Claiming Simplicity | Natural Living, Simplify Life, Cooking from Scratch, Homestead, Gardening Monica H Baker - Simple Living Expert, Beginner Homesteading Strategist, Coach for Busy Moms

Hey Friend!
I still can’t believe how much prices have increased at the grocery store and I am extremely thankful we grow and raise as much food as possible, so we don’t have to spend much at the store, but there are always items you can’t grow in your location, so we do rely on the store a little and azure standard for our bulk items.  I might notice it more as I don’t have to buy items very often and am still not used to it!  If you are tight on money, start cleaning out your cupboards.  No matter what, it is just a good practice to do so you don’t let any food go to waste.  If you are like me, we do end up having a few random items expire and I don’t like to waste anything, so make sure to look at dates.  This would be your freezer foods and canned foods.
As we were looking at the amount of hamburger and venison burger we had in the freezer, we realized that we wanted to save that because we are running low and we have 2 freezers full of pork now, so we have been trying different recipes that we typically use hamburger  or venison for and replacing that with pork.  Since we are now raising our own pork along with our chicken, we have an abundance.  I just put a roast with potatoes, carrots and bone broth I took out from the freezer into the crockpot.  This is such a simple meal as it sits on low all day and falls apart and tender
when it is ready to eat in the evening.
We are really trying to use as much as we can from our canned goods and freezers to use them up before the new gardening season starts to produce, so when you plan your meals every week, you want to look at what you have on hand and what you can make with those items and then your grocery list is usually quite short.
I took ground pork and added some ketchup, mustard and brown sugar for sloppy joes and my husband enjoyed that as much as beef, so that was good.  I made up about 8 pounds and then froze several portions, so he always has a variety each week for his work lunches with different meals.
We also made taco meat with the ground pork along with tacos bowls.  This is such a great way to have something in the fridge at all times for a quick meal.  I just keep bowls of rice, corn, black beans that I soaked, and then add cheese, salsa, sour cream or any other items you like on your taco bowls.  If you don’t want to have bowls, this can easily be made into burritos as well.  This is one of my favorite meals actually-chipotle at home!
When you are using items you already have at home, you will save alot of money. Don’t let your food go to waste and just buy what you need.  As always, remember to keep it simple!  You can make several nourishing and nutrient dense meals in a short amount of time.  
 
Have a blessed week friend
~Monica
Website and Waitlist:
Claimingsimplicity.com
Simple Homesteading for Christians->
https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/
Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com
Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/
Pinterest ->  https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/ 

Happy Holy Week!
I didn’t grow up gardening and so I don’t even know how to do a normal garden!  I started my gardening journey by tilling up an area of our yard-well, my husband tilled it for us and then we just planted seeds and plants. This kinda worked and we got some produce from it, but I could never keep the weeds under control as we have full lives and a cabin we would go to every week and family camp for 10 days over the 4th of July.  I had to make some changes or I wouldn’t garden at all.  I had to keep it simple or I would be overwhelmed and would quit gardening.  Everything I do, I tweak into simple systems and this goes for gardening too~it has to be simple for me because our lives are very full!  I don’t like to spend alot of time in the kitchen cooking and I don’t like to spend alot of time in the garden weeding either~I have grandkids to enjoy!!!!!!  
If you live in the city, apartment, or are a suburban homesteader, you can plant your garden in pots or raised beds in a small area and just start out with a few items that you eat often just to learn how to garden.  You can always add more and this will keep you from getting stressed out and overwhelmed with gardening.
If you are having trouble with growing food, one of the first suggestions I would say is to get your soil tested.  We had very sandy soil, so we had to add alot to ours for it to grow better.  I actually started vermicomposting several years ago as well and that has been so much help for our garden.  Vermicomposting is something you can do in a suburban area, city or apartment as it doesn’t take up much space.   
Let me know if you want more information on it, but listen to episode 32 to start with!!!!  It is so simple and important for your garden!  I’m going to order more worms and expand as I have a much larger garden space at our new home.
My 2nd tip is if you want to keep critters away, we sprinkle blood meal around our garden and a small amount around our plants and nothing goes near them.  I do this also for my flowers that the chickens might attempt to eat.  I actually now have my flower beds away from the chickens, but this also keeps the deer and rabbits away which is nice because they used to eat all my hostas and other plants just as they were coming up from the ground! I used to make a natural deer and rabbit spray with eggs and spices, but every time it rained I had to reapply and the animals seems to beat me to the plants, so the blood meal has been nice as I only usually have to spread it a couple times all year and you use such a little amount.
And lastly, this year I am going to try the no dig garden as it is supposed to be much better for the plants so I don’t know if I am going to need to do this or not, but in the past, we got smart with the weeds and layed out fabric and burnt holes in it to plant seeds or plants and we rarely had to weed.  This worked amazingly for us and our garden was very plentiful.  I posted a video of our garden in our facebook group if you want to see what it looked like.  We would have a few weeds here and there, but most of it was covered so the weeds couldn’t get through.   If you want to see these videos and be a part of our community, the link will be below!  
And here is a bonus tip if you are able to do this.  Set up an automatic watering system.  Our last home was on the river, so we drilled in water lines to the garden and then had hose to each plant and had it on a timer, so I never had to worry about the garden getting watered if
we were away for an extended period of time and this was a life changer~especially during the summers when we got very little rain.  I’m not sure how exactly my husband is planning on setting this up at our new home, but he probably has a plan as we have a hydrant close to one of the large gardens and he will most likely drill another line into the other one to keep everything running smoothly and without alot of hand

