This is my grandma’s chicken & rice with a twist. She cooked the chicken & rice separately before adding to the baking dish and I just put it all in together and bake. This saves time and dishes! Which is always helpful. When eating homemade meals all the time there are a TON of dishes! I don’t know about you but I am sure tired of doing them. My kids help but are not doing it on their own yet. Anyway, this is really yummy and you can have it with or without cheese but we all know cheese makes everything even better. š My recipes are for a small family of 4 like us but we usually have leftovers.
Ā Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup uncooked rice
12 oz. cream of mushroom soup
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 tsp minced onion
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
paprika, salt & pepper to sprinkle on the chicken
Veggies (optional) – 1 stalk of celery and 2 medium sized carrots, peeled
1 cup of shredded cheese (optional)
Directions:
Mix all liquids, seasonings and the rice in a 9 x 13″ baking dish. Stir in chopped veggies if desired. Cut up the chicken into quarters and season with paprika, salt & pepper. Add to the top of the rice & liquid mixture (see picture below). Cover and bake @ 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, rice is tender, and the sauce is thickened. Stir the rice and add cheese if you like, let stand for about 5 minutes. I cut up the chicken into smaller pieces before serving.
The chicken is seasoned and added to the liquids, rice and other seasonings:
Ā Done! With or without cheese:
Here’s the cream of mushroom soup I use:
I have found it at most stores that carry organic food, however they do not carry it at Trader Joe’s. You can also purchase it through Amazon:
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!
Can we still have popsicles and ice cream when eating organic? You bet! I make popsicles using organic juices and different popsicle molds. I also juice sometimes and add that. I have juiced a watermelon and my daughter loved watermelon popsicles or just drinking the watermelon juice. I do this especially if it’s a watermelon that’s too softĀ and no one wants to eat it but it’s still good (hasn’t gone bad). Also, I recently saw a fellow food-blogger post a great idea about filling popsicle molds with applesauce and freezing them. I have been doing this ever since and my kids LOVE them! And you can fill the popsicle molds with smoothies too.
The regular popsicles you buy at the store are filled with artificial colors & flavors and refined sugar, among other things. Food dyes (artificial colors) have been linked to so many problems with kids. I truly believe it has caused many problems with my daughter. And food dyes are in so many unsuspecting foods. Foods that don’t even have much color or no color at all. So that makes you think that maybe they are putting it in the foods for more than just coloring. We don’t need it. And these are banned in many other countries! Why not here too? And there’s no real fruit in them. Sure, you can buy a big box of Otter Pops for really cheap. But is it worth it? And kids suck those things down so fast, they end up having like 5 at one time. Believe me I know, I used to buy them and eat them. š
So here are a few better options for popsicles/ice cream and other frozen treats:
“Push-up” Ice CreamĀ – I bought someĀ “push-up” containers that we fill with ice cream (see the link below). The kids love them! Just fill with your favorite ice cream and serve. You can wash them in the dishwasher too. See the picture above of the kids enjoying them.
Organic Ice Cream Cones – I came across these at a little organic market (Farm Fresh Market). See in the picture above. The ingredients aren’t perfect but still better than regular cones (ingredients are shown below). They only get to have these once in a while and usually when I give them the option between these and the “Push-up” containers they choose the “Push-up” containers. I think they just like pushing up the ice cream. š
Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches – Just take two cookies (chocolate chip would be best but any kind will work), add ice cream in between the cookies, and freeze or eat right away. So yummy!
Frozen Strawberries Covered in Yogurt – Just cut the strawberries in half, dip in yogurt, and freeze! I wouldn’t freeze them all together because they get stuck. But other than that, it works great and my kids love them.
Smoothies or Milkshakes – We use our NutriBullet and make smoothies which usually consist of different kinds of frozen fruit, hemp milk, spinach, chia or flax seed. For a milkshake we usually do milk, ice cream and some kind of frozen fruit. Just add to some popsicle molds and freeze. I use the ones shown below.
