Time 4 Learning -follow up.

Wow. What a great site! So in my last post I menioned we would be trying out Time 4 Learning for a month. The kids loved it!! There was so much great info on there that was age/grade appropriate. Song, games, activities and quizes. The kids never got bored.

Whenever I woulld tell them it was time to go on Time 4 Learning they were always so excited! I am so sad that our trial period has ended! But you know what that means? Time to pull out the wallet! Yep, we loved it so much we plan to continue using it!

We highly recommend Time 4 Learning!

Time 4 Learning!

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid
review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read
about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum
review for Time4Learning.

Check back soon!

Yummy Homemade Fruit Roll-ups

Ok, so this week was my first time to attempt to make fruit roll-ups in the oven. I’ve tried to make it in a dehydrator before without fruit leather screens and using wax paper (DON”T EVER DO THAT), lets just say it didn’t end well, and all my fruit leather stuck to the wax paper.

So I was so pleased when this batch turned out so much better! The flavor was divine! I have actually made too batches in the past day.

So without further ado….

Raspberry, Apple, Vanilla Roll-ups 

2 cups fresh (or frozen and thawed) raspberries

1 cup applesauce (I only have 1/2 c. pictured but decided to add more)

2 Tbsp honey

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Start with cover a cookie sheet covered with Parchment paper (NOT wax paper).

Next wiz all ingredients in blender for about 20 seconds or until thoroughly mixed.

Then spread onto cookie sheet about 1/4 inch thick.

Bake in oven until dried out at lowest temp possible. My oven only goes to 170, ideally you want it closer to 140. I set mine at 170 for two hours then pushed the hold heat setting (so it locks the heat in, instead of cooling the oven off after heat is turned off) for 2 hrs, then 170 again for 2 hrs, and so on until it was fully dried.

Then just wait 6-8 hrs and viola! The whole family loved it!

 

As for storage, turn roll-ups on top of a sheet of plastic wrap and then peal the the parchment paper off the top. Then using scissors I cut my large roll-up in 3 sections but next time I think I will make it 4. Then just roll them up and place in an airtight container in the fridge.

Enjoy!

 

P.S. Here is my other recipe I came up with today…

Strawberry, Apple, Peach Roll-ups

1 cup strawberries

1 cup fresh peaches sliced

1 cup applesauce

2 Tbsp honey

1/4 tsp vanilla flavor

Follow directions above.

Homemade Dishwasher Soap

Ok so this recipe is super easy and quick to make. 

All you need is 3-4 things.

 

1 cup Borax

1 cup Arm and Hammer Pure Baking Soda (or Washing Soda)

1/2 cup Sea Salt (all I had was Fine Sea Salt, but it still worked ok)

 

Add all three ingredients together and stir well.

Then store in a tight container (I used and old spaghetti jar).      When you are ready to use it, use 1 Tbsp for pre wash and 1 Tbsp for wash. I also put vinegar in the rinse dispenser, it works as a good so far.

 

I like this recipe, I thought it worked better than my off brand walmart jel detergent. There is another recipe I want to try that is a jel and it uses lemon drink packets. I’ll post it as soon as I try it, after I use this stuff up.

Homemade Laundry soap

I am SO excited about this soap!!!!!!!! I was cautious to be too excited about making it since I wasn’t sure how well it would work, or how well it would get the smell out.

I am happy to say this is a DEAL! As Fox 4 News would say!

You will need the following…

 

1 bar of Zote or Felz Naptha soap

1 cup of Borax

1 cup of Arm and Hammer Pure Baking Soda or Washing Soda

 

First you chop or grate the soap.

Then you melt the grated or chopped soap on the stove in 6-8 cups of hot water.

Once it has melted into the water it will look like so…

Once it is completely melted pour into a 5 gallon bucket.

Add borax and Pure Baking soda (or Washing Soda).                       If you wish to add fragrance you can add it now. I used 20 drops of rose scented soap fragrance that I picked up at Michaels.

Still until well combined. Then fill bucket (you want a total of 5 gallons).

Stir some more. Then cover and let sit overnight. Stir a few times when you can.

It will get quite thick by morning, kinda like pudding, as you stir it up it will thin a little. I even used a hand wisk to help break up the thicker chunks and get it smoothed out.

I know store my bucket of homemade laundry detergent on top of my washer, with a little bowl next to it to old the measuring cup I use with it.                                                                                    When you are ready to use it. Just ad 5/8 of a cup to your washer.

 

As for laundry softener…. I heard this trick of using vinegar instead of laundry softener and it has worked great! Just add 1/4 cup to your softener cup. And no it does not leave your laundry smelling like vinegar. It actually has no smell.

 

Ok, and as for the dryer? Well I use these two blue dryer balls my mom got for me, I think you can get them at Walmart. I then put one drop of the same scent fragrance I used above (I used either rose or lavender) on each ball.

Have fun!

Really LOW calorie Banana Muffins

 

I love this recipe I found online, then I played around with it and lowered the calories and fat even more!  Now if you are looking for something really sweet and fluffy and full of calories this isn’t it. If you appreciate a healthy, low calorie food, you will probably like this!

This time I used self rising flour instead of the baking soda and powder, next time I plan to use all purpose flour and use the baking powder and soda.

I also ground up some flax seed to make it into flour, then blended it in the blender with some water to use in place of the egg. Works great!

The original recipe called for just white flour I used have white and half whole wheat.

So here it is….

LOW Calorie Banana Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

2 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups mashed bananas

1/2 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)

4 Tbsp Flax seed flour (mix in blender for 45 seconds with 2 Tbsp water, it will turn it into a nice paste)

or you can use 2 eggs.

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350. Grease your muffin pans or use paper muffin liners.

In medium bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.

In separate bowl, combine banana, sugar, flax seed paste (or egg), and vanilla extract. Blend until well mixed. Add applesauce. Then slowly add to dry mixture and stir until well blended.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cook on wire racks.

Makes 24 servings.

 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size – 1 muffin

Amount Per Serving

Calories   63                  Calories from Fat   1

                                          % Daily Value^*

Total Fat   0.1g                                       0%

Cholesterol   0mg                                    0%

Sodium  25mg                                         1%

Total Carbohydrates   14.4g                    5%

     Dietary Fiber  0.7g                              3%

     Sugars  5.0g

Protein  1.2g

Vitamin A 0%               •           Vitamin C 2%

Calcium 0%                  •                   Iron 3%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Spicy Fried Tofu

Ok, so I found this recipe while googling around the internet for some sort of yummy tofu I could make for Sabbath. And here I found it. It is REALLY good!

 

1 lb tofu (preferably frozen and then thawed first)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp sweet basil

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp curry powder ( I DID NOT use this, since I do not like curry)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp soy sauce

 

I always like to freeze my tofu before using it in stir-fries and such. It gives it a much better texture and stays together better. I usually like to freeze mine for at least 48 hrs, then thaw just before ready to use it in a recipe.

First drain the tofu and pat dry with a paper towel, then cut into 1/2-in cubes.

Heat oil and sauté tofu over high heat for 5 minutes.

If there is any excess water, pour it out. Reduce heat, and add turmeric, stir until tofu is uniformly yellow and then add basil thyme, cumin, and curry powder (if you choose to use it).  And garlic (and a little more oil to prevent from sticking, if needed). Increase heat;then add soy sauce. Sauté until golden brown.

Serve over rice, in pita bread or in rollup up tortillas with shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese. Use any of your favorite toppings.This tastes just as good the next day.