snack stick review and GIVEAWAY!

July 30, 2015 10 Comments

hiya friends…  How’s yer summer treating you ?   It’s no secret that summer is my least favorite time of the year. But sometimes a little something extra can help push me through. 

Like last week.

  I have a good friend named Amy, and she and her husband Brian raise grass-fed beef, free range chicken, lamb and heritage pigs, raised drug-free, GMO-free, in a fresh-air pasture raised system in a small town in Kansas.

She and her hubby were frustrated with trying to find healthy, nourishing snacks for their family, so they decided to make snack sticks with their heritage pigs! 

CCR snack sticks ( click for more information) 

She sent me some to try and see what I thought.  They come in 2 flavors so far, jalapeño and bbq… With more flavors to come! 

  

Oh. 

My.

Gosh! 

These are absolutely fantastic!  Like incredibly. 

They are made with few ingredients, all of which you can recognize. ( you can’t say that about too much these days) 

Jalapeño-

Pork

Sea salt

Evaporated cane juice 

Jalapeño peppers

Encapsulated citric acid

Celery juice

Black pepper 

Red pepper 

Dehydrated garlic 

Coriander

In beef collagen casing



BBQ-

Pork

Evaporated cane juice 

Brown sugar

Sea salt 

Encapsulated citric acid 

Celery juice 

Ground mustard

Dehydrated garlic

Coriander 

In beef collagen casing 



Each stick is only 90 calories and has 5 grams of protein, and very low carb! ( jalapeño has 3, bbq has 1)

Just look how tasty! 

  

Friends..I have some good news! Amy was kind enough to send me enough to share! 

5 lucky winners will get one of each flavor to try! 

  

There are three ways you can enter

1- like CCR brand on Facebook

2- share this post 

3- share CCR brand’s Facebook page with your friends 

You can enter all 3 ways, you just have to comment on this post or my Facebook page ( so that I’m sure I get you in the drawing 😉) 

This contest is open  to everyone. Family members included, just pass the word on about these amazing snacks! 

Winners will be chosen at 6 pm MST this Saturday, August 1.

If you can’t wait that long ( and I promise  you, you really don’t…  You can order them  directly from their website ..

CCR Brand

$17 for 12, $5.95 shipping 

$30 for 24, $5.95 shipping 

$100 for 96, $11.95 shipping 

Personally, I’m replenishing my stock this afternoon! 

Good luck! Spread the word! 

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piña colada chicken and a giveaway!

May 6, 2015 12 Comments

you know why I love writing here, because you have no idea if I’m sitting in my pajamas noshing on some leftover amazeballs chicken, or whether I’m dressed up writing this from the library. 

I’m sure if you had to guess, you’d get it right 😉

When I wrote Coconut crusted chicken with grilled pineapple salsa last week, I was going to call it piña colada chicken. 

But then I had a thought… A deep  thought. 

In order for it to be called piña colada chicken..  It had a very necessary ingredient…  

  Hellz. Yea. 

I’ve been chomping at the bit all weekend ( Kentucky derby pun completely  intended) to share this with you! 

Pull out your flip flops and sunglasses and tiki torches…  We are taking a trip to the carribean, my friends! 

piña colada chicken 

1 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless 

1 tablespoon  jerk seasoning 

1 tablespoon coconut oil 

3/4 cup pineapple. ( mine was fresh, canned is fine, just dry it ) 

1 can coconut milk

1 ‘nip’ bottle of white rum 

1/4-1/2 cup Chicken stock

  

  

Start by sprinkling salt and pepper on each side of chicken, then rub  both sides of chicken with seasoning.  Let sit for 10 minutes. 

Heat oil over medium heat until melted. Add chicken and sauté on each side for about 5 minutes. Add pineapple and cook another 5 minutes.  Using tongs, remove chicken , turn off heat and add rum. Turn heat baby on and using a wooden spoon, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Once it starts to boil, add coconut milk and stir.  Return chicken to pan.  Stir in chicken stock 1/4 cup at a time, making sure it doesn’t get too soupy .

Reduce heat to low and cover for 1/2 hour. 

Test sauce for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. 

Serve over a bed of greens, with sauce generously spooned atop! 

  

 

  

  

I wanted to make my Cilantro coconut rice but I was out of rice.  Say whaaaat? I’m slacking..

So I used whole wheat coucous in it’s place.  It worked! 

So mosey on down and send your friends a postcard from your tropical dinner! 