We use these stainless steel reusable straws, and here’s where you can find a NutriBullet:
Popsicle Options – Use organic juices, juice veggies/fruit in a juicer-like the watermelon I juiced (pictured to the right), put applesauce in the silicone popsicle molds (see link below), you could also puree fruit or cut-up fruit in small chunks and add to the molds. I haven’t tried that last one yet but always see recipes and they look so good! If you do blend up some fruit, you could add chia seeds too to make them extra healthy. See tip below about filling the popsicle molds with liquid. Here’s a juicer similar to ours:
See pictures below on the different popsicle molds that I use. There are MANY options out there though.
Ice Cream Sundaes – You can do this with or without brownies but we made brownies (I will have to post my recipe to the blog soon), then we made whip cream using Organic Valley’s whipping cream, and added organic vanilla ice cream, the best maraschino cherries I could find, and organic chocolate syrup. So good!
You could even make your own ice cream. We really want to buy an ice cream maker. It would be so fun to make together and try different flavors. Here’s a Cuisinart ice cream maker we are thinking about getting:
I have heard many good things about the Cuisinart brand.
These are just various popsicle molds I found at Walmart/Target. But there are many different options out there. It’s fun making different shapes and sizes! I like the smaller ones so they aren’t having so much juice at one time. Even organic juices usually have sugar. But I put the watermelon that I juiced in the big popsicle molds. My daughter loved them but my son didn’t really care for it.
Tip: Don’t fill the popsicle molds all the way. You want to leave a little bit of roomĀ because when liquid freezes, it expands. See picture to the right for an example.
Organic Ice Cream Cones:
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!
Who doesn’t love a good burger? Especially one made at home with fresh, and much better ingredients. You can put whatever you like on it and these homemade buns add a special touch! I can’t take credit for the buns though. Real Fit, Real Food Mom has really encouraged me to use my bread machine, which is 10 years old by the way…. I had it just sitting in a cupboard, taking up space. Now I make bread once/week, and hamburger/hot dog buns periodically that we freeze and pull out what we need, when we need it. š What is a ‘grass-fed burger’? It just means the cows ate grass instead of grain. Cows are supposed to eat grass, when they can. Of course it’s harder for them to eat grass in the winter. Factory farms feed their cows grain all year long. And it’s filled with GMOs.
Here’s the recipe for the hamburger buns:Real Fit, Real Food Mom’s hamburger buns. I do use my bread machine but you could knead the dough yourself. I have never done that so I don’t have any tips, but if you want to purchase a bread machine the one below is a newer version of mine.Ā You can use the same recipe for hot dog buns but you have to shape them differently of course.
Recipe for the Grass-Fed Hamburger Patties
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (grass-fed/organic is best)
1 egg
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 TB minced onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper (sprinkle desired amount)
1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)
1 TB BBQ sauce (optional)
Directions: Tip: The ground beefĀ must be completely thawed. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef andĀ all the ingredients. Mix them up thoroughly. (I use my hands and that seems to be the easiest way.) Make patties like shown below. They will shrink up quite a bit. The ones in the picture turned out to be about medium-sized burgers, perfect size for the buns. You can grill the patties, cook on the stove-topĀ or in the oven. We added cheese, ketchup, mustard, spinach and tomato. Add whatever ingredients you like.
Hamburger Patties:
My Homemade Buns:
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!
One of the biggest complaints I hear about eating organic is that it’s expensive. Many people have said they would love to switch over but it’s just too much money. It is true, organic food can be expensive. And there’s no real way to get around it except to save money in other areas so that we can afford to buy organic. I have cut out other expenses and am trying to save every way possible so that we can continue to eat organic foods. It’s that important to me. If you do decide to switch over, here are some great posts to help make the big switch:
1. Composting – I am trying to start a compost right now. We have to figure out where we want to put it, how we want to contain it, and if we want to use worms to help break it down. You could get a smaller garbage can after doing this because you won’t have as much waste as before and that saves money for sure. And recycling of course, but I think everyone is already doing that. Here’s some good information on composting:Ā http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/which-composting-method-is-best-for-you-infographic-helps-you-decide.html.
2. Dry Clothes OutsideĀ – Of course this is dependent on the weather. So do it when you can, especially blankets/sheets. We have a fire going during the winter and dry our clothes in front of it after going out in the snow.
