Goals for My Future Pantry

Many goals for this time of my life revolve around my own physical health.  I have renewed my vigor, if you will, for working on a healthier lifestyle, being more active, and eating more close to the source for maximum nutrient value.



In accomplishing these goals, I have begun again to take Glucosamine Condroitin(GC) for my joints, mainly my knees so that when I walk regularly I don't have as much pain with the lesser portion of tissue in my right knee to help with cushioning.  As a strange (to me) and interesting twist, my left knee is now giving me some problems due to favoring my right knee for so long.  So, hopefully the GC will help with that too.

I have finalized my garden plan for the front yard, due to necessity, and beautification as well.

I will certainly document the process for everyone to see.  😎

All this while keeping the house and everything else juggled!  I would love to do all kinds of vegetables and melons because I just love all the jars in my pantry.  There isn't a greater satisfaction than being able to go to one's pantry and gather foods that one has processed in a healthier way, using salts that are good for high blood pressure. Fortunately here in GA, there are at least 2 different time frames where we can grow food.  I'm so thankful!!! 

I miss my pantry! 😉

 Have a Blessed Day!

Almost a Month and Lots Happening

As I showed in my previous post, we had concrete floors.  Now, we are pretty close to having them done, minus the threshold pieces.  It looks so much nicer than bare concrete!

The living room floor after flooring installed.  It's lovely!  

From the other side of the room.

Photo Bombed by Biscuit

Getting Gus acclimated to the pool...or just having fun putting him on the inner tube.  LOL

Biscuit's turn! 

A graduation celebration dinner at church.

Visiting with Grandparents and one special uncle.

"And these alligators are found in the Flint River?  I guess we shouldn't swim in there!"

Beautiful daughter with her sewing machine.

The living room window that needs a treatment of some sort.  I'm not sure what, but since this window is so huge, it will probably be something simple.  We have new pillows that I found at the local W*lmart on a 2 for $12 deal, so I couldn't resist adding more color to the room.

I just love my drive home!  This area is so beautiful!  (Sorry for the bug splat on the windshield!!)

The view out my front door.  This is such a quiet neighborhood, it is almost like living in the country!

The morning this picture was taken, I was on my way to get my blood work done and to talk with my Dr about the Trim Healthy Mama Plan (THM) life changes I've been making, as well my right knee.  I found out that my right knee is "bone-on-bone" and it gets worse when I ride/drive for long periods of time.  The verdict?  Less riding/driving, less walking, more THM cooking, and more swimming.  With my blood test results back, I know that I can rest assured that THM is working!  I've lost 35 pounds, my Triglycerides decreased by half, my A1C is 6.1 and my fasting is 105.  I've not seen those wonderful numbers in YEARS!  You betcha I'm sticking with it! 

Strong young men hard at work, replacing worn out steps and putting in new concrete.

One side of my office is going to be a sitting area and I think I have a pretty good start with these wonderful pieces I found at a yard sale and an online facebook flea market group.  The wing back chair is a reclining chair.  The side table is an antique from the 60's or 70's, the lamp I just loved, so I bought it for a good price....and.

...the magnolia swag that I thought was so pretty.

In the next couple of weeks, I'll finally be able to get some curtains up on the dining room window, my oldest son's window, the office, and hopefully our bedroom.  With everything being so busy, I'll be able to sit down long enough to get my sewing machine out to work on some stuff.  I also plan to keep my eyes peeled for more furniture for the sitting area.  I love decorating "on the cheap."  

Have a Great Day!

God Bless,

Thanksgiving

Today, while being our first Thanksgiving in our "new to us" Georgia home, has been a little surreal for all of us.  The challenges of a larger dinner is one that needs some planning ahead, organization, and usually purchasing things ahead to ensure you have all of your ingredients on hand.  This year has been much the same, but different.

