tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34131240391506479282024-03-11T03:50:14.510-05:00Natural HousewiferyAs anyone living in a Western, Industrialized culture, there are so many questions about what will or will not produce <i>optimal</i> health and wellness. Our goal should be not just to survive, but to thrive. To live vibrantly. The purpose of this blog is to document my family's attempts at improving our quality of life and encourage us all to begin making the little changes that will protect our health and the health of future generations.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-31036557591170902192015-10-31T15:57:00.002-05:002015-10-31T16:01:46.195-05:00Peanut Butter Spice CookiesI am not a fan of those recipe posts that babble on and on until finally giving you the recipe you're there for. So I am going to say just a few quick things before sharing the glory that is these cookies.<br />
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I took a recipe for peanut butter cookies that was supposed to be amazing. Like, 700+ reviews on allrecipes.com amazing. But I wasn't entirely in the mood for plain old peanut butter cookies so I spiced them up. Literally! They turned out amazing and I don't have exact amounts of what I added but it's a very forgiving recipe and more or less than I added, they'll still be wonderful! They're gluten free, dairy free, and yet they are still thick, chewy, and moist.They also don't require any strange or hard-to-find flours or any painfully expensive homemade blends. Are they good for you? Not exactly. But they're yummy enough, you won't care.<br />
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Here's your make-you-want-to-make-them photo:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfXu4N0qYI66d7N6zHXjL_nOE2fNHb3Rrpizp8buj3CoMS2BOD0qcs8PErF7y1eKi4sBd8c_m3hU-sq4T17Fbs3jvnMEPR8ayP29yue16yv4k0HwJICZiPCJs8fC3cRxnicAUA2ew08s/s1600/IMG_4810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfXu4N0qYI66d7N6zHXjL_nOE2fNHb3Rrpizp8buj3CoMS2BOD0qcs8PErF7y1eKi4sBd8c_m3hU-sq4T17Fbs3jvnMEPR8ayP29yue16yv4k0HwJICZiPCJs8fC3cRxnicAUA2ew08s/s320/IMG_4810.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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And the original recipe:<br />
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<ul id="zlrecipe-ingredients-list" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; list-style: none; margin: 1em; padding: 0px 0px 0px 2.4em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-0" itemprop="ingredients" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup peanut butter</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-1" itemprop="ingredients" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup white sugar</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-2" itemprop="ingredients" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup brown sugar</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-3" itemprop="ingredients" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 egg</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-4" itemprop="ingredients" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon baking soda</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-5" itemprop="ingredients" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 pinch salt</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" id="zlrecipe-ingredient-6" itemprop="ingredients" style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 teaspoon vanilla extract</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C). Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;">In a medium bowl, all all ingredients and stir together until smooth. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Roll into 1 inch balls (use a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Stainless-Steel-Scoop-Tablespoon/dp/B00004UE85/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446324216&sr=8-1&keywords=1+tbsp+cookie+scoop" target="_blank">small disher like mine </a>if you have one -- I LOVE them!) and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Then, because I can never leave a recipe alone I added:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">1 tbsp more or less molasses </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">1 tsp cinnamon</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">1 pinch nutmeg</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">1/2 tsp salt</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">and I rolled the dough balls in cinnamon sugar, and then slightly flattened them before baking. But no criss-cross pattern, okay?!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">I also didn't have any vanilla (whaaaat?!?) but I'm sure that would have made them even more tasty! Then I melted some vanilla almond bark (though I think real white chocolate would be even better, but this is all I had leftover from last Christmas! HA!) and dipped some of the cookies, and dolloped it on to others. A few I left plain. Then I sprinkled the almond bark with cinnamon sugar. And then I ate them.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">THE END</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Except for more photos to make you drool! </span><br />
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Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-87057830052972502742015-07-01T15:04:00.002-05:002015-07-01T15:22:14.283-05:00More YUMSWant to know something funny? My last post (in February! I'm such a bad blogger) was about the very subject of which I write today. Ha. I am so creative and original.<br />
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Oh well. This is worth sharing!<br />
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Imagine for a moment, a mother and her child, sitting together smiling, laughing, as they share the creamy, delicious contents of a mixing bowl. "Nom, nom, nom!" might've even escaped the lips of the 10 month old child, and definitely escaped the lips of mama, more than once. Envisioning cookie dough? Cake batter, maybe? Yeah, that's what it sounds like. But no, we're talking the creamiest, most delicious chicken liver<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">pâté you've ever had. And you know what's even better than that (don't say "a lot of things!". Don't!)? It's also the easiest, cheapest, fastest recipe I've ever seen or created for</span></span> <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">pâté. AND it is dairy free, so it fits into almost any diet you may be on. Even my husband likes this, and he is not a liver lover, as much as he does believe it to be an extremely healthy food. We all eat it completely by itself it is so good, including our 10 month old. </span><br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Creamy Chicken Liver P</u><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">âté</u><br /><br />1 tub, approximately 1lb of chicken liver, rinsed</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">1/4 cup coconut oil</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">1 tsp ground sage</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">1/2 tsp salt + to taste</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">In your favorite pan, pour the liver and cover completely with water. Boil for 7 - 10 minutes. Drain, rinse again, and drain well. Dump liver into a food processor, add coconut oil, sage, and 1/2 tsp salt. Blend until smooth. Taste, and add more salt as desired (I prefer about 1 tsp total salt, but adjust according to your preferences, keeping in mind this tastes much better with <i>more</i> salt than less).<br /><br />That is really all there is to it. No bacon. No onions. No butter. No cognac or mushrooms or anything else. Just the most nutrient dense, creamy, delicious </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 26px;">pâté you've ever tasted.<br /><br />Now I need to go eat some more of it. </span><br />
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-67244572732131778702015-02-26T08:58:00.001-06:002015-02-26T09:14:04.361-06:00Liver Three Ways<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">You know I have posted about my love of liver before, but people really don't know what to do with it in spite of the fact that we are all being told more and more how healthy it is for us! So in this post I am going to share my three favorite ways to prepare liver! I posted one back in 2013 which I will share again but the other two have not been shared until today! So first off, my Spicy Liver and Onions!</span><br />
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<b style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Spicy Liver & Onions</span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">Serves 2</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="line-height: 20px;" /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">Two slices beef liver, approximately 4oz each</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">around 1/4 cup rice flour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">Seasoned Salt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">1 med/lrg onion, sliced</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">1-2 jalapeno peppers, sliced</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">2-3 tbsp coconut oil</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">Pinch of brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="line-height: 20px;" /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">Preheat a skillet with coconut oil in it to medium heat; combine rice flour with a few shakes of Seasoned Salt (I envision myself sprinkling the Seasoned Salt on either side of each slice of liver, to get the appropriate amount; this has worked great for me so I never bother to measure). Dredge both sides of the liver in flour/salt mixture. When pan is hot, add liver. Allow to cook, undisturbed around 3-4 minutes, depending on the heat of your stove. Lift a side and check for dark/golden brown color. Once it's dark/golden flip it and cook it another 2-3 minutes or until the same color on that side. Remove from pan to a cooling rack. Add sliced onion to the pan, along with the pinch of brown sugar. Allow to cook until they begin to soften, then add jalapenos and continue to cook a few more minutes or until jalapenos begin to lose their bright green color. Top liver with onion/jalapenos and serve immediately. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20px;">This recipe is similar to the one above except it is not spicy at all. Though it is very good with some garlic added towards the end of cooking! But this is a very simple, basic way to serve it that nearly anyone should be able to "handle". Added the side dish of kale makes this a powerhouse of a meal! </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large; line-height: 20px;"><b>Liver & Onions with Kale</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">Serves 4 </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 20px;">1 lb beef liver</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">1/4 cup rice flour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">1 tsp garlic salt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">1 tsp garlic powder</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">2-4 tbsp bacon fat</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">1 large onion</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">Stevia or dextrose</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 20px;">1 tbsp butter</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">2 large handfuls chopped kale</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20px;">1 oz shredded mozzarella cheese</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 20px;">While the liver is still partially frozen slice with a knife or kitchen shears into thin slices. Add 1 tablespoon of bacon fat to a medium – large frying pan.Cook onions until they begin to turn clear, and golden on the edges. Add a few drops of Stevia or a pinch of dextrose to sweeten onions. Remove onions from pan and set aside. While your onions cook place rice flour in a medium bowl with garlic salt and garlic powder. Add liver and toss to coat. Once the new oil added to the pan has heated add your liver being sure to shake off all the excess flour before placing it in the pan. Cook over medium to medium low heat until the light breading becomes dark. Add onion back to pan heat thoroughly divide onto four separate plates. Add butter to the same pan, place your two large, keeping handfuls of kale into the pan, cooking until bright green and beginning to wilt. Add cheese cook 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is thoroughly melted. Divide between your four plates and enjoy! </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 20px;">This final recipe is one of my most favorites, though really I love liver just about any way at all! I think I ate around 2lbs of the stuff in the week following Ethan's birth. :) This last recipe is my favored method for making chicken liver pâté. It is delicious, but more cost effective than a lot of recipes you find online! Sure, adding a quarter pound of bacon and 8oz of mushrooms is delicious, but if you're trying to eat healthy on a <i>budget </i>that may not be for you! This, anyone can afford! </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large; line-height: 20px;"><b>Chicken Liver Pâté</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">Serves 4, as a meal, serves 8-12 as an appetizer</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 20px;">1 container chicken liver</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">1 stick, plus 1-2 tbsp butter</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20px;">1 large onion</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">1/2 tsp ground sage</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">1/4 tsp garlic salt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">1/2 tsp sea salt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">1/2 tsp garlic powder</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">1/4 tsp black pepper</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">1/8 tsp white pepper, optional</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">3-4 cloves roasted garlic, optional</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Prepare your chicken livers by cutting off any white connective tissue, and rinsing clean. In a medium-large skillet add the chicken livers in water (enough to cover the livers fully), over med-low heat. Cooking them in water and over a low heat will keep them softest, which you want for p</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">âté! Cook until the livers are done, about 5 minutes or so. Set aside, covered. Now chop (however you want because it's going to get ground up later anyway) your onion and saute in 1-2 tbsp butter until very clear (I like to add just a pinch of sugar to the onions, too, but it's not strictly necessary). Alternately, if you have the time, caramelize them! Talk about adding some amazing flavor! I rarely have the time to do that though, so I just cook them until clear.<br /><br />Add livers, onions, and 1 stick of butter to a food processor, along with all your spices. Blend until smooth and pour into a storage container or bowl of your choice -- a lovely way to present p</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">âté is to use a bowl or container with no lid, and melt some extra butter to pour over the top. This seals the p</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">âté just like a lid would and looks (and tastes!) delicious! Refrigerate until firm and enjoy with your favorite veggies or rice crackers! I even enjoy my p</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">âté spread on romaine lettuce leaves, and when I'm feeling kind of splurgy and have it on hand, smearing it all over my sister-in-laws amazing gluten-free beer bread is indescribably good!</span><br />
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Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-27537328192724353722015-01-02T17:47:00.004-06:002015-01-02T17:51:38.639-06:00Ethan David<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: center;">So this post has been a long time coming! I've thought so many times that I needed to sit down and write it, but I have so many other things that take priority these days!</span><br />
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I can hardly believe I haven't written a post here since this past MAY. My goodness I am neglectful! But for good reason. So what's gone on with me since May 8th?<br />
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My pregnancy continued on, for the most part very easy and healthy, although I had trouble with too many contractions once I hit the third trimester. I can't remember exactly when it started but it was enough that it worried me quite a bit and I contacted my midwife multiple times while we tried to figure out how to calm them down! We got them to where they were manageable, but I spent many nights up until midnight or later in a hot shower trying to relax (let me tell you now that relaxing in the shower is a HORRID thing to try to do compared to relaxing in a tub! But alas and alack! A tub I lack!).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birth kit supplies, ready and waiting...</td></tr>
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At my 37 week home visit with Debbie, she found, much to her surprise that I was progressing quite well! I was excited but not terribly surprised! I'd been having contractions that seemed like more than typical Braxton Hicks for a while, plus I'd had a feeling since I found out I was pregnant that I would go early (at least for a first-time mom!). A few days later, more obvious progress and I had my first serious "I realize now there is no escaping labor," moment. I kept having more than typical contractions for a primipara, but they weren't progressing in a way that had my sweet midwife concerned -- just excited! I wanted them to stop. I wanted total rest before labor. But she thought it was awesome. Of course, now that we were at the "safe to have a homebirth" point in the pregnancy, I was growing increasingly excited about them, too! Ethan was on his way!<br />
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I also remembered to ask finally where to get the birth kit when she was there. She was like, "Uhhh, you don't have it yet?" Oops! Needless to say I was really thankful when the birth kit arrived a few days later, since I still felt he'd be coming a bit early.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YpvSHJ7uOhg4GaNbRJyj0ZxgWMQBzDOOM6CSxHp0Tv_mt18Dfts-EHXmypeGbh6bCwj_A41uF7QfwfxkmFhPasyYpXauscVjqja2d9tBzo_6hoTylPQQyqN4cscJ_1yGAKFcODQLpaY/s1600/DSC_0163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YpvSHJ7uOhg4GaNbRJyj0ZxgWMQBzDOOM6CSxHp0Tv_mt18Dfts-EHXmypeGbh6bCwj_A41uF7QfwfxkmFhPasyYpXauscVjqja2d9tBzo_6hoTylPQQyqN4cscJ_1yGAKFcODQLpaY/s1600/DSC_0163.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All ready for our little Ethan.</td></tr>
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On August 21st I knew for sure he'd be here soon -- I had a total emotional meltdown for no reason at all. That was a funny thing to experience! David had come home for lunch and at some point I just started sobbing and when he asked what was wrong I was clueless! I think we both had a bit of a laugh about that.<br />
