Whole Chicken Recipe

Here's a new family favorite. Found this one online and love it! Makes excellent bone broth too.

The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 onion
1 large chicken

Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid.
Cook for 4 – 5 hours on high (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Don’t forget to make your homemade stock with the leftover bones! Just add filtered water, carrots, and celery, and let simmer for 12 hours on low. When bones break easily, broth is done. Using a fine metal sieve and cheese cloth, filter broth into mason jars. Store in fridge for one week or freeze.

Elegantees: Modest Fashion to Fight Human Trafficking

I was so excited to learn about this line of clothing and the ministry of its designer.

When Katie Martinez learned of the horrors of sex trafficking, she purposed to find a way to fight, using her talents as a fashion designer to provide healing and hope to the victims of such crimes. Elegantees mission is two fold: To provide modest and affordable tops, and to provide fair-trade sewing jobs to women coming out of the sex trade. There are some really cute clothes on this website, so if you're shopping around I encourage you to check it out! Proceeds go towards the fight against trafficking. 

Elegantees partners with The Nepali Rescue Project and Restore NYC. Check out the following links for more information. 

Elegantees

Nepali Rescue Project

Restore NYC

What's in your skin care products?

A while back I discovered this website and felt it was interesting enough to pass along. Environmental Working Group provides helpful information on products such as cosmetics, household cleaners, laundry detergents, food, etc. It's definitely changed the way I think about shopping and helped me become more aware of the dangerous chemicals some items contain. Below I posted their mission statement and the link. Check it out! You may be surprised at what you learn.

It's our mission at Environmental Working Group to use the power of information to protect human health and the environment. EWG's Skin Deep database gives you practical solutions to protect yourself and your family from everyday exposures to chemicals. We launched Skin Deep in 2004 to create online safety profiles for cosmetics and personal care products. Our aim is to fill in where industry and government leave off. Companies are allowed to use almost any ingredient they wish. The U.S. government doesn't review the safety of products before they're sold. Our staff scientists compare the ingredients on personal care product labels and websites to information in nearly 60 toxicity and regulatory databases. Now in its eighth year, EWG's Skin Deep database provides you with easy-to-navigate safety ratings for a wide range of products and ingredients on the market. At about one million page views per month, EWG's Skin Deep is the world's largest personal care product safety guide.

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

Thoughts from Parent Life Magazine on Simplifying Life

Seven by Jen Hatmaker

Did you know that if you make an average American income of $35,000, you are in the top 4% of wealthy individuals in the world? In her article, Seven, which recently appeared in the January 2013 edition of Parent Life Magazine, Jen Hatmaker reveals just that. "We have too much and it's ruining us," she says. " I want to give my children a worldview that begins and ends with the mission of Jesus." The solution? The challenge of seven. 
For Seven months this family did what some would consider to be radical moves to elimite distractions from their lives. Hatmaker writes, "Month 1: I ate only seven foods." This first month she did solo, but by month two, her family joined her in wearing only seven pieces of clothing for 30 days. Month three, they gave away seven possessions a day. Month four found them media free, with the following month limiting their spending to only seven places. Month six, they attacked wastefulness and adopted "seven new habits for a greener life," and the final month was spent praying seven prayers each day. 
So was it worth it? Jen Hatmaker reports that though it was a challenge at times and her kids especially thought their lives were being ruined, in the end they spent more quality time as a family and life was much simpler. She concludes her article with these words: "Seven was a preparation; not an end in itself...God has rendered our hearts, and we will never be the same. We sit now in the starting blocks, ready for what is coming, saying, 'Lord, teach us to serve you instead of stuff.'"

Clear Away the Clutter by Angie Smith

In her article, Clear Away the Clutter, Angie Smith shares some helpful tips for minimizing stress and maximizing efficiency. Her solutions deal with both physical and emotional clutter. What does she mean by that? Well let's take a look.
Physical clutter we are very familiar with. If you have young children (or perhaps even older ones) you can relate to Angie's toy troubles. She writes, "This past year I waged war against our toy minefield...We now have a little laundry basket...When I see stray toys around the house, I throw them in there. Once in the basket, they cannot be removed unless the kids pay for them." She states that this experiment resulted in less clutter because her children quickly learned that they did not want to spend their allowance rescuing toys when they could simply put them away. Our author then goes on to suggest list making, prioritizing, and eliminating stressors. One particular stressor for her was meal prep. To lessen the stress, she began a system where she pulled out all of the ingredients she needed for a meal ahead of time, pre-mixed and pre-packaged everything, and set it aside in a little plastic bin. She then labeled it so she could identify which meal it was. She says now when it comes time to cook, "I feel like I'm on the Food Network because everything is so neat and accessible."
Something we don't recognize as often as physical stressors are emotional stressors. Ever find yourself wasting time thinking about ridiculous scenarios or simply worrying? That's what Angie Smith calls emotional clutter. She suggests spending more time praying about things and less time worrying. "I have a phrase I repeat over and over again," she writes. "Jesus, take this from me and let me live fully in You instead of the world." We need to identify where we are emotionally stressed and learn to give those things to Jesus so we can live the abundant, free life He desires for us to live in Him. 

