Saturday, April 21, 2012

We're Moving! Not what you think...

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I've decided to move my blog over to it's official home on my new website, www.thereluctantonion.com. There are so many other things that I'm excited to share with you. The blog limited my future plans so the website will allow me to grow these ideas.

In addition to the blog, I plan to have a lot of recipes, resources for good food, gardening, money-saving ideas and more. Additionally, I hope to have an Amazon Store for purchasing some of my favorite books and DVD's. It's all very exciting, so come on over and take a look.

Thank you for the support of this blog and I'll see you in our new home! Be sure to click 'follow' at the bottom of the new website so you'll receive my future posts via email.

www.thereluctantonion.com

Jan

Thursday, April 19, 2012

All The Ladies in the House..Hen House That Is

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Recycled Materials Hen House
I love our Hen House! My husband built this from nearly all recycled materials. At one point, we had about 10 hens but when we moved to California for a short spell, the chickens found a new home.

Tomorrow our dear friend, Lynne, is bringing over some of her non-laying hens. Since Larry and I don't eat eggs, this works out perfectly. Our only criteria? That they poop! We plan to have these gals go to work for us in our garden. Chicken manure and straw makes for great compost so we will keep them busy throughout their lifetime! I'll take pictures tomorrow once they've arrived and have settled in. In the meantime, I thought I'd give you an Open House tour of their dwelling space (while they are not free-roaming) and discuss some of our plans for the Chicken Garden.

For additional reference, there is a great book titled, "Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard" by Jessi Bloom (Timber Press). In her book, she shares everything a gardner needs to know, including chicken-keeping basics, simple garden plans to get you started, tips on attractive fencing options, the best plants and plants to avoid, and step-by-step instructions for getting your chicken garden up and running.

Every Home Needs a Welcome Sign
I found this cute welcome sign at a yard sale. I think the home owners had a sheet metal shop because they had tons of these signs with various animals adorned on top of them. I couldn't resist picking this one up for the hens.

As I mentioned the bulk of the hen house is made out of recycled materials. The pallets were free and you can find them just about anywhere. We sourced ours through Costco. They just pile them up in the back of most stores and are happy to have you take them away. Otherwise, they pay a company to come and get them. They tend to be sturdier than others that we've found.

The door to the front of the house was found at a friends garage sale. We picked it up for $20.00. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it until the hen house was built. I knew exactly where it belonged at that time.

Chicken Door
The corrugated tin was laying in our neighbors back yard. We only had to ask and he was happy to get rid of it. So, the cost to us for the roof was also free. We put a door to the yard with a little gang plank so they can easily come in and out as they please. We close the door at night while they are roosting and leave it open during the day. Come morning time, they are cackling up a storm for us to open their door.

The shingles were my favorite find. We picked those up at a Habitat For Humanity Re-Store. If you haven't been to one in your area, I highly recommend them. Your purchase helps families in need and you get a great deal. I think we paid about $30.00 for a pallet of used shingles.

Nest Access Door

When we have laying hens, this door in the side of the house comes in handy. The door lowers behind their nesting boxes so we have instant access to the eggs. It's always a crack up when you open this door too early in the morning and they are still in there nesting. They look at you as though you've caught them in them in the middle of a very intimate moment. "Helloooo? Can't you see we're busy in here?"

This is also a great way to clean out their nesting boxes without going in the house. I try to avoid going there as little as possible. That is fondly known as my poop-gathering area!

Back of House - Ventilated Window

We wanted to have a ventilated window in the back of the house for the warm summer days. We placed a door that can be accessed from the inside that closes when the weather turns cold or it's raining.

Every girl needs a room with a view so this window made a great addition.

The roll up fencing around the yard was part of our back yard fence. I planned to replace my yard fencing so I just borrowed enough to create a small fenced yard when the chickens aren't ranging.

Nesting Boxes



We put in six nesting boxes and fill them with straw. These were made out of scrap lumber my husband had in his shop. The dimensions of each of the nesting boxes is 12x12, just about perfect!

