Preserving {freezing} Tomatoes for the Winter

by Meghan // October 10, 2013 // Comments off

We had hundreds of tomatoes come off our plants this year. So with the ones we didn’t eat right away, I did one of two things. I either 1) fermented them for sauces and put them up in cold storage, or 2) I blanched and froze them.

Here is how I blanched them. It is SO easy. Before I knew about fermenting, this is how JTom and I always put up our tomatoes.

You will need:

Clean tomatoes with a small X cut into the skin
a pot of boiling water
a large slotted spoon
a large bowl for an ice bath
a bowl for skins
a bowl for skinned tomatoes (or you can put directly into the freezer bags if you have some help)
freezer bags

Here are my clean tomatoes and my pot of boiling water:

Here’s what you do (I set up an assembly line):

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil
2. While it is coming up, cut small Xes in tomato skins (this allows the hot water to get under the skin and it will literally pop right off)

3. Place some of the tomatoes into the boiling water for 45 seconds. This is called blanching. If you are doing rather small tomatoes, I would only do 30 seconds. 45 seconds was perfect for me.

4. Remove tomatoes from boiling water and place directly into ice bath. This stops the blanching process.

5. Using your hands, peel the tomato skins off (they should just slide right off).
Discard the skins in a bowl (I was using a pot) and place the tomatoes in freezer bags. I did about 5 bowls full, so instead of placing them directly into freezer bags, I just put them all in a bowl so I could go back to blanching. Then I bagged them all up when I was completely done blanching.

Make sense? =/

**Here is also where you can add seasonings- for chilli, spaghetti, salsa, etc., directly into the freezer bag. Just be sure to label your bags! You can also dice the tomatoes, cut in half, before freezing. I just left mine whole, because I just use a spoon and cut them in half while I am cooking … and I didn’t want to make a bigger mess at the time.

6. Place bags in freezer!

How easy is that? I did this while the kids ate breakfast and we talked about of character trait for this week (love) and recited memory work. It took me all of 10 minutes?

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Dairy Allergy Alternative for Weaning Baby: Coconut Milk Tonic

by Meghan // October 3, 2013 // Comments off

If you have a baby with dairy protein allergy and ready to wean from breastmilk or formula, you are probably looking for a healthy alternative to cow’s milk.

We were in the same situation about two months ago; I tried reintroducing cow’s milk and the result was
Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Sally Fallon.

I am in no way a medical professional, and you should talk with your doctor before trying something new. This is what has worked for our family.

I wasn’t happy with the amount of fats and nutrients in almond milk, rice milk, etc for a young baby.

However, coconut milk is full of good fats and nutrition for babies (and adults). So we use this recipe. It is equal to cow’s milk in fat and calcium (per Eat Fat, Lose Fat):

1 can of whole fat Organic Coconut Milk
2 1/4 cups of water (preferably filtered with no chlorine, etc)
2 tablespoons of (organic) Grade B Maple Syrup or a pinch of stevia
1 tsp of vanilla extact
1 tsp of KAL Dolomite (calcium)

I have to label Max’s milk so JTom doesn’t grab it instead of our raw milk =)

I heat all ingredients in a pot until the dolomite powder is dissolved, and then pour it into a glass jar and keep in the fridge. I make this in double batches, and store it in a half gallon mason jar. Shake the jar well before pouring into bottle to warm up, the thick cream will separate from the rest of the milk when chilled.

**Where to get ingredients**
We purchase either Natural Value coconut milk in BPA free cans, or Native Forest organic coconut milk- depending on which is cheaper- through Amazon Prime. So we can do subscribe and save and also get free 2/3 day shipping, which is very convenient. However, I really watch the prices of the milk, because like right now, the organic milk is cheaper than the Natural Value brand.

** What to look for in natural, real ingredients**
Please do not use coconut milk in cartons- they contain very dangerous additives (although the carton may say the milk is organic, the actual ingredients are in fact NOT).

“NO PRESERVATIVES”- no stabilizers, emulsifiers, whiteners, guar gum, and BPA free cans!

Natural Value brand of Coconut Milk

Ingredients: Coconut extract, water

Ingredients: Organic Maple Syrup- that’s IT!

Now, the dolomite powder can be stored in the pantry, but always always keep pure, organic, grade B maple syrup in the fridge or it will go bad! (because, you know. It’s a real food with no additives) And yes, it is pricey, but we just use it sparingly at our house.

Max LOVES this milk, and I feel good about giving it to him. Again, I suggest doing your own research, and taking the recipe, and nutrition information (in the book Eat Fat, Lose Fat) and talk it over with your doctor because I am not a health care professional.

But this is a pure, real food milk recipe for baby, and I feel is much safer than a chemical laden formula alternative for our baby with dairy allergies.

Max is gaining weight and developing great on this formula!

This post contains affiliate links.

