I feel the description on the back cover truly encapsulates the book well, “Is your schedule so full you can barely breathe, much less volunteer for a good cause? Do you spend each day worrying about things you can’t control? Are you tired of facing endless mounds of junk? Cluttered homes, overbooked schedules, and maxed-out credit cards are only symptoms of what’s happening on the inside. As you follow God’s directive to clear out the clutter that complicates your life, you’ll discover the clarity you desire. Isn’t it time?”

I love how she keeps the focus on simplifying first and foremost by addressing the core of our hearts, the root problem. Are we trying to find satisfaction in things? Or through maintaining a busy schedule that we don’t have time to think about our discontentment? It starts with your mind and heart! Simplifying is more than just cleaning out closets, drawers, and boxes of receipts.

The book begins by offering a new definition of clutter: “Anything that complicates your life and prevents you from living in peace as you live out your purpose.” She then follows this up by dissecting Hebrews 12:1-2, and addressing it’s application to inner clarity (simplicity of mind-set, getting rid of counterproductive thoughts that clutter your mind), outer clarity (simplicity of daily life – how you use your time and how you relate to your possessions), and finally financial clarity (simplicity of spending – how you relate to your money).

Hebrews 12:1-2 states, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…”

This book is a call to acknowledge honestly what is really holding us back. “Throw it off” as Hebrews describes. Get it out of your lives and thoughts, for even good things can lead to sin, if we become consumed with it and turn it into an idol. Nancy shares, “Even noble pursuits become clutter when they endanger our sanity and leave us with no time to connect with God.” You will encounter struggles in the battle (it is hard to say “no”), but remember to keep fixing your eyes on Jesus! He is our Source! He provides the ability to lay aside the clutter in our life and be set free through Christ Jesus. “Through the toughest times in our spiritual lives, it’s our God-empowered persistence that keeps us moving forward.”

“Our suitcases are filled with all kinds of dead weight: habits we need to give up, attitudes we’ve long since outgrown, and activities and possessions that no longer serve a reasonable purpose.” Are you ready to clean out those suitcases? Then, I strongly encourage you to find a copy of this book, and prayerfully read and journal through it. Nancy provides very thoughtful clutter buster questions at the end of each chapter that will provide you with strategic tools for destroying the clutter in your life. She also provides a wealth of practical tips for diagnosing and attacking the clutter in the inner, outer, and financial areas of life.

I personally have grown a lot in understanding how to simplify my life in the outer realm, but while reading this book, I realized how much I had yet to grow in simplifying my life in the inner realm. The Lord has graciously used this book to help provide so much more inner clarity and purpose that I have ever experienced!

I’m eager to read her other book: Celebrate Simply: Your Guide to Simpler, More Meaningful Holidays and Special Occasions! It’s the perfect time of year!

Current Sponsors:

• Paula's Bread - Personal service enhancing nutrition and saving money, one kitchen at a time
• NaturOli - Pure & Natural body care, green housecleaning with soap nuts
• Mountain Rose Herbs - Organic spices, herbs, oils & teas

We are excited to announce…the Nourishing Crockpot Carnival on Tuesday, November 17 hosted here at Passionate Homemaking.

Come share your favorite crockpots meals: main dishes, sides, and desserts. All varieties are welcome, although main dishes are particularly desired. We love the simple versions as well!

On November 17th, please come by here and share your recipes in the comments or write a post on your blog and include a link to your blog post. We will keep a running list of all the yummy recipes you submit. You can share previously posted recipes, or post new recipes, as desired.

If possible, please submit recipes that are made from whole food ingredients, or include homemade varieties of any processed food it might include, that way we can give people the option to adjust. If you don’t know where to begin in adapting your favorite crockpot recipes to be more nourishing, go ahead and submit them and we will offer tips and suggestions for you! We want this to be helpful for one and all, whether you are an old-timer in the nourishing foods camp, or whether you are new and eager to learn.

Come and join us for a crockpot party offering nourishing meals for busy wives and moms!

We would love to have you! Please use the icon above to advertise and promote this carnival further so we can have a great participation!

Current Sponsors:

• Paula's Bread - Personal service enhancing nutrition and saving money, one kitchen at a time
• NaturOli - Pure & Natural body care, green housecleaning with soap nuts
• Mountain Rose Herbs - Organic spices, herbs, oils & teas

Enter…Meyenberg powdered goat’s milk.

Goat’s milk, I believe, is the best alternative because it most closely resembles the mother’s breastmilk. It is easy to digest, and completely natural. Goat’s milk contains around ten grams of fat per eight ounces compared to 8 to 9 grams in whole cow’s milk. According to Dr. Sears’, goat’s milk contains only trace amounts of an allergenic casein protein, alpa-S1, found in cow’s milk, making it less allergenic. He adds:

“Although the mineral content of goat’s milk and cow’s milk is generally similar, goat’s milk contains 13 percent more calcium, 25 percent more vitamin B-6, 47 percent more vitamin A, 134 percent more potassium, and three times more niacin. It is also four times higher in copper. Goat’s milk also contains 27 percent more of the antioxidant selenium than cow’s milk. Cow’s milk contains five times as much vitamin B-12 as goat’s milk and ten times as much folic acid (12 mcg. in cow’s milk versus 1 mcg. for goat’s milk per eight ounces with an RDA of 75-100 mcg. for children). The fact that goat’s milk contains less than ten percent of the amount of folic acid contained in cow’s milk means that it must be supplemented with folic acid in order to be adequate as a formula or milk substitute for infants and toddlers.”

Meyenberg goat’s milk is fortified with folic acid and vitamin D, free of pesticides, chemicals, or hormones. At my naturopath’s recommendation, we added cod liver oil (for omega-3’s and vitamin A & D) and a natural liquid multi-vitamin for the nutritional benefits. Amazon is definitely the best price I have found on this product, but is also available at your local Fred Meyer Nutrition or through Azure Standard.

My babies have always taken this goat’s milk just fine. Ideally, raw goat’s milk would be the best option, since the powdered version is pasteurized. But due to the fact that goat’s milk spoils quickly, powdered is a great option for the occasional bottle.