3. Buy UsedĀ and Reuse – Buy anything used that you can. This saves you money and helps the environment. There are consignment shops, garage sales, Craigslist, and tons of places to buy used. I get used clothes for my kids and myself from different people whenever it is offered. I save everything, even if it doesn’t fit because it might fit later. I thought I would never lose weight and I did eventually, so I was glad that I saved some of my old clothes. I have totes of clothes for the kids in my garage that don’t fit them yet but will one day (this includes coats and shoes). And the used clothing store that I really like will also give you money for your used stuff so I can bring stuff in there I don’t need anymore and exchange for stuff I do need.
4. Power/Water –Ā Shut off the lights and turn off the water! I am constantly making sure things are off in our house if we aren’t using them. It helps keep our power bill at an affordable rate. I think you can setup your power bill so that you can pay the average amount every month instead of paying so much during the winter, but I haven’t tried it yet. Also use energy saving appliances. And don’t let the water run while you are doing dishes or brushing your teeth. You could even shut off the shower while you are soaping up in the shower.
5. Barter/TradeĀ – If you have something to offer and someone else has something to offer, why not do a trade? I’m thinking about offering my good friend Jeanette some stuff out of our garden in exchange for a haircut. I wonder if she’ll go for it? š This would save us both money and I don’t cut my hair that often anyway. I definitely don’t dye it anymore either so that really saves.
6. Collect Rain WaterĀ – We started collecting rain water in rain water barrels recently. We bought the barrels from a guy off Craigslist for pretty cheap and then my husband hooked them up to one of our gutter drains. I am trying to get him to write a post on how he did it because it’s a pretty cool system and goes right to our big garden bed. š And yes, we have a filter setup.
7. Gardening – We started a bigger garden this year and are learning as we go. Here’s my post about it: Gardening – The Beginning.
8. Raise Your Own Meat –Ā I found out we can actually have chickens here in our neighborhood. I never would have thought we could, so it doesn’t hurt to ask. We don’t have a fenced yard though so I want to wait until we do so they aren’t caged up all the time. If you can’t have any kind of farm animals, you could go in on it with someone. If they have the animals, you could pay for the eggs and meat. Or go in on a whole or half cow together at a meat market. I know the Farm Fresh Market sells them.
9. Natural Ways to Store FoodĀ – I saw these on 100 Days of Real Food, reusable sandwich baggies. Here’s where you can find them:Ā http://neat-os.com/product-category/bundles. They aren’t cheap but after you buy them you can just keep reusing and never have to buy ziploc bags again. And you can use 100 Days of Real Food’s coupon code “100days” for 20% off.
10. Cloth Napkins/Reusable Sponges –Ā There are cloth napkins you can buy on Amazon or 100 Days of Real Food has a great idea of buying plain white cocktail napkins and tie-dye them! I like that idea. And I found reusable ‘sponges’ at Kohl’s, see the picture to the right. They have worked great so far and I have had them for many months now. I just throw them in the washing machine when they need washed.
11. Coupons/Stocking Up – If you shop at Kroger or Fred Meyer, they have a Simple Truth brand. You can go to their website and load coupons onto your card before you go shopping. They also send coupons in the mail. And there’s a website/Facebook page for organic deals & coupons: http://www.organicdeals.com/. Also, stock up on foods that are on sale when you can.
12. Canning –Ā We haven’t tried this yet but we have a lot of tomato plants growing and if we get an abundance of tomatoes we want to can them. We can make salsa, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. And if we get a lot of cucumbers that we can’t eat (or juice), we want to make pickles. I just found out my mom has all the canning supplies! She doesn’t think she will use them so this is another barter/trade opportunity. I can give her some of what we make if she lets me use them. š
13. Make Your Own CleanersĀ –Ā After we switched to organic foods, one of the first things I did was make our own cleaners. It is pretty easy and saves money. Here’sĀ my post on Natural Cleaners Made Easy.
