Exercise: An Important part of Healthy Families

So far I’ve talked a lot about healthy eating habits for families. I’ve posted recipes, healthy substitutions, and other basic healthy and provident living ideas. For a while I’ve been wanting to post about exercise because I think it’s essential for an optimally healthy family. Adequate exercise, scheduled and impromptu is very important for all members of a family. In our family, here are some ways that we include exercise into our daily activities:

Walking – I love to go on walks with the kids. It helps the kids to want to go even more when we have a goal – like the library, the park or other errands we need to run. Sometimes, I’ll take “the long way” on purpose to extend my walk. It saves on gas too! We also like to walk together as a family. We often go on walks with the kids at night. We love to bundle the kids up in the winter and go on walks at night. The quiet, peaceful evenings are so relaxing, but invigorating at the same time.

Active Play – Children need to have exercise. Young children naturally love running, skipping, jumping – anything that is active. We can develop their love for exercise early by promoting active play. When the whole family is involved in active play it turns into a lot of fun.

Working together – Families can get a lot of exercise by working together in the home or yard. We like to work out in our yard and garden. My husband puts the smaller children on his back and mows the lawn or shovels the snow. This allows him to spend time with them, build his endurance (with the added weight) and teach them how to work all at the same time!

Scheduled Exercise - I have an especially hard time getting enough exercise in the winter months. When I find that I'm not getting enough exercise, usually it's because I haven't scheduled a time for it to happen. I enjoy doing aerobics. With little kids, I can't take a class very easily so I often do the pre-recorded classes on TV or DVDs. If I'm feeling brave, I'll let them do it with me, otherwise I'll do it after they've gone to bed or are taking naps. I really like the shows produced by BYU: Total Body Workout - especially the aerobic ones. But if you like yoga, they also have those. You can find the streaming at http://www.byu.tv/.

If your New Year's resolutions involve exercising or getting in shape, I hope this has given you some ideas. Whatever you choose to do, try to stay with it, even if it's just for a consistent short amount of time a few times a week. It's better to start out slow so you don't get burnt out and end up dismissing your goals. I wish you luck on your goals!

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The Power of Food and the 80/20 Principle

I had a wonderful weekend! We've been at a family reunion and as part of it, we had a class given by my uncle Chef Brad. He is a very talented, excellent chef and the nicest person you'll ever meet. He had about 30 of us in the room (his nieces and nephews and their spouses). It was given in a small little house where my grandma and grandpa used to live. He's converted the house into a kitchen and it's a delightful place. He taught us a lot, but here are two main things that I learned:

* Food is powerful! Food has the power to created memories and bond families together. Brad was the chef for the reunion and we ate the best food! He's very talented at adding whole grains into delicious food so that it's not only delicious, but contains nutrition also. He told us that spending hours and hours in the kitchen preparing food for us and then cleaning up afterward was worth it for him because he knew how important the good food was to bind the family together. And it did! Eating healthy, tasty food together is often the mechanism for creating meaningful family memories. We are very grateful to him for all of his hard work. He is awesome!

* The 80/20 Principle. Brad's 80/20 principle is basically this: obviously adding some healthy food into our diets is better than none. If it takes 20% unhealthy food to get the 80% healthy food down, than that's a good place to start. He said that when he began to make whole grain cereal for his family for breakfast instead of their normal unhealthy cold cereal he let his kids put in as much sugar as they wanted into the cereal. At first it took a lot of sugar for them to be happy with it. But over time, the kids cut back and didn't need to put in a lot of sugar. The health benefits they got from the whole grain cereal (even with the sugar) far surpassed what they got from processed cold cereal (which often contains a lot of sugar anyway). His point was that we shouldn't swing all the way to the other side of the health pendulum all at once. Rather we should make steps toward better health. And if we need to include 20% unhealthy food stuff (sugar, fat, salt, etc) to get down the healthy grains and vegetables, than that's a good place to start. It's better than buying processed foods which are much worse for us. He has also extended this principle into the bigger picture - when we eat healthily all week, we can afford to splurge a little in our diets for something unhealthy once a week. When we have eaten healthily all month, we can go out to eat a few times. When we have eaten healthily all year, we don't need to feel guilty over eating a bit less healthy during the holidays.

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Spinach Pizza Crust - Green but tasty!

I tried out a spinach pizza crust recipe for our traditional Friday-night Pizza last night. It was delicious! It does make the pizza crust green, so if you have picky eaters, just tell them it's alien pizza or something to make it fun for them to want to eat. This would be a good one for St. Patty's day! Our four-year-old didn't even notice and I think he's about as picky as they come. I did mostly veggie toppings (thin-sliced tomatoes, olives, green peppers, sliced green onions) on last night's and it was yum! (The section with no toppings was for the picky four-year-old). For the recipe, I used my regular pizza dough recipe and added 1/2 pkg of thawed frozen spinach (you could add more ) with the water. You could also try adding chard instead of spinach.

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Successful Bread Making

I want to share my latest bread-making success story. I posted my bread recipe earlier and some tips and tools I use:

• Bread-Making Tips and Tools
• Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

I made that whole-wheat bread yesterday and it turned out absolutely perfect. I took time to get just the right amount of flour in (not too much, not too little) and that makes all the difference. Here's some pictures:

Dough just after I put it in the pans. The clock says 5:28 (I didn't do that on purpose, but it worked out nicely that it was in the picture):
Dough after raising exactly 30 minutes (I didn't do that on purpose either): Dough after cooking exactly 30 min (that was on purpose):Sliced bread (noticed how few crumbs are on the cutting board - this bread stuck together just right!):Finally, here is a movie that demonstrates the texture of this bread. Bosch mixers are awesome! It makes all the difference in the world!

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I'm Dreaming of Spring...

This might seem like just one more thing to do right now, but if you have extra time, it's not too early to think about & plan next year's garden. If you wait, sometimes the seeds you want will be back-ordered and take longer to ship to you. You'll want to have the seeds on hand if you plan on starting them indoors & transplanting (this is important for some vegetables in areas with short growing seasons). And besides, seeds and other garden items make great gifts! In the middle of the winter, I love to dream and plan for spring!

I ordered this and last year's seeds from Stokes and we've been happy with their products. We used to just buy them at a department or local garden store, but you get a lot better varieties when you order directly from the seed companies. Here's what I ordered new this year:

Sugar Snax 54 (Carrot/Nantes x Imperator)
Chippawa (Corn/SE Bicolor)
Primo (Muskmelon/cantaloupe)
Walla Walla (Onion/Spanish)
Oregon Giant (Snow pea)
Chocolate Bell (Pepper/sweet bell colors)
Longstanding Bloomsdale (Spinach)
Atlas (Squash/butternut)
Celebrity VFNT (Tomato/bush)
Big Beef VFNT (Tomato/staking)
Paycheck Squash (Squash/Green Summer)

Depending on where you live, some of these may or may not work for your climate. These varieties were recommended to me by an expert gardener in our area. If you don't know what to order for your area, go ask a gardener who's been there a while. They are the best sources!