Goat’s Milk Formula:

1 scoop goats milk (scooper is included in container)
4 oz filtered water
1/2 tsp cod liver oil (we use Nordic Naturals liquid DHA junior)
1/2 tsp liquid infant multi-vitamin (we use Progena infant multi at my naturopath’s recommendation)

Heat water in a small sauce pan till lukewarm. Add scoop powdered goat’s milk. Shake well. Add cod liver oil and liquid mult-vitamin once a day. Note: If you are just beginning to supplement with this, it is recommended to start with a smaller portion of goat’s milk to water (9 oz water to 1.5 scoops as described by Dr. Sears) and work up to the 1 scoop recommendation above.

See Dr. Sears’ Goat Milk Formula recipe here. He recommends the addition of rice syrup, but I am not sure why. I have sent an email to him to hear his reasoning’s and get more specifics as to the age at which a child could handle the full quantity of whole goat’s milk. I will publish his response here.

We have used this recipe for both our littles ones, and they usually took two 4-8 oz bottles per day. We use it till they are about 1 year old before switching over to cow’s milk. At our rate of consumption, one 12 oz container lasts us about 1 month.

Again, this is recommended for occasional use versus full time, because it is low in vitamin B12. Check out Nourishing Traditions homemade formula if you need a full-time alternative to commercial formulas. Sally Fallon recommends: “to compensate for low levels of vitamin B12, add 2 teaspoons frozen organic raw chicken liver, finely grated to the batch of formula. Be sure to begin egg-yolk feeding at four months.” From the comment below, it does seem to me that you could use it full time without any problems though. Other additions such as molasses (iron), nutritional yeast (for the B vitamins), are great additions to make sure your baby is getting all the nutrients he/she needs.

Lastly, we like to avoid plastic baby bottles and have found Evenflo’s glass bottles to be a wonderful alternative! They are very frugal as well.

Please note: I am not a medical professional. I am just a wife and mother who cares for the health of her family. Please use your careful discernment and double check with your naturopath before using this formula.

Current Sponsors:

• Paula's Bread - Personal service enhancing nutrition and saving money, one kitchen at a time
• NaturOli - Pure & Natural body care, green housecleaning with soap nuts
• Mountain Rose Herbs - Organic spices, herbs, oils & teas

Sheri describes this e-book as follows: As I thought about the holidays approaching and the temptation for my children (and myself) to focus on ourselves, I wanted something that we could do over the month of November that would turn our hearts more toward the Lord and toward serving others. For each day of November there is a verse to copy, memorize, and/or journal about, a place for you and your children to record things you are thankful for that day, and a place to record ways you can GIVE to others that day. It seems like we always focus on giving “thanks”, but then do we turn around and GIVE to others as we have been richly blessed? I hope these journal pages will challenge you to look for ways to give to others this holiday season.

I love Sheri’s focus not only on cultivating a thankful heart, but also focusing on the “giving” aspect of ThanksGIVING. We have been given so much, how can we in turn give to bless others this month? I have been using this journal over the past few days during our family devotion time in the morning. We read the verse and discuss it’s meaning and application in our lives, and then we share one thing we are thankful for. It has been so simple and yet rich! This e-book is very basic (only 37 pages), and yet draws our hearts to the Word of God and all the glorious riches He has bestowed upon us.

Click here to visit Graham Family Ministries. (this e-book is available under the holiday e-book category – just $3.95)

Do you have any good Thanksgiving resources to recommend? How do you prepare your hearts for this holiday?

Note: PH is an affiliate of Graham Family Ministries. We have partnered together to offer you some great purposeful family building resources. PH receives a small percentage of each sale purchased through our links. These resources are in turn donated to support our orphan home in Cambodia.

Current Sponsors:

• Paula's Bread - Personal service enhancing nutrition and saving money, one kitchen at a time
• NaturOli - Pure & Natural body care, green housecleaning with soap nuts
• Mountain Rose Herbs - Organic spices, herbs, oils & teas

I have a 3 month old baby and it’s caused me to rethink my use of perfume.  Do you know of any natural ways to smell beautiful?

Essential Oils! Pick your favorite scent and apply a dab to your neck and wrists and away you go. Essential oils, especially scents such as sandalwood and lavender, are very fragrant and you only need a drop on your finger to give you a lovely fragrance. You can really just choose your favorite essential oil fragrance and stick with that, or you can also combine scents for some intoxicating perfumes. I found a few homemade natural perfume recipes online. Check out these ideas!

Or you can find an array of combination’s of natural perfumes on the market. Mountain Rose Herbs sells some lovely aroma oils combination’s as well.

Orient Nights Perfume – a combination of sandalwood, musk and frankincense!
Rose Blend

How to Make Your Own Perfume with Essential Oils – a helpful tutorial and guide by Wikihow

This is a guideline of each essential oil’s scent provided by WikiHow:

* Earthy Scents: patchouli, vetiver.

* Floral Scents: geranium, jasmine, neroli, rose, ylang-ylang.

* Fruity Scents: bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange,lemongrass.

* Herbal Scents: angelica, basil, chamomile, clary sage, lavender, peppermint, rosemary.

* Spicy Scents: black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, coriander, ginger, juniper, nutmeg .

* Woodsy Scents: cedarwood, cypress, pine, sandalwood.

For the best prices on essential oils, check out Vitacost.

Do you have any recommendations?

Current Sponsors:

• Paula's Bread - Personal service enhancing nutrition and saving money, one kitchen at a time
• NaturOli - Pure & Natural body care, green housecleaning with soap nuts
• Mountain Rose Herbs - Organic spices, herbs, oils & teas

Beginning a little one on solids can be overwhelming for some, especially when as a mother you really want to give your child the best start in the world. There are many different methods, plans and recommendations out there, but I am going to keep it real simple for you. Give your baby REAL food and let them have at it!

When to start solids?

For the first six months, breast milk is the only food required by most infants. It provides the essential antibodies that protect their immune function and nutrients that optimize growth. Until six months of age, a baby’s digestive tract is not able to adequately digest most foods. The introduction of foods too early may induce food allergies or food sensitives. Honestly, there have been no conclusive studies done to show that a baby should wait till after 6 months though. You can breast feed exclusively for a year if you want. Breastfeeding gives your baby a steady supply of complete nutrition during the messy but fun transition to real food. Overall, the six month recommendation seems reasonable to me.

