Goat milk ricotta cheese

Here is a recipe I have shared before but it is worth sharing again because now is prime milking time after all the goats have had their babies and milk is in abundance

This recipe is so easy! I love it!

You need:
1gallon Goats milk
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Bring your milk to 175° on medium heat. You want to warm slowly so you don't burn the milk. Remove from heat, add vinegar and stir. You will see the milk start to separate. Strain milk thru cheese cloth or a cotton dish towel, a strainer will work too but you may lose some of your cheese.
Done!

Now season as you wish!
Italian seasoning
Raspberry chipotle sauce

Options are endless!
We love to season it and eat it on crackers or spaghetti!

Enjoy!

Baby goats

Sweet little baby goats came to our herd!

1 boy & 1 girl

What do you know about your eggs???

Chickens are the easiest farm animal to raise and they are a great source of constant daily food supply.


Do you know where your eggs are coming from? Are the chickens cage free, antibiotic free, and hormone free? You would be amazed at how much of that stuff  makes it into each egg and the effects that can have on your food!

Nutritional reasons?
Here's some cool facts!!

Farm Eggs VS Store eggs:

1⁄3 less cholesterol

1⁄4 less saturated fat

2⁄3 more vitamin A

3 times more vitamin E

7 times more beta carotene

21 times more omega-3

  Consider raising your own hens or supporting the local farming community.
They may cost a bit more but a little bit of health goes a long way!!

Great way to start the morning off right!

Baby Nubian goats

New to the farmyard are two baby goats from our mama goat Bambi. 1 Doe and 1 Buckling. Beautiful moon spots and sporting 5 different colors in their coat.

Calendula

I am so excited about my calendula finally being ready to harvest!!!

Skin problems, stomach aches, inflammation. ...

It is such an easy plant to work with, but because I'm new to the planting seasons of Arizona it took me a while to get it right!

 I planted it last year about this time, so the plant wasn't ready before the 115° summer hit. But it survived thru the summer with shade and lots of watering

Next time I'll plant the seeds in September for it to be ready for spring!

Just cut the tops off and it's ready to make a tea. Dry them in a cool dark place and them seal them in a jar to keep them fresh.

Learn more here-

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-235-calendula.aspx?activeingredientid=235&activeingredientname=calendula

Garden salad anyone!

It feels so good to be able to eat from your own garden! It brings a whole new meaning to Organic veggies!

(calendula flower too)

 Here is a fresh new batch of spring lettuce to mix up a salad for dinner! 

Good pointer~~

I hear a lot of people say their garden veggies go bad quickly. We'll that comes from not spraying them with preservatives.

SO, on my lettuce I will soak it for 5 to 6 hours to plump up the leaves and make them crispy, dry them off and place a paper towel in the bag to absorb excess moisture that will make it go all mushy after a few day in the fridge. 

I can keep lettuce fresh just as long as the store bought!!

play time

Playtime with puppies. So fun! 

Ok, line up for feeding time!

Ok everyone! Line up for feeding time!

Perfect timing

Super excited when our sweet mama goat did such a great job with 3 babies!

Now comes the part that every mom will know... getting back to normal! Although I'm pretty sure she's not worried out getting a small waste line back (we have no bucks on the property to impress)... she does however still look a little tired and uncomfortable.
So just in time for kidding season, this awesome plant is in full swing!

With heart shaped leaves, shepherds purse becomes easy to spot! Here is some of the patch that sprung up in my back yard.
Herbs quite often have a variety of things they help with, but this is one of the exceptions as it is very specific.

Shepherds purse is good for bleeding with an emphasis on internal bleeding and specializes in uterine bleeding.
Read more here!
http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail112.php

Good to know for your DIY medicine cabinet for you, your family or your pets!

Dairy Goat Baby Nubian Bucklings

Surprise!!!

The babies have arrived!

Sweet mama did such a great job with 3 babies! No wonder she looked so uncomfortable!!!!

Beautiful Moon Spots with lots of variations of color!

Nap time! 

Sweet little nubian baby bucklings that will snuggle up and fall asleep in your lap!
Awesome milk lines, beautiful moon spots and cute personalities! Complete package!
Bottle fed so ready to go home.

Natural homemade soap

Homemade soap! The best part is that I can pronounce the name of all 3 ingredients and it's easy to make because it only has a few ingredients to worry about.

coconut oil

lye

water

My son snuck in to grab it while mom was trying to take a picture... hahaa
CUTEST LITTLE HAND EVER! Maybe he could be a hand model!

Made it with a friend and it was easy and fun to see it all finished!
1 suggestion- don't do the crock pot method... it got a bit messy.

Learn all about making the soap here!
http://www.mommypotamus.com/how-to-make-pure-coconut-oil-soap-for-cleansing-and-laundry/

Zucchini anyone?

