Healthy Eating

Over the past few years I've been trying to make gradual changes away from the Standard American Diet to a more healthy way of eating for my family. For the past 6 months or so I've been loosely following the plan laid out in Trim Healthy Mama. As with any diet or eating plan, though, it needs to be easy to follow, appealing, and practical for sticking to long-term. Consequently, there are some recommendations that I have chosen to not implement at this time. Maybe later. Maybe not.

Here are some of the changes I've implemented along the way... some awhile back, others more recently. I don't do well with hard-and-fast rules, and I'm not legalistic about any of this.

I try to serve lots of salads and vegetables. Salad mixes offer some creative and convenient choices when I don't have time to clean and chop the fresh veggies... and there are an equal number of mixed vegetable options labeled "stir fry" in the frozen vegetable department. These can be used, obviously, for stir fry, but also just steamed with butter or broiled with a little olive oil drizzled on them. They are also great to add to soups and stews.

I don't worry too much about the fats in meat or cheese, but I have switched to olive oil, coconut oil, or butter rather than shortening, vegetable oil, or margarine.

A side benefit to our backyard chickens is that we can enjoy fresh free-range eggs. (You would think that would be the primary benefit, but no, they are actually pets who happen to lay eggs!)

I buy raw milk because it's available to us, and I think it's healthier. Sometimes I even make yogurt (much easier than I ever expected) when we end up with extra milk.

I've been trying to cut back on "junk" carbs, so I buy whole-wheat bread and tortillas, and preferably the sprouted wheat varieties, though they are harder to find and more expensive. I've even been experimenting with sprouting wheat and baking bread. Some days I feel down right "crunchy!"

Instead of white rice, I use brown rice or quinoa. Instead of potatoes, I serve other vegetables. I have learned some very creative and delicious ways to fix cauliflower, so that I don't even miss the potatoes.

Rather than trying to make "diet" desserts with sugar substitutes and low-fat ingredients, I just don't have dessert as often. When I do, I enjoy a small serving of the "real thing." (And by real thing, I mean made-from-scratch or with ingredients you can pronounce, not chemical substitutes.) A big bowl of berries (fresh in-season, or frozen-slightly-thawed otherwise) with a small scoop of Kirkland vanilla ice cream is my current favorite dessert.

Lyle and the kids still enjoy what they call "contraband" sometimes... things like Cheez-Its and M&Ms. As long as it's an occasional treat, and not their everyday diet, I don't have a problem with it.

My "one weakness" (as Dorcas on Lark Rise to Candleford says) is Coke Zero... and sweetened coffee. (That's two weaknesses, you say? That's okay. Dorcas actually has several "one weaknesses!") The way I look at it is that Coca-Cola is not good for you in any of its formulations (though "Mexican Coke" made with real sugar is probably best). But I like the taste and mild buzz of Coke Zero, so I enjoy that in moderation on occasion. Not every day. For coffee, I use real cream and a few drops of flavored liquid stevia. And sometimes I make iced coffee with unsweetened almond milk and flavored stevia.

When it comes to meal planning the Trim Healthy Mama way, the idea is to separate your fats from your carbs (if you're interested in losing weight), and to avoid spiking your blood sugar. S (for satisfying) foods or meals can have protein and fats but only minimal carbs.  E (for energizing) foods or meals can have protein and carbs but only minimal fats. When you have both together, that's called a "crossover" meal, and while it's okay to eat "crossover" style occasionally, I'm told it will stall weight loss. That has taken more effort to learn.

I've been collecting Trim Healthy Mama recipes on Pinterest. Some I've tried and liked, others we haven't cared for. It's definitely an on-going journey...

Parmesan Crisps

Two weeks ago, on our trip to the coast, we stopped at Whole Foods on our way through Portland. There's not a Whole Foods store in Spokane (our local "big city"), so I wanted to see what they might have in the way of crackers or snacks that fit in with the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle.

My favorite find was a container of Parmesan Crisps. Lyle wasn't sure he would like them, but I was pretty sure I would. They were pretty spendy at $6.00 for a 3.5-ounce package, but I went ahead and got them. We tried them as soon as we got back in the car. I love them because they are crisp and salty like a chip, but high protein instead of carbs. And they have a very rich flavor so I usually only want 1 or 2 at a time. It turned out that Lyle likes them, too, but we didn't go back and get more because they were so expensive.

