Menu Plan Monday -- All Primal

All primal and under budget!  Have a great week!


Monday: Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken
Tuesday: Crockpot Beanless Chili
Wednesday: Turkey Meatballs with sweet and sour sauce
Thursday: Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
Friday: Paleo Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Bratwurst with side salad


Linking up with Organizing Junkie

What's going on at the homestead?

Ok, ok...I can't really call myself a homesteader.  With an acre of land, a few chickens and a small garden plot I'd say I manage to grow roughly 10% of our food.  We live in a small house with a large yard, not a farm.

This week we're beginning a new project of building another chicken coop.  I've scoped out craigslist the last few weeks and managed to get 8 pallets absolutely free.  One guy was nice enough to even drop his off at our house free of charge.  He's getting a dozen eggs as soon as my girls pick up their laying...that's for sure.

I don't like giving my birds medicine of any kind, however this girl pictured to the left is sick.  My other two adult gals have started laying eggs again, almost an egg a day.  However her comb and wattles are pale red, not a bright vibrant red and she hasn't started laying yet.  This morning there was a tell tale sign of coccidiosis in some feces, and I'm almost certain it was hers.  I'm starting her on medicine for it today, because left untreated it would kill her and possibly the entire flock.

I'm also buying a few more chicks in the next few weeks from the local farm supply store.  They have a chicks night out, and I want some pretty egg layers, also known as Easter Eggers.

So overall, we've spent about $50 this weekend on supplies for coop building, and medicines necessary for the birds.  And for the next few weeks we'll have to toss out any eggs collected because we're medicating them.

Chicken Coop Inspiration

Hubs and I are beginning our project of building a new chicken coop.  We've been inspired by some people who put together some nice chicken coops for a relatively small amount of money.  I have some requirements of this coop we're building.  It has to be functional, easy to clean, and cute.  I don't want some ugly eye soar in the back yard.

image: http://helicopterstudios.blogspot.com/2010/05/chicken-coop.html

And then these nesting boxes build from extra wood laying around.

image: http://www.aranchmom.com/2011/05/crazy-chicken-coop.html

Currently we have about 8 pallets to begin working with and lots of inspiration and ideas to keep the cost way down.  We keep chickens to help supplement the food bill, and it just doesn't make sense to dump hundreds of dollars into a coop when we're just trying to save money.  Right?!

image source: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hinkel-haus-made-of-pallets-recycled-wood-pickets

This last one is my absolute favorite.  He went into a lot of detail too about how to put together a coop, but I think he spent way more than I'm looking to.  I love love love this house though!

Crockpot Chicken Stock

Yesterday I finally got around to roasting a chicken, and just the day before I had used my last quart of chicken stock. Good timing I suppose! Anyway, we picked the bird almost clean last night and dumped it in my crock pot.

Here's the exact recipe I used:

• chicken bones from roaster
• 1 carrot chopped
• 1 onion roughly chopped
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 bay leaf

I threw all that in my big crock pot, and covered it all with water and went to bed. The next morning it looked like this. 

I turned off my crock pot to let it cool, and had some coffee and got my kids started on their school work. It probably sat for about an hour.  Then I got some cheese cloth and started straining while I got my mason jars boiling in another pot to sterilize them. I set up my cheese cloth in a mason jar so it would hold still while I poured the stock through. 

Lots of directions you'll find on the internet say you need to skim the fat off the top after it cools. I'm not patient enough to wait for it to cool that long, so I use a gravy strainer. The fat rises to the top pretty quickly and I can get a move onto the next step.

Storage choices! You can freeze the stock just fine in zip lock baggies. I don't like to freeze mine for two reasons. One, ziplock baggies aren't very eco-friendly. I'm supposed to be the green momma, so I try to avoid this process unless I'm stressed for time. I also don't like to freeze them because I have to actually think ahead of time and thaw it out when I need stock to use. For you though, I did one, and stuck it in the freezer. You're welcome. :)

For those who like to can, stocks need a pressure canner. Water bath canning doesn't get hot enough to safely store it. Freeze your stocks if you don't have a pressure canner. If you do, chicken stock needs to boil with 15 pounds of pressure for 20/25 minutes.

While I canned I made my kids some to die for chicken noodle soup. Really hit the spot since they've both been under the weather this week.  I was able to put two quarts in storage, and I froze 5 cups of stock. Had I not made soup or frozen any this recipe probably would have yielded 4 quarts.

Beecology Giveaway!

Last week I had the pleasure of doing a review for Beecology and I'm thrilled to announce this giveaway!  I've coordinated with co-owner Amy Rzepka to bring you some awesome products to try out for yourself.

The winner of this giveaway will receive four awesome body products.

Relaxing Lavender Bar Soap

Relaxing Lavender, Hand and Body Cream

Lemon Lavender Lip Balm

Foaming Lavender Hand Soap

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.  **Please be aware that for some reason it is taking a minute or two to load.**  If you want to see it right now, please hop over to my food blog where it is loading faster.  Click here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Linking back to Hip Homeschool Moms

Giveaway Winner!!

Congratulations to Stephanie P. our Live Good Giveaway winner!

An email has been sent to you about how to get your pillow, be sure to look for it.

Next giveaway begins Thursday with awesome body products from Beecology!  Be sure to check back. :)

Menu Plan -- All Primal

Last week our favorite recipe was the Bolognese with spaghetti squash.  We loved it so much we're making it again this week, might as well since we already have all the ingredients right?  I haven't checked in with the scale, but I'm sure I will at some point this week.

Anyway, here's the plan.  Have a great week!

Monday: Bratwurst with side salad
Tuesday: Sage Stew with Pumpkin -- crockpot
Wednesday: Roasted chicken (I keep putting this off, it's been two weeks now I was supposed to roast this bird!)
Thursday: Bolognese with Spaghetti Squash
Friday: Indian Butter Chicken
Saturday: Grilled Chicken Quarters with side salad
Sunday: Leftovers

Linking up with Organizing Junkie.  Check out her blog for more great menu plans. :)