the post where you might decide I'm weird....

.....you know, because I'm growing bacteria in my closet. 

I have to laugh at myself, because BOY does this blog have major ADD. 

A post with ice cream yesterday (cream! sugar! egg yolks!), and a post on kefir (probably one of the most beneficial things you could put into your body) today.

So I'm a little all over the place......oh well.

What is kefir anyway? 

Well it's fermented milk.....and simply put, it's like yogurt on steroids. 

As you probably know, yogurt contains millions of tiny little probiotics--bacteria that is GOOD for you, and that your body needs to live in peace and harmony. 

Take it from someone who knows the benefits of probiotics- I have been on ANTIbiotics on and off for the last 3 years (and we are talking some super human doses of antibiotics), and let me tell you--that stuff messes you up. 

So I have always taken large amounts of probiotics in the pill form, we are yogurt lovers around here (sometimes I even make my own), but it was just these last few months that I've discovered the endless list of benefits that kefir provides. 

Kefir contains different strains of bacteria than yogurt does--and much more of it. 

It also contains yeast cultures, which your body also needs to thrive. 

Just a few of the many benefits:

-it provides healthy bacteria and yeast, vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids, and complete proteins that your body just loves.

-it helps build up your immune system (super important for me since I've been dealing with Lyme!), but this can benefit everyone!

And I found THIS amazing list of benefits (so I think it basically helps with just about everything. I wonder if it can fix the hole in the o-zone?)

Making it is very (very!) simple. 

The frist thing you have to do it find your kefir grains.

It's easiest if you can find someone who is making their kefir(this is what I did)--the grains grow with each batch (are you totally weirded out yet?) so if you're making it you will always have grains to spare. 

If not, I know there are places online that you can order them from....just let google be your guide.

This is what the grains look like:

weird, right? 

*IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THE GRAINS DON'T COME IN CONTACT WITH METAL. 

NO METAL UTENSILS/STRAINER*

All you do is simply add your grains (a few TBS) to a clean jar and fill it with milk (see below).

Cover with a paper towel so it can "breathe" (still weird) and secure with a rubber band.

Find a room temperature place where it can sit undisturbed so it can work it's bacterial magic. 

I put mine on a top shelf in the cupboard.

My first batch took about 3 days--the grains had been dormant in water (they don't do anything unless they are in milk) for a while, so it took them a bit to get going. 

My next batch took a little over 24 hours (this is the norm)

You can add a little more time if you want it a bit more sour.

So how do you know when it's done? 

It's thicker than milk, but not as thick as yogurt. 

Your grains will have grown (they'll be on top), and well, you can smell it. 

Let's not lie, it smells pretty sour.

Now you're going to pour it through a strainer (remember no metal) to catch the grains, and then pour your kefir into a pitcher and refrigerate. 

You can use your grains to start your next batch, or put them into a jar of water to keep them dormant until you need them again.

So what do you do with this stuff?

I've heard that some people drink it plain.....but I am not going to ask you to do that. 

For the last 3 months we've become smoothie addicts! 

This stuff blends perfectly in with fruit and veggies so it tastes delicious, and you get all the awesome health benefits of the kefir.

We have a smoothie for breakfast, or after school, every single day. 

Here is one of the many combinations we like:

Mixed Berry and Kefir Smoothie

(amounts are estimates.....really I'm just dumping stuff in)

makes 3-4 smoothies

add to blender:

2 cups frozen mixed berries

2 bananas

1-2 cup kefir, depending on how thick you like your smoothies

2-3 mandarin oranges (or 1 orange, or o.j.)

small handful raw rolled oats

small handful almonds

small handful ground flax seed

cup of chopped spinach/kale

BLEND!

more on kefir 

here

here

here

and a good step by step photo tutorial here

I found several websites getting very technical about exact amounts of milk, temperatures, etc, but mine turned out just fine following these very basic instructions from my sis-in-law, who gave me the grains.

If this is something you are even a little bit interested--please give it a try! 

