Glitchety Glitch, Bloggety Blah....

Dear my dear readers,

Just a few notes here. I DO read your comments. I'm really sorry but my computer and Blogger get really mad at each other and Blogger usually wins- mangling my links, blocking my own comments.... And while it's driving me nuts and making me feel guilty not responding to ya'll, you hopefully will forgive me as I continue to pack up and tie off loose ends.

So: you grate an avacado pit on a regular cheese grater, thank you for the Kohl's tip, and yes, I will miss you, too.

Just a few more days, I keep telling myself!!! Then I will work out the kinks on this here blog of mine and hopefully get a recipe index up, too, as I have promised multiple readers on multiple occasions.

Here is a sneak peek of the recipes I've promised to tackle once we are settled in New Mexico:

Dairy-free White Sauce (aka cream of whatever-you-want soup)
Chicken Soup for the Lazy Soul
Flea and Tick Repellant

That last one will be important as we finally decided on a house. And when you open the back gate and walk out of the backyard... you are in Santa Fe National Forest!

Really cool and sorta scary! Many glorious nature walks promised. Hopefully we don't get carried off by black bears, right?

Sincerely,
BreadwithHoney (aka Maureen)



"Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be."
~Thomas à Kempis, Imitation of Christ, c.1420

(This quotation brought to you in honor of myself eating a whole pint of coconut ice cream today. Seriously Maureen? My whole body already hurts.)

Happy Birthday, U.S.A!

I am making a challenge today.

I don't have a nifty button or banner for it or anything, because I'm, um, packing.

And my three kids are just as busy as ever. And I'm not that techno-savvy. However, any of my readers who would like to put together a button for me... I would reward you. Somehow. Really, name your price. Proverbially, I mean, but name it.

On to the challenge. It's the

"Made in the U.S.A. Challenge."

OK, not that catchy, but that's the best I could do last night lying in bed at 2 am.

As I pack, I have been noticing how many things in my home are made in China. Taiwan. Cambodia. And how few things have been made here, in my own country. It has really been bothering me. I've been talking to my husband and my kids about it. These fancy organic clothes we were handed down recently (I am always grateful for hand-me-downs!). But how good is it for the earth to ship these fancy, chemical-free goods halfway around the world??? Not very. And when spending more for goods, why buy goods made somewhere else versus supporting domestic commerce?

So for 6 months, I am challenging myself and my family to buy nothing made in China, and whenever possible, to buy madein the U.S.A. Responsible companies a bonus.

Here were some of my worries:

Toothbrushes- but guess what? Walgreens has some cheap toothbrushes made in the States.

Dishes- if I need new ones after the move. Luckily, my favorites, Corelle, are made in New York state.

Appliances- I've been desperate for a good food processor. Well, if I can't find one made here, I'll wait 6 months to buy it or buy used. A friend of mine weighed in very strongly that buying used, even if made in China, should be OK on this Challenge because it doesn't increase China demand, and benefits local commerce. She sold me.

Will it get expensive? No. No, no, NO. I am thrifty above all else. Thrift almost always comes before ideals around here (I said ALMOST always). Ed and I have decided that if we really can't find a non-China-made item we need, we will just wait it out. Period. The most important aspect of this Challenge I am making myself is the opportunity to educate our 2 older children about the economy, about our dollars being votes.

They both understand more about it than I would have guessed. A proud homeschooling moment: discussing international business with a 7 year old and a 4 year old and learning something myself!

Last night we went shopping for a birthday present, a Baptism present, and make-up (for me). Guess what? Slinkys and Silly String are made in the U.S.A. I wanted an outfit for the Baptism gift and was shocked to find NOTHING in the several stores we visited. Not sure what I'll give instead- maybe some Burt's Bees? And I found non-China-made make-up. (However, it came with a free brush that was made in China; I didn't discover that till after I had already opened it, though.)

This also applies to food. Here is a book:
that explains why produce from the U.S.A., even if non-organic, is a better choice than organics shipped in from Mexico or Guatemala. A VERY useful read.

Here is a website:
(UGH! Blogger give me my links- what is wrong with my links?!) Sorry, you'll have to capy and paste www.atoygarden.com for many inexpensive items made in the U.S.A. I recently ordered stocking stuffers from them. (Have I mentioned that I am an obsessive advance planner?)Use code MM5OFF for $5 off a purchase of $50 or more. (No benefit to me if you order from them, just an honest recommendation! Sonya is quite helpful.) Because yes, I'm committing to an American Christmas.

At first I was undecided whether to write about this Challenge on here. But BreadwithHoney isn't just about food. It's about life and integrity, about the glory of God's Creation and never-stop-learning. And our children. For me, this Challenge fits into those themes pretty snugly.

I plan to update on the Challenge once a month. I will share any items that I have been able to find thrifty Made in the U.S.A. substitutes for.

