I have yet to meet someone that doesn't enjoy the occasional bird flitting through their yard. Sure, their chirping at 5am on a Summer Saturday Morning can be irritating. Their droppings around a porch can be frustrating to clean, but the refreshing sight of a little Sparrow zooming across the yard as the temperatures cool is always a joy.

There are always negatives, if we allow ourselves to see them, but there are other ways to manage the problems. Encourage the birds to move away from the porch, and maybe find a white noise machine to drown them out in the summer. There are so many positives that come with encouraging the bird population. Here are a few:

• Education: Do you know how to identify a sparrow? Do you know that many birds’ plumage changes with the season? Which birds migrate south for the winter and which stick around at home? Observing your backyard friends will help you make all kinds of bird discoveries!
• Pest control: Is your backyard being overrun by mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies? Birds help keep the bug population under control.
• Pollination: As awesome as bees are at pollinating, they can’t do it alone. Birds are a big help when it comes to getting the job of pollinating done. Hummingbirds, sunbirds, honeycreepers and honeyeaters are some of the best feathered pollinators around! Get your flowers blooming.
• Bonding: If you've got kids, grandkids, neices or nephews, you can have a new way to connect and bond with them. Have some fun inside making your feed, then get some vitamin D outside enjoying the birds. Laugh about the silliness as the birds play, learn about the kid's likes and dislikes, connect over the sweet innocence of nature.
• Wildlife conservation: As more and more trees are cut down and forests are covered with concrete, natural habitats for birds are disappearing. Setting up a bird friendly backyard garden and providing food and drink for your feathered friends helps with wildlife conservation. You can feel great about doing your part for your local ecosystem.

So, now that you're convinced it's a good idea to attract the birds, here's a fun way to do it!

Honey Bird Seed!

Ingredients

• 1 cup of birdseed
• ½ cup of JM2 honey
• 1 tablespoon of corn starch (optional, this will thicken your mixture and help hold it together)
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (optional, this also helps to thicken your mixture)

Materials:

• 6 muffin liners (We like the silicone ones to avoid sticking)
  • Alternative option is wax paper and cookie cutters to form shapes
• Medium glass or metal bowl
• Spoon
• Bird feeder (A mesh strainer tied up with baker’s twine, or you can tie the feed shapes on a string like an ornament)

Directions:

1. In a bowl combine bird seed and honey. Stir to combine.
2. If you’d like a more solid “honey bird seed feed shape” add corn starch and peanut butter. Stir to combine.
3. Spoon bird seed mixture into muffin liners, packing firmly.
   • Alternative: Spread mixture over wax paper and use cookie cutter to get your shapes (this requires the corn starch and peanut butter). You could also gather the feed into the cutter on the wax paper (you will need to keep it in the cutter if you didn't use the thickening agents).
4. Put “honey bird seed feed shapes” into freezer to set. Allow to freeze for at least 30 minutes. Tip: If you make the ornaments, you can simply poke a hole in the shape to tie the string through before freezing.
5. Remove “honey bird seed feed shapes” from the muffin liners or cutter, place them in your bird feeder and put outdoors. Store extra “honey bird seed feed shapes” in the freezer.

Tip: If you live in a rainy environment, use a mesh strainer for your bird feeder. Drill holes into the outer ring of the strainer and hang using baker’s twine. The mesh strainer will keep the seeds in but allow the rain to drain out. If you still want to do the ornaments, just hang the strainer below them.

We all know it's been a hot, dry summer. We see the impacts on our yards, the parks, and especially, the side of the highways. How many of you have wondered what's going on at the farm? We've been asked a few times, so here it is. We're down nearly 10" from average for the calendar year. It's pretty bad. Most of the weather events that have moved through the area have missed us.

A few of the obvious things are a lack of grass, a diminishing water supply, no hay production, and no irrigation for the corn maze. It gets a lot worse though. There is little to no grass available right now. What is available is weed, which on a farm means it isn't nutritious and often is poisonous to the animals. Nightshade, Mesquite trees, and Nettle being some of the more prominent. Cattle can eat the lower nutrition weeds, but if they get too hungry, they will eat the plants that are truly harmful to them.

Ironically, diminishing water supply means there is mud close to the water. Normally, there is grass lining the edge of our stock tanks, and the cattle can walk on it without sinking. Now though, some of the ground that is normally under water is exposed and muddy. Cattle have difficulty getting to the water, and some even get stuck. We have a social media post about a calf that sank up to his belly and was so stuck, we had to pull him out.

Not only do we not have grass for the cattle to eat, we can't produce hay to feed them, or to sell for income. The drying stock tanks also mean we can't irrigate the corn maze. As of right now, it looks like we won't be able to have that event either. There aren't even enough pollenating plants this year for us to have honey to harvest. It has impact on every aspect of the farm. The overall impact is profound.

Thankfully, God has given us grace despite the drought. Our herd size has grown enough that we are able to sell cattle this year for income, to reduce the size, and decrease the negative impact on the grazing. The remaining cattle have not lost much in body condition. We still have work to keep them in decent condition, but He has given us the means to manage. We've had the irrigation to keep the pumpkins going and will be able to have an event in November. We're praying He brings us rain in time for the winter grazing to do well.

