Category: “How To” Guides

"How To" Guides, Dairy-Free, Drinks, Lightened Up, Low Sugar, Vegan, Vegetarian

Homemade Oat Milk!

Annie

Hi, all! Thanks for bearing with me as a took a hiatus graduating from my nurse practitioners program, passing my NP boards (yay!), and taking this summer to work as a nurse. Having just finished out whirlwind weeks of weddings and travel, I’m ready to continue to share delicious recipes with you. I recently discovered the best kept secret: making homemade “milks!” If you haven’t figured out, my go-to milk to buy is unsweetened almond milk. While it’s pretty inexpensive in the land of milk alternatives, this last summer I worked as a nurse at a peanut-free and nut-free camp. A quirky preference I have is only using creamer in hot coffee. (I prefer almond milk in my cold brew due to the coffee’s smoother, less bitter flavor.) I tried oat milk from my grocery store and fell in love with its richer and thicker consistency compared to its milk counterparts. Here’s how to make homemade Oat Milk, so you too can enjoy oat milk without the cost for coffee, smoothies, or however you choose to enjoy!

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"How To" Guides, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, Side, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian

How to Tackle That Butternut Squash

Annie

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Every once in a while, I’ll do a how to guide. This summer I wrote about pineapple and mango — two summer produce that are typically costly to buy prepped and cut up. Plus, I love using the two of these for smoothies, snacks or toppings for overnight oats. But summer is over and fall is upon us, so I’ve traded my fruit for squash. I’ve already tackled delicata squash and spaghetti squash, so why not turn to the most beloved of all squashes: butternut squash.  Usually I roast squash and peel away the skin after, but I think this technique of peeling first saves a bit more of the squash and is less messy. After learning How to Peel & Cut Butternut Squash, I made a creamy fall bisque (obviously recipe here).

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"How To" Guides, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Snack, Vegan, Vegetarian

Not in a Pickle Over Here!

Annie

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Want literally the easiest way to make pickles ever? I tried this two summers ago and I’m surprised I haven’t posted this sooner. Easy Fridge Pickles! You skip boiling the brining solution and just add everything straight to the jar. Top sandwiches or eat straight out of the jar. I’ve made dill pickles, sweet pickles, spicy pickles. They’re so easy to tailor and fun to make.

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"How To" Guides, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Meal Prep, Smoothie, Snack, Vegan, Vegetarian

A Summer “How To” Starring Pineapple

Annie

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So fun fact. I bought this organic whole pineapple at Whole Foods in Beacon Hill for $2.50. It yielded about 3-4 c (since I ate some in the process and can’t get an accurate reading). If you buy pre-cut pineapple pieces, it’s $4-7 depending on how many cups you bought. To save some many and reap all of the benefits, here’s How to Cut a Pineapple. Pineapples are high in vitamin C, fiber and other vitamins and minerals. Grill it, freeze it, keep it raw, transform it into a salsa. They’re also high in natural sugar and a great sweetener for smoothies, muffins, bowls, oats — anything.

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"How To" Guides, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Low Sugar, Meal Prep, Vegan, Vegetarian

How to Slice Mango like a Pro

Annie

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Cutting a mango may be a little intimidating, especially when it has that large pit in the center. With a sharp knife, it’s really quite easy. Once you have your perfectly sliced mango, top oats, smoothies bowls or tacos. Add to salads or salsa. Slice, prep and freeze servings for smoothies. Use for anything! Mangos are a great way to make a dish sweet without adding any extra sugar. Here’s a guide for How to Slice a Mango.

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"How To" Guides, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Low Sugar, Meal Prep, One Pot Dish, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian

A Practical How To: Homemade Veggie Stock

Annie

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The most practical how to ever. How to make Homemade Vegetable Stock. I saw this on BuzzFeed’s Tasty and it’s been a repeat offender for me this winter, so I thought I’d post about it. The ziplock bag fills up quick! Well, maybe quick for me. The first time I made this, I had many stems from basil and the broth had a hint of that. This next few times, I tried to add ginger skin, garlic, more herbs and mushroom to add a more savory aspect. I also really like adding sweet potatoes since they naturally make the broth sweet, as do zucchini, carrots, squash and kale. I don’t add anything else to the broth, i.e. salt — I’m looking at you, since it’s much easier to salt the batch of what you make than try to rectify an overly salty mess. It’s kind of fun to see what you can save and so have fun turning your scraps into something useful. Waste not!

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"How To" Guides, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Lightened Up, Low Sugar, One Pot Dish, Snack, Vegan, Vegetarian

Poppin’ Popcorn

Annie

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Popcorn ready in under 5 min? Um, yes please. Where do I sign up? I was sick of buying bagged popcorn, but I do have a serious addiction to Skinny Pop. I can easily eat at least half a bag per sitting. I wanted the Skinny Pop taste with less of the binge and less of the cost. I picked up a big bag of popcorn kernels at Whole Foods for the same price as a Skinny Pop bag and the kernels lasted me a couple months. Granted, I’ve tailored this recipe to a single serving to prevent me from eating the whole thing, but this can easily be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, whatever. Everything is done on the stove, which requires a bit of “tossing/shaking,” coordination, but NBD. You’ll love this Easy Stovetop Popcorn; your tastebuds (and wallet) will thank me.

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"How To" Guides

Thoughts on a “Teatox”

Annie

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I subjected myself to be the guinea pig for one of those tea detoxes or a “teatox.” Ok,”subjected” isn’t quite the right word. I was curious. I volunteered faster than Katniss in the Hunger Games. The teatoxes and tea cleanses are all over Instagram and Pinterest these days, and people are raving about the benefits and #TransformationTuesday. So I thought, why not? I’d like to think I already eat and exercise quite well, and maybe this detox is the boost I need after the fourth of July. A 14 day or a 28 day regimen sounded too daunting. An 8 day teatox from Skinny Me Tea sounded just right like, “Yeah, I can definitely try this.”  Here’s the idea of the teatox and my musings from Trying a Tea Detox: Continue reading “Thoughts on a “Teatox”” →

"How To" Guides, Local Finds

Primetime for Pomegranates

Annie

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This “how to” is really simple: How to Easily Remove Pomegranate Seeds. This is such a great winter fruit. As a superfood, pomegranates are a perfect snack, a juicy salad or breakfast topping and a natural addition to desserts. You just grab a knife, bowl filled with water, and a wooden spoon. Wear and apron or clothes you don’t care if they’re stained because the juice can splash! But it’s definitely worth the effort. Pomegranate seeds are just so delicious, you can’t help but eat them by the handful.

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"How To" Guides

Flu, Flu Go Away

Annie

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If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been slowly gearing up for this “How to” Maintain Winter Wellness.” Superfood tea, naturally flavored water . . .  all ways to try to give your immune system a quick boost during this cold weather.  I wish there was a special formula to stay healthy through the winter. Maybe a dash of good luck is all that’s needed, but I do believe there’s something to be said for eating well to prevent sickness. With the flu season upon us, we already know it’s a gamble. Getting sick? No thank you. You wouldn’t run a marathon tomorrow without training, so why not do everything in your power to keep you balanced for tomorrow? Here are some ideas of what I like to incorporate in recipes to help my body stay healthy during the cold winter months ahead.

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