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The next day, David went to work with his sister's husband as he had been doing on and off for a while. I wasn't happy about it at all, feeling that our last bit of time as just the two of us was being robbed from us -- or at least my vision of how it "should" have gone was. In the end I think it turned out good because his being away allowed me to spend more of my time resting than I might have if he had been home. So that day I was having what I strongly suspected to be "real" contractions all day, though they were only somewhat painful. Then at some point in the mid-late afternoon I got a total break from them for a few hours and slept, slept, slept! By 6ish I texted him asking if he would be home in time for us to go to a church event that night. He said no, but that I should go with his parents. I debated with myself the wisdom of that, considering how my day had gone, but went for it! Less than two minutes into the drive to church though I realized that was not my brightest move ever as the car brought the contractions back with a vengeance! At some point I texted David again hoping he would be there soon. I wanted to go hoooome, but didn't really feel like telling anyone/everyone that I thought I was in labor since I still wasn't 100% sure. He finally showed up, but instead of going home we stuck around! Looking back on that all I can think is, "What?!" But hey, we did what we did! We even stopped at a friends house on the way home, by which point we were becoming increasingly convinced that I was in labor.<br />
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I was in denial though. My doula had literally just left town less than a few hours prior to take a mini-vacation with her family. "No way I'll go into labor when she's trying to take a day or two off, right?" WRONG. :) Because that's how I roll.<br />
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By the time we got home, it was evident that this was the real thing, though I kept saying maybe it wasn't! Because I really did not want to recall my doula from her getaway! Nor was I really feeling up to the task at hand. Ha! But things continued to progress and just before 10PM my water broke! That was a surprise to me. So many of the books and websites you read, and other moms you talk to say it may not happen prior to "serious" labor, or may be so minor you don't notice. Um. I noticed. At that point I texted both my doula and my midwife (midwife first!) to tell them this was definitely real. My sweet doula had her husband turn around and hightail it back here!<br />
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That's when things get blurry. I know I talked to my midwife on the phone a few times. At first she <br />
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was going to go to another client who was also in labor and already further along than I was. By the time she talked to me again probably less than 10 minutes later she changed her mind and said she was coming to me. I was SO relieved! I remember David going around trying to get everything ready (the tub inflated and filled, music, and trying to be there for me in between all that, a task that I am sure was NOT easy at all) and feeling concerned that neither my midwife or doula would arrive before Ethan came. I think David was more stressed about it than I was though, because at that point it was really taking all of my focus to get through each frequent contraction. I also remember Debbie telling me I could get in the tub then! That was some of the best news I had ever heard in my entire life, I kid you not! I would highly recommend water birth to anyone and everyone! There were two points during labor when I had to get out of the water temporarily and they were the worst parts of labor hands down. Even worse than the birth itself, and I am not exaggerating. The water doesn't eliminate the pain, but it definitely eases it! Poor man's (er, woman's!) epidural, indeed!<br />
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At some point, Debbie arrived with her assistant midwife, Abby. I will adore them both forever and ever. I know that Ethan would have been born whether they made it or not, but it feels like it couldn't have happened without Debbie. The closest I've ever felt to not adoring that woman is when she made me get out of the tub when they arrived so she could assess where I was. Ahhhh! That was so seriously uncool. But I forgive her since everything she does is in the interest of making sure everything is going okay. ;) I guess things just kind of kept on at that point -- and then maybe an hour or so later, my doula showed up. I just remember getting through a contraction and then Debbie (or somebody!) saying, "Look whose here!" and I looked up and Shauna was standing in my bedroom doorway, smelling of lavender and glowing like an angel (okay, so it was just a light on in the living room behind her head, but she looked and smell divine!). I remember getting really, really horrible leg cramps at one point, and Abby suggested coconut water or magnesium water or something. David disappeared and I was SO glad Shauna was there! I would have freaked out at that point to have nobody there (so much for my, "I don't want anybody but David around," idea...). The coconut/magnesium water helped really quickly and I was glad! The leg cramps were so painful they were actually distracting me from labor, but most of all distracting me from relaxing between contractions. I remember other things vaguely, like a fly landing on my belly at one point and actually shooing it away. Mostly I just remember resting my head on the side of the tub and holding David's and/or Shauna's hands, and sipping delicious coconut water that I wanted to gulp. But I was pretty excited that I hadn't thrown up yet (not even during my whole pregnancy) so I didn't want to risk it by overfilling my stomach. Ha ha ha. Yes, I WAS thinking about my "record" even during labor. There are other things I remember, but not a lot more. I just remember it being really fast and furious. My midwife would later call it a "freight train labor". Perfect description!<br />
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Towards the end, my midwife asked me to get out of the tub so that the pain relieving effects of the water wouldn't be completely lost -- too long in the tub and it does start to lose it's effect! Bummer! I couldn't believe how different it felt laboring outside of the tub vs inside! In that moment (that felt like eternity!) I decided I will never, ever, willingly do anything besides a water birth!<br />
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I think it was relatively shortly after I got back into the tub that Ethan was born! It was crazy how sudden it seemed, but then they told me it was 2:53AM and I realized I had just lost all track of time. It was still quite fast for a first timer, but not nearly as fast as it felt. By the time they got me situated in bed with Ethan and David I was telling everybody I was ready to do it again. And I meant it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZneS2FI0lefZtUqlwI8j6DFAO3O3-f6TLpS9P8oIxJyJYavZTnhbmlqbSjDvpU1ON-RWTA0absub3h5YjiCVuxHPKNK4kV44ZuRkJwLEsliHXIPgm_RVAW7-tqim6tqdUvq0sTV-CFY/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZneS2FI0lefZtUqlwI8j6DFAO3O3-f6TLpS9P8oIxJyJYavZTnhbmlqbSjDvpU1ON-RWTA0absub3h5YjiCVuxHPKNK4kV44ZuRkJwLEsliHXIPgm_RVAW7-tqim6tqdUvq0sTV-CFY/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my, "I just got permission to get in the tub." face.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8odN47TU2LyuKFZKGjPzBtvgTRlYioO7zkfcLXSIWlu4V6WVPG5Y29Mjjcz5sAqfilEY4oKom9OrTAyoiq1j0eFutAKDzfAPG85L1QMjr23pFNLA5jkxq1teMxF4x-xLJe2bCJUek41Y/s1600/DSC_0176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8odN47TU2LyuKFZKGjPzBtvgTRlYioO7zkfcLXSIWlu4V6WVPG5Y29Mjjcz5sAqfilEY4oKom9OrTAyoiq1j0eFutAKDzfAPG85L1QMjr23pFNLA5jkxq1teMxF4x-xLJe2bCJUek41Y/s1600/DSC_0176.JPG" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At our first PP visit with Debbie (at home!)!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5jyfmSFpb-dnwZJ3N8IQZNxcEYh5FLI5HNNYuaxDisVjLbEVG8BbQ6iRryDcOUhyphenhyphenMqAkn9OqFc8qGMdDoG-RZo8-Z-i9t-5v5l3d8erL9dtjnZKh6DhN8_igrZAPtDOr4iySk3hpgEg/s1600/IMG_8052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5jyfmSFpb-dnwZJ3N8IQZNxcEYh5FLI5HNNYuaxDisVjLbEVG8BbQ6iRryDcOUhyphenhyphenMqAkn9OqFc8qGMdDoG-RZo8-Z-i9t-5v5l3d8erL9dtjnZKh6DhN8_igrZAPtDOr4iySk3hpgEg/s1600/IMG_8052.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new little family, and beloved midwife. ♥</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yzvlAm1DNMdivM9J7Ujli8r5nljpz-E__bClE3k2DNLX9JzBHg1eFTTIbVLd5U3VlA5k7Em5M6rzqVJKb_khVHfXS0bwc64bfqCgxJCGzyjLdAwQ550WHFftYOgfPpYxpuJzppmVNMY/s1600/IMG_8077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yzvlAm1DNMdivM9J7Ujli8r5nljpz-E__bClE3k2DNLX9JzBHg1eFTTIbVLd5U3VlA5k7Em5M6rzqVJKb_khVHfXS0bwc64bfqCgxJCGzyjLdAwQ550WHFftYOgfPpYxpuJzppmVNMY/s1600/IMG_8077.JPG" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same day, Shauna and her PP visit! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LG52mQ6q1qH3YwaEfE3JBP4BihMWHgzphHjUa0cU0BXcxUY21vsYv4hyphenhypheno5P9KS8bRi8j8lmxhF2f3cit3ueA3pAtK-X5Ox539MSMQA0V9Ktfm8FW-UvI2LC_NJt-SsP81XBpEMgkJ14/s1600/DSC_0485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LG52mQ6q1qH3YwaEfE3JBP4BihMWHgzphHjUa0cU0BXcxUY21vsYv4hyphenhypheno5P9KS8bRi8j8lmxhF2f3cit3ueA3pAtK-X5Ox539MSMQA0V9Ktfm8FW-UvI2LC_NJt-SsP81XBpEMgkJ14/s1600/DSC_0485.JPG" height="428" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here is the boy today, just over 4 months old! He's grown like a little champ since he was born and now weighs over 19lbs and is over 27in long! He's been in the 90th + percentiles on weight and height almost his entire 4 months and is very close to the 100th percentile for height. He is a very happy, healthy little boy and we could not be more thankful for the gift of him! God is gracious, and we will never forget, thanks to this beautiful little reminder. ♥</td></tr>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-26787525110132945912014-05-08T09:40:00.000-05:002014-05-08T12:21:24.285-05:00Easy Gluten-Free Cinnamon RollsGuys. Guys. Guys! And by "guys" I mean everybody. I have something to tell you today that is very exciting to me and probably will be to a lot of you, too! But first I'm going to entice you to read on with a photo:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZX-GSkTCGlhQT4gn3txFND44dxSBHBxOnxzNOsADyR_x6slG1poasOlBC1KOesunc6LYTYsYwbFOzOk5Fiw4NCR15o58SZLbcwvMRc4DifJPLDhnUoxCjn43PfXciowxWjbE3VYS_cE/s1600/livegfreecinnamonroll2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZX-GSkTCGlhQT4gn3txFND44dxSBHBxOnxzNOsADyR_x6slG1poasOlBC1KOesunc6LYTYsYwbFOzOk5Fiw4NCR15o58SZLbcwvMRc4DifJPLDhnUoxCjn43PfXciowxWjbE3VYS_cE/s1600/livegfreecinnamonroll2.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
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You know you want that. Read on to find out how easy it is to get it! It really is easy. Like... probably easy enough to be dangerous.</div>
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But let's back up slightly, first! <br />
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Have I mentioned at all on my blog how much I love Aldi? They're an excellent little grocery store if you're unfamiliar with them. They keep their prices low by staying small, minimizing the need for dozens of employees at each location, get fewer shipments than other stores, etc., etc., I don't know all the details of how they do it, but they do. Recently they introduced an organic line, after trying out organic stuff from time to time in the past. The prices are good, and I guess it was a popular addition because they always have at least a few organic choices these days! Another specialty line they have toyed with is gluten-free products. Personally I have never seen any in the store until yesterday, but I don't get to go very often because we don't have an Aldi in town and we rarely go anywhere else to shop! Anyway, Aldi decided that they were going to try out a whole line of gluten-free products recently and as of yesterday, May 7, 2014 had the line available at all Aldi locations. I saw the kind of prices they were going to be offering this line at and knew we had to go! So go we did, in the middle of the week and for no other reason at all we went up to Belton to try stuff out. We brought a little cash and got a whole stash of goodies! Brownie mix, pizza crust mix, yellow cake mix, baking mix, soft baked cookies, baked chewy bars, mac & cheese, and chocolate chip cookie mix. We spent a grand total of $22.93 for all of this you see in the photo below, plus the brownie and pizza crust mix we already gave away and used. Way more than I would usually spend on "splurge" foods, but a very worthwhile experiment and FAR cheaper than buying similar items at any other store. Seriously, we spent $6 at HyVee recently on a 10oz box of gluten-free cornflakes for casserole topping for Easter! Compare and awe.<br />
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We gave the brownie mix to my mother-in-law, and she made it up into cupcakes that very night for a church event. She gave us one to try out and it was <i>delicious</i>! It didn't taste weird or "gluten-free" like some of these things do. It just tasted like authentic brownie goodness! The taste, texture, and appearance was all great!<br />
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Then we decided that we just had to try the pizza crust mix that night rather than wait for the weekend! Once I saw that the mix would make 2, 12 in pizzas I knew I had to experiment. I made one half of the dough into pizza and with the other half I made up some cinnamon rolls! I've been craving cinnamon rolls for my entire pregnancy, but never found a recipe to make them that looked remotely easy and also had good reviews, so I have done without until last night! The few recipes out there that promise to be truly amazing were always complicated, often featured on blog posts longer than I could stand to even read once, detailing how tricky it was and how everything had to be done "just so" for them to turn out right! Well no more. I am here to rescue you from that problem, thanks to Aldi!<br />
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But first, a quick, poor quality photo of my pizza. It, too, was amazing. The crust was one of the best gf crusts I've had, though I think I like the mix best for cinnamon rolls, rather than pizza! But I would definitely eat the pizza again with no hesitation. Over and over if it were offered. Ha.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxgMD0PBdDDkrR56buhsQO-rKnDNL4z-iY7SW-OPqg94aMus8xZPeHcqKl3EU64IgP0hW-eouXnl89tG1ZUx-nw0OjRO4JyW5m01qZFv_n0xG0jYOaNYxxg18lhx8v3MZcXrWIbvm1e4/s1600/livegfreepizza.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxgMD0PBdDDkrR56buhsQO-rKnDNL4z-iY7SW-OPqg94aMus8xZPeHcqKl3EU64IgP0hW-eouXnl89tG1ZUx-nw0OjRO4JyW5m01qZFv_n0xG0jYOaNYxxg18lhx8v3MZcXrWIbvm1e4/s1600/livegfreepizza.JPG" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pizza was topped with Italian chicken, onion, and deli-sliced Mezzetta peperoncini peppers. DELICIOUS! <b>Side note</b>: I've been obsessed with these peppers through most of my pregnancy so far. I want them all the time, and would probably eat them plain if I wasn't so tight with our grocery budget!</td></tr>
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Now for the really important part of this post though. The easy peasy, delicious gluten-free cinnamon rolls! It's so easy you don't even need any actual measurements. Really! Rough measures are all fine here. As I mentioned, I used half the dough, but if you need or want more cinnamon rolls, go ahead and use it all! We definitely did not need 16 cinnamon rolls between the two of us though, especially considering it wasn't our official "cheat" day and therefore the fact of having them (and PIZZA) at all was a <i>big </i>treat!<br />
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<b>Easy Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls</b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Makes 8, 2 1/2 inch cinnamon rolls</span><br />
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1/2 liveGfree pizza crust mix, prepared (not baked!)<br />
Butter (I used a little over half a stick for the entire process)<br />
Powdered sugar<br />
Cinnamon<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Frosting:</span></b><br />
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Milk<br />
Butter<br />
Powdered sugar<br />
Vanilla<br />
Cream cheese<br />
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Preheat oven to 350.<br />
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In a small bowl (like the type for condiments, small) combine 1 1/2 tsp-1tbsp melted butter with a tablespoon or so of powdered sugar. Stir until combined. Pour into the bottom of your pan (I used a glass loaf pan and fit my 8 rolls perfectly so adjust according to how much you're making).<br />
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Roll out your dough until it is approximately 10-12 inches long, 5-6 inches wide, and about 1/2 inch thick (remember, this is a rough guess so adjust as you feel fit!). Slather the dough in butter, and sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/4-1/3 cup powdered sugar over top, and carefully roll dough up. I rolled my dough out on a silicon pad, so I was able to use the pad to help me roll the dough nice and tight. <br />
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Now take a piece of non-waxed, non-flavored floss (thread will work too if you don't have floss. Wait... why don't you have floss?) and cut dough into 8 equal portions. If you're not familiar with this method, watch this YouTube video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJV5ZGTkdoM" target="_blank">How to Cut Cinnamon Roll Dough</a><br />
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Arrange rolls in pan -- it should be a fairly tight fit but go ahead and cram them in if you have to. Now spread a little more softened butter over the tops, and sprinkle again with just a bit of powdered sugar (the amount of sugar you use throughout this recipe can really be dependent on how sweet you want your rolls!). Bake 10-15 minutes or until rolls just begin to turn slightly golden and feel fairly firm to the touch.<br />
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Once they are done baking pull them out of the oven and set them aside while you make up your frosting! You want them to cool slightly before you frost them so the frosting doesn't all melt off.<br />
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For the frosting, I again have no actual measurements. Sorry about that, but it really is very easy! I took a spoonful of cream cheese (probably somewhere around 2 tablespoons) and warmed it in the microwave until it was very soft. Then added about 1 tsp melted butter (because <i>butter</i>!), a small splash of milk, about 1/4 tsp of vanilla, and then started adding powdered sugar in small portions until the texture and flavor was what I wanted (yes, keep tasting as you add it -- you'll know when it's right!). You will know you have the ratios correct when the frosting is smooth, and begins to lose it's translucent appearance. If it's still really thin looking, add more sugar! Pour generously over warm cinnamon rolls and <i>enjoy</i>!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvWIW_s2VV5Obw6JG2HpkUud7uQO7v_h-z31odMwN8FCB_mDfsqIRasBCYVEFcZqn2X72ZszTg6UTl_JzWJdvCGjPRNMlEot2X3rKU0g6bYFR7hRsl_ZFGLadciRt_WMQFHKLep9wntw/s1600/livegfreecinnamonroll.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvWIW_s2VV5Obw6JG2HpkUud7uQO7v_h-z31odMwN8FCB_mDfsqIRasBCYVEFcZqn2X72ZszTg6UTl_JzWJdvCGjPRNMlEot2X3rKU0g6bYFR7hRsl_ZFGLadciRt_WMQFHKLep9wntw/s1600/livegfreecinnamonroll.JPG" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were amazing hot, but probably almost equally good cold the next morning with a cup of hot coffee!</td></tr>
