I do not consider myself an organized person and I am horrible at getting all my cleaning done. I am an ENFP on the Myer Brygg's and, for those of you who are familiar with the Myer Brygg's, you'll know that I am great at abtract thought and am constantly coming up with new ideas and will always be ready for an analytical conversation with a friend. But, tell me I need to get A...B... and C chores done and it will take me forever. ;-) Now that we are doing the GAPS diet and 75% of my day is spent cooking or taking care of my kids, I have even less time to get things clean.
So, about a year ago, to keep up with the stress of chores and getting organized I went in search of a way to making this cleaning business easier for me because I wasn't doing such a great job on my own. What I found was great and it tailors to the disorganized folk like me! I found the Fly Lady and she has helped me tons with decluttering and organizing my home so that there are less chores to do and I can stay on top of it.
She has cleaning plans and monthly deep cleaning sections of the house. This way the job never gets too crazy! What I like most of all is that if you have a cozi calendar, you can download her monthly cleaning schedule right into your cozi calendar. And since I can get a cozi calendar app for my Android phone, I have the schedule right at my finger tips whenever I want it. It is great. I was also able to download her morning and evening routines and her zone lists to the "to do" section of my cozi calendar. So all I have to do is go to that section of my calendar every morning and check off the items as I do them. It's great! And it makes my life so simple. And best yet....it is all free!
Let me know if you guys use anything else aside from the Fly Lady or if you have good stories to share about your experience with Fly Lady.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Polish Sausage and Saurkraut-GAPS Approved
This recipe is a family favorite! I come from a Polish/German family and growing up polish sausage and sauerkraut was a staple. And now that I have a family of my own, it has become a staple as well. So when we decided to do the GAPS Diet, I quickly set out to find a way to continue making this dish for my family. Below is my rendition of polish sausage and sauerkraut.
Polish Sausage and Sauerkraut
A couple links of Polish Sausage *
1 half gallon container of Homemade Sauerkraut
2 onions, chopped
2T of Lard
Any other GAPS approved vegetable to eat with this meal.
Cut the Polish Sausage up into individual portions. Place in a pot and fill the pot with filtered water, enough to cover polish sausage. I usually boil the sausage for an hour to give the water good flavor.
Melt lard in a frying pan (for recommendations on which pans to use, click here.) When lard is melted, place onions in pan and slowly cook. Burner should be set to medium. You want to caramelize these onions, so stir contiguously until soft and caramel in color. You can add a little salt to bring out the natural sweetness of the onions. Once done, ladle about 3 ladles full of the polish sausage broth into the frying pan and stir it with onions. Let sit until onions mixture is warm, but not hot**. Place sauerkraut in the frying pan and mix with onions and broth. I usually let it sit for about 20 minutes for the flavors to meld. Serve with sauerkraut with polish sausage and whatever vegetable you would prefer to eat your meal with. We will often saute up some broccoli with garlic and lard. Its super tasty.
* Make sure you buy your sausage from a reputable source or make it yourself. It needs to be sugar and nitrate free. We buy ours from a small polish market that sources all of their products from an Amish farm. The name of the store is Calma Optimal.
**The reason you want your onion and broth to cool down before adding the sauerkraut is because you do not want to kill all the good bacteria you worked so hard to make in the sauerkraut. The way I look at is, if I spent four weeks making that sauerkraut, I want to know that I can eat my polish sausage and sauerkraut with all the good bacteria still present.
Let me know if you tried this recipe and what you thought! Or if you make anything similar, please share. I would love to hear your ideas!
Polish Sausage and Sauerkraut
A couple links of Polish Sausage *
1 half gallon container of Homemade Sauerkraut
2 onions, chopped
2T of Lard
Any other GAPS approved vegetable to eat with this meal.
Cut the Polish Sausage up into individual portions. Place in a pot and fill the pot with filtered water, enough to cover polish sausage. I usually boil the sausage for an hour to give the water good flavor.
Melt lard in a frying pan (for recommendations on which pans to use, click here.) When lard is melted, place onions in pan and slowly cook. Burner should be set to medium. You want to caramelize these onions, so stir contiguously until soft and caramel in color. You can add a little salt to bring out the natural sweetness of the onions. Once done, ladle about 3 ladles full of the polish sausage broth into the frying pan and stir it with onions. Let sit until onions mixture is warm, but not hot**. Place sauerkraut in the frying pan and mix with onions and broth. I usually let it sit for about 20 minutes for the flavors to meld. Serve with sauerkraut with polish sausage and whatever vegetable you would prefer to eat your meal with. We will often saute up some broccoli with garlic and lard. Its super tasty.
* Make sure you buy your sausage from a reputable source or make it yourself. It needs to be sugar and nitrate free. We buy ours from a small polish market that sources all of their products from an Amish farm. The name of the store is Calma Optimal.
