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NT December Thread - Page 3

post #41 of 156
12/11/05 at 2:40pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pilgrim
So then I decided to make yoghurt first and THEN make the cream cheese. But my yoghurt is as runny as milk. I bet the probiotics thread will have my yoghurt help, huh?
Pilgrim -- your yogurt will be runny when it's still warm and finished culturing and will set up in the fridge. Did you put it in the fridge first or just get disappointed when you checked it after culturing?

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post #42 of 156
12/11/05 at 2:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ecpalma93
Just some quick questions ladies...

What is the deal with bones for soup...I am new to trying this natural thing and feel so clueless.
Stew your bones with a bit of salt and vinegar (preferably apple cider vinegar). I let mine stew in a crockpot for 12-24 hours. Longer than that, it gets bitter. Strain your broth out after it's done and you will have a great-tasting base for soup or liquid for sautee that is loaded with minerals.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ecpalma93
what is Kefir?
It's like yogurt in that it's a cultured milk product, but it has some different bacteria strains and it is made a bit differently. With yogurt you heat the milk, cool it, add a starter, and let it culture in a warm place. Kefir is a little less fussy -- just pour the milk over the grains and let it sit in a glass jar in a cupboard. The key is getting the grains. The grains are not at all like you are picturing -- they look like a bit of cauliflower and are a mass of bacteria, the good kind. If you are interested, start a post in this forum asking for grains. People share them all the time. Find someone in your area so that it is not a long shipping time. I've sent grains to over 30 people here but my postmaster put a stop to it. Too wierd for him.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ecpalma93
Can anyone suggest a good book to learn from? I feel quite overwhelmed by all that is out there.
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. It has a very interesting 50-page intro followed by hundreds of pages of recipes. She has taught me how to make cream-centered desserts, which is quite something for a reformed low-fat dieter.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ecpalma93
What do you guys use in place of shampooor are you not using any, period?
Go to the Natural Home and Body Care forum here at MDC for much more info. There are threads called "no 'poo" and such. ("Poo" is short for "shampoo" in this case.) There are lots of different approaches. I started by washing with baking soda and rinsing with an apple cider vinegar solution, but the baking soda isn't working all that well for me lately, so i am going to look into some alternatives.
post #43 of 156
12/11/05 at 2:55pm
Thread Starter 
Congratulations Mountain mom!

That sounds fantastic!
post #44 of 156
12/11/05 at 9:28pm
Yay mountain mom! : How exciting for you! We are still looking for our land, so I can imagine how excited you must be!


Quote:
Hey NT mamas, I've been reading NT a bit, and tried to do some lactofermented pickles, but they grew mold on them. I used cut up regular cucumbers rather than pickling cucumbers, could that have been it? Are you supposed to parboil or sterlize the jar or anything before you begin? What did I do wrong?
I would also suggest packing the veggies back down under the brine daily until they're ready, then transfer to the fridge or cold storage. I know sometimes pickles float, but if you re-saturate those on top daily, it seems to help keep the scum at bay. Have you read Wild Fermentation ? It's awesome! He would definately address most of your questions in the book.


For you no-poo'ers, I recently had to switch back to shampoo because I found the bs was becoming too harsh on my scalp. Maybe I should go read up on the no-poo threads and see if there's help for me over there! I'm using a really nice, gentle, organic shampoo and my scalp is getting better...so I don't know what to do.
post #45 of 156
12/11/05 at 9:37pm

I have a favor to ask...

A good friend of mine who is vegan/macrobiotic is having some major health issues. She is interested in NT and is familiar with it insofar as what I have told her of our experiences. I think she has also sort of skimmed the book. When I mentioned that several of the women on this board had been vegan/vegetarian but switched to a traditional diet to improve their health, she asked if I could put her in touch with them. So, if you are one of the people who were veg'n and wouldn't mind sharing your experiences with NT with my friend, please pm me and I will pass along her email address. It would be very, very much appreciated.

Thanks.
post #46 of 156
12/11/05 at 10:22pm
thanks for the help with kale. i used part of it chopped finely in my chicken noodle soup last night. very tastey!


i am swimmimg in kefir, buttermilk, sour cream (cream that's gone sour, not comm. stuff), and yogurt. going to make some smoothies, soaked baked oatmeal, and buttermilk cookies.

hibou, i'll pm you with my story. can't do too much in the next week or so, as i'm pretty busy, but will when i have a free moment.
post #47 of 156
12/11/05 at 11:14pm
Mountain Mom--Congrats on the land. Sounds like my dreams of the future. Hopefully one day I will get there too.

