Blog - Whiffletree Farm

Busy Mom's Tip #4: How to Create More Time

How do I create calm in the midst of chaos? I think most, if not all, of us can relate to this question. Life throws all sorts of things at us, and when you add little people and multiple schedules to that mix, it makes it so much more complicated. But what if it didn’t have to be? Obviously, we can’t control everything - sickness, emergencies, unexpected late nights at work, etc. all pop up. But when you create a base plan that allows for the unexpected bumps along the way, when you create little pockets of time that leave you refreshed and ready to return to life, you create a framework that enables you to live a fulfilled life. Recently, I was talking with another mom, and she phrased it this way: ‘Storms are inevitable, but we can be the eye of the storm, the center of calm for our crazy, chaotic lives.’ Personally, I can attest to it being difficult to implement time management and pre-planning. I always thought, “Pre-planning is not something I would like or ever thrive on.” And so I just lived life trying to keep it all in my head, to have ‘freedom’ to do what I wanted and needed to do as I had time. But my brain felt like popping popcorn, ideas and little things I remembered constantly exploding and reminding me of yet another thing to add to my day. When I finally started to implement time management, I found the exact opposite of what I always thought. I thrive on the freedom time management and planning ahead of time creates. It’s impossible for me to remember every little detail and thing to do in both my work life and personal life. But as soon as I get that all down on paper and a calendar and block off the time to do it, it suddenly doesn’t seem as daunting. This week, Liz shares her tips on how she creates more time in her day in order to accomplish her goals. She also shares how she creates time for herself, because it is important to make time to recharge and return to what she calls ‘happy chaos.’ Tip #4: How to Create More Time “Plan, plan, plan! Talk with your spouse or support people to plan for a few hours a week to have kids and meal prep covered, and then a larger chunk (like a whole day!) once a month or so. You could even plan a yearly time away at a retreat or conference that will feed your soul. (Nursing babies usually come along, of course!) Meal plan so you are not stressed at meal time and so the type of prep you need to do fits the schedule for that day of the week. It is amazing how simply feeling peaceful while you work seems to take less time and energy. This also makes the shopping list easier to create and easier to keep trips to the store to a minimum, which both save time. (Also utilize your crockpot and one-pan recipes - they help save so much time spent in the kitchen!) Try to get the maximum from your time to yourself. What types of leisure activities truly feed your soul, help you rest, and leave you feeling refreshed? You have to return to the happy chaos at the end of it all, so you don't want to come back feeling worn out or overstimulated. Time in nature, reading life-giving books, creating art or crafts, exercise, prayer/meditation/silence and connecting with loved ones are all examples of soul-feeding leisure that can be really refreshing even in very small bursts. Involve your family (especially kids!) in housework as much as possible. I am constantly asking myself, ‘Could a child do this task?’ This will also create moments together as you train a kid or work side-by-side. When you have spent a lot of meaningful time with your family, you will feel more at peace with the decision to leave them or do your own thing for a little while. It will also leave you with a bit less on your own to-do list. Also teach your family to participate in and enjoy the activities that you love. One family chose to begin rock-climbing together so that Mom and Dad got to exercise, too, instead of spending their time driving kids to and from sports practices. Another hikes and runs together regularly for the same reason. I love to read good books that I love myself to my kids and to do family craft and cooking projects. Many families involve older kids in faith-related activities and parents trade off going with them. Suddenly you will need less time "away" because your life is more full of the things that nourish you and make you happy. Keep a little list of long-term projects or ready-at-hand activities that you want to get to ‘when you have time.’ That way you will have ideas of what to get into when little pockets of time present themselves. Enforce an afternoon quiet time for everyone until at least age 5. Some families do it for even longer! Audio books, repetitive crafts like potholder weaving or finger knitting, coloring/drawing, looking at picture books are great for those who no longer actually sleep during quiet time. Early bed time for littles also helps a lot. Join a book club, Bible study, crafters' group, yoga class, etc. to have ‘appointment’ time to do something you love. It is easier to make yourself go, and for your family to release you, when it is happening at a scheduled time and/or people are counting on you to show up!” Resources: A Mother's Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot Leisure, the Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper The Well-Read Life: Nourish Your Soul through Deep Reading and Intentional Friendship by Colleen Hutt and Marcie Stokman

Busy Mom's Tip #3: What Is Really Important?

