Happy Holidays and Tasty Kringler!

Sunday we head out of town to southern Minnesota to start our 7 day whirlwind holiday tour. We will be starting in Blue Earth where my grandma lives. Blue Earth, the land of the Jolly Green Giant, ho ho ho!

While I have been packing and checking my lists twice, I often find myself thinking of my grandma and the wonderful memories I have of her and the farm she lives on. One of my favorite memories is eating her delicious Kringler (pronounced Kring-la). For many years I tried to get the recipe from her, but she always made it seem like a secret, and told me it was kind of hard to make.

Finally after she stopped making them, she showed me the recipe in her German Luthern cookbook from her local church. I have to say they are not hard to make. I am not sure if she said that because she thought they were, or if she just wanted to keep them a surprise for me. Either way, I now want to share the recipe because I think they are tasty! Though I avoid gluten and dairy, I would make an exception for these on a special occasion.

Kringler (pronounced Kring-la) 

Makes a couple dozen cookies (depends on the size and shape you choose to use).

Ingredients

1 Pint sour cream

4 Egg yolks

1-1/2 tsp. Almond flavoring

1-1/4 Cups sugar

4 Cups flour

3/4 tsp. Salt

1-1/4 tsp. Baking soda

1-1/4 tsp. Baking powder

Directions

1. Beat the egg yolks, then add in the other ingredients and mix well.

2. Refrigerate 3 hours, to overnight.

3. Take a fist full of dough and roll out into a rope under your hands, approximately 6-8 inches long and 1/2 an inch thick. Form into a figure eight, or into a circle, pinch ends together. It is kind of like making a pretzel, just a different shape. Put on cook sheet(s).

4. Bake 12-15 minutes in a 400-425 degree oven until lightly brown.

5. Watch closely as they should be light brown, you do not want to over bake them.

6. Take off cookie sheet and cool on cookie racks.

7. Serve warm with butter. They are also tasty at room temperature plain.

Below is a link to another version, and there is also a picture of what they look like:

http://www.restenergy.net/blog/2009/08/kringle-a-delicious-norwegian-goodie/

Have a wonderful holiday season! Though we leave Sunday, we are starting our holiday celebrations tomorrow as a family, so I am signing off until the new year. Family comes first, and this is the season to celebrate everyone we love!

Chicken Stock (Bone Broth) from the Against All Grain Website

All right, I have already posted a link about bone broth. However, I just made some and was thinking about how great it was! I was on Facebook this morning and a post from Danielle Walker came up on my feed. I thought I would post a link to her article and recipe as a reminder of the awesomeness of bone broth!

http://againstallgrain.com/2014/03/03/chicken-stock-bone-broth/

FYI, she has two great holiday ebooks out, 'Thankful' and 'Joyful'. They are just a couple of bucks and contain some wonderful grain free recipes.

The Long, LONG, Long Wait

"Is today Christmas yet?", asks our excited 4-year old every morning. Every morning. This started the day after we brought home our Christmas tree, which we did the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

It's fun to see her excitement, the anticipation of this wonderful day she is just starting to understand. 

However, I also feel bad that she has to wait. I can only imagine how frustrating that is to someone who barely understands the concept of time and days of the week. We have learned to not tell her too far in advance when we are going to do something fun, but it is kind of hard to keep Christmas a secret!

I also struggle with trying to explain to her the true meaning of Christmas. A 4-year old loves the idea of presents, but has a hard time accepting that they also go to other people. She doesn't get why we donate books at the book store instead of taking them all home. Or especially why we give money to the bell ringer in the grocery store, instead of putting it in her piggy bank. She is excited and confused about the Christmas story, because this is her first year of Sunday school and apparently we have not done as good a job explaining it.

The other night at dinner she grabbed a Christmas decoration with Santa on it and said, "I think this is Jesus dressed up like Santa". We had a good laugh, then had to explain to her that that never would be the case. I suppose it is confusing when we have a manger scene next to a Santa scene in our livingroom. 

We want her to have all the wonder and joy that Christmas brings, but also to understand its true meaning. Celebrating the birth of Jesus, being with family and loved ones, giving to people who don't have as much as we do.  We want her to get excited about getting presents, but to also love giving them. 

I have to remember though that she is four, and that it takes time to understand these things. All we can do is make sure to lead by example, and continue to teach her and explain to her the true meaning of Christmas.  That Santa is more about the spirit of giving, and that Christmas is actually a very important birthday.

In the mean time, we still have a long, LONG, long wait!

Celeriac, Sweet Potato and Hazelnut "Stuffing"

This is a dish I made recently for Thanksgiving. This year I wanted to prepare food that I could eat, I know that is selfish, but I felt that if I was going to cook, I wanted to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Thankfully the people I spent Thanksgiving with are great people and did not mind a few changes to the traditional dishes that are usually served. Because I could not eat the traditional bread filled stuffing, I wanted to recreate something that at least had some of the same moistness and crunch. The addition of celeriac gives it that lovely celery flavor that my stuffing would normally have.

No this is not a picture of a space alien. This ugly root vegetable is the tasty celeriac. Underneath all that ugliness is an intense celery flavored vegetable that can be used in place of celery. What I love about it is that it is a storage vegetable grown by my local CSA. I do not need to buy celery grown elsewhere for my winter recipes.

Ingredients

1 Cup diced celeriac

1 Cup diced sweet potato

1/2 Cup diced red onion

2 Tablespoons cooking fat

1/2 Cup chopped hazelnuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Garlic salt

Directions

-Cook celeriac, onions and sweet potato in cooking fat over medium heat in a large skillet for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Watch closely and adjust heat and/or time if vegetables start to brown too quickly.

