Catching Up

Hello, readers....if I still have any.  I mostly took the summer off from writing because it's hard to write with two little ones around and by the time the evening rolls around, I'm much too tired to do anything other than zone out.  On the rare night I'm left with some energy, I'm trying to use it by furthering my and my sister's little Etsy shop. 

But now the semester has started and so I can blog again!  (Don't tell my boss)

So I thought I'd do a little run down on where I stand with all my homemade crap...I mean, stuff. 

Shampoo: No 'poo did not work for me.  I tried the baking soda and vinegar and my scalp was not happy.  So I tried a castile based shampoo and my scalp still was not happy.  I've been back to regular shampoo for a while now, but I think I want to give the natural stuff another try.  Plus I've chopped all my hair off, so I'm curious to see if that effects how my hair and scalp react to a natural shampoo routine. 



Before...as my sister pointed out...I could have cracked a smile.

After...all smiles!

Toothpaste: This one was still a work in progress when we started remodeling the bathroom.  As a result of the remodel, I was lucky if I could find my toothbrush much less make and store all natural toothpaste.  Now that most of that chaos is behind us, I'm going to try again to finalize a new toothpaste recipe that will keep fluoride and other yuckies out of my mouth. 

Lotions and potions: I'm not big on make-up (I wear a little powder foundation and eye-liner when I go to work, and that's about it), so I haven't worked too hard to find or make alternatives to conventional make-up.  And while I did make a body butter that I liked, it got shoved aside during the bathroom remodel and as a result, I didn't really use it.  But my super awesome mother-in-law made me several body butters and sugar scrubs and I flipping love them and use them daily!

Oil Cleansing Method: I haven't been doing this because I was too lazy to wash my face at night.  I bought some African black soap and I use that to wash my face in the morning, but I have been using the lemon body scrub that my mother-in-law made me nightly.  So I have been using a natural, homemade product on my face!

So the bottom line is, I kind of suck at follow through.  I have a tendency to start strong and then let things slide as life settles in.  But I'm hoping that getting back to work will give me a little more structure in my schedule and that will allow me to get back on track with these things!

I have been doing a stellar job on canning and preserving the summer harvest, but I'll leave that for another post!

Exciting Things in the Works!

The blog has been on a summer hiatus for a while.  I've been enjoying fun with my little boys, helping my sister in her garden and reaping the benefits of my mother in law's garden as well (sitting across from me as I type this is a 2 foot long zucchini...I kid you not).

But another thing I've been working on while I put the blog on the back burner is sewing!  A while back, I rekindled my love of sewing, and I recently decided to parlay that into a little side business.  This is a joint venture between me and my sister.

We are starting small, selling reusable snack and sandwich bags, but we hope to add bigger lunch totes and other types of bags as well as other accessories.  Eventually we'll have drink bottle holders, and possibly some fashion accessories too!

We're very excited (and only slightly terrified) of this new venture!  Please support our business if you are in the market for these types of items!

Here is our shop.

And here is a sampling of our modest inventory.

The first two sets are lined with rip-stop nylon for a bit of water resistance.  The last one (the striped one) is lined with cotton.  All are closed with hook-and-loop closure (aka Velcro).

This is a perfect time of year to purchase these types of items with the start of school around the corner.  In the long run, reusable snack and sandwich bags will save money, not to mention the environment!

We will be running a grand opening sale...All items are 20% the listed price and your first order will qualify for free shipping!  Now is the time to order!!

Pickles!

Canning season is here!  I'm super excited (or at least, I'm gonna fake it til I make it).  This is my first summer as a canner.  Last year, my sister and I learned how to can at the of the summer, so we missed most of summer's bounty.

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to canning.  First and foremost, you need a trusted recipe and you need to follow that recipe to the letter.  I am the kind of person who never met a recipe she didn't tweak, but when it comes to canning, NO TWEAKING ALLOWED.  Second, you need a canner.  Most people start with water bath canning before progressing to pressure canning.  I actually use an old stock pot that is literally big enough for me to climb into.  Other tools that will help are a funnel, a head-space measure, a jar grabber, and a magnet.  The only one of those things that I have is a jar grabber.

The complexity of the canning process is entirely dependent on what you are canning.  Pickles are a super easy "intro to canning."

Last weekend, my mother-in-law invited me over to pick veggies from her garden.  I walked away with 10 pounds of pickling cucumbers.  Over the course of the intervening week (between working on my bathroom and trying to fix a faulty sewing machine), I turned all those gorgeous cukes into pickles.

I used a recipe from SB Canning because her website is well-known and trusted.  I followed her recipe for dill pickles and canned 12 pints of pickles.

I had one guy who didn't want to seal, so I stuck it in the fridge.  I did some as spears and some as slices.  The only thing I changed was the spices.  Instead of adding each spice separately, I used a "pickling spice" from McCormick.

Trying to find the fuel

Here's a pickle.  I was sitting here thinking that I would write a post about how unfocused I've been lately, but I can't seem to focus on the words.  Ironic.

So here's my dilemma (a first world problem if there ever was one).  I have all this beautiful food coming in from my CSA and while I usually manage to eat or share everything before it spoils, I haven't been making full use of summer's bounty. 

I've been feeling unfocused, out of sorts, lazy.  We've been ordering out way too much...I find myself hitting the cafeteria and/or vending machine frequently here at work.  I don't know why I feel this way, but I think part of it is the lack of organization in my house.  Another part is a general lack of good sleep.  The first part I can do something about, but the second part is something only time can fix.  Eventually my children will grow and won't want to sleep with me (I hope). 

Of course, eating take out doesn't exactly fill my body with the right mix of nutrients to keep me going strong and when the food I eat makes me tired and lazy, then I don't want to cook good, healthy food and so we eat more convenience food, which perpetuates the cycle of feeling tired and lazy.

Last summer, I learned to can at the end of the season and I told myself that I would can everything as each season came this year.  But I've already missed strawberry season and if I keep allowing myself to be lazy, I'll miss everything.

I need to recommit myself to meal planning, canning and freezing the summer harvest and exercising to maximize what little energy I can muster.

Meanwhile, if anyone wants to come be my night nanny so mama can sleep a little, come on over.

Parents, Wake Up (an off topic post)

This post is off the topic of food and farms, but it's my blog so I can write about whatever I want. Every summer, I read stories that break my heart about children left in hot cars, where they roast--literally--and die.

For a long time, I--like many others--vilified these parents as evil at worst and bad parents at best. But then I read this article from the Washington Post and it changed my perspective. I saw how even the most devoted of parents could become distracted and forgetful. Especially when taking the kids to school or daycare wasn't a normal part of their routine. These parents had made a mistake, and don't we all make mistakes? Can't we all look at something we've done and say, there but by the grace of god do I still have my child? These parents made a terrible, awful mistake and paid the ultimate price for it. 

But this summer, my perspective is shifting again. There have been four recent incidents of kids left in cars in my state alone in the past two weeks. Thankfully they weren't all fatal, but they weren't all accidents either. Some of these parents intentionally left their kids in the car, and were called out on it. 

I can't say that I've never left my kids alone in the car. I have. But I've done it carefully and with close consideration of where we were at the time. I will only leave them alone in the car if I'm in a rural location where I know no one is likely to approach the car, and I can see the car at all times. I also let the baby take naps in the car. As every parent knows nothing puts the baby to sleep like riding the car. And not all babies make the transfer into the house successfully. So I park my car in the shade, roll down the windows, open the back doors and the trunk and let him sleep, checking on him every few minutes. Even with those safeguards, he usually wakes up fairly sweaty. 

