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Meal Plans Week of 3-25-12

A sleepy good morning to everyone. Our little non-sleeper…is sleeping even less. I didn’t think it was possible. But it seems that waking up at 2am…and not really going back to sleep is just fine with Abram. We’re kind of struggling trying to figure this out. We try orajel, Tylenol, tummy drops, diet changes, rocking, nursing, diaper change, letting him cry…nothing works. He just won’t sleep. Justin and I are getting pretty tired. I wish Abram would too 😛  Maybe it’s because of a growth spurt? He is really taking off with walking. I don’t know. I just hope it’s done soon whatever it is.

Anyway, last week was a fun one. We didn’t have much going on in terms of errands, etc. But we stayed busy with fun activities. We made our first trip to Cone World. Rebecca and I enjoyed the ice cream, but we could have done without her flip backwards over the bench on to the concrete…on her head :\  We were supposed to have a park playdate one day, but it got cancelled. So we went to the playground at the elementary school instead. We also went to the zoo. And we went to another second hand sale. Yesterday we all walked to the local bike shop and got new helmets for Rebecca and Abram. It’ll be fun to try putting them both in the bike trailer soon 🙂

The kitchen wasn’t quite as busy as some weeks. I made yogurt, sour cream, caesar dressing, croutons, pizza crust, bread and buns. Yesterday Rebecca and I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies. It’s been a while since we’ve baked any goodies. So that was a nice treat for her. I also finally finished one of Abram’s bibs.

This week will be a bit busier. Today is church. Monday is milk pick up. Tuesday is Kindermusik. Wednesday is Meijer and possibly another playdate (try last week’s park date again if the weather is nice). We might try to meet other friends at the park another day. Friday my SIL and nephew are coming to town. We’ll all go shopping at Hop Scotch, then out to lunch. And possibly go to the zoo for a bit in the afternoon, depending on the weather. Saturday we are having an energy audit done on the house.

I would like to do some baking this week. My freezer supply is getting pretty low. I want to make some type of breakfast baked good(s). I’m thinking muffins at least. I also want to make a new batch of soaked cereal, sour cream, yogurt and pesto. I want to make a batch of ice cream. I froze some of our cookie dough yesterday so I can make homemade cookie dough ice cream 🙂  That will probably keep me plenty busy.

My neverending updates – I finally got Diet Recovery and 180Degree Digestion. Tons of great info. But still plenty of stuff to figure out. I can’t say I had a great week for sure. I think that it is largely due to lack of sleep and stress. With Abram up so early I have lost almost all free time/relax time. And that is something I desparately need. So I’m struggling. Abram has figured out how to open the office door, so it’s hard to even keep him contained in the room with me now. And while we are in here he gets into EVERYTHING. I am trying to do my best to keep eating and keep pushing forward. But it’s tough. On a positive note, my weight has stayed the same for 2 weeks straight now. Maybe things are stabilizing a bit. Now I just have to figure out how to get my digestion back on track. I’m sure I’m still working on adjusting to no miralax. That takes a long time. And I know I don’t make the best food choices every day. I’m trying. I’m also really trying to give it all to God and not worry. He is in control, so there is no need for worry. Worry really accomplishes nothing. So what’s the point, right? Too bad my brain doesn’t understand that 😛

I better get on with the menu before Abram breaks something. Here are the plans for now.
——————-
S (church, nursery, grind flour, soak flour, class)
  B – soaked donut, apple cinnamon yogurt
  L – bbq ribs, baked potato, broccoli
  D – leftover bacon egg casserole, veggies, fruit

M (make yogurt, bake oatmeal muffins, milk, prep smoothies, make pesto)
  B – muffins, mixed fruit
  D – leftover brats, chips, peas, pears

T (skim cream, make sour cream, KM, make ice cream)
  B – oatmeal muffins, smoothie
  D – ham, roasted squash, beans

W (soak flour, prep dinner, Meijer, park/playdate, soak flour for granola and muffins)
  B – smoothie, breakfast cookies
  D – split pea soup w/ ham, ww rolls

Th (make bread/buns, make yogurt, make kefir, make soaked granola )
  B – hard boiled egg, toast
  D – sloppy lentils on soaked buns, beans sausage pancake muffins, roasted veggies, fruit

