It’s time for this week’s ‘Friday Favorites‘ post! I love reading articles from all sorts of different websites about many different subjects, and I just want to share with you all a bunch of my favorite reads from this week. 

Let’s get started!

Homesteading:

If you cannot tell from my website’s name (The Homestead Garden), I have a fondness for all things homestead-related. My favorite reads this week included information on how to cure and smoke your own ham as well as how to make your own lard! I can’t wait until I have my own homestead running so that I can try these out! I also found a great post with information on when to start seeds for 2014’s garden plans. Finally, self-sufficiency is important to me, and this post on why industrial hemp should be used to build houses fascinated me.

Vitamin D:

There were lots of posts this week about Vitamin D deficiency. Since it’s winter and the day hours are shorter and it’s often bad weather that keeps us all indoors, problems with Vitamin D are quite common, and can be an issue for those with kids. Check out one, two different posts about this issue to learn more.

Real Food:

There is a powerful Real Food movement going on right now. I know that I am trying really hard to make my own household’s meals focus on Real Food. However, this can be an overwhelming thing to figure out. I read a whole bunch of awesome posts on this topic this week, and I am delighted to share them with you:

1. Confessions of a Real Food Newbie
2. How to Get Started on Real Food
3. 6 Mistakes You Are Making While Trying To Eat Healthy
4. God Cares About Your Heart Rather Than Your Fridge
5. Clean Eating Recipes
6. Free Real Food Meal Plans

Soup:

If you haven’t figured it out about me yet, you will soon: I am addicted to soup! First, I found this Minestrone Soup, and I cannot wait to compare it to my own Minestrone Soup recipe. Maybe I can combine some ideas from both recipes to make a Super Minestrone Soup! Next up, any soup called Sinfully Delicious Soup is just TEMPTING me to try it out! Yum! Finally, I have been trying to find ways to eat more lentils, so I am pretty excited that I found this Veggie Lentil Soup.

Meat and Eggs:

I also found some super delicious sounding meat and egg recipes and tips that I hope to add to my long list of future recipes. There was a good Slow Cooking Pulled Pork recipe, another one with tips on How to Cook Ribs in the Oven, and also a Popcorn Chicken recipe and a delicious Lamb Meatball recipe. I also found an awesome roundup with 30 different ways to eat eggs! I am super excited about that one. Also, if you were curious, there is an article on if you can freeze eggs that is worth reading as well.

Dessert:

Finally, I found some really, really good dessert recipes this week. Okay, maybe some of you are dieting or detoxing still from the holidays, if so, come back when you are ready. Otherwise, these recipes looked good and I just have to share them. First, I found a roundup of the best dairy-free ice cream recipes. Since I am lactose-intolerant, this made me do a happy dance! If ice cream isn’t you thing, I also found a blueberry crumble recipe, apple cardamom cupcakes recipe, and blueberry-mango sorbet recipe, all of which seem like clever ways to get some fruit in your diet! Finally, if you desire some richer dessert options, I found this fascinating truffle recipe.

There you go! These are my Favorite Articles of the Week. Do you have any other suggestions? Please do not hesitate to add them to the comment section below! I will gladly read some more and edit this post if I like what I read. 🙂

Have a great weekend everyone!