Here and There in the Blogger World

I read a lot more blog posts than I write.  I probably even comment more at other blogs than write original posts on mine.  This week I was quoted at SteadyMom.  She had written a brief story about achieving peace.  My comments were quoted in her next post about What Choosing Peace Does Not Mean.  I was pretty excited about that!

Then there's the grain debate that's so popular right now.  I've read a bit on both sides.  I whole-heartedly agree that processed white flour should be avoided, but I don't come to the same conclusion with whole grains.  I know that gluten intolerance is on the rise and many people are avoiding wheat and other gluten containing grains.  I don't notice any symptoms though, in myself or my family.  The debate regarding whether humans should even eat grains is a very interesting one and you can find a lot of info on both sides.  I have an online friend that removed all grains from her diet (and subsequently her family's diet) and they are all doing wonderfully.  But they had issues prior.  One blogger has tried a few of the grain free approaches and still has the same symptoms, so it clearly isn't a one size fits all resolution.  I appreciate her willingness to take up the pro-grain side of the story and show that it's not a demon for everyone.  I encourage you to read her post, but be warned-there are nearly 300 comments!

There's also Kelly the Kitchen Kop writing a story in support of healthy grains.  I left a comment that sparked interest for another commenter and we had a respectable discussion that I found refreshing and interesting.  You can read it here.  It seems rare (for me anyway) to be able to present and discuss opposing viewpoints without it breaking down into heated debate.  In my experience, people don't like to have their opinions questioned.  I say-how do you learn something if you don't ask questions?  I ask nicely, never resorting to name calling or belittling, but I still get those that get all riled up simply because I asked to know more about their point of view.  Oh well, I digress.  Take the time to read the other posts and let me know what you think on both of the issues.

Words I Thought I'd Never Say

"Got a hatchet?"

to my husband, as I hold a hen caught eating an egg, standing just outside the door.  We've got a broody hen whose chicks are due to hatch any day now, so I was watching out the window, having seen her out looking for food.  Then I saw her getting aggressive and not letting any other hens into the hen house.  I went out to investigate and she was up on a pole squawking at the egg eater in her nest!  It wasn't a fertilized (or maybe just not developed enough yet) egg, but we've been having a problem and I was glad to catch the culprit.  Tony is plucking and cleaning her right now.

Yep, we've come quite a ways on this journey-had we written out a 5 and 10 year plan when we got married, raising animals for food wouldn't have even crossed our minds, let alone made it to the list!

Blustery Day

Defined at http://www.dictionary.com/:
blus·ter   /ˈblʌstər/  1.to roar and be tumultuous, as wind.

After reading the definition, I'm not so sure it fits, but since Winnie the Pooh likes it, I'll keep it.  It's been cloudy and a bit windy, with rain two different times.  The cloudy sky makes the various colors of the leaves seem more vibrant.

We were outside unloading pine branches from the truck to the goat pen when it finally occurred to me why Molly and Annie have been crying, despite having food and water, and it not being milking time.  They're both in heat!  We just got back from delivering them to the pasture to hang out with Boots, and they all seem very happy about the situation.

Boots, summer 2010

 Molly, winter 2009

 Annie, spring 2010

As I was milking, I thought once again about the fact that I haven't kept very good records this year in regards to who was taken to see Boots and when.  I've got my milk/egg record calendar here with me and as I go thru it for clues, I'm going to give a report!
 

• Cream gave birth to Sugar and Spice on Jan 24th.  She never did become the milker I thought she'd be.
• We bought 6 Cinnamon Queen chicks on April 7th, and 2 turkeys.  See this post about disappearing poultry.
• Yodelady went to Boots on April 16th.  Hmm, she must not have gotten pregnant right away, as gestation is 155 days and that would have been September 18th.  Better tell the neighbors to keep an eye on her.  Or bring her back from their house!
• Our first chicks hatched on May 4th.
• Peaches had twin bucklings on May 16th.
• Annie had a buckling and doeling on May 18th.
• Molly had a single doeling on May 24th.
• Belle went to see Boots on June 10th.  She's due as early as November 11th.  Better tell the people we gave her to in trade for the pig.
• A bull was brought to Elsie on July 1st.  She'll be due April 11th.
• On September 12th we got the pig and gave Patches and Belle away.  Peaches went to Boots that day.
• I have no notes about Sugar and Spice and when they went to meet Boots, but it seems like it was before we got the pig.  Some time in July, I think.  Actually it probably wasn't until after August 1st, since that's when the bull was moved back to his pasture.  Although since the goats also use the neighbors pasture, it could have been before.  Eek!

