Heart Felt Gardening

FEED YOUR BODY
Heart Felt Gardening

After the article a few weeks ago about ways to eat local, my friend and author Jill Russo Foster told me about her life-long love with home gardening. For her it is really heart felt.

Living in the woods, I’ve never been able to have a garden. After Jill shared her experience, I was inspired to start growing heirloom herbs from seeds in peat pots.

There’s a small bright, sunny patch waiting outside for the tender plants to season our summer meals.

Read Jill’s thoughts on gardening and how you can grow food and memories for your family as well.
Gardening Thoughts and Memories by Jill Russo Foster

I think it’s so interesting that Michelle Obama is showing us the benefits of having a garden. It’s like second nature to me.

No matter where I have lived, even in an apartment, I have always had a least tomatoes on the balcony.

My earliest memories of my grandmother Nanna (my father’s mother) was of her working in the garden which was half of her backyard. She was always tending to the plants with her kerchief on top of her head to keep the heat off.

When I was at her home, she would be out in the garden from early May to late September. I would be able to get the greatest tomatoes fresh picked off the vine and eaten within minutes. She tended to her garden until the age of 93 doing all the work herself. Now I have my own garden, smaller in size than hers but manageable for me.

I started my garden a few weeks ago as seeds this year – something I usually don’t do. In my windows right now I have about 100 plants growing – everything from lettuces – mixed greens, arugula, spinach, iceberg, beans – green, wax, peas, green and yellow squash, cucumbers, and herbs – basil and parsley. Tomatoes don’t start well for me in seed form, so I buy them as plants.

From my experience there is nothing better than walking into my backyard and making a decision about what I want to eat. It’s like having a supermarket with all my favorite choices. I can’t grow all my favorites so I make trips to the local farmers market on Saturday mornings. There’s a farmer who has exotics like dandelion greens (not the yellow ones from the backyard, but blue dandelion) and squash blossoms. He is always there from mid May to late October, so it’s a regular part of my Saturday morning routine.

My Nanna passed down to me the love of working in the garden and being rewarded with eating – and enjoying – the “fruits” of my labors.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Click here to check out Jill’s website and book Cash, Credit and Your Finances: The Teen Years. She shares her years of expertise to help our kids learn about and how to handle money. Thanks Jill!

 

How to Simplify Your Life (And Save Money) by Cooking

FEED YOUR BODY
How to Simplify Your Life (And Save Money) by Cooking
“When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste.”
Laiko Bahrs

 

 

With everything that’s going on these days have you changed how you are living your life? Have you stopped getting coffee at the drive-thru on the way to work or the gym? Have you told the kids that you’ll be making fewer stops at the fast food place? Are you looking for ways to save money?

Did you know that not only can you save money by cooking at home but it doesn’t have to be complicated? Maybe you think you don’t have time to add another thing to your to-do list. But with a little planning you can not only save money, but feed your family great tasting nutritious food and not spend lots of time in the kitchen.

Here’s how:
Use whole foods, prepare them simply and add flavor.

Buy whole foods, the ones you find around the outer edge of the grocery store. You’ll find fresh herbs, fruits, vegetables, meat, chicken, fish and dairy. Add some things from the bulk bins like grains, beans and nuts (a huge money saver). And if you’re really pressed for time get some canned beans and frozen vegetables. Don’t forget to throw in something new to try.

Prepare them simply. You don’t need lots of recipes with long lists of ingredients. Save the complex, full of ingredient recipes for when you have the time to enjoy the whole experience.

Make large batches ahead of time of the things that take a while to cook like beans and grains. Yes they do take time, but it’s on the stove time not you actively being involved time.Then they’ll be ready when you get home so you can quickly put all the pieces together. Use a quick cook method for the other ingredients and make extra to have leftovers for lunch/dinner the next day or later in the week.

Add flavor.
I’ve heard women say they wish their families would eat the same things. They’re tired of making different meals and listening to all the complaining. So how about letting everyone season their own meal? Prepare the food simply and have favorite condiments, spices and dressings on the table. Everybody gets to decide how much and what flavors they want to add. Makes it easier on mom and everybody’s happy!

NOTE: I’d love to hear from you about how these ideas work for you and your family. I’ll add your remarks to future newsletters so others can see what has worked for you. Thanks for sharing! Please send to blog@LiveYourHealthyLife.com.