Books

Created to Be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl:

Created to Be His Help Meet is like bootcamp for the soul. I don’t always like reading it. I usually pick it up when I’m upset and struggling to have a good attitude. And it helps. Every time. Debbi Pearl writes as an older women in Christ and firmly but gently reminds us to “love our husbands…”  My bad attitude is beaten into submission and I finish the chapter longing to be a crown and joy to my husband.

The Fruit of Her Hands by Nancy Wilson:

The Fruit of Her Hands is an inspiring book for us younger women! Nancy covers topics ranging from respecting your mother-in-law to training your children. The advice that resonates most in my mind is about principles versus methods. God has given us all principles that we must follow. We are to love our husbands and children, build our homes, be gracious, etc. The methods differ from home to home. Your husband may love it if you clean out his car for him. Mine doesn’t.

Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic:

This is my very favorite book on mothering small children. Written by a mom of five little ones, Loving the Little Years is full of encouragement and practical advice for loving the always-busy, sometimes-crazy, days with little ones. One wonderful nugget was how to deal with overwhelmedness: mothering multiple little ones is demanding. If we were to rate over-whelmedness on a scale from 1 to 10 (like they use for pain in the hospitals) sometimes we may want to scream “13!” But this is where God has us at the moment and we must reprogram our meter to 1. This is the new normal.

Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White, M.D.

I turn to Herbal Drugstore frequently for the best treatment for my daughter’s cold or to see if astragalus is safe during pregnancy. Written by a team of doctors and naturopaths, Herbal Drugstore takes common ailments and gives a brief overview of their causes and symptoms. After a short word on pharmaceutical prescriptions for the ailment, it gives the herbs that are effective remedies. This book has staved off a doctor’s visit on numerous occasions.

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon:

Nourishing Traditionsis a cookbook, but to be quite honest, I haven’t really tried many recipes. The recipes don’t have pictures, and I am a recipe-must-have-picture snob. The true value of Nourishing Traditions is the detailed introductions to the food groups and fascinating side bars that run down each page. Sally Fallon uses studies and anecdotes to compare traditionally prepared foods with our Western Diet. She challenges many of the common health fads and encourages cooks to return to the proven recipes from our great-grandmas’ kitchens. Recipes that include healthy animal fats, soaked grains and rich broths. (Note: this book is not written from a Christian perspective)

Kitchen supplies

The Nutrimill:

Fresh wheat flour at your fingertips.  The NutriMill has got to be one of my very favorite kitchen tools. Not only does freshly ground flour retain more nutrients than wheat flour that’s sitting on the shelf, it tastes much, much better. Whole wheat flour goes rancid quickly and my taste buds are convinced the wheat flour sold in supermarket’s is rancid. The NutriMill is quite an investment, but worth it if you bake often and want to prepare healthy nourishing foods. We were given the mill as a [best ever] Christmas gift, but if you had friends willing to go in on it or pay a small fee for grinding their wheat, it would cut down on the cost.

Bosch Mixer: 

The Bosch Kitchen Machine is a baker’s delight! I used to have a Kitchen-Aid, but my husband worked overtime to buy a Bosch Kitchen Machine for me (yes, I know, I’m totally spoiled!) The difference is amazing. It can easily knead six loaves of bread and the loaves turn out much more light and fluffy. Fresh bread was the real reason he bought if for me, but it also works great for making butter, cookies, stiff egg whites and so much more.