In years past, we have always purchased the largest turkey we can find so we can enjoy leftovers for a while.  This year I started by getting a smaller turkey because we have a smaller wall oven instead of a full size free standing oven.  Then we found a discount store with some pretty good prices, so my husband said we could handle a larger turkey--in one of the large roasters that we have.  I couldn't resist telling him, "Only if you do NOT peak!"  LOL  He has this habit of wanting to peek at "Tom" while he's cooking.  I time it so that Tom is done and there is no need for peeking.  LOL  So, we took Tom out of his frozen lair on Sunday in preparation for his grand appearance as "Guest of Honor" today.

As with every other holiday for every other year, the planning continued.  There was just one thing that was thrown in to the mix.  In October, just a day or so after my "intake" appointment at my new Dr's office, I decided to begin (again) Trim Healthy Mama (THM) lifestyle program in earnest.  I just felt so "icky" for the past year and needed to do something for myself to feel better.  I was having some serious anemia, surgery, then moving, living in a motel for almost a whole week and getting settled, and still getting settled.  But, it was time.  I knew it.  It was confirmed a week later after my results came back with an enlarged heart, higher triglycerides (doubled from the time before), and fasting blood sugar that was the highest it has ever been in spite of my A1C only rising just a smidge.  By the time I received the results, I had already lost 5 pounds, so it is all good!

All that said, I started looking at Thanksgiving thinking, loathing in some cases, the foods that inevitably would be made for my family.  Don't get me wrong, I love baking.  I love making things for my family.  However, knowing that both my husband and I (and possibly 2 of our 3 kids) would need to drop some weight, I needed to be the one to take action.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make home made marshmallows, or the pecan custard pie that I wanted to make.  BUT!  I will be ordering those ingredients soon and I'll be able to make those things for my family without a worry or concern about their health.

As I planned, I consulted my husband with each dish I wanted to make.  He specifically asked for mashed potatoes and promised that he wouldn't go crazy because he likes my mashed potatoes.  I started preparing the cheese bread THM style on Monday.

 I made a double batch and added thyme, sage, and a smidge of garlic powder because we like garlic.  I didn't have room in my refrigerator for it, so I put it in the freezer until last night.  I took it out, dried it in the oven a little more, added sausage, onion, celery, butter, chicken broth, sage, thyme, salt, pepper, and (that's right!) garlic.  Tom was thoroughly stuffed with the mixture and it was good!  It was satisfying and filling!   My hubby put him in his honorary roaster and while he was gone, I added a loving note on the tin foil, "No Peaking!" just for him.  LOL  He honored my loving request and when it was time to unearth Tom, he was "popped", moist and yummy.  :)  

While Tom got happy and yummy in the roaster, I made 2 pumpkin pies that were THM recipes.  After I put them in the oven and did some clean up, I gave the job of peeling and boiling the sweet potatoes to my youngest, the green bean casserole to my daughter, and the peeling and boiling of the white potatoes to my oldest.  While all of that was happening, I started smelling some smoke.  "HOLY MOLY Bat man!"  I went in to the kitchen, opened the oven and out it rolled!  I was thinking my THM pies were "toast", but I took them out and finished baking them in the toaster oven for the remainder of their time.  In the mean time, everyone got the fans in the windows to pull the smoke out.  I thought to myself, "I sure hope the neighbors don't call 911 when they see the smoke rolling out the window!  Wow!"   So, we spent some time out in the sun on the back porch while the house cleared out and just looked around, talked, and enjoyed the 72 degree day in shorts and tank tops.  (Go figure!)

When we sat down to dinner, I sat there quietly hoping that everyone would like the wee bit of the change made.  It wasn't a major change, just one that took out 2 more insulin spiking carbs and replace them with healthy satisfying fats.  I think it was a success.  I think the pumpkin pies, next time I'm going to add the same amount of spices from the Amish cookbook that we have in lieu of the one we used.  We like flavor, so those spices were missed, in my opinion, at least for me.

