My Promise to Post More Frequently

Well, I have apologized before about not being more diligent in my posts, but I really am recommitting myself to posting at least once a week. Life got a little carried away for a minute, but I think I've reined myself in enough to be able to make that promise. I have so much to tell and post!

First things first, I promised some recipes. I have three summertime sweet recipes that have been a huge hit in my house. They were also made with all real ingredients and with the exception of a couple of ingredients - most of them were from local farmers. I am REALLY loving this CSA we have joined!

For the past couple of weeks in our weekly produce bundle, we have received a lot of mint. I love mint, but there is only so much that can be done with any copious amounts of a single herb. Therefore, I decided to take my large amounts of mint and turn them into something wonderful - Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (my favorite flavor!). I got this recipe off of epicurious.com, which is a great website for all sorts of recipes. Below is a picture and the recipe:





Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
yield: 1 1/2 quarts

6 large egg yolks
3/4 C. sugar
2 C. Whole Milk
2 C. fresh mint leaves
1 C. Cream
3 drops of optional food coloring
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 C. of sugar.

In a medium saucepan over low-medium heat, stir together milk, remaining 1/4 C. sugar, and mint. Heat until steaming but not boiling, remove from heat.

Ladle about 1/2 C. of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent eggs from cooking, then slowly stir the egg mixture back into the hot milk, whisking constantly. Place over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coast the back of a spoon. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Discard solids. Whisk in cream and food coloring. Cover and chill overnight.

Process the cold custard in you ice cream maker. Add the chopped chocolate during the last couple minutes of churning. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until hard.

This was a total crowd pleaser. Now I know that there is food coloring in this recipe and I am totally against adding additional chemicals into our bodies. However, without the food coloring it looked a yellowish orange and I had a hard time eating mint ice cream that was orange. Aside from that, the sugar and the chocolate, all of the other ingredients were purchased within a 30 mile radius of my home. Very satisfying!

Another great ice cream recipe is this chocolate peanut butter one that I kind of came up with on my own. I kind of put a few recipes together to come up with this one. I made it for my brother-in-law as a thank you for watering our flowers while on vacation and he was very pleased with the trade-off. It's great!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 C. Cream
2 C. Whole Milk
2 egg yolks
1/2 C. Sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
Peanut Butter

Combine the cream, milk and chocolate in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until mixture almost boils and chocolate is melted. Reduce heat to low.

While that cooks, beat yolks, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add a small amount of the hot milk mixture to the yolks and stir until combined. Gradually add the yolk mixture back into the hot milk stirring continuously. Cook over low heat until slightly thickened and mixture coats the back of a spoon. Cool in the refrigerator overnight.

Place the cold custard into your ice cream maker and process. During the last 5 minutes of churning add small spoonfuls of peanut butter. Enjoy!

The final summer treat I wanted to share was this great popsicle recipe that I got out of Cooking Light. It was delicious. My daughter couldn't get enough!

Minted Watermelon and Lemon Ice Pops

Watermelon layer:
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. chopped fresh mint
2 C. packed cubed seeded watermelon
1 T. fresh lime juice.

Lemon layer:
6 T. sugar
1/2 C. water
2/3 C. fresh lemon juice
1/3 C. fresh orange juice
1/4 t. orange extract

To prepare the watermelon layer, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in mint, cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a bowl.

Place the watermelon into a blender and process until smooth. Strain puree through a sieve into the sugar and mint mixture and discard the solids. Stir in lime juice, cover and chill for 1 hour.

Fill 1/2 of the popsicle molds with the watermelon layer and freeze for 1 1/2 hours or until almost set.

To prepare lemon layer, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook 30 seconds. Pour into a bowl and add lemon juice, orange juice, and orange extract. Cool for 15 minutes, cover and chill for 1 hour.

After the watermelon has been the freezer for 1 1/2 hours, remove and add lemon layer. Insert handles or sticks into molds and freeze until solid.

These are all three really great summer treats. We received 4 quarts of strawberries from our CSA farm this week, so check the blog. I'm going to dig up some recipes for strawberry ice cream, strawberry sherbet and strawberry popsicles. It should be good!

Finally, I really wanted to show you all a picture of the great skirt I finished for my daughter. She got to debut it on our vacation and I was very pleased with the results. I think this is going to be one that I reproduce to sell at the Fall Festival. While she can wear it now, I can add tights and a long-sleeve top to take it into Fall:

I think that's about all for now. My family and I got to work out at our CSA farm yesterday and my husband took some really great pictures. I'm hoping to post those here in a couple of days just to show the beauty of sustainable living. I also got some really pretty veggies that I can't wait to try and report back on! I'm so excited to get to the point where a grocery store is only a side thought!

