miscellaneous Archives

How to Make Real Food Work for YOU (without losing your mind)

You know what can make you lose your mind? I’ll tell you, just in case you didn’t know.

Trying to homeschool a 6 year old while also occupying a 3 year old and a 12 month old…while also trying to maintain a clean house…while also working from home…while also trying to cook everything from scratch.

Yep. That might do it. It’s totally a guess though.

I’ve been on the road to real food now for 5+ years. And even knowing the right things to do, I still detour and end up lost and having to ask directions at a gas station. [Read more…]

Fear Not the Pressure Cooker! {Pressure Cooker tutorial video}

I just love making videos for you. 🙂 I’ve had the desire to do more, but I hadn’t been able to make it work. I was worried people would be aggravated if they heard my kids in the background, but then I realized there is NEVER going to be a good time as long as I’m a mom. Life happens. So, I’m going to make videos anyway, even in my messy, mommy glory. You might hear my kids sometimes. Sometimes I might have spit up on my shoulder. Sometimes a telemarketer might call during the middle of a video (like this one). Who cares?! It’s the real-life Stacy Myers kitchen. Like it or lump it. 😉

I’ve talked to some of you about your fear of pressure cookers and exploding chickens. There really is no need for this fear! So, I wanted to show you my pressure cookers and give you a little overview. I will be doing more videos using my cookers – one using each pot so that you can get a feel for how they work. [Read more…]

Tools for Bread Baking – A Video

By far the most questions I receive are about bread – and rightfully so…because y’all know I’m hog wild and pig crazy over bread. Baking bread is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. I prefer it over any other type of cooking/baking.

So, Barry and I put together a little video about how to get started making your own bread – things you will want to have on hand. And you might be surprised how little you really do need.

Here are the links I mentioned in the video. Enjoy!

Grinding in a Nutrimill

Swagbucks

Here is the link to the thermometer with probe that I use.

The loaf pans I use here are Norpro but I prefer the USA line of loaf pans.

40 Uses for a Dehydrator

Some of you have caught on to the fact that I own a dehydrator. You’ve emailed to ask me what kind it is and what I recommend – you’ve also asked me, “What am I supposed to do with it?” Today I’m going to look at that for ya…and at the end, Cultures For Health is going to let me GIVE AWAY one just like mine to one of you. 🙂 I love blessing y’all.

Before getting a dehydrator, I read around to see what I would like…that’s customary when Barry and I decide on a large appliance purchase…it quickly became apparent to me that Excalibur was a top notch model that gave great results. And if I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it right. I had already attempted to use a small, round dinky dehydrator Barry had – but it didn’t get the job done…so, we tried to sell it (no one wanted it, so to Freecycle it went!) and then started looking around for one to buy.

[Read more…]

Pumpkin Sunflower Nut Butter

I’m gonna be straight up honest with you right now. I don’t like making my own nut butter. I just don’t. I like buying it from the Farmer’s Market or Trader Joes. Yes, I do have a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter – don’t judge me.

Maybe it’s because I already make so many other things: yogurt, kefir, sourdough bread, or even butter. I just make so many things, I feel okay with taking an out on nut butter. I can’t make it all – and yes, I realize it’s cheaper…however, it’s not cheaper if it makes me lose my mind, is it? 😉 [Read more…]

Meal Planning – A Video Tutorial

Here is a little video I put together for you all about how I use Plan To Eat to do our weekly meal plan. Some of you have asked me questions about how it works and how we do our meal planning, so I thought it would be easier to just show everyone at once. 🙂 (PS – The FTC says I have to tell you that’s my affiliate link. Blah, blah, blah.)

Also, take note that the way that I do our meal plans might not be the way everyone does it…because sometimes I do things weird – this is just the way I like to meal plan. And it will give you a general idea of how the software works. [Read more…]

Kefir Resources

So, I’ve been using kefir now for about two years. My love for it has only grown – I’ve shared my love with friends and family members…I’m trying to get everyone on the kefir train! Stacy jumped off the kefir bridge, and I’m trying to get you to jump with me. Everybody’s doing it.

Okay, so not everyone is doing it. And you’ll likely get some strange looks if you start telling people you ferment milk. Kefir is essentially fermented, cultured milk. It’s FULL of probiotics and all sorts of good stuff. It’s very healthy and I try to keep it on my menu regularly since it contributes to a healthy immune system. [Read more…]

Keeping Costs Down in a Real Food Kitchen

I hear all to often that eating “healthy” is too expensive. When I was a coupon queen, I would have agreed 100% with you. But now I’m on the other side of things – I’ve been eating this way for two years now and I can honestly say that eating healthy is NOT too expensive. In fact, we can’t afford NOT to eat healthy. Otherwise, in years to come we’ll be paying out the wazoo for health care.

I’m over at Keeper of the Home today talking about how to keep costs down in a real food kitchen. It is very possible to eat a healthy diet on a budget – and I know that for a fact because my budget and I are not soon parted.

Some other things I’ve written in the past might also be of interest to you:

How We Eat Healthy on a Budget

Stacy’s Grocery Price List

So, if you’d like to have more tips about how to eat healthy without going to the poor house – and if you’d like to see just how we make it work – just hop on over to Keeper of the Home.

What do you think? Is eating a healthy diet worth the money?

Sharing Recipes is Leaving a Legacy

For the longest time I would not share any of my family recipes…at all. When people would ask, I would always say no. I felt like I was protecting part of my heritage – these were recipes from my Mamaw and Mama – why should I share them with someone else? Go get your own recipe and leave me alone! It’s MINE! All mine! *Insert crazy, insane laughter here*

And let me just be honest here…I like that people enjoy my cooking. The thought that I would give someone a family recipe so that they could make it themselves didn’t sit well with me – it would mean it was their recipe now and I would no longer get praised for it since they could make it. Man, what a big ole fat head I have. I’m surprised I can fit it through the door. [Read more…]

From Bowl to Freezer – Good Freezer Meal Options

Y’all ask me all the time, “Hey Stacy, can you give me a good list of freezer meals?” The truth is, I don’t have such a list. Here’s how freezing food works for me – I make it and then I freeze it. I don’t really do too much advance planning.

I don’t seek out special meals that are just for freezing – I just use my normal recipes and make them work. BUT if you are looking for freezer specific meals, you need to check out Once a Month Mom – one of my favorite recipe sites.

So, you say, how DO you make that meal work for the freezer, Miss Stacy? Well, I’ll tell ya….over at Intentional by Grace. I’m over there sharing how I freeze meals and I’ll give you a list of some good ones to try.

If you want to know how to freeze bread (baked or in dough form) or if you want to turn your crock pot meal into a freezer meal, I’ve got you covered.

Meet me over there…if for no other reason than you like to look at pretty pictures of food. *Slobber*