Good morning readers. It's been a rough few days around here since our close friends' teenage son died last week. If you could shoot up a prayer for his family, we'd really appreciate it.
Lately we've been enjoying watching the birds on our feeders attached to the deck and want to buy a book about birds in our area, does anyone have a good one to recommend? Should we get one of these bird books, or one specific to Michigan birds? Don't you love this picture? The bird on the left is a woodpecker, we're pretty sure, but we don't know what the one on the right is… Anyone?
Lately we've been enjoying watching the birds on our feeders attached to the deck and want to buy a book about birds in our area, does anyone have a good one to recommend? Should we get one of these - Lent begins Wednesday, so if you need some meatless meal ideas, be sure to check out that complete list. 🙂
- I could really use your help on this one… A local TV station had a guest on one of their shows last week who said that Canola oil and vegetable oil have some health benefits. Of course I had a few things to say about that, and I'm hoping you'll go share your thoughts, too?!
- The other day at the store the lady next to me was looking at taco seasoning packets and seemed confused by the choices, so of course I said, “You know it's really simple to make your own, right? Those ones are full of junky ingredients.” I could tell she was interested and not just being nice to the weirdo (me).
So I figured maybe some of you might want to know about this, too, if you don't already. Here's the recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning, there's a single batch recipe and a recipe for making a jar full to have on hand. Do you ever share your nutrition advice with complete strangers in the store like I tend to?
So I figured maybe some of you might want to know about this, too, if you don't already. Here's the recipe for - We had my family over to celebrate some birthdays Saturday and I used a whole bunch of that homemade seasoning to make waaaaay too much chicken for tacos, so we'll be eating that for a while. (Anyone else make too much food on a regular basis?) I also made our favorite guacamole to go with it. Here's something else we had that doesn't really go with tacos and is better in the summertime, but I was hungry for it: caprese salad.
- Wow, last week when the story came out about the lunchroom Nazi it sure made everyone really upset, and with good reason! Here's a link to the news clip if you missed my post over on Facebook.
- Another blurb that I posted on Facebook is one I thought you non-FBers would enjoy so I'm including it here. (If you *are* a FBer, be sure to ‘like' my page so you don't miss any of this exciting stuff…) It started like this… The other day I got a screaming deal through Living Social for one room to be painted, including patching, and all the paint, for $89!!! After this guy got the first coat on our boys' bedroom, the poor dude made the mistake of telling me he was going to run to McDonald's for a quick lunch while it dried. I gasped and said, “Noooooo, please come have a seat and I'll see what I can whip up for you.” I fried him up a quesadilla (spelt flour, fried in coconut oil) and gave him one of my kefir sodas, which he said he liked. 🙂 He asked how I made it and so I told him that the link is on my site. “What's the name of your site?” When I told him he said, “Well that fits!” Then I gave him some homemade cookies so he didn't think I was too much of an oddball. His words, “Well, if you're odd, at least you're a nice odd. Yesterday the lady I painted for yelled at me for 2 solid hours.” We had some really good chats, he seemed open, probably because he was already doing a lot right and was willing to learning more. Either that or he was just humoring me. It turns out he raises his own chickens and ducks for eggs, but he skips breakfast and usually lunch, too! He gets pork from his neighbor who raises his own pigs, so I encouraged him to throw some bacon grease in a pan and fry a couple eggs each morning. He said, “I can do that…” 🙂
- Local readers, I'd love to meet you! Come to our local WAPF chapter meeting this Tuesday where we'll have all sorts of cultured food samples for you to try! I'm bringing my kefir soda. Details are here. (Be sure to find me after and introduce yourself!) Not local? Find your local chapter here.
- If you live in Wisconsin, consider attending the rally in support of Vernon Hershberger.
- I know Pinterest is all the rage these days, be sure to follow me over there!
Have a great week!
birdhouses says
2 maggots per can….fresh mushrooms, well washed please.
Brenda says
I just finished reading all the comments here and just had to “smile”. It makes me happy when everyone is just commenting/talking normal and nice! (I guess birds and maggots will do that….or is it the mouse poop?) LOL! Anyway, I hardly ever comment (probably a good reason for that!), but I love this blog, Kelly and I appreciate all the hard work you do to keep us informed, and YEA for feeding your painter!!!
Linda M says
Kelly,
We have a bird book that we love. It’s called Birds of Michigan Field Guide by Stan Tekiela. We love our birds! 🙂
Heather says
Your birdfeeder has a woodpecker and a lady cardinal
leigh says
so, i’m unclear how the chicken nuggets resolved the missing vegetable issue? even if they DID serve the child veggies w/ her chicken nuggets it doesn’t mean she’s going to eat them (or any other kiddo for that fact) in which case she’s no better off than she was with her original homemade lunch.
did anybody follow Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution? i wish he’d make a comeback, i’d LOVE to see that movement really take off.
Linda says
I did. I think he’s having a harder time getting it to succeed here than in England.
Susan says
Kelly- You and your friends are in my prayers.
I went over to your meatless ideas (for Lent) just to see what’s up and different. I am RRARFing right so I am looking for some carb-laden recipes. After not having pasta dishes for THREE years (I never cheated once!), I am all about adding pasta back into my life. I stopped on your red sauce recipe and noticed you mentioned canned mushrooms. Are you ready for an “EWWWW” moment?
