Low Sugar Jam Collection

A few weeks ago I was looking around the internet for different jam recipes to put in our homemade Greek yogurt. I always knew that jam had lots of sugar in it, but had no clue how much was really in it. I was completely disgusted to find that many recipes had more SUGAR than fruit . The first recipe I wanted to tried call for a total of 4 3/4 cups of fruit and 6 1/2 cups of sugar. Yuck! I knew there had to be an alternative. When I buy jam at the store, I usually grab the Reduced Sugar kind. Anyway, I knew it was time for me to try my hand at canning and making my own. There is lots of information and recipes online for low sugar jams and jellies which is very convenient but they are scattered all over the place. So, with that being said. I made myself a little collection and figured I share with you guys.
The *= recipes that use Pomona Pectin, a special low sugar pectin with calcium water, all the other ones use Ball No or low sugar pectin. I have gone through almost a whole bottle on the Ball Pectin and have had great results.

Low Sugar Apple Pie Jam

http://frenchfood.about.com/od/dressingpreservessauces/r/Apple-Pie-Jam-Recipe.htm

Sugar Free Apricot Jam

*http://foodsforlonglife.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-make-organic-sugar-free-apricot.html

No Sugar Blackberry Jam

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=713020

Low Sugar Blueberry Jam

http://foodsforlonglife.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-make-low-sugar-blueberry-jam.html

*http://pantryeats.blogspot.com/2009/07/reduced-sugar-blueberry-jam.html

Low Sugar Carrot Cake Jam

http://littlefarminthebigcity.blogspot.com/2012/02/carrot-cake-jam.html

Low Sugar Mango Jam

*http://momskitchencooking.blogspot.com/2010/07/mango-chutney-and-low-sugar-mango-jam.html

Low Sugar Peach Vanilla Jam

http://noemptychairs.me/recipes/canning-and-preserving-recipes/peach-vanilla-jam-recipe/

Low Sugar Peach Mango Jam

http://www.womanwithawhisk.com/2009/06/peach-mango-jam.html

Low Sugar Pear Vanilla Jam

http://moistcrochetedvagina.blogspot.com/2012/03/pear-jam-with-honey-vanilla-aldi-had.html

Low Sugar Plum Jam

*http://foodsforlonglife.blogspot.com/2009/07/zucchini-corn-pancakes-with-organic-low.html

Low Sugar Strawberry Jam

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/low-sugar--no-sugar-strawberry-jam/

Low Sugar Raspberry Jam

*http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/low_sugar_red_raspberry_jam/

http://cravinggreens.blogspot.com/2009/07/low-sugar-raspberry-jam-raspberry-peach.html

Low Sugar Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

http://thegardenofyum.blogspot.com/2011/08/strawberry-rhubarb-jam-low-sugar-recipe.html

I've tried a few of them already, hopefully, I can't wait for more fruit to be in season! Yummmm
PS if you try any let me know how they turned out!

"You can't just give me another"

