The Clean Sheepfold

Cut and Dry: Dehydrator Banana Chips

2008-07-15T22:51:00.005-04:00

Tuesday is my baking day, but this week I decided to take a break from running the hot oven and use the food dehydrator instead. I have only used my newest kitchen gadget a few times since I bought it last December, so I don't claim to be an expert on dried foods, but I am learning. When shopping, I chose the Ronco food dehydrator in spite of mixed reviews because of its comparatively low price and because unlike most dehydrators, it does not have a motor, so it is completely silent while operating. Living in a small apartment, I do not have the option of putting the dehydrator in a garage or other place where it would not disturb anyone, so for me, a longer drying time was a worthwhile price for noise-free dehydration. If you are looking for an investment, I have heard great things about the Excalibur, which can cost more than $200. However, for novice food preservers, the Ronco is a budget-friendly choice (I bought mine for $40 at a local kitchen outlet) for getting started in raw food preservation.

Today's project involved turning two bunches of bananas, purchased on sale for $0.39/lb, into homemade banana chips. The process is simple - even children can do it!

Banana Chips

Peel and slice yellow bananas. Uniform slicing is essential; if the slices on the same tray vary in thickness, some will burn before others have finished drying.
Stir banana slices in a bowl of lemon juice. This helps to preserve their color and dilute some of the concentrated sweetness of the dried fruit.
Arrange slices on tray and dehydrate according to manufacturer's instructions. My chips took over 24 hours to dry thoroughly, but a motorized model would probably yield results much sooner.

My three year old helper used a slotted spoon to scoop the bananas out of the lemon juice and arrange them on the tray. (My one year old helper was in charge of squishing a the extra bananas and playing with the banana peels.)

These are not quite the same as the banana chips in the bulk bin at Whole Foods, but my children love them. Over 5 pounds of bananas for $3 yielded about 10oz. of crispy banana chips. I'll have to find out what Whole Foods is charging to compare.

The finished product:

How to Make $40 a Month by Doing Nothing - Part II

2008-07-14T22:25:00.003-04:00

At the end of last year, Don and I signed up for a Chase Freedom Rewards Card. We earn at least 1% and up to 3% cash back on every transaction. Because we use our credit card for almost every expense, we have been earning about $20 each month in rewards (add that to $20 in interest from our ING account to get $40 a month that we earn by doing nothing!). Chase allows Freedom Rewards card holders to cash in 50 rewards dollars for a $50 check, but $200 can be redeemed for a $250 check. I was excited when we recently saved up enough for our first $250 check, just by buying the things we always buy each month. Forget about paying interest to credit card companies; our credit card pays US!

In order to make this strategy successful, we budget very carefully to ensure that we can pay off our balance in full every billing cycle. We never, ever carry a balance on the credit card - if we did, the interest would eat through our rewards in no time. Our current system is to keep all of our income in our savings account until we spend it with the credit card. After each transaction, we transfer that amount to the checking account. (Actually, I transfer the total of the 7 days' expenses once a week.) Being able to access our bank account and credit card activity online make this really simple. At the end of the month, we have the exact amount needed to pay the credit card bill already sitting in our checking account, so we are never hit with a huge bill that we can't pay. And by using the card for everything from groceries and gas to medical copays and plane tickets, the rewards add up quickly!

Baa-d idea disclaimer: This idea will not work for every family. If you use a credit card for daily expenses, all family members who have access to the card must take responsibility for limiting purchases to those which you can pay off each month. If you don't want to worry about overspending, you can still use a rewards card for autopayment of some fixed expenses, such as cell phone and cable bills. Please use credit responsibly - don't spend what you don't have!

If you are wondering, some of our rewards check is in the bank (earning interest, as outlined in my previous post ). The rest went towards the purchase of a new filing cabinet, which we have been needing for months. It arrived today and my men (big and little) assembled it right away. My next project will be reorganizing our files - I can't wait!

How To Make $40 a Month by Doing Nothing - Part I

2008-07-12T22:14:00.005-04:00

No risk, no gimmicks, no sales, no book that is yours free with the purchase of this $500 "Be Your Own Boss" kit...This is simply a tip on how to make the most of your family's money. :)

In our family, and quite possibly in yours as well, Daddy goes to work so that I can be the full-time keeper at home. We believe that this is the best thing we can do for our children and that it reflects God's will for young women as expressed in Titus 2:4-5. But just because I don't earn a paycheck doesn't mean I can't contribute to our family's financial success. As you know, providing for a family on single income can be difficult in our society, so sticking to a budget and being frugal are important. In addition, I have recently found two ways to earn a little extra money each month without doing anything at all, so I am passing the ideas along to you.

The first way we earn extra money is with our high interest savings account through ING Direct. With our local bank, we were earning a 0.2% APY, amounting to a few cents each month. ING's rates have fluctuated this year, but are currently at 3%, so the interest payout is significantly higher! Now that our savings has grown, we earn about $20 a month just by letting our money sit in the bank. In addition, I keep my spending money in its own Orange savings account, so my leftover birthday money can earn interest too.

Don't be discouraged if you don't have much in the bank right now. Setting up an automatic savings plan (where a set amount is automatically moved from your checking to savings account at predetermined intervals) can be a great way to get started. If you add in extra income from bonuses, tax returns, items you sell, and so on, your savings will continue to increase - and so will the interest that your account earns each month.

If you are interested in banking with ING Direct and have at least $250 to deposit, anyone you know who has an account can send you an email referral that will give you a $25 bonus just for opening the account, and they get a little "thank you" bonus too. Even if you don't have $250 to start, you can open an account and begin saving today. If you know of any other banks that offer similar interest rates or programs, please leave me a comment; I would be interested in checking them out!

Baa-d idea tip: Just don't plan to use your high interest savings account as a checking account. Federal regulations limit each savings account to 6 withdrawals per month. ING will issue a warning if you miss this information in the fine print, but repeat offenders will have their accounts closed. If you need to make a lot of withdrawals, consider opening an Electric Orange checking account instead.

Next time, I'll discuss another way to make money by doing nothing - with a credit card!

"Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest."
Matthew 25:27

Mmmm - Melon!

2008-07-11T21:41:00.008-04:00

I thought I'd discuss something more seasonally appropriate today. Hopefully you and I won't need those cold remedies again until winter. In the meantime, let's celebrate summer with one my favorite fruits! Besides being naturally sweet, juicy, and slightly crunchy, watermelon contains significant amounts of Vitamins C, A, B1, and B12 as well as potassium and magnesium. It is also an excellent source of lycopene, a known antioxidant. I don't just enjoy watermelon for the health benefits, though. I also love that it is affordable, easy to prepare, and wonderfully refreshing on a hot day. And as much as I believe that the best foods are closest to their natural, God-created state, I have to admit that I am a huge fan of the seedless variety. My childhood memories involve picking out the black seeds that will supposedly make a melon grow in one's stomach, but this clever genetic modification has made the tasty fruit even easier to enjoy.

My boys and I like to polish off a quarter wedge for a cool afternoon snack, but watermelon is also my summer stand-by snack for guests. Just cut the melon into bite-size chunks and toss it into a big bowl for everyone to enjoy (maybe with a salt shaker on the side, if any of your guests enjoy share my husband's taste for salty watermelon). As a bonus, my three year old thinks he's getting a really special treat when I let him eat his watermelon with a toothpick! A bowl of melon is easier than baking, more nutritious than chips, and can be served indoors or out. Overall, it's the perfect summer treat for the whole flock!

A Spoonful of Sambucol

2008-07-06T22:03:00.015-04:00

Aside from some slight lingering congestion, my cold cleared up quickly, and my older son and husband (the husband who catches everything!) never got sick at all. It's hard to identify a definite cause, since I don't have a control group for comparison, but I can theorize that the garlic tea, along with the Sambucol we all drank, helped to strengthen our immune systems. Whatever the reason, I thank God that we were all able to enjoy July 4th without colds!

Sambucol elderberry syrup is probably our family's favorite cold remedy and preventative. It's marketed as a natural immune system booster, and I have read many reviews raving about how it stopped a cold dead in its tracks, but I think we like it just for the sweet taste. My children beg for Sambucol as if it were candy - and with the high sugar content from the glucose syrup it contains, I guess it there's not much difference. Here you can see Hayden asking for his "bee-coll," and then making sure he finishes every drop!

Grandpa's Tea for Colds

2008-06-30T22:14:00.018-04:00

As it happens, the day I started this blog, I was came down with a cold. I'm not sure why I am suddenly congested now that it's almost July, when I was able to make it through the entire winter and spring without so much as a sniffle. Even a few weeks ago, all of my boys had sore throats, coughs, and runny noses, but my body managed to fight off the germs. In addition to drinking apple cider vinegar and Sambucol elderberry syrup (more on that later), I have decided to start waging my war against this virus with a family recipe.

My grandfather was one of ten children raised on an Oklahoma farm, and even after living in New England for more than half a century, he still speaks with a Southern accent. At 80 years old, he drives up to his cabin in Maine - alone - to spend the weekend deer hunting. In my mind anyway, his age and activity level certainly lend credibility to his health advice! This picture of Grandpa was taken when he visited us just a few weeks ago and gave me this recipe.

Grandpa's Garlic Tea

Tea or water (I used chamomile tea, which is soothing)
1 clove of garlic, chopped
Spoonful of honey for taste (I recommend raw honey, which fights infection while soothing the throat)
Dash of pepper
1/2 tsp. butter (I'm not sure what this is for, but I since I can't have dairy, I used extra virgin coconut oil, which has anti-microbial and anti-viral properties

Stir it all together, drink the tea, and be sure to chew the garlic wafers.

Confession: prior to asking my husband to pick some up at the store today, I had never before seen a real garlic clove. I was raised on minced garlic in a jar, so my experience with garlic has been limited to tiny jars and shakers of garlic salt. In the event that any other sheepish chefs out there are as uneducated as I was, this is what garlic looks like on the inside:

I've read that chewing raw garlic can be great for colds, but that it has very strong taste, so I let Don be the guinea pig to test out that theory. When my sweet husband, who eats jalepeno peppers without batting an eye, had to spit it out, I knew that my wimpy taste buds wouldn't be able to handle the intensity. Grandpa's tea, on the other hand, seemed do-able, so I made cup and drank. Surprisingly, it was really good! I let Don try a sip and he said it was disgusting...but remember, he was probably still tasting the garlic he just chewed. :)

There may be healthier ways to take garlic, but my solution for this evening was to scoop up the bits on a tortilla chip. It wasn't too strong at all, and I find it much easier to bite down on a chip than on a chunk of onion or garlic. Now, an hour later, I have some definite garlic breath! I will be interested to see how I feel tomorrow. My little Hayden is sick too, so I may have to make a cup of tea for him in the morning. Since he just got his molars, though, I'll let him off the hook on chewing the wafers! (Baa-d idea warning: if you make this remedy for young children, remember never to give honey to infants under one year because of the risk of botulism, a rare but serious illness.)

What is The Clean Sheepfold?

2008-06-29T22:13:00.001-04:00

The sheepfold is where the sheep live. It is the home of the sheep and the place for raising little lambs. A well-managed sheepfold is a blessing for the entire flock. The clean sheepfold is a place of peace, order, discipline, nourishment, and rest. Isn't that where we all want to be?

This blog is for wives, mothers, and homemakers, especially those of us who call the Lord our Shepherd and strive to please Him in all that we do. I think of my home as my own little sheepfold, and the work I do there as my small offering to God. How can I honor my Master? I believe that fulfilling my role as the keeper of my home is the way He intends me to glorify Him. This work is not for me; it is for the Shepherd. I want to excel in the role God has given me, and I trust that you do as well.

I am but one unworthy sheep of the flock, and it's quite possible that you, dear reader, have more experience or wisdom or knowledge. But even in my limited years as a homemaker, I have acquired a wealth of information that has helped me to tend my sheepfold. I hope that this blog will be a valuable resource of tips and tricks, recipes, reviews, ideas, and inspiration. Your comments are always welcome, and please invite your friends to visit our flock!

Your fellow ewe,
Manda