White Flour

Do you know where white flour comes from? It comes from wheat-so why is it so bad?

This is why: There are three parts to the wheat kernel. The bran (which contains lignans, antioxidants, and minerals-and most of the fiber), the germ (packed with vitamins), and the endosperm (5% of the antioxidants that the bran contains). To make white flour, the bran and the germ are removed, and the endosperm remains, but is usually bleached and heated. Therefore, making white flour basically not nutritious at all. It is said to have the same effect on your blood as white sugar.

So.. you can replace white flour with whole grain flour. It is best to grind it right before you use it. If it has been sitting on a shelf, chances are it is rancid because of the oils that are in the grain.

If you or your family have been on white flour only, don't switch to whole grain all at once. Try 1/4 whole wheat, 3/4 white flour, then go 1/2 and 1/2. Then 3/4, to 1/4, and eventually you will be able to eat all whole grains.

Here is a list of whole grains to try:

wheat and bulgur (cracked wheat)
spelt
kamut
oats
corn and popcorn
brown rice and wild rice
rye
barley
buckwheat
millet
quinoa (keen-wah)
sorghum
amaranth

Breakthrough

I am glad to say that after 9 months of trying to find alternatives to syrup for pancakes, waffles, etc. We did it! Today we had whole wheat pancakes and just to keep trying, I drizzled it with honey and chopped strawberries. I told Maverick if he would take one bite, I wouldn't make him eat the whole thing if he didn't like it. Well... HE liked it-yea! I'm ecstatic. No more refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup-that's a big step.

I have two websites I need to tell you about. There is my fave-Simply Living Smart. I signed up for a program they have called Simply Live. It has changed my life-It is amazing. There are online classes and videos about how to store your food storage, eat your food storage, and so much more! Great, healthy recipes.. Right now I am taking an online gardening class. I can't begin to tell you how much I've learned about soil and many other things just from 1 1/2 hours of classes so far. There are 8 classes. The lady's name is Jane, and she is going to guide us through the gardening process of her garden so we at home, can practice her ideas. So I'm loving that. But there is also a whole organizational class that Anitra Kerr teaches, and it's a huge help too.

The other website is Green Smoothie Girl. It is a lady that lives in Orem that has done massive amounts of research to try and cure her four children of asthma and allergies. Her results are astonishing. It's right up my alley. The thing I love most though is on her home page there is a link that says "12 Myths". It was insightful to read. Her whole thing is to try to get people to eat whole foods from plant sources, but I love the fact that she does it slowly. She says, "You can't eat the whole elephant at one sitting"-and that is important for me. I get all extreme sometimes and then fail, so she has you practice one thing every month, and the goal is in 12 months to be on whole foods. Great sight-thrilled with it! I've tried the green powder that she sells on her site-not bad!

I think it's important to listen to what our bodies are telling us. I've definitely become more aware of mine. Now I know certain signs to look for when I feel a certain way, and it always has to do with what I am fueling my body with.

Let's not forget that we can't be perfect all the time (at least I don't want to!)-I highly recommend the peanut butter chocolate cup dream tart from Divinely Sweets in Logan by ShopKo. It's everything I've ever wanted in a treat-and I didn't feel one bit guilty eating it! My body got the shakes from sugar overload-but I knew what it was from :) See.. listening to my body..

The Honey Issue

I knew I could get honey cheaper than this (I paid $35 for 12 lbs.), but I also was interested in pure, raw, natural honey. Is there really a difference? Yes there is. I bought my honey from a place called Country Meadow's Wildflower Honey in Hooper, Utah. I have read that pure, raw, natural honey is not filtered. Which means that it contains small amounts of pollen-but don't be scared, that's supposed to be good. Pollen contains a lot of nutrients, such as: twenty-two amino acids, twenty-five minerals, and twelve vitamins. Also, this honey is organic so there's no pesticides. So.. I feel good about my purchase. Speaking of pesticides-I just haven't dove over to the EVERYTHING organic phase. I think I actually am getting there slowly, and I would love to do that, but inch by inch, right? A man that grows grins told me that he would never buy organic grains because since they don't have pesticides, there is animal poop and gross stuff in it, but I think I would rather have that (and not know about it :) instead of toxic pesticides. I don't know. I haven't died yet, so I just have to be content with what I have right now, and then maybe switch over in the future.

So here is a reference for you when substituting honey in sugar for baking:

Honey has a greater sweeting power than sugar. Twelve ounces (Weight) of Honey equals one standard measuring cup. In baked goods, reduce the amount of liquid by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used; add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for each cup of honey used; reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees to prevent overbrowning. For easy removal spray the measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray or oil before adding honey.