Guess what? I figured out how to make them myself! 

This may be the easiest "recipe" ever... and they taste just like the ones we bought. I promise.

Here's how to do it:

1. Put a square of parchment paper on a plate.
2. Make four little piles of parmesan on the paper (about a tablespoonful in each pile).
3. Microwave on high for 1 minute.
4. Let cool.

 Can you believe how easy that is?

And a huge savings!

This container that cost $6.00? I was able to refill it with the same amount of product for 80 cents.

Unbelievable.

I should go into business.

Christmas Baking Party

The girls and I hosted a Christmas baking party earlier this month. My friend Farrah was great about taking pictures and she has posted a full report on her blog, Light in the Sphere. (And yes, she took the picture for this post, too. I just "borrowed" it!)

Maybe she'll do a post about our other party, too. You'd think I'd be more diligent about taking pictures, knowing I'll want to blog about it. Too many things to think about, I guess.

Anyway... thanks, Farrah!

Making Yogurt

So I've been tweeting* about making yogurt in the Crock Pot and I thought I might mention it in my Friday Fragments post tomorrow, but it's generated so much interest, I decided that it warranted its own post. This is not, however, a tutorial. There are several excellent ones already available. Just wanted to share my experience.

For the past year or so we have been buying raw milk. We get one gallon a week for our family of four. Buying directly from the dairy farmer is a little different than buying milk at the store. We have a set time to pick up the milk, so we get it whether we need it or not. Besides, raw milk doesn't "keep" as long as store-bought milk, so even if we haven't used the full gallon, after a week or so it begins to go sour.

 One of my daughters is currently experiencing a lactose intolerance, so for the past few weeks I've been ending up with too much milk each week. She had noticed, though, that yogurt doesn't bother her. After doing some research I found out that the lactose in the milk is consumed by the live cultures in the yogurt during the fermenting process. I had heard that making yogurt wasn't hard, and since I had extra milk I decided to try it.

First, I hopped on Google. (What in the world did we do before the internet?) Here are the sites I read before I headed to the kitchen:

• One Good Thing by Jillee: Crockpot Greek Yogurt
• Happy Simple Living: Make Your Own Homemade Greek Yogurt
• Shannon's Kitchen Creations: Crock Pot Greek Yogurt
• Money Saving Mom: How to Make Homemade Yogurt in the Crock Pot
• Mom Prepares: How to Make Yogurt in a Crock Pot

Step 1:  About 9 a.m. I made sure my Crock Pot was extra-clean and then poured in a half gallon of milk, and turned it on Low. Then I ignored it for about 2 hours.

Step 2: Removed the lid, turned off the Crock Pot. Checked the temperature of the milk with a kitchen thermometer. You want it to be about 180 and mine was a little higher than that, so I'll check it sooner next time. I also stirred in the "skin" that had formed on the top of the milk. Apparently, it's better to remove that, for a smoother yogurt, so I'll do that next time. Leaving the lid off to let in the bacteria from the air, I kept an eye on it for the next hour or so, "taking its temperature" every few minutes. I was watching for it to get down to about 110 degrees. This was the only "fiddly" part of the whole process, being sure to catch it at 110. At that time, I stirred in about a fourth of a cup of store-bought plain yogurt. I bought the Greek-style because I could get the "plain" in a smaller container. I think it doesn't really matter what style it is as long as it contains live cultures. Then I replaced the lid, and wrapped the whole Crock Pot (outer part and all) in a thick blanket and shoved it to the back of the counter. That was at noon. I didn't do another thing to it until bedtime.

Step 3: Just before I went to bed I unwrapped the Crock Pot and peeked inside. It had set up nicely! I was so pleased. A little whey had separated so I gave it a stir or two just to see what it looked like, and I tasted it. Oh, yum! A little tart, and unflavored, but I could tell I had made real yogurt! I lifted the inner crock part of the Crock Pot out of the appliance part and just set it in the fridge until morning.

