Breakfast Menu

I spent a little time this afternoon perusing blogs and cookbooks and came up with this weekly breakfast menu.  I'm quite positive that my kiddos are going to have a few issues, but I'm hoping that the "there are starving kids in Afria and I don't want to hear you complaining" speech will prevail.  LOL  Seriously though, since I've been back home from Sierra Leone, I'm a completely different parent....but that's another post.

I'm positive the kids, Jackson primarily, will have issues with a few things, but I'm going to plan on holding fast at least for a few weeks to see if I can persuade them.  Nothing is horrible or anything they will completely hate, it just isn't what they are used to having.

The menu is grain free, except for Monday and Saturday, which will be a treat.  Pancakes are the boys' all-time favorite breakfast, so I included it and I'm going to use it for bribery, if needed.  I'll make them from scratch with organic flour - 1/2 all-purpose and 1/2 whole wheat.  According to WAP, grains need to be soaked, so I'm going to try to figure that out at some point.

Monday
Eggs - Pastured and purchased from a local farm
Toast - Ezekiel for now, homemade sourdough or soaked later
Butter - Purchased at grocery for now, hopefully local, grassfed or homemade later
Honey - Local, raw
Fruit - Whatever is in season or organic frozen
Milk - Raw, purchased locally

Tuesday
Grain-free blueberry muffins with butter
Eggs
Milk

Wednesday
Yogurt - Homemade from raw milk purchased locally
Vanilla & Honey to flavor yogurt
Fruit
Grain-free granola

Thursday
No-crust veggie fritatta
Fruit
Milk

Friday
Nutty fruit cereal
Milk

Saturday
Pancakes - made from scratch w/organic flour & aluminum-free baking powder, local honey, coconut oil
Pure Maple Syrup
Butter
Eggs
Milk

Sunday
Yogurt
Fruit
Grain-free granola

I found these recipes on Organic & Thrifty via The Healthy Home Economist and also from Those Who Hunger.  There are a few more breakfast recipes I want to try, but I think we'll try to adjust to these first before I bring on another batch.

Sourdough Success!

Several weeks ago, I started experimenting with sourdough starter and recipes.  It's been an interesting challenge that I have actually enjoyed.  I love to learn new things and this was definately new for me!

I did have success making my own starter.  It wasn't hard, it just took a while (a week) so you have to be patient.  The Prairie Mom blog has turned out to be invaluable for this process.  I used it for the starter and had more success with her recipes than anyone else's I found.

Initially, after my first batch of starter, I made a recipe from a YouTube video I discovered.  I actually posted it here several weeks ago.  I ended up with two loaves of what I thought resembled bricks more than the bread I was expecting.  And, they were SERIOUSLY sour tasting.  Thinking I had done something wrong, I tried to keep the starter going so I could give it another try.  However, instead of putting the starter in the fridge, I covered it and put it on top of the fridge so it would be out of the way.  (I swear that's what I thought I was supposed to do since I wasn't going to wait that long to make more bread...) That was Mistake #1.  It molded and had to be thrown out.

Starter making had to begin again....another week of waiting.   During that week, I found Prairie Mom - thank God!  I used her method of taking care of the starter as well as her recipe for Yeasted Sourdough Bread.  Since the first bread I made was REALLY sour (the boys wouldn't even it covered with honey), I thought it would be a good one to try.  I made it twice, first the bread pictured below then the rolls, which are pictured above, and they were a huge hit!  Jackson was thrilled and has even told lots of his friends how his mommy makes the best bread ever!  He's been waiting patiently for me to make more...Yea!

After the bread, I also made homemade tortillas from the starter, which have also been well received by the critics of the house.  They love flour tortillas, but I didn't know what to use instead of buying them at the store until I found this recipe.  I feel great that they are getting to eat the things they want and are used to having - but they are healthy and actually good for them instead of being filled with empty calories and a bunch of chemicals/preservatives/additives that are actually harmful.  We've been eating them for lunch rolled up with PB&J....organic, of course. ;)

I will, no doubt, keep making tortillas and the Yeasted Sourdough recipe - they work really great for us.  However, since this process has begun, I have also realized that the first bread I made (which I thought was way too sour and way to heavy) was actually not a mistake.  About a week ago, I attended a Weston A Price meeting where everyone brought food to share.  There were a couple loaves of bread there - and they were almost exactly like the first I made that got thrown out.  Theirs was every bit as heavy as mine.  So....if you are venturing into this realm of breadmaking, just know that the starter is NOT going to give you bread that you are expecting if you are using whole wheat, rye, or spelt flour.  Don't freak out when your bricks come out of the oven!

