Bagged Mixes to Freeze

Wow, time flies! I have had blogging on my list for weeks. I need to get better in this area. Today I would like to share a Pumpkin/Banana Muffin recipe with you. This recipe actually came from a dear friend. Thanks, Cathy, for sharing it with me. My family thinks these muffins are yummy! Recently, the girls and I have started to make bagged mixes to freeze. For example, we bag all the dry ingredients that we can and then freeze them in a freezer bag. We pull the bags out another day as needed and then add the wet ingredients and bake them. This has saved us a lot of time. We have done this for cookie mixes too. Hope you enjoy them!

Pumpkin/Banana Muffins

1 1/4 C. Rolled Oats 1 1/2 C. Oat Flour (I've used spelt four)

1/2 C. Plain Yogurt 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/2 C. Milk 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg

1/2 C. Brown Sugar (Sucanot works) 1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 C. Oil (sunflower, vegetable, or I've used 2 tsp. Baking Powder

canola oil) 1 tsp. Baking Soda

2 Bananas - large ripe, mashed OR (3/4 C. Pumpkin)

1 Egg, large, lightly beaten

In a bowl mix together rolled oats, yogurt and milk. Let soak 10 minutes. Mix oat flour, salt, spices, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl. Add brown sugar, mashed banana OR pumpkin, egg, and oil to rolled oats mixture. Mix well. Add the other dry ingredients to the rolled oat mixture. Mix well. Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake approximately 20 minutes.

Affording to Eat Healthy

I have had a couple people ask me this lately. In this day and age, how can we afford to eat healthy? It sure isn't easy. Admittedly, our grocery bill has went up some weeks more than others, since we started eating healthier.

Our family has had to make some sacrifices. We started off by trimming down on other items we were buying (services like Netflix, phone bills -- better plans, eating out -- which can cost a fortune, vehicle w/better gas mileage, etc.) and we looked for ways to make things ourselves.

Very seldom do we buy "snacky" items anymore. Instead, we make them from scratch. I stopped buying granola bars, fruit grain bars, bagged popcorn, cake mixes, and other prepackaged mixes. If it wasn't in our house, we had to make things if we wanted to eat them. This forced us to eat better, but also saves tremendously on our food bill. Now, the biggest sacrifice for me, has been TIME! Yes, it all requires time. Fortunately, I have three able-bodied children who live in my home and eat my food. Therefore, their room and board is paid by manual labor! Yes, they all take turns cooking and baking.

The bulk of my shopping is done at Giant and then my specialty items are purchased at Sonnewalds Natural Food Store, Common Market, or Costco. Common Market and Costco are monthly to bimonthly trips with trips to Sonnewald usually weekly to bi-weekly. I made a price comparison between all these stores with items that we use regularly. Yes, it did take some time, but was/is worth it. When I buy meat at Giant, I catch the sales and stock up big time (sometimes even saving $2 per pound). Also, they have a coupon kiosk that when you scan your bonus card, it will give you 4 coupons per week. These coupons are tailored to each individual and based on items that you puchase on a regular basis. The same goes for the coupons that are printed out with your receipt at the register.

Another huge savings for us this spring/summer/and even fall, has been our garden. We have had many vegetables from our garden this year. We just picked green beans (second crop this year), have a second crop of lettuce growing, and are still getting peppers and some tomatoes! I had one bag of lima beans, several bags of green beans, 12 jars of tomatoes, and made 10 jars of peach jam. I didn't do a lot of canning, freezing, and preserving, but every little bit helps. We had many fresh salads, vegetable stir-fries and vegetable soup made from what we reaped from the garden too. Yes, all of it does take time. The kids did help when needed too. After all, they live here too! Now is the time of the year that I am not looking foward to ... having my grocery bill go up as we won't have anything coming in from the garden this winter. Since this was my first year to garden in awhile, I can sit down now and evaluate what did work and what didn't work and what we would plant again next year and what we wouldn't quantity wise.