-When almost browned to your liking (about 10 minutes), add in hazelnuts and season with salt and pepper (and optional garlic salt).

-Cook mixture for a few more minutes until hazelnuts start to get lightly brown, stirring occasionally.

-Serve as a side, or on top of a bed of fresh spinach.

-Makes 2-3 side servings.

Note: If you would like to double or triple this recipe, you can also roast the vegetables (coated in your cooking fat of choice and salt and pepper) in the oven at 450 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, flipping the vegetables after 15 minutes. Add in the hazelnuts for the last 5 minutes. Make sure the vegetables are in a single layer, use multiple pans if needed.

Diced vegetables cooking in bacon fat.

Coarsely chopped hazelnuts.

Finished celeriac, sweet potato and hazelnut "stuffing".

"Stuffing" on top of lovely, local winter spinach. 

Vegan Green Bean Casserole (gluten free, grain free, paleo friendly) ByIrvin Lin

I love green bean casserole! I almost did not make it this year because of the gluten and dairy found in the original version. However, two of the people I was having Thanksgiving with really like it. So, I did some searching and found the recipe below. It was wonderful! I did have some problems creating the fried shallots, but I think that was an operator error, not an error of the recipe. I think this would taste great without the shallots on top also. The only change I made to this recipe was to use chicken broth instead of vegetable, and I used 1-1/2 to 2 cups instead of 1 cup. I did this because I like a soupier casserole instead of a dry one. If you are looking for a tasty side at your next holiday gathering, give this a try! 

The recipe and following information below came from the post: http://www.eatthelove.com/2013/11/vegan-green-bean-casserole/

Vegan Green Bean Casserole  (gluten free, grain free, paleo friendly) By Irvin Lin

The classic green bean casserole is part of nearly every Thanksgiving potluck in middle America. This recipe reworks the canned green bean and mushroom soup version into an easy from scratch recipe that is friendly to most people with food restrictions, other than those with nut allergies. Even better though, is that the final dish tastes BETTER than any green bean casserole you have ever had. Truth. Bonus, the dish isn’t really a casserole, as it’s made on the stove, which frees up room in the oven for other dishes.

There are a few things to note about the ingredients. The cashews need to be raw and need to soak overnight in water, so plan accordingly. The almond meal or flour can be purchased or just take plain unsalted almonds and grind them up into a powder in a food processor. Arrowroot flour is a thickener that is gluten free and paleo friendly. If you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute cornstarch, glutinous rice flour or tapioca flour in its place.

Revised from a previous post of mine for Vegan Green Bean Casserole, which in turn was inspired by a Cook’s Illustrated recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup raw cashews
3 large shallots, sliced into 1/8 inch thickness
1/4 cup almond meal or flour
1 tablespoon arrowroot flour (or cornstarch, see note above for other substitutions)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
10 oz brown or white button mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
6 medium cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans, tips snipped off
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dry bay leaves
1 cup vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions
1. Take the cashews, place them in a medium sized bowl, and cover them with water until they are completely submerged. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Once the cashews have soaked, drain them and rinse thoroughly. Place the cashews in a blender or food processor and add 1/2 cup of water. Process on high speed until pureed into a thick cream consistency.

2. Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Place the shallot slices in a medium bowl and sprinkle the almond meal, arrowroot flour, ground pepper, and salt over the shallots. Toss to evenly coat the shallots. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large sauté pan or skillet on high. Once the oil starts to shimmer (but before it starts to smoke) reduce the heat slightly to medium high and add the coated shallots and fry them, stirring constantly, until they are golden brown, about five minutes or so. Once they are golden brown, move them to the baking sheet.

3. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the sauté pan or skillet and turn to medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they are brown, about 5-7 minutes depending on how thick the mushrooms are. Pour the mushrooms and any accumulated liquid, into a heatproof bowl.

4. Add the final 2 tablespoons of oil to the sauté pan or skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the onions and cook until they soften about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the green beans, thyme, bay leaves, pureed cashews and vegetable stock. Cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are slightly tender but crisp in the center, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and liquid and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, or until the green beans are tender and the sauce has thickened. Once done, season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the thyme and bay leaves before plating and sprinkle the fried shallots over the green beans before serving.

Makes 6 servings. 

Thanksgiving Traditions

As I am writing this I am sipping on some egg nog (dairy free) and trying to take a break from planning our Thanksgiving. I find this time of year to be a time of reflection, like I think most people do. We look back over the previous year, which then makes us think of holidays in years past. 

For my husband and I, Thanksgiving has been a holiday that we tend to spend by ourselves at our cabin. We live in Wisconsin and are both from Minnesota, so we go back to Minnesota for a full week over Christmas. Because we do this, and because Christmas is so close to Thanksgiving, we like enjoying a peaceful long weekend at our cabin. 

It's not to say that we have never gone back to Minnesota for Thanksgiving, or that we have not spent time with people over Thanksgiving in Wisconsin, it's just that we have started the tradition of Thanksgiving at the cabin.

Now that our daughter is four, I have a strong urge to create these kind of traditions. Growing up, we did not really have many traditions in my family, and I really want to create some for our family. I know I am not the only parent that tries to relive some of the special moments we think we missed as children through our own children. 

This year we will be heading up north to a new cottage that we just purchased after selling our old cabin.  It kind of makes me sad that our four year old will not have many memories from our first cabin, even though we have tons of memories of our time there with her. However, I am excited to start this new journey as a family, and to continue to create our Thankgiving tradition in a new place. 

A place with no internet, no cable, no phone. Just a nice fire, good food, some beautiful nature, and our family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gluten-Free Goulash

All right, if you are from the midwest, I am sure you do not need a recipe for goulash. I just wanted to share my jazzed up gluten free option that I am currently enjoying. 

