Easy DIY Vegetable Broth

Over the last few years, I’ve been getting closer and closer to near-o waste. Not quite zero, but almost there. Vegetable broth was one of the easiest switch ever! Not only did it cut down on vegetable scrap waste, it cut down on the waste produced by buying tetra packs of vegetable broth.

It is so simple! It took me forever to get this onto the blog, but today is the day.

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The key to this broth is your collection of vegetable scraps. I collect these over time and keep them in my freezer. It’s simple: onion ends, carrot peels, celery ends, you name it. I make sure to clean everything well before peeling or adding. Sometimes I’ll add vegetables that are starting to wilt to my collection if I won’t be able to use them in time. I stick these scraps in a jar or in a baggie and keep them in the freezer until I am ready for them.

I whip up this broth in my Instant Pot, but it’s just as easy to do it on the stovetop or in your slow cooker as well.

Once the broth is made, it will stay good in your fridge for a few days or in the freezer for 6 months. I prefer the latter, by the way. Just requires some planning when you’re ready to use it. If I want to use it, I’ll stick it into the fridge overnight and it’s ready for me the next day!

I really enjoy being able to make my own pantry staples and knowing exactly what goes into what we eat!

Some recipes that use vegetable broth:

• Easy Enchilada Sauce

• Vegan Corn Chowder

• Poor Man’s Lentil Soup

• Spinach & Artichoke Flatbread

Easy DIY Vegetable Broth

What you need:

• Large onion, in large chunks with papery skin still on

• 3 carrots, scrubbed, skins still on

• 3 stalks celery, scrubbed, leaves still on

• 8 cloves garlic, crushed

• 2-3 cups veggie scraps

• 1 TBSP parsley (dried or fresh)

• 1 TBSP thyme (dried or fresh)

• 6 springs fresh rosemary (optional)

• 3 bay leaves

• 2 tsp sea salt

• 10 cups water

Instant Pot Instructions

Add everything to the instant pot insert. Set on manual high pressure for 30 minutes and release steam manually. (Continued below in bold print)

Stovetop Instructions

Add everything to a large stockpot and allow to simmer at least 1 hour. (Continued below in bold print)

Slow Cooker Instructions

Add everything to the pot insert and cook on high for at least 5 hours. (Continued below in bold print)

Allow broth to cool. Once cooled, run through a fine sieve and store in large jars or containers.

PS: Another great way to use food scraps like citrus is making an all-purpose cleaner!

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What kinds of pantry staples do you make from scratch? How do you cut down on food waste?

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Decluttering Your Phone

Ah, Spring is in the air. If you’ve been around for a while, you know I adore Spring and everything involved in it - yes, even the rainy days! You also might know that I love a good declutter. I’ve talked about decluttering on the blog before and have even created an awesome decluttering/Spring Cleaning checklist that a lot of you have downloaded and used! Today, I thought I’d go one step further and talk about digital cleaning - starting with likely my most-used electronic device: my smart phone.

I got my first cell phone when I was 17, after getting my license. I really had no need for one up until then, since my parents pretty much drove me everywhere. If I was out and about, they either lent me an extra phone they had, or made sure I had quarters for the pay phone. That first phone, though not super smart, was great and did everything I needed it to. It called, and I could even send up to 50 text messages for free!! What a thought!

Now that I do pretty much everything on this little phone that fits in my pocket, I almost want to go back to the days where all my phone did was call and text. It isn’t a reality I’ve seriously considered going back to, but I have definitely tried to scale back on what I keep on my phone. Let’s look at a few areas you can start decluttering on your phone.

Contacts

I don’t know about you, but over the years I have accumulated so many contacts. As I was going through my phone once, I didn’t even recognize some of the names and I realized that my phone had synced all of the contacts in my university email one year - thousands of names and email addresses I would never use or recognize! I started by getting rid of all of those, and was left with a list that was much more manageable to go through. Chances are there are names of people you had to contact once (and will never contact again), and some incomplete names as well. I even found contact names like, “No Name” and 1-800 numbers! I know going through contacts can be pretty rough and can make you feel guilty if you choose to get rid of numbers, but trust me, it will be well worth your time when you are done.

Some easy steps:

• Go through each name, deleting names you don’t recognize or don’t need anymore

• Verify the correctness of the contact information of the names you choose to keep

Applications

For me, apps usually fall into one of three categories: The ones I use almost every day (ex. Instagram, weather, fitness apps, etc.), the ones I use from time to time when needed (store rewards apps, calculator, etc.), and the ones I downloaded that one time and never used again. Determine what apps fall under those categories and delete accordingly.

Some app tips:

• If you aren’t sure exactly what apps you use frequently and use an iPhone, check your settings under “General” followed by “iPhone Storage” for a list of the most used (and unused) apps on your phone.

