Vim and Vigor

Homemade 'Hostess' Apple Pies

 

What is it about those convenient little packages of sweets most of us love so much? I'm sure it isn't the 1,000+ ingredients on the label, nor the fact that they are so loaded with preservatives they won't rot for years!

No, I think it's because convenience food is often sweet or salty (tastes most of us crave daily).....and, because convenience food is....well....convenient! Grab 'n go is a motto many live by when it comes to eating food.

Even as a stay-at-home mom, I find myself munching food down quickly between helping my littlest eat, and running to and fro in the kitchen. Last night, half of us didn't take the time to sit in chairs to eat. We talked with each other as we quickly gobbled our dinners, and off we went. (Thankfully, this is the exception, rather than the norm....but some weeks are worse than others.)

How about we give sweet AND convenient a try here...without the 1,000+ ingredient label? Something you could stick in the freezer, and pull out whenever you are craving one of those sweet treats? And, if your hubby likes hostess apple pies, like mine does, then you are in for a treat.

Homemade 'Hostess' Apple Pies

For the crust:

*2 1/2 cups flour ( any type of flour..sprouted flour is best.)

* 1/4 cup sucanat 

*1/2 tsp. celtic sea salt, fine grind

*1 cup soft, but still cool, butter

*4 oz. organic or homemade cream cheese

In a bowl, whisk together flour, sweetener and salt. In mixer, beat butter and cream cheese together well, scraping sides of bowl once or twice. Add flour mixture to butter/cheese mixture in mixer bowl. Combine at medium low until crumbly, like coarse cornmeal. Scrape down bowl amd mix at medium high about 30 seconds. Roll into a ball and if not using directly, regrigerate until ready to use.

 

 Apple pie filling:

* 2 apples, diced

*1 Tbsp. butter

*1 tsp. lemon juice

* 1/2 cup sucanat

* 1/2 tsp. vanilla

* 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

* 3 Tbsp. tapioca flour (as a thickener)

In saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add apples, and cook until soft, 6-10 minutes. Add the rest of the filling ingredients, and keep stirring over medium-high heat until thickened (4-5 minutes.) Remove from heat and allow to cool.

 

After preparing the dough, if you think it will be a while before you will work with it (longer than 20 minutes), then wrap with saran wrap, and refrigerate until ready. (If it has been in the refrigerator a while, then let it warm up to room temp. again before you use it, or it will be stiff and hard to work with.)

When you have prepared the filling, grab a portion of dough and roll out onto a floured surface with a floured rolling pin (to about 1/4" in thickness). I used a cereal bowl as a "cookie cutter", to get the right size circle I wanted for my pies.

After cutting out the circle, I placed about a Tablespoon or two of filling in the middle. I then folded the circle in half towards me (looking like a taco), and pressed the sides gentle onto one another. I used a fork just for looks. No need to if you don't want to, but it only takes a moment.

Be aware, if you use too much filling, it will cause splitting of the sides.

Place on a baking sheet. 400 degree oven....12-15 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.

Optional glaze:

* 2 cups powdered sucanat (just place in coffee grinder to powder!)

*2-4 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream

*1 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients together, and use a pastry brush to glaze the pies.

(* Using powdered sucanat in the glaze, will cause it to be very dark...although tasty! You might want to use a store bought organic powdered sugar, if you are making these for guests or to give.)

Enoy!

And, Nina...thank you for your constant inspiration!

Blessings,

Joy~

This post is a part of:

Simple Lives Thursday

Pennywise Platter

Monday Mania

Homestead Barn Hop

5 new things I've learned in my real food kitchen this week:

 

1. That freezing our yummy and nourishing staple of chicken broth, can easily be done in glass jars.  Just make sure to leave enough room for expansion of the liquid in the freezer, and the jars won't break.  I do like to use glass over plastic as much as is possible.

2. Did you know you can freeze avocado? I purchase avocado frequently. I don't bother with organic, although I do buy mostly organic foods. Why not?  Well, first off...it's on the "Clean 15" side of "The dirty dozen and the Clean 15" list.  This list is a handy chart to get to know what are the dirtiest and cleanest foods to purchase in the produce department, so you know which are more important to buy organically.  Since avocado makes the clean 15 list, and since organic avocado are upwards of $1.50 per piece....I choose to just buy regular on this one. 

