Super Summer Salads

Summertime here in Florida is hot, Hot, HOT!! When the daily summer thunder storms start, the humidity after the storm is awful. The last thing I want to do is eat a hot meal let alone cook one! The summer menu is filled with a lot of cold food like sandwiches, salads and wraps.

My family is pretty easy to please in the food department. We’ve passed out so many meals to the homeless that we’ve learned to be grateful with whatever is on the plate. However, being grateful and being enthusiastic are two different things. I am very grateful to the Lord for all that He graciously provides, but my very human heart, stomach and taste buds desire a little variety now and then.

This week, I decided to share all the different toppings that I mix and match to keep our salads interesting and appealing. Every salad starts with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and shredded carrots.

By the way, NO, I do not buy bagged salad mixes. For the amount of money it costs to purchase the four bags of salad mix I’d need each week, I can buy a nice variety of fresh, locally-grown lettuces. Let the kids shred the lettuce during dinner prep for a little extra family time.

Anyway, every salad starts with lettuce tossed with shredded carrots and tomato and cucumber chunks. If you experience any tummy trouble from eating salads, remove the seeds from the cucumbers and tomatoes, and you should be fine. Then top with one of the ideas on the list. Choose a different mixture each time and your salads will be tasting as fresh as their ingredients.

Vegetables: Yes, a salad is mostly vegetables, but don't miss out on the not so normal veggies for your salad. 

Broccoli and cauliflower flowerets

Summer squash slices

Celery 

Radishes

Onions, green onions, red onions, sweet onions. my husband and my daughter love them all!

Grilled eggplant slices

Grilled sweet potato slices

Peppers, green peppers, red peppers, roasted red peppers, pickled peppers

Fruits: Fruits add a little sweetness and a lot of flavor to your salad. We serve at least one on every salad. Use fresh whenever possible, but don’t hesitate to reach for a can if you have to.

Shredded or diced apples, tossed with a little lemon juice to prevent browning before serving

Citrus sections like oranges and grapefruit

Dried cranberries or raisins

Peeled and diced mangos

Pears, peaches and nectarines can be served on the salad sliced or diced with or without the peel. A few sliced peaches fanned across the salad make a nice presentation, too.

Grilled pineapple rings and grilled watermelon wedges 

Nuts: Just about any sliced, slivered, crushed or toasted nut tastes great on a salad. Don’t forget the sunflower seeds, too!

Cheese: Pick a cheese you love and sprinkle it on either shredded or diced! A little parmesan is just as tasty as a mild cheddar on a salad. Just watch your combinations! Pairing a strong tasting cheese with a strong tasting fruit and a strong tasting condiment might be a little too much flavor! Also, for anyone who doesn’t use salad dressing like my son Jared, a little cheese helps the body use some of those fat soluble vitamins locked away in the veggies.

Beans: Drain a can of beans for extra protein and another layer of texture. Black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and even chili beans are great on salads!

Meat and Eggs: A salad is a great way to make a little meat go a long way. Two grilled or broiled chicken breasts (about a pound of chicken total) diced and piled on top of a good salad satisfies even my meat-loving family of four. Slice up a grilled or broiled steak for something a little different. Diced slices of lunchmeat are always welcome on a salad. No meat in the freezer this week? How about a couple of hard-boiled eggs or a can of beans? Although most fish and seafood are out of our budget range these days, they still make good additions to the salad. Even a can of tuna makes a tasty salad topping!

Miscellaneous: Some topping don't fall into any category but still add flavor, texture and vitamins and minerals to your salad. Olives, sprouts, croutons, pickles and pickled vegetables all add something interesting to your salads. Don't miss them!

Easy Combinations:

One can drained black beans, one cup thawed frozen corn, one diced medium green pepper tossed together and marinated in a Lime Vinaigrette. Pile ¼ to ½ cup of this mixture on each salad. The vinaigrette adds a nice tang but isn’t overpowering.

Mandarin orange sections, crushed walnuts, black olive slices, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese is a great combination if your lettuce mixture is heavy on the spinach.

Thaw a cup of frozen corn, frozen cut green beans and frozen peas, but keep them cold. One-quart to one-half cupful of these veggies adds a nice texture and flavor to any salad.

A taco salad is so darn easy! Ground meat, browned and mixed with taco seasoning. Stir in a can of pinto, kidney or black beans. Top each salad with a scoop of this meat mixture, a sprinkle of cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, a spoonful of salsa and a spoonful of sour cream or plain yogurt. Serve with tortillas chips.