You can also use seeds left over from last year. Here are some of last year's seeds that we plan on using again:

Early Girl (Tomato)
Crenshaw (Muskmelon/cantaloupe)
Buttercrunch (Lettuce)
Oakleaf (Lettuce)
Summertime Head (Lettuce)
Vegetable Spaghetti (Squash/Winter)
Sunshine (Squash/Winter)
Large White Ribbed (Swish Chard)
Boston Pickling (Cucumber/Pickling)
Beefsteak (Tomato)
Bush Blue Lake (Green Beans/Bush)
Roma (Tomato)
Serrano Chili (Pepper)
Sweet Banana (Pepper)
Keystone Giant (Pepper)
Yolo Wonder (Pepper)
Muncher (Cucumber/Burpless)
Jalapeno (Pepper)
Jack-O-Lantern (Pumpkin)
Table Ace (Acorn Squash/Winter)
Green Hubbard (Squash/Winter)
Sunray (Squash/Yellow Summer)

Having a vegetable garden is one of the best ways that we've found to have plenty of fresh veggies on hand continuously. It gives you and added incentive to invent new ways to add healthy food to your meals.

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Holiday Granola

Here's a good recipe for the holiday season when you need to have healthy snack alternatives available.

Next time I make it, I'll cut the sugar and fat and give you an updated, more healthy recipe. I've never made granola this way before and when trying a new recipe for the first time, I try to stick as close to the original as I can. The next time I make it, I start cutting out and substituting so that I can compare it to the original. Does anyone have a Low Fat/Low sugar granola recipe with simple ingredients that tastes good?

Granola
Makes about 2 qts.

6 C. rolled oats
½ C. brown sugar
1 C. coconut
1/3 C. sesame seeds
¼ C. sunflower seeds
½ C. raisins (or other dried fruit - I used dried cranberries)
1 C. nuts, chopped (I used peanuts)

Mix all ingredients except raisins. Stir in and coat thoroughly with:
½ C. oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 C. honey

Spread on cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for 25 min. Add raisins or other dried fruit and bake 5 more min.

For Gluten Free, make sure your oats are gluten free or use other gluten-free grain flakes. You can also flake your own grains with a grain flaker like the one below (Bosch also makes one that attaches to the mixer).

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Yummy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is my sister-in-law's recipe - she gave this to me for my birthday/Christmas present and named them after me. :) I made them this morning and they are delicious! Here is a picture she took of the muffins she made. I overfilled mine so they didn't look quite as good, but they tasted delicious!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

3 C. White Wheat Flour
1 1/4 C. White Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
2 Eggs
1 (15 ounce) Can Solid Pack Pumpkin (or 2 C. Pureed Pumpkin)
1/2 C. Unsweetened Applesauce
1/4 C. Oil
1 C. Chocolate Chips (or Walnuts, which are a great substitute!)
1 1/2 C. Warm Water

Mix together dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. Then combine wet and dry ingredients. Mix enough to incorporate the wet and dry ingredients. Do not over mix. Handle as little as possible once the wet and dry ingredients are combined. Then add Chocolate Chips or Walnuts to the mixture. Coat 12 average size muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray (With my muffin tins it made about 18 muffins). Fill till heaping with muffin batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Don't open the oven door, except near the end of the cooking time to check for doneness, or stomp around the kitchen because the muffins can easily flunk. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tins. Then let cool on a wire rack.

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Healthy Holiday Snacks and Treats

The wonderful holiday season is in full swing! There are parties with snacks and treats and more treats looming all around us. So much of our culture revolves around food that it's easy to get caught up in the holidays and gorge ourselves on unhealthy food. This post is dedicated to ideas for healthy holiday snacks and treats that we can use instead. Here are some ideas:

1. Fruit! Fruit is delicious and contains many healthful benefits as well. Vitamins and minerals are found in fresh fruits that help us ward off colds and other ailments that are prevalent during the cold months. Our family favorites during the holidays include: Pears, Oranges, Apples, Bananas, Tangerines and more. There's nothing like a fresh, juicy, sweet pear for curbing a sweet tooth. Ripe pears are about as good as "treats" get. Many people get impatient and eat pears before they are ripe. Often grocery stores sell them green, hard and unripe. If you wait a week or two the payoff is well worth it! As they ripen, pears become a taste of heaven!

2. Nuts! There are so many different kinds of delicious nuts. The best choices for nuts are those without all the salt and oil and junk on them. After you get used to the flavor of raw nuts, you'll find that the salt and oil is completely unnecessary. Raw nuts contain essential fats that are healthy and have many anti-cancer properties. Many studies show that eating a handful of nuts every day is beneficial to our health. Some of our favorites are walnuts, almonds and of course peanuts. You can buy them shelled or enjoy the fun of shelling them yourself. If you're looking for a snack, raw or low-salted nuts are a good choice!

3. Dehydrated fruit & leathers - another great way to curb a sweet tooth! Some of our favorites include dried apricots & apples, raisins, dates, applesauce leather, peach leather and yogurt leather (That's right! you can dehydrate yogurt and it makes a very tasty treat!)

4. Popcorn - don't waste your money and calories on the microwave varieties which are high in additives, fat and sodium. Make your own using an old fashioned popcorn popper! Then you can limit the amount of butter and salt you add and it really doesn't take that much more time!

5. When doing your holiday baking, try to stay away from white flour as much as possible. Freshly ground whole grains are delicious in cookies, brownies, cakes, muffins, nut breads and more. Your family and guests won't notice and they'll appreciate your effort to include whole grains into treats that they love.

I was short on time and needed to bring a treat to a party a few nights ago. I only had 20 minutes to make it so I went with rice crispy treats. The only healthy thing I had time to do was pop 2 tablespoons of amaranth (a small white grain that is delicious when popped) and add it to the rice crispy recipe. It is white when popped so completely invisible with the white rice crispy treats. No one knew the difference and they turned out really good. Little things like that are examples of how you can add health to very basic recipes.

6. When doing holiday cooking and baking, use other healthy substitutions listed in a previous post. You can cut down on fat and sugar in many recipes without noticing a difference in taste.

I'd love to hear comments - post any ideas you have for healthy, snacks and treats. What healthy snacks do your family eat during the holidays?

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Friday Night: Pizza Night!!

