By Jessica Peterman, Contributing Writer

Turn a day trip into a history lesson they won’t forget!

I was never much of a history student. The text books were dry; my teachers were dry. So as I teach this subject to my kids, I feel like I’m learning everything for the first time. And I’ll confess, sometimes it’s still a little dry. Or it feels like they’re not remembering much.

Until we go for a drive with their father. My husband is the history guru in the family. And not just national or global history. Somehow, no matter where we travel here in north central West Virginia, he knows something about the mill that used to be on that river bank, the coal camps in a now deserted little town or the story of how a bridge got its name. It’s become routine for us. We stop to read historic markers and tour just about every little museum we pass.

These are the history lessons my kids don’t even realize they’re learning. It’s hands on, living. They can see and smell and literally walk through the past and discover life in another time. Even I’m enjoying history now!

But what if you don’t know anything about your local history?

No worries. Whether you’ve just started to gain an interest in the subject, or you’re new to an area, it’s not hard to get your whole family started on this adventure.

Image by wikimedia

1. National and State Parks

Just about everyone is within a short drive to either a national or state park. And in many cases, you can find a ranger or park employee that can point you to historic sites within the park. Check out the brochures in the gift shops. (My daughter keeps a collection of these from every place we visit.) And keep your eyes peeled for those historic marker plaques.

Not sure where the parks are in your area? Here’s two good online resources to get you started:

• U.S. National Park Service
• State Parks

There are also National Historic Parks within the national park system. You can find a whole list here.

2. History in Your Hometown

You might not have to go as far as you think to find interesting history in your area. In my county, we have the birthplace of Stonewall Jackson, historic covered bridges, buildings and homes used in the underground railroad and prohibition, and an Indian cave. All these places are within 30 minutes of my house. And I bet your area is just as rich with history.

If you’re not sure what treasures are hiding in your town or county, contact city hall, your parks and recreation department, or the visitor’s bureau.

For more historic sites in your area, check out the National Register of Historic Places. Just type in the location you’re interested in and this handy site will give you a listing of all the places of interest in your neck of the woods. Or, use this resource to pre-plan a few stops while you’re en route to grandma’s, camping, or any other road trip on the agenda.

Image by The Valley Gazette

3. Festivals and Reenactments

Being that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War (and the birth of my state) there are bound to be Civil War reenactments and other related events all over the place. To see if there are any in your area, check out CivilWarTraveler.com.

And beyond the Civil War, most states host other historic festivals, like Pioneer Days, railroad festivals, and craft festivals with a look into long forgotten trades like blacksmithing. In most cases, these events have passionate guides, eager to give your family a glimpse of the past. Not a dry teacher among them.

There is great value in remembering the past.

Teach your children the older, simpler ways of life. Let them know about the hard work, dedication and sacrifice of those who came before them. Foster in them an appreciation of the freedoms and privileges that so many take for granted.

This is what the Lord says, “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” –Jeremiah 6:16

What historical treasures are hiding in your backyard? Any tips to make history come alive for your kids?

**This post has been entered into One Project at a Time, Tuesdays Treasures #135, Anti-Procrastination Tuesday, Titus 2sday, Teach Me Tuesday, Take-A-Look Tuesday.**

Image by sweetonveg

This month, we’re talking “local.”  One part of local is food!  And with food comes the big question…”what is an environmentally friendly diet?”

I get lots of readers who tell me that I ought to only be promoting the “right” diet.  Of course, what the “right” diet is varies depending on which reader is talking to me — it might be paleo, vegan, vegetarian, locavore, gluten-free, and on and on.

In general, we don’t promote one of these diets as being “the” right one.  People are simply too different and their needs are too different for us to tell you what you must eat.  We do promote only real food, though!  We understand and most of us follow the 80/20 rule ourselves, but you’ll never hear us say that factory-made products are healthy and should be used instead of unprocessed, whole foods.  It’s a balancing act and we all need a treat, but we understand that certain choices are just that — treats.

Anyway, since so many people claim that one diet or another is the “best” and one reason for that is that certain diets are “the most environmentally friendly,” I thought I’d look into that.  Is there one diet that’s actually ideal for the environment?

What Does “Environmentally Friendly” Mean?

First we have to know what we mean by “environmentally friendly.”  In this case, it means:

• Has neutral or beneficial effect on the environment during production
• Minimizes or eliminates production of methane or carbon dioxide
• Minimizes waste
• Minimizes use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides naturally

We can already see that organic agriculture is going to be better than conventional.  Let’s look further at what really makes up an environmentally friendly diet.

What Is an “Environmentally Friendly” Diet?

Most conventional farming relies heavily on “monocropping,” which is the practice of growing large fields of the same crop alone (usually corn and soy).  But “intercropping,” the practice of growing alternating rows of two different crops, can increase yields by 25% or more, and decrease the need for pesticide or herbicide use, as well as decreasing soil erosion.  It also happens to be better for the farmer, who, in a poor year, could lose one crop, but not all the crops.  Diversifying is beneficial all the way around.  (More on the benefits of polycropping.)

Monocropping has several other drawbacks, including requiring heavy use of pesticides and herbicides, polluting the water, creating famines, less biodiversity in the seeds/crops (including loss of heirloom varieties), destroying rain forests and other important parts of the environment and many more.  In no way does monocropping fit our definition of “environmentally friendly;” quite the opposite!

This study shows that polycropping led to increased yields and were more profitable for farmers.  Another study shows that despite spending $30 billion per year on insecticides, about 43% of the world’s top 8 crops are lost due to insects, disease, or weeds.  Yet another study shows that although 2.5 million pounds of pesticides are used annually, about 40% of total crop production is lost.  This study also shows that when insects become resistant to herbicides, GM crops require increased pesticide use with no greater yields.

We know from all this data that fruits and vegetables raised in a polycropping system are part of an environmentally friendly diet.

Local food is important, too.  When food is transported around the world, it increases the use of fossil fuels to ship it.  In general, local foods will have a smaller environmental impact, unless they were grown with the use of pesticides, in a monocropping style, or inside a greenhouse that required an electrical system (in which case, food that is less local may be a better option).

What About Animals?

Many object to the consumption of animals, stating that raising them is not environmentally friendly.  Others say it’s fine, if production is pastured and not CAFO-style (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation).  What is the truth?

Animals raised in CAFOs produce an estimated 860,000 pounds of manure per day.  This manure is considered toxic and can have significant negative effects on the water and soil in the area.  These animals also require large amounts of monocropped corn and soy for their feed, which is often grown far away and shipped in.  This report concludes that CAFOs are simply unsustainable, long-term.  CAFOs have led to the need for prophylactic antibiotic use (“preventative” in their feed), arsenic in feed, and other chemicals to control disease.  These chemicals, as well as any pesticides in their feed, may be present in the meat.  CAFOs are responsible for about 9% of the total CO2 emissions.

In contrast, animals raised on pasture are healthier.  Their manure is less likely to contain E. Coli or salmonella, and the manure can be used safely to fertilize fields.  In practice, looking at Joel Salatin’s system, raising animals and a variety of crops together creates a so-called “closed system,” where animals eat food scraps and their manure is used to fertilize the fields effectively, which has allowed a large amount of food production on a smaller area of land, along with negating the use of commercial fertilizers.

What we can learn is that we don’t have to give up on animal foods; we simply need to source them from local, pastured-based farms.

Image by summertomato

What If There are No Local Sources?

This gets complicated and everyone will have a different answer.  Some say that ideally, you only eat what is local to you, 90 – 100% of the time.  Others say there are so many great health benefits to foods like seafood, coconut oil, etc. that are simply not local to most people and you should order these.

While ordering foods does increase the carbon footprint, I think it’s okay to order a percentage of your food for the health benefits.  We personally do buy fish about once a week, coconut oil, almond flour, and some other things that are not local to us.  The bulk of what we eat, we try to buy locally (meat, eggs, milk, some produce especially in season, and produce for preserving).  Everyone is going to have a different comfort level about eating locally and seasonally.

The Bottom Line

Our “ideal” environmentally-friendly diet is going to depend on what our needs are, and what is available in our area.  Those living in coastal regions may rely more heavily on fish, while those inland may not have much access.  Sourcing food from local producers that don’t spray, but instead use an integrated farming system and sell locally and freshly-picked is going to be ideal.  The long-range implications of the entire large-scale food industry are astronomical and very poor in nature.

Even better is to raise your own.  Having a backyard flock of chickens and a pig or two, plus a large and diverse garden, is going to be the most environmentally-friendly.

It’s also important, in the kitchen, to use up everything.  Animal bones can be used to make stock.  Veggie scraps can be composted or fed to chickens or pigs.  There is a way to use everything!  I hope to discover this first-hand when we move to a farm in a few months (I hope, I hope).

And you know what?  We don’t need to fight over the “perfect” diet.  There is no perfect diet.  What works for you may not work for another.  Don’t preach that everyone should avoid wheat, or gluten, or meat, or dairy, or anything else.  If that works for you, that’s great.  But don’t mistake it for “the” answer.  Everyone’s needs are different and there are many factors that go into it.  Remember that when you are eager to share what has helped you!

What do you consider an “environmentally friendly” diet?

image by Amy Loves Yah

By Joanna Rodriguez, Contributing Writer 

We’re talking “local” at MAM this month: local farms, local learning opportunities, local businesses, local food. Perhaps you already value the geographical place God has put you in for this season of your life. Perhaps you have fond memories of the community you grew up in. Perhaps you enjoy developing relationships with farmers and knowing where your food comes from.

Wherever you are at with the idea of local, today I want to explore the “why” of local agriculture from a Christian perspective. As believers in the God of the Israelites and the risen Christ, why should we care about our local agriculture and economy? There is so much that has been and could be said about this. This is just a taste.

Let Us Make Humankind In Our Image

We will start at the beginning. God is creating the heavens and the earth and calling it all very good. And he creates humans:

Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’” (Genesis 1:26, NRSV)

We tend to read this passage and focus on the “dominion” part. That means we can use the earth to serve our purposes, right? To abuse it in the name of “production” by dumping pesticides and fertilizer into the water, by depleting topsoil, by destroying forests?

Ah, but there’s that bit at the beginning: ”…in our image.” In the image of God. Perhaps my thinking is a bit simplistic here, but if we are made in the image of God, should we not care about the earth as he does? The earth is his masterpiece, and he has filled it with plants and animals and bacteria (and much more!) that are intricately connected in ways we will never completely grasp. We can and should live with awe and wonder and respect for God’s creation.

Part of valuing God’s creation is realizing that what we do to it changes it. Ellen Davis, in her book Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture says that one of the faults of our culture’s dominant model of agriculture is the assumption that “science and technology are both limitlessly powerful and benign…” which, really, doesn’t make any sense.

In fact, a great part of the contributions that science has made to agricultural practices in the last hundred years or so has been anything but benign. The state of our earth and our health are proof of that. Science that abuses power by exploiting and depleting, however, is not the only way to use science. I think of Joel Salatin, who combines the best of technology with the best of tradition to farm in a way that is both intelligent and respectful.

From The Dust Of The Ground

Created in God’s image to have dominion. But created from what?

…then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

When we abuse the soil, we are harming the very stuff that God used, in some mysterious way, to form and fashion us. We are not just standing on holy ground; we were made out of this holy ground. This thought fills me with awe and humility.

The Psalmist aptly reminds us, “But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight in abundant prosperity” (Psalm 37:11). If our scientists and farmers and businessmen and politicians remembered that, would it change the way they use and misuse the earth? Can it change the way you and I use and misuse the earth? Let us allow our dominion over the earth to be balanced by humility and meekness.

image by Zdenko Zivkovic 

We Are Given A Place

So God makes a human. And then…

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. (Genesis 2:8)

He places the human in the Garden of Eden. Our very first locality. And what are we to do there? “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it” (vs. 15). In fact we read a bit earlier that nothing was growing on the earth because “the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground” (vs. 5).

God created the earth with a particular role for humankind: to till and keep the earth. God is all powerful so I’m not about to say that he couldn’t have done it without us, but he chose to create the world in such a way that it benefits from our presence. We are not told to just keep our paws off and leave it alone.

Although, there is one thing we are to leave alone: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Perhaps God set this limit so that we would remember our limits. It’s a visible reminder that while we are made in God’s image to exercise dominion, we are not God. We do not know all that God knows. We can till the ground and plant the seed, but we do not make it grow. We are utterly dependant on God.

Our work and patience and faith pay off, and not just in the immense satisfaction of seeing things spring up and bloom and produce fruit. We get to enjoy the fruit of the land! Fruit and nuts and vegetables and herbs and grains and, dare I say, eggs and meat and milk and honey!

We Are All Eaters

Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden. We, too, are placed in a particular place for particular seasons.

But we live in a culture of impermanence. Jobs send families across the country or across the ocean. We leave home to go to college and often settle far away from where we once had roots. However, we can still honor our God-given purpose by paying attention to the place God has put us in right now. Whether we are here for seven months or seventy years, we can live into our role as earth-keepers.

We don’t have to be farmers or gardeners to do this. We are all eaters, and if we are not growing our own food, we are supporting someone who is. Are we supporting agribusiness, whose chief aim is a quick profit? Or are we supporting local farms tending small plots of land, whose chief aim is the “long-term health of the ‘land community’”? (Davis, 34)

So visit a farmer’s market. Join a CSA. Find local milk. Plant a garden, or even just a pot full of herbs.

When we intentionally invest in the soil of our particular place on this earth, and live into our identity as both God’s image and fashioned from dust, we can exercise our dominion for the good of the land and the humans and animals that inhabit it. Thanks be to God!

How does your faith influence the way you grow and buy and eat food?

