Why QUINOA?

It's Friday night. The house is so quite. All the kiddos have been sleeping for almost 2 hours now (can you believe it? Well it's true!)  We even got our Friday family night pizza and movie night in :)
How crazy your life can change in aspects to what is "fun". This. sitting here. in the coziness of my house. is the only place I want to be right now. writing this blog post. right now. Yes. on a Friday night. waiting for my hubby to get out of the shower so we can cozy up and watch a movie together.

I've had a few people ask me lately for some of my favorite Quinoa recipes and also wonder why we eat it so often well read on and enjoy :)

 

Quinoa is NOT a grain.

But it is...a Super Food and..

• Fruit of a brown leaf plant, same family as spinach and beets
• Known as one of the worlds healthiest foods
• Has an incredible amount of protein
• Ranked as one of the top 10 muscle building foods
• Helps with weigh loss (leaves you feeling fuller longer)
• High in Vitamins E, B2, B6, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium
• Reduces high blood pressure and prevents heart diseases
• High in Antioxidant's
• Beneficial in your immune system.
• migraine patient--> quinoa is also said to help immensely, since it contains high levels of riboflavin

HAS NO... Gluten. Cholesterol. Trans Fat.

and... Quinoa is super easy to make. Just 15 min. (Cooks almost the same way as rice but 1/2 the time)
1.Rinse before cooking.
2.Combine 1 cup of Qunioa to 2 cups of water in pan.
3.Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 min.
4.After 10 min. turn off heat. DO NOT UNCOVER sauce pan.
5.Keep on burner for 4-7 min. Fluffier texture keep covered longer.
*Quinoa almost will triple in style.
*Can use vegetable or chicken stalk to cook in to add flavor otherwise you water
Can be stored in fridge for up to 1 week.
Very versatile. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack.

A few Quinoa Favorite Recipes...

Fried Vegetable Quinoa:
2 cups of Cooked Quinoa
In sauce pan-
drizzle Olive Oil
Add fresh veggies (I like broccoli, carrots, corn, onion and mushroom)
Sprinkle on some garlic and onion powder, Himalayan salt (or sea salt)
Sauté (15 min or so)
Add your cooked Quinoa to the sauce pan
Add some coconut oil or butter
Simmer for 5 min

Quinoa Hotdish:
2 cups of Cooked Quinoa
1 lb ground hamburger (cooked) can use ground Turkey
Corn (and any other veggies you like, peas, beans, zucchini)
Lawyers seasoning salt (I use this when browning the hamburger)
1 can of Pasta Sauce
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Italian Seasoning
combine in large stock pot and simmer for 15-20 min
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top before serving

 

DIY Baby Food

With an bountiful harvest from garden this fall after lots and lots of canning came the baby food makin!
Miss Gracelyn makes baby #4 for our family but can any of you relate with me when I say I feel like I'm a first time mom sometimes. On so many occasions I'm pulling out my journals from the previous kiddos.
Well here we are again...baby food.  Gracie's showing major interest in our food.
I mean she's doing ANYTHING possible to get whatever we are eating or drinking.
She's only 6 months old. WOAH. Time just needs to slow down. I just want to enjoy snuggling her and nursing her I'm not sure I'm ready to have 4 hungry kiddos sitting at the table and the mess from babies learning how to eat... yikes. Well I better get ready for it because the time is here.

Here I find myself in my kitchen. The spot the I spend most of my time (I'm working on getting my hubby to build me a peninsula so I will be 100% in love with the spot I spend so much time in, check back to see if we make progress on that!)

Baby wearin and baby food makin

Also, is it possible to spend time in your kitchen without the huge aftermath from a tornado that came through?
Sticky, slimy, water spilled, peelings everywhere but that smell of fresh cooked veggies it cannot be beat. And knowing exactly what is put into Gracie's mouth from her baby food is one of the best things I feel that I can give her. Also I really think this homemade baby food has to taste better to her since it's fresh and it's made from scratch from the earth from God. Oh and one more thing, the texture... I love being able to make the texture just right.
So the mess, the time, the process it's all 100% worth it to me to make homemade baby food (not to mention the savings from making my own baby food).
 NOTE: You don't need any fancy baby food makers to make your own baby food. I use my super awesome Oster Fusion Blender (thank so to Teah for the awesome gift!) You can also use a food processor and some food just a fork!

