Whole Grain Oatmeal Cookies

One of my favorite food memories is coming home from school to freshly baked oatmeal cookies. Whenever I taste or smell an oatmeal cookie it sends me back to those days, sitting in a warm kitchen eating cookies and milk after a long day of school.

Here's a modified version of the recipe that my Mom made. I've healthified it by using oat flour in place of white flour. You can easily make oat flour by grinding rolled or quick oats in your blender or grind oat groats in a grain mill. Obviously these are still not something you want to eat a lot of - they have a lot of butter and sugar, but at least they are healthier than they were before! And tastier in my opinion...food for the soul! Enjoy!

Oatmeal Cookies
Printable Recipe

* Makes about 4 1/2 dozen

1 1/4 Cups butter, softened
3/4 Cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 Cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 Cups oat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3 Cups oatmeal
1 Cup Chocolate chips, Reese’s pieces (this is what I used), heath bar pieces, etc optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add combined flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Mix well. Stir in oats. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls on to ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten balls gently with wet fingers. Bake 7 to 9 min for a chewy cookies (My favorite!), 10 to 11 for a crisp cookie. Cool 1 min on cookie sheet. Remove to wire rack.

Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe by my Mom

Oh by the way, I have to admit that my first batch ended up like this because I didn't add enough flour (I've adjusted the recipe to compensate). :) Also make sure you follow the part about leaving it on the cookie pan for a minute or two after you remove it from the oven - otherwise they will squish and not look pretty. But in case you forget, yes, the cookie mess still tasted delicious!

*Update: I've noticed some confusion on pinterest about why this is termed "healthy". Yes, this recipe still has butter and sugar in it, so no, you should not be eating it every meal! But it's "healthier" than other oatmeal cookie recipes because it uses whole-grain oat flour in place of white flour. Using whole-grain flour adds nutrition and fiber, which make these healthier than their counterpart recipes. Another reader pointed out that these are also gluten-free which makes them a great recipe for those with gluten intolerance.

Linked to Tuesdays Tasty Tidbits, Tasty Tuesdays, Tuesdays at the Table, Must Try Mondays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Blog Hop, Tasty Tuesdays, Cast Party Wednesday

Read More

Monday Meet Whole Foods: Oats!

Meet: Oats!

What are Oats?

Oats in their whole grain form are called oat groats. They are much more commonly known to us in their processed forms, which include steel cut oats, rolled oats or quick oats (you can see the differences in the pictures above). In their pure form, they are gluten free.

How do I use them?

Oat Groats: Oat groats can be sprouted, ground into flour, or cooked. To cook oat groats use 3 parts water to 1 part oat groats and cook on the stove top for 90 minutes, the electric pressure cooker for 12 minutes, or a stove top pressure cooker for 15 minutes. 

Steel Cut Oats: Steel cut oats can be ground into flour or cooked, but not sprouted. To cook steel cut oats use 2 parts water to 1 part steel cut oats and cook on the stove top for 20 minutes, the electric pressure cooker for 6 minutes, or a stove top pressure cooker for 7 minutes.

Quick Oats: Quick oats can be ground into flour or cooked, but not sprouted. To cook quick oats use 3 parts water to 1 part quick oats and cook on the stove top for 8 minutes, the electric pressure cooker for 2 minutes, or a stove top pressure cooker for 2 minutes.

Rolled Oats: Rolled oats can be ground into flour or cooked, but not sprouted. To cook rolled oats use 3 parts water to 1 part rolled oats and cook on the stove top for 20 minutes, the electric pressure cooker for 6 minutes, or a stove top pressure cooker for 7 minutes.

Rolled, steel cut, or quick oats are delicious as a breakfast cereal, in granola, cookies, muffins, pancakes or breads. They can also be ground in a blender into flour and used in recipes that do not require gluten. If you are using oats in a bread recipe, you should add in extra gluten flour to compensate for the oat flour. 

Oat groats can be cooked and added to salads, breads or soups. They can be ground into flour using a grain mill and used for bread, cookies, muffins, pancakes or waffles.

Where can I buy them?

Rolled (old fashioned) or quick oats can be found in most grocery stores in the cereal section. Oat groats can be bought in bulk from grain companies, at health food stores or at some grocery stores like WinCo foods. They are one of the least expensive grains to buy and easy to find.

How healthy are they?