We all have that difficult dance of balancing work life and home life. Making time for family while making sure we keep the job that provides for that family. But what happens when they must cross over? What do we do when a kid can't go to school, but today is the only day we have to plant a field or work cattle? It's going to rain, or we have to select cattle for sale that happens tomorrow, or animals are in the road. We can't phone that in.

One of the blessings of farming is that you can take the kids with you, unlike at the office. Labor day was a very recent example of a day when work still needs to get done, but Little Bug was not at school. Animals still have to be fed, let out of coops, and moved to different pastures. Pastures had to be mowed. Pumpkins had to be watered. Water had to be taken to cattle in a pasture where the tank was dried up.

My situation is still a bit different from many farmers. I had the chance to stay home and enjoy some time with my family, like many of you with a day off. However, this is what our day would likely have looked like if we didn't have Golly, Gampy, and Papa to make sure things were covered.

Little Bug would go with me to the Little Farm. We would open up the chicken coop to let them roam. The little chicks still can't go outside yet, but they need the door open for air flow. Indy needs halter training, so we would get her up close and practice. Lastly, the dogs need to be fed.

Then we go to open up the Big Farm. Feeders and bulls need to get fed. Little Bug stays close, but watches patiently from behind the gate. She is such a good helper. Then we make sure the chickens are out of the coop. They come flying out when we open the door, and she giggles at their silliness. We fill buckets with feed to take to the cows in the pasture. She stays in the mule while I pour the feed into the troughs, but she makes sure to tell every cow and calf hi before we drive away. Sometimes they need to be moved to a new pasture, and she helps with the gates when she can. If we have to put out hay, like right now, she sits patiently in the tractor while we get the wrap cut and the bales put in the rings.

There are 2 groups of cattle right now, so we have to make sure both groups have the grass, feed, water, and shelter if we do somehow get a storm. Their version of shelter is trees. We make our way back to the barns. Those are just the chores. Now we get moving on to the real work. Since we have Little Bug there are a lot of jobs we absolutely cannot do.

Working cattle is out of the question. It's too risky, and she will get bored quickly becuase she can't help. If she was still an infant that I strapped to my back, maybe. Anything that requires power tools is difficult because our attention is too split between the task and her location. She also can't help and will get bored on this too. We can do some tractor work, or repairs. She seems to enjoy being in the big machine and watches all around us. She doesn't tollerate it long, though, because she has to sit still. Soon she'll be big enough to steer, though! Fence repair is possible. We can transplant trees, water pumpkins, pull weeds, build/take down rope fences. There's just not much else we can do, and nothing can take too long.

We are so blessed that if Little Bug is sick, we have people around us that can make sure the necessities get done without our help. Many farm families don't have that help and have to take sick kids along with them. We are also incredibly blessed to be able to raise her in an environment that shows the product of hard work. She gets to see the baby calves born, the plants that grow, the eggs and honey we collect. As she gets older, she will be able to participate in reaching our work goals. These outweigh any difficulties we currently face in having farm and family.

Farming is hard. Family can be hard. It's difficult to balance work and family with any job. There's ALWAYS work that has to be done on a farm, even if it's just getting the animals taken care of. But we are thankful every day for the opportunity to work at both. What is the balance like in your life? What blessings do you see in work and family life?

We love the look and flavor of a rich, sunny, farm fresh egg and there are so many wonderful, easy recipes! Starting our own flock was a no-brainer next-step for us since we have the barn and the space for a beautiful happy flock. We got our first batch of chickens, and the fun began.

To get that rich, amber-colored yolk, chickens need to be pasture-raised. Not to be confused with the term free-range, which only means ‘not in a small cage,’ our pasture-raised hens have access to green grass and all the bugs and manure they could possibly want. They eat grasses and seeds, crickets and beetles, and lots of other things we will not name here. But they are happy.

During the day we kept them in an outdoor pen for about a week or two until they knew that this was their new home. When we finally let them out to roam, the first thing they did was roll in the dirt, shaking their feathers to work the dirt particles all the way down to their skin. They laid in the dirt for hours.

Finally at the end of the day, it was time to call them back to the coop. Chickens need to be closed in at night to protect them from predators. We were very nervous that they would not come back to the coop. We sprinkled some chicken scratch on the ground in a path to the coop and began calling. They came running looking so cute with their little chicken waddles and we were hooked.

Our flock has grown from 8 to 53 and is still growing. Many people are interested in joining us in becoming happy egg farmers or maybe they just want to have chicken pets. Stay tuned for tips and tricks in becoming chicken owners. We will share our experiences and help you narrow down the many choices for raising a happy healthy flock.

Starting 9/19, we will be doing egg and honey order PICK-UPs every Tuesday at 8:30am. We are setting up a table in the parking lot of the Sports Complex – 1000 S. 14th Street in Midlothian. We will have a dark grey Honda SUV in the back of the lot. This is for completed order PICK-UP only! We cannot perform any transactions at this location and will not have any extra eggs for sale. All purchases must be made at least 24hrs prior to pickup, or they will carry over to the next week. Please tell your friends, and make your purchases online! If this works out, we will try to start an afternoon option as well!

