A trip to the grocery store these days can be stressful, at least for our single income family. Though it is sometimes tempting to buy those Ramen noodles for pennies a bag, or other seemingly inexpensive processed "food"; I know that is not a good source of nutrition, and would very likely prove more costly in the long run. We try to eat "whole" foods, and organic ones when possible, all while keeping to a pretty lean budget. Beans and grains are becoming more of a staple diet than in days past. If I hadn't been raised in such a meat-n-potatoes family, vegetarian cooking would be a possibility, too. We do eat meatless frequently, and other than some chicken or tuna now and then, I would be fine meatless. My husband and children might not enjoy the "veggie" lifestyle so much, though. The food group that I have the hardest time reducing is dairy. I love cheese, and use it in so many recipes; not to mention just cheese, crackers and a few veggies or piece of fruit being a quick, but healthy lunch. But, at $4.78 or so a pound, it is no longer an inexpensive food for us. I wouldn't dare pay that for meat, though I do for cheese every week . I'm wondering, is it any less expensive to make your own cheese? I've never made hard cheese, which is mostly what I buy. I do frequently make yogurt, and then strain for "yogurt cheese", etc. Cheesemakers, input please!
I've been rereading a book that's been on my shelf for some time- Diet for a Small Planet. The recipe section has lots of good meatless meals that incorporate beans and grains.
The most common part of the elderberry tree that is used is the berry. The leaves and flower parts are often added to creams and ointments to be used on cuts and scratches.
The berries are very high in vitamin C and also contain vitamins A and B. Taken medicinally it can work well to boost your immune system. Syrup made from the berries is an effective remedy for sore throats, coughs and cold symptoms and can help with asthma and bronchitis.
Make Your Own Elderberry Syrup for the Cold Season
Optional, but not necessary is a tablespoon of brandy. This helps preserve the syrup.
In a large pot combine the elderberries and water. Bring this to a boil and reduce heat. Let simmer for about 1 hour, uncovered. Strain out the elderberries. You can use an old clean dishcloth to strain your berries (but it will get stained so make sure it is an old one). Add the honey and optional brandy and stir till dissolved. Store this syrup in the refrigerator in a glass canning jar or if you did not add the brandy then store in smaller bottles in the freezer. This way you can take a small bottle out as needed. When you or someone in your family shows the first symptoms of a cold or the flu begin taking spoonful two to three times daily. An adult spoonful would equal about a tablespoon and a child’s spoonful would be a teaspoon or so.
Crystal and her husband Tobin, along with 5 of their 8 homeschooled children make their home on 18 acres in SW Washington State. Crystal enjoys caring for her home and family and her farm. You can visit Crystal’s website: The Family Homestead or Crystal’s Country Store where she sells her own goat milk soap, ebooks and more!
Winter time seems to bring with it the common cold. Usually a cold just has to run its course but it does help to have some simple remedies at hand to make symptoms bearable and maybe even help you to get through the cold sooner. There are a several herbs that can help you survive this time of year. My favorites are ginger, elderberry, horehound and slippery elm. Each of these herbs has a specific purpose. In my next few blog postings I will share a little about each of these herbs and a recipe you can make to help out with those cold symptoms.
Today’s Herb:
Ginger
The part of the plant that is used is the root. Ginger makes a good tea to drink when you have a cold as it helps with stuffed up noses. It is also known as a mild sedative and can help with fevers. Add a little ginger (and garlic) to your pot of chicken soup to help fight the common cold. Or make yourself up a cup of ginger tea; it is very easy to do using fresh ginger root. You can purchase ginger root in the grocery store.
Ginger Tea
Grate 2 T to 3T fresh ginger root. Add to 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cover and let this steep for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain and sweeten to taste with honey. If you are fighting the common cold add a slice or two of fresh lemon to the water too.
Or an alternative:
Use 1 teaspoon of ginger powder and add this to a large mug of hot boiling water. Let this steep for 5 or more minutes. Add honey to sweeten. You can add lemon juice to this tea if you would like.
Crystal and her husband Tobin, along with 5 of their 8 homeschooled children make their home on 18 acres in SW Washington State. Crystal enjoys caring for her home and family and her farm. You can visit Crystal’s website: The Family Homestead or Crystal’s Country Store where she sells her own goat milk soap, ebooks and more!
I spent 4 days recently in a hotel in Atlanta for a wonderful conference. Wonderful speakers, interesting topics, and great company, but after a while I started feeling stir-crazy. I longed for the breaks when I would have an excuse to get outside. I wanted to feel the sunshine, see some grass and trees, and just hear some different sounds.
At one point we went to a wonderful little restaurant that had an outdoor cafe and i found myself thinking that people should put more swings outside. I missed our farm and I definitely missed just being outside.
This article actually talks about Nature Deficit Disorder and how it affects people particularly children. So many of us spend far too much time cooped up indoors when there is a beautiful world awaiting us outside. During these days of scorching heat, sometimes I don't hang out too much during the day, but as the sun goes down, I love sitting outside on our patio watching the kittens kick into their nocturnal playful gear, the chickens begin to settle in for the night, the horse whinnying to go into his stall, and the dogs coming around to get a little more attention.