I bought an extra bottle of the jerk seasoning to giveaway to one of you! All you need to do is comment either here in the comments, share this post with your friends, or like and comment on My Facebook page

That’s it!  I’ll chose a winner at random on Saturday night at 5 pm mountain time. 

Good luck! And as always, thanks for reading. I pour my heart out here sometimes and it’s nice to know you are reading!  😎

Ciao bellas! 

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laundry balls ~ a giveaway!

November 7, 2012 6 Comments

where else could I possibly go after introdicing so many of you to SOAP NUTS??

 

dryer balls. yup… I have fun with my laundry… what can I say?

 

So ya’ll are wondering what in the heck are dryer balls?

 

here you go!

what do we do with these???  well.. you put them in the dryer with your laundry and they

1~ help you laundry dry faster.. making your dryer more effecient

2~ natural fabric softener… the bouncing of the balls between you clothes ‘softens’ the clothes and helps them to be less wrinkled

3~ you can put a dab of essential oil on the balls before throwing them in the dryer and they will make your clothes smell purty

4~ when folding your laundry, you can have the kids fish them out

5~ I happen to know that they bounce a little. making folding laundry a bit more fun

6~ they are just so darm cute 🙂

 

I’m going to show you how to make these..

 

*warning * they are addicting…

* yarn…  make sure it is 100% wool.  you can find it at any craft store.. and often find a coupon online as well

* scissors

* an old stocking… it’s ok if it has holes

 

start by taking your yarn and start to roll it into a ball… I like to keep my thumb in place so that it makes a little hole

roll your ball as big as you want it… you can make them all different sizes.. ( the more the merrier)

cut the tail and weave it into the hole.

if you want to make a design, take a scrap of yarn and randomly wrap around in any crazy design

dont worry if it seems loose, it will tighten up soon

 

next, take you ball and carefully insert it into a stocking… ( if there is a hole in it, knot it so that you create a ‘pocket’ so that the ball does not have the hole directly on it)

 

tightly knot the stocking around the ball, so that it is snug in there.

 

then add another..  and another.. make a whole chain!!

 

Next.. wash it in the hottest water that you can.

Ans stick in in the dryer..  I run it through a little extra cycle, just to make sure it is uber dry.

 

now.. the fun part.

 

using your scissors, carefully cut the stocking away from each ball…

 

 

and there you have it! dryer balls 🙂

Last month, Ali and her friends went white water rafting…  I washed a couple of the girls sleeping bags before they went.

 

when the girls got to the cabin, they unrolled their sleeping bag and snuggled in the bottom of one .. was one lonely dryer ball…  They ened up throwing it across the room at each other for entertainment.

yet.. another use for these babies.

 

sooo….  in honor of it being Wednesday… I want to share. ’cause I love you.

I’m going to give one of you your very own set of balls!

 

simply click on the comment box and the giveaway prompts are waiting for you!!!  enter using the “share on your wall” option once a day.. giving you extra chances!

 

ready.. set.. GO!!

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Cooking in Colorado

October 8, 2012 5 Comments

yes. friends, I am here confessing to you.. I am in love with white beans.

it’s true. and on my recent trip to Denver I told you about a situation that I go myself into.

you see… I was able to use an entire kitchen to make dinner…except, other that appliances and cookware, I had zero food. I mean nada. zilch. less than nothing.

I did not even have salt or pepper 😦

We had stopped at the whole paycheck store the day before I decided to cook ( to buy apples and kombucha… I’m addicted to the booch.. Lord help me) when I saw a container of cooked white beans.

I kid you not when I tell you that I kept thinking about these beans.

I may have had a dream about them that night.

or not.

but probably.

like yes.. it’s true I dreamt about the dang beans

could I even MAKE this up?

So when Scott suggested that we cook in Sat night rather go out and deal with the crowds.. i was all over it.

Except that we were starting from scratch.

so I put my thinking cap on….. *psst… it’s pink 😉 *

I knew I had to have those white beans. I just had to ..

and white beans marry so well with greens. When I saw local spinach at the store, I knew I was onto something.. But Scott and Ali would want an additional protein… chicken thighs were on sale.. so I added that to the basket. and a lemon. I love lemons. Like maybe too much. I start most days with warm lemon water

I wanted fresh pasta, but at 8.99 a whack, I skipped it in favor of dried linguine.

and the smallest jar of oil that i could find.. which happened to be truffle flavored.. which is ok.. I was going to make it work.

and some light cream.. to round the dish out. and finally, frozen peas.

