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These recipes are reprinted with permission from the authors.

Just Like Wheat Thins Crackers | Trim Healthy Mama,
I had my doubts about this recipe. "Just Like Wheat Thins?!" Yeah, right. You need refined flour and sugar to achieve that kind of deliciousness, don't you? Apparently not. These crackers are amazing and taste like the real thing I can't seem to keep our house stocked though - they disappear quickly!

• 3/4 cup flax meal
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 2 egg whites
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp. parmeasan cheese
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• dash of black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp olive or coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Fooled Ya Pizza | Trim Healthy Mama,
I've always felt bad for Brad who used to eat cardboard-like gluten-free pizza crusts while we enjoyed the gluten packed version! I had heard rave reviews about this cauliflower crust from other mamas on the Trim Healthy Mama plan and decided to give it a try even though it sounded pretty gross. Boy, was I wrong! Our entire family enjoys it just as much as the real thing! You'd never know cauliflower was the magic ingredient!

• 1 bag (16 oz.) frozen cauliflower (I used fresh)
• 3/4 cup egg whites
• 2 cups skim mozzarella cheese
• sea salt and other seasonings (I used Epicure's Pizza seasoning blend)
• pizza sauce and other pizza toppings (I used pepperoni, green pepper, red onion, cheddar and mozzarella cheese)

Add egg whites and pulse again.
Add cheese and other seasonings (sea salt, Italian seasoning, onion and garlic powder). Mix ingredients together well with a spatula.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and grease well. Spread crust mixture evenly across cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes. Cool.
Add pizza sauce and toppings and broil until toppings are done (I baked it at 400 for 8-10 minutes).

Peanut Squares | Trim Healthy Mama,
These squares are so yummy! A combination of sweet and salty, we enjoy them as a snack and a dessert. They're gerat to give along with a meal to a new mom too.

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 tsp Truvia
• 1 pkg cream cheese, softened
• 10 tsp Truvia
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 3/4 cup whipping cream

While crust is baking, beat cream cheese and second measurement of Truvia together until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter and beat some more.

In a separate bowl, beat whipped cream. Fold into cream cheese mixture and spread over cooled crust.

Place in refrigerator to chill until set.

Cheeseburger Pie | Trim Healthy Mama,
This is probably our #1 favorite supper on the plan. It's all the goodness of a cheeseburger without the bun. You would never miss it! This is so satisfying and delicious. I make once a week in place of burgers on the barbie.

• 2 lbs of ground beef
• 3 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 6 oz. grated cheddar cheese
• pickles, tomatoes, red onion
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• sea salt
• ground pepper
• 6 oz. grated cheddar cheese

Chunky Cream Pops | Trim Healthy Mama,
This frozen dessert reminds me of my favorite ice cream, President's Choice Chocolate Fudge Crackle... except it's waaaay healthier, made with good fats and no sugar. We love this treat. It's Brad's favorite of all the desserts I've made from Trim Healthy Mama so far.

• 1 batch of Skinny Chocolate
• 2 8oz. blocks of cream cheese
• 10 tsp. Truvia
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 heaped Tbsp. peanut butter

Spicy Chicken Wings, pg. 323

Taco Salad, pg. 347

Special Agent Brownies, pg. 383

Trim Healthy Pancakes, pg. 223

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. I humbly thank you for your support.

This recipe comes from Trim Healthy Mama and is reposted with permission fro the authors.

This frozen dessert reminds me of my favorite ice cream, President's Choice Chocolate Fudge Crackle... except it's waaaay healthier, made with good fats and no sugar. We love this treat. It's Brad's favorite of all the desserts I've made from Trim Healthy Mama so far. Ingredients:

• 1 batch of Skinny Chocolate
• 2 8oz. blocks of cream cheese
• 10 tsp. Truvia
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 heaped Tbsp. peanut butter

The Round-up:

• Food - 3.5 out of 5
• Decor - 2.5 out of 5
• Service - 3 out of 5
• Total - 9 out of 15

I'm joining my friend Chari once again for her Sunday Favorites This post is from January of 2009. I hope you'll enjoy revisiting it again.
My misery loves company post... The day before yesterday I was browsing through the listings on craigslist (y'all know how much I love it! *winks*) And I was finding little or nothing of interest when suddenly (doesn't it always go like that?) I opened up a picture and my heart stood still!! There was the most fabulous chandelier and it was only $150!!!!

(Please excuse the picture quality. I had to enlarge them from the small avatar size displayed on craigslist)

Here it is! Isn't it breathtaking?!! But wait!... It gets even better! Also available by the same seller was a set of sconces to match for $75!!... Oh my goodness *drippy drool*

Doesn't get much more frenchy fabulous than this! But I found even one more item that night that made my heart skip a beat...

