Since it is Wednesday, I decided to write a few of the weird things in my life and weird things about me, too.
1) I eat kinda weird. My two favorite sandwiches are: A) Peanut butter, banana and bacon on whole wheat, and, B) A whole wheat pitas filled with crispy romaine lettuce, raw sunflower seeds, sharp cheddar cheese, ham and Italian or Raspberry Walnut salad dressing.
Yeah...kinda weird. But both are so YUMMY!
Also, I eat ketchup with fries ONLY. Never with any other food. Just fries. And I rarely eat fries, so a bottle of ketchup lasts me forever.The only time I will eat a dill (sour) pickle is on a cheeseburger.And my cheeseburgers have to have mayo, lettuce and pickle ONLY. Otherwise, it is sweet baby gherkins. Which I LOVE.
The perfect hot dog for me has mustard, a little bit of raw onion, diced sweet gherkins or sweet pickle relish, and COLE SLAW. Gotta have that cole slaw on my hot dogs! Nothing else.
I only eat plain chips. No BBQ flavor, no nacho flavored corn chips, etc. P-L-A-I-N.
I like my doughnuts plain as well. No glaze, no sprinkles, no icing. P-L-A-I-N. Unless they are jelly filled. Then they can have a little confectioners sugar on them.
Picky eater much?
2) I don't watch much t.v. and what I do watch is not "the norm".
I like 3 "network" shows, but I usually catch them in reruns on basic cable or on my computer. House, Bones and, now, Grimm.
I have never watched Glee, Community, 30 Rock, or any of the other popular shows....I don't even know what they are about, except Glee is about a high school chorus (I think).
I do love Project Runway. And Doomsday Preppers. I watch a lot of shows on History Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery, Discovery Science, stuff like that. I watch Deadliest Catch. I do like watching some of the shows on the SYFY channel. And a couple on BBC America.
Same goes for movies. I love historical dramas and documentaries. My all time favorite movies are The Lion in Winter and Lady Jane. I also like really cheesy horror movies.
3) I am not afraid of snakes, spiders, etc. I used to be afraid of heights, needles and the dark....well into my 20s for height, into my 30s for my fear of the dark and I was 50 when I got over my fear of needles.
How did I get rid of my fears?
I met them face on ! I went sky-diving and bungee jumping to get over my fear of heights. I threw away my night light and forced my self to sleep in a totally dark room to get over my fear of the dark and I started donating blood to the Red Cross to get over my fear of needles. Sounds weird, but it worked for me.
There's some of my weirdness.....and if I see any weird stuff to post later today, I will!
Showing posts with label 1 year of food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1 year of food. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Reassessing, Reprioritizing, Evolving
Maybe it is because Spring is here, but this is the time of year I tend to re-evaluate my life, my goals and what is going on in general. I generally make changes in the Spring, it seems the best time to do it, although I made a few changes last Fall.
The main change I made last Fall was I stopped using hair dye. I read numerous reports of hair dye causing severe allergic reactions because of changes in the chemicals the companies put in it. Apparently, some of the changes were mandated by the FDA, other changes were made by the companies themselves to make the colors stay vibrant longer, etc. Regardless of the intent or why they were changed, it had some Very Bad results. One woman in Florida went into a coma after using hair dye. She had used hair color for over 10 years, same brand, same color, but she reacted to it horribly. Other women had their scalps blister or break out so severely, they had to shave their heads. So, I received some henna as a Christmas present! (Okay, I ordered it for myself, but the Darlin' Man paid for it!) Yes, I intend to fight gray hair...I'll go gray kicking and screaming!
The henna worked beautifully and I am now a confirmed henna addict! Henna is an all natural vegetable based color. You can bright up a batch by adding paprika (!) or brown it down by adding some powdered rosemary. Mix it up with hot water, a bit of lemon juice and some olive oil and spread it on. Adding heat helps, but you can just leave it for a few hours. No harsh chemical smell! It smells a bit woodsy/mossy, but it is not bad. The color is lovely and way more natural looking than the chemical dye!
The changes I am making now has to do with food.
We all need food. The food choices we make can determine our health.