**The reason you want your onion and broth to cool down before adding the sauerkraut is because you do not want to kill all the good bacteria you worked so hard to make in the sauerkraut. The way I look at is, if I spent four weeks making that sauerkraut, I want to know that I can eat my polish sausage and sauerkraut with all the good bacteria still present.
Let me know if you tried this recipe and what you thought! Or if you make anything similar, please share. I would love to hear your ideas!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Making Homemade Yogurt
Nothing is better than homemade yogurt. It is super creamy and full of lots of good bacteria! There are many recipes out there, but I like to keep things simple. Below you will find my simple recipe for making yogurt. I always recommend using raw milk when you make yogurt, but the recipe below is for those who cannot get access to raw milk.
Items you will need:
1 gallon of milk (you can buy low temp pasteurized milk at Whole foods, its called Super Natural).
1 Large container of plain yogurt (We use Stoneyfield plain yogurt)
5 quart size mason jars
1 heating pad
1 sink plastic container (You can this at the dollar store)
3 large towels
1 roasting thermometer (I use a Oneida roasting thermometer)
1 Stainless steel stock pot
1 ladle
1 funnel
Prior to starting this recipe sterilize mason jars.
Place the gallon of milk in the stock pot. Position your thermometer so that it sit mostly in the milk. Turn the stove on Med-High and begin stirring the milk. Stir continuously until milk reaches 180 F. Take the milk off the heat and pour into mason jars. (I use the ladle and funnel to pour the milk into the mason jars.) Let the milk cool down to 110 F. Spoon about 1 Tablespoon of the yogurt into each container and stir. Place lids on top.
Place heating pad inside plastic container, plug into the wall and turn it on to the lowest setting. Fold one towel in half and place on top of the heating pad. Pull one layer of the towel back and place yogurt containers inside the container. Cover yogurt containers with the layer you pulled back and tuck the containers in, like you would your kids ;-). Place the other two towels on top of the containers.
That's it, your done for the next 24hrs. After 24hours, take the containers out and place them in the refrigerator for three hours before eating. Yogurt will last a long time as long as the container is not
opened.
Items you will need:
1 gallon of milk (you can buy low temp pasteurized milk at Whole foods, its called Super Natural).
1 Large container of plain yogurt (We use Stoneyfield plain yogurt)
5 quart size mason jars
1 heating pad
1 sink plastic container (You can this at the dollar store)
3 large towels
1 roasting thermometer (I use a Oneida roasting thermometer)
1 Stainless steel stock pot
1 ladle
1 funnel
Prior to starting this recipe sterilize mason jars.
Place the gallon of milk in the stock pot. Position your thermometer so that it sit mostly in the milk. Turn the stove on Med-High and begin stirring the milk. Stir continuously until milk reaches 180 F. Take the milk off the heat and pour into mason jars. (I use the ladle and funnel to pour the milk into the mason jars.) Let the milk cool down to 110 F. Spoon about 1 Tablespoon of the yogurt into each container and stir. Place lids on top.
Place heating pad inside plastic container, plug into the wall and turn it on to the lowest setting. Fold one towel in half and place on top of the heating pad. Pull one layer of the towel back and place yogurt containers inside the container. Cover yogurt containers with the layer you pulled back and tuck the containers in, like you would your kids ;-). Place the other two towels on top of the containers.
That's it, your done for the next 24hrs. After 24hours, take the containers out and place them in the refrigerator for three hours before eating. Yogurt will last a long time as long as the container is not
opened.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Utilizing your Coping skills while doing the GAPS diet
Utilizing your coping skills for any struggle you go through in life is the key to being successful. So, it is no surprise that coping skills would come in handy when you first make the transition from eating gluten and dairy to no longer eating gluten or dairy products. This can definitely be a struggle and having five or so coping skills to use on your hardest days can help you through.
What are coping skills?
Have you ever heard the phrase, "If you are a glass, what to do fill your life with?" The idea is that every person needs things in their life that make them feel happy or fulfilled. And by doing those things we love in the midst of life's crisis's or struggles, we are able to cope with those crisis's or struggles. A coping skill, simply put, is the thing that makes you happy and helps you to cope. It can be as simple as painting, running, play sports, making mosaics or stain glass, reading a book, riding a bike, photography, etc. It doesn't matter what it is as long as you feel refreshed after doing it. It is something that gives you joy and you should be doing at least one of these things each day.
Next Steps?
I want you to think of 5 things that make you happy or that you love to do. Write these five things down and post them in a place that you can see while you are going about your day. Now, do at least one of these things daily. I can guarantee you that life's struggles will feel like small pebbles in the midst of your day because you have just as many happy things to fill your day with and think about.
Now for you mommies who want to write down...."play with my children", I want you to think of something else. Yes, we all love playing with our children, but this is something we do to give life to our children and because we love them. We are giving to them and not receiving. A coping skill is something you do to give life back to yourself. So, think about the things you love doing aside from playing with your babies!
