Has anybody read this book? My Veggie Gals group read it a few years ago and discussed it, but I didn’t finish it. My mom is visiting this week and brought it with her to read. So that reminded me that I have been meaning to finish it. I like that it is chock full of scriptures to show the prophecies about the last days from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Have any of you read it and what comfort did it give you? What are your thoughts about it?
The above spread looks fairly nutritious to most people right? The only problem is, it is mostly carbs and not full of nutrient density. It’s OK to have a meal like this, but to only have veggies, chips, hummus, rolls, and black bean and corn salad all the time for lunch and dinner would lead to nutrition deficiency. I know, because I lived on that kind of food for years and ended up feeling depleted and starving! Finally, with my fifth pregnancy, my midwife told me that it was best that I start eating some meat. So I did and it tasted so good. My body needed it.
Here’s a fascinating interview with a former vegetarian, Lierre Keith. She tells us why she started being a vegetarian, how long it lasted, why she gave it up, and what to do when you have ethical concerns about the way animals are used for food. Please listen to this and share it! I was vegan or vegetarian from about 1997 to 2004 so this story really resonates with me. I am still making up for the poor nutrition I got when I was that way.
Here is the summary of the episode, copied and pasted from the page for the show notes of Wise Traditions podcast episode 31:
Episode #31 Vegetarianism Reconsidered
Lierre Keith became a vegan as a teenager. She was concerned about animal welfare and environmental degradation. She was passionate and convinced that vegetarianism was the way forward. And yet, almost right away her health began to deteriorate. Listen to her story and you will learn what she discovered about the pitfalls of vegetarianism and alternative solutions for healing the planet. She explains the following:
– what persuaded her to become a vegan
– the health repercussions she began to see right away and in the long term (including fatigue, hypoglycemia, irregular menstrual cycles, dry skin, depression, anxiety, exhaustion, insomnia; and later, degenerative disc and autoimmune diseases)
– why the vegetarian diet does not meet the needs of the human “template”
– what’s missing exactly– insufficient fat, not enough protein,
– the mental issues that can surface (difficulty maintaining a stable mood, struggles with eating disorders, OCD, etc. b/c of dietary deficiencies)
– how vegetarianism does not lead to saving the planet, the animals, or feeding hungry people
– the truth about dreadful factory farm conditions
– the fallacy of the argument: take the 18 lbs. of grain used to feed a cow and give them to a human being (this becomes “agricultural dumping” and becomes a hindrance to allowing people to provide their own food)
– the motivating ethic of vegans and vegetarians: the values of justice, compassion, and sustainability
– why animal foods are necessary for the “human template”
Resources:
local chapters of the Weston A. Price Foundation (westonaprice.org – click on “Find a local chapter”)
eatwild.com
lierrekeith.com
This interview comes from the new Wise Traditions podcast, the official podcast of the Weston A. Price foundation. I have been so impressed with this podcast. Please subscribe to it and spread the word! You will learn things about nutrition that you don’t hear anything else.
So my mom has been visiting us for a whole week. She told me about the above movie, which tells the corruption of the Democratic party and Hillary Clinton. Is anybody going to see it? If you do, please let me know what you think by commenting below. Since it’s PG-13, I won’t be seeing it. I made a commitment 20+ years ago not to see PG-13 movies, and dh is helping me stick to it! I also think the Republican party is corrupt as well, so if a movie was made about that, I would be promoting it as well.
Here’s how to make the best, easiest, sugar-free and gluten free birthday cake ever! I love that it requires no baking! I do it ever year for my summer birthday boys. We just had one birthday last week, and we’ve got two more next month. Every time I hope to perfect the look and get it rounder. Here’s how to do it:
1. Cut the ends off a big watermelon. Then cut off the rinds on the side and make it as cylindrical as possible.
2. Then whip up some cream. Add your favorite whole sweetener to taste. Frost the watermelon with the cream.
3. Use a cake decorator with tips to add a fancy edge and top with birthday candles. (Iron your tablecloth if you can too!)
4. Serve it up to some smiles! Enjoy!
I got to visit with my friend at our church’s Independence Day breakfast. It was so fun because we talked about ice cream! She told me that she makes it every year on that day. She loves experimenting with different flavors. So I got to thinking, why don’t I do that? I was planning on making some that day actually, so I could have some no white sugar ice cream, but I had never thought about doing it every year. But why not make it every year? After all, homemade ice cream is actually good for you, if it is made from healthful, whole ingredients. Plus, on a holiday I want to do something to make the day more memorable. What better food to make on a hot summer holiday than ice cream? Why didn’t I think of this before, after nearly 25 years of marriage/homemaking? So I made this yummy blueberry ice cream for Independence Day. I hereby declare that this be a tradition, just like my friend has done. Now I will make some kind of ice cream every year.
