tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24088592465974402612024-03-05T23:15:14.656-06:00Old Thyme KitchenResurrecting traditions that are worth rememberingElisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-66230916558907096382015-06-16T11:24:00.003-05:002015-06-16T12:05:17.833-05:00Words of Wisdom from a Gray-Haired Mother of FourI was asked recently to provide words of wisdom for a new parent. I found myself writing way too much, but I suppose that's what comes with having high schoolers in the house. You find yourself looking back wistfully and looking forward confidently. It makes you grateful for the gray-haired women who went before you, and gently steered you along the path. <br />
<br />
Expert bloggers will chastise me for having too long of a post. Gray-haired women know that it's impossible to limit a life's legacy to 100 words. Much of this advice came from other gray-haired women, but some is my own. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
No one believes me when I tell them that I am a very lazy parent, because they know how much work it is to raise 4 girls and they see that my girls are well-mannered children who are growing in their faith, but I truly am lazy. What I do is find ways that couple what is good for the child with their natural bent.<br />
<br />
The first way that I work with a child's natural bent is by breastfeeding on demand. The 4-month series at La Leche League is priceless and well worth going to classes while you're still pregnant. Don't expect this natural thing to go perfectly, but line up support when the baby is only a few days old. You'll thank yourself later when you don't hurt.<br />
<br />
There is no greater calling in life than to give peace in this chaotic world. Men and women alike reach for the pacifier instead of the breast without fully understanding how precious it is to pause throughout the day and bring peace to each other. Lower your expectations about the rest of the day's to-do list and pencil in "add peace." It's worth it.<br />
<br />
Carry your babies frequently. Strengthen yourself so that you can hold them in your arms instead of relying on strollers or slings. Allow your children to view the world at eye level. Allow them to move.<br />
<br />
Another way that I work with a child's bent is elimination communication. I heard about it when my 2nd daughter was about 3 months old, and I was disappointed since I thought that was too old to begin. (I have since learned that I was wrong. You can be effective as long as your baby is too young to have learned how to help you change their diaper.) I tried it with my 3rd daughter at three weeks old and was shocked when she potty-trained herself in less than 48 hours. I had the stunning realization that my daughter WANTED to be potty-trained. It was much the same with my 4th daughter. Both of them were potty-trained from a few weeks old to about 10 months old when the world became much too interesting for them. (A lot of hard-school ECers will offer tips on how to make it past 10 months old, but I'm honestly too lazy to do that. I'm working with what they want, remember?)<br />
<br />
Another way that I work with them is the 2-3-4 sleep routine. I am not pushing the child to a schedule, but I am anticipating what their needs will more than likely be. The child isn't being forced to sleep at a certain time, but I do notice when they naturally wake up in the morning once they start to fall into a routine, which is somewhere between 6 weeks and 6 months. (I know that's a huge gap, but there's a wide range of normal for babies' sleep.) About 2 hours after they awaken themselves, I anticipate that they'll need to sleep again, so I mentally clear out the schedule for about that time and create a mood for sleep 2 hours later. And so forth...<br />
<br />
Don't expect too much from yourself. <br />
<br />
The first 3 weeks of a baby's life are really hard. It gets a smidge easier by 6 weeks, a smidge easier than that at 3 months, and a smidge easier than that at 6 months. <br />
<br />
You'll find there are fascinating time periods where babies learn something new every day. Those mental growth spurts are fascinating and thrilling to watch, so make the time to marvel. They'll also throw you for a loop during that time period, because they'll suddenly be able to do things they hadn't been able to do.<br />
<br />
It's easier to house-proof the child than it is to child-proof the house. Teach them to avoid dangers rather than removing dangers, so that they will be safe in any environment and not just in your home.<br />
<br />
Find a safe spot on the car for your toddlers to touch to help them wait while you unlock the car or load the groceries without worrying about them running into danger or pinching their fingers in a slamming or sliding door.<br />
<br />
Talk to your babies, in proper English and a normal time of voice, even before they can talk to you. That way, they will learn proper English and you won't go bug-nuts from having extra words at the end of the day. When your baby speaks to you in baby talk or sign, repeat it as a question in proper English and then answer the question. That means they are introduced to the word three times instead of one and it gives room for growth. ("Buth." "You want the bus? Sure, I love playing with the bus.") <br />
<br />
Some of the best parents that I know read Shepherding a Child's Heart once every year.<br />
<br />
Tell your children about your childhood.<br />
<br />
Speak with respect to your children, your spouse, your in-laws, and your parents.<br />
<br />
Put times in your day to relax and bond as a family. The time right after dinner is when we read aloud as a family, mostly using books from Honey for a Child's Heart.<br />
<br />
Set aside a half hour for a child's bedtime. This is true for babies to teens. Life was miserable when I expected my older children to put themselves to bed. Now that I've gone back to parenting them to bed, we are at peace. We turn the lights out, talk about their favorite parts of the day, generally settle down wound-up kids, and pray together. I hear what's on their hearts. (In only a few years, they won't be in my home anymore, so this is sacred time.)<br />
<br />
It is less work to own fewer things.<br /><br />Give yourself a deadline for when all the work is done for the day. What works for us is 90 minutes before the kids' bedtime, but that might not be your number. (Realistically, if we say that we're done with work 90 minutes before the kids go to bed, we'll finish 60 minutes before bed.) After that time, everything waits for tomorrow. It isn't worth losing sleep or relationships to cross a few more items off of your to-do list. Burned-out parents don't parent well, so get enough sleep and relax daily. (The deadline we chose gives me 1 hour or more for family time, 20 minutes to prepare them for bed, 30 minutes to parent them to sleep, 1 hour for time with my spouse, and 30 minutes to get to bed.)<br />
<br />
Give your children all the time that they need to grow up. Let them wean themselves throughout their life. Let them decide when they are too old for childish toys. <br />
<br />
Continue to grow as a woman. Continue to grow as a child of God. Live as an individual, instead of in comparison to others. Apologize often. Forgive fully. Laugh.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-54235250550215775842013-05-05T18:12:00.003-05:002013-05-13T14:03:31.834-05:00Taco Seasoning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0OWXqMLYN7xAUE9sdzO3DxM2bvpUaNa2CvODy7GXn9paemvoJU1bggUyd0H6kkTwHNSaQoVhUFxVQSz3UcjJ9npXmAkVEtCmv0cd9dBt0GbQuQe71y9rU_Ie-vSAJm_m_GJeLPOhA-c/s1600/IMG_1748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX0OWXqMLYN7xAUE9sdzO3DxM2bvpUaNa2CvODy7GXn9paemvoJU1bggUyd0H6kkTwHNSaQoVhUFxVQSz3UcjJ9npXmAkVEtCmv0cd9dBt0GbQuQe71y9rU_Ie-vSAJm_m_GJeLPOhA-c/s200/IMG_1748.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
My German roots are showing. I didn't even realize it was Cinco de Mayo until the pastor mentioned a Mexican-themed meeting after church. That's not a problem, though, since my dinner plans weren't set in stone yet anyway. We gathered up a few ingredients, and some store-bought tortilla chips, and pulled together some heaping nachos.<br />
<br />
But I didn't want to pull together a mini-party without sharing a recipe with my on-line readers. So here's my homemade version of taco seasoning.<br />
<br />
I enjoy making my own seasoning blends, so that I can spend my limited grocery budget more frugally. I also like to be confident that my seasonings are 100% guaranteed to be MSG-free. I buy the individual seasonings in bulk, then blend them together and store them to quickly toss into a meal.<br />
<br />
<b>Taco Seasoning</b><br />
<ul>
<li>1/2 cup ground cumin </li>
<li>1/4 cup paprika</li>
<li>3/8 cup oregano</li>
<li>3/8 cup garlic powder</li>
<li>3/8 cup cornstarch</li>
<li>1/8 cup salt </li>
<li>1/8 cup cayenne pepper</li>
<li>1 Tablespoon onion powder </li>
</ul>
Mix, and store in an airtight jar. <br />
<br />
When I make tacos I like to brown the beef and set it aside. Then I saute an onion. Finally, I return the meat and add 2/3 cup to 3/4 cup water (per pound of meat) and <b>1/8 cup</b> of the seasoning blend per pound of meat. (Important: don't add all of the above to a pound of meat. You'll be a little overwhelmed. Trust me on this.)<br />
<br />
You may be wondering why this recipe doesn't include chili powder. Almost every on-line recipe includes a line for chili powder. Is it possible that I left something out? <br />
<br />
Actually all of the ingredients in chili powder are repeated in taco seasoning, so it didn't make sense to me to buy a separate mix just to add them in again. Instead, I add the chili powder ingredients to the original recipe just to simplify life a little bit.<br />
<br />
If you don't want to store any leftover taco seasoning, you can just add the following to one pound of meat, along with 2/3-3/4 cup of water.<br />
<h3>
Taco Seasoning for One Meal</h3>
<ul>
<li>2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons ground cumin</li>
<li>1 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon paprika</li>
<li>1 Tablespoon oregano</li>
<li>1 Tablespoon garlic powder</li>
<li>1 Tablespoon cornstarch</li>
<li>2 teaspoons salt</li>
<li>2 teaspoons cayenne pepper</li>
<li>1 teaspoon onion powder</li>
</ul>
My inspirations:<br />
http://southernfood.about.com/od/seasoningrecipes/r/bl30420j.htm<br />
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/taco-seasoning/detail.aspx<br />
http://www.grouprecipes.com/5616/best-ever-taco-seasoning-mix.html<br />
<br />
