Movin' along...

Things are moving along quite nicely with our new church plant. We may even have a permanent place to meet soon! We can sign the lease as quickly as Friday. There is work to be done in the new facility, the people that were there before completely gutted the place, but the owner told us that if we do the work ourselves, we get the first 3 months of rent for FREE. Free is my kind of price! Our goal is to have our first service in the new place on June 21. We are seeing good attendance and we have new visitors almost every week. But most importantly, we are seeing lives being changed by the Word of God.

Our no sugar diet was going great, until my Johnny had a birthday party. And then the church picnic was the next day. And then it was Johnny's real birthday. :sigh: We are getting back on track (except for the cookies I made tonight). I did get some more books at the library about eating a raw foods diet today. I was at a loss at making a variety of meals. We have recently cut out cereal...a HUGE thing for our family. Slowly but surely....one step at a time.

Johnny's 7th birthday!

Something just isn't right

Is it just me, or do strawberries seem to be getting bigger and bigger? I'm thinking that's probably not a good thing. Adding tons of fertilizer doesn't make a better berry :o( just a bigger one. Just my opinion, I suppose. I have been learning a little about foods and nutrition and am planning on learning as much as I can! I will try to share as I go along. Here are some snippets of what I've learned so far...

• High Fructose Corn Syrup is BAD. Period. A great documentary that we watched on corn was "King Corn". It really goes into detail about how there were many varieties of corn over 100 years ago, and with genetic modification and whittling out a lot of them, we now have the very basic varieties. I challenge you to check out your pantry. You'll be shocked at how many food items contain High Fructose Corn Syrup. It must be pennies to the gallon, lol. (p.s. Aunt Millie's bread doesn't contain any HFCS).
• Iceberg lettuce really doesn't do much for you. Sure, it's great to eat salad, but there is not much nutritional value in iceburg lettuce. When making salads, try spinach or romaine, or even a combination of the two. The darker the better...
• Honey is a good sugar source for you. I guess this one just makes sense. It is mentioned many times in the Bible, it is a natural food, it has been known to help throats feel better, helps relieve coughs, etc... My pediatrician actually recommended 1 teaspoon of Buckwheat honey every 6 hours for a cough that one of my children had. I was shocked! It confirmed for me the wonderful value of honey...even the medical community notices it.
• Olive Oil is one of the best oils to use. Yes, it is expensive, however, it is one of those heart healthy "Super Foods". Again, we find olives in the Bible.
• Not all fat is bad. Like Olive Oil above, avocados, nuts, and seeds are actually good for you. In moderation, of course ;o).
• Processed foods are full of bad stuff. That sounded real intelligent, didn't it? When you think of the Corn syrup, sodium, preservatives, food coloring, it's just bad, bad, bad. Making meals at home is a much better alternative.
• Tea is a "Super Food". Woohoo!
• Frozen vegetables are better than canned. Fresh is best, but frozen is the next best. They retain their color better and keep more of the vitamins versus the canning process.
• Butter vs. margarine. Do I need to say more? Butter really is much better for you than margarine. Is it more expensive? Yes, sort of. But, when you look at the bigger picture, is our health worth it? Here is an article on butter & margarine.
• Pork. This was considered unclean in God's Word. But it's in the Old Testament! We don't live by O.T. laws, right? Unfortunately, people say this about many Old Testament teachings. Being in the O.T. doesn't make it any less God's Word. Yes, we are saved by grace, and grace alone and do not have to follow all the O.T. Law. There are many practical teachings to live by in the O.T., one of them being to stay away from pork (and other foods, but pork seems to be the favored one). We do still eat some pork, as my husband enjoys it, but we have cut it out almost entirely from our diet.

There are more, this is to just get started. Be informed! Know what you are putting into your body and your children's bodies. Become a label reader and do some research. There are excellent sources out there that go into this topic in much more detail. More later ;o).

Squash Chips

Now that that harvest is coming in, what do you do with all that extra summer squash? I always heard that you can't freeze or can squash. So, I always shredded it and froze it in 2 cup portions to use for zucchini bread. A friend recently shared with me that you can freeze it in slices or chunks. Yippee! Squash (or squish as my 4 year old calls it) will taste extra good in my vegetable soup this fall and winter. You can get the directions for freezing squash here.

