Kelly, Author at The Nourishing Home

Meal Plan Monday: Oct 28–Nov 10

In celebration of National Apple Month, we’re featuring some delicious ways to use fresh fall apples like these scrumptious Cinnamony Apple Pie Muffins. YUM!

One of my favorite ministries is serving as the Meal Planning Contributor for The Better Mom, where I share my bi-weekly real food meal plans as a way to help inspire and encourage others. Each bi-weekly meal plan includes what’s on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as links to more than 40 of the delicious real food recipes featured.

Why is this called “Meal Plan Monday,” when it’s posted on Saturday? I thought it would be nice to give you the heads-up about what’s on the menu for the week ahead. That way, you have time to take advantage of incorporating some (or all) of the meals featured, if you’d like. Remember: To view the recipe links for each of the meal plans below, please pop on over to The Better Mom.

So … without further ado … here’s what’s on the menu for the next two weeks at The Nourishing Home. Again, you can find each of the recipe links over at  The Better Mom.

P.S. I’ve provided free links, so you can download the new Meal Plan Template for your own personal use.

P.S.S. If you’d like to learn more about meal planning, please check out my FREE Video Course “Mastering Meal Planning.”

Joyfully Serving Him, Kelly

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Crockpot Apple Butter (GF, DF)

By Kelly · 15 Comments

How to Make Apple Butter It doesn’t take a national holiday to get me excited about Fall apples! However, since October is National Apple Month, we’ve got all the more reason to celebrate these delicious little gems from God!

Homemade apple butter is just one more way you can preserve the bounty of apple season to enjoy all year long. That’s why, I’m sharing this simple slow-cooker method for making apple butter that will not only fill your home with the amazing aroma of fall spices, but also fill your family’s tummies as well!

So easy to make, just pop all of the ingredients into your crockpot before bed and wake up to a special treat your whole family will love!

Homemade apple butter makes a delightful spread for toast, biscuits and muffins, as well as a delicious topping for pancakes and French toast.

Apple butter also makes a great appetizer – either as a dip served alongside graham crackers and fresh fruit slices – or you can place a thick layer of apple butter on top of a block of cream cheese and serve it alongside your favorite crackers. Yum!

And, with the holidays fast approaching, homemade apple butter also makes a delicious and thoughtful gift!

Easy Slow Cooker Apple Butter (GF, DF)

Ingredients

10 large apples (I prefer a mix of sweet and tart apples)
2 cups unfiltered apple juice
1 1/2 cups pure dark maple syrup
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 2 small lemons)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 tsp allspice

Instructions

Peel and core apples. Then cut them into bite-sized pieces. (One large apple yields approximately one cup of cored diced apples. So if you’re using small or medium apples, simply use about 10-12 cups of diced apples.)
Add the diced apples to a 6-quart slow cooker. Then add all remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine. Cover and cook on high for one hour, stirring once or twice. Mixture should be bubbly after an hour. If not, allow it to continue to cook until it comes to a bubbly simmer. Then reduce heat to low and cook the apples an additional hour.
Remove the cover, stir the mixture and then set the cover back on slightly ajar, so some steam can escape during the remainder of the cooking time. Then continue to cook the apple butter on low (with cover ajar) until it’s dark brown and thick (about 8-9 hours).
Turn off the crockpot, stir the apple butter and then allow it to cool to room temperature. If you prefer a smooth (less chunky) apple butter, use an immersion blender, or place the apple butter in a food processor for a quick whirl, to create a smoother texture.
Then, transfer the apple butter to half-pint or pint-sized mason jars. Makes 12 half-pint or six pint-sized jars. Store in refrigerator for up to two weeks. (Or you can preserve the apple butter longer using the classic hot water bath canning method.)

https://thenourishinghome.com/2013/10/crockpot-apple-butter-gf-df/

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post include affiliate links, providing The Nourishing Home a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Of course, you are not obligated to use these links to make a purchase, but if you do, it helps to support this site and ministry. Thank you!

And incase you’re as crazy about apples as we are, I’ve provided a list of all the apple posts I’ve shared this month, so you don’t miss out on more great ideas and delicious recipes featuring fresh fall apples.