Don't let Nature Deficit Disorder get you down. Find a way to spend some time outside today!
OK, so this is just one example of how one thing leads to another.
First I was reading about how farm owners should stock up on 7% Iodine before July 31st. I think I once looked for iodine at TSC to use when our horse had thrush. Many folks use it for their animals, but the DEA is outlawing the sale of it because it's used in the production of meth. Ick. However, I think outlaw is a bit of a strong word. The iodine is just going to become controlled where only certain people can sell it (thus increasing the price) and you have to sign for it like sudafed or something.
As I was reading though, I started trying to figure out the different types and uses of iodine.
Here is some good basic info on the veterinary use of 7% iodine from Drugs.com.
And, on a side note, all this talk of cleaning wounds with iodine made me think about the stuff my mom used to treat boo-boos with when I was a kid - mercurochrome. Does anyone else remember that stuff? Talk about staining your skin! The Straight Dope website says good riddance to mercurochrome and its mercury, but Mercurochrome.org says that all the fuss was a bunch of hogwash.
Here's a recipe that aims to please and can help incorporate some squash into your menu plans. This is a filling meal and paired with a salad is an excellent well rounded meal, especially if you add some legumes to your salad. Lots of health benefits packed in a simple and easy dish.
Baked Spaghetti Squash
4 c raw spaghetti squash strands (about 2 squash)
2 c milk
2 c grated cheese (I like a mix of parm, romano, & asagio)
3 eggs
4 TBSP flour
1 tsp salt
1 c crumbs (cracker, bread, or cereal)
Oreheat oven to 350 F.
Layer squash and cheese in a greased baking dish.
Mix remaining ingredients and pour over casserole.
Many of us homesteaders still make those old homecooked meals; me included. I still cook hearty meals that people usually now go to Cracker Barrel for. What's wrong with these down home meals? Why have people stopped making them themselves?
Mostly, it is due to a time and work factor. Much time is needed to make bread (unless you are using a bread machine). Making food from scratch takes time. Yet there is another pressing reason people have strayed from down home cooking; the old recipes are usually unhealthy as they stand.
This can be changed though, without taking away much from the dish. For example, if you are making chicken and dumplings, you can curb the fat by starting with skinless, boneless chicken and using fat free chicken broth. When making mashed potatoes as a side dish, use skim milk, no butter, and reduced calorie or fat free sour cream. All you need do is look at the recipe and find where you can cut fat and calorie corners without sacrificing taste, texture, or quality.
Another option for continuing to serve up that delicious fare and still be health conscious is to eat smaller portions of those meals. Instead of preparing these type of meals every night, consider cutting back to only two or three nights per week, and filling the rest of the days with more healthful meals. (NOTE: If you are filling these other days with convenience or processed food items, you might as well stick with the homecooked meals, since they provide much more sustainable health benefits.) Consider making a salad as the main plate of a meal and using the down home meal as the side dishes.
Homecooking will always be superior to meals that are cooked with convenient, modified food and meals prepared with processed foods. By altering a few old ingredients with new ones, you can change that homecooked meal into a healthful meal, without losing the comfort you love in those meals.
When I go out to eat I always look on the menu at the salad selection. I have found that chain restaurants have a limited and boring salad menu; perhaps 6 salads all containing a variety of chicken (grilled, blackened, or fried) with a a variety of dressings, greens, and additions. While this may be boring to look at when dinning out, salad variety can really spice up a menu plan at a low cost. Here is a list of salad additions that can change a salad from boring to WOW with little effort and cash.
dried cranberries
nuts and/or seeds
fruit (strawberries, blueberries, orange chunks, pineapple, apple)
Beans (chick peas, pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, navy beans)
Sprouts
Olives (a wide variety of olives are available at most groceries)
Any type of crumbly cheese
Grains (cold pasta, rice, couscous, etc)
Variety of greens (Iceberg and Romaine are a great base, but add some baby greens, spinach, or red lettuce for added zest)
Is it freezing out? Snow on the ground? Salad may not seem like a winter comfort food, but coupled with some warm staples it makes for a new comfort tradition. Try adding a side of marinated and baked meat like chicken, pork, steak. A really tasty combination is to grill marinated or seasoned chicken or steak, and then slice. Top your salad with steak cut potatoes (baked or fried) and the meat. Then sprinkle with a mexican mix of cheese. This is a great way to stretch your meat and still have a well rounded comfort food meal.
Salads are limitless. If you think of an idea, try it. I once tried broiling a piece of salmon coated with pecans with a salad and it is now one of my favorites. When visiting Colorado Springs I went to this little hole int he wall place and had a FANTABULOUS salad, with cranberries, walnuts, crumbled blue cheese, mixed greens, and a raspberry vinagrette. I have recreated this salad at home and it is just as fantabulous. Another favorite salad is a california plate at a local posh restaurant, but it is simple; mixed greens, walnuts that are baked with garlic, gorgonzola cheese crumbles and a thick raspberry vinagrette.