Thank you for stopping by! This list ins by no means a complete list of great things for summer salads. This is just a beginners list meant to inspire you to add more fresh fruits and vegetable to your diet this summer! I hope it has also helped you to realize that you don’t have to heat up the house to put a good meal on the table!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

Far Above Rubies: Domestically Divine

Blessed by Grace: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Lark’s Country Heart: Made it on Monday

Raising Homemakers Homemaking Link Up Wednesday
Women Living Well Wednesday Link-up Party
We are THAT Family's Works for Me Wednesday

Miz Helen’s Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

GNOWFGLINS’ Simple Lives Thursday

Homestead Revival's Barn Hop

Menu Plan Monday 06/27

It was quite the full week last week! We enjoyed a 4-H leaders’ dinner, went to a Going Away Party to say good-bye to a dear friend and her family who are moving across the country and played in the rain at our 4-H club picnic. It all sounds very busy, but in reality, it was a joy to visit with everyone. I’m a homebody for the most part. I even work from home. So, when these whirlwinds of social gatherings come up, they aren’t taxing or wearing on us. They’re special and enjoyable occasions. I like that.

Anyway, we have a quiet week ahead with a bit of re-organizing to do and a lot of clean up from this weekend. Maybe I’ll even get the primer on Jared’s walls! How cool would that be?!

                                                                                              

Don’t forget to stop by Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas! If you’re looking for some new recipe resources, check out this Recipe Index Round Up.

Menu Plan for Week of 06/27/2011

Breakfast 

Oatmeal, fruit, granola, toast, yogurt, or smoothies.

Lunch

Lunch of the week – PBJs, veggie sandwiches and wraps, leftovers, or salads

Fruit of the week – Apples, peaches, nectarines and watermelon

Dinner

Monday – Picnic leftovers

Tuesday – Grilled chicken salad with artisan bread

Wednesday – Chicken Salad Wraps

Thursday – Nachos (yes, this is a complete meal the way we make them!)

Friday – Breakfast for dinner

Saturday – Mexican chicken wraps

Sunday – Hamburgers, fried potatoes, veggies, tossed salad

Snacks – Crackers and peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

Thank you for stopping by!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

Bulk Herb Store Giveaway at Homemaker by Choice

I have a quick Giveaway for you at Homemaker by Choice. If you are looking for a good source for bulk herbs or just want to learn more about drying and using herbs in more than dinner, this is the giveaway for you!

Amber at Homemaker by Choice is giving away a DVD called Making Herbs Simple Vol. 1 the Bulk Herb Store. The video is filled with excellent information about how to find and identify herbs in the wild, how to dry and store herbs, how to prepare various tinctures, how to prepare an herbal poultice, and how to prepare an herbal hair treatment.

Sorry for the short notice, but the Giveaway ends today! So, head on over to Homemaker by Choice and enter. No wait. What am I saying? Nevermind. You should not do that. If you enter, then you lessen my chances of winning. I think you should play a nice round of Free Cell instead. Yeah, I think that would be better. :D

Worm Composting: Adding the Worms

My red wiggler worms came today! Yay!! The postman was nice enough to knock on the door when he delivered them, so they didn’t bake in the sun on the front porch. It might have been the “Perishable- Live Worms” stamp on the outside that gave him a hint. At times, I am grateful that living in such a congested area means we have several different postal delivery workers in that deliver in our area. If you only knew some of the things that come and go out in the mail! Let’s just say that I hope they don’t compare notes!

Anyway, my little Priority Mail shipping box from Worms, etc. came today. Now, I just had to wet down the bedding and place the worms in their new home.

Several sites recommended placing the bedding in a bucket of water then wringing it out and “fluffing” it before putting it in the worm bin. Have you ever tried to wring out and “fluff” wet paper? I don’t think they did either! Since I was working in the kitchen, I used the sink sprayer to wet down the top layer of bedding. Then Jared and I tossed the bedding a bit to bring dry stuff to the top. Then I hit it with the sprayer again. We continued this until everything was wet but still “fluffy.” I really like the word fluffy. Can you tell?

When the bedding was ready, I opened the box and found a sealed bag made out of what looked like landscaping fabric and some shredded cardboard packing material.

I opened the bag, and inside were all my wiggly little worms! Jared loved it! He was probably already trying to figure out how to sneak a few for a quick fishing trip.

The worms were mixed with peat, which prevents them from clumping into a big sticky mess.

While Jared was admiring the wriggling mass, I put a little food in the corner of the bin and covered it with bedding. The worms are fine in just bedding, but I had the coffee grounds from the morning and a bit of tomato. Think of it as a “Welcome to the Neighborhood” casserole. I also weighed the food I placed in the worm bin. Why? Because my husband said so. He wants to keep track of what and how much we feed the worms each week. This record keeping is probably a very good idea. If left up to me, I’d just toss the food in there and be done. With my wonderful lack of perception of time, I’d end up over-feeding them and starving them all in the same week!

The bedding was wet. The food was weighed, recorded and buried. The worms were inspected for wiggling (signs of life). Time to add the worms to the worm bin.

Done.

No really. That’s all there was to it. Okay, I did do one more thing to help them feel at home. I took the box they came in, pulled off all the tape, cut it up into large pieces, soaked in water and laid it on top of the worms. I figured if they had this wet cardboard lying on top of them, they’d be less likely to sneak out one of the side holes.

Now, that’s really it. We just wait for the worms to do their job. I’ll check on them in a couple of days to make sure they’re settling in nicely and have found the food.

