On The Mend

After a day of not feeling well, I'm on the mend; thanks in part of a good immunity.  Last night I made fresh kefir.  Rarely will I take even OTC medication for a cold or flu, instead opting for rest.  My theory is that if you take pain meds, such as ibuprohpen, you start to feel better and tend to not take it easy.  So after a day of rest, probiotic drinks and diffusing essential oils to help keep my nasal passages open, I am feeling 75% better. 

'Recipe' For The Flu!

Have culture, will travel!  I did it!  Neglected my immunity and now I'm sick.  When we travel our packed chuck box looks more like that of a pioneer chuckwagon taking care to bring most comforts of home. 

Cultured buttermilk was packed in our picnic cooler, but one thing I forgot was my nutrient dense kefir!  Kefir is a wonderful probiotic culture that is eons old (long story of history) (short history).  It's similar to yogurt, but much more potent and can keep you 'regular' and build up your immunity.  Studies have found that our immunity begins in our gut. 

Back to kefir.  Here are what kefir grains look like.

Rather like cottage cheese .. and when rinsed little pieces of cauliflower.  However, it's a mortal sin to rinse your kefir in my humble opinion.   The best place to obtain kefir grains is from a friend that wishes to share.  Or online. They multiply and it's perfectly fine to share about a tablespoon in you have double that amount.

Back to the flu!  On our recent vacation I tried very hard to eat healthy.  It's sometimes difficult when staying at a hotel or when you are a guest.  My sleep pattern was disrupted as well.  Getting proper sleep is right up there with consuming kefir or other cultured foods in my backwoods' doctoring opinion.  I did buy a plain kefir drink at the market, but it was full of unnecessary ingredients, a weak culture and tasted horrible. Dairy free options for kefir are also available, and I went three days without consuming kefir when we returned home.

The last time I endured the flu was in 2009 just prior to changing my family's diet to include organic pastured meats that I buy from local farms, fresh milk .. and soaked grains if we dare consume them.  I may have had one or two colds since then as well.  This is a pretty good five year track record in my opinion and attests to the need for nutrient dense foods and good sleep.

Next time I'll show you the process for making dairy kefir at home.  It's inexpensive once you have your kefir grains and tastes 100% better than store-bought.

So remember, if you're often sick, take the time to nourish yourself and get onto the road of good health .. one bite, sip, nap at a time.

Home On The Range

We found the sun ~ Mt. Shasta, CA

We've just returned from a late winter trip to try and find a slice of warm weather.  Warmer weather we found, including sunshine for two days, then it rained and rained and rained, sleeted, iced over and snowed on the way home.  Over hill and dale, 'round bends .. including BEND, Oregon, whizzing past Crater Lake National Park not able to stop due to foul weather .. only to drive in nine hours of nasty, twisty, turny, white knuckle roads with 18 wheelers flipping over along and cars in ditches.  We had no choice but to drive on s.l.o.w.l.y. as this storm was/is a several day event.  Along the road we saw signs for the Lewis and Clark Trail .. and the Historic Oregon Trail.  In weather like this I was thankful to be seated in a warm 4x4 truck instead of on foot or in a covered wagon.  Brrrrr .. just the thought put a shiver down my spine.  Oh my, won't this be a wonderful trip ... perhaps in the spring or fall .. not winter?

Palouse ... Eastern Washington

Home sweet home at last to a cozy warm lodge with a long driveway in need of plowing.  It's nice to get away, but even nicer to return appreciative and anticipating sleeping in my own bed!

Tomorrow will be spent unpacking and the washing machine will be humming.  I've got sourdough, buttermilk and kefir to reawaken, bread to bake and must get busy with the 2014 garden plans.

There's no place like home .. and sometimes you need to leave home to appreciate all it holds.

Fake Food & The Anguished Homemaker ~ Update

An oldie not moldy post originally published April 24, 2012~ in light of the recent push by the Food Babe to bring to light azodicarbonamide AKA a chemical used in the production of yoga mats that is found in factory bread produced in the USA ... and banned in numerous other countries around the world.  Here's my take on this subject a few years back. Know what you're feeding your family. 

Dilemma ..