For those of you who grow squash, you know how abundantly it comes on. I still had some squash after freezing a lot of it. Well, I decided to use the dehydrator I got for my birthday and made some squash chips :o) They are great for dipping and have the texture of a chip, a nice healthy snack. Dehydrating food is the oldest form of preserving food.


Squash Chips

• wash summer squash (or zucchini) and leave the skin on


• slice about 1/4 inch slices


• place on dehydrator screen


• I sprinkled some garlic salt on ours, try some different spices!


• dry for 8 hours at 135 degrees

Before

I got mixed reviews from the family. If you don't normally like squash, these chips may not be your favorite until you acquire a taste for them. Keep trying with different flavors and maybe some dip? (we didn't have any dip to try them with)

After

Happy snacking!

Saving $$ Through the Year

With grocery costs skyrocketing, I am constantly looking for ways to cut those costs. With a family of 8, it is sometimes difficult to keep our grocery bill low. But, it is possible. First, ask the Lord to give you wisdom in this area. God has shown me many resources and put me in the path of many people who are looking for the same things as I am. I specifically look for frugal ways of living and but added to that, I want to feed my family un-processed, low sugar, whole foods.

frugal + healthy = LOTS OF $$$ reasonable budget

Here is one of the many ways to cut costs in your grocery bill. Stock up when produce is in season! This is KEY!! If you want blueberries right now, you can get a great price, because they are in season. What if you want to make a blueberry dessert or add blueberries in your fruit salad in February? You pay 3 times as much (or more!) But if you plan ahead, you could throw in some blueberries for your healthy smoothie in November without breaking the bank.

There is a wealth of information out there, so I am not going to try to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. I am just going to give you a few pointers and ideas of what to look for at various times of the year. Most produce can be easily frozen. You can get tips for preserving food here.

• January-Citrus fruits and pears
• February-Chocolate
• March-Frozen veggies
• April-Broccoli and cauliflower
• May-Asparagus, buns, ground meat
• June- Strawberries
• July- Blueberries, peaches, plums, watermelon
• August- Corn, tomatoes, peppers, beans, zucchini
• September-Apples
• October-Pumpkins (if you wait until Nov 1, you can get them FREE), sweet potatoes
• November-Turkeys, baking items
• December-Citrus fruits, cranberries, ham

These are just to name a few! Here is what I did with my blueberries this week.

Wash berries

Lay flat on a cookie sheet and freeze overnight.

Put frozen berries into gallon bag, seal, label, and freeze! "Fresh" blueberries until next July :o) If they (grocery stores) can freeze and preserve foods, then you can too; at a huge saving to you!

My Garden & the Coming Harvest

I have been gardening for a few years for several reasons. Fresh produce is always better from the garden and it cuts costs in the grocery bill. This year, I have grown an all organic garden, just to see if I could. So far, so good. We had a ton of rain this past month and things are growing beautifully. I also tried something that I found in one of my gardening books. I planted sunflower seeds next to each tomato plant to stake them together. The sunflowers are very sturdy to hold the tomato plants up and in a few weeks, it will be beautiful! Next year, I think that I will plant the sunflowers a few weeks before the tomatoes so they can have a better start.

My bed of tomatoes and sunflowers

Cucumbers, melons, squash, peppers, and broccoli bed

See my little cantaloupe?

It's Coming...

The harvest is coming! The harvest is coming!

This photo was taken a few days ago, so my squash did grow a little more. I cut it last night! I sliced it and sauteed it with a red, yellow, and orange pepper with a little butter and onion. YUM-O! I can't wait! They are getting ready to all come on at once. No more paying sky-high prices at the store (for a little while anyway!) for fresh produce.

It can't get any better than that!

Week of Strawberries Part 3, Freezing Whole Berries

Frozen berries are very versatile. We mostly use them in smoothies in the summer but you can use them in muffins, breads, pancakes, etc... It is best not to just put them into a freezer bag because they will all clump together. Instead, you want to freeze them individually so that they don't form one big clump. This works for strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc...