Making Lacto-fermented Kraut

by Meghan // September 12, 2013 // Comments off

One of the first lacto-fermented foods I learned to make (with the help of a great friend here in York), was Kraut!

I love making it, and even better, I love eating it.

Even better than that, I love watching my babies (and husband) enjoy it!

So, I hope to share this easy recipe/method with you, so that you may try it for your family!

Lacto fermented foods aren’t like regularly pickled foods- they are raw so they still contain all their original nutrients (and then some). They aren’t cooked or heated.

Laccto-fermented foods are cultured with beneficial bacteria that help preserve it and make it more nutritious. The foods retain their crispness and can be flavored in any number of ways by adding ingredients, such as garlic, spices, onion, fruit, etc.

And even better, they have added benefits for your health.

Some of those benefits include natural probiotics, increased vitamins, healthful enzymes and this natural process makes them more digestible.

On one of my favorite websites, The Nourishing Gourmet, she tells a little more about lacto-fermented foods-

“The health benefits of lacto-fermented fruits and vegetables are wonderful. I think we probably only know a small part of why they are so good for us. For example, unpasteurized sauerkraut and kimchi got a lot of buzz in recent years after some scientists found that birds fed kimchi or sauerkraut would often start recovering from the Avian Bird Flu!”

Not to mention it tastes amazing! It is way better than any store bought sauerkraut you have ever had (especially if you are like me and only eat sauerkraut on reuben sandwiches.)

Lacto-fermented foods are … fizzy. They are tangy, have a little fizz from the natural carbonation that is created during the fermenting process, and they aid in real health.

They date back to the ancient Romans, and are considered a “traditional” food. To learn more about traditional foods, grab a copy of Nourishing Traditionsby Sally Falon.

I will add some great resources at the bottom of this post for your leisurely reading (because we all have SO much time for that ….) that I love.

This batch of kraut produced almost 2 half gallon jars, in the end. I used:

2 heads of green cabbage
1 head of purple cabbage
1-2 sweet white onions (the more onion the spicier the kraut will be- not hot spicey, but like “zingy” spicy)
3+ carrots- I think I used a one pound bag of organic carrots, but we LOVE them in our kraut
3 heaping tablespoons of Real Salt (not that stuff you buy in the grocery store, and not “sea.”
Pure (pink) Himalayan Saltis WONDERFUL!)
3/4 cup of homemade whey (a link to making homemade whey coming soon!)
A big bowl for pounding the cabbage
A fermenting vessel of some sort

Below: chopping cabbage (this batch my food processor had some issues … so some was by hand and some was in the processor)

Into my (antique) crock it all goes-Here is a link to my Dream Crock

Everything in the crock- cabbage, carrots, onion, salt, and whey

This is a jar of Real Salt. If your salt is WHITE, and isn’t pink/gray/brownish, it’s not Real Salt.
You need to get some of this:

Here is my whey

And my baby bug pounding the kraut

Still pounding before gymnastics 😉

There it is:

When your kraut is about ready to jar, there will be several inches of juices in the bowl with the cabbage- it can take quite a while (15+ minutes) to get all the liquid you will need.

We use a meat tenderizer (which was at a friend’s house at the time of this batch) or a potato masher to pound the kraut to extract all the juices. Something a little heavy and good for pounding will work.

Then you add the kraut to your jar/fermenting crock/or other fermenting vessel.

To do this, you add a heaping spoon or two of the cabbage/carrot mix, then press down with one of these:

And poor off the liquid that comes up back into the crock or bowl.

Continue adding kraut, alternating pressing down with the tamper, and pouring off the liquid, until the kraut is about an inch or so below the neck of the jar.

Then spoon some of that liquid you’ve been pouring off, back on top of your kraut. A safe measurement is covered by about an inch, but as long as it is covered it is safe. It’s when the food is exposed to air (ie, not covered with the liquid) that you risk mold.)

This is the kraut just after it has been jarred.

And this is our kraut after a few days of fermenting. It is now ready to be moved to cold storage where it will be good for 6 months, or a little more. (If it lasts that long before we eat it all ….)

If you ferment in glass jars like these, you will need to burp your jars once a day to prevent all the pressure from building up. Once they’re moved to the fridge the fermentation process slows down so you won’t need to burp as often, but it is a good idea to prevent explosions … =)

Isn’t it pretty? I love the purple color!

We put the kraut on hot dogs, burgers, eat it as a side, and I even eat it if my tummy doesn’t feel good, to help queasiness or upset stomach. Those natural probiotics are great for your gut! (remember disease begins in the gut, with the loss of good bacteria, enzymes, etc.).

Here are a few links to wonderful resources on traditional foods and lacto-fermented foods:
GNOWFLIGINS– “God’s natural, organic, whole foods, grown locally, in season”

Weston A. Price- lacto fermentation (Nourishing Traditions)

Nourishing Days

Deliciously Organic- the UNprocessed Kitchen

Simple Bites

Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Sally Fallon

Monsanto

by Meghan // August 6, 2013 // Comments off

So … You know how Spider Man had an Arch nemesis? (I have no idea who that was ….)

