Basic Beginner Steps to Healthier Eating

"Food means more than nutrition. It means family fellowship and celebration. It means security and comfort. It means cultural identity. It means giving, receiving, and sharing love. It is unrealistic to strive for betting eating for nutrition's sake if these values we place upon food are ignored, overlooked, or sacrified. Therefore, we have approached this subject of eating better in the broader context of the role that food plays in our lives."

~ "A Realistic Approach to Healthy Lifestyle: Eating Right!"

by Emilie Barnes & Sue Gregg

I am sure we are all interested in maintaing a healthy home. We have been in the process of upgrading our eating habits for the last ten years! It has been slow steps for our household because we recognize that anything hastily done isn't likely to last in this home. A few steadfast steps towards a healthier lifestyle is more beneficial than the overnight binges which are so easy to collapse. Here are some ideas we have slowly implemented into our home. Though we are not exceptional eaters by any means, this is a good start for those of you who are just beginning to care…

Basic Beginner Steps Toward a Healthier Home

• Eat Fresh and Raw Whenever Possible: This sounds so simple and it is! The less added preservatives and weird ingredients that you can't even begin to comprehend, the better. Cooking from scratch safeguards you from all the added junk. Also, the more raw food placed on the table, the better. Make it a point to add at least one raw dish to every meal in addition to a salad. Some ideas are homemade salsas, guacamoles, and coleslaws.
• Avoid Eating "Out": I hate to be the one to mention this but most restaurants are a for-profit business and their concern is finding cheap food and substitutes in order to make an income. They are not concerned with our health but with their financial reports. The only way to determine the quality of your food is to prepare it yourself. This will also save you money.
• Avoid Pre-Packaged Food: Again, cooking from scratch is the best way to discern what your family is eating. There are times when a packaged item does come in handy but don't abuse this convenience. Again, you will also find this an excellent way to save money since those are the most expensive items on grocery shelves.
• Incorporate Whole Grains Into Your Meals: The way I have slowly achieved this is to replace one cup of white flour with a whole grain counterpart. Keep on replacing these flours slowly in your recipes until you notice a distinct change of taste (then back it off a notch and stop there for awhile). Once you get accustomed to those changes, take it to the next level. This pizza crust recipe is a good example.
• Rethink Sugar: Replace sugar with raw honey, coconut sugar or pure maple syrup. Slowly reduce sugar in recipes.
• Less Carbs, More Protein: This is probably a hard one for many people because carbs are so cheap! For starters, eliminate the need to serve bread at every meal. Add more hard boiled eggs, grilled chicken and fish onto your plates which satisfy your hunger without leaving you sluggish like bread will.
• Use Real Oils: Vegetable oils, shortenings and canola oil are a man-made nightmare for your body. If possible, purchase olive oil, grapeseed oil or coconut oil for your cooking and baking. Extra virgin olive oil is wonderful when eaten raw in salads, coconut oil is excellent in baking (and light frying too) while grapeseed oil can be used for both.
• Visit Here for Five Steps to a Healthier Life

Yes, we still like our desserts... I suppose it is obvious by some of my posts! However, it is not a daily occurrence but rather a weekend treat. Is it Friday yet???

One older, Bible based book which I really appreciated for its down to earth ideas was "A Realistic Approach to Healthy Lifestyle: Eating Right!" by Emilie Barnes & Sue Gregg. They share "real" ideas for the average American home to incorporate Many books out there are written with great information but let's face it, our husbands would not necessarily go for some of that stuff! (Note: This book was written a while back when soy was considered the wonder food. I do not condone the eating of soy which research has now shown to have a horrific effect on the body if not prepared in a fermented fashion. Read here for more disturbing information.) 

"Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

And let your soul delight itself in abundance."

~ Isaiah 55:2 (NKJV)

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

Do Not Grow Weary

Sunday in the Backwoods by Thomas Faed

"Gentle reader! seek that better land. Let your home be a preparation for, and a pilgrimage to, a home in heaven. You are now in the wilderness beset on every side by enemies. Go forward!

You are now in the deep vale,—in the low retreats of pilgrim life. "Friend, go up higher!"