My daughter turned 5 in January.  My oldest son turns 4 in July.  This year, they’re kindergarten and pre-K, respectively.  Even my almost 2-year-old might get in on the act this fall, or certainly later in the year, learning his colors, shapes, and basic numbers.  I’ve used a bunch of different random materials over the last few years with the older two.  Inevitably, a few things happen:

• We lose them
• We break them
• There are papers everywhere

I am a frugal person by nature, and a very big DIYer.  I’d rather “create my own” than use something less-than-ideal just because the work was already done for me.  (I had a teacher who used to say “Use what’s out there.  Why reinvent the wheel?” and I was thinking “But what if they didn’t do it right and I could do it better?” ha)

When I’ve been going through the kindergarten curriculum I got recently in the Ultimate Homemaking bundle (you can still buy the curriculum individually), what I see is — a lot of paper, and a lot of repetition.  Kindergarteners arguably need a lot of repetition, true.  And they need fun ways to do it (there are lots of colorful, cute little games in this curriculum).  I will be using some of it.

But, it’s just too much paper!  I don’t want that much paper in my home.  I don’t want to waste it.  I don’t want supposedly reusable paper items that my kids will destroy.  I have four of them, so far, including young ones who do or will grab and rip or chew on school items while I’m working with older kids.  Nathan will be 6 months by fall and I’m sure he’ll be in the middle of it!

What I need is a simple, frugal, long-lasting and versatile set of items to complete our curriculum.

Kindergarten Skills

I have several skills I am teaching the kids right now — or allowing them to “discover,” in some cases.  We follow a loose unschooling philosophy, so we follow their needs and interests, but I do have skills I choose to expose them to.  I notice if they have mastered something as we are playing together and I write down — there are no tests.

You can download my full checklist of skills: Homeschool Checklist Upload.

As a brief summary, we are learning:

• Counting to 100
• Basic addition/subtraction
• Telling time
• Recognizing money
• Recognizing letters
• Letter sounds
• Basic reading skills
• Art skills (cutting, drawing, creativity)
• Music skills (I am a former music teacher and have designed an extensive curriculum)
• Recognizing plants, planets, body parts (science)
• Bible reading

The way we approach it depends on the child and the situation.  We are learning all the time!  We might practice rhyming words as we drive, or point out different animals, plants, or even machines we see and learn what they are and what they do.  Whatever questions they have, we try to answer.  They have quite a lot of “random” knowledge gained this way!  If you don’t know the answer to everything (and who does?) look it up on the computer with them when you can — we do!

Kids playing with their beans

The “Stuff” of Education

We also have a lot of “stuff” that we use.  It isn’t all physical.  And it’s pretty frugal and there’s not a lot of paper or disposable stuff involved.  Curious?

“How It’s Made” Videos

We have all of the seasons of How It’s Made.  It is a Canadian show that goes into factories and describes the process used to make various items.  They have ones on pianos, violins, cheesecake, balloons, tires, light bulbs, and hundreds more.  (There are 3 – 4 per episode and 14 seasons of 20-some episodes each!)  Our kids have their favorite episodes, but we mix it up, too.  Lately our 5-year-old has been using this information to infer how other objects she runs across are made.

Dry Beans

I have an assortment of dry beans.  Buy the cheapest ones possible, they aren’t for eating.  The beans can be counted, sorted, measured, dumped from cup to cup, used as “pretend” food, a sensory item, etc.  We keep a couple of jars around and encourage them to get out spoons, pots, measuring cups, etc. to play with these.  It is good fine motor practice even for the toddler, while the 5-year-old counts and measures and creates “make believe” cooking games.  They’ll last a long time, as long as they aren’t dropped all over the floor!

Large Beads

We keep a set of large beads around.  These are used as counting manipulatives.  They can be sorted by shape or color and laid out to represent addition or subtraction problems, and the kids can move them around as needed to figure out the answer.  They’re also a lot sturdier than anything made of paper, yet cheaper than designated “math” materials from school stores.  These can also be used for learning shapes and colors, as well as fine motor coordination in the younger ones.

Popsicle Sticks

We actually use these for music lessons.  They are going to start stringed instruments (violin/viola) in the next few months.  The stick will represent the bow.  They can practice their bow hold, plus do various early bowing exercises without fear of harm.  If they do drop/break/lose it — it doesn’t matter!  These also can be used for digging in the garden, labeling things (in the garden or otherwise), creating “chore sticks” (write a chore on each and keep them in a cup, kids can draw them), or general art projects.

Rhythm Sticks

These are also for music lessons.  We simply purchased 1/2″ dowel rods and cut them into 12″ lengths, then painted and stained them (but you can skip that part — you can even use wooden spoons instead).  Each child gets a set and we tap and repeat different rhythm patterns, and we’ll use them to do more of this once they begin to read music.  I am a music teacher and have used these right up through adults.  We do keep them put away when we’re not using them for lessons, or they can become objects with which to hit others!

Youtube Videos

We keep several Youtube videos saved as “favorites” and can access them from our TV system.  This includes a number of music videos in a variety of styles, as well as short films on whatever they’re currently interested in.  A year or so ago, volcanoes were a favorite, so we had videos on that.  Right now, “Bob the Builder,” “Blue’s Clues” and others are favorites.

Kids at The Works, Jan. ’12

Museum Memberships

We bought a membership to a local children’s museum called The Works, where kids can visit and get hands-on with blocks, K’Nex, glass blowing, electronics, and a number of other objects.  They have projects appropriate for toddlers through adults.  This membership has a “reciprocal” membership to 90 other museums nationwide.  We take advantage of this to visit COSI, The Natural History Museum in Cleveland, and have considered visiting others as well.  For $60/year we can take them to these museums several times, and explore something new and hands-on each time.  We also have a local zoo membership, and we like to visit it to learn more about all the animals.  Sometimes we take pictures or do a scavenger hunt to find certain animals, what they eat, where they come from, etc.

Index Cards

These are technically disposable but we try to keep them.  We write letters on them (and use them for letter recognition with the 2 – 4 year olds), we paste pictures of food items and $$ amounts on them and teach about grocery shopping and budgeting, and we use them for various other games.  We do tend to lose these — good thing they are only $0.50 a pack!

Children’s Bible

Each of our kids (except Nathan, so far!) has their own  children’s Bible.  We pull these out and have story times on request.  It varies from several times a day to not at all for weeks.  They also have the old “Superbook” movies that depict Bible stories and they watch these too.  They attend AWANA during the school year where they memorize verses.

Early Reader Books

We go to Good Will or other thrift stores and pick up a selection of “early reader” books every few months, so we always have new reading material. The books are usually $1 or less at these places.  Sometimes we also find craft books and other fun items.

Wall Clock

We have wall clocks throughout our home.  We simply use the real ones to teach them to tell time.  We have more wall clocks than digital ones, so they are slowly picking up on it and often notice the hands and try to puzzle it out.

Art Supplies

These are disposable — there’s no way around that.  We save empty egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, and we buy construction paper, pipe cleaners, stickers, yarn, etc.  We have glue, scissors, crayons, pencils, and more.  They can sit down and use these things to create whatever they want, and they can dig into old newspapers or magazines too.  We also have paints but those don’t come out too often.

The Computer

Our kids don’t use the computer very often or independently, but they like to sit with us and “do letters” (type each as they tell us what it is).  We also sit and watch videos with them if they happen to ask a question while we are near it.  As they get older and learn to read they’ll learn more computer skills.  At this time, they prefer to be hands-on in the environment and aren’t too interested in computers.

Various Toys

They also have a toy kitchen with toy food and dishes, some gardening tools, a nice little table with wooden chairs, a plastic playground (indoors), a bunch of blankets and pillows, random balls, bikes, and lots more.  They use these to create various games.  Pretend play is so important at young ages because it is how they understand the world.  They “rehearse” what they have encountered in order to make sense of it.  Having the tools to do so is important, and a key aspect of the Montessori approach, which we don’t specifically follow, but it’s still important to know.

Organizing It All

I keep the smaller objects, along with any papers I do print in a nice pocket folder.  I keep it organized and then when I sit down to play/work with them (they don’t see a difference!  They enjoy this) everything is in one place.

We have a drawer for all their art supplies and most bigger “school items.”  We call it the ‘school drawer.’  (Imagine that!)

Other toys and items are located in the most logical locations — bikes and gardening things are outside, kitchen toys and their table are in their playroom, and so on.

It’s not a perfect system but it works for now.  I can’t wait until we move to a new house and more room for school stuff and I can have an even better system!  :)

What are your favorite “school” items?

This is a recipe that I posted quite awhile back, in the middle of another post.  It’s hard for people to find, yet so commonly requested!  I decided it needs its own post.

Gatorade and other “sports drinks” are not so healthy at all.  They contain artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and other junk.  But, the premise behind them is good — sometimes we need electrolytes, in the form of salts, to rehydrate.  This is great during sporting events (if you’re participating!), or during illnesses.  Many people have said that this really helps them to turn the corner and recover from stomach viruses.  The ginger it contains is anti-inflammatory and anti-nausea, which, with the sea salt, is a powerful combination to help you feel better.

I keep the ingredients for this on hand basically all the time, and I mix up a batch if I’m ever feeling thirsty and water isn’t cutting it, or if anyone is sick, or for lots of reasons!  Fresh ginger will keep 2 – 3 weeks on the counter and a piece of it (even organic) costs around $1, so this isn’t hard to have around.  The kids consider this “lemonade” so sometimes I just make it for a treat.

Ingredients:

• 3 – 4 slices fresh ginger (needs to be fresh; dried does not have the same potency)
• 1 c. water + extra
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1 – 2 tbsp. raw honey

Directions:

Slice the ginger and put it in a small saucepan with water.  Since my slices were really big, I used 2.  It’s about the equivalent of 4 smaller slices.

Put it on the stove and boil for about 5 minutes, then let it sit and steep for an additional 5.

Meanwhile, juice your 1/2 lemon.  Use fresh juice if at all possible and don’t use bottled juice that contains preservatives.

Pour the hot ginger tea into a glass jar.  In this case, I’m using a quart mason jar, but I usually use a 3-c. glass tomato jar I saved.  Then, add your honey.

Add the lemon juice.

Add the sea salt.

Put a lid on it and shake it up to dissolve the honey and sea salt.

Then, add enough water or ice (or both) to make about 3 cups.  I like to add ice because I prefer mine cold.  They say that cold drinks are harder on an upset stomach, so you may want to add water and keep it warm, or at least room temperature, if you are sick.  I personally prefer mine ice cold especially if I am sick.  So go with what you prefer.

That’s it!  Drink as needed.

What’s your favorite use for homemade electrolyte drinks?

**This post has been entered into TOO Cute Tuesday.**

Image by ilovebutter

By Nina, Contributing Writer

When I first learned about real food, I was already feeding my family on a very small budget. I allotted $180/month for groceries and we had 3 little ones at the time. So as I started reading food blogs and learning about nourishing my family, one concern kept coming up: how am I going to do this and keep our budget under control?

Thankfully, I had some great resources and also developed a plan. Today, my budget is higher, but it’s not outrageous. I can feed our family of six for an average of $525/month. Sometimes, it’s more, if we’re out of a lot of stuff, or I get lazy and buy stuff I could make myself, and sometimes it’s less. (I like those months. )

One key to keeping our food budget under control was to find local food … online.

Reach Out to Your Network

I’ve gotten some great tips about inexpensive local food sources by asking my network of friends if they knew where I could find it or if they had friends who might. The fastest way was to post a status update on Facebook, or send messages to friends who I thought might know.

Through friends on Facebook, I found a local food co-op that helped me save a lot of money on coconut oil, I was offered the opportunity to get a free CSA share by delivering from a close town to my own town and found some sources I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. Putting the word out also let my friends know that I’m a “frugal foodie” and has rewarded me with gifts from their gardens or orchards when they have excess.

This doesn’t have to be limited to Facebook. If you’re part of a local group that has an online forum, join (if you haven’t already) and ask if anyone can share some tips with you. Chances are, you’ll quickly find some great food sources.

Google is Your Friend

I love to research, so one of the first things I did when I was on the hunt for local food sources was to Google it. Using your town name and local food/farms/CSAs, should point you in the right direction. You may find individual farms, or, in my case, websites that list the local food sources in your area.

Real Milk

Real Milk is a project of the Weston A. Price foundation that helps people find local sources of raw milk. I used it to find sources of raw milk in my area and found a great dairy that I purchased a herd-share through. I also found another farm that’s an Azure Standard drop point (which is actually pretty local for us), as well as another farm that provides butter, cream, yogurt, eggs, olive oil and cheese, in addition to raw milk. If I was unable to find results using Google, I would have emailed the owners of these farms to see if they could point me in the direction of some good local food sources.

Local Harvest

When I was researching CSAs, one of the first websites I found was Local Harvest. This website is designed to connect people to “the best organic food that’s grown closest to you.” I was skeptical when I first found it because I live in a small town in pretty rural area, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Since it’s been a while since I searched Local Harvest, I did one as I was writing this. Our local options have grown! One quick search pointed me to 36 farms, butchers, farmer’s markets and CSAs. Did I mention it’s a free resource?

Craigslist

If you’re looking for something in particular, you can either search Craigslist (I start in the farm & garden section) or post an ad letting people know what you’re looking for. Be prepared if you post an ad, because you might just get a flood of responses (real ones!) to your query. For instance, I put up a little blurb looking for sources of grass-fed beef one year and had 5 farmers email me within a couple of hours. This helped me find some good sources of beef and even pointed me to some new restaurants as they let me know which ones used their beef.