Hello
I know you want to be doing all the homesteading things you see on instagram and social media, but the truth is, you are going to get burnt out trying to do it all.  I want you to stop and think about what is important in your life.  I know that when my kids were young, there is no way that I would’ve been able to do all the things that I do now that I have teenagers that are able to help out and are also independent and that makesa big difference. Littles need so much from you, so enjoy them while you can-they grow way too quick.  I am so excited to be creating a program for you so you can learn how to do some of the homesteading skills you want to learn without feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.  I want this to be a sustainable lifestyle for you!  Join the waitlist at the link below so you get first dibs on the discounts I will offer to email subscribers only!!!!  Everything I teach is simple and whether you work full time or are a busy full time Mom, you will be able to learn step by step just how simple it is!  
 
First, you need to take an inventory of where you are spending your time.  It may be shocking to you where you may be wasting time.  I really encourage you to track this for a week or two.  If you don’t pay attention, days, weeks, months, and then years are just going to pass you by and you are going to say…..I wish I would have done this or that and you can’t get that time back.
 
Next, if you want to stop feeling overwhelmed, you need to just focus on one thing first and then build on that.  You only take on what you feel is simple and doesn’t cause you stress.  If you are getting frustrated making sourdough bread, then just make some homemade bread with yeast~you friend, don’t have to do what everyone else is doing.  Just by taking that one step, you will improve your family’s health by so much.  Once you are in a routine of that every week or every month, then add one more simple skill.  Maybe you decide to make all your own hand soap~remember, it is just as important to change the ingredients you are using on your skin as the food you are eating.  It doesn’t make sense to eat healthy if you putting toxins on the largest organ of your body, you have to think about natural living as a whole.  If you changing everything right away, you are most likely to fail, so little by little~there is no hurry.
 
Lastly, build your community of like minded people.  If you don’t have any people around you, then find your people online. Living in a small town of 500 people, I understand this completely!  Trying to explain to people that you are a podcaster or have an online business is foreign to them and they can’t fathom making money without going to a physical job to trade hours for dollars. As nice as it is to live in the middle of nowhere, it is so beneficial to have a tribe with similar values online too!  We are really grateful to be surrounded by a community of homesteaders that we hang out with often, but sometimes it is hard to find your people locally! You need to find your people and you will feel less overwhelmed when you can really find people you resonate with. 
 