 DIY BABY FOOD... Trust me, you can do this!

Below is how I made Gracelyn's carrots.

Get this book! Link at the bottom!

#1. Wash & Peel

 

#2. Cook the carrots until soft 

 #3. Cut them up and put them in the blender, I poured a little of the water in with the carrots from the pot.

#4. Pour puree into ice cube trays

#5. Put ice cube trays into freezer (takes 15-20 min to firm)  

#6. Pop frozen food out of trays and put into freezer zip lock baggies.

(They slide right out)

 

 

There you go! You got this, and your baby will benefit from the freshness of homemade baby food!

Preparing meals yourself doesn't mean you have to spend hours and hours in the kitchen. You can set a few hours aside each week to make the supply that you would like.
 It also doesn't mean that you'll never reach for a jar of store bought baby food on days where you are super busy or in a pinch but making fresh baby food straight from your kitchen, nothing can be better! 

I really love this book --> The Baby & Toddler Cookbook it has over 90 recipes and it's loaded with nutritional information.

KoMbUcHa!

Kombucha. Yep. We're brewin it here on the homestead.

Yes. This fermented  tea drink. Cream of sugar with your tea?? Or how about bacteria!? Yes, I said bacteria. But it's the good stuff.

Before you go thinkin I've gone off the deep end read further to see why I love it so much!Besides the fact that the word Kombucha is just fun to say, Here are a few benefits of KOMBUCHA...

• Lots of probititcs 
• Detoxification
• Joint Care
• It's great for immune boosting
• Aid in digestion & gut health
• Helps with constipation 
• Aid in liver function
• Helps with acne
• At home remedy for: headache, fatigue and hypertension
• less stress MORE ENERGY (as a momma of 4 more energy is always welcomed)
• Tea is vegan, gluten free and contains NO GMO's

Whats the big deal about probiotics anyways? Well if you're not consuming probiotics on a daily basis you need to be and here's why...they help fight colds, lower cholesterol and promote a healthy gut, alleviating issues such as irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea and food allergies.

The tea is ancient: dates back to 2,000 years old to China. It was regularly consumed to remedy inflammatory ailments such as arthritis and thought to ward off cancer. 

Kombucha contains: probiotics, vitamin B and vitamin C, organic enzymes and vital amino acids 

So here's how the process goes.  (Thank you to Teah for this awesome recipe)

Boil 4 cups of water (put in a 1 GALLON jar with no metal)

Add 4-6 bags of tea (Mostly black with 1-2 Green tea)
Let sit for 5-7 min

Remove tea bags (don't use any metal utensils)

Add 1 CUP of SUGAR *(yes 1 cup. don't CHEAT!)
NOTE: Don't try to skip out on the sugar. IT IS A MUST! Most of the sweet stuff is fermented out leaving one or two grams per 8oz. serving. So in perspective, that's significantly less sugar than soda and most other bottled drinks like green tea and lemonade. 

Stir until sugar is dissolved. Fill vessel most of the way with purified water (leave 1-2 inches from the top for breathing room)

SCOBY: There it is. Put this baby right on the top and the starter liquid (make sure tea is cool before adding the SCOBY otherwise the heat will kill the SCOBY)!

Cover with cloth and rubber band.
Set in a warm location out of light and let sit for 7 days (I have let mine sit for 14 days)

After 7 day, or when you are ready to taste your Kombucha Tea, gently insert a straw beneath the SCOBY and take a sip.  If too tart, then reduce your brewing cycle next time.  If too sweet, allow to brew for a few more days.  Continue to taste every day or so until you reach your optimum flavor preference.  Your own Kombucha Tea Recipe may vary.

 Bottling KOMBUCHA

We are making raspberry kombucha. Add rasperberries to the bottom of the jars

Remove SCOBY and 1 cup of the tea (I put this into a small mason jar)
Use a funnel and pour into your jars)
Let sit on counter for up to 4 days (longer it sits the more carbonation it will have). Then refrigerate

And woohla! There it is. DELICIOUS! Drink as desired but recommended to drink 4oz a day.

CARING FOR SCOBY

Keep 1 cup of finished kombucha pour this over top of SCOBY and cover with cloth and rubber band.
Best to start another back right away. 

