eMeals: Homemade Popsicle Recipes #sponsored

I absolutely love the recipes that eMeals provides - both for me to share with you, and each week with my meal plan. They're really easy to whip up in no time - which is a necessity for me.

Delicious Orange Banana Smoothie Pops

Ingredients

• 1 container (7-ounce) Greek yogurt
• 2/3 cup thawed orange juice concentrate
• 2 bananas
• 1-tablespoon lime juice

Directions

1. Puree one Greek yogurt, thawed orange juice concentrate, bananas, and lime juice in a blender.
2. Pour into your mold of choice. To release pops, dip molds into hot water until pops loosen and slide out. If using cups, peel away paper.

Simple Watermelon Pops

Ingredients

• 4 cups watermelon, seeds removed, cubed

Directions

1. Puree watermelon in a blender. 
2. Pour into your choice of mold and freeze until hardened.

Yummy Strawberry Freeze Pops

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries

• 1-cup plain yogurt

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Directions

1. Puree the ingredients in a blender. 
2. Pour into your choice of mold and freeze until hardened.

eMeals: Fourth of July Easy Baby Back Ribs Recipe #Sponsored

Are you an eMeals member? If so, be sure to log-in to your account and download the free Fourth of July meal plan, featuring 6 delicious recipes. Any new members can also get this additional meal plan upon registration.

Easy Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 lb baby back pork ribs (3 slabs)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 18 oz bottle favorite barbecue sauce 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Remove thin membrane from back of ribs by slicing into ribs with a knife and pulling membrane off with paper towels.
3. Combine salt, garlic powder and pepper; rub all over meaty side of ribs.
4. Cut racks in half, if desired. Arrange ribs in a large roasting pan. Cover tightly with foil.
5. Bake 3 hours or until very tender. 
6. Uncover and cool 15 minutes. Drain. 
7. Preheat grill to medium-high. 
8. Place ribs, meaty side up, on grill rack rubbed with oil. 
9. Baste generously with barbecue sauce. 
10. Grill, covered with grill lid, 10 minutes. 
11. Baste and grill 5 to 10 minutes longer or until sauce clings to ribs.

eMeals: Father's Day Caramel-Brownie Chunk Milkshake Recipe

Are you an eMeals member? If so, be sure to log-in to your account and download the free Father's Day meal plan, featuring 6 delicious recipes. Any new members can also get this additional meal plan upon registration. Use coupon code DADS for 15% off a membership.

Caramel-Brownie Chunk Milkshake Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ cup milk
• 4 cups vanilla ice cream
• 3 store bought or homemade brownies, chopped
• Caramel or hot fudge topping (optional)

Instructions

1. Place milk in a blender.
2. Add ice cream; blend until smooth.
3. Add half of brownies to blender; pulse until brownies are blended.
4. Spoon into glasses; drizzle with desired topping.
5. Top milkshakes with remaining brownies.

eMeals: Mother's Day Brunch Pizza Recipe

Are you an eMeals member? If so, be sure to log-in to your account and download the free Mother's Day meal plan, featuring 4 delicious brunch recipes. Any new members can also get this additional meal plan upon registration. An eMeals membership is a great option for the mom who has it all, but has a busy schedule and enjoys cooking. Mother's Day gift certificates are available on their website.

Mom's Brunch Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups frozen diced hash browns (from 32-oz package)
• 14 oz prebaked original Italian pizza crust (12 inch)
• 3/4 cup favorite pimiento cheese
• 1 cup finely chopped cooked ham
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 2 large eggs, well beaten

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Cook hash browns in hot oil 5 minutes. Set aside.
4. Place pizza crust on a large baking sheet.
5. Spread pimiento cheese in a thin layer on crust.
6. Top with ham, hash browns, green onions and cheese. Slowly pour eggs in center of pizza (eggs will spread during baking).
7. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown and center is set.

January 2013 Challenge {Meal Planning: Week 3}

Back in August 2011 I shared how I organize my recipes in binders. I've since changed things a bit. Check it out.

I print a lot of recipes. I used to subscribe to a lot of recipe magazines. I still subscribe to the Betty Crocker and Pillsbury magazines. I wanted one place to keep everything, so I consolidated.

I have two binders - one for entrees, one for everything else. The entree categories I have in one binder are: beef, breakfast, fish, one dish meals & stews, pasta, pizza, poultry, sandwiches, & soup. The categories I have in the other binder are: appetizers & snacks, beverages, bread, desserts, & side dishes.

I used to keep the small recipe cards in a photo album. This works great, but I just wanted to consolidate, so I moved everything into the binders.