14. Vehicle Maintenance – Do your own oil changes and other car maintenance, if you can. I’m lucky that my husband used to work at Les Schwab so he can do our brakes and stuff too. Saves a ton in labor costs! He’s also a computer guy so he can fix our computers or even build us a computer when we need one. He’s definitely a keeper huh? š
15. Making Food Last –Ā If there are leftovers in the fridge that I don’t think are going to get eaten, I freeze them. We typically eat leftovers for lunch but there are those occasions where we have too much. Then at a later time, I can pull them out to eat or add to something to make another dinner. i.e. I had too much spaghetti sauce so I froze the rest to make spaghetti another night. Or I bought some strawberries and they started going bad right away, so I cut off the bad parts and froze them for smoothies. And my son didn’t finish his banana so I sliced it up and put it in the freezer.
16. Wear Clothes More Than Once – I actually take the time to check my kids’ clothes to see if they are dirty before washing them. It doesn’t make sense to me to wash something that looks and smells clean and can be worn again. Especially if they only wear it one time! It’s worth it to me to save money and have less laundry to fold. š I wear my clothes more than once too!
17. Reduce Cable Costs – Cancel cable or do a basic plan and get Netflix, Hulu, and/or Amazon Prime. Netflix and Hulu are less than $10/month and Amazon Prime is about $80/year and you get free shipping with your purchases through Amazon, free books to choose from each month, and Amazon Prime instant TV that gives you different TV shows and movies to choose from. We save so much by doing this. I don’t really watch TV now but do like to watch an occasional movie and there are some great food documentaries available through Netflix! I don’t have Hulu though so I don’t know a lot about that one.
18.Ā Use Less – My former boss’ husband worked as an appliance repairman and he says you don’t need to put so much soap in your dishwasher or washer. I put half the recommended amount and everything comes out just as clean. That goes for shampoo and toothpaste too. We don’t need to use so much shampoo to clean our hair and you only need a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.
19. Use a Reusable Water Bottle – You will save money by not purchasing bottled water all the time and it helps the environment too. Here’s the one I use. They have different colors available and it’s dishwasher safe.
There are probably many more ways to save money but this is what I have come up with so far and is what I am doing, or plan on doing, to continue to save money so we can have healthy organic foods. Plus, eating healthy saves in medical costs! š
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!
I think Iām an expert at rolling up tortillas because of my training at Taco Bell when I was younger. Yes, I worked at Taco Bell not once, but twice. And in 2 different states! We had to roll up the biggest burritos without any leaks. Did you see Food Babeās recent post on Taco Bell? I admit, we were still going there once in a while and would just get like a bean burrito or cheese quesadilla, thinking it couldnāt be that bad. Well I was wrong. Just check out her post and you will see what I mean. I think Chipotle Mexican Grill will be the only āFast Food Mexican Foodā we will be getting now…
The great thing about rolling up these enchiladas is you don’t have to be an expert. Just roll it up the best you can and if they leak, it’s perfectly okay. They are going to be messy anyway but oh so good, and you just eat it with a fork.Ā We sure love Mexican food in this house and itās fun making different combinations at home that we know are filled with much better ingredients. This recipe even includes homemade enchilada sauce! It’s pretty easy to make and you can make it ahead of time so it’s ready when you need it. Everyone loves these, even my daughter. And that was very surprising. I hope you enjoy them too!
Enchilada Sauce:Ā
1 tsp minced onion
Ā½ tsp oregano
2 Ā½ tsp chili powder
Ā½ tsp basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp sea salt
Ā¼ tsp cumin
1 tsp parsley
1 TB olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
Ā¼ cup salsa
1 15 oz. can/jar tomato sauce
Ā½ cup water
Mix up all the seasonings except the garlic in a small bowl and set aside. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 min. Add the seasonings, salsa, tomato sauce, and water. Stir everything together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 min, stirring occasionally.
Enchiladas:
1 lb ground beef (organic grass-fed preferred)
1 small onion, chopped
chopped green chiliesĀ (or green onion, corn)
Enchilada sauce (recipe above)
Six 10ā tortillas (I get ours at our local food co-op, all natural and GMO free)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can sliced black olives
Sour cream (for topping)
In a skillet over medium-high heat cook the ground beef until browned. Add the onion and green chilies (or green onion/corn) about half way through. (If you want/need to drain the grease then add the onion & green chilies after draining. I usually don’t need to drain the grease at all.) Start preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Spoon some of the sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13″ baking dish, making a small layer (like pictured below). On each flour tortilla, put an equal amount of the beef mixture, some of the cheddar cheese (reserving at least Ā½ cup of cheese), and a little sauce. Then tightly roll the tortillas and place them in the baking dish, seam side down. Pour the remaining sauce on top of the tortillas and sprinkle on the leftover cheese, and the olives. Bake for about 20 min. Sauce should be bubbly and cheese melted. Let cool for about 5 minutes and then you can top with sour cream.