I encourage you all to look for ways to trim down other things in your life to help you to eat healthier even though you may not be able to trim down the grocery bill. Before we looked at what we were spending and trimmed down on things, I thought we couldn't possibly live more frugal. Sometimes those home repairs have to wait. Sometimes activities have to cease. Try a family movie at home for entertainment ... instead of the kids going out with a group. We've had to do that too. One more notation ... gas. Yes, gas is expensive. Our best way to save is to use our gas points from Giant. We have saved 80 cents a gallon before. Sheetz has a Sheetz card (like a store rewards card NOT a credit card as that is what I thought it was a first) and when you obtain one, you save 3 cents a gallon on gas each time you fill up. This has helped us too.

Please take the time to share with me any things that you have done to help your family trim bills in your house that might help me or others out. Thanks and have a blessed weekend.

Pumpkin Cookies

Today my daughter made Pumpkin Cookies. Yummy! Thought I would share the recipe. I would recommend putting the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour or so before baking. The first batch was a little flat and soft. She used 1 1/4 Cups of Teff Flour and 1 1/4 Cups of Quinoa Flour; however, I am pretty sure you can use whatever flour your family usually uses (as this is what we did) for this recipe. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cookies

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil 2 1/2 Cups Flour

1/4 Cup Butter 1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 Cup Coconut Nectar or Maple Syrup 1/2 tsp. Salt

2 Eggs 1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1 1/4 Cups of Pumpkin 1 Cup Raisins, Chocolate Chips, or Carob Chips

In a large bowl, cream the coconut oil and butter together. Add maple syrup (or Coconut Nectar), eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin, and cream again. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir in raisins, chocolate chips, or carob chips. Scoop dough with a cookie scoop and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Coconut Nectar and Coconut Crystals

Wow! Has it really been that long since I last posted? Ugh. What does the time go. We are still plugging away here and trying to eat healthy. We have all been hit with our first colds for the fall/winter season. Hopefully, our last!

I am so excited as we are still reaping produce from the garden! I picked green beans this evening and have broccoli, lettuce, and cabbage that aren't quite ready yet. Peppers are still growing and I harvested the beets the other day. I love the extended growing season! Wish I had the time to make it last longer.

I would like to share two NEW (to me) products with you today. We have been using Coconut Nectar and Coconut Crystals in our baking. The Coconut Nectar would be a more healthy substitute for honey and the Coconut Crystals would be a more healthy substitute for brown sugar. Both products are a low glycemic sugar alternative with no chemicals, pesticides, or herbicides. They are gluten free, unbleached, unrefined, and GMO free. The coconut crystals and coconut nectar can be used in tea, cereals, or baked items. The Coconut Nectar can be used on pancakes too and is more nutritious than agave! They are both made from the sap of the coconut tree. I usually purchase these from www.vitacost.com. Believe me, they are both worth checking into.

Seriously, I need to get better at posting. I will try to make it my goal for the week. Hope you all are enjoying the fall weather. I hear more rain is in the forecast for next week!

Cooking with Spices

I think that I have mentioned before in a previous blog that I have experimented with spices. Up until about six months ago, I never cooked because I liked to cook ... I cooked because I HAD to cook. Since I started to experiment with spices, this has changed. It is amazing how the palate changes too. Now, I am always trying a new recipe and dabbling with spices. Before, I was afraid to try any new recipes with the fear that we might not like the taste of the spices or that I would buy one spice for a recipe and never use it again.

Today, I experimented with curry powder. Now, I must admit, the smell of it doesn't exactly make my mouth water, but if I use less than a recipe calls for, it is quite an interesting spice! Hope you enjoy the recipe below.

Also, I had quite a few responses in reference to the question I posted in my last blog so ... now, I am posing another question. What are some of your fondest memories of cooking with your Mom? My Mom was always particular about a clean kitchen and didn't usually want her five kids under her feet while cooking. However, she had the patience to let me (and I am sure, my siblings) watch her roll out pie dough and make pies. She even let me make little pies myself. Unfortunately, I never made my own as I got older. As a matter of fact, I didn't even remember how! That is until this summer. My girls wanted to make apple pies to enter in the county fair. So, I figured that I would have Grandma help them. Well, let's just say that my Mom is much older and couldn't quite remember how she did/does make pies. I think we caught her off guard. However, we set out to make them. I wanted my girls to experience this. Well, we had to find a recipe and we struggled with that pie crust, but it all worked out. Not for the fair though! We weren't so sure our first pie was worthy of the fair. However, the best part was ... we did it! The girls have even made two pies since then. Mission accomplished! By the way, after we got going in making the pie, Grandma recalled how she made them! Please share any favorite memories you have with your Mom in the kitchen.