By the way, the bag that the worms came in can be used to make compost tea. Compost tea is a liquid fertilizer steeped from compost. Fill a landscape fabric bag with compost and place it in a bucket of warm water. Set the bucket in the sun for the day. The next day, the water will look dirty and brown or black from steeping nutrients out of the compost. Water your plants with this liquid fertilizer. It’s nutrient-rich but gentle and safe at the same time.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope yesterday’s and today’s posts have inspired you to try worm composting. I’m surprised just how easy it is to set up. I’ll keep you posted with pictures and maintenance information as the worms get settled, start eating through the bedding and food, and start multiplying.Oh, and for those wondering, my hands did not touch a single worm! I know I'm going to have to get over that someday, but someday isn't at least until sometime AFTER Jared moves out.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Betty

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Homestead Revival's Barn Hop

Worm Composting: Preparing the Bin

Composting is good for your garden and for the local landfill. The natural fertilizer and organic material created by the decomposition of yard and kitchen waste is a safe and nutrient-rich soil additive. Decomposition creates heat. Sending your yard and kitchen waste to a landfill every week really heats things up in a very bad way. However, good composting requires turning the pile regularly to keep it aerated. We never invested the money into a couple of rolling composters, and I’m terrible at making sure the pile gets turned. Something about it being 90°F at 8AM here in the summertime makes me not in a big hurry to do serious physical labor outdoors!

We realized that we needed a cost effective alternative for composting. The chickens get a significant amount of our food waste but not all of it and definitely not tea bags or coffee grounds. So, we’re turning to worm composting. The kitchen and yard waste along with old newspapers and cardboard are still turned into a wonderful soil additive, but the worms do all the work. I think I’m going to like delegating this chore!

One pound of red wiggler worms is equal to about 1,000 worms that can eat about a half a pound of food and bedding a day. The bin is relatively small and can even be kept inside. It isn’t uncommon for people in apartments to have a worm compost bin tucked away in the kitchen or in a closet. Just like traditional composting, as long as you don’t add meats or fats, you shouldn’t have an ugly smell.

Our worms will be here tomorrow, so Jared, his friend Josh and I got the worm bin ready. Tom already drilled all the holes for us and found something to place between the two bins to keep the worm bin elevated. I think we’re ready!

Preparing the Worm Bin:

The bins:

These are two 10-gallon storage containers that we've had forever. Ten-gallon containers are a good size for starting your worm composting. They are easy to work with and easy to find in the stores. Do NOT go for the clear plastic containers! Have you ever noticed that worms live IN dirt, not ON it?! They do not like light at all. Keep them in the dark, and they'll be happy! 

Holey, holey, holey:

I think those are 1/4" holes drilled into the sides of one of the bins. But don't quote me. I am certain that my husband told me at some point, but I have since recycled that brain cell. I may or may not remember to ask him later so don't hold your breath.  

Along with the holes around the top half of the sides, Tom drill holes in the lid as well. All of these holes allow oxygen into the bin. Only drill holes in one bin and in one lid. The second bin is to catch water and holes would be a bit counter-productive. 

Smaller, 1/16" to 1/8" holes are drilled into the bottom of the worm bin. Worms like thing moist but aren't really into swimming, just ask the worm on the end of your hook the next time you go fishing. These small holes in the bottom keep the inside moist but well drained.

The worm bin is now ready for bedding. Good old newspaper makes excellent worm bedding. Use newsprint only and leave the glossy ads and magazines for the recycle bin. I let the boys shred the newspaper for me. I was happily doing it myself until they heard the first rip from the other room!

Um, boys, could we get back to work please?

That should be enough!

Next add some dry leaves. I have no idea whether or not you can use green ones or why every piece of literature on worm composting that I could find calls for dry leaves. Until I learn otherwise, we tossed in dry leaves. Since I love the satisfying crunch of the dry leaves beneath my feet, I'm not one for raking too much. I also see the leaves as free mulch, so I have a ready supply. The boys filled about half of that bucket with leaves dropped by my ficus tree over the year.

Time to mix and fluff:

Just a quick warning to parents of my kids' friends: yes, your children will probably get dirty if they come here.

Add 2 cups of dirt or soil:

The worms will use the dirt the same way chickens do: to aid digestion.

I won't water the bedding until the worms are actually here, but you get the idea. The bedding must be kept moist for the worms to stay healthy.


Put the lid on, and place the worm bin inside the second bin. Make sure you have something that keeps the worm bin elevated in the second bin. A couple of brick set up on their sides will work just fine. Water drips into this bin, so wood is not a good option. I have no idea what these things are that my husband put in here. But, it just goes to show you that as long as the worm bin is level, you can be creative!

The drainage water that accumulates in this bottom bin is an excellent liquid fertilizer often called worm tea or compost tea. 


Now, I just place the worm bin on top, and I'm ready for my worms! I can't wait until they get here! 

