Thursday, December 17, 2015

Self- Reliance Tip of the Week - Self- Reliance "The Gymnast"

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The home of Paul Reevere where he raised most of his 16 children


Several months ago my family was watching "American Ride" on byutv.org. This show takes you all over the United States and shares American History the way you've never seen it before. One episode talked about the Freedom Trail in Boston. We got the itch and saved so we could walk the Freedom Trail. It was amazing. 

We explored nearly half of the two some-odd mile trail with a tour guide who was dressed in period clothing and an amazing way of making history come alive. He played a man named "Isaiah Thomas" who (in real life) on July 14th, 1776 read the public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Worcester, Massachusetts. We learned some amazing things about Boston and American History. 

Did you know that "The Midnight Ride of Paul Reevere" is grossly inaccurate? Our tour guide shared with us the most amazing and hilarious story where the truth really was stranger than fiction. I won't go into the details of what really did happen, but I will say that Longfellow really needed to check his facts before writing a poem that would be timelessly incorrect...I guess facebook isn't the only place that happens. 

I would like to share with you what Paul Reevere really DID do. He was an incredible businessman who had to be close to chameleon-like when it came to providing for his 16 children. Here are some of the jobs he held when the economy would shift and he had to change things up: 

+ GOLD/ SILVERSMITH : This was the trade he learned from his father.
+ DENTIST : (he used his experience with as a silver smith to make teeth); he was also may have been the first to use forensic dentistry to identify the remains of his friend Dr. (Gen) Joseph Warren several months after the Battle of Bunkerhill because he had made some teeth for him that Reveere had wired into Warren's mouth.
+ ENGRAVER: He used the skills he had learned in engraving silver, he engraved tea sets. copper plates and lead metal mastheads (for the printing press). He was able to also use this gift to be a little outspoken and make political cartoons. 
+ BELLMAKER : After the Revolutionary War, he again wanted to change things up again. H decided he would make bells and made over 900 before he would be done with that business venture. 
+ COPPER ROLLER: His experience with the bell foundry gave him the idea to convert an old steel mill to manufacture copper sheeting. He covered the dome of the "New State House" in copper and had great success with this business...that he started at the age of 65. 

Paul Reevere wasn't the only one to have to do this type of "shifting" in order to provide for his family. A whole generation earlier the father of Benjamin Franklin, Josiah Franklin had come from a long line of blacksmiths in England. When he immigrated, there were too many blacksmiths in Boston, so he created a business making soap (woot woot) and candles to provide for his 17 children. 

It might be easy to assume that if one person goes from "job to job" that those talents cannot be utilized in another field. The only thing we can take with us when we leave this life is the knowledge we've gained while we were here. When we change things up a little bit, we can find hidden talents we didn't know even existed. When we open opportunities for us to be more flexible...like a gymnast...we open doors for greater opportunity for learning and blessing not only our lives, but the lives of many others.

If you can ever make it to Boston and walk the "Freedom Trail" you'll come back with a greater sense of the sacrifices that these brave people paved for us, If you ever do get to go, make SURE to get "Isaiah Thomas" to be your tour guide, because he was AWESOME!!! 

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Self-Reliance Tip of the Week - Waste Not, Want Not

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This is a buckskin suit warn by Pres. Roosevelt in his younger days...much like the suit made for my Great Great Grandfather


I have been thinking a lot about Native American Indians this week. They were taught to use everything on a buffalo or deer. I mean everything. They didn't waste a thing because it was such hard work to hunt the animal and because they respected life. 

I have worked on two deer hides over the last few weeks that were given to me. One has been in the freezer for a while and the other only a few days. Luckily, I wasn't the one to actually have to take the life of the animal. I've learned the most by trial and error how to tan the hides. But...thank GOODNESS for Youtube!! 