It's Friday again! Yeah! And in our family it's a double YEAH because Friday night is pizza night - our favorite! This is a tradition that my family had in our home growing up. The last few years, I've tried to adopt it as a tradition in our family as well. At first it was hard because all the dough recipes we had made too many pizzas. We have a small family so we would eat pizza leftovers all week. That make it difficult to want to make pizza again the next Friday. But we've done a lot of experimenting. Brandon actually is the discoverer of this dough recipe. I just adapted it to be whole-wheat. This is a VERY Easy, VERY Healthy, VERY Delicious recipe. 

The secret to good pizza is cooking it on a pizza stone. It makes it crispy and delicious. We leave ours in the oven all the time. I know some people who take theirs out when they are not using it because they say that it affects their other cooking. We don't want to break ours by transporting it so we leave it in and it doesn't seem to affect the other cooking we do. If anything it seems to enhance it. As a side note, cookies baked on a pizza stone are also delicious! We transport our pizza in and out of the oven on a large pizza paddle. It's a lot easier to slide on and off the stone with the paddle. Just sprinkle a little corn meal on top of the paddle for an even easier slide!

Here's our dough recipe:

Pizza Crust
Printable Recipe

*Makes 2 large pizzas

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 Cups Water
1 tsp. salt 
1 Tbsp. powdered milk
1 Tbsp. honey or brown sugar
2-1/2 – 3-1/2 Cups Freshly-ground Wheat flour
1/8 Cup Gluten Flour
1 Tbsp. instant yeast 

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 475 - 500 F (This temp will depend on how hot your oven cooks). Heat water in the microwave for 1-1/2 minutes or until hotter than 110 F. Then add water, salt, milk, and sugar in Bosch mixer. Add 1-1/2 Cup wheat flour and gluten flour. Then add the yeast on top. Set mixer at 2nd speed and mix adding more wheat flour until dough barely begins to pull from sides (you may not need all of it). Mix to let gluten work in for about 6 min. Cover dough and let rise for about 15-20 minutes.

Sprinkle counter with olive oil. Coat rolling pin in oil. Divide dough into two pieces and roll out each into a large circle (10 - 12” diameter) and place each on parchment paper. Let raise for 5-10 min. Add sauce and cheese and other toppings as desired. Bake on preheated 475 - 500 F pizza stone, for 6-10 min or until crispy and cheese is bubbly. 

*Note: If you're making bread sticks, use the same steps and instead of rolling out the dough on olive oil just form the bread sticks. Brush tops with melted butter, and sprinkle with any topping such as garlic or onion salt, parmesan cheese, sesame or poppy seeds, or seasoned salt. Allow to rise 15-20 minutes (although change in size is not evident). Bake at 400 degrees about 10-15 minutes. They are great dipped or spread with butter as you eat them. Yield: About 24 bread sticks.

Basic Pizza Sauce

Our basic pizza sauce is very easy (sometimes I add blended vegetables to this). 
Simmer Together:
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 tsp. pizza seasoning

This make enough sauce for 1-2 large pizzas.

You can also use alfredo sauce instead of this red sauce and it's also very tasty.

Our favorite toppings include:

• Canadian bacon, sliced pineapple and roasted almonds (My #1 favorite)
• Pepperoni w/ black olives, green peppers
• Chopped tomatoes, green peppers, onions, black olives, other veggies

Here are some similar topics I've blogged about earlier:

• Bread-Making Tips and Tools
• Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

Here are some great tools that we use in making pizza:

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Hawaiian Haystacks w/o Chicken

I was feeling adventurous the other day and tried a new recipe. I wanted to make Hawaiian Haystacks, but I didn't have any chicken. I wondered if I'd miss it. Well, I didn't, and my family didn't either. It turned out great and a great way to eat whole grains and legumes. This is a good recipe for kids because they like the colorful toppings and they can add what they want. It's not mixed like a casserole, which they usually don't care for. This is gluten free if you use something else for the soup and omit the chow mein noodles.

Hawaiian Haystacks
1-1/2 C. Brown Rice, cooked
1-2 C. Black-eyed Peas
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ C. sour cream
Dash of pepper to taste
frozen green peas, defrosted
diced red pepper
crushed pineapple
grated cheddar cheese
coconut
green onions
chow mein noodles

Pressure cook the black-eyed peas (no soaking necessary) 8-10 min on the second red ring. Mix together the black-eyed peas, soup, and sour cream in a pan. Warm thoroughly. Serve soup mixture over rice and top with green peas, red pepper, pineapple as desired.

You could try white beans or another kind of bean instead of the black-eyed peas. I used black-eyed peas because the cook up REALLY fast in the pressure cooker and I was in a hurry!

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USDA Recipe Finder

I discovered a great recipe finder last year - the link was published in the newspaper. It is published by the United States Department of Agriculture. It's helpful because it lists the average cost of each recipe and also the nutritional value. It's a great resource and I've found some good recipes on it!

http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/

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Yummy, Healthy Bran Muffins

Here's a great recipe for bran muffins. I make these for breakfast all the time. These are delicious and healthy. Yesterday I served them with peach jam - yum!

Bran Muffins
3 C. unprocessed wheat bran
1 C. boiling water
1 C. brown sugar
½ C. margarine
2-1/2 C. freshly ground wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 C. buttermilk (or 2 C. Milk with 2 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice, let sit for 5 min)

Mix 1 C wheat bran with 1 C. boiling water; stir and let water absorb into bran. In a separate bowl blend sugar and margarine. Measure and combine flour, sugar and salt. Combine the moist bran with beaten eggs, the remaining 2 C. of bran, buttermilk, blended sugar-margarine mixture, and flour, soda and salt mixture. Stir until well blended.

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Helpful Healthful Cooking Substitutions

Here are some healthful substitutions that I use in my cooking all the time.

• Substitutes for Oil in Baking - I substitute pureed fruits or vegetables for part or all of the oil in my baking recipes. Examples: Applesauce, pumpkin or other squash, mashed bananas, etc.
• Substitutes for Eggs in Baking - I substitute 1 heaping Tbsp. of freshly ground soy flour (from soybeans) and 1 Tbsp. water for each egg in my baking recipes. I also read somewhere that you can use ground flax seed instead of the soy, but I haven't tried it. I also read that you can combine 1 tsp. unflavored gelatin with 3 Tbsp. cold water and 2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. boiling water. This mixture will substitute for 1 egg in a recipe. Another source says to substitute 1-1/2 to 2 Tbsp. pureed pumpkin or other squash for each egg in any recipe. I haven't tried that one either.
• Substitute for Buttermilk or Sour Cream in Baking - I mix 1 C. of Milk (can use powdered milk mixed with water) and 1 Tbsp. vinegar and let that sit 5 min.
• Meat Extenders or Substitutes - I use Cooked Quinoa, Cooked Brown Rice, re-hydrated plain TVP (textured vegetable protein) or Cooked Beans.
• Substitute for White Flour in Baking Recipes without Yeast - I substitute the same amount of freshly ground whole-grain flour for the white flour in baking recipes without yeast. Examples: White wheat, Brown Rice, Oat Groats (or Rolled oats ground in blender), Barley, Spelt, Kamut, etc.
• Substitute for White Flour in Baking Recipes with Yeast - I substitute freshly ground whole-grain flour for the white flour in baking recipes with yeast. I also add about 1 Tbsp. gluten flour for each cup of whole-grain flour used in the recipe. (I don't increase the flour called for in the recipe, I just add the gluten flour as part of the flour called for).
• Substitute for Milk in Baking Recipes - I use powdered Milk for almost all of my baking. For Instant Powdered Milk, mix 1/3 C. of powdered milk with 1 C. of water for 1 C. of milk. For Regular powdered milk, mix 1/4 C. of powdered milk with 1 C. of water for 1 C. of milk.
  
