Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee

I am on a tight budget. The high cost of fuel has forced the price if food to rise. I try not to splurge on unnecessary things.

I love coffee. Coffee is a necessary thing!  Spending a lot on K Cups for my Keurig is not necessary. I like that the Keurig has reusable filters so you can add your own coffee. My favorite coffee is Pumpkin Spice! Did you read my post about pumpkin oatmeal? I love all things pumpkin! 

I admit I did splurge on a box of Pumpkin Spice K Cups but quickly finished the box. All 18 Pumpkin Spice K Cups gone. How can that be Autumn just started and there are a lot of brisk mornings left to enjoy a cup of my favorite. 

I then got to thinking. Hmm what if I used the pumpkin pie spice I bought for making my oatmeal in the coffee? Would that make it Pumpkin Spice coffee? 

YES! Yes it does. Let me share with you how I did it.

I gathered what I would need to make a cup.

Coffee. I love Costco's Kirkland Signature World Blend Coffee.
Pumpkin Pie Spice. I use McCormick brand
Coffee filter for your Keurig

Add your coffee to the filter then mix in 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice.
Brew coffee and enjoy!

 Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Chi Tea Oatmeal

Chi Tea Oatmeal

I just had to share this one. I was making up some of my Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal when in I noticed my 15yr old son making a cup of tea. Don't tell him I told you but he loves tea. He makes a cup everyday. His favorite is chi.

The aroma from the tea is a pleasant relaxing one and last night it was an inspiring one. I thought what if I used a cup of chi tea as the liquid base for my oatmeal.

Bing bing bing I tried it and it is yummy!

Here are the super simple instructions for making Chi Tea Oatmeal.

Ultra Spice Chi Tea. I use Twinings brand
Almond milk
Old fashioned uncooked oats
Sweetner
Cinnamon, optional

1. Brew a cup of Ultra Spiced Chi Tea
2.Add some almond milk
3. Measure 1/2 cup uncooked oats
4.Add brewed cup of tea to oats
5. Store over night in a container
6.In the morning enjoy cold with a sprinkle of cinnamon or microwave for 30 seconds then stir and
   microwave for 30 sec more

Enjoy!

I love to hear from you so if you give this a try let me know how it turns out.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

I am a summer girl through and through. I love the feel of the hot sun on my skin and sand between my toes. The summer days are long and that makes me happy. I am not a winter girl at all. I shiver just at the thought of snow...ugh
.
My saving grace is that Autumn comes before the big chill of winter and with that comes everything PUMPKIN! I am a pumpkin addict. I love pumpkin coffee, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin ice cream...eek ice cream! I could spend all day thinking of pumpkin goodness. All this pumpkin love can lead to a big ole pumpkin belly.

 A delicious hot cup of pumpkin coffee paired with a steamy stack of pumpkin pancakes for breakfast sadly can't happen everyday. I got to thinking how I could still get my pumpkin fix and not get a pumpkin belly. Hmm then it hit me. I love oatmeal and have been playing around with some tasty refrigerator oatmeal creations so it only seemed natural to make pumpkin pie oatmeal. Here is how I did it and I must say it is yummy.

                                                         Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

1/2 cup old fashioned oats, uncooked
1/2 cup of almond milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Sweetener (I used 1 1/2 packet of sugar substitute)

Combine all ingredients stirring well. Place in refrigerator over night.
In the morning warm in microwave for 30 sec then stir and microwave another 30 sec
Enjoy!

I would love to hear if you try it and how it comes out.

Delicious Easy Healthy Lunch

Keeping with the theme that eating healthy doesn't have to be complicated I wanted to share with you my lunch today. It look me all of 5 min to make and two minutes to eat...heehee.

Ingredients:
 Whole wheat bread
 Turkey
 Sliced avacado
 Spinach
 Feta cheese
 Horseradish sauce

Put it all together and enjoy!

One of the things that helps me to keep on track with making healthy choices is that when I shop I try to steer clear of the things that tempt me. Recently I craved something anything chocolate. I must have stared at the pantry forever hoping that some would magically appear and no chocolate did. I ended up eating some sweet grapes and felt satisfied. Hooray for me!

Healthy Eating

Eating healthy isn't a mysterious science. Eating healthy can be and is rather easy. I chose simple basic ingredients and the results are good, really good in most cases!

One thing I discovered about myself and I have a feeling most people are the same way is that if a task is complicated we tend be turned off by it. Sure in the beginning promises are made, "oh I'm going to eat health" but are easily broken if we find we are trying to follow some fad diet with a lot of rules and strange ingredients. I follow a few simple rules. One being everything in moderation and two eat real food. By real foods I mean fruits, vegetables lean meat. I mostly eat chicken, ask my boys they are so sick of chicken! That's not to say I don't have a cookie or cupcake I just try not to over indulge. By not saying that I can't have a particular food I feel more relaxed about the choices I make. I think that is also an important point when we find we are following a fad diet or such someone else is making the rules. We must then try to remember the rules and are disappointed when the rules are broken. Following what we feel is best for ourselves we are more likely to succeed!