Now that I am eating meat and the cold weather is setting in, I found myself craving goulash. It was one of the few things my mom made that I liked (sorry mom, but you admittedly don't like to cook). The true midwest version involves hamburger, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and elbow noodles. Some people may use onions and green peppers also. That's it, pretty easy.

I am calling my version the jazzed up version. It includes gluten-free noodles, ground turkey, mushrooms and black olives. It honestly combines my mom's spaghetti sauce and goulash recipes.  Like most pasta dishes (and soup), I think this tastes the best on day 2 and 3!

Gluten-Free Goulash

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Note: My version is drier. Feel free to add more spaghetti sauce if you would like a soupier version. You can also use regular pasta instead of gluten-free pasta.

-1 Pound ground turkey

-9 Ounces gluten-free pasta of choice, I like the spirals

-8 Ounces fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped

-1 Can of black olives (5 ounces), drained and roughly chopped

-1 Large clove of garlic, minced

-1 Quart spaghetti sauce (I like to use a quart of my homemade sauce)

-1 Tablespoon cooking fat of choice

-Optional: Italian seasoning (if spaghetti sauce is bland)

Directions:

-Cook ground turkey over medium heat in a large skillet or dutch oven until no longer pink, 5-10 minutes. 

-Transfer ground turkey to a bowl.

-While turkey is cooking, cook pasta per package directions. When done, drain and run under cold water to stop the pasta from cooking, set aside. 

-In the large skillet, or dutch oven (I used a 3-1/2 quart dutch oven), heat up the 1 tablespoon of cooking fat over medium heat.

-Add in the mushrooms and garlic. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occassionally. 

-Add in the olives and spaghetti sauce. 

-Once the spaghetti sauce is heated up, add back in the ground turkey and noodles.

-Once everything is heated up to your liking, serve.

10 Minutes to a Clutter-Free Morning from The Becoming Minimalist Website

Below is a great post from The Becoming Minimalist website. Because we have an active four year old, our house looks like a tornado went through it every day. And each night, we try to straighten up so that we don't go crazy looking at the mess the next morning while we are trying to enjoy our coffee and plan our day.

10 Minutes to a Clutter-Free Morning

Our Beautiful Bounty in November

As I am writing this it is 23 degrees outside and windy! I am actually at work, but it is slow because it is too cold out for people to want to leave their toasty homes for a dinner out.

Yet, even though it is freezing out, yesterday I came home with the beautiful bounty seen below.

This is box 2 of 4 that we will be receiving this month and in December from our CSA Crossroads Community Farm. It still amazes me that I can receive local vegetables throughout fall and winter in Wisconsin! Did I mention yet that it is 23 degrees outside?

Though everything we receive this winter will be a storage vegetable, it will still taste fresh, and it is local. With proper storage by Crossroads Community Farm, and then proper storage in our own home, we can eat local vegetables until early spring!

This is just a reminder that even though winter will soon be upon us (I know it is cold and snowy in the Midwest, but it is still technically fall) you do not have to get your vegetables shipped from across the country (or another country completely). Don't get me wrong, we still like to eat lettuce and spinach in the winter once and awhile, but we try to offset that with our CSA vegetables as much as possible.

15 Non-Toy Gift Ideas For Kids by Renee Robinson

With Black Friday right around the corner, and all the December holidays coming up, buying and giving gifts can get out of hand. Attached is a great link for some alternatives to the usual toys,toys, video games and more toys.

15 Non-Toy Gift Ideas For Kids

Tiny House(s)

Our family lives in a house that is approximately 800 square feet (and I may be rounding up a bit). There are only five of us, three humans and two cats.  I know it seems small to most people, but it fits us just right! 

My husband and I have owned a 2500 square foot Victorian (with empty, unused rooms). We have lived in two apartments that were bigger then our house ( 900-1000 square feet), and we lived in and took care of a house for a friend that was probably similar in size to our Victorian. We currently are selling a cabin that is around 600 square feet, and purchasing a different cabin that is in the 600 square foot range.

What we have learned over the past 15 years, and living in multiple properties, is that we like smaller. A small house is cheaper to own, meaning we can do more with our money, like own a cabin. It is way easier to clean ( which I LOVE). It is easier to maintain and furnish, and forces you to be organized. It also forces (allows?) us to be close. Instead of us hanging out in separate rooms, we are together. My husband and daughter can read on the couch while I cook dinner, and I can still be part of it because our livingroom and kitchen are open to each other. Yes, there are times we all want some space, but we can still go off to our bedrooms or go for a walk. 

The tiny house I am referring to though is not our own. It is the tiny house movement that is so amazing to my husband and I. I am talking about houses that are 85-250 square feet! Ok, that would be way to small for even us. In fact, the thought of it as I watched the documentary in the link below made me claustrophobic. What we love about it though is how creative these people get with their spaces and how they live their lives.

I think my husband dreams of making a tiny house, but something that would live in our backyard where he could escape once and awhile, not for our family of five to live in!

If you are interested in finding out more, below is a link to an article about the 'Tiny' documentary. You can find the documentary on Netflix, it is about an hour long.

Tiny

Here is also an awesome example of a tiny house:

The Small House Catalog

Bone Broth

I have to admit I am a little obsessed with bone broth. Anytime I make a chicken in the crockpot, I put the bones with any fat and clinging meat back into the crockpot, add vegetables, and make broth. Recently, when I have bought rotisserie chickens at our local Co-op, I have also frozen the bones and leftover bits and pieces for future broths.

Below is a nice article talking about the benefits of bone broth, and also a recipe (which is pretty close to what I do). 

Give it a try, it's so easy to make!

