French Toast

This is my new favorite breakfast recipe...

4 slices of thick whole grain bread (I made mine with this recipe)

2 eggs

2 tbs milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1-2 tbs sugar (or honey, rapadura, sucanat, etc.)

1/4 cup cream cheese

1-2 tbs honey

blueberries or sliced strawberries to throw on top


1. Heat skillet on medium and spray with cooking spray or add a little butter.

2. Beat together in medium bowl: eggs, milk, cinnamon and sugar.

3. Submerge slices of bread into egg mixture until fully covered but not too soggy.

4. Put onto skillet and toast on both sides until egg is fully cooked and lightly browned.

5. Put cream cheese and honey into microwave safe bowl and microwave for about 15-20 seconds. Stir together and pour onto your french toast.

6. Top with blueberries and enjoy!

Homemade Protein Bars

This recipe is super easy, versatile and very tasty!

Basic Recipe:

2 cups Almonds

3/4 cups Peanut Butter

3/4 cups Dried Fruit- I normally use raisins and dates

Honey to taste (This depends on how sweet your PB is)

1/4 cup Coconut Oil (or olive oil)

Nutritional Add-ins:

Flax Seed

Wheat Germ

Dried Unsweetened Coconut

Sunflower or Pumpkin Seeds

Pulse all your ingredients in a food processor until they are the right consistency to form a bar. If they are too dry and crumbly add a bit more honey and oil. If they are too sticky, add oatmeal or more nuts. Then press into an 8" square pan. Cool in fridge until they are hard. Slice and serve.

For a Treat:

Top with melted semisweet chocolate Chips. Let cool in fridge until they are hard before serving.

I never actually measure anything for these bars. I just throw some nuts, dried fruit, nut butter, some honey and then just whatever else I feel like adding. They end up tasting good no matter what.

Enjoy!

Summer Salsa

I recently began participating in a local produce co-op, which is a nice way to get high quality fruits and veggies for a lower price. While the deal is a good one, I still found myself with a big bag of produce that contained a few things that I don't normally buy. In this case, cucumbers and corn. Enter a fancy new recipe! I found a recipe here and modified it to come up with this super delicious summer salsa:

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and diced
1 mango, diced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (I really like cilantro:))

1 small green bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup frozen corn

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon rapadura (or sugar)

1 teaspoon salt

Mix together and serve chilled with tortilla chips. If you give the flavors a little time to meld, say two or three hours, it tastes even better.

I think I'll start using cucumbers more often!

My take on Muesli

Muesli is loosely defined by Wikipedia as "a popular breakfast cereal based on uncooked rolled oats, fruit and nuts." That's pretty broad, but here is how I do it and its a hit with my family!

6 dried figs
6 dates
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup oats
1 cup milk
1 cup plain yogurt
3 tbs. honey

Pulse first four ingredients in food processor until coarsely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and then refrigerate 2-24 hours to soften and absorb liquid. (I let mine sit at room temp. for 12 hours in order to remove phytates from the oats.)


Our family scripture this week: Let the words of mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

Blender Waffles/Pancakes...

...a yummy healthy breakfast treat!

This recipe has been adadpted from a recipe I found here...

It is so delicious and easy. The best part about it is that you can incorporate grains that you don't normally eat (or don't really enjoy eating) We like to sneak rice and quinoa into these yummy waffles. This recipe needs to soak overnight, so make sure to mix them up in the evening if you want them for breakfast the next morning.

This recipe is awesome, in that it gives you the benefit of soaked grains, which is a very important preparation step to get rid of phytates, which bind to the nutritious parts of grains so that your body cannot absorb them. Read more on that topic here.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole grain wheat flour (or other whole grain flour like spelt or kamut)
1/2 cup rice (or quinoa) You put in whole, uncooked rice. This sounds really weird but, trust me, it works.
1 and 3/4 cups cultured buttermilk (OR 1/2 cup yogurt and 1 and 1/4 cups water)
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tbs. olive oil

Put the above ingredients in your blender and blend on high for 2-3 minutes and then let them sit on your counter for 12-24 hours. (The soaking process only effectively removes phytates at room temperature. At first it feels weird letting buttermilk or yogurt sit out for that long, but I have done it many many times and it tastes great.)