Linked with <a href="http://thischickcooks.net/2013/05/08/10-recipes-to-switch-up-your-breakfast-lemon-coconut-macaroons-and-information-on-superfoods-at-whole-foods-wednesday-101/" target="_blank">Whole Foods Wednesday</a>, <a href="http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2013/05/real-food-wednesday-582013.html" target="_blank">Real Food Wednesday</a>, <a href="http://gnowfglins.com/2013/05/08/simple-lives-thursday-146/" target="_blank">Simple Lives Thursday</a> and <a href="http://thankyourbody.com/thank-your-body-thursday-27/" target="_blank">Thank Your Body Thursday</a>.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-9542635032698518802013-03-17T11:22:00.001-05:002013-03-17T12:12:26.846-05:00Pickling Spice for Your St. Patrick's Day Corned Beef<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF69Bpaqz4bsQjuqy8SFBjMlY5A4y-qdfgUqB5ftKbWoXDuWfOwCyjqmlTNWxky2YOWS5gitJ-MslblB95-pg59y1sTuKEfSHIkKIl39qrlLt6Ed3q6xO4KyE83jnIELQ6BK5i4IYWLVw/s1600/IMG_1601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF69Bpaqz4bsQjuqy8SFBjMlY5A4y-qdfgUqB5ftKbWoXDuWfOwCyjqmlTNWxky2YOWS5gitJ-MslblB95-pg59y1sTuKEfSHIkKIl39qrlLt6Ed3q6xO4KyE83jnIELQ6BK5i4IYWLVw/s320/IMG_1601.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I freely confess that I'm neither a Roman Catholic nor Irish. With that in mind, there is no shame that St. Patrick's Day caught me off-guard once again. It's not one of those high holy days that I plan for weeks and months in advance. I used to catch St. Patty's day by watching the grocery store circulars, but now that I buy so many of my groceries either straight from the farm or through organic boxes I frequently miss minor holidays now (and thank heavens that nobody pinches anyone for not wearing green on St Patrick's Day in my homeschool). It was the weather channel's website that clued me in this year, since they had a special forecast section just for St. Patrick's Day weather.<br />
<br />
So my dear husband made a St. Patrick's Day run to the grocery store last night. I freely confess that the corned beef he picked up wasn't the normal quality of meat that we eat, but nonetheless we bought it anyway. But filling the crock pot this morning left us with a conundrum. What about that little seasoning packet that comes along with the meat? I have very little faith in the processed & packaged food industry and avoid monosodium glutamate, yeast extract, and all of it's other derivatives like the plague. So what's a mother to do?<br />
<br />
We decided to add our own pickling mix to the cheap (and probably toxic) meat that we're cooking up today. The recipe below makes up just a tiny amount of seasonings, so feel free to scale it up if you're wanting to prepare for more than just a single serving size.<br />
<br />
I wasn't fortunate enough to have a time-honored pickling spice recipe handed down in the family, so when I originally went about looking for the perfect spice blend for our family I started by googling at least three recipes. I started with <a href="http://www.simplycanning.com/pickling-spice-recipe.html" target="_blank">Simply Canning</a>, <a href="http://amazingribs.com/recipes/rubs_pastes_marinades_and_brines/pickling_spices.html" target="_blank">Amazing Ribs</a>, and <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/07/12/156619002/three-secrets-to-crispy-pickles-and-a-lost-recipe-found" target="_blank">NPR</a>, but it was <a href="http://awaytogarden.com/whats-in-pickling-spice-some-recipes" target="_blank">A Way to Garden</a> that really educated me on how pickling spice worked. <br />
<h2>
Corning the Beef</h2>
Cuts of meat labeled "corned beef" are brined and fermented in advance. A better choice (although we passed it up this year) would be to purchase a well-marbled beef brisket or other tough roast. Rinse the meat and cut it into 2 to 3 inch chunks. Dissolve 5/8 cup sea salt <a href="http://oldthymekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/12/why-salt-is-not-optional-in-lacto.html" target="_blank">(not optional)</a> and 1 tablespoon maple syrup or sucanat or Rapadura organic whole cane sugar in a quart of water. (If you do not plan on using your meat within 10 days add 1-1/4 teaspoons of <a href="http://www.butcher-packer.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=237_12&products_id=55%22" target="_blank">curing salt</a>. This contains sodium nitrite which will preserve the meat for longer. Freeze after curing is complete.) Pack the meat in a <a href="http://www.pickl-it.com/products/531/pickl-it-2-liter/" target="_blank">2-Liter Pickl-It jar</a>. Cover with brine. Hold the meat down with a Dunk'R. Put the airlock on the jar. Cover the jar with a dish towel or place it in a dark cabinet for 8 hours. Refrigerate for 7 to 10 days, checking the brine level daily to ensure that the meat stays covered.<br />
Adapted from: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Fermenting-Foods/dp/1615641505/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363534618&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fermenting Food</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
When it's time to cook the beef, I add the following vegetables:<br />
<ul>
<li>1 onion, quartered</li>
<li>6 cloves garlic</li>
</ul>
Then I mix in the following seasonings for every 5 pounds of corned beef: <br />
<h2>
Pickling Spice </h2>
<ul>
<li>2 teaspoons ground ginger</li>
<li>2 teaspoons mustard seed</li>
<li>2 teaspoons coriander seed</li>
<li>2 teaspoons whole allspice</li>
<li>1 teaspoon black peppercorns</li>
<li>4 whole cloves</li>
<li>2 bay leaves, crumbled</li>
<li>2" cinnamon stick, crushed or broken into pieces</li>
</ul>
This pickling spice can be adapted for pickles, as well as for corned beef. I like to lower the ginger down to 1 teaspoon and add an additional 2 teaspoons of dill seed or dill weed when making pickles.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-12097889446116413682012-06-27T12:00:00.000-05:002012-06-28T12:14:17.472-05:00Balance: The Secret to Health and HappinessIt's been a whole week since I let you know I was giving myself <a href="http://oldthymekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/06/finding-peace-in-chaos.html" target="_blank">permission to be imperfect</a>. <br />
<br />
Since that time a friend mentioned that she had a hard time relaxing since her father had brought her up to work first and then rest. It was a great idea, except the work never ends for a homeschooling mother with a house full of preschoolers and an entrepreneurial husband. This is the idea that I shared with her. I hope that it gave her a thimbleful of peace. I hope you find rest in it, as well.<br />
<br />
There is a time for every purpose under heaven. When you work, do it with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength as if working for the Lord. When you play, do it with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength as if playing for the Lord. To do otherwise, cheats both health and happiness.<br />
<br />
Shared with <a href="http://gnowfglins.com/2012/06/28/simple-lives-thursday-102" target="_blank">Simple Lives Thursday</a>.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-9075426996268263182012-06-25T15:29:00.003-05:002012-06-28T11:39:12.925-05:00Lactofermented Garlic PasteI hate procrastination. Especially when I'm the guilty party.<br />
<br />
I've been wanting to post this recipe for just shy of a year, but it hasn't happened. (I realize that I haven't been blogging for a year, but there were months of planning that went into this before I began.) It really isn't my fault, entirely. I have more ideas than I have time to put into practice, and <a href="http://oldthymekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/06/finding-peace-in-chaos.html" target="_blank">I don't want to become overwhelmed trying to be everything for everybody</a>. <br />
<br />
Enough chasing of rabbits. This is a recipe that's
near and dear to my heart, because I associate it with special
occasions, like my anniversary. It's a part of my Indian feast. But
because I make it only for special occasions, as part of a larger feast,
I don't have many opportunities to take pictures.<br />
<br />
Now that someone is asking for my naan recipe, however, I've decided to
post at least a portion of my Indian feast now and come back in a few weeks (after my anniversary,
of course) to add photos. <br />
<br />
<b style="color: blue;">Garlic Sauce</b><br />
<span style="color: blue;">1-2 cold egg whites</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">4-6 cloves garlic, minced</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">1/4 teaspoon salt</span><span style="color: blue;">, not <a href="http://oldthymekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/12/why-salt-is-not-optional-in-lacto.html" target="_blank">optional</a></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">1/4 cup lemon juice</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">1 cup grapeseed or olive oil</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">1 Tablespoon living whey</span><br />
<br />
Before we really get started on the recipe, let's pause for a minute and consider the ingredients. Use a salt that is colored. Salt is white when it comes from the lab.
In nature it has many colors, from reds and pinks to grays and blacks.
By choosing a salt that is colored, you can be sure that you are buying
an unprocessed salt. Don't be fooled (as I was) by a label like, "sea
salt." Almost all salt is from the sea, but that doesn't mean that the
minerals weren't stripped.<br />
<br />
Your whey needs to be alive. Do not use powdered whey. It is highly
processed and will not be useful in this recipe. Do not use whey which
has been heated. After a certain temperature the beneficial bacteria
dies. Instead use whey from making yogurt, unheated cheese, or (my
personal favorite) dairy kefir.<br />
<br />
If you do not have whey, you could just substitute another living starter culture, such as unpasteurized kombucha, water kefir, Body ecology starter culture, yogurt, or unpasteurized buttermilk. However, all of these options will influence your final taste. The whey or other starter culture is important, because it gives plenty of beneficial bacteria to overwhelm any nasties that might come along with the raw egg.<br />
<br />
Theoretically, you could also add an extra tablespoon of salt and see what wild bacteria you can grow. However, since most chicken (even backyard flocks) contains salmonella or campylobacter, I wouldn't do that without pasteurizing the eggs first. I know that plenty of people don't bother pasteurizing pastured eggs since they are less likely to contain harmful bacteria, but it still is a little like playing Russian roulette--even though your odds of winning are better.<br />
<br />
Also, <a href="http://oldthymekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/12/why-salt-is-not-optional-in-lacto.html" target="_blank">don't forget the salt</a>.<br />
<br />
Note: my recipe is for those who own a Vitamix. It can be adapted to any blender or can be made with a simple wire whisk, but I do not have experience doing it that way.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: black;"></span>All ingredients must be at room temperature, except that the egg whites must be cold. Place the egg white, garlic, salt, and lemon juice in Vitamix. Select variable 1. Turn the machine on, quickly move it to variable 10, and then to High. While the machine is running, remove the liquid plug and pour the oil in a thin, steady stream until the mixture thickens and all oil is consumed (about 60 seconds). Stop the machine. Feel the outside of the machine. If it is too hot to touch, then it needs to cool down to a more comfortable temperature. (Don't be impatient or you'll kill off the beneficial bacteria that you're trying to culture). When it is cool enough, stir in the whey and any remaining oil. Leave it out in an air-tight container at room temperature for 7 hours, and then refrigerate.</span><br />
<br />
Acknowledgements:<br />
I
rarely just use a recipe without tinkering with it. That's not how God wired me. These are the
recipes that inspired me, the ones I cobbled together into what you see
above.