Beyond the six months recommendation, you may want to wait until your baby can sit up by themselves. That is really the only other important thing. According to Nina Planck in Real Food for Mother and Baby, “When is your baby ready? She is ready when she can sit up on her own. This indicates a certain control of her trunk. Her mouth and throat are stronger and more coordinated. When you put food on her tongue, she does not immediately eject it.”

She may have teeth, she may not. Either way works just fine. Karis didn’t, Titus did. She may grab for your food, she may not. Karis didn’t, Titus did. Maybe it’s a girl/boy thing. Nurse exclusively as long as you are able – it’s frugal, it’s healthy, and it’s simple! When you baby can sit up and starts really actively desiring food, then let them begin exploring with food. If they are not interested until 9 or 10 months (or later), don’t worry about it. Rushing it will not be fun for you or your baby. With my first daughter, Karis, we were able to hold off until 8 months of age before beginning solids. Titus started just a bit earlier around 7 months.

I knew she was ready for them when she began eagerly consuming little samples I gave her of my own food. Secondly,  if they start getting grumpy quicker after breastfeeding, or have a hard time going to sleep, I have found that adding solids normally has helped my babies sleep better and be more happy and satisfied throughout the day. Use your judgment! You are the mom and you know better than any one else. You really don’t need to get on any rigid schedule of eating either. We started with a little pear slice in a mesh feeder, and then forget about it for a few days, and then give him some carrots at dinner, etc. I have never gotten real consistent with three meals a day until they are around 1 year old. Overall, we continued to nurse regularly as long as the baby desires or as my supply allows. With Karis this was 15 months of age. We have yet to see with Titus.

How to Eat?

With my first daughter, we introduced solids through the traditional approach of spoon-feeding pureed baby foods. We used the blender to make large batches of baby food as detailed in Super Baby Food. We made all our own homemade purees and super baby food porridge. We steamed, blended, and froze in ice cube trays. Honestly, it’s a lot of work! This is one way, but I often wondered if she got a little picky growing up because she had to adapt from eating purees to the real whole form. It’s quite a contrast if you think about it. What might happen if I gave a whole carrot or broccoli head from the beginning? Might they grow up enjoying the real thing better?

When Titus was born, I came across the idea of Baby-led Weaning, otherwise known as – skip the pureeing and give them the real thing! I have learned that you really don’t need the whole process of spoon-feed eating…it’s just not necessary! This may be a shocker to some as it was to me at first. But I encourage you to take a look at two helpful books. Basically, the idea is that you let your baby feed themselves without all the hassle of cooking, steaming, pureeing and freezing. You give them finger foods and let them explore on their own. They eat what you eat and are included in the family dinner table. They make the connection with their appetite. They stop when they are full. They eat food with flavor and variety as you eat it. Who wants bland baby food anyway? Prepare a healthy meal for your family and give some to your baby. That’s it!

Gil Rapley’s Baby-led Weaning and Nina Planck’s Real Food for Mother and Baby are two excellent reads on tearing down the traditional methods that we have adopted for so long and just getting to the good stuff. Read a thorough overview of the Baby-led weaning concept over at Eco Child’s Play. Read these books! You will be fascinated too.

So two choices…to puree or not to puree!

What to Eat? Real Food!

Nina Planck & Weston A Price Foundation recommend, if you start before six months, begin with a lightly cooked egg yolk with a pinch of salt, a little cod liver oil, and banana. Nina shares, “These brain foods are easy for the baby stomach to handle. Tasty and soft, the banana contains its own amylase. It’s an unusually fine plant source of vitamin B6, which helps create neurotransmitters, including serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine. After six months, just about any REAL food is good. Babies can start with meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, any fruits and vegetables, and traditional fats – namely, butter, olive oil, and coconut oil. Whole milk, buttermilk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream are great foods. So are fresh coconut and coconut milk, which (like your milk) contain immune-boosting lauric acid. Avacado chunks with olive oil and salt make a wonderful baby dish, soft to gum and rich in vitamin E.”

Nina proceeds to offer no recipes or schedules in her book. She simply states what real food is (what we have been eating for thousands of years), and gives a few basic recommendations. Just give your baby whole stemmed vegetables and fruits, cut into smaller pieces if necessary. Keep it yummy. Bland food is not fun for anyone. Give your baby what you are eating. Stemmed vegetables with butter and salt is great! She keeps raw sweet potato slices in the freezer to have on hand to steam up quickly if the is no leftovers from the night before. Having avacados and bananas on hand are also easy, quick, and very nutritious meals for your baby.

The only thing that is not recommended before one year of age is grain. The one food that all the pediatricians recommend as a first food because it can be watered down and added to a baby bottle. Funny! Grain is not digestible, especially if it has not been soaked. Grain is a poor source of protein, iron and zinc. The starch-digesting enzymes in a child’s body do not kick in for one or two years.

According to nutritionist Jen Allbritton, “Babies do not produce the needed enzymes to handle cereals, especially gluten-containing grains like wheat, before the age of one year. Even then, it is common traditional practice to soak grains in water and a little yogurt or buttermilk for up to 24 hours. This process jump-starts the enzymatic activity in the food and begins breaking down some of the harder-to-digest components.”

What About Choking?

It’s actually really just gagging, a natural function of the body.  According to this article, “Humans have an innate gag reflex, whereby anything that gets to the back of the mouth unexpectedly (or is too large to swallow) will be regurgitated with a retching action.  In babies, this reflex is further forward in the mouth, and so gagging is fairly common while they are learning to handle food.  Although this is commonly confused with choking, it is actually the normal protective mechanism, preventing choking while a baby learns to manipulate food in his mouth with his tongue, to chew and swallow.  Spoonfeeding denies a baby the chance to practice this manipulation while the gag reflex is still extra-active.”

Of course, it is always recommended never to leave a child unattended, but enjoy the food together, in case there is any problems. But is is helpful to note that spoonfeeding does not guarantee any less a problem with gagging.

What does this look like for us?