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See how easy that was?! No need for a video to demonstrate anything because it is simple, quick, and very much like any other gluteny cinnamon roll recipe you've ever made! YAY!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-35423301712804427082014-04-30T17:15:00.000-05:002014-05-01T14:30:20.571-05:00Another OpportunityIf you've been a reader for very long, you know a little bit about our journey as LifeVantage distributors. You may remember how life changing it was for my father-in-law, how despite our general distaste for MLM's (who doesn't have a general distaste for them, unless you're IN one and see how amazing they are when done right?!) and my hesitation to become distributors, we did it because we saw what an incredible thing it did for my beloved father-in-law and knew that however much "direct sales" may make some folks cringe, this product was worth the frowns because it was giving people their lives back, and I'm not really being figurative here! There are so many amazing stories out there of people with really significant health conditions who begin taking the product and see a dramatic change in their health and lives. Of course, we are not allowed to make any claims except that it reduces oxidative stress an average of 40% in 30 days. So I'm not saying it was the Protandim that turned these folks around. I'm just saying that they started taking it and saw these dramatic improvements in their lives. You can decide what you want about that information!<br />
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LifeVantage has been a pretty amazing journey. We haven't really been working the business for the last couple years, which I think was an unfortunate mistake, but one that I hope to rectify in the near future! But I'm not actually writing today to talk about LifeVantage. I'm here to talk about Another Opportunity, one that I've decided to plunge into all by my lonesome!<br />
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I decided to do this largely because we have a big expense coming up! Baby! We absolutely have to get a new-to-us vehicle as our truck is only a two-seater. Taxes were higher this year than expected which ate into our savings a little already, and even using up all of what we've saved for a down payment on a house (boo hoo!), we'll still have to get a loan to get a vehicle, I suspect. If I can do anything to help make that easier, I want to do it! So here I am. Trying my best to help in a way that I can.<br />
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The company is called Jamberry, and they make <a href="http://megr.jamberrynails.net/" target="_blank">vinyl nail wraps</a> -- the end results in what looks like an <i>amazing</i> polish job, but is done quickly, easily, inexpensively, at home, and one of the best parts in my book is that it's completely non-toxic! Oh, and did I mention they last? And last? Most people find that they last around 2 weeks on their fingers and as long as 6 weeks on their toes! And for the most part, by the end of 2 or 6 weeks the only reason somebody removes them and applies new ones is because their nails grew out a bit, <i>not </i>because the wraps were chipping, peeling, or fading! Sound intriguing? Yeah. As someone who can't keep polished fingers looking nice longer than 24 hours, I was interested, and I have never even been very "into" having my nails done up!<br />
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Granted, Jamberry is <i>not</i> changing lives in the same way that LifeVantage is. Though I suppose you could argue that you are probably reducing oxidative stress on your body if you switch from regular toxic polish, to Jamberry. But no, it's nothing really significant in that way. But it <i>is </i>changing lives in other ways. Ways that are still really significant to those experiencing them! It's giving women (and probably some men) a way to make more money for their families, without having to take on another job they end up a slave to. Whether your desire is to simply pay for piano lessons for your child, or completely replace your current income you earn working outside the home so you can be home with your precious children, or whether you don't have kids or even a husband at all and just want to do something to support <i>yourself </i>without being a slave to somebody else, this could be an opportunity for YOU! Some people join Jamberry to earn money for a one-time purchase they can't afford right now. The possible reasons to join and what you do with what you earn is totally up to you! But isn't that the cool part? <i>It's totally up to you! </i>It's not like getting a minimum wage job where you're forced to work at a certain pay rate no matter how badly you may need more than that. If you need more, you do more work and earn more. That simple!<br />
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I won't go into any of the nitty gritty details about the compensation plan or anything else here today, but if you're even slightly interested, contact me! These wraps are great fun, so whether you're interested in simply purchasing some to try out yourself or you're wanting to learn more about working as a consultant, talk to me! I can even get you set up to host an online party, where you basically don't have to do anything beyond tell friends about it, but then get the chance to earn some cool rewards like free wraps, or discounts on becoming a consultant (which is already affordable even at full price)!<br />
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Here is a quick low-down of what makes Jamberry Nail Wraps so cool!<br />
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<ul>
<li>They are non-toxic (as someone who can often go on rants about all the toxins we're faced with daily, this was a <i>huge </i>draw for me! Especially now that I am pregnant and even <i>more </i>mindful of what I put in/on my body)!</li>
<li>There are over 300 designs to choose from, so no matter what your tastes, there is something for you! But even if you're <i>really </i>particular and can't find anything you like pre-made, you can pay a few extra dollars and have some custom made, any way you like! <b>This is an awesome option for weddings and other special events where you may need an exact color/pattern!</b></li>
<li>They are inexpensive! A single mani or pedi at a salon will easily cost $30 or more. And if you take advantage of our buy 3 get 1 free deal, that's enough manis for 8-24 weeks (depending on how hard you are on your nails) and up to 60 weeks of pedis! The same amount of manis and pedis would cost an average of $450 in a salon!</li>
<li>Can be used on artificial nails</li>
<li>No dry time</li>
<li>No chipping</li>
<li>No peeling</li>
<li>No fading</li>
<li>Latex free</li>
<li>Do NOT damage your real nails</li>
</ul>
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And lest you think I am telling you about these awesome, fun wraps and not leaving you with photos, don't worry. I wouldn't do that to you! The first 4 photos are of my manis/pedis, followed by some photos of some of the wraps I won hosting a party prior to becoming a consultant!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnPQo1yqEhfqf6PKxG_kEt-0mFzVmhNUeTwBeafaQYJ8OW_HR7CiTVIpBD0CmVnvM5qgpETMnBk5NvBAOo0RD_EWWyEBXP2GqtalDLzY7m-dQLsjJU6OtUmE86NB1xDdx3hmCsMWoyP0/s1600/kissmeombre.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnPQo1yqEhfqf6PKxG_kEt-0mFzVmhNUeTwBeafaQYJ8OW_HR7CiTVIpBD0CmVnvM5qgpETMnBk5NvBAOo0RD_EWWyEBXP2GqtalDLzY7m-dQLsjJU6OtUmE86NB1xDdx3hmCsMWoyP0/s1600/kissmeombre.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My very first Jamberry manicure, "Kiss Me Ombre"</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihnoDRgNxYsfgTg15Y5AE-djf3V83-o6rCiJOkNQxPdY0CAcednx2XxOGzP1qhj3SgOzg1jznHCSRDrvVL26apSqsU9YHI_CyelZ-IHeFxf5xLdD8eceW3PLEDVFHQbAL_zJdVAg5TTRM/s1600/kissmeombretoesday6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihnoDRgNxYsfgTg15Y5AE-djf3V83-o6rCiJOkNQxPdY0CAcednx2XxOGzP1qhj3SgOzg1jznHCSRDrvVL26apSqsU9YHI_CyelZ-IHeFxf5xLdD8eceW3PLEDVFHQbAL_zJdVAg5TTRM/s1600/kissmeombretoesday6.JPG" height="275" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13px;">I used leftover scrap pieces from my "Kiss Me Ombre" mani, to do a pedicure! This was 6 days in, and I did a pretty poor job applying them to begin with, due to my belly getting in the way. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDolJSRjU1jrBSndSxrlLqOodrubYCU-7ZH9wogpCTqa1rsxPPdV3HtD2ERw-Ulri1Gr79aaJbo4MSESdgx6rhd5ZhlscnB0EmOWRud0r73YqeNo5YQFGZk-l3_By5xBOBAtSHpHnmXVE/s1600/horseshoes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDolJSRjU1jrBSndSxrlLqOodrubYCU-7ZH9wogpCTqa1rsxPPdV3HtD2ERw-Ulri1Gr79aaJbo4MSESdgx6rhd5ZhlscnB0EmOWRud0r73YqeNo5YQFGZk-l3_By5xBOBAtSHpHnmXVE/s1600/horseshoes.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then when I had to remove my manicure after 13 days (due only to my nails growing out!), I tried out some new wraps that came with my consultant kit, "Horseshoes". I thought I was going to hate them, but I actually find them really fun! Then a day or two later I decided to change things up again, by adding a "Kiss Me Ombre" nail to my hand, and doing a mix on my toes, too, as seen below!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1P5vZpN2UJK4qg431_6a6y-B3eBut7w82h2_y44b7fQ2izornWfF4RfsoBx6SbboiuZQIQ9Y5wxiSQxZ4NQ-A-M0Jb29AaqIgdsNMO-G8eW8nueRrrCvGvDDc_GPXh9lXICBGqt8RkWg/s1600/horseshoeskissmeombre.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1P5vZpN2UJK4qg431_6a6y-B3eBut7w82h2_y44b7fQ2izornWfF4RfsoBx6SbboiuZQIQ9Y5wxiSQxZ4NQ-A-M0Jb29AaqIgdsNMO-G8eW8nueRrrCvGvDDc_GPXh9lXICBGqt8RkWg/s1600/horseshoeskissmeombre.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keep in mind the "Kiss Me Ombre" on my toes had been on for almost 3 weeks when this photo was taken!</td></tr>
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Now here are some of the wraps I ordered for free and/or deeply discounted as my hostess rewards for my party I hosted recently!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfA6yoqFUr5LcrUKuoOjhDhB-7r5tVMKDUbqiWWzu_FENLX6TN15VpXVk3i0gSx5TIs2Nxuph1ECbP2_4zcHWBIwRc_A2AN60IB5XLSTXJsoBdcEyQRppKnyp-DxQih8HsTwE6kJY1GE/s1600/jams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfA6yoqFUr5LcrUKuoOjhDhB-7r5tVMKDUbqiWWzu_FENLX6TN15VpXVk3i0gSx5TIs2Nxuph1ECbP2_4zcHWBIwRc_A2AN60IB5XLSTXJsoBdcEyQRppKnyp-DxQih8HsTwE6kJY1GE/s1600/jams.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to Right: Twitterpated, Hostess Exclusive for April, Prissy Plaid, Wild Elephant, and Stone (matte). The Stone I got to wear with my Army Camo (not pictured but also got free!). And I'll probably wear some Prissy Plaid with some Raspberry Sparkle (also not pictured).</td></tr>
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So if you like what you see, and have even a small handful of friends who you think would also have fun with these, get in contact with me and we can set up an online party for you! It's super easy to earn free stuff, there's no pressure to order if you don't want to, and we play some fun games where people can win free samples and things! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvVZw_oz6I9m3bq9TiFRmDLUeN_M7PmfdJlLXp-xePpILbfVKBErbUafv8_hP1bsmFPJ_Qky4iBC5jSUwzyVkeuWOrt010cE64xGw24uC384_9dUCwrtI4TRnkrWhuaW-taN-OID2I3I/s1600/FindingaHost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvVZw_oz6I9m3bq9TiFRmDLUeN_M7PmfdJlLXp-xePpILbfVKBErbUafv8_hP1bsmFPJ_Qky4iBC5jSUwzyVkeuWOrt010cE64xGw24uC384_9dUCwrtI4TRnkrWhuaW-taN-OID2I3I/s1600/FindingaHost.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-83134947291123686292014-04-17T17:14:00.004-05:002014-05-01T10:48:12.228-05:00Two-Minute Molten Chocolate Mug CakeThere are some days where you just need a fix. Most of us recognize it immediately and may try to ignore it, or satiate it with something else but let's be honest. Nothing compares to real chocolate fix, especially not popping a magnesium pill, the common "if you're craving this what you really need is ______" answer to chocolate cravings*. And the warmer and gooier the chocolatey goodness is the better, am I right? I know I am. I won't wait for an answer.<br />
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This fix happens to practically be health food, if we conveniently ignore the fact that it's prepared in a microwave. O_o It's healthy enough that I have no guilt at all eating it pregnant, on a weekday**. No gluten. Barely enough sugar to mention. Good fat. But all the YUM your little heart could desire. I can only imagine what a delightful treat it would be on a splurge day with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or drizzled with a little bit of caramel! Prepared as below, there should only be around 7g of sugar in the entire cake, which I split with my dear beloved (see how much self control I have? He was on the phone with a client and I totally could have gotten away with scarfing down the entire thing before he ever knew there was any food at all to be had). You could do even better than that if you had darker chocolate chips/chunks, made your own like I've done in the past, or omitted that part entirely (but where's the fun in that?).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqWLW9UZPr2KWG5ZO5495wihz7fguEQwKJN3pQ-RQiXy8Dt4UwYXBGC7o5FVW8BkH3hjFxt-XgFh_zj_tEsPmw9hLjefwJ7W2O1URP_c_DY0yuJ18kfqfAyZFWex0QW0JRWdgfEYGaZw/s1600/mugcake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqWLW9UZPr2KWG5ZO5495wihz7fguEQwKJN3pQ-RQiXy8Dt4UwYXBGC7o5FVW8BkH3hjFxt-XgFh_zj_tEsPmw9hLjefwJ7W2O1URP_c_DY0yuJ18kfqfAyZFWex0QW0JRWdgfEYGaZw/s1600/mugcake.JPG" height="400" width="298" /></a>Sorry about the photo. It was too good, I was too hungry, and the fact that any photo at all exists of anything more than the empty cup is kind of amazing. Next time I make this I will try to take a picture of the finished cake, because it's really quite pretty for a microwave mug cake. But for now, this is what you get.<br />
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Another thing I love about this little beauty? The butter in the cake makes it so that it comes out of the mug rather easily, which made sharing a cinch, and would probably also make it a pretty one to "dress up" by inverting it onto a plate and topping it with...something incredible. Or even something moderately exciting like a few slices of strawberry. Also, if you're afraid of raw egg, cook yours a little longer than 1 minute. You'll lose the "molten" part, which was part of what made this so good, but like I said... if you worry about that sort of thing there is an easy solution. I get my eggs from my own very healthy, free-range and semi-free range chickens so I don't worry about a little underdone egg now and then. <b>FUN FACT!</b> Did you know that only about 1 in every 20,000 conventionally "raised" eggs are contaminated with salmonella anyway? Most hens whose ovaries become infected stop laying, so if you wash the shell prior to use, your chances should be essentially nil. You would have to eat 250 eggs a year for 80 years to consume 20,000 eggs over your lifetime anyway so you can see how low your chances of illness probably really are, even if you have to get your eggs from less healthy chickens than a well-cared for backyard flock. The only reason to be cautious about eating raw egg whites with regularity would be due to the discovery that raw egg whites (not yolks! Your daily fried eggs are safe, people! Yolks are actually much healthier raw than cooked) can increase biotin deficiency.<br />
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<b>Two-Minute Molten Chocolate Mug Cake</b><br />
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1 oz unsweetened baker's chocolate, chopped<br />
1 tbsp butter<br />
1-2 tbsp milk (sorry, I wasn't measuring, but this is my best guess)<br />
1 large egg<br />
2-3 tbsp sweetener of choice (mine were a combination of xylitol and several types of stevia)<br />
1/8 tsp salt (again, best guess -- or add more if you like the whole salted-everything fad)<br />
1/4 tsp baking powder<br />
1/4 tsp vanilla<br />
1 tsp instant coffee granules<br />
1 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips<br />
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In a large mug, carefully melt baker's chocolate. My microwave takes a little over a minute to melt 1 oz when I forget to chop it, and is faster than that when I remember (i.e. never). Stir chocolate until smooth. Add butter, then milk, combining each well. Add all remaining ingredients, leaving half the chocolate chips set aside. Stir until egg is fully incorporated. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips and cook in the microwave for 1 minute. Allow to cool slightly, and enjoy!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCo4dUctRKO5IY_TTCP7hjH7l3_WtLuJHH0ZEX86zLHam1qvHe_ytciwT4fr35Z1op_sw4hP6C9Grq7HpXlnm8NVLs1LyJ_WmIsdjFxojA3XgEDR3Vogg_m6fxOTC8zpdTsce1l-CwXg/s1600/moltencake2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCo4dUctRKO5IY_TTCP7hjH7l3_WtLuJHH0ZEX86zLHam1qvHe_ytciwT4fr35Z1op_sw4hP6C9Grq7HpXlnm8NVLs1LyJ_WmIsdjFxojA3XgEDR3Vogg_m6fxOTC8zpdTsce1l-CwXg/s1600/moltencake2.JPG" height="320" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a mug cake my dear husband made for us last night (04.30.14) -- same recipe except he added a little more sweetener and then inverted the cake onto plates for us! It was beautiful, delicious, and as you can see, very molteny! I loved it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pmx9EKyBc_Sa5e7Xlabwa-HPdbNtnhR9SK1CpWt436OyOBIKPP-DL1O6o_LjiudU74d2-N_wgbBDcA2J8xLgpe-mHyMXMk3rlLOr3K2m3qDvOSLMHQUx_ispJw8-niP1fa2pVPWoJ9Y/s1600/moltenmugcake3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pmx9EKyBc_Sa5e7Xlabwa-HPdbNtnhR9SK1CpWt436OyOBIKPP-DL1O6o_LjiudU74d2-N_wgbBDcA2J8xLgpe-mHyMXMk3rlLOr3K2m3qDvOSLMHQUx_ispJw8-niP1fa2pVPWoJ9Y/s1600/moltenmugcake3.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is a freshly made cake -- not as pretty as my first because I accidentally overcooked it (I know, in the microwave? How do you accidentally cook something longer than a minute in the microwave?). But it was still tasty! Just less molteny.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*and I'm telling you right now, magnesium deficiency is not the only reason for a chocolate craving; I take 3 magnesium tablets per day aside from whatever I get in a healthy diet and I still crave chocolate from time to time. So there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">**during the week, especially now that I am pregnant, I try to mostly stay very strict about not eating junk/sugar, but on Sunday do still allow myself a few little splurges like ice cream at night, bun-free fast food burgers for lunch, or some GF cereal or chocolate candy.</span>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-12984086417801106262014-02-17T16:38:00.000-06:002014-04-14T18:00:50.186-05:00"What do you think changed?"Since announcing my pregnancy back in December I've had a lot of people ask me, "What do you think it was that changed?" and every variation of that question you can imagine. Some people are just curious for the sake of curiosity. Others want to know because they have a friend struggling with infertility and when you or someone you love is in the midst of that struggle you will grasp at <i>anything </i>that offers even the slightest glimmer of hope. Some want to tuck the information away in their own minds in case <i>they </i>someday face this heartbreaking trial. Some already are in the middle of that pain. After 3+ miscarriages, followed by years of not conceiving, totally in 5 1/2 years of days and nights of praying fervently that God would <i>someday</i> bless us with a child we could actually hold in our arms, the question really feels so... <i>big</i>.<br />
