*This post is linked to High Desert Chronicles IDC*
Plant Something:
All our garden is in the ground! We planted the tomato plants (15 survived), pepper plants, basil, okra, more green beans, and replanted the spinach
Harvest Something:
57 eggs, 6 cups goat milk, and our first spinach harvest!! We wound up with over 12 cups of the yummy green goodness!
Preserve Something:
Didn’t preserve anything, we ate it all.
Waste Not:
Got a LOT of things going into our compost pile to get it filled back up. I find it amazing each year, when we run out so quickly!
Want Not:
We got 11 new chicks, and 10 new ducklings to restart our flock
Eat the Food:
Spinach omlettes, green smoothies, and pesto with spinach
Build Community Food Systems:
Gave 2 dozen eggs to our neighbor, working bartering for honey vs. goat milk
Skill Up:
Got that milking thing down, working on my butchering skills soon
Organize:
Yard is all cleaned up, ready for the meat chickens next week, and the trees are down, cut, and stacked for firewood this fall/winter.
For the last couple of weeks, I have talked about KerryAnn and her newest ecourse.
I have learned so much in the couple of weeks that it has been active, and I really am excited at what is to come. For example, did you know that gluten can be hidden in common items you could come into contact with such as shampoo or even the glue on the toilet paper roll? I sure didn’t! And, if you need to really watch your gluten intake, these hidden sources are super important to know!
I love her recipes as well, they are so simple and tasty to make!
Would you like to learn how to serve your family delicious food that is dairy and/or gluten free, but just don’t know where to start? Or perhaps you have recently discovered an allergy, and don’t have any idea how to begin to eliminate those problem foods? This is the ecourse for you!!!
And, one lucky reader will get a FREE ecourse here!! To enter:
1. Leave me a comment saying “I’d like to enter” or something to that effect.
2. Like me on my facebook account.
3. Follow me on Twitter
4. Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link to get 5 extra entries!
One winner will be chosen at random on May 20, 2012. You can also get in the class NOW for 15% off using the code HIPPY (doesn’t ever expire!)
The winner is Jackie, who said
I would love to win this…I haven’t tried it,but I have been told it is great.I would love to try it.Thanks…
You should have received an email from me with further instructions. Thanks to all who entered, and stay tuned for another great giveaway this week!!
So, you decided that you want to plunge into the exciting world of owning some backyard chickens? Perhaps you like the idea of fresh eggs just a few steps away, or you are short on entertainment.
Whatever the reason, raising chickens does require some forethought and planning.
Ok, I am about to make the ultimate confession that a “foodie” can make. Well, before I do, let’s start with what a “foodie” is. I believe it’s someone who buys as organic as possible, avoids processed foods, cooks all their meals, and only uses traditional fats and oils.
So, having said that, I am a foodie.
Well, most of the time. See, I garden and I make most of our meals, and I buy organic when it’s not super cost prohibitive. And, I avoid soy and canola oil as much as possible.
And, I take my kids to McDonald’s once in a while. (Shall I wait while the air pressure returns to normal?) Yes, it’s true…we dine at fast food approximately 3-5 times a month. Don’t hate me, mmmmkay?
While I could give you countless excuses of “working in the yard all day, cutting down two trees and stacking the wood, milking the goat, building a fence, and homeschooling while standing on my head drinking kombucha tea for better absorbtion” I won’t.
The fact is, that my family still likes the food at fast food places. My hubby is fully on board with me as far as REAL food, but when I started stressing over the sourdough and the kefir, and the kombucha, and the prices of organics, and then worried about our chickens, and our meat birds, and our ducks, and then stressed about the goats…You get the picture…hubby stepped in. All wise and stuff. He told me that no matter how healthy we were eating, if I was so stressed out by the food I was making, my health was just as much in danger, if not more.
And, he’s right, ya know.
So, I do my best to make sure my family gets the best nutrition from our food. I make sourdough bread when I have time, and a good starter going. I soak my oats for breakfast, when I remember the night before. We drink lots of fermented drinks like kombucha and water kefir here. And, we continue to eat as fresh and local as possible. But, I don’t worry about those days when I have spent the entire day outside with my family stacking wood from downed trees, or resodding the yard, or building fences, or adding to the garden and I am just too tired to think, let alone cook. I occasionally serve ice cream for dinner, and we occasionally order pizza. AND, we do occasionally go to the drive-thru.
I am happier, and much more relaxed. I can focus on serving my family the best food possible 85% of the time. My kids are still healthy and strong, and we have much more family time, without mom in the kitchen on a regular basis.
So, forgive me for supporting McDonalds, okay? And, if you wanna come over for dinner, bring some extra fries…my son eats them like there’s no tomorrow…
Up to the last 50 years or so, eggs were considered to be a healthy source of protein. No mom would consider sending her kids off to school without a breakfast complete with eggs; scrambled, fried, over hard, poached, whatever.
THEN, eggs went under fire. They were considered “full of cholesterol” and “heart damaging”. What??? Well, you guessed what comes next…the egg replacements. Liquid eggs that taste very nasty (yes, I used to believe that eggs were bad for you myself).