All that being said, we have chosen to adapt these two ideas to meet our needs. We may help feed Titus (by hand, rather than by spoon). Karis loves participating in this, so it has become a fun family affair. So it is not all independent. We lead and guide as needed. If he drops a food item, we might put it back in his hand to assist him. We do follow a basic schedule (more in mind than in consistent practice) as follows:

6-9 months -We start with introducing simple vegetables and fruits, served in their whole form. We serve one meal a day for about a month, and then increase to two meals a day, until 1 year of age, we begin three meals. Again, this is all based upon his needs and may change. I serve them as much as they desire and no more. I don’t empty the bowl or empty the plate unless they want it. I just give them as much as they need. Water or goat’s milk to drink if needed. He eats everything in his Bumbo Seat with tray.

Lunch/snack – Sliced pears, peaches, or steamed apples - served in the mesh feeder most of the time, lightly cooked egg yolk (watered down a bit as needed)
Dinner – Sweet potatoes, yams, squash, carrots, broccoli or avacados – we slice raw sweet potato and freeze it (as Nina suggested). To serve, we lightly steam it in a pan of water and then serve. For squash, we bake it in the oven and then serve with butter or coconut oil and salt. Avocados are served raw in small chunks. Carrots and broccoli are served in sticks that have been lightly steamed in order for the baby to grasp on their own. These vegetables are always what we are already eating as a family. I don’t make anything special beyond the sweet potatoes or avocados if we are not eating anything suitable. We adopt Nina Planck’s encouragement to season and butter it as we have it.

We add cod liver oil daily to his bottle of goat’s milk for the omega 3 and vitamin A & D content. Nordic Natural’s liquid DHA junior is made from all natural vitamin A & D and nothing synthetic.

9-12 months – At this point, they are usually eating two meals consistently each day. Lunch is based around yogurt, dinner becomes based around meat and vegetables. Continue water and goat’s milk to drink, as needed.

Lunch – homemade yogurt (sweetened with stevia and mashed banana or other fruit). Karis loved yogurt and applesauce and had it almost every day! I usually would combine a little yogurt and kefir together for a great probiotics meal.
Dinner – meat and vegetables (whatever we are eating!)

12 months + – Begin three meals a day, as needed. I add raw cow’s milk as a beverage at this point. At 1 year, we add honey as a sweetening option.

Breakfast – Soaked brown rice porridge
Lunch – Yogurt and fruit (as described above)
Dinner – Meat and vegetables (whatever we are eating!)

After 1 year, we gradually add in all the possible allergenic foods, such as nuts and other grains. There is no rush…we just enjoy food!

In conclusion, whatever route you choice, whether it be pureeing or baby-led weaning, I would encourage you to stick with the real food. Canned baby food is not only expensive, but it has been cooked to death (therefore, lacking most nutrition), and is very bland. Let your baby enjoy the real thing! BLW is a messy process to be sure but it is a ton of fun! You don’t need to get rapped around an exact feeding schedule or method. Just go with which route works for your family!

Here are some last thoughts from Gil Rapley’s book, Baby-Led Weaning:

Baby-led weaning can help to prevent the sorts of battles over food that are an all-too-common story amongst the parents of toddlers and young children and it can contribute to making family mealtimes fun for everyone.  In a nutshell, it makes eating the pleasure it should be.

… There is a growing amount of evidence that the way children are fed when they are very young establishes the way they will feel about food throughout their childhood, and maybe even into adulthood.  Obesity and eating disorders are in the news almost every week … Many of these problems have their roots in one (or both) of two key issues: appetite recognition and control.  The healthy development of both of these things is at the heart of BLW.

So much of the advice parents are given about infant feeding is still based on the abilities of three- or four-month-old babies and the assumption that babies need to be spoon-fed.  It rarely takes into account the natural abilities of six-month-old babies to take the lead with solids and feed themselves.  Baby-led weaning brings together what we not know about when a baby should start solids with what we can see babies are able to do at this age.

Further Reading:

Baby Essentials that Aren’t: Baby Food – discussing BLW in detail
Baby Led Weaning: Starting Baby on Solids with Finger Foods – article by Suite 101
Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby’s First Foods by Nina Planck
Baby-led Weaning - YouTube video

Have you tried baby-led weaning? What has been your experience?

This post is part of Fight Back Friday’s.

Current Sponsors:

• Paula's Bread - Personal service enhancing nutrition and saving money, one kitchen at a time
• NaturOli - Pure & Natural body care, green housecleaning with soap nuts
• Mountain Rose Herbs - Organic spices, herbs, oils & teas

Titus enjoying food!

Titus is eight months months old this next week. Boy, does time fly! He is a hungry little guy and I can hardly keep up with his demands for food. As we just begin to introduce solid foods into our little guy’s diet, I wanted to share with you a few of our favorite tools.

Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder – This is one of my favorite feeding tools, especially at the beginning. It enables your baby to munch away independently. Fill it with a small slice of stemmed carrot, apple, pear, or various fruit/veggies and let them explore to their hearts content. We used this frequently when we are on the road and the baby needs a little something to hold him over. During our car trip to the beach, Titus was kept quite contented while munching on a nectarine slice in this feeder. Beware! It is messy! But that makes it all the funner to watch and enjoy their delight in food! They are a bit challenging to clean, but a scour pad and the dishwasher do a pretty good job for us.

Kidco Baby Food Mill – There are lots of expensive equipment out there for making your own homemade baby food, but I have found this simple tool (along with a blender) to be all you need. This tool is great because it transports easily for a quick meal when you are out. I love it for grinding up bananas or other small portions of foods. If you chose the pureeing route of introducing solids with babies, this is a great way to go!

Bumbo Seat (as seen in picture)- We found this seat off of Craigslist and have found it to be a worthwhile purchase. It is perfect for Titus to sit in and enjoy his Munchkin feeder or for him to just sit and play. It gives him full support even before he was sitting up fully on his own.

Foogos Leak Proof Thermos Food Jar - We just recently purchased this food thermos and absolutely love it! It is stainless steel and BPA-free thermos that will keep your baby food warm or cold for 6 hours. Insulation helps inhibits dangerous bacteria growth. You can use it to keep milk/formula warm or just throw some veggie chunks in the jar and away we go! We have used it numerous times in the last few weeks. Aaron has even used it a time or two for a coffee thermos. Most reviews on Amazon describe using it for children’s school lunch, so it is very multi-purpose!

Those are our favorite tools! What are yours?

