Top Ten Posts of 2011

2011 has been an adventurous year, in April I decided to make the jump into blogging more. Before then I had a couple of blogs I had played around on but had not yet found my voice. If you are interesting to see where I was before I started Granola Catholic you can check them out here The Fourth Pew and Random Words. I was sporadic at best, but at the encouragement of Fr. Kirby I had started to blog, in April I found an outlet that let me combine all of my interests under one roof and much to my surprise there was an audience. Thank you all for joining me here.
I tackled all sorts of subjects and made loads of new friends on here. Some Catholic, some Crunchy, I found out that many of my old friends had some of the same interests in Real Food and Family that I do. Just wished I still lived closer to them.
Looking back I never would have expected these to be the most popular posts of the year but here we are. The most popular posts fell under the category of Green Living and Real Food.  I never thought I would be a food blogger but it looks like that is what my readers like. So I will do my best to include more of my recipes during 2012.
But for now take a look back at the Best of Granola Catholic from 2011.

• Alternatives To Chlorine Bleach for Cleaning
• Why do I need to Know Where my Honey is From?
• What to Know Before you go to the Farmer's Market
• Is there Arsenic in your Child's Juice?
• How do YOU Shampoo?
• Why My Family Does not Drink Juice
• Easy Lemon Crockpot Chicken
• How to Make your Own Vanilla Extract
• The Facts About Food from China
• Ten Reasons Why I use Local Honey

I hope you enjoy reading these as much I did when I wrote them.  I am a researcher at heart so I take care to get my facts right for myself and for you my readers.

Technorati Tags: best of 2011,year in review

The Stocked Pantry Method of Meal Planning

A while back I mentioned that I like to use the Stocked Pantry Method for feeding my family. But what did I mean by that? The Stocked Pantry has multiple meanings. There is Martha Stewart’s stocked pantry, there is the The Foodie Pantry, The Prudent Pantry and the Frugal Pantry.
I am not a couponner but I do stock up when there is a sale, buying food in season and setting it aside for later. A couple of times a year I stop buying food and  eat down our stockpile. There have been many times I have been thankful for a stocked pantry. When a snowstorm that promises to shut down the state is forecasted I don’t have to go and get “the essentials”
So What does a Stocked Pantry Look like?
Well it all depends on what sort of food you eat.  Most families eat the same basic 10 dinners over and over again. If you are a menu planner simply look over your past months menus to see what you have eaten. Over the years the compostiion of my pantry has changed. We had lots more canned goods. Now my pantry includes more organic products and things like Jerusalem artichoke flour pasta, buckwheat soba noodles, canned beans, dry beans,
When I use up a product I write it on my shopping list, and when I get ready to go shopping I take a look to see if there are any holes in my pantry inventory, just in case I forgot to write something down or somebody else used up the last of the salsa. Once I have my list I take note of what I need. I plan my strategy. Some of the pantry staples I use are best found at different stores. Since I try to go shopping every two weeks, I map out my plan. the items needed dictate  what stores I visit.  While I am shopping I do take advantage of sales, not necessarily planning meals around the sales but to set aside. Where I buy my meat they often mark down  the meat a couple of days ahead of the sale by date. I got 1.75 oz. eye of round for $1,87 this week. Great for my lunch and dinner for the kids tonight.
What is in my Pantry?
Since I cook seasonally it varies from season to season but I would have to say that the must haves in my pantry are, in no particular order of importance.

• Canned tomatoes, when tomatoes are out of season organic canned tomatoes in BPA free cans are a great flavor boost to any recipe
• Organic Canned Beans – black, red, and navy beans are the most used around here.
• Dried beans – lentils cook up so quickly and can be added to almost any soup recipe for a shot of protein
• Natural Peanut Butter – I have been a fan of Smucker’s for years.
• Tea – all sorts of herbal teas, since we do not drink juice we drink herbal and black teas, coffee beans.
• Salsa – In the Winter it is hard to make my own so I like to keep a couple of jars, they make a great base for soups or chilies.
• A quality Spaghetti Sauce – this is one of my convenience items. My 7 year old will use this to make himself a quick snack “pizza”
• Grains – Brown Rice, Quinoa, Oatmeal, Barley
• Cereals for son and husband – Raisin Bran and “Cheerios”
• Aseptically packaged milk – this is an emergency item – we tend to get snowed in about once a year and this is good to have on hand.
• Flours, whole wheat, almond and buckwheat flour
• Maple Syrup, Brown Sugar and Local Honey
• Onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, garlic
• Sea Salt, coarse and fine, Herbes of Provence, Turmeric, Allspice and Ginger (I actually have a spice problem, I have too many according to some, but I use them all)
• Pastas - Jerusalem Artichoke Flour Pasta, Buckwheat Noodles - these seem to be the best gluten free options, in my opinion