The internet is a great tool for saving money on real food resources, even when it comes to finding local food itself!

Have you used the internet to find local food sources?

By Sara Shay, Contributing Writer

Sure, ideally we’d all love to buy organic locally grown fruits and veggies.  Or better yet, have a nice big beautiful garden of our own.  But some of us don’t have the budget, space or access to this.  So how do you navigate all the “labels” out there???

Dirty Dozen / Clean 15

I try to stick to the Dirty Dozen/Clean 15 list while at the store and always stock up when organic is on sale.  But that isn’t always economical. Unfortunately, many on this list are ones bought most often.  Which makes sense – these are the ones big farms are trying to churn out the most.

The list changes each year as they test and crops increase and decrease in popularity. The Dirty Dozen is the top 12 most sprayed foods, therefore you should try to buy organic (or locally grown in the case of knowing your farmer doesn’t spray) or better yet grow them yourself!   The Clean 15 are foods with a low rate of pesticide usage or things like bananas and avocados, where the outer layer is not eaten.

Organic/Local/Conventional

If I can’t get organic at a good price, I feel better about buying non-organic certified from the farmer’s market, where I can talk to those who grew it.  Buying local also means less gas being used to transport it.

Farmer’s markets are a great way to find good quality produce – and you can usually get samples before you buy!  Many farms who have CSA programs also sell at these, so you can get a feel for those running it before you buy in.  Keep track of prices and compare.  I usually go to certain places to buy.

What do those codes mean??? A four digit code starting with a 3 or 4 means it was conventionally grown.  The five digit code starting with a 9 means is is organic and one with an 8 means it is a GMO.  Eight is NOT GREAT, but nine is SUBLIME!

The top offenders of GMOs are soybeans, corn, papaya and zucchini.  Also cottonseed oil (margarine and vegetable oil – please don’t consume these anyway), sugar and animal products.

Grow It!

There are also a lot of veggies that can be grown in containers with very little effort. I’ve had great success with tomatoes (and even quite a few years with volunteer plants).  An easy way to grow your own from seed without spending a fortune on organic seed is to harvest from the foods you buy.  Just clean the seeds, dry them and store until ready to use.

Also, focus on growing foods that are expensive to buy – I wouldn’t waste my time and water budget on growing carrots, when organic are not much more than conventionally grown and zucchini is much more expensive.

Eat it!

Just be wise for what is the best you can do and find your balance. Most importantly eat often and eat a lot! Fruits and veggies are filling, low calorie, high fiber and in the long run are cheaper than meat and doctor visits.

How do you go about finding enough fruits and veggies to fill your family’s tummies???

This month we are talking all about local food.  But, whenever we talk local, I inevitably hear some version of this:

“You are lucky.  There are really no local sources near me that have quality food.  How am I supposed to eat well when there are no good options?”

I understand the frustration.  A few years ago, I didn’t know there were local sources around me, and I felt very frustrated!  I am lucky that there are local sources and I now know about them.  But it’s not easy to feel like you have no good choices when you really want to feed your family well.

If local’s not an option for you — either at all, or just for certain items — then you can (thankfully!) turn to the internet for help.  There are a lot of great options from online companies that can ship directly to you.  I want to tell you about one such company today: Wise Choice Market.

Wise Choice Market

I first heard about this company a year or so ago, when they only offered cultured/fermented foods.  But now they offer quite a lot more than that, and all their products are organic.  You’ll find:

• Sprouted breads and gluten-free breads
• Soaked cereals (some options come in an easy-to-go cup)
• Crispy nut butters
• Dairy-free coconut ice cream
• Real bone broth
• …and more!

They do not skimp on quality.  The bone broth is made exactly the way it would be in a home kitchen — a 24-hour slow simmer with plenty of bones from organic chickens, seasoned with real sea salt.  The “stock” that you buy in a carton from the store is not the same.

The soaked nut butters and cereals are so much more digestible.  I often make the cereals myself, and they are rather time consuming.  I do the nut butters, too, but they don’t always turn out so well.  I can’t seem to get the right consistency (I think a food processor is supposed to do a better job).

Soaked breads, I make all the time.  Sprouted bread?  I can’t get anything that isn’t crazy-dense and basically inedible!

These traditionally-made foods are time consuming, and easy to mess up in some cases if you’re not at least relatively knowledgeable in the kitchen.  You can learn, as I have over the last several years, but sometimes you just want to feed your family well now.  Wise Choice can help you do that, by providing you with top-quality foods.

Wise Choice was nice enough to send me a package of products to sample.  Included was: an assortment of Manna sprouted bread (various flavors), 4-pack Coconut ice cream Sampler Pack (vanilla, chocolate, berry and pina colada), soaked mixed nut butter, and Honest Potato Chips.

Their shipping was fast — I got a notice on Monday that the package had shipped, and it arrived just two days later.  Since I had gotten the frozen coconut dessert, it arrived in a thick white foam cooler with dry ice packed in.  Everything was completely frozen when I got it.  I unpacked it, putting the breads and coconut dessert in the freezer, and leaving the chips and nut butter on the counter.

First, we tried the chips.  Ben got to them first.  They’re cooked kettle-style, which I like best.  You can’t taste the coconut oil that is used to make them — they just taste like “normal” potato chips, except a lot better.  Basically like any really good kettle cooked chips, but they are healthier because they use coconut oil.  They’re a great option for someone looking for healthier snack food but who may not prefer the taste of coconut.  These were gone almost immediately!

Next, the coconut ice cream dessert!  I went for vanilla first.  Oh…so delicious.  The coconut flavor is an undertone, and the vanilla bean flavor is really rich.  I thought I might love it best.  Then Ben got out the chocolate and I had to sample that one too.  I ended up trading him half the vanilla for half the chocolate, because the chocolate was rich and delicious too!  We ate…way too much.  Well, all of those two flavors in two days.  I’m already scheming to buy more of it, because it is that good.  I’m planning to use the fruit-flavored ones as a smoothie base this week for breakfast.  I’m sure the kids will love that.  And I will love that it’s a pretty frugal use of it, and that it contains so many beneficial medium-chain fatty acids!

Millet-Rice Manna Bread with Mixed Nut Butter!

Then, the bread.  We pulled out Multi-grain and Banana-Walnut for breakfast on Saturday.  It was very dense, cake-like (which they say on the website) and it kind of falls apart when you slice it.  It really isn’t a bread-like texture at all.  Ben and the kids didn’t really like it, although they ate it.  I honestly didn’t think I’d like it, when I first sliced it — it seemed too dense and gluey-looking.  But, I like the multi-grain one with Kerrygold butter on it, and had a slice with my salad for lunch, too.  It grows on me, the more I eat it.

Finally, the nut butter.  I got another couple slices of the multi-grain Manna bread and put the mixed nut butter on it.  The mixed nut butter is fairly thin — they add coconut oil to make it this way.  It spreads easily on the bread.  It’s lightly sweet (they add local raw honey) and yummy as a snack.  Not to mention rich with nutrients!  It doesn’t take much, so I think this jar will last quite awhile.  It’s very nourishing and yummy too!

Can I Afford This?

The big question: Can I Afford This?

Yes, it’s expensive.  As with many things, you get what you pay for.  And yes, it’s going to be cheaper to make these foods yourself, in most cases.  But…you may not always have the time or skills to do it yourself.  In that case, buying the highest quality you can is actually going to be better in the long run than buying cheaper but lower-quality options.  There are simply certain “staples” in the diet that really need to be present and really need to be high quality.

The best idea is to pair some of these high-quality options with low-cost healthy options to create affordable yet nourishing meals.  In fact, doing this exact thing is how I’m lowering my grocery budget in time!  I’m paying over twice as much for butter as I used to, and I’m buying more eggs than I had been, and I’m planning to buy high-quality olive oil soon, but I’m pairing this with seasonally-cheap greens, potatoes, rice, and other lower-cost items.  It increases the nutrient-density of the food (and the taste!) while decreasing costs.

Let’s look at a three-day meal plan that includes these foods and which is still fairly frugal.

Day 1

• Breakfast: Two slices Manna bread with 2 tbsp. soaked mixed nut butter ($1 for bread, $1.35 for nut butter, total: $2.35)
• Lunch: Salad with homemade dressing and grilled chicken ($2 for salad veggies, $0.50 for homemade dressing, $1 for chicken, total: $3.50)
• Dinner: Bowl of vegetable soup with bone broth ($2 for vegetables, $2.25 for bone broth, total: $4.25)

Day 2

• Breakfast: Two slices Manna Bread with 2 tbsp. soaked mixed nut butter ($2.35)
• Lunch: Bowl of vegetable soup with bone broth, salad ($4.25 for soup, $2.50 for salad, total: $6.75)
• Dinner: 8 oz. salmon, brown rice, steamed broccoli ($2 for salmon, $0.50 for rice, $1 for broccoli, total: $3.50)

Day 3

• Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with veggies ($1 for eggs, $0.50 for veggies, total: $1.50)
• Lunch: Bowl of vegetable soup, 1 serving coconut dessert ($4.25 for soup, $2 for coconut, total: $6.25)
• Dinner: Grilled cheese sandwich, salad ($1 for bread, $0.25 for butter, $1 for cheese; $2.50 for salad, total: $4.75)

Daily Total: $12.60

If we continue like that, then it would only be $82/week or $325 per month for one person to eat.  For more people, bulk buying can help lower prices, bone broth could be diluted some to stretch it, etc.  The bone broth is among the most expensive items here.  If, instead, you chose the bread, nut butter, and fermented condiments, the totals would be a lot lower.  The stock could be an occasional purchase when you really need it but just don’t have time to make it.

Focus on onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, chicken, beans, ground beef, and whatever vegetables are in season along with these more expensive items, and the overall prices still stay down.  That has been my new theory lately — I buy pastured eggs, grass-fed butter, raw milk, and a few more expensive ingredients, but I use those very cheap ingredients to go with it.  That’s a big way that I’m increasing our nutrition and keeping prices lower!

Affording groceries isn’t about just buying the cheapest that you can find.  It’s about choosing what can and should be cheaper, and what needs to be more expensive.  You don’t need as much of the expensive items, anyway, because they’re so nutrient-dense and rich!

A container of the coconut ice cream dessert is $8, and that’s about 4 servings.  If I wanted to buy local, high-quality ice cream, I’d pay $10 per pint, which is pretty similar in price.  But it doesn’t have as many health benefits as the coconut dessert, which is rich in medium-chain fatty acids (which can boost immunity).  If you’re going to have a treat, a healthy treat is even better!  $2 per serving for an occasional treat is not bad at all.  Plus, I’m using this as a base for smoothies.  That means that perhaps 1/2 a container ($4) is going to be part of rich smoothies to feed four people.  That’s part of a frugal breakfast, indeed.

A $5 package of the Honest Potato Chips will net 3 – 5 servings.  They’re made with coconut oil, so they’re nourishing and you don’t need as much.  Pair it with a sandwich and some cheap chopped veggies (we like carrots, celery and cucumbers) and you’ve got a great and not too expensive meal.

The Manna bread and nut butters are rich in nutrients, too, so a slice or two with a tablespoon or two of nut butter is all you really need — and that’s pretty inexpensive, as you see above.  ”Good” bread anywhere is going to cost $4 – $5 a loaf; this is only slightly more but it has no compromise ingredients.  And if you don’t have good breads locally, you might only have the option of a $3 “not so great” loaf…or this excellent loaf.

Wise Choice Market offers free shipping on orders over $99 (to continental USA), and there are also bulk discounts on many of the items in their store. The bread, broth and coconut ice creams are shipped to you frozen, so you can keep them in your freezer till you need them, and store the chips, cereals and nut butters in your kitchen, so it’s worth ordering in bulk.

The bottom line?  Yes, it’s affordable.  It might not be if you wanted to buy all your groceries from them, but choosing a few high-quality ingredients to use with other, frugal ingredients can really increase your nutrition without increasing your grocery budget.

And, it even decreases the desire to go out to eat on busy nights!  With some easy ingredients, soup and a sandwich could come together in 20 minutes.  If you think about it this way, that having prepared, healthy ingredients is cutting down on your eating-out budget, then you may even save money buying this!  Not to mention how much healthier it is!

Want to Win?

One lucky winner is going to get a chance to WIN all of these food items from Wise Choice Market to try for themselves!  This is a giveaway of $100 in delicious, healthy food items!

Winners must be 18 or older and in the Continental U.S.  Giveaway closes on Saturday, May 18th at midnight.  First entry is required; all others optional.  Entries are by Rafflecopter and must be entered on the form below to count.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What product are you most eager to try?

Today is the very last day to get the Natural Fertility Bundle.  At midnight tonight, sales will be automatically stopped.  If you could benefit from this or if you’ve been meaning to buy it, don’t wait!

There are so many excellent books in here and I want to highlight a few today.

Celebrating Pregnancy Again, by Franchesca Cox

I’ve chosen this book because I unfortunately have a friend in real life who lost her baby last week — at 35 weeks along.  I still don’t know what happened, but they welcomed a still-born little angel last weekend.  I’m praying for their family as they walk through this hard time.

This book is to help those who have had a loss to find joy in future pregnancies.  A lot of women who struggle with infertility are able to get pregnant, but have had losses that make pregnancy a joyless time, fraught with worries about “what if I lose this baby, too?”  These mamas could benefit from this book.

Divine Dinners, by Lydia Joy Shatney

If you need some delicious, gluten-free inspiration, you’ll find it here.  Lydia has over 30 meals that are healthy and easy, yet often gourmet.  This book can benefit those who need a specific diet to increase their fertility, as well as those who simply feel the need to improve their health or get more creative in the kitchen.