• If possible, get rid of email on your phone. I got rid of mine over a year ago and have never, ever, once looked back! As a bonus, I now do not have to organize emails on my phone in addition! 

Photos

“WHY DO I HAVE OVER 400 PHOTOS OF MY CAT ON MY PHONE?!” was a real question I asked my husband thousands of miles above ground level. I had run out of things to do, so I figured I’d go through my photos and clean them out. Whoa, was I in for a surprise.

Some photos you may want to consider deleting:

• Those photos you took to reference later (first off, if you really did reference them later, I’m so proud. But consider getting rid of them hehe)

• Those photos you took of something ruhl quick to send in a text message

• Those photos that automatically downloaded when you opened up that group chat in WhatsApp (First off, turn that setting off!!! Second off, delete those babies)

• Those photos of your dog/cat/child (You have enough. Trust me. Choose your favorites, put ‘em in a photobook or upload to Instagram and send the rest into cyber abyss. Okay, fine. Keep one or two to show the stranger on the train who also has a dog/cat/child.)
  
  

If you like, you can keep a zero photo camera roll by creating a folder on Google Drive or the like to keep your precious moments on. You’d be amazed at how sane and satisfied you feel once your count goes from 4,252 pictures to zero.

Your physical phone

Of course I wouldn’t write about decluttering without adding some cleaning! Your phone is a breeding ground for nastiness. Trust me, it’s gross. If you don’t believe me, I give you permission to leave this website and Google it. Just type in “Is my phone gross?” and you’ll get plenty of good reads (Like this article from Reader’s Digest). 

Depending on your device, specific instructions for cleaning may vary. I use an Apple device and Apple advises the following for its products:

• Use only a soft, lint-free cloth.

• Avoid excessive wiping.

• Unplug all power sources, devices, and cables.

• Keep liquids away from your device.

• Don’t allow moisture to get into any openings.

• Avoid aerosol sprays, bleaches, and abrasives.

• Avoid spraying cleaners directly onto your device.

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So there you have it! It’s not so hard to declutter your phone. Do it all at once, or break it up and do it over a week. Are you planning on Spring Cleaning your phone this season?

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Happy Earth Day!

I decided to change up my weekly posts and wait until Earth Day to post!

Even though my analytics say that my readers live all over the world, we ALL call Earth our home, so why not?

While life here may not look like we are used to, there are still things we appreciate about it. For me, a huge positive side is the nature offered. Landforms and landscapes are so varied around the world and each has a beauty. Even though our world is marred with sin and what we have now pales in comparison to what Heaven must be like, I still love that we can enjoy and appreciate beauty here.

Here are a few of my favorite places on Earth:

Some Earth Day posts:

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What’s your favorite thing about living on Earth?

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Vegan New York Style Cheesecake

I definitely have a thing for cheesecake. It started way back in high school, and never really went away. In fact, a few of my friends and I have a tradition that whenever we’re together, we eat cheesecake. While it’s sad I don’t see them often, maybe it’s a positive thing.

Since I quit dairy, it was hard to find a substitute for the decadent dessert. Somehow, even though they’re tasty, the frozen varieties never really hit the spot.

This cheesecake, however, does it for me. And it’s husband approved - which is huge, considering he is even more of a cheesecake fan than I am!

The base of this cheesecake is cashews and vegan cream cheese (I’m sorry, nut sensitive friends!). I’ve also tried it with silken tofu, but somehow I like the texture the cream cheese gets. The arrowroot powder adds to the firmness of the cake. You also are in control of how tart you want it. I’ve tested this particular recipe with both as little as 3 TBSP of lemon juice and as much as a 1/4 cup of the liquid lip pucker.

I chose not to put the strawberries on top of the entire cheesecake, as we have a non-fan of the fruit living under the roof. Considering there is only one other human living in our house besides me, I’ll let you guess who that could possibly be.

You could make any type of fruit topping. In fact, get creative! And then let me know what combinations you like best! I’ve made strawberry and blueberry so far. I can’t wait to experiment with more flavors (and I’ve even made a galactic version of this for a space-themed birthday party which was a hit.

This is seriously the best basic cheesecake.

Vegan New York Style Cheesecake

For the Crust:

• 2 cups graham crackers

• ¾ cup melted coconut oil or vegan butter

• ¼ cup maple syrup or agave

• Pinch sea salt

For the Filling:

• 8oz vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti brand)

• 1 cup refrigerated coconut cream

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes

• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (get it from Amazon here)

• ¼ c fresh lemon juice

• ¼ c Maple syrup

• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

• Pinch salt

For the Strawberry Topping:

• 1 container (16 oz) of fresh strawberries, diced and a few just halved

• cane sugar

• lemon juice

• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder mixed in 2 tbsp water

what to do:

1) Preheat the oven to 350ºF

2) Prepare the crust by combining all the the ingredients in a bowl. Mix well and then press into the pie pan.

3) Bake the crust for 8 minutes, until browned. Set aside to cool.

4) While the crust cools, combine all of the filing ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor. Blend until a smooth mixture with no cashew chunks, scraping down the sides as deeded.

5) Pour mixture into cooled pie crust and smooth the top with a spatula.

6) Bake 40 minutes - top will be slightly browned.

7) Allow to cool completely.

8) While cake is cooling, make your fruit topping.

9) Make topping by adding the diced strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes - the strawberries will break down. Make the arrowroot powder slurry and add it to the saucepan. Stir until the sauce is thickened. Add the halved strawberries and toss to coat. Cool before serving over the cheesecake.

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Do you like cheesecake? What is your favorite topping? Let me know below!

Trying this recipe? Don’t forget to tag #MapleAlps so we can see what you’re up to! :)

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On Bible Memorization

Growing up, every week at church we would receive one single Jelly Belly if we memorized a short Bible verse. I would work on that verse all week - or sometimes I would cram it all in on a single Friday night in order to be able to recite it the next day in church. Every 13 weeks, we would get a special treat if we were able to recite all of the verses from the previous 13 lessons, and I always wanted to ensure I was in on that!

After getting older and aging out of the programs, I stopped memorizing the Bible intentionally. There really was no need to now that I wasn’t getting one single Jelly Belly each week. Plus, I had a job now and could buy all the Jelly Belly treats that I wanted.

A while ago, a verse floated through my mind - funnily enough, one that I had memorized as a child:

“Your Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You. ”

— Psalm 119:11, ESV

It started rolling around in my mind and I started wondering why I had stopped hiding God’s Word in my heart. As a teacher in a Christian School, I had been requiring my students to memorize Scripture as well and I realized that as a result of many verses hidden in my heart, it had been easy for me to remember what God wanted of me. And because I love Him and I want to do what He wants, knowing Scripture made it easy to do that.

So I set out to intentionally begin memorizing the promises in His Word.

Why? For just a few key reasons:

• To enhance Bible study

• To have the verses in my heart when I need them

• To keep me in check 

• To protect me from the lies of the devil and others

• To have encouragement for myself and to share that encouragement with others

How Can I Memorize Scripture?

Today, I want to share some easy steps on how to go about memorizing Scripture. I’ll also be sharing a few different strategies I’ve used and a few I know others use. Everyone has a way of doing things! I’d love it if you stuck around to the end and left a comment telling me what technique you use (or want to start using) as well!

Steps I Take

Set Quiet Time Aside

Quiet time is so important to not just memorize mechanically but to really dwell on the text. I like to memorize out loud (I need to hear it), so being alone helps me to really focus and not think so much about what the other person in the room is thinking about me.

Read and Study

I think this is pretty straight forward. I love studying out the text to help me build connections as I memorize. I find it much much easier to memorize larger chunks at a time, rather than one verse here and there. In fact, one of my first conscious memorizing endeavors was learning an entire book - chapter by chapter, of course, but by the end, I could say the entire book in one sitting. 

Repeat 

I repeat the texts out loud (see why I like to find a quiet alone spot?) to really get them into my mind. Repetition is key for me.

Listen 

I do this in a few ways. I use a Bible reading app to listen to (and quote along with) but I sometimes will record myself and listen to that as well. I mean, I’ve memorized entire radio dramas just by listening to them so many times, so why not memorize the Bible this way? This way, it’s also easy to make progress while I’m driving or exercising!

Write 

The hand to brain connection is stronger than we think. I like to write out the verses or chapters by hand. It’s a totally different way to experience Scripture! You can even dedicate a special notebook to write your verses out in if you like.

Share with a Friend

This can be taken in a few different ways. One idea is to have an accountability partner who is willing to listen to you spout off a few verses as you internalize. Another option is just finding a friend each day to talk to about what you’ve been learning as you memorize - and trust me, you WILL be learning as you memorize. 

Some Additional Strategies:

• Chunk Verses

• Use Rhythm - put the words to a certain rhythm (also good for memorizing sheet music, strangely enough)

• Use Song - put the verses to song!

• Visualize - what do you see as you hear the words?

• Write it out

• Start an accountability group or find a partner to join you

• Move while reciting - movement gets those brain cells working!

• Dramatize - act it out with voice or movement or both!

• Use a Scripture Memorization App

• Memorize Large portions

• Use flashcards if you want to memorize short verses

Whatever method you use to get God’s Word in your heart, just know it’s better off in there than collecting dust on a shelf!

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Do you memorize Scripture? Would you like to? What strategies do you use to memorize?

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