Hurricane Update

We are safe.  Ike caused minimal damage to my parents’ home (just tree limbs and debris littering the yard), though surrounding homes didn’t fare so well.  There are several downed trees, including one that crashed into a home behind us and one that was blocking the road this morning.  My dad has been running the generator off-and-on in an effort to keep from using up the fuel too quickly. 

After speaking with our own neighbors back in Katy, it sounds as though we, of all people, have power!  I don’t know if you realize this, but there are at least 4 million people without power in the Houston area right now.  This is astonishing.  We plan to return home this afternoon and assess any damage.  I’m just thankful we’re all safe.

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A New Frugal, Productive Co-Hobby: Gardening

Besides raising safety concerns for ourselves and others, hurricane Ike ruined Justice’s and my plans for a special date night yesterday.  With posts on gardening and its wonderful fruits flooding the blogosphere lately, my increasing interest in eating seasonally (spawned by the farmers’ markets), my mother-in-law’s recent success growing just a handful of spinach plants, and rising grocery costs, I finally had the thought the other day, You know, maybe I’ll plant some tomatoes next year.  I like tomatoes, you see, and the ones at the grocery store are awful, while those at the farmers’ market are expensive.  This isn’t a completely new concept.  Justice and I have both talked about starting a garden, but the conversations so far have been pretty abstract.  This was the first time I felt a real desire to do something.  I think I’m settling more into nesting mode as I approach graduation.  Domesticity is starting to sound really good these days.

This thought then led to another one a few days later, Why wait until next spring to plant something?  I had a point.  Dark, leafy greens and lettuces grow all fall and winter here, and they’re some of my favorite vegetables.  In fact, as much as I love cucumbers, I prefer the winter farmers’ markets to the summer ones.  And my grandpa, who is a fantastic gardener by the way (oh, for his peaches, peas, onions, and tomatoes!), says that kale tastes better after the weather gets cold.  I quickly performed a Google search on “Houston fall gardening” and came up with lots of great information.  Apparently, September is not too late for greens and lettuces.  Hurrah! 

But since I know approximately, oh, nothing about gardening, I scoured the Urban Harvest website for information.  (Urban Harvest is a local non-profit organization devoted to educating the public about organic gardening, supporting school and community gardens, and sponsoring the Bayou City Farmers’ Market, which I think is the best one in Houston.)  Lo and behold, they were offering a beginner’s class on home fruit and vegetable gardening in only two days!  I eagerly called, bought a membership for a very reasonable fee, and registered myself and my husband for the class.  We used some money that we had set aside for our anniversary for the purchase.  We wondered what could be a better gift to ourselves for our anniversary than investing in a new hobby for the two of us to enjoy together?

I have to be realistic about this, of course.  My childhood gardening attempts failed miserably, and as much as I love the idea of gardening, I haven’t generally enjoyed the reality in the past.  However, I love to research, plan, and coordinate; I think gardening makes all the sense in the world; and I adore cooking with fresh ingredients.  Plus, I’m trying to keep an open mind.  My husband, as it turns out, hates research and planning but really enjoys working with his hands outside.  I think we might make a good team for gardening success.  Who knows?  We’ll start small this year and work our way up if all goes well.

For the moment, I’m most excited about the opportunity to spend time learning something new together.  Learning together thrills me because it always produces the best conversations!  I enjoy my husband so much.  Yes, I think this will be a fun little adventure for our marriage.  Maybe it will grow into a life-long hobby we’ll enjoy for the next fifty years together.  Or maybe in fifty years we’ll look back, shake our heads in amazement, say, “What were we thinking?!”, and tell our grandchildren all about our young folly.  Either way, I think gardening is bound to produce memories we’ll treasure.

Hurricane Ike will pass soon, and then Urban Harvest will reschedule the class.  I look forward to sharing our experiences here. 

What do you think of gardening?  Have you always loved it, or was it an acquired taste?  How did you learn about it?  From your parents?  Classes?  Books?  Do you have any tips for newbies?

(This post is a part of Frugal Friday, a blog carnival at Biblical Womanhood.)

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Hurricane Preparations

My husband’s company closed its campus today and tomorrow to give employees a chance to prepare their homes for hurricane Ike.  We’ve been scuttling around taping windows, moving flower pots to the garage, packing clothing, and herding Goldens to get ready to leave for my parents’ home.  They live about forty-five minutes north of us and have a generator and a pantry to end all pantries.  This is good because we have about four batteries, two tiny flashlights, only a walkman-style radio, and one can of salmon in our own home.  Sheesh.  I need to take hurricane season more seriously in the future.