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Ultimately, we know that it was God. All God. Nothing but God and His infinite wisdom and knowledge and perfect timing. Could He have given us a child sooner? Sure. Did He? No. Why? No clue! But that's okay, because God knows. And God is the author and creator of all things, and I would rather be in His will, pain and all, than outside of it. I won't pretend it didn't hurt. I won't say that all those days and nights, I didn't sometimes question His will. His timing. Or even His love for me. I did. There were times when I would cry so hard I couldn't even ask the question, but He knew. There were times when all I could do is cry, and ask, "Why, Lord? WHY?!" Because it just hurt <i>so bad</i>. There are days when I sit here, thinking about my tiny baby growing now inside my womb after so many prayers and tears and high hopes followed by broken dreams, and I can't help but turn my thoughts towards my dear friends and even women I don't know at all who are still in that struggle. I know I can't make it okay. I can't take away the pain, or give you the child you so desperately long for. But I can give you my prayers. And I can tell you that if it is part of God's plan for you to have that precious little one in your future, while the in between time is hard, it is worth the wait. And suddenly, when it does happen, you realize that right now was the right time. Not before. God always has the best plans, and sometimes His plans hurt a little, sometimes a lot. But He always loves us. Always does everything for a reason, whether we see it right away or not.<br />
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I know even that isn't always as encouraging as we'd like it to be though, when you're at your lowest. You can tell yourself in your head it's all true, and good, but when you're in those darkest moments, it still hurts more than you can say.<br />
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Doing something about it isn't always the answer, and I can't say I have a magic bullet that will work for everyone. But I'd like to tell you a little bit about some of the things we were doing in the months leading up to this precious little one, and hopefully someone somewhere will benefit from this information.<br />
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<b>1.) Have you considered the possibility of having a methylation defect?</b> A significant portion of the population (somewhere between 40-60%) does have some form of this genetic defect (my husband and I both have it), which causes the body to not be able to convert folic acid into methylfolate. Without that conversion, your body will be severely lacking in the very important methyfolate and all the supplementing in the world won't help, because almost all prenatal vitamins and other supplements are the synthetic folic acid instead of folate. Over time this can wreck havoc with your fertility, causing miscarriage, and eventually often progressing to no longer being able to conceive at all. It causes other problems, too, including decreased detox capabilities, which can also cause a host of problems, so whether you're trying to get pregnant or not, or are even female or not, doing something to correct this defect is ideal.<br />
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<b>So what can you do to correct it?</b> Fortunately, correcting this particular gene defect is pretty easy! You just have to take pre-methylated folate! But be careful; you don't want to just take folate without adequate levels of B-12 beforehand or you can make things worse. Ideally, consult a healthcare provider familiar with methylation defect in order to best go about correcting this condition.<br />
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In my case, it was January of 2013 when we began to seriously consider the fact that I likely had at least some degree of methylation defect. I had some of the signs that indicate methylation defect (midline defects such as lip and tongue tie, for example were my primary signs aside from infertility. Other signs include things like sacral dimples, and certain heart conditions) and some of those signs also ran in my family. David had started looking into the issue before I did but once I started digging into it myself I remember calling him one day when he was out somewhere, very excited, doing that whole familiar, "I think this might be it!" thing. Before the month was out, he had me start on a supplementation protocol. After already dealing with infertility for years at this point I was rather impatient. I took my supplements daily for the first 3-4 months and then slacked off a little. I continued to take them at least a few times every week though, "just in case" -- though emotionally I had given up on the idea that that would help after the first few months. See what I mean about impatient? It is a problem that took years to develop; I shouldn't have expected it to fix things overnight!<br />
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<b>2.) We seriously addressed my adrenal fatigue</b>, and not a moment too soon, as testing revealed that I was on the cusp of falling into stage 3 adrenal fatigue! We took a few months off from trying to get pregnant so I could take some supplements that are great for adrenal fatigue, but are contraindicated if pregnant or trying to conceive. Adrenal fatigue can play a significant role in fertility problems as the adrenals are key in hormone production. If you're chronically stressed (and remember, stress comes in MANY forms; just because you love your job does not mean you are not stressed in some way), you'll eventually begin to burn out your adrenals. Your body will then start to express this in the form of a hormone disruption called "pregnenalone steal". For one thing, this means your body will start converting your progesterone into cortisol to try to make you feel better, instead of letting the progesterone do it's job of creating a good environment for implantation to occur, and support a pregnancy if fertilization is successful.<br />
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<b> So how do I fix <i>this</i>?</b> Do some research, look up "adrenal fatigue + infertility" or "pregnanalone steal + infertility" or something along those lines and you'll find a lot of information about this problem. Of course, I cannot vouch for the information you find or the suggested methods of treatment -- like so many things when it comes to our health, a lot of people have an overly simplistic view of things and as a result may not treat adrenal fatigue properly; for your best bet, look for a healthcare provider with a good track record with adrenal fatigue, and ideally, someone who is familiar with the Kalish Method!<br />
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Here is a quick little image to show you how what this hormone cascade looks like:<br />
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<a href="http://www.woman.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Pregnenalone-steal-t-nation.com_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.woman.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Pregnenalone-steal-t-nation.com_.jpg" height="201" width="320" /></a></div>
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For me, we went with a simple version of what my naturopathic doctor (husband!) has learned from Dr. Kalish. We didn't do it for very long, but I felt a positive change in my overall well-being, and I'm sure a few more months on the protocol would have been ideal! However, God had other plans for me and I got pregnant while on the protocol, so we had to halt it entirely for now. Most likely I'll go back on some other variation of an adrenal support protocol after the baby, though it will be pretty limited since a lot of the good herbs for adrenal support are contraindicated during breastfeeding.<br />
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So while this is by no means an exhaustive list of everything we tried (ha ha ha!), it is the two things that we believe were the most likely to have been God's tools in bringing about our precious little baby! Also consider looking into myo-inositol (and be specific, don't just look into "inositol" -- they are different) which is great for ovarian health, and if you have any reason at all to believe you may have PCOS (being overweight is not required, even though that's often the picture presented of women with PCOS), look into some simple things like spearmint tea to help lower your androgens. Also consider looking into <a href="http://lifevantage.com/drostollan" target="_blank">Protandim</a>, if you're infertility is unexplained, or suspected to be due to age related factors. There are no guarantees, but things like high oxidative stress can play a role in all kinds of disease and conditions, and for $50/mo, it's worth a try. It wasn't "the thing" for me, but I have heard testimonials from couples where it <i>was</i>. Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-62324487143057446392014-01-06T16:54:00.000-06:002014-01-06T16:54:03.565-06:00Soup, Summer, Surprise! Okay, several topics for today.<br />
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<b>First off, SOUP</b>. For Christmas my in-laws gave us a Vitamix blender. The funny thing is, my parents did, too. I guess it was just in the air! But we are returning the one from my folks and got a super fun replacement gift already! I'm getting a tad bit distracted though. The point is we got a Vitamix blender. So now we can BLEND ALL THE THINGS!!!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRt2yd6ADyVS91cGseF9he6JXFG1fGY73dWPwAuC6IyWAjIH8IGRq6LrtVxtJl0-_leNE0FKCnT6oZ32Blyjd4JOc5ctjwg0l8bpgxJjUdq-TGlpGpXrQt4pZCZYECyBKjJmvFEBcNvdk/s1600/broccoli-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRt2yd6ADyVS91cGseF9he6JXFG1fGY73dWPwAuC6IyWAjIH8IGRq6LrtVxtJl0-_leNE0FKCnT6oZ32Blyjd4JOc5ctjwg0l8bpgxJjUdq-TGlpGpXrQt4pZCZYECyBKjJmvFEBcNvdk/s1600/broccoli-001.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a>The thing I was most excited about was making broccoli soup like my mom makes with her Vitamix. I tried with my regular blender once.<b> IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS SOUP WITH A REGULAR BLENDER</b>. Trust me, I thought it could work but you simply must have a very high quality blender like the Vitamix in order to really puree the soup. Otherwise you end up with chunky, watery soup with a horrific texture. Just don't even try. Don't.<br />
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So the first thing I did with the blender (after David made a protein shake) was make the beloved broccoli soup! This is the only picture I took of it though before we ate it all up. Yum, yum! This is definitely something I will be making over and over and over again.<br />
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Then today I tried cauliflower soup, and it too was amazing. I am in love. With soup. Sprinkled with a bit of cayenne it was amazing. I wouldn't want to put any meat or anything into it because it seems gross to puree the meat, but it also seems to me that it would be gross to have such a nice smooth, creamy soup, with random chunks of meat in it. No, this soup should be left entirely alone. It is food perfection.<br />
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I'm sure now you'd like to try this amazing soup with all this talk of perfection. It makes getting your veggies in really easy, too, as a serving is about 1/4lb of either broccoli or cauliflower. Talk about healthy! So without further adieu, I give you</div>
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<b><u>Broccoli or Cauliflower Soup</u></b></div>
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Yield: 4 servings</div>
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1 lb broccoli or cauliflower, frozen or fresh (I find frozen easier just because it's pre-chopped but still very inexpensive! I get 1lb frozen broccoli for $0.98)</div>
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1 tablespoon butter</div>
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Water</div>
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Salt</div>
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Pepper</div>
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Garlic (optional)</div>
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Notice the overall lack of measurements? Don't let it scare you if you're a strict recipe follower. I promise this is easy enough without exact measures! </div>
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In a medium saucepan steam, or boil veggies until tender. If boiled, drain (but retain!) the water. Dump your broccoli/cauliflower into the blender, add 1 tablespoon of butter, salt, and pepper, with enough water for the veggies to blend. Add more water as desired until you achieve the thickness (or thinness) you prefer! I like mine thick and add as little water as possible. Add more salt and pepper to taste (I'd guess I add around a teaspoon of salt to mine). </div>
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For the garlic I peeled 4 large cloves and tossed them in the pot with the cauliflower to boil. Easy peasy. But if you don't like garlic (sadness!) you can leave it out. But that will make me sad if you do, so don't tell me you did that. </div>
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See? That's literally all there is to it! My mom has tried it with chicken broth instead of water, and adding some heavy cream to it, but I really like it simple like this. It's easy and cheap! I like the butter for flavor, but also because the fat helps your body to absorb the nutrients in the veggies better! So you really don't want to omit the butter. If you don't have butter, olive oil, coconut oil, or other healthy oils can be substituted just fine! </div>
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<b>Now SUMMER and SURPRISE! </b></div>
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Am I the only one already excited for summer to hurry up and come? I want the blue skies, the green grass, the hours spent in my garden with my hands in the dirt and the sun on my back! The shorts and the tank tops. I am already working on plans for the garden this year and can hardly contain the excitement! I'm going to be adding a fence this year, because my free-range chickens have discovered tomatoes. That would be not good. So it will cost a bit more this year, but it will be worth it -- it will give me plenty of space for cucumbers and other climbing things! Now I have to admit, I have an extra special reason for wanting summer this year. The best reason! That is that I'm going to have a baby this summer! WAHOO!<br /><br />I have never really mentioned it specifically on my blog partially since it is a public blog I never really felt like being that open, but we've had fertility problems since we got married. In the first 12 months of our marriage I got pregnant 3 times (possibly more) only to miscarry every time. After trying to improve my health for over a year after that, we started trying again and for over 2 years, nothing. Then we started seeing a specialist in June and still nothing. But after a total of 5 1/2 really difficult years, we were overwhelmed with the wonderful (and totally unexpected!) blessing of a positive pregnancy test a few days before Christmas! It was the most awesome gift of all, to be sure. Thrilled doesn't begin to describe my feelings. But it's a scary time, too, because of my history. So we're trying hard to take it all one day at a time, and just be thankful for every moment that we have with this precious little baby. Things seem to be going well though, and for that I am so, so very thankful. I am 6 weeks along now, so it's my 2nd longest pregnancy to date thus far. We're praying fervently of course that it ends up the longest of all, with a healthy, happy baby at the end of it! Oh and for the record (because I know some of you will think it!) we were on break from the specialist for Nov/Dec, so no higher-than-average chance of multiples. ;) </div>
Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-51963083187516428862013-12-11T11:12:00.000-06:002013-12-11T13:42:51.381-06:00Salted Christmas CrackWhile I typically try to focus my blog posts mostly on natural/diy/self-sufficiency subjects, or sharing recipes that are for. .. you know, fish soup or beef liver, the holidays are always a fun excuse to throw caution to the wind -- eat some sugar, and maybe even some gluten-grains if it doesn't make your stomach blow-up or your skin break out. Ha!<br />
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Since gluten-grains don't have any <i>obvious </i>negative side-effects on me or my husband, we do allow ourselves treats during the holidays, though we still try to keep them minimal throughout most of the season, really up until the actual week of Christmas when we generally allow ourselves to eat whatever whenever.<br />
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This week though I desperately wanted some Christmas goodies! Half for the taste (<i>DUH</i>), and half for the experience of getting to do a little bit of holiday baking. So I thought about the few "bad" ingredients I have picked up over the last couple weeks in anticipation of this very moment, trying to think of what treat sounded best. <i>Ah! Saltine Cracker Toffee</i>, I tell myself. But of course, I have no saltine crackers in the house (What my brain thought it was doing including ingredients I <i>didn't </i>have, I'll never know when I told it to consider what I <i>did </i>have -- my mind has a mind of it's own. Uh, creepy.). Never one to shy away from a recipe due to missing even a main ingredient, I looked through my cupboard to see what I could substitute. <i>Oatmeal! Yesssss. This will work just fine. </i>So I set to work. I'll show you the end product now, because being the lazy blogger that I am (and anxious to just EAT IT) I forgot to take pictures until practically the end:<br />