Bone Broth

Detox Diets Versus Whole30

So, anyone who knows me well or has been reading my posts knows I have done a Whole30 elimination diet. I am currently on day 23 of a second one as I am writing this.

I am not going to go on and on about how much I LOVE the Whole30 program. What I want to talk about is how it is so different from all the detox diets I have tried in the past. 

For as long as I can remember, at least 1-2 times a year, I would do a detox diet. This would be a 2 week program where I would eliminate certain food groups, plus alcohol, from my diet. While doing this I would count calories and take a "detox" kit of pills. I would feel exhausted, sick, dizzy and just plain unhappy. At the time I thought I was "cleansing" my body and that it was worth it. There were multiple problems with this thought process though.

The first problem was I was restricting my calories while doing this. Looking back, I should not have been trying to combine a quick weight loss with cleansing my body. I should have been concentrating on the cleansing portion. By restricting my calories, I became exhausted and dizzy because I was not eating enough. This made me unhappy the whole 2 weeks. 

The second problem was that 2 weeks is just not long enough to eliminate toxins and allergens from your body. This I have learned while doing the Whole30 program. I learned absolutely NOTHING from doing detox diets. When you end at 2 weeks, your body is just starting to get balanced. It takes a couple more weeks, if not months, to start to feel the benefits of a detox or elimination diet. 

The third problem was that when I was done I just went back to eating the way I did before. I would still count calories, but all the foods that I have found to be issues for me came back on my plate. Not only would I eat the foods that disagreed with me, I would almost binge on the things I craved (within my allowed calories of course). 

What I have loved about doing the Whole30 is that it is an elimination diet and detox rolled into one, without expensive pills. There is no calorie counting or weighing yourself (or your food for that matter). It is just about eating whole foods that are good for you and learning what your body needs to be happy and healthy. Your body naturally detoxes as you eliminate bad food and eat only healthy food. 

So, no more detoxs for me. No more counting calories or weighing my food. I just plan to eat as healthy as I can because I know I feel amazing when I do. This doesn't mean I won't enjoy a glass of wine or some good chocolate, it just means keeping a healthy balance. And when life is crazy and bad food habits creep back in to the point where I am not feeling as great, I will just do a Whole30 (or a Whole7, Whole14, whatever I need to reset myself). Eating healthy is a lifestyle, not a diet!

Feeling happy and healthy!

Life is What Happens While You Are Making Plans

When I started this blog I had so many ideas. I had a little extra time too. Then our life got crazy busy. We have multiple things going on, like selling our cabin and buying a different one. We have the other normal things too like school, activities and just trying to keep the house clean and our family well fed.

Thank you to all my friends and family who have been taking time out of your busy schedules to read my little blog. I feel bad that I have not been posting as much lately, but feeling guilty is silly, because that takes the fun out of having a blog.  I realized that there is just not a lot of extra time in my days right now. In fact, as I am writing this our daughter is at school and I should be taking advantage of the quiet, alone time to get other things done. 

My husband and I are planners. We always talk about how we need to be better about appreciating each day, instead of looking forward into the future. When I started feeling overwhelmed with everything going on right now and what is coming up over the next two months, I realized I need to take each day as it comes. Writing a blog is fun, but my family is what is most important. The life that we have together right now is more important then our future "plans". 

So, I have decided not to feel guilty that I don't have time to do certain things, like blog daily. If my daughter wants to snuggle on the couch, that is what I should be doing.  I have about ten new ideas for blog postings, but will need to work on them as I have time. So, if you have enjoyed my past posts, please don't give up on me. I am just trying to enjoy life right now!

Brussels Sprouts with Leeks and Side Pork

I love brussels sprouts, I love leeks and I absolutely love side pork. Put them together and I created a meal I could moan over (yup, I love it that much).  Though this would traditionally be a side, I just ate a whole plate for dinner (some of my old vegetarian habits die hard).

People either love or hate brussels sprouts. When I asked my husband what he thought about this dish, he said it was okay. I on the other hand loved it. So, If you have never tried them, or it's been years, I highly suggest roasting them at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes until they are crispy brown (with your cooking fat of choice and salt and pepper). If you already love them, I suggest trying this recipe.

A note about side pork:

If you have never tried it, it is cut like bacon, but is only meat. There are no added nitrates, sugar or spices. My favorite thing to do is to cook up a whole pound in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes (depending on how crispy you like it). Half way through I flip it and drain the grease (save the grease for cooking with in the future). You may need to drain it twice. My secret ingredient: I sprinkle it with garlic salt after I flip it. This gives it some flavor and needed saltiness. When making the recipe below, I cooked a pound of bacon, minus the 2 pieces I used in the pan. After the bacon was done in the oven, I chopped up 3 slices along with the reserved 2 slices from the pan. The rest of the cooked side pork I keep in the refrigerator for salads. 

Brussels Sprouts with Leeks and Side Pork

Makes 3-4 side servings 

Ingredients:

-4-5 slices of side pork (or bacon)

-12 Ounces of brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

-1 Large leek, cut in half lengthwise to remove dirt, then sliced up the leek in 1/4" pieces

-Garlic salt and black pepper

Directions:

-Cook 2 slices of the side pork over medium to medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes in a skillet, remove from pan and set aside. You should have about 1-2 tablespoons of bacon fat left in the pan to saute with.

-Add 12 ounces brussels sprouts and the cut up leeks to the bacon grease, and cook for 20-25 until the brussels sprouts and leeks are browned. The trick is to have the heat high enough to brown the brussels sprouts and leeks, but not burn them. You also don't want to have it too low or it will just make mushy brussels sprouts. Make sure to stir occassionally. 

-Add garlic salt and black pepper to taste, mix, then top with chopped side pork. 