What would I like to do next year?  I want to make my own cranberry sauce.  I'd like to do that without sugar, and a bunch of other pies as well as making "Radish Toes" instead of potatoes.  :D  I'll have to experiment.  :)

Now we begin looking forward to celebrating the Christmas Season.  I love Christmas.  It is my favorite season.  I love decorating, baking, having friends over, caroling, singing in church, looking at Christmas lights with my hubby and kids, watching old Christmas movies, and some new.  I love "Silent Night", I love tradition, candle lighting and everything else.  I do not like, however, the commercialization of this most precious and holy time of year.  I do not participate in the commercialization--Black Friday or Cyber Monday.  I just get simple gifts for my family.  We do not go to extravagance which we do not think the celebration is all about, but about the ultimate love of a Holy God who came down to live among us.  In trying to keep things simple, we do not go to malls and stay away from stores as much as possible around those peak hours where people will be there to Christmas shop.  We shop to get needs taken care of.

Ok, enough of my soap box....

How was your Thanksgiving?  Did you do anything different this year?  Did you serve the same traditional things your family has served in years past?

God Bless,

Home Making Blessings

I am absolutely enjoying the smell of my house this week.  I have trays and trays of Oregano dehydrating on the hearth in the dehydrator. 

 It smells like an Italian eatery in here.  This is our second batch this week.  We are going to try to dehydrate a couple jars full, if not more.  I missed doing this last year.  We just went out and picked it fresh to use in the kitchen, neglecting the dehydrating.  I had so few trays (the others had broken) it would have taken so very long to get a couple sprigs of it dehydrated that it wasn't worth the time.  At the end of the season I found another dehydrator, so we're dehydrating as we get it coming up.  Next up is Chives! :)

 Loveliness!

Thanking God for His provision, both from the ground and from unexpected sources...

A friend of my husband called and asked if we would like their refrigerator.  We were extremely blessed with this "new to us" one.  It takes up less space, has more shelving and drawers than our old one and it fits perfectly.  God is so good!   This is our 2nd refrigerator.  Our upstairs kitchen refrigerator is much bigger than this one, not the biggest on the market, nor a new one, but it functions just fine for now.  

What a blessing!

In Christ,

In The Garden

This Spring has been warm, then very cold.  Cold enough to frost heavily.  We've waited in years past until Memorial Day weekend to put the garden in, but even then the threat of frost was greater.  As I type this, I'm sitting under a blanket with the temperatures having dropped to the 40's through the night.  Yes, in June!

Today we'll finish getting the garden in and the plants surrounded with newspaper to keep the weeds down and to keep the ground moist.  In a couple weeks we'll get some hay to further mulch the garden to keep the ground from drying out.

Why?

I'm glad you've asked!  Last year our well pump decided to give up the ghost, so we're watering our garden from city water, as needed until we find a viable solution.  I know the solution seems so very simple--just buy a new electric well pump.  It isn't as easy as that.  We're trying to rethink some of the electrical systems here in our house due to the way the original builders wired everything in the 70's when this house was built.  To say it wasn't up to code is an understatement.  So my husband is seeking counsel from others on how to deal with this.  We may put in an old fashioned hand pump on our well to water the garden with.  It would work, but we're researching and making sure that would be the best option at this point.  We're not in a hurry.  Sometimes these things take time.

So, in an effort to save water, we're putting down newspaper and eventually hay to preserve the water we put on the plants or the water God provides from the heavens.

Now, I'm off to get the garden finished.  I'll post pictures later.

From last year...

Until later, 

2013 Book Reading List

I've been looking at books I'd like to read this coming year, some that I'd like to buy to read, some that our pastor has suggested that my husband I read together in a study and some for my own personal growth.  Mind you, this list is in no way exhaustive.  There are  many books that are there because I just didn't get to them last year.  However, know that my reading list still continues with great resolve.

I've added a section on Healthy Living.  The books I've listed there are based on my own personal health issues, like PCOS and the Paleo Cookbooks which I'm finding that gluten and grains are linked to PCOS.  For those of you who do not know, PCOS is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.  With the way the government has pushed the food pyramid in times past where you're supposed to get all these servings per day of breads, grains, rices and pasta, many people have blindly followed the government's suggestions to their own detriment, your's truly as well.  I have taken much of the grain out of my own diet this past year and I've lost 35.5 pounds and I'd lost 34.5 inches off my body in 2012.