Don't stop with veggie based salads either. There are tons of ways to make fruit salad without it being boring. Instead of just cutting up fruit, try using only one or two types of fruit and drizzle with a honey or a homemade syrup.
If you have a good salad at a restuurant, make a mental note of it and try recreating it at home. Check out the web for new ideas too. Don't waste time re-inventing the wheel. Look for recipes others have used and try them as is, or make them your own. Try a warm salad. Try making a new dressing from preserves you may have on hand or fruit you may have frozen in your freezer. They can really change up a menu, especially in the winter. Paired with a bowl of soup and a fresh warm crust of bread, salad can easily become a frugal staple that is tasty, comforting, healthful, and satisfying.
In the winter time, most people have their homes shut up tight to keep the cold out and the heat in. However, this is not a good thing to do until the break of good weather in early Spring.
Try cracking the windows in just a room, or step outside for 15-30 minutes and deeply inhale and exhale. Taking in fresh air is good for your lungs. Every Dr will tell you that. However, it is so easy for us to go about our busyness we call lives and forget that. Cracking a window in your home, even if just for an hour, will bring in much needed fresh air. If you are like me, you will smell the difference!
Today, take a moment to relax with your children and take a deep breath of fresh air.
As many people are working on improving their health and losing weight at the beginning of the new year, I got a link to this news story about Cleansing Your Body the Natural Way.
I remember when I was growing up my parents always did a detox diet at the start of each year - seems like it involved some cabbage broth or something. I never could eat it. Neither would our dog! But I know the health benefits and am just glad that it's not the only way to detox. I'm going to try this one.
Do any of you do a cleanse regularly that you would recommend?
Since my father was a chiropractor, I grew up
always well-adjusted (physically, not just socially!). And I never had an
earache as a child. In fact, I had my first ever ear infection when I was
married, had our first child and was teaching in public school. I literally
didn't know what it was! I thought I was losing my hearing or something. I went
to an MD, the only time I had ever been other than to have our baby and sure
enough I had some kind of raging ear infection. It was so bad that my eardrum
was pushed the wrong direction. Ouch. I was absolutely miserable and of
course, I couldn't work if I couldn't hear the kids so I agreed to take the
antibiotics.
I knew also though that I needed a good chiropractic
adjustment. I had not been going to the chiropractor as regularly then. So I
went in and got my adjustment that same day, and went home to rest. I upped my
Vitamin C and put some Vitamin E oil in my ear and by the next day I was feeling
all better. That's the joy of having a strong immune system. Even when you do
get sick, your body responds so well and you recover so much more
quickly.
Anyway since then, I've realized that most people aren't as
fortunate as me or my kids. My oldest is 14 and he has only ever had an earache
once. I didn't even bother to take him to the medical doctor. We just went to
the chiropractor to get an adjustment, upped his Vitamin C and acidophilus, and
put Garlic Oil in his ears. My 10 year old, got really sick on us one winter
though a few years ago. I couldn't quite figure out what was going on with him.
He was complaining of a stomach ache, headache, and sore throat. The flu was
going around so I just figured that was it. Well he kept running a really high
fever and just when we thought he was starting to improve, he got awfully
lethargic the next day. It scared me. None of my kids had ever been that sick.
Well of course it was on a weekend, so I had to take him to our hospital's
Convenient Care.
It turned out that he had Scarlet Fever and (get this!)
a double ear infection, even though he wasn't even complaining about his ears!
Scarlet Fever isn't as scary as it sounds. It just means that he had Strep
Throat that developed into the Scarlet Fever. So they gave him an antibiotic
shot. The only shot any of my kids have ever had. We took him home and I did
the garlic oil in his ears, got him to the chiropractor, and he made a rapid
recovery.
So our first line of defense against ear infections is always:
chiropractic
garlic oil (I know fresh garlic in olive oil would be even more effective,
but I keeping the garlic oil capsules on hand is easier for me.)
Vitmain C
Acidophilus
You can read Colleen Huber's tips here and more from Dr. Mercola here. I'm sure many of you might have some
wonderful tips as well. God has definitely provided many resources for us to
deal with illnesses and to guard our health. And I'm not totally opposed to
antibiotics.When used rarely and appropriately, they are wonderful. I just think
they are often prescribed just because they *might* help in spite of the
warnings against the negative effect of anitbiotic overuse. I truly think if
more people realized that these natural remedies can be just as or even more
effective as the pharmaceutical stuff, there could be many more healthy parents
and children in the world.
I saw an interesting article considering the link between the flu to Vitamin D deficiency. The theory is that the flu occurs mostly during the winter when most people get less sunshine and thus less Vitamin D. It makes sense to me, but I wanted to read some other people's opinions on Vitamin D as well.
Science News had a good article about Vitamin D deficiency with just some basic information.
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. I'm wondering, is it any less expensive to make your own cheese? I've never made hard cheese, which is mostly what I buy. I do frequently make yogurt, and then strain for "yogurt cheese", etc. Cheesemakers, input please! 
, I'm off to find some breakfast....well, by now maybe I should just have Brunch! 