and since this is how I cook…. ( all willy- nilly, most of the time sans- recipe ) I give you

ingredient-challenged barefootgirl cooks in another kitchen white beans & greens with pan seared chicken thighs in a lemon garlic cream sauce sprinkled with peas.

my fingers just hurt even typing that..

so grocery list…….

cooked white beans

garlic cloves ( 3)

bunch of fresh spinach

a lemon

small jar of oil ( truffle in our case, but any heart healthy oil will do)

chicken thighs ( skinless)

light cream

dried pasta

parmesan cheese shreds

frozen peas

*pick up chicken stock. I’ll explain in a bit*

( I was hoping to find salt and pepper packets so that I didn’t need to buy salt and pepper to then have to throw out, but the register lady ( my hopefully someday job) told me to go to the salad bar and sprinkle s&p into a salad dressing container.

pure.

genius.

I started by draining & rinsing the beans and heating a saute pan with a bit of the oil… adding the beans, season them with salt and pepper, adding 1/ the chopped garlic and smashing a few of the beans.

I then added the rinsed spinach right on top

( don’t worry about the extra water on the spinach, it will help the steaming process).. add the spinach directly on top, cover immediately and remove from heat.

don’t peek.. you sneaky- peeker- you…

next. add oil to another saute pan, season thighs with genius salt and pepper and place thighs in pan, allowing them to brown.

Once browned on one side, using tongs.( not to self and all of you… oxo makes the BEST tongs. I unfortunately did not have those there.. I will be changing that very soon ) anyway.. using the tongs. flip the thighs over and allow to brown on the other side. add the remaining garlic and then I added the cream.

* now here is where I would make a change.. I would use chicken stock here instead, and add the cream at the very end. the cream started to curdle a bit.. it was still really good, but if you use chicken stock now to cook the chicken in.. you will be happy 😉 *

cover the chicken and allow to simmer until chicken is fully cooked.

this is an excellent time to cook the pasta in boiled salted water 🙂

add frozen peas once chicken is cooked.. allow peas to just heat through.

next remove the lid from the bean mixture

isn’t it pretty 🙂

and if you are feeling like it’s a wild and crazy night since you are in another city, mix in a bit of cream

and a squeeze of lemon juice. and just to take it over-the-top

some parm cheese

this.. was my dinner….

and this was theirs..

I topped each with a squeeze of lemon for freshness..

yum 🙂

now when all was said and done.. I added the leftovers to one pot ( cutting up the pasta) and made the base of a soup… all that you would need to do is add a bit of chicken broth and heat for a quick weeknight soup 🙂

going out in the city is nice, but every once in awhile, it is nice to just stay in and enjoy the view and the cooking…. and that is how this family spent our Saturday night. And not one of us would have changed it 🙂

enjoy this recipe.. now that I’m done typing, My tummy is rumbly and I’m on the hunt for the ingredients to make it again..

caio friends 🙂

psst.. if you haven’t read it on facebook.. congrats to Lynn on winning the hand knit socks! remember, mom is offering free shipping on any of her items for the month of Oct with 100% of her proceeds going to ward breast cancer research… thank you to all who have taken advantage of this.. I guarantee you… her fingerless gloves are the best!

oxoxo~shel

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crock pot potato cheese soup

October 4, 2012 4 Comments

it’s FALL here in the Northeast.. which of course you already know that I LOVE !!!!! 

one of the many things ( # 19 on that list to be exact) is SOUP!!

this here, my friends is the easiest soup that you will ever make. And it rivals Panera’s. I promise.

I pinky promise 🙂

Crock pot Potato Soup

you will need

1~ a bag of frozen hash browns ( $2)

2~ a package of Mccormick country gravy mix ( near the spices) ( $1.50)

3~ a box o stock ( $2) ( for vegetarian, use veg stock)

4~ shredded cheddar ( $2) ( optional)

place all ingredients except cheese in a crock pot on low for 6 hours… stir in cheese during last 1/2 hour

OR place all ingredients except cheese in a stock pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft.. stir in cheese at the end until melted.

you can keep it as is.. and have it chunky ( yum) or you can use an immersion blender and blend until smooth..

season with salt & pepper.. voila! an awesome autumn soup 🙂

you could get all crazy and add broccoli.. or bacon… or asparagus…. use your imagination! get down with your bad self!

For those of you who are campers ( you know who you are 😉 ) this is a perfect dinner to whip up at the campground !

and the grand total..

