1. Scoop seeds from squash or pumpkin. Remove as much of the flesh attached to the seeds as you can. If there’s a little left, that’s OK!

2. Spread seeds out on cookie sheet or in shallow metal baking pan in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chili powder and garlic salt. Eyeball it! (Amounts will vary depending on how many seeds you are roasting)

3. Roast in 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and “stir the seeds around”, flipping, stirring, rotating. Just move them a bit and return them to “single layer status.” Roast for another 5-8 minutes, or until most are crispy and have browned a bit. Let cool a bit before eating!

A delicious and healthy treat!

What other spices or sweetness do you like to add when roasting your pumpkin seeds and squash seeds?

I’m often asked what we have for lunch and snacks. 

So I thought I’d share two of our favorites from this fall!  Plus a new recipe we’ll be trying too!

Peanut Butter Rollups

A simple alternative to the traditional PBJ.  Put whatever on it.  Pictured below is natural PB, sliced bananas and cinnamon. With drizzles of honey! 

Fold up like a quesadilla or roll up like a burrito.

Pumpkin Applesauce

This is the boys’ current favorite snack!  And I think it’s tasty too.  Plus, it gets in some veggies and extra vitamin A, alpha and beta-carotenes and other essential vitamins and minerals.

Bowlful of applesauce, spoonful of pumpkin and few dashes of cinnamon.

And I’ll be making this gluten and dairy free pumpkin pudding for my little men to snack on as well!  Thanks Diane!

What simple and delicious snacks and lunches have you all been enjoying this fall???

Ideas for How to Use your Pomegranates Seeds

1. Smoothies – I made quite a few pomegranate smoothies last year.  The first one I made, the seeds weren’t blended to well, making it very difficult to drink.  I discovered that if I put the seeds into the blender with 1-2 cups of water (enough to submerge the seeds) and hit “pulse” a few times, the seeds and pulp/juice would separate from each other, and I could strain off the inner seed part and use the liquid in the smoothie.  Worked like a charm! 

2. Snack – They are quite tasty just to munch on as they are!

3. Make Pomegranate Jelly.

4. Salad – Add some seeds on top of your favorite autumn salad.  Would be great with a Romaine or spinach salad with diced apples, walnuts, feta. 

5. Juice the seeds in a juicer.  Use the juice to make a salad dressing , or a lemonade .

6. Make a marinade: Use equal parts pomegranate juice and lemon juice, with equal part of olive oil, half part sugar or sweetener, and salt and pepper, to taste.

And be sure to check out the POM Wonderful website for other great pomegranate recipe ideas!

Prices

2008 – Avg. sale price was $1.50

2009 – Sale price this week $1.25 (we’ll see if that fluctuates much over the next few weeks!)

They are a bit on the “pricier” side in comparison to other fruits.  But I just love them, not only for their flavor, but also for the powerful pack of antioxidents they contain!  I will be squeezing them into my shopping trips when the budget allows!

Are you afraid of pomegranates?  If so, are you willing to give them a try after learning how to open them?  If you are a pomegranate expert, what other ways do you like to use pomegranates???

Today’s guest post comes from KeriLyn at She Saved!  Go grab some grapes and stash them in your freezer!

My kids (and hubby, actually) got hooked on grapes last summer… because Grandpa has TONS of them along his back fence. Someone had the brilliant idea to freeze them.

(I actually think I saw Martha Stewart freezing grapes to use as decor in punch bowls…)

So we gave it a try…and it has become a favorite treat in our home…all year round! The best part about this snack is that it is super easy, not to mention healthy!

You just start with grapes right off the vine. Don’t have a vine???  Just purchase them at the grocery store if you find them on sale.

I wash them really well and then strain them to dry. I purchased (on clearance last year!) those plastic freezer containers that are right next to the canning supplies in the grocery store. They stayed great all year. We JUST finished our last container from last summer and it was as good as the first.

Inexpensive, EASY and healthy…not to mention delicious…And can be enjoyed all year long!!!

Any fresh produce you’re planning on stashing in your freezer to use throughout the winter???

Today I spent some time in the kitchen.  Most of the afternoon, really.  I joined in the Twitter #bakingday fun, being hosted by Crystal at Money Saving Mom.  And let me tell ya…it’s way more fun baking with others, even if they aren’t actually in the kitchen with you!!!