Curried Buttermilk Chicken & Grilled Pineapple

4 - 6 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 1/2 cups Curried Buttermilk Marinade (see below)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Coconut Oil

Pineapple Rings

Place chicken in large zip-top bag and add Curried Buttermilk Marinade and seal, squeezing out as much air as possible. Refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours, turning occasionally.

In small nonstick skillet, heat coconut in coconut oil on medium until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Transfer to plate to cool.

Heat grill on medium-high and spray with nonstick Olive Oil cooking spray. Remove chicken from marinade and place on grill. Place pineapples in some of the coconut and place on grill. Cook chicken throughly about 5 minutes on each side. Remove both from grill. Put the remaining coconut on the chicken and serve with pineapples.

Curried Buttermilk Marinade

In medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups low-fat buttermilk, 1 tablespoon curry powder (this is what I used), 2 tsp. sea salt, and 1 tsp. ground black pepper. You can use this to marinade pork, chicken, seafood, or vegetables.

Zucchini Bread

Yeah! We are up to 5 eggs a day now. I cannot tell you how excited I was yesterday to come home (after a long day in Washington, D.C.) and use my metal bucket to gather eggs. You see, this brought tears to my eyes as I cherish the days that I (carrying that metal bucket) used to go out with my grandmother to gather the eggs when I stayed with her. Those are the best memories of my childhood. It was so exciting to see how many eggs those chickens had for us. After we gathered them, she would come in and fix a wonderful breakfast. Anyone else out there ever gather eggs with/for their grandparents? May we always cherish those memories.

I thought I would share a recipe with you today that seems to be a highly favorite one here. Also, we have been making this recipe quite alot lately as we are still getting some zucchini coming in. It is very easy to make and VERY yummy!

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

1/2 c. honey

1/2 c. sucanaut

1 c. coconut oil

2 c. packed, grated zucchini

2 3/4 c. sprouted grain flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 T. Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 c. unsweetened flaked coconut

Cream together first four ingredients. Stir in zucchini, then add dry ingredients and mix well. Bake in 2 loaf pans or large 13 x 9" cake pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Eggs and More Eggs

Wow, has it really been over a month since I last posted? My summer has been much busier than I had anticipated! A busy one, but a good one!

Here is the latest update ... eggs and more eggs. Last Tuesday, one of our gals started laying and each day we are finding more and more eggs. Sometimes, it has been a teasure hunt as we have one or two gals that are leaving their eggs in the coop, but not in the nesting box! This is just so much fun! Well, until we get to the part that out of our 18 chickens, we may have 4 roosters! That part isn't so much fun. Not sure how that happened, but we are working on that part. Must say, nothing like fresh eggs in the mornin'. The kids will tell you, when that first egg arrived, by my excitement, they weren't sure if it came from the chicken or me. I was "cackling" all day!

The garden is still flourishing with peppers, squash, cucumbers, beets, and occasional tomatoes at the moment. We have planted fall plants of green beans, broccoi, lettuce, spinach, and beets. We will see what they bring. It has been so nice having all these fresh veggies in our house. I just love not having to buy from the store. I have to admit, I was skeptical about whether I would be able to keep up with the garden this year and so far, it has not been too bad. I have made several loaves of zucchini bread to freeze and have been able to can 10 jars of tomatoes and have more to do! We were even fortunate enough to sell some of our cherry tomatoes in which we were told were simply delicious.

We have been quite busy here getting things ready for our upcoming school year. My goal is to post at least once a week, but with hopes of keeping my blog up on more of a daily basis. Thanks for checking in on our journey and please don't hesitate to share my blog with others.