Kids are fickle, and the word "Salad" is a big NO to them. But put the word "Doritos" or "Tacos" in there, and they are bouncing on their toes to get it. Three easy steps to get a healthy dinner on the table. For all you busy moms who need dinner ready in 5 minutes, or are looking to get some veggies in those little bellies, we've got a tasty option that will delight the picky kids of the world!

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef (more if you're feeding more than 4 people)
• 1 packet (1 ounce) taco seasoning
• 1 can Rotel or diced tomato
• 3 to 4 Romaine lettuce hearts, rinsed then chopped (We use Spring/Summer mix to include darker greens)
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed (optional)
• 1 large tomato, chopped OR sliced cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar (more Mexican) cheese
• 1 ½ cups nacho cheese Doritos, broken into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup Catalina dressing OR use your favorite salad dressing (we like to eat this with ranch dressing too)
• fresh cilantro, optional

Instructions

1. Brown and crumble ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add taco seasoning and Rotel. Stir until mixture comes to a boil. Boil off excess liquid from can. Remove from heat and let meat cool slightly.
2. In a large salad bowl add chopped lettuce, black beans, fresh tomato and cheese. Add slightly cooled ground beef and gently toss to combine everything.
3. When ready to serve, add Doritos chips and dressing to salad. Toss to coat. Serve. 🙂

We love this dinner in our house. Its so easy, and even Little Bug eats it (as long as it's not too spicy). It has the vegetables that are so difficult to get kids to eat. It has protein for their growing bodies. It also has a little of the stuff to excite them into eating. Glow foods, Grow foods, and Go foods! Maybe a hint of the Woah foods, but a treat is nice every now and then.

Episode 5: Honey Lip Balm

How about some soft lips the natural way? Here’s how!

Ingredients

1. 1 tbsp coconut oil
2. 2 tsp beeswax pellets
3. ½ tsp shea butter
4. ¼ tsp honey
5. 3 drops of your favorite essential oil (peppermint works great!)

Instructions

1. Combine coconut oil, beeswax, and butter in a medium glass bowl.
2. Place cold water with a few ice cubes in a larger bowl and set aside.
3. Place bowl on top of a saucepan partially filled with water. Over medium heat, stir occasionally until wax is melted.
4. Remove from heat and rest 1 minute. Place bowl with beeswax mixture on top of bowl with ice water.
5. Working quickly, pour the honey and essential oil in the beeswax mixture and stir to combine.
6. Spoon into a container such as a 1 oz cosmetic jar or metal box.

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Food Sensitivities and Dietary Adjustments

I have a condition called Insulin Resistance. No, it is not Pre-Diabetes. While Insulin is involved in the disease of Diabetes, Insulin Resistance is a completely separate issue. It isn't caused by being overweight, but it does contribute to being overweight. All it means is that my cells don't respond to insulin and sugar the way they are supposed to.

To combat this, I have to be careful about how much a food impacts my blood sugar. There are a lot of different dietary problems like this that can impact your weight. Many of them go unnoticed until an unrelated problem arises. For example, did you know that certain sensitivities can cause Excema, Psoriasis, or Hormone Imbalances? It seems common sense to cut out the foods that have a negative impact on your body, right?

I found out about the insulin resistance when I was trying to get pregnant, and struggling. I knew I was overweight. I was bigger than "Fat Monica" on friends. I weighed 280 at my Dr's office, and cried because I wasn't eating bad food. I was doing like they told us, grains, lean meats, salads, lots of fruit, etc. I don't deny that I probably ate portions that were too big. But, when I worked to keep my calories down, and my exercise up, it had almost no impact. My mom and I were going to the gym and lifting, playing tennis, running on the track, taking yoga classes, and doing circuits. I still wasn't losing the weight. I learned so much about my body in the years that followed. This "sensitivity", if you will, impacted my hormones to such a degree that it made it almost impossible for my body to get pregnant.

I was told to start KETO. I did loads of reading and got a bunch of cook books. Keto isn't just low carb, it's high fat. It's designed to train your body to use fat, almost exclusively, for energy. This definitely works for some people. It stopped working for me. I lost 20lbs right at first, and then it just stopped coming off. Looking back, I think it had more to do with the complexity of the food I was choosing than anything else. I don't think it was that KETO didn't work, but that I had too much sauce and different ingredients. Well, you all know I'm now on PALEO.

I have pushed certain foods out of my diet. My GP told me when I started KETO to check a food's Glycemic Index. This is a really fancy word to say Blood Sugar Impact. We have probably all heard about blood sugar. It's the amount of sugar in your blood, right? Well, they've put a number on every food to tell us how much each food raises our blood sugar. Candy, for example realy raises your blood sugar. He told me to only eat food with a LOW Glycemic Index (55 and under). This takes out ALL of the typical grains, most fruits, and some vegetables. I have been paying very close attention to this. I recently had a blood test that showed completely normal glucose and insulin levels!!! I'm not cured. I will always have to be conscious of my food intake, but I am not currently showing any signs of Insulin Resistance.

