Category Archives: Recipes & Cooking

Favorite simple yet delicious recipes in my Texas Homestead kitchen.

Preserving The Harvest: Dehydrating Onions

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by Texas Homesteader
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Gardening is a fun hobby, but c’mon there’s lots of work involved too. From planting seeds or tender seedlings to standing under that hot summer sun watering, weeding and harvesting. 

Seeing that basket of fresh healthy produce is enough to make it all worthwhile of course. But oftentimes your harvest comes all at once as feast or famine. After putting in all of that tender loving care to your precious garden it’s important to make sure none of your hard works goes to waste.

For instance I harvested my onions when their growing time was up. But how to make sure a whole garden full of onions can be enjoyed instead of being sat aside deteriorating until they’re only compost worthy?  You can bet your hat I won’t be letting my hard work go to waste!

Preserving The Harvest: Dehydrating ONIONS. Don't distress over that glut of onion harvest, preserve it for cooking! See what I did. #TexasHomesteader

 

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Quick Homemade Chicken Pot Pie Using Leftover Chicken

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

Looking for a fast supper idea? Chicken Pot Pie from scratch is super fast when you use leftover chicken.

I made the pie crusts & cream of chicken soup from scratch too but you can use purchased crust & soup instead if you like. Fast, easy & DELICIOUS! 

Chicken Pot Pie from scratch using leftover Chicken. I Made The Pie Crusts & Cream Of Chicken Soup From Scratch Too. Easy & DELICIOUS! #TexasHomesteader

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No Sugar Challenge – WEEK FOUR! (2 Sugar-Free CHOCOLATE recipes)

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TAMMY’S NOTE: This No-Sugar challenge documents Ashley’s 30-day attempt to remove PROCESSED SUGAR from their diet.  This challenge allows her to use natural sugars such as fruit, honey or true maple syrup, therefore it’s not meant for a diabetic alternative, simply a personal-health challenge. 

by Ashley
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It’s official! The challenge has been completed. I can’t believe it has been a whole month without any refined sugar. There has been some discussion over the past weeks about what constitutes sugar during the challenge. Some people don’t think honey and 100% maple sugar should be allowed during the challenge, but this is simply what worked for me during my challenge.

I have felt that in a very small moderation that honey has added enough of the sweetness that I craved so hard for the first half of the challenge that it made it an easier transition. If I decide to be as rigid in the future with the sugar-free diet, I may eventually cut those sweeteners out as well. This whole process has been one big learning experience the whole way through, but it has been a lot of fun learning along the way.

If you have missed the previous weeks I urge you to check out  week 1,  week 2, and week 3.  But now join me for the last bit of my challenge and check out the chocolate, chocolate, chocolate recipes below that are free from refined sugar!

Ashley shares TWO SUGAR-FREE CHOCOLATE RECIPES! Whoever said healthy couldn't be DELICIOUS? Check out these refined-sugar-free recipes! #TexasHomesteader

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No-Sugar Challenge – Week THREE (Bonus: 2 Sugar-Free Dessert Recipes!)

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TAMMY’S NOTE: This No-Sugar challenge documents Ashley’s 30-day attempt to remove PROCESSED SUGAR from their diet.  This challenge allows her to use natural sugars such as honey or true maple syrup, therefore it’s not meant for a diabetic alternative, simply a personal-health challenge. 

by Ashley Ashley

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I can’t believe it!  There is a light at the end of the tunnel after all!  I have made it through three weeks of absolutely no sugar. 

If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to check out Week 1 and Week 2. But what about week 3? Read on…

No-Sugar Challenge: WEEK 3! Ashley's sharing tips to go through a full month without eating any refined sugar She included TWO great recipes! #TexasHomesteader

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Month-Long No-Sugar Challenge: WEEK TWO!

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TAMMY’S NOTE: This No-Sugar challenge documents Ashley’s 30-day attempt to remove PROCESSED SUGAR from their diet.  This challenge allows her to use natural sugars such as honey or true maple syrup, therefore it’s not meant for a diabetic alternative, simply a personal-health challenge. 

by Ashley
*contains affiliate link

I did it!  I’ve made it all the way through week two and I’ve only gone through twelve breakdowns!  Ok, so maybe it really hasn’t been as bad as I thought it might be.  I will admit that this has been, by far, one of the most difficult challenges that I have ever decided to take on.  It was mildly easier than week one, but it was still rough on the sugar cravings.

I’ve also become painfully aware of how much and how often we are surrounded by food.  Every day is someone’s birthday or a celebration of some sort where someone will bring donuts in the morning, a cake in the afternoon, or suggest going out for a nice dinner at a favorite restaurant.  Saying no almost feels like an insult on some occasions, but say no I did! If you haven’t already done so, check out how we fared on Week 1.  Then read below to see how my second week of absolutely no sugar went.

NO-SUGAR CHALLENGE - WEEK 2!! Embarking on a month-long no-sugar challenge, Ashley shares how they fared WEEK 2 & shares a fun recipe! #TexasHomesteader
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Month-Long No-Sugar Challenge: Week One

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TEXAS HOMESTEADER’S NOTE: This No-Sugar challenge documents Ashley’s 30-day attempt to remove PROCESSED SUGAR from their diet.  This challenge allows her to use natural sugars such as honey or true maple syrup, therefore it’s not meant for a diabetic alternative, simply a personal-health challenge. 

by Guest-Writer Ashley 

Hi, I’m Ashley and I will be sharing with you our four-week journey of eliminating processed sugar from our diet. Today’s post outlines how we did on week one.

As much junk food and easy to grab dishes and meals that there seem to be, especially in my area, it’s easy to see why people get so addicted to things like fat and sugar.
Ashley's sharing how she fared the FIRST WEEK of their No-Sugar Challenge to eliminate processed sugar from their diet with tips & a recipe! #TexasHomesteader

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