Strawberry Carrot Smoothie

I love love LOVE smoothies.  Not the juice shop kind but ones I make at home.  I have my standard Berry Banana Smoothie but today I thought I'd try something different.  Since I am eating more of a farmer's paleo diet I had to find ingredients that fit this.  Here is my recipe...

Strawberry Carrot Smoothie

• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 2 whole carrots (I sliced them for easy blending)
• 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter (you can use protein powder instead)
• orange juice to cover the strawberries and carrots (1/2-1 cup for me)

Blend til smooth.
Drink.

YUM!

A healthy change

Because Roo's grandfather passed away from  two heart attacks I am having a change of heart (pun intended) about my own health and eating habits.  Her grandfather was the kind of man that put mayonnaise on everything and covered his food in table salt!  I was told I had high blood pressure when I was pregnant but I have been watching it like a hawk now.  I do notice when I bake and eat processed foods my sodium levels are very high.  For this reason I am trying a salt substitute.

Salt-substitute herb blend 

• 3 tablespoons dried basil 

• 3 tablespoons dried marjoram 

• 3 tablespoons dried parsley 

• 3 tablespoons dried thyme 

• 4 1/2 teaspoons dried chives 

• 2 1/2 teaspoons dried paprika 

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary 

• 2 1/2 teaspoons onion powder 

Grind all ingredients together.

Death is just a new start

We got the call yesterday (Sunday) that my former father in law had passed away.  This is my daughter's grandfather so we went to say goodbye and for me to pay my respects.  This got me thinking and planning the whole 2 hour car trip about being prepared even if its a subject few people want to deal with.

The death of a loved one be it spouse or parent can be devastating to everyone and rock you out of your comfort zone.  Grief can be so strong knowing how to deal with everything can be the furthest think from your mind.  But having an idea of what to do can really make a difference in this dark time.

 1.  Calling the funeral home/mortuary.  If your loved one died at home or in a hospital the body has to be released to the mortuary before anything else can be done.  You have to sign paperwork to allow the mortuary to claim the body from the morgue.  Plus you can make arrangements for the funeral at the same time saving a trip to the mortuary.  If your loved one was in the service, call the Veterans Administration.  They can assist in the final arrangements.  Each case is different, but they can help to a degree.

2.  Order the death certificates.  You will need these for everything and a photocopy will not cut it.  Order 10-20 copies.  Trust me, you will need them.  These can be ordered from the funeral director so order them while you are signing the release of the body.  Most will offer a bulk discount.

3.  Close and cancel all accounts.  Once the funeral and memorial are over you will need to gather all your loved ones account documentation and get to work.   This is where the death certificates will be needed.  Any insurance policies need to be cancelled.  As will all creditors will need to be contacted.  Not all debt disappears with death but the creditors will need to know of the death.  Some will offer a reduced debt/payment for bereavement.  Bank accounts/titles will need to be changed to the name of the beneficiaries. 

4.  Make sure you remember the good times you had with your loved one.  Those memories will help you deal with the grief of the loss.

Death can be sad and cause deep heart ache but at the same time it can be a new start.  It can be a chance for you to take that step to change things in your own life and to make sure your own loved ones are not at a loss when you pass.  It is a time to live, love and laugh.

Fall off the bone tasty ribs

Friends are coming this weekend to visit us here on the mountain.  I want to be a good hostess and offer some yummy food.  So I have opted for some fall off the bone delicious ribs and some tri tip.  Of course with guests here I'll be chasing Roo around and will not have time to 'man' the barbeque myself.  I am having one of the menfolk take over grill duties but not before I prep the meat!

For the past few days I have had the ribs soaking in a pot of citrus juice and spices.  Once they are ready I will rinse them and rub them down with my fab rib rub that makes them soooooo yummy!

Rub Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 1 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons cumin powder
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

From one box to another

As I started emptying boxes in the dining room and kitchen I realize that there are items I have to put back in to boxes.  REALLY?!  I started by dividing all the items that need to go back into boxes.  Mostly it is food and food storage items that are not needed at the moment. 

This past weekend I had picked up some clear plastic totes from Costco for items that need to be in storage but are used often.  I put the food in these so they can be stored in the basement without fear of mice eating it.  I had also picked up a shelving system for these totes.  This way I don't lose totes to being crushed by the weight of others on top of them.

So far my kitchen and dining room are less cluttered and I have a box of kitchen gadgets I'll never use ready for Goodwill.  Another up side to this is I can see what is in the tote as well as it is ready to just grab and go if another move should happen.

In short, sometimes moving things from one box to another can give you the desired results.

Caveman vs. Farmer

You hear lots of buzz about different diets nowadays.  And when you are trying to be healthy it can be hard to stick to any one of them.  Well, this is my problem.  I thought one of the perks of living away from it all on a mountain was not being able to run to the store for cookies and cake.  Yeah right!  With all the food I have to keep on hand to feed us it is easy to grab that box of cake mix or make a batch of cookie dough...

