Free.

I  love free.  Especially something of value for free.

This week, I twice mentioned my favorite cookbook Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.  The author, Sally Fallon is also a co-founder of The Weston A. Price Foundation,  a foundation that is “dedicated to resorting nutrient-dense food to the human diet through education, research and activism.”

So back to free.

The Weston A. Price Foundation also offers this free Healthy 4 Life downloadable e-booklet. It’s filled with easy to read information and recipes. It’s a great place to start if you are curious about traditional foods and how you can incorporate them into your modern day life.

Did I mention it’s free.

Why I follow “traditional food” principles?

Over the years, I’ve read more books and articles on nutrition than I can count from vegetarianism to pale and things in between.  At some point I think one needs to go with their “gut” instinct.

A traditional foods diet is more of a philosophy or method or lifestyle than a diet.  I don’t like “diets” and I don’t like eliminating entire food groups.  The traditional diet eliminates very very little- mostly processed and junk food.  All the food groups are “allowed”  as long as they raised or prepared in a way that makes the nutrients beneficial or available to body, hence the raw dairy, soaking and sprouting.  (The free guide books explains this stuff way better than I can as I’m not scientific AT ALL.) There is also a strong emphasis on protein, fat, and fermented foods.

The only downside is that it can take a little more thought in terms of preparation have and sometimes time.  But for me the time has paid off.  When I follow this approach t0 food I feel amazing. Truly. When I revert back to old ways and start eating junk I feel like crap.  Shocking, I know.  It’s pretty simple. Over the years, I’ve found what works for our lifestyle and learned to incorporate what I can.  Cooking my own beans?  Yes.  Making my own sprouted grain bread?  No.  Brewing my own kombucha?  Yes.  Milk kefir?  Not yet.

I’m still experimenting and I’m still learning.  All the time.

If you are interesting in learning more about traditional food methods check out the free Healthy 4 Life e-booklet!

Happy reading!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we plan to take a year long road trip through the United States!

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Intense workouts?  Vintage inspired Tulle clothing?  C.S. Lewis?  Beef heart?  Liver?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, and I guess…well..yes.

I wasn’t surprised when I found out blogger buddy, Charlotte from The Great Fitness Experiment (who happens to be one of the the funniest and most talented writers I know) and I had “matching organs” in our freezers.  After all, we already have numerous unintentional matching outfits. There is really not that much of a difference.  Outfits? Organs?  Ummm…they both start with “O”.

So we decided to have a little fun and cook up our organs (that sounds odd) “together” all while wearing one of our matching outfits.

The Heart

First, I started with the heart.  After all it’s really just a muscle like steak.  Right?

So why not make beef heart steak fajitas?

I sliced it up…

..and marinated it in 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup Worcesterhire sauce, 5 cloves garlic,1 tablespoon of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne.

Then I sautéd onion and bell peppers reminding myself the whole time.  ”It’s just steak.”

In another pan, I sautéed the heart “steak”.

I served it to my family in corn tortillas with black beans and sour cream.  (A spoonful of  sour cream helps the beef heart steak go down.  The beef heart steak go down.)

The boys didn’t even notice there was a difference from our usual fajitas until Brent kept saying, “This sure is hearty.” Hilarious. Thing 1 one caught on and refused to eat another bite despite saying, “This is pretty good.” five minutes prior.

I enjoyed it and even ate the leftovers the next day in a salad.  I’m happy because beef heart is very nutrient dense.  It contains many vitamins and minerals but I’m especially excited about (doesn’t everyone get excited about nutrients?) high concentration collagen, elastin, and CoQ10 which are important for youthful skin health.

However, my excitement over nutrients (and vanity) couldn’t carry me through the next adventure….

The Liver

You know when you can’t decide what to wear to a party and opt for a classic little black dress just to be safe?

Well, I decided to take the same approach with the liver.  Everyone has heard of liver and onions.  It must be a classic for a reason?

I sort of followed the directions for liver and onions in my favorite cookbook Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats and ended up with a dish of breaded liver topped with onions and mushrooms.

Don’t let the smile fool you.

I really felt like this.

I called Grill Hero to the rescue and he grilled up the other half of that sucker.  (I think it may have really been an elephant liver.)