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WFMW: Natural Skin Care Regimen

Transitioning to natural self-care products has played a major role in my health quest over the past couple of years.  What we put on our skin is absorbed into the blood stream and, thus, can be almost as important as the food we put in our mouths.  I have experimented with a number of products, from Aveda (not so natural) to Alba to Jason to homemade formulas and a bunch more in between.  Recently, I seem to have stumbled upon a combination that truly works for me without breaking the budget.  My skin, though not perfect, feels softer and looks clearer more consistently than ever before.  I cannot attribute this only to my diet or to age because I notice obvious changes for the worse when I use other products or cleansing methods, whether due to travel or to my misguided desire to use up my old products in an effort not to waste anything.  Obviously, what works for me will not work for everyone else, and, for that matter, what works for me now will likely need tweaking as I age and experience major hormonal changes (e.g., bearing children).  That said, some of these ideas and product lines may give you a great place to start if you’re new to the idea of natural skin care.

For the record, I have very sensitive, moderately oily skin that is prone to mild breakouts. 

Face: Night Routine

I started using the oil cleansing method (OCM) a few months ago after reading about it on several blogs (including Keeper of the Home), and I have been so impressed!  It leaves my skin feeling sofresh and soft.  Best of all, it has reduced my breakouts.  I didn’t think so for a while, but when I returned to some of my old sensitive skin cleanser to be a good girl and use it up, I got more blemishes.  This persisted during my usual “clear time” of the month.  Then, I returned to the OCM just in time for my “breakout time” of the month, but my skin actually became clearer!  Crazy.

So what does the OCM entail?  To begin, I mixed up a batch of 25% high quality castor oil from the health food store and 75% extra virgin olive oil.  I placed this mix in an old cleanser pump bottle that I had thoroughly cleaned with super hot soap and water and a rinse of rubbing alcohol (you don’t want bacteria growing in your cleanser!). 

Every night, I wash my hands, dry them, and dispense 1-1/2 pumps of oil into my hand (just larger than a quarter).  I rub my hands together to warm the oil, then I massage it onto my dry face, concentrating on the oiliest, most breakout-prone areas.  I do this slowly and purposefully; I find it very relaxing. 

Next, I take a regular face cloth (washed and dried without fragrances) and wet it with very hot water–as hot as I can get it from my faucet.  I wring it out, turn my face toward the ceiling, and drape the cloth over my face and part of my neck.  I gently press it into my skin as the steam opens up my pores.  When it begins to cool, I draw it off of my face, taking most of my makeup with it.  I don’t find it necessary to scrub at all, though I do apply mild pressure.  After rinsing the cloth thoroughly in hot water, I repeat this process two more times.  My skin feels amazing afterwards!  It is soft and dewey.  I don’t even find it necessary to dry it with a towel.

Finally, I apply an exfoliating serum to my skin.  The Gogi Azeliac Clarifying Serum from Skin by Ann Webb works wonders for me.  Although Ann Webb products are not yet part of the Skin Deep database, I whittled away one evening entering ingredient after ingredient into their search engine.  It appears that, as claimed, Ann Webb products are remarkably clean.  I was fortunate enough to receive a free consulation with Webb when she visited a local Whole Foods, and she really impressed me with her knowledge and commitment to natural products.  Based in Austin, Texas, Webb is creating quite a stir in the natural skin care world.  The best part?  Her products last forever (5 months, no kidding) and are very affordable.  I couldn’t be more pleased.  I never thought I needed a serum, but the Gogi serum, containing azeliac acid, goji berries, retinol, salicylic acid, and lactic acid has noticeably improved the smoothness and clearness of my skin.  (Visit the Skin by Ann Webb websitefor more information, helpful hints on preventing acne, local retailers, and online ordering.)

That’s all I do at night.  I should note that many people who use the OCM simply apply a dab of the oil mix or virgin coconut oil to their skin as a moisturizer.  I tried this myself, but it didn’t work for me.  My skin texture deteriorated into a strange combination of dry, bumpy patches and slick, oily patches.  You may wish to try this method, however, particularly if you have normal to dry skin.  I know that it works for Lindsay of Passionate Homemaking.  To learn more about the OCM, including why it works, different oils you can use, and how to adapt it to your skin type, visit this great website. 

