Our Favorite Way to Get All-Natural, Fresh Chicken for a Low Price

Donald and I are always looking for great prices on chicken. It's one of the staples in our diet (and it used to be one of the only proteins I could eat). Back in 2011, we were introduced to one of our favorite online companies, Zaycon Foods. In their own words, our "simple mission is to bring farm fresh meats direct to consumers at wholesale prices." This means that they sell in bulk, which can be a new experience for some people. It was for us at first. This is what our freezer looked like the first time after Donald and I got done cutting and bagging our 40 pounds of chicken breast.

I don't know about you, but I love having my freezer full of meat! When I find a good sale, I like to stock up. That way, I don't have to worry about paying the exorbitant prices week to week while I wait for the next sale (this is definitely the old couponer in me resurfacing!).

The things I appreciate most about Zaycon Foods, is that their chicken breast is 100% all natural and straight from the farm, never having been frozen. Natural chicken breast in the grocery store starts at $2.99/lb. Zaycon is selling it for $1.89/lb this term. They come in 40 pound cases, and while that seems excessive, we have definitely found it worth the investment! It works out to be $75.60. If you feel like 40 pounds is just too much, another great option is to split it with a friend! That way you both get the great price, but a more manageable amount.

When you register as a new customer, you can check to see what events they have close to you. In our Carson Valley area, they have one coming up in Carson City. On the day of the event, after you have submitted your order online, you will drive through the parking lot, show your receipt, and they will put the 40 pound case of chicken in your trunk. That's it! Usually takes all of 5 minutes.

If this is something that interests you, we would love for you to check it out through our referral link. They only offer chicken a few times a year and one of those events is coming up in February.

Tonight's "On the Counter" 1/10/14

Funny title, right? Well, I thought it could be interesting for some of you if I shared what kinds of advance preparations I had going on in the kitchen from time to time. As we have adopted the Weston A Price (WAPF) way of life, we have learned so much about the preparation of traditional foods. Things definitely weren't grab and go like much of today is. People took time in preparing their foods. They soaked and fermented and simmered things for hours at a time. It has definitely taken planning and self-discipline to adopted this new principle. Some times I'm better at it than others. The holidays and vacation definitely put a damper on it, but I am trying to get back into a routine. Today just happened to be one of those days where several prep projects came together at once. 

I've got 4 things prepping over night in the kitchen tonight. 

• Rye Sourdough Starter
  Awhile back I tried making my own sourdough starter and bread. It didn't pan out too well. So I've been looking for another way. I recently started to wonder if whey, leftover from making yogurt, could help jump start a sourdough starter. Sure enough, as I wondering around Google this morning, I found this blog. She made a sourdough starter in just 12 hours from combining whey and flour. So I decided to give it a try today.
  
  I also decided to try it with rye flour instead of wheat. We recently recognized that Donald has a sensitivity to wheat at the very least. We're not sure if it just wheat or gluten or if its all grains, so we're experimenting. WAPF highly recommends rye flour as a good alternative because it is much easier to rid it of the anti-nutrients that inhibit us from absorbing all the nutrients in whole grain flours. I'm hoping to make sourdough pancakes if this starter is successful! I'll keep you posted.

• Chicken Stock with Whey
  Chicken stock is something I make at least a few times a month. I like to have a big stock of it in the freezer, especially in the Fall and Winter. I had put up probably 30-40 cups worth by the end of Thanksgiving (so of which was Turkey Stock -- so good!). Boy am I glad I did! I got something like the stomach flu the week of Christmas and was down for the count for at least a week. Nothing sounds good except soup! We literally went through all but 6 cups of the broth I had in the freezer and that was on top of a new batch we made during the week! So I am definitely in the restocking phase right now.
  
  Something I've been wanting to try for a while is making stock from left over acid whey. Acid whey is what is leftover after making cheese. I was making ricotta pretty often in October and November, so I had a big gallon size baggie of it in the freezer. I've read that it makes a very flavorful broth, so I thought I'd give it a try. I could go on for several paragraphs about the benefits and method of making homemade stock, but I think I'll save that for another post.
  

• Homemade Yogurt
  Yogurt is a staple for us and I usually end up making it about every week! Its super simple to make and I love that I can pick the milk I use to make it. I have a blog post here that explains the recipe and method I use.

