So What Do You Eat?

<Insert random food item here>

When people hear that we are Flexitarians, the comments that I hear are really so varied.  First I get a blank stare followed by a "what's a Flexitarian?"  You guys- a Flexitarian is simply someone who doesn't eat very much meat and then eats LOTS of whole foods- ie. fruits and veggies, grains and such.  Well that doesn't sound so bad, right?

But what comes after this is almost always a question about what exactly we do eat.  As if not eating meat would somehow limit our food options.  But I understand and not too worry- I'm always happy to share what I know and what we personally do!

So what do we eat?

I can tell you that it's not a lot of cheese/dairy/meat, it's not a lot of fake vegetarian processed foods, it's not a lot of potatoes or pasta.  It's a lot of real food.  Simple as that.

So just for fun and because I LOVE looking at yummy food- I'm going to be sharing pictures of some of our meals.  This is what real food looks like you guys!  I posted every single one of these photos over on the Facebook page in the last year.  That's right, this is just a year of our highlights.

Real food.

Simple food.

Food for families.


Let's talk breakfast!

And what about lunch?!?  Either on the go or at home....

But really we all know it's about the snacks, desserts and all things yummy.

And the most important meal of all- what exactly do you eat for dinner?

Are you hungry now?  SO many good looking dishes!

I have to say that I think my family eats pretty darn well.  The majority of our food is vegetarian with many dishes moving towards vegan.  When we do eat animal products at home, it is ALWAYS organic.  No exceptions.  Our meals begin with whole foods, so lots of fruit and veggies and almost all of it is homemade.  

I'm here to tell you that you CAN make these changes in your diet.  It's possible to get rid of the meat and still eat well.  Your family WILL eat this food.  I promise you.   

Ready to get started?  Check out my Master Recipe List for all things healthy and delicious!

• Master Recipe List

Puppy Stew

A couple years ago I started making our own dog food.  The reasons were pretty simple-

• Lots of recalls on commercially prepared dogs foods.  Including treats, canned goods & dry food.
• An aging dog who I felt would benefit from a change in diet.
• A desire to make our dogs as healthy as possible so they would live a long, long time.
• Cost.
• A need to know exactly what I'm feeding our precious furry babies.

So before I started making their food from scratch, I did a little research first.  Oh yeah- me and the Google are tight.  But holy buckets is there a lot of information out there!  So after I spent some quality time with Mr. Google, I checked out a few library books on the subject.

And here's what I found-

• Dogs need a balanced diet.
• Veggies are good for them.
• Ease into homemade food so you don't upset their stomachs.
• It's ok to supplement with good quality dry and canned foods.
• Mix it up.  Even dogs get bored with the same old thing.

Dump it all in a pot & cook on low for
30-60 minutes.  Turkey, rice, peas & carrots.

Crazy, right?  All that research and it comes down to just a few things.  Of course I'm simplifying it here but it was really pretty straight forward.  The books and websites I read listed many, many recipes.  Special diets, low fat diets, skin allergy diets- you name it and it was there.  But for the most part, they all had the same basic ingredients.

• Meat
• Veggies
• Grains/Pasta
• Broth

Yeah- pretty easy stuff.  So today I'm going to share with you how I personally make our dogs food.  I make about one batch of "Puppy Stew" as we call it, each week.  I vary the ingredients weekly so they don't get bored and I supplement the Puppy Stew with a little scoop of organic dry dog food.  Adds more texture and helps me extend the batch of Puppy Stew for a full week.

Start with meat.  I buy any meat that is clearanced at my grocery store.  Every time I shop, I check the clearance bin and by doing this, I never pay more then $2 for a pound of meat.  I buy a lot of pork but also get steaks, ground beef, chicken livers (blech!), turkey burgers- you name it, I'll buy it.  Then simply store it in your freezer until you're ready to use.  Defrost for a day in the fridge then just dump the whole thing in a large stock pot.

To the meat, I add about 1-2 cups of grains or pasta.  Our dogs love barley, rice, lentils, potatoes and pasta.  Just buy whatever's cheap and on sale at your grocery store.  And don't be afraid to use a combination of things- for example, a favorite is 1/2 barley and 1/2 lentils.  They love it!

