Easy Homemade Pasta Sauce

Make a big pot and freeze for later!

What you need:

1 large can of tomato sauce (approx. 29 oz)
1 large can of diced tomatoes (approx. 28 oz)
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (approx.  29 oz) {I like to use the kind with Basil}
1 can of tomato paste (approx. 6 oz)
2 cups of water
3 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional:
1 pound ground beef (I use 80/20)
1 can of mushrooms
1 bell pepper chopped
1 medium onion chopped

How To:

If you chose to add meat, brown your meat first and drain. Then, put all ingredients (including any of the "optionals") in a big pot, bring to a boil, reduce to a shimmer and cook on medium to low heat for about 3 hours stirring occasionally. I will add extra water throughout out the cooking process as I feel it needs it. Yep... it is that easy! This recipe gives you about 4 "cookings" worth of pasta sauce so I usually use one the day I make it and then store the rest in freezer bags to freeze then thaw and use later. Remember... freezing makes eating homemade easier!

***If you try this recipe or have any additional tips and/or ideas please leave me a comment... I would love to hear from you!***

Red, White and Blue Trifle

With the 4th of July just around the corner I wanted to share a super easy and super delicious dessert with you that I made this past Memorial Day. If you read some of my other posts you may know that my husband and I are trying to eat better and while this dessert has a lot of fruit this is one for a day that we are feeling like indulging ourselves and those around us just a little... it is my "Red, White and Blue Trifle" and it may very well be my husband's new favorite dessert... I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

1- Box of white cake mix as well as the ingredients to prepare your cake
Blue food coloring
16 oz- whipped topping
2- 3.4 oz boxes of instant cheesecake pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
1- Pint strawberries
1- Pint blueberries

How To

Prepare your white cake per the box directions and add in a few drops of the blue food coloring to get a nice blue color. Bake the cake per the box directions and then allow to fully cool. While your cake is cooling slice your strawberries and prepare your whipped topping mixture. Add two packets of 3.4 oz instant pudding into 2 1/2 cups cold milk and whisk out all clumps fold in 16 oz of whipped topping. Store in the refrigerator until ready to start layering. Once cooled cut your cake into small square pieces (I cut mine into about 2" or 3" squares) and then you are ready to start layering your trifle. I start with the whipped mixture, then cake, then sprinkle on some blueberries and layer in some strawberries. Make sure you are making the area around the edge of the bowl look nice as that is what everyone will see and what make this trifle so special. Top that with more whipped mixture and keep on layering. For the top of my trifle I cut some of the extra cake squares I had into thinner slices and used them to decorate the top but feel free to get creative and make a creation that you like! Store in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy. I wouldn't make this more than 1 day in advance and is really best the day of. ENJOY!

***If you try this recipe I would love to hear how you like it, and if you have any other recipes or DIY suggestions for me feel free to leave me a comment!***

DIY Baby Wipes

Why?

Why in this world would you make your own baby wipes? Well because I can of course. Plus... have you added up how much you might spend in a year on store bought wipes? The brand we typically buy when we purchase from the store (and they aren't the expensive ones) are about $1.80 per pack of 75 wipes. When buying strictly store bought wipes we went through, on average, 3 packs every two weeks. That's over $140 a year. With my homemade wipes we use one roll (which is two sets of wipes... you will see what I mean in a minute) every two weeks. I buy the six pack of Scott Paper Towels which are $5.95 so .99 a roll or about .50 per container of 102 wipes. Once you invest in your other ingredients the paper towels are all that you need. But for the sake of cost figuring... 2 tablespoons of coconut oil is about .18 and one tablespoon of baby shampoo is about .10, and as I said, you are also only using half of the paper towel roll so approximately .50 there for a grand total of .78 for over 100 wipes. This cost per year is around $40 which is about $100 in savings per year.

What You Need

I am going to provide the recipe for one container of wipes, which is a half roll of paper towels, however, you can easily double the recipe (which is what I always do) and make two containers using both halves of the paper towel roll.

