Summer is right around the corner and with it comes farmers markets and festivals!! I have a serious weakness for festivals. But luckily, Harrisburg has quite a few tantalizing festivals to enjoy each summer.

Here are a few of my favorites!

Patriot-News Artsfest

Right by the Susquehanna River, the Patriot-News Artsfest lasting from May 28-30 features around 250 vendors and is free to the public.

Artists and muscians from around the nation come to Artsfest.  Dozens of food vendors fill the air with sweet aromas of french fries, lemonade and funnel cakes.

The event is located at Riverfront Park in Harrisburg and typically opens from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and closes early at 5 p.m. on Monday. The festival also has an area just for kids.

Street parking is free Sunday and Monday but you’ll need to pay at the meter on Saturday.

Jubilee Day

Jubilee Day takes farmers market to the next level! This largest, longest running one day street fair on the East Coast takes place on Thursday, June 16 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

There is something for everyone on Main Street in Mechanicsburg during Jubilee Day. Over 300 vendors will be offering food, products, and various other forms of summer fun and entertainment.

Keep in mind that no bikes or pets are allowed. They do offer free parking at the Mechancisburg High School with a free shuttle service to the street fair.

Kipona Festival

By the time Labor Day weekend rolls around, it’s time to visit Riverfront Park in Harrisburg again for the Kipona Festival!

Pennsylvania has such a unique culture, which is displayed in this festival through concerts and cuisine!

The Kipona Festival is free to the public and is a great way to end your summer with a bang (literally…they do have a firewords show usually on Sunday night).

I’ve been on a zoodle kick lately. My husband got me this spiralizer for my birthday and I love it!! Zoodles are spiralized zucchini noodles. Of course, when I use the word zoodles it includes all veggies I can spiralize!

There’s a bunch of different ways to make veggie noodles. If you don’t have a spiralizer you can still make zoodles by using a spiral slicer, julienne peeler (cheapest option), or mandoline slicer. Here’s the spiralizer I have but here is another good option that my sisters has.

This irresistible zucchini noodle recipe has become one of my favorites!! It’s so simple and all together takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and cook. Healthy+Fast+Cheap=Awesome Recipe (That’s the extent of my math skills.)

You might think cooking fish and zoodles can be tricky. Other foodies sometimes make it look really difficult and time intensive. But it’s not. For example, some bloggers say you have to let your zoodles ‘sweat’ by putting salt on them and letting them sit for awhile and then rinsing them off (yada yada). I’ve done that jazz and I don’t taste the difference.

In regards to fish, the secret is buying good fish. I go to Giant Food Store and buy their fresh wild-caught sockeye salmon from Alaska in their seafood section by the deli. (I might be slightly picky with fish since I was born and raised in Alaska.) Prices for this salmon vary from $6.99/lb to $29.99/lb. (CRAZY!). The key is to just keep your eye on the price when you go grocery shopping. When the price goes on sale (anything under $14/lb, I like to buy several vacuum-packed frozen filets. Keep them frozen until you are ready to use them. Otherwise, you can buy them fresh and thawed from the seafood department.

Yes, they should have skin on one side. And yes, they might have bones. The day before you cook the fish, put the filet in the fridge to thaw. When you take it out to cook the next day, feel along the flesh of the fish for any spiky bones (they are tiny about an inch long and white) and pull them out using tweezers (be sure to clean your tweezers before and after!) like you would an eyebrow hair. 😛

If you don’t get all the bones out and accidentally eat one, don’t worry I’ve eaten several in the past and I’m still alive!

Spicy Salmon Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar or white vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped
1 tsp freshly grated ginger root
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Dash of salt

*The Sweet Chili Sauce above is based off of  iFoodReal’s recipe here.

Directions: 
Step 1: Mix all ingredients together. Lay the fish skin side down on an oven safe dish. Brush half the mixture over de-boned fish.

Step 2: Place in a preheated oven at 350. Cook for 15-20 minutes depending on thickness and size of fish.

