Kitchen Transition #1

 Today it's Saturday. 

These last few winter days have been very spring like. It has been super motivating!

Creek Road in winter... We still do run down here. 

I mowed all the lawns, worked up the flowerbeds, ran my edge trimmer and the blower yesterday! I love when I can get a February day for this type of catch up! It feels easier in beginning of spring somehow.

We've been keeping Delvis busy around here. This is the week that the shop guys are off so he has not been going with Dave to the office in the mornings as usual. He paints really well. He is so neat and tidy. He painted Javon's old bedroom and a hallway upstairs for me this week now today he is redoing this old chest of drawers... Yay!

I've come to appreciate my chickens a bit more this winter! Eggs have gotten crazy expensive! Since I have this really cool chicken coop from "Horizon Structures"  (I just hook up to my lawn mower and move around the field) my chickens have been kept safe from those crazy annoying hawks I've dealt with for years!

The green and blue eggs make me especially happy!...;)

As promised I will do a bit of health on here today...;)

We get serious about our food around here.... I'll give you an example...:)

He is trying to figure out a good way to heat up the salt block to cook the steak... I think there is a better way but we try most things at least once...:)

I'm so grateful so many times that Dave loves healthy options as much as I do! He is the one that made me aware of many bad food choices way back in our younger days...:) 

We use all homemade raw organic (A2 Jersey cow) butter here at our house. We are so thankful to have a great source. Once you get used to this butter you won't ever want to go back to the processed kind!

We do some cheese and we almost always have a bit of raw (again A2 Jersey) milk in the fridge but we often don't even use a quart a week. Its something that we forget used to be one of our staple foods! We don't even miss milk!

Kitchen Transition tip #1 ...

Remove Refined sugars and Artificial sweeteners.

These sweeteners completely lack any nutritional value. They rob the body of enzymes, minerals and vitamins. Especially B vitamins which are very important! 

Symptoms of B vitamin deficiency include: Fatigue, depression, anxiety, inability to concentrate, poor memory, insomnia, rapid/irregular heartbeat, swollen/inflamed tongue, dry skin around the nose and cracking lips. Considering the amount of sugar consumed in the country, its no surprise many Americans suffer from symptoms of a B vitamin deficiency.

Eating to much sugar creates blood sugar imbalances in the body. When blood sugar drops to low (shortly after eating a high-sugar meal or snack) the fuel supply to the body is impaired, with adverse affects on mental function, physical energy and emotional stability. Symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can range anywhere from headaches, irritability and shaking when hungry to explosive anger, panic attacks, or crying easily for no apparent reason. Not only can sugar affect the quality of your day but it can also make you sick. 

In an attempt to avoid sugar many people have been convinced artificial sweetener is a better alternative. The word "artificial" should give you a clue that they are not. Artificial sweeteners are associated with cancer, weight gain, increased cravings for sweets, impaired coordination, decreased mental function, diabetes, MS, Parkinson's, seizures and migraine headaches.

Trash the sugar... The best way is to simply  "get the enemy out of the house". At least at first for awhile until you create better habits. Otherwise you will just keep reaching for that sugar jar. You would find sugar in my pantry today but we really never use it for much. Only when Jen decides to bake which is once every few weeks or so...:)

The best sweeteners to use are those that occur naturally such as raw cane sugar, pure maple syrup, raw honey or molasses. Stevia for baking or to sweeten up a drink. 

Avoid eating sweets by themselves. Include dessert with a whole foods balanced meal. The fats and protein in your meal help stabilize blood sugar and reduce cravings for sweets. 

Here at our house we use honey (raw from a local source) and maple syrup from a guy that goes up to Vermont every winter to extract it. Its the best! Also we use Stevia in smoothies.

This sets on the corner of the hutch here and it gets tapped into everyday. Its a bit of a messy corner but the kids and nieces/nephews will always remember our home to have an open exposed honey container...:) I may or may not have caught a few kids dipping in a finger when walking by...:)

 

Next post I'll do Kitchen Transition tip #2

If you want a great guide this book is one I refer to often! I have learned what to look for on labels for the most part but if I do research on anything I reach for this book over google. Sometimes I google things I find in this book and the bunny trail can be overwhelmingly shocking. We often have no idea what is in and on the foods we eat...:) 

Do the research on the things you consume daily or ask somebody you trust to do it for you... It might surprise you.

Food prep is a great help!

 I take a day a week and shop, chop and prep. The rest of the week goes so much better since starting this a few years ago! I do not see myself doing it to much after the kids are out on there own because Dave and I are real spontaneous and we like simple. we find ourselves alone at meal time more and more and we often prepare something together...:) Stressing about meals or supper time is not really a thing for me anymore. Roasting veggies and preparing a meat is our go to and its so simple! This kind of way is no prep until a bit before we eat.

I'll share some of my favorite seasonings at some point. 

Also SOUPS!! Who can do winter in Lancaster County without hearty soups!? They are so fun to create and always full of nutrition when using my own homemade bone broth (an essential that I'm out of right now!) I will try to bring you with me when I make my next batch because the benefits are endless and its so simple to make your own!

Research "Bone Broth for health"

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A few favorite non-food things we've added to our wellness journey... 

A massage chair came for Christmas...

 And has anybody tried the "Cold Plunge"?? We are into it these days... Dave and Jordan use the swimming pond. I prefer my storage tubby on my balcony...;) Justin has his own cold plunge set up at his house! He is the most dedicated! I have had to break a thin layer of ice already but when its to bad I skip that day...:)

The gym... I joined "Empowered Fitness" back in August. We do have our own beautiful gym here that we use but being a part of a community of woman has been so REWARDING! The bonus is that my trainer is my sister in law and I love this! We have grown closer since I workout with her twice a week and she is the best encourager...  she pushes my limits! 

The home gym... Justin comes home most every weekday morning to be in here....

Before I come back on here with Kitchen Transition #2 I'd like to share a bit on last week-ends marriage panel before the memory leaves me...

Also when I meal prep again I'll try to bring you with me. Or maybe when I create a soup...:) I forgot how fun it was to share health and wellness on the blog.

My family is so easy to cook for! They love healthy choices to. (Even Jenika is finally getting there...:))

She eats salads from the tower garden almost everyday right now! I'll share more about the "tower garden" on another post ...:)

For today... Good night...