- Half roll of paper towels (Get a good strong paper towel! I have found that Scott or Viva seem to be the best for us.)
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
- 1 tablespoons of baby shampoo
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups of water depending on how "wet" you want your wipes
- Plastic bag or container for storage

- Optional: splash of vinegar or witch hazel

How To

Cut your paper towel roll in half using a sharp knife. Be careful because sometimes they can be stubborn to cut if you do not use a very sharp knife. Try to avoid serrated knifes as they will leave the edge looking torn. Boil 1 1/2 cups of water for 5 minutes then remove from heat. Add your coconut oil and baby shampoo to the water and stir until melted. This is where you can add a splash of white vinegar or witch hazel if you would like. I always add one or the other as they have great properties that will help in avoiding rashes as well is aiding in the longevity of the wipes (if you leave them sitting around for more than two weeks you may start to notice some "moldy" looking spots on the outer wipes, using vinegar or witch hazel will help keep those spots away).  Place the half roll of paper towels in a bowl and pour about half of the liquid mixture over the top. Let sit for 5-10 minutes then flip the roll over and pour the remaining liquid over the other side. At this point you should be able to pull the cardboard center from the roll very easily. Let sit until cooled and then store in a container with lid or in a gallon size plastic baggie. You can either pull the wipes up from the center of the roll or you can unwrap them from the outside. These wipes will take some getting use to if you have been using a commercial brand but I assure you they get the job done and are well worth their benefits!


Live, Laugh, Love and DIY!

**If you try these wipes or have any questions please leave me a comment below! Also, if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them!**

No Bake Cookies (Protein Balls)

My husband and I have started a journey to eating healthier and exercising more. The transition hasn't been easy, however... some of the hurdles have been easier than I originally expected particularly with some foods. In about 9 weeks my husband is down 22 pounds and I am down... well... a few. I think all women will know about that jealousy we try to keep hidden when our men drop weight like it's nothing all while we are struggling to lose just a pound. I do feel much better which I am sure is a combo of working out and eating less junk and my body is on its way to being more toned so who cares about the number on the scale... right?

All of that to say I have been in a love hate relationship with desserts and "snacks" for years. I love chocolate like nobody's business and those little snack cakes... yeah I could probably go through a box a day. I thought that would be the hardest part of eating better but much to my surprise I have been able to come across some recipes that have at least mostly curbed my desire to eat a big hunk of my Mamaw's chocolate cake after every meal. Insert note... I absolutely condone splurging every once in a while... ENJOY LIFE PEOPLE!  These protein balls are a recipe that I actually heard about on a radio show (shout out to Rick and Bubba listeners) and then changed up the recipe a little to make it fit my family. Keep reading for my recipe... Click here for Speedy's original recipe.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups oats
1/3 cup honey (always use a local honey when you can)
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
As many dark chocolate chips (Don't be afraid to try dark chocolate, you might be surprised.) and as much shredded coconut as you would like

 

Directions

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a spatula until well combined. I like to use a little non stick cooking spray on the inside of my measuring cups, the bowl and my spatula to keep these sticky ingredients from raining on my parade. 

Once everything is well combined I spray a little non stick spray on my hands and get to rolling. I make my protein balls about the size of a ping pong ball and they are the perfect little go to snack. As long as you limit yourself to one or two a serving you are looking at about a 60-120 calorie snack.

When they are all rolled place them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, let them sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours then enjoy! Store covered in the fridge. My kiddos absolutely love these little gems too so they would make the perfect after school snack, or in my case a screaming toddler "Mommy I'm huuungrry" snack. 

**If you try this recipe leave me comment and if you have any other suggestions for recipes or DIY projects let me hear those too!**

Yummy Baked Pork Steaks with Apples

Pork and apples are a match made in heaven. They work beautifully together! This super simple recipe works great for everything from a weeknight meal to hosting a dinner. Easy to adjust to your family size and favorite seasonings. (But try the garlic... it seriously does something magical for this dish!) :)

 

What You Need:

Pork Steaks or Pork Chops (I used 4 for this recipe)
2 Apples (I like Gala Apples but use what you like)
1/2 cup Apple Juice
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper

How To:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your pork steaks (or chops) in a baking dish pour half of apple juice over pork and splash the Worcestershire Sauce over top. Sprinkle garlic powder over top of pork and then slice your apples and lay them over top. Pour the rest of your apple juice over top of the apples then salt and pepper (put the salt and pepper on the apples... just trust me... you will thank me later). Bake in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes depending on thickness of your pork. Every 10-15 minutes spoon juice over top of apples.