Episode 4: Bath Bombs

To get all-over silky-smooth skin, consider making a bath bomb or bath rocks. Here is a fabulous recipe by Abby Girl shared on food.com.

Ingredients

1. 1 cup baking soda
2. ½ cup citric acid
3. ¼ cup cornstarch
4. ¼ cup powdered milk
5. 2 tsp. shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter, or avocado butter
6. 1 tbsp. honey, warm
7. 1 tbsp jojoba oil or olive oil
8. 1 tsp essential oil of your choice

Instructions

1. Gather and measure all ingredients before beginning. If making bath bombs be sure to have at least 2 sets of molds ready. Carefully measure wet ingredients. If you have too much you will end up with “slop” and will need to leave it loose to dry.
2. In large bowl, combine baking soda, citric acid, corn starch, and powdered milk.
3. In small bowl, melt shea butter, warm honey and oils.
4. Combine wet ingredients with dry. Mix well. Mixture should hold together when pressed into a ball.
5. Working quickly, press the mixture FIRMLY into your mold, making sure the edges are clean. Leave the mixture in the mold for a couple of minutes, then pop it out. While one tray is drying, work on the other. Place a cookie sheet or cutting board over the mold, flip over, then lift the mold off.
6. Let bath bombs dry overnight. Store in zipper bags or decorative tie bags.

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In my house, we are always looking for FAST, EASY meals. With a toddler running around, it can be really difficult to plan meals that allow us to cook while the twonado is running around destroying furniture with a 55lb dog. This recipe taps into her desire to be helpful, and gives us a tasty dinner to enjoy at the table. Little bug can mix the meat ingredients, and form meatballs. Hubby does go behind her and tighten them a little.

We don't do bread in our house, so we would use Romaine lettuce leaves or cauliflower tortillas to create a wrap. We also LOVE cheese, so you know we will be adding a Mozzarella slice on top. If you don't have an airfyer, you can always bake them at 400 for 10 minutes (turn halfway through), or pan sear them turning them as they brown (time depends on how big you make them). Get the kids involved in cooking and have fun!

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 1/3 c. panko or other breadcrumbs
• 4 large cloves garlic (2 grated and 2 chopped)
• 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1/2 c. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb. cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 small hero rolls, split and toasted (we would make a wrap)
• 6 tbsp. ricotta cheese
• Basil, for serving

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir in panko and let sit 1 minute. Stir in grated garlic and Parmesan, then parsley. Add beef and gently mix to combine.
2. Shape meat mixture into 20 balls (about 1 1/2 inches each) and place in a single layer on air-fryer rack (the balls can touch but should not be stacked; cook in batches if necessary). Air-fry meatballs at 400°F for 5 minutes.
3. In a bowl, toss tomatoes, chile and chopped garlic with oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Scatter over meatballs and continue air-frying until meatballs are cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes more
4. Spread ricotta on toasted rolls, then top with meatballs, grated Parmesan, roasted tomatoes and chile and basil if desired. Did you make this recipe? Let us know what you think by commenting below!

Simple Mistakes I made with food

We all have an idea what healthy food looks like. Unfortunately, there are so many different sources, and schools of thinking, that it becomes difficult to figure out what is right for our bodies. There's the Plate or Pyramid, Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Mediterranean, Gluten free, Low Carb, Low Fat, Heart Healthy, Intermittent Fasting, the list goes on.

It is my very firm belief that while we are all very similar, we are all distinctly different. This is proven by the food sensitivities, body shapes, activity levels, likes, and dislikes we all have. Then there's the calories, macros, organic, natural, and everything else invloved.

Anyone feeling overwhelmed and confused yet? I have a degree that required nutrition courses, and I still feel very lost in what decisions to make. So, I want to talk about 5 simple mistakes I made early in my weight loss journey. They aren't things that are unhealthy, or bad for you. They are just not going to help in weight loss. I did not figure these problems out on my own, and I say simple because they seem so little at first and have very concise solutions.

The first simple mistake I made was thinking that "light" foods were the answer. The fewer calories you eat at one time, the better. Right? Eat lots of low calorie foods and you'll burn them off before they can get turned to fat. No? Calories-in being less than calories-out means you should lose weight. This has to be right, doesn't it? Not even close to the truth. The truth is that the chemistry behind burning calories is a lot more complex than just weight-loss = food-in < food-out.

Sugar does burn quickly, but it's also the easiest to store. If you don't use it immediately (go sit on the couch after dinner), it gets stored. Then there's good calories that are packed with nutrition and break down well. And, bad calories that have little nutrition and don't break down like your body wants. All of this impacts what your brain tells your body to do with the energy.

