget the coffee mugs, creamer, or anything else you might need. To condense space in the cooler we just use a very small mason jar and fill it with a smaller amount of creamer to put in the cooler. https://www.rei.com/product/813623/jetboil-zip-cooking-system

RIP coffee mug my husband left on the back of the tailgate at the gas station lol

Food Tubs: These are just simple tubs we have filled with our basic camping necessities. We keep things in there permanently so that when we go camping we can just glance at the tub and see if we are missing anything. Inside it has things like paper plates, salt and pepper, knife, cutting board, spatula, paper towels, lighters, chip clips, corn handles, old mitts, old kitchen towels, etc. You can customize it however you want but the idea of it is that you don’t have to pack those staple non perishable items every time you want to go camping. While we are camping if we run out of anything we make a note on the master list of things to replenish so it reminds us before the next time we go camping.

It’s not organized at the moment but you get the idea

Side note on food: if you go to the notice/information board it gives guidance on what animals or critters to watch out for i.e. if you are camping in the mountains where there are known bears you may want to string up your food. Or at the very least be very vigilant about no food in the tent, etc.

At the ranger station learning about the different animals on the campground

Trash bags: We prefer to use the smaller ones so you can throw them away daily and keep a tidy campsite. My husband especially loves to use old grocery bags and throw them away each time they get full or using the medium kitchen bags if we are having company at the campsite.

Tablecloth: We get the cheapy ones at the dollar store because they get so gross from marshmallow sticks, drinks, etc. we just prefer to throw them away when we are done with them but I have toyed with the idea of getting one that I could wash.

I think that about covers it for food and drink! Next up I will be making the master gear lists for the camping setup, food, and drink, so be looking for that soon.

The Very Best Homemade Play-Doh

Homemade Play-Doh

I love that you can customize this any which way you want to. Want it to smell good? Add some essential oils. Want it to be a certain color? Add food coloring. Want it to be festive? In the fall you can make it brown with cinnamon sprinkles. At Christmas time you can make it green with glitter in it. The possibilities are endless!

Here is the recipe:

2 cups Flour
1 cup salt
4 tsps cream of tarter
2 cup water with food coloring added
2 TBsp oil

Mix all ingredients together and stir over medium heat until it scrapes the bowl and gets difficult to stir.

Knead until smooth and cool. Store in an airtight container.

We got this recipe from my son’s school last year, all the moms took turn making it each month for the class. It makes a TON. Enjoy 

Ties or Pearls? Our Simply Extraordinary Gender Reveal Party

Ties or Pearls? 🙂

Our Gender Reveal party was everything I ever could have asked for. And then some. Our wonderful, sweet, generous, loving, friend of the family and creative friend Christi Dudek helped me throw this soiree, and without her this all wouldn’t have been the same. We had been planning it for a little while for mostly family, just a casual but cute gender reveal party, no big deal! 🙂 Other than knowing the future for the rest of my life, but no big deal! 🙂 It was sweet of her to handle the gender reveal part so our family could just come and enjoy the party 🙂

Ties or Pearls? What’s it gonna be? 🙂 I just did a simple invitation for our family, see below!

“Starting the crafting early! Rainy day fun”- Instagram

More prepping! To BJ “Wait, did I go overboard?” haha. Thanks Pinterest. This is all your fault. *note, there is more that is not pictured. It also doesn’t include the goodies Christi got either. haha! I guess we both had alot of fun with this!

From the beginning I had always said I thought it was a boy. BJ and I both had dreams it would be twin boys (both dreams happened about 5 months before getting preggo) but the twins part was wrong, could the boy part be too? Usually my dreams are spot on, call me crazy but it’s a gift! I even had a dream about being pregnant on Christmas eve, and I was right!

“Our dinosaur baby” as we said that day, I even said to beej, “See! it even LOOKS like a boy. like a cute dinosaur or something.”

Day of the Ultrasound, waiting impatiently on my lunch at work to get off and go to the ultrasound 🙂 (Sunnies, the loft! 🙂

After we went to the ultrasound they told us not to look and they snapped a picture of our baby’s sex and wrote the proper sex on the picture. We immediately came home and got our friend Christi to take it from us, we couldn’t handle the pressure. Bj didn’t trust me to drive home with it but I told him ” NO WAY! I carry everything else around here 😉 haha!” to which he replied “fair enough, haha.”

“Someone convince me not to open this in the next 5 seconds, go.” – Instagram. Okay now I can see why he didn’t trust me. hahaha. People’s responses were worse than me!! It was like having the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. Most people were dying to know so they were begging me to open it.

Later when we saw the picture inside the envelope 🙂 HAHA yeah, definitely a boy! haha

Most of our families had the same theory, boy. My mom saying when she was pregnant with my brother “I never got sick but I couldn’t stay away from Avocado and Cocoa Puffs.” Well Guess who had the exact same symptoms? Yep. To a tee. But hey, coincidence? BJ’s mom actually called the baby his name from the moment we told her we were pregnant, we have known the boys name we wanted for years now. Grandmothers intuition? Maybe. My boy dog Rudder always being extra protective, loving, and sweet to me…okay sold. haha. Kidding, but I did have alot of symptoms that pointed to boy with the gender reveal tests including the headaches. The headaches I had along with a little fatigue were the worst of it. Not bad, cant complain!