Cooking the beef, onion and green chilies:
Spreading the enchilada sauce:
Enchiladas rolled up and ready to put in the oven:
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!
Chocolate pudding was one of those things we used to eat a lot but after switching to organic foods, I just figured it would be something we wouldn’t have anymore. This is a ‘healthier’ version that I feel good about giving my kids periodically. And there’s no sugar! Just raw honey*, which is a natural sweetener. But you want to make sure it’s raw honey and not processed. The part that took the longest was scooping out the avocados, but if you just cut around the avocado lengthwise, they peel apart easily. Then you can scoop out the seed and scoop everything out. And I found it easier to scoop if they are at room temperature (they should be kept at room temperature anyway unless they are ripe and you don’t want them to ripen more).Ā *Honey is not recommended for children under one.
Avocados are so good for you. They have the good-for-you-fat that we need! (It’s unsaturated but I want to make it clear that there are good saturated fats that we need as well.) They are a good source of fiber, and have about 20 vitamins and minerals! Including Vitamins A, B, C, D, & K, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Potassium, and many others. So my son liked the pudding but my daughter made a funny face. She was sick at the time, so I don’t know if it just tasted funny because of that. I didn’t tell my kids what was in it. I just said it’s chocolate pudding. Was that wrong of me? š Anyway, I love it and hope you will too.
Ingredients:Ā
2 large avocados, or 3 small
1 cup milk (I use organic whole but you could use coconut milk, almond milk, etc.)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (or cacao powder, which is better for you)
3 TB raw honey*
dash of cinnamon (optional)
Directions:
Scoop out all the avocado and discard the seed (see my tips on doing this quickly at the top of this post). Blend all the ingredients in a blender or NutriBullet (that’s what I used, see picture below). Refrigerate for about 30 minutes and serve.Ā *Honey is not recommended for children under one.
Here’s everything added and ready to blend up in the NutriBullet:
(I had to add more milk after this picture because I was still in the testing phase)
Here’s a NutriBullet through Amazon:
And here’s my son eating the chocolate avocado pudding frozen in a Smoothie-Pop-Mold:
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, your cost will be the same, but Organic Fibro Mommies will earn a small commission (which helps to offset web hosting fees, maintenance, etc.). Your support is greatly appreciated!
Grocery shopping can be a real chore sometimes, but we have to do it if we want to eat! š (Unless we raise/grow everything on our own of course.) I have developed a pretty good system that works for me so I thought I would share it with you. Some people plan out their meals for the week and even do some prep work over the weekend. I have never really done that, except I did try planning out our meals before and that became a chore in itself! So what I do now is just keep a stock of certain things and then I can make just about anything during the week. This has worked just fine when I’m working or not working. I do take a few minutes the night before to take something out of the freezer and think about what sounds good and what we haven’t had in a while. Something usually comes to mind pretty quickly. It does sound nice to have crockpot meals ready to go for the week but I haven’t tried it yet.
With Fibromyalgia symptoms, it can be extra hard to make these shopping trips. We forget things easily, anxiety comes on strong, especially with bright lights and crowds, pain can come on strong, and on and on. Then to have to stop and read labels and decide what to buy… it can be very overwhelming. Here’s what I do to make things easier for myself.
Here are my tips for easy grocery shopping trips:
Keep a shopping list going all week long and anytime you are out of something, write it down. I have those pads of lined paper that you can stick on your refrigerator.
Take an inventory either the night before or morning of the day you go shopping. I go through my fridge/freezer, cupboards and pantry and see what we might be low on or out of. There are basic items I always have in my head to check for.
Organize your shopping list by category and cross off the items as you go through the store. It may be fun for the kids to cross off items for you, if they are at the age to read and use a pencil of course.
