It's All About the Compost

It's All About the Compost!

I grew up as a suburbanite: living in a subdivision where house upon house was connected by the chain link fences lining the backyards. As an adult, I am still living life as a suburbanite, but now I live in a subdivision where the houses are spaced a bit wider apart, and trees separate the backyards; so every time you walk outside you are not coming face to face with your neighbor. And tucked right behind our fence, is my beloved composter. Actually I have two; one is a bin that my husband, Todd, lovingly built me for Mother's day one year, and the other is a turnable one that he bought me for this Mother's Day. Most women would not think a composter as a Mother's Day gift is considered a gesture of love; but I did, and I was ecstatic!!!

I didn't have my first contact with compost until I was a teenager, and began dating my husband. One day during the summer, we went to visit his grandparents. They had property up on a hill that had a huge garden. Although they are both gone now, I can still remember the blue overalls Grandpa would wear. When we arrived that day, we made our way up to the garden to where Grandpa was standing. He began talking about how the sheep manure was done (whatever that meant) and ready for the garden! And then he did the unthinkable......he grabbed a handful of this brown soil-like stuff from the pile, shoved it under my nose, and said, "smell it, it doesn't smell like anything!" Well, being a girl that thought gardens were only on farms, having a handful of sheep manure shoved under my nose is not what I called fun. Why would anyone want to smell decomposed animal droppings was beyond me!!! But respecting my elders and saying a little prayer, I took a little sniff. And you know, he was right. It didn't smell. My husband still talks about the look on my face the moment composted manure was put under my nose!

Not only did Grandpa use sheep manure to feed his gardens, he also had a worm bin that he dumped his morning coffee grounds in each morning. I am sure somewhere near the garden was a pile of scraps that was decomposing nicely under the summer sun. Fast forwarding to today, I began to really think about how many pounds of fruit and vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, egg shells, and anything else I was throwing away in a day could be composted. I decided to make my own science experiment. For an entire month, I weighed the scraps to see how much I would accumulate over a month. When the month was over, I added my daily totals, and to my surprise and excitement, the total came to 50 pounds! Yes, 50 pounds of scraps a month was the total just our family threw away that could be composted. Then I did the math; if just our subdivision composted their scraps, it averaged over 5,000 pounds in a month! If even a quarter of the American households composted, just think how many pounds of wastes we could prevent from going into a landfill while at the same time using this wonderful material to enrich our soils.

Composting is basically nature's process of recycling organic material, and the resulting rich brown soil can be used to add nutrients back into the earth. There are many ways you can compost. Some people just have a pile in the corner of their garden or backyard. If your interested in a slightly neater appearance, you can purchase a compost bin or make one yourself. Many people use worm bins to compost. Now once you decide what type of compost method you will use, you will need to make sure there is an equal amount of nitrogen and carbon. Nitrogen comes from the "green" material: grass clippings, coffee grounds, fruit and veggie peelings, tea bags, crushed egg shells, and such. Carbon comes from "brown" sources: dried leaves, straw, dried grasses, or wood ash from untreated wood (but not too much). Things you need to avoid at all cost in putting in your compost are weeds that have gone to seed, dog or cat feces (which can carry parasite diseases), pesticides, fats, oils, grease, and any bones or meat scraps coming from an animal.

So start saving those scraps from the kitchen, and begin enriching our Earth. You can check with your local Department of Natural Resources for more information to get you started on having your own nature's recycling plant right in your own backyard.

Almond Meal

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Each time I make almond milk, I make almond meal.   It is the final step of "milking the almonds" as my husband says.  How is  almond meal and almond flour different?  Almond meal tends to have the skins of the almond intact and has a coarser grind than almond flour does. 

I freeze the almond meal after I make it, so it doesn't go rancid, and there are many uses for it. 

You can:

• add it as a filler in meatloaf
• use it as a coating to baked chicken
• substitute it for flour in muffins and other baked goods, such as cookies
• add it into my morning smoothie for a touch of nutty flavor
• add it to my morning oatmeal
• add it to soups and stews to thicken it
• sprinkle it over yogurt and fresh cut fruit

See my post about how to make almond milk.  You will be making the almond meal from the almond mush left over. 

1.  Scoop the almond mush out of the strainer and spread it onto
     the fruit roll up tray of the dehydrator.

2.  Set the dehydrator setting to the nut setting.

3.  Dehydrate overnight or 10-12 hours. 

4.  After the almonds are dried, process it in a food processor until 
     fine.

If you do not have a dehydrator, you can spread the almond mush on a baking sheet and dehydrate it in the oven at the lowest setting (with the oven door ajar) until the almonds are dry.   

There you have it.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy (as my son would say). 

