As some of you know, I’m currently studying Ayurveda and will be certified later this year as an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor. And while I’m learning so much, one of the most life-changing things has been switching to ghee as our main fat/oil. I use it to cook and I put it over food to enhance the flavor. It’s hands down THE most delicious fat, if you ask me. But I didn’t always feel this way, and that’s probably because I had used store-bought ghee in the past. Let me tell you, store-bought ghee doesn’t hold a candle to a fresh batch of homemade ghee. Homemade ghee is almost like toff ..read more

  I cracked open a can of mackerel one night, because the day had been busy and dinnertime came upon us suddenly, feeling a little guilty for preparing my main course from a can. I wasn’t even that familiar with mackerel but I had just gotten the results back from a blood test measuring my inflammatory markers—particularly Omega-3:6 ratio—and I was surprisingly inflamed, with my Omega-6’s being higher than my Omega-3’s. So my mindset was: eat lots more fish! (And also stop lathering my body in sunflower oil, which I had been doing for months, and which I think could’ve also contributed t ..read more

  As my husband and I prepare to move from our cozy home here on the sea into a small camper, I figured there was no better time than to write a post about alllll of the considerations that go into such a move. It’s important to note that our circumstances might be different than some of you reading this. While our goal is to build up an off-grid homestead mortgage-free, yours might be simply to pay off debt or to live nomadically for a while, or maybe just to get back to the basics of life while you think about and plan your next move. No matter what your situation, this article should ..read more

  Readers of this blog might recall that I quit caffeine cold turkey over a year ago. I’m still with it- in fact I have zero desire for caffeine. My system has regulated now and my energy is reliable, no caffeine ever needed or desired. I still drink [decaf] coffee and espresso daily, along with herbal teas and milk, and of course my morning cacao. One of my favorite special drinks to make is a caffeine-free chai, on the stovetop, in a cast iron skillet. I don’t add black tea, just whole spices boiled in milk. The result is simple, delicious, and nourishing. Let me show you how I make it ..read more

  We love to go hiking. Being out on foot, exploring the wilderness, is something deeply innate to humans. It’s a chance to reconnect with that primordial part of ourselves, a chance to disconnect from the unnatural pace and stress of city life, strict schedules, lengthy to-do lists, sirens, alarms, and instead we get to breathe fresh air, get sunshine on our skin, maybe interact with wildlife, and immerse again in the beauty and rugged spirit of the natural world, where things feel very real again, and we’re invited in to become one with it all. It feels good, doesn’t it? But one little ..read more

  I should post a caveat here that you can grow Lacinato Kale year-round in most climates, but maybe not all (like the Arctic or a desert sand dune). I have to post that because it’s the Internet and there are people out there who scour the 2-D depths of it looking for anything they perceive to be wrong ;) But yes, odds are you can grow kale year-round where you live. And how wonderful is that?! Lacinato Kale is nutritious, it’s easy to grow, and it tastes really good (if you don’t think so, then you probably haven’t had it prepared right yet!). In my opinion, the hardy greens like kale ..read more

  Gone are the days of mere white or wheat— we now live in an age of flour alternatives. But is this really a new trend or has humankind used a wide array of flours since time immemorial? My research tells me it’s the latter. In fact, in the past couple of centuries, we’ve actually become pretty dull in our use of two or three standard flours for everything, trading the diverse nutrient-dense flours of antiquity for a denatured white flour which basically turns to glue in the intestines. Throughout human history—and, it can be assumed, pre-history— various flours were made not only from ..read more

  So you’re thinking about getting a generator to power your house during outages. Good for you! This is an essential component to a well prepared home, if you ask me. The only legitimate reason I can think of to not have a backup generator is the inability to afford one. That’s understandable- they aren’t cheap. But if you have the budget to afford a generator, and just aren’t buying one despite, you might want to reconsider. You might be thinking, “Oh it’s not a big deal. If a power outage happens, we’ll just deal with it then and get through.” To which I would respond to you with a ch ..read more

  As an outdoorswoman myself, who is married to the ultimate outdoorsman and preparedness guru - I can tell you a thousand unique gifts for the outdoorsy fellow in your life.  So let's pick out a good gift for that man in your life - friend, husband, boyfriend, father - a gift that will make him shake his head and sincerely say, "Wow!.... Thank you!" I've made sure to include a variety of price points to fit any budget, while not skimping on value. Now let's get shopping! Affiliate disclaimer: This website uses affiliate links, meaning: at no additional cost to you, we earn a small ..read more

  “You use a conventional crock pot?!” my friend gasped with disbelief, interrupting the high horse I was probably on talking about the amount of bone broth my husband and I consume, and how he craves it and asks for it, and isn’t he just GREAT?! “You’re consuming that much bone broth from a ceramic crock pot?!” she reiterated. “Well… yeah? The old silver and black one I’ve always used… WHY?!” “Tiffany, I can’t believe you of all people don’t know about this. Those regular ceramic crock pots leech lead into your food!” “Well isn’t that what you’re using?” (We had been cooking and I swore ..read more