Health Magazine

When we ordered our latest bulk food order, we were given a copy of a magazine the company puts out.  I have read quite a bit of it and it’s very interesting.  Did you know the top two killers in the U.S. are heart disease and cancer?  Could this be due to the American diet?  I don’t see why not.  Most Americans eat a diet high in fat, preservatives, additives, hydrogenated oils, etc.  How much processed food is in your cabinet?  Heart disease and cancer are not diseases you get just because of age.  I believe, for the most part, they are diseases you get because of poor lifestyle choices.  You cannot expect your body to remain healthy when it is fed junk and never exercised. 

According to Dr. Esselstyn (a doctor and researcher featured in the film Forks Over Knives), 

“Cardiovasuclar disease is a benign, food-related illness that can be halted.  Cardiovascular disease is almost non-existent in China, Papua New Guinea, central Africa, and the Tarahumara Indians of northern Mexico.  These are largely plant-based cultures.”   

Now, I don’t believe your diet has to be completely plant based, however, most Americans don’t eat very many plants at all.  The sauce on your pizza should not be your only vegetable! 

“Eighty-five percent of common, chronic, killing diseases in Western civilization are diet-related,” Dr. Esselstyn says.  “The single most important thing is what goes through your lips.  That determines whether your disease progresses or regresses.  If everyone started eating to save their heart, we’d really empty out the hospitals.  This same approach doesn’t apply only to the heart.  It applies to other organs as well.”

This is my kind of magazine!  I am amazed at what people eat and consider it to be healthy.  Most of the time, they just don’t consider it at all.  They don’t think it’s a big deal to eat all that junk.  Changing your diet and lifestyle happens one step at the time.  You can’t do it all over night but you should try as hard as you can.  Make significant changes.  Follow the baby steps I have outlined to get you started. 

I’ll be honest.  The hardest part about it is the outside world.  People will look at you funny or even give you a hard time because you won’t eat everything at the potluck.  They may criticize you or call you weird.  We have been through it all…sadly.  Most of it came from people we are closest to.  Why is it that when you make a better choice for your life, like eating right, people get so worked up about it?  They are actually the “weird” ones because they choose to fuel their bodies with chemicals and nothingness then expect a doctor to fix it all later. 

No matter what, take the leap.  Do what is right and you will feel much better.  Your body will feel great and you will get tougher over time as your loved ones question you.  Stand strong and do it.

By the way, just because a food is healthy doesn’t mean it’s nasty.  We don’t eat lettuce and tree bark for supper.  (Just check out some of the recipes on this blog.)  In fact, we think our food is much tastier than traditional American food!  Maybe that’s because our taste buds are awake and not coated with additives and chemicals?!

Clean food is fulfilling

How To De-Bone a Chicken...My Way

I’m sure there are technical ways to do this but I just do it the way I like.  When I de-bone a chicken, my goal is to get all the meat off.  I don’t go for presentation points because I’m just going to chop it up and use it in a recipe anyway.  Now, if you were going to make fried chicken or something where you need whole pieces of uncooked chicken…then that’s a different story.  Check out this link on how to do that.

So here goes…  I start with a whole chicken that I have boiled. (I freeze the broth for later use.)   

I start by removing the breasts.  I usually just cut these off with a knife.  Then I use two forks to remove the rest of the meat from the bones leaving as little as possible behind.  

Breasts and white meat

 I don’t like dark meat so I separate that for Mr. Right (he likes it) and keep the white meat for me.  Be sure to remove all the skin, also.  It will peel off very easily.

Dark meat

It’s a simple process.  Leave nothing behind...

Beef Stroganoff

Here is an awesome Beef Stroganoff recipe I adapted from Better Homes and Gardens...

1lb ground home-grown, grass fed beef
8oz organic, plain yogurt
2T whole wheat flour
1/2c water
1/2c chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups hot cooked wheat noodles or brown rice

Cook ground beef and onion in skillet. 