Oats are high in fiber, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels when consumed. Lower cholesterol is important to control or prevent heart disease and diabetes. Oats are also high in special antioxidants which help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and DNA repair. According to some studies, oats have been shown to boost your immune system response. If you're interested, here is an in-depth nutrient analysis of oats.

Got a Recipe?

This week I'll be sharing some of my favorite recipes using oats. If you have a favorite oat recipe, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail!

Recipes with Oats:

Honey-oat Cinnamon Rolls (Whole Grain, Sugar-Free)

Oatmeal Banana Muffins (Whole Grain, Sugar-Free)

Information from this post came from: chefbrad.com, whfoods.com and wikepedia.org

Read More

Food For Thought

Read More

Frugal Friday: More than 100 Frugal Winter Family Activities

I'm always on the lookout for free or cheap activities to do with the kids - at all seasons of the year. Today I'll be listing activities specifically for winter since that's the season where I live. I hope this list inspires you with ideas so you can go and have some fun with your family!

Here's a picture we took last year of a really neat ice formation that we saw.

1. Homemade Bouncy Balls - These look so fun to make using regular household supplies
2. Cardboard Tree house - Our boys loved making this a few weeks ago. We actually made two and they have been well-played with. We go buy "guys" out of the vending machines at the grocery store for 25cents and use them to populate the tree house. They are little action figure aliens, bok choy boys, bugs and baby dinosaurs (my favorite). They are the cheapest and most played with toys in our house.
3. Marble Run out of a Cereal Box - Can't wait to try this one out - how fun!
4. Winter night walks - our family loves to go on walks at night in the winter. Just bundle everyone up, pick a destination (a park or hill are our favorites) and walk. Enjoy the quiet, crisp night air. When you get home, make some hot chocolate and bundle up in blankets to warm everyone up.
5. Sledding - If you live where there is snow, sledding is a fun, cheap activity to do as a family. I have to admit, I think we enjoy it as much or more as the kids.
6. Cloud Dough - this looks kind of like "moon sand" but made at home out of flour and baby oil!
7. Homemade Hover Craft - Who doesn't love a good science project? This one looks like a real winner!
8. Marshmallow Animals - Made out of marshmallows and toothpicks. Don't they looks so cute? 
9. Snow Playdough - our kids love playing with play dough - here's an easy recipe where you can mix in glitter to make it look like snow. Here's another site that did the same thing.
10. Go to the library - This is just about our favorite thing to do any day, rain or shine. Our boys love it. Also the library will often offer free classes or story times for kids.
11. Dance - turn on some music and dance! We love to dance to my husband or I playing a crazy song on the piano. It makes for a lot of fun.
12. Read a chapter book together - we've read the first three books from the wizard of oz series and our boys love it! It's fun to read together at night before they go to bed.
13. Make some slime together - wow, this looks like something our boys would really enjoy. Or here's a glow-in-the-dark variety.
14. Have a pizza party - we have one every Friday night and watch a fun movie. Here's a cute snowman pizza that would be perfect for winter!
15. Marble Race Track out of Pool Noodles - now this looks cool! 
16. Make Snow Flakes - cheap, homemade fun! I love these 3-D ones - we made them last year and they were really easy and looked awesome.
17. The Penny Game - If you live in an area that has tall buildings, you might try out this game that we love to play in the winter. Find a building that has a large stairwell (we use one with 13 stair flights but 8-10 would be fine too). The stair flights have to be open in the center for this to work. Climb up the stairs (or take an elevator if you're lazy, but we usually do this game to get the winter wiggles out). Each family member selects a penny with a different year (that's how you'll distinguish between them). Then each of you drop your penny down the center of the stair well and then go down the stairs to find out who's went down the farthest. You can have prizes for whose went the farthest on one drop, who had the least number of drops to the bottom, etc. It's really fun.
18. Make a Snowman - or have a contest to see who can make the biggest or cutest or funniest snowman.
19. Make Valentines - this is a fun activity to do. There are tons of good ideas on the web. Here's a few favorites: Potato Stamp Valentines, 101 Valentine Ideas, Another Cute idea