“I blame my mom for this. haha! #pregnancyobsession” – Instagram

At the party we were in a rush to get started, as usual my crafting always went longer than expected with the “day of” to do list. My hair was literally in curlers while shooting photos, which wasn’t my best work due to the rush, but I will take them over no photos any day. There isn’t any actual photos of me and Bj opening the box because I got nervous right when we were going to open the box and completely blanked on grabbing my camera. haha. Opps.

Although I do have these wonderful pictures Christi took of us:

This picture with him touching my bump describes so much of our life right now. So happy to be starting this new chapter together, uncharted, scared to death, and thrilled to be parents.

Our life right now is seriously this happy, both of us are on #pregnancycloudnine Come join us!! The air is great up here, and you can fly all day long.

This was when he was asking if I was nervous, and was trying to calm me down. He was asking if I was ready to do this! I was laughing cause I was so nervous! This was to define everything in our future. NO BIG DEAL OR ANYTHING! 🙂 *note his blue ribbon on his wrist, people starting tying the color ribbon they thought it would be around their wrists.

The kiss to calm me, works every time. All these moments happened so fast, I’m surprised Christi got these play by plays, we have such wonderful friends!

Then I said no I want to be on the other side! LOL so we switched.

Everyone was telling me not to peak, haha….who me? 😉 dang, everyone’s onto my tricks! Did I seriously just write peak? haha…wow. I meant PEEK. haha. #Mcpeaklife

And BOY!!! Bjs reaction is priceless. haha. I love it! I know we both wanted a boy so bad 🙂 What a blessing to our little family!

I think this was take 5? haha Bjs family and I taking a memorable mustache picture! 🙂 One for the books for sure, I love it! 

Miss Gracie was hoping for a girl but she will be happy to welcome a little boy too “I guess”, she says. haha (Love that my sister in law Missy caught us in the background here too. haha)

I also got some pictures from Sam and Chris who came to the festivities:

These were more of the after party. haha. Looks like my belly is tuggin on that shirt, haha cute.

Trying to get Rudder to hold the stick with the balloons, haha! Nice face here! We were cracking up at this forever. It was great memories at the afterparty for everyone who stayed. Love everyone!

Now for these:

“My hair in curlers, in a rush, people will be here any second, I have no shoes but I am taking some pictures right this second, pics!” (Long title I know….probably should have utilized hashtags but I feel like I’ve used up my hashtag quota already this post. #nah #cantstopwontstop

Photo Credit: Christi Dudek

Photo Credit: Christi Dudek

We have had our name picked out for years now, Please welcome Ty Kaden McPeak! Photo Credit: Christi Dudek

Christi also got us that cute creeper with a tie on it! “A tie for Ty”- SWEET FRIENDS OF OURS (so so so sweet.) Photo Credit: Christi Dudek

As if Christi didn’t do enough with the box and balloons, etc. etc. she also got us this gorgeous cake!!! Words can’t describe all the overwhelming love….love that girl!

So there you have it, I’m still sad it’s over. It was a lot of fun. I’m not sure we would do it again, that was really rough waiting 3 days before knowing the sex! We shall see. Haha as BJ says, “Lets just get through the first one FIRST.” haha. Good thinking….one kid at a time. 🙂

I added another post detailing how to DIY on everything you see above. Let me know what you think! Thanks! https://juliaism.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/our-diy-ties-or-pearls-gender-reveal-party-how-tos/

Habanero Peaches- encourage water intake, low in calorie, and make you eat less

Habanero Pickled peaches:

They have the same benefits of the Habanero salsa, i.e. encouraging water intake, low in calorie, eating less, etc. but in a half sweet, half hot form. This is why I love Habaneros, they have a fiery sweet taste to them. If I had to chose, I’d say they are probably my absolute favorite Chile. If you haven’t tried them before, give this a try. You just might end up being a fan for life.

You will need:

3 lbs fresh peaches, or canned peaches

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup granulated sugar (or splenda)

1 habanero chile, stem and seeds removed, cut in half

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

Special equipment:

(2)quart sized jars with lids and bands or (1) 4 quart sized jar, sanitized.

 

 

1. sterilize the jars and lids by boiling water and letting them sit, remove with tongs and let dry.
2. peel peaches by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. cut a small x at the top and bottom of each peach, drop into pot of boiling water and let cook 30 seconds. remove peaches with tongs and rinse under cold water.
3. gently rub the skins and you should be able to peel them easily. half and take out the pit of each peach, place them in sanitized jar.
4. In a second smaller pot bring apple cider vinegar and sugar to a boil. if doing 2 jars add half the habanero Chile, a cinnamon stick, and half the cloves to each jar. If you are using one big jar like I did, just all them all in at the same time with peaches.
5. when vinegar boils add it to the jar or jars. add enough water to each jar/jars till you fill up the jar/jars but make sure to leave about 1/4 inch from the top.
6. Refrigerate for a couple of days and it will be ready. It will last in the fridge for 1 month.

