And you let it get hot

You put the popcorn in

And you start to grin

Sizzle-sizzle, sizzle-sizzle, sizzle-sizzle, sizzle-sizzle

Sizzle-sizzle, sizzle-sizzle . . . . POP!!

That’s really all you need for a recipe! This snack can be salty or sweet, cheesy or plain, but it’s always easy and low-cost.

Popcorn has long been the go-to late-night snack for our family. For years my partner and I have been driving various neighbours crazy with the aroma filtering through to their apartments late in the evenings. Lately I”ve been throwing it in our snack bag. The kids see this as a real treat!

It’s very frugal–even if you factor in buying non-GMO organic popcorn and coconut oil–and just about as quick as microwave popcorn. But when you make it yourself, the ingredients are much healthier. We usually buy ours in the bulk aisle of the health food store, or occasionally through the ONFC food co-op. Either way, it’s a fraction of the price of any store-bought snack, and also much better for you.

Simple Stovetop Popcorn

coconut oil or palm oil

popping corn

Optional toppings: sea salt, melted butter, parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast

Spoon a large gob of coconut oil into the bottom of a large cold lidded saucepan. Turn the heat to max. As soon as the oil has liquefied, add popcorn to cover the bottom of the pot. We don’t measure quantities, but rather aim for the oil to be level with the kernels, and the whole mass covering the bottom of the pot. Too little oil and you will end up with lots of unpopped kernels. Too much, and the popcorn will be soggy or oily. Feel this out and you will have a skill for life

Put the lid on the pot and listen for the popping to start. Have a large bowl or two ready to receive your popcorn.  If the popcorn starts to fill up the pot and lift the lid, dump some of it out into the bowl. In this way you can easily make large quantities even in a relatively small pot. Throw some salt on it immediately, as it sticks better when it’s hot. Return pot to heat and give it a good shake every few seconds so any kernels get shifted to the bottom of the pot for a chance to pop.

Once the popping almost stops, dump the whole into the bowl(s) and salt to taste. Add your optional toppings and enjoy!

How do you like your popcorn?

I started to ask myself, “Why are you obsessing over food? What is the real issue here?” And the answer came: It’s all about nourishment. What with homeschooling, food shopping and preparing, keeping the house under control, and being there for my partner as well, I don’t find a lot of time to nourish myself.

So I started focusing on food, and in the back of  my mind has been the thought that if I get my diet *perfect* I will feel complete, whole, rested, healthy, unstressed, kind all the time, on top of every aspect of my life! Without ever needing to stop and rest or take myself out for ice cream!

Obviously, I need some real nourishment.

So I’ve decided that November is going to be about nourishing myself (and my family too, since we generally eat the same stuff!). This month, instead of worrying about what I shouldn’t eat, I’m going to take a “crowding out” approach this month, filling us up with yummy, healthy, diverse, colourful, unprocessed, organic,  and–can I even hope for it??–frugal foods. These foods will crowd out the less healthy and nutrient dense options, at least some of the time.

Some of my “crowding out” techniques:

- get more good into our smoothies by adding some good supplements like Omega-3s and greens and whatever else I can come up with (bee pollen? mineral powder?)

- we’re soon getting a half a side of beef (yay!) from a local farmer. This will crowd out the occasional less-than-ideal meat purchase from the grocery store.

- focusing more on power-packed snacks. I just bought the eBook, “Healthy Snacks To Go” by Katie Kimball of Kitchen Stewardship. I bought it with a handy coupon through the GNOWFGLINS webinar, “Frugal, Healthy Snacks”. If you act quickly you can probably ask for access to the re-play and get the coupon too! I’m in no way affiliated with either blog, and don’t make any money from your clicks, but I am impressed with the eBook, and am excited to make some power bars tomorrow!

- somehow eat more veggies, maybe by varying what I use in our daily lunch soups? (any suggestions welcome!)

- do more lacto-fermenting. I put up a delicious batch of kimchi-style sauerkraut last week, and made my first Beet Kvass. I’m inspired to do more!!

