Healthy Snack Strategies on a Budget

Healthy Snack Strategies on a Budget
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you. 
 
                                                  
If you have kids, you know snacks are a must for life to run smoothly. Around here the afternoon snack is the biggest to avoid the pre-supper hangry meltdowns. Supper can be delayed on the farm, especially in the summertime. But how do you keep easy snacks on hand on a tight budget?
 
Summertime is honestly the easiest. Part of the garden is planted specifically for easy kid access. The snack bins in the house are usually pretty empty in the summer. For the simple fact, there is food to eat in the garden. If I have the snacks in the house the kids return and eat the snacks inside, instead of the garden produced snacks. 
 
What snacks do we grow? My kids love peas! The good news is the snap peas we can usually plant early and then plant again for a fall run. I only plant one row along the fence for them, because they take more time than I am willing to currently dedicate to preserving them for winter. Strawberries are another quick snack that can be everbearing and give snacks throughout the summer. 
 
Cucumbers take a bit longer to get going but fill the gap nicely for variety in peas and between pea crops. Radishes are another quick growing snack my kids will grab while playing and can be planted a few rows at a time, 1 week apart, to have a continual supply. Lettuce and spinach are also something kids can grab and go, with the same planting strategy as the radishes. 
 
End of summer and fall the fruit starts to come in here and the kids know those are also free range for snacking. They pick it and they can eat it. If we are harvesting a bunch for preserving, they eat from the plants, not the basket. 
 
I do usually buy a few fruits to keep on hand. The secrete here is to buy what is in season and on sale. Local farmers markets can also give you good deals. You can also use this strategy if you find a really good deal. Break out the dehydrator and dry the fruit for snacks in the wintertime or road trips. 
 
The wintertime we snack on more starchy things. Some that we preserved in the fall, like the dehydrated fruit. I usually buy bulk for the other snacks. A giant bag of oats, I can use for oatmeal, baking, and making granola for snacking. 
 
 
Wanting a community to lean into? Join the FREE Feeding Your Family: Spend Less & Grow More group! This community is for the Mommas, looking to stay home and raise their kids, but unsure how to keep everyone fed and make ends meet. I share tips from my journey from the office, to half the income and feeding my family from home, while maintaining good nourishing food. Tips include: gardening, bulk buying, caning,/preserving, livestock, homesteading, and home remedies. Your family is precious and this group is to help you gain the knowledge and tools to keep your family well and not reliant on outside professionals. Remedies and tips are easy and simple for the busy momma, time is precious after all, including pregnancy, birth, young kids, and illness. Trust your Momma gut again! This community offers the resources + community you need to help get started on your journey and prepare for whatever future you envision. Join the Free Community
 
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Simple clarity of beef labels from every store

Simple clarity of beef labels from every store
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A trip through the grocery store can be so confusing! So many labels anymore, on everything, but what do those labels really mean? Is the product really better or safer if it has a particular label? The next few weeks I’m going to go over the different labels found in the store and break them down for you. 
 
Keep in mind any extra label requires extra documentation. This translates into an increased cost for the consumer. I highly recommend finding a local producer for whatever you wish to buy and ask questions. Find one that aligns with your values and purchase directly from them if possible. First up, Meat.
 
Grass-fed – This is primarily a beef or lamb label. It means the animal has not been fed grain or grain byproducts and had continuous access to pasture during growing season. They are permitted to consume hay during the months grass is not growing (winter). This label is a challenge for many producers as the amount of grass (and land) required to raise such an animal is high. Is it more nutritious than grain finished? Debatable, that discussion is for another time. The fatty acid profile of the meat is changed, which does give the meat a different flavor. 
 
Natural – This label means the food product is minimally processed, and contains no preservatives, or artificial ingredients. Most meats are sold this way, whether the label says it or not. It is mostly a marketing tool. As always you can read the labels to tell for sure if anything is added to the meat. 
 
No Antibiotics – This label requires extra documentation that the animal has never been given antibiotics, ever. If an animal gets sick and needs antibiotics, they are kicked off the program. Again, this label you will pay a premium for, because many producers are not willing to do the extra paperwork and keeping all calves 100% healthy is difficult (kind of like keeping kids healthy). 
 
No Hormones or No Hormones Added – This label means the animal has not been given growth hormones (implants) and the producer must submit the extra paperwork. All meat has hormones naturally. Some producers give an implant to help promote more muscle growth. Are there differences in the end product? Some, but it is a very small amount. Again, a discussion for another time. 
 
