Stretching $$ & being healthy

If you are like me, and you are probably not like me – you are probably still considered normal by your friends.  I am not.  I am far from normal – and I promise not to tell you all the ways.  You would probably cringe.

But if you are like me a little – a wee bit, well then I may be able to help you out.

First, with 4 growing kids in our house – 2 almost teenage boys, okay maybe not in age – but in eating ability for sure – we have changed how we eat – COMPLETELY.

Robert and I ate “normal” for years.  We based a meal around the meat we were serving and added a veggie or starch, or probably both.  We bought our meat in the store, with our veggies and processed foods.

 

Today, we have a cow (or part of one, at this point) in our freezer. (For that matter one in our back yard too – who will have a baby in a year of two for us to eat, hopefully)

  So we eat grass fed/pasture raised beef (about 2.50lb).  We have a few chickens in there which we raised too – and plan to add about 25 more this spring. 

We gets eggs from our 2 chicken coops – we eat them, bake with them, everything!  And the kids consider the hens almost like pets!

 

Here is the turkey we raised and “processed” our self as well!

{In fact, we even hatched out our own hens and a rooster too this summer!}

Almost all our veggies come from our garden, or canned jars, or the Veggie Co-op we have been part of for years. 

Our meals are now based on the veggies in our fridge.  We eat meals of those until they are gone – and sometimes we have a meat – but not usually, honestly because I forget to take it out.

These days we are eating lots of soups and I am about to shift into crock pot cooking a couple of times per week. 

One thing though that I miss from all those processed things we used to eat – is Condensed Soup.  I try not to buy it, if it is not in my pantry we cannot eat it.  But so many recipes call for it, so I miss it!!
(Why avoid it?  It is not that healthy, very expensive, and full of unknown stuff)

Today, I found Mom Advice and her post about making your own Mixes and Convenience Foods.

She has recipes to make many, many things you use all the time for pennies on the dollar and without MSG and other unknown stuff!  She even has a VERY easy recipe for syrup – and man we go through syrup – if I made it myself I could use less sugar and feel better about it – you could also flavor it whatever you wanted!!

The one I found that I was looking for was cream of chicken soup!  yeah!  I think I might be able to modify it with ArrowRoot too instead of flour- so that it would be gluten free and safe for my mother in law!  That would be great!

I even made croutons tonight with some bread I did not get put away this afternoon at lunch – so easy & the house smells great!!

Anyway, I thought I should share my find!

Finally, another sweet shot of our Clarabell!