Simplifying Cooking

I enjoy cooking, and love eating even more. Breads and pastas are my favorites. It would be easy to get caught up in spending a lot of time cooking and not focusing on my relationships. Once again replacing previous work time for cooking time.

Goal for cooking: Provide at least one nutritional, home cooked meal for my family a day with the focus being on family not the food.

Cooking is fun, especially when shared with friends. 

Tasks to include in reaching this goal include:

"Thank You for limiting meat!"

• Use frugal food tips, you can find them here.
• Bake (at a maximum once a week) snacks, breakfast foods, breads. 
•  Limit convenience foods—they are not a frugal purchase and usually not nutritionally sound
•  Limiting frequency of cooked meals; related to family not always home at the same time, all can cook and fix their own meals and quick alternatives are available i.e. fruit, baked goods.
•  Keep foods simple; eat raw vegetables and fruits, limit condiments and time consuming recipes
• use a Crock Pot.
•  Limit meat purchases, which are expensive and time consuming to cook.  
•  Have my family spend time cooking with me, if they are available. 
•  Prepare mixes for pancakes, cakes, muffins in advance. Just add liquids to mix and cook.
•  Plan out a menu with family on a weekly basis to decide which meals to cook, coordinate schedules and decide when to shop together for foods.
•  Plant a family garden. (Ours will be planted at the end of May beginning of June because of  weather. )
•  When a large fancy meal is desired, make it a family affair and invite guests.
• Try once a month cooking. Cook all meals for the month in one day and freeze. 

Grandma's cooking, the best!

Food is wonderful and needed for life. Being consumed by food to the point it alters your health and relationships doesn't lead to a simple life.

Goal Setting for a Simpler Life

Burney Falls, California 

I have been reviewing and evaluating my steps toward a simpler life. Trying to figure out where I started and where I am going now.  I believed I had made a lot of baby steps toward my overall goal of simplifying. I had performed some tasks, planned and cut things out of my life. But I never wrote my actual goals down in words to keep me on track.

I sat down today to write those goals; guidelines for achieving a simpler life. When writing goals I decided I needed to ensure they were: defined, realistic, measurable and had a final deadline time or date.

Defining a goal is deciding what I really want to accomplish, what the end result will be. Defining what I thought my goal was, I envisioned what a simple life would look like for me. I realized simplifying my life is not really a goal, but an end result of several other smaller goals. Defining these goals actually helps me get a real grasp on what I want.

Realistic—Can I truly accomplish this goal? Is it within my means to do it: financially, academically, emotionally; Do I have the will power?  Can I perform the smaller goals to get to the peaceful place I want to be? I believe I can by setting smaller goals and following goal setting criteria.

Measurable—How do I know I'm on track? Have I met some of the smaller goals; such as I will clean out one dresser drawer a week? One drawer is the standard I am measuring.

Deadlines help us finish tasks in a timely manner to meet these goals. Deadlines can be set by a certain date or amount of time, such as 10 minutes or one week.

After setting the criteria I wanted, I chose to breakdown my life into different areas. This way I could set smaller goals for each area and feel a sense of accomplishment.

The areas at present time I want to set goals and tasks for completion are: spiritual life, family relationships, housework, cooking, scheduling and errands and crafts/extra activities. As I go through these areas I may choose to include more as time goes on. But, for now I will start here and blog my progress.

Please share some of your goals, struggles and tips for a simpler life.

Road Trip Date and Photos

Saturday the weather was absolutely beautiful here in Northern California. The temperature was in the 60's, sun shining, and I had cabin fever. My husband for the first time in six years heard me say "I'm bored." He took my cue and out on a date we went.

My husband and I don't have a lot of time alone. We have a 17 year old son and 12 animals to care for. Our usual outings are to run errands. Many times we end up taking our son and dogs with us. This doesn't provide for a chance to nurture our own relationship.

God designed marriage because He saw, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18 (NIV). God has set priorities in our lives about relationships you can read here. Marriage is a high priority only second to our relationship with God. To have healthy relationships with God and our spouse we have to put time and effort into them.

Our outing began with lunch at a small local restaurant. We ate and visited with the owner. In this town everyone knows everyone.

After lunch we stopped by the kennel where we train and board our dogs. The owner has become a good friend of ours. I thought it would be a nice surprise if I took her some chicken eggs and one of my re-potted spider plants. You can read about my surplus of eggs and spider plants here.

