I just had to share about the smoothies we had for breakfast!
So yummy, easy to make and very good for you!
3 cups of plain kefir (homemade or store bought...I've used plain yogurt here as well)
12 oz bag of frozen blackberries
1/2 of a 16 oz bag of frozen strawberries
1-12 oz can of orange juice concentrate, thawed. (Do not add water, this will be your sweetener as well.)
Dump all of this in a food processor or blender, and zip until smooth.
(I made this in our food processor.)
If you have any leftovers, you can pour it into ice cube trays, tuck it into the freezer and make healthy frozen fruit pops. (You can get popsicle sticks in most craft departments.)
Enjoy! :)
Showing posts with label In the Kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label In the Kitchen. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Raw Milk and Lactose Intolerance....
Our two youngest children are lactose intolerant. When they drink pasteurized, homogenized milk, it gives them a very upset stomach and diarrhea (which was awful when they were in diapers because they had an instant, blistery, painful diaper rash. ) For the first several years, we bought Lactaid milk for the two of them.
Along our journey towards whole foods, we discovered that raw milk is the best nutritionally for our family...and the added perk is that it's also more digestible for those with lactose intolerance. Both Karina and Adam can drink raw goat or cows milk with no problems at all!
There is a lactase enzyme in the milk that breaks down lactose. This enzyme is destroyed during pasteurization.Raw milk also has probiotic bacteria, like those in yogurt and kefir, that help in digestion. These are also destroyed during pasteurization. Homogenization breaks apart the fat molecules and makes it harder for people to digest.
If you have lactose problems, consider raw milk. There is a wonderful website RealMilk.com and a good article to read is Weston Price (though I believe we need to discern for ourselves what is best for our own families, and I do believe this is a bit extreme...not every single modern cow looks like the one pictured :P)
Do your own research, and decide if raw milk might be a benefit to your family :)
Along our journey towards whole foods, we discovered that raw milk is the best nutritionally for our family...and the added perk is that it's also more digestible for those with lactose intolerance. Both Karina and Adam can drink raw goat or cows milk with no problems at all!
There is a lactase enzyme in the milk that breaks down lactose. This enzyme is destroyed during pasteurization.Raw milk also has probiotic bacteria, like those in yogurt and kefir, that help in digestion. These are also destroyed during pasteurization. Homogenization breaks apart the fat molecules and makes it harder for people to digest.
If you have lactose problems, consider raw milk. There is a wonderful website RealMilk.com and a good article to read is Weston Price (though I believe we need to discern for ourselves what is best for our own families, and I do believe this is a bit extreme...not every single modern cow looks like the one pictured :P)
Do your own research, and decide if raw milk might be a benefit to your family :)
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sourdough Success...
After over a week of feeding, discarding, feeding, discarding...we have success! In the beginning, we started out with 4 sourdough starters.
White, wheat, rye and a San Fransisco dehydrated starter.
Here are my impressions on each:
San Fransisco Dehydrated starter: I used unbleached, unbromated flour, and pure spring water in the white San Fransisco sourdough starter. It took several days before any real life/bubbles became apparent. By the 7th day, it was proofing and crowning. The smell of the white sourdough was not as pleasant as that of the other starters. It was almost a sour, milky smell, but at least I knew that we had caught the wild yeast that we were striving for.
Wheat: I used Organic Prairie Gold Hard White Wheat flour and pure spring water for the wheat starter. I was absolutely amazed at how quickly the wheat sourdough took off! In the first 24 hours, bubbles were apparent and by the 5th day, it was proofing and crowning beautifully. The smell was almost sweet and though it had a mild tang to it, it wasn't the really strong sourdough I had made in the past.
Rye: I used fresh milled, Organic Rye flour and pure spring water for the starter. My grain mill was running a bit ragged and the rye flour ended up a bit more course than I had planned. The course flour made for a more dense starter and one that was harder to see the action in. I added an extra tablespoon or so of water and the difference was immediate. The extra water made it thin enough to see the bubbles and action going on in the jar. By the 5th day, the rye starter was crowning and proofing beautifully. It smelled smell was also sweet with a very mild tang.
White: I used the unbleached, unbromated white flour and pure spring water for this starter. It was almost identical to the "San Fransisco" sourdough starter. It took several days to show strong life and the smell was the same sour, milky scent. I ended up dumping this starter on day 5. It didn't make sense for me to spend the time or money (in flour/water) on a starter that was identical to the San Fransisco starter.
So now there were three...
I waited until day 10 to bake with my sourdoughs as I wanted to make sure they were all as strong and hearty as possible. I ended up with a big baking day and here is how it all turned out :)
We started the day with pancakes made from the wheat sourdough....
The sourdough and baking soda just bubbled like mad! Here's the batter...
The batter in the skillet...
And the finished product...They were delicious, nutrient rich, and easy to make. Complete score and one for the books...our family cookbook that is!
Then I made some wheat, sourdough pizza dough for that evenings dinner...sorry, I forgot the pictures... Another score! Delicious, easy to make, and ultimately more digestible. Another one for the books..
Then I made one loaf of bread from each of the sourdough starters, using the same exact recipe so I could judge them all fairly.
Here are the results...
The white San Fransisco was a disappointment and was scheduled for destruction almost immediately. The flavor was...okay, but the dough didn't rise sufficiently and there were no benefits to keeping a white sourdough kicking around.