F (HS/lunch/zoo)
  B – yogurt, fruit, granola
  D – stuffed french toast, grilled ham and cheese, broccoli, peaches

S (clean, energy audit, compost?)
  B – leftover pancake and sausage muffins
  D – pizza burgers, salad

Caesar Dressing

I’ve never really been a huge fan of caesar salads. I never really cared for the dressing. But my tastes have changed a lot in the last few years. So recently when I was looking through NT I saw a recipe for caesar dressing. I decided to give it a shot. It was super easy to make. And it tastes pretty good. Justin and I both like it. I wouldn’t want to eat it all the time, but definitely good once in a while to have something different. It did turn out quite thick. So I’d probably add a little more oil or vinegar next time. There was one other reason I wanted to try this…it has anchovies! I’ve never eaten one (that I know of). But I’ve wanted to try them for a long time. You can’t tell they are in the dressing. They just add a little nutty flavor to it. I have some left now. I hope to use them some other way soon. I want to cook with them. The NT recipe says to use a blender to make this. I used a glass jar and my immersion blender. So quick and less mess. The dressing stays in the jar you mix it in.

We used this last night for caesar salads with bacon, chicken, avocado, Parmesan and homemade garlic croutons. A very refreshing dinner for the last day of winter…that was in the 80’s 🙂

Caesar Dressing

1/2 – 1 tsp. dijon mustard (I just used yellow mustard)
1 Tbsp. raw wine vinegar (I used white vinegar)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. finely grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup EVOO
1 Tbsp. expeller-expressed flax oil (I didn’t add this)
1 egg yolk
2 anchovy filets
1 clove garlic, peeled and mashed

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Or place in a wide mouth pint jar and mix with an immersion blender.

Roasted Cauliflower Au Gratin

I don’t often make Rachael Ray recipes. In my opinion most of them have too many ingredients, require too many steps and generate too many dirty dishes. The food may be good, but it’s just not my style of cooking. I did, however, make one of her recipes for dinner last night – roasted cauliflower au gratin.  I saw her make it on her show recently and it looked so good! And it was. I think I could have eaten the whole thing myself 😛  The whole family enjoyed it. I served it as our main dish. It would make a great side dish. Or you could add bacon, chicken or ham to make it a more complete main dish. As always it did require some work and some clean up. But I prepped it in the morning and got the kitchen cleaned up. So when it was time for dinner all I had to do was pop it in the toaster oven. No time in the kitchen and no mess to clean up after dinner. Perfect for a summer-like winter day 🙂  This is definitely a keeper recipe! I didn’t follow the recipe exactly. I only used 1 head of cauliflower. I also used a combo of milk, kefir and chicken broth for the cream sauce and didn’t make a full batch since I was using less cauliflower. I’ll post the original recipe with my mods in ().

 

Roasted Cauliflower Au Gratin

2 large heads cauliflower
3 Tbsp. EVOO
Salt

For the Topping:
2 Tbsp. EVOO
3 Tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove, grated (I used about 2 tsp. minced garlic)
Zest of 1 lemon (I didn’t add this)
2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped (I used 1 Tbsp. dried parsley)
1 cup breadcrumbs (I used a combo of whole wheat bread crumbs and crushed pretzels)

For the Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk (I used a combo of milk, kefir and chicken broth)
Salt and black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Chop cauliflower into medium to large bite-size florets. Toss cauliflower with EVOO and salt. Roast on a baking sheet until just barely tender but slightly crispy, about 15 minutes.
*I roasted my cauliflower the way I always do – lots of EVOO and salt. I roast it for more like 40 minutes.

For the topping, in a large skillet over medium heat, add EVOO and butter. When butter melts, add the garlic, lemon zest and parsley, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add breadcrumbs and toast until golden. Transfer to a bowl and reserve.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Melt butter in a saucepot over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook a few minutes, stirring constantly, until it starts to smell slightly nutty. Stir in milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg, and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and reserve
Mix the cauliflower and sauce in a casserole dish, then dollop with ricotta.
*At this point I covered it and stuck it in the fridge. If you are baking it immediately:

 Bake 15 minutes at 375, until golden brown. Finish it with a sprinkling of the breadcrumb mixture and a squeeze of lemon juice over top.