If you aren't familiar with traditional food prep, the reason that sourdough is said to be more healthy than yeasted breads, is because of the fermentation process.  There are enzymes and good bacteria in the starter  that are actually beneficial to the "flora" in your gut.  Also, the process of fermenting and giving bread a long rising time, gives the phytic acid in the grain time to break down.  Phytic acid is part of  grains that inhibit the nutrients being processed by your body.  Grains (seeds) were created to propagate new plants, not to be digested as nutrients.  Soaking/fermenting breaks the acid down and makes the grain easier to digest.

Eventually, I want to get to a place that I am baking bread and other sourdough/soaked baked goods only once a month.  I think I can do it, although I'm sure it will be a process just like everything else.  I will also start to switch over to spelt flour from organic whole wheat.  And, eventually....I'd like to have a grain mill so that I can make my own sprouted flour.....but for now, I think I've made good progress.  No more buying the white/brown "fluff" at the grocery store.

In a pinch, I have found a sprouted sourdough bread at the health food store to use when I don't have time to bake.  I'll be leaving a loaf of it for Doug & the kids while I'm gone.

If you try your own starter or have recipes to share - leave a comment!

Bread Making Success!!

Well, the second time around was very successful!  If you are interested in a hearty, healthy loaf of bread I would suggest following the instructions of the video I posted yesterday.  The bread rose sufficiently, was hearty but not too heavy and had a great sourdough flavor.  I'll be using this one again, probably weekly, and trying not to buy bread at the grocery store any more.  Yea!

Homemade Sourdough Bread: Take 2

As I posted earlier, I tried my hand at making homemade sourdough bread.  I intended to post pictures for you, but I'm having technical difficulty doing that and, honestly, it turned out terrible.  I ended up with two bricks rather than loaves of bread.  I followed the video instructions as closely as I could, but they weren't very clear about measurements.  I'm not really sure what the problem was, but there most definately was a problem.

However, yesterday I spent some time researching and reading about sprouted flours and how much more healthy they are for you.  I found Breadtopia, which gave much more clear instructions about making sourdough from scratch, so I'm giving it another go round.

I was successful last week at making a viable sourdough starter from rye flour and water, so I am using that as my leavening agent and then using spelt flour for the bread.  I'm posting the videos, which are much more detailed and I have actually already stirred up my bread and it is rising now.  Hopefully, by evening, we'll have hot bread and butter to eat.  

www.breadtopia.com has many more videos and lots more information about all types of breads and breadmaking.


For a near-future project, I'm working on procuring a grain mill so that I can sprout spelt or whole wheat berries and grind my own flour.  The goal is to be making bread from sprouted flour, which is even healthier and easily digested than the normal whole grain bread.  

Home-Made Mayo & Ranch Dressing

Well, it's gonna be a full day here at our house.  I've already stirred up two loaves of bread that are rising and I've got my seeds and potting mix out to plant this afternoon.  I just found this video that is a recipe for homemade mayo, which I've been thinking about since we just started our traditional diet/lifestyle.  

As we all know, all these processed foods are killing us.  We are eating, usually overeating, getting more calories than necessary but not enough nutrition.  All the processing of food takes away the nutritional value and the very essence of why we need to eat it in the first place.  We are effectively starving our bodies, all the while they are becoming more and more obese.  

So, here at our house we've decided to get rid of the processed stuff and start eating like our ancestors did.  We've found that the Weston A Price diet is serving us well in that manner.  However, we are modern Americans, and so letting go of the processed things we've grown up on is a little overwhelming at times.  Ranch dressing was one of the things I wasn't sure how to make on my own and I knew it would be hard for us to give up.  Thankfully, now we aren't going to have to.  

This recipe if for mayo, but she adds on the key to ranch dressing at the end of the video.  I will definately give this one a try and wanted to post it here so I could access it quick and easy.

It's Alive!

Just this evening, after being set beside my crockpot which is boiling chicken broth, it has come alive and seriously looks like a bowl of boiling oatmeal (or something?) on the counter.  It's homemade sourdough bread starter.  I started last Friday with 1 cup of rye flour and 1 cup of water.  I put it in a sterilized bowl the next day and added those same ingredients again.  Every day after that, the same.