http://www.dedemed.com/mediterranean/garlic-sauce-recipe<br />
http://www.vitamix.com/recipes/<br />
http://gnowfglins.com/ecourse/real-food-menusElisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-86707732061445301772012-06-25T14:30:00.002-05:002012-06-28T12:14:46.694-05:00Sourdough Garlic NaanEver have one of those things that you plan on doing, but because of one small detail it doesn't get done? This post is like that.<br />
<br />
I've wanted to post this recipe for a long time. It's a recipe that's near and dear to my heart because I reserve it for special occasions, like my anniversary. It's a part of my Indian feast. But because I make it only for special occasions, as part of a larger feast, I don't have many opportunities to take pictures.<br />
<br />
Now that someone is asking for my naan recipe, however, I've decided to post it sans photos and come back in a few weeks (after my anniversary, of course) to update it.<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: blue;">
<b>Sourdough Garlic Naan</b></div>
<div style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: blue;">
1 cup sourdough starter</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: blue;">
3/4 cup living whey<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: blue;">
1/2 teaspoon cumin<br />
3 Tablespoons melted lard, coconut oil, or butter</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: blue;">
2 Teaspoons <a href="http://oldthymekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/06/lactofermented-garlic-paste.html" target="_blank">garlic paste</a><br />
approximately 2 cups flour<br />
water<br />
butter</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff2cc;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff2cc;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: #fff2cc;">
</div>
<br />
Before we really get started on the recipe, let's pause for a minute and consider the ingredients. Your sourdough starter does not have to be at the peak of its activity. Heck, it doesn't even need to be fed, for that matter. If you have a some-what active starter and are considering discarding 1 cup during a feeding, you might want to consider making naan with the discarded starter.<br />
<br />
Your whey needs to be alive. Do not use powdered whey. It is highly processed and will not be useful in this recipe. Do not use whey which has been heated. After a certain temperature the beneficial bacteria dies. Instead use whey from making yogurt, unheated cheese, or (my personal favorite) dairy kefir. If you do not have whey just substitute milk.<br />
<br />
Use a salt that is colored. Salt is white when it comes from the lab. In nature it has many colors, from reds and pinks to grays and blacks. By choosing a salt that is colored, you can be sure that you are buying an unprocessed salt. Don't be fooled (as I was) by a label like, "sea salt." Almost all salt is from the sea, but that doesn't mean that the minerals weren't stripped.<br />
<br />
Finally, do give lard a chance. It makes the best breads, believe it or not. If you don't have access to a good lard, coconut oil and butter make excellent choices, as well.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: blue;">Mix sourdough starter, whey, baking powder, salt, cumin, garlic, and lard. Slowly add the flour. Depending on your flour and the moisture of your sourdough starter, you may need more or less than the two cups. Adding too much flour will result in a dry, crumbly mess. Not enough flour with yield a sticky mess that is impossible to roll out. Find your happy medium. Use your hands to mix the dough so you can get a feel of where you are at. Cover with a towel, and let rest 2-3 hours until it rises slightly. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: blue;">Transfer to a lightly floured surface. I had been told that amateurs add too much flour and end up with soured bricks, so I was afraid to flour my surface. After making the recipe repeatedly I discovered that .the high humidity in my area calls for extra flour. Now I'm not afraid to do what works for me. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: blue;">Knead for a minute or two until smooth, adding only enough flour to keep it from sticking to your hands. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: blue;">Preheat a heavy skillet (let's hear it for cast iron!) over medium-high heat. Divide the dough into 8 balls. Roll the dough with a rolling pin or flatten with the hands to 1/4 inch thick rounds (or oblongs). Brush with water on one side and place water-side-down in skillet. It will stick. Cook for 30 seconds to one minute, until the dough is bubbling and it no longer sticks. For those cooking on electric, flip and cook the other side. For those cooking on gas, begin the next piece in the skillet and take the original piece to another burner, light it and cook over an open flame. (A totally cool experience that should not be passed up!) Hold it with kitchen or barbecue tongs and keep it moving constantly for 30 seconds or until charred. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: blue;">Top with melted butter.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Acknowledgements:<br />
I rarely just use a recipe. That's not how God wired me. Instead I mess with a recipe until I can get it to submit to my will. These are the recipes that inspired me, the ones I cobbled together into what you see above.<br />
http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/2011/04/sourdough-naan/<br />http://www.vahrehvah.com/recipedetails.php?recipe_id=2856&name=Garlic+Naan+<br />http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/07/whole-wheat-sourdough-tortillas.html<br />
<br />
Linked with <a href="http://realfoodforager.com/fat-tuesday-june-26-2012/" target="_blank">Fat Tuesday</a>, <a href="http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/monday-mania-6252012/" target="_blank">Monday Mania</a>, <a href="http://www.cookingtf.com/traditional-tuesdays-54/" target="_blank">Traditional Tuesdays</a>, <a href="http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2012/06/real-food-wednesday-6202012.html" target="_blank">Real Food Wednesdays</a>, and <a href="http://www.day2dayjoys.com/2012/06/healthy-2day-wednesdays-week-59.html" target="_blank">Healthy 2Day Wednesdays</a>. </span>Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-34399373365820668802012-06-20T10:22:00.002-05:002012-06-26T08:54:36.108-05:00Finding Peace in Chaos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-kxcy2wsaB92Zb4QslIi94imvTYceUBwqTSJc5-DXtEwjPrZrveGbmFwhdTBPhmOoXmBB0YOnk02CalCk5cY7MPLXaV4g6NoKpXwycGLNpXGL2ADvDdlhMCZJay0m9VyOU4TvZjHMT0/s1600/IMG_0188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-kxcy2wsaB92Zb4QslIi94imvTYceUBwqTSJc5-DXtEwjPrZrveGbmFwhdTBPhmOoXmBB0YOnk02CalCk5cY7MPLXaV4g6NoKpXwycGLNpXGL2ADvDdlhMCZJay0m9VyOU4TvZjHMT0/s200/IMG_0188.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My third daughter helped to take care of the little things</td></tr>
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I've decided to give myself a break. It wasn't an easy decision, but I knew that something had to give. I decided it wouldn't be my sanity.<br />
<br />
It started as we finished rehabbing Dad's house for sale. At the time, we had finished most of the bedrooms and the office. As rooms were being finished and preparations were being made for staging, the kitchen became more and more cluttered. The right way to do the project would be to sort the items and bring them to their final destination, but in the hurry toward the finish line it was simpler to just dump it all into the kitchen. Dad's house boasts a large amount of counter space and a sizable kitchen table (I wish I could keep them. I definitely have counter-space envy), but both were quickly filled to the overflow. Somehow we managed to find enough room to eat our meals and educate the children, but it took more and more effort to do so every day. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgxdp4P3PKmSlVe4yCMr5ZV2vOwE-TGg99RxTpSLSpA3zFn82bWUKwDAXX1GG9PWrd3dUKgNjFjuDibENQ9nB4z0iXk-6LpdWPlgYw0LHjyiZCuVUyn9dI15hFGzhYwVFGN5GKUuXlIo/s1600/kitchenclutter1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgxdp4P3PKmSlVe4yCMr5ZV2vOwE-TGg99RxTpSLSpA3zFn82bWUKwDAXX1GG9PWrd3dUKgNjFjuDibENQ9nB4z0iXk-6LpdWPlgYw0LHjyiZCuVUyn9dI15hFGzhYwVFGN5GKUuXlIo/s200/kitchenclutter1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tools, fabrics, and herbs over here</td></tr>
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From early morning to late at night we worked. Breaks were few and far between. <br />
<br />
Through it all, I struggled to eat traditionally. It's difficult to choose otherwise after being educated. Yet, I knew that I had a choice. I could either give my all to the project, or I could give my all to educating my children and feeding my family. I knew that if I wasn't working full-time on the project it would take longer to move home and return to our normal life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIywe5KXkfxucVTf3gNL6NFZ_AglbQa4Kx7oMl1WdYxLxs1D6OirSWD_8V826lN4z5jnpJIxfMQsW27j5v1EuX_QuDaF9s7BDwiEvom4rfj8AzbJeeevcW68j3QL6C97M4NCqci3zSRng/s1600/laundryclutter1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIywe5KXkfxucVTf3gNL6NFZ_AglbQa4Kx7oMl1WdYxLxs1D6OirSWD_8V826lN4z5jnpJIxfMQsW27j5v1EuX_QuDaF9s7BDwiEvom4rfj8AzbJeeevcW68j3QL6C97M4NCqci3zSRng/s400/laundryclutter1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banished to the laundry room and still content--that's why I love my toddler girl</td></tr>
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Then came the day that we started working on the kitchen itself. The refrigerator spent several weeks in the living room. The stove spent a few days in the laundry room. So did the high chair, but my toddler didn't seem to mind since she could never wait until the meal was served anyway. We no longer had the ability to eat at the kitchen table every night.<br />
<br />
I chose sanity. I knowingly set aside what I knew about the links between food and health and chose to turn back to the standard American diet. We still made wise choices for fats, meats, dairy, produce, and eggs, but it was filled out with boxed cereals, boughten breads, lunch meats, deli food, pizza, and even (gasp!) a frozen dinner or two. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Managed to eke out some kefir and broth over there</td></tr>
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Sadly, my children were in heaven. I didn't worry too much about it though. I knew that they were just happy because it was new and unusual.<br />
<br />
Even after we moved home it took a few weeks before we fully returned to traditional cooking. By then there were three more mammoth projects that needed to be done. It was still all-consuming and unrelenting. At first, I continued to need the respite of using some ready-made foods.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngf-gpxBepjeGDJKfPLqRAU91Stfr0dmoLqOYrfZTYvN75n-rAOVCmjcbYMewNyfEzgY3qbqMXOdV-V5Fiy3qA6jbKWKgSxoZ6Pip5rFa5FErZdzoAwwn9tO2BfksBxBJsSfZsDvcZWU/s1600/livingroomclutter1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngf-gpxBepjeGDJKfPLqRAU91Stfr0dmoLqOYrfZTYvN75n-rAOVCmjcbYMewNyfEzgY3qbqMXOdV-V5Fiy3qA6jbKWKgSxoZ6Pip5rFa5FErZdzoAwwn9tO2BfksBxBJsSfZsDvcZWU/s200/livingroomclutter1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast o "champions" in the living room</td></tr>
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Even after going back to a more normal food cycle, I still haven't fully transitioned back to normal entirely. My laundry room has been filled with at least 6-8 loads of clean laundry. (Okay, maybe that's a little normal, but still it's a little over the top.) My kitchen table has more than the normal amount of clutter.<br />
