When I first got married, my husband converted me to the deliciousness of Duke mayonnaise. This might just be a southern thing, but Duke mayo is very good.

A lot has changed since my early married days, though. Well, come to think of it, just about everything has changed. I mean, five kids, as many moves, and almost as many jobs later, here we are approaching our 17th anniversary this summer.

Back to the point at hand, we now buy much less processed foods. I have learned to make many, MANY things from scratch. Once you get over the initial learning curve that comes with trying something new, it becomes routine and easy to make your own jam, ranch dressing, sandwich bread, mayonnaise, and more. 

The trade-off is better tasting food, more saving on your grocery bill, and fewer special trips to the store for that one ingredient you’re missing.

Three Minute Homemade Mayonnaise

(Recipes in the picture above– fancy grilled cheese sandwiches, hiker’s salad with citrus poppyseed dressing, and chip dip– can all be found in my newest cookbook, Cooking From Scratch for Teens). 

Homemade mayonnaise really can be made in just three minutes (or less). I make mine with non-GMO canola oil, but you could substitute a different oil of your choice. Sometimes I use freshly squeezed lemon juice, but most often I just pull some lemon juice out of the refrigerator.

For years, I used my Vitamix to make mayo and still appreciate that method (its in the video below). But recently, I’ve started using my immersion blender instead because its the same process, but I can mix the mayo directly in the jar I will store it in in the fridge. It’s just so easy!

More “From Scratch” Recipes to Check Out ::

• Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaves
• Best Ever Ranch Dressing
• Chia Seed Jam
• 5 Minute Super Greens Pesto
• Simple Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Three Minute Homemade Mayonnaise

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
• Prep Time: 3 minutes
• Total Time: 3 minutes
• Yield: 1 heaping pint
• Method: blender

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Description

Homemade mayonnaise is so easy to make and uses common kitchen ingredients– you’ll never have to buy it again!

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Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/4 C lemon juice
• 1  tsp dry mustard
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 3/4 C non-GMO canola oil

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

1. Combine the eggs through the salt in a high-powered blender*. Pour the oil into a liquid measuring cup.
2. Place the lid on the blender and turn it on, then immediately to high. Immediately pour in the oil in a slow and steady stream while the mixture runs on high. You should hear the change in the blending as the mixture emulsifies and thickens. Turn the blender off as soon as you finish pouring in the oil.
3. Transfer the mayonnaise into a pint jar* and store in the refrigerator.

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Notes

*Alternately, combine the eggs, dry mustard, salt, and lemon juice in a quart sized jar. Use an immersion blender to emulsify the mixture while gradually pouring in the oil until the mayonnaise comes together and is smooth and thick.

The post Three Minute Homemade Mayonnaise appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.

I don’t know about you, but if I do not write things down, lists and ideas have a tendency to fly away and never be heard from again. I try to flex my memory recall muscles, but juggling all the fullness of motherhood, running a business, being social, and so on, often leaves my mind a little tired.

So, writing things down it is.

On the everyday, I LOVE bullet journaling, and usually have a stack that I keep all together in my traveler’s journal. But during the holidays, I like to have something special–a planner that is extra festive, extra special, extra intentional. 

I also MUST have a place to write down the gifts on my list this year and all the little things I pick up for stockings in the next few weeks. Just this week I was at the store trying to remember what I had already purchased and wishing I had my holiday planner with me.

The first time I made a holiday planner was with my friend Courtney’s help while we were in MOPS together. I still have that planner. Which is actually another reason why I love making these Christmas planners– they are a record of all the little details I am likely to forget.

The food. The gifts. The outings. The projects. It’s all there, kept waiting to be reminisced and remembered.

These days, I use my holiday planner to keep track of more than I did back then. I still use it for gifts and events, but I also have pages to keep track of work to-dos, Christmas curriculum plans, and some more of the little details that now make up our lives with older (and more) kids. (I’ll share a peek at my table of contents for this year’s holiday planner, as well as some ideas for other pages in your planner below).