And Batman had many enemies … The Joker. The Riddler. The penguin guy.

And then there was Captain planet, and his worst enemy was …. Well, I dont really remember that either; I guess it was pollution? I just remember “Wind! Fire! Water! Earth!”

Yea, so anyway.

If I had an arch enemy, it would be Monsanto.

There is a monsanto right outside of my town here.

Hundreds of thousands of people all over the world have protested Monsanto and their GMO shenanigans.

Many countries have banned GMO foods, the growth of GMO crops, the imports of GMO foods, and/or certain GMO strains.
Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, and Portugal to name a few.
Heck, even France has banned GMO foods…. what’s wrong with the US?!

The Japanese and South Korea have banned US wheat imports after the USDA announced a GMO crop contamination.

Some states in the US have voted to require food companies label GMO foods; it has passed in a few states and failed in others. Conneticuit was the first state to require GMO labeling.
Here is what a GMO food label looks like. Not that hard, right? Yet, many, many big food companies have spent millions in varying states to stop bills for GMO food labeling. And in CA, they won. (Thank you to Wake Up World for the label image)

Picture Source HERE

You can visit HERE for a list of states that have introduced the bills, and more info.
To write your representatives about GMO food labeling, go here:http://justlabelit.org/

Graphic from Just Label It

So, if you haven’t already, I would ask you to google some information on GMO foods, what they are, what they do, and what damage they are proven to cause.

Just be sure the articles you read weren’t written or published by a Monsanto employee, because apparently, those suckers are everywhere!

Including employees in every branch of our government’s food administrations. Like the FDA. They also violate many federal laws, and somehow get by with it?

http://www.redicecreations.com/specialreports/monsanto.html

Please, please, please do not rely on the FDA or any government agency to tell you your food or medical care is safe (ie, GMOs, factory food, vaccines).

Instead, Read. Read. Read. I know it can be overwhelming. But make some notes, book mark some webpages, and keep reading. Because the more people that are aware of what is going on, the more we can control our future.

We are seriously at risk of losing our food supply as we know it. GMO crops are showing up in places they have never been planted- they are pollinating with non-GMO crops.

This movement will will be sold as a “great, green” thing I’m sure. But it isn’t. And America is the last country waking up and demanding a change.

Keep in mind, the more we ask the government to take care of us (and control us), the more freedoms we give away that we WILL NOT be getting back. GMOs are not helpful to anyone but big Ag, like Monsanto, and all those processed food companies that use their ingredients in their products.

I know, it’s a lot of information at once. But take your time and go through it. Educate yourself, for your health and your family’s future.

Resources and more information:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/
http://www.naturalnews.com/Monsanto.html

http://www.redicecreations.com/specialreports/monsanto.html
http://www.organicconsumers.org/gefood/countrieswithbans.cfm
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/is-monsanto-the-worlds-most-evil-corporation.aspx#axzz2adMvIPBK
http://naturalrevolution.org/list-of-countries-that-ban-gmo-crops-and-require-ge-food-labels/
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/976/ge-food-labeling/state-labeling-initiatives
http://www.naturalnews.com/040603_GMO_taxpayer_dollars_Monsanto.html

Beginning Our Raw, Whole, Traditional Foods Journey

by Meghan // July 8, 2013 // Comments off

I have been in love with traditional, whole, raw foods for a while. If there is a blog about it, I follow it on Bloglovin, on facebook, have it pinned on pinterest, and saved in my bookmarks. =)

When we moved (are you tired of hearing about “the move” yet?!), we knew we were going to have this great garage, and basement for extra storage. I picked up some big ‘ole tubs from Sams, the ones they purchase icing in, for my bulk foods storage.

We have been ~~dreaming~~ talking about buying our food in bulk. But not just any food, healthy, raw and traditional foods. Not boxes of crackers or containers of cupcakes in bulk.

Whole wheat berries, organic brown rice, sucanat (source: the kitchn.com), and vegetables for fermenting and freezing.

I have since (like … as in the last week?) fallen in love with drinking raw milk and using it to make: kefir, “farmer’s cheese” (easy cream cheese), whey for lacto-fermentation, and eventually yogurt.

I just ordered a SCOBY for my first batch of Kombucha Tea. YAY!

So, I just wanted to let you all know you will be going on out journey with us. It will be slow, and a learning process. Thankfully I have some good friends here to help me along the way, a supportive husband, and an almost 3 year old that will try anything I cook once. =)

If you are interested in where I began, you can start at WestonAPrice.org, grab a copy of Nourishing Traditions Cookbook (which is so much more than a cookbook- it will literally blow your mind, Azure Standard for bulk, organic foods, or check out Heavenly Homemakers for great information and resources. Her website really broke down a lot of more simple ways to do many recipes- she takes some of the overwhelming-ness out of this new journey.

