Keeper of the Home

Upcoming: Four Families are Going to Get a Real Food Makeover!

2010-03-12T14:54:25Z

Image by Nina Matthews Photography

Is your family trying to make healthy changes towards real, whole foods and in need of some direction? Do you know that changes need to be made but you're unsure of what to do first or where to start?

This April, I am planning to take the different scenarios and circumstances of 4 different families. I want to help each of them by offering very practical, tangible suggestions to keep them moving on the road towards greater health and stewardship of their bodies by improving what they eat!

I will spend a bit of time getting to know each family through email and will then offer suggestions in areas like:

Changing their shopping habits
Choosing a few specific foods to get rid of or add to how they currently eat
Knowing which would be the most beneficial next steps that the could make
Ideas for menu planning and types of meals to include
Any other tips I have that might help to make these changes stick!

Each week in April I will share about one family, giving you some background so that you can understand who they are and where their health and eating habits are currently at. Then I will share my suggestions for them- nothing fancy and long-winded, just simple, practical and hopefully helpful ideas!

My goal is to not only help these specific families, but to offer all of you some direction and suggestions for wherever you might be at in your real foods journey. By reading my recommendations for others in similar situations, you may glean some takeaway ideas for your own family, and I pray that will be the case!

If your family is interested in being considered as one of the four families to receive a Real Food Makeover, please email me and include in your subject "Real Food Makeover". Due to time constraints and the need to keep my family first, I will only be contacting those families that I have selected to be featured on my blog, but thank you to everyone in advance for putting yourself out there by applying and for pursuing more ways that you can serve your family and honor the Lord!

What types of suggestions and tips would be most helpful to your own family in your journey towards real, nourishing, whole foods?

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How to Make Fabulous Soup From Scratch Without a Recipe

2010-03-11T23:53:26Z

Image by Magic Madzik

Learning to cook without recipes can be not only a huge time-saver in the kitchen, but a money-saver as well.

Soup is an incredibly versatile food. It can be hearty and chunky, or light and refreshing, vegetable based or full of meats, beans and grains. It can be a meal in itself or a side dish. It can be made using specific, fresh ingredients, or very frugally by putting together the week's leftovers.

Most importantly, it is nourishing and satisfying. When made using homemade bone broth, it is also healing and aids greatly in proper digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Soup should be a standard in every whole food home.

Here is my 5 step process to make excellent soups (95% of the time- we all have our flops!) from scratch, but without using recipes:

1) Start With an Empty Pot and Some Oil

The first step in making any soup for me is to heat up some oil in the pot, with no liquids added. It might be butter if I'm making a roux for a creamy soup, or just some coconut oil or beef tallow to fry up some onions and garlic in.

If I'm making a soup with vegetables in it, like chopped carrots, celery, peppers or mushrooms, I always add these veggies to the oil and onions. Letting them saute for a few minutes before adding any broth or liquids add more flavor to the soup.

Image by whitneyinchicago

2) Use Homemade Bone Broth

I used to think that soup needed those little cubes or cans of store-bought broth to taste good. I was so wrong. Once you get used to using homemade bone broth in soups, nothing will ever taste the same again.

For a tutorial in making bone broth, see this post. For more on how to get just the right consistency to your broth and to ensure that you are drawing the gelatin and nutrients out of the bones, read What Bone Broth Should Look Like.

Add your broth after you've sauteed the veggies for a few minutes. You'll want to bring the soup to a boil as you're tossing in more of the ingredients listed below. Make sure that you cook it long enough for things like carrots or potatoes to cook sufficiently.

If you're making a creamy soup, start adding ingredients only after your roux is complete. Add the broth or other liquids next, and then add any vegetables, meat or fish, beans, etc.

3) Add Other Ingredients

This is the fun part. There are countless ingredients that you can chuck into a soup and it's hard to go wrong.

Here are some of the ingredients that frequent my soups:

Lots of Veggies- Carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, green beans, chopped greens (spinach/chard/kale), tomatoes, celeriac (celery root), potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, turnips, parsnips, peas, corn...
Animal Protein- Beef (either stew beef or roast leftovers or even cooked ground beef), chicken (from a roast chicken, cut-up breast, ground), sausages, lamb, turkey, fish (canned fish, or chopped filets), eggs (beaten first and then whisked into the soup)
Beans and Legumes- Lentils, any type of beans, split peas
Dairy- Milk or cream, kefir or yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche, cheese
Grains- Barley, brown rice, wild rice, tortilla strips, dumplings, brown rice pasta

Sometimes I make soup by cleaning out my fridge. Other times I just start adding ingredients that seem like they would work well together. I might have a specific goal in mind (a seafood chowder, an Italian style-soup, a way to use up extra cauliflower). Any way you approach it, you can make something that will fit the bill.