<br />
But the most important thing is that I'm okay with all of that. I've given myself permission to be imperfect. The truth is that I'll be imperfect no matter what my opinion is, so I may as well find peace in it all.<br />
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Shared with <a href="http://gnowfglins.com/2012/06/21/simple-lives-thursday-101/#" target="_blank">Simple Lives Thursday</a> and <a href="http://www.cookingtf.com/traditional-tuesdays-54/" target="_blank">Traditional Tuesdays</a>. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8T7gTwXn-MH_nKSMYJxa1jm24EHkETGyGSuVWeqc0LJEvwAvUP9XSTIDbuiI50ttMzcH4jZL-uV9_GeaxJZMB1lHVKZs5Qn_KHWCbUHXNzWymk5ekPx5WR3M0QF7eieE2IO5o2wpCQY/s1600/laundryclutter2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8T7gTwXn-MH_nKSMYJxa1jm24EHkETGyGSuVWeqc0LJEvwAvUP9XSTIDbuiI50ttMzcH4jZL-uV9_GeaxJZMB1lHVKZs5Qn_KHWCbUHXNzWymk5ekPx5WR3M0QF7eieE2IO5o2wpCQY/s400/laundryclutter2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lQ85JPPESJVNXjwpUpfr9a3S5hIzR7VDQGAOGKry4-OxMdttyrV4E3CGRkr5AV3PdxpdC-UIUR7Hd8c56kBSLXoeqK0LR2zyILa7QfSJ3vLNm8vbV8MeC5YJnIJSoIZSjxgrM3wxElg/s1600/livingroomclutter2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lQ85JPPESJVNXjwpUpfr9a3S5hIzR7VDQGAOGKry4-OxMdttyrV4E3CGRkr5AV3PdxpdC-UIUR7Hd8c56kBSLXoeqK0LR2zyILa7QfSJ3vLNm8vbV8MeC5YJnIJSoIZSjxgrM3wxElg/s400/livingroomclutter2.jpg" width="400" /></a>Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-69956025094522817842012-04-16T21:19:00.000-05:002012-06-20T10:23:46.073-05:00Does God Set Us Up for Failure?<i>"In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread." Exodus 12:18-20</i><br />
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<i> </i>This past week marked the time set aside for the Feast of Unleavened Bread. If you are unfamiliar with this Jewish tradition, there are a few key points to note. This was a remembrance that was required by God. It was required for the entire nation, as a people set aside to the Lord.<br />
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I must admit that I was curious as a child (heck! even as an adult) of what God was thinking when He came up with this plan. I was taught how the yeast represented all of the ways we think, say, and do things that go against God's laws. Therefore, the people were to get rid of the yeast as a picture of getting rid of the spiritual impurities. That much made sense to me.<br />
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However, while the picture was all warm and fuzzy, I got caught up on the actual way things would go down. Once the people got rid of every little bit of yeast in the entire nation, how then were they supposed to eat? Were they banished to a bread-free realm? Where was the picture of the Bread of Life then?<br />
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There were only two ways I could think of to get past the intricacies of the feast. Either they held a little bit back for a rainy day or they traded with the pagan nations nearby for yeast when the week was over--an idea that didn't sound very wise since every time they traded with those pagan nations they ended up worshiping false gods. Either way, it seemed as if the Hebrew nation was doomed to failure in one way or another.<br />
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I was so relieved when, as I was going through my traditional, real food journey, I came across the answer. More importantly, I was relieved to find out that the answer was deep enough to reveal an aspect of God's character.<br />
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In my ignorance, I had always thought that yeast was something that came in a little packet or a brown jar, a fragile item that required refrigeration and tender care or it would die. It didn't occur to me that there was life before Fleischmann's. That sounds silly, because I realized that they didn't have little packets in an ancient refrigerator, but I figured that ancient yeast was raised and sold in some ancient way just like ancient olive oil and ancient flour.<br />
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<i>Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves... Psalm 68:19-20a</i><br />
<br />
What I discovered was that God supplies our every need.<br />
<br />
<i>Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. II Corinthians 9:10-11 </i><br />
<br />
The yeast that is needed covers the ground that the grain grows in. It rests on the grain, covering it completely. It isn't harmed by grinding the grain. It doesn't die in a cold snap. It blows on the wind.<br />
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We as humans can do everything possible to rid our homes of yeast, but that doesn't mean that the yeast is in any danger of long-term loss. A little flour, a little water, daily attention, time--the bread is back in only a few weeks.<br />
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<i><span class="woj">“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.</span> <span class="woj">Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. </span><span class="woj">For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30</span></i><br />
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<span class="woj">Perhaps this is also indicative of a greater picture. God asks us to set aside yeast as a picture of turning away from breaking His laws. However, at our very nature we are law-breakers. There is no way for us to get rid of all of that baggage. Only the God who created us can set us free from all of that.</span><br />
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<span class="woj">Perhaps that is the real picture of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. </span><br />
<span class="woj"> </span><strong></strong><br />
<i>Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Titus 3:5<span class="woj"> </span></i><i><span class="woj"> </span></i><br />
<div class="result-text-style-normal text-html "> </div><i> </i>Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-62724309673562528142012-03-28T21:00:00.003-05:002012-04-02T11:42:59.929-05:00An Up Side to FermentingMarch 17, 2012--Post delayed due to security concerns<br />
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We were in our normal home for only a short time this week and were preparing to leave again first thing in the morning for an extended absence when all of a sudden it occurred to me that I had misplaced something important. My toddler is on a food strike, so my husband had given her a bottle in the hopes of settling her blood sugar and restoring peace to the house.<br />
<br />
As the day neared an end, we realized that the bottle had disappeared without a trace. Thoughts of rancid milk clouded our thinking as we searched, to no avail. At first, it appeared that we would be able to locate it by its smell when we returned at the end of the month. Then my husband remembered that he had put just a spoonful of kefir in with the milk.<br />
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'It won't stink too badly,' we decided, and we headed for bed.<br />
<br />
This morning we rushed through some last-minute details and loaded the car. The last thing that we did was to go on light patrol, shutting down and unplugging everything non-essential. Next to the last light receptacle my husband found the errant bottle. It had been lost in the clutter of a dirty toy room. It was filled with curds and whey and was no worse for the wear. <br />
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I've found missing bottles before at the church nursery. Whether filled with milk or with formula, it never ends well. So I wholeheartedly say, thank God for fermenting.<br />
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Many thanks to my hostesses at <a href="http://gnowfglins.com/2012/03/29/simple-lives-thursday-89/" target="_blank">Simple Lives Thursday</a>, <a href="http://www.realfoodfreaks.com/2012/03/29/freaky-friday-3302012/" target="_blank">Freaky Friday</a>, and <a href="http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/monday-mania-422012/" target="_blank">Monday Mania</a> for allowing me to share.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-25310152779565584302012-03-09T20:11:00.002-06:002012-06-20T10:24:09.873-05:00Washing Laura Ingall's Clothes--An UpdateIf you missed the original post, you can find it <a href="http://oldthymekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/01/washing-laura-ingalls-clothes.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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This has been a learning experience for us all. My original intention was to limit the amount of work I would have while we were working on rehabbing my father-in-law's home, but I found that it wasn't so simple.<br />
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The very first night that we lived at Dad's, my toddler began by vomiting. Thankfully we found a set of replacement sheets in the linen closets, but I had no replacements for the pajamas. I tucked her in bed with only a diaper on, and the doubts began.<br />
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I knew going in that there were at least two shortfalls with my plan. First, our pioneer forefathers lived rather isolated during the workweek. Even when they did visit each other, body odors were considered a normal part of life--unlike in our artificial world today.<br />
<br />
Secondly, our pioneer mothers did their best work while spouting an apron. I brought smocks and old clothes to wear while we were painting, but that offered little protection from tomato or coconut oil stains.<br />
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Over the next few weeks, I found that there were other things I hadn't fully thought through at the beginning of this experiment. First, a toddler needs a different outfit almost every day. Life happens differently before nerve endings are myelinated, and the clumsiness that accompanies that accessorizes our clothing in undesirable ways. Her clothing just couldn't wait until Wednesday to be washed.<br />
<br />
We brought a few extra outfits for my toddler. <br />
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One of my older girls is an occasional bed wetter. When we started on the GAPS protocol, even though we cheated regularly, her occasional problem began to visit us nearly every night. Bed sheets couldn't wait until Wednesday to be washed.<br />
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We brought a few extra pair of pajamas for my daughter.<br />
<br />
( On an interesting side note, we noticed that on nights where she worked toward the <a href="http://www.alignedandwell.com/?p=1310&option=com_wordpress&Itemid=223" target="_blank">Bowman squat</a> (recently expanded <a href="http://www.alignedandwell.com/?p=4085&option=com_wordpress&Itemid=223" target="_blank">here</a>) she was invariably dry. Coincidence? Maybe. But we're keeping at it, just in case.)<br />