A couple of years ago, I was reading an article in the paper about what the FDA will allow in our foods (besides the disgusting chemicals. Those, of course, weren’t even mentioned!). And one of the things that stuck in my head was that the FDA will allow up to 2 maggots per can of mushrooms as perfectly acceptable for human consumption.
It cured me of my canned mushroom affection right quick!
KitchenKop says
I don’t like any kind of mushrooms, but I’ll be sure never to buy Kent canned again, I wonder though if organic could have maggots????? SICK.
Susan says
Kelly- I don’t know if organic would be different or better. I wish I would have saved the article, but because I wasn’t a foodie at the time, it didn’t seem important. The list was pretty long with factory produced foods that were bound to have critters (or their poop) in them just because of the quantity (and conditions) of food being produced. Besides the maggots in the canned mushrooms being fine for consumption, I remember it talked a lot about rat and mouse poop in all things with peanuts. Peanut butter and any peanut containing candy bar are allowed a certain amount of poop (or hair) as acceptable. Mice and rats also infest factories producing grains, etc and the same hair/poop ratio applies to those foods, too.
The article didn’t focus on one type of food, or one type of factory. It was more about understanding what factories can get away with in our food before the FDA steps in. To me, however, 2 maggots is no more acceptable than 12. And who decided how many maggots are okay or how much poop is okay? It is just so sick!!!
Okay, so who’s hungry for lunch?!! 🙂
Robin says
umm, so I’m having my own “EWWW” moment right now, but not just from the maggots. Mushrooms are not something that should ever be eaten out of a can, they’re all rubbery and gross!! Definitely make the step up to the real thing, you’ll never go back 🙂
Amy G. says
Kelly,
That was so nice of you to serve lunch to your painter, and to take the time to talk to him. You undoubtedly made him feel special, and like he was a person and not just a hired hand.
Also, my prayers are with your friends who lost their son. As a parent, this is a daily fear of mine, and I’m sure it is of all parents. Since my daughter recently got her driver’s license, I’ve been having such a hard time not constantly worrying while she is out, but I keep trying to remember Jesus’s words to us, “do not worry.”
Peggy says
I did a blog post about that lunchroom Nazi thing. Some are going so far as to see it as a fourth amendment issue (illegal search and seizure). Of course, how is a four-year-old to protect her own constitutional rights? To me, it’s just another GREAT reason to homeschool!!
Linda says
I am so sorry to hear about your friends’ son dying. My son had a friend go missing just before Thanksgiving and she’s still missing. No one has heard from her. I find myself thinking about her from time to time wondering if she will ever be found so her family can have closure.
About talking to the painter about real food I do that sometimes. It’s never happened at the grocery store. I had a repairman at my house and he was talking about some diet he was on to lose weight. I showed him my NT cookbook and told him about real food.Not sure how interested he was in it since his diet was working for him. I am still trying to convince my family & the in-laws that lowfat is out. That’s a hard sell.
We went to my mother’s over the weekend to see her and have lunch. I brought homemade corn chowder and she had sandwiches to go with. I noticed she only ate the soup. I asked about that and she said she doesn’t have much of an appetite. I remember when we were in Israel 3 yrs ago she said the same thing. Nothing has changed and I don’t think it’s normal to not have an appetite all the time. What do you think?
KitchenKop says
Maybe ask her what else is going on with her health…?
Stephanie KL says
We seem to be going strong here on the birds. I agree on the red-bellied woodpecker and the female cardinal. Living East of you in West Virginia, I rely on the Petersen Field Series: Eastern Birds. If there is a similar one for the Michigan area, I would go with that.
Maryjane says
The bird on the left is a red-bellied woodpecker — common at feeders in Michigan. The other bird, as previously stated, is a female cardinal.
Our family loves the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, Eastern Region. https://www.amazon.com/National-Audubon-Society-Field-American/dp/0679428526/ref=pd_sim_sbs_misc_1
Dianna says
The bird on the right is a female cardinal. They are beautiful in their own way even though they aren’t as colorful as their mates.
Beth says
I agree with Hayley and Dianna – a female cardinal. The woodpecker looks like a red-bellied sapsucker. When I image googled to make sure I found this really cool site: https://www.50birds.com/
We absolutely love our “North American Wildlife” book from Reader’s Digest. It has everything in it. Sometimes those generic books are not very comprehensive, but we’ve always found what we’re looking for to identify.
Suzanne says
Canola oil is a total con. It’s also one of the most genetically modified product out there. I wouldn’t trust it even if it’s organic. Natural News tells all about it.
Hayley says
I think that the bird on the right may be a female cardinal…the coloring and shape is right but something looks a little different to me. May just be the distance of the picture.
I share with friends and family and they all think i’m nuts…even my hubby teases me about all the stuff I make! The hardest thing is convincing people that FAT is GOOD!
Kathryn says
I’m taking the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner course right now in Seattle! It’s amazing, I’ve learned so much and been able to make so many changes in my life and help out family and friends as well. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to fully understand how real food is the key to optimal health.