• Substitute for Cream or Half-And-Half - I use a double portion of powdered milk for each single portion of water as a substitute for cream or half-and-half.
• Substitute for White Flour as a Thickener for Soups, Sauces, Gravies, etc - I use freshly ground bean or whole-grain flour to thicken soups, sauces or gravies.

Do you have any more healthy substitutions you use in your cooking? Have you had successes or failures with any of the ones I've mentioned?

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Donut Muffins

Here's another great recipe adapted from hillbilly housewife. I substituted a mixture of spelt, brown rice and barley flour for the white flour. I put less butter and sugar on top than the recipe called for. They turned out delicious! They aren't healthy enough for me to be eating every day, but a great recipe for holidays and special occasions. You can make them gluten free by simply using a gluten free flour.

Donut Muffins

1/3 C. shortening
1/2 C. sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 C. wonder flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 C. milk

For The Topping:

1/4 C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 C. melted butter

Mix shortening and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat in the egg until smooth. Add the wonder flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg into the bowl. Pour in the milk. Mix the batter with a whisk until it is smooth. Drop the mixture into 12 greased muffin cups until half to two-thirds full. Bake the muffins at 350 F for 25 minutes, or until the muffins are brown on top. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.

In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

When muffins are done cooking, remove from the pan. When they are cool enough to handle, dip the tops of the muffins into the melted butter. Then dip them into the powdered sugar/cinnamon mixture. Best served warm. Enjoy for breakfast or a snack.

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Delicious Chocolate Milkshake

I found a great recipe for a delicious chocolate milkshake. I wouldn't call it healthy, but it's healthier than most and it's really good! They claim that it tastes similar to Wendy's Frosties and I have to agree with that. It's the closest thing I've ever tasted that is made from scratch. The nice thing is it has simple ingredients! If you're looking for a treat, it's not as bad as some treats out there and it uses powdered milk! With that in mind, you can find the recipe at:

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/magicmilkshakes.htm

I used all the same ingredients shown in the recipe, but I halved it. It made more than enough for my husband and I. Enjoy!

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Whole Grain Corn Bread

In my opinion, the best tasting corn bread in all the world is made with freshly ground (finely ground) popcorn. Mmmmh! It is so tasty! And so nutritious. I never liked cornbread much until I started grinding the corn meal myself (on a fine setting). Something about the gritty texture of most cornmeal that you buy in the store isn't appealing to me.

Here's my recipe for you to try. If you have a favorite recipe you use, just try grinding popcorn in place of the corn meal. It is so good!

Corn Bread

Printable Recipe

*Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup milk

¼ Cup butter, melted

1 large egg

1-1/4 Cup cornmeal (made with fine freshly ground popcorn)

1 Cup white flour *see note

½ Cup sugar (can substitute 1/2 Cup honey)

1 Tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 400 F. Grease bottom and side of round pan, 9 x 1-1/2 inches, or square pan 8 x 8 x 2 inches, with shortening. Beat milk, margarine and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients all at once just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Pour batter into pan. Bake 20 to 25 min or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

*Note: alternatively you can try it with a whole-grain flour. I've made it with wonder flour before and it it's really tasty, just a bit more crumbly than with white flour. I like it with half whole grain flour and half white flour.

*Recipe Source: adapted from Betty Crocker Cookbook

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Delicious Orange Rolls

I made these tonight. They turned out delicious! This is another recipe that isn't extremely healthy. It is healthier when you use whole grain flour, but it still has a lot of butter in it. So don't overuse it - it's great for holidays and special occasions!

Delicious Orange Rolls
2 C. water, microwaved for 2 min or until quite warm
1 C. sugar
6 eggs beaten
6 Tbsp. melted butter
2 tsp. salt
2 c. whole-grain flour (I used a combination of spelt, barley and brown rice)
2 T. gluten flour
2 T. instant yeast

Combine the above ingredients in Bosch mixer in order with the yeast on top of the flour. Mix and add white flour (or experiment with more whole-grain if you want - just add 1 T. gluten flour for every cup of whole grain flour you use).

Let rise one hour or until double. Roll out dough and spread with grated rind of 2 large oranges, 1 cup sugar and 12 Tbsp. softened butter (try with less butter if you want).

Cut dough in thirds and roll up like a cinnamon roll, sealing off the ends. Cut with floss. Let rise until double (about 1 hour) and bake 8 min at 425 F or until done. Makes about 50 rolls.

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Walnut Stain Update and More...

Well, it's been about two weeks and we're happy to announce that walnut stains are not permanent tattoos (phew!) No, the identical attire was not done on purpose!!
And speaking of walnuts...

Yesterday I learned a trick that is really cool. Did you know that you can crack a walnut with your bare hands? This is really slick...you can use it to impress people - it sure impressed me the first time I saw it! Here's a demonstration:

It seems to work only with two walnuts held together. Squeeze them against each other. Don't apply too much pressure! You might hurt yourself. This is really easier than it seems! You don't have to be really strong - even I can do it!

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Wonderful, but Dangerous Cake Recipes for 2

A neighbor gave me this recipe. It is amazing! This is what her recipe cautioned:

"And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we're all only five minutes from...(delicious) cake any time of the day or night!!!"

That is a problem! I personally have only had this cake recipe in my hands for 1 week, but I've made it 4 times! So here's my caution: try this recipe at your own risk!

Fortunately, I have modified it a bit for you so it's not AS BAD for you as it was, but just because it has some healthy ingredients, doesn't mean you should make it for yourself every day. I will include a few variations that I've made from the original chocolate cake -the original was the same as #1, it just used white flour. My favorite is still the chocolate with whole-grain flour, but the others are good too. This is a gluten-free recipe if you use gluten-free flour.

Get creative! Try a variation! This is an easy recipe to have fun with because it uses so little ingredients. If you mess up, you're not out by much. If you do make a good one, will you post the recipe as a comment for all of us to enjoy?

