Home Life

It’s live!  Finally!  I’ve gotten around to creating a resource website on the things my family and I do to ‘work with the land’ and save money.  It’s no where near done - I have a ton of articles I am still working on but felt I had enough content to put the site up.

http://www.motherhoodnaturally.com/homestead/home.htm is the link.  Bookmark it and check back often.  As I go through my day I keep getting reminded of things that might be helpful to add to there, so I add it to my list and when I have a few minutes to write it up, I will!

Let me know what you think!

Thanks to Candy and her blog I found a super easy yogurt recipe using a crockpot.  I tried it last night and had creamy yogurt this morning. 

I’ve tried to make yogurt three times already and failed each time.  I wanted an organic, healthy milk in my yogurt but the brand I kept picking was ultra-pasturized.  A big no no for yogurt making (I didn’t even realise this until last night when I took a good look at the milk container… My husband was already out so I asked him to pick me up a non-ultra-pasturized whole milk)

You’ll need 8 cups of milk and 1/4c whole milk, plain quality yogurt (I visited Maureen at Health Matters for my yogurt).  Once you have your first batch of homemade yogurt, you can use 1/2c of your own starter for your next batch.

Pour 8 cups of milk into your slow cooker.  Cook on low 2.5 hrs.  Turn the crockpot off and let it sit, covered, for 3 hours.

Mix in your yogurt starter, cover the crockpot, insulate with some heavy towels on top and let sit overnight.  By morning you’ll have yogurt!

You can make your own mixins with fruit, granola and anything else you like in your yogurt.  Yum!

I borrowed a book from the library called “Fix it and forget it” which is stuffed full of recipes for slow cookers.  I plan to buy this book as it features tons of recipes I plan to try.  In fact, for the next two weeks (I just made a two week meal plan and went shopping according to it) will be mostly crockpot meals trying these recipes out.  I’m interested mainly in the main courses, which features recipes for venison, rabbit, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, etc.  All of which I have in my deep freeze waiting to be eaten.  I made a meatloaf and veggie dish today and will be doing a chicken and veggie meal tomorrow.  

I love slow cookers because it allows me to fix a meal in the morning, which can be accomplished when my kids are eating breakfast.  Then I can forget about it until the evening, and when I’d normally be dancing around the kitchen preparing dinner, I can sit and relax.  One of my biggest stresses of the day is “what is going to be for dinner?”  To help reduce this stress, I make meal plans (or, I come up with 14 dinner ideas that can be made large enough for leftovers and possibly freezing, and about 7 lunch ideas for the days when I have no leftovers, and whatever sounds good for the day is what we go with.  Generally I will decide the evening before, and prepare my meals in whatever way I can beforehand).

My crockpot is convienient for more than one reason. Obviously, there is no chaos in the evening as I fix dinner for a hungry family.  But it prepares a delicious and healthy meal without heating my kitchen or using a ton of electricity. 

I have tried to find recipes and ideas for cooking in the crockpot, and a lot of what I find online is put together with processed foods, soups and other additives.  This book actually has a ton of healthy, wholesome meal recipes.  And when it calls for a canned soup or additive, I know I can easily create that on my own at home before hand.  Typically I make my soups in bulk and freeze them in single serving sizes, then thaw when the time comes to use them.

So check this book out - from your library or see if our local bookstore has it.  I know I want to buy it after looking at the recipes and basing the next two weeks worth of meals from it (and there are still many recipes I want to try, but will be returning the book before then). 

http://busycooks.about.com/od/slowcookerrecipes/a/crockpot101.htm has some great info on crockpots and how to cook in them, if anyone is interested

I made a fantastic chicken roast today consisting of one whole chicken (thawed) sprinkled with parsley, thyme, basil and kosher salt.  I included potatoes, carrots, celery and onion wedges, sprinkled them with the same topping and cooked on low for around 6 hours.  Shortly before I pulled everything out I put 3 tablespoons of butter on.  I’m a “chicken” when it comes to the innards so we didn’t cook them… 

Ironically, I made the crockpot meal so I wouldn’t have to cook today (who doesn’t?).  But instead I ended up making chicken kiev and au gratin potatoes for lunch, whole wheat bread, chocolate chip cookies and am about to make apple muffins and white bread for my hubby’s lunches….. But I’ve really enjoyed my time in the kitchen today.

If you don’t own a crockpot, you are missing out on a simple way to cook delicious meals despite a hectic lifestyle.  In many instances you can prepare your ingredients (veggies, trim meats, etc.) the night before so the next morning all you have to do is combine everything into your pot and turn it on.

I love my crockpot, but unfortuantly I have not been able to find or modify enough recipes for it that would suit my family.  I don’t like using processed foods, canned soups or anything of the like so unless I can modify a recipe, or find a recipe to home-make a certain ingredient I don’t use the recipes.  Granted I’m not crazy - I still buy some ingredients but if a recipe calls for a lot of storebought stuff, I don’t use the recipe.

What I have found are some great recipes for beef stews, chicken and there is a book out there with over 200 vegetarian recipes if you’re looking for veggie meals.  My goal is to start using my crockpot more.  Buy more whole chickens (freeze the leftovers, use the bones for broths and stocks!), make some delicious roasts, find a variety of chicken breast recipes. 

I’ve recently begun meal planning - planning lunches (though most lunches consist of leftovers from the night before) and dinners, making a list of all the ingredients we’ll need, shopping for two weeks worth of meals.  Whenever I have time, I cook up a meal and freeze it so that day I just have to thaw and heat (we have a foodsaver, so I do both at once by throwing my bag of froozen food in a pot of boiling water). 

Doing crockpot meals more often will tremendously reduce the evening chaos of preparing dinner - admittedly some nights when it comes time to pull out food, heat it and prepare sides (if I didn’t cook/freeze those also) things can get stressful.  But by doing all of the work in the morning, when evening comes, dinner is all set to go!

I think I am going to start a category for crockpots and add to it whenever I find a good recipe, resource, link, etc.  I would LOVE for you to share your crockpot recipes also!