I’m the natural mom AMA

amother

Tue, Oct 03 2023, 10:04 pm

amother Starflower wrote:

your house has enough space in lakewood for you to be raising chickens?
can I ask what circles you and your dh are from?

also just saw you posted the recipe. what kind and brand of oil do you use?

You can raise chickens without a big yard. We both grew up in not so functional homes, we are not yeshivish at all. I don’t put myself in a category I just know I am doing the best I can and always trying to be better. But I guess you can say we would fit in with the mo crowd. We didn’t choose Lakewood as our place to live we just ended up here temporarily. After living in many other places.

For oil I use organic avocado or coconut. I mainly use coconut and olive for everything besides for mayonnaise because it needs liquid and olive is too strong of a taste for it

amother

Tue, Oct 03 2023, 10:11 pm

dena613 wrote:

How were you raised?
BT, JPF, Chassidish, Yeshivish

How does your family (parents, siblings, in laws) feel about your way of life?

My father is a BT and ended up raising us in a very unhealthy way. My mom followed his ways. I wouldn’t say yeshivish because they aren’t typical but very strict about everything religion. So I was always more on the yeshivish side until I took a step back and found a connection to Hashem on my own because it’s beautiful not just because my parents told me I need to do this and that… My mom is more into my way of life, my dad laughs at us but is very overweight and always feeling sick.. drinking his Coca Cola. But they buy a lot of organic stuff for when we come over. In laws don’t live like us but look up to us and see the effect of our lifestyle on us and our kids. We don’t have to hide anything from them… they just don’t live the same. They try to do some stuff like organic food sometimes. They also are accommodating if we go visit. Siblings some of them learn from us and love it, one is just like us and the younger ones are too young…

amother

Tue, Oct 03 2023, 10:15 pm

amother Mintgreen wrote:

Why haven't you thought about going vegan?

We did think about it and tried it but it didn’t feel right. We are very into listening to your body and doing what makes you feel good. If I don’t have my meat and chicken and raw dairy.. I feel hungry and malnourished. Maybe if you live in a tropical place with access to lots of fresh fruit and veggies it’s possible but I don’t know. Also because the soil is so depleted, the fruits and veggies lose a lot of their nutrients so it’s hard to get everything you need from them.

amother

Tue, Oct 03 2023, 10:29 pm

amother Plum wrote:

Are they both home with you or you send them out to playgroups?
Do they ask for unhealthy snacks that they see other kids having?

Home with me but we go out a lot. No they know we eat organic and if they see something they like they just ask if I can make healthy of it… no crying or asking for it. They never had candy or soda but I make tons of yummy things at home they love like kombucha or ginger ale for drinks(without sugar), homemade ice cream, ices, cake, cookies… so they don’t feel like they are missing out. My son has tried regular food at other peoples houses a couple times but he takes a few bites and tells me his stomach hurts. Someone once offered him a candy and he threw it on the floor and told everyone it was garbage. The mom that gave it to him said yes it is and she doesn’t know why she’s giving it to her kids… it’s not that we hide it from him or just tell him no. It’s giving him something better instead and teaching him, and sometimes letting him try it and see that it doesn’t feel good in his tummy. I know when they are older they will make their own decisions but for now we are doing our best to keep them healthy and feeling good.

amother

Alyssum

Tue, Oct 03 2023, 10:44 pm

Op I don't live like you.
It would be cool to try it one day maybe.
We try to ear healthy and clean mostly.

