oil

DIY Salad Dressing- Easy and Tasty!

Abby H.

Making Salad Dressing is so easy, and for so long I had no idea.

I love cooking, and I have limited experience making salad dressings.

But with the cost of food rising, I thought I’d give it a shot.

Below is my “template” for making a quick salad dressing, and a few ideas for some tasty dressings.

This recipe makes enough to dress a few salads, but not as much as a full mass-produced bottle. With no preservatives, these sauces will last 7-10 days- if they don’t get eaten sooner.

  • 1/4 cup Olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil (Vegetable or canola)
  • 6 tablespoons acid- Citrus juice, vinegar (red wine, champagne, balsamic, rice wine, and apple cider are good choices)
  • 2 tablespoon tablespoons honey or other sweetener (agave, maple)
  • 1 teaspoon emulsifier (Stone ground or Dijon mustard or mayonnaise) 
  • Salt and pepper as needed 
  • Herbs or seasoning as desire

Here are a few of my favorite combinations:

  • Lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons lemon zest, 2 t. powdered ginger, honey, Dijon mustard
  • Red Wine Vinegar, honey, stone ground mustard, 2T. Italian seasoning, 1t. granulated garlic
  • Apple Cider Vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, 1t. granulated garlic

Remember to store these in the fridge after you make them and shake them well before using them!

And if you are looking for some of my favorite salads, here is a great round-up of salad recipes.

Recipe: Cold Peanut Noodles

Abby H.

I saw this on TikTok the other day, and while digging through the cupboard this morning, looking for ingredients for other meal prep stuff, I realized we had all the ingredients.

We had 2 bunches of scallions, and I wasn’t sure what to do with them, thankfully, this recipe is perfect for scallions. I also shelled the basket of peas we had from our CSA box and cut a carrot into matchstick size pieces.

The best part about this recipe is adding more sriracha if you love spicy noods. If you are a wuss like me, just a pinch will do.

Let’s get started!

Ingredients:

  • 1 package of spaghetti noodles, cooked per package directions
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
  • 1 cup julienned carrots
  • 2 bunches of scallions/green onions
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup olive or avocado oil
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter (I used smooth, but chunky is good too)
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce (more if you like it spicy)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions:

  1. While the noodles are cooking, combine soy sauce, oils, peanut butter, sugar, sriracha, fish sauce, and sesame seeds in a mixing bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
  2. Dice/chop veggies and set aside.
  3. When the noodles are cooked to your liking, drain and rinse. Add to the sauce and coat.
  4. Add in the veggies, and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or store them in a closed container for 4-6 hours to allow flavors to meld. This salad is good hot, cold, or at room temperature.

This is great as a side salad, or top it with grilled chicken breast and serve with a side of rice and green salad topped with miso dressing to make a tasty meal.

This salad will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days (if it will last that long).

If you need a crunch on your salad, top with a few teaspoons of diced peanuts.

 

An Awesome Giveaway to Celebrate 1000 Posts!

Abby H.18 Comments

Last week, we hit 1000 posts- That’s a lot of writing, sharing, and teaching in the past 4 years! To celebrate this milestone, I’ve put together an awesome giveaway.

Bloggers score free swag at every turn- Conventions, events, PR companies send us packages of swag to share, etc. I’ve been collecting swag for this giveaway for a few months (Thanks to the companies that were at the most recent Moms Meet Blogger Event last month- they gave me a lot of goodies to share), and I’ve got a box valued at over $250 to share.

FFC2F03E-48DA-4E1C-9B31-BE3392438284 (1).jpegThis box contains snacks for moms and kids, beauty items (including some AWESOME colleagen drink from NeoCell), adult coloring books, a moleskine journal, Vitamins and supplements (including probiotics and some awesome elderberry syrup), and perhaps my favorite item:

5f9d406f-5325-47a0-a0a3-9241fd5668a9.jpegPlus CBD oil Hemp Balm. It has a light mint scent, and it really helps with muscle and joint pain.

And not pictured but included is a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card, which will be delivered via email to the winner.

I’ll continue to add items to the box until the giveaway concludes- and I’ll be posting pictures of those items on our Instagram feed– don’t forget to follow us!

Entering to win this awesome box of goodies is super easy. Click here: a Rafflecopter giveaway  to enter via our rafflecopter widget (It may not be mobile friendly). You can also enter via our Facebook page here (Not sure this is mobile friendly either).

A winner will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter on 12/18/19 and will be notified via email. US residents only, local San Diego, CA area winner may arrange for pick up of prize in lieu of package being mailed.

This giveaway is to thank you all for reading and following my blog for 4 years, and some of you have been following me since I started blogging, over 8 years ago.

To Get Started after you visit the rafflecopter widget, leave a comment: What will you spend the $25 Amazon Gift Card on?

 

Giveaway: Renuzit Sensitive Scents!

Abby H.6 Comments

renuzit-sensitive-scents

Recently, I was given the opportunity to experience the new Renuzit Sensitive Scents line. It consists of three distinct light scents:

  • Pure White Pear & Lavender: The fresh scent of White Pear compliments the gentle scent of Lavender and creates a balanced fragrance that freshens your home without overpowering.
  • Pure Ocean Breeze: Pure Ocean Breeze is a delightfully fresh, light, and airy scent perfect for your home.
  • Pure Water Blossom & Cucumber: Notes of dewey flower petals and refreshing cucumber complement each other to create this gentle but powerful fragrance, sure to revitalize the freshness in your home.

IMG_3462My favorite is the Pure Water Blossom and Cucumber. The cone is on out hall bathroom- that’s the one that all of our guests and my 4 year old use, so you know it needs freshening! It’s a light scent that doesn’t mask the bed smells- Nothing is worse than an air freshener that just makes the room smell like the bad smell plus something sweet and overpowering!

I like that there are different method of scent “delivery” if you will. Not a Adjustable Cone person? Renuzit also offers Universal Scented oils (they fit in pretty much any oil warming unit). If you need to freshen fabrics or your rug, try the trigger spray. I used the Pure White Pear and Lavender spray on our couch yesterday. It was smelling funky- so a quick vacuum and spritz and it was fresh again!

I want to share the freshness with you! I am giving away coupons for any 1 free Renuzit Sensitive Scents product to three lucky readers. Entering is Easy Peasy! Just leave a comment below with the stinkiest thing in your house- Don’t worry, I won’t judge! I’ll pick a winner at random on March 7th!

Thanks to Renuzit and Social Insiders for the opportunity to sample these products and share them with you. I received no financial compensation and all opinions are my own!