1. Dangerous Chocolate Cake-In-A-Mug
1 Cocoa Mug
4 Tbsp. whole-grain flour (try spelt, barley, oat, brown rice, wheat, or a combination)
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. oil
1/4 tsp. vanilla
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips (optional)

Add dry ingredients into a mug, mix well with a fork. Add egg, mix thoroughly. Pour in milk, oil, vanilla, and salt and mix well. Add chips (optional). Put mug in microwave, and cook for three minutes on full power (1000 Watts).

Cake will rise over top of mug, do not be alarmed! Allow to cool a little; tip onto a plate if desired. Eat!! (This will serve two if you are feeling slightly virtuous).

2. Dangerous Spice Cake-In-A-Mug
1 Cocoa Mug
4 Tbsp. whole-grain flour (try spelt, barley, oat, brown rice, wheat, or combination of a few)
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 Egg
3 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. oil
1/4 tsp. vanilla
dash of salt
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/16 tsp. allspice

Add dry ingredients into a mug, mix well with a fork. Add egg, mix thoroughly. Pour in milk, oil, vanilla, salt and spices and mix well. Add chips (optional). Put mug in microwave, and cook for three minutes on full power (1000 Watts).

3. Dangerous Pumpkin Cake-In-A-Mug
1 Cocoa Mug
4 Tbsp. Brown Rice flour
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 Egg
3 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. pumpkin Puree
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1/8 tsp. each of cinnamon and nutmeg)

Add dry ingredients into a mug, mix well with a fork. Add egg, mix thoroughly. Pour in milk, oil, vanilla, salt and spices and mix well. Add chips (optional). Put mug in microwave, and cook for three minutes on full power (1000 Watts). This is a gluten-free, low-sodium, low-fat recipe. It is good, but tastes more like a pumpkin muffin than a cake.

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Healthy Homemade Baby Food

One of the best starts you can give to your baby is feeding him or her healthy baby food. The best way to insure that your baby is getting the nutrition he or she needs is to make your own. Commercial baby food is often low in nutrition, highly processed and packed with preservatives.

Here's a great article on making your own baby food.

http://chefbrad.com/education/articles.php?qid=1

One of the best advice I was given about making my own baby food was to use ice cube trays to freeze it in. You can puree up a big batch of fresh squash or fruit and freeze it into an ice cube tray. Then the next day, pop out the cubes and store them in labeled freezer bags. When serving, just pop out the cube, unthaw it and serve. This makes baby food as easy as commercial baby food. That is important for busy mothers!

Baby cereal is very easy to make using freshly ground whole grains. Here's the recipe I use for my babies:

2 C. Rolled Oats
2 C. Brown Rice
1 C. Wheat Germ
4 unsweetened dry bananas*

Blend Oats and Wheat Germ in blender for a few minutes. Add bananas and blend until uniform. Grind Rice in grain mill (or a blender if it's high quality - mine doesn't make it fine enough). Combine Rice with other mixture. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

When serving, combine 3 T. cereal mixture with 3/4 C. water. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly until thick. Let cool before serving.

*Instead of bananas you can sweeten the cereal with unsweetened applesauce or other fruit puree. Just add it after heating the grains. This is a good way to cool the cereal down faster as well.

I usually start them on this about 8-9 mos. For young babies (6-9 mos.) begin with just a single ground grain (Brown rice, oats or millet are good choices) and mother's milk as sweetener and to mix.

Here are some of my favorite baby-food products:

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What we've Learned about Walnuts (The Hard Way)

A wonderful neighbor brought over a big garbage can full of walnuts from their tree. My husband and I were very excited. We love walnuts. We began husking them by hand and it took quite a while. During the process, I went inside a few times and washed my hands. It's a very messy job! Brandon was diligent and stayed out there the whole time, husking until we were done. We were so pleased to have two big buckets full of walnuts. We plan to cure them in a dry place for a couple of weeks and then store them in our basement.

After we were done, we went inside to wash up. I was surprised that the stuff on my hands didn't wash off all the way. I didn't think much of it, because it wasn't too bad. When I looked at Brandon's hands, however, I was shocked. His hands were black! We've tried many things to get it off - dish soap, fingernail polish remover, butter. He even stuck a finger in the gas can to see if that would help. Needless to say, it didn't do much. Here's a picture of his hands this morning (2 days later - after many, many attempts at cleaning).

We've read some information about it, and indeed there is a dye in walnut husks that people use to stain wood and other things. We haven't found anything that will take it off yet. Apparently, it has to wear off and will take about a month! We'll let you know I guess. Oh well!

Here's a few sites about harvesting and storing walnuts (we wish we would have found them before we tried it!):

• http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h404blkwal.html
• http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1994/9-16-1994/bnut.html

Walnuts are very healthy. They contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids that they body needs. Also they have an antioxidant that supports the immune system and has anticancer properties. They have plenty of other vitamins and nutrients that are healthy. Eating walnuts helps in lowering cholesterol levels, controlling high blood sugars, and improving cardiovascular functions. Here's a few articles about the nutritional value of walnuts:

• http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=99
• http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3138/2

The other mistake we made with the walnuts was putting the walnut husks in the garden. Apparently, the husks contain chemicals that are bad for the garden. So guess what I spent my afternoon doing? I hope I wasn't too late getting them out of the garden because it rained yesterday. I did learn my lesson and wore gloves this time. Some people have to learn the hard way!

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Pumpkin Chicken Soup

My husband made the BEST soup yesterday for dinner. We had a lot of pumpkin left over from our jack-o-lantern from Halloween. He added a couple of cups of pumpkin to our chicken soup and it really improved the flavor. Chicken soup is already such a comfort food, but with the pumpkin it's even more of a comfort food. Here's the recipe for you to enjoy!

Pumpkin Chicken Soup
6 C. water
3 tsp. instant chicken bouillon
1 tsp. onion salt
Parsley (as much as desired)
Dash of pepper
2-3 chicken leg quarters
1-2 C. chopped onions
2 C. diced carrots
2 C. diced celery
2 C. cooked, pureed pumpkin

Heat the above ingredients in a large crock pot for 5-6 hours or until chicken is cooked. Then remove chicken carefully and discard bones and skin. Return chicken to pot and add 4 cans cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup (he used 2 of each). Cook Egg Noodles separately and then combine with the soup. We like the wide egg noodles of the Country Pasta brand or you can make your own! Serve with fresh bread, bread sticks or rolls.

You can add rice instead of the egg noodles or eat it without. I'd like to try this in the pressure cooker sometime because I think it would do great! It's also Gluten-free other than the egg noodles and cream of chicken soup. For lower fat you can substitute 1 or 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts for the Leg Quarters. Mix in some cornstarch if it needs thickening.