I've been on the Health and Healing diet in "Eat Fat.." for about a week. With only a few cheats in there. Llike today we my dad took all us girls to the movies and I had pop and popcorn and now I feel like crap I don't know why I can't remember how I feel BEFORE i eat that stuff.

Anyhow, I've cut down way down on sugar, except for some honey in my yogurt a couple times. It is really hard to remember to take all the supplements, but I've been drinking cocnonut oil in my morning tea every day. I can't say if I am feeling better or not. I am trying to get more sleep in there too. Just trying to bring some sanity back into my life and be that nice mommy again.

I made the NT coconut crackers and muffins this week. They both turned out pretty good. The crackers are way better than the last time I tried them, but still need some tweeking. They are inbetween a cookie and a cracker so I've been calling them my crookers!! They muffins are pretty good but too plain for me. I'll have to add dried fruit or nuts or something. Anyone have a fav muffin recipe?

On a side note, I've also been feeding my cats a raw NT diet. Someone was talking about it while ago. Have really been seeing an improvement in them. They are so lovey and active lately. And one of them puked up a worm so I guess the diet is cleansing them. Could definetely have done with out that experience :Puke
post #48 of 156
12/11/05 at 11:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hibou
A good friend of mine who is vegan/macrobiotic is having some major health issues. She is interested in NT and is familiar with it insofar as what I have told her of our experiences. I think she has also sort of skimmed the book. When I mentioned that several of the women on this board had been vegan/vegetarian but switched to a traditional diet to improve their health, she asked if I could put her in touch with them. So, if you are one of the people who were veg'n and wouldn't mind sharing your experiences with NT with my friend, please pm me and I will pass along her email address. It would be very, very much appreciated.
Thanks.
I also switched to NT after about 15 years of being Veggie/Vegan. Feel free to pass on my email to your friend. I will pm you now.
post #49 of 156
12/12/05 at 3:24am
I'd be interested in knowing about a raw NT diet for cats. I have a friend who I am forever ribbing about neglecting his cat as he most times leaves him to hunt for his dinner. The cat lives mostly off rats & rabbits & the odd bird. He has also never been vaxed or wormed. He is pushing 16 & is very active & healthy. In fact, you'd never be able to tell how old he was if you didn't know. My cats are 11 & 9. The youngest has never been vaxed but they do like their science diet ocean fish & sulk if they don't get it.

Hows about some NT getting thru xmas tips? I'm in a slightly better position than most of you as it is summer here so we can always have lots of berry fruit & raw cream
post #50 of 156
12/12/05 at 3:05pm
Thread Starter 
Hibou -- You might send her to this thread. I bet at least 1/3 of us fit the category.
post #51 of 156
12/12/05 at 10:24pm
Runny Yogurt

Could mean that the fermentation temperature wasn't warm enough to activate the lactic acid bacteria... or too high so they were killed.

Also if you are using raw milk, don't heat to 180, just warm up to 110. Sally recommends using a double boiler, but I just use tap water... I put milk in quart or half gallon ball jars set in a stockpot, which I fill with hot water and let sit until the milk is above 100.

I think remember reading that l. acidophilus will be activated at temps above 100 but l. bulgaricus at temps above 110 so it might depend on the strains you use to culture as well.

WAPF tour for Vegetarian/Vegans
http://www.westonaprice.org/tour/vegtourindex.html
post #52 of 156
12/12/05 at 10:54pm
Today was the day of junk. I ate pb&j on store bread, pizza, chocolate candy, and lots of cookies today. Not at all good. However, I have given myself until Jan. 2 to eat like this. Then, a good friend and I are going to do the 40 day plan in the Maker's diet.

I am really looking forward to cutting out sugar (or at least drastically reducing it), cutting way back on the grains, and eating lots more veggies. I did so well earlier in the year. Now, I just feel like yuck.

Oh, interesting side note: after all that junk today, I could barely keep my eyes open to drive home. I've been absolutely exhausted all afternoon. I am sure that my body is having a major sugar crash!
post #53 of 156
12/12/05 at 11:09pm
Hi JaneS

Thanks for replying about my runny yogurt! As it turned out, all I needed to do was put it in the fridge. : It actually came out really yummy. Then I turned it into cream cheese. I'm currently working on the second batch, and then I'm gonna try the raw cheesecake.

Speaking of, has anybody made it? It's awfully work intensive, and expensive, and I'm wondering if it is as yummy as regular New York Cheesecake??? Any tips or suggestions on it, or is it delicious just as the recipe is written?

Thanks!
post #54 of 156
12/12/05 at 11:38pm
Thread Starter 
Pilgrim -- Are you referring to an NT recipe? I did one on my own and it was fantastic. It's been a while, but it was pretty easy. I made a nut crust of some sort and sweetened the "cream cheese" with stevia and orange rind. It was definitely worth it. I was on a candida diet at the time, though, and it was the only treat I could figure out.
post #55 of 156
12/12/05 at 11:40pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gardenmommy
Oh, interesting side note: after all that junk today, I could barely keep my eyes open to drive home. I've been absolutely exhausted all afternoon. I am sure that my body is having a major sugar crash!
I hear you, that's exactly what would happen to me. Save yourself for the next 3 weeks and start a modified Maker's Diet. It will make Jan 4 all the more easy too. Holidays are so hard.
post #56 of 156
12/13/05 at 12:40am
I am hosting Christmas Dinner this year so it will be 100% NT. I am really looking forward to it.

One of the guests is also an NT follower so she is bringing her amazing pumpkin souflee for desert and mixed nuts to snack on. The dinner isn't that challenging: roast turkey with wildrice and mixed nut stuffing, fermented cranberries, smashed potatoes with raw creme, brocollli and cauliflower with a raw cheese sauce and bitter green salad. Yum.

What is everyone else having?
post #57 of 156
12/13/05 at 1:20am
oh my I haven't even figured out what I am doing for christmas dinner yet..at the moment I am not even sure who will be here...hehe
post #58 of 156
12/13/05 at 1:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mountain mom
What is everyone else having?
mountain mom -- your dinner sounds really good. I would invite myself over if I were not so far away.

As it turns out, we are traveling for the holidays. A friend of my husband's has a mother who is terminal and we will be staying with my husband's parents and visiting her while we are there. What that means in terms of Christmas dinner is that we will be eating a Butterball turkey and some of that greenbean casserole with the crunchy onions. My FIL makes the casserole and doubles or triples the onions. You *can* have too many onions, by the way, just in case anyone has wondered. Doubling is pushing it.

We will be taking a cake with us on the plane from NT. I can't remember what it's called but it's a pound cake like cake with a citrus sauce on top. It will travel well and is a treat I can eat. We are also checking a cooler filled with grassfed beef. I hate to have to shop there and we certainly won't find anything as cheap as what's already sitting in our freezer.

But as I have been lamenting with JaneS, my biggest issue is arriving at my MILs looking much like a butterball myself. I doubt they will try to throw me in the oven since it would take a great deal of effort to squeeze me in there.
post #59 of 156
12/13/05 at 2:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gardenmommy

I am really looking forward to cutting out sugar (or at least drastically reducing it), cutting way back on the grains, and eating lots more veggies. I did so well earlier in the year. Now, I just feel like yuck.
I could have written this! We were in the city on the weekend and recieved a big bucket of Christmas cookies from dh's grandma and mom, so we've all been snacking on them. On Sunday night I was too tired to cook so we ordered pizza. I've been eating way too many refined/unsoaked carbs and I feel :Puke Last night I went for a run and felt way better and more clear-headed afterwards but I came to the conclusion that I need to cut way back on my carbs and start eating more raw foods (and start working out regularly again!). I took out a roast for jerky-ing which I am so craving!! I am going to the store this afternoon to stock up on produce. More fresh juicing, more smoothies, all that good stuff. I feel healthier just thinking about it. I agree, this time of year is so hard. We won't be home for Christmas this year either, so I'm looking forward to January. I've been trying to get the Maker's Diet from the library. I have it on hold. Can't wait to read it.
post #60 of 156
12/13/05 at 2:40pm
I am so sad about so many of the fallacies proliferated about animal fats. I have of course heard (and used to spout) many of the usual ones-- saturated fat clogs your arteries; saturated fat will make you fat, etc. But my SIL stayed with us this past weekend, she is a vegetarian (just doesn't like the taste of meat, she's not terribly health conscious). Anyhow, she saw me cooking all weekend with butter (she even asked "what kind of butter is that" when she saw the barely marked tub of raw milk butter. That was great that I had the opportunity to explain it to her. However, when heating some butter to make eggs one morning she said "Doesn't butter turn into trans fat when it's heated?" !!!!!!!! WOAH! Do people actually think that? YIKES! I explained the nature of saturated vs. poly and mono fats and their respective stability under heat, etc. I think I somewhat cleared things up.... but I did notice her seeming a little wierd previsouly when I was heating butter!!!


I had never heard that one before--probably a ploy of the margarine companies! :

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