Step 4: This morning I took out one serving and stirred in honey and frozen berries for breakfast. Tasty! I decided to try straining the whey, which is an optional step, to make it a little thicker. Apparently, straining the whey off is what makes it Greek-style. I lined a colander with coffee filters (having no cheese cloth) and set it down in a large bowl. After about an hour, a cup or so of whey had drained off, which I reserved because I understand it can be used for cooking. Then I stirred in agave nectar and vanilla, and persuaded my kids to taste it. They were more impressed than they expected to be. "Tastes a little bit like ice cream!"

Don't you love it when something you try turns out great the first time?

*Even if you're not on Twitter, you can read my Twitter feed in the side-bar of my blog, if you didn't realize that already.

Harvest Time

For our second day-trip of the week, on Saturday we headed to the Green Bluff area to pick apples and enjoy other harvest-y type activities. It was a gorgeous day... which made it nice to be out-and-about...

....but then everybody else and his Uncle Joe thought so, too. All the farms were pretty crowded.

We visited several farms in a row. It was interesting to see how each one was different.

At the first farm we bought Kettle Corn to munch on throughout the day. That stuff is addicting!

Some of our group rode the little shuttle wagon out to the orchards just for fun, though we didn't actually pick apples there.

Those of us who didn't go to the orchard had fun snapping pictures with the silly photo props.

Another farm had farm animals to pet... and a little pioneer cabin and teepee to go in. We shuddered thinking of spending the winter in such a structure.

Then we stopped at the orchard where we like to pick apples. They have a nice variety of fruit... and a fun letter-boxing type game for the kids to find all the boxes as they go through the orchard. A nice surprise this year was that apples were only 25 cents a pound! The prices we had seen so far had been $1.00 or more, even for U-Pick so we wondered what the catch was. The lady explained that they had missed a spraying this year, and many of the apples were wormy. We were able to be selective as we picked, and there were still a good many that weren't wormy, so it turned out to be a good bargain for us!

Moving on, we bought Honey Crisp apples at another farm (a variety that the U-Pick farm didn't have)... and the girls went out to the pumpkin field to pick pumpkins. They told me they wanted big ones. "Okay, but not too big," I agreed.

The pumpkins they came back with were bigger than I had in mind, but I have to admit, they do look very nice in the front flowerbed... and the little neighbor boy was very impressed! I guess that's the whole idea of pumpkins in your yard... to impress the neighbors?

We had lunch and bought fresh apple cider at yet another farm. At that point, we decided we all had what we had come for, so we decided to call it a day.

We've been enjoying fresh apples all week... and Laura has been busy making and canning apple butter and applesauce.

Anchovies

Laura has a wacky sense of humor. I can't imagine where she gets it.

One day last week when I was at the print shop she called me from home. "Mom, when you were at the grocery store earlier, did you happen to get... anchovies?"

Say what? I had never bought, or even tasted, anchovies before in my life. I had tasted caviar, once, many years ago. Anchovies, never.

"Um. Yeah. Of course. I make sure we're always stocked up on anchovies," I told her, wondering what she really wanted.

She giggled and said, "I was really wondering about jalepenos. I want to make a dip and it calls for jalepenos. I don't think we have any."

I was planning to stop at the store anyway, so I told her I would add jalepenos to my list. Lyle was with me, so I repeated the conversation to him. "I've always wondered what anchovies taste like. If they aren't too expensive I think I'll get some just for a joke... since she asked for them!"

Turns out they were $1.78 for this little tin, which is not exactly tuna-fish price, but still cheap enough to try something new and get a laugh out of the deal.

I gathered up the rest of my groceries, and as I was checking out the cashier asked what I was planning to make. I tried to explain that my daughter had asked for the anchovies, but I was really getting them for a joke. She looked at me like I was crazy. "Oh, she's going to make something with them?" she kinda mumbled, and then didn't make eye contact with me any more. I'm sure she thought I belonged in the loony bin or something.

I carried the groceries out to the car, and gleefully showed my pretty little box to Lyle. He doesn't care for any kind of fish in any way, shape, or form, so there was no way he planned to try them. He just had one question for me.

"Did you get the jalepenos?"

Um.

I couldn't believe it. I had totally forgotten the jalepenos. And they were on my list.

When I got home and presented Laura with the tin of anchovies, she looked a little startled.