What is it? ...
Enriched bleached flour (wheat, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin, mononitrate [Vitamin B1], folic-acid), water, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, contains 2% of each of the following: vegetable oil (soybean and/or cottonseed oils), salt, wheat gluten, dough conditioners (may contain one or more of the following: mono-peroxide, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonaumide, enzymes), calcium sulfate,/yeast nutrients (monocalcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, ammonium sulfate and/or calcium carbonate), cornstarch, calcium propionate (preservative) distilled vinegar, soy lecithin, milk, soy flour, sesame seed.  Allergy warning:  contains milk, wheat and soy (AND GMO'S .. emphasis mine).  Cost .. $3.29

The above FAKE FOOD is the ingredient list on a package of white hamburger buns.  Yep, it's vacation time from the family and I had to 'stock up' on some food while I am away for a mini trip.  Sticker shock!  Ingredient (not so) shock(ed)!  Creepy feeling shock!  Oh .. I also had the choice of 'whole' wheat buns and the ingredient list was similarly (anti) nutritious!

My homemade bread ingredient list:  Freshly ground sprouted wheat flour, water, sunflower oil, sea salt, yeast.  Notice there are no vitamins added because they have not been stripped out of the flour.  No dough conditioners and preservatives .. because the shelf life is a few days .. not months.  Cost including baking fuel .. under a dollar.

I walked away from the market with a basket half filled with mostly JUNK, and was hoping not to be seen with the various items in my cart.  I digress .. there was also a  box of Kashi cereal .. some sort of message on the box reassured me that it didn't contain high fructose corn syrup and that was supposed to make me 'feel good' about serving it to my family.  A bunch of grapes (out of season), bananas from half way around the world, a package of kosher hot dogs, sliced deli turkey lunch meat, lettuce, lemon and (God forbid) a bottle of (fake) peppercorn ranch salad dressing.  My total was $76 (almost 1/4 of our total monthly food budget).

Last time I went away I worked my butt off making bread, spaghetti sauce, and prepped enough food for several days .. along with our daily food prior to leaving.  This little endeavor left me exhausted and questioning the sanity of why I was getting away from the family for a little rest and relaxation.  I came home to find the spaghetti sauce still in the freezer (not used) and a few receipts for 'fake food' on the counter.




In a perfect world I wouldn't need to buy this JUNK.  My family would know how to make their own salad dressing, cook oatmeal for breakfast, make lunch that didn't include processed meat.  My job is not done.

Get to know your food sources.  Read labels.  Learn to cook. Plant a garden with your family. Have ingredients available and teach your kids to pack a healthy school lunch.  The rewards will pay off with overall health now and when you're older.


Homemakers prayer: "Lord, I cannot always inspect the food my family eats.  Let there be enough nutrition in the foods I prepare at home to offset the times I have to close my eyes.  Help me teach my family the importance of good nutrition and making wise food choices.  Amen"

Grain Free Meals ...

... can be filling.

We've been cutting out grains of late.  My thoughts are that they contribute to poor health and 'feed' the cravings within.  Our 'modern' society is in a flux.  We have obesity and poor health running rampant and seem to be fixated with food 24/7.  We're the most overfed and undernourished generation EVER! 

spaghetti squash with meat sauce and tossed salad

I'm not saying we won't eat a piece of bread now and then, but I've found that by cutting it drastically from my diet .. I'm less hungry and don't walk around looking for my next snack.  Nathan's not craving and constantly asking for the three P's ~ pizza, pasta and potatoes.

grass fed beef burgers, cauliflower with cheese, tossed salad and beef stock

Included with our diet are 'snacks' of cultured veggies, buttermilk and kefir.  Getting creative . . . comes naturally with a little practice. 

Restoration Tuesday

RESToration!  Requires REST.  Do you get enough REST?  How can you be RESTored if you are not RESTed?  I bet Dr. Seuss could make a children's book on this subject.

How do I REST?  Let me count the ways:

1. Limit caffeine .. and never past 2:00 PM if I plan on sleeping at night
2. No TV in the bedroom
3. Sleep with the window cracked
4. Stick to a routine
5. Eat healthy food
6. Read about topics of interest
7. Drink plenty of water
8. Enjoy a cup of spearmint tea before bed .. it's become a 'signal' that it's my bedtime
9. Rub a little lavender oil on my pillowcase or diffuse near my bed
10. Read a novel in bed

Do you RESTore your body, mind and soul each day?

Fine Tuning The 'Machine'

After detoxing, restoring my health, eating nutritionally sound meals .. it's not difficult to self diagnose those little twinges that creep up on occasion.  For example, when my neck starts making creaking sounds, I need to drink more bone broth.  If my feet start to ache and/or I don't sleep peacefully I've usually run out of my cod liver oil.  When my left index finger aches at the first knuckle and/or my knees ache .. I've consumed too much sugar.