Parent Life Magazine is a Life Way publication. To view these and similar articles, visit www.lifeway.com/parentlifeblog or find Life Way on Facebook and Twitter.

Natural Substitutes for Common Household Cleaners

Asthma and allergies run in my family, so when I learned that there are links between these condition and household cleaners, I began searching for ways to minimize and eventually eliminate them from my home. Check this out from Underground Health Reporter...

Your first line of defense is good, old-fashioned soap and water. Use it to wash your surfaces, your body and your clothes.

Natural Disinfectants – The Safer Alternative

• Spray hydrogen peroxide – which whitens like bleach but much more safely – followed by spraying vinegar on surfaces.
• Simmering cloves and cinnamon on the stove is an effective air freshener and baking soda absorbs odors in carpets, trash cans and inside your fridge and freezer. The best air freshener is to find the problem, fix it and open the windows for fresh air.
• Baking soda mixed with apple cider vinegar does a better job – and is far less toxic – than other bathroom scrubbing powders. Perfect for toilets and tubs.
• Vinegar used alone is safe and effective on counters, floors and windows. One cup of vinegar to three cups of water is strong enough to clean even the grimy outsides of your windows.
• Baking soda added to your rinse cycle is an effective fabric softener.
• Club soda in a spray bottle also works well on windows and mirrors.
• Lavender and tea tree oils are antiseptic and naturally antibacterial – in much lower doses – and leave behind a pleasant smell when added to baking soda or hydrogen peroxide.

Read more: http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/natural-disinfectants#ixzz2KoDkoRJs

T-Shirt Projects

If you're like me, you have a collection of t-shirts that you've compiled over the years. Eventually they wear out, fade, or just don't fit any more. What now? Special memories may be tied to them and you can't just throw them out! But there isn't room to store them forever either. Below are two fun ideas for reusing old shirts.

Picnic Blanket. Cut 12x12" squares out of shirts being sure to center the design. Sew squares together in strips to creat rows. Sew together rows. Use an old sheet as a back, and sew your squares to the sheet. BAM!! You have a new picnic blanket.

Tote Bag. Take an old t-shirt and cut off the sleeves and the collar. Flip inside out and sew bottom shut. Curl in edges and top stitch to finish the neck and sleeves. The finished product is a roomy tote that can be used for whatever! I use mine to transport my son's blanket and toys when we go places. 

These are just two fun ways to recycle old clothes. Give those sentimental shirts a new use while reducing clutter in your drawers and trash in the land fills. Happy sewing!

Natural Ways to Prevent or Treat Common Colds and Flu

With the peak of flu season upon us and colds spreading throughout our communities, I felt it would be a good time to post about flu and cold prevention. Here's what I've learned after a bit of research...

Prevention 
1. WASH YOUR HANDS! This by far the best way to avoid contracting or spreading diseases. Avoid hand sanitizers when possible as they kill both good and bad bacteria, and chemicals can be absorbed into your body through your skin.
2. Cut out white sugars and starch. Your immune system (and entire body) functions better without "the whites"'
3. Increase intake of dark, nutrient rich vegetables and fruits! 
4. Drink lots of water. 8, 8oz. glasses should be a starting point. Water flushes out toxins in addition to keeping your body hydrated.
5. Supplement with vitamins. Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Zinc are the best ones to start with.
6. Boost your immune system through exercise! Studies indicate that increased blood flow boosts your body's natural virus killing mechanisms.
7. Rest! Minimum 8 hours at night is recommended.
8. DON'T cough into your hands. Rather, cough into your elbow to prevent spreading illness to others.
9. Avoid touching your face.
10. Try probiotics, as they can lessen the chance of both respiratory and digestive viruses.
11. Eat more garlic. It supports immune health and aids in fighting viruses.