Here is the process in a nutshell: 

  • Flesh the hide (remove any remaining meat, fat and membrane)
  • Dry it
  • Soak the hide for a few days (until you can tug a little and the hair comes out
  • Take the brain (remember, we are not wasting anything) and blend it with a little water - work it into the hide (3 to 4 times)
  • Wring it well and begin to stretch the hide
  • After the hide is dry, rub it on a tree or steel cable
  • Tadah!! You have buckskin leather
  • The last step is to place it over a smokey fire and the smoke clogs the pores and makes it water proof. Without this step, if you hide gets wet, you'll have to start the process all over again. 
You might be thinking, what in the WORLD possessed me to even consider trying this? Well, a few reasons.

#1.  I have seen other people make it and I wanted to try.

#2 Another reason has to do with a little family history.

Many years ago, some of my ancestors, Warren and Clara Tenney settled outside of Show Low in the White Mountains. This was still Indian territory. During this time, the father of Chief (William) Alchesay had died and some greedy men didn't want Alchesay to become chief. They tried to kill him. He escaped and was badly wounded. He came to the Trading Post of my Great Great Grandparents and they took him in. They hid him in the storage room surrounded by food and other items. When the naughty Indians came looking for him, they couldn't find him and moved on. He was badly wounded and Warren and Clara somehow found his mother. Together, they nursed him back to health. Alchesay's mother was so grateful to them for their service to her family, that she made Warren a buckskin suit (which would have taken several hides). He was so proud of that suit, that he wore it all the time. As far as I know, he might even be buried in it, but I don't know for sure. One hide takes a long time and A LOT of work. I can't imagine how much time it took to make his suit. That is one incredible "THANK YOU!" When was the last time I said "thank you" like that?

Alchesay later became a scout for the United States and was a huge help to the US Government during the Indian Wars and was even given a Medal of Honor That's a pretty cool connections huh?  John Bourke said this about him, 

 "a perfect Adonis in figure, a mass of muscle and sinew of wonderful courage, great sagacity, and as faithful as an Irish hound."

#3. The last reason that I was interested in learning to brain tan is that the first clothes that Adam and Eve were given were "skins of beast" to "cover their nakedness"... Jehovah made them for our first parents. I think that is amazing. 

Learning how to brain tan isn't a "necessity" for everyone to learn. But we all must learn how to not waste. When Benjamin Franklin said, "Waste not, want not." it is because like the Native Americans we show Heavenly Father we are thankful when we do not waste the blessings he has given to us. We live in a unique time when we have the means to purchase necessities for the future. It is easy to waste money in our world today. We must also simplify. We have been counseled over and over to get rid of the unnecessary things in our lives. Now, that is great advice!!!

Friday, November 6, 2015

Self-Reliance Tip of the Week - The Veggies That Shape Our Lives...Ish....

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My garden TOTALLY looks like this...ok, almost....

When I was in second grade, we had a spelling test. One of the words was "vegetables". I was in a hurry and spelled "veggies". For some reason I didn't get credit for spelling it right. Who knows? As the weather begins to change, so does our gardening needs. When the Word of Wisdom tells us to eat foods in season, we kinda have to plant it in season too. I have learned a little about this, but there's sooooOOOOooo much I don't know. 

I found this PDF for vegetables to plant for the Gila Valley and when. If you do not live in the Gila Valley, look around, there is probably an extension office or local farmer who could tell you what to plant and when for your area. 

Here is what to plant for Fall/ Winter: 

Veggie:    Time of Year:      Notes: 


Asparagus               Oct. 1 -   March 1            Transplant root cutting after frost

 Beet                         Aug. 1 -  April 1               Except extreme cold

Carrot                    July 15 - March 15            Succession planting for more carrots


Chard                      Aug. 1 -  April 1

Garlic                     Sept. 1 -  Jan. 1                 December is good

Kale                       Aug. 15 -  Feb 15

Lettuce (head)       Aug. 15 - Sept. 15             Can't take heat, goes to seed
                               and Dec. 15 - Jan. 15