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Hawaiian Chicken Fiasco

My "biscuits" didn't turn out tonight. Well I guess eventually they did, but it was a rough go, believe me! It all started out several months ago when I made a delicious crock pot Hawaiian Chicken dinner for my gluten-free/low-sodium/low-fat/lactose-intolerant/allergic dad. It tasted good to him, didn't make him sick and was "legal" (which is a difficult combination to find). He and my mom got the recipe from me, but when they tried to make it in their crock pot it didn't work quite as well. Their crock was quite a bit smaller than mine and very old. I suggested that they try it in their pressure cooker, but they were hesitant because it turned out so bad the first time.

Well, tonight I decided to convert the Hawaiian Chicken slow cooker recipe to a pressure cooker recipe. I've discussed the benefits of pressure cookers in an earlier post - time, nutrition, energy-savings, etc. For these reasons and to find a recipe my dad could eat and would like, I wanted to try it. I'll preface the rest of my story by saying I don't have a lot of experience cooking with pressure cookers. I've only had mine for a couple of months and I've used it mainly to cook grains and legumes.

Well, I put all the ingredients in, shut the lid and turned it on high - just like I always do when I cook beans or grains. A few minutes later I smelled this awful smell - and smoke was billowing out of the pot! I quickly opened it up. The bottom of the pan was black along with everything touching it. It smelled awful! I took out the half-raw/half-burnt contents and salvaged what I could.

I spent the next 30 min scrubbing my pot. The kids were hungry and tired. They finally got distracted with my open tupperware drawer and pretty soon tupperware and lids were flying all over the kitchen. Of course this didn't help my rattlebrain thought processes any. I managed to clean most of the black off the bottom, but I gave up before it was completely clean. I figured since the food already smelt like burnt food, a little more char from the bottom wouldn't hurt it too much.

I placed the food in the pot for a second time and added some more liquid because I figured that's what I had done wrong. This time I heated up the pan before adding the lid and stirred the contents until they were simmering pretty good. Then I tried to put my lid on and in the middle of the chaos, I somehow managed to get the lid on crooked. It was stuck pretty good and I tried for about ten minutes to get it off to no avail. Finally I brought it over to the sink and pried it off, spilling half of the contents down the sink in the process.

By this time I knew I was running out of time. My husband would be home in a few minutes and the kids were starving. I handed a few crackers to them and bribed them with more if they would clean up the tupperware mess. I threw some more ingredients in the pot and cranked it up for the third time. I stirred until it simmered and carefully replaced the lid. When it went up to pressure I breathed a sigh of relief and waited for the burning smell, but it gladly never came.

A few minutes later my husband walks in the door to a fairly unchaotic house. The tupperware had somehow dissappeared back into the drawer by this time, the kids were quietly eating their crackers and I was in the process of setting the table. I thought, wow, I pulled this off. At least so far. We'll see what happens when I open that pot in 20 minutes! I kept my mouth shut and decided that either way, it'd be better if I told my story after the food was tasted.

When I opened the pot, to my great astonishment, it was all right. The quanties of ingredients weren't quite right (probably because of my halfhazard spills and additions), but it was edible. My husband said he actually enjoyed it (even after hearing my tale).

Here's a few things I learned from this experience.

1. Pressure cookers require plenty of liquid to keep from burning the bottom of the pan
2. When cooking food that doesn't have a lot of liquid, stir the ingredients and let them simmer pretty good before you put on the lid
3. Don't put the lid on wrong because it's hard to get off - all of those lid-locking devices really work!
4. Never give up on trying to salvage your unsuccessful cooking attempts
5. If you keep your mouth shut, sometimes people won't notice the mistakes

I was half-tempted to make the recipe again tonight (now that I know how) to get the ingredients right so I could post it for you. But I decided I'd better quit while I'm still ahead. I'm afraid it'll have to wait for another time. When I get a chance to make it again I'll post my new-and-improved pressure cooker Hawaiian Chicken recipe for you to enjoy!

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Roma Strainer Review

My husband bought me a Roma Strainer for my birthday recently. I love it! Making applesauce is a breeze with this awesome kitchen gadget. It's not what I'd term a necessity, but for homemade applesauce or tomato sauce makers it is definitely a good investment. It's easy to use and speeds up the processing time by hours!

The only drawback I have with the strainer so far is that is has a lot of small parts that are hard to keep track of. Like this morning for instance, my husband was washing the dishes. When he ran the garbage disposal, there was this awful grinding noise. He quickly stopped it and looked inside. To his dismay, there was a small rubber gasket from the brand-new Roma Strainer he had bought me clogged in the disposal. When he pulled it out, it was all chewed up. Oh well, at least they make replacement parts!

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The many uses for Pureed Pumpkin

Are there more uses for a pumpkin than just carving scary faces and lighting them with a candle on Halloween? The answer is yes, of course. Pureed pumpkin is a wonderful thing and there are dozens of things you can put it in. The nice thing about pumpkins is that they are very easy to grow in the garden and they store very well (for about 6 months) in a cool basement. After harvesting the pumpkins, let them sit in a warm place for about 2 weeks to cure before putting them in the basement (this allows the stems to fully dry out). You can't store them after carving of course; they have to be left whole. But you can use the meat from the carved ones if you use it within a few days (before it starts to mold). If you didn't grow any this year, this is a great time to go buy them for cheap and store them this winter. Last year, we grew several pumpkins and they were still good even in April! We just opened them one at a time and cooked and pureed the meat and divided it into 1 and 2 cup portions and froze it. Other winter squash (such as Hubbard, Banana, Butternut, Buttercup, etc) also works well in many of these ideas & recipes.

To start with, I'll first tell you the health benefits of pumpkins. Next I'll describe how to cook & puree pumpkin. Next, I'll list some of my favorite uses for pureed pumpkin. Finally, I'll give a few of my favorite pumpkin recipes.

Health Benefits of PumpkinPumpkins are orange because of the high amounts of carotenoids found in their meat. Carotenoids have great anti-cancer properties. Pumpkins are also high in lutein and zeaxanthin, which help promote the health of eyes. Pumpkins also contain nutrients like Vitamin C, potassium, iron, zinc, and fiber. These are all important to overall good health.

Pumpkin seeds are also very healthy. They are high in zinc and essential fatty acids. Be sure to roast your seeds at or below 300 degrees to protect the inherent good fats.

How to Prepare Pureed Pumpkin (don't you love the P's?):
To start with, cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out pulp and seeds (Don't throw the seeds away - they are healthy and delicious roasted!). Then use one of the following methods:

• Microwave Method - This is the easiest way I've found. Cut up the pumpkin into pieces that will fit in your microwave. Cover meat side of the pumpkin pieces with plastic wrap and microwave for 5-15 minutes or until meat is tender and you can scoop it out with a fork. Then place the meat in a blender or food strainer and puree (adding a little water if necessary). Then place pumpkin puree in usable portions (1/2 Cup, 1 Cup or 2 Cup increments depending on the recipe) and freeze.

