Ice Cream Cake!

This is another Duggar recipe I have reworked into a healthier version. I am making this for Seth for his birthday next Tuesday. I thought I would share the recipe here. 

Ingredients

2 Boxes of organic Ice Cream Sandwiches

3 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped

1 pack of crushed peanut brittle (or mix 1 cup of chunky peanut butter with about 1/2 cup of coconut sugar or stevia powder and one cup crushed nuts- adding a little bit of sugar to the peanut butter and nut mix at a time and stirring until crumbly)

1 freezer safe cake pan

Place one box of ice cream sandwiches along the bottom of the pan. Top with one half of the whipping cream. Add the second box of ice cream sandwiches, top with the remaining whipped cream and then sprinkle the top with crushed peanut brittle or peanut butter crumble.

Place the whole pan in the freezer and freeze.

Serves 6-12 people depending on how much they eat :)

**As another option you can use coconut cream instead of whipped cream. Take 4-5 cans of full fat coconut milk and place them in the fridge the day before you want to make your cake. When you begin making your cake simply open the cans and the rich coconut cream will be setting at the top of the can. Scoop it out and spread as you would whipped cream.  

**Another option instead of using ice cream sandwiches is to place one layer of cookies (gluten free if you like, grain free or homemade) in the bottom of the pan, then add a layer of chocolate coconut water sorbet (slightly thawed) or homemade ice cream, add another layer of cookies, a layer of whipped cream, a layer of cookies, another layer of sorbet, another layer of cookies, and another layer of whipped cream and then top with crushed peanut brittle or peanut butter crumble.

It's a really flexible recipe. It can be gluten free, sugar free, vegan, low carb, low fat- whatever you like!

Healthy Tips While on the Road

My boys and I just got back home after traveling for a week to Nevada and Utah. Traveling can be a nightmare for those of us who try to live healthy lives. Between the bleak food options and ever present media (i.e. TVs) in every hotel room it can seem like an internal and external invasion on your mind, body and soul to go traveling.

Here are some tips to help you easily fight the attack...

In the Car

Ronan shows off his rock collection

I'm a huge fan of traveling by car when I'm able. That meant a 14 hour drive, one way, with three boys ages 8, 5 and 2 - by myself. But still I prefer traveling by car for a few reasons...

1. It's usually much cheaper
2. You can see the landscape change, experience the geography and local color of new places
3. It encourages both parents and children to use their imaginations
4. I'm afraid of flying LOL
5. You can take more stuff with you, thus making things cheaper and easier over all

We took our driving trip in four stages. 7 hours, stop for the night and then 7 hours to our destination and the same on the way back.

We woke up at 7 AM and hit the road about 9 AM. We would drive three hours (straight through if no one had to pee). We would stop at a park, rest stop or other grassy location to have a picnic lunch. Then the boys could watch one movie on the portable DVD player while we clocked another 2 hours. (My kids love Avatar, Jurassic Park, Pollyanna, and Little House on the Prairie).

We would stop and stretch our legs and the boys would be allowed to have a juice from a convenience store ( I would usually have a juice too to keep up my energy) and then we would knock out the last two hours.

In the car we kept various toys, ones to stimulate imaginative play such as small dolls, stacking containers, small sticks and string, etc. The boys also had a treasure box, a small container, that they would put things in they found along the way such as stones, leaves and other things they liked.

 Extra Tip: Google map any LDS Temples with visitor centers that are along the way on your drive, they are great leg stretching places with wholesome family activities that are Christ centered :)

At the Hotel

I use Hotwire to book our rooms before we started our trip. I have found a lot of savings on Hotwire and I also like the reviews, they help me pick the right place for us. I've found really nice hotels for $30-40 dollars per night. I'm a fan.

Before we leave for our trip I check TV Guide online and see ahead of time if anything appropriate is playing on TV in the area we will be staying. I then write down the dates and times. The children know they will be allowed to watch these programs but nothing else and no channel surfing or flipping is allowed on the hotel TV. We also mute the commercials.