Lettuce (leaf)         Aug. 15 - Feb 15

Onion
(green bunching)     Aug. 15 - Feb. 1              For green onion

Pea (spring)             Jan. 1 - Feb. 1

Radish                       All year

Spinach                  Aug. 20 - March 1           Chard is preferred by many - easier and higher yield

Here is the link: 



I love gardening this time of year because many things that can be grown in our own yards are salad ingredients! Yay!!!  One of the things I could really work on is making my garden a little more attractive and getting my children more involved. President Kimball said this: 

"We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees—plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard. Even those residing in apartments or condominiums can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods. Make your garden as neat and attractive as well as productive. If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities."1

There is so much more to it than that though...when we take the time to teach our children and grand-children about the Law of the Harvest by LIVING that temporal law, we all get a greater understanding. President Kimball continues: 

"I hope that we understand that, while having a garden … is often useful in reducing food costs and making available delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, it does much more than this. Who can gauge the value of that special chat between daughter and Dad as they weed or water the garden? How do we evaluate the good that comes from the obvious lessons of planting, cultivating, and the eternal law of the harvest? And how do we measure the family togetherness and cooperating that must accompany successful canning? Yes, we are laying up resources in store, but perhaps the greater good is contained in the lessons of life we learn as we live providently." 11

Half a century ago, nearly everyone had a garden. Because foods are so convenient, gardening has nearly dropped of the map of amazing hobbies. Similarly to being disconnected with the meat that we eat, we have also lost connection with many of our veggies. Even though I may never learn to spell "vegetables" right, it is always the right choice to plant them, cultivate them with our children and reap the reward because homegrown tastes SO much better anyway!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Self-Reliance Tip of the Week - Rockin' the Homemade Ranch Dressing!

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Nothin' really says "American Cooking" like Ranch Dressing. Hidden Valley Ranch made the most serene commercials of beautiful green farms and freshness. The only problem is, when you pick up a bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch, there are a few ingredients you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy if you knew how they affected your body. Here's a few to consider: 

  • MSG (causes headaches, weight gain, skin rashes, nausea, heart irregularities, and even seizures in sensitive individuals)
  • Disodium EDTA ( a purin - robs your body of Vit C and important minerals)
  • Disodium Guanylate (also a purin flavor enhancer) 
  • Disodium Inosinate (also a purin flavor enhancer)
  • Other artificial ingredients and preservatives

Purines also complicate problems for people with gout (ouchie) and kidney stones (double ouchie). 

Bummer - but it tastes sooo good! I have a friend who lived for a time in China and they put MSG on EVERYTHING!! She had consumed so much MSG that she started to loose her hair. She had to have hair extensions for several years because her hair was so thin. After years of avoiding it and trying to cleanse her body, her hair began to grow back. 

So lets take a second and look at a Ranch Dressing Mix that you can make at home without all the junk mentioned above. It is food storage friendly and loaded with such amazing ingredients, you'll never look back! I found this website and I love it. I have purchased a few of her cook books. They are inexpensive and have great ideas. I got the original idea for the ranch dressing from this site: http://www.simplehealthytasty.com/

I played with her Ranch Dressing Mix recipe and made a few changes. I cut the dill in half because it was just a little too strong for my liking. But, everything else worked great. Here is the bulk mix with my changes: 

Dry Ranch Dressing Mix

  • 1/4 cup basil (fights bacteria, reduces stress, detoxes liver)
  • 1/2 cup dill (is helpful with insomnia)
  • 1 cup parsley (reduces kidney inflammation, strengthens liver and spleen, a pint of tea daily can help remove gall stones)
  • 1/2 Tablespoon garlic granules (anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-Nephi-Lehi...the list goes on...)
  • 1/4 cup onion powder (contains necessary minerals and vitamins)
  • 1 Tablespoon Real Salt 
  • 1 teaspoon pepper

Mix everything together and mash with your hands. Put (or vacuum seal in a jar - wink wink) ingredients in air tight container. Use 2 table spoons per batch of dressing. 


