Grain Mill

I was talking with a friend of ours one day and mentioned that I wanted to get a manual grain mill.  Unfortunately, they are a couple hundred dollars new and I just wasn't willing to pay that.  Well...she called me the next day and found one in the Good Will store in her town for $10!!!  Can you believe that?!  The Lord is good! 

So, we're going to start grinding our own grains.  Here is our first effort today...

Yes sir!  That's stone ground whole wheat flour!

Homemade Self-Rising Flour

So, you have a recipe that calls for self-rising flour and you don't have any.  No worries!  Make your own.

Here's a 1 cup recipe:

1c whole wheat flour
1tsp baking powder (we buy aluminum free)
1/2 tsp salt (real salt)
1/4 tsp baking soda

Problem solved.  You're welcome.

Breakfast Menu

Something new I've discovered is I like to keep a breakfast menu.  I cook breakfast each morning for Mr. Right and myself so it makes the mornings go much smoother if I have a plan.  This way, I can have the table set and breakfast on the table by the time he makes it to the kitchen.  I even light a candle.  :)  Hey, he works hard all day and should get to start his mornings off right!  Plus, he's so handsome...I just can't resist.

Let's name these eggs "Tuesday", "Thursday" and "Friday" :)

Here is my menu:
Sunday: fruit, yogurt, homemade sausage biscuits
Monday: baked oatmeal (tasty and economical)
Tuesday: Omelet and homemade hashbrowns (or oven baked potatoes)
Wednesday: baked oatmeal
Thursday: pumpkin muffins (his fav), eggs
Friday: sweet potatoes (mashed or oven baked), eggs
Saturday: pancake day! and yogurt

I feel like sticking to a menu also helps keep things natural.  You won't need to grab something quick and unhealthy because you're out of ideas. 

Give it a try.  :)

Sour Dough Bread Update

Last Friday, we had another one of these...

 

 

 

 

(It's upside down)

Now, we've decided we're tired of sour dough bread for a while.  So, I put the starter in the frig to go dormant for a while.

I did this over Christmas too and it didn't kill the starter so I hope it doesn't this time!  I just couldn't bring myself to travel the state with my jar of sour dough bread starter...

You can read all about my sour dough bread adventures here:
Making Sour Dough Bread

Bulk Food from Country Life

Eating natural is something I enjoy.  Something I don't enjoy, however, is grocery shopping (plus, some of these things can't be purchased at the super market).  So, in case you are interested, here is a list of things we order in bulk from Country Life Natural Foods.

Sucanat 

Garlic, Powder, Domestic  17oz

Peanut Butter, Smooth, NS  35#

Whole Wheat Flour, Prairie Gold, CCF (white) 10#

Tortilla Chips (non GMO) Yellow OG, Whole Grain  16oz

Real Salt 

Cornmeal (non GMO) yellow, OG (whole grain w/ germ) 25#

Navy Beans, OG 25#... will last you a long time

Peas, green split 25#

Sunflower seeds (raw) 5#

Peanuts, Spanish, RNS 25#

Raisins, black flame, large 30#

Rumford Baking Powder (Aluminum free) 5#

Coconut oil 50#... lasts us one year

Yeast, SAF- Instant Red (Baking) 1#

Oats, Regular Rolled 25#...lasts us a year and a half

Pineapple dices, low sugar, IMP 5#

I think that’s it.  The things in bold are what I would consider “must haves” and would suggest getting them to start with. 

We mix peanuts, raisins, (dried pineapple when we order it), and sunflower seeds and eat as a healthy snack.  This is something we always have a jar of in the car for road trips.

Homemade Baking Powder

So, you ran out of baking powder?  No prob, Bob!  Here's a homemade recipe...

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Whammo!  You've got some baking powder.

So, carry on.  Finish baking whatever you started without having to run to the store.

P.S. washing soda isn't a good substitute!

