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Chocolate Mint Fudge

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Chocolate Mint! Oh, my!

I grew up looking forward to all my Mom’s holiday candy making and fudge was always my favorite.

But here’s the deal… Since I’ve gotten the sugar monkey off my back the thought of Mom’s fudge just doesn’t do it for me anymore. No worries. I just came up with a healthier solution. A solution that makes me feel good when I indulge!

This yummy cacao (healthier than processed chocolate!) dessert recipe helps you get through the holidays without packing on the pounds or feeling deprived.

These are great for a pre-workout energy bite, to bring to a holiday party and to crowd-out holiday candy.

Chocolate-Mint Fudge

ChocolateMintFudgeBites
You will need a mini muffin tin and mini muffin papers.

Ingredients:
* 1 ½ cups walnuts
* 1 cup pitted dates
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 1/3 cup cacao powder
* ½ cup fresh mint (or a drop of peppermint essential oil)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in food processor, pulse and then blend well. The mixture should have the consistency of peanut butter.

Use a melon baller to scoop out mixture and form into one-inch balls; place in mini muffin paper cups. (I place the paper cups in a mini muffin tray so they don’t slide around.)

Leave as a round ball or simply press mixture into muffin cup (not as pretty but less fuss).

Remove muffin cups from tray and place in a re-sealable storage container using wax paper in between layers; store in freezer for at least one hour.

Remove and serve cold or at room temperature.

*Note: if you are reducing caffeine for a better night’s sleep, remember that cacao has caffeine. If you do eat a piece of the fudge, do so earlier in the day!

Stop Wasting Overripe Fruit with This Tip

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Overripe Fruit Blues

Do you ever feel like you buy fruit and it seems like only the fruit flies enjoy it once it’s overripe?

I have a confession. Yes, I am a bit obsessive on occasion. I love fresh fruit when it’s at the peak of season and I’ve been known to go overboard when I buy. Sweet Georgia peaches? I’ll take a dozen! Plump blueberries? A few pints in the cart. Oh, strawberries? Might as well grab a couple quarts. Watermelon? Better get a big one. And bananas? Only a big bunch will do!

While I might be exaggerating a wee bit, it’s not by much. There are only the two of us here and how much fruit can, or should, we consume in a week? The obsession became a stressor when some of Nature’s bounty started to look less than stellar on the kitchen counter.

I buy mostly organic produce and since I don’t have money to burn, I’ve also made a solemn vow to not waste any produce. Period. End of discussion.

So, I got creative. You remember the saying, ‘Necessity is the mother of invention.’ right? It’s true.

My Save the Overripe Fruit Crusade

The fruit I’m talking about saving are the ones with wrinkled skin and not so appealing to eat by hand any longer. You know – past its prime, overripe. It’s not quite ready to become future dirt in my garden so I backed away from the compost bin and headed to the blender.

A super simple way to save your overripe fruit is to puree and freeze it. First cut away any spoiled spots, run it in the blender or food processor, and freeze the puree in ice cube trays for later.

Pureed Fruit Cubes

Just about any type of fruit will work! Berries, melons, stone fruits, pineapples, mangoes, or whatever you happen to have. If any fruit has a pit, you’ll need to remove it before pureeing. And for things like peaches and nectarines that have skin, you can remove it or leave it on. It all depends on your taste.

Bananas get treated differently. When their peels look like cheetahs you couldn’t pay me to eat one, but if I peel, cut in thirds, place in a freezer bag and freeze – I love them!

Put That Overripe Fruit to Work

Of course, the fun and creative reward is putting these frozen fruit purees to work! Blend them into smoothies, shakes, and cocktails; use them to cool drinks; or let them melt and use as a dessert topping.

The bananas have even more versatility. A super ripe banana that’s been frozen for at least 24 hours makes a fabulous frozen treat that rivals ice cream. Or you can try them smothered in chocolate with this recipe… FROZEN BANANA BITES.

Remember… waste not, want not.

What are your best tips for using up overripe fruit?