20. Snow Paint - add food coloring to water and put in a spray bottle, then go out and paint your yard!
21. Find a free e-book to listen to 
22. Make Cardboard swords & Armor - always fighting on the good guy's team of course
23. Play Hide and go seek indoors
24. Play I Spy - here's a cute paper one
25. Make a treasure map and go on a Treasure Hunt
26. Make Snow Ice Cream
27. Have some fun mattress jumping - This kind is legal cause Mom said so! :)
28. Build an Indoor Fort or Playhouse - with blankets, sheets, chairs. Use your imagination!
29. Paper Airplane Contests - or try these whirlybirds or strawplanes
30. Make Can Robots
31. Build Balloon Powered Racers
32. Play Charades - act out an animal, person or thing and everyone tries to guess what it is
33. Build a snow fort, or igloo or have a snowball fight - the best kind of memories!
34. Borax Snowflakes - these look easy and fun to make.
35. Marble Run out of Paper Towel tubes
36. Color
37. Cardboard Castle - Love it! Similar to the tree house. Or how about Merlin's castle
38. Make your own movie with a camera - write the story line and all and act it out
39. Make Snowman Pancakes - Super cute!
40. Make an indoor mini golf course
41. Make Some Rockets and blast off to space!
42. Go Ice Skating indoors - use paper plates to slide your feet around the room or wax paper like this
43. Make Puffy Paint out of Shaving Cream and Glue
44. Go on a hike - There are lots of places you can still hike in the winter! Just bundle up and go.
45. Have a snow ball fight with socks - or make snow balls out of nylons, stuffed with batting and tied off.
46. Make a Toy Car Race Track or Town out of Fabric, a shower curtain, or even out of paper!
47. Make Paper Dolls or Paper Boys - here's some cute ones
48. Build Something with Boxes
49. Make Snowflake Tortillas - Fold and Cut a tortilla into a snowflake. Melt butter and put on it then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and broil until crispy - a fun, yummy treat!
50. Have an Ivory Soap Explosion - put some soap in the microwave and watch it explode? Wow. 
51. Try to maneuver through a maze of "lazer beams"
52. Have a talent show - everyone share their talents
53. Make Pirate Hats & Play Pirates
54. Shovel someone's walk, make someone cookies or doorbell ditch something anonymously - do some service!
55. Mini Marshmallow Poppers
56. Have a checkers or chess competition
57. Not Enough Snow? Build a Tree Man!
58. Get a couple refrigerator boxes and build a rocket, a house, a castle - the possibilities are limitless!
59. Old Fashioned Yarn dolls - I remember making these as a girl!
60. Color Mixing - Color ice cubes with food coloring then melt them together to learn how colors mix
61. Marshmallow Play Dough
62. Play Dress-ups - my favorite activity growing up!
63. Plan a party
64. Play Make-up for girls
65. Make a car track - out of an old rain gutter, or just a cardboard box
66. Make a Train - or make a life-sized one using big boxes and let the kids sit in them
67. Record yourself with a web cam - see who can make the funniest face or sing a song the silliest
68. Water bottle ring toss
69. Have a Picnic in the living room
70. Make Cereal box guitars and rock to some good music
71. Put on a magic show - learn some magic tricks
72. Make some mini bow 'n arrows
73. Make Some Puppets and put on a puppet show - here's one I found of beauty and the beast, here's another of Florimel the magnificent
74. Play Spy Games and make secret messages in invisible ink
75. Make an indoor hopscotch course
76. Have a wrestling match
77. Pillow Fights! The best!
78. Have a campout in the front room - tent, pretend campfire, make smores (in the oven, toaster oven or microwave if you have a browner), etc
79. Write a story - one person starts, each person adds to it.
80. Make Marshmallow Shooters
81. Make Some Popsicle stick magnets
82. Make your own bowling alley - using socks stuffed into toilet paper rolls and a soft ball
83. Make some bean bags and have a bean bag toss
84. Do the bunny hop or the chicken dance
85. Play Simon Says with actions - dancing, jumping, skipping etc. 
86. Act out a nursery rhyme and see if the family can say it from memory
87. Make Woven Heart Baskets for Valentine's day
88. Have some hopping turtle races
89. Turn out the lights and make some hand shadows in the dark
90. Make Snow Angels
91. Read a story and have the kids illustrate it themselves (without looking at the pictures)
92. Photograph some snowflakes
93. Make some gifts or cards for someone who needs a little brightening
94. Make some icicles
95. Trace your body outlines on butcher paper and color
96. Visit your neighbors - just because!
97. Create some ice spikes in your freezer!
98. Put together a puzzle
99. Make some snowman robots
100. Read some funny jokes and laugh!