But besides all the food stuff, I’m going to work on nourishing myself in other ways as well this month. I need time outside the house, to be alone, away from the kids, to be with friends, to exercise and to buy a few needed items that will make me feel good (like new shoes and a pair of jeans!).  Because if I’m really going to go all the way with this homeschooling business, I’m going to need to care for myself too.

You need to put on your own oxygen mask first.

So, what about you? Are you going to have a Nourishing November too?

Found on this week’s Simple Lives Thursday, hosted by GNOWFGLINS.

Some of our favourite uses include:

- in oatmeal. Since going sugar free, this sweet sauce has been a major boon to us in the breakfast department.

- in yogurt. I’ve perfected the art of forming a cute pink applesauce heart in the middle of a tiny bowl of yogurt.

- just plain eating. Best while it’s still warm, but also a delicious snack when the kids are hungry NOW!

Next year I am definitely going apple picking with the kids, and will make jars and jars of applesauce to last us all year. For now, I’m getting them by the slightly bruised bagful from the Herb & Spice (I just discovered their cart of marked down produce–what deals!!).

Simple Applesauce

3 pounds organic apples

1 cup water

Core and roughly chop apples. Place in a saucepan with a cup of water. Bring to boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Once cooked pass them through your food mill to squash out all the good stuff and leave the skins behind. If you don’t have a food mill you can always peel the apples beforehand, or leave the skins on and blend it all together for a more fibre-rich mixture. If you use very red apples, the sauce will be a lovely pink colour. Refrigerate and enjoy, or process in a water bath according to up-to-date canning instructions.

This past week and a half we’ve gone sugar-free in an attempt to regulate moods around here and keep everyone in the green zone. We did have some sugar on Sunday and Monday at a couple of birthday parties (my little guy’s included!), but have mostly maintained our sugar-free status. Stevia is doing a good job in our smoothies but in anything else it lends a somewhat herbal or liquorice taste that isn’t always welcome.

The results of the experiment? It has actually really helped reduce the freak-outs. Everyone has been much more even-tempered except when sleep-deprived.

In addition to sugar, I have also been reducing grains, especially unsoaked grains. We still have our soaked oatmeal every morning, but I’ve had a couple of days without consuming any wheat. And what I’ve noticed is that when I do eat wheat, I get bloated.

So now I’m freaking out just a little. I mean, half this blog is dedicated to my love of bread. Is it possible that I’m gluten intolerant and have never realized it? I have many questions to ask, much soul-searching to do, and a whole ton of research to undertake.

The other thing I’ve realized is that caffeine predictably turns me into a cranky bitch about an hour after I have my morning coffee. All this adjustment of intake is aimed at making our days smoother and keeping everyone in the green zone . . . well, it looks like coffee is out for this mama.

So, here I am today battling carb cravings and a caffeine withdrawal headache, wondering what the hell I’m doing! I’m sure it’s all for the greater good (i.e. a less bloated more even-tempered mama), but it is not easy. It’s also been very expensive–I’ve been eating a whole whack of nuts, which are about 10x more expensive than grains.

Tune in next time to see where we’re at with our crazy mixed-up diet. And if you have any suggestions for going gluten-free the frugal way, please share!!

To be honest, I feel a little guilty and silly for not trying this earlier. Imagine trying to learn and figure out the world, all the while battling these monster reactions to stuff your mom keeps giving you!!

I think the biggest change has been with our breakfast. We used to have oatmeal with honey and blueberries, or cream of wheat with brown sugar. No more! We’re still having oatmeal, but I’m using a few drops of Stevia instead of the honey. And we’re also starting the day with a smoothie, which gives them some fruit, some pro-biotics in the form of yogurt, and some omega-3s from flax oil.

With organic blueberries and sustainable strawberries, this is certainly adding to our budget but hopefully next year I can stock up when they are in season. (I think I will need a bigger freezer!) The kids are loving their smoothies (as am I!), and I feel really good getting all that healthy stuff into them at the top of the day.