Why We Use Coconut Oil

We gave up vegetable oil years ago then started using olive oil.  I learned that olive oil isn't good for frying (a person has to have some fried potatoes every now and then!), the oils we were using came from GM sources, most oils are not natural and also contain trans-fat (unlike naturally occurring coconut oil).  So, we switched.

There are many benefits to using coconut oil.  For example, coconut oil is naturally occurring unlike some of the oils sold that have been factory created into a nasty, oily, rancid substance.  Not to mention, most of them are manufactured from genetically modified plants (corn, soy, canola) which gives them a terrible start anyway.  You should know now that anything naturally created is better for you than a manufactured food product.

 Not all fat is bad.  Actually, natural saturated fat is good for you!  I've read before about all the "low fat" fad diets that went around in the 90s and how obesity actually rose during this time.  Aside from the fact that natural fat is good for you, "low fat" frozen dinners contain all kinds of unnatural nastiness.  But that's a rant for another day.

Back in the 1930s, Dr. Weston Price found South Pacific Islanders whose diets were high in coconut to be healthy and trim, despite high dietary fat, and heart disease was virtually non-existent. Similarly, in 1981, researchers studying two Polynesian communities for whom coconut was the primary caloric energy source found them to have excellent cardiovascular health and fitness.  (emphasis mine)

 *If you have never researched Dr. Weston Price's studies, you should.  He did a mass amount of research in people groups and basically discovered that Americans have it all wrong.  Here is his Wise Traditions website.

There are many health benefits to coconut oil.  For example:

• Improving your heart health.(3)
• Boosting your thyroid. (4)
• Increasing your metabolism.
• Promoting a lean body and weight loss if needed.
• Supporting your immune system. (5)

...Coconut oil is incredibly good for your heart. The truth is this: it is unsaturated fats that are primarily involved in heart disease and too much sugar and processed foods, not the naturally occurring saturated fats, as you have been led to believe. 

Coconut oil also has a high smoke point which means you can use it to fry those potatoes without smoking up the house and saturating your food in an oil that has been heated to an unhealthy, unnatural degree.

We have also found another use for coconut oil....lotion!  We don't use any store bought lotions because of the ingredients and coconut oil is sooo much better anyway.  In fact, I have read that some studies show coconut oil to have some anti-aging qualities and that's never a bad thing...

We pay roughly $82 for 50 pounds of pure coconut oil.  We buy it in a big, metal bucket.  It lasts us a full year and takes care of all our cooking and lotion needs.  It is solid at room temperature so it's easy to scoop some out of the bucket and melt it in your skillet for cooking.  I've also found that it substitutes nicely for Crisco in pie crusts!

You don't have to buy 50 pounds but we have found it to be most economical this way.  It also comes in varying qualities.  We don't buy the super expensive stuff because ours is still pure coconut oil.  As a result, it does not have a coconut flavor so you don't have to worry about everything tasting like coconut.

When you consider everything discussed here, coconut oil is the best option.  No other oil is ever worth considering.  Most other oils are unnatural and unhealthy.  They also contribute to bad health and weight gain.


All quotes referenced from here. (great article)

Oats, Honey, Peanut Butter and Yumminess

This super easy dessert is sooo good and good for you!  Here's how you do it:

Melt together 1/2c peanut butter, 1/3c honey and 1/4c coconut oil.
Like this:

Then stir in 1c oats.  Like this:

After that is complete, spread it into an 8x8 pan to chill.  (or a 9x11 or a pie plate or whatever you want.  It's your dessert.  Don't let anyone tell you how to spread it.)

I'm a rebel spreader.

Chill for 2 hours.

If you like variation, add some nuts, coconut, celery (not really)...

Enjoy!

Is All Cocoa Powder Created Equal?

I like to make hot chocolate and many other chocolate things.  That got me to wondering...how natural is the cocoa I buy?