Update: These have been added to the list since it was originally created

101. I love this idea of a Snow Picnic! - What a fun way to enjoy winter.

102. Don't have snow? Make your own! Defrost the freezer, make it with ice cubes and a blender or make fake snow with diapers and play away!
103. I love this idea of freezing a bubble - how fun!

Here's some websites I found with even more great ideas:
http://pre-schoolplay.blogspot.com
http://ideasforpreschoolers.com
http://familyfunfriday.blogspot.com/
http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com
http://www.handsonaswegrow.com/
http://www.allfortheboys.com
http://www.classic-play.com
http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/
http://www.thesciencemommy.com/

Do you have any ideas? We'd love to hear from you. Then go out and have some fun!

Linked to Frugal Fridays

Read More

Sesame Cashew Vegetable Stir-Fry

When we were first married, I made stir-fry with rice A LOT - like every other meal, probably. First of all because it was cheap. Second, because I knew how to make it. And third because it was quick and easy and we didn't have a lot of time. 

It got to where we became sick and tired of it and my husband, especially, (as un-picky as he is) could barely even touch it anymore. It was a long time after I realized that before I tried making it again. When I did, I spent many months searching and trying recipe after recipe, and even several store-bought sauces to find a sauce that we liked. Finally last year, I went over to my sister's house to help her make some freezer meals for when she had her baby and this was the sauce that we made for sesame chicken. She let me try a bite and I knew I had found what we were looking for!

Our family LOVES this recipe and since we're talking about sprouts this week, let me just mention that it would be a GREAT one to put bean sprouts in.

As I mentioned, the original recipe is actually a sesame chicken recipe, but since we try to have 3 or 4 meatless meals per week, I've modified it to be meatless. Feel free to add egg & flour battered chicken back in, if you like! It's really yummy that way too!

Sesame Cashew Vegetable Stir-Fry

Printable Recipe

*Note: This recipe is very versatile. You can use as many or few vegetables as you would like. If you want to add chicken and stir fry that too, that would be yummy. You can also add other vegetables; some good choices would be asparagus, cauliflower, or celery.

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 Tbsp oil

1 Cup Broccoli spears

1 Cup Carrots, chopped

1 Cup Zucchini or yellow squash, cut into ½ inch pieces

1/2 Cup Onions, diced

A handful of Bean Sprouts

½ Cup raw cashews, roasted - Here are the instructions for roasting

1 recipe Sesame Sauce (see below)

3 Cups long grain brown rice

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add vegetables (except bean sprouts and cashews) and stir fry until tender. Meanwhile make the sesame sauce recipe and cook the brown rice (*see Note below). When vegetables are tender, add the roasted cashews and bean sprouts. Then add sesame sauce and serve over cooked brown rice. Or sometimes we leave the sauce and vegetable separate so the kids can decide if they want the sauce or not on their rice.

*Note: Combine 3 cups long grain brown rice with 5 cups water in electric pressure cooker and cook on high for 21 minutes - it comes out perfect every time! If you don’t have a pressure cooker, cook the brown rice over the stove using these instructions.

Sesame Sauce 

INGREDIENTS:

2 C. water
½ C. brown sugar
½ c. white sugar  (or instead of the brown & white sugar try 1/2 Cup Xagave or honey)
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds  

DIRECTIONS:
Combine sauce ingredients in medium saucepan, cook over medium heat, stirring until thick.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com with sauce recipe adapted from a recipe given to me by my sister Bonnie

Linked to It's a Keeper Thursday, What's cooking Thursday, Cooking Thursday, Full Plate Thursday

Read More

Sprout Recipes

I spent some time this morning looking for healthy recipes with sprouts and I was amazed at the variety of things you can use sprouts in! Wow, there's a lot of talented people out there sharing great recipes! I can't wait to try some of these.

Toasted Whole Wheat Bagel with Sprouts

Source: sproutingsprouts.com via Heather on Pinterest

Heart Healthy Sprout Salad

Source: sproutingsprouts.com via Heather on Pinterest

California open-faced sandwich w/ alfalfa sprouts, avocado, cucumber, basil & tomato

Source: ezrapoundcake.com via Heather on Pinterest

Chocolate Almond Torte (Using Sprouted Almonds)

Source: sproutpeople.com via Heather on Pinterest

Sprouted Spelt Bread

Source: breadmakingblog.breadexperience.com via Heather on Pinterest

Beansprout Pizza

Source: isga-sprouts.org via Heather on Pinterest

Read More

Homemade Hamburger Buns

My 4-yr-old just walked up to me super excited with a plain fettuccine noodle in his hand and said, "Mom you've gotta try this!" 