Apple Carrot Juice, Pow!

I have more then 1/2 a bushel of apples and about 7 pounds of carrots in the refrigerator. My husband has complained of a scratchy throat the last few days, and now our daughter's nose is constantly running.

Time to pull out the juicer! 

I bought my juicer about a year ago. I honestly thought I would use it more this last summer, but I didn't. Today I realized why. I didn't have an abundance of apples in my refrigerator, and that is my favorite ingredient. In the summer they are not in season, and are super expensive, so we don't really buy them. Recently however we picked up a bushel at a local orchard, and I have been overwhelmed by the amount of space they take up in our refrigerator. 

Today as I was getting my daughter a snack I thought, "why am I not juicing yet?!?"

Juicing can be expensive, but right now when apples are in season and I just pulled the last of the carrots from my garden I am feeling flush in produce. When juicing, you should be using the most fresh, local produce you can. It will also be the cheapest, so it is a win-win. 

Yes, you would benefit from eating the whole fruit, but that would mean eating a couple of apples and carrots at the same time. I can tell you that we already eat a lot of produce through out the day, and there is also no way our 4 year old could stomach all that. Though you do miss out on the fiber from the fruits and vegetables, you are getting a powerful dose of vitamins and minerals. I think this is especially important at this time of year! 

So at this time of year, I will pull out the juicer. I make enough to drink right away, and some for the following day (it is best to drink within 24 hours to get the full benefit). Not only is it full of great things, it tastes amazing too! Better then anything you can buy in a carton at the grocery store. 

What a beautiful pile of apples and carrrots!

A beautiful, tasty, orange colored juice. Drink up!

"Nap" Time, Not Just For Kids

When our daughter was about 2 years old, she stopped sleeping at nap time some days. I would still put her down because she would sleep 3-4 days, but would play in her crib the other days. Now that she is 4 she has completely stopped sleeping at nap time.

For awhile I contemplated letting her stay up all day, but then I thought, "are you crazy?!?"

I need some rest time too! If am sick, or tired from working the previous night, I get to rest for an hour. If I have some housework or bills I want to get done, I can do them in silence (almost, she likes to sing during rest time, or read books to her stuffed animals). Or, maybe I want to take a "lunch break" and read once a week while she is resting.

At first I felt guilty. Then I started talking to other parents and realized I am not alone, phew! I realized for everyone's sanity and mental health, these rest times are needed.

The funny thing is, on days when she doesn't have some quiet rest time in her room, you can tell. She starts to go crazy between 3-4pm. Even though she is not sleeping, she obviously needs some quite time too (even if she does not know it).

Now that she is 4, and not sleeping anymore, I no longer call it nap time. It is rest time. I even started leaving her lamp on so she can actually see her books. The nice thing is she goes to rest time easier now that I started doing this. No more fighting (usually, she is 4). 

So, to all the parents out there, or just anyone who works hard, take a break! Be it 30 minutes to read, 10 minutes to close your eyes, or 15 minutes to take a little walk, make sure to schedule a little "rest" time. We all need and deserve it!

Saturday Mornings and Sweet Potato Hash with Pecans

Saturday mornings are mine. Ever since our daughter was born, my wonderful husband has taken care of her on Saturday mornings so that I can sleep in. When she was an infant, this included my husband feeding her the one bottle of breastmilk she got each morning (I nursed her the rest of the time). As she got older (and louder and mobile), they started leaving the house in the morning and going out for breakfast, to the farmer's market, or whatever else was going on on a Saturday morning.

One of my favorite things about Saturday morning is making a breakfast and sitting down to enjoy it and drinking my coffee while it is still warm. 

Last night at work I was talking to a co-worker who is struggling to come up with breakfast ideas (he is doing a Whole30, so no toast, cereal, pancakes, the things he likes to eat for breakast). I told him about my Sweet Potato Hash with Pecans recipe and told him he should try it. After talking about it last night, I woke up hungry and wanted to make it. 

This is what it looks like when it is done. My absolute favorite way to eat it is shown in the first picture. I put it on top of spinach with two fried eggs. Side Pork (or bacon) is a great addition!

This is for you Pierre, breakfast doesn't have to be pancakes and toast!

Take It Slow....

...change does not happen overnight.  I could be talking about anything, right?

Recently as I was getting ready for work (I waitress a couple nights at a great Morrocan restaurant in Madison called Marrakesh) I noticed the various beauty products in our bathroom. It has taken me years to slowly replace the various things we use (and eat) in our house that are chemically harmful. In fact, I am still working on it.

For us it started out with food. That was an easy change, but then I had to start reading labels on our beauty and cleaning products. Once I was pregnant, that is when we got really serious. All the baby, and now toddler, products we use are non-toxic and as safe as they can be. I also replaced our cleaning products so that they were non-toxic. The last thing I am still working on (I am pretty close!) is my own beauty products.

Beauty products are probably the most expensive area to change out. If you already buy expensive make up, hair products, lotion, etc... financially it should be easy. If you live on a Target budget as we do, trading out the store brand for something new can be kind of a sticker shock.

What I have come to realize is, I can only do the best I can. It has taken me years to finally get to the point where I am changing out the things mentioned above. We can not afford to throw everything out in our bathroom (just like we couldn't in our kitchen) and start over. So I buy one new thing at a time. I buy it in the smallest quantity/amount possible in case we don't like it. Then I really pay attention to how long it lasts.

I am always amazed at how long we have certain things! Soap- I buy whatever bar is on sale at our Co-op. Guess what? That $3-$4 bar of soap lasts a whole lot longer then a bar of Dove, and leaves my skin feeling way better. Shampoo and conditioner? I don't know about you, but I find ours lasts for months, and I do shower every day. Same with lotion.  If you are a member of a Co-op, chances are good you can buy these products in bulk, along with your laundry detergent, dish soap and many pantry items.

