3 Weeks and Going Strong

     So guess what happened the other day. I picked up Chase early from school on Wednesday, and I told him to stick his lunchbox in the fridge for the nexy day. I am so sick of packing lunches! Anyways, the next day he calls me from school and says he only has 3 pieces of broccoli in his lunch box, and he wanted me to bring him some lunch. Now, Ryland has been known to go through Chase's lunch box after school and devour anything remaining, IF there's anything left. So my first thought was that it had been raided, and I just never checked it before sending it. But Ryland denied it. Come to find out, Chase had literally eaten his entire lunch for snack, minus three pieces of broccoli, and then called to tell me to bring more. Have you ever met such a little pig? And he's skinny as a rail, not an ounce of fat on him. But at least he's still gaining weight every week. Here's my little ham at his End-of-2nd-Grade-Party!

     Speaking of weight, we had our third week weigh-in yesterday. Chase gained about 4 ounces, and Ryland lost 2 ounces. I lost 2 ounces, (woohoo) and Cory lost 2 pounds. His total weight loss so far is 10 pounds! I can't wait to start an exercise routine. I'm hoping to get the whole family on something in the next week or so. I just haven't been able to find 4 matching leotards yet.

     It's been a lot of fun cooking and trying new dishes. I'm so glad to have found some of these paleo blogs. I'm thinking about coming up with a few of my own recipes. My problem is I get stuck using the same types of ingredients. Here's what we've had the past few days. (All from Paleomg.com)

Chicken Enchilada Bake I really liked this dish! I thought it was awesome, and we'll add it to the keeper pile.

Creamy Dill Salmon This one was really good too. Only problem is that it was super fishy leftover. I paired it with a beautiful salad with olive oil, salt, and pepper

This one I didn't use a recipe for--or rather, I should say Cory didn't. Look at how handsome he is at the stove!

I found some organic free-range pork at a farmer's market, and we seasoned it with smoked paprika (that stuff is amazing) and salt and pepper. Cory sauteed the green beans with onions and garlic, and I sliced up a big, fat, juicy watermelon. YUM!

Pizza Spaghetti Pie  This was really good too! I swear, it almost tasted like there was cheese on top.

And this is mine and Ryland's favorite lunch. Sauteed bacon and sweet potatoes with cinnamon!

     We haven't noticed a ton of overall changes yet. Like I previously mentioned, Chase's stomach problems have gone away. I think his skin seems to be getting better too (he has these bumpy patches, possibly eczema?) I have a little more energy. Ryland is always hungry. But most importantly, Cory has been cooking. That's pretty amazing.

Bacon Potato Sausage Fritatta

     Here's a helpful hint: Do not start this program when you have 2 boys hitting a growth spurt. So I told you the first week they lost weight. And I've been worried all week about them getting enough to eat. Well, I should hope they are, because literally, they won't stop eating. Like, in the afternoons, I have to watch them, because they will come home and eat applesauce, a carrot, 1/2 can of nuts, a banana, and yesterday Ryland got into the hotdogs, and ate 4, finishing off the pack. I'm sorry, but I can't afford to feed these youngins'. They did weigh in this morning, and each of them had gained 2 pounds, so that was good. Chase's teacher texted me this week, and said I should probably start packing him double the lunch and snack. I'm going to send her the grocery bill.
   
     In all seriousness though, and for the sake of openness and honesty I promised, this is turning out to be very expensive. I have spent at least $700 in groceries this month. But I'm working hard in my garden, and hoping later this summer we can live off of that for a while. I'm also hoping that there's a learning curve, and in time, I will know how and where to purchase the quality of food I want for a fraction of the cost. Plus, you also have to remember, when we started this month, we literally had no food in the pantry, fridge, or freezer. And some of the groceries I've bought this month was stocking up a little on organic meats when they go on sale for the freezer.

     We have noticed some positive changes in the two weeks that we've been doing this. Obviously there is some weight loss going on. I feel like I have more energy. And Chase has been struggling with his "restroom habits" since he went gluten-free several months ago, but that seems to be resolved now. And that's awesome, because that poor kid went though a tough time, gagging down prune juice, which did nothing, and taking miralax, which did just a little, and several other unpleasant things. And to think, by changing to a healthy diet, all that was resolved (so far) with no medication.

