Recipe: “BLOW YOUR MIND” Healthy, No-Strain Tomato Basil Pasta!
I’ve seen this recipe floating around my Facebook page for a while, but I couldn’t ignore it anymore. It’s amazing! You just add all the ingredients into one big pot, stir and simmer until it’s fully cooked. No straining, no waste, and only takes FIFTEEN MINUTES! It’s called “Summer Pasta” because it doesn’t take a lot of work to make, but it absolutely could be made year-round (and should because it’s so healthy!). Here’s the great recipe from MyFridgeFood (check the link for calories and in the comments section for what others added for recipe ideas).
Ingredients:
- 12 oz pasta
- 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatos with liquid (You can use fresh if you would rather)
- 1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
- 2 large sprigs basil, chopped
- 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
Directions:
- Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.
- Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so.
- Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated (an inch or less, as desired).
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot.
- Serve garnished with parmesan cheese.
Homemade Shea Butter Deep Conditioner
This time of year wrecks havoc on everyone’s hair – dry, staticky, frizzy, yuck. You can go to the salon and get a deep condition for $60, buy some at the store that is full of chemicals for $20, OR spend a couple of bucks and make enough deep conditioner to last you many uses. Thanks to Home Remedy Shop for the super easy tutorial!
Ingredients:
- ½ cup pure Shea butter
- 1 cup virgin coconut oil
- ½ cup grape seed oil
- A few drops of your choice of essential oil
Directions:
- Combine the Shea butter, coconut oil, and grape seed oil into a microwavable bowl. Microwave for 30 second increments, stirring between times, until they are fully evenly blended.
- Add the essential oil to the bowl. Prepare an ice bath in a pan and add the bowl into it and start blending the liquid with a blender. As you whip the mix, the texture will get creamy and will look like lotion.
- Transfer the contents into a plastic jar or bottle. Keep this bottle in your bathroom and use the conditioner whenever you need!
Recipe: DIY Turkey Cookie Pops
Here’s a simple and delicious “craft” from Chica Circle that you can do with the kids and give as gifts (or eat them yourselves!). Stop over at Chica Circle for the visual tutorial on these cookie pops, then also do the cute recycled aluminum can craft in the picture! Would be a great addition to the cookie pops to give as a gift!
Ingredients & What You’ll Need:
- chocolate (brown) and red candy melts
- candy corn
- popsicle sticks
- wax paper
- Oreo cookies (chocolate or vanilla)
- Candy pearls
Directions:
- Melt chocolate candy melts in a bowl for one minute and stir until smooth. Dip one end of lollipop stick in melted candy and stick in center of sandwich cookie.
- Place on wax paper and let cool in refrigerator for 5 minutes until hardened.
- Either dip cookie into melted candy or use a knife to spread on all sides of cookie. While chocolate is still soft, arrange 8 candy corn pieces along edge starting at the top on one side.
- Finish arranging all 8 candy corn pieces all the back of one side and place on wax paper, candy corn side down.
- For face, place one candy corn sticking up in center for beak. Place two candy pearl dots for eyes. Let harden in refrigerator again for 5 minutes.
- For the turkey’s wattle, place a few red candy melts into a small ziplock bag. Melt for about 20-30 seconds and squish in bag until smooth. Clip one end of bag and squeeze a tiny bit on one side of the candy corn. Let harden.
DIY Easy Acorn Napkin Ring Tutorial
Now that Halloween is over, it’s time to start thinking of how you want to decorate for the rest of Autumn and for Thanksgiving!
This super simple napkin ring from BHG is made from real acorns and takes only a couple of minutes to make. Doesn’t it look really difficult? It will impress guests for sure, plus they can be used year after year!
To make this natural napkin ring, drill tiny holes through the sides of nine or 10 acorns. Using wire, thread the acorns together, alternating the acorns top-to-bottom so they nestle together tightly. When you get to the end, just tie the wire in a little twist and hide behind an acorn. All set and ENJOY!
Fun & Fruity Turkey Tutorial
Get kids excited about Thanksgiving and make them a super healthy and delicious snack at the same time! These fruity turkeys are easy and fun.
What You’ll Need:
- Wooden skewers
- Bento toothpick and regular toothpicks
- Googly eyes
- Grapes and/or other fruits to add to the skewers.
Directions:
- Cut the side off from an apple to make it sit flat.
- Affix the googly eyes with peanut butter or use something else to make eyes. Use half of a grape as the beak and stick a Bento toothpick into it over the stem part of the apple.
- Put fruits on the skewers and stick them in the hind part of the apple to make the tail.
- Use toothpicks to stabilize the hind part of the apple since the skewers make it back-heavy.
- Give to kids and enjoy!
Thank you to Super Healthy Kids for the fun snack idea!