Husband's Review - Honey Wheat Cornbread

I have to say I love cornbread. If you make a 9" round pan of it and I have some butter and honey I can eat the whole thing without remorse. In fact, I find it a pain that I have to share with my family. Usually, they each get a piece and I get what's left. It's not as good as eating the whole pan, but it does leave room for more butter and honey on what I do get to eat.
When my wife introduced this new recipe I was skeptical. She once put too much salt in the cornbread and it ruined my day, so she was nervous as well. (You cannot saturate a piece of cornbread with enough honey to hide the taste of salt.) But, being too lazy to make my own cornbread, I have no other choice then to eat what she puts before me. I took the first piece and, like everything else wheatey that she has been feeding me, I wonder if my esophagus can handle the abrasive texture. After covering with honey I took a bite. It didn't have that welcome eat-me-as-fast-as-possible taste that good yellow cornbread has, but it was good. And it felt healthy. The true test was if I would go for another bite, which I did. Soon, I had eaten two pieces and it was growing on me. I didn't finish the pan, but I did finish it the next morning for breakfast. I would definitely eat it again.

Taste - 7

Appearance - 6

Bowel Ripping Side Effects - 8

Honey Wheat Cornbread

We love cornbread-I started making it and then thought, "Crap I don't have any eggs!" (don't you think it's ironic that thought always occurs to you after you've mixed ingredients?) Then I looked and hey-this recipe doesn't need eggs! So then I remembered that you can substitute flax seed for eggs-lovely! Just so you know.. 1 TBSP. ground flax seed to 3 TBSP water for egg substitutes. Anyway.. here's some good cornbread. I got it out of the recipe book from the Victorio grinder I got.

5 TBSP. honey
1/4 cup oil
4 TBSP ground flax seed
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cups freshly ground soft wheat
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine ground flax and water. Set aside until water is absorbed; about 10 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients; add flax. Spread into 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and tests done.

Baked vs. Fried

Why cut something out of your diet that you love when you can still have it? Just a different way..
A great way to substitute something high in fat is to replace it with the same thing-but lower in fat. I love having control over what is in my food. That's why I love this:

Homemade Baked tortilla chips
4 corn tortillas cut into 8 pieces (pizza cutter works great for this)
1 1/2 TBSP olive oil
lime juice to taste
garlic salt to taste

Mix up the oil, lime juice, and garlic salt. Layer your tortillas evenly on a baking sheet. With a kitchen rubber brush (what the heck is that called?) lightly glaze the tops of the tortillas. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes, then turn over and bake for 4-5 more minutes. Each oven is different, so just watch them close so they don't burn. But cook them long enough that they are crispy.

Yum!

Why is wheat so great?

Wheat is packed with vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, processing used to produce and refine white flour removes most of the valuable nutrients. Wheat kernels have three main divisions; the bran, the endosperm, and the inner embryo or wheat germ. The bran layer constitutes 14% of the wheat kernel and is removed when producing white flour. The bran is packed with vitamins A, C, and E, calcium, iron, and iodine. The bran also happens to be the best source of dietary fiber which aids in digestion and helps ward off disease. The wheat germ layer is an excellent source of vitamin E, as well as other vitamins and protein. Many important nutrients are removed when layers are separated during processing. For this reason, it makes sense to put whole wheat back into your diet.

Pound for pound, wheat is one of the least expensive foods available. And, since grain products will expand in your stomach--satisfying you even if you eat less--using wheat products can help you stretch your budget by eliminating the need for store-bought, overpriced, and over-processed goods.

If you are concerned that your food storage may be lacking in protein, a good supply of wheat and beans will form a complete protein. Just a half cup of uncooked wheat contains 8 to 10 grams of protein. So, not only will wheat give you the protein needed for muscle growth and repair, but you will have a low-fat complex carbohydrate to give your body the energy it needs to make it through the day.

-From beprepared.com

Popped wheat

Take 1/2 cup COOKED wheat berries and place in medium saucepan with 1 TBSP oil. Cover with lid and turn heat to medium. The kernels will simmer and begin to pop, and soon be golden brown and a little translucent. They won’t pop like popcorn. Once browned, drain off of paper towel, rub off excess oil, and sprinkle with your favorite seasonings. ie) barbecue seasoning, steak seasoning, seasoned salt, cinnamon and sugar (try a banana dipped in those!)

If anyone is successful at making this, let me know how you did it..

Blender Pancakes

These.. pancakes.. soo... good! My kids prefer these now over white pancakes.

1 cup wheat kernels

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or regular milk)

Combine wheat and 1 cup buttermilk/milk in blender for four minutes on high. Then add the following:

1/4 cup more milk

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup oil

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

3 TBSP. brown sugar (or honey, or molasses, or both)

Blend on high 2 minutes more, then pour out onto hot, buttered griddle and enjoy!! Serve with butter and syrup, jam, fruit, plain, or my personal fav-PB and bananas

If you have tried these, do they work in a regular blender, or does it need to be high-powered?

Recipe courtesy of Simply Living Smart

My Mini

I think I should change the name of this blog to: what can i fit in my minivan? I'm really starting to like the old girl. Who needs a truck when I can fit what I can fit in there? I guess 4-wheel drive is nice. Anyway.. yesterday I came home with 4 55-gallon barrels, 26 buckets (with lids), 4 barstools, a grain grinder (granted it took up about two inches by twelve inches, but still..), and a partridge in a pear tree!