Kale Chips

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Kale.....it seems this leafy vegetable is the new kid on the block. In my quest to find a kale recipe that my family would like, I started to look.......where else?  Pinterest.  If you have been on Pinterest, you can find dozens of kale chip recipes.  The majority of them advise you to drizzle olive oil on the leaves and sprinkle them with sea salt. I tried that way, and my family wouldn't eat them.  The crunch was good, but the bitter aftertaste was not.

Recently, a neighbor dropped off a bag of kale and a bag of lettuce harvested from a biodynamic, organic farm in our state. Her sister belongs to a CSA that provided the lettuce and gave it to my neighbor. My neighbor was preparing to go on vacation, so she gave it to me because she knew we would eat it. I love my neighbors!  I am determined to include this vegetable into our daily eating because this cruciferous vegetable packs a nutrition powerhouse.  What better way to introduce it to the family than using local, organic produce?

One cup of kale provides:
5 grams of fiber
15% RDA of calcium and vitamin B6
40% RDA of magnesium
200% RDA of vitamin C
180% RDA of vitamin A
and a whopping 1020% of vitamin K. 

So off to the kitchen I went.  My family loves spices and seasonings, so the sea salt wasn't going to cut it for our family.  So I decided to pump up the seasonings, and see what would happen.  Once the kale chips were out of the oven, I popped one in my mouth, and it like heaven. 

The taste reminded me of some fried escarole that I had tried at a local Italian restaurant  my husband and I went to on New Year's Eve.  Needless to say, after trying the escarole, I almost ordered it as a main course because it was so good. I'm telling you, these kale chips could compete with the fried escarole in my book. 

Enjoy!

Garlic Parmesan Kale Chips

1 pound kale, rinsed and dried
2 tbsp organic, virgin coconut oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix last four ingredients in a large bowl.  Add kale.  Toss to coat.  Spread kale evenly on a baking sheet (you may need 2) so that the leaves do not overlap.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Turn leaves over.  Bake another 5 or until the leaves begin to brown and are crunchy.

Caramel Popcorn

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

I usually try to keep our snacking on the healthy side......but every once in a while, we all need something sweet to eat.  In preparing for having a few of my son's friends over for a sleepover, I decided to make a batch of caramel popcorn for them to munch as they camp out in the backyard. 

I have had this recipe for many years, and I have made it many times..................it's foolproof and so delicious.  It's a great thing to make for gift giving during the holidays too.  While I was making this batch, I found little, kid vultures circling the kitchen waiting for the popcorn to come out of the oven!!

It's called "poppycock" but I there are times that I decide to add pecans and almonds in it, and other times I just want the crunchy, sweetness of the popcorn. 

Caramel Popcorn

1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c honey OR 1 1/4 c. organic sugar + 1/4 c. water
1 tsp. salt
5 quarts of popcorn, popped
1 tsp. vanilla

If you want to turn it into Poppycock, add to the popped corn:

6 oz slivered almonds
10 oz chopped pecans

Combine butter, sugar, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. 

Once it comes to a rolling boil, stop stirring and let it boil for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla and baking soda (be careful when adding this, because it will boil up and the mixture is VERY hot!)

Immediately (and carefully) drizzle the caramel over the popcorn.  Toss with a wooden spoon until the popcorn is well coated.

Pour into 2 large baking pans.  Bake at 250 degrees for 1 1/2 hours until dry, stirring every 15 minutes.

Enjoy! Now..............I'm hoping it makes it until tomorrow!

**Keep in mind that I still try to use organic ingredients even when I make treats like this.

On my last blog post, I talked about planning summer activities for my children when they were younger.  And now that they are older, I need to back off on planning every minute of their summer.  With that being said, they will continue to do their chores as they are expected to do during the school year, and then some.  I already explained to them that I am not their maid, I am their Mom (sometimes they get that confused), and I want to enjoy my summer as much as they do and not be in the house cleaning all the time.

So we sat down and discussed how they wanted to do the chores.  In years past, I had a list of daily chores they needed to do, but I found that many of the chores needed to be done immediately, like emptying out the dishwasher, and they were at school or not home.  They also informed me they did not like doing the same chores every day.  I could understand that.  That could be a bit boring, so I changed my strategy.  We now have a plate that is on a plate stand that I write down what I need done each day.  It sits on a table in the foyer, so when they come downstairs in the morning, there is no missing the list! 