Keep reading to see:

• how to make your own DIY Christmas Journal
• sample pages to print
• more great holiday ideas 

DIY Christmas Journal

Making a Christmas journal is easy and you really do not need many supplies. (You can watch a short video of me making this year’s planner on my Instagram page too! Check out my holiday highlight there for even more ideas.) 

WHAT YOU NEED ::

• a small journal (I like these)
• modge podge to coat the cover
• cardstock, holiday scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, art prints, or even festive coloring pages are great for covering your planner.

FUN (UNNECESSARY) EXTRAS ::

• craft scissors and a paper cutter for better cutting
• washi tape, holiday stickers, and craft pens

I am a HUGE fan of keeping things simple, so in the past when I realized that I did not have holiday scrapbook paper on hand when I wanted to make my Christmas journal, I chose making what I had (wrapping paper) work instead of going out to the store. I was able to get it done quickly and did not have to spend anything extra.

This year, I again used what was on hand and used a linocut print that my oldest son had made for our holiday market last year. That, plus a sharpie and some glittery washi tape made a fun and festive planner. (Bonus, my son is happy to see his art used for something important).

Step 1: Make It Pretty

• Cut out your paper so that it is about an inch bigger than your notebook on all sides.
• Use a foam brush to coat the cover of the notebook with a thin layer of mod podge. Adhere the paper to the notebook and gently smooth the paper down so there are no bumps or bubbles.
• Make a short cut into the overhanging paper at the spine of the book so that you can fold up the paper around the edges. Adhere with mod podge.
• Cut out strips and circles and make the cover of your Christmas planner. You can be as creative as you’d like! (This is where fun scissors and punches come in handy!) I used a combination of wrapping paper and colored cardstock.
• Label your planner– don’t forget the year! You’ll want that on your notebook in years to come.
• Go over the cover of your Christmas journal with another thin coat of mod podge when you finish the design.

Step 2: Make It Functional

• Skipping the first page, number all the pages in the bottom right corner.
• On a scrap piece of paper, make a list of whatever you want your planner to include. (I use this same strategy for my everyday bullet journals too). Once you know what you want in your planner, you can put them in an order that makes sense to you on the first page of your book. Assign page numbers now, or do this as you go.
• Add the tabs to your journal by cutting a small square of cardstock, and folding it in half. Label the tab and use a stapler, mini hot glue gun, or clear tape to attach the tabs to the correct pages.  In a small notebook like mine, you can leave 3-4 pages in each section, which is plenty for me. Optional: paint a thin coat of mod podge over the front of the tab.
• Your tabs can be custom, or you can copy mine.

• Add small envelopes for receipts and other important paper scraps.
• Use an elastic, ribbon, or (what I did this year) a hair tie to create a way to keep your planner closed

Step 3: Fill It In

This is the most fun part! Make your lists, plan out your month, brainstorm holiday menu plans and must-try recipes. Use your favorite colored pens (these are mine) and enjoy your new planner.

The most important thing to remember, with a holiday planner or bullet journal or any other organization method, is to make it your own. Don’t try to copy exactly what someone else does, but try different things and figure out what works best for personality and family needs. 

PRINTABLES TO INCLUDE ::

• December Bucket List
• Connected Christmas planning pages (this is the Christmas curriculum we use in our homeschool during December, get 10% off with code THISPILGRIMLIFE10))
• An Advent reading plan
• Winter Dinner Ideas

BONUS IDEA :: I wrap each person’s gifts with different wrapping paper, and tape a small piece of their specific paper next to their name so I don’t forget!

If you make your own holiday planner, I’d love to see it! Share on social and tag me @thispilgrimlife! Keep scrolling to check out some more fun holiday projects, recipes, and gift ideas. Happy holidays, friends! 

More holiday posts to check out ::

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The post DIY Holiday Planner appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.

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Today I’m sharing three (you won’t believe how easy) healthy snack recipes with you! Real fruit and veggie strips, homemade chewy gummies, and dairy-free chocolate pudding. 