Go shopping weekly so that you don’t have to get so many items and it won’t take you as long. Plus if you forgot something it would only be another week until you go again. Also, you can get fresh fruit/vegetables each week!
Bring something to keep the kid(s) occupied. This could be a book, pad of paper and a pencil, and yes I am guilty of giving them my phone to play with. Really, it’s whatever works so you can get through the shopping trip as stress-free as possible.
If you can, go shopping early in the day, or later at night to avoid crowds.
To save money, I load my coupons ahead of time and put any printed coupons in my purse. Maybe make a note next to the item on your grocery list if there’s a coupon. That way you can make sure you follow what the coupon says. I also give myself a weekly budget and try to stay within that budget. I haven’t been too strict on it while we have had extra money but when I am home I plan to bring a calculator so I can really make sure I am within budget, as money will be tighter.
Switch up your stores. I go to Trader Joe’s one week, Fred Meyer another week (they have a great Simple Truth organic brand), and our Food Co-op another week. That way I can get certain items we like from certain places. They may be cheaper or a better organic selection. For examples of these items, I made a list below. And yes, I actually keep different shopping lists for different stores. š
If you really want to make things easier, you could find out when the store does their stocking and make sure to go on a different day. The organic section of the big grocery stores is usually small and they are always stocking when I go because I go on Fridays right now. It makes it more crowded, harder to get the things I need and be able to take my time and read labels.
Don’t shop on an empty stomach. I make this mistake all too often. Then I start piling extra things in the cart because everything looks good and that doesn’t help with trying to save money. Plus I get irritable and feel sick if I don’t eat when I need to. So that doesn’t help things either. Just bring a snack to eat in the car before you go in, or eat before you go.
I am sure there are many more ways to make grocery shopping easier but this is what works for me, as long as I stick to it. I had one week where we didn’t go shopping and I was thrown off for a while. It helps to stay organized and have a routine. Click here for our very first organic shopping trip, which includes tips on changes you can make if you can’t go full-blown organic.
Here are my kids on our first shopping trip to Trader Joe’s (back in February 2013)! Kailey was 7 and Tyler was 3.
Here are some of the places I like to shop and some of the items I like to purchase:
Trader Joe’s – Organic maple syrup (great price), organic ketchup-pictured below (least amount of sugar compared to other organic brands), Fairtrade organic coffee, organic frozen fruit/vegetables, organic pears & apples (they are the perfect size for kids to grab and eat), organic peanut butter-pictured below (it is 1 ingredient – organic peanuts), coconut oil (great price), Kerrygold grass fed butter (better price), and many other items. Not all the items at Trader Joe’s are organic, so you really have to read labels.
Olympia Food Co-op – They have a great bulk section! Nuts/seeds, granola, trail mix, beans, rice, noodles of all kinds, different flours and sugars, popcorn kernels, herbs & seasonings, etc. Their produce is fresh from local farms. And many other great items. I have found things there that I couldn’t find anywhere else. Canned organic pineapple is one item.
Fred Meyer – They have a Simple Truth organic brand and provide a wide selection of foods. They keep coming out with new items too. It’s a great price, for organic. Of course there are many other organic brands available at Fred Meyer. Compared to other big grocery store chains, I like their organic section the best.
Farm Fresh MarketĀ – This is where I go if we need anything in-between grocery shopping trips. It’s not too far from our house and they have a little bit of everything. And I love getting their rotisserie chicken! Cooked and ready to go.