I plan to continue on this lifestyle because I feel so much healthier.  Do I still eat bread?  Yes!  Once a week I'll have a Sandwich Round with lots of veggies and meat or I'll have multigrain nachos.  Why so few grains? I'll delve in to that another day on my Created to Eat Naturally blog.  :0)

If anyone has any suggestions or questions, please let me know.  You can also email me if you'd like.  My email address is in pink on the left side bar, just add the symbols.

Philemon 1:3 

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

'Tis Life

I'm sitting here at the dining room table correcting papers, giving direction, and my head is spinning today.  It is Monday and the first day of the week.  We have had a very busy day.  Tomorrow looks to be much the same.

I love watching my children make strides in their learning.  It doesn't have to be book work that they make strides in, but just everyday things like conquering their bedroom mess and etc.

It is now Tuesday and when I went to bed last night I figured out why my head was spinning.  I took my night time pills in the morning.  Go figure!  Melatonin at 11AM is NOT a good thing!

Today was MUCH better! 

This morning I went to the Dr. with my Mr. G and he actually used "THE" word for him that I know he's been dreading:  Diabetes.  Yes, now we've both been diagnosed with it.  Fortunately, since I've been living with this new way of life for almost 2 years, the news wasn't so difficult for me to handle.  Mr. G, however, it's just a confirmation of what probably should have been used to describe him last year.  Such as life!  Now comes the "get healthier" part of it.  And, that we'll do together, happily and a bit more humbly and thankful for every single moment the Lord gives us.  

So, for all of you wonderful people who we gladly invite to our home, we'll still have bread and I will make my cheesecake.  I promise!  And when we come to your home, we'll just eat accordingly.  Please do not feel like you need to adjust your menus for us.  We'll make the necessary adjustments ourselves. 

Life is good, God is Great and Jesus Saves.

...and YES, God is STILL on His throne!

   

No Poo

For those of you who are completely bored with the topic of personal hygeine, please feel free to skip this post.  I don't mind.

On the other hand, if you're interested in my own personal findings of going "poo" free for 1 week, please read on!

Disclaimer:  This is NOT about bodily fluids.  I promise!  LOL

I am convinced that this method of washing and rinsing hair (mine in particular) has caused such a change on my hair's manageability that I'm hooked!

No Poo Recipe
1 Cup Baking Soda
1 Cup Tap Water
Mix and pour over your hair leaving in your hair with it pinned up in the shower while you wash everything else.  Rinse well....scalp...everything.  There will be no bubbles, but your hair will have a squeakier than shampoo feeling to it.

Conditioning--
1 Cup Vinegar (I've been using Apple Cider)
1 Cup Water
Mix and pour over hair leaving hair pinned up while you finish rinsing or shaving or brushing your teeth (like Mr. G does).  Rinse well...scalp...everything.

There is NO residual scent of vinegar, just gloriously smooth hair.

This is a picture I took with the webcam the first day I did this method.

This was day one of no shampoo.  I dried my hair like I normally do, it's still a bit frizzy, but it gets better!  

This one seems a little fuzzy to me, but it could be the lighting.  Anyway, just a little frizz left on the ends, but everything is getting smoother and smoother with each use.  

Challenging Myself...more...

On the same vein as my last post, I'd like to add more about how I purpose to stretch and challenge myself. 

Like my last post, I mentioned that when one is not learning and growing, one is stagnant.  There are so many things I don't know, so many things that I do know, but know so very little of and yet my appetite for knowing about those things makes them all the more intriguing to me.  Some of the things I'd like to learn to do more with is juicing, yogurt making, dehdrating, baking with spelt and quinoa, cooking with red palm oil and coconut oil instead of the highly hydrogenized cooking oils found on store shelves, medicinal uses of herbs as well as planting herb gardens for beauty and asthetics. 