Thanks for stopping by! Come back tomorrow for pictures of my new wiggly pets! In the meantime, check out Worms Eat My Garbage: How to Set Up and Maintain a Worm Composting System by Mary Appelhof for some excellent information about worm composting. If you're in my area and are trying to get the one and only copy of the book form the library, that is NOT me who has the book out past the due date. Honest! Happy Homesteading!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Betty

Homestead Revival's Barn Hop

4-H Legislature

Our daughter is in Tallahassee this week for 4-H Legislature. During this week-long “camp” senior 4-H members can sponsor a bill, amend or lobby it, then debate the issues on the House and Senate floors with other 4-H members from across the state. The kids can be state representatives, lobbyists or reporters. Talk about a serious American Government education! These are real bills that have been through the state legislature that these kids are debating.

Colleen is a senator for the week, and she’ll be honing her debating, public speaking and analysis skills all week. She just posted this update to FaceBook and I thought I’d share it here. We have become huge fans of 4-H, and this is just one more reason why we love the educational experience 4-H provides!

Ok, so my mom has asked me to post an update on my week here at Florida 4-H Legislature. First off, this week has been going great! I don't sleep much, but I don't mind too much. I am currently sitting in a Senate session where the bill I sponsored, AG04, is currently being debated.

Monday was a long drive here. We arrived just barely in time to toss our stuff in our dorm rooms, change into business attire, and get on the buses heading to the Capitol. We were given the opportunity to meet our committee leaders and choose what bills we would like to sponsor. I opted to sponsor 3 bills and co-sponsor another bill. My bills were: AG01 An act relating to school nutrition programs (This bill changes the school nutrition program from the Department of Education to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.); AG04 An act relating to harm of service animals; AG06 (co-sponsor) An act relating to records of the sale of tobacco; AG10 An act relating to the sale of raw milk.

Next thing we knew that night's dance was coming to an end and we were unpacking our bags and settling into our dorm rooms. The girl that was supposed to room with me ended up not being able to attend the event this week so I got a room to myself. This has been nice because if I wish to stay up and work on a bill I do not need to worry about keeping someone in the room awake.

Come Tuesday morning, there was a busy day ahead of me. I was up at 5:30am! Now for those of you who know me, you know that I am not a morning person at all! We arrived at the Capitol and went to the House Chambers for a Joint Session. Next up was a Senate Session to refer bills to committee. We then had 3 Committee Meetings during the day where I was Secretary of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committe of the Senate. This quickly led to missing the first half of my lunch break to help out with paperwork. Honestly, that was probably the most fun of the meetings. =P After a busy day like that you would think I'd be exhausted when I went to bed that night. Nope! I couldn't sleep last night at all! I finally fell asleep at 1AM after researching my bill AG04 for the Senate floor.

Today was another early morning. I was up at 5:30 getting ready for the Capitol. We arrived to take a group photo and then onto Senate Sessions for the day for me. AG04 ended up being second on the bill calendar today. This first bill was not passed, and I was nervous about speaking. Now we all know I can get up and dance, act, and sing in front of crowds with no problem, but getting up and being myself and talking about something important to me in front of a group of people I don't know at all is a whole other story! My bill passed and was the first bill passed in the Senate this year. The first bill passed in the Senate is called the Tabasco bill. I now have a signed bottle of Tabasco sauce. Well, now it's almost lunch time. Probably gonna hit Starbucks for some coffee to stay awake. Haha. Then coming back to the chambers for another Senate Session. Another update may come later this week, but there are no guarantees due to being internet-less in the dorm.

I miss a lot of you! I think I am going to be feeling it tonight when I am barely able to dance due to sore thighs and ankle...... and not attending church, but I think it will be another good night. Sleeping? Probably not. =P 

Oh and anyone from work, could you please message me my schedule or text me my schedule for next week!?
Love,
Colleen

Darn Good Chocolate Cake

I love cooking from scratch. I am always amazed at how just a few basic ingredients in the right proportions comes out so much better than packaged convenience foods. However, I have one recipe I have yet to be able to duplicate from scratch. Not that I’ve really tried that hard. I can’t figure out how to substitute the instant pudding, so, for now, I’ll continue using the convenient box mix. But oh, how my family loves this cake! It’s rich. It’s chocolate-y. It’s just plain yummy! I only make about three or four of these cakes in a year, so I guess we’ll be alright with the convenient box mixes. However, if you have any suggestions for good substitutions, please, let me know!

Darn Good Chocolate Cake

Shortening

Flour or Cocoa Powder

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil’s food, dark chocolate fudge, or mocha cake mix

1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate instant pudding mix

4 large eggs

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

½ cup warm water

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cups semisweet chocolate chips, mini chips, or chunks

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lightly grease a 12-cup Bundt or tube pan with vegetable oil, then dust with flour or cocoa powder. Shake out excess. Set pan aside.

Place cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, warm water, and oil in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat 2 to 3 minutes more on medium speed, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well-combined.

Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throughout the batter. Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula.

Bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes. The cake will spring back when lightly pressed with your finger and just start to pull away from the sides of the pan when it’s done.

Cool on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert in onto the rack to cool completely, 20 minutes more. Or invert it onto a serving platter to slice and serve while still warm.

The cake is nice and rich and really doesn’t need any frosting or glaze at all. If you want to make it pretty for serving though, try dusting with a little powdered sugar just before serving.

Far Above Rubies: Domestically Divine

Blessed by Grace: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Lark’s Country Heart: Made it on Monday

Raising Homemakers Homemaking Link Up Wednesday

Miz Helen’s Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

Menu Plan Monday 06/20

Our daughter is on her way to Tallahassee for a week at 4-H Legislature. What a concept! She’ll be spending the week role-playing as a senator, listening to lobbyists (other 4-H members), and voting on bills. She’s actually been studying all of the bills for the past three weeks. We’ve been teasing her that she’s headed to Law School after Vet School!

So, why did we send our daughter to a week of politics if she’s headed for a career veterinary medicine? First of all, she wanted to go. Second, even though we are not avid political aficionados here, we do believe that understanding how our government works in order to be able to vote responsibly is just good citizenship. Colleen is just taking it a little deeper. You never know when you’ll be led to step up to be an activist or lobbyist for or against something you feel passionate about. It’s good to be prepared! And third, she gets to hang out in Tallahassee for the week including a day at the Capital. What’s not to love?!

Anyway, even though dear daughter is gone for the week, I still have to feed everyone else. The temperatures are already hitting over 90°F everyday, but we haven’t had our daily rains. It’s going to be a long summer at this rate. More cold meals for us, that’s for sure!

                                                                                              

Don’t forget to stop by Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas! If you’re looking for some new recipe resources, check out this Recipe Index Round Up.

Menu Plan for Week of 06/20/2011

Breakfast 

Oatmeal, fruit, granola, toast, yogurt, or smoothies.

Lunch

Lunch of the week – PBJs, veggie sandwiches, leftovers, or salads

Fruit of the week – Apples, peaches, pineapple and nectarines

Dinner

Monday – Grilled chicken salad w/ mango and sunflower seeds and artisan bread

Tuesday – Chili with baked potatoes and cornbread

Wednesday – Veggie wraps with roasted red pepper hummus

Thursday – Grilled chicken salad w/marinated black beans and peppers and artisan bread

Friday – Breakfast for dinner

Saturday – Enchiladas, beans and rice, tossed salad

Sunday – 4-H club picnic – hot dogs, coleslaw, and potluck sides

Snacks – Crackers and peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

Thank you for stopping by!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

My Very First GiveAway! - Winner Announced

My Very First GiveAway was so much fun! Thank you to everyone who participated. It was lovely meeting you all and visiting your blogs, too!

For those who love statistics (my husband), the most requested book was the dairy book. Here’s how the votes break down:

Dairy – 7

Canning – 5

Bees – 3

Chickens – 2

My guess is, though, at this moment, you would like me to stop babbling about statistics and get to the winner.

Our winner is…..

Annabanana: Hmmm...I think my favorite would be the Beekeeping book. It seems daunting so a simple but informative book would be really helpful !

Even though Annabanana (isn’t that a GREAT screen name?!) liked the bees book, she can pick any one of the four books.

Thanks, again, everyone who stopped by and commented. This was a lot of fun! I think I’m just going to have to make this a regular thing.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

School's Out for the Summer?

This may be the very first summer in ten years that we won’t be schooling all summer long. Gasp! Here’s the problem. I’m out of curriculum. That has never happened before.

Normally, because we don’t schedule the summer off of school, we take our time with our curriculum. I like finishing each and every textbook, but I don’t believe it has to happen in nine months like the schools. We usually take an entire year to finish everything. However, this year, we finished early, and I wasn’t quite ready for that.

Colleen graduated in May, but I was ready for her to be finished. I knew that was coming. I just didn’t expect Jared to finish everything. Yes, the lesson plan was right in front of me. I saw the end was near. But, let’s face it, this is homeschooling. The end is negotiable, right? If Jared needs more help with something or wants to take a lesson a little deeper, the original lesson plan moves a couple of days to make room for supplemental material. Learning continues, even though we’ve strayed from the original lesson plan. However, April and May went by without a single distraction or day off! That never happens!!

Since I already know what we’re using for 7^th grade, I could hurry up and get it. However, I think after ten years of homeschooling, we could take a summer break. I think it’s time that Jared learned a few more useful skills like how to paint a room and how to build a deck. I think it looks like a good summer for more letterboxing picnics and exploring local parks and swimming at the pool. Maybe we’ll even hit the beach a time or two and do a little fishing off a pier. Yeah, I think it’s going to be a very interesting, no-school summer indeed! Seventh grade can wait until September.

The dog seems to like the idea!

Thanks for stopping by! What are you doing this summer?

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

Shadow's New Breakfast

We’ve been slowly moving our dog’s diet away from commercial dog foods. Long story short, we learned a little too much about what’s actually in the food compared to what our dog should be eating. ‘Nuff said.

