Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving as I did. Thanks to Megan and Joanna for a beautifully decorated table! Thanks to Kevin and Wendi for hosting the party. Thanks to all who contributed to the food fest and congratulations to .....

the 2008 turkey king.... Mr. Eric Lee! Although, I have to say, they were all three delicious and very hard to choose just one. We had one BBQ'd, one smoked and one herb roasted. Great work boys! I had a great time just hanging out all day with my entire family. I have six very funny brothers and six beautiful sister in laws all made possible by some incredible grandparents and a set of the best parents possible. Thank you all for being my family! And, because I ate quite a large handful of candy corn and never once said my thank you's, here you go....

I am thankful for....

Of course, my family. My Sweet wonderful husband who has never said an unkind thing to me in his life even when I have deserved it. Who never talks about anyone in any unkind way. A husband who lets me be sassy and still somehow thinks I am "it." A husband who lets me stay home and be a mom and even with puffy eyes and chubby thighs still makes me feel like a super model. I am thankful for my children and their many, many talents. For their desire to please and succeed. For their good hearts and desire to choose the right. For the way that my children are patient and loving with our little Tate. I am especially thankful that this week Tate started to say "mom", or sometimes "om". Either way, the most beautiful music there is.

I am thankful for my home and the beautiful neighborhood that I live in. For such great neighbors and friends who support me in all I do. I am thankful for my health and my energy. For grocery stores on every corner and cars to get there. I am thankful that I can go to church and worship how I please. I am thankful that I have faith that there is a God in heaven who loves me and wants me to succeed in life. Who is there when I am sincerely "done".

I am thankful for the wonderful friends that I have made from this blog who have taught me so much. Who have inspired me to learn more and share. I am thankful for it all. I have had such a blessed life and can't wait to see what the next year has for us! We all talk about what hard times these are, economically, emotionally, politically. But, we can't look past what plentiful blessings we have daily. Our freedom, our family, our church our health. We are blessed. I am thankful!

For a little something now to share....
I made some delicious pumpkin pancakes Thanksgiving morning and thought I would pass the recipe along. This is a great time to stock up on canned pumpkin. I bought several for $1 per can. These are good until the end of 2011 so stock up! They would be a welcomed addition to the year supply for a bit of variety. Here you go....

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups whole wheat flour
3 T brown sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. allspice
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. vinegar

Mix together milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Stir into pumpkin mixture just until combined. Add more milk if necessary. Cook on griddle.

Get Outside and Play....

My husband and I early on decided, much to the dismay of our children, that video games were something that we would not have in our home. We recognized the fact that many children, including the personality of some of ours, could play hours upon hours and would need our constant reminder and scolding to remove themselves from the hand controller. It would be a source of contention and we firmly believe that as we were brought up, a child's place should be in the beautiful outdoors soaking up the sun and exploring, playing and getting sweaty. You see, while I don't believe that a small monitored amount of video mania will hurt, (and I know my children get plenty of this at friends homes) there seems to be an epidemic of pale, shadowed eyed zombie kids that prefer nothing else. When these little ones are supposed to be learning skills, getting exercise and enjoying conversation, they are instead battling James Bond or trading real football games for electronic John Madden. I didn't want to have to constantly monitor how long they were playing and constantly remind them to get out of the house and play. My children have now made comments that they are glad now that we didn't succumb. It took years for this sort of thanks but even a few weeks ago my teenage boy commented about his appreciation. Sort of. He commented that he can't start a band because none of his friends play the guitar. He said that they are all caught up on Guitar Hero and think they can play. They have traded real skills for pretend ones. He was glad that he practiced his "real skills" even though at the time he really wanted the guitar hero. I know these games are fun, I don't knock anyone who has them, I just don't want them to enslave me as the XBOX patrol. There is more to this story besides real life skills. It is another aside to the video game mania. Vitamin D. We get Vitamin D from the sun. Yes, we do get it from a few other foods, ie. salmon, Tuna, Milk, Eggs , Beef and cheese, but not in the same way or dosage as the sun. Vitamin D plays and essential roll in cell growth. It boosts the body's immune system and strengthens bones. Hmmmm. Maybe this is another reason why the Goodman children are so healthy. We get our sunshine. It is also important to let the little ones get outside without sunblock. It takes at least 15 minutes of sun for the UV rays to trigger Vitamin D production in the skin. Tate's specialist even recommended that we take off his shirt and have him go out in the sun for 30 minutes at least a day with no sunscreen. Of course, this does not mean in the middle of the 115 degree day. Use sense. But, today so many of us are slathering our children in sunscreen the minute they hit the outdoors. This has a whole other source of issues with it which I won't get into, but just think about the amount of toxins you are putting on their biggest organ, the skin, which just drinks it up. Ick. The bottom line, get outside. Turn off the games and go play them. Feel the weather and life. As adults we are equally as guilty. I am trading my indoor gym days to the outdoor gym days. I need my D too. I feel so much better when I get outside. In AZ we have no excuse. You cold weather people have a little more challenge ahead of you.Let us all get our daily dose of D. What are you going to do with your recommended 15 minutes minimum of sun soaking today? I will be trimming our bushes.....but... I think I will keep my shirt on.

