Eating Healthy in 2009.

I know this is a common New Year's resolution. I don't make resolutions typically, but I have been quite burdened about my family's eating habits lately. We began our journey into healthy eating about six or seven years ago. We changed to whole grains. I started baking our bread. However, from time to time healthy eating can slip, and sometimes it can plummet to great depths. I am feeling as though we are in a HUGE plummet. As I am typing my daughter is begging for M&M's. Does this say anything about what I am dealing with here?

I began my research online by posing the question, "How to feed my family more vegetable?" This seems to be our biggest downfall. I like vegetables, and sometimes I think I am the only one. While browsing around on Almost Vegetarian, I came across the book, What to Eat: An Aisle by Aisle Guide to Savvy Food Choices and Eating by Marion Nestle. I decided that this was a must read for me. Thankfully, my library system had a copy of it. I was able to pick it up yesterday.

Anyone who shops for food, and that would be most of us, should take a look at this book. Many of us are probably familiar with the idea of "food miles", but do you know what COOl or VCOOL are? Do you know how a grocery store defines "fresh"? I am learning all this and more.

As I read through this book, I hope to share my thoughts and discoveries with my blog friends and readers.

Christmas 2008

Twas the night before Christmas...



The stocking were laid on the trunk with great care...



Brianna building Lego.



Carolyn opening her Breyer horse set.



Natalie displaying the Horspital set.



Jonathan digging into his Xbox 360.

Wordless Wednesday (almost)...Christmas Treasures

My dear husband gave me this ornament 19 years ago when we were dating. It was my very first Christmas present from him.

Snowy days...or is that daze?

We have had about 2 feet of snow in the past 3 days. It was trecherous driving yesterday as we made our way to church, to my parent's house, and then home. We drove home in near blizzard conditions last night. I was amazed how bad it was after we got home. David spent the morning blowing out the driveway.



The driveway is all plowed.



The trees, pool and backyard all covered in snow.



This wood pile and our little bushes (plus the side of our neighbor's garage).

Wordless Wednesday...He's Got Game

BTW, he is #9 with the white helmet and blue pants.

Gamma Seal Lids...

After my first post about stocking the pantry, a dear visitor whose blog is Gullett Circus, stopped by and asked a question about gamma seal lids. She asked if I recommend this kind of lid. I must say that I wholeheartedly do recommend them. After years of struggling to remove the lids from my containers to refill sugar canisters or to access wheat berries, I found these lids. They are airtight yet easy for me to remove. I can even have my 12 year old daughter refill canisters.



The lids come in two pieces as shown below. The ring fits semi-permanently on the bucket, and the lid screws onto the ring. They are so easy to get on and off yet they keep food very well. I find them to be an investment that was well worth the money.



There are many online retailers that sell the gamma seal lids. I purchased mine from Bread Becker's.

Back in the Pantry

I have spent the better part of the last day, when not preparing Christmas gifts, reading up on a man named Gerald Celente. Gerald Celente is the CEO of trends research Institute, and he apparently has an amazingly accurate record on predicting economic events. Yesterday, this article came to my attention, Revolution, food roits, in America by 2012. It sounded a bit sensationalist. After reading the article I felt that it was the most doom and gloomy article I have read. However, I think he could be right.

That brings us back to the pantry. A friend sent me a link a few weeks back to a list of 100 Things That Will Disappear. I am not exactly sure where they will disappear from as many of these items would not be purchased at a Wal-Mart Superstore. Interspersed in the article are many suggestions for pantry items. Here is a summary list:

Honey/syrups/sugars
Beans/rice/wheat

Vegetable oil

Vitamins

Milk-powdered and condensed

Tuna fish

Garlic, spices, vinegar, and baking supplies

Flours/yeast/salt

Canned fruits, vegetables, soups and stews

Soysauce/gravies/boullion

Graham crackers/saltines/ pretzels/popcorn

Peanut butter/nuts

Chocolate/cocoa

Tea/coffee

Gum/candy

Where should someone start with a list like this. I started about 5 years ago with one 5 gallon bucket in a double wide mobile home with no basement, no attic, and no garage. I saved food where ever I could. Thankfully my kitchen was good size with ample cupboards which made up in some small part for what it lacked.

We have moved since then and my "pantry" has grown to a good part of my basement. I took some more recent pictures of my stock.

