I can hardly believe that 14 days have past on the 28 day challenge. Here is my week in review:
Day 14: Happy Valentine’s Day: This afternoon my husband and I went to check out a co-op and new source of milk. I was pretty impressed with the system they had in place. They place your orders and provide a drop off point for picking up local meat, milk, eggs and much more. I have actually purchased from some of their same farmers, so I was familiar with the quality of what I would be getting. After visiting the co-op it got me thinking….there needs to be one closer to my home and maybe I should check into opening one here. I know there has to be a need in my local area for this same type of service and maybe I could become a drop off /pick up point. My wheels are spinning….AGAIN!
Day 13: Get your (good) bacteria: I made Gingered Carrots (recipe from Nourishing Traditions). I actually started them earlier in the week not even realizing this was going to be part of this week’s challenge. I decided to start with the carrots as my first fermented veggie. Last week I drained some organic, whole milk yogurt so that I would have the whey to add to future recipes. I was surprised to find that the carrots are very mild tasting. They were a good accompaniment to the baked chicken we had for dinner last night. I am now on a good rotation with my Kombucha and now have a steady batch at all times – one for drinking and one fermenting. I can’t wait to try making water kefir.
Day 12: Finding Real Milk: I already have a good source of real milk, however I am not able to purchase it as often as I would like. Even though the health benefits should supercede the cost, I still have to be careful on a tight budget. I did find and try some raw milk cheddar cheese this week and found it very tasty.
Day 11: Sourdough: The starter I have is going strong. I made another batch of Whole Wheat Sourdough Crackers and a loaf of Sourdough French Bread. The bread is not totally LEGAL for this challenge however, as it has regular, unbleached flour in it and a small amount of yeast. I really want to make a 100% sourdough bread but the recipes I have come across call for baking it in a special heavy duty pan that I don’t have and I am a little intimidated to improvise with this type of recipe.
Days 10 & 8: Fats to eat Raw / Fats for High Heat: I haven’t used olive oil for cooking for over 6 months after learning that heating it changes it’s properties making it unhealthy. I use it in salad dressings and for dipping sourdough bread in along with balsamic vinegar (I think this is better than garlic butter!) It makes me crazy watching cooking shows and how they always use olive oil to fry in. I want to scream into the television not to cook with it! This week I rendered my first ever batch of lard. It took several hours, but it was worth the effort. I purchased 10 lbs of pastured leaf lard and rendered 2 1/2 lbs which yielded 5 cups of pure, white lard. I typically use butter or coconut oil for frying and in baked goods and now that I have lard I will replace the butter, saving the butter for my vegetables.
Day 9: Fight against GMO’s: I have had a copy of the GMO Shopping Guide since last October and I keep it in my purse so I have it available when I am shopping. The first time I read through the shopping guide I was shocked to see all the products that have GMO’s in them and has made me more aware of what I am buying and feeding my family. I can safely say that there are no GMO products in this house!
I must admit that I am finding this challenge to be pretty easy. I really think I am feeling better and I can honestly say that the arthritis pain I was suffering from in my right hand is virtually gone. I am convinced that the foods we eat play a big role in how our bodies function and I will continue to monitor how I am feeling.
Simply Basic 