Fresh & Easy Coupon....

In trying to keep the coupon deals in the know, here is your deal of the day. Click on this like here for Fresh & Easy and print a $6 off coupon when you spend $30. It is good until the 23rd. I went the other morning and they just put out several still very pink roasts for half off the sale price giving me them for only $1.30 per pound! I used my coupon and practically stole them from them. What a deal of the day. Add that to all of my $.50 butter and $1.00 toothpaste deals. What a bargain shopper I am. Thanks for your tips. Does all that extra butter and pot roasts make my food storage look fat?

Sunday Dinner.....

My sister in law made this great lasagna one night we visited her in California. I made it this past week and just had to share. It fed us for a couple nights. I also made a little salad dressing with my homemade raspberry jam that I have included. My kids gobbled it up. Just in case you didn't have any plans for your Sunday dinner! Enjoy!

Lasagna

Sauce:

1 lb mild Italian sausage (jimmy dean)
½ c. Finley chopped onion
¼ c. olive oil
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 ½ quarts diced tomato
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp lawreys seasoning salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sugar

Other ingredients needed to make lasagna:

1 ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 ½ cup mozzarella cheese
¾ lbs noodles
1 lb cottage cheese

Directions:

Saute onion in olive oil. Add sausage and cook until brown. Drain oil. Add the spices and sugar and blend well. Add tomato paste and tomato sauce. Fill each can with water and add to meat. Add diced tomato’s (including the water).

Simmer 1 hour uncovered (there have been times when I haven’t had time to simmer for an hour and it still tasted great)

Cook noodles, drain and rinse in cold water.

In a 9x13 pan cover bottom with some sauce. Place noodles side by side, top with ½ cup Parmesan, ½ cup sauce and spread around, ½ cup mozzarella, ½ cup cottage cheese, ½ cup sauce. Repeat steps and end with a layer of noodles and put the remaining sauce and Parmesan cheese and garnish with mozzarella.

You can cover and chill for 2 hours or over night.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Yum. This is a runny lasagna! Mmmmm!

Raspberry Dressing:

1/2 cup grapeseed oil

1/4 cup sugar

2 T white wine vinegar

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 T raspberry jam

I used baby greens and spinach, pears, strawberries, candied pecans, cucumbers, shredded carrots, feta and green onions.

Liver Cleanse FYI...

Just a quick note on the liver cleanse for those of you starting the journey.... make sure that if you are taking medication that you wait 2 hrs after you take the cleanse in the morning. I was reminded about this in our fabulous class tonight! It was wonderful. Thanks, Terri! I am making another order in the morning if you want anything without paying the shipping cost. Let me know.

Don't Forget......

Oils Class Tonight!! 7pm.

A Time for Thanksgiving....

(The glasses contain cranberry juice!)