Now is the time to add in your veggies and fruit.  Just pick a couple so you don't overwhelm them with flavors.  Since I buy organic carrots in bulk- I always throw in a couple carrots.  To this I've added spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, kale, brussel sprouts, green beans, blueberries and more.  To do this on the cheap- I am very methodical about saving our scraps.  For example, when we have cauliflower with dinner, I cut up the stalks and any less desirable pieces and put them in a Ziploc bag and store in the freezer.  Then when it's time to cook the Puppy Stew, I just look in my freezer for what I have available.  I never buy fruits or veggies just for the Puppy Stew so the cost is pretty much zero.

Finally, it's time to add in your spices and flavor.  I cook the Puppy Stew in water, about 4 cups, with just a little bouillon or homemade stock.  Then depending on what's in the pot- I will add in rosemary (they love this with pork!) or maybe a little poultry seasoning.  You won't need much and you should never add salt!  And since garlic is very good for their skin and keeping fleas away, I always put a little sprinkle of garlic in the pot.

Then simply cook on low for about 30 minutes to an hour.  Remove from the heat and cut up your meat and any veggies.  Then store in a large container in your fridge.  For 2 dogs, this should last you about a week.

Chicken, rice, barley & carrots.  SO easy!

I use about 1/2 cup of this Puppy Stew combined with 1/4 cup of dry food for Buddy Boy who is approximately 15 pounds.  Lucky Dog is larger and gets twice this amount.  Sometimes I'll mix in a little organic canned food if I have it- just to mix things up a bit for them.  But really- that's pretty much it.

The benefits that I've personally seen, especially with Lucky Dog who will be 15 years old this April, have been pretty amazing.

• More energy- especially for Lucky Dog.
• No skin issues at all.  No fleas either.
• Weight loss.  Lucky Dog was getting a little round (not overweight but definitely adding a few pounds) and now he's slimmed down.  In fact, we are now trying to fatten him up!  This diet is SO lean and good for them.
• No illness.  No health concerns or sickness at all.
• Very regular digestive systems.
• Shiny, soft skin and fur.
• Happier.  I swear to you that Lucky Dog was getting a little depressed.  After just a month on this diet, our beloved Lucky Dog was coming back to us.
• Assists with joints.  Poor Lucky Dog has a touch of arthritis but with this diet, he doesn't appear to have any pain or issues with mobility.

I only wish that I had started doing this when Lucky Dog was just a baby.  But I suppose when you know better, you do better.

I can't tell you how easy this is to do.  Seriously- just dump it all in a pot and walk away while it cooks on low.  The 30-45 minutes that I spend each week doing this is well worth the cost savings and benefits.  I hope you'll think about making up a batch of Puppy Stew for your precious furry babies!  You won't regret it!

Another note- Please be very careful with any commercially prepared dog food you are buying.  I never buy anything that is not made in the USA but I also never buy anything I don't recognize.  There's a few treats that I do buy for them, one of which is Simply Nourish brand beef livers.  It is Buddy Boy's most favorite thing ever.  Seriously- ever.  Best part- it's literally one ingredient, beef liver.  This is how it should be when you are buying food products for your pets.  Keep it simple. Check those ingredient labels and know what you are buying for your pets!

And last but not least- this Puppy Stew is what our dogs eat for dinner every night.  Once they started loosing weight, I started feeding them breakfast as well.  Breakfast varies but usually it's things like scrambled eggs (Buddy Boy prefers fried eggs!), veggies, oatmeal, shredded chicken, avocado, apples or items leftover from previous meals.  For example, this morning I fed them a little leftover roasted root veggies, some potatoes and a little scoop of good quality dry dog food.  It really is this easy!

Five Misconceptions of a Submissive Marriage

You guys- the husband and I didn't start out thinking we would have this kind of marriage.  In truth, we've never really talked about it at all.  It just sort of happened.  Weird right?  But as we found our rhythm and settled into our real selves within our marriage- this concept of submission just naturally came about.

Now, you probably all know what the Bible has to say about it.  That's great- I'm not here to debate the Bible.  Expert I am NOT, so I'm not even going there.  But I will say that my understanding has always been that just as the husband submits to God, so does the wife to the husband.  It's simply the natural order of a biblical marriage.

On the other side are couples who aren't necessarily following God's teachings but have adopted this type of marriage because that's simply what works best for them.  So that's awesome too right.  But can we just take a moment to clear up some very common misconceptions?


#1- Women are weak.

Oh my.

You guys, meet me in real life and you'll know that I am far from a meek or weak woman.  In fact, I would consider myself a feminist and believe strongly that ALL women have the right to choose their life path.  Mine simply happens to be this one.