The average person spends over $1,000 per year on subscription services. Think Netflix, Amazon, Instacart. Each year, Americans spend over $1 trillion on travel, which averages to about $3,000 per person per year. Every year, the USA wastes 38.5 million tons of food annually (that’s one of the most conservative statistics out there). Since the 1950s, the mineral and phytonutrient content of our food has decreased by 20-50%. Most Americans consume 50% of their calories from ultra-processed foods. The US spent $4.9 trillion in 2023 on healthcare, which averages $14,570 per person. Of that $4.9 trillion, 90% goes toward treating chronic and mental conditions. Compared to the $4.9 trillion spent on healthcare, USA citizens spend just $1.7 T on food, which averages to $5,054 per person. Currently, about 6 out of 10 adults struggle with chronic disease, and 23% of American teens are diabetic. Perhaps these disturbing statistics reveal something about the priorities of most modern Americans. Could it be the societal norm of expecting and budgeting around cheap food compromises our own health and that of our loved ones? At Whiffletree, we believe food is medicine. What we eat is who we are, which I think the above statistics point out. And I get it - I am a single gal living on a single person income in a very expensive place to live. It’s not always easy to make ends meet, especially if you have little mouths to feed. This week, Liz Straight shares some tips and ideas that might help you as you figure out how to make your budget include nourishing food. These are ways she and Jesse have implemented these practices into their lives in order to afford high quality food, which allows them to give their kids the very best they can and provide them with a healthy foundation for living life. No, it’s not always easy. But is it worth it? They say yes. Tip #3: How to budget around what is most important to you “When deciding what you will spend food money on, start out by deciding what you care most about getting top quality without compromise. For our family, it is meat, eggs, raw milk, fats, and oils that we don’t compromise quality on. We put those items into our budget first. Then we decide what items we are okay with compromising quality in order to make our food budget work. An example for us would be some fruits and veggies. We’ll sometimes try to compromise and pick local apples that are low spray rather than buying organic apples that are shipped from across the country. I’ll also go off the ‘dirty dozen’ guidelines (a guideline you can find online for fruits and veggies in the grocery store that are heavily sprayed vs ones that aren’t) for when I am purchasing produce from a grocery store. Or things like a condiment that has corn syrup I won’t get, but in a pinch I will buy one that has healthier fats or cane sugar in it. For money, there will always be a limit to what you can spend. But if you look at your actual budget, there may be more available for quality food than you think. Are there any entertainment subscriptions you can cut? Do you eat out regularly and could you start to make one more meal per week at home? Things like that. Sometimes, sacrifice and practicality are necessary. Some examples for us are: I don’t often buy premade items. For instance I will get whole dates, nuts, or chocolate chips, but I won’t purchase Larabars. Either we eat the whole food items as they are or I make them into a bar myself. Try to save on clothing wherever possible, making use of secondhand, consignment, and discount shopping.Travel budgets and entertainment services aren’t big parts of our budget.Even our home has gone through slow renovation rather than being done all at once so our budget could be spread across things that mattered.Etc. If your time allows, doing things to grow your own food is also helpful. Maybe you can garden or grow herbs on your patio, or raise a few backyard chickens. There is an unexpected satisfaction in eating food you have raised yourself, and is also great for kids to be able to learn alongside you. Eating quality food as a priority isn’t always easy. Modern life isn’t set up to make healthy eating the path of least resistance, but with practice and energy and time up front, it becomes a routine method of life that doesn’t dominate you. While like every family we’ll have the flu once in a while or colds come through, we thankfully don’t deal with chronic health issues. The kids also know the basics of cooking and gardening and caring for animals which may help them someday in their own adult lives. And the blessing of being able to give our kids a good foundation so they have strength and health to navigate life with is a privilege.”