"You do know that was a joke, right?" she asked. I can't figure out why everyone thought I was crazy.

So I told her the story of why I decided to buy them. Once she understood she thought it was pretty funny. And she was curious to taste the anchovies, too.

We pulled the top off the little tin to find them floating grotesquely in olive oil. Can't say they looked all that appetizing. At least it wasn't fish oil.

I drained the oil off, and patted one of the little fillets dry with a paper towel, then popped a small piece in my mouth.

Salt.

That's pretty much all I tasted. Just super salty, and not all that fishy.

I had the rest later on crackers with cream cheese. It wasn't nasty, but it was way too salty to be much of a delicacy.

That may come from buying the cheap brand, though. I don't know.

Have you ever tried anchovies? What is your opinion?

August Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
About as close to perfect as possible. We have had an incredibly mild summer this year. Lyle told me he heard we've only had something like 4 days where the temperature got over 90 degrees. We never even bothered putting in the window a/c unit this year. We've just had the windows open for months. I love living in the northwest!

Things that make me happy:
Standing out in the parking lot after church visiting with friends for hours.

Books I'm reading:

• More Treasures from Grandma's Attic by Arleta Richardson (in the upstairs bathroom)
• The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (not a book, I know, but it's what I currently have going in the downstairs bathroom)
• I'm sorta between books on my Kindle. That is to say, I have several started, but I haven't gotten into any of them yet. I just finished Reinventing Leona by Lynne Gentry.

On the menu for dinner:
Hamburgers on the grill, I think.

On my To Do List:
(You really don't want to see my whole To-Do list... but here are a few things I need to do today.)

• Divide and wrap 40 pounds of hamburger meat we picked up Saturday evening.
• Package and mail several packages.
• Work several hours as a Sonlight Advisor.
• Clean the kitchen.
• Get some writing done.

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:
I want to try making The Pioneer Woman's Iced Coffee. I've been afraid to make it, though, because I'm very sure I would quickly become addicted to it.

In the craft basket:
Cotton yarn for washcloths. I've been making these up to sell. One of my friends makes soap and has been selling it at the farmer's market. I sent her a batch of washcloths to offer with the soap. I have also set up an Etsy shop. Not many listed there yet, but it's a start.

Looking forward to this week:
Laura is coming home Wednesday evening! She's been gone all summer, and we have missed her!

No words needed:

Lesson learned the past few days:
God is faithful. Always.

On my mind:
Plans for the upcoming school year. (Don't miss my Back-to-School giveaway!)

Scripture:
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. I Corinthians 10:13.

More Happy Homemaker Monday posts @ Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Picking Huckleberries

Down the forest path we went...

...in search of the elusive but oh-so-desirable huckleberry.

They don't usually grow quite this profusely, so you can bet we picked like crazy when we did find the bushes loaded.

Three hours of hand picking garnered about a half gallon of the luscious berries. Now I understand why they sell for $40 a gallon. But the morning spend with sweet new friends in the beautiful forest was priceless. And the berries are pretty yummy, too!

When life gives you lemons...

...you make lemonade, of course!

I like to make old-fashioned lemonade.

Okay, I cheat a little bit, in that I use bottled lemon juice rather than fresh-squeezed lemons. It's a lot less work and tastes almost as good. I also like to use raw sugar which adds to the "old-fashioned" flavor.

My recipe is:

• 1 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup raw sugar (Can use regular white sugar, if you prefer--- and you might want up to a cup of sugar. We like our lemonade on the tart side.)
• 1/2 sliced lemon (This is really just for garnish. The lemonade tastes the same without it.)
• 2 quarts cold water

Serve over ice... and enjoy!

July Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Just beautiful! We had 3 uncomfortably warm days last week. Otherwise, we've had no hot weather to speak of.

Things that make me happy:
Sunshine with temps in the 70s!

Books I'm reading:
Don't laugh. I almost always have this many going at once...

• Perfectly Invisible by Kristin Billerbeck (by my bed)
• A Matter of Honor by Kay Martin (on my Kindle)
• To Darkness Fled by Jill Williamson (on my Kindle)
• The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson (in the downstairs bathroom)
• Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery (in the upstairs bathroom)

On the menu for dinner:
Chicken-and-broccoli rice casserole. I think. Or maybe fast food. Depends on what we end up needing to do this evening.

