A Few Fantastic Food Deals for This Week

Fred Meyers:

Wild Alaska Whole Sockeye or Troll Caught Silver Salmon $4.99 per pound

Wild Alaska True Cod Fillets $4.99 per pound

Top Foods:

Organic Yellow Onions for less than $1 per pound

Organic Potatoes on sale for a great price that I can't remember now and did not write down!

Organic Boxed Spinach for $2 per box

Best Food Sources of Calcium (non-dairy)

Image via Wikipedia

If you are like me when you think of calcium you think of milk (because of all that good milk industry advertising) and when asked what other food sources are a good calcium source you might be at a bit of a loss. I recently did a little research on other good food sources of calcium and this is what I found.


Seafood:
  Wild Sardines canned-300mg per 3 ounce serving. Canned Salmon have 100mg per serving, plus you have vitamin D which is essential for proper calcium absorption.

Beans:
White Beans, Black Eyed Peas: 150-250mg per cup of cooked beans

Greens:
Kale, bok choy and spinach- 150 -250 mg of calcium per cup. Collard Greens-350mg of calcium per cup. Cooking has no effect on the calcium levels. Greens also provide vitamin k, which is essential for bone mineralization

Sesame seeds:
150mg pf calcium per Tablespoon...so  Organic Tahini  that you can put in hummus is a winner!

Blackstrap Organic Molasses Unsulphured :
1 tablespoon has 172 mg of calcium, compare that to 300mg in an 8 ounce glass of milk...2 tablespoons gives you more than a glass of milk!

Other surprising sources:
Oranges, thyme, oregano, dill, cinnamon, celery, cabbage, brussel sprouts and crimini mushrooms


Facts about Calcium:

• Vitamin D is needed to facilitate and accelerate absorption of calcium from the gastrointestinal tract
• High intake of caffeine and protein increases excretion of calcium through the urinary system
• When your dietary intake of calcium is low your body pulls calcium from your bones so your body can continue to function. Calcium is needed for blood clotting, nerve conduction, muscle contraction, cell membrane function and enzyme regulation. Those are important things!

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/calcium/

http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/appendixb.htm

http://nutrition.about.com/od/therapeuticnutrition1/a/Getting-Enough-Calcium.htm

Related articles

• 7 Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium for Healthy Bones (organicauthority.com)

Before the Redecorating and Organizing of the House

 I have decided to move all the furniture around and redecorate the house. Here are all my before pictures. Sometime next week I will post the after pictures. Take note all my furniture and most of the decor are vintage, hand me downs, goodwill, thrift or Ikea finds. Feel free to post suggestions or ideas. I main priority is the living space downstairs so that is all I have posted pics of. Upstairs will be a project for another week!

The Care and Keeping of Ducks

Why ducks?

First I would like to mention I did not choose to raise ducklings. My original ducklings were a gift from my father on mother's day to add to my farm. They started as a joke which I thought was a large inconvenience but I have come to LOVE them! Here are a few facts as to why:

• Ducks are hardy, inexpensive and easy to care for
• They live up to 20 years
• They require minimal housing
• They do not require a pond or other body of water as commonly thought, only a small bucket to dip their heads in for preening
• Are disease resistant to fleas, ticks and parasites
• Are not smelly like chickens
• 
  Are very social (you must always keep ducks in pairs, not alone)
• Are highly intelligent
• Ducks love greens and will keep your yard free of weeds
• They also LOVE snails and slugs

So I have convinced you ducks are lovely creatures, now how do you care for them?
Ducklings:

Housing: Protected from predators, weather. I used a cardboard box and then a larger plastic container. Should be well ventilated with lots of light. Keep clean ( I found I had to clean my box daily as the ducklings are messy little things.)
Bedding: Straw or Hay only. Wood chips and shavings can cause severe health issues. (They like to eat the wood shavings, bad for baby ducks!)
Feed: Always feed unmedicated feed. For the first two weeks after you get freshly hatched ducklings they should be fed duck starter, then for weeks 3-7 a duck grower, after they are 7 weeks they can eat the chicken pullet grower. Ducklings also require GRIT which helps them grind food up in their gizzards.
Water: They require a constant fresh supply AND a drowning proof container, never leave ducklings unattended near open water, they can and will drown.
Heat: The first week they need around 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Then decrease by 5 degrees per week until you reach 55 degrees. This is the perfect temp for adult ducks. Decrease the heat by slowly raising the heat lamp. You will know the heat is appropriate for the ducklings if they are moving around freely happily eating and drinking. It is too hot if they are spread as far away from the heat as they can get and too cold if they are huddled under it.

Adult Ducks:
Need protection from weather extremes, clean drinking water, company, adequate light to lay eggs. Are adorable cute and loyal!


Eggs:

Here is a link to a great chart of the nutritional value of duck eggs. Click here for the link.