It does make a convenient baby food, so me and my little guy share them. Also, we throw them into our smoothies a lot, for a good dose of healthy, natural fats---and, it doesn't change the taste at all, yet makes them much creamier.

To freeze, just remove the outer skin and pit...and place into snack size plastic baggie.  Flatten and let air out, close bag.  Place this into a gallon size freezer bag.  Ready for making guacomole, throwing in smoothies, or whatever! No lemon juice needed.

3. To not beat myself up when I don't make perfect food choices. I teach Healthy Family classes at our local homeschool co-op.  My five children and I spend every Tuesday there for a day full of classes and friends.  On this particular Tuesday, I had been up late the night before, and not done my weekly meal plan.  I was out of ideas and energy. So, do you know what I did?  We stopped on the way to classes, and purchased lunchables for everyone to have for lunch. 

I felt a lot of guilt at first.  I mean, I am teaching healthy family classes.  And, I am supposed to set an example for the other families there, right?  Well, yes.  However, as I drove to classes with my lunchables in the backseat, I realized something.  I want to be an example of how to help our families' eat real food. Teaching that real life happens, and legalism is boring, is also important.  Sometimes mama needs a bit of a break, and that's okay!

4. The fact that soaking old-fashioned oats overnight, turns them into quick-cooking oats.  I had learned this a long time ago, yet forgotten to put it into practice with a few of my recipes.  Making the oats much digestable, and much more nutritious.

 5. In my research and studying for my classes, I have come to agreement with this conclusion found in In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. That the reason for so much sickness in America today is due to one thing.  The fact that we neglect to eat food.  Most of what is in the grocery store is not real  food!

Happy learning,

Joy~

 {This post is a part of Works for me Wednesday at We are that family, as well as Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter , Simple Lives Thursday,  Homestead Barn Hop and Modest Mondays}

:: In our kitchen ::

 

:: Spaghetti Night.  We don't have pasta often, since it isn't sprouted or soaked.  However, it makes for a quick simple meal.  As I'm reaching for the pots and pans to feed my family a homemade, mama cooked meal, I am always thinking.  What could I add to this, to make it more nutritious?  When I make spaghetti, I oftentimes add grated liver right into the grass-fed beef while I am browning it.  Not a lot, but enough to add some nutritional value, without adding the flavor of liver.  Also, something to boost nutrition, but stretch the budget, is to brown half ground beef and half ground heart.  Why do we choose to eat organ meats?  More on that here. 

::Homemade lemonade....My cowboy S, (who is 6 yrs. old), and I made this, and brought it out to a neighbor and daddy, who were both working outside in the 100 degree + heat.  We thought that surely deserved some yummy lemonade! 

:: Picking the first of the garden bounty.  You may recall that this is a second planting.  Being the first garden met an early demise from John the Rabbit.  The kids were overjoyed to finally set foot in the garden, and see something they could pick.  We are in the garden most every evening.  The chickens pecking the ground all about, walking through the garden, and the dog running around with the kids trying to chase the ducks and hens.  It's a lovely way to end a day.

:: I'm not sure "who" was in my kitchen this day...but she had some serious writing to do.  She was telling me all about it, as I prepared lunch. As I'm preparing meals for my family, or cleaning up said meals (I think this makes up 90% of my time, or at least seems that way), I can look up at any given moment, and see a new character waltz into my kitchen. 

It may be Davey Crockett, a balerina, or someone dressed so fanciful, and begging to have tea and cookies with me. 

How cherished I am to have all these lovely characters surrounding me each day, bringing smiles all along the way.

:: Some crafting has been started at the kitchen table this week.  Hopefully, the finished version will be found on here next week.  Love bringing the outdoors in, and this was a special way to do so.

Blessings,

Joy~

:: Peek into my kitchen--dehydrating and favorite foodie books ::

 

I am in LOVE with my dehydrator, and have it running much of the week.  Today I have a few of the nine trays loaded with some goodies for the family.  Above I've got crispy almonds Nourishing Traditions style.  Nuts are very hard to digest, thereby soaking and dehydrating them, you are making them very digestible, and also getting the most nutrients out of them.  Almonds are a wonderful anti-inflammatory food, full of calcium, healthy fats, and we love them with raw cheese for a snack.

