Are you an Instant Pot lover too? Raise your hand in the air! When I first got my Instant Pot, I wasn't so sure about adding another "gadget" to my kitchen, one that might end up just collecting dust and taking up valuable space. Well, I can say that nearly 2 years later, that is certainly NOT the case! I use my Instant Pot so often that I've never even "put it away". It's always sitting out in my kitchen, ready and waiting. On Taco Thursday (yeah, yeah... I know it's supposed to be … [Read more...]
Who Else Needs an Easy, Healthy Breakfast? Make Ahead Egg Bites Recipe
This post is written by Lori Hernandez of Three Acre Farm. Do you struggle to get a healthy breakfast every day? We do. No matter how early we get up, mornings always seem rushed and getting real, wholesome, nourishing food in our bellies is a challenge! It's especially difficult for my husband, who gets up for work in the wee hours of the morning. He just doesn't have it in him to prepare ANYTHING in the morning (he is NOT a morning person), so his breakfast must truly be … [Read more...]
An Instant Pot Cheesecake Recipe You’ll Be Proud Of
Oh, Instant Pot, how do I love thee? You have a special place in my heart and my kitchen. You've transformed and streamlined the way I cook. Brown rice, dry beans, hard-boiled eggs, steel-cut oats, steamed veggies... every day you delight me. And then... I discovered you can even make CHEESECAKE. *Swoon* Will you be my Valentine? :) An Amazing Discovery After I purchased my Instant Pot a few years ago, I joined a few Facebook forums for Instant Pot users... and quickly became more … [Read more...]
5 Easy Steps to Thrive Even When Life is Crazy
Days, weeks, months, years... It all becomes a blur. One day, we pause and wonder "Where did all the time go? What am I doing with my life? How did I end up here?" We realize we've been operating in pure survival mode. Thriving? Ha! What does that even look like? Don't get me wrong. There are seasons of life where it takes everything we have simply to survive (like when Bethany was living with depression). I've been there. I know how exhausting it is to live that way. But what … [Read more...]
The Perfect Last Minute Gift for the Real Foodie in Your Life!
"Oh no!" "I forgot to buy a gift for___________!" Has this ever happened to you? That panicked feeling when you realize you TOTALLY forgot to put someone important on your gift giving list? And you don't have time to run to the store to purchase a gift or order one from Katie's Top 10 Kitchen Needs List! Yeah... that happens more often than I like to admit! Luckily, I've found a perfect solution. I've discovered a DIY gift that any Kitchen Steward will love: Is quick and easy … [Read more...]
Top 10 Secrets to Maximizing Fruit and Veggie Nutrition
Have you ever walked around the produce department of your grocery store and felt overwhelmed? Wandered the Farmer's Market and wondered how to choose from the vast selection? Felt frustrated because you don't know how to tell if something is ripe or what is the best way to prepare it? Me too. I believe strongly that "Food is Medicine" and it's my first line of defense for keeping my family healthy. Yet when I'm out shopping, I often struggle to know what foods are the best choices for … [Read more...]
How to Make Enchiladas That Your Family Will Love
What can I say? Our family loves Mexican food! I really do try to vary our dinner options but somehow we end up eating some sort of Mexican inspired dish about 3 nights a week... and no one is complaining, so I'm going to go with it! When Robyn, our KS site editor, asked me if I wanted to try a sample of Zia Green Chile Company's Hatch Chiles, it was a no brainer. Umm, YES!!! I'll admit, I really didn't know what Hatch Chiles were, so I did a little research, which only made me want them … [Read more...]
3 Easy Ways to Preserve Tomatoes (that Don’t Involve Canning!)
Have you ever found yourself surrounded by a sea of tomatoes on your counter and wondered "What in the WORLD will I do with all these tomatoes?!?" I feel your pain! August and September on our farm are insanity. Seems like every day, there is more and MORE produce ripening that demands to be preserved! I have such a hard time dealing with food waste, so I'm always doing my best to make sure nothing goes to waste. Days are spent canning tomatoes - salsa, whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato … [Read more...]
Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes with Basil and Farmer’s Cheese Recipe
Seems like every August, we find ourselves with a glut of cherry tomatoes from the garden and we're always looking for ways to use them up! We grow all sorts of lovely heirloom cherry tomatoes and they are a delight to the senses - beautiful AND incredibly flavorful. Katie has a great post on the different variety of tomatoes and their flavors in Tomatoes 101. This recipe (if you can call it that! It's really just something I made up) magically came together one day as I needed to make a … [Read more...]
Salt Preserved Fresh Herbs: Simple Ingredients, Endless Possibilities
Summer is here, which means the gardens are coming to life...and it's time to start harvesting and preserving produce! Yes, I know it seems early, but on our farm some of the herbs are ready to be collected, mostly because of my "lazy gardening" method that I explain more fully in my post about "Back to Eden Gardening". Every year, I let my cilantro plants go to seed in the garden, because as a good Kitchen Steward: 1. I'm much too lazy to pull them up, and 2. The bees love the … [Read more...]
