A Glimpse...

Into Proverbs 31

14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. 15 She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

I have picked up and put down Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be, a 90 day guide to living the Proverbs 31 life by Donna Partow. Through this book and various other ways I have been convicted to provide nourishing, healthy food for my family over the last year. God has opened my eyes to the fact that I need to take care of my body and help my family do the same. We have had some medical issues that have been resolved since we have started this journey which is conformation that we are on the right path.

So far this year our family has:

• Expanded the garden  
• Planted 3 dwarf fruit trees (apple, pear, and fruit cocktail)
• Planted blueberry and raspberry bushes.
• Started learning the traditional ways of preparing food 

I just completed the Ecourse at GNOWFLINS. It has helped me learn more about our food and how to gain more nutrients from it. I also entered to win A Peasant's Feast Ecourse over at Keeper of the Home. I couldn't believe it when she emailed me to tell me I won. HOW EXCITING! So, Thank you Stephanie at Keeper of the Home. If you have never been to her blog, I would highly recommended it. You can learn many new things in the way of nutrition and green living. She also launched a new site Saving Naturally, which has many great deals and tips.  

Visit me again next Saturday to see what else the Provers 31 woman is teaching me!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday {and where have I been}...

I been a bit sparse, oh, since about the 3rd week in May. You see I am a routine kinda gal. It doesn't have to be set in stone but some order in my life makes me happy. If I'm off when I usually work, I just don't know what to do with myself. Or if something funky gets thrown in the day that isn't normal, my hair stands a little. SO, I had several ladies staying with me for my SIL's wedding (several weeks ago) AND I had off 3 days. Talk about a double whammy :) Then after wedding weekend we had to get the rest of the garden in, play catch up on the house, etc. which got my routine all outa wack. YAWN!!! I am sure you get the picture. Any who...

Iamherenow.atthepresent.notgoinganywhere.Ithink.

Here's your kitchen tip for today:

When cooking dinner try to make extra! Let's just think about this for a minute, no a second is all it will take. If you are browning beef then brown some extra for freezing. Making mashed potatoes, cook some extra. Sunday while making our BIG Sunday lunch I cooked enough ground beef to make some plain and taco seasoned for the freezer. I also made a shepherds pie  with some of the meat and leftover m.potatoes that needed to be used up from the fridge. I now will be able to pull something together for dinner on the nights that I don't have much time or I just didn't get my to my meal planning that week.

Here are some links that might give you some ideas to save time in the kitchen:
Make Ahead/ Freezer Mashed Potatoes
Passionate Homemaking Freezer Meal Carnival
Homemaking Homesteader