The icy frost on the ground this morning pretty much flattened what was left of the flowers and garden goodies around here...:) It seems a bit early for an ice layer in the animals water tubs but so it goes I guess. I'm never ready to see winter arrive so it was a bit sad to see ice in October already.
Justin went out the door for work this morning and came rushing back in looking for some of his warm winter clothes! I was grinning as he dug through the closet because I didn't get the winter tubby out of the attic yet...:)
The sun did come out to warm up the afternoon a bit now but we are indoors keeping warm and creating treats for Jenika's birthday tomorrow. She plans to take a tray of treats to pass out to her class tomorrow. She is super excited to be turning ten!
So I was looking back into old posts (looking for that chili recipe I wanted to use again) and I noticed that 2014 was a huge year for me and my kitchen transition! Jordan was so active in the kitchen back then! He still is and the cooking class he is doing in electives at school has been so enjoyable for him! He came home from school with chocolate eclair for dessert last night! They created it in cooking class yesterday!
But... he is not near as active in the kitchen as he was back in 2014!! By the looks of things I think we better get him back to doing the cooking again!...:)
Anyway I wanted to do a little refresher and see where we are by now. It really is so interesting to see the baby steps taken over the years and months! The baby steps have most likely been worth it in ways we will never even see and more ways then we will ever realize.
So in the kitchen these days we have gotten into what feels like a "normal". I don't even really focus to much on the whole food thing anymore. After learning so much about "Real Food" for a number of years, shopping and cooking "Real Food" just became more of a normal here I guess. We kind of get stale if we don't make a conscious effort to keep educating, learning and growing all along the journey.
I still like to practise and talk about what I learn but it somewhat went away. We have our daily "go to" foods and we have learned what to go for when we have certain aliments or need a good cleaning out...:)
I have been learning tons about essential oils in the past year and YL oils are used daily here! I drop them into my water bottles a few times a day, they get slathered on everybody before bedtime. They get dropped into bath water and foot soaks, they get diffused and I love how the diffuser makes a room feels so fresh and clean! I am learning lots about essential oils on podcast and it is endless what essential oils are good for! I have much to learn yet but I'm enjoying the journey so far!
I like when I have a day set aside just to focus on food. It frees up other days for other things when I shop and prep food for most of a full day. Kitchen is still a place I enjoy to be but the less I get creative with cooking and baking the less I want to. I found out over this healthy food journey that the more you do it the easier it comes! Once I slack the more I want to!
Mondays has been the food prep day here lately... This is subject to change because I'm known to find a regular routine and once it becomes habit like I find the urge to switch it up and do something different...:)
After morning work on Mondays I like to grocery shop. Sticking to the perimeter of the store is still my style. I stock up on fruit and vegetables. Bods Red Mills brand is what I like to use for oats and flours. I'm not to particular on it all being gluten free anymore since Jordan seems to be healed from his leaky gut symptoms but I'm picky about it being organic. Not all fruit and veggies are organic (I wish they were but its just to difficult still) but flours, grains and seasonings are all organic. Diary we use but very little. I get milk from Lapp Valley every few weeks. Cheese we love! We use lots. It comes from a local farmer that makes it for us every winter then we just shred some up (usually Monday's for the week...:)) as we need it.
We do supplements here... the most important ones right now being... Omega 3's, Turmeric, Vitamin D, Probiotics, Vitamin C, some brain vitamins, I just added Magnesium this week since I'm learning much about the importance of minerals. We do Diatomaceous Earth, (DE) Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) Aloe Vera, and some oils in warm water every morning a few hours before breakfast. (Dave and I I do this anyway...:}) Kids do not...:) I love what this has done for me and how it makes me feel! I have done this for a few years now and love it! This is waiting here for Dave to take to the shop since he drinks his water there...:) We also drink a few gallons of Kombucha a week most weeks. It slows down some this time of the year with the cooler weather.
Back to Monday's... After deciding what to make and the shopping gets done the rest of the day is pretty much prep work... Chop Chop Chop...:) It makes the whole week simpler.
Justin takes a small crock pot with him in the truck that he can plug into the lighter and this is great! I always create a breakfast dish. Usually chopped veggies with breakfast meat, cheese and eggs. (If you do not have chickens I highly recommend it!! We love our fresh organic eggs that come in from the coop!) I even know where you can get a fun chicken coop! ~wink-wink~
This muffin tin... I sauteed mushrooms, onions, peppers, added a touch of beacon pieces and mixed it all together. Put a spoon full in each muffin tin and drop in some shredded cheddar cheese. Fill it up with whipped eggs. (I added a bit of coconut milk to the eggs when I whipped them to make them fluffy) Seasonings get added... My favorite being "Herbamare" and black pepper. Bake them until set. refrigerate and throw a few in the lunches everyday until all gone...:)
The chicken dish... Brown rice cooked in bone broth with garlic cloves and seasonings, Sauteed veggies... My favorites right now are asparagus, cabbage, beets, onions, mushrooms and peppers. (The dish that the Little ones eat out of just got peas for the veggie... See I'm easy on them...:)) Then chicken, cheese and sauce on top. Bake only until heated. Cool and dip out of it for lunches all week until gone...:)
I do most times do another grocery run before the weekend. We eat more unhealthy foods on weekends and when we go out but its the daily weekday routine that I feel is most important anyway.