Without getting into all the gory details, let me just promise you that my tummy has never been happier after we've added this to our daily diet. 

If you are interested in kefir, but don't feel like being the weirdo who makes it in her closet, you can buy kefir in health food stores.....but that's not as fun, is it?

I dare you to try it.

ps. I'm curious to know what you put in your smoothies?!

going greek

this is a major step in our friendship here......you're either going to say, "hey, this girl's ok" or "this girl is a hippie nut job". Believe me, had you told me a few years ago I'd be making my own yogurt, I would have laughed in your face while scarfing down my light strawberry cheesecake Yoplait. 

My how things have changed.

It was like Christmas Eve. I didn't sleep.....at all. I had my alarm set a little bit earlier than usual so I had extra time before the school rush.....but I didn't need an alarm.  I was up all night watching the clock. 

3 more hours. 

2 more. 

1. 

I jumped out of bed.....and then paused. What if it didn't work? I was nervous. I was excited. 

I made the journey in to the kitchen (oh.....about 10 steps), and peered in the oven at my cozy concoction, wrapped in a towel, basking in the warm oven light.

I unwrapped the towel, took off the lid....

....and....?

I had yogurt!! It worked! I really couldn't believe that 

a) I actually did it

b) it actually worked

c) how incredibly easy (and cheap!) it was.

and now you can do it too!

Greek Yogurt

Ingredients: Milk (I used 2% rather than whole) and plain yogurt (with active cultures)

*for every 1/2 gallon of milk you use, you'll need 4 TBS of yogurt

1. Pour milk into pan, bring to boil. 

2. While milk is heating, mix 4TBS  yogurt + 4TBS milk together (so it's just like runny yogurt)

3. When milk begins to boil, remove from heat and let cool to between 100°-105°. 

4. Once milk has cooled, remove skin from top, and stir in yogurt/milk mixture.

5. Place lid on pot, wrap in a towel, place in your oven (turned off, with only the oven light on)

6. Let sit (keeping oven light on) for 16 hours. 

*******

7. When your yogurt is ready, you can pour the whey off the top and mix it in, and enjoy your plain yogurt.....

....or, for Greek yogurt....

8. Line a colander with two layers of cheesecloth (you can find it in the hardware section of any store that sells paint:), and pour your yogurt into the colander, letting it strain for 6-8 hours, until desired thickness is reached. 

Let me tell you......this stuff is AMAZING. It is so rich and creamy, and incredibly mild compared to regular plain yogurt....it's not so tart. 

Stir in a teeny bit of maple syrup (really, just a drizzle) and you feel like you are eating dessert. 

Add fresh fruit and it is heaven! 

The Verdict: 
Ease: Easy peasy. It's basically just waiting around for it to make itself.
Price: I cannot tell you how amazing this is until you try it. I LOVE Greek yogurt.....but really, that stuff is expensive! This is the price of milk. And now I can continue to use my homemade yogurt as my starter.
Taste: Do you like yogurt? Make this NOW! It's the best!
Will I make it again? I already have. I just strained my second batch (this time I did 1 gallon of milk's worth + 8TBS yogurt). 
Other completely home made things I've done (like graham crackers and thin mints), I've done for fun, just to try it out. I hope that yogurt will become part of my weekly routine. You can't beat the price, or the taste! Also, yogurt is so SO good for our bodies to have (when it's not loaded down with 20+ grams of sugar (or worse--artificial sweetener) like some of the "yogurt" you buy at the store. Yogurt is full of good bacteria that your body needs to balance out the bad, as well as a good sized serving of protein and an healthy dose of calcium, B vitamins and vitamin D.

Let me know if you try it.....and don't be afraid of letting out your inner hippie:)

enjoy!

just eat food.

bread + peanut butter + bananas = breakfast

Disclaimer: Again, I am not super health nazi all the time. I feel like from now on if I post any food that is not 100% healthy, I'm going to get hate mail. We try to eat like this most of the time. We do our best to what our budget allows, but I also love chips and salsa, and will not give up a good old fashioned fried tortilla chip.....oh well.

