I'm sorry I'm a slow blogger - maybe I'll try and make up for it - maybe not. 

So it looks like spring is here to stay (at least for awhile).  So much for the Almanac stating that it would be a winter to remember!  Though I miss the whole snuggle up inside the house and watch movies and play video games scene - I love the sunshine and the open windows spring brings.

Well, most of you know that with 6 kids in the house - it can get a little hectic.  We have been thrilled about so many of our wonderful customers coming out and buying the items the kids are making! The fudge, banana bread, artisan bread, cinnamon rolls, tea drinks and everything else the seem to come up with seems to be a hit.

This week though, I got a bonus :)  As the parents, we ask our children on Wednesdays who is making what.... I was told - thus I send out the email to everyone letting them know what will be available.  Friday comes around and it's very stressful (4+ hours with many people trying to help a goat give birth and it didn't work out - long story and very depressing so I'm not going into it at this point - maybe another day but not now).... 1 of the children who has said they would make something has now been invited to a friend's house to spend the night and we said "yes".....  well now I have advertised something as being here which apparently wouldn't be here unless I get up and make it!

5:45am Saturday morning - I'm up making cookies and rice treats..... no big deal honestly since these are things I have made before and know the recipes almost by heart.

My cookies SOLD :)

So - every Monday, Joe goes through and tallies everything the kids sell, takes out expenses, and puts their money in envelopes for them and hangs them on the wall for them to find (conveniently right around the chore chart!).

I GOT MY 1st EVER ENVELOPE!  Yep - me and my $13 are going far :)  I have to admit, it made me smile and laugh as I really was not expecting one - or payment of any sort for that matter - but the thought was there and greatly appreciated.

Hopefully though, it will be up to the kids to be making everything for the weekends - as much as I loved my little envelope - I would have rather slept a little longer!

I saw a post the other day with Pumpkin Chili and had it in my mind the last few days that I needed to have it.  Yesterday was freezing cold and just a wonderful lazy day so it was perfect.  I didn't bookmark the recipe I saw before - so I searched up for Paleo Pumpkin Chili and went from there.

http://civilizedcavemancooking.com/foodslideshow/pumpkin-chicken-chili-2/ is the one I came up with - of course I hardly ever follow the directions so instead I'll say that this is the one I chose to use as the guideline.

My family dubbed it a hit.  Personally I'll be making a couple changes again.

Pumpkin Chicken Chili

OCTOBER 6, 2011 BY CIVILIZEDCAVEMAN 30 COMMENTS

Here is a great Pumpkin Chicken Chili recipe that isn’t too spicy but hits that perfect warming spot that we all love on cold Fall Days.  Enjoy 

Servings: 8-10

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs ground beef
• 1 can Pumpkin Puree
• 2 Cups Bell Pepper, Diced (Color of your choice)
• 2 Cups of Sweet Onion, Diced
• 3 cans of chopped green chiles
• 2 Cup Chicken Stock
• 1 Cup White Wine (Optional)
• 28 Ounces crushed tomatoes
• 12 Ounces Tomato paste
• 1 Cloves of Garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 2 Tbsp Cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp Nutmeg
• 1 Tsp Ground Coriander
• Sea Salt to taste (I just ground in about 1-2 tsp)
• 2 Tbsp Lard or Coconut Oil

Process:

1. Heat the lard in a 5qt Dutch Oven over medium heat
2. Saute your onions until lightly browned, then add your bell peppers, jalapenos, and garlic and saute for another 5 minutes
3. Add in your ground beef 1-2 lbs at a time browning as you go.
4. Add in your chicken stock, white wine, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, spices & salt, and simmer for 20 minutes
5. Stir in your pumpkin cook for an additional 5 minutes
6. Reduce heat to low and let sit until ready to serve or serve immediately

I finished putting it together around 12-1 and served at 5.  Next time I will do diced tomatoes instead of the crushed tomatoes as it is a little soupy for my taste.

The pumpkin adds a sweet flavor to the chili which I think everyone enjoyed.  As someone who usually adds in brown sugar, this was a different way to go it (especially going paleo means no sugar)

Now, I topped it off with a chipolte mayo.  (Mix 1 cup of mayo with 1-2 chipolte chilis in adobo sauce depending on how spicy you want it)  This added a spice that I liked to the chili.... I also made a bunch of this because we used it on sandwiches the other night and I have now decided it is a must have in my kitchen (it even goes with steak!)