I am still working on some things, there are a few products I need to switch out yet. But, I am not going to stress out over it, nor am I going to drain our savings to do it quickly. I think it makes more sense to take your time, do a little research and budgeting, and find what works for you (unless you have unlimited income, then get on it! I am not kidding!). Below are just a few ideas, but do your own research. Decide what YOU are comfortable with and what financially works for YOU. You would be surprised at how if you do it gradually, you won't even notice the change in your budget ( if there even is one).

For cleaning supplies:
-You would be amazed what you can do with water and vinegar for general cleaning and baking soda for scrubbing.
-If you would rather buy something, I find the Method brand or Seventh Generation both make some good products. Depending on where you shop, they can be the same price or not that much more then brand name chemical cleaners. I also know people who swear by Shaklee and Norwex products.
-Detergent? I love the Ecos brand! It is about $10 at our Co-op for a 100 wash bottle. Seriously, how much does Tide cost?

Beauty Products: 

This is such a personal area. I found it the most helpful to go to my local Co-op and ask questions. The people in the beauty and health department were so helpful! Going to a store by yourself, say Target, and trying to read labels on all the "natural" products can be so overwhelming. Personally, as I have gotten older, I have started to wear less make-up and use less body lotion. My skin and eyes seem to reject most products. The most recent thing I have given up is mascara. There was a time I wouldn't leave the house without it. Now, if I wear it my eyes burn, itch, turn red. The funny thing is, after not wearing it for months, my eyelashes look longer and darker! Hum......

Food:

You know where I stand by now if you have read my previous posts. Local and organic, local, organic, then conventional. Animal products are the most important things to buy organic (this can also mean buying local meat, dairy and eggs that are raised organically but not certified). Some fruits and vegetables are fine to buy conventionally, especially if they have a thick skin.

Gardening With Kid(s)....

...is hard and fun at the same time.  On one hand I want our daughter to not be afraid of dirt, to love vegetables, and to feel proud to be helping out.

On the other hand, I like to do pretty much everything by myself. I mean everything. I am a multi-tasker who likes to get things done. Our daughter is four, and I HAVE to let her help me. Be it putting away dishes, putting away clothes or gardening, she wants to help. She is also at an age where she needs to have some chores. Gardening can be an area where she can help out and I don't get too impatient (usually). 

Gardening is a great way to involve kids, to teach them responsibility and let them see where their food comes from.  Our daughter helped plant the carrots seen below, she helped pick them (actually, I had to dig them out, then handed them to her, but she felt like she picked them), she helped clean them off and bag them up for our refridgerator. The best part of all is that she was so excited for me to clean off a carrot so she could eat it! I let her pick which one she wanted, we cleaned it off, and she loved it. We also made sure to leave some of the baby carrots for our local bunny (who is not very afraid of us anymore, probably because we have been leaving him treats since he was a baby). I know, I know, why am I feeding the animals I am trying to keep out of the garden? He is just so cute! 

Ok, enough about the bunny. 

If you have kids and plan to garden next year, get them involved from the start! Let them help pick out a vegetable or two as you are planning your garden this winter. Give them a section in the garden that is theirs. Our daughter wanted to grow strawberries in her section this last summer. Though I wanted her to pick something that would produce more, I also wanted her to be excited about what she picked. So strawberries it was!

I know it is the end of the growing season if you live in the midwest, but I wanted to share these thoughts and the picture below of my very happy daughter after our last carrot harvest. I hope it inspires you to think about growing a garden with your little one next year! 

"Dirty Hands!"

Sample Living With Less

Below is a link to an article an old friend posted on Facebook recently. It talks about 7 different ways to sample living with less for a few weeks. There are some great ideas to really reexamine the "things" you have in your life.

Living in a small house has made it a requirement that we really limit what we allow through the doors , otherwise our house would quickly look like an episode of Hoarders (which I have never watched but can only imagine, yuk!).  This article is a good reminder to our family of the things we do well, and the areas that could use improvement (like less toys for our daughter, or getting rid of some of the old toys when new ones come into our house). 

Sample Living with Less

Sick Soup

If you have read my last two posts, you will see this weeks theme. I am not a good sick person. I have never been able to say, "I am sick, but I am not going to let it ruin my day". I want to hide from the world and be in my bed. Like most people while they are sick, I don't have much of an appetite but know I need to eat. That is where my 'Sick Soup' comes in handy.

Back when I was a vegetarian (which feels like forever now, not 6 months ago) I used to make this soup whenever I was feeling sick. I missed the chicken noodle soup of my childhood. At that time I used vegetable stock, but now use homemade chicken stock. This soup is like egg drop soup, with some added carbs. If you are grain free (or doing a Whole30 like me), you can eliminate the rice noodles.

This is the soup I made for breakfast the last two mornings. I used 2 cups of broth and 2 eggs each morning.

Sick Soup

Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients:

4 Cups chicken (or vegetable) broth, preferably homemade

2 Large eggs (or up to 4)

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: 2 ounces rice vermicelli noodles (found in the Asian section of your grocery store)

Directions:

-Heat up the broth to boiling and add in the rice noodles. 

-Turn the heat down to medium and cook the noodles per package instructions. This should only take 3-5 minutes.

-While the noodles are cooking, whisk the eggs in a separate bowl until completely mixed.

-Once the noodles are soft, slowly pour the eggs into the broth, making sure to slowly stir the eggs into the broth (this will make the eggs stringy instead of big chunks).

-Once all the eggs have been stirred in, turn off the heat, stir a few more times, then serve.