Face: Morning Routine

Since I perform such a thorough cleansing at night, I keep my morning routine simple.  First, I exfoliate my wet skin with either a dab of baking soda and water or simply a warm, wet cloth.  Then, I pat my skin dry with a towel and apply the Pomegranate Protection moisturizer from Skin by Ann Webb.  This is the only moisturizer with SPF I’ve ever tolerated.  It never feels greasy, and it absorbs quickly, providing a perfect amount of hydration for my skin.  I have often found that moisturizers designed for oily skin are too drying, while those designed for normal to dry skin are too greasy.  This one is just right.  

Since I’m not sold on the necessity of sunscreen for daily wear, I may experiment with some SPF-free lotions in the future, but for now, I’m quite content with this one.  It’s the best I’ve found so far.

Body Wash

We currently use an old pump dispenser filled halfway with Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castile All-One Peppermint Soap and halfway with water.  When applied to one of those loopy-things (Bath & Body calls it a “sponge,” while The Body Shop calls it a “bath lily”), it forms a rich lather.  I love that the soap is free-trade, organic, and made of perfectly non-toxic ingredients.  The peppermint flavor provides the additional perk of waking me up in the morning, which is something I definitely require.  (For other uses for Dr. Bronner’s soaps and for more information on where to buy it, see my earlier post on the topic.)

Body Moisturizers

Alas, I have not yet found the perfect lotion for my body.  I currently use two Jason lotions, but I can’t whole-heartedly recommend them because of some questionable ingredients (at least, questionable according to Skin Deep).  That said, they are far better than the traditional petroleum-based lotions, so Jason lotions make a great first step.  The products contain no parabens, mineral oils, petroleum products, waxes, or animal products.  They are also affordable, easy to find, and very effective.  I adore the E.F.A. lotion, and their Aloe Vera lotion is pretty awesome too.  We buy Jason products through Vitacost, an online company that gives steep discounts and a flat shipping rate.

Whew!  I hope that was helpful.  I’m going to go lie down.  I had my wisdom teeth removed yesterday, and I’m feeling rather icky from the pain meds.  Vicodin loves me not.

For more great Works for Me Wednesday ideas, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

 

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Report on New Cultured Veggie Flavors

A week ago, I posted about my latest foray into lactofermentation.  I abandoned the veggies in my guest bathroom tub for eight days before I transferred them to the refrigerator yesterday.  Then, this afternoon, I opened them up for a taste test.  Here are the results, from left to right:

Liver Lovin’ Veggies

My own creation, this blend turned out very well.  I used an imprecise mix of shredded green cabbage, grated daikon radish, thinly sliced celery, grated carrots, and minced fresh ginger.  These veggies have a distinct, though very pleasant, bite from the ginger.  Grade: B+

Ginger Carrots

I adapted a Nourishing Traditions recipe, combing shredded carrots and minced ginger.  I thought I would love these veggies, but they’re only so-so.  I’ll eat them for their health benefits, of course, but I won’t make them again.  I’m surprised, as I love both carrots and ginger.  Grade: C

Bioflavanoid Blend

Yum!  These are definitely my favorite veggies in the bunch.  I used GoHealthGirl’s marinara-style cultured vegetable recipe as a starting point for a blend of shredded red cabbage, grated beets, grated carrots, and minced onion, garlic, and fresh basil and oregano.  As much as I love the original marinara-style veggies, I think I like these even better.  The addition of cabbage lends a more pleasant texture, in my opinion.  Grade: A

Basil Carrots

Oh, the disappointment!!  Of all the flavors, I most looked forward to trying this one.  I based it on one of my favorite recipes, a savory carrot salad by Kimi, The Nourishing Gourmet.  Grated carrots, slivered basil, garlic, and mustard seeds–what’s not to like?  I don’t know what transpired in that bathtub over those eight days, but whatever happened, it ruined these ingredients.  They do not seem to be truly spoiled, as the colors are still vibrant and they don’t smell funky.  Nevertheless, I can’t bear to eat these veggies.  My dogs will find them mixed into their food for a week.  They need probiotics too, and they aren’t nearly as picky!  Grade: F

Final Verdict

My very favorite recipe remains the Garden-Style Veggies with Dill I created last time around, though the new Bioflavanoid Blend comes in a close second. 

 

With each of the above flavors, Susan and I followed the protocol outlined in my step-by-step photo tutorial on making cultured vegetables, except that we did not sterilize the equipment.  We used Body Ecology culture starters to ensure that the strains of bacteria in the vegetables would be both native to the human digestive tract and able to colonize in the gut. 