Tip: Put foil down on your oven safe dish and place the fish on top to make clean up easy! Just fold up the foil with the fish skin inside. If you don’t plan to take the trash out in 48 hrs, place the foil with the fish skin in a clear plastic produce bag (like the one’s you put your zucchini in at the store to take home) and tie up so the smell won’t sneak out.

Step 3: You’ll know the fish is cooked when you start to see the white protein ooze out of your fish– that’s nature’s sauce and it’s good for you! When you take the fish out of the oven, the flesh should easily flake and pull away from the skin. The gray stuff between the skin and the fish is fat…the good kind filled with omega 3 and it’s perfectly safe to eat as long as you bought wild caught fish. If you purchased farm raised then it could contain some harmful PCBs so you might want to scrap it off then.

Thai Zoodles Recipe

While your fish is in the oven, it’s time to whip up your thai zoodles!

Ingredients:
1 zucchini, spiralized
1 yellow squash, spiralized
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce or the thai sweet chili sauce you made above
Optional garnishes: Chopped peanuts, chopped green onions or sesame seeds

Directions: 
Step 1: Heat the pan over medium-high and add your olive oil, onion and garlic.

Step 2: Saute for 5-8 minutes till onions start to turn translucent and then add your spiralized veggie noodles. Stir the zoodles around so they get covered with oil and they begin to loosen.

Step 3: Add your thai or teriyaki sauce to the zoodles and continue to stir till everything is thoroughly coated and the zoodles are soft to your liking. Typically it takes around 10 minutes to cook the zoodles.

Step 4: Spoon out your zoodles with the sauce onto two plates. Split the salmon and add the filet on top of the zoodles. If you want to make it fancy, you can choose to add the optional garnishes. Enjoy!

Have a suggestion? I’m always open to improving my recipes or even doing spins off of them! Let me hear about your creations below!

Energy efficiency is the leading way to reduce your impact and make your home energy efficient. Learning about the ways that can result in more energy efficient home is critical to reducing your sewer, water, and electricity bills as well making your home greener. This strategy is a winner for both your wallet and planet.

Houses with greener features have recently emerged as the most sought after in the market. Therefore, learning how to add green features that will help you benefit from lower costs, and make your house more marketable is crucial.

Energy Star Appliances

ENERGY STAR has emerged as a common sign for energy-efficient appliances. Though you may be familiar with this symbol, you may still not know that ENERGY STAR is a government initiative that was initiated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The outcome has been a trusted and easily identifiable system that helps consumers to choose the most energy-efficient appliances for their houses. For ENERGY STAR appliances to earn the label, they must meet a certain list of criteria put by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Through these appliances, significant energy and water savings (typically 10 to 50 percent) are made without compromising the performance.

Often, ENERGY STAR appliances are priced comparably to other less efficient products. Pricing is one of the criteria for earning the ENERGY STAR label. If the ENERGY STAR product is expensive than a standard product that offers the same features, the rating for the ENERGY STAR is only awarded should the consumer make up the extra cost in the water or energy bill savings (in a reasonable period of time).

Energy-efficient Windows

Sometimes, replacing windows on an already existing home is not a good idea as it can be expensive and only results in an energy bill savings of about 7 to 15 percent. Nonetheless, if you are building a house, it would be better to choose energy-efficient windows to provide enough energy savings to meet the added cost per window (mostly $15).

There are a few things you need to keep in your mind if you decide to have a greener window option for your home. Notably, you need to understand the solar heat gain ratings and the thermal transmission (U-factor). Solar heat ratings measure the amount of heat lost during winter and the amount of energy gained during summer. The lower the recorded rating, the more your house is energy efficient.

If you still do not have an idea on how to go about this option of energy efficiency, you need not worry. ENERGY STAR has a system for rating for windows. Interestingly, if you are looking for the ENERGY STAR label, you will get a good, eco-friendly product. Moreover, ENERGY STAR even breaks windows based on climate zones to help you locate a window that will work better in your house. Note: ENERGY STAR products are always at the same price point as the other standard windows.