Current Sponsors:

• Paula's Bread - Personal service enhancing nutrition and saving money, one kitchen at a time
• NaturOli - Pure & Natural body care, green housecleaning with soap nuts
• Mountain Rose Herbs - Organic spices, herbs, oils & teas

It’s been one of those seasons when learning to use the crockpot has come in quite handy! It is so nice to be able to get dinner prepared while you have a little more energy in the morning, if you know what I mean? I have been adapting some of my favorite winter meals for the crockpot and wanted to share with you my variation to Sloppy Lentils. It is actually way easier to prepare this in the crockpot actually! Just throw all the ingredients in and let it go! This is a easy, frugal, and nutritious meal that we love. I have actually simplified the original recipe a bit as well. For the original recipe, visit here. It’s recipes like this that make eating whole foods on a budget possible!

2 cups water (the original recipe uses 3 cups, so notice the change for crockpot preparation!)
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
salt to taste (optional)
1 cup chopped onion
15 oz can diced tomatoes (drained), tomato sauce or 2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste, optional (as needed to thicken – especially if using tomato sauce)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons rapadura, molasses, or honey
1 Tbsp white vinegar
salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 hamburger buns, split
cheddar cheese, grated (to top your lentils when serving)

Combine all your ingredients in the crockpot (besides the buns and cheese!). Turn on low and cook for approximately 5 hours, until lentils are tender and the mixture has thickened and absorbed most of the liquids. Serve on open faced hamburger buns and top with melted cheese, as desired.

Want to join me for a nutritious crock pot meals carnival? It would be a great way to pass around meals such as this that make meal preparation a little easier for busy moms! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Current Sponsors:

• Paula's Bread - Personal service enhancing nutrition and saving money, one kitchen at a time
• NaturOli - Pure & Natural body care, green housecleaning with soap nuts
• Mountain Rose Herbs - Organic spices, herbs, oils & teas

Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 16:3

Are you feeling overwhelmed or discouraged? I cannot express how much adding a simple weekly planning and prayer retreat has assisted me in maintaining a joyful heart in my homemaking! After feeling completely overwhelmed, physically exhausted, and being prone to be quick tempered with my children, I knew the enemy was trying to attack my joy and make me unproductive. I am realizing more and more how he seeks to attack me by discrediting my role and tempting me to compare myself with others.  After much prayer, the Lord led me to begin adding this time away as a regular routine in my life. Thankfully, my husband been graciously willing to watch the children for an hour or two every Sunday morning so I can get away and pray, refocus and plan. I have been doing this consistently for about a month now, and I have found such refreshment, renewed joy, and encouragement in the journey of homemaking and mothering. It has been invaluable!

I want to encourage you ladies to pray about how you might begin to get away for a short time on a regular basis, if not once a week, maybe once a month. Whatever works for your family. Just getting out of the house and sitting in our car with my Bible, notebook, and laptop suffices most of the time! Occasionally, I will go down to the local coffee shop or drive down to the waterfront and just sit in my car and watch the water. Sitting out in nature really helps me focus on the Lord.

Each week in my planning season, I start by thanking the Lord for each and every blessing from the previous week. I thank Him for how He has grown and challenged me in my faith. Then I begin to pray over the new week and for anyone in particular that He lays on my heart. What would the Lord have me do this week?

Then I begin writing in my simple spiral bond notebook. I make a basic to-do list with check boxes for the week and then assign the tasks to one or two per day. I keep my to-do list very basic. There is usually no more than 10 items on my to-do list, and they include various housecleaning tasks, errands that need to be done, etc. I then proceed to evaluate how I can be useful for the Lord this week. How can I practically be productive and fruitful not only in my homemaking but also for the kingdom? How can I serve my husband? How can I reach out to one person this week? I try to find one way to serve or express appreciation to my husband (whether it be a note of encouragement on his desk or in an email), and one way I could minister to someone this week. Is there someone that could use a note of encouragement? Is there a neighbor I could invite over to dinner?

After completing my to-do list, I make a menu plan for the week. I base this off my monthly menu plan, but simply choose meals from it to prepare for the week. I will jot down any notes in relation to the meals and any preparation that needs to be made in advance, so I don’t forget!

I also write out a basic blog post plan for the week. Then I take some time to read the Word, pray again over my to-do list to make sure it lines up with the Word of God, my priorities in this season of my life, and to dedicate my week to the Lord. I also like to take time to pray for my husband and children.

Having this time of peace and solitude allows me to refocus on the Lord, what he has assigned me to do, and to acknowledge my complete dependence upon Him. It has been a huge blessing! My weeks in turn have been so much more peaceful and productive. Ultimately, it is not about the to-do list, but more about renewing my soul in the Lord. I want to run in such a way as to win the prize and please my Lord. I want to do my work heartily as to the Lord. If I am stressed, I need to step back and take time to pray and re-evaluate what has gone astray in my life. This simple weekly retreat has accomplished these things for me right now.

The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. (Proverbs 16:9) The Lord is ultimately in control of all things!

Do you take a retreat on a regular basis? How do you practically plan for the week?

Current Sponsors:

• Paula's Bread - Personal service enhancing nutrition and saving money, one kitchen at a time
• NaturOli - Pure & Natural body care, green housecleaning with soap nuts
• Mountain Rose Herbs - Organic spices, herbs, oils & teas

This talk was prepared for a live presentation I made on Wednesday, October 21, for a local mom’s group. I post it here for reference for these ladies in addition to inspiring others to join us in pursuing a good stewardship lifestyle.

Aaron and I and our two little ones took a weekend vacation to the beach in Sept. I have had a life long passion for the ocean. Growing up we would take annual vacations to the beach and enjoy the beauties of the Oregon Coast. Watching the rhythm of the waves, cuddling up and enjoying a good book, digging for agates, hiking, and exploring. It is simple and beautiful. We find rest and refreshment in the beauty of God’s creation. Nothing brings me as much pleasure as just being out in nature. Fall is here and we see the glorious changing colors of the earth.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…and it was good. He made man in His own image, in His own likeness and gave him dominion over the birds of the air, the fish of the seas, and called him to care for His creation, to steward it, to protect it, because it was good! “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry around the ground.” (Gen. 1:28)

There is a truth in this first command that is often overlooked! God has made us rulers of the earth and we are to be stewards, caretakers of the world around us. What does it mean to “reign” as Genesis describes?