I purchased Martha Stewart Home Office 4 pocket sheet protectors from Staples. They come in a 10-pack for $3.99. They have a little flap over the top where the cards slip in, so they don't fall out. I love it. My only complaint is that they won't hold my 4" x 6" cards, so I ended up taping those cards to sheet protected pages within the binder.

Printed recipes are simply hole punched and placed in the binders.

Recipes from magazines or too big to fit in the card sheet protector go on colored paper in sheet protectors.

Recipe binders aren't for everyone. They take a lot of work to put together, but I've noticed that at least for me {personally} they're the easiest recipe system to maintain and use.

For more recipe binder ideas, check out these posts from other bloggers...

• TaDa! Creations
• CleanMama
• Delightful Order
• Prudent Baby
• The Kitchn

Your challenge today is to organize your recipes! You choose the way that works for you... Binder? Photo album? Pinterest? Recipe box? Files? Please share what method you use to organize your recipes.

January 2013 Challenge {Meal Planning: Week 2}

I think meal planning can be challenging. Without any resources to streamline the process, it can be a headache - resorting to the same recipes over and over every week {making meals boring}. The internet is an amazing resource for meal planning. Today I'm going to share my favorite resources. {All of the resources mentioned in this post I have personally used and I have had positive experiences with.}

eMeals
eMeals is a sponsor here at The Nest Effect. {I do choose my sponsors carefully and only accept partnership with those that I am able to try out myself to ensure it's a good fit.} I have a one year membership to eMeals {which I received as compensation for being part of their blogging network}. We're looking to cut food costs in 2013 so we can start tackling our student loan debt. A meal plan definitely helps accomplish this. While I've been meal planning for years, eMeals automatically chooses meals for me that match with the weekly sales at my grocery store - saving me money each week. I was able to select that our family size is just two, so the meal sizes are smaller {less waste}. We're using the classic meal style right now - but I may later switch to the low fat plan. The recipes are quick and simple to make - which is a must for me with my busy schedule. Even Chris has no problem whipping up dinner with the simplicity of each recipe. Save 15% on an eMeals subscription with coupon code newyear.

Pinterest
I love Pinterest for so many reasons - one is meal planning. I have boards set up for meals. I print the recipes I find on Pinterest after trying them - if we like it - then delete the recipe off my board. I like this process because it allows me to find new recipes to try and see them visually, rather than bookmarking and going through them all to find something I want.

Recipe Blogs & Websites

• Allrecipes
• Betty Crocker 
• Chef in Training
• Eat Yourself Skinny
• Epicurious
• Skinnytaste

Recipe Apps

• Allrecipes {Android, Apple, Kindle, Windows}
• Betty Crocker Cookbook {Android, Apple}
• Big Oven {Android, Apple, Kindle}
• Cocktail Flow {Android, Apple, Kindle, Windows} 
• Cookbook by Slow Sense {Windows}
• Epicurious {Android, Apple, Kindle, Windows}
• Everyday Food {Windows}
• Jamie Oliver {Android, Apple, Kindle}
• Pepperplate {Android, Apple, Kindle, Windows}
• What's For Dinner? {Android, Apple, Kindle}

Magazines

• Betty Crocker Recipes {print}
• Cooking Light {print, Android, Apple, Kindle}
• Every Day with Rachael Ray {print, Android, Kindle}
• Food Network Magazine {print, Android, Apple, Kindle}
• Taste of Home {print, Android, Apple, Kindle}

Templates & Resources

• Microsoft Office {search "food" or "meal plan"}
• Grocery & Meal Planning Set {my editable/fillable set in my Etsy store}
• Meal Planning Resources {things I've pinned on Pinterest}
• Meal Planners {from Money Saving Mom}

Your challenge for today is to find a new meal planning resource that you like and subscribe {websites, blogs, or magazines}, download {magazines, apps, or templates}, or search {Pinterest or templates}. Look for something that will be easy for you to work with when meal planning.

Paleo Hummus Recipe from E-Meals

E-Meals has been an amazing sponsor on The Nest Effect for the last year. Here's another great recipe to share.

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, peeled and chopped 
• ½ cup tahini 
• ⅓ cup lemon juice 
• ⅓ cup olive oil 
• 3 garlic cloves 
• 1½ teaspoons cumin 
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

1. Combine all ingredients in the base of a food processor, and process until smooth. 
2. Serve with crisp raw veggies, such as carrots, celery sticks, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, or cucumber slices, for dipping.

Apple Cranberry Pie Recipe from E-Meals

E-Meals has been an amazing sponsor on The Nest Effect for the last year. They have sent me a few recipes to share with you. I think this recipe for Apple Cranberry Pie sounds amazing.

