REAL Food Friday #27 link-up

Hello and Welcome to REAL Food Friday!
I'd like to thank all of the conscious bloggers who followed the guidelines and 
shared REAL FOOD recipes and posts. Thank you for sharing!

Are you growing your own veggies this year?

We'd like to hear from YOU!  Please feel free to share your organic, non-GMO gardening posts here @ Real Food Friday! 
Today I added a NEW page for my 2014 Planting Guide. 
Recent additions include:
Growing Eggplant from Seed to Harvest

 DIY Organic Pest Control Recipes and so much more!

We're your hosts
Joyce @ It's Your Life
Lydia @ Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen 
me...Mary @ Back to the Basics and Mary's Kitchen
Deb @ Kneaded Creations 
Janine @ My Lamp is Full 
Also, please welcome Marla @ Organic4 Greenlivings 

<a href="http://maryshealthymeals.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/greenmary_smith/REALFood1_zpsb7242283.jpg"/></a>  
If you're interested in co-hosting let us know! 

You can email Mary at mari_backtonature@yahoo.com

Each host chooses their own features so be sure to hop around and see if you were featured.  There were SO MANY amazing links last week it was tough choosing. Last week I had ZERO features because we were sick so I'm making up for it this week!

My Feature:

24 Hour Sourdough Starter from The Homestead in the Hills of Tennessee

Sage and Sausage Cauliflower Soup from Raia's Recipes

In case you missed "What is Real Food" here's a recap...

I know "Real" food may not seem like as much fun as the sugary, chemically, DIY recipes out there on the internet.  This is why REAL Food Friday is so unique.  This is the place to share your unprocessed, gmo-free, locally grown and/or fair trade posts.

We are trying to make a difference 1 recipe at a time!
If your post includes items like *margarine, *granulated sugar, *food dye, packaged baking mixed with ingredients that you cannot pronounce (betty crocker, duncan hines, pillsbury) then it WILL be deleted.  These are garbage ingredients.  Sorry...Not real food.

Here's a great reference from Food Myths:
Do you ever think about how far the food you eat travels?  Who grew it?  Who picked it? How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite? Real Food is:
-Supports fair farmworker wages
-GMO Free
-Little to no processing/processed ingredients
-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate
-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from othr regions
-Meat and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

Link up your Real Food posts!  Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.
The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon.

Please follow your hosts and consider adding the Real Food Friday button.

Spaghetti Squash Recipe Round-Up

We were super busy over the weekend at the farmer's market so I didn't get a chance to share all of these delicious recipes for homemade spaghetti squash.  Last week I shared How to Cook Spaghetti Squash.  Check out this recipe round-up!

Enjoy!

Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Bake from Anne's Odds and Ends

Spaghetti Squash Pasta from Eclectic Recipes

Spaghetti Squash Pizza from this Beautiful Frugal Life

(I made something similar!)

Spaghetti Squash Salad from Asian Food Channel

As you can see, Spaghetti Squash is a versatile veggie.  This is a great way to cut out high carb/gluten pasta.  Try this next time you make a "pasta" dish and substitute spaghetti squash.  OR, Grow Your Own and save a ton of money!

REAL Food Friday #26 link party

Hello and Welcome to REAL Food Friday!
I'd like to thank all of the conscious bloggers who followed the guidelines and 
shared REAL FOOD recipes and posts. Thank you for sharing!
It's been a busy blogging week.  Check out:
 Dept of Defense: You're an "Extremist" if You Grow Food

Personally, I prefer "Rebel Gardener"

Do you Eat Dirt (And why you should)?

Mary's Seed of the Month Club 
 

AND...We have a winner for the "Family Garden Pack" and "Wild about Wildflowers" seed combo packs giveaway from Mary's Heirloom Seeds.  If you didn't win, you can still get your own heirloom seeds. Check out all of the amazing Heirloom, Non-GMO seeds!

We're your hosts
Joyce @ It's Your Life
Lydia @ Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen 
me...Mary @ Back to the Basics and Mary's Kitchen
Deb @ Kneaded Creations 
Janine @ My Lamp is Full 
Also, please welcome Marla @ Organic4 Greenlivings 

<a href="http://maryshealthymeals.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/greenmary_smith/REALFood1_zpsb7242283.jpg"/></a>  
If you're interested in co-hosting let us know! 

You can email Mary at mari_backtonature@yahoo.com

Each host chooses their own features so be sure to hop around and see if you were featured.  There were SO MANY amazing links last week it was tough choosing. Last week I had ZERO features because we were sick so I'm making up for it this week!

My Feature:

Lentil Quinoa Meatball Bolonese from Strength and Sunshine

I really want one of those spiralizers to make REAL food noodles!!!