So here’s the recipe. You can adjust the quantities depending on your taste and budget. I just eyeball it, to be honest!

Breakfast Smoothie

yogurt

frozen blueberries

frozen strawberries

1 ripe banana

4-5 drops of Stevia

3-4 tsp flax oil (it’s pretty flavourless so I’ve been increasing it day by day)

water to cover

Toss everything into the blender. Blend on highest speed until smooth. Enjoy with a side of soaked oatmeal.

BUT! I have a Kombucha Hypothesis that may just negate the need for SCOBY delivery altogether!

I’m not sure if you remember, but I’ve written before about how crazy tough and virulent the kombucha mother is. Like a mother bear separated from her cub! She will take a beating and come back in full force!

So, I was thinking, all scientist-like, that store-bought ‘bucha is, or at least should be, a raw, unpasteurized food. Thus, it should have live yeast/bacteria in it. Thus, it should be able to produce a new baby, just like these babies I found in my Apple Cider Vinegar.

So I bought me some Kombucha (paid nearly 5 bucks for it!) and let it sit out for about a week with the cap off. And voilà: a tiny little newborn baby SCOBY floating in it!

Now, the second part of the hypothesis, and this is the really exciting bit, is that IF a bottle of ‘bucha can produce its own little SCOBY, it SHOULD be able to produce a BIG SCOBY in a new batch of tea & sugar. Right? I know this contravenes our new sugar-free diet, but come on, this is science!

I don’t have an answer for you yet; my experiment is brewing away, and I will fill you in as things progress. But if this works, it will mean (nearly) free Kombucha for ALL!!!!!

(I feel like a cartoon mad scientist right about now.)

I emailed my husband, “Did you give her sugar?” He had let me sleep in after yet another night of terrible sleep caused by our little guy nursing like a newborn (he’ll be 2 next week). “Yes,” he replied, “but only a little.” Only a little, and yet there it was, the connection I had seen and have been seeing for years, only for some reason this time it gelled in my brain: give her sugar, and she acts like a maniac.

Sure, there are times she has had a bit of something sweet and not freaked out, usually when we’re outdoors, maybe with friends or family, or after a good solid dinner. But we aren’t always in an outdoor, social, post-prandial state of being.

So I googled something along the lines of “Kids, food, behaviour” and started reading. So much of what they recommend avoiding reminded me of what I’ve read in Nourishing Traditions, so I’ve decided to change our eating.

This won’t be a dramatic departure for us, but one shift I’ve decided to make is in my concern over spending money on food. While eating in a more traditional way will certainly cost more money, I think it is worth it. Our children deserve to get the best we can give them, and even our adult bodies will thank us for things like cutting out sugar, reducing grains, and doing things to boost the nutrition of whatever we are eating.

We will try to do this as frugally as possible, which means cutting waste and spending right for the right things. So my current quest will be to find some frugal “real food” staples that I can attempt to have on hand so we won’t resort to less nutritious options.

Today’s staple is Hummus! I love my hummus recipe. It makes a nice big batch which lasts us several days of snacks and lunches. My challenge right now is to find something instead of pretzel sticks to dip in it!

Fantastic Hummus

1 cup dry chick peas, soaked overnight then cooked for 1 hour

1/4 cup cooking water from the chick peas

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cumin powder

2 tbsp lemon juice

25 g olive oil

75 g tahini

Soak the chick peas overnight, drain and cover with fresh water. Cook for 1 hour. Place cooled cooked chick peas in food processor along with the garlic, salt and cumin. Process  until mushy. Scrape down the sides. Stir together the water and lemon juice and add to the food processor while it is running. Stop machine and scrape down, then process until quite smooth. Stir together the olive oil and tahini, and slowly drizzle in while the machine is running.

That’s it! Enjoy your creamy delicately flavoured hummus with a drizzle of olive oil or a sprinkle of cayenne pepper or a few cooked chick peas scattered over the top.