Sorry it's been so long!

I am very ashamed of myself. It's been way too long since I've published a post. In my defense, not a whole lot has been happening. I have been taking strides in making as much from scratch as possible. So far I have discovered a deep dish pizza crust that my family is crazy about, and some really wonderful homemade ice cream recipes (I'll try and post those recipes later this week). I have a feeling my ice cream maker is going to be working in overdrive this summer! We still have a long way to go (I just can't seem to cut out chips completely!), but we're getting there! One exciting thing that has happened is that we had our first CSA pickup this past week and I wanted to talk about it before it was time to pick up our second week's helping.

I am SO impressed with the farm we have chosen. The kids and I went out there last Wednesday and had a great time picking out our veggies and herbs. Since this is the beginning of the growing season, we didn't get tons of produce, but that will change as the season progresses. We picked up bok choy, green leaf lettuce, green garlic, and assorted fresh herbs. They have all tasted great! For those of you who have never heard of green garlic (this was a first for me!), it is very similar to a green onion. It's the garlic plant in it's baby stage. It definitely has a garlic taste to it, but it's much sweeter and lighter than a mature garlic bulb. I've used it in just about everything this week. To those of you who don't have the space (like me), or the desire to grow your own produce - I highly recommend finding a farm that has a CSA program. The kids love going out there and we ate very healthy all week long. Tomorrow I go and pick up our week 2 rations. I also get to pick up our first meat order. My husband is very excited about the meat shares I'll be bringing home tomorrow night. The Luckenbill's are eating well!

Other than our wonderful food starting, I have also been sewing like crazy. I have made my daughter a couple of adorable items. I'm going to get pictures and post them for all to see. I did a great skirt for her with side ruffles that it is almost too cute. I was even able to use fabric scrapes to piece it together. So much fun! I've also been getting busy making items for my town's fall fest in September. My sister and I are planning on setting up a booth there. I have a long way to go to build up any inventory, but I'm going to have fun sewing every last item. I think I've got two items made and ready to go . . .

I hope everyone is enjoying the sunny weather we've been having after ALL the rain. Remember to thank God for such beauty. We were actually able to get out of the house today and play outside, so I'm in a really thankful mood! I hope everyone is doing well and I promise some pictures at my next post!

A Few Summer Recipes

I hate asparagus. It is by far my least favorite veggie (that I've tasted so far, at least). However, I made a risotto last night that had me eating ALL of my asparagus and enjoying every bite. We ate is as the main dish, but my husband seems to think it would have been much better paired with a steak (that's his view on most of the vegetarian dishes I serve!). You could, however, add a little chicken or shrimp to this recipe and make it a main dish that would please everyone. Here's the recipe:

Asparagus Risotto

4 C. Chicken Broth
2 T. Olive Oil
4 green onions, minced
1 c. Arborio Rice
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
4 T. Butter
1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 C. grated Parmesan Cheese

Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and maintain at a simmer.

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the green onions and uncooked rice and cook for 5 minutes, or until the rice is golden brown.

Begin adding the broth, a 1/2 C. at a time and cook, stirring constantly, for 20 minutes, or until all the broth is absorbed and the risotto becomes creamy. Just before adding the last 1/2 C. of broth, add the asparagus, butter and pepper. Stir in the cheese just before serving!

It is wonderful. I hope you all try it and love it as much as we did!

I also had a couple other recipes I wanted to share. This next one is a GREAT summer recipe. It is a syrup that you pour over your fruit salad to keep the fruit from turning. It is amazing. I made my fruit salad a whole day in advance and not even the apples had turned. However, if you are going to add banana, I would do that right before serving, because bananas seem to turn quickly no matter what!

Fruit Salad Syrup

1/3 C. sugar
1/4 C. fresh mint leaves
2 T. lemon juice

Bring the sugar and 1/2 C. of water to a boil in a saucepan. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon and mint. Let steep for 15 minutes, then strain out the mint.

I have already used this recipe 3 times and summer hasn't even begun yet! It really gives the salad a fresh taste. My kids love it!

The final recipe I wanted to share is a great one to get your kids (or husbands!) to eat more veggies. This is one of my husband's favorites and getting him to like "strange" veggies is quite hard.

Meatball Kabobs

32 frozen, fully cooked meatballs, thawed
1 red pepper cut into 1 inch squares
1 green pepper cut into 1 inch squares
1/4 C. apricot jam
1/4 C. Barbecue Sauce of your choice

Thread the meatballs and peppers onto 8 skewers. I do meatball, red pepper, green pepper, meatball, etc.

Microwave the jam in a small bowl on high for 15 seconds. Stir in the BBQ sauce. Brush half onto the kabobs.