Green roofs and Benefits of Roof Insulation

Green roofs are the other popular way to make your house energy efficient. Notably, painting your house roofs white is an easy technique to reflect heat and save costs during the summer. But more interesting is planting gardens on rooftops, resulting in a greener environment just like in the surroundings. The gardens at the rooftops are critical to insulating the buildings in the winter and soak up stormwater, minimizing water pollution from the urban runoff.

In recent times, green roof tops have emerged popular in some areas because of the associated benefit of energy efficiency. Areas such as Portland, New York City, California, and Kankakee, Ill., have almost turned green. Though green roofs are associated with a plethora of environmental benefits, the major driving force for most house owners is the economic incentives brought about by this technology.

There are many benefits associated with roof insulation. Though it is common to link roof insulation with winterizing your home and making your home warmer, insulation is beneficial for year-round comfort. Roof insulation prevents all heat from moving through it, even if the heat is on the outside of your home or the inside of your home. In other words, this implies that during the winter, insulation will prevent heat from escaping and during the summer, insulation will prevent heat from entering into the home.

Tankless Water Heater and Low-flow Plumbing Fixtures

You can add many features to your home to make conserve water as well as cut down water bills costs. The tankless water heater conserves energy by providing hot water as it is required. It does not produce standby energy losses as in the storage water heaters. On the other hand, features such as shower heads, toilets, and faucets are some of the common low-plumbing features that you can add to your home to conserve water.

Conclusion

In sum, making your home energy efficient is one way you can cut a lot of costs that are associated with poor energy consumption. Nonetheless, it may be difficult to have energy efficient homes if you lack some basic tips. Luckily, with the above-highlighted tips, you can make you home energy efficient without a hassle.

Cookies for breakfast?!

Trust me, these healthy breakfast cookies will change the way your family starts their day.

Packed with fruit and healthy grains that will give you energy without crashing later. I felt like I could tackle anything after having these for breakfast! Okay, slight exaggeration. But seriously, they are oh-so-good!!

It all started when my blueberries were going bad and I was having some serious cookie cravings. After experimenting a few times, I was able to develop the best breakfast cookie recipe that I’ve tried to date (visit my blog later as I try to out-do myself again).

Don’t have time to read the full post or if you want to save this for later, pin this recipe.

Blueberry Banana Breakfast Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour (also can use almond flour or coconut flour)
1/2 cup flaxseed
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp melted coconut oil or almond oil
4 tbsp buttermilk
3 tbsp raw honey
Opt: 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Opt: 1/2 cup sliced almonds or other nut

NOTE: I highly suggest you double this batch and freeze half of it to make future breakfast cookies easy to make.

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Then in a mixing bowl, combone the oats, flour, flaxseed, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and then mix in the oil, egg, butter, vanilla and buttermilk.

Step 2: Stir the wet ingredients into the dry mix. Wash the blueberries if you haven’t already and then add to the mix. At this time, you can also add the nuts and chocolate chips if you so desire.

Step 3: Scoop the dough out like you would regular cookies and place about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.

Personally, I think these breakfast cookies taste best the day after…and the day after that…and the day after that!

Note: Some of the links below are to Amazon. When you purchase the product I receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. The money I receive goes to helping me keep this blog live and filled with healthy recipes. Thanks for your support!

I’ve been touting the benefits of bone broth to my friends and family for almost a year now, but it’s been only recently that my sisters have been taking fetish seriously.

I stumbled upon bone broth when I was struggling with some digestive issues, which the doctors still don’t know quite what was wrong with me but more on that later!

Health Benefits of Bone Broth

Bone broth is chalk (or should I say “stock”) full of amino acids, gelatin, calcium, magnesium and other minerals.

Gelatin is known for it’s ability to attract and hold liquids, such as digestive juices. That’s why bone broth is a stable for many who suffer from IBS, leaky gut or those following the GAPS diet. There are a bunch of theories on the web about how gelatin could help with building up your joints too but those haven’t been proven yet. However, bone broth can reduce joint pain and inflammation because of some really fancy worded nutrients like chondroitin sulfates and glucosamine, which comes from boiling bones. The calcium and magnesium also helps in strong bones and overall health.