Suddenly, eggs have become a hero again…the cheap source of healthy protein that all should consume. Just not on a regular basis. And, of course, since the advent of food bloggers, natural foodies, organic family farmers, backyard homesteaders, and the like, we have learned that what a chicken eats is what makes the egg. Essentially, what goes in is what comes out, right?
And, chickens eat…
come, on, you know this!
Chickens eat worms, bugs, seeds, grass, corn, veggies, whatever they can get their little beaks on. I have seen my girls go crazy fighting over a worm or a juicy bug. It’s natural. And, as gross as this sounds, I have also seen them go crazy over leftover meat. Yeah, they are NOT vegetarians. Chickens, in their natural state of living, are omnivores. Meaning they eat both plant and animals.
Check out this video
That is a couple of chickens eating a MOUSE! No one is forcing them to do it, it’s what they do. And mice are meat…
So, why are people buying into the lie that we need to feed chickens an all vegetarian diet to make their eggs healthier? And you are paying a premium price for these chickens to have a diet that is NOT what they were created to eat! Forget the fact that there is stuff in the feed that you don’t want to consume yourself! Ugh!!! Makes me so mad, that we are not only believing a lie for US, that we shouldn’t eat meat, but we are forcing animals to follow this sadistic diet in the name of “good health”.
I love coconut oil. I would use it on anything, in everything, for everything. From homemade toothpaste and deodorant to cooking, baking, frying, and smoothies. I love the versatility of this traditional oil! It’s light flavor makes it a winner in my house.
My favorite place to find high quality coconut oil is Tropical Traditions. So, you can imagine how excited I was when they asked little ol’ ME to review a quart of coconut oil! Yeah, it’s my favorite!
It’s made in small batches, so you will get a high quality product each time. One of my favorite things to do with this is to add it into smoothies. The sweetness of the virgin coconut oil means that I don’t need to add any extra sugar (or honey) to the smoothie, and the coconuty flavor mixes so well with strawberries and blueberries! Check out this video for more info
Win 1 quart of Gold Label
Virgin Coconut Oil!
Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil.
Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their
website:
What is Virgin Coconut Oil? You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:
Tropical Traditions also carries
other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online.
Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.
And, for one lucky reader, you will win a FREE quart of Tropical Traditions coconut oil to try for yourself! Here’s how to enter:
Check out Tropical Traditions, and subscribe to their newsletter for a chance to win (let me know you did, k?) For additional entries, leave me a comment on this blog, letting me know why you would like to win this. And, you can also:
Like Tropical Traditions on facebook
Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter
Follow Homesteadhippy on Twitter
and leave a separate entry for each one, K? One winner will be chosen at random on May 11, 2012 at 11:59 PM and posted on May 12. And, if you place an order with Tropical Traditions and use the “friend” code 5941403 you will also receive a FREE copy of their 
And, I’ll get a voucher for me! Win, win for everyone 
*** Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.***
Want to know how to make delicious meals while being gluten and dairy free? Having troubles reading and understanding the labels while you shop? Worry no more, KerryAnn will show you how to tread those waters in her new ecourse here. Save 15% when you use the code HIPPY!
I got the opportunity to review this Wahl Personal Massager. The Flex Therapy Massager was small enough to be completely portable and hand held, and the battery worked for nearly 2 hours on a single charge.
There were several attachments, including:
Deep Muscle Attachment
Facial Attachment
General Body Attachment
Knuckle & Joint Attachment
Muscle Kneading Attachment
Scalp Attachment
Spot Attachment
Each attachment was easy to put on and remove, and easy to clean with mild soap and water. It was nice to try out, and each attachment was fun to work through.
Now, for the issues I had with this. One, it is a vibrating massager, so the whole thing vibrates, and makes in nearly impossible for you to concentrate the massaging end on one area by yourself. Sure, someone else can hold it for you, but then what’s the point of a personal massager? The attachment ends hurt after just a very short time, and it was not an enjoyable experience. The scalp massager pulled my hair, and when I wondered if it was just because my hair was long, I tried it on my son. It pulled his buzz cut hair as well. Yeowch!
While I was happy to try this, it just wasn’t a total win for me. And disappointing as well, because I have always had great luck with Wahl products in the past! And, as a part of my reviewing this, I also need to tell you that for Mother’s Day, Wahl is offering a giveaway of one of their massagers for the special mom in your life. Here’s the nitty gritty on that:
• Beginning April 26 and running through May 13, those who like Wahl Home on Facebook can nominate a mom to win a mom relief package from Wahl, whether it’s your mom, grandmother, wife, daughter, a friend or yourself.
• To enter the Mom Relief Initiative, simply post a comment explaining why the mom on your list deserves relief—maybe they’re a single mom who does it all, a working mom who never takes a break, a grandmother who’s always been there…every mom has a story and every story matters.
• Entries will be judged on their uniqueness and sincerity and the winners will be selected once the contest wraps up on May 13. Stories MUST be submitted before then in order to be considered.
**I recieved this product FREE from Wahl via MamaBuzz for the purpose of this review, and no other monetary compensation was received. All opinions are 100% mine.**
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