Busy Mom's Tip #2: How to Feed Quality Food to Your Family on a Budget

Meal planning actually helps to save money. If you walk into the grocery store without a plan or a list, you are much more likely to buy things you don’t actually need. Or accidentally buy more than you can use in a week. And meal planning helps to simplify things A LOT. There’s no wondering at the end of the day what you are going to make for dinner. If you already know what you’re making, it’s much easier to plan ahead so you have the time and ingredients on hand. It also helps to simplify your pantry. Ever open the door to find a can of veggies that’s expired? Or an herb that you haven’t used in two years? If you’re intentionally meal planning around ingredients you’ll actually use in your meals, your pantry is less likely to fill up with odds and ends you have to sort through and figure out how to use up later…or worse throw out because it is old. So without further ado, here is Liz’s next tip! Tip #2: Meal Plan Ahead of Time! “I serve the same meal plan each week, changing it every once in a while when new produce is coming in season or our family schedule is changing, etc. Exceptions for holidays, birthdays, special meals for guests seem to be enough to keep it interesting! You could even just pick a cut of meat or type of meat to build each weekday around if you want a little more variety. Or make a 2, 3, or 4 week plan to repeat. Example: Monday: chicken, rice, broccoli Tuesday: tacos Wednesday: egg casserole with sausage, baked sweet potatoes, spinach Thursday: beef roast in the slow cooker, sauerkraut, roasted potatoes and carrots Friday: salmon with zucchini and peppers, rice Saturday: soup, salad, nice bread Sunday: grill out, cole slaw or salad Make enough dinner to have for lunch the next day, with Saturdays as a "combinations" lunch to serve all the leftovers still around. That helps to simplify your meal planning quite a bit so you don’t have to come up with ideas for every meal. Also get away from strict meal categories. You can have soup for any meal, or leftover dinner for any meal, or eggs for any meal, pancakes, hearty smoothies, etc. You can put pretty much anything into an omelette or scrambled eggs :) Also simplify your ingredients! Great ingredients don’t need much seasoning. Things like garlic, onions, salt, pepper, fresh or dried herbs, or good fats such as butter, tallow, or bacon fat, are all great at seasoning meats and veggies without spending a lot of money on a pantry full of spices you use once or twice a year. Keep some staples on hand, such as carrots, onions, garlic, celery, potatoes, frozen corn and peas, ginger, lemons, parsley. They’re very versatile and I use some of them almost every day. They can also be the main veg or part of a soup any time if I need them to. It also helps to shop on a schedule. If you have your meal plan, you can make a list of ingredients you’ll need to cover all your meals for the week. Do your grocery shopping once a week at the store or farm. Again, this helps to reduce impulse buying, which your wallet will thank you for. Shop with a budget. You can break it down between each source you use, or even break the budget for a certain store into food categories for a while until you get used to spending within the overall budget. For example, have a certain amount you’ll spend on meat, an amount you’ll spend on produce, an amount you’ll spend on pantry essentials, etc. Stick to it every week, and it will help ensure you don’t overspend. I think I said it before but......don't fear monotony! Your family may get bored from time to time, but mostly if you are using good ingredients and find a few tasty simple recipes no one will complain! We eat eggs and toast pretty much every single weekday (and it is definitely boring). But we are busy on weekday mornings, and it fills us up and is healthy. So we stick with it! You will also save money by having a shorter list of ingredients that you always shop for and have on hand. There will be less waste because you will use those things often and you will be able to buy them in bulk.” Give these tips a try and let us know what you think!