A painting of cherubs!! And this is the best part... $50!! Well I wasted no time and contacted both sellers with my fingers crossed, I hoped fervently that I would hear back from them. The following morning I checked my email at about 10am. Well the gal with the painting responded only to tell me that she had to sell it or put the painting in storage by 10:30. I tried to call her and was only able to talk to her machine. So that FABU painting (so sooooo me!!) wasn't to be *sob sob sniffle sniffle* But I hadn't heard anything from the seller of the chandelier. I wasn't too surprised because I figured someone beat me to it. So deciding not to dwell on my losses *winks* hubby and I set out to do a little bargain shopping. I found a very cool and frenchy soup tureen at a local antique store as well as two transferware plates for $1 ea, also an iron urn (been seeing them on many of y'alls blogs and I love em!!) and a picture at the Goodwill for $5.99. So all in all not a bad haul. We arrived home and I went to catch up with some friends online when I noticed the seller of the chandelier and sconces had responded that he still had both, and could I come right away because several others were coming to look at them? This message had been left at 1:30 and it was now 4pm. I replied right away, but alas all was already sold!! I wanted to scream!! Cry!! Pull out some more of the little hair that I have! left! I know it's only stuff... But what stuff!! I was sooo sad!! Hubby said 'Don't worry, you'll find something else" I wanted to shoot him!! He could NOT relate to my pain at all! I tried to put it in terms that he could understand like "You just found the car of your dreams... One you've been looking for for years... and it's half price... but it's been sold right out from under you!!! He said "OK honey I get it... would you like to go get some ice cream at Cold Stone?"... What?... You dirty rotten... "Did you say Cold Stone?... Awwwww... now I know why I married that man!! *winks* He may not understand my pain every time, but he sure understands my sugar cravings!! Lol!! So alas those beauties were not to be mine... But these beauties were! I found them the other day at the Goodwill. They are the Thames River Scenes by Palissy. There are 21 pieces and they were $50. But what makes it sort of strange is that my new friend Sally over at Salmagundi found transferware in the same color on the same day also at the Goodwill!! What are the chances?... Pretty good I guess!Lol! *winks* Neither one of us can understand why anyone would give these babies up, but we're sure glad they did!!

Here are my new beauties, as well as my new white iron urn. Hmmmm I might just be able to participate in Tablescape Tuesday one of these days *winks*

And here's my ironstone frenchy soup tureen. I love the Chou Chou handles and top!

Isn't this a cool scene? The set had a soup tureen too!

As well as a small platter.

One of my dollar plates. Art nouveau in blue.

And another dollar plate in pink.

But I think this was an absolute steal!! I've been admiring everyone's nativity sets this Christmas and wishing I had one. Well this one was marked $5.99 at the Goodwill. I took it up to pay for it and the cashier told me all Christmas items had been marked down to 59 cents! So I got the whole kit-n-caboodle for 59 cents!! Oh happy day!! Thank you Jesus!!

Look at this cute little cow. Surely he alone is worth 59 cents *winks*

And y'all know how much I love my sheep! Almost as much as Debbie (Confessions Of A Plate Addict) loves her goats! Lol!

And last but not least this cute print of a french mirror. I think I'll be putting this up in my home gym. I hope y'all will come back for it's unveiling. It's been a long time coming. There always seems to be one more thing that I need to do kwim? Anyhoo did you share in my pain? Am I a big fat baby whiner? You betcha! *winks* Have you ever had a fabulous piece (or pieces) slip through your fingers? Did you try ice cream? Please share your stories! I really do think that if something is meant to be, it will BE. Don't you think so too?... But still... *winks*... Vanna
I hope you'll stop by Chari's place and check out the other Sunday favorites!

Well let me start on a very happy note. My good friend Ann at LIFEATANNSPLACE Has presented me with the special "Proximidade" award. This award is a fine one because it focuses not on the glory and fanfare of blogging, but in the PROXIMITY to one another through this on-line world (kind of a Six Degrees of Separation sort of thing)."Blogs who receive this award are 'exceedingly charming' say its authors.This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award." I am very honored Ann, and I would like to pass this award on to the following bloggers

1 Chari at Happy To Design

1 Michelle at Chocolate and Marmalade Tea

2 Gloria at Happy To Be

4 Linda at Royaltouch

5 Chrissy at The Apothacary Shop

6 Kathy at Emptynester

Here it is! Isn't it breathtaking?!! But wait!... It gets even better! Also available by the same seller was a set of sconces to match for $75!!... Oh my goodness *drippy drool*

Doesn't get much more frenchy fabulous than this! But I found even one more item that night that made my heart skip a beat...

A painting of cherubs!! And this is the best part... $50!! Well I wasted no time and contacted both sellers with my fingers crossed, I hoped fervently that I would hear back from them. The following morning I checked my email at about 10am. Well the gal with the painting responded only to tell me that she had to sell it or put the painting in storage by 10:30. I tried to call her and was only able to talk to her machine. So that FABU painting (so sooooo me!!) wasn't to be *sob sob sniffle sniffle* But I hadn't heard anything from the seller of the chandelier. I wasn't too surprised because I figured someone beat me to it. So deciding not to dwell on my losses *winks* hubby and I set out to do a little bargain shopping. I found a very cool and frenchy soup tureen at a local antique store as well as two transferware plates for $1 ea, also an iron urn (been seeing them on many of y'all blogs and I love em!!) and a picture at the Goodwill for $5.99. So all in all not a bad haul. We arrived home and I went to catch up with some friends online when I noticed the seller of the chandelier and sconces had responded that he still had both, and could I come right away because several others were coming to look at them? This message had been left at 1:30 and it was now 4pm. I replied right away, but alas all was already sold!! I wanted to scream!! Cry!! Pull out some more of the little hair that I have! left! I know it's only stuff... But what stuff!! I was sooo sad!! Hubby said 'Don't worry, you'll find something else" I wanted to shoot him!! He could NOT relate to my pain at all! I tried to put it in terms that he could understand like "You just found the car of your dreams... One you've been looking for for years... and it's half price... but it's been sold right out from under you!!! He said "OK honey I get it... would you like to go get some ice cream at cold stone?"... What?... You dirty rotten... "Did you say Cold Stone?... Awwwww... now I know why I married that man!! *winks* He may not understand my pain every time, but he sure understands my sugar cravings!! Lol!! So alas the beauties were not to be mine... But these beauties were! I found them the other day at the Goodwill. They are the Thames River Scenes by Palissy. There are 21 pieces and they were $50. But what makes it sort of strange is that my new friend Sally over at Salmagundi found transferware in the same color on the same day also at the Goodwill!! What are the chances?... Pretty good I guess!Lol! *winks* Neither one of us can understand why anyone would give these babies up, but we're sure glad they did!!