It also lets you get hungry sooner. Because protein and fat take longer to digest, they keep you full longer. When your body burns all the "light" foods very quickly, it starts sending hunger signals to your brain. Your brain in turn, tells your body that it isn't getting enough food. Sometimes this means your body stores energy in the form of fat in anticipation for not having enough food in the future. Other times this means you struggle to keep from snacking.

My second simple mistake goes hand in hand with the last one. I thought if I eat fewer calories than my body needs, I will lose weight and be healthier. They say my body needs about 2K calories a day, so if I eat 1K, my body will use it's fat for energy. The trouble is, this only works to a point. At some point, and it is slightly different for each person, your brain starts telling your body: "We are regularly not getting enough food! We will be out of energy stores (fat) soon. So instead of buring fat for energy, we need to start storing some of what we are eating. Take from other areas like skeletal muscle and organs for now if you have to." This is a terrifying thought, but very true. Your body will actually start storing fat in anticipation for starvation if you don't get enough calorie intake. Not only that, it starts breaking down other parts of your body for energy so it can store your food as fat. It seems absurd, but this is truly how the body chemistry works. Our bodies need a minimum number of calories, usually 14-1500 to avoid this problem.

My third simple mistake was thinking veggie replacements were sufficient. Using lentil and zucchini pasta in place of wheat pasta, or the store bought cauliflower crust instead of regular pizza crust. Now I'm not saying it's a bad idea to trade a low nutrient grain for a higher nutrient and lower sugar vegetable. My mistake was thinking this substitution would be sufficient for significant weight loss and glucose control. Birdseye brand makes pasta substitutes that are quite yummy. They are still high in carb, and relatively low nutrient. I thought I was being healthier by limiting my high carb foods, but I wasn't actually limiting them as much as I thought. Thus, finding myself back at mistake number 1.

My fourth simple mistake was thinking I had to have a bunch of different kinds of food each meal to be healthy. We go out to eat and we expect a main food, usually with some kind of sauce or cheese or breading, and at least 2 sides. When I made food at home, I felt like I needed to have squash, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, onion and bell pepper in every single dish. It blew my mind how wrong I was. It turns out that when your body has too many different things to break down, sometimes it acts like you just ate a feast and then collapsed on the couch. It thinks you had way more than you needed and stores it...even if your number of calories was less than you needed. MIND BLOWN!!! It's such a simple thing. I needed SIMPLE meals. Now we have 1 protein, and 1 veggie per meal.

My last simple mistake was misunderstanding sauces. You might know how the store bought sauces work. If it says "light" or "low fat", it probably has extra sugar. If it doesn't say either of those, it probably has higher fat than you want and extra salt. Because of these "dietary villains", I thought I'd be clever and make my own sauces. I took hours of meal prep on what could have been a family day, to make the sauces for our meals that week. I'd make a beurre blanc, marinara, marsala, enchilada, and various other sauces thinking I was saving myself from having to balance the extra sugar, fat, or salt from the store bought sauces. I found out though, I was digging my hole faster. Not only was I still making the wrong food choice, I was wasting time making this mistake. The same rule as mistake 4 applies to sauces. Simple is better when trying to lose weight! Now we do our best to avoid and limit sauces. They are a treat and a luxury, not a regular occurence.

All in all it took me far longer to correct these mistakes than I like to admit. I was stubborn and refused to give in to the truth's Mike was telling me. Little by little though, I made the changes he was encouraging, and now, the weight just melts off. I have 2 eggs, 4 strawberries and 6 black berries for breakfast. Lunch is usually leftovers from dinners that week. Dinner is a protein and a veggie, sometimes 2 or 3 veggies. We season with herbs, peppers, and other spices, and limit our salt as much as we can. We grill, saute, sear, and bake, and we try to limit our butter and animal fat though these fats do still have their uses in our bodies. I have 1 "treat" meal a week where I allow myself something that isn't going to help my weight loss. This isn't a cheat because I'm not eating food that has a negative impact on my body. It's something like a nice pasta meal, dressing on a salad, a yummy sandwich, or a bun on my burger.

This heat will really take the edge out of any appetite. We all seem to want light and fresh meals in the hot summer months. This means beef is out right? NOPE! Keep in touch this summer and we will make sure you get easy, light and fresh beef meals that are sure to please any kid and the most fickle of appetites.

Add veggie chips or sweet potato fries, adjust the sauce or the slaw to suit your preference and enjoy! You could even make an activity out of making the meatballs.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 c. Greek yogurt
• 2 tsp. harissa
• 1/2 lb. large carrots, peeled
• 1 2-in. piece ginger, peeled
• Olive oil
• Cilantro, for serving
• 4 pitas, halved

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine ground beef, smoked paprika, coriander and ½ tsp salt. Roll into 1-inch balls (about 35) and arrange on nonstick-foil–lined rimmed baking sheet. Broil until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Combine Greek yogurt and harissa in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Coarsely grate carrots and ginger. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high and fry carrots and ginger, in batches, until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes; transfer to paper towels to drain, then toss with cilantro.
4. Stuff pitas with meatballs and carrot slaw and drizzle with Greek yogurt mixture.

