Healthier Summer Squash Casserole

   It's that time of year again. Squash season. Last year I blanched and froze my squash. It turned out way to mushy/watery for my taste, so this year I decided to make and freeze some sort of prepared dish. I searched high and low for a good "healthy" squash casserole recipe on the web and came up with nothing, so I've created my own version and think that it's mighty tasty. I will definitely be freezing a bunch of these to enjoy throughout the year.
Healthier Squash Casserole
Ingredients:
2 med summer squash, sliced (you can do half zucchini as well)
1/4 C organic Butter softened
1/2 T Honey
1/2 C chopped white onion
1 egg
1/2 C plain nonfat organic yogurt
1/2 C organic shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 C whole wheat panko bread crumbs (you can use your imagination on this. crushed crackers or cereal would be fine too)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C flaxmeal
optional: 1/2 c crushed pecans, 1/2 c shredded carrots
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Bring large pot of water to boil. Add squash and cook til tender (about 5 min). Drain well.
3. Place squash in mixing bowl and mash well
4. Add butter, onion, yogurt, egg, honey, salt & pepper, cheese, and if using, carrots & nuts to mixture.
5. Transfer mixture into a greased 1 quart casserole dish
6. mix bread crumbs and flax together then spread on top of mixture
7. bake 40 min @350 degrees

Pesto Presto

   I don't know about you, but I've got loads of Basil coming up and I couldn't be happier about it. The best way to facilitate a healthy long producing plant is to harvest regularly. During peak season I harvest about every other week (sometimes more) and make a huge batch of pesto.
   Since canning at room temp isn't a recommended storage method, I freeze "pesto cubes." Once frozen I pop them out of the tray and put into a freezer food storage bag. This holds a lot of pesto cubes, but doesn't take too much space. Enjoying garden pesto in the midst of a long winter gives you a taste of the spring that lies ahead. Here's my tried and true pesto recipe:

Pesto Presto
Ingredients
3 Cloves Garlic
2 Cups Basil
3T Pinenuts (due to cost, and nut allergy concerns, I omit and it's still delish. May sub walnuts)
Salt and Pepper
1/2 C EVOO
1/2 C Parmesean
Directions
Mix everything but the parmesean in blender until smooth. Add parmesean and mix in.

Pesto Ready to Freeze

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cupcakes

   Today's gloomy weather helped me decide that I needed a chocolate cupcake. After searching online for a recipe that would meet all my healthy requirements I came up with nothing. This is most often how I create my own recipes. I look at several different recipes, then I combine, alter, substitute, etc until I come up with something that is pretty "clean" and hope that it turns out. These definitely turned out delish!
  Here's my recipe for Whole Wheat/Honey Chocolate Cupcakes with yogurt/raspberry/honey icing.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Wet:
3/4 C Honey
1/2 C canola oil (next time I plan to try coconut oil)
2 Eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 C organic yogurt
1/2 C Hot water (to be added at the end)
Dry:
3/4 C cocoa powder
1 1/4 C White Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking soda 
Directions:
preheat oven to 350
Mix wet ingredients EXCEPT the hot water.
Add dry ingredients and mix well
Slowly pour in hot water and mix until combined
pour batter into well greased muffin tin
optional: put 2-3 dark chocolate chips in each muffin tin
bake about 16-18 min or until toothpick comes out clean
once cooled frosting can be added. I would normally do honey/cream cheese, but didn't have cream cheese today, so I decided to get creative and do a yogurt/raspberry icing;
Yogurt/Raspberry Icing
Ingredients:
8 Organic Raspberries
1 C Organic Yogurt
1 T cornstarch (for thickener)
2 T Honey (some people may want it a bit sweeter than I like...)
Directions:
mash raspberries as well as you can
mix in with all other ingredients and spread on cupcakes
note: since yogurt is the main ingredient in this icing I would not leave them sitting at room temperature for long periods of time. 