Well folks, there you have it! If you're in need of some SCOBY I have some extra that I'd love to share :) 

Baby soft from head to toe

Cloth Diaper. Changing pad made from auntie. Happy Girl

There isn't much better than the smell of a baby right after bath time. But to top that off, the smell of my sweet little hunny after I have used some Nessa's Naturals products on her from head to toe.

That smell. No other words to describe it than heavenly. You know what I'm talking about... if you don't let me explain. When you give your little sweet pea a bath right before bed time then you get them snuggled into their jammies, swaddle them up and get cozy in the rocking chair. You shut your eyes and thank Jesus for this precious miracle in your arms and then you smell that amazing aroma. Ahhhhhh. Just shut your eyes, can you picture what I'm talking about!

Oh and this bottle. PINK. Simple. Love it

 

We are on baby #4, I have tried lots and lots of different baby washes, moisturizer creams, diaper rash creams, lotions... ect.
I have seen rashes spread and get worse and used body washes that just plain smell nasty when I am drying off my baby.

After using the "Sweet Baby Oil" I have fallen in love. Gracie's skin is so soft and it smells wonderful! The scent comes naturally along with a mix of Lavender and Roman Chamomile Essential Oils. Are you ready to hear the best part. It is ALL NATURAL, ORGANIC and HOMEMADE. You just can't beat that. There are no preservatives going on to my sweet babies soft skin.

*To see the list of ingredients  that are in the products click here

 

Sweet Joy.  

Another reason I really love these products is they have many different uses:

SWEET BABY OIL

*Great moisturizer

* Helps with cradle cap

FROSTING CREAM

*preventative for diaper rash

*in place of lotion (no preservatives)

So there you have it folks, the next time you're in need of baby wash or lotion click here and buy yourself a bottle! You WON'T regret it!!

 

Coziness in my home on this gray rainy day

I'm a sucker for good food. You know what I'm talking about...

I really try hard to serve healthy meals to my family and eat healthy as well (animal based whole foods kind of eating) and then once in a while  (sometimes more than I'd like to admit) I fall off the cliff and sucker into those foods I know I shouldn't be eating but do anyways because they are so, so stinkin good.. you know what I'm talking about... especially those homemade oreo shakes.

Then there is a whole different type of food. 

Comfort foods.. Like those homemade pierogi's

or this... homemade tomato soup, with grilled cheese from our fresh baked bread.

On this gray rainy day, it was exactly what this momma needed for lunch.

It's been one of those days...

One of those days that I am very, very thankful to be a daughter of a king. Who loves me unconditionally and loves me for who I am.

The kind of day that I woke up, so excited for this rainy gray day and the coziness my home provides and had a dream of how my day was going to pan out but that didn't happen at all.

One of those days that I am very thankful for to have an adopted mom who has stepped in to fill that empty spot that is always missing in my heart.  She truly loves me and is that mom that when I call her she shows up to my house within minutes because she knew I needed a hug.

Yes, that mom that let me cry on her shoulder and prayed with me and helped me see that Jesus is my comfort, the only thing that I truly need. And one more thing about this mom... she is a mom to lots of kids and grandkids, Seriously... who does that. A woman of God's heart, that's who. 

My relationship with my biological parents is scarce but God gave me this wonderful amazing lady because he loves me that much.

One of those days that I am so thankful to have true loving caring friends that also have a heart for the Lord. Thankful for their love and kindness and the way we can talk to each other and the tears come and go but in-between there are lots of laughs. That friend that just knows exactly what to say and sometimes doesn't say anything just listens with a really big heart. THANK YOU.

One of those days that Jesus gave me...and you know why I maybe had such a 'hard morning' maybe it was because I needed to make my soul quite. He has everything planned out. It's raining so we're staying inside. Kids are playing great. I turned off all the noise and just spoke to him. He knew exactly what he had planned. I really look into my heart and he is there. He shows me continual reasons of his love for me. 

My mom I told you about... she looked into my eyes and told me she was coming back later to pick up my assignment. (ASSIGNMENT: I didn't finish college because I HATE SCHOOL). 

So I really didn't want to listen to her. But she didn't give up. She made sure I heard her and she wasn't joking around.

So it now has become one of those days that I am doing an assignment and gave up what  my plan was. I now know that this day, was 100% from the Lord.

