Homemade Applebutter

It is apple season and I was able to get a huge bag of free apples from a neighbor of a friend of mine! Yay! Apple butter is delicious, it is great to put on some toast or pancakes.

The first step is to make homemade applesauce:

- 8 large apples or a bunch of small ones

- juice of one to two lemons

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon 

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- 2 Tablespoons sucannat or raw honey

- 3/4 cup water

1. Skin, cut and core the apples

Fried Oatmeal

Sometimes I never know how much oatmeal to make in the mornings. Some days I don't make enough and other days I make way to much. I don't like to waste food, so for those days when I make too much I like to make the boys fried oatmeal. It is easy and a unique tasty way to eat left over oatmeal. This makes a great snack. I happened to have some leftover buckwheat oatmeal that I used to fry up.

Here is what you are going to need:

- leftover oatmeal

- coconut oil or butter

Homemade Sauerkraut

Making sauerkraut is easy and it is a great way to add some probiotics into your diet. If you are wanting to add more lacto-fermented veggies in your diet I think cabbage is the easiest one to start with to make at home. Fermenting the cabbage not only makes it more digestible but it also adds in more nutrients and probiotics. This sauerkraut tastes like pickles and my boys will all eat it, which is a win for me!  This recipe is from the Nourishing Traditions cookbook by Sally Fallon Morrel.

Here is what you are going to need:

- 1 head of cabbage

- 2 tablespoons of salt ( a little less if you have sauerkraut juice)
- 2 tablespoons of caraway seeds (optional)

-  4 tablespoons of sauerkraut juice from a previous batch (if you have it)

- glass jars

Sourdough "Grape Nut" Cereal

One of my favorite foods growing up was cereal.  I used to have it for breakfast and snacks and I ate it a lot during college. A couple of years ago I gave up cereal because most all of the cereals at the grocery store are highly processed, filled with sugar and hard to digest.  Here is a recipe for a healthier cereal option to fill those cereal cravings.

Here is what you are going to need:

- about 2 cups of liquid (i use water but you could use milk)

- 1/2 c sourdough starter
- 3 cups of flour (I use freshly ground whole wheat)
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Homemade Sourdough Pizza

Pizza would have to be one of my favorite things to eat. I know most pizza is bad for you, but I really like it.  Here is a yummy, simple and healthier pizza that you can make at home and it is a lot cheaper too!!  

I have tried a number of different pizza crusts and I haven't found one that I love. Last night I had some sourdough English muffins dough fermenting because I was going to make tuna melts for dinner, but I changed my mind and decided to see if my English muffin dough would work for a pizza, and indeed it worked and it was tasty!! 

Crispy Trail Mix

We love trail mix in our house. It makes a great nutritious snack. Nuts can be hard to digest but this recipe calls for crispy nuts which are soaked in salt water to break them down and make them lighter and more digestible.

Here is what you are going to need:

The great thing about trail mix is that you can use whatever nuts or dried fruit you like.

- 1 cup raw almonds

- 1 cup raw peanuts

- 1 cup raw cashews

- 1 cup raisins

- 1 cup unsulphured dried apricots
- chocolate chips

5 Helpful Tips to Start Your Day off Well

We all want to have a good day.  We cannot control all the variables in our day, (though we might like to) but here are a few tips to help your day start off right and put you in a position to have a better day.  

1. Pray!  This is the best way to start off your day. Take a few minutes to pray for your day.  I like to ask for the Lord to help order my day.  I also like to pray for grace for me and my children; that I would have a thankful heart and be filled with the Spirit and that I would have the fruits of the Spirit towards my children and husband and whoever else I'm around that day. Praying is amazing! God hears our prayers and He will answer! Matthew 7:7-8 says "ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, and knock and it will be opened to you." Pray for specific things you need help with and ask for blessings on your day.