I feel better knowing the dates of most breeding "appointments", at least!

Now to go calculate costs associated with keeping the steer thru winter vs butchering next month.

Monday Meal Plan, Oct 24-30

My parents visited this weekend.  I mentioned to my mom that she could use my menu plans to encourage them to eat out less often.  She told me she didn't understand my code.  Oops.  I did that because I don't like to type repetitive stuff.  I'll spell it all out this week and just make changes each week to the things that actually change.  I think I'll do away with the bullets too-they mess up the formatting when copying and pasting!  I also think I'm going to start making the plans on Saturday, even though they don't get posted until Monday.

MONDAY
Smoothie #1:  Eggs, bananas, milk, yogurt & cacao powder
Breakfast:  Baked oatmeal, milk
Lunch:  Nachos with chicken and green chilies
Snack:  Veggie smoothie (any assortment of fruits and veggies available) with breadsticks or crackers and olive oil dipping sauce
Dinner:  Baked whitefish topped with leftover Bearnaise sauce, baked sweet potato and garden salad

TUESDAY
Smoothie #1
Breakfast:  Boiled eggs and apple slices, milk (park day, need something portable)
Lunch:  Tuna salad on greens
Snack: Veggie smoothie (any assortment of fruits and veggies available) with breadsticks or crackers and olive oil dipping sauce
Dinner:  Chicken chili verde and beans, green salad

WEDNESDAY
Smoothie #2:  Coconut milk and berries
Breakfast:  Pumpkin pancakes and milk
Lunch:  Egg salad, crackers and celery
Snack: Veggie smoothie (any assortment of fruits and veggies available) with breadsticks or crackers and olive oil dipping sauce
Dinner:  ?  It's beef night and I think we're all out!  I have a butternut squash to use for something though!

THURSDAY
Smoothie #1
Breakfast:  Fritatta, milk
Lunch:  Sliced cheese and veggies with ranch dressing
Snack: Veggie smoothie (any assortment of fruits and veggies available) with breadsticks or crackers and olive oil dipping sauce
Dinner:  Swordfish, sauteed squash and salad

FRIDAY
Smoothie #2
Breakfast:  Eggs & meat, milk
Lunch:  Peanut butter and celery, milk
Snack: Veggie smoothie (any assortment of fruits and veggies available) with breadsticks or crackers and olive oil dipping sauce
Dinner:  Orange chicken, fried rice

SATURDAY
Smoothie #1
Breakfast:  Cinnamon roll pancakes
Lunch:  Ham sandwiches and green salad
Snack: Veggie smoothie (any assortment of fruits and veggies available) with breadsticks or crackers and olive oil dipping sauce
Dinner:  Pizza and salad

SUNDAY
Smoothie #1
Breakfast:  Eggs & meat
Lunch:  Leftovers
Snack: Veggie smoothie (any assortment of fruits and veggies available) with breadsticks or crackers and olive oil dipping sauce
Dinner:  Leftovers

This post is part of the Plan It-Don't Panic Challenge at Keeper of the Home.

Monday Meal Plan, Oct 17-23

I'm enjoying my new Menu Framework. I wish I could paste the spreadsheet of the details. Anyone know how to do that?  With the Framework, breakfast and lunch basically remain the same from week to week unless I want to change it, and dinners are generically planned, as in Monday is chicken, Tuesday is soup, etc.  That allows for variety without the need for detailed planning all the time.  Snacks and smoothies are the same too.