Busy Mom's Tip #1: How to Feed Quality Food to Your Family on a Budget

Food is medicine. And as a mom (or dad), you want to be able to give your kids the absolute best you can so they have a healthy foundation to thrive on… But how? How do you feed your kids good quality, local, pasture-raised food when you’re on a budget? How do you find the time to do everything you need to do PLUS prepare healthy foods from scratch? How do you find the time to learn how to cook and prepare foods you’ve never had to before? Liz Straight has some helpful, down-to-earth tips she has implemented into her life as a homeschool mom of eight kids. She knows firsthand the difficulties of finding time and budgeting to be able to feed her family nourishing food without running herself into the ground. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing Liz’s tips with you to help you on this journey of healthy eating. The great thing about these tips is that they apply to everyone - whether you’re a dad, a mom, or a single person working full time. They’re practical. This week, Liz shares her first tip… Tip # 1: Budget around cost effective cuts and foods. Meal plan around your meat. Look for the cuts or products that you can afford and build meal plans and budget around that (more on meal planning in another tip!). When choosing the most budget-friendly cuts, don’t go for convenience as you will end up paying for the labor of processing to make that cut convenient. Whole chickens versus parts is a great example of that. Look for larger cuts of meat, such as roasts or whole chickens. They actually don’t take a lot of time to prepare and are much easier on your wallet.Don’t throw away scraps! Save all your bones for stock. It is ok to make a mix-and-match "mutt" stock in your crockpot with any kinds of bones. It is amazing how having stock on hand can make a meal. You can easily make a "refrigerator soup" with leftover bits of meat and veggies and herbs if you have broth around all the time. Great if someone gets sick or you didn't have a chance to thaw new meat for dinner. Make some easy muffins to go with it and that's dinner! Fats are also great to keep - that fat from the bacon you fried this morning is great for cooking eggs, tossing with popcorn, etc. Fats also help to make meals more filling, helping stretch food further.And always check for what’s on sale or buy bulk packs of eggs or meat! An extra freezer is really handy for this so that when something does go on sale or you purchase that bulk pack of meat, you have extra room to stock up. You can check out Whiffletree’s sale and bulk items HERE.And if you have the extra space for a big chest freezer, buying a whole/half/quarter cow or pig is a great way to buy in bulk while getting the maximum savings you can.When it comes to veggies and fruits, buy fruit that is cheaper and longer lasting the majority of the time, such as apples, oranges, carrots, etc. There is less waste and kids enjoy some of the sweet things but are less likely to gobble it all down the minute it comes home. Then more expensive and shorter lasting things like berries, melons, or grapes are super special as a treat to them. And again, don’t go for convenience. Pre-cut veggies are more expensive and often don’t last as long so it’s harder to buy in bulk. (Something like a food processor can help you budget your time more effectively when you use whole veggies - whiz away!)Looking into a raw milk share can help save a little money on proteins - it’s a set price so it makes it easy to budget and the milk FILLS you. It makes a great snack or addition to a meal that’s not quite as filling. Plus raw milk is full of so many health benefits.All this doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in a ribeye or filet steak once in a while, but if money is tight keep those types of cuts to a minimum. Focus on buying other foods that are filling but still nutrient dense and tasty. And that’s the first tip! Next week, we’ll take a look at what meal planning for a family of ten looks like for Liz!Make sure to check out sale and bulk items HERE!

Budget Series: How to Make Healing Bone Broth

If you’re a mama wanting to make sure your kids get the best they can to give them a healthy foundation for living life… Or an individual looking to boost your overall health… Or someone who suffers from health issues and is looking for something to give your body a break and a chance to heal… Then this is the post for you! Pasture-raised chicken (or any meat) that is fed a diet free from chemicals and preservatives, that can forage for added nutrition from bugs and grass, that has continual access to clean living spaces, water, sunlight, and fresh air - all this will produce a bird that is much higher in all the nutrients you want your bone broth to be rich in. It will also have a balanced omega 3-6 ratio, so the fats will actually be healthy and beneficial rather than detrimental. As the last part of our budget series on cooking whole chickens, I’ll walk you through how to make a healing bone broth out of the nutrient-dense bones, joints, and skin you are left with after cooking a whole chicken. It’s an absolute powerhouse of nutrition! The bones contain trace minerals, and the skin and joints are rich in collagen, amino acids, protein, etc.! And the best part is you can make this healing broth with almost no effort from yourself! Just stick it in a crockpot or stock pot on the stove and let the magic begin. How to Make Healing Bone Broth: Ingredients: 1 chicken carcass or 2 chicken backs (if you are making broth from bones you save after cooking a whole chicken, make sure you save EVERYTHING - the skin, joints, cartilage, and bones!) Enough water to cover the bones by about an inch 1 tsp salt (optional) Herbs, veggies, or garlic (optional) Directions: Place your chicken carcass in the crockpot or stock pot, then cover with water so there’s about an inch of water above the bones (some will simmer off as it cooks). Then add in any salt, herbs, veggies, or garlic to add some flavor. If using a crockpot, turn the settings to low. If you are using a stock pot, bring to a simmer and then turn the burner to low. Then let it cook for at least 16 hours. To get all the healing benefits, it takes at least that much time for the bones and cartilage to break down and release their nutrients into the broth. If you can, go longer and cook it for 24 hours. After 16-20 hours, strain into a jar. Don’t skim off the fat that rises to the top - that fat is full of health benefits and will coat your digestive track, soothing it. And there you have it! You have one of the most nutrient dense foods right at your fingertips with very little time invested from you. I love just adding a little salt and drinking the broth as it is, or using it as a base for sauces and soups. As someone who has digestive and joint issues, I can attest to the benefits that bone broth provides. More energy, healthier skin, less joint pain, a soothed tummy, and the list goes on. Next up on the blog, we’ll be doing a series of tips and tricks from Liz Straight on budgeting time and money to feed a family of ten using pasture-raised food. Stay tuned! Cheers! Bethany