Treatment
1. Elderberry, Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, and Zinc
2. Garlic. It boosts immune system.
3. Cinnamon. It's anti-bacterial.
4. Hot liquids loosen mucous and sooth sore throats. Herbal and lemon teas are best. Also try peppermint and camomile.
5. Again, cut out the whites and starches and increase dark vegetables.
6. Fluids, fluids, fluids!!
7. Rest as much as possible.
8. Hot compress for nasal passages and headaches.
9. Run a humidifier to help loosen congestion.

Here are some of the more helpful articles I found on this topic:Natural Illness Prevention and Treatment- Beat the Cold, Flu and Fever Faster 

8 Natural Tips to help Prevent A Cold

15 Ways to Prevent Cold and Flu- ABC News

Lemon, Garlic, and Herb Chicken with Mushrooms

4 chicken breasts (raw), chicken broth (about 1/2 c.), lemon juice, butter, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, minced garlic, mushrooms (quartered), salt, pepper, flour, rice

Place chicken in covered dish with some olive oil and chicken broth. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then place a pad of butter and minced garlic on each. Add mushrooms, then season with rosemary, thyme, an parsley. Add lemon juice. Cook for 35 min. or until chicken is tender. While chicken is cooking, prepare some rice (about 20 minutes for white, 40 min. for brown). Remove chicken. Add flour to sauce until it reaches desired thickness. Bake 10 more min. Pour sauce over chicken.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

1/3 c. vegetable oil, 1/2 c. honey, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 eggs, 1 c. mashed bananas, 1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 c. hot water

Preheat oven to 325*F. In a lg. bowl, combine oil and honey. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in bananas and vanilla, then add salt and flour. Add baking soda to hot water, mix, then add to batter. Spread batter into a greased 9x5" loaf pan. Bake 55-60 min. Cool and serve!

Natural, Inexpensive Air Feshener

Here's a fun idea! I've been doing this for the past week as a means of freshening up the house and also adding some moisture back into the air.
Eat an orange (or just cut one up) and put the peel into two cups of water in a pot. Add a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg or a few whole cloves, and then boil over the stove! It smells wonderful and it's all natural! :)

Here's another great way to get clean smelling air. Next time you go to change the air filter, pour some vanilla extract over it first. The delicious smell will fill your home each time the air runs! It's natural, and far less expensive than buying store brand air fresheners. Plus, it will make you entire home smell good rather than just one room.

Father, How Sweet

This song has really been speaking to me as of late. Being a mother with a son of my own has changed my perspective of God the Father just a little. I cannot fathom how He felt when He gave His only Son on my behalf. 

Father, How Sweet by Sovereign Grace

VERSE 1 Father, how sweet must be the pleasure 
You find in Your eternal Son 
For long before You made the heavens 
Both You and He rejoiced as one 
And long before You formed the angels 
Before You made the day and night 
Jesus exulted in Your presence 
And He was all of Your delight 

VERSE 2 Father, what love You’ve shown to rebels 
That You would send Your Son so dear 
Into this world of grief and trouble 
To bring unworthy sinners near 
We’ll never fathom how it pained 
You When You supplied the offering 
To rescue those who had disdained You 
To watch Your dear Son suffering 

VERSE 3 Jesus, it fills our hearts with wonder 
That You would leave Your heavenly place 
To take on flesh to thirst and hunger 
To save the ones who spurned Your grace 
You came to forfeit every mercy 
To die that mercy we would find 
And then You hung alone in darkness 
So in our hearts Your grace would shine 

VERSE 4 Jesus, in glory You’ve ascended 
Never again to leave Your throne 
Because of You we are befriended 
Received and welcomed as God’s own 
Father, how sweet now is Your pleasure 
In us, Your daughters and Your sons 
We will delight in You forever 
In Jesus You have made us one 

© 2012 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)

Delicious Bread and Burrito Recipes

Today's project: Homemade Bread and Breakfast Burritos

Bread:

2, .25 oz. of dry active yeast, 3 TBS sugar, 2 1/2 c. warm water (110*), 3 TBS butter, 1 TBS salt, 6 1/2 cups bread flour.

In lg. bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water, then stir in butter, salt, and 2 cup of flour. Stir in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition. When dough has pulled together, turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 min.
Lightly oil a lg. bowl, place dough in bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.
Deflate dough and turn onto lightly floured surface. Divide into two loaves, place in 9x5 pans, cover, and let rise in bread pans until doubled,   about 40 min.
Preheat oven to 425, bake at 375 for 30min or until golden brown. 

Burritos:

8 flour tortillas, 10 eggs, 8 strips of bacon, 1/2 md. Onion, 3-4 hash browns, 1/2 block of cheddar cheese, whatever else you may want.