Wondering why anyone would want to leave vegetables in the bathtub for a week before eating them?  In short, people around the world have prepared and eaten cultured vegetables (also called fermented vegetables) for thousands of years as a superior source of probiotics, enzymes, and vitamins.  Examples include traditionally-prepared sauerkraut and kim chi.  These superfoods boost your immunity, improve your digestion and absorption of food, and help create and maintain a healthy inner ecosystem to keep candida and other pathogenic yeasts and bacteria in check.  I highly recommend them!

 

Related Posts

Garden-Style Cultured Vegetables with Dill
Cultured Vegetables Tutorial, Part 1
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Marinara-Style Cultured Vegetables
Look How Pretty!

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Menu Plan Monday, September 8

I can’t believe Monday has rolled around again already!  Time is zipping by.  My menu plan this last week worked quite well, and it enabled me to try a few new recipes without feeling overwhelmed.  On Thursday, I had planned to try Moroccan Chicken for the first time, but when I discovered at the last minute that I had run out of mint, I decided to make Moroccan Peach Roasted Chicken (I found peaches lurking in my fruit drawer).  Since I didn’t have rose water on hand, I just skipped that ingredient.  It was great!  We really enjoyed this recipe, and I definitely recommend it.  Its sweetness is very mild–not syrupy at all.  Next time, I will probably use skinless chicken pieces because the skin doesn’t get crisp anyway, and I’ll add more peaches too. 

I also tried another one of the pot roast recipes recommended by readers.  Kamaile suggested this recipe that features apple cider, soy sauce (I used Bragg Liquid Aminos because of my gluten allergy), rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns.  I seared my roast and used a tablespoon of fresh rosemary from my backyard.  Because we like our roast fully cooked and falling apart, I left it in the crockpot for the full five hours.  I also cooked all my veggies separately.  Justice absolutely raved over this recipe!  I’m immediately adding this to my regular rotation alongside the last reader-recommended recipe, Drunken Garlic Pot Roast,  which was also a big hit (go here to see that review).  I’m thrilled that we both are able to enjoy these recipes.  (It makes it much easier for me to make my husband’s favorite dish this way.)  Thank you all so much for expanding my pot roast horizons!  I look forward to trying another of the recipes in two weeks.  I’m also open to new pot roast recipe suggestions.

My last culinary adventure this week was gluten-free zucchini fritters.  I made them with coconut flour instead of wheat flour.  Although we enjoyed them, I haven’t perfected the recipe yet.  I plan to try again this week.  If I’m pleased with the results, I’ll post the recipe here.  They surely make a great way to use up that summer squash!

And now, this week’s menu:

Monday
Breakfast: smoothie (me); eggs, veggies, and buckwheat bake (Justice)
Lunch: leftover chicken, veggies (plus potatoes for Justice)
Dinner: green salad with veggies and chicken, sauteed okra, quinoa (Justice only)

To do: put frozen fish and ground turkey in fridge

Tuesday
Breakfast: smoothie (me); eggs, veggies, and buckwheat bake (Justice)
Lunch: eggs and veggies, zucchini fritters (me); leftover chicken, quinoa, and fresh veggies (Justice)
Dinner: fish curry w/ mixed stir-fried veggies (plus quinoa for Justice)

To do: put frozen beef in fridge

Wednesday
Breakfast: smoothie (me); eggs, veggies, and buckwheat bake (Justice)
Lunch: leftover chicken and veggies (plus quinoa for Justice)
Dinner: turkey spaghetti sauce w/ spaghetti squash, green salad

To do: marinate beef

Thursday
Breakfast: eggs and veggies (plus buckwheat bake for Justice)
Lunch: smoothie (me); leftovers (Justice)
Dinner: Asian beef stir-fry with extra veggies, (plus brown rice for Justice)

To do: soak beans

Friday
Breakfast: smoothie (me); eggs, veggies, and buckwheat bake (Justice)
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: black bean soup

To do: put frozen ground beef in fridge

Saturday
Breakfast: smoothie (me); eggs, veggies, and buckwheat bake (Justice)
Lunch: eggs and veggies (me); leftovers (Justice)
Dinner: leftovers

To do: soak millet

Sunday
Breakfast: eggs and veggies
Lunch: smoothie (me); leftovers (Justice)
Dinner: grilled beef patties, vegetables (plus millet for Justice)

Snacks for the Week
boiled eggs, seeds, lots of raw veggies, raw goats’ milk

Visit Laura, the Organizing Junkie, for more menu planning ideas.