Disclaimer #2. this post a billion times longer than yesterday's!

Breakfast:

*We love oatmeal. Real oatmeal. Old fashioned oats or steel cut oats. Add a little fruit or some real maple syrup.

*Toast and peanut butter.

*Eggs.

*Cereal. I am a cereal nazi, and we only get it if the sugar is under 6g/serving and it has some protein and fiber in it. I like alot of the Kashi cereal (although check the labels--some of them have a ton of sugar), we like multigrain cheerios and plain shredded wheat (with a little honey).

Lunch:

*Who doesn't love a pb&j! On good bread, real pb without all the extra junk in it, and I do love to make jam.....which is so so so so easy.

*Leftover soup from another night.

*Grilled cheese with good bread and REAL cheese.

*Quesadillas

*Black bean burrito

Dinner:

I promise to start posting more dinner recipes on here! I do love to cook....but by the time dinner is ready, it's dark out, and makes for a terribly ugly photo.....so as soon as it lightens up a bit I'll be posting more of what we eat. Tonight we had minestrone soup!

Snacks:

* fruits/vegetables. I usually let my kids each pick out their own fruit/veggie at the store--so they can get excited about it.

*We love peanut butter. Peanut butter on apples, bananas, celery, carrots, crackers....mmm..

*Cheese and a good whole grain crackers.

*Edamame.

*Almonds. Peanuts.

*Yogurt. Not to be confused with Gogurt.

*For "treats" or snacks on the go we love Annies bunny crackers and Z bars (found at costco!), and real dried fruit (not coated in sugar and preservatives) rather than fruit snacks.

*I also recently discovered Fruitsource Mini Bites, at Costco--they are 100% fruit, with no other added crap, and my kids love them. (and ps. runners, I like a few before a long run:)

Keep it in your budget:

I try my hardest to feed my family what's best, but unfortunately it's so much cheaper to buy bad-for-you-food......why is that? Here are a few things that I do to help with costs. Even a few changes here and there will be so beneficial to your family.

*Costco is your friend. I feel like every time I'm there, they have more good-for-you options. Lots of organic choices too, like 100% applejuice, organic whole wheat spaghetti, and I get the canned organic diced tomatoes also.

*Target is your friend. (I mean really--it's Target!! It's perfect.) Target also has lots of healthy choices, I love alot of their Archer Farms brand items (all natural turkey breast), and an organic produce section (small, but it's there). They sell Laura's Lean Beef, which isn't local to us, but the cows aren't factory grown either, so for now that's what I do.

Even Walmart is upping their ante and now carrying great products like Stoney Field Farms.

Sunflower Market. As close as I can come to my beloved Trader Joes, since we don't have one (tears). Sunflower market has great selection of everything you need, and on Wednesdays they give you this week's sales, AND last week's sales.....pretty good! Their sales are amazing, and I usually try to stock up on their chicken when it's a good price.

Trader Joes. Trader Joes would be my first choice on the list, but seeing as we don't have one, I'm holding a grudge. But GO THERE NOW. Say hello. The boy and I used to walk there once a week when he was just a babe......sigh.

Plant a garden. I am a TERRIBLE gardner. But we do try. Last year was our best crop yet, and we will try even harder this year (we'll be taking a page from the book of Hayley and starting our compost)The kids love getting to eat what they worked so hard on, and so do I. And having fresh tomatoes every single day.....you just can't beat that.

Visit your Farmer's Market. We still have a while before ours starts up, but I cannot wait!! They have every fruit and veggie that you can imagine, as fresh as they come, and everything is so cheap!

Extras:

*We don't drink a ton of juice, and when we do it's 100% juice, not a "juice drink" (too much sugar!)

*Even if YOU don't like it, your kids just might. The thought of gnawing my way through a piece of celery makes me gag, but I always have it in the fridge for soups. One day I was slicing some up and asked the boy if he wanted some.....he LOVED it!

