Women in Business Fundraiser Opportunity

I have teamed up with Women in Business (WiB) Ohio for an incredible fundraiser opportunity! WiB is a networking group that has the ultimate goal of helping professional women grow through grants and scholarships. They provide events and learning opportunities each month, and I highly recommend you check out what they have to offer if you get the chance. I have learned a great deal from the other women who attend these meetings and have even developed deep friendships with some of them. I was recently given the opportunity to speak to the group about getting dinner on the table fast without losing their sanity.

If you are local to the Mercer/Auglaize Ohio area and would like to place an order through this fundraiser, click here.

Updates!

Business has been booming this fall with the end of the Celina Farmers' Market, stocking the Menchhofer Fall Market, the re-Grand Opening of Cakes By Design, and so much more! Lots of late nights, early mornings, and plenty of hands-on help from the hubby.

I have been invited to share Cassie's Country Cupboard products at a number of pop-up vendor opportunities during the off-season. You'll first be able to find me at Nature's Green Nursery during most Saturdays in November! I'll be sure to keep you updated as information becomes available.

I'll be working on some new recipes this winter, so be sure to let me know if you're interested in being a taste tester or if you have an idea for a mix that you would like me to have under my tent during the 2019 market season. I'm thinking about a peach-poblano fruit butter....mmmm....or maybe a maple apple butter? Jalapeno jelly has been a fun addition to my offerings this summer!

Many thanks to my customers, friends, family, and supporters of all kinds!

For the most up-to-date information, be sure to follow me on Facebook at Cassie's Country Cupboard FB

If it can't be frozen, it's not worth making

Last month I posted my introduction to how we eat, and eat well, without using boxed dinners or depending on the drive-thru.

If you have two adults working outside the home 40+ hours a week, it’s tough to get nutritious meals on the table. If you have two adults working INSIDE the home, it’s tough to get nutritious meals on the table. Single parent? Forget it. Let’s be real – schedules are crazy for everyone. Kids and adults are all involved in lots of activities, volunteer opportunities, full-time jobs, part-time jobs, the list goes on…

Preparation is one of three keys to getting real food, real fast, on the table. Next is using your freezer to the MAX!

When I am planning meals, I always consider if I can plan for leftovers and if those leftovers can be frozen. If it can’t, that recipe likely won’t make it on the list. Most foods can be frozen, but there are certainly some that don’t do so well like lettuce, cucumbers, raw potatoes, and egg whites/meringues. There are others, but I have faith that you know how to use Google.

This might sound like a repeat from last month, but it still holds true for my freezing technique: When cooking proteins such as whole roasts in the slow cooker or ground meat in the skillet, I make sure that I prepare at least two meals worth of the protein. I hate doing dishes, so the more I cook at once, the more time and effort I can save doing dishes and preparing the meal for round 2 (or 3, or 4). My skillet can cook up to 4 pounds of ground meat at a time. Our local grocery store will periodically put ground beef on sale, but only if you buy it in 3+ pound packages. Since our kids don’t eat like teenagers (yet), 3 pounds is a little excessive for one meal. I used to split the packages when I got home and vacuum seal them. No more – I just cook it all (likely adding some chopped onion near the end of the cook time), drain, and then divide the cooked meat into one pound servings (2 cups of cooked ground meat is about 1 pound pre-cooked weight). Frozen oooked ground meat thaws quickly, so you can easily throw together spaghetti or tacos even if you forgot to defrost the meat in the fridge overnight.

Do you have roasts hanging out in your freezer that you were SURE you were going to use…someday… Thaw those puppies out and get them in your slow-cooker! Slice up an onion for the bottom of the slow cooker, set the roast on top, sprinkle with some seasoning and dump a beer (or a cup of broth) on top. Close the lid and don’t peek for 8-10 hours. When it’s done and had a chance to cool, shred the meat and freeze in the serving sizes that work for your family. Use the meat as fajita/taco/burrito filling, BBQ beef sandwich filling, for French Dip sandwiches, or mixed with gravy and served over potatoes or noodles. Comfort food made super simple!

Do you buy a package of onions because they are cheaper…but then they start growing before you have a chance to use them? Save yourself time and money by dicing up several of them at once. Spread them on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid. Scoop them into freezer bags and use them as needed – minus the tears! This same technique works for bell peppers, too. I like using these frozen onions and peppers on pizza night since we only need it on one side of the pizza. The kids haven’t discovered non-boring pizza yet. We’ll get there someday.