So...because of recent news stories about various chemicals and other nasty things that are absolutely anchored in processed food, we have decided there are some foods we will never buy again.
I am sure most of my readers have heard about the HEK 283 furor (Human Embryonic Kidney cells, of which 293 were *harvested* from an aborted baby in the Netherlands in the 1970s). These cells are used by a company called Senomyx to test flavorings for companies, including Pepsi, Kraft Foods and Campbells Soup.They continue to grow the cells in tissue cultures in laboratories around the world. While the companies state that the human cells never make it into the food products themselves, I am not sure I want to trust them. After all, they never were open about GMO foods, either!
The Darlin' Man and I sat down, read all the various news stories and reports about HEK 293, did some research and made some decisions. We talked about our moral compasses and our personal beliefs. We are both pro-life, but he is more of a Libertarian than I am (or so he says, lol!), but still, he is VERY uncomfortable with the thought that the cells of an aborted baby are being used to develop food flavorings. Reading up on this, we found that they could have used animal cells, but that the fetus cells were cheaper for them in the long run. It is awful to think that it was cheaper to use those human cells than the cells from a rabbit or a rhesus monkey! We also talked about GMO foods, high fructose corn syrup (and that it is ALL made from GMO corn!),other foods that we know are GMOs (canola oil, for example) and the livestock that feeds on GMO corn, cotton seed and wheat, etc.
Our diet has changed radically.
We were already *partially* organic. Our eggs, goats milk (and the resulting yogurt, cheese and butter and ice cream!) and what little gardening we do.
Now we are going TOTALLY organic. We know this will be more expensive, so we have also decided to drastically cut meat consumption. Every other day, we will be eating vegetarian. Not a problem, as everyone here LOVES spinach souffles and omelets and big dinner salads.
Also, we all like soda here. I have a Dr Pepper addiction and the fella loves his Coca-Cola.
BUT...since all sodas use HFCS (well, except for my beloved Dublin Dr Pepper which I can only order online once in a blue moon) , we are going to get a Soda Stream and make our own. I know the little packets of flavoring are not exactly organic, but I have found out from some friends online that you can make your own flavors using sugar and spices (real ginger ginger ale!) Also, making our own will drop the cost of our favorite "toxic treat" (as the Darlin' Man calls it) down considerably.
We are also going to reduce our dependence on chemical based cleaning supplies. Baking soda and vinegar are going to be the basis for the majority of our cleansers. I make my own sanitizer/room air freshener out of lavender and rosemary already. (I swear, it works as good as Lysol...does for me, anyway...and smells SO much better!)
I have seen all the recipes for home made laundry detergent online and I plan to start making ours. If I want a gentle scent, I'll just fill a tea ball with lavender flowers and toss that in the rinse cycle. (I already do that for the sheets....try it! You'll sleep better!)
So, we are evolving. Becoming more self-sufficient. Hopefully, healthier.
The main change I made last Fall was I stopped using hair dye. I read numerous reports of hair dye causing severe allergic reactions because of changes in the chemicals the companies put in it. Apparently, some of the changes were mandated by the FDA, other changes were made by the companies themselves to make the colors stay vibrant longer, etc. Regardless of the intent or why they were changed, it had some Very Bad results. One woman in Florida went into a coma after using hair dye. She had used hair color for over 10 years, same brand, same color, but she reacted to it horribly. Other women had their scalps blister or break out so severely, they had to shave their heads. So, I received some henna as a Christmas present! (Okay, I ordered it for myself, but the Darlin' Man paid for it!) Yes, I intend to fight gray hair...I'll go gray kicking and screaming!
The henna worked beautifully and I am now a confirmed henna addict! Henna is an all natural vegetable based color. You can bright up a batch by adding paprika (!) or brown it down by adding some powdered rosemary. Mix it up with hot water, a bit of lemon juice and some olive oil and spread it on. Adding heat helps, but you can just leave it for a few hours. No harsh chemical smell! It smells a bit woodsy/mossy, but it is not bad. The color is lovely and way more natural looking than the chemical dye!
The changes I am making now has to do with food.
We all need food. The food choices we make can determine our health.