It is my opinion that it takes a woman of great strength to allow someone else to lead.  Seriously, think about it.  How hard is it for you to give in- on anything?  And when was the last time you were in an argument with your spouse and decided to put the strife away in favor of resolution, even if it didn't go your way?  It's hard mmkay...


#2- Women are abused.

So listen, this will happen in any type of relationship.  It is not exclusive to a submissive marriage.  The statistics on domestic abuse are staggering.  One out of every 5 women will be abused in their lifetime.  One in every three women die from domestic abuse.  Horrifying.

But I am not one of them.  I have never been abused, my husband has never raised a hand to me, I am not in a physically or mentally abusive relationship- not one little bit.

And let's just be clear, when we use the term "submissive", it has NOTHING to do with bedroom antics a la Fifty Shades of Grey.  There's no hitting/choking/restraining going on in the name of love here mmkay....although if that's your thing.....


#3- Women have no voice.

Trust me when I say that my voice and opinion comes through loud and clear.

Loud.

And.

Clear.

Sometimes too much- but I'm working on that!  I am always able to voice my thoughts and I have an equal say in everything.  Yes, I said equal say...In this type of relationship, both husband and wife are free to communicate their thoughts and opinions without fear.


#4- Men are control freaks.

I have yet to meet anyone (male or female) that isn't just a little bit of a control freak.  Seriously.  The husband has certain things that are important to him and so he exercises his voice and wishes on those issues.  On the other hand, I have certain things that are important to me.  We are both free to express ourselves and make our desires known.  If there's something we are passionate about, we make that known- simple as that.

Truth be told, I'm the real perfectionist in our relationship.  "Hi- My Name is Chrissie and I'm a Control Freak."


#5- Men are hiding something.

Sure, some men keep secrets.  Just like women.  And yes, sometimes they aren't the good kind of secrets.  But if you have a good marriage, you simply don't need to worry about this.  I trust my husband.  I know that when he goes out somewhere without me, the very last thing he's thinking about is hooking up with some random woman or keeping hurtful secrets.

How do I know this?

Simple- my man is happy and satisfied with what he has at home.  I am a good wife, a faithful and loving partner and his best friend.  Some random chick in a bar simply can't compete.  And that's the truth.


In closing- there is something really beautiful about a submissive marriage.  For a wife, it's a wonderful gift to give to your husband.  To tell him that you trust him completely to lead your marriage and your family down the right path.  To place your faith in your husband to guide you, to lay your burdens down in favor of happiness and peace.  I just can't even describe to you how wonderful this type of marriage can be if done correctly.

And trust me- I know that MANY of you will simply not understand.  I'm sure many of you probably think I've boarded the train to crazy town....I get it.  Really I do.  But I want to offer you a few things to think about-


How many people do you know that are divorced?

How many of those people encouraged you to conduct your marriage in a way that mirrors their own failed marriage?

Any of them on marriage #3 or more?

How many people do you know who are not happy and fulfilled in their current marriage?

How often do you see your married friends or family members touching, kissing, embracing and in general, showing their spouse love and affection?

What about your own marriage?  Are you happy?  How do you demonstrate your love to each other? Do you trust your spouse?  Do you respect your spouse?

My marriage isn't perfect.  We certainly have our moments but we are happy and we are still very much in love.  Our submissive marriage works for us and at the end of the day, that's all that really matters.


Want to Read More?

• Marriage: A Traditional Housewife
• On Being a Traditional Wife

Does This Get Any Easier?

I'm asked all the time if this homeschooling business gets any easier.  The reality is that no, it doesn't.  It simply changes and evolves over time.  Teaching your children is hard.

But it's also the greatest single thing you will ever do.  Seriously- it is.

And I don't just say that because I'm being idealistic.  When your child struggles to learn how to read and you spend hours, seriously HOURS upon HOURS, working with them and then suddenly- they've figured it out.  There is really nothing better.  To know that your child can add and subtract in their head because you taught them how to do that.  The reason they know that our veterans are more important than football players- it's because of you.  All you.

So no.  It doesn't get any easier, it just changes.

When the kiddo was younger, I had to literally sit by his side for all schoolwork and quiet reading done at home.  During outside classes, I was also right there.  In the younger years, it was very time consuming.  But also very rewarding because we were forming the foundation of learning.

