tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21979678908269645042024-03-12T22:34:03.350-07:00Real Clean HomemakingKeeping things basic and wholesome.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-59991592056173341502023-12-31T07:20:00.001-08:002023-12-31T07:20:08.454-08:00Turkey DinnerThis Holiday season, I think I came up with a perfect solution! Whenever I make a Turkey dinner I am always so tired by the time the Turkey is finished roasting that I loath to make the gravy with the drippings and it takes too long and things start to get cold. This year I figured out, I can cut off the legs and wings the day before and simmer them with vegetables to make delicious broth to use in the stuffing and make the gravy. I even pulled meat off the bones to add to the gravy and it turned out delicious. Of coarse, if you have giblets, you can add them to the pot as well. It was so nice to make the gravy ahead of time and everything was hot and ready at the same time. It was lovely and much less stressful. <div>I am all about eliminating stress! For a holiday meal, I make what I can the day before. Cranberry jam, pies, whipped cream, dessert gelatin for the Gelatin Salad, green bean casserole mixed and ready to bake and now the Turkey gravy. Something to keep in mind is, if the legs and wings are missing from the Turkey body, it is going to cook faster in those areas. I like to just roast a breast for my small family, so I can simply buy legs or wings separately to make the broth. It's easy and much cheaper than buying boxescof broth especially since you can also use the meat! Happy Holidays!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>I love looking at refrigerator ads. They look so tidy, clean and abundant with food ready to be eaten. I find myself wondering why my own refrigerator doesn't look like the ads. When I studied some vintage ads to see what they had in common, I found many similarities.</div><div><br></div><div>In the main cavity:</div><div>A Roast or two- Ham, Beef, Chicken or a Turkey</div><div>A big Salad or two, or Platter of Fruit</div><div>A Crock of Beans or maybe Soup</div><div>An Aspic</div><div>Usually Dessert Cups</div><div>A Cake, Pie or Moulded Gelatin- sometimes all three</div><div>Dishes of Berries, Cherries or Apricots</div><div>Crocks of Leftovers or Potato Salad?</div><div>Sometimes a Casserole</div><div><br></div><div>Milk, Chocolate Milk, Cream, Juice, Sparkling Water, Condiments, Eggs, Butter, Cheese</div><div>Jars of Olives, Pickles or other Ferments, Jars of Peaches, Tomatoes, Green Beans etc.</div><div><br></div><div>In the Vegetable Drawer-</div><div>Carrots, Celery, Lettuce, Peppers, Tomatoes</div><div><br></div><div>In the Fruit Drawer-</div><div>Apples, Oranges, Grapes, Lemons, Limes, Grapefruits, Pineapple, or Watermelon</div><div><br></div><div>At first, I imagined these ads are trying to show how problematic items for dinner parties will all fit into their refrigerator. But, then I thought, what if housekeepers of the past didn't think in terms of individual meals each day. Perhaps instead, they thought in terms of foods they wanted to prepare to eat each week. It's a mindset shift that is both more practical and more efficient! Then the lightbulb turned on in my head. (Seems like common sense to me now, but I was thinking like a foodie before.)</div><div>So I began to formulate a plan of action based on this desire- I wanted to pattern my own refrigerator after these attractive displays on a daily basis. After all, how great would it be for my own family to open the fridge on any given day and find a beautiful assortment to choose from. Not only for this reason, but I wanted a fridge full of food I could quickly piece together meals with (almost like I would piece together an outfit with a capsule wardrobe!) This I believe would be enough to keep us out of the drive-thru, away from the candy bar displays and still eating what sounded good to us in the moment. </div><div>Hungry? Take a few slices of roast and handful of salad for a sandwich! Snacky?Grab a couple devilled eggs and an orange or chunk of watermelon! Cravin' a sweet treat? Have a slice of cake or dessert cup! How content would we all feel with this kind of yummy fair ready and waiting? How easy would meals be to prepare in a few minutes. I think I am on to something!</div><div>Meal planning can be a tricky business for me at this stage in my life and I think I safe in supposing I am not alone in this struggle. What works one month, the next month proves impossible. My thought is this, if meal planning were more based off of a basic routine, (not just food-types on certain days) it may prove more sustainable.</div><div>So this is my new formula, many meals can be prepared from one roast (whether you have 20 people to feed and that "one roast" looks more like five roasts cooked at once, or you are vegan and that roast looks more like a couple squashes or potatoes.) The meal planning then becomes based off of that roast. The routine then is to cook a roast or the base of your meals every so many days that it takes to consume that roast. I have a small family, so for me, that means I can cook a chicken, beef or pork roast about every three days. (This could include a meatloaf big enough to last or a ham or fried chicken or just browned ground beef or sausage.) If I keep in mind the next two days will also include this meat, I can make sure the leftovers will fit into other meals. So I will say to myself, okay self, I am going to cook a roast on Sundays and Wednesdays and have a special stand alone meal on Saturdays like burgers, chilidogs, wings, ribs, a giant sub or pizza.</div><div>If on Sunday I make a beef pot roast, then Monday and Tuesday we can eat: Tacos, Barbecue Sandwiches, Enchiladas, Soup, Stroganoff, Pot Pie, Cheesesteak, Pizza or Pasta, or just Pot Roast again. Then on Wednesday if I roast a Chicken, Thursday and Friday we could have Chicken Salad, Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken 'n' Dumplings, Chicken Fried Rice or what have you. This way there is almost always fresh Roast in the fridge to also use for snacks and lunches! This may eliminate the need for purchasing lunchmeats additionally. We will save time not cooking meat everyday, all the leftovers potentially get eaten, and the food always tastes fresh! We don't have mold-growing leftovers in the back of the fridge or sloppy squishy fruits and vegetables left at the end of the month.</div><div>I do the same thing with Salad and always wash and chop salad greens for ready to go fresh salads or sandwiches. I can do the same with fruit salads. To get my family to eat more fruits and vegetables; I can always have fresh produce on the table at mealtimes, preparing them only twice a week! If the salads don't get finished by the third day they can be made into smoothies, popsicles, stir-fries, & soups. I can get a feel for how much my family need@ to buy each week too. I cook leftover fruit into a sauce to top biscuits, waffles, pancakes or ice cream!</div><div>I can do the same with other side dishes and Desserts and just choose a day that I will always prepare a type of dish so meals are fast and easy to put together and there is always something ready to eat in the fridge. We may never <i>have </i>to eat-out again! Mind-explodes...</div><div>Whenever I see a video or blogpost about meal planning it always annoys me that no one seems to plan side dishes, maybe they have a reason for that, but I always came to the end of preparing my main dish and realized I still needed to make at least one side. Let's not forget the importance of Breakfast and Lunch, I find myself getting up in the morning not knowing what to fix, but we sure aren't going to eat cold cereal because I don't even buy that chemical mess wrapped in franken-sugar and plastic anymore.</div><div>I have discovered making roughly the same things for breakfasts and lunches everyday simplifies the process. Watching old TV shows and listening to an older generation's anecdotes as well as reading vintage home economics books, I found this used to be the general practice among homemakers. It is very practical!</div><div>When planning lunches, I like to leave room for eating leftovers if we want them, but eating something fresh for lunch sets a nice tone for the rest of my afternoon. I feel like soup or salad with a sandwich makes a wonderfully satisfying lunch most days. </div><div>For breakfast, hot cereal in the morning is always a good start. I can change it up whenever I want and it's good to keep several options all together near the stove (Creamy Wheat, Oatmeal, Multigrain, Polenta or Grits, Rice or Granola for that crazy morning I just had to sleep in a little longerrrr.) From there, I can add some kind of eggs, fruit, meat or bread for each day of the week. But, being flexible, on special mornings I may skip the hot cereal altogether.</div><div>All these things considered, here is a meal plan I put together to demonstrate how my method comes together.</div><div><i><b>Monday</b></i> </div><div>BREAKFAST: Porridge, Smoothie, Warm Muffins and Cheese Omelets</div><div>LUNCH: Cabbage Chowder and Ham Sandwiches</div><div>DINNER: Sloppy Joes, Slaw and Steak Fries</div><div>DESSERT: Fruit Gelatin and Cookies</div><div><i><b>Tuesday</b></i></div><div>BREAKFAST: Pancakes, Fruit Salad, Fried Eggs and Bacon</div><div>LUNCH: Macaroni & Cheese with Broccoli and Ham Sandwiches</div><div>DINNER: Mashed Potatoes, Hamburger Gravy, Salad, Broccoli and Dinner Rolls</div><div>DESSERT: Chocolate Cake and Fruit Gelatin</div><div><i><b>Wednesday</b></i></div><div>BREAKFAST<i>: </i>Porridge, Egg Burritoes and Fresh Berries</div><div>LUNCH: BLT's, Apples & Banana Slices with PB</div><div>DINNER: Fried Chicken Alfredo Pasta, Caesar Salad, Sautéed Mushrooms and Asparagus</div><div>DESSERT: Chocolate Cake and Berry Compote</div><div><i><b>Thursday</b></i></div><div>BREAKFAST: Porridge, Poached Eggs on Dry Toast, Bacon and Stewed Apricots</div><div>LUNCH: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup</div><div>DINNER<i>: </i>Fried Chicken, Frybread, Corn on the Cob, Steamed Summer Squash and Baked Beans</div><div>DESSERT: Chocolate Cake and Ice Cream<i><br></i></div><div><i><b>Friday</b></i></div><div><div>BREAKFAST<i>: </i>Cheesy<i> </i>Grits, Bacon, Eggs, Biscuits & Orange Wedges</div><div>LUNCH: Navajo Tacos with Salad</div><div>DINNER: Orange Chicken, Brown Rice, Green Beans and Cream Cheese Wontons</div></div><div>DESSERT: Mango and Sticky Rice<br></div><div><i><b>Saturday</b></i></div><div><div>BREAKFAST<i>: </i>Waffles, Fried Eggs, Sausages and Fruit Salad</div><div>LUNCH: Kimchi Fried Rice and Miso Soup</div><div>DINNER: Pizza and Caesar Salad</div></div><div>DESSERT: Rice Pudding and Berry Compote<br></div><div><i><b>Sunday</b></i></div><div><div>BREAKFAST<i>: Granola, </i>German Pancakes, Fruit Salad and Sausages</div><div>LUNCH: BLTs and Potato Soup</div><div>DINNER: Pot Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Salad and Biscuits</div></div><div>DESSERT: Rice Pudding and Cookies<br></div><div><br></div><div>I find this meal planning format also; streamlines grocery shopping and minimizes food waste, while still providing diverse meal options for everyday. I am very excited about this meal planning hack and I hope it proves a game changer.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-29329834315869969952022-08-28T15:34:00.004-07:002023-09-28T10:08:19.042-07:00Baking and Eating Whole GrainsAfter years of compromise and yearnings I finally purchased a real grain mill!<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div> I knew I wanted to mill my own flour for years, decades even. </div><div>I grew up during the 80's and 90's when there was quite a lot of push about eating whole grains. This was before anyone had ever heard much about gluten intolerance, sensitivity or celiac disease. Not that these digestive issues didn't exist, they just weren't very commonly heard or thought of. My mother wanted a grain mill while I was growing up and eventually obtained one, but before that she always bought 'whole grain bread' at the store. I don't think any of us enjoyed that bread. It was acidic, the texture felt scratchy in my mouth and it felt like mud in my stomach. My mother bought whole wheat flour and tried baking with it, but everything she made was dense, dry and the flavor was not enjoyable. The "whole wheat" took over the flavor of the whole baked good and it was all disappointing. With such a waste of effort and flour my mother soon gave up baking what her family would not eat. </div><div>In contrast; later when my mother aquired an electric stone grain mill, it was a much different story.</div><div>I left home thinking I wanted a grain mill of my own, so I could store grain and mill it fresh myself when needed. But, I soon forgot all about my milling aspirations when I found I could not make a proper loaf of bread, even in a bread machine, as it was.</div><div>After collage I was too busy trying to stay slim and trim and dating, to think about baking bread. After I married; I began to think about cooking nutritious foods for my own family, milling grain and baking bread again. I took a class on bread baking offered for free by an educated and experienced bread baker at church. I still had very little success in baking bread even with white flour. Then, a kind German-American lady invited some young women and myself to her home for instruction. This sweet woman kneaded her dough by hand in her warm fragrant kitchen, and showed me how to mill the wheat and bake bread with it. I watched her intently and soaked up every detail. She was so full of warmth and love, so generous and unpretentious. All of which was kneaded into the loaves she prepared. I was reminded of my childhood desire and felt more certain that I wanted to mill my own flour. The bread turned out fluffy, soft, fragrant and delicious! She had run out of hard wheat and made the bread with soft white wheat, and it was wonderful anyway! (For those who are not familiar; soft wheat is a pastry flour and hard wheat has stronger gluten for making bread.) I started making better bread when I stopped fussing about it and just made a simple loaf. (A friend gave me the recipe. And I improved it from there.) Fourteen years later I settled on which electric mill I wanted and made an order. It took four months for my mill to arrive (it was delayed further than projected.) But, finally it arrived on my doorstep and I was thrilled! I immediately set it up and was milling flour the next day. I had some Einkorn wheat berries I had been saving since my Kitchenaid Mixer seized up while mixing a loaf of bread after using an attachment mill to grind flour. The attachment grinder had been a "cheap" compromise and eventually took its tole on my mixer's motor. I purchased a high speed blender (the Deluxe Cooking Blender by Pampered Chef) to grind the remaining wheat berries, but I felt it heated the grain too much, and would even make it sticky and clumpy (activate the gluten? I dunno.) So I had just waited, coarsely grinding a bit to make a porridge cereal from time to time. I was frustrated and disappointed.</div><div>The first thing I baked when I recieved my proper mill was muffins. Sourdough English Muffins and my 8 year old's favorite banana muffins. I suddenly realized I didn't have many recipes for fresh ground flour, so I got out all my recipe books to take stock. Then I went in search online. Even the bloggers I knew milled their flour didn't have many recipes using fresh milled grains. I was disappointed again. I went searching on Youtube and I found The Bread Beckers! </div><div>The Bread Beckers are a family owned business in Woodstock, GA, who sell grains, mills and much more, but also teach classes about the importance of whole grains, digestion and baking. It's amazing and wonderful and you can find them at breadbeckers.com. They are too far away for me to buy grain from them, but they have the best prices. I did order their Red Cookbook and Sue Becker's recently published cookbook <a href="https://www.breadbeckers.com/store/pc/The-Essential-Home-Ground-Flour-Book-by-Sue-Becker-FREE-Media-Mail-Shipping-44p3555.htm">The Essential Home-Ground Flour Book</a> because I didn't know which to get. Many recipes from the Red book are in Sue's published book and on their website, but the Red book also has recipes for dehydration and sauces that I didn't see in the published cookbook. The published cookbook has many more recipes in it. I love Sue's recipe for <a href="https://www.breadbeckers.com/blog/basic-dough-recipe/">basic bread dough</a> using both red <i>and</i> white wheat, at first I decreased the sweetener and use SuCaNat instead of honey. It was delicious, but I have since found that honey makes the bread turn out even better!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>The <a href="https://www.breadbeckers.com/blog/becks-chocolate-chip-muffins/">basic muffin</a> recipe is good, but I think has too much baking soda. I will try ½ tsp instead and see how it goes.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div>My whole family loves the recipe for <a href="https://www.breadbeckers.com/blog/rich-peanut-butter-bars/">Rich Peanut Butter Bars</a>, and they are so easy to whip up I don't mind making cookies every week to keep them away from candy bars. I grind a whole cup of Einkorn berries for this recipe, sprinkle Guittard milk chocolate chips on top and press them down before baking. My 8 year old doesn't like the chocolate chips, but eats the bars anyway. They are soft and chewy.