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I hadn't planned for growing children. As soon as we arrived, all four of my girls went through simultaneous growth spurts. It was almost laughable. At home, I would just unpack a few boxes in my basement to meet the needs with either hand-me-downs or last year's clearance. When we reached home, we were so busy that I found it difficult to find the time to unearth proper clothes. (In fact, I found it more difficult to keep up with the laundry when we were home, since the girls wore new outfits every day, but we weren't home long enough to wash them.) Hardest hit was my eldest daughter, whose only pair of work-worthy jeans were already last year's size. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMBFD991FSDT-HLGEhqLIhyDMQ8qbdFXAnLJ8gUJst1MIVJmlYtCNH0a-g26XtINhAfwX1NMQJiBraZQmayNMG-TAK8FiB7QFwFq03-uh2RwDzQsQ9W3jX6mNItJR9hjg1Ai2ekx5iKQ/s1600/Jeans.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/AVvXsEhlMBFD991FSDT-HLGEhqLIhyDMQ8qbdFXAnLJ8gUJst1MIVJmlYtCNH0a-g26XtINhAfwX1NMQJiBraZQmayNMG-TAK8FiB7QFwFq03-uh2RwDzQsQ9W3jX6mNItJR9hjg1Ai2ekx5iKQ/s1600/Jeans.JPG" /></a></div>In the beginning, I made sure that we packed our oldest, yuckiest looking clothing so that we wouldn't have to worry about stains in a work zone. That was during the time that I naively thought we could get the job done in just six weeks. Now, it's looking like three months, and I've come to the realization that our oldest clothes just can't survive this many weeks of constant wear and tear. I didn't blink when the knees wore out. It irked me when my darling daughter decided to tear up her pants, in the hopes that they would look better as shorts.<br />
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When they developed holes in the back end or in the groin, I knew it was time to replace them. The question remained though: what was the wisest way to replace them? I certainly didn't want to bring something that looked nice. Eventually, I found a few extra pair of pants (that were still modest) in the quilting pile and brought out replacements. The jeans pictured here have all found their way to the trash bin now.<br />
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If I had it to do all over again, I would make some changes--the same changes outlined above. But over all, I believe this has been a worthwhile endeavor.<br />
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Linked with <a href="http://www.blogger.com/oldthymekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/03/washing-laura-ingalls-clothes-update.html">Monday Mania</a> and <a href="http://gnowfglins.com/2012/03/15/simple-lives-thursday-87/" target="_blank">Simple Lives Thursday</a>.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-76012656855574176882012-02-12T18:46:00.020-06:002012-02-18T09:15:47.276-06:00Grain-Free LasagnaThis recipe was designed in honor of my six-year-old, who missed some familiar favorites when we started our season of eating sugar-free/grain-free. It includes enough kale, sulphur-rich vegetables, and bright colors to satisfy Dr Terry Wahl, although it would need a little modification (It contains soft cheeses and eggs) to be Paleo or GAPS friendly.<br />
<br />
<b>Grain-Free Lasagna</b><br />
<ul><li>kale</li>
<li>2 medium zucchini or yellow squash, quartered and slice</li>
<li>1/4 c butter</li>
<li>4 ounces sliced mushrooms</li>
<li>1 medium onion, sliced</li>
<li>2 cloves garlic, minced</li>
<li>1 pound ground beef</li>
<li>3/4 teaspoon fennel</li>
<li>3/4 teaspoon black pepper</li>
<li>2 teaspoons basil</li>
<li>2 teaspoons oregano</li>
<li>4 medium tomatoes, chopped (with juices retained) </li>
<li>15 ounces ricotta cheese</li>
<li>1/4 c Parmesan</li>
<li>3 eggs, beaten</li>
<li>1 pound log of mozzarella, sliced length-wise </li>
</ul>Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.<br />
<br />
Select enough kale to cover a 9" x 13" baking dish twice over. For me, that's about 10 leaves, but there are large variations in the size of kale leaves. Remove the large center stalk and discard or compost. (Don't put it into the stock pot.) Cover with boiling water and cook until softened, ranging from 5 to 20 minutes depending on preferences. Drain without retaining the cooking water, and set aside.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtmxuCkUX28YGzfDI5hfOpYJXFJfGPWWwPZcy_Etzp79_Tj-iqPSpEo7f8FakNcWdZjvRyLqeiNcLcUeQJZ7NaiuXleNznTvTM33vTmdhMdWHF2x_1h9j1MIeVpWcvaoBhVZsNu5m8ys/s1600/IMG_0091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtmxuCkUX28YGzfDI5hfOpYJXFJfGPWWwPZcy_Etzp79_Tj-iqPSpEo7f8FakNcWdZjvRyLqeiNcLcUeQJZ7NaiuXleNznTvTM33vTmdhMdWHF2x_1h9j1MIeVpWcvaoBhVZsNu5m8ys/s200/IMG_0091.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Meanwhile saute the squash, mushrooms, onion, and garlic in butter for about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook for 10 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally. Drain. (We usually retain all of that good fat for use on our eggs at breakfast the next day.) Add seasonings and tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, until flavors have blended.<br />
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Mix cheeses and eggs until well-blended.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3a6kfTkDEtZWU9iRS-ja3EyHokZB_Y6KwWJhm8nIGyh0ZBdb5r7A-zqputfTs3AD6wAh7sNnfzAfRevZqVqPgCKFRl6RzWkqMG6UlAPr9AcqbGdz1CqBOUXpY2u3UGR_PgcS-vqZShU/s1600/IMG_0096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3a6kfTkDEtZWU9iRS-ja3EyHokZB_Y6KwWJhm8nIGyh0ZBdb5r7A-zqputfTs3AD6wAh7sNnfzAfRevZqVqPgCKFRl6RzWkqMG6UlAPr9AcqbGdz1CqBOUXpY2u3UGR_PgcS-vqZShU/s320/IMG_0096.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Layer half of the kale, 1/3 of the mozzarella, half of the meat sauce, and half of the ricotta sauce. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining mozzarella.<br />
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Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until heated through. Serves 4 adults<br />
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Inspiration from <a href="http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/our-best-lasagna-54615.aspx" target="_blank">Kraft recipes</a> and <a href="http://www.hunts.com/recipes-Vegetable-Lasagna-4243" target="_blank">Hunts</a>. Linked to <a href="http://butterbeliever.com/2012/02/12/sunday-school-blog-carnival-14/" target="_blank">Sunday School</a> at Butter Believer, <a href="http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/monday-mania-2132012/" target="_blank">Monday Mania </a>at The Healthy Home Economist, <a href="http://realfoodforager.com/fat-tuesday-february-14-2012/" target="_blank">Fat Tuesday</a> at Real Food Forager, <a href="http://www.cookingtf.com/2012/02/14/traditional-tuesdays-35/">Traditional Tuesdays</a> at Cooking Traditional Foods, <a href="http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2012/02/real-food-wednesday-282012.html" target="_blank">Real Food Wednesdays</a> at Kelly the Kitchen Kop, <a href="http://www.day2dayjoys.com/2012/02/healthy-2day-wednesdays-week-40.html" target="_blank">Healthy 2Day Wednesdays</a> at Day2Day Joys, <a href="http://www.beyondthepeel.net/2012/02/whole-food-wednesdays-black-bean-quinoa-broccoli-salad-with-blackberry-serrano-sauce.html" target="_blank">Whole Food Wednesdays</a> on Beyond the Peel, <a href="http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2012/02/pennywise-platter-thursday-216.html" target="_blank">Pennywise Platter Thursday</a> at Nourishing Gourmet, <a href="http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/2012/02/full-plate-thursday-2-16-12.html" target="_blank">Full Plate Thursday</a> at Miz Helen's Country Cottage, <a href="http://www.commonsensehome.com/living-well-blog-hop-29/" target="_blank">Living Well</a> at Common Sense Homesteading, <a href="http://www.realfoodfreaks.com/2012/02/16/freaky-friday-2172012/" target="_blank">Freaky Friday</a> at Real Food Freaks, <a href="http://www.simplysweethome.com/2012/02/friday-favorites-week-103.html" target="_blank">Friday Favorites</a> at Simply Sweet Home, <a href="http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-february-17th/" target="_blank">Fight Back Fridays</a> at Food Renegade, <a href="http://www.traditional-foods.com/friday-food-flicks/2-17-12/" target="_blank">Friday Food Flicks</a> at Traditional Foods, and <a href="http://gnowfglins.com/2012/02/16/simple-lives-thursday-83/" target="_blank">Simple Lives Thursday</a> at Gnowfglins.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-87625404936788662592012-02-10T11:35:00.000-06:002012-02-10T11:35:03.662-06:00The General Rules for HerbsHerbs have a rich history which goes back to the beginning of time. Because they have fewer side effects than Western drugs, we tend to think of herbs as being benign. In actuality, herbs <b>are</b> drugs--nature's drugs. While many herbs have beneficial side effects, not all side effects are desired. For example, the same herb that dries up that runny nose will also very efficiently and permanently dry up lactation.<br />
<br />
When dealing with herbs, please remember:<br />
<ul><li>Each person reacts to drugs differently. Since there is no one-size-fits all approach to health-care, you need to do your own research to find out what is beneficial for you and your family.</li>
<li>Side effects are considerably reduced by using the smallest amount of a drug that gives the desired response.</li>
<li>Herbs are not regulated by any federal agency in America. Once again, you need to do your own research using your own trusted resources.</li>
<li>My statements, or any other statement from any other blogger, cannot be construed as medical advice.</li>
</ul>Did I forget anything? Please, feel free to leave your own general herbal rules in the comments below.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-66416519960772028522012-02-02T23:31:00.018-06:002012-02-18T09:09:53.149-06:00To All a Good NightWant to know the number one health complaint that people talk to me about? Insomnia. Now I must confess that I'm no physician, so people don't come to me with every little illness and ailment. However, there's something about insomnia that causes it to come up in conversation. Personally, I think it's the fact that lack of sleep makes a person cranky, and cranky people talk a lot.<br />
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Of course, there's also the scary, addictive nature of sleeping drugs that makes even the most hardened skeptic seek alternative therapies, such as the ones listed below.<br />
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What I'm suggesting is a combination of many different sleep therapies that have worked for my family. I'd love it if you would leave a comment letting us know what has worked for your family, as well.<br />
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<b>Morning Constitutional</b><br />
After the death of my mother-in-law, I went through a period of depression. Sleep was elusive and unsatisfying at the time, which probably fed the depression even more. Eventually, I learned that to keep depression at bay and to provide restful sleep at night it was important to exercise. In particular, it was important to walk outside. Walking outside provides fresh air, vitamin D, a wider variety of colors, and time to reflect on the stresses of life, in addition to providing weight-bearing exercise. (Remember, that weight-bearing means that your body bears it's own weight, not that you're lifting iron.)<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Red light at night</b><br />
Our sleep schedules are supposed to be regulated by the sun. Sunlight is filled with a full spectrum of light, including blue light to keep us alert throughout the day. The longer we're exposed to blue light, the smaller the amount of melatonin that our body manufactures. The problem is that newfangled inventions like light bulbs, some alarm clocks, televisions, and computers also produce blue light, but they are capable of doing so for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With so much blue light, the body stores of melatonin waste away to practically nothing.<br />
