image by berenicegg

Editor’s Note: This post was originally posted in August 2012.

Last week I wrote about Five Baby Steps to Real Food, and the positive feedback was overwhelming! Eating real food is a process, and it isn’t one that occurs overnight. To help you continue your real food journey, here are five more (slightly larger) baby steps:

1. Start reading labels!

If you don’t already, read the labels on all of your food. Don’t look at the fat, calories, or carbs, but instead look at the ingredient list. Can you pronounce everything on the list? Do you know what everything on the list is and where it originated? A good rule of thumb for products with labels is that the answer to those should be “yes”. Also, real food products will tend to have a small number of ingredients (say, five or less).

image by ilovebutter

Editor’s Note: The above image is not real food. I repeat, it is not real food!

2. One meal, once a week.

Each week when you are meal planning (because obviously you are meal planning, right?), challenge yourself to make one meal that is completely real food. If you order pizza every Wednesday night, this week make a homemade pizza with this pizza dough and load it up with your favorite veggies and cheese. You enjoy frozen pancakes or waffles for breakfast? Try one of the real food pancake and waffle recipes instead. Once you get the hang of one meal a week, add another, and another, until it becomes second nature to you.

Soaked German Pancakes from Riddlelove

Oatmeal Sour Cream Pancakes from The Blue House Blog

Whole Wheat Pancakes from This Chick Cooks

Buckwheat Pancakes from Retro Momma, Vintage Wife

Coconut Flour Pancakes from Storms Stories

3. Try a new fruit or vegetable.

August is a great time for farmer’s markets all over the country. Take advantage of the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables by loading up on your old favorites, as well as something new. Examples of less popular but equally delicious produce are beets, Brussels sprouts, papaya, kohlrabi, and parsnips. If you have kids, this is a great way to get them involved! Take a trip to the farmer’s market and have them pick out a new item to try. Here are some recipe ideas to get you started:

Kohlrabi Fries from Riddlelove

Beet and Strawberry Smoothie from This Chick Cooks

Roasted Brussels Sprouts from Modern Alternative Mama

Beet Brownie Cake from Sharing My Simple Dreams

Parsnip Fries with Lambs Quarter Pesto from Riddlelove

image by Sing Chen

4. Replace vegetable oil with coconut oil.

Vegetable oils – including canola, soybean, corn, and cottonseed – are much like margarine. These vegetable oils almost always originate from a GMO and are created using high heat processing and chemical treatment. Some form of vegetable oil is found in almost all processed foods. Virgin coconut oil, however, is the oil from the meat of mature coconuts. It is extracted through a quick-drying or wet-milling process, with no chemicals added in. Coconut oil is very heat stable and can be used for frying, sautéing, or baking, and can be replaced in recipes 1:1 for vegetable oils. I find that coconut oil is becoming more widely available, which is great! However, I have noticed a lack of quality in certain brands. My favorite quality brand is Tropical Traditions, and you can buy some through my affiliate link here.

5. If it falls on the Dirty Dozen list, buy organic!

Yes, organic produce can be expensive. But not all fruits and vegetables have to be organic to be consumed safely. On Tuesday, Beverly explained the Dirty Dozen list and the Clean 15 to help you decipher which veggies need to be organic. If you find you eat a lot of the Dirty Dozen, seek other sources than your local market. For example, I love blueberries, but the organic ones are very expensive at my local grocery store ($3.99+/pint). When blueberry season hit, I googled and called local blueberry farms to see if they spray their blueberries (they don’t) and was able to get a lot of blueberries for only $2 per pound. Many of the foods on the Dirty Dozen list can be easily frozen (peaches, strawberries, blueberries, peppers), and others are super easy to grow on your own! Peppers, cucumbers, and lettuce tend to thrive wherever they are planted, so cut your costs significantly by guaranteeing that your produce is organic and safe to eat!

Are you already doing any of these baby steps? Which baby steps will you implement first?

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Editor’s Note:Today’s guest post is from Susan at Learning & Yearning. Susan Vinskofski planted her first flower at age 8, dug up her parents entire, small backyard at age 16 to plant a vegetable garden, and has been gardening ever since. Now a Master Gardener in her Pennsylvania county, Susan is passionate about building soil and growing and eating the most nutrient-dense food she can find.

I wouldn’t know how to begin a discussion on gardening without beginning with the soil. When I teach a workshop, I ask people what they think of when they think “garden”. Most often, the answer has to do with the harvest. And, of course, we wouldn’t garden if we couldn’t look forward to a bountiful harvest. But, I always encourage my students to think “soil” because healthy soil will result in a healthy, nutrient-dense harvest. A garden with poor soil may produce fruit, but that fruit can’t possibly contain the nutrients, or taste as good, as one grown in soil that has provided all that is needed for its health. And plants grown in healthy soil have less problems with disease and pests.