To entertain the children while in the hotel we usually bring along our home school books, crayons and paper, beeswax, clay, reading books, scriptures and the like. Most hotel rooms have a desk so that becomes our entertainment central - instead of the TV.

Because I'm out of my routine of constant cooking and cleaning I make sure that I bring along lots for me to do to so I'm not tempted by the TV. A knitting project and a few good books and a small reading light to read after the children have gone to bed are my favorite things.

Food

Food is the hardest. Not only are you usually limited in your cooking ability but "bad" food can easily tempt the weary traveler.

We set a food budget ahead of time. For example, on this recent trip, we knew that we wanted to eat at Cafe Rio in St. George and that we wanted to go out to dinner with family one night. Other then that, we packed our food.

We took along a cooler and in it we had apple butter jam, a block of cheese, some lettuce, some eggs, mayo, ketchup, mustard, butter, and chicken hot dogs.

In our other food bag we took, sprouted bread, fruit (oranges travel well), almond butter, nuts, dried fruit, fruit and nut bars, Terra chips, cans of dolmas, salt, sprouted Tortillas, cans of tuna and chicken, instant oatmeal, coconut sugar, stevia, instant rice noodles and raisins.

Other things for food include a can opener, forks, spoons, knives, napkins, wooded or plastic plates and bowls for each family member.

For breakfast we ate oatmeal made with hot water from the hotel coffee maker, with raisins and coconut sugar. For lunch we had apple butter and almond butter or cheese and lettuce sandwiches. For dinner we ate chicken hot dogs wrapped in a sprouted tortilla, instant rice noodles made in the hotel coffee maker (let them sit for about 10 minutes to cook all the way through). To the noodles we added chicken and tuna and we also ate dolmas or made grilled cheese using the (cleaned!) hotel iron with our cheese and tortillas.

We took along jugs of water and our reusable water bottles.

After we were done eating I would scrape any left over food into the trash and wash the dishes in the hotel sink or if we were on the road I would place the plates in a plastic bag and wash them when we got to the hotel. (Be careful to scrape plates well otherwise you will clog the hotel sink.)

I hope you and your family have a fun, safe and healthy traveling experience this year :)

Healthy Spin on Duggar Recipes

I love the Duggars. I love their cheerfulness, their parenting, their dedication to Heavenly Father and I love seeing how they cook for a large family (especially as mine grows!) One thing about the Duggars is that they don't have the same diet as I do but I have a lot of fun adapting their recipes to my own standards :) Here's a few of my favorites.

(For a complete list of Duggar recipes visit their website here)

"Tater Tot" Casserole 

Ingredients: 

• 2 lb ground, organic, grass fed beef cooked, seasoned, drained

• 6 lbs sliced potatoes, lightly steamed and tossed with butter and salt 
• 4 cups of chicken broth and 2 1/2 cups of sour cream blended together

 Directions:

1. Brown meat, and place in large casserole dish. 
2. Cover with potatoes. Mix chicken broth and sour cream together. 
3. Pour over top. Bake at 350 for 45 mins - 1 Hour.

*Makes 2-9”X13” pans (about 16 servings)
Recipe can be cut in half.

Banana Cake 

Ingredients: 

• 12 eggs, whites and yolks seperated
• 1/2 cup of coconut flour and a pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup of coconut sugar  
• 1 cup of whole milk
• 1 stick of pastured butter (1/4 lb)with a dash of lemon juice 
• 1/4-1/2 cup of honey and a dash of vanilla
• 5 bananas 

Directions:

1. Beat the egg whites until stiff, fold in coconut flour and sugar, and milk mix until well blended. Poor into greased cake pan and cook at 375 degrees for about 20-30 minutes (until golden brown on edges and center is solid)
2. While cake is baking heat butter and lemon juice in a sauce pan over low heat until melted. In a separate bowl beat egg yolks with honey and vanilla until well mixed. Add eggs to butter while beating mixture. Return to low heat and beat until the mixture thickens, remove from heat.
3. "Frost" the cake with the egg and butter custard. Slice bananas and layer over custard . Enjoy!