My point is I'm not immune to leaving the kids in the car and walking away, but the difference is I've never forgotten that my children were in the car. The phenomenon of hot kids in cars is one that scares the pants off me and for that reason, I tend to be extra vigilant about these things. 

So back to the main point. This seems to be happening more than ever, or at least I seem to be hearing about it more and more. There is no longer any excuse. With headlines every week about babies in hot cars, kids dying in hot cars, parents being arrested for leaving kids in hot cars, there is no excuse for forgetting your child is in the car. 

People suggest doing things like leaving your purse or briefcase in the backseat, taking off a shoe and leaving it in the backseat, writing a note on on the window in dry erase marker or even using decals as a reminder. If that's what you need to do to remember your kid is in the car, then do it! Or make it a habit to look in the backseat every time you leave the car. 

The modern age is distracting, there is no doubt about that. But we cannot use technology as a distraction as an excuse for forgetting what's most important to us. If your phone is too much of a distraction, then turn it off leave it in that purse or briefcase in the backseat and don't get it until you get out of the car. 

What's more important? Answering that last text? Making an important phone call? Or getting your kid where he or she needs to be safely?

Parents, this job is hard. But stop making excuses and make your kids your priority. No more kids should die this way. 

Be the Change

So here's the thing.  When you are able to DIY things, the possibilities become endless.  It feels empowering to be able to say "I can sew." "I can grow my own food." "I can knit." "I can redo my bathroom."  Being able to do things yourself is about self-reliance and true American-ism at its best.

To me, the American spirit has always been about looking at something that seems impossible and saying, I can do it.  But unfortunately, that part of our spirit is being squashed under the weight of cheap food and cheap commercial goods.

I'm relearning how to sew and as I look up patterns and tutorials online, I feel more and more excited to make stuff!  Robeez for my baby? Yes! Fabric bins for the newly decorated bathroom? Yes! Fun skirts for me and my sister? Double yes!!

The irony is that for my grandmother's generation, the availability of store-bought merchandise was what was empowering.  Canned goods, department stores, microwave ovens...all of that meant that they didn't have to spend hours sewing, knitting, cooking, baking.

They didn't have to can their own strawberry jam when you could swing by any market and pick some up.

But for me and I think, a lot of women like me, we are starting to feel that we are losing out by not being able to do these things.  We are tied to a system that mistreats people and animals, degrades the environment and offers the cheapest possible solution when we are unable to be self-sufficient.

Guess what...I don't want to pay through the nose for organic chicken stock, jam, peanut butter, and other items I can make myself.  I don't want to wonder about the young Asian kids who sewed my dress.  I don't want to wonder if some sadistic asshole kicked my cow in the face before it became my hamburger.

So I've learned how to can and "put up" my own goods.  I'm relearning how to sew simple skirts and dresses.  I know my farmer and know that it pains her to bring her cows to slaughter.

There are ways to opt out of the system if you don't like it.  Is it easy?  No.  Is it quick? No.  Is it worthwhile? Yes.

Opting out is an option, but we do have to pay with either time or money to make it work.  But I truly feel that the more people make these choices, the more the system will have to bend to our desires.  Nothing will change if we don't make it happen. 

If we don't buy into the system, the system will collapse under its own weight and some better option must present itself.

Let them eat grass!

A lot of people who know me think that I either don't eat meat or that I only eat white meat.  The truth is more complicated than that.  But when you  are invited to a friend's house for dinner, it's considered impolite to ask "Is this beef grass-fed?" "Do you know your farmer?" "Can you tell me if this chicken walked in the sunshine?"

It's a weird thing to know your meat and some people truly cannot adjust their mindset to accept that the chicken they saw pecking in the grass one day will be dinner the next.  I guess it's a little too much like eating a pet when you've seen the animal frolicking in the sun.  Personally, I fall into another category.  I like to know without a doubt that the animal on my dinner plate lived the kind of life it was meant to live. 

So what does that mean?

It means fresh air, sunshine, a natural diet and habitat.  It means someone cared for that animal if it was raised by humans.  It means a cow living a cow kind of life and a chicken living a chicken kind of life. 

Ideally, we'd all have access to this kind meat in any grocery store we walked into.  The reality is far from that, however.  Part of the difficulty in knowing where our meat comes from stems from confusing labels.  The claims of packaging are often false and misleading.  For example, if a meat package says an animal has "access to outside" all that means is that a tiny door in a chicken house that houses tens of thousands of chickens is open.  Now chickens aren't the brightest creatures, so it's highly unlikely that a chicken across the house is going to say, "Hey, let me climb over 20,000 other birds to get me some fresh air."  They are going to maintain the status quo...pecking at a concrete slab covered in poop.  Likewise, think about the claim "vegetarian fed." Chickens aren't vegetarians.  They eat bugs...vegetarian fed typically means that they were fed a diet of grain absent of other dead animals.  So the fact that they aren't being fed dead cows is good because beef is not a typical part of a chicken's diet, but it's incorrect to assume that chickens are strict herbivores.  They are not.  They forage in the grass and eat bugs as a source of protein.  But they can't do that when they are isolated from their natural environment and fed a diet devoid of their natural fare.

It's easy to fool yourself into thinking that the package of chicken with a farm on the label and words like "natural, free-range, vegetarian fed" means that that meat was humanely raised and slaughtered.  But if you believe that, you are fooling yourself.

So what kind of life should an animal live?  A kind and humane one...the kind they would live if left to their own devices.  One devoid of antibiotics, growth hormones, unnecessary confinement and foods that aren't a part of their natural diet. 

In conventional practices, after a calf is weaned, it is sent to a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO).  This is pretty much cow hell.  They are packed nose to tail into one place, given no access to fresh air or grass and fed a diet that is outside the scope of their naturally occurring habits (at best, only grain--most likely GMO-grain; at worst, dead cows and pigs too diseased to be processed for human consumption).  They are also fed antibiotics to survive the close living conditions of feedlots and growth hormones to fatten them up faster.

Why does it matter if a cow is fed grain (i.e. corn) instead of it's natural diet of grass?  The nutritional profile of grass-fed beef is very different from the nutritional profile of grain-fed beef.  Grass-fed beef is much higher in omega-3 fatty acids, it is also has a different ratio of saturated fats (it is higher in stearic acid which is NOT associated with an increase in cholesterol levels), it's higher in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a fat that has antioxidant qualities. Grass-fed beef is also higher in other minerals, antioxidants and vitamins.  In addition, grain-fed cows are more susceptible to E. Coli.  All cows have E. Coli in their guts the same way that humans have a variety of bacteria in their bellies.  But cows fed a grain based diet don't have the right ratio of bacteria and, therefore, are less able to combat this naturally occurring bacteria.  Add sloppy processing practices and grain-fed cows can be a ticking time bomb of killer E. Coli. The stomachs of grass-fed cows are much more able to combat the E. Coli bacteria and therefore, are far less likely to pass on that bacteria to humans.  In addition, they don't need blanket antibiotics because they aren't crammed into close quarters with thousands of other cows and because farmers who raise grass-fed beef use different practices, they don't give growth hormones to fatten them up quicker.

