Friday, April 1, 2016

Just Start Somewhere!

This is a recycles post from my other blogspot site....the one that I wrote ONE whole post for....

I could never do that - how DO you find the time? That is the response I hear when dear, sweet, time-pressed mommas discover that other moms cook from scratch, home school, make homemade bread, bake, avoid fast food, don't drink sodas, or whatever other "thing" that is in vogue or out of vogue in the "I am the best mom EVAHHHH" competition women seem to find themselves in. I happen to be one of those moms that does a lot of those aforementioned things on a regular basis. And I actually enjoy it....Now, before you put me on a homemaker pedestal, I have a confession...I fed my family pizza rolls, frozen corn (it was organic, in my defense), carrot sticks, sliced cucumbers, and a salad for dinner tonight. On a Saturday....with no plans, practices, etc., going on. Just because it was dinner time and I failed to thaw the pot roast I had planned to cook. Oops. A little more confession....I failed to thaw the planned pot roast because I took a nap after I shopped for birthday presents today. Wow, shopping, a nap, and pizza rolls in one day!  

So, HOW does one incorporate homemade meals, crunchy (or even slightly crispy) living, home schooling, whatever into the hectic pace of modern living? It has all come about so gradually that I really had to think about this. First and foremost, I have learned to let some things go. Prioritize what is most important to me and maintain those things. For example, I hate a dirty dining table, so I make sure the kids clean up after they use it, every time, or I become a grouchy ball of frustrated momma. Things I have decided to let go for the moment....my house (or my family) having to look magazine ready. We live here, so it is likely there will be a mess somewhere at any given time. Truly. I don't even want to look at the game room or the boys' bathroom. Ew. The kids (mostly) manage their own laundry. Which means certain young male people in this house may or may not be wearing wrinkled clothes to church tomorrow and could possibly have one dirty sock and one clean sock on their feet. I am just not worried about it. A wrinkled shirt or mismatched socks will not steal my joy. For the record, I do correct these situations as I am able, but sometimes, it's just not worth the trouble. 

The next key to the crunchy, homemade lifestyle is to pick something. Do it a lot until it becomes a habit. Do it some more. Repeat...Really! For example, making chicken/beef stock used to seem positively ridiculous to even consider making...after all, they sell it at the grocery store in convenient little packages! Once I jumped in and made it a few times (after much internet research, of course), it has become a normal part of my life. It really doesn't take much to do it and the rewards are many. Since beginning this small, easy habit, I have discovered ways to do it faster and more efficiently. And this small habit has led to other small, healthy changes. It's a gateway crunchy habit! 

 Let me let you in on a little secret: I have perfectionist tendencies...which have been slowly and steadily wrung out of me over the past 17 or so years (7 kiddos will do that to you). You fellow perfectionist types will understand this next part. I have often times found it hard to start something because I want all of my ducks in a row first, or the conditions to be just right, etc. All related to a fear of failure. So, I learned to like failure and to embrace it. Of course, I like success more, but I have gotten to the point that failure doesn't scare me and I enjoy the feeling of learning something new and the (usually) funny story I have to tell. 

The bottom line here is: Pick something. Anything. Making broth is a good, easy one. Do it. A lot. Repeat until it is part of your life. Then pick something else and do it in addition to your already established habit. Pretty soon, you'll be on the road from convenient to crunchy, too! 

How to make chicken broth

chicken bones (you can start easy with a rotisserie chicken from the store or a whole chicken you've cooked)
water 
seasonings: a little salt, pepper, bay leaves 
veggies: onions, carrots, celery
Apple Cider Vinegar (optional)

Toss chicken, veggies, and seasonings in a large (stock) pan OR in your slow cooker. 

Fill the pan or slow cooker with water. 

Add a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar (just a small amount to draw the good stuff from the bones).

Cook it. On the stove top, I place the pan over medium heat to get a good simmer, then place a lid on the pan, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let it cook for several hours, until the broth is the color I want it to be. In the slow cooker, I put it on low and let it cook all night or all day. I do check it to make sure the liquid hasn't cooked down too much. If it has less water than I'd like, I add more. Don't add too much water, though - just if it has cooked down a lot more than you anticipated. 

After the broth is the color you desire, let the liquid cool. Then I usually pour the broth through a strainer into a bowl so I can easily separate out the bones and other throw away items (bay leaves). Once I have cleaned up the mess I have made, I transfer my chicken broth into mason jars and freeze it in the deep freeze. I use the BPA-free plastic lids for freezing. 

Let me know how it turns out! 

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