Not even Grill Hero could save the day liver. I took one bite and gagged.

I really really wanted to like it.  Liver is supposed to be wonderful, magical, and supremely healthy (Asssuming you get it from a free range, grass fed, yadda yadda yadda, cow which we did.) and this wouldn’t be the first time I tried something crazy unusual in the name of health.

But I just couldn’t do it.

The smell, the texture, the thought, but mostly the aftertaste.  Nobody warned me of the aftertaste which tasted like my 2-year-old-never-been-washed taekwondo sparring gear smells.

It wasn’t just me who didn’t want it.

Hmmmm????

“WTH, human?”

These guys on the other hand, “More please?”

I thought I was adventurous serving organs to my family.  Check out Charlotte!  She went as far to serve organs to visiting missionaries!

Have you ever cooked any organ meats?  Any advice for making liver more palatable?  I really want to like it!

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we plan to take a year long road trip through the United States!

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Feeding my family high quality food is a priority.  Even on a budget.

Enter the humble legume.

Cheap, easy, versatile?

Check.

Protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber?

Yep, it’s all there.  Thank you, little beans.

I buy beans in bulk and cook big batches at a time.  It’s easy and saves me a lot of money and time. Who doesn’t like to save money, save time, and nourish their body!

How to I Cook Beans

I learned how to cook beans following Sally Fallon’s directions in Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. (My all time favorite book about nutrition.)  In the book there are some pretty specific directions. I’ve simplified and, aside from adding whey to lentils and black beans, pretty much prepare all beans the same.

1. First, I soak the beans several hours (8+) or overnight.  Soaking them reduces phytates (which can block mineral absorption) and makes them more digestible.

2. If I’m cooking black beans or lentils I add about a tablespoon of whey (or lemon juice) per cup of beans.  All other beans, I use plain (preferably filtered) water.

3. I rinse the beans, add fresh water, salt, chopped onions, garlic, and cook until soft.  Most of the time, I just use a slow cooker and let them soak one night, change the water in the morning, and cook.  Other times, I cook them slowly in a pot on the stove.  I’ve noticed lentils cook much faster than other legumes so I check them frequently.

Once they have cooled, I divide them up and freeze for the future.  (I drain lentils for freezing.  All the other beans I leave in their juices.)

That’s it!  Now I have beans for burritos, grilled mexican pizzas, chili, vegetarian sloppy joes and salads.

Such sweet little beans!

You want to know more about the whys and hows of cooking your own beans?  Here is an article from my favorite food organization, The Weston A. Price Foundation.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we plan to take a year long road trip through the United States!

If you enjoyed this post you can follow one of three ways! 1. Subscribe to the RSS Feed 2. ”like” on Facebook, or 3.  Sign up to have posts emailed to your inbox. Simple dimple!

It’s time for my How to How I Make series.  First off, kombucha tea!

How to How I Make Kombucha Tea

The first time I tried kombucha tea from a store bought bottle I shuddered.  Not only was a taken aback by the taste, I couldn’t believe I was paying $2+  per bottle. Yikes!

Over time, I have acquired a taste for kombucha tea and now regularly enjoy it.  It  helps that I make my own which I personally think tastes much better than the store bought kombucha tea I have tried and it costs pennies. Pennies!

For a long time, I was too intimidated to make kombucha because it seemed “complicated”.  Boy, was I wrong.  (Wouldn’t be the first time.) It’s easier than making a box of macaroni and cheese and a heck of a lot healthier.

When I first started brewing, the first thing I knew I had to acquire was a kombucha scoby, often referred to as a “mushroom”.  ”Scoby” stands for a Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast. Appetizing right?  Maybe that’s why some people call it a “mushroom” even though it’s not a mushroom.

One of my favorite "girls".

There are 3 ways to get a kombucha scoby or mushroom.

