Homemaking on the Homestead

{this article may contain affiliate links, thank you for your support!}  One thing I know for sure, when I had a lot of people to feed it was much easier to cook daily than when I just need to fix something for myself for lunch. It's easier to think about cooking even if it is just feeding my hubby and me. But when I'm hungry, I find it very difficult to muster the desire to pull out all my veggies and make a salad, or cook something up for just me. Part of working to get fit means that I want to make sure I have good food to eat to support my body. Here has been my solution, fill up my fridge with easy to grab, no thought required, healthy food choices.  The pic above shows my latest meal preps. I've been making bone broth and keeping that in the fridge. I drink a mug of this almost daily. I also cut some of the chicken from my last batch and kept that in the fridge. I add the chicken to my daily cup of broth for a little extra protein. I m...

I took a blog break last week as it was busy. Hubby took a couple extra days off and he and I went away to the Oregon Coast for a few days for my birthday. It was so enjoyable and a much needed break for both of us. We even had a small break in the rain early one morning to get out and walk on the beach and get my 10,000 steps in.. Ha, ha.. :)  The rain was falling over the ocean but it was sunny on the beach and I caught this rainbow over the ocean.  I only had the camera on my phone with me so the pic does not do justice to how beautiful it was to see.. I have a lot of blog posts going on in my head, the hope is to have the time to get them out there this week. For now I have the menu planned out and life is back to routine. Spaghetti Always my favorite stand by. Spaghetti, garlic toast, salad. Easy and good. BBQ Chicken I'll do this in the crockpot. Cut up chicken breasts, smothered in bbq sauce and served with rice. I'll serve broccoli ...

This week Tobin and I have plans that will only have has eating at home a few nights. So my menu will reflect this. I'm finally getting the split pea soup made that I'm had on my list for the last week or more. I have some beef kielbasa that I'll be using for this. We are having that for dinner tonight along with crackers and a salad. The rest of the week looks like this.. BBQ Meatballs I'll be using premade meatballs in the crockpot simmered in bbq sauce. Mashed potatoes, broccoli and coleslaw will be the sides. Mexican Chicken Casserole A mixture of chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, salsa, and rice. Tortilla chips & salsa and a nice salad will round out the meal. Due to our busy week this should do it. How's your menu planning coming along? :)  

I personally love the time change. I love having it stay light longer in the evening. It just says spring to me. I've had a whole lot of spring excitement on my homestead lately. One of the first signs of spring on my homestead is when the ducks start to come and visit our pond. They are coming home from the south and see our pond and stop by for a visit. I always know spring is here when the ducks start visiting our pond... Baby goats!! Spring is the time for baby animals. My mama goat had twin girls! It was so fun to walk in the barn that day and see my 2 new little goats! Two days later I had my grandchildren here for a visit to hug and hold those new baby goats. It was a wonderful day! And finally, my youngest son, Isaac, turned 18! I have raised all my kids to the age of 18 and beyond. But, it seems to happen very fast. My husband and I looked at each other and said... how did this happen so fast? In many ways we miss a house full of...

Happy Monday everyone! :) For this weeks menu I have most everything I need in my freezer already. I'll be grocery shopping today for fresh fruits and veggies and a few more things for the week. I'm working lately to think ahead on more than just my main meals. I have chicken broth going in the crockpot right now . After grocery shopping I plan to prep some simple breakfast, lunch and healthy snacks. I'll be sharing what I do later this week. I know it is so much easier to figure out what to eat if I have simple things ready to go in the fridge. Now for the main meals this week.. Chicken Gravy over Rice I'll use precooked chicken I have in the freezer (the chicken I have from making my last batch of chicken stock) and make gravy with it, serve it over rice. Baked sweet potatoes and broccoli will be served on the side. Corned Beef & Cabbage This time of year corned beef is for sale everywhere. I'll make this traditional meal on St. P...

I wrote this article about 2 years ago when my daughter was turning 18.  This weekend my youngest son, Isaac, turns 18 and my prayer for my son is that he has these basic skills and character traits in his heart as he begins life as an adult.  Happy Birthday Isaac!     As my Father in Law once said to me, "Life is not a race to the end, it's a journey".  As my children grow up and one by one begin their journey I think about how prepared they are for it.  My youngest daughter is turning 18 next month. She is my 7th child to hit this landmark age. I've been thinking about when my older children turned 18 and the life lessons I had/have hoped they understand as they begin their journey into adulthood. I decided to start writing these things down. I’d like to think the things I’ve written are basic character traits I’ve instilled in my children over the years. It is a list of advice I’ve tried to pass on to them. It’s not a comprehens...

Last week I made a batch of chicken stock/broth in my crockpot. It turned out great. I made a tutorial video while I was at it. Homemade broth is so good and incredibly nutritious. The more I read about it the more I'm inspired to make this a staple in my household. I drink a nice warm mug of it everyday now. I use it in my cooking too. Here is my tutorial video....   I mention at the end of the video about Sally Fallon's book Nourishing Broth. I purchased the book not long ago and have been reading it. It is so informative. If you want a comprehensive look at what broth does for the body and how it heals, rejuvenates and improves your health than I highly recommend this book.    I hope this inspires you to make some broth for your family!  

How is your Monday going? Mine is looking busy. Grocery shopping is on my list today and running errands. Spring is in the air and that always is so refreshing. Over the weekend we had 4 visiting ducks in our pond. That is a sure sign that spring is right around the corner. I'm hoping for a break in the rain this week and maybe plan a walk with my daughter Hannah and the grandbabies. Back to menu planning.. :) Since I'll be in town for a good part of the day I'm going super easy tonight. Fish sticks, tater tots and coleslaw from the deli. The rest of my week is looking like this... Meatloaf A favorite standby and quick to put together. I'll serve baked potatoes and broccoli to go along side. Parmesan Chicken Another quick and easy meal that is so good! Buttered pasta and a big green salad sound perfect to go with the chicken. You can find my parmesan chicken recipe HERE . Tacos This was a request from my son Isaac. Simple enough to make. ...

Pics of my kids over the years are in the post..  :) One of the struggles I remember so well over the years of raising kids is that I was asked a lot to do things for groups I belonged to, church activities, family, and more. I hated saying 'no' to anyone. So I would say, “yes”, often. Sometimes this was just fine. I enjoyed helping out in any way I could. But often times the reality was that I was so busy in my life just raising my children, homeschooling, animals, home chores to do, baking, cooking, etc... that when I would say yes, I found that someone or something always suffered at home. At one point I had a house full of little ones, I was pregnant with baby #5 or #6 and I was asked to teach a year of Sunday School. I hesitated, but not wanting to say no, I said yes. Oh my.. that was a hard year in my life. I was exhausted all the time as it was and had lessons for my own children to plan and now I had lessons for SS to plan as well and b...

I was going to make chili last week but instead decided to make a pot of meatball & broccoli cream soup. I used prepackaged frozen meatballs. I buy them from Costco and they are so versatile to have on hand. You can do a lot with them beyond spaghetti & meatballs and this is one example. I made a short little YouTube tutorial on making this soup. Below the video is the complete recipe. Hope you enjoy!   Meatball & Broccoli Cream Soup 1lb frozen meatballs (homemade or store bought), defrosted enough to cut them in half 1lb frozen broccoli cuts 2 cups beef broth/stock 1 stick butter 1 medium onion, chopped ½ cup flour 3 cups milk 1 can corn (or 1 pint home canned as I used in the video) 2 cups grated cheddar cheese salt & pepper to taste In a 6 quart pot put meatballs and broccoli. Add beef stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until the broccoli is tender and the meatballs heated through. In a frying pan, m...