While bone broth can be made from any type of bones, I make mine from free-range chickens. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that chicken soup can help cure colds, there is some truth to this. A study published years ago found that chicken broth does have medicinal qualities in that it can inhibit infections caused by the cold or flu.

Besides these health benefits, having broth on hand is convenient for whenever you need some for a recipe. Not to mention it is relatively easy to make (once you find out where to buy the bones) and is cheap for how much you get from it. Since you make it in large quantities, I usually separate the broth into several quart-sized jars or freezer bags and then save them in the freezer for easy access.

Where can I buy bones for bone broth?

It depends. I usually get my from our year-round farmer’s market. They have an Amish family there that sells grass-fed meat and free-range chicken. I simply asked him what bones I should get for bone broth. I ended up with two chicken ‘backs’ (basically a chicken without the breasts or thighs) and a bag of chicken feet. Most butcher shops will also sell their own bone broth.

If you plan far enough ahead, you can also just save the bones after cooking full chickens. Keep a Ziploc bag in your freezer with the bones till you are ready to use them.

The great thing about bone broth is it’s so versatile. You don’t have to use chicken bones. You can use turkey bones, fish bones, veal bones (which have the most gelatin, actually). Just make sure you get a good combination of feet, joints and bones.

Best Chicken Bone Broth Recipe

Ingredients:

2 pounds of bones, joints and feet

1 onion, quartered

4 carrots, washed and roughly chopped

4 stalks of celery, washed and roughly chopped

1 head of garlic, cut horizontally

3 tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar with the mother

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

Directions:

Step 1: If using raw bones, roast them at 350 for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Place bones in a stock pot (you can also use a crock pot but I suggest you still bring your bones and water to a boil before adding to your crock pot to simmer the rest of the time) and add filtered water just so it covers the bones in the pot. Also add your apple cider vinegar.

Step 3: Bring the bones, water and vinegar to a boil and then turn down to simmer. If you start to see scum float to the top, you can skim that off the top. Make sure you add additional water to that water is always covering all the bones. Supposedly the scum is impurities but I’ve skipped this process once and never noticed the difference so up to you and your OCD 😛

Step 4: After 15 hours (closer to 30 hours if you are using beef bones), add in your vegetables but not the herbs.

Step 5: After an additional 9 hours (total of 24 hours simmering), add the parsley and thyme and let simmer for 30 more minutes before straining the chunks out of the broth. You can choose to keep some of the meat, veggies or herbs in the broth in you plan on just turning it into soup afterwards.

Enjoy! The first time I tried chicken bone broth I thought it tasted like pizza–I know, crazy, right?! Let me know in the comments what you think it tastes like or let us know your tips to making amazing and nutritious bone broth!

Learn more about the health benefits of apple cider vinegar!

Would you be put off by the sight of a crumbling, weed-infested, desecrated building? It may have been someone’s residence in a bygone era but it certainly wouldn’t fit many people’s idea of home. It doesn’t have to remain like that, though. A run-down building may, in fact, be your ideal opportunity to seize upon an existing structure and touch it up just the way you want it.

The good people at Chic Furniture and Gift, a UK-based online retailer of shabby chic furniture, have put together this fantastic house restoration guide for anyone thinking of giving some love to a neglected property. While it is the perfect way of letting your interior design mind run wild, it also takes plenty of thought, money and patience to get it exactly how you would want. Just as you wouldn’t simply sit an exam without studying for it first, you can’t click your fingers and say ‘Hey, I’m gonna restore this old house’ without giving it the necessary consideration.

As well as knowing what work needs to be done, you’ll also need to ensure that you have the budget for undertaking a house restoration project. Any interiors expert will tell you that whatever amount you think you’ll need, add 20% to it and that’s what you probably will need. How much it will cost will depend significantly on how much work you’re willing to invest – in this case, it is almost always a case of ‘you get what you pay for’.