Cultured Veggies

To boost immunity I give my family cultured foods daily including kefir, buttermilk, pickles and sauerkraut. 

When my youngest son consumes too many starches he breaks out in a rash on his neck and makes odd snorting sounds in his nose .. often accompanied by a headache.

Do you notice how certain foods affect your mood or health?  Get to know how to fine tune your 'machine.'  Eliminate or drastically reduce the offenders.  When I need to detox, I sip milkweed or stinging nettle tea in the evening several times a week, cut out sugar and starches.  If you wish to consume detox teas, please read up on side effects and consult your doctor if  you have certain health conditions.

Grain Free Meal ~ Japanese vegetable soup, salad, zucchini 'cakes', applesauce 

Maybe we're just WEIRD ..... say it aint so! ;)

Off Grid Baking

So you want to be prepared for feeding your family should the power go out.  If you have a wood heat stove and a cast iron Dutch oven, you're in luck.  It just takes careful practice.  You have to time the rise of your yeast bread with the glow of wood coals.  If you use a bread recipe such as this one for no knead bread, your window of opportunity to bake is more dependent on coals than timing the dough. 

This means that I start my loaf the night before I want to bake it .. at the very least ... making it early in the morning and baking before bed; I prefer making it the night before baking.  You only need one bowl .. mix up the dough .. cover  .. and set aside for 12-18 hours.  I've even let the dough go 24 hours which gives it a little extra punch in sour flavor.  Bread with a long ferment period is supposed to be more nutritious and easier to digest.  Believe me, when you have lost the ability to cook conveniently you are more apt to eat what is available in your emergency supplies.  Hunger takes precedence to proper diet.

So .. the planning part comes into play usually after dinner and my dough has been fermenting nearly 18 hours.  This dough has just been sitting in the mixing bowl covered with a plastic bag and a dish towel to stay moist .. usually starting off by the wood stove .. and if that gets too warm, I move it to the kitchen counter.

My wood stove would have been burning all day and our home toasty warm.  About 2 hours prior to actually baking the bread, I remove the dough from the bowl, shape it briefly on a floured surface and place it in a ball on a greased piece of parchment paper placed inside a glass pie pan or med. size skillet.  It's covered loosely with the plastic wrap and clean dish towel .. left to rise in a warm spot for 2 hours.  The coals in the wood stove will be glowing read and pushed to the sides and back of the stove. 

Red glowing coals get broken apart with ash shovel and arranged along both sides and back of wood stove.

A few canning rings will be carefully placed in the ashes of the stove floor to support the Dutch oven.

Several canning rings are placed in center of wood stove's floor to support Dutch Oven.

 About a half hour before bake time, with the fire out .. and embers are glowing red, the empty Dutch (D.O.) oven is carefully placed on the canning rings to preheat.. door shut .. and timed for approx. 30 minutes.  I use heavy leather gloves to handle the D.O. After 30 minutes the D.O. is removed and placed on a trivet on top of the stove.  The lid is carefully removed .. and a little smoke should come out.

Raised round loaf is placed inside hot Dutch oven using parchment as a sling.

 Dough is lifted carefully with parchment paper and settled in the D.O.  The top of dough is snipped and dusted with a little flour.  Lid is placed on pan .. and carefully placed on the canning rings .. door gets shut.

A little fire is OK .. but watch carefully .. you really just need a medium amount of red coals.

 If the stove seems too cool a few pieces of kindling can be tossed in to keep the stove heated.

Small pieces of kindling may be added to coals if the oven temp seems too low.  Getting a feel for the temp with your hand is a developed skill.

 It doesn't take much kindling .. if any.  You don't want a big fire .. but a little flame is OK if pushed away from the D.O.  Door needs to remain shut.  Let the bread bake for 30 minutes .. rotating the pan every 10 minutes for even baking.

 After 30 minutes carefully remove the D.O. and place on trivet. 

I've only burned one loaf from too high of temp (from flames).  This one came out perfect!

Remove lid.  bread should be brown and well raised.  Carefully slide an additional metal canning ring under the parchment to lift the bread off the bottom of the D.O.  and cautiously place the pan back in the oven where it will bake for 10-15 additional minutes without the lid.

This bread is full of holes and has a crispy crust.  Slices easily too.

 Carefully remove pan at end of baking time transferring baked bread to a wire cooling rack for approx. 2 hours before slicing.  Store cooled bread in a plastic bag. 