On my To Do List:
Finish reorganizing our bookcases.
See if the neighbor lady is still planning to have a neighborhood garage sale this weekend.
If so, get ready to have a garage sale on Saturday. Ugh.
Work on a blog post for SonlightBlog.com. (Look for it there July 26.)

New recipe I tried or want to try soon:
I want to try making some mixed-berry muffins using my friend Judy's recipe for Whole Wheat Oatmeal Blueberry Bread.

In the craft basket:
I'm almost finished with the curtain for my bedroom! Can't wait for the "ta-da!" moment.
Still working on the 99 Little Doilies.I think I'm working on #22, so I'll have some more pictures to show you soon.
Started an embroidery project of a vintage postcard to frame for my room.

Looking forward to this week:
Enjoying the beautiful weather and working on various projects.

Blog Hopping:
Here are blogs for some of the young ladies and moms I got to know this past year through yearbook staff and graduation--

• Butterflies and Rainbows
• Day by Day
• Emily, the Industrious
• Eternity is Closer Than You Think
• Free Indeed
• Keeper of the Fires
• A Maiden's Musings
• Through My Eyes

No words needed:

Lesson learned the past few days:
I can walk further than I thought if I just pace myself... and I actually enjoy it! Yay!


On my mind:
Missing my daughter who is gone for the summer!

Scripture:
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father... I Thessalonians 1:2-3

More Happy Homemaker Monday posts @ Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Might be spicy!

People are funny sometimes. Not that they mean to be. They just are.

I picked up a bag of the new "Artisan" chips from Tostitos at the grocery store earlier this week. Black bean and garlic flavored, as I recall.

As I was checking out, the cashier commented on them. "Have you had these before? They look good!"

I admitted I had not had them before, but I thought they looked good as well.

She said, "I've been meaning to get some, but by the time I get off work I forget about them. But they sure look good! Does that 'artisan' mean they're spicy?"

After gulping back a chuckle, as politely as I could I said, "Um, well, actually, I think that means they are hand-made or something like that."

"Oh," she said. "Well, they sure look good!"

But who knows? Maybe "artisan" is a new spice I hadn't heard of before!

January Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods: Not bad at all for January.

Things that make me happy: Sunshine in January!

Book I'm reading: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

What's on my TV today: I'm really enjoying Downton Abbey on Masterpiece Classics this month. Lyle chooses most of what we record and watch, but he records that series for me. (And even watches them with me. What a guy!)

On the menu for dinner: Chicken-andouille gumbo sounds really good. I think I have the stuff to make it... so, yeah... that!

On my To Do List: Get some extra work and homeschooling done this week, as I will be gone 4 days next week on a business trip.

New recipe I want to try soon: Dutch Baby pancakes. I had one at a local restaurant on our breakfast date Saturday and it was wonderful!

In the craft basket: Still working on my bedroom curtain. I also have a pair of socks on knitting needles, as a take-along project.

Looking forward to this week: I've been wanting to go to our local Kroc Center to check out the facilities and get some exercise in this winter. What with sickness and other busy-ness, it keeps getting put off. I'm really hoping to make it this week!

Tips and Tricks: I discovered a liquid herbal supplement at our health food store that has helped with my chronic winter cough better than anything else I've tried. (And yes, I've tried the "100%-effective-Vicks-Rub-on-the-bottom-of-your-feet" thing. I don't know how something can be 100% effective and not work for me... but it sure doesn't.) Anyway, this concoction is put out by Wish Garden herbs. It's not cheap... about $12 an ounce... and it's very bitter. But it only takes a few drops at a time and seems to be effective for whatever-kinda-cough-this-is that I get every winter.

On my mind: Looking forward to my trip to Denver next week. And then long range, planning for Laura's graduation activities later in the spring.

Inspirational Reading: The Never-Wavering Few @ Lady Liberty Patriot.

Visit Diary of a Stay-at-Home Mom for more Happy Homemaker Monday posts.