The wheat rose beautifully, the flavor was rich, and the crumb beautiful! There was no real "sour" flavor. It was so delicious that when I left it on the counter to cool (after my husband had cut into it for it's taste test) our labrador Daisy, ate the entire loaf! (UUUGGHHHH, remind me again WHY I love animals??) It was frustrating, but I was happy that we were at least able to cut into the bread and taste it first. :P
The rye also rose beautifully, and had a beautiful crumb. The flavor was also rich and yummy.
So then there were two...sourdough starters that is. After much discussion, we decided to keep going with the wheat and to end the rye (At the moment I have quite a bit of the organic, hard white wheat that has already been milled and needs to be used.)
On this baking day, I also made some cinnamon rolls and English muffins out of whole wheat.
They both came out beautifully and were delicious!
White, wheat, rye and a San Fransisco dehydrated starter.
Here are my impressions on each:
San Fransisco Dehydrated starter: I used unbleached, unbromated flour, and pure spring water in the white San Fransisco sourdough starter. It took several days before any real life/bubbles became apparent. By the 7th day, it was proofing and crowning. The smell of the white sourdough was not as pleasant as that of the other starters. It was almost a sour, milky smell, but at least I knew that we had caught the wild yeast that we were striving for.
Wheat: I used Organic Prairie Gold Hard White Wheat flour and pure spring water for the wheat starter. I was absolutely amazed at how quickly the wheat sourdough took off! In the first 24 hours, bubbles were apparent and by the 5th day, it was proofing and crowning beautifully. The smell was almost sweet and though it had a mild tang to it, it wasn't the really strong sourdough I had made in the past.
Rye: I used fresh milled, Organic Rye flour and pure spring water for the starter. My grain mill was running a bit ragged and the rye flour ended up a bit more course than I had planned. The course flour made for a more dense starter and one that was harder to see the action in. I added an extra tablespoon or so of water and the difference was immediate. The extra water made it thin enough to see the bubbles and action going on in the jar. By the 5th day, the rye starter was crowning and proofing beautifully. It smelled smell was also sweet with a very mild tang.
White: I used the unbleached, unbromated white flour and pure spring water for this starter. It was almost identical to the "San Fransisco" sourdough starter. It took several days to show strong life and the smell was the same sour, milky scent. I ended up dumping this starter on day 5. It didn't make sense for me to spend the time or money (in flour/water) on a starter that was identical to the San Fransisco starter.
So now there were three...
I waited until day 10 to bake with my sourdoughs as I wanted to make sure they were all as strong and hearty as possible. I ended up with a big baking day and here is how it all turned out :)
We started the day with pancakes made from the wheat sourdough....
The sourdough and baking soda just bubbled like mad! Here's the batter...
The batter in the skillet...
And the finished product...They were delicious, nutrient rich, and easy to make. Complete score and one for the books...our family cookbook that is!Then I made some wheat, sourdough pizza dough for that evenings dinner...sorry, I forgot the pictures... Another score! Delicious, easy to make, and ultimately more digestible. Another one for the books..
Then I made one loaf of bread from each of the sourdough starters, using the same exact recipe so I could judge them all fairly.
Here are the results...
The white San Fransisco was a disappointment and was scheduled for destruction almost immediately. The flavor was...okay, but the dough didn't rise sufficiently and there were no benefits to keeping a white sourdough kicking around.
The wheat rose beautifully, the flavor was rich, and the crumb beautiful! There was no real "sour" flavor. It was so delicious that when I left it on the counter to cool (after my husband had cut into it for it's taste test) our labrador Daisy, ate the entire loaf! (UUUGGHHHH, remind me again WHY I love animals??) It was frustrating, but I was happy that we were at least able to cut into the bread and taste it first. :P
The rye also rose beautifully, and had a beautiful crumb. The flavor was also rich and yummy.
So then there were two...sourdough starters that is. After much discussion, we decided to keep going with the wheat and to end the rye (At the moment I have quite a bit of the organic, hard white wheat that has already been milled and needs to be used.)
On this baking day, I also made some cinnamon rolls and English muffins out of whole wheat.
They both came out beautifully and were delicious!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Menu for the Next 2 Weeks
Since I injured my back, there have been several things that we have had to "let slide". One of those things was menu planning and a strict grocery budget. I'm not complaining...I am blessed to have a wonderful hubby that would shop and cook for our family...it's just time to take the reigns back and tighten up on things a bit. :)
Our budgeted funds for groceries is now going to be 100$ a week. This covers all food, health and beauty care, cleaning supplies, and animal feed.
This week, I'm going to try to stretch 100$ to cover two weeks of meals, so I can get some money set buy to stock up on our winter foods (potatoes, onions, apples etc.) We have a couple of things in the freezer to use up, but most of the ingredients for the meals on this list will be purchased this week.
Without further ado...
Friday- BBQ pork sandwiches, coleslaw and raw veggies.
Saturday- Make your own stuffed potatoes (bacon, sour cream, veggies, chives etc.)
Sunday- Turkey dinner with potatoes, squash, green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce.
Monday- Homemade Pizza with salad.
Tuesday- Turkey pot pie.
Wednesday- Baked beans in the crockpot, cornbread, coleslaw.
Thursday- Turkey veggie soup with biscuits.
Friday-Shepherd's pie
Saturday-Grilled kielbasa, green beans, herbed potatoes.
Sunday- Roasted chicken dinner, potatoes, squash, corn, and ww rolls.