Organic – Means no growth hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified (GM) crops, or animal by-products were fed ever. So basically, the No Antibiotic label + the No Hormones Added label + only non-GM feeds. These are most likely your highest priced meats in the store. Why? Sourcing and cost of the feed is expensive. Plus, the documentation required to sell the animals as such. Many producers are not willing to do the extra paperwork, for such a small increase in profit. 
 
Again, if you really want to know about your meat, find a producer that matches your values and buy directly from them. Many producers are doing direct sales now and can be found online. Our family has started selling both locally and online. You can find our farm at www.76cattlecompany.com
 
 

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How to Can Green Beans

How to Can Green Beans
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I love growing my own food. Part of growing all the food is not only eating it fresh in the summer, but preserving it for winter use. One vegetable we eat a lot of is green beans. While actual processing time takes a bit, it is a simple process. 

You will need:
Canning jars
Canning lids
Canning rings
Canning salt
Green Beans

Step 1. Pick the beans from the garden when they are the approximate diameter you want, and are plump and juicy. Length really doesn't matter here, as you will be shortening them later.
If you come across some that look to have little juice and can see the seeds just leave them on the plant. At the end of the season, just when the plant is drying up, go back and pick them. You can use the seeds for next year's crop.

Step 2. Sterilize the jars. Get your water on and jars in and let them boil. Usually by the time I have a pile of beans big enough for all the jars, the jars are sterile and ready to pack. I also start my water on and started heating in the pressure canner at this time too so it is hot and ready for jars as soon as they are packed. Step 2 and 3 are usually happening at the same time for efficiency. 
Step 3. Clean and snap the beans. I usually dump the beans in my sink, rinsing the ones that need it, and snap them onto the counter. It is beneficial if you have a lot to can, to snap them sitting down into a clean bucket or basket.
You are snapping the beans to about 1 inch pieces. To 'snap' the beans simply break them in pieces with your fingers, no knife required.
Step 4. Salt the jars. Remove the sterile jar from the water and carefully dump the water out.

For a quart Jar you need to add 1 Tablespoon of canning salt to the jar. I put it in the bottom right away so I don't forget. Make sure it is canning salt and not table salt. There is a difference!
Step 5. Pack the beans. Pack the beans in the jar to 1 inch from the top. Then add HOT (like near boiling) water to 1 inch from the top.
Step 6. De-Bubble. This step is very important!
Slide a long spatula along the edge of the jar 2-3 times to remove any trapped air bubbles.
If an air bubble is trapped and not removed your jar could explode in the canner.

Step 7. Lids. Rinse the, one time use, canning lids in hot water. This is new compared to older lids which you needed to boil first. Then set them on the jar and attach the rings down as tight as you can. 

If you are using reusable lids you will want to boil the seals and follow the instructions from the manufacturer. I purchased some from Tattler at www.reusablecanninglids.com. 

If the jar is too hot to grab you can use a lid tighter as shown to help.


Step 8. Into the pressure canner. Using jar lifters pick the jars up and place them in the hot water in the pressure canner.
Once all the jars are in, make sure your water is 2 inches above the jar lids. 
Step 9. Close the canner and wait. The hard part is done. Now the waiting.
Seal up the canner and turn your heat on high. Wait until you see steam coming from the vent as shown.
Step 10 Adjust the pressure and wait some more. Adjust the pressure to 11 pounds and wait for the canner to reach pressure. In a weighted canner you will hear it. It's loud and sounds like water is on somewhere in your house.
My weight is in 5 pound increments. Always adjust higher rather than lower. Thus mine is set at 15 instead of 10.

Step 11. Set the timer and wait again. Once the canner is to pressure set the timer for 25 minutes for quart jars.
After the timer goes off, turn off your heat and let the canner depressurize. You can use a hot pad and take the weight off. It will be very hot. The canner will easily open once it is depressurized. You should NOT have to force it open. 

If you have another batch to do, start packing the jars now and about the time you're done the canner will be ready to open.

Step 12. Remove the jars and let them cool. Using the jar lifters, carefully lift the jars out of the hot water and place them someplace safe to cool. I use a towel doubled up.
At this point I usually walk away until the next morning. Check the lids by pressing in the center. If a lid pops back up, it is not sealed. Easiest solution? Put it in the fridge and use it within a week. Label the jars and store them away for later use!




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How to meal prep for busy seasons in 4 easy steps

How to meal prep for busy seasons in 4 easy steps
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you. 