In case you missed "What is Real Food" here's a recap...

I know "Real" food may not seem like as much fun as the sugary, chemically, DIY recipes out there on the internet.  This is why REAL Food Friday is so unique.  This is the place to share your unprocessed, gmo-free, locally grown and/or fair trade posts.

We are trying to make a difference 1 recipe at a time!
If your post includes items like *margarine, *granulated sugar, *food dye, packaged baking mixed with ingredients that you cannot pronounce (betty crocker, duncan hines, pillsbury) then it WILL be deleted.  These are garbage ingredients.  Sorry...Not real food.

Here's a great reference from Food Myths:
Do you ever think about how far the food you eat travels?  Who grew it?  Who picked it? How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite? Real Food is:
-Supports fair farmworker wages
-GMO Free
-Little to no processing/processed ingredients
-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate
-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from othr regions
-Meat and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

Link up your Real Food posts!  Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.
The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon.

Please follow your hosts and consider adding the Real Food Friday button.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

Last week I purchased a large Spaghetti Squash from the farmer's market not knowing what I'd do with it.  I'm working on adding more nutritious options for our daily meals.  This is REAL Food!!!

Have you ever prepared Spaghetti Squash?  It's easy!
1. Cut squash lengthwise (I cut in 4 to cook faster)

 
2.  Bake *rind side up* in the over @ 375 for 30-40 minutes OR microwave on high for 8 minutes .

When the squash is cooked it comes off the rind with a fork and looks like spaghetti noodles!
With this little (big) gem I made 3 separate meals for my husband and I.
I am so excited about how these meals turned out I think I'm going to go out and plant a few Spaghetti Squash seeds!!! 

First I baked it and then added Chimi Chimi sauce that I also purchased @ the farmer's market.  YUM!

Next I baked it, then added cheese and basil.  YUM!
Last night I topped my homemade pizza with the leftover squash.  Delish!

Sadly, I didn't take many pictures.  So tomorrow I'm sharing random recipes I found online.

Dept of Defense: You're an "Extremist" if you Grow Your Own Food

The time to sit idle is history.  Do you grow your own food?  Do you believe in making the world a better place for you and your family?  Do you have strong religious beliefs?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, the US Department of Defense considers YOU and "Extremist."

This is me!  They call me an "extremist" but I prefer Rebel Gardener!

From documents obtained from the DoD:  

A statement that “Nowadays, instead of dressing in sheets or publically espousing hate messages, many extremists will talk of individual liberties, states’ rights, and how to make the world a better place.” 

Under types of extremists:
 f. Eco-Warriors

– Environmental activist’s who take action to fight against the exploitation of the environment and/or animals. An eco-warrior can be someone non-confrontational, such as a tree-sitter, or someone who engages in direct action.

Under the section, "Extremist Ideologies," the manual states, "In U.S. history, there are many examples of extremist ideologies and movements. The colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule and the Confederate states who sought to secede from the Northern states are just two examples." 

If I read that correctly, they are saying that THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF AMERICA were extremist or terrorists!

Has our current government completely forgotten about the VICTORY GARDEN movement?  

What's a Victory Garden? From Wikipedia, "Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany^[1] during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply brought on by the war effort. In addition to indirectly aiding the war effort these gardens were also considered a civil "morale booster" — in that gardeners could feel empowered by their contribution of labor and rewarded by the produce grown. 

From Judicial Watch, “The Obama administration has a nasty habit of equating basic conservative values with terrorism. And now, in a document full of claptrap, its Defense Department suggests that the Founding Fathers, and many conservative Americans, would not be welcome in today’s military,” long-serving JW president Tom Fitton said.

This isn't the first time the federal government, one of its agencies or some other "official" source has equated freedom-loving Americans who have an originalist view of the Constitution and its meaning with extremists.

Call me what you want.  I have fresh Eggplant and heirloom Tomatoes!!!

In light of this information I am taking a stand and I invite YOU to do the same.  Today of all days is the PERFECT day...It's President's Day! 

Seedlings in Coconut Pellets and plastic cups!

Today I will:
-SHARE this information on every social media outlet and with friends and family.

-I am going to out to my garden to plant more veggies.

-I am going to include FREE seeds with every purchase from Mary's Heirloom Seeds

-Start a trend on Twitter #growyourown

I would love to hear from YOU about what we can all do to get more involved.  If you write a post about this very topic I will also share your link everywhere.  Just leave your link in the comments.

REAL Food Friday #25 and a GIVEAWAY!

Hello and Welcome to REAL Food Friday! 
We have a very special party today with a GIVEAWAY!