Now, all you need are a few more ingredients to make a dip or dressing: 

  • 1 C Mayo
  • 1 C Sour cream
  • 3T apple cider vinegar
  • Milk (rice worked just fine for me) to the consistency you want

Mix well and add dry Ranch Dressing Mix. Add more milk if you want. 

If you want to make it vegetarian, simply substitute the mayo for Vegenaise and the sour cream with  

Sunflower Seed Sour Cream:
  • 1 cup raw (not roasted) sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup water
  • 4+ Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove pressed or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
Place ingredients in a blender and blend. Done (will thicken in the fridge). 

We can treat our bodies a little better than we do. Even though it is easy to be fooled by distracting commercials that couldn't be further from nature - our tongues as well as the rest of our body need not argue. We know the real deal when we taste it. Our bodies know the real deal when it is digested. I think it is time to rethink what All American Food means to us. The Dry Ranch Dressing Mix also works great for Ranch Potatoes and Taco Soup. These are great food storage meals that are easy!!

Sources for adverse effects of additives in foods: 

Friday, October 16, 2015

Self-Reliance Tip of the Week - How Long Will They Last?

I have a sick boy today, so this will be short and sweet...

In 2011 I vacuum sealed Oreos to see what would happen. How long would they last? I wasn't sure, so I am always experimenting. Four years later I cracked a jar open and fed it to my teenage sons. 

"Wow, mom these are so good!" 

I thought, "Well, maybe it is because they are teenagers, they're supposed to eat anything." 

So I tried one. They tasted like I just got them from the store. If ya'll don't have a vacuum sealer and jar attachment for your favorite comfort foods - you need to get one. 

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Self - Reliance Tip of the Week - What's In A Name?

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Once upon a time...in an elementary school far far away...there was a substitute teacher who thought it was so funny to write a note to me on a tennis-shoe shaped paper. On it he wrote "What's in a name?". In order to understand that a little bit, you should know that my maiden name is "Tenney" and I was called "Tennis-shoe" for many years. I felt kind of special though, because no one else got a note from the substitute teacher...it might have had something to do with me being his daughter's friend. What makes us "nick-name" things? Where my family is from they have a nick-name for EVERYTHING! My mom even named our cars! 

The Native Americans have known the plants that surround us and had unique names for them. They aren't known by Latin names to them. They were known by what they did for the body. The gift they shared with the people from their "Mother" the Earth. I would like to highlight a few of these plants and what they can do for the body. 

Comfrey:

I have talked about comfrey before, but I haven't given it any justice. The Native Americans called it "Bone Knit". When a broken bone was set, they would apply crushed comfrey leaves to the outside of the skin and they would drink comfrey tea. Bones and tissue would heal quickly. It sounds like a myth, but a friend of mine broke his leg as an adolescent (jumping out of a swing shattered it), after the bone was set, his mother had him take comfrey in capsules for several weeks. After three weeks, they went in for a check up  and the doctors were amazed because they had never seen a bone heal so quickly. There are many websites that say (thanks to the F. D. A.) that comfrey isn't safe to take internally. The Natives did for many many years. I'll let you decide. Comfrey also has other great benefits: 

  • excellent fertilizer for other plants
  • great for asthma and other bronchial conditions
  • heals skin and prevents scarring 
  • great for wounds, scratches and sunburns
  • excellent feed for goats, sheep, chickens etc.
I have also been using comfrey for a toothache with great success. Teeth are bones after all! A tooth is a tooth, no matter how small (ok, getting a little Dr. Seussy on ya....) 



Aloe Vera:

Another herb with a different name is Aloe vera. The Native tribes called it "Wands of Heaven". Aloe is so amazing for more than just sunburned skin! I shall call it "Wanda". 

  • improves cells throughout the body
  • externally it is an astringent, emollient and antifungal (Whhhaaattt?)
  • internally lowers cholesterol, improves circulation to lower extremeties
  • some studies showed that it prevented bacteria, viruses, and other invaders from multiplying 
  • it acts as a steroid for inflammation without the side effects
I don't know about you, but all those benefits sound pretty heavenly!! 