If you want even more healthy snack ideas, you MUST check out this Super Awesome List of Healthy Snack Ideas! There are so many great snack ideas, and a couple of great printables to help you remember them when your stomach starts rumbling!

Three Easy & Delicious Homemade Snack Recipes

These three healthy snack recipes are remarkably easy to make. Basically, each is simply a matter of blending, heating, and cooling. Each snack is made from a handful of real food ingredients, making them a great option for snacking since they are not just empty calories.

I make the fruit and veg strips all the time during the spring and summer. It is sooooo easy to do, and can be a great way to use up fruit that is almost bad or too ripe just for snacking. When the strips are finished, I cut them into long strips, then roll up each strip and put them in one of our Grove reusable bags. They are great portable snacks (and bonus) not messy at all.

The gummies are a fun treat, but not something we do very often. Filling the molds is a great task for kids, though, and since I’ve figured out how to make them chewy, we may be making them more often now.

Recommendations ::

• Excalibur Dehydrator
• Silicon Animal Molds
• Silicon Lego Molds
• 40z Mason Jars (best price at Wal-Mart)
• Beef gelatin

(from 2019) I shared all of these recipes in a handy video on YouTube too! You’ll need to recipes here, but you can watch exactly how to make them and get extra tips in the video. Be sure to subscribe while you’re there so you don’t miss any new videos!

Watch on YouTube :: 

Real Fruit & Veg Strips

• 4 cups fruit
• 2 carrots
• 1 ripe banana

1.Blend together fruit, carrots cut into 2″ pieces, and banana. Add water as need to blend.

2.Line the trays from your dehydrator (or a baking sheet for the oven) with parchment paper. Spread the blended fruit/veg mixture onto the parchment paper in a thin, even layer. (You want it to be thin without being able to see through the mixture and without any holes or gaps).

3.Follow the directions on your dehydrator and dry out the mixture until it is completely dry and no longer tacky*.

4.Cut into strips and store in a container until ready to eat.

*You can also make these in your oven using the lowest heat setting and cooking the strips until completely dry, about 5-6 hours.

Homemade Chewy Gummies

• about 2 cups fruit
• 4 tbsp unflavored gelatin
• silicon molds

1. Blend together fruit of choice until so you have 1 cup of puree.

2. Pour 1 cup of pureed fruit into a small pot and heat over medium heat until warm to the touch. Stir in 1/3 cup of honey. Slowly sprinkle unflavored gelatin across the top of the warm fruit mixture whisking the whole time. (You want to avoid clumps of the gelatin).

3. Remove the fruit mixture from the heat and let cool slightly before transferring the mixture into molds. (A medicine dropper works well for smaller molds).

4. Refrigerate the molds for about 12 hours, or overnight, then remove the gummies from the molds. Let the gummies continue to dry out slightly in the refrigerator for a day or two for chewy gummies.

Easy Dairy-Free Chocolate Pudding

• 13.5oz can of coconut milk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup decaf coffee
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate morsels (or semi-sweet)
• 2 tsp unflavored gelatin
• small jars

1.Pour the can of coconut milk in a small pot and heat over medium heat until the milk is warm to the touch. Stir in honey, decaf coffee, and sea salt. Add dark chocolate morsels (you can use semi-sweet if you prefer) and stir until the chocolate is melted and completely incorporated. Slowly sprinkle the unflavored gelatin across the top of the pudding mixture, whisking the whole time.

2.Pour the pudding mixture into small jars.

3.Refrigerate for 3-4 hours until set.

Print the recipes for the strips, gummies, and pudding. 

Don’t forget to check out all the other healthy snack ideas here.

More Like This ::

• Super Awesome List of Healthy Snack Ideas
• Summer Lunch Ideas + Printable Menu
• Spring & Summer Dinner Menu

Sharing is caring! Don’t forget to pin and share. Thank you!

The post Three Fun, Healthy, & Homemade Snacks appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.