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>We love the <a href="https://www.breadbeckers.com/blog/chocolate-chip-cookies-with-barley-flour/">Barley Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies</a> recipe too, they make a great, almost guilt-free snack. I use all SuCaNat in it and grind about 1 ½ cups of barley that makes 3 cups of flour. They are a thick almost cakey cookie. I usually like my cookies chewy and crisp, but these are very satisfying and some chopped pecans go really well in them!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div>I have been using a recipe from King Arthur Flour that makes really <a href="https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/fudge-brownies-recipe?go=EC160515_R3&trk_msg=BATPAEM858J41A7569UD0HM34K&trk_contact=1LH1UQEMETACN0SB39QI2CVEBO">nice chewy brownies</a>. I weigh my Einkorn berries and then grind them right into the mixing bowl. I use much less cocoa powder because when it comes to Cacao powder I do feel less is more! </div><div>I wanted to share these finds because I feel like eating fresh milled flour in baked goods is important in most people's diet and needs to be encouraged. Baking with fresh milled flour is so easy, yummy and an investment in our health. Once you have a mill the rest is economical and so worth it. Like any change we make in life, we just need to be convinced we are right and committed to our work. Sue Becker is a great inspiration if you need motivation! I feel like God led me to her on YouTube and I am so greatful for all the work she has done.</div><div>I just had a baby and my house is a wreck, but I still clean up the kitchen and bake with whole grains, because I am convinced it is the best thing for my family and I am committed to maintaining and improving our health. I continue to find more and more recipes and bake the same cookies, bread and muffins my family loves because I do continue to see our health improve.</div><div>So now we are eating fresh milled whole grain bread, muffins, cookies, tortillas, buns, and porridge cereal. I also make up an easy no fuss granola that is mixed and baked without stirring. I recently purchased a bag of Lundberg Short Grain Brown Rice at my nearest Costco. I cook the Brown Rice in the Instant Pot for 20 minutes on high and it turns out soft and tasty. I love Brown Rice now! I cook a big batch and freeze part and I put it in stew and stir-fry where my family might not notice as much they are eating brown rice. It is funny to me how whole grains have such a bad rap. If you don't like brown rice it probably hasn't been cooked enough. If you don't like whole wheat bread, the flour probably hasn't been fresh ground before baking. Einkorn makes sooooo delicious Cream of Wheat-type porridge just coarse ground and a super easy and fast breakfast item. I make <a href="https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/super-easy-recipe-whole-wheat-biscuits/">biscuits</a>, <a href="https://jovialfoods.com/recipes/whole-grain-einkorn-pancakes/">pancakes</a> and <a href="https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/whole-wheat-waffles-recipe">waffles</a> my children and I love. I feel excited to bake again and to eat the food I make. I told my mother I didn't know why I was so excited about this! She said, it's because you know you are doing something good for your family's health and you are prepared and have good food to make for them. I think she is right, but I also feel like part of it is because I know I am eating something God intended for me to eat and I am being blessed. I feel those blessings every time I eat those whole grains. Might sound crazy, but I say try it and see for yourself!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-83617186789249987122022-08-05T07:17:00.007-07:002023-10-13T15:07:35.450-07:00Four (or Five) Homemade Family Beverages<div>I have been trying to keep my family from soda pops and sport drinks for a long time. I tried Water Kefir, Kombucha and powdered additives, but they just weren't tasty enough. Knowing plain water is the best option I suggested we get used to it. One night after dinner, my husband expressed how much he enjoyed a sweet beverage with dinner rather than plain water. I thought about it and had to acknowledge that a tasty beverage does improve a meal. What is a picnic without Lemonade or Rootbeer? Lemonade is the perfect accompanyment to spicy foods, and eating burgers and chips and watermelon on 4th of July just isn’t the same without a grape or orange soda. I immediately thought to myself, what did retro housewives do? I remembered black and white images of their dinners spread out on the table for the family to sample from. The old refrigerator ads that always had a jug of something in it even with the bottles of Coca-Cola. I had assumed they were jugs of canned juice like my Momma usually kept. I considered what beverage a person could make that would be just as tasty as kool-aid, soda or bottled juice, but much healthier? That is when I thought of Lemonade. Well sure, Lemonade is nice, but my family is sure to be tired of it in three days. Then I thought of flavoring the lemonade with fresh or frozen fruits to change it up! They do it at restaurants and my family loves it, so why couldn't I make it myself? So I did, and they liked it and I did too! </div><div>As a society, we have gotten so far away from carefully prepared meals at home. We all seem to think we need to go out to eat in order to have a nice relaxing experience, but really it only takes a few thoughtful finishing touches to create a cozy meal at home. Even better really. If we try adding a tasty beverage, maybe a bowl of celery and carrot sticks and some dinner rolls! That would liven up any dinner I say! Who doesn't like dinner rolls?</div><div>I decided then part of my dinner preparations should include a beverage. I bought a big bag of limes at Costco and started experimenting. Next, I bought a bag of lemons and just rotate flavors so we always have a refreshing tasty homemade beverage in the fridge that is versatile. Sometimes I add frozen berries, sometimes fresh fruit and sometimes I leave it classic.</div><div>Bonus; I know my family will be getting their vitamin C and antioxidants on a regular basis and no more artificial flavors and colors not to mention added sodium or copious amounts of sugar or who-knows-what! It helps that this beverage is very fast and easy to make up ahead of time and to keep making it whenever it runs out. I use a Citrus press and a half gallon mason jar with a pour and store lid and just rinse it inbetween a couple batches, so there aren't as many dirty dishes created. Since lemon or limeade has a fresh citrus base, it doesn't have much chance to harbor any bad bacteria and we go through it in a couple days so it doesn't ever go bad. I just quickly wash the citrus press after I use it and it's ready for the next batch!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10JP-uEkZUzNKyWgOw45GWFk7QEURM7vVeGbFzNyOC8ZQO7t2sEvf9HxTWbBepJN7b_G5Q5dlsFLZ3EahRN6j6cLrRW-sn8CbHYLE0Ao8SwQGUGS1gRsnRG7__7oNx0-3ukPa0ds79Jw/s1600/1659902030928606-0.png" width="400"></div></div><div><br></div>Fresh Homemade Beverage<div>½-⅔ cup Fresh Pressed Juice </div><div>(I use 3 Limes or 3-4 Lemons)</div><div>¾ cup Organic Cane Sugar</div><div>7 cups Purified Water</div><div>1 cup Berries or Fruit of choice, fresh or frozen (optional)</div><div><br></div><div>Press juice and pour sugar into a half gallon jar; add water until it almost fills the jar, then add the fruit or berries to top it off. Screw lid on tightly onto jar and shake till all the sugar is dissolved (About 1-2 minutes). For an extra flair you can add sparkling water for a sparkling lemonade! Just disolve the sugar in lemon juice and a couple cups of water, add your carbonated water and give it a stir to combine. Enjoy chilled.</div><div>I make this up in the afternoon long before dinner, so it is nice and cold at mealtime especially for the summer!</div><div>Another homemade beverage that can be easily made and chilled is Tizane. If you are wondering, 'what is Tizane?' It is an herbal infusion like tea or herbal tea. I find it much less confusing to use the term tizane instead of tea eapecially because I use herbs instead of tea leaves for this infusion.</div><div>Somewhat like Sweet Tea in The South, I have taken to infusing herbal tea bags or herbs in hot water, adding honey to enhance the flavors and chilling it in the fridge until ready to serve. It is easier than making lemonade, but adding some citrus juices or other fruit and berries are delicious variations as well. To make iced Tizane, just boil 8 cups of water. Add 4 herbal tea bags to a half gallon mason jar or jug. Pour boiled water over herb sachets and let steep for 5 minutes with the lid on or a silicone mat or small plate over top. Remove sachets squeezing out liquid with a slotted spoon (careful not to burn your fingers.) Stir honey or other sweetener into the now infused hot water until dissolved and chill in refrigerator. Add-ins may be included before chilling. Note that if you want to include fruit you may want to decrease the water to infuse by ½-1 cup so as to make room for the displacement.</div><div>The third homemade beverage I want to suggest here is to mix bottled fruit juices with sparkling water to taste. This makes a delightful beverage for any meal and is also simple to throw together at the last minute provided both sparkling water and juice are present and chilled.</div><div>Lastly, I have learned how to make hot chocolate and chocolate milk from scratch. They are one and the same in this preparation, but could be counted as 2 if you don't want to complicate things for your family.</div><div><br></div><div>Hot Chocolate/Chocolate Milk</div><div>Chocolate Chips (to Taste)</div><div>1 Tbsp Sugar (or more to Taste)</div><div>About 1 quart of Whole Milk</div><div><br></div><div>Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and stir continuously until the chocolate has melted into the milk and the sugar has dissolved. To make this process easier, one could melt the chocolate and heat the milk and sugar. Then whisk the sweetened milk slowly into the melted chocolate.</div><div>Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate or chill for chocolate milk later! This will need to be shaken up before pouring. It's easy and free of all those nasty carcinogens included in most prepackaged chocolate milks. I also think it tastes better and it is much cheaper than the store-bought bottles that have a clean ingredients list.</div><div>This can also be carefully reheated for hot chocolate again!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div>When I was about to spread my wings and go out into the world, I asked my parents to teach me how to cook for myself. My mother told me I already knew how to read recipes and she gave me a cookbook. My Dad taught me to cook one thing that has served me my whole life, and that was gravy. I wasn't great at it at first, but then I read Julia Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking in which, there is a whole chapter about gravy! Not called gravy, but none the less it took my gravy making to new levels and broadened my understanding.<div>Here is why you should learn to make gravy too! Gravy is a sauce which is based on a rue, just flour, seasoning and fat. With rue you use the same principles in making gravy to make; cheese sauce for Mac 'n' Cheese or Alfredo, white sauce for any casserole, thicken any kind of soup or stew, cook pudding and even nacho sauce! Some people say that gravy isn't healthy, but I beg to differ. When making Hamburger Gravy, for instance, you add flour and salt to the ground beef you just browned (garlic and onion, if you have it!) and then milk to form the gravy. There is no added fat, if your meat is from a healthy source you are getting good saturated fats and there is no messy waste or extra grease down the kitchen drain.</div><div>Gravy makes a meal more delicious, it's a simple addition to jazz up any boring meal you throw together quickly and it has minimal clean up. If you are having roasted chicken breast, rice and steamed veg, a simple chicken stock gravy takes the meal from 3 to 10 on the yummy scale! The French who are renouned for their cooking, apparently cover everything with sauce; hollandaise, bechamel etc.</div><div>I guess what I'm saying is, if you want to make delicious food on a budget, you should learn to make good gravy! Gravy is a sauce and basically makes everything taste better; from a can of tuna, to a veal cutlet. Doesn't matter how much is in your budget. Hollandaise is just eggs lemon and butter, aolli is just a fancy word for a well seasoned Mayonnaise that is also just eggs, fat and lemon. Bechamel is half a step from Sawmill Gravy and it is so easy to make once you understand the basics.</div><div>So if I have little money and no idea what to cook for dinner; I think of a gravy or sauce I can make, and what can go under it and next to it. No one ever complains about a meal of potatoes, egg noodles or rice and gravy. I recommend reading the Sauce and Soup section in Julia Child's book, but I have read good Home Economics books that explain it well too (although not as thoroughly or entertainingly.)</div><div>2 Tbsp Fat</div><div>2 Tbsp Flour</div><div>2 cups Liquid</div><div>-makes a thin sauce or gravy.</div><div>4 Tbsp Fat</div><div>4 Tbsp Flour</div><div>2 cups Liquid </div><div>Yields a thicker sauce or gravy and you can play around to see how thick you prefer it, but once you add the liquid you will not want to fuss about thickness anymore.</div><div>Once the fat it hot, add the flour and salt before the fat gets too hot or starts to smoke. Let the flour cook a minute, but don't let it over cook either or it will taste burnt and won't thicken. I like to have my liquid already measured and at hand so I can quickly add it before there is trouble. Stir out any lumps while the flour cooks, add liquid and stir continuously until it starts to thicken and there are no lumps. Once it starts to thicken turn heat way down or off.</div><div>And those are my tips! Enjoy your new super-power!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-39885025714000538462021-12-15T13:41:00.000-08:002021-12-15T13:41:20.806-08:00How to Create a Perpetual Fridge-Full-of-Food!<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div>Have you ever gazed at those Refrigerator advertisements vintage or modern and wondered if you could fit that much food in your fridge? You know the photos; there is usually a Roast or two, a cake, fancy cups of pudding or parfaits, a beautiful fruit gelatin ring as well as a bowl of salad, a bowl of fresh fruit a boat of gravy or dressing along with the usual coke bottles, eggs, milk and juice bottles? Not to mention produce drawers packed to the brim... Sigh. Just me? Okay, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who was wishing I could have more ready-to-eat healthy food in my fridge, even for a party!</div><div>I have struggled to keep fresh ready to eat food in my fridge ever since I left home for college. Wouldn't it be nice to just open the fridge, warm or chop a few things and have a nice full meal within a few minutes.</div><div>After staring at dozens of these Refrigerator advertisements for several days, I had a light-bulb turn on in my brain. What if I always made sure there was food ready to eat in my fridge, not just ingredients, but already prepared food. (I'm not talking about ready-made prepackaged preserved substances that grace the groceries isles.) If I always had a bowl of washed fresh fruit in my refrigerator, why wouldn't my family and I be more likely to eat it for lunch or as a snack. Likewise, if I were to always prepare vegetable tray items such as celery and carrot sticks, green onions and sliced peppers, wouldn't I be more likely to add it to my lunch or throw together a snack? A few more items would easily keep a few days and allow for easy meal options. First I noted what kind of foods could be cooked or prepared and last several days in the refrigerator and still be good to eat. Next I thought about the versatility of such foods and soon I came to realize not too shockingly that most of the foods in these vintage advertisements were smart things to have in refrigerators at any given time.</div><div>As for the bowl of salad, well that could be easily put together after lunch clean-up and be just ready for dinner so that one would not have to scramble to add a salad to the main course while one was cooking it. All that chopping could and should be done ahead of time so that dinner really could be on the table when the main bread-winner returned home famished. What a delight to come home wash hands and sit down to eat a well rounded meal with a family that is not hurried or stressed, but comfortable and happy to see you. I understand both sides of this equation and I feel very certain, this is the a great way to run things smoothly. The more I learn the more I realize my Grandmother and Great-grandmother were not naive about this part of life at all, but I and my mother (as many others) have been. Because I didn't learn to efficiently run a home, because I thought I didn't need to do things the old-fashioned way, I have had to struggle along and learn it on the job. Trial and error of a craft that was organized long before I was ever born, what a waste.