Garden in a Glance, III

This was my first year to grow Cosmos--and really, my first year to seriously grow flowers. I have been delighted by these cuties, as well as by how low maintenance they are. They don't require a lot of water, do better without fertilizer, and love the heat. And if I leave them to go to seed at the end of the season, they should come back next year on their own!

They started out like this:

And now they look like this:

 

My two flower gardens don't provide us food to eat, so they don't directly enhance our self-sufficiency, but there is something to be said for increasing the beauty in your world...

Whole Milk

Over a year ago I posted about a study that linked skim milk with not losing weight. If you understand the value of whole foods, you weren't surprised.

So here's another article, which explains the reasons why not just whole foods but whole milk products are better for your health. It goes right along with something a friend of mine asked me a couple years ago, which I've meant to blog about ever since: Aren't vitamins A and D fat-soluble? The answer is yes. Which means, as the article states, "This makes fortified skim milk the biggest sham of all."

Sure is nice when what tastes best is actually more healthful! :)

Garden in a Glance, II

Today's "Garden in a Glance" is tomatoes. 

I'm so excited about these because they are the best tomato plants I've ever been able to grow. I guess the combination of the early, hotter summer, the dry weather (of course, I water them regularly), the location, and the perfect soil (brand new Mel's Mix) combined to give us a beautiful tomato crop this year.

 I have 20 plants (16 shown here) and most of them have gotten huge, with amazingly thick stalks. We've just started harvesting them, since they're finally starting to ripen. I've thus reintroduced "real" tomatoes to my children, proving to them that there really is NO COMPARISON between store-bought tomatoes and the home-grown variety.

Produce in a Pic

This was my harvest on Monday morning. I think the garden is picking up speed, finally. :)

Honey Limeade

The other day I made fresh limeade with honey and realized that, while I've posted my raw sugar lemonade recipe, I haven't posted anything about making it with honey. Now, if you don't like the taste of honey in a beverage, this may not be for you, because you can taste the honey. But since we all love honey in my family, we loved this version of limeade. And, of course, it could just as easily be made with lemons instead (keeping in mind that lemons are generally about twice as big as limes).

Honey Limeade

Juice from 8 limes (about 3/4 c.)
3/4 c. honey
2 c. very warm water
more water

Pour honey into pitcher and add very warm water. Mix thoroughly so honey melts and combines with water.

Juice limes. Add juice to pitcher. Mix. Add cold water, to taste, until limeade is as tart or sweet as you like it. (Adding a drop of (CPTG) lemon essential oil might be nice, too.) Place in fridge to chill.

Chicken (or Vegetable) Divan--Without Canned Soup!

I was introduced to Chicken Divan a few years ago when a friend of ours made it for us. It was so much better than the chicken, broccoli, rice casserole I'd grown up with that I couldn't believe it.

Since then, I've tried other recipes and played around with things and finally have a Chicken Divan recipe--that doesn't use canned soup--that we really like. My latest inspiration came from this blog, which includes beautiful, step-by-step instructions. Since it's summer and we constantly have lots of squash to use, I added some to this recipe and it was delicious and added substance and color. (For vegetarians, I also believe this recipe would be good as Vegetable Divan, with the elimination of the chicken.)


Chicken Divan

4 c. cooked brown rice
3 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into bite size pieces
2 c. broccoli, cooked and diced
1-2 c. squash, diced
1 onion, diced
About 4 Tb. butter
1/3 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. milk
Salt/Pepper
1 - 2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. or more of shredded cheddar

While rice, chicken, and broccoli cook (all in separate pans), heat up some oil (preferably extra virgin olive oil) in a large skillet and saute onions and squash until just softened. When broccoli is finished cooking, combine it with cooked onions and squash.

In medium saucepan, melt butter and when melted add flour. Continue to stir and cook flour for 5 - 10 minutes over medium or medium-low heat. When it starts to smell toasty, it's done. If it's too thick, add some of the milk to keep mixture from burning and to facilitate stirring.

Add all milk and stir until mixture starts to thicken again. Add salt/pepper. Add cooked vegetables and chicken. Stir until combined. If too thick, add more milk. Add curry. Taste and add more seasonings, as desired.

Remove from heat. Stir in mayo.

Pour into 9 x 12 square baking dish. Sprinkle cheese over top.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and has a touch of color, and the casserole is bubbling.

Serve over the warm rice.

Garden in a Glance

I've had so much fun with my gardens this year that I decided to start a series of garden pictures to show them to you. 

This one is my first try with wave petunias. They're in my front yard where they get tons of sun and can be enjoyed by anyone who passes by. They have been a joy to me and well worth the investment, spreading to fill my SFG box (about 4' x 4'), just as I hoped they would. They're low maintenance and bloom the entire summer! For an annual, you really can't get better than this.

(This picture was taken a couple weeks ago and by now the melon plant in the center has begun to take over, so I'm glad I took the pic when I did.)

Essential Oils for Allergies

A while back I learned of an allergy remedy using essential oils taken internally, and have been using it this summer. My allergies don't get as bad as many peoples, but they are still annoying, so I was happy to discover that this "recipe" works for me. My neti pot is also very effective in reducing my symptoms, as I have mentioned a few times before, but sometimes I need something more. So here it is:

In an empty capsule, take 2 drops each of lemon, lavender, and peppermint CPTG essential oils. After a few moments, I feel the capsule release inside my system, and a slight coolness spreads upward and opens up my sinuses and clears my head. And it lasts. Without antihistamines or side effects. --Oh, except for the side effect of amazing breath, thanks to the peppermint. :)

If you're interested in reading more about essential oil remedies for allergies, check out this site.

Or see this video of a regular mom, to learn more about the different ways essential oils can be used to help children (and adults) in your family deal with allergies.

Another Favorite Product

I'm going to sound like a commercial here, but I am seriously enamored with this new SolarLite flashlight my parents gave to my husband for his birthday. We always have a regular (big batteries) flashlight on hand in case of a power outage, but we also always keep the batteries out of the flashlight, since battery power drainage occurs even when the flashlight isn't in use. But that means if it's dark, it's kind of frustrating to get the flashlight working. (Who am I kidding? It's frustrating anyway.) But this flashlight is a totally different story:

• Only 4 Ounces
• Floats
• Waterproof to 80'
• 10 hours of Light--On one charge!
• Solar Charge Holds for 3 Years
• SuperBright 40 Lumen LED
• Recharge with any Light Source--This one amazes me!
• 7 Year Lithium-Ion Backup Battery
• No Cranking - No Shaking
• Environmentally Friendly
• Guaranteed for Life!

Honestly, anyone wanting to be prepared for emergencies (and I want to take it camping too) should have one of these!

Strawberries and Cream

When I was a missionary for my church, a couple of fellow missionaries introduced me to this simple, yet delicious way of eating strawberries and cream. I remembered how wonderful it was and it has since become part of my family's tradition. Nowadays, I have modified it from brown sugar to raw sugar, and it's just as yummy.

Strawberries and Cream

Whole strawberries, washed
Sour cream
Raw sugar

Dip whole strawberries into bowl of sour cream until thinly coated. Roll in plate of raw sugar until coated. Enjoy!

Note: As you can tell from the picture, these need to be dipped immediately before eating (in other words, everyone dips their own while they're eating), as the sugar and cream tend to melt and slide off quickly.