Sides:

We are trying to cut out eating so much bread (note I said "trying") so we like to eat a veggie with this dish and leave it at that. Asparagus is a great pairing with this dish. However, if you do bread by all means get you a good dinner roll and this dish will be a meat and side in itself no need to fuss over anything extra, make it a one dish meal!

ENJOY!!

***If you have any other recipe suggestions I would love to hear from you! Leave me a comment below!*** 

DIY All-Purpose Cleaner

We have all probably read on those handy dandy wipes we buy from the store that you must wash the surface after use... the day I got tired of that was the day I made this "green" orange all purpose cleaner. Having children and realizing that I was probably doing more harm than good by purchasing those store bought cleaning wipes made me want to find something better... and boy oh boy something better I found. This orange oil infused all purpose cleaner will make your life so much easier and give you comfort in knowing it is good to use. The kids can even lick the table right after you clean it if they must. (Come on we all know that happens from time to time with young children... everything must be licked.)

What You Need

Peel from 3-4 oranges
3-4 cups white vinegar
Glass storage container

How To

You want the peel of the orange without the white pith. Try to just take the orange part off and leave the white behind. This cleaner can be made with many types of citrus peels so be sure to store away the peel from the small oranges your children eat or even the lemons and limes you use in your cooking. (You can always freeze them until you need to make more cleaner.) Place the peels in a glass container with lid, mason jars work great but utilize whatever you have on hand. Note, however, that if there is a rubber seal on your container over time the vinegar will cause it to soften (speaking from experience).

Place all your peels in your container and cover with vinegar. You can make whatever quantity you want but for my particular cleaner I use the peel of about 3-4 large oranges and cover with about 3-4 cups of vinegar.

Let It Sit

The first time I made this I was tempted to start cleaning right away... and you can because vinegar is a great cleaner on its on... but trust me when I say it is worth it to be patient. The first batch I made I let sit for 2 weeks and it made a great cleaner but the second batch sat for 2-3 months while I used what I already had made and it was FANTASTIC. The smell is of heavenly citrus and the cleaning power that you get by combining the orange oil from the peel and the vinegar is through the roof. You will never go back to those store bought cleaning wipes again. 

You can simply transfer it to a spray container and use (diluted or not... up to you... but I always add a little water to mine. I also like to run mine through a paper towel or coffee filter before transferring to a spray bottle to filter out any little orange pieces that might be floating around. This will help avoid your sprayer getting clogged.

See that beautiful orange color you get!!!

 

What To Clean

EVERYTHING! I use this to wipe down kids toys, clean the table and counters, clean our toilets... the list goes on and on. Having one go to cleaner will make life a lot easier, at least it has for this busy mom. Not to mention it is much MUCH more inexpensive than cleaners you might buy in a store.

Live, Laugh, Love and DIY

***If you use this cleaner or something similar I would love to hear how it is working for you! And as always, any all and all suggestions are welcome!***

Homemade Fabric Softener and Dryer Sheets

What You Need

Fabric Softener:

6 cups of water
3 cups of white vinegar
1 bottle (approx. 2 cups) of your favorite conditioner
Container for storage

If you are going to be making dryer sheets/sponges you will need:

3 or 4 cellulose sponges
1 1/2 cups of your fabric softener
1 1/2 cups water
Smaller container for storage

Fabric Softener Directions:

I will start with the fabric softener recipe because I make my softener and then use it to make my dryer sponges...

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil on the stove and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 3 cups of vinegar and 1 bottle (or about 2 cups) of conditioner. Note that this doesn't have to be expensive conditioner just something you think smells nice. I would suggest staying away from any that are made for color treated hair as they can seem a little extra "greasy". I use a whisk to mix all of the ingredients as it helps them combine well. Doing this while your water is still warm will help with melting down the conditioner. Transfer to a storage container and allow to cool (see my beautifully recycled gallon jug that my daughter decorated for us). Use as you would any store bought fabric softener.