Monday-Taco beans, cornbread and salad.
Tuesday-Chicken stew over biscuits.
Wednesday-Crockpot pintos, cornbread, and coleslaw
Thursday-Baked garlic, Parmesan chicken, with potatoes and corn.
(In case you haven't noticed, our menu weeks run Friday-Thursday...I usually shop on Fridays)
Breakfasts are unplanned. Oatmeal, granola, muffins, pancakes, baked pancakes, french toast etc.
Our supper in the evening is a light meal. Sometimes we'll just slice up some fruit, veggies, cheese etc. Other times it's sandwiches or leftovers. We always have fresh, homemade bread on hand to round out a meal.
Snacks are wholesome. Popcorn, peanut butter apples or celery. Once in a while I slip in some baked goods to keep my husband happy :)
Our budgeted funds for groceries is now going to be 100$ a week. This covers all food, health and beauty care, cleaning supplies, and animal feed.
This week, I'm going to try to stretch 100$ to cover two weeks of meals, so I can get some money set buy to stock up on our winter foods (potatoes, onions, apples etc.) We have a couple of things in the freezer to use up, but most of the ingredients for the meals on this list will be purchased this week.
Without further ado...
Friday- BBQ pork sandwiches, coleslaw and raw veggies.
Saturday- Make your own stuffed potatoes (bacon, sour cream, veggies, chives etc.)
Sunday- Turkey dinner with potatoes, squash, green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce.
Monday- Homemade Pizza with salad.
Tuesday- Turkey pot pie.
Wednesday- Baked beans in the crockpot, cornbread, coleslaw.
Thursday- Turkey veggie soup with biscuits.
Friday-Shepherd's pie
Saturday-Grilled kielbasa, green beans, herbed potatoes.
Sunday- Roasted chicken dinner, potatoes, squash, corn, and ww rolls.
Monday-Taco beans, cornbread and salad.
Tuesday-Chicken stew over biscuits.
Wednesday-Crockpot pintos, cornbread, and coleslaw
Thursday-Baked garlic, Parmesan chicken, with potatoes and corn.
(In case you haven't noticed, our menu weeks run Friday-Thursday...I usually shop on Fridays)
Breakfasts are unplanned. Oatmeal, granola, muffins, pancakes, baked pancakes, french toast etc.
Our supper in the evening is a light meal. Sometimes we'll just slice up some fruit, veggies, cheese etc. Other times it's sandwiches or leftovers. We always have fresh, homemade bread on hand to round out a meal.
Snacks are wholesome. Popcorn, peanut butter apples or celery. Once in a while I slip in some baked goods to keep my husband happy :)
Friday, March 5, 2010
Thursday..
Menu for the day was:
Breakfast- Scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast with butter, sliced strawberries and kefir.
Lunch- Egg salad sandwiches, and sliced up oranges.
Dinner- Baked chicken leg quarters, boiled potatoes, and green beans.
Dessert- yummy chocolate cake made with kamut (instead of white flour) and Sucanat (instead of white sugar)....I was surprised by how well this came out...it was a quick, throw together cake and I'll post the recipe at the end of this post.
Yesterday was a slow day for us. We were all exhausted from the late night and early morning. We did the basics in school and housework , had lunch and all took a nap! lol...I can't remember the last time my older children willingly took a nap :P
We ended up waking up from our naps about the same time my husband woke for the day. It was nice having some quiet time to chat with him and snuggle with the kids.
Around 4pm, my husband took the van over to the inspection station (hallelujah, it passed!) and I started working on our dinner. I peeled some potatoes and covered them with water, sprinkled some herbs and spices on the chicken...and popped it in the oven. Frozen green beans finished things off..and were quick and easy. While the chicken was in the oven, I took a small pork roast out of the fridge and diced it up into small pieces for this evenings dinner. I put the pork into the crock pot and tucked it in the fridge.
Dinner was very basic, but filling and yummy. My oldest daughters took care of the kitchen clean-up after dinner and then my little boy decided we needed some cake.
It was hilarious...he kept telling my hubby that after the kitchen was tidy, Mama was going to make him a chocolate cake! :P He asked me sooo nicely "Mama, will you please make me a chocolate cake to share with Daddy?" How could I resist...I caved and went into the kitchen to throw together a quick cake. lol.
My husband made some homemade chocolate ice cream a few days ago, so we had a scoop of ice cream with our cake...yummy! Then it was time to get cleaned up and ready for bed. (Teeth thoroughly scrubbed lol) Not long after, my hubby was off to work, and I was heading to bed too.
Here's the recipe for the chocolate cake I made:
3 cups of kamut
( you can use whole wheat, or all purpose flour, but the kamut was delicious)
6 Tablespoons of cocoa powder ( can sub carob powder)
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups of sucanat (you can use cane juice crystals, or white sugar if you need to)
2 Tablespoons of white vinegar
2/3 cup coconut oil (or light flavored olive oil..or another oil of your choice)
2 cups of cold water
2 teaspoons of vanilla (not the imitation, chemical junk)
Preheat oven to 350*. In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together. Pour batter into an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. (I use glass pyrex dishes)
Tap the pan on the counter to help remove some of the bubbles in the cake batter. Bake at 350* for 30-35 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool and frost. My favorite frosting for this cake is basic vanilla butter cream. (Though this cake is so yummy and moist, you really don't even have to frost it.)