Even online, I make sure that if I am watching or following someone, they are aligned with my values and my Christian faith.  I just heard someone recently say that they thought they hung out with all Christians until they became one and then they realized all the ones that they thought were Christians really are not!  I could relate to this so much.  I remember someone telling me years ago that just be a good person and you will go to heaven.  That is not correct at all!!  You have to have to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior-it doesn’t matter what you have done, Jesus loves us all and He wants to have a relationship with you!  If you have any questions about this, please email me!  I would love to chat.
Love ya!
Monica
Website and Waitlist:
Claimingsimplicity.com
 
Simple Homeste

Hey Friend
Now that we will have 100 laying hens, people always ask what we are going to do with all the eggs!  Just for your information, we will not be keeping this amount of chickens, we are raising some to about 12 weeks for friends, 25 of them could be roosters or hens, so the roosters we will be butchering because we have our one and only gentle rooster named frank sinatra that we love so much and don’t need another rooster at this time, so we could be less than 75 before we know it! 
My teenagers sell the eggs and this is a really good gig for them since we pay for the feed and they make the money on the eggs!
We boil at least a dozen or two boiled eggs during the week.  It is a great grab and go snack for the whole family.  Sometimes we will make deviled eggs out of them  for a snack depending on if we have extra time.  
One of my favorite ways to use a dozen at a time is to make egg bakes and freeze them.  I usually will make 4-6 at a time and then we will take them out of the freezer the day or night before and let them thaw and bake them in the morning.  We love to have egg bakes in the fridge all week-not only for breakfasts, but if we need to heat a quick meal up in between sports or an event.  If you go to my website below and go to the blog, you will see our favoirite egg bake recipe.  Everyone raves about this one and we have been using it for over 20 years along with a few of our other favorite ones.  
We will scramble up dozens of eggs and cook them, cook sausage, and brown hashbrown and make breakfast bowls and freeze them and our family loves these as well.  
It is really important to me that my kids get a nourishing breakfast every day before school with protein, fat and healthy carbs to sustain them.  It has been many many years since I have bought breakfast cereals and items from the store. There is always something in the fridge they can access within a few minutes to make it convenient.  These are our convenient foods!  No package needed, nutritious, simple adn cheap!!!!
We like to make omlets and quiches, egg salad sandwiches, potato salad.  There are just so many ways you can use eggs.
I will take a day and make months worth of sourdough noodles which take alot of eggs-the amount just depends how big I make the batch.  
There are so many ways we can use eggs up in our house and it makes for simple and easy meals if you want something quick.  
I just ordered a refurbished freeze dryer, so that is another way we will be able to preserve them for 20 plus years if needed!  I can’t wait!  I’m really going to have to get that you tube channel up and running for you so that you can see all my wins and failures as I test out so many food items.  
Chickens are really worth getting because there are so many ways to use the eggs!  
 
Happy Homesteading Friend!
~Monica
Website and Waitlist:
Claimingsimplicity.com
Simple Homesteading for Christians->
https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/
Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com
Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/
Pinterest ->  https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/ 
 
 

