Affirmed

I’m baaaack. :)

And tired. And happy.  The Georgia Organics annual conference was filled with incredibly enlightened and forward-thinking farmers, consumers, market managers and organic food lovers.  I gleaned bushels of info and enjoyed rubbing elbows and learning from folks that are bringing real, organic food to our tables. 

What deeply resonated with many folks and dominated many of my conversations was “how are we going to afford it?”

I was thrilled and extremely humbled to see my “Affordably Organic” session fill up and nearly bust at the seams. (Standing room only!  Wow!) It was a privilege to share my real-world experiences about how we feed our family organics on a budget.  After the presentation people asked really thoughtful questions, we had some laughs (do I really have 20 chickens in my freezer?  Um, YES.), then many stayed after to share personal experiences, learn more and exchange info. The large and enthusiastic crowd confirmed what I already knew: People understand the importance of eating organics and, even with tight budgets, are eager to find creative ways to make it a lifelong and viable lifestyle choice. (You can do it!)

A huge THANK YOU to all the folks that came out to learn about living Affordably Organic!!  Please drop me a line for the recipes mentioned during the presentation and I’ll send them along.  Affordablyorganic (at) gmail (dot) com

Next week we'll start a series: 10 Easy Ways to Live Affordably Organic. I'll share the methods that I've honed over the last few years that allow me to feed my family of four an almost entirely organic diet on an extremely tight budget.

First up: 

KNOW YOUR FOOD.  

(Really, how *well* do you know your food...?  Well, we're about to find out...)

Organically yours,

-Minde

Below are some fun photos of the conference...  Food, of course...  :)

Yes, even the sugar for our coffee, tea, etc. was organic.  

One of the opening day breakfast buffets.  Eggs and granola and cereal and fruit and 

yogurt and jams and nut butters - oh my!  ALL organic.  Yummers. 

Affordably Organic goes on the road

Only 3 days until the 14^th Annual Georgia Organics Conference! 

I’m especially stoked because I’m a speaker this year.  (happy gulp)

And it’s all because of a dinner party.

I was the Organic Mom in a field of professional foodies including a celebrity chef; a popular cookbook author;, a respected food editor for a regional magazine; a long-time food writer and blogger; and the leader of a large food advocacy group. I was asked to share my views on food and how I feed my family an organic diet on a tight budget. A week or so later I was asked if I’d be interested in speaking at the Georgia Organics Annual Conference about how to live “Affordably Organic.”  I was thrilled, humbled and excited.  What an awesome opportunity to bust the myth that you have to be a Rockefeller to eat organically! 

I jumped at the chance.

So, this weekend I’ll teach conference attendees how to feed a family of four an almost entirely organic diet on tight budget.  Exciting stuff.  I get to spread the gospel that this lifestyle is possible! (Really.)  And easy.  (And fun!)  And extremely beneficial for you and your family.  Financially, physically and emotionally. I'm used to speaking to small groups and evangelizing this good news to anyone that will listen (if you've sat down sat my dinner table you know this is true) but never a group this big. (Did I hear that there will be 3,000 attendees this year? Zoinks.) I AM STOKED. 

Since you may not be able to join us at the conference in Savannah, I’ll be sharing my Affordably Organic tips on this blog in the coming weeks.   I welcome questions, feedback and comments, especially if you have real-world successes and tips to share.  I’m hoping we can get the conversation going and learn from each other.

I won’t have much computer access while at the conference so won’t be filing that many blog posts but I will have my Blackberry so trust that I’ll be tweeting my organic head off.  You can find me at www.twitter.com/mindeherbert.  (The Georgia Organics Conference hashtag is #GOconf.) 

Savannah, here we come!

Dirty dishes can wait

"The best inheritance a parent can give his children is a few minutes of his time each day."  -O.A. Battista, Catholic author (1901-1973)

It seems that what my kids want most from me is what I often find hardest to give:

 Time. 

I am so intent on creating a healthy and happy environment (figuratively and literally) for my 4-year old twins that I often forget that the most important part of the day is when I drop whatever I’m doing and just get down on the floor and play with them.  It’s a simple concept, really.  We should spend time with our children doing what is most valuable, what we love to do most–what makes us, and those we care about, happy.  It's a win-win for all involved.

