My Grandma Charlotte’s Amazing and Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam

After tasting my grandmother’s homemade preserves it is hard to go back to Smuckers. I always thought making jam was difficult, but aside from the day-long process of letting the contents settle in the jars, it is quick and simple.

Charlotte Meldrum with a jar of her famous strawberry jam.

What You Need

• 2 cups crushed strawberries (buy 1 qt. fully ripe strawberries)
• 4 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 pkg. SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin

Make It!

• Rinse 5 (1-cup) glass jam jars and lids with boiling water. Dry. Discard stems. Crush strawberries thoroughly, 1 cup at a time (a potato masher will do the trick). Measure exactly 2 cups prepared fruit into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.
• Mix water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring 1 min. Add to fruit mixture; stir 3 min. or until most the sugar is dissolved. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)
• Fill containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops (mixture will expand as it cools). Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or in freezer up to 1 year. (If frozen, thaw in refrigerator before using.)

Strawberry freezer jam is delicious,  all natural and makes a fabulous homemade hostess gift (maybe with a loaf of fresh bread). YUM!!!

Fresh french bread and homemade strawberry jam is heaven

Dancer and instructor, Elizabeth Sturgis, on creating the perfect playlist

Lately I’ve been taking “Barre Strength” and “Air Ballet” classes at Flex & Fit in Uptown Charlotte taught by dancer, Elizabeth Sturgis. Her classes are fast paced and electric, a delightful mix between ballet, pilates & aerial yoga that she and the other instructors at Flex & Fit Studios have perfected.

Elizabeth Sturgis demonstrating an air ballet move

Now, Elizabeth’s classes are PACKED! So full, that she often needs to bring out a make-shift ballet barre because there is no room to move. I think this can be attributed to a few reasons: 1) She’s a wonderful instructor 2) her classes produce results and 3) she has mastered the art of the playlist. Elizabeth carefully choreographs each exercise rotation to the beat, which means that regardless of how inflexible or uncoordinated you are, if you keep time with the music–you feel like you are A DANCER!

Elizabeth wears Count Me Healthy bracelets in silver and rose gold by Chelsea Charles

She says that she loves all genres of music (evident in her diverse mixes) and that she spends a great deal of time making sure she changes things up.  Here are her current favorites if you are looking to spice up your workout:

by Deadmau5:
1. “Not Exactly” on Random Album Title
2. “Jaded” on 21 Years of Gio-Goi (mixed by Graeme Park and Mark Knight)
3. “Everything Before” on 4×4=12

by Avicii:
1. “Levels” (Cazzette NYC mode mix)
2. “Fade Into Darkness” (vocal radio mix)
3. “Collide” (Afrojack remix)

by Justin Timberlake
“LoveStoned/I think that she knows” (must be the Tiesto remix)

by Remady
“No Superstar” radio mix

by Ercola and Heikki L
“Deep at Night” (Adam K and Soha remix)

by Bloc Party
“Flux”

Background on Elizabeth

Elizabeth graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a B.A. in Dance.  She has danced with At Marah Dance Theatre (Philadelphia, PA), Inlet Dance Theatre (Cleveland, OH), Timothy Martin Choreographies (New York, NY) and Caroline Calouche and Co. (Charlotte, NC).  She most recently had the honor of performing a work by Christian Von Howard, formerly of Alvin Ailey, through the Charlotte Dance Festival.  Elizabeth is trained in Stott Pilates and Pure Barre and currently teaches Pilates, Ballet Barre and Pure Barre in Charlotte, NC.

– CC

What does Lauren Conrad count using her CMH bracelets?

Lauren Conrad is one of those talented, rare women who has created a brand empire instead of resting on her initial fame like so many girls seem to do. She has written numerous books, established successful clothing and accessory lines in major department stores, has a website with super engaging content (I liken it to GP’s GOOP–which I adore) and is serious about staying fit.

One of Lauren Conrad's many popular books

Recently, we partnered with her and her team to do a giveaway for some of our CMH styles, including a Sexy Stack, which she wears. I wanted to share what she is counting titled “Loving this health diary bracelet,” from her website LaurenConrad.com.

“I recently learned about this really cool jewelry company called Count Me Healthy that makes “the first beautiful health journal for your wrist.” The bracelets are gorgeous and I love the idea behind them. Basically, you start with all the beads on one side of the bracelet and on as you achieve a health goal, you move a bead over. Health goals can be anything from drinking 8 glasses of water a day to hitting the gym 5 days a week or even how many servings of fruits and veggies you’ve had… Or you can count how many times you’ve followed my Bikini Boot Camp plan throughout the week! I love the concept (and the bracelet) and am definitely planning on counting my water consumption since I often get so busy during the day that I forget to properly hydrate myself.” – Lauren Conrad

Count Me Healthy "Sexy Stack" Lauren wears in gold, rose gold and silver

If you would like to enter the contest or view the entire post, visit here.

