Nutrition is a cornerstone of health. Processed and unnatural foods wreak havoc on the body, whereas real foods support true health. But how do we know what makes a diet truly healthy? Real Foods Research  Weston A. Price was a dentist who traveled the world aiming to learn why so many of his patients in the United States had prevalent tooth decay and cavities.  Price learned that people who ate traditional foods had virtually no cavities or tooth decay, nor even cancer, d

Teaching kids to become independent learners is one of the foundations of our homeschool philosophy . For my two high schoolers, this means that, in addition to our 3x/week all-together schooling time , they also pursue their own studies independently . Here's a snapshot of independent study plans for 18yo Alina's last semester of high school and 15yo Ian's spring semester of his sophomore year. Scholar Contracts for My Teens Each semester, I meet with the kids to develop t

Here's a peek into what is and isn't working well in homeschooling my 18yo and 15yo, plus our new curriculum and areas of focus for the coming semester. Although I do the bulk of our homeschool planning in July , by January it is time for a mid-year review. The intent of our mid-year review is to look at the following with regards to our home school: What has been working well? What needs to be improved? What needs to be removed from our curriculum? Is there anything new to

Homeschool Physics doesn't have to be intimidating or complicated. Here are resources for a middle grades Physics unit that is engaging and easy-to-do at home. This unit focuses on: Exploring the World of Physics book Engaging videos and books for physics concepts Simple hands-on physics experiments and demonstrations We use a 4-year science rotation in our homeschool, so we have completed two Physics units, first when my kids were 11yo and 14yo and again when my kids were

As you roll into the new year, it's an opportune time to take stock of how things are going in your homeschool. Don't let yourself feel locked in to your original plan for the year; if something isn't working, change it! Maybe there is a specific curriculum or resource that *sounded* great but isn't really working out, or one of your kids has gotten into a new interest, or there is a new circumstance that needs to be taken into account. Mid-year planning helps make sure you

Here's a recipe for using up those holiday leftovers! After Thanksgiving and Christmas every year, I make a big pot of turkey soup! This is a beloved tradition in our family, as we all love turkey soup. This recipe makes plenty so you will have leftovers for easy meals. My turkey soup starts with using the leftover turkey carcass to make easy bone broth in the slow cooker. Turkey broth is rich and flavorful, in comparison to chicken broth. Once the broth is ready to use, I c

From 2020-2022, I treated over 150 cases of COVID-19 in my small homeopathic practice, mostly for people living in other cities and states. When I reflect back, there is one case that stands out because it shows so clearly how effectively homeopathy works for treating severe illnesses. The case was Steve*, who was a 52-year-old with comorbidities of obesity, depression, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).  By the time Steve started homeo

Chocolate chip cookies are such a classic recipe, and for good reason. The chocolate is melty, in a chewy, sweet base of cookie dough. Mmmm... Why Einkorn? My family switched to Einkorn wheat flour  12+ years ago. Einkorn is an ancient variety of wheat that has never been hybridized; as such it is naturally lower in gluten and higher in protein than modern wheat. Some people who have sensitivities to gluten in modern wheat can actually consume Einkorn with no problems . This

Homeopathic remedies can prevent illness! Here's the protocol we use for preventing the flu. Evidence that Homeopathic Remedies Can Be Used to Prevent Illnesses Homeopathic remedies have a long history of being used preventatively to help avoid and lessen the effects of contagious illnesses. Way back in the late 1700's and early 1800's, founder of homeopathy Samuel Hahnemann successfully used preventative remedies for scarlet fever and cholera. Since then, homeopathic remed

It's time to plant garlic! Unlike many vegetables, garlic gets planted in the Fall and is harvested the following summer. Garlic is uber easy to plant and grow. I've been growing garlic for ~ 10 years, so here are some tips for how to make it work well. This is a great homesteading project to get your kids involved in, too. I love the slower pace of homesteading in the late Fall: the summer garden has mostly played itself out, we're still months away from baby chick time, an