Grain Free Cinnamon Rolls!!!!!!!!!!

I invented something over the past few weeks. I stayed up at night thinking about it, how to make them perfect, and now, I've done it. Grain free cinnamon rolls that will melt in your mouth. I am so pleased to present these to you!


Ingredients:

12 eggs
coconut sugar or honey
salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed butternut squash (you can also use mashed pumpkin or banana)
3/4 cup milk, plus some extra for frosting
cinnamon
2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup butter plus extra for greasing
chopped fruit and or nuts

Preheat you oven to 400 degrees. In a medium pot melt 1/4 cup of butter over medium low heat. Once melted remove from heat and set aside.Grease two baking sheets very well with butter.

Seperate the whites from the yolks for all dozen eggs. Beat the whites until stiff.

When the oven is preheated, fold the squash into the whites and add teaspoon or so of cinnamon and a teaspoon of cocnut sugar or honey along with a dash of salt.

Immediately spread the egg white and squash batter onto the baking sheets and put into the oven right away. Do not let these set. Bake for about 12 minutes until brown on the edges. Remove and allow to cool.

Add egg yolks to your melted butter along with your milk, cinnamon to taste, coconut sugar or honey to taste, vanilla, and orange juice. Cook over medium heat stirring all the time until mixture thickens (this takes about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and continue stirring for about 2 minutes. Add some extra milk until the mixture is the consistency of runny pudding.

Spread the runny pudding mix over the egg white and squash (leave some for topping). Top with additional cinnamon, chopped or dried fruit, nuts, etc. (Pictured here I have used chopped apples and almond slivers)

Cut into strips and roll up. At this point they will be quite cool so I recommend popping them back into the oven for a few minutes as well as heating up the runny pudding and adding additional milk.

Once warm, top with pudding mixture and enjoy! :)

Crustless, Date Sweented, Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is my favorite pie. I cannot go a Thanksgiving without it! Years ago, I tweaked the recipe to omit the crust, cane sugar and corn syrup.The results were more amazing then I could have hoped for. In my opinion, it's BETTER than regular pecan pie.

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 cups chopped toasted pecans
• 1 to 2 tablespoons frontier butterscotch flavor
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten

In a blender or food processor, puree the dates until smooth  (you may need to add a teaspoon or two of water depending on how dry your dates were). Combine the dates, butter and salt in a medium sauce pan. Heat well stirring consistently for about minute. Remove from heat and ad butterscotch, vanilla and nuts. Set aside for five minutes. Then add eggs and whisk until smooth. Place mixture in a well buttered pie pan and bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until set. Enjoy! :)

5 Things I Learned About Food From the Second Chapter of Farmer Boy

 

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder is very much the world as seen through the eyes of a little boy. Food and work play the biggest roles in his life, and of course this makes sense since they were literally working long, hard days for their food.

Throughout the book Alamnzo details the meals they shared around the kitchen table. His mother was an accomplished cook, as were most women of the day, and she lavished her love upon her hard working farmer boys.

What lessons about real food can we glean from these pages?

1. They ate A LOT

Earlier in chapter one Almanzo describes for us the lunch he and his siblings took to school in their lunch pail. "Eliza Jane opened the dinner-pail on her desk. It held bread-and-butter and sausage, doughnuts and apples, and four delicious apple-turnovers, their plump crusts filled with melting slices of apple and spicy brown juice."

That's a lot of food for lunch! Nowadays the typical school lunch would probably consist of a sandwich, a bag of chips, maybe a piece of fruit and a drink. The theme of heavy eating is protrayed throughout the book but is never described in such wonderful detail as in the dinner meal served in the second chapter.