Dryer Sheet/Sponge Directions:

To make the dryer sponges I mix equal parts fabric softener and filtered water in a small container. I have heard of others using distilled water, boiled water, even tap water... but I like to pour mine from our filtered pitcher we keep in the fridge. For my container 1 1/2 cups of fabric softener and 1 1/2 cups water works good but depending on your container you may have to vary that amount... just stick to equal parts of each. Take your sponges and cut them in half and add them to the container. To use just squeeze the liquid out of a sponge and throw it in the dryer with your clothes. When the load is done the sponge will be dry, just throw it back in the container and use it again and again.

Cost Breakdown:

Because being frugal is part of DIYing here is a breakdown of cost...

For the purpose of this cost analysis I am going to call the water and the containers "free" but we all know that there isn't much "free" anymore :)

Fabric Softener:
Conditioner $1
Vinegar $3 per gallon using 3 cups= .57

This makes your half gallon of fabric softener come to a grand total of $1.57 compared to store bought softeners that can cost anywhere from $4 to $8 each.

Dryer Sheets:
I have already accounted for the cost of the fabric softener but if we want to see the overall cost I used .30 cents worth of my homemade softener so....

Fabric Softener .30
Sponges $1

That's $1.30 for dryer sponges that I will use over and over and over again. I also only plan to replace the liquid every 3-4 months. An average cost for an 80 count of store bought dryer sheets is $4 and I plan to get more than 80 uses of out these bad boys. :)

You can make these dryer sponges with store bought softener as well however that would bring the price up a little, still a money saver though.

To Sum It Up

So to sum it up these are great products that I feel good about using and they save my family money. They are easy and fun to make and worth the little bit of effort. I have used these products with no problem but I always encourage you doing your own research to make sure they are the best for you and your family. Thanks for reading!

These two items are great to use with my homemade laundry detergent... get that recipe here!

Live, Laugh, Love and DIY!

***I would love for you to leave me a comment if you try these DIY products and also let me know any other ideas you may have!***

When Life Gets Too Busy...

I will be honest, lately I have been feeling sorry for myself. My husband works out of town, I work full time, I have two children to take care of by myself when my husband is gone, a home to take care of alone when he is gone, my husband and I are both taking college courses... life is hectic. But aren't all of those things I just mentioned blessings? Of course they are!

My husband works out of town and I am constantly running around trying to make things happen at home while working full time myself. But we both have good jobs and we are able to provide for our family. Others can't find work, or chose to not look for work... and often times their family has to struggle through that.

Taking care of children is a big task. But one I am grateful God allowed me to have. Many couples want children and can't have them. Many are struggling through the process of adoption that just doesn't seem to be happening fast enough. My husband and I had our own hard times in the process of having children and I am thankful that with God's help we have come out on the other side. Often times I feel like I am failing at giving my children what they need because I have so much going on, those are the moments where God shows me how I can slow things down and that it is ok to be late for work every once in a while if it means letting my daughter pick me "flowers" (aka weeds) as we go out the door in the morning. The moments when I need it most my son will walk up and hug me for no apparent reason except it being his way to say "thank you mommy, I love you" or my daughter will say "You're the best Mom in the world". I need... we all need... to learn how to embrace those little messages from the Lord saying you're doing just fine. The Lord has given me two beautiful healthy children and for that I am eternally grateful!

Taking care of everything that needs to be done at home alone through the week is daunting. There are always toys in the floor, dishes in the sink, clothes to be washed... the list goes on and on. But we are able to own a home, put food on those dishes and play to get those clothes dirty. When there is a mess it usually means something great occurred to make it that way. Sometimes that is hard to see behind the piles of dirty laundry but I assure you that if you just keep digging you will find that blessing hidden in there.

As for college, Lord help!! What a task it has been. Just one of us going to college would have been hard enough but both of us... we must be crazy. Crazy isn't always bad... because we are in our last semester and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. God has blessed us and helped us every step of the way and I have faith that he will allow us to reap the rewards of our hard work and faith in him.

