For those of you who have asked me how to freeze vegetables, I just use this simple website of how to freeze most veggies. It list most of the vegetables I use and is really simple.
http://www.gardenguides.com/416-freezing-vegetables.html
Hope it helps you all out!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
How to eat healthy on a budget!
I've had many people ask me how we can eat healthy and still maintain a $75 a week budget. So this is what we do.
-We buy a quarter of a cow a year which gives us enough meat to last throughout the year. (I should mention that we don't count this into our weekly budget so that makes a difference I know).
-We make a weekly menu and stick withit. We only buy the items we need for the weekly menu and I stick hard with my grocery list.
-We eat up all of our leftovers. Some meals will last us three-four days.
-We have started our own garden and plan to eat most of our veggies from this.
-We buy a lot of our fruits and veggies when it is cheap and freeze the extra's that we are not going to eat. I also have a wonderful mother-in-law who cans a lot of food and shares with us.
-I try to make up a bigger portion of our dinners so we can freeze half. Most of the time it doesn't cost us but maybe a dollar or two more.
Hopefully this helps out with how we manage to do it. We often only eat two or three more expensive meals and the rest are cheaper meals. We also very, very rarily ever eat out. Maybe once every 2-3 weeks I will take the kids out to subway but as far as eating out for dinner that only happens maybe once every 3-4 months.
I also don't buy the kids a lot of snack food and no juice. Our juice is either homemade lemonade or water. And they each only get two glasses of milk a day. I know this may seem like a mean mom, but most of the time they only ask for water anyway. Chris and I also did away with drinking soda and drink water instead. It is actually pretty easy to eat on $75 a week and we sometimes have some money left over at the end of the week.
If anyone has any additional ideas to keeping a small budget I would love to hear them. I would love to get my budget back down to $50 a week.
-We buy a quarter of a cow a year which gives us enough meat to last throughout the year. (I should mention that we don't count this into our weekly budget so that makes a difference I know).
-We make a weekly menu and stick withit. We only buy the items we need for the weekly menu and I stick hard with my grocery list.
-We eat up all of our leftovers. Some meals will last us three-four days.
-We have started our own garden and plan to eat most of our veggies from this.
-We buy a lot of our fruits and veggies when it is cheap and freeze the extra's that we are not going to eat. I also have a wonderful mother-in-law who cans a lot of food and shares with us.
-I try to make up a bigger portion of our dinners so we can freeze half. Most of the time it doesn't cost us but maybe a dollar or two more.
Hopefully this helps out with how we manage to do it. We often only eat two or three more expensive meals and the rest are cheaper meals. We also very, very rarily ever eat out. Maybe once every 2-3 weeks I will take the kids out to subway but as far as eating out for dinner that only happens maybe once every 3-4 months.
I also don't buy the kids a lot of snack food and no juice. Our juice is either homemade lemonade or water. And they each only get two glasses of milk a day. I know this may seem like a mean mom, but most of the time they only ask for water anyway. Chris and I also did away with drinking soda and drink water instead. It is actually pretty easy to eat on $75 a week and we sometimes have some money left over at the end of the week.
If anyone has any additional ideas to keeping a small budget I would love to hear them. I would love to get my budget back down to $50 a week.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Difference in olive oils?
Since we are now cooking our meals from scratch, I am finding myself using oils a lot more. So I had to learn what the difference was between the olive oils (regular, virgin, and extra virgin). After looking at many, many different sites, they all basically said the same thing. So I just copied the answers from one of the sites and here is the jist of what the difference is.......
What is ‘Olive Oil’
A. Olive oil is olive juice, plain and simple.
What is ‘Virgin?’
A. Virgin means mechanical extraction. The oil or juice is extracted by machines with no chemicals used in the process.
What is ‘Extra’?