The next morning add the rest of the ingredients:

2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Blend for about a minute. If your mixture is too thick to blend add an egg or two.

Pour onto prepard waffle iron and cook according to your iron's directions. If you don't have a waffle iron these also make fabulous pancakes.

Serve with butter and real maple syrup or honey.

Crock Pot Yogurt!

I tried this overnight and wow! It was so easy and cheap. I made a half gallon of organic yogurt for $2! Check out ths link for the instructions:

http://www.nourishingdays.com/2009/02/make-yogurt-in-your-crock-pot/

I've tried a couple other yogurt techniques, but none were near as easy as this one. The directions are easy to follow and it yields near perfect results. If you consume much yogurt, you should try this to save money.

The end result is plain yogurt (nonfat if you use nonfat milk and whole if you use whole, which is what I did. We buy our milk straight from a farmer in town that is organic, raw milk for only $4/gal.) You will want to sweeten it with honey or stevia and fruit, like blueberries, strawberries and bananas. You could also use it as a replacement for sour cream in recipes.

I use my yogurt to soak my whole grains to remove phytates, making my baked goods more easily digestible and healthy. Read more about that on this blog:

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/04/whole-grains-grinding-soaking.html

The blog I just mentioned (Passionate Homemaking) is an awesome resource for any mama focused on being the best homemaker they can be for their family. I strongly recommend checking it out and browsing its content for ideas that can help your family.

The miraculous green smoothie!

I saw this on an awesome blog, passionatehomemaking.com, and it has been a big hit in our home ever since.

Call it a "Shrek" or "Incredible Hulk" smoothie for the kids if you have to, but these incredible drinks are an easy way to get picky kids to eat their veggies.

I give it to my almost 2 year old all the time and she drinks it like its regular juice. Yum!

Put in blender:

2 cups fresh spinach

1 ripe banana

1 apple, cut up with peels still on

1/2 cup plain yogurt or kefir

Juice of choice (I use orange juice) Put enough juice in to make the smoothie thin enough to fit in a sippy cup, or a little thicker if it is for an older child

Honey, if needed (but not for kids under age one)

If it still tastes really sweet and delicious and you think you can get away with adding more spinach, do it!

Optional add ins:

1 ripe avocado (These are creamy and don't have a strong taste, so your child won't notice)

A carrot with peels on (Carrots are a sweet tasting vegetable, so they complement the juice nicely.)

Ground flax seed

Applesauce

Pears, strawberries or any other fruit you have.

Mix and match and experiment! Don't think that just because it sounds gross to an adult that your kids won't love it. How else are you going to get them to eat that much spinach?

Homemade Butter

We decided to start making our own butter in order to have a product that is healthier and more frugal than store-bought butter. We use raw milk straight from a dairy farmer in a town nearby. Check out realmilk.com to find out all the health benefits associated with raw milk and to educate yourself on pasteurization and homogenization and what they do to destroy any health benefits that milk once had. You can also find a farmer in your area that sells clean, raw and, often, organic milk.

You won't believe how easy this is!!

Things you need:

1 jar

cream

1. Fill the jar 1/3 of the way with cream. (We just skimmed the cream off the top of the milk we purchased from the local farmer. You could also buy regular pasteurized cream from the grocery store, if that's all you have access to.)

2. Let it sit out on your counter until it reaches about 65 degrees. I pulled mine out of the fridge and put it on the counter for about 7 hours.

3. Shake the jar profusely. The butter will separate from the buttermilk. If you have a really good shaker, (my husband, in this case) it may only take 5 minutes until you have a big mass of butter in the jar. It may take up to 20 minutes. Just keep shaking until you have a clump of soft butter.

4. Drain off the buttermilk and rinse. I put mine through a strainer, then put the buttermilk in the fridge to use for pancakes. I then rinsed a little water over the butter to get the remaining butterrmilk off.

4. Add a little salt. Then put it in a little container and refrigerate. It will harden when cool, just like regular butter.

That's it! It's really that easy. Enjoy!