</div><div>Well all that to say, I figured out I should start shopping for what I wanted to have ready to eat in my fridge, instead of just getting ingredients I knew I could cook into a meal.</div><div>By doing this, I have a perpetual gocery list I can quickly see what needs to be replenished and be on to the shops in minutes. I no longer have to meal plan because I can put together whatever we feel like eating with little forethought, because the forethought has been systemized and streamlined!</div><div>Here is the list I came up with, of course, yours may be different since everyone's diet is personal.</div><div><b>#1</b> <b>Eggs</b>. Hard boiled eggs can be peeled and kept submerged in water for several days without spoil. I peel them because I am more likely to eat them that way instead of letting them go to waste. I also keep them in a clear jar in the front so my son can see an easy snack right away. Hard boiled eggs can be made into egg salad sandwiches especially nice on fresh baked dinner rolls, they can be made into devilled eggs for a nice side for lunch or a snack. The hard boiled eggs may also be quartered and added to a salad (love me some cobb salad!), or just eaten whole with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.</div><div><b>#2 Vegetables</b>. Duh, right? But if I buy vegetables I want to get ones I can keep in the freezer until dinner-time or lunch (novel idea) and steam in a few minutes. In addition; I want to get vegetables I like to eat fresh, like what I would find on a vegetable tray to munch on. So I can buy celery and carrots and immediately wash and cut them into sticks when I get home. I stand them on end in jars with water to keep them crisp and they will easily keep a week or two. Peppers are different, but I will still wash and slice them so they are ready to eat for the next few days. Likewise I can slice a large onion and keep it all week and us it as I need it on sandwiches or in main dishes. This also cuts back on prep time later because I can easily grab a handful of this and that and dice them into soups, salads, stir-fries and casseroles. It becomes easy to add more vegetables to just about anything.</div><div><b>#3 Fruit</b>. I can have a drawer full of fruit and not touch it for weeks, but if it is washed and ready to eat I will grab it day after day. If I put washed and dried apples, pears, grapes and what-have-you in a bowl, I can easily pull it out and put it on the table to entice everyone at any meal! Not to mention add to the landscape. Bowls of fresh berries, cherries, chunked watermelon or pineapple in season have the same value. </div><div><b>#4 Lettuce or Greens</b>. I know you can make a salad without lettuces, but I don't really like to. So when I get home from the market I can chop and submerge lettuce in water for ten minutes, drain, dry and keep it in a glass container for a week or two... or three if I'm lucky. Likewise a quick dressing should be made right away to go with it so that even if you have nothing else but greens your salad will taste delicious.</div><div>My favorite vinegrette recipe is one my mother taught me.</div><div>Equal parts Balsamic Vinegar and fresh squeezed Orange Juice, add the zest of said Orange. Maybe a tsp of brown sugar, or not- just as you like. So yummy.</div><div>I also love <a href="https://mommypotamus.com/homemade-ranch-dressing/">this homemade ranch recipe</a>.</div><div>Easily done and now it is easy to throw together a side salad even if all you have is lettuce and dressing. (Dried Cranberries, Cherries, or blueberries and a little cheese and nuts is nice to have in the pantry and fridge in these emergencies.)</div><div><b>#5 Cheese</b>. One you can cube and snack on, or put on a charcuterie board.- I like Gouda. A few you can shred and put on anything (mac and cheese, top carreroles make pizza.)- I like Cheddar, Parmesan and Mozzarella. One or two you can slice or buy sliced for sandwiches.- I like Cheddar, Havarti or Swiss. </div><div><b>#6 Roasted Meat or Alternative</b>. Whether it's beef, chicken or ham it can always provide some protein to whatever you are eating. Add it to stir-fry, soup, salad, sandwiches, charcuterie, snacks casseroles, it will keep for only a few days so freeze whatever you can’t eat in that time for up to a month. It cuts back so much time to have meat already cooked and ready to eat. This is an art I am working on mastering.</div><div>A few neccessary pantry staples to compliment your fridge would be Pasta, Rice, Potatoes, Olives, Nuts, Dried Fruit and baking supplies.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Then a meal can be made in about 20 minutes which is just the amount of time it takes to cook rice, potatoes or dinner rolls. (Especially if you made up the bread dough at lunch.) I like to make up my own Biscuit, Cornbread, Pancake and Pie mixes. Homemade mixes come together quickly in jars I keep in the cupboard so it takes care of measuring time when I want to quickly add a baked good to a meal. I just add butter, milk, eggs or water and mix it up and bake it quickly. I can mix these up on a weekend measuring them all out at once and cleaning up one time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When thinking in these terms it is also a snap to make a grocery list after a quick inventory of fridge and cupboard.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Milk</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Juice and other beverages</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Eggs (some to boil and some to cook with)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cheese (to shred, slice and cube)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Butter and/or Oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Vegetables (to cook and some for a tray)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Salad Greens</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Potatoes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator">Pasta</div><div class="separator">Rice and Beans</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fruit (for a bowl, salads and/or pie)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Meat (something to slice and special cuts for dinners.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bacon or Sausage for large breakfasts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nuts, Seeds and Dried Fruits (for snacking and baking)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Crackers or Chips (unless you bake them)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Olives or Pickles</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Baking Supplies (flour, sugar, salt, yeast, baking soda, etc.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Special items for planned recipes or Condiments</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If I keep a running inventory of these things as well as soaps, paper goods, garbage can liners, batteries, lightbulbs and other consumable household items. With this kind of organization, I only have to shop every two weeks, there is always something to eat when I look in the fridge and I have more time to keep the house clean and orderly as well!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-35306878539378288782021-04-03T21:16:00.001-07:002021-04-03T21:17:02.317-07:00Homemade Lunches 'Look Book'Turkey and Vegetable Wrap with Stone Ground Mustard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Homemade Chicken Salad Sandwiches and Watermelon</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-29150530659612510652021-03-27T14:19:00.000-07:002021-04-03T22:30:21.386-07:00Homemade Dinners/Suppers 'Look Book'<div>Corned Beef and Cabbage Stew</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div>Chicken Pot Pie<br><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Taco Salad with Limeade</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div>Sloppy Joes with Coleslaw on Sourdough Toast</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Sausage Pizza</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div>Chicken Curry with Rice, Tzatziki and Crispy Chickpeas<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Korean Hot Wings with Marinated Spinach and White Rice</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Chicken Soup</div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Hamburger Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Candied Carrots, Salad and Homemade Dressing</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-11512100027183644902021-03-27T14:00:00.000-07:002021-03-27T14:00:07.666-07:00Pre-preping VegetablesI find it so helpful to prep vegatables as soon as I bring them home from the market (ideally). If I can't prep them right away, I usually make it a priority for the next day. The reason is, if the vegetables are ready to eat, I am more likely to do so instead of letting them go to waste because I'm too tired to prep them. It also keeps me from looking for packages of junk foods. <div>I know it can sound like a lot of work and the vegetables will just go to waste anyway if they are cut up right? Well, it depends, I have found a few ways to prep common vegetables that even extends their fridge-life! I want to share these tips, because we all know we need to eat more vegetables right, but I feel like we have forgotten how to add them to our diets.<br><div><div>I like to have fresh vegetable tray items ready to go in the fridge, and it's so much cheaper and fresher if we DIY these items. If you store them with the following methods, the vegetables store longer, can be eaten right away or chopped faster for recipes. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyOaz9d6m8r6SNO58WyoYUGzgM9Eomj8lVXft652htj31JzgOsmdtrJz3mf7XrBuVgD0b5S0vpQWkx8f_9oSZKUQkdvxsYWeIf1gZ4PCkpbs1qLTJyZzhYvxcHokItbobmuKbA3B3eXo/s1600/1612670955712181-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyOaz9d6m8r6SNO58WyoYUGzgM9Eomj8lVXft652htj31JzgOsmdtrJz3mf7XrBuVgD0b5S0vpQWkx8f_9oSZKUQkdvxsYWeIf1gZ4PCkpbs1qLTJyZzhYvxcHokItbobmuKbA3B3eXo/s1600/1612670955712181-2.png" width="400">
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</div><b>For Celery</b>:</div><div>Before washing, chop both ends off and remove the heart so that only the edible part remains.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Soak the spears for about 5 minutes. If the dirt does not wash off at this point go ahead and scrub off the remaining dirt.</div><div>These size spears fit nicely into a pint and a half mason jar and I can always fill two jars with one bunch of celery. </div><div>Pour one cup of filtered water into each jar and fill with bottom of the stalks at the bottom. These will last up to 3 weeks this way!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><b>For Carrots:</b></div><div>Scrub dirt from carrots stalks. Cut off both ends of carrots and cut each in half width-wise and then length-wise until each half carrot has been quartered.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Pour half a cup of water into 1-2 pint size jars. Place carrot sticks into wide-mouth pint jars standing on end. Carrot sticks will last for two weeks in my refrigerator stored this way!</div><div><b>For Green Onions (or Spring Onions):</b></div><div>Remove any limp, brown or slimy layer.</div><div>Wash onions.</div><div>Cut off any wimpy green ends and the roots.</div><div>Slice part of the white end and part of the green until a length of onion remains that will fit in a pintand a half jar.</div><div>Pour half a cup of filtered water into jar and add the length of green onions.</div><div>These will last two weeks in my fridge.</div><div>Place the presliced green onions in a half pint jar and use within the week!</div><div><b>For Radishes:</b></div><div>Remove rubber band and soak the whole radishes for ten minutes, stirring with your hand to remove dirt.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg61ED3T0uscK7b8scC22hyphenhyphenyzMpP9_ICwjXQymOENMIHm-LYoGolqwHltHOfCujwifrHPZFhtxZ6ULJ0OyyAF3PjGDg1K2Cx-YApTpEb_yUGdVHFmzeIr6HhMIhJVRNJLPtju5wEab1lg/s1600/1612672390356099-0.png" width="400">
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pull off the green leaves at the radish leaving a bit of green stem. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Store radishes in a glass container with a paper towel in the bottom and a loose lid. They will last up to 2 weeks in my fridge this way.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dry radish leaves and eat quickly in a sandwich or wrap for lunch or sautee with butter for a green side at dinner!<br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Radish leaves have a delightful green and peppery flavor that go great with beans, chicken or turkey and other vegetables. Try it with meatloaf!</div><div><br></div><div><b>For Lettuces:</b></div><div><div><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKA8DllrFysnpUPSoQ8sfXvBEtHNaHEkluAAU9YgunXSaF80Ev5NsMngT9k1iZ7n0x7IyK1ElFbFih9fW1ombPDNGTDQSWliWre6OopxCgFprZ9-wR1FRaVj4kY0YVpi7lB5ujHG12bhw/s1600/1612670964397484-0.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKA8DllrFysnpUPSoQ8sfXvBEtHNaHEkluAAU9YgunXSaF80Ev5NsMngT9k1iZ7n0x7IyK1ElFbFih9fW1ombPDNGTDQSWliWre6OopxCgFprZ9-wR1FRaVj4kY0YVpi7lB5ujHG12bhw/s1600/1612670964397484-0.png" width="400"></a></div>Chop unwashed lettuce about an inch in length and then soak it in filtered water for ten minutes. (If lettuce becomes wilted in the fridge, this method will also crisp it up again.) Stir the lettuce in the water with a hand now and then to make sure any dirt will wash off. I use a salad spinner and a towel afterwards to dry the chopped leaves and place in a glass container with a paper towel in the bottom and a plastic lid on top. This method for storing lettuce keeps the lettuce fresh and ready to eat for up to a month! I have used half gallon jars with the same success.</div></div><div><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPAa7DYRwvxzJX1o80my35mpq4i17x3bQ7pZTXBoGCZ9SoiDGjKJckGyeOYsr9wArYRKOrkqHauVkGKu-mHHDlCyqtJ7jSdAB9c_RcJMh-7YzFGe6stQ7d504cR1CXY5EVvdOFeqhxaQ/s1600/1612670960342882-1.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPAa7DYRwvxzJX1o80my35mpq4i17x3bQ7pZTXBoGCZ9SoiDGjKJckGyeOYsr9wArYRKOrkqHauVkGKu-mHHDlCyqtJ7jSdAB9c_RcJMh-7YzFGe6stQ7d504cR1CXY5EVvdOFeqhxaQ/s1600/1612670960342882-1.png" width="400"></a></div>Another way to ensure you eat your salad greens, is to prepare a good dressing right away. Then, if you have nothing else, you can always have lettuce and dressing as a side for meals.</div></div><div>I also like to quarter and slice a red onion and store in a pint jar for one to two weeks. This makes it so much easier to thow together a salad, sandwich or cook a soup. Just grab a few carrots and celery to chop, you can easily add them with the sliced onions to soups, stir-fries or roasts.</div></div></div><div><div><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3xUhiwhzjjNl5iM46kUrT1IN8msb-ccS-J8FnhxWv5hTVe4c4XAebe_C9V0q7g-9E1FEU7M96Hs9OESNP0khjJOabOrOgIb2mogZlpeRu9ELp3fwGKA3lwJKy-ITlKwPxN9ENB07k4M/s1600/1612672366318047-5.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM3xUhiwhzjjNl5iM46kUrT1IN8msb-ccS-J8FnhxWv5hTVe4c4XAebe_C9V0q7g-9E1FEU7M96Hs9OESNP0khjJOabOrOgIb2mogZlpeRu9ELp3fwGKA3lwJKy-ITlKwPxN9ENB07k4M/s1600/1612672366318047-5.png" width="400"></a></div></div><div>Doesn't that look beautiful? Fresh vegetables ready to eat, no chopping or washing left to do! Now store them in your fridge where you can see them and eat them up! Wishing you good health and easy cooking!</div><div><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyOaz9d6m8r6SNO58WyoYUGzgM9Eomj8lVXft652htj31JzgOsmdtrJz3mf7XrBuVgD0b5S0vpQWkx8f_9oSZKUQkdvxsYWeIf1gZ4PCkpbs1qLTJyZzhYvxcHokItbobmuKbA3B3eXo/s1600/1612670955712181-2.png" imageanchor="1"></a></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-65940792809965435112021-02-05T14:36:00.001-08:002021-02-22T08:45:41.735-08:00Keeping up with the DishesI think it is about time I shared my new system for keeping my dishes washed and my kitchen clean. For a few months now I have experienced great success and I feel so thrilled that I just have to share with everyone I know!<div>Of course, I have to tell my story so you can see the full value of my discovery right?<br><div>To begin with; when I was growing up, we did not have a dishwasher. All the kids in my family took turns washing the dishes as soon as the youngest was old enough to participate. The dishes would pile up all day and then some time after dinner, one unfortunate soul would stand for at least an hour, elbow deep in scalding pungent water until our hands were numb. We scrubbed at every dish with a rag until the dried-on-mess-from-a-family-of-seven would submit. My mom made every meal, snack and dessert from scratch, by the way. </div><div>I remember the powerful odor of the dishsoap and how it gave me a rash and made me itch while the hot water stung my skin. I gritted my teeth, my clothes becoming soaked with every dish that plunged into the water.