This should make enough for 2 servings. It is super simple, you can make it in a matter of minutes, and it is easy to digest if your tummy is upset!

Below is a link on how to make actual egg drop soup. It contains soy sauce and cornstarch, which I do not use. However, I thought there were some great add in ideas, and also detailed instructions.

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-egg-drop-soup-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-159379

Catching a Virus (or Allergies?) But Still Starting My Whole30

Yesterday, on what was going to be my first day of my Whole30, I woke up feeling sick.  I sat in our livingroom for about 5 minutes contemplating not starting. The problem was, I had purposely picked this time frame so I could do it before the holidays started. I knew that if I put it off, I would probably be looking at the new year as the next time I would try.

Then I thought, why would I put it off? I have done a Whole30 before. How would me being sick affect how I ate while sick? Wouldn't eliminating all allergens and stressors to my body actually be better? I don't eat and drink your common "sick" food anyway. There are no saltines (though my husband just asked for some for himself), 7-Up or chicken noodle soup in my house.  Why would I feel the need to buy them? 

I just stocked up on healthy meats, eggs and vegetables for my Whole30. Not to mention the bushel of apples we just picked up at the orchard last weekend. I realized I could make some nice, simple meals that will nourish me while feeling sick. I also already had a stock of frozen chicken and vegetable soup in the freezer. I was set!

My simple lunch of chicken and vegetable soup, turkey roll-ups with spinach and olives, an apple and plenty of water!

Tonight we will be having chicken that I threw in the crockpot along with vegetables, then off to bed! Overnight in the crockpot I will make bone broth to replenish what I am using, it sure comes in handy while sick!

Below is a link to a post on the Whole9 website about how to feed a cold. I found it helpful.

Feeding a Cold

Meat Hoarding or Whole30 Part Two

Life has been crazy lately ( like it is for most people). My stress levels have been skyrocketing. About two weeks ago I realized I have not been taking as good of care of myself as I should be.

Starting today I will be starting another Whole30.  I need to kick the couple of bad habits that have been creeping back into my life ( coffee in the afternoon, chocolate while Marie is "napping", ciders on a bad OR good day, etc...). The nice thing is that this time around it will be easy. I know what to buy and not to buy, I have most things I need in my pantry or freezer already, and withdrawal symptoms should not be too bad as I have been eating pretty healthy 90% of the time. 

This morning I am starting the day with my favorite Sweet Potato Hash with Pecans and some fried eggs. I have some homemade chicken soup defrosting as I feel a cold coming on, and we will eat leftover brats with vegetables for dinner. I will be defrosting a chicken to throw into the crockpot tomorrow, and viola!, I have protein for a couple meals and more soup broth. Wednesday I will be receiving our vegetable share from our CSA and we will be set for vegetables. Easy peasy!

While preparing for my next Whole30, I made a list of all the protein we had in our house. I was amazed at how much meat I found in our two freezers! There are even 2 pounds of hamburger in our chest freezer, but I didn't count that because I don't eat it. Hi, my name is Kari, and I am a meat hoarder.

No one stole our food, I am just preparing the refrigerator for fresh vegetables, fruit and meat defrosting!

Feel Confident Buying Fish and Seafood

Before I started eating meat again, I did eat fish and seafood occasionally. So, technically I was a pescatarian, not a vegetarian. I did not eat fish and seafood often however because I was never great at cooking it ( who wants to ruin $20+ of expensive fish) and I also was confused about what kind and where to but it. Below is a great link to Seafood Watch. It is easy to use, you just put in the fish or seafood you want to use and it tells you your best options. You can easily go to their website while shopping and feel confident about what you are buying.

http://www.seafoodwatch.org

October Vegetables in Wisconsin

As the first frosts are nearing, it makes me happy to still be receiving such a bounty from our CSA Crossroads Community Farm! 

Though summer is officially over, our CSA (community supported agriculture) provides us with vegetables for about 11 months out of the year. That's right, all the way through winter and into spring! 

To contribute to our family income, one of the things I have been doing for the last three years is doing a sitter-share where I watch the farm owners little girls in exchange for vegetables (yes, I get paid in vegetables). The bonus, our daughter comes with and has a play date. This winter as the growing season ends, I will continue to do the sitter share in exchange for storage vegetables. Imagine, eating locally all winter!

If you live in the Madison, Wisconsin area and have thought of joining a CSA, check out Crossroads Community Farm. They offer summer share and winter share options. They also sell their produce at Willy Street Co-op, the west side market in Madison and various area restaurants. If you don't live in the Madison area, you can still check out their link to learn more about what a CSA is. 

If you eat vegetables (and I hope you do) there are all kinds of CSA options springing up in every state. There are also fruit, meat, egg, bread and cheese options too in many areas. I can not say enough about the awesomeness of the CSA system! So even if you live in an area where there will be 5 feet of snow soon, don't give up on the local veggies yet.  Also, be it this winter or next spring, think about joining a CSA!

Waffle Iron Hash Browns

All I can say to this is,"yes please".

What a great way to use the waffle iron I had to have when I was pregnant with our daughter!

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/10/waffle-iron-hash-browns-potato-recipe.html

How to Peel, Cut, Core and Dice from The Kitchn

Here are some great tips from The Kitchn website. There are a couple that I definitely did not know!

How to Peel, Cut, Core and Dice

Gluten Free Banana Bread or Muffins

I have learned over the years that trying to make a healthier version of our favorite treats does not usually work. There is a reason dessert is called dessert. It is a treat to be eaten occasionally and should taste delicious (otherwise, why bother eating it?). As I avoid eating foods containing gluten, I have stopped making a lot of our favorite desserts. As I don't have a sweet tooth (too often) I don't feel the need to "paleofy" desserts either.