Habanero Salsa- Why it’s the best thing for someone with a cold or trying to stay fit.

So why have I been on a Habanero kick lately? Well for one, studies show that the more spicy food someone eats, the higher their metabolism will be. Not only that but it increases your ability to burn up food faster! Need another reason? The more spicy food you eat, the more WATER you will have to drink. Not only are you staying hydrated, you are eating LESS! This is the perfect snack when you just want to make it from lunch to dinner. It’s also perfect if you happen to have chicken that night and want to slather this bad boy sauce on it. You can have it with baked chips or even as a sauce! The options are endless!

Another good reason to eat this? Well if you have a cold, its MONEY! Especially congestion. Habaneros or any chilies will not only make your nose run (to get clear up your congestion) but it encourages water. If you AREN’T sick I would recommend drinking milk with this salsa since milk is magical to sooth your mouth if its on fire (never soda or carbonated anything of the like!). But that isn’t helpful to people with congestion since milk/dairy will agitate your congestion.

A lot of people ask me, won’t I stink if I eat a lot of spicy food and then work out a lot? Prehaps. I have experienced a lot of stinky boys in my time from being around Marines and I can tell you that honestly it comes down to showering. If you shower, than the only time you might stink would be when you are actually working out. (but doesn’t most everyone anyway?) If you are self conscious then slab on some deodorant before the gym or even some body spray. I do this anyway as part of my workout routine. Another fun fact? I like chewing gum when I run. It keeps me from getting cotton mouth and I mentally think I can breathe better. Fall into your own routine. Soon enough you will get a whiff of that body spray you like or chew some gum and think “man, I really want to go work out right now”. Believe me, it works.

Habanero Salsa

you will need:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup can crushed tomatoes, or diced up tomatoes
• 1 habanero chile
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• salt to taste

An optional ingredient here is one carrot (peeled and cut into slices), I did not add it but you can if you’d like.

1. saute onion (and carrot if you chose to add it) in a skillet with a small amount of olive oil (or tiny amount of vegetable oil) till translucent. ( I did the whole onion). Get a slotted spoon and transfer to the blender.

2. Drain can of tomatoes, or cut up fresh tomatoes, and add into the blender. Also add into the blender one clove of garlic, 1 habanero Chile seeds and stems removed (or if you dare, leave them in), oregano, cumin, and chicken broth. Puree on high speed until smooth. Taste and add salt as needed. Will last refrigerated one week.

Perfect Healthy Chicken Thighs and Steamed Broccoli

I thought I would do a post on chicken and broccoli since that seems to be a staple in our house and something super simple to make. To me it reminds me of back in the days I was in the Marine Corps and living with my friend Amanda. We lived like bachelorettes where it was okay to just have a salad for dinner or just eat grilled chicken with a veggie side, you know…before we had to cook for our men. haha. Amanda was always hardcore into working out and always ate chicken. Then I actually did the research and found out just how much chicken can really help repair your muscles and the damage you do when working out. Pair that with a steamed veggie and you have a low carb, healthy meal!

sidenote- Rachel Ray pans are awesome, nothing ever seems to stick to them! I absolutely am in love with them.

Perfect Chicken Thighs-

• Get the lean cut about 8 or so
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• poultry seasoning if desired (I use food lion off brand)

Preheat oven to 400, Start off by rinsing the thighs under water and patting them dry. Get a baking pan and lightly coat the chicken with barely any olive oil. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning if desired. Throw in the oven and cook for 40 mins placing the larger pieces of chicken in the middle of the pan. Serve immediately.

Steamed Broccoli

• fresh broccoli florets, about 3 “bouquets” of them
• medium sized pot with lid
• enough water to cover the bottom of the pan 1-2 inches

Slice broccoli florets into desired bite sized pieces making sure all of them will fit in whatever steamer you may be using. Boil a small amount of water in a pot, about 1-2 inches high, place steamer (or even a metal colander if it fits) with your cut up broccoli into your pot. Water should not come into the steamer/colander. Place a lid on top of the steamer/colander. Allow the pot to steam with broccoli in it for about 7-10 mins, depending if you like crisp or soft. You should not go longer than that because then you will be steaming out the nutrients of the veggie.

I would have added a pic of the broccoli but I ate it too fast. haha. I did take a pic halfway through though, so I’ll give you that. The chicken was so good, it basically fell apart with a fork. 🙂

A little tip? So I once had a health expert tell me it didn’t matter if you put cheese on the broccoli, just eat the greens! Anything green! Well my secret weapon is this little baby. It makes any veggie taste delicious…seriously. I even got my non-veggie eating fiance to eat veggies now if I put this on it. So that’s a miracle right there!

Happy veggie/chicken eating!

-J