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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,

Finally, after many long years, Regina will have some competition on the organic market scene.

Dad's Organic Market will open its doors on Monday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. The Victoria Avenue store, a couple of blocks west of the Leader-Post building, looks huge. For a neighbourhood market, that is.

Dad's is expanding into Regina following the success of their Saskatoon store. With this second store, a Saskatchewan-grown franchise is born. Right on.

Let's hope that prices are not as sky-high as in Regina's other organic market, Nature's Best on 14th Avenue. I mean, Nature's Best is a cool store. But sometimes I literally have to read the price of an item three times just to make sure it really does say $5 for a bunch of dill, or whatever the case may be.

Here's to more choices on Regina's food scene. This can only mean good things for restaurants and regular Joes alike!

I can't believe I'm already saying this, but our "little" (18+ lbs) boy Judah will be half a year old this month and is nearly ready to sample his first taste of "big people food!" To kick off the big celebration, purred organic carrots are on the menu. I like to start with carrots because they're naturally sweet, are the highest vegetable source of beta-carotene (which the body converts into Vitamin A) which is good for the eyes, contain many anti-oxidants, and are easily digestible.

Making your own baby food is a great way to ensure a healthy start on solids. You know exactly what your baby is eating and can pronounce all the ingredients. It's not a difficult task either; all that's required is a little time. And, for those of you who are concerned about finances, you'll be happy to hear that you can make your own baby food for about 10% of the store-bought variety (I made mine at $0.08 per serving compared to $0.79 per jarred serving).

Here's how to do it in 7 easy steps:

1. Wash and peel carrots

2. Chop 'em up

3. Steam carrots in a minimal amount of water until just tender.

4. Puree in blender until completely smooth.
Add some of the cooking water if you need to thin it out a little.

5. Spoon into ice cube trays and freeze.

6. Once frozen, transfer to freezer bags in meal-sized portions.
Seal tightly and return to freezer.

7. To serve, simple warm in saucepan or microwave.
Doesn't it almost look too pretty to eat?

One of my many goals this year is to avoid unhealthy snacking, both for myself and for our kids. I have a huge weakness for chips and chocolate, and I fear I've passed my bad habits onto our kids. So, I'm taking extreme measures and have committed to not purchasing packaged snacks; if it's not in the house, we can't eat it!

Of course, that means we need to replace the junk with snacks of the healthy variety. In addition to these ideas, Coconut Oil Banana Muffins fit the bill perfectly! These muffins are moist, flavorful, and melt in your mouth. They're also egg-free and dairy-free.

Coconut Oil Banana Muffins
Time: 15 min. prep; 16 min baking (per batch).
Yield: 3 dozen
Egg-free, dairy-free

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 cup coconut or almond milk
• 2 cups coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 5 very ripe, mashed bananas

1. Preheat oven to 385 F. Insert paper liners into muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, sift and stir flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt. Set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, heat coconut oil and milk together until coconut oil has just liquefied. Pour into a large bowl and add coconut sugar and vanilla. Blend together
4. Mash bananas and stir into wet ingredients. Add dry mixture to wet mixture and fold together until just combined.
5. Fill muffin cups half way (this batter spreads!).
6. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes before removing.
8. Freeze, or enjoy warm!

Are you making a conscious effort to snack healthier, too? What's your favorite resource for quick, budget-friendly, healthy treats (besides Pinterest, I mean)?

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 at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. Thank you for your support.
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It took a few years of being surprised each time I peeled off the shell before I finally thought to ask Brad's Mom, a master with food, how to guarantee a perfectly boiled egg each time.

When I used my own method, soft-boiled eggs would turn out runny, and hard-boiled eggs resulted in an ugly gray film around the yolks. Now, they turn out perfect every time! Here's my mother-in-law's secret:
For soft-boiled eggs (pictured above): Add eggs (don't use fresh ones as they're harder to peel) to a saucepan and cover with cold water. Dribble in a little vinegar and a dash of salt. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Turn the burner off and cover the pan with a lid. Set the timer for 6 minutes. Immediately immerse eggs in cold water to stop the cooking process. Peel, slice, and enjoy!
For hard-boiled eggs: Repeat the same steps above, only increasing the cooking time to 8 minutes instead of six.
My lunch above consists of a whole grain pita, old cheddar, mayo, organic salad greens, and a boiled egg seasoned with freshly ground pepper and sea salt. So easy, so yummy!