Fresh From The Garden

I just love fresh vegetables from the garden. This is just some of the produce that we have brought in from our raised beds this year. We are currently getting zucchini and green beans too. I have been so excited to store some of this food up for the winter! I made 4 loaves of zucchini bread today. I also made a fresh squash casserole. I am looking forward to canning some green beans this week and we have been eating many fresh salads. Sharing my Zucchini Bread recipe this evening. This is a very moist bread.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

1/2 c. honey

1/2 c. sucanat

1 c. coconut oil

2 c. packed, grated, unpeeled zucchini

2 3/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 T. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 c. unsweetened flaked coconut

Cream together first 4 ingredients. Stir in zucchini, then add dry ingredients and mix well. Bake in 2 loaf pans or 1 large 13" x 9" cake pan at 350 for 1 hour.

Meet Pinkerton

Rooster? Say what? Yes, you read that right... I am pretty sure that we have a rooster in our flock. Meet Pinkerton. He has been named after the famous spy, Allen Pinkerton. Guess what? We have another rooster too! Yep, his name is Webster (named after another famous spy too). I got a little more than I bargained for with roosters. I just can't believe how fast they have grown. They are now 12 weeks old. We are still anxiously awaiting eggs here. I think we have at least another 6 weeks.

In case you haven't noticed, I have taken an extended break (not intentionally). It has been since May that I have posted. Wow! Well, most of our busy summer activities have slowed down here so ... it is my intention to keep you more informed of how God is actively restoring our health. I look forward to some posts this week updating our garden and some fresh new recipes that I have tried. Also, I am starting a new book, Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst. I look forward to sharing some of my reflections on this book as well. So, stay tuned and check back in to catch up on the latest! Hope you all are having a blessed summer.

Yummy Aspargus!

I know that I promised more chicken pictures and yes, they are yet to come. I am still having some technical difficulties with getting them onto the computer. Hoping you should have them by tomorrow at the latest.

In the meantime, I would like to share one of our favorite recipes right now! With fresh Aspargus from our garden, we have been finding different ways to fix it and experimenting with it. Here is the best one that we have come up with so far. Hope you try it out! Also, I must tell you my aspargus story. We planted aspargus BK (before kids) twenty years ago. We were able to keep up with it for about a year or two before the kids needed more of us and we saw less of our garden. Over the years, the aspargus plants got uprooted and moved by accident. Who knew that 18 years later, we would have discovered that patch again and be receiving such yummy aspargus to eat! Enjoy!

Baked Aspargus

Cut each aspargus into three portions. In a bowl, combine aspargus, olive oil (enough to coat well) and sea salt. Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with garlic. Sprinkle with bread crumbs (I use a rice crumb coating that I found at Giant) and bake on 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until it is cooked to your liking. Yummy! You can also add basil, parsley, lemon zest, cilantro, etc., when sprinkling on garlic. It is fun to experiment with the different spices/flavorings.

From Chicks to Chickens!

Good Afternoon. Today I am sharing pictures of our baby chicks and how they have grown. It is amazing to see how big they get in such a short time. I was hoping to share these pictures much sooner, but I was having trouble getting the pictures from camera to computer. The top picture (really in backwards order) was taken on May 9th and the bottom picture was taken on April 19th. Yes, this was just 3 weeks in time span. I am hoping to post more pictures from today in my post tomorrow.

It is amazing how God has created these birds. They have an interesting pecking order and they are very smart birds. They know my voice already and if anyone else comes in the coop (who hasn't previously announced that they were coming), they go bananas! Everyone here is anxiously awaiting their first eggs. This big event will probably occur in August or September. As usual, I am sure that will be here before we know it too! We are just learning so much about chickens. Yet, everytime I turn around, there is another chicken book to read with more interesting info.

So far, so good ... the garden is growing fast too. The rain really gave it a boost. Tomorrow I am planning on sharing a current chicken picture and posting a new recipe that we tried. Check back in tomorrow for the latest.

Chicks, Gardening, and more ...