Tips For Your Organic Garden

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 How does my organic garden grow?

As naturally as possible!

A huge part of our commitment to living a sustainable life was changing to an organic philosophy in the garden. And when I say huge I mean really really big change. Conventional gardening practices had left us ignorant of working with nature and dependent on outside sources for fertilizers and pest control. But let it never be said that the hubby and I shy away from a challenge. The more we learned the more we want to learn. The experience is addictive. There, I warned you!

This year we are really in the groove and producing lots of organic produce. Over the last several – painful – years of experience we’ve learned a couple things:

  1. Always grow extra for the bugs. Seriously. It’s good to share, right? It doesn’t do any good getting yourself worked into a frenzy over a couple wayward caterpillars and their insatiable hunger for your prized tomatoes. Just grow an extra plant or two!
  2. Focus on your dirt. This is a game changer. Once we started putting our energy and resources into building a diverse and healthy microcosm everything became simpler.  Love your dirt and your dirt will love you.
  3. Healthy plants mean less bugs. You know how we put off scents? So do plants and the bugs are tuned in – just like we are tuned into pheromones and their siren song so are unwanted pests to your unhealthy plants. Healthy plants start with – you guessed it – healthy soil!
  4. Grow your own pest control. We invite helpful predators into our gardens by understanding what they like. I like to think we are Motel 6 for the good bugs – we always leave the light on.

To create your own Motel 6 for the beneficial bugs in your area, check out this fabulous infographic. It’s full of practical tips to ensure success! Make this the year you say NO to pesticides.

Happy gardening!

 

Click to Enlarge Image

Gardens Gone Wild

Gardens Gone Wild
Infographic by CustomMade

 

GARDEN TIPS

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Let’s grow veggies!

Warning! Growing your own organic veggies is heady stuff. Once you get your grown on, you won’t want to stop. How flippin’ fantastic is it to plant a tiny seed, nurture it through the stages of life and reap the rewards of a bountiful harvest? Well, let me put it this way – it’s kind of like parenting sans the sass and back talk! Quite fulfilling, plus you get sustenance. Bonus!

I was trying to figure out where to start with a gardening series for the blog  and BOOM! this graphic found its way to me. Thanks, Aldo! To get you growing quickly I’m sharing this glorious graphic with you in hopes that you get busy growing.

Graw Veggies
Grow Veggies

Source: Fix.com

The information should get anyone started. Be on the look out for detailed articles on specific subjects.

In the meantime check out:

How to fight white flies and aphids naturally.

Compost 101.

Why you should grow cruciferous veggies.

 

Where to Spend & Save on Organic

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Can’t go 100% Organic?

Have you ever heard of the Dirty Dozen? It’s the 12 kinds of produce that you absolutely MUST buy organic because they are most heavily sprayed with pesticides.

Pesticides contribute to toxicity in the body, which means that we are more likely to suffer from allergies, a weakened immune system, and digestive problems, among other things.

Many fruits and vegetables that have thin skins or have skins that you eat are toxic when bought conventional. As a general rule of thumb, you want to make sure that anything you buy that has a thin skin is organic, as this will limit the amount of environmental toxins entering your body that wreak havoc on your health.

While it is always best to buy organic whenever possible, this doesn’t work for every budget. The Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen were created for this exact reason: to help you know the top 12 foods that you MUST buy organic and the top 15 that can be bought conventional. So, save your money on the 15 and spend it on the 12! Thank you, Environmental Working Group!

DIRTY DOZEN:
• Apples
• Celery
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Potatoes
• Snap Peas
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Sweet Bell Peppers

I add Kale/Collards to my organic only list too!

CLEAN FIFTEEN:
• Asparagus
• Avocados
• Cabbage
• Cantaloupe
• Cauliflower
• Eggplant
• Grapefruit
• Kiwi
• Mangoes
• Onions
• Papayas
• Pineapples
• Sweet Corn
• Sweet Peas (frozen)
• Sweet Potatoes