After our visit with the dog trainer, off we drove farther north making various stops and taking photos along the way. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Windy Rest Stop.—Ravendale, CA

High Desert Pond (With Fresh Water Springs)—Ravendale, CA

High Desert (Fresh Water Springs From A Distance)

Not uncommon, Cougar tracks on a side dirt road. 

Shoe Tree.—Ravendale, CA

Cows get to run free here.—Ravendale, CA

Cows free ranging next to paved road.—Termo, CA

Horses at local horse sanctuary.—Dry Valley, CA

Some of the horses are domestic, others wild mustangs

'Eagle Lake' In California. Frozen along the shores.

'Eagle Lake' photo taken from 'Stone's Landing'

'Eagle Lake' frozen at dusk

Frugal Tips-Laundry

Friday's Frugal Tips—Related to laundry.  It may sound crazy, but laundry is one of my favorite housekeeping activities. Not sure why, but it may have to do with having clean clothes, using my frugal tips and also being outside to hang clothes. Tips I use consist of:

• Hang dry clothes either outside on a clothesline or inside on clothes racks. 
• Use 1/4 cup of vinegar in rinse water for fabric softener; Brightens clothes and gets rid of static cling. 
• Use cold water instead of warm or hot water; Clothes get just as clean.
• If you use a dryer, use a gas dryer. Gas is cheaper than electric (In many areas of the country).
• At the end of a wash-cycle, turn the knob back to spin (to wring out the extra water.) Clothes will dry quicker this way.
• After hanging clothes to dry, if wrinkled either dry in dryer for 10 minutes or hang up on a shower curtain to expose the clothes to steam (gets rid of wrinkles.)
• Use a little less laundry detergent than what the package recommends. I usually use 2/3 to 1/2 of what is recommended.
• Make your own laundry detergent (To help save more). Recipes here.
• If laundry wash water is not too dirty, dip out some of the water, before it drains out, to mop with. 
• Never buy dry-clean only items. 
• To preserve clothes, make sure you zip up zippers and button buttons to decrease friction on fabric.
• Use dryer lint to make fire starters in your wood stove. Find out how to make fire starters http://chickensintheroad.com/crafts/homemade-fire-starters/
• A little dish soap is a great stain remover. 
• Wash only full loads.  
• Reuse jeans and bath towels more than once to decrease laundry.
• Wash comforters in commercial washers only. A comforter is too big for a standard washer and can actually damage your machine. 
• If using dryer sheets, cut them in halves or even thirds. 

Accident, Illness and "Homey" Activities

The last week and a half has been a little hectic. Last week on Monday my son went for a bike ride and had an accident. He attempted to apply the back brakes which failed (on a brand new bike), then proceeded to put on the front breaks. He went flying over the handle bars. When he used his arm to shield his face, he fell on his right elbow fracturing it.

Off to the urgent care clinic we went. At the clinic Chris underwent an assessment, an X-ray was ordered, a splint applied and an orthopedic referral made. Of course, there is only one orthopedic doctor in town and he happens to be my doctor too. He was a little surprised to see us in his office. I'm sure having two family members, different accidents, three months apart who are patients is not the norm for him. He ordered an MRI. On our follow-up visit he told us the right elbow joint was fractured. It will take four to six months to heal. Some gentle bending and flexing of the elbow in the shower is needed and physical therapy will begin in three to four weeks. The next visit for Chris's elbow is in two weeks.

Oh, before I forget we went to our family doctor on Tuesday, and my son is also being treated for strep throat.

All the running to doctor appointments, x-rays and pharmacies hasn't left much time for my daily homey activities which I enjoy. That is, until today.

Today, with my son feeling better, I was able to do some things on my to-do list. One thing I have been slowly working at is de-cluttering. On my back porch I have an old refrigerator and a freezer which I use for storage.  I put items in there I don't use every day but use frequently enough I want them nearby. The fridges also serve as storage units for sales items and additional pantry stock.

Refrigerator storage

More stuff for refrigerator storage

Another task on my to-do list is splitting and replanting my spider plant. The task doesn't take long but I haven't been in the mood to do it. The original plant had been split and replanted more than a year ago.  From the first plant I made five cuttings. I kept three and gave two away. My three have now turned into seven. They grow so fast. Now I'm making plans on who to give those to. I also decided to plant one of my peach seeds. We will see it if grows into a tree or not.