Grill the kabobs for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally and brushing with the remaining mixture the last 2 minutes.

Delicious!

I hope everyone is enjoying the weather. Only a month to go until we start getting our fresh produce. I can't wait!!!

P.S. is everyone watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on ABC on Friday nights? It is a GREAT show with an even better message. No wonder our country is so fat . . .

Recipe!

Good morning! I was thinking about the blog last night and realized that it's been a while since I've posted any recipes. I decided upon my mother's Chicken Lasagna. In the past months I seem to have been taking a lot of meals to people who have had babies. This is my go-to meal. It freezes really well and you can make it up without doing the final cooking, so when you are ready to eat it, it tastes fresh! On another note, this recipe uses a lot of cheese. I HIGHLY recommend grating your own cheese. Take a look at a package of shredded cheese and look at all the extra preservatives and stuff in it. It is rather disturbing. On the other hand, a block of cheese has only those ingredients you would associate with cheese. My opinion, always grate your own. It really doesn't take that much more time!

Chicken Lasagna

8 oz. oven ready lasagna noodles (I use the whole wheat kind!)
1/2 C. chopped onion
1/2 C. chopped green pepper
3 T. butter
1 Can of Cream of Chicken soup
1/3 C. milk
1/2 t. basil
3 C. diced cooked chicken (I just cook a package of breasts and chop them up!)
1 1/2 C. ricotta cheese
1/2 C. Mild Cheddar Cheese
1/2 C. Parmesan Cheese
1 1/2 C. Mozzarella Cheese
8 oz. package of mushrooms

Cook the onion, pepper, and mushrooms in the butter until tender. Stir in the soup, milk, basil and chicken to make the "sauce." Place 1/2 of the noodles in the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Cover with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese, 1/2 of the sauce, and 1/2 of the cheeses. Repeat the layers. At this point you can either wrap it up and freeze for later, or bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

I have also been experimenting with some vegetarian dishes this week. I just made up a few this morning, but have yet to try them. As soon as I do, and if they pass the taste test, I'll post those as well. I'm really trying to get a LOT more veggies in our diets and thought that sticking a few vegetarian items into our menu would be a good way to go about that. We'll see. They sure smell good!

Spring is Here Now, Right?

Well, as I look at my window I think I'm convinced that Spring is actually here this time. I think most of the snow from the weekend has melted and I think it's supposed to be a nice day. It's time for fresh produce!!

Yesterday we had our CSA orientation and my husband and I are both rearing to go. We had to sign up for a day to work at the farm during the growing season and we decided that he would take off work so we could do the farm thing as a family. I am REALLY excited about all of this local eating. We also signed up for some meat and egg shares from another farm. We will be getting grass fed beef, lamb, pork and chicken and then eggs from those free wandering chickens. The menu is going to be very tasty this summer.

Because of eating locally high that I'm currently riding and because of an OB appointment I just left, I really wanted to talk about food and exercise for a bit. For those of you who aren't aware, I had to have a hysterectomy at the age of 28 and have been struggling with some of the side effects from the surgery for about 2 years now. One of these struggles happens to be weight. Another background note is that last October, while training for a 1/2 marathon, I developed a stress fracture and acute tendinitis in my right hip and have been pretty much been off exercise since then because of the pain. Anyway, my dr. and I were talking about the "right" steps that I need to be taking to ensure great health. While many of my weight issues are because of my hysterectomy, these are all issues that I would have had sooner or later. It's because of my surgery that this is happening about 15 years earlier for me! I wanted to just share some of her wisdom:

1) She really advocated Yoga. She said that since my body is no longer producing hormones naturally that I am now at a risk for Osteoporosis. In order to combat this I need to be doing some weight resistant exercise like Yoga two times a week.

2) Eat as much whole foods as possible. She mentioned that you should have red meat only once a week with chicken and fish filling in the rest of the days. Meat should also be a side item, not the main dish.

3) While you need both fruits and veggies, you should eat at least twice the amount of veggies as fruit.

4) Running is bad on women's bodies (and my Dr. is a runner). Not only is it hard on the joints, but it also is really hard on the female organs due to the jostling while running. She really pushed swimming and biking as great ways to get my cardio in at least 5 times a week.

5) Finally, she recommended trying any exercise that you could see yourself doing at the age of 60 or 70. Finding exercises that you can do for your entire life will ensure that you are staying healthy your entire life.

I think those were the main points of my visit. While I haven't done any research myself, she also pointed out that studies have been done that are relating Alzheimer's and dementia with cardio health. In other words, if your arteries around you heart are clogged or moving slow, so are the ones in your brain. That really made me stop and think. I can think of no worse disease!