*Liz pointed out yesterday that all the food in the inner shelves of the store (rather than the outsides where the dairy, produce, and meat are) are alot cheaper....but most of it is just "pretending" to be food. A whole box of Nabisco Whatevers will not fill you up like an apple and peanut butter would. You can actually save some money by NOT buying so many items from those inside shelves. (trade in your soda and chips for something from the outside shelves)

*As much as I'd like to, I cannot afford to buy everything organic. But I make sure I buy organic:

-apples

-lettuce

-celery

-potatoes (anything that is grown underground--the fertilized soil is used over and over)

-tomatos

-grapes

-peppers

-carrots

And I skip over organic

-bananas

-melons

-avacado

-pinapple

-peas

-fruits/veggies that are protected by their peel or shell.

*Local Meat. I've been buying hormone free meat for a while now, but Food, Inc really got me pumped up about trying to find it local. I'm still working on that one, but I'll let you know what I find! I'm from Montana.....I should be able to come up with something:)

*Also, yes, REAL meat is quite a bit more than the other stuff, so that's why we don't eat meat every night. We really love bean-anything, meatless soups, eggs,and whole wheat pasta dishes.

This is so much info, and may seem a bit overwhelming. But it is really so easy.

Just eat food. No gimmicks or tricks. Just.Eat.Food.

*please feel free to jump in and share your thoughts! I'd love to hear what YOU are eating!*

you are what you eat

so what are you?

(ingredients for these cookies)

Before we get started....let me just say:

- I am no expert....this is just how WE do things here in the little red house

-this is the longest post you will ever read in your life

- I am NOT a perfect-eating-no-junk-food-nazi. I am NOT the mom who brings organic dried fruit slices to a birthday party and insist my kid miss out on cake. We love food! We eat healthy yummy good-for-you things most of the time.....and sometimes we indulge. I don't know if I was more proud, or more embarrassed when (in front of his entire preschool class) the boy said "I love these crunchy orange things!! What are they??!"

They were Cheetos.

I highly reccomend that everyone see Food, Inc. if you can (we got it through netflix). I didn't find it to be too "in your face", or gross/disturbing. It didn't leave me thinking I should switch over to the vegetarian team or stop shopping at the grocery store all together. But it did remind me of how important it is to seek out GOOD foods.....so watch it!

So this is how we do it:

Whole foods. Real foods. As little processing as possible. Food that was placed on the earth for us to eat....not whipped up in a lab (aka cheese whiz.)

Whole grains. "But my kids won't eat whole wheat bread/pasta/rice/etc." They WILL! I promise. If they don't have another option, and you keep cooking it over and over and over, I promise you they will eat it.

Fruits. Veggies. Free of pesticides and fertilizers.....why do you want those in your body...you don't!

Lean meats. All locally raised (or at least raised on a REAL farm, not in a factory full of disease). Free of hormones--HORMONES!! I cringe at the thought of putting them into my babies.

Same for milk, cheese, eggs, yogurt.....no hormones please!

Beans. We LOVE beans!! Black beans, white beans, we love beans!

Healthy Fats. I loooooooove a good olive oil. Avacados. Nuts (almonds are our fav!) Salmon. Your body needs these healthy fats to thrive!

Our bodies can do amazing things, but they weren't made to process modified foods, and foods that aren't actually........food. They will love you so much more if you take good care of them.

This is another reason I enjoy baking so much. I don't want to deprive my family (and my chocolate craving self) of good treats....and when I make cookies/cake/a loaf of bread, I know exactly what we are eating.

Look at the labels! What is in that box of crackers you are buying? If you don't know what it is, you probably don't want to eat too much of it.....right?

I have rambled on long enough for today, but let's come back to it tomorrow and throw around some healthy snack and meal ideas, as well as how to keep healthy eating within your budget. Thanks for playing:)

and just because this post went on and on....one last photo of the girl and her favorite treat

(photo from last summer)