Instead, far too often Moms spend their time keeping the family fabric glued together so that everyone has what they need. (Or what we think they need. I'm afraid that my children's childhood memories will consist of constant errand-running!)  I know that if I asked my son how he’d rather spend time with me - buying new underwear or playing with Legos–he’d emphatically choose Legos.  Hands down.  

Nothing means more to a child than the time they spend with the most important people in their lives–their parents.  And while underwear is important stuff, nothing trumps the time we have with our kids right now.  So, I’m making a conscious effort to make time for and savor the Lego Moments (and trying to balance the underwear moments) to insure that the time that is spent with my children is the best it can be. 

An awesome reason for leaving the dirty dishes.  My fabulous and fun daughter. 

Homeschool Blogs That Fill My (Creative) Cup

As a lucky (but swamped) mom of young twins, busy freelance writer, enthusiastic homeschooler and organic food evangelist, I often have trouble filing my own creative cup.  How do I get “fed” and inspired?  I don't go for a run... or work on a scrapbook... or write in a journal...  

I read blogs.  

ALL kinds of blogs. 

Design, green living, parenting, food...  You name it.  I love to read about other people’s perspectives about what works (and what doesn’t) in their lives. 

Listed below is a list of a few of my fave homeschooling blogs.  These parents ROCK.  And they inspire be to keep at it by providing valuable ideas, funny anecdotes (I do THAT too!), and tips and tricks that are easy and fun to manage and execute.  

Thanks for the brain food, awesome homeschool parents!  

Simple Home School - This blog really speaks to me because it's so darned authentic.  Bloggers share their successes and failures and I find at least one valuable nugget every time I log on.

Journey into UNschooling - In a word:  FUN. This author has a fresh and smart point of view about learning, education and teaching. 

The Attached Mama - I mostly identify with this mom since we chose the same curriculum - we both follow the Charlotte Mason method.  She is smart, funny and has AWESOME ideas.

The Pioneer Woman - For those of us that read blog on a regular basis, you will not need to be introduced to Ree Drummond.  Her homeschooling advice is wonderful and lately she's been featuring some really intelligent bloggers that have tons of real-world experience.

I'm a Fan of the Meal Plan

If you're looking to simplify and de-stress your life, do yourself a favor:  

Become a fan of the Meal Plan.  

Meal Plans take the stress out of “what the heck am I making for dinner?!”, keeps the increasingly picky kiddos off my back and insures that my tight food budget stays in check.

Here’s what I do:

I develop a week’s worth of themed dinner such as Pasta Night, Rice & Veggie Night, etc. then get creative with those themes depending on what’s easily available, affordable and in season.

Here’s how that looks:

Monday – Pasta Night - Depending on the season this could be fusilli tossed with walnut pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, Mac 'n Cheese or the Easiest Baked Ziti ever. 

Tuesday – Quesadilla Night - Stuff ‘em full of seasonal veggies… Let the kids help!

Wednesday – Rice and Veggies - Again, use seasonal ingredients, but also experiment with different types of rice.  (Costco sells a wonderfully nutty organic brown rice that’s easy on the wallet.)

Thursday – "Brinner" (y’know, Breakfast for Dinner = Brinner!) - Try homemade blueberry pancakes and eggs; quiche; strata or a seasonal scramble.

Friday – Pizza Night– The possibilities are endless…   Pizza dough is ridiculously easy, cheap, and fun to make. 

Saturday – Leftovers - Time to eat down that fridge!

Sunday – Wildcard! – We sort of wing it on Sundays, often cooking a big dish that will make easily reheatable lunches all week long.  Try turkey enchiladas, a lovely batch of savory black beans or Crock Pot “Rotisserie” Chicken. 

You’ll need to start with a well-stocked pantry of go-to spices and seasonings (sea salt, cumin, garlic and such) plus keep plenty of non-perishable goods on hand. Pasta, rice, flour and tortillas are in expensive and easy to store.  (When I’m not making my own, I buy organic tortillas in bulk.  They freeze beautifully.)  It look me a few weeks to get the hang of developing a schedule, taking inventory of my pantry and creating meals with available eats but once I got the system down it makes meals (particularly dinners) so easy and stress-free.   

Sweet Thankfulness - Cranberry Sauce

When I was a kid, cranberry sauce showed up at the table all uniformly ridged and can-shaped, threatening to wriggle itself off of the serving plate.  It was rubbery and sort of strangely tart/sweet and altogether unsettling. (I dare you to name another sauce that can be sliced.)

I certainly do not judge those that love canned sauce (there is a certain comfort to it) but last year I decided to take a stab at making homemade cranberry sauce using only the freshest, in-season ingredients I could find. (My only out-of-season concession was a lovely orange, for it’s zest and pulp.) I asked my friends for recipes, surfed the web and eventually crafted my own version for the ruby red sauce.  (Actually, it’s more of chutney.)  This recipe is easy and fun to make.  (Let the kids help!) It's tangy, fresh and sweet and the most beautiful color.  Pair with herbed turkey and garlic mashed potatoes and it's altogether delightful.

Please understand that this is a not a budget dish and costs about 6 times more than the rubbery can version. (Which is about a buck.)  However when you compare the taste, nutrition and the fun of cooking your own lovely, sweet cranberry sauce to the stuff that slithers out of a can there is no simply contest.

And the kids love it.

Proof:

This is the fun “What I’m Thankful For “ art that the kids created yesterday on the kitchen chalkboard. (Look closely at the left side, right about the middle…)

Yup, Sam drew a blob and asked me to label it “cranberry sauce.” 

Kid’s seal of approval: Priceless.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

CRANBERRY SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

12 oz. fresh or frozen cranberries

1 orange – zest (grated rind) and pulp (cut into small chunks)

1 apple – peeled and diced (I prefer Granny Smith)

1 cup orange juice

½ cup sugar

½ tsp. ginger

½ cinnamon

And away we go:

Combine all ingredients in saucepan, cook in medium high until bubbly then turn heat down to low and simmer until cranberries are soft. (I told you it was easy.)

Bubble, bubble…  Luscious yummniess…

Bright, fresh, tangy and sweet  = wonderful addition to your T-Day dinner…

Crazy about Kohlrabi

This, my friends, is kohlrabi:

See the blub at the end?  Where the stalks are sprouting?  That’s the part you eat.

It sort of looks like a beet with arms or maybe a turnip from outer space…  It’s lovely! In fact, kohlrabi is called a “German turnip.”  Best described by Wiki, “The name comes from the German Kohl ("cabbage") plus Rübe ~ Rabi (Swiss German variant) ("turnip"), because the swollen stem resembles the latter.” It comes in many amazing colors including bright purple, deep red and creamy white.

It’s a versatile veggie.  Preparation includes boiling, steaming and roasting.  You can sweeten it (imagine a maple-infused mash - yum) or spice it up and bake with a coating of chili flakes and garlic.  Of course, you can always go the simple route and slow roast it with just a bit of olive oil and kosher salt. (My fave....) I love any veggie that can be prepared a million different ways.  It stretches our creativity, taste buds and budget. (A bulb of kolhrabi only costs $1-2., depending on it's size and demand at your farmers market.)

And, a big bonus since it's so darned yummy, kohlrabi has multiple health benefits. It's low in calories and high in fiber and Vitamin C, which helps support the structure of capillaries and benefits your body's skeletal, lymphatic and digestive systems.  It's also an excellent source of potassium. 

The best part about yesterday’s new find?  It was picked out by my lovely, sweet, 4-year old daughter. She was thrilled to discover this strange-looking edible and was eager to learn more about it. She was tickled to meet the Lori (who owns and operates Stems n’ Roots Farm, just west of Atlanta) who planted the kohlrabi seed, cared for the sprout and harvested the finished product. We’ve helped foster her interest in where we get our food (from the GROUND, not Wal-mart) which I believe is a big step is getting kids interested in healthy eating habits, loving food and respecting the earth. It’s essential that we teach the young ones this important cycle – farm to table – so they understand the gravity of keeping the cycle going.

 My little kohlrabi eaters...

ROASTED KOHLRABI

INGREDIENTS:

1 bulb of kohlrabi

1 tablespoon of olive oil

a liberal sprinkle of Kosher salt

And away we go:

-Preheat over to 400 degrees

-Line cookie sheet with foil and lightly coat with olive oil or non-stick spray

-Clip stalks off kohlrabi bulb. 

-Peel bulb, then slice into small wedges or matchsticks.

-Toss in bowl with olive oil and salt.

-Place on one layer on cookie sheet and roast for 15 minutes, flip kohlrabi pieces, then roast another 10-15 minutes. 

Kohlrabi is done when lightly browned and can be easily pierced with a fork.