I bent over and tasted it and thought, "Oh, it tastes like a boring, plain (and cold) fettuccine noodle"

....but of course I gave him the response he was looking for...

"mmmmh!" I said enthusiastically. 

He gives me a big smile and says, "See, it tastes like smoked noodles!" 

Oh...my mistake! 

Well I guess not all of our tastes are the same. He is definitely what my husband calls a "connoisseur of fine foods", even if only in his mind. :)

Since we're talking about sprouts this week, I wanted to share a recipe that you can use your fresh sprouts on to make them healthier and even more delicious - homemade hamburger buns (or veggie burgers if you prefer).

In our culture it seems like one of the favorite fast food sandwiches of all time, that's universal from McD's to BK is the hamburger. It's like pure american food! But honestly I can't even stomach the thought of eating a burger from McD's or BK or any fast food joint anymore. They are in simple terms, just plain disgusting, every way you look at it. So I've solved that problem for you by sharing here a recipe for homemade hamburger buns that you can make very simply in less than an hour! They freeze well so you can make a big batch and pull them out when you need one of those quick, easy (fast food) dinners. They are much healthier and tastier than their store-bought counterparts so I hope you enjoy!

Update Feb 2013: Once you make these you are not going to want to go back to store bought buns ever again. My husband raves about them each time I make them and they have become a favorite recipe.

Hamburger Buns

Printable Recipe

*Makes 12 buns

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 Cup powdered milk *See Note below
2 Cups VERY warm water, microwave on high for 2-3 minutes ( >110 F)
1/4 Cup oil
2 Tbsp. honey
2 eggs
2 tsp. salt
1/4 Cup gluten flour
5-6 Cups of whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp active dry yeast
egg wash (1 egg + 2 Tbsp. water)
sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:
In a stand mixer combine (in this order) powdered milk, warm water, oil, honey, eggs, salt, gluten flour, 2 Cups of the whole-wheat flour with the yeast on top. Turn on the mixer and add enough whole-wheat flour until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. The dough should just clean the sides of the bowl, but still be a little tacky to the touch - you may not need all the flour. Mix for 6 minutes to develop gluten.

Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and form into buns. I made balls and flattened them slightly. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Brush with egg wash (mix 1 egg and 2 Tbsp. water) and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Preheat oven to 350. Let dough rise about 20 minutes then place in hot oven and bake 18-20 minutes.

*Note: If you don't have powdered milk you can heat up 2 Cups milk (any kind) in the microwave in place of the powdered milk and 2 Cups water

*This recipe freezes well. I like to double the batch and freeze what I don't need.

*Recipe Source: Adapted from Be Practical Today

Linked to Must Try Mondays, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Blog Hop, Tuesdays Tasty Tidbits, Tasty Tuesdays

Read More

Monday Meet Whole Foods: Sprouts!

Before I introduce this week's new whole food, I just want to share two things. The first thing is about the food for thought post from yesterday. I love this poem that I shared and it is meaningful to me for a few reasons. I grew up in a good home with parents that tried hard to teach me what is right. I still remember one family night (our family held family night every week on Monday night) when my Dad shared this poem with us. He gave us each our own printed copy and encouraged us to memorize it and I think most of us kids did. To this day I still  have that copy. And my siblings and I still can recite this poem from memory. I'm grateful to my Dad for teaching me about the importance of making sure our words are kind before we let them leave our lips. It's so important in all of our relationships, but in family relationships especially!

The second thing I want to share is about a great break through I had this morning. Or at least I think so. I made a green smoothie for breakfast and shared it with my boys. And they FOUGHT ABOUT WHO GOT THE MOST!! AND THEY KNOW THERE IS SPINACH IN IT!! Yeah!!! :) I know we shouldn't rejoice over our kids fighting, but I was so excited!!

And now moving on to the new whole food of the week:

Meet: Sprouts!

What are Sprouts?