I left the house about 8:00 pm this evening to go to a friend's house.  When I returned at 10:00, it had bubbled over the side of the bowl.  I put it in a bigger bowl and have been blogging and surfing for a couple of hours watching it rise to the top.  I'm going to have to get an even bigger bowl before I go to sleep.  I've never seen anything like it.

I've got two more days to go, per the instructions, before I stop feeding it and use it to bake sourdough bread.  I can't imagine what it will look like by then.  I hope this works.  I love homemade bread!

I took pictures, but Harrison put my memory card reader in the toilet the other day, so the pics will have to wait for a day or so.   I assume it was an action in protest to the effort I was making at potty training.   I'm not for sure, but he is definately on track for covert operations job in the military....don't let the 2-year old jibber jabber fool ya!

WAPF: acronym for Weston A Price Foundation

For several months, maybe even longer, I've heard from different people about the Weston A. Price diet.  I say diet, but it is not a short-term weight loss program.  This is truly a lifestyle choice, which is why I didn't just jump right on the bandwagon.  A true lifestyle shift is a hard one to make - a lot different than just losing weight with the going fad diet.  

One of the people I heard from was, in fact, my mom and sister's OB/Gyn.  They love and trust him with their lives and so he gave it some real credibility along with some very good friends of mine.  The people I know who are following this plan (to varying degrees, of course) are doing wonderfully and wouldn't go back to the modern diet at all.  After lots of reading and research, as well as talking to several people, Doug and I have decided to give it a go.


I expect weight loss will probably happen, but we are truly more interested in the long term health benefits of just living a healthier lifestyle.  I expect the boys to rebel for a while.  However, they do love their food plain-Jane and served without being mixed or touching other things.  The part they aren't going to like, of course, is the processed food being off the menu.  Hopefully, they'll adjust in a fair amount of time.

Basically, the WAP diet consists of eating the way our ancestors ate or eating the food God created and provided for us.  Whole foods, raw dairy products, pasture-fed animal products, soaked grains, nuts.  No processed stuff.

I'm posting a couple of videos I found on making sourdough bread from scratch.  I'm putting them here so that I'll remember where to find them. :-)  I'll be sure to post pictures of my efforts, since it will probably be quite amusing!

Home-Made Laundry Detergent

"A penny saved is a penny earned", or so they say.  We've been trying for a while to cut back on our household expenses, and also to make an intentional effort to be a little more eco-friendly.  One of the things I tried last fall was making my own laundry detergent.  I was a little skeptical, and I hated to part with my great-smelling Gain.  I was pleasantly surprised how easy this detergent was to make, how good it worked, and how long it lasted.  It smells very clean and "lemony" because of the Fels Naptha.  You can even add essential oils to change the smell, if you choose.  It lasted our family of 5 about 4 to 5 months!  
Here's the recipe:

1 Fels Naptha soap bar, grated 

1 cups washing soda  

1/2 cup borax

5-gallon bucket

Leftover liquid detergent container

Grate the soap bar into a small saucepan (I used my food processor, but a hand grater would work fine.).

Cover with hot water.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continually, until the soap completely dissolves.   

Put washing soda and borax in a 5-gallon bucket.   Pour in the hot, melted soap mix.  Stir well, until all the powder is dissolved.  Fill the bucket to the top with more hot tap water.  Stire, cover securely and let set overnight.  The next morning, stir.  Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water in a smaller detergent container.  Shake.

For top-loading machines:  Use 1 cup of the soap mixture per load

For front-loading machines:  Use 1/3 cup per load

You can find the ingredients in the laundry detergent aisle at the grocery store.  The Fels Naptha is usually in the same place as the other stain removers.   I use Arm & Hammor Washing Soda and Mule Team Borax.  Each of these boxes cost less than $5 and will make at least four batches of detergent.  It all adds up to detergent that costs less than $5 per batch and lasts this family around 4 months.  Can't beat that!


Note:  This detergent is missing a lot of the chemicals and stabilizers the commercial detergent has.  The consistency is somewhat like pieces of jello sitting in water.  Don't worry about it.  Just give your container a shake before your pour.  


I've got to make some more this afternoon.  I'll post pictures for you so you can see how it goes together.

Five on Friday: Wonderful Winter Soups

On Fridays, I'm gonna try to share a list of five things with you each week.  Who knows what you'll find, so be sure to come see!

These are the recipes to five different soups I love to make.  My kids aren't great soup eaters, so I don't fix them as often as I would prefer.  They are easy to make and so great to have on a cold, wintery day.  Hope you enjoy!