Sometimes it doesn't really matter what you call something. Some of the plants from Heavenly Father's Medicine Cabinet could be called just about anything. The point is that they are placed here for his children to use with wisdom and prudence for our benefit... AND I LOVE IT!!!

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Self-Reliance Tip of the Week - Bucket List

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The Five Gallon Bucket - More Than Meets the Eye (though...not a Transformer)


While I was a "Ma" to ten youth in my stake this summer, I took the opportunity to get to know them individually a little more. As we walked...and walked...and walked I asked them what they had in their buckets (we had a list we were supposed to have filled before we came on Trek). They told me the usual:

  • socks
  • jacket
  • extra shoes
  • mess kit (pie tin and a spoon)
  • cup with handle  and d-ring (for them to have easy access to their cups for water breaks)
  • toiletries ( washcloth, soap, hand towel etc)
  • no extra snacks
  • no electronics
Then I started asking them, "What if you were doing this for real, and you could choose only enough of your personal items to fit in a five gallon bucket, what would you take? They answered: 

  • my phone
  • my basketball
  • other similar answers

Then I asked the clincher... "What if the place you were going had no electricity? What would you take then?" The answers changed dramatically. 

  • a pocket knife
  • fire starters
  • soap
  • survival things
  • other similar answers

A phone was never mentioned again. Why? The obvious answer is, that without electricity, phones would not work and would then be worthless. It is amazing to me how such simple questions can change our thinking on certain issues. I think this can be a great lesson to us on many levels. 

Recently in the news I have seen the Catholic Pope under attack by saying things like, "Pope Forgives All Women Who Have Had an Abortion" or " Pope Endorses Climate Change." If the reader reads the full article, it isn't true at all. The headline has been misleading. The media can be so deceptive, so we have to be careful. It would be easy to abandon other faithful people of various Christian religions because of a headline. When we change our thinking just a little bit, like the bucket list, it can change our whole outlook. 

The most famous quote by Martin Niemoller (a German Protestant Pastor) who became a prisoner after he spoke against Hitler. The quote goes as such: 

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— 
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— 
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Please, remember when we hear or read something about another faith, to do a little bit of research first before we pass it on. It might be inaccurate. We need to have all Christians on our side walking arm in arm for wouldn't it be amazing to have Catholics on our left flank, Protestants on our right flank, and Baptists surrounding the enemy in back? If we support each other, despite the differences in doctrine, we will become more united through Jesus Christ. 

President Henry B. Eyring said :

We see increased conflict between peoples in the world around us. Those divisions and differences could infect us. That is why my message of hope today is that a great day of unity is coming. The Lord Jehovah will return to live with those who have become His people and will find them united, of one heart, unified with Him and with our Heavenly Father.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/our-hearts-knit-as-one?lang=eng

What kinds of things could we put in our spiritual buckets to look forward to a great day of unity?

  • Kindness
  • understanding
  • let go of unrighteous judgments
  • release misunderstandings
  • forgive

Let us fill our spiritual buckets with things that would unite all Christian faiths. The persecutions of the past would be better compared to the second list above. They will be useless if we are to look forward to a "great day of unity" as President Eyring says. It will not only help us survive, but flourish and blossom as the rose.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Self-Reliance Tip of the Week - Win One With the Kefir

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The gift that keeps on giving....

In 1940 Ronald Reagan played the role of George Gipp (real person) who was a Notre Dame football star. Just before the team was to play a monumental game, George was dying of a throat infection. His dying request was when things are tough to win it for the Gipper. The actually phrase, "That one was for the Gipper," was supposedly uttered by halfback Jack Chevigny immediately after he vaulted for a one-yard touchdown in the 1928 Notre Dame victory. That is why when Ronald Reagan ran for president, his slogan was, "Win One For the Gipper!" What does this have to do with the price of hairless chihuahuas in the Savannah? Well, just like football is a battle field where boys are turned to men, the flora (or good bacteria) in our gut is getting slaughtered by modern life. The "Gipp" played both offense and defense, but in our story, the battle cry will be, "Win One With the Kefir!"