• Soaking Nuts for Grain-Free Granola
  I've been super craving cereal lately. Just something about the crunch and the milk. Just sounds so yum! There are days I just miss my granola, but unfortunately I had a sensitivity to oats. I had heard of grain-free granola recipes and after toying with the idea for a few days, I decided I wanted to try it. I knew that I wanted to do it was a WAPF twist and soak my nuts first to remove all those anti-nutrients. I just used what I had in the pantry, which was walnuts, pecans, and some slivered almonds. They say to sprinkle some salt and then cover with water for 6-8 hours. Mine will end up with a bit longer soak than that though, just because its easier to leave them overnight. In this picture they had already been soaking for several hours, so much of the water has already been absorbed. In the morning, I will dry them in the oven for a bit. If my granola recipe is a hit, you will be guaranteed a blog post about it! (Are you noticing a theme? I do A LOT of experimenting in my kitchen, cooking and baking based on my hunches of what will work and taste good. If its a success, I love to share. And sometimes, the failures are worth sharing too ;-)
  

 This is a bit more than I would usually do at once, but I try to just roll with it when inspiration strikes! I love letting these things soak/ferment/simmer over night because all the waiting happens while I'm asleep and I get to wake up to them finished! I'm really excited to see how things turn out in the morning, especially the sourdough starter!

Do you use any of these traditional practices to prepare your foods? Does this inspire you to try a new idea or recipe you've been waiting on? Do any of these recipes particularly interest you? Please share in the comments!

Erica's Weight Loss Progress - 60 Pounds in 2013!

When I began my clean eating journey in January 2013, I had no weight loss intentions. I was frankly fed up with my chronic illness and being sick all the time. Conventional medicine wasn't working and I was desperate. I had prayed time and again for healing. Finally I prayed for wisdom. And I whole-heartedly believe that God led me down this new path of healthy living and eating. I found a lot of great information on herbal and natural remedies for my chronic illness and I quickly kicked out almost all of the conventional medicine I was taking (which was actually making me sicker).  I was already on a pretty restricted diet, with a list of food allergies as long as my forearm. I was living with and working for clean eaters. So I followed their example and quickly realized how much better I felt.

By July I had lost 41 pounds

Even as the weight started to come off, I still did not change my focus. I wanted to be healthy. I wanted to wake up every day and be able to get out of bed. I wanted to really start living. And so I did, for the first time in years!

November 2013, after Christmas tree hunting in the mountains for 2 hours!

As the months went by and I got healthier, I continued to kick it up a notch. I really began to dig into the lifestyle of the Weston A Price Foundation. I found new way to eat clean, kicked more crud out of my diet, and got creative in the kitchen. As Donald explained in his last weight loss post, he joined me in the clean eating lifestyle in September. There's just something special about having your spouse team up with you! Having him along on this journey with me for the last 4 months really kept me going and gave me new inspiration.

Of course I fell off the band wagon a few times this year. Late summer was particularly hard because I was working an extreme amount of hours (50-60/week). My eating went down hill and I started getting sick again. We prioritized and kicked a few of my shifts out. I was able to get back on track, but it took a few weeks before I started feeling better. Then in late September and through out October, my weight loss plateaued. I think I only lost 3 pounds between the two months. It was a great reminder of why I was eating clean; it still wasn't about the weight loss, it was about being healthy. It was also a great lesson on sticking out the plateau! As I'm sure many others on the weight loss journey have experienced, plateauing can be quite the discouragement.  I can't tell you what changed, but one day I started losing weight again! Between November and December, I lost another 10 pounds!

I wasn't aiming for 60 pounds in 2013, but boy am I excited about it! I was finally able to track down some of my measurements from before I started losing weight...holy moly! This year, I have lost over 50 inches throughout my body!!! 8 1/2 inches in my waist, 8 inches in my hips, 3 1/2 inches in my upper arm, just to name a few. I've gone from buying 3XL shirts to L and XL. I was in size 20 jeans last year and now I am tantalizingly close to size 14!

I am now 20 pounds away from the weight I was when I graduated high school, which is my next goal. But I'm not going to stop or change what I'm doing when I get there. I figure my body will stop when it's at the weight that God designed my body to healthily live at and I'm satisfied with that!