Cornelius Plantinga’s says it this way in his book, Engaging God’s World:

“God gives human beings authority in the created world, what we might call ‘responsible dominion.’ Let them take responsibility for keeping the earth, for respecting the integrity of kinds, and times, and seasons. Christians and others have sometimes taken dominion as justification for the ‘conquest’ of nature…the Bible speaks of dominion, not in the sense of conquest, but in the sense of stewardship…To have dominion is to act like the mediator of creation. This means that a human steward of God’s good creation will never exploit or pillage; instead, she will give creation room to be itself. She will respect it, care for it, and empower it. The person who practices good animal husbandry, forest management, and water conservation shows respect for God by showing respect for what God has made.”

Did you catch that? When we care for His creation, we are showing honor and respect to the Creator. This is a high calling…a royal assignment! Being good stewards and caretakers of God’s glorious creation is a wonderful privilege entitled to each person on this earth. Not just me, not just you, but all of us together as a united force.

As Christians, we cannot ignore our environment. I use to make fun of those environmentalists out there to save trees…but the more I meditated on this passage, the more I realized the significance for us as Christians to take the lead in caring for the world around us. This is our opportunity to be a witness to the world around us that we serve a Creator God. When we demonstrate careful concern for the earth, we are opening up doors to communicate why with a lost world around us. How can we think to share the truth of the gospel with others if we are not concerned about the things they are concerned about.What opportunities to share the gospel!

As Romans 1:20 says, “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for knowing God.”

Isn’t that a beautiful reminder that God’s truth is communicated as we observe His glorious creation? He uses His creation to draw people out of darkness and into His marvelous light as they see His beauty displayed in His landscape. Should we not together actively seek to preserve the beauty of His creation by good stewardship?

Martin Luther once said, “Now if I believe in God’s Son and remember that He became man, all creatures will appear a hundred times more beautiful to me than before. Then I will properly appreciate the sun, the moon, the stars, the trees, apples, as I reflect that He is Lord over all things.”

He indeed is Lord over all creation! Being concerned about His creation, the environment, is one simple way of offering up worship to our King! He entrusted this earth to man’s care from the beginning of time…let us seek together to care, grow and nurture it as He intended.

The two main concepts I want to encourage us to see is this: Our level of Consumption & Waste.

We live in a consumeristic and rushed society. We work hard, to buy more, only to find it doesn’t satisfy and run the rat race again. In the US alone, we represent only 5% of the world’s population, and yet we consume 30% of the world’s resources, and produce 30% of the world’s trash. Our houses have grown larger (the average house doubled in size since the 1970’s) as our families have shrunk in size. The more space we have the greater tendency we have to buy more to fill it. Stuff that just accumulates, needs time to be managed, cleaned, organized, and then disposed of when we no longer find pleasure in it. A never ending cycle. We receive our primary value based upon our level of consumption. We shop and shop and shop…and keep the materials flowing.We consume twice as much as we did 50 years ago. We are bombarded by 3000 advertisements per day…what is the result? We are being tempted to buy more stuff. We are not happy. We are on a work, watch, spend cycle.

Let’s talk about waste. Do you know how long this stuff remains in our homes? Only 1% of the products we consume are still in use 6 months later. Each person disposes of 4.5 pounds of trash per day! In the US alone, Americans generated nearly 390 million tons of trash last year. Almost 100 landfills across the US closed last year because they were crammed to the brim. Most of this trash will not decompose anytime soon and some waste is releasing toxic chemicals into our soil, streams, groundwater, and ultimately back to us.

How can we stop this cycle? Now is your time to jump off the rat wheel and focus on the important things in life…relationships, service to others, etc! Our family vision is to live simply in order to give generously. We want to cut back on our spending, so we can give more to bless others, through monetary giving, hospitality and service. We have more time and energy to serve and bless others because we have less stuff that consumes energy to maintain. Consuming less is better on the environment, and better for our marriages and all our important relationships.

I also find I save money by seeking to be a good steward! Isn’t that interesting? Frugality and good stewardship of our environment go hand in hand! I want to share ten steps towards pursuing a good steward lifestyle. I am going to give you a lot of information…but I want to encourage you from the beginning…just take one step at a time. Refer to this list at home and prayerfully seek to make your own list, step by step. Don’t try to do it all at once! Don’t try to change everything. This will only lead to stress. Let it just become a hobby! Make a goal to make one change each week or each month. Figure out what works for you.

Your part is valuable! We are the body of Christ…we can make a difference!

1. REDUCE WASTE BY BUYING LESS

So we dispose of 390 million tons of trash…We can help lower this amount of trash through careful recycling. Recycling is definitely helpful, but it does not eliminate the source. It starts at the level of consumption.

It starts with a change of heart. It starts by changing your mindset. We go by in life just seeing everything as something to be consumed and disposed of.

It starts by asking yourself these questions before you ever make a purchase: Is this a need or a want? Write it down and take a month or two to evaluate it. What purpose will it serve? Can this item serve multiple purposes or is this just another little gadget that takes up more space? Can it be reused? Do we ever consider the long term impact of each decision to purchase something? It starts by stopping the consumption. It starts before you make the purchase. Christmas is around the corner…how can you begin now to adjust your mindset? Can you cut back on your budget, focusing more on spending quality time with family this year?I keep a running amazon wishlist. I never buy right away. More often than not, if I take time to think about it, I realize it really is not a need. This is another reason I avoid malls and browsing outings. I avoid the impulsive buy. We also got rid of our credit cards. This significantly cut back on our consumption.

I want to encourage you to take a little more thought to the longterm implications and consequences of each decision. Use discernment. Pursuing a more green lifestyle is a way to serve the next generation. The more things we have and money we pursue, the less grateful and more stressful we become. That is the result of consumerism. My challenge to you is to simplify.

2. CHOSE REUSABLE OPTIONS instead of disposables.

Before buying those paper towels, consider using some old kitchen towels that have lost their glamor. Before picking up those napkins, consider buying a set of cloth napkins that can be used again and again (or make your own). They also add elegance to your dinner table. Ask yourself the question, “is their a reusable alternative to this? Will this just be going into the trash after one use?” This is what green living on a budget is all about – it saves money! If you do not want to use reusable napkins, paper plates, etc. look into biodegradable or products made from recycled products. Just pick one item per month to begin replacing with a biodegradable or reusable alternative.

