My pantry pretty much looks like a “don’t” list for a family trying to eat a healthy, whole food diet.  It’s a bit embarrassing, actually.  It normally doesn’t look like that.

My pantry currently houses several boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese.  It’s not even the healthier organic version with less additives and coloring.  Shocking.  I know.

And there are goldfish crackers, spaghetti o’s, nutrigrain bars, and hershey’s chocolate syrup.

There’s a kind of fruit and nut bar I bought without reading the label.  After looking at the package, I was horrified to find the second ingredient is corn syrup.  They must have to practicallysoak the oatmeal in corn syrup to boost it that high on the list.

Basically, I might as well have a vat of high fructose corn syrup in my pantry.

Oh… and I have a big bag of white granulated sugar, because I can’t bring myself to can certain fruits in rapadura.  It just looks kind of dirty when I do that.  I guess I have food vanity issues?

Left: Rainier Cherries in rapadura.  Dirty much? Right: Bing Cherries in rapadura.  Lovely!

It’s not all processed stuff.  There are plenty of organic fruits and veggies in my garden and fridge.  There is good cheese and organic yogurt.  There is sprouted organic and whole wheat bread.  There are almonds, which are a favorite of Gilbert’s.  Check out these radishes from our garden… I may never grow another variety:

Heirloom variety for the win!

Let’s be clear: I DO NOT feel guilty about the state of my pantry.  The state of my pantry was a choice.  I just feel like it’s important to be honest.  Every family has choices to make and does their best for their children.  And sometimes the best looks like a bag of goldfish crackers.

I decided while I am busy getting Charlie on a schedule and spending stretches of time immobile (nursing), Gilbert needs to have easily opened/no prep snacks to grab without assistance.  I decided that quick to prepare and non-perishable food was a must, since I wasn’t sure if I would make it to the store every week.

Any sense of guilt aside, I have felt the toll of this diet on our energy levels and moods.  A few nights ago we had a really good salad.  It was full of nuts, seeds, cabbage, and kale.  My husband texted me the next day and told me that we should have salad more often.  He told me he could “feel” the nutrition.  I was thinking the exact same thing.  I had more energy and felt less lethargic.

This did not stop me from drinking another cup of coffee.  I just didn’t feel like I really needed to have it.  But I always want it.  Delicious, bitter, strong coffee.  I love you, Coffee.

Eating less processed food and striving for a diet full of nutrient rich food makes us feel better.  So, back to better habits we go.

But I’m still not canning Rainier cherries in rapadura.  I just. can’t. do. it.

I have 45 pounds of delicious, local blueberries in the entry way of my home!

SO MANY BEAUTIFUL BLUEBERRIES!!

Most have been frozen.    Freezing blueberries requires no prep, as blueberries don’t get washed prior to freezing.  (Washing prior to freezing causes the skin to get tough).  Simply freeze them in a single layer on cookie sheets and then transfer them into gallon size ziploc bags.  No fuss.

The other simple recipe I swear by to easily incorporate blueberries into our diet year round is this slow cooker recipe.  Easy and mostly passive… just what I look for in a recipe.  If every recipe required a lot of active time, I just wouldn’t be able to preserve enough of anything to last more than a few months.

I have two little guys at home, after all!

That is why slow cooker blueberry butter is GLORIOUS!  A few seconds of pureeing, a quick dump into the slow cooker, and hours later, it’s done! As an added bonus, there is very little added sugar (compared to a jam or jelly recipe)..

You will need:

8 cups pureed blueberries
2 cups Organic Whole Cane Sugar (aka Sucanat or Rapadura)
1 lemon’s worth of juice

Optional*
1 tbsp ground cinammon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

*Personally, I leave the spices out.  I made it both ways last year and I think leaving out the spices just makes the blueberry flavor just sing.  Pure, intense blueberry flavor.

1. Rinse and puree bluberries.  Dump into slow cooker along with sugar, lemon juice, and spices (optional).

2.  Stir ingredients and turn slow cooker on low, covered for one hour.

3.  After an hour, crack the lid to the slow cooker to allow moisture to escape (I rest a butter knife across the top of our round crock pot and then set the lid on top of the butter knife).

4. Stir the mixture about once per hour.  Realistically you can skip an hour and it makes no difference.  Cook for 4 – 8 hours until thick.  7 hours is the sweet spot for our old crock pot.  I have found that our older crockpot has a lower “low” setting than newer crockpots.