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love to relax and enjoy family without all the stress of presents, costumes or other holiday mish mash. I have such fond memories as a child of gathering at grandma's yellow house with all the cousins. We would have nut cups at each plate and there were candy corns mixed with them. We would go around the table and say what we were thankful for when we ate a candy corn. I don't know why, it was just what we did. Now, we still have the tradition but instead of nut cups, my sister in law made some beautiful silk nut pouches filled with M&M's, candy corns and nuts for each plate. Because I have 6 very funny brothers, the beautiful nut pouches were affectionately called the "nut sacks" and you can only imagine how many jokes were made from that alone. ie...."Don't touch my nut sack, leave your brother's nut sack alone, why is Shari's nut sack bigger than mine, etc...... Maybe a tradition gone bad. Regardless, it is something that makes Thanksgiving fun and memorable. This year, all my family will be together which has been a while and I am really looking forward to it. My mother was a little concerned that we needed to have more than one turkey so she came up with a clever idea being the very clever lady that she is. She called my brother Jeff up and asked him if he wanted to have a Turkey Throwdown with my dad. My family is very competitive and he was in. Brother Eric heard what was going on and he had to jump in too with a BBQ version of a turkey. So, we will now be casting ballots upon entering the festivities for Turkey A, B or C. May the best man win. Way to con them, Mom! Anyways, I have stuffing, sweet potatoes and a couple pies. Here is my plea.... please share any fabulous Thanksgiving recipes you have. For any dish. Also, if you have a great tradition you would like to share, leave a comment. I would love to hear them all! May you all have a fabulous Thanksgiving and feel free to borrow the "nut sack" tradition!

Oils are Here...

I have your oils in my hot little hands. I will mail off the out-or-towners tomorrow. Any who are close are welcome to pick them up tonight or at the oil class on Thursday. If you need me to get them to you, please let me know. Also, I have one extra bottle of Spice of Life up for the taking.

The Liver Cleanse....

The liver is a massive organ that is the first line of defense against all the toxins and poisons that surround us. The liver produces vital digestive juices that help us to digest our food properly and clean our blood. As we know, our world is full of harsh and dangerous chemicals that we intake daily in our food, our air and in our water. The liver does its best to clean our systems of these toxins but it can only do so much before it is overloaded and needs to be cleaned out itself, much like our air conditioning filters. Can you imagine if you never cleaned your car air filter? The car would only work at a minimal level and the engine could suffer severe damage. So it is with our bodies. Our liver needs to be cleaned or the toxins are stored and our bodies react. We may be suffering such things as fatigue, rashes, depression, obesity, hormonal imbalances, PMS, allergies, jaundice , nausea, headaches, drowsiness after eating, weak muscles and difficulty loosing weight just to name a few. For my family, allergies are a big problem around here. I have been excited to start the liver cleanse to help clear us of these problems. If the liver can work properly, toxins are cleared and allergies are diminished. We shouldn't have allergies. They are a by product of an unhealthy body and environment. I have learned this with Tate as we have fixed his eczema by cleaning out his damaged body and stomach. Now , many foods that once triggered allergies do not pose that problem any longer. His body is much healthier and can get rid of the problems.

We all started the liver cleanse this week officially after starting and stopping a few times. It takes commitment. You need to stay on it for at least 28 days, resting a week and continuing again. Depending on how toxic your body is, you may want to stay on it for a year or more, perhaps even forever. As the liver begins to be cleansed, you feel pretty horrible for a little while. So far, Randi and I and are the ones with the worse side effects. Randi has a sore throat and swollen glands, I feel like I have the stomach flu and am extremely tired. I know it is worth it. Already I have noticed a decrease in allergies. I line up the cups every morning for their liver cleanse cocktail. You must drink it on an empty stomach, first thing.No one is very excited but they drink it down. We follow it with a lick of spice of life and a neti pot cleanse. It is our goal to have another sick free winter. I'll keep you posted.

Here's how you do it:

1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 drop lemon oil

1 drop peppermint oil

a little purified water just to dilute it a bit.