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It Feels Like Christmas!

Guess what showed up on my door step this week?

Yes way. 

Holy mackerel, do I feel giddy!  I have been wanting one of these for a long, long time, but it never really fit into the budget.  Er, that is to say, it didn’t fit into the budget at all.

Then my birthday happened.

I’m already infatuated.  This morning, I whipped up a frappuccino out of vanilla Teeccino, raw goats’ milk, a touch of stevia, and some ice.  Oh, yum!  You would not believe how fluffy and pillowy it was after less than 20 seconds of processing.  Later, I whirled a green smoothie for lunch out of the goat milk yogurt I made last Saturday, a ripe pear, a few frozen strawberries, some romaine lettuce leaves, coconut oil, coconut fiber, and stevia.  It tasted pretty decent, and it kept me full for a long time.

Dear ones (you know who you are), thank you so very much for a wonderful birthday gift!  I love it. 

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Yowza! That Brew Burned!

Sadly, the ACV-cayenne throat potion experiment died a premature death.  I gargled a mere three gulps yesterday afternoon before caving.  With flames consuming my tongue, I did the only reasonable thing a girl in my situation could do.  I ate some ice cream.  It cooled the burn and numbed my throat.  All better.  Then I resorted to evil, chemical-full drugstore Ricola knockoffs to keep my throat numb.

Dr. R., with all due respect, you’re really great at relieving my back and carpal tunnel pain, but I’m passing on your cayenne pepper concoctions in the future.

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Throat Potion No. 9

I’m sick.  Not wretchedly sick, but I feel lousy and my throat is very sore.  Since I had an appointment to get my back adjusted yesterday, I asked my chiropractor for advice.  He asked me what I was coughing up (I won’t describe it for you here), then prescribed the typical high doses of vitamin C, echinacea, and garlic PLUS the following natural gargling solution:

4 ounces water
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) raw apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1.  Mix thoroughly and heat as hot as you can stand without burning your mouth.

2.  Gargle the entire recipe.

3.  Repeat every 3 hours.

He explained that the apple cider vinegar is for killing the bacteria, the cayenne pepper is for numbing the pain, and the lemon or lime juice and honey are for palatability. 

Ummmmm.  I don’t know about you, but the sound of this doesn’t rock my socks off.  Which is why I haven’t tried it yet.  One whole teaspoon of cayenne pepper?!  I like spicy, but that’s crazy.  Justice and I started joking about all the different ways it could “numb” the throat.  Things like burning off all the nerve endings.  We’re so mature.  (Seriously, when do you stop feeling like a little kid when you’re cutting up with your husband?)

Anyway, I give in.  I’m going to mix up the potion now.  I’m scared but a little desperate.  I’ll let you know how it goes.  I think it’s fortunate that blogging doesn’t require operable vocal chords, don’t you?

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Oh, the Shame

A tale of woe from my kitchen:

On Monday, which was Labor Day here in the States, Justice and I had a couple over for lunch.  I planned well by putting tried and true dishes on the menu: Grilled Turkey Burgers with Dijon-Dill Sauce, Carrot Salad in Basil Vinaigrette, steamed green beans, and mashed red potatoes.  I’ve made these dishes so often, I could probably do it in my sleep.  What could go wrong?

Two things, it turns out.  First, I didn’t count on the ground turkey I ordered from my meat co-op having the consistency of a sponge.  Really, it was sponge-like, rather than meat-like.  Think McDonald’s chicken nuggets consistency, maybe even worse.  Ugh.  Second, I didn’t count on the turkey burgers being undercooked.  I still don’t know how this happened!  We set the grill to the same setting as usual and cooked the burgers the standard length of time.  Thus, I didn’t bother to check for doneness because I knew from experience that they were. 

I was so wrong.

After one bite at lunch, I thought, Oh no.  Then I took another bite.  Oooooh no!  For some reason, it seemed best to me at the time not to say anything.  Maybe I’m the only one who notices anything is amiss, I thought.  Perhaps if I don’t call their attention to it, they won’t notice.  As if.  What was I thinking?!  Why didn’t I burst out laughing and tell them not to eat the meat because I couldn’t eat it either? 

Augh.  So here I am…still thinking about the darn meat three days later.  Maybe I’ll call them.

One thing’s for sure: I’m not ordering more of that ground turkey.

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