Olympia Farmers Market – Obviously the Farmers Market is a great place to go for so many reasons. Fresh, organic, local foods. I don’t go here as often as I should. I have found some of the same produce at the Food Co-op and I can get other things there that I can’t at the Farmers Market. But, I will definitely be going to the Farmers Market more often when I am home and can get out more. It will be fun to just go down there, grab some things, eat lunch and play at the park. š
Here’s a variety of nuts/seeds I put in glass jars that I saved:
We are very new to the gardening world. I grew up with my dad always growing something, and my grandma always had a garden, but I wasn’t very involved. I don’t know why…. I honestly wish I would have been more involved. I was definitely involved in eating it! š My husband was around gardening too but this is the first time we have tried to grow anything on our own. My mother-in-law helped us grow a few things last year in pots on our deck and the side of the house along the fence. Now we are completely doing it on our own and have built a long garden bed (pictured below). And we are still growing along the side of the house and in pots. Basically wherever we can grow! š
We bought some seeds, which consist of:
Beans (navy, kidney-regular and dark)
Zucchini
Cucumber
Tomatoes (regular and cherry)
Radishes
Carrots (I got these free from my aunt)
Pumpkin
Cauliflower (a couple different kinds)
Rainbow beans (different colored string beans)
Watermelon
I’m Ā not sure why we decided to grow so much this year but we are just going to see what happens! This was $40 altogether, because they are organic. We already had kale and spinach from last year that came back up. We also grew mixed lettuces, peas, and cherry tomatoes. They did pretty well. We also bought some starters, which areĀ mixed greens, peas, rosemary, and chard.Ā I paid about $3 for each one.
Here Ā is what we have learned and all beginners should be aware of: Monsanto genetically modifies their seeds. I don’t know if you can regrow their seeds but if you do, they can sue you. They want you to purchase their seeds year after year. Organic seeds are different. You can usually regrow from seed. So I figured it was worth it to spend a lot up front and then try to regrow from the seeds. We bought our seeds from Annie’s heirloom seeds. Also, you can grow some things from kitchen scraps! Here’s the post I found helpful on this, containing 25 different foods you can regrow from kitchen scraps.Ā You also want good soil. You would think dirt is just dirt, but unfortunately no. It could contain pesticides, and other chemicals that non-organic companies put in to help you grow faster and bigger, because that’s what people usually want. And when they see those results, they go back to buying that same product, which is what those companies want. If you spend the extra money in the beginning to make sure everything is all natural (no pesticides, no GMOs, organic), you can try to regrow from there and enjoy organic vegetables/fruits each year. And FREE, that you grew in your yard. Here’s a link on companion planting (what not to plant together). And here’s a great post from 100 Days of Real Food on lessons learned when growing food.
A great tip:Ā I heard that Home Depot (and maybe Lowe’s too) does a recycle program where people can bring in their pots so if you ever need pots go get them for free in the nursery! We didn’t know this until we had already bought some but we will need more so we will be going to get the free ones. š
If I can do this, anyone can. It’s a great learning experience for the kids too and to see where our food comes from is awesome! And how convenient is it to just walk outside, pick something, and eat it, or use it in what you are making?!? For us, it has been all about using what we have. We didn’t buy anything fancy. And we did receive some materials from a friend. We also received free dirt from a friend! And it’s the real stinky stuff, so you know it’s good. š If you are considering gardening but think you don’t have anywhere to grow, you might want to think it over again because you can grow just about anywhere! There is vertical gardening where you grow up. And you can grow in pots/planters. There are so many ideas out there for growing in small spaces.
We also have rain water barrels to collect rain water and use to water our garden. And I plan on starting a compost, hopefully soon! I also want to try canning after we see what all we can grow. If I get an abundance of cucumber, I want to make pickles! If we get a ton of tomatoes, it would be great to make tomato sauce and salsa. Or just diced tomatoes to add to dishes. I made this spaghetti sauce last year (pictured to the right) from some leftover tomatoes that were frozen from my grandma’s garden. It was so good! I think we are going to try to build a greenhouse eventually too. Here’s How to Build a Greenhouse for $50. And 13 Cheap & Easy DIY Greenhouses.
Here’s some of what we grew last year, and everything did pretty good.
(We also grew cherry tomatoes, but I don’t have a picture.)
Mixed lettuces, spinach, peas:
Kale
My grandma has always had a big garden. Every summer we would go pick stuff from her garden and eat it, or they would give us stuff to take home. Here are some pictures of the kids in her garden last year. She has too many things to list them all but we have always loved her raspberries! You can see part of them in the picture with Tyler. With my uncle there managing the garden, I know it is all organic. He is big on natural/organic/non-GMO. When I first got into all this, I went to him with a lot of questions.
My Kale cameĀ to life again from last year!
(VERY exciting moment for a new gardener.)
