Homemade Rinse Aid

I know you're impressed by my fancy schmancy picture! A while back I was blog hopping and found this tip for rinse aid (I can't remember where I read it, but it's not my idea!). I've never been one to really use a rinse aid in my dishwasher, mainly because I saw it as an unnecessary expense, until I saw that you can use straight vinegar. I use vinegar for my everyday cleaning, it's inexpensive and not harmful! When you pour straight vinegar into the rinse aid compartment, it's difficult to see when it's gone. So, I read to add a few drops of food coloring to it to tint the vinegar. Now you can have an expensive rinse aid that will help clean your dishes well and you can tell when you need to refill! It works for me!

Linking up with WFMW and

Menu Plan Monday 11/7/11

Are you ready for a new week? I sure am! And looky at the top ^, I figured out how to add pages! I'm still working on adding my recipes but hopefully in a few days you'll be able to find all of my recipes easier. I have a few more helpful pages in the works too! I mentioned last week that I've been feeling sluggish and just plain yucky. I think I'm in need of doing something about it! So, click over here and see what it is!


Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole, Green Peas


Pancakes, Bacon, Baked Apples


Chili and Corn Bread


Italian Roast Wraps (I haven't looked but I'm praying there's a roast in the freezer!), Easy Garlic Broccoli, Honey Roasted Carrots


Beef and Noodles, Green Beans, Corn


The Spinach Chicken Pasta was great! Luke didn't touch it and Eli picked the noodles and pasta out! And that's about what I expected. I loved it and it was great the next day too! You might want to also check out my recipe for Sausage Balls that uses whole wheat flour!

Check out OrgJunkie for more menu planning and recipe ideas!

Sausage Balls (no Bisquick!)

Over the next few weeks I'm going to be experimenting with some of our favorite holiday foods by making them healthier. And by healthy, I don't mean low fat or low calorie. I mean I'm going to be making these foods with real food ingredients. For the game Saturday night, my hubby asked for sausage balls. The last time I made sausage balls was a while ago and it was made using Bisquick, which is premade with white flour and partially hydrogenated oils. So, I found a recipe online to try! They turned out great! Not only are these great party food but they are great for quick breakfasts! And though I haven't tried it, I'm sure they freeze well! I'll let you know because I'm freezing some of these!

Sausage Balls

3 cups whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur's White Wheat Flour, which I can only find at Winn Dixie)

1 1/2 TBS baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 lb sausage*

8 oz cheddar cheese, grated (we like sharp cheddar)

water

Combine dry ingredients and mix well. Add cheddar and sausage and mix well with hands, it will be dry (and messy). At the end of mixing add in a few tablespoons of water to form a dough (you still want it to be fairly dry, not wet, just enough to form a ball). Form into 1 inch balls and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

*I used local pork sausage but you could also use turkey sausage. Click here for a great recipe that I've used many times. If you choose to use turkey sausage, I would add some fat to the recipe. One website I found said to cut in 4 TBS of butter into the dry ingredients before you add the turkey sausage and cheese. Don't forget, butter is good for you! I used child mild sausage and it was VERY mild. I would prefer something with a little more spice. So next time, if I have to get child mild (it was all they had), I'll add some other spices.

What is one of your favorite holiday snacks?