Cloth Diapers, Part 1

I became a cloth diapering Mama in March 2012.  A little over a year ago.  And...I LOVE THEM!!!

I considered using cloth diapers nearly five years ago, when my oldest child was a baby.  But I didn't know anyone who used them, and so I didn't give it too much thought.

Then in August 2011 my husband was laid off for the first time.  Less than a week later I spent nearly $40 on diapers-2 big boxes, one for each child.  "I'm supposed to be prepared," I thought.  I was obviously not diaper-prepared. 

Two months later I was blessed to move to a neighborhood where I quickly met three moms who cloth diapered their children.  They answered all my questions, and a cloth diapering Mama was born.

Here are my answers to the questions that I had.  These are MY experiences.

Why would I want to use cloth diapers?

• Save money
• Less waste

Does using cloth diapers really save money?

Absolutely!  I ordered prefolds (more on this later) from Green Mountain Diapers.  Newborn diapers (6-10 lbs) cost $24/dozen.  Size small (10-15 lbs) costs $28/dozen.  Size medium (15-29 lbs) costs $32/dozen.  If you plan to wash diapers daily, you would probably want one dozen of each of these sizes.  This would get you through the first year and beyond.  Then you also need covers.  I love Thirsties Duo Wrap diaper covers.  They cost $12.25 each.  I would recommend getting 5 of each size 1 (4-15 lbs) and size 2 (15-30 lbs).

Total price for cloth diapering your child until he weighs 30 lbs:  $206.50 (shipping is free)
Estimated cost for using disposable diapers for the first year:  $284.33 (this is a very low estimate)

Plus, cloth diapers can be used on more than one child, so you will save even more.

But what about washing diapers?  That costs money!

Yes it does.  But not too much.  At least in my area.  I didn't own a clothes washer until about a week before  I started using cloth diapers.  My electric and gas bills both went down after using a clothes washer.  (Since this was in March, the weather started warming up.  Sorry this doesn't give a very accurate picture of how much washing cloth diapers actually costs.)
And laundry soap.  I make my own (I'll post that recipe soon).   My recipe costs $1.50/batch.  Each batch can wash about 264 loads of diapers.  I wash 5-6 loads of diapers each week.  So the laundry soap would last 44 weeks if all I washed were diapers.

Total cost of soap for 1 year (for just diapers):  $1.77

My baby just woke.  Gotta go.

Whole Wheat Sourdough

Over the summer I learned to make sourdough.  I loved it!  I made sourdough bread, pancakes, pizza crust, biscuits, and probably other delicious things too.  At the end of the summer things got a little crazy in my life, and sourdough (and breadmaking in general) was one of the first things to go...after this blog.  Now that my life is much more in control, I cannot wait to make start another starter, hopefully a few days ago.  Wait!  That didn't happen!
So here is how to make your own starter.  Hopefully I'll share some recipes in a few days.

1.  Mix equal parts of wheat flour (or any flour) and water in a quart-sized jar.  I started with 1/2 cup of each.
2.  Put a napkin over top, and screw it on with a lid.  The napkin allows for airflow to get into the jar.  The idea with sourdough is that you are getting natural yeasts and healthy bacterias from the air.
3.  Set in a warm place.
4.  "Feed" the starter twice each day, following steps 1-3.  I usually use 1-2 tablespoons of each flour and water at each feeding.  Be sure to mix well, making certain to scrape the bottom and sides of the jar.
5.  Within 2-4 days you should start to see bubbles.  This is all dependent upon things you can and can't control such as temperature.  When I started my starter during the summer, I had a lot happier of a starter than I expect to this time.  Just do your best to keep it warm.  Keep the jar on the stove so that it warms up while your cooking, etc.  (Note:  When I tried in the future, I found it rather impossible to get good results in the cold winter temperatures.  I'll give it another shot, and then I think I'll just have to wait for warmer weather.)
6.  You can make crackers in less than a week of starting your starter, but you should probably wait 1-2 weeks prior to making bread, just to make sure your starter is happy (lots of bubbles).
7.  When you're ready to make a recipe, take out as much starter as the recipe calls for, then replace with equal parts of flour and water.

Easy!  This really only takes about 1 minute of work each day!

I learned how to make sourdough from Kitchen Stewardship.  If you don't like my directions, you can check out her's.  I also started by using her recipes.  Then I got more adventurous.

Springtime

It is finally spring where I live.  Well, I suppose it's been spring for a while, but it is finally a nice spring where I can actually go outside.  The rest of the spring was very wet and rather chilly.  This is the reason that I haven't posted very much the past couple of weeks:  I've been outside and in the kitchen.  Here are a few preparedness related activities that I have been busy with.  Perhaps it may give you some ideas.

• Gardening.  I am really excited about my garden this year.  My sister is gardening with me.  We are almost done planting, and have begun harvesting spinach.  I love green smoothies!
• Rhubarb.  I have made rhubarb jam, rhubarb pie, easy rhubarb dessert, rhubarb syrup, and am in the middle of making rhubarb juice.
• Dehydrating herbs-dill, chives, and parsley.
• Grilling.  Thanks to the really cheap hamburgers I bought.  I have made hamburger buns, pasta salad with beans, dutch oven potatoes, coleslaw, and baked beans to go along with the hamburgers or grilled chicken.

