Prepped Living Blog

Back in July we posted a review of the first two homemade dishwasher detergent recipes we made. This week, we are posting a review of the third recipe we tried. We found this recipe on wellnessmama.com. It is very similar to the second recipe we tried, only this one includes borax. Homemade Dishwasher Detergent #3 Ingredients 1 c. borax 1 c. washing soda ½ c. citric acid ½ c. sea salt 20 – 30 drops lemon essential oil (or other citrus oil, optional) Directions Stir all ingredients together. Store in a glass jar. Use 1 – 2 T. per load. You can add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid to the powder before closing the soap dispenser if you want extra cleaning power. Note: Adding too many drops of liquid dish soap will cause problems with your dishwasher. What we liked The dishes were clean.  The recipe is simple. The ingredients are non-toxic. There was no detergent taste left on the dishes. What we didn't like Citric acid isn't something we typically kept on hand...

We tried a new-to-us drink that our craft bartender son made for us this summer - an Aperol Spritz. It is served chilled and is both light and refreshing, especially in the summer heat. Aperol Spritz is reportedly popular in Italy. It is considered an apéritif, which is a drink served  before  a meal that is designed to prepare the digestive system for the coming meal. This is different from a digestif, which is served  after  a meal and is believed to aid in digestion. This may be common knowledge to most of you, but I just learned it this summer. I love learning new things! Without further ado, here is the recipe: Aperol Spritz Ingredients : 2 oz. Aperol 2 oz. Prosecco 1 oz. Club Soda Ice cubes Directions : Measure and pour Aperol into a glass. Add ice cubes. Measure and pour in Prosecco, followed by the club soda. Stir slowly. Sip and enjoy!

A couple of weeks ago we were given a bag of garlic scapes. We tried garlic scapes last year when we grew our own garlic. That first year, we cut them up into small rounds and used them in stir fry. They gave it a nice flavor. This year, we decided to try garlic scape salt. What are Garlic Scapes?  Garlic scapes are the long, curly central stalk that grows from the bulb of hardneck garlic plants. This stalk must be pulled or cut in order for the garlic bulb to grow larger. Garlic scapes have a mild garlic flavor and can be used to flavor dishes just like garlic. Garlic scapes Garlic scapes can be cut up and used in dishes such as stir fries, eggs, and casseroles. They can be used to make a pesto. They can also be used to make a garlic scape infused oil and garlic flavored salt. Because we love our food well seasoned, we opted to make a batch of garlic scape salt with the majority of the scapes and freeze the rest for later use. Making Garlic Scape Salt We followed the Homemade Garl...

Cherries can be canned, but I have to admit that they are not our favorite fruit when canned plain. If, like us, you are looking for new ways to preserve your cherries, try some of the delicious ideas below. Canning Cherry Barbecue Sauce One of our favorite ways to use sweet cherries is cherry barbecue sauce. We are sauce afficionados at our house. One year when we were blessed with a large amount of cherries, but no tomatoes, we decided to try this recipe. It is a bit different, of course, than traditional barbecue sauce, but it is really flavorful. You can find the recipe on our website here: https://www.preppedliving.com/home/projects-recipes/recipes/cherry-bbq-sauce Cherry BBQ Sauce Cherry Pie Filling This is our favorite project to do with tart pie cherries. They look so beautiful in the jars and make pie baking so easy. One quart jar makes a 9 inch pie. You can use the pie filling for cherry crisp or cherry cobbler as well. If making a 9x13 baking dish of cobbler or crisp...

Have you ever picked elderflower? Elderflower is not well-known as a flavor in the US, but it is a nice, light floral flavor that is sometimes used in ice cream, sparkling waters, and even in cakes. We frequently make elder berry syrup and have heard that you can use the flowers as well, but have never experimented with the flowers - that is, until now. This year, we finally picked some of the flowers to try. First, I couldn't believe how lovely they smell! These tiny, delicate flowers have the most beautiful, sweet fragrance. No wonder elderflower is a popular flavor in Europe! The flavor is as lovely and light as the fragrance. We only have one bush close to the house so we didn't have a lot of flowers with which to experiment. After deliberating, we opted to make elderflower syrup. We searched online for syrup recipes. Most called for citric acid (as a preservative), several called for lemon (which we didn't have), and nearly all of them called for more flowers than we ...