If you try this baking method, be extra careful. 

A Meal Redux

Redux .. to be brought back.  Adjective of a noun (meal) ...  brought back. 

So just how does a homemaker create delicious meals from scratch 7 days a week?  This is a very good question, because in today's modern world we tend to want convenience and short cuts instead of slow cooked and nutritious.

My secret to feeding my family without burning out is to make extra servings that can be made over into another meal.  It's a great skill to develop, especially when your family can't tell they're eating leftovers. 

By making extra cooked chicken, meatballs, roast turkey, pork chops, etc., you can more easily fix a second meal quickly.

Here are two examples of meals to make from left over tacos:

• Mexican Quiche (recipe here)

• Mexican Tortilla Soup ~ Using a base of beef or chicken stock, add extra beef or chicken, chopped tomatoes, celery, onions, herbs .. etc.  Top with strips of corn tortillas, shredded cheese, and diced avocado.  Adjust salt/seasonings before serving.

The Mexican Quiche is a complete meal .. that includes a salad topping.  For the soup, serve with a tossed salad.  Here's a great dressing to add to your collection.  The recipe can be halved.  Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing

For breakfast today I made omelets filled with leftover reheated mushroom meatballs and shredded cheese.  My guys like the added protein in their meals since we are eating less grains.   You are bound only by your imagination .. go wild!

Please share your favorite redux meal.

The Boy's Breakfast & Lunch Meals

Our son must be kept on a good nutritious diet .. or else.  Else what?  He feigns headaches, low grade fevers, low white blood count, rashes and lethargy (I believe from a leaky gut).  Grains exacerbate his health and are kept to a minimum.

Age 12

Our morning routine begins with a shot glass full of berry or citrus kefir.  He's afraid of 'shots' .. but this one he downs like a pro in one gulp.

You will find no boxes of cereal or frozen packages of waffles on our kitchen counter (unless I'm away and the Mr. is in a bind).

Farm fresh eggs are fixed most mornings in a variety of ways:  Veggie or apple pancakes (grain free), scrambled with spinach and a little grated cheese, fried .. or baked frittata style.  Endless ways really.

Some mornings he gets sausage patties.  And .. for good measure .. a banana in hand on the way to the bus stop.

Age 16

While he's enjoying his hot breakfast, I am busy whipping up a hot lunch: 

• Spaghetti sauce over green beans (in place of noodles), packed in his trusty stainless steel thermos .. or,
• Freshly made bone broth soup (keeping homemade stock on hand in the freezer and shelf stable in the pantry makes this easy peasy).  I add to the stock any left over meat and veggies from the previous night's dinner, dried herbs, sea salt and pepper.  One day he'll have chicken, turkey or beef based stock in his soup.
• Every day he gets a green salad that includes lettuce, cucumbers, carrots & red pepper, along with a little (tiny) bottle of homemade salad dressing.  This is made in batches every few days and may include: balsamic-olive oil vinaigrette, homemade ranch style or Italian dressing.
• Fruit:  banana, small apple, orange slices, tangerine, or a small cup of diced peaches or applesauce.  The peaches and applesauce are canned in our kitchen during the summer and stored away for those days we don't have fresh fruit.
• Once a week I give him a treat and make French bread pizza.  This is simply made from a few slices of sourdough style bread I bake a few time a week.  The bread is buttered and spread with a little marinara sauce and topped with grated cheese .. placed on a baking sheet in a 350 F oven until it's a little bubbly and starting to brown.
• Each lunch contains a small container with a fermented sour pickle.  Fermented foods aid in digestion and help boost immunity.

I don't believe in all of the disposable packaging .. so limit its use.  He gets a cloth napkin and thrift store utensils .. and his food is packed in reusable lidded containers.  Usually my husband will comment that it looks like a b0mb went off in the kitchen .. but that's the price for eating healthy .. it's certainly not 'convenient' food (LOL).  Really .. how convenient is illness?  Food for thought.

Wednesday .. Wandering the Web

It snowed last night and part of today.  Finally.  If you're in the Polar Vortex or have been hit with unseasonably cold weather for your area .. just ignore my delight.  We've had very little snow this winter and it's really needed for our mountain snow pack.

The Mr. and I had our date day; an outing to town including lunch and window shopping downtown.  I'm not a big fan of eating out, so I packed my own little mini jar of homemade ranch salad dressing for my salad lunch.

Here are some good reads I found wandering around the web today. 