Here are the simple yet yummy ingredients for the smoothie I made this morning

1. 100%  orange mango juice (12 ounces)
2. Banana (2)
3. Coconut milk (14 ounce can)
4. Pineapple (about 1 1/4 cup)
5. Vanilla protein powder (1 scoop)

Blend and enjoy!

Please note a few thing. This smoothie can be made with fresh or frozen fruit. I like to keep frozen bananas but didn't have any this morning. I think frozen fruit is best because your smoothie will come out cold. I only buy 100% juice because I don't want any of the added sugar or dye color.

Simple Green Smoothie

This green smoothie is super simple to make. Add to that the fantastic health benefits from the spinach apple and pear and you have yourself a great start to your morning.

Ingredients:

1 apple
1 pear
2 cups of spinach
16 ounces of cold water

Please note it is best to use cold water a cold apple and a cold pear. I keep a container of water in the refrigerator. I also keep my apples and pears in the refrigerator they keep longer that way. Later I will share with you how I store spinach 

1.Fill blender with 16 ounces of cold water
2.Slice both the apple and pear into wedges disposing of the seeds
3.Add apple and pear to blender
4.Add 2 cups of spinach. *it is ok if you are like me and don't measure everything just grab some 
   handfuls of spinach and add it to the blender* 
5.Bend together and enjoy!

There are many health benefits to spinach. Spinach is loaded with antioxidants such as vitamin C, E, beta-carotene, manganese,zinc and selenium. These antioxidants are helpful in fighting off the onset of osteoporosis, atherosclerosis. Lutein and zeaxanthin which are plentiful in spinach are good for vision and high blood pressure. Vitamin A found in spinach is good for the immune system and skin. One cup of spinach contains 337% of the RDA for Vitamin A. Vitamin K is good for nervous and brain function as well as.

Apples provide quite a bit of soluable fiber, 4 grams per medium size. Pears are high in fiber as well and are also high in Vitamin C and K.

How I store my spinach and lettuce:

Make sure the spinach is dry before storing it. Moisture is a killer to all things green and leafy. Line storage container with two paper towels. Place spinach in container on top of paper towels making sure not to pack the spinach in tightly. Top with two paper towels cover and store in refrigerator. When you notice moisture on the inside lid after it has been in the refrigerator be sure to dry it well before replacing top. 

Reusable Sandwich/Snack Bag Instructions

The new school year is upon us and with that comes the thought of school lunches. My children have never liked buying  cafeteria lunches and I can't really say I blame them. I have been making school lunches for the past 15 years and there is no end in sight with my youngest being only in third grade! When I think about the number of disposable sandwich bags that has amounted to it is just mind blowing. Five years ago I designed my own reusable fabric lunch bag. I will share that pattern with you soon. Three years ago I designed my own reusable sandwich/snack bag. I have two different styles so for today I will share with you the loop version. This is my favorite because it is simple to make and there are no hook and loop closures to deal with. I feel that the hook and loop style tends to attract crumbs and holds on to them.

Below are the instructions for making this great sandwich bag which can also be used for snacks. If you have any questions please ask I will be happy to help. Oh and let me know if you make one I would love to see how it turned out!

I just need to add this small note. The instructions are for your own personal use they are not for making and selling. If you would like to make and sell this please contact me for the rights to do so.

Oh and one last note. The instructions are written for using the denim fabric but feel free to use any cotton fabric you wish.

Materials and Supplies:

100% Cotton Denim Fabric (stretchy fabric is not recommended)  1/2 yard
100% Cotton Red Gingham Facric
Sewing Machine
Matching Thread
Scissors
Straight Pins
Iron

Cutting:

Denim Fabric cut 8 inches wide by 16 inches long
 Red Gingham cut 8 inches wide by 16 inches long
For loop strap use the Red gingham fabric cut 1 3/4 inches wide by 8 inches long

Instructions:

All seam allowances are 1/2 inch unless noted
Prewash all fabric (do not use fabric softener) 

Construct Closure Loop Strap

1.Fold strip of fabric in half, wrong sides together, press with iron
2.Open, place wrong side up
3.Turn each raw end in 1/4 inch and press
4.Fold left side of fabric to center lengthwise and press
5.Fold right side of fabric to center lengthwise and press
6. Fold in half and press
7. Stitch close to end

Construct Sandwich Bag

1.Place right sides of fabric together
2.Sew closed leaving a 4 inch opening for turning
3.Clip corners
4.Turn right side out through the 4 inch opening
5.Stitch across the bottom, close to the edge, to close the opening used for turning
6.Measure from the top down 3 7/8 inches and mark on both the right and left sides
7.Fold the bottom up to the 3 7/8 inch mark and press
8.Measure up from the bottom 3 1/4 inch mark on both the righ and left sides place closure strap here
9.Sew down both sides close to the edge
10. Fold top over and tuck under closure strap