Maybe I have said all of this just to prove a point to myself... yeah probably so... but behind the stress and struggles of every day life there are blessings that we often times over look. Next time you are stressed and feel like you just want to scream do yourself the favor of reversing that energy and thinking about the good behind the stress. I think that could help us all. And when life seems too busy know that it is ok to slow down, even if it's just a little. You will thank yourself for it.

Snow Cream

Those of you who are my fellow Southerners know that we very rarely get any snow. And we very VERY rarely get enough to get super excited about. Well, last week we got a good bit of snow not only once but twice in a week. It didn't last long as we are already back up around 65 degrees (if you don't like the weather in the south just give it a few days and it is sure to change) but it was fun while it lasted.

In honor of that glorious snow I thought I would share my snow cream recipe with you. I searched the internet for a recipe that I thought I wanted to try and they were all similar yet different. I found one that I thought would be closest to what I wanted and then tweaked it just a little to make it mine.

Here it is:

1 cup of almond milk {can substitute another kind of milk if you would like}
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract {come on now.. we all know we just fill up the cap :)}
pinch of salt
7-8 cups of snow

Optional:
Sprinkles or other toppings you like

Mix your almond milk, sugar, vanilla and salt together with a whisk and sit it in the refrigerator while you gather your fresh clean snow. Once you have your snow ready slowly add it to your liquid mixture until it is a nice ice cream like consistency. Top with your favorite topping(s), our's happen to be sprinkles and chocolate syrup, or serve plain. Plain is ok but let's all be honest... life is better with a little extra fun... SO ADD THE SPRINKLES!! :) And Enjoy!

Tip: Snow cream tends to melt fairly quickly so prepare right before you plan to enjoy it.

 

Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent

 

Why?

Why make your own laundry detergent? I get asked similar questions about most all of my homemade items. The answer to "why" is different for a lot of people, for me it is a combo of things. It saves money, no fillers (you know exactly what is in it), it is simple, it is fun and the products work really well. I will be the first to say I am only going to use it if it works.

How To

The ingredients for homemade powder laundry detergent are surprisingly simple. I remember feeling a little overwhelmed when I first started my journey into homemade cleaning products because I wasn't sure how easy the items I needed would be to find. Much to my surprise and pleasure EVERYTHING I needed for my laundry detergent was right there together... in the laundry aisle (go figure). There are several different recipes out there but I have adapted the following recipe as what works best for my family. I use it on everything from the kiddos' clothes to the hubby's work clothes and it works wonders.

There are three main ingredients in my laundry detergent recipe:

 One large box of Borax

 One large box of Washing Soda

2 bars of low sud soap (I use Zote which is in the laundry aisle and it works best for me... I have also used Fels Naptha in the past and I have heard of others using the plain white dove or ivory soap. You may however want to up it to 3 bars if you use something other than Zote, as the Zote bars are much larger than the other options.)

Theses three above are the only necessary ingredients, however, I also choose to add:
One large box of baking soda (for hard water)
One large box of Clorox 2 powder for colors (for extra brightening and stain fighting)
One container of Purex Crystals (for some smelly goodness)

The actual process of making the detergent is so simple it will blow your mind. Grate the soap (I use a cheese grater and yes it is a little time consuming but that's what works for me). After that you've got it made in the shade so to speak :). Dump the entire box of borax, washing soda and grated soap (as well as any of those extras I mentioned) in a garbage bag or large bucket and shake/mix it around until it is thoroughly combined. I suggest doing this outside where you can get fresh air as some of the powders tend to fly into the air. Transfer to air tight containers and you are good to go.

How To Use It

Because your homemade detergent has no fillers you literally only have to use 1 tablespoon per load. That idea definitely took some getting use to. It also shows you how many fillers are in commercial detergents. I do tend to use up to 2 tablespoons for extra large or heavy soiled loads but I don't know that it is necessary, 1 tablespoon would probably still get the job done (this stuff is seriously amazing).

I always wash in cold water and have no problem with the detergent. I have heard several suggestions that if you wash only in cold water (regardless of what detergent you use, commercial or homemade) you may want to run one extra large empty load of hot water with a cup or two of vinegar in it once a month to keep buildup out of your washer. That's just an extra little helpful tip... free of charge of course :).