So...because of recent news stories about various chemicals and other nasty things that are absolutely anchored in processed food, we have decided there are some foods we will never buy again.
I am sure most of my readers have heard about the HEK 283 furor (Human Embryonic Kidney cells, of which 293 were *harvested* from an aborted baby in the Netherlands in the 1970s). These cells are used by a company called Senomyx to test flavorings for companies, including Pepsi, Kraft Foods and Campbells Soup.They continue to grow the cells in tissue cultures in laboratories around the world. While the companies state that the human cells never make it into the food products themselves, I am not sure I want to trust them. After all, they never were open about GMO foods, either!
The Darlin' Man and I sat down, read all the various news stories and reports about HEK 293, did some research and made some decisions. We talked about our moral compasses and our personal beliefs. We are both pro-life, but he is more of a Libertarian than I am (or so he says, lol!), but still, he is VERY uncomfortable with the thought that the cells of an aborted baby are being used to develop food flavorings. Reading up on this, we found that they could have used animal cells, but that the fetus cells were cheaper for them in the long run. It is awful to think that it was cheaper to use those human cells than the cells from a rabbit or a rhesus monkey! We also talked about GMO foods, high fructose corn syrup (and that it is ALL made from GMO corn!),other foods that we know are GMOs (canola oil, for example) and the livestock that feeds on GMO corn, cotton seed and wheat, etc.
Our diet has changed radically.
We were already *partially* organic. Our eggs, goats milk (and the resulting yogurt, cheese and butter and ice cream!) and what little gardening we do.
Now we are going TOTALLY organic. We know this will be more expensive, so we have also decided to drastically cut meat consumption. Every other day, we will be eating vegetarian. Not a problem, as everyone here LOVES spinach souffles and omelets and big dinner salads.
Also, we all like soda here. I have a Dr Pepper addiction
BUT...since all sodas use HFCS (well, except for my beloved Dublin Dr Pepper which I can only order online once in a blue moon) , we are going to get a Soda Stream and make our own. I know the little packets of flavoring are not exactly organic, but I have found out from some friends online that you can make your own flavors using sugar and spices (real ginger ginger ale!) Also, making our own will drop the cost of our favorite "toxic treat" (as the Darlin' Man calls it) down considerably.
We are also going to reduce our dependence on chemical based cleaning supplies. Baking soda and vinegar are going to be the basis for the majority of our cleansers. I make my own sanitizer/room air freshener out of lavender and rosemary already. (I swear, it works as good as Lysol...does for me, anyway...and smells SO much better!)
I have seen all the recipes for home made laundry detergent online and I plan to start making ours. If I want a gentle scent, I'll just fill a tea ball with lavender flowers and toss that in the rinse cycle. (I already do that for the sheets....try it! You'll sleep better!)
So, we are evolving. Becoming more self-sufficient. Hopefully, healthier.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
What to Stock Up On (Your Emergency Food Storage)
If you are in the path of a current Hurricane or other storm, please go HERE: Immediate Emergency Supplies
I got asked the other day "What should be the BASICS for one person to have in their *preparedness pantry*?"
I realized I had never posted a *basics* list here, so, gathering all my lists (yes, another list maker here!), I sat down and made a comprehensive list.
Don't let the size scare you. You could buy just a few items each month and by the end of 3 to 6 months, have a well stocked preparedness emergency food pantry.
Please remember, this is for ONE person. Many of the items you can find at Family Dollar or similar discount stores.
As for the stuff in #10 cans, I suggest http://www.shelfreliance.com/ or http://beprepared.com/ .For all my LDS friends, get thee to a cannery!
A few items I suggest you make yourself...more about those later as I will explain how to make and store certain food items yourself.
Let's get started...
BASICS:
6 #10 cans wheat
6 #10 cans beans
6 #10 cans rice
6 #10 cans potatoes (not *instant*! Get dehydrated potato slices or dehydrated diced potatoes. More versatile)
6 #10 cans pasta
6 #10 cans dehy. refried beans
6 #10 cans flour
4 #10 cans sugar
4 #10 cans oatmeal
4 #10 cans instant/dried milk powder
3 #10 cans farina (cream of wheat type hot cereal)
3 #10 cans instant mashed potato flakes
3 #10 cans dried corn (suitable for grinding)
2 #10 cans granola
2 #10 cans dehydrated onions
2 #10 cans dehy. peas
2 #10 cans dehy. carrots
2 #10 cans dehy. broccoli
2 #10 cans of dehy. corn (not dried corn for grinding!)
