This herbal salve is one of my favorite items in my home apothecary. It takes care of bug bites, diaper rash, sunburn, eczema, minor scrapes - almost anything related to soothing/healing the skin. I have tried a LOT of diaper rash creams, balms, and salves over the years and this one works better than anything else. These soothing herbs help calm the skin and support healing. Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons calendula flowers 2 Tablespoons lavender 1 Tablespoon plantain 6 ounces jojoba oil 1 Tablespoon beeswax pellets Directions: Grind/cut down the herbs into small pieces. Infuse th ..read more

Congee is a style of cooked rice that more resembles porridge than what you would think of as cooked rice. I love replacing a side of rice with congee because it is so much more nutritious than just plain rice. To add the bonus nutrients, cook your rice in bone broth. I have a go-to bone broth recipe in my FREE cookbook, Foundations of Soup. The combination of bone broth, butter, and rice make this simple dish almost a complete meal because it contains carbs, protein, and fat. Secondly, when choosing rice, I always try to get sprouted rice, as it increases digestibility and unlocks other nutr ..read more

Cody, Hazel and I spent last week at Canadian River Ranch Bible Camp, an annual tradition since 2017 for our family. Hosted by a small church in a tiny West Texas town, some drive up to 7 hours just to be a part of something special and unique. Lola stayed at home with Cody’s parents because I am little help with a baby, and no help with a baby plus a toddler. I would rather be just a little bit of help than no help. We left her on Tuesday and didn’t get to see her again until Saturday evening. I was anxious leaving her and cried for a good chunk of the car ride down there, but as soon as we ..read more

When I was growing up, I used to think that cinnamon rolls were a big production, that you only ate them on rare occasions because they were so much work. Thankfully, these aren’t. They're simple, quick, and delicious, regardless of your preferred filling. These are dubbed “you pick ‘em” rolls because you can pick whichever flavor you want, and they’ll still be incredible. Cinnamon rolls, orange rolls, lemon rolls, pecan rolls, raspberry rolls, you name it, and they will turn out great! This sweet dough is so versatile and easy. You can use it as a base for almost any sweet bread desert. It o ..read more

It’s no secret that we have a picky toddler in our house. I always try to have nutrient-dense snacks on hand for her because pushing good foods is sometimes difficult. Beef gelatin is a great way to sneak in nourishment. These gummies are simple, easy, quick, and picky toddler approved. Cranberry Orange Gummies Beef gelatin gives extra nourishment with a sweet cranberry and orange burst Makes: 9 x 9 inch pan Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes Ingredients: 3 C unsweetened cranberry juice 1 1/4 C orange juice Zest of 1 orange 1/3 C honey 7 Tbsp unflavored beef gelatin Instructions: C ..read more

Rarely do I eat or serve processed food in our household, but… Cody works with Origin USA, a brand that produces its products in America and sells things like energy drinks, supplements, and protein powder. This is probably the only protein powder I would consider consuming - the ingredients are super clean. The protein itself is grass-fed whey and they use monk fruit to sweeten, so if you’re trying to stick to a keto diet, this powder is the right one for you. Cody packs his lunches (there aren’t very many dining options in the Oklahoma Panhandle that don’t include copious amounts of seed oi ..read more

Recently, I’ve been ordering bulk produce from Azure Standard every month, so that I can preserve most of it at a great price. It’s economical, and gives me the peace of mind that we’ll have plenty to last us through not only the month, but for several months. Lola has taken a liking to pears, so this month I purchased pears. Last month, I got carrots, but didn’t have time to can the carrots. They went straight into freezer bags instead. But the pears, something about home-canned pears is just magical. I enjoy them straight out of the jar with a drizzle of cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Su ..read more

As promised, here is part two of ordering meat when you’re trying to eat nose-to-tail: the hog (you can find part one here, where I discuss ordering a beef nose-to-tail). If you have the privilege of ordering your own meat from a processor or butcher, or you are able to raise your own and want help navigating a cut sheet, you’ve come to the right place. Nose-to-tail eating strives to utilize as much of the animal as possible, not letting anything go to waste. In my previous blog, I wrote about beef because, naturally - as ranchers, we primarily use beef as our source of meat. However, hogs ar ..read more

What do I do with all these eggs?!   Today, I am looking out at the snow drifts, eyeballing my empty egg basket sitting on the counter, and dreaming of springtime – where the eggs flow and the flowers blossom. Spring really is just around the corner, and if you’re waiting for your hens to lay again, it’s worth planning out what you will do with your abundant harvest of fresh eggs!   Chickens naturally stop laying eggs in the wintertime due to a combination of less daylight hours and temperature drops. You can set up a light in your coop to simulate the sun, add additional “light” ho ..read more

I adore Azure Standard. If you’re unfamiliar with the company, it is a co-op based in Oregon that delivers everything from fresh organic groceries, to high quality animal feeds, to books and clothes and more once a month to a “drop site” near you. Membership is free, and there is no monthly purchase requirement or anything like that. We use Azure primarily for our groceries, though I’ve bought supplements, seeds, personal care products, and books from them as well. I didn’t know how I would feel about restricting the bulk of our grocery shopping to once a month, but my only other option was t ..read more