My adventures with Raw Milk

So, as we know, we have a cow. She gives us milk. It is good and healthy milk. I loved milk. I used to have it on cereal or have a cold glass with breakfast, I used to do things most people would do with milk. Once we started saving milk, I discovered, ..... I don't like it. That is like a bad thing right? I didn't agree to a cow so I could gag at the thought of drinking it. I mean what the heck? I have tried making cheese, and butter, and things like that just to use the milk, but the sad thing is I just don't like it. :o( I don't exactly know what is wrong with me. My husband loves the milk, his brother loves it, my son loves it. I just don't like it. AGH it is frustrating. I still cook with it but that is it. I may use a little butter now and then but nothing like I used to. I even actually find myself craving.... **gasp** almond milk. What on earth am I going to do? 

As sad as it is I still would like to get dairy goats, however, will I have the same aversion I am having to cow milk? Who knows. But the one thing I do know is that I live in a part of the country where I cannot grow an almond tree to satisfy my craving. What is up with that?

So while I ponder this predicament I will leave you with my latest Weigh-in... 

My goal for this month was to be at 275 by the end of the month. I need to lose 4 more pounds to get there but I got close. :) 

Bag of Holding Link and Giveaway!!

I am guest posting over at Bag of Holding today, go check it out!  

HERE

There is even a giveaway. :)

update.

Just an update... 

So I have been eating complete junk this past week, but luckily I have been working outside ALL day so I haven't really "gained" weight back. But I am staying in one spot. And that is annoying. I have set a monthly goal each month. So I have two weeks to lose ten pounds. I know I can do it. My only problem is I need money for real food. 

I have been planting in the garden and I love it. I read an article on how gardening can become like therapy. That makes so much sense. I mean you get the Vitamin D from the sun, fresh air, and you are working for healthy food. 

Someday soon I will have pictures of the garden, just let me get it planted first. :) 

5 Foods a Traditional Kitchen Should NOT be Without

While trying to get back in the swing of things after my "episode" (read about it HERE and HERE) I decided to do a few simple, yet totally worth it blog posts on things you should really consider having in your traditional kitchen. 

• Grass Fed Raw Dairy- When dairy products are pasteurized and homogenized you loose many of the nutrients and most if not all the good bacteria that is present and needed for good gut health. If you cannot find raw dairy in your state due to laws, consider pasteurized but NOT homogenized cream line milk most health food stores carry this. 

• Fats- Raw Butter, Lard (not the stuff from the grocery store, that is just hydrogenated oils), Olive Oil, and my favorite coconut oil. All these things are very good for you. In-fact Weston A Price insists that a diet high in animal fats is essential to good health. 

• Sprouted Flours- (Read my post on why we need to sprout or soak our grain HERE) I find that sprouting my grains and then dehydrating and grinding into flour to be much more realistic than soaking flour for my family. When you soak a flour you need an acidic medium to break down the phytic acid, and frankly we don't like the flavor or the result of the bread. 

• Animal Stocks- There are so many nutrients available to us through animal stocks or broth may be a word that is more recognized. It is such a simple way of getting what your body needs. Stay tuned for a post on how to make a great broth, with recipes on how to use this essential food in your kitchen.

• Fresh Fruits & Vegetables- As always Organic is best, but if you cannot buy Organic all the time looks for fruits and vegetables with thicker skins they absorb less chemicals, and don't use the skins in your food preparations. Here is a list of fruits and vegetables that are low in chemical pesticide residues.   

1.  Avocados
2. Corn (However, corn that is not organic IS GMO, and we want to avoid GMOs at all costs)
3. Onions
4. Sweet Potatoes
5. Cauliflower
6. Brussel Sprouts
7. Grapes
8. Bananas
9. Plums
10. Green Onions
11. Watermelon
12. Broccoli                                              

   

You must buy these organic!! 

They contain high amounts of pesticide residues. 

1. Strawberries
2. Bell Peppers (red and green)
3. Spinach
4. Cherries (US)
5. Peaches
6. Cantaloupe (Mexico)
7. Celery
8. Apples
9. Apricots
10. Green Beans
11. Grapes (Chile)
12. Cucumbers
13. Pears
14. Winter Squash (US)
15. Potatoes (US)

I hope this helps keep a pantry supplied with healthy traditional foods. I will even have to look back to remember.  

 (resource:  http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/pesticide-residues.cfm)

Second Run... uh-oh

Well, as you know last Wednesday I was feeling pretty good in the morning. That changed very quickly. I got home from the doctor, my head was pounding really bad, and I ended up in the ER at about 8 o'clock pm. This time I was given 4 bags of blood! I stayed the night in the hospital and during that time I lost 3 pounds. I am guessing I will gain the weight that I lost back just because I wasn't feeling the best on Wednesday. 

I am still nervous, I have to make a lot of blood back and keep it. I don't want to loose it again. I don't know if anyone has ever had an experience where you are loosing a lot of blood and can't stop it but I don't recommend it. It is REALLY scary! 

I think that is one of my biggest fears right now. I am afraid I am not going to be here to see my little boy grow up. I have already missed so much of his life by me being stupid and wanting a career, thinking that if i don't have a career and get my name out there I will be a failure. When in reality, I am failing at being a mother and a wife. That is my calling not any of these other things. I am hoping once I am feeling better I will be able to fully focus on my son and my husband. They are my priority. I am still going to illustrate, just not full time, I don't even know if I will even be able to call it part time. 

Anyway, before I get very emotional here I am going to go take a nap. I don't want to bum anyone else out like I am right now. 

Hopefully some homesteading/real food/alternative lifestyle posts will be up once I start feeling better.