Online Sources:
http://www.thekitchn.com/chewy-nutty-nutritious-wheat-berries-ingredient-spotlight-176749
http://www.azurestandard.com/shop/product/4692//
http://www.thekitchn.com/ingredient-spotlight-sucanat-180333
http://gnowfglins.com/2009/08/07/seven-yummy-ways-to-eat-kefir/#
http://www.thekitchn.com/pickles-preserves-brews-9-diy-157299
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-kombucha-tea-at-home-173858

This blog contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase using these links, I get a small amount back on your purchase. Thank you for supporting this site!

The Creator of the Ends of the Earth- Read it With Me Wednesday with Wisdom Wednesday Linkup

by Meghan // July 3, 2013 // Comments off

“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?

He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing…. The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom… Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like the eagles.“

Isaiah 40:24-29

I opened up my Bible tonight, and this is what I read. Wow. Did I need that.

This morning, of somewhere around 11:00. My little mister’s back was covered in a rash. A raised bump rash.

Happy 10 month birthday, Max!

I thought it was a mild reaction to strawberries, which I was hesitant to let him try, but he really enjoyed them. And we let Lexie have her first strawberries at 10-11 months I think and she did fine.

After his nap, it was not only on his back, but also his belly, arms, legs, and face.

Somewhere around 4:00 pm, I gave him a dose of Benadryl (really not wanting to… but afraid if the reaction was worsening, his lips, tongue, or throat could swell).

By the end of the night, he was still his happy, playing little self. But the rash and bumps had not improved at all.

We may have chicken pox.

Yes siree Bob.

But we don’t know for sure. So we have a doctor appointment tomorrow.

Maybe he will wake up and the bumps will miraculously be all gone?! That would be great…

But if not, we will deal with it head on.

As you know we wouldn’t have vaccinated against chicken pox anyway, so for the last year I have sorta hoped Lexie would get them before she was too old for them to scar, and her claw at them. So, maybe it is a blessing in disguise?

If it’s the chicken pox, I really hope she gets them too, so we can knock out both kids at once, and get it over with.

Regardless, if it another food allergy or the chicken pox, I know God will get me through it. And keep my babies strong so they can get well.

Also, if you have any tips for keeping Max comfortable or healing his pox sores, please leave me a comment, I would LOVE to hear some natural remedies.

To whom can you compare him?- Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like the eagles.

——–

Here are the hosts for this week’s Linkup. If you are a blogger with an encouraging post, add your linky at the bottom. Please keep it family appropriate.

Your Hosts

Host Co-Host

Howdy! I’m Misty! Hi! I’m Meghan!

Simply Helping Him Life is Good

Facebook Facebook

Pinterest Pinterest

Twitter Blog Lovin

Blog Lovin

G +

It is Home

by Meghan // July 1, 2013 // Comments off

I haven’t just written a random post in a while. I used to sit up at night and write. But then reading blogs about preparing traditional food, infant reflux, and pinterest got in the way. 🙂

That Pinterest ….

But tonight (June 27) I can’t sleep, and I feel like writing.

When Jtom and I made this decision to move our family to Nebraska, we knew it would take time to meet new people. Over time, I didn’t know where the best place was to move the family, but once we settled here, I found that it was the best choice to make. Additionally, a friend of ours have moved to the Charlotte area of South Carolina. Before she left, she would always look into finding charlotte home builders and I never knew why until she finally revealed her plans. Change for us both has come at the right time I think. It would take time to find the right groups of friends, the right church home, and the right children for Lexie and Max to befriend for themselves. Plus since its so cold in Nebraska it would be a good idea to have someone similar to air conditioner repair passaic nj so we can keep our home a lovely temperature.

We also knew that we wanted to start buying food in bulk to save money, since we would now have the room to store it. We wanted him to get to hunt more, so we would have wild game for eating. We wanted to raise chickens again, so we can have fresh eggs, which we all miss terribly! Oh my goodness, there is nothing like gathering eggs in the afternoon for breakfast the next day. (Or even better, dinner that night).

Well, maybe milking my own cow would be a very close second …

Ah dreams. They’re really not too far away, with as quickly as time goes by, maybe 5-10 more years?

But when we came to York we put a few things on the back burner for the first month or so. We needed to get settled in our new home. A large part of this involved finding a more affordable energy policy. Our electricity bills have always been high but they did seem to jump when our baby was born. Fortunately we managed to find a more affordable policy by browsing electricity comparison websites like Home Energy Club. Using their website made it easy to compare different energy providers such as TriEagle Energy to find the best power solution for us. Things all worked out in the end though and we are much better off now. In addition, JTom needed to continue learning his new job. Lexie needed to understand this was our new home (which she did with great ease), and learn about our community. Settling in to a new home can be very difficult, especially for children. With this in mind, if you and your family are considering relocating to somewhere like trappers crossing, you should consider how hard this may initially be for your kids.