I just want you to realize that the life you are living is a privileged one.
Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have been able to. I cannot do homebirths due to medical concerns. I have children with congenital issues. One of my kids developed a chronic infection from a tick bite (we live in a tick infested area. And although my property is treated biweekly my neighbors properties aren't. And she must have contracted it there.)
We are going down the functional medicine route but it's expensive and daunting.
Homeopathy, herbal tinctures and lots if fresh fruit and veggies are my friend.
My 17 mo will eat isreali salad (kirbies, tomatoes, peppers w olive oil and salt) or red onion slices rather than a lolipop. Crazy kid. 🤪

amother

Mintgreen

Tue, Oct 03 2023, 11:08 pm

amother OP wrote:

Or maybe more beans, lentils, at least for me the plant based way of eating only works when I'm eating these plus potatoes and sweet potatoes, tofu. But good quality meat and dairy is also natural, also very into whatever is in nature is what we are intended to eat.

GLUE

Tue, Oct 03 2023, 11:19 pm

honey36 wrote:

Do you really find there is a difference between "organic" produce from the super market and the regular produce? I thought in the U.S. the standards for labeling something organic is actually very low and they are basically the same thing?

I hope OP does not mind me hijacking this thread.
About your question on organic:

Vegetables get there nutrition from the soil they are grown in. The more nutrition the soil has the more nutrition the vegetable has.
When organic first started the people doing it were into health and grew the vegetables in healthy nutrition dense soil.Then organic went mainstream.

Right now USDA Organic needs to meet some standers, none of the standers have anything to do with how much nutrition the soil has. So, organic does not mean nutrition dense vegetables anymore.

amother

Tue, Oct 03 2023, 11:30 pm

amother Poinsettia wrote:

Can you post recipes for ice cream, cakes and cookies? I would love healthier options for these! What type of sugar do you use?
Where do you shop?
Is grass fed meat really much healthier than regular meat?
Where do you get milk/what type of milk do you use?
Any tips for putting kids to bed? Lol

Ice cream
5 pasture raised egg yolks
1/3 cup raw honey
2 1/2 cups raw heavy cream
1 1/2 cups raw milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Mix everything and churn in ice cream machine

I try to make desserts with honey or maple syrup but for whatever needs sugar I put less and only coconut sugar. I shop on azure, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods once in a while. Some stuff I get at Costco. Every place has different stuff. Meat and chicken kol foods. Yes conventional meat and chicken come from cows that are stuffed with gmo corn and do not graze on grass like they are meant to. Conventional dairy comes from feed lots that stink where the cows are squished. If you pass one in the car you will definitely know because of the smell. Of course that milk needs to be pasteurized the cows aren’t healthy. If you want to start learning you can watch food inc. I think kosher food is already a level up but still needs to be grass fed and organic. I only get raw dairy from a farm pickup in brick once a week. millers bio farm. I don’t keep cy and my rabbi says I can use that milk. I don’t have patience to find all my recipes and type up. If you want I can pm you and we can get in touch and I can give you lots of yummy recipes:) tips for putting kids to bed? My toddler son goes to sleep in his bed but comes to ours in the night and sleeps there with us. As well as the baby who nurses. One of us sits with him till he falls asleep or put something on for him to listen to like kivi and tuki and he will stay by himself.

GLUE

Tue, Oct 03 2023, 11:40 pm

You buy raw milk straight from the farm or you get it from someone else?

I heard this was years ago that you can not buy raw milk in NJ unless you watch it because raw milk is illegal to sell in NJ even if you own the cow.
Also many places that sell raw milk have non-kosher animals on their farm.

This was years ago could be the laws was changed and the place you get it from is OK.

honey36

Tue, Oct 03 2023, 11:56 pm

Are honey/maple syrup and other "natural" sweeteners really healthier than regular cane sugar? First of all, isn't cane sugar also "natural?". When you break them down to their basic elements, aren't they are all mostly just fructose? Do you think your body can really tell the difference between them? They also have basically the same scores on the glycemic index.

small bean

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 12:00 am

GLUE wrote:

It is illegal in NJ to sell raw milk..may people get from PA or NY. (Or illegally in NJ)

amother

Poinsettia

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 12:26 am

amother OP wrote:

Thank you! I will be trying this recipe Iyh!
Will the recipe work with reg milk and heavy cream? I don’t have access to raw currently.