Muffins from juice pulp (PLUS juicer recipes)

Happy February!  How are your New Year's Resolution's coming along?

I have been trying to incorporate healthy eating into our diets for a while now.  I recently purchased a Hurom slow juicer (it pulverizes slowly to save nutrients) and we have been juicing for a few weeks now. 

We have been mostly fruit juicing but I did try a wannabe V8 once and it was not my favorite.  I struggled to choke it down.  I have been saving my pulp from juicing figuring I can use it for something...either as compost for my new seeds in spring, making muffins or soups, or well.....I wasn't sure, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it all out in the compost pile.  So I froze it in quart baggies.

Last night while juicing some fruit, I decided I would make some muffins with the pulp.  I looked at a few websites, but each only called for 1/2 cup of pulp and I had 2 cups on hand and more in the freezer.  Then I stumbled upon Make Your Own Juice Pulp Muffin Recipe. There are other pulp recipes and juice recipes at All About Juicing.  I was super excited to find the Make Your Own Juice Pulp Muffin because this called for 4 cups of juice pulp.  I HAVE THAT! :o)

First I mixed it all together.  It was a little thick, so I added 1/2 cup of OJ. 

Then using an ice scream scoop, I scooped it into my muffin pans (x2).

It calls to bake it for 45 minutes.  Yep.  45 minutes.  I set my timer for 40 minutes, but it was done around 33ish minutes. 

The muffins come out looking like they went into the oven.  They aren't pretty, but I know they are healthy. 

They were a little bland (a strawberry juice pulp would have increased the flavor I'm sure), but with a dab of melted butter and drizzled with honey it was pretty good.  I think I would substitute 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 brown sugar instead of the 1 cup of honey and add 1/2 cup OJ as well.  Not bad for a pulp creation!

 

Here are a few yummy juice recipes our family likes:

 

Strawspinoranopple

1 cup strawberries

1 orange peeled

1 cup spinach

1 apple

2 tbsp flax seed ground up

 

(98 calories in 1 8oz cup)

 

Juice Medley

1 cup grapes

1 apple

1 peeled orange

2 apples

2 pomegranites peeled

 

 

V-5 (was a little too carroty for me)

4 stalks celery

1/2 bell pepper seeded

6 med carrots

2 med tomatoes

1 med cucumber

Tutorial for cheap Ipad/Tablet Cover (Courtesy of LPH)

As you all know, I am a frugal, cheap, "I can make that" kind of a girl. 

When I saw the tutorial for an Ipad, Tablet, electronic book cover, I swooned!

Check out the full tutorial at Love, Pomegranate House. 



Me thinks that this will be a great present!

Craft area in the making

Don't you hate it when crafting strikes and you really don't have a place to craft?  Or you use the kitchen table to scrapbook or sew and then you have to put it all away and it kills your creative spirit?   I certainly hate that. 

In our house, we have 3 bedrooms and a basement.  Half of the basement is being used for the hubs office and the other half was used as a bedroom area if we had guests. 

Then we gave THE GIRL the full sized bed that was in the basement, moved her massively heavy (hubs built it) bed to the basement, and decided that we wanted to reclaim the never used unused guest bedroom space. 

Hubs and kids kept saying that we needed to get a new TV for movie watching....but the basement is cold and we have a large TV upstairs.   I wanted a space for ME.   A space that I can use for crafting, but that can also double for a neat place to sit in front of the fire too. 

This is my hubs' side of the basement:

 

My side of the basement initially:

I got rid of the mattress, dresser, table and chairs, and leaning shelf.  

Here are my ideas for this area:

I wanted to cover the bookshelves so I wouldn't have to spend a lot of money organizing and baskets.  Idea #1:  Rolling linen shade to pull down and cover my mess. 

Pinterest-rolling shade idea

I looked at Walmart and they didn't have any rolling linen shades, but did have vinyl rolling shades but they were too tacky for this purpose.  They did have accordion shades, but I figured they would get really wrinkled and then be tacky too. 

Idea #2.  Individual shelf curtains.

Pinterest-individual shades per shelf

My next idea was to cover each individual shelf with some fabric, but eventually the thought off all of that work decided against that idea. 

Then inspiration struck. 