    Now, let's talk about what we've been eating. I have three recipes to fill you in on, all from PaleOMG.com. First we have Beef, Bacon, and Plantain Casserole, which to be honest, is not something we would normally eat for dinner. We are not adventurous eaters. Pork chops with apples is probably the most exotic I've ever gone with my cooking. I just look at these recipes with these weird combinations, and I'm curious, but I'm scared to try it, especially with my kind of picky boys. So, the boys did not like the plantains. I thought they were okay, but a little weird in this casserole. There was nothing to hold it all together, and it wasn't bad, but it just didn't go together.

     Then, last night we had Southwest Meatballs with Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce...minus the cilantro, because I didn't have any. I thought they were just okay. The main thing I tasted was the cumin. Cory, Chase and Ryland loved them, and Cory really liked the sauce too, which is weird because he hates avocado. I know they will want me to fix them again sometime, but I might tweak them a little. They have potential.

     Then tonight, oh my goodness, we had Bacon Potato Sausage Frittata. Ryland and I loved it. But we really like sweet potatoes. Cory and Chase really dislike sweet potatoes, but Cory was the one who picked the recipe. I bet he didn't notice what it was. If you love sweet potatoes, you will love this recipe. If you hate sweet potatoes, you will only kind of like this recipe. I was so surprised to see them eat it! And the sausage that we used was from the meat counter at Earth Fare, and it was so good! 10 times better than Johnsonville Sausage. Maybe that made the difference. Anyways, I highly recommend it.

Bacon Potato Sausage Frittata

Save Print

Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

40 mins

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

• ½ pound bacon, cut into lardons
• 1 small sweet potato or yam, diced into small cubes
• ½ pound italian sausage (or other ground meat)
• 8 eggs, whisked
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon ground paprika
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Place bacon in a large cast iron skillet or in an oven safe sauté pan. Cook bacon until crispy. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate. Remove bacon fat as necessary, leaving behind 3-4 tablespoons.
3. Add sweet potato, coat in bacon fat and let cook for 10-12 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft.
4. Add italian sausage to the pan with the potatoes, break apart with a wooden spoon and cook until no pink remains.
5. Once sausage is cooked through, remove pan from heat to let cool.
6. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, garlic powder, red pepper, paprika and salt and pepper.
7. Once pan has cooled, pour in eggs and add the bacon on top of the sausage and potatoes. Mix well to evenly distribute the eggs around the pan.
8. Place in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the eggs are fully cooked in the middle of the pan.

GMO-Free Egg Salad

     I want to talk a little bit about GMOs. Most of us have heard of them, and may even know what they are. But as for myself, I have to have a detailed explanation of what it is and how it affects your body, especially if I'm going to stick to my decision about avoiding them. I used to hear people talking about how bad they are and not to use them, and I'm like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, got it." But when I would grocery shop, I didn't really care or bother to look carefully at what I was buying. And that goes for all types of foods, not just GMOs.
   
     GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. Think about that. That's your food. Basically, it's plants and animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from viruses, bacteria, and other plants and animals. Now, supposedly the purpose of these is to make our food sources drought-tolerant, increase yield, more nutritious, but mostly to be able to withstand the direct application of pesticides and herbicides. God didn't create the Earth, and say, "It is good enough." I don't want people tampering with the genetics of my food. What God created was pure and good and nutritious, but they have been changed so much, that a lot of these foods are now toxic to your body, like grains, for instance.

     Despite all of the biotech industry promises, we have no proof that any of these promises and health benefits have actually been successful.  As a matter of fact, they have been showing evidence of causing health problems. If you do some research, you can find studies that they have done on animals by feeding them modified foods, such as potatoes, tomatoes corn, and other things. They all had disastrous outcomes. The rats developed cancer, lesions, stunted growth of organs, such as their brain and liver, and many died. Farmers say their cows and pigs have become sterile after eating GMO corn. So many animals have become very sick or died after eating GMO foods.  But a lot of the GMOs on the food market have not even had extensive testing. And you wonder why people are sick, and cancer is everywhere.

