Kathleen | Roots & Boots
Favorite Halloween Picture Books
As I mentioned in this post about local Halloween events , we don’t make a big deal about Halloween here at the Yankee Homestead. When the kids get a bit older I’d like to explore the holiday’s history, but for now we just carve pumpkins in October and dress up on Halloween night.
Exploring Nature With Kids: The Nature Display
According to Richard Louv in his most excellent book Last Child in the Woods, [A] growing body of research links our mental, physical, and spiritual health directly to our association with nature—in positive ways. Several of these studies suggest that thoughtful exposure of youngsters to nature can even be a powerful form of therapy for attention-deficit…
Hamburger Helper (the Real Foods version)
This Healthy Hamburger Helper recipe came from The Nourishing Cook, a blog based on the recipes from Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions cookbook. I tweaked the recipe a bit, but you can see the original recipe here. I usually double or triple this recipe, to have lots of leftovers. This requires using two pans at the same time,…
Zand HerbaLozenges: fight colds and flu naturally!
Here at the Yankee Homestead, we’re almost completely free of all prescription drugs, as well as over-the-counter remedies. We prevent and treat our illnesses and injuries with real food, read food supplements, essential oils and other natural remedies. Here’s one of my favorites for treating and preventing colds and the flu, as well as for…
Favorite Picture Books For Fall
Celebrate apple season and autumn leaves by snuggling up to read a few favorite picture books for fall with your favorite kiddos.
Good Night, Sleep Tight: Favorite Bedtime Books for Toddlers & Preschoolers
If there are little people at your house, you probably have Goodnight Moon memorized by now. And Good Night, Gorilla. And possibly Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book. These all are wonderful books, and we do love them here at the Yankee Homestead. But sometimes, even Goodnight Moon can get old (even in Spanish). So, here are…
Roasted Veggies (and the dangers of heating olive oil)
Roasting is hands down one of the easiest and tastiest ways to prepare vegetables! Favorite veggies for roasting: carrots (Find out why I stopped buying baby carrots) cauliflower (It turns out I’m the only cauli-fan at my house, boo.) broccoli butternut squash spaghetti squash sweet potatoes
Tea Time: Traditional Medicinals Herbal Teas for Self Care
Anytime is a good time for tea, but fall weather always makes me want to savor a nice cup of tea. Not to mention that the changing weather can tend to usher in a host of unwanted conditions such as congestion, colds, sore throats and the like. Let me share one of the tricks I…
Favorite Folk Music for Family Listening
“All music is folk music, I ain’t never heard no horse sing a song.” –Louis Armstrong, one of the greatest artists in jazz history Sadly, all music is NOT folk music, and some kids’ music is downright annoying. Tired of listening to Veggie Tales and The Wiggles? Need some great road trip tunes for a…
Raspberry Basil Chicken
Raspberry Basil Chicken is a new favorite at our house, a big hit with all three of my boys. Just the other night, Mr. Native Texan suggested that I serve the sauce at every meal, so he can pour it over everything he eats. I’ll take that as a compliment!