Next post:
Why white sugar and white flour are so NOT good for us-

Sprouted Wheat Bread

I'm going to try this:

Sprouted Wheat Bread Recipe

Supposedly if you sprout your wheat, then dry it, then grind it, your body is supposed to digest it as a vegetable. I'm still pondering that, but I thought I'd try it!

Have you ever sprouted your grain before making bread?

Camel's Eye

A few months ago I was really excited to make these for Jed. I was trying to surprise him by making him breakfast before work :) So I made it waiting for an enthusiastic "You're the best wife ever!" I got: nothing. So I had to do what I hate to do: pry it out of him of him how much he loves it. To which he said: I ate these every morning when I was on my mission. Oh well!

From wikipedia:
This dish is made by covering the bottom of a heavy sauté pan with a few tablespoons of some sort of fat (cooking oil, margarine, butter, bacon fat, etc.). While the oil is heating, a drinking glass is used to ream a circle out of a slice of plain bread with a good crust. When the oil is hot, the bread is added and the heat lowered. The bread is browned and flipped and an egg is broken into the center and sprinkled with salt, fresh black pepper and dried herbs. The pan is then covered and the egg is cooked until the white is just set.

What I got from this:

make hole in bread
butter both sides of bread
butter bottom of pan on "low"
crack egg into hole in bread
salt, pepper, season egg
let cook
flip over
eat
ENJOY


Here is a recipe with pics from my favorite: Pioneer Woman

3 tips:

1. whole wheat bread (you were wondering what this had to do with wheat, right? It's not an egg blog-
2. cook on low. I always burn these :)
3. The best part is when you butter both sides of the bread hole and fry that on your pan too!

Thought this was funny to read (also from wikipedia)
In the American South and other parts of the English-speaking world, this concoction is often known as "egg in a basket", "egg in a window", "egg in a frame", "egg in a fram" or "toad in the hole", not to be confused with the sausage and Yorkshire pudding dish of the same name. In Australia it is sometimes known as a "square egg". It is often a breakfast favorite among children. In New Jersey and South Philadelphia, this may be known simply as "Alabama eggs" or "Alabama-Style Eggs" (despite not actually being commonly eaten in Alabama). In parts of Texas it is sometimes known as a "Popeye" or a "one-eyed Egyptian sandwich". In parts of Pennsylvania it is called "spit in the eye." In parts of Utah it is sometimes known as a "camel's eye". In parts of Alaska it is sometimes known as "midnight sun." In parts of Massachusetts it is sometimes known as "gas house eggs" or "egg in toast." In parts of Russia it is sometimes known as "Australian toast". This style is also referred to as a "nest egg", "nested egg", "framed egg", "egg in the hole" or "egg in the hat". Another variation is to stack two slices of bread and then cut a square out of the center of both and drop two eggs in, cooking thoroughly.

HEALTHY but TASTY Banana Nut Bread

Wow! I am eating a piece of this as we speak, and all I can say is.. ROCK ON!
I have recently been diagnosed with candida, which has put me on a no white flour, no white rice, no sugar diet. Plus I am lactose intolerant, and I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to eggs. Anyone else have these issues? So I have been finding recipes that will suit this, and this has been my favorite so far!

I modified a recipe from allrecipes.com, and this is what I came up with:

1/3 cup applesauce (100% natural, unsweetened of course :)
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs (I substituted 1 tsp. of ground flax seed + 1/4 cup water blended in blender for each egg)
1 cup mashed bananas
1 3/4 cup WHOLE WHEAT flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. In a large bowl, beat applesauce and honey together. Add eggs/flax mix and mix well. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt. Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then add to batter. Blend in chopped nuts. Put in loaf pan. I always have issues making banana bread cook in the middle and not burn on the outside, so I put it in two small loaf pans and it worked great.
3. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1/2 hour before slicing (if you can!)

Walton Feed

There is a place in Montpelier, Idaho that sells a lot of food in bulk. They have a lot of options for grains, beans, freeze dried food, etc. You can have them deliver your items UPS, OR this is the great part: A truck comes down once a month or so to Old Grist Mill in Logan and you can pay .04/lb. for the driver to bring it there. All you have to do is meet the truck-sweet!

Powdered Milk

How to use your powdered milk you say? Well.. my kids'll drink it - but they don't love it. But we're supposed to rotate it, right? Well.. cook with it! Just keep it in your fridge and keep it for recipes. I put it in brownies today and it was great-couldn't even tell one bit!

I have tried Morning Moo-Western Family-and I just bought some from the cannery. I have heard really good things about Country Cream brand because it is 100% dairy, not whey. More on that to come later...

What have you tried?