Budget Series: 3 Ways to Use a Whole Chicken (Part 3)

Here is part 3 of our Budge Series!

Budget Series: 3 Ways to Use a Whole Chicken (Part 2)

Next up on this budget series, we’ll learn how to roast a chicken in a crockpot. This super easy way of cooking a chicken will ensure dinner is on the table without any hassle for you! Easy Crock pot Chicken: Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (I used a 6lb chicken - the bigger you go, the more meat you get out of it for about the same amount of time put into prepping it) Salt and pepper, to taste Optional: herbs, garlic, onion, etc. Get creative! Directions: 1. Place the chicken into a large crockpot. For the 6lb chicken, I used an 8 quart crock pot. Just enough space! Add any seasonings or herbs your heart desires. No need to add water - the chicken will release water as it cooks! 2. Turn the settings to low. 3. And let it cook for six hours or until the internal temp of the thigh is 165! Carve and serve with some gravy or bbq, or shred it to use in other recipes. ***For a whole chicken, the rule of thumb is about an hour per pound of chicken on the low setting. And if you’re like me and you forget to pull out your chicken to thaw ahead of time, add a half an hour per pound to that. But as always, go by temp instead of time to make sure you don’t get a dry chicken! It really is that easy. I made this chicken to prep for writing this blog post yesterday. I was at work, doing my work for the day and also prepping to leave for a week’s visit home to MN over Father’s Day. When I went to get my chicken to cook it, it was actually still mostly frozen. I had planned for it to be thawed, but I had forgotten to pull it out in time. Oh well, I popped it into the crockpot and just hoped for the best in the middle of a chaotic day. The day was super busy - packing orders to go out on deliveries the next day, processing chickens, and getting everything planned ahead of time for while I’m away on vacation, plus all my normal daily work. Then right after work I had to meet someone in town. Then back to the farm to finish prep for deliveries tomorrow and wrap up any loose ends. Then out to my garden to water and make the plants happy. Then back home to pack, do laundry, clean, and get ready to head out in the morning. And after all that? Dinner, ready and waiting for me in my crockpot. It took about nine hours for the frozen six pound chicken to fully cook, and I didn’t even have to think about it. I shredded some, made a sourdough sandwich, then put the rest into the freezer for while I’m out of town. There you have it! Crockpot chicken for a busy gal’s or guy’s life. It’ll be your best friend! Pro tip: Get a timer for your outlet to plug your crockpot into! Then you can set the timer for when you want it to start and end cooking. That way it’s done when you have time to take care of it. Drop a comment below and let me know how it goes for you! Cheers! ~Bethany

Budget Series: 3 Ways to Use a Whole Chicken (Part 1)