Juniper Roost

We found this great piece of juniper in our yard and thought it would be so cool for them to sit on when they aren't nesting. Larry tells me that they sit on this regularly.








Palletized Walls & Heat Lamp


This final picture on the right shows how the walls and floor were constructed out of pallets. We put a large sheet of insulation on the ceiling to help keep it warm and installed a heat lamp for the cold nights. We live in the high desert so our nights can drop below freezing. It also helps to keep them cool in the summer. The ability to regulate the temperature in the hen house really makes life better for them.

I hope you enjoyed our Open House Tour. As I mentioned earlier, the ladies arrive tomorrow so I'll post additional picture of them enjoying their new space.

Our next step is to increase the size of the yard and add some chicken friendly plants and ground cover.

If you have specific questions about the design of the house or otherwise, we'd be happy to answer them.

Thank you for visiting!

Jan

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

How Did We Get Here?

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Today, I am the guest blogger on The Engine 2 Diet's blog, The Daily Beet. I'm providing a link to the article but I wanted to expand on the article for my readers.

In my guest blog, I talk about the initial symptoms I experienced that eventually moved us towards changing our lives. What I didn't share were the very private and intimate moments one goes through when faced with the fear of the unknown. You see, when the first tests came back indicating that there were spots on my lungs, the diagnosis could have gone a couple of ways; Sarcoidosis or Lymphoma. I had never heard of Sarcoidosis but Lymphoma - I knew what that was - cancer. It would take over a week to get the final diagnosis but during those five days, I battled every emotion one can imagine. I called all of my kids and told them what I was facing - a difficult task in itself. I cried, I prayed and I did the classic bargaining with God thing. It was in the midst of that bargaining that a very dear friend of mine in California, Shelley, called to visit. She had no idea what I was facing and I wasn't sure I was going to tell her.

Shelley wanted to share an exciting Bible Study that she was doing with me - thinking I might enjoy it. It was called, "One Month To Live"! WHAT?!? Are you serious? Being a person who believes that God often speaks through the lives of other people, I was confident this was my 'sign' that I had Lymphoma. Oh the thoughts we have when fear is our guide!

The point of the story is that the book was pivotal in our lives and I believe God had used Shelley in those moments to help facilitate the change that was so desperately needed in our lives. The book is written by a pastor, Kerry Shook, who councils the dying as part of his pastoral role. He wrote the book because he felt that people in their final days have such clarity - something each of us should have in our lives. The fact is we will all face the same fate. 1 out of 1 people will die. The point is what we do with our lives knowing that we face this statistic.

Well, as you know, my prognosis ended up being Sarcoidosis, a disease still serious but usually not fatal. I continued to face a number of serious issues but by reading that book and doing some serious reflection on how I wanted to live my life for the rest of my life was forever altered through that experience. The changes were not immediate, rather fairly gradual, but they came one by one and they continue to unfold in both my life and the life of my husband.

We are clearly not the same people we were two years ago. We would have never imagined that those events would have resulted in so many positive changes. So today, we are thankful for those times. In fact, we consider that period of our life to be the best time of our life. It was that moment of clarity when we acknowledged that we were not in control and that to the extent that we are willing to yield to God's leadership in our lives, we would begin to experience the 'peace that passes all understanding' - Philippians 4:6-7, NKJ.

With this as a backdrop for the changes in our diet, here is my guest blog;


