DIY

Dollar Store First Aid Kit

Posted on by traci

When my boys went to Boy Scout Camp, I needed to make sure they had a personal first aid kit. I knew there was going to be an infirmity if they had a serious injury. All they needed was band-aids, first aid ointment, and something to clean up his injury.

So we headed to the Dollar Tree to get those items plus a container.

I almost got a sandwich container to hold of the items in the first aid kit. The Imaginative One who is the Boy Scout veteran told me that the sandwich container was going to be too big.

Then I realized there was school supplies in the store. I decided using a pencil bag would be compact enough.

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All of the first aid items that I put in the kit. We also got them so medication for bug bites.

All of the items were bought at the Dollar Store. Each kit was about $4.83. (The sanitizer came in a pack of 3 and I put half of the wipes in each kit.)

I love this idea that I came up with and am planning to make one of those kits for my desk at work. I’m going to add an eye glass kit to my kit. My students are always asking for band-aids. The clinic gives us a limited amount of band-aids at the beginning of the year. Once those are gone, I’ll use band-aids from the Dollar Tree.

I think I’m going to also make a hygiene kit with another pencil bag. In the bag, I would put a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, breath mint strips, deodorant, and a brush.

I hope these give you some ideas.

Have a magical day,
Traci

Lemon Garlic Marinade (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Paleo, Whole30)

Posted on by traci

When I went grocery shopping last Sunday, I got some boneless pork ribs.  I almost bought a bottle of lemon garlic marinade for the ribs but decided not to get it.

I decided to make my own lemon garlic marinade for the ribs instead of buying that bottle.

When I served dinner last night, Hubby was delighted with the ribs.  Since there were a couple left over, he claimed them as his own for our left over night.  So I think this marinade is a winner.

This marinade would be good on pork chops, boneless pork ribs, pork roast, or even chicken breast.

Bonus:  It’s Whole30 friendly.

Oh, and I finally figured out how to make my recipes printer friendly.  That’s been a big problem during the 7 years I’ve had this blog.

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Lemon Garlic Marinade

  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

-1 lemon, zest and juiced

-1 clove of garlic, minced or 1 Tbsp. minced garlic

-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

-1 tsp. Salt

-1 tsp. Pepper

-2 tsp. oregano

Directions

  1. In a gallon sized ziploc bag, add the ingredients. Close the bag. Knead the bag until the ingredients are combined.
  2. Add either boneless ribs, pork chops, or chicken breast.
  3. Allow meat to marinade for 4 to 12 hours or freeze for up to 3 months.
  4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place meat in a baking dish.
  5. Cook the pork or chicken for 20 to 30 minutes.
  6. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
  7. Serve and enjoy!

The pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees and chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Happy eating,
Traci

Pizza Sauce

Posted on by traci

I originally posted this recipe back in July 2010.  I decided to repost the recipe with a couple slight changes to the recipe.

pizza sauce

Pizza Sauce

Stars of the recipe:

  • 1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 to 1/2 c. water
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • salt, to taste
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp. dried basil
  • 1/2 Tbsp. dried parsley

Steps:

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a microwavable bowl.  (Start with 1/4 c. of water.  Gradually add more until it’s the thickness you want.)
  2. Microwave for 3 to 4 minutes.
  3. Stir once out of the microwave.
  4. Use on your favorite pizza crust.

Homemade Pizza

Homemade Pizza Crust

Happy eating,
Traci

 

Raspberry Simple Syrup

Posted on by traci

We love our ice tea and lemonade at our house.  When we go out to eat at a restaurant called Bob Evans, I almost order a flavored ice tea.  Yum!

I decided I needed to recreate the flavored ice tea at my house.  Especially since summer is going to be here before we know it.

My iced tea is made in my coffee maker.  Last July, I got rid of my Keurig.  I loved it for a long time but had been using my own grounds in little reusable coffee filters the majority of the time so I decided I would just bite the bullet and go back to a traditional coffee maker.  I ended up with a Hamilton Beach Brewstation.  Instead of a glass carafe, there is a removable reservoir.  It has a setting on it for iced coffee.  I used it for iced tea instead.  Hey, it works and is delicious.  Just make sure you wash the reservoir out before and after brewing the tea because you don’t want it the tea to taste like coffee and vice versa.

Now onto the raspberry simple syrup.
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Raspberry Simple Syrup

adapted from Geeks with Drinks

Stars of the recipe:

  • 1 c. white granulated sugar
  • 1 c. water
  • 2 c. raspberries (washed and dried)

Steps:

  1. Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.
  2. Stir until sugar is combined.   (The sugar will become “clear.”)
  3. Add the raspberries.  Bring to a simmer and then reduce heat to medium low.  Cook for 12 minutes.  Keep a close eye on it.
  4. Remove from the heat.  Cover and allow it to seep for 10 minutes.
  5. Strain the syrup.
  6. Enjoy in tea or lemonade.

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Happy eating,
Traci

Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

Posted on by traci

As I said, I’m trying to post more salad dressing recipes on my blog.  I went to Pinterest to see if I could find any ideas of salad dressings.

This one is yum!  Simple and delicious.  I could have licked the bowl after eating the salad.  However, that might have looked a little silly.

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Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

adapted from Simple Bites

Stars of the recipe:

  • 2 Tbsp. pure maple (not breakfast syrup)
  • 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

Steps:

  1. Whisk all the ingredients together.  Or blend the ingredients using a blender or food processor.  (I used my blender cup.)
  2. Enjoy on your favorite salad!

Use within a week.