Sweet Little Leah!

Here is a picture of my adorable God daughter! Maria, Dave
and Ruby welcomed her into the world last Tuesday.

Update: Raw Milk Adventure

As I have said before, health and nutrition have always been a hobby of mine. I am excited to eventually make it my next career choice but for now I just like to spend my extra time (which is next to none) reading about various health/nutrition topics. I think I mentioned that my first real interest was as a teenager but my goal was only for weight loss purposes. Then I went to college and studied nutrition for teaching purposes. I taught Life Management which encompassed nutrition, cooking, parenting, money management, etc. Now, I have reached a point in my life where I study nutrition for the purpose of good health.

Along the journey, certain decisions/choices were no brainers...like taking a whole food multi-vitamin or consulting holistic practitioners for more information. Changing over to raw milk was a choice I thought long and hard about for a few years. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone because a) I am not a licensed practitioner/nutritionist and b) because it has to be something YOU have a comfort level with.

I would highly encourage people to do their homework and learn about this fascinating industry. As you may already know, it is very controversial. I am 95% comfortable with my decision but from time to time worry about the food borne illness controversy. However, the longer I do it and the more I learn, I gain a lot more confidence in my decision.

My holisitc MD told me to read "The Untold Story of Milk" by Ron Schmid to help me understand the politics and benefits of drinking raw milk. Reputable raw milk has been known to cure/improve allergies, asthma, eczema, intestinal disorders, autism, obesity, and boost your overall immunity. We have been drinking raw milk and eating raw butter and cheese for 7 months. In the last 7 months, the kids have been really healthy. Interestingly enough, the kids got sick about a month ago with a fever/cold and I wasn't able to get my milk during that time period, which I thought was certainly related. Jake also had a spot (possible eczema) on his face for about a year. I took him to the dermatologist three times and we couldn't seem to get it cleared up. About three months into drinking the milk, I noticed the spot had disappeared. Again, could be a coincidence...but I think NOT! All in all, the kids (and hubby) love the taste and I am absolutely noticing an improvement in our overall health.

I must also mention that I am the type of person who likes my meat cooked well! So you can imagine that this was a BIG step for me. Choosing the right farm is the most important choice you will make if you decide to give raw milk a try. We decided to go with Hicks Dairy Farm because their milk is tested daily and they sell their milk to Horizon, a well known organic milk company. They said in their twenty years of selling milk, they do not have one reported case of illness.

Between the health benefits and supporting a local farm, it really feels like a win/win situation. Not to mention, it taste really good. The butter might be the most delicious thing EVER!

Happy 9th Anniversary to my hubby!

(wow...we did lots of celebrating this month. Three birthdays and one anniversary later! :))

Happy 5th Birthday Jake & Ben!

Happy First Day of School!

This is our second annual first day of school picture. No matter how chaotic and crazy it is, I make the kids stand on the porch with all of their school gear for one picture. The picture did make us five minutes late to school but it was worth it. :)

Homeopathy WORKS!
"Homeopathy does not suppress an illness,
but rather stimulate the body's own healing mechanism."

My friend Laura told me her pediatrician recommended this cough medicine for a chronic cough her kids had for several weeks. Last week, my kids came down with a fever, followed by a sore throat/cough so I decided to give this wonder med a try. One night Jake was coughing continuously for two hours. I gave him the cough syrup and within five minutes he stopped. It also seem to put an end to the cough all together. It had the same effect on the other three kids. Needless to say, I stocked up on Hylands Cold and Cough.

Ready To Go Breakfast Burritos

We always take time to feed our families but we usually grab a coffee and walk out the door with no breakfast. Here is a simple healthy breakfast that will take you two minutes to prepare on those crazy week day mornings.

Last Sunday, Kevin and I spent less than an hour making our Ready To Go Breakfast Burritos and it was well worth it.

Here are the directions: (exact ingredients aren't necessary)

1. Scramble 12-16 eggs depending on how many burritos you want to make.
2. Cook up 1-2 pounds of ground sausage.
3. As the sausage is cooking, in a mini food processor (or by hand) chop of 1/2 onion, 1 garlic clove, fresh basil and thyme. By the way, I use the herbs from my indoor herb garden and it has greatly improved the taste and health benefits of my cooking. Ohh and my pocket book. :) I also secretly added 1 t. of chia seeds the mixture. You can't see or taste them. :)
4. Add the veggies/herbs to the partially cooked meat. Grind the veggies into the meat and mix well.
5. While everything is cooking, cut out several squares of tin foil (about the size of a tortilla) and lay one tortilla on each square. Use either whole wheat or sprouted whole grain tortillas. The sprouted ones do not roll as well. We opt for the whole wheat tortillas.
6. Once all ingredients are done cooking, sprinkle cheese (preferably raw) on each tortilla. Than lay your scrambled eggs and ground pork mixture on top and roll the tortilla. Tightly wrap tortilla with tin foil.
7. Other yummy additions are salsa, peppers, potatoes.
8. Place all of the tortillas in a zip lock plastic bag and freeze. Label with burrito ingredients.

The next morning, take one frozen burrito out of the bag. Place in a paper towel and microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on the ingredients and size. ENJOY! :)

School Time Spaghetti

Directions:
As you rush around to get your kids and hubby off to school/work do the following:

1. Put your favorite spaghetti sauce in a crock pot.
2. Add the following:
1/2 pound of grass-fed ground beef
1/2 pound of grass-fed ground pork
handful of chopped fresh spinach
handful of chopped fresh basil
a few sprigs of fresh oregano
1 t. turmeric
1/2 of finely chopped onion
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
3.Cook all day!
4.Walk in the door and boil your noodles and it is ready to go.

A few more tips: I use a mini food processor to chop my onions and garlic. It is much faster than using a knife. You also can use frozen meat. If you are home during the day and you use frozen meat, occasionally mix and chop up the meat. I also like to double the recipe and freeze half for another meal. I love this recipe because it has so many healthy ingredients and kids LOVE spaghetti!!! :)