Pot Pie Production

Recently I discovered the benefits of pot-pies. Let's say, my life has become consumed with pot pies this week.

1. Pot pies make great food for little ones because the vegetables are cooked and mixed with soft pieces of meat and bread.
2. Pot pies are a great way to use leftover meat, veggies,  rice, and potatoes.
3. Pot pies are a complete meal in one dish-including vegetables, meat, and grain.

Unfortunately, store bought pot-pies, are not very nutritional. They have a hydrogenated fats, white flour crust, processed meats, and often more gravy than vegetables.

With those thoughts in mind, I endeavored to find nutritional pot-pies on the market. The best ones I found were Amy's pot pies-made with a whole wheat crust, lots of organic vegetables, and organic meats. Most generic pot-pies sell for .50-.80 cents a pie, however I could not find Amy’s pot-pies for less than $3.00 a pie. In my home, that is an expensive meal.

So, I decided to make my own. Little did I know what an undertaking I was getting myself in.

I began last Wednesday, and pulled a ten pound turkey out of the freezer to thaw. Saturday morning, I roasted the turkey. Sunday, we enjoyed roasted turkey for dinner.

Monday morning, I deboned and put the bones and cartilage in a pot of simmering water for the day, to make stock. In the meantime, I chopped and cooked an assortment of veggies in very small pieces for little teeth. I mixed the vegetables with the chopped turkey in a large bowl which went back in the fridge overnight until I had the turkey stock completely done.

3 cups finely chopped turkey
1-8oz pkg. finely chopped mushrooms-fried in butter
1-10oz pkg. frozen peas-cooked al dente (cooked, but slightly crisp)
1-12 oz pkg. frozen beans-sliced in half and cooked al dente
1-lb. pkg. carrots finely sliced and cooked al dente
10 celery stalks finely chopped and cooked with 1 T dried onions

I cooked each vegetable separately, because some take longer than others to reach the al dente point and I wanted them to all be at the same place before I mixed them with the gravy.

I added 1T. salt, 3 chicken bouillon cubes, 1 T. sage, 3 Bay leaves, and the celery leaves from the celery I chopped for the pies to the turkey stock.

Tuesday morning, I strained the bones from the turkey broth-giving me about 8 cups of good stock. To that stock I mixed one pint of heavy cream. Then I blended 1/2 c. cornstarch with 2 c. milk and added that to the broth. I simmered the broth until it thickened into gravy. I added pepper to taste.

I then got the largest bowl I owned and combined the gravy, meat, and veggies to one pot.

Then I made the whole wheat pie crust.

3 3/4 c. Whole Wheat flour
1 1/2 t. salt
3 T. What Germ
2 1/2 stick of butter cut into small cubes
3 egg yokes
6 T. ice cold water

After blending the pie crust ingredients, I rolled out crusts for 2 small pies and half a dozen turnovers,  which I stuffed with the turkey gravy and vegetables. 

I froze the remaining turkey mixture until I had more time to make more crusts, then froze wrapped the turnovers in aluminum and put them in an air-tight container. I baked the a pie for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, and Emma and I ate it for lunch.

The pie not only turned out perfectly, but tasted amazing! It was nice to eat something I knew was nutritious and not a budget killer. I think I have enough turkey gravy stuffing for 3 dozen small pies. 

The nice thing is that any vegetable can be added and any meat can be made into gravy and used. Broccoli would have been a nice addition to this pie, but if I did a beef pie, potatoes would be a good combination.

Go Yogurt!

Yogurt has many health benefits. The benefit most people are aware that yogurt contains is how good it is for the digestive tract. It gives the digestive system what is known as a probiotics, a good bacteria. That good bacteria has been shown to decrease the affects of irritable bowels, diarrhea, constipation, and even lactose intolerance. However not all yogurt contains probiotics. Only those that are labeled “contain living bacteria” or “live cultures” will have probiotics. Besides aiding in the digestive tract, yogurt with live cultures also aids in balancing the immune system and the calcium and vitamin D in yogurt can help in staving off osteoporosis.

Making Yogurt 
Besides its nutritional benefits, yogurt makes a great substitute for sour cream and buttermilk in a lost any recipe (except fudge). It can be added to fruit smoothies, creamed desserts, fruit, sauces and gravies. It is cheaper and healthier to make than purchase and I found it is very simple.

For my first batch, I made a small amount to make sure I got the temperature and culture right. Making yogurt is like similar to making sourdough. It takes a bit of the old live cultures to make a new batch. So, when I notice I am getting low on yogurt, I reserve 3 T of the plain yogurt I have left to start the next batch.  


Ingredients:
1 cup milk any percent of fat will work 
2 T plain yogurt (home-made or store bought)
Some recipes recommend adding nonfat dry milk or flavorless gelatin to thicken up the home-made yogurt. My yogurt was just very thick without the dry milk or gelatin. 