Maple Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

Easy, Delicious, Healthy!

4 pieces of chicken

2 medium sweet potatoes, cut in cubes

1 onion, cut in large wedges

2 tbs. olive oil

3 tbs. maple syrup

Salt and Pepper

1.Arrange chicken, onion and sweet potatoes in large roaster pan. (I just use a 9X13 baking pan)

2. Drizzle with olive oil and syrup and sprinkle everything with salt and pepper.

3. Bake at 400 for about an hour, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly and potatoes and onions are soft. I usually stir my potatoes and onions about half way through so they don't burn.

4. Enjoy this one pan dish!

The Best Salmon Recipe Ever!! (I am 23 weeks pregnant and crave this!)

For the fish:

4 salmon filets
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp parsley
lemon pepper seasoning- to taste

For the sauce (This is what makes the recipe so yummy!):

1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup mayo
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. dill weed

OK, so this recipe is really simple. Just bring your chicken broth and salmon to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, mix together mayo, yogurt, green onions and 1 tsp. dill weed.

When the salmon can be easily flaked with a fork it is done. Remove from the broth and sprinkle on 1 tsp. parsley, 1 tsp. dill weed and the lemon pepper. Then place a few tbs. of the yogurt sauce on each filet. Enjoy!

Serve with steamed broccoli and brown rice.

Easy Summer Veggie Sandwiches

makes: 4 sandwiches

need:

4 whole wheat bagels

a couple leafs of romaine lettuce

1 small red onion, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

4 slices colby jack cheese

1 tomatoe sliced

alfalfa sprouts (optional)

spicy brown mustard

Salt and pepper your tomato. Layer 1 slice of cheese, peppers, onion, tomatoe sprouts, lettuce and mustard on each bagel. This makes a really delicious sandwich. I really pile the mustard on mine.

How to make granola

Granola is very easy to make and is healthier and cheaper when you make it at home!

note: I do not measure when I make granola I just dash of this and that but I will explain to you as we go what it needs to look like and what the consistency should be.






These are the basic ingredients you need:

• Oatmeal


• Honey


• Olive Oil


• Nuts (I used walnuts and almonds here)


• Rasins or Dried Cranberries or Blueberries


• Flax Seed (optional)


• Cinnamon (optional)


• Dried Unsweetened Coconut (optional)


• Carob Chips or Chocolate Chips (optional)

First, you are going to chop all your nuts in a food processor (or buy them already chopped.)

Next, pour some honey and olive oil into a medium saucepan over medium heat. The amounts you pour in determine how big of a batch you want. I usually use about a cup of honey and 1/4 cup olive oil. Dont't let it boil, but get it warm enough to easily stir it.

Once it is combined, remove from heat and start pouring in your nuts and oatmeal. You want it to be about 3/4 oatmeal and 1/4 chopped nuts and you add enough until all the liquid is absorbed and it is crumbly. (You will use a lot more oatmeal than you think. I usually pour in a couple of cups, stir it around, and then add some more, until the liquid is absorbed and its not too sticky.)

As you get more familiar with making granola, it will be very easy for you to know how much of each ingredient tastes best, but granola is really so easy you can't really mess it up. You just want to make sure the consistency is crumbly and not too dry or too sticky. (Even if you don't get it exactly right it will still taste great!)

This is also the part where you stir in about 1/4 cup of coconut and flax seed, if you want. You can also stir in about a tablespoon of cinnamon, but these three ingredients are optional.

Now its time to bake!

Preheat the oven to 350 and spread the granola on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until slihtly browned. It will brown more quickly around the edges, so it is best to pull it out half way through and stir it so the outsides don't get burnt.

Once it is slightly browned, pull it out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Then, pour it into a big bowl and stir in your dried fruit and carob chips, if using. Just stir in as much as you want, depending on how big your batch is and how loaded you want it with dried fruit. The granola will still be rather soft but it will get hard as it cools completely.