I hope this helps all of you in your quest for healthier selves. Good luck and eat locally!!

Short and Sweet

Hello everyone! This is going to be a very short post. I have two 3-year olds waiting to be put down for a nap, but I wanted to post a few pictures before I did that. First of all, here are the pictures of my daughter's Easter dress that I finished almost 2 weeks ago. She's very excited to
wear it. It's not perfect, but not bad for my first time, either!

Here are a few other projects that I have recently finished. This is my little bunny creation. He's made out of a recycled cashmere sweater. It had moth holes in it and was no longer wearable, so I've given it new life and turned it into a bunny for a baby named Owen (hence the O on the front!). He is my second recycled bunny and I think they turn out pretty darn cute. If any of you have any unwearable sweaters that you'd like to contribute to the cause, they make great baby gifts!

Finally, these are a couple of pictures of a baby quilt that I just finished for a friend. Obviously, she just had a baby girl named Olivia.

I think that about sums it up for now. We're pretty busy here so I hope to post a more thought provoking entry in the near future! God bless!

P.S. Did any of you watch Opera last Thursday? It was all about the food industry and eating better. She had the guy from Food, Inc. on. It was great!

My Amazing Mentor

Today I just wanted to quickly write a little bit about mental health. Part of my journey to all-around good health involves being healthy mentally, and being a mother of 3 year-old twins, this isn't at all easy! However, I have found a great cure to all that ails mentally. Find a hobby. I think that it really is that simple.

When I was pregnant I was looking everywhere for baby bedding that I really liked and that was gender neutral. At the time, it was nearly impossible. I didn't want a themed room at all, but I was also having a hard time finding stuff that wasn't primarily pink or blue. Therefore, I decided to make my own. Please keep in mind that at this time I didn't know a thing about sewing and didn't even own a sewing machine. So, I asked for and received my sewing machine that year as a birthday gift and had my mom teach me a few basic things about sewing. It was a slow process, but after a week of doing nothing but sewing, my mother and I completed my nursery. It was then that I realized I had been bitten by the sewing bug. Since then, I just can't get enough!

It didn't take long for me to outgrow my mother's sewing knowledge. At that point I turned to books (I can learn really easily by looking and reading books). I was able to pick up quite a few things from each book I picked up, but I felt like I was missing something in each technique. It was at this time, while at a P.E.O. meeting, that I was talking about my sewing and another woman piped up that she knew all sorts of stuff. Apparently her mother had owned a quilt shop in Louisiana while she was growing up and she knew how to do all sorts of things. She was also quite excited to teach me. I was thrilled! Since that meeting, we have gotten together twice. She is currently teaching me how to smock. For those that aren't savvy, smocking is the tiny pleating done on baby and little kid outfits, usually across the chest that will have a design or picture on it. It's used a lot in christening gowns as well. Anyway, I am almost finished with my daughter's Easter dress ( hopefully I can post some pictures on here later this week) and I'm so excited to learn more. My mentor is going to teach me heirloom stitching, more on quilting, and even tatting (that's the creation of lace). I can't describe what this has done to my stress levels. Mentally, I believe I am healthier now than I have been in a long time!

I want to challenge each of you to try something you've always wanted to try, or learn something you've always been curious about learning. It is such a great way relieve stress and it can't hurt to know a few more useful skills, right?! Good luck!

Back From Vacation!

Well, it's been a long time! So sorry it's been so long, but a lot has been going on since my last post. For instance, I turned 30! Not as big of a deal as I was fearing, however, it happened and now it's over! Because of this momentous birthday, my wonderful husband took me on a little vacation to Sedona, Arizona. It's this trip that I wanted to write about today!

First of all, I want to give you a little background. Growing up, my family and I traveled quite a bit. However, most of our trips were either to the same places, or a least the same general areas. I have seen a decent chunk of Europe and have also visited our Southern neighbors in Mexico a few times. That being said, I have made it my goal to see all 50 states before I die. Now, I don't want to just drive through a state and count that as my "visit." I really want to experience a little bit of each of our states. Therefore, my first trip to Arizona was very impressive and I believe that I "experienced" quite a bit.

I'm not sure what you all know about Sedona, Arizona, but it's a small town about 2 hours north of Phoenix. It's kind of in a valley surrounded by the most beautiful red mountains you've ever seen. Since being married, my vacationing has changed a lot. Growing up, when on vacation, we made it our goal to see how little we could do over the course of our trip (with the exception of those oh so wonderful educational trips!). This usually meant sitting on a beach, reading, and eating. However, because my husband is a bit hyperactive, this doesn't fly for him. We have to be doing something at almost all times. While it's not quite as relaxing, it really does show you a lot more of where you are. So, needless to say, we spent most of the trip exploring all the amazing red rock formations, both on foot and on horseback. It was amazing. How anyone can look at a place like this and not believe in God is just amazing to me. It was truly one of the most spiritual places I've been. While I've seen the mountains in both Colorado and Utah, this seemed so different. I think it must have been the mixture of mountains and desert along with the distinctive red color of the earth. It was extremely healing.