Now that he's a bit older and we've been doing this homeschooling thing for almost 7 years- I can say that it is very different from the way it started.  He no longer wants me in any outside classes with him.  He seeks me out only when he needs help with a specific problem or worksheet but that's about it.  He prefers to learn on his own.  However, because I'm not sitting by his side the entire time, I have to constantly stay on him about completing his daily tasks.

See- not easier, just different.

What I can tell you is that you will eventually reach a point where you think, "I've got this."  You will find your groove, I promise you.  And just remember that the really great thing about homeschooling is that if something isn't working, you can change it.  You are never locked in to one way of learning.  The beauty of being your child's educator is that you know immediately when something simply isn't going to cut it and you, yes YOU, can change it.

You can do this.

How do I know?

Simple- because I'm doing it.  And if I can do it, I know that anyone can.

Homeschooled Housewife's Daily Task List

Staying on top of household chores and tasks can sometimes seem like a mountain you just can't climb.  Trust me, I get it.  Years ago my floor used to be littered with toys upon toys upon toys.  The laundry would pile up until it took me DAYS to get it under control and I could never seem to keep my bathroom clean.  This was me circa 2006.

Back then I was a full time working Mom with a one year old child.  But then I became a full time stay at home Mom.  Uh Oh.  Now I had no good reason for not keeping my house looking nice and neat.  But with a small child running around, it just seemed impossible.  And as any Mother knows, the house stays MUCH cleaner if you aren't actually in it that often.  So yeah- I was a mess and so was my house.

A few years ago I stumbled upon the concept of a chore chart for wives.  Gah- how humiliating.  I had one of these as a kid- why in the world would I want one now?  But when life gets busy, it's really so handy to have a list of tasks you need to get done each day.  

The kiddo also has his own chore chart- easy and age appropriate things like dusting, taking out the trash, vacuuming, cleaning his bedroom etc.  These tasks used to be on my list but as the kiddo has gotten older, I've been able to move some of the items to his list.  Thus leaving me free for special tasks like deep cleaning the carpets or organizing the coat closet- see Thursdays!  These are items that don't need to be done on a weekly basis and I will pick a task from my "Special Projects" list to complete each Thursday based on the time I have that given day.

I do my best to stick to this task list.  However, I am a busy working and homeschooling Mama- so consider these your goals for each day but don't be too hard on yourself if you can't complete them all.

Homeschooled Housewife's Daily Task List

Monday

• Clean downstairs guest bathroom
• Meal plan for the week/month
• Laundry
• Pay bills every other Monday

Tuesday

• Baking Day!
• Shopping Day!

Wednesday

• Clean master bathroom
• Pick up master bedroom

Thursday

• Special project
• Tidy up anything that hasn't been done or needs attention

Friday

• Weekend meal preparation
• Wash bed sheets

Saturday/Sunday

• Dust
• Clean floors
• Vacuum

In addition to this weekly task list there are things that I do each day to ensure my home stays as neat as I can possibly manage.

• Never leave dirty dishes on the kitchen counter top.
• Always wipe up after yourself in the kitchen.
• Put all food away immediately.
• Pick up items (dog toys, dirty socks etc) off the floors throughout the day.
• Keep your dining room table clear and ready for the next meal.
• Unload the dishwasher immediately after its done.
• Don't allow trash to pile up.
• Put your purse away.  I keep mine on a hook inside the coat closet.
• Set up an "entry station" by the front door for keys, sunglasses, remotes etc.  Do not dump these items around your house.
• If laundry is starting to pile up- do it, even if it's not designated laundry day.
• Push chairs in when getting up from the table.
• Turn lights off in rooms you are not in.

My house is not perfect.  There is clutter- trust me on this one.  But it never gets so out of hand that it becomes unmanageable.  A few simple things each day can really make a big difference!

When it's time for you to set up your own daily task list- keep a few things in mind.  Your available time on any given day, any help from kids or spouse, your priorities, what day will you do your shopping to hit up all the best sales etc.  If I can do this- you can too!

Mexican Basagna

No, I didn't spell that incorrectly.  This is how the kiddo pronounces "lasagna" with a B and I LOVE IT.

We also call this dish Mexican Cassarole but no matter what it's called, it's super easy to make and tastes great!

This is one of my quick "go to" meals.  It takes 10-15 minutes of prep and then another 20 in the oven.  Umm...hello?  How awesome is that!  Plus, I make this dish whenever I have leftovers or not enough of one thing in my fridge.  For example, you have half of a leftover bell pepper.  Seriously- what can you make with this?  How about half a can of olives or 1/2 cup of mozzerella cheese?  Mexican Basagna to the rescue!