 Cocoa powder is made when chocolate liquor is pressed to remove three quarters of its cocoa butter.  The remaining cocoa solids are processed to make fine unsweetened cocoa powder.   There are two types of unsweetened cocoa powder: natural and Dutch-processed.

Dutch-Processed or Alkalized Unsweetened Cocoa Powder is treated with an alkali to neutralize its acids. It has a reddish-brown color, mild flavor, and is easy to dissolve in liquids.   Droste, Lindt, Valrhona, Poulain and Pernigotti are some popular brands.

Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder tastes very bitter and gives a deep chocolate flavor to baked goods.  Its intense flavor makes it well suited for use in brownies, cookies and some chocolate cakes.  Popular brands are Hershey's, Ghirardelli, and Scharffen Berger. from here

Now...

How is cocoa powder made?
Cocoa beans are roasted, then ground to a paste. Afterward, the thick paste is pressed between hydraulic plates, which squeezes out about half of the excess cocoa butter. (Cocoa beans are about 50% fat.) What’s left is a hard disk of cocoa powder, which is then grated into a fine powder. Most cocoa powders are between 20-22% fat, which is why most low-fat chocolate desserts call for cocoa powder. found here

So, in a sense, all cocoa powders are created equal.  It doesn't seem like one is made more naturally than the other which is good....because....I like my hot chocolate!  :)

The Skinny on Flour Types

I've heard of different kinds of flour like rye, spelt, etc but I didn't know what they were.  So, I looked it up.  Here's the skinny:

All-purpose Flour

All purpose flour has a medium protein content that makes it suitable for most baking uses.

Arrowroot Flour

This flour is made from the fleshy root stock of the tropical arrowroot plant. Its white, fine, and powdery texture is very similar to cornstarch but it has no flavor at all. It is typically used as a thickener for puddings, sauces and other cooked foods.

Barley Flour

Barley flour is made from barley ground very finely.  It is rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, and B vitamins.  

Bean/Legume Flours

Made easily by grinding all types of beans, this flour can be used to enhance the flavor and health benefits of your breads, and they also make easy soups and dips.

Bread Flour

The best flour for bread making, it is ground from hard wheat. It has a high protein (gluten) and low starch content.

Brown Rice Flour

Ground from brown rice, this flour has a slightly sweet flavor. It is used alone or combined with wheat flour in breads and batters.

Buckwheat Flour

Buckwheat flour is ground from the seeds of a plant originating in Asia, has an earthy, slightly sour flavor that is usually tempered in commercial products by the addition of a little wheat flour.

Corn Flour

A yellow, finely ground version of cornmeal, corn flour is used to add a mild corn taste and a pleasing texture to baked goods.

Millet Flour

Made from a small round grain resembling mustard seed, this flour has a slight nutty flavor.

Oat Flour

Oat flour is a fine flour ground from dried oats, has a characteristic nutlike flavor. It is used in combination with wheat flour.

Pastry and Cake Flours

Pastry flour is lighter and has a lower protein level of ~9-10% as opposed to ~ 12-13% found in bread flour. The soft, flakiness of pie crust is attributable to the softer flour. Cake flour is lighter than all purpose flour.

Potato Flour

This is a gluten-free flour made from cooked, dried and ground potatoes. It is mostly used as a thickener. It is also known as potato starch.

Rice Flour

This very fine powdery flour is made from pulverized long-grain or glutinous rice, used to thicken cakes and puddings as well as to make noodles and very fluffy breads.

Rye Flour

Rye flour is a fine flour ground from grains of rye grass, a close relative of wheat. It has a slightly sweet-sour flavor.

Self Rising Flour

Self-rising flour contains 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt for each cup of flour.

Semolina Flour

Semolina flour is made from the finely ground endosperm of Durum wheat.  Usually used in pasta making, it is a tasty, high protein addition to breads.

Seven-grain (or nine-grain) Flour

Seven-grain flour is a commercial blend commonly made up of millet, rye, corn, wheat, barley, oats, and flax or triticale. It is found in health-food stores and well-stocked markets.

