Simply The Best Way to Freeze Seasonal Fruit and Veggies

We still aren't eating seasonally 100%. We are close, but not quite there. One thing I love about summer (maybe the only thing I love about summer living in what feels like, the Sahara Desert-Redding, Ca) is the vast abundance of fruits and veggies that grow during these months. Our family loves berries, peaches, cherries, tomatoes, zucchini, etc.. You know all the great ones that only grow in those hot summer days. Winter time doesn't leave a lot for tradition growing foods. You have to be more creative in the kitchen if you want to eat seasonally in the winter. Or you can still buy them in the grocery store. Have you ever wondered WHY and HOW you can buy tomatoes in December if they naturally grow and are in season during the summer months??? Well, that is another blog. Google it if you just have to know now.

This blog is about preserving those amazing fruits and veggies in a way you can still eat in the winter months. Not as fresh as picking them off the tree or the vine, but you can still make a killer pie or delicious smoothie. As easy as 1, 2, 3. Freeze!!!

The best and most efficient way I have learned to do this over the years is this. Take your fruit or veggies that you want to save for the winter. Lay them out on a tray covered in parchment paper. Do NOT wash the fruit or veggies or they will become a soggy mess. This is why it is important to buy/pick fruits and vegetables that are NOT sprayed with pesticides. Sometimes, they wont look as pretty as store bought, but trust me-they taste just as good, if not better! Ok-rabbit trail (I do that a lot).

After spreading the produce out so it doesn't touch each other, put the tray in the freezer until it is

completely frozen. Once frozen, remove from the freezer. I then use my food saver to seal them up for a good freeze. I usually store them in 1 quart bags. They freeze great this way. You could use freezer bags too, but they do tend to get freezer burnt over an extended period of time. Store in your freezer.

Now come December, and you are craving a good peach pie, pull out a bag and bam! You have a fresh, in season, peach pie on your table for dessert. Enjoy! And your welcome ;)

Simply Peach Pie Smoothie

One of our family favorites is a good smoothie. Another is being creative in the kitchen. These two things go great together when creating recipes that become staples in our family cookbook.  Sometimes they work out very deliciously. There are other times, well, lets just say we try-try again ;) Here is a simple, fresh smoothie that we love. It tastes like peach pie, hence the name. Enjoy!

2 Cups Raw Milk

1 Cup Organic Plain Yogurt(homemade yogurt is even better)

2-3 frozen whole peaches (see my Simply How to Best Freeze Seasonal Fruit and Veggies)

1/4 tsp of Cinnamon

Raw Local Honey to taste(if you have sweet peaches, you really don't need a lot).

Mix in your Vitamix or blender. Serve with a dash of cinnamon of top, which makes it look super fun AND cinnamon has a ton of health benefits!!

For our family of 7, we will double or triple this recipe ;)

Simply Breakfast

Over the past couple of years, we have taken baby steps to replace processed food(commercially prepared food designed easy consumption) with natural, homemade, organic, fresh foods. This is no easy task and very easily become overwhelming. I wrote a blog when I first began answering some questions and giving encouragement on how a journey to better eating is simple, when you take baby steps. You can find that post here. One of the hardest baby steps I have come across was boxed cereal. I love it. My kids love it. Who doesn't love it? We made a lot of changes, but cereal was always on the menu for the week. It is so convenient, so easy, so good. It is also so processed, and so full of ingredients you can't pronounce. So I, like I mention so often, took a baby step in my goal in no processed cereals. I switched to buying only cereals at Trader Joe's first, then only organic, and now I am proud to say we are down to ONE day of cereal for breakfast! And that box is reserved for a morning that is well, at my discretion :) That one boxed is organic with only one or two ingredients. Simple.

When eliminating something not so good for you, you must replace it with something good for you. It does require a little more effort than pouring a bowl of ceral, but the value far outweighs the effort. Eggs, oatmeal, smoothies are all part of our weekly menu. Our family favorite: Homemade yogurt(easy recipe coming soon) and granola(found here) with fruit. I make it in bulk because of the size of our family, but you can easly adjust this recipe because it is really simple. It is packed with a ton of nutrients that give you energy for the day.And because everyone has different likes, you can easily add or replace any ingredients to you liking! I make this recipe about every 3 weeks. If I don't monitor it closely, it is gone a lot sooner than that. I get most of these ingredients at our local flour mill. Buying in bulk ALWAYS saves you money. So enjoy! 

Simply Natural Lawn Care(Be Gone Evil Mosquitoes)

 It is that time of year again. Those evil little biting bugs are hatching and are everywhere. Especially in our backyard because it is near our creek. Mosquitoes LOVE water. I HATE mosqitoes. No option, they have to go. All of the other bugs too. Don't laugh when you read this. As crazy as it sounds, this natural lawn cocktail works! We have been using it every spring on our lawn, garden area, landscaping for years. This year I added 10 drops of both lemon and eucalyptus essential oil for added protection, but it was worked like magic without them. All you need are 3 ingredients and a sprayer. 

1 12oz Beer (not light)-I always use the cheapest I can find ;)

1/2 cup of dish soap

1/2 ammonia 

I mix this all together in a mason jar. This should be mixed with 10 gallons of water. We have a 1 gallon sprayer, so I divide into tenths. Double if you have a large area. It won't hurt anything. Not even your kids or pets!  It is non-toxic. 

So here is to greener grass and no blood sucking pests! CHEERS!

Simply Cranberry Cinnamon Pork

Oh, how I love a meal that is timeless. One that you can pass down for generations to come. Especially, when the recipe is simple, but oh so delicious. This will also will fill your home with scents of Christmas.
IT is one you will want to bookmark, I promise.

Cranberry Cinnamon Pork
1 Pork Tenderloin or 4 chops
2 Organic Apples-chopped(Gala or Fuji are wonderful and full of flavor)
2 Cloves of Fresh Garlic-crushed
1/2 cup Cranberries
1/2 cup Fresh Apple Juice
1/4 Muscovado
1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
Celtic Sea Salt and Peppercorn to taste

~Rub the pork with the fresh crushed Garlic. Put in slow cooker
 Garlic is an amazing for immune boosting. The secret is to use freshly crushed garlic(by you, not bought). When you crush it fresh, it creates a strong and amazing compound called alliin. Google it, and see all of it's incredible benefits.
~Add other ingredients on top.
~Turn on low and let cook for 8-9 hours OR until pork is 160 degrees.
Serve over wild rice and enjoy! Remember to sprinkle juices from slow cooker over the rice...it is happy for your tummy ;)