     In over 60 countries, there are restrictions or even bans on GMOs, but not in the US. In fact, as much as 80% of our processed, packaged foods contain GMOs. Polls show that 91% of Americans want GMOs labeled, and according to a CBS/New York Times poll, 53% of consumers say they wouldn't buy GMOs. But still, the powerful biotech lobby has kept this information from the public. If you are not eating organic, chances are, you are eating GMOs and maybe don't even know it.

     80% of GMOs are engineered for herbicide tolerance, but as a result, higher amounts of toxic herbicides are being used, and because of resistance, "super bugs" and "super weeds" are being created. It's just like antibiotics, when you overuse them, stronger, antibiotic-resistant strains start to grow because they build an immunity. And it's kind of scary, farmers who do not have GMO crops can have their fields contaminated by pollination. And the way these crops are patented, if a farmer's crop is contaminated unintentionally, they can still be sued for growing this patented GMO. These GMOs are created by chemical companies, and all they care about is making money. We don't have any information on the long-term effects of these chemicals and GMOs. Once they are released, you can't just recall them.

    And now, it's lunchtime. Guess what we had? Bacon Jalapeno Egg Salad Sandwiches from PaleOMG.com. And they were awesome! I didn't make the biscuits, but we just used lettuce and made wraps, or cups, really. I never thought I'd see Cory eating a lettuce cup, but he loved it! We paired it with a Bubbie's Pickle, which I'll talk more about later, but they are full of probiotics! Yum, Yum!

You should really check out her cooking blog, and let me know what you tried and how it turned out. Everything that we've tried so far has been amazing! Tonight for dinner, we're planning a more adventurous casserole, but I'll tell you more about that later. Here's her recipe for lunch.

Bacon Jalapeño Egg Salad Sandwiches

 

Save Print

Prep time

35 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 2 biscuits
• 4 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
• 6 eggs
• 2-3 tablespoons mayo
• 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño
• 1 teaspoon minced chives
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch of salt and pepper, to taste
• hot sauce, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Make biscuits. You will need two for this recipe.
2. While biscuits are cooking, bring a large pot of water to boil. Once the water is boiling, place eggs in the water and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from water and place in a bowl of cold water to help cool. Once cool, remove the shell.
3. While eggs cool, cook bacon in oven or on stove top. Let cool then chop into small pieces.
4. In a large bowl, place chopped bacon, peeled eggs, mayo, jalapeño, chives, dill, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.
5. Mix well. Add more mayo, if needed.
6. Cut warm biscuits open and stuff full with egg salad. I even topped my sandwiches with hot sauce, because hot sauce is wonderful with eggs.

Mother's Day Dinner

    First of all, I just realized I didn't blog on Thursday, which I totally meant to since it marked one week since we started this. We all weighed in first thing in the morning. I lost about 1.5 pounds. Cory lost 4 pounds! And each of the boys lost a pound. Now, we are obviously not going for weight loss in the boys, which is one of the reasons they are weighing in too, to make sure they are gaining weight. Because they lost weight, that tells me that they need more healthy fats, like nuts and smoothies with an avocado hidden inside. But overall, it was a good first week. No one is sick of it yet. Honestly, we've been eating pretty darn good!

    I had a wonderful Mother's Day today! I feel so loved and blessed to have these very special guys in my life! Chase made me a very cute card, both of the boys got me, as Ryland says, "a very beautiful necklace". And I have a mystery present on the way, since it apparently got delayed in the mail. Supposedly it's something I need, so I'm going crazy trying to figure out what it might be.

    This afternoon, I had us all look through some of the paleo recipe websites, (you can find the links on the right hand side of my blog) and we picked something for dinner and dessert, went grocery shopping, and came home to cook. Cory pretty much took over most of the cooking, and everything turned out delicious! And now I'm relaxing with a cup of coffee, writing this blog, and listening to the three of them playing a game together. God has blessed me so much!