Image by smittenkittenoriginals

4) Season Your Soup

I tend to think that this makes or breaks a soup. Seasonings can take ordinary ingredients and make them into something really extraordinary.

The key is to try to think of flavors that might mesh well with what you've already got going, and that will mesh well with each other as well.

If you've added a lot of hearty vegetables with beef, you could give it an Italian twist by adding a can of tomatoes, putting in some leftover or frozen beans, and lots of herbs like basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, etc. A bit of apple cider vinegar or even balsamic vinegar might be nice (just a splash). Garlic is always good.

You could take that same hearty beef and veggie soup, and give it more of a Mexican feel. Add some cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic and onion powder, and some chili or cayenne. Frozen corn is a nice addition. Serve it with tortilla strips or crumbled chips on top, some sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese. Avocado would also be nice.

Here are a few more ideas to get you started:

A tangy Thai influenced chicken soup, with peas, bean sprouts, ginger, garlic, and lemon or lime.
A warming, root veggie soup, similar to a Scotch Broth. Think carrots, turnips, parsnips, with a beef or lamb base, and some pot barley as well. Onions and leeks, parsley and simple salt and pepper work well to season it up.
A creamy cauliflower/broccoli soup, using a chicken base, some dry mustard, lots of sea salt, and cheddar cheese.
A curried squash soup. Try adding onion and garlic, apples, maybe some coconut milk, and of course, curry powder.

Don't underestimate the importance of adding seasonings ON TOP of your soup. A sprinkle of Parmesan or grated cheddar cheese. Fried tortilla strips or sourdough croutons. Creme fraiche drizzled, or a big dollop of sour cream. Fresh herbs like basil, oregano or cilantro strewn across. These are the finishing touches that add so much.

Image by WorththeWhisk

5) Blend It

Yes, really. Blending soup is one of the keys that I have learned for helping flavors to meld together and really bring out the best in each other.

I use different levels of blending depending on the soup. Some soups, like a Curried Apple Squash, would benefit from complete blending so that they're smooth and creamy. Some, like a Chicken Lentil Vegetable is really nice pseudo-blended. Enough to mix the flavors and create a thicker, richer soup base but not so much that you lose the veggie and chicken chunks.

Almost every soup benefits from at least a few quick pulses of a hand held blender, regardless of how smooth or chunky you want the texture to be. I just do it straight in the pot, and there is virtually no extra cleanup. I love it.

Do you make soup from scratch? What types of flavors and combinations are your favorites?

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Gardening Season Has Officially Begun!

2010-03-15T15:39:49Z

Just a couple of weeks behind schedule, all of my garden seedlings have been planted! It doesn't look like much, but yesterday morning I planted 7 heirloom tomato varieties, Purple Beauty peppers, 3 winter squashes (Sugar Pie Pumpkin, Butternut, Delicata) Sugar Baby watermelons, Far North melons, Couer de Boeuf des Vertus cabbag, Green Sprouting broccoli, Purple of Sicily cauliflower and too many herbs to name.

Spring snuck up on us all this year and my outdoor garden is actually ready for planting my frost-hardy and early spring veggies already! I can hardly believe it, but I'm eager to get out there and start getting all of my direct-seed crops into the ground. I'm dreaming of snap peas and baby lettuce and fresh radishes...

Speaking of gardening season, you can find me over at Simple Organic today, talking about 5 Gardening Basics for Beginners. You might also want to take a look at some of the other recent gardening posts by the wonderful ladies of Simple Organic, including Gardening 101: Three Options for Creating New Vegetable Gardens, and Starting a Garden With Repurposed Materials.

How are your garden preparations going? What do you have in store for your garden thing year?

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Cutting Down on Waste in the Kitchen: Tossing the Paper

2010-03-11T00:24:40Z

Photo credit: Sklathill

This is our second contributing writer's post, from Beth Corcoran. I asked her to write on a topic related to cutting down on waste, which is one of the themes this month at Keeper of the Home. I love Beth's easy-going and relaxed approach to using cloth in her kitchen.

*******

The kitchen is probably my favorite room in my house. I spend a lot of time in there every day. After all, with four kids, I have a lot of meals to cook, meals to eat, dishes to wash, and tables and chairs to wipe down. But one day a few years ago, I realized that food was not the only thing being consumed in my kitchen. With all that cooking and eating and washing and wiping, we were also using up a whole bunch of disposable paper goods!