Monday-

• S2*
• pork and scrambled eggs
• GS (green salad) and hot dogs
• VS (veggie smoothie) & sourdough crackers
• herbed chicken, spaghetti squash & GS

Tuesday-

• S1
• sourdough waffles and milk
• tuna salad and goat cheese
• VS & sourdough breadsticks with olive oil dipping sauce
• beef barley soup and GS

Wednesday-

• S1
• veggie & cheese omelet
• GS, garlic bologna sandwiches
• VS & sourdough breadsticks with olive oil dipping sauce
• steaks, yam, veggie, GS

Thursday-

• S2 
• baked oatmeal
• ham sandwiches
• VS & sourdough breadsticks with olive oil dipping sauce
• whitefish, veggie & sweet potato

Friday-

• S1
• beef & fried eggs
• GS & goat cheese
• VS & sourdough breadsticks with olive oil dipping sauce
• tacos

Saturday-

• S1
• pumpkin rolls
• egg salad
• VS & sourdough breadsticks with olive oil dipping sauce
• pepperoni pizza & GS

Sunday-

• S1
• eggs & meat
• leftovers
• VS & sourdough breadsticks with olive oil dipping sauce
• leftovers

This post is part of the Plan It, Don't Panic series at Keeper of the Home.

 I just realized I've never explained my abbreviations!  S1=smoothie made with bananas, eggs, milk and cacao powder.  S2=smoothie made with coconut milk and frozen berries.  VS=veggie smoothie.  GS=green salad.

Monday Meal Plan, Oct 10-16

I'm a day late, but I've had it written out since yesterday, if that counts!  I wish I could insert a table in Blogger.  Over the weekend I worked on what I call a Menu Framework.  I blogged about it Sunday, but can't paste the spreadsheet of the details.  I'd appreciate your thoughts on that post too!

Monday-

• S2
• pork and scrambled eggs
• GS (green salad) and nachos
• VS (veggie smoothie) & sourdough crackers
• diablo chicken, corn & GS

Tuesday-

• S1
• sourdough waffles and milk
• tuna salad and goat cheese
• VS & sourdough breadsticks with olive oil dipping sauce
• butternut squash soup and GS

Wednesday-

• S1
• southwest omelet
• GS, celery with peanutbutter
• VS & sourdough breadsticks with olive oil dipping sauce
• salmon, soaked brown rice, veggie, GS

Thursday-

• S2
• baked oatmeal
• egg salad
• VS & sourdough breadsticks with olive oil dipping sauce
• beef shank, veggie & sweet potato

Friday-

• S1
• beef & fried eggs
• GS & goat cheese
• VS & sourdough breadsticks with olive oil dipping sauce
• chicken enchilada casserole

Saturday-

• S1
• pumpkin rolls
• lasagna casserole
• VS & sourdough breadsticks with olive oil dipping sauce
• pepperoni pizza & GS

Sunday-

• S1
• eggs & meat
• leftovers
• VS & sourdough breadsticks with olive oil dipping sauce
• leftovers

This post is part of the Plan It, Don't Panic series at Keeper of the Home.

Precursor to Monday Menu Plan

I just completed what I'm calling a Menu Framework.  It's a basic outline of what to serve daily so that I get all the nutrients I'm trying to get to heal from adrenal fatigue.  The Too Tired eCourse I've been studying has a list of various foods I need to eat every day.  Rather than wing it and hope that I've consumed all that I should, I made a plan.  Or an outline, more precisely.  Hopefully it's a broad scope of what to have when, with the flexibility to keep meals from becoming mundane.  It's structured enough to take the majority of the work out of the way so that I can just plug in favorite meals or even new recipes when I choose.

It takes into account our commitments away from home so that meals will be simple for those times.  Tuesday night is a good example.  Goober Gus and I like to go to the library in the afternoon to spend time there, and afterwards we go walk with a friend.  That puts us home right at dinner time, with no allowance for prep time.  It's also a night that Tony goes to a men's Bible study.  Sometimes he's hungry before, but most of the time prefers to eat after.  So Tuesday night is soup night.  It can be simmering in the crockpot all day and ready to eat at any time.  It will be accompanied by a salad and either sourdough bread or sourdough crackers.

It reminds me to get more veggies into our diet and makes me think about how.  Our afternoon snack, which prior to now has been very hit or miss, but which I think is vital to consuming enough nutrients and helping to avoid the afternoon crash, is a veggie smoothie and sourdough breadsticks with an olive oil dip.  That came about for two reasons. 

1. I should get some olive oil every day.  Other than cooking with it on occasion, I don't really get much, so planning to have breadsticks to dip into an olive oil dip will take care of that. 
2. I need two servings of leafy green vegetables every single day.  I might get two every single month!  So-a veggie smoothie with leafy greens in it will cover one of those servings.