Red vs. White Wheat

When you go to buy hard wheat, you sometimes have a choice between red and white wheat.  What does this mean, and what is the difference?  A lot of people think there is a difference in nutritional value.  This is not true.  The only difference is that the gene(s) for color are taken out of the white wheat.

red wheat (left) white wheat (right)

Wheat ground into flour looks like this:

red wheat (left), white wheat (right)

You can see a slight difference in the color.  (If I knew how to take better pictures, you would be able to tell a bigger difference.)

To test how the flours differ when cooking, I made my bread recipe using all white wheat flour in one batch, and all red wheat flour in a second batch.

Bread made with red wheat

bread made with white wheat

red wheat (left), white wheat (right)

To sum up the experiment, bread made with white wheat is lighter in color, and has a softer texture than bread made with red wheat.  White wheat also rises a little higher.  The bread made with red wheat was easier to slice.  I typically make this same recipe using part red wheat and part white wheat with good results.
When I use wheat flour in every day recipes such as cookies, pizza dough, or pie crust, I like to use white wheat, because it is lighter in color and texture.  It blends in with all-purpose flour better.

Coming Up:  Gluten Free Cooking

My New Menu Plan

I have a new menu plan. While I like to cook and eat lots of different foods, my husband and children like the same few meals repeated frequently. So I gave in, and we are eating primarily their favorite meals.

Here is our 2 week menu:

Barbecue chicken with macaroni & cheese
Meat loaf with potatoes
Pizza
Spaghetti and meatballs
Chicken enchiladas
Beef enchiladas
Sweet & sour chicken
Stroganof
Chicken with white sauce and pasta or potatoes
Chili OR White Chili
Vegetable soup OR Tortilla Soup
Breakfast for dinner OR beef taco bake

We'll have these meals, with a few others of my choice mixed in, over and over again.


Pros of this menu method:

• It will be easy to decide what to have for dinner
• It's really easy to make a 3 month food storage plan (I will post it soon!)
• I can easily freeze meals ahead of time when I buy large quantities of meat
• My family will enjoy dinner all the time, since these are all meals we all enjoy

Con of this menu method:

• I will get a little bored cooking and eating the same foods

How do you plan your menu?

Powdered Eggs Experiment 1

I bought powdered eggs a few weeks ago for the first time, so my experiments are beginning. My first experiment was with cookies.
For this experiment I made 3 batches of cookies. The first was my control group, and was made with a regular egg. The second batch was made with 1 1/2 Tablespoons egg powder and 3Tablespoons of water, as I learned from Everyday Food Storage. The third batch was made according to the container's directions, with 2 1/2 Tablespoons of both egg powder and water.

Here were my observations of the dough:

• The two batches made with powdered eggs were dry. The third batch (made according to the egg powder package directions) did not hold together completely.

• The two batches with egg powder tasted the same. Yes, egg powder is pasteurized, so it is safe to eat cookie dough!

Observations of the cookies:

• I thought all 3 batches tasted the same.

• Several people noticed that batches 2 and 3 had a slight different flavor than the first batch, but thought they were all good.

• Several people thought that batches 1 and 3 tasted just the same except 3 was a little more salty.

• One person thought the third batch was a little more moist, and one person thought it was a little dry.

My final thoughts:

• Why follow the package directions and use 2 1/2 tablespoons of egg powder when 1 1/2 tablespoons will do the trick?
  
• I will try using a little more water next time.

Last Day of Challenges

If you haven't been to Food Storage Made Easy this week, I would encourage you to.  Every day there has been a new challenge.  I have done little, if anything, on each of the challenges, but it has got me thinking.  Today's challenge is to clean up and organize your food storage.  I definitely need to do this one, but I don't know if I'll get to it today.  I am hoping to dehydrate more apples, and I'd like to make apple butter.  We'll see if I get to that.

Vegetable Spaghetti

Last night I cooked a delicious garden vegetable meal.  This is the only part of yesterday's challenge that I succeeded in.  Today's challenge I'm just not even going to try.  But how do you cook in doors without electricity or gas?  Barbecue and dutch oven just don't work.


Here's what I made for dinner last night:

Vegetable Spaghetti

3 medium tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups sliced vegetables of your choice (onions, zucchini, eggplant, peas, carrots, broccoli, peppers, etc.)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp pepper
Spaghetti
Parmesan cheese

Cook heartier vegetables (such as onions, zucchini, eggplant, etc.) and garlic until crisp tender in a little oil.  Add tomatoes, peas, and seasonings until warm.  Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles, and top with Parmesan cheese.

Today's Challenge--I Really Think I Can and Should Do This One!

Yesterday's Challenge from Food Storage Made Easy was a complete flop for me.  I just didn't do it!
Today's challenge, though, I think I can, and should do.  The idea is that a family of 6 is coming to live with me for a few days.  So I need to cook for them, and provide them with somewhere to sleep.  So today I get to make extra food and freeze it.  I also get to prepare for my sister's family to visit next week.