Vegetable seeds, grains, nuts or beans can all be sprouted. They are easy to grow at home or you can buy them in the store. They are tasty and delicious and good for you. The nice thing about it is that they can be grown any time of the year (including in the middle of winter when nothing is growing where I live...except seed sprouts!!) Use only seeds that are specifically sold for sprouting, to ensure they don't have pesticides on them. It is important when sprouting grains that the grains haven't been processed, use any whole grains like wheat, barley, spelt, oat groats, etc. Beans like mung beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, etc can all be sprouted as long as it is in it's whole form (not split peas, for example).

How do I grow them?
Sprouts are easy to grow and economical too. In the picture below I have sprouted a blend of vegetable seeds called "alpha plus mix". It has alfalfa, cabbage, clover and radish seeds. Here are the simple steps:

• Day 1: Soak the seeds. I usually do this overnight - just put in a couple of tablespoons of sprout seeds and let soak in water.
• Day 2: Rinse the seeds and put them in a dark place and wait for them to germinate. I recommend rinsing the seeds several times a day so they don't develop a bacteria growth.
• Days 3-6: Continue rinsing the seeds several times a day and leave sitting in a dark place.
• Day 5-7: Once the sprouts have developed their leaves, you can either continue rinsing them and let them grow even more or let them sit in the sun for a few hours until they green up. 
• Then store in the refrigerator and rinse every day. 
• Enjoy your delicious sprouts!

How healthy are they?
Sprouting seeds, grains or beans ups the nutrition by many times. Sprouts are rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes. Since they are a living food, their vitamin content will increase whereas fruits and vegetables that you purchase from the store will actually lose nutrition over time. Some sources I've read say that sprouts have a greater concentration of nutrition properties than at any other point in the plant's life, including at maturity. Sprouts are easy to digest and good for the immune system.

How do I use them?

Use seed sprouts in place of lettuce on sandwiches or burgers, use in salad wraps or as a topping on a salad. Use grain sprouts in bread products for added nutrition. Use bean sprouts in Asian dishes - stir fry, egg rolls, etc.

Where can I buy the materials?

You can buy sprout seeds and materials at a health food stores near you or there are several products available at amazon as well.

Linked to Meatless Mondays

Read More

Food For Thought

Read More

Garden Plan and Seeds Ordered

I'm looking forward to springtime and time to plant...our garden! Here's our family garden plan for 2012!

And below are the Seeds I ordered from Stokes. Most of these varieties I have tried before and they are really good. I still have some seeds left over from last year that I'll be using this year...not many though because we had a mouse living in the basement and I found out that he created his nest right in my garden seeds! He ate a lot of them and destroyed many of the others so I have to start fresh with a lot of things... Yeah, I'm mad.  To simplify this year, I'll be buying the tomato and pepper starts from our local greenhouse. I've grown them from seed in the past, but they take a lot of babysitting and counter space that I'd rather save for cooking! Remember, this garden plan is definitely in pencil so I can adjust varieties when it's time to plant.
Sunshine (Squash/buttercup)
Chippawa (corn)
Primo (Muskmelon/cantaloupe)

Green Salad Bowl M.I. (Lettuce/looseleaf)
Sweet Basil
Oregon Giant (Snow pea)
Jester II (corn)
Jack Of All Trades (Pumpkin/medium)
Comet (Radish)
Pinnacle (Squash Hybrid)
White Lady Hyb (Summer turnip)
Walla Walla (Onion/Spanish) 

Happy Gardening! Looking forward to spring!

Read More

Frugal Friday: The Cost Analysis of Homemade Yogurt

Another wild morning - my four-year-old got another bloody nose out of nowhere (I think...) and it dripped all over big brother's new shoes which caused a major meltdown...but I think it's under control now. He's off to school and the other one is cleaned up so we're off to another day. I think my least favorite task as a mother is cleaning up blood...and watching my kids bleed...and anything that has to do with blood... What's your least favorite task as a Mom? Diaper changing? Being thrown up on? Mountains of laundry?

On a happier note, I think my one of my most favorite tasks as a Mom is cooking! And I'm going to move on to that with my frugal Friday tip of the day - Homemade Yogurt!

In my Yogurt Recipe I use these ingredients:

3 C. Milk

2 Tbsp. yogurt

 

Milk is on average about $2.50/gal

1 gal = 16 Cups

3 C. Milk costs about $0.47(more or less depending on if it’s on a good sale or not)

I usually use Yoplait greek yogurt which cost me $1.08 when I bought it the other day.