It is important to plan part of your grocery shopping budget for stocking up on something. I bought those cans of tomoto puree over a six week period earlier this fall. I think I bought 4 cans at a time. Now I have about 20 tomato puree and about 10 cans of crushed tomatoes. I also plan to buy one bulk item of plastic forks, knifes, spoons, styrofoam plates, bowls, plastic cups per month. I buy these at Sam's Club. So, I want to encourage you to start small, but plan to buy something extra this week at the grocery store.

Wordless Wednesday...A Taste of Christmas at My House

Stocking the pantry...

Yesterday the headline of Yahoo finance said, "Half-million jobs vanish as economy deteriorates."

The article went on to say, "A record one in 10 American homeowners with a mortgage was either at least a month behind on payments or in foreclosure at the end of September, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported."

This caused my dear friend, Ranae and I to continue our on-going discussion about the economy and being prepared by stocking up on pantry and personal hygiene items. One point that came up in our discussion was where to start if you haven't prepared in either of these areas. Should you begin pantry storage or linen closet storage. My thought is that even though cleanliness is next to godliness food is my priorety. For several years now, I have been storing white flour, rolled oats, quick oats, Prairie Gold wheat berries, evaporated cane juice crystals and Sucanat. I store them in 5-6 gallon buckets in my basement. Each bucket has a gamma seal lid except for the Sucanat. The Sucanat is stored in an airtight pet food container that was never used for pet food. I buy 50-100# of each of these items at a time. Typically I can buy 100# of wheat berries and flour but only 50# of oats and sugars. When my supply gets low, I buy more. Typically, I do not have to replace them all at once. This helps the pocket book.

Here is a look at the buckets.

I also have two chrome storage shelves in the basement for canned goods, condiments, and other food stuffs.

Last year I canned a lot more than I did this year. This year we had too much water, and my garden was flooded twice during the season. I did not can tomatoes, but for about 6 weeks this fall I bought 4-6 cans of crushed tomatoes and tomato puree when the local grocery store had them on sale for $0.69 per 28 ounce can. I worked my way up to about 30 cans. I do this for many things that the store puts on sale.

I don't think stocking up means you have to blow your grocery budget. For me I just have to pay attention and match my need to the sales.

I am not very well stocked up in my linen closet. That is going to be the next area I tackle. Also, I would really like a 4-6 month supply of cat food, but I haven't gotten that far.

On a final note, I also refilled prescriptions today even though I do not need a refill right now. I want to have prescriptions on hand in the event that my husband would lose his job, and we didn't have insurance. It would help for a while.

Couch cushions...need help...

I am trying to fingure out what to do with my couch. This couch used to be my parents. It sat in their livingroom and only got used when they had company. Four or five years ago they gave it to us when they invested in new furniture. The bones of the couch are in great shape. The cushions and the arms of the couch are just not doing well. Every time a child's knee hits the couch first instead of their rear end, the fabric comes apart. I am thinking slip covers are the way to go here, but I have never used them, so I am not sure. In addition, the white does not work with our newly painted wall.



Here is a close up look at the middle cushion.



This is the left side cushion. You can also see the pillows I made over the summer.



I posted this to give you a sense of how the living room is decorated. In this picture the paint is showing up a tad dark. It is really a mustard yellow. Not French's mustard, it is darker. You can barely make out the actual color in the first picture.

So, I am open to suggestions on how to handle this situation. Thanks so much.

Sharing our turkey...

It has become a tradition in our house to buy our turkey from a local market. It is fresh, and I pick it up on Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving. Typically, I order a 20-22 pound bird and in the past we have gotten one that is close to 20 pounds. This dear bird tipped the scales at a whopping 22.56 pounds. "Tucker" as we affectionately called him is awaiting cleaning.



Here he is all cleaned. I do not stuff my bird with a bread stuffing. Instead I use organges, fresh cut herbs and aromatics such as celery, onions and carrots. This year I didn't put in the carrots. Under the breast skin I put in a paste made from fresh sage, thyme, rosemary, garlic, dry mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. I borrowed it from Ina Garten. I sprinkled olive oil over "Tucker's" back and gave him a good shake of salt and a good grind of pepper. Now he is ready for the oven.



I usually cook my turkey at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes before turning down the heat to 350 degrees for the remainder of the cooking time. Tucker is looking good just out of the oven. His total cook time was 4 hours and 35 minutes. Not to shabby for a big boy. Yes, we always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness.



I was so busy I forgot to take a picture of the turkey once it was carved and plated. Trust me, he was a good one. I hope all those of you who read my blog were able to share a blessed Thanksgiving with your friends and family.

Tomorrow is the big day...