My sort of busy day today, cleaning up and getting things done around the house turned into spending time by myself in quietness and really looking into my heart and talking to Jesus and finishing, my assignment.

What a blessing to have ... One of those days.

 

Oh... and for you who are wondering what my assignment was, I'll tell you but I challenge you to do this as well:

On paper write a list of these things...
-Why you are a beautiful daughter of the King.

-The gifts the Lord has given you.

-Your ambitions.

-What you love.

When you are done, I guarantee there will be an overwhelming amount of peace and joy in your heart.

Oh and be thankful, thankful for these gray rainy days where you can find coziness in your home.

 

Bountiful Weekend

Today our family celebrated as we dedicated our sweet baby girl, Gracelyn Joy to the Lord at our church. Such an honor and a reward to be parents but knowing that Gracie isn't just our child she is the Lord's and that we made a promise today that we will bring up Gracie to know the Lord, that's just something to celebrate! (Read on...and you'll see a little of the celebrations that took place, stay with me it gets a little lengthy but it's good and of course there are pictures throughout too)  but first let me explain some things...

(A  little previous family history side note: Ashtyn was baptized in the Lutheran church that I grew up in. When TJ and I got married we became members at Swan Lake, Evangelical Free Church. At Swan Lake they do not practice baptism of infants but have a dedication service instead. The boys were both dedicated (And I'm so so sad to say that I don't have any pictures of any of them. The ones I had were ruined when our basement flooded a few years ago, so this is a partial reason why I do so many blog posts).

Dedication was a new thing to me (new as in 5 years ago new). I was not familiar with it, since I grew up Lutheran and I was accustomed to baptizing babies, but after praying and researching TJ and I both agreed that dedicating our children was the best choice for our family. This poem I stumbled across really sums everything up.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OUR SWEET GIRL

You are an incredible blessing

An extraordinary gift

Given to us from our Heavenly Father

To experience this life with.

We dedicate our hearts to teaching you God's way

With everything we do

And every word we say.

We know your precious eyes are watching us intently

And your tiny little ears are listening so sharply.

We'll teach you how to love by the way we treat others.

We'll teach you generosity by the way we give.

We'll teach you how to worship God by our obedience to Him.

We'll teach you righteousness by the way we live.

Our prayer is that you grown up strong

and love the Lord your God.

You are our sweet child

And we love you with all of our heart.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Verses that I cherish...

 "She said, "Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the LORD. "For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. "So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there." ...1 Samuel 1:24-28
 ...Hannah, what an inspiration. She gave her son Samuel over to the Lord and knew that Jesus loved her son more than she ever could.

And here is another verse that just confirms our reason to dedicate our babies instead of baptizing. I believe that they should be baptized when they are old enough to make the choice on their own of accepting Jesus into their hearts.

"And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord." - Luke 2:21-22 ...Mary presented Jesus, her first born son to the Lord in Jerusalem. Jesus was not baptized till He was 30 years old, but was presented when he was eight.

I truly believe that children are a heritage from the Lord. That they are a reward from God. Every parent should realize that children are a heritage from the Lord. They are a reward from God...Psalm 127:3 "Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him." 

Back to the celebration details ...
Today was a beautiful extremely gorgeous day outside.
It began by the church service at 9am. (Thank you to our family and friends who were there to support us and love on our little Gracie, we are so very thankful for all of you!!)

"...that I may walk before God in the light of life." Psalm 56:13

 

unfortunate camera problems but thankful to have a few photos!

Our family :)

Auntie Halie and Uncle Matt

Kenzie and Ashtyn, cousins and forever friends

After church we had the big celebration at our house. It was wonderful. There was 23 people at our farm and it was just amazing!  As I finished preparing the meal, I looked out my kitchen window to see all the kids out running in the yard playing catch and a few carrying kittens around and the adults were walking around the farm talking and soaking in God's gorgeous day he gave us. That moment just made a special place in my heart.