But I don't eat grass-fed beef for the nutritional content.  I eat grass fed because anything else feels wrong to me.  I can't support a system that packs cows into a hellacious den of bacteria.  I can't support a system that rips calves away from their mothers and feeds them gruel and man-made hormones to fatten them up faster.  I can't support a cruel and unusual system of food management.

I buy grass fed because, in my mind, it's the only beef that's acceptable.  And that philosophy extends to pigs and chickens, too. 

For a long time, I felt that they only way to avoid eating CAFO meat was to avoid eating meat all together, but that wasn't something I wanted to do.  The truth is, I like meat.  It tastes good.  Last night, I blended ground beef and ground pork with some fresh rosemary and dried herbs, my husband fired up the grill and we had burgers so delicious I ate two of them and was stuffed to the gills.  I want to be able to do that and not worry about anything other than my waistline.

So what's the answer?  For me, the answer is knowing where my meat comes from.  I know my farmer.  Her name is Kelly; she graduated high school with my sister and brother-in-law.  She's super nice and adorable and most importantly, is kind to the animals she raises. 

But here's the thing...not everyone lives in an area where knowing your farmer is a viable option.  And not everyone can afford to take part in a CSA...hell, I can barely afford it, but I'm willing to make sacrifices in other places so that we can afford it.

"Clean" meat should be accessible to every person in this country.  No one should ever have to worry about the pathogens that might be in their food supply.  No one should ever have to wonder if the meat on their plate was mistreated when it was still walking around. 

Everyone should have an opportunity to eat well and without worry.

For more on this topic, visit Eat Wild.

What is a CSA?

When I tell people I joined a CSA, the question I hear the most is, "What's a CSA?"

Before I answer that question, I'll tell you why a CSA matters to me. In the English classes I used to teach, I would often organize the readings around a particular theme. In doing so, my students were able to gain a level of expertise and write with more authority (at least, that was the hope). 

One of my frequently used themes was the food industry, and how it's, you know, killing us.  But I always felt like something of a poser because I still shopped at the grocery store (and not just the outside perimeter) and bought packaged food. So I always felt like I needed to put my money where my mouth was--quite literally in this case.   

So when I read about the whole food CSA run by HighlandArt Farm, I knew it was the one for me!

Back the original question...CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, members of a community buy into a farm and receive shares each week all summer long. 

In my case, my money goes to support several different local farms since my farmer works with a bunch of other farmers to put together a "whole food" CSA. She offers meat, milk, yogurt, cheese, grain (bread and/or granola) coffee, and of course, veggies.

Because my family is small, I do a half share of veggies, which amounts to a small box of veggies each week, 6 lbs of meat, a gallon of milk, a quart of yogurt and a bag of coffee. I paid $400 for my veggie share and I pay $70 a week for the rest of it. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Totally!

It's worth it for us as a family to have fresh veggies and pastured meat (more on why pastured meat matters in another post). But it's also extraordinarily important to the farmers who rely on their community for financial support. Many farmers are forced to supplement their income with other jobs during the off season. CSA farmers are less likely to rely on supplementary income and regularly report higher income levels, and therefore, they are able to focus on making their farms sustainable and profitable. CSAs also keep your dollars in your community, which helps to strengthen local economies. In addition, opting out of the industrialized food system is the best way I can think of to tell companies and government that we are capable of providing for ourselves and don't need the garbage they call food.

There are several ways to find local CSAs in your community.  Simply Google "CSA" with your county or town.  Visit eatwild.com.  You can also shop farmer's markets to support local farms and opt out of "Big Food."  Ask your grocers to supply local foods; if they know the demand is there, they will supply the goods.

For further reading on why eating local matters, check out the movie Food, Inc, based on Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma.  Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is also a terrific book with recipes and meal plans focused on seasonal foods.  

Today's Homemade: Laundry Soap

So I tried EcoNuts and I didn't love them.  Some of my clothes still had gudge on them after coming out of the dryer and I found myself constantly questioning if stuff was actually clean or not.  When you wash cloth diapers in the washing machine, you need to feel 100% certain that your clothes are clean as a whistle.

So I bought borax, washing soda and bars of castile soap to make my own.  I made it tonight, but I haven't had a trial run just yet.  I was going to throw some laundry in tonight, but it's late and I just didn't want to bother.

It's super easy to make laundry soap.  The only thing that was a pain in the neck was grating the bar of soap.  Next time, I'm going to chop it up and throw it in the food processor.

So here's the recipe (adapted from this):

1 C. grated castile soap
1 C. washing soda
1 C. borax
10 drops tea tree essential oil
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
5 drops peppermint essential oil

Mix all ingredients and voila, laundry soap.  The essential oils you use are completely up to you.  I went with tea tree and eucalyptus for their anti-bacterial qualities and the peppermint I added simply to up the minty fresh smell.  The castile soap smelled so good, though, I almost didn't add any extra scent.

Use 1 tablespoon per laundry load, double or even triple for large or heavily soiled loads.  I'll probably use 2 tbsps. for my cloth diapers.

Today's Homemade: Trail Mix

Get ready for the easiest recipe ever.  Think of the simplest thing you've ever made.  This is easier than that.

Ingredients: 

Dried Fruit

Nuts and Seeds

Add all ingredients to one large jar.

Shake the jar.  That's really it.

I used dried cranberries, roasted pumpkin seeds and mixed nuts.  But you can use any combination of nuts and seeds that strikes your fancy.

PS: Sorry the pictures are kind of crappy.  I used my phone instead of my camera because I'm lazy.

Ch-Ch-Changes

So here I sit, anxiously awaiting the end of the semester...tick tock goes the clock.

The end of the semester most likely means the end of regular posts.  I will try to keep posting a few times a week over the summer, but honestly my kids keep me much busier than my job, so most likely, I will slow down quite a bit.

What else is changing?

I've been toying with my beauty care and working out the kinks of these natural methods of cleansing myself.

I'm about four weeks into the no 'poo method, and last week, I started looking for an alternative.  The first week, I loved it and I felt like my hair looked and felt great! The second week, I started feeling oily on my off days and kind of itchy.  By the third week, I definitely felt itchy and was starting to search for alternatives.

Here's the thing, my hair was pretty nice beforehand, so maybe no 'poo works better if you feel that your hair doesn't react well to commercial shampoo.  But I still want to keep toxic chemicals off my hair and body as much as possible, so I found a recipe for a castile soap based shampoo that I've used twice now with moderate success (I'll write a different post with that recipe).

I'm also still tweaking the oil cleansing method.  Mostly, I'm trying to get the timing right in terms of when to do it.  I was doing it during the shower, but between that and the BS/ACV hair routine, my shower time had doubled (at least).  With two little kids, I'm looking to shorten my shower routine, not lengthen it.

The other thing was that I felt like the OCM was contributing to oiliness in my hair.  So I cut down to doing it only every other day--on the days I wash my hair.  But since that still made my shower time too long, I decided to go back to doing it at night.  I'm still going to do it every other day (especially since we're entering hot and humid season), but now I will do it the night before I wash my hair. 

Then on off days from the OCM and in the shower, I will just rinse my face with water and maybe exfoliate with a wash cloth.  I also made myself an ACV/water/rosemary EO facial toner that I like to use to combat any extra oiliness.

So that's where I am now...

BS/ACV hair care: doesn't look like it's for me.
OCM: I like it, just trying to work out the kinks.

Let it Go!

