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

Homemade Dry Shampoo

I think that dry shampoo was invented for moms..... I can't tell you how many mornings I did not had time to take a shower and wash my hair, so I ended up putting on a hat and heading out the door.  By putting some dry shampoo near the roots of your hair it can extend the days in between hair washings. My hairdresser was telling me about dry shampoo the last time I got my hair cut. She was telling me that the stuff work really well and that she knows many moms who use dry shampoo and it helps them so much. So I got some and decided to give it a try. I really liked it! The only down side was the one I got was a lighter spray and my hair is pretty dark, so it didn't blend in all that well. Then the other day in my email I was sent a super simple dry shampoo recipe for dark hair. Just what I needed!! Thanks DIY Natural!

Here is what you are going to need:

- 1/2 cup cornstarch (organic is best)

Optional add ins--

- 3-4 drops essential oils for scent

- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (for dark hair)

- 2 tablespoons cinnamon (for red or auburn hair)

Crock Pot Refried Beans

Refried beans are great to make to use for lunches or dinners or freeze for later. In my quest of eliminating canned foods from my pantry, I have been making my own refried beans and I have been using this recipe.  These refried beans are healthier, cheaper and tastier than the canned variety! 

Here is what you are going to need:

- 1 lb of dried pinto beans

- half of a large onion, chopped

- 5 garlic cloves, minced

- 2 1/2 teaspoons cumin

- 1 teaspoon paprika

- 2 teaspoons sea salt

- 2 teaspoons chili powder

- 1/2 teaspoon pepper

- 3 to 4 cups filtered water

Breakfast Pastries

Here is another fun breakfast recipe. My oldest son is always asking me to make these. They are a bit like a small cinnamon roll. Soaking the flour overnight in butter and kefir helps to break down the flour an make it more digestible.  I took this recipe from the Nourishing Traditions cookbook. These are also called Rugelach, which is a Jewish pastry.

Here is what you are going to need:

- 1/2 cup softened butter

- 3/4 cup kefir (see how to make it here)

- 2 cups flour

- 1/2 cup rapadura sugar (a little less if you don't want it quite as sweet) I like to use less sugar an put a teaspoon of stevia in.

- 1 tablespoon vanilla

- 3/4 teaspoon salt

-1/4 cup butter 

-2 teaspoons cinnamon

- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup crispy pecans (optional) I don't really like nuts in my baked goods, so I usually don't add them in.

Effective Homemade Deodorant

For years I have heard of the bad effects of commercial deodorant, mostly because of the aluminum and also the other chemicals in it too. I really didn't want to use the store bought kind and I didn't know if the "natural" ones at the store were all that much better and they were expensive. I also didn't want to stink, so I continued to use the cheap deodorant from the store. Then, a couple months ago I came across an easy deodorant recipe and gave it a try. It was easy to make and it works well. By husband was a little reluctant to try it, but he did and he likes it too! I was so excited about it. If you have been wanting to try a natural deodorant, here is your chance. You might have most of these ingredients in your home already!  

Here is what you are going to need:

- 6-8 tablespoons coconut oil (in a solid state, so a little less if the oil is in the melted state)

- 1/4 cup baking soda

- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch (organic is best)

- optional essential oil ( I used tea tree oil)
- old deodorant containers or a small bowl with a lid

"Sun Dried" Tomatoes

We have a small garden and we are harvesting a good amount of tomatoes his year! Yay! I love fresh tomatoes. They are delicious plain or cut and sprinkled with salt and pepper. I also like the flavor that "sun dried" tomatoes add to dishes.  Many of the tomatoes labeled sun dried at the store are not really dried in the sun but they are still called sun dried.  I used a dehydrator for mine. I know we cannot eat all the tomatoes in our garden right now so I'm going to dry some for later.

Here is what you are going to need: 

- tomatoes, I used 12 Roma tomatoes (Roma work best because they are less juicy, but any will do, you just might have to take the seeds out)

- salt and pepper to taste

- basil (I have some from my garden too and I am going to dry it with the tomatoes)

- dehydrator or warm oven

Sourdough Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Aebleskievers

When I was growing up we would go visit my grandparents in Santa Barbara, CA. I always loved going to visit that city, it is beautiful, it has a beach, and the weather is usually great.  When we would visit, we would drive up to a town about an hour away called Solvang. It is a quaint Danish town.  They have lots of fun shops as well as great restaurants. We were introduced to aebleskievers  "apple skeevers" which are like spherical pancake. My dad liked them so much that he bought a cast iron aebleskiever pan so he could make them at home. I loved it when he would often make them for breakfast on the weekends. A couple years ago he passed the pan along to me and I have been making them for my boys. This morning I made some with mini chocolate chip and orange flavored crasins. Yum!!