We began by going to story time at the library. There I met a wonderful lady who has two daughters of her own. She told me about their church, and was completely open and honest with me about anything I had questions about- the church, the town, etc. She gave me names and phone numbers to other women in the community. She connected me with a salon to get mine and Lexies hair cut- which turned into me meeting two wonderful ladies that were so gracious- she gave me an entire list of reliable babysitters in case I needed someone.

A short month or two after we moved (and I after I met that mama at story time), we began visiting churches. And through doing this we have met very nice families with small children. We still haven’t found our church home. I suggested a few weeks ago, that maybe we need to travel outside of York to look. We would much rather find one here, in our own community, but we need to be open to everything. At one of the churches we visited in town, there were many familiar faces from the library.

Then, one night I exclaimed to J.tom, “I’m going to make Max’s baby formula!” His reply was something like, “oh. my. gosh. *insert eye roll* that’s great. how much is it going to cost me?”. Haha- the funny part here, is that he was kidding. The commercial formula max was on was already costing about $150 a month.

Upon hearing the ingredients, JTom was on board, and was quick to assure me that it was a great idea and much better than the commercial stuff that is full of toxins, corn syrup solids (whaaat?!) and GMO foods. Okay, okay, that’s another post…

In my efforts to heal Max’s reflux and the damaged it has caused to his gut and esophagus, we visited the chiropractor (see this post). Not only was he a very kind, understanding doctor with amazing “bedside manner” with my children, he asked what else he could help us with- Did we need any resources or contacts for anything?

He genuinely wanted to help our family.

I told him about wanting to make Max’s baby formula, using the Weston A. Price recipe, and explained I had no experience in any of it, despite all my research, and told him what ingredients I would need and which ones I couldn’t find.

Not only did he fully support our wanting to make homemade baby formula, but he gave me the name and number to another (amazingly kind and generous) lady who was very well educated in Weston A Price. The chiropractor mentioned her husband is a veterinarian here in town; it just so happened we needed to board Scarlet while we traveled to visit family. (And his clinic was one a co-worker had mentioned to JTom.). Small ~~world. Err….~~ Town.

A few days later I contacted Dr C’s source. A few days after that she came to my home, shared her resources, knowledge, and homemade whey, and other ingredients I needed for our baby formula.

She was so kind.

A week later, we have placed orders with Azure Standard for our organic, whole bulk foods, received the organic grassfed beef through the Nebraska Food Cooperative, and found our raw milk at a local family farm!

Talk about blessed.

I know this is long and drawn out. But there is a reason.

When J.Tom and I talked about how everything would take time- making our house a home, finding a church, meeting friends and other families we want our children to be around, etc. we also acknowledged that everything would happen in God’s time.

We knew it may be weeks, or it could be months before things all fell into place.

After almost 3 months of a cold, hard winter, in a new town, with no familiar faces to interact with, God sent us at least 6 people I can think of off the top of my head, that if Jtom were gone and I needed something, I would feel 100% comfortable calling them. Complete strangers gave me their phone numbers after meeting us one time.

Blessed.

We had faith, that if we put forth the effort and prayed about it, God would place in our lives the people that needed to be there.

I really, entruly believe that is what has happened.

In our journey to simplify, become healthier, get closer to Him, and heal our son, we have already found this amazing support system of like minded, Christian families.

I know small towns get a bad rep. We were told, “people move away from Nebraska, not to it.”

But in this move, which many people thought was a wrong decision, we have found so many blessings.

For that, I am truly thankful.

It is amazing how here is now home. During our travels to visit family, we were both longing to be back home, in York, after only a few days away.

Its small. And it is windy. In the winter it is cold. And in the spring the wind will blow you over. But York has an amazing community.

It is where our family is.

It is home.

Almost back home!

How to Make Your Own Baby and Toddler Finger Foods- Made Easy!

by Meghan // June 17, 2013 // Comments off

So, apprently there is this whole thing called “baby led weaning,” where rather than introduce pureed foods, you let baby just start eating appropriate sized/cooked finger foods.

We did this.

On accident.

We did do pureed foods for a few weeks, but then it was so easy to just him some dried blueberries to snack on while I made Lexie’s lunch. Blueberries became avocado, and that led to other soft foods.

Within a few weeks, Max was refusing the spoon. Refusing as in, if it isn’t warm, smooshy avocado, or warm, runny egg yolk, he isn’t eating it from a spoon.

He spits it out and tried to pick it up with his fingers, and when he cannot, he gets furious! Which in turn leads to me giving him finger foods instead ….

So, how do I make appropriate finger foods for the mister to eat exclusively, at only 9 months of age?