Directions: 
1. Heat milk to about 170 degrees. Don't let it boil. I used the microwave to heat mine. It took about 3 minutes for 1 cup of milk.


2. Cool milk to about 108 degrees. I put the milk from the microwave to the freezer. It took 5 minutes to cool to 108 in my freezer.


3. Mix 2 T. of yogurt per cup of milk and blend well. 


4. Pour into an airtight glass (Pyrex or Corningware casserole dishes with a plastic lid work, or canning/jelly jars with a good lid work well.)

5. Place the yogurt in a mini crock pot and surround the dish with hot (not boiling) water. A yogurt maker can also be used.

My yogurt took a total of 10 minutes to mix up and 12 hours to thicken.



6. Let yogurt stay in the crock pot 8-12 hours until thickened.


7. Place in fridge and enjoy. 



I have found home-made yogurt is a bit stronger in flavor than store bought, so it may take getting used to. It really adds a wonderful flavor to baked goods in place of sour cream and mixes into fruits well.


Most yogurts have a refrigerator life of 2-3 weeks. I would not recommend keeping it longer.

Maternal Authority

Notes from: The Mother at Home  By John Abbott

After reading a book about the need for mother's to maintain the authority over their children at home, I jotted down a few points that seemed vital to me in training our little one. I thought those thoughts would be helpful to others as well.


Maternal Authority
I. Require Immediate Obedience

a. Never give a command which you do not intend to be fully obeyed.

b. When you give a command enforce its obedience

2. Be aware and alert to your children's attitudes

a. Observe your child's temper and do not allow or create a situation where a battle will in sue (i.e. if a child is in bad hummer and misbehaves because he is tired-send him to bed and address the disobedience first thing in the morning)

b. Choose a punishment that is equal to the crime (i.e. do not punish for an accident, but for the disobedience that caused the accident)

3. Never punish a child when he has not intentionally done wrong

a. If a child has not previously been told that a certain behavior is wrong, and he does that behavior-he deserves no punishment for the first offense

b. Punishment is NEVER appropriate when it is given out of frustration or anger 

c. Accidents do not require a punishment. If a child has an accident as a result of disobedience-then the child is punished for the disobedience, bot for the result of that disobedience.

4. Never think your child is too young to obey

5. Guard against severity

a. Don't be severe in punishment-the hardest part of punishment a child should bear is knowing how much he has disposed you and God

6. Practice personal self-control

a. A child must be taught at a very early age to have self-control and not indulge in everything his heart desires (sweets, entertainment, bedtimes and rising times, etc) A parent cannot expect of their children what they do not practice themselves

7. Resolve to follow through with punishment

a. Repeated punishment can be tiresome, but a parent must be constantly strong in order to maintain authority over the child

b. Even if a child is sick or weak, he or she should still be expected to obey

8. Be in harmony with your spouse in the education and discipline of your children 

a. In many homes this is difficult or impossible, because one spouse may be more strict or more lenient than the other, it is important to maintain a respect for the other for the children's sake. Children should be taught to obey their father even if he seems unreasonable (visa-verse)

9. Do not talk about your children, good or bad, in their presence

a. Children understand much more than they are given credit. They can comprehend and will act accordingly-either by entertaining a spirit of pride for good behavior, or indulging further in naughty behavior because that is what is expected of them.

10. Do not exhibit your children's attainments

a. Parents should not use a their or their children's pride as a motivator for good behavior.

11. Do not deceive your children

a. For example, do not tell them something tastes good in order to get them to eat it, tell them the truth, but ask them to be brave and endure.

12. Do no use fear as a form of punishment or motivation to obey

13. Do not constantly find faults in your children

a. Always seek the good and obedience in your children and praise them for it

b. Approach your child's faults cloaked in gentleness

"The most effective family government may be almost entirely administered by affection, if it be distinctly understood that disobedience cannot pass unpunished"


Suggested Method of Correction

• At very early ages, children must be taught that disobedience causes pain
• Once a child is able to reason, he can be instructed along with punishment

1. What did you do?
2. What should you have done?
3. What will you do next time?

Ask forgiveness of the person offended
Ask God to forgive

*Child must understand that he is loved and punishment is given out of love and care for him

Nice, But Not Necessary

In an effort to save money to purchase a home, my husband and I went through all of the things we spend money on and tried to eliminate anything we could live without. I personally went through our grocery budget and stopped purchasing specific items because we really didn't need them. It is amazing all the things we think we have to have, and there are good reasons to have them too, but overall, I have found that life is actually simpler without those things.


