New York Times Veggie Burgers

15 oz of black or navy beans, drained

  (soak dry ones yourself to use)

1 can tomatoes

1 garlic clove, minced or pressed, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 green onions, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup parsley or cilantro

2 cups quick rolled oats

8 homemade wheat hamburger buns

Fresh veggie toppings and healthy condiments

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Process the first seven ingredients using a food processor.   

Remove contents into a large bowl, and stir in oats. 

Form into patties, place on sprayed baking sheet. 

uncooked

 Bake for 8 minutes.  Turn oven up to broil and cook for 2 more minutes, until the tops are nicely browned.

cooked

 Toast the buns and pile on favorite toppings.

Variation:  Saute the burgers on medium heat in a sprayed cast iron or stainless steel skillet for 5 minutes on each side, until both sides are browned.

*Recipe from Vibrant Life magazine.

They are a nice variation from a regular beef burger.  Give them a try!

Green Pea Guacamole

I was a little skeptical about this new recipe because I’m just not that crazy about green peas.  However, it turned out really good!  

Here it is…

2 cups frozen green peas

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon powdered garlic

¼ cup minced sweet onion

½ cup minced tomato

Cilantro to taste

Put peas under warm water until softened but still cold.  Drain well.

Place peas, lemon juice, garlic, and cilantro in a food processor and process until very smooth.  Transfer to a medium bowl.

Stir in onion and tomato.  Let stand for 10 minutes.

*The recipe says to serve within an hour or two to retain the color but mine looked just as good after being in the frig overnight and actually tasted better!

Serve with crackers, vegetables or chips.  It can also be used as a sandwich spread.

*Recipe from Vibrant Life magazine

Did You Know?

Did you know that organic plain yogurt can be used in the place of sour cream?  We put organic plain yogurt on tacos, baked potatoes, you name it!

I like this idea because there is less to buy at the store...I don't need to buy sour cream.  Anything that makes shopping faster makes me happy!  PLUS, I know we're getting something good because the yogurt is organic.  You don't get all those live, active cultures in sour cream!

If you haven't noticed, organic plain yogurt is pretty versatile.  For example, you can also make dip with it instead of sour cream.  Like this taco dip  or this ranch dip.

So, get with it!  Toss out that sour cream and buy yourself something good.
 

from here

Clean 15

After you review the Dirty Dozen, check out this list of the Clean 15.  These are vegetables and fruits that are the lowest in pesticides.  They are safe to buy non-organic.

Here they are...

1. onions
2. sweet corn....as long as it's not GMO
3. pineapples
4. avocado
5. asparagus
6. sweet peas
7. mangoes
8. eggplant
9. cantaloupe- domestic
10. kiwi
11. cabbage
12. watermelon
13. sweet potatoes
14. grapefruit
15. mushrooms

Mmm...sweet potatoes

Chinese Wonton

Here is the final phase of Operation Chinese Dinner.  Wonton!  I stole the idea from my Mayberry cookbook.  If you have ever watched the Andy Griffith show then you might know the Fun Girls.  This recipe was called Fun Girls Wonton, however, I changed it up...surprise, surprise. 

Here's the skinny.

You will need:
2 cups whole wheat flour that you have grown, harvested, and stone ground yourself.
Just kidding. 

We'll start over.  You will need:
2 cups whole wheat flour (white wheat works best)
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup lukewarm water (you might need to add a teaspoon or two)

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl.  Make a well in the center and pour the water into the well.  With a wooden spoon stir until the dough forms a ball.  Add a couple teaspoons of water if it seems too dry.

Turn onto a floured surface and knead until stiff.  Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough stand for 30 minutes. 

While you're waiting...make the fried rice!

On a floured surface, roll the dough into a long strip 6 inches wide and less than 1/8 inch thick.

Ok, so, mine isn't perfect.  It's no fun being perfect anyway!

Cut into 3-inch squares.

I actually measured these.  They're pretty close to 3 inches.