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Now you REALLY want it, don't you? Alright. So I won't be one of the recipe bloggers that writes a whole book before getting to the actual recipe. I hate that. It usually makes me look elsewhere for a recipe (laziness again? Oh brother!). The only thing I will add at this point is that you could substitute SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS for the oats I used. Saltine crackers. Gluten-free crackers. Crushed pretzels. Cornflakes. Chopped nuts. Coconut. <i>Toasted </i>coconut. You could probably even leave the toffee portion plain and it would still taste amazing. Just a little less amazing. I am partial to the Saltines though because they give it such a great texture and flavor. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><u>Christmas Crack</u></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">1/2 cup butter</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">1/2 cup brown sugar</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"> Oats/crackers/whatever filling (I used two big handfuls of oats; don't you like my measuring method? It's all about laziness and quick clean up -- easier to brush my hands on a kitchen towel than to wash a measuring cup)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">1/4 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet would be best but all I had was milk chocolate)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">1/4 tsp vanilla extract</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Cayenne pepper (optional)</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Margarita salt (optional)</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Preheat oven to 400°F.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLU4dSYuLSukW_kxNlFHpwPvfRz98UwBqkzirl25qkcTujrGlHz3pnIGkdTo0ZocK0hYuDptRVWbBX7fKtaJThF2mm5qlSv9xVPxpoqX5yA7NZdrxF7QUjopCQ35u9PaHtkwejCZOc1Y/s1600/christmascrack.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLU4dSYuLSukW_kxNlFHpwPvfRz98UwBqkzirl25qkcTujrGlHz3pnIGkdTo0ZocK0hYuDptRVWbBX7fKtaJThF2mm5qlSv9xVPxpoqX5yA7NZdrxF7QUjopCQ35u9PaHtkwejCZOc1Y/s320/christmascrack.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Set aside an 8X8 glass pan, or any other similarly sized bakeware. In a small saucepan combine butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Allow to come to a slow/med boil and continue to boil, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, add vanilla and a very small sprinkle cayenne. Very small. You don't want the end product actually tasting spicy. But trust me, a teensy bit of heat just kind of enhances the flavors (I can't make chocolate anything without a sprinkle of cayenne or chili powder -- please don't start calling me Jesse, please!). Add the mix-in of your choice, stir until well coated and spread on the bottom of an 8X8 pan. Place in 400° oven for approximately 5 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly all over. Remove from oven and allow to sit approximately 3 minutes to cool slightly. Sprinkle with chocolate chips while still warm, allowing it to sit for another 3-5 minutes or until chocolate chips are nice and gooey. Gently spread melted chips over top of the toffee. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000;">Sprinkle generously with margarita salt (unless you used a salty filling like Saltines or pretzels). </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Similar recipes call for a lot more chocolate (like an entire cup), but it's already so very sweet due to all the brown sugar that I like it with less chocolate like this. Which is saying something because I'm a choco-holic. Feel free of course to add more if you so desire! Allow the candy cool completely before cutting or it will fall apart. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Now is the hardest part of all. <b>Try not to eat the entire pan in one day.</b> Good luck! You're going to need it. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></span>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-10532148132011534022013-12-05T11:24:00.000-06:002013-12-05T11:24:04.303-06:00Changin'So for a long, long, looooong time I had been seriously contemplating cutting my hair. Not a trim. Not a few inches, even. But like, seriously whacking most of it off. I had been growing it out, and was close to my favorite length, which is just below the bra strap. But for a variety of reasons, I felt it was time to let go of the hair. The security blanket. <i>If I only feel pretty or feminine with long hair maybe I need to get rid of it in order to gain more self-confidence</i>. Which, yes, I need. Not sure how obvious that is or isn't to those who spend face-to-face time with me but it's something I've struggled with my whole life. I've improved some in the last few years but it's still something I'm working on. And really what adult woman wants to feel like it's <i>only </i>her hair that makes her attractive? That's not right. Not biblical. Our beauty and worth comes from so much more than hair! I know the whole hair-is-your-glory thing, but I don't think that means you have to have waist long hair. So I cut mine. Especially considering my hair is not super-anything. It was just average-ish. My hair isn't thin, but it is fine, which makes it look thinner than it actually is at times because it doesn't have a lot of body (except if I let it air dry but that takes FOREVER so I rarely do) due to the silkiness, and I just never felt confident that I had "good enough" hair to keep it long, even though I almost always <i>did </i>have it long (even as a child I never wanted to cut my hair short, except for that one time when I decided I wanted to look like Marty Stouffer from "Wild America" and how else could I get a beard and mustache if I didn't cut off my hair? He is 65 now, btw. Whaaaa?!).<br />
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There were Other Things that factored strongly into my decision to make the cut. But I won't get into that stuff because I don't wanna.<br />
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So here is the old look (yes, looking at this picture DOES make me miss my longer hair, but I have to remind myself that that was a particularly good hair day; who does profile pictures on bad hair days?):<br />
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And here is the new look (although this is not the best photo, lighting-wise): </div>
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So there you go. I whacked off my hair and so far I don't regret it. Oh yeah, see the "diy" label? Yup, did it myself, and I somehow (miraculously) got it even!</div>
Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-53661781757405287632013-11-14T11:25:00.000-06:002013-11-14T11:25:11.488-06:00Fish Soup<span style="font-size: large;">Fish soup.</span> It's something I have meant to make for a long time. I am not a huge fan of soup unless I can have it with a giant hunk of warm, crusty sourdough bread (waaah! Sometimes I miss the days when I thought wheat was a health food!), but I loooooove, love, love me some fish! Plus I am always on the lookout for ways to up the ante on nutrient density since our grocery budget is small. Anything that packs a big nutritional punch is worth trying at least once in my mind as long as it's also pretty inexpensive! Enter fish soup! I used a pre-packaged fish stock, but if you can get your hands on some fish bones and skins and make your own then all the better! The one I found (50% off at Walmart) was high quality though with no unnecessary additives or colors or anything like that. Just fish and veggies went into making that stock! It was very mildly fishy, too, which I appreciated. I'm a huge seafood freak but I still don't like for fish to taste super fishy.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry I have turned into a phone-photographer. It's a horribly hard habit to break!<br /></td></tr>
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Fish has been getting a bad rap lately due to the continuing problem with radiation leaking from Fukushima. But it's really being overblown by the media and scaring people away from something that is still safe and healthy to eat. Here is a good article explaining why it's nothing to be afraid of <a href="http://chriskresser.com/fukushima-seafood" target="_blank">Fukushima Radiation: Is It Still Safe To Eat Fish?</a></div>
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Like most of the food I make, I didn't use a recipe. I looked at a few to get some ideas but mostly just went with what "felt" right to me. 'Cuz that's how I roll. </div>
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Also you can thicken more "traditionally" with flour if you like, but I wanted this soup to be only moderately creamy, hence the small amount of sour cream and potato starch (plus the whole no-grain thing, you know).</div>
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<b><u>Fish Soup</u></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Makes 4 servings</span></b></div>
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1 quart fish stock (vegetable or chicken stock would probably be a fine substitute)</div>
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1 cup milk*</div>
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2 tablespoons sour cream</div>
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Lemon juice</div>
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Approximately 1 lb mild, white fish (I used 4 whiting fillets) </div>
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2 small-med potatoes, peeled and diced</div>
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1 stalk of celery, chopped (I chopped mine into large pieces but it would have been better with small ones)</div>
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2 large carrots, peeled and chopped</div>
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1 small onion, diced</div>
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4-5 cloves of garlic, minced</div>
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2-4 tbsp butter</div>
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1 tbsp potato starch</div>
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garlic salt</div>
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sea salt</div>
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pepper</div>
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cayenne pepper</div>
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Combine stock, milk, sour cream, and a splash of lemon juice in a small soup pot. Heat to medium-high heat. Meanwhile, add butter to a skillet with potatoes and cook until lightly golden. Add carrots and continue to cook until they are also lightly golden. Add celery and onion and cook until onion is clear. Add cooked veggies to your soup pot then return the skillet to the burner and toss in the garlic, sauteeing just a moment or two. Add to soup. Add garlic salt, salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste (I like to taste the spiciness of the cayenne without it being really obvious). In a small bowl or cup add potato starch and a little water. Add to the soup and bring to a slow boil. Dice fish into 1-2 inch pieces, add to soup pot and boil approximately 10 minutes. Remove from burner and enjoy! </div>
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P.S. I think a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top would be the bees knees! </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*almond milk, half & half, or whatever your preferred "milk" is (heavy cream would be delicious, too, I'm just too tight with my budget to use an entire cup for anything outside of special occasions!)</span></div>
Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-9930075865126670812013-08-23T15:49:00.000-05:002013-10-01T12:23:11.230-05:00Soap Recipes ReviewedSo this week was the week for soap. I ran out of both laundry soap and dish soap at almost the same time. I'm always interested in trying new, cheaper options for such things, and I thought it high time I actually attempt the laundry and dish soap deal, since everybody seems to rave about it so much!<br />
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Sadly, I have no pictures of either soap being made. You'll just have to use your little imaginations this time!<br />
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<b>Dish Soap</b><br />
Pros and Cons?<br />
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Yes, the soap gets sudsy.<br />
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Yes, it smells fabulous (lemon & eucalyptus, people!).<br />
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No, it doesn't leave any streaky, sticky, or smelly residue like I've read so many people complain about with homemade dish soap.<br />
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No, it doesn't dry out my hands, which is important when you hand wash all of your dishes!<br />
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Sounds great, right? Well, so far so good but I do have a few issues with it.<br />
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First off I used most of a bar of castile soap, and the whole batch didn't even fill my little built in soap dispenser bottle. In fact, I think it was just <i>below </i>the halfway mark. So that was a little lame, considering I can get 25oz of natural dish soap by <a href="http://www.vitacost.com/earth-friendly-ultra-liquid-dishmate-natural-pear-25-fl-oz">EarthFriendly </a>for about $3. And I'm pretty sure I fill that little bottle twice with the 25oz? The worst part was how firmly it set up though. I knew it would gel, but this was ridiculous. It clogged my dispenser so badly I thought it was broken. Incidentally, the same amount of castile soap can be used to make 5 full gallons of laundry soap. So... wasteful? Big yes. I don't think dish soap needs to be <i>that </i>concentrated.<br />
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However, if you're in a pinch like I was and are out of dish soap, and would have to wait for days to have the kind you like shipped to you (because you live in a small town and nobody carries a good, natural dish soap), this is a life-saver. So here is the recipe I used, in case you need your life saved like I did. Maybe try adding more water than the original recipe called for and you'll partially ameliorate the problems I had with it (too thick, and didn't make enough for the quantity of soap used).<br />
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<b><u>Homemade Dish Soap</u></b><br />
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1/2 cup lightly packed grated castile soap<br />
1 1/4 cups water <i>(I would try adding another 1/2-1 cup)</i><br />
1 tbsp glycerine<br />
1 tbsp washing soda<br />
10-30 drops essential oils of choice, optional<br />
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Grate castile soap while you bring the water to a boil on the stove. Add soap to water and continue to lightly boil, stirring, until soap disolves. Remove from stove. Add washing soda, stir well. Add desired essential oils. Pour into repurposed containers and allow it to cool completely. Check consistency; if too thick add hot water and shake vigorously. If too thin, try reheating and adding some more washing soda.<br />
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<b>Laundry Soap</b><br />
My intent with the laundry soap was to make the 5 gallons of liquid soap I kept reading about. A friend from church even gave me the borax and washing soda I would need, so I wouldn't have to buy two full boxes for a measly little cupful! <i>Sweetness</i>! But when I went to make said soap, I discovered that I did not, in fact, have a 5 gallon bucket with a lid to store it in. PROBLEMATIC! Where else could I store 5 gallons of soap? Um...? Nowhere, really. So I decided to try powdered laundry soap this time round! It requires most of the same ingredients, and instead of using a cup per load like with the liquid, you use a tablespoon per load. So far I have to say I'm very pleased with the results. Our clothes are coming out fresh and clean and soft. I used Dr. Bronner's Lavender Castile soap bar, and I love the very mild scent it leaves on our clothes. It's so mild in fact, you really have to stick your face in the warm laundry to smell it.<br />
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As the laundry cools down, the scent fades -- this is a good thing as I doubt David would be excited to go around smelling very strongly of lavender all the time! So yes, mildly scented. So much better than a lot of store brands that smell so strong you're sure your brain is being deprived of oxygen just wearing the clothes washed in the junk! The recipe I used makes enough for 32-64 loads depending on how much you use each load, which for us will last us anywhere from 3-6 months. The liquid version would yield around 80 loads, so it is more cost effective and I will be trying it next time. But since I don't have the container/space to store 5 gallons of detergent right now, this seemed like a good alternative! <b>I only wonder, if it contains the same quantity of all the same ingredients except for water, couldn't I probably use less than a tablespoon of the powder, and get the same results I would see with the liquid, without having to store 5 gallons? What do you think? </b><br />
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The recipe I used follows:<br />
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<b><u>Powdered Laundry Soap</u></b><br />
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1 cup borax<br />
1 cup washing soda<br />
1 bar fels-naptha or castile soap, grated<br />
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Grate soap. Combine borax and washing soda. Mix all three ingredients together and store in a quart jar or other container.<br />
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Enjoy!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-76280852945597629762013-06-12T14:12:00.001-05:002013-06-12T14:16:05.894-05:00Tip of the DayIt's that time of year again! When select parts of my body are about 10 shades darker than the rest of me, and my foundation no longer matches my face. Sure, I may look less than picture perfect with my tan lines but this is the best time of year! The BEST! It is currently 90 degrees outside and I've thrown my front door open (complete with a baby gate to keep the dogs inside) to let all that glorious warmth permeate every nook and cranny of my normally cold basement apartment. Ah yes. The time of year when it gets so hot that I can only manage to weed about one row in the garden at a time before I need to come in for a few minutes.<br />
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The garden is now almost complete, though I've been extremely lazy about my last two rows. I mean to plant squash/zucchini and cucumber there, but I keep procrastinating. Because I'm made of awesome like that.<br />
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With the front door open I can hear one of my chickens singing the egg song. Maybe I need to go get that egg soon. It has been about 15 minutes, after all, since I've been outside! We wouldn't want to spend too much time indoors now, would we?<br />
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I'm actually here to share a Tip of the Day (is this the first in a new series? No. But it sounds stupid to simply say I'm here to share A Tip, whereas Tip of the Day somehow sounds...less stupid).<br />
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If you've read much of my blog at all you know that I am an active person. I have a vegetable garden to tend, various other flowerbeds around the yard (often full of herbs and vegetables; I find it hard to plant things with the sole purpose of looking nice; I want it to look nice and provide food for my family, or my animals, or <i>something</i>), 12 chickens, 10 rabbits, 2 dogs, plus housework. I hand wash our dishes probably 95% of the time. So between the animal and yard care, I wash my hands at least a dozen times each day. Add in washing dishes for two throughout the day and...well, you get the picture. I'm not a paint-my-nails type girl, when I know that doing so means my hands will look pretty for a couple hours, and then bit by bit, before the first full day is out, I'll look like a lazy teenager with flaky, chipping nail polish that looks like I applied it a week ago! But regardless of whether or not you garden gloveless like I do, we all know that one of the biggest frustrations with painting our fingernails is how quickly the nail polish begins to peel off! Enter Tip of the Day!<br />
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<img src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/179703_10151650335984450_1845178588_n.jpg" /><br />
