Whats your percentage? 01/31/2012
I'm really trying to make effort to have 50% or more "LIVE" foods for each meal. We are also getting closer to having the "LOCAL" foods available. Our growing season here is shorter than what I was accustomed to in the south, but successful gardening can still be accomplished. The benefits of Live & Local food is extremely valuable. Have you calculated your percentage of Live and/or Local food lately? If you're really trying to incorporate this into your family diet, you may consider joining a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture: (http://www.localharvest.org/csa/) This is where we volunteer and get our local produce: Add Comment Innovation at it's Best 01/31/2012
 I don't say this often, but "THIS IS A MUST HAVE" for making healthy baby food, (great gift idea) The Baby Bullet is a phenomenal invention. We've had 2 Magic Bullets and it truly makes food preparations much easier, so this baby version seemed like a great resource to pass on. Planning Alternatives 01/31/2012
I recently went to the grocery store to buy veggies for a Mediterranean Golosh and as I picked up the squash, eggplant and peppers, I began reminiscing about the great times we had volunteering at our local nursery. In the next few weeks, I really want to start sowing our heirloom seeds so we can look forward to another great harvest. I think it would be pretty depressing if don't take advantage of gardening and have to settle for the produce picked early and driven over hundreds of miles. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the market, yet I know there is MUCH I can do to prepare for harvest time. Here's an oldie but goodie about overall conservation and health (the video includes local foods). TRAILER "No Impact Man" (The full documentary can be found on Netflix or YouTube) A FE W LINKS for Reference:http://noimpactproject.org/ http://noimpactman.typepad.com/ MY NOTES FROM THE MOVIE (Original can be found under the Resource Tab)http://www.joyfuljunction.com/uploads/2/6/3/1/2631046/no_impact_man_notes.pdf Purely Essential 01/31/2012
Gotta Fever? Try a Compress with Essential Oils. This has come in handy for our children by quickly getting a wash cloth, warm water with a few drops of peppermint essential oil and placing on forhead and back of neck (avoid eyes) Here's a link to the simple guide regarding essential oils:http://www.joyfuljunction.com/uploads/2/6/3/1/2631046/essential_oil_guide__peppermint.pdf Natural home remedies are purely essential :) Seeking Live Foods 01/31/2012
There are some VERY SIMPLE things we can do to incorporate live foods to our diet....Do you remember this old vid from 11/09? Checklist for All 12/31/2011
This monthly checklist isn't intended to overwhelm, but make your preparations easier and better organized.  Please consider reviewing the list with your husband (if you're married) and develop a plan in the event of an emergency. It should be easy to follow and allows you to make a budget and divide up your resource into different categories. You can bring your list & some cash, then spend a couple hours shopping a little bit at a time. I recently found good prices for 25lb bags of grains and other products at our local store. I also priced some bulk stored items in #10 cans ranging from $8-$25....If you just buy a few items at a time, rather than try to get it all at once, it shouldn't be such a shock to your system :) 
Winter Preparations 12/27/2011
In addition to food storage, health is another aspect of preparations to have in order for the winter. Here's a little video I made with MaYah about "Home Remedies for Babies":http://youtu.be/BKmX4PePf0Y What's your fav? 12/04/2011
I have limited cookbooks, so I was happy to be referred to: www.allrecipes.com Over the past few months, I blogged about my meal planning challenges (primarily to work demands and new baby): http://www.joyfuljunction.com/1/post/2011/05/in-a-pinch.html http://www.joyfuljunction.com/1/post/2011/05/brain-freeze.html http://www.joyfuljunction.com/1/post/2011/06/super-savings.html Do you have any favorite cooking sites to pass along? Shortcuts 10/10/2011
For the past week, I've been juicing carrots for Marlon and he recently gave me a health update: He told me that his coffee cravings have substantially reduced since we started juicing. Yeah! I was so happy to hear this, so I thought I'd share a shortcut to our juicing practices. 
One last tip, change out the water every few days (possibly pour it out on your garden) Questionable Meat 10/10/2011
Our family recently watched the movie, "Ingredients", on Netflix and it opened my eyes, (yet again), to many truths about our food source. There were many highlights for me in this film, but what stood out most was when the farmer talked about the mixture of cows in ground beef. Hundreds, if not thousands, of different cows make up a typical package of ground beef. What if one is sick? Not only that, but the mixing of so many different animals just doesn't seem natural. This simple realization helps me to be very grateful that Marlon is investing in a few cows to bring to the farm at some point. This will give us a better understanding of how our cow was raised and slaughtered. Any meat insights to share(?) | WELCOMEOur family is on a agricultural mission!    
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