Here are my new beauties, as well as my new white iron urn. Hmmmm I might just be able to participate in Tablescape Tuesday one of these days *winks*

And here's my ironstone frenchy soup tureen. I love the Chou Chou handles and top!

Isn't this a cool scene? The set had a soup tureen too!

As well as a small platter.

One of my dollar plates. Art nouveau in blue.

And another dollar plate in pink.

But I think this was an absolute steal!! I've been admiring every ones nativity sets this Christmas and wishing I had one. Well this one was marked $5.99 at the Goodwill. I took it up to pay for it and the cashier told me all Christmas items had been marked down to 59 cents! So I got the whole kit-n-caboodle for 59 cents!! Oh happy day!! Thank you Jesus!!

Look at this cute little cow. Surely he alone is worth 59 cents *winks*

And y'all know how much I love my sheep! Almost as much as Debbie loves her goats! Lol!

And last but not least this cute print of a french mirror. I think I'll be putting this up in my home gym. I hope y'all will come back for it's unveiling. It's been a long time coming. There always seems to be one more thing that I need to do kwim? Anyhoo did you share in my pain? Have you ever had a fabulous piece (or pieces) slip through your fingers? Did you try ice cream? Please share your stories! I really do think that if something is meant to be, it will BE. Don't you think so too?... But still... *winks*... Vanna

Here is a deliciously simple crock-pot recipe for homemade apple butter that makes the whole house smell something wonderful! Enjoy it warm over ice cream, or on pancakes, waffles, or a slice of crusty French bread!
All-Day Apple Butter Time: 15 minutes prep; 12 hours in the crock-pot. Yield: 4 pints
Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 pounds tart cooking apples, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

First, pick some apples. Try not to eat them all before you get home.

Mildly tart varieties like Ginger Golds are an excellent choice.

Peel and chop 'em up.

Sprinkle with sugar and spice, and everything nice.

Cook all day in the crock-pot until thick and brown and delicious.

Seal, tie with a pretty bow, and give one to a friend.

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Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, Time Warp Wife, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, The Prairie Homestead, We ARE That Family, Make Ahead Meals, Moms The Word, Allergy Free Wednesdays. Gluten Free Homemakers

Every homemaker falls somewhere between being too lazy or too busy - hopefully right in the middle. Most of the time I'm guilty of swinging the pendulum too far to the right. Being an over-achiever has a much more pious ring to it than "sloth," don't you think? The truth is, there's no honor in being a distracted homemaker.

The Martha of the Bible was probably very much like the Martha Stewart-type today: her house always filled with the aroma of freshly baked cookies, floors you could like ice cream off of (hand-churned, of course), a plentiful garden with plants that never died prematurely, and neatly ironed bed sheets. It almost seems... thankless of the Lord to describe her preparations for Jesus' visit as a distraction!

However, it wasn't Martha's clean house and 5-star meal that was the problem. Jesus' concern was that she paid more attention to household chores than she did to Himself. How often am I not guilty of the very same thing? Hurriedly braiding Charity's hair on a Sunday morning during Bible reading so we can be on time for Church, cutting devotions short so I can make sure the housework gets done before our guests arrive, skipping Scripture memorization, just this once, because the kids are getting antsy or I'm too tired...

I tell myself it's because I'm doing something for the Lord so it doesn't seem so bad that I'm not spending time with Him. Jesus responds to Martha's fretting with warm, wise words:
"Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:42If I were Martha, I probably would have burst into tears at Jesus words and let supper burn on the stove! My hypothetical reaction speaks volumes of the state of my heart and where it ought to be.

The "one thing needful" is time with the Lord. As a wife mother to small children, and a homemaker, I sometimes wonder where in the day I'm going to find the time to make that happen. The Lord's response to Martha takes away any of the pressures that seem to get in the way. If we can find the time to manage and create all that makes for a hospitable home, than we have time enough to spend with the Lord. More important than serving bread at our table, is our willingness to be served by the Bread of Life Himself.

Carrying Anna outside to pick some beans from our garden for supper, I sighed.

The patio was more green than grey with all the weeds coming up through the cracks. The hose lay in a tangled mess off to the side and toys from the sandbox littered the yard. The flower beds looked like they were in need of a good drink and weeds had begun to crowd out the herbs I had planted in the vegetable garden.

The kiddie pool in serious need of a good cleaning, and our weedy patio. The lawn showed serious signs of neglect too. Not having been cut in two weeks, the grass had reached that unpleasant length where your ankles get tickled by the blades and bit by mosquitoes that had found a home near the roots.