We have been trying different options for better oral health. We already make a mouthwash that we like really well, so it was time to try making something else. We chose to make our own tooth powder. While most recipes claim these ingredients make a "re-mineralizing" tooth powder, we found that whether or not it re-mineralizes, this recipe gets your teeth sparkling clean. After reading through several recipe options, we came up with our own based on the ingredients we had on hand. Here is the recipe we created: Note: This blog post contains affiliate links. Purchasing through these links helps support our website and blog at no cost to you.  Thank you for your support. Tooth Powder Recipe Ingredients 1/4 c. bentonite clay 3 T calcium carbonate 1 1/2 T baking soda 1 t. cloves 1 t. cinnamon 1 t. sea salt 1 T dried mint leaves, ground to a powder 5 drops peppermint oil (or more, to taste) Directions Mix all ingredients together. Store in a glass jar with a lid.  To use: Scoop a...

Refrigerator snacks are especially nice in the summertime when it is hot outside. Prepare these in advance and store in the refrigerator for a cool, healthy snack. Pudding Cups Pudding cups are a great option because there are so many possibilities. Chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, and tapioca are just a few flavor options you can make at home. You also have the freedom to choose your milk - dairy, coconut, almond, etc. - if making a cooked recipe and you can even find egg-free recipes, such as the chia seed pudding recipe below. Taste of Home's Vanilla Pudding - This is one of our favorite vanilla puddings to make. It is easy and delicious! Minimalist Baker's Overnight Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding Overnight Oatmeal Cups These have become popular for breakfast but there is no reason you can't make them as a snack as well! You can find recipes all over. Here are two options to get you started: Budget Bytes' Overnight Oats Love & Lemon's Overnight Oats Fruit Keb...

For those who have what is currently coined an "ingredient household" (a.k.a. low-tox, natural foods, "crunchy," healthy, etc.), snacks can be a challenge. This is the first in a series on healthy snack ideas. We recently had a request for more snack recipes for those who are trying to provide healthy food for their families.  We did a blog post featuring healthy snack options a while ago. Now, we want to focus on bringing you a wider range of snack options that includes links to recipes. We have spent some time searching the web to find recipe ideas to catalogue for easy reference.  Our first series post features frozen snack options. Although summer is not yet here, these frozen snacks can be enjoyed any time of the year. Here are a few ideas for freezer snacks you can prepare ahead of time to have on hand to satiate your hunger in between meals. Easy Frozen Jello Popsicles   - We discovered that using gelatin in our popsicles kept them from tasting watery and al...

Does the price of eggs have you feeling down? Here are a few egg substitutes that could help you stay on budget. While it may not be possible to find a great alternative to fried, poached, or hard-boiled eggs, there are several options when it comes to substituting eggs in recipes for baked goods. Here are several options that use common ingredients and/or easy-to-stock, shelf-stable, gluten-free ingredients. Listed below are substitute options we have used, other family members have used, or ones we want to try based on what we keep in our pantry. Be aware that the texture of your recipe will likely vary from the original recipe when using an egg substitute. Gluten free bread made with egg replacers This page contains affiliate links. As an affiliate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.  U sing our links helps to support this blog at no extra cost to you.  Applesauce, Mashed Banana, or Pumpkin Puree We have used applesauce several times in the past. It works remarkably wel...