</div><div>My parents had no idea that anyone could be allergic to dishsoap, or that any cries of despair could be anything but laziness. (Just to clarify, my parents were both caring and loving.) My point is, this was not a good first impression to washing dishes (or housekeeping for that matter) and I grew to dread the activity altogether. I'm sure many people can relate to my story.</div><div>When I left home, at least there were fewer dishes to wash, but then there were roomates and I am not going to go into detail what kind of problems ensued. Then I was married and there was usually a dishwasher I learned to use, but the struggle continued because it took so long to fill the dishwasher and it didn't do so well getting crusty bits off. So, I would scrape and rinse all the dishes so the dishwasher could get them "clean". The problem is that rinsing and scraping isn't far off of washing by hand and I would frequently fall behind. The dirty dishes would pile up as I avoided the misery that was-washing dishes.</div></div><div>I felt stressed and bogged down by the never-ending chore that no one wanted to help me with. For a short time I sold kitchen tools and soon came to understand what every man who values tools knows, using the right tool for the job gets it done faster and with less effort so you have energy and patience to get more done. I learned how to work smarter to get good healthy food on the table. With this new understanding I thought, surely this applies to cleaning as well, and I went on to find cleaning tools that made my housework easier. This took several years and I tried to utilize the dishwasher, but I kept falling into the same avoidance issues and still felt unhappy and stressed all the time about it.</div><div>I looked for better dish washing tools, but I didn't really know what to look for, so much trial and error followed.</div><div>One day I was watching an episode of I Love Lucy which included a scene where Lucy was washing dishes. The process was a little different and intrigued me since, I had been applying the wisdom of older generations in my cleaning routine with great success. Lucy plucked a dish from a sink full of steaming water wet a miniature mop, scrub a block of soap with it, scrub the dish with the mop, rinse the dish and put it in the drainer. A light went on in my brain. I remembered a girl I worked with at Dairy Queen who was an amazing dishwasher. I asked her what her secret was and I watched her, but as far as I could tell at the time, she didn't do anything so differently than I did! It was frustrating. What I didn't realize was, she soaked the dirty dishes in scalding water first and didn't scrub the dishes under the water as I did.</div><div>I could see the dish mop Lucy used gave her 360 mobility instead or the brushes I was used to, which only give about 90 degrees mobility. I decided to look for a dishmop. I also decided to try using a bar of soap after reading an article about how women used to use a bar of soap to wash everything back in the day, before all the household cleaners were invented! At first I used an unscented Dr. Bronner's Bar and it worked! I started to notice a bit of a film on my dishes and as I researched soap making I realized that the Dr. Bronner's bar I was using was made for skin and had a moisturing amount of oil in it that was coating my dishes. Just at that time, I discovered through MightyNest, a solid dishsoap block and I immediately ordered the unscented block. I have been using it for 3.5 years now and never plan on going back to liquid. I do keep a bottle of unscented liquid dishsoap for the sole purpose of cleaning my blender (it has a heated self-cleaning function.) </div><div>Not long after finding my dishsoap bar, I found my dish mop! At first I was considering the kind of mop used to paint barbecue sauce on ribs as you grill. It had a cotton head and looked much like what Lucy used in the show. However, I didn't feel good about it, so I prayed for guidance to find the dish mop I needed. Soon I found a dish brush made with horse hair and a 360 head. I worried because some said it was smelly and I had had a smelly horse hair brush before and it was overpowering. I kept feeling led to this brush and so I timidly bought it.</div><div>Hair is very sharp, most barbers know to quickly sweep it up so it does not present a problem. If you were to get a dirty hair sliver in your foot it can be hard to detect and cause infection. I learnt this a long time ago when I was learning to cut hair. Because hair is sharp, it workes excellently at scrubbing dishes. I also knew this by experience, but in order for it to work optimally it must be kept untangled and pliable. I have a tendency to scrub really hard because I have used those plastic-bristled-brushes for too long, but this grinding the bristles into dishes tangles and mattes hair and makes the less efficient, so I had to learn to be gentle and trust the many sharp hairs to do the scrubbing for me. As with brushing teeth, the number of strokes used is more effective than the force applied. Therefore, the horsehair dish mop requires <i>no</i> elbow grease. It does shed a hair now and then, but I have accepted it as part of the package and it doesn't bother me now. I keep my brush clean by rinsing and wringing excess water out when I am down using it and it has never become stinky. I rinse my dishes in hot water with white vinegar added when I feel like extra sanitation in needed and I will also rinse my brush in it at the end. Also, I never allow food particles to lived in the bristles. I love my brush so much, because it saves me so much time and effort! I have been considering a routine of daily brushing it's hair to keep the bristles from matting and extending the efficiency. I will update this post once I have that figured out.</div><div>So I had my dishwashing all figured out right?</div><div>Well, you know what they say about old habits dying hard? I moved to another state and through stress and displacement, my routine and emotional healing from former dishwashing habits were forgotten. My brush became matted and I tried to use the dishwasher again. After a few years, I was watching some YouTube channels I enjoyed about cooking and cleaning and feeling like I could stop running on autopilot. All three of the ladies on these YouTube channels handwashed all their dishes, didn't even want dishwashers in their kitchens and one of them said something about it that reminded me it is easier to handwash dishes than to use a dishwasher. I bought a fresh dishmop and fell in love with it all over again. I found my routine and lived happily ever after!</div><div>The nature of my move was traumatic and it caused all kinds of emotional and psychological distress. So I started to run on "autopilot," while I untangled the mess in my brain and my heart.The reason I forgot how to wash dishes is because, I was in survival mode and TV and popculture tell us we should be using a dishwasher, so I followed the path of least resistance. It is hard to do something different than you see everyone else doing, especially if you are not feeling particularly secure on your own. So, I want to provide support for others and myself, because we all have our own personal struggles and we are all trying to find our own best path to follow. Sometimes all the countless influences in our lives distract us and make it difficult to focus on what is really important to us. </div><div>Now I'm going to share my strategy for taking care of one of our most basic and persistent needs. Washing dishes. Washing dishes is important because we need to cook and eat with clean dishes to be healthy. If our dishes and counters are clean, we are more likely to cook our own food rather than going out to eat (which we all know is not healthy.) If washing dishes can be considered part to the deal whenever we eat (and is a painless process) then we can readily gwt up from the table, scrape the scraps off our plates, run a little water and wash our dishes before moving on with the rest of our day. It really is that simple. Some people force themselves to do this by only having enough dishes in their house for one meal at a time, but I feel like there is a much more pleasant way to accomplish this than force. (Which probably leads to eating out and disposables which aren't always pleasant either.)</div><div>Make a calm and pleasing picture in your mind of mealtime from start to finish. You enter a sparkling clean kitchen, fresh fruits and vegetables are placed in your shining sink and washed and then leisurely chopped and cooked. Utensils, cutting board and measuring spoons are washed as the pot boils and the pan sizzles or the oven bakes. The counters and sink are wiped clean with little effort. Then the meal is brought to the clean table already set and cheery. A prayer of thanks is given and everyone enjoys eating a nutritious meal. The plates and flatware are gathered, scraped free of scraps and placed in the sink of fresh hot water. The leftovers are carefully divided into appropriately sized containers and promptly stored in the refrigerator or freezer. The dishes are washed and put away. The table is washed and set for the next meal and the family returns to their day.</div><div>Does this sound like the kind of mealtimes you would enjoy? Do feel health and happiness would improve in your life with routine meals like this? If so, then priority must be placed on it. We must think ahead to whatever might disrupt it and make preparations. Put other worthy goals on hold long enough so you can sit and make a plan for the routine you want and any disruptions that may arise. Do you have small children vying for your attention? Plan to give their small hand something important to do (or learn) like washing measuring spoons, scrubbing potatoes and carrots, sweeping the floor where you are not standing, reporting the progress of dinner like a newscaster for the family, or whatever suits your family best.</div><div>Do you have frequent visitors? Make them a part of mealtime or block out time for their visits that won't interfere with your important work. Take into consideration how long they like to stay and make preparations for it. Etc.</div><div>Now how and what you cook is another topic altogether. I cover some of my own methods in other posts so I will refer you to those instead of making this post any longer than is needed.</div><div>This is the part where I tell you how I wash dishes with the right tool in the most efficient method, or how to use the tools I have introduced!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div><b>Here is my method:</b></div><div>Fill the sink with hot water.</div><div>Scrape as much debris from dishes as possible into the trash or compost or whatever you do with them.</div><div>Add dishes to the hot water and let soak until the water is barely hot and doesn't scald the hand. </div><div>If sanitation is desired, fill second basin with hot water and about ¼ cup of white vinegar.</div><div>Wet dishmop and coat with soap from dishsoap bar. </div><div>Pluck dish from right basin make a circle motion with dishmop lightly all over dish (somewhat like painting.) </div><div>Dunk dish back into water to remove soap.</div><div>If any food bit remains, repeat.</div><div>Place clean dish in vinegar water of left basin to sanitize. </div><div>If you are not sanitizing the load, simply rinse soap off with hot water from the tap.</div><div>Continue until all dishes are washed.</div><div>Place dishes in dish drainer to drip dry, or dry with a clean dish towel.</div><div>Wash counters with dish rag and soap, rinse dish rag and finish cleaning counters with vinegar water in left sink basin.</div><div>Drain water and wash both sink basins with the dish rag.</div><div><br></div><div>That's it! No more pruny fingers or red hands! With the solid dishsoap and 360 dishmop I get my dishes washed faster and with much less effort.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div><div>Now that I have the best tools, (that I even have fun using) next I had to figure out a system to keep washing my dishes and keep my kitchen clean!</div><div>I read home economics books which had also helped me develope my new method for washing dishes. I took note of the routines used by the ladies on YouTube who handwash all their household dishes, and I remembered reading about Ma washing dishes in, The Little House on the Prairie. What I realized was, no one ever used to leave dishes to the next meal in past generations. That would be self-inflicted pain! (Duh) Well, one might think, "hey, I don't want to take time out of my day to wash dishes after every meal! What a pain!" </div><div>What I came to realize is, the meal begins when I start cooking it and isn't finished until I've cleaned up after it. Clean up is part of eating (one could say the same of cooking) and if I want to eat (healthy meals at home), I have to accept the process. </div><div>Now that I wash the dishes immediately, soaking is not required and the dishes come clean easily. With the right tools, the process is <i>no longer painful</i>. With the developement of good habits, the cleaning gets done with a good attitude (no resentment!) I am happy and my kitchen is clean. Seems like a good solution to me!</div><div>I felt the need to share this journey because, simple housekeeping skills seem to be widely forgotten in our current era, but they are still sorely needed. I hope what I have shared will help even a few stuggling housekeepers transform their relationships with dishwashing, or at least help ya'll to find what works best for you if you are struggling like I was.</div><div>I'm wishing you all the best in your endeavors to keep a happy healthy homelife!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-37698790090214202902020-12-12T12:44:00.000-08:002024-03-04T21:31:35.457-08:00Making and Using Homemade Laundry Detergent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><div>I have now been making and using my own laundry detergent for over 5 years now. I have made almost as many formulas for laundry detergent. I also used soap nuts for a couple years, but I think I finally landed on my favorite recipe. The problem I had with soap nuts is that I frequently had to clean my washing machine with Lemishine because there would be lots of build up and that is probably because I did not remove my soap nuts for the rinse cycle because I could almost never catch it and then if I did I couldn't find the bag of soap nuts. But also because I could not buy them locally or order them when I was running out. The last time I ran out of soapnuts I couldn't afford to order them in bulk and I found a new <a href="https://www.fairylandcottage.com/single-post/2018/06/07/Zero-Waste-Laundry-Detergent">recipe for laundry detergent</a> that proved to be a keeper!</div><div>I use a 5 oz bar of Castile soap to 2 cups of homemade washing soda. This year I bought a bucket of powdered soap to use in this recipe instead of grating soap, and I just use 5 oz of it with the Washing Soda. </div><div>Once mixed, I use 1 Tbsp for smaller loads and 2 Tbsp for large loads. I always fill the fabric softener cup with white vinegar in each load of laundry. </div><div>For white clothes I soak with Hydrogen Peroxide and cold water first. I noticed after a year my whites started looking dingy and retaining oils. I soak them in hot water and dish soap to strip them and then soak again with Hydrogen Peroxide. It really does work great, but every few months you may also need to clean your washing machine with citric acid. These little extra steps may sound like a pain, but it is actually really simple and to me it is worth it to not be using heavily processed chemicals and fragrances in my home and wearing them on our bodies. Also, I can make a year's worth of laundry detergent and not have to worry about running out or budgeting for it all year or spending time shopping for it. So when all is said and done, it makes life much simpler for me.</div><div>Hope you enjoy it!</div><div>2022 Update- I have found a build up on my clothes and sheets that would not come off in the wash. I started using a natural laundry soap and oxigen boost, but it only mildly improved it. I stopped adding vinegar to the rinse cycle and I have been seeing improvements. I will update again when I have this figured out. I am going to try a soak with a natural shampoo next.</div><div>2024 Update- I have decided the best way to wash clothes is by hand. No other way seems to actually clean clothes. Maybe my washing machine is just not very good, I'm not sure, but one thing I am sure of is I don't have time to wash all my family's clothes by wash board, I would need better equipment. Wash basins, wringer, and a better washboard. I don't understand it, I grew up with a top-load Maytag that seemed to get clothes clean without wearing them out just dandy. I am feeling rather fed-up with the whole issue at this point.