"One thought crystallizes like an icy blast: I'm never going back, the past is in the past!"

In a previous post, I talked about my son's speech delay, and the feeling of vindication when the new ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor told us that everything from his snoring to his speech was connected. 

It's now nearly four weeks after he had tubes inserted into his ears.  The first week or two, we anxiously watched for signs of anything...signs of post-surgical infection, signs of improved hearing...or even better, signs of improved speech!

The good news is that he has definitely shown signs of improved hearing and speech and no signs of any negative outcomes from the surgery.  There is no bad news.

It's clear to us now that the poor kid couldn't hear clearly and had simply adapted to hearing everything muffled. Now that he can hear, he's trying harder than ever to repeat the speech sounds he hears and he's making progress so quickly. 

I think the biggest problem at this point is that a lot of his poor speech has become a habit and now that he can hear sounds better, he'll have to work to undo some of his mispronunciations.  I have no doubt that NOW is when speech therapy would be the most beneficial. 

But I have had a strange side effect from all this.  I want to forget that he ever had a speech delay.  I don't need to hurry his progression along; he's doing just fine on his own, but I just don't want it to be a thing anymore.

Like Elsa, the Snow Queen, I just want to let it go and move on with the next chapter of our lives. 

The Art of Doing Nothing

The other day a student I was tutoring asked me what my other job is.  The way he said it, it was taken for granted that I do, in fact, have another job.  I do not, in fact, have another job.  At least not one that pays me a paycheck.

But without hesitating, I answered, "My kids."

And really, I consider them to be my "real job" and this tutoring gig as a side thing.  Tutoring is definitely a hell of a lot easier than my real job (and it's where I write most of my blog posts).

All the same, it still blows my mind sometimes that I have these two beautiful little kids.  Kids tend to think of their parents as pre-existing entities--as if we were born into this world as Mom and Dad.  But Mom and Dad often have to remind themselves on a daily basis that that's who we are now.  We're not 17 without a care in the world.  There are mouths to feed, bills to pay, jobs to attend to.

But I digress.

The point is today I worked my real job and it was blissful.  Today was one of those beautiful days when I truly felt like I was doing it right.

What did we do, you ask?  Not a whole lot, I answer.

We didn't go to the park, though we were invited.  We didn't go to the library, though we have books to return.  I didn't do the dishes or laundry, though both need doing.  We didn't get in the car, go anywhere or buy anything.

But it was a hell of a good day.

We did take two walks around the neighborhood.  I did have a picnic lunch out on the lawn with my big boy while the baby napped.  I did take a video of my big boy spinning circles in the sun.  We did laugh, and play, and eat chocolate that melted on our fingertips...even the baby (though I'm not sure his had a chance to melt before he shoved the whole thing in his mouth).

Now it wasn't an entirely perfect day.  There was room for anger and harsh words when my big boy stood at the bottom of the stairs yelling "MOMMY!" while I tried to get the baby to sleep.  There was the baby who would not let go of me so I could go to the big boy.  But for once, I said, "What good will getting angry do?"  And I handled the 3-year-old's tantrum without having one of my own, and the baby eventually let go and slept alone for an hour.

Today I was the kind of mother I want to be every day. 

Vegetarian Recipe: Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

This blog originally started as a place for me to post recipes for homemade, from scratch food.  I especially wanted to focus on things that most people probably buy at the store, like bread, yogurt and granola.  Well, along the way, I got sidetracked by homemade body products, but today, I go back to my roots. 

Today's meal plan calls for chili.  Initially, I was going to say forget it because I forget to take meat out of the freezer, but I had some sweet potatoes that needed to be used up, so I figured I'd find a vegetarian chili recipe.  And that's what I found here.  But I felt like the recipe needed more than one potato, and I'm almost pathologically incapable of following a recipe as it's written, so I made some changes.  I do recommend hopping over to that page because it has beautiful pictures of the recipe...something this post will not have.

Also, when you are prepping food with children, always plan for it to take double the amount of time it should...here's a rough timeline of getting dinner ready this morning.

8 am: Put the baby in the high chair while I chop onions and garlic.
8:15: Take the baby out of the chair because he's bored, return to chopping vegetables.
8:30: Get the older child a snack; get the baby the same snack as he is the world's hungriest baby.
8:31: Start to put the baby in his chair to eat said snack, realize he has a poopy diaper.
8:35: Change the baby's diaper, wash hands, return to chopping veggies.
8:40: Pull a chair over to the counter because older child must see what you're doing at all times.
8:44: Pick up the baby and comfort him after he falls over.
8:46: Rinse beans one-handed while holding baby.
8:50: Put baby back in chair since he's recovered from his fall (which, by the way, wasn't that bad of a fall; he's weathered worse).
8:55: Let older child help you stir completed chili...cover and walk away.

Why can't I drink at 9 am?

Anyway, here is the recipe.  I hope it's as tasty as it sounds, I'll update with a verdict after the hubs eats dinner.  I like that the recipe calls for cocoa and cinnamon because they will add a nice depth of flavor, something that meatless chili may lack.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 small celery stalks, chopped
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1.5 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 scant teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ground sea salt and black pepper
• about 28-ounces canned diced tomatoes, including the liquid
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• about 2 cups OR one 14 oz. can chicken or vegetable broth
• Garnishes: sour cream, sliced scallions, sliced radishes, guacamole, shredded cheddar cheese

If you like heat in your chili, you can add more cumin or throw in a teaspoon or two of cayenne pepper or hot sauce.  Hubby and I don't do spicy, so the cumin is enough for us.

 

The original recipe called for sautéing the onions and other veggies on the stovetop, getting everything nice and brown and yummy.  If you have time and want it to cook it that way, go for it.  Throw some olive oil in a pan, cook the onion until translucent, add the rest of the veggies, including the garlic, let everything soften slightly and turn slightly brown.  Then add the canned goods, broth and spices.  Let everything simmer together for about an hour.

 

I have to work today and probably won't even be home for dinner, so I literally threw everything into the crockpot, stirred it up, turned it on low and ran out the door. 

Today's Homemade: Body Wash

I made my sister a homemade body wash last week, and she loves it.  It gets nice and soapy on a body pouf (I'm sure a washcloth would be just as effective), and it smells great!

The recipe is so easy.

1/2 Cup Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap
4 TBSP vegetable glycerin
3 TBSP sweet almond oil
10ish drops of essential oil

Now obviously, you can use unscented soap and create any flavor palette you want, but my sister likes citrusy smells, so I used the orange scented soap and sweet orange essential oil.  I mixed the whole thing in a pint sized mason jar and found that it was only half full, so I added the ingredients all over again to make a double batch.

Shake it all up before you use it just to make sure that everything is well mixed.  I liked this recipe because it doesn't call for water, which can breed bacteria.

She loves it...frothy and fragrant, and she feels nice and clean afterward (I think, I haven't actually asked her, but she hasn't complained about feeling grimy).  As one of my few readers, she can chime in with a comment if she wants to add anything.

A couple notes:
The original recipe called for fractionated coconut oil, I don't have that, so I went with sweet almond.  Also, this really should be stored in a glass bottle because the essential oils can cause plastic to breakdown.  Ideally, it would be stored in a glass pump bottle, but if you can't make that happen, just pour a small amount onto a loofah or washcloth, rather than dipping into it....you want to try and avoid potential contamination.