While on our trip, I coerced my husband into taking a horseback tour through some of the country. It was fabulous. However, I enjoyed meeting the owner of this ranch almost as much as the actual ride itself. He was in his late 70s and owned the full working ranch where we rode. He has owned and lived on this ranch for 40 years, and grew up and lived on his Grandfather's ranch right next to it before that. As we were driving to the horses, he calmly pointed out where he had taken his first steps as a baby and commented that his last steps would probably only be a few hundred yards from that. His ranch is run by himself, some of his children, grandchildren and a couple of great-grandchildren also run around the property. While I found this to be so amazing, he really stopped me in my tracks when he started talking about his family being completely sustainable. I'm not sure why this took me aback. I guess when I think about the "green" movement and about people moving toward sustainability for their families, I think about young adults. After talking to Richard, though, it made me realize how wrong that thought process was. He told us about how he has taught each of his children, grandchildren, and soon the great-grandchildren how to grow all their own food, how to ride a horse, and even how to make their own diesel fuel from the corn they grow. Also, he made a point of saying that he taught each of them how to shoot a gun to kill their food, not to harm. They kill and butcher their own cows for food. He said that he wanted each of his offspring to know what it felt like to kill and to understand the permanence of such an action. While I was astounded by this, he simply stated that this is what they've always done on the ranch (with the exception of the fuel which is pretty new). It made me realize that this goal I have for my family is exactly what families have been doing for centuries. I must say that it was very refreshing to have that perspective thrown at me again! Once again, if I listen, God chooses all sorts of ways to talk to me!

When God Speaks Through Your Children!

First of all, I just want to thank everyone who sent me ideas for daily devotionals. I will use all of your ideas and suggestions. Thank you! Second, I just wanted to share a quick story about my daughter that really reminded me how God speaks to us through so many avenues.

Our family typically prays before dinner each night and when doing so we all hold hands, while my husband says grace. While we are very diligent about saying our thanks before dinner, that is really the only meal we pray before. Today at lunch, the kids and I took our seats around the table to eat a quick bite. I had gotten both children settled, blown on their grilled cheeses, filled cups, etc. I was just taking my first bite of my leftover Chicken and Rice from the night before (see recipe below), when my daughter looks at me accusingly and says, "Mommy, don't eat yet, we haven't thanked God." As I sit there staring at her with my mouth FULL of chicken I'm taken aback. Since it took me a bit to respond, she dutifully stuck out her fat little hand for me to grasp so that we could pray. Needless to say, after swallowing my bite, I grabbed both of their soft little hands and we blessed our meal. It shames me that it took my 3 year-old child to remember to thank God for all of our meals, not just dinner. It is times like this that remind me that God is speaking to me all the time, and that I just really need to be quite and listen. When he has to use my very loud 3 year-old to bring me to attention, I know that I haven't been as quiet and reflective as I need to be. Once again, thank you Lord for 3 year-old children!

On another note, I fixed a super easy recipe last night for our family. This is very popular in our house because I double it and my husband takes leftovers to work the next day for lunch (it reheats marvelously). It's definitely a family favorite. Enjoy!

Chicken and Rice (this serves just 4, but I always double it!)

4 Chicken Thighs (bone in and skin on!)
1 Can Cream of Chicken
2/3 C. Instant Brown Rice
1/2 envelope of Onion Soup Mix

Preheat the oven to 325. Combine the cream of chicken and the rice. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish (when I double it, I use a 9X13 pan). Lay your thighs on top of the rice mixture. Sprinkle the Onion Soup mix on top of the thighs. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Edible Memories

This weekend I made the trip back to my home town for the birthday party of a dear friend. While there, I stopped by my Grandmother's house to visit for a bit. My Grandmother has a recipe for the most delicious chocolate cake you are ever tasted (it has won a first place ribbon at the Missouri State Fair, no less!) and I had been meaning to get it for quite some time. So while I was visiting, I decided that there was no better time than the present.