I picked a bowl full of beans and returned to the house. Weeds were poking through the pavement in the driveway too. I opened the door and felt a hot tear trickle down my cheek. I quickly brushed it away. The kids were laughing hysterically together and I didn't want to rain on their parade.

Charity's dolls from Aunt Connie, all swaddled up and sleeping on the couch. Notice the pillows so they don't roll off? Toys strewn all over the living room showed signs of active imaginations and serious creativity. I like to have things neat and tidy for my dear husband when he gets home from work, but that clearly wasn't going to happen this day..not if I was going to have a nice dinner ready and Anna fed by the time he walked in the door too.

I felt deflated, hypocritical, and way behind on everything. I write about the joys of motherhood and being a homemaker, but today I just wasn't feeling it as I stared a sink full of unwashed dishes, enough food underneath the table to add an egg and make a casserole, and a long to-do list of things that still needed to be done: laundry, bath the kids, make supper, clean out the van, etc., etc.

It's not that my husband doesn't pitch in. He does, more than any other husband I know. He works hard all day and then comes home is a SuperDad to our kids and a loving husband to me. He washes, dries, and puts away the dishes after dinner, gives the kids piggy-back rides around the house while they shriek with delight, brushes their teeth, reads them stories before bed, and tucks them in at night. Then he pays our bills, runs errands I didn't get to during the day, and often brings me back a little surprise like Reese's or ice cream. He's a champion in every way so this feeling of "way behindishness" I get doesn't come from him.

Our tiny kitchen, looking well-used. :-) The unreasonable standard I had set for myself was self-imposed and largely influenced by staged photos on Pinterest and the comparison game I played with other homemakers. No one was telling me I had to serve gourmet meals every night, keep a spotless, well-organized home, and dress my children in trendy clothes that matched. But somehow I had gotten the idea that doing all these things would mean I was being successful in my role as a wife, mother, and homemaker.

Brad walked in the door and I didn't greet him like I normally do. I knew I'd probably have a melt down so I kept washing dishes. Silly of me really, because he knows his wife well and immediately knew something was up. He kissed my on my cheek and asked, "Hi Sweetheart. How was your day?"

I lost it. His kind gesture was no match for the frustrations I had pent up inside and the tears started flowing while I rattled off my list of failures. "I didn't get anything done today. The grass still needs to be cut, supper's not ready and we've already had cereal or take-out twice this week, Anna needs to be fed again, Charity's out of clean underwear, and I can't remember the last time I gave the kids a proper bath!" For emphasis, I added, "I just can't do it any more. Sometimes I think I'd just be better off at work."

Brad knew I didn't mean that. He put his hands on my waist and looked me in the eye. "The reason you feel like you didn't get anything done today, is because you were busy doing more important things." He glanced over at our three busy kids and continued. "I don't care if we have to eat take-out every night, or use paper plates for a while, or if the wash doesn't get folded. If you get nothing done all day but the kids are happy, then I'm happy too!"

I thought back on our day. It started with me crawling into Charity's bed for our morning snuggle. She told me all about how her stuffed animals had behaved at night. Judah had peed through his diaper, so I washed him up before breakfast and started a load of laundry. We had our usual smoothies, read the story of Jonah for devotions, and prayed that God would keep Daddy safe at Opa's shop and give us clean hearts that love Him above all and our neighbors as ourselves.

Judah's raspberries. Then I read Charity a chapter from Little House in the Big Woods while I nursed Anna. Judah can't sit that long, so he played "excavators" on the coffee table. After making sure everyone had gone to the bathroom, and the diaper bag was packed, we went to my aunt's farm to pick raspberries.

"See Mom? If you just squish them like this, then we don't have to make jam when we get home!"

"I'm picking all the tiny little hard ones 'cause they're SOOOO cute!"

"Look, Mom! I picked all the white ones! We can just pick off the green prickles after."

Anna had decided she was finished before we started, so I discovered how fast I can pick with one hand while rocking a screaming baby: 2 quarts in half an hour.

We made it home in time for lunch. I had some leftover chocolate drizzle from a cheesecake so I made happy faces on their peanut-butter sandwiches. They were over the moon with delight.

After nap-time, we took a walk across the road to the park and cooled off for a few minutes at the splash pad. Back home, Charity wanted to do "school," so she found her books and pencils and I showed her how to make the number three. "Around a tree and around a tree. This is how to make a three!" we sang together.

Throughout the day there were squabbles to break up, attitudes to adjust, meltdowns to clean up, time-outs for tempers, kisses for boo-boos, apologies given and accepted, and hugs for the emotionally distraught.

Brad was right. I may not have gotten much done by way of housework, but alongside me had been three little sidekicks whose minds and hearts, for better or for worse, were being shaped, molded, and influenced by their Mom.

The weight of my responsibility struck me. I wasn't raising children here, I was raising adults. I was forming the next generation of fathers and mothers. I was shaping the characters of those who would raise our grandchildren. There was so much I needed to teach them, so much discipling that needed to happen in their tender hearts as well as mine.

The laundry, dirty house, and weeds in the patio will still be there one day when I have time to play catch up. But I'll never be able to play catch up with my kids. My time with them is slipping away like hourglass sand and I can't stop it.

So, while I'd like to maintain an immaculate house, keep our patio weed-free, and cut out the take-out, I've only got one chance at this Mom thing. Charity is three years old - almost four. If she marries at the same age I did, I have just 14 short years left before she leaves the nest. The first three have come and gone in a blink of an eye. Five more blinks and it's over.
"And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." Deuteronomy 6:7 Truth is, if you're way behind on everything except time spent with your kids, you're way ahead.

Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, We Are That Family, Raising Arrows, A Wise Woman., Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story

This week alone, I've received two requests for this delicious recipe, given to me by my former Young People's leader. Here are six great reasons why every one falls in love with it:
1. It's quick to prepare. Aside from baking time, this cake can be whipped together in 5 minutes flat, though everyone will think you're a highly experienced baker and spent a good part of your day making it. :)
2. It's stays moist and tender for a loooooong time. The orange juice and vanilla pudding help make this one of those melt-in-your-mouth cakes. Even at room temperature, it stays good and moist for a least a week.
3. It can be frozen. And, it even slices well when frozen. Within minutes from taking it out of the freezer, it's ready for consumption without the risk of getting an "ice cream headache."
4. It uses only 7 on-hand ingredients. No special trips into town. This cake can be made any time from your pantry staples.
5. It's economical. This cake costs $4.44 to make ($0.22 per serving)-that's when the ingredients aren't on sale. If you have your own cow, chickens, and orange tree, it's even cheaper. ;)
6. Everyone loves it! This is an excellent cake to give away, serve with a cup of coffee, or as a dessert. I've never met someone who didn't like it. Most people rave about it and the recipe gets requested often.

Batter: - 1 box of yellow or golden cake mix - 1 box of instant vanilla pudding (4 serving size) - 4 eggs - 3/4 cup of orange juice - 3/4 cup of melted butter
Cinnamon Sugar mixture: -1/2 cup brown sugar -1 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine the batter ingredients with a mixer until smooth. In a smaller bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together.

Alternate layer in a greased bundt pan beginning and ending with a little of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Layer 1: Cinnamon sugar. Layer 2: Batter. Layer 3: Cinnamon sugar. Layer 4: Batter. Layer 5: Cinnamon mixture. I like to swirl in the cinnamon mixture by dragging a toothpick through the layers.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Cool.

Sometimes I add a glaze by mixing lemon juice and icing sugar together and drizzling it over the cake. I think it makes the cake look prettier and the lemon complements the orange juice really well too.

I've enjoyed this herbal bath with each of our babies! The herbs, garlic, and sea salt make combine to make a healing, soothing, aseptic bath that helps prevent and control excessive bleeding, repair a woman's reproductive organs, and rapidly heal the baby's cord stump. No one (except the midwives who told me this would happen!) could believe how quickly our babies were sporting beautiful belly-buttons instead of black stumps - usually within two or three days!

This recipe is midwife approved and makes enough for 2 baths. If you don't use it all up, it can be frozen until the next bambino comes along or passed along to a pregnant friend. She'll love you for it!

You'll Need:

• 1 oz. Calendula
• 1 oz. Uva Ursi
• 1 oz. Comfrey
• 1 oz. Shepherd's Purse
• 1 cup sea salt
• 1 large, fresh garlic bulb

Directions:
Place herbs in a large pot (I use my biggest soup pan) and fill with water. Bring to almost a boil. Steep for a minimum of 2 hours - the longer, the better! Strain the solution. Pour the liquid into freezable containers (ice cream or yogurt tubs work well) and store in the freezer. The garlic and salt are added directly to the bath on the day you intend to use it.
As soon as possible after the birth, fill the tub with comfortably hot water (Brad usually does this for me while the midwife is checking baby's vitals and making sure everything is okay). Add one frozen tub of the herbal solution (it will melt in no time), a cup of sea salt, and a whole bulb of crushed garlic. You won't come out stinky, I promise!
Immerse yourself in the warm water and have your husband or midwife pass the baby to you. Your baby will stretch, unfold, float - maybe even smile, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of familiar weightlessness in the warm water. It's beautiful!

After you've had a good long soak with your precious new gift, pat yourselves dry, dress in warm, soft pajamas (or clothes if you give birth during the day!), and snuggle up in bed with your baby!

***You can also enjoy this bath after a hospital birth! Ask your husband to prepare it for you whenever you're feeling up to it after arriving home. The sooner after giving birth you use it, the more noticeable the healing effects will be.

I recommend buying your herbs and sea salt from high quality, organic sources like the Bulk Herb Store or Mountain Rose Herbs.

Linking to: Mind Body Sole, Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Frugally Sustainable, Natural Living,Modest Monday, A Mama's Story, Raising Arrows, Homestead Revival

The last few weeks of glorious summer have brought a couple of new eateries to our fair city's centre, in addition to sunburns and melting ice-cream cones.
First, the old house on 2100-block Hamilton Street that was home to Neo Japonica for more than a decade has reopened. Welcome to Taste of Tuscany. The new owners took out the shrubs in front of the building and added a paved seating area for outdoor eats.
Second up, Beer Bros. pub in the Old City Hall Mall on Scarth Street has opened its long-promised deli next door to the pub. The deli is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. I'm looking forward to a visit very soon.
Third of all, it has been an embarrassingly long time since I posted anything to this blog. Apologies for that. Fortunately, the blog is quite forgiving.

The hardest part about being gluten-free, according to my dear husband, is missing out on baked goods that taste good. Bread, cake, cookies, donuts, muffins... nothing quite tastes as wonderful as things made with white flour.