Dehydrating

The past couple of weeks I have been dehydrating apples and onions.  The apples are so good to eat just as a snack, and I think I will also try re-hydrating them to use in baked goods.  I have used an apple corer-peeler-cutter machine.  That has made it really fast and easy.

The onion experiment did not go as well.  It took forever to cut and separate the onion onto the dehydrator.  And then I ended up with only a small amount of dehydrated onions to show for my labor.  I think that I will buy some dehydrated onions from the LDS Cannery.

Another Challenge

I failed yesterday's challenge of cooking everything from scratch.  I was feeling under the weather, and so I did not make bread, or dinner.  We ordered pizza.  Very much against the rules.
Today I'm canning plums, so I already know that I will fail today's task of no electricity or water.  I am also supposed to not drive at all (I think I may do that part), and I should also take my 120 hour kit, all my valuables, and my family and go to my family's meeting place for 2 hours.  I don't think I'll do that.  Probably should, though.  It would be a good exercise.  How can I get 2 kids (2 and under), the computer, financial binder, money, safe, and 120 hour kit (in a rolling suitcase) to the park?  I need to work on that one.

Challenge Day 2

Well, I completely failed yesterday's challenge of not using water from the tap.  Thinking about the toilet was as far as I got.  I put a plastic quart-sized milk jug filled with rocks and dirt into the back of the toilet so that it required less water.  Does anyone have any ideas of things to put in the back of a toilet to conserve water?  My toilet still requires about a gallon of water to refill it!  My husband said if we really couldn't use water inside our home we would build sometime of "bathroom" in the garden.  More like a tarp being held up by something.  And we would fertilize the garden.  Yuck! 
Well here is today's challenge: cook everything from scratch.  This is more my style.  I think I can do this one.  I've already made oatmeal.  I just put oats, water, powdered milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and raisins in a bowl, and stick it in the microwave.

This could be fun!

Head on over to Food Storage Made Easy and join the challenge!  7 day challenge begins today.  No water today!  Good luck!

Freezer Failure

The past week has been very busy. I have frozen eggs, had horrible experiences at grocery stores with coupons (I'm sure I'll post more about that in the future), cooked and frozen chicken, canned salsa (which I hope to never do again without help), etc.
Then I discovered that the door to my freezer was open, and I had thawed berry juice dripping on everything. What a mess! But that wasn't the bad part. Nearly everything in the freezer had defrosted! The chicken in boxes stayed frozen because it's very compact. A lot of things at the bottom of piles stayed frozen as well. I did cook up all of my defrosted meat (that took a couple hours). I figure all the fruit, vegetables, and cheese are still okay. Maybe not as good of quality, though. I threw out the ice cream and bread.
While cooking the meat, I realized that I was very grateful that I could cook the meat using electricity. If the reason for my mess was a prolonged power outage, I would have had to think of a different way to cook the meat. I think the dutch oven would have been my best bet.
In a way this freezer accident was harder than a power outage, however, because the food was already defrosted when I discovered the problem. If the power was off, I would know that, and could have worked to make all of the food compact together. Cooler boxes are great for this!
That's my big thought this week. What is your way to cook and keep food frozen if you don't have electricity?

Shopping, and Lack Thereof

The past 5 weeks I have shopped only for basics.  I bought some milk, one loaf of bread (plus won more in a gift basket off the radio), some fresh fruits and vegetables, diapers, and duct tape (turned out I did have some, like I thought).  Here is why I chose to do this:

1. Save time, money, and reduce stress.  I did not look at a single shopping ad for 5 weeks!  
2. Prove to myself that I could live without shopping at all for a month or more, if I had to.
3. Determine what my fridge, freezer, and pantry are missing.
4. Rotate through some of the food that I had.

My experience was very successful.  My family noticed very few differences in our diet.  Here is what we learned:

1. Country Cream powdered milk and Morning Moo's Milk Alternative are both pretty good.  I could get used to them if I had to.  Usually I mixed them with 2% milk, and it tasted great.  Powdered milk from the cannery tastes nasty.  Even mixed with regular milk, or with a little vanilla or sugar.  Gross.  I did like it, though, with Nestle Quik.  I would even mix the dry milk with warm water, Quik, and ice cubes and drink it immediately.  
2. I missed yogurt and sour cream.  My son missed yogurt and cottage cheese.  My husband missed fresh fruit.
3. We can see that if we had to continue doing little or no shopping for a couple more months than we would get bored with the food we have.  Just one month wasn't a problem, but any more than 3 months would get boring.  So, we intend to store a larger variety of foods as finances allow.

Today I went shopping, and had a fairly normal trip.  I just bought what was on sale!  This included eggs to freeze (I used frozen eggs on Saturday in waffles, and it turned out great!), and the milk and sour cream I found discounted for quick sale.  I intend to freeze this as well.  Frozen sour cream will work great in something like enchiladas.  I just wouldn't want to put it on a baked potato.  I also bought a ham shank for 99 cents/pound.  I intend to use this with dutch oven potatoes, baked beans (I'll freeze some), and freeze slices to use for pizza, omelets, and ham and eggs.