So here’s the recipe I used, with some videos of variations, and then tips from my friend, who is an expert at homemade ice cream, since she makes it every year.
Healthful Homemade Ice Cream
2 cups cream, preferably raw
1 cup water, milk, or more cream. If you use water, it will be more icy, if you use cream, it will be more creamy
2/3 cup maple syrup, or other whole sweetener, to taste (I have read that stevia doesn’t work too well in ice cream, so you low carbers out there consider this a day when you indulge a bit!)
1 tsp vanilla
2 to 4 egg yolks from healthy chickens (or just whole eggs, if you are like me and don’t want to separate the yolks from the whites and then have to remember to use up the leftover whites)
1 c pureed blueberries or other mix-in, like chocolate chips or cookie crumbles
Mix everything together and put in your ice cream maker. Follow the manufacturer’s directions. I use a Donvier ice cream maker that my aunt gave to us as a wedding gift. It’s been almost 25 years and it is still going strong! It doesn’t use any electricity (other than what it takes for your regular freezer to freeze the inner Chillfast cylinder) so I like that. It means there is no noise like with electric ice cream makers. The only problem with it is that we have outgrown it with our family of 9.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can use the tin can method found here. Just ignore the recipe because it calls for evaporated milk. Use real milk and real cream!
Here’s a video with Sarah Pope, from the healthyhomeconomist.com, showing a basic vanilla ice cream recipe.which even without the blueberries in my recipe above, is slightly different.
She explains why we want to avoid commercial ice cream, which is that it usually has propylene glycol, which is used as antifreeze, to help make it scoopable. So when we make our own we can totally make sure only the best ingredients used. She also explains that maple syrup is the best sweetener to use in homemade ice cream, because it dissolves the best.
You can also just use two ziploc bags. Watch the video below. You might have to multiply the recipe in the video, it is for a single serving.
If you want to have some extra fun, then get this ice cream maker in the form of a ball like Zach and Whitney Bates did. See the video here. The kids can kick it around and make ice cream at the same time. Looks like a great way to add some zip to a party! Too bad it only makes 1 pint! You can also get it with a soft exterior that looks more like a playground ball.
If you have some bowls and a mixer, you can improvise an ice cream maker like in the video below:
Here are the tips from my ice cream expert friend:
Here is a recipe for butter pecan ice cream from Katie of wellnessmama.com. It calls for coconut milk, which won’t work for our family, because my son is allergic to coconuts. I would use cream instead of coconut milk.
Also, here is a page with ice cream recipes from Heather of mommypotamus.com: cookies and cream, strawberry, and cookie dough ice cream sandwiches. Yum!
Here are even more real food ice cream recipes, compiled by Heather of mommypotamus.com. Thank you Heather!
The above book, Boxes for Katje, is one of my all-time favorite picture books! That’s because it involves love, kindness, surprises, and chocolate! It is also based on a true story from WW2!
Here are some stories and articles for Latter-day Saints who are doing the Give Your Child the World Book Club this summer! This week the theme is Europe. We went to San Diego for a family reunion last Saturday and arrived back Wednesday, so I am late in posting these weekly themed resources. I plan on reading from these books long after the Aug. 22 deadline, because there are so many good books from the recommendations in the Give Your Child the World book. I want to read aloud some and get my kids reading all of them! I think one theme for each month is a more manageable pace for me, instead of one new theme a week!
The above is another one of my favorite picture books. It is inspiring to think that the King of Denmark was a true servant of the people, willing to be on their level.
Articles and activities for kids:
trivia, crafts, and food from Italy
fun facts, trivia, and recipes from Russia
fun facts, trivia, and recipes from England
fun facts, trivia, and recipes from Sweden
Articles for mom and dad:
If you’ve never seen the BYUTV documentary productions about historical events in Europe, go watch them!
Let’s not forget all the great books out there full of stories that took place in Europe written by the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here are some of the ones that I have personally read and loved!
The above book tells the sweet story of the lady who introduced Pres. Uchtdorf’s family to the restored gospel in post-war Europe.
The above book is the autobiography of Elder Enzio Busche. In San Diego last Sunday when we went to church, a young newlywed sister gave a talk and quoted him. She kept saying “Emeritus Busche” when she said his name. I don’t think she realized that “Emeritus” is not part of his given name, but means that he is a retired General Authority. It was rather cute! I can see myself making the same mistake. Anyway, Elder Bushe’s books is one of the best books I have ever read. It is so full of faith, love, and hope! It has so many great stories! I promise if you read it, you will love it!