Our first endeavor was to find an easy biscuit that wouldn’t be difficult to make on a regular basis. I’ve made dog biscuits before but only as a special treat. I needed something that I would want to make all the time and would store well. Since we now have a good dog biscuit recipe, it’s time to make dog food.

Evidently, dogs need variety in their diet, just like humans. Although the balance is different for dogs, they still need proteins, fats, grains, dairy, fruits and vegetables, and vitamins and minerals, just like us. Ideally, my dog’s diet should be 18% protein and about 5% fat, with grains, fruits and vegetables added in for vitamins, minerals, fiber, and energy-giving carbohydrates.

Since I like to ease into new things, making one change at a time, my next step in changing our dog’s diet is breakfast. I found a muffin recipe that is easy to do, makes about 12-14 muffins, and is readily devoured by my silly dog.

Shadow’s breakfast: 1 apple morning dog muffin, ½ cup plain yogurt, 1 hard-boiled egg, and either 1 shredded carrot or ½ of a banana. 

Shadow is about 50 to 60 pounds. So far, this is enough food to get her to dinner time, but we haven’t been taking her on her usual 2- to 3-mile walks everyday either. I’ll let you know how she does when she’s more active again.

Beware! The muffins smell amazing while they’re baking. Do not eat them! Ok, you can eat them. I just don’t recommend it. Take a good look at the recipe. Notice something missing? Yep. No sugar and no fats. These won't stack up too well to your favorite Glorious Morning Muffins from the bakery, but they're very healthy for your pooch. The muffins are hard and crunchy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside, just like my Shadow Dog like them! Oh, and these muffins are a little much for a treat, even for a large dog. Give pieces as a treat, but save the whole muffin for meals.

By the way, while you’re here, stop by My Very FirstGiveAway!! It ends on Wednesday!

Apple Morning Dog Muffins

2 ½ cup water

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 egg

¼ teaspoon vanilla

4 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup diced apple

½ cup sunflower seeds, shelled and unsalted

Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously grease muffin tins with shortening.

Mix water, applesauce, egg, and vanilla together in a small bowl.

Mix flour, baking powder, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

Pour liquid mixture into center well of dry mixture. Stir just until moistened. Gently fold in apples and sunflower seeds.

Fill muffin cups with batter to about 2/3 full.

Bake at 375°F for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Store in an airtight container.

These muffins will store at room temperature for a few days, but your dog will probably not eat them all quickly enough. They will store very well in freezer. Either while you’re making dinner or cleaning up afterwards, take one muffin from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator for your dog’s breakfast the next day. 

Thanks for stopping by! Honestly, I don't know whether or not I'm crazy for making my dog's food these day. I just know my dog's happy and healthy. What more could I ask for, right? Besides, Jared seems to enjoy cooking for the dog. He just may end up taking over those duties anyway. 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

Far Above Rubies: Domestically Divine

Blessed by Grace: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Lark’s Country Heart: Made it on Monday

Raising Homemakers Homemaking Link Up Wednesday

Miz Helen’s Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

Homestead Revival's Barn Hop

Menu Plan Monday 06/13

Yes, I am the Queen of the Most Boring Menu in town. It’s summertime, and it’s over 90°F everyday. The last thing I want to do is cook a hot meal! So, this will be the Summer of Salads. My family likes it though. They haven’t gotten bored yet. So, I guess we’re doing alright

So, how do you serve salads three and four times a week without having your family get bored? Serve different toppings each time. For grilled chicken salad nights, I dice up a mango with our lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and shredded carrots. Other times, I’ll put out dried cranberries and sunflower seeds or a mixture of frozen corn, peas and green beans, thawed, with the usual foods. A drained can or two of black beans adds protein on meatless nights. Salad nights do not have to be big salad bar spreads. We save that for Saturdays or Sundays when all of the leftover salad fixings have to go! A friend of mine recently served up a salad with grilled watermelon! Looked amazing! For those of you who don’t think a salad could possibly be filling, these salads aren’t your simple little side salad. To give you and idea of size, we serve them up in pie plates! Add a piece of artisan bread on the side on nobody goes away hungry!

Don’t forget to enter My Very First GiveAway! You only have until Wednesday to enter!!

                                                                                              

Don’t forget to stop by Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas! If you’re looking for some new recipe resources, check out this Recipe Index Round Up.

Menu Plan for Week of 06/13/2011

Breakfast 

Oatmeal, fruit, granola, toast, yogurt, or smoothies.

Lunch

Lunch of the week – PBJs, veggie sandwiches, leftovers, or salads

Fruit of the week – Apples, watermelon and cantaloupe

Dinner

Monday – Grilled chicken salad w/ mandarin orange slices, sunflower seeds and hard-boiled eggs and artisan bread

Tuesday – Swedish meatballs over homemade pasta, veggies, salad

Wednesday – Chicken salad wraps

Thursday – Chicken, black beans and corn salad

Friday – Homemade Pizza, tossed salad

Saturday – Leftovers

Sunday – Cheeseburgers, grilled pineapple, baked beans, potato salad (Father’s Day- Dad’s Choice!)