2 #10 cans mixed vegetables
2 #10 cans raisins
2 #10 cans dried apples
2 # 10 cans dried fruit of choice or mixed fruits
2 #10 cans trail mix (mixed nuts and fruits)
MEATS: I don't buy them dehydrated in # 10 cans(as of yet). They are pretty pricey when you get them that way! Maybe when I get more income or someone hands me a winning lottery ticket....If you are vegetarian, get extra of the basics and double up on the beans and rice!
For meats, here is what I suggest:
40 cans of water packed tuna
20 cans of oil packed tuna
20 cans of sardines
NOW, if, like me, you are allergic to seafood, substitute other meats!
30 cans chicken
15 small canned hams (the kind you do not have to refrigerate)
20 cans ham (the shredded kind in cans like tuna)
40 cans SPAM (choose your favorite flavor or mix and match flavors for variety)
20 cans Beef Stew
20 cans chili
40 cans soup (your choice of flavors)
SPICES:
I buy my spices in the square 5 ounce containers, then again, I use spices a lot! You can make tea from some spices (like ginger), so you may want more or less of a particular spice.
Ginger
Oregano
Cloves
Cinnamon
Curry powder
Garlic powder
Pepper
Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
Chili Powder
Red Pepper Powder
Bay Leaves (get LOTS of these! Bay leaves ward off insects in your food storage!)
Other spices you use
OTHER ITEMS:
Beverage mixes, coffee/tea as you prefer
Sprouting seeds
1 gallon honey
48 packages of Ramen Noodle soup (2 cases)
3 jars coconut oil
1 gallon corn oil
1 gallon canola oil
2 containers all vegetable shortening
6 containers of Corn Starch
6 boxes Baking Soda
3 containers Baking Powder
4 containers beef bouillon (cubes or loose)
4 containers chicken bouillon (cubes or loose)
4 containers vegetable bouillon (cubes or loose)
5 containers salt
8 1 quart bottles of lemon juice
10 jars peanut butter
6 jars jam/jelly/preserves
12 bars of soap
6 bottles baby shampoo
24 rolls toilet paper
24 rolls paper towels
3 bottles of body lotion
2 jars petroleum jelly
1 large bottle aspirin
1 large bottle non-aspirin pain reliever
3 containers baby powder
MAKE YOURSELF:
6 pint jars tomato powder
2 pint jars celery powder
2 pint jars mushroom powder
Other powders you like or find useful
Also, GET A GRAIN GRINDER!!! Manual is best (in my opinion), but if you must, get an electric one...just be sure you have a manual one for *back up* in case of long term power outages!
Get CAST IRON cooking pans. These add iron to your diet, will wear absolutely forever and are easy to clean up after being seasoned properly.
Other Good Things to have in your emergency pantry are a small grill and some bags of charcoal and some strike anywhere matches.
This is a ONE YEAR supply for ONE ADULT PERSON. Breakfast, lunch and dinners. You won't have meat at every meal, but you'll have enough.
It provides ample calories, variety to ward off *appetite fatigue* and extra in case of spoilage. You may have to adjust for food allergies, personal likes and dislikes, etc.
I am sure I forgot a few items, so add what you need that I may have forgot!
I got asked the other day "What should be the BASICS for one person to have in their *preparedness pantry*?"
I realized I had never posted a *basics* list here, so, gathering all my lists (yes, another list maker here!), I sat down and made a comprehensive list.
Don't let the size scare you. You could buy just a few items each month and by the end of 3 to 6 months, have a well stocked preparedness emergency food pantry.
Please remember, this is for ONE person. Many of the items you can find at Family Dollar or similar discount stores.
As for the stuff in #10 cans, I suggest http://www.shelfreliance.com/ or http://beprepared.com/ .For all my LDS friends, get thee to a cannery!