 

Freezer Friendly Twice-Baked Potatoes

If you want to check out a whole month's worth of freezable lunches (including these ultra-delicious twice-baked potatoes), be sure to check out the meal plan I created that will take you three hours or less to create!

I have a whole slew of other freezer tricks to share. I see future blog posts or maybe even an e-book in my future! How do you use your freezer to maximize your time in the kitchen?

Skip the Drive-Thru and Hamburger Helper

Three most-used responses to "How are you?"

Fine.

Good.

BUSY!

My peers are hardworking men and women, leaving the home at 7:00am (or earlier!) and working 8+ hours a day before returning home just in time for kids' activities, volunteer work, or any number of other possible scheduling nightmares.

I recently presented the topic of how to eat well, no matter how busy you are, at a Women in Business luncheon, so I thought I would share my pearls of wisdom for the rest of the world.

Food is often an afterthought, with adults looking for the easiest way to provide themselves and those under their care with some sort of nutrition in the fastest way possible. Unfortunately, “nutrition” is usually buried somewhere underneath a layer of greasy, genetically-modified, and laboratory-produced food look-a-like items. You don’t have to continue this way. Our family doesn’t follow this path.

I’ve heard all the excuses. “You don’t understand – we are just too busy!” “Our kids refuse to eat XYZ.” “Fresh food is too expensive.”

I get it. We don’t live in an era when the dutiful wife stays at home, spending all afternoon creating a beautiful meal to serve her adoring family when they return from their day at school and work. Two income families are the norm, often with parents working opposite shifts to ease daycare costs. Gone are the days of gathering around the dining room table as a family unit, no matter how often the benefits of eating as a family are presented to the public. I get it, I really do. We leave the house before 7:00 and don’t get home until 5:30 or later. My husband? Who knows when he will get home from his full-time job or the farm. The kids have activities. The parents have meetings. But my family still eats REAL FOOD because I have made this a priority. Of course the kids would prefer to visit the golden arches or pick up a grease-laden pizza. They get over it and I’m sure someday will appreciate the alternatives they are exposed to everyday. They might be 32 when they appreciate it, but someday they will.

How do we do it?

I focus on three concepts that help me get real food on the table, real fast. Preparation, Freezing, and Kitchen Techniques/Tools. Today’s post will focus on PREPARATION.

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” This quote from Benjamin Franklin is overused, I know. But it’s overused because it is true in so many situations. Meal prep should not just be a fad – it is critical to making sure you have healthy meal options whether you are a single career-driven person or a farm family of eight. Even companies that sell exercise programs and nutrition supplements encourage meal planning to make sure you do not sabotage the expensive programs you are purchasing! Meal planning takes all sorts of forms: writing out the meals you plan to make each day of the week and a grocery list to match, batch cooking proteins/grains early in the week to make a small variety of meals, or even just prepping fruits, vegetables, and spices the night before. I encourage you to find the technique that works best for you and your family to make sure you stick to a plan. Without a plan, I guarantee that you will find yourself turning to the foods that are bad for your waistline as well as your pocketbook! (Stay tuned for future posts about how I keep food costs down if you are on a budget.) My friend Kim of Dream Lily Designs is an organization guru. She has implemented this awesome magnetic meal planning kit that makes it fun and easy for this busy young family to stay on track!

Kim said that this plan has eliminated fights about dinner since everyone gets to help make the plan each week. She plans her meals based on the activities they have each night, even making sure that the meal chosen for Dad’s night of cooking include a recipe that he is comfortable creating.

I use several techniques to make sure I am prepared for each day’s meals. Before planning a grocery list for the week, I check out our calendar to determine how much (if any!) time we have at home each night of the week before needing to move on to the next activity of the evening. Some nights we have 30 minutes or less to cook the food AND eat it. These nights will depend on reheated leftovers or a simple scrambled egg sandwich with fresh fruit like grapes or apple slices.

Leftovers are always key to my weekly plan! When cooking proteins such as whole roasts in the slow cooker or ground meat in the skillet, I make sure that I prepare at least two meals worth of the protein. I hate doing dishes, so the more I cook at once, the more time and effort I can save doing dishes and preparing the meal for round 2! My chili recipe always makes leftovers for our family (at least until our boys are teenagers). You can check out that recipe and leftover ideas here: Chili Your Way

If I know that I will need chopped onions (or other veggies like carrots, peppers, or celery) for a couple of recipes this week, I will do all of the chopping at once and store the onions in a tightly closed container. Again, saving on time doing dishes and meal effort later. I always grate my own cheese (I’m not a fan of the extra ingredients like cellulose - aka wood pulp - that can be found in pre-shredded cheese, plus it melts better and tastes better), so I grate all the cheese I need for the week at one time and store it in containers.

Have others in your family help with the prep whenever they are available! Potatoes can be scrubbed by some of the youngest in your family. Wash fruits and veggies like apples and peppers as soon as you bring them home from the market. Having them washed and ready to go will make it far easier for you to decide to cook at home when all you really want to do is buy a bucket of fried chicken.

If a recipe calls for a mixture of spices, I will combine those spices at least the night before I will need them. If pantry items like canned beans or tomato products are listed in the recipe, I will set out what I need the night before or in the morning if I have time. This small step will save you precious minutes when the meal-time crunch hits. No searching the dark corners of your cupboards or pantry for the can of whatever that you THOUGHT you bought a week ago.

My last tip as part of the preparation theme is to have a prepared pantry, fridge, and countertop.

*In my pantry you will always find canned tomatoes and beans, dried pastas, boxed low-sodium broth, and a variety of spices. You can make any number of vegetarian meals with just these ingredients!

*In my refrigerator, you can find eggs, a wedge of Parmesan cheese and blocks of other cheese, milk, and a number of fruits and veggies that require little or no prep to eat! One of my go-to meals when time is super crunched – scrambled eggs, toast, and fresh fruit like grapes or apple slices. Dinner on the table in 10 minutes or less (and not a lot of dishes)!

*Fresh potatoes, onions, and garlic are always on my countertop (with the potatoes and onions stored in separate areas to prevent the potatoes from rotting prematurely from the fumes of the onions). Potatoes and onions are great for frugal cooking. Baked potatoes are perfect as either a side dish or a filling main dish when topped with chili, broccoli and cheese, bacon, or any number of ways! Fresh onions and garlic add great flavor to most dishes.

These are just a few of the many preparation steps I use to save time in the kitchen. I would love to hear what techniques you use to save both your time and sanity when hunger hits and there seems to be no time to get a healthy meal on the table!

Leftover Makeover

How does your family feel about leftovers? Do they cringe at the thought of two day old meatloaf and mashed potatoes? Or do you have a happy dance to celebrate an easy lunch that heats up at work during the week?
 

One Skillet Spaghetti - 3 cups low sodium broth, 3 cups pasta sauce, 12 oz. dry pasta, and 1 pound of cooked ground meat. Simmer until the pasta is tender and sprinkle with freshly grated cheese. Dinner is done in 20 minutes or less with minimal clean-up!

I LOVE leftovers and often purposely make too much of certain foods to ensure I have leftovers to use later that week or to freeze.  It saves me money by buying foods in bulk that I expect to use within a certain timeframe.  We eat out less if we have quick meals available, again saving money. I also save time in doing dishes - if I can handwash one large greasy skillet just once for several meals, I feel like a rockstar!
 
As a follow-up to my previous post about doing our best to not waste food, here are some suggestions for using up a few typical leftover items:
 

Chili - By design, I always make far more chili for our family than what we are going to eat at a meal.  Chili can be reused in so many ways and it freezes beautifully! Serve leftover chili on baked potatoes, cooked spaghetti, salad greens, and over hot dogs. Leftover chili also makes a fantastic burrito filling for an easy weeknight meal. Fill single serving freezer containers for simple lunches – just add crackers or a peanut butter sandwich and you’ve got a quick meal that doesn’t require a drive-thru!

Cornbread – I usually make cornbread along with chili, but many times I have leftover cornbread along with the chili. Eating it the next day as just cornbread is often a pretty dry experience. Instead, I add mine to a plate of eggs and salsa, use it as stuffing or breadcrumbs, make it a cold salad with corn and black beans, or even use it in a breakfast casserole in place of sandwich bread!

Mashed potatoes – Unless you are a fan of leftover Thanksgiving dinner, you might want to have a few other ideas to use up mashed potatoes. Look up recipes for potato pancakes, use them up in bread machine recipes, or I have even seen mashed potatoes spread over pizza crust as the “sauce”!

Want more great leftover ideas? Head on over to my FREE Facebook Group Real Food, Real Life and check out the guide in the files section.

No Wasted Food!

