First, it’s been several months and I figure it’s about time to do a reader survey. My traffic has increased a lot (I’ll tell you how much in a minute!) and I would LOVE it if you would fill it out for me.  Pretty please???  I would really like to know who is reading and what you like (and don’t like!).  The results of this survey will guide some of the content and special features I’m planning to offer in the next few months!

Traffic has increased lots in the last few months!  Here are a few stats that I currently know:

8,000 page views per month

2,000+ unique visitors

200 subscribers

That’s pretty good!

The most popular posts from June, July and August (so far) are):

10. Real Food on a Budget: Introduction

9. Average Grocery Spending and Ways to Save Money on Real Food

8. Kombucha in the News

7. Zucchini Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

6. Freezer Cooking: Introduction

5. Living Without a Microwave

4. Changing Diet: Our Story

3. Tutorial: Making Butter

2. Meal plans (not one post, but a new section!)

and the most popular was….

1. SAD vs. Real Food!

This tells me that my most popular posts were practical, money saving advice; meal planning; personal testimonals; and tutorials.  Am I right?  Head over to my reader survey and tell me!    If you haven’t read all of these great posts, click the links to read them now!

If your favorite post was a different one, what was it?

In the next few weeks we have a LOT of great stuff coming up!  Some will remain a secret for now, but it’s time to announce some of it!

Starting on Sept. 1st, we will be launching a forum!  It will be a place where you can discuss all your “green living” needs — parenting, green products, sourcing raw dairy, etc.  Look for the announcement about sign ups coming soon.  I will be approving all members manually to prevent spam.

Be looking for another awesome announcement coming in the next few weeks — I’ve got a great project in the works!  This announcement will be made on Facebook first, so if you want the scoop, you have to “like” me there!

Don’t forget to check out and sign up for the Cheeseslave Surf and Turf course!  Learn how to cook delicious, healthy grassfed meats and fish the easy way!

Today is your LAST chance to enroll for Cheeseslave’s Surf and Turf Ecourse!  And in case you aren’t convinced yet that you need to take it, check out this new video, where Ann Marie gives you a SNEAK PEEK into one of her lessons!

Doesn’t that look good?

Remember, if you entered the giveaway and didn’t win, you can still receive a coupon code for $20 off.  Just send me a message in order to get that code!

Don’t forget to check out and sign up for the Cheeseslave Surf and Turf course!  Learn how to cook delicious, healthy grassfed meats and fish the easy way!  Registration ends TOMORROW!

It’s time to check in with our friend Amanda!  If you remember, we met her two weeks ago and heard a little about her story.  Amanda’s now moved into her own apartment, so let’s see how she’s doing!

I’m doing all right….have not lost any weight but I think it’s because I’m dog-sitting for the week and it’s a different house with different food. I went to Mustard Seed market and Walmart for groceries…spent a lot of money. It was also local Fair week and I could not resist some of the food….:) I have found a love of sauerkraut but I don’t know what to do with my beets….

Don’t forget to check out and sign up for the Cheeseslave Surf and Turf course!  Learn how to cook delicious, healthy grassfed meats and fish the easy way!

**This post has been entered in Pennywise Platters Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet and Wheatless Wednesdays at Naturally Knocked Up!**

I wanted to make vanilla milkshakes at home, and I thought, why not use vanilla frozen yogurt for it?  I haven’t actually made the milkshakes yet because I’m not sure that I like this frozen yogurt, but my kids go CRAZY for it!  It’s all Bekah wants to eat these days.  We even eat “ice cream” for breakfast.  But with nutrition like this…who cares?  Since she won’t eat yogurt otherwise, I don’t mind making this for her.

Ingredients:

4 c. plain yogurt (homemade or otherwise; we’re using Dannon right now)

1/4 c. grade B maple syrup (or a bit less if you want)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 – 3 raw egg yolks

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a blender.  Love my Vitamix for that!  Then freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.  The result is rich and creamy, but still quite tart.  It’s not at ALL like commercial frozen yogurt, so don’t expect that!  But as I said, my kids love it!

How do you eat yogurt?

Don’t forget to check out and sign up for the Cheeseslave Surf and Turf course!  Learn how to cook delicious, healthy grassfed meats and fish the easy way!

**This post has been entered in Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist!**

I posted on what a healthy pregnancy diet is a few months back. But, it’s so important that it bears revisiting now, in this healthy pregnancy series.

Your baby is made largely of fat (most of it saturated and including cholesterol!) and protein.  You need a LOT of these foods while pregnant.  Some experts recommend 80 – 120 grams of protein PER DAY during pregnancy!  While this is a lot, it is helping you build your baby.  It may also help stave off morning sickness for some women.

As for fat — you don’t need to be afraid of it.  Your baby’s body NEEDS the fat.  Saturated fat is a large part of your baby’s brain!  And cholesterol is found in every cell in your body (and your baby’s).  There is an excellent article by Dr. Mercola explaining why we are afraid of cholesterol and why we shouldn’t be.  Cholesterol is not only NOT bad, it’s absolutely NECESSARY!!  To everyone!

Read the previous article (linked at the top) about what a pregnancy diet ought to include.  But now let’s talk specifics: what does a pregnancy diet actually look like each day?  Here is an example:

Breakfast

Fruit smoothie with juice, frozen fruit, and plain yogurt; eggs with bacon or sausage.  Pregnancy tea or lemon water.

Snack

Slice of sprouted whole grain bread with peanut or almond butter; water or pregnancy tea.

Lunch

Grilled chicken breast, steamed broccoli with cheese sauce, salad with dressing.  Water or pregnancy tea.

Snack

Apple slices with peanut or almond butter; or cubes of cheese and carrot sticks.  Kombucha or other fermented beverage.

Dinner

Grass-fed burgers on sprouted buns with cheese and bacon, homemade French fries, fresh fruit with whipped cream or homemade raw ice cream.  Water or pregnancy tea.

Note each meal has plenty of protein and fat, but few carbs.  There are SOME in some of veggies (carrots and potatoes) and sprouted breads.  But meals are primarily based around meat and veggies with carbs alongside, rather than as the focus of the meal.  This is really how EVERYONE should eat.

This example provides a nutrient-dense set of meals that will keep you full and provide the nutrients your baby needs to grow!  The lemon water is included because the sour taste can help nausea in some women.

There are plenty of other examples, of course.  This one just happens to be close to something I like to eat frequently!   No, I’m not pregnant.  But when you are nursing and/or trying to conceive, eating a pregnancy diet is a good idea.

What if you’re too nauseous to eat?  We’ll be covering that in the near future — how to stave off morning sickness!

How do you eat when pregnant?  What does your meal plan look like?