A few months ago something amazing happened!

My children and I cooked together! (My son is the oldest at 10 and my daughter is 4.)

They’ve helped a little by stirring or being taste testers, but never really stuck it out till we were finished.

We made Kim Chi (from Nourishing Traditions) and had so much fun.

My daughter tore the cabbages leaves….

…and my son cut the carrots up.

The food processor did most of the work, for which I am grateful.

Here is the recipe we used:

Easy Kimchi
(makes 2 quarts)

1 head Napa cabbage, cored and shredded
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 cup carrots, grated
1/2 cup Daikon radish, grated
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1 tablespoon sea salt
4 tablespoons whey* (or use additional 1 T salt instead)

Place vegetables, ginger, red chili flakes, salt and whey in a bowl and pound it with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer to release juices. Place them in two quart sized glass jars and press down firmly until all the juices come up to the top and cover the vegetables. The top of the vegetables should be at least an inch from the top of the jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days at which time you can put it in the fridge or cold storage.

*You can get whey by straining plain yogurt through a large napkin or cheesecloth.  The solids will stay in the cloth and the liquid that drips down is the whey.

(Note: I didn’t use any Daikon radish and went really light on the chili flakes. )

The first time I made this, I used a quart jar. The next time I made a whole gallon!

Can you tell I REALLY like this?  It’s so fresh tasting…crunchy, sweet, sour…..simply addictive!

This was really easy, please try it for yourself….you’ll be glad you did.

Find more wonderful recipes and projects at Fight Back Friday.

Katie, from Kitchen Stewardship, has done a great post about the new Dirty Dozen food list. This is a printable list naming the top 12 foods you should try to buy organic.  These fruits and veggies are the ones with the highest pesticide residues at the grocery.

Make your organic purchases really count by using this list.  You can download it at Katie’s.

Further Reading:

The Daily Green: Dirty Dozen and Clean 15

Go to Fight Back Friday for more great info!

Just 4 more weeks to go.

Can I just say…I need to get a move on.

My biggest struggle: being busy.

I seem to forget about exercising and eating well when my to do list seems a mile long.

One helpful thing…I’m working on double digging my garden.

That should burn some calories!

You should see the biceps I’m getting! Muscle weighs more than fat, right?

Maybe that’s the problem. {wink}

(See more Loosing It posts at Giving Up On Perfect.)

Well, it’s week 5 already!

I’ve still been eating less and exercising more.

Good news…it’s working!

Bad news….it’s SLOW!

But six pounds so far isn’t too bad.

My kids and I are working on our veggie garden for the next few weeks.  All that extra activity should help.

The most important thing:  I’ve stuck to it.

And THAT is a big deal.

(Let’s keep encouraging each other! Head over to Giving Up On Perfect to see who’s joined in.)

Things have been continuing on like last week. I’m still not overeating and I’m actually feeling full faster! (Which is a big deal!)

I did add in exercise and have done something every day.

Note: The “experts” that say you shouldn’t exercise before bed (because of the energy it gives you) are RIGHT! I realized one night that I hadn’t done any exercise all day, so did a few arm exercises.  I went to bed satisfied with the knowledge that I had met my goal.

So, I went to bed at 9:30, but didn’t get to sleep until after 12:30!  I couldn’t get sleepy…which is very unusual for me. So I got a lot of thinking done that night.

How have your habits changed?

Have you been more aware of what you’re eating…of exercising?

(Want to join in on the fun? Go to Giving Up On Perfect to get the details!)

Mary at Giving Up On Perfect is having a 10 week weight loss challenge.

I was going back and forth about joining in. But, what do I have to loose?!

Well, I do know exactly what need to loose…all this squish making my clothes too tight!

So, like Jessie from Vanderbilt Wife and Ashleigh at Heart and Home I’m going at this the real food way.

Here’s my starting plan:

*Lower carbs

*8-10 glasses of water

*Coconut oil

*Lots of veggies, some fruits

*Grass fed protein

*30 minutes + of exercise daily

Y’all I am totally printing this out and putting it on the fridge.

Oh. Boy.

Here. We. Go!

{insert nervous sigh}

I have been trying to compile a list of what foods are in season each month.  Not only will the food taste better, but it will be a lot less expensive!  I was giddy when this little gem showed up in my Google reader…

Chart by Leon

(The chart was made by the Leon restaurant chain in London, but since British weather is very similar to the climate of most of North America, it works well for most of us.)

You can get your own chart here…for free!

I grew up eating sauerkraut from a can.  I liked it pretty well, but then I was introduced to REAL sauerkraut!  I’m talking about lacto-fermented sauerkraut, alive and health-giving.   There’s no way to describe the difference between canned sauerkraut and fresh, real sauerkraut!

(I haven’t taken any pictures of my sauerkraut, so I’ll give you a few links that explain the process.)

(It’s important to remember that these new ways of eating and cooking get so much easier with time.  So, if things feel awkward at first, don’t be concerned. )

Crystal Miller shares: How to make sauerkraut-Step by Step.

Debbie Apple shows how she makes sauerkraut.

Have you ever made sauerkraut?  Do you make other fermented veggies or have a favorite recipe to share?

Go to Food Renegade for Fight Back Friday to learn more about great food!

(This is a timely repeat from the archives.)

If you listen to the news you hear a lot about flu and cold season.

So, I thought I’d share what has helped our family stay well.

When our babies were sick I would have given anything to make their pain go away.
So after suffering through a few colds, I had enough!

It was time to be on the offense.

I  found our there is  SO MUCH we can do to keep from getting sick!
Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years:

Sugar is public enemy number one.

Eating one teaspoon can lower the immune system up to six hours.

Ever wonder why the flu season happens around the holidays?

Think about all of the pies, cakes, brownies, sugar cookies…

It’s hard not to eat sugar but it’s even harder to see your babies with what my daughter calls “booger nose”.

Enough said.

Over 80% of your immune system is located in the intestinal tract.

Help keep the digestive tract working well by taking  a good quality probiotic or by eating naturally fermented foods, like yogurt or sauerkraut.

Peroxide is a wonderful helper in the fight against disease.

Bubble out your ears with peroxide.
(Just dip a cotton ball into the peroxide, lay on your side and use the cotton to drip peroxide  into your ear canal.
Wait until you hear it stop bubbling and then tip your head and pour it out.
It’s helpful to have a hand towel on the pillow.)

I do this whenever we have any symptoms and it really seems to help.  With little kids you can just take a cotton swab and dip it into the peroxide and gently put some into their ears.

If you are having a sore throat you can gargle with a mixture of  half water and half peroxide.

Wash your hands, eat healthy foods, get plenty of rest and STAY WELL!

(I hope these things help your family too.  I’m not a doctor, so these are just tips from one Mom to another.  May your family stay healthy this winter!)

“… I am the LORD that healeth thee.” (Exodus 15:26 KJV)

If you enjoyed this here is some additional reading:

My homemade germ killing cleaner.

How to treat a cold.

Drink enough water.

For more info on improving your health visit Food Renegade on Fight Back Fridays

How many of you make sauerkraut?

I have made two batches. The first (amazingly) was really good, the second was really bad.  I used whey and salt for the first batch and just salt for the second.  Has that made a difference for you all?

What do you all put your cabbage in while it ferments?  I just read that Sally Fallon (Nourishing Traditions) puts hers in closed top mason jars.  Will the building gasses cause the jars to explode?

Thanks for all your help!  Any advice is much appreciated by this sauerkraut making newbie!

Head on over to Food Renegade to learn more about real food on Fight Back Fridays!