Frosting-
1/3 cup softened real butter (no margarine please lol)
3 cups of powdered sucanat (or regular confectioners sugar if thats all you have)
3 tablespoons of cream (or whole milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
Blend butter and sugar together. Stir in cream and vanilla until it's nice and smooth. (You can add another drop or two of cream if it's not the consistency you like.)
This recipe came from my paternal Grandmother and it's been a looong time favorite in our family. This recipe also works really well for 24 cupcakes. The cooking time is a bit shorter...more like 20-25 min.
Breakfast- Scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast with butter, sliced strawberries and kefir.
Lunch- Egg salad sandwiches, and sliced up oranges.
Dinner- Baked chicken leg quarters, boiled potatoes, and green beans.
Dessert- yummy chocolate cake made with kamut (instead of white flour) and Sucanat (instead of white sugar)....I was surprised by how well this came out...it was a quick, throw together cake and I'll post the recipe at the end of this post.
Yesterday was a slow day for us. We were all exhausted from the late night and early morning. We did the basics in school and housework , had lunch and all took a nap! lol...I can't remember the last time my older children willingly took a nap :P
We ended up waking up from our naps about the same time my husband woke for the day. It was nice having some quiet time to chat with him and snuggle with the kids.
Around 4pm, my husband took the van over to the inspection station (hallelujah, it passed!) and I started working on our dinner. I peeled some potatoes and covered them with water, sprinkled some herbs and spices on the chicken...and popped it in the oven. Frozen green beans finished things off..and were quick and easy. While the chicken was in the oven, I took a small pork roast out of the fridge and diced it up into small pieces for this evenings dinner. I put the pork into the crock pot and tucked it in the fridge.
Dinner was very basic, but filling and yummy. My oldest daughters took care of the kitchen clean-up after dinner and then my little boy decided we needed some cake.
It was hilarious...he kept telling my hubby that after the kitchen was tidy, Mama was going to make him a chocolate cake! :P He asked me sooo nicely "Mama, will you please make me a chocolate cake to share with Daddy?" How could I resist...I caved and went into the kitchen to throw together a quick cake. lol.
My husband made some homemade chocolate ice cream a few days ago, so we had a scoop of ice cream with our cake...yummy! Then it was time to get cleaned up and ready for bed. (Teeth thoroughly scrubbed lol) Not long after, my hubby was off to work, and I was heading to bed too.
Here's the recipe for the chocolate cake I made:
3 cups of kamut
( you can use whole wheat, or all purpose flour, but the kamut was delicious)
6 Tablespoons of cocoa powder ( can sub carob powder)
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups of sucanat (you can use cane juice crystals, or white sugar if you need to)
2 Tablespoons of white vinegar
2/3 cup coconut oil (or light flavored olive oil..or another oil of your choice)
2 cups of cold water
2 teaspoons of vanilla (not the imitation, chemical junk)
Preheat oven to 350*. In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together. Pour batter into an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. (I use glass pyrex dishes)
Tap the pan on the counter to help remove some of the bubbles in the cake batter. Bake at 350* for 30-35 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool and frost. My favorite frosting for this cake is basic vanilla butter cream. (Though this cake is so yummy and moist, you really don't even have to frost it.)
Frosting-
1/3 cup softened real butter (no margarine please lol)
3 cups of powdered sucanat (or regular confectioners sugar if thats all you have)
3 tablespoons of cream (or whole milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
Blend butter and sugar together. Stir in cream and vanilla until it's nice and smooth. (You can add another drop or two of cream if it's not the consistency you like.)
This recipe came from my paternal Grandmother and it's been a looong time favorite in our family. This recipe also works really well for 24 cupcakes. The cooking time is a bit shorter...more like 20-25 min.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Food Inc...
Have you ever seen the documentary "Food Inc." ? Our family sat down to watch it recently and I have to say...it was perhaps the most thought provoking documentary that I have ever seen. If you haven't seen it...borrow it from a library and make sure you do!
****Warning**** Some parts of the documentary were kind of graphic (slaughterhouses etc.) It brought me to tears...and almost made me ill. We had our children avert their eyes a few times, but felt it was important for them to see the reality of our foods.
The Lord had already been impressing upon me that we needed to make some major changes regarding the foods we'd been eating. I've been praying about it and asking the Lord for direction.
Well...I got it....and boy was it a rude awakening...a bit of a slap in the face that my head is still spinning from.
Here are some of the changes that we are proposing to make:
-Buy all meats locally (we are blessed to have a local farm/slaughterhouse that sells grass fed/grain free meat)
-Eat more meat-less meals. (I'll try to post some of the menu's and recipes I'm planning on using.)
-Continue buying frozen vegetables instead of canned (the canned foods have concentrated amounts of bisphenol A...the toxin that can be leached from baby bottles :( )
-Grow a ginormous garden so we can freeze or can our own produce for next winter...the things we don't have room to grow, we'll buy in bulk from local produce farmers.
- Completely eradicate all processed foods from our home...we are mostly there, but there are the occasional "bad" foods that make their way in. We will not be consuming any more high fructose corn syrup etc. (Heinz ketchup....lol)
-Completely eradicate all fast foods from our diets....especially the occasional burgers. The burger "filler" is rinsed with ammonia!!!! It may be all beef...but they don't claim it's all ground meat...
-Continue buying organics whenever possible.