As I was digging through her very large stack of recipe cards, I got to thinking that maybe I would take a few more recipes as well. After all, you can never have too many recipes (especially really goods ones that you grew up on!). As I made my way slowly through the stack I came across MANY recipes from my childhood and I began to notice that a few memories would pop into my head as I read over the ingredients for each dish. Who knew that memories of meals would bring so much emotion. In addition to remembering each of these tasty repasts, it also struck me how old many of these recipes were. They were all written in my Grandmother's nearly ineligible handwriting, and quite a few had already started to fade with age. There were even a few in there from her own mother. It got me thinking how precious these 3X5 cards really were. Needless to say, I walked out of there with a substantial stack of recipes that I am to copy (I think I'm going to scan them all so I can have them all in her handwriting) and bring them back this coming weekend. While my Grandmother is in great health for all of her 88 years, it brings me great comfort to have these memories in my possession. I, of course, fully intend on making each and everyone of them in the hopes that my own children will one day have fond memories of the same recipes that I loved as a child.

My challenge to each of you is to make sure to collect what you can about your family history, whether it be through stories, or as in my case, recipes. I had no idea how much these would mean to me until I started flipping through them, but it has inspired me to not only get more recipes from my mother, but to also hound my other Grandma for some of her memorable recipes (especially that fried chicken recipe!). There is truly no better gift to your families than to give them the gift of health in wonderful meals that were created in love.

And the flu came and went . . .

Hello all! Well, the stomach flu officially ripped through our household last week. Unfortunately, I was unable to eat any of the wonderful Chicken Noodle Soup I had made. According to my family, however, it was quite wonderful, so try the recipe!

Since starting this blog, I have had a few questions regarding CSA farms, what that means, and what that entales. I thought I would take this time to discuss the wonderfulness (is that a word?) of CSA farms. My family and I recently joined one in our area and will start receiving produce from it in mid-May. I can't wait! Basically, a CSA farm is a farm that has decided to take on "investors." You pay for your produce up front (at the beginning of the season) and thus take on the same risks as the farmers. If there is a drought or some sort of disease that harms a certain crop, then you won't get as much. However, if there is a bumper crop, you get more! By paying at the beginning of the year we have purchased a "share" of produce that their farm will generate during the growing season. In addition, our farm asks that you volunteer your time to help with the harvest and to help distribute the produce among all the families involved. That is where I hope to learn some more about gardening! It's a great alternative to going to the farmer's market each week. It's a little cheaper to do it this way and you get to help support your local economy while getting great, healthy fruits and veggies in return. If you are interested in doing something like this, you can find participating farms in your area by visiting this national website: www.localharvest.org/csa

I also wanted to draw everyone's attention to a very thought provoking documentary called Food, Inc. If you have or haven't heard of this documentary, I strongly suggest you put this into your Netflix list. It is a great movie. It takes a look at our country's food industry and really delves into the corruption of both the industry itself and the FDA - the association that supposed to be protecting us! Watching it really added some steam to this journey I've decided to take! I've many people tell me that it was life changing for them.

On a final note, I wanted to ask all of you if you had any suggestions on some good devotional books, or bible studies. I have been working really hard at becoming healthier in many areas of my life, but feel like my spiritual life still needs a lot of work. While my family and I attend church each week and are diligent Christians, I still feel like we have a lot of growing to do. I, in particular, need to work on my private time with God and my daily devtionals. So, if any of you have any suggestions I would REALLY appreciate it.

I hope you are all doing well and stay healthy. That stomach flu is ruthless!!!

Chicken Soup Really Does Heal, Right?

Good Wednesday morning! I hope everyone had a great night last night and is feeling fine this morning. Here in our household, I am nursing back to health 3-year olds with the stomach flu. Not a whole lot of fun, but a necessary motherly duty. It is also at times like these that I recall a conversation that I had with my mother only about a week ago in a dressing room with my sister. She was commenting that before I got pregnant she just wasn't sure how I would do with kids. "You were just never the maternal type like your sister," she shrugs as she zips my sister into another dress. "What's that supposed to mean?" I ask as I begin to get a bit defensive. "I'm not saying you're a bad mom, I just wasn't sure what you would be like when they got here. You never liked kids when you were a teenager." At this point I'm beginning to wonder exactaly where this conversation is going, but once again, with my mom it's always best to not read to much into a comment as it's often hard to tell the difference between a criticism and a stray thought. "Ok," I reply a bit baffled at the turn of conversation since just a few minutes before we were discussing how fast time has gone by and pretty soon my babies will be 4. She offered no further comment after that, which only leaves me to wonder what exactaly my mother pictured when my husband and I announced we were having twins. Not that it should matter, but as it is with most daughters, maternal approval is often sought after. Please don't misconstrue this as anything other than the playful banter that my family and I often engage in. While she has no problem offering "tough love," I couldn't ask for a more loving and wonderful Mother, or a more perfect Mimi for my kids. Love you mom! However, I still feel the need to prove her orginal thoughts about me wrong!