If you are baking it later:
Bake, covered, at 350 for about 35 minutes. Remove cover. Top with breadcrumbs. Bake another 10 minutes.

Meal Plans Week of 3-18-12

Looks like I’ve got my 5:30 am breakfast buddy today :\  We’re all healthy again…now on to another round of major teething. We’re also experiencing some crazy “winter” weather here…sunny and 80’s! We’ve been spending lots of time outside lately. I think everyone is a little out of sorts with the abrupt change in weather. Last week was pretty busy. We did end up with one morning at home (Friday) since MOPS was cancelled for fog/school delays. We did make it to a second hand sale and got some summer clothes for the kids. Abram only had 1 pair of shorts! We weren’t quite ready for this weather 😛  Rebecca had her last swimming lesson yesterday. It will be nice to have our Saturday mornings back for a few weeks…until soccer starts in April 🙂

My kitchen experiments last week included another batch of blue moon ice cream, soaked graham crackers, soaked bread, pesto, lots of crispy nuts, yogurt, hot fudge, kefir and bread pudding. Rebecca (Cinderella) enjoyed helping with the bread pudding 🙂

This week should be pretty laid back. Perfect for a week of warm weather! Hopefully we can spend lots of time outside. Today is church. Monday I have a nursery cmt meeting. Tuesday is Kindermusik. Wednesday is co-op pick up. That’s it! I’m hoping we can set up a playdate (or 2) and maybe go to the zoo one day.

I’m almost done with one of Abram’s bibs. I just need a free 10 minutes 😛  Then I’ll work on a few more. Although sometimes I wonder why I’m making them…he rips them off immediately 😛  In the kitchen I’d like to make yogurt, more soaked bread (I go through about a loaf a week myself…I eat it with almost every meal :), possibly another batch of ice cream, salad dressing and pizza crust. I also need to start planning birthday treats and cakes since we’ll be celebrating 3 more birthdays in the next couple months. All four of us have our birthdays within a 2 month span 🙂  Rebecca’s current request for a birthday cake is a Lego Friends cake (the new “girl” Legos).

Not many updates on me. The last few days have been pretty good. I’ve been really careful about what I eat/sticking to what I know works. It really makes a difference. I’ve been miralax free for a week now! It feels so good to be done with that. I learned another important lesson last week…don’t use cornstarch. I made vanilla pudding for my birthday treat…and used cornstarch. Right after saying I can’t eat corn because of it’s starch. Hello!! Lesson learned. Too bad I didn’t get to enjoy much of my birthday treat. Oh well. I don’t buy/eat much packaged food but I’ll for sure have to read labels more carefully now. I’m guessing cornstarch is in a lot of foods. Maybe that’s been one of the sneaky culprits causing me problems over the years. I’m sticking with arrowroot and flour for thickeners for now. See how that goes.

One final note…Abram decided that at 10 months he now wants a paci 😛  I think it’s mostly because he’s teething. We’ll see if he keeps it up or not. In the mean time he sure looks cute 🙂

Better get on with the menu before we have total meltdown here.
———————————
S (prep lunch, church, class)
  B – leftover eggs, bread pudding, pineapple
  L – roasted chicken, potatoes, maroon carrots, onions, squash
  D – (early/light/easy clean up) – leftover cauliflower au gratin, bread

M (make dressing, make croutons, nursery cmt, soak flour)
  B – yogurt, granola, pineapple, kiwi
  D – (early) –  chicken and bacon caesar salad, fruit

T (skim cream, make sour cream, soak flour, KM, Cone World)
  B – granola bars, star fruit, yogurt
  D – homemade chicken bacon pesto pizza w/ soaked crust

W (bake bread and buns, co-op, playground prep smoothies)
  B – bagel w/ pb
  D – sweet and sour meatballs, baked potato wedges, beans, sloppy joes on soaked buns, squash, peaches

Th (Zoo)
  B – smoothie, cream cheese pastry
  D – sloppy cornbread, salmon melts, maroon carrots, squash, peaches

F (clean)
  B – smoothie, blueberry muffins
  D – bacon egg bowls, beans, fruit, toast