Next, place a spoonful of fried rice in the center of each square.  Moisten the edges of the squares with beaten egg and press the opposite corners together to form a triangle.  Fry in hot coconut oil until golden brown.

Here are three of about 16 total:

The recipe said it makes 36 wontons....how in the world did they get 36?!  I even measured my squares!  Who needs 36 wontons anyway?

Now, dip into some sweet and sour sauce and enjoy!

These reheat well in the oven so you can make them ahead if you need to.

Chinese Fried Rice

Here is step two in your Chinese dinner.  After you make the sweet and sour sauce, make fried rice!  Caveat:  you will need 2-3 cups cooked, brown rice that has been chilled.
(I just learned the word "caveat."  Mr. Right will be impressed when he reads this but honestly....I don't even know how to pronounce it.  Are you impressed anyway?)

Moving on...

Fried rice is fun because you can put just about anything in it you like.  Here's how I cook mine:

brown 1/4lb home grown beef
add:
1/4-1/2 cup chopped onions
one chopped sweet pepper
3 whole carrots, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped (optional- actually, most things in this recipe are optional!)
several chopped pineapple rings...just for fun

Saute ingredients until tender.

Then, add the cooked, chilled, brown rice and stir around until heated through.

Finally, stir in some sweet and sour sauce to taste.  Don't forget to give it a little salt.

Viola!  Who needs to go out for Chinese?  Not you!

Sweet and Sour Sauce

I really like Chinese food.  However, we don't ever go eat at Chinese Restaurants (or most restaurants for that matter) because there is rarely anything on their menu that is natural.  So yesterday I tried my hand at making Chinese food and it was a success!  Mr. Right greatly approved so we'll be having it more often!  Here's the first step: sweet and sour sauce.  What is Chinese food without it?

1/2 cup sucanat
4 teaspoons whole wheat flour
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup red wine vinegar (I forgot I had this ingredient so I used apple cider vinegar...works just as well)
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet pepper
1 tsp salt
2 teaspoons grated ginger root
1 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced

In a small sauce pan combine sucanat and flour.  Stir in water, vinegar, sweet pepper, salt, ginger root and garlic.  Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.

Serve warm.  See your family be impressed.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups sauce.

Breaded Chicken Patties

Growing up, we frequently had breaded chicken patties for supper.  They were so good!  You know what I’m talking about…those round Tyson patties.  Well, seeing as how Mr. Right and I don’t eat those, I was happy when I ran across a homemade alternative.

I found it in a Taste of Home cookbook.  Here’s the Natural Blog version of the recipe:

¼ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup finely chopped celery

6 tablespoons butter, divided

3 tablespoons whole wheat flour

1-1/3 cups milk or water, divided

2 tablespoons parsley flakes

2 teaspoons Real Salt

2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken (be choosey about the chicken you use)

1 cup dry bread crumbs or whole wheat flour

Homemade whole wheat buns, split

Any toppings you might like

In a large saucepan, sauté onion and celery in 3 tablespoons butter until tender.   

Combine flour and 1 cup milk (or water). I tripled my recipe...

Gradually add to pan.   

Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.   Add parsley, seasonings and chicken.  Remove from the heat.  Chill until completely cooled.  ...My chicken was still boiling so I just added the parsley and seasonings then let it cool completely.  I added my chicken later.

Shape chicken mixture into six patties, using about 1/3 cup mixture for each patty.  Place crumbs (or flour) and remaining milk (or water) in separate shallow bowls.  Rolls patties in crumbs, then dip into milk; roll again in crumbs.

In a large skillet, cook patties in remaining butter for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Serve on rolls with desired toppings.

Cooking to perfection

All done!  These are just some of them...

 Uncooked patties may be frozen for up to 3 months.  To prepare frozen patties:  Cook in butter for 5-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Yield: 6 servings

These are soooo yummy!  Mr. Right and I could eat them everyday!

*Note:  I tripled my recipe to have plenty to freeze.  This will give us chicken patties to eat when baby gets here.  Also, I used water instead of milk and whole wheat flour instead of bread crumbs.  I've done it both ways and they are equally delicious.