What are coping skills?
Have you ever heard the phrase, "If you are a glass, what to do fill your life with?" The idea is that every person needs things in their life that make them feel happy or fulfilled. And by doing those things we love in the midst of life's crisis's or struggles, we are able to cope with those crisis's or struggles. A coping skill, simply put, is the thing that makes you happy and helps you to cope. It can be as simple as painting, running, play sports, making mosaics or stain glass, reading a book, riding a bike, photography, etc. It doesn't matter what it is as long as you feel refreshed after doing it. It is something that gives you joy and you should be doing at least one of these things each day.
Next Steps?
I want you to think of 5 things that make you happy or that you love to do. Write these five things down and post them in a place that you can see while you are going about your day. Now, do at least one of these things daily. I can guarantee you that life's struggles will feel like small pebbles in the midst of your day because you have just as many happy things to fill your day with and think about.
Now for you mommies who want to write down...."play with my children", I want you to think of something else. Yes, we all love playing with our children, but this is something we do to give life to our children and because we love them. We are giving to them and not receiving. A coping skill is something you do to give life back to yourself. So, think about the things you love doing aside from playing with your babies!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Refried Beans with chorizo, fried plantains and cabbage
My husband is Mexican and this diet has been very hard for him in that he has missed having rice and beans as a staple in his diet. So, I decided to come up with the closed thing I could to his long missed comfort food. Below is my recipe for refried beans with Plantains and Cabbage. It isn't the same as rice and beans, but it definately helps
Refried Beans .
1 bag of Navy or Northern beans
homemade beef broth
Lard
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Paprika
Salt to taste
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup of homemade chorizo (recipe to come)
Soak the bag of beans overnight on your counter. Once soaked, rinse beans and boil until soft. Place a Tbsp of lard and chopped onions in a frying pan. Saute until softened and then add chorizo. Once chorizo is fully cooked, add beans. Mash beans with a potato masher and slowly add beef broth. Add broth and more lard to create desired thinkness of beans and chorizo. While mashing, add 1 tsp of Cumin and 1 tsp of Paprika. Use washed raw cabbage leaves as tortillas by filling the cabbage leaves with the beans. Some times we will make crackers (with eggs, lard and almonds), cut them up to look like tortilla chips and eat them with the beans as well. Yummy!
Fried Plantains
1 plantain person
Lard
Wait until plantains are black on the outside. Slice on a diagonal. Place lard in the frying pan, wait until hot and then place the plantains in the lard. Fry to your desired liking. These are super good!!!!!!!
Refried Beans .
1 bag of Navy or Northern beans
homemade beef broth
Lard
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Paprika
Salt to taste
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup of homemade chorizo (recipe to come)
Soak the bag of beans overnight on your counter. Once soaked, rinse beans and boil until soft. Place a Tbsp of lard and chopped onions in a frying pan. Saute until softened and then add chorizo. Once chorizo is fully cooked, add beans. Mash beans with a potato masher and slowly add beef broth. Add broth and more lard to create desired thinkness of beans and chorizo. While mashing, add 1 tsp of Cumin and 1 tsp of Paprika. Use washed raw cabbage leaves as tortillas by filling the cabbage leaves with the beans. Some times we will make crackers (with eggs, lard and almonds), cut them up to look like tortilla chips and eat them with the beans as well. Yummy!
Fried Plantains
1 plantain person
Lard
Wait until plantains are black on the outside. Slice on a diagonal. Place lard in the frying pan, wait until hot and then place the plantains in the lard. Fry to your desired liking. These are super good!!!!!!!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Juicing on a budget and how to get your kids to drink it!
Juicing can be a very expensive addition to your menu but worth it. The health benefits to juicing are amazing. I find it gives me as much energy as a cup of coffee which is great! So, how do you make juicing work in your budget. Well, like everything if you juice the same things everyday, it is easier to fit it in your budget. Since we are on a limited budget, I pick vegetables to juice that give me the best nutritional value. These are the veggies and fruits that I juice every morning for my family: carrots, celery, green pepper, cabbage, parsley, beets and apples. Carrot juice is amazing for vision and provides vitamin A, C and potassium; green pepper and parsley provide necessary folic acid and calcium; the cabbage juice protects against free radicals in the body, is a muscle builder, blood cleanser and eye strengthener, proven to heal stomach ulcers, has been known to help people with Crone's disease and is also rich in iron and sulfur; and beet juice is a blood purifier, cures diseases of the large intestines and digestive system. It also is known to dissolve kidney stones, liver stones and bladder stones. The apples provide riboflavin, thiamine, carotene, vitamin B6, biotin, folic acid and vitamin C, not mention they make this drink sweet.
How to get your kids to drink this drink!