S ()
  B – leftover egg bowls
  D – grill? – brats

Blurple Moon Ice Cream (Blue Moon Take Two)

I tried making blue moon ice cream last week. The ice cream was good…but it didn’t really taste like blue moon. I decided to try again this week. I did some more research and asked for opinions on flavor. From what I’ve read the flavor of blue moon is actually nutmeg! I never would have guessed that. I think there are some variations of the flavor. Some say it also has a lot of almond. The most surprising thing is that there is no fruit flavor. The color really fools you. For this attempt I mostly went with nutmeg. But I also added a little bit of homemade almond butter for a hint of almond flavor. And I added some blueberry puree for a little color (it didn’t really impact the flavor). Rebecca insisted it had to have some color. It’s more of a purple than blue (“blurple” :), but at least it’s natural. I’ll have to keep experimenting with homemade/natural coloring to make it more blue. This was a pretty successful attempt at homemade blue moon. It really does taste like the blue moon flavor! “Cinderella” really enjoyed it. I didn’t measure anything when I made it. I just tasted as I went along until I got the flavor I wanted. So I’ll do my best to write down a recipe. If you try it please taste the batter and adjust the flavor as needed before putting it in the ice cream maker.

You can use this same flavor idea for other things besides ice cream. I made some blue moon yogurt for Rebecca’s lunch yesterday (plain yogurt with maple syrup, a little blueberry puree and a sprinkle of nutmeg). You could even try blue moon pudding or pudding pops (add some nutmeg to homemade vanilla pudding…freeze it in molds for pops).

Now that I’ve come up with a decent homemade blue moon maybe I’ll have to really challenge myself and try to make homemade superman ice cream. Anybody know what flavors the yellow and pink ice creams are?

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager, Real Food Wednesdays and Fight Back Friday.

Blurple Moon Ice Cream

3 cups cream (preferably raw)
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup maple syrup (adjust to your taste)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. lemon juice
1-3 tsp. nutmeg (adjust to your taste)
2 Tbsp. homemade almond butter or 1/4 cup crispy almonds
1-2 Tbsp. arrowroot powder (not necessary, but it does help texture)

blueberry puree (optional for color)
1/3 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup

Cook blueberries and syrup on low heat until berries soften and release juice. Strain. Cool.

In blender or food processor (I used my Vitamix) combine all ingredients (including blueberry puree if using), making sure the almonds are totally blended. Taste. Adjust syrup, nutmeg and almond to taste. Process in ice cream maker (mine took 20 minutes in my Kitchen Aid attachment). Store in freezer.

Soaked Graham Crackers

I’ve been making a lot of soaked baked goods lately. Through my recent experimenting I know that I handle them a lot better than unsoaked. One of my favorite foods is graham crackers. I used to live on them…the boughten, processed kind :\  But I haven’t been able to eat them in a long time, even my homemade grahams.

I have made them with sprouted flour in the past. That works ok, but the texture isn’t great. So I decided to experiment and see if I could make a soaked version. I used the graham cracker recipe I always use as a base and then added/adjusted ingredients.

I was quite impressed with the outcome! Crispy and sweet. A perfect treat for me…and my family. Rebecca had one with almond butter for breakfast yesterday 🙂  I made a small batch since I was experimenting. And next time I’ll try to get them a little thinner I think. But overall a great first attempt! I’m so excited to have soaked graham crackers. Now I just have to keep myself from eating them all in one day 😛

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager, Real Food Wednesdays and Fight Back Friday.

Soaked Whole Wheat Graham Crackers

2 cups organic whole wheat flour, all purpose flour or a combination of the two

1 cup yogurt, kefir or buttermilk
1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil (I sometimes use half of each)

1/2 – 2/3 cup rapadura or cane sugar (adjust to your taste)
1/2 tsp. baking soda (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
6Tbsp. honey (you can substitute molasses for some of the honey for a stronger “graham” flavor)
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix flour, yogurt and butter/oil in a glass bowl. Cover and let sit 7-24 hours.

Heat oven to 350. Add remaining ingredients to flour mixture. Stir until well combined. The dough should be quite moist and sticky.