In a small mixing bowl stir together yogurt and flour.  Stir in water.

Add yogurt mixture to meat along with garlic and salt to taste.

Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.

Serve over noodles or rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Beef...it's what's for dinner...

Sore Throat Remedy

A Hawaiian trail guide once gave me the recipe for his grandmother's sore throat remedy.  seriously.

If you're like us, you got a head cold for Christmas which can sometimes lead to a sore, scratchy throat.  So, here's the advice from the wise, Hawaiian grandmother...
Make a tea using honey, lemon, and ginger root.

You can get fresh ginger root at the grocery store.  It's in the produce aisle near the lettuce and other greens.

 Peel and slice some of the ginger root and simmer in water for about 10 minutes.  Then add honey and fresh squeezed lemon juice.  (Buy fresh lemons because...well...they're just lemons.  no added ingredients)
This recipe has no exact measurements so you'll just have to think like a Hawaiian.  Tweek it to your tastes.
The trail guide told me to gargle some and drink some.  Boy, it works wonders on a sore throat!
Enjoy!

Washing Eggs

Aren't they pretty?

One of my favorite things is laying eggs out to dry that I've washed.  I feel rich when I have a dish cloth full of fresh eggs!  The ladies aren't laying as much as they did during the summer but I'll take what I can get. 

Good job, ladies.  Thanks for the eggs.  :)

The Truth about Chicken

Did you know that until recently, the chicken we were eating from the supermarket contained traces of arsenic?  The FDA admitted here that small traces of the poison may have made it's way to the chicken we eat.

photo borrowed from mccormick.com

 Here is my favorite quote from the article:

"Pfizer Inc., which makes the feed ingredient, said Wednesday that it will pull it off the market in the United States. Had the company not stopped sales, the FDA could have eventually banned the product since it contains a known carcinogen."

"could have eventually banned"  Sounds like the FDA was reeaallly concerned.  The question is would they have eventually banned it?  If it's a "known carcinogen" then why was it ever given to chickens the public consumes?  I'll tell you why.  Arsenic is given to poultry to "kill parasites and promote growth" (according to the article).  So, at the risk of your health, they will give these birds a known carcinogen as to not risk their pocketbooks.  

Does is make you wonder what else the FDA overlooks?  It does me.

Mass-produced chickens are typically raised under terrible conditions.  Most of them get no sunlight or room to roam.  I have read that they actually only have about 1/2 a square foot of floor space per bird.  These cramped conditions can cause illness in the birds.  It would make sense to me to change their living conditions.  However, it makes more sense to Big Ag farmers to just make the birds survive in those conditions by giving them antibiotics. 

"The stress that poultry endure in crowded hen farms can cause disease, which is why they are given antibiotics. Scientists warn that the routine use of antibiotics in animal agriculture promotes the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can lead to serious consequences to human health."  drmercola.com

 If we don't take action and use our purchases as votes, the FDA will continue to allow chemicals, poisons, practices, etc to advance Big Agriculture.

Ok, some people don't care about the living conditions of their food before it reaches their table but do you think it's quality meat?  Do you want to feed meat to yourself and your family that contains traces of antibiotics, arsenic and who knows what else?  Choose good food.

Check out this brand: Harvest Land

The Beef is Coming! The Beef is Coming!

My sister-in-law and her husband have been raising serveral cows to split with family and friends so we can have some natural beef.  Well, I got an email from her that said the beef would be ready November 13th.  Whoo!  In about two weeks, I'll have half a cow in my deep freeze.  I need to get busy and make sure there is room!  I'm not sure how much our cow weighs so I don't know how much meat to expect but I'll take anything.  It's been too long since we've had beef!

Steak, brisket, ground beef.....makes my mouth water.  I think we'll have meat every night for a week!

photo from here

There is so much to learn about the beef you buy in supermarkets.  If you get started researching, you might not eat your supper tonight....but that's ok.