You can be creative with granola and create your own recipe, like using real maple syrup instead of honey or dried apples with cinnamon and walnuts. You could even add peanut butter or almond butter to the honey and olive oil step or you could make it banana flavored by adding a mashed banana to the liquid part and dried bananas for the fruit. Its really very simple. Just focus on having a liquid component and dry component and combining them until they are crumbly, not sticky or too dry. Then bake it, stir in some dried fruit and your done!

Enjoy!

Just saw the baby's heartbeat!

Luke and I found out about 3 weeks ago that we are going to be having a baby #2!! We are very excited! Sorry about not posting recipes; I am 7 weeks pregnant and struggling with sickness and anything healthy sounds absolutely repulsive. This is not how I normally am but I have to get through this first trimester somehow!! I have been craving pizza, so I will give you a seriously healthy pizza recipe today:


1 tsp. honey
1.5 C warm water
1 T instant active dry yeast
1 t salt
3 C whole wheat flour

Toppings: Organic pasta sauce, organic cheese, olives, green peppers, red onions....



In a large bowl dissolve honey in warm water and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let sit until it has proofed (foamy) which should take about 5-10 minutes.



Stir in the olive oil and salt and then mix in the flour. Knead for about 10 min. Roll out to make an approx. 15 inch circle (or you can make a square crust if you want, it doesn't have to be perfect) Cover with towel and let rise in a warm, draft free area for about 45 min.



Preheat oven to 425 and then top your crust with desired toppings. For a really healthy pizza, top with organic pasta sauce with no added sugar, some organic cheese (Horizon is a good brand) and veggies, like red onion green pepper and black olives.



You can also get some basil pesto to spread on your pizza, which is very delicious and healthy.



As I said, I'm pregnant and I have been living off pizza and spaghetti the past week because its all I can handle. But, I admit, since smells have been bothering me so badly, I haven't really had the desire to bake my own healthy pizza but I have in the past and they are delicious and worth it!

Hello friends!

I hope you are having a great week. I wanted to share a healthy and delicious recipe for today. This recipe is easy tasty and very healthy!




Fried rice

1 bag of frozen veggies (peas, carrots, peppers, onions or whatever you like)
1 cup of brown rice
1 cup alfalfa or bean sprouts (whatever is on sale)
1 can water chestnuts
2 eggs
olive oil
soy sauce

Cook rice by boiling 1 cup rice in 2.5 cups water and let simmer, covered, until water is absorbed (about 35 min.) Sautee the veggies, sprouts and water chestnuts in a little live oil until soft (I added in some herbs, salt and pepper and a chopped onion) The throw the eggs in and continue to cook until the egg is ully cooked Mix the rice with the veggies and egg mixture, and add soy sauce to taste.

Tomorrow: instrucions and ideas on how to make really simple curtains

A healthy recipe for today

As I mentioned before, I have recently become really into nutrition for my family. I make sure to be really aware of the ingredients that are in our food. For example, I will never purchase something that has hydrogenated oils in it. You will find this is almost every processed food. (Be sure to buy all natural peanut butter.) Also, I watch for added sugar and anything that is "enriched," because when it has been enriched that means they originally took natural nutrition out and added man-made vitamins in, which is not a good idea. It is definitely possible for you to feed your family healthy, natural foods that have not been altered or processed. I learned a lot of what I know about this subject from a book called "What the Bible Says About Healthy Living," by Dr. Rex Russell. The premise is basically: God created certain things for food and He made that very clear. We get ourselves in a lot of trouble when we alter these God-given foods and thats why many people find themselves with so many health problems, which we were never intended to have. (I am not saying all health problems are avoidable. I am just saying a lot of them are naturally preventable.)

Todays very delicious healthy recipe:

4 tilapia fillets

1/2 cup unsweetened flake coconut

1/2 cup crushed nuts (almonds or pecans are best)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 egg

1 tsp. lemon pepper

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Get three bowls. Place the flour, lemon pepper and salt and pepper in the first bowl and put the egg in the second bowl. In the third bowl place the coconut and nuts. Then Take the tilapia fillets and coat them with the flour mixture, then the egg and then the cocnut and nuts. Bake them until they are white and flaky. (about 30 min.) My husband and 1 year old daughter love this recipe and it is made with only God-given, natural ingredients!