• Oven Method - Cut up the pumpkin and place, cut sides up, in ungreased rectangular baking dish (13x9x2"). Pour water into dish until 1/4" deep. Cover and bake in 400 degree oven 30-40 min, in 350 degree oven about 40 min, in 325 degree oven about 45 min or until tender.
• Boil Method - Slices or cubes - 15 to 20 min or until tender.
• Steam Method - Slices: 12-15 min, Cubes: 7-10 min or until tender.

Uses for Pureed Pumpkin:

• Pumpkin Pie - this is probably a no-brainer at this time of year, but pumpkin pie is delicious all year round!
• Pumpkin Bread - substitute pumpkin for the zucchini in a zucchini bread recipe, or you can make a whole-wheat pumpkin bread that's not sweet.
• Pumpkin Muffins
• Pumpkin Cookies
  
• Fat Substitute - you can experiment with substituting pumpkin puree for part or all of the fat in your baking recipes. This works great for cookies, pancakes, waffles, breads, etc.
• Stews or Cream Soups - Add a cup or two of pumpkin to stews or cream soups. Some examples include: cream of broccoli, cream of potato, corn chowder.

Others? What do you do with Pumpkin?

Pumpkin Recipes:
Here are a few of my favorite pumpkin recipes. Many of them are gluten free or can become gluten free with a few alterations. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Sausage Penne Pasta
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil, divided
1 C. Pumpkin, cooked and blended
1 lb. bulk sausage*
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 med. Onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 C. Chicken broth, divided
2 tsp. ground sage
½ C. heavy cream**
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 lb. penne pasta, cooked
Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Add 1 Tbsp. oil to hot pan & brown sausage. Transfer to paper towel. Drain off fat. Add remaining oil & sauté garlic & onion. Add bay leaf, sage & 1 C. chicken broth. Reduce liquid to half. Add remaining stock & pumpkin. Stir & heat to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat & stir in cream. Season with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt & pepper. Simmer 5-10 minutes to thicken. Cook pasta & drain. Remove bay leaf from sauce. Combine sauce and pasta & top with cheese.

Notes:
*you can substitute tvp (textured vegetable protein) for the meat. We usually do 1/2 sausage and 1/2 tvp. Just rehydrate about 1/2 C. of unflavored tvp (cover with water and let sit 10-15 min), then add it when you are browning the sausage and it will take on the flavor.
**instead of cream you can add milk or half & half or evaporated milk and its fine

Corn, Potato, Pumpkin Chowder
1 lb. bacon*
1 med. onion
6 med. potatoes
1 can cream style corn
1 C. cooked, pureed pumpkin
Cheddar cheese, sour cream opt.

Brown bacon and crumble. Sauté onion with bacon until tender. Add chopped potatoes and cover with water until barely over top of potatoes. Boil until potatoes are tender. Add canned corn and pumpkin. Cook until warmed through. Serve topped with sour cream and grated cheddar cheese if desired. Can add cooked grains into this recipe for added health.

Notes:
*I usually use a lot less bacon - maybe 1/3-1/2 lb. It tastes just fine and is a lot better for you.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
3 C. pumpkin, cooked, pureed
3 C. brown sugar
¾ C. butter, softened
¾ C. canola oil
4 C. whole wheat flour (or other grain)
4 C. rolled oats
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. salt
2 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Mix pumpkin, sugar, butter and oil well. Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Bake 375 F for 8-10 min. Makes 11 dozen 2” cookies.

Pumpkin Muffins
1-1/2 C. flour (use freshly ground whole-grain - try oat, brown rice, barley, spelt or combination)
1/2 C. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
½ C. milk
1/2 C. canned pumpkin
1/4 C. butter, melted
1 egg

Mix all ingredients just until flour is moistened. Batter should be lumpy. Grease bottoms of muffin pan. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

If you have any other great pumpkin recipes - will you post them as comments for us? Thanks!

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Oriental Green Rice Salad

Joanna asked for this one. I made it and brought it to a dinner a few months ago. My husband, Brandon, told me the ingredients that would go well together and they did! It's really good for you too - especially if you use the chard! We grow the chard in our garden and we pick it when it's young and tender. It is really good as a spinach substitute in salads when picked that way. Another gluten free recipe for the gluten intolerant (other than the chow-mein noodles)!

Oriental Green Rice Salad
3-4 C. Swiss chard (or spinach), chopped fresh
1-1/4 C. brown rice, cooked and cooled (2- 3 C. cooked)
½-3/4 C. Chopped peanuts
¼ - ½ C. Green onions, chopped
1 15-oz. can mandarin oranges

Toss above ingredients together

Dressing:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
4-5 tsp. brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced

Mix dressing together in saucepan until thickens and cool. Toss with salad. Chill until serving. Just before serving, mix salad and then add topping.

Topping:
½ - ¾ C. chow mien noodles

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Delicious Spaghetti Squash Meal

This is what I made for dinner tonight. It is the perfect fall dinner: light and full of wonderful vegetables. And for the gluten intolerant folks, it's gluten free!

Delicious Spaghetti Squash Meal
1 Spaghetti Squash (about 1 ½ pounds)
1 med onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
1 small green pepper, chopped (about ½ cup)
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
4 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 4 cups)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp dried oregano leaves
¼ tsp dried basil leaves
1/8 tsp pepper
¼ C. grated Parmesan or other cheese

Poke holes in spaghetti squash with fork and cook in the microwave whole uncovered 18-23 minutes, turning squash over after 8 minutes, until tender. Let stand uncovered 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook onion, green pepper and garlic in oil in saucepan over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, Stir in tomatoes, salt, oregano, basil and pepper. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

Cut squash in half; remove seeds and fibers. Remove strands with two forks; toss with cheese. Spoon tomato mixture over squash. Fun to serve in the hollowed out squash shells.

Linked to: Recipe Swap

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Chef Brad

I have an awesome uncle. His name is Chef Brad. He is an amazing chef and an amazing person. I have learned a lot from him. One of the things that makes him so amazing is that he cooks with a lot of whole grains and legumes. He is a master at adding nutrition into food without compromising the flavor. You can check out his website:

http://chefbrad.com/

He has some great cook books that are really helpful in getting started. Two of them are listed below and the other two you can buy from his website.



Here is an interview that he had with Suzanne Osmond.

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The Benefits of Pressure Cookers

One of the best tools for cooking grains and legumes is a pressure cooker. Pressure cookers have historically been labeled as "unsafe", but this is not true of pressure cookers today. Just like anything else, most pressure cookers are perfectly safe when their directions are followed. Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about pressure cookers.