- Ziplocs - although the company wouldn’t want you to reuse ziplocs (because they want you to buy more!), you would be surprised how many times these storage bags can be washed and reused. I buy a box at Costco and it lasts me an entire year. Read more tips on preserving the life of ziplocs here.

- Razors - Small thing, but each item adds up. We love Mach3 razors and just buy the replacement blade pack at Costco.

- Menstrual products - Yes, I was with you…turned off at this one! But let me just tell you…reusable actually makes that monthly cycle far more comfortable. 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are disposed of annually. Tampons and pads are expensive! Individually, easily spend between $300 and $400 every 5 years on these products–over $10,000 a life-time! The health hazards of disposable products is also worthy of evaluating. Diva Cup or GladRags are great alternatives, depending upon your preferences.

- Cloth diapering - Diapers made up 3.4 million tons of waste, or 2.1 percent of U.S. garbage, in landfills in 1998 — the last year this information was collected. Despite popular belief, the biodegradable alternatives offered through companies like Seventh Generation do not decompose. They are safer for your babies bottom, but don’t help the waste issue. Cloth diapering has advanced! There are diapers available on the market that are just like disposables! No pins any more! Read more recommendations here.

- Nursing Pads - reusable options are so much more comfortable! Learn how to make your own here.

- Grocery Bags – reuse your plastic bags, or even better…buy a few canvas totes and keep them in the car. These bags are sturdy and can handle anything (especially IKEA editions!)

- Produce Bags- instead of collecting all those plastic produce bags, check out green bags! They are a great alternative that is reusable for a much longer period and will also preserve your produce longer.

- Reusable water bottles (Kleen Kanteen) AVOID BOTTLED WATER. Plastics leaching into your water is not a pleasant thought, plus they really cannot be recycled. It isn’t good for you anyway! We use Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Colored Water Bottles for Aaron and I and NALGENE Tritan Grip-N-Gulp BPA-Free Water Bottle for kid’s sippy’s (does not leak like others we have used!).

- Change your shower curtain liner- polyester or hemp are great reusable alternatives. PVC, the toxic chemical in many plastics, is that horrible stenck you smell when installing a new shower curtain liner. Polyester is a frugal reusable option that works beautifully. Croscill Fabric Shower Curtain Liner is what we use and it has been a great product.

These are just a few ideas to get you started!

3. RECYCLE & REPURPOSE

Repurposing is just a creative word for reusing. Emilie Barne’s in her book More Hours in My Day, tells the story of her mother, who made a beautiful dress for her for special occasions.  As the dress wore down, it became an everyday dress, and as she grew taller, rows of rickrack were added to the bottom. Then it became a play dress for outdoor play and then an apron, and finally it was torn into strips and made into a mop.

Every single part of this dress was used until it was no longer usable. There was no room for waste. Everything was valuable. Nothing was lost. How far we have strayed from this old-fashioned and yet much truer concept of frugality! How quick we are to discard of something that no longer suits its original use. To skillfully make use of all that God has blessed us with, and to ensure that each item is used to its full potential, rather than taking the easy way out by tossing it in the garbage because it no longer works for the original purpose.

- Composting - you can use all your food waste and a lot of your trash waste to make good soil for the earth. You can use cardboard, paper, tea bags, coffee grounds, and so many other things and produce great soil. Learn how to make your own composting bin here with a simple tote bin.

- Reuse Glass or plastic jars with lids – Old canning jars and glass jars from various food products work beautifully as food storage containers. I keep an assortment of quart, half gallon, and pint jars along with Wide Mouth Plastic Caps and we are set. They are incredibly useful for many other uses from organizing craft materials, office supplies, and other uses. In our home, we have replaced all tin foil and saran wrap with a useful collection of jars.

4. WHEN YOU DO BUY, BUY QUALITY.

This may be more of an expense up front, but in the end it will save you time, stress, and frustration. Buy things that are recyclable! When you buy quality, you are stewarding your money wisely. Cheap junk is a waste of money and resources.

- Chose lasting toys- less is more! Avoid the cheap battery operated toys that will be disposed of before the next birthday or Christmas. Wooden toys may cost more money, which will encourage you to buy less, which in turn will help teach our children contentment, and not building unrealistic expectations. If you limit your toy purchases, you will also train your children to be creative and content.

- Make sure it will serve multiple purposes. Instead of buying a copier, scanner, and printer…choose the 3-in-1 option! It takes up less space, works effectively, and if it does die, it would be less waste. I use a Bodum French Press for making tea and coffee…rather than having two or three different gadgets to make these beverages for ourselves.

I have already gone through two blenders while making my daily green smoothies at our house. I finally came to the conclusion it was time to be smart. Buy something that will last. I wanted something that would be durable plus be a multi-tasker. Enter…Blendtec Home Professional Total Blender! This was my birthday present this year after saving for the past year. What an awesome investment it has been! Takes the place of 9 different appliances. Less waste, less clutter, and all at a cheaper price than buying 9 individual purpose appliances. I can make ice cream, soup, grind grain, make peanut butter, salsa, and various other things with this one durable tool.

5. BUY USED INSTEAD OF NEW.

Check out your used options before you buy new – Craigslist, Freecycle, goodwill, garage sales, consignment stores, etc. Prevent others from wasting by reusing their products. We do this for appliances, furniture, children’s clothing, and decor. I love that quote from the Jim Carey version of the Grinch that Stole Christmas, “One man’s garbage is another man’s potpourri!”

6. KEEP THE AIR CLEAN INDOORS.

The EPA estimates that indoor air is 2 to 10 times more polluted than outdoor air.

- Use non-toxic cleaning supplies – simplify & save! Baking soda & vinegar can do it all! Check out our household cleaning supplies here. Another new favorite is soap nuts for all our laundry needs. The cleaning agent that grows on trees!

Baking soda is a natural deodorizer, vinegar is a disinfectant. Shaklee’s Basic H2 is another option that we are just beginning to use and enjoy. It is a frugal all-purpose cleaner for everyday cleaning, windows and the like. I have also used club soda as a simple frugal window cleaner. You really don’t need tons of different products!

- Use houseplants – According to Renee Loux in Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home: “Two small plants or one medium size plant per 100 square feet will provide fresh air and healthy, mold-free humidity in any room so everyone can breathe deeply with ease.”