My mother wants lavender, so that will be my next batch...then maybe I'll make one for myself...I'm thinking peppermint for me.

No 'Poo

Let me start by saying I hate the name "no 'poo."  It reminds of a little conversation I once had with my niece.  She and my son were snuggled in a double stroller under a Winnie-the-Pooh blanket as we were about to take a walk.  The blanket was white with brown outlines of Pooh Bear.  Near the edge, the outline got cut off and it just looked like a brown smudge.  She looked at me and said, "Auntie, there's dirt of this blanket."  I said, "No, that's just Pooh."  She said, "EWW! Why is there poop on this blanket??"

So that's what I think of every time I hear "no 'poo."

But, unfortunately, that's the name of this hair cleansing method...and I can't change it.

Going no 'poo is fairly straightforward, though some people have not had much success with it.  I seriously wonder if the success of this method is tied to your particular body chemistry or if people did it wrong or gave up too soon.

Here's the thing with natural solutions, they tend to take a bit longer to kick in than commercial/mainstream methods.  But we do them because we want to avoid the chemicals and possible carcinogens that are rampant in those mainstream products.

So what do you need to go no 'poo?

• Baking soda
• Apple cider vinegar

That's it.  Assuming you already have water and measuring devices.

Here's what you do. 

Mix a tablespoon of baking soda with a cup of warm water.  Stir the BS so it dissolves.  Pour that over your head in the shower and massage it into your scalp.  You're really only concerned with your scalp and roots because that's where the oil comes from.  Leave it on for a minute while you soap your other body parts.  Rinse it out.

Make sure you rinse it really well because next comes the vinegar and you want to avoid having your head become one of those fifth grade science volcanos. 

Now mix a tablespoon of ACV with warm water.  Pour that over your head.  This time, focus more on the length and ends of your hair than your scalp/roots.  Rinse that well.  You will smell slightly like vinegar until your hair is dry.  Once it's dry, the vinegar smell evaporates.

Could it be any easier?

You shouldn't use this daily and you shouldn't switch between regular shampoo and this method.  I do this every other day.  My hair does tend to look a little "unwashed" on my in-between days, but I'm hoping that once my scalp adjusts its natural oil production that I can skip two or more days between washings. 

The argument for going no 'poo is that regular shampoos strip the natural oils (aka sebum) from your scalp and hair, and your scalp goes into overdrive trying to replace those lost oils.  That's why we end up looking like grease-balls between shampoos and using conditioner to replace the lost oils.

Now, some have said that there is a bit of an adjustment period.  It may take a week or two for your scalp to like this new method and as a result you may look like a frizzy/greasy mess for a little while.  But supposedly, after you've worked through that period and retaught your scalp and hair how to live in synergy with each other and reap the benefits of natural oil production, you will have glorious,  frizz-free hair with lots of body and shine.  Plus you save money (not buying expensive shampoo and conditioner plus other styling products), and you keep all that toxic junk off your body.

For your in-between days and the possible adjustment period, plan on lots of ponytails, hats and other such bad hair day strategies. 

• If your hair feels dry using this method, try the following.
• Allow your hair to dry naturally
• Apply a very small amount of olive or coconut oil to the length and ends of hair
• Deep condition with a mashed banana or beaten egg
• And make sure that you are rinsing the baking soda out thoroughly

• If your hair feels oily, try the following.
• Use less ACV
• Use more baking soda
• Switch to white vinegar
• Keep the vinegar off the roots and scalp
• Make sure you are rinsing really thoroughly!

Things I Will Never Give Up

Recent weeks have seen me intensifying my crunchiness somewhat out of the blue.  Here's how it happened.

I had been toying with the no 'poo method of hair maintenance for some time, but my mother (a soon to be retired hairdresser) kept bringing me huge bottles of pricey shampoo.  So every time that happened, I decided I would do no 'poo when that bottle was done.

Then lo and behold, the very same woman comes into my house and tells me she stopped using shampoo!  Then my sister told me the same thing!  Well, not to be out-crunchified, I figured I could do it too.

(I'll write a post soon about the details of no 'poo).

After that, it seemed counter-intuitive to continue to use harsh chemicals and petroleum based products in other aspects of my life.  So I started the oil cleansing method and I ordered soap nuts and I started experimenting with making my own toothpaste.

But there are certain things that I absolutely will not give up, no matter how crunchy I get.  What are they?

• Toilet paper: Family cloth...no thank you. 
• Bleach: I'm sorry, but I have two little boys and a white kitchen sink.  Sometimes bleach is the only answer.
• Shaving: Itchy armpits, Sasquatch legs...I'll stay clean shaven if it's all the same to everyone.
• Soap: There are a lot of natural alternatives to traditional soap.  I found a great bar of Shea Moisture soap at Target.  I just made my sister body wash using Dr. Bronner's castile soap (the verdict isn't in...I'll make her post a comment when it is). 
• Meat: My thoughts on this are long and detailed.  The nutshell version is that when the meat is humanely sourced and the animals are properly cared for, I don't feel guilty eating meat.  Find a local farmer who raises pastured animals and you'll know what I mean.
• Diapers: For the baby, obviously.  I try to use cloth for the most part, but I do use sposies at times, and there is no way I would do elimination communication.  Again, no thanks.
• Modern Medicine: As much as I believe in homeopathy and natural remedies, there are times that aspirin and antibiotics are needed.  Everything in moderation.

Anyone want to add to the list or make an argument for why I should give up one of my holdfasts?

Oil Cleansing Method, or You wash your face with what?

Washing one's face with oil?  Sounds counter-intuitive, yes?  I mean, one washes one's face to remove oil, so why would you rub oil all over your face and then call it clean?  Honestly, I don't know.  According to this post at Crunchy Betty, a blog I've recently discovered and fallen in love with, like dissolves like, so when you wash your face with oil, the oil in your pores is actually bought out and dissolved.  Then you wipe it away with a very warm washcloth.  The steam from the washcloth further opens your pores, allowing the gunk in them to be brought to the surface and wiped away.  

In theory, it sounds great.  In practice?  It's too soon to tell.  This is my second night using the oil cleansing method, hereafter referred to as the OCM, and my skin feels great.  But am I just days away from huge embarrassing breakouts?  I don't know.  

There is a the reason I wanted to try it (aside from finding a non-toxic way to wash my face). I wax away the unwanted hair from my face (in a perfect world, I would get threaded, but I don't have time to do that every couple of weeks), and the best way to dissolve the extra wax from my skin is to gently massage it with oil.  When I wax and wash it away with the oil, I end up essentially washing my entire face with oil and wiping it away with a warm washcloth.  Every time I do that, my skin feels great afterward.  So when I read about the OCM, something clicked.

There are quite a few blog tutorials out there that describe the OCM in detail.  For the most part, I followed Crunchy Betty's advice, with the exception of the castor oil.  I don't have any at the moment, so I figured I would give it a go with two of the oils she suggested that I do have. 

So here's a rundown of what I've been doing:

1. Mix a 1:1 ratio of grapeseed oil and sweet almond oil.  I'm mixing on a night by night basis in case my skin freaks out.  That way I don't have a vast quantity of unusable oil sitting around.  
2. Turn the faucet on hot and let the water come up in temperature.  
3. Splash some very warm water on your face.
4. Rub the mixed oils into your face.
5. Continue to rub for a minute or two.
6. Turn the hot water back on while you allow the oils to sit on your skin for about 30 seconds.
7. Wet a washcloth with very warm water and hold it against your oily face for about 10-15 seconds, then begin to wipe.  Wipe well, rinse your cloth, wipe again, rinse again, wipe again.  Continue until you feel that you've wiped all the oil off and your skin feels clean.
8. Last night I patted dry with a towel, tonight I allowed it to air dry.  

