New Life, New Site

I've finished my move back to Montana and I've starting my blog again with a different site. I felt like I need a new blog to go along with my new life in Montana.

Visit

I will be moving my more popular postings over to the new site before closing this one.

Thanks for visiting!

Update

I haven't been around on my blog for some time now as so many things have changed for me. But the good news is I will be going back to Montana in the next few months and hope to start posting regularly again with new adventures and recipes. I hope you'll check back in at a later date to see what my new life in Montana brings me.

Slow Cooker: Mexican Style Shredded Beef

I usually put together a crock pot meal before work so I like my recipes to be "dump and go" without having to brown meat and saute veggies before putting them in the pot. This is a great recipe when I'm short on time.

3 lb. Beef Chuck Roast
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 T Dry Onion
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1 small can Diced Green Chilies
1/4 Cup Water
1 tsp Beef Bouillon
1/2 tsp Salt

Place all ingredients in Crock pot, cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat easily shreds.
Freeze any leftovers for later use.

No time to thaw meat?
Most of my meat is kept in the freezer and I put the roast in the slow cooker frozen, it cooks up great!

No Slow Cooker? Try my stovetop, dutch oven, recipe for Shredded Beef

Inside the Chicken Coop

Here is a peek inside our homemade chicken coop and some questions answered about setup I had when I started.
Click here to see the building of the outside.
Check out my new chicken blog!

How much space is needed per chicken in a coop?
Our house is 8 ft. x 12ft, 96 sq. ft total.
This allows at least 4 sq.ft. per bird for up to 24 birds plus free access to the outside.

How far from the floor should laying boxes be?
The laying boxes are about 18 inches from the floor.

How many laying boxes are needed per hen?
We have 5 laying boxes, at least 1 for each 4 hens.



Cleanliness of the Coop
The hinged lid of the laying boxes allows for easy changing of the litter.
For between litter changes I keep a cat litter scoop handy to clean out any waste but the hens don't soil the boxes very often.
The lid is set at a steep slope to keep the chickens from roosting on top.
I use the deep litter method with wood shaving on the coop floor and have 3 windows for good ventilation.

How much roosting space is needed?
I have 28 feet of roosting space, more than what is needed by the book guideline of at least 8in. per bird. When it's warm outside I think they appreciate the extra space to spread out.

It's difficult to see the depth perception in the photo but the roosts are offset by at least 1 foot so that no birds are roosting directly over top of one another.

Resources I find useful:
BackyardChickens.com
Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens
Storey's Guide to Poultry Breeds

Healthy Strawberry Banana Smoothie

The husband and I love to have these for a quick breakfast, it's so good and good for you!

In a blender combine:

2 Cups Nonfat Plain Yogurt

1/4 tsp Vanilla

1 Tbsp Honey

2 Tbsp Golden Milled Flax seed (optional)

3 Frozen Banana Cubes or 1 small banana

5 Large Strawberries (approx., I use frozen)

Blend until well combined and serve. Makes about 2 large servings.

Freezing Bananas

Make some frozen banana cubes for later use. Try them in a Strawberry Banana Smoothie.

To Fill one ice cube tray:
Approx. 3 Large Bananas, peeled
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
In small bowl "smoosh" bananas, stir in lemon juice.
Spoon into ice cube trays.
Cover with plastic wrap and freeze.

Remove and place in freezer bag after frozen or use straight from tray.

This is Great!

At Key Ingredient you can enter your recipes and they give you code to post in your blog. This makes it so much easier for someone to print the recipe. I love this!