Why, yes, he does look thinner, doesn't he? =) My handsome guy! Love him so much!

Aren't they cute in their aprons?! (Ignore the messy counter-tops...it's an unfortunate side effect of men cooking in the kitchen.)

 We had Green Chile Chorizo Cauliflower Casserole for dinner from PaleOMG. It was pretty good! Both boys made "Mmmmm" noises the whole time they ate, and both got heaping seconds. We are definitely adding it to the recipe box. We made a couple changes. I forgot to get chiles, and we couldn't find organic chorizo at our local Earth Fare, so Cory took half homemade sausage, and half grass-fed beef, and added some chili powder, cumin, and garlic salt. And that way it wasn't too spicy.

Then, for dessert, we had Berry Cream Bars, also from PaleOMG. Let me just tell you, this crust was AMAZING! I could eat a bowlful of it! I never thought we could eat like this, but you just have to use healthier ingredients, and naturally sweet ingredients. I definitely recommend these. The berries are tart, the cream is sweet, and the crust is kind of like a graham cracker crust with a hint of coconut. Yum!!!

  

Cravings and Spaghetti Squash

     Tomorrow it will be one week since we've started eating healthy. Let me just say, my body is craving sugar right now! Like, I'm sitting on the couch watching tv, trying to distract myself, and all I keep thinking about is chocolate ice cream, and doughnuts, and well, anything sweet. I've had to talk myself out of a major cheat a couple of times now. I know once it gets out of my system, that my body won't crave it anymore, but man, these cravings are rough. And I'm really proud of Cory. He was with his friend today, and they stopped at Dunkin' Doughnuts, and he got a black coffee, no doughnut. Although, he was kind of scowling at me when he told me that story.

    We went to the farmer's market today, and a got us spaghetti squash for dinner. It was amazing! I just cooked my normal sauce, and used the squash as noodles. If you can use fresh herbs, it makes such a huge difference in cooking! I have successfully kept an herb garden for about 3 years now. It's so easy, I just planted them, and pick some leaves when I need them. The basil I've had to replace every year, and this is my first year with oregano, but everything else has come back and grown into huge plants! Here's my best attempt at sharing my recipe, because I don't measure. 

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

1 large spaghetti squash

1 lb grass-fed ground beef

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

3 cans organic tomato sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt

a handful fresh chopped herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, sage) or about 1 tsp dried each

Turn oven on 375 degrees, and pierce squash all over. Cover a pan with foil, put the squash on the pan and bake for about 1-1.5 hours. When it's done, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and slimy stringy part. Then take a fork and shred the meat off, so that it resembles spaghetti. scrap all the way down to the peeling.

For the sauce, brown the meat, and add onions and garlic. Add the tomato sauce, herbs and spices, and simmer on med-low for an hour or so while the squash cooks. I always do a taste test and adjust the seasonings to our tastes.

Other than the slight "crunch" of the vegetable, I can't tell the difference once it's smothered in sauce. Cory says he can, but his taste buds are super sensitive. But he still likes it! We had a medium sized squash, and it was really just enough for our family of four, so if you're feeding a larger crowd, take that into account.

Chili Recipe

     First of all, I just want to say that I've found a suitable substitute for coffee creamer. That was one of the things I was dreading giving up my coffee, because I just can't drink it black. But today, I got a can of organic coconut milk, added a couple spoonfuls (it's kind of thick and fluffy, like whipped cream) and it was actually pretty good. So don't panic everyone, it's going to be alright!
    And just so you guys don't think I'm completely heartless, we've decided that we can have an occasional treat every once in a while, as long as the treat is somewhat beneficial. We personally love dark chocolate. And I'm not talking about the whole bar, but just one little square. I told the kids to nibble it like a mouse, so that it lasts. And they did just that.

Beautiful smiles!

I can't figure out how to turn this picture sideways... This chocolate is 72% and 85% dark chocolate.