 

Some homemade granola....smells so cinnamony and yummy.  Especially when you've been gone, and come in to that wonderful smell wafting through the house!  You will find me gobbling this up not only at breakfast, but as a quick lunch with raw cow's or almond milk....maybe even a snack before bed! 

Raw pumpkin seeds.  Soaked in salt water and rinsed til sprouted.  Wonderful addition to trail mix with crispy almonds, chocolate chips (of course!), raisins, sprouted sunflower seeds, goji berries, and whatever else is on hand.  Gets me through that mid-afternoon munchie craving.

This looks similar to the granola, but it's actually a seasoned topping for salads.  It adds body, crunch and flair to my salads when I'm in the mood for someting a bit more substantial. 

Some of the inspiration for these recipes and more that we love can be found in two of my favorite foodie books:  

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon --this book changed the way we eat as a whole.  I use many of the recipes, and adapt many a new one to this way of cooking.  Traditional methods that nourish  modern families.  This is the book I recommend to those who ask what cookbook they should buy, when they are interested in using more real food in their diet and cooking from scratch.  This is the book that tells the reasons behind why I cook the way I do for my family.

Rejuvenate your life--Recipes for Energy by Serene Allison--This book opened my eyes to the many benefits of adding more raw food to our diet.  We feel cooked foods have benefits as well, yet we strive to add more raw foods as often as we can.  Often as breakfasts, snacks and/or lunches.  Serene has a myriad of ideas for adding life giving raw foods to our diet in so many scrumptious ways.  Plus, she has such a fun way with her words, and such a passion for raw food---it's hard not to catch her excitement as well!

What is a favorite REAL FOOD cookbook of yours?  I love to hear what other's are using, and find new ones to use for my family as well!  If you'd like, leave a comment for all to read!

Hope you enjoyed this peek into my kitchen today,

~Joy~

 {This post is a part of Pennywise Platter, and Fight Back Friday}

In my kitchen...

I am so very thankful for the crisp autumn air, that has been a welcome retreat from the extreme heat and humidity we have had this summer.  Time to get into the kitchen for some yummy baking!

Remember last week, when I posted {here}, about how to make sprouted flour?  Well, we have some nourishing and tasty recipes we have been using in our home, using the frozen sprouts, (which I mention in the post), as well as the sprouted flour.

The above sprouted blueberry muffins were delicious!  We enjoyed them for lunch last week, served with some raw goat cheese and fruit.  A nourishing, simple lunch for a weekday.  You can find the recipe here , and I believe this will be one we will use every week.  

Here is a recipe my friend Nina, (who is BRILLIANT when it comes to nourishing foods), created.  We use it often, and it is a great alternative to breads or foods with yeast in them.  Also, they are soooo incredible tasting, too!

Sprouted tortillas/flatbread:

-3 cups sprouts (I sprout my wheat/spelt berries, and stick them in the freezer after rinsing them.  I then thaw them in the dehydrator or on the counter before using them in this recipe.

-1 cup sprouted flour

-2 tsp. salt

-2 tsp. baking powder

-1/2 cup of water

-2 T. oil (I like to use coconut oil here, but EVOO works well, too.)

In the food processor, process/pulverize the sprouts with the oil and water first a bit.  Then, add the rest of the ingredients.  Process until it forms into a ball.  Should be tacky, but not sticky when done.  Divide into whatever size portions you like, and roll on a very well floured surface, (I use unbleached white flour for this purpose), into what you desire.  For flatbread, don't roll quite as thin as you would for tortillas.  Then, cook on an oiled griddle until just done, not browned.  {You might need to experiment just a bit, as with all doughs, and add a bit less water and more oil, or leave it as is.}

These freeze well, (put waxed paper in between so they don't stick together), and are nourishing and inexpensive.  So much better for you than store bought regular tortillas, and MUCH more flavorful than any sprouted tortillas I've tried.  Try doubling or tripling the recipe, so you have many on hand for your family. 

Enjoy!

Joy

{This post is a part of Works for me Wednesdays, as well as Real Food Wednesdays, and Pennywise Platter }