To me, it just seemed to make sense to get away from using disposable paper goods because it would save a lot of money. (Have you seen how much paper towels cost?!) But eventually it struck me odd that our family used and threw away that much trash when there is a perfectly reasonable and easy way to avoid it—using cloth instead of paper. So, a couple of years ago, our family made the “conversion” to have a paperless kitchen. It was a process. I didn’t switch everything over in one day, but once I saw how easy it was, I was eager to adopt more non-consumable alternatives to paper.

There are many ways to cut down on waste in the kitchen. Here are two of my favorite!

Use Cloth Dishrags Instead of Paper Towels.

My husband I both grew up in families where the weekly grocery shopping trip included buying a huge package of paper towels. And if you have grown up in a Western culture, chances are that you did, too! So, I thought that when we switched to cloth dish rags for washing dishes and wiping everything down, that I would find it very inconvenient. And I was sure that I would hear protests from my husband, as well. But I found out that using cloth rags is actually very easy as long as you have a good system for keeping up with them.

Our dishrags have come from all over. Some are old wash cloths from the bathrooms. Others are our daughter’s old (and well cleaned!) cloth wipes from when we used cloth diapers. I have also knit and crocheted a whole bunch of dish rags in fun colors and designs. It just spruces up the dish washing experience.

I have a whole bunch of them, and I try to have enough so that I can use several per day and not have to constantly wash them or be tempted to reach for a paper towel. I keep them all in a pretty little basket under the kitchen sink. When I need a new rag, I just reach for the basket instead of the paper towel roll. So there is no extra effort needed.

When I am finished with a rag, I put it in a bowl that I keep on top of my dryer. All the dirty kitchen cloth items go in that bowl. Whenever I do a load of laundry, I just toss the contents of that bowl in the washer, too. (Note: This is okay for me to do because I use gentle, natural cleaners that won’t hurt my clothes. But if you use harsher chemicals or anything with bleach in it to clean your kitchen, you’re going to want to wash your rags separately!) It is really easy to keep up with cleaning my rags, and as a mother of four, I always have enough laundry to do, so I’ve never had to worry about the rags sitting for long periods of time and mildewing.

As a side note, I do still keep a roll of paper towels out for guests that come over—especially those who come over to babysit. A lot of people still feel insecure about using rags to clean up instead of paper towels, and I want to make them feel welcome. But, they are the only ones that use that roll of paper towels, so it takes us months to finish the roll. But I have felt that I didn’t want to sacrifice hospitality just to prove that we could go completely paperless in our kitchen.

Photo credit: evilmidori

Use Cloth Napkins.

Again, this was something that I never grew up around as a child. For us, cloth napkins were for fancy restaurants and Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. But someone gave us a set of cloth napkins as a wedding gift, and that’s what got the ball rolling. Whenever we were first married, I would lay out the cloth napkins whenever I would make a nice meal. All other nights, we would just use paper napkins.

But it was a lot of fun using the cloth napkins, so I ventured out and bought some more. I am ashamed to say, but I probably paid way too much for some fancy cloth napkins. But as our family has grown, I’ve started to understand that we don’t all need matching fancy napkins to have a good meal. Now, I am always on the lookout for good napkin deals. I buy them on clearance, after holidays, at the Salvation Army, or wherever I can find a good deal.

I have lots of different patterns for our every day napkins, and I do have some nicer matching sets that I save for guests and holidays. We keep them all in a drawer next to the table, and when my kids set the table, they always compete to get their favorite patterns. I think it makes for a memorable family tradition. And when dinner is over, my five year old son’s job is to clear off all the napkins and put them in the bowl on top of the dryer. It’s as easy as that!

And I love cloth napkins because, not only does it cut down on trash and wasted money, but it adds color and love to our family table.

I am the mother of four children—two girls and two boys, ages 7, 6, 5, and 2 ½. While not homeschooling or chauffeuring the kids to their activities, I enjoy all kinds of craft projects and learning how to be a better steward of all that the Lord has given me. My blog is stewardshipnotconvenience.blogspot.com.

What ways do you try to cut down on waste in your kitchen?

Our Sponsors:

It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
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Organization in the Real Food Kitchen: Making Room for Bulk Storage

2010-03-09T03:21:10Z

When you think of storing bulk food, what comes to mind? Do you wonder where you will ever keep it? Do you dismiss the idea because your kitchen storage is already on the small side? Do you envision hefty, 25 lbs bags of grains sitting in your dining room, with no where else to go?

Most homes these days aren't exactly set up for storing food in bulk. I long for the days when every home had some sort of a root cellar or storage room suitable for keeping food for the winter. Buying my whole foods in bulk and storing home grown and canned seasonal produce is key to keeping our food costs low, while still eating high quality, nourishing foods. In order to make buying in bulk a reality, I need to have a place to store it.

