New Member Intro.

[Guest guest]

Hi my name is Tifanie (27) and I have been a member for only a few weeks now and

have already learned SO much just from reading. I figured now was the time to

finally introduce myself.

My family, consisting of my husband Vince and daughter (17 month old) Olivia and

baby on the way, live about 45 min. west of the twin cities in a small rural

town called Lester Prairie. We grow a very large garden in the summer and have

managed to freeze, can, ferment a lot of our own home-grown organic produce. My

husband is getting ready to order out of the catalog (we order from Gurney's)

and I was wondering where some of you, who grow a lot of their own goods, order

from.

Our garden consists of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, watermelon,

muskmelon, parsley, chives, basil, pumpkins, squash, onions, carrots, beans,

peas, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, garlic and I know I'm

forgetting something. But this year we plan to try sweet potatoes, and

blueberries too.

I purchased the NT book about 2 years ago now and have had good luck with most

recipes I've tried. Some of our favorites include: Meatloaf, soaked nuts,

cream cheese brkfst. pastries, kolaches made with whey instead of water, chicken

salad, sweet and sour chix, sauerkraut, and brkfst. porridge. Others I have

tried that haven't hit it off so well in my house are...Banana bread, dressings,

pickles, and ketchup. I enjoy all of the above except the ketchup. I think I

went a little overboard with the fish sauce and it ended up tasting like dog

food! I'd like to try it again with my homemade tomato paste though. Any

suggestions?

We or should I say I have been trying to rid our house of all the

over-processed, refined foods for quite some time now but my husband is still

hanging on to his ranch dressing, ketchup and Miracle Whip for good, he says!

I'm just wondering if any of you out there have some good ideas of how to better

transition members of your household that aren't as willing to give up those

awful habits. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of my own, but I've been

willing to try new things.

I am really interested in the CO you're trying to get at wholesale price. I

purchased 1 jar since I've had NT but haven't stuck with it. I'm looking for a

better brand like the WFN you've been discussing here lately.

Also, food like grass-fed beef and bison, salmon and raw cheese I've been

reading about I would really be interested in getting my hands on somehow. I'm

just wondering if I'd have to travel to meet someone to get it, which wouldn't

be a problem, but I am wondering about the resources and how available they are

in this group. Everyone sounds very willing to help so I'm looking forward to

hearing your suggestions and comments.

I did have a question about the " Mom's milk " discussed. I currently purchase

milk from Dan & Becky's market in Cokato as one of your other members had

mentioned. The milk is not raw and I would like to transition to completely raw

soon.

Your recent " what's for dinner " email back-and-forth has been really interesting

to me. I am so envious of you all that have your meals planned so well. I'm

wondering if you use a meal planning software of some sort or what works best

for you? I have tried sitting down with my husband on Sunday nights to go over

the week ahead but he isn't really interested in food as I am. I'm just looking

for something to make it easier for me to plan for my family.

I DON'T WANT MY KIDS GROWING UP AND GETTING HOOKED ON THIS JUNK FOOD WORLD WE

LIVE IN NOW! I want to start them young and it's getting harder and harder the

longer I wait. Please help.

One more thing and then I'm done, I promise. For both of my pregnancy's I've

taken a pharmaceutical grade fish oil, made by " Nutri-West " for the increased

Omega-3 benefits and have loved the results in my daughter. She is SO much

smarter than all the other kids she plays with and most of them are at least a

year older than her. I'm wondering what brand all of you use if any.

Thanks for taking the time to read my intro. Sorry it was so lengthy. I really

would like to vote on the upcoming food swaps but my daughter hit delete when

she was sitting on my lap. Could you send me the link where I can go to vote

again please.

Thanks again for all your help so far.

Tifanie Shimanski

gracious & curious learner