Halloween Candy Switch Witch

Does the idea of your children or you family eating all of that sugar that comes from the trick-or-treating scare you or make you sick?

Here is a possible solution:

Introducing the

Switch Witch

Her other names also include The Candy Fairy and The Great Pumpkin

She is cousins with the Tooth Fairy and lives on the dark side of the moon. Her and her black cat trade out gifts to all the children who give her their candy. Your children can choose to eat and keep a couple of pieces but the more that they give up the bigger and better the gift in exchange. They can write her a note to go with the candy requesting their preferred gift and leave the candy at the front door.

This is the newer thing that parents are now doing to limit the amount of sugar and other chemicals that their children and families consume related to this holiday.

In relation to this, here are some links as to what to do with the candy besides throwing it away. I hate to waste food, even if most of the candy isn't "real" food, but you know what I mean.

Holloween Buy Back

Look up a local dentist to send your children's candy to our troops.

Opertation Gratitude

Or if there are not dentists local to you, send it to this warehouse that will send it on to the troops.

Happy Halloween!!

Just in Time for the Holidays...

In my area, we have had a Frost Warning but not frost yet. We are expected to go below freezing overnight come Wednesday. So most of the Farmer Markets in my area are gone or will be very soon.

Some of the things that I have found most difficult to find during this season are places to purchase healthy meats, dairy and eggs, especially as we get closer to Winter. It is important to get meat that is pastured/free range and grass fed, as well as hormone and antibiotic free. They are healthier animals and therefore, healthier for us to eat.

So I decided to share some of the options that I have found available to help everyone out with the foot work. List below are a couple of the sights for both TURKEYs for Thanksgiving and BEEF, as they are coming into butcher season. I will post about the Dairy and Eggs later.

Turkey options:

Most locations will let you select the size based on a pound range. Otherwise it can be prepared the same as any other Turkey.

CSA Local Harvest 

CSA stands for Consumer Supported Agriculture

Type in your zip code or select Shipping Only so that you can get the Turkey location you want.

More about the other benefits of this website to come.

Honored Prairie

You can pick up at one of their sites listed here

OR

You can ship it to any location listed on the map in orange or yellow below:

They have a limited range as they are trying to get you your Turkey, Beef or other meats in a timely manner so that they are fresh and healthier to eat.

Beef options:

Most options are Whole Beef, Half Beef, Quarter Beef and select cuts. A whole beef can weigh around 700lbs, which is hanging weight. Here is a typical selection from a Quarter Beef:
4 chuck roasts, 1 English cut, 1 pot roast, 6 rib steaks, 6 T-bone steaks, 2 Porterhouse steaks, 3 sirloin steaks, 1 flank steak, 3 short ribs, 2 rump roasts, 2 top round roasts, 2 stew beef and 45 lbs ground beef

CSA Local Harvest

CSA stands for Consumer Supported Agriculture

Type in your zip code or select Shipping Only so that you can get the Beef location you want

American Farmers Network

This place clearly ships the meat to you, wherever you might live.

Honored Prairie

See above

Grassland Graze

Located in Liberty Township, OH

They have a great page that shows the different cuts and where they come from on the cow, pictured below.

The great thing about their page is that when you select any section of the cuts listed above, it will explain what type of cuts you get and what it is good for making with that meat. Example: Short Plate: Excellent for Fajitas.

White Clover Farm

Located in Hillsboro, OH

They also have a great page that show the different distinct cuts from a cow

They have an order form right on their page. The down side is they are out of Whole Beef options for this year. But Half and Quarter Beef options are available.

Make sure to plan and prepare your fridge or freezer for the needed space for the beef. It will take up a lot of space. I have rarely ordered even a Quarter of Beef without sharing or splitting it with someone in my family or friends at work.

Despite the availability and the quantity that some of these options provide, please be aware that eating beef more than 4 times a week is not recommended. I will get more detailed about this in future posts.

Otherwise, Happy Hunting!

Belayed Update, needless to say...

Sorry for the delay in posts. That goal of mine to blog more often hasn't worked out too well. As with most people, life has been pretty busy.

Matt and I have been applying to jobs like mad men, as well as taking more foster care classes, to prepare for our re-certification coming up in November. We have also been making adjustments to the way we live and who we spend time with. Matt started a new job in Aug and I started a new on in Sept. Sadly they are both part time, but mine pays pretty well, as I get the same per paycheck that I did when work 40hrs at the bank compared to the 25hrs a week now.

Here is my update regarding my lifestyle.

I started this new lifestyle a bit on the lazy side, as I don't always do the exercises every day, more like 3 times a week verses 5. I started paying more attention to what I was eating and how I made my food. I started eating more salads and juicing daily verses once or twice a week. At the beginning of Aug, I was 193 lbs. At the end Aug I was 187 lbs. At middle of Sept I was 181 lbs. NOW I am 177 lbs.

I can't say that isn't progress over the course of 9 weeks.

It helps that I am exercising more regularly now in the mornings since I get up at 7am without thinking since I used to get up between 5:30 and 6am previously, but now I make my mornings more productive.

I look forward to breaking the 177 weight as the weeks go on. 

I will say one thing that may or may not be affecting my loss of weight, but I don't always eat the food I should. I occasionally have a glass of wine or go out to dinner with friends. But I do think about it differently. 

I ordered a side of asparagus  a side of sweet potato fries, no sugar and a small salad as a meal for $10. I was satisfied and happy with my meal as I didn't stray too far from what I should eat and with how reasonably priced it was.

Lastly, I have been trying a new thing for the past 2 weeks and will see how it works. I will tell you all more about it once I determine the results.