I digress. My real reason for my post this morning was to prove what a rock star Mom I actually am. Ok, I really just need to pump myself up with false confidence every now and then; especially when I've been up all night cleaning vomit off of a very tired and cranky child and doing, yet another, load of laundry. Anyway - here was my solution to healing my small brood - Chicken Noodle Soup. Now in the past I wouldn't have hesitated to grab the nearest can of Cambell's Soup, pair it with some Saltines and call it a day, but this the new me! I decided to try and make my own soup - from scratch! Sound scary? Not really. I found a very simple recipe (albiet time consuming) that I started yesterday and that we will feast on tonight. This is great if you are a stay-at-home mom or if you work from home as the chicken has to simmer for 4 hours as you make your chicken stock. I got this recipe mainly from my "Simply Organic" cookbook by Jesse Ziff Cool (a great cookbook and I highly recommend purchasing it!). I made a few modifications and added my own noodle recipe to finish it off. Here is what I came up with:

Chicken Soup
1 whole 3-4 pound Chicken
2 large onions
3 large carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
5 peppercorns
2 large sprigs of fresh dill
3 large sprigs of Italian Parsley
1 parsnip, chopped (you knew I'd get that one in there!)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
noodles (see following recipe)

All you do is dump the whole chicken into a large stock pot and throw in 1 onion (I just quartered mine), 1 carrot, 1 celery rib, and the peppercorns, dill and parsley. Cover the chicken with cold water and add about another 1-2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer, covered, for around 4 hours.
*This makes your house smell like you're mother of the year. It is the best!
After simmering, pull your chicken out of the pot and set aside. It will be so tender that it will literally start falling off the bones. Just make a little pile of all the meat, bones and skin on a plate and let it cool a couple of minutes. Place a strainer over a bowl and pour the rest of the contents into it. Discard the remaining soilds, cover the stock and stick into the fridge overnight. After doing this, go through your chicken pile and seperate the meat from the skin and bones. I kind of shredded/seperated the meat as I went to make it bite-sized. Throw away the skin, fat and bones and stick the meat into a ziploc baggie and into the fridge.
The next morning, uncover your stock and scoop up the layer of fat that has formed on the top and discard. It will all be a little jelly like at this point, but no worries, it's reliquify when we heat it up later!
It's at this point that we make the noodles!

Noodles *Make about 2 1/2 hours before you want to serve the soup!
2 egg yolks
pinch of baking powder
flour to make a stiff batter
1/2 C. half-n-half
Salt to taste

Combine it all into a bowl and keep adding flour until the batter is no longer sticky. You really get to get your hands dirty on this one! Seperate the dough into two balls and roll them out seperately. Cover your countertop with flour before starting this and also make sure your rolling pin is covered. You really can't use too much flour in this recipe. Just keep adding the flour as you roll them out so they don't get sticky. After you have rolled out both balls of dough rather thinly (they do plump up quite a bit when they are cooked), let them sit for about 2 hours to dry. After drying, roll them up (like you would a newspaper) and then start to slice them into thin strips with a sharp knife (like you would cut cookies off a roll of cookie dough). At this point you can either drop them into the hot broth, or stick them in a ziploc and freeze for a little later. It's up to you!

Final step!
Chop the remaining onion, 2 carrots and celery rib. In a large stock pot add these veggies to the stock, the parsnip, salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about an hour covered. About 15 minutes before you want to serve your soup, throw the noodles into the broth so they can cook along with the soup. Test a noodle before you take it off the stove to make sure they are cooked through. Otherwise you'll have chewy noodles! Enjoy!

I tell you, I am not a good cook, but I'm trying. I was a little intimidated by this recipe, but turns out it's really easy, just a lot of steps. Try it out if you're curing ills in your household, or if you just really like chicken and noodle soup! It tastes devine and it proves what a real supermom I am - right? Kiss kiss to my wonderful mother!

Parsnips

Parsnips. Up until a week ago, I had never eaten a parsnip. They are strange, white roots that resemble an albino carrot. However, due to my new initiative to make my family healthier, I decided to take the leap and try all sorts of vegetables that I had always been a little weary of eating. Thus, the parsnip. A week ago, I was going through beef stew recipes trying to find "the one." In this search, I came across a recipe that used the blanc veggie. Putting on a brave face, I quickly peeled and chopped the alien root and popped it into my stew. While this recipe didn't top my stew list, I was so proud of "trying" parsnips that I bragged to my father about it. "What did it taste like," he asked a bit bewildered. I had no idea. Like most veggies in a stew, once they've been stewed it's pretty difficult to determine the individual tastes. Rats. I would have to try again.