I read this book 15 years ago in June of 2001 when I was pregnant with my third son. It tells the true story of Brother Frederick Babbel who accompanied Ezra Taft Benson when he traveled Europe after WW2. They gave out food and supplies to the suffering people who were recovering from the war. I remember reading how when they traveled with Pres. David O. McKay in a car across Scotland, Pres. McKay would get so distracted quoting poetry by Browning they would have to remind him to focus on the road. My favorite story was the one about a poor woman, in Germany as I recall, who was so destitute she cried when she was given a safety pin as part of her relief supplies. It really helped me appreciate what I have.
This book tells about who the lost tribes of Israel were scattered into Europe and how that connects to the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Fascinating!
If you haven’t read the book pictured below, make sure this is the summer you do! I read it the same time I read On Wings of Faith. it’s one of my all time favorite books because it shows the power of accessing God’s love to gety through trials.
Then read the book about Corrie Ten Boom’s childhood so you can get the back story. It is amazing to see how her vision to help the Jews was shaped generations back in her family.
Have you heard about the Worldwide Indexing Event this weekend?
Family history research and the ensuing temple work done by the LDS church is a such a dear topic to my heart. I have experienced so many blessings from doing it! You can basically read my take on the topic of family history and temple work here in a pdf of a presentation I created. Indexing is what makes the research so much easier to do from the comfort of a computer. I plan on participating in this! I hope you do too.
The following is copied and pasted from lds.org:
Whether you’ve indexed before or are new to indexing, you’re invited to participate in the annual Worldwide Indexing Event July 15–17, sponsored by FamilySearch.org.
Indexing is the process of entering information from the world’s digitally scanned historical documents into a database, making it easily searchable online. People around the world can then search these indexed records to find their ancestors. Anyone with a computer and Internet connection can index records to perform meaningful service related to family history. (Learn how easy indexing is.)
The goal for this year’s event is to have at least 72,000 volunteers index as many records as possible in a 72-hour period, July 15 to 17.
FamilySearch Indexing is a great activity to introduce people to family history and help them become familiar with records people use to identify their ancestors. FamilySearch is especially interested in the participation of those with non-English language skills, since there is a huge opportunity to make more records available on FamilySearch.org for non-English speaking countries.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to serve people worldwide who visit FamilySearch.org to find their ancestors,” said Jim Ericson, product manager at FamilySearch. “Indexing is a fun and engaging way to provide meaningful service and get involved in family history. Ultimately, those who index records enable joyful discoveries that strengthen family bonds around the world.”
For Independence Day, my 11-year-old son begged for us to make homemade root beer. It turned out super yummy and it only had 3 ingredients. It’s not exactly the healthiest version, I would say it is halfway between grocery-store soda pop full of white sugar and or high fructose corn syrup, and true old fashioned root beer made from plant roots. So if you want to go halfway with your root beer, here goes:
I got the recipe from my friend Jonell Francis, a mom of 10, gourmet cook, and expert on healing by changing the diet. Twenty years ago she changed her diet. The result was tremendous healing: she no longer felt chronic pain, inflammation, or any more symptoms of her autoimmune disease.
You can check out her cookbook and other products for improving your digestive health here.
3 cups hot water + 1 c honey (heat in a pot on stovetop and stir to dissolve the honey)
2 t root beer concentrate
5 cups cold water
In a gallon container, mix the ingredients. Then add 2 lbs of dry ice for carbonation.
|
|||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
|
If you’ve read my blog for a time, you know I occasionally blog about vaccines. I’m very much into questioning the safety of vaccines and learning about the politics and money involved. I’m not saying never use them, but study the issue and use them more discriminately. I also wish we could use them in a pure form, without neurotoxic preservatives. You can read my story of vaccinating after my daughter got a dog bite here. We were told she didn’t need a rabies vaccine right away, even though the dog had not been vaccinated for rabies, but she did need a tetanus shot. She definitely had a reaction to it, which makes me wonder what would happen if we followed the mainstream vaccination timetable of dozens of vaccines before a child is 12! If you are like me and have wondered if there is a pure form of vaccinations out there, here’s the latest, exciting news: you can vaccinate with “green vaccines”! These sound like the purest form of vaccines you can find. The fancy name for them is “homeoprophylaxis” and the book pictured above tells you all about it. Here’s a blog post to give a bit of the idea, and you can also attend an upcoming conference about it. The author of the above book and the blog post, Cilla Whatcott, PhD, will be speaking, as well as Sally Fallon Morrell, plus a lot of other educated speakers.
Tree of Life Mothering 