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I painted my fingernails on Saturday night. This photo was taken yesterday, but the polish looks just the same now as it did then! At this rate my nails will grow out before the polish chips. So what did I do, you ask? I ran across the idea on Pinterest. I've been fairly disappointed with Pinterest ideas in the past, but this one really worked. All you do is wipe your nails with vinegar prior to painting! And tada! I am rather pleased with this. :)<br />
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-77235900043207622692013-05-27T14:33:00.000-05:002013-05-27T14:58:15.213-05:00More Bunny-talkIt's turning out to be a nice afternoon! I am glad for this, as one of our neighbors is having a Memorial Day block party we're going to at 5PM. A few hours ago I thought we'd all be washed away there was so much rain and darkness, and now the rain has gone and the sun is making an appearance. This pleases me very much and reminds me that no matter how dark and hopeless things may feel in a moment, you never know what God intends to surprise you with the next.<br />
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Remember my last post where I told you all that we'd be getting meat rabbits soon? We ought to be getting them next week, and even have one of them picked out already! Yesterday we managed to get our hands on some free cages (praise the Lord for His awesome timing yet again!), that we'll be able to use as temporary tractors, and hope to eventually convert into full-time residences for the little bun-buns.<br />
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But you know what I'm really excited about? The fact that I have 10 little Lionhead rabbits sitting in my apartment as I type away! Oh yes, once again the Lord proves how He cares about even our seemingly insignificant hopes and dreams, and provided us with 10 Lionheads (+ $85 cage, feeder bin, and water bottle) for $75. Granted, 8 of them are babies, but that will just make them all the easier to sell in 3 weeks when they're weaned! I am quite excited about this development, even if that does mean having rabbits in the house for now (the adults are only inside for the day, due to the weather and not having a proper set-up for them outside quite yet).<br />
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As a child I raised rabbits with my sisters and parents. I forgot how fast these adorable little critters grow, however. One week ago when we purchased the bunnies the babies had been born that very morning. They were extremely small and hairless and really pretty ugly except for the fact of being a baby animal (seriously, I can't help but love babies, whether human or animal). Now, one week later they are covered in soft, shiny fur, and oh-so-adorable and getting more so by the day! We're starting to snuggle and love on them as much as we reasonably can, so that they'll make wonderful, loving little pets, too.<br />
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So there's my exciting news for the week! And next week we should be able to get our other rabbits.<br />
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Oh yeah, and I haven't mentioned our new chickens, either. We have 12 (had 7 before) after I found 2 1/2 mo old Buff Orpingtons for $4 each. They're probably 3 1/2 mo old now and doing great, though I'm anxious for them to be big enough to go in (safely) with my "mean" chickens.<br />
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So there is my little mini-hobby farm update. Now check out my cuties!<br />
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There are 8 babies altogether, and 5 of them are double maned, which just means they'll be fuzzier than the single maned (makes sense, yeah?). </div>
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Daddy, Mr. Wicket (he was already named "Wicket" presumably after the Ewok, but I thought the "Mr" made it cuter): </div>
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Mama, Fiona (also "prenamed"), who is single-maned, but also missing a lot of her mane because she pulled out what she had for her two back-to-back litters: </div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-46543923070531263062013-05-03T14:56:00.003-05:002013-05-27T14:09:48.531-05:00BunniesSo our next big move in our effort to become more self-sustaining is rabbits. No, I don't really plan to kill and butcher cute little fuzzy bunnies. I get sad when my fish die, for crying out loud, and they're just little goldfish!<br />
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Our intent is to breed and sell Californian/New Zealand cross rabbits, and sell most of the babies to people looking for pets, or to start their own colony of meat rabbits. When they don't sell, we'll <i>considering </i>butchering them. Yikes. O_o<br />
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Like everything related to becoming more self-sustaining, it can take time to get used to the idea. Instead of having our meat arrive in our grocery cart, killed, cleaned, and cut into convenient sizes, going from a doe with a passel of kits, watching them grow and change, and then doing the killing and all the prep work yourself? Well. For someone who looooooves animals, it isn't easy to think about, as much as I love meat. Even my husband who spent his younger years (and a few of his older, married years) hunting, killing, and butchering deer and such, isn't especially keen on the idea if it can be avoided at this point. We would both rather sell the babies and use the proceeds to buy good quality meat from the store. ;) And because of where we live, we will be able to grow them up in the most natural, humane way, which does make it easier (and cheaper! They'll get at least 75% of their diet from our yard which = free!). They'll have normal happy lives, up until the point when they become sustenance for me and my husband or we sell them (hopefully mostly the latter rather than the former).<br />
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A friend of mine who raises rabbits just had three does kindle the other day. So now that there are babies to choose from, it's just a matter of waiting for them to be weaned, which should be around 4-5 weeks from now I think. I am incredibly anxious to get them! The really fun part is that the breeding pair get to be pets. I pretty much always had pets growing up and it was so strange getting married and having none! Over the last year and a half-ish we've been working to rectify that situation and I am LOVING it. In the summer of 2011 we still had no pets at all, and are now the happy owners of 2 dogs and 7 chickens. The rabbits are going to be a really fun addition to that group!<br />
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<a href="http://talisienlionheads.webs.com/Talisien%20Shockwave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://talisienlionheads.webs.com/Talisien%20Shockwave.jpg" width="240" /></a>After we get going with the meat rabbits, I want to get lionhead rabbits to breed and sell for pets. They're precious and I feel that I must have some. Ha! I mean, seriously, how adorable is that face? I'm not sure I'll really go through with it though, once all is said and done. I have so many other plans for this year (including breeding at least one of our dogs if we can find a suitable sire), and feel that the lionheads, while you can sell them for more per bunny, are just not as practical, being pet-only material. If you have some you can't sell for whatever reason, are you really going to eat <i>that</i>? Two or three pounds (NOT dressed out!) of fur and cuteness? Probably not, short of an unexpected zombie apocalypse that leaves us all in hiding and unable to purchase food at the grocery store anymore. Right? Yeah. My thoughts exactly. However, a girl can dream, and in my dreams, I'll get lionheads someday just because they're so squishibly cute! Maybe whenever we have some land of our own, and I have the freedom/ability to do <i>whatever</i> I want with animals. My in-laws are incredibly relaxed about letting us have animals here, but I'll just feel better when it's my own space, especially when it gets to where I have so many that aesthetics are an issue. You know? Yeah.<br />
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Well. I guess that's all I have for now. I am just so excited that I had to babble a bit about bunnies before I burst.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-19480726772332258182013-03-29T10:17:00.000-05:002013-04-27T13:57:23.334-05:00ChickensWell I haven't been away for as long as I thought I had! I managed to write a brief post back in February. Go me!<br />
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Where have I been that I have been so out of touch with you, my dear readers? Around. But away from the computer (is that a sufficiently vague answer?). No, the fact of the matter is that my husbands laptop went kaput, and as his work is more vital to our survival than my blogging, he got to have my laptop until we were able to get his fixed. So for months I had access to the internet via my phone almost exclusively. It was actually sort of nice in some ways. But I am glad to have my trusty little friend back, and my husbands computer is now repaired and he is happy as a clam, too.<br />
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Somehow, though, in spite of the fact that I have posted a few times over the last few months, I seem to have neglected to mention that we now have chickens, aside from the very casual mention in my last post? This has been a huge deal in our lives, as the care of these chickens has not gone nearly as smoothly as it ought. I grew up with chickens. I thought, before we got ours, that I knew just how to care for them; all of their needs for survival and thriving. Let me tell you, if you had chickens as a child and remember it as easy and carefree? Your parents were probably shielding you from the harsh reality of chicken raising.<br />
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Admittedly, we have had a harder time with our chickens than is normal, by all accounts (and most of my friends have had chickens for years and do indeed assure me that we have had an unusually difficult go of it thus far). But it is work. Not just dressing the chickens up in your clothes and watching them try to walk while their feet are caught in your stretchy, hot-pink leopard print pants.Yes, I was that child. And no, my parents didn't know. Just like they didn't know that I tried to poke their butts with sticks. If they had known, I'm pretty sure I would have been disciplined in one way or another, and deservedly so. Overall I was good to the chickens. But I had my not-so-nice-foolish-child moments. Raising chickens as an adult is different. But I have really enjoyed it overall, in spite of the difficulties we've had. I love animals. I love having them. I love caring for them. I love to sit on the patio and just watch them <i>be</i>. I find it extremely relaxing.<br />
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But what are those difficulties I mentioned, you may ask? Well we've purchased (or been given) a total of 13 chickens since last summer. We are now down to 7. Tell you anything? We're not eating them.<br />
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They're eating each other.<br />
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It's gross, but true. With the exception of the first that died, and the last that died, they killed each other (oh, and there was the one rooster my friend gave us - that we all thought was a hen at first - that we suspect was the main killer, so we gave him away and then he was killed a few days later by a dog). Chickens are horrid little creatures, really. We had been given 5 beautiful chickens from a sweet, sweet friend who bought them as chicks, raised them with her own chicks to a few months old, and gave them to us for free. And even threw in a little food and scratch. We are so blessed by so many people! We really wanted a few more than 5 though, especially after we found out 1 was a rooster (built our chicken tractor large enough for 12 and loved the idea of being able to provide eggs for my in-laws as well as ourselves), so during the next chick day at our local feed and supply store, picked up 4 more chicks (one being a bantam "for fun"). And kept them in our hallway in a box because it was getting cold outside and even with a light I didn't want to risk their little lives. Then a few weeks later I found a local source less than a mile away and we bought 4 more. At that point we had already lost one of our chicks (she was just small and weak from the start and died for no "apparent" reason a few days after we got her). The other chicks were thriving, as were the older chickens we were given. Weeks went by and as the chicks got close to being fully feathered, I began to try to integrate them into the existing group. Bad, bad plan. It seemed to go alright at first. I would put them in the tractor with the others and stay with them, to make sure nobody was too mean to anybody else. After a few days of that, I left them alone. That night we had our first, unexpected freeze, and my little bantam chicken froze to death. I had a ton of guilt (and more tears!), and a few days later we had some friends over for lunch and the husband went out to look at the tractor and came back saying, "Did you know know you have a bald chicken in here?" Um. No? The older chickens had attacked (possibly after she injured herself; the sight of blood to a chicken is apparently on par with the sight of blood to a vampire). We took the poor little chicken up to the house and nearly put her down, she was in such bad shape. But we decided to try nursing her back to health! We unintentionally dubbed her "baldy", and she began to heal. A day or two later, the next chicken was attacked. We tried the same care methods with her, but very shortly after she was injured, we realized she was going to die. She was more badly hurt than "baldy" -- all the muscle had been torn from the back of her neck, along with the skin and feathers, where baldy had just been the feathers and skin. We realized that the younger chickens were in danger if we left them all together, but we hoped that that would be the last of it. It wasn't. They killed my pet chicken, Alice, who was one of the friendliest chickens I've ever known. She liked to sit on my lap or my shoulder and just hang out with me rather than the other chickens. We realized (finally?) that this simply wasn't working, so we removed the remaining younger chickens from the tractor and back to the unfortunately small cage they had been raised in. Our most recent death was baldy. She had recovered beautifully from her injuries. We sprayed her head often with <a href="http://www.reforminghealth.com/ACS-200-Extra-Strength-4-oz_p_12.html">ACS 200 Silver</a>, and not only did all of her skin grow back, but so did her feathers! But a few days ago David went out one evening to check on them and found her dead in their food trough. We don't know what happened. I had been out less than an hour prior and she was fine. Hadn't been acting strange or anything.<br />
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So all of that long-windedness to say... it hasn't been easy. I am enjoying most of it though and actually want to get more chicks this spring, but I don't think David will go for that. We are still to this day working on trying to integrate our two flocks together. Anytime it's not snowing and/or freezing outside I let both groups out to free range in the yard, and they seem to do well enough with each other out there. Sometime in the next week or so I plan on sneaking the younger hens into the hen house in the middle of the night, as that is supposed to be the best way to add new chickens to your group. We are hoping it will work! I'm also going to add some "toys" to their yard that same night so they have something new and interesting to distract themselves with the morning they wake up to a group of newcomers. I'm crossing all my fingers that it will go better this time -- especially now that my australorps are full grown! They're no longer the tiny ones to pick on, but just as big as my EE's.<br />
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And now I will leave you with a few pictures:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6-sk43LPwWdsvsjxk0BunyptX03n1aUr00B6dqxsv12rzsKjVgx01bohGIKqXQwpPhfLgURUeQgAaaz6HJa5tAJ6HD46WdJ5t0UG_We4Wr_R2rqDbyXCA3JFI_96yD2NAzXnUJOAfH8/s1600/DSC_0132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6-sk43LPwWdsvsjxk0BunyptX03n1aUr00B6dqxsv12rzsKjVgx01bohGIKqXQwpPhfLgURUeQgAaaz6HJa5tAJ6HD46WdJ5t0UG_We4Wr_R2rqDbyXCA3JFI_96yD2NAzXnUJOAfH8/s400/DSC_0132.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> David, feeding the chickens with our nieces, Evlyn, Gwen, and Lily, and his dad. The chicken tractor wasn't finished at this point. It now has a proper roof, has been primed (for painting this spring), and has wheels for easy moving.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YudUu2NZUKyJ4AJx2PlKiRNLoaOhwO1H0T0WW44XS2am49RCPfKimNYVnnNiAfExhiYSZzA5DlLIGgP1Q9Dc7Om8qnb0RkyhOLdTiYttTMlla7fkl5dcgYd-h3xPauyuWQUuKEVgFFE/s1600/DSC_0272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YudUu2NZUKyJ4AJx2PlKiRNLoaOhwO1H0T0WW44XS2am49RCPfKimNYVnnNiAfExhiYSZzA5DlLIGgP1Q9Dc7Om8qnb0RkyhOLdTiYttTMlla7fkl5dcgYd-h3xPauyuWQUuKEVgFFE/s320/DSC_0272.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miso, watching my bantam chick, Camilla.</td></tr>
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By the way, we also have another dog now, which I think I neglected to mention, too. We got her last summer, around the same time we got the chickens! She is Miso's sister -- from another litter, almost exactly 1 year younger than Miso. She is full grown now and a little bigger than Miso. Pretty much the most fabulous little dog ever.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLw0kMGCoy8eZ4Cyw6BjxACJ523xIgg65WBRvxobGQmZCZJWWfFUj3StRXU5ruWeAz8XHry-wSJZZjUY4oBVU-elJnAEjm_Seb-WikXq1YNw2HfmJ8zrocMJhWXyVM_x2Y38m7QRdTs_0/s1600/DSC_0096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLw0kMGCoy8eZ4Cyw6BjxACJ523xIgg65WBRvxobGQmZCZJWWfFUj3StRXU5ruWeAz8XHry-wSJZZjUY4oBVU-elJnAEjm_Seb-WikXq1YNw2HfmJ8zrocMJhWXyVM_x2Y38m7QRdTs_0/s320/DSC_0096.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nori, about 10 weeks old.</td></tr>
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Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-33086728894581241812013-02-21T16:04:00.000-06:002013-02-21T16:04:13.658-06:00Egg On My Face<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have egg on my face</span>. Well. No. I <i>had</i> egg on my face. Literally I did. A friend of mine started using the cracked eggs from her backyard chickens for personal beautification. Hair masks. Face masks. Maybe other things, too. I thought she was smart not to let them go to waste, but told her we "pretty much never have cracked eggs anymore, since the last chicken figured out how to use the nestbox." This of course is a good thing, in general, as I would rather have food than beauty products given the choice (who wouldn't?). But I am human, and female at that, so I do care about my appearance! So the very next day after I told my friend that we don't get cracked eggs now, I found -- you guessed it -- a cracked egg. I was excited to get to try this out! The egg had been laid outside of the box, and froze (I nearly typed "to death" but considering it wasn't alive to begin with, this would be difficult), thus creating a nice little split down nearly one entire side of the egg. On this bitterly cold, snowy day, I decided to pamper myself with a face and hair mask and a nice long shower. I admit, one egg was not enough to fully do both. My hair is long and I had to mostly just do the ends and then stick to the outer layer for the rest of my hair. My hair is still wet so I don't know what to tell you about that yet, but my face feels wonderful! I think it looks pretty good, too. I was going to share a photo with you all, but for whatever reason my phone is refusing to cooperate and I cannot send it to myself at the moment. Maybe later!<br />