$4.50 for the whole pot without cheese ( cheaper than a bowl of soup at Panera)

or $ 6.50 with the cheese ( go for the cheese 😉 it makes me happy 🙂 🙂 🙂

thanks to my hoski friends for allowing me to share this recipe 🙂

and remember.. there is still time to register to win a pair of Mom’s hand knit SOCKS

oxooxoxox

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what are you willing to do…

September 25, 2012 16 Comments

the month of October is fast approaching ( my favorite month of all time ~ I come alive in Sept/Oct/Nov like I do no other time of the year.) I really am like a different person.

it’s a perfect time for change and commitment. The ability for us to change and control what we can on our own is truly a luxury.

someone with breast cancer does not always have that option. And yes, folks. October is breast cancer awareness month… and I’m out to make you aware.

I’ve eluded to it before, but I need to tell you without going into too much detail, that my darling stepsister, Audra, was diagnosed at the end of the summer with breast cancer. Audra is one of the most sweetest people that I know with undoubtably the BIGGEST heart of anyone. She has lived a life that is much more difficult than average… There have been road blocks at every step  of the way.

As you may know, My little sister, Jodie and I have walked in the 40 mile 2 dy Avon walk for breast cancer for 4 years now, with our daughters joining us for the last 2…  and we will walk again this May.

When we first started walking it was in memory of my neighbor… a woman that I did not know all that well.. but watching her journey touched my soul. With Fran always  in our hearts, we continued walking after that first year… when we were asked why.. we always answered because we can .

Hearing that Audra was diagnosed last month, this cause took on a whole new meaning for us. I talked to her today.. even with everything that is going on and hard as it is for her to comphrehend… Her spirits are up and she didn’t complain one little bit. She is a fighter!.. and she has her angel son, James, looking down on her ans smiling as well…

I’ve also mentioned about a friend of a friend battling breast cancer with 4 young children.

4. young. children.

SHE is a fighter.

Our team will be walking another 40 miles this May.. and in October we will be walking in another breast walk… this one a 5 mile OR 1.5 mile walk.  This is going to be nice because my mom ( huge helper with our fundraising.. as well as my niece, Mollie .. aslo a huge help) they can walk the shorter of the route and still be part of us.

I wrote a bit about it HERE…

( They have always been honorary Team Pinkteenies, but now they can walk WITH us 🙂 ) ANd we will be walking for Audra and Jen. In a big way.

One amazing lady that I know who started a local running group in honor of her sister who was killed by a drunk driver had a great idea…. ( and I’m borrowing it to make it grow 🙂

For the month of October can you commit to doing one thing a day for the ENTIRE month in honor of someone who has been affected by breast cancer.

You can vouch to :

walk a mile a day

walk 2 miles a day

5 miles a day.

if walking is too difficult, then can you lift light weights while you are sitting?

maybe push ups are your thing

maybe you could vouch to drink a certain amount of water

abstain from a food…

what are you willing to do?

you can think about this, as it does not start until Oct 1. by then I should have the back problems that I have been having with the blog ( I am SOOOO not technical) fixed..  and an easy way for anyone who wants to share your commitment(s) and who you are doing for.

I know many people who have been affected by breast cancer, I’m sad to say..and I will be walking for all of them.. I haven’t lost site of that.

but my October goal?

jog 2 miles each day…

1 for Audra

1 for Jen

( remember, I don’t love running, I love the idea of it..( I’m trying so hard)  so running 2 miles a day is serious work for me… but between you and me ( and now the whole world) when I was feeling during my races that I couldn’t go on.. I thought of these two women.. and somehow, they gave me strength )

and because I love you all sooo much, anyone who participates ( remember, it can be a small commitment…) will be entered and on Nov 1 I will choose one winner ( hopefully my super- cool raffle helper giveaway thingy will be working) and the winner will receive a batch of WHATEVER cookies that you want.. I will make you anything 🙂 )

because you guys are so awesome!

so what will you do?

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are you a wiener?

September 22, 2012 10 Comments

the wieners of the soap nuts giveaway are about to be announced.

I have been researching ‘give away’ sites that can help me to determine a winner based on how many entries I receive.  I have found one that I will use on the next one ( possibly just as crazy as the soap nuts idea 🙂 ) but I would have had to set it up from

the get go.. and I already had entries and couldn’t figure out how to add them manually..  ( I’ve had a very technically challenging day today 😦 )

… so ….I still needed help with this one..  I asked Scott to pick 10 random numbers like I did  last time and  Ali came running in with her calculator eager to  show off her new statistics skills…

 

this is what she came up with

#1,8,10,12,14,15,16,19,29,32

which translates to :

Courtney

Christina

Candice

Cathy

Sue

Jodi

Glenda

Heather

Amanda

Dawn

 

so congrats ladies ( ya’ll are ladies who won…)  you will soon get the opportunity to play with your nuts *giggle*

I need for you to shoot me an email at barefootgirl27@me.com with your correct mailing address and I will give it to Laundry Tree on Monday so that they can ship you your soap nuts!