• Wash your berries. Gently put berries into a sink of cold water and swish around.


• Drain berries in a colander.


• Place berries on a cookie sheet in a single layer and put into freezer for several hours.


• Label your gallon size freezer bags with the contents and the date.


• After you take them out of the freezer (use a potholder, it is very cold!), they may stick a little, just use a pancake turner to gently take them off the cookie sheet. Place them in your labeled freezer bag and put them back into the freezer.


• They are ready to use anytime! You can take out what you need and close it back up for next time.

Week of Strawberries Part 2, Freezer Jam

As part of my Strawberry series, I will show how we do things here at home. Let me just mention, I AM NO EXPERT! These are just things that I have learned by trial and error. Some ideas may seem very simple, but let me tell you, I had NO idea how to do anything in the kitchen when we first got married! Hopefully, this can be a small help to someone.

Strawberries are best when they are fresh picked. If you can pick them yourself at a Farm Market, U-pick place, or even better, at home, then that is best! You know exactly how fresh they are.

The key is planning ahead! When planning a trip to pick any produce, it is always best to call ahead to make sure they have plenty to pick. Also make sure that you have PLENTY of time to process your berries the same day you pick them. It is always cheaper to pick it yourself than to buy it there. For example, it was $4.75 per pint to buy at the market and $1.25 per pound to pick yourself. If you don't know where any U-Pick farms are in your area, check here. (There are also step-by-step instructions on preserving many food items on this site.)



We always make Freezer Jam. One of the main reasons we pick berries! That is what I will start with. Strawberry Freezer Jam

• Select your berries. Put them in a sink of cold water to wash. Just swish them around in the water and drain.

• Hull berries and place into a large bowl. This is the bowl you will use to crush them in.


• Crush berries with a potato masher.

• Measure out 4 Cups of crushed berries (this may vary with the type/size box of pectin that you use).


• Mix your freezer pectin & sugar. The one that I like best is Ball Freezer Pectin. It will tell you exactly how much sugar you need for the size package of pectin that you have. The package that I had said 1 1/2 cups sugar.


• Stir your pectin/sugar mixture into your crushed berries and mix for about 2-3 minutes.


• Ladle into your clean can-or-freeze jars or any freezer containers.


• Let it sit for 20-30 minutes and then label & freeze.


• Good for 3 weeks in the refrigerator or a year in the freezer.

It tastes like fresh strawberries all year long!

Week of Strawberries

Sweet and Juicy Strawberries

We went strawberry picking today! I love this time of year when we can go to farm markets to buy fresh produce. It just seems so wholesome. The kids and I had a great time picking 26 pounds of berries! Yes, you read that right! 26 POUNDS! Yum :o)

Strawberries are so good for you too. They are full of Vitamin C and Flavonoids. They are good plain, in desserts, smoothies, salads, etc... I am going to be posting strawberry recipes all this week, including how we process them here at home.

Happy eating!

Menu Plan Monday June 2-8, 2008

I sure hate those weeks that I don't plan! Last week was not fun, not knowing what was for dinner until time to throw something together. This week will be better!

Monday-Swiss Steak (in the crockpot)

Tuesday-Chicken/spinach salad (yummy in the warmer weather!)

Wednesday-Hot Beef Sandwiches (another crockpot) with Onion buns, spinach salad

Thursday-Lentil tacos

Friday-Spaghetti with whole wheat pasta

Saturday-welcome to the leftover buffet!

Last week, I did try some new recipes. I made yogurt!! It was super easy and the kiddos loved it! You can also use this same basic recipe to make cream cheese. You can find out how to make it on Keeping The Home. Emily tried the Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from here. They were really good! Definitely a keeper.

Check out lots more menus for other great ideas on menus and organizing in general from Laura at www.orgjunkie.com !

My Walgreens Deal yesterday

My local Walgreens has their Viactiv vitamins on clearance this week for $3.49. The March Easy Saver rebate book has a coupon in there for $2.00 off. Since I purchased 4 Viactiv items, they took $2.00 off each (I didn't know they did it this way!), so I got them for $1.49 each! Woohoo! I get a lot of info on sale items from Crystal at Money Saving Mom, you'll have to check it out!