1. I clean and peel the fruits and veggies (so far we have had: sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, sweet peas, lima beans, cauliflower, apples, pears, but the possibilities are endless, really).

2. I place a steamer basket like this one inside a pot:

3. Fill the pot with water until it sits just below the bottom of the steamer basket, place your food inside, cover it, and let them steam for about 10-20 minutes. Potatoes and carrots take longer than say, apples or peas. I usually do 20 mins for carrots and potatoes (that are chopped in big chunks).

4. After they are cooked through and soft enough for baby, I take the basket out and let them cool a bit.

5. Then I put them on a cookie sheet lined with butcher or freezer paper. Pop it in the freezer so they can freeze through. After they’re frozen I put them in labeled bags.

That’s it! Fresh finger foods for baby and toddlers, ready at a moments notice.

I’ve also done chicken breasts, but I didn’t steam them. I sautee them in a pan with coconut oil, garlic, onion, paprika, salt, pepper, and parsley. After the chicken was thoroughly cooked, I did the same as with the veggies for freezing

Now I have lots of healthy veggies and meats for Mister (and Lexie, too!) at lunch, snack, and dinner when he can’t have what we are eating.

A few tips: I rough chop the veggies, and slice the fruit into wedges. Don’t cut them up into bite size pieces for the steaming process because A)they will become mush, and B) when you pull some out of the freezer for meals, you can cut them into smaller pieces for baby at meal time after they thaw.

But what if my baby likes pureed baby foods, and can’t eat finger foods yet?
Then you do steps 1-4, just like I did. But instead of freezing them whole, place them in a food processor or blender with some breastmilk, formula, or filtered water, and puree away! When it is the consistency your baby likes, poor into ice cube trays, cover with plastic wrap or foil, and freeze! Then, pop the frozen cubes into labeled bags! Very easy.

I still give Max egg yolk and avocado from a spoon, just to keep him eating something off a spoon. Egg yolks (preferably free range, organic) are the most nutrient dense food a baby can have, and it is most like mother’s breastmilk than any other food. It’s very easy to make egg yolks for baby, and SO good for them:

Place eggs (as many as you’d like, I do 3-4 at a time) in a pot
Fill the pot with water until it just covers the eggs
Bring to a boil, boil for 3.5 minutes
When you crack the eggs, the egg whites should be cooked (or mostly) and the egg yolk will be nice and warm, but runny.
Crack the eggs into a bowl for baby, spoon feed baby the egg yolks

I use the left over cooked egg whites in chicken and tuna salad. J.Tom will also eat them with sal and pepper with his lunch. **Do not feed your baby egg whites, it is considered an allergen for after their first year. Talk to your doctor before giving egg whites to baby. I have given Max egg yolk that had a little egg white get in it, and he was fine, but do what you and your doctor are comfortable with**

For avocado, I just smash a ripe avocado up with a fork, add a little of his formula, warm it for 10 seconds, and then mix it together with the fork. It makes a nice, warm, creamy food for baby full of healthy fats. He also eats them with his fingers cut into bite size pieces.

Benefits of Making Your Own baby Food

The wonderful thing about making your baby & young children’s food at home, is it doesn’t take long at all, and it’s so much more nutritious! Baby food from jars is cooked at such high temps, there is very little, if any nutrients left in it. High temps like that may kill the bacteria in a huge facility, but it also kills the nutrients.

You can season the foods just like your baby/toddler likes. Max loves seasonings already, at only 9 months. I can add a little cinnamon to his carrots and sweet potatoes, salt and pepper to green beans, and mix fruits together like apples and pears for a sweet fruit treat.

Frozen finger foods can be used for teething also- you can get one of these super awesome feeders:

And place the frozen apple, banana, or pear wedges (or any other food baby likes) in the net, and let baby teeth away! Max especially enjoys grapes, cut in half and frozen, in them.

The possibilities and choices are endless when making your own food. It also allows you to customize foods for babies with allergies.

Lastly, it is CHEAPER than buying baby food, espcially if you buy in bulk from a co-op, buyers club (like Sams or Costco), or local farmer’s market. And, if you grow your own in a garden, even better!

I really hope if you have been intimidated by the process of making your own baby food, that this helps you in some way.

Not Enough Time in the Day

by Meghan // June 3, 2013 // Comments off

OK, so before I begin this post, I want to tell you I have a very exciting announcement to make! I won’t reveal it until Wednesday but I can’t wait. God has really done something big in my life this last month, and I pray it will bless all my readers as well! OK, on to this post-

I’ve been struggling with my days lately. There doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day for everything I need and want to accomplish.