Spelt Flour

This flour is lighter in protein and more easily digested than regular wheat flours.  This flour is sometimes known as Farro.

Whole Wheat Flour

Whole wheat four is made from milling the entire wheat berry.  it is brownish in color.

This was slightly adapted from here. 

Now you know!  So the next time someone tries to get fancy and talk about spelt flour you can join in.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

I didn't realize homemade cinnamon rolls were so important to my husband until this weekend.  We were out of town and stopped in this bread/kitchen store to look around.  They had fresh cinnamon rolls straight from the oven and ready to buy.  We didn't get any, of course, because we don't eat half of the ingredients they put in it.  That started a challenge from Mr. Right.  He wanted me to master the cinnamon roll.  So, as soon as we got home, I began trying.  I didn't take a photo of the first batch I made....no need in embarrassing myself.  However, I got a few pointers from Grandpa and went for round two with a new recipe.

Ohhhhhh brother!  They were yummy!  Here they are:

rising

risen

baked and iced

I used the homemade wheat hamburger bun recipe and instead of cutting them out for buns I rolled the dough thin, covered it in organic butter, sucanat and cinnamon then rolled it into a jelly roll.  Then I sliced it and put it in the pan to rise.  They rose for about 15 mins, then baked for 15.

The icing is a cup of cane juice crystals that I processed to powder.  Then I added enough milk to make a fairly thick icing.

You HAVE to try this.

Cheater French Toast

I know there is a proper way to make French toast but I like to cheat.

After you make those ooohhh sooo yummy homemade hamburger buns, cut one open, butter it, add some cinnamon and sucanat then toast it.  Ah.  Now, that's beautiful in the morning.

Making Sour Dough Bread

The original recipe came from Above Rubies but I've modified it for a smaller army. (This recipe makes one loaf.)
You'll need:
2c home grown starter
3 1/4c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2c filtered water

Add all ingredients to a big bowl.  "Knead" with a wooden spoon.  This dough is much wetter than any dough you're accustomed to so it can't be kneaded on the counter top.  Knead for 5-10 minutes.  It will look gooey.  It's supposed to have an oatmeal, goo consistency. 

Put the dough in a buttered pan to rise.  I let mine rise for seven hours.  If yours gets big before that, then bake it sooner.  However, seven hours is a good rise.  Keep in mind when you're mixing it that you'll be baking in seven hours so make sure it's not ready to bake in the middle of the night!  I usually mix mine in the morning and bake in the afternoon. 

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.  That seems like a long time for one loaf of bread so I kept checking it.  Sure enough, it took one hour.  However, I did cover it with foil after 30 minutes so the top wouldn't get too brown.

After 7 hours of rising

All done!  I made that hole as I was checking it during baking.

Cooling as Mr. Right waits impatiently...

Ready to eat.  It was sooo delicious.

Our Family "Pet" (Part III) -It Worked!

I'm impressed.  Who would have thought you could catch wild yeast from the air to make bread?  Not me!  But you can.  I did it and it made beautiful, sour dough bread.  Here's what you do- sterilize a non metal bowl by pouring boiling water over it.  Then mix a 1/4 cup flour (I use whole wheat) and a 1/4 cup water (filtered if possible).  Cover with a breathable cloth and leave it sitting on your counter.  Each day for seven days, switch it to a new, sterilized, non metal bowl and add a 1/4 cup flour and a 1/4 cup water.  After seven days, you should have caught your yeast and your starter will be done.

Note: NEVER use metal bowls or utensils with your starter.  Also, wild yeast is more prolific in some areas than others.  So, you'll just have to give it a try to see if you can catch some.

My starter now lives in this home.  Now that it's started, feed it each day and give it a new, sterilized home once a month.  I wrote a date on mine so I wouldn't forget to give it a new home.

You can also check out Part I & Part II.

Start yours today!