Now bare in mind, this was not a fancy or special occasion, this was what was served for a typical dinner. There were slabs (note: not slices but SLABS) of tempting cheese, a plate of head cheese, glass dishes of jams and jellies and preserves, a tall pitcher of milk, a steaming pan of baked beans with a crisp bit of fat pork in the crumbling brown crust, a large platter of sizzling ham, mealy boiled potatoes with brown ham-gravy, bread and butter, mashed turnips, stewed yellow pumpkin, spiced watermelon-rind pickles, and pumpkin pie.

2. Their Diet Was Surprising Close to the Primal Diet

For those unfamiliar with the Primal Diet it is a diet related to the caveman diet or the Paleo diet in that it attempts to get humans a little closer to what we would naturally eat under the conditions of nature for which we were designed. Essentially the diet consists of getting the bulk of ones nutrition from animal meats and fats but that by volume, vegetables and to a lesser extent, fruits should take up most of the room on our plate.  Good fats, raw or fermented, full fat dairy products and spices should round off one's diet.

The Primal diet does not support eating grains or sugar, for which we are not well adapted. Now, mind you, I'm not claiming this diet of the Wilder's IS primal or paleo but what I am saying it's a lot closer than the modern diet most people are eating. 

Let's break down this meal. 

Meat - Ham was the featured product of this meal, big hunks of ham. The mealy potatoes were covered in brown ham gravy which in those days would have been made of organ meats from the pig along with a little butter, salt and flour. They also consumed head cheese which despite it's name is not actually cheese but is a cold cut meat made from the head of an animal (in this case most likely the pig).

Dairy - Slabs of cheese which would have been fermented from the milk of their cows.A pitcher of milk which also would have been fresh and raw.

That's a very protein heavy meal!

Let's continue....

Vegetables and Fruits - Here's where we see some volume! Stewed yellow pumpkin, mealy boiled potatoes, mashed turnips, watermelon rind, and various jams and jellies. Also they ate pumpkin pie which was not likely to have been like our pumpkin pie today but would have been more like a squash pudding and may or may not have contained a crust.

Grains - Bread and baked beans. Of course the baked beans would also have featured a lot of bone broth and/or meat as well as the pork fat mentioned and the bread (most likely whole grain, stone ground and naturally fermented as they did not have packaged yeast) was served with a generous helping of raw, grass fed, butter.

So we see a lot of protein in the form of meat and diary, second we see tons of veggies and some preserved fruits and last we see a bit of grains but not very much.

Contrasting that the an average American meal of say spaghetti with garlic bread and salad, or pizza or hamburgers and french fries or macaroni and cheese we can see that today we tend to load up on the carbs and the protein comes second, if at all.

3. Children Did Not Speak At Meals

"'Thank you.' Almanzo said. Those were the only words he was allowed to speak at the table. Children must be seen and not heard. Father and Mother and Mr. Course could  talk, but Royal and Eliza Jane and Alice and Almanzo must not say a word."

Seth and I tried this once at our dinner table, needless to say it did not go over well. I like speaking to my children at dinner so I don't mind them speaking but there are some nights when I wish this WAS our rule! *chuckle*

4. Preparing the Meal Was the Domain of the Women

While the boys and their father were out feeding the animals, cleaning the stalls and milking the cows, the women (Almanzo's two sisters and his mother) were in the kitchen preparing the meal. When Almanzo tried to sneak in he was quickly and sternly told to leave the kitchen. 

This split of domestic responsibilities has great advantage to all. The household can function smoothly, everyone knows who is responsible for what. There is never any squabbling about who was meant to do what, all duties are clearly laid out and what's more they are laid out in such a way as to benefit those who would be best at the chore.

The men and boys, with their ability to focus on one task and their strong bodies were perfectly suited to tending the livestock. The women who are able to multitask and who are more suited to nurturing activities I'm sure relished the chance to spend the evening in the warm kitchen preparing the meal. I know I would!

5. They Ate Seasonally And Ate What They Grew Themselves

This dinner happened in wintertime so as we can see butchered animals, root vegetables and squash were the featured items. In addition some immediately available foods such as milk and cheese as well as preserved food such as watermelon rinds, jams and jellies.