Bone broth is a wonderful superfood that was a critical part of many traditional diets.  I make sure we always have bone broth in the freezer, and use it liberally in cooking.   Besides using broth for soups, I also incorporate it into many recipes such as hash brown and beef hot dish , beans , nutrient-dense white rice , and veggies such as beets and green beans . When I first started making homemade broth over 15+ years ago, I followed the recipe in Nourishing Traditions

Here's a real food Pecan Pie recipe for you! This recipe ditches the usual corn syrup, and instead relies on unprocessed sweeteners (sucanat and maple syrup) with healthy butter for a rich and sweet delicious flavor. Even though this pie is a sweet treat for dessert, it still provides some great nutrition: Grassfed Butter: healthy fats plus vitamins A, D, E, & K2 Crispy Pecans: protein plus calcium, magnesium, potassium, plus many nutrients such as copper and zinc Pastured E

Homeopathy and COVID-19 As in past epidemics , homeopathy has proven to be effective at treating COVID-19 illness. As evidenced in a double-blind, randomized study , homeopathic remedies can reduce the likelihood of severe COVID-19 illness and speed up the recovery from the illness. The study found that people using specific homeopathic remedies experienced "a shorter period of illness, with evidence of fewer hospitalizations, than those taking placebo." In treating over 15

As cold and flu season arrives, there are a few homeopathic remedies that are crucial to have on-hand. When used properly, these remedies can quickly stop an illness from worsening and, in many cases, completely cure the illness within a short time period. Homeopathic remedies work by stimulating the body to cure the underlying cause of the symptoms, and they do so without side effects. These five remedies are useful at the beginning of a cold/flu, when the symptoms are stil

Growing up, my family had a tradition of eating PUMPKIN PIE FOR BREAKFAST on Thanksgiving (and sometimes Christmas). I'm continuing this beloved tradition in my family; it makes for an easy, no-fuss breakfast to hold us over until our early dinner feast. This delicious pumpkin pie recipe is health(ier) because it is made with REAL FOOD ingredients: maple syrup and sucanat instead of white sugar, plus real milk and cream instead of canned evaporated milk. This recipe works g

With the return of cold and flu season, I wanted to share with you one remedy that's often indicated for flu symptoms: Gelsemium sempervirens . While it certainly isn't the only homeopathic flu remedy, I find that Gelsemium is a good match for many cases of flu . It is my go-to remedy whenever my kids get the flu, and has worked well for many of my homeopathic clients, too. When used properly, homeopathic treatment of flu will result in much milder symptoms and a more rapid

" My kid thinks he knows everything! " " My parents don't understand me. " " Why won't my teen listen to me? " The adolescent and teen years often come with lots of frustration for both kids and parents. Communications can become strained, attitudes can become negative, and relationships can become damaged. My kids are 18yo and 15yo right now. I'm by no means an expert on this, but I've learned much over the last few years and want to share it with you. Hopefully, this will

My kids love Halloween: pumpkin carving, costumes, and trick-or-treating. Over the years, we've used the following methods to make sure the kids don't have Halloween candy overload. If you want to try out any of these methods, make sure you talk with your kids in advance of Halloween so they know what to expect. Non-Edible Treats In advance of Halloween, I've bought a few small items that my kids will enjoy, such as small puzzles, coloring books, animal figurines, and eve

Here's a kid-approved recipe for Einkorn Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. Why Einkorn? My family switched to Einkorn wheat flour 12+ years ago. Einkorn is an ancient variety of wheat that has never been hybridized; as such it is naturally lower in gluten and higher in protein than modern wheat. Some people who have sensitivities to gluten in modern wheat can actually consume Einkorn with no problems . This recipe for Einkorn Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins uses Einkorn all-pu

Every Fall, I start thinking of all the ways I can use pumpkin: pumpkin chocolate chip muffins , pumpkin pie , pumpkin cookies ! My husband still generally eats grain-free, so this recipe for Pumpkin Custard Cake is for him, especially. This grain-free recipe is loaded with eggs and healthy fats. We enjoy this recipe for breakfast, brunch, or topped with whipped cream for a special dessert. This is spiced just like pumpkin pie, so it's a wonderful grain-free stand-in for the