Cook a whole chicken? Sure, it’s more budget friendly, but… how and what do you do with it? This month, we’ll be kickstarting a budgeting series with a few different ways to use a whole chicken. Trust me, it’s actually super easy, and I think it saves more time! Per pound, the price of a whole chicken is much more budget-friendly than getting parts. For example, thighs are going for $14.00 per pound, but a whole chicken is $6.50 per pound! There will be four parts to this blog series. This week, we’ll learn how easy it is to roast a pasture-raised chicken that isn’t dry and tasteless. Get ready to save on time and money! Easy Roasted Whole Chicken Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (I used a 5.5 lb chicken) 2 Tbsp butter, melted Salt and pepper to taste 4 garlic cloves, whole Instructions: 1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. 2. Place a roasting rack in a 9x13 pan (optional, but helps the chicken get a crispier skin). Pat your chicken dry with a paper towel and place breast side down on the rack. Using a pastry brush, spread the melted butter all over the chicken, then sprinkle with salt and pepper (you can also get creative and do a few different seasonings or herbs, like thyme, paprika, etc.). Next, place your garlic cloves inside the cavity of the chicken. 3. Set the pan on the middle rack of your oven. Roast the chicken for about 1.5 hours (about 16 minutes per lb), or until the thermometer reads 160 in the breast and 165 in the thigh. Make sure to stick the thermometer in the meatiest part of the breast or thigh! As always, go by the temperature rather than the time - the time can vary, so you really want to be paying attention to the temp so you don’t overcook. *If you have a smaller chicken, the time will be less for it to fully cook, so adjust the time by multiplying the total weight of the chicken by 16 minutes, and that will give you an estimate of how long it will take. 4. The opportunities are endless! You can either serve it as a roast chicken for dinner along with some mashed potatoes and roast veggies, or you can shred it to use in any chicken dish you want! I cooked up a 5.5lb chicken for one of our team lunches and shredded it all to use in a version of chicken pot pie (homemade biscuits topped with a chicken pot pie filling - I know, not really a pot pie but it tastes the same!). It fed 14 people hungry from a day of hard work on the farm. So it can stretch a long ways! And I saved the bones and skin so I can make a broth out of that. Nothing goes to waste! If I don’t have people to feed and it’s just me, then I find this saves time and money because I can cook a big chicken all at once, shred it, and then portion it out and freeze what I won’t use right away. That way during the week I can just grab out a bag of already cooked and shredded chicken to make a quick meal out of. And there you have it! One easy way of cooking a whole chicken and prepping for more than one meal at a time. Next week, we’ll show you how to make a crockpot version of a whole chicken. Stay tuned! Cheers to you and your health…and your wallet! ~Bethany

Meat Chickens Deep Dive

Watch as Jesse deep dives into how we prepare our meat chickens at the farm!

Delicious Garlic Parmesean Wings

Garlic and parmesan - a match made in heaven. Wings are one of the easiest cuts to prep and absorb so much flavor. This recipe uses turkey wings, which are cheaper and meatier than chicken wings, but you could definitely substitute chicken wings! It takes about 15 minutes total to prep,then you pop them in the oven or on the grill, and dinner is served! Ingredients: 2ct turkey wings (mine weighed about a lb each) ¼ cup butter, melted 3 cloves garlic, minced ¼ cup finely grated fresh parmesan Salt and pepper to taste Parsley (optional, but makes a nice and tasty garnish) 1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet (necessary to keep the wings off the pan to create airflow, which creates a nice crisp skin - the best part of wings!). 2. Melt your butter over low heat. Then add in your minced garlic and let cook until it is starting to brown and is fragrant. Remove from heat. 3. Pat your wings dry with a paper towel and set on the wire rack. Using a pastry brush, slather your garlic butter all over the wings. Next, sprinkle salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. 4. Place pan on middle rack in oven, and cook for about forty-five minutes to an hour, or until the skin is nice and crispy and the meat comes easily off the bone. 5. Sprinkle the grated parmesan on top of the wings and place back in the oven for a minute to let the cheese melt a bit. 6. Serve with the parsley garnish and whatever sauce you prefer! My favorite to pair these with is a garlic aioli. ~~~~~ I love big, bold flavors, and I love how quick this recipe was to whip up after a day at work. I also like using turkey wings since you don’t need as many to make it a filling meal, and the bonus is they’re cheaper than chicken wings! A great side dish to serve with these is homemade sweet potato fries, which are super easy to make! You can cook them in the oven with the wings, and they’ll both be done around the same time. Great for saving time and making a well rounded, satisfying meal! Cheers! ~Bethany