Fry bacon, hash browns, eggs, and onion in separate skillets. Start with bacon as it takes the longest to cook, then hash browns, onion, and eggs last. Once all are cooked, divide evenly among burritos, adding cheese. Wrap up in aluminum foil and freeze. Once ready to be eaten , remove from foil and microwave for 1-1 1/2 minutes. I like to make these for my husband because it's packed with protein and he can take it with him on the go! 

Money Saver for Babies in Diapers!

Cloth Diapering: The way I see it...

In the months prior to my son's birth, I spent a great deal of time researching and toying with the idea of cloth diapering. I was turned off to it at first because I thought it sounded too messy and like way too much of a hassle. However, the more I learned, the more convinced I became that this was the route I wanted to take. Here's why:

Saving Money. Recent studies indicate that the average cost of diapering a baby for his first year comes to about $800. Granted, this is without couponing, sales, and diapers received as gifts, but still seems like quite a bit of money. With this number in mind, I started pricing cloth diapers to see if I could beat it. After crunching the numbers, I discovered I could purchase 12 diaper covers and 6 doz. prefolds in the neighborhood of $350-$400. Even if I chose to buy 2 doz. brand new BumGenius all-in-ones, The total would still come $100 short of the disposable diapering average. Plus, the cloth dipes would be reusable and would likely survive multiple children. After presenting my findings to my dear husband, we were ready to start shopping!

Choosing a System. My first stop was consignment. There I found some gently used newborn covers (Thirsties and Bummis) and a few prefolds. I was also able to locate some all-in-ones (Fuzzibunz and BumGenius). Next stop was eBay, where I was able to purchase 6 small Proraps, and 12 Rearz NB prefolds. And then I waited and watched the bids for other items. After several months of bidding and losing, I found a website called Cottonbabies. I could not believe the bargains!! They were way less expensive than any other sellers, like Amazon and Jillian's Drawers, and I didn't have to worry about getting out bid. 

After my son's birth we experimented with the different types of cloth diapers. The AIO's leaked and didn't seal well around his legs. We had similar issues with the Thirsties. However, we really likes the Bummis and Proraps! They were a great fit for our long, lean son. We loved the prefolds because we could adjust them, whereas the AIO's could only do so much. Once we decided prefolds and covers were the way to go, I ordered the remaining prefolds and some Flip and Econobum covers from Cottonbabies.  Our total cost to cloth diaper from birth to potty training came to approx. $300!

The Essentials. For the prefold and cover system mentioned above, it is recommended you purchase the following:

• 36 newborn size prefolds

• 24 infant size prefolds

• 24 regular/toddler size prefolds

• 6-10 covers in each size (though I managed with way less by doing one-size Flip covers)

• 2-4 Snappis or Boingo fasteners

• Odorless diaper pail (see Amazon.com)

I also HIGHLY recommend purchasing a quality diaper sprayer, like the one from Bum Genius. While I know moms who skip this step, I can't imagine how much nastier cleaning dirty diapers would be with out it. Totally worth the $50!

Here is a helpful video in how to fold prefold diapers. Click here.

Trouble Shooting. Gapping around the legs was a problem for a while as we learned how to properly fasten the prefolds. We started out using Snappis, but after a while I decided to get some Boingo fasteners. Problem solved! Unlike Snappis, Boingo's will go any direction you want, allowing for a more custom fit.

Stains were another issue we had to face. Setting prefolds out in the sun will bleach out stains nicely, but in the winter time it's not really a viable option. So, I started prewashing in 1 Tbs. of baking soda! (If you try this beware, because it will void the warranty on some dipes). This worked wonders for 

getting the stains out. I use cold water to do this because hot water will set stains.

As our son grew he became increasingly more fussy when his diaper was wet. Cutting 4x12" strips of fleece from an old blanket served well as a diaper liner. The fleece wicks away the wetness allowing baby's skin to stay dryer. I use this in combination with homemade flannel liners to add extra absorbency at night time. Heavy wetting is common in boys, so adding liners like these makes a big difference!

Another issue from time to time is diaper rash/yeast rash. Not too many diaper creams are cloth safe (or baby safe for that matter), so this may seem problematic. Simple! Buy a $5 jar of coconut oil from Walmart and use that! Coconut oil has anti-fungal properties, is truly all-natural, and incredibly nurturing for skin. Without fail, this has cleared our son's skin better than anything else. Just make sure you strip your diapers with 1/4 vinegar in a prewash to kill any possible yeast!