Photo by Life as A Healthy Mom

We decided that since they will be expected to do more chores, they will get an increase in allowance.  I feel it helps them budget money, understand the value of a dollar, and not have to ask Mom or Dad for a handout for every little thing.  They already know that if we are at a store and they want something frivolous, such as an iTunes™ card, they need to have their money with them.  I want my children to grow up not relying on their parents to pay for everything.  My husband and I were blessed with parents that expected each of us to get a job, pay for our own car, car insurance, car repairs (my dad showed me how to change my brake pads on my car), gas, and anything else we “wanted” once we had that job.  They paid for our needs, not our wants. Because of learning how to save and being responsible with money, my husband and I were able to buy a nice starter home at the age of 20 years old right before we married.  In a few years our children will be of driving age, and it isn’t too late to teach money responsibility.  Recently, my son received a cell phone for his 13^th birthday…..he only has been begging for one for a couple of years because “all the other kids have them”, We bought him a phone, as a gift, with the indication that once the minutes that we placed on the phone were used, he was responsible for buying more minutes. He is very careful about not wasting his minutes!! My daughter has been saving up for a Kindle Fire for the past 6 months.  With a boost of her savings from her birthday money, she was able to purchase it, and $25 in an Amazon™ card, on her own.  But I digress……back to the chores!!

Here is a list of chores that I have assigned them:

Daily: 

• Walk the Dogs
• Make Bed
• Feed Dogs/Wash Pet Bowls
• Spend 5-10 Minutes Picking up Room
• Take Vitamin (I know it isn't a chore, but I want to remind them to do it

    
      As Needed (I choose 2-3 daily)

• Dust Bedroom
• Dust Dining Room
• Vacuum/Dust Sunroom
• Put Laundry Away
• Wipe Down Vanity, Toilet, Mirror in Kids Bathroom
• Wipe Down Vanity, Toilet, Mirror in Master Bathroom
• Wipe Down Window Sills in Sunroom
• Empty Kichen Trash Cans
• Vacuum/Dust Family Room
• Clean Patio Door
• Vacuum Upstairs
• Bring in Trash Cans After Trash Pickup
• Empty Small Trashcans Throughout the House

Once a Week, my son mows the grass and my daughter picks up “yard bombs” as we call them.

Ideally they should be done in 10-15 minutes, and I explained that I expect them done by 10 am.  If they are done at 9 a.m., that is even better!  By 10 a.m., they are free to spend the rest of the day enjoying the summer.  My friend, Jennifer, made a wonderful suggestion about what she does with her girls (who are of the same age as my two children).  When the girls make the choice to not complete their chores…….she docks their pay!!! Yep, if they don’t do as they are told, they do not get paid for that day.  And, if the other sibling wants to do the chore for them, she gets paid the money.  Isn’t that a great idea? So I implemented that idea into the chores requirements.

Now onto me…..I have chores too! But I organized my chores in a way that not only keeps the house in tip-top shape; it will keep me in tip-top shape too.  Here is my schedule/chores:

6:00 - 7:00          Check Computer/Read/Meditate

7:00 - 8:00           Exercise
                   

                              Monday/Wednesday/Friday-Stair Step /Weight Training

                              Tuesday/Thursday--Step Aerobics

8:00 - 10:00       Make Breakfast/Shower

                              Do Chores:

                               Dishes                             Sweep Floor                Wipe Down Counters
                               Clean Appliances          Empty Compost         Water Plants Outside
                               Wipe Appliances           Make Bed                    Wipe Down Guest Bathroom 

Once a week I pick a chore based on what needs done:  laundry, iron, thoroughly clean kids bathroom, thoroughly clean master bathroom, mop kitchen floor (that is more 2-3 times a week).

We just started this schedule, and it is working out quite nicely, so far!

Summertime is Here!

Summer vacation is almost here! The kids have 4 more days until school is out, and I have been internally stressing about how I can keep the household organized and running smoothly while they are home.  During the school year, it's easy.  I have lots of time to get everything done.  When they are on summer vacation, it can easily become a madhouse at a drop of a hat..or dirty glasses and plates left on the table....or a soaked beach towel lying on the kitchen floor....or the proverbial "mom, can we have a snack" as my daughter marches in 5 of her friend through the front door.  You understand where I am going with this, right?  I am a bit of a type A personality, so waking up and deciding to go downtown to the zoo or the science center on the spur of the moment never worked for me. I gotta have a plan!

Considering my son turned 13 (gulp!) and my daughter is turning 11 on Wednesday, I no longer plan a daily outing to keep them busy.  I have quickly learned the complaining that ensues when I mention going on an outing has become too much for me. 

When they were little, I planned out the entire summer on a calendar, so the kids knew what what to expect each day.  So if your children are still elementary school age, this is a simple plan to follow.  I planned it in such a way that I only spent $20 week total for the outings.......not including gas.  Many of the attractions in our area have free admission, so I made sure I utilized that in my planning.  Our local movie theatres also had a summer series of movies at a reduced price.  And.............we have the privilege of having an amusement park within a 5 minute drive from our house.  We purchased season passes, so we could do for a couple of hours on a weekly basis.  The kids learned quickly NOT to ask for any souvenirs or food. We would eat a snack in the parking lot, spend a couple of hours riding rides, and head back home for lunch.  It was a beautiful thing!