As news broke of the tornadoes that ripped across the Midwest and South, God began reminding me of where I was almost exactly 4 years ago. My heart began to sink as the memories played like footage of an old movie in my mind. I silently sat on my on sofa looking into the woods that were filling with rain, knowing that hundreds would have no home left. If they had anything left, chances are it'd be in pieces.
You see, four years ago on spring break, I was serving with my youth group as a leader and helped take the junior and senior high to Louisville, KY. We went to pick up the aftermath of  "2008 Super Tuesday Tornado Outbreak"  This tornado outbreak included 87 tornadoes, over a 15 hour period on February 5th and 6th. This outbreak claimed the lives of 57 people, the most deadly outbreak since 1950.
We arrived in Louisville about a month later and late at night so we didn't really know what to expect. We settled into a church's gym. Girls on one side, boys on the other. After we got all set up the kids went to bed and the leaders stayed up a little later and chatted. We went to bed late that night. As I crawled in my bed (yes, bed. I took my air mattress, sheets, and blanket) I laid my head on my pillow and began to pray. I prayed for wisdom to be a good example and leader to the kids. I prayed for the families and people we'd come into contact with and opportunities to witness to others. I wanted God to prepare my heart for what He'd sent me to do. I went to sleep feeling pretty good about the trip. I woke up to the sound of kids laughing and chatting. I laid in my comfy bed a few minutes longer and surrendered my day to God. The church where we were staying had their youth group serve us our meals when we were at the church, mostly breakfast and dinner. I met Lauren, a girl just a few years younger than myself.  She was wearing a tshirt, Soffe shorts, and cowboy boots on her feet. Her hair was in loose braided pig tails and she spoke with a strong southern accent that was hard to understand. She explained to me that she had not been to where the tornado struck (the next county over), in fact, she didn't know anyone who had. It appeared that Louisville just kept going and didn't even stop to help.
The kids gathered in front of the church and Rob pulled up the big white bus. We all got on and headed to our first clean up site. We took our garbage bag and began to fill them up with trash. We cleared the field and moved to the lot next to it. This lot wasn't just a field. This lot was the remnant of someones home. I held back tears as I picked up socks that belonged to an infant and toys that had once been loved by a little boy. Someone even found a photo of the family that had lived in the house. Just as I suspected, a little family of four. Mom, dad, a toddler, and infant. I couldn't imagine the grief of losing everything that I loved. I couldn't imagine my home being literally being ripped to pieces. We cleared that lot and moved to the next one. This lot had a partial foundation, a well, and a large tree still standing mangled by siding. On the tree we found a plaque of the 10 Commandments, someone had placed it there after the storm. It was in this lot we met the owner of the house. Her stories were so gripping it was hard to do anything but listen. We gathered around to listen to her account of the storm. She made it out of her house in time and was able to seek shelter. When she returned to her home to collect her belongings the plaque was one of the only things left. What the tornado had not destroyed FEMA cleaned up before she had a chance. She longed for her photos and memories of her life before.
She continued telling stories- the neighbor from across the road was seeking shelter from the storm in his bathtub. The tornado tore apart his home and he was flown across the street and ended up in the still standing tree, suffering only a broken bone. Two little girls were rolled up in rugs and placed in a closet. After the tornado had passed the closet was the only part of the house left, the girls were untouched. Story after story of miracles. In the midst of such tragedy Gods presence was so obvious.  I had this sinking feeling in my gut as we learned of family whose toys and socks laid scattered in the field. They never had the chance to grieve the loss of their home and precious memories. They died in that tornado.
 I learned a lot that day. I realized how much I loved my stuff. I learned that in a matter of seconds everything can change. These are both things I knew before, but cleaning up toys that belonged to a baby in heaven changed everything. I knew I had to change.
I also struggled a lot on that trip. The more of my ugly, selfish heart God revealed, the more I desperately wanted change. At one of the clean up sites a student had accidentally (I assume it was an accident) stepped on my expensive purse on a bus seat (why they were walking across the seats I didn't know until I started nannying, boys will be boys) but I was so frustrated. I clearly remember thinking "God, you know this was one of my favorite purses and I can't afford to replace it-- why did this happen. It's not like You can just give me another one"  I went to bed that night with heavy heart. I had just picked up the remnants of peoples lives and I was concerned about my purse. How ridiculous. I immediately asked for forgiveness when I woke up in the morning, knowing that God, the Master of this universe, would have a plan. I just figured it was His way of showing me how selfish I was.
He did have a plan. He always does. His plans are far greater than ours, and far better. On one of our last evenings of the trip we went to visit a local church members (one who had been helping us out) little gift shop. It was cute, it had lots of stuff in it. An old house converted to a shop (I think they may have lived in part of it but I don't quite remember) She also sold Vera Bradley bags there, which happened to be the kind I had at the time. I pulled my big bag around my shoulder and asked if she had heard of any fixes to a problem I was having with mine (a closing issue) and she looked and said "hold on, I have something in the back" She walked back in the room with a brand new bag, the exact same style I had. She pointed out the left side pocket was missing a string, but that it was easily fixable. Her words still echo in my mind- "I can't sell this, it's damaged. You can have it." I was astonished. She just handed me a $100+ purse and told me to keep it. My mind dashed back to the night before "it's not like You can just give me another one" It was this incredible feeling of guilt. In all my ugliness I told God he couldn't.  But the reality is God can. He does care about us. He does love us. He wants us to have the desires of our heart and He wants us to live life abundantly.
My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by recent outbreak. Be sure to take a few minutes to pray for them and for those who will be going to help rebuild the communities. Just because news coverage is just about over doesn't mean we can forget or move on. Many of these communities and lives will be forever changed.

On Being a Housewife...