So, what do we do all day? We are working on our daily and weekly rhythms, a balance of “in- and out-breath”, of inside time and outside time, of high energy and rest. Basically, we wake up, eat breakfast, tidy up and get dressed, and then meet in the living room for our circle time. We go through a selection of seasonal rhymes, finger plays and songs, after which we’re ready for our morning adventure.

We’ve been up to a lot, even though we don’t leave before 10 most days (some days not till 11!). We’ve been to our favourite playgroup several times, as well as swimming at the YMCA, the library, parks, and even our own back yard.

After our morning adventure, we head home for lunch, the little guy’s nap, and quiet time for me and my girl. And, if I’m good and organized I will also start dinner during this time. I’ve been trying to include my girl in the dinner prep more often, though she is not always interested in helping out. I’m working on this!

During this time we also do our daily theme activity: baking on Monday, washing the floor and bodily care (clipping nails, etc.) on Tuesday, sewing, hand-work and mending on Wednesday, garden-related activities on Thursday (though I’m still working on this one), and wet-on-wet watercolour painting on Friday. That’s our weekly rhythm.

Once the little guy wakes up we finish up our theme activity and then head out again for our afternoon adventure, which is most often to a park or sometimes our backyard. When we get back, the kids jump in the tub, while I try to get dinner on the table.

I like our rhythm and feel lost on weekends when the rhythm is disrupted. It seems like we are quite busy, and I’m working on slowing down and sticking around home more often, but there is also tonnes of time for the kids to just play together as well as separately and build their interior worlds.

Some people ask about what they’re learning, and although we are not doing “lessons”, I am amazed at how much learning takes place around everyday things. There is so much physical learning like how to use a sharp knife, how to ride a bike, kick a ball, do a summersault, etc., but there is also a lot of basic learning like numbers, math and even fractions (baking), as well as days of the week, some spelling, lots of seasonal stuff, and more.

But more than any of that, we are learning about the world and the systems that sustain us. Also, how to be nice to each other and care for others. And what interesting things adults do in their lives.

This week we’re going to start going to the French story time at the library, and I’m going to start learning new French songs to do at our circle time. And with the coming of Fall there will probably be lots of leaf art and talk about pumpkins. Not to mention harvests and baking and delicious Fall smells filling the house.

That’s about all to report for our first month. And now to take on October!

You can find it at: http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorfathomeinottawa/

During one of these precious chunks of time, I sat down and did a meal plan. It took at least two hours, plus editing. And it still isn’t finished. But that doesn’t really matter, because the process of doing the planning is worth almost as much as the the plan that comes out at the end.

How I approached my meal planning

First of all, I decided to do a two-week meal plan. A weekly one seemed too boring, and a whole month was too daunting. Two weeks seemed like enough time to have some variety, and still maintain the ability to wrap my head around it.

Next I listed all the meals that we usually eat. I figured this wasn’t a time to get creative and discover all sorts of new fancy meals. This was about how I could *tweak* our current meals into a more structured plan.

Then I went over the list and wrote down which ones would yield a lunch for my partner (who prefers leftovers and will only submit to bringing a peanut butter and honey sandwich for lunch about once a year). I figured the meals that didn’t make for a lunch worth of leftovers, we could make on Friday and Saturday nights.

I then juggled the meals and wrote them into a two-week block that I sketched out in my notebook. This wasn’t pretty. It also wasn’t easy! I have perfectionist tendancies so it was very difficult to COMMIT to having Mac & cheese every second Wednesday and fish cakes on alternating Fridays. But I think this is the most important part, because once you have a plan, you can work with it (or around it!).

The last aspect was also very important for me. I looked at each meal and wrote down what could be done the night before, and in the afternoon the day of, as well as what the kids could help with. The importance wasn’t in figuring out the actual asks, but in training my mind to look at my meal prep as lasting about 24 hours. Just about everything has something that can be done ahead of time, and that is a true gift I can give myself.

So, my meal planning was a great success. Truth be told, I haven’t actually USED my meal plan since coming home, but I have benefitted enormously from the act of planning and the thinking that I did.

If you find yourself with a couple of hours of free time (I know–ha!), give meal planning a try. Let me know how it goes.