Time to get creative! What are some of the types of places that bulk food can be stored?

In the Pantry

This is my recently re-organized pantry. It's not huge, nor is it a walk-in (my dream pantry!), but it's actually amazing just how much I can fit in it when I keep it neat and tidy.

I utilize the space very thoroughly, taking into account the height of different containers and jars, and storing things all the way to the very back. If I have something like jars of tomatoes, I can keep them mostly along the back and then a row of them coming up to the front, so that I can just take the front one. I don't need to see them all. When I have extras of items, I keep them in the back to preserve space up front, and I can dig for them when I really need them.

Having a lot of containers does help to keep it tidy and make the storage space well-utilized. I have quite a few older Tupperware containers for dry goods. I also save all of my 1 Gallon honey tubs to reuse. Glass jars are fantastic for storing so many pantry items. Large ziploc bags make it in there when I have nothing else to use. The white basket in the center holds all of my bags of bulk spices, and it contains the chaos that is my spices very well.

On Top of Kitchen Shelves

No, it isn't the prettiest sight, aesthetically speaking. It's beautiful to this frugalista, though. The extra foot or two above my kitchen cupboards allows me that space that I need when everywhere else is overflowing.

I try to keep it tidy at least by using my 1 Gallon containers, and some other storage containers and bags. I use it mostly for grain and sweetener storage, as well as home canning in the fall when my kitchen is bursting at the seams with harvest goodness.

I have on occasion (yes, really truly) heaved an entire 25 lb bag of grain up there when I wasn't ready to open it. Definitely not so pretty, but it served it's purpose until I was ready to divy up the grain to smaller containers.

In Drawers

Last year we acquired a gorgeous antique bankers filing cabinet. It sits in my living room as a display piece, because I didn't know what to use all of the itty bitty, and some oddly shaped drawers for.

Recently I've begun to use them for kitchen storage. They are currently holding all of my bulk herbs. In the summer, when I start dehydrating garden produce like crazy, that's where my extra bags and jars will go.

We don't all have a cabinet full of little drawers, but perhaps you have dressers that aren't being fully used, empty bathroom cupboards, or some other space that you haven't known what to do with. When in doubt, fill it with food!

In the Garage

This is the bin of garlic from my garden last summer. I grew enough to last us a full year (including some to plant, and some to giveaway- I grew a lot of garlic!). This bin sits in my garage, where the cool temps help to keep it fresh longer.

I have another larger Rubbermaid bin that also sits in my garage. It is full of bags and containers of steel cut organic oats which I buy 25 lbs at a time, as well as Sucanat that I bought in a 50 lb sack (which made it half the price of buying it in smaller amounts). We keep the smaller containers and bags in the large, sturdy bin just to avoid rodent problems and to ensure that the food stayed untouched.

In Closets

I wish I had a picture to show you some of the things I've stored in our master bedroom walk-in closet. My favorite was a big tub of spaghetti squash from my garden two years ago. I've also stored cases of hemp milk, and some canned goods. No, it's not a large closet, but I needed space and it did the trick.

Many people have far larger closets that we do, and if you keep it wel -organized, that might be a really great place for storing bulk dry goods, like baking items, grains, or canned goods.

In the Laundry Room

Obviously not suitable for everything, due to some of the warmth and moisture from the washer and drier, some things can be stored just fine in the laundry room. Canned goods should keep well in a laundry cupboard, unless your laundry room is especially humid for some reason (the lids might rust then). Sealed bags of rice pasta, unopened jars of spaghetti sauce or apple cider vinegar, or bulk honey. There are lots of things that could still work in the laundry room.

In the Freezer

I think this goes without saying as a perfect place for storing many bulk foods. For more on keeping your freezer well organized, see this post.

When All Else Fails...

My 5 gallon tub of coconut oil, that has nowhere else to go. My kids think it's a fun little stool. It keeps the fish company, while it lives in my dining room. Yet another real and humbling confession from this everyday mama. It's the only thing I can't find a place for!

What nooks and crannies of your home do you fill with bulk foods? How do you get around lack of storage space?

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An Update on Our GAPS Diet and Related Q&A

2010-03-05T03:19:47Z

Last week I shared why our family is doing the GAPS diet and what it is all about.

We actually began this Monday morning. We haven't seen any amazing results come out of the first 4 days, but we are definitely noticing some die-off symptoms from the toxins being released (so far, only mild, but it's a good sign). Some upset tummies, slightly more eczema, a grouchy little boy, a really grouchy mama, some flushed cheeks.