This week we are sharing one of our favorite drink mixes – Tom and Jerry Mix (sometimes called Tom and Jerry Batter). Because this drink is served hot and has a wonderful mix of spices, it is the perfect drink for Christmas. It is reminiscent of hot buttered rum, but with a richer, fuller flavor and a more complex spiced finish.  You can leave out the rum and enjoy an alcohol-free version if you like. We used to make the alcohol-free version for the kids when they were young and it is quite good. However, if you are not opposed to drinking a bit of alcohol, the flavor is soo much better with rum. Cheers! A Tom & Jerry Drink TOM & JERRY MIX Ingredients ½ lb. butter 1 ½ lb. powdered sugar 6 eggs, separated ½ t. salt 2 oz. dark rum ½ t. of each: mace, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom Directions Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add egg yolks, one at a time. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, continuing to beat unti...

This is another recipe for the powdered drink mix series. While we don't normally advocate for using store-bought drink mixes, there are times when they are useful and they are a great option for your food storage or preparedness plan. Why? Because even if they have more sugar than you would normally allow, they add variety to your diet. They can encourage people to stay hydrated by making plain water more appealing. They can also help to mask the taste of stale or purified water, especially if you have used iodine or chlorine to purify your drinking water. Should you find yourself in an emergency situation where you are having to use your stored drink mixes, it will be helpful to have the option to make a variety of flavors. You don't want food fatigue to keep you and your loved ones from staying properly hydrated. Russian Tea calls for several mixes you might already keep in your pantry: instant tea, orange drink mix (the original recipe calls for Tang), lemonade mix (the ori...

This week we are sharing another drink mix recipe. This one is for winter coffee. It is a recipe my mother has had for years. She sometimes makes it for Christmas gifts. I haven't had it in years, so I think this might be the year to make a batch! As with the other powdered drink recipes, this uses shelf stable ingredients, making it a great recipe for preppers, too. It is important to stay hydrated in the winter as well as the summer and having drink mixes on hand makes it easy to do. Winter Coffee 2 c. powdered creamer (the original recipe calls for non-dairy creamer) 2 c. hot cocoa mix (click  here for the recipe we use) 1 c. instant coffee (we enjoy Franklin's Finest ) 2 t. cinnamon 1 1/2 c. sugar Mix together. Store in an air tight container. To use: Add 2 T. (use more or less to taste) to a cup of hot water. Stir well until dissolved. Sip and enjoy! Note:  This posts contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an affiliate, if you choose to make a purchase through ...

Making your own chai tea mix gives you a healthy and frugal drink option. It mixes well with whatever black tea you happen to have on hand.  This mix is good enough to give away as a gift. Simply put the mix in an attractive jar, attach a bow, and include a card with written instructions. You can even add a mug and some black tea to make it a gift set. The chai spice mix is popular at our house - this batch is almost gone Chai Spice Mix for Tea   Ingredients 1 c. organic sugar ½ t. cloves ½ t. ginger ¾ t. Ceylon cinnamon   Mix Directions: Mix the ingredients well. Store in a glass container with a lid.   To Make Chai Tea or a Chai Latte: 1.      Steep black tea in hot water. 2.      Add 2 t. of mix. 3.       Add milk to taste for a Chai Latte. Notes: 1)     We like to use raw cane sugar. 2)     This tastes wonderful with mixed in Earl Grey tea in p...

We love hot cocoa and we love a good hot cocoa mix. We use it for cocoa and for adding to our coffee when we want a special treat. Like with most things, it has become harder and harder to find a healthy hot cocoa mix that is affordable. We were buying a brand for a while that was decent, but the price kept getting steeper.  We tried making our own hot cocoa mix years ago, but the recipe I had called for powdered coffee creamer. Powdered creamer usually has terrible ingredients. I tried it anyway, and it was not good. I love chocolate and even I didn't like the homemade mix. With the cooler weather upon us, we decided it was time to find a healthier hot cocoa mix recipe that tastes good. I found several online that call for powdered milk rather than powdered creamer. I saved four recipes and picked one to try. We mixed up a batch and gave it a try. It was okay, but we found it lacking in chocolate flavor. We added a bit more cocoa and tried it again. It was better, but I felt like ...