For as long as I can remember, shrimp has been one of my favorite foods, and these grilled shrimp taco bowls treat shrimp like the pretty little superstars they are!
This bowl is packed with healthy Mexican-inspired ingredients such as black beans, corn, tomatoes, and lettuce, all served on top of rice with a spicy cilantro dressing.
https://ift.tt/2lUhzDdEnjoying a nice cool drink on a hot summer day can really quench your thirst. Having these mint ice cubes ready to go in the freezer can add a hint of mint and a little sweetness too, to any drink, so easily. Plus, they are so easy to make.
Imagine it’s a hot summer day. You need a cool drink. You grab a nice glass of iced tea, lemonade or ? to cool off with. You add ice but as the ice melts it does nothing but water down your drink.
Sure it cools off your drink, but that’s about it. By the time you get to the end of your delicious glass, it’s so watered down, it doesn’t taste good at all.
You can purchase those reusable ice cubes and they work well. If you don’t mind looking at colored plastic cubes floating around in your glass.
But what if you could cool your drink without it being watered down and flavor it too.
Wouldn’t that be great?!
These mint ice cubes can do just that. They can cool your drink, just like regular ice cubes do. But as they melt, they don’t water down your drink. They flavor and sweeten it instead.
Plus when you add a mint leaf to each cube you get a pretty addition to your glass instead of plastic color cubes.
And these flavored ice cubes can help you drink more water.
In the summer we all know we need to drink more water while working outside. If you don’t drink enough, you can get to feeling terrible or worse yet make yourself sick. All from being dehydrated.
But drinking plain old water gets boring after your fifth glass.
When you add a cube or two of these mint ice cubes, you can keep your water chilled. And have a nice flavored drink instead of plain water.
Plus since there is only a little sugar in each cube it doesn’t add much in the way of calories but adds a big benefit in taste.
Which keeps you drinking more water. Which we all know is good for us.
How to Make Mint Ice CubesIf you want to give these little ice cubes of flavor and sweetness a try, I’ve made a video tutorial for you. It’s just over a minute and takes you step by step through the recipe.
You will need to make mint syrup first, but it’s just as easy and I have a video tutorial for it too.
After watching the video, keep scrolling for tips on how to use these cubes, how to store them, and how much they cost to make too. Don’t forget to grab the printable recipe too, it’s below.
Where to Use the Mint Ice CubesUse these mint ice cubes in any drink you want to flavor. Some of our favorites are..
Ice Tea, instead of adding lemon try adding a mint ice cube instead. It won’t be as sweet as sweet tea but it will add a touch of sweetness and mint flavor too.
Lemonade, lemonade can be even better with an addition of a little mint. And these mint ice cubes are a great way to add mint flavor.
Plain Old Water, most of us don’t drink enough water. It’s easier to grab a glass of tea or a glass of juice. But this can add calories, caffeine, and other substances you don’t really need when plain water would be better.
Adding mint ice cubes can help to flavor the water like I mentioned above without adding much in the way of calories. Which can help you drink more.
Print the recipe below…
Once you have your mint ice cubes made, you’ll want to store them. Now if you have room and don’t need your ice cube trays, you could store them in the trays.
But when not sealed they can get sticky on top and not look as nice. That’s why I recommend storing them in a freezer bag out of the trays.
You can dump the mint ice cubes out of the trays and then place the into a freezer bag. Remove most of the air and place them in the freezer. When you need a cube or two for a drink, take one out and seal them back up.
This is the best way to keep these ice cubes the longest and they will take up less room in the freezer too.
If you are having a party, you won’t know who wants mint ice cubes and who doesn’t but you want them available for your guests to try.
The best way to display them and have them available but keep them from melting too quickly is to put the on ice.
Place the mint ice cubes in a chilled bowl with a bed of ice below them. As your guests get their drinks, they can grab regular ice or mint ice for their drinks. It’s easy, and it helps to keep the from melting.
Making mint ice cubes is quick. It only takes a minute or two to assemble them once you have the mint syrup made.
And using them to flavor water instead of reaching for juice, pop, or a sports drink, can save you money and calories.
But how much do these cost to make. After all knowledge is power. And if your food budget is tight something small can make or break it. But don’t worry you won’t have to figure out the cost for yourself. I’ve done the calculations for you below…
Some of the links below are my referral links. Which means when you purchase through them I can make a little money at no extra cost to you. Thanks! See my disclosure policy for more information.
Ingredients and Costs
Mint Leaves, cost for a bunch in a small box at the grocery store $2.30, it will be next to nothing if you grow your own mint at home in pots on your patio.
Mint Syrup, $.48 per cup is the cost of the homemade mint syrup, using the mint from the grocery store in the plastic containers. One package of mint from the store will make a batch of mint syrup and leave you enough leaves to use in the ice cubes.