Start by juicing carrots and apples. Once they are used to the juiced apples and carrots begin by adding one other vegetable. Start with a little piece of the that vegetable and slowly increase the amount. Once they are drinking the desired amount of that juiced vegetable, add a new vegetable. Keep repeating this process until you are giving them the desired amount of juiced vegetables that you want. My kids drink every vegetable that I have listed above and love it!
Good Luck! If you are looking for a good juicer, click here!
How to get your kids to drink this drink!
Start by juicing carrots and apples. Once they are used to the juiced apples and carrots begin by adding one other vegetable. Start with a little piece of the that vegetable and slowly increase the amount. Once they are drinking the desired amount of that juiced vegetable, add a new vegetable. Keep repeating this process until you are giving them the desired amount of juiced vegetables that you want. My kids drink every vegetable that I have listed above and love it!
Good Luck! If you are looking for a good juicer, click here!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Pastured Chicken and Grass-fed Beef
When one discusses the topic of meats, I would always recommend getting pastured chicken and grass-fed beef from your local farmer. Think about it like this, you are what you eat and what it ate. And if any of you have seen "Food, Inc.", you know the conditions many of the chickens and cows are forced to endure, let alone the food they are given to eat. I believe it was said in that documentary that you could reduce the chances of E. Coli poisoning by 85% if you fed a cow grass for one day instead of corn. The chicken and cows/beef that are sold in stores today were not fed a good nutrient dense diet. We eat this food and wonder why we are undernourished. So, how do we expect to get the proper nutrition we need when we are not giving the animals we are eating the proper nutrition they need to to be nutrient dense and good for our bodies?
If you can afford it and are living in the Chicago area then I would recommend my farmers. They are called Meadow Heaven Farms and you can view their site at www.meadowhavenfarm.com. They have delivery sites in the city and in the suburbs. Their whole chickens will run you about $26, but they are good. And their beef is super tasty and pretty comparable to Whole foods in price. The price is even better than Whole Foods if you buy part of a cow.
So, what do you do when you can't afford it? We'll I have a solution for you.......
Whole Foods sells chicken at the number 2 level. What does this mean? It means that the chicken is antibiotic free, all vegetable fed, and cage free. The majority of these chickens are grown by local Amish farmers. It is not as good as the chicken you will find at your local farm, but it is way better than what you will find at your local grocer. At Whole Foods, this chicken will run you between $1.99 to $2.49 a pound.
But HERE IS THE BEST PART: Whole Foods is not the only store who sells this brand. The name of the brand is Miller Amish Country Poultry and it is sold all over the city for way cheaper than Whole Foods charges for it. Tony's on Cicero and Belmont sells this chicken for $1.79 a pound and this week it is on sale for $1.69 a pound.
Miller Amish Country Poultry is based out of Indiana, so my guess is that you could find their products in grocery stores in the surrounding states. To see if their chicken is sold in a store by you, you can go their website at http://www.millerpoultry.com/
When it comes to beef, your farmer is really the best. But if that is not an option, Whole Foods sells the next best thing. It is expensive, but if you watch your local Whole Foods web page they sometimes post 1-day sales on their meats. They will not advertise these sales anywhere else, but on their home page and at the store....so you will need to be vigilant.
If you can afford it and are living in the Chicago area then I would recommend my farmers. They are called Meadow Heaven Farms and you can view their site at www.meadowhavenfarm.com. They have delivery sites in the city and in the suburbs. Their whole chickens will run you about $26, but they are good. And their beef is super tasty and pretty comparable to Whole foods in price. The price is even better than Whole Foods if you buy part of a cow.
So, what do you do when you can't afford it? We'll I have a solution for you.......
Whole Foods sells chicken at the number 2 level. What does this mean? It means that the chicken is antibiotic free, all vegetable fed, and cage free. The majority of these chickens are grown by local Amish farmers. It is not as good as the chicken you will find at your local farm, but it is way better than what you will find at your local grocer. At Whole Foods, this chicken will run you between $1.99 to $2.49 a pound.
But HERE IS THE BEST PART: Whole Foods is not the only store who sells this brand. The name of the brand is Miller Amish Country Poultry and it is sold all over the city for way cheaper than Whole Foods charges for it. Tony's on Cicero and Belmont sells this chicken for $1.79 a pound and this week it is on sale for $1.69 a pound.
Miller Amish Country Poultry is based out of Indiana, so my guess is that you could find their products in grocery stores in the surrounding states. To see if their chicken is sold in a store by you, you can go their website at http://www.millerpoultry.com/
When it comes to beef, your farmer is really the best. But if that is not an option, Whole Foods sells the next best thing. It is expensive, but if you watch your local Whole Foods web page they sometimes post 1-day sales on their meats. They will not advertise these sales anywhere else, but on their home page and at the store....so you will need to be vigilant.
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