 

Thanks again for playing and for continuing to help get the word out about barefootgirl in the kitchen 🙂 I could kiss you if i could….. ( just as long as my finance , Christina doesn’t mind 😉 )  lol

 

it’s Homecoming weekend in these parts…. lets her a big thank you for Ali’s talented statistics skills  and a big shout out to the Lady Saints 🙂

and a big shout out to my daughter on loan from her parents in Hong Kong, miss Tian

Homecoming Queen!!

she looks a little bit surprised, dontcha think?

 

pizza time before the dance…. into the kitchen I go….

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friday thoughts

September 21, 2012 6 Comments

hello friends 🙂

I have a confession… I woke in quite a sour mood this morning.  You see, I have a lot going on behind the scenes here… some of it I’ve eluded to, some I’m not ready to just yet… In due time, I shall share.  For right now, I have moments of ups and downs and this morning was a ‘down’

After a completely ineffective pity party for myself. ( like that ever works..) I decided to go for a ‘run’ ( ok. ok.. jog/ walk) but still… it feels important to me 🙂

And I got to thinking that if I started to think of good things form this week gone by then I would be better off.. so here I present to you

my reasons to smile

1~ ( I know you are all sick of hearing this.. but years from now I will look back and want to be part of this weeks’ memories) I ran my first 5k….  you need to know that this was one of those things that I pictured that I would be sitting in a rocker with Scott ( ok.. he could have his own next tome.. but you get the idea 😉 ) when I was 72 saying, ” ya know hon.. I probably could have done that way back when I was 41 if only I tried.”

I tried

I did

success!

2~  in regards to THIS post, which I wrote as a thank  you to all of those who have helped me along the way with my personal journey… I received a lot of sweet responses that quite frankly , blew me away. I love you guys.

the next day I received a series of text messages from Amanda, my daughter-in-law… I was on the phone at the time, so I didn’t get them until all at once.  which turned out to be even better…

seriously…. how could this NOT make me smile????  I’m so blessed that she & Jason found each other 🙂 I love you both!

3~I met a friend at Mayflower brewing company last night.  Many many many years ago we worked in the same salon together…  I think it is extra-special when you can meet up with an old friend and it’s like time hasn’t passed at all.

I’m finding more and more that re-connecting with my old friends is reminding me of this path that I have taken to get to here and that I am so lucky to have had all of you in my life…

* I actually ran into another old friend yesterday that I have seen in about 15 years… to put it in perpective, Scott and I dropped Jason off at her house the night I went into labor with Ryan*

~the irony? it was at the running store.

and some people don’t believe in this whole ‘connection ‘ thing.

4~ I used to DESPISE Norah Jones… in my opinion, She stole the Grammy away from Bruce for his album ‘The Rising’..his amazingly awesome tribute ALBUM  to 911( not just one song folks.. A WHOLE ALBUM ) I was bitter for years. ( I remember being in the salon the morning after the Grammys talking to my clients… ” who the hell is this Norah ( said with extreme distaste)”….

then something happened and I kinda fell in love with her :).. yup  girl crush here. I’m ok with that .  I listen to her on rainy days… somedays while staring out at the ocean.. I have a Pandora station of her music ( as well as her cds ) While I have heard this song and SANG this song.. I only figured out about an hour ago what it its about..

her dog !  How could THAT not make me smile??

5~ I’m making THIS for dinner.. It’s Homecoming weekend and the girls are out most of the weekend.. and Scott is actually home.. so I can have fun with these ingredients. which sent me out in search of figs and I found

…….a sale on Oregon cheese and Washington apples!!

and as silly as it sounds, it makes me feel closer to Ryan…. so I bought them… I think we will open one of the bottles of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir tonight to go with this  🙂

happy start of your weekend, friends 🙂

psst…. one more thing…. guess who signed up for another 5k this weekend??

Liam’s Run  for a good laugh, come see me, or even better.. sign up Sunday morning and run with me 🙂

ps.. you have until midnight tonight to qualify to win some nuts

smooches!

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barefootgirl in the laundry room…… a give away

September 19, 2012 25 Comments

who likes to do laundry ?

