Beech-Nut Baby Starter Kit

    Get great coupons on Beech-Nut products when you sign up for Beech-Nut's newsletter!

   Since registering, I have received coupons for: "Save $1 on purchase of 2 cereals" and "Save $1 on any 3 products" along with other valuable coupons. Today I received coupons for 1 free cereal and 2 free baby foods (in the mail)! It did take about 2 1/2 months for me to get my coupons in the mail, but it's still a great deal if you ask me!

~ Sarah ~

Crockpot Yogurt and Greek Yogurt Recipe-- HUGE Money Saver!

Why Make Homemade Yogurt??

Simple-- it was incredibly easy, and once I figured out the price difference, I realized that I have no other option but to make my own! Here's the price break down:

Price comparison per 32 oz. carton:
Dannon All-Natural Plain = $2.87
Homemade = $0.94

Cost comparison per year (104 cartons, 2 per week):
Dannon All-Natural Plain: $298.50
Homemade: $98.60 (includes 1 organic yogurt for initial starter)

I used local milk and organic yogurt for my starter, so you can make your yogurt for much less than I did (especially if you take advantage of sales)!

So, Without Further Ado...

You won't believe how easy this is. The mixture will sit in the crockpot for a while, so I've found that starting in the afternoon is a good time for me.

You'll need:

• A crockpot, a whisk (or a spoon), and a thick towel. You may also want some containers for the yogurt- I like the Ziploc 2 cup containers. This recipe fills 2.

Ingredients: 

• 8 cups (half gallon) Milk- Whole milk works best, or you can get adventurous and use other milks (such as goat's, rice, soy, almond and coconut) You can thicken milks by adding one packet of unflavored gelatin after stirring in the yogurt.
• 1 small carton of plain yogurt (Must have active cultures!!! I would recommend one with milk only as an ingredient--ie, Dannon All-Natural Plain).

 Here's How:

•  Turn crockpot on "low". Add milk. Cover and cook for 2 1/2 hours.
• Turn crockpot off. Leave for 3 hours. (Keep the cover on)

•  Scoop out 2 cups of the milk and put it into a bowl. Mix in 1 small container of yogurt using a whisk (OR use yogurt from your last batch!)

•  Return to the crockpot and stir.
• Keeping it unplugged, put the lid on and wrap the entire crockpot (even underneath) with a heavy towel for insulation.

•  Leave sitting for 8 hours. (I leave it overnight)
• If it needs thickening, you can whisk in 1/4 cup tapioca starch.
• You're done! Fill containers and place in the fridge! Your yogurt should last 7-10 days. Don't forget to save 1/2 cup as starter for the next batch.

To Make Greek Yogurt:

•  Follow the same steps as above, except before placing in the fridge, you'll want to line a mesh collander with a coffee liner and let the liquid drain out into a bowl.

To Flavor Your Yogurt:

• Just prior to eating, add your flavors. Some ideas are: honey, almonds, walnuts, fruit, vanilla extract, sugar, undiluted coffee and coffee syrups.

Enjoy! Please leave a comment if you have any questions.

Thanks to Crockpot365.blogspot.com for the basic directions!

Homemade Rice Milk Recipe - Money Saver!

Due to food intolerances, my son has been drinking rice milk for over six months. The price of store-bought rice milk can really add up over time. The exciting news is that you can make it yourself for incredibly cheap. It takes 3 hours simmering time, but actual hands-on time is about 15-30 minutes.

Ingredients:
   1 cup long-grain brown rice
   8 cups water
   More water for diluting
   1 tsp. salt
   2 tbsp. safflower oil or sunflower oil (optional)
Supplies:
   2 large pots
                                                        Mesh strainer
                                                        Blender

                                                     Ladle

                                                        3 Qt. container for storage

Thoroughly wash the rice. Pour 8 cups of water into a big pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Mix in the Safflower oil. Pour in the rice. Cover the pot and lower the heat to let the water simmer (leave small steam hole open). Cook for 3 hours.

You will end up with something that looks a bit like a soupy rice pudding. Add the salt.

Fill your blender halfway with water and halfway with rice. Blend until very smooth.

Strain once through a fine mesh strainer into a large pot. Strain, for a second time, into the original pot from the stove.

Pour the finished product into a large container and store in the fridge.

Homemade Sinus Wash-- Money Saver!

Irrigating your sinuses is an excellent way to relieve colds, allergies and rhinitis. Sinus irrigation was the only thing that got me through a horrible case of pregnancy rhinitis. I have allergies, so I still irrigate 1-2 (or more) times a day. There are two ways to irrigate: there's the Neti Pot, then there's the bottle. Which one you'll prefer is completely up to the individual.

Very cost-effective:

A box of pre-packaged sinus rinse packets is about $10 for 100 packets. You can make your own for just a fraction of the cost. I bought my extra fine sea salt in bulk at a local health food store at $0.86/per pound! I scooped up a big bag full, and walked out having spent just $1.09. A container of baking soda is about $0.50. This mixture makes more than 4 cups!

Here's what I found works:

Mixure: 3 parts extra fine sea salt to
             1 to 1 1/4 parts baking soda 

Open a big ziploc bag, dump in your salt (in this case, 3 cups) and baking soda (I started with 1 cup), close the bag and shake it like mad.

Fill your bottle or Neti pot with lukewarm water, testing the temperature against your inner wrist.

 

Next, measure 1 rounded teaspoonful of your mixture and dump into your bottle or Neti Pot.

Replace lid and shake for a second or two. After that, rinse just as you would with any other wash. If it burns when you use this ratio, simply add more baking soda to the mixture.