Spider Plants

Pot with planted peach seed

Last I did a little baking. Not my typical frugal recipe of making things from scratch. Wait!  Let me explain. My husband found a really good sale on loss leaders at our local IGA. I believe he got the cake mix around 39 cents. Something outrageously cheap. In an inexpensive case like this I can go along with it not being made from scratch. However, I did use frugal, homegrown eggs.

Baking cupcakes and mini-cakes for sharing

Baked and Cooling 

Frosted. Ready to eat and share

At least my chickens have kept up on the homey activities of laying eggs. I've had almost six dozen eggs recently. Now, I'm down to four dozen. I used some for baking and cooking and gave a dozen away to my Christian Mentor when she visited on Monday.

Product of six busy chickens

 five of my busy girls (Sixth Not Pictured)

Things are getting back to normal. I feel complete again.

Frugal Food

Frugal food tips is one of the best ways to save money. I'm always on the lookout on how to save on groceries. I have gathered a list of my most used frugal food tips:

•   Don't purchase soda
•   Dilute canned frozen juice, (if purchased at all)
•   Save juice from canned fruit, to freeze into popsicles
•  Don’t buy eggs, raise chickens
•   Buy meat on sale or clearance only
•    Buy bananas which are turning brown, to make breads, muffins and pancakes.
•  Hot cereal is cheaper than cold cereal
•   Use coupons for food you will actually eat.
•  Use powdered milk for cooking
•  Make your own sweet tea, using as few tea bags and sugar as possible
•   Limit eating out. When eating out don’t order drinks, eat lunch instead of dinner, or just go out for dessert
•  Stock pile food items on sale which you will use
• Use a freezer for frozen sale items
•  Cook from scratch
•  Shop discount grocery stores
• Eat less meat
•  Bake from scratch, items for breakfast and snacks
• No packaged convenience foods
• Eat only when hungry
•  Grow your own food
•  Use a root cellar for surplus garden foods (still on my on to do list)
• Can fruit from fruit trees, your own or your neighbors (with permission of course)

What tips do you use? 

Cold Weather and Animal Care

PLEASE NOTE ADDENDUM here.

Wintertime means extra care for our animals. Measures need to be taken to ensure their health and  safety.

Our littlest and most independent animal is our Dwarf  Rabbit, Knuckles. She is easy to care for. We give her the needed tools and she cares for herself. My husband built her a new hutch prior to winter. He added a small, screened in dirt box. This allows her to dig tunnels where she can escape the cold and keep warm. The screen keeps her from digging out or eating the wood to escape. Hay was placed in the upper levels for insulation and tunneling. Twice a day, food and water are checked and replenished as needed.

Hutch with dirt box in right bottom corner.

Rabbit tunnel

Our cat, Prince, lives on the back porch. He comes and goes through his own pet door. Food is put out for him each morning. At dusk, the food is put up, out of reach of wandering wildlife: foxes, raccoons, and skunks. Many times during periods of lower temperatures Prince can be found snuggled up to a chicken in a nest box. Unfortunately, the chicken is usually not too happy about this.

Totally content cat. 

'House Security', Max and Princess live inside. If the temperature rises to 30-35 degrees we usually let them out for a few hours. If it snows, rains or drops in temperature, they have a dog house filled with hay to keep them warm.  To keep them healthy and burn energy, we train or play tug indoors or take them for long hikes weather permitting.

Princess on left. Max on Right.

Dog run

The chickens and the ducks need the most care during cold weather. In the past we have lost fowl due to lower temperatures. This summer my husband built a new coop, insulated the walls and wired it for electricity.  We did not have time to get the power line buried so we have a heavy duty outdoor extension cord, to run electricity to the coop for the heat lamps. Hay is placed in nesting boxes, on the coop floor, chicken yard ground and under their favorite evergreen tree. This serves as insulation to keep their feet from freezing. Extra food is provided for energy. Powdered vitamins, especially prepared for fowl is added to their drinking water. Water is given once daily at a minimum.  As weather permits, a plastic tub is filled to allow the ducks to bathe. Ducks have to have water to bathe their faces and heads to prevent eye infections.

Keeping warm.

No frozen feet here

"Dirty duck, too cold for a bath today."