Snacks – Crackers and peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

Thank you for stopping by!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

How Did This Happen?

It’s been a strangely packed week here on my little urban homestead. What’s sad is that it’s only Wednesday, and I’ve only left the house once for an hour to walk to the store. I think it’s going to be a very long week!

Usually, I’m whining about having to run here for this activity and there for that activity, but all is quiet on the schedule front. So, what has me so busy? We ran out of everything homemade at the same time! Do you have any idea how difficult that actually is? It’s like having all of the planets aligned and then throw in a lunar eclipse. (I’m not sure that analogy is even physically possible, but it sounded like a very rare occurrence.) Let me explain why it’s so odd to have everything empty all at once.

Some things are just normal weekly jobs like making granola and yogurt and grinding flour and flaking oats. But everything else is on a different schedule. I make dog biscuits about every 2 to 3 weeks, and the jar was empty on Tuesday. I squeezed the last of the laundry soap out of the jug on Monday which is a monthly chore. Then I scraped the last of my deodorant out of the jar on Monday, too, even though my homemade deodorant lasts about 3 months. All of the homemade wine needs racking which happens about every 2 months. Mosquitoes are going crazy so I need to make more bug repellent, my husband hurt his foot so we need more massage oil, and my daughter ran out of foot slather. I’m starting to sound like a bad country song! But really, how does everything run out at the same time? When you figure out the odds on that, please tell me. No wait. I don’t want to know.

Well, I had better get back to replenishing everything. Nothing on the list takes more than a few minutes to make, and I have all of the ingredients on hand, but wow, the list still looks looooong! I think I need an extra cup of coffee and a little more quiet time before I try tackling that to-do list!

Thanks for stopping by and enduring my rambling rant. It’s not really a rant, though. I’m just overwhelmed and amazed at the turn of events this week. How’s your week going? Oh, and did you enter my GiveAway? It's my very first, you know.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

Shared on:

Homestead Revival's Homestead Barn Hop

Dog Biscuits

A couple of weeks ago, my husband listened to a very compelling speech about what’s in dog food. The speech was one of the many speeches we enjoyed during the 4H County Demonstration Day and again at Districts. The young lady who presented the information really did her research and made my husband think about what we were feeding our dog which sent us on a quest of reading dog food labels and looking into homemade options.

Whenever I’m on a quest for information I hit the internet like everyone else. However, I also hit the library. I requested six doggie cookbooks and that was just from the first page of results. There were dozens of cookbooks just for dogs! Who knew?!

Most of the dog food recipes were about the same: some kind of meat, mixed with rice, potatoes or oatmeal, and cooked vegetables. Most of the authors stuck to beef, chicken or turkey. Surprisingly, very few recipes involved pork. I also found a lot of recipes and information about a raw diet for dogs.

We haven’t completely decided on what we are going to do about a healthy diet for our Shadow Dog, but we did purchase a better dog food and have been making at least one meal a day for her from regular food. It’s interesting to see all of these recipes that involve people food when we’ve had it drilled into our heads for years not to give our dogs people food. However, as my husband very correctly pointed out, “Who told us not to feed our dogs regular food? Pet food companies.”

The first thing we did switch permanently is dog biscuits. I have made dog biscuits before, but not on a regular basis. The first recipe I used was a bit involved so I didn’t make them often. The second recipe I tried had to be refrigerated to keep from spoiling. I know us. Put the treats in the refrigerator, and the dog will never get any! In one of the cookbooks from the library, every single treat had to be stored in the refrigerator. That book went back first. I’m so glad I found a few other recipes that are quick and easy and can be stored on the counter in an airtight container.

Our Shadow Dog really does love these biscuits a lot more than she ever liked the store-bought biscuits. Whenever one of us is out of the house for a couple of hours, the dog gets a biscuit when we come home. When we had store-bought biscuits, the dog would be a little pesty, but if we forgot to give her one, she let it go. With her new biscuits, she’s relentless!


While you're visiting, be sure to check out my Homemade Living Book GiveAway and leave a comment.

Easy Dog Biscuits

2 cubes beef, chicken or vegetable bouillon

1 stick butter

1 cup boiling water

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup nonfat dried milk

1 egg

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix bouillon, butter and hot water until dissolved. Add flour, cornmeal and nonfat dried milk. Mix well. Add egg and parsley, and mix. Dough should be thick but not dry. Add extra flour or water as needed and knead with your hands.

Roll dough out on floured surface to about 1/4" thick.

Cut with a cookie cutter or cut into squares with a pizza cutter or pastry roller.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for one hour or until the bottom is browned or until biscuit is hard. Since the recipe does not include any baking powder or baking soda or any other ingredient that would make it raise or expand during baking, the biscuits can be placed very close to each other on the cookie sheet, just don't let them touch each other. Remove and cool. Store in an airtight container.