According to Food Inc., "Approximately 10 billion animals (chickens, cattle, hogs, ducks, turkeys, lambs and sheep) are raised and killed in the US annually. Nearly all of them are raised on factory farms under inhumane conditions. These industrial farms are also dangerous for their workers, pollute surrounding communities, are unsafe to our food system and contribute significantly to global warming."

Here is some information I found on MotherEarthNews:
"The [supermarket] beef contains traces of hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals that were never produced by any cow. That hamburger looks fresh, but it may be two weeks old and injected with gases to keep it cherry red. Take a closer look at that “guaranteed tender and juicy” filet of beef. The juiciness may have been “enhanced” with a concoction of water, salt, preservatives and other additives.
More ominous, the beef also may be infected with food-borne bacteria, including E. coli 0157:H7. Some experts believe this toxic E. coli evolved in cattle that were fed high-grain diets. Every year, hundreds of thousands of pounds of beef products are recalled. One of the largest recalls to date took place in October 2007 when Topps Meat company recalled 21.7 million pounds of hamburger because of potential E. coli contamination. The massive recall actually put the company out of business."

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2008-02-01/What-You-Need-to-Know-About-the-Beef-You-Eat.aspx#ixzz1cOHshZyv

Just remember, that's not beef you're eating if you bought it at the supermarket.  It's manufactured meat and the process it took to get it to you is astounding.

Do yourself a favor and watch Food, Inc.  Here's the link: http://www.foodincmovie.com/.  It's a very researched and thoughtfully put together film.  This is the push that really got us going on our real meat journey.

Keep in mind that you don't have to know someone who owns a farm to have good beef.  There are local markets that offer grass-fed beef.  Look beyond the supermarket.  Here is one in the Little Rock area http://www.argentamarket.com/.  It may cost a little more but it's worth it for your health.  It may just mean that you don't eat beef as many times a week as you'd like.  There is more to life than beef for dinner!  

If you don't have a family member who will raise a cow for you (and most people don't), shop wisely.  Here is a short "decoder" to better help you understand what is on your beef's food label:

• USDA Certified Organic — 100% organic grass, corn, grain; “access” to pasture required, but not defined; antibiotics only given to sick animals, which are then removed from the program; growth-hormones prohibited; animal welfare criteria vague.
• American Grassfed Association – Grass only; access to pasture required, animals spend the majority of their lives on pasture; antibiotics only given to sick animals, which are then removed from the program; growth-hormones prohibited; animal welfare criteria vague.
• USDA Certified Grassfed – Grass, if an animal consumes something other than grass it must be documented, but it can still bear the label; “access” to pasture required, but not defined; antibiotics allowed; growth hormones allowed; animal welfare not addressed.
• Certified Humane Raised & Handled – Grass, corn, grain allowed; access to pasture not required; antibiotics only given to sick animals; growth hormones prohibited; animal welfare requirements quite specific addressing health, shelter, and handling.
• Food Alliance Certified – Grass, corn, grain allowed; access to pasture required, animals spend the majority of their lives on pasture; antibiotics only given to sick animals; growth hormones prohibited; animal welfare requirements quite specific addressing health, shelter, and handling.
• Animal Welfare Approved — Grass, corn, grain allowed; access to pasture required, animals spend the majority of their lives on pasture; antibiotics only given to sick animals; growth hormones prohibited; animal welfare requirements quite specific addressing health, shelter, and handling.  foodrenegade.com

Can Goats Travel?

This is just a rant...
It would be really nice to have fresh milk.  However, our backyard is too small for a cow (I'm not sure the city would allow that anyway!) and that's A LOT of milk.  But a goat....a goat would be perfect.  We could get a little goat.  There's a problem though.  We like to travel.  When we go see Hubby's family we load the dog up in his crate and he rides in the back of the SUV.  Guess we could get a goat crate?  If we went camping, we could take the goat.  It could go for walks with us like Ranger does.
But...what about when we go places where pets aren't allowed?  Ranger has an automatic feeder so he's good for a weekend or so but someone would have to milk the goat.  Maybe we could train the goat to operate an automatic milker.  I'm sure with Ranger's help, they could figure it out.  OK...not really.
I guess I've found my answer.  Goats can't travel or stay alone and we would need a REALLY good friend to milk twice a day.  That's too much of a burden.
Eh... no goat for me.