Budget cuts:

• Cable/Satellite TV
• Smartphone/Data plan
• Internet Service-(We live far from grandparents so we are not eliminating internet, but are cutting back on the service, only keeping the speed so we can Skype family)
• Turn off lights/AC/Heat-when we don't need it-don't use it-it is amazing how much we feel we have to have lights on, when we can see just fine during the day with the window shades up. Also, if someone is not in a room, there is no need to have a light on in that room. 
• Stop using a clothes dryer-this is not an option for me since we already do not have a washer and dryer, however-a clothes line is a huge money saver since a clothes dryer is one of the most expensive appliances to run in a home
• Stop using the dishwasher-I quit using our dishwasher mostly because it doesn't work well, but also it saves a lot of money simply not to have to buy dishwasher soap. Dishwasher soap is 3-4x more money than hand-washing soap-even if you make it yourself. Surprisingly, I have found that I really don't miss it at all.
• Eating out/ordering in-find other methods of entertainment. We have saved bundles by not even ordering pizza. I find having a plan is the key-if I know we will be out during a mealtime, I purpose to have something cooking at home so we are compelled to come home to eat. Also, keeping quick and easy meals on hand like cheese and tortillas for quesadillas is helpful for those days when nothing is coming together. I am not tempted to order food or eat out if I have a quick and easy meal on hand at home.
• Newspaper-I ask neighbors for their old papers coupons
• Magazine subscriptions-we don't get any

Grocery List Eliminations:

• Dishwashing soap-save up to-$10 a month
• Sodas-save more than-$10 a month (we substitute buying a few lemons to add to cold water)
• Meats-I don't buy meat unless there is a sale, then I purchase bulk and freeze-this saved tons of money on both red meat and poultry-I plan meals around what meat I have in the freezer
• Cheese-Buy whole block cheese and shred by hand-it is cheaper and tastes MUCH better than pre-shredded cheese
• Produce-buy in season/buy on sale/buy whole fruits and vegetables-not pre-cut or bags of salad
• Bread-buy on sale-often stores in my area have a buy one get 2 free on a local brand of bread, I purchase as many as will fit in my freezer at that time. (I usually pay .70-.99 for a loaf of wheat)

The key we have found is to simplify and live with less. It takes more elbow grease, but is worth the extra pennies in the bank.

9-12 mo. Baby Food and Feeding

To teach her to feed herself, I feed Emma finger foods every lunch. That allows me time to wash dishes and pick up the kitchen, and then read her a story while she eats. For breakfast or dinner I may have foods she can feed herself, or may have to spoon feed her.


Hand foods
Scrambled eggs
Ramon noodles with or without seasoning
Cubed toast with or without butter
Cubed or torn cheese any type as long as it is pasteurized
Chicken pieces-dark meat has more nutrients and moisture than white meat
Cubes of ham
Ground Beef in larger chunks
Ground sausage in larger clumps
Oranges-sliced without the filament
Bananas-sliced (these can be too slippery to pick up if they are cut too small)
Blueberries
Peas
Green beans
Cubed mango
Cubed melon
Sliced avocado
Small cooked broccoli florets
Cut cooked carrots, sweet potato, or squash
Cubes baked potato
Cubed sandwiches-peanut butter and jelly or soft deli meats (I try to use wheat bread and natural whole meats like chicken, beef, or turkey-not bologna or salami)
Cubed home-made salmon cakes
Cubed Fish sticks


Spoon and Fork Foods
Pretty much I try to feed Emma the same foods we eat, but avoid spicy foods like Mexican and tough foods like Steak


Other good options:
Pot Pies-wonderful because the meat, veggies, and grain are all in one yummy dish
Mashed potatoes-any variety with or without butter
Yogurt with fruit and toasted oats
Baby foods mixed with mashed meat or rice cereal
Canned tuna


Snacks
Cheerios
Chex cereal
Teddy Grams
Graham crackers
Ritz or townhouse crackers (Can be purchased in wheat)
Watered down sugar-free juice in a sippy cup or training bottle (I usually use orange juice-it adds a little vitamin C to the diet and won't stain like grape juice) Apple juice is the least nutritional juice and I don't waste money on it. 



A note on Food Allergies:
It is a good idea to check with a doctor about allergies before feeding a baby dairy, tree nuts, peanut butter, strawberries, or fish. I would not feed a baby this age shellfish since that is the #1 food people are allergic too. However, other risky foods like peanut butter or strawberries I have introduced in tiny amounts a couple times to see if there is a reaction. If a baby is allergic to a food, nine months or twelve months isn't going to change that. I like to make sure my husband is home when I introduce risky foods-just in case we need to see a doctor. At this age, it is also a good idea to keep infant Benadryl on hand. The first signs of an allergy to food would be hives, swelling in the face or throat, vomiting, or trouble breathing. Usually those symptoms occur within the first minutes or up to two hours after eating a certain food. Sometimes there is an allergic reaction the first time the food is introduced, and sometimes it suddenly begins after years of eating a particular food.