This week we are inviting you to share your Organic Gardening posts!  Homegrown is the best organic, pesticide-free and non-GMO food source.

To make your organic gardening experience even better, our giveaway is from
 Mary's Heirloom Seeds!

Mary has signed the Safe Seed pledge.   

Mary's Seeds are open-pollinated, non-gmo and non-hybrid, non-patented,  untreated, heirloom garden seeds.
Seed Orders placed Monday-Thursday are shipped within 24 hours, except for holidays.

Mary's Heirloom Seeds is owned and operated by Mary and her husband Doc.  "Our goal is to educate people about growing their own food and the benefits of growing Heirloom seeds.  We started Mary's Heirloom Seeds to offer friends, family and communities a trusted source for non-GMO seeds." 

This giveaway includes:

Family Garden Pack and the "Wild about Wildflowers" seed combo packs!

 A great family or market garden pack. A variety of heavy producing seeds.  Includes One packet of each: Pink Oxheart Tomato, Cal Wonder Bell Pepper, Golden Crookneck Squash, Crenshaw Melon, Calabrese Broccoli, German Giant Radish, Anaheim Pepper, Detroit Dark Red Beet, Marketmore Cucumber, New Jersey Wakefield Cabbage, Little Gem Lettuce.   Wildflowers include: Bachelor Button, Butterfly Garden, Lupine Arroyo Blue, Marigold, Nasturtium, Lemon Queen Sunflower

That's $43 worth of seeds!  We can't put a price on Food security...

 

In case you missed "What is Real Food" here's a recap...

I know "Real" food may not seem like as much fun as the sugary, chemically, DIY recipes out there on the internet.  This is why REAL Food Friday is so unique.  This is the place to share your unprocessed, gmo-free, locally grown and/or fair trade posts.

We are trying to make a difference 1 recipe at a time!

Here's a great reference from Food Myths:
Do you ever think about how far the food you eat travels?  Who grew it?  Who picked it? How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite? Real Food is:
-Supports fair farmworker wages
-GMO Free
-Little to no processing/processed ingredients
-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate
-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from other regions
-Meat and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

We're your hosts
Joyce @ It's Your Life
Lydia @ Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen 
me...Mary @ Back to the Basics and Mary's Kitchen
Deb @ Kneaded Creations 
Janine @ My Lamp is Full 
Also, please welcome Marla @ Organic4 Greenlivings 

<a href="http://maryshealthymeals.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/greenmary_smith/REALFood1_zpsb7242283.jpg"/></a>  
If you're interested in co-hosting let us know! 

You can email Mary at mari_backtonature@yahoo.com

Each host chooses their own features so be sure to hop around and see if you were featured.  There were SO MANY amazing links last week it was tough choosing.

My Features:

The Girl Scout's Response from Once Upon a Time in a Bed of Wildflowers

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link up your Real Food posts!  Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.
The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon.

Please follow your hosts and consider adding the Real Food Friday button.

REAL Food Round-Up and We're Hosting a GIVEAWAY!

This week we are inviting you to share your Organic Gardening posts

@ REAL Food Friday!  Homegrown is the best organic, pesticide-free 

and non-GMO food source.

To make your organic gardening experience even better, our giveaway is from
 Mary's Heirloom Seeds!

Mary has signed the Safe Seed pledge.   

Mary's Seeds are open-pollinated, non-gmo and non-hybrid, non-patented,  untreated, heirloom garden seeds.
Seed Orders placed Monday-Thursday are shipped within 24 hours, except for holidays.

The Giveaway goes LIVE this Thursday @ 7pm EST with Real Food Friday!

Today I'm sharing my favorite REAL food Recipes that I've shared here @ Mary's Kitchen!

Chickpeas Salad 3-Ways 

Blueberry Mango Smoothie

 Thin Crust Garden Pesto Pizza

Thanksgiving Rolls using REAL Food Ingredients

Grilled Eggplant with Fresh Basil

REAL Food Friday #24

Hello and Welcome to REAL Food Friday!
I'd like to thank all of the conscious bloggers who followed the guidelines and 
shared REAL FOOD recipes and posts. Thank you for sharing!

We're your hosts
Joyce @ It's Your Life
Lydia @ Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen 
me...Mary @ Back to the Basics and Mary's Kitchen
Deb @ Kneaded Creations 
Janine @ My Lamp is Full 
Also, please welcome Marla @ Organic4 Greenlivings 

<a href="http://maryshealthymeals.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a627/greenmary_smith/REALFood1_zpsb7242283.jpg"/></a>  
If you're interested in co-hosting let us know! 