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An interesting twist is that red light doesn't interfere at all with the production of melatonin. Back in the day, the hunters and gatherers only hope for artificial light came from the red light of a fire.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fKHGryo4nKgULw60__rCHxNgu31x12cAxRbSQ9xHUOgz2IprNVGjDJqm0twkzFSpItwh3hXb0iSvBxbwUG5KbVuHwdbuSdkfrFHyKugKerQBT9Ve9A9EmcJRgBvilHCw1rc_m9HVhdk/s1600/HPIM2882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6fKHGryo4nKgULw60__rCHxNgu31x12cAxRbSQ9xHUOgz2IprNVGjDJqm0twkzFSpItwh3hXb0iSvBxbwUG5KbVuHwdbuSdkfrFHyKugKerQBT9Ve9A9EmcJRgBvilHCw1rc_m9HVhdk/s1600/HPIM2882.JPG" /></a></div>So try these two ideas for a better night's sleep. <a href="http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-light-affects-our-sleep/" target="_blank">Turn off the TV, computer, and any errant light bulb that you come across off after dark--or at the very minimum, an hour before bed</a>. Instead, light candles or set some fires to get your evening's work done. (Note: setting your homework on fire does not get it done any faster.)<br />
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Secondly, buy a sleep mask for deeper sleep. (I got mine at a big box discount chain for only $10.) Be prepared to sleep late in the morning, since the sunrise won't disturb your sleep one iota.<br />
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<b>The sounds of sleep</b><br />
Another easy adjustment to make to the bedroom environment is to condition the sound. White noise generators provide ambient sound to mask the things that go bump in the night. <br />
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One of the reasons that I like the idea of white noise generators is that they've tested very well. In fact, studies have shown that white noise generators are as effective at helping people to sleep as over-the-counter sleep aids, but without any side effects. In another study it was found that <a href="http://www.qualityhealth.com/sleep-articles/white-noise-sound-good-nights-sleep" target="_blank">infants were three times as likely to fall asleep with white noise in the background as they were with normal night noises</a>.<br />
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White noise generators can easily run from $50-$100. I prefer the cheap fan that cost me only $10. Those who know anything about engines will tell you that the cheaper engines make the loudest white noise, so feel free to skimp liberally.<br />
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<b>Everybody's favorite</b><br />
Melatonin has become the favorite darling of those looking for a little all-natural mellowing, and with good reason. Since the body manufactures it's own stores of this hormone, it plays nicely with most prescription and over-the-counter medications. Take the smallest dosage that your body responds to about twenty minutes before bedtime, with an optional second dose just as you turn in.<br />
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I've never found studies that corroborate this, but in my own experience too much supplementation with artificial melatonin can cause you to fall asleep well only to awaken in the middle of the night. I personally go easy with this one. I use melatonin only when I'm having difficulty falling asleep or when my body doesn't seem to know when bedtime should be, only at the lowest dosage that my body will respond to, and only for a few nights at a time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.melatoninfaq.com/melatonin-overdose/" target="_blank">Melatonin overdose can have serious side effects</a>. It can mess with the liver, testosterone levels, and neurological systems.<br />
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<b>Out cold for hours</b><br />
While melatonin is helpful for falling asleep or resetting your internal clock, I turn to herbs for difficulty staying asleep. I tend to make my herbal concoctions fluidly, sometimes adding every ingredient and sometimes omitting one or two that don't feel right at the moment. Whenever dealing with herbs, please keep <a href="http://oldthymekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/02/general-rules-for-herbs.html" target="_blank">the general rules</a> in mind.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9bbeG1sodTOyOe5Ec4tGuQGbr3q9PPT7IBmbM6PUzIgcs4iNQtBBb3Ov1T2ZXbh5pTHiCOcyr15iF7PKez8lFBdSBn7i3FsSI8o8V172CuRS62xhYUKitSZ-RJPN9pzwehJVx3EWDVI/s1600/IMG_0089.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/AVvXsEgp9bbeG1sodTOyOe5Ec4tGuQGbr3q9PPT7IBmbM6PUzIgcs4iNQtBBb3Ov1T2ZXbh5pTHiCOcyr15iF7PKez8lFBdSBn7i3FsSI8o8V172CuRS62xhYUKitSZ-RJPN9pzwehJVx3EWDVI/s320/IMG_0089.JPG" width="190" /></a></div>My basic recipe is:<br />
<ul><li>1 Tablespoon <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Passion-Flower-Herb-Cut" target="_blank">passionflower</a></li>
<li>4 teaspoons <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Catnip-Herb-Cut_Organic" target="_blank">catnip</a> (not for use during pregnancy)</li>
<li>4 teaspoons <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Chamomile-Flowers-Whole_Organic" target="_blank">chamomile</a></li>
<li>1-2/3 teaspoons <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Lemon-Balm-Cut_Organic" target="_blank">lemon balm</a></li>
<li>1-2/3 teaspoons <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Oatstraw-Cut_Organic" target="_blank">oatstraw</a></li>
<li>3/8 teaspoons <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Valerian-Root-Cut" target="_blank">valerian</a> (adults only)</li>
<li>3/8 teaspoons <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Lobelia-Herb-Cut" target="_blank">lobelia</a></li>
</ul>Sometimes I will mill the whole lot for 10 seconds after combining them. Sometimes I leave them whole.<br />
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I add just a little bit of water to partially rehydrate them before adding either alcohol, to make a tincture, or glycerine.<br />
<ul><li>80 ml water</li>
<li>120 ml vodka or vegetable glycerine</li>
</ul> Choose an alcohol-based tincture if you're looking for a highly effective, shelf-stable product that will last for months (in a cool, dark location). It's also a good choice for those who are sensitive to sugars (or have weak enamel).<br />
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Choose a glycerite if you're concerned about giving alcohol to a child or if you need something prepared in a hurry.<br />
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To make a tincture, put your herbs, water, and alcohol into a 1/2 pint Mason jar. Screw the lid on tightly. Alcohol tinctures need to be stored in a cool, dark location for three weeks before they're ready. Some recommend giving the bottle a good shake every few days or so. When the time is complete, strain off the herbs and discard. Store the alcohol in a <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/4oz-Amber-Tincture-Bottles" target="_blank">4 ounce amber bottle</a> in a cool, dark location. The healing properties will stay in the alcohol for at least a year.<br />
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Glycerites are similar in manufacture. Put your herbs, water, and glycerine into a 1/2 pint Mason jar. Fill a small saucepan with water. Put a dishcloth in the bottom of the saucepan and set the Mason jar on top. Simmer the herbs for 3 hours. Strain off the herbs and compost them. Store in a <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/4oz-Amber-Tincture-Bottles" target="_blank">4 ounce amber bottle</a> in a cool, dark location. The healing properties will stay in the glycerine for months.<br />
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Keep in mind that the herbal brew above is a neurological depressant. Do not use it continuously. Some recommend taking it on the weekdays, and leaving the weekends au naturalle. I prefer to take them for only 2-3 days before taking a night off.<br />
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Actually, I go through long periods of time anymore where I don't need any herbal help at all. I pray that you find deep, healing sleep, as well.<br />
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Linked to <a href="http://butterbeliever.com/2012/02/12/sunday-school-blog-carnival-14/" target="_blank">Sunday School</a> at Butter Believer, <a href="http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/monday-mania-2132012/" target="_blank">Monday Mania </a>at The Healthy Home Economist, <a href="http://realfoodforager.com/fat-tuesday-february-14-2012/" target="_blank">Fat Tuesday</a> at Real Food Forager, <a href="http://www.cookingtf.com/2012/02/14/traditional-tuesdays-35/">Traditional Tuesdays</a> at Cooking Traditional Foods, <a href="http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2012/02/real-food-wednesday-282012.html" target="_blank">Real Food Wednesdays</a> at Kelly the Kitchen Kop, <a href="http://www.day2dayjoys.com/2012/02/healthy-2day-wednesdays-week-40.html" target="_blank">Healthy 2Day Wednesdays</a> at Day2Day Joys, <a href="http://www.beyondthepeel.net/2012/02/whole-food-wednesdays-black-bean-quinoa-broccoli-salad-with-blackberry-serrano-sauce.html" target="_blank">Whole Food Wednesdays</a> on Beyond the Peel, <a href="http://www.commonsensehome.com/living-well-blog-hop-29/" target="_blank">Living Well</a> at Common Sense Homesteading, <a href="http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-february-17th/" target="_blank">Fight Back Fridays</a> at Food Renegade, and <a href="http://gnowfglins.com/2012/02/16/simple-lives-thursday-83/" target="_blank">Simple Lives Thursday</a> at Gnowfglins.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-11835679958828609072012-01-02T14:22:00.004-06:002012-06-20T10:24:29.135-05:00Washing Laura Ingall's Clothes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6hl64SpVf6ntiH9FPBvXsmKINEoePkRT93eJv-B1Xf4U8BpbRy3JJdk2IInBn2-NXLkKifJgeZh7ZyKyl7Z3XU7niWbosW2po94aOQlCIwB3SGnWwzh7cEn6g9fj7F1eLwXe68MmSnQ/s1600/380714_10150432460615552_617035551_10541750_855810240_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6hl64SpVf6ntiH9FPBvXsmKINEoePkRT93eJv-B1Xf4U8BpbRy3JJdk2IInBn2-NXLkKifJgeZh7ZyKyl7Z3XU7niWbosW2po94aOQlCIwB3SGnWwzh7cEn6g9fj7F1eLwXe68MmSnQ/s200/380714_10150432460615552_617035551_10541750_855810240_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>This is a time for new beginnings. Not only is it 2012 now, but also we are living in a new place. My father-in-law passed away in October, and we've moved to his home just long enough to sort through everything and prepare the home for sale.With so much work in store for us, I'm trying to simplify our lives as much as possible.<br />
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God gave me the foresight to begin our school year six weeks early, with the idea that the busy season at work may have been too intense for me to teach every day. Actually, I was able to teach during that time, but it gives me the freedom to skip out on teaching now. The older girls are going to be continuing some lessons in a study hall style, but I'm giving myself permission to take a full six weeks off from teaching first grade.<br />
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As for the housework, I'm trying to simplify that as much as possible, as well. My girls have enough basic cooking skills to be able to prepare a simple meal by themselves and keep the dishes clean.<br />
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Laundry, however, is always a problem. To be honest, I have one full-time slob who gets part-time help from her sisters. She can single-handedly keep me busy from morning till night, either supervising her as she picks up her string of socks, shoes, coats, gloves, scepters, boas, scarves, crowns, shirts, pants, dresses, and handkerchiefs or just picking up the darn mess myself.<br />
