‘Homemade’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: Homemade Spaghettios

May 11, 2020 · Narrative

Just the word “Spaghettios” instantly conjures up fond childhood memories, and now you’ll have a way to enjoy a healthier version at home.

Truth be told, my kids have never had Spaghettios or any Chef Boyardee product. When Twinkies celebrated their 100th anniversary some years back, my kids asked what Twinkies were. I laughed because it shows you how much things change. We just don’t eat a ton of pre-packaged food, so that is largely the reason why they haven’t tried (or heard of) these items, and I cook a lot and just make most things from scratch.

So the fact that this recipe is a riff off of Spaghettios is lost on them, but not on me. I got the recipe from How Sweet Eats and made some minor tweaks. It was super simple to make and came together quickly. It also uses ingredients I already had on hand, which, given we’re still quarantined and I’m limiting my trips outside of our home, is music to my ears and hopefully yours too.

This is a great comfort food, even more so if it reminds you of your childhood. It’s packed with flavor and you’ll be enjoying it in half an hour… dig in!

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Recipe: Homemade Ketchup {Whole30}

February 12, 2018 · Narrative

Ketchup that tastes the way it should … like tomatoes! Read on for a super simple recipe that will hook you from the very first taste.

If you’ve ever done a round or 5 of Whole30, you know that you become a voracious label reader. After the first week or so, it no longer feels like a chore. It starts to feel like empowerment. They put WHAT in my ketchup?! They use WHAT to make my bacon?!

And the more you learn, the more you want to take control of what you put in your body, and make better decisions for you and your family.

I am seriously a condiment queen. I really don’t think there’s any I don’t like, and whether it’s being slathered on a burger or as a dipping sauce for my roasted potatoes, I’m all about it. But … when you’re doing Whole30, you quickly learn that you can’t have some of your usual suspects when it comes to condiments.

Mostly because of the added sugar, and all the unpronounceable garbage they put into it.

In previous rounds of Whole30, I started making my own mayonnaise (and have ever since, whether I’m on Whole30 or not), and I discovered the most delicious buffalo aioli ever. I also started making my own ketchup, although it took getting to my third round of Whole30 to actually blog about it.

#reallifeproblems

If you read the labels of most ketchup bottles, you will find sugar listed in some form or fashion. Whether it’s listed as straight up sugar or high fructose corn syrup, or more subtly mentioned as a form of sucralose, it’s most definitely there, and usually along with several other ingredients that are not Whole30-compliant.

What to do?

That’s when you start making it yourself.

Like, seriously, if you open up my refrigerator you’ll routinely see an assortment of home bottled goodies, everything from mayo and ranch to ketchup and avocado dressings.

#CondimentQueen

When you take your first taste of homemade ketchup, the first thing you’ll notice is that it tastes suspiciously like tomatoes. IMAGINE THAT. Tomatoes is totally what ketchup is SUPPOSED to taste like! And if you do a side-by-side taste test, and taste an off-the-shelf version compared to your homemade batch, you’ll all the sudden see how sweet the store-bought version tastes.

Blech.

As long as you have a can of tomato paste in your pantry, you likely have the rest of the basic ingredients you need to whip up a batch of homemade ketchup. It takes literally just a few minutes to whir all the ingredients together in your little food processor (I’m partial to this one and use it ALL.THE.TIME), and you’ll have a nice little quantity to last you for several weeks.

Whether you’re on Whole30 or not, I encourage you to give the homemade version a try. I made some for a fellow Whole30 friend a few weeks ago. She doesn’t like ketchup, but LOVES the homemade version.

Now it’s your turn.

Hungry for more Whole30 recipes?
These Key Lime Energy Bites are the perfect little thing when you’re craving something sweet.
These Buffalo Chicken Meatballs are a favorite. I just made a double batch to bring to a bingo event last week.
I need to update the picture of this Chili, but don’t let that deter you. I make it at least 2 or 3 times a month. So good, Whole30 or not!
Nothing like warm, buttery Avocado Fries!
Cracklin’ Chicken is guilt-free fried chicken (and kid-approved!).
You’ll find yourself making this Madras Chicken Salad again and again.

PS That cute jar I use for my condiments is this one from The Container Store.

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Recipe: Peanut Butter Quinoa Granola Bars

March 3, 2016 · Clean Eating, Narrative, Snacks

A tasty, crispy granola bar with bits of chocolate chips that will keep you coming back for more.

In all my years of clean eating, I will say that one of the biggest keys to success is 1) not bringing junk into your home, and 2) making sure your kitchen is stocked with healthy items.

Grab and go items? Even better.

If I don’t have Doritos in the house, I’m not going to eat them.

It really is that simple.

Because while I like Doritos, I’m not going to get in my car and go to the store to specifically buy them.

So if you and I make sure our cabinets, pantry, and refrigerator are consistently stocked with healthy items, it’s far easier to stay on track.