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-51867921241116513292020-10-18T12:24:00.001-07:002020-11-05T10:10:23.083-08:00The Harvest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><p> I've done some personal growing recently and have started to uncover a few "hidden wedges", I started digging them out and realized how awkwardly I have grown out from them and I am going to have to do some serious emotional pruning. If you have no idea what I am talking about, please read or watch this <a href="https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2002/04/hidden-wedges?lang=eng" target="_blank">talk given by President Thomas S. Monson in 2002</a>. I didn't fully understand what it meant back in 2002, but it has recently become clear to me why this was so important and stuck with me all this time. I'm making some changes in myself. Little seeds have been planted and now comes the harvest, not a big one, but I am hoping for greater yields in the years to come. (I like metaphors)</p><p>This year I successfully planted and harvested a garden. I had Roma and Cherry Tomatoes, Sweet Peppers, Zucchini, Green Beans (although they didn't make it to fruition they did come further than last year.), Rosemary, Parsley, Mint, Oregano and Strawberries. I also had Marigolds, some which survived the hot summer, Geraniums, Lemongrass, Citronella, Basil and Peppermint which were not as good at deterring pests as I had hoped they would be in my organic pesticide-free potted garden on my patio. This last spring I had decided to start small, but buying huge pots to grow tomatoes in, other smaller pots, organic potting soil, wood chips and organic fertilizer was not small on my budget. I am so glad I did it though because it is wonderful to grow my own food! My six-year-old even cooked and ate some zucchini! A miracle in and of itself. He and I have learned so much this year and I can't even tell you, if you don't already know, how delicious fresh veg from your own garden is. Planting seeds and seeing them grow into something I can feed my family has been a very educational, comforting, satisfying and faith promoting experience for me in a very natural way. I highly recommend it.</p><p>A recipe my six-year-old made up this summer is, Garden Fresh Minty Sauteed Zucchini, and I was all surprise how delicious it is.</p><p>Thickly slice a Fresh Zucchini</p><p>Add it to a pan of about 1-2 Tbsp melted sizzling butter</p><p>Sprinkle with salt to taste</p><p>Saute until they begin to brown and soften </p><p>Add some washed mint leaves roughly chopped (about a TBSP)</p><p>Stir until minty fragrant</p><p>Add a minced garlic clove</p><p>Season to taste and enjoy hot</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-37651654563417569962018-06-23T16:27:00.000-07:002018-06-23T16:27:23.119-07:00The Creation of Picky-EatersI asked my husband what he would like for breakfast this morning and when he looked torn I offered to make German Pancakes, his favorite. When our four year old came to the table for breakfast he very decidedly voiced that he did not want to eat that (although he did not remember, he is also very fond of this special breakfast item.) I felt exasperated. I did not make him eat it, I did set a plate of it at the table, I did not let him eat anything else. Two hours later, the little guy was getting hungry, I took his portion of breakfast out of the fridge and set it at the table for him to eat. I did not let him eat anything else, after much complaining and firm resolve from his father and I. I told him very calmly that when we sit down to eat a meal, he is required to eat three bites before he decides he doesn't like it. Then, if he doesn't want to eat it, he can wait until the next meal to eat something else if he wants to. If he doesn't eat three bites, he will be given the same food until he does.<br />
So he sat down at the table and put three bites in his mouth, when he told me so, I said good job and asked if he would like some more. He asked if he could have more maple syrup on it and I obliged. He proceeded to eat all of his breakfast and then got down and started to play.<br />
As I was cleaning up I realized that I have given him too many options his whole life when it came to food. If the food is nutritious and good, there should be no opportunity for substitution or rejection. When my son was a baby he was "underweight," but he was responsive, happy and healthy and the doctors did not show any concern. My Mother-in-law, however, lorded it over me. So I was always stressing over it, and trying to make sure my little string bean was getting enough food. So, if my toddler turned his noise up at something I quickly replaced it with something else, I just wanted him to eat and thus the picky eating habit was supported.<br />
When I was a child I was expected to eat what I was given, whether it was yummy or not because we didn't have money to spare on wasted food.<br />
I thought as I washed dishes about our ancient ancestor hunter gatherers and wondered if they ever turned their noses up at dinner... Hmm nope, I don't think so, I think they are whatever they could get. Then I wondered how we as a civilization came to think that we needed to make choices when it came to food. My son sometimes treats me like a short-order cook. I tell him what I am making for dinner and then he tells me what he wants to eat instead, which is frustrating. I do not change my dinner plans. I realize that we go out to eat to much though. He likes choosing something from the menu and getting what he ordered. So now I am drawing a correlation with being able to order whatever you want from a myriad of options and thinking that you need to eat only whatever you want. If there are no other options we will eat what we have if we are hungry enough. Whether good tastes good to us or not shouldn't be a factor of whether or not we eat it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-75761579812456770282018-06-14T13:22:00.000-07:002018-06-14T13:22:40.060-07:00Actually Making Life Simpler<div dir="ltr">
<u>I</u> really liked sharing what actually makes my life more simple. I feel like with all these DIYs, homemade foods and avoiding toxic chemicals in store-bought products, one can get rather lost in the jumble and forget we are trying to make our lives LESS complicated.<br />
Part of the reason I became overwhelmed and spread out too thin when I first started this journey is because I was trying to replace every formerly store-bought item individually. I was asking myself the wrong questions, which shows how thoroughly saturated in consumerism I had become. </div>
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If we want to ”get back to basics," or simplify our lives; I feel the key to success that seemingly everyone forgot to mention, is to first ask each of ourselves the right questions.</div>
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"What are my actual needs?"<br />"What modern convenience items am I giving up that previously filled these needs?"<br />and, "What are the rudimentary bases of these needs?"</div>
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I would ask myself, ”Okay, now how do I clean my toilet?" Instead I should have asked, "Okay, now what can I use to clean my home?" Despite the claims of every cleaning commercial ever, soap is soap and if it cleans one thing, it can clean another if used properly. It was a huge turning point for me when I learned that women used to use a bar of soap to clean their house too to bottom, wash their bodies, wash the dishes, wash their clothes, wash their hands etc. Obviously more than one bar, but the same soap. Then companies started offering soap flakes, so people wouldn't have to shave soap with a knife to dissolve into their dish water, laundry washing water, or bucket of water they were using to clean the house with. From there, eventually came the many other cleaners one by one that are sold for each individual cleaning job. What a racket!<br />
So may I suggest, instead of looking up recipes to replace window cleaner, toilet cleaner, shower cleaner, grout, tile, stainless steel, dust, vegetable etc. etc. Start by looking up how baking soda works to clean, how soap works to clean, how vinegar cleans, how Hydrogen Peroxide works to clean and then you will be able to formulate your own cleaners as the actual need presents itself... or cleaner. (One Size Fits All.) Instead of having ten thousand different cleaners under your kitchen sink (homemade or store bought.)</div>
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This manner of thinking works on a myriad of subjects. Instead of asking how to make lotion, lip balm, hand cream, moisturizer maybe we should ask, "how do I moisturize now?" Do you really need to moisturize your lips with something different than your hands and face? How would it be if I used Shea Butter to moisturize my legs, hands, lips, and face? I have found I like Argan oil for my face and hair, and a mixture of apricot oil and Shea Butter for everything else. There is no need to try out every butter and oil and moisturizing thing found By mankind either. Information about the defining properties of each item can be found and studied in the web! So you have dry or oily skin? Don't know? Try something that moderates skins moisture.</div>
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By looking at ingredients instead of products I'm used to using, I am able to use the same items for multiple uses and therefore keep fewer products, spend less money and make life simpler.</div>
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What about food!? Yes, this is a big one, I wish I had stopped trying to eat all the super foods and just stick to what I like. Chances are, you already eat/like some super foods and none of them individually or collectively are going to keep you from ever getting sick again. I didn't need to buy those expensive tiger nuts that ended up in the garbage bin, or the dried mulberries, or the nasty algae powder, or the quinoa. I must have spent hundreds of dollars on "superfoods" I made myself eat or threw in the garbage after it expired. There are plenty of super foods to eat without breaking the bank. None of them helped me loose weight or get any healthier. Instead of having a pantry full of every variety of legume, seed, nut and berry, just get what you like and know how to eat. Only vegans can justify all that plant matter from exotic places because they don't get to put real butter on their food to make it taste delicious and help them absorb the nutrients.</div>
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When it comes to replacing store bought treats, don't try to replace them with homemade counterparts. The truth is no homemade Oreo is ever really going to taste like an Oreo. What I have realized when I am craving an Oreo, not even an Oreo satisfies that craving. What I really want is something crunchy and chocolatey to dip in milk. I have a chocolate spritzer cookie recipe I like to make and it fills that need deliciously. The point is, you will kill yourself trying to produce these things at home that are made in factories with specific equipment. But there is no need to completely fold, there are plenty of delicious things you can make at home that usually turn out much more delicious than anything that ever came in a package. Want a twinky? Try making a sponge cake with real whipped creme frosting and fresh berries. How about hot chocolate, warm milk on the stovetop and throw in a few chocolate chips and stir until melted and reaches the strength you like. Remember, prepackaged foods were created to replace homemade foods so big corporations could make big bucks and we could eat rich fattening foods more often with less effort. Nothing prepackaged has ever been original, as far as I have seen, it all came from someone's secret home recipe and altered to stay "fresh" for months.</div>
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Now, I make a couple cleaners about every three months, I make lotion once a year, my house is cleaner than ever and I feel much better and more at ease in my home. Mindfulness is not stressful as I once thought; it really is about simplicity, and needn't be complicated with pop culture perceptions and expectations.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-72675175947986615102018-06-14T10:23:00.003-07:002023-09-28T05:25:47.235-07:00Moving Check-List<div dir="ltr">
<u>I</u> have done a lot of moving in my life, but at this point in time, I have the most stuff to move. I now have a husband and children's stuff to move along with my own, but I have more personal stuff now too than ever before. It has made me think, 'Gee, you know, maybe I don't actually need all of this!' I have had to put it in boxes, carry it down stairs, stack it in a truck and then unload it into a new home where I have to unpack it, and find a place to put it all. I am thinking it is time to down-size. <br>
I keep this stuff because it is useful and I, at least occasionally, use it. But, now I am wondering to myself, " how much enjoyment and comfort does this stuff bring to my life, if any?" I am speaking mostly of a collection of hobbies. Drawing, painting, embroidery, sewing, knitting, spinning, guitar, cello, recorder, weaving, dancing and paper crafting. Those are a lot of hobbies to keep up on! I don't keep up on most of my hobbies, I just have my stuff around for whenever I want to pick it up again on a whim. Maybe what I should ask myself is, do I actually do this hobby for me, or to fulfill some unnecessary expectation? What is the likelihood that I will want to do this again? Then, how much less of this do I actually need to have on hand to enjoy this hobby? Do I feel obligated to finish this project or would I enjoy it?</div>
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I grew up in an environment that promoted self-sufficiency and independence. So, I quickly learn how to do anything useful that I can think of and stock up on the tools and materials needed for each project just so that in a pinch, I can hand-craft my way out of any problem. This is probably part of the baby boomer effect handed down through generations. It is thrilling in a way to think, hey I could make.... Hmmm, now just what is it I think I'll need? Yeah.<br>
The reason I wanted to write about this today is, having <i>stuff</i> or possessions complicating our lives is a recent passion/study I've been engaged in. I've been watching a lot of different vlogs and reading more about letting go of material possessions as a means to simplify our lives and free up our intentions to live in the present.<br>
Getting all of my things together made me realize how much stuff I have that I just don't use, need or even want. I thought that I had gotten rid of so much stuff and now I know how much is left for me to unburden myself with. How many times does it take a move for someone to realize how much stuff they really have?<br>
I feel like if I get rid of these old hobbies I will be free to try something <u>new</u>!</div><div dir="ltr">(Years later, I am now of the opinion that, there is merit in not having to buy again all the many little things that I thought I wouldn't use or just thought I didn't want to cart around anymore. My advice is to get more boxes than you think you need and start early, so you don't have to feel pressure about how much stuff you have. And get lots of helping hands, so no one starts to complain how many boxes need to be loaded. My Parents and Grandparents did not have to move as much as I have. They accumulated a lot of odds and ends and I remember how great it was that I could randomly find just about anything I could fix into what I needed. I believe there is merit to that and not having to shop all the time. As a kid I could use bits of wood, cloth, nails, yarn, twist ties, rubber bands and paper that I just found lying around in the corner of a drawer, cupboard, closet and it was awesome and it taught me to be creative and resourceful. Maybe being so very tidy, neat and organized isn't as great as all the hype... I feel I should include a disclaimer, we did try to keep the house clean regularly, we just didn't organize every little thing into compartments like people seem to promote everywhere now-a-days.)</div>
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Here is my Moving checklist for mindful movers, hah! It's amazing how much there is to do besides all that packing!</div>
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<br>Cleaning Checklist<br>
*Purge!<br>
*Pack Everything<br>
*Hold Yard Sale<br>
*Dust all Blinds, Fans, Light Fixtures, Moulding, and Shelves <br>
*Wash Walls</div>
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*Fill Nail Holes in Walls<br>
*Clean Fridge and Freezer</div>
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*Replace Refrigerator Water Filter and air filter<br>
*Clean Oven<br>
*Replace Drip Pans<br>
*Clean Oven Racks<br>
*Dust tops of cabinets and fridge</div>
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*Wash Countertops<br>
*Clean behind and under oven and fridge<br>
*Wash out Microwave</div>
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*Clean Microwave Filters<br>
* Clean out Dishwasher and Filter<br>
*Wipe out drawers, cupboards, and countertops<br>
* Clean Toilets, Bathtubs, Showers and Sinks<br>
*Wash Mirrors and Windows<br>
* Clean Washer with Lemishine and wipe out Dryer</div>
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Wash Dryer filter with dish soap and let dry completely before replacing<br>
*Replace A/C Air Filter</div>
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*Check batteries of smoke detectors</div>
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*Check lightbulbs<br>
*Sweep<br>
*Mop<br>
*Vacuum<br>
*Treat Stains<br>