Favorite Christmas Recipes

Is anything more cozy than the fragrance of Christmas baking? We love to make goodies to take to parties and get-togethers, and to make up goody bags to give out to friends and neighbors. Here are some of our favorites (with recipes I have posted previously):

• Apple Cookies
• Banana Nut Bread
• Beulah's Sugar Cookies
• Christmas Eve Mice
• Friendship Tea
• Hot Cocoa Mix
• MawMaw's Date Loaf Candy
• Monster Cookies
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Popcorn Balls 

Diary of a Stay at Home Mom is featuring Christmas recipes each Thursday this month, if you're looking for more ideas.

What are some of your favorite holiday food traditions?

"The Way to a Man's Heart..."

Coming up with the perfect gift for my husband is always a challenge. I want it to be something special that will express how much I love and appreciate him. Over the years I've learned that men don't want sentimental gifts. At least, my husband doesn't. The gifts he seems to appreciate the most are practical things, especially if it involves food! Isn't that funny? Something that he's going to eat, and then it will be gone. Here are some gift ideas along that line that my husband really enjoys.

• a tin of chocolate chip cookies made from his mother's recipe
• a batch of fudge
• a batch of chocolate no-bake cookies
• a box of See's chocolates 
• a poster-board size card with a silly message using candy bars to spell out parts of the greeting (I've done this several times before, but I can't find where I've blogged about it. You can just Google "candy bar card" for ideas.)
• a giant Hershey's candy bar
• a big bag of M&M's (Do you see the pattern here? The man does love his chocolate!)
• a cheese tray
• breakfast dates on Saturday mornings (On work days he goes to work too early to want to take the time to sit down to eat, so weekend breakfasts are a treat for him.)

I try to mix it up a bit from one occasion to the next just to keep him guessing... and I usually try to throw in a few other practical gifts-- like tools, socks, and underwear. I know. It sounds boring to me. But what can I say? That's what he wants!

Interestingly enough, when I called my Dad yesterday for his birthday, he told me all about the wonderful apple pie Mother had made him. He described how she served it with whipped cream and how delicious it was. He didn't mention any other gifts. Yup. I'm pretty sure the old adage still holds: The way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

Visit Chrysalis for more Marriage Monday posts on "Joy for Two at Christmas."

November Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods: Gray and damp, and dark very early. Typical November weather.
Things that make me happy: Hanging out with my husband.
Book I'm reading: Too Much Stuff by Kathryn Porter, and When God Writes Your Love Story by Eric and Leslie Ludy.
What's on my TV today: No idea. Whatever Lyle is in the mood for if we have time to watch TV this evening. He enjoys winding down with a show or two before bedtime, and I just mostly keep him company by crocheting and listening to whatever he's watching.
On the menu for dinner: Beef stew.
On my To Do List: Homeschooling, work, packing for a trip this weekend.
New Recipe: My daughter made a wonderful pumpkin cheesecake in honor of our anniversary.
In the craft basket: 4 exquisite balls of mohair and silk yarn that I am crocheting into a formal wrap for my daughter.
Looking forward to this week: Heading to Helena, Montana this weekend to represent Sonlight at the Education Options Symposium.
Tips and Tricks: A small pumpkin makes a pretty nifty "vase."

On my mind: Lyle and I have been reading our pre-marriage letters together, reminding us of decisions we made and experiences we had long ago. It's been a good time to reminisce about the past and plan for the future.
Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. Luke 6:47-48.

Visit Diary of a Stay-at-Home Mom for more Happy Homemaker Monday posts.

Graduation Cupcakes

My daughter loves to make treats for the Thursday evening Bible study we host in our home. This spring one of the young men who attends graduated from high school. I had seen the idea for these cute graduation cap cupcakes, so I suggested to my daughter that she could make them one Thursday a few weeks ago, in honor of our friend.
She made chocolate cupcakes and frosted them with cream cheese frosting. Next is a small peanut-butter cup turned upside down, topped by a Ghiradelli square, also turned upside down. The buttons are mini M&Ms. It probably would have looked better if all the M&Ms had been brown, but they are actually color-coded to indicate the type of filling in the Ghiradelli square! Brown is dark chocolate, yellow is caramel, red is raspberry, and green is mint! (The bag of squares I got was assorted flavors.)

Needless to say, they were a big hit!