Each time I make this dish, it looks a little different depending on what I have available.  However, the basics are the same, so I'll share with you now!

Mexican Basagna aka Lasagna

With olives & red onions

corn tortillas
sour cream
salsa
cheese
bell peppers
olives
jalepeno
onions
beans- refried, black, pinto etc
avocado
tomatoes
cilantro


Spray a glass 9 X 13 pan and put down a layer of corn tortillas.

Make a "sauce" in another bowl by mixing sour cream and salsa together.

Layer beans, cheese and "sauce" along with anything else you are throwing in.  I typically do three layers of corn tortillas.

Cover with foil and bake in your oven until cheese is melted- approximately 20  minutes.  Top with fresh avocado, tomatoes, cilantro etc.

With cilantro & yellow bell peppers.

Change Comes When You are Ready

And not a moment before.

So let me tell you all a little story.....

We've been on what I call our "food journey" for approximately seven years now.  It has been a VERY long journey filled with struggles and uncertainty.  But I knew that this was a path worth taking because I wanted my family healthy and happy.

So without really discussing what I was doing, I set out to transform not only our diets but our lives.   Get rid of most the meats, eat more fruits and veggies, take regular supplements, use homeopathic remedies, eat less fast food, get rid of all the processed junk- yeah, it was quite the undertaking and my meat and potatoes loving husband was NOT impressed.

If I can tell you anything about this transformation- it's that it simply must be done in baby steps.

Ok, back to the story.  So I decided to make these changes, slowly.  For the most part, the husband put up with it.  He didn't really understand my desires to make these changes but he humored me.  At least at home.  He still ate junk in his lunches and would go out to eat at his favorite place, Taco Bell, on the regular.  He probably thought I would eventually lose interest....BWHAHAHA, silly husband.

And I won't even go into the resistance I faced with the kiddo.  No more Happy Meals?  Oh the horror!!!

So last night when I got home from work, I was pretty damn proud of the following conversation.

Husband- I have to work at a Taco Bell tomorrow.

Me- Yuck.  Are you going to be tempted to eat it?

Husband- Course not!  I've gone this long without it, no way in hell am I giving in now.  I even tried to give the call away so I wouldn't have to walk in the doors.

Me- Wow.  Good job Babe.

Umm....wait.  What?  It was a surreal moment you guys.  Seven years of struggle.  And this moment happened.

Here's what I learned- you can make the changes in your house.  You can stop buying the potato chips and soda.  You can feed your family healthy meals filled with fruits and veggies.  But you can't control the choices they make outside your home.  You just can't.

So in these last seven years, I've not only made these changes at home, but I've also set about educating my family along the way.  Why are we making these changes?  What's the benefit to doing this?  What's happening to the environment, our world, our children's future?  You get the idea here.  You need to have an understanding of why you're doing this or it will never work.

It took the husband about five years to get serious about giving up Taco Bell.  I didn't push him.  I gave him the facts, made healthy meals at home and let him reach his own conclusion.  And then one day, he just gave it up- cold turkey.  He got it.  He finally understood and was compelled enough to make the changes all on his own.  He was ready.

My lesson to you all is this-

Don't ever give up hope.  Seriously, just don't.  I never in a million years thought that the husband would freely pass up the Taco Bell.  It was his drug of choice and he ate it every chance he got.  But one day, he was finally ready to make the change and so he did.

If you're getting resistance from your family, trust me when I say that I understand.  Take baby steps, remember why you're doing this in the first place and educate your family along the way.

And you can always share with them our success story.

My child has never had the flu.  He's never had a high temperature.  He's never battled a real cold for longer then 24 hours.  He's never had an ear infection or any other sort of illness so common with children nowadays.  He also used to have eczema and get horrible rashes- not anymore!

And the husband- well, he was at risk for diabetes and was diagnosed with high blood pressure and put on medication.  He was taking a few other doctor prescribed medications and was actually contemplating surgery for his sinus issues.  Every single one of these issues is gone.  Gone.

Me?  Well I used to have to take medications because my menstrual cycle was SO bad- seriously, debilitating.  I know- sorry, TMI!  But it's important to know that I no longer take any pain medications for this issue that many women suffer from.  In addition, I always hit the mid day slump and could never seem to get a good night's rest.  I am healthier now at 33 then I was at 23.  It's amazing.

It works you guys, it really works.

Want to read more?

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