A few weekends ago we traveled down to Virginia Beach, trying to beat the DC traffic, Michael went into work super early and I had a strict plan to be on the road when he got home at 3:30. I told him I would take care of all the packing, stopping at the store, and filling up the tank. When he called at 2:30 to let me know he was on his way home he heard the panic in my voice. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked. I had procrastinated. Big time. It was 2:30 and the only thing I had done was pulled clothes out to take. And I did that the night before. I raced around the house trying to get everything ready, headed down the street to fill up my tank, then to the store to pick up some some Vernors, then home. I beat Michael to the house by 30 seconds. I flung open my car door (reciting to myself what I still needed to pack: soda, water, shoes, snacks, cards, and flat iron), hurried in the house and collected the rest of my list while Michael put away the garbage can and grabbed the water from downstairs. We were ready to go and it was 3:26. We hit the road and I felt pretty proud I managed to get it all together in less than in hour. I was still a little breathless from rushing around when Michael looked at me and said "what on earth did you do all day?"

Whenever I don't want to give an answer (mostly when I did something silly) I always say something like "Well if you were thinking it look's like there's only a little bacon in your omelet it's definitely not because I ate 3 slices." or  it'll go a little something like this "Why is the counter sticky?!" "Well, umm, its definitely not because I spilled juice and forgot to wipe it up" Some people may not really find it funny, as newlyweds, still all smitten n stuff, we do. On the day we were driving down to VB my answer went along the lines of "well, if you were thinking I laid in bed and watched Burn Notice all day, I definitely didn't." Obviously, I had.Well, that's only kind of true-- I did a little reading, checked my email, then showered, put on clean pjs, and got back in bed. I watched a full 4 episodes of Burn Notice before getting up at noon to eat and fill an order.

Before this, we had never really talked about what I do all day. Of course, we ask each other how our days were and I ask how work was but "what I do all day" has never really come up. Then it got me thinking-- what do I do all day? Obviously, I don't spend every morning in bed watching tv, it'll happen from time to time if I wake up earlier than I planned or if I happen to be dying to watch the next episode of whatever I might be watching on Netfilx, but it's certainly what I do everyday..

 Since I stay home managing the household is almost 100% my responsibility.  Michael mentioned on days when he comes home from work and dinners not cooked or ready to be cooked, and our house is messy it reminds him of the terrible first 3 months of our marriage when I was sick and household management was completely his responsibility, and I definitely don't want Michael to feel anxious after a long day at work so I do the best I can to keep the house in order. Being the person that I am, you know, list loving and all, I have a personal home management binder- it contains weekly menu planners, shopping list, contact info, bill info, home & auto maintenance records... etc. I use check list, weekly routines, and calenders to keep everything straight. I feel so blessed that I am able to stay home during the day and do whatever I want. I loved nannying, and it brought me so so much joy but there is something to be said about just being a wife. I love taking care of our household and Mike. I love having dinner ready when he walks through the door. I love when he gets to come home to a clean house. I never knew how much joy cleaning, cooking, and paying bills could bring me until I got to do it for someone I love so deeply.

Daily Routine:
-Make sure Michael has breakfast (since he wakes up at 4, I often just prepare stuff he can make fast and easily, although sometimes I get up and make him breakfast in bed, like today)
- Make sure Michael is out of bed on time (I often fail at this one, I'm glad he doesn't need me to wake him up)
- Pack his lunch if I didn't do so the night before
- Go back to bed
- Wake up
- Quiet time
- Work on chores, orders and any prep for dinner
- Lunch
- Call mom, call friends, shop, school, craft, play around on the computer... Basically, if I were a kid, I would consider this my free time.
- Watch Ellen. I love Ellen. No judging allowed!
- Prepare dinner and pick up messes I have made during the day
- and my best part of the day --- Greet Michael at the door (most days) with a happy smile and a big hug and kiss

Here the breakdown of what a normal weeks looks likes:

Monday- Laundry, Bills, & Grocery Shopping
Tuesday- Bathrooms (although, I usually only do three, since the fourth is a guest bathroom and hardly ever used. Shhhhh- it's my secret)
Wednesday- Living Room, Hallways, and Entry
Thursday- Kitchen & Plan meals for next week
Friday- Bedrooms & Studios

So there you have it. That's what I do all day. Well, most days. I couldn't be loving my life more <3


- A very happy Mrs. Hunt