Just so you know, I have been looking on KSL for a bunch of stuff. I saved $60 yesterday-that's 250 lbs. of wheat, 30 boxes of cereal, almost 50 pounds of powdered milk, or.. it would almost pay for me to get my hair done, which really needs to be done-can you say roots?:)

Victorio Grinder

So I took advantage of the manual grinder from R&R (local store) and bought a grain grinder.  I love it already because it is so small to store and totally easy to use.  Like.. kindergarten easy.  I ground up some barley and I am thrilled with how easy it is.  I think I've made a good investment!

Marga Mill Sale

I came home last Friday from the cannery and tried to order the Marga Mill.  See my previous post about the Marga Mill.  It said on the website it was $75!  Sweet..  But I tried to put it through and it kept coming up as 99.  Come to find out, it will only be $75 if you call them.  So.. here is the number: 1-800-253-6383.  Mine will be here tomorrow.  I know you are all as excited as me to see how it works.

Wheat Grinder on sale

R & R Hardware is having a President's Day Sale tomorrow,  February 16-21.  They have a victorio hand grinder for $45!  It's regularly $69.95-From what I've read, it grinds Wheat, Corn, Rice, Barley, Oats & Other Dry Grains & Spices.  I have a magic mill grinder, but I'm going to purchase one of these for my food storage.. you know, in case we have no power.  I'm not planning on grinding wheat with two stones anytime soon!  Here is a picture of it:  grinder

Types of Wheat

There are six different classes of wheat:  Hard Red Winter, Hard Red Spring, Soft Red Winter, Hard White, Soft White and Durum.  The harder the wheat, the higher the protein content in the flour.  Soft, low protein wheats are used in cakes, pastries, cookies, crackers, etc.  Hard, high protein wheats are used in breads.  Durum is used for noodles.  Hard wheat is the best wheat for LONG term storage.  Winter and spring just tells you when the wheat was planted.  Red wheat is darker and more dense than white.  White wheat supposedly has more of a light and fluffy texture.

Here's your read for the day:

For a great explanation on wheat flour, terms for wheat, substitutions, and a history, go to this link from the Wheat Foods Council:  wheat

Wheat Prices

So knowing my tax return was coming soon, I've been pricing wheat.  Here are my results:

Macey's:

red or white: $29.99 for 50 lbs.  

Walton Feed:  

red:  $15.50 for 50 lbs.

white: $17.05 for 50 lbs.

Farmer in Malad: $20 for 50 lb.

LDS Cannery: 

hard white: $7.40 for 25 lbs/$14.80 for 50 lbs.

hard red: $6.05 25 lbs/$12.10 for 50 lbs.

I chose the cannery, naturally.. plus I got to try out a Marcato Marga Roller Mill.  I've totally been wanting one.  It doesn't grind flour, but it cracks or flakes it.  I would really like one to make baby food.  For example, OAT GROATS are the least-processed form of oats, straight off the plant.  I have gotten them at Walton Feed in Montpelier, Idaho.  So you can take oat groats (they look a lot like wheat), put them in the Marga Mill, crank 'em through, and have your own fresh oatmeal every morning completely unprocessed!

To see what it is, here is the link: Marga Mill

I feel my day has been successful.  I came home with 350 lbs. of white, and 350 lbs. of red.  It's the best $200 I've ever spent -  There's nothing my minivan cannot bring home!

Purpose of the Blog

Food Facts
OK. I want to start off this post by saying that 6 months ago, I felt like our family ate pretty healthy. I've never been into prepared foods, etc. I never really wanted to feed my kids macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles, spaghettios (you know.. kid foods). Well then I realized I needed to chill out a little bit or else my kids would be all psycho about food. Then our money was super tight and I didn't feel like there was any other options except to buy food like this unless we wanted potato soup every single night. Not that it was a daily thing, but it was becoming more frequent. I felt frustrated because I knew I wasn't giving them the nutrients they needed. I love nutrition. I feel like what we put into our bodies makes us who we are physically and mentally. I'm a completely different person when I am eating real live food instead of food that's been on shelves for months and months. So are my kids. That being said, I've decided that no it doesn't have to be this way. I went back to "What did pioneers eat?" Which brings me to my point of the post. In the past 3 or 4 months, I've taken upon myself a personal quest to feed my family healthy foods, significantly lower our budget on food, and get and use our food storage. The only thing I knew what to do with wheat was make wheat berries and bread. I didn't even know how to make bread really, I just knew I could if I needed to. I have always depended on my mom for a lot of things: sewing, making bread (she's awesome at making bread), etc. But I have had so much fun learning these things for myself. I feel a lot more prepared to be a homemaker.

So: that being said, I am sure I know so little compared to what many people know, but I feel like I am to a place where I wouldn't have to go to the grocery store for weeks because of the things I've learned to do with my food storage. So I wanted to post ideas and tips. I love reading blogs where I learn things. So maybe you can learn something from what I've learned. Maybe not!

WHEAT
Doesn't the Doctrine and Covenants say that grains are the staff of life? I've learned so much about wheat that is so awesome. Cook it as wheat berries and it is good for breakfast. Sprout it and it is good for salads or a snack, grow it into wheat grass and it's actually a vegetable. It's so versatile, cheap, and easy to make.

So here is how to make wheat berries:
Put 2 cups of wheat (just plain old wheat) in a saucepan. Cover with water and add two more inches. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for 1 hour. Drain the water off, and there you go. You can eat these just like oatmeal. We add honey and milk, brown sugar and milk, or yogurt and granola. It's a very healthy way to eat carbs :) There you go... easy, right?

Grinders

Here is an article from Walton Feed on Grinders.

Article

So let's face it!  I'm a wheat geek.  I'm finding more and more ways to use it, and LOVE it every day.  Come along on my adventure!