Then I discovered the Easy Peasy Cinnamon Muffins in Trim Healthy Mama. Brad said he hadn't had a muffin that good since he started eating gluten-free two years ago! I've made a couple of alterations to the original recipe and apparently we have a winner! Brad takes two in his lunch every day to work and never tires of them. The kids love them too.

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Raisin Muffins (adapted from Trim Healthy Mama)
Time: 15 minutes plus baking
Servings: 24 small muffins or 12 large
Ingredients:

• 3 eggs and 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp water
• 3 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups ground golden flax seed
• 1/2 cup finely shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 Tbsp. cinnamon (not a typo!)
• 12 tsp of Truvia (or 1 cup sugar)
• 1 cup raisins

(NOTE: this is a new feature of the blog, featuring restaurants within driving distance of Regina -- we all need to get out of town once in awhile, right?)

The Round-up:

• Food: 3 out of 5
• Service: 3.5 out of 5
• Decor: 4 out of 5
• Total: 10.5 out of 15

Like any area of life, homeschooling can quickly become a complicated monster. You can sometimes find yourself battling through the darkness in search of homeschool sanity.

We’ve been in the homeschool mentality for almost 10-years. When our oldest child was two-years-old the Lord did a whammy on my heart and introduced me to the world of home education. Boy, was I thankful, I’d get to stay home with my children everyday and learn and grow with them. I knew that I was made to homeschool our children.
That sounds poetic, and truly-many days are an overflow of blessing, but honestly there are seasons in which we all need a reminder to homeschool with joy and purpose. None of us want to be the un-showered mom who is still reheating her one morning cup of coffee in the microwave at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.
Sometimes, I’m that mom.
Here are 6 Ways to Keep Homeschool Sanity for those less-than-perfect ruts.

1. Take it day-by-day: You can only live this one day well. If the spelling book is screaming at you-reminding you that you’re 2-months behind-remember who is boss! You’re are in charge, not the curriculum. If pressure mounts about tomorrow and what you still have yet to do, refine your focus onto today. I’ve had to remind myself on more than one occasion to live in the moment —that’s the best place to dwell.
2. Homeschool year-round: After a few seasons of trying to maintain a traditional schedule, we finally moved to a year round routine. This has allowed us greater flexibility, and has additionally strengthened our homeschooling experience. By homeschooling year-round we’re able to keep our life and school intertwined without too much of the hard-line differences between “school” and “life.” And if those complications arise, see number 3.
3. Take a mental health day: Does today feel crazy? Did the laundry goblin ransack your laundry room and spill his carnage out into the hall? Taking a mental health day for the benefit of your family is prescribed! Develop your children’s life skills in the morning by having them roll socks; then expand their cultural horizons in the afternoon with a bowl of ice-cream and a family movie marathon. You have permission to put your feet up, too!
4. Don’t compare: This is a trap. Susie will always start her 5-year-old in Latin first, and most likely her son will have all of his school work independently completed by 9 a.m. I’m not Susie, and my kids were made for me to parent. The End. And this non-comparison business goes for comparing children in other modes of education as well. Your home is just that, home. Like it, learn in it, live it!
5. Do something different: If I need a change of flow for myself, and a field trip is not in sight, I may load the kids in the van at 8 a.m. for an impromptu morning romp at the playground. I also like to invite a few other homeschool families over for a massive fellowship day—it’s okay to change things up a bit. We have these fellowship days at least twice a month, they're vital to our homeschool health!
6. Remember what is really important: It’s easy to find ourselves caught up in the academic success that homeschool affords. We must remember to keep our eternal focus. I listed in the Reasons Why We Homeschool that raising our children in a Christ following, family centered, atmosphere was our purpose; to bring these young souls up in His ways. Jesus is what is really important. The salvation and training up of our children in the way they should go. All the homeschool benefits are just the cherry on top.
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Jamerrill Stewart is the wife to one and mother of five. You can find her most days authoring Holy Spirit-led Homeschooling where her family is living the life of faith. Also, join her Christian Homeschooling Community on Facebook.

More news today: Cold Stone Creamery officially opened its doors in Regina.

For those who haven't tasted Cold Stone in the States or elsewhere, it draws huge lineups for a reason. You can order one of Cold Stone's ice-cream creations or create your own flavour.

P.S. Regina's Cold Stone is co-branded with Tim Horton's on Victoria Avenue East (i.e. sharing the same roof). Check it out at 1960 Prince of Wales Drive.

http://coldstone.ca

Follow my blog for more updates like this.
Or follow me on Twitter: @The_FoodDude

Last week, I was sent a copy of Real Food for the Real Homemaker and let me tell you, this is one gem of a cookbook! I love a good, hearty, healthy, home-cooked meal almost as much as I enjoy making them so when the opportunity to get creative with new recipes in the kitchen presents itself, I jump!

Real Food for the Real Homemaker sifts through the myriad of information (and misinformation) we've all heard about fats, grains, raw milk, and organic produce and provides a condensed and sensible approach to eating healthy, hearty food that tastes like it came from Grandma's kitchen.

No offense to the authors, but this eBook is reminiscent of those coil-bound United Church Cookbooks put together by sweet little seventy-year-old members of the Ladies Guild. I mean that as the sincerest compliment!

It teaches the basics every cook should know like which kitchen tools are absolutely necessary (and which brands give you the best bang for your buck); how to practice hospitality; how to make granola, yogurt in a crock-pot, and tortillas from scratch; how to save at the grocery store, freezer cook, and substitute ingredients.