A few items I suggest you make yourself...more about those later as I will explain how to make and store certain food items yourself.
Let's get started...
BASICS:
6 #10 cans wheat
6 #10 cans beans
6 #10 cans rice
6 #10 cans potatoes (not *instant*! Get dehydrated potato slices or dehydrated diced potatoes. More versatile)
6 #10 cans pasta
6 #10 cans dehy. refried beans
6 #10 cans flour
4 #10 cans sugar
4 #10 cans oatmeal
4 #10 cans instant/dried milk powder
3 #10 cans farina (cream of wheat type hot cereal)
3 #10 cans instant mashed potato flakes
3 #10 cans dried corn (suitable for grinding)
2 #10 cans granola
2 #10 cans dehydrated onions
2 #10 cans dehy. peas
2 #10 cans dehy. carrots
2 #10 cans dehy. broccoli
2 #10 cans of dehy. corn (not dried corn for grinding!)
2 #10 cans mixed vegetables
2 #10 cans raisins
2 #10 cans dried apples
2 # 10 cans dried fruit of choice or mixed fruits
2 #10 cans trail mix (mixed nuts and fruits)
MEATS: I don't buy them dehydrated in # 10 cans(as of yet). They are pretty pricey when you get them that way! Maybe when I get more income or someone hands me a winning lottery ticket....If you are vegetarian, get extra of the basics and double up on the beans and rice!
For meats, here is what I suggest:
40 cans of water packed tuna
20 cans of oil packed tuna
20 cans of sardines
NOW, if, like me, you are allergic to seafood, substitute other meats!
30 cans chicken
15 small canned hams (the kind you do not have to refrigerate)
20 cans ham (the shredded kind in cans like tuna)
40 cans SPAM (choose your favorite flavor or mix and match flavors for variety)
20 cans Beef Stew
20 cans chili
40 cans soup (your choice of flavors)
SPICES:
I buy my spices in the square 5 ounce containers, then again, I use spices a lot! You can make tea from some spices (like ginger), so you may want more or less of a particular spice.
Ginger
Oregano
Cloves
Cinnamon
Curry powder
Garlic powder
Pepper
Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
Chili Powder
Red Pepper Powder
Bay Leaves (get LOTS of these! Bay leaves ward off insects in your food storage!)
Other spices you use
OTHER ITEMS:
Beverage mixes, coffee/tea as you prefer
Sprouting seeds
1 gallon honey
48 packages of Ramen Noodle soup (2 cases)
3 jars coconut oil
1 gallon corn oil
1 gallon canola oil
2 containers all vegetable shortening
6 containers of Corn Starch
6 boxes Baking Soda
3 containers Baking Powder
4 containers beef bouillon (cubes or loose)
4 containers chicken bouillon (cubes or loose)
4 containers vegetable bouillon (cubes or loose)
5 containers salt
8 1 quart bottles of lemon juice
10 jars peanut butter
6 jars jam/jelly/preserves
12 bars of soap
6 bottles baby shampoo
24 rolls toilet paper
24 rolls paper towels
3 bottles of body lotion
2 jars petroleum jelly
1 large bottle aspirin
1 large bottle non-aspirin pain reliever
3 containers baby powder
MAKE YOURSELF:
6 pint jars tomato powder
2 pint jars celery powder
2 pint jars mushroom powder
Other powders you like or find useful
Also, GET A GRAIN GRINDER!!! Manual is best (in my opinion), but if you must, get an electric one...just be sure you have a manual one for *back up* in case of long term power outages!
Get CAST IRON cooking pans. These add iron to your diet, will wear absolutely forever and are easy to clean up after being seasoned properly.
Other Good Things to have in your emergency pantry are a small grill and some bags of charcoal and some strike anywhere matches.
This is a ONE YEAR supply for ONE ADULT PERSON. Breakfast, lunch and dinners. You won't have meat at every meal, but you'll have enough.
It provides ample calories, variety to ward off *appetite fatigue* and extra in case of spoilage. You may have to adjust for food allergies, personal likes and dislikes, etc.
I am sure I forgot a few items, so add what you need that I may have forgot!
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