I think this diet is really doing something, though. I couldn't really tell, until I cheated slightly yesterday. I was tired and emotional, and I caved and had 1/3 cup coffee with a tad of cream and unpasteurized honey. I paid for it. Oh, did I pay for it. My stomach reacted with the worst cramps I have had since I used to have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I will NOT cheat again. At all.

What did I learn from my experience? That you cannot interrupt a gut that is being healed. It is a slow and careful and fragile process. My gut has obviously been beginning to heal more than I thought, and this teeny amount of coffee threw it for an absolute loop. Learn from my mistake and obey the diet, whether you're hungry, frustrated, emotional, or tired.

Making the Food

The food preparation has not been as challenging so far as I anticipated. I spent some time last week making beef bone broth in preparation, and then more time on Saturday and Sunday cooking a chicken, making chicken broth and making a soup for Monday morning. It was well worth it to spend some extra time preparing to begin. Making food in large batches and utilizing my crockpot and leftovers has helped so much.

We did find that we had to quickly adjust and make a few small changes to the diet. I had been hoping that we could stick to the first stage of the Intro diets (blended meat and veggie soups, with a bone broth base) for a week or so, but we just couldn't do it. We lasted 1 1/2 days before we were all starving and frustrated and felt like we needed something else to eat!

We added in a couple of foods, based on the GAPS diet/SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which is very similar). We chose to add in eggs (lightly cooked for the children and I, but hard-boiled for my hubby as he doesn't care for eggs very much at all). We also added organic, peeled and cooked apples, and small amounts of lacto-fermented liquids and some sauerkraut. Lastly, we've started eating some more stew or just meat and veggie type meals, but still ensuring that everything is very well cooked and that we all consume bone broth along with each and every meal. We will do this for the rest of the week, and then start to slowly add in other introductory foods.

A few of you have asked for recipes, but I don't really have any to share yet. I have been making soups and now some stews, but they are just out of my head. I'm going to share about soup making (without a recipe) early next week.

There were also two excellent questions from last week that I wanted to make sure I addressed:

lizzykristine asked: I am curious whether you are still nursing?

The answer is yes. In fact, Johanna is still exclusively breastfeed (meaning she does not eat any solids) at nearly 7 months. How does this affect me doing the GAPS diet?

For one thing, it means I need to eat and eat and eat. It's hard to stay full enough and eat enough calories on this diet while nursing a little chunky monkey of a baby. It also means that I need to control my toxin die-off and keep it slow.

That is why after feeling sick on Tuesday, I realized that I needed to add a few foods back in to help slow down the detoxification and keep me more full and able to produce enough milk. I have also kept my probiotic use very minimal so far, which is another way to keep the detox level low. For more on cleansing while breastfeeding, see this post.

Photo by everydaypants

Ali said: So when do you have time to fellowship with the body of Christ, or have a Bible study in your home? Do you invite unbelieving ladies in your community to your house and teach them your cooking skills and weave in the Gospel... I just think this takes it way beyond NT and cooking well and healthfully... It just seems to elevate our bodies and food to such a higher level than may be necessary (and I know our bodies are the temple of Christ, but I don't think this is a good example of applying that).

This is a really excellent question! I have a few thoughts on it. First of all, cooking healthfully does take more time, but I have found that the longer I do it, the easier it gets. I spend a bit more time in the kitchen than many of my friends, but I also enjoy cooking and nutrition, I do it with my children, and it is also a part of the ministry that I feel called to, both on this blog and sharing our lifestyle with those we know in real life. I don't spend my days doing much (if any) frivolous stuff or even hobbies that I enjoy. I'm busy, focused and try to be as intentional as I can.

I try to use my time wisely, and that includes making time for more than just church on Sundays. Serving and loving others has a definite place in our lives (though I wish it was even more prominent). We regularly have people over to our home, many of them Christians for fellowship, and sometimes unbelievers as well. I haven't found doing special diets to be incompatible with either fellowship or ministry.

When others invite us over, they are very often willing and eager to work around our dietary needs. If I think it's too much for someone, we might have them over to our house instead. I will happily cook up foods that we wouldn't normally eat to bring to others who eat differently than we do, when bringing a meal to someone. Just last night we had a couple over for dinner- I served them soup that we could all eat, and I made a batch of cornbread specifically for them (which we didn't eat). No problem!

Lastly, serving my family is one of my highest priorities. How can I focus my attention on others outside of my home when I haven't first attended to the needs of those whom God has specifically given to me to care for? If my family is in poor health, it impacts how we serve others. It is difficult to pour ourselves into Kingdom work when we are dealing with significant health problems. We want to be as healthy and whole as we can be, so that we can be fully available to the opportunities that God allows us.