The pig would have been raised and butchered right there on their farm. The milk and cheese also came from their very own cows. The berries and fruits for the preserves would have been grown on the farm or gathered wild in the nearby wood and of course the squash and root veggies would have come from their winter garden.

There would not have been eggs in the pumpkin pie, as eggs are a seasonal food (chickens do not lay in wintertime). There were no fresh fruits or leafy green veggies which one would only eat in spring and summertime.

Compared to today this one family dinner seems like Thanksgiving! It is very rich, nutrient dense, full of animal fats and vegetables and lower on grains and sugar then a typical modern meal. It seems that unlike modern day athletes who rely on carbs to keep them going this hard working family who farmed their land from sun up to sunset (and often longer) was fueled on animal fats and vegetables.

Aside from Almanzo describing his mother as "plump" (which may have been the result of giving birth to six children more than anything else) no one in the family was fat nor did they suffer illness. 

Infact as we can see from this boyhood picture of Almanzo he was a good weight...

We can also see that all this "fattening" food did not catch up with him later as the handsome Almanzo stole the heart of the young Laura Ingalls (10 years his junior) and from this picture we can see they were both trim, healthy looking folks...

All the fattening food and meat still never caught up with old Almanzo. He lived healthy to the ripe old age of 92, running his own farm and horse breeding business and as you can see never did get fat....

So maybe high calorie, "fattening" animal products are not so bad for us after all? It seems like this was a very healthy diet that served the hardworking Almanzo and his family very well his whole life.

Food for thought...

Easy, Crustless Pumpkin Pie

 

Easy Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

3 cups of mashed, cooked pumpkin 

(I cut my pie pumpkin in half and bake it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until soft)

4 eggs

18 oz of condensed milk (may substitute 12 oz whole milk)

1 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp all spice

1 cup coconut sugar

Blend all ingredients together well in a large mixing bowl. Pour into a pie pan that has been well buttered. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, reduce to 375 degrees and continue cooking for an additional 35 minutes or until the center is solid. 

 

Remember to save those seeds!

Easy, Grain Free Hamburger Buns

Ingredients:

6 eggs

pinch of salt

spices to taste (optional)

a bit of crushed nuts or flax for a "grainy" taste (optional)

In two bowls separate the egg whites and the egg yolks. Whip the egg whites until they peak stiffly. Into the egg yolks beat the salt in until the yolks are well mixed. Gently fold the yolks into the whites. Add any optional ingredients and fold in. On a greased skillet, on medium, pour the batter like pancake batter into a circle. Use batter right away otherwise it will settle and separate. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, flip and cook the other side.

 

Yum!



Around the web today..........Facebook keeps getting into trouble regarding people's privacy, now they track you when you aren't even logged in? Sounds like a horror movie but it's true. And we all know that here at Wise and Glorious we eat a Paleo/Primal/Nourishing Traditions diet (hence the grain free hamburger buns :)) so I was a little shocked to hear of a government raising taxes on a food because it's fattening. Not all fats are created equal and some are essential for good health. This is one government over step that has me concerned we may be in for a slippery slope of regulations on what we can eat.

When Food is Sacred....

 

....we prepare it slowly and with intention. 

 

With carefully selected ingredients from our local farmers or from our garden. 

 

We join around the table with family and celebrate.

 

We light candles, we say a blessing and thank our Creator for our food.

Whatever that food may be.....

Buying local and organic is not just important for the economy and to support family farms but as we've seen this week it's even more important to our health than ever. Outbreaks of deadly listeria are claiming lives in melons and in two separate  bagged lettuce outbreaks. Big food corporations simply cannot provide safe oversight of their millions of products.

Kraft has recalled some of it's products for containing bits of metal. And a Seattle based coffee company is having issues too. Please check your fridge, stay safe and God be with those who are ill.

And have you ever wondered about free things online. Here's a great little cartoon that sums it up perfectly.