Restoring a home is no laughing matter, but once you carefully map out precisely what you want and what you need to get it, plus how much the entire project is going to cost, it has the potential to be incredibly satisfying. Don’t just take a wrecking ball to a dilapidated old house; put your stamp on it and turn it into a place that you would be proud to call home.

Note: Some of the links below are to Amazon. When you purchase the product I receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. The money I receive goes to helping me keep this blog live and filled with healthy recipes. Thanks for your support!

My earliest memories of apple cider vinegar still leave me with a nasty look on my face but I can’t deny the amazing health benefits that comes from drinking apple cider vinegar. I’ve never been one for wine either so I shouldn’t be surprised at my strong aversion (the word ‘vinegar’ means ‘sour wine’).

However, a few months ago I was going through a tough digestion issue and seeing how vinegar would be my best attempt at natural healing I decided to give it a go. But I couldn’t for the life of me force vinegar down without gagging afterwards.

I started to experiment with different recipes and stumbled upon an easy apple cider vinegar detox recipe that I would like to share with you today before plowing into the five benefits of apple cider vinegar.

Apple Cider Vinegar Detox Drink Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup hot water
1 tablespoon Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Dash of cinnamon and nutmeg (to your liking)
1 teaspoon of raw honey

Directions: Heat the water then add all the ingredients into it. Tastes just like apple cider (without the vinegar)!!

Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits

Apple cider vinegar supposedly helps with dozens of ailments from diabetes to infections. While I’ve seen it work in my own life for an infection in the gut, I’m not a nutritionist so please use this information with caution and at your own risk.

1. Apple Cider Vinegar Helps with Weight Loss and Diabetes

There have been studies done that shows drinking apple cider vinegar can aid in weight loss when you are eating healthy and exercising. It does this by promoting satiety and lowering insulin and glucose levels. This is also why it is great for people with diabetes. Not to mention, those with diabetes usually struggle with their weight.

Since diabetes runs on my mom’s side of the family, I will continue to drink apple cider vinegar for this reason, even though I don’t have diabetes (nor do I know if I will ever get it).

2. Doing an Apple Cider Vinegar Detox Will Help Balance Your Body

Our bodies are constantly trying to reach a state of equilibrium. Research has shown that apple cider vinegar can help clean the liver and regulate cardiovascular circulation. In addition, it helps your body maintain a healthy pH level.

3. Apple Cider Vinegar Can Help Alleviate Allergies.

Another benefit for me is the effect it has on managing allergies. I knew of this benefit years ago when I was interning at a non-profit and spent some time with a women who would swear by the healing powers of apple cider vinegar. She had more allergies than fingers and toes. The only thing she had found to work was taking apple cider vinegar in a glass of cold ice water every morning.

Apple cider vinegar can clean your lymph nodes and help break up mucous. This helps those with allergies stave off sinus infections, headaches and sore throats.

4. Take Away Infections with Apple Cider Vinegar

Earlier in the post I mentioned I forced apple cider vinegar down for a digestive issue. I believe I had some sort of infection or imbalance in my intestines and stomach. Apple cider vinegar in general is great for your digestion since it is packed with enzymes to aid the stomach. It can also help prevent indigestion and heartburn if taken 30 minutes before eating.

Apple cider vinegar’s acidic nature is what helps kill bacteria and keep it from growing (that’s why it’s used in preserving food). It has been shown to help those with candida and skin infections.

5. Get Natural Beauty from Apple Cider Vinegar

I can’t end a list about apple cider vinegar without mentioning its beauty applications. Apple cider vinegar can naturally whiten your teeth, clean your hair (though I totally think it still smells like vinegar after washing it with the no-poo method!), reduce acne and lighten scars.

I hope this tease of benefits from drinking and using apple cider vinegar will encourage you to buy a bottle (they can usually be found in the organic aisle at any store for around $6). Be sure to get organic with the mother still in the bottle!

Have a question? Ask me in the comments below or find me on Facebook!