A. Mechanically extracted (virgin) olive oil is not all the same quality. 'Extra' is the highest quality and is thus classified because it goes through a battery of tests, both laboratory (analytical) as well as 'taste' (a cutting by an olive oil master similar to the way wines are taste tested). Virgin olive oil that is judged to have ‘no defects’ is classified as extra. So ‘extra virgin’ means – mechanically extracted olive juice that passes laboratory and taste testing with no defects
So basically it is saying to spend a little extra and buy the extra virgin. I also read to make sure it is stored in a glass bottle because if it is stored in plastic container it can absorb PVCs. It also needs to be stored in a cool, dark place away from heat of the stove and sunlight.
Hopefully this helps you as much as it has helped me better understand olive oils.
What is ‘Olive Oil’
A. Olive oil is olive juice, plain and simple.
What is ‘Virgin?’
A. Virgin means mechanical extraction. The oil or juice is extracted by machines with no chemicals used in the process.
What is ‘Extra’?
A. Mechanically extracted (virgin) olive oil is not all the same quality. 'Extra' is the highest quality and is thus classified because it goes through a battery of tests, both laboratory (analytical) as well as 'taste' (a cutting by an olive oil master similar to the way wines are taste tested). Virgin olive oil that is judged to have ‘no defects’ is classified as extra. So ‘extra virgin’ means – mechanically extracted olive juice that passes laboratory and taste testing with no defects
So basically it is saying to spend a little extra and buy the extra virgin. I also read to make sure it is stored in a glass bottle because if it is stored in plastic container it can absorb PVCs. It also needs to be stored in a cool, dark place away from heat of the stove and sunlight.
Hopefully this helps you as much as it has helped me better understand olive oils.
Happy Earth Day!
I really try to teach my kids to respect the Earth and to celebrate Earth day everyday. I expain how recycling and cutting out the chemicals in our lives really helps out. This year we also planted a huge garden, compared to our small one we used to plant on the side of our house. We planted carrots, tomatoes, corn, onions, peppers, cucumbers, squash, green beans, lettuce, and maybe a few more things I'm leaving out. The kids helped us out with making the garden and had so much fun. They are very excited to be able to pick all the fresh veggies out of it as soon as we can.
So here is a picture of the garden. We still have to put the wiring around it to protect it from the animals as well as our dogs and kiddos.
A closer picture.
I can't wait until it all starts growing!!!
So here is a picture of the garden. We still have to put the wiring around it to protect it from the animals as well as our dogs and kiddos.
A closer picture.
I can't wait until it all starts growing!!!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Homemade insect repellent!
So looking into other summer must have's, insect repellent came to mind. So looking into it a little further I found that many are loaded with harmful chemicals as most of you can guess. So instead of posting all the chemical names this time I just decided to post about making some homemade bug spray. I have not tried any of these yet but definitely plan too. If you get a chance to try any, please let me know what you think and if it worked for you.
Instructions for Making Homemade Insect Spray
A variety of household products can be used to create non-toxic insect sprays. Experiment using any of the following sprays to determine your personal potion:
1.Apple cider vinegar: fill a spray bottle with one cup of water and ½ cup of apple cider vinegar and spray the solution on skin before going outdoors.
2.Garlic repellent: although garlic should not be directly applied to the skin, a garlic spray created with warm water and a few cloves or crushed garlic is excellent mosquito repellent. Place the mixture in a plastic spray bottle. Before an outdoor picnic, spray the surrounding area (plants, chairs, etc.), including clothing, with garlic spray to clear away pests.
3.Lemon eucalyptus oil: add 5-6 drops of lemon eucalyptus oil to 1 cup of water and fill a spray bottle. Spray clothing, plants, and surrounding area.
4.Vanilla spray: a sweeter choice than garlic, vanilla extract is a total turn-off to many types of bugs. Fill a spray bottle with one cup of water and one tablespoon of vanilla extract and spray directly onto the skin. Use a cloth or tissue to blend well into the skin.
Read more at Suite101: Keep Insects Away Using Non-Toxic Ingredients: Prevent Mosquitoes Naturally During Spring Rainy Season http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/keep_insects_away_using_nontoxic_ingredients#ixzz0lnsG4cAY
Instructions for Making Homemade Insect Spray
A variety of household products can be used to create non-toxic insect sprays. Experiment using any of the following sprays to determine your personal potion:
1.Apple cider vinegar: fill a spray bottle with one cup of water and ½ cup of apple cider vinegar and spray the solution on skin before going outdoors.