Chicken, beef or vegetable broth can be used in place of the water and bouillon.

I hope your puppies like these as much as our Shadow Dog does!

Far Above Rubies: Domestically Divine

Blessed by Grace: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Raising Homemaker's Homemaking Link Up Wednesday

Lark’s Country Heart: Made it on Monday

Miz Helen’s Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

GNOWFGLINS’ Simple Lives Thursday

My Very First Give-Away!

Yes, I am finally posting my very first Give-Away! And the crowd goes wild! Ok, feigning mild interest works, too. But humoring me and cheering me on works better.

Anyway, changing to a more self-sufficient hands-on homesteading lifestyle takes a lot of education and resources, especially for us “city folk” who grew up positive that the chicken in the store never, ever had feathers, that eggs were laid right in those Styrofoam cartons, that yogurt was a “health food” that could only be choked down with major amounts of sugar, that canning food took hours and hours and special equipment found only in commercial markets and costing hundreds of dollars, and that honey came from sugar (yes, I did believe this at one point. Go ahead and laugh….I’m waiting….ok, it’s not that funny. You can stop now.).

So, in honor of the amount of learning it takes for us “city folk” to learn some smart country ways, I’m giving away one Homestead Living book. Ashley English created a wonderful series of homestead books that are easy to understand and filled with great information for both the new and the established homestead. All of the books are feasts for the visual learner with not just eye-catching photography but also useful photos for all instructions

Keeping Chickens tells you what you need to get started and how to keep your chickens healthy. Although there are guides out there with a lot more information, if you’re just keeping a few backyard chickens and not starting a full-fledged chicken ranch, this book if perfect.

Keeping Bees is an excellent guide for learning how to raise bees in your backyard. The information is practical because we’re talking self-sufficiency here not mass production.

 
Home Dairy guides you through making butter and ghee, cultured dairy products, cheese, and ice cream. Learn the in’s and out’s of making yogurt, butter and sour cream from scratch.

Canning and Preserving is my personal favorite. Hands down, this is the best guide for learning how to can. The photos in each section really help you identify the tools for canning and exactly what is involved.

The Fine Print

Now that you’ve learned all about the prize, I have to tell you the rules. Oh, stop groaning. It’s not that bad! Honest.

• Leave a comment telling which book is your favorite. This is not the book you have to pick at the end. Just your favorite. This is your first entry.
• Follow my blog for a second entry. Please, leave a comment that you did.
• Post to FaceBook and/or Twitter for a third entry. Please, leave a comment that you did.
• Announce this GiveAway on your own blog and link back for a fourth entry. Again, please leave a comment that you did.

That’s pretty much it, I think.

Oh wait, you only have until midnight on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 to enter. I’ll choose one random winner and announce the winner on Thursday, June 16, 2011. The winner gets to choose whichever book he/she wants. If I get a lot of entries, I’ll pick more than one winner.

Oh my, this could actually be fun. By the way,the author and the publisher have no idea I'm giving away a book. I have no desire to lock myself into contracts and what-nots with sponsors who want to call all the shots. If I see something I think will make a great gift, I'm going to give it away. 'Nuff said!

Before I finally decided on my very first GiveAway prize, I asked some of my friends what to offer. You should have seen the ideas! Unfortunately, I could not use the most popular answer, a bottle of homemade wine, because I can’t card the winner on the internet and do you have any idea what a problem it is to ship wine?!! Ouch!

Thanks for stopping by! I can’t wait to read everyone’s comments!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

Check out:
Week Long Blog Hop at Homemaker by Choice

Menu Plan Monday 06/06

 

We had an obscene amount of leftovers to enjoy on Sunday, so Sunday’s salad became Monday’s salad, and I had complaints that we didn’t have our weekly tomato-sauce based Italian dish last week, so we had an impromptu menu change to include spaghetti. And you thought I was bad with my routines! My family is worse! Just moving the grilled chicken salad around a bit is completely freaking out my daughter. If you saw just how un-routine our lives are here, you’d really laugh at our deep-seated need for a routine menu plan.

                                                                                              

Don’t forget to stop by Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas! If you’re looking for some new recipe resources, check out this Recipe Index Round Up.

Menu Plan for Week of 06/06/2011

Breakfast 

Oatmeal, fruit, granola, toast, yogurt, or smoothies.

Lunch

Lunch of the week – PBJs, veggie sandwiches, leftovers, or salads

Fruit of the week – Apples and watermelon

Dinner

Monday – Grilled chicken salad w/artisan bread

Tuesday – Baked Penne with Sausage, Spinach, Tomatoes and Ricotta

Wednesday – Turkey Wraps

Thursday – Chili, baked potatoes, cornbread

Friday – Chicken, black beans and corn salad

Saturday – Grilled hot dogs, sauerkraut, French fries, salad

Sunday – Salad Bar Sunday

Snacks – Crackers and peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, carrot and celery sticks, or popcorn.

Thank you for stopping by!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty