November 14, 2012

Making A Family Gratitude Journal {A Simple Thanksgiving Tradition}

A Family Gratitude Journal at KeeperoftheHome.org

By Courtney Dunkin, Contributing Writer Throughout history, many cultures have held celebrations of thanksgiving to recognize their gratitude for what they have. Most often, traditional thanksgiving celebrations have been held during harvest time in the fall. In the United States of America, our Thanksgiving has evolved into the start of the Christmas shopping season. You've probably heard jokes about how we give thanks for what we have and then race to the stores to buy more things the very next day. There is certainly some [...]

Filed Under: Children, Faith and encouragement, Family life, Holidays, Mothering Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 7 Comments
November 12, 2012

31+ Fun & Frugal Thanksgiving Activities & Freebies for Kids

31+ Thanksgiving Crafts & Freebies

By Crystal Paine, Contributing Writer Looking for some inexpensive and simple Thanksgiving-related activities for your tots, preschoolers, or grade schoolers? I've culled the internet and put together a list of over 31 of my favorite Thanksgiving-themed activity ideas, plus a number of free downloads and printables. Enjoy! Fun & Frugal Activities Make Turkey Footprints or Turkey Spice Handprints. Play Turkey Color Bingo. Image from Frog Prince Paperie Stitch some Thanksgiving Turkey Finger Puppets. Create your own Pilgrim Hat. Sew turkeys from old socks and felt. [...]

Filed Under: Children, Family life, Holidays, Home Educating, Mothering Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 11 Comments
November 9, 2012

Real Food Substitutions and No-Bake Cookie Dough Balls {a perfect holiday treat}

No Bake Cookie Dough Balls

Written by Rachel Marie, Contributing Writer I'm always on the look out for natural alternatives and healthy recipes, and I'm sure you are, too--especially if you read Keeper of the Home frequently. With all the gluten intolerances, food allergies and reduced sugar guidelines so many readers face today, I'm glad to be able to make quick substitutions like these: You can also substitute 1 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon of pure powdered stevia. (Not truvia or another similar brand; those are equal substitutions and often have fillers in [...]

Filed Under: Holidays, Real Food, Recipes, Seasonal eating Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 22 Comments
November 7, 2012

Classic Pumpkin Pie {Made with Fresh Pumpkin}

Pumpkin Pie Recipe with Fresh Pumpkin

By Mindy, Contributing Writer I never was a big fan of pumpkin pie during my childhood years.  Every year at Thanksgiving, I would choose cherry or apple pie over the classic pumpkin pie.  I never understood why it was such a big deal around the holidays! Until... I had my first pumpkin pie made out of fresh pumpkin.  Wow!  What a difference it made in the taste and texture of the pie!  I finally had an appreciation for this time-honored dessert that I had never [...]

Filed Under: Holidays, Real Food, Recipes, Seasonal eating Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 24 Comments
November 2, 2012

How to Identify and Use Winter Squash

how to identify and use winter squash

Written by Stacy Karen, Contributing Writer While most can identify pumpkin and butternut as varieties of winter squash, many of us don't know much about other types of winter squash or how to prepare them. Today I want to dive into the world of winter squash and open the door to new eating possibilities. Health Benefits of Winter Squash Winter squash, especially those with darker flesh (like pumpkin and acorn) contain high amounts of carotene. Carotene has been shown to help protect against cancer, heart [...]

Filed Under: In the kitchen, Nutrition, Raising healthy eaters, Real Food, Real, whole food, Seasonal eating Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 26 Comments
October 23, 2012

Homemade Cocoa Body Scrub and Body Butter

Homemade Cocoa Body Scrub and Body Butter at KeeperoftheHome.org

Written by Brandy, Contributing Writer It's getting to be that time of year again when I sometimes like to smell a little bit festive.  Ya know...aside from the ordinary scent of oatmeal, honey, and whatever my toddler ate for lunch.  As the gift-giving season approaches, too, I'm glad to have these two fantastic recipes for making the most delicious-smelling body scrub and body butter ever! I've already made my own batch, of course, and I need to go get some more half-pint mason jars so [...]

Filed Under: Frugality, Homemade, Homemade skincare and beauty, Natural living Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 39 Comments
August 24, 2012

Freezing and Using Up an Abundance of Peppers

freezing and using up peppers

Written by Erin Odom, Contributing Writer I don't pretend to be a master gardener. In fact, my thumb is more black than green. But one vegetable that always seems to flourish in my garden is the pepper. And, despite my limited abilities, my family always ends up with an abundance of them! Thankfully, peppers freeze extremely well, and there are lots of great recipes that call for peppers that you can implement in your kitchen all year round. Health Benefits of Peppers Besides being fairly easy [...]

Filed Under: Frugality, Gardening, Preserving Food, Seasonal eating Tagged With: , , , , , , , 14 Comments
August 17, 2012

5 Frugal Ways to Stock Up on Chemical Free Fruits and Vegetables to Preserve

vegetables

Written by Diana, Contributing Writer Just like clockwork, late summer comes knocking with an explosion of fresh vegetables. This is a typical late summer harvest at my urban homestead.  I do my best to use as much as I can in dishes and the rest I try to put up for the winter. Jars of salsa, enchilada sauce, peppers, and relish line my pantries while I wait to soon be inundated by apples, pears, and grapes. I'm blessed to have most of what I preserve [...]

Filed Under: Frugality, Preserving Food, Real, whole food Tagged With: , , , , , , , 25 Comments