-Trust in the Lord to provide us with the healthy foods He's directing us to eat! :)
This is all part of the journey towards eating healthier, and being more deliberate about the choices we make each day. I'll try to keep you all posted along the way :)
****Warning**** Some parts of the documentary were kind of graphic (slaughterhouses etc.) It brought me to tears...and almost made me ill. We had our children avert their eyes a few times, but felt it was important for them to see the reality of our foods.
The Lord had already been impressing upon me that we needed to make some major changes regarding the foods we'd been eating. I've been praying about it and asking the Lord for direction.
Well...I got it....and boy was it a rude awakening...a bit of a slap in the face that my head is still spinning from.
Here are some of the changes that we are proposing to make:
-Buy all meats locally (we are blessed to have a local farm/slaughterhouse that sells grass fed/grain free meat)
-Eat more meat-less meals. (I'll try to post some of the menu's and recipes I'm planning on using.)
-Continue buying frozen vegetables instead of canned (the canned foods have concentrated amounts of bisphenol A...the toxin that can be leached from baby bottles :( )
-Grow a ginormous garden so we can freeze or can our own produce for next winter...the things we don't have room to grow, we'll buy in bulk from local produce farmers.
- Completely eradicate all processed foods from our home...we are mostly there, but there are the occasional "bad" foods that make their way in. We will not be consuming any more high fructose corn syrup etc. (Heinz ketchup....lol)
-Completely eradicate all fast foods from our diets....especially the occasional burgers. The burger "filler" is rinsed with ammonia!!!! It may be all beef...but they don't claim it's all ground meat...
-Continue buying organics whenever possible.
-Trust in the Lord to provide us with the healthy foods He's directing us to eat! :)
This is all part of the journey towards eating healthier, and being more deliberate about the choices we make each day. I'll try to keep you all posted along the way :)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Culturing Fun...
Isn't culturing fun? I remember when I got my nutrimill...I sat there, with squinted eyes, rubbing my palms together...just looking for something to grind!
Today, I made a big batch of sauerkraut and ginger carrots a la Nourishing Traditions. I have a new sourdough starter brewing as well as some water kefir, and traditional milk kefir, and a new batch of kombucha brewing...
Now, it's all about the cultures and fermenting! Hmmmm...what else can I ferment???? I'm having fun working with these different things...and what a healthy pass time it is :P
If you are making baby steps towards a healthier lifestyle, you should really consider working with some of these live cultures. They are easy to maintain, inexpensive and the health benefits are phenomenal ;) Having a "living kitchen" is a wonderful example to your family as well :)
Today, I made a big batch of sauerkraut and ginger carrots a la Nourishing Traditions. I have a new sourdough starter brewing as well as some water kefir, and traditional milk kefir, and a new batch of kombucha brewing...
Now, it's all about the cultures and fermenting! Hmmmm...what else can I ferment???? I'm having fun working with these different things...and what a healthy pass time it is :P
If you are making baby steps towards a healthier lifestyle, you should really consider working with some of these live cultures. They are easy to maintain, inexpensive and the health benefits are phenomenal ;) Having a "living kitchen" is a wonderful example to your family as well :)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
A Week in the Life of Me: Tuesday
Today was a cool, rainy day here in New England...the perfect day for playing in the kitchen! :)
I started this morning with some coffee and my Bible...what a way to start the day! (I've been rereading in the book of Jeremiah lately.) I had 30 whole minutes of quiet. ;) It certainly didn't last once the children woke up.....the natives get really restless when their little bellies are empty and they were ready for breakfast. We had some yummy steel cut oats, fruit and kefir, and then it was time for kitchen clean-up and morning chores.
One of my project areas that I need to be working on is de-frosting and cleaning my deep freeze. So this morning, I went down to the basement to survey what was left in there that needed to be used up. I'm going to try to work most of the foods into our menu for this next week (or squeeze them into the smaller freezer underneath our fridge) but I also had 5, 2 cup portions of pumpkin puree I put up last fall that was going to be freezer burnt if not used soon. So I decided pumpkin was going to be the theme of the day :P Today is not technically my "baking day", but we'd run out of bread and with it being such a cool day, it was the perfect time to work in the kitchen.
I started up my oven at 9:30AM and didn't shut it down until 6:45PM.
Here's what I made today:
6 loaves of fresh milled whole wheat bread
(1 1/2 of which turned into toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch)
4 loaves of fresh milled whole wheat biscuit tpe of bread (quick bread excellent for breakfasts)
8 loaves of pumpkin bread made with fresh milled kamut
1 pumpkin cake made with fresh milled kamut and homemade cream cheese in the frosting
1 quart of kefir (re-batched from store bought as I managed to kill my last batch of grains :( )
1 quart of buttermilk restarted
3 homemade pizzas for dinner with fresh milled whole wheat and herb dough, and homemade sauce. (as well as fresh green beans, summer squash and salad...all from our garden)
I had lots of "help" that made things so much "easier".... at least that's what I try and tell myself when little hands are involved. :P
My parents ended up joining us for dinner and then we got to sit down and watch a movie with them. We said our goodbyes to Grandma and Grandpa and got the children ready for bed. Teeth and hair brushed, hands and faces washed, jammies put on....and now they are in bed....the quiet has returned!
Now it's time for me to fall into bed as well.....
I started this morning with some coffee and my Bible...what a way to start the day! (I've been rereading in the book of Jeremiah lately.) I had 30 whole minutes of quiet. ;) It certainly didn't last once the children woke up.....the natives get really restless when their little bellies are empty and they were ready for breakfast. We had some yummy steel cut oats, fruit and kefir, and then it was time for kitchen clean-up and morning chores.