Dresser and nightstand makeover

   Last week, my longtime friend Brenda came out for a visit. Thanks to her extra hands we were able to complete a few decorating projects I'd been wanting to do.
   I've been itching to give my Ikea "Aneboda" dresser and nightstands a makeover for quite a while, but most especially since I put up the Painted Door headboard. They simply did not go with the look I've been trying to achieve. Here is what it looked like:
   

Nightstand Before

   We painted the wood white and the opaque center a robins egg blue (I had the paint on hand). Then we completed the look by replacing the existing drawer hardware with more antique looking pulls (only .69 cents each!). I couldn't be happier with the finished product:

Nightstand After- a breath of fresh air

   Next time you get tired of the same old furniture, use your imagination and you may be pleasantly surprised.

May I have a word? DIY Birch Bark Lettering

   Want to spruce up your walls with a word or two? Below are instructions for birch bark lettering. I chose the word "EAT" for above my dinning room window. It goes along with a bunch of photos I have strung up of friends and family gathered around the table.

DIY Birch Bark Lettering

Supplies

Birch bark torn from tree 

(I have lots of them)

double stick tape

scissors

Directions

peel and gather bark

cut pieces to desired length/width

assemble draft of letters

double stick tape letters together

tape words to wall

ENJOY!

Re-purposed Bedroom Decor

    Since the weather's gotten warmer, I've been caught up in various re-purposing projects (thus the lack of blog posts). I've got the itch to give my house more of a vintage farmhouse vibe, but don't really have the cash to go out and replace everything. Thankfully, I have a passion for turning both "junk" and nature into decor. Below are a few of my recent bedroom re-purpose projects.
    First is a door headboard. This door (originally a light wood finish), has been sitting in our garage since we moved in (6 years ago). Last week my husband said he was going to get rid of it, so I figured it was time to get moving. Here's the finished project:

stilts to hold headboard

DIY Door Headboard
Supplies Needed:
door
paint
two 2x4's
8 screws (less if your door isn't too heavy)
paintbrush, screwdriver
Directions:
1. chose your door and paint desired color(s) (I used a wire type paint brush and did a thin layer to create a more distressed look-you may also want to use sandpaper to further distress your door)
2. once dry, turn over and place 2x4's like stilts to the back of your door. Make sure that they are spaced the same on both sides or you will have a slanted headboard!
3. using your screwdriver attach 4 screws per 2x4 (the door I used was quite heavy)
4. Place behind your bed and enjoy!



    Now that I had my headboard finished I really wanted to update my more modern looking Ikea cube lamps. I cut material from an old nightgown and super-glued it onto the lamp like a snug fitting coffee sleeve. Here is the before and after shot of the lamp:

Ikea cube lamp before

lamp after

    I also really wanted a vintage accent pillow for the bed, so using the remaining nightgown fabric I made one. All I did was wrap an old pillow like a present, securing it with a safety pin and hid the pin with a old fabric flower. Presto Pillow! 

    Of course eventually I'd like to do something different with the nightstands/dresser, but that's another day. I'm currently in the midst of several other re-purpose projects I'll share with you all later. In the mean time I Hope I've inspired you to turn your "junk" into something useful.

Bring Baking Soda to your Bathroom

According to the Arm and Hammer box, there are hundreds of uses for baking soda. I knew the powder is known for odor elimination so I decided to try it one day as deodorant. IT WORKS AWESOME! I've tried lots of "natural" deodorants and the baking soda is far superior in cost and effectiveness. Just put some on an old make up brush and dust it on (some people like to add in cornstarch to give it a softer texture).


In case you're wondering; aluminum found in most deodorant is absorbed into your skin and has been linked to cancer, and Alzheimer's disease (sweat is one of the body's primary ways of getting rid of toxins and if you use anti-perspirants, the toxins have nowhere to go). 


Some other uses for baking soda in your bathroom?
     * Make a paste of baking soda and water to exfoliate your face
     * Mix with a bit of castille soap, and water to clean your
       shower
     * Sprinkle on your toothbrush and brush away
Visit Arm & Hammers website for a free "Handy Tips" print out. Before you reach for your chemical cleaners, or body products try baking soda as a frugal alternative.