How To Clarify Butter!

What is clarified butter? Clarified butter (also known as ghee) is butter with the milk solids and water removed.  It is a great choice for cooking and able to withstand higher temperatures than regular butter or other oils such as coconut oil.  Clarified butter is one of my favorite things to cook with when eating Paleo, it adds a great mild buttery flavor and is simple to make. literally..

Step 1: Melt

Step 2: Strain

Step 3: Store

While it may seem like a lot of work or a hassle it is quite easy, quick and last for a while. Plus it could help your digestion, improve your flexibility, boost your immune system and moisturize your skin!

1. You want to heat your butter in a saucepan over low heat until it melts. Then allow it to simmer as the white "foam" rises to the surface.  I usually make a pound at a time. (though it is less than a pound once clarified)

2.  Once the all the foam has risen (this takes about 10 minutes) you will have three layers.  All the milk solid sediment will be at the bottom of the pan with a layer of golden liquid under the foam. You can skim the foam off with a slotted spoon but I don't like to do it that way.  If you want to skim it off as it forms i suggest using a mesh skimmer.  I prefer waiting the 10 minutes and then straining it though cheesecloth.

4. Using a rubber-band I just secure the cheesecloth around the opening of my "clarified butter jar" and slowly pour the butter into the jar. You will notice the white foam being trapped on top of the cheesecloth. You also want to leave behind that bottom layer of solids so stop straining when you get to the end of the clear liquid gold.

* Clarified butter will keep for 3 to 6 months in the refrigerator, you can also leave it at room temperature on your counter like I do if the conditions are optimal, or freeze it for a similar length of time.

* Traditionally, you will find that you should use unsalted Butter when clarifying butter. While I have made it using both salted and unsalted I traditionally use salted.  I don't find that the salt is intensified after being clarified but it may be because I strongly dislike unsalted butter to begin with.

Would you clarify your butter?

10 Vinegar Life Hacks!

Cracked Black Pepper Always On Hand!

Here is a quick and easy simple secret.

Almost every type of recipe imaginable calls for a pinch of black pepper. Many specify cracked black pepper.  I always keep a dish of sea salt and black pepper next to the stove so they are easily accessible when I cook.  I found myself cracking fresh black pepper into a separate dish when I made recipes that called for specific amounts of cracked pepper.  A while ago I decided to mix my black pepper with cracked black pepper in the dish by the stove and now I always have fresh pepper on hand.  It is also supper easy when I need to scoop up a teaspoon worth for a recipe.  

Unrefined Virgin Coconut Oil!

With so many type of oils out there how are we supposed to decipher the good oil from the bad? Well, First off, eliminate vegetable oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids and Omega-6. These are the types of oils that are not good for you. For example: vegetable oil, corn oil, peanut oil, soybean oil , grape seed oil, cottonseed oil, safflower and sunflower oil.

Learning to eat Paleo you pick up on a few things, like how good fats don’t actually make you fat and are actually healthy.  Paleo eaters rely heavily on consuming good fats, it’s our main source of energy. Our bodies are said to be designed to run primarily on fat as a source of energy. Coconut oil is an edible oil, like olive oil that is extracted from the meat of coconuts. The oil is made up of around 90% saturated fat, 6% monounsaturated fat, and 3% polyunsaturated fat which allows it to stay stable under high heat.  This is also why it is great to cook with.

Using coconut oil for cooking is becoming more and more popular. I actually began using unrefined virgin coconut oil in my cooking long before I made the jump to a Paleo lifestyle.  When I began eating Paleo I quickly learned that although you can consume olive oil at room temperature, for example, drizzled over a salad, you are not supposed to cook your food with it.  Since I used olive oil in many of the dishes I prepared,  I began supplementing the coconut oil in it's place and opening up many more possibilities for cooking with it.  The difference from most oils you are probably used to cooking with is that coconut oil is solid at room temperature. I use this oil now for most of my stove top cooking.  It is great for sauteing vegetables and frying eggs.  It will leave a great subtle coconut flavor and smell that is not overpowering to your dishes.  I also use it in some of my grain free baking.

Using coconut oil in your cooking can also positively affect your health. Here are just a few examples of how:

• Boosts your metabolism 
• Aids with weight loss.
• Increases your digestion 
• Helps you absorb fat-soluble vitamins.
• Improves your heart health 
• Supports your immune system.
• Positively affects your hormones for thyroid and blood-sugar control. 
• Promotes healing & tissue repair.
• Helps protect against kidney disease and bladder infections.