One of my project areas that I need to be working on is de-frosting and cleaning my deep freeze. So this morning, I went down to the basement to survey what was left in there that needed to be used up. I'm going to try to work most of the foods into our menu for this next week (or squeeze them into the smaller freezer underneath our fridge) but I also had 5, 2 cup portions of pumpkin puree I put up last fall that was going to be freezer burnt if not used soon. So I decided pumpkin was going to be the theme of the day :P Today is not technically my "baking day", but we'd run out of bread and with it being such a cool day, it was the perfect time to work in the kitchen.
I started up my oven at 9:30AM and didn't shut it down until 6:45PM.
Here's what I made today:
6 loaves of fresh milled whole wheat bread
(1 1/2 of which turned into toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch)
4 loaves of fresh milled whole wheat biscuit tpe of bread (quick bread excellent for breakfasts)
8 loaves of pumpkin bread made with fresh milled kamut
1 pumpkin cake made with fresh milled kamut and homemade cream cheese in the frosting
1 quart of kefir (re-batched from store bought as I managed to kill my last batch of grains :( )
1 quart of buttermilk restarted
3 homemade pizzas for dinner with fresh milled whole wheat and herb dough, and homemade sauce. (as well as fresh green beans, summer squash and salad...all from our garden)
I had lots of "help" that made things so much "easier".... at least that's what I try and tell myself when little hands are involved. :P
My parents ended up joining us for dinner and then we got to sit down and watch a movie with them. We said our goodbyes to Grandma and Grandpa and got the children ready for bed. Teeth and hair brushed, hands and faces washed, jammies put on....and now they are in bed....the quiet has returned!
Now it's time for me to fall into bed as well.....
Sunday, July 19, 2009
A Week in the Life of Me: Sunday
Candy over at Keeping the Home has asked for others to join her in a "journaling week". Basically, write about our daily lives in our blogs. In general, I've shied away from doing this for privacy reasons...not to mention, my daily routines aren't all that exciting :P But, I'll try it for the week and see how it goes. :)
Today was a wonderful day.
I woke up before my children and was able to drink some coffee and read my Bible. I'm not an early morning person, but whenever I make the effort to do this...what a blessing! An older woman once said something to me (this was after Arianna was born) "Wake up with Jesus each morning and you can't have a bad day." Now with 4 kids, I also have to add "Wake up with Jesus, before the kids get up, and you can't have a bad day" ~smile~
After some quiet time, I made a baked pancake for breakfast (recipe at the end of this post) and woke the children while it was in the oven. We had a yummy breakfast, then got cleaned up and ready for church. We had enough time left over to take some back-roads to church and saw some beautiful farms on the way.
Unfortunately, Roy wasn't able to make it to church this morning...he really needed the sleep. (He was held over at work last night and didn't make it to bed until almost 4AM.) But he joined us after church at my in-laws for dinner. We don't get to see them nearly as often as we'd like and it was just nice getting to sit and visit. They gave me some wonderful birthday presents and my mother in law made a delicious strawberry cake.
Then it was time to head home so my little ones could take a rest (never, ever say nap...it's like a cuss word..they are much too big for naps :P ) We stopped off at my fathers on the way home to grab some fishing poles for the little ones (we all now have our own poles!) and then came home.
Once we got home.. Mom's barber shop opened! Cassidy now has a very cute, short bob for the summer and Adam got a mohawk...for about 3 minutes until I finished clipping his hair...Daddy would never have approved! ~smile~
Then my in-laws stopped by on their way to a car show. I had forgotten to bring over some of the homemade, blackberry jam when we came over earlier in the day. So I sent them home with a pint of jam and some red and green leaf lettuce from the garden.
I made a big salad for the children and I for supper and then we did a quick pick-up in the house and it was time for bed.
It was such a nice day :)
Baked Pancake (also called Dutch Pancake)
6 eggs
1 cups of milk
1/2 cup of buttermilk
(you can also use yogurt, kefir etc...you could even use all milk and add a bit of whey to help break down the phytates)
2 tablespoons of honey
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of fresh milled kamut (you can use whole wheat flour or all purpose..but the kamut is delicious!
4 tablespoons of butter
The evening before...mix your eggs, milk, buttermilk, honey, salt and kamut in a bowl. Blending each ingrediant in well before adding the next. Cover the bowl and put in the fridge until morning. (During this time, the buttermilk is helping to break down the phytates in the grains, which will help your body to absorbe more of minerals and vitamins.)
The next morning, put your butter in a 13x9 baking pan. Set your oven to 425* and put your pan in the oven to warm and so the butter can melt. Keep an eye on the butter and once it's completely melted, add the pancake batter that you mixed up the evening before. Set you timer for 20 minutes. When the pancake is done, you can top it with real maple syrup, fresh fruit etc. This is a very delicious, quick and healthy breakfast! :)
~I just wanted to add...this doesn't have to be made the night before. If you need a healthy breakfast that's quick and easy, you can make this without letting it soak overnight...the health benefits aren't as good, but it's still better than storebought cereal or other chemically loaded junk. ~
Today was a wonderful day.