Grain Free Apple and Raisin Kugel

This year as we study the Old Testament we are celebrating the Jewish holidays. Rosh Hashanah is coming up soon and I found this recipe for Kugel but I modified it to be grain free. It's super yummy!

Ingredients

1 pound of shredded turnips
6 farm fresh eggs
½ stick grass fed butter

1 cup chunky applesauce or fine diced apples

3/4 cup sweetner
1 teaspoon molasses
2 teaspoons organic vanilla
1 cup organic raisins 
cinnamon

Bring the pound of shredded turnips to a boil in about 3 cups of water with a dash of salt. Boil for 15 minutes, drain well. Combine all ingredients in a baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas - a Guide for Celebration!

 

Mommy dressed as Sir George for story telling.

I wanted to post this a week and a half early so you can mull over whether or not you would like to join us in our week long celebration! It's super simple and lots of fun! Join us, wont you?

A chilly wind makes my toes curl, my heart skips a beat at an amber colored leaf - in short, I’m an Autumn addict. Every year I try and find new and improved ways to celebrate this time of year. Last year we had so much fun with this plan!

Autumn Equinox falls the week prior to the Waldorf celebration of Michaelmas. These two holidays are often celebrated in similar fashions, with harvest feasts and various fall merriment.

Michaelmas adds the exciting adventures of Sir George slaying the dragon through the spirit/guidance/help of the angel Michael. Michaelmas is a fun way to look toward our inner selves for bravery and guidance as the days grow shorter and winter descends.

This is our second year holding a week long Fall Equinox and Michaelmas bash! The first ingredient in the fun is the story. Told in eight parts the story brings to life the changing of the seasons and weaves these changes into an empowering narrative of one boy’s defeat of a mighty dragon.

To join our celebration simply read the eight parts of the story guide and then expand the story line as long or short as you like. Add places, names, descriptions and details. Be sure to tell the story to your children without reading it from a page, look at them, really engage them.

I dress up as Sir George with a knitted knight hat and red silk cape when I tell the tale. Be sure and tell the story early on in the day so you have time for the craft or activity I have suggested to accompany the narrative.

If you’re artistic use paper and crayons, paint, chalk or whatever to create a picture to go along with each day’s story. Encourage your children to create impromptu artwork about the story as well.

 

Ronan on a dragon hunt.

I’ve also created a list of things you will need for your week long celebration, don’t worry, it’s all very simple!

Supplies for the Week:

Local vegetables (to bake or steam)
Local, grass fed meat
Candles and candle holders
Leaves (don’t worry if they haven’t turned yet, that’s OK)
Paper and crayon for leaf rubbings
Clay Ingredients - Baking soda, corn starch
Silks, scarves or blankets for a cape
Cardboard, scissors, tape
Cookie ingredients - 2 cups almond butter,  2 eggs, 1 TB vanilla extract, three tablespoons of sweetener like raw sugar or stevia

 

Nykki by the glow of candle light during story time.

Friday, September 23rd, Autumn Equinox

Story guide: All the people in the land (Mother Nature’s Realm, Avalon, Zion, God's Kingdom, or ?) are harvesting their crops and hold a big feast.

Activity: Simple Harvest Dinner using your local veggies and grass fed meats. Talk about where the food came from.


Saturday

Story Guide: Father Sun says he’s tired of shinning all day when the people no longer need him to grow their food. He asks the Angels to make the days shorter.

Activity: Set out candles in your home in anticipation of Father Sun’s long naps or carve gourd lanterns.


Sunday

Story Guide: Sister Wind grows chilly without the sun around all day. She blows and blows and makes the leaves cold. The cold leaves try to warm up by turning the color of fire.

Activity: Leaf rubbings


Monday

Story Guide: But it does no good, they are still cold so slowly they drop one by one to the ground. Some fall upon a huge mound of earth and they become the scales on the back of a mighty dragon.

Activity: Rake up some leaves into a pile, pretend it’s a dragon. Give him a scary name. If you don’t have leaves work with what you have; straw, a mound of dirt, a tree stump or a pile of laundry. To get even more creative make a head or tail.