Making Super Sperm, by Bridgit Danner, Lac

This bundle isn’t just for women.  Roughly half of all fertility issues are male!  This book specifically addresses a man’s needs to help create healthier sperm and increase the chances of conception.

Maiden to Mother, by Stephanie Cornais

This is a practical guide to conception, pregnancy and the early postpartum period, from Stephanie and a group of other experienced mamas.  They answer your questions about what it’s really like to go through this amazing journey.

Breast to Bib, by Kate Tietje

That’s me!  Two of my books are included in this bundle.  This one is for postpartum: how to feed your baby.  The book addresses breastfeeding, what to do if you can’t breastfeed (and no judgment there), how to start baby on solids, dealing with food allergies, picky toddlers, and more.  You’ll also find 30 delicious recipes, like healthy chicken nuggets, honey-mustard sauce, soaked pigs-in-blankets (we use this one all the time) and lots more.

There are several other recipe books in this bundle, so even if fertility isn’t your focus, you’ll find quite a lot of information on improving your diet and overall health, and plenty of recipes to add to your healthy arsenal.  In fact, over half of these books are food or recipe focused!  Additionally, you’ll find several meal plan examples with delicious recipes to get you started on how to eat better.  This bundle could easily be a way to jumpstart your healthier life, regardless of your fertility goals!

Read the details on all the recipe books here.  If you have been hoping for a more recipe-specific bundle instead of something as overwhelming as the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle a couple weeks ago, this is a good option for you.  There are fewer books and most of them deal with food or recipes.

Buy the bundle

The Bonuses

In addition to all these books, you will find these bonuses:

• Three month meal plan subscription from My Humble Kitchen ($24.99)
• Free Fertility Relaxation Program from Circle and Bloom
• One month premium membership at Fertility Flower ($5.00)
• one hour video seminar with Russell Davis of The Fertile Mind

There are also giveaways for additional items that are worth over $1100.  There is one set to be given individually (many winners, one item each) and one “grand prize” winner who will get all of the items!

Today is the very LAST day to buy this package.  The books are worth over $450, plus the bonuses, and it only costs $34.95.  That is a steal!

Do you need natural fertility help — or a new way of eating and cooking healthy foods?

By Beth Ricci, Contributing Writer

I love summer just because it’s summer. It doesn’t really have to do much to please me: lots of sunshine and BBQ in the backyard and I’m a happy camper (mmm, camping, yes please!).

Many people are busily planning their summer vacation away from home. That’s all well and good for those who can afford it and want to go somewhere special. However there are many of us who just can’t afford a fancy vacation to a far-off place, and are anticipating a summer of sprinklers and BBQ burgers and playing at the park.

Recently it’s come into fashion to skip the fancy vacation and just stay at home. It’s called a staycation. It was called broke when I was little, but let’s give it a fancy name – why not?

Some staycations involve doing lots of touristy things in your own city, maybe even staying at a hotel. But in my world – a staycation involves lots of free activities and simple, fun things that are also close to home.

Here are some of the things we are planning to do this summer (I included some indoor activities for when it’s too hot to be outside!)

1. If there’s any construction happening in your neighborhood, sit at a nearby safe distance and watch for a while. I have a nearly-5 boy and he would LOVE this.
2. Ride the escalators and elevators at the mall for a while. and use the high-powered blow dryers. We seriously went to West Edmonton Mall last year with our kids and didn’t spend anything b/c they were entertained completely by those things. No joke.
3. A scavenger hunt in your neighborhood.
4. Bake some cookies and take them to a fire station to meet the firefighters (Call ahead).
5. Tour the grocery store (Call ahead. In my small town last year the preschool got a guided tour of our little grocery store, and it was a huge hit!)
6. Have a picnic at the park. Make it extra fun by eating special foods, packing it in a special bag, etc.
7. Bookstores with play areas (My kids love playing with the train table and other toys at Chapters).
8. Visit Daddy at work, bring homemade cookies for his co-workers.
9. While you’re in the cookie business, deliver cookies to a neighbor or two.
10. Go for a ride on public transit (the GO train station is a 10 minute walk from us, and my 4-year-old is obsessed with trains, so we took him for a ride and he *loved* it).
11. Go for a family bike ride.
12. Head to your church and give the office staff a little mid-week visit. Again, cookies wouldn’t hurt! While you’re there, maybe the kids could run around the gym for a few minutes (with permission, of course).

 What’s your favorite staycation idea?

I love soft pretzels.  I don’t love how they are usually made with a whole bunch of white flour.

When we took a recent trip the zoo, I fried some homemade chicken nuggets, cut up carrot and celery sticks, sliced some cheese, and — made these pretzels.  It was a perfect and fairly simple lunch.  And, this recipe made a lot of pretzels, so I had some for another day, which I could (should) have frozen.

Best yet?  They’re soaked whole grain pretzels, meaning they’re pretty nourishing, too.  And easy.  Did I mention easy?

Ingredients:

• 4 c. whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 c. warm filtered water
• 1 tbsp. yeast
• 2 tsp. sea salt + coarse sea salt for the tops
• Baking soda and water

Directions:

Mix the whole wheat flour and water together.  Set it in a warm place overnight to soak.  It should be a soft dough.

In the morning, mix in the yeast and sea salt.

Knead the dough for 5 minutes or so, until smooth and elastic.  Set in a warm place to rise for 1 – 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450.  Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, then turn each piece into a rope, about 1″ thick.

Twist it to create a pretzel shape.

Continue with all the pretzels.  Set them on an ungreased baking sheet.

Mix some baking soda and water together.  Brush it on all the pretzels, then sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown.  You’ll see I only got 9…but they were huge.  I would do more, smaller pretzels next time.  I ended up splitting them between the kids, which occasionally led to “No!  I wanted a whole one!”  Smaller is better so everyone can get their own whole one….

Anyway, they’re done!  Easy!  They can be stored, once cool, in a bag on the counter for 2 – 3 days, or frozen for a longer period of time.  They could be sliced through the middle (lengthwise) and turned into sandwiches, or you could rip off bites and dip them in Kerrygold butter, like I did….

How do you like your soft pretzels?

By Megan Ciampa, Contributing Writer

We’ve all heard that buying local and supporting small businesses is one of the best things you can do for your local economy.  We might even grow our vegetables or gardens, which is probably the very best way to “go local” — right in your own backyard!  But for those of us on that gradual learning curve to buying local and supporting locally owned small businesses, what’s another way to go about it?

In the past few years I’ve gradually tried to purchase foods closer and closer to home.  Sometimes that is within a couple miles’ radius, sometimes it is foods grown within my state, which could span hundreds of miles.  Other times, I may buy from a small business located out of state. Either way, I’m supporting a family operation and feel good about purchasing foods in this manner.  (To be sure though, I also do purchase many foods at my local chain grocery stores.)

If you are trying to find local foods, whether it be produce, meat, or dairy and eggs, try these options to find what’s available in your area.

Online Resources to find Local Foods:

• EatWild.com – “Your source for safe, healthy, natural and nutritious grass-fed beef, lamb, goats, bison, poultry, pork, dairy and other wild edibles.”
• LocalHarvest.org – “Real food. Real Harvest. Real Community.”  The site lists farms, CSAs (community supported agriculture), farmer’s markets, wholesale, grocery/co-ops, meat processors, and even restaurants in your area.
• Find your local Weston A. Price Foundation chapter – http://www.westonaprice.org/local-chapters/find-local-chapter.  Even if you are not a member or familiar with WAPF principles, contacting the leader of your local group may inform you of nearby resources for meats, dairy, produce, or other various co-ops.
• PickYourOwn.org - Interested in local u-pick farms? This is a massive inventory spanning several countries and continents. It tells you when the seasons are to pick which fruit or vegetable and lists contact informations for the farms.
• Paleo by City – Bill & Hayley of Primal Palate have created a forum where you can look up  restaurants, shops, farmers markets and other resources that are available in your neck of the woods.  In some cases they may even list naturally-minded medical practitioners.
• FarmersMarket.com – As the name suggests, it aims to list all the local farmer’s markets by name, address or zip code.  
• The Resources page on your favorite blog … See Healthy Home Economist or Mommypotamus’ resources pages for additional examples!

If you feel all out of luck or live in an area where there is little grown locally, there are still several options where you can order food online and have it shipped to you. Amazon.com, USWellnessMeats.com, TropicalTraditions.com all carry gourmet foods, grocery items, or food items in bulk.  

Best of all: Word of Mouth

Perhaps the best way of all to find good local food?  The quintessential word of mouth.  Finding out from others is even easier now with social media as you can quickly list a question on your Facebook feed or on Twitter or Instagram and find out from others where they find the best resources for local food.

How do you find local food? What tips do you have to share?  What has helped you the most with becoming familiar with local farmers or farmer’s markets? Share below!

Image by Nature Hills Farm

By Jennifer Hunt, Contributing Writer

Have you ever wondered why a farmer’s market is important? The produce is delicious, but is there any real value other than the novelty of enjoying a Saturday morning at a vegetable stand? Heather Carter, farmer extraordinaire, answers a few questions about the value of a farmer’s market, one way to support your local farmer’s market, and what to expect if you’ve never been to one.

Meet The Farmer

Images by Nature Hills Farm

Heather Carter owns Nature Hills Farm. She participates weekly at the year-round farmer’s market in Cedar City, UT where she sells raw milk, cheese from the raw milk, pork, chicken and duck eggs, grass-fed beef, jams, jellies, artisan breads, vanilla extract, fruit, and vegetables. Her children also make and sell lotion and soap.

In addition to the farmer’s market, Heather also runs a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) where she sells a weekly vegetable basket and holds community cheese-making classes.

Heather has a master’s degree in Education, but switched to full-time farming 5 years ago and loves the career change as well as the extra time with her four children.

Farmer’s Market FAQ

What is the purpose of a farmer’s market?

Heather: The purpose of a farmer’s market is for farmers to have a place to get together and to sell their products, whether it is a produce—something they’ve grown on the farm—or whether it is fruit they’ve grown in their orchards, or a value-added product they have made from the products on their farm.

It’s a way for the farmers to have an outlet to sell these products directly to the consumer versus going to a store and trying to sell it and then being a third-party.

Why do consumers like the farmer’s market?

Heather: I think that they like to meet the farmer and meet the person that has grown or prepared their food. People have really become aware of their food and what is in their food and they want to have a little more control over what they’re purchasing and what they are consuming. The best way to do that is to go directly to the farm.

When people come to the farmer’s market, they are able to actually get produce that hasn’t been traveling. It was picked the day before and it’s very fresh and very good produce. I’ve seen that as one of the biggest draws for people at the farmer’s market.

What value does the farmer’s market provide to the community as a whole, whether large or small?

Heather: When we have a farmer’s market, we’re encouraging other people and other farmers to grow and bring their produce and to sell it. It’s always better to support the local community and to keep that money in your community when you buy locally, but it’s also helping to expand the amount of food that we are growing in our community in case we ever needed to feed our community only on our produce that is here from farmers.

What is one way for someone to support the farmer’s market?

Heather: If someone comes to the market before they go to the grocery store and buys everything on their list that they can at the market, and then go to the other grocery store, that will help farmer’s markets continue to grow.

Every farmer’s market is different. If someone has never been to one, what can they expect?

Heather: You are going to see a lot of different produce. You’re going to see some cheeses, jams, meats, and a lot of artisan and homemade foods. You might see live music. Some places even allow crafts. You will see a variety of products that are produced at home or on the farm.

Anything else you would like to add?

Heather: I think that eating locally is good for the consumer, it’s good for the body, it’s great to eat seasonally, and it’s good for the farmer and the community.

When we’re buying local and eating local, we know that money’s going back into the community and we’re getting great produce in return.

A great big THANK YOU to Heather Carter of Nature Hills Farm for explaining the farmer’s market and its value for the community.

What is the farmer’s market like in your community? What advice would you give to a new farmer’s market attendee?

It’s that time again….

As the weather starts to warm up, I look forward to all the seasonal foods coming up.  I also look forward to preservation season!  I like nothing more than feeding my family locally, healthfully, and cheaply.  It’s the dream, right?  To have it all?

It’s possible.  I mean, I’m not realistically going to be able to feed a family of 6 the quality I want for $300 a month or something.  But I can certainly keep it lower than or around the U.S. average of $645 for a family of 6 with young kids (you can check the average for your family size and ages here).  I used the “thrifty” plan numbers, by the way, the lowest option.  The highest option is nearly double ($1245 for my family)!

A big way I save money is through preservation.  In a few cases it doesn’t save much, but it improves greatly on quality.  I am willing to do it for both reasons.

Preserving Cost Breakdown

When I was wanting to start preserving my own food three years ago, I scoured the internet for something that would tell me definitively how much food I would need and how much money I would spend.  I really never did find it.

I’m going to attempt to do that here for you, with a few favorite/popular recipes.

Tomato Sauce

I make 90 – 100 quarts per year, so this is my biggest investment, both in time and money.  But we use it a lot.  It goes in so many of our recipes.  My other option of the same quality would be to buy 24-oz. jars of strained tomatoes from Tropical Traditions, for $2.79 each.  That would be $3.72/quart, and it’s just the tomatoes — no spices added.  I don’t buy in cans because BPA lining.  I have not found any organic tomato sauce that does not contain soybean or canola oil or sugar cheaper than that.  Most is $4 – $5/quart.

I find tomatoes for $0.50/lb. in the summer time, from a local organic farmer.  Onions are about $0.60/lb. and I use one large one for each pot (4 – 5 quarts).  I add 2 – 3 cloves garlic, and a few teaspoons of basil.  I finish it with a few teaspoons of sea salt.  Here’s the recipe.