Good evening all. Well, a lot has happened in our house since I last posted! This very day a week ago after I posted, we got our first batch of baby chicks! Then, on Wednesday, we got 7 more for a total of 18 baby chicks! Talk about busy. Those little chicks keep us hopping, but we are so enjoying them. This is definitely one homeschool project that my kids have not experienced before. However, I am glad that we did take the time to include this project in our schooling this year as we are learning so much.

Funny thing is that I was only going to look last week as I was quite sure they wouldn't have all 4 or even 3 of the breeds that I was looking for at the feed store as I have been looking for them for weeks. Well, funny story is, they had the 3 breeds (Ameracauna, Buff Orpington, and Black Australorps) that I have been looking for ... indeed. I saw the Black Australorps and then the Buff Orpingtons and then when I heard a customer say to the gal who was waiting on him, "I will take 4 of those Ameracauna's, I almost passed out ... as I wasn't quite ready to be a Mama to baby chicks yet! After trying to rationalize with myself for a minute or two, I asked the lady how long she thought she would have these breeds and she told me that they would be gone by tomorrow. Well, then, I made my purchase immediately! Indeed, I called the next morning and EVERY CHICK they had the previous day was gone! I even went in there a couple hours later to return something and saw it for my own two eyes! Wow, they go fast. I am hoping to post the pictures tomorrow.

Also, we have been trying to garden in between all the rain we seem to be getting here on the East Coast. However, I am not going to complain too much as the garden does need it and as we all know, I am sure it will go dry as we get closer to summer. I believe that I mentioned in an earlier post that when I do things, I have to do them right or should I say BIG? Here is what we have/are intending to plant this year: potatoes, strawberries, aspargus, brussel sprouts, broccoli, lima beans, cantaloupe, watermelon, squash, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, peppers, herbs, and I am sure there is a few more since I don't have my papers in front of me right now! Since we switched to raised beds, everyone tells me that gardening is so much easier. So far, it has been. We will see.

Poultry and Eggs

Good Morning. This morning, I was reading my Refined to Real Food book and have gleaned some more info. on eggs and all the good nutrients that they give us. It is amazing to me that the naturalness of the good nutrients that the eggs give us depends on how they are raised. Eggs from pasteruized poultry (allowed to forage on grasses) contain less fat, more vitamin A, and up to 400 percent more omega-3 fatty acids, and less cholesterol than soley grain fed birds that are caged. I am just so floored by the poultry industry and how it is all about fattening them up for $$. Since our family has been eating better (very little to no processed foods), we find ourselves eating more and more eggs every day. Of course, the cost of the "good eggs" (cage free, grass fed, etc.) is quite expensive. So, I have been working on getting some hens of my own. Realizing that this all takes time, I find God taking us back to the simplier days of life. I actually have been getting outside more to garden and secure a place for our chickens. It has given me more of an appreciation of God's awesome creation each day. God is growing us everyday even when I go kicking and screaming sometimes! I look forward to sharing my chicken experiences with you too. In the meantime, when making changes for your family, consider eating better eggs. Remember ... it is baby steps. Making one change at a time. Enjoy your day!

Gardening Update

Well, yesterday it was just too beautiful not to be outside. So, I planted 16 onion sets, 2 brussel sprout plants (that I didn't put out with my other plants that froze), and cleaned out some beds to plant more! Today, I purchased 12 new broccoli plants to replace the ones that froze and 16 more onion sets. In between the rain, I have planted them all. I feel like I have accomplished something, but still have plenty more to do. I have about 12 herbs here that need to be planted out, but not sure where I will put them yet. I finally feel like spring is upon us. Also, in our quest to restore our family's health, I am slowly, but surely realizing that the kids are changing and more cooperative in all ways. They are willing to try more things and they have started to choose to eat things that I thought I would never see them eat. The healthier choices are so exciting to witness. God is so good and he continues to amaze me in the way that he provides for us. Hope you all enjoy this rainy (but great for the garden) day!

Brunch Egg Bake

Good Morning. This morning I would like to share a Breakfast Caserole that I made. A friend of mine shared this recipe with me and I adapted it a little to "healthy it up" a bit.

