Pinterest Deal or Dud?

I absolutely love Pinterest. But one thing I get frustrated with is that most people I've found just repin without changing the caption. So I have 10 people I'm following all posting a recipe that says that they've made it 10 times in the last month and everyone has kept requesting it. So I never know who actually made it 10 times and whether or not their recipes are tried and true. I have tried at least half of the things I've pinned, but I don't actually have a way of reviewing them on Pinterest, so I thought I'd do that here.

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So the first pin I absolutely love is this. Did you know that, once you chop the green stems off green onions, you can simply put the whites/roots into a glass of water, and the greens will grow back?! I've done this since Thanksgiving, and it's worked every time perfectly. I even had 2 onions that I kept, used, and grew and re-grew for over 2 months. They don't have to be in the light, the temperature can vary greatly, it doesn't matter if they're in a draft. The original pin said they'll grow about an inch per day, but mine grow at least 2 inches per day. It's amazing and so convenient. Try it!

Kid lunches: A muffin tin alternative

I started doing muffin tin lunches for my 3-year-old daughter (and now my 14-month-old son) for almost 1 1/2 years now. I love the fact that it challenges me to think outside the box with variety, but I've found a flaw. In order to save leftovers, I have to move them to a different container. The 6-cup muffin tins from Dollar Tree don't even fit into gallon-sized Ziplocs, so saving them in the tin isn't an option. Bummer.

Awhile back I was browsing Inchbug ordering some cup labels for the kids, and I saw these containers. There are a ton of different food storage options on that site, but these fit the bill for us perfectly. They have a snap-on lid for the dip portion and the whole thing making it perfect for lunches on-the-go and for storing leftovers. We use the middle portion for yogurt, peanut butter, hummus, ranch dressing, etc. Then I just fill the outside with a handful of other things - celery sticks, baby carrots, PB and honey sandwiches (cut into stars above), apple slices, cheese sticks, and the list goes on and on. My 3-year-old loves the containers (something about giving lunch to her in a compartmentalized tray appeals to her), and I love the convenience of not having to dirty yet another container for leftovers. These are also much easier to clean than the muffin tins which do not hold up well in the dishwasher.

Hope you find these as helpful as I have!

Cut Spaghetti

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Both of my kids love pasta. I'm always looking for new and interesting shapes and styles. Tom Thumb has a line of organic whole wheat pasta in TONS of fun shapes that they'll gobble up. And there are a lot of really small options - ones that require no cutting for my 1-year-old. The last time I was searching Tom Thumb's pasta aisle, I saw that Barilla makes cut spaghetti. Spaghetti is a staple in our house - it's my go-to recipe when I have nothing else planned. And I always scoop a portion out to chop up for the kids. But Barilla sells it already cut.

Not one to pay for someone else to do work that I am perfectly capable of, I decided to just use the idea and to break regular spaghetti myself. Then, on the way home, I had an even better idea. I'd have my 3-year-old do the grunt work for me. And she LOVED it! So we now have a canister of broken spaghetti courtesy of my 3-year-old daughter. When I'm making pasta dishes using spaghetti noodles, I just boil a small pot of water for the kids and throw in a handful of the broken noodles. Then there's no cutting at all. I just mix it with the sauce, and it's ready to serve.
If you're looking for a way to keep your child busy for awhile, sit them at a table with a handful of uncooked spaghetti noodles and an empty canister for storage.

Guacamole Tip

This guacamole pictured is over 24-hours old, and it is not even slightly browning! One of my friends shared a tip of throwing the avocado pits into the guacamole to preserve the color, and it absolutely works. Be sure to throw the pit of each avocado used into the guacamole as the chemistry of each fruit is different. Yum!

Recipe found here.

Yum!

I saw a commercial for Yoplait Whips the other day suggesting freezing them and enjoying them like you would frozen yogurt. It is delicious! Go freeze some today for a cool and healthier summer treat.

The many, many leaves of basil

My basil plant (bush!) is out of control. It's grown to 2 feet high and is as big around as a beach ball. I've harvested basil just about daily to encourage it to grow wider and not tall and stalky. I've made everything from my basil chicken previously posted to marinaras, spaghetti sauces, lasagna, and everything in between. I've given it away and, ultimately tossed some which grossely conflicts with my pioneer tendencies. =)
Anyway, my sister had the best idea for a way to preserve the fresh basil. She suggested chopping it and freezing it in ice cube trays. I did, and it worked perfectly! I used my first few cubes in dinner last night. Just clean it, chop it up, spoon it into ice cube trays, cover it with water, and freeze. You can do this with any fresh herbs. Freeze mint into ice cubes, and use it to cool off iced tea. Freeze fresh cilantro, and use it for your salsas. The possibilities are endless.
Thanks for the great tip, Amy!

Kitchen Tip

I buy in bulk and freeze A LOT. I usually store things in Ziploc bags in the freezer because they're so easy to store flat and to mark dates and contents on. Plus, there's no clean-up when you're done. The problem with Ziploc bags is that they are not easy to fill without making a huge mess. Before when I would buy lots of ground beef or turkey, dividing and freezing it was such a pain because my hands were so messy that I got the outside of the bags all slimy and greasy too. I started fitting the Ziplocs inside of a plastic cup folding the tops down over the sides. This way I'm able to scoop things to freeze right inside, and the outside, my hands, and the zip-top stay clean. So simple, but so helpful.

Another tip about storing and freezing in Ziplocs is to lay them as flat as you can in the freezer. That way the bags will freeze flat and can be stacked on top of one another. I've got a stack of frozen turkey broth, frozen tomato paste (doesn't it seem like all recipes only use 2 Tablespoons out of the can?!), and frozen meats. This takes up very little room in my freezer since they're stacked like that.

Again, hope this helps you as much as it has helped me!