Continued from Healthier Cooking Tips from Retro Dinner Diva, Part 1
3 - SPICE MIXES
You’d think spice mixes contained, well, just spices, but if you look at the ingredients list you’ll find they are typically loaded with sodium, msg, modified food starch, partially hydrogenated oils, and other chemical preservatives.
It’s so simple to whip up these spice mixes not to mention healthier and it can save you money. You’ll be able to buy your ingredients in bulk, mix them up, and have enough to last for a long time.
3 - SPICE MIXES
You’d think spice mixes contained, well, just spices, but if you look at the ingredients list you’ll find they are typically loaded with sodium, msg, modified food starch, partially hydrogenated oils, and other chemical preservatives.
It’s so simple to whip up these spice mixes not to mention healthier and it can save you money. You’ll be able to buy your ingredients in bulk, mix them up, and have enough to last for a long time.
Recipe: Homemade Taco Seasoning
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Directions: Mix and store in an airtight container (you can easily double or triple the recipe) for up to 3 months. To make taco meat: Add 2 heaping tablespoons of seasoning to 1 pound of cooked and drained ground beef (or ground chicken or turkey) along with 2/3 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, stirring occasionally until thickened.
You can play around with this mix and adjust the seasonings to taste and add salt if desired (I normally add 1 teaspoon sea salt). To make healthy low carb tacos, substitute ground chicken or ground turkey for the ground beef and replace taco shells with lettuce leaves.
Homemade Ranch Dressing Seasoning Packet
½ cup dry buttermilk (optional)
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dill
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried chives
1 teaspoon salt (can omit if you want)
Directions: Whisk all ingredients together until blended. For a more finely-ground seasoning mix, you can pulse in a food processor until it reaches desired consistency. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. If making for immediate use, you can add in fresh chives, dill, and parsley to further enhance the flavor. You can use this mix as a substitute in recipes that call for ranch seasoning.
To make ranch dressing: combine 1 tablespoon seasoning mix with 1/3 cup mayo and 1/3 cup of milk, whisk to combine. For a skinny version, substitute greek yogurt for the mayo. To make ranch dip: mix 3 tablespoons of seasoning mix with light sour cream.
Recipe: Homemade Onion Soup Mix
2/3 cup dried, minced onion
3 teaspoons parsley flakes
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon sugar (or sugar substitute)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Mix together ingredients. You can store in an air tight container for up to 3 months. Use in recipes that call for onion soup mix. 2 tablespoons of mix equals a packet of onion soup mix.
4– SALAD DRESSING
Salad dressing is store bought item that you’ll typically find loaded with sugar or sodium. There’s a particular chain restaurant salad I love and I was excited to see their salad dressing in stores, but them noticed the second or third ingredient was high fructose corn syrup.
Recipe: Simple Italian Salad Dressing
⅓ cup olive oil or desired oil
¼ cup vinegar (suggestions: red wine, white wine, balsamic or apple cider vinegar)
½ lemon, squeezed
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon granulated sugar (or honey)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder
Salad dressing is store bought item that you’ll typically find loaded with sugar or sodium. There’s a particular chain restaurant salad I love and I was excited to see their salad dressing in stores, but them noticed the second or third ingredient was high fructose corn syrup.
Recipe: Simple Italian Salad Dressing
⅓ cup olive oil or desired oil
¼ cup vinegar (suggestions: red wine, white wine, balsamic or apple cider vinegar)
½ lemon, squeezed
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon granulated sugar (or honey)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder
Directions: Mix well (I typically like to use a handheld blender but it’s not necessary) and you can keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. I find it best to make salad dressing at least a day in advance to allow the flavors to really come together. You can have so much fun with making salad dressings! Play around with this recipe and use different vinegars like balsamic or white wine vinegar and experiment with adding additional spices like thyme, oregano, dill basil, chives, or tarragon to taste. You can remove the parmesan cheese and replace the lemon with orange juice. You can add in sour cream, greek yogurt, and/or mayo (blend with a handheld mixer) for a creamier dressing. I sometimes like to blend feta cheese up in my salad dressing for flavor and creaminess. Note: if using olive oil, it tends to thicken up when refrigerated. Don’t fear, just sit the dressing out at room temperature for a little while and then shake well before serving.
5 - SALSA
I love, love, love Mexican dishes, so salsa is a staple in my house. Here’s a simple go-to recipe I use. I normally substitute fresh tomatoes from my garden, grocery store, or farmer’s market in the summer.
Recipe: Fresh Salsa
1 can (14-1/2 ounces), petite diced tomatoes (or 5-6 fresh tomatoes)
¼ cup red onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (optional)
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt & Pepper, To Taste
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Puree if desired (in a food processor or with a handheld blender). You can serve immediately. Or store in an airtight container (such as a mason jar) in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
6 – CHICKEN BROTH
Chicken broth is oh so easy! The great thing with this recipe is that you also get shredded chicken that you can use or freeze for a recipe. Two bangs for the buck!