So, my estimation is this:

• 3 lbs. tomatoes ($1.50)
• 1/4 onion ($0.20)
• 2 cloves garlic ($0.05)
• Spices ($0.25)
• Total = $2.00 per quart

That is almost a 50% savings over buying the strained tomatoes and making sauce (I’d have to add the $0.50 in onions, garlic and spices to that, as well, so it’s really a greater savings).

Tomatoes are not on the dirty dozen list, so if I happen to go to Amish country in August or September, I have picked up non-organic tomatoes for as little as $0.24/lb.  That would make each jar only $1.25.

My total spending on tomato sauce is around $180 – $200.  If I went with the cheaper, non-organic tomatoes, that could be $125.  For a year’s worth of tomato sauce, that’s pretty good!

Salsa

I decided, last year, to try to imitate the salsa you find in good Mexican restaurants, since that is usually the one I like the best.  It’s sort of thin, with lots of flavor.  I played around in the kitchen and came up with a recipe I love.  It includes tomatoes, cilantro, lime, garlic, onion, and salt.  I could buy salsa that I like at Costco, organic even, but if I remember correctly it is $3 – $4 per quart.

Here is my breakdown on this:

• 2 lbs. tomatoes ($1)
• 1/8 onion ($0.10)
• 3 cloves garlic ($0.08)
• Cilantro ($0.20)
• Limes ($0.20)
• Sea salt ($0.10)
• Total: $1.68

That’s much cheaper than from the store, and I like it better (and it doesn’t have any sugar, either).  I can this in pints, rather than quarts, because I use it primarily on taco salad, which I don’t have often enough to finish a quart before it goes bad.  I usually dump about 1 c. on a big salad, so a pint will last two meals.  Or, I use it for dipping quesadillas and then it lasts longer.

I do about 12 – 15 pints per year.  Total cost is around $12, and I use about 15 lbs. of tomatoes.

Applesauce

In the past, I have made very thick applesauce.  It basically it was only apples, I didn’t add any water.  It was really thicker than I’d like.  This applesauce required about 4 lbs. of apples per quart.  I am aiming for 2.5 – 3 lbs. per quart this year to achieve the texture I would like.

I get apples for $0.50 – $0.60 per pound when they are in season.  This means that applesauce costs me around $2/quart.

Apples are on the dirty dozen list, but it’s almost impossible to find unsprayed apples in my area.  Low-spray is usually my best choice.  My best price last year was $0.36/lb. for “seconds.”  I could pay 3x as much for “firsts” but why bother, for applesauce?

This year, if I can get that same low price and make the applesauce thinner, I’m looking at a cost of just $1 a quart.  Since I make a good 40 – 50 quarts (if possible), that’s $50, or 150 lbs. of apples (nearly 4 bushels).

My cost breakdown for diced pears is really similar to this, too, since I can get the same price on pears (roughly) and it takes about 3 lbs. of pears to fill a jar.  I can them the same as I do my peaches (see below).

Apple Pie Filling

I know this isn’t exactly super popular for most, but for us it is.  I don’t use it to make pies, I use it to make soaked apple crisp for quick, healthy breakfasts.  I only did about 8 jars last year because it wasn’t a great year for apples, but I hope to do a lot more this year.  It was such a quick and easy breakfast favorite here.

The pie filling requires apples, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, sucanat, arrowroot, and water.  Here is my rough breakdown:

• 2 lbs. apples ($1)
• Nutmeg ($0.05)
• Cinnamon ($0.05)
• Cloves ($0.03)
• Sucanat ($0.15)
• Arrowroot ($0.20)
• Total: $1.48

I might spend a bit less if I got my apples cheaper.  If I wanted 50 quarts (and I do — that’s apple crisp once a week), I would spend $74.  I would need 100 lbs. of apples.  For both this, and applesauce, I would need approximately 6 bushels of apples.

The apple crisp recipe uses oats, coconut oil, sucanat, and spices.  I estimate this adds $0.50 to the meal.  So, for about $2, I can feed the 4 (soon to be 5!) of us breakfast.  Although these days I also add some potatoes and sausage because we do better with a big breakfast.

Peaches

I really don’t like canned peaches as much as fresh.  I do not eat them very often.  But, sometimes we enjoy them, so I do a few jars.

Locally, I can get “regular” peaches for $10/peck ($40/bushel or about $1/lb.) and I’ve heard rumors of seconds that are organic for as little as $7/peck ($28/bushel or $0.70/lb.).  I buy seconds where I can, but they aren’t always available or in good enough condition to can.  Overripe is one thing; moldy is another.

It takes about 3 lbs. of peaches to fill a jar, so I spend about $2 – $3 per quart, depending on whether I get firsts or seconds.

I also slice peaches and freeze them flat on trays, then scoop them into gallon-sized bags.  A peck (about 10 lbs.) will fill a couple of gallon-sized bags.  These are used mostly for smoothies.

Strawberries and Blueberries

These are much more expensive than above.  So far I only freeze them whole, for smoothies or baking.  We prefer blueberries, but they are the most expensive of anything we preserve — $2.50/lb. at an organic u-pick place.  Strawberries around $2/lb.

My hope is to get 50 lbs. of each this year, which means I’ll be spending $125 and $100, respectively.  I simply soak them in vinegar water, dry them, lay them out on trays, and freeze them.  Then I scoop them into bags individually and put them in the deep freeze.

I have played around with the idea of jams, jellies, or syrups — but we simply don’t use enough of these to make it worth my time.  I like the idea a whole lot more than the reality.  When I go to toast my English muffins in the morning, I want butter.  I don’t want anything sweet.  But, that’s just me.  If your family eats a lot of these types of things, I am sure they are cheaper.  And jams and jellies do not require a ton of sugar!  When I have attempted them, I’ve used very little and have gotten good results.

Affording to Preserve

If I were smart, I’d save money year around.  Typically, I am so relieved and excited to be done with preserving season every year that I forget to save anything…until about March, when hits of warmth drift through the air and I suddenly realize I’m going to need money and soon!

I started saving mid-March this time.  My goal was $50 per two weeks, and I’ve been actually saving $60.  If I keep that up, I will have saved $960 by the end of October, when I finish preserving.  Of course I will have spent most of it.

My goals:

• 400 lbs. of tomatoes = $200 (less if I buy in Amish country)
• 6 bushels of apples = $90
• 50 lbs. blueberries = $125
• 50 lbs. strawberries = $100
• 225 lbs. of pears = $135
• 100 green peppers = $25 (I have seen as cheap as 7/$1 in the height of the season!)

I simply slice the peppers in half, seed them, and freeze like this.  Very easy.

My projected total: $675.  I’ll save more than enough to do all of this, and a bit more if I can or have the time.  I will also continue to save the extra money and set aside the $60 per two weeks through the winter this time.

If I spend what I project, I will have $285 left at the end of the season.  Through the winter (Nov – May) I will save an additional $900, meaning I will begin the preservation season with $1185.  I would save an additional $660 throughout next summer (May – Oct.).

Supposing I spend about the same next summer as I did this summer, I would have about $1100 left at the end of the season!

So, you can see — if I am setting aside this money all the time, I am saving more every year, allowing my preserving expenses to grow easily while still saving up extra money to be used on bulk purchases or in other areas of our family budget.  And if we move this summer like we hope and have a large garden in our new home next year, my preserving costs should drop quite a bit.

(In our first year gardening, we would not be able to produce our own apples, pears, peaches, blueberries, or strawberries in any decent quantity, since they need time to grow and mature before producing a large crop.  We should be able to produce all our own tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and a number of other items I don’t yet preserve because it isn’t worth it.  It will be when I can grow it.  Realistically, I will be spending a lot of that money I’ll have saved on buying fruit trees, organic plants, and other gardening supplies in the first year or two.)

As you see, preserving is a huge part of how I save money on groceries!  You can see how I allot the rest of my money and an example of what I buy and what I cook here.

Over the next several weeks, I will be sharing recipes, freezer cooking tips, preservation recipes and tips, and more — all about saving money on quality food!

Do you preserve your own food?  Why or why not?

I know!  We just had a bundle last week….

This one’s entirely different, I promise you.  And I will not be bombarding you with it all week long.  I know it’s just too much and we need to get back to regularly scheduled programming.  But, for those who can benefit, I don’t want you to miss out!  I’ll be telling you all the details today, and I’ll remind you in the final couple days of the sale too.  There will also be non-sale-related posts on those days, so those of you who aren’t interested won’t be bored.

Fertility Bundle

A lot of women these days experience infertility, which is heartbreaking.  There’s nothing worse than desperately wanting a child…and being unable to have one.  Even worse when it seems like all the women around you are conceiving and carrying to term and enjoying healthy newborns!

It’s a modern epidemic.  And it really doesn’t have to be this way.  I know several women personally who struggled with infertility…but once they got information on how to treat it naturally, with supplements and diets, they were blessed with pregnancies and healthy babies!  One of our editors was one of them!  :)

This bundle is perfect for those who:

• Struggle with infertility (male or female)
• Struggle to maintain a pregnancy/have repeated miscarriages
• Struggle with debilitating morning sickness
• Want to prepare for a healthy conception and pregnancy down the road
• Want more information on how to nourish yourself during pregnancy
• Want more information on healthy birth
• Want more information on healthy babies and feeding babies

The bundle books are worth over $450, but the bundle costs only $34.95.  There are excellent bonus offers and an accompanying giveaway, as well — so it’s a great package.

Please don’t feel obligated to buy or read another word if you are not in the phase of your life where you are pregnant or hoping to be pregnant.  I know some of my readers are not yet in that phase of life, or are past that phase of life.  But I also know some of you are there right now and struggling.  If you can benefit from this, I want you to know about it.

I will say that if you are looking for information about fertility and pregnancy that this is an excellent collection.  I try to learn more before each pregnancy, and every baby has come out healthier because of the knowledge I’ve gathered.  I’ve already had four babies and I’m still excited to read more of these books and gain more knowledge.  Never stop learning!

The Sale Details

9 ebooks about fertility and health

Fertilise Yourself by Natalie Kringoudis of Melbourne Natural Fertility ($19.95)

This ebook is all about priming your body for fertility, with plenty of tips and tricks for a wellness overhaul, and the ‘how to’ steps to set yourself up to win. If you’re struggling with your fertility, or even just your general health, this ebook can help you navigate your way to being fueled and fighting fertility fit!

Making Super Sperm by Bridgit Danner of Joyful Mammas ($29.00)

The genetics of your baby are 50% from the dad, and 30 – 70 % of infertility cases involve male factor. Get a strong start for your baby by Making Super Sperm from the start!

Fertility Smoothies: Elixirs for Optimal Fertility by Hethir Rodriguez of Natural Fertility Info ($19.95)

In this book Hethir shares with you how to create a wide variety of delicious superfood smoothies to help boost your fertility naturally.

Overcoming Infertility with EFT by Sarah Holland of Fertile Mindset ($20.00)

The ultimate guide and practical workbook using the cutting edge technique of EFT for emotional healing on your fertility journey. Includes detailed but simple to follow EFT instructions, and easy to use worksheets to recognize and reverse your own negative beliefs and self-talk surrounding trying for a baby, heal yourself from traumas and damaging experiences that may be harming your fertility and much much more!

Eat Your Way to Parenthood by Gabriela Rosa of Natural Fertility Breakthrough ($35.00)

Gabriela Rosa reminds us how a balanced and nutritious diet provides the building blocks for a healthy sperm, egg and baby. This book is both a guide to the process of fertility and the basics of good nutrition, as well as a manual of recipes that cleverly combine the scientific research with balanced, tasty and nutritious ingredients.

Maiden to Mother by Stephanie Brandt Cornais of Mama and Baby Love

The Mama and Baby Love Guide to a Conscious Childbearing Year, containing easy-to-understand information about everything you absolutely must know as you begin your journey to motherhood. Stephanie gives you all the juicy tidbits, and lessons she has learned from working with pregnant couples for the past decade and from her own experience with being pregnant and a new mom.

Zero in on Ovulation by Sally Moran of Get Pregnant Fast ($17.00)

Knowing when you ovulate shouldn’t be a mystery, but many women struggle to understand when their most fertile time of month is. Learn about the different methods of determining ovulation, what can delay ovulation, what herbs help promote ovulation or cervical fluid, symptoms of ovulation, problems with ovulation (including PCOS and luteal phase defect), the effects of using Clomid or Femara, and more. Bonus sections on male infertility, baby gender selection, frequently asked ovulation questions, as well as one-on-one e-mail consultation with the author.

A Modern Girl’s Guide to Natural Fertility by Marni Hotchkiss of Bridge to Baby ($15.00)

Natural fertility in today’s modern world encompasses the foods we eat, our behaviors, and our thoughts. Take a deeper look into how tools/apps as well as the right foods and other holistic approaches can positively impact pregnancy success.

Cleansing for Conception by Donielle Baker of Naturally Knocked Up ($6.95)

There are times in our life where we need to simply slow down and allow our bodies to clear out the toxins we’re exposed to on a daily basis. One of these times is when you’re thinking about becoming pregnant. This ebook will show you the many ways that you can alter your diet and lifestyle so that your body naturally and gently cleanses in preparation for conception. (pre-release copy – no one else will see it until late summer 2013!)

Three Strategies for Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Russell Davis of The Fertile Mind ($9.97)

Research shows utilizing mind-body techniques can double your chances of getting pregnant. This ebook contains practical steps to get off the emotional roller-coaster, find a sense of peace on your journey and actively utilizing your mind-body link to increase your chances of success.