Right now, my skin feels fabulous.  Soft to the touch and moisturized without feeling oily or greasy.  Will this become a nightly routine?  Don't know...if my skin breaks out and I suddenly look like I'm going through puberty again, I'll probably pull it back, but for now, it's my go to face-washing routine.

Two Goals

Recently it was Earth Day and with it, there were scores of online articles detailing how to be less wasteful.  It theory, it's simple...throw less stuff out.  But in practice, that is harder than it seems.  No matter how many scornful looks I give him, my husband still reaches for paper towels over cloth ones when our sons make messes.  And I've been using disposable diapers on our little guy far more than I ever did for his brother. 

Oh the guilt!

But the waste that really galls me...that just makes me crazy...is food waste.  I pay a lot of money on expensive organic food so that my kids get the best nutrition I can give them.  And when they willfully and purposely waste it...a part of my brain explodes.  Now of course, I recognize that they are children and "waste not, want not" is not a maxim that they understand or care about, so it's my job as the adult to ensure they waste as little as possible.

So my challenge to myself for the month of May is going to be zero food waste.  This means making good use of my freezer, maybe even plugging in the deep freezer and using that for our meat and veggies.  If I do that, I'll use our regular freezer for things that we need access to more often.

Now I'm lucky because my sister keeps chickens, and they eat all sorts of food scraps, so things that don't get eaten, like strawberry hulls and eggs shells, get fed to the chickens.  Also we (my sister and I) are growing a huge garden at her house, so things that don't get fed to the chickens, like coffee grounds and potato peels, will be composted. 

But my goal will be to reuse or freeze every scrap of edible food.

My second goal is more long term.  I've been thinking a lot lately about the petroleum industry and the amount of chemicals we are all exposed to.  Now, it's pretty much impossible to have zero exposure to chemicals in our modern lives, but I'd like to limit the exposure of my family (especially my two sweet little boys) to the shit-storm of chemicals they are likely to be bombarded with.

So I'm going to start making my own body products and all-purpose cleaner, using a more eco-friendly laundry detergent and shampooing with baking soda rather than commercial shampoo.

This is going to be a work in progress as I phase out mainstream cleaning and bathing products in favor of more natural options.  Will everything I try be met with success?  Nope!  But that's okay!  This is about trial and error...I will do my best to post successes and failures with all sorts of interesting tidbits about what worked and why!

I know you'll be waiting with bated breath.

The Diet Trap

Recently I found a prom picture of myself.  It was a bit of a revelation because I had always held my high school weight as my gold standard.  I knew I would never get back to that miniscule number, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I hoped against hope that maybe I could get there.  But here's the thing...I looked at the girl in the picture, all fresh-faced and newly in love (for real, I married my prom date), and I realized that I looked emaciated.  I can't believe how skinny I was.  And of course, in those days, I ate whatever I wanted.  Not a single thought about calories or health value crossed my mind. 

Now, here it is, nearly 20 (WTF!) years later, and the health value and calorie count of nearly everything I eat is known to me.  I can't blame my children alone for what no longer counts as a girlish figure.  I've eaten my way to 30-odd pounds heavier than my prom self.  Of course, almost everyone gains weight as they age; my (almost) middle-aged boobs aren't in the same locale that my prom boobs were, and other areas have lumped or sagged as my body has stretched to the limit and back again twice now. 

My point in all of this rambling is that I, like many others, want to lose weight.  But unlike many others, I don't automatically reach for low-fat, low-calorie options.  Nor do I punish myself with brutal workouts repeatedly.  (Actually, I would love to workout more than I do, but my children seem to take my desire to workout as a personal affront, and they both flip out the instant I pick up a weight.)

Anyway...man, someone shut me up, I can't stop with the digressions tonight.

Here is my point...DIET!

And by diet, I mean as much what you eat as what you don't eat.  Now it's true that a life entirely devoid of French fries and ice cream is not worth living, but if you want to be skinny, I mean, healthy, you need to focus on a diet of real food.  Don't fall into the diet trap.  Most "real foods" are naturally low in calories and high in nutrition.

I certainly indulge and lately, I seem to be indulging a little too often, so I try to write about both my indulgences and my more restrained moments.  I feel like keeping track of both sides of the coin will keep me on track.  So in the spirit of confession...I sandwiched my real food breakfast of yogurt and homemade granola in between large bites of apple crumb cake leftover from Easter.  Both were delicious, but only one left me feeling guilty.

If you are at a loss for how to live a real food life in a way that will help you lose weight, look to these types of foods:

• Dairy: Organic cheese, milk and yogurt are great sources of protein, and because they tend to be rich and creamy, they can full like an indulgence.  Pairing dairy with fruits or veggies will help you feel full and satisfied.

• Fruits: Nature's candy.  It's about to be full-on berry season, and I can't think of anything better.  Seriously, what is sweeter and more delicious than a sun-ripened strawberry? When you want something sweet, try to assuage that craving with fruit instead of a fake fruit product (juices or fruit-flavored candy).  Plus, so many fruits transport well (apples, oranges, bananas); throw one in your purse as you head out the door and you're good to go.

• Veggies: Most veggies are delicious (and wonderfully low calorie), but if you honestly don't like them, focus on one or two that you can tolerate, and work from there.  Or fool yourself.  You think you hate spinach?  Blend it into a smoothie and you won't even know it's there.  Cut up tomatoes, carrots or cucumbers and drizzle them with a little olive oil and vinegar or sprinkle some salt on them and you have a delicious appetizer.  My favorite way to cook broccoli is to roast it in the oven.  Spread broccoli (fresh or frozen) in a single layer, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and garlic and roast until it gets a little crunchy around the edges...even my husband loves it that way.  And branch out.  I didn't think I would like cauliflower, but I made it mashed one night (like mashed potatoes) and it was delicious.  My point is, take risks.  If you honestly don't like something, then don't eat it again.  Tell yourself what I tell my kid, "take one bite, if you honestly don't like it, you don't have to finish it."

• Vegetarian protein: The aforementioned dairy fits into this category as does hummus, beans, lentils, tofu, and eggs.  Personally, I can't stand tofu; I've tried it a bunch of different ways to see if I could find one that works...I couldn't, though, so it's off my grocery list.  But eggs are delicious. Try this "real food trick," buy two dozen eggs when you grocery shop, hard-boil one full dozen.  Instantly you have a real food addition to salads, breakfast or just a quick snack.  Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) are also a delicious and nutritious addition to a salad.  You can also roast them in the oven and season them with herbs and spices for a quick and healthy snack. 