There's something about being in a field that reminds us what's important. Our society today are all about "self-care", but I feel at my best when I'm doing something with a goal. Especially if it helps someone else. Studies have shown that most people feel better after an hour of workout, than an hour at the spa.

Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't take care of ourselves, and we should enjoy things. I love how I feel after I get my hair done. We all need rest, food, and to wind down sometimes. We definitely shouldn't stretch ourselves too thin. We need to take a moment to smell the roses, pause and look at our blessings, and take a deep breath before trudging through with our proverbial noses to the grind stone. We have to be able to see the positives in our work.

Today, we went out into the field with a few goals to accomplish. We wanted to make sure we could definitively say there is no hemlock on the property. We wanted to check on the cattle and grazing, as well as communicate our future fence/grazing plans. We wanted to check on a tree we transplanted. And finally, we needed to find a suitable gate to replace a broken one.

While we were out looking around, we turned off the mule and got some pictures of flowers, butterflies, bees, and grasses. The sound of the grass in the wind is almost musical. The bees provide the subtle humming of a beat. The birds chirp their happy songs telling each other what for. I am standing in the field feeling the importance of it all.

Everything we do should have a purpose. If you need to rest, then rest. If something needs to get done, get it done. Obviously there is a need for prioritizing, but too often I believe we prioritize the wrong way. Looking forward, I hope to prioritize others above myself, goals above pampering/splurging/cheating on diet, and talking to God above all else. I hope you enjoy the flowers!

Episode 3: Hair Care

Everyone wants silky smooth, shiny hair with no frizz or breakage. And no one wants to spend loads of money to get it! Here are some natural honey-based hair care treatments that might help you get what you want!

Honey Hair Mask

Ingredients

1. ½ cup Honey
2. ¼ cup olive oil
3. Microwave-safe Mixing Bowl
4. Shower Cap, Plastic Wrap, or Plastic Shopping Bag with tape
5. Small Paint Brush (optional) • Instructions
6. Rinse hair under water and towel dry.
7. Mix honey and oil in bowl and microwave for 20 seconds.
8. Stir mixture and allow to cool some but still be warm to the touch.
9. Using your finger or the paint brush, begin working the mixture into your hair starting at the scalp.
10. Gently massage your scalp to work it in completely.
11. Cover your hair with the shower cap, plastic wrap, or the plastic bag with tape. Allow the mask to set for 30 minutes.
12. Rinse out the mask and then follow with your normal hair washing routine.

Honey Hair Mask (Partial)

If you’re short on time, you can still receive shine and moisturizing benefits from honey. Simply mix using the same ingredients you used for the hair mask, but only leave it on for 2 minutes before washing.

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Episode 2: Low-Cost Facial

If you love being pampered, but don’t want to pay for it. Here are some low-cost tips that you can do at home!

1. If you prefer a leave-on mask, try mixing 3 parts honey to 1 part ground cinnamon and warm it a little before putting it on your face. Leave it on for 10 minutes or so, then rinse with warm water and pat dry.
2. Because of it’s anti-fungal and ani-bacterial properties, honey can be used as a cleanser and can help prevent certain types of acne breakouts. If left on, it can even help to heal breakouts faster!
3. If you are looking for a moisturizer, just add a little water, and rub on the dry area.
4. Because honey contains micro-amounts of hydrogen peroxide, it may be helpful in fading darker acne marks and other minor types of scars and pigmentation.
5. Honey can be a gentle exfoliant if it has aged and begun to crystallize.

For more fun, useful honey hacks, visit our website to subscribe for Episode 3 - Honey Hair Care

Any one else have trouble feeling Left Out or Deprived??

I've been at this for just over a year. I've lost so much weight that I am very motivated, but I'm finding more an more frequently that I feel left out of the meal with good food, or almost excluded at parties because I have to stay away from the horderves tables. All of the crackers, chips, and dips call my name.

I sit at the lunch table, and everyone else is eating spaghetti or the forbidden fried chicken. How do we find that happy medium where we aren't missing out, but still at a healthy weight? The answer is, it's different for everyone and we have to find the balance for ourselves.

I still haven't found mine. I look forward to the day that I am at that goal weight, and can have the balance without dreading a delay in the goal. Right now, I'm plateaued again. I keep getting down to the "record" and then the weekend comes, I cheat too much, and gain 2-3lbs back. It's not much, but it takes all week to get it back off.

Sweets have become a big struggle. Something soft and sweet that I don't have to prep, like a storebought muffin, is hard to resist. A simple snack in the afternoon...its only a couple of chips (like 12), right? It's so important that we not reach a deprivation point. Feeling it every now and then is part of discipline, but when you can't seem to get fulfillment in the choices you are making, you need a change. That's why that balance is important. There has to be a chance for your mind to feel the positives in what you're choosing.

When it's the minor deprivation, finding the discipline to push through is so difficult. Once it's there, it's a lot easier to keep it going. Making the right choices starts to get easier when you aren't constantly bombarded with less than nutritious party foods.