You can purchase mint syrup at the store in the coffee aisle. If you like to shop online amazon carries this item and you can get free shipping if you order meets the shipping requirements.
Water, nothing extra if you use tap water, a little of money if you use bottled water. I use filtered tap water.
Kitchen Tools Needed…
Ice Cube Trays, I purchased mine at the dollar store, but you can also order fancier ones on Amazon. I like this one and this one too. You can use them over and over, the fancier ones will last longer than the dollar store ones. At least that has been my experience.
What’s the Cost…
For one ice cube tray full of mint ice cubes, which worked out to be 16 ice cubes, it cost $.20 for the full batch. And a little over a penny per cube.
And that is with purchasing the mint in the small packages from the store. You can save even more by growing your own mint.
If you purchase the mint syrup instead of making it at home that will increase your cost to $.96 for a batch of mint ice cubes. Or $.06 an ice cube. Still not bad at all and it saves you a little work too.
If you are looking to drink more water but plain old water just doesn’t cut it for you. Give these mint ice cubes a try.
If you need to watch your sugar intake, you can try making the mint syrup with a sugar substitute or purchase sugar free mint syrup from the store.
These mint ice cubes can help you dress up regular drinks for a party. Add a little sweetness to your ice tea or lemonade. Or make it easier to get that water you know you should drink everyday down.
Find More Summer Drink Ideas to Cool Off… https://ift.tt/2Nnp3eiWhen the 4th of July rolls around, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll be invited somewhere — potentially at the last minute as plans come together. Or maybe you’ll be the one inviting people over the night before the barbecue!
Either way, you might not have a ton of time to prepare something to bring with you—but that’s where these recipes help.
https://ift.tt/2KL9H1oAre you ready for the first week in July. I know my family is looking forward to celebrating the 4th of July with fireworks and a barbecue.
If you’re still unsure of what you’ll be eating this week, find a few meal plan ideas below I’m sure your family will love.
Some of the links below are my referral links. When you use them I can make a little money at no extra cost to you. Thanks for the support. For more information see my disclosure policy.
Summer always seems to begin right after the 4th of July. It seems most years we have mild summer weather with rain off and on until the 4th and then summer weather really begins.
My plan for this week is a yummy barbecued meal for the holiday. The rest of the week we’ll be eating easy skillet meals.
For the BLT salad, I’ll usually cook the bacon in the oven, but when it’s hot out who wants to run the oven? It just makes the house that much hotter.
Instead I’ll use my electric skillet to bake the bacon without an oven. It works better than a regular skillet because I can control the temperature better and the bacon cooks more evenly without the bacon splatter everywhere.
We’ll also be getting our first order from Imperfect Produce. I heard about them a while ago and when I looked to see if they delivered in my area, I was pleased to see they do.
If you’ve already heard of them and want to give them a try, you can use my referral link and save $10 off your first order.
I’ll let you know how we like the service after we’ve tried it out a few times. And I’ll share how the prices compare too.
Now Here’s our Full Meal Plan for this Week…
Dinners
Mushroom Chicken over Egg Noodles with a Salad
Pan Fried Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, and Salad
Hamburgers with Homemade Buns, Macaroni Salad and Fruit
BLT Salad with Fruit
World’s Best Chicken (from the freezer), Mashed Potatoes and Salad
Hoagie Roll Sandwiches, Chips and Fruit
Chicken Stir Fry with Rice
Lunches
Leftovers Most Days
Hot Dogs, Carrot Sticks, Fruit and Chips
Sandwiches, Chips, and Fruit
Burritos, Chips, Salsa, and Salad
Breakfasts
Toast from homemade bread and Eggs
Waffles, Sausage, and Eggs
Omelets, Toast and Fruit
What’s cooking at your house this week?
Do you need help planning your menu? Find my menu planning tips here with a free printable menu planner page and here for my frugal menu planning tips.
This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for your support.
Find more menu plan ideas at Org Junkie too.
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https://ift.tt/2tXA9OdWhether you’re making weeknight tacos for your family or hosting a potluck party for a crowd, making shredded chicken in the pressure cooker is such time saver.
Cooked in a mixture of Mexican spices and tangy pineapple juice, chicken thighs quickly become tender and easily shredded, ready for piling into tortillas.
https://ift.tt/2MGDRnbThis recipe is brought to you in partnership with The California Olive Committee.
Summer is the perfect time to fire up the grill for easy weeknight dinners or for weekend cook-outs with friends.
These Rosemary Olive Steak Skewers are a MUST! With a few simple ingredients, you can have a main course that everyone will enjoy.
https://ift.tt/2MGDQj7Last August, I started this project to share a free saints coloring book for each month. It all started with that August Saints Coloring Book. Now we’re finally at the end of the project! It’s time for the final of the free coloring books – the Saints Coloring Book for July. Related Reading: Ten Activities for
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