So its back to eating moderately healthy.  I figure if I start each day on the right foot I can maintain better eating habits and slowly push out the bad habits.  Because I have Hypothyroidism due to Graves Disease my health is important.  I have to stay on top of my blood tests and watch my food.  My doctor told me the best diet for thyroid conditions is a diabetics diet- low to no carbs and no sugar.  I tried.  No luck.  Everything was bland or lacking in taste regardless of the spices/seasonings I used.  So, I am giving the Paleo diet a try.  Or I should say a modified Paleo diet.  I like to think of it as a farm diet- fresh fruit and veggies and healthy lean meats.  All things that can be raised on a homestead.

Now, this is not about weight loss though I could stand to lose some weight.  This is about better overall health.  It is slow going but I can only take it one day at a time.  Geez!  Sounds like a twelve step program but it is the only way to do this...

Living out of boxes...

Clutter is a big issue for many people including myself and family.  I have a problem letting go of things I can see a future use for.  Like other clutter bugs I don't every use those items- they just take up space.  In the past seven years we have moved six times and every time we have thinned our belongings and spent months after the move living out of boxes.  This is one of the major reasons I think I am a clutter bug.  I want to know where things are and not have to dig through boxes for them.  My answer for this was to replace the items I need most.  Yeah, a waste of money and time.

I have taken time to go through our belongings many a time to get rid of duplicates and things we will never use.  Every move I make 10+ trips to the Goodwill to donate useable items that do not need to be in a landfill.  I have also spent the month before a move selling other items on Ebay or Craigslist.  I have even gotten to the point during a move that I just start throwing things out rather than lug them with me!  But no matter how much I get rid of our belongings multiple before the next move!

When I was in college I had a boyfriend that lived a minimal lifestyle.  His goal was to be able to packed everything he owned into his car and move in one trip if the need ever rose.  He never had to rent a truck if he had to move.  All his clothes could be packed into two small suitcases.  His bed sat on a frame made from milk crates.  All the crates doubled as moving boxes and he could pack all his things in them then into the trunk of his car.  I always thought he was odd not having any major furniture or keepsakes.  Now I look at him as a fine example of how my family and I should live.   Of course with a child I'll never be able to make one trip with the car to move but at least I can get things to a point where one medium moving truck is all I need. 

To combat the clutter, living out of boxes and the growing amounts of belongings I have come up with a plan.  I will go through one box everyday.  Items will be put into one of three classifications; Keep, Throw Away and Donate/Give Away. 

The items to Keep will be put away in their proper place. Or packed into a box that is clearly labeled and placed neatly in the basement or storage.

Throw Away items are ones that do not have a use and are of no use to anyone else.  Mostly paper scraps or what we all call "trash".

Donate/Give Away items are self explanatory.  These will be kept in a box til it is full and then taken to a donation center or listed as "free" on Craigslist.

Happy Fourth of July!

 Have a safe and happy holiday.

The Great Mountain of Laundry

Everyone has laundry.  Unless you buy new clothes, wear once and toss out you have laundry that needs to get washed, dried and put away.

Like most of society I hate doing the laundry.  I have tried setting up wash days to get it all done and it will get washed and dried but sit for the next week in the baskets never getting hung up or folded in drawers.  So I set up a schedule to do a load of laundry everyday.  That includes wash, dry, fold/hang and put away. Lets see if I can actually stick to it.

Now, not only do I hate doing laundry I hate spending lots of money on detergent, dryer sheets, fabric softener and stain spray!  I started couponing to help cut the overall cost but saving 55 cents on a $20 bottle of detergent doesn't seem worth it...

 I have tried many recipes for making my own laundry detergent.  With the amount of laundry I have done over the year as a costume designer I have seen how these recipes have worked and then again didn't. 

Recently I found a recipe that seems too good to be true.  I mean it has all the same ingredients as the others I have tried but its mojo is just stronger!  And... drum roll, please... it's cheaper per use than the other recipes!  It contains the following; Borax, Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, OxyClean, Zote Soap, Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, and Purex Crystals Fabric Softener.

I found the recipe while surfing around, but credit needs to be given where credit is due.  The gals over at How Does She deserve the praise for this one.  You can find the recipe HERE. 

I did find that one batch only fills a 5 gallon bucket half way.  Double the batch and you'll have a full bucket.  I am using a pink bucket from the Breast Cancer Sale at Ace Hardware with a black Gamma seal lid.  It looks very bold and bright compared to my other 5 gallon buckets used for food storage which are white.  I do advise wearing a dust mask while you mix this all together.  The dust from all the powdery ingredients really got caught in my nose.  I could only smell the Zote for a few days.

With saving money in the laundry department on my mind I wanted to find a way to save even more.  Dryer sheets are another area where I can't seem to find a way to break even!  They cost sooooo much for so few sheets in a box!  I have switched back and forth from brand to brand and even the generics to try and find something that worked but didn't break the bank!

Well, the answer was in the laundry aisle at the store- dryer balls!  But I didn't feel the PVC ones for sale were healthy for my little family so again I surfed for an alternative.  And I found it.  Wool dryer balls.  I made mine but there are tons of great crafty people on sites like Etsy that make and sell them for very cheap.  I almost wished I had gotten mine there rather than spending the time to make my own.

Now armed with this new fab recipe and some great wool dryer balls hopefully I can get laundry under control and save some money.