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Some benefits of egg masks are:<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Skin tightening;</b> it reduces the appearance of fine lines and some compare it to a temporary face-lift.</li>
<li><b>Reduces oiliness;</b> supposedly the egg whites in particular are good for drawing oil out of the skin so if you are prone to oiliness, this could provide some relief for you! </li>
<li><b>Whitehead reduction;</b> according to Acnetalks.com, regular egg white masks with a dash of lemon will help remove those annoying whiteheads, the result of pores getting clogged with oil residue and other debris. </li>
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To make an egg mask you can choose one of several methods. Either separate the yolk from the white and beat the white until frothy and then apply (optionally adding some lemon juice for additional cleansing and tightening/brightening of the face). Allow to dry completely, 15-20 minutes approximately. You can follow the egg white mask with a yolk mask, or discard the yolk and just use the white. Personally, I can't waste something that's perfectly good, so I chose to mix up the entire egg at once and use both the egg white and yolk on my face, and what was left on my hair. </div>
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Enjoy!<br />
Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-43712353816148699892012-12-03T11:29:00.001-06:002012-12-22T10:23:15.649-06:00LifeVantage: "Bright Light in a Dark Economy"The last time I wrote about LifeVantage was mostly about the supplement, Protandim. I was new to it, newly experiencing changes in my health that I desperately needed, and uber excited. Now here we are more than 6 months later. So much has happened since then! I am still uber excited, but for more than just the positive changes in my health! I am still experiencing all the things I discussed in my <a href="http://naturalhousewifery.blogspot.com/2012/05/protandim-in-real-life.html">previous post</a>, plus a few more. For example, I've had a small spot of psoriasis on the back of my scalp for as long as I can remember. I can recall as a small girl when it would flare up I would sometimes scratch it until it bled, just trying to get the itching to stop for a few minutes! Shortly after my last post on this subject, I realized that that spot hadn't itched in quite a while. Even when we visited my family in Texas and ate very poorly (you know, junk food and the holidays!) nothing! No itching at all! So another positive change in my health! Obviously, we are not allowed to make claims (aside from the fact that it reduces oxidative stress in 100% of people by 40% or more within 30 days! FDA approved statement, that!); I'm not saying it was definitely the Protandim that has done all of these amazing things for me. But! It is the only thing I've been doing differently during this time period. So infer as you may.<br />
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The title of this post, by the way, is an indirect quote I heard from someone at a meeting the other night (she said she was quoting from "Wall Street"-something but I don't want to make assumptions since I didn't quite catch where she was saying it came from).<br />
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You know what else has been truly incredible about being involved in this company? The business! The people! When we got involved initially with this company it was for the product, and the product alone. We wanted to take the Protandim ourselves and use the TrueScience (skin cream containing the ingredients of Protandim plus a few others). We also really wanted to be able to offer this product to David's clients, so we chose to become involved with the company as a business on the off-chance that we <i>might</i> actually make some money at the same time that we help people by getting them started on the products. This has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever been blessed enough to be a part of, and as Jackie Sheppard (Pro 8, research expert on metabolism/learning disabilities in adolescents) says, <b><i>I would work for this company for free, I've seen such amazing things happen</i>!</b> It is absolutely true. The money <i>is</i> a very positive side benefit though and I am so incredibly thankful that God has brought this opportunity to us, and that He brought it now, when we needed it so badly. I am not exaggerating when I say we were getting into a desperate situation and needed something else. Something consistent and meaningful that we could count on. David's business is getting a slow start in this awful economy and we would not be making it financially right now if it were not for this company. I just can't even tell you how blessed we feel to be a part of it, here and now. We have seen so many people benefit from the products and the business. This company is literally changing peoples lives, and it is indescribable to get to be a part of that, to get to be God's instrument in bringing better physical and financial health to so many friends and family, and even total strangers. And because so many of our friends are involved too, it gives us even more opportunity to spend time with them, get to know them even better, and be blessings to one another helping each other learn and grow in the business. It's just plain old FUN to do.<br />
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I just... I feel like these words are so inadequate. How can I make you all understand how I truly feel about this experience? What a... rewarding and amazing thing God has brought to us, giving us the ability to help so many. People that we would have no chance to be helping otherwise! We have people signed up we don't even know at all, people in Canada, for Pete's sake! And this just keeps getting bigger and bigger, reaching more and more people, helping more and more people. A friend of ours in the business is a missionary and he says he is excited about this opportunity partially because it gives him the ability to help so many more than he'd be able to otherwise, even with all his years of mission work. And he's doing well enough in the company that he is able to fund many other missionaries, and will eventually be able to get back into the field himself, due to God's provision through LifeVantage.<br />
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So, so good. And so, so fun. :) Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-23465479427022452452012-10-13T11:56:00.000-05:002012-10-13T12:05:44.280-05:00The Goodness of Liver<span style="font-family: inherit;">I love liver. Love it. What's that you say? I'm crazy? Well. Maybe. Crazy or not, I love it. I like it prepared all sorts of ways. Chicken liver p<em style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">âté is one of the best foods ever, especially with rice crackers. There are a lot of health benefits to eating liver, too, so if you can find a way to enjoy (or at least not dislike) it, do! It's inexpensive, to boot, due to American's general distaste for it, so you can have one of the most nutrient dense foods around for an average of less than $3/lb (here it's around $2.75/lb or so unless we're talking chicken liver, then it's around $1.50/lb). Most cultures actually prize liver for its great health benefits. I even read about one culture that views it so highly humans cannot touch it with their hands! They have special sticks that they move it about with. That may be taking it way too far, but the cultures that prize liver above steak really know their stuff. Liver contains more nutrients gram for gram than any other food in the world. See why it's so special? In cultures where food is more scarce than America, the most nutrient dense foods are rightly the most sought after. Liver is high in:</span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></em></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Protein</span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Vitamin A</span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Vitamin K</span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">B Vitamins</span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Iron</span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">CoQ10</span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></em></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">And more! And all of these nutrients are highly bio-available in liver, too, truly making it the best natural source of these nutrients.</span></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></em></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;">The Weston A Price foundation writes, "</span></em></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.7em;">Liver’s as-yet-unidentified anti-fatigue factor makes it a favorite with athletes and bodybuilders. The factor was described by Benjamin K. Ershoff, PhD, in a July 1951 article published in the</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.7em;"> </span><em style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.7em;">Proceedings for the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.7em;">.</span><br />
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Ershoff divided laboratory rats into three groups. The first ate a basic diet, fortified with 11 vitamins. The second ate the same diet, along with an additional supply of vitamin B complex. The third ate the original diet, but instead of vitamin B complex received 10 percent of rations as powdered liver.</div>
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A 1975 article published in <em>Prevention</em> magazine described the experiment as follows: "After several weeks, the animals were placed one by one into a drum of cold water from which they could not climb out. They literally were forced to sink or swim. Rats in the first group swam for an average 13.3 minutes before giving up. The second group, which had the added fortifications of B vitamins, swam for an average of 13.4 minutes. Of the last group of rats, the ones receiving liver, three swam for 63, 83 and 87 minutes. The other nine rats in this group were still swimming vigorously at the end of two hours when the test was terminated. Something in the liver had prevented them from becoming exhausted. To this day scientists have not been able to pin a label on this anti-fatigue factor."</div>
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Isn't that fascinating? I think so. Eating 4 oz of liver twice weekly is ideal. David and I try to make that goal and recently I came up with a new method for preparing liver that even he loves, whereas before he ate it because he knew it was healthy, not because he thoroughly enjoyed it. The "recipe" is a little vague, because that's just the way I cook, but I'll share it anyway and whatever slight variations you may make, I'm sure it will still be delicious as well as nutritious! </div>
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<b><u>Spicy Liver & Onions</u></b><br />
Serves 2<br />
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Two slices beef liver, approximately 4oz each<br />
around 1/4 cup rice flour<br />
Seasoned Salt<br />
1 med/lrg onion, sliced<br />
1-2 jalapeno peppers, sliced<br />
2-3 tbsp coconut oil<br />
Pinch of brown sugar<br />
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Preheat a skillet with coconut oil in it to medium heat; combine rice flour with a few shakes of Seasoned Salt (I envision myself sprinkling the Seasoned Salt on either side of each slice of liver, to get the appropriate amount; this has worked great for me so I never bother to measure). Dredge both sides of the liver in flour/salt mixture. When pan is hot, add liver. Allow to cook, undisturbed around 3-4 minutes, depending on the heat of your stove. Lift a side and check for dark/golden brown color. Once it's dark/golden flip it and cook it another 2-3 minutes or until the same color on that side. Remove from pan to a cooling rack. Add sliced onion to the pan, along with the pinch of brown sugar. Allow to cook until they begin to soften, then add jalapenos and continue to cook a few more minutes or until jalapenos begin to lose their bright green color. Top liver with onion/jalapenos and serve immediately. Delish!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-65708770935878861162012-10-05T14:02:00.000-05:002012-10-05T17:47:38.935-05:00Apple-Pear Spice MuffinsThis time of year it is impossible not to want to enjoy those warm, nostalgic fall foods like apple pies, muffins, chicken and dumplings! But what are you to do if you're now eating grain-free? You can call it a fad-diet if you want to (and many do), but what anyone who has suffered themselves to go grain-free knows is that it is worth it, and while it may in fact be the current fad, for those of us who are serious about our health, we'll likely be avoiding grains to varying degrees for the rest of our lives!<br />
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But. As healthy as I believe going grain-free is I still <i>want</i> those comfort foods from my childhood that we'd bake in the fall; those things that filled the entire house with their intoxicating scent, and warmed the very cockles of our hearts (seriously, my cockles are warming and fuzzy just thinking about the autumn delights of days gone by!). All the lovelies filled with the sweet warmth of cinnamon and ginger, the apples and pears baked to perfection in golden flaky crusts; so soft and tender (never mushy), the pumpkins and even the savory stews slow cooked in the crock pot until the meat was so tender you could cut it with a spoon, and served with a huge homemade biscuit, so fluffy and buttery you could eat it plain. Ah, those were the days! Ignorant bliss! When I thought that eating a whole wheat cracker was one of the healthiest things I could do for myself! *sigh*<br />
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Yesterday was rather chilly (though nothing compared to today! 2PM and 45 degrees!) and put me in such a mood for all things autumnal. I lit pie scented candles, I brewed spiced pumpkin coffee, and then when those things were not enough to satisfy, I threw together a recipe for grain-free muffins that were certain to assuage my need for sweet spiced perfection! I based it on my chocolate muffin recipe but omitted the chocolate and replaced it with a variety of spices. I also left out the flax because I'm running low and have two orders to fulfill for my Etsy shop on Monday morning. So really there is very little about it that is the same as my chocolate muffin recipe, but I digress! Back to the yummies at hand: By the time I was halfway through and had all the dry ingredients combined I was ready to sit down and eat it just as it was, so sweet and spicy was the dry mixture! Yes I did taste it. This is how one must bake when they bake without a recipe in hand, you see? So without further blatherings, here is the thing that you desire:<br />
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<b><u>Apple-Pear Spice Muffins</u></b><br />
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Dry Ingredients:<br />
6 tbsp almond flour (I like Honeyville Grains blanched almond flour best)<br />
1 tbsp coconut flour<br />
3 tbsp stevia powder (I use Stevia in the Raw)<br />
2 tbsp Ideal Brown (Ideal brand is the only one I know of that makes "brown sugar" xylitol)<br />
1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/4 tsp ginger<br />
pinch of allspice<br />
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Combine dry ingredients together, set aside.<br />
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Wet Ingredients:<br />
1 egg<br />
2 tbsp chunky applesauce<br />
1 tbsp butter, melted<br />
1 tsp molasses*<br />
1/2 -1 tsp vanilla<br />
2 slices of pear, cut into small chunks (I had small homegrown pears on hand from a friend and used the half that didn't have bug holes in it, but I think that half of a pear would work out to about 2 slices of a regular sized/store bought pear)<br />
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Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl, including pear. Combine with dry ingredients and spoon into prepared mini muffin cups. I didn't grease my liners and perhaps should have; the muffins did stick just a bit to them, though not terribly.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Also, I realize that the Ideal Brown is not a common household product, even for those who try to keep their sugar intake low. I have it because of my <a href="http://www.goodnosh.etsy.com/">etsy shop</a>, but if you don't have it as I suspect, you could use regular xylitol, or other sweetener of choice and add just a tad more molasses and it ought to turn out well.</span><br />
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Yield: 12-14 mini muffins<br />
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*I am aware that I called these sugar free and then added molasses, but 1 tsp only has about 3 1/2g sugar in it, so divided between 12-14 muffins, I think that still qualifies.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-24351692632323742622012-07-25T13:03:00.002-05:002012-07-25T13:20:38.668-05:00On The Subject of Kale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yes, that is what our "grass" looks like right now (sorry I've fallen victim to the demon Instagram; I'm trying hard not to over-use the filters and such -- but they're awful fun!). Pretty sad, I know (and no, it has nothing to do with kale, but I just had to mention it because it makes my plant loving heart so sad to see it looking like this!). And a dramatic difference from last year when it looked like this at the end of summer (and we thought the little drought we went through last year was tough):</div>