Split dough into 2 equal parts. Put 1/2 of dough on a parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheet. Spread with a spoon until you have a fairly even layer covering the baking sheet. It will be a bit lumpy, not smooth. Repeat with 2nd half of dough on another pan.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into squares (with pizza cutter). If the dough sticks to the pizza cutter bake them another 5 minutes and try again. After cutting them into squares, return the pans to the oven and bake another 5 minutes.

Remove the crackers from the oven. Transfer them to a dehydrator tray (you can keep them on the parchment until they are dry enough to handle without breaking) and dry them for 2-6 hours (until they are crispy/dry). Let cool. Store in an airtight container. You can also freeze them for long term storage.

Birthday Reflections…My Life After GAPS

Another year has come and gone. It sure has been a crazy one. At this time last year I was quite pregnant and trying to prepare to be a mom of two. Now I have an almost 4 year old and a 10 month old. Life sure is busy! But I wouldn’t change a thing.

Over the last year I have gone through a lot of physical and mental changes. I’ve had my share of ups and downs. Even my weight has fluctuated by about 60 pounds (pregnancy will do that :P)! I started last year not feeling that great. I went on GAPS to heal my gut. I did experience a lot of healing. But I also unintentionally did some damage to my health. By November of last year I was gradually feeling worse. By Christmas I was not doing well at all. My weight was down below 100 pounds! I was confused and frustrated. Shortly after Christmas for some reason I just felt like things needed to change. I was moody all the time. I had no energy. Something just didn’t feel right. I knew I could not stay on GAPS. Before if I had tried to eat a “forbidden” food I would have felt so anxious and guilty about it. But I started to eat foods that weren’t “allowed.” And I didn’t care. My mentality was changing for some reason. I just couldn’t explain it. Then I started hearing more info about low carb “dieting” and the dangers. Without realizing it I had put myself on a low carb diet. And it was taking its toll on my body. It caused weight loss, digestive problems, adrenal fatigue, anxiety, increased OCD, all sorts of stuff.

In January I started slowly trying a few grains and starches in my diet. Maybe one piece of bread a day. Or a few bites of potato. Gradually I started adding a little more. And I was loving it! By February I was done with GAPS. I stopped taking my probiotic. I stopped obsessing over broth and fermented foods. I stopped eating huge piles of meat. I started experimenting with all sorts of soaked baked goods.

I was eating more. My digestion really improved. I put on a few pounds. My mood and energy improved. It has been pretty amazing to see the changes.

I do still think GAPS is a very valuable diet for healing. But you do have to be careful not to eat too low carb. You also have to remember that it is not a life long diet. It is a temporary diet meant for healing. Some people need to stick to it for a couple years. But some could benefit from even just a few weeks. I think 10 months was plenty (maybe even too long) for me.

I do think our bodies need a good balance of protein, fat and carbs. If you exclude any one for an extended period of time it will have a serious impact on your health.

I also think every person’s body is unique. You have to figure out what works for you. I am learning new things every day. I find that I can actually tolerate wheat quite well. I don’t believe I am sensitive to gluten at all. I do digest it better if it is properly prepared. I don’t, however, do well with starchy foods like rice, bananas, corn, potatoes and carrots. Maybe someday I’ll tolerate them better. But not right now. GAPS was very helpful for me to figure out what does and doesn’t work. It was like an elimination diet. I cut out all grains and dairy for a while. Now I tolerate both wheat and dairy very well. And I’ve pinpointed the things that really do bother me.

I’ve also learned that our bodies change all the time. What works right now may not work in 5 years. I have to be open to adjusting as time goes on. I can’t get set on one “diet” and assume it will work forever. I’m learning what works for now. And I continually reassess.

I do try to eat a whole foods diet. But I also know it is important to be relaxed about food. If I obsess and stress over every little thing it won’t be good for me. Then I’ll feel sick no matter what I eat. So if I eat the “wrong” food once in a while or something refined or processed it’s not the end of the world.

Now on to the main reason I wrote this post. I have gone through a lot of changing and healing in the last year. And now that another birthday has come and gone I’ve been reflecting on it a little. I want this next year to be different. I want to truly live. I want to put some of my past issues behind me. I want to move forward. I want to be a good wife and mother. I want to truly embrace and love myself where I’m at. I want to accept myself. I want to extend grace to myself. I want to be a good example to my children and a blessing and joy to my husband.

As I have started this journey of change in the last couple months quite a few things have happened. One being that I have gained (so far) about 8 pounds. I was underweight to begin, so some weight is good. But I still struggle with it daily from a mental standpoint. After years of eating disorders it’s still hard for me to gain weight…and be happy about it. I don’t like when my jeans start to get tight…even if they are size 0! I don’t like to step on the scale and see the number go up yet again. That being said, I’m trying to truly embrace myself where I’m at. Why does a number on the scale bother me? I’m not really sure. Am I trying to please someone or meet some ideal? Not really. I even asked Justin about it and he said I look a lot healthier/a lot better now. If I feel better, look better, am healthier and am enjoying food again why should I worry about a few pairs of tight pants? I really don’t know. I’m a 32 year old wife and mother of two. I want to love myself and teach my children to love themselves. I don’t want to obsess over body image. I want to embrace the new me…and the person I’m becoming, the person God is teaching me to be.

One other big thing is that I had major colon surgery 6 1/2 years ago. Ever since then I have been on prescription miralax. For years I didn’t think much of it. But after a while I didn’t want to take it anymore. But I had to. My body was dependant on it. I didn’t like the idea of putting chemicals in my body every single day. But I couldn’t function without it. I’ve tried numerous times to cut back only to feel so awful that I had to bring my dose back up. Sometimes even higher than I started. Over the last year I have slowly been making progress with decreasing my dose. There were times I thought maybe I’d just have to accept the fact that my body needed it and I’d have to take it forever. Well, I am happy to say that today is day 4 WITH NO MIRALAX! None at all! Do I feel great? No, not really. But that’s ok. My body is adjusting. And I know I made some poor food choices this week…choices that I know don’t work for my body at this time. I’ll get through it and get things back on track. I hope that my life with miralax is over for good now.

I’m sure I could continue with all the little things that have changed in the last couple months. All the little things I’m learning that help my body and all the things I’m learning that don’t. The mental clarity that I have some days. The improvement in my OCD. The unexplained calmness I feel some days. The excitement I have about life. The hopefulness for what’s to come. The peace I have about where I’m headed. The boldness I feel many days about pushing myself and stepping out of my comfort zone. But I’ll stop here…since I have a stinky little boy that needs me 🙂

Life is good. God is good. And now I know that food is good 🙂  I’m learning every day. I’m striving for balance in my diet, in my work and in my play. I’m seeking God’s will for my life. And trying each day to love and accept myself and be a good wife and mother. I’m excited to see what God has in store for me in the next year.

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager, Real Food Wednesdays and Fight Back Friday.

Soaked Soft Pretzels

Between a sick baby and a power outage I haven’t had much computer time lately. So I’m trying to catch up on posts. Last week I made some soaked whole wheat bread again. But I made a bigger batch of dough and used half of it to make soft pretzels. It was an experiment…and it turned out great! Unfortunately right after I finished mixing the dough the power went out. So I had to roll/shape pretzels in the dark with a crying baby. Not exactly ideal conditions. So I had to be pretty quick and couldn’t see that well…and ended up with pretty large pretzels. If I make them again I’ll roll them a lot thinner. Regardless they taste great! Slather them with butter and salt right out of the oven. Yum! And they make great bread for a sandwich…a pretzel bun. This is a great snack for me to have on hand…soaked wheat with lots of salt. Exactly what my body needs.

Soaked Soft Pretzels

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup buttermilk, kefir or yogurt
3/4 cups very warm water
1 egg
1cup organic white unbleached flour
1/8 cup warm/hot water
1/8 cup coconut oil
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/4 cup local raw honey
1/2 Tbsp. sea salt

The day before, add wheat, buttermilk, and water to your stand mixer. Mix just until all the flour is wet. Cover and let set at least 7 hours but 12 or more is even better and you may even have a nice sourdough taste. I usually try to do 24 hours. Soak it one morning. Mix it the next morning.

The next day, or whenever you’re ready to finish your bread, add the egg and white flour. Add coconut oil to the hot water (so it melts). Once it’s melted, add it in, and start mixing on the lowest speed.

Add the yeast, keep mixing on lowest speed. Add honey and seal salt.

When the dough has cleaned up the sides and middle of the bowl, check how the dough feels and see if you need a bit more water or flour (you’ll know if it feels too dry or wet), and then set the timer for 14 minutes and continue mixing on the lowest speed.

Meanwhile, butter two baking pans. When the dough is done, use buttered hands to split it into 10 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long string. Shape into pretzels. Place on baking sheets.

The rise time depends on the temp in your kitchen – usually 2-3 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min.

When you take them out of the oven, brush them with butter and sprinkle with sea salt. Be sure to add plenty of salt or you might be like me and have a three year old telling you “I desparately need more salt.” Place on a rack to cool…or devour immediately 🙂

Meal Plans Week of 3-11-12

Good (early) morning. Never a fun morning when you lose an hour. And it seems that Abram only listens to the clock…it says 6, he’s up. Poor boy has had a rough week. He has been sick all week with a viral throat infection. He had a constant fever for 3 days, a sore throat and an upset tummy. He’s finally starting to perk up. But now he’s having tummy issues and had a pretty rough night. Needless to say it’s been a long week for Mommy and Daddy as well. I “slept” on the floor next to the bouncy seat two nights in a row. Top it off with yet another power outage. So last week wasn’t quite as productive as planned, and I had to adjust our schedule and meals each day. By some miracle I still managed to make soaked scones, soaked pie crust, yogurt, mayo, soaked bread, soaked soft pretzels, ice cream, soaked pancakes and 2 pairs of baby legs. I also did a lot of cleaning in the kitchen. Rebecca and I got our hair cut. We met some friends at the library to chat and play for a bit on Wednesday. I had to postpone my Harvest Health trip all week. Rebecca and I went yesterday afternoon while Justin and Abram stayed home. It was a special trip for Rebecca because we stopped at Target first so she could pick out a Lego. She went 30 days without sucking her thumb! She was very excited.

This week will be fairly busy. Today is church (Abram and I will be staying home so he can fully recover and get the rest he needs). Monday is milk pick up. Tuesday is Kindermusik. Wednesday is Meijer. We will also be doing something for my birthday, but I haven’t figured out what yet 😛  Either go out for dinner or get take out probably. It’s supposed to be quite warm this week so hopefully we can spend some time outside. Maybe we’ll do a picnic 🙂  Thursday Justin will be going out for dinner with work. Friday is MOPS. Saturday is swimming. This weekend is also a big 2nd hand sale, so I might go to that Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

No huge plans in the kitchen this week aside from our regular meals. I’ll make the usual batch of yogurt. And maybe more ice cream. I’m also trying to think of some kind birthday treat…that is healthy and “safe” for me. Maybe ice cream. Maybe a pie w/ soaked crust. Not sure. And I got a bunch of nuts yesterday, so I have to soak and dry those. I also finally got some rye flour. But I think I’ll hold off on starting a sourdough this week. I want to have plenty of time to go outside and enjoy the warm weather 🙂

I think we are going to redo the letter Y this week. Since Abram was sick last week our day revolved around him. He mostly wanted to be held.

I’m do so-so right now. Last week I started getting back on track. But then I made some bad choices. I learned for sure (for the millionth time!) that my body CAN NOT HANDLE CORN OR BANANAS. Not even a little bit. Even one tiny bit of banana completely shuts down my digestive system. I think it has something to do with the starch content. Bananas, potatoes, corn, rice. They just don’t work for me. I guess I have to stick with wheat 🙂  I’m on the anti-gluten free diet 😛  Seems strange. But it works for my body. I’m also learning that I do a lot better when I eat really salty food and avoid sweets. If I eat a really salty breakfast I’m warm all morning. If I eat something sweet (so much for my ice cream for breakfast 🙁 then I’m freezing cold by mid morning. I’ve been eating some salty veggies and soaked toast w/ butter and salt the last few days. That seems to work well. I’m also trying to figure out the proper fluid intake for my body. I think I’ve actually been drinking too much water for years. I think I was overtaxing my kidneys and my liver. So I’ve been trying to cut back a bit and keep my electrolytes in balance. And try to eat salty foods when I drink. I have made a few homemade “gatorade” type drinks (combo of juice, water and salt). But I’m just not a fan of them. I’ve never liked sports drinks. Any hint of salt makes my stomach churn. So I try to eat a little bite of some really salty food with a drink instead.

Unfortunately it seems that Abram may be sensitive to bananas as well. While he was sick he had pretty loose bowels. So I made him a banana smoothie to see if it would help slow things down a little. He ate quite a bit of  it yesterday. And has had a tummy ache ever since 🙁  I feel awful seeing him suffer through so much gas pain. I know how painful it can be. It was a rough night, and he’s still working through it this morning. I guess I’ll be tossing the rest of that smoothie 😛

That’s enough updating for now. I’m trying to deal with this grumpy little guy, and Rebecca has to get up soon to go to church early with Justin. Here’s what’s on the menu for now. We’ll see what this week brings.
——————
S (prep dinner, church, prep smoothies, grind flour, soak nuts)
  B – leftover quiche, toast
  L – goulash, garlic toast, brussels sprouts (Justin), leftover sausage, beans, soaked bread (me)
  D – salmon salad sandwiches, peas, fruit

M (boil eggs, dry nuts, milk)
  B – smoothies, breakfast cookies
  D – pork chops w/ dried fruit over rice, roasted squash, sauteed kale

T (skim cream, KM)
  B – hard boiled egg, toast, fruit
  D – pumpkin pasta, roasted brussels sprouts, liverwurst

W (soak flour, make pudding, Meijer, birthday, park, take out)
  B – yogurt, granola, fruit
  D – take out – The Green Well

Th (make bread, make yogurt, soak flour, make hot fudge, JBF, make ice cream?)
  B – cold cereal w/ milk
  D – Justin out to eat; liverwurst/eggs/misc. (me)

F (make kefir, clean, MOPS, make graham crackers)
  B – smoothie, TBD
  D – eggs (scrambled or fried), bread pudding, squash

S (make pesto, swimming)
  B – TBD
  D – cauliflower bake, beans

Not-So-Blue Moon Ice Cream

I’ve been making a lot of ice cream lately. And now that my intense chocolate cravings have ended after adding lots of carbs back into my diet (thought that would never happen!) I’m finding that I actually really enjoy fruity ice creams. I don’t need overly sweet chocolatey/caramely ice cream flavors. Especially when I’m eating it for breakfast. Who knew 😛  This week we made another fruity ice cream. But it was inspired by Rebecca. She loves blue moon ice cream. What kid doesn’t? I had searched for recipes for it a long time ago. Mostly you see a typical ice cream recipe with some sort of special blue moon flavoring. Not what I want. I did finally come across a recipe for homemade blue moon ice cream on One Perfect Bite. I don’t really  know what the blue moon flavor is. Some form of raspberry I think. This recipe uses a combo of raspberry and lemon. I didn’t follow this recipe, I just used the flavoring idea. The ice cream turned out great!! Delicious! Does it taste like blue moon? Sort of, not totally. It mostly tastes like raspberry ice cream 🙂  And ours isn’t blue. It’s more of  a pale pink. You can add blue coloring. I didn’t want to ruin our healthy homemade ice cream with that. I don’t measure anything when I make ice cream, so I’ll do my best to write down the recipe. This was a fun experiment. I’ll have to keep trying to figure how to make that blue moon flavor…with real food.

As a side note, I didn’t realize blue moon isn’t a common ice cream flavor to everyone. How sad that some people grow up never tasting blue moon 😛

**Update – I have heard from some people that they think nutmeg is the mystery flavor. I’ll have to try that sometime.

This post is linked to Fat Tuesday at Real Food Forager, Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Fresh Bites Friday.

Not-So-Blue Moon Ice Cream
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 cups cream (preferably raw)
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Simmer raspberries and syrup in a small pan until raspberries are broken down. Strain out seeds. Chill the raspberry puree in the refrigerator.

Mix cream, yolks, syrup, vanilla, lemon juice and chilled raspberry puree. Adjust sweetness to taste (taste testing is a great job for kids…Rebecca loves this part :). Process in ice cream maker. I use my Kitchen Aid attachment. It takes about 20 minutes. Store in freezer.