Hopefully it will also remind me of all the herbal remedies I have at my disposal for boosting health.  As I finished this rough framework I realized I could take it a step further and where beef is on the menu every Wednesday, one week could be a casserole, one a grill night, one a roast, or whatever new recipe I want to try calling for beef.  Same thing with Friday ethnic nights.  Our favorite is Mexican, but we could try others as well.  Saturday is pizza night, but that could be altered to be pizza or other Italian meal.  Sundays are leftovers and that serves 2 purposes.  It obviously uses up the leftovers, but also gives me a day off from cooking!

Another habit I want to develop is cooking once and eating twice or more-making a double batch of whatever I'm preparing and freezing the extra for another time.  You know, one of those days where nothing goes right and suddenly it's dinner time and there's nothing prepared (despite having a plan).  I will either be sure to use my glassware that can go from freezer to oven or perhaps buy some disposable aluminum pans for that purpose.  I haven't decided yet.  There's always the option to freeze it in the pan, using a liner of waxed paper, then take it out of the pan and wrap in plastic to return it to the freezer.  At least then the pan would be available to be used.

Now, can I get in the habit of eating a green salad every day?  Funny thing is, I like salads, I just rarely think to eat them!

How about you?  Do you have a plan in place for eating and getting all the good foods in you want to eat?  Do you have a green smoothie recipe you'd like to share?  I need ideas for those!

Bad Year for Poultry

This year has been hard on the poultry on our farm.  Our first year we lost 11 birds over a 1 year span and then went a very long time with no losses.  This year we're seeing a rise again.  These are the ones I can recall, we may have lost 1 or 2 prior to the loss of the first juveniles in the spring.

1. 1 young turkey due to exposure
2. 1 young chick due to 5 year old boy's curiosity
3. 1 young turkey cause unknown
4. 1 adult hen from accidental poisoning
5. 1 juvenile hen due to illness
6. 1 rooster due to hawk attack (assumed hawk)
7. 1 adult hen simply disappeared
8. 1 juvenile hen eaten by pig

It's sad to lose one, but this year, fencing the property wouldn't have saved any of them except maybe the 2nd turkey and the hen that disappeared earlier this week.  It's still cheaper to replace a bird than to fence everything, but if we choose to make this our long term home, we'll likely fence it for various reasons.  The first year when we lost 11, most were probably coyote attacks, but even then it's still more expensive to put up fencing.

The one lost to the pig happened today.  Probably when we were at the park late afternoon.  I don't know how she got in there, but there are feathers all over and the backbone and wings.  It's not the loss that bothers me as much as which one-it'd be nice if it were one of the older hens on the downside of their laying career rather than one that just entered that stage, but it's in God's hands, right?  I hope the other hens were watching so they'll not try to go in the pig pen!

EDIT!  That darn pig got another of the juvenile hens!!  Guess whose life will be cut short, despite making good growth gains since coming to us?!  I'm off to research roasting whole pigs, as she's not big enough to take the time to butcher.  We can't figure out how or why the chickens are getting into her pen, but suspect it's to scrounge after food she hasn't eaten.  They could be flying over, as the fencing isn't very high, but more so than the hens usually go.

Also, I forgot that we lost 2 ducks shortly after they came to our home, so with today's attack, the total is now 11 poultry birds lost this year, making it worse than the first year.

Monday Meal Plan, Oct 3-9

Last week I published my menu plan here along with the link to Keeper of the Home, but I think I forgot to actually link the post!  I'll try to remember that step this time!

This is going to be quick and not very imaginative, but it will be better than winging it!

Monday-

• S1
• scrambled eggs with mozzarella and sd toast, milk
• celery and peanut butter
• bean soup

Tuesday-

• S1
• soaked apple raisin muffins and milk
• pepperoni and carrots
• gulash

Wednesday-

• S2
• mini egg muffins
• tuna salad
• hosting a visiting missionary, may prepare what he desires

Thursday-

• S1
• sd waffles and milk
• egg salad and carrots
• fish and wild rice

Friday-

• S2
• fried eggs
• carrots and cheese
• beef roast and veggies

Saturday-

• S1
• pumpkin bread
• grilled pork
• green salad with boiled eggs

Sunday-

• S1
• eggs and sd toast
• leftovers
• leftovers