Two nights ago I was making one of my favorite recipes of my mother's which is a sausage and tortellini soup. It calls for 2 carrots. I did not, however, have 2 good looking carrots. While I was mulling over this dilemma in front of my fridge, I happened to look down and spot the remaining parsnips from the stew recipe. They looked like a carrot, but how would they taste? Should I be brave and substitute one of my carrots for it's paler cousin? This could possibly ruin a soup that I had been craving all day. Squaring my shoulders, I pulled it out of the fridge and began chopping. About this time, one of my three year olds wanders in and wants to see what I'm doing. "What's that white thing?" my daughter asks. "It's a parsnip," I reply. "Is is good?" she questions. Well, since I have been taking a stand for healthier food, I have really been striving to set a good example for my kids. I could also, not in good conscience, lie to her. "Let's try it together," I reply to that sweet, curious face. The gauntlet had been thrown. I set aside my knife and bravely picked up two of the smallest chopped pieces. I handed one to her and popped the other in my mouth. After a couple of seconds she looks at my and says, "It tastes just like a carrot," hops off her chair and resumes playing. While I didn't think it tasted quite like a carrot (a little more tangy), I was very pleasantly surprised. I had actually stumbled upon another vegetable that I actually liked! It looked like this adventure into trying new things wouldn't be so horrible after all. Leave it to a 3 year old to, yet again, show you the way. Thank you lord for my precious babies and the lessons they teach me each day!

It's been a while!

Looking at my first entry, I see it's been well over a week since I have last blogged and figured it was time for another update. A few things have happened since the beginning of January. First, I have decided to rent a booth this fall during our town's local fall festival and sell some of my homemade goods. I believe I have talked my sister into going into "business" with me for that venture. I have spent quite a bit of time creating a list of inventory that I will need to get busy making! September will be here before I know it, I'm sure.

The second item of notice is that after being on a waiting list with a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm, my name is finally up and I have been offered the opportunity to purchase a plot for the upcoming growing season. This will allow me a portion of the farm's produce over the growing season (24 weeks), in addition to requiring me to work at the farm for a couple of "shifts." I thought this would be a great way to get fresh and locally grown fruits and veggies, as well as a great way to learn the ropes about growing my own vegetation at some point in the future. We'll see how it goes. I have much to learn!

Finally, in my quest for a healthier life, I am in the process of creating a website to showcase and sell my homemade creations. The name of my new company is X2Creations and I hope to have at least a cover page up in another week. I'll keep you posted on the domain name! It's very exciting and will give me a chance to beef up my family financially, as well as create some teaching moments for my kids. After all, if they see Mommy working toward a goal and either achieving it, or handling setbacks, valuable lessons should be learned. We'll see how that goes!

Thanks again for reading and I'll keep everyone updated with the upcoming website!

Welcome to Double Vision!

Hello to all! My name is Whitney, I'm from Missouri, and I am a stay-at-home mom of 3 year old boy/girl twins. My reason for creating this blog was to track and journal my journey to a healthier life for myself and my family. A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with a few health problems that I believe were a result of my environment. Because of this, I have decided to do all in my power to provide my family with a healthier life physically, emotionally, financially, and most importantly, spiritually.

Being a mom in 2010 is hectic. There are so many activities that you feel pressured into engaging in to aid in creating "well rounded" children that healthy living gets lost in the shuffle. Believe me, I am very guilty of this. That is one of the reasons I decided to do this blog - to hold myself accountable.

Over the next couple of years, I will be slowly creating a life for my family that is healthier all around. I would love for all of you to join me in this quest. I have recently started sewing to earn a few extra dollars and I love it! Every day I am learning more ways to save money by creating on my own. I would love to share these ideas with you! Another goal of mine is to create a garden that my family can primarily live off of. Our current home does not afford me the opportunity to start this garden, but we will be moving in the next year or so and that is one of the criteria for that "new" house. On a side note - I haven't gardened a day in my life, so this particular endeavor could be quite entertaining to follow! The "new" house that we will be buying will be another interesting line to follow. I would love to purchase an older home (built in the late 60s, 70s, or early 80s) and make as many of the renovations as possible ourselves. We will be on a strict budget, so my creativity will really need to run wild with this one! Finally, I want to slow my family down in order to appreciate all that this world has to offer (for free!). While my husband and I are Christians, there is still much for us to learn and many ways for us to grow. As my children are growing I am feeling a greater responsibility to teach them about God and our savior Jesus Christ. Hopefully, through this entire endeavor, I will find many teaching moments for them so that they can learn to thank Him for this wonderful world he has provided.

I think that about sums up my opening post and my goal for this blog. I hope you all enjoy the ride and get some useful information out of it as well. Until next time . . .