"No Wasted Food! No Wasted Food!" This chant will forever be in my memory from my days spent at the Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center. I first visited as a sixth grade student, and my life was changed forever. We learned about the importance of taking care of our world and each other. Even the tiniest mosquito deserves our love and respect (this is still a difficult concept for me). Mealtimes even focused on sustainability - no paper napkins (we each had our own handkerchief), vegetarian options were made available, and we were expected to only put on our plate what we believed we were going to eat. Any food left on plates was scraped into a small bucket, and the goal was to have an amount small enough that would be below a line about an inch tall. Celebrations abounded when this goal was reached, which is no small feat when you gather 100+ students, teachers, and staff for a meal. 

I returned to the Glen as a staff member when I graduated from college. The call of the Pine Forest, the Yellow Springs, and the Raptor Center was strong. 
 


I handled a number of raptors and cared for them as well during my time at Glen Helen. Pictured here is a barred owl.

One of several natural springs in the Glen.

Working hand in hand with other staff members to bring young people to understand their place in our world was an incredible experience. I worked at the Center for a year in different roles. We were all expected to take turns in the kitchen and not surprisingly this was my favorite place to be.

From-scratch pancakes were always a hit with the kids! I'm pictured here on the left with a co-worker.

I took pride in helping to create food that children would find both tasty and nourishing for the long days spent on the trails.  The "No Wasted Food" chant lived on during these days, and celebrations varied from song and dance to the shaving of staff member heads. We taught the kids about the resources needed to create the food they eat: time, money, fuel, electricity, packaging, and animal life in some cases. It's important that we care for these resources as there are many who don't have enough food to survive and we mustn't create more waste during our production of food.  Even the small amount of food that we had to throw away was not completed wasted. A compost pile was located on site and the luscious soil was eventually worked into the on-site garden with the help of staff and students.

The United Nations Environmental Programme states that about one-third of all food produced in the world is "lost" during production or consumption. Think about that - one in three apples could have been given to those who suffer endlessly from hunger and malnutrition. One in three hamburgers from your favorite fast-food joint is tossed for one reason or another.  Our world has enough food for everyone...but we can't seem to get it to those who need it before it is considered waste.

I encourage you to think through your meals each week. Pick up only the fresh meat and produce that you believe will actually be consumed before it goes bad. Choose items with less packaging and those which traveled a shorter distance. At mealtimes, encourage your family members to only put on their plates that which they are really going to eat. Package up leftovers immediately after meals so that they are appetizing for lunches in the next couple of days. You will save time, money, and countless resources if you find ways to keep from tossing food. Consider composting the inedible parts of fresh fruits and vegetables and use the soil to create beautiful produce in your own garden!

Peppers from our garden!

Glen Helen will forever hold a special place in my heart. I look forward to the time when my own children will discover amazing things about themselves and their world when they visit for their first time in a few years!

We developed our own black and white photography (pre-digital age). I am still in contact with many of my friends I met during this time!

Farmers' Market Tips

Farmers' Market Tips

 

 

 

Opening Day at the Celina Farmers’ Market was buzzing with activity last Saturday! Vendors included farmers selling fresh produce, seamstresses offering gorgeous baby keepsakes, bakers giving out tasty samples of decadent desserts, and many more.  Does your community offer a seasonal (or all year) farmers’ market? If it does, I encourage you to take full advantage of this opportunity!  Here are some tips to get the most out of your visit to the market:

 

§  Choose your time. The freshest produce and biggest selection is available to those who arrive bright and early. Shopping later in the day may get you the opportunity for big discounts on produce and baked goods – most vendors don’t want to take home perishable foods. Just don’t be disappointed if your favorite food is no longer available at the end of the day!

§  Be prepared. Bring your own bags and containers, since vendors do not always have them on hand. Stash a cooler in the car to keep items cool and fresh. Some markets do not have public restroom access – plan ahead, especially if you have small children with you.

§  Bring small change. While some vendors might be able to accept credit cards (like me!) or checks, purchases will go easier and faster if you have exact (or close to exact) change.

 

§  Make a loop around the market first. Take note of items of interest and return to make your purchases…but remember that your favorites could be gone by the time you return!

§  Chat with the farmer. Many farmers are eager to talk about their growing methods and how they store and prepare their product. Most vendors are happy to give you a sample taste of their products, you just have to ask!

§  Try something new. One of the best parts of farmers markets is sampling new products and foods. Bring along your children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, neighbors – allow them to see food closer to its original state. Allow them to touch when encouraged by the vendors.  There are so many colors, tastes and textures that they can explore at a busy market.

 

I hope you become a regular shopper at your local market.  Everyone wins when you shop for fresh and local products!