1 small carton is 6 oz. which is about ¾ C.

¾ C. = 12 Tbsp.

So the cost of 1 batch of yogurt is about $0.18

I can make 3 cups of yogurt for about $0.65 or less.

What is my cost savings for making my own yogurt, then? Again for each ¾ Cup of pre-packaged yogurt I have to pay $1.08. It would only cost me $0.16 to make the same amount at home. So that’s a savings of $0.92 for each carton of yogurt! That’s an 85% savings.

If you normally buy your yogurt in larger containers, I’m going to estimate that greek yogurt costs about $3.50 for 32 oz. (that’s probably a bit low…) That’s still $0.88 for each cup. The yogurt I make is $0.22 per cup so I’m saving $0.66 for each cup or 75%! To me that is a significant savings because we eat a lot of yogurt and we want to eat a lot of yogurt because it is really healthy. The nice thing about it is, it really is SO easy to do – it literally takes minutes to make a batch. I usually make a couple batches at a time because we eat so much - it's just as easy to make 2 batches at once as it is to make 1 batch. 

So there you go! If you’re looking to save money and be healthy at the same time, make your own yogurt! It really is worth it.

Linked to Frugal Friday

Read More

Healthy Granola Bars

I stopped buying most prepackaged foods a few years ago - I was concerned about the high sugar content, the preservatives, the other harmful ingredients and the general lack of nutrition (whole grains, etc). But it's always nice to have little snacks for school lunches and afternoon snacks to feed the kids so I've been on the lookout for healthy snack recipes to substitute for the prepackaged snacks. Here's one of my favorites (and our kids favorites) that I've found. Healthy in this instance is relative because it's not 100% healthy, but it's way better for you than it's prepackaged counterpart! The granola recipe comes from a friend of mine who shared it on her facebook one day. It's now my favorite because it's a perfect balance between "mostly healthy" and tasty.

My Favorite Granola

Printable Recipe

*Makes about 5-1/2 Cups

INGREDIENTS:

5 Cups rolled or quick oats

1/4 Cup nuts (I prefer either walnuts or almonds)

1/3 Cup unsweetened coconut

2 Tbsp. ground flax seed

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. butter

1 square of almond bark

3 Tbsp. xagave nectar or honey

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl mix together the oats, nuts, coconut, flax seed, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. In saucepan melt on low heat the butter, almond bark and xagave or honey. As soon as it is all melted together, quickly stir it into the dry mixture. Pour it all onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for 13-15 minutes or until slightly brown. Let cool in pan and then break apart. Eat plain, with yogurt or use in granola bars. 

Recipe Source: Recipe slightly adapted from one by my friend Jennifer

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Printable Recipe

*Makes 16 granola bars

INGREDIENTS:

3 Cups of granola

3 Tbsp. butter

1/2 Cup peanut butter

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Optional:  1/2 Cup of your choice of raisins, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, chopped apricots, dates, or another fun add-in (for this batch I used ¼ Cup mint chips and ¼ Cup Reeses pieces)

DIRECTIONS:

Measure out the granola into a large bowl. In a medium saucepan over low heat melt together the butter and peanut butter. Crack both eggs into a small bowl and beat them up with a fork. When the margarine and peanut butter are completely melted together, remove the pan from the heat. Quickly whisk in the eggs all at once. Be speedy or the eggs will cook before they are mixed in and resemble a scrambled egg mess. Keep mixing until the mixture thickens and emulsifies into a dough-like texture. Then beat in the vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the bowl with the prepared granola. Add any optional ingredients to suit your taste and mix. Scoop the mixture out into a greased 8-inch square pan and press to fill the pan. Chill the bars in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until hard. Cut into 16 squares. Serve or keep refrigerated or frozen for later.

Recipe Source: Adapted from hillbillyhousewife.com

Linked to What's Cooking Thursdays, Weekly Recipe Collection, Full Plate Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday and Cooking Thursday

Read More

Red Quinoa Recipes

This morning I got up at 4:30 a.m. because I couldn't sleep and read until 6:30. Then I ran 3 miles with my good friend and running partner Jenna. Next I ate breakfast (grapefruit and yummy quinoa cereal) and got my first grader off to "character day" at school. Last minute he wanted me to walk him so I threw on a hat (to cover my sweaty hair) and a long coat that would cover my bleach-stained running pants and sweaty clothes. In our haste, my 4-year-old ran into a wall and got a bruise over his eye...so yeah! We're off to a rolling start with this day!