#goals

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Recipe: Almond Milk

January 4, 2016 · Clean Eating, Narrative

Creamy and delicious, this version of almond milk blows the store-bought stuff out of the water. Let’s get started.

If you told me last year that I would be making my own almond milk, I would have laughed. I probably would have laughed if you told me that last month.

Because, really. Why?

And yet, here we are.

With a homemade recipe for almond milk.

Because it’s like making your own mayo. And chocolate syrup.

Once you find out how easy it is, WHY WOULDN’T YOU MAKE IT?

And…It’s cheaper and way better for you.

And that is that. I use almond milk in smoothies pretty regularly, and lately I’ve been hearing about people making their own, which is what got me intrigued. A lot of store-bought versions have carrageenan, which is stuff you want to stay away from. Namely because it’s not good for your digestive system and can cause inflammation, ulcerations, and bleeding. None of which we need.

So by making it yourself, you know exactly what’s going into it, and you save money to boot.

Win. Win.

You need a few inexpensive supplies, which you can reuse over and over again.

Namely, a nut milk bag.

And a glass jar.

Both of which I purchased from Amazon. Easy peasy.

Then just your ingredients (almonds, dates, water, cinnamon), and you’re all set.

I’ve got to say … even though it is SUPER SIMPLE to make, I was feeling mighty proud of myself when I was done and had 30 oz of homemade almond milk and it cost about six bucks for the ingredients.

Like … WHO DOES THAT?

WHO MAKES THEIR OWN ALMOND MILK?

Now we do. Yes, we do.

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Recipe: Homemade Chocolate Syrup

December 29, 2015 · Narrative, Sweets

Easy, delicious, and made using ingredients you likely have on hand already. Make some homemade chocolate syrup and you’ll never go back to the bottled stuff again. Guaranteed.

I made that.

“No, you didn’t,” he said in disbelief. “Wait. Did you?”

Yes.

He tastes it.

“Wow. You did. It tastes so much better.”

Otherwise known as … How to Impress Your Teenager in Fifteen Minutes.

Just make homemade chocolate syrup.

Although I next-to-never use the stuff, chocolate syrup is a staple in our home because Nick is a fan of chocolate milk and ice cream sundaes.

#teenageboy

To be quite honest, it never ceases to amaze me the amount of things you can make from basic pantry staples … mayonnaise (will never go back to the store-bought stuff after this), ketchup, and a myriad of other things. And, of course, chocolate syrup.

Have you ever read the list of ingredients on a bottle of chocolate syrup from the grocery store? Filled with unpronounceable junk. Although you are still making something with sugar (read: not exactly clean eating), this is most definitely a better version of it for you. Just a few regular ingredients, fifteen minutes of your time, and you will be rewarded with pure deliciousness.

For awhile I have just been keeping ours in an old Nesquick bottle, which compounded Nick’s confusion about whether or not I had made it, but after a recent trip (and sale) at Cost Plus World Market (love that store!), I found a cute glass bottle that I have been using instead. Although the bottle was likely originally intended for pancake syrup, it works just as well for this chocolate syrup … and I love being able to SEE what’s inside.

Homemade chocolate syrup. I daresay, you need this in your life.

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Recipe: Peanut Butter Bacon Dog Treats

January 6, 2014 · Narrative

Homemade dog treats filled with peanut butter and bacon. The perfect thing to make for your favorite dog.

Last year, I wasn’t motivated to bake masses amounts of cookies for the holidays.

But this year, we more than made up for it.

I think between the kids and I, we ended up making about 15 different kinds of cookies, seven different kinds of fudge, and two rounds of homemade dog biscuits.

It was awesome.

We delivered cookie platters to friends and neighbors during Christmas week. And then did another round, this time with fudge platters, to more friends, favorite teachers, and, you know, our own kitchen counter stash.

And then, it was dog treats.

Because how could we neglect the favorite pups in our lives?

And, you know, bacon.

Because if there is ever an excuse to cook and crisp up a pound of bacon to snatch pieces from, we’ll find it.

And so Merry (and a handful of other dogs) got to enjoy these homemade Peanut Butter Bacon Dog Treats.

Heart-shaped of course.

Merry is an odd dog, base case. Very picky about her treats. And she doesn’t like peanut butter.

Which means that although we went ahead and made these anyway, I wasn’t holding out any hope that she might like them.

But in a true testament to her oddities, even though she despises peanut butter, she was all over these.

She knows exactly which container we keep them in.

What it sounds like when we open that container, even if she’s in the other room.

And devours them.

So much so that we have made several batches since the first.

Featuring all natural ingredients and no chemicals, preservatives, additives or any other junk you don’t want in your pet’s food, these are super simple to make with just a handful of items.

In fact, the kids and their babysitter made the first batch together.

If you have a pup that you want to spoil, they will love you forever for these treats.

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