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.  :)

Frozen Burritos

I remember having frozen burritos in the freezer as a kid.  We'd pop one in the microwave for a quick snack.  Well, things are different now.  We don't buy frozen burritos and we don't own a microwave.  So, here's a better solution.  Make your own!

If you remember, a while back I posted about making homemade tortillas...here

Now I've discovered that instead of cooking the tortillas..
1.  roll them out into the usual circle
2. stuff them with some homemade spanish rice, cheese and beans
3. fold them up like a chimichanga
4. freeze!

When you get read to cook them, just pop them out of the freezer and into your oven.  Not cooking the tortillas first means you won't have dry, brittle burritos.

Note: To freeze, I lay them in a baking dish and put them in the deep freeze for a few hours.  Then, once they're good and cold, remove them, wrap individually in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag.  done.

Ready to go in the deep freeze for a while

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.

Beef Stroganoff

Here is an awesome Beef Stroganoff recipe I adapted from Better Homes and Gardens...

1lb ground home-grown, grass fed beef
8oz organic, plain yogurt
2T whole wheat flour
1/2c water
1/2c chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups hot cooked wheat noodles or brown rice

Cook ground beef and onion in skillet. 

In a small mixing bowl stir together yogurt and flour.  Stir in water.

Add yogurt mixture to meat along with garlic and salt to taste.

Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.

Serve over noodles or rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Beef...it's what's for dinner...

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)

Homemade Ranch Dip Mix

Ok, so, I like ranch dip and I wanted to learn how to make it myself so I could make it healthier.
Here it is!
1Tb dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic
1tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Mix that together and add it to 3/4c of plain, organic yogurt.

Then stick a carrot in it and enjoy!

As you can see, I had already eaten a bunch!

Meat Washed in Acid

I recently read about a new company coming to our state.  It will create many new jobs (which is always great) but I was very interested in this particular company.  The article states that the facility will produce peroxyacetic acid that will be used to sanitize meat and poultry to reduce or eliminate pathogenic organisms such as E. coli and salmonella. 

I have previously written about the problems with big industry meat.  Here is an excerpt from my article:

"The [supermarket] beef contains traces of hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals that were never produced by any cow. That hamburger looks fresh, but it may be two weeks old and injected with gases to keep it cherry red. Take a closer look at that “guaranteed tender and juicy” filet of beef. The juiciness may have been “enhanced” with a concoction of water, salt, preservatives and other additives.
More ominous, the beef also may be infected with food-borne bacteria, including E. coli 0157:H7. Some experts believe this toxic E. coli evolved in cattle that were fed high-grain diets. Every year, hundreds of thousands of pounds of beef products are recalled. One of the largest recalls to date took place in October 2007 when Topps Meat company recalled 21.7 million pounds of hamburger because of potential E. coli contamination. The massive recall actually put the company out of business." MotherEarthNews

 So, why do we need a company to manufacture peroxyacetic acid to wash our meat?  Because those who produce the supermarket meat do not raise the animals the way they were intended.  They feed them diets they wouldn't normally eat in nature and that creates "pathogenic organisms" which then need to be killed by washing the meat in peroxyacetic acid. 

In conclusion, if you can find grass fed beef at a farmer's market, buy it. 

My Secret Hot Chocolate

My secret hot chocolate recipe comes from the back of the Hershey's cocoa container.  Not very secret, huh?  Actually, I modified it because I think Hershey's is trying to give you a sugar high.

Here's how it goes:
2 tsp sucanat (or whatever sugar you use)
2 tsp cocoa
1 cup milk (We use almond milk.  Oh, how I wish I had a milk cow....or a goat...)

Warm all ingredients in a pot on the stove. (Give up the microwave.  You know you should.)  Make sure your sucanat dissovles.

Then....viola...hot chocolate.  Skip the marshmallows.  You know those aren't natural.

You can't get goodness like this out of a package.

