I love being in the kitchen and making healthy, natural foods for myself and my family. I had ordered a 20lb box of apples from Azure Standard ( I will talk more about this later) and noticed some of them were starting to go bad. I couldn’t dare let that happen. Not only do I NOT want to let them go to waste but the worst consequence is listening to the hubby lecture me about waste and how horrible it is to just throw food away. So, since my Excalibur dehydrator is just sitting there in the kitchen begging to be used, I decide to do a couple things with the apples. I just recently purchased a Peeler/Corer/Slicer that I was dying to try out. I used my new toy to peel and slice several apples and put them in a bowl with about 3/4 cup lemon juice. It doesn’t change the taste of the apples if they are brown but it definitely makes them look prettier so, in went they juice. After slicing your fruit, it’s as easy and placing them on the trays and turning the dehydrator on.

Dehydrating is so easy!  I love knowing that the fruit isn’t covered with any preservatives and hasn’t been sprayed with sulphur or other gross stuff. So about 24 hours in the dehydrator and Voila! Fresh dried apple slices. My fav! If you let them stay in the dehydrator for even longer, you get apple chips. Not a bad snack either.

My kids aren’t as crazy about the apple chips as they are banana chips. My daughter Sierra will pull a tray out of the dehydrator as soon as they’re done and eat a whole thing. I don’t know how she gets away with not getting sick, but she doesn’t.

Well with the rest of the apples I decide to make Applesauce. It was my first time and was super easy. One of the ladies from my MOM’s group brought some homemade applesauce for our breakfast and it was actually the best I’ve ever had. I know, you are probably thinking that all sauce tastes the same but, you are wrong. Fresh applesauce without any preservatives or sugar in it is the BOMB!

After peeling, coring and slicing, you just put your apples in a steamer. I used my pasta pot and it worked fine. You can use anything that you have that will steam your fruit and not boil it.

After about 15 minutes, check your apples and make sure you can actually smash them with a fork. If you can, they are done.

I placed mine in my Vitamix but I actually think I over did it a bit. You don’t have to have a blender. You can actually just mash them by hand. They should be soft enough after steaming them. I threw in about 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and that’s it. Easy peasy!

My Vitamix over blended mine. I think next time I will just mash them or only mix for a short time in the blender. Mine were so blended it kinda turned to a thicker liquid. I like applesauce to have a little more texture. But either way you like it, it turned out delicious. Now I also learned that if you want a sweeter applesauce and not so tart, consider what kind of apples you are going to use. I used Pink Lady apples and the sauce turned out a little tart. I think a Fuji may be the best. I just used what I had.  Here it is. They yummiest fresh applesauce ever! And, the apple chips aren’t so bad either.

I always store my food in Ball Jars. I just love them. It keeps everything fresh and is so much easier to store. I hope you enjoy this post and give it a try. You won’t regret it.

Oh and I forgot to mention Azure Standard. This is where I purchase most of my groceries. I love this company. Almost all there products are Organic and Non GMO. I love that!!! If you haven’t heard of them, I suggest you check it out. I almost don’t have to even go to the grocery store after placing my order. My drop off is only once a month so you really have to do some planning to get you through the month.   I even have my hubby hooked, lol.

Do you have a dehydrator?

What are your favorite things to dehydrate?

Any good tips or tricks to share?

So, last year I was itching to get a few chickens. I wanted to know exactly where my eggs were coming from and what they were being fed. My husband (Brian) and I are trying hard to eat the right foods. As in clean, Non GMO, organic (as much as possible) foods. So starting out with backyard chickens seemed to be the right thing to do. After doing much research, we found a guy on Craig’s List that made coops. So, we finally made the purchase and set off to pick up the monstrous thing.  After a few days of painting and organizing and planning where it would go in the back, we, (well really my oldest daughter Genna) rallied up her friends and came  to make the big move. After  spending over an hour of game changes and removing fences, we finally got it placed in the backyard. Next was the fun part. I had already been looking online for which kind of chicken I wanted. I never realized what went into picking out chickens. It isn’t only the bird itself,  it was the breed, the color, the laying pattern, the temperment, and even the color of eggs you want. Well after much thought, we chose Black Copper Marans (again from Craig’s List). They are pleasant birds with beautiful colors and the best part, they lay dark brown eggs.

Having backyard chickens has been one of the most exciting ( I know I’m crazy) decisions I’ve made, lol. They are addicting!!!!! If it is something you are contemplating… DO IT!!! Brian and I spend many hours outside during the Spring and Summer mornings having coffee and watching these crazy girls. There is even a great You Tube  I think we’ve spoiled them a little too much. I here a lot about  other chickens eating kitchen scraps and certain foods. Not mine! They are the pickiest girls ever. If you come out with grapes though, you will end up with a chicken right in your lap. lol. They come running from across the yard at full speed!