Are you working to ditch processed foods and put more real food on the table? This month we’re running a series called Real Food Made Simple: A Beginner’s Guide to Eating Better. Our goal is to answer the questions you might have and make the transition a whole lot easier! Plan Ahead to Save Your…
Christmas is my favorite day the year. I’m a stickler for tradition on Christmas Day. Each year, my boys and I wake up in the darkness of the early morning. I put on a pot of coffee while the boys take turns jumping on dad, screaming that it’s time to wake up. As a family…
By Stephanie, Creator and Editor Homemade Salted Caramel Mocha I have long been a self-proclaimed coffee snob, and while I can easily walk away from candy, sodas, and most assorted desserts or sweets, fancy coffees just might be my downfall. I’m pretty sure that Starbucks created their Salted Caramel Mocha for the sheer purpose of…
Guest Post by Kelly of The Nourishing Home Everyone loves wholesome homemade granola! Besides being a much healthier option than commercial breakfast cereals, homemade granola’s crunchy sweetness makes it the perfect topping for creamy treats like yogurt, oatmeal and ice cream. And one of my personal favorites is to use homemade granola to create incredibly…
By Rachel, Contributing Writer There is something about this time of the year that makes us love having a hot beverage treat to warm our hands and indulge our taste buds. I think Starbucks and McDonald’s may be the ones responsible for that craze, but who knows the amount of sugar and artificial ingredients that are in those!…
Over the past few months I have been working toward eliminating grains from my diet. I haven’t felt this good in quite some time. While going grain free may not be for everyone, I am convinced that reducing the amount of grains we consume would be beneficial to most. With the holidays coming up, I…
About 5 years ago, I first stumbled upon the “homegrown revolution” and the idea that it was not only possible, but liberating to be able to grow one’s own food. From that first spark, my backyard gardening attempts have continually grown, and I’ve learned how to support local farmers for my meat and dairy, and…
By Diana, Contributing Writer I can’t believe it’s been a week since Thanksgiving. I had a wonderful time planning and preparing a real food feast for my family and friends. I spent two days in preparation that included a slow roasted pastured turkey; sourdough crackers and rolls; labneh (yogurt) cheese; roasted brussels sprouts with onions and bacon;…
By Erin Odom, Contributing Writer We’re smack in the middle of the “happiest” time of the year, but, whether we like it or not, we’re also at that time of year when illness runs rampant. And perhaps one of the most annoying–yet frequent–illnesses to battle is the common cold. Thankfully, there are a plethora of…
By Kate, Contributing Writer Thanksgiving’s coming–really, really soon! And after Thanksgiving we have an onslaught of holiday festivities that will last until we begin 2013. What we find at these festivities, in whatever form they take is…food. Lots and lots of food. I imagine the average person who eats a Standard American Diet can expect…
By Crystal Paine, Contributing Writer Looking for some inexpensive and simple Thanksgiving-related activities for your tots, preschoolers, or grade schoolers? I’ve culled the internet and put together a list of over 31 of my favorite Thanksgiving-themed activity ideas, plus a number of free downloads and printables. Enjoy! Fun & Frugal Activities Make Turkey Footprints or…
While most can identify pumpkin and butternut as varieties of winter squash, many of us don’t know much about other types of winter squash or how to prepare them. Today I want to dive into the world of winter squash and open the door to new eating possibilities. Health Benefits of Winter Squash Winter squash,…
Happy Monday morning and welcome to Keeper of the Home’s newly designed site! This redesign project has been in the works now for months and I am just a little bit giddy to introduce it to you all to my new blog. Isn’t she pretty? 🙂 Since I know you’ll ask who designed it, the…
Fall always finds me preparing new schedules and routines, re-organizing, and yes, writing lists. There’s something about getting back into the regular everyday groove after summer that just makes me want to get organized. I held a garage sale a couple weeks ago, have been setting up a new homeschooling binder for the year, am…
Homemade granola and yogurt with fresh berries is almost perfection-in-a-bowl for me. During a grain-free stint we did earlier this summer, I quickly realized that I needed an alternative to eggs or breakfast meat or plain yogurt (without grains, breakfast can get boring fast). Could granola still be filling and tasty without the ever-present oat?…
Written by Anne S, Guest Writer In the “old days”, canning was just part of the household routine, a useful way to preserve the bounty of the growing season for the cold dark days of winter. Mothers passed down the skills of canning to their daughters in the same way they passed down all the…
Eggs have often been called “one of nature’s perfect foods”. And for good reason. They pack a powerful nutritional punch in just a small package. Inside that little shell is a powerhouse of nutrition. There are many ways to incorporate eggs into meals. By incorporating eggs into our diet whenever possible, we increase the nutritional…
To those who’ve been doing this challenge all along, way to go! You’ve reached week 4 and your family hasn’t starved yet. Your creativity has been stretched to the max, no doubt, but I hope that you have some excellent savings to show for your hard work. To those who have joined us at some…
Welcome to the third week of the Eat From the Pantry and Freezer Challenge! Find out what it’s all about or read my post from Week 2. My update as I head into week three: This afternoon, we went to Costco with some friends. Walking around was pure torture for my husband, who kept noticing all sorts…
We’ve all had one of those amazing salads, that was so good we just had to keep shoving forkfuls into our mouths. On the other hand, I imagine we’ve all had a boring salad. Just greens, a veggie or two, and a drizzle of dressing. You eat it because you know it’s good for you,…
That’s it. No more shopping for you. Or me, for that matter. It’s time to begin our “Eating from the Pantry and Freezer Challenge“! What I’ve spent so far I had about $230 remaining for the rest of May out of my $450 budget (the other $220 had been spent at the beginning of the…
It’s time to begin the Eating From the Pantry and Freezer Challenge. I’m excited to get going and I hope you are, too! I promised to share my own plan and goals with you, so here’s what I’m planning to do: My financial goal is to save $300 (our regular monthly budget is $450). I…
Written by Kate Tietje, Contributing Writer I am so excited. It’s finally May, which means that the farmer’s market is now open! Well…we’re lucky — there is a winter market near me. But I never went (I know, I know). I just love the outdoor market in the summer, with all of its fresh produce, warm…
Written by Erin Odom, Contributing Writer When I first started cooking from scratch, it didn’t seem too hard. I gathered my ingredients and followed the recipes. But then one day it hit me: I wasn’t buying processed, pre-packaged meals anymore, but I was using processed, pre-packed ingredients to make my “from-scratch” meals. And these ingredients were…