2.Garlic repellent: although garlic should not be directly applied to the skin, a garlic spray created with warm water and a few cloves or crushed garlic is excellent mosquito repellent. Place the mixture in a plastic spray bottle. Before an outdoor picnic, spray the surrounding area (plants, chairs, etc.), including clothing, with garlic spray to clear away pests.
3.Lemon eucalyptus oil: add 5-6 drops of lemon eucalyptus oil to 1 cup of water and fill a spray bottle. Spray clothing, plants, and surrounding area.
4.Vanilla spray: a sweeter choice than garlic, vanilla extract is a total turn-off to many types of bugs. Fill a spray bottle with one cup of water and one tablespoon of vanilla extract and spray directly onto the skin. Use a cloth or tissue to blend well into the skin.
Read more at Suite101: Keep Insects Away Using Non-Toxic Ingredients: Prevent Mosquitoes Naturally During Spring Rainy Season http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/keep_insects_away_using_nontoxic_ingredients#ixzz0lnsG4cAY
So what does Organic mean?
I have had a few people ask me if my family is only eating ORGANIC food. Well I don't know? What exactly makes something organic?
So I looked up a definition for organic and this is what I got:
Organic Food – A Definition
Organic farming means that food has been grown and transported without chemical pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, or other additives, on land that conforms to the standards of an organic certification board. In the United States, it's the U.S. Department of Agriculture that controls the approval process for a farm's produce to be labeled "organic," while other countries like Japan and Australia have their own organic standards and regulatory bodies.
What this means is that organic meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables can only legally be called "organic" if the farm they come from has been checked and certified to produce organic food.
If produce, meats, poultry or milk products are called organic, it means fewer chemical additives (which have been linked to hormone disruption, cancer, and other diseases) and, usually, higher vitamin and mineral content, which is all to the good. Packaged foods, however, are a different story.
Read more at Suite101: What Does Organic Food Really Mean?: The Definition of Organic Farming, Produce and Health Food http://holistic-nutrition.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_does_organic_food_really_mean#ixzz0lmrygQe0
So after reading this definition the answer is no we don't eat only organic food. My basic plan for my family is to homecook every meal without using any of the harmful chemicals that are found in all the processed food. And yes, I said homecook everything. This doesn't mean I spend all day in the kitchen because with three kids and a very hectic schedule I don't have time for that. I try to devote about an hour a day to cooking (I don't count the time that something is in the oven). Its actually a lot easier than it sounds. I try at least two new recipes a week and most of my meals make enough for us to eat for a couple of days.
And no you don't have to give up any of your favorite meals. You can make almost anything from scratch thanks to the wonderful internet. I just type in a meal I would like to make and look for a recipe to make it from scratch. So far it hasn't been a problem to make the meals at all and I actually enjoy my cooking now. I also try to let the kids help me out as much as possible which they love.
No we are not a vegan family either, someone has asked me that too. I think if I tried to turn my family vegan I would be divorced and leaving in a cardboard box somewhere. But we do get our meat from Chris' cousin who farm raises a few cows every year for the family and our poultry comes from Whole Foods until I can find somewhere else to get them from.
So that is it in a nutshell. I guess I can't call us organic but we are eating healthier.
So I looked up a definition for organic and this is what I got:
Organic Food – A Definition
Organic farming means that food has been grown and transported without chemical pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, or other additives, on land that conforms to the standards of an organic certification board. In the United States, it's the U.S. Department of Agriculture that controls the approval process for a farm's produce to be labeled "organic," while other countries like Japan and Australia have their own organic standards and regulatory bodies.
What this means is that organic meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables can only legally be called "organic" if the farm they come from has been checked and certified to produce organic food.
If produce, meats, poultry or milk products are called organic, it means fewer chemical additives (which have been linked to hormone disruption, cancer, and other diseases) and, usually, higher vitamin and mineral content, which is all to the good. Packaged foods, however, are a different story.