Here's my cute "character" reading his book - they had to choose a character from a book to dress up as. True to his form, he chose a T-rex from a non-fiction dinosaur book.

I hope you're enjoying this week's new food: red quinoa! Here's some more tasty recipes I've made using this wonderful grain:

Red Quinoa Vegetable Lasagna
Rigatoni Pressure Cooker Meal

And I found a few more yummy ones on Pinterest! Drool away with me!

Quinoa Granola

Source: hungryhungryhippie.com via Heather on Pinterest

Red Quinoa With Roasted Winter Vegetables and Pesto

Source: nytimes.com via Heather on Pinterest

Warm and Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa

Source: 101cookbooks.com via Heather on Pinterest

Red Quinoa Apple & Cranberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Source: poorgirleatswell.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Linked to Friday Favorite Finds

Read More

Red Quinoa Pressure Cooker Breakfast Cereal

My four-year-old boy loves this cereal! He asked me just yesterday if I would make "the kind of oatmeal that I like best." Little does he know there's not a spec of oats in it! But I agree - it's one of the best cereals I've ever tasted!

Red Quinoa Pressure Cooker Breakfast Cereal

Printable Recipe

*Note: If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can make it on the stove or in your rice cooker - just cook it like you would brown rice.

*Serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups brown rice
1 Cup red quinoa
5-1/2 Cups of water

1 tsp. salt

1/3 Cup coconut oil
1/4 Cup Xagave

Berries or cut up fruit, optional

Cream, milk or half-n-half, optional

DIRECTIONS:
Add brown rice, red quinoa, water, and salt to your electric pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Let pressure drop naturally or use the quick release method. When pressure has dropped, open and add coconut oil and Xagave. Taste and add more coconut oil and/or Xagave to taste, if needed. Serve with fresh fruit (I like it plain or with cut up peaches or berries) and your choice of cream, half-n-half or milk (cream or half-n-half is delicious, but I usually just eat it with milk).

Recipe Source: Adapted Slightly from Chef Brad Website

For more pressure cooker recipes see my pressure cooker recipe page. Or follow my pressure cooker board on pinterest.

Linked to: Tasty Tuesday and Whole Foods Wednesday

Read More

Posted in Breakfasts, Pressure Cooker Recipes | No comments

Monday Meet Whole Foods: Red Quinoa

 Meet: Red Quinoa

What is Red Quinoa?
Red Quinoa is a small grain that originates from South America and is still used there today. The ancient Incan Indians regarded this grain so highly (they called it the mother grain) that the first seeds of each season were sown by the Incan Emporer using a gold shovel! Red Quinoa is Gluten Free and considered easy to digest.

How do I use it?
Red Quinoa can be sprouted, ground into flour or cooked. I'll talk about sprouting grains and seeds in a future installment of Monday: Meet New Foods! To cook red quinoa just add 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa and cook on the stove top for 12 minutes, the electric pressure cooker for 6 minutes, or the stove top pressure cooker for 7 minutes. After cooking, the grain displays a little white thread that curls around it.

Red quinoa expands by four times it's raw size when cooked. Use cooked red quinoa in salads, soups, breads, desserts, or as a meat substitute or extender in main entrees. Red quinoa makes an excellent breakfast cereal.

Where Can I buy it?
The cheapest store that I've seen lately that sells red quinoa is WinCo. I think it was about $5/lb, which is a pretty good buy - I've seen it up at $8/lb! You can also find it in health food stores. I like to buy my quinoa in bulk through a local grain company. I think I paid about $3/lb that way. So shop around. You can usually find a good price.

How healthy is it?
Red quinoa is amazing in that, unlike many grains, it contains all the essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. This property makes it an excellent grain for vegetarian and vegan diets. It is high in fiber, which is has been shown to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and some types of cancer. It also high in magnesium, folate and phosphorus, which make it a good choice for people with headaches and diabetes. It is high in lysine, which is important for tissue growth and repair. For more information, here is an excellent article about the health benefits of quinoa and here is a chart that lists the nutrition content of quinoa.

Got a Recipe?
Comment with your recipes using red quinoa! Or check out some of mine this week! I hope you enjoy this wonderful grain!

Information for this post came from: wikepedia.org, chefbrad.com, whfoods.com

Read More