I highly recommend following her on Pinterest (she has over 221,000 followers) and visiting her site. Lauren offers useful health, beauty and fitness tips daily and the content is divided up into categories such as “Wear, Primp, Celebrate, Dine, Grow and Decorate.”  Here is an example of the cool, healthy info you will find:

Lauren Conrad's 10 flat belly foods

Have a beautiful, healthy and stress-free week! – CC

Healthy & Festive 4th of July Appetizers & Sides

I love that the 4th is falling on a Wednesday this year! Everyone mentally checked out last Friday, so this entire week feels like one continuous run off from last weekend. My boyfriend, his two sons and I are going to a bbq at one of his coworkers followed by fireworks at the National White Water Center in North Carolina. I’m debating what appetizer or side to bring, so I wanted to share the narrowed down options with you. I tried to keep things relatively healthy, nothing artificial, and mayo-free (because of the scorching temps).

Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing (from Tastebook.com)

Just love the color in this Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 ears of fresh sweet corn
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• Honey Lime Dressing:
• Juice of 1 lime
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• salt and pepper,
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Dash of cayenne pepper

Directions: Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle. Enjoy.

Simple, Delicious Guacamole (courtesy of Alton Brown) As an aside, I love Alton Brown. His show is so informative. This recipe received over 550 five stars! “Oh guacamole, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…or the chips being dunked into you!”

My love for guacamole is primal

Ingredients

• 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions: In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve. To make it healthier, serve with carrot sticks, sliced cucumber rounds or sugar snap peas. I’m not saying don’t plate it up with the salty, fatty, amazing tortilla chips, just bring the veggies as a waist-friendly alternative.

Miso, Sesame and Sweet Potato Dip (from Sunset.com): This looks so good to me and sweet potatoes offer fab health benefits! For an Oriental flare, you can serve with baby bok choy leaves. However, if you think it’s the type of BBQ where those present will say, “what the hell are those leaves next to the orange dip?” then just serve with veggies or traditional chips.

sweet potato, sesame, miso dip

Ingredients

• 1 pound deep orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (often labeled “yams”), peeled and cut into 1- to 2-in. chunks
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons white (shiro) miso*
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion tops
• 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Steam sweet potatoes in a large saucepan with a steamer basket and 1 in. water until very tender, about 20 minutes. (If you don’t have a steamer, just simmer chunks in the water, stirring occasionally.) Drain, reserving liquid, and let cool slightly.
2. Whirl ginger in a food processor to mince. Add sweet potatoes, miso, tahini, soy sauce, and enough reserved sweet potato liquid for a creamy texture, about 3 tbsp.; whirl until smooth.
3. Transfer dip to a bowl and stir in 1 1/2 tbsp. green onions. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tbsp. onions and the sesame seeds. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with bok choy or cucumber slices.
4. *Find in the refrigerated foods section.
5. Make ahead: Up to 2 days, chilled.

Skewer for Patriotism!!! I found a couple of cute ideas to show love for the red, white and blue. These are fun, add sweet without tons of added sugar, and seem tres tres simple.

American Flag Kabobs! I know it shows bananas in the picture, but I thought angel food cake would be a bigger hit and the bananas may get soggy in the sun.

Flag kabobs!

Ingredients:

• skewers
• strawberries cut in half
• 1 angel food cake cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 or 2 pints of  blueberries

4th of July Wands (from weelicious.com)! I thought this was so adorable, especially for the kids. It is a great way to get them to eat more fruit.

4th of July Wands. So clever!

Ingredients

• 1 watermelon
• 2 pints blueberries
• 20 skewers

Directions

1. Slice the watermelon into 1/2 inch round slices, and then cut out star shapes using a three-inch star-shaped cookie cutter.
2. Gently slide the blueberries on wooden skewers* and finally place a watermelon star on the top.
3. Place the skewers in a tall glass or in decorated floral foam as an eatable centerpiece.

Have a fun and safe holiday! There will be lots of partying all week, so use your Count Me Healthy bracelet to keep you mindful. Slide a bead every time you partake in a snack, sugared drink, alcoholic beverage or appetizer other than your main meal. 5-6 beads for the day is plenty. CC