My daughter keeps asking for banana bread however. I will also admit that I have been missing it. So, I decided to make it using Namaste Foods Gluten Free Perfect Flour Blend. This flour is gluten free, and also free of other common allergens such as dairy, nuts and peanuts. A friend recommended this flour to me as an acceptable replacement for wheat flour. I have used it in a few other baked goods and found it to be pretty good. I will admit it does have a different mouth feel as you are eating it, but I am the only one that seems to notice that in our family. When you bake with it you replace traditional flour cup for cup, which is nice. Things baked with it also bake up and brown nicely. 

The recipe I used to use for banana bread comes from the red and white checked Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I have modified it slightly. By all means, if you are not following a gluten free lifestyle and are now craving banana bread, make it with real flour. Though I do not care to bake usually, I do love this recipe! 

Banana Bread (or muffins or cake)

Makes (1) 9x5x3 loaf, or (12) regular sized muffins, or (24) mini-muffins

Ingredients:

2 Cups gluten free flour 

1-1/2 Teaspoons baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon baking soda

1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Beaten eggs

5 Medium mashed bananas (I love to freeze bananas in their peels when they are over ripe, then defrost them in a bowl and use the banana and liquid in banana bread, it tastes sweeter)

1 Cup sugar

1/2 Cup melted butter or ghee (equals one stick)

1/4 Teaspoon salt

Optional: 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or mini chocolate chips

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease chosen pans.

-Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.

-In a separate bowl mix eggs, bananas, sugar, melted butter and vanilla.

-Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

-Mix until moistened, it will still be a bit lumpy.

-Fold in optional nuts and/or chocolate chips.

-Pour into pan(s).

-Bake until a toothpick or metal cake tester (seen below on plate by mini-muffins) comes out clean. Banana bread will take about 55-60 minutes, regular muffins about 30 minutes, mini-muffins about 20 minutes. I always like to check about 5 minutes before the suggested time as different ovens vary in true temperature. 

-Cool in the pan(s) for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove and cool completely on rack. 

-The original recipe suggests wrapping and storing overnight before eating. In our house that does not happen, however, I do suggest doubling the recipe and freezing some of the bread or muffins. They defrost nicely and are great to have around when you need to bring something to a get-together. 

One recipe also equals (1) pumpkin shaped cake, (15) mini-muffins and one happy daughter!

14 Absolutely Free Ways to Improve Your Cooking from The Kitchn Website

Here are some great tips from The Kitchn website (yes, I spelled that correctly). As a family on a budget (as most families are) these are good ideas to get the most out of your cooking experience.

14 Absolutely Free Ways to Improve Your Cooking 

Disaster Aster

Disaster Aster- this is what an old acquaintance of ours used to call the lovely purple Asters in the fall. Anyone who has them in their yard knows how they can get very tall and spread (hence the nickname). What many people probably don't know is that they are a very important pollinator in the fall. It is one of the few plants that flower at this time of the year. 

Below is a link to a nice article about this beautiful plant:

Great Design Plant: Symphyotrichum Novae-Angliae Ushers in Fall

Here are a couple of photos from my garden this fall:

Zinnias and Russian Sage provide a lovely spot for the pollinators in the fall.

Marigolds attract the pollinators to other plants. I have these planted in my vegetable garden and near my Zinnias.

I love seeing all the happy bees and butterflies in my garden all season long! 

How to Shop for High Quality Whole Foods

Below is a link to a great article written by the founders of the Whole9. Even if you do not follow a paleo lifestyle, it is a great resource on how to shop for high quality whole foods on a budget. 

How to Shop for High Quality Whole Foods

Bacon and Kale, Kale and Bacon (and Eggs)

Most people are either kale haters or lovers. I lean towards really liking it, but admittedly more for the health factor. This recipe tastes delicious if you have some bacon fat to cook the kale in, but your cooking fat of choice would also work. I call it bacon and kale, kale and bacon because I start with bacon fat to cook the onions and greens in, then add chopped up bacon after the greens have cooked down. I highly suggest the optional sprinkle of garlic salt and red pepper flakes! I like to make this for myself so that I have leftovers the next morning (it is great to make the day before a crazy day when you won't have time to make breakfast). It does serve 2 if you have another kale lover in your family!

Ingredients:

1 Small onion, chopped

1 Bunch kale, ribs removed and chopped

3-4 cooked bacon slices, chopped

4 Large eggs

2 Tablespoons cooking fat of choice(bacon fat is the tastiest!)

1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Optional: garlic salt and pepper flakes

Directions:

Note: if you would prefer, you could cook the bacon right before making this dish, and use the bacon fat that is left in the pan. I always make a full package of bacon in the oven and save the grease and portion out the bacon for a few meals, like this one.

-Melt 1 tablespoon cooking fat over medium heat, then add onions.

-Cook onions for 5 minutes or until softened.

-Start adding the kale in bunches. Add some in, mix it around so that it gets coated in the fat and onions, keep adding more kale after each batch has cooked down. As you are cooking the kale down, this is the time to add the 1 tablespoon of olive oil and optional garlic salt and red pepper flakes. 

-This process will take about 10 minutes.

- Cook for another 5-10 minutes (depending on how you like your kale cooked, I like mine to start browning), then push to one side and add chopped bacon to the pan.

-Once the cooked bacon has crisped up to your liking, mix it all together. 

-Push the kale mixture to the edges of the pan and melt the last tablespoon of cooking fat in the center.

-Crack the 4 eggs into the center. Cook the eggs to your liking. I like mine over hard, so I flip them and cook them until the yolks are no longer runny.

Freshly cracked eggs.

Eggs cooked over hard, just the way I like them!