- PVC in shower curtains – Again, replace those shower curtain liners with a non-PVC alternative!

- Safe No-VOC Paint – Did you know that while adding color to a room, you are also slapping on lead, formaldehyde, benzene, toluene and xylene-all potentially hazardous to your health? Check out safe alternatives here.

7. CONSERVE ENERGY & WATER

-Hang your laundry! Did you know that 6-10% of the nation’s electric bills are due to clothes dryers? How about 15 deaths, 400 injuries and 15,600 house fires caused by clothes dryers! What can you do to lessen this price? Let it all hang out! Clothes get disinfected by the sun and last longer! Even if you just hang one load a week, you are helping to reduce your consumption of electricity and cutting down your bill at the same time.

- Use less water at the sink.

- Wash in cold. Wash full loads.

- Take shorter showers.

- Turn lights off when you leave the room.

For other energy efficiency tips, check out: Kitchen Energy Saving Tips

8. EAT REAL LOCAL FOOD.

Did you know that most food travels 1300 miles to get to your dinner table, that can be seven to fourteen days before arriving at your supermarket (that’s a lot of preservatives)? This is a huge impact on the environment with all that carbon dioxide output. Buying locally provides you with the freshest food and ingredients, making it significantly more nutritious and a better investment of your money. It is also beneficial for your local economy.

- Start a garden. Container gardens are great alternatives if you don’t have the property.

- Dine locally. Some of our favorite date nights have been to restaurants here in Vancouver and Portland that support local farmers and have seasonal menus. The quality and taste is superior in every way. Our favorite restaurants here include: Woody’s Tacos, Burgerville, Mon Ami, Heathman Lodge, Roots.

- Make it yourself. Cooking from scratch can help reduce packaging waste, and provide you with more nutritiously dense food at the same time. This is how I seek to live naturally on a budget, I explore learning how to make my own butter, bread, deodorant, etc.

LOCAL FRIENDS: Check out my local food resources page for a complete list of where I find the majority of my food, local restaurants, and other resources. Check out the Chinook Coupon book with tons of coupons for making green natural living possible on a budget.

The Chinook Coupon book also makes editions for Seattle, Denver, Twin Cities, East Bay, and Silicon Valley. So if you live in any of these areas, check out this resource!

9. WHEN POSSIBLE, BUY ORGANIC

- When you buy organic, you can be assured that it is free of pesticides and chemicals that are not only harming the food we eat, our bodies, but also hurting our soil and contaminating our waterways.

- More nutritionally dense for your money…more value for your money!

Michael Pollan shares in his book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, “In addition to higher levels of minerals, organically grown crops have also been found to contain more phyto-chemicals – the various secondary compounds that plants produce in order to defend themselves from pests and diseases, many of which turn out to have important antioxidant, anti inflammatory, and other beneficial effects in humans. Because plants living on organic farms aren’t sprayed with synthetic pesticides, they’re forced to defend themselves, with the result that they tend to produce between 10 percent and 50 percent more of these valuable secondary compounds than conventionally grown plants.” pg 120

- Dirty Dozen - There is a helpful list online called the Dirty Dozen. It helps you evaluate which produce items are more important to buy organic based upon the level of chemicals. Green peppers, pears and peaches for example should be purchased organic, whereas bananas, avocados, squashes, and such can be purchased non-organically.

- If organic is not an option, ask about pesticides. There are many excellent farmers that cannot afford organic certification but practice eco-friendly gardening.

- Watch out for organic junk food. Organic pop tarts are not real food. It may not have HFCS, but it lacks any nutrition.

10. PASS ON THE VISION TO THE NEXT GENERATION

If we do not in turn pass on the vision of being good stewards to the next generation, than our efforts will be in vain.

- Start with the Word of God. Start with teaching the cultural mandate. Study God’s creation, emphasizing how He made us stewards of it. Teach them that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit and thus it is important to eat well and exercise. As we teach more about His glorious creation, we can begin planting seeds of valuing the earth as we see His glory on display through it.

- Begin practicing it yourself and they will follow.

- Exercise and Cook healthy meals together – again, doing things together can teach these ideas! Practice what we preach and they will catch a vision!

- Creatively Reuse – be creative and get your children involved in thinking up creative ideas for reusing things in your household before throwing them out. Have an old sheet? What could we make with that? Cloth napkins maybe? Washclothes? You can search practically anything on the web and find alternative ways to reuse it.

- Pick up trash together – Carry a trash bag around with you wherever you go. If you taking a walk and see trash around the pathway, pick it up and dispose of it properly. As our children observe us doing it, they will follow.

- Buy less stuff for your children – the less you buy the more you allow the creative juices to flow! Your children will be more content and learn good stewardship of the little they have. When you choose to buy something, make it yourself or buy from a local or homemade source (Etsy.com for example). Encourage savings.

Many of these ideas may take more work…but is our goal convenience or good stewardship? Many of these options will provide a more healthy and safe environment for your family as well, thus you will be taking good care of your family!

“Let him who possesses a field, so partake of its yearly fruits, that he may not suffer the ground to be injured by negligence; but let him endeavor to hand it down to posterity as he received it, or even better cultivated. Let him so feed on its fruits, that he neither dissipates it by luxury, nor permits it to be marred or ruined by neglect…Let every one regard himself as the steward of God in all things which he possesses.” – John Calvin

Lastly, stay focused on the goal. The goal is to be a good steward. To consume less. To cut back on waste. To simplify in order that you might spend more time and energy on the important relationships in your life and in order that you might live more generously….for the sake of others and the next generation. And remember, baby steps!

May God bless you in your journey towards being a good steward of His creation!

Recommended Reading:

I highly recommend the following materials for further learning, ideas and knowledge!

Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home by Renee Loux
Clean House Clean Planet by Karen Logan
Home Enlightenment: Create a Nurturing, Healthy, and Toxin-Free Home by Annie Bond
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan
Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck
Simplify by Paul Borthwick
Our Father’s World: Mobilizing the Church to Care for Creation by Edward Brown

Current Sponsors:

• Paula's Bread - Personal service enhancing nutrition and saving money, one kitchen at a time
• NaturOli - Pure & Natural body care, green housecleaning with soap nuts
• Mountain Rose Herbs - Organic spices, herbs, oils & teas