• Animal protein: I realize technically dairy and eggs are animal protein, but they are more byproducts, rather then the animal itself.  Here's the nutshell version of my love-hate relationship with meat.  I gave up all red meat and most pork in my twenties and never looked back.  I attempted full on vegetarianism, but it just didn't work for me.  I always tried to buy organic, but as I've gotten older (and more knowledgeable if not wiser), I've doubted the large-scale organic food complex more and more.  Last summer, I joined a whole food CSA and it was the first time I actually ate and enjoyed red meat in nearly 15 years.  My rule is, I will eat anything I get from my farmer, but otherwise, I tend to stick to chicken only.  Now all that aside, if you want to include quick and easy meats for lunches or snacks, I highly recommend Applegate Farms deli meat.  Boar's Head is okay because they don't add fillers, you are just getting meat.  What you're looking to avoid in deli meats is nitrates, nitrites and fillers like grains.  As far as dinner is concerned, most meats would fall under the category of real food, but I can't recommend strongly enough, that you buy and eat only organic meats that have been raised in the way that animals are meant to be raised.  Think of it this way...if you are what you eat, then aren't the cows, chickens and pigs what they eat too?  And if so, you are what what you eat eats.

So the long and short of it is, eat real food.  Food that has one ingredient in the list of ingredients, food that came from nature, food that your great-great grandparents would recognize as food.  If you need a master's degree in chemistry to understand the ingredients in your afternoon snack, maybe you should think twice about eating it.

Just Another Manic Monday

So tomorrow is back to work for the 9-5 crowd.  I also have to work tomorrow, but such a short shift hardly counts.

Anyway, as I posted about last week, prepping ahead of time is crucial to the success of living a real food life.  Though, in the spirit of full disclosure, I will say that today was a total real food fail.  I prepared a lovely brunch and my parents came bearing cupcakes, chocolate, jelly beans, and other such junk.  Guess what the kids picked?  I did eat eggs, bacon, potatoes and berries, but yes, all of the previously mentioned junk crossed the gates as well.

Anyway, tomorrow we get back on track, and it started with making hubby's lunch tonight.  

Two rolls of Applegate Farms deli ham, two small stuffed peppers, a Sargento cheese stick, a clementine, baby carrots and gluten free crackers. 

A note on the stuffed peppers, hubby brought them home today.  I haven't read the ingredients list, so I don't know yet how "real" they are, but I figured, pepper, prosciutto...a least it's a vegetable/protein combo.  

Also, after complaining that he wants to lose weight and that he thinks he might be snacking too much, I advised hubby to eat breakfast.  I know I always eat too much on the days I don't have breakfast.  I suggested he eat yogurt and granola (a favorite of mine), a banana and a hard-boiled egg, or an apple with peanut butter.  Some combination of protein and fiber to fill his belly and ward off cravings.

Grab-and-Go

Eating on the fly is a big part of most people's lives these days.  Often, it's one of the biggest challenges of eating a healthy, homemade diet.  But just because it's a challenge doesn't mean it's impossible. 

It takes a little bit of planning ahead, but eating a homemade lunch at work or snacks while running errands is totally doable.

I know this is going to sound a little old-fashioned, like I'm some '50s era housewife, but I pack my husband a lunch to bring to work almost every day.  Some days I run out of time or I'm not prepped enough, those days, he's on his own.  I do this not just to make sure that he has something healthy to eat, but to save money as well.

I've found that having the right containers makes a huge difference in how easy it is to pack his lunch, and now that I'm back at work, my own too.  I work short shifts, but between dropping the boys off at my sister's house and driving to work, I'm usually hungry by the time I get here (yes, I'm blogging on the job, don't tell anyone).  And even though I have healthy options on campus, it gets a little crazy to pay $7 for a salad several times a week.

I posted about our lunches a few weeks ago here.  And wouldn't you know, the cute little red Bento box I got on sale at Target broke the very next day.  We've been holding it together with duct tape, but it definitely detracts from the cute factor.

The 17-piece set we got a BJ's, however, is fantastic and offers a ton of variety.  I always pack hubby's lunch the night before in case the kids let me sleep in (ha ha).  Last night, I used the sandwich sized part of the kit to pack hubby a lunch that consisted of 2 slices of deli ham rolled up, a cheese stick, a hard-boiled egg, gluten-free crackers, 2 carrots cut up into sticks and a clementine.  I organized these items with silicone muffin cups I got on Amazon.  Since that particular container doesn't have compartments, the cups kept everything from getting all jumbled together.

If you know that you'll be out running errands all day, throw an apple or banana into your bag to take with you.  A little bag of trail mix or granola is also an easy grab-and-go snack.  I like to make my own granola, and one thing that helps is to store at least some of it in snack-sized Ziploc bags so that you can just grab it out of the cabinet and go.  You can also prep little baggies of veggies to keep in your fridge for grab-and-go snacks.  The type of cheese stick I put in hubby's lunch is also a good option.

If you forget or you absolutely need to eat while out and about, try to find something healthy.  For example, today I packed more of a snack than a lunch for myself and I knew I'd get hungry before quitting time, so I went down to the café and grabbed a Greek yogurt and a bottle of water.  Greek yogurt has more protein than regular yogurt, so it helps fill you up more. My campus also has individual hummus and pretzel servings.  This is a good combination of carbs and protein that will help fill you up for longer.

Whether diet is on your mind because you are counting calories or because you want to focus on real food, eating healthy on the go is something you can do!

• Prep ahead by preparing snack-sized portions of granola, trail mix or cut up veggies so you can grab-and-go.
• Keep easily portable real food around...think fruit: apples, oranges and bananas are all easy to slip into your purse and eat one-handed.
• Pack a lunch the night before.
• Get the right containers...ones with sections make it easy to pack a lunch with a variety of healthy components.
• Make existing containers easier to use with muffin cups and Ziploc baggies.

Finding a Way

You know that saying, "life will find a way"? It's a true story, and no, I'm not pregnant. I am desperate for a vegetable garden.  Last year, I joined a CSA and enjoyed a half share of vegetables, several pounds of local and humanely raised meat and a gallon of farm fresh milk each week.  In addition, my mother-in-law put in a huge garden and brought me loads of fresh veggies each week.

The thing is, I only learned to can at the end of the summer and I didn't have a deep freezer...this year, I'm planning ahead for summer's bounty so that I can preserve as much of it as possible.

My hope is if I double the amount of meat I get each week and freeze it and the overage of vegetables in my new-to-me deep freezer, I can drastically cut down on what I spend on groceries next winter.

But here's the thing, my yard--as my husband helpfully pointed out--is more ornamental than practical.  Basically he meant that since we only have a front yard and not a backyard, it's meant to be pretty, not functional.  This is very annoying to me as I've spent a fair amount of time looking up "front yard vegetable gardens." (I think I'm going to sneak a few herbs into the front garden anyway, they're pretty enough to pass muster.)

So the solution is that I'm working on my sister's garden with her.  It's going to be "our" garden in that we'll share the workload and share the harvest.  So this past weekend, I went over and helped stake the fencing, start the potato patch and push rocks out of the way to reframe the border.  She has tons of space and the biggest problem is fencing the garden space off from the chickens and children so that the first group doesn't eat everything before we get to and the second doesn't trample everything before it has a chance to sprout.

As the days get warmer and my semester at work winds down, I'm hoping to get over there more and more to pitch in and get my hands dirty.

In the meantime, I'm thinking about using the one back corner of our yard that could grow something and perhaps planting in containers on our deck. 

If you are desperate to grow your own food but you lack space, there are options.  First check out your town or city's webpage for community garden options.  Some areas allow you to share space at community centers, community colleges or other shared spaces.  Or check out books on small plot or urban gardening from the library.  There are a lot of options for container gardening if you have a sunny window or balcony.  Even if you start small with some herbs on a windowsill, it can feel truly rewarding to reap the benefits of homegrown food!