Brunch Egg Bake

3 cups shredded cheese

1/3 cup onions sliced

4.5 ounces of sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped sweet red peppers

4 Tablespoons butter

30 ounce package of shredded potatoes

2 cups of fully cooked ham or bacon cubed or cut into pieces

8 eggs

1 3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

2 tablespoons of minced fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Spray bottom of your 13 x 9" baking dish with Olive Oil. Place your shredded potatoes in the bottom and add 2 Tablespoons of butter to dot the top of them. Bake on 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

2. While this is baking, cook your bacon or ham and set aside.

3. Saute onions and mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter and then set aside.

4. Beat eggs. Add milk, flour, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.

5. After shredded potatoes come out of oven, add 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese on top, the onion and mushroom mixture, and then add your meat.

6. The next layer will be the remaining 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese.

7. Add egg mixture.

8. Bake in oven on 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

I cannot wait for the onions, potatoes, and peppers to come out of my very own garden. Of course, I have to plant them before I can reap the benefits. This is the kind of weather that I am looking for! I did attempt to plant some cold weather (not freezing, but cold weather)broccoli and brussel sprouts right before we had the last cold (freezing) spell. Since I thought that the worst of the cold was "gone", I didn't cover them for one night! Needless to say, I paid the price as they ALL died. However, I cried my river and got over it and now I am ready to plant again. Going to get some more plants tomorrow morning and start all over again. This is the kind of weather that gets me all geared up and excited about gardening. This will be our first attempt at organic gardening. We have made some raised beds and used organic soil to get us started. We also have a composter that is "brewing" some awesome compost for us right now. This will give us some more organic soil to plant with soon. I will be keeping you posted on how the garden is going from time to time.

Going back through a previous post, I realized that I gave some incorrect information and omitted an ingredient in the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that I shared. Here is the correct info. and I will attempt to edit it in my previous post.

1/4 teaspoon salt (this is the correct amount)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda (was omitted)

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog today!

Simple Way of Life

I think back to my grandparents and I had so much fun on their farm growing up. There was so much to do to be entertained. I would go and stay a week or two each summer. We didn't watch T.V.; we were outside during the day as there was always something to do on the farm. I remember helping my grandmother to gather the eggs and watching her clean them and prepare them for others who would purchase them from her. Monday was wash day and on Thursday she would get her hair done and we would go to the grocery store. She would buy me Chicklets gum. Ah, those were the days. Not a care in the world. She was never in a hurry and always took time to include me in what she was doing. I have to remember this. There are many days when I want to "get done" and I seem to always be in a hurry. This makes it hard to always include the kids in what I am doing. However, I am getting better at it. Days when I feel like I am never going to get out of the kitchen. Then, I count my blessings. The kids are no longer complaining that things don't taste as good as they used to (when they were processed) and they are more willing to try new things and help out. All this comes with time. Even though I feel there is never enough hours in my day, I try to always remember to count my blessings. We are feeling better, losing weight, and generally have more energy. Sometimes too much ... when some of us don't know when to stop (usually me). I find that we must seek out a more simple way of life. It won't just find us. I must schedule that time in if I want it to happen. All other things get put aside. I have found myself saying "no" to things that I wouldn't normally just say no to. I realize that if I take something else on, it will compromise my goal of a more simplier way of life. I challenge you all to do the same thing. Believe me, I know how hard it is to cut things out of our schedule. It is easier when something ends, to just not replace it. It doesn't always work, but that is our goal. Good luck! Posting some answers to some bean questions that I received: I soaked my Northern beans for 8 hours (during the day) and then I cooked them in a water level just above the beans in the pan for 45-50 minutes. Afterwards, I mixed them with some rice that I had cooked separately. My kids would never just eat the beans. However, mixing them with rice, they don't have a choice!