I’ve been creating some space in the freezer this week…only to fill it back up with today’s baked goodies!

Overall I made and mostly froze (because some had to be consumed for quality control purposes!!!)…

Because what a shame to not send these through quality control!!!  They passed the mom, little boy and big boy test!  All approved!

• 8 mini loaves Pumpkin Coconut Bread (recipe below)
• 1 large loaf Pumpkin Coconut Bread
• 12 regular size Cinnamon Butternut Squash Muffins
• 24 mini Cinnamon Butternut Squash Muffins
• 12 Oatmeal Raisin cookies (using dough I had in the freezer)
• 36 Cinnamon Rolls (I will share the recipe next week…including a dairy-free version!)

Pumpkin Coconut Bread

I modified this eggless recipe!

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup milk (I used rice milk)
1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin
1 cup coconut flakes
2 1/2 cup wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 large loaf pans…or 1 loaf pan and 8 mini-loaf tins.
2. In stand mixer or large mixing bowl, mix eggs, brown sugar, sugar, oil, applesauce, milk, pumpkin and coconut flakes, until well blended. Add wheat and white flours, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon and mix into the wet ingredients for 2-3 minutes (in stand mixer or with hand mixer.). Fold in walnuts.
3. Pour batter into 2 loaf pans or 1 loaf pan and 8 mini-loaf tins.
4. Bake at 350. Large loaf pans for 50-55 minutes. Mini-loaf tin for 22-24 minutes, or until knife/toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool on cooking rack.
6. Serve or freeze.

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A light and perfect muffin…for snack or breakfast!  I try to keep the sugar low in muffin recipes, and I thought these had the perfect sweetness level.  And judging by the “mmm” that came from both boys after having a taste, I’d say these were a success!

Ingredients
1 banana, mashed
1 cup cooked butternut squash
4 eggs
1/3 cup applesauce
1/3 cup white sugar
6 Tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour

Optional Topping:
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions
1. In stand mixer or mixing bowl, mix banana, butternut squash, eggs, applesauce, sugar, and oil, until well blended.
2. In separate mixing bowl, combine salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, wheat flour and white flour.
3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until batter forms.
4. Pour into greased baking cups or muffin tins, and sprinkle with brown sugar-cinnamon topping. Makes 24 regular size muffins, 48 mini muffins, or 12 regular muffins and 24 mini muffins (what I did!).
5. Bake at 350. Regular size muffins for 16-18 minutes. Mini muffins for 13-15 minutes.

Joy from Frugal Menu Mamas shares about one of her favorite healthy snacks…and one of ours too!

Wednesday last week was a sad night for me….my popcorn popper died!  We used to go through a lot of microwave popcorn. My parents were getting rid of the “Stir Crazy” popcorn popper we had since I was a kid, so I took it. It just sat around for awhile…then I decided to try it. Did you know that NON-microwave popcorn is much cheaper? In fact, at our local grocery store, 1 box of microwave popcorn costs around $3.59 for store brand and up to $4.79 for the name brand. That was only for 6 bags! The package of popcorn kernels you do yourself cost $4.89 and it makes many more than 6 batches.

So, I made the frugal move to not buy any more microwave popcorn. It took awhile, but I perfected the unhealthy art of melting butter over it and adding salt. Ooh–it is so tasty that I want to make it almost every night after the kids are in bed. So, imagine my disappointment when the popcorn popper popped its last.

But wait….what it that on the back of the bag of popcorn? You can make it on the stove top?! Amazing! So, Hubby tried it. Can I just say “YUM!” and even more frugal?! We didn’t have to buy a new popper, we could use something we already have…just a pot! So, now we are being super frugal (and maybe even a little bit healthier) by not buying microwave popcorn OR a popcorn popper.

So, you want in on this amazing secret? Apparently, its not much of a secret. There are all kinds of articles on the internet and videos on YouTube about popping popcorn on the stovetop. Just search for it on YouTube.

Here are some articles about popping popcorn:

How to make Stove Top Popcorn

Make Your Own Microwave Popcorn

Can You Save $100 by Popping Your Own Popcorn?

And what about seasoning your own? I prefer just to melt some butter (I buy Smart Balance 50/50 blend) and sprinkle some salt. If you get adventurous, check out all these seasonings you could try!