*Wash Carpet</div><div dir="ltr">(2023 Update)</div><div dir="ltr">Well its moving time again and reading over this post, I realized it was unfinished and full of typos! Eeek.</div><div dir="ltr">Something to consider when you are moving is past mistakes to avoid this time around.</div><div dir="ltr">The most regrets I have after moving is getting rid of stuff that I just didn't want to pack, thinking I was purging something I didn't need.</div><div dir="ltr">Mistake #1 to avoid:</div><div dir="ltr">Purging while you pack to "save time and steps".</div><div dir="ltr">Don't ever purge during your packing process. It is far easier to give up just about anything if it means you don't have to try to find a box it will fit into. When you do purge, purge by catagory before you start to pack, only give up the things that you have been long-before-hand-thinking you didn't need or forgot you had that carry no sentimental value. Just because you forgot you had it before this moment, does not mean you will forget you discarded it when you were overwhelmed with just how much stuff you actually have to box up and carry.</div><div dir="ltr">Mistake #2 to avoid:</div><div dir="ltr">Thinking you can clean/repair the whole house in one day by yourself after you move.</div><div dir="ltr">It is better, if you can possibly manage it, to have time to rest after packing and before cleaning and repairing.</div><div dir="ltr">But, don't wait till you have moved out to clean your old place and fill in the holes. You will be so tired after the long days of moving and once all your possessions are moved to your new home you will be fully invested there and not your old place. This tends to make people not care about the old place anymore and caring for a space that is not your home anymore can be excruciating (especially if you need to clean your new place too) and can make you question if you really need your deposit back. (You definitely do!)</div><div dir="ltr">The best method I have found is to</div><div dir="ltr">Clean the hardest things even before you are done packing.</div><div dir="ltr">That would include, #1- the oven, can't emphasize this enough.</div><div dir="ltr">#2- the blinds (how does that dirt cement on there anyway?)</div><div dir="ltr">#3- in and especially behind the appliances (cuz I guarantee you won't want to mess with it later.)</div><div dir="ltr">#4- The Shower Walls (unless you are a super-awesome-housekeeper who already scrapes A-l-l the soap scumb off those tiles every week.)</div><div dir="ltr">#5- The ceiling fans (because you will probably forget about them way up there, and lets just go ahead and include all the upper spaces like on top of the cabnets, refrigerator and any shelves.)</div><div dir="ltr">Set aside time to clean your house real well ahead of your moving day, because after the rooms are bare you are gonna notice more scuffs on the walls and spots on the carpet. Before you deliver your last load of boxes, or before your leave to take your stuff to the new place. Give yourself enough time to "finish up". It takes longer and more magic erasers than you might think. Touch up the walls, wash the carpet, wipe the blinds and fans one last time. Make sure the appliances are freshly wiped out. Washing the walls and carpets is pretty much an all day event so you will have a much easier time if you don't also have to clean the large appliances. So I reiterate, clean the oven ahead of time, but also the refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, washer and dryer- like, the week before, so all they need is a quick wipe with warm soapy water before you turn in your key.</div><div dir="ltr">Mistake #3 to avoid:</div><div dir="ltr">Declining help or getting help and not having a clear plan for what you need them to do. People feel good helping and what goes around comes around so just be sure you are willing and help someone else move next time. People also don't like wasting time, so if you aren't sure what you need help with, here are a few jobs that are easy for the not-your-closest-friend-and-don't-want-to-see-your-underwear person.</div><div dir="ltr">Packing Books</div><div dir="ltr">Packing Unbreakable Dishes</div><div dir="ltr">Packing boardgames (make sure you put rubber bands around them so they don't easily come apart)</div><div dir="ltr">Packing outside equipment or decor</div><div dir="ltr">Remember that most people aren't going to value your stuff as much as you do, especially when they are tired and just want to be done, so make sure you don't give them your 'Great Grandmother's tea set', and use protective covers for your 'gorgeous oak table'.</div><div dir="ltr">Mistake #4</div><div dir="ltr">Thinking you don't need all the special packing supplies.</div><div dir="ltr">Having lots of those nice foam sleeves for you dishes makes packing them so much easier while newspaper gets heavy and there just is never enough of it. Save yourself the hassle and put plenty of those dish savers into your moving budget.</div><div dir="ltr">Also you should definitely get a mattress cover, dirty moving hands leave very difficult to remove prints and sheets will fall off and tear and no one will care- just get the mattress covers ok.</div><div dir="ltr">You definitely want moving blankets on all your wood things because even if you are careful, trying to get multiple furniture items through doorways repeatedly is exhausting. You and your help will definitely scratch up and ding all of your lovely wood bookcases, bureaus, tables and sofas, so cover and protect everythings, cuz those scars never completely vanish and you worked hard for that stuff.</div><div dir="ltr">There are specials on dollies and moving blankets and such at hardware stores so don't think you need to pay the mark up at the moving van shop. Also, where boxes take up A LOT of room when you are done moving. Moving blankets, foam dish savers and dollies don't take up as much room, so you can store those for next time so you don't have the expense then.</div><div dir="ltr">I hope this list makes moving a little easier for you, as we all know, moving is one of the most stressful things we have to do in life and doing these things seems to make things go smoother. Good luck with your move!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-49931176296931587522018-06-14T09:56:00.000-07:002018-06-14T09:56:27.325-07:00I don't need a Slow Cooker, because I have a pot! A Rant.<div dir="ltr">
I don't need a "crockpot" any</div>
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more! That feels good to say! I don't need a slow cooker anymore and chances are, unless you are an avid Slow-cooker user, you don't need one either. I don't really need to ask how it is that everyone and their mother came to believe that a "Crockpot" was a kitchen necessity. Advertising and novelty is the reason. </div>
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I used to fret about using my slow cooker- "oh man, I have to make sure I put this in to cook six to eight hours before my family is going to want to eat. Oh no! It's already two P.M.! Guess pot roast is off the menu!" No! No no no no N-O! People have been cooking without slow cookers since for-e-v-e-r. It's called a dutch oven or a deep Baker and it works perfectly. I can get that pot roast or chicken in to cook two to four hours before I eat it and it is succulent! </div>
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You can cook stock on the stove top or in the oven all day! I have done it y'all. You can cook a pot of beans in two hours on the stove top and you can leave it just as you would a Crockpot! </div>
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One less kitchen gadget for me! I don't have to worry about lead in the glaze, or overcooking everything or undercooking anything. I have more control and I can get sidetracked all day and still have my dinner plans work out! <br />
Now, I am a Stay-at-home wife and mother with a toddler. Maybe down the road when I have a teenager and am out of the house literally all day then I might find my slow cooker useful again. I am sure working mothers all over the globe find a slow cooker to be a huge blessing. But, we don't have to feel obligated to use one just for the sake of following in mother's, or grandmother's, or a trendy neighbor's footsteps. Every kitchen does NOT have to have a slow cooker in it! </div>
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I feel it's important to recognize these things especially trends that last generations. This is not the same thing as a tradition because it is built around a purchased gadget. This is, dare I say, brain washing? Yep, I just said it. I guess it's not an unrecognized concept that marketers brain wash us through commercials and adds to makes us think we and everyone we love needs their product. The commercials of today are the peddler-men of "yesterday." But, it's rarely spoken of, and I think we forget and get sucked in now and then. Let's not leave it to extremists to call it like it is so we can sigh, roll our eyes and continue to ignore problem just so we don't have to make a change in our lives. Let's live mindfully and make good choices based on present needs instead old notions.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-42903341355118101692017-02-19T12:59:00.001-08:002017-06-10T14:49:58.396-07:00Homemade Knitting Needles<p dir="ltr">When I found out I could make my own knitting needles easily and safely, I was floored. I was about fourteen when my mother said, 'Ok, we are going to make knitting needles,' I thought she was out of her mind. We went to our local drugstore and bought some dowels, sandpaper, wood glue and large wooden beads. When I started to understand how easy this was gonna be I became elated, ecstatic actually because I only had one set of knitting needles my mom gave me when I had started to learn to knit. I wanted every size needles so I could make anything and everything I took a fancy to, but buying that many knitting needles would be so expensive!<br>
If you go to a home improvement store or craft store, depending on the size you get, you can buy dowel sticks for around 30¢ each. The craft store will be more expensive so I recommend the former, where you can also get a reasonable price for wood glue and sanding paper. Wooden beads, or any other kind of bead for that matter, that can fit at the end of a dowel is somewhat difficult to find-probably depending on your area. If you make larger needles, you will have to fine tune your whittling skills, but a size 8 knitting needle can be formed from a dowel using an electric pencil sharpener. I have five sets I've made in this size because I use them the most. I make Granny Dishcloths on them and one set is double pointed for knitting a hat on. I have a scarf I am knitting on another set of 8s. They are my favorite size.<br>
So once you get your purchase home, you can measure the length and cut/break the dowel into knitting needle size lengths with about a half inch longer so you have room to glue a bead on the end. Sharpen one end of each dowel carefully so you don't shorten the needle length.<br>
Then sand the sharpened end so that it is smooth with a rounded tip. (This is the best time to remove any product labels.) Make sure the shaft is also smooth so it will not snag any yarn.<br>
Next, put some coconut oil or olive oil on a paper towel and oil the entire length of the needle.<br>
Squeeze a sunflower seed size amount of wood glue on to the blunt end and carefully slide your bead onto the end (it may be a tight fit and sometimes takes​ a bit of gentle finesse. This is the most difficult part.) Wipe excess glue from the knitting needle and set aside to dry.<br>
When dry you may begin use immediately, the needles will become smoother and more slick the more they are used. I really enjoy the feel of them in my hands and they knit so much quieter than other needles I have used. I really love them.<br>
I hope you will try it and let me know how it goes, or if you have any questions.</p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-55738800576725886072017-01-27T19:23:00.001-08:002017-06-10T15:20:05.980-07:00Eating More Vegetables: Homemade Italian<p dir="ltr"><u>Last year Kristin over at LiveSimply.Me posted a hearty roasted vegetables spaghetti sauce recipe. At first I was sceptical, but I was also somewhat desperate to get more vegetables into my picky toddler's belly, not to mention my dear husband. Pasta is one of my little boy's favorite foods and he doesn't mind if it is whole wheat so I made the sauce and boiled a pot of whole Einkorn Spaghetti Noodles and he gobbled it up. I altered the recipe a little to suit my family and the sauce turned out delicious. Although my husband didn't care for the whole grain pasta, he also enjoyed the sauce. </u></p><p dir="ltr"><u>Since that night I have been serving up this vegetable packed sauce with spaghetti with grass-fed ground beef in it and in lasagna. I am very excited that Jovial is now making traditional pastas and I have great hopes my husband will enjoy them. </u></p><p dir="ltr"><u>Einkorn seems to make a huge difference in my health as well as my family's and I count it as an important part of our diet. I make a big order from Jovial from time to time and stock my pantry with einkorn wheat berries, pastas, sea salt sourdough crackers, beans, tomatoes, olive oil, and all-purpose einkorn flour. I feel the taste and nutrition is well worth the higher price tag.</u></p><p dir="ltr"><u>The first time I made cheese pizza for lunch with this sauce and einkorn flour crust, my toddler said, " Mom, this is the best pizza I ever ate!" Aaaw, it is so satisfying to make a nutritious meal that everyone loves and I don't have to worry about making up for the nutrition later.</u></p><p dir="ltr"><u>*Hearty Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce</u></p><p dir="ltr"><u>Bethany Thompson Style Inspired by Kristin Marr</u></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">3 med size Carrots (about 1 ½ cups chopped)</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 med size Zucchini (about 2 cups chopped)</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 orange Bell Pepper</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 med size yellow Onion</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">4 whole Garlic cloves, peeled</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 TB extra virgin Olive Oil</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">1-2 cups halved white Mushrooms</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 tsp Salt, divided</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">½ tsp Black Pepper</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 - 28 oz can Whole Plum Tomatoes (with juice)</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 TB Tomato Paste</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 cups Chicken Stock</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">1-2 Tbsp Maple Syrup</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 tsp dried Organo</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">finely grated Parmesan Cheese</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Preheat the oven to 400F.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chop the carrots, bell pepper, onion, and zucchini into equal size pieces as best as you can. Spread vegetables onto a rimmed sheet pan lined with parchment paper if desired. Sprinkle the whole garlic cloves onto the pan of vegetables.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle ½ tsp of the salt and all the black pepper over the veggies. Using your clean hands, mix the vegetables to evenly coat them with the oil and seasoning.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Roast the vegetables for 25 minutes.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Remove the pan from the oven, and add the halved mushrooms. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Use a wooden spoon to stir the mushrooms in with the roasted vegetables. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Roast the vegetables again for 20-25 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked & soft.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Carefully slide the vegetables into a large Dutch oven or pot and add the canned tomatoes (with juice).</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Blend the veggies and tomatoes together with an immersion blender.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">To the pot, add tomato paste, chicken stock, oregano, and the rest of the salt.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stir in the Maple Syrup and adjust seasonings to taste.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">When ready to serve, stir in the parmesan cheese.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">This makes a lot of sauce, so I usually fill a few freezer safe jars at this point, chill them in the fridge and then store them in the freezer. A pint is usually all I need to make a pizza or spaghetti, but lasagna takes about 1-2 quarts. I just defrost, add fresh grated parmesan cheese and assemble.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">I add cheese to what is left in the pot, and usually some browned beef and serve over noodles, in a pizza, or in lasagna. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Store the sauce in the refrigerator up to </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">4 days, or in the freezer up to 4 months. </span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">*Easy Pizza Crust</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">1.25 cups of lukewarm Water</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 tsp Active Yeast</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 tsp Sugar or Maple Syrup</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 tsp Salt</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">3 cups of whole Einkorn Flour or All-purpose Einkorn Flour</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 Tbsp Butter</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 clove Garlic minced</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"> In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water. After about 7 minutes, the yeast will begin to foam. Stir in the salt and flour using a Dutch whisk or wooden spoon.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cover the bowl with a towel. Let the dough rest on the counter for 30 minutes, until doubled in size.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">* Dough may be stored in refrigerator at this point for 24 hours until ready to make Pizza.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">Preheat the oven to 425F.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;">While the oven is heating prepare the sauce and garlic butter and shred the cheese.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">For the Garlic Butter: Melt butter and add minced garlic to it. Mix with basting brush.</span></p><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">Brush large stoneware bar pan with some garlic butter.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">After 30 minutes, gather and cover dough with flour, place on pan and pat into pan. Or if using a preheated stone form with floured hands and place on parchment paper.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">Baste crust with garlic butter and par-bake 10 minutes.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">Top with some sauce, cheese from grass-fed cows' milk, and other toppings.</span><br style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">Bake for 10 minutes, until the crust is golden and cheese bubbles. Makes 2 small pizzas or 1 large.</span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-4Aep6jPq-jVCuzg19syCZ19EjGFQwlWTG5sxc8tgjqBx4HgKJGIxx3HHoS-SioQ9B1lJlcy58Is4LLeBhKBtL55R27Kfwe_RlTFFxmfvDnXD1yv61eFo0-QEh3E3ONPCYDm46hchW4/s1600/IMG_20170127_191936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-4Aep6jPq-jVCuzg19syCZ19EjGFQwlWTG5sxc8tgjqBx4HgKJGIxx3HHoS-SioQ9B1lJlcy58Is4LLeBhKBtL55R27Kfwe_RlTFFxmfvDnXD1yv61eFo0-QEh3E3ONPCYDm46hchW4/s640/IMG_20170127_191936.jpg"> </a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-47508712520406884832017-01-23T22:45:00.001-08:002017-01-23T23:52:15.040-08:00My First Detox<p dir="ltr">This month, to start the new year, I did the five day Thrive Market Detox. It was a rough week, no grains, no red meat, some days no meat at all, no dairy, little olive oil and coconut oil, not a lot of fruit, but loads of vegetables. I probably spent about three hours a day washing chopping and otherwise preparing vegetables, but it seemed like it was all I did all day. I loved the salads, so delicious especially the fresh tahini dressings. The smoothies were OK. I devoured the chicken breast and like I'd been starving all week. I discovered sweet potatoes <i>mess up my belly</i>, so now it's OK I don't like them.<br>
When my detox was done, to my surprise, I didn't have any bad reactions to dairy. I didn't have any problems with eggs, but gluten was another story. Einkorn sourdough crackers didn't seem to bother me, neither did sourdough waffles or pancakes, but everything else messes my stomach up. Which is strange because I never seemed to notice any issues with bread, pasta, or other baked goods before. My theory is, my body cleaned house during my detox and so it more readily recognized what was making a mess of things. Grass-fed red meat doesn't bother me, but it's no surprise sugar is a big problem.<br>
Benefits of my detox are, less to no achy joints and muscles when I wake up. I can climb the stairs without my muscles screaming at me. My teeth are whiter, and my hair has brighter color and looks shinier. I realized just how many vegetables one can eat in a day and new ways to prepare them. I realized just how little we eat vegetables and how to remedy that. I learned some new recipes I liked. I learned some new habits, like oil pulling and drinking lemon water in the morning, and having a cup of herbal tea before bed. The detox worked in only one week!<br>
Cons to the detox are, not every recipe agreed with my palate and it was sometimes difficult to choke down. It was time consuming, I found myself putting other areas of my life on hold. But the biggest one, It was a burden on my family who did not wish to participate.<br>
I would definitely do it again and probably will in about six months. Things I learned this time around is how to make the recipes more appealing to my family. (Which includes adding meat<b>, </b>and adjusting ingredients to better suit our tastes.) Also, not all the obscure ingredients are necessary, many of them can be replaced with more readily available ingredients. So instead of golden berries in your trail mix, you could substitute organic dried cherries, and instead of filbert nuts you could use walnuts (which is what I used fyi.) If you can't find pea shoots, try radish sprouts, I used sunflower sprouts myself. And if you can't find watercress, use Dandelion greens or something else equally nutritious. See, it doesn't have to be an overwhelming list of obscure ingredients you will only use once, but if you can get them, it's nice to try them because you may find a new favorite!</p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-30038248704082386622017-01-19T23:46:00.001-08:002017-01-19T23:46:05.529-08:00Soups On!<p dir="ltr">When it's time to make dinner and no one wants to eat what you were planning to make, it's easy to want to dash to the drive-thru. But, if you can get through the initial dismay and frustration, there is a fairly quick alternative. It has worked every time I have thought of it. On these emergency occasions I am glad to have chicken stock and prepared beans in my pantry because this is the best time to make up a new soup or throw together an old reliable like chicken noodle. Soup is such a versatile and nourishing dinner, whip up some biscuits or cornbread and it becomes comfort food. If you have a hard time getting vegetables into your family's bellies, soup is the perfect vehicle to get the job done.<br>
It's easy to make soup without a recipe if you know the basics. Start with fat and cook your meat, onion and other vegetables. If you want to thicken the broth, now is the time to add some flour and let the rue cook a minute or two before adding the liquid. Next add seasonings and let it simmer at least five minutes. Enrich with butter or cream, garnish and serve. It takes some practice, but not too much, you can start to understand at what point to add each item so you don't overcook any one thing. Always taste and adjust seasoning just before adding enrichment.<br>
Tonight was a successful inspiration, I browned some frozen hamburger patties diced onion, a diced tomato, and green bell pepper, threw in some Navy beans, stock and a dash of Chipotle. Enriched with butter and accompanied with a slice of sourdough bread and a sliced avocado on top. This creative brainstorm was a hit with my picky boys.<br>
Sometimes its chicken noodle soup if I have leftover chicken, next time it could be creamy potato soup with kale and elbow macaroni. I just depends on what you are in the mood for and what you have on hand. I'm calling soup my go to fail-safe for last minute real food dinner and keeping my pantry stocked with the basics. Good luck, and have fun creating your masterpiece.</p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-18639402712482670332017-01-17T11:22:00.001-08:002017-01-17T11:22:10.353-08:00Simple Fresh Peanut Butter<p dir="ltr">Making Peanut Butter or any nut or seed butter really is just as simple as grinding them up in a food processor to the desired smoothness and seasoning it as you like. It is really so much more tasty to make fresh nut or seed butter, but it's only as good as your ingredients. Even if you don't use organic peanuts, they taste fresher, and it's much more economical.<br>
It really just goes to show how big business has sold us on consumerism. After making my own peanut butter, I don't plan on ever buying it or almond butter or cashew butter etc. ever again! What a racket, seriously! No more standing for half an hour in a grocery isle staring at fifty different options for my PB and J sandwich. Chunky, smooth, medium, less salt, low fat... Rediculousness, make your own to your own liking and <u>enjoy</u>!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLVIbXEcqQ4rbJJ9OdPIMGB1AYbPkKokdttMQHYnUwmgR6cQw4cbDMOQJUAl7F25gBvg8ZD3pVf534Kzd_w0xDod31N6a-oESWIca2YbWtcWu0mzULE0f1jmC1N0ntn_ZwrEiDvZVB0s/s1600/IMG_20170117_105150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLVIbXEcqQ4rbJJ9OdPIMGB1AYbPkKokdttMQHYnUwmgR6cQw4cbDMOQJUAl7F25gBvg8ZD3pVf534Kzd_w0xDod31N6a-oESWIca2YbWtcWu0mzULE0f1jmC1N0ntn_ZwrEiDvZVB0s/s640/IMG_20170117_105150.jpg"> </a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-4171600183831012192016-12-21T20:25:00.001-08:002017-01-10T11:08:52.362-08:00Simple Fresh Applesauce<p dir="ltr">It seems like our modern culture has a tendency to overcomplicate things, and maybe that's our competitive nature. We don't want other people to think that they can do what we can do just as easily right? Because, if they can do what we can do, they won't admire us anymore... We all need admiration, and that's OK, but maybe we shouldn't be so greedy for it. After all, we should always be willing to help each other. My livelyhood doesn't depend on anyone buying the food I prepare so I don't mind sharing my experience.<br>
I have been reading an old home economics book written at the end of the 1930's for young womens' schools. It says the most nutrition is obtained from raw fruit as apposed to dried or cooked fruit. However, if you are unable to eat an abundance of fruit before it overrippens, it is best to cook it, to preserve it in some way so as not to waste the food.<br>
This was a revelation to me; not that I didn't already know cooking fruit was an alternative to throwing it away, but I realized I could be more concious and more intentional with the fresh food I buy. I should be watchful of my fresh produce, check on it everyday if I'm not eating it, and do something with it if it's not gonna make it much longer. But then do I have to look up a recipe and measure out ingredients, which takes time and for thought? The answer is, not necessarily. Sometimes all it takes is some imagination. How about poaching halved pears in butter, brown sugar and a bit of water and serving them with cinnamon spiced whipped cream on top. Cutting up some pineapple and orange sections and dusting them with powdered sugar and lots of coconut makes a delicious new spin on ambrosia salad! If I buy too many apples because they are on sale and I love apples, I can make applesauce after they've reached <u>there</u> and freeze it in pint jars for later. (Which my toddler loves to eat regularly by the way.) Applesauce is one of those things we have been lead to believe is complicated or requires some special skills or equipment to make. -None of which is true. <br>
Today I'm sharing a recipe for the applesauce I threw together off the top of my head to use up some soft and meally apples.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Fresh Applesauce<br>
6 Apples<br>
1/2 cup Water<br>
A pinch Salt<br>
2 Tbsp Raw Clover Honey</p>
<p dir="ltr">Core, peel and chop apples into large chunks. (You don't have to peel the apples, but we prefer to have a smooth applesauce as apposed to sauce with sharp flecks of peel in it. I use a potato peeler for ease and convenience to peel the apples before cutting them up.) Place apples and water into a medium baking dish.<br>
Bake 400 degrees for 30 minutes.<br>
Puree with an immersion blender, and stir in salt and honey once it's cooled. <br>
Makes about one quart. <br>
Store in fridge or freezer.</p>
<p dir="ltr">If you prefer, you could cook them on the stove top instead. The key is not to over complicate things. If you like cinnamon or another spice in applesauce, then add it! If  you want to use sugar or dates to sweeten it instead of honey, by all means, do it. This is what it means to be the family cook, add a little this and taste it, add a little more of that and taste it until you feel it tastes the way you want. Just don't add too much all at once. 😉<br>
Bon appetit!</p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-55340202416116552562016-12-13T10:26:00.001-08:002017-04-18T09:16:02.515-07:00What Actually Makes Life More Simple in My Home<p dir="ltr">There are so many blogs and books out there with recipes and formulas for homemade products to replace our former chemical laden products we use to buy at the store. Personally, I don't find making <u>eight</u> different cleaners ever so often and then reaching for each one when I need to clean <u>something</u>, all that simple. I would like to share what I have been doing that actually feels simple to me.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Bathroom Cleaning</i></b><br>
When it's time to clean my bathrooms; which apart from the kitchen I feel needs cleaning the most, I whip up a cleaning solution that works great on the sinks, toilets and bathtubs.<br>
For two bathrooms I <b>combine a quarter cup of baking soda, a tablespoon of SalSuds or Liquid Castile Soap, and 5-10 drops of Grapefruit or otherwise a delightful essential oil and mix it with a wooden spoon. It will look crumbly, then I just add water from the tap and stir it until it forms a softscrub-like paste.</b> After mixing up this cleaner, I go to each fixture and scoop out a bit and fling it in. I scrub the inside of the toilet and then spray the outside with <a href="http://livesimply.me/2016/02/20/homemade-disinfectant-spray/">disinfectant</a> and let it sit while I scrub the sink and tub with a stiff brush and homemade scrubbing paste. Next I use a <a href="http://mightynest.com/shop/green-cleaning/household/window-cleaning-cloths-2-pack">damp microfiber ecloth</a> to wash the mirrors and a <a href="http://mightynest.com/shop/green-cleaning/household/window-cleaning-cloths-2-pack">dry ecloth</a> to buff. These astonishingly sparklingly clean mirrors with very little effort. To wash the floors I use a spray bottle of vinegar water and a microfiber mop. I do this while my husband is at work so the vinegar smell doesn't bother him by the time he gets home. I find the vinegar is great for also getting rid of any "male smell" that may have dripped on the floors.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><i><b>Cleaning The Kitchen</b></i><br>
This is even more simple because I wash my dishes by hand I can't spend extra time getting out special cleaners for every little thing. I don't have stainless appliances currently, but this method should work fine in any case. <br>
First I wash dishes using <a href="http://www.target.com/p/honest-company-dish-soap-lemon-verbena-26-5-oz/-/A-17094442?lnk=rec|mwebpdph2|related_prods_vv|mwebpdph2|17094442|0">a mild dish soap</a>, and vinegar rinse water ( I use about a quarter to a half cup of white vinegar in my rinse water.) Once the dishes are washed, I use my soapy water and vinegar water and a dish cloth to wash my counters, appliances, cupboards and walls that may have been splashed, and the dining table. It works marvellously and I have a clear glass dining table that becomes streak-free when I use my vinegar rinse water to wash it. <br>
Then I use my hard floor attachment and vacuum my kitchen floor, followed by a spray of vinegar water and microfiber mop. Vinegar water cleans my stainless sink too, so I never have had any trouble with stains. Just like that, I have a shining clean kitchen. Note:  If I have had a mess of egg or poultry to clean up, I use my disinfecting spray too.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Cleaning the</i></b> <i><b>Livingroom and Other Living Areas</b></i><br>
I bought a microfiber duster I use to dust blinds and every other surface, and I have a vacuum with HEPA filtration. I use the same ecloths and technique to clean windows as I use to clean mirrors. I diffuse essential oils instead of using a room spray, I have a Salt Lamp running and an Aloe Vera plant to clean the air. Let's not forget to change the Central Air filter too, right?<br>
If there is a spill I spray hydrogen peroxide on it and it has lifted everything I've tried it on. Vinegar and water also work fine on the fabric couch and just a damp cloth on our leather chair and laminate tables. I do need to figure out a leather conditioner though.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Cleaning</i></b> <i><b>Bedrooms</b></i><br>
I use a diffuser here as well, dust, vacuum, air beds and then make them up, fluff pillows, and HP on spills.<br>