Note:  You're ready to bake when you have 2 1/4 total cups of starter.  You'll need 2 cups for the recipe and 1/4 left over to continue growing.

Our Family "Pet"- Part II

Well, it's day four and the sour dough bread starter seems to be improving.  Maybe it's working?  I started it a few days ago with high hopes.  My hopes were even higher this morning when I discovered tiny little bubbles in it.  Is it supposed to look like this?

I sure would like some yummy bread by Monday...

Growing a Family "Pet"

I have tried making a sour dough bread starter before and it didn't work.  Well, I talked to my sister-in-law yesterday and she got me excited about it again.  So, I'm giving it another go.  A starter is basically a collection of living yeast that you feed and use to make bread.  It takes the place of using store bought yeast.  There are several ways of starting a starter and one way is to collect wild yeast.  That's what I'm doing. 

To collect wild yeast, you mix some flour with water in a bowl, cover it with a breathable cloth, feed it each day and transfer it to a clean bowl then it supposedly gathers wild yeast from the air.  hmm.  I started mine yesterday.  I noticed it smelling sour this morning (which is a good thing) so maybe it's working.

Our new family pet

You can't use any metal utensils or bowls while doing this which is really hard for me.  I like to whisk things (I'll admit it) and my whisk happens to be metal.  I whisked the pet this morning a few rounds before I remembered so hopefully I didn't kill it.

Once the starter is made, you feed it and it makes bread for you.  That sounds like a deal to me!  Sounds like more of a giving pet then those hens that aren't laying.

I'll keep you posted...

Homemade Wheat Hamburger Buns

These are FANTASTIC!!!!!!!  I got this recipe from my sister-in-law who got it here.  We've been eating our hamburgers on regular bread....until now.  It's awesome to have healthy, preservative-free buns.  By the way, in case you haven't ever read the ingredients in packaged buns...well, I'll say this...don't if you're planning a cookout tonight.  It's scary what they put in those things!  Think about it.  If you have ever made homemade bread, you know that it molds within days if you don't eat it.  Why don't the packaged breads mold that fast?  That's a discussion for another day.  Moving on.

The original recipe will feed an army so I halved it since I don't have an army (yet).

1 3/4 c warm water
1/2 c oil (I use coconut oil)
1/4 c honey
3T active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
5 1/4 c flour ( I use wheat)

Those involved...

That big honkin' jar is coconut oil.

Mix first four ingredients then let them rest for 15 mins.  It will get foamy.

Don't use a metal bowl.  Do as I say, not as I do.

Add remaining ingredients, mix then knead for 5 mins.

kneaded.

Preheat oven to 450.
Roll out dough to 1/2 inch thick

Immediately cut with lid to wide mouth jar (or whatever you want)

 Let rise 10 mins.

I'm a stoneware, cast iron kinda gal.

 Bake 10 mins or until done.

Pass the burgers!!!!!!

This hamburger made Mr. Right ask for more.  We had them for lunch and I'm making more for supper!  They are soooo goooood.

Baked Oatmeal

A sweet friend gave me this recipe and I adapted it for a healthier diet.  I'll confess...my husband and I do not like oatmeal made the traditional way but we really like this recipe.  It's completely different than the oatmeal you're used to.  We enjoy it with milk like cereal.
Here's the recipe:

In case you're not familiar, sucanat is basically pure dried sugar cane juice.  It still contains it's molasses.  It has a very nice, rich, almost nutty, flavor.  We buy it in bulk from a natural food company.  You can also purchase it from grocery stores that sell whole foods.

So, gather your ingredients...

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, add the wet ingredients then stir together.
Spread in a 9x13 pan...

Then bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
Eat it plain or pour some milk over it.  By the way, I like to add a little cocoa to mine before I bake it to give it a slight chocolate flavor.  You can also add nuts, dried fruit or anything else you think might taste good.

Mine will be out of the oven in 20 minutes and I can't wait!