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If I don't watch closely enough, the girls are liable to fold the clothes, put them on the floor by their dresser, walk over the top of them, and clean up everything on the floor straight to the laundry basket without ever having worn an outfit. It's a maddening, depressing problem which I'm determined to rid myself of.<br />
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Over the last few months for entertainment my family has been reading the classic Laura Ingalls Wilder novels. As I was thinking over simplifying our lives during these next few weeks, I stumbled across a bit of inspiration from the pioneer days. Perhaps you all realized this a long time ago, but I must confess that it hit me like a lightening bolt. If I want to wash less clothes, perhaps we need to own less clothing.<br />
<br />
I haven't made any permanent commitments. Nothing has been thrown away or given away. During this temporary move, however, it seemed the perfect time for a grand experiment. I had each person pack one Sunday outfit, one pair of Sunday shoes, two pair of work clothes (one to wear while we're working and one to wear while we're washing), one pair of work shoes, one pair of warm pajamas, and a week's worth of undergarments. That's it. Everything else was left at our permanent home.<br />
<br />
The first thing that I noticed when I got here was that everybody's clothing fits into one drawer. (Actually, there is one exception to that. My husband didn't hear me when I told him that I had already packed for him, so he has A LOT more clothes than anyone else. Since he's good about cleaning up after himself, I'm not really worried too much about that.)<br />
<br />
My hope is that I'm able to wash everything in only a few loads. My in-law's washing machine only holds about 3/8 cup of clothes at a time, so we'll have to wait and see. I'll keep you posted on how this grand experiment works for us.<br />
<br />
Read <a href="http://oldthymekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/03/washing-laura-ingalls-clothes-update.html" target="_blank">Washing Laura Ingall's Clothes--An Update</a>.<br />
<br />
Shared with: <a href="http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/monday-mania-122012/" target="_blank">Monday Mania</a>, <a href="http://realfoodforager.com/fat-tuesday-january-3-2012/" target="_blank">Fat Tuesday</a>, and <a href="http://gnowfglins.com/2012/01/05/simple-lives-thursday-77/" target="_blank">Simple Lives Thursday</a>.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-27726358062911151012011-12-19T10:24:00.002-06:002011-12-19T10:26:39.366-06:00Swag Bucks HolidaySwagbucks is giving away a lot for the holidays. This swidget might help those who participate.<br />
<br />
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://cdn.widgetserver.com/syndication/subscriber/InsertWidget.js"></script><script type="text/javascript">if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('91c7d6ca-ca7e-4b59-ba36-c40f3476e291');</script><noscript>Get the <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/swidget-10">Swidget 1.0</a> widget and many other <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com/">great free widgets</a> at <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com">Widgetbox</a>! Not seeing a widget? (<a href="http://support.widgetbox.com/">More info</a>)</noscript><br />
<br />
Go to the place that says, "Swag Codes" and "Check if there's a Swag Code". If there is not, you can search again later.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-33868839793028903222011-12-16T21:46:00.008-06:002012-01-05T16:03:17.478-06:00Lactofermented Cabbage CasseroleI've had the perfect idea in my head for supper for a long, long time but it seemed impossible to get all of the pieces to fall into place at the same time during this busy season. Just as I was giving up, my knight in blue denim armor finally swooped in to the rescue. While the girls and I were off Christmas caroling tonight, my dear hubby put the final steps together to make one of his favorite dishes.<br />
<br />
I wish it had some kind of swanky name, but we simply call it<br />
<b>Cabbage Casserole</b><br />
<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNJ7ugSZQaqd5PWSGey4jhkGOo0yCoq1qwaO192FVGVv9uUCFBpY3NiDSgbZAmBhnRnJ-rJHUea2oMk2KAFz2dBUikpjKHh1Gvx-qRLL7H1OjYlF7Atp8EJWi2ValIQNiuWUJnFSI6PI/s1600/Cabbage+Casserole.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNJ7ugSZQaqd5PWSGey4jhkGOo0yCoq1qwaO192FVGVv9uUCFBpY3NiDSgbZAmBhnRnJ-rJHUea2oMk2KAFz2dBUikpjKHh1Gvx-qRLL7H1OjYlF7Atp8EJWi2ValIQNiuWUJnFSI6PI/s320/Cabbage+Casserole.JPG" width="320" /></a>
<li>2 lbs of cabbage</li>
<li>1/2 T sea salt <a href="http://oldthymekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/12/why-salt-is-not-optional-in-lacto.html" target="_blank">(not optional)</a></li>
<li>1/4 c <a href="http://gnowfglins.com/2011/07/20/free-video-whey-what-it-is-how-to-get-it/" target="_blank">whey</a> drained from raw dairy</li>
<li>2 c brown rice, uncooked</li>
<li>2 additional t sea salt</li>
<li>2 c tomato juice</li>
<li>1 T or more fat</li>
<li>2 onions</li>
<li>2 cloves garlic</li>
<li>1 lb. ground beef</li>
<li>1/2 T fennel</li>
<li>1/2 T black pepper</li>
<li>1/8 c raw apple cidar vinegar</li>
<li>scant 3/4 c extra virgin olive oil</li>
<li>1/2 T dijon mustard</li>
<li>1 c buttermilk</li>
</ul><br />
<b>1-7 days before dinner:</b><br />
Remove the outer leaves and quarter a cabbage. Remove the core. Shred the cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle it with sea salt (Just a note: if your salt isn't white it's unrefined, leaving you with lots of minerals to balance the sodium in your system.) and whey.<br />
<br />
Allow the cabbage to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. The cabbage will start looking wet as the salt pulls the cabbage's juices to the surface. Stir it up and allow it to sit for 30 more minutes before transfering it to a storage container. (I like Mason jars, as is obvious to all who know me well.) If the cabbage's juices do not cover the cabbage, pound it until it is covered. (Heck, you can pound it even if the cabbage's juices do cover, just because there's nothing like a giving a cabbage a good pounding to release your own creative juices. But, I digress.) Allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours for a mild flavor or 3-7 days for a sour flavor. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(If you want to know why we're letting this sit, it's because we're culturing beneficial bacteria, in much the same way that yogurt is filled with beneficial bacteria.)</span><br />
<br />
<b>7-24 hours before dinner:</b><br />
In a medium saucepan, combine rice, salt, and tomato juice. Cover and leave at room temperature for 7-24 hours.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://oldthymekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/12/why-do-we-soak-grains.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(For those who want to know why we're letting this sit)</span></a><br />
<br />
<b>40 minutes before dinner:</b><br />
Bring the rice mixture to a boil. Simmer for 25-35 minutes. Allow to stand for 5 minutes to absorb most of the tomato.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile saute the onions and garlic in the fat of your choice. Add the beef and cook it until brown. Stir in fennel and pepper.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7-9Ty-arkPqha2oD1Z2Bc_sSIxQdep-Td-2zUXACmFRFQTmw30lTKi4-8kE3YbIDT5a8sPYoGJVvScJAj22PjyIRpeMulQiAyiPLp6_h3mCqT-CI4Lg5JKZ2XNSuNKi0BRuoXQmFM5c/s1600/Sauteed+onions+and+garlic+in+browned+meat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7-9Ty-arkPqha2oD1Z2Bc_sSIxQdep-Td-2zUXACmFRFQTmw30lTKi4-8kE3YbIDT5a8sPYoGJVvScJAj22PjyIRpeMulQiAyiPLp6_h3mCqT-CI4Lg5JKZ2XNSuNKi0BRuoXQmFM5c/s320/Sauteed+onions+and+garlic+in+browned+meat.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Place the remaining ingredients in a 2-pint Mason jar. Secure the lid and shake it well. (Or, I suppose you could just stir them together in a little bowl, although that seems much more boring.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuN6famWjy9p9yaWnAXaXO9yNQWD8mBe0CFFWV1JTa86c0Y4NQ4YPLUgDya-4NJI8XBr85w0Q2pCrB6lRrYPSRdoR86X1cb5XEScLW_DkdbMv2NE6MdzZVxW_12432bPo9k55AaZbi28/s1600/Dressing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuN6famWjy9p9yaWnAXaXO9yNQWD8mBe0CFFWV1JTa86c0Y4NQ4YPLUgDya-4NJI8XBr85w0Q2pCrB6lRrYPSRdoR86X1cb5XEScLW_DkdbMv2NE6MdzZVxW_12432bPo9k55AaZbi28/s1600/Dressing.JPG" /></a></div><br />
In a casserole dish, layer the cabbage, rice, dressing, and meat mixture. Place the casserole dish in a cool oven. Turn on the oven to lowest setting--mine is 170 degrees. Heat it until the casserole's temperature reaches just under 118 degrees--mine takes about 3 minutes. That heats it up without destroying all of the enzymes.<br />
<br />
I was so grateful to my dear hubby for following my directions and putting this dish together. I failed to mention to him, however, that I had enough prepared enough cabbage for two meals so the pictures show a cabbage-heavy dish. The family inhaled it, so the chances of me scrapping together enough leftovers for a second meal at this point are kind of slim. Such is life.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">With many thanks to the following who influenced this meal:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://gnowfglins.com/ecourse/classes/fundamentals" target="_blank">Lessons 2 & 14 of the Gnowfglin's Fundamentals e-course</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-layered-cabbage-casserole-70231.aspx" target="_blank">Easy Layered Cabbage Casserole</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/italian-sausage-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">Sausage a la Alton Brown</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">There's a 4th influence that I wish I could credit, but I lost the web address years ago. It was for a delicious tomato soup. I've pulled the recipe apart and put the ingredients back in a different order so you might not even recognize the original recipe anymore anyhow.</span><br />
<br />
Shared with <a href="http://commonsensehomesteading.blogspot.com/2011/12/living-well-blog-hop-20.html" target="_blank">Living Well</a>, <a href="http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-december-16th/" target="_blank">Fight Back Friday</a>, <a href="http://www.realfoodfreaks.com/2011/12/15/freaky-friday-12162011/" target="_blank">Freaky Friday</a>, <a href="http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/monday-mania-12192011/" target="_blank">Monday Mania</a> and <a href="http://realfoodforager.com/2011/12/fat-tuesday-december-20-2011/" target="_blank">Fat Tuesday</a>.<br />
<br />
Note (January 5, 2012): It has come to my attention that <a href="http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/think-raw-veggies-are-best-think-again/" target="_blank">cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable and therefore should not be eaten raw</a>. Exceptions can be made for eating small amounts of sauerkraut as a condiment. Since this recipe calls for a lot more than a few bites of raw cabbage, please, feel free to heat this at 350 degrees until it is heated through. Thanks for the understanding.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-61278208067736625772011-12-16T21:07:00.000-06:002011-12-16T21:07:49.496-06:00Why Do We Soak Grains?<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Putting a complicated matter into one paragraph</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Grains, like all seeds, are designed by God to pass through the digestive process unscathed so that when... ahem... waste is left, the seeds will still be viable to cultivate new plants. For the seeds protection, there are anti-nutrients and other compounds that hider digestion and the work of enzymes. Soaking the grain mimics the sprouting process, which allows these anti-nutrients to be broken down--making the food more digestible.</span>Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-31998412214484280432011-12-16T20:25:00.000-06:002011-12-16T20:25:09.171-06:00Why Salt is not Optional in a Lacto-fermented DishMany of us over the years have avoided salt in an effort to stay heart-healthy. When looking at lacto-fermented recipes it would be easy for us to omit the salt in order to make the dish more nutritious. <br />