Will you and your children join us?

And please consider passing the word on to others.

(Photo credit: Isaiah Armendariz)

"Only Americans can hurt America."
~Dwight D. Eisenhower

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
~Abraham Lincoln

"Sometimes people call me an idealist. Well, that is the way I know I am an American. America is the only idealistic nation in the world." ~Woodrow Wilson


"Intellectually I know that America is no better than any other country; emotionally I know she is better than every other country."
~Sinclair Lewis

(Sorry, couldn't limit myself to one patriotic quotation....)

Ice Cream for Dinner? Why not!

Yesterday I promised ice cream for dessert. As I racked my brains and my pantry for a worthy prelude to something as delicious as homemade ice cream, I considered the thermometer, hovering at 104, and chucked the whole dinner idea.

Who wants ice cream for dinner?
O Mommy! Can we?

Well, why not. So I set about to turn our usual ice cream into a complete meal.

I started with 2 cups oat milk: a cup of oatmeal leftover from breakfast pulverized in the blender with a quart of water, a dash of salt and a touch of vanilla and stevia. Next I added a half cup almond butter and a half cup cashews. I put this through the whole foods cycle of my Blendtec. In a regular blender, just blend on high for a minute or so. This gives you a creamy base just as good as any dairy product! Next, I added 4 overripe bananas.

Then I added in 2 cups spinach (well, it is dinner), 3 cups frozen blueberries, vanilla, and stevia.

Then I dumped it all in our ice cream maker.

I warmed up some frozen blueberries and mashed them to make 'sauce.' Here it is:

Ya,

it was good,

very good!

"My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate. That's my philosophy."
~Thornton Wilder

Food for Thought Friday

"These tiny loiterers on the barley's beard,
And happy units of a numerous herd
Of playfellows, the laughing Summer brings,
Mocking the sunshine in their glittering wings,
How merrily they creep, and run, and fly!
No kin they bear to labour's drudgery,
Smoothing the velvet of the pale hedge-rose;
And where they fly for dinner no one knows--
The dew-drops feed them not--they love the shine
Of noon, whose sun may bring them golden wine.
All day they're playing in their Sunday dress--
Till night goes sleep, and they can do no less;
Then, to the heath bell's silken hood they fly,
And like to princes in their slumbers lie,
Secure from night, and dropping dews, and all,
In silken beds and roomy painted hall.
So merrily they spend their summer day,
Now in the cornfields, now the new-mown hay."

- John Clare, Insects, 1850

Hydration Shake

Here's what I want to do these days when I wake up in the morning:

Drink three cups of coffee. With real cream.
Then, have a mocha.
Forgo meals in favor of chocolate bars.
Worry, fret, hyperventilate. Over *everything*.

Here's what I actually do:

Eat porridge.
Smile at children.
Drink 10 glasses of water.
Drink one cup fake coffee (tea made from roasted barley).
Pack.

It's going pretty well. I hate the limbo feeling of being almost gone. But still here.

I paced off the UHaul in the living room... it's starting to get full.

For the children's sake, we are trying to say good-bye to all our friends. For me, "parting is such sweet sorrow" that I prefer to just disappear one day. Not very good for closure, but, well, what can I say. The children are really enjoying the playdates, though, and doing the normal thing and saying proper good-byes to people we care about is, um, obviously the healthier, more mature thing to do.

I'm so busy that it's easy not to give in to my stress cravings for caffeine and sugar. Instead, water and green shakes.

Here is my current favorite green shake. I've ousted the banana from mine, but add it in for the children. Too heavy and sugary for me, but they need it for the creamy texture. I find the less creamy the green shake, the thinner the consistency should be to keep it going down smoothly.

First I add a quart of fresh organic spinach to the blender. Yes, it's excessive; you might only want 2 cups. (I might substitute kale if need be.)

I peel my cucumber (it's not organic), then slice it into the blender. Peel and chop a lime. (If you have a regular blender, just use the lime juice. My Blendtec will pulverize the lime for me.) In it goes. If a honeydew were at hand, I'd add a few chunks.

Then I add water. This week coconut water (juice) was on Serious Sale, so I'm using that instead. Otherwise, I'd add a touch of stevia, honey, or agave. Also, add ice if your ingredients aren't well-chilled. Nothing as wretched as a warm shake in sweltering heat.

That's it.

Again, if it tastes too green to you, add a banana.

The cucumber is very refreshing on these 105 degree days, and keeping up my raw intake is keeping me energized as I plough, drag, and crawl through my to-do list as moving day approaches.


"I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It's amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor."
~D.H. Lawrence

Foil Packet Grilling

Between packing and nurturing small people, the days are short. Really short. Time is at a premium. Usually I am concerned with making sure we get a high raw-to-cooked ratio in our diet. These days I'm just trying to make sure real food goes in at regular intervals throughout the day....