You know, I don't really get a lot of stains though, because we generally don't eat much food coloring anymore. My son drinks mostly water and milk, so far as spills go, right now I just vacuum up a lot of crumbs.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><i><b>Other Main</b></i><i><b>tenance</b></i><br>
Damp Microfiber cleans the outside of my washer and dryer, I use baking soda and then vinegar to clean the inside of my washer. Sweep the patio and eve's. I do make an <a href="http://livesimply.me/2014/09/28/diy-homemade-bathroom-cleaner/">all-purpose spray</a> I use if my soft scrub doesn't extend enough to clean particularly grimy shower walls, or there is  some particularly stubborn wall coloring, but I rarely need it anymore.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><i><b>My cleaning tools</b></i><br>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B013274YEA/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1481650697&sr=1-13&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=microfiber+duster">Microfiber Duster</a> (I bought the oxo, but this one looks like a better deal, plus I like orange better than oxo red and black 😉)<br>
<a href="http://mightynest.com/shop/green-cleaning/household/window-cleaning-cloths-2-pack">ECloth</a><br>
<a href="http://m.homedepot.com/p/Libman-Wonder-Mop-2000/203081504?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-D28I-Cleaning%7c&gclid=Cj0KEQiA1b7CBRDjmIPL4u-Zy6gBEiQAsJhTMN_0R9Pg4uz430QvCv0DXS9HchWfAcR97G8JGN8lJf8aAveR8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds">Microfiber Mop</a><br>
Stiff Scrub Brush (I'm getting <a href="http://mightynest.com/shop/green-cleaning/kitchen-bath/lean-mean-scrub-brush">this one</a> next)<br>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001PB8EEM/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Vacuum</a><br>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001892AX2/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Salt Lamp</a><br>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004GJRG3K/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Diffuser</a><br>
Aloe Vera Plant<br>
Vinegar Water Spray Bottle<br>
(50/50 ratio)<br>
Soft Scrub-like Mixture<br>
- bowl and wooden spoon.<br>
<a href="http://www.target.com/p/honest-company-dish-soap-lemon-verbena-26-5-oz/-/A-17094442?lnk=rec|mwebpdph2|related_prods_vv|mwebpdph2|17094442|0">Dish Soap</a><br>
<a href="http://livesimply.me/2016/02/20/homemade-disinfectant-spray/">Disinfectant Spray</a><br>
Hydrogen Peroxide with sprayer nozzle</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Laundry</i></b><br>
I use soap nuts in a small bag and essential oils to wash clothes, and I use wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Skincare</i></b><br>
I make my own <a href="http://livesimply.me/2015/01/31/diy-homemade-honey-face-wash/">face wash</a>, <a href="http://livesimply.me/2016/01/22/how-to-make-rosewater-and-rosewater-toner/">toner</a>, and <a href="http://livesimply.me/2016/01/16/homemade-easy-argan-and-rosehip-oil-moisturizer/">moisturizer</a>. <a href="http://www.mommypotamus.com/homemade-lip-balm-recipe/">Lip balm</a> is easy to make and I use very little so it lasts all year. For lotion, it works to just use jojoba oil and Shea butter straight, but it's easy enough to combine them and make a <a href="http://livesimply.me/2016/08/12/smooth-homemade-lotion/">lotion</a> with essential oils. I like African Black Soap for body wash, but I am excited to make some <a href="https://youtu.be/c-Qnh3yjXDg">body wash using Liquid Castile Soap</a>, I already use liquid Castile soap for foaming Hand Soap (a quarter cup of soap per cup of water). I use Trader Joe's Tea Tree Shampoo and Conditioner. My toddler uses just African Black Soap and Spry Toothpaste. I use a toothpowder or Redmond's toothpaste. I am using magnesium oil and essential oils for deodorant now, but I'm looking forward to making <a href="http://www.mommypotamus.com/how-to-make-deodorant/">this one</a> soon. (Update 2017: I've been using it several months now and it works great, so happy!)</p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Makeup</i></b><br>
I buy natural makeup, because I have tried making it and found it more time consuming to formulate my own personal colors and the right textures. Fortunately, there are many truly natural makeup companies these days. I do however make my own perfume - which consists of a roller bottle of essential oils.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><i><b>Fast Food</b></i><br>
Instead of trying to recreate a processed food, I try to find quick to prepare homemade food options, or learn tricks to make favorite recipes come together quick that help me not miss the alternative. (This is a work in progress.) It's really easy with some things and much harder with others. <br>
I make big batches and freeze waffles and pancakes. I preform and freeze hamburger patties. I shred and freeze cheese, I can add this still frozen to recipes and sauces if needed. I make extra pizza and spaghetti sauces and freeze them in pint jars for quick dinners. I make plenty of beans and freeze them too for quick dinners and recipes. Rice only takes about 20 minutes to cook on the stove, biscuits take 20 minutes to bake, veggies take 20 minutes to roast in a 400 degree oven. Fish only takes about six minutes to cook in a pan, frozen burgers take about 10 minutes, gravy takes about 5-10 minutes to make. On the other hand chicken breasts take about 30 minutes to roast in a 400 degree oven, and need to rest ten minutes afterwards. So I like to roast and slice chicken breasts ahead of time and chill them and a homemade dressing for a quick salad or soup or both later. When I'm chopping vegetables, I always chop extra and store them in the fridge to make the next meal quicker.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So there you have it. Simple: uncomplicated and takes little time and resources- Doable. If you have some truely simple tips you find doable on a day-to-day-didn't-have-time-to-shower-mommy or workaholic basis I'd love to hear them. Here's to uncomplicating natural living! "Clink"- that was my cup of tisane and whatever you are having..</p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2197967890826964504.post-90176819351482150812016-12-07T09:53:00.001-08:002016-12-13T07:42:03.507-08:00What I've Learned About Culturing Foods<p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">I have been culturing foods for about ten years now, I started with yogurt after reading about the many benefits of yogurt and how easy and healthier it is to make myself, I bought a book and a yogurt maker and culture and started making my first fermented food. I had times when I wasn't making yogurt and times when I was and I noticed the differences in my health. When I was expecting my first child I started to think about nourishing my body, and his, better and I started studying nutrition and new food options to develop my ability to nourish my families bodies. First I started making our bread and then I began throwing out the household and personal care chemicals and changing my cleaning and personal habits. Then I started adding more nutritious foods to our diet. I started making yogurt again, but I also made sauerkraut, and then kombucha, and then milk kefir, and then sourdough, and then water kefir. I love how my life has transformed. Instead of pouring over magazines trying to figure out how to make myself more attractive and spending countless hours at the mall searching for the perfect fitting skirt, I read books and blogs about improving the way I treat my body and I look and feel better as a result. Over the counter cosmetics never made my skin so smooth and dewy after washing, and I may not wear the latest trend, but wearing classic styles suits my simple lifestyle. I struggle with what I call stress-exhaustion, some may call it adrenal fatigue, but I haven't been diagnosed so I'm making my own prognosis. I shake at times, like an old person with Parkinson's disease, and get so wound up about small things at times that I feel like I'm going to explode. (Sensory overload?) I was abused as a small child and again as a young adult and I have learned that it has taken its toll on my nerves. Because I didn't lash out or act out very much, my damage turned inward and I had to do a lot of damage control over the years. As a result, outside stressors have to be kept at a minimal until I can heal. This means silly things like not having the latest boots or bag must be forgotten to make room for toddler tantrums and student loan debt. I'm not gonna lie and tell anyone that three years living this way has completely healed my body, it hasnt, and part of that might be because my family hasnt completely embraced the changes I've made and we still go out to fast food when I've been over-stressed and can't face making dinner and having noses turned up at it again. I haven't lost weight either, I've actually continued to gain it, and I'm still trying to pin-point what is causing it (in other words-is it stress, hormone imbalance, not enough water, too little sleep, too little exercise, too much processed food, too much emotional baggage... Probably all of the above, and I'm working on all of it.) What has happened is, I have felt more energetic, I have felt more upbeat, I have healthier skin, hair and nails, I have stronger teeth and gums, I think more clearly and remember short term better. Most importantly, I am able to play longer and more creatively with my darling son, and give my husband a foot rub or shoulder massage when he comes home without feeling overextended myself. Being there for the people I love most is my top priority and fermented foods help make that possible, so they are pretty important to me.</span><br></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">Over time I have learned a few things that others who are just starting may find helpful, so I'd like to share them here:</span></p><p dir="ltr"><i><b>Yo</b></i><i><b>gurt </b></i><br>
When Culturing an heirloom variety of yogurt the important thing to remember is to keep your starter going. Mine has to be recultured every seven days to maintain its viability. You can make a much as you want to, as long as you are able to maintain a steading temperature throughout the milk. It also doesn't matter what heat source you use to incubate a yogurt culture as long as it is a reliable and steading source. <br>
When life happens and you only have about a cup of milk when it's time to make yogurt, just make a cup of yogurt to maintain your starter. One can always make more after grocery shopping. Whole milk makes the best tasting yogurt in my opinion and I like that I can buy grass-fed milk and make my own yogurt, which I can drain whey from to ferment vegetables with and then use the thicker yogurt for sour cream in some recipes or as topping for burritos etc. I love that I don't have to buy a whole carton of yogurt along with milk and sour cream and then something is bound to go to waste.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_hvKCgNZuRzdSGKXUzLrbSt6CNLn4zuAzL1zBpypTu-eUksGvPyGlXtxvBCtTPIUwLBQn9jnBxZAklJmiO9AaARBCvBjpVRGxMGwiTAg24wg8TKJXrujv1wsHEF7E93kU_UTavIrINU/s1600/IMG_20161207_101058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_hvKCgNZuRzdSGKXUzLrbSt6CNLn4zuAzL1zBpypTu-eUksGvPyGlXtxvBCtTPIUwLBQn9jnBxZAklJmiO9AaARBCvBjpVRGxMGwiTAg24wg8TKJXrujv1wsHEF7E93kU_UTavIrINU/s640/IMG_20161207_101058.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sourdough or Wild Yeast <br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sourdough or Wild Yeast has been the easiest for me to maintain because it is so forgiving and uses simple, easy to store resources. When I moved most recently, I was so busy and tired I just couldn't bring myself to mess with my starter for two months and it died. When I was ready to start again I just took the 'hunk of dry dough' starter I had put in my freezer as back up. After rehydrating it and feeding it for about a week, I was on my merry bubbly way! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I have found that fresh ground flour works best for feeding the yeast, although I have added some all-purpose einkorn flour additionally with very nice results. One day I took my starter out of the refrigerator and opened it to feed it and it bubbled up and started overflowing like a volcano as I held it over the sink. It was so alive and happy feeling I couldn't help laughing aloud with glee. I made the best waffles ever with that starter. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love working with sourdough because it's so laid back and experimental. I feel like I'm leisurely creating an original masterpiece everytime I bake with it. It also feels much more nourishing when I eat it. Sourdough or Wild Yeast would make a great job for a child. He/she could feed it each week and then make a big batch of pancakes or waffles for quick breakfasts during the week. Because sourdough/wild yeast is alive it has a personality, once you learn how your yeast reacts to different treatment, you will be able to recognize how much kneading, raising and heat to using when baking. Like many things, it just takes practice. Unfortunately most grandmother's are no longer offering a coarse in sourdough baking, so we have to do our own trial and error. I definitely believe it's worth it though.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kefir </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I have found Kefir to be rather temperamental. My milk kefir grains did not look healthy or grow until I finally transitioned them to raw milk. I wasted a lot of organic milk with these because they weren't very balanced and I eventually threw them out in some rotten smelling milk, but the grains looked better than ever. It was rather exasperating for me. I now buy milk kefir from time to time when it goes on sale. Maple Hill makes a good whole grass-fed milk kefir and is often on sale in my area for about three dollars, so this is a better option for me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Water Kefir has been much kinder to me. I like that it uses few cheap resources that are easy to keep long term. I found that if I culture only three tablespoons of grains in a quart of water with a quarter cup of Sucanat, I need to culture it about two to three days. I like using pasteurized juice to flavor it best. Spices are easily over done and create deposits I don't care to drink. I don't enjoy dry fruit in my beverage so it has to be filtered. Pasteurized juice is easy and tasty and it adds more sugar for the second fermentation so I don't have to do anything more to it. I like cherry juice, but my family didn't. My husband liked lemon zest flavor, but then you must filter out the zest before drinking (it's unpleasant to drink in the water kefir.) My son enjoyed the water kefir flavored with mango Naked juice. I drink the water kefir the most in my household; it's rather unfortunate my family doesn't enjoy it as much, but they didn't drink the milk kefir at all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fermented Vegetables </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The only thing I have learned about fermenting vegetables, that wasn't in a book, is to just trust your senses and don't be afraid. If there's no mold on it, it doesn't smell rotten, and it looks and tastes clean, then its safe to eat and there's no need to stress about it. Bad bacteria smells bad, good bacteria smells and tastes tangy and clean, <span style="font-family: sans-serif;">how convenient right? God gave us senses for a good reason. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">The other thing I learned is using yogurt whey speeds things along and gives fermenting vegetables a good bacteria boost without additional cost. The only store bought fermented foods that are as good as home ferments are refrigerated, not pasteurized and don't have vinegar in them. Wild fermented vegetables seem to have gained in popularity recently; I see them in regular grocery stores more often, so it's possible to buy if you don't have the time to wait for fermentation.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">I can attest to the healing benefits of fermented foods, sometimes we are sick and don't even know it. Since I have started fermenting my own foods; and eating them on a regular basis, I have found more energy to play with my toddler, a clearer mind to remember what I'm doing from one room to the next, and less severe symptoms of regular illness such as cold and flu and allergies. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">It is so empowring to be able to make my own fermented foods. Much like learning to drive and then owning my own car, fermenting my own food gives freedom and another outlet for my creativity that in turn nourishes my family's bodies as well as my own. It is one way I can take care of my family's health on a personal level, and I love being able to do something that helps my loved ones feel better quicker. When someone has an upset stomach, instead of reaching for the pink sludge, I go to my fridge and pull out kefir or yogurt and bone broth. If someone has the sniffles, I get out a jar of pickles and the fresh orange juice. It's so simple and it really works. Hopefully we won't see anymore month long chest colds (usually in me) so far so good at least.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0