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So lush and green! And my herbs (behind my in-laws cat that yes, is about to attack my sweet little puppy) looked lush and wonderful, too, whereas this year they're barely hanging on and constantly wilted and pathetic. It all makes me sad. We desperately need rain. And lots of it. There are cracks in the ground outside big enough to lose our dog in, just about. I've nearly twisted my ankle in them a couple times, too. Gotta be careful out there! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDiqH8TxjHcrLSwqJktTsa1uZZafGMxJVhyzDD4fHce10KySFgCCG2iKJY10ZCLMByAiytLqV4xA6MDr9zTf6_wRUzL8eMR9c3Mvr7JwgTzPMHuUEBSgeropcmKD7edk8n6CIVS-6Z4Gc/s1600/photo+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDiqH8TxjHcrLSwqJktTsa1uZZafGMxJVhyzDD4fHce10KySFgCCG2iKJY10ZCLMByAiytLqV4xA6MDr9zTf6_wRUzL8eMR9c3Mvr7JwgTzPMHuUEBSgeropcmKD7edk8n6CIVS-6Z4Gc/s400/photo+(3).JPG" width="400" /></a>Anyway, that's not really the point of this post. This post is about kale! I love kale. It's so pretty and dark green and leafy. It's packed full of nutrients, too. Did you know that one serving of kale is a good source of dietary fiber, protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, and Phosphorus, and is also a good source of vitamin A, C, K, B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper, and Manganese, according to <a href="http://nutritiondata.com/">NutritionData.com</a>? If you can get your hands on organic kale, then all the better, as it graces the EWG's <a href="http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/">list of produce most heavily sprayed with pesticides</a>, and is potentially even more dangerous than the items on the main list -- the leafy greens, kale, collards, and also green beans have gotten special mention this year as they "<span style="color: #363636; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">did not meet traditional Dirty Dozen </span><sup style="color: #363636; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">™</sup><span style="color: #363636; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">criteria but were commonly contaminated with highly toxic organophosphate insecticides. These insecticides are toxic to the nervous system and have been largely removed from agriculture over the past decade. But they are not banned and still show up on some food crops."</span><span style="background-color: white;">. So if you're going to avoid anything conventionally grown, it looks like green beans and leafy greens are it! But one thing I love so much about the EWG's list is that they make the distinction that eating even conventionally grown produce is better for your health than avoiding it entirely just because you can't afford to go all organic. EAT YOU FRUITS AND VEGGIES! If you can't afford anything organic, eat them anyway! The risks of not doing so outweigh the risk of consuming things sprayed with pesticides. Their list is helpful though; they offer the "Dirty Dozen" and the "Clean 15" -- the former simply being the produce you would do best to buy organic </span><i style="background-color: white;">if you can</i><span style="background-color: white;"> and the </span><span style="background-color: white;">latter being the produce you can most safely consume non-organic. But back to kale! </span><span style="background-color: white;">It makes me really, really happy to see it growing in my garden, even if I am having to water a lot more often than I'd like just to keep it alive. I don't buy organic seed, but it is organically grown. I use DE and other natural methods (like squishing!) when I have a pest problem, and fertilize with things like decomposed manure, coffee grounds, and epsom salts. I love gardening 100% safely, naturally, the way God intended! Companion planting is another great way to reduce pest problems, though I've only lightly dabbled in that yet, as there is <i>much</i> to learn and I'm still in the early stages of learning.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3F8qR4rHLkiQTXCJF4WZI1s8sYIBQaQZ6ssTHB3fkuMTE22J8lSnCjKXdY1rK7UuqV10ntTsx5mQ02mE3Wlh9wgqa18i0LKBgEr07ci5ienRQQ8qnB2RqI-CpkoHwYidWvD7vElULJ9I/s1600/photo+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3F8qR4rHLkiQTXCJF4WZI1s8sYIBQaQZ6ssTHB3fkuMTE22J8lSnCjKXdY1rK7UuqV10ntTsx5mQ02mE3Wlh9wgqa18i0LKBgEr07ci5ienRQQ8qnB2RqI-CpkoHwYidWvD7vElULJ9I/s400/photo+(2).JPG" width="400" /></a>My favorite thing to do with kale is make it into kale chips! They are so good they're practically like junk food, except that it's not! I love foods like that. It is addictive and I easily sit down and eat an entire batch by myself if I'm not careful to set some aside for David. Here is some I made this morning (yes, kale in the morning! Kale in the noontime! Kale at suppertime! Kale, kale, kale, all the time!).</div>
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There are all kinds of ways to make kale chips; if you look online you'll find many methods from high heat for a short time, to low heat for a long time, and all kinds of seasons and oils and the list goes on. I've experimented a lot with making kale chips though, and have pinned down my favorite method. Here it is for you, so you can avoid some of the trial and error I experienced trying to perfect the kale chip!<br />
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<b>Kale Chips</b></div>
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One bunch of kale</div>
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salt</div>
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pepper (optional)</div>
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olive oil</div>
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Preheat oven to 250°F.</div>
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Cut or tear the kale off the stems into bite small sized pieces (but keep in mind they will shrink considerably while baking, so don't make them <i>too</i> small, unless you want kale crumbs). Small stems can be left (such as tips of leaves and very small leaves), but if they're very big they'll be very hard and difficult to chew. Toss kale in just enough olive oil to evenly coat both sides of the leaves. Work it with your hands for a minute or two until it all looks glossy -- add more olive oil if necessary. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and work the leaves again to make sure they're evenly coated. Spread out onto a cookie sheet or in the bottom of a baking dish, being careful that you don't layer them thickly, or you'll have some leaves stay soggy! Bake at 250° until crisp to the touch. Remove from oven and allow them to cool briefly before you eat them; they'll crisp up even more as they cool! Be careful too, not to let them overcook; if they start to turn brown they're getting overdone and will taste bitter. I bake mine for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of the bunch) in my convection oven, so if you have a traditional oven adjust your time accordingly!</div>
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And now you know how to make one of the yummiest <i>and</i> healthiest snacks EVAR! Go you!</div>
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-27604935394250513152012-07-24T14:06:00.002-05:002012-07-24T14:08:33.863-05:00Gardeny TalkI think it's time for a brief garden update! Back in February I posted about getting my garden started early since it had been such a warm winter. Here is the list I had hoped to get planted in early spring:<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Potatoes</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Lettuce</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Radishes</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Garlic</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Leeks</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Onions</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Salsify</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Broccoli</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Kale</span>
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I managed to get all of those things planted, except the leeks and garlic. Despite what the packaging from the garlic I bought last year said, I really do think it's best to plant garlic in the fall. It might grow if you plant it in the springtime, but Autumn is better. I didn't even bother to buy any garlic seed when it was out this year (WHY do they only sell it in the spring if it's best planted in the fall?!), and that worked out to be an excellent decision, as a friend of ours dug up part of his massive garlic patch to give to us. We have been using the bulbs for cooking and I saved all the seed for sowing in the fall. I am excited! I plan on planting a garlic barrier all around my garden. He gave me enough seed to probably get two sides well covered, and I'll do the other two sides the following year. Exciting! I'm a garlic freak. :) </div>
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I harvested tons of radishes this spring, but most of them were too tough to eat. We spent some time visiting my family in Texas around the time they should have been harvested and extended our trip once we were there, and it was just a little too long for my poor radishes to go. We ate what we could and tossed the rest, and I let a few continue to grow so I could harvest my own radish seeds!</div>
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My potatoes are doing very poorly. I think this is my fault because I thought for a while that the sprinkler was reaching them, but it wasn't. For anyone who lives under a rock and doesn't know, we've been having a severe drought and haven't seen more than a few drops of rain in 2-3 months now I think. Combined with temperatures that are slightly above average and you have some seriously struggling gardens (and yards and forests, and lawn mower repairmen). My one potted tomato is constantly curled up and shriveling despite the fact that I do water it often. </div>
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So yes, I have tomatoes too. They're not doing nearly as well as my tomatoes did last year, despite the fact that bugs have been a nearly non-existent problem (praise the Lord for that blessing!) I also planted cucumbers, yellow summer squash, swiss chard, and Piel De Sapo or "Toad Skin Melon". </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toad Skin Melon in Progress</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">My kale is still going strong and we've been eating kale for months now. Love me some kale! I even got to sell a little bit of my kale to some ladies at church and that was a huge blessing because I really needed a little extra money that week for groceries! So it was perfect timing, as usual. God always brings us what we need just when we need it!</span></div>
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This week I am hoping to plant some more lettuce for the fall garden, and then a couple weeks after I'll plant more kale, radishes, chard, and hopefully some carrots! Hopefully someday I'll get a cold frame, too so we can have lettuce even further into the cold months!</div>
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As soon as my cucumbers are big enough to harvest, I'll be trying out this method of harvest and let you know what happens: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #211922; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 17.27272605895996px;">When a cucumber is taken from the vine let it be cut with a knife, leaving about an eighth of an inch of the cucumber on the stem, then slit the stem with the knife from its end to the vine leaving a small portion of the cucumber on each division and on each separate slip there will be a new cucumber as large as the first."</span></div>
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So there is my gardeny update. How are your gardens doing this summer?</div>
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<br /></div>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-16763455071243975682012-07-17T17:51:00.000-05:002012-07-17T17:52:09.898-05:00Spicy Peach SalsaYou must try this. Must! I got it into my head tonight that our kielbasa could use a little somethin' and this is what I came up with:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Spicy Peach Salsa</span></div>
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A lot of people make peach salsa without cooking it down. I'm sure that's delicious but I love the texture of cooked peaches, so I chose to cook mine down. Here is what I used to make this amazing condiment (it's so good I want to eat it like it's the main course!):<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6-8 small peaches (they were very small - but oh so delicious - picked from a friends tree), diced</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 med/lrg garden fresh tomato</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jalapeno pepper</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cilantro</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cayenne Pepper</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Salt</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Water</span></b><br />
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My peaches were sweet enough and bursting with flavor, so I didn't add any sweetener. You might want to if your peaches aren't as ripe as mine were (mine were actually over-ripe). Nothing is as good as sweet and spicy! I also left the peach skins on, but that's optional. I put the cut peaches in my saucepan and added around 3/4 cup water and let them simmer until soft and easy to mash. As they cooked I sliced up my jalapeno pepper (I only had one since I used all the others for dinner last night but if you are buying yours from the store or have more in your garden than I did, use them! They're delicious with the sweet peaches), tomato (again, I only had one from the garden today), and some cilantro. All of this is just to taste, so keep tasting as you make this salsa and add stuff until it tastes how you want! After I slightly mashed the peaches I added the pepper, tomato, and a pinch of salt and a LOT of cayenne (I wanted it speecy spicy), and let it simmer for just a couple more minutes. Took it off the heat, added a little more cilantro, and let it sit to cool. Now I just have practice great self-control as I wait for dinner to be ready before I can devour it.<br />
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<br />Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413124039150647928.post-6466958303285789152012-07-16T19:09:00.000-05:002012-07-17T11:53:46.906-05:00Lists Make Me HappyI love lists. I love organization. I love having tidy little places for every little thing. I'm a neat freak, okay? My heart skips a beat when I see a well organized drawer, pantry, closet, or whatever else. If I see a well-organized garage... be still my beating heart! There is little as beautiful as a well organized garage! I love the phrase, "A place for everything, and everything in its place". Yes, I am <i>that </i>person. I'd apologize, except that I'm so happy to <i>be</i> that person that I don't feel any sorrow at all. What I do feel sorry for is all of the people out there who aren't yet list-makers. Why? Because it makes life <i>so much simpler</i>. And simple is good, right?<br />
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Of course simple is good. You bet your sweet bippy it's good! We all have too much. Too much of everything. Too much stuff. Too much to do. Too much to remember! Just too, too much. So with all of those too muches in mind, why don't you start today? What is something you struggle to get done the way you'd like for it to be done? Is it your health? Make a list of the supplements you want to take, the exercise you want to do, even the things you want to avoid, or only allow yourself on special occasions. Make a list and then consult the list often. Is it your home? That's a biggie for most of us. It is difficult to keep a house clean. I don't have children yet, so it's just me and my husband at home and our little non-shedding doggy, Miso. "How much work can <i>that</i> be?" The frazzled mother of 4 may scoff. Let me tell you now, it's still a lot! Granted, you, mother of 4, have much more to work at and clean than I do. But I still have my fair share! My husband works from home so I get him pretty much 24/7. This has been a huge source of joy for me, especially being someone who does not like to be alone for extended periods and hasn't been blessed with children. But it also means dishes for two all day long, tracking in dirt for two all day long, and all the other things that accompany daily life.<br />
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So in order to keep up with things that sometimes fall through the cracks (such as wiping down baseboards and light switches), I found a simple chore chart and tailored it to my specific needs. This way nothing gets missed. All the basics are covered, leaving me not only feeling more relaxed about cleaning (because I know that even if there is a clump of dust bunnies in the corner on Monday morning, come Tuesday they'll be spinning down the vortex of dust bunny death), but more relaxed in general! I don't have to worry about remembering to make time to wipe my dogs nose art off the windows, because it's in my schedule every week and <i>will</i> get done. And because it's done weekly, it never gets to the point where I am embarrassed to have someone in my home. Nothing has time to smell bad, look yucky, or anything else. Surprise visitors are no longer feared or stressed over, but instead are easily welcomed without worry about the appearance of your home. Just take this basic idea and modify it to your needs. Do you do a lot of cooking in your oven that leaves greasy splatters behind? Schedule it to be cleaned more than monthly and never let it get to the point where cleaning it becomes a big ordeal. If you struggle to keep up with your home, schedule in every little thing from cleaning floors, to laundry, to kitty litter boxes. If you only need a little help, leave out whatever you feel you can. I didn't include laundry on my list because with only two people in the house I only have to do it about once a week and to be as energy efficient as possible, do it only when I have enough for a full load, so no set days for laundry for me (though it does typically fall on Monday/Tuesday)! But again, tailor to your personal needs!<br />
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My list here has me washing dishes after breakfast, and then after dinner washing up whatever is left-over at that point; I tend to wash dishes between 2 and 3 times per day, depending on how we eat that day, just to keep up with them. I hand wash everything, too, which does take me more time than it would if I just loaded into the dishwasher all day and then washed at night. But I try to use that time of hand washing to pray for friends and family (yes, try, which means I often fail and stand there washing dishes mindlessly), so it is definitely not wasted time! I do occasionally use the dishwasher though, if I get overwhelmed with the number of dishes to wash, feel unwell, or the like.<br />
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The pick-up basket is someone else's brain-child, and one I actually haven't implemented yet, at least not officially. Because it just the two of us, there are usually only a couple things out of place at the end of the day, thus the lack of official basket. But I still use the idea, even if I don't need a whole basket to perform the task, and I would highly recommend it! It's a very quick, easy way to keep your home free of that oppressive clutter!<br />
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The Chore of the Day can usually be done in around 15 minutes or so depending on the size of your home. We live in a small apartment with very few knick-knacks; one bedroom, one bathroom, an office, kitchen, and the living room. So I can do a lot of those chores in less than 15 minutes. Not to say I am done with housework in 15 minutes. Far from it! That's just for the Chore of the Day. There is still plenty to do after that. But this definitely makes it easier to be sure you've hit all the major points you want to clean regularly.<br />
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So what are you waiting for? Make up your own list, and see how much easier it can be to keep your house in shape!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Keep in mind, this schedule is for maintaining a clean home; not starting from scratch. If your home is very messy or highly cluttered, see my posts (<a href="http://naturalhousewifery.blogspot.com/2012/03/on-subject-of-stuff.html">part one</a> and <a href="http://naturalhousewifery.blogspot.com/2012/03/to-get-rid-of-stuff.html">part two</a>) on de-cluttering to get started! </span>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08559448743103933371noreply@blogger.com11