Want Backyard Chickens? Here Are 3 Things You Need to Know First!
This post is by Contributing Writer Lori Hernandez of Three Acre Farm. I never knew I would fall in love with chickens. Look at them. You've got to admit they are a little freaky. They're twitchy, spastic and let's be honest - they are tiny feathered velociraptors. Imagine my surprise when I realized how hard I had fallen for these pea-brained birds. I'm well on my way to becoming a Crazy Chicken Lady! Like so many others, I fell under the spell of having backyard chickens. Seems like … [Read more...]
Secrets to Reducing Food Waste -It Starts in Your Kitchen!
This post is by Contributing Writer Lori Hernandez of Three Acre Farm. I stared at the towering boxes and stacks of produce in disbelief. "You mean to tell me, ALL of this was destined for the landfill?", I asked, my voice filled with shock. "Yup", the food pantry director answered. "Isn't it insane how much food is wasted? Thank goodness we managed to save this and now we can actually get it into the hands of people who need it." A Glimpse Into America's Broken … [Read more...]
Clever, Easy Solutions to get your Kids to do Chores
This post is by Contributing Writer Lori Hernandez of Three Acre Farm. About 2 months ago, I had a serious panic moment. This spring, I will be expanding my farm business and working full time hours on the farm. In the midst of all the work of ordering seeds and supplies, creating spreadsheets and planting calendars, registering with state and federal entities, taking small business start-up classes, creating a website and all the other things that go into running a business, I realized I … [Read more...]
How to Freeze Guacamole and Save Money
This post is by Contributing Writer Lori Hernandez from Three Acre Farm. We take Taco Night pretty seriously at the Hernandez Household. Our whole family looks forward to Taco Thursday with anticipation (yeah, I know it's supposed to be Taco Tuesday, but Tuesdays just don't work for us). Whenever we invite friends over for dinner, you better believe we invite them on Thursdays for a taco feast! I always make a huge batch of beans and rice to stretch the meal, so we can accommodate … [Read more...]
Quick and Easy Jalapeño Popper Recipe
This past September, I found myself staring at a half bushel of jalapeño peppers on my kitchen floor. I had to do something with them, and quick! I whipped out the canning pot and supplies, and canned more jars of pickled jalapeños than one family should ever need...and I still had countless peppers left. Then I remembered seeing a friend post something on Facebook about making and freezing jalapeño poppers. Was is actually possible? I had to try it! What a perfect solution! I … [Read more...]
The Secret Ingredient – Preparing Food with Love Really Makes a Difference
I remember when cooking was something I dreaded, something I grudgingly forced myself to do everyday. It seemed like all I did all day long was prepare food, cook food, serve food, clean up food, wash dishes used for preparing food...over and over and OVER. Oh man...I KNOW some of you out there feel the same way! It felt thankless, exhausting, and discouraging. More often than not, I found myself slipping into despair and frustration, feeling resentment toward my family, with … [Read more...]
Tour of My Real Food Kitchen (and Few of My Favorite Things!)
"The kitchen in the heart of the home." Can I get an "Amen!" my real foodie friends?!? Since making the switch from the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) to preparing and cooking real foods, the kitchen has easily become the most highly trafficked room in our home. It truly has become the heart and soul of our home...and even our whole lives! This is where I spend countless hours with my family, where my friends gather and linger, where everyone feels most comfortable. When we were … [Read more...]
One Bad Day – Why We Need to Raise Animals Humanely
"May all your animals live a glorious life, with just one bad day." - Joel Salatin October 6, 2010 - I was sitting in a church pew listening to my hero, Joel Salatin, speak to an enthusiastic audience, people eager to discover ways they could change the food system and advocate for more humane agriculture. As he finished his speech, Joel raised his hands in a benediction, blessing us and instructing us to go forth with our new knowledge to change the world. When he uttered the words in the … [Read more...]
Make Effortless Gardening a Reality
I watch it happen every spring. Everywhere I go, I see families out in their gardens, filled with optimism and enthusiasm! I watch them labor and toil, rototilling the soil, raking, hoeing, digging, turning over earth until they have a nice, beautiful patch of bare soil. I watch them lovingly and tenderly place their garden plants in the ground. I watch them carefully placing seeds in tidy furrows. I watch them water the plants and seeds, filled with dreams about their future harvest. I … [Read more...]
The System That Finally Worked…and it’s not Digital (Shhhh!)
I am an organized soul. Really, I am. Certainly my life and surroundings do not always reflect that, but it's something I'm constantly striving for - a sense of order, a sense of having a teeny bit of control over some small areas of my life. Running a household is serious work that requires serious planning and organization, especially if you are cooking and preparing real food. I don't take this role lightly. Without structure and planing, we end up spending money on convenience items … [Read more...]