Components of Healthy Soil

So, what makes soil healthy? Soil is so much more than dirt. One of the components is, of course, weathered rock. That is where our garden plants will receive many of the minerals that they need. Good soil also contains organic matter – things like worm castings, decomposed leaves, and even the remains of soil organisms like insects, fungi and bacteria. Replenishing organic matter is essential to soil care.

Soil also needs air and water. Soil without air spaces is compacted and neither roots nor soil organisms will have the space they need to grow and breath. Earthworms, as they build tunnels, help to aerate the soil. And we can help by never stepping on the area where plants grow, but rather maintaining paths or building raised beds. And of course, plants would not survive without the water in soil which is used in the process of photosynthesis and for transporting nutrients through the roots and up into the plant.

Finally, the texture of soil – the size of its particles – has a direct effect on how well your garden will grow. Sand, of course, is composed of large particles, and water will pass through it quickly. Clay, on the other hand, is made of extremely small particles. Clay is sticky when wet and has few air spaces and drains poorly. What I want to do is to teach you to build a garden in a way that the original soil that you have to work with won’t be what determines your end result.

Building Healthy Soil

If there was only one piece of advice I could give to improve your soil, it would be to compost. This dark, crumbly, “black gold”, is made up of decomposing organic matter which builds your soil and keeps kitchen scraps and yard debris out of landfills. One method of composting – sheet composting – is simply composting in layers on top of either an existing garden or on top of turf with the purpose of building a new garden or improving an existing one. This is really easy and will revolutionize gardening for you. This method of gardening, also called ‘lasagna gardening‘ involves no digging and very little weeding – the two chores that tend to discourage people from gardening. Setting up a garden this way does require work, but it’s so much easier than tilling a garden. And once your garden is prepared, yearly maintenance is simple.

A lasagna garden is built by layering organic materials which eventually will decompose into wonderful garden soil. While it is preferable to build the garden several months in advance, it is not totally necessary to wait until that decomposition is completed to begin planting in the layers. Here are general guidelines for building a lasagna garden, but the great thing is that there is no exact right way to do this. You may use whatever materials you have available.

A lasagna garden is built right on top of the ground; there is no need to dig first. If you’re building on top of grass, this will decompose, too, and add nutrients to your garden. The first thing you’ll do is lay down cardboard or a 1/4” – 1/2” layer of newspaper right on the ground to choke out grass and weeds. Don’t use any colored, glossy newspaper. Thoroughly wet this layer to help speed the decomposition. From here, you will layer whatever types of organic matter that you are able to get your hands on. Some of the types of items that you could use would include:

• partially decomposed tree limbs – best used as a bottom layer in your garden.
• leaves – preferably chopped. Use in thin layers if not chopped.
• manure – if you plan to plant your garden soon, only use well rotted manure. Fresh manure will burn the roots of the plants.
• weed-free hay or straw
• coffee grounds – some coffee shops give these away; just ask.
• grass clippings
• shredded newspaper – nothing colored or glossy.
• wood chips

After laying down your cardboard or newspaper begin layering whatever materials you have collected until you have reached a height of at least 18”. Higher is even better; as your layers decompose, the height will dramatically decrease. When I’m making dinner, I rarely follow a recipe; building a garden is similar. Exact proportions are just not necessary. Although not a requirement, I do sprinkle a very thin layer each of bone meal and blood meal to add phosphorous and nitrogen, respectively. The blood meal also helps to speed decomposition.

The top layer of your lasagna garden should be finished compost. This can be compost you have made yourself, or purchased from a garden supply store. Recycling centers often sell leaf compost very inexpensively. This is the layer in which you will plant your seeds or seedlings. After your plants are several inches high, you may add mulch to preserve soil moisture and keep weeds from sprouting. Yearly maintenance involves adding a new layer of material to the top of your garden such as wood chips, chopped leaves, or weed-free hay or straw, preferably in the autumn. And now you are well on your way to building a garden with healthy soil that will produce nutrient-dense produce!

What method of gardening do you prefer? Do you strive to maintain the health of your soil?

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Image by Slacker Mark 

Editor’s Note: Today’s guest post is from Nina of Shalom Mama. Nina is a writer, student midwife, and mama of four. She loves babies, miniature ponies, salted caramel sauce and helping others create wellness through simple living. Check out her website for more simple wellness tips.

As a mom of four, I’ve done a lot of cooking with kids. Sometimes, it’s actually planned! When it is (and even when it’s not), it’s a great opportunity to spend quality time with your kids, teach them about math and science and show them how fun and simple real food can be.

Today, I thought I’d share my favorite foods to cook with kids, just in case you’re not sure where to start or are looking for some new ideas: 

Ice Cream

If you were to ask my kids what they’re favorite food was, I’m pretty sure they’d say ice cream. Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, in a cone, in a dish – they’ll eat it any way, as long as they can get some ice cream. And I’m happy to oblige when it’s a treat we make together. Once upon a time, I was intimidated by making ice cream, but not anymore thanks to recipes like this one that make making ice cream easy.