Flora - Much More Than a Beautiful Latin Name

Our modern day has us loaded with everything, "antibacterial" - hand soap, hand sanitizer, antibiotics...sometimes multiple rounds, etc. All of these can be necessary at times, but used too often, leaves our beautiful little Latin good bacteria on stretchers being taken from the field of battle. Antibiotics kill the good, the bad, the ugly of bacteria, but we must have good bacteria in our gut or it will be overtaken with yeast. Yeast when kept in its proper place is necessary. Picture them as body guards. They help to keep the peace in the digestive system. The good bacteria are the peace makers. When there is too little flora, the yeast run around looting and pillaging because the softer side of the digestion circus isn't there to gently keep the yeast in check. When yeast over runs the digestive system, it then we have what we call "candida overgrowth". I have personally felt its destructive force and it was not pretty: headaches, yeast infections in the most uncomfortable of places, no energy (my thyroid was being targeted), serious eyeball headaches, inability to concentrate, uncontrollable sugar cravings etc etc. I had to kill it by starving it from the things it wanted. I couldn't have bread, sugar, anything with vinegar, etc etc. I lived on brown rice and vegetables with a little meat. It was very painful, but I did it. 

If we must have an antibiotic, we need to follow with good bacteria to keep those yeast where they need to be, and that is where kefir comes in. 

Kefir is a cute little squishy grain that gives cultures to milk and when consumed, fills the gut with the good bacteria. When it is added to a cup of full fat milk and left at room temperature on the counter, it does a beautiful dance (probably without castanets) and turns the milk to a gentle sour. The kefir grain is strained out to be added again to a new cup of milk to do its beautiful dance again. It is a gift that truly keeps on giving. 

This blog has some great information on kefir. Some sensitive people can't drink kefir because it upsets their stomach, the author explains why and how you can get around it: http://www.homemademommy.net/2012/09/why-i-love-kefir-and-what-are-kefir-grains.html

Where Do You Get Kefir?

Amazingly enough, you can get a starter grain at Indigo Mountain for free. You can also get a starter from Amazon. When you get a starter, it will slowly grow bigger and bigger. Eventually you can break it off and give starters to friends and family.  It's like Amish Friendship Bread...without the bread...or sugar. 

How Do I Care For My Pet Kefir?

This is the easiest pet in the world to care for. 

  • You feed with with a cup of milk in a cup for 18 to 24 hours
  • It takes the milk and changes it with cultures
  • you strain out the lightly soured milk into a new cup
  • plop the kefir grain back into the original cup
  • add more milk
  • put it on counter or cupboard for another 18 to 24 hours

If you will be going out of town or don't want to drink it every day, it stays happy in the fridge and cultures the milk much more slowly. This pet just like any other can die if it isn't fed or if washed with chlorinated water. Commercial kefir must be pasteurized...so it kills the good bacteria and is thus rendered useless. This is really the best way to do this.

Isn't Yogurt the Same Thing?

Here's the difference. Yogurt feeds the current good bacteria. It doesn't make more. Kefir has a wide spectrum of good bacteria plus healthy yeasts. It is so much different. Plus, if you want to keep the yeast in check, eating sugared yogurt doesn't help that situation, at all. Most commercial yogurt is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup which is more like  "Frankin Sugar" anyway. Some people don't really like the "sour" flavor. I was raised on buttermilk, so its no big deal to me. It can be added to smoothies where you don't even know it's there - problem solved.

As you study kefir further, hopefully you'll get some great insight. Then you will know how to win this battle and keep your little Latin dancing soldiers in good numbers as they slide down and you are able to "Win One With the Kefir". Your body will thank you. 

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Self-Reliance Tip of the Week - Bulldoze That Old Bouillon!