Do any of you have goats?  What do you do if you want to leave town for a few days?

Looks yummy!

Vote for Good Food!

You vote for President, local officials, PTA President and who should cater the company cookout.  So, why don't you vote for something even more important?  Vote for good food!
This is something that really intrigued me the first time I heard it.

When you go to the grocery store, your purchases are your votes.  For so long, Americans have purchased junk food like meat raised incorrectly, processed foods, breads with preservatives, juice with corn syrup, etc.  What were we thinking?  Why did anyone ever buy that stuff?  Well, it's cheap and it's always available.  However, I have noticed since we started eating more naturally, that it is becoming more and more popular.  Companies are starting to catch on too.  More consumers are starting to purchase foods with an "all natural" label so more companies are starting to offer foods that are more natural.  If you start to buy it, they will offer you more and, eventually, the price will go down.

So, just think about it the next time you go to the grocery store.  You don't have to buy everything natural (unless you're already convinced like I am) but choose a few things.  Spend a few cents more and buy the better chicken, the juice that doesn't contain anything but actual fruit juice, or the "all natural" peanut butter.  You will be able to chalk it up as a vote for better food and I assure you the food companies will notice.

"The Girls"- our laying hens

My husband’s grandpa has chickens for eggs on his farm and we always bring some home with us when we go to visit.  It was always a treat to get his eggs.  Then one day I happened to learn that a friend of mine had chickens in her backyard and she lives in a neighboring large city.  I had never heard of someone having chickens in town!  So, I researched the laws and sure enough, we could have chickens in our suburban back yard.  That’s all I needed to know!  I convinced my husband by telling him I would feed them, love them, clean up after them and everything.  So, we started building the coop.  It was winter time and snowing…not really a good time to build a coop but once I get my mind on something there is no stopping me!  We started off with three chickens and after two tragedies and a series of other events we now have six.  We have three Black Australorps (Helen, Thelma Lou and Aunt Bee), two Rhode Island Reds (Omelet and Elvis) and one Cinnamon Queen (Big Mama).  They sure make the backyard lively!  We used to let them roam the yard in the evenings but then we decided we didn’t like stepping in chicken stuff all over the yard.  So, now, their pen has sand in the bottom so it can easily be cleaned with a litter box scooper.  My sweet husband also fenced in a small area of the yard where we let them out to eat grass, bugs, etc. 

The first time we walked outside and found breakfast right there in the laying box was a miracle.  How fascinating!  Now, I enjoy gathering about four eggs a day.  What I also enjoy about the eggs is the added health benefits as opposed to store bought eggs.  Most of the eggs sold in stores are from chickens that spend their life in a small cage.  All they do is eat antibiotic feed and lay eggs.  They don’t get to move, be social or see the outdoors.  Do you really want to eat that?  Some “free range” varieties allow the chickens to be loose in the house but they don’t actually go outside.  Our chickens get exercise, eat bugs they dig up as well as non-antibiotic feed, have fresh water each day, etc.  If you ever crack a store bought egg into a skillet next to a farm fresh egg you will notice a difference.  A farm fresh egg has a deep, rich colored yolk.  That is because it’s packed with more nutrients! 

Keeping laying hens isn’t hard.  You should check your city laws to see if they allow you to have them.  If you can’t or don’t want to keep your own hens, support a local farmer and buy his eggs.  You can buy several dozen at a time.  They will keep for weeks since they are fresh.

Note:  We purchased our hens young but full grown and already laying.  We didn’t have to raise them from chicks.  You can if you want but this is always a great option.

Our first eggs