More to Come

I will continue to share on some things related to GAPS. Next week I will post about how I make homemade soups from scratch, without recipes, a very valuable skill for doing this diet!

I have also planned another GAPS update later in the month, as well as some tips for improving your digestive health even if you aren't up for doing a specific diet like this one.

Anything else you would like to see covered the next time I write about GAPS? Has anyone else begun or planned to begin the diet?

Our Sponsors:

It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
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hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
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Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

Real Food Recipe Roundup: March

2010-03-02T17:21:21Z

Beef Pot Roast with Winter Root Vegetables, a la Nourished Kitchen (see below)

I love passing on real food recipes, whether they're tried and true, or newly acquired favorites.

Lately, though, I just haven't been cooking up anything all that interesting! With my trip to the Blissdom conference earlier this month, just a busy month in general for our family, and cleaning out my fridge in preparation for going on the GAPS diet, I just don't have anything all the exciting to share with you this month.

Enter my amazing real food blogging friends!

The more I get to know this group of ladies, the more blessed I am. They spur me on, challenge me, teach me, inspire me, and understand me. They are a wonderful bunch, and if you haven't already visited their blogs, you don't know what you're missing. If you can, take the time to visit at least one (or more!) of their blogs this week!

I put out a request for some of the delicious, nourishing food that they've been serving up lately, and this is what they sent me:

From Kelly @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop

The first recipe that came to mind was my post about how my family and I ate liver and actually loved it! Even our teenager ate it without a clue that the liver was in there. Super nutrient-dense and tasty, too, it doesn't get any better.

Donielle's amazing Maple Syrup Mashmallows!

From Donielle @ Naturally Knocked Up

Italian Cream Cheese Chicken

Maple Syrup Marshmallows

Another good one just this last week was Scott's (Zukay) Classic Sauerkraut recipe

From Jenny @ Nourished Kitchen

Beef Pot Roast with Winter Vegetables: Grass-finished beef, parsnips, carrots and turnips are slow-roasted with red wine and fresh thyme for a savory, nourishing and easy-to-prepare winter supper.
Molasses Custard: Gently sweetened by molasses, this custard is a dessert as wholesome as it is flavorful, brimming with minerals and healthy fats.

Chicken Chili and Cornbread Muffins

From Jo-Lynne @ Musings of a Housewife

We love these wholesome homemade corn muffins. They are sweet and tasty and a perfect compliment to another tried and true family favorite, chicken chili. We eat this meal at least twice a month, and the best part is, there is always plenty of leftovers -- enough for another meal, or for a meal to take to a family in need.

Mmmm... I'm honestly salivating as I post up everyone's recipes and photos. I cannot wait to have a healed gut so that I can indulge in some of this deliciousness!

Which recipes have you been loving lately? Please, share them and I promise not to drool too much!

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Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

Homemade One-Size Cloth Diaper Pattern and Wipes Recipe

2010-03-04T04:06:14Z

*The Tiny Tooshies instruction link is now fixed!*

Today is the debut of the first of my new contributing writers here at Keeper of the Home. Over the next 6 weeks or so, you will get a chance to "meet" each contributor, and shortly I will have a contributor's page up with their photos and bios.

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Our first writer, Angela Beery, has created her own pattern for making a homemade, one-size cloth diaper and it looks excellent! Making your own diapers is a wonderful way to use up extra material, and to make diapers that are extremely frugal as well.

Here's a look at the diaper:

Diaper front (size small)

Diaper front (size large)

Diaper side (size small)

Diaper back

Want to try making this diaper yourself? Here's what you'll need:

Diaper Pattern - This is the printable pattern, with tracers for your fabric pieces.

Tiny Tooshie - These are the written instructions for putting together your own "Tiny Tooshie" diaper. One thing to note is that there is an option of either keeping these as simple cloth diapers, which you would put a cover over OR the other option is to use a waterproof fabric on the outside to make them all-in-one diapers.

Note- to download these files, click on the link once. On the page that it brings you to, click on the 2nd link.

Angela's Cloth Wipes "Recipe"

3 cups warm water
2 T olive oil
3 drops of lavender essential oil (or scent of your choice)
2 drops Tea Tree Oil
2 T baby wash

1.) Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

2.) Soak baby washcloths or other soft cloth in mixture and place in wipes holder. Do not wring out completely. The wipes holder will keep wipes moist until ready for use.

Angela Beery, former So-Cal city girl and world traveler fully embraces her simple, yet abundant, life in a small town at the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. She and her husband love serving the Lord with The Salvation Army - Angela, as a volunteer and her husband as a youth and music pastor. When not chasing around her 18 month old daughter, Angela enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking low-fat meals and crafting of every kind. You can read more about her journey as a homemaker at her blog, Domestic Godliness.