Idea #3.  Curtains the height of the bookshelf.

BEFORE bookshelf wall

I headed to Goodwill. Bingo! Found some canvas type sheets that I could create my own "curtain" for my bookshelves. I used a tension rod at the top in order to hang the sheets. (After I sized, cut, sewed the sheets to become curtains).

AFTER bookshelf wall

I'm not done yet.  I know it still looks tacky, but I plan to add some design to the curtains to jazz it up a little.  Here are some ideas I currently have:

Pinterest

Pinterest

I also want a table to craft on.  I only have 24 inches between the bookshelves, so a regular fold up table we currently have won't fit. 

The hubs has drawn up a cut sheet for me to take to Lowe's and have them cut wood to create a table similar to this:

Granted, it wont hang on the wall (no studs to support it between the bookshelves), but it will have a picture or art on the underside, and I will lean it up against the wall between the bookshelves.  I'm super excited about it.
There is a fireplace opposite the bookshelf wall, and this is the first year (in five years we have lived here) that we have used it.  Still working on some sort of seating that takes up minimal space to sit and enjoy the fire together.  Any suggestions on that?  As you can tell, I have minimal space to work with. 

I figure with the pile of old pillows we have, I will create this in the meantime and be able to veg out on the floor in front of the fire. 

Pinterest

My plan is to head to Lowe's this week and buy the wood for my folding table.  I am super excited to get this room put together!!! 

Tips for Metal Cookie Cutters

Did you enjoy baking all those yummy goodies for Christmas?  I sure did and my waistline supports that sadly. 

A great tip I read today on LifeHacker.com is that in order to save your metal cookie cutters from rusting, you should dry them in the oven.  This helps to remove any water in the tiny crevices and keeps your fave cookie cutters from rusting. 


I know you probably knew this already, as did I, but sometimes a good reminder is appreciated.  Thanks LifeHacker!

Tis the Season...NOT to lie.

Honesty is the best policy.  Right? 

Does this outfit make me look fat?  Cause I'm really gonna say..."um..yeah. "

Wow, I did terrible on that song!   No one wants affirmation that they sang badly.  They already know.  But how do you say..."it wasn't THAT bad.  My ears only bled a few times."

Were the kids good for you?   Your parenting behavior has taught little Johnny how to be a monster, so can I really blame the kid for the behavior that YOU are not preventing?

How did the kids like the Christmas gift I sent?  Did they love it?  Oh yes, absolutely.  So much love it is being preserved for them to cherish in the way back of their closet.  You didn't know that there was a preserving system in their closet?

Do you want to go the the gym and workout with me?  Absolutely.  I would love to go to the gym....just not with you.  (Yikes)  -Or- I would be embarrassed for you to see my flab and sweat, so how do I say yes?

Here is a great article that talks about how even small white lies have an affect on our bodies.  Maybe we should take put more effort into being honest with each other.  Or, just not say anything and smile. 

Fall Tablescape

I am a bit behind when I posted about updating how our decorations went for our November Ladies meeting. 

I really enjoy checking out Pinterest for ideas and here is where I show you what I had in mind for the Ladies meeting and my Fall tablescape. 

 

I found a great deal on the potpourri at Target clearance baby!  and the canisters were given from a friend that held loose tea now being wrapped and filled with candy! 

 

THE GIRL and I made the banner, but at the last minute realized that my letters were too big for the inner triangle, so we had to make it bigger by adding strips to the sides.  I think it turned out pretty good if I do toot my own horn!

 

For just minimal cost, our decor made our ladies meeting feel more special.   Next week is our Christmas ladies meeting.  (Hopefully I will remember to take pictures!!)

Make your bananas last longer

Don't you hate it when you decide (TOO LATE) that a banana sounds like a really good and yummy snack, only to find out that they are too brown for you to eat? 

Here is a tip I found on LifeHacker.http://lifehacker.com/5963122/keep-bananas-fresh-longer-using-plastic-cling-wrap 

Wrap the crown of the banana with cling wrap and extend the life of your bananas by 3-5 days.  Unwrap when you want to take a banana, and wrap the crown again to lengthen the life of the bananas. 

Do you have any tips for helping your food last longer?