<br />
But wait. Salt is vital in lacto-fermented recipes. <br />
<br />
Most of you know that fish are classified as either salt-water fish or fresh-water fish. Bacteria is similar. Beneficial bacteria thrives when a little bit of salt is present. However, with few exceptions, bacteria which causes food to spoil or bacteria which causes illness can't survive in a salty environment.<br />
<br />
If the salt still makes you uncomfortable, you can add less salt when a starter culture is added, for example when adding whey from the culturing of raw dairy. Don't omit it entirely, however. Brine is a necessary preservative.<br />
<br />
Don't go to the other extreme, however. Too much of a good thing is too much. Too much salt makes even the friendly bacteria struggle to reproduce.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-12821452180149160662011-11-25T13:31:00.004-06:002012-06-20T09:49:45.845-05:00Reaping What is SownToday I am reaping what I've sown in more ways than one. Over the past week I've suffered a lot of insomnia. If I'd been thinking about it I would have taken some soothing herbs at bedtime, but of course I didn't see the need until well into the night when it was truly inconvenient to get up and take something. Not only did I reap groggy crabbiness, but I also started to catch a cold.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOCn-m1QNquJqr2RkL6mRa0c-FIDMPrr4manw8RtZ765zZLRHz315aHZK6wQLgNraH00WuqygcmyNlYPa03-Y2De6hYGFCf30Eehyphenhyphenz-kRdxbvdJrfu245eLI-E3TDdRNZ16QI2HzEwy4/s1600/HPIM0615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOCn-m1QNquJqr2RkL6mRa0c-FIDMPrr4manw8RtZ765zZLRHz315aHZK6wQLgNraH00WuqygcmyNlYPa03-Y2De6hYGFCf30Eehyphenhyphenz-kRdxbvdJrfu245eLI-E3TDdRNZ16QI2HzEwy4/s320/HPIM0615.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Then came yesterday, which was Thanksgiving in the United States. I indulged in the traditional Thanksgiving feast until mid-afternoon and then, since we were too full to have dessert right away, we decided to substitute pie for the evening meal. I enjoyed two over-sized pieces (apple and pumpkin) with whipped cream that had me nibbling for hours.<br />
At bedtime I finally started to show some wisdom. I took some melatonin and my homemade sleep glycerite before turning in for the night.<br />
<br />
By morning I was showing signs of a full-fledged infection.<br />
<br />
Alright, I'll admit it. By the time I reached the second piece of pie, I was showing signs of a full-fledged infection. There are a lot of old wives tales when it comes to our health. Contrary to popular belief, going out on a damp, windy day will not make you cough. But <a href="http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sugar.htm" target="_blank">that second piece of pie just might</a>. Truly, the first piece of pie probably did me in. You see, vitamin C and insulin compete for the same receptors in the immune system. When insulin wins, my immune system loses. Game over.<br />
<br />
But not so fast. I'm not dead yet.<br />
<br />
The first thing I needed to do was to get my immune system back into gear. So I slept. A lot.<br />
<br />
This morning I was so happy that I've taught my girls to cook. My eldest got up and made eggs for the family.<br />
<br />
That gave me the opportunity to take care of myself. I started by taking care of my sore throat. I've got a <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Lobelia-Herb-Cut" target="_blank">lobelia</a> and <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Cayenne-Pepper-Powder" target="_blank">cayenne</a> <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/how-to/Make_a_Tincture" target="_blank">tincture</a> on hand for just this sort of occasion. I rubbed it down over my swollen lymph glands. I must confess that I wasn't nearly as gentle and persistent as I am when one of my girls has a sore throat, but it worked right away in spite of my negligence.<br />
<br />
Next I snacked on some raw hot peppers. It doesn't take a scientist to know that peppers make your nose run. Since I was so congested, a runny nose wasn't a bad idea. Besides, peppers are high in vitamin C.<br />
<br />
Then I brewed some <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Double-E-Immune-Booster_Organic" target="_blank">tea</a>. I believe it's <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/The-Green-Pharmacy-Herbal-Handbook" target="_blank">Dr James A Duke</a> who teaches that echinacea is only effective against strep when it comes in direct contact with the source of the infection. I didn't bother to take a throat swab, but instead just decided to cover all of my bases. I added salt to my tea and used it both to gargle and as a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Himalayan-Institute-Ceramic-Neti-Pot/dp/B000WJIC3G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322247458&sr=8-1" target="_blank">neti pot</a> solution.<br />
<br />
Editor's Note: I've since switched to using five drops of yerba mansa in my neti pot water, plus 20-60 drops of yerba mansa in a glass of water 2-4 times daily. It's much more effective at sinus conditions. <br />
<br />
I know. Some of you think that nasal irrigating is the grossest thing imaginable. Besides, only long-haired hippy types resort to such tactics. All I can tell you is that it doesn't hurt and is no grosser than blowing your nose conventionally. My dear husband always says that it reminds him of being able to breath under the water in a swimming pool, and that seems as good of a description as anything.<br />
<br />
Regardless, by this time, I was no longer in pain and was breathing freely. So I went back to bed.<br />
<br />
The girls came in about a half an hour later and woke me up, wondering if they could watch TV. I agreed, on the condition that they were dressed with their teeth brushed, and they hooted in happiness. I was extremely happy that I sowed the seeds of enjoying TV only on Sundays and special occasions. They were happy too, since an average Friday had just been turned into a second holiday.<br />
<br />
I slept for another hour before they awakened me again, this time hoping for a snack. I told them that they could if their breakfast was eaten. They promptly disobeyed, snacking on pieces of fruit while their eggs were sitting cold on the breakfast dishes. I guess I still have some weeds in my garden, but for the most part I'm happy reaping what I've sown.<br />
<br />
~~<br />
<br />
Other ideas for sinus infections and colds include <a href="http://www.homeopathyworks.com/jshop/product.php?xProd=578&jssCart=6059dc96bec743c6817bd6136f941abe" target="_blank">kali bic</a> for congestion and sinus headaches; <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Gelatin-Capsules" target="_blank">encapsulated</a> ground <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Fenugreek-Seed-Whole_Organic" target="_blank">fenugreek</a> and <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Thyme-Leaf-Cut_Organic" target="_blank">thyme</a>, which is kind of like an herbal Mucinex-D; drinking <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Peppermint-Leaf-Cut_Organic" target="_blank">peppermint tea</a> as a gentle decongestant; and you could also drink <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Double-E-Immune-Booster_Organic" target="_blank">the tea that I mentioned earlier</a>. It does well at stimulating the immune system internally too.<br />
<br />
I'll probably try one of those ideas later, if I ever get around to it. I suppose I'm just not a good patient.<br />
<br />
Editor's note: It wasn't Dr Duke, it was <a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Herbal-Antibiotics" target="_blank">Stephen Harold Buhner</a> who taught about using echinacea directly on the throat for strep. He recommends using as a tincture, but it is my opinion that a tea would also be effective even if it is weaker.<br />
<br />
<br />
Linked with <a href="http://gnowfglins.com/2011/11/23/simple-lives-thursday-71/" target="_blank">Simple Lives Thursday</a>.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2408859246597440261.post-40536419083441239532011-11-14T14:04:00.004-06:002011-11-23T15:04:19.702-06:00Saving Cents by Using Sense--Brewing Tea, Part 1Over the weekend one of my darling daughters spiked a fever. It was one of those cases where fever and swollen glands were the main symptoms. As with most childhood illnesses, I immediately reached for my childrens' activator and echinacea/elderberry tea.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://designsbyd8a.com/images/teajars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://designsbyd8a.com/images/teajars.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>If I had followed the directions that came with my tea, I would have used 1-2 teaspoons of bulk tea or 1 tea bag per cup of boiling water.<br />
<br />
I didn't do that. I remembered my high school science class and employed a much more frugal method. All of the above tea was brewed with one spoonful of bulk tea.<br />
<br />
Do you remember osmosis? It's the idea that a solute will evenly disperse itself across a permeable membrane until both sides of the membrane have an equal concentration of solution.<br />
<br />
The same idea applies even without the permeable membrane. If I put a tea bag in the top of a Mason jar, it won't just make tea with one cup of water. Instead, the tea will brew through all of the water in the jar.<br />
<br />
So if I want to make double the tea, I have a choice to make. I can either double the amount of tea in my jar or I can double my TIME. I usually take whatever route is cheapest. The tea that you see above (<a href="http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Double-E-Immune-Booster_Organic">organic Double E Immune Booster from the Bulk Herb Store</a>) was brewed in a single pot on the stove and then separated into individual jars.<br />
<br />
I can already hear the devil's advocate wondering, "Does it dilute the healing properties of the tea?" I'm sure there's a point where it does, but we haven't found it yet. We make up to a gallon of herbal tea at a time with no ill effects.<br />
<br />
I'd love to hear your feedback, particularly if you're willing to give it a try.<br />
<br />
<br />
This post was shared with <a href="http://gnowfglins.com/2011/11/16/simple-lives-thursday-70/" target="_blank">Simple Lives Thursday</a>, <a href="http://lifeasmom.com/2011/11/eat-well-spend-less-for-thanksgiving-frugal-friday.html" target="_blank">Frugal Fridays</a>, <a href="http://wholenewmom.com/traditional-tuesday/traditional-tuesdays-nutritious-and-delicious-november-22-2011/" target="_blank">Traditional Tuesdays</a>, and <a href="http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2011/11/real-food-wednesday-11232011.html" target="_blank">Real Food Wednesday</a>.Elisabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12320884628002587912noreply@blogger.com1