Coconut oil also has many other uses outside the kitchen check out these 160 uses for coconut oil.

If you are unsure or curious I encourage you to buy a jar and substitute it in a few of your recipes   You may just be pleasantly surprised.  There are many brands of coconut oil on the market.  I tend to buy the brand Spectrum that's pictured above on the left.  It is reasonably priced and has worked well for me for many different uses.

Would you cook with coconut oil?

Bottle To Pen!

Knowing my propensity to be "green" whenever possible, a friend of mine bought me a few B2P pilot pens a while back.  I love them and wanted to share this great idea with you all.   Pilot created the Bottle to Pen (B2P), a retractable, refillable gel ink pen, which is made from recycled plastic bottles,

Hopefully you are aware of the alternatives to using disposable bottles and recycle the ones you do use. Here are some facts about how plastic bottles pollute. 

• Plastic bottles take 700 years to begin composting
• 80% of plastic bottles are not recycled
• 38 million plastic bottles go to the dump per year in America from bottled water (not including soda)
• 24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles
• The average American consumes 167 bottles of water a year
• Bottled water is the second most popular beverage in the United States
• Plastic bottles make up close to 50 percent of recyclable waste in landfills

These pens are made from 89% recycled plastic bottles.   One plastic water bottle can be used to create two B2P pens, and the pens use the same gel ink as in Pilot's number one selling gel pen.  They work great and I love the bottle-styled barrel.  It reminds me of the bottles they are made from, and reminds me that we can find all kinds of new ways to go green!

They can be found at any office supply store or online and can be purchased singularly or in multiples.  I found a 5 pack of B2P pens at Staples for $5.99.

Would you buy these B2P pens?

Flax Seed!

I'm sure you have heard about Flax Seed, but maybe you don't know all it's benifits.

Flax seed:
Is a great source of Fiber
Is The richest source of omega fatty acids and lignans
Provides Improved Immune Function
Helps With Weight Management
Protects Against Bone Loss
Helps Reduce the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
And MUCH MORE!

Now how do you add Flax seed into your diet? That was my question for a long time, I didn't know how to eat it or what to do with it. Then I discovered a GREAT product called Dash O' Flax. It's Pre-Ground Golden Flax seed. Unlike the actual seeds this is much easier to use in real life eating situations. It has a consistency like wheat germ. I Add a tablespoon or so to my yogurt every morning. I also add it in whenever I make something with bread crumbs. You can add it to so many different recipes from baked goods to smoothies.




I buy it right from my grocery store. I have found it at Shop Rite & Stew Lenorads. I be live it is also sold at Whole Foods. If you can't find it where you shop you can get it right from the manufacture @ https://www.flaxpremiumgold.com/index.html



Check out more on Flax seed from WebMd.com http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-flaxseed

Green Bags!

Hey Guys! I got a comment from Nelly the other day in response to my post on Apples being the fruit that will last the longest once you bring it home from the store. She mentioned her distress with trying to keep strawberries fresh & that they go bad so fast. I offered her a great tip and I wanted to share it with all of you, GREEN BAGS!!
I'm sure you have seen them by now possibly in the produce section of your grocery store. I didn't try them right away, I was sure they were a waste of money, just a colored plastic bag. My mom had bought some and loved them, so I took some home and tried them. I have to say, I find they really do work. Especially for fruits like bananas and strawberries that don't stay fresh long.

They wont last forever, but it does prolong the process. I can buy bananas on Sunday and still have nice yellow bananas at the end of the week (which usually doesn't happen, and I don't like when my bananas go brown).

I use them for all my fruits and vegetables, whether in the fridge or on the counter. Each bag can be used up to five times so I don't feel like I go through the bags very quickly. If they get dirty you can rinse and dry them before you use them next.

You have probably seen the Debbie Meyer's Green Bags in stores or on TV. Those are what we started using. We then came across another brand at The Christmas Tree Shop that were much cheaper. We weren't sure if they would work as well or even at all, but they seem to be just as good. If you are lucky enough to live near a Christmas Tree Shop I would encourage you to pick up The Forever Green Bags they sell there.

They sell for less than half the price of the Debbie Meyer's Bags. You might even be able to find deals online. If all you can get are the original Debbie Meyer's Green Bags I would still encourage you to try them. They save me lots of money from not having to throw out spoiled produce!