For dinner, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, we had chili for dinner. Now, beans are not the best health food, despite popular belief. They have a lot of carbs in them, and they also have lectins in them. However, I think in moderation, they are okay to eat. And chili happens to be one of our favorites. Here's my recipe:

Chili

1 LB grass-fed ground beef

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 small bell pepper, diced

56 ounces diced tomatoes 

30 ounces beans

2 Tablespoons organic chili powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Brown meat in a pot, and add onions and peppers. Add chili, salt, and garlic powder. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beans, and simmer on med-low for 1 hour.

    It's so good. I actually got this simple recipe from my Aunt Margie, I just added the garlic because we love garlic, and it takes it over the top. 

And then tonight we had baked tilapia, asparagus, and sauteed zucchini and shallots. I know a lot of people say that you shouldn't eat tilapia because it's hard to find wild caught. Well, maybe, but I love tilapia. I got a couple filets at Earth Fare, and while they are farm raised, I trust their standards, and the guy assured me that the farms where they get their fish are very clean. I would not buy farmed tilapia from China, though.

For the tilapia, I seasoned both sides with sea salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, and just a splash of lemon juice and olive oil. I baked them on 350, and I don't remember exactly how long I cooked them for. 

Creamy Broccoli Soup

So I wanted to talk a little bit about making a couple of small changes. In my last post, I had a recipe and it called for sea salt. Now, until recently, I just bought the regular iodized salt. That salt has been stripped of all the vitamins and minerals, and it's basically just sodium, which most people get too much of in all the processed, packaged food. What you need to get is sea salt. There are a few different varieties, pink Himalayan, Grey Celtic salt, but this salt will give you minerals that your body needs.

Another thing that is really good for you is apple cider vinegar. But not the pasteurized kind. The best kind is Bragg's  organic raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar. It has protein enzymes and liquid aminos. There are lots of health benefits to it. You can use it in recipes, use it on salads, or take shots of it. When I was sick this past fall, and had a terrible cough, Cory found a remedy online of a glass of water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in it, and it made me stop coughing so I could go to sleep. But I wouldn't recommend drinking that for it's delicious flavor...

People these days are obsessed with low-fat foods. Hey, I can eat all the cookies I want, because they're fat-free! I'm sorry sister, but you're fat-free cookies ain't keeping you from getting fat. I think people are terrified of fats. But there are good fats, and there are bad fats. We all know trans-fats, polyunsaturated fats, and monounsaturated fats are bad.  But there are very good fats out there that are essential, like saturated animal fats and unrefined coconut oil. So don't be afraid of fats, just make sure you're eating the right ones. So with all that being said, here is an amazing recipe using good fats.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

3 tbs fat (butter, olive oil, lard or bacon fat)

1 small onion, diced

I garlic clove chopped

1 qt chicken broth 

1 large head broccoli

Salt and pepper

3 carrots, chopped

1 cup canned coconut milk, goats milk or heavy whipping cream.

Cut florets off broccoli. Heat fat in pot until melts on med-low. Add in onion, stir until clear. Add garlic clove Cook for 1 minute. Immediately add chicken broth, carrots and turn up to med-high. Bring to a boil. Next add broccoli and cook till tender.  Pour into blender, and puree.  Pour back into pot and add milk. 

When we started thinking about this diet change, I was worried about what to eat on days that we didn't feel well. I'm sorry, but if I'm having a tummy issue, I don't feel like crunching on raw veggies. I want something warm and comforting. God always has His perfect timing, even on the little things. This recipe came from my dear friend, Grace. My last post was about a couple other recipes she had given me, roasted chicken, and chicken broth.

     So I made that yesterday, the broth and all. This morning, poor Chase woke up with a stomach bug. Yuck. I'm really hoping that this diet helps with his tummy, and immune system too! If there's a bug going around, he will get it. When he started complaining that he was hungry, I kept thinking, "What in the world am I going to feed this child?" Everything I suggested, he wrinkled his nose and turned down. Then I thought of this soup, and he said sure. It was really quick and easy, and it was amazingly delicious! I was eating a bowl when Ryland came in. He looked at it and said, "Ughh, what IS that?" I fixed him a small bowl, and he said he loved it. A couple minutes later, I hear a large clang, run into the kitchen to find Ryland climbing on the counter trying to get seconds. Good stuff! Grace suggested getting some fresh sourdough bread and making croutons with it. I wish we could do that, and maybe some cheese. But maybe you guys want to try that.