Our Sponsors:

It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

Heirloom Seeds: A Frugal and Healthier Option for Gardening

2010-03-02T06:16:51Z

Today's guest post from Phoebe of Getting Freedom is on a topic near and dear to my gardener's heart. I am a huge advocate of heirloom seeds, for so many of the reasons that she talks about in this excellent post!

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When we started our debt freedom journey, one thing I noticed rather quickly was our grocery budget was one of the only areas I had the freedom to cut. I didn’t want to sacrifice what we were eating, so I knew I had to be creative in my spending. My husband decided that it was only logical for us to grow as much of our own food as we possibly could, and for as little as possible.

I quickly began researching everything garden related. It didn’t take long for me to realize that seeds cost a lot less than buying plants. When I began looking through seed catalogs, and reading information online about seeds, I found that there was a lot to learn. While I have come a long way, I’m still no where near being an expert.

After many hours of research and catalog reading, we decided that Heirloom Seeds were our most cost effective option. You are able to plant a seed that you purchased one year, grow the plant, consume the fruit, and save the seeds to be planted next year. You have an investment that keeps on giving. This is because an heirloom seed, also known as an open-pollinated seed, has been passed on through the years, unaltered by man. They are a pure form of the original plant.

Before looking into seeds, I always thought a seed was a seed. I had no idea some seeds were genetically altered. Scientists have went into the DNA of seeds and altered them to resist certain diseases and to “enhance” flavor. While that may not sound bad right off the bat, think of it this way. There are certain varieties of tomato that’s DNA has been spliced with a cold water fish gene in order to resist frost. Personally, I’d rather take it the way God intended. Additionally, many heirloom plants are rich in flavor, as the best-tasting seeds were the ones saved. Modern seeds focus more on yield than flavor.

Amazingly, there are endless options when it comes to heirloom seeds. You can grow your average orange carrot, or you can choose a white or purple variety! Last year in our garden, I went with Black Krim Tomatoes, as well as Reverend Morrow LongKeeper Tomatoes which are more of a pink variety. Before finding heirloom seeds, I thought all tomatoes were either yellow, green, or red. While there may be a little more work involved in starting your seeds, and saving them later, the end result is far more rewarding and frugal. I also like knowing that I’m doing my part in preserving the plants of the past.

There are many different places to buy heirloom seeds. Last year we bought ours exclusively from Baker Creek Seed Company, you can see their online catalog here.

Phoebe is an expecting, stay at home mom to 3 children. She chronicles her family’s love for the unconventional life and their journey to debt freedom on her blog, Getting Freedom.

Do you use seeds or plants for your garden? What factors motivate your choice of what you grow, and the source that you get it from?

Our Sponsors:

It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

The GAPS Diet: One Mom’s Experience

2010-02-27T00:01:16Z

Blended vegetable soup- the basis of the GAPS intro diet!

Image by Qfamily

After all the GAPS diet talk last week (what it is and why we're doing it), I thought it would be good to hear from a mom who has just recently started doing the diet with her children, and the amazing (and fast!) results that she has seen. Rene and I met a few weeks ago when we roomed together at Blissdom, and this frugal, real-food loving mama and I have become quick friends! Here are her thoughts the GAPS diet so far:

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My three year old was diagnosed with asthma a few weeks ago. We have started her on her medicines. However, I also wanted to see if there was something that we could change in our diet that would improve her symptoms so that hopefully she will not need as much medication in the future.

I roomed with Stephanie at Blissdom, and she was reading about the GAPS diet. I decided that it couldn’t hurt anything to try it, and we all started eating the foods on this diet. We had previously been eating almost all organic food and following Nourishing Traditions.

So, I started my family on this diet. I am pregnant, so I made sure to add a few additional foods to my personal diet so that I would not detox too rapidly. My eleven year old understood why we were on the diet, and was very willing to eat these foods to support her sister.

My three year old, with asthma, was not too sure about it, and my one year old will eat anything. However, I am also not being quite as strict with my one year old because we are still in the process of just introducing her to various solid foods.

I was very surprised to see the immediate results of this diet. I did not expect to see any big changes, for a long time. However, I was really surprised. The second day of the diet, my three year old only needed her daily inhaler. She had been using her emergency inhaler several times a day previously.

However, the real shock was actually with my eleven year old. She has had skin problems since she was two. She has very dry skin, keratitis, and discoloration on her legs, arms and hips.

On the second day of the diet, her skin was noticeably less dry, had no bumps or discoloration on her hips and thighs. By the end of the week, her skin was almost entirely cleared up! We have treated her skin off and on since she was three using different medications and creams, and have never had good results. Her skin today looks like it did when she was two.