This is actually a a very common question that people ask me - especially with so many kids in the house!

First my New Year's resolution (or actually New Years just gave me an excuse to do this) is to give a true Paleo diet a try for 30 days.  I start this weekend with 100% paleo for myself.  This means no dairy for 30 days, no caffeine, and no cheating :)  I'm pretty sure I can do this one since I did the Atkin's diet for 3 years without a problem.  However, now I need to think about my kids.

Dinner will be paleo - but with a twist.  If appropriate, I will add in rice for them.  If the recipe wouldn't work with rice then I'll just make bigger helpings.

We have cereal in the house.  Sometimes I wish we didn't - but we do and I live with that.  I don't see that leaving our home.  I also have Mac & Cheese.... this is something I will eventually just make on rare occasions and I'll do homemade vs the box brands.  We have bread in the house because a favorite meal/snack for everyone in the house is a peanut butter & honey sandwich.

We all do the best we can with the food choices in the house.  The idea is to make the best choices and have healthy choices available instead of garbage.

Snack ideas:
Popcorn - make this healthy with coconut oil and sea salt
Fresh veggies
Nut mixes (minus peanuts if you are going to go paleo!)
Jerky (believe it or not this isn't difficult to make!)
Fresh fruit (apples, oranges etc)

Dinner ideas/hints:
Lots of veggies and salads!  Make this most of your plate
meat (grass-fed of course is always best!! May I recommend ours?)

Breakfast is actually the toughest for me as this is where the cereal comes in so I will be working on some things the kids can take with them and eat.  I've done eggs and things like that - however, I'm not always up in time to make everything for them so sometimes I slip.  I'll probably work on some muffins.

Lunch - well I did the bento boxes the first part of the year - and I will probably start doing it again.  The kids eat garbage at school and they all dislike it a lot!  Plus, even with the regular lunch they are left hungry.  So I need to rework this one back in.

Things I always cook with:
Butter (the real stuff - not margarine which is just icky!)
Lard
Salt

Drinks to have on hand:
Kombucha tea - kids do like it!
Water Kefir made into a "soda" with a real fruit juice or similar - my new one will be with tart cherry!
Milk (raw)
Water - ours is from a well so we don't have fluoride and other stuff in it - if you don't have this then look into filters for your water.  All my kids have stainless steel water bottles - these are NOT allowed in schools though so kids don't sneak stuff that's not allowed in - bummer but true.

Hope this guides some of you a little of things you want to do and would like to feed your family!

as you start to be the one behind the computer.....

Last night and this morning I got to milk the cows.  Shocker I know - but my oldest girls were at friends' homes for the New Years Eve "stuff" and we gave our employee the evening and morning off.  The process is no big deal at all - kinda like riding a bike - you just go and do it.  But the thing you forget is the enjoyment in it.

No, it's not action packed or even remotely exciting.  However, it is a bonding, relaxing experience.  Joe likes the mornings because it's quiet and peaceful.  This partly true while you are milking the cows - only partly.

The cows are easy to get in the barn - they actually established their own line up of who goes first (you should hear how fussy they get if we alter this!!).  The vacuum pump is not quiet at all and neither are the rest of the animals once they wake up and see you.  Once you get started milking the first cow (Penny, our black & white Jersey) though (we do 1 at a time), the rest of the animals in the barn get fed and it quiets down dramatically.  Everyone is fed and then it's time for cow #2 (Snickers - the darker brown Jersey) - and she is never happy about you wanting to clean her udder.  She's quiet content once the pump is on her, but before that you really need to watch out because she can and will kick you!  Now that she's "hooked up" everyone else can get clean water.  By the time water is distributed, there are a few extra minutes before Snickers is finished but it doesn't take long and now it's time for cow #3 (Brenda - our first cow).  Brenda runs into the stanchion to be milked and is really easy to handle.  During her time though, we can sit back and just enjoy the time.  All of this happens in about 40-45 minutes (amazing huh?).