We all have busy seasons in our life. Sometimes we can know the seasons are coming up and plan accordingly. For us every fall is busier, as it is harvest time which means late nights, early-morning‘s, and many meals in the field. This fall is looking to be even busier as we prepare to welcome another child into our family.

So how do you prepare to feed your family healthy meals when you know you’re going to be busy or unable to cook? Short answer, you meal plan and prepare meals in advance that can be thrown into the oven or crock pot easily. How do you do that?
First start months in advance. It is recommended that freezer meals are good in the freezer for up to three months. So start three months ahead. 

Second, open your cookbooks and start listing the recipes that you could easily freeze. And most casseroles can easily be frozen for later use. Crock pot meals are easy to throw together in a freezer bag then dump in the crock-pot when ready too. 

Now that you have your list as you plan your meals over the next few months simply put 1 to 2 a week from your list on your menu. When you go to make them for your family that week, simply double the recipe. One you will put in a pan to make that night, the other you will put it in a freezer pan.  I like to use the disposable 9X13 pans for our family freezer meals. 

Once the meal in the freezer pan has cooled, wrap it in  plastic, followed by foil. Label with the meal, how long to cook it, at what temperature, and when it was made. Please note if it is frozen it will take about twice as long to cook compared to if it was thawed. 

I like to make a list of my freezer meals so I don’t have to dig through the freezer as much to find the meal I’m looking for. And then we can cross off once we’ve eaten it, keeping track of what is left easier.



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How to meal plan easily

How to meal plan easily

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links, with NO additional cost to you. 


As mommas, typically we are also incharge of the food in our home. Although sometimes this is the dad’s responsibility. Cooking has generally been my job, even when I was working away from home. Part of that is being married to a farmer. He comes home when the work is done or it is dark. 


One of my hardest week to week decisions is what to cook when. I have a few quick meals for when we’ve stayed outside too long, but those get old in a hurry if I don’t mix it up. So how do I mix it up and still keep everything spinning? Meal plan. Now how do you do that?


The best way I’ve found for me so far is a white board, cook books, and an inventory list (in my head usually or written), and 30 minutes. I’ve found the white board works great, because it is quick to look at and I can erase as I go or leave it there for next week if I didn’t actually make it. My meal plans are usually more like guides for the week so I have an idea what to make before everyone is hangry and we are eating rice again. 


Step 1. Take inventory of what you have in the pantry, keep it in your head, or write it down on a running list. 


Step 2. Grab your white board or planner (whatever to write your meals on), grocery list, cook books, and timer. 


Step 3. Set your timer for 30 minutes, it's a mental game that helps to keep you focused. 


Step 4. Open your cookbooks and start looking for recipes that stick out or sound good to you. Look at the ingredients. Make sure you have what you need or will be able to go to the store before you cook it. Anything you will need to buy, write on your grocery list. Write the recipe name on your meal plan with the page number. 


I like to cook once and reuse it if I can. Depending on the day and recipe whether that is supper or lunch meal. I then use the leftovers to make into other food, or add together for another meal. 


Simple and done for the week. The biggest help meal planning is to me is that I don’t have to think about what to cook when the time comes. I have my list and I can pull the meat the night before, so it speeds the cooking process up a bit. 





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The secret way to improve your health

The secret way to improve your health

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Many people are seeking better health, but where do you start? What is the best way to improve your overall health and energy? Simple answer, the food you eat. The complex answer, eating your nutrients from food sources that your body can easily digest and absorb. How do you even start!?! Let me guide you through three simple and easy steps.


First, eliminate the processed food as much as you can from your diet. Processed foods are void of many essential vitamins and minerals your body needs. They are also heavy with preservatives which are difficult for your body to break down and eliminate. 


How do you eliminate the processed foods? Shop the outside of the grocery aisles more than the inside. The outside aisles are primarily the fresh and frozen foods. When you do shop the inner aisles, look for simple ingredients. Packages with 5 or less familiar ingredients, and no dyes. If you come across an ingredient you are unfamiliar with, google it. 


Second, eliminate refined sugars. Yes that means the cookies. It is ok to have an occasional treat, but sugar feeds inflammation and yeast in your body. By eliminating sugars for a few months, you will starve the yeast and allow your good gut bacteria to repopulate and better digest your food. 