More work but it's worth it

Before you rush out to start this diet however, I will say, the diet requires a lot of preparation. I am used to planning my meals an hour or two ahead and then throwing a quick meal together unless I am soaking grains for that meal. With the fewer foods that we are eating, my meals require much more planning and I have to really think about my purchases.

I am actually planning on writing out my meal plans for a month this week, so that it will be easier to prepare our meals. However, the extra work seems like it is definitely worth it, considering the results that I have seen.

I have also noticed an incredible behavioral change in my children when they are on the diet. Outbursts of anger have been reduced and their ability to focus on tasks for longer periods of time has increased.

My three year old actually went off her diet yesterday because of the processed foods served at church, and she ate twice at church yesterday. She has needed the emergency inhaler three times today, which she had not needed since two days after I started the diet.

Starting off

To start off the diet, I made two different types of soup. A savory soup with root vegetables, and a sweeter soup with acorn squash and butternut squash. Both have a bone marrow base. And we have basically been eating marrow soup three meals a day, with whey added in.

I will say that the repetitiveness of these meals at the beginning is a challenge, but for us, well worth it for the results, and we will be able to add in more foods later. My daughters like egg drop soup, so I have been adding some egg to the soup as well as a few vegetables. We have also had egg casserole, meat and veggies from the crockpot, and even homemade applesauce.

It will be interesting to see what happens when we move on to the next phase of the diet, but right now, I am totally sold on this diet after seeing the immense changes in my children's physiological and behavioral health.

Rene is the wife to a great guy, homeschooling mother of three with another on the way. She loves to save money, cook and garden. You can find her at her blog, Budget Saving Mom.

Our Sponsors:

It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

Keeper of the Home

Upcoming: Four Families are Going to Get a Real Food Makeover!

Image by Nina Matthews Photography

What types of suggestions and tips would be most helpful to your own family in your journey towards real, nourishing, whole foods?

More from Keeper of the Home

How to Make Fabulous Soup From Scratch Without a Recipe

Image by Magic Madzik

1) Start With an Empty Pot and Some Oil

Image by whitneyinchicago

2) Use Homemade Bone Broth

3) Add Other Ingredients

Here are some of the ingredients that frequent my soups:

Image by smittenkittenoriginals

4) Season Your Soup

Here are a few more ideas to get you started:

Image by WorththeWhisk

5) Blend It

Do you make soup from scratch? What types of flavors and combinations are your favorites?

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Gardening Season Has Officially Begun!

How are your garden preparations going? What do you have in store for your garden thing year?

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Cutting Down on Waste in the Kitchen: Tossing the Paper

Photo credit: Sklathill

There are many ways to cut down on waste in the kitchen. Here are two of my favorite!

Use Cloth Dishrags Instead of Paper Towels.

Photo credit: evilmidori

Use Cloth Napkins.

What ways do you try to cut down on waste in your kitchen?

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Organization in the Real Food Kitchen: Making Room for Bulk Storage

In the Pantry

On Top of Kitchen Shelves

In Drawers

In the Garage

In Closets

In the Laundry Room

In the Freezer

When All Else Fails...

What nooks and crannies of your home do you fill with bulk foods? How do you get around lack of storage space?

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An Update on Our GAPS Diet and Related Q&A

Making the Food

There were also two excellent questions from last week that I wanted to make sure I addressed:

lizzykristine asked: I am curious whether you are still nursing?

Photo by everydaypants

More to Come

Anything else you would like to see covered the next time I write about GAPS? Has anyone else begun or planned to begin the diet?

More from Keeper of the Home

Real Food Recipe Roundup: March

I put out a request for some of the delicious, nourishing food that they've been serving up lately, and this is what they sent me:

From Kelly @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Donielle's amazing Maple Syrup Mashmallows!

From Donielle @ Naturally Knocked Up

From Jenny @ Nourished Kitchen

Chicken Chili and Cornbread Muffins

From Jo-Lynne @ Musings of a Housewife

Which recipes have you been loving lately? Please, share them and I promise not to drool too much!

More from Keeper of the Home

Homemade One-Size Cloth Diaper Pattern and Wipes Recipe

Here's a look at the diaper:

Want to try making this diaper yourself? Here's what you'll need:

Angela's Cloth Wipes "Recipe"

More from Keeper of the Home

Heirloom Seeds: A Frugal and Healthier Option for Gardening

Do you use seeds or plants for your garden? What factors motivate your choice of what you grow, and the source that you get it from?

More from Keeper of the Home

The GAPS Diet: One Mom’s Experience

More work but it's worth it

Starting off

More from Keeper of the Home