Read more at Suite101: What Does Organic Food Really Mean?: The Definition of Organic Farming, Produce and Health Food http://holistic-nutrition.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_does_organic_food_really_mean#ixzz0lmrygQe0
So after reading this definition the answer is no we don't eat only organic food. My basic plan for my family is to homecook every meal without using any of the harmful chemicals that are found in all the processed food. And yes, I said homecook everything. This doesn't mean I spend all day in the kitchen because with three kids and a very hectic schedule I don't have time for that. I try to devote about an hour a day to cooking (I don't count the time that something is in the oven). Its actually a lot easier than it sounds. I try at least two new recipes a week and most of my meals make enough for us to eat for a couple of days.
And no you don't have to give up any of your favorite meals. You can make almost anything from scratch thanks to the wonderful internet. I just type in a meal I would like to make and look for a recipe to make it from scratch. So far it hasn't been a problem to make the meals at all and I actually enjoy my cooking now. I also try to let the kids help me out as much as possible which they love.
No we are not a vegan family either, someone has asked me that too. I think if I tried to turn my family vegan I would be divorced and leaving in a cardboard box somewhere. But we do get our meat from Chris' cousin who farm raises a few cows every year for the family and our poultry comes from Whole Foods until I can find somewhere else to get them from.
So that is it in a nutshell. I guess I can't call us organic but we are eating healthier.
Another reason not to eat fast food!
OLATHE, KAN - According to their menu, the Sonic Chicken Wrap comes with grilled chicken breast, fresh lettuce and ranch dressing. But one metro customer says that he got an additional, unwelcome ingredient with his wrap, and now he says that he is looking into hiring a lawyer.
Robert Borushko says that he found a tomato dicer blade when he bit into a Chicken Wrap purchased from a Sonic Drive-In at 119th Street in Olathe. He says that he was shocked when he took a bite and pulled a razor blade out of his mouth.
"I thought I broke a tooth at first because when I bit down, it was hard," said Borushko. "It's about one inch, I put it up against a ruler."
Sonic's corporate office sent FOX 4 a statement saying that a very small piece of a blade of a tomato dicer broke off, and that they have apologized to the customer and offered Borushko $200 for the inconvenience.
According to the Sonic corporate office, the Sonic Drive-In in Olathe has a history of good scores on public health inspections and third-party food safety audits.
Borushko says that he was not impressed by their offer.
"It was a smack in the face for biting on a razor blade," said Borushko. "(The Sonic representative's) whole thing is there's no serious injury, I wasn't cut. It's not a serious matter to them."
Borushko says that it is a serious matter to him, and now he's looking into hiring a lawyer. He says that he filed a report with the Olathe Police Department, but officers said that they found no evidence of criminal misconduct.
"If I swallowed it or gave it to one of my nieces or nephews and a little kid got that razor blade and didn't know to quit chewing, the damage could have been done to them," said Borushko.
Robert Borushko says that he found a tomato dicer blade when he bit into a Chicken Wrap purchased from a Sonic Drive-In at 119th Street in Olathe. He says that he was shocked when he took a bite and pulled a razor blade out of his mouth.
"I thought I broke a tooth at first because when I bit down, it was hard," said Borushko. "It's about one inch, I put it up against a ruler."
Sonic's corporate office sent FOX 4 a statement saying that a very small piece of a blade of a tomato dicer broke off, and that they have apologized to the customer and offered Borushko $200 for the inconvenience.
According to the Sonic corporate office, the Sonic Drive-In in Olathe has a history of good scores on public health inspections and third-party food safety audits.
Borushko says that he was not impressed by their offer.
"It was a smack in the face for biting on a razor blade," said Borushko. "(The Sonic representative's) whole thing is there's no serious injury, I wasn't cut. It's not a serious matter to them."
Borushko says that it is a serious matter to him, and now he's looking into hiring a lawyer. He says that he filed a report with the Olathe Police Department, but officers said that they found no evidence of criminal misconduct.
"If I swallowed it or gave it to one of my nieces or nephews and a little kid got that razor blade and didn't know to quit chewing, the damage could have been done to them," said Borushko.
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