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Look! It even has parsley on the top :) 


There is nothing like an old fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup! The stuff in the cans doesn't even touch the nutrition found from a recipe passed down for generations of REAL DEAL Chicken Noodle Soup. I read a book once (Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon)  that was LOADED with great information on why this rare, home-made from scratch, dripping with all the greatness of lovin' from mama's kitchen was so nutritious. It was all in the marrow from the chicken. Whaaaat? Yep. When it is mixed with carrots, celery, parsley, some salt and the fingerlickin' chicken, you can't go wrong! Today many people try to make "from scratch" broths and soups with commercial bouillon ( slight gagging sound). Ok, maybe I'm being a little dramatic here, but lets take a closer look at what is in bouillon and why we should find a healthier alternative. 

Lets take a look at the ingredients....shall we? Here goes: 

Salt, sugar, partially hydrogenated palm oil, monosodium glutamate (MSG)...

Ok, STOP... MSG. Who cares if it has MSG in it? Well, many people are sensitive to MSG without even knowing it because they often get headaches. MSG is a NEUROTOXIN, or brain "neuron" cell toxicity. Not good...moving on...

Chances are, we won't always have a fresh chicken to slaughter and dress for chicken noodle soup. It is most nutritional this way, but I have another idea that also has lots of nutrition, easy to make, no fillers or chemical additives and tastes really great. 

I came across this recipe recently and I've started using it and I love it! I found it on www.simplehealthytasty.com (here is the link to this recipe 

Veggie Chicken Broth Mix
2 C. Nutritional Yeast
1/2 C real salt
2 T turmeric
2 tsp dried dill weed
2 tsp marjoram (optional)
2 tsp dried powdered lemon peel (optional)
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp basil
1 tsp powdered thyme
1 T dried parsley

Place all, except parsley, in a blender in the listed order. Blend until powdered together. Add parsley and pulse to chop. Store in an airtight container indefinitely in the cupboard. To make veggie broth, add 1 T to every quart of water 
Mix in ingredients in blender and then store broth mix in an air-tight container. Add 1 T. of mix per cup of water and use as chicken or veggie broth in recipes.

I have been using this recipe a lot lately and my hubby has even said, "This is good stuff."

Now for the nutritional side of this kind of bouillon...you're gonna love this :). We are going to take each ingredient and see what their nutritional components are - 

  • Nutritional Yeast ( very similar to Brewers Yeast but better) : Chromium, selenium, magnesium, Vitamin B's, protein (and it can also be used in making ethanol to fuel your car :) ).
  • Real Salt : This is different than your table salt from the store. This has NATURAL iodine in it and is so much better for your body (Pink Himalayan salt can also be used). It helps to balance the pH of the body and balance electrolytes. More info here: http://fitlife.tv/10-amazing-benefits-of-pink-himalayan-salt/
  • Turmeric: balances blood (like cayenne) , reduces inflammation (like arthritis), antibacterial for stomach bugs like Ecoli, 
  • Dill: Can be used for insomnia
  • Marjoram: relaxing and pain relieving
  • Celery seed: benefits the kidneys and relieves bloating
  • Basil: LOADED with Vitamin K, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, good for the heart
  • Thyme: beneficial for respiratory, stomach, uterine and bowel problems 
  • Parsley: arthritis, kidneys, bladder and edema (water retention)

When these whole food ingredients are taken individually at higher concentration, you'll see better results than just as a flavor for your soup broth, but it sure kicks the stuff out of the old junk doesn't it? So, grab your bulldozer and get rid of the other stuff! Your body will thank you sooner than you might think. 

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Self-Reliance Tip of the Week - That Darn Debt

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I know...its a little early for Turkey day...but...


You know when you've eaten a Thanksgiving dinner and you know you've eaten a little too much? It is nice to be full and have that fresh yummy food in your belly, but you've overeaten just a little bit too much. It is kind of uncomfortable, but you'll live. If you take a little nap, maybe that feeling will go away. Debt can weigh on your mind like that Thanksgiving dinner. It can become so burdensome that you wish you could just take a nap and have the load lightened enough to feel normal. The only problem is, that debt cannot be digested like corn, turkey or olives. It is always there, lurking to remind you. 