Accountability is the key for me. I have a personal trainer that has me send him pictures of my food. Everything I eat, all day, every day, goes to him. It keeps me from eating the things I shouldn't because the options become: eat it and send him the picture knowing he will be disappointed and probably tell me, or eat it and don't send him the picture, feel bad about lying, and the weight shows him I did wrong anyway.

Ultimately, it's truly too difficult for most people to do this on their own. The people around us may or may not help. Some people, like PT (Mike), Golly and Hubby, are exceptionally supportive providing accountability and often sacrificing with me. Others give support by expressing their perception of the weight I've lost. Some people don't really know how to help. Regardless, it's for me, Hubby, and Little Bug. The accountability is the most substatial support, and I will get there no matter how long it takes.

Have a great week everyone! Praying that you all receive what you need to meet your goals.

This week we are giving you 2 wonderful side dish recipes! Our memorial day favorites Potato Salad, and Broccoli Salad. These two are so good, you can actually get the kids to eat broccoli.

Potato Salad

Ingredients

• 1 Bag Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 1 Bottle Mayo 8oz
• 1/2 Sweet Onion diced
• 6 Eggs (JM2 Eggs work great)
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 4 Strips Thick Cut Bacon
• Chives for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 Degrees.
2. Cut potatoes into chunks and place in a stock pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. Add your 2 tbsp of salt, and set to high heat to boil. Boil for 20 minutes.
3. While the potatoes are boiling, place bacon on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Slices should be firm for this salad.
4. Once potatoes are finished, drain the water and place the potato chunks in a glass or metal bowl.
5. Allow the stock pot to cool, and add the eggs. Fill the pot again with enough water to cover the eggs. Set to high heat to boil. Boil for 10-13 minutes depending on how done you prefer your yolks. (tip: if you place eggs in ice water immediately following boiling, it will help make peeling easier)
6. Cut Bacon strips and eggs into chunks and add them to the bowl with the potatoes.
7. Mix your mayo and mustard together, add your onion, and mix them all into the bowl of potatoes, bacon, and eggs.
8. Add the chives, serve hot or cold, and enjoy with your juicy JM2 Steaks!

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients

• 2 Heads Raw Broccoli
• 4 Slices Thicck Cut Bacon
• 1 Square Sharp White Cheddar (from the deli)
• 1/2 Sweet or Red Onion Diced
• 1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries
• 1 Container Grape Tomatoes
• 1 Cup Mayo
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1 tbsp White Vinegar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Place bacon on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. It should be firm for this salad.
3. Rinse the broccoli. Cut the stems and place the broccoli in a glass bowl.
4. Cut cheese into 1/4" x 1/4" chunks. Add to the bowl.
5. Cut bacon into small chunks and add to the bowl.
6. Slice the tomatoes, add the tomatoes, cranberries and onion to the bowl.
7. Mix the mayo, sugar, and vinegar until consistency is even throughout the dressing. Pour over salad, mix and enjoy!

We've picked our favoite drinks from a considerable list and put together the recipes for you. These are all non-alcoholic, kid friendly, and tasty. Have a look at these fruity mocktails and infusions.

Citrus & White Grape Punch

Ingredients

• 4 cups white grape juice, chilled
• 1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 can (12 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 2 bottles (2 liters each) lemon-lime soda, chilled
• Optional: Lemon slices, orange slices and green grapes

Directions: In a punch bowl, combine grape juice, lemonade concentrate and orange juice concentrate. Add soda; serve immediately. If desired, garnish with fruit.

Rainbow Spritzer

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup chopped peeled kiwifruit
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh pineapple
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries or fresh raspberries
• 1 cup chilled ginger ale
• 1/2 cup chilled unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup chilled lemonade

Directions: In 4 tall glasses, layer blueberries, kiwi, pineapple and strawberries. In a 2-cup glass measure or small pitcher, mix remaining ingredients; pour over fruit. Serve immediately.

Cranberry, Orange and Cardamom Infusion

Ingredients

• 2 quarts water
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 1/2 small navel orange, sliced
• 4 cardamom pods

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a large glass carafe or pitcher. Cover and refrigerate 12-24 hours. Strain before serving.

Pinapple Iced Tea

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 7 tea bags
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• Optional: Pineapple wedges, lemon slices and fresh mint leaves

Directions: In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil; remove from heat. Add tea bags; steep, covered, 3-5 minutes according to taste. Discard tea bags. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Transfer to a pitcher; cool slightly. Stir in fruit juices. Refrigerate, covered, overnight. Serve over ice. Garnish as desired.

I am about to tell you a secret.

Take a deep breath because we've got your memorial day party food planned. So check that box off your planning list and use our quick, simple, and must have options for your get together.

We have a wonderful steak rub recipe that will suit any diet plan, and is loved by all who have tried it. It can work on any true steak, including Flank, Skirt, and Hanger, but we like it best on our classics: Ribeye, T-bone, and NY Strip. Here goes!