Ingredients

• 2 refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box 
• 1 ½ cups sugar 
• ⅓ cup flour 
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon 
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 
• 3 cups peeled, diced apple 
• 3 cups fresh cranberries (or frozen, thawed) 
• Vanilla ice cream 

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. 
2. Press one pie crust into the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
4. Add cheese, apples, and cranberries, and toss to combine. 
5. Pour into crust-lined pie plate. 
6. Top pie with second crust, pressing together edges of crusts to seal, and flute if desired. 
7. Cut several slits in the top crust. 
8. Bake 35-40 minutes, or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. 
9. * If the crust starts to get too brown before the apples are tender, use strips of aluminum foil to cover edges of crust. Remove from oven and cool 20-30 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

How I... Organize My Recipes

I've been attempting to cook and bake for awhile now. I'm not very good -- somehow I always mess things up. I have been collecting recipes for the last few years anyway though. I first started with photo albums and put all of my recipe cards in the albums. I hated rewriting recipes from the internet onto a 4 x 6 recipe cards...most of the time it didn't all fit. Plus, I liked the pictures that came along with the internet print out. So I decided to create two recipe binders -- one with entrees and the other with the rest of the recipes (side dishes, appetizers, beverages, etc.)

Here's what I created a few years ago...

These two binders I bought from Staples. They're made by Carolina Pad.

For my category tabs I used decorative tab dividers that I bought at Staples. They're Carolina Pad as well. I put the tab dividers inside page protectors (I got that idea from Prudent Baby) so they stuck out further than the rest of the pages. It was kind of difficult to do, because you have to make a slit in the side of the page protector for the tab to stick through. If you make the slit too big, the divider will slide around.

One thing I didn't like about this was how flimsy the tab dividers ended up becoming. They were made out of something like card stock (not sure?), so after awhile they started to get crappy.

Printed recipes just got hole punched and inserted into the binder.

Recipes from magazines were inserted into a page protector with a piece of colored paper behind so that I could put another recipe on the other side without it looking funny.

Smaller clipped recipes were taped to a piece of paper inside of a page protector.

I used scrapbook letter stickers to label the front of the dividers and wrote on the tab dividers with a silver Sharpie.

I just wasn't crazy about the way that this binder was looking now-a-days. The binder, being plastic covered, started to crack/rip. I wasn't crazy about the tab dividers not being easily turnable. I also wanted to redo my categories. So I decided to just redo the whole thing.

Here's what my recipe binders look like now...

I bought these binders from Target. They're made by GreenRoom. They were kind of pricey, but it was exactly what I wanted and they seem really durable. Plus, they're really cute. =]

I bought these Avery Big Tab Pocket Insertable Plastic Dividers from Staples. I wanted these so I could put recipe booklets into the pockets and I love Avery tabs -- they're very durable. I bought the 5 tab dividers. They also make 8 tab dividers.

I have this huge stack of colored paper and luckily I have each color of paper to match my tabs.

The categories I used in the brown binder are: appetizers & snacks, beverages, bread, desserts, and side dishes. I used an Avery template from their website to type up and print on the tab inserts.

The categories I used in the cream binder are: beef, breakfast, fish, one dish meals & stews, pasta, pizza, poultry, sandwiches, and soup.

I didn't cram the clipped recipes together this time. I wanted to leave room to write notes about the recipes on the sides.

And as for the recipe albums, I still use those. I subscribe to Betty Crocker and Pillsbury cooking magazines. The recipes that come in the magazines are 4 x 6 sized, with a picture on the front and the recipe on the back. I also just received a bunch of hand written recipes from family at my bridal shower on 4 x 6 recipe cards.

How do you organize your recipes?

Organizing the Fridge Front

I went to Target last weekend (as I seem to do every weekend) and found the most perfect solution to my fridge front needs...keep reading...

This is what my fridge front looked like as of 10 AM yesterday morning. My lovely grocery list and menu plan was folded in half and stuck in a photo magnet along with the recipes I'm making for the week. The unused whiteboard no longer serves a real purpose...and is broken. It was all just a mottled eye sore.

And then, wala! Now it's all color-coordinated-ish. And organized.

So I made this recipes pocket to hold the recipes I'll be making for the week. The pink pocket is big enough to hold full size printed or magazine pages. And the tan pocket holds my standard 4 x 6 cards.

And this, my friends, is what I got at Target. The Mead Organizher magnetic fridge filer (I think it was $8). *in love* It's perfect to hold my grocery list and menu planner. I didn't want to put the recipes in there because it doesn't open wide enough for me to stick my hand all the way in to retrieve the smaller recipe cards. It has 3 tabs, but I've only filled the first so far with my menu.

And then finally I found this matching Post-It magnetic list pad in my closet and stapled a strip of thick scrapbook paper to the back, making a pen holding loop.