My Plant-Life Journey
It was about two years ago when I was at work teaching a new class of technical support agents when I began to feel dizzy. The dizziness was followed by blurred vision and a numbness in my arm. I called out to the trainer in the next room and asked that he take over the remainder of my class while I attempted to reach my husband. What followed was a rapid series of tests, all of which would uncover one physical ailment after the other. 
The battery of tests revealed that I was basically falling apart; sarcoidosis in my lungs, a blocked carotid artery, dangerously high cholesterol, nerve and disc compression in my back and neck and it was likely that the dizziness and numbness revealed that I had suffered a minor TIA (transient ischemic attack), or stroke.
Fast forward to this past December, we had just crossed three months of ‘playing’ with a vegetarian diet so that I could lose weight followed by the completion of the 21-Day Vegan Quickstart with PCRM (Physician Council for Responsible Medicine) just to see what a vegan diet was like. At the end of the 21 days I was feeling good and wanted to see if the changes in my diet had helped with my conditions. The results were amazing. My cholesterol numbers had improved by almost 50% and the blockage in my carotid artery was gone. Additionally, I had lost 15 pounds and was feeling incredible. Good enough to address the issues with my failing back.
Even with these great results, we didn’t jump right in to a Plant-based diet. In fact, our entire journey has been cautious. You see, my husband was raised on a 40,000 acre cattle ranch in Montana and I was raised in a typical suburban home with a diet like most modern Americans. Additionally, my husband, Larry, is a Type 1 diabetic and we both believed that he could only eat a high-protein (meaning animal protein), low carbohydrate diet. So we were a bit scared and suspicious that this new way of eating would not work for us.
We had watched several documentaries that began to open our eyes including; Food Inc, Food Matters and finally Forks Over Knives. It was FOK that really got our attention. Yet, the fear of jumping in was preventing us from fully engaging. At this point, we had successfully cut out all soda, all meat and most cheese but making the final leap and fully embracing a Plant-Based, No Processed Foods, No Oil and No Cheese diet was met with fear on both of our parts. What if Larry’s blood sugar levels go through the roof? What if they plummet? What will our friends and family think? What if we find that we miss our ‘old’ way of eating and we fail? 
Our final documentary was Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue. I immediately downloaded the e-book and read it the next day. I announced to Larry that I was going to start the 28 day plan the following Monday. To my surprise, he agreed to join in with me.
As with most fears, none of them were realized. In fact, we have been amazed at how quickly we have adapted to the new way of eating. Larry’s A1C (average blood sugar levels) have actually improved by 30%. He wakes up most mornings with normal levels. Something he hasn’t ever experienced before. It is nothing short of miraculous in our minds.
The hardest transition for us was to give up cheese and oil. I had always considered myself a proper ‘foodie’ and ALL good cooks include Olive Oil as part of their recipes, don’t they? And cheese? Isn’t that a staple of the diet? We transitioned slowly. With the oil, we started by limiting dishes to small amounts of oil in baking and no added oil in stove top dishes. Eventually, we were able to incorporate some of the tips provided by Engine 2 and other plant loving sites and said our final farewell to oil.
Saying goodbye to cheese was the hardest thing for me. It was not unusual for me to snack on morsels all day long and add it to every dish (if it wasn’t the main dish). So, the process of letting go was very slow. When I learned about casomorphines, that was it for me. I had just stopped taking about five medications in an effort to live a drug-free life and cheese was my final drug of choice that had to go.
Today, the thought of adding greasy fatty cheese to my beautiful plate of vegetables is nearly nauseating. I’m thankful for that. I’m also thankful for the Engine 2 diet and the tools that help us succeed every day. We are still in the early days of our new life but the future is so bright. We truly believe that our lives have been extended and the quality of our lives has improved ten-fold.
My advice to anyone considering a plant-based diet is to be good to yourself. Allow yourself to have and ask questions. There are plenty of resources out there and people committed to your success. Do your research and then take the plunge. There will be times in the early days when you question your decision but if you hang in there, play with menu choices and experiment with new foods, you will love your choice - and so will your heart. 
Here’s to living Plant Strong!






Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Vegan Chile Colorado

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Vegan Chile Colorado

Sometimes you just want a nice spicy bowl of chili - no matter what the weather is outside! Prior to following a plant-based diet we used to love this spicy northern Mexico recipe for Chile Colorado. Thankfully, it was easy to adapt the recipe making it the perfect bowl of yummy. We have made modifications along the way so who knows if Mexico would still claim it. We think it's just perfect.

My husband has made this recipe for years and has even won a couple of Chili cook-off's! Feel free to modify ingredients based on your comfort level with heat in your recipe. We enjoy a nice spicy bowl so this one works perfectly.