I woke up before my children and was able to drink some coffee and read my Bible. I'm not an early morning person, but whenever I make the effort to do this...what a blessing! An older woman once said something to me (this was after Arianna was born) "Wake up with Jesus each morning and you can't have a bad day." Now with 4 kids, I also have to add "Wake up with Jesus, before the kids get up, and you can't have a bad day" ~smile~
After some quiet time, I made a baked pancake for breakfast (recipe at the end of this post) and woke the children while it was in the oven. We had a yummy breakfast, then got cleaned up and ready for church. We had enough time left over to take some back-roads to church and saw some beautiful farms on the way.
Unfortunately, Roy wasn't able to make it to church this morning...he really needed the sleep. (He was held over at work last night and didn't make it to bed until almost 4AM.) But he joined us after church at my in-laws for dinner. We don't get to see them nearly as often as we'd like and it was just nice getting to sit and visit. They gave me some wonderful birthday presents and my mother in law made a delicious strawberry cake.
Then it was time to head home so my little ones could take a rest (never, ever say nap...it's like a cuss word..they are much too big for naps :P ) We stopped off at my fathers on the way home to grab some fishing poles for the little ones (we all now have our own poles!) and then came home.
Once we got home.. Mom's barber shop opened! Cassidy now has a very cute, short bob for the summer and Adam got a mohawk...for about 3 minutes until I finished clipping his hair...Daddy would never have approved! ~smile~
Then my in-laws stopped by on their way to a car show. I had forgotten to bring over some of the homemade, blackberry jam when we came over earlier in the day. So I sent them home with a pint of jam and some red and green leaf lettuce from the garden.
I made a big salad for the children and I for supper and then we did a quick pick-up in the house and it was time for bed.
It was such a nice day :)
Baked Pancake (also called Dutch Pancake)
6 eggs
1 cups of milk
1/2 cup of buttermilk
(you can also use yogurt, kefir etc...you could even use all milk and add a bit of whey to help break down the phytates)
2 tablespoons of honey
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of fresh milled kamut (you can use whole wheat flour or all purpose..but the kamut is delicious!
4 tablespoons of butter
The evening before...mix your eggs, milk, buttermilk, honey, salt and kamut in a bowl. Blending each ingrediant in well before adding the next. Cover the bowl and put in the fridge until morning. (During this time, the buttermilk is helping to break down the phytates in the grains, which will help your body to absorbe more of minerals and vitamins.)
The next morning, put your butter in a 13x9 baking pan. Set your oven to 425* and put your pan in the oven to warm and so the butter can melt. Keep an eye on the butter and once it's completely melted, add the pancake batter that you mixed up the evening before. Set you timer for 20 minutes. When the pancake is done, you can top it with real maple syrup, fresh fruit etc. This is a very delicious, quick and healthy breakfast! :)
~I just wanted to add...this doesn't have to be made the night before. If you need a healthy breakfast that's quick and easy, you can make this without letting it soak overnight...the health benefits aren't as good, but it's still better than storebought cereal or other chemically loaded junk. ~
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Granola in a Crockpot or Roasting Oven
My traditional oven was occupied by bread and I really wanted to make some granola today. So, I decided to make it in the roasting oven! It came out wonderfully
Here's how:
10 cups of oats (I don't use quick oats for this)
1 cup of coconut oil
1 cup of raw honey
1T of cinnamon
1T of vanilla (I used some Mexican vanilla that a neighbor brought back for me...yum!)
1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
And that's it for our granola. You can add coconut, raisins, flax seed, nuts etc. but my family likes it a bit more basic.
Measure out the coconut oil and honey into a sauce pan and put it on the stovetop on low to melt a bit. Next, measure the oats, cinnamon and flour into the roasting oven and blended them well. Back to the stovetop...stir the coconut oil and honey mixture until smooth, remove from heat and add the vanilla to it . Pour it over the oats and mix until everything is well blended. Turn on roasting oven to approx. 300 degrees. Cook for about 1 hour, mixing every 10-15 minutes.
Here's what it looks like while it was cooking....
How to Make Kombucha in Pictures...
Okay, I've been asked by several people to post a how-to on making Kombucha. So....into the kitchen!
These instructions will make 68oz of Kombucha to drink. (You'll need to hang on to 12 ounces as the starter tea for your next batch)
What you will need:
-Stainless steel pot
-Glass jar to brew in (size will depend on amount you plan on making)
-Black tea (5 tea bags)
-Plain white sugar (1 cup)
-Spring water 80 ounces + some for evaporation (tap is fine but if you live in the city like I do, you have to worry about chlorine.)
-Glass or plastic measuring cups
-Kombucha Scoby with 12 oz (or 1 1/2 cups) starter tea.
-Paper towels (or paper napkins)
-Big rubber band
-Vinegar to help sanitize utensils, jars, pan etc.
We start off by washing everything thoroughly. (Rinse really well as soap will kill the Kombucha.) Then splash some vinegar on or in each of the things that will be in contact with your Kombucha. Remember...no metal! You are going to pour at least 80oz (10 cups) of water into your pot to heat. I always add an extra few ounces to cover any evaporation.) I am doubling this whole recipe/process so I have much more water in my pot
While the water is heating, get your brewing jars ready. (I bought my jars for around 7$ a piece at Wal-mart. I have 4 so I can always have 2 jars brewing, and 2 more ready to go) You need 5 tea bags. I usually suspend them from the sides and then wrap a rubber band around the edge so they don't fall when I pour the hot water in.
Here's my assistant photographer....