1. Buy one. There are plenty of places on the internet or look on Craigslist.
2. Grow your own kombucha scoby/mushroom.  While I haven’t done this, supposedly, you can grow your own scoby from a bottle of store bought kombucha tea.  Put the kombucha in a glass jar, cover with a towel, and leave it in a warm dark place until  the scoby/mushroom forms on top.  When it is about 1/4″ think it is ready to use for your own kombucha tea.  The time it takes to form varies.  A warmer climate usually results in a quicker scoby.
3. Ask on Facebook or other social media.  This is what I did and within an hour a friend from my church who I had no idea even made kombucha offered a scoby to me. Just goes to show you never know what happens behind closed doors. If a local reader ever wants one just let me know and I’m happy to pass one along.

When my friend brought me the kombucha scoby she also gave me photocopied directions.  I have since lost them but I have been following those basic directions for almost a year and have yet to have a batch go bad.

Tuesdays are one of my favorite days.

Tuesday mornings I pick up my CSA produce box and my raw milk. After I get my produce box I lovingly lay it out on my table and take a million pictures from every angle as if I have never seen a piece of fruit before plan my menu for the week based on what’s in the box and what I already have in my cupboards and freezer.

Maple grilled stone fruit and chicken? Squash casserole?  Fajitas with apricots? A roast with carrots and potatoes? I have lots of ideas floating around in my head inspired by this week’s box.

Last week we got lavender and I made lavender mushroom chicken.  It was…umm…different.  Not necessarily bad but it did sort of taste like it might have been marinated in bodywash.

I also suspect a lot of salads this week.

One Tuesday evening a month, I go wait in my car in a neighborhood for a semi-truck to arrive from Oregon. Then we (the truck doesn’t just come for me) unload and disperse everyone’s orders of raw cheeses, yogurts, produce, 25 lb bags of grains, beans, coconut oil and who knows what else.  The truck is from Azure Standard and I highly recommend checking them out.  If you live in their delivery area it’s a great way to save on high quality food.

Tuesdays, I’m also going to start going to the leadership class at taekwondo so I can play with swords.  (I meant to go tonight a certain 8 year old and I had a special date.)

Yeah, Tuesdays are pretty rad.

Tuesdays make me totally happy.

Veggies, fruits, raw milk and swords. What could be better!

Next week, I’m going to start a “How to I make” series.  I save a lot of money and get a lot of nourishment from making things like chicken broth, whey, beans, dried fruit, and kombucha.  And it really doesn’t take all that much time just a little planning.

Oh and does anyone know what this variety of peach is called?  I call them “squatty peaches” but I’m sure they must have a more flattering name.  Have you ever had one? They are SOOOO good and they have that wonderful peach skin!  Oh yes, I love the texture of fuzzy peach skin.  People who peel peaches are crazy.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Whole chickens are one of the most economical sources of protein. I buy them in bulk every few months from Azure Standard. To get the most out of a single chicken, I’ll first, cook and serve it as the main course.  Then that night I’ll make chicken broth from the bones.  The next day, I’ll make chicken salad, burritos, sandwiches, and soups with the broth.  Often there is enough left over to freeze for future use.  Usually, I get 3-4 meals for a family of four out of one chicken.  (Once I even made cat food out of the bones (they crumble after making the broth) and skin.  Meow Cow was not impressed.)

Last week, I showed you my weekly meal and workout plan.  Those plans are usually scribbled on scrap paper which is good.  It’s good to save trees.

But…

It’s also good to have something pretty, fun, and organized.  (Ahem)

So my beloved webslave Brent, (often known as Grill Hero) made me a kick ass sweet little meal planner.

Then I had an idea!  Why not share it the way I would share homemade ice cream.  I think I would share?

Here it is!!

(Just click on it to enlarge and print for personal use.)

The best part?

The little white box where you can write your own name because YOU ARE A GIRL HERO!  Yes, you are!
(Personalized things? How old am I?)

The meal planner is pretty self -explanatory.

“Lunch” and “Dinner” Boxes
To be honest, most of my lunches are leftovers from the previous day.  Is that lazy?

A “Breakfast Things” Box.
I pretty much rotate through 2-4 different breakfasts so I just list those things in the box to remind me what I have on hand.

“Snack Things” Box
Again, I list snacks so I have an easy go to place to remind me of what I have for snacks.  Also I will jot down new ideas or if I want to make a special breakfast in this box.