I rarely add anything to my chili but this time, we sliced a couple of avocados and the creaminess of the fruit helped with the heat of the chili's. It was a nice addition. I hope you enjoy the recipe. It's got a couple of surprise ingredients that will leave your guests wondering. It's up to you to tell them or keep it a 'family' secret. Enjoy the chile!

Vegan Chile Colorado
1 3/4 cups water
2 30 oz. cans organic chili beans
1 15 oz. can organic mexican stewed tomatoes
1/2 package of LightLife Smart Ground TVP
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 cup celery, diced
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper
*5 dried California chiles======>> you can opt to substitute these chile's with 5 tsp of chili powder
1 dried New Mexico chile====>> see above
1 teaspoon organic ketchup
1 teaspoon vegetarian worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon organic whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
6-8 dark chocolate chips
dash cinnamon

Saute onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic in dry, non-stick skillet or dutch oven (type) over medium heat. Once vegetables have begun to sweat and brown, add beans and tomatoes and TVP.

*(SKIP THIS STEP IF USING CHILI POWDER). While chile is cooking, place both California and New Mexico chiles in a medium saucepan. Add water to cover generously. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand until softened, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain chiles. Discard stems and seeds. Place chiles in blender with about 1/2 cup water. Blend until pureed. Press puree through a sieve to remove bits of peel. Add sieved puree to chile.

Add remaining ingredients, stirring well to blend all ingredients. Add flour mixed with enough water to make a roux (this will act as a nice thickening agent) and add to chile.

The chile is basically ready to eat but if you allow additional time for it to simmer, the flavors really come together nicely and make for a wonderfully flavorful and spicy bowl. I recommend covering and allowing it to simmer for an hour. Taste and add more salt if needed. Makes 4-6 servings.







Monday, April 16, 2012

How Does Your Garden Grow?

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The season of growing has caught up to me quicker than I imagined. We've been so busy remodeling the inside of the house that we completely forgot about getting the garden going. Especially since we live in Central Oregon and our growing season is unique (at best), we need all the time for preparations as possible.

Gardening is something I have never done on a scale that amounted to much. Growing up in the city, I believed that fruits and vegetables grew in the supermarket. I wonder how many kids today believe the same thing.

However, as we have transitioned to a fully plant-based diet, having access to a ready supply of nutritious options is going to be huge for us. We have limited organic options near us so growing our own is critical.

So this weekend, we finally committed to getting it going. We remembered seeing a documentary last fall about a guy named Paul Gautschi in Sequim Washington who is the envy of all of the gardeners around him. He had limited water from his well so he had to get creative with his gardening plans. Despite this limited resource, he grows the most amazing produce. It's all organic - and it's the most abundant and beautiful yield I've ever seen. You can watch the documentary, Back to Eden, free online and I highly recommend it. Just scroll to the bottom of the page at the link I provided where the authors provide free streaming.

The basic premise is that a good garden is all about 'the covering'. Paul's recommendation is to watch creation and follow it. By doing so, he suggests leaving the ground alone and just add to it, in the same way nature does. He suggests a good organic compost followed by wood chips. The wood chips are to be comprised of about 90% needles, branches and leaves that have gone through a chipper or tub grinder. He is not suggesting that you use bark, shavings or sawdust. Given that actual wood chips are an organic material, you can be assured that they have not been dyed, treated or processed with additives or chemicals. He recommends finding a tree trimmer in your neighborhood and offering a dumping site in your yard.

We plan to implement his practices and we are hoping for the best. The fence posts are up and the fencing should be completed by this weekend. At that point, we plan to pick up our compost layer (organic chicken manure mixed with straw) and covering (wood chips). I am sourcing the wood chips now so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a good supply.

We are hoping to be planting by the end of the month. Again, given our location, timing will vary on what can be planted when but it will be fun to experiment and see what we can do. I've got rhubarb coming out my ears without intervention so if all else fails, we know we can become rhubarbites!