I have personally never used this detergent in a HE washer... but have heard through the grape vine that it should work just fine for those of you operating on that system. I will leave that decision up to you... but if it was me I would go for it.

****NOTE: I use this homemade detergent along with my homemade fabric softener and dryer sheets... check them out here!

Cost Break Down

For the sake of this post I am going to round my numbers because not all stores are priced the same, this should still give you a very good idea of the cost:

Borax (4 lb 12 oz box) approx. $4.00
Washing Soda (3 lb 7 oz box) approx. $4.00
Zote Soap approx. $1.00 per bar x2= approx. $2.00

If you only use these three ingredients you will spend around $10 and have enough detergent to last (in my busy home) around 4-5 months.

If you add the extras:

Baking Soda (4 lb box) approx $3.00
Clorox 2 (3 lb 7 oz box) approx $6.00
Purex Crystals (28 oz) approx $5.00

You will spend between $20-$25 dollars and have enough detergent to last close to a year.

Without the extras you are getting a deal at around $0.04 per load and are spending around $0.09 per load for the top notch homemade detergent. In comparison Tide Ultra sells for around $0.21 cents per load (and that is if you get as many loads out of it as they say you should....)

More To Come

Be on the look out because at some point in the future I plan to share the recipes for my whipped and liquid laundry detergents. Both of those use the same ingredients as the powder just in a different form/process. I wanted to share the powder version first because it is our current "go to" detergent. I have all three versions made up and on the shelf but we always seem to use the powder. My husband has been such a trooper in the transition to homemade products, he will use them... but only as long as they efficiently and effectively get the job done. The powder has by far been his favorite detergent so that makes it a winner in my book.

***If you try this detergent or have any questions or suggestions I would love to hear from you! Leave me a comment below!***

Live, Laugh, Love and DIY!

New Blogger

My Life... As A Blogger??

So... here I am, new to the blog world but ready to give it a try. I'm gonna take a minute to explain my blog and what I hope to accomplish through it. To be honest I'm still figuring that out... so I guess that's my first point. We can learn together and you can always expect me to be completely honest. I have a heart for family and giving my family the best I can. Because of that I try to do a lot of DIY projects and make healthy food and cleaners for my family and home. I also TRY to get my family involved in my projects when I can as a chance to spend time together. But, and here is that honesty, we all know that husbands may not be as excited about making homemade laundry detergent as us women.

Being crafty has always been an attribute of mine so I try to take that throughout my home and life. Doing things yourself can not only save you money but it can truly be FUN and I want to share that with the world! This blog idea started because I have had a lot of people asking for recipes of my homemade cleaners (laundry detergent, dishwasher tabs, toothpaste...) and baby items (wipes, powder, booty cream) so I thought this would be a good place not only for others to see the recipes but for me to go back to them myself and develop them even further over time. So you can certainly expect to see recipes for a lot of cleaners, baby items and more. 

Who Am I??

How rude of me... I haven't properly introduced myself. Way to start things off Tiffany (yep I just referred to myself in third person).

My name is Tiffany and I live in a small town in Alabama. I am a southern girl through and through. I enjoy hunting, fishing, cooking/baking and... you guessed it... being a DIYer. My family is my heart and everything I do is for them. I guess this Southern Mommy Minute blog is going to be about what makes me ME and those times that I take a minute to do the things this southern mommy enjoys and the things I have to do to keep things running "smoothly" around home. *insert disclaimer: my "smoothly" may not have the same definition as yours, and then again it may... after all I am a full time working mother with two small children and I am also taking college courses and trying to run a home with my darling husband, "smoothly" in my book means everyone is clean and fed and that I look half way presentable at work after sleeping a few hours with toddler feet in my back and baby feet in my face... you get the idea... now where were we...* I want to be able to share with you the mommy minutes that teach me life lessons, the minutes that help me make memories, and the minutes that help me make my home a better place for us to live. I expect this to be a place where I can be me... just in blog form. :) So that's who I am and what to expect... anything me. Life lessons, memories, how-to moments and more. Together we will live, laugh, love and DIY.

Here's to what's to come! -Tiff