Since I recently learned how to actually turn on the grill, I've been enamoured. Then some friends had us over recently and served dinner cooked in foil packets on the grill. Now it's officially an obsession.

Foil packet grilling!

The basic recipe here is meat (chicken, pork, marinated steak, etc.), potatoes, and veggies. Today we have chicken, potatoes, carrots, green beans, and zucchini. Chop it all up and toss it in olive oil and sea salt. I'm using re-used baggies here but a bowl is fine.

I add a layer of parchment paper between the foil and our food because *news flash*, friends, aluminum is a carcinogen. Cooking on aluminum is not making your body happy. But foil, you know, it's a modern miracle. So just line it- you're good to go!

Make sure to seal the edges of your foil well.

Grill it up.

Eat it up.

The kids find this to be a fascinating process. They love the grill and they love eating outside. I love not heating up the kitchen and virtually zero dishes. When I'm packing. I'm packing. Did I already say that? I am dreaming about packing, even.

Packing....


"A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
~John Henry Newman

Nature Study: the year in review

My son and I were paging through his nature notebook today, reliving our favorite nature walks from the school year. We decided to put his favorite pages up here, on the terrible outside chance his precious book might be lost in our move.

Do forgive the poor lighting in these pictures. I'm a bit off my game. Because I'm packing.

The thing to keep in mind here is that these pages were not requirements. Not another thing to cross off on my or his to-do list. To me, nothing could be worse than coercing a child to draw or narrate about nature study. Inspiration is the only way to motivate a child in this area.

I started my own nature journal which has a handful of entries. No more. But Isaiah and Rosie see me enjoying the natural world, and they learn from my attitude and habits much more than I realize.

We also took many walks through the woods and prairie without recording anything. Looking and wondering together. Next year we decided we wanted to get some more field guides and learn the names of many plants, trees, and grasses.

But life happens. Now we will be learning a whole new set of flora and fauna. Goodbye Kansas grasslands; hello Sangre de Cristo mountains. A change I'm really getting excited to make.

I keep it very informal. No fancy paper. No watercolors- for goodness' sake no watercolors! Talk about a good way to frustrate a kid! It takes much technical proficiency to use watercolors al fresco out on the trail. And it requires lugging a lot of equipment. Plain paper on a clipboard and some markers and pencils is a much better, low pressure solution.

My 4 year old sometimes makes a picture. She has 3 in her notebook for the year. My 7 year old will pick his subject, draw, and then at home he narrates to me and I write it down for him. Nothing complicated.

So many resources actually seem to complicate nature study and nature journaling. It's a shame. It's so easy and such a delightful way to accomplish natural science for the little ones.

As you can see, some days he gets more into it and other days less.

Here's to a lifetime of happy nature walking, friends!


"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more."
~George Gordon, Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

Birthday Treats

I know some of you are itching to know if I sneak spinach and sprouts into even Serious Treats. Well, sometimes I do, but not on my sweetheart's birthday. Only the tried and true, clean but not too healthy will do for him.

Here are 2 recipes we use on special occasions. The first is pure decadence. Birthdays and cardinal feast days only! Since we are packing, I gave my sweetheart a batch of these as his birthday present to munch at work.

Short Bread

1c organic butter, room temp
1c maple sugar

Cream.

Add
1t vanilla
and mix.

Add 2c wh wh pastry flour and mix till crumbly.
Dump onto buttered cookie sheet:

pat to 1/2" thick and prick:

REFRIGERATE 1 HOUR.
I forgot to do so and my short bread spread into a puddle:

Tasted fine, though!

Bake for 25-35 minutes, till golden. Will continue to crisp as it cools.

I know these were good because I snuck a dozen couple while they were cooling.

I made breakfast the day before so we could get up with Daddy for an early birthday party. Super easy, very high protein!

High Protein Waffles

18 eggs
2.5 c wh wh flour
Stevia to taste
2Tb vanilla
1/2t salt

Blend.

Pour. (Oil the waffle iron.)

Enjoy!

We served ours with honey and fruit.

Someday I vow to create a dairy-free pastel de tres leches for birthday feasting... till that day arrives and that feat of nature occurs, I am happy to let my mother-in-law make her famous zucchini cake for birthdays around here. Till we move. Sniff.

"Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest."
~Larry Lorenzoni

To My Husband, on His 35th Birthday

Someday I will write my own poems again, but for now, let my friend Emily tell you exactly how I feel today.

Choice
by Emily Dickinson

Of all the souls that stand create
I have elected one.
When sense from spirit files away,
And subterfuge is done;

When that which is and that which was
Apart, intrinsic, stand,
And this brief tragedy of flesh
Is shifted like a sand;

When figures show their royal front
And mists are carved away, --
Behold the atom I preferred
To all the lists of clay!

I love you!

"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same."
-Emily Brontë

This Moment...

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Ya, blogger, my links????