How do you know if you have an overgrowth of yeast? An overgrowth of yeast in your mouth, called thrush, shows up as white, bumpy patches on the tongue, inner cheeks, gums, tonsils or throat. You maybe extremely tired and crave sugar/carbs. Recurring urinary or genital infections is another symptom. You could have digestive issues, such as constipation, diarrhea, nausea, gas, cramps and bloating. This is caused by the bacteria imbalance in your gut. Chronic sinus infections that don’t get better with antibiotics or last longer than one month, is another sign. Fungal infections on the skin and nails, such as athlete's foot, ringworm, toenail fungus, rash in warm moist areas, such as the armpits and groin. Yeast overgrowth also causes inflammation in the body, which can lead to joint pain and decreased immune system function. 


Third, eat more vegetables. Fresh is best, but frozen works, canned is the next option. Canned is not as good, because some of the nutrients are lost, during the high processing temperatures. Fresh is preferred because these vitamins and minerals are left intact and not denatured. They also are more likely to have active enzymes to help break them down during digestion. 


How do I afford more vegetables?!?! Not everyone can grow a huge garden with vegetables for the year. However, everyone can look for the sales. Buy fresh when you can. Farmers market season is coming soon. Visit one and buy fresh. If someone is willing to do a bulk deal take them up on it. Bring it home and freeze what you won't eat in time. Watch local grocery store ads. Fresh and frozen vegetables go on sale occasionally. Stock up when they do. A freezer is an investment, but pays for itself quickly when you can buy large quantities and keep them on hand. 


Have more questions on improving your health? Contact me and let's chat!




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What is the biggest mistake in pregnancy?

What is the biggest mistake in pregnancy?

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What is the biggest mistake in pregnancy? This is a loaded question, whose answer will change depending on who you talk to and their experiences. From my experience and research, three of the biggest mistakes come in the form of poor nutrition, medication, and mindset. 


Poor nutrition is not just a calorie imbalance, it is an imbalance or deficiency in vitamins and minerals. Proper nutrition can prevent so many complications in pregnancy especially. I’ve talked quite a bit on this before, so I’ll let you check it out here, instead of me repeating myself. 


Medicine. Hear me out here, do NOT stop taking a medication your doctor has prescribed without first consulting them and researching. That said, unneeded medicine, that is recommended or prescribed as a blanket policy (like a baby aspirin a day), can hide a lot of imbalances. Medications work by forcing action in the body chemically. 


I have come to the conclusion that supporting the body and giving it what it needs to correct the imbalance itself. The body naturally wants to maintain homeostasis, or balance. The body is incredibly beautiful in that it can heal itself if given what it needs, soon enough. Living this way also requires more digging than just taking a pill. It requires digging down to the core problem to find the real reason for the imbalance. 


Finally mindset. This is a loaded one to, and one that I will be completely up front and honest. I AM STILL WORKING ON IT. Mindset has huge affects on our overall wellbeing and health. Our mind is another fascinating topic, for another day. In pregnancy, our society has so many stereotypes that we willingly buy into:  Pregnancy is supposed to be uncomfortable and birth painful. That is not necessarily so. 


Your mindset on how you view pregnancy and birth, starting with something as simple as your words, can change how you view the potential challenges in pregnancy and birth. For example, take the work contraction. Sounds painful right? What about rush? Now which one makes the picture you want during birth: The contractions were intense but manageable, or the rushes were intense but manageable? Changing the word contraction to rush, makes birth less scary. 


What are some other words you can change in your language that will change your mindset on pregnancy and birth?




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What is the biggest challenge in pregnancy?

What is the biggest challenge in pregnancy?

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What is the biggest challenge in pregnancy? The weight gain? The mental games? The issues with body image?  While all of those can be issues, they were in mine, it is not the biggest challenge. The biggest challenge for almost any pregnancy boils down to proper nutrition. Yep, that is it. Nutrition.


In the standard American diet (SAD) today, proper nutrition is really difficult to come by. Our food tends to be highly processed and void of key vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Eating healthy takes on a very intentional lifestyle choice. When you are pregnant, that choice is even more difficult, but more important. 


Quick easy to fill carbs are abundant and cheap, but protein, fresh fruits and vegetables are not. During pregnancy, your body needs extra protein. All the cells and DNA your baby is forming, requires amino acids, which comes from protein. Your body needs protein to build your own blood supply as your baby needs more blood. The vitamin and minerals from food are the most readily absorbed form for you to ingest. These are needed to help your body continue to function, stay healthy, and clear debris that builds up in your own system. 


Eating a proper diet during pregnancy can also help prevent other complications like preeclampsia, PUPPS, gestational diabetes, and strengthen the uterus, reducing the risk of hemorrhaging. There are many other conditions a proper diet can prevent as well, I just haven't needed to look further yet. 