Canning Apple Pie Filling

So, we bought a ton of apples and I needed to do something with them.  I decided to can apple pie filling.
Here's what you do.  Start by rinsing your apples...

Then make them magically turn into this:

Now, make the syrup:
10c water
2 tsp guar gum
3c sucanat
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 Tb vinegar
cook until it looks syrupy.
Like this:

That's before I stirred in the guar gum...

 Then add, 35c apples and 3 Tb vinegar. Cook 10-15 minutes.

 Fill your jars to just below the rings.

 Put the lids and rings on.

Put all the jars in the hot water bath for 10 minutes.

And viola!  You've got canned apple pie filling!  I had some leftover syrup so I went ahead and canned that too.  I didn't want to waste it!  (I didn't start off with exactly 35c apples.)

Now, we can have some yummy apple pies during the winter.  That makes Mr. Right happy. :)

What do you do all day?

Being a homemaker, I've been asked this several times..."What do you do all day?"  Especially since we don't have children yet (well, other than the one kicking in my belly).  That question bothered me at one time.  Now, I see it as a chance to enlighten others on the role of a homemaker.  Now, some who ask are homemakers also (or were raised by one) so they know what it's like for them...they just want to know what it's like for me.  Fine with me.  :)

When Mr. Right and I first married, I just kept up with the house how I saw fit.  Then, I realized a schedule would be better.  That way, certain things are always done and you never get behind.  My first schedule divided my day into time zones.  Well, that didn't always work out.  Someone might stop by, Mr. Right would go to work at a different time, something else desperately needed to be done first...you get the idea.  So, I've ended up with this...a list.  I have a list of things I do each day and they aren't constrained my time.

Here it is:
get dressed (yes, I stay home but I feel it's important to get dressed -including shoes- and be presentable)
pick up bedroom -meaning, make bed, gather laundry, put things away
light clean bathroom and shower
pick up den
put in a load of clothes to wash
clean kitchen- dishes, wipe table, sweep, clean off bar
put in load of clothes to dry
*daily chore
rest- ahhhh, yes.  Not a long rest but a needed one
sew, paint, read, scrapbook
*daily chore
iron
*daily chore

My daily chores are divided up by days of the week, like this:
Monday: write cards, dust & clean foyer, clean laundry room
Tuesday: clean floors, scrub kitchen, organize & vacuum closet
Wednesday: pay bills/ balance checkbook, organize office, clean garage
Thursday: clean out frig, detail clean bathrooms, wash windows and sills
Friday: pack if we're leaving, clean floors

I'm faaaaar from perfect.  Most weeks, I don't make it completely through this list for one reason or another.  However, it's a fantastic plan for me.  If you stick to it, then your daily work is easy.  The house stays clean!

The great part about it being flexible is it allows time for me to plan meals and cook.  Since we eat the way we do, it takes longer sometimes for me to make a meal so I don't need a schedule that doesn't allow much time for me to be in the kitchen.  Plus, I really like being in the kitchen. :)

Happy Homemaking!

I Couldn't Help Myself!

They were on sale!  They smell soooo gooood.  This is what happens when you leave a pregnant lady alone in the produce aisle.  Not really, Mr. Right was putting them in the buggy like crazy too.  Though, I did add one more bag later. 

How many apples can two people eat?  Well, I'll tell you the truth.  I ate three last night because the smell kept drawing me to them.

Maybe I'll make apple sauce, an apple pie, fried apples....maybe we'll just eat them all like that.
I really like apples.....

Crispy Potatoes

I got this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks and adapted it to what I had on hand.  Mr. Right really likes them and that's good enough for me!

Here it is...
1/3 c flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil
1/8 tsp pepper
several sprinkles of garlic
5 med. potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup oil


Fix your potatoes...

Combine the dry ingredients

Stir potatoes into dry ingredients

Dump potatoes into casserole dish and drizzle with oil.  Cover and bake at 450 for 35-40 mins.  (I usually don't cover mine.)  Stir half way through.

They will turn out like this...

Yum!