Gourmet Popcorn Mixes

So, get to it! Pick a healthy, frugal alternative and munch away!

Joy is a stay-at-home wife and mom to two precious kids. She began FrugalMenuMamas.com in January when she realized how many of her friends did not know how to reduce their grocery bills. Joy says that blogging is fun, but she still has so much to learn. You are invited to check her out at www.frugalmenumamas.com!

Here are a few tips for packing lunches!!!

1. Think REUSABLE, not DISPOSABLE!!!

I did a cost comparison of a few popular lunch box items…prepacked vs. make and pack yourself.  And “REUSABLE” saves…not only waste, but money as well!

• Carrots: 1 lb. bag of baby carrots $1.77 vs. 1 lb. bag of whole carrots $.67 – Take 3 minutes to peel and cut yourself.  $1 a week = $36 savings on the year!
• Raisins: Large 15 oz. box of raisins $2.49 vs. 7 oz. of smaller mini boxes $1.99 – Divide out raisins into small containers instead of sending the little boxes.  $1 a week = $36
• Jello (sugar-free): $.72 for make your own jello vs. $1.89 for jello cups – Make a large bowl and then divide it out into smaller containers.
• Cheese Cubes: 16 oz. cheese block $2.99 vs. 7 oz. prepacked cut cheese $2.50 – Per ounce, you could save $2 a week by buying a large block and cutting your own cheese cubes!
• This principle applies to all prepackaged “convenience” foods!

2. Spend 15-20 minutes on a Sunday night making jello, cutting carrots and cheese cubes, and dividing up raisins.  If you could save $2 PER LUNCHBOX PER DAY by doing a little legwork yourself each week, you could save over $350 PER LUNCHBOX this school year!  If you pack more than 1 lunch, there is potential for saving LOTS of $$$!

3. Give your kids a choice about what they want in their lunch.  Offer grapes, raisins or blueberries.  Don’t say “What do you want?” Because they’ll likely ask for a sugar laden snack!

4. Wrap your small blue ice pack in a small kitchen towel to keep the “thawing condensation” from making a mess in the lunchbox.

5. Keep sugar content LOW.  Bake your own muffins vs. sending a “high fructose corn syrup” snack.  Your teacher will thank you!

6. Of course, use coupons and watch sales.

7.  And don’t forget a sweet note of adoration every few days!

Visit LunchinaBox.net and LaptopLunches.com for more great ideas!

Have any favorite lunch packing tips or tricks???  Do share!!!

Happy Back to School Lunch Making!!!

Photo Credit: ficbot

This is my new favorite smoothie!  The boys and I usually having a smoothie with lunch and this has been a hit for the past few weeks.  I will say that it tastes different each time, probably depending on how ripe and sweet the peach is…and of course, how much sweetener is added!  I find that the ripest (softest…without being bruised and damaged) peaches make the best tasting smoothies!!!

Ingredients
1 banana ($.10)
1 peach, seed removed ($.30)
1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen ($.35)
1 cup milk ($.10)  Rice milk for us!
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed ($.10)
1 Tbsp sweetener…honey, agave, sugar ($.05)
Water to fill blender to 4 cups

Directions
1. Add banana, peach (with or without skin…lots of nutrients in the skin!), strawberries into the blender. Add milk, flaxseed and sweetener.
2. Fill blender with water until the liquid level reaches 4 cups. Don’t have markings…add about 2 cups of water.
3. Blend on low for 30 seconds, then blend on high for 30 seconds, or until smooth and creamy!
4. Drink immediately!!!

Cost $1.00 for 4 8 oz. glasses

July 4th Muffins….Red, White and Blue!

I used my Fruit and Veggie Muffin recipe as a base for these muffins.  Then I topped them with an almond struesel!

Ingredients
4 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries

Almond Struesel
1/3 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

Directions
1. In stand mixer or mixing bowl, stir eggs, oil, applesauce, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Add baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, wheat flour and white flour. Mix until batter forms and is no longer lumpy. Add blueberries and raspberries.

2. Carefully fold in blueberries and raspberries with plastic spatula.

3. In small bowl, mix ground almonds, brown sugar and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter or margarine.

4. Add batter to muffin cups and top each muffin cup with 1 tsp of almond struesel.

5. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

6. Let cool on cooling rack. Serve warm with butter.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins.