Vim and Vigor

Ways to get your "greens" in, besides eating salads!

 
Our Red and Crimson Clover seeds

Greens are such an important food to add to our diet.  The varitey of greens is simply amazing, and I think the supermarket doesn't even touch on the variety and types of greens there are, not to mention greens from sprouting seeds! 

The benefits and rewards of adding greens to our diet is profound.  More energy (yes, please!), a more alkiline body (always a good thing), detoxing (we all gotta lot of junk in us), not to mention the boost to our immune systems (and who doesn't need that this time of year?)

Sprouting

One way I like to add greens to our diet this time of year...well, any time of year actually...but it's so nice to have something "green" growing this time of the year....is by growing sprouts.  It's also the perfect activity to have the kids help you with.  An amazing lesson on how God takes the little seed, and helps it to grow!  Life!  For growing sprouts in the kitchen, I like to use a sprouting jar with a metal mesh lid.  I believe you can even find them on amazon.  Different seeds will have different soaking lengths and sprouting times.  Easy to google and find out for the seeds you have obtained.  This week, we are growing red and crimson clover seeds. 

It really is just child's play---soak, rinse, drain, rinse, drain, ...rain, drinse, oh, sorry, make that drain, rinse....you get the picture!  I usually place about 2 Tablespoons of seeds into the jar, cover with the mesh lid, and then add about half a jar of water, and let them soak for a good 8 hours.  After that, begins the drain and rinse part.  Drain out the water, and rinse well.  I tip my jar at an angle in a bowl, so any water dripping out will be caught by the bowl.  Some people may like to place them on a dish dryer.  (You know, the metal or plastic rack that dishes dry on after being hand washed.)

You will see the little sprouts starting to grow.  When they are to a length you like, put them in a sunny window for a bit, and you'll see them green up as benificial chlorophyll is being added! Greens that are easy to grow, a great lesson for children, and cost pennies...gotta love that!

Powdered greens

No, I'm not making a bit of money for recommending Garden of life products, but I do love them.  I have their Perfect Food raw organic green supor food powder.  Now, this is something that is more expensive.  I don't feed this to my whole family...usually just myself.  Mama needs energy to raise 5 (very!) energetic kiddos, and be the wife and everything else I need to be.  I will put a scoop of this in a glass of good juice....shake it up....gulp it down.  You don't really taste the green at all, just the juice....but it definitely has green color!   And, there is no "crash" later. Keeps me runnin' like a top!

Adding greens to smoothies

 This morning we just finished our blueberry yogurt smoothies....with kale!  Some folks are more hard-core than me, and add TONS of greens to their smoothies.  My kiddos are not big on green colored smoothies....however, I can add quite a bit without changing the taste or color of the smoothie.  Especially if there is a little sweetener in it.  Using orange juice concentrate as the sweetener in place of honey or something else, really masks the "green" taste, and is a great natural way to a great tasting smoothie! 

You can use all sorts of greens or sprouts, to add a nutritional punch to your smoothies.  Kale, romaine, lettuces, endive, the list goes on and on.

Add spinach to cooked dishes:

I always have a ton of spinach in my fridge.  The beauty of spinach, is that you can throw some into almost any dish.  Most of the dishes in my home have quite a bit of flavor, since I love using herbs and spices.  Not just for flavor, but for their nutritional value as well. Many, many dishes can have spinach added to them, without anyone ever noticing.  I just grab a handul or two, tear them up, and throw them in before the dish bakes, or at the end of sauteing my veggies.  Just a minute or two in the pan, and they'll be wilted, so wait til the end. 

Meatloaf, spaghetti, lasagna, meat casseroles, are just a few of the dishes that spinach is easily added to. 

Blessings to you and your family,

Joy~

{This post is a part of Monday Mania, Works for me Wednesday and Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter, Simple Lives Thursday, Frugal Friday and Fight Back Friday}

Raw,homemade nut butter

 

I gave a whirl at making a homemade nut butter the other day.  I decided to try cashew/almond butter, for that's what I had on  hand at the time.  I put a 50::50 ratio of almonds and cashews in the food processor.

This is how it kind of went.....turn it on.....let it run for a minute......turn it off......scrape sides.......repeat.  This went on for quite a while.  It might have sped things up a bit to add a bit of oil, but I wanted to see what I could do without adding any extra oils.  It did take a while----but it worked!

As you may know from purchasing it yourself....raw almond butter is very expensive and a bit dry.  I thought I better mositen it a bit for my kiddos, and thought of what to use.

A drizzle of raw honey will do the trick!  That, and a pinch (or two) of sea salt.

 

There you have it.  Homemade raw cashew/almond nut butter for you to enjoy.  Alternatively, if you want to add a little nutrition power to your peanut butter or nut butter you have purchased, try adding a bit of flax seed meal, chia seeds or other power foods to it.   The kids won't notice...and you'll up their nutritional ante for the day, just by feeding them a nut butter sandwich. 

Blessings,

~Joy

{This post is a part of Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, Works for me Wednesday, Pennywise Platter, Fight Back Friday, and Frugal Friday}

Summertime

 

 "The raspberries are ripe!", was the exciting call from Cowboy S.  It must really be summer.  The black raspberries that surround the woods located on our property are ready for the picking. 

A summertime morning routine:

• Waken from baby W's babbles and touches to my face....what a great way to rise!
• Let Autumn or yellow lab out the front door
• Feed and water dog while she is out, so she doesn't knock the baby and I out with her excitement in being fed
• Let Autumn in the door
• Feed and water cats
• Change baby W's diaper and get him dressed
• Place baby W in the Ergo
  
• Head out to greet "the girls" (our chickens)--dream about the eggs they will soon provide us
• Walk over to the berry patch and see how many berries I can pick before it's time to head in to make breakfast
• Repeat as many mornings a week as possible til berry picking time is done....
  

 

 

 Oftentimes I head out later in the  morning after breakfast is made, or in the evening hours when the heat of the day has subsided some.  We are trying to freeze as many as possible for enjoying over the winter, but you know that the kids are eating as many as they put into containers.

 With some inspiration from a friend, we tried making homemade ice cream, without an ice cream maker.  Summer just isn't summer without some homemade ice cream.  And, children to enjoy it with.

We placed our raw milk into large ball jars (gallon size), before placing them in the fridge.  I then ladled off  the cream and placed it into ice cube trays and froze. 

Add frozen berries---in our case, frozen black raspberries.

I added maple syrup for sweetener.

 

Just throw it all into the food processor and blend.  Add more sweetener if needed. 

Enjoy on a warm summer afternoon.  With the nearest child available, preferably.

Blessings,

~Joy

 {This post is a part of Monday Mania, Works for me Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter, and Simple Lives Thursday,  and Frugal Friday}

 

Orange Julius--velvety smooth and luscious-Spring--Day 9

 {We are celebrating 30 days and 30 ways we are celebrating spring--from crafts to recipes to adventures on our hobby farm. Come along with us if you like! We also have a spring giveaway here....a great incentive for guzzling smoothies!}}

 Are you looking for a smooth and creamy treat for you and the kiddos on a warm spring or summer day?  This is VERY refreshing, and tastes wonderful.  I was blessed to enjoy this at my friend Nina's this past weekend, where I fell in love with it.  I had to go home and make it myself.  Yogurt gives it the "frothiness", you may be looking for in this treat.

Orange Julius

Yogurt 2 1/2 cups--we prefer plain, homemade or store-bought

Orange Juice concentrate--around 2 Tablespoons--maybe a bit more

Vanilla extract--Homemade or store-bought-around 1 teaspoon

Evaporated cane juice crystals-1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons

Frozen banana chunks--around 1 1/2 bananas worth of chunks

Blend it all in your blender and enjoy the refreshment!

P.S.  We will be freezing ours into popsicle molds....you may want to do this too.

Blessings,

~Joy~

 

{This post is a part of Monday Mania, Real Food Wed., Works for me Wednesday, Pennywise Platter, Simple Lives Thursday,Fight Back Friday, Frugal Friday, and The Finer Things in Life}

Homemade raw, grassfed butter---so much easier than you think!

 

::  I am going to start teaching some classes out of our home on homemade dairy products...kefir, butter, ice cream, yogurt and the like.  Many of these I have made for years now. However, the butter I had tried once and failed.  I had too much milk in the cream, which does not turn into butter!  It just whirred around for 45 minutes and became nothing but frothy milk.  Well, I wasn't going to let that stop me from trying again.  Especially since I thought I knew what the problem had been.  This time, I am glad to say, it worked out wonderfully deliciously.

:: You're going to need a good mixer such as a Bosch or Kitchenaid---probably a hand mixer would work as well, yet you'd have very tired arms, and the motor may not be powerful enough. Some people have luck using their blender for this. Also, I highly recommend using raw cream, although store bought would work here as well.  I don't recommend anything that says ULTRA-PASTEURIZED.  I found the two farms where we now buy half of our groceries using the website local harvest.  Check there for places to find raw cream in your area, if you like.

 :: Pour your raw cream into the mixing bowl--letting it ripen at room temp. for a couple of hours is helpful, but don't let it sit too long, or it will be too acidic. I skipped that step and just used it straight from the fridge.  ( If your cream has soured a bit that you intended for other use, make butter with it instead of throwing it out.)

 :: I let the mixture go close to it's highest speed.  I don't have a splash guard, so I laid a towel over the mixer in that area, which cut down on the splashing that occurs a bit during the process.  The cream will change a lot over the course of the mixing.  Cream, whipped cream, harder cream, and then all the sudden it gets very liquidy again--and you think, oh no!  I ruined it!  But, just hold on for a few seconds to a few minutes more, and you will see butter.  The liquid is buttermilk with bits of solid butter in it, and soon it separates into butter and buttermilk. 

:: Above is the whipped cream stage.  I know you're dreaming of brownies with this on top,  but don't stop yet! You can do that next time.  On with the butter...

 

:: There is your butter and buttermilk.  After the separation of the butter, you'll need to wash it, which helps it to last longer.  Remove buttermilk, and add 1/2 cup or so ice water to the bowl.  Mix it around for a bit to wash your butter. Repeat this step a few times til' the water is clear.  Drain that water from the bowl as well.  Add some salt---I used around a half teaspoon---to the butter and mix this into it. I recommend celtic sea salt as the healthiest in my opinion, but it's a bit pricey.

 :: From a quart of cream, I got 2 cups of buttermilk.  I soaked this buttermilk with 2 cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour to make these yummy buttermilk pancakes for supper tonight.  This butter will be slathered on them....yummmm! Freeze the buttermilk for future use if you aren't going to use it right away.

 :: And now, the moment we've all been waiting for...the taste test.

::  Yes! It's a winner says my little buckaroo!

:: Congratulations....you have now brought forth your inner Laura Ingalls!  (Sorry....been watchin' too much Little House on the Prairie lately.)  I put mine in small portions in little glass canning jars.  Since raw butter doesn't last very long, I put all but one of the jars in the freezer.  Remember, salt will help to preserve the butter.

 

Have a wonderful day,

~Joy~

{This post is part of Monday Mania, Works for me Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, and Pennywise Platter}

 

Our favorite granola recipes...living and baked versions

 There are so many variations and ways familes' choose to feed themselves, that to be honest, it can make my head spin.  Everyone has a reason for feeling the way they do about the food they eat.  Vegans, vegetarians, raw foodists, whole foodists....the list goes on. 

In our home, I try to stay away from any "extreme" as far as labeling goes.  First and foremost, we eat REAL food.  You know, the pronouncable kind.  That's our favorite.  Maybe we should be labeled "pronouncers".  You know, those who  only eat what they can say.  Just don't say it while you're eating it.  Ha.

As often as possible, we do eat local, organic, natural food.  This is the ideal for my family.  I also like to add raw foods to our diet as often as possible.  That said, I thought it might be nice to have recipes available on the blog in our favorite raw and baked/cooked versions.  Then, you can choose what works for your family, if you like. 

::  Life Giving Granola ::

5 cups buckwheaties (sprouted and dehydrated buckwheat groats)

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup raw honey

1/4 c. ground flax seeds

1/2 c. ground sesame seeds

1/2 c. raisins

1/4 . sprouted pumpkin seeds

1/4. c. sprouted sunflower seeds

2 teaspoons or more cinnamon (I purchase potent and fresh cinnamon from Bulk Herb Store)

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients together, and place on sheets and dehydrate for 12 hours or until crunchy.

 

:: Homemade Baked Granola ::

{ Recipe found here}

{Handcarved wooden utensils (as in first photo above)...can be purchased at cooperwares.com}

{This post is a part of Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday and Works for Me Wednesday, Pennywise Platter, Frugal Friday, and Fight Back Friday}

Smooth:: Creamy:: Raw:: Chocolate Pudding

::Banana::

::Avocado::

::Use thumb to slide out meat::

::Natural peanut butter or almond butter::

::Raw, {or regular} Cocoa Powder::

::Papa's {or anyone's} Maple Syrup::

:: Blend :: Lick::

1 avocado

1 banana

1/4-1/2 cup nut butter

1/8 cup cocoa powder

Maple syrup to taste

Play around with measurements, to get the consistency you prefer

 

{This post is a part of  Monday Mania,Pennywise Platter, Works for me Wednesday   Real Food Wednesdayand Fight Back Friday}

Joy

Our favorite breakfast

My serving this a.m. of our brood's favorite breakfast is pictured above. Mmmmm....that makes me want another serving..but alas, all has been savored devoured by my family of 7.  Okay, maybe baby W, being a month old didn't eat any, however; I probably ate a wee bit more being he nurses every 3 hours around the clock!  He's growing quickly, I might add.  I luv chub! Rolls are adorable....why can't they be so adorable on grown-ups? 

Anyhow, back to the oatmeal. 

Why do we love oatmeal so much?  Let me count the ways......

• Very nutritious when properly prepared.....(see below.)  Full of nutrients for vibrant kiddos and grown-ups too!  Oats are a signifigant source of fiber, (the beta glucans in it lower cholesterol), helps blood sugar rise slower (aids in prevention of complications of diabetes), contains phytochemicals which are said to prevent cancer, plus many more benefits. 
• Probably the most frugal breakfast we can consume that is so full of nutrition.  I personally buy the oats in bulk which cuts the cost even less.  I buy chemical free rolled oats, or sometimes 7-grain rolled oats.  We trade off between eating the two. 
• Shown to benefit mother's milk =) (Being I'm nursing right now that's important. 
• After soaking, it takes 5 minutes to cook up!  That's my kind of breakfast.
• It's easy to adapt it to everyone's liking, cuz of it's neutral flavor.  The oats take on any flavor your family is in the mood for.  Cinnamon with diced apple?  Yummmm.  How about vanilla, sucanat, and a bit of diced banana and some chopped walnuts?  Or, maybe a dash of maple syrup with any dried fruit that pleases you at the moment and some crispy almonds.  Use whatever you have on hand, and get out a bunch of topppings, and just have fun with it! 

So, now that you know how nutritious and frugal this is, you might want to know how to do so. 

Ingredients:

3 cups uncooked rolled oats

3 cups water

2 Tbsp. lemon juice--this is needed to break down the phytic acid in the oats.  You can use apple cider vinegar instead, but we found we do not like the flavor of that.  Also, some soak in kefir, yet we wanted the least expensive option, as well as being dairy free for my daughter.

About 1/3 cup of ground whole wheat flour, sprouted wheat flour, or sprouted or regular rye flour (In the case of oats, these help to further break down the phytic acid.)

-Place oats in a bowl or jar and add water, ground flour and lemon juice. Combine and let sit for 12-24 hours.  In the morning, depending on how watery the oats are at this point, bring around a cup to a cup and a half of water to a boil, and add the oats mixture, and turn to medium heat.  Cook for 5 or so minutes. Voila!  A nutritious and quick breakfast.  (Before any toppings we sometimes add a bit of butter and/or cream or coconut cream, but always a bit of salt.)

If the phytic acid is not broken down in the oats, it makes them very hard to digest.  One thing I try to remember is to make our food as digestible as possible, so we benefit as much as possible from the nutrients in our food.  Why buy and prepare healthy food, if your body isn't digesting it properly and you're not benefiting from the nutrients?  Soaking grains, culturing dairy products (kefir, yogurt), fermented drinks (water kefir, kombucha).  All are ways we make foods much easier to digest and get the most bang for our buck. Plus, they taste wonderful!

Toppings we enjoy include:

-Dried or fresh fruits such as berries, diced apple, banana and mango.

-Chopped nuts such as walnuts, almonds and pecans.  Also, we enjoy ground flax seeds.

-Sweeteners like maple syrup, sucanat and flavorings such as vanilla and cinnamon.

 Do you desire a raw option?....this one at Love veggies and yoga sounds very yummy!  Oftentimes I'll enjoy a raw breakfast even if my family has cooked.  Same prep time....I just like to consume as much raw food as possible...yet, I definitely include nutritious cooked foods as well.

I leave you with a smile....from Miss Lady K...the "captain". 

Joy

 {This post is a part of Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist; Real Food Wednesday at kellythekitchencop.com; Works for me Wednesday at wearethatfamily.com Pennywise Platter at thenourishinggourmet.com Tip Day Thursday at Around My Family Table; Fight Back Friday Frugal Friday at Life as Mom}

How to open a young coconut.

Here is my sweet young coconut, or young Thai coconut as some say, ready to be cut. These coconuts, as you can see, are not brown, but white.  They have a sort of pyramid at the top as well.  On the inside is coconut water, (not milk), and a wonderful flesh that is softer the younger they are, and hardens a bit as the coconut matures. I actually found this at my Wal-mart Supercenter, but they are also found in asian markets and whole foods stores as well.  It would be preferable to have a very sharp knife, (maybe one you don't mind takes a bit of a beating, or a cleaver would be even better if you own one.

I like to remove the saran wrap before I begin.

(Pretend my left hand is holding the coconut still!  I am just showing my right hand position and where the knife is in the coconut here.)  Using the above position, cut off a chunk of the top, to reveal a bonier, harder portion underneath.

After that first cut, here is what it looks like.  That brown area is the hard spot you trying to get down to.

With a sharp point on my knife, I jab hard a few times down into it, to make a hole of sorts to drain the coconut water out by.

Here's the hole I made in the coconut.

Pour out the water....this water is full of nutrients and electrolytes.  It is a wonderful natural alternative to gatorade.  Store some in the freezer at the beginning of flu and cold season to have on hand.  You can also purchase coconut water mixed with a bit of fruit juice in the health food aisles at grocery stores.

Cut off the top of the coconut.

If the flesh is still soft, it is easily scooped out.  This coconut is a bit older, and is easier to scoop out using the back of my spoon. 

Great to add to a smoothie of ANY kind.  They blend easily, even if the flesh isn't super soft.  More to come on coconuts and why you would want to add more to your diet.  Especially when pregnant or a new mama...but they are wonderful for you all the time!

This post is a part of Pennywise Platter, and Monday Mania ; as well as Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday!

 

Earth balls--Nutrition packed easy snack!!!

 Being pregnant, and soon to be breastfeeding, I am finding the need to have healthy snacks ready IMMEDIATELY when I feel a craving for something.  As much as I spend time cooking, baking, and the like in my kitchen...when I'm expecting and it's snack time....well, I don't want to make something then.....there better be something quick and easy close by!  I made a very, very simple two ingredient version of these on this bloggy at one point.  This version amps up the flavor and nutrition to boot, and helps us preggo mommies stay "regular", which gets harder toward the end of our pregnancies as we tend to slow down a bit. 

All you need do is throw all of the following ingredients in your food processor, whiz it for a while, roll them up, and you have a handy, nutrient dense, living foods snack on hand whenever you need it!  I like to refrigerate these, but you don't have to!  Nice to throw some in a baggie for on the go snacks as well.

Organic pitted dates

Organic extra virgin coconut oil  (warmed gently in bowl of warm water or dehydrator).

Raw cashews (I buy whole instead of pieces, for they are said to have a lesser chance of being rancid.)

Goji berries

Chia seeds

Raw, local honey

Dried apricots...yum!

You could use any nuts you have a liking to, or even leave them out if you want.  The dates or dried fruit of your liking, act as the binder, so be sure you have something with a bit of "stickiness" to it, to help them roll easily.  The oil helps that a bit, too.  If you're not prone to little balls, make homemade "lara bars" out of them instead!  That works for me!

 

 

Joy

{This post is a part of Monday Mania, at The Healthy Home Economist, Real Food Wednesday, as well as Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday ; Pennywise Platter and Breastfeeding Moms Unite}