2 ebooks that speak to the heart

Pain Redeemed by Natasha Metzler of NatashaMetzler.com ($4.95)

The author of Pain Redeemed takes you on a journey through her own walk with infertility and with honesty and raw truthfulness tells the story of God meeting her there, right in the middle.”

Celebrating Pregnancy Again by Francesca Cox of so this is love ($8.00)

This book is to encourage any bereaved mother experiencing pregnancy again, and help her embrace this bittersweet journey.

12 real food recipe ebooks

The Food Healing Recipe Book for Endometriosis by Melissa Meyer of Cure Endometriosis ($27.00)

Specifically chosen recipes to help women with Endometriosis. Having personally used these recipes and this way of eating, I decided to compile some of my favorite recipes. My partner, also happens to be a chef, so they are all tasty and nutritious!

Meal Planning Guide for Healthy Thyroid by Magdalena Wszelaki of The Thyroid Diet Coach ($17.00)

Struggling with meal ideas? No time to cook? Bored with the same menu each week? Confused what you can or cannot eat for thyroid health? Then this guide will equip you with tools to make cooking fun, easy and nourishing. Learn about evolving meals, 15-min meals, dressing ideas, get healthy snack lists and a meal plan.

Thrifty Food Plan Experience by Millie Cooper of Real Food for Less Money ($8.95)

You can enjoy traditional foods while on thrifty budget. 67 pages of thoughts, tips and ideas plus a 2 week menu plan, over 40 recipes and links to many more.

Divine Dinners: Gluten-Free, Nourishing, Family-Friendly Meals by Lydia Shatney of Divine Health From The Inside Out ($14.95)

A collection of recipes that can be paired together to make entire meals. All the recipes are lower in sugars/carbs than that of the standard American diet. Recipes are gluten free and tested time and time again on family and friends with great results.

Lacto-Fermentation by Wardee Harmon of GNOWFGLINS ($20.00)

A 155-page, 23-lesson digital book with detailed instruction on fermenting fruits, vegetables, beans, meats, dairy, and grains. The book will expose you to a variety of fermentation methods — using salt, whey, or other starter cultures. Recipes go beyond fermentation methodology and include spices and seasonings to improve the flavor of the final product.

Real Food Ingredient Guide by Kelly of Kelly the Kitchen Kop ($22.95)

Confused about which ingredients are good for you and which ones to avoid? Get a quick-reference list of what to look for at the store or farm, with many listings including a good-better-best recommendation. Also this newly REVISED edition includes bonus material: Bringing Your Family from Junk Food to Real Food!

The Everything Beans Book by Katie Kimball of Kitchen Stewardship ($8.95)

Fall in love with legumes because they’re frugal and delicious. Kimball’s recipes span everything from appetizer to dessert, and the introductory pages will help you cook dry beans like a pro, understand their health benefits, and even get ideas to reduce the…you know…flatulence often connected with beans.

Just Making Ice Cream my Marilyn Beard of Just Making Noise ($12.00)

Because we all deserve a special treat now and then – but it doesn’t mean we can’t choose to do it in a healthier way! It includes 113 pages and over 70 recipes to choose through all 4 seasons of the year… who says ice cream is only for the summer?!

Grain-free/Gluten-free Baking by Stephanie Brandt Cornais of Mama and Baby Love ($9.99)

If you can’t cook and you can’t bake – this book is for you. I taught myself how to cook, and then I taught myself how to bake. You can too. 20 easy recipes, full of tips and tricks for beginners; recipes for cookies, cakes, pies, pizza crusts and more!

Simple Food for Spring by Shannon Stonger of Nourishing Days ($10.00)

Simple Food {for spring} is a grain-free cookbook that emphasize real food and sustainable living. This 80-page edition contains all of the freshness of spring with a focus on cultured dairy salad dressings, wild edibles, and using all of those fresh greens. Each of the 28 recipes includes full-color photos.

Simple Food for Winter by Shannon Stonger of Nourishing Days ($10.00)

Simple Food {for winter} is the first of what I hope to be four seasonal cookbooks that emphasize real food and sustainable living. This 58 page book contains 30 recipes, 10 full-color photos, and three essays.

Happy Mom, Healthy Family Meal Planning Workshop and eCookbook by Lisa Byrne of Wellgrounded Life ($29.00)

A practical, flexible and enjoyable way to make peace with the task that comes every day: preparing meals. This workshop equips you with techniques to make truly family-friendly, whole-foods recipes through a webinar presentation, meal planning templates & worksheets, demo videos plus a downloadable cookbook filled with 89 tried-and-true delicious recipes. Who could want more? (Besides a personal chef perhaps!)

6 pregnancy and birth ebooks

Healthy Pregnancy Super Foods by Kate Tietje of Modern Alternative Mama ($8.95)

If you’re struggling with how to eat healthy to prepare for and during pregnancy, simplify it with this book. There are only two rules: avoid junk, and eat super foods. Plus 30 healthy, super-food-filled recipes!

UnBound Birth by Jenny Yarbrough of UnBound Birth ($4.99)

Unbound Birth: How to Have a Natural Birth in the Hospital is an inspiring collection of natural hospital birth stories. With determination, information, preparation, and support, Jennifer offers women hope for the beauty of a natural birth within a hospital setting.

Breast to Bib by Kate Tietje of Modern Alternative Mama ($8.95)

Make feeding babies easier with this practical guide to healthy breastfeeding, introducing solids, and handling picky toddlers. The book also includes over 30 baby and toddler-friendly recipes.

My Buttered Life: Baby Edition by Renee Harris from MadeOn Skin Care ($5.00)

This ebook includes 5 recipes, each with 5 ingredients or less. The recipes include baby massage oil, baby balm, creamy baby lotion, diaper rash cream and oatmeal milk bath. Each recipe has an accompanying video, a list of where to buy ingredients and supplies, and a cost analysis to compare with store-bought products.

Forty Weeks of Pregnancy Development by Angela England of The Untrained Housewife ($9.95)

What happens during each week of pregnancy? Now you’ll hear how each week of pregnancy brings changes to both you and your baby! Enjoy the extra information about common issues such as morning sickness, back pain, and more!

Embracing Beauty: practical style for every shape and season of motherhood by Trina Holden of trinaholden.com ($9.00)

A style guide that gets to the heart of beauty, and helps women identify and embrace their personal style through all the changes of motherhood.

Bonus Material

• Six Tips to Enhance Fertility in Women with PCOS by Jess Pedersen CHCC of Be Mama Be Well
• Top Food Myths by Dr. Marlene Merritt of Merritt Wellness
• Break the Sugar Habit ebook by Lisa Byrne of Well Grounded Life
• Primal Moms Look Good Naked, audio book by Peggy Emch from The Primal Parent
• Secrets of Stress Resilient Moms, audio teleclass by Lisa Byrne of Well Grounded Life
• Making Super Sperm, audio book by Bridgit Danner of Joyful Mammas
• It Takes Two to Make a Healthy Baby (audio) with Dr. Erika Siegel of Nourish Me
• Food for Fertility daily checklist by Donielle Baker of Naturally Knocked Up

7 week long meal plans

To help you get started on a whole foods diet, we’ve also included a variety of meal plans to fit your needs!

• Jess Pedersen CHHC of Be Mama Be Well The Be Mama Be Well Meal Planner is an alkalizing plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free plan that excludes highly processed foods. The Be Mama Be Well Meal Planner is meant to help you detoxify your body, cleanse your liver, balance your hormones, eliminate food-induced mood swings, and boost your nutrient intake.
• KerryAnn Foster of Cooking Traditional Foods The Cooking Traditional Foods’ Menu Mailer covers breakfast, lunch and dinner based on the guidelines in the Naturally Knocked Up Fertility Foods Checklist.
• Mary Vance of www.MaryVanceNC.com Autoimmune plan for those who have Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroiditis or other autoimmune conditions. Excludes the inflammatory foods most likely to aggravate autoimmune conditions: gluten, dairy, soy, grains (for the most part, at least corn), nightshades, nuts, eggs.
• Jill Marks of Modern Alternative Pregnancy Proper nutrition plays a vital role in fertility, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. This meal plan is gluten-free with real, whole foods to optimize your health and give your baby a wonderful start!
• Therese Asmus of Artistta This menu plan does it’s best to include a variety of meals that aren’t only pleasing to the pallet, but are also excellent sources of the many nutrients needed for a healthy pregnancy.
• Amy of PCOS Diva Spring Meal Plan (includes: Getting Started Guide, Recipes and Shopping List) is a whole food based, gluten-free, processed soy-free, and low dairy (or easily can be made dairy-free) plan. You don’t need a crazy diet to increase your fertility, you just need to get in the kitchen and start cooking delicious, nutrient-dense meals.
• Joanna Steven, author of Well-Rounded. Plant based, whole foods based, with a mix of nourishing raw and cooked recipes for the vegan or vegetarian woman.

Bonus Offerings

• Three month meal plan subscription from My Humble Kitchen ($24.99)
• Free Fertility Relaxation Program from Circle and Bloom
• One month premium membership at Fertility Flower ($5.00)
• one hour video seminar with Russell Davis of The Fertile Mind

Giveaways worth $908.00!

But that’s not all – it’s $908.00 times two! There will be one grand prize winner who will receive each and every one of the following products/services.¹ All of which will help you on your way to growing your family. And then we’ll be giving away each of the products separately to individual winners as well, so you get more chances to win these fabulous products.

$25 gift certificate to MadeOn Skin Care ($25.00) – Choose from Simply Soothing Rash Cream, or Beesilk Jr for your baby. Or, shop for you and buy Beesilk hard lotion bars or a pack of tinted lip balms. All products are made with safe and natural ingredients. (includes free shipping)

Fertility Detox Cleanse Program from Bridgit Danner ($125.00) – Get your body primed for baby with this professionally-led detox program (food supplies to be purchased by recipient.)

Still Standing mug from Still Standing Magazine ($13.99) – Still Standing is an online magazine for those dealing with infertility and baby loss, offering resources and hope.

Making Babies DVDs from Bulk Herb Store ($75.00) – Three fun, informational, and colorful DVDs include deliciously healthy recipes, remedies and herbal concoctions that cover the fertility, pregnancy, and post-partum time in your life. At the Bulk Herb Store we want to teach you what we know and inspire you to learn and research beyond that with our homemade herbal remedies, our experiences, and the tested wisdom of others.

ibasal thermometer from FairHaven Health ($59.95) – The ibasal is a computerized digital basal thermometer that helps you maximize your changes of conceiving by accurately measuring your BBT and interpreting this data to produce a fertility prediction in advance of ovulation.

One bottle of FertilAid for Women from FairHaven Health ($28.95) – FertilAid for Women is a fertility enhancing supplement designed to help restore hormonal balance, support reproductive wellness, and optimize your chances of conceiving.

Femmenessence MacaHarmony from Natural Health International ($69.98) – Femmenessence MacaHarmony is a natural approach to hormone balance and supporting fertility without introducing hormones from outside of the body.

Medium Fertility Kit (LH and HCG tests) from Kisses from Above ($18.00) – Includes 30 ovulation and 10 pregnancy tests. Everything you need in one easy-to-order kit! Both the ovulation and pregnancy tests will come in the strip format, as shown in the picture.

Herbal kit from Mountain Rose Herbs ($56.20) – FecundiTea, Nurse-Me Rhyme Tea, “Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Years” by Susun Weed, Evening Embrace Aroma Spray, and 4 oz. each of Red Clover, Dandelion Leaf and Raspberry Leaf.

One bottle of cod liver oil from Green Pasture ($44.00) – Green Pastures is dedicate to providing their customers with high-quality sacred-food oils just as they were made prior to the industrialized food and farming revolution. They are committed to providing the community with nothing but pure, unadulterated, non-industrialized wild-caught fish liver oils.

Set of six essential oils from Plant Therapy ($48.68) – Romance Set Includes 100% Pure, Therapeutic Grade of: Sensual, Peppermint, Energy, Headache Relief, Tranquil, & Invigor-Aid. 10 ml each

Natural Cycle Relaxation Program from Circle and Bloom ($59.00) – Start today to feel in greater control over your fertility success with our downloadable program which includes 28 unique guided meditations to support you in communicating with your body and tapping into your innate ability to create.

Year subscription to Fertility Flower (sympto-thermal charting) ($40.00) – Fertility charting is simple, effective and teaches you about your body. When you “chart”, you learn to recognize when you’re fertile and when you’re not so that you can target your baby-making activities at the most fruitful time.

Complimentary consultation at the Metabolic Treatment Center ($100.00 value) – Dr. Schuler or another metabolic treatment specialist at Metabolic Treatment Center will review an individual’s history, medication, supplementation, diet, and symptoms and provide an initial assessment review (phone, Skype, or at the Bloomington office).

SpermCheck Kit ($39.99) – The only at-home sperm test for men! Results in 10 minutes, 98% accurate, private and convenient!

Preseed lubricant from Baby Hopes ($21.50)- Pre~Seed lubricant replenishes your natural moisture while providing an optimal environment for sperm.

A Practical Guide to Children’s Health ebook by Kate Tetje of Modern Alternative Mama ($17.95) – A well-researched ebook on raising healthy children.

The Woman Code book by Alisa Vitti ($25.99) – WomanCode by Alisa Vitti will guide you on how to Perfect Your Cycle, Amplify Your Fertility, Supercharge Your Sex Drive, and Become a Power Source.

Naturally Knocked Up book by Donielle Baker ($18.95) – Your guide to increasing the odds of conception through natural living and nourishing foods.

Rebuild from Depression book by Amanda Rose ($19.97) – This book on depression describes the research basis for the nutrient-depression link, highlighting the nutrients with the strongest basis in research. With seven specific nutrients in mind, the authors review each of the food groups recommending how to improve the diet for the long-term.

Extra discounts for bundle purchasers

• 25% off ebooks from Kate Tietje at Modern Alternative Mama
• 25% off any purchase at Cooking Traditional Foods, including our renewable menu plan subscriptions.
• $3.00 off a large Simply Soothing Rash Cream from MadeOn Lotion
• 20% off products from Sarah Holland at Fertile Mindset
• 40% off any ebook from Katie Kimball at Kitchen Stewardship
• 20% off books by Millie Cooper at Real Food for Less Money
• 10% off essential oils and products at Plant Therapy
• 40% off all Making Babies products from the Bulk Herb Store
• 15% off products at Kisses from Above
• 25% off BeMama Fertility Cleanse Programs with Jess Pedersen CHHC of Be Mama Be Well
• 10% off at FairHaven Health (excludes OvaCare and Preseed)
• 25% off your first visit at the Metabolic Treatment Center
• Receive 2 boxes Femmenessence MacaHarmony, 3 boxes of pH Quintessence, and 1 box Sole Stones for only $99.00 (52%off) at Natural Health International
• 20% off all programs at The Fertile Mind

Important fine print to read

1) All purchases are non-refundable due to the short duration of this sale and no late sales will be offered. 2) All giveaway products are sponsored by the individual companies, most of which are limited to shipping within the United States. The grand prize package will be shipped by Naturally Knocked Up LLC and is available to US and Canada, excluding the consultation which is available only in the US. ¹To enter the giveaway without purchase send a 3×5 postcard to Naturally Knocked Up LLC PO Box 26 Burnips, MI 49314 by May 14, 2013. 3) All products are downloadable ebooks and audio files. You will not be shipped any physical goods with your purchase of the natural fertility ebook bundle, but will be sent a link where you can download all of the material. 4) It is your responsibility to download all the files before June 1th, 2013. 5) Bonus offers are only eligible once per purchase, expire at midnight on May 31, 2013 and are the sole responsibility of the sponsor. 6) The above links are affiliate links, thank you for supporting this affiliate partner. 7) Please understand the information shared through this natural fertility ebook bundle is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, but rather to encourage perhaps a new discussion or conversation with your own physicians and health care providers and to inspire you to continue to research healthy alternatives.

The Bottom Line

I will remind you all about the sale towards the end.  I know some of you are reading this right now and thinking “Hmm…I might want that.  I’ll have to see if it’s in the budget, or if these are really the right resources for me.”  Some of you thinking this will forget between now and the sale’s end in a week!

If this isn’t for you, that’s fine.  Please head over to today’s other post, Monday Health & Wellness: Preparing for Preservation.

Do you need more information on healthy pregnancy or have you dealt with infertility?

There is nothing like a fresh, ripe peach.

I have made no secret of the fact that peaches, when fresh, are my favorite fruit to eat.  All fruits and vegetables are better in season, but those are just amazing, to me.

Since our theme this month is “local,” I want to talk about the foods that are coming in season, why they’re so amazing, and why (and how) you should eat each of them!

Our first strawberry in 2012!

1. Strawberries

Some areas of the country have already seen strawberry season in the last few weeks.  Where I am, we’ll see strawberries about a month from now.  They’re a decidedly spring food, ripe just before it gets really hot.  Strawberry plants are perennial and fairly easy to grow, and they can be grown in a raised bed or a hanging pot.  Many local places have strawberry picking available as well.  Strawberries are high on the “Dirty Dozen” list and should be purchased organically or low-spray if possible.  Many places do not offer unsprayed, but instead spray minimally and only early in the season, before the fruit begins to grow — this is an acceptable alternative, at least for me.

Strawberries are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, and have been shown to improve blood sugar regulation and cardiovascular health.  They’re also a fairly low-sugar fruit.

They can be eaten plain, in strawberry ice cream, strawberry shortcake, or with whipped cream.  They can be made into strawberry lemonade or strawberry limeade.  They can also be frozen for smoothies or made into jam — preserved to enjoy the harvest year around!

A deep orange, pastured yolk!

2. Eggs

Did you know these are seasonal?  When you buy from the grocery store, they’re stored for several weeks or months to ensure a steady supply year-around.  But when you’re buying free-range eggs from truly pastured hens, they lay in earnest through the spring and summer months, and taper off to rare laying or no laying in the cold, dark months.  Plus, in the spring, the grass is growing and the bugs and worms are appearing — and this is what hens are meant to eat.  These make the hen’s eggs rich, and you can see the difference in the deep orange yolks!

Eggs are rich in choline, omega-3s, CLA, and vitamin E.  They are also a good source of healthy fats and cholesterol.  The yolks are great to eat raw (if you have access to pastured eggs — please do not do this with regular grocery store eggs!), while the whites are better eaten cooked.  Yolks can be made into ice cream, tossed into smoothies, cooked in scrambled eggs, added to baked goods, pudding, and more.

Eggs can’t be preserved like fruits and vegetables, but they will stay good for a month or two in the fridge, and older eggs can be hard-boiled.

Image by kthread

3. Milk

Yes, milk, too, is seasonal!  Cows usually calve in the late winter to early spring months.  Through the winter, they’re pregnant and usually “dried off” (not producing milk — although it is possible for a pregnant cow to continue to be milked, but her milk will change, just like in a pregnant human).  Plus, they’re eating hay and other dried grasses from the previous summer, or grains like soy and corn, depending on the farm.

In the spring months, when the grass begins to grow rapidly and turns a rich green color (which happens about mid-April where I am), the cows are turned out to graze.  This rich, green grass is the ideal food for cows, and it increases the nutritional content of the milk quite a bit!

Milk from grass-fed cows is rich in CLA, vitamin A, vitamin K, and vitamin E.  It also has an ideal balance of omega-3 to omega-6.  It has a number of excellent health benefits that commercial milk doesn’t have.  Raw is ideal.

Milk can be drunk straight, made into ice cream, mixed into baked goods like pancakes or muffins, made into chocolate milk (my kids’ favorite!), mozzarella cheese; the cream can be skimmed for butter.  Lots of great uses!

Image by La Grande Farmer’s Market

4. Greens

These are coming into season right now!  Greens means lettuce, spinach, kale, swiss chard, and lots more.  They like shade and they grow rapidly in the spring when the weather isn’t too hot yet.  Once the weather is hot, especially if they’re in direct sunlight, they’ll “bolt” (grow rapidly, flower) and become bitter in taste.  Swiss chard grows throughout the summer and into the fall, while the others have shorter growing seasons.

Greens are rich in B vitamins (including the important folate), vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamin K, and some are rich in calcium as well.  They are also high in fiber and are all-around beneficial to just about any diet.

They can be served in salads (which I love, personally) with homemade dressing (avoid soy oil!), added to soups, quiches, sauteed in bacon grease, and lots more.  Some greens — like kale or spinach — can be blanched and frozen to use later.

5. Blueberries

We love blueberries too!  Around here, they come into season mid-July.  I remember going picking with my family last year right after I found out I was pregnant.  It was a hot, humid, but rainy Sunday morning.  The blueberries grow on huge bushes (this farm had very old bushes; they can be quite a bit smaller, as they were on other farms I visited) and they ripen over a three or four week period in the summer.  Depending on the variety, they can be tiny or quite large.

Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, and manganese.  Studies have shown that they can reduce cancer risk, diabetes risk, and more.  They can reduce muscle damage, and even reduce brain damage or degeneration!

They can be served plain, with whipped cream, made into blueberry crumble or blueberry muffins.  They can also be frozen for later.

Image by OakleyOriginals

6. Bell peppers

We’ll start to see these appearing sometime in July — they’re a hot weather crop.  They grow on plants that stay fairly low to the ground, and which can produce half a dozen or more at a time if they’re well-fed, watered, and get direct sun.  Ideally, pepper plants need 12 – 14 hours a day of full sun!  (Less will produce far smaller and fewer peppers.  Our gardens were shaded, and 7 hours a day of sun produced 1 – 2 small peppers per plant, if that.  Meanwhile, my in-laws plants, in full sun, were absolutely loaded with huge peppers!)

Peppers are rich in vitamin C (especially red ones), antioxidants, and other health compounds — and organic growing practices increased the amount of all these nutrients in the peppers!

They can be eaten raw (which my kids love), with vegetable dip, stuffed and baked, added to soups, and more!  They can also be seeded and frozen for later use.  (Against the Grain is our Featured Book this month, which means it costs just $5, instead of its normal $7.95!  You can find a recipe for Stuffed Pepper Soup in it.)

7. Tomatoes

One of my very favorites…ripe tomatoes!  They’re just delicious and juicy in season, and they produce superior cooked products as well.  I love to add the to soups, salads, sauces, and just about anything!  A real tomato comes in early August and can last well into September (the season — not the individual tomato!) and is a deep red, flavorful masterpiece.  Nothing like those hard, orange balls that are sold at the grocery store.

Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a nutrient that can promote eye health.  They may also lower the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, and general inflammation, due to their high antioxidant content.  They’re also high in vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium.

They can be eaten fresh — simply plain, or added to a salad — tossed with pasta, made into sauce, salsa, juice, or added to soups and chilis.  They can be preserved in any of their cooked forms.  We can over 100 quarts of tomato sauce and a fair amount of salsa and diced tomatoes each year!

8. Peaches

Ah, peaches…you already know I love them.  They’re sweet, juicy little bits of deliciousness.  They grow on trees and until a few years ago, I didn’t even know they could grow in temperate climates!  They’re a spring crop in hot areas like the south, but are a late summer — July/August — crop up north.  A truly ripe peach is soft and slices easily, and tastes delicious.  Grocery store peaches are often hard, slightly green, and tasteless.

Peaches are high in vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium, and iron.  They also contain quite a few antioxidants, which supports cardiovascular health.

They can be eaten fresh (my favorite!), made into peach tea, ginger-peach crisp, peach jelly, peach upside-down cake, or peach ice cream!  They can also be frozen in slices, or canned (without sugar)!

9. Apples

The ubiquitous apple.  In the fall, there are apples in every direction around here!  They ripen starting in mid-August and occasionally a few varieties ripen a bit earlier.  The season continue through late October.  Each variety is ripe for a week or two, and there are several varieties.  Our favorites include Jonathon, Golden Delicious, Macintosh, and Honeycrisp.  Most of these are good for cooking, as well as eating!

Apples are high in fiber, and are a fairly sweet fruit.  They’re also somewhat high in vitamin C.  More importantly, apples appear to positively affect your gut bacteria, serving as a “prebiotic.”  (That is, food for the bacteria.)  They may also help regulate blood sugar and may promote weight loss.

They can be eaten fresh (and we do eat a lot of them!), sliced for salads (both sweet and savory), included in pies, apple crisp, made into sauce, apple butter, or added to muffins, apple dumplings, and other baked goods.

10. Squashes

There are a variety of squashes, including ones that ripen in the summer (like zucchini and yellow squash).  There are many more that ripen in the fall, towards the end of September and October.  This includes acorn squash, pumpkins, butternut squash, and the spaghetti squash pictured above!  Squashes are lightly sweet and used in both sweet and savory dishes.  The winter squashes tend to be sweeter than the summer varieties, although both are used in sweet and savory recipes.

Squashes are high in fiber, beta carotene, vitamin C, manganese, B vitamins, potassium, and it even contains some omega-3 fatty acids!  It also contains antioxidants, and may help to regulate blood pressure.

They can be served raw, baked in breads, tossed with pasta, made into soup, and more.  Try zucchini lemon-poppy seed bread, pumpkin bread (try gluten-free or grain-free), chicken parmesan with spaghetti squash, butternut squash soup, beef and tomatoes with zucchini, chocolate-zucchini cake, even pumpkin pancakes.  Pumpkin puree can also be frozen for later!

What are your favorite seasonal foods and ways to serve them?

**SALE IS NOW OVER**  Please subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of future deals!

I know it’s been kind of a crazy week around here.

I normally don’t promote things so heavily or do so much all at once.  Really.  I try to keep it to a couple days a month, usually.  But I really wanted to make sure everyone knew about this bundle.

It’s almost over, and then we’ll be back to “regularly scheduled programming.”  But, we are down to crunch time now!  There are just two days left for this sale.

If you’ve been reading about it this week (and hopefully enjoying the additional information) and have been hesitant to buy, or wanting to wait until after payday or something — don’t wait much longer.  It closes tomorrow night at midnight and then, that’s it.  The sale’s over, and there will be no late sales.

I have to just remind you of all the details, because if this is something that can benefit you, I don’t want you to miss it.

Buy the bundle

The Biggest Ebook Sale This Year

This collection is the biggest one I have seen yet.  I’ve participated in other bundles with a few dozen books.  But, both bloggers and readers have figured out that these ebook bundles are a great deal for everyone, and they’ve grown exponentially.

The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle has 97 different ebooks, by authors like:

• Me!
• Tsh Oxenreider of Simple Mom
• Stephanie Langford of Keeper of the Home
• Mandi Ehman of Life Your Way
• Jessica Fisher of Life as Mom
• Katie Kimball of Kitchen Stewardship
• Amy Roberts of Raising Arrows
• Wardee Harmon of GNOWFGLINS
• …and lots more

There are tons of major bloggers involved here!  I’ve only named some of the most popular or my favorites above, but like I said — there are 97 different books by 97 different authors.  This is an entire library to help you improve your homemaking skills.  But, it’s not just about cooking and cleaning (although you’ll certainly find that).  And it’s not somehow geared to keeping you stuck over the stove, barefoot and pregnant!  (Not that there’s anything wrong with that…I’ve been barefoot and pregnant over a stove many times myself!)