1 can (14-1/2 ounces), petite diced tomatoes (or 5-6 fresh tomatoes)
¼ cup red onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (optional)
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt & Pepper, To Taste
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Puree if desired (in a food processor or with a handheld blender). You can serve immediately. Or store in an airtight container (such as a mason jar) in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
6 – CHICKEN BROTH
Chicken broth is oh so easy! The great thing with this recipe is that you also get shredded chicken that you can use or freeze for a recipe. Two bangs for the buck!
Recipe: Homemade Chicken Broth
3-4 pound whole chicken
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut in half
2 turnips, quartered
2 celery stalks, cut in half
2 onions, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved
1 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
2-3 sprigs of fresh parsley
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
3-4 pound whole chicken
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut in half
2 turnips, quartered
2 celery stalks, cut in half
2 onions, quartered
1 head of garlic, halved
1 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
2-3 sprigs of fresh parsley
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
Directions: Place the chicken in a large pot, remove giblets. Put the rest of the stock ingredients in the pot along with the chicken. Put enough water in the pot to cover the chicken- approx. 12 cups. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 ½ hours or longer, until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken from stock and let cool. Finely strain the vegetables and herbs out of your stock. Discard skin and bones and hand shred chicken meat from chicken and set aside. Use can use the stock immediately, refrigerate up to one week or freeze for up to 3 months. Make sure to cool completely before freezing! If refrigerated, I like to save in quart size glass mason jars; If freezing, I use gallon-size freezer bags and freeze 4 cups per bag. You can use the shredded chicken immediately, or refrigerate or freeze for later use.
~
This list doesn’t even begin to include the hundreds of items you can cook from scratch at home. I personally have a lot of things I still want to learn how to make. I hope this helps you get started on the right track. Remember, start slowly and keep it simple and fun. Start with a few free hours on a Sunday afternoon, put on a super cute apron, a homemade face mask, turn on some disco music and shake your booty while shaking up some spice mixes. Sometimes you’ll have to break down and buy that jarred spaghetti sauce. And guess what? That’s okay.
Retro Dinner Diva is also here to help when you just don’t have the time or energy and want to feel good about what you’re feeding your family. We deliver oven-ready meals, crock pot-ready meals, and stir fry kits all around the Columbus area every Monday. You can find out more about our meal delivery service at www.retrodinnerdiva.com.
Cheers to happy, healthy cooking!
Stephanie Eakins
Retro Dinner Diva
Congratulations to Amy D. for Winning a $25 Gift Certificate from Retro Dinner Diva
Giveaway ends Wednesday January 11th at 12pm & You Must be a Subscriber to NW Columbus Macaroni Kid to win.
To enter the giveaway for a $25 Gift Certificate from Retro Dinner Diva please comment below on which of these recipes you would like to try OR go over to Retro Dinner Diva's Website and comment on what you would spend your certificate on.
Additional entry option: You can get a second entry (optional) by following us (please "like" and "follow" our page also if you love NW Columbus MacKid share with your friends!) on our NW Columbus Macaroni Kid Facebook Page and commenting under the Retro Dinner Diva post that "I'd love to win with #CbusMacKid and #RetroDinnerDiva"
Giveaway Rules: Winners will be chosen by random.org on January 11th at 12pm EST and be notified by email. Winners will have until January 12th at 12pm to confirm via email. One entry per person for the duration of the giveaway. You must be at least 18 years old enter. You must be a subscriber to NW Columbus Macaroni Kid to win.
This list doesn’t even begin to include the hundreds of items you can cook from scratch at home. I personally have a lot of things I still want to learn how to make. I hope this helps you get started on the right track. Remember, start slowly and keep it simple and fun. Start with a few free hours on a Sunday afternoon, put on a super cute apron, a homemade face mask, turn on some disco music and shake your booty while shaking up some spice mixes. Sometimes you’ll have to break down and buy that jarred spaghetti sauce. And guess what? That’s okay.
Retro Dinner Diva is also here to help when you just don’t have the time or energy and want to feel good about what you’re feeding your family. We deliver oven-ready meals, crock pot-ready meals, and stir fry kits all around the Columbus area every Monday. You can find out more about our meal delivery service at www.retrodinnerdiva.com.
Cheers to happy, healthy cooking!
Stephanie Eakins
Retro Dinner Diva
Congratulations to Amy D. for Winning a $25 Gift Certificate from Retro Dinner Diva
Giveaway ends Wednesday January 11th at 12pm & You Must be a Subscriber to NW Columbus Macaroni Kid to win.
To enter the giveaway for a $25 Gift Certificate from Retro Dinner Diva please comment below on which of these recipes you would like to try OR go over to Retro Dinner Diva's Website and comment on what you would spend your certificate on.
Additional entry option: You can get a second entry (optional) by following us (please "like" and "follow" our page also if you love NW Columbus MacKid share with your friends!) on our NW Columbus Macaroni Kid Facebook Page and commenting under the Retro Dinner Diva post that "I'd love to win with #CbusMacKid and #RetroDinnerDiva"
Giveaway Rules: Winners will be chosen by random.org on January 11th at 12pm EST and be notified by email. Winners will have until January 12th at 12pm to confirm via email. One entry per person for the duration of the giveaway. You must be at least 18 years old enter. You must be a subscriber to NW Columbus Macaroni Kid to win.