“Understudies”Box
These are the back up meals in case the “lead characters” don’t make it onto the table.   I usually have at least one super-easy-little-work-required meal in the freezer ready to go for the days “I just don’t feel like it.”   Chili, Trader Joe’s meatballs, and broccoli are a few things that I keep in the freezer for last minute meals.  I’ll often double recipes and freeze half to put on the “understudy” list.

Here is our family’s mostly finished meal plan for this week.

Oh the wonderfully organized madness of it all!!!

WHY I PLAN?

1. Save money – I’ve been planning meals for so long now that I can’t imagine not planning.  On that rare occasion, I don’t plan I overspend and buy food that we don’t need.

2. Save time – There are a lot of things I’d rather be doing than wandering around the store figuring out what I should make for dinner that week.  Things like be on the internet.

3. Nourishment - Make sure there are nourishing foods on hand for my family.

(We got a few pounds Rainier cherries in our CSA box yesterday.  They may or may not already be gone.)

How I Plan?

Step One – I check to see what I already have in freezer, refrigerator and pantry. I buy a lot in bulk so there is always something.

Step Two – I write down my staples eggs, butter, Ezekiel bread, cottage cheese, yogurt, ect.

Step Three* – I see what is coming in this week’s CSA box and plan around what is in the box.

Step Four -  I look at my schedule for the week.  Are there nights the Crock Pot would make my life easier?  Is there a more mellow evening where I will have time to experiment and play in the kitchen?

Step Five – I check for variety. We like to get a variety of protein sources.  Actually, this week is pretty limited.  If we didn’t belong to a CSA I would do the same with fruits and veggies. I also try to plan a vegetarian night or two to cut costs.  I switch things around as needed.

* If I didn’t belong to a CSA I’d look to see what was on sale and plan around those foods.

Just wanted to share my cool little meal planner because you’re awesome and I like you!

If you plan how do you do it?  Do you like Rainier cherries?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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Our CSA box this week.

Seriously, 24 artichokes, albeit, they are small but still…24!

We also got English peas, apricots, lettuce, bell peppers, Tokyo turnips, cauliflower, potatoes, parsley, and  summer squash.

It’s the Motherload.

Today, I made the English Peas recipe that I had on my meal planner for yesterday.  I’m all about flexibility.

First, Thing 2 and I shelled the peas.

(I wish I would have little hands to work hold forever.)

Creamy Basil Peas with Chicken (or Pasta)
Adapted from my CSA’s, Abundant Harvest, Flyer

1/4  Cup Chicken Broth
1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
2-3 Cups English Peas
2 Cups of Whole Milk
1/2 Cup of Basil Leaves
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Tablespoon of Butter

1. Cook half of the peas in the chicken broth until soft.

2. Put the peas, broth, and basil into a food processor and process until creamy.

3. Put the rest of the peas, milk, and salt in a pot. Let it boil over and make a mess and then get super irritated Bring to a simmer and cook until peas are soft stirring periodically.

4. Once peas are soft stir in the heaping 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese…

…and pea puree and butter.  Of course.

My kids and husband ate it over whole wheat spaghetti WITHOUT complain I might add.  Nothing short of a MIRACLE.  Okay, so there was a little fuss from the kids about the “green” until they had a bite.  Yum!

I ate it over a piece of grilled chicken.  I’m not a big pasta fan although my hips like it quite well.

This recipe is a keeper for sure!  I loved it and the kids loved it.

Now what about the 24 artichokes!!!!  I’m leaving town tomorrow night for Fitbloggin’ and we certainly won’t be able to eat them by then.  The apricots are already in the dehydrator but not sure about the artichokes???  Any suggestions???  Can I freeze them?  Do I need to steam them first?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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You know the saying, “the cobbler’s children have no shoes”?

In my case it would be, “the swinger’s children have no…” Oh never mind.

What I’m trying to say (and failing miserably) is that I don’t want to be an out of shape trainer.  I want to be a trainer that walks the talk. While I know I’m a long way from being out of shape, I also acknowledge I’m not as in good of shape as I was last summer.  Last summer, I could do multiple pull ups and could snatch the 35lb kettlebell 100 times in less than 5 minutes.  I’m not upset about my loss of strength (what good would getting upset do) but I do want to and will be there again.