Here’s what we’ve got going this year. Mixed lettuces, spinach, chard, rosemary, peas,
and some of our seeds growing inside.
Here is the long raised garden bed we built. We aren’t sure how much sun this is going to get in our backyard but we are giving it a try. Last year we had some trees cut down, so there will definitely be more light than before. It’s still pretty shady though. And we have a huge hill, so not much space to grow. I know we could grow on the hill too. The biggest concern is sunlight.
Ā And here’s Tyler helping us build the garden bed. š
And now for the answer to the big question, how much did it cost us altogether to get a garden going??? Well, the dirt was free, boards were free, we did buy some nails and spent gas to get around. Seeds were $40 altogether and the starters were $3 each. I would say it was probably a total of $70 (including cost of gas). SO worth it considering what we could possibly get back. There is an endless list of benefits to gardening. Especially organic gardening!Ā Thank you to the friends that provided the dirt and boards!!! This is an exciting adventure for us. Stay tuned for more of the gardening fun! š
This is a simple dish that is great for a Spring/Summer day (or anytime). We have had some really warm weather here the last couple days and this is a nice light meal for when you are just hot and worn out. I threw this dish together when I had no idea what to make but had some chicken to cook. And my daughter sure loves noodles! They are always a winner with her. The packages of chicken that I buy have way more chicken than we would eat now, so I either separate it after I buy it or just cook it all and freeze half. It’s nice to be able to pull out some chicken from the freezer and it’s already cooked. Saves a step! You can serve this warm or cold. You could even make it ahead of time and have it chilling until dinner. Then you can play in the sun with the kids until you want to eat and just pull it out of the fridge and eat outside together. š You can also make this without the chicken as a side dish to one of your meals.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
2 cups noodles (any kind you like)
2 TB butter
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk (depending on how creamy you want it)
shredded parmessan cheese (about 2 TB to 1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt & pepper
bell peppers (1/2 – 1 cup)
Directions:
Cook the chicken until there’s no pink (I use coconut oil in the pan). You can add any seasonings you like, or just salt & pepper. Cook the noodles by bringing water to a boil (medium pan filled about 3/4 with water), add noodles, cook at a slow boil for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cut up the bell peppers and chicken. Drain the noodles. Add the butter, milk, and parmessan cheese. You may want a little heat to get this to mix up well. Add herbs & seasonings (I just sprinkle in the herbs but it is probably about 1/2 tsp of each). Then add the bell peppers and chicken. Serve immediately or chill for later. It’s good warm or cold.
I had only tried split pea soup out of a can when I was growing up and thought it was gross and looked gross. When my mother-in-law introduced it to me again, as homemade, I was in heaven. It is now one of my favorite soups! It still doesn’t look all that appealing but it definitely looks better than the soup out of a can. And, it doesn’t even taste like peas. Believe me, my husband wouldn’t eat it if it did. š I get my split peas at our local food co-op in the bulk bins but I’m sure they have them at most stores. I love to make this with leftover ham from a holiday dinner but you can make it with a whole ham (bone-in), or you can cook it with bacon! We like to have bread and butter with it. I think the Rosemary adds a special touch and guess what? It’s great for improving your memory! Those of us with Fibromyalgia really need that. (For a vegetarian option, don’t add any meat and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.)
1 1/2 lb. ham or 1-2 cups leftover ham (chopped into squares)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 large carrots, chopped
1 tsp rosemary
1-2 cloves minced garlic
2 bay leaves
salt & pepper (sprinkled in as desired)
Directions:
Soak your split peas overnight in a large bowl of water, covered by about 3 inches. This will save in cooking time but if you need to do it in the same day, simmer in water for about 5 minutes, then soak for an hour and drain. Add the split peas to a large pot with the chicken broth. Add the ham, onion, carrots, and all the seasonings. (If you have a whole ham, cook with the bone.) Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on medium for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover and cook another 10 – 15 minutes to thicken. Basically cook until the carrots are soft and peas are mushy, not crunchy. (It will look like the picture above.) Remove bay leaves and the ham bone before serving (if it’s a whole ham you will need to cut it up before serving).
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. (We lost our 4th one, so now we only have 3.)