Here is what you are going to need:

- 2 cups flour

- 2 cups oats

- 1/2 cup of sourdough starter

- 1 1/2 to 2 cups water

- 2 eggs

- 1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil

- 3/4 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- 1/2 cup honey, stevia or sugar (more or less, depending on how sweet you like it) I used a mix of honey and stevia.

- 1 cup mix of chocolate chips and orange flavored dried cranberries (I get them at Trader Joe's). Feel free to use whatever you like or have on hand, raisins, blueberries, strawberries would all work well.

Sourdough Crepes

These crepes are great. I found them here on the Gnowfglins website, they have so many great sourdough recipes. These crepes make a nice lunch rolled up with a nut butter and jelly or refried beans and cheese. You could also fry them up and make chips! We often use these in place of tortillas. They would also make a delicious breakfast if you add in a little sweetener to the batter and then stuff with fruit and top with whipped cream. This recipe makes roughly 9 crepes.

Here is what you are going to need:

- 1 cup sourdough starter

- 3 eggs

- 3 tablespoons butter or coconut oil

- 3 pinches salt

- milk to thin 1/4 cup (more or less)

Sourdough Blueberry Waffles

I think breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I love pancakes, waffles, French toast, bacon, grits, oatmeal and the list could go on and on. I could eat breakfast foods all day long! Here is a great recipe for easily digested waffles they are easy and yummy!  I found this recipe from the Gnowfglins website here.

Here is what you are going to need:

- 2 cups of sourdough starter

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 2 tablespoons of sweetener like sugar or honey

-1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil

- 2 eggs

- 1 teaspoon of baking soda mixed with 1 tablespoon water

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

- 1/2 cup to 1 cup blueberries

Homemade Kefir Smoothie

I make this smoothie nearly every day for lunch. My husband can take it to work for a quick and easy lunch to have while he is working away and my sons love it. I love that it is so nutritious and it is easy to make. I adapted this recipe from the Nourishing Traditions Cookbook.

Here is what you are going to need: 

- Raw milk kefir (go here to see how I make it)  I use 2 (about 24 ounce) jars of kefir for my smoothies. 
- 1 cup fruit (I use all kinds of fruit; strawberries, blueberries, mango, bananas, pineapple) I usually use frozen fruit but fresh works too.
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon Stevia (I use the spoonable stevita)
- 1 tablespoon cod liver oil (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional, only if you use banana)

Grain-Free Brownies

Here is a recipe that uses a secret ingredient to make these brownies grain-free and gluten-free.  Any guesses?


 Keep reading to find out...

Savory Sweet Potatoes with Bacon

A couple of my favorite foods right now, sweet potatoes and bacon. I know there is controversy around bacon right now. In the Maker's Diet, Jordan Rubin says to avoid all pork products because The Lord calls them unclean in the Bible. For a long while I too avoided pork products, but during my 4th pregnancy I really craved bacon so I started eating it again, and I'm really enjoying it for now. Who knows, maybe next year I won't be eating bacon.... we will see.  If you do not eat pork feel free to use turkey bacon.  I found this recipe here and adapted it a little bit.

Here is what you are going to need:

- 1/2 pound of bacon cooked and crumbled

- 2 pounds of sweet potatoes

- 2 tablespoons coconut oil

-  4 cloves garlic

- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

- dash of cinnamon

- salt and pepper to taste

- one green onion chopped

- a dash or two of red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it)

- the juice of one lime ( I didn't have a lime so I didn't use one)

Homemade carrot baby food

Baby food is something that is easy to make and it is healthy and inexpensive. Sometimes I make my own baby food and sometimes I buy it at the store.  I prefer to make baby food at home because I know all the ingredients in it and it is much cheaper, but I like the convenience of buying the baby food at the store. I like to add a little broth in to help with baby's digestion, add minerals, and add flavor and I also like to add a little Real Salt or Celtic Salt to add in minerals in too. You could make baby food with most any vegetables you would like to feed to your baby!  Carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, and peas are some of my favorites to make.

Here is what you are going to need:

- organic carrots (I used 4 large)

- 1/2 cup of broth (click here to see how to make homemade broth)

- 1/2 cup to 1 cup water

- dash of salt

Soaked Oatmeal

I think my boys' favorite breakfast is oatmeal, they ask for it nearly every day.  We usually eat it once or twice a week.  I have always enjoyed oatmeal for breakfast, it is inexpensive and delicious.  Oats can be hard to digest and they contain many anti-nutrients which means that our bodies cannot absorb all the vitamins and minerals in the oats unless they are soaked in an acidic liquid for at least 7 hours to break down the anti-nutrients. (it's kind of like letting the acidic liquid break down and pre-digest your food first)  For a while we were eating steel-cut oats but they seemed much harder to digest even when we soaked them first.  So for right now we make oatmeal with rolled oats.   When the oatmeal is soaked overnight the oats cook up really fast in the morning!


Here is what you are going to need:

- 5 cups oats
- juice of one large lemon
- 6 cups water
- other additions like cinnamon, raisins, blueberries, etc.