In this bundle, you’ll find books on:

• Cooking (including crock pot meals, quick meals, and freezer cooking — and an entire book just about ice cream!)
• Cleaning (including 31 Days to Hope for Your Home…you can have no clue where to start and benefit from this.  Plus, Easy Peasy Chores to help both you and your kids)
• Running Home Businesses (yup!  Good for working moms too!)
• Budgeting and Finance
• Marriage
• Parenting
• Baby Care
• Education/Homeschooling (great for supplemental learning for public school students, too)
• …and lots more

The best part?  The price.  It only costs $29.97 for all of these resources.  All.  That’s an entire library for under $30.

Even better, there are $140 in bonus offers included with purchase.  These are not silly coupons, like “Get $10 off if you spend $25.”  These are real freebies, intended to introduce you to some excellent companies.  My favorite two are from Redmond Clay and Cultures for Health!  (Enter our giveaway from Redmond Clay!)

Read the full details HERE.  See the FAQ.

Our Favorite Resources

I want to recap our favorite resources for you!

First, you can see me talk about five books that I love:

Read about a few more of them, too.

You can also see how to get more beautiful, safely and easily (yes, this bundle can help the style-challenged, like me!).

Then, learn about organization and homeschooling resources!

Buy the bundle

My daughter really did enjoy the Raising Rock Stars curriculum!  Here she is, working on her favorite letter R.

Trying to copy the verse, but mostly writing random letters

Trying to do the sign language “R”

Tracing the verse

He was NOT amused by all this. Jacob is almost 21 months.

He loved all this, and has been asking to “go to kindergarten.” Daniel is almost 4.

And Nathan, now almost 8 weeks, chilled out through the whole thing

It’s pretty awesome that my daughter enjoyed the curriculum so much (and I’m sure my oldest son will too).  She can be picky about which activities she wants to do, and sometimes we have trouble finding ones that match her skill level appropriately.  These work well for us.

Buy the bundle

Now, I did another video for you this week.  I show you how to make lemon sherbet without an ice cream maker!  This is from my own book, Simply Summer.

I know…I messed up.  Here’s proof it really worked (and yes, I did whip it with a mixer, I did not resort to the ice cream maker!):

Then, check out my other favorite cookbooks in there.  Oh, and I forgot to mention Just Making Ice Cream, where I first learned this trick for making ice cream with no ice cream maker (although I do have one personally).  There are so many more delicious recipes in there!

Other Resources

I seriously wish I had time to tell you about each of them.  I just don’t.  There are 97!!  You can learn more about great sex (really!), saving money on groceries (there’s an entire ecourse devoted to that), and so much more.  The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle is pretty comprehensive.

But — only two days left.  Tomorrow night is it.  You really don’t want to miss this one!  :)

Check out the details, decide if it’s for you.  If it is, then don’t wait!  Buy it before time runs out.  (And ignore that I sound like a used car salesman right now.  I don’t know what else to say!).

Also, so you don’t forget — you can enter a giveaway for three of my other ebooks, just for sharing this bundle with others!

What resources could you use the most?

A quick note to our email subscribers.  We are in the process of changing over to a new email subscription provider — Mailchimp is the new one.  If you like getting our emails but are confused why you’ve gotten them twice the last couple of days, please don’t unsubscribe from the new list!  We will turn off our old provider as soon as we have all the lists switched over.  Thanks for understanding!  And if you don’t subscribe yet, you can get a free kombucha ebook if you do!

Welcome to May!  Yes, I know it’s really the 2nd.  I’m trying to stay caught up this week, but it isn’t easy.

We just finished our “DIY” month in April.  In May, we’ll be doing a “Local” theme.  It’s a great time, too — just when farmer’s markets are opening and produce is coming into season.  Around here (Ohio) we’ll be enjoying lots of greens, asparagus, honey, and by the end of the month, strawberries.  (I can’t wait for those strawberries!!  We’ll take the whole family to go picking this year.)

Although I’m not always a fan of hot weather, I love summer for its bounty.  I love enjoying each food as it comes into season, and we eat a lot of that food for as long as we can!  My favorite is peaches, but I must wait until August for those!

In the mean time I’ll enjoy what there is. Throughout this month, we’ll be talking all about local — local food, local activities, local everything.  How to enjoy your summer (even on a budget), why supporting local is important, and more!

Seasonal Eating: Simply Summer

Today is Thursday, though, and if you’ve been around for any length of time, you know we almost always post a recipe on Thursdays.  That’s gotten a bit mixed up over the last couple of months as we welcomed our new baby, Nathan (now almost two months! already!), and I had a series of excellent guest posters.  Our normal “themes” didn’t always happen.  That’s okay — we roll with life in the busy seasons.

I’m featuring a recipe from Simply Summer today — Lemon Sherbet.

Now, you are going to notice something really important when you watch the video: I screw it up. I warm the cream and cook the sugar syrup and mix it all together, then I try to whip it.  While it’s hot.

Then, in slight panic mode (I don’t *think* that shows on the video…I hope not), I conclude that the cream was too sour to whip.  Which is probably totally wrong.  I was trying to come up with some explanation as to why it wouldn’t whip.  (And yes…you can chill it and then run it through an ice cream maker, whip it properly, or freeze and stir periodically and it will work just fine.)

Ultimately I just didn’t have a final product to show on the video.  Awesome, right?  Oh well — you still see how to do almost all of it.

Recipe (from Simply Summer)

• 3 cups heavy cream
• Juice + zest of 4 lemons
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 c. organic sugar

Warm the cream to around 115 degrees.  Mix the water and sugar together and cook until it reaches 238 degrees.  Zest and juice the lemons.  Mix the lemons and cream, then add the cooked sugar syrup slowly.  Chill the mixture. (I forgot this essential step!)  Whip it until fluffy and freeze, or pour through an ice cream maker.  See video for additional details!

If you haven’t seen Simply Summer yet, it’s filled with delicious, seasonal recipes.  There’s peach upside-down cake, bacon-wrapped chicken with Italian salsa, grilled shrimp salad, chicken spinach and strawberry salad, crock pot Mexican pork roast and beans, sweet onion poppy seed dressing, and lots more!

Seasonal Eating…and Healthy Recipes

Many people are not creative in the kitchen.  I enjoy it; that’s why I write cookbooks!  But, I have lots of friends and family members who say “Give me tried-and-true recipes.  I don’t have the time or expertise to experiment and hope it works.”

I understand.  In areas where I don’t feel so strong, I think the same thing!

That’s why I’d like to share a few more resources with you today, which can help you on your journey to eating a healthier, whole foods diet.

First, I want to talk about Money Saving Mom’s Freezer Cooking Guide.  While I have to tell you this isn’t fully “real food” (she uses white flour, unsoaked wheat, vegetable oil, and refined sugar — things like this), it’s a great starting point on the concept of making freezer meals, and a lot of recipes that could be easily adapted to real food.  I know many of you are looking to save time on your cooking, and freezer cooking is a popular solution.

Second, there’s Crock On.  This crock pot cookbook by Stacy Makes Cents is filled with mostly whole foods recipes.  She does use a bit of canned corn and soy sauce, but many recipes are excellent as-is, even if you’re strict about real food.  Others are adaptable.  Stacy is practically the queen of crock pot cooking.  It’s another great way to save time in the kitchen.

If you haven’t planned ahead and you need dinner on the table now, you should check out 20 Minute Meals.  Again, it’s “whole foods” but occasionally uses an ingredient or two I wouldn’t choose.  But the concept is simple — each meal takes 20 minutes or less to cook and serve.  That’s great for those who aren’t yet into regular meal planning and need to be able to cook last-minute and still come up with a delicious and healthy meal.

If your kids are eager to come into the kitchen, like mine are, you’ll also find Real Food for Kids.  This book teaches kids from ages 3 or 4 on up through adult to cook — simple tasks like learning to use a knife or measure ingredients to complex tasks like butterflying meat and preparing gourmet meals independently.  It’s a great way to teach your children — and hey, yourself! — a love and skill for cooking.

There are so many more resources, including Jill, editor of Modern Alternative Kitchen’s Festive Traditions.  This book is filled with delicious, mostly grain-free holiday dishes, like bacon-wrapped dates, apple cake with caramel sauce, crock pot beef stroganoff, and spinach-artichoke dip.  It’s possible to celebrate with healthy food!

What’s your favorite seasonal ingredient or recipe?

In the last year or so, it’s been my goal to get my homemaking under control.  My house was often a mess (toys and clothes and dishes and trash in all directions) and I didn’t clean it often enough.  Oh, I ran through and “blitz” cleaned it every couple of weeks, but I somehow expected it to stay that way.  I have three mobile children (and now a newborn too) — it doesn’t.

I clearly remember looking at the house after we’d cleaned each time, thinking, “This time, I am not going to let that happen again.”

Oh, but it did.  Sometimes with 24 hours.  I was amazed.  How could my home go from “this is pretty clean” to “total disaster” so quickly?  And why couldn’t I keep up with it?

This is a screen shot from the Life as MOM book.

Today: It’s Clean!

But, it’s different now.  I finally figured it out.  You could come into my home on any given day and you might find a basket of clean laundry or some toys scattered across the playroom.  Maybe a few dishes on the counter.  But — that’s probably it.  It looks like a home that’s lived in, but not a home that is filthy.  Not a home I’d feel the need to immediately apologize for.  (Tomorrow you’ll get to see me on camera again, this time demonstrating a Lemon Sherbet recipe from Simply Summer.  You’ll note the kitchen is clean.  It only took me about 15 minutes to get it that clean.  I like that.)

I (usually) manage to keep the house clean, get meals on the table, homeschool the kids, and blog.  Somehow.

It’s not magical.  Really.  You just have to be organized!  And stick to it.  Oh, that was always my problem before….

I want to share a few resources with you.  Resources that will hopefully help you get more organized so that you, too, can enjoy a simpler life and a cleaner home.  (I’m pretty obsessive about my “systems.”  And you do have to actually use them and keep up with them, or they don’t work.  Fair warning!)

First, there’s One Bite at a Time, by Tsh Oxenreider.  The book is geared towards 52 small projects, one per week, to help you simplify and organize your life.  The very first project is “Eat the frog” which basically means – just do it!  But, the book goes on to talk about organizing your paper, creating new habits, cleaning as you go, trying new healthier cleaning products, switching to more local sources of food, and really everything that goes into natural living and homemaking!  If you need some simple projects and plenty of time to make changes, this is a good resource.

The next is Organizing: Life as Mom.  Jessica Fisher is the author behind both this book and the blog, Life as Mom.  She has 6 kids herself, so she knows what a busy household is like!  (And she homeschools too!)  Her book is filled with resources to help the naturally messy get organized, and she includes a lot of printables and describes how to create your own “homemaking binder” so that you have all of your important information in one place.  Many moms live by their binders!  Jessica gives you a good start by providing the resources and information for you — although it’s also entirely customizable.

Finally, there is ListPlanIt — Personal Planner.  This is a collection of over 30 printable to help you get your personal life in order.  It includes things like book clubs, fitness, a bucket list, daily to-do, goal setting, and more.  All of these forms are “fillable” on the computer, meaning that if you prefer, you can save some paper and keep your information in the PDF book right on here.  Of course, they’re also printable, so you can stick them in your homemaking binder and take them with you!

I really love resources like this.  I like small steps, small changes.  And I love paperwork.  Heaven is an office supply store.  I only a little bit kidding — I really love to wander around and see all the different types of paper, notebooks, planners, binders, pens, tabs, and so on that they offer.  I wonder how many I can afford to buy, and how many I’ll really use.  Paperwork = so awesome.  (If I get to choose it myself!)  These days I keep most of my stuff organized on the computer —  but hey, these resources can do that too!

Homeschooling

I am forever in search of cheap or free homeschooling materials.  Who wants to spend $600 buying a big curriculum only to pick and choose just a few lessons out of it?  A lot of the resources I find are not appropriate for my kids’ level or needs, and I often feel frustrated by it.  There are too many skills at once, or they’re above or below the child’s needs…or sometimes even both at once!

(Seriously.  There was a book that my daughter, who is 5, was using.  One page would be “match the pictures” and the next page would be “write the correct word under each picture then put them in order to form a story.”  The first was very easy for the her, and the second involved so many skills that we simply had to skip it.  She can’t read yet.  Not quite.)

Finding good quality homeschooling materials is important to me.  And not breaking my bank?  A must with four kids!

I pulled out the Raising Rock Stars Kindergarten curriculum, which is excellent.  It teaches one letter at a time, and has several activities in it per letter — tracing a Bible verse, writing one, learning the sign language sign for the letter, and lots more.  My daughter loved it.  And, it’s written by a professional kindergarten teacher!  It gives me a great place to start and doesn’t teach too many skills at once.

I’m looking forward to using this curriculum more over the next several months, and because it’s printable, I can use it for my boys when they’re ready, too.

There are a lot of other homeschooling resources that are a little bit above my kids’ level for now.  But just think — curriculum can cost hundreds of dollars and if you have to re-buy worksheets for each child, it can get pricy.  This curriculum can be used for as many kids as you have!  It’s so worth it to me — and if you buy this bundle it’s only $0.31, just like each other resource!  (Total bundle price is $29.97 which is STILL far cheaper than most curriculum.)

Many of the homeschooling materials are supplemental in nature.  Which means even if you don’t homeschool, you can benefit from these.  Many kids who are going to public school won’t get Biblical instruction, or perhaps you are looking for ways to include more — and this is a great way to do it, and the activities are fun.  You don’t have to be a homeschooling family to enjoy this program or the other schooling resources!

Are you looking for more home organization or homeschooling resources?