So once again, Grace, thank you for your thoughtfulness! I'm trying to talk her into creating her own blog, because she has so many useful and wonderful things to share. Who's with me on that?!

What's for dinner?

     So I know, I didn't blog on our start date. I honestly intended to, but this week has been super busy for me. Thursday was our official start date that we had picked (May 1st). I'll be honest with you guys, we probably should have started on Monday. While we've eaten what we're supposed to, we have a lot going on this weekend, cookouts, and dinner outings, it's inevitable, we're going to be cheating a little this weekend. BUT we promise be super strict with no exceptions starting on Monday. You guys are in charge of holding us accountable.


     Another thing that I've wanted to do all week, but haven't been able to because of all the rain, was finish planting the garden. It's surprisingly hard to find organic seedlings around here. I had to drive about 30 minutes away to find them. So Friday night, we all pitched in and got the job done.

And here's Ryland just being silly. 

It doesn't look like much, but I'm really hoping that it will be enough to provide us with lots of fresh, organic veggies. We have a small planter garden on the deck too. I just didn't have enough space to plant everything I wanted to. The kids were really excited about helping out, and even Cory didn't complain. =)

Now, what have we been eating? Well, the first night, I didn't get home until late, so I grabbed something quick and easy from Earth Fare. We had spinach, garlic, and chicken sausages, sauteed zucchini and onions, peas, and pineapple. Kind of a strange meal I guess, but it was pretty good. I try not to use too many packaged things, but it is convenient occasionally.

The second night, we had this:

Chicken and Vegetable Stirfry  

1-2 pounds of chicken, cut into chunks

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots

Handful of fresh oregano

Handful of fresh basil

Handful of fresh sage

Handful of freshrossemary

Sea Salt, to taste

1 bag of stirfry veggies, or 2 cups of diced veggies of your choice.

Cut up chicken into chunks, and put it in a skillet with the oil, Cook until the chicken is just about done. Then add your shallots, herbs, sea salt and vegges. Cook until the veggies are tender

It was so good! I forgot to take a picture, so this is a half-eaten bowl of the veggies, but you get the idea.

And last night, I have my very good friend, Grace, to thank for this recipe. She's been eating healthy and organic for about a year, and called me the other day and took the time to talk about things she has learned, recipes, and that type of thing. I'm going to be using a lot of her tips, but don't worry, I'll share them with you! So tonight, we had a roast chicken. Looks amazing, huh?

Roasted Chicken

The recipe she gave me calls for butter, but since we are cutting out dairy for now, I used olive oil.

Rinse the chicken really well. Make a rub using 1/2 stick melted butter (or 1/4 cup olive oil) Add 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp onion powder. Rub on the chicken. Take 1 tsp salt, sprinkle into cavity. You can stuff your chicken with onions and vegetables for flavor and moisture. Cook 400 degrees for 1.5 hours for 4 lb chicken until 180 degrees.

After your chicken cooks, and you take all the meat off off it, use the scraps to make a very healthy chicken stock. Put it in the freezer, and use it to make homemade soups, or other recipes. And here's the recipe for that:

Chicken Broth

Chicken leftovers

3 quarts water

2 Tablespoons sea salt

4 chopped carrots

4 chopped celery stalks

1 small onion, chopped

4 small or 2 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 Tablespoons Bragg's raw unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar

fresh parsley

Throw all the skin, bones, and broth into soup pot. Add all the rest of the ingredients. Turn on high until it comes to a boil. Then cover, turn to low, and leave it for 24 hours. Then strain it, (throw all the veggies and bones away) and put it into freezer bags. 

You can put it in different quantities for different recipes. For example, put 1 cup into a bag, then 2 cups into a bag, just be sure to label the amount. This makes an extremely healthy broth, full of nutrients, and none of the preservatives and other junk.