Pizza

Pizza is always a popular item with out kids. Though my kids love it topped with plain old cheese, we still get creative with it. Different sauces like pesto or alfredo make it so much yummier and we’ve found that Havarti cheese is amazing on pizza. My kids would be happy just eating the pizza, but they love to roll out the dough and put toppings on as well. Looking for a good pizza dough recipe? Try this one.

Kombucha

Kombucha is also quite popular in my house. Plain or flavored, it goes quickly. I think it’s the tea combination I use – 1/2 black tea, 1/2 triple berry. I also think they enjoy it so much because they get to have a hand in making it.

They find it especially fun when they get to choose what flavors we’re going to use in our secondary fermentation (after it ferments the first time, around 7-10 days, we pour it in quart-size jars, screw on lids and let it sit 2 more days so it gets fizzy). There are lots of flavor combinations you can try – just check the internet or your local natural food store for flavor ideas.

Here are the favorites in our house:

• Lavender (follow this recipe – it also explains how to make kombucha)
• Berry (any kind, about 1/2 cup per quart-size, smashed)
• Mango (1/2 cup, smashed)
• Apple Cinnamon (I use 1/4 apple juice and 1 cinnamon stick per quart-size jar)

Yogurt

Making yogurt also doubles as a science lesson in our house. I explain how the milk turns into yogurt and the benefits of fermented foods. While my kids enjoy the finished product, I think they’re favorite part about making it is using the thermometer (simple pleasures). Few ingredients and supplies are needed and it’s really easy to make. If you need a how-to, check out this post on making yogurt.

Muffins

I’ve been gluten-free for a few years, which is reflected in what little baking I do. In our house, muffin-making is a fun treat because of all the measuring, mixing and scooping involved. My kids love just about any type of muffin, but this is their favorite:

Gluten-Free Coconut Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 1 1/2 c Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour
• 1 c almond flour
• 2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 c finely shredded coconut  – I pulse this in the food processor a few times to make it a bit smaller
• 1/4 c coconut oil – melted
• 1/2 c pure maple syrup
• 1 c raw milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 c mini chocolate chips

Combine all dry ingredients and make a well in the center, then combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Put in muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees for 16-20 min, until they’re golden brown and cooked all the way through. Enjoy!

What foods do you like to make with kids?

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Editor’s Note: Today’s guest post is from Katie Mae Stanley. Katie is a dorm “mama” to 16 amazing girls ages 5 to 18 at a home and school for the Deaf in Baja California, Mexico. She is happiest in the kitchen creating nourishing meals and home remedies or outside with at least one of her girls at her side. She grew up using herbal supplements but didn’t discover the joy of making her own until 2008. Katie is passionate about real food, herbs and simple living. You can find her blogging about all these things and more on her blog, Nourishing Simplicity where she is living simply by God’s grace.

This month at MAK the focus has been on local food. When Jill asked me to guest post I couldn’t resit sharing my strawberry frozen yogurt, because everything that I use it make it is local and in season. The strawberries came from a friend, the milk to make the yogurt was from a cow that lives 3 miles from me, the raw honey came from a farm 5 miles down the road and the eggs came from my own chickens.

There are so many things I love about this frozen yogurt, it is full of vitamin C from the strawberries, good gut healing bacteria from the yogurt, and raw honey and a plethora of vitamins and minerals from the egg yolks. If you don’t have yogurt on hand, dairy or coconut milk kefir work just as well.

Frozen Strawberry Yogurt

3 cups yogurt, dairy kefir or coconut milk kefir
½ lb strawberries, stems removed
½-3/4 cup raw honey
2 egg yolks

1. Separate the yolks from the whites. Save the white for later to make meringues or egg white omelets!

2. Remove the stems from the strawberries.

3. Add all your ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth.

4. Pour into ice cream maker and churn per the maunfacturer’s instructions . (This normally takes about 25 minutes.)

5. Place in a glass freezer safe container and allow to ripen (harden) fort least 2-4 hours before serving.

What is your favorite way to eat strawberries?

**This post has been entered into Whole Foods Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Waste Not Want Not Wednesday.**

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Now that you’ve read this post on what a CSA is and why you should join one, I’m just going to offer you a quick visual of what a typical CSA share looks like.

The CSA that I’ve joined is a collaborative effort between dozens of farmers, so the variety of what I can order is pretty impressive.  Each week I get a large box full of 100% organic produce- whatever is in season and is fresh and delicious.  Not only that, but my CSA offers all kinds of add-ons.  I can order everything from grass-fed & finished beef to eggs, cheese to chicken, raw milk and butter to gluten-free oats, nuts, coffee and even honey!  And I’m signed up for home delivery, so I don’t even have to drive to the drop-off site to get it!  I can’t think of many things more exciting to a Real Foodie!  It’s like Christmas morning every Wednesday afternoon!

Take a few minutes to watch this video and see me opening last week’s delivery:

If you live in Southern California, and are interested in learning more about the CSA I use, click here.

If you live elsewhere, and you’d like to find a CSA near you, click here.

Do you participate in a CSA? If so, what is your favorite part?

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