I am ready. I made up my whole wheat rolls on Monday. Here is a nice "oven" shot. They are on the rise. I go so wrapped up in baking that this is the only picture I took of the food I prepared.



Yesterday I got cranberry orange bread and two apple pies. Today was the big push. I got both pumpkin pies, a pecan pie, cranberry sauce and my make ahead mashed potatoes finished. The turkey was picked up. I am going to remember to take more pictures tomorrow.

Happy baking and cooking.

Thanksgiving Preparations: Shopping

I had high hopes for baking and cleaning today, but they were not to be. I did shop, and then I realized that this was a very important part of preparing for Thanksgiving day.

I had already planned the menu last week, and while I was planning the menu I made a shopping list. Yesterday I went to a local market that had good prices on produce and a few other items. So, I picked upthese items to be used for Thanksgiving:

onions
carrots
celery
lemons
cream cheese

Today I went to Aldi and Wegmans. I think I have everything I need. Here are my holiday items from those two stores.

pumpkin
green olives
mint patties for after dinner
black olives
sour cream
soda pop
apple cider vinegar
Izze (My kids love these, and they only have them on Thanksgiving.)
chicken broth
kalamata olives
Thanksgiving paper napkins
navel oranges

I think that sums up the purchases. All I have to pay for now is the turkey which I will pick up on Wednesday afternoon.

Hi Friends...

Finally I am settling into the school year. Who knew it would take me four months to get comfortable with all the activities and school work. We are looking forward to a week off from school next week. I like to focus on preparing for Thanksgiving. So, we will be reading, and Jonathan will be working through some math. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we will enjoy the break. I hope to post on the preparation for Thanksgiving.

I can give you a little tip on the first thing I do to prepare. I declutter my kitchen. I can work so much better when I can see my counters, find my spices and grab the proper cooking utensil. We started by working on the spice rack a couple of days ago. I will do more tomorrow. I am also going to make and freeze my rolls and cranberry bread.

Time to think...

I was reminiscing about those early day of home schooling. In hindsight they seemed much easier. I had fewer children in school, and the school requirements were so much more relaxed. This picture is my son, Jonathan's visual of Paddle to the Sea's journey. He built this all on his own in 2003 at age 9. That was when he thought it was a true story.



Here is another picture of our "study" of medieval life. I simply got books from the library and my children took it from there. One little one is still in her jammies.

Ahh, if high school could be this relaxing.

Little Bella is ill...

My little friend, Bella, had to take an unexpected trip to the vet yesterday. I suspected that the poor thing had a UTI. Well, I was right. The vet told me that it is a bit unusual for a gal her age (1.5 years) to get UTI's. She is on antibiotics twice a day for 14 days. Then we go back for a check. My veterinarian did tell me that if she gets more infections that she could possibly have Feline Lower Urinary Track Disease. I hope that this is merely an isolated incident, and that my girl is better soon.

True Woman '08 Conference

I am excited to be a part of all that God is doing in the lives of women who know and follow Jesus Christ. In searching around this morning I found this trailer video for the conference. Even though the conference is past. The video is a great encapsulation of the purpose and intent of the conference.

True Woman '08 Conference Trailer

Awesome weekend in Chicago!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just got back from the most amazing time in Chicago at the

True Woman '08 Conference.

I was so blessed by the worship led by Keith and Kristyn Getty.

I will be blogging more about this over the next few weeks.

Please take time to check out the link.

Jennie

Knox Farm Fiber Festival

Located southeast of my little town is the village of East Aurora. It is a quaint town in western New York. At the outskirts of the village lies Knox Farm State Park. This was formerly the Knox Estate until it was purchased by New York state in 2000. I grew up a few miles from the park and regularly drove by the beautiful stone walls as a young girl. Today, Natalie, Carolyn and I headed out to be part of the 2008 Fiber Festival. I had just learned about it last night at Carolyn's 4-H meeting.

Here is our afternoon in pictures.

You are now entering the Knox Farm State Park.



The sheep rest peacefully in the shade of a tree. They are lurking just behind the stone wall.



Many of the fiber vendors brought their animals with them.



Are you lookin' at ME?



What a cute face!

Quaint buildings surround the entrance area of the park. This is where the vendors displayed their goods.

The highlight of Natalie's afternoon was the border collie herding demonstration.

This is Dennis, border collie herder in training.

Dennis' herd and trainer...

Natalie making friends with Dennis after his demonstration.

Going home...

This is a gorgeous view of the Holland hills across the pastures at the park. If you look closely you might see the goat in the middle.