So every Monday I’m going to post my workout schedule and meal plan for the week.  My blogger buddy, Andrea, does this and I always enjoy seeing her lists so I thought someone might enjoy mine and it will help keep me motivated.

Food

I’ve been meal planning for YEARS.  In fact, I don’t know how people who don’t meal plan manage.  Truly.  Meal planning saves me so much time and money.  I can’t imagine not doing it.  My meal plan is based off of the food that comes in our CSA box and what we already have which right now includes a lot beef.  A few weeks ago we bought 1/8 of steer and we got over 40 lbs of local organic grassfed beef for about $6.50 a pound.  A fantastic price when you consider that this includes all sort of cuts including filet mignon and grass fed ground beef is almost $6 alone at the store.  I really recommend looking into splitting a whole cow with someone if you like beef.

Monday РGoing to make up a recipe using the English peas from my CSA box with chicken, saut̩ed kale
Tuesday – Hamburgers, Salad, Grilled Artichokes
Wednesday –  Baked Potatoes, Squash Soup (this is one of my fav recipes) and Salad
Thursday – Fitbloggin’
Friday – Fitbloggin’
Saturday – Fitbloggin’
Sunday – Chili (Will make ahead of time and freeze so I don’t have to cook the day I get home.)

Fitness

Sticking to a food plan is much much easier for me than sticking to a workout schedule.  When it comes to working out I can think of about 800 things I’d rather be doing but it’s important.  It’s more than important it’s essential to my and my family’s well being.  I also know once I get started I always enjoy myself.

Monday – 30  Minute Full Body Kettlebell Workout (either before or after I teach my kettlebell class)
Tuesday – Taekwondo class and walk with my friend.
Wednesday – 30 Minute Full Body Kettlebell Workout (again before or after I teach my kettlebell class)
Thursday –  Fitbloggin’
Friday – Fitbloggin (Depending on the number of people coming to our “Kettlebell Talk” we may get in a KB workout)
Saturday – Fitbloggin’
Sunday – Long walk with Brent to catch up after being apart.

By the way, thank you so much for your encouraging words on my last post.  I’m feeling much better.  Thank you.

Do you write down your food and fitness plans for the week?  Is one or the other easier for you?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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A few weeks ago, I was on a list to take a meal to a friend who had a baby.   As I was skimming the list to make sure I wasn’t bringing a duplicate meal, I saw “sloppy lentils”.  Since, I already had a bunch of lentils from my last Azure Standard order, I set to work making some sloppy lentils or vegetarian sloppy joes.  Lentils may be little but they have a large nutritional content with many health benefits.

I was very happy with how the sloppy joes turned out and my two ridiculously picky boys even liked them.  When I prepare legumes I prepare them in bulk so I made two variations.  The first variation tastes like a classic sloppy Joe and the second has an almost (very) mild Indian flavor.

Classic Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

3 cups cooked lentils*
1/2 red onion – chopped
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbs  mustard
1/4 cup bbq sauce
sea salt to taste  (I didn’t need any using the store bought ketchup and bbq sauce.)

1. Sauté onion in a bit of oil until soft.

2. Add lentils, tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, and bbq sauce.  Mix well and cook until sauce is thick and warmed through.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes Variation 2

3 cups of cooked lentils*
1 small onion – chopped
1 garlic clove – minced
1 cup of tomato sauce
2 tbs of mustard
1/8 tsp dried mustard powder
1/8 tsp cumin
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbs molasses
dash of cayenne pepper
sea salt to taste

1. Sauté onion and garlic in a bit of oil until soft.

2. Add lentils, tomato sauce, mustard, mustard powder, cumin, apple cider vinegar, molasses and cayenne.  Stir well and cook until sauce is thick and warmed through.

*I presoaked the lentils all day (about 8-9 hours) in filtered water and 2 tablespoons of whey.  Then I boiled them in twice as much water until liquid was absorbed.  It doesn’t take long.

Serve on a bun of your choice with some simple sweet potato chips, perhaps?

Or if you are watching your grain intake maybe you would prefer Sloppy Lentil Lettuce Boats?

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

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