I would love to do more with home juicing for the health benefits of it.  I'd like to find a good book to show which juices help to aid in which body process.  As for now, I pretty much know that cucumber juice helps with arthritis.  I'd like to find more information and put it in to practice.  As for the pulp that is left behind, I'd like to use it (minus the seeds) for smoothies and possibly breads.  If anyone knows of a good book like the one I've described, please let me know! 

Yogurt making has always intrigued me.  I would love to start making some of our own because we go through it so very quickly.  I'd love to mix my own locally collected honey and hand picked berries with it to make it as close to home made as possible.  I'm trying to get away from preservatives and get as close to God made as possible.  The genetically modified organisms (GMO's) are running rampant in our food supplies.  The kids and I watched a show about Corn through Netflix last week.  They use "dent" corn (aka: NON-edible corn) to make the high fructrose corn syrup in many drinks!  If it isn't supposed to be edible, then why are they making it in to something people consume?  Ugh!   If you would read this article called Genetically Modified(GM) Crops- How Scientists Have Perverted Natural Foods by Michael Pearl, you'll find that he quotes quite a few scriptures that point out how God's creation was deemed "good" by the creator God from beginning of the world.  You'll also find a warning about "mingling" seeds from Leviticus 19:19 that says, "Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed".  So for us, we're getting away from anything Genetically Modified for our health's sake.  Am I "running" out of fear?  No!  To the contrary!  I am choosing to get our foods from as natural sources as I can, like our front bay window, for instance.

I have dehydrated many of my herbs for over winter usage for years.  I have dehydrated basil, sage, cilantro, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and chamomile.  My husband has dehydrated onions, zucchini, tomatoes, hot peppers of all sorts of heat levels, bell peppers and beef jerky.  While my own purposes of dehydrating herbs have been strictly for culinary purposes, my husband's purposes have been to replicate a hot seasoning mix or hot sauce to share with his friends.  While I don't mind dehydrating, I would love to do it more on a mass scale with an Excaliber 3900.

If you click the picture, it will take you to the page where you can see other dehydrators in addition to the one pictured above.

When fruit and vegetables are at their peaks, I like to buy in bulk so that we can use the produce through the winter.  I would like to dehydrate some as well as make fruit leather (like fruit roll ups, but healthier), trail mix, jams and jellies because freezer space is limited to garden produce and farm fed and hunted meats.  The Excaliber is a rectangular model that would fit perfectly on my hearth while dehydrating summer's goodness. 

I admit that I need to do more research on spelt and quinoa, how to cook with them, what recipes to make with them and so forth.  Both my husband and I are diabetic as of this year now.  I need to make sure I find good sources of nutrient dense foods for all of us to eat that are not detrimental to either of our blood sugars. 

I've been cooking with coconut oil for a couple of years.  I've heard of red palm oil through an article written by Serene Allison of Above Rubies and thought it had some merit.  I started reading a few things here and there to find that the things she mentioned in the article were right.  Tropical Traditions carries Virgin Red Palm Oil.  I haven't  researched any other reputable companies to know enough about comparison pricing or anything like that.  I will be doing that very soon as well. 

I would like to encourage each one of you who read this blog post to challenge yourself to research and read more about healthy diets and over all good health.  As of our last Dr's appointment, our blood tests were all good, with exception of the glucose numbers.  It is inevitable, then for us to be drawn to greater health.  We want to pass this on to our children as well.  One of them in particular seems rather rebellious against the "greater health" diet that we're pursuing.  He seems to think that the thought of "there will be no more sugar and/or sweet stuff in the house EVER again" is ancient medieval torture.  Much the same, he considers more water intake to be an aweful consequense to having more acne.  LOL  'Twas such a wonderful thing that he expressed these views in front of his Daddy.  *BIG grin*  Daddy told him that it is a part of life, to take care of oneself.  All of us need to be eating healthier foods to take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit.