0030 6937438845
info@bestolive.gr

Homestead Blog Hop - Homestead tips, ideas, animal care, and recipes every Wednesday

Homestead Blog Hop 618 – Make Lemon Blueberry Bread

admin 0 Comments

Welcome to the Homestead Blog Hop. A weekly gathering for homesteaders and simple living enthusiasts. We all share DIY projects, from-scratch recipes, and creative inspiration from our homes to yours.

This week’s hop features yummy foods. It also offers practical ideas that celebrate handmade living and self-sufficiency. Explore ideas that fit a thoughtful, sustainable lifestyle.

Whether you’re looking for seasonal crafts, homemade treats, or encouragement on your homesteading journey, you’ll find plenty of inspiration to carry into the upcoming seasons.

Grab a cup of tea, explore the featured posts, and join us in sharing your own homestead creations.

Meet Your Homesteading Hosts

We’re Kelly from Simple Life Mom, Liz from The Cape Coop, Natasha from Houseful of Nicholes, and Laurie from Ridgehaven Homestead. We’re about from-scratch living, simple ingredients, frugal habits, and intentional, sustainable living. We share recipes, tips, and ideas to support home cooks and makers.

We’re delighted to host the Homestead Blog Hop. You can find fresh inspiration each week for DIY projects, homemade recipes, and practical living ideas. Join us for new ideas and a growing community. Together, we celebrate everyday craftsmanship and thoughtful living.

Follow Us for More Homestead Inspiration

Natasha – Houseful of Nicholes
Facebook | Pinterest | X | Instagram

Laurie – Ridge Haven Homestead
Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

Liz – The Cape Coop
Facebook | Pinterest | X | Instagram

Kelly – Simple Life Mom
Facebook | Pinterest | X | Instagram

FEATURED POSTS from the Last Homestead Blog Hop

Each week, we take turns selecting three featured posts from the Homestead Blog Hop. These features are shared across all of our social media platforms. They spotlight the creativity and hard work of our fellow homesteaders.

Here are the featured posts from last week’s hop:

1. DIY Fall Floral Vase: Upcycled Metal Can Tutorial from Steph Creates Things

2. Best Chicken Feeder (What Shows Up at Night) – from Coop Sense

3. Lemon Blueberry Corn Squares – from Homemade on a Weeknight

Congrats! Feel free to grab the featured on button for your post.

Just right click and ‘save image as…‘

Guidelines for the Homestead Blog Hop

  1. Click the “Add Your Link” button below and upload a clear, eye-catching image from your project or recipe. Please link directly to the family-friendly post itself, not your blog’s homepage.
  2. You may link up up to three posts each week.
  3. Take time to visit a few other blogs in the hop and leave a thoughtful comment to let them know you stopped by. Community support makes this hop special!
  4. Please include a link back to the Homestead Blog Hop in your post. Posts without a back link are not eligible to be featured. All featured posts are shared across all hosts’ social media channels.
  5. Share posts that haven’t been linked to the hop before. Older posts are welcome as long as they are new to the hop.
  6. By joining the Homestead Blog Hop, you grant the hosts permission to use one image from your post, with a link back to your site, if your post is selected as a feature next week.
  7. This is a family-friendly link-up designed to encourage, inspire, and support the homesteader in all of us.

Let the Party Begin!

Which project are you excited to try this week? Leave a comment below.

Join Our Homestead Blog Hop Pinterest Board

Follow all of your hosts on Pinterest and send a message if you’d like to be added to our Homestead Blog Hop group board. This board is a great place to share your DIY projects, crafts, and from-scratch recipes with the homesteading community.

Guideline: Only pin posts that you’ve linked up to the Homestead Blog Hop.

Category:
Tags: , , , , ,
lemon chicken marinade

Herb and Lemon Chicken Marinade

admin 0 Comments

If you live in the US, chances are you eat around 118 pounds of chicken every single year. And while that’s the national average, chicken gets boring when it’s served the same old way. Try this lemon chicken marinade with herbs and garlic for a new way to enjoy a classic protein. 

The acid from the lemon juice helps tenderize the chicken meat, while the herbs and spices give it a great flavor. Perfect for throwing on the grill for a warm summer night!

Lemon Chicken Marinade

Chicken is such a versatile (and affordable) protein and we use it frequently in our home. Everything from easy, Crockpot meals like salsa chicken to mouthwatering Italian chopped chicken salad. I especially love marinades because they infuse the flavor into the meat for even better taste. 

This recipe calls for fresh herbs because I have a variety growing in the garden this time of year. Fresh herbs still have the volatile oils intact that give them a more intense flavor. These volatile oils are the same that you find when buying essential oils. 

If you only have dried herbs though, not to worry! Dried herbs also work, you might just want to let the marinade soak into the meat a little longer. Another tip: keep fresh dried herbs on hand. This way when you pull the spice jar out of the pantry it’s still fragrant, not dusty and bland tasting. I also like to crush the dried herbs in my hand some right before using. This helps release some of those volatile oils (aka more flavor). 

What Meat is Best to Use?

Ok, so technically this recipe is for lemon garlic chicken marinade, but it’s really for more than that. You can use it on any cut of chicken: wings, thighs, legs, or breast. But it’s also a tasty way to eat other meats. Our family also enjoys it on shrimp, salmon, pork chops, or even grilled vegetables.

How to Use the Lemon Chicken Marinade

Sometimes I’ll layer the meat in the bottom of a casserole dish and pour the marinade over that. Flip halfway through marinating. Or these reusable bags from ZipTop also work well too. You just want to make sure the marinade has close contact with the chicken so all the flavors can meld. 

This is a great recipe to make ahead because the chicken can marinate for up to 24 hours. And the longer you wait, the better the flavor. That means throw it together and refrigerate on Friday for supper Saturday.

It’s great on the grill and helps the meat not dry out during cooking. It works just as well for pan-seared chicken or for baked lemon chicken in the oven. And if you want even more lemon flavor, serve with fresh lemon wedges. I’ll often add a sprinkle of chopped parsley for a color pop. 

Herb and Lemon Chicken Marinade

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 TBSP lemon zest
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 TBSP fresh rosemary (chopped, or 1 tsp dried rosemary)
  • 1 TBSP fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
  • 2 TBSP fresh parsley (chopped, or 2 tsp dried parsley)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)

  • In a bowl or mason jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard if using.

  • Place the chicken in a glass container or reusable storage bag and pour the marinade over it. If your mixing bowl is big enough you can just put the chicken in there.

  • Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

  • Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard any remaining lemon chicken marinade.

  • Grill, bake, or pan-sear until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

Nutrition Facts

Herb and Lemon Chicken Marinade

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 126
Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 10g

Sodium 299mg13%

Potassium 30mg1%

Carbohydrates 2g1%

Fiber 0.4g2%

Sugar 0.3g0%

Protein 0.3g1%

Vitamin A 135IU3%

Vitamin C 7mg8%

Calcium 11mg1%

Iron 0.4mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

  • For extra lemon flavor, serve with fresh lemon wedges and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
  • This recipe makes enough for 2-3 pounds of chicken or 8-12 servings. 

What to Eat With Lemon Chicken 

There are so many fresh and fun side dishes. Whether you garden or get some from the local farmer’s market, colorful fruits and veggies are plentiful in the summer. And even if you’re not making this in the summer, it still pairs well with other sides.

Try a classic potato dish or a simple green salad for a quick meal. We also like it with grilled asparagus or sauteed summer squash. Here are some other ideas

What are some of your favorite ways to eat chicken? Leave a comment and let us know!

Category:
Tags: , , ,
gluten free lemon bars

The Best Healthy Lemon Bars (With Gluten-Free Option)

admin 0 Comments

Living in the south I have plenty of access to fresh citrus fruits, like lemon. That means plenty of lemon poppyseed muffins and healthy, gluten-free lemon bars. They’re a bright and tart way to wrap up a meal in the summer months. 

There are several ways to make this recipe. If you want a gluten-free lemon bars recipe, then make the lemon bars with almond flour crust. Need a dairy-free version? I’ve included an option for vegan lemon bars too. 

Lemon bars have a bright yellow color, an intense lemon flavor, and a buttery crust. 

How to Elevate Lemon Bars

I’ve seen plenty of easy lemon bar recipes that call for a box of cake mix and a can of lemon pie filling. While I’m a big fan of easy, I’m not willing to sacrifice quality ingredients (or taste!). To me, the best lemon bars recipe has old fashioned taste, is thick and chewy with intense lemon flavor, and still on the healthy side. 

Using quality, real food ingredients is the best way to really have the best taste and texture. 

Lemon Bar Ingredients

Like I said, we’re skipping the boxed cake mix and lemon pie filling with processed sugar and added food dye here. The ingredients are still simple though and the recipe isn’t difficult to pull together. 

For the crust you can use organic, unbleached wheat flour, coconut sugar for a caramel like sweetness, and melted butter for richness. If you want a gluten-free version, then an almond flour crust gives it the perfect subtle nuttiness. And if you need dairy-free, coconut oil works well instead of butter.

The filling uses lemon juice for tartness and lemon zest for tons of natural flavor. Whole eggs and arrowroot powder (or more organic flour) provide thickness. And I use raw honey or maple syrup to naturally sweeten. 

Here’s how to make the best regular or gluten-free lemon bars!

The Best Healthy Lemon Bars (With Gluten-Free Option)

These tart, lemon bars make the perfect, gooey dessert.

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.

  • In a bowl, mix together the flour, coconut sugar, and salt. Add melted butter and vanilla, stirring until a soft dough forms.

  • Press dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until lightly golden.

  • In a bowl, whisk eggs, honey (or maple syrup), lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt until smooth.

  • Whisk in the flour (or arrowroot) until fully combined.

  • Pour the filling over the warm crust. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the center is just set (it shouldn’t jiggle much).

  • Let cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour before slicing. This helps them set cleanly and improves the texture.

Nutrition Facts

The Best Healthy Lemon Bars (With Gluten-Free Option)

Amount Per Serving (1 bar)

Calories 136
Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Trans Fat 0.2g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 46mg15%

Sodium 136mg6%

Potassium 33mg1%

Carbohydrates 18g6%

Fiber 0.3g1%

Sugar 11g12%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 222IU4%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 9mg1%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

  • For clean slices: Use a sharp knife and wipe between cuts
  • Like them sweeter or more tart? Add another tablespoon of lemon juice or a few more tablespoons of honey to taste. 

Tips For Making the Best Lemon Bars

Also known as lemon squares, lemon bars are pretty easy to make. You simply make and pre-bake the crust, pour in the mixed filling, bake, cool, and slice. 

Should I use parchment paper for lemon bars? – I do because they’re much easier to remove from the pan and slice. You don’t want to leave any of that delicious crust stuck to the bottom of the pan!

Why can’t you use a metal pan for lemon bars? – The acid from the lemon can leach some metal from the pan, giving the lemon bars a metallic taste. There’s less of a risk using parchment paper, but many use non-reactive glass to be safe. 

Shelf Life and Storage – These gluten-free lemon bars will keep fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days. Be sure to cover them in the fridge to preserve their custard-like texture. 

Looking For Lemon

Need some more lemon recipes? Or just in the mood for some lemon flavor? Here are some of our favorites!

What are some of your favorite desserts to have on hand? Leave a comment and let us know!

Category:
Tags: , , , ,
Best oLive
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.