<— raised her un-manicured hand

who likes to put it away?

<—– pulled her hand down faster than a speeding bullet

Yes, today we are talking laundry…. and not just any laundry, but fun laundry! Eco friendly laundry! Creative laundry. Yes friends, I have something uber-fun for you…….  are you ready?  soap nuts

say WHAT??  yes soap nuts. You are about to learn how to do laundry using nuts  *insert 7th grade giggle here….  we’ve had a lot of giggles here about this exact thing throughout this past  summer*

so what are soap nuts? here ya go… directly from Laundry Tree’s website

LaundryTree SoapNuts are an easy way to “green” your laundry!

Soapnuts aren’t actually a nut at all, they are simply the fruit of a tree (Sapindus Mukorossi), found primarily in the Himilayas. And they are an EXCELLENT alternative to traditional laundry detergents and cleaners.

A FEW AMAZING THINGS ABOUT SOAP NUTS:
  • They are simply a dried fruit — 100% totally natural.
  • Clothes washed with soapnuts will have no scent — and that’s how you’ll know they are TRULY clean!
  • They are organically grown and are free of harsh chemicals, so they are incredibly gentle. (This makes them especially great for those with sensitive skin — including babies and those that suffer from allergies, eczema, and psoriasis).
  • They’re totally biodegradeable, so they’re better for the environment than regular detergent.
HOW DO SOAPNUTS WORK?

The outer shell of the soapnut contains saponin, a natural substance known for its ability to cleanse and wash. (That’s what makes them so GREAT for cleaning your laundry!) And here’s a cool fact: soapnuts aren’t a new concept; they have been used to clean all kinds of fabric for centuries, and are only now gaining popularity in the Americas and Europe as a powerful, yet natural alternative to modern detergents. Having used any number of other detergents, we’re here to say so far man has yet to best Mother Nature in coming up with a genius cleaning agent for clothes.

HOW ARE SOAPNUTS PREPARED FOR USE IN YOUR WASH?

They are simply harvested, de-seeded, and then dried in the sun.  And they WORK — they really, really work!

YUP! they work!

I bought these at the beginning of the summer on Open Sky. For those who do not know what Open sky is, it’s somebody’s (usually famous or famous-ish) personal store where they feature products that they like.. my Open sky store would have

  1. vintage Springsteen stuff
  2. cheese.. and lots of it
  3. wine stuff
  4. jeep stuff
  5. fun ball jars
  6. yoga stuff
  7. lotsa socks
  8. comfy clothes
  9. pictures of Fenway
  10. all of my kids’ artwork on display
  11. chap stick galore
  12. lotsa quilts

So I bought these crazy little things and they arrived. I was very excited… to do laundry??  yes.  they can be used one of two ways….  ( copied from Laundry tree’s website)

  • Put 3-5 soapnuts in the cotton drawstring bag that comes with your order
  • Pull the bag closed. If you desire scent, add a few drops of essential oil.
  • Pop it in the washing machine and wash the clothes on warm or hot.
THAT’S IT!

Take the bag out before you put the laundry in the dryer. You can re-use the same soapnuts for your next load, since they’re good for four rounds. If you don’t have any more laundry to do, just set them aside to dry and you can use them again later. ——> barefoot girl addition to this info —>( this works best in warm/ hot water)

barefoot girl talking form now on… no longer copying form website—-> they can be used for around four times. Simply let dry then use again… Not sure if your nuts still have power in them? *sniggle*

wait.. it gets better….. while they are still wet, simply squeeze them and if some white liquid comes out there is still life left in them

I couldn’t make this up ! nor would I want to… I’m just so happy that I found them 🙂 *I wasn’t kidding about my un manicured hand*

when there is no more life to them, simply compost them :).. BUT>>>> I don’t do that just yet.. set them aside .. I’ll come back to that.

The other way to use soap nuts is to make a laundry soak..  Don’t be a=scared… it’s easy 🙂

again.. copied from Laundry tree’s website.. photos courtesy of moi……

  • Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a heavy saucepan with a lid.
  • Turn off the heat and toss 6-8 soapnuts in the saucepan with the hot water. (If you’re using Soapnut Bits, use about 1/2 cup).
  • Cover the saucepan, and let it sit overnight.
  • In the morning, fish out and discard the remaining soapnut shells.
  • Pour the cooled liquid into a container with a lid. (Just about any container will do. We use a pretty antique bottle that makes us smile every time we reach for it. But an old spaghetti sauce jar will work just as well).
  • (Optional) If you’d like your Soapnut Soak to have a scent, add your favorite essential oils. We suggest lemon or tea tree oil for bathroom cleanser, lavenderfor cold water laundry loads, and sweet orange for dishwasher cleaning liquid.