5. Transfer into jars or containers for freezing, or can them in a water bath just like you would for a jam.  (I include basic canning instructions with my Cherry Pineapple Jam recipe)

And there you have it!  About 5 minutes of prep and then whatever time it takes you to transfer into containers is all it takes.

ENJOY!

I had intended to post this on Father’s Day, but like the blueberry butter that was supposed to be finished and delivered to him yesterday, blogging runs a bit slow these days (okay… the butter didn’t cook slowly, so much as I forgot the part where you plug in the slow cooker).

And the card I bought a week ago mysteriously disappeared….  I’m sure I’ll find it hidden among Gilbert’s “treasures.”

A day late, here are 5 things my father gave to me:

1. A love for growing things 

I think there have only been three years in my life when I didn’t have something growing and I credit this to my Dad.  My past, present, and future are full of tree ripened fruit, corn patches, more zucchini and squash than we can consume, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, grapes and more.  Digging in the dirt feels rewarding and I don’t think the desire to garden would be so deeply ingrained if it had not been taught to me.   What he taught me about growing a garden has been carried on in everything from the potted gardens on porches and balconies of apartments to the raised bed garden at my last house and will be carried forward to the garden I’m building at my current house.  (Dad, if you are reading this, my corn is going to outgrow yours next year for sure!!)

2. A sense of adventure 

No phrases makes me so excited as “let’s head out” and “let’s go on an adventure”.  This is because of the wonderful things that followed those words when I was a kid.  Lots of camping and fishing, road trips, and family outings resulted in positive, lasting memories.

Trying to continue this legacy has highlighted how much effort and patience it took for my Dad to fix the 100th snagged fishing line, all the while neglecting his own fishing pole.  It has highlighted how many sleep deprived nights he and my Mom survived in hotel rooms with four kids as we road-tripped around the country.  It has highlighted the amount of experience and planning that went into making large group camp outs with my friends work.  It has highlighted the amount of money that my parents dedicated to making sure we had many epic adventures.  So thank you, Dad!  Thanks to you, I feel as much excitement as my toddler when I say the words “let’s head out,” because even if I was the one who planned the outing, I still know something fun is about to follow!

3. Time 

My Dad is always generous with his time.  As a kid, I remember him cheering me on at gymnastics meets, volleyball games, piano recitals, musicals, and voice competitions.  He always showed up.  As an adult, I treasure the time we spent road-tripping to move me out to the Midwest for graduate school and then back to the Northwest afterward.  He has been there to hold my babies during their first day in the world.  He has always been there to provide just the right amount of advice/support and express his confidence in my abilities at tough times during my life.  Whether it’s a medical emergency, yet another move, purchasing my first car and house, or trying to fix the dang clay heavy soil in my garden, my Dad shares his valuable time and lifetime of knowledge to help.  How my parents manage to provide this support to four kids is beyond me, but they have done a pretty darn good job.

4. My hometown 

I was born in California and we moved to Wenatchee when I was very small.  Neither of my parents are from here, so this wasn’t necessarily the most obvious choice.  From what I have been told, they did their research and consciously chose this beautiful valley as our home.  While my Dad would have been a great Dad regardless of zip code, he and my Mom chose to give me and my sisters a great childhood in a pretty magical place.  They chose so well that I have returned here to raise my own children.

Source

5.  A connection with animals. 

 I’m not sure this was intentional, but I can’t recall a time in my life without having animals around.  My Mom may have been the driver behind bringing some of them home (some day I may tell you all “the cat” story), but don’t think I didn’t catch my Dad cuddling and loving on the various dogs, cats, rodents, frogs, salamanders, and whatever else happened through the house.

“The cat”

My Dad once performed CPR on a hamster.  Seriously.  The man is a hero.  And he let us rescue and raise a baby bird (those little suckers are NEEDY!).  And he revived a Gerbil with some aspirin.  My little sister raised a meat pig every year and we raised some meat chickens at one point (meat chickens are gross in case you were not aware).  Although we never did have laying hens that I recall (I think we did in California, but they met an unfortunate raccoon-involved end), he spoke so fondly of having hens that I acquired some the first chance I got.   I appreciate (even with the work that the four of us did to “take care” of the animals), how much poop he scooped, litter he changed, pet hair he cleaned up, and how many pet funerals he officiated.  That part isn’t exactly what I would call fun.