Tuesday

Story Guide: The dragon frightens Mother Night and she is too scared to let the moon come out. The people know that without the fall moon there will be no winter and without a long winter nap the animals and seeds will not have energy to grow next spring. So the people ask their angels to help them.

Activity: Make clay angels using this recipe. Bake them with ribbon inside and a loop at the top. Hang your angels on the trees outside to protect you from the dragon (or inside if your dragon is a pile of laundry).


Wednesday

Story Guide: The Angels agree that something must be done. They send a magic cape and sword to a young boy named George and knight him, Sir George, the brave knight of Mother Nature. He is afraid but he accepts the challenge to fight the dragon.

Activity: Make a cardboard sword



Thursday

Story Guide: George chases the dragon all around the earth, up into heaven and back. George prays and asks for strength.

Activity: Make a cape. You can get fancy and use silks that you dye naturally or simply use a cut up sheet, blanket or scarf.

Friday

Story Guide: God sends Michael and Michael tells George about the war in heaven and how he cast out Lucifer. George gains new strength to slay the mighty dragon. All the people are happy and bake good things to eat and give them to the brave George.

*Don’t be tempted to think this tale as too violent for young ones. Children view the world and death differently than we do as adults. The simple triumph of slaying the dragon will not translate into violent animal murdering adults, I promise. Fairy tales speak to the soul and part of that magic is the death of the evil in the story. This empowers children to believe they can conquer their own woes, putting them to “death.”

Activity: Dress the family up and act out the whole story, bake almond butter cookies (see recipe below), shape them into dragons, leaves, trees, etc.

Hint: If you’re Christian you may want to read Revelations Chapter 12 at some point in the week.

Happy Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas!

Almond Butter Cookies

2 cups of almond butter

1 tsp vanilla

dash of salt

3 tablespoons of sugar or stevia

2 eggs

Blend everything together in a bowl, drop onto ungreased cookie sheet, shape as desired, cook at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  

Homemade Granola Bars for Grab and Go Snacks

 

I hate packing a last minute snacks when I'm in a hurry.This usually comes up when it's time to leave for Church or Baseball practice.

So, I went to the health food store and bought a few boxes of natural fig bars and whole wheat blueberry bars but let's face it, these things are NOT real food either. They are shelf stable food-like products that I really don't want my children eating.

So, I thought, I need to come up with a nourishing, grab and go treat for the kids and this is what I came up with.

Homemade Granola Bars

1/2 cup nut butter

1/4 cup of honey or sweetener of your choice

(a mashed ripe banana will work well but not keep as long)

1/4 cup of coconut oil

1 cup of oats (or for grain-free, use one cup chopped nuts)

1/3 cup shredded coconut

1/3 cup roasted sun flower seeds

1/3 roasted pumpkin seeds

(optional) 1/3 cup of dried fruit

a pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of whey (omit if you are not using grains)

In a sauce pan melt the nut butter, honey and coconut oil together until well blended. Remove from heat and allow to cool until it can be touched (do not let it cool completely).

 

Add the rest of your ingredients

 

I section the ingredients out into cups I place around the table, I then place the nut butter mix in the middle and let the kids pour the other ingredients in. They really like this!

 

Stir it all together and spread it out on a flat pan.

 

Let the mixture sit on your counter top for 24 hours (omit this step if you are not using grains),

then pop it in the fridge.

 

When it has firmed up, cut it into bars, wrap them in baggies or parchment paper, store in the fridge :-)

It's that easy!

If you want to know how to make whey here's how...

 

Place one cup of plain, unsweetened whole milk yogurt in a coffee filter and place the coffee strainer and filter over a glass jar. The whey will drip out from the yogurt into your jar. :)

Paleo/Primal/Caveman Chocolate Chip Cookies

Photo Credit

For those of us on a traditional diet it can be hard to get a good cookie fix in. Here's a little recipe I dreamed up during a cookie craving....