I'll take pictures along the way so you can see our progress and learn from our mistakes. In the meantime, we are open to ideas, suggestions and hearing your gardening stories. Let us hear from you!

Jan

Friday, April 13, 2012

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens

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Today's blog will be short and sweet. It's Friday and as I prepare for the weekend I'm struck by my many blessings. The picture of this kitten laying on my braided rug with my antique chest poking out in the left corner of the picture makes me happy. I don't know why, but it does. Who can explain why some things 'do it' for us and do nothing for someone else.

I love my pets and over the years, we've had a number of them. We've attempted to give each of them the best life possible and in return they have brought us sweetness.

So as I sign off for the weekend, I'd like to share some of the faces that have been part of our lives over the past 20 years. Hope you enjoy their faces too!

Lucy

Samson aka Bandit

Hobbes

Lucy

Harley

Jack

Ciaran

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Vegan Fast Food - Look Ma' No Oil!

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Veggie Burger & Oven Roasted Fries
I love my new eating lifestyle! I feel better than I have ever felt and can't believe that I actually crave a bowl of veggies. In my 20's I used to tell people that I ate anything that wasn't green. The primary reason was that I had never eaten properly prepared vegetables. More often than not, they were overcooked or over seasoned. It is a delight to learn that if you take time to clean, prepare and season correctly, all vegetables can be delicious.

With that said, I still have a hankering for 'comfort foods'. I'm sure you all have your definition of what a comfort food looks like. For me, it's a burger and fries.

To my delight, I found that I can make burgers and fries that truly taste better than any fast food products out there. Yesterday, was one of those 'comfort food' days. Larry has been resistant to eat veggie burgers so he was not too enthused about the idea. After our meal he enthusiastically stated, 'this is a 10! You can make these again".

The added surprise was that I was able to prepare this entire meal without any oil - something I've eliminated from my diet in my continued effort to keep my genetically high cholesterol under control. Honestly, I feel like I've been hood-winked by the food industry to think that you can only prepare delicious meals with added oil - like olive oil. Breaking the habit has been difficult but I'm amazed how I haven't missed the taste (or cholesterol) one bit. If you'd like some cooking tips on eliminating oil, let me know and I'll write a blog specific to this topic. In the meantime, enjoy these burgers and fries. You won't be disappointed!

Deluxe Veggie Burger
-Veggie burger of choice (we prefer Morningstar Farms)
-Splash of Tamari (or low sodium soy sauce)
-Splash of vegetable Worcestershire sauce
-Whole wheat bun (make sure it says 'whole' - anything else is not)
-Green leafy lettuce
-Dill pickle sliced
-Grilled onions (onion of choice)
-Tomato sliced
-Brown mustard
-Avocado sliced (we left this out - another way to cut out fat)

Add a splash of Tamari and Worcestershire to your veggie patty and brown in a medium non-stick skillet. This usually takes about four minutes to get a nice brown texture.

Slice onions and brown in a dry non-stick skillet. Put onions in preheated skillet and stir constantly. They will give up their moisture and begin to brown without the help of added oil. You can add a dash of worcestershire sauce if you like the taste.

Brown the burger buns by placing them in the toaster or browning them in the same skillet as your patty or onions. We like the way the toaster ensures a nice crunch.

Build your burger and enjoy!

Oven Roasted Fries
-One good sized potato scrubbed with skin left on (we love sweet potatoes but you can use russets, or any other), cut or sliced as desired. The smaller the slices, the quicker they will cook.
-Seasoning of choice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Toss potato slices in a bowl and season. We used a dash of sea salt, onion salt, garlic salt and paprika. Be sure to exercise caution to limit sodium intake. You could just as easily add finely chopped garlic and onion to avoid salts altogether. Let your imagination run wild with healthy seasoning options.

Place the potatoes on a sheet of foil or parchment paper on a baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Cook for 30-40 minutes, turning once. Remove the foil after 20 minutes to allow the slices to brown.

What are some of your comfort foods? Let me know!