If I start at the beginning of the day, and fit everything in, it would look something like this:

wake at 6:00am coffee and news with JTom
Get the kids up at 7
breakfast and Bible together
then play with mommy time after daddy goes to work
Max nap/Lexie learning time
Lexie independent play/mommy workout time/on Wed this is mommy deep cleaning time
10:30 snacks
Play time
12:00 lunch with daddy
12:40-1:00 everyone down for naps
Mommy time- pay bills, rest, clean house, prepare dinner, work on activities for Lexie, blog(?) FYI: this doesn’t all fit into a 2 hour time slot…
3:00pm everyone up from naps
snacks for all
play time/outside/messy play
5:00 daddy home 5:30pm dinner
6:30 or 7pm bedtime for all (depending on naps)
Mommy collapses in bed, a good book in hand (hahaha right, that hasn’t happened in over a year)

This looks so neat on paper. But life is not neat, and my days rarely end up looking like this. It isn’t the kids’ “faults”, they fall into routine perfectly, without assistance from me at all.

{I swear, if I were sick in bed, Lexie could run the day provided she could reach the peanut butter, milk, and Max’s food. No joke- the girl goes around and baby proofs everything before she and Max play- she picks up “icky dirty shoes,” closes doors, puts up waste baskets, and blocks the stairs with our makeshift baby gate. So, have no fear family, if this Mama falls ill and Daddy isn’t in town, Lexie will pick up the slack!}

Back to the point, I get in my own way. If I would prepare everything the night before for the following day, like I always did with Lexie, life would be so much easier on me. Therefore it would be easier on the kids.

God’s priorities for me and my time at home aren’t to spend my waking hours scrambling around like a chicken with its head cut off all day, being pulled in one direction or the other.

If I prepare myself ahead of time, for what I know is coming tomorrow, won’t it make tomorrow easier?

Won’t it be easier to find time to plan out weekly activities for Lexie’s learning obsession?

Or to fit in my workout, and independent play for Lexie (which she also needs and enjoys).

I’ve been playing with our routines between naps and feedings lately, and nothing has fit just right.

I’m pretty sure that as I write this, I have had an epiphany: go to the kitchen and prep snacks and lunches for tomorrow- get it organized now, so I don’t have to think on my toes tomorrow, and therefore have more time with my littles.

So that’s where I am headed … today marks the beginning of me getting back to my old self, in terms of organization.

Since the move I have felt overwhelmed and a bit uninspired in certain areas of my life. But Lexie is almost 3 and my boy is almost 1, and there is no better time than now (or maybe yesterday…?) to make more time to be with them, in the moment, and feel less stressed.

Please tell me, how do you keep your life at home organized to make things easier on you?

Baby Summary Week 38: reflux and chiropractors

by Meghan // June 1, 2013 // Comments off

Max is almost 9 months old. This is the post for his 38th week of life.

He is EVERYWHERE. He is eating well, and is still loving finger foods. Like as in, LOVES. He will eat a few jars of baby food, and then sit in his high chair and eat finger foods for 30 more minutes. haha And most of the food is making it to his mouth now.

He is crawling all over the house, chasing Lexie Raye, pulling up on everything, and really trying to stand …. on his head! He loves to stand on his head and look through his legs. It’s hilarious.
But he is also trying to stand on his own. He finally picked those feet up and walked while holding my hands. It’s like he has realized, “hey, I can move!”

Sleep is good; two naps a day. One is at 9:00 and the other is either at 12:40, or 1:00 depending on how long his first nap was. I think he is trying to tell me it’s time to push his nap back, to 9:15 or 9:30, because lately the morning nap has been short. I may try it this weekend and see what happens.
——–
Yesterday we went to the chiropractor (it was one similar to these Activa Clinics). Yes, we. I am so excited, we are praying this helps improve his reflux, so we can get off this awful medicine. If you haven’t read about chiropractic care in babies, you should Google it!

Illness such as SIDS, reflux, allergies, chronic ear infections, and poor health in general have been linked to poor spinal alignment. Spinal alignment affects our nervous system and our overall health. When adjusted correctly, these illnesses can be prevented and healed. Ear infections and reflux are two of the biggest reasons parents seek chiropractic care for their babies and children. If after reading this post you think you need to make an appointment with a chiropractor for your child then visit https://www.cobbchiropracticclinic.com/ and you can organise an appointment with a reputable chiropractor in no time with no hassle. On Natural Parents Network, Gretchen has a great story about her baby’s ear infections and how the chiropractor she booked an appointment with helped get rid of them.

If you’re thinking, “Well Meghan, babies didn’t go to the chiropractor 1,000 years ago, or 100 years ago,” This is what I would say:
If you think about our evolution, (and I haven’t read proof of this anywhere, it’s my own thought) babies were carried in cloths, wrapped around on their mothers, with their hips appropriately below their knees (fellow baby-wearers know what I am talking about here) for centuries.
They weren’t strapped into car seats on a daily basis, strollers on the weekends, or sitting in highchairs, exersaucers, etc during their day. I’m not saying these things are bad, albeit, these things are necessary.