Simple, Healthy & Delicious Fall Apple Recipes
• Easy Apple Pie Filling(GF, DF)
• Cinnamony Apple Pie Muffins(GF, DF)
• Fall Apple-Picking Recipes Round-Up
• How to Make Apple Butter

Happy fall blessings to you and yours, Kelly

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Peasant Soup: Simple & Delicious!

By Kelly · 4 Comments

Let me introduce you to my sweet friend Katie at Simple Foody. She has a real gift for for making real food affordable through her frugal and creative approach to cooking. Today, Katie is sharing one of the simple and delicious ways she stretches her food budget to serve healthy, nutrient-dense meals.

Guest post by Katie at Simple Foody

Soup can be a frugal, yet delicious way to feed your family, which is why I recently posted “64 Nourishing Soups for Fall” – an amazing round-up of some of the best seasonal soups on the internet.

Of course, some soups are what I like to call “ultra frugal” – helping to maximize your food budget while still providing a satisfying nutrient-dense meal. Making soup out of leftovers is a great way to stretch those grocery dollars.

For instance, rather than discarding bones from a roast chicken, I like to save them for making stock. After dinner, I’ll throw any bones into the crockpot and cover with water. I’ll also toss in any leftovers vegetables from the fridge (or veggie scraps from preparing dinner). Then, cover and cook the mixture overnight on low.

By morning the house is filled with the savory aroma of chicken stock. I let it keep simmering until lunch or dinner. Then I carefully pour the contents of the crockpot into a mesh colander that sits inside a stockpot, collecting all that yummy chicken stock. I place about two quarts of the stock into a stockpot over medium heat. (The rest I save to make other recipes like nourishing rice.)

Then, I add whatever soup-worthy vegetables I have on hand, as well as some rice (or gluten-free pasta). I also gather any remaining meat from the colander and place into the stockpot. Within 30 minutes I have a rich, nourishing soup that was nearly free considering most of it was made from scraps that would have headed to the compost (or trash) otherwise.

There is no strict recipe for Peasant Soup. So please consider this “recipe” as a simple guideline to help inspire you in developing your own deliciously frugal Peasant Soup!

Simple Peasant Soup (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

2 quarts (8 cups) homemade bone broth
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup uncooked brown rice (or 2 cups uncooked GF pasta)
Leftover chicken meat
Fresh or dried herbs of your choice (ex. thyme, parsley, bay leaf)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a medium stockpot over medium heat. Feel free to add your favorite vegetables – whatever you have on hand.
Cover and allow soup to simmer 10-30 minutes (at least 10 minutes if you’re adding pasta or firm vegetables like potatoes, or up to 30 minutes, if adding brown rice).
Remember to make this recipe your own. Don't feel as if you are limited to chicken bones only. If you have leftover pork or beef ribs, pork chops or steak bones, simply cover the bones with water and make a bone broth in the same way described above. Then, after you’ve strained the broth, pick off any remaining meat from the bones and add it to your soup. (You don't need much meat, as bone stock is full of nutrient-dense gelatin and protein.)

Notes

Budget-Saving Tip: You can generally save several dollars per pound by purchasing whole chickens rather than pre-cut chicken pieces or breasts. This is especially true when it comes to organic chicken, which can be pricey. Roasting whole chickens is an easy way to gain a lot of succulent meat, and also – as this recipe suggests – make use of the bones to create a nutritious stock perfect for soups and other meals.(Learn more on how I save money here.)

https://thenourishinghome.com/2013/10/peasant-soup-gf/

Happy Fall Blessings, Katie at Simple Foody

Meet Katie!
Katie is a military wife and mother of four. She is passionate about family, food and serving the LORD. By day you may find her changing diapers, folding laundry, home educating her older children, and cooking three meals a day with a baby on her hip next to a sink of dirty dishes. By night she writes and shares recipes, tips, and tutorials for economical, nourishing and simple gluten-free foods at Simple Foody. Join Katie and the Simple Foody Community on Facebook for encouragement on your journey to healthier living.

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