I really do beleive that alot of it has to do with the food we eat.  There are so many hidden poisons in packaged food that are banned in other countries, so I believe diving into food labels and simplifying our choices can have a profound impact on our health and well-being. This topic is close to every homesteader's heart – we all want to deciphering those food labels and embrace the beauty of minimal ingredients.
Picture this: you're standing in the grocery aisle, scanning rows of products, each has an array of ingredients you can barely pronounce. Sound familiar? It's time to reclaim control and return to simplicity!
Why should we care about those tiny print labels? Well, they're like treasure maps, guiding you to the healthiest choices. By adopting a "more is less" approach – aiming for foods with less than 2-3 ingredients – this will help you not just simplify your shopping trips, but also nourish your bodies with wholesome goodness.
So, what's the secret sauce to deciphering these labels? It's all about prioritizing quality over quantity. Look for real, recognizable ingredients – think fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Skip the lengthy chemical compounds and opt for foods that Mother Nature herself would recognize. When it says other natural ingredients, that should be avoided as well as you don’t really know what that is. 
Look at your bread you have right now if you get it from the store.  I looked at a loaf the other day when I was grocery shopping and there were about 15 ingredients in it!  Bread is flour, water and yeast.  If you don’t have time for sourdough, you do have time for regular bread-I have a recipe that takes less than 10 minutes plus bake time and you can make multiple loaves at a time.  I make mine in bulk, so I only have to make it 1 day every 5-6 weeks and that gives me peace of mind that I am helping with my family’s health and wellbeing.  
If you have not already, please get on the waitlist for my program that is going to help you start making simple swaps from the store step by step so you can fit this into your life no matter how busy you are.  I am the queen of simplicity and I love teaching others to do the same!  The link to my website to sign up will be below!  
I  get it – life gets busy, and convenience is king. That's why i’m not suggesting you ditch all pre-packaged foods entirely. Instead, just get savvy with your selections. Seek out brands committed to transparency and integrity, with short, sweet ingredient lists you can trust.
And let's not forget the joy of homemade food! Channel your inner homesteader and whip up your own pantry staples – from creamy nut butter to zesty salad dressings. Not only do you control what goes in, but you'll also savor the satisfaction of creating something from scratch.  You won’t ever want to go back to store bought items after you see how simple they are to make and how you can save money!  
So, dear friend, let's make a pact to simplify our plates and nourish our bodies with foods that speak the language of simplicity. Remember the journey to wellness begins with just 2-3 wholesome ingredients. 
Until next time, keep claiming simplicity in every aspect of your life friends!
~Monica
Website and Waitlist:
Claimingsimplicity.com
Simple Homesteading for Christians->
https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/
Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com
Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/
Pinterest ->  https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/ 

Hey Friend
As you know, I’m very passionate about personal development and growth mindset and I want to give you some simple tips today to help you get out of the scarcity mode and start living your dreams of a stress free simpler life!
Imagine your mind is like a garden. In this garden, there are two main types of mindsets: fixed and growth.
Picture a garden with rigid, unchanging plants. People with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities, intelligence, and talents are set in stone. They might think, "I'm just going to stay doing what I’m doing because it is comfortable even though they don’t love it," or "I'll never be able to learn that or do anything else
Now, envision a garden full of thriving, flourishing plants. Individuals with a growth mindset understand that their abilities can be developed through dedication, effort, and learning. They see challenges as opportunities to grow and improve. Instead of saying, "I can't do this or I’ll stay stuck doing what I’m doing," they think, "I can't do this yet, but with practice and perseverance, I'll get there."
In essence, a growth mindset is all about embracing the idea that our potential is not fixed or limited. We have the capacity to learn, adapt, and improve throughout our lives.
Here are a few key points to remember about growth mindset:
Instead of avoiding challenges, people with a growth mindset see them as opportunities to learn and develop new skills.
They understand that success often requires effort and perseverance. Even when faced with setbacks, they keep going and view failure as a chance to learn and grow.
 Rather than feeling discouraged by criticism or feedback, individuals with a growth mindset use it as valuable information to guide their improvement.
By embodying a growth mindset, we can inspire those around us to adopt a similar outlook on life, fostering a culture of resilience, curiosity, and continuous growth.
 


Growth mindset is like tending to a garden of possibilities. By nurturing our belief in our ability to learn and grow, we can cultivate a more fulfilling and enriching life journey.
Start your growth mindset with these practical tips.
Practice gratitude journaling, reframing negative thoughts or setting realistic goals.
Celebrate small victories along the way.  Appreciate the progress, no matter how small it may seem because this can help build momentum and motivation for continued growth.
Identify your roadblocks or obstacles that may hinder progress towards a simpler, thriving life and learn as much as you can
Join a community of like minded people!  I have an online community called Simple Homesteading for Christians and I will link that below. I also do a monthly homesteading gathering if you are in central MN and would like to join us
And one of the most important things you can do is to maintain a positive and uplifting attitude!  
I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and get out of the scarcity mindset so you can do what God has called you to do and live with less stress doing what you love!

Love ya friend!
Monica
Website and Waitlist:
Claimingsimplicity.com
Simple Homesteading for Christians->
Community
Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com
Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/claimingsimplicity/
Pinterest ->  https://www.pinterest.com/claimingsimplicity/