How does a pressure cooker work?
The answer from a physics perspective would take up several pages, so I'll spare you and give a brief synopsis. Pressure cookers have tight fitting lids that lock into place. As the liquid inside the pot evaporates it makes steam and the steam rises to the top of the pot. As the steam rises it creates pressure in the pot and the temperature of the contents begins to increase. As the temperature and pressure increase, the cooking time of food is sped up considerably. For more details on the science behind pressure cooking, see this popular science article: http://www.popsci.com/node/22352.

What are the benefits of using a pressure cooker?

• Pressure-cooking can cook foods in 1/3 the ordinary time on average and often over 10 times faster. You can cook almost all grains and legumes from start to finish (no soaking necessary) in an hour or less.
• Pressure-cooked foods retain their flavor better than other methods because (1) the steam permeates the food and unlocks its flavor and (2) pressure cooking doesn't use a lot of water where flavors can dissolve into.
• Pressure-cooked food retains more of its nutrients than other cooking methods. This is because of shortened cooking times and less water used.
• When cooking in a pressure cooker, you can use less fat.
• Pressure cooking uses less energy than most other cooking methods.

What kind of pressure cooker should I buy?
I use a Kuhn Rikon and I highly recommend it. It has performed excellently. My "dream" pressure cooker is pictured here. It is a 6 Quart Digital Cuisinart. I have used this pressure cooker before and it is a miracle. It plugs into an outlet and has a digital timer. You pour the contents in, turn it on and it cooks dinner for you. It's just like a slow-cooker, but it's not slow. When it's done cooking, it will keep the food warm until you are ready to serve it.



Does anyone have any more information to share about pressure cookers, other pressure-cooker brands they like, or experiences with pressure cookers to share?

Update: I have since bought a 6 Quart Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker and it is wonderful!

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Bread Making Tips and Tools

Making homemade bread is a great way to start adding whole grains into your diet. The following are some tools you will need to be successful in making bread:

• Bread pans - I prefer pyrex pans (glass) as they give the bread a crispy outer crust and cook the bread evenly.
• Bread mixer - this is not optional in my opinion. I prefer Bosch mixers - the compact Bosch is perfect for a small family - it makes 3 loaves.

• Grain Mill - I love the Wonder Mill (used to be called Whisper Mill). Hand mills are excellent for emergency situations, but impractical in my mind for everyday bread making. Freshly ground grains add more nutrition to your diet than store bought flours. The fresher the flour, the more vitamins and minerals it will contain, and the better it is for your family.

Now for some tips:

• Yeast - I use SAF-instant yeast. It is wonderful!
• Dough should still be very sticky when dough mixing. In fact, so sticky that when you go to put it in the pans, you can't form the loaves without putting a little oil on your hands first.
• Gluten Flour - the purpose of the gluten flour in my whole-wheat bread recipe is to stick the bread together better. Gluten is like glue. Freshly ground whole-wheat tends to have less gluten than the white flour you can buy in the store. When using whole-wheat flour it takes more flour to make the bread stick together, which makes the bread less moist, more dense and less tasty. Adding the gluten flour makes the bread stick together better without having to add more flour and hence keeps it moist, light and very tasty.

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Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

In my mind there's nothing quite as wonderful as fresh homemade bread. Even just the thought of it makes my mouth water. To me the smell of homemade bread wafting through the house is one of contentment and love. With six kids growing up, my Mom baked bread almost every day. I remember most days coming home from school and having a big, thick slice of it spread with butter. Of course I didn't appreciate it then as much as I do now. I remember my friends ranting and raving about how good the bread was when they'd come over. I remember thinking, "What? What's the big deal? Don't all Moms do this?" Now I realize, that no, not all Moms did it then and even fewer do it now. I love my Mom for what she created with her homemade bread. Not only healthy food for her family, but a delicious memory as well.

Here's my homemade bread recipe. It is a whole-wheat bread recipe with no white flour.  

Whole Wheat Bread
Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

3 Cups hot water, microwave on high 2-3 min or until quite warm ( >110° F)

1/3 Cup oil
1/3 Cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt (put in first before adding yeast)

½ Cup gluten flour*

½ Cup ground flax seed, optional (adds a great texture)

½ Cup rolled or quick oats, optional
3+ Cups freshly ground whole wheat flour (ground from hard white wheat)
2 Tbsp yeast on top of flour

DIRECTIONS:

Combine above ingredients in Bosch mixer with dough hook and mix. Add more whole wheat flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then mix for an additional six minutes. Divide dough into 3 loaves (the dough will still be VERY sticky - so sticky that you won't be able to form your loaves without putting oil on your hands). Put dough in oiled pans. Let rise until double or until the bread fills the pans. While bread is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When the bread has risen, bake it at 400 deg. for 5 minutes. Then turn down the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 25 min or until done.

*NOTE on the Gluten flour: I use Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour that I buy at WinCo foods in their bulk bins - or you can get a 25 lb. bag of it there if you order it. I think you can also get it at Walmart in smaller quantities - like 22 oz. pkgs. You only use 1/2 cup for 3 loaves so it lasts a long time. It allows you to make the bread with whole-grain flour and still have it light and fluffy and stick together. This really is not an optional ingredient - you can try to leave it out, but you will end up with denser bread, that is crumbly, doesn't have as long of a shelf life and really is not as enjoyable to eat. Another option (if you're looking for one) is to use a good quality, high gluten white flour instead of some of the whole-wheat flour (experiment with how much - maybe 2 cups or more to get it to a good stick-together consistency). I'd rather spend a little more for the gluten flour because you can use less of it (which means more whole-grain flour which is better for you) and still have a great textured, tasty bread.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

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Basics Ways to Add Nutrition into Meals

The best way to begin cooking healthily for your family is to start with meals and recipes that you already use and that your family already likes. Just like most people don't go out and get a whole new wardrobe all at once, don't seek to change your families diet all at once. Start with the basics. Select a few recipes that your family likes and that you think you may be able to modify to be more healthy. Look for recipes that have basic ingredients and few processed foods. Then just dive in. Here are some ideas of where to start:

• Blend up some vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini or other squash) and add them to spaghetti sauce or other sauce.
• Substitute some whole grain flour (wheat or other grain) for part of the white flour in breads or desserts.
• Add some cooked, chilled grains or legumes to a fresh salad.
• Add cooked, pureed pumpkin or other winter squash to cream soups.
• Use bean or other whole-grain flour to thicken soups and sauces instead of white flour.
• Use beans or cooked grains as a ground beef (or other meat) extender.
• Use dehydrated fruits (apples, raisins, etc) and unsalted nuts as snacks instead of prepackaged snacks that are often high in fat, sodium and sugar.

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