My take away from the above link is the following pointers:

• Low in sugar
• High in iron
• High in phosphorus
• High in riboflavin
• Very high in selenium
• Very high in vitamin B12

Duck eggs are larger than chicken eggs. The white tends to be more gelatinous, and the yolks are a brighter yellow and larger. The shells are tougher, which gives them a longer shelf life than chicken eggs. " Scrambled or in omelets, duck eggs are well complemented by onions, peppers, mushrooms, or cheeses.  Professional bakers are said to prefer duck eggs because of their rich yolks and because the baked goods have better texture and hold their shape better." Everything you do with a chicken egg can be done with a duck egg. Of note, the water content in duck eggs is lower so they are easier to overcook and can become rubbery.


Best Breeds for Egg Laying:


Runner Ducks
Khaki Campbell ( currently own)
Magpie (Currently Own)


Click here for more info on breeds

References: 

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/duck-eggs-vs-chicken-eggs.html

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1970-03-01/Easy-Duck-Raising-Program.aspx

Learning to "Need" Less

In our family's conversion to a one income family, the biggest challenge has been to learn to "need" less. I put need in quotations because so many of our "needs" we have found are actually "wants". I am not saying in writing this post that we have arrived, what we have done is realize that our "needs" and our "wants" have often confused as being all "needs". We have come to realize that we have so much and we really can live with "less". Our "less" is someone else's luxury.

As a family and as a person we have so much! I have a lovely 1,800 square foot home (that is gorgeous thanks to my husband and father). Yet, I often find myself thinking "If only I had a sun room, or a garage, or bigger children's rooms. We currently have two cars, we are no longer a single car family, but I look at our older (1999 and 1993) cars and think, "I would love a newer car." I look in my closet and even though I am clothed I want more, better, newer clothes, hoping they will make me feel younger, prettier and sexier. We eat mostly organic, whole, grass fed foods, but I find myself thinking, "Am I doing enough? Should we go grain free, dairy free, completely processed food free? Am I missing something that I should be doing?"

I find myself reading, reading, reading, wanting to find the best home school "curriculum", healthy diet, financial plan, home business ideas, child raising ideas and encouragement. When what I really need to do is STOP and listen to the pages of scripture whisper God's promises and warnings in my ear. Today I stopped to listen to a long ago memorized passage. God was, has been, and will continue to whisper it in my ear.

Matthew 6:25-34

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.

And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?'

 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."

I am to do the best with what God has given me. Because truly He has given it to me. I might not always get what I WANT but I will always have what I NEED. Although my and God's definition of "need" may be two totally different things. He knows what I need versus what I want.

So this week when I was thinking of that extra $12,000 dollars per year that I think our family needs, I was reminded that God has faithfully provided for us over the past few years without it and He will continue to do so if he wants us to remain as a single income family. How or if that happens are up to Him, I just have to be open to hearing his whispers.

Thanks for listening!

Menu Plan for the Week of January 29, 2012

Tax season is involving a lot of crockpot meals, since I honestly don't know what time the accountant will be home each day. Which means less cooking for me since a crockpot full of food will last us at least two meals and a few left overs for lunches! With that in mind here is this weeks menu plan:

Sunday: (only day at home for the accountant this week)
Breakfast: Gluten Free Buttermilk pancakes with organic bacon and sausage
Lunch: Grilled raw cheese sandwiches on gluten free bread with sauerkraut and grass fed roast beef
Dinner: Chicken Stir Fry with organic sprouted rice

Monday:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and gluten free english muffins
Lunch: Sustainibly caught tuna fish Sandwiches with apples and orange slices
Dinner: Chicken Chili with a side salad

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with dried fruit, maple syrup and raw milk
Lunch: Left overs of chicken chili
Dinner: Lentil and Rice Stew

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Eggs on Toast with bananas
Lunch: Lunch out with friend
Dinner: Leftovers

Thursday:
 Breakfast and Lunch are a birthday brunch for me at an all organic restaurant! Thank you mom
Dinner: Hamburgers with grass fed beef

Friday:
Breakfast: Eggs and fruit
Lunch: Tuna sandwiches or salmon sandwiches
Dinner: Homemade pizza with salad

Saturday:
Breakfast: Quiche
Lunch: Salad of some type
Dinner: Spaghetti with peas and corn (frozen veggies from Costco, all organic)

Fred Meyer Deals for the Week of January 29, 2012

Avocado's 10 for $10. These are not organic but they are listed on the clean 15 from the environmental group. Being as the organic one's are normally 2 for $5 dollars and the non organic are 2 for $4. This is a fantastic price!

Organic Braeburn or Cameo Apples $1.28 per pound ( top of the list of the dirty dozen. If you eat apples at all they should always be organic!)

Organic Navel Oranges 99 cents per pound

Simple Truth Organic Milk 1/2 gallon $2.68

Nature's Path Organic Frozen Waffles $1.99 ( I don't advocate buying pre made food organic or not, although I have been know to buy these for a quick snack...I don't own a waffle maker..)

Bac-Out Stain and Odor Eliminator a Biokleen product and all other biocleen products are 25% off at Fred Meyer this week