Homemade Pop

My family has been enjoying experimenting with making our own pop for the past few days. On Friday we received the SodaStream outfit I won at Reviews and Reflections. Just as Heidi said, it is super easy to use, and comes with a wide variety of flavors that we are working our way through.

Our first batch didn't turn out to be fizzy enough because we misunderstood the directions. It says to push the button several times until it buzzes, and that 3 buzzes is a normal carbonation level. We thought that meant to push the button 3 times. On the next batch we figured out how to do it "right" and were very impressed with the results! More than we expected to be, actually.

I like that the flavor syrups do not contain high fructose corn syrup or aspartame. The diet flavors are sweetened with Splenda (which is still not great, in my opionion), and then I noticed even the regular flavors have Splenda as an ingredient as well as sugar. I'm not sure why, except that it makes them lower calorie.

We want to experiment with making our own flavoring syrups. We also tried carbonating regular apple juice to make sparkling apple juice. That worked great! I know we're really going to enjoy this new gadget! Thanks again, Heidi!

Seriously?

When did strawberries get so big?
And why do we need them to be that big?
They're beautiful to look at but sure didn't have much flavor.
Reckon they're genetically modified?
Inquiring minds want to know!

Homemade Ice Cream (sugar-free)

In my quest for healthier eating for my family I've been pleasantly surprised to find that our regular grocery store has quite a few organic options to the foods we are used to eating. Yes, it's usually a little more expensive, but I've decided that it's worth it. Our grocery store even has organic ice cream!

The only thing is, I've also been trying to eat "low-glycemic" to try to eliminate my migraines. And the only sugar-free ice cream I've found has the nasty artificial sweeteners. We even have a really extensive natural foods supermarket in our area. I was sure they would have a sugar-free ice cream with a natural sugar substitute such as xylitol or stevia. But they didn't! So I decided I would just have to make my own.

After reading several recipes (some calling for sugar, some for other sweeteners) I came up with my own concoction using granulated xylitol and real vanilla. My family declared it delicious. We honestly could not tell that it was not sweetened with sugar. Well, not by taste anyway. Cost-wise, xylitol is significantly more expensive than cane sugar. So this will have to be a special treat!

I also want to try tweaking the recipe. For homemade ice cream it was good! But  you know how homemade ice cream is usually a little "grainy" compared to commercial ice cream? I want to try to see if I can get it to come out creamier. I'm thinking if I cooked it first into a kind of custard before freezing it, that might work.

I think I might wait until the weather warms up a bit, though. January is just not the best time for homemade ice cream!

Simple Days in January

Outside my window...it's getting light and it's cold, but still not a lot of snow.

I am thinking...of a variety of things I'd like to blog about soon.

I am thankful for...cozy throws, bright candles, fuzzy socks, and hot beverages on these chilly winter days.

I am wearing...denim skirt, navy corduroy shirt over white shirt

I am remembering...how apprehensive the girls were at their first ski lesson last year, and how much they ended up liking it.

I am going...to take the girls to their first ski outing for the season on Friday. We have an opportunity to go with our homeschool group again this year, so we have signed up for the 8-week class. The girls are really excited!

I am currently reading...Becoming Lucy by Martha Rogers and Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris. Also, listening to the audio book of Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy as this month's read for the Kindred Spirit's book group.

I am hoping...to soon finish the second sock of the pair I'm knitting. I can't wait to see what they look like with some casual MaryJane shoes I ordered from Lands' End. I think that will be a cute look with the denim skirts I like to wear.

On my mind...getting started with the Madsen Method language arts curriculum that I am going to be using with my younger daughter (and reviewing) for the next 6-9 months. I've been told I will see miraculous progress. That would be nice!

Noticing that...the daylight hours are getting longer! Yay!

Pondering these words... "On a day which had a summer face and a winter constitution-a fine January morning, when there was just enough blue sky visible to make cheerfully-disposed people wish for more, and an occasional gleam of silvery sunshine..." Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd

From the kitchen...I made a big batch of beef stock this past weekend from my new cookbook: Nourishing Traditions. I am trying to do more "from scratch" cooking. See my post about it on The Persnickety Pantry.

Around the house...I need to clean up my office, but I'll be surprised if I get to that job this week.

One of my favorite things...reading aloud to my family.

Visit The Simple Woman's Daybook.