You may notice that I do not have canned soups on this list. As a rule we do not have canned soups or chilies in the house.  I make a big batch of soup or chili at least once a week so there is no need to have any canned soup or chili in the house.
I also have not included any fresh produce or frozen foods or meats on this list. I am just strictly speaking pantry today.
What are you pantry must haves?


this post is linked up to Living Well Blog Hop, Fresh Bites Friday

Technorati Tags: stocked pantry,well stocked pantry

Things I learned in 2011

Learning isn’t just for kids. Each year I make it a point to learn some new things, but some of the lessons I learn each year are not quite what I expect.

• I learned that thanks to this blog there are more people out there who think like I do.
• I learned that it is possible to over do and do too much and if I try to be all do all, my body is not very happy.
• I learned who my friends are this year. (Here is a hint) They come from where you expect them to.
• I learned that people are not perfect, even if you think they are.
• I learned that I am not some one who is a meal planner or a by the recipe cook. I am a Stocked Pantry sort of cook.
• I learned that no matter what your plans are or how much you do plan it can all change in a second.
• I learned that  you can’t change other people, no matter how hard you try.
• I learned that even when you have the best intentions sometimes the best thing is do/say nothing.  A simple hug says so much more than all the words in the world.
• I learned how to prioritize my time. I stopped doing all those things I don’t want to but feel I should. I know concentrate on what is best for me and my family.
• I learned that I can turn on the circulator on the house HVAC system to move air around when it is hot or cold in the house.
• I learned how good real meat tastes. Grass fed pastured that is raised locally.
• I learned how important it is to know where your food comes from
• I learned that buying my food from local farmers is not any more expensive than the big box stores.
• I (re)learned how to use natural herbs and spices to treat simple things like a cold. (before I did my sugar detox I had not had a cold in over 3 years)
• I learned that I am an all or nothing sort of person. This came to light in my sugar detox. While it was easy to give up the sugar it was easy to over indulge at Christmas. (looks like I will be doing another sugar detox in January, who would like to join me?)

I am sure there is so much more I learned, my children continually amaze me with the lessons they teach me, sometimes they seem wise beyond their years.
As 2012 approaches I am making plans to learn some more new things. While I always like to learn something new each year it is often the lessons I learn along the way that teach me so much more than I expect.
Did you learn anything new this past year> Do you plan on learning anything new for 2012. I have some plans of my own and I will share them with you later this week.

Technorati Tags: what I have learned,2011 year in review

Merry CHRISTmass

 

From Our Family to Yours

 

A very Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

 

 

 

 

 

Lisa, Deacon G, Pi, Peanut and Pumpkin.

 

Technorati Tags: Christmas,Madonna and baby,Christmas Wishes

How to Make Christmas Morning Last All Day

In so many households Christmas morning is over in a blink of an eye. The kids wake up early and race Mom and Dad to the tree and stockings. While Mom and Dad are still trying to fully wake up the kids begin tearing into the gifts and wrapping paper going every where. 10 minutes later Christmas morning is over, well at least for the kids it is. Mom and Dad have a mess to clean up.
So how can you make Christmas Morning Last?
Some families have Christmas Morning traditions that help Christmas last a little longer than 10 minutes.

1. Establish a stockings only rule before Breakfast.  Kids and adults may only open their stockings before breakfast. Be sure to have a really special breakfast for the kids to enjoy.
2. Save the majority of the presents for after Mass or Church. Let the kids get their stockings and Santa Clause gifts if time allows before Mass. Save the gifts from family, grandma, grandpa for after mass.
3. Pass out only one gift at a time from under the tree and take turns opening the gifts.
4. Pass out all the gifts and have everyone sit in a circle, take turns going around the circle opening gifts.
5. Have a scavenger hunt for the gifts or just on special one.
6. Save some gifts for after dinner, Grandparents gifts make a good choice for this especially if Grandparents are not there in the morning but are there for dinner
7. If you visit other relatives over the holidays save their presents for when you visit them. 
8. Exchange some of the gifts on New Years Eve or Day. This is something I have done with my brothers and their families since we were kids.
9. If you really want to make Christmas last save a few gifts for the kids for the Feast of the Epiphany, We all have those gifts we bought real early and hid and forgot where we put them.

How Do You Make Christmas Morning Last All Day?

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The Life Cycle of a Christmas Tree

We enjoy a Real Christmas Tree at our house.  I have many reasons for loving my live tree chief above them is that I grew up with real trees.  Recently I was wondering if having a real tree was best for the environment. I got some good news. It is (source) While is true that the greenest Christmas Tree is the live tree in many parts of the country it just is not feasible to use a live tree because you can not plant them  when the ground is covered in snow or frozen.
If you have a Real Tree Christmas tree what to can you do with it once Christmas is over?
Depending on where you live you have multiple options.
Now I understand you may not have these options available to you but many towns and cities do have options for recycling your Christmas trees

• Many cities have Tree Recycling Programs
• Make a Bird Tree
• Use it for a fish habitat in a lake or pond
• If you live near the shore or a lake check to see if the local beaches use Christmas trees for soil erosion prevention.
• Check to see if your city has a Burning of the Greens. Some cities collect the Christmas trees and burn them in a great bonfire, not only is this a safe way to have a bonfire, the local fire department gets some practice. 

As tempting as it may be do NOT use your Christmas tree as firewood. Christmas trees are evergreens, they have a lot of pitch and will burn hot, but they are still green and will smoke and worse still may start a chimney fire.  When I say we may use it as kindling the tree has been seasoning for almost a year before we cut it up.
At our house our has it’s usefulness after Christmas.   Since we get a real tree we wait until Gaudette Sunday to put it up.  Our tree will stay up until New Years Day, another family tradition.  When the tree has been stripped of all its glory it still lives on. We  decorate the tree for the birds, making bird seed ornaments, and popcorn garlands.  Now the tree can only last so long even outside. By the time the first signs of spring start coming around it is time to take down the birdseed tree. At that point our tree joins a brush pile, benefits of having 5 acres. While in the brush pile it becomes an important part of our little eco system here. The brush pile provides a safe haven for little animals and birds in the winter. The birds that winter over will nest and perch in the brush pile.  Now what do you do with a brush pile you ask? Well at some point in time it either gets cut up for kindling or burned in a brush fire.  Setting fires in pastures is a time honored practice here in Oklahoma and other parts of the Midwest.  Ranchers and before them, local Indian Tribes practiced control periodic burns as a means to to rejuvenate the soil.


This post is linked up to Your Green Resource at Sorta Crunchy

Technorati Tags: Recyling Christmas Tree,What to do with Christmas Tree,Green options for Christmas tree

7 Quick Takes

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Oh my it has been a long time since I have done a 7 Quick Takes post. Maybe because I am busier now or just because I have fallen into a rhythm and pattern I am not posting as much as I used to. My first month blogging I posted something like 50 posts. Seriously.

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So much has happened since my last 7 quick takes. We went on a impromptu road trip to see the Nina and the Pinta  and the Cherokee National Museum, Christmas plays were had as well as a High School Theater Production, at which I got no good pictures.



Maybe Santa will bring me a new camera for Christmas?

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Advent started and we celebrated this year with a new wreath made by my sweet 7 year old son with his very own hands. Shopping was done, presents made and sent and delivered

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But all that seems small after the phone call we got yesterday. It was one of those phone calls. You know the type we hate to get. It was from a friend of the family. My mother in law had been hit by a pickup truck. She was walking, he was driving 35 mph. She has sustained many injuries and is in critical condition in the ICU. She has had one 5 hour surgery and goes back in tomorrow for more. Now all the sudden the decisions about when and where to meet up with her for Christmas seem trivial. All has changed in the blink of an eye. I am thankful however for the support of everyone who has offered, offered to watch kids, feed dogs, and simply pray.

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One thing I do ask for though is that you pray for the man who hit her. See he was a co-worker of hers, He knew her and I can only imagine the anguish he is going through right now knowing he caused so much pain.

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So we watch and wait, wait and watch. We wait for the doctors and wait and watch for planes to arrive.  I am ever vigilant watching my children in parking lots, knowing that people this time of year are in more of a hurry and less attentive in their driving. Please keep an eye on your kids and cars. My father always made sure I did, I remind my own kids that parked cars can't and don't always see you so you much watch them. 

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On a lighter note my daughters have taken up some interesting hobbies. Pi received a crochet kit for St. Nicholas day and was crocheted everything from head bands to coffee cup cozies( or at least I have an order in for one.). Peanut has taken up bow making to curtail the cost of her bows. It is much easier than we ever dreamed. We are currently just taking care of her but who know both girls may be offering items for sale in the near future. One can hope that they are budding entrepreneurs.

for more 7 Quick Takes check out Conversion Diary