Dark Days of Winter Challenge #2

I have not actually planned out a dinner just for the Challenge. It's one of those weeks where we need to eat up what we have on hand.And between the holiday left overs and a birthday dinner here over the weekend there has been no time or need for something else.
I suppose since tomorrow night we will end up eating a dinner from our own stock pile it could end up being pretty darn local.I am planning on baking one of the chickens we butchered here at home,you can't get more local than right out your backdoor, served with some of the roots we bought at the local farm.So there it is my offering for this week.
Chicken- feet traveled 50
Root Veggies- miles traveled around 10.

Chance and I have been talking about this challenge and the affordability of it.Sometimes we just can't afford to buy organic sustainable foods in the quantity we'd like.Between me not working outside of home and a mountain of medical bills cash is tight.Some days I just have to be able to have enough to feed our family.
But as some of you know Chance and I have a plan of multiple years.We are working towards being more self sufficient urban farmers. As seed catalogs start to come we are using them to help us map out the coming years plan of more garden beds for fruit and veggies.Not only are we working on more but we are working towards a four season garden.Our dream is to be able to grow more of our own food so we can have the organic produce we want saving us money to purchase what we can not provide for ourselves.
Indoors we have also been working towards a more independent sustainable life. It's not only the way we eat that we are working on but the way we look at things in general.
One of these points came to light just recently and I am proud of us for accomplishing it.I noticed that over the past few months it is taking us longer and longer to fill our outdoor garbage can.We are now up to a month to fill the can which has led me to request a smaller can.We will be saving money and helping the planet. I think our efforts to buy items with less packaging and being super aware of what we are throwing out is showing.We have a system here for how "garbage" is looked at. Can the dog,chickens or cat eat this? Can this be recycled either at the curb or re purposed? Not much makes it to the compost due to the chickens but we do ask that question too. Would someone else find this useful? And this time of year do we need this paper for kindling?
We have also looked at what things can we make for ourselves that normally we buy. Chance started two kinds of vinegar this past weekend with this in mind.Chance had read a blog entry about making pineapple vinegar and amazingly we had one as a treat here at the house. We also had part of a bottle of wine left over from the holiday dinner so he started some white wine vinegar as well. So Chance recycled some left over things to help us along on our journey.
The holidays are coming which is hard to believe since it has been so mild here.This evening we are decking the house for this festive time of year.Soon the house will smell of holiday treats baking and be filled with Christmas cheer.
This week is all about doctors appointments for both boys.Sad to say young Sol is having tummy troubles and the doctor wants him to be tested for Crohn's as a precaution. Don't ask me how I feel about this yet,not going there as of right now,it's filed away until I have to face it full on.Say a prayer that it is just a passing thing and the tests come back showing nothing. No matter the outcome I will carry it.My children are a gift from above and to quote my Midwife "God would not have given you this child if he did not think you were the right one for the job."
Rois