This batch of Soapnut Soak will wash at least 16 loads of laundry. Use 1/4 to 1/2 cup for each load. (You can adjust this amount as needed, depending on the size of the load and how dirty the contents are).

barefootgirl talking again —-> when I am boiling my nuts.. ( I can’t control myself here..) I add all of my old used nuts just to get the last little bit out of them…  after letting sit covered overnight… I put my hand in and try to break down what is left, then drain through a fine mesh strainer.

then I add an essential oil to the mixture… for me, clean cotton rocks my boat..

then simply put in a container and use 1/4 cup -1/2 cup depending on the size of the load 🙂

but wait… there’s more.  I still see more *umph* in the nut remains, so I add more water, re-boil and make more… a less- stronger version….  and come up with a killer all-purpose cleaner…. I added lavender to this one and have the prettiest smelling cleaner going. Add it to a spray bottle and you are good to go!

Now.. remember last week when I told you that I was bound to make mistakes (remember, if a word is a different color then click on it and it may make my story make more sense…. then again , maybe not… but it is still worth a shot)

so I was sooooo excited to try to get the finger prints off of my inherited ipad that I poured the soap nut diluted soak right into this cute little spray bottle… and melted it…. *le sigh *

note to self… and my invisible blog friends… LET the mixture cool!!  this isn’t rocket science ( although I have to admit, it kinda felt like it with all the bottles and boiling  and stuff 😉

the top couldn’t even screw on anymore…….. ( I did cut it down so it works and I washed my windows and computer/ipad/phone screens and it works AWESOME!)

so…. there ya go.. a lesson in balls..and guess what? Laundry Tree has generously given my *10* soap nuts sample kits!!  FOR YOU!!!!!!!Yes.. you can do this too!!   ( and trust me, you want to 😉

sooo… if you haven’t already..

  1. like barefootgirl in the kitchen on facebook
  2. share a barefootgirl post on your facebook page… pick your favorite!
  3. have a friend do either of the above… then post on BFG page your name .. you each will get an entry
  4. sign up for barefootgirl email or through wordpress using the links on the blog itself.
  5.  comment about whatever enteres you mind on the blog itself.. simply hit leave a comment… and leave a comment!!!
  6. Share this ( or any barefootgirl post on pinterst).. just shoot me a message on the FB wall or email me at barefootgirl27@me.com so that I know that you did 🙂

you can earn multiple entries!!  Each friend that joins or likes give you at least an extra entry!  So lets see.. today is Wednesday… so I will close this contest Friday at midnight….

so good luck 🙂 and thank you again for reading…

oxoxox friends 🙂

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

banish boring salads

September 18, 2012 21 Comments

well… maybe not banish but know that there are options out there.

You know how when you got to a restaurant and some of the fancier salads look sooo good… but you have a hard  time shelling out 13 bucks for a salad..

yeah  me too.  Here’s the thing.. you can make these at home!!  Now I know some of you are like, “duh? is she going to seriously walk us through salad making 101?”

yes. Because I have a few friends whose diets have changed and they need to add more fruits and veggies into their diet & want to show the amazing amount options that are out there. If you already know all of this.. I apologize…. just scroll to the bottom to help answer a question about my next giveaway.

WHOA!!! wait.. YOU!… get back up here.. I’m not done yet.

We’ll start with making a dressing….  yes.. making it is super simple.. and there are 17,000 combinations that you can create… just use a basic formula and add the flavors that you like!

you will need

1~ an acid.. either vinegar, lemon or lime juice, wine….  1/8 cup

2~ an oil…. olive oil, canola oil, sesame oil.. coconut oil ( my new FAVORITE! ) 1/4 cup

3~mustard… again… SO many flavors out there… play with it! 1 tsp

4~ honey.. or maple syrup ( the real stuff) or agave…. 1 tsp

5~ (optional) herbs.. fresh or dried… or sesame seeds, or crushed garlic….. 1/2-1 tsp.. depending on how strong you would like ( always start with less then add more)

6~ sea salt and pepper…..  I have a slight salt obsession as well…..  we’ll chat about this later 🙂 remind me if I forget.

simply add everything to a small ball jars

   put the top on the jar and shake….

you just made dressing 🙂

trust me.. you can’t get that out of a bottle…. anywhere.