The 11 Most Destructive Nutrition Lies Ever Told

5 Signs Your Body is Starving for Vitamins

The Dangers of Not Getting Enough Vit. D

Cod Liver Oil ~ Myths and Truths of an Ancient Super Food

Have a blessed day!

Restoration Tuesday

There is no money to be made from healthy people.

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”

~ Thomas Edison (1847-1931)

Restoring one's health can not be achieved overnight .. nor with a magic pill.  Western medicine of today irritates the heck out of me with their pill pushing philosophy.  Why not make amends with your body, surrender the old habits that lead to ill health AND embrace better health one day at a time. 

The overall end goal is to get out of bed in the morning with as few creaks as possible, get through the day with energy, do your daily work without folding into a pile by mid-day, then retiring at night with sleepy eyes that drift off to dreamland without the aid of a pill.  This, my friends, will help you  make it to old age with your faculties in tact. 

In an ideal world, food will be your medicine.  Would you take bad medicine?  Would you overdose on bad pills?  There is no day like today to step into a new era feeling fit.

But how?  One day at a time.  Remember, there are no magic pills.  Nothing will make you feel better overnight. 

Here are my top three remedies to start with:

1. Get rid of packaged food.  I used to say just start replacing it with better options, but in reality, this is just delaying the healing process.
2. Fill your fridge with fresh produce.  It's not hard to make a green salad.  Peel an orange.  Slice an apple.
3. Learn to make bone broth (beef, chicken, fish).  In our home, this is worth its weight in gold.  We consume this daily.

There you go.  That's a start.  Now run with it.  Don't read fad diet books.  Research about nutrient dense foods.  If you're on a tight budget ... cut out your expensive TV cable bill, and drop the internet for your smart phone.  Really, your body is more important than filling your mind with the junk food diet of TV programming.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.  How do you want to finish the race?  Leave a comment if you're interested in reading more Restoration Tuesday posts. 

Know your produce PLU codes

Making Time For Sunday

Keeping the calendar clear to focus on Sunday:  Church, service .. working in the pre-school children's church, prepping a meal for the family all speak about love.

Today we're gathering as a family at both church and 'grandma/pa's' home for a shared meal.  Everyone contributing to make the day more relaxing. 

On the menu:  Elk chili, corn bread with honey butter, garden salad. 

Time spent in God's Word ... and with the family ... priceless.

Oh, and if you're one of my kiddos and didn't get the memo .. yes, you're invited over for dinner at 4:00. 

I leave you with this quote for the day:

"So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet."

James 4:10 ~ The Message Bible

Bathroom #1 Update

The geometric design wall tapestry is actually a painted cotton rug.

We're fine tuning the décor in our home, you know, weeding out clutter, 'shopping' in the basement's storeroom and TJ Maxx.  Our son's (which is also the guest) bathroom needed a fresh look; something a little brighter. 

Sunshine yellow & white medallions on the shower curtain 

We switched out the shower curtain and added new towels and a few countertop decorations.  Added a small cotton rug in front of the sink AND one on the wall instead of a painting.  Who knew a rug on the wall would look so good.

A carved treasure box and burlap runner

 

Now we have a bathroom that is nice enough for visitors that didn't cost an arm and a leg.

 



I've dubbed this room 'Sunshine & Blue Skies'

New Year .. New Way of Living?

I'm old school.  Traditional.  Father and mother under God's authority; children under their parents' authority until the age of accountability.  God, Family, Country .. to be exact.  A way of life melting away faster than a popsicle on a warm summer day.  So, we  'old folks' are not alone in this feeling of wanting the good old days.  Here's an excerpt from the preface of the book American Cookery, 1798.  The first published cookbook written by an American (orphan) in America.  This is a good read from the perspective that history repeats itself (so to speak) .. and a historical account of cooking methods in our nation's infancy.

"The world, and the fashion thereof, is so variable, that old people cannot accomodate themselves to the various changes and fashions which daily occur; they will adhere to the fashion to their day and will not surrender their attachments to the good old way--while the young and the gay, bend and conform readily to the taste of the times, and fancy of the hour."

 

 

The Mr. retired last week.  It's nice to have him home.  We made it to our rocking chairs with a little less hair on his head and silver tresses on mine.  A few delicious grandbabies and relative good health.  The new year holds much promise with a few trips planned, gardening, putting away provisions and bike rides together.  No time clock to punch and every day is Saturday, but Sunday.

 

Happy New Year from the Mac Family