bring joy

why you need to eat more buckwheat + buckwheat berry superfoods porridge

Buckwheat is my fave new grain.

It’s not actually a grain. Like quinoa, it’s a seed, but it acts like a grain & is gluten-free. Purr-fect for us folks who have sensitive tummies & avoid gluten.

I recently bought a bunch in bulk from azure standard–50 pounds of the hulled groats, and 20 pounds of the grits. That should keep us set for awhile.

The grits cook faster and have a consistency similar to, well, traditional (corn) grits.

Buckwheat is such a fantastic “grain”–I wonder why it took me so long to latch on to it’s goodness.

And it’s uber packed with nutrients. One cup cooked, delivers approximately 6 grams of fiber, 7 grams protein, as well as a good does of magnesium, vitamin b-6, & iron, among other important nutrients.

Celiacs & gluten-eaters rejoice.

When cooked, it has a...

Frugal Tuesdays: Distinguishing between needs & wants

debt-free, frugal life, parenting

This photo was taken in the summer of ’12 when we took our road trip.

I’ve thought often of that trip, & how we created many memories–being in the car together over a span of 3,000+ miles will do that. But more than the time in the car of course, was everything else. We were able to see a lot of sights, our favorite being the Redwood forest. As fun as it was, it cost a lot of money, & was quite a luxury.

Going to the beach, to Knott’s Berry Farm, just the cost of travel & food for six people–it added up quickly & it wasn’t cheap.

It will be awhile until we’re in a position to do that again. As much as I’d love to take our kids to Disneyland, or Disneyworld, or go on trips elsewhere, it’s just not in our budget.

After last week’s post on kid’s activities (so many great insights from...

{MM} The prescription for good health + fave links

marvelous mondays

While I’m not trying to get Tyndale to smile & coo (his latest trick! it’s adorable), I’m desperately trying to get my house clean (it always takes me about 3-4 months post-baby to get there!), I’ve stumbled upon some good stuff to share with you.

♥ I love the contrast between the picture of the stacks of whole foods versus the rows of processed. Also, Rebecca makes a good point–changing the font size of the calories on the nutrition label isn’t addressing the bigger issue.

♥ Design Mom talks about depression. Happens to the best of us.

♥ a round-up of beautiful, delicious salads

♥ Meg gets all fired up & points out the sometimes-hypocrisy in women. Listen up, ya’ll: Stop B*&#%ing About Kim Novak & Goldie Hawn.

♥ Tess of the D’urbervilles (BBC’s 2008 production) on...