Plus, you'll enjoy over 75 home-style recipes with a healthy twist. Among them:

Breads & Breakfast Recipes
Apple Nut Muffins with Caramel Glaze
Baked French Toast
Baked Oatmeal
Banana Bread
Best-Ever Scrambled Eggs
Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting
Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Quiche
Cornbread
Egg Bake
Egg Sandwiches
Eggs in a Nest
Granola
Orange White-Chocolate Chip Scones
Perfect Pancakes
Popovers
Rolled Biscuits
Sausage Gravy
Simple Cream Biscuits
Tortillas
Yogurt

Sides, Soups, & Salad Recipes
Applesauce
Baked Beans
Caesar Salad
Cheesy Potato-Vegetable Soup
Homemade Garlic-Herb Croutons
Chicken Salad with Grapes and Apples
Chicken Stock
Chili
Cucumber Salad
Fruit Salad with Yogurt Dressing
Fruit Salsa
Ham and Cheese Soup
Italian Pasta Salad
Italian Vinaigrette
Mashed Potatoes
Mushroom Soup
Oven-Fried Potatoes
Peaches with Ginger Syrup
Quick Tomato Soup
Ranch Dressing
Roasted Root Vegetables
Ruby Red Fruit Salad
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Vegetable Beef Soup
White Chicken Chili

Entrée Recipes Bean, Rice, and Salsa Bowls Cheeseburger Macaroni Skillet Cheesy Chicken-and-Rice Casserole Chicken and Pasta with Balsamic Vinegar Sauce Chicken Fajitas Chicken Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie Chicken Stir-Fry Couscous Chicken Pilaf Creamy Lemon Pasta Fresh Tomato-Vegetable Sauce Fried Rice Grilled Shrimp Pasta Homemade Macaroni and Cheese Meatballs Pasta al Fredo Pizza from Scratch Slow-Cooked Chicken Slow-Cooked Pork Chops with Gravy Slow-Cooked Herbed Pork Roast Stuffed Bell Peppers Tilapia Variations Toasted Tomato-Cheese Sandwiches Tuna-Stuffed Tomatoes

Dessert Recipes
Baked Apples
Butterscotch Pudding
Classic Pie Crust
“Everything” Cookies
Homemade Brownies
Lemon Cheesecake Squares
Lemon-Lime Ice
Rice Pudding
Strawberry Pie

Best of all?
Full-color photos are included with almost every recipe!
Whether you're a rookie in the kitchen, deep inside a cooking rut, attempting to replace your favorite dishes with healthy versions, or simply looking to expand your recipe repertoire, Real Food for the Real Homemaker is valuable resource for any cook and a guaranteed hit with the whole family!

For $12.95 $9.99, you get all of the following:

• Real Food for the Real Homemaker in both the KINDLE and PDF version,
• a set of beautiful recipe cards,
• an Excel program for creating shopping lists and menu planning!

If you enjoyed this post, you may wish to follow Growing Home for updates via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, or have them emailed directly to your inbox. In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. Thank you for your continued support!
Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, Time Warp Wife, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, The Prairie Homestead

Like many of you, we are a single-income, larger-than-average, (1.8 or more children), homeschooling family.

And both my husband and I come from a rich, Dutch heritage.

In other words, whether or not we need to be, we enjoy frugal living. I'm also a lover of nutritious, from-scratch, whole-food cooking. Overtime, we've found that you can have one and the other! Here's how we can enjoy a mainlywhole-food diet on a budget (we still eat take-out more often than I'd like to admit!).

Cheap foods that are good for you

1. Whole grains. Oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa are cheap! For ultimate nutritional value, choose any of these grains and soak them for a hearty breakfast that'll keep you energized all morning.

For a fabulously healthy, gluten-free, blueberry-muffin smelling breakfast, pour 1 cup of steel-cut oats, brown rice, OR quinoa in a crock-pot. Add 1 1/2 cups of almond milk, 1 1/2 cups water, 1-2 Tbsp of ground flax seed, 2-3 Tbsp butter or coconut oil, 1 cup fresh blueberries, cinnamon, sea salt, and sweetener (honey, maple syrup, stevia, or brown sugar) to taste. Stir. Cook on low overnight. Alternately, try using diced apple and a handful of walnut in place of blueberries.
2. Beans and legumes. Beans are one of the cheapest proteins available and can be used to replace meat in a meal. Given a good, over-night soak in purified water, they are a highly digestible form of fiber, complex carbohydrates, iron, and folate - ideal if you're pregnant or breast-feeding.

Our favorite way to enjoy beans are in chili, taco salad, and brownies (there's a Special Agent Brownie recipe in Trim Healthy Mama that's absolutely fabulous!).

3. Eggs. Eggs are one of the very few complete proteins available to us (they contain all 9 essential amino acids), contain only 70 calories, and are chock full of nutrition. Besides being excellent sources of protein and good cholesterol, they also contain iron, vitamins A, D, E, and B12, folate, selenium, and lutein.

Eggs can be cooked quickly in a variety of ways (hard or soft-boiled, fried, poached, scrambled) and provide great structure and texture when added to baked goods.

We enjoy them on their own and in omelettes, crepes, breakfasts bakes, and pizza crust.

Foods worth paying more for

No matter how tight our budget, there are certain foods I don't cheap out on as we feel the extra dollars are insignificant compared to the health benefits. We'd rather "pay the farmer than the pharmacy," as the saying goes.

1. Oil. It's a safe bet that anything you can get in a big plastic jug for $4 is not good for you. Vegetable oils and margarine derived from cheaply grown or genetically modified plants like sunflower, corn, soybean, canola, safflower have little nutrition to begin with and are chemically altered and deodorized in order to make them palatable. Our bodies were not meant to consume them.

Opt instead for healthy saturated fats that are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids. These include butter (preferably organic), coconut, olive, and red palm oil.
2. Fresh, local, organic produce. We can't afford to purchase all of our produce this way, but we try our best to grow or purchase the infamous "Dirty Dozen" organically as these fruits and vegetables contain the highest pesticide residue otherwise:

• Peaches
• Apples
• Celery
• Peppers
• Nectarines
• Strawberries
• Pears
• Cherries
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Potatoes
• Grapes

• onions
• avocado
• sweet corn
• pineapples
• mango
• asparagus
• bananas
• cabbage
• broccoli
• papaya
• kiwi

Instead, we use coconut or almond milk. They contain high levels of vitamins A & D and are lactose free. They cost slightly more than pasteurized, hormone enhanced cow's milk, but since we rarely use it for more than our morning smoothie, we don't notice a difference in our grocery bill.

As our budget allows, we try to purchase higher quality dairy products like kefir, greek yogurt, cream and cottage cheese.
4. Meat. Cheaper cuts of meat are usually that way because they come from animals that are pumped full of genetically modified grain products, growth hormones, and antibiotics - the sole purpose of which is to fatten an animal up as quickly as possible for slaughter. Food Inc. is a fascinating documentary that explains how the food industry is making us sicker, fatter, and poorer through this process.

Although more expensive, grass-fed, locally raised, organic beef and chicken is a far more nutritious alternative and of much less consequence to your health.
5. Sweeteners. Sugar is cheap, appeals to our pallet, and is easy to come by. Consequently, diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart failure, and a host of other health concerns are also the norm. We stay away from refined sugar as much as possible and use raw honey, pure maple syrup, and stevia instead.

While they should still be used in small quantities, these sweeteners contain healthy enzymes and minerals which are difficult to get from other foods. They also have a healthier Glycemic Index which means they don't mess with your blood sugar levels in the same way refined sugar does.

Where to get healthy food for less

1. Garden. Anyone can grow their own produce, even a little bit. Be it a pot on the balcony of your apartment or a 3 acre market garden, all you need is some seed, soil, water, and sun and you're in business.

We put in a large raise bed last year for free - my husband made a tarp in exchange for a truckload of triple-mix and I used the gift cards I got for my birthday to purchase our seeds and plants.
2. Farmer's Market. Farmer's markets are great places to find local, seasonal produce, cure meats, eggs, honey and maple syrup at a fraction of the price you find in the store. Plus, farmers generally care about individual relationships with their customers and often offer a faithful buyer further discounts and "throw in a little extra."
3. Local Farmer. In the fall, we often purchase 1/4-1/2 a cow from a Christian farmer who grows his beef organically. We get to choose how we'd like it butchered and our freezer is well stocked for several months. We estimate purchasing our meat this way saves us 30% of the store price.

If we had the space for it, we'd love to keep our own chickens. We go through plenty of eggs around here! Thankfully, they are cheap to come by! We buy them from Brad's co-worker whose family keeps organically raised laying hens as a sideline business.

In the summer, we pick our own berries, freeze most of them, and turn some into sauce or jam. A relative of ours keeps a bountiful raspberry patch where we can come and go as we please.

It didn't work out last year because of pregnancy complications, but this summer, my mom, sisters, and I plan on putting up other produce from local farms that we don't grow ourselves: peaches, pears, carrots, pickles, etc.

4. Bulk Stores. I buy most of our grain from The Bulk Barn. We often receive coupons for $3.00 off a purchase of $10.00 or more (which I can easily spend in one visit!). I blend whole kernels with my Wondermill and the stuff I purchase pre-ground (flax), I purchase in small quantities as it goes rancid quickly. I purchase my organice herbs, teas, sea salt, and spices from The Bulk Herb Store.

I also purchase soap and other dried goods here like coconut, almonds, walnuts, and cranberries.
5. Grocery Store. You can save money at the grocery store by using coupons, ad-matching, checking the clearance shelf, and purchasing store-brand non-perishables like brown rice and tomato paste.

The clearance shelf where everything is ripe and ready, is a wonderful place to get greatly discounted produce. If you have a juicer, freeze your juice into Popsicles for a healthy summer treat or into ice cubes for slushies. Peppers and onions can be cut up and bagged for pizza toppings, apples turned into sauce, and mushrooms sauteed in butter for a fine steak topping.
6. Online. I must admit to rarely purchasing groceries online. I prefer to see the product myself. The exception to this is the extra virgin coconut oil I get from Tropical Traditions. The quality is truly remarkable. We use it a lot, especially in desserts like Chunky Cream Pops, Skinny Chocolate, and Peppermint Patties. I'm thankful it regularly goes on sale for 40-50% off.

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. I humbly thank you for your support! Linking to: Mind Body Sole, Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Frugally Sustainable, Natural Living Raising Arrows, Time Warp Wife, Far Above Rubies, Homestead Barn Hop, The Better Mom,