Several years ago, Andrew Pudewa spoke at our homeschooling conference and he said something I'll never forget:
"The problem with trying to cover all the bases is that you end up going a mile wide and an inch deep. In other words, you know virtually nothing about everything." He suggested delving deeply into one particular topic of interest, and in so doing, touch on everything else.

Thematic concepts jive with the vision for our children's education and so far, learning together has been fun, organic, and life-integrated. There are few things more wonderful than seeing your children more eager to start "school" than they are to eat breakfast!

This week we are studying "Fall." Besides learning to write her numbers and letters each day using the Rod and Staff Pre-K Series, we are also learning about God's Word, government, science, math, art, English, home economics, and Phys Ed. We don't use a curriculum to teach these things, or categorize them as such, but it's happening whether she realizes it or not.

Here's a peak into our week:

Bible

After breakfast, we read the story of Naomi and Ruth. I chose this story as part of our theme because it takes place during harvest time. Our memory verse is Leviticus 23: 22:
"And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God."We discussed what kind of principles God is trying to teach us through this verse and how we can apply them to our lives:

• Why should we share from the bounty that God has given us?
• Should poor people still work to get their food or should they rely on rich people to collect their grain and bake their bread? (the role of government, socialism) Read Proverbs 10:5; 6:6-8; 13:11; 19:15
• What things has the Lord blessed us with that we can give to someone else? Read Proverbs 11:25; 19:17; 22:9; 28:27
• Who can we bless this week and how? (Make plans to visit a nursing home, invite someone over for dinner, or drop off toys or clothes to someone that could use them)

• Count, add and subtract with leaves.
• Discover fractions while making pumpkin puree for our 7-month old (quarter, half, and whole pumpkin).

• Use as many adjectives as you can think of to describe various "Fall" objects (i.e. leaf: big, red, thin, pretty, maple, broken, wide, etc.)
• Read "Autumn Fires" poem by Robert Louis Stevenson (Included in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers)

• Read Animals in the Fall Preparing for Winter by Martha Rustad, Why Do Leaves Change Color by Betsy Maestro and Seasons by Robin Nelson. (More reading suggestions in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers)
• Go on Treasure Hunt (Alphabetical list of objects in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers). Identify and collect items on the list using a field guide.

• What is it called when animals go South in the Fall? Can you name some animals that do this?
• How many seasons are in a year? What are they called?
• What is a "cycle"?
• Who made the Earth so that it is tilted?
• What happens inside a leaf to make it change color?

Art

• Make a "Thankful Tree." (Instructions in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers)
• Create a Corn Husk Doll. (Instructions in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers)
• Paint a Pumpkin. (Instructions in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers)

• Bake leaf-shaped sugar cookies and decorate them (Instructions in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers).
• Dehydrate apple peelings to make Apple Twigs ((Instructions in 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers).
• Make and freeze sweet potato and squash puree for Anna.

Phys Ed.

• Rake leaves!
• Hike through the woods for our Treasure Hunt.
• Pick apples at an orchard.

FREE! Download and print your copy here.

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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, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family, Moms The Word, Hip Homeschool Moms, Trivium Tuesdays

One bite of this flavor-packed salad and you'll understand why Goodness Me cooking instructor Sandy Pomeroy named it Sensational Salad! A plate or two of this, and you're well on your way to 5-10 servings of vegetables per day. I've tweaked the recipe to suit our taste, but the original came from her.

Sensational Salad

• 4 cups organic salad mix (choose one with lots of different leaf varieties)
• 1 cup cauliflower florets, finely chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, quartered horizontally, then chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 carrot, grated
• 1 cup kale, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup flax oil
• 1 tsp. Herbamare
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlice, finely chopped