I don’t like overly dressed salads, so I usually use about a tablespoon per salad.. if you like more, then add more… I mix it with whichever greens I am using so that they are coated, then place in serving bowl… top with toppings…

like the quiche ‘recipe’  ( are you starting to get my method of cooking… it’s always a formula, then playing with ingredients… because I am a firm believer in  play!  <—- please read this post, it’s one of my favorites 🙂

so.. you will want

1~ green of choice… baby spinach, arugula, mesclun, romaine, butter lettuce..

2~ dressing of choice

3~ ( optional.. ) protein of choice… ( chicken, beans, salmon, beef, tofu, edamame.)

4~ other veggies.. just pile them on!

5~ (optional ) cheese

6~ (optional) something for crunch.. croutons, sunflower seeds, pepitas, sliver almonds

7~ (optional) dried cranberries or apricots or mandarin orange wedges

and  you, my dear have just made a killer salad worthy of any restaurant.

here’s your 13 buckaroos back 🙂

This salad  has

baby spinach

basic vinaigrette

topped with edamame ( I used trader Joe’s ).. about 1/2 cup

black beans .. about 1/4 cup

1/4 avocado, chopped

1/4 cup cranberry goat cheese ( if you are vegan, by choice or m=by force, eliminate it…  the avocado give the same mouthfeel… and you probably wont miss it)

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

finish with sea salt and pepper..

I ate this for lunch yesterday and it kept me full all afternoon!  ( and peeps ask me all the time where I get my protein from 🙂  )

so be brave…. look beyond iceburg, cukes and tomatoes ( not that there is anything with it, it’s the only way I can get my kids to eat a salad, so I still make it… ) and have fun!!!!

NEEEEXXXXTTT…

I have fallen in LOVE with Greek Yogurt. Have you tried it yet? I buy the non fat plain and it tastes just like sour cream. I sub it out for sour cream all the time.  It is also a perfect base to make granola parfait but also… to make some ‘creamy’ sauces!  like this

Chipotle cream sauce

I used about 1/2 the can of peppers.. if you like it more mild, use less

about a cup of the Greek Yogurt

half a lime

I put them all in the magic bullet looking thing and blended

if you don’t have one of these babies, you could use a blender, just keep scraping down the sides.. or use a food processor.

that’s it folks… does it get simpler than that? I think not.

The girls had this on their tacos last night & I topped my tostada with it.

the girls’ taco filling is made with lean ground chicken, then when I add the taco seasoning ( only half the package… it’s so loaded with sodium.. a little goes a long way.. you also can make your own, considerably knocking the sodium down, but I had it so I used it) and when I add the water I add a can of refried beans. They blend in perfectly… it stretches the filling and boosts the protein 🙂 I’ve been doing this for years..

It also freezes and defrosts well, so you can make double the amount and have it in the freezer for a super quick dinner…. If you need to cook for one, make a batch and freeze it into individual portions…  again.. quick dinner for one

*if you have dinner for one, please do me a favor and do it by candle light.. you are special and should have a nice dining experience.. if you want you can face time me and we can eat dinner together 😉 *

My filling was chopped mushrooms, sautéed  in oil, then  I mashed some back beans and lime juice in, seasoned with sea salt, cumin & chile powder

I placed it on a small flour tortilla that I heated in my cast iron skillet ( I CANNOT say enough how much I love  cast Iron to cook with)

top with cheese ( if vegan, try the daiya cheese shreds.. it’s very good, melts and stretches like cheese and can be frozen.. It is on the pricey side ( $5 a bag) but it does freeze, and I just pull out what I need when I need it )

the I added avocado.. fresh salsa.. Chipotle cream sauce and some plain Greek yogurt..  YUM!  ( and sooooooo easy )

As far as the rest of the chipotle peppers ( I’ve never had a recipe that I’ve used the whole can ) I take a freezer bag & label it… place in a jar

then press out the air & seal

Whenever I need some for a recipe, or a burst of flavor, I just break a piece off! No waste here.. yo!

so now that I’ve made you hungry… I have a question for all of you.

I have a fun company that has offered for me to give away one of their products.  I have the choice…

1~ 1 big gift for one lucky recipient…

OR

2~ 10 small gifts ( of the same item) so that TEN of you can win….

so whatcha all think? 1 big winner or 10 smaller ones???

smooches friends!!  oxooxo

Filed Under: Dinner, giveaway, lunch, Main dish, make-ahead, salad, side dishes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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