Beans

Wednesday, I soaked beans for the first time. I was so proud of myself. I have been wanting to do this for a long time! I think that I attempted it one other time, but when I cooked them, I didn't give them enough time. Last night I cooked the beans that I soaked on Wednesday and they were delcious. I then mixed them with rice that we were also having for dinner. Yummy! I have been trying to incorporate more beans into our meals. Now, I have to admit, they are not a favorite with my children, but they do tolerate them. Funny that I used that word "tolerate" as our character study for family discipleship last week was tolerate. Beans have such great nutrition value. They are a good source of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. I knew that beans were nutritious, but I didn't realize until recently that a soaked bean is more likely to retain maximum nutritional value. This is most likely due tot he shortened time required for cooking. The longer you have to cook the beans, the less nutritional value will be retained since many vitamins and minerals are destroyed with added heat. So, if you have intended to soak your beans, but haven't yet, I urge you to give it a try. If you plan ahead, it really doesn't take that long! Enjoy your weekend.

New Cookie Recipe

I realized that I haven't posted in awhile and my apologies, but life has been quite busy here. I find that I am spending most of my time in the kitchen! Let me out... let me out! Just kidding, I do like it. I will try to be more faithful in my posting. Today I am going to share a recipe that I tried last evening. I must admit ... it was delish! As a matter of fact, my kids loved them ... oh, hubby too! I was noticing that the less sugar the kids have, the more willing they are to try something new and actually enjoy it. My advice is that I would double this recipe the next time that I make it.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup quick cooking oats (not instant)

1 cup flour (I use Teff Flour)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

3/4 cup sucanaut

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Combine oats, flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl; set aside. With mixer on low speed, beat the butter, sucanaut, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Add the flour mixture and beat until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by level tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet 2 inches apart. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 9-11 minutes. Let cool and enjoy! Makes 20 cookies.

Sugar and Spice

In moving our family towards more wholesome eating, I have recently discovered the variety of sugars/sweetners available to us. It comes in liquid, powders, crystals, and syrups. Choosing the right kind is important in restoring our family's health. The worst forms of sugar are the refined sugars/sweetners. They include table sugar, brown sugar, fructose, corn syrup, and artificial sweetners such as Aspartame, Saccharin, etc. The best kind of sugar is natural. It can be found in fruits. Some less refined sweetners include honey, maple syrup, grain syrups, and natural sugars. Our family has choosed to use Stevia and Xlyitol to replace refined sugar. Stevia is a natural herb sweetner and Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is helpful in managing blood sugar levels. Since we have a history of diabetes in our family, some of us need to be even more careful with our sugar intake. We also use Sucanaut which is evaporated cane juice and blackstrap molasses with no processing. We use the Sucanaut to replace brown sugar in baking. The less processed, the better.

We also try to reduce the amount of sugar that a recipe calls for. Since we don't consume as much sugar as we used to, our taste buds have adjusted accordingly. While we used to use more sugar, I find that now we are using less sugar and we tend to experiment more with spices in our recipes. We tend to use more spices even in our baking which sparks our taste buds to enjoy the meals more.

On another note, my seed catalogs have arrived and I am getting quite anxious to get my seeds and do some outside planting. Of course, first, we have to make our raised beds. Today, we put our new compost bin together! So, tonight at dinner, I made sure all vegetable scraps were saved to be readied for the new composter. I feel like a kid in a candy shoppe. The one thing that I am NOT looking forward to this season is the stink bugs! I heard they are supposed to be even worse this year. Ugh.

Recipe Share

Today I am sharing two recipes with you. Hope you try them out and enjoy them as much as we do! Please remember, if I put flour, that means that you can use whatever flour your family uses. When we bake, we use Teff flour and sometimes I mix it with Unbleached Organic Flour. Also, I used dairy, nut, gluten, & soy free Chocolate Chips from Giant. I can't tell any difference in taste. The brand is Enjoy Life. Did I mention that the kids LOVE these? Me too. They are even better right after they come out of the oven!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 Cup Sucanut

1 Stick Butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups flour

6 Tablespoons unsweetened Cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Cup semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, combine sugar, butter, and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg; blend well.

2. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes or until set. Do not overbake. Cook 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet. Makes 24 good size cookies.