Last week these handy salads in a jar were a greast grab and go!!
Creating main dishes is simple by now... I just mix up sauteed vegetables a grain and a meat. This goes great in thermos for lunches. Justin takes the breakfast in his crock pot then puts his lunch in there for heating up for lunch once his breakfast is done. I don't think eating out of a lunch everyday would be to bad doing it like this!...:) It's great to send hot chili or soup on these colder days to!
Monday's I chop up vegetables and use them all week long. Monday's we shred cheese and get meat out of the freezer for the week.
We love pepper sauces. Justin says he can eat almost anything if he has a good sauce!...:) I just make sure to put sauce in his lunch if I question whether he will like the dish or not...:) Find what works...:)
Snack... We really don't snack to much at all. I find sometimes that I'll get a yummy looking snack at the store whether healthy or unhealthy I have a hard time knowing when to even eat it. I really don't get hungry between meal times... but if snack does get set out in front of us we do eat it because it really is fun to snack...;) This is something that really changed over the years for us!
Snacking before bed is out of the question unless its fruit. I grew up with snack before bed but Dave did not and I'm now glad we took to his habits and not mine...:) Eating before bedtime is so bad for the body.
After school the kids like something... Most times its cereal or fruit. They like to eat cereal... I like when they eat fruit...:) Supper here is early so they don't have to much snack after school. What would we do without fruit!?...:) Thank God he made fruit to off set the vegetables...:)
Dave likes red meat I like white. For his sake (and the boys) we raise and butcher a grass fed steer every few years for the freezer. For my sake we get cases of organic chicken to cut up and freeze. We can most of the venison that the hunters get. It is simple to create dishes when you have great meat! I make bone broth with the chicken bones. A few weeks ago I made bone broth with organic chicken backs. It is so handy to have this broth to add to dishes and when simmering onions, mushrooms and other root veggies.
Monday's is when I bake sweet potatoes, butternut/spaghetti squash or right now pumpkins. This gets roasted cooled then pureed to add nutrition or gets used for the base of a dish. Quino is something I have tried multiple times but it is still not a favorite here at all! If I make it and serve it its okay but the leftovers never go over to well at all.
My kids are funny with this whole healthy food thing....:} They get it. They get the concept and the reason behind the reason we eat mostly "Real Food" (that don't come in a bag or box... as we call it) but they are still funny. They LOVE junk!! They LOVE sugar!! They love foods from bags and boxes! They drool over the student in school sitting next to them eating a fruit roll up! They trade sometimes and they never turn down the candy that gets offered to them. Jordan does okay but the Little's still eat any junk they can get there hands on. ~sigh~ I hope this changes but at times it feels like a healthier food journey makes them act like they are deprived when they are around sweets!
One night this week sister Marilyn had Jenika and Javon for supper. She thought of them as she cooked her supper of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn! They ate and ate and Javon just raved about those mashed potatoes after each bite! Sam's family got a real kick out of him and his raving...:) When they got home I heard about how aunt Marilyn is the best cook ever!!
Uncle Jonathan's know that Jenika will get her sweet fix somehow!...:) She loves to go up there and dig into there goodies... She has created a not so good reputation for herself up there by now!...:/ She is a work in progress for sure!
I do make mashed potatoes sometimes but only every now and then. When I serve something that looks yucky to them they are getting better at tasting it. Javon made the remark the other evening as I was cooking supper (he was particularly unhappy with what was on the menu) "I wish there was not even anything like vegetables!"
It is a challenge and some days I want to throw up my hands and some days I even do. But looking back over the journey I see how far we have come and it is rewarding. Learning is never done and I have never felt like "Okay now we have reached a healthy lifestyle". It actually feels the more I learn about the whole body, health and the food crisis our country is in the more overwhelming it gets.
Encouragement for the "kitchen transition" beginner... One small baby step at a time. Educate yourself by learning one new thing everyday. Apply what you learn. Grind out those grumbles from the family members, shop wise, get the enemies out of the house, (Out of sight = Out of mind) Before long you will wonder why that cup of coffee goes down harder then it used to, you will one day remember you don't get hungry for that mid morning sweet treat like you used to, you will one day be surprised that you actually really crave the greens and other healthy foods. Your body will adjust slowly as you transition and it will even become thirsty for the water that you were having to force yourself to drink.... You know those eight glasses a day...:)
A few quotes I saved to end this food post...:)
I love to look at food as medicine.... It really does heal the body over time.
Keep warm!
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