In a large pot place the oats, the juiced lemon and the water into a pot and stir and cover with lid.  Let the oats soak for at least 7 hours.  I usually do this before I go to bed. (I usually fill the water until it just covers the oats)

Crispy Almonds

Nuts are a great snack. Unfortunately they can be hard to digest due to the antinutrients like enzyme inhibitors which can be broken down in the soaking process.  I found this recipe in the nourishing traditions cookbook and I make these crispy almonds all the time.

Here is what you are going to need:

- raw almonds 

- filtered water

- about 1 tablespoon salt

- a medium to large bowl

- dehydrator (or a cookie sheet and a warm oven)

Homemade Kombucha

Kombucha is a refreshing fermented tea drink that is packed with beneficial bacteria and probiotics.  My husband and I first tried it a few years ago, we would by the bottles of GT Kombucha at Whole Foods.  It was a treat for us since they were about $3 a bottle!! I was excited when I found a Kombucha recipe in the Nourishing Traditions Cookbook.  This recipe is adapted from hers, I just have changed the amounts to a 2 gallon jar because we go through lots of Kombucha now that I found a frugal way that we can drink it often.  There are many health benefits from drinking kombucha. The SCOBY or kombucha mushroom feeds on sugar and caffeine and produces acetic acid and lactic acid and also detoxifying substances like glucuronic acid. This refreshing drink is a great replacement for sugary sodas!!

I have a 2 gallon glass jar that I think I bought at Walmart so this recipe fits the 2 gallon jar.

Here is what you are going to need:

- a large stock pot

- 2 gallon glass jar
- white dish towel
- large rubber band
- 2 2/3 cups white sugar
- 11 organic black tea bags (I do half black tea and half green tea)
- 8 quarts of filtered water
- kombucha SCOBY or mushroom (you can buy this online or get one from a friend)
- 1 cup of kombucha from a previous batch


Here is what you are going to need if you are doing a one gallon jar or bowl:

- a large stock pot
- 1 gallon glass jar or bowl (the picture at the top is a one gallon brew of kombucha in my 1 gallon glass bowl)
- white dish towel
- large rubber band
- 1 cup white sugar
- 4 organic black tea bags
- 3 cups of filtered water
- kombucha SCOBY or mushroom
- 1/2 cup kombucha from a previous batch

*it is important to use organic tea as non-organic tea is high in fluoride.

1. First thing you are going to do is make sweet tea.  In a large stock pot bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. (or 2 quarts if you are doing a one gallon jar)

2. Once you have a rolling boil going, stir in all the sugar, be sure to mix it well.

3. Turn off the heat and throw in the tea bags and let steep for about 5 minutes.

.

4. Remove the tea bags and let the sweet tea cool.  I like to then add the other 5 cups of filtered water (or 1 cup of water if you are doing one gallon) to cool down the tea faster.

5. while the sweet tea is cooling take the brewed kombucha out and put in separate jars, be sure to leave in about 3/4 cup or so for the next batch.  (sometimes I leave the SCOBY in the jar while I take the brewed kombucha out and sometimes I put the SCOBY in another glass jar covered with the 3/4 cup brewed kombucha and covered with a dish towel so I can clean out my brewing kombucha jar.)

6. Once the sweet tea is about body temperature pour it over the SCOBY and put the towel on and secure it on with a large rubber band to keep the fruit flies out.  I leave a couple inches at the top of my jar because I do not want my SCOBY touching the towel on the top because the fruit flies can sometimes lay eggs right onto your SCOBY through your towel, yuck!!

6. In the picture above you can see the difference of the kombucha on the right with the sweet tea I just added to the SCOBY.  Let the Kombucha ferment for about 5-8 days depending upon how warm your house is. It will ferment faster in the summer.  Take a taste test to see if it is ready.  It should taste kind of like apple cider but with a vinegar tang at the end. The beauty of homemade kombucha is that you can make it just how you like it, if you like it sweeter or if you like it to have more of a vinegar kick to it.  Apparently SCOBYs like a quieter environment so we let ours brew on a dresser in our master bedroom.  If you like kombucha that is nice and bubbly leave your brewed jars out on the counter for another day or two instead of sticking them immediately in the fridge.

**  Here is a great video on how to make kombucha and the benefits behind it, check it out!

** You can make your own SCOBY at home with a bottle of GT kombucha with a culture in it.  Stay tuned for a post on that soon...

** SCOBY stands for a Symbionic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast- which means that the SCOBY or mushroom feeds on the sugar and caffeine in the sweet tea and leaves behind beneficial bacterias and acids.

**Here is a picture of what our SCOBY looks like, I know it looks a little scary and this deters some people from making their own kombucha, but trust me it is not that scary and it is worth it for this delicious beverage which is sooo much healthier than a soda.  Every time you brew a new batch of kombucha you will have a new layer form (a baby) on top of your SCOBY which you can keep or share with a friend.