Turkey Chili

2 pounds ground turkey

onion diced

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons garlic powder

22 ounce can of tomato sauce

3 tablespoons flour

1 can of kidney beans

1. In large kettle, brown turkey with onion until the turkey is brown and the onions are tender; drain.

2. Stir in spices, tomato sauce, and kidney beans. Simmer, uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour. Simmer another 15 minutes or until thickened. Enjoy! Makes 10 servings.

Going Green

I've decided that we are Going Green this year. Now, Going Green can mean different things. To me, at this point in my life, Going Green means growing an organic garden. Yep, that is my plan for this year. Now of course, they say the best way to do it is to start small. However, as most of you who know me by now, know that I never start small. So, please pray for me ... as I am going to try to not overdo myself on this one.

The method that we are trying is the Square Foot Gardening method. I am currently reading the "All New Square Foot Gardening" book by Mel Bartholomew. I never really realized the importance of nutrients in soil before. So our first goal is to get us some nutrient rich soil for our raised beds that we are using this year. I have read and have been told that it will make gardening much easier. My gardening ways are from the old school. Boy do I have a lot of educating ahead of me this year. Thankfully, I have a wonderful friend, Patty, who is a wealth of information since she has her Master Gardening license/certificate.

I continue to be amazed at the greatness of the food that God has given to us. It is unfortunate what man has done to strip it and enrich/fortify it. I would like to share a quote from a nutritionist, Robert Crayhon, with you. "If someone took $30,000 from you and then gave you $4,000, would you feel enriched?" I would have to say, this is how I feel when I, as well as my family, are not eating properly. Therefore, I strive everyday to read and educate myself on how we can eat/feel better. This is a continuous journey that I try to follow each day.

I am currently reading "Refined to Real Food" by Allison Anneser. I must say, this is a great book for those of you who are trying to make changes --- a little at a time. While reading today, it was mentioned that we should have at least one green, leafy vegetable a week. I realized that I considered broccoli as a green leafy vegetable. I was thinking green, but I should have realized that it is not leafy. There are many charts in this book and it is helping me to realize all the good nutrients in many fruits and vegetables. A definite book that I will be referring back to from time to time.

Kids in the Kitchen

I spent the evening cooking in the kitchen with my 16 year old son. What did we make? So glad that you asked. Tonight's menu consisted of Sesame Chicken Nuggetts, Cheddar Potato Strips, and Brocoli. I thought I would share the recipe with you below. I must say, we had a good time! Move over McDonald's, there is a new cook in town! Enjoy!

Sesame Chicken Nuggetts

2 tablespoons sesame seed

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1" chunks

1 tablespoon oil

1. In large nonstick skillet over medium heat, toast sesame seed until golden brown, stirring frequently. I usually take the sesame seeds out of the skillet and put them into a bowl. Add your cut-up chicken to the bowl and toss the chicken and sesame seeds.

2. Toss contents of the bowl into the skillet and heat over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Yummy!

Here are some health benefits of sesame seeds. Sesame seeds help in digestion and stimulate blood circulation. They are a great source of calcium and protect our body from free radicals. Phytic acid present in these seeds inhibits colon cancer. These are just some of the benefits.

Restoring Our Family Health Introduction

Welcome to Restoring Our Family's Health with God's Guidance! I know it sounds like a long blog title, but I think it encompasses all that I want it to ... restoring our family health with God's guidance. We are in the middle of God's journey for our family in restoring our health. My husband and I have been blessed with three children who are all three in their teenage years right now! All in all, having three teenagers at once, isn't as bad as they say. Our biggest battle with them is the food that they were and sometimes still do eat. Making the switch for us has been quite a challenge with them, at times, kicking and screaming!

Each day, I try to set goals, stay motivated, and educate myself in this journey. In my quest to do so, I enjoy finding other like-minded people. I ask myself ... what do they eat, how do they feed their families, and always welcome recipes and tips. So, with that said, I am planning on sharing many of these things with you, but hope that you will also share with me what part of the journey you are in and any ideas and suggestions that you have. I think they call it ... feeding on each other! So, make sure that you sign up as a follower and enjoy the ride as we are all in this together!