Drink up! You can add some honey if you need to for the little ones. For those little ninos who have a hard time drinking the cocktail down, you can put the peppermint oil and lemon oil on their feet and putting some lemon juice in their smoothie. It isn't quite as effective but still helps. You need a good quality oil. If you don't buy the pure oil, you never know how the oil has been processed. Many are processed chemically and who wants to add more chemicals to your body when you are trying to get them out in the first place? That is why I support forever green products. I have 8 sets available this week if anyone is interested. It is $35 total for both oils combined, lemon and peppermint (the set will be $40 when I am out of these 8 extra oils, I was able to get a rebate for making such a big order this week so I used that to pay the shipping and tax, next order I won't have that luxury and will have to charge you) . Both of those oils are great to have on hand for other uses as well including:

Peppermint oil: relaxes and soothes; anti inflammatory, eases menstrual cramps, muscular aches and pains, sciatica, arthritis, toothache, sinusitis, mastitis, relieves itching with eczema. Stops pain from bites and injury. Cleanses and purifies. Helps with acne and gingivitis. Tightens capillaries, stimulates white blood cells to strengthen immune system infections, can relieve morning sickness and aid in labor an delivery.

Lemon Oil: Helps decongest the chest, anti-viral to work on colds and flus, assists in weight reduction, helps reduce cellulite and improves circulation. It is also great to clean with.

For me, I have personally had great effects with these oils. I love to add the lemon with some orange oil to clean with in a few cups water in a spray bottle. I also used the peppermint in some water to stop a stomach ache and on my temples to stop a head ache. They smell great and have great effects by just sniffing them alone. I love these oils. I am continually impressed by all the oils that I have used. I have hopes to have all medicines cleared out of my cabinets and having only oils for my first aide.

Let me know who wants some. I will have them in this week. Also, if any of you have certain symptoms and want to know what oils you should use, email me and I will let you know.

How to can butter.....

My friend, Tracey, told me that she had canned butter and honestly I had never heard of such a thing. What a wonderful idea! I happen to have lots of butter that is overflowing my freezer from the great Fry's sale. I would love to store it for long term use. I found this information on how to can butter properly on a blog called "End Times Report." This is so simple and better yet requires no special equipment. I have been trying to can items twice a month at least so this is my next project. I feel at peace to see all these cute filled jars in my pantry. My husband is adding a new shelf in my pantry just to hold my beautiful jars of nutrients. Thanks, Babe! So, if you too have some extra butter and want to put them into a proper resting place, here you go.

1. Use any butter that is on sale. Lesser quality butter requires more shaking (see #5 below), but the results are the same as with the expensive brands.
2. Heat pint jars in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes, without rings or seals. One pound of butter slightly more than fills one pint jar, so if you melt 11 pounds of butter, heat 12 pint jars. A roasting pan works well for holding the pint jars while in the oven.
3. While the jars are heating, melt butter slowly until it comes to a slow boil. Using a large spatula, stir the bottom of the pot often to keep the butter from scorching. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes at least: a good simmer time will lessen the amount of shaking required (see #5 below). Place the lids in a small pot and bring to a boil, leaving the lids in simmering water until needed.
4. Stirring the melted butter from the bottom to the top with a soup ladle or small pot with a handle, pour the melted butter carefully into heated jars through a canning jar funnel. Leave 3/4" of head space in the jar, which allows room for the shaking process.
5. Carefully wipe off the top of the jars, then get a hot lid from the simmering water, add the lid and ring and tighten securely. Lids will seal as they cool. Once a few lids "ping," shake while the jars are still warm, but cool enough to handle easily, because the butter will separate and become foamy on top and white on the bottom. In a few minutes, shake again, and repeat until the butter retains the same consistency throughout the jar.
6. At this point, while still slightly warm, put the jars into a refrigerator. While cooling and hardening, shake again, and the melted butter will then look like butter and become firm. This final shaking is very important! Check every 5 minutes and give the jars a little shake until they are hardened in the jar! Leave in the refrigerator for an hour.
7. Canned butter should store for 3 years or longer on a cool, dark shelf. [It does last a long time. We have just used up the last of the butter we canned in 1999, and it was fine after 5 years.] Canned butter does not "melt" again when opened, so it does not need to be refrigerated upon opening, provided it is used within a reasonable length of time.