You can email Mary at mari_backtonature@yahoo.com

Each host chooses their own features so be sure to hop around and see if you were featured.  There were SO MANY amazing links last week it was tough choosing. Last week I had ZERO features because we were sick so I'm making up for it this week!

My Features:

Fermented Garlic from Learning and Yearning

Apple Sauce Bread with Pecans from Mamal Diane

In case you missed "What is Real Food" here's a recap...

I know "Real" food may not seem like as much fun as the sugary, chemically, DIY recipes out there on the internet.  This is why REAL Food Friday is so unique.  This is the place to share your unprocessed, gmo-free, locally grown and/or fair trade posts.

We are trying to make a difference 1 recipe at a time!
If your post includes items like *margarine, *granulated sugar, *food dye, packaged baking mixed with ingredients that you cannot pronounce (betty crocker, duncan hines, pillsbury) then it WILL be deleted.  These are garbage ingredients.  Sorry...Not real food.

Here's a great reference from Food Myths:
Do you ever think about how far the food you eat travels?  Who grew it?  Who picked it? How much in processing it's been through before you took a bite? Real Food is:
-Supports fair farmworker wages
-GMO Free
-Little to no processing/processed ingredients
-Supports local markets/vendors and isn't transported long distances to get to my plate
-Honors fair trade principles when I buy from othr regions
-Meat and dairy should be humanely raised and on real food themselves-Not genetically engineered feed, drugs, hormones and antibiotics.

Link up your Real Food posts!  Processed and "junk food" posts will be deleted.
The party runs from Thursday at 7pm EST through Monday at Noon.

Please follow your hosts and consider adding the Real Food Friday button.

Mary's DIY Tincture Kits

Mary's Heirloom Seeds Newsletter DIY Herbal Home Remedies In This Issue Bacopa Tincture What is a Tincture Feverfew Tincture Quick Links   Mary's Tincture Shop Buy HERB Seeds About Us Growing From Seed Health benefits of: Chamomile Basil  Cayenne Pepper Eleuthero Root Rosemary Make Your Own! DIY Tincture Kit DIY Chamomile Tincture Kit DIY Allergy Tincture Kit Mary's Heirloom Seeds Saturday and Sunday @ the Yellow Green Farmer's Market 8am-4pm in Booth #281 Have you given any thought to making your own herbal home remedies?  Do you already make your own?  Below are examples of my own homemade Tinctures.  DIY Tincture kits are now available @ Mary's Tincture Shop   ***DIY stands for Do It Yourself*** "Kits" purchased Monday-Thursday ship within 48 hours via USPS Priority Mail.  Tincture kits include:  1 - 32 ounce Glass Jar with lid, 1 - 2 ounce Amber Bottle with dropper top,  2 customizable labels,  1 ounce of Organic Herbs (additional herbs available) and Detailed Instructions DIY Bacopa (brahmi) Tincture From Back to the Basics: Brahmi has long history in Indian Ayurvedic medicine. It is widely used for its effect in blood circulation that promotes efficient function of the liver, lungs and the kidneys. Traditional medicinal uses of Brahmi memory enhancer mental and physical fatigue insomnia irritable bowel syndrome increase sex drive impotence bronchitis coughs and hoarseness arthritis rheumatism inflammatory conditions high cholesterol levels What is a Tincture? An herbal tincture is simply an herbal extract.  Herbal remedies have been used throughout history to treat illnesses and ailments without "modern medicine" and pharmacueticals.  Tinctures are easy to make, home remedies.  If properly prepared and stored, your tincture will last indefinitely. What is Menstruum?  Menstruum is generally vodka, when making a true herbal tincture. Vinegar or Vegetable Glycerin can be used (instead of alcohol) but is less effective at leaching out the medicinal components of the plant.    DIY Feverfew Tincture Feverfew is actually a flowering plant.  It can be grown for it's medicinal properties or as an ornamental. The word "feverfew" derives from the Latin word febrifugia, meaning "fever reducer." Feverfew is used most often today to treat migraine headaches. [UMM] Feverfew has also be used for Asthma, Arthritis, Psoriasis, digestion and Menstrual cramps.    From Back to the Basics, Directions: For fresh herbs, chop plant material (stems and leaves) and flowers.  Fill your jar.  For dried herbs, fill half of your jar.    Add enough alcohol to your jar to cover the herbs, plus another inch.  I prefer Everclear for fresh herbs.   Cover with a lid.  Shake every other day.   What do you think?  Are you ready to get started? If you have additional questions please ask.  We are happy to continue to provide growing knowledge for you and your family.   Sincerely,  Mary                                    Mary's Heirloom Seeds