This is now one of my favorite recipes! My husband is actually excited to come home and eat zucchini!
If you're like me, ...you can doing it with a little boy crying while he is clutched to your pant leg.
But there is a sense of achievement of getting something done other than diaper changes!!

~~Now when your son is down for a nap you can type up the rest of the recipe~~

This recipe is great for zucchini season when you have a ton of zucchini laying around!!! You can really only make zucchini bread so many time in one week!!!

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups spaghetti or pizza sauce
• 4 (31 oz total) medium zucchini
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 small onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 14 oz lean Italian turkey sausage, removed from casing (or pork sausage is awesome too)
• 1/2 cup part skim shredded mozzarella
• 1/8 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (or grated)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Preheat oven to 400°. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4" thick. Chop the scooped out flesh of the zucchini in small pieces and set aside.

Drop zucchini halves in boiling water and cook 2 minute. Remove from water.

Place 1/4 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 12" baking dish, and place zucchini halves cut side up.

In a large saute pan, brown sausage, breaking up as it cooks into smaller pieces until browned; set aside. Heat oil and add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Cook on a medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add chopped zucchini, season with salt and pepper and cook about 2-3 minutes. Combine with sausage and cook a few more minutes.

 

Using a spoon, fill each hollowed zucchini with 1/3 cup cooked sausage, pressing firmly. Top each with 2 tablespoons each of sauce, 1 tablespoon each of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1 teaspoon each of parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through.

 

Essential oils

Ever wondered what other options you have when it comes to your health? Or how you can take care of the small things at home without having to go to the doctor?

Did you know…

• A huge $45 trillion per year is spent on health care world-wide, yet our culture is sicker than ever.
• The USA is one of the biggest spenders on the entire globe when it comes to health care, yet it ranks 37th on the list of the world’s best health care systems.
• More than a quarter of the children and teenagers who live in the US take regular medication.

Doctors hand out antibiotic like candy for every ailment that you can come up with. And the only thing given more then that is pain medication and yet we have more hospitals then any other country... why is it that is our health care is "so good", but our people are so sick???

I have used doctors and I will use one if I have a broken bone or when there are serious problems... but till that time (fingers crossed) I love being able to help my family!

The United States makes up only 4.6 percent of the world's population, but consumes 80 percent of its medicine
Note: We are the only country that goes to a doctor first. Other countries try natural ways first and go to a doctor second or third... And its the other countries that seem to be getting along pretty well!


Natural from Nature
     Why are people talking about essential oils?
Humans have been using plants as medicine for thousands and thousands of years and with all the chemicals and problems now people are going back to the basics and loving it!!
Essential oils are proving time and time again that they help your body fight disease.

There is a lot of different essential oil companies, and I’ve spent hours researching all the different options. And I spent money on other oils that were just watered down with other carrier oils or that said "not for internal use".  doTERRA is outrageously committed to sourcing the best oils in the world and providing us with top-of-the-line quality. doTERRA essential oils are unadulterated, chemical-free, and incredibly effective. They are certified for internal use!!! Which is a big deal for me because I want to get all the benefits I can from them... even in my cooking!!

My Experiences
At first I wasn't very excited about essential oils. My mother had given me some and they just sat in the back of my cabinet for a very long time. Then one day I had a friend mention oils to me. So I decided to go home and try them out and see for myself if they were really as good as the rumors.

That night I pulled out the 3 oils that I had: Lemon, Lavender and tea tree oil. And with my husband as a guinea pig we started!!
-My husband always had a hard time sleeping so I put some Lavender on his feet
-He worked at a desk with a head set on all the time so he constantly had an ear ache so I put a drop of tea tree by his ear
-My husband had been on and off of heart burn medication so I put some lemon oil in his water

The next morning I woke up curious about how he was feeling. First I asked him about his ear.... he looked surprised and said it didn't hurt, his heart burn hadn't flared up at all and he slept solid without any problems......so that's when I couldn't resist! If 3 oils could bring that much relief!!! What could other oils do????

Different essential oils have been shown to fight infections (even MRSA) calm emotional issues, aid the body in healing, and provide families all over the world with a natural alternative to synthetic medicine.

Now it is my passion to share them and use them everywhere in my home!!! From bee stings to bike accidents... I find more things you use them for all the time!!!

 

How do I Get Started?

I recommend starting with a wholesale membership, even if you are brand-new to the idea of essential oils. As a wholesale member (Wellness Advocate), you’ll enjoy:

• Wholesale pricing on everything you order (that’s a savings of 25% on everything you buy)
• The ability to start off with a special enrollment kit
• No minimums, quotas, or obligations
• Tons of trainings from me and my team.

You’ll also have the chance to take advantage of the Loyalty Rewards Program, which gives you even deeper savings, on top of your 25% off!

Click here for access to my web page!
This month when you sign up you will get $50 of free product when you spend $100 on your first order. Expires July 31, 2014


I don't want you to feel alone
This has been a blessing to me and I love when others are able to benefit too!

Email me and I will walk you thru it! If you need to talk just send me your phone # and I will call and answer any questions!
mycountrychic@gmail.com

I am not a doctor. Consult a health care professional for illnesses and medications.

Goat milk vs Baby formula

If your familiar with Dr. Wallach's work then you know the desperately saddening fact for parents that have infants and toddlers. Infant formulas have close to no nutritional value for our children. As a matter of fact it has less minerals then Dog Food. There are 90 essential nutrients that our bodies need for optimal health, Dog food contains 40, rat food contains 28, and our baby formula has 12. That didn't hit me so hard till now that I have my son and my milk supply is going down so I was faced with fact that I needed to give him something else to help him grow. Let me tell you how good it feels to put your baby on something when you know your dog is better off.
So what other options do we have other then letting our kids play in the dog bowl? Cow milk? I hope not! Milk is perfect for the offspring is was created for. A momma cow makes milk for a baby cow that starts off at 100lbs and is designed to turn a 100lb calf into a 1,000lb cow. The protein content (among many other things) is off the charts compared to human milk.
Goats milk however is amazingly comparable to breast milk. Like humans, a baby goat starts off at about 7 to 8lb and grows to a 100- 150lb adult! The consistency and nutrition is so close to breast milk that I know that the Lord was thinking of mothers like me when he made it!



I have spent a lot of time on my knees and researching the best options for what I can give my son.
Here is the recipe for what I have found works the best.
4oz(1/2 c.) Goats Milk
2oz(1/4 c.) Distilled Water
2 tsp Brown rice syrup
1/2 tsp Coconut Oil
1/16 tsp Unsulphured blackstrap molasses

Heat up distilled water in a pan and then add it to a jar with the brown rice syrup, coconut oil and molasses. Stir well to combine. Then add the goats milk.

Here's a video of milking our goat straight into my sons bottle because he was crying and we didn't have the milk pan with us.

Comfrey

Comfrey is in my top 3 favorite medicinal plants! If anything needs fixin' up, I go for the comfrey.

Its known for helping the body heal. Cuts, scrapes, broken bones, 

pulled tendons..... Add it to you routine for getting better!

Real quick basics of using herbs

I prefer not to go to the doctor if I can help it. So that has led me to find ways of taking care of my family without all the prescription side effects!

Herbs are such an easy way of taking care of all the the things you may need in your home for health.

Here are some quick videos of how to use your herbs!

Red raspberry leaf herb!!

Being a women and having hormones this is an herb that I really love! But... Even though this is known for its ability to help with cramping during PMS and with strengthening the uturus for pregnancy, it is a huge benefit for men as well! It helps with hormones and that is why it is used so much by women, but it helps balance hormones for men as well!

After you pick it, set it in the house away from the sun. 48 he's later this is what it looks like!

You want it to be dry enough that it snaps but not so dry that it crumbles!
Chop it up... Use some now and save some for later!

Catnip herb

I love catnip for the fact that it is such a soft yet effective plant. I've used it for headaches, when I need to destress, to help relax muscles or go to sleep. The best part is that it helps with pain! Its like taking a natural sources of asprin!! Oh and as for its name, you've probably guessed that cats love it! It is especially fun to use it when you harvest it yourself! At my parents home it grows wild, so over our holiday weekend I harvested some to take home.
Put it in teas for a great bedtime routine!

House hold disinfectant/ Detox/Anti viral/ Purifier/ Edible....

My goal is to have my family and myself healthy and happy! Seems like a pretty standard goal, but I am learning more and more  that healthy and happy go hand in hand and in that order too.
I find the most happiness when I am holding my son and he is smiling as healthy as can be.

This has made my journey for health even more exciting as I find answers to health concerns that are only a step away and that I don't need to go to a doctors office for.

Essential oils have been a big step for me in the right direction. I have my own first aid kit that doesn't have a list of side effects.
Scrapes and bug bites, ear aches to coughs and sore throats... Oils have done wonders for me!!
Lemon oil is in my top 3
Strong enough it disinfects and cleans counter tops and edible so you can add a couple drops to your water to clean your fruits and vegetables.

I put a couple drops in water for a sore throat or if I'm at a restaurant where the water tastes funny.
It helps with digestion and is amazing for detoxing and cleaning the body with an emphasis on the Liver.
Anti viral, anti bacterial and anti mold!!! This is a great oil to start off with!



http://mydoterra.com/celestehaggard

Garden update

Corn is taller then me now. Should have some food in a few days!

Onions are doing great!

Bell peppers, jalepenos, Sweet popotatoes are almost ready.

Zuccuni and watermellon are starting to produce some food for the dinner table!