"Be thou faithful unto death, and you shall receive a crown of life." Be patient in tribulation. The storms that swell around your pilgrim home will soon subside, and a cloudless sky will burst upon you; the winter gloom and desolation will soon pass away; and "sweet fields arrayed in living green and rivers of delight," will spread out themselves before your enraptured vision. Remember that "the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." In a few years at most the conflict shall end, and sighing grief shall weep no more; the wormwood and the gall will be exchanged for the cup of salvation; the armor and the battle-field will be exchanged for the white garment, the crown and the throne. Soon your typical homestead shall be exchanged for your antitypical home; and we shall unite in the home-song of everlasting joy,—the song of, "unto Him that loved us and washed us in His own blood, to Him be praise and glory and dominion forever!"

~ Samuel Philips, The Christian Home

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, The Homesteader Hop, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

Grandmother's Rising Cloth ~ "Storing" Away Memories

I remember first noticing the lovely vintage tablecloth my mother was using to cover her rising bread. Where did that come from? She said it was grandmother's and that she had used it for covering her rising bread when she was alive. Oh, no, it is too special to be used for that... She saw the interest in my eyes and presented the beautiful, hydrangea printed cloth to me on my next visit.

I brought my treasure home and attempted to scrub away the oil residue left behind from her days of baking. I wanted to turn it into a keepsake of sorts. I cleaned it to the best of my ability, folded it carefully and with reverence, placed it safely in a drawer as a prized possession. For ten years it lay there...

Then the day came when I was making a huge batch of bread and had nothing large enough to cover my rising dough. Dare I?

I tenderly took out the cloth and found delight in the eyes of my daughter as I explained its tale. She wondered that I could use it at all! But, as my mother had tried to impart to me, I assured her it was much more of a treasure when used. It was as if grandmother was there, baking with us and guiding us on the art of bread-making in her gentle voice. She had died at a young age and her five sons have trouble sharing about her. She left behind a legacy of love, a wonderful hand-made cheese recipe and this tablecloth…

Have you "stored" away any beautiful memories?

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,

where moth and rust doth corrupt,

and where thieves break through and steal:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt,

and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

~ Matthew 6:19-21

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

How to Freeze Extra Eggs

Extra eggs on a farm can be a blessing but they can also be overwhelming if they exceed the amount needed for your family. We have 36 chickens and a family not even half the size of the Duggars. Aside from giving them to family, friends and those in need, what I have also found beneficial is to freeze the excess for the future when your chickens aren't producing much (because of molting, etc.). They come in handy when you are doing a lot of baking and best of all, it is really simple to do.

I like to freeze them in containers consisting of two egg and four egg batches since most of my recipes call for those amounts (chocolate chip cookies when doubled requires four and that is a staple in our healthy home *wink*). There are a variety of ways in which you can freeze them but I will share my method. 

• Break the amount of eggs you want to freeze per container into a bowl. Slowly stir the yolk and white together (until just combined), trying not to whip in a lot of air.

• For every two eggs, stir in 1/4 tsp. sugar or honey to help maintain the quality of the eggs when frozen. Obviously the sweet additive makes this appropriate for baking use. If you want to freeze for the use of savory dishes, then add 1/4 tsp. salt for every two eggs (make sure you label them accordingly).

Make sure to allow some space from the top of the container because when it freezes it will expand which can break your container or at least pop off the lid. Label each container with the amount of eggs inside and its purpose (meaning cooking verses baking which will depend on the mixture having a sweet additive instead of a salty one).

It is also helpful to place the date on the container. What is wonderful is that these will last up to one year in the freezer which takes you through all the seasons in your life in which an extra set of eggs would be useful. 

To thaw, place them overnight in the refrigerator or place in a bowl (while in its container) of cool water to expedite the process.

Notes:

• You can also freeze a larger container of eggs in the same way (just make sure to add 1/2 tsp. honey, salt or sugar per one cup of eggs). Substitute three tablespoons of thawed egg mixture per one large fresh egg in recipes.
• It is not desirable to freeze hard boiled eggs since they turn rubbery.
• You cannot freeze the complete egg with shell in the freezer as the shell will burst open when it expands.
• The thawed eggs from the freezer will last for three days in the refrigerator so take out just enough for your needs (which is why I prefer the smaller batches for specific recipes of two and four eggs).
• Safety tip: Use thawed eggs in dishes that will be thoroughly cooked.
• See Farm Fresh Eggs for more information about eggs.

Some wit and wisdom on the subject from an old friend...

"Put all your eggs in one basket and -- watch that basket!"
~ Mark Twain

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, and Shabbilicious Friday. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).