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
2 cups wild rice, cooked (I use Lundberg Wild Rice Blend)
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
2 TB olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
2 cups milk
 chicken broth
2 TB poultry seasoning
sage, to taste

In a stock pot, cook onion and celery in oil until translucent.  Add the chicken, broth,milk  and seasonings.  Heat through, but do not boil.  You can adjust the amount of liquid or seasonings to suit your preference.  I keep the rice on the side and add it to each bowl as I'm serving.  This prevents the rice from being mushy and allows you to keep leftovers for a perfect bowl of soup the next day.

Meatless Taco Chili
This is a variation of a soup I found on Those Who Hunger, while we were doing a Daniel Fast.  I liked it so much, I've made it again even though we are no longer fasting.  Tweak it to you preferences.  You can add other varieties of beans, meat, more tomatoes - whatever!

2 TB olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 can chili beans
1  can black beans, drained
2 cans great northern beans, drained
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 package taco seasoning
Chili powder, to taste
2 cups cooked polenta (cornmeal cooked in boiling water...don't be intimidated!)

Cook onion in olive oil til translucent.  Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer.  Serve hot!  It's great with any of the condiments that go with chili or tacos - guacamole, sour cream, cheese, corn chips, etc.

Cheesy Baked Potato Soup
This is my sister, Kate's, recipe.  It is SO yummy!  You have to try it.  There aren't any hard and fast measurements.  In fact, it's never been made the same way twice.  It's nowhere near healthy, but it tastes great!

5-6 pieces of bacon
1 cup mushrooms
Cheese cheese cheese! (Any kind you want.  We use cream cheese, velveeta, cheddar, provolone, cottage, monterey jack - whatever is in the fridge at the time)
Boiled potatoes
whipping cream
white pepper


In a skillet, cook bacon and remove.  Add mushrooms to the skillet and saute.  Mash part of the potatoes, depending on the consistency you want.  The more you mash, the thicker the soup will be.  In a stock pot, add bacon, mushrooms, cheese, potatoes and whipping cream.  Season with white pepper and heat through, till all your cheese is melted.  Mom adds dill sometimes, too.  Garnish with green onion, oyster crackers, etc.


Hamburger & Vegetable Soup
This is my mom's favorite - she makes it all the time. 

1# ground beef
salt, pepper
garlic
1 onion, diced
2-3 carrots, sliced
2-3 potatoes, cubed
1 can green beans
1 can black-eyed peas
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can beef consume
2 TB worchestire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 Lg can V-8 juice

In a stock pot, cooked the ground beef with onion.  Season with salt, garlic and pepper.  Drain.  Add the other ingredients.  Add water, broth or more V-8  juice until desired consistency is reached.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer until potatoes and carrots are cooked.  Remove bay leaves.  Serve.

Chicken Posole Verde
I haven't tried this one yet, but it looks yummy and is on my list.  The recipe (from Pampered Chef) says it is ready to serve in 20 minutes.  Can't beat that!

1 TB olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 can whilte hominy, drained
2 cups chicken broth
1 can medium green enchilada sauce
1 cup water
1 t dried Mexican oregano
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup thinkly sliced green cabbage
2 tb chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges

Cook garlic in oil until fragrant and golden.  Add broth, enchilada sauce, water, oregano and hominy.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer.  Cook 8 minutes.  Add chicken and simmer.  Serve.  Top with cabbage, cilantro and a lime wedge.

What is your favorite soup recipe?  I'd love to know! 

Spinach Artichoke Dip

I found this recipe at Those Who Hunger and we really enjoy it. I love spinach artichoke dip, but it's so loaded with fat and calories that I rarely have it. This version doesn't have any mayo or cheese, but is still really flavorful and a good alternative to the traditional version. I used it as a dip for chips, veggies and even as a topping for a homemade pizza.


8 oz. firm tofu
1/2 onion, diced
2 TB olive oil
2 TB minced garlic (or as much as you like)
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed & drained
1 cup canned artichokes (I used the marinated version)
2 TB juice from the artichokes
Salt & pepper to taste


Heat olive oil in skillet and cook onions til they are translucent.  Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes, careful not to burn it.  Use a food processor or immersion blender to whip the tofu.  Add the onions and garlic, spinach and artichokes.  Blend together.  Add enough juice from the artichokes to reach the consistency you like.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Bake at 350 degrees til heated through and sides are bubbly.  Enjoy!