So here is a quick rundown on how I planned summers years ago:

Mondays--Park Day.  We visited a local park with a playground. Some of them even had water features.

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Tuesdays--Movie/Amusement Park.  We flip flopped each week by either going the amusement park or to the movies. The amusement park also has a water park attached to it, so if it was too hot we would spend a couple hours there instead of riding rides. The movies were part of a summer series, therefore the admittance fee was $1-$2.

Photo by Life as A Healthy Mom

 Wednesdays--Field Trip!!  We would have a big outing. If we went to the movies and spent money that week, we would go to a free admission attraction, such as a museum or zoo.

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Thursdays--Friend Day.  The kids each chose a friend to call beforehand, and we planned fun activities to do at home. Then Momma would get all the chores, such as laundry, completed in between sprinkler time, snacks, and other fun stuff. When they got bored, I packed up our stuff, and we walked down to the subdivision pool for a few hours.

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

Fridays--Errands Anyone?  A momma has got to get her errands done sometime, and I wasn't about to do my grocery shopping on a Saturday...weekend were set aside for family time. 

So, there you have it.  This is how I USED to plan out summers when they were little.  

NOW...............At the ages they are now, their time spent with friends becomes priority (sigh).  So I have chucked the field trip day, friend day, and pretty much every planned day when they were little.  I asked them what they wanted to do, and it was a rather simple list such as going to the pool.  I realized we are in a different chapter of life called adolescence...and I have learned to roll with it and not plan almost every day of their summer like I used to.  

I know myself well enough that if I let "the flow of summer happen", nothing is going to happen. We will become lazy, sit in front of the television watching who knows what, and wonder where the summer went as we are preparing to return to school mid-August.  

So, here is what I have planned this summer......a morning schedule to get things done.  That's it.  If they think they are going into summer chore free and allowing the maid, I mean Mom, to do everything they got another thing coming.  By 10 am, chores are done and they are free to hang out with friends.  They will receive a raise in allowance during the summer months because they are expected to do more chores than usual.  If the kids budget accordingly, when a friend invites one of them to go somewhere, my son and daughter have the money to go.    

So as the school year winds down, our summer will be winding up and I am ready now that I have this simple plan in place.  Happy Summer!

P.S--If you are wondering what chores I have in mind for the kids, I am planning on posting our schedule and list for the summer in my next blog entry.



Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

A couple of years ago, my father gave me a foyer table that was in his childhood home.  I cherish items that tell a story, and I wanted to implement the table into our decor.  Unfortunately, it really didn't fit into our decor. 


I tried to place the table in the corner of our sun room and place plants on it.  It looked okay, I guess, but every time I walked past it the placement just didn't seem right.  So I put the table in the garage.

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom

During the holidays, I moved it to a corner of our dining room, and used it for a place to do our Christmas puzzle.  After the holidays, it just sat in the corner, like a child being punished.  So then, I put it back in the garage.



Shortly after I realized it didn't fit in our home (or at least I thought), I asked my siblings if they wanted it because I wanted it to stay in the family.  My one brother said he would take it; I think he was being nice because he didn't want me to get rid of it either, but he really didn't have room for it.  So the table went in the garage for storage; and there it sat for months.

Until...................I began my spring cleaning and took everything out of the sun room to scrub the windows and tile floor.  Believe me, dragging it all out is much easier than maneuvering around the furniture to clean all the windows.  When I began placing the furniture back in, I got this epiphany.  I measured the back of our couch, and went into the garage to measure the table.  It was the perfect height for a behind the couch!!!  I was so excited.  I dragged the table back into the house and placed it behind the couch. 

It fit perfectly in the corner, and the ornate design shows beautifully from the outside.  While shopping for Mother's Day gifts, I came across the green plant on clearance for $2.44.  I used terracotta pots from my collection, and treated myself to the aloe plant that I always wanted.........for $5. 

Everything else on the table was pulled from other rooms.  The aqua bowl was made by my husband as a child and was given to me by my husband's mom.  The tall metal dog sculpture is to honor the passing our our Dalmatian, Tessa; and the small sculpture commemorates acquiring our dog, Toby.  Can you tell I am a sap for memories?


Now, ever time I walk into my sun room............I smile. I have always loved my sun room, but now my smile is much wider.  Finally, my grandmother's table has found it's permanent spot in my home, and it's perfect!

Photo by Life as a Healthy Mom