For the last 8 months I have hesitated taking him to the chiropractor, although JTom and I have both used a chiropractor with success and there are many different chiropractors that we could have used such as the round rock chiropractor. If you are looking for a chiropractor then just ask around and I’m sure you’ll find yourself a good reliable one. ~~I think~~ it was fear. I wasn’t sure about someone adjusting my baby, and I honestly didn’t take much time to read more about it.

But I’ve had enough.

This medicine is awful, it’s not good for him long term, I have to ~~torture~~ hold him down while he screams, gags, and coughs to get him to swallow it, and most days he spits it back up.
(We have tried all ideas for giving him the medicine, but if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments for me!) If the chiropractor doesn’t work, we will need to get back on the meds until we find something that does. I’m pretty hopeful though as there have been high reviews of the local chiropractor, we’ve got our fingers crossed though! We were either going to go to our local chiropractor or go a bit further and go to one of flspineandinjury.com chiropractor clinics.

Our doctor was amazing; he was gentle and used an activator to adjust both max and Lexie. He used me as their “tester” or “surrogate,” to muscle test both of them.
I’m not a medical professional, so I won’t go into the long details of what a tester is. But, if he can push my arm down, while touching a certain spot on their bodies, it means it is a weak area for them. On an older child or adult he would use their arm, not a tester’s.

While doing Max (who was calm, relaxed, and happy, btw which I was surprised by since he screamed bloody murder at the family dr office the other day), my arm went down super far between his shoulder blades and his middle back.

I looked at the doctor like, “what is that?!” and he said,

“there’s your reflux. These areas are digestion, chest and esophagus.”

I cried.

Although we may not have success with chiropractic care for Max’s reflux, I couldn’t believe I waited THIS LONG to do it. I felt ashamed, in a way; this is so much better for him than those dangerous chemicals in his medicine he has been ingesting, against his will.

But I am glad we are doing it now.

I stopped the meds this morning; so far no reflux today. *edit: this is a weaning process, not something that happens immediately. I will be reducing his dosage, every other day, until we get down to nothing, or almost nothing.* We will make weekly visits for a month or so for adjustments. Then I will probably do once a month or so, if we have success.

Lexie was also adjusted; my arm dropped for her in a few different places. One was her middle back, and the other (which was worse) was her lower back. So he used the activator and adjusted her. He couldn’t test on her eczema, because it wasn’t flared. But he said if it does flare, bring her in and he will try muscle testing for it.

That was it. It was gentle, and easy. Nothing painful, forceful, and torturous about it.
I held Max, and of course Lexie was miss independent, but I could have held her if I’d needed to. The dr. was wonderful! Wonderful! I highly suggest him if you are in the York area. Contact me for more info, if you’d like.

I am not suggesting this for everyone, I am not a doctor or medical professional (I have to say this stuff to cover myself). However, if your baby suffers from reflux, ear infections, colic, internal body infections (like yeast build up, etc), you should research chiropractic care for you child.

Read personal testimonials, because it isn’t something the mainstream medical community is going to say, “Yes! Go try it and see if it helps. I won’t worry about the kick back I won’t receive from these medicines that only mask the baby’s symptoms!” No. That’s not the general response you will get. =)

My main reasons for finally trying it were:
A) it cannot harm them. It isn’t painful, or scary. It isn’t like filling their tiny bodies full of medicines that are not natural or meant for them.

B) I believe in nature. I believe in God, and His science in the body. I believe our bodies were made to protect and heals themselves.

C) I’ve always considered taking both of the kids to a chiropractor. It wasn’t until one of my dear friends told me her family’s story that I decided we would do it. A baby in her family was scheduled for surgery due to chronic ear infections; he had reflux, and in general had been sick a lot. He was taken to a chiropractor and adjusted. Later, the family took him back to the pediatrician to see about the surgery and the doctor said the baby no longer needed surgery. *true story, friends!*

That was proof enough for me. (This baby also happens to be the same age as Max)

Some of you are skeptical, and judging me right now. =) And that’s okay.

I may be an “extreme, counter culture crazy,” but we are trying everything we can to get Max well, and off medications. Like many of our decisions, this was done prayerfully, and I do pray next month I have a success story to share with you!

Or maybe you are interested, and curious to learn more.

Either way, I suggest reading and researching about chiropractic care, its risks, and benefits. Also, while reading, read comments written by others on the articles and blog posts; you will always find a wealth of information and links to blogs, websites, research, and studies in comments!

There are many videos like these on Youtube (the first one is our doctor):

Here are a few blog posts with personal experiences, websites on the subject, and my resources:

I hope if you have been considering this type of treatment for your baby, that this post will help you make your decision. I also hope if you are a skeptic, you will be encouraged to read, and educate yourself more. You may come out a skeptic, still. But maybe not. =)

Have you tried “alternative” medicines for your family? I would love for you to share your stories and experiences with me!