My Dad has given so much to our family that goes beyond a few numbered items, but those are a few of the big ones.

So Happy Father’s Day, Dad!  Thank you!  I love you!

According to good old Shakespeare, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”, but frankly rose is a pretty darn good name.  I mean what if it was named milkweed or hairy bittercress?  It may smell good, but darn if the name would make you not want to smell it in the first place.

This brings me to my point: I have decided the blog needs a new name.  I dream in goats and sheep.  I dream in dairy cows and pastures.  I dream of a tiny house on a large farm.  I dream of green houses, large garden plots, seed saving, and honey bees.  None of this is “not quite” anything.  It is pretty darn country.

But I’m stumped.  I want to invest some time in actually purchasing a domain and making a nice layout and logo, but don’t want to spend the time if I plan to change it down the road.

Not-Quite-Country home is a representation of where we are, not where we want to go (or rather I want to go with a good sport of a honey who is willing to go along with me).

If anybody has an idea, feel free to chime in!

And now, my littlest blogging helper, Charlie, is being too cute to not hold.  I snapped a quick picture to prove it…

So I must attend to my Charlie and my 45 lbs of blueberries.  I’ll tell y’all about that later!

Before I launch into this non-dairy recipe, I feel like you should know: I LOVE DAIRY.  Give me milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, lattes, and whipped cream.  I want to eat all the dairy.  Not some of the dairy.  All the dairy.

You should also know that I married a fella who is lactose intolerant.  Since he loves me, he will eat the foods containing dairy that I cook and suffer the consequences.

But since I love him, I try to find substitutes when possible that don’t cause the flavor of the dish to suffer.  Which brings me to…

Rustic Potato Soup (dairy free with gluten free optional substitution)

You will need:

7 medium yukon gold potatoes chopped into 1 – 1 1/2 inch cubes*
3 carrots – chopped
1 yellow bell pepper – chopped
3 celery stalks – chopped
4 cloves garlic – minced
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
7 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 cups of chicken stock
14 oz (1 can) of coconut milk
3 tbsp flour (or substitute 1 tbsp cornstarch to go gluten free)
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt, pepper, white pepper, celery salt (to taste)

*(or use baby red potatoes halved or fingerling potatoes or mix and match.  Basically the potato portion needs to add up to to 3 lbs.  Personally I prefer potatoes that do not have to be peeled.  This mama likes to cut down on prep whenever possible.)

1. Cut up bacon and cook in pot until crisp.  Scoop out the bacon and put it aside.  Keep several tablespoons of fat in the pan.

2. Add the celery, onion, carrots, bell pepper, and garlic.  Cook over medium (or lower heat) until the onions are soft.

3. Add potatoes and bay leaves.  Cook for several minutes, stirring regularly.

4. Pour in chicken stock and bring to boil.  Cook until potatoes are soft.

5. Take a potato masher and smoosh the soup together a bit.  The goal here is to thicken up and add good texture to the soup by breaking up some of the potatoes.

6. Mix flour (or cornstarch) with half of the coconut milk until smooth.  Pour into soup.

7.  Add the parsley, coconut milk, and bacon.  Return to boil.

8.  Salt, pepper, and white pepper to taste.  Some folks like their soup spicy, some don’t.  I’m leaving it to you, which you prefer.

Then enjoy.

Keep in mind this recipe is very flexible.  (Important for me since I like to play fast and loose with little things like measuring and including all the ingredients).  Throw in an extra carrot or two, skip the pepper, add a cup of frozen corn… whatever floats your boat.  It will still turn out just fine.

For those of you with a vegan or vegetarian in your life, you can easily make this deliciousness work for them too!  Skip the bacon at the start (use an alternative fat like coconut oil) and use vegetable stock in lieu of chicken stock.  You can always add some facon in at the end to add that bit of flavor.

This will definitely be a repeat item on our menu.

Finally!  Both kids are asleep at the same time AND there is an acceptably low level of laundry piled up, so I do not feel guilty about taking time out to blog.

Of course I am going to take this child-free moment to pause and admire “chunky” Charlie.  (Babies are addictive like that.  You crave a minute to yourself and then immediately start missing them when you get that minute)  He’s so darn cute…

And now let’s talk about the cloth diapers.  The ones I was super excited about.  It has been a month and I have to say, so far I’m really happy with cloth diapering.  It really isn’t a big hassle and with many of the types of diapers in my stash there’s little to do in terms of assembly or special washing instructions.

I’m really happy we chose to go cloth, because little Charlie’s skin reacts to everything.  The very first week we had to change wipes because he got a bad rash/hives from the wipes.  Even after we switched, his skin still wasn’t thrilled with the newborn disposables we used.  Once we got him into cloth (after his umbilical cord fell off), his bum seemed much happier.

Now I promised to give my opinion on the diapers we have been using, so my opinion is what you are going to get!

Gdiapers

The diaper system is a three part system.  There is an outer cloth shell “Gpants”, an interior “pouch”, and then the liner is stuffed inside.  The Gdiaper website goes into detail.

The PROs

1. They are a slim fit and pretty darn cute.  No “diaper bum” here!

2. As long as they are assembled, they are very easy to put on.  Velcro makes life for the less dexterous adult or squirmy baby a bit easier.

3. The interchangeable parts allow for only a worn out bit to be replaced.

4. There are disposable liners.  For some folks this may be a pro, but I’m listing it as a pro and a con.

Personally, I would rather not mess with disposable liners and will be happy to purchase some nice Seventh Generation disposables if needed.

5. You can stuff them with liners other than the gdiaper liners.  Their liners can be more expensive than other brands, so it may be that you want to try out a cheaper alternative.  I have used newborn size prefolds, Softbum mini pods, and a few other miscellaneous liners I got used in a box of random diapers.  All worked just fine.

The CONs

1. Unvelcro, unvelcro, Unvelcro, unvelcro. Snap, snap, snap, snap. Stuff.

This is the process you will repeat over and over and OVER to assemble and disassemble for washing.  My husband doesn’t mind this, as the trade off is that the diaper is very easy to put on when squirmy Charlie is on the changing table.  I find this repetitive requirement annoying.

If you are the type of person who manages to carve out time in the evening to knit or crochet while you soak in your favorite TV show, this may be the diaper for you.  That would seem like the time to assemble the diapers.  (Not when your child is diaper-less on the changing table and about to pee on you).

I’m lucky if I get hands free time to do anything.  And when I do have those free hands, they are put to use folding laundry, taking care of animals, doing dishes, or attempting to scrawl out a blog post.  Repetitive activity is just not my style.

2. They are not a one size diaper, so you will need to go up in size and buy more diapers.  We never purchased the newborn sizes and started with small.

Well, Charlie is 1 month old (started out as 8 lbs 3 oz).  As you can see, the smalls don’t quite fit anymore and let me tell ya… they don’t contain the mess even though we can technically get them on.

While I can sell them used and get a bit of money back, I feel like the amount that may be spent on these diapers if you bought a whole stash worth (6 Medium pants go for $79.99 on Amazon and $17.98 for for a six pack of pouches) may not be cost effective when your baby quickly outgrows a size.

3.  Some of the parts seem to wear out more quickly than expected  This can lead to more money spent replacing parts.  Did you notice that the plaid diaper above is already pilling?  That is after just a few washes (as directed).

And take a look at this pouch that started fraying after just one wash…

No other diaper I have tried and will be reviewing has had any part deteriorate this quickly.  In fact, some of them seem downright indestructible.  If we kept going with this system, replacements may be needed, thus increasing the overall cost of diapering.

4.  The gpants stick to everything in the wash!  Seriously. They come out as one tangled blob that you have to then deal with.  Even if you took the time to fasten the diaper or fold the velcro over like a laundry tab, they don’t hold!  They will stick together and to your other diapers.

5.  There are disposable liners.  They are flush-able… sort of.  I tried flushing the liners and our cranky old toilet did not agree with the “flush-able” claim.  Plus, I got poop or pee on my hands pretty much every time I pulled out a liner.  This has not been a problem for other styles of cloth diaper, even the pocket diapers.

 Also, if you use the disposable liners, you will have to purchase more.  One of the appealing aspects of cloth diapering for me is that there are options that minimize the amount of money spent after the initial up-front cost.

At the end of the day, these diapers will probably work well for folks who don’t mind the extra assembly, who prefer to flush the liners, and who may not be doing cloth diapering in pursuit of a more economical diapering option.

Since we have outgrown the smalls, we will not be stocking up on mediums.  I may just sell or gift the materials we have to somebody who grooves well with this system.

Now I think I hear a baby starting to fuss.  So I’m just going to publish this bad boy without a close proof reading.  I live on the edge like that.