JM2's Kickin' Steak Rub

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup salt
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp dried granulated garlic
• 2 tbsp coarse ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 4 JM2 Steaks (1.5" thickness)

Directions

1. Thaw your steak (JM2 Steaks work best ;), preferably in the fridge, 24hrs in the package should be enough.
2. Mix your dry rub until the color is consistent throughout the mixture.
3. Rub liberally on all sides of the meat. You will probaby have some leftover.
4. Allow the steaks to sit at room temperature, covered, for about an hour.
5. Prep your grill and get it to temperature (425 Degrees F) before putting your meat on it. This is important for an even cook.
6. Cook on each side about 5 minutes. Avoid opening your grill while the meat is cooking.
7. Cook the edges of the meat by holding it against the grill toward the flame. This should only take about a minute per steak.
8. Remove from grill, allow steaks to rest 2 minutes, and ENJOY!

Notes

Avoid cutting and stabbing the meat. It releases juices that are necessary for tenderness and flavor. If you must use a meat thermometer, try not to flip the steak again and use the same hole.

The hand test is best to eliminate the loss of juice.

We strongly suggest a medium rare to medium cook. Overcooking beef causes it to become tough and flavorless.

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One of the biggest components to weight loss is the acceptance that it is gradual. Everything in weight loss is gradual, even the life changes you make. I didn't realize this until I got to this point in my diet.

I started with Keto, so dropping "carbs" wasn't hard. When I say carbs, I mean grains. I had reduced my high glycemic index foods too. Switching to Paleo was a whole new monster though.

Paleo is about "Whole foods". It's often called the Hunter-Gatherer diet. The idea is that you take foods from their natural state, then do the preparing yourself. There are some shortcuts that are accepted, but for the most part, you're supposed to take the food as it would be found in nature. This means no Bacon, Sausage, or other prepared meats that were staples in Keto.

I went from easy to make meals, to peeling, chopping, and seasoning everything by hand. It's also focused on high protein. I couldn't believe the changes that were required to go from high fat to high protein, and I still often have a higher fat protein day just because of how much fat there is in meat.

Needless to say, our household went through a bunch of changes. It takes time. Switching from the traditional "Plate" or "Pyramid" to a Paleo diet is challenging. First you have to figure out all the foods that don't fit. I had to get those foods out of reach. If we had chips in the house, I was going to snack.

I was really surprised at how negatively my body responded to carbs once they were truly out of my digestion for a while. I was bloated and sick when I tried them again. I tried higher sugar fruits again, and my body didn't respond well to those either. I was hitting a strong sugar high and then crashing. Finally, trying to get enough calories and keep the fat content down was becoming difficult.

Phase one was getting rid of all chips, crackers, rice and pasta. We finished of what we had and didn't buy more. This took maybe a week. Learning the new recipes was hard because we didn't like a lot of the alternative options. It took a solid 6 months for us to find a groove that we could maintain. I had a month of eating perfectly Paleo, and we decided to have a "cheat" with Pizza. Oh my goodness I was sick for a week. I was still eating tomato sauce, cheese, and the occasional meal with pepperoni and various other meats, but my digestion was not up to the task of the crust.

It took months for me to balance it all out. The loss is gradual, yes. We all know and expect it. But figuring out how to make a new nutrition plan work for you also takes time. Planning meals and executing them, finding new recipes that meet your nutritional needs, convincing other people of the required dietary changes, and balancing your emotional needs with your dietary ones all take time and effort. Some days you just take a break and eat junk. Some days you just need that 1 piece of chocolate. And still some days you have everything on target with your goals.

It takes our bodies time to adjust to certain dietary choices. That doesn't mean that the change is good or bad. We have to figure that out for ourselves. Personally, I feel better. I have more energy. It's not as difficult to do the same things. I ache a lot less. And, I'm losing the weight that has fought me for so long. I never really did a bunch of junk food. I was just choosing foods that had more negative than positive impact on my body. It really is more than just calories in vs calories out. We ask too much of our body sometimes without giving it the balance, simplicity, nutrition that it needs.

For me, and likely for most of you as well, simplicity, natural foods, low sugar, and high protein is the best way to get healthy. Whether it's Keto, Mediterranean, Paleo, or some other plan, take the time to see how your body responds to it. It took 6 months for me to really get into Paleo. Do a little research and see what it requires. If you think it could fit your lifestyle, take the time to see if it works. Personally, I believe Paleo is the way to go, but it is lifestyle dependent. If you don't have the time to cook or meal prep, it may not be for you.

Good Luck and happy weight loss!

Besides being delicious, honey is amazing for other uses as well. Honey is great for relieving a sore throat or cough. If you want an easy homemade cough syrup, just mix 2 tbsp of honey with 1 tsp of cinnamon and dissolve in warm water. (Do not give honey to children under 1 year of age.) Honey has long been used in the healing and treatment of wounds. It has antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties that promote rapid healing. Having trouble sleeping? Honey may promote melatonin formation to initiate sleep, as well as promoting hormones to aid in recovery during sleep. Some studies suggest that honey may offer antidepressant and anti-anxiety benefits can aid in the battle against memory loss. It may even provide itch relief from mosquito bites!

For more information, visit our website to subscribe for our upcoming honey hacks that improve, skin, hair, and lips.