Washing. I searched far and wide for a good cloth diaper detergent and just couldn't bring myself to spend so much money on the name brands. Again, homemade detergents will void warranties on some diapers so beware. After reading different blogs and suggestions from other moms, this is the recipe I came up with. Equal parts of baking soda, oxygen cleaner (Sun or Oxyclean), and Arm&Hammer Washing Soda. Grate some Ivory Soap and it can also be used as laundry detergent! Be careful to not use any kind of soaps with your diapers though! It will coat them and they will become less absorbent. All in all, this detergent is less than 20 cents a load.

The following is how I proceed to launder my dipes. After spraying each diaper (even the pee pee only ones to avoid ammonia) I place them in a covered diaper pale. After a few days, I let them soak for a few minutes in cold water and 1 TBS of baking soda before running them through a short cycle. This removes stains. I then run a second load on extra rinse with hot water and my homemade diaper detergent. I then hang the covers to air dry and machine dry prefolds and inserts. Once a month I add hydrogen peroxide (1-2TBS) to strip ammonia smells if necessary. It works the same as bleach.

Cloth Wipe Solution. There are a number of ways to do this, but my favorite so far is 5x5" cuts of flannel soaked in a homemade solution and stored in a wipe warmer. I use Badabing Farm goat soap, warm water, and a little olive oil in my solution. You only need enough soap to make the water a little cloudy. Whatever you choose to do, be sure you use a disinfectant and natural oil of some kind.

Traveling. Our family has chosen to travel in disposables for convenience sake and out of respect for those with whom we stay. However, for a day out, I use a wet bag to store my dirty dipes in. This keeps odors and moisture locked in, but also allows air to get in so your soiled diapers don't smell too bad when you get home. When we do need disposables, we use Seventh Generation brand diapers and wipes because they are chlorine free and our little one has a sensitive bum. We try to avoid all the nasty chemicals in commercial baby products as much as possible! Generally you can get coupons for this brand, which puts them in the same price range as Huggies. Target has the best Seventh Generation deals I've been able to find.

Diapers and Burp Cloths for the Glory of God

Entry 1

As of late I've been having an identity crisis. Who am I now that this little person is in my life? For the past three months I have barely left the house. My days have consisted of diaper changes, feedings, soothing, laundry, dishes, diapers, more laundry, feeding again, etc....You get the picture. It's been months since regularly attending church or group outings, and even longer since I last taught a voice or piano lesson. I am continually challenged and humbled by how dependant my infant son is on me. He needs me to be home while his immune system stabilizes, and I know home is the safest place for him while flu, rotavirus, whooping cough, RSV, and other illnesses plague our community. I am his mother, and I want what is best for him! And yet this is not my sole identity. I am also a wife, daughter, sister, friend, volunteer, and teacher. What about these roles and responsibilities? There are days when it overwhelms me. Yesterday morning in church I must admit I found my mind wandering during the sermon. Our pastor was speaking about Jesus' childhood which somehow got me thinking about the pile of smelly cloth diapers and stale burp cloths waiting for me when I got home. Suddenly I caught myself! Diapers and burp cloths!? Really!? My next thought was, "I gotta get a life!" As the day progressed, however, the Holy Spirit met me in my frustration and sheer exhaustion with these words: "Love isn't truly love until there is sacrifice". "Oh..." I thought to myself, and then reflected on God the Father's love for me, and the sacrifice He made on my behalf. I realized that in a smaller way, that was what He was calling me to do for my family-- give myself.  And then I recognized that much of my frustration was stemming from my own confusion about my true identity. Who am I? A child of The King and an heir with Jesus Christ! My roles are those of wife, mother, daughter, etc., but they are not the essence of who I am. This realization has released me from the guilt I placed on myself to DO and given me the freedom to just BE. My Savior gently reminded me that being confined to my home on my son's behalf will only last a season, but the rewards will be eternal. Even now, I am investing in this little person's life and learning to disciple him. Sometimes it hurts, but has dying to self ever not been painful? Love requires sacrifice. And it's worth it! 

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to my MomBlog. I chose to create Tune My Heart in an attempt to share what I am learning as a young wife and mother with other young wives and mothers who share similar interests. The blog's name comes from a line in one of my favorite hymns, Come Thou Fount, that reads, "Tune my heart to sing Thy praise." I feel these words beautifully capture where I am as a young Christian woman learning to sing His praise in everyday marriage, motherhood, and ministry as a music teacher. I invite you to follow what I hope to be many posts to come! As I run across Scripture, quotes, tips & tricks, money savers, facts, ideas, recipes, and otherwise useful information, I will post under the following categories: faith, family, food, fun.

Hope you enjoy!