Happy Birthday!

My baby just turned one (sob!).  We had his birthday party this past weekend; we kept it small, just grandparents, auntie, uncle and cousins.  But all the same, a party means a menu and a menu means food...which in this house, brings a whole bunch of questions.

One of the things about a party that I always ask myself is, should I get organic, all-natural stuff for people who don't really care?  In the end I usually do a little organic, a little not.  I mean, it's a party...you gotta loosen up!

So for the little guy's first birthday, I made my sister's pulled pork with coleslaw, a big green salad and homemade chocolate cupcakes.  For munchies, a veggie tray and chips and dip.

To me the big thing was the cake.  For my first son's first birthday, I made him a from-scratch yellow cake.  I wanted him to have a smash cake that wasn't full of additives and food coloring.  The thing was a brick.  The poor kid couldn't even pull a piece off, let alone smash it to bits.

I have vanquished the cake!

Fast forward a couple years and I have discovered a chocolate cake that is homemade, delicious and light and fluffy.  It doesn't taste exactly like box cake, but why should it?  I've made it for several birthdays now, so I knew that my little guy would have no problem ripping into the cupcakes I made.

Here's the thing though, I got the recipe from the book, Make the Bread, Buy the Butter and she adapted the recipe from Peg Bracken's The I Hate to Cookbook.  Seeing as those are both copyrighted by someone other than me, I probably can't legally share the recipe here, but if you want it, I will be happy to give it to you...just hit me up in the comments and we can exchange recipes privately!

Yum...chocolate cake!

Never Buy Breadcrumbs Again!

Part of the reason I like to be "mostly homemade" is to save money. It's also to keep chemicals, pesticides, additives, etc. out of my family's diet.  Whatever the reason you choose to eat organic food, it can truly bust a budget, so doing the work to make things from scratch can save money. Especially if the things you're using would usually be tossed out, like leftovers or the stale ends of bread.  Leftovers can always be transformed into another night's dinner, or frozen for later reheating.  The stale ends of bread are perfect for making breadcrumbs.

Making your own breadcrumbs is 1. easy, 2. free, 3. does there need to be a third reason?

Here's what you do...

Step 1: Save the ends of bread that would normally end up in the garbage, compost or tossed to the birds. I keep mine in a bag in the freezer.

Step 2: When the bag is full, toast the bread in the oven. You're looking to dry it out. I did about 5 minutes at 350.

Step 3: Cool the bread on a cooling rack.

Step 4: Break the slices into chunks and whir them in the food processor.

Step 5: Store in a freezer bag or freezer safe jar and keep them in the freezer for whenever you need them.

Bam...fast, easy, free. What more do you need? No need to search high and low for organic breadcrumbs when you can make your own from the bread you already buy or make!

Packing a Real Food Lunch

One of the hardest things about a "whole/real food" diet is eating when out of the house.  When you're home, it's easy enough to control the food in your environment, but when out at the office or running errands, it's too easy to succumb to the vending machine or impulse purchases at the checkout.  In fact, in my first couple of weeks back at work, I totally gained a couple pounds.  I would head down to the cafe, grab a coffee and a pastry and head back to my little corner of campus.  Not good for a real food diet, not good for the wallet, not good for the waistline.

So now that I'm starting to get into a better routine with my schedule, I'm better able to plan ahead. I've made lunches for my husband to take to work for a long time to save money, so it's really no big deal to just make one for me too.  For a long time, I was just packing a sandwich and apple for Hubby, but he's recently decided to go gluten "lite," so I've changed his lunch routine too.  

This week, I've been packing both our lunches in these super cute little Bento boxes.  The sections make it easy to add variety and control portion sizes, something that the average American diet needs a little work in.  I've been able to pack us each a variety of fruits, veggies, protein and carbs thanks to some inexpensive hardware.  The blue one was purchased at BJs as part of 17 piece for about $13.  The red one I grabbed on sale at Target for $4.99.

Hubby's lunch: Applegate Farms salami, gluten free crackers (it looks like a lot, but it's one serving), baby carrots, cucumber slices, a cheese stick, a clementine and dip for the veggies inside the covered dish.  

My lunch: Cucumber slices, baby carrots, Applegate Farms turkey, half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an apple sprinkled with a little cinnamon sugar.

Today’s Homemade: Yogurt

I know what you’re thinking…who the F makes homemade yogurt?  I mean, it’s weird, right?  I never thought I would go so far into this whole homemade journey that I would make my own dairy products (never mind the obvious breastfeeding jokes).

But here’s the thing.  Last summer I joined a CSA, which stands for community supported agriculture.  Basically, it means I bought a share in a local farm and got all sorts of fresh and locally made food.  The particular CSA I joined is unusual in that it is a “whole food CSA,” so one area farmer worked with other local farmers to provide her customers with everything from meat to granola to veggies, and yes, yogurt too.

Now I love yogurt, but I had always eaten flavored yogurt.  I found plain yogurt to be too tangy for my tastes and forget plain Greek yogurt, it tasted like licking sour cream off a spoon.  But then I had local, farm-fresh, plain Greek yogurt…game changer!

It was tangy, but not mouth-puckering tangy.  If I swirled just a little honey in and added granola…holy breakfast from heaven, Batman.  Add in fresh berries and I almost can’t contain myself.

So the process for making yogurt is time consuming, but super easy.  It starts with yogurt.  I know, it’s lame that you need yogurt to make yogurt, but get over it already.

So here’s what you need… ¼ cup plain whole milk yogurt (at room temperature), a quart of milk and a small slow cooker.  Preferably, you’ll use local, organic milk.  The higher the fat content in the milk, the thicker the yogurt will be.  Make sure the yogurt you use contains live, active cultures.  For the most part, plain organic yogurt will, but read the packaging just to be sure.

Local milk, organic yogurt and a small slow cooker...all you need for making your own yogurt!

 Here’s what you do: Pour a quart of milk into a slow cooker.  Turn the slow cooker on (that part’s important).  Heat the milk to 180 degrees.  If you do it on low, it could take upwards of 4 hours.  On high, it should take about 2-3 hours.  Once you’ve reached 180, turn off the slow cooker, keep the cover on, and let the temperature drop to about 120.  Once the temperature drops, mix in the room temperature yogurt, replace the cover and wrap the slow cooker in towels like a fat guy at a sauna. 

Swathed in towels.

Let it hang out on the counter like that for about 8-12 hours; the longer it ferments, the more tart it will be.  After that time frame, put it in the fridge to set.  Resist the urge to mess with it at all.  Don’t even take the cover off…just move it from the counter to the fridge and let it set for at least 4 hours. 

And then….yogurt!  I was so proud of myself the first time I made it. 

With granola and honey for a fantastic breakfast.

 A couple notes:

To make thicker, Greek-style yogurt, line a mesh sieve with cheesecloth (or paper towels), and strain the yogurt.  The liquid you strain out is called whey.  Save it and use it to cook with.  It has a tang like buttermilk, so you can use it pancakes or muffins…basically any baked good that calls for liquid; you can even add it to smoothies if you like a tangy smoothie.

The organic plain yogurt I buy at the grocery store costs about $4.  I can buy half a gallon of whole milk from a farm 10 minutes away from my house, and make the same amount of yogurt for about $1.50.  Now that’s a deal.  Then I just save a ¼ cup of my own yogurt for the next batch.