So what can you do? No matter where you are, you can start choosing to eat healthy. I highly recommend sticking as close to a whole food diet as possible. This cuts many of the quick easy, but highly processed meals out. Sorry, Hamburger Helper. But the benefits quickly outweigh the convenience. 


What are some good guidelines? The Brewer’s diet is huge and you can look up more on their website here. The simplified version I have made as a quick and easy to print off guide for you. It does come from their website, but saves you trying to print and format it for your fridge. You can get that guide for FREE here.


What diet changes are you making? Are you already following the Brewer’s Diet? How is it going? Let me know!




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What belief do you have that governs your life decisions?

What belief do you have that governs your life decisions?


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What is a belief that grounds you? One that not only defines you, but governs your life decisions? Most of my core beliefs center around God and what He has said, about life. 


I’ll share two of those with you. The first is that life is precious. God has a high value of human life. As you read through the Bible you can begin to see how many of the laws He set in place in the Old Testament center around the value of life. Some of these are consequences for ending life, some are consequences for harming another person. But they center around God guiding us on how to love and respect each other. 


The second belief, I want to share with you, is one I have come to learn little by little in my own journey. God designed our bodies beautifully. They are intricately woven together and function beautifully. Sometimes things go wrong. We live in a fallen and sinful world. Our perfect design is now flawed by sin. However, God still designed the body to preserve and heal itself, if it is given what it needs. 


Sometimes this is eliminating things from your life that are slowly poisoning or disrupting your body. Sometimes it is adding key nutrients in, to let the body rebuild. Sometimes it is using nature to simply rebalance the body, giving it what it needs to clean itself. Sometimes it is specific exercises or movements to help the body do what it is designed to do. 


There are many different ways to promote the body and care for it. Most of the time it can be accomplished with things God already gave us in nature. The key, as it was for me, is learning how and what to use. And believe me it is a continuing learning process. That is why digging to the root cause is so important. Have I found all the WHYs? No, but I’m still digging and learning. Because for me, just letting something unnatural or not normal go, is not ok. 





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What is the Most Important Nutrient??!!

What is the Most Important Nutrient??!!

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Going through college I loved my nutrition classes. I was an animal science major and went on to get my masters degree in cattle nutrition, I loved the nutrition focus so much. Those classes were the first time I was exposed to the importance of good nutrition. The saying I heard over and over was “prevention is the best medicine.” My veterinarian friends favorite saying was they “fixed what the nutritionist screwed up.”


The most interesting thing to me is that the most important nutrient is the same across all species, humans included. 


Water. 


Yep, that simple thing of water. Without water your body can do nothing. Keeping your body hydrated is critical to keeping you healthy and your body functioning at optimum. Over half your body weight is actually water!  


Water helps to keep the gut moving and regular. It is necessary to make saliva, reducing the bacteria in your mouth, thus decreasing the bad breath. It is needed to keep cells hydrated and plump, helping with the healthy appearance of the skin. Water helps keep the.blood volume up, so your oxygen is delivered more effectively to the tissues that need it, like muscles. For your body to flush toxins out, water is needed. Water is a pretty big deal!


What happens when you don’t drink enough water? Even before you are technically dehydrated, you may notice some things from not drinking enough water. If you are not drinking enough water you may notice constipation, persistent bad breath, fatigue, frequently ill, poor skin health, sugar cravings, and decreased urination. When you are dehydrated your body can not easily access the glucose stores in your body, which triggers the cravings for the sugar. You may experience a slight headache, lack of focus, or mood change, when slightly dehydrated. Those dark bags under your eyes is not just from lack of sleep, but more lack of water too. 


How much water should you drink? The Mayo Clinic recommends 2.7 liters for women and 3.7 liters for men a day. This can change based on weight and size. A good rule of thumb is an ounce of water for every pound you weigh. So if you weigh 130 pounds your goal fluid intake should be 130 oz, which is close to one gallon (128oz). If you feel thirsty or hungry try drinking some water. 


But I don’t like the taste of water. How will I ever drink that much water? I love to add lemon or lime to my water, especially if I’m traveling. I am a very picky water drinker and often don’t like the taste of water away from home. A drop of lemon essential oil (a great detox helper too) and I’m good for a couple fill ups through my tumbler. 


I can’t keep track of my list, how am I ever going to keep track of my water intake? I love to use my 30 oz tumbler. I fill it 4 times during the day and I know I’m pretty close to my goal water intake. One of my friends loves her giant gallon water bottle. I recommend stainless steel and something that will stay cold for several hours. I also found that I drink water better if I have a straw to drink out of (and prevents backwash from kids). 



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