It's easy to forget these moments when you are behind the computer and doing paperwork.

I walk back to the house where Joe waits drinking coffee and first thing he asks me is if I enjoy being a dairy farmer to which I laugh and state that I wouldn't have gotten the cows if I didn't LIKE them.  But it is a different thing as a dairy farmer at our level (the whopping 3 cows - probably 4 in the spring) really connects with the animals.  We know their personalities, their attitudes/temperaments, and issues.  This doesn't happen with chickens at all - sometimes with goats but not as often.

It's just different - and in a good way.

The one thing I like about the winter months is the fact I get to spend a little more time on things I have fun doing.  Joe has now called me the "Voodoo Woman" as the kitchen is once again filled with experiments.  Best part is my son is now going to start doing it as well.

Ferments are so easy to get started - but you do need to keep up with it.  I'm not a purist in any sense of the word for these things - I do what works for us and that means (ack) cheap sugar.

Here is my view point - though many will disagree that's ok this just works for my family right now - the kefir grains or kombucha SCOBY eat the sugar.  Neither one seems to be picky about the type of sugar they eat, so I am working within my budget.

Right now, I have water kefir going (1 gallon a day - yes a day) which is happily being drank with the ice tea mix I have (nope again nothing special here - I can currently afford Lipton natural green tea with honey mix so that's what they are drinking).   Instead of plain water I am using the kefir water to make the tea and the kids all drink it without any issues.  I also have a second ferment going with some 100% Cranberry/Pomegranate Juice I found at the store which is being discontinued.  With that one I am making "soda bottle" to drink.

Next I have 2 different ferments going with whey: first one is a Ginger/Lime "Soda" and the second is a Ginger/Orange "Soda".   I'll bottle them up for a second ferment in a few days.

Recipe:

Juice of 1 orange (or 2 limes)
2 TBSP Sliced ginger root
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup whey
enough filtered water to fill a 1 liter jar (or 1/2 gallon)

Mix sugar, whey & water until sugar is dissolved.  Put juice & ginger in the container you will ferment in.  Add water/sugar/whey mixture.  Lightly cover for 2-3 days on your counter.  Strain ginger, rebottle and let ferment a 2nd time for 2 days.  Put in the fridge and serve cold (I know the lime/ginger one does not taste great warm!).

I am using 1 liter Pickl-It jars for these so they have the airlock at the top to help with the carbonation pressure (these actually are pretty on my counter!).  If you don't have these or don't have an airlock system, you might need to "burp" the jars.  You can also cover with a coffee filter and rubber band on top!

I'm also in the process of rehydrating my milk kefir grains - only 3-5 more days to go on those.

So as you can see - winter is a fun time to play!!

...we seem to re-evaluate what we are eating and how we are living our life.  At least that is the case for me.  Not a 1 or 2 day illness - that's nothing.  But for the last 3 weeks I have been sick.  That's right 3 LONG weeks.

The first 2 Joe had to take off work from his regular job so he could do the basic stuff around the house I really couldn't do.  Heck, getting out of bed wasn't happening at all!  By the end of week 2, they switched my antibiotic because the first one only got rid of 1 of the bacteria in my system.

So what have I been doing wrong?  It's actually quiet simple..... I was eating crap.  I was running off sugar and cheap carbohydrates that were slowly killing my wonderful immune system so when it was presented with an opportunity I got every bacteria around.  I was over-tired, eating garbage, and was at the ER because my daughter popped her knee out.

Now, where to go from here?  I read.... that's what I do.... it's amazing WHAT I read though sometimes.  I have migraine headaches so I started reading about magnesium and so much made sense and actually added up.  Most people are deficient in magnesium, plain and simple.  So, I have started supplementing magnesium.  I haven't been on it long enough to make any difference, so that will come in later.

I went back to making stuff that's good for us for dinner.  Even trying new things - and I was my own guinea pig and found out fried sweetbreads taste like fried oysters so this will become a favorite for me!

The cultures need to be going.... so I made some kefir today (along with some cheeses!! YUM).... yogurt needs to be more of a staple... and sadly - the hardest thing for me will be to stop drinking sodas, but I'll get there.

Even before the new year - reaffirm to yourself what you need to do to take care of your body.... why wait?