If you are using spring water (or good well water) heat it until it's just about to boil. (If you are using tap water, you'll want to bring your water to a boil and leave it boiling for at least 10 minutes to get rid of the chlorine. Make sure to add plenty of water to allow for evaporation!)
Measure out your 80 ounces(10 cups). Pour the measured water into your waiting jar.
Wait 5 minutes and then pour in your sugar. (This can be a bit tricky...if you pour it in too soon, the sugar can carmelize...if you wait too long it may not dissolve. 5 minutes is usually safe!)
Let your tea steep for about 20 minutes.
Then take out the tea bags and give the sweet tea a stir. We want all of the sugar dissolved and distributed.
Cover your tea and let it sit until cooled to room temp. (Feel the jar, if it feels cool, it's probably okay...if it's still warm, leave it alone! This usually takes several hours.)
The realtor called while I was waiting for the tea to cool and my lovely photographer thought it would be funny to take a picture.....
While the camera's out.....here's my little monkeys!
And me....
The tea has cooled and now it's time to transfer my scoby's to their new home. This is where they "live". I keep one corner of my pantry for brewing and fermenting (As you can see...there's also some kefir in there right now...)
Your next step will be to remove 12 ounces (or 1 1/2 cups) of sweet tea from your jar. (This will allow room for the starter tea and keep the total amount the same so you have the same ratio...more on that at the end) You can drink this tea if you want...I personally dump it down the drain as I don't care for sweet tea
Now you are going to take 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups ) of starter tea....
and put it in your fresh batch of sweet tea.
(The starter tea is put in to get the ph level of the tea off to a good start....which is necessary to avoid mold. A note on mold...if after watching for several days and you are sure your kombucha scoby is growing mold...looks like what you'd see on bread....throw it out, sanitize your jars and start over. Mold isn't anything to mess around with in this case. I try to keep a backup scoby with starter tea in the fridge...just in case!)
Next you're going to go remove all jewelry/watches and wash your hands again...rinse them very well (I even splash vinegar on my hands) Carefully take your scoby....
and slip it into it's new home of sweet tea.
Here they are in their new homes! The one on the right shows the layers of babies on the scoby. Also, note how they can go sideways....it's totally normal for them to float on the top, on their sides or even rest on the bottom. Mine usually make their way back to the top (They actually have now...24 hrs later)
Now it's time to strain this past weeks brew into the pitcher. (I always strain it as I pour it into the pitcher and then again as it goes into the glass. There are little brown globs of spent yeast etc. and though it wouldn't hurt you ...might even be good....I personally don't care for texture in my drinks. Just remember you want a plastic or nylon strainer....no metal! :o)
You'll notice the bubbles...that's normal....kombucha is naturally carbonated!
And here it is ready to go into the fridge. But before that.....
Salute!
Now for some more info...I us a 10-10-15% ratio when I make k-tea. Meaning 80 ounces of water-8 ounces of sugar-12 ounces of starter tea. Once you are experienced at making kombucha, you can play with these numbers a bit but this is what I use. If you are starting out with for the first time, you can start with 32 ounces of water-2 tea bags-3.2 ounces of sugar and-4.7 ounces of starter tea. If you want to make a bigger batch than you have starter tea for, you can add distilled vinegar (white, apple cider or white wine), to make the amount needed. (Some people say you can use just vinegar on occasion as a starter if you have somehow run out of regular starter tea.)
Places to get scoby's and starter tea...from friends or family if possible! With every brew you'll have a new baby that can either be kept together or passed along (I've already gotten several family members going on k-tea from my "babies") If you need to purchase them, there are several places on-line you can buy from and there's several sellers on E-bay. I have had excellent luck with this seller and you can also purchase strainers etc. from him. (Hi Mike!) He also has a wonderful website with additional info here.
I hope you've enjoyed this how-to on making kombucha and though I am by no means an expert, please feel free to ask any questions you may have! Kombucha is such a wonderfl, healthy and frugal (when made at home) drink for your family...it's worth the time and trial & errors!
Kombucha...a wonderful gift!
If you've never heard of Kombucha...let me just fill you in! Here is a link to some basic info on kombucha, but bottom line, there are sooo many health benefits. I drink kombucha tea (or k-tea) for several reasons....
-metabolism, appetite control, weight-loss
-digestion
-liver function, detoxification
-immune system booster
-sleep better
-much less painful menstrual cramps
to name a few.
It's so simple to make, inexpensive and it tastes good (kind of like sparkling cider) All you need is plain old black tea and white sugar! Now we don't usually use white sugar in our home, but the kombucha seems to like it best so I do buy it just for this.
Though it's often referred to as a mushroom, kombucha is actually grown with something called a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) and with each brew, a new scoby is "born". You can keep these babies or give them away to friends and family (which I've been doing a lot lately!) Then each of those babies will produce new scoby's that can be passed on! So it really is the gift that keeps on giving. Not only giving continual health benefits, but giving new cultures to be passed on. How cool is that!
Now, I am by no means a doctor and kombucha tea is potent stuff....it may not be for everyone. I urge you to take the time and do the research (the internet is a wealth of knowledge.) There are so many testimonies out there of kombucha curing ailments from cancer to eczema.....but you know your own body and it's conditions. You are the best judge as to what will benefit your families health. Personally, I plan on this being part of our daily healthcare regiment from now on!
The next time I make it (Tuesday) I'll try to take pictures of the process to share with all of you.
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