This is one of my favorite quotes about finance because it kind of gives a little bit of a face to debt: 

Interest never sleeps nor sickens nor dies; never goes to the hospital; it works on Sundays and holidays; it never takes a vacation; it never visits nor travels; it takes no pleasure; it is never laid off work nor discharged from employment; . . . it never pays taxes; it buys no food; it wears no clothes; it is unhoused and without home and so has no washing, it has neither wife, children, father, mother, nor kinfolk to watch over and care for; it has no expense of living; it has neither weddings nor births nor deaths; it has no love, no sympathy; it is as hard and soulless as a granite cliff. Once in debt, interest is your companion every minute of the day and night; you cannot shun it or slip away from it; you cannot dismiss it; it yields neither to entreaties, demands, or orders; and whenever you get in its way or cross its course or fail to meet its demands, it crushes you.

So much for the interest we pay. Whoever borrows should understand what interest is; it is with them every minute of the day and night. — President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Conference Report, April 1937, pp.102-103

I have a friend that I remind (whenever it seems proper) that they do not want a new car because the one they have works great and is paid off. The grass can always be greenersomewhere else. But that green grass can get smashed and run over with a bulldozer if times become tight and that payment can't be made. We have been counseled for years along with self-reliance to avoid debt and save a little. Here are some of the great ones given by our prophets.
  • “Let us avoid debt as we would avoid a plague; where we are now in debt, let us get out of debt; if not today, then tomorrow. “Let us straitly and strictly live within our incomes, and save a little." Ezra Taft Benson, “Prepare for the Days of Tribulation,” Ensign, Nov 1980

  • President Ezra Taft Benson said, “Do not leave yourself or your family unprotected against financial storms. . . . Build up savings.” — Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Earthly Debts, Heavenly Debts,” Ensign, May 2004, pp. 40-41

  • When I was married my wise father said to me, “Get a modest home and pay off the mortgage so that if economic storms should come, your wife and children will have a roof over their heads.” — President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Living Worthy of the Girl You Will Someday Marry,” Ensign, May 1998, p. 50
And my favorite - 
  • First, and above and beyond anything else, let us live righteously. . . . Let us avoid debt as we would avoid a plague; where we are now in debt, let us get out of debt, if not today, then tomorrow. Let us straightly and strictly live within our incomes, and save a little. Let every head of every household see to it that he has on hand enough food and clothing, and where possible fuel also, for at least a year ahead. You of small means put money in foodstuffs and wearing apparel, not in stocks and bonds; you of large means will think you know how to care for yourselves, but I may venture to suggest that you do not speculate. Let every head of every household aim to own his own home, free from mortgage. Let every man who has a garden spot, garden it; every man who owns a farm, farm it. — President J. Reuben Clark , Jr., Conference Report, April 1937, p. 26
For most of us, I feel, try to live within our means. However, when our dollars are stretched too far, it makes it nearly impossible to store extra goods when we are so strapped. Avoidance is the first line of defense. Avoiding it like a plague has been mentioned several times. Sometimes, debt cannot be avoided.  Buying a home makes more financial sense than renting. Even in order to even rent an apartment or buy a car you have to have good credit. Many years ago, a good handshake and your word was good enough. That is not the case anymore. 
Here is some advice to get you on the road to becoming debt free: 
  • Pay your tithing
  • Pay your highest interest credit first (even if its the smallest, interest can eat you ...like a plague)
  • After your highest interest is paid off, begin with the next highest and so on.
  • Live strictly within your means, don't confuse needs and wants
There are many online calculators and phone apps to help you figure out the best plan of attack. 
Even though paying off debt isn't nearly as fun eating Thanksgiving dinner, we will feel huge relief when it has moved on and doesn't weigh us down any longer. Freedom never felt so good.