That meal that I told you I finished preparing... I am so pumped to share with you that I had it all ready to go last night, so when we got home from church I just had to put things in the oven and warm things up. So I feel like I can a little bit brag about this because I will have you know it is the very FIRST time I have ever ever ever been prepared like this. I mean EVER! I am the one that is always late (as most of you know) and scrambling around last minute making a big mess because I wasn't prepared.
So here is how prepared I was.... I finished everything and crawled into my bed last night (Saturday morning at 2:45am.) Yes, I was that prepared. haha. Not sure why I can't ever stay on track and accomplish things at normal time but anyways... this was still awesome to just enjoy our time after church and not feel so rushed.. (It was also an awesome feeling to take a long nap this afternoon) :) 
One last thing being prepared thing... THE SMELL.. when I walked into my kitchen when we got home, it was marvelous. Fresh homemade bread in the bread machine, the smell of chicken. the savory smell of squash. yum yum yum.

I am so thankful for God's goodness, his love, the gifts he has given to us that we don't deserve.
This meal we made, most of it came from our farm. Seeing the prepared food all ready to be served just reminded me again for God's unfailing love for us.

On the menu:

Farm grown baked lemon pepper chicken, roasted carmel glazed squash, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet corn, cracker with homemade goat cheese (thank you to Shirley for this deliciousness), fruit salad and last but not least...lemon blueberry cupcakes. YUMMO.

We ate, and enjoyed conversation.  Then went back outside to enjoy the day. The entire day was so wonderful.

But all things come to an end... Harvest. 2013.. yes we're right in the heat of it.
TJ was one of the first to leave but we really enjoyed spending our morning with him.
We have also really loved the times that we have gotten to ride in the tractor and see daddy over the last few days. Each one of the kids love it, they could all spend hours and hours with daddy or grandpa in the combine and tractors.
Even, Miss Gracie who got to have her first tractor ride today (at 4.5 months old). She giggled and smiled at daddy and watched everything going on but it wasn't long until that hum and steady bumpy ride from that big rig put her right to sleep. We watched the sun go down and what an incredible view from the tractor.

 

Helping Delaine for a little bit

Spending time with Grandma while Brayden got to ride with daddy

Gracie's first tractor ride!

She's loving it! So is her mommy and brother

future farm girl in the making!

unloading on the go :)

and the bumpiness and constant hum put her right to sleep shortly after we got in

didn't take her long to be a daddy's girl

 
Praise God for his great blessings and a wonderful, wonderful weekend.

 

 

 

  
 

Grandma's Hearty Pierogies

Living on our farm has been one of the biggest blessings I could ever imagine.

My childhood dreams came true.

We spent our summers in Pennsylvania and I spent a lot of time on my Aunt and Uncle's Dairy farm, helping milk cows and drinking the milk right there in the barn. My Uncle taught us so much about milk and nutrition and how healthy and good for you raw milk is.

This is one of the reasons I'm such a firm believer in milking our goats and drinking their milk.  

I also spent a lot of time with my grandma and cousins. Grandma Blough was famous for everything natural, cooking and canning.
We spent hours outside picking fresh raspberries and helping her in the garden.

These summers I never ever wanted to end, and I always prayed that I could move out there one day, or at least have a farm of my own so when I became a mommy I could teach my kids these things and have a garden and make these memories with my kiddos.

Back to my grandma...one of my all time favorites from her kitchen were her pierogies. (for all of you non German folks you pronounce them, pie·ro·gies).

I would beg her to make them every time I was over. My Aunt Rita makes some pretty tasty ones too, almost as good as grandma! ;) We would sit around the table and talk and laugh and eat this big delicious meal. I can still picture it like this was happening just yesterday (my grandma passed away 7 years ago)  and still smell the most amazing aroma of the pierogies frying.  

Well tonight after talking to my Aunt Rita, the kids and I made grandmas recipe.

 

It wouldn't be normal to cook in the kitchen if one of my kiddos weren't sitting on the counter.

But I wouldn't have it any other way.

The questions and endless talk  is treasured deep in my heart.

what could beat sautéing homemade pierogies in butter in the cast iron skillet?

 

As we sat down to eat these delicious pierogies (not quite as good as grandma's, I still need to work on perfecting the recipe). But the kids might disagree, they only saved a few for daddy when he got home (simply AMAZING, all 3 kids loved them!!)
 I shared lots of stories growing up and my fond memories of visiting my family in Pennsylvania.

 The kiddos were so interested and had smiles from ear to ear.

These are memories I hope they are storing deep in their hearts as well.

Crazy don't you think... how a simple food can have such significance in ones life?