Ingredients:

Cookie Base

3/4 cup of ground flax meal or ground almonds
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 ripe banana
1 tablespoon of raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick of grass fed butter, soft
1 pastured egg


Chips:

3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of raw honey
3 tablespoons of coconut oil

On the stove top heat the chip ingredients together until well blended. Transfer to a freezer proof dish and freeze into a thin flat sheet.

In a bowl mash the banana with the honey and butter until well blended. Add the vanilla and egg and mix well. In another bowl add the coconut flour, the flax or almond meal with the baking soda, stir together.

Add the two mixes together and combine well.

Take the sheet of hard chocolate out of the freezer and using a sharp knife cut the chocolate into small blocks. Add the blocks to the batter.

Spoon out the batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Place in the oven at 375 for about 10-15 minutes.

Optional- try adding a handful of walnuts or shredded coconut to the mix! Yum!

My kids LOVE theses cookies!

UnPotato Chowder

Photo Credit


This is a great recipe when you're feeling like a comfort food but don't want to pack on the extra carbs found in potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Chopped onions
• 1 cup Sliced celery
• 2 Tbsp. Minced garlic
• 1/4 cup Olive oil
• 3 cups Chopped red bell peppers
• 2 quarts Chicken broth
• 2 quarts Cauliflower, chopped into bite size pieces
• 2 quarts Whole milk or coconut milk
• 1/2 cup Chopped fresh basil
• 2 Tbsp. Lemon juice
• 1 tsp. Black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper
• 1 cup diced carrots (optional)

1. Sauté onions, celery and garlic in olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until softened.
2. Stir in peppers.
3. Add chicken broth; bring to a boil.
4. Stir in cauliflower. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 2-3 minutes.
5. Add milk; bring to a simmer, stir until thickened.
6. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Enjoy!

Create a Family Restaurant!

A few nights ago the boys had the greatest idea. Create a family restaurant!

The kids helped me prepare dinner. They helped me set the table fancy. We used paper napkins and rolled up the silverware in them. The best part was naming the restaurant and creating the sign!

The boys named our family restaurant "Tum Tum." Braveheart even created an "open" sign to let Papa know we were open for business as soon as dinner was ready!

 

We prepared an apple, walnut and blue cheese salad along with some steamed broccoli in a white cream sauce with almonds and some sourdough garlic bread.  

A proud employee of Tum Tum!

This was a spur of the moment event but next time (I'm thinking maybe for Sabbath dinners?) I'm going to plan ahead a bit and make it even funner. Here are some of my ideas:

- Wear white shirts, aprons or chef hats

- Come up with a logo for your restaurant

- Choose a server, a chef and the patrons

- Create a menu (with what is for dinner as the "special")

- Use candle light

- Play music

- Create an "ad" for your restaurant and put it up in the house somewhere early on in the day. Have Dad comment on it, if possible, with remarks like, "I think I'd like to go out to this new place, Tum Tum, it sounds really good!"

Please feel free to share your suggestions below! Hope you're having a beautiful Sabbath day!

Chocolate Birthday Custard Recipe

 

A nice alternative to traditional birthday cake this recipe is flour free, firm enough to stick candles in, high in protein and darn yummy.  But before we get to the recipe let's take a look at what Avi thinks of it.

 

 

 

 If you're still not convinced I dare you to try it for yourself!

Ingredients:

2 Cups of heavy whipping cream

2 Cups of whole milk

6 pastured eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons sucanot or sugar

12 oz of sweetened chocolate, chopped fine

Whipped cream (optional)

In a heavy sauce pan combine cream and milk and bring to just barely a simmer. In another bowl whisk the eggs, vanilla and sugar together until well combined. When milk and cream are simmering add them slowly, in a constant stream, to the egg and sugar mixture while beating the mixture (I ask my hubby to help me with this part). Transfer the mix back to the sauce pan. Stir constantly over medium heat for about 9 minutes until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and add the chocolate until it is completely blended. Chill in the fridge for about 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream.