This is a guest post from Carol Little, R.H. of Studio Botanica. Whenever I (Katie) have made homemade gifts with my kids, it's always super sweet. The look on the kids' faces when they present their creations to family members and teachers is priceless... Kind of like when they learned to cook and serve others healthy food. Most recently Leah and I have made essential oil roller bottle custom blends, and long ago in my old life, preschool-Paul and I made those cookies-in-a-jar … [Read more...]
Permaculture Techniques for Container Gardening {Guest Post}
This is a guest post from Nicky Schauder of Permaculture Gardens. Molly had decided, this was the year! She had started buying more and more organic groceries. No way was she going to risk having chemicals like glyphosate in the food she served her family! Her mother-in-law was recently diagnosed with cancer and Molly and her husband Drew were committed, now more than ever, to trying to eat healthier. This included a lot of plants on the menu. As weeks went by, however, she … [Read more...]
How to Create a Half-Barrel Garden {Guest Post}
This is a guest post from Mama Z of Natural Living Family. Gardening gives you wonderful control over the food that you eat and what you provide for your family, allowing you to take full advantage of the gifts that God has given us to nourish and sustain our bodies. However, not everyone has room for or wants a garden in their backyard. Container gardening makes the most of the space you have, plus when you use companion planting, you can create beautiful displays that enhance your yard … [Read more...]
5 Reasons You Might Have Stomach Pain After Eating (or other not-so-fun bowel symptoms that don’t really belong in a title)
Have you ever considered trying a parasite cleanse to get rid of digestive upset? Or maybe you think cutting gluten or going grain-free could eliminate your stomach pain after eating. Let's dig a bit deeper into the potential causes of irregular bowels. Do you wonder if something is "off" with your gut? Do you experience stomach pain after eating or other awkward symptoms? Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common functional gastrointestinal disorder seen by doctors. Studies … [Read more...]
9 Things That Welcoming a Child with Down Syndrome Taught Me
This is a guest post by Heidi C., a dorm mate from college, who writes at This Circus Life. I'm so honored to reveal to you this tiny piece of her family's story, which I asked her to share with us after her touching Facebook posts for Down Syndrome Awareness Month in March. Even though this topic is not related to the kitchen, I strongly believe that we are called to be good stewards of all our gifts: from serving the poor with food to caring for the environment to understanding the lives of … [Read more...]
Does Your Child Have Daily Brown Bananas…in the Toilet? {GUEST POST}
It's almost hard to believe (and yet not) how many people, adults and children, are affected by constipation. In fact, I've already written about natural constipation remedies for toddlers, and Miralax just isn't safe (even though it's the "norm" for constipated little ones)! Find out from our MD guest why magnesium is the best remedy for constipation and what form to give children. Author, Dr. Wiggy Saunders, MD When my mom heard on TV that a good, healthy poop is a "brown banana" … [Read more...]
Lazy Gardening 101: 8 Tips to Grow Your Own Food with The Least Amount of Effort
This is a guest post from Nicky Schauder. Let's face it. You have hardly enough time to cook dinner let alone actually grow the food you want to cook. But maybe, just maybe, there was a way you could get something fresh from your yard with minimum effort. In fact, the least effort possible. Enter eight practical tips for the “lazy gardener” who wants hassle-free, fresh, and organic food. I know these tips by heart, because I AM a lazy gardener! It also helps that I’m a permaculture … [Read more...]
No Five-Second Rule? Why Kids Shouldn’t be TOO Clean
This is a guest post from Jena Halman-Kincaid, RN, board member at CSU. Kids love to get dirty, don't they? At least it seems like my girls do. On any given day they can be found in our backyard digging with their small shovels and piling dirt on one another. It's in their hair, in one's diaper, and under their nails. They are yucky. You know what they also love? Eating things off the ground. My girls were the worst as babies when it came it putting “floor treasures” in their mouths. From … [Read more...]
Are your Handmade Skincare Products Harming You?
This is a guest post from Jamie Larrison of The Herbal Spoon. With Christmas right around the corner and advent officially begun, gifts have been on my mind lately. What to get for friends and family that they’ll like, they don’t already have, aren’t expensive, and that they’ll actually use. Handmade items fit the bill for everyone on my list, but I had to do some research first to make sure my DIY was safe. My first introduction to handmade skincare and bodycare items was through an … [Read more...]
6 Must-Have Herbs to Keep Your Kids Healthy This Winter {GUEST POST}
I told Donielle I wasn't all that into herbs and that she couldn't get me excited about them. She's going to try anyway. ;) A little peek behind the scenes for you today - as a blogger, I'm in a lot of "groups" online and interact with people from all over. We spend a lot of time talking both business and family, in text and in person on Skype/Hangout meetings, and I get to the point where I truly know these gals. They're good friends, and yet I've never met them. <<<such a weird … [Read more...]
How to Make Fish Broth That Doesn’t Taste Fishy (Plus Recipe for Cioppino)
This is a guest post from Craig Fear of Fearless Eating. Nothing quite stirs my soul like the taste of the sea in the form of soups made with fish broth. With each succulent slurp I feel a deep connection to the coastal places I’ve lived and visited. And yet, I know that statement sends shivers of fishy horror down many peoples' spines. I can hear the collective voice of fish haters everywhere… Fish broth?! Blech! As a Nutritional Therapist I am constantly reminded how off-putting anything … [Read more...]
Easy Naturally Fermented Apple Salsa Recipe
This is a guest post from Jo at Nourishing Time. Ferments are an area I feel I've been lacking in here at KS so I'm glad to welcome her with this yummy recipe! Fermented foods are key to healing your gut as I said in yesterday's post, 100 Steps to Healing Your Gut... Apple salsa is super simple, so delicious and quite versatile! We love to eat it on its own, or thrown into a yummy grilled chicken salad. When fermented, it adds a host of beneficial bacteria and increases the nutrients naturally … [Read more...]
Healthy Gluten-Free Granola: So Easy, Even Your Kids Can Make It
Feeding kids healthfully is probably one of the hardest jobs on the planet and I'm not exaggerating. Especially when school is back in session and we have to not only feed them a healthy breakfast, but also pack them healthy lunches. Skipping breakfast is not an option. It can lead to irritable kiddos who misbehave or are not at their best at school. As a real food momma there have been times I've wished I could go back to the simplicity of a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Yet I know, while that … [Read more...]
Is Wi-Fi in Your Child’s School? A Parent’s Guide to Taking Control
This post is by guest writer Andrea Fabry of It Takes Time. Nearly half of all elementary schoolers, even more middle schoolers, and 71 percent of all high schoolers have wireless access at school. These numbers are sure to be outdated soon, as more and more school districts add Wi-Fi and eliminate wired connections. Is your child’s school one of them? Note from Katie: My daughter is starting her third year of school as the first class to have iPads in the classrooms. Yes, every … [Read more...]
Un-Frazzled and Un-Entitled: 4 Ways to Have Drama-Free Time With Family {GUEST POST}
This post is from Parenting Expert and Author Amy McCready. Ever feel like there should be foreboding background music playing when it comes to dealing with family dinnertime? Trying to serve real food and have real family time - when you’re really just frazzled and overwhelmed? I get it. I’ve been there. But, you know how it goes - when we’re frazzled, our families are frazzled. And that’s the perfect recipe for drama, chaos, frustration and even entitlement…think kids watching us … [Read more...]
5 Easy Tricks for Make-Ahead Meals
This is a guest post from Jessica Fisher of Good Cheap Eats and Life as Mom. I believe all of us have time to prepare a home-cooked meal. C’mon, you could probably pull together a meal in less than 30-minutes, right? It might not be a five-course event, but it would be nutritious and probably represent all the food groups. Note from Katie: I always think I can make a 30-minute meal, but I'm always wrong! If you are frustrated that dinner prep always seems to take an hour even for "easy" … [Read more...]
5 Reasons Kids Just Aren’t Healthy Today
This is a guest post from Lydia Joy, certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and blogger at Lydia Joy. Too fat. Too lazy. Too wired. Too busy. Too self-centered. Too violent. Sigh. We hear enough negative things about the kids in America…that aren't all even true. Do we really need to hear more? This is a tough topic to write about, partly because no one wants to hear the truth. It's bleak, it's painful, it's raw for the mamas and it just plain old sucks. Before … [Read more...]
Why Cutting Gluten and Grains Didn’t Fix my IBS Symptoms {GUEST POST}
This is a guest post from Suzanne Perazzini, author of The Low FODMAP 6-Week Plan & Cookbook and Strands of My Life. I thought everyone hurt after they ate. No one talked about the condition of one's internal organs when I was growing up, so I didn't realize that the pain I felt after each meal wasn't normal. I'm so grateful that finally, the puzzle pieces started falling into place a few years ago when I discovered a surprising diet that would eventually make me feel as though … [Read more...]
Monday Mission: Make Your Own Cranberry Juice {GUEST POST}
This is a guest post from a generous reader, Linda, who responded to my request for "reader driven" Monday Missions. I have frozen cranberries that I never know what to do with, so I hoped this recipe idea would be helpful to others, too, especially while cranberries are on sale this month (and usually clearanced out after Christmas, FYI). And yes, I know it's a Tuesday...can I have a "bye" on keeping my calendar organized since I'm still on partial maternity leave? Everyone loves … [Read more...]
Large Family Logistics: Real Food on a Budget {GUEST POST}
The following is a post from Georganne Schuch of Mom To Many Girls. Feeding a family, especially a large family, requires the financial savvy of an accountant, the gourmet